Water World

mom & dad (aka grandma & abu) came over on Sunday and left yesterday. They brought the girls a slip-n-slide which has been hours upon hours of endless enjoyment! To be honest I can't keep them off of it. I tried it once and I'm not sure I'll muster up the courage to do it again. When I went down I felt as if I popped my shoulder off and my stomach muscles were sore last night. I guess I'm too old! lol. Anyways here are some pics of the girlies having big fun!

Giggles!

She is just getting too big too fast! I know.. I know.. I think I repeat myself a million times but it's true! Emmalyn started doing full blown giggles yesterday. Not the breath sounding kind of a laugh.. I mean a real giggle! Ariel, Clarity & I were all laughing at her! I was singing that so much better song to her and then I'd go down and tickle her tummy and she would just squeal. LOVE it!!

This wont be a long post.. I've got the girls chicken nuggets & fries in the oven for lunch and it will be done in a few minutes.

Not much been going on.. just cleaning and trying to get everything done. It is a never ending battle. Of course I guess having three little ones in the house.. I can't expect it to stay clean after I do it. It's a nice fantasy having to only clean once a week but I've learned it's a daily thing in my life. blah. Why can't I be one of those people that love to clean?! Or even better why can't I just be rich and just have a maid.. and a cook. lol. Keep dreaming!

The heat sucks! The girls are staying inside (they are allowed to go out but only after I put sunscreen on them and they are REQUIRED to come in at least every five to ten minutes for a drink and to cool off). But it's been so hot even they dont want to go out for very long and they usually wait until the sun starts going down to go out & play. I know others are hotter (lol Misty... triple digits.. GAH). Jesse put our window unit in last night and we dont run in much. I think it's because we live in a brick home that it stays bearable even when it's 95 outside! But I do turn the A/C off and on throughout the day just to keep things comfortable.

Well Ariel just informed me that Clarity has poured Nesquik everywhere. Gah. That kid... I swear! Terrible Two's no doubt... I dread the 3's... she's a handful now! But.. I love her!

So Much Better

I was watching Legally Blonde the Musical: Search for Elle Woods on MTV this morning. Those girls auditioning are amazing. I mean every one of them has such talent !. That show has made me want to see the Broadway Show so bad! I know I'd love it. Anyways the song "So much better" has been stuck in my head all day long. lol. Here is a clip of Laura Bell Bundy (The Elle Woods in Broadway now that they are getting a replacement for). This show just looks too cute! And you gotta love the note she has to hold at the end of this song.. I think I would so pass out!

Today was

a pretty great day! Nothing spectacular happened but it was just one of those days that just goes smoothly... where everything seems effortless. Nice. It started off great and I think I have my ER post to thank for that. I woke up out of a dream where George Clooney was my boyfriend & bringing me flowers. lmao. Dont get me wrong... Jesse's the love of my life & I wouldnt trade him... but that was nice of God to give me George for a bit & have no guilt involved. woohoo! ;o)

Jesse came home & grilled us some chicken. Let me tell you it was amazing. I'm so lucky to have a guy that will work all day and still come home and help me out with dinner. He's outside right now putting the finishing touches on his fountain he's been working on. Nate (the welder thats working with him) did an awesome job on the steel part of it. I'm going to have to take a picture of this thing. It's so creative & I love it!! Hopefully he can start selling these for some good $$. You wont find anything else like it in the world, that's for sure. oh and while I'm on the subject.. please say a prayer for Nate's little girl. I think she's around Ariel's age & at Duke Hospital in Raleigh. She had surgery in her brain yesterday to remove a tumor. I dont know much else.. if it was cancerous, if she'll be okay, but I'm sure Nate will update Jesse when he knows. Nate stayed here with his other kids & his wife is with their daughter. It must be so hard... so please keep them in your thoughts & prayers. I can't imagine.

I'm going to try to get some video of the girls and put it up asap. I NEED video of them. I LOVE having moments captured that I can replay. Especially of my babies. Okay I'm getting sentimental. Anyways hopefully I'll get some good stuff tonight and have it up soon :o)

Another Addiction

Another addiction of mine. ER. I'm always so late catching on to shows and this one I'm only about um.. 14 seasons late! lol. But that's good news for me because I get to have my fix everyday between 10 am and noon. I have it record on dvr because having three kids God knows it's a rare thing I actually get to sit down, relax & enjoy my show. Right now I'm watching the very early seasons with George Clooney (Dr. Ross.. the finest pediatrician I've ever seen) and Noah Wyle (John Carter.. such a hot little med student). Um yeah if these guys were my doctors I think I'd be sick all the time. lmao.

Our Seats

Okay so we'll be in section 6. Not too shabby I dont guess. Of course I'd love to be closer but even though my tickets were going through almost the minute they went on sale.. that's what we got. Somehow ticket scalpers have the really good seats and are trying to sell them online for hundreds or even a thousand dollars! Crazy! Crazy & unfair but hey, like I said before I'm just happy that from the looks of it we will have decent seats. I still can't believe they sell tickets this early. A lot can happen between now & October 29th. I'm praying everything goes okay and Ariel & I can go. I can't believe I'm already going to be pulling my kid out of kindergarten for a day and a half to go to a concert... her first year of going to school! lol. Trust me that's not going to happen often! In fact this may very well be the only time that happens for her so she better love it! Goodness my nerves are already excited... why does this have to be such a long wait? Not that I want time to fly by... I dont.. because it goes too fast as it is. I just wish the concert were sooner than October! Well this gives me something to threaten Ariel with if she's misbehaving. She's so excited to go... lol! I guess that's how you can tell she's mine ;o)

A Friend of Mine

posted on her blog about her love for Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie. It made me smile because I think everybody has that celebrity (or 2 or 3 or.. you get the picture) that they just adore. My celebs that I love are Ryan Reynolds (though he's gotten knocked down in my book for getting engaged! Pah! As if that's allowed. I'm so kidding) and my other is :

Is she not adorable? Now usually my celebrity fascinations drive Jesse crazy. He's not into them like I am & doesnt understand why I like to read People and all that jazz but he makes an exception with Reese I think. I can talk about her and he doesnt act like I'm boring him to death and he even let me give Emmalyn the middle name Reese... and yes I did that because 1) I do.. I just love Reese Witherspoon.. she has such a cute & sweet personality and 2) the name Reese means enthusiastic (I'm big on the fact all my kid's names have to have meaning and be special) and enthusiasm is a great thing in my books!

Got the tickets!!!

well we will be on the floor center stage towards the back (I guess Gold card members got the really awesome seats.. lmao). But I'm not going to complain! I think it's going to be an experience, that's for sure! I'm just praying it's a good one.. I know it will be for me... but for Ariel! I think she'll be nervous & scared at first with the loudness but I think as it goes on, she'll have a blast! I can imagine this will be one of those things she talks about often afterwards! Sure hope so! If only I could figure out a way to meet them or at least get her (who am I kidding.. and MYSELF of course) autographs :o)

Pretty Princess

Stormy Sunday

I guess it was supposed to storm today. hmm. I didnt realize. I guess it's a good thing we went out & did our grocery shopping yesterday. We didn't go mini golfing as we planned. Ariel begged for a toy cash register at Walmart and we gave her the choice she could either have that or go golfing. She picked the cash register. Her & Clarity played with it for hours after we got home. Jesse took us to Ryan's for dinner last night since we wont be doing anything for my birthday. Of course stupid me gorged on salad! Salad! lol. So between my salad and rolls I was stuffed. Never eat salad first because if you get full on that as soon as you get home you feel famished. At least I did. bummer.

well today is the day I get to scrub the house. yippy. Beth (my mother in law) is coming to stay with us more than likely sometime this week. We're not sure for how long but we are pretty sure it's going to be a while. I had the whole story typed up on here yesterday but as I read it on my blog, I felt my blog was tainted & since I was so disturbed by it, I removed it. She just needs to get away from her husband right now. What he's done, he may have driven her away for good. I know one thing.. I would NEVER go back. So anyways this will be something time will tell. I have no idea what's going to happen. If she's going to be here for a while, if she moves with her mom to Florida, if she goes back home. I asked Jesse what he thought and he has no idea either.

Well I guess I better get some breakfast & get started. I have a lot to do today.

Finally Friday

Can I get an amen? lol. Yes! the weekend is here! Praise the Lord! I havent been able to get hardly anything done all week. Lack of total motivation. Kids constantly needing something. Now I hope I can get something done this weekend since Jesse will be home. Of course tomorrow he has plans for us to go out to Maggie Valley and take Ariel golfing. We had promised to take her when we went to Gatlinburg but it got too late & it was crowded. People would get annoyed waiting for us with our little ones trying to play. lol. Jesse told her we'd take her this weekend and he always tries his best to stick to his word.

Other than that, not sure what else is going on this weekend. Probably the same old. We'll go grocery shopping, the days & nights will fly by, and before I know it, it will be Monday again. Meh. For me things aren't bad. I enjoy my days with my babies. But I just love having Jesse home. Having help is so nice & the kids are always so happy to have daddy around! Well it's 9 pm and the girls are still outside playing (they really didnt go out much today until around 7 when it started cooling off. It was a HOT day today). I guess I'd better go get their little rear ends in. It's getting dark.

A final thought. Those pictures I posted of miss Emmalyn just minutes after she was born..just looking at them..for a moment I smelled that newborn smell. That is a smell like nothing else. So sweet & so new & to me it's just heavenly. I hate to say it but it's gone now. I'm not even sure when it completely faded away but Emmalyn doesnt have it anymore. She probably hasn't for a while. I miss it! I mean she still smells like a sweet little baby but it's just not the same smell. I know I'm weird. But at least I can look at the pictures and kind of smell it...

The BEST dream!!

I had one of the best dreams this morning! I was waiting at an airport to see if I could spot the New Kids (yes they are on my mind more than I care to admit lately. I'm like that giddy teenager again!). Anyways I'm walking around and I think I see Joe walking towards a window to look outside. EEK! I say, "Joe??" and he turns around and it was definately him! I introduce myself and we start talking and I'm just beside myself but not acting like a dork (thank God). I had this pink tank top on an I go and grab a sharpie and he signs it. Then he takes my hand *GASP* and leads me onto a private plane where all the other guys were. I give Jordan a hug and then walk over and shake Danny's hand and I see Donnie beside me and Jon across the room in this plane. They turn on the tv and it shows that the airport is searching everywhere for me but too bad.. I'm on a private plane with the New Kids! lol. I do ask for a phone and make contact to tell everyone I'm fine. As I'm about to walk over to Donnie my eyes start to open in reality. NOOOOO! I force them shut. It's not time to wake up. Oh but it was. My happy dream had come to an end. WAAAHHH! Why is it when you have nightmares & you try your hardest to wake up, you just can't? And even if you do, most of the time (well in my case anyways) you close your eyes and the dream just picks up where you left off? Yet a dream like this, pure bliss gets cut short and try as I might, I could not get back to it! GAH! I was really debating the New Kids concert and going... but yeah Im getting some tickets. lol. Even if I can't go, I'll sell them.. but I know I'd kick myself in the butt hard if I didn't try.

I LOVE

this picture! It was a dark one and until I lightened it up I had no idea just what an amazing picture it actually was. I love her little face looking up at me. Oh it just melts my heart!

Two more of Emmalyn that were so dark I could hardly see them. She was so tiny! *sniff* Why oh why must they grow so fast? what is the hurry?

say what you will

about me having "internet friends" but I am so blessed to have found a group of girls that I talk to everyday and have constant support from. I've always considered them friends and valued them, but after meeting April over the weekend, I realized that there is more of a connection between me & these girls than I thought. There was no nervousness.. no awkwardness.. nothing. April & I went straight to talking and laughing just like we do online. April told me online when she got home that it was weird how when we met it felt like we had been best friends forever. It felt the same way for me too. I tell you what when these girls hurt, I hurt. When they're happy, I feel happy for them. They offer me a world of support and encourage me and lift me up when I'm having a bad day. I thank God for every one of you girls... and you know who you are!

As Clarity says

"we're hooome". lol. We had a nice trip to Gatlinburg. Well....the drive there was insane. I had completely forgotten it was Memorial Day Weekend so I didn't expect what we ran into. We got into Gatlinburg around 3:30... made great time.. it didnt get bad until we actually got into Gatlinburg. We drive around for over a half hour looking for a place to park. We wanted to park at the Ripley's Aquarium but when we got to it the clearance was only like 6'10'' and because of Jesse's ladder racks, there was no way we could fit. So we drive around some more and either we couldnt fit or any place we could... there were no spaces. We decide to drive out of Gatlinburg and I see there's free parking at the visitor center with a trolley that picks you up and takes you to Gatlinburg. Sweet! So we get all the girls out and go wait at the trolley stop under the shade (did I mention it was steaming hot??). It says the trolley comes every half hour...but there was a scrolling banner that said it would be arriving in 5 minutes. Great timing! We wait and a trolley pulls up but it wasn't ours...it was unloading people and going back to Pigeon Forge. Okay. So I see that the trolley we need to be on has arrived... I walk out and this girl tells me that it's full. All the people jumped off the other one and onto the one going to Gatlinburg. I text April..I'm really beginning to worry that her and her husband are either getting angry or just going to give up and leave it's taking us so long (which thankfully they seemed okay with waiting). Well this sends Jesse into full on grumpy ass mode. We didnt want to wait another half hour for a trolley just to not be able to get on.. AGAIN. We are five mins to Gatlinburg and the traffic is so bad we are barely moving. I think it took us nearly 20 mins to get over there again. Jesse is complaining and I see smoke start to come out of his ears. Now one thing I've learned being married to him, this can go two ways. I can 1) get grumpy with him and have us both being mad and miserable or 2) I can let it roll off of me and instead figure out ways to make him laugh. Now most of the time I go with 1... lol. But since I was about to meet someone I've wanted to for a long time & I didnt want our meeting started off on a weird note with my husband & I being upset with eachother... I was smart and chose option 2. Which I should add is the option I'm trying more and more to use just because it's much less stress and irritation that way! So I start giggling at everything... at the traffic... how things have been going... at stupid things I see people walking by doing. I also giggle because I was texting April telling her I was about to kick Jesse in the head and he had no idea. My giggles were contagious.. I look over and see my sweet husband was back. We find a place to park and walk over and meet April, Eric & their four adorable kiddos. We have lunch at Pizza Hut & walk around afterwards a bit. April & I go do something we've both wanted to for a while (surprise.. I'll wait until she gets back to post about it) and then we spend most of the evening talking. Even though I was begging Jesse for us to just get a room and stay the night... he just said it would be insane for us to pay Memorial Day weekend prices for a room when we lived only an hour and a half away. Now I would have LOVED to have spent more time with April but now that we're home.. I'm glad Jesse made us get here. Clarity woke up several times going to the fridge & getting milk to drink. Well her, Emma, & I are laying in the bed (Ariel & Jesse crashed on the loveseat and the recliner. We didnt get home until after midnight). All of a sudden Clarity sits up and throws up milk all over the place. YUCK! Nothing like the smell of partially digested milk throw up! I strip the bed and pour cleaner all over it.. then we go to the couch. A bit later she wakes up and throws up all over the floor. Then she asks for something to drink. I give her water. She goes back to sleep and I wait for the next round. She never did get sick again (knock on wood). But it's 3 pm and all she's had is water, some ice drink Jesse made, and four cups of ice cream. Yeah not the best for her but I'll give her whatever she wants that she will hold down! Hopefully it's over. She didnt eat much for lunch.. but I dont blame her. I guess we'll see what happens later on today & tonight. I really pray it's out of her system because I do not want to deal with puke and watching three kids alone tomorrow when Jesse goes back to work! I'm thinking it was maybe from the heat yesterday. Gatlinburg was a hot, crowded mess... but we all had fun anyways!

Getting Ready

to head out to Gatlinburg and meet up with April this afternoon! yay! So I'm going to go clean out the truck, finish my laundry, and start getting everyone to get a move on things and we'll be back this evening. I'll post pictures!

Lori sent me these!

The two best behaved babies out there! Emmalyn & Brandon!

Have some of this fruit, Ariel!

Mama let go.. I promise I won't run off!

I am such a shorty! My hair was fixed.. I promise!

I ADORE this picture!!

Claire Bear waving down the aisle..lol

Hard at work with Flower Girl Duty! Clarity is ahead somewhere..lol

Daddies in Charge! Aren't the babies cute?!

I just love this peekaboo picture!

Ariel & Uncle Ricky gettin' down :o)

Speechless

is one of my favorite Steven Curtis Chapman songs and the way I'm feeling at this very moment. I love Steven Curtis... his song "Fingerprints of God" is my song for my babies. It is with great heartache that I make this post. Last night Steven Curtis Chapman's five year old daughter, Maria, passed away. Her teenage brother didnt see her in the driveway and accidentally ran her over. I can't imagine the pain that family is going through. Her poor brother... God knows it was an accident but I'm sure he's going through a ton of guilt and anger at himself. Everytime Ariel talks to me or I give her a hug tears start coming to my eyes. I cannot fathom her not being here (or any of my girls for that matter). I know God has a reason for everything but it is so hard for me to grasp why he takes children home. I guess when I get to Heaven, I'll find out the question that I always have to ask when I hear of something like this, "Why???" Tons of prayers going up for Steven Curtis and his family and for anyone in the world that has to deal with the grief of losing a baby (grown or not).

Memory Lane (Ariel)

Say it's not so!

Little miss Emmalyn is 3 months old today! That can't be true. It just can't. Oh but it is! My baby is growing & growing & growing more and more everyday and there's nothing I can do to slow her down. I told Jesse before we know it, she's going to be crawling & scooting all over the floor. We're already watching everything and starting to babyproof again. I need to slow down & take some more pics of the girls. I just realized I havent since the wedding. Darn. I feel like a horrible mother for that! So it's a mission.. take tons of pics asap!

If something ever happens to me

will someone please show my computer illiterate husband how to pull up my blog & read it? He's always saying he doesnt understand my blogging fascination but I tell him he'd be so glad I did it if something ever happened to me and his response... "like I would know how to get on there". lol. I dont plan on going anywhere for a long, long time but if I do someone help the poor boy figure it out.

Well today I finally got everything all ready to send to the IRS. The letter, the copies of the schedule K-1 as well as the copies of all the checks Jesse got, etc. I know.. I should have had this done earlier but I had no idea it was so time consuming. Anyhow it's done and I'll have it mailed off tomorrow. They didnt ask for all of that stuff but I'm volunteering it. I want to show them we did our homework and we werent trying to pull one over on them when we filed our taxes. Now I just need to print up some stuff for the police report. Does the madness end here? why no! Jesse & I opened up a checking account with wachovia since we have one here in town and Macon is in Sylva. Our landlords always want cash so we figured we'd open an account with a bank closeby for cashing checks so we dont have to drive 20 minutes. It's really been a hassle. Anyways I was trying to transfer some money from our macon account to the wachovia one online and to do this it asks security questions to verify your identity. Well it was asking questions about constance schlueter. Hmmm. we didnt know this name so we kept clicking "I do not know this person". Well it locks us out and says it can't verify Jesse's identity (The wachovia account is in his name). The next day we try again..same thing. Then it hits me! Constance Schlueter was Connie's name before she married Ted. So obviously the clowns have used Jesse's social security number somewhere because their background is connected with Jesse's number. So we put a fraud alert on Jesse's credit reports and we are having his reports mailed to us so we can see what's going on. How can someone do that to their son? I will never understand. He tries to move on with his life and they still attack. Unbelievable. It was a horrible thing to say but I told Jesse I hope their minds go out on them and they spend their last days peeing on themselves with no one to take care of them and then go for a walk into their pond. Isn't that horrible of me? I know God wasnt pleased with that thought but I'm human & a sinner & I'm sure he understands that.

Time for some good news! HOPEFULLY we are going to Gatlinburg this weekend. April & her family (she's one of my friends from the message board) are coming in and we want to meet up. As long as it keeps raining on their farmland in Indiana, they'll get to come. We were texting back & forth last night and it was raining there so that's great news! I'm so excited to meet her and her family & going to Gatlinburg isn't too shabby of an idea either! I hope more of the girls follow suit and go vacationing there... I love being so close! lol.

Well I'm doing good.. I only have the office left to organize and clean! woohoo! My workaholic husband did sooooo much this past weekend. He painted my fence for me so now it's all pretty, he ripped up the "flowerbed" (which was nothing more than a dirtbox in the shade that we couldnt keep the girls out of) and planted me some grass seed, he cleaned all the junk the landlords had piled in front of the shed and planted more grass seed there, and he took care of all the mowing and weedeating. He's also been loving grilling for us and I have to say he is awesome at it!! I swear, I'd be lost without him (and he knows it). lol. So now I'll have him help me with the office and we'll be a bit more organized. Slowly but surely.

My hormones

are either trying to go back to normal or kicking up... one or the other cause I had some CRAZY dreams over the weekend. I like to type up the ones I remember that are really vivid.

The first one:
I took Emmalyn to the doctor and for some reason they did a blood test on both of us only to discover she wasnt really ours and she must've been switched with another baby in the nursery. They took her from me & went to figure out where our birth baby was. The thing is.. I didnt care. I was so upset and not because Emmalyn wasn't ours but because they took her from us and I only wanted her. I woke up so upset and it really made me think. I mean I KNOW she's ours, there's no doubt but I was just thinking how I would feel if the dream were true and I think I'd feel the same in reality as I did in the dream. I would want to keep Emmalyn and just leave things alone. Sure I would want to get in touch with the parents that had our birth baby to get pictures, make sure they are living a happy life and all that and eventually meet them and have a bond with them, but I wouldnt want to give Emmalyn back. I told Jesse about this as crazy as it sounds and he said he wouldnt want to give her back either.. he'd want both of them. lol.

Second dream:
My grandma, grandpa, & cousin Brittany were at my place. I'm not sure where Jesse was... he wasn't here. We find out we're under a tornado warning so we head to the hallway. Brittany has Clarity in her lap and I look over and Clarity is all smiles... her big smile that I love sooo much... and she waves at me and says "bye mama!" as we hear the house start to tear apart. Everything starts moving in super slow motion and I'm just praying we all make it out okay. Next thing I know I get up and I dont even recognize where I am. I'm calling for everyone but there's no answer & I am panicked. I realize the stupid tornado carried me God knows where but I'm not in Waynesville. Kind of like wizard of Oz only I was in the middle of nowhere with just a diner nearby. I walk around wondering what to do & how my family and girls are and then I woke up.

Yuck what a cruddy dream huh? Both of them! haha Chelle..I'm even Storm Chaser Frannie Poo in my dreams!!

It is so weird

Just how quickly things change. Emmalyn is almost three months old...staying awake long periods throughout the day (but she is an angel with sleeping through the night!!), giggling, fussing when she doesnt get her way (already! yikes!), and just loving up on us and her sisters and taking the world in.

Clarity is yappin all the time! lol. She really is getting better at talking and it's fun to listen to her but last night at around 11 pm I told her she has to go back to being quiet Clarity at bedtime. Jesse busted out laughing with that one. Just a few weeks ago she would constantly just walk around.. not saying anything.. not even making any noise. Now I hear her little voice constantly. She's blurting out sentences, copying everything we say, and starting to tell us things. She came in from outside crying the other day and I asked her what happened. She tells me, "I fall on my head". lol. She was up on her play boat like I'm always telling her not to be... telling her one of these days she's going to fall and bust her head... well I guess it finally happened. She was fine though.

And Ariel is ALWAYS growing & learning & becoming more and more of a little girl *sniff*. It's hard to look at pictures of her just two years ago. She looked like such a baby! Now she's heading into kindergarten. She's also staying in trouble with talking back. lol. But I know this is just the beginning of that road... even so we love her to pieces.

We love all three of them more than anything & thank God for them every single day.

Insert shrilly scream here!

Can we say excited? I had completely forgotten the New Kids were going to be performing on the Today Show so I didnt set the dvr (what a ditz I am) but I did manage to catch like the last say two to three minutes of it and you bet I recorded that. I got to see a snippet of "Please Dont Go Girl" and "The Right Stuff". They have still got it that's for sure. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit just watching that little bit gave me pure butterflies. And Jordan doing his signature hip thing..whooo.

Ariel has been rewinding what little we have, over & over & over again. She's as bad as me! lol. Her and Clarity are dancing all over the living room & Ariel keeps asking when we're going to see them. God I really do hope they come nearby! I'm sure if they do getting tickets is going to be insane. I read on a friend's blog that the Today Show audience was the biggest it's ever been & that people had camped out for days to see them. Hmmm seems like not much has changed even though it's been about 15 years or so!

So that's my excitement for the day! lol. Takes my mind off of the other crud that's been going on (that's a whole new post in itself.. I'll put up soon). Right now though I'm going to keep on my New Kids high and be happy :o)

I promise

As soon as I have a faster computer (or this one is fixed) I'll edit those pics and crop them and repost so they look better. I know they are kind of dark & far away.

The girls looked cute, didn't they? The pic with Clarity running away.. that was her pretty much the whole time. On the go! Except during the reception. After I changed her out of her dress she cuddled in my lap and fell asleep. Ariel was a little dancing queen. Her and the other kids really got into that dance floor. I wish I would have had the camera (Ariel had it most of the night taking a million pics of the floor and stuff lol) because her and Uncle Ricky were really getting down and I thought that was so funny.

Lori looked absolutely gorgeous. I swear she should be put in a bridal magazine. She was so calm during the ceremony. I thought for sure she was going to be one of those that cry the whole time.. but she didn't. Everyone did really well keeping calm. I was afraid for myself when we were getting our hair done and I saw Lori in her vail... my eyes started tearing up then & there so I didnt know how I was going to be react during the wedding. But I had my little Claire Bear to keep track of and that probably saved me from being a crybaby!

The setting was gorgeous... the weather cooperated and it didnt start to rain until the photographer said she had taken the "last shot" (talk about timing) and even then it didnt rain hard. As stressed as we all were the day of the wedding it really did turn out wonderful.

The Wedding

My computer

Is trying so hard to completely give up on me. It's had a hard life. lol. So anyways that's why it's been so long since my last update. I still keep getting it to try and hang on. Today is the first time I've tried turning it on since our power kept going out when we had severe storms the other night... I was terrified I'd find it wasn't going to work at all.. but alas I am here. Good computer! But we have to look into either getting another one or getting this one looked at. yuck. I mean I love computers... it's just the thought of having to spend money we dont have to spend.

As for Lori & David's wedding.. it was really beautiful. I'll "try" and post pics of it in my next post but we'll see if my computer cooperates. The girls did pretty good. Clarity was a handful! Instead of tossing her petals she waved all the way down the aisle then got to the end and realized she didnt toss any so she stood there and dropped some at her feet. lol. There was a boardwalk behind where the wedding party stood so she kept trying to run down it. I saw Lori's mom run after her once. I felt so bad.. the mother of the bride running after my child.. lol. Then my grandma went after her a second time. I tried holding her at one point and she started to say "noooo" and I didnt want a meltdown while vows were being said so I set her down. I kept her from going down the boardwalk by telling her there was probably a ghost down there (BAD MAMA!) and she occupied herself by standing behind me smashing ants. lol. So my girls didnt cause any major disasters.. Thank God. Ariel did really well. They were both so cute. Emmalyn slept in her daddy's arms the whole ceremony so no crying! Woohoo! A major change from the rehearsal where she screamed the entire time. That was my fault though.. I lost her binky. Will never do that again!

Lori and her dad danced to "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw. I knew as soon as she told me that was the song she picked that I was going to cry. As soon as I heard it starting.. the tears came. My mind flash forward to the girls and them getting married and *gasp* leaving. Of course right now Ariel says she's never getting married because she wants to live with us forever. If I could only keep her mindset that way!

My parents came in to see the girls Monday and left yesterday afternoon. It was good to see them. My dad had a mustache which is something I havent seen on him in forever... and Ariel told me "Abu didn't shave!". lol. I like it on him though. I think it looks good. Mom took the girls out for a walk and of course they got goodies. They love when mom & dad come to visit. So do I of course.

The girls have been spending a ton of time outside since it's warming up. Jesse & I filled up their sandbox and that's a huge hit. I think they would live in it if they could. When it starts getting pretty hot, their pool will come out. They'll have their own mini beach. lol. We'll have to see if we can keep them from getting sand in the pool though. I can imagine I might have trouble with that one!

I did want to brag on Clarity a bit. After over 2 1/2 years the girl is finally learning to open her mouth and talk! Yesterday she was out in her play boat and Emiley's bus went by. I heard her say "Bye emiley! Good to see you again!". of course it wasnt as plain as that but I understood her perfectly and my mouth dropped open! She's starting to say more words (a new one she's really good at is Emmalyn) and putting sentences together. It's becoming a huge relief and I'm just so proud of her right now! It's been a long wait but so worth it. I just light up when I hear something new come out of her mouth!

Well I should get going.. I need to go cook lunch and I have a long to do list for the day. I'll try to get those pictures from that wedding up in a bit. Congratulations Lori & David.. hope you all had a great cruise (I'm so jealous!). lol.

Today is the day

we are leaving for Columbia, South carolina for Lori's wedding. Jesse was going to work a half day but there's so much to do around here to get ready and he's still sick (he didnt work yesterday.. I guess it was a bad cold and not allergies I had last week because he caught it) so we just decided he could stay home and help me clean the house and get ready to leave. When we come back, I just want to be able to relax, unpack, and enjoy the rest of Sunday. I dont want to have to clean and then get up early Monday morning to babysit. I need some unwinding time before I take those girls again. lol.

I'm excited and hope the weather stays nice and things go smoothly. I'm upset a bit because my face has started to break out! After being clear since getting pregnant with Emmalyn for the most part.. it picks this week to act up! gah! I bought some cream so hopefully I'll look better by Saturday evening. God I pray so. I can't wait to see how the girls do as flower girls... hopefully that will go smoothly too! I know Ariel will do great.. she's been practicing. Clarity... I'm not so sure! I guess we'll get a sneak peak at rehearsal tonight. Wow that feels weird saying that. I guess it's hard to believe the day has finally come!

I'll be sure to post lots of pics of the wedding and the girls when I get home. For now I better go clean up and make my list of things to pack. I'm so scared I'm gong to forget something... especially something important like the digital camera or God forbid a dress or pair of shoes! lol. That's why I'm going to make a list and check it off as it goes in the truck. Pray for us to have a safe trip there & back and for this to be a beautiful wedding (no rain! it's outside!) with no problems :o)

My Sunshines!

Kindergarten Here we come!

Oh my goodness was Ariel precious today! She let me fix her hair (shock) and looked so grown up as we went in for the registration meeting. They gave all the kindergarteners little name tags and took them to the classrooms and out to the playground while the parents sat in the gym for the meeting. They were even generous enough to take Clarity. lol. She was the only toddler that was wanting to go with their big sister. The meeting went fine.. I am feeling even more confident that this school is going to be awesome. I'm loving it more now than I have before. I heard it was a great school and it's gotten nothing but compliments from the people I've talked to.. now I understand why. It's a gorgeous school with caring teachers and I'm much more at ease with my baby leaving to go.

It didnt really hit me until they brought all the kids back in. Seeing my big girl in line with her soon to be classmates.. wow. I nearly cried. lol. Not sad tears.. but I was just so dang proud. And the doctor was right.. Ariel is on the tall side. I think she was the second or third tallest kid there. So now we just wait until the screening where we turn in all of our forms (that happens sometime in August.. I think the 12th or something like that). Then they will assign her a teacher. Get this.. the teacher comes to your house to have one on one time with the kids and parents before school starts! They said this is so they can make them feel more comfortable in their own space and when they go to school they'll already have a comfort level with their teacher. I think it's wonderful. They said the visits are only like 20 minutes.. just long enough to read to them, have them draw something that they will have hanging in the classroom the first day, and for any questions to be answered. I've never heard of a school doing this but I'm thrilled they do.

So anyways I'm very pleased with my decision to send her. I was so dead set on homeschooling and fought the arguments that they need social interaction but when I started babysitting, I realized just how important it is for them to get that especially at a young age. We will more than likely homeschool for middle school but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now I know that Ariel will be getting so much more than I could ever offer her at home and I know she'll have a ton of fun!

This song brings me to tears thinking of Jesse and his little girls

Music Video:MY LITTLE GIRL (by Tim McGraw)

Music Video Code provided by VideoCodeZone.Com

Gotta hold on easy as I let you go

Gonna tell you how much I love you, though you think you already know

I remember I thought you looked like an angel wrapped in pink so soft & warm

You've had me wrapped around your finger since the day you were born

You're beautiful baby from the outside in

Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again

Go on take on this whole world

But to me you know you'll always be... my little girl

When you were in trouble that crooked little smile could melt my heart of stone

Now look at you, I've turned around and you've almost grown

Sometimes you're asleep I whisper "I love you" in the moonlight at your door

As I walk away I hear you say "Daddy love you more!"

You're beautiful baby from the outside in

Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again

Go on take on this whole world

But to me you know you'll always be... my little girl

Someday some boy will come and ask me for your hand

But I wont say yes to him unless I know

He's the half that makes you whole, he has a poets soul. and the heart of a man's man

I know he'll say that he's in love

But between you and me.. he wont be good enough

You're beautiful baby from the outside in

Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again

Go on take on this whole world

But to me you know you'll always be... my little girl

BOO HOO!

After Emmalyn was born.. Jesse & I were thinking maybe in 5 years when the truck was paid off and our debt paid down... we may try for our boy. Well we've officially decided we're done. No more babies. We have been beyond blessed with three beautiful little girls and our family is now whole. I'm a bit sad.. it's hard to know that Emmalyn is it. Our last tiny one in the house and as she grows I'm sure it's going to be even harder thinking about this is the last first giggle... this is the last first tooth... the last first steps.. you know. But I can't look at it like that. There is so much more to their lives than the babyhood. Jesse and I look at it that there is so much we want to do in life that you just can't do when you have a baby. We want to take the girls on road trips, to different amusement parks, even to Hawaii. Yeah you can do all of those with a baby.. but everyone cant to things together... someone always has to hang back to keep the little one. So I guess our decision is somewhat selfish but I want the girls to have a fun filled childhood & as much time with mommy and daddy as possible. As much fun as babies are and as amazing as it is to have one around... the Moore family is a family of five. As I said on a message board I go to... I'm sad I'll never see what our little boy might have been...BUT there's also a chance he could end up looking like Jesse's ex dad or something and that would so not be a good thing since he's the most unattractive man on Earth *giggle*

I'm not sure

If it's allergies or I have a cold, but I have felt pretty crummy all weekend starting on Friday. Stuffy/runny nose, head & neck aches, eyes feeling like they are just going to pop out of my head. Yuck! Ariel actually said she had a headache Friday night too and then started running a fever in the middle of the night but she was fine by yesterday morning (Thank God). Emmalyn and Clarity have been having runny noses.. but other than that are okay. So I'm just not sure if we picked up a bug or if something is blooming that all of our bodies just dont like. I do know there is pollen EVERYWHERE. The truck needs to be washed.. it has a yellow tint to it.

Yesterday we went to Asheville to do some shopping and get groceries. Jesse got an early birthday present. We ended up buying a Garmin Street Pilot GPS for the truck. The other day he got turned around in Asheville after trying to get home from a customer's house and ended up making a 15 mile detour or something like that. He convinced me that with gas prices shooting up by the day it might not be a bad thing to have. Plus he wanted it for our trip to Columbia this coming weekend. Boys and their toys, I swear! I was not thrilled with the cost.. but it's my fault we had to get one of the pricier ones. I told him I wanted him to have on that spoke so he wasnt having to constantly glance over at it...I didnt want him getting something that might cause an accident. The cheapest one that did that was $299. ouch. And that was on sale.. we shopped around and it was like $479 everywhere else. Circuit City was having a sale so we grabbed it. I was a bit upset over spending that for a while but once he pulled it out and I started messing with it.. it's worth it. There's his birthday present. I have been planning on getting him a Garmin for his birthday or Christmas... well he just got it early this year.

We also got some aluminum paint for the fence. This fence here is rusty and looks awful. I asked Jesse if there was a way to fix it and we found some paint made for fences at walmart. so we're going to do that sometime this week. We're trying to get the yard all set for trying to get more kids for me to watch during the summer. But it's not just for that.. the fence was just starting to look too ghetto for me! lol.

Other than the shopping and cleaning today.. we're just trying to get ready for this busy week ahead of us. Seems there's always so much to do and so little time! We did take the girls to the park Friday afternoon but there were games and ball practices everywhere which meant teenagers running around the park like monkeys so we only stayed like five minutes. Hopefully we can take them again soon when it's not so chaotic!

New pics of the girlies

A praise Report

God is awesome! A few weeks ago Jesse got a surprise check in the mail from the satellite place he was last working for (they took our reserve funds in case an employee had a chargeback or missing equipment.. whatever). Honestly it had been so long we didnt think much of it or even that we would see any of it again. I guess we had kind of forgotten about it. Anyways the check was for $144. I was thrilled.. I know that's not a lot but it sure helps! Well there's a letter with that check that said he was supposed to get $297 and another check month for $500 (Hallelujah). So he calls to find out why he only got $144 and they said there was missing equipment he didn't turn in. He knew he turned in everything but since it's all scanned in by computer.. he couldnt argue. What could we do right? Well he called me this morning & tells me he got a call from Rocking R and that they were clearing the missing equipment thing off and he was getting his full reserve back! YAY! We dont know if they found what was "missing" or what.. but we are so happy. So he's going to get another $653 from them in may. Praise God! Jesse has been laid off this past monday and then next week he has to take off half a day to take Ariel to kindergarten registration and another half day to head to South Carolina.. so this money will be greatly needed. I was just praying this morning for God to help us somehow. I wasn't sure how it was going to happen or how I was going to finish paying the bills since I used bill money to tithe... but God was faithful and he has provided! I'm so amazed by how he moves sometimes!

Funny stuff!

I love youtube. It has some of the funniest stuff on it. This one totally had me cracking up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpn_B5cG-10

and even more greatness....these guys are HILARIOUS!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLnVl2wWpho

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58-daO6DlVU

Hope you enjoy and laugh as much as I have today! :oD

Life

Is just moving at a record pace for me right now. I'm not sure what it is.. but I have a feeling it's not going to slow down! We didnt get as much accomplished today as I had hoped. We went to Asheville and picked up my bridesmaids dress and then came back to Waynesville and found the park and let the girls play. Can I just say we are so lucky to live here?! I can't believe we've never found this park before.. but it's amazing. They have little "buildings" the kids can play in and it looks like downtown. It's hard to explain but it's just so cute. I'll have to take my camera next time and get plenty of pics! An ice cream truck actually came while we were there and Ariel was mesmerized. lol. We told her we'd get her a box of ice cream from the store...but I guess that's not as fun as getting it from a van that's playing music. She went right back to playing after looking at it for a few minutes. Next thing I know she has an ice cream. I asked Jesse where she got it from and some boy had gotten it for her. awww. lol. He was older and either Indian or mexican and had several brothers & sisters.. all with ice creams. I guess he saw Ariel playing with his little brother and got her one when he got his family one. We gave Ariel a dollar to go give him and she told him thank you for her ice cream. I'm sure the ice cream didn't cost a dollar.. or maybe it did.. but Jesse & I felt he should be rewarded for such a nice gesture.

Well Lori's wedding is less than two weeks away. Eek! Dress... check. Shoes... check. I'm glad I've gotten those and now feel less stressed about that. I still have to get the girls' shoes and get my nails done. I also found a hotel.. I just have to reserve it. Speaking of.. I better do that tonight. We plan on taking the girls to the zoo while we're there since they've never been & they are looking forward to it. So am I. I love seeing new places!

Registration for kindergarten is May 1st at 1 pm. I can't believe how fast this is sneaking up on me. Jesse has to take off work early that day so we can go see the school, pick up her kindergarten packet, and meet her teachers. I'm so nervous and excited. I just hope & pray she loves school, makes lots of friends, and learns a lot. She's such a social butterfly. So different from myself. I think she'll have a blast. We drove by the middle school today & it seems everytime we do, there are some punk looking kids walking around. I told Jesse she was so not going there. She pipes up, "I'm not going to school?! But I want to go to school! I wont miss you!". So I guess the notion of school has grown on her a bit. lol. This is so crazy.. how can she be starting school? She was just this tiny baby...and soon I'll be saying the same thing about Clarity & Emmalyn. Life just doesn't slow down once you have little ones I swear!

Well I did it... I tithed today. I went to this Charity website that rates charities by how much money actually goes to the cause versus advertisements and such and found this Christian sponsorship program like Feed the Children that got rated an A+. I sponsored a child for $30 a month. Since I still had to give $100 to meet the 10% of pay.. I just donated $100. I think we may sponsor another child or two next month. I told Jesse this will be a great lesson for Ariel. They give you options of if you want a boy or girl and let you choose the country.. but I just chose the child most in need option. We'll be getting a picture and information on the family & country and an address to write or send gifts. I think it will be great for Ariel to see how blessed we are and teach her that it's good to want to give and help others. Even though we are struggling so much and that money could have paid bills... it blessed me to do it.

Well I'm absolutely exhausted and should go do my dishes, clean up a bit, get some laundry done and then I'm going to be out! I didnt babysit today so naturally today is the day Emmalyn decided to wake me up before the sun came up. She wasn't hungry.. wasn't crying.. didn't want binky...she was just wiggling everywhere and making noises. She did this for hours even though I wouldnt play with her like she wanted and was hoping she'd fall back to sleep. She never did.. at 8:30 I gave up and my grumpy butt got out of bed. lol. She's so precious & I felt bad that I felt upset with her. I was just so tired and looking forward to getting to sleep in! Oh well. And even though I told Jesse I was going to keep her up when she tried to sleep... I dont have the heart to do it. Here she is snoozing away in my lap. I'm going to go join my other little princesses on the couch. I hear them giggling away at Spongebob. God I love these girls!