The poor girls

all have colds. Clarity started having a runny nose and stuff the night before last, Ariel started yesterday morning, and miss emmalyn... she woke up with it. Yuck. Colds during the summer.. boo! My throat feels a little off but so far so good.

I got a call last night from the Hampton Inn wanting me to go in for a second interview.. which during my first one the manager said if I got that I was pretty much hired.. but I'm not going. I had an interview at walmart friday and they are waiting on my drug test (which I know I passed). They are going to start me in the old store which maybe takes me eight minutes to get there and move me to the new store when it opens oct. 1st (which is literally 2 miles from me). So woohoo! I'll be working third shift so I shouldnt have to find a sitter for the girls and they are starting me only a dollar less than the hotel so walmart is the way I'm going. While I would have loved the $29 at any HIlton owned hotel perk... I would have been spending close to $100 a week in gas and then another $100 a week easy on a sitter.. so... doesnt make much sense! I'm just glad God brought something even better through for me.

Jesse said he was sooo homesick leaving from Wednesday until Friday. But get this. They put him up in a sweet Marriot hotel (his boss' sister works for the Marriot so she gets the nice perk and lets Jeff put the guys up cheap). Jesse got to relax in a hot tub, watch the new Indiana Jones movie on pay per view, his boss treated him to Outback Steakhouse and other great dinners & breakfast. Suuuurrree you were homesick! lmao. No I know he misses us like crazy. I guess rooming with guys just isnt as nice as being in this hectic house with your wife & kiddos. Jesse did bring me home the shampoo, conditioner & lotion the hotel provided. He knows I love Bath & Body Works so when he saw that's what the hotel used.. he brought it back for me. aww. Gotta love him.

Well Emma girl is fussing. I think she has a present for me. lol. I'll try to get on here more and update. I've really been slacking badly in my blog. I hate that.

Nerves!

So today I got for a job interview at the Hampton Inn in Biltmore Square in Asheville. I am so blessed nervous.. it's been 2004 since I've last had an interview and that was a casual Pizza Hut interview where Darryl didn't honestly care what I had to say... I guess I had the look of a waitress... he started me the next day. lmao. If only I could get that lucky tonight. But I have a feeling they have a lot of interviews lined up so I'm going to have to stand out somehow. I havent wanted something this bad in a while. I did make a boo boo and told them I wanted the 3 pm - 11 pm shift. I've since changed my mind. I'll take the 7 am- 3 pm one. I thought about it and with 3-11 I'd be going to work before Ariel got home from school and coming home way after bedtime. That's not gonna fly. I gotta see my babies! So I'm thinking I'll see if Patrick wants to stay here and keep Clarity during the day.. she loves him.. and I think he can handle her. And I'll pay someone to keep Emmalyn. That's a nerve wracking thing right there. I'm trying to find someone close to the hotel... just in case. Maybe things will fall into place. I pray so. I HAVE to help start bringing in an income. My time at home is long past over. So we'll see. I went to walmart and bought a dress and a cute pair of shoes for the interview. Did I mention how nervous I am?!

I guess we shall see what God has in store for us. Jesse is out of town.. spending the night in Spartanburg. I was fine with this yesterday. Thought "whatever"... but for some reason as me & the girls were out shopping for my interview outfit.. it hit me and I wanted to bawl. I miss him. More than I thought. I dont know how military wives do it. I'd be a downright mess.

My parents bless their hearts are driving all the way back over.. even though they just left yesterday.. so I can go to this interview. Makes me want it even more. I will be totally bummed if I dont get it and they wasted time & gas & energy. I'll be totally bummed anyways.. but that would add to it!

I not D.D!!

I admit as much as I love my girls.. sometimes I get great joy over aggrivating the crap out of them! I know that's mean.. but they do it to me... so we're even. Just a few minutes ago I was singing a song called "I know a girl named D.D". For those of you who don't know the story behind D.D that's just the initials for dirt dobber. It's something Jesse called her the other day when she was filthy and needed a bath. So I'm singing my song and Claire is getting madder by the second. "stttoopp! Dont sing that song! I not D.D! I'm ity" I really should stop. Do I? No. lol. "ooohhh stttooopp! I not D.D!!" I stop because I can see this might possibly lead to a meltdown if I don't. She huffs away " I not talking to zhu" The way she says "you" cracks me up. It has like a z sound at the beginning. cute. So yeah I'm done irritating my baby. Pretty sad that was like the most fun I've had all day. I need to get out more.

Emmalyn had to get her shots today. awww. She did excellent. I mean yeah she cried.. but as soon as I scooped her up all was fine in Emma land. The whole waiting game getting back there was not fun. Our appointment was at 1:55. I was warned that they were short handed and the wait would be a while. So we wait. And wait. and wait some more. Finally I ask someone what time it was. When she said it was going on 4 pm I got up and politely asked the receptionist if there was a guesstimate time for us getting back there. Appearently we had been forgotten because within like a minute we were back there. They were slammed.. it was so busy.. and being short handed never helps. I wish I had asked before I waited that long though... Ariel & Clarity were bored to tears & hard to keep happy. But once we got back there we were in & out. Wham bam thank you m'aam. Miss Emmalyn is as happy as can be sitting here "talking" to me while I'm on the computer. You wouldnt know she had her shots. so yay!

Mom, dad & Patrick came over and have gone back home. My dad has an MRI scheduled for September 3rd I believe so if you all could say some prayers, we'd appreciate it. I wish it was sooner.. that seems so far away! Hopefully they'll be coming back for a visit before then though. The girls miss them lots after they leave.

Just an update

so today.. what happened today? Oh yeah we went job hunting. I put in an application at that home health care place. I felt like I was applying to work for the CIA or FBI or something. It was pages long and if you get an interview I think they fingerprint you and everything else. I'm clean. I think. lmao. No I am. Seriously. So anyways maybe I'll hear something back. I sure hope so!

Jesse talked to Ray tonight (a guy he was working with that doesnt do the granite just remodeling and stuff) & he said that Pat came and got his lowes card back from him so Ray thinks he'll be let go as well. So Ray said if he hears of any work, he'll call Jesse and Jesse said the same. It's sad a company can do this to people.. little or no warning. But whatever. I told Jesse I'm glad he's out of there. Jesse just doesnt know how they could be so nice and then this happen. I guess they're just crazy! lol.

So our agenda tomorrow... get out and hand out avon brochures and see if some salon will do the raffle thing for me (I have the gift).. I'm just trying to get some contact info for potential customers. Jesse is going to keep on the job hunt and we're also hitting art galleries in waynesville about Jesse's fountain. It just so happens tomorrow is Art after Dark (it's the first Friday in each month) and all the galleries are open until 9 and they have live demonstrations of art, food & all that stuff.. so maybe just maybe Jesse can be in that tomorrow evening. That would be awesome!

We'll see what happens. That's all we can do :o)

oh mom Jesse called that guy back and all he was asking about was how to get some of the plumbers putty from around his strainers. lol. I guess he called Biltmore and they gave him your phone number since it was an emergency contact? I dunno. Jesse didnt ask how he got your number but that was weird! It wasnt important or a bad call.

To my awesome girlies!!!

It is amazing the friends I have made from this one message board. They are honestly & truly some of the most awesome girls ever. I am thankful for them. Sometimes they are my lifeline. When I'm feeling guilty about getting on to the girls or I've made what I think is the worst mistake a parent can make... they are the ones to tell me "I've been there". They are also there to pray for me or lift me up when something like what we're dealing with right now is going on. Yesterday I checked my mail and I had gotten my wool diaper shorties from Sarah. That was something that totally made me smile... not only did the girl crochet me these things... she made Emmalyn a pair of mary janes. I so need to get a pic cause everything is so freaking precious! Sarah is the same girl that made up my pregnancy announcements. She has so much talent! So Sarah thank you!!

and to the rest of you that are always there to tell me funny stories about your lives or kiddos, to offer me words of support or encouragement, to let me vent or cry or be a bitch & you still love me anyways...

YOU ALL ROCK!!!!

He has his reasons

Sometimes I wish I knew what they were. I know God has a plan. I know things happen for a reason... but the human side of me just wants to scream, "What is it?!" at times. I'll get into this in a minute.

My parents came over for a couple of days. I'm glad. I miss seeing them. I know the girls do too (Clarity cried & cried for her Abu after they left). After they left I felt in a funk. I guess because of my dad having to be referred to a neurologist and worrying about that, plus the other stuff going on & just wishing my parents could stay... I was just down & out. Jesse gets home and he's looking down & out as well. I ask him if he had a bad day and he takes a deep breath & blows it out. Then tells me he wont be going back. huh?! Appearently they felt the need to fire EVERYBODY. It wasn't just Jesse. That was the icing on the cake for me. I burst into tears and cried & cried & cried. Pat (the shop partner) told Jesse he didnt want it to end this way but he has a partner and the partner wanted to clean house and start all over. I think something is up big time. I'm not sure what. They did pay Jesse for all that he worked so that will help but I hate being in the "what does the future hold?" boat. I hardly slept at all last night.. just kept praying. I know God has something in store. I know he'll take care of us. It's just the waiting and being patient part I dont like. So anyways Jesse is looking for something else. Bummer. He'll find something and he'll find it soon. He always does. But this so SUCKS that they did this to him. I got a call on my phone today (it's still not working but I can check my messages using Jesse's cell). It was the lady that Jesse installed the countertops for, did plumbing work for, did tile work for (they didnt finish yesterday). It was the lady that adored the kids and was just wonderful to us when we went for Jesse to do the plumbing last Sunday. She was wondering if I knew where Jesse was because no one had shown up to finish her tile work. So I call her from Jesse's phone and tell her what happened. She was HOT ! She was like "You have got to be kidding me! I have told them over and over how wonderful Jesse is. How they are lucky to have such a polite guy working for them and how he does everything he can to please you". She told me that when she sees Pat she's really going to lay into him over that. She just couldnt understand. Anyways no one showed up to do her tile work. I told her to go about her day and do whatever she had to do... not to wait for them. She said she had been waiting all morning and she had things to do. She said she tried calling their showroom & it's closed. Fishy fishy fishy. Something is so not right. Maybe the fact that Jesse's out of there is a GOOD thing. The lady told me she will be keeping us in her prayers and she will definately be staying in touch with me... she wants us to bring the girls back. They loved it at her house and didnt want to leave! lol. They are grandparents and all of their children and grandchildren live far away so it was a blessing to her to play "nana". I just wish I could see Pat's face when she gets on to him about how they did things with Jesse! lol.

I am applying for a home health care place in the morning. They said CNA is not required and they are hiring for all shifts and you can choose your hours. So prayers being sent up that I get an interview and get hired! Well I just wanted to post a little update.

Mom.. dont worry about us. We'll be fine. I know it's a mom thing to worry but don't! :o) I'm actually feeling optimistic today and not totally worried and stressed like last night. God has his reasons.

How do they know

how to have you completely wrapped around their little fingers? Miss Emmalyn.. 5 months old.. and already such a con! She ALWAYS wants to be held. That's not good. I admit I have done this. I have spoiled her rotten. She's my last.. what can I say? Dont mind that I did this with the other two as well. I guess I'm just a sucker. Anyhow I need to find her a walker or exersaucer or something to put her down in. She associates her swing with sleep. Therefore when I put her in it.. she whines to get out. Today she was almost asleep.. I wouldnt let her see me cause I knew if she did it would be over. Well at that moment I spotted a fly on my screen door on the inside. It had to be let out.. I had to pass in front of her... darn! I open the screen and get the fly out and turn around to see these wide blue eyes just beaming at me. Then comes the huge wide open mouth smile. Then the little feet kicks. I talk softly to her and tell her to go night night. WHATEVER! Yeah right. She just smiled & kicked some more. How could I not pick her up? So yeah.. not much has gotten done today. Amazing how I had the house clean yesterday & today it looks as if a hurricane hit it. Until I get this kid something to occupy herself.. I'm going to be in this same boat. Giving in. Picking her up. Holding her. I'm such a sap!

It's been a while

I am having to FORCE myself to make a blog entry. So unlike me. My blog is usually so fun for me. I love having these memories recorded to read back over, but for the past week.. I've just not been myself. I think I may have a bit of depression kicking in & I think I'm figuring out why. Ariel starts school in about a month. I am going to miss her like crazy. Just thinking about my day without her.. tears start filling my eyes. I'm not ready. I know, Im probably being a huge baby but I can't help it. She is my big helper. She is there to make silly jokes, sing silly songs, & make me smile. She is also there to drive me crazy and smart mouth.. which I admit... I might miss! It's just going to be a huge adjustment & I have anxiety about that. I also dont know how Clarity is going to deal. Clarity & Ariel, though they have their moments when they drive eachother totally crazy, are honestly the best of friends. Clarity is going to be lost and I'm not sure how I'm going to entertain her as well as Ariel does. ugh I'm hoping this is like what I usually do. I think worst case scenario and then when it happens.. I'm like "what was I so worried about?". I pray it's like that.

Here's a quickie recap of importance since I blogged last:
*Jesse got a new job that pays well and he loves. That's wonderful! Nice to see your husband come home happy :o)
* I got a new cell phone (well it was used. A palm treo) off ebay. I LOVED the thing. Yes, I said "loved". It lasted two days. Nice. So now I have another phone coming. One that isnt so much like a computer & wont have program issues. I asked my friend April why the cell phone god is peeing on me. She said she doesnt know but she hopes they stop soon. Me too, girl, me too!
* the girls are wonderful. Precious as always. I dont know if I have ever mentioned in this blog.. HOW MUCH I LOVE THEM. lol. They are my heart. So is my husband even though yesterday I could have kicked his butt to the moon! It was just one of those days... we were both in grouch mode. He irritated the crap out of me and I did the same to him. Funny how you can have days like that.. then today is completely opposite where I miss him and can't wait for him to come home. lol.
*I visited a friend's blog and became sad with her today. She's not having anymore children and she visited a site that told her this time last year she was 5 weeks pregnant. Well this time last year I was 11 weeks. I'm not having anymore kids either. To be honest it's not the pregnancy I miss.. I hated that... but I am sad that Emmalyn (shoot.. all 3 of them) are growing at rates of speed that can't be human. Why can't they just stay little for a little longer?

Okay I'm going to clean the office now. That should kick my depression in the butt. Either that or it's going to overwhelm me and make me more depressed. lol. Well here I go.

Cute Little Sprout!

I'm so silly!

Cuddling with her new blankie! Thank you aunties!!

Are you talking about me?!

I got my peekablock!

uh oh! Daddy's gonna get me!

Look at those blue eyes!!

Goodbye Diz

Ariel comes and tells me yesterday afternoon that she hasnt seen Dizzy (the next door neighbors little dog that she claimed as her dog that lived next door.. lol) all day. Hmmm. I look outside and nope he's not there running along the fence playing with the girls. Come to find out Dizzy died yesterday. At least I think that's what happened. Ariel saw our neighbors daughter and asked her where Diz was & she told Ariel that he got sick and went somewhere else. So I'm assuming this was her way of telling Ariel that he passed away. I'm sad. I miss the little guy! The girls do too. Ariel of course cried. Clarity has no understanding that dying means forever. She just walks around saying she "miss diz". I havent even seen the old man that lives next door in a while. His wife has been in the hospital and their daughter has been coming over taking care of things. I hope everything is okay. It's amazing how that little dog not being in the next yard makes such a difference. Things just seem empty. He's been there since we moved in so it's just too quiet. Not that he was yappy or annoying.. far from it. But he always came running to the fence to greet the kids & play or wait for them to give him his doggy treats. I guess this is a sucky part of life. Things dont always stay the same or how we want them to be. Goodbye litte Diz. We had no idea how much we thought of you until you weren't here anymore.

Anytime

I'm out with the girls.. I get compliments on how sweet they are. I'm not bias or anything *wink* but I totally agree. God has blessed me with three precious little girls. I have to type this in my blog because I want to remember. Clarity dressed herself & went outside (Ariel quickly followed suit). She comes in while I'm cleaning my kitchen. "I got you a unflower mom" I look down to see her handing me a dandelion that isnt even opened up. She is all smiles and oh so proud of herself. I melt into a puddle. I give her a huge hug & kiss & thank her for it. So now I have Ariel and Clarity bringing me tons & tons of those little white flowers that grow everywhere. I dont even know the names of them. They aren't anything special.. but these are.. because my girls are running about picking them for me. Clarity has brought me some with some long stems "It BIG mom!" and the she just smiles her smile that lights up a room. Some days these girls make me want to run and take a vaca (though I never would. How could I leave them?!) and then there are these days like today. The days that make me want to get down on my knees & just thank God for how blessed I truly am.

My Crazy Day, Roly Poly Emmalyn, & more

Prepare yourselves. I'm sure this is going to be one of those posts where you sit there and think, "Good Lord. Why doesnt she just write a book?"... one of those looonngg posts!

It starts off around 11 am yesterday when I realize I left something in Jesse's truck that I had to have. I call him and we decide since the van is cheaper on gas it would make more sense to go to him on his lunch break. We agree to meet at a gas station so he could put gas in for me. So I get on the interstate. Not two minutes later... gas light comes on. uh oh. I call Jesse and ask him if he thinks I can make it to asheville. The light goes off... it was only on when we were kind of going uphill. By the time I get to Canton it still wasnt on but I kept picturing myself stranded on the side of the road, run out of gas, with three kids. I'm not going there. I get off at the exit. I pull at the pump and go to open the gas tank. I can't get it open. There has to be a way to open it. There must be a button. I am looking everywhere. I must've looked like an idiot. I call Jesse and tell him I dont know what to do. Thank God the owners left the manual in the glove box. After a few minutes of searching I finally find the button.. under the drivers seat! If that manual hadnt been there.. omg.. I dont know if I had ever found it! So I put the nozzle in the tank, swipe my card, it tell me I am authorized and asks me to press the start button to begin fueling. I can't find it. lmao! Hidden buttons are out to get me. I swear it! So I'm pushing the yes button on the credit card pad, looking at the nozzle, everything. Finally my eyes gaze upon a HUGE yellow button. What does it say? start. Tada! I get gas and finally make it to asheville. I'm so relieved to see Jesse. I hate city driving. I am always a nervous wreck and I was just glad to get there. I get what I need and see him for maybe five minutes when it's time for both of us to leave. I make it back home, grab the girls a snack and then head out to the health department where I sit for 3 hours. 3 hours! I must say the girls were AWESOME. I couldnt have been prouder. We finally get out of there and as I walk to the van.. I see something that makes me nervous. I had left the lights on. I just keep thinking.. please dont let the battery be dead. Please dont let the battery be dead. I get the girls in their seats and go to crank it. It makes noise but it wont start. Terriffic! I run back inside and ask if there's anyone that can give me a jump. They say they have cables but I would have to wait twenty minutes before a girl's husband could come and do it. Fine. I'll wait. What choice do I have? I decide to try one more time. It cranks! Hallelujah! The girls are famished so I decide to head over to wendy's. I pull in and the sky falls out. It is raining so hard.. just opening my window a crack sends a flood of water in. No drive thru for us. Well it gets worse.. the rain is pounding and the wind is going crazy.. the sky is dark. I pull into a parking space and we wait it out in the van. Now if you all know me you know my storm fear.. I wasnt happy but I will say I did not show one bit of panic.. not one hint that I wanted to grab the girls and go into wendy's.. who cares if we all looked like drowned rats. lol. But no.. I decided we would wait in the van. We would be okay. It took a good half hour for it to slow down but it finally did. By this time, it was time for me to go meet a girl in Canton to sign up for Avon. I tell the girls since I'm meeting her at Arby's... they can wait and eat that. They're cool with that. The meeting goes well. Emmalyn.. awesome.. just chilled in her seat. Ariel & Clarity kept piping up, "when are we going to go home?". lol. I can't blame them. We had been out since 11 am and here it was going on 7:30 pm. I get all signed up and head back home. Did I mention all throughout the day I couldnt find my cell? I knew I had it when I went to asheville but when I came home to grab the girls a snack real quick... that is when I noticed it was missing. Anywhow. I get off my exit to go home and who is following me? A police officer. Big surprise. My van has no tags.. it's not registered. I have the bill of sale in my glove box along with my proof of insurance so I'm not worried. Go ahead. Pull me over. Turn on your lights. Let's get this over with. Just stop following me! I keep saying under my breath. Amazingly enough.. he doesnt. He turns off and goes somewhere else. I guess God whispered into his soul to give me a break! lol. I make it home.. and Jesse is still not there. He had gone to a job interview after work (which we think went amazingly so say prayers he gets it! Much more worth it than where he is now). I check the mail and see my nose ring that I ordered off ebay is here (Jesse did buy me another one from the tattoo shop here so it wasnt NEEDED anymore but I ordered it back when I lost my other nose ring). I open the envelope and there's a packet where the nose ring should be.. but it's not there. So I email the girl. Havent heard back from her yet. But how weird is that? As I'm looking over the rest of the mail (bills, bills, and yes more bills) Ariel discovers my phone. Behind one of my tires. Appearently I had dropped it before we left.. and ran it over coming home. I have no phone. I smashed its guts out. Soooo.. that's that. I need to get another one activated. I'd like to say this was the end of my day. But.. it wasn't. I had forgotten to go get electrosol and had run out. Jesse gets home & we load the kids up. I make it to walmart 10 mins before they close. Just long enough to grab my stuff & book it out of there. We came home and snacked a bit then we all just crashed out. What a day.

About miss Roly Poly Emmalyn. Two nights ago I had her on the floor in the play room. She rolled from her back to her tummy.. then to her back again... then once more on her tummy. She looks around & realizes Hey I'm getting somewhere! My 4 1/2 month old has figured out her own little way of being "mobile". What a stinker!

Where's Kirby?

is not a question you want your two year old asking you when you have a hermit crab pet named Kirby. Yet this is an honest to God true story. Miss Ariel left Kirby's container down where Clarity could get it. Appearently Clarity let Kirby wander. Wonderful. So here I am.. my cleaning mission thrown completely out the window. I am on a new hunt. Find Kirby. Watch where you step. Don't smash Kirby. Have mercy! I am searching everywhere to no avail. I'm harping at Ariel (who is wandering around the house crying for Kirby) that she shouldnt have left him down and why can't we have any pets without a disaster happening? The crab is nowhere. I can't even hear him walking.. so my thoughts.. he's dead somewhere. During this fiasco I see Clarity has spilled chocolate milk on her bed. She's not allowed to even drink in her room! ugh I'm fuming and ready to send my kiddos to boot camp! All of a sudden I hear Ariel praying. Please God let us find Kirby. Let him be alive. Let him be okay. Please God show me where he is. I'm sorry. I love him. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Oh no. My mission has new meaning. He HAS to be found. I tell God.. I hope you come through with this. She's asking you. All of a sudden even though I had looked three or four times... I get a feeling to look under their bed. So I peer and way back in the corner, sits Kirby. THANK YOU GOD!! He's alive but he's pissed. He has his claw out and won't come out of his shell. I hurry and put him back in his sand haven. Then I start talking to him. Yes, I'm talking to a crab. I'm calling him in a little high pitched voice that always gets him to come out. It takes a minute, but he comes crawling out of his shell. So this ordeal is over with but I have a headache. I still have to scrub Clarity's mattress.. grrr. But first I think I'm going to take Jesse up on his offer to go get out of the house. I might run to "junk mart" (walmart without the grocery store. This is Ariel's name for it). I'll probably end up taking the kids even though this is my chance to get away. I'm a sucker like that.

Lord Grant Me

motivation!! PLEASE!! I have a ton to get done before Jesse gets home. I don't have to but if he's busting his rear working. I at least want to give him a clean house to come home to. I can't have him thinking I just sit on the computer all day (which in all honesty I have done today.. lol). Oh wait.. no I did bake a gooey chocolately fudgy cake. Which I am guilty of letting the girls eat for lunch. oh my word. I am rotten today! lmao. So here's hoping I get my rear in gear and get things done. It's almost 2:30 and Jesse will be home at 6. Sure that sounds like loads & loads of time but it's not. Not for my slow poke heiny!

Jesse called not long ago.. which is unusual because his break isn't until 3. He was asking if the girls & I were okay. Um yeah.. as far as I can tell. He tells me that Asheville just got hit with a really severe storm. He said it was lightning every second & they even had an electrical fire at an outlet because of it. He said the guys he works with tried to put it out by throwing water on it. We laughed at that. Water & electricy = not an effective way to put out an electrical fire. So anyways I guess that was his excitement for the day. I guess Jesse was calling to make sure I was able to come out of hiding from the storm. We didn't get anything but some rain and cooler temps. Hallelujah! We went from 81 degrees to 64 in a matter of an hour. Nice!

Well Jesse is hoping to get a call from another granite company in Asheville. He stopped by yesterday and talked to one of the owners and the other one is supposed to get in touch with him. He's just trying to see what else is out there and if he could ever make more by doing more. He knows how to do a ton of stuff but the place he works for just doesnt care to use him for all he knows. He's not going to up and quit but he's looking around. He never stops trying to better himself. I love that about him. I'm complete opposite.. I am always afraid to step out of my comfort zone.

I am also looking for a night job. I applied at one place but who knows if I'll hear back or not. I'm looking around. Trying to find something that will let me work nights or evenings and weekends. I dont really want to do restaurant work again.. Im looking for something that pays a bit more than that if I'm going to work that hard! Praying I find something soon. I'm also signing up to start selling Avon. Any little bit I can pull in will help! So if any of you.. my lovely little blog readers want anything... please come to me! hehe.

Well I have to go finish emmalyn's load of diapers. I tell you.. this cloth diapering is an everyday laundry thing since I dont have many. I just love to add to my work load! Well she's more comfy and we're not filling up the landfill... I guess it's worth it ;o) I'll let you know if I get anything accomplished in the next 3 hours and 20 mins!

Is it just me?

or is it just freaking fun to make babies dance? I love blasting some music and holding Emmalyn up and making her shake her booty! She smiles all big and I just think it's so cute. I did the same thing with Ariel & Clarity. But I have to wonder... if this is just something I do. lol.

Disappointment

was never something I experienced when Emmalyn came out being a girl. Obviously God wanted to give me the gift of three girls and I couldnt be happier. I love watching them and their friendships grow. I ran into a girl last night that was pregnant with her third while grocery shopping. Jesse was ahead of me with his cart that carried Ariel & Clarity and I was following behind with my cart that had Emmalyn. The girl peeked in and was like, "Is that another girl?" and I smiled really big and said, "sure is". She then tells me she's so glad she's not alone, that she's expecting her third girl in two months. She told me how much she had wanted a boy and how disappointed she was. She didnt want anymore pink.. she had dealt with that enough and she wanted blue. I just kept telling her how awesome I thought having three girls was. I guess a part of me wondered what it would be like having a boy but I honestly didnt care either way. I have never experienced disappointment with what my kids gender was so I guess I was kind of shocked to see someone so upset over it. I'm sure her feelings will change once her daughter gets here. That girl is going to have her hands full though as there is only 18 months between her first and second and then there will be 17 months between her second and third. YIKES!

A bugga! lol

Instead of getting their beds made and getting them in them... I had to video tape the total goofiness that was going on last night. Here you can see very well what a little "copy cat" Clarity has become. Whatever her Air-Air does.. she has to do too! Even on my most horrible days.. these girls know how to make me laugh! I love them to pieces! By the way I asked Ariel what a "bone styler" was (she says this in the video) and she told me it's an exercise. Well.. at least one of us is exercising ;o) lol

Interview with Ariel

This cracks me up(especially the ending)! Dont mind Ariel's shaggy bangs.. we're growing them out and unless we're going out, she doesnt let me fix her hair. Stubborn girl!

Short Fireworks Video

How was your 4th?

I hope everyone had a fantastic 4th of July! ours was pretty good! My parents were over here for part of the day (they came in on the 3rd). So we got to spend some time with them. They left around 3 pm. Jesse & I had no idea where we were taking the girls to see fireworks as this is our first year over here. We ended up going over to Maggie Valley. Oh my gosh that place was packed! Every hotel had no vacancy. Cars everywhere. People in chairs lining in the streets and at the festival grounds. We parked & walked around. We didn't bring any chairs so in the end, we decided to watch the fireworks from our van (yes I said van! We got a decent deal on a used Toyota Previa so now I have something to drive when I need to run errands and Jesse doesnt have to take a day or half day off to chauffer me around. yay!). The fireworks were long. LOL. Jesse & I laughed that it was the never ending fireworks display. Then the finale came and it was the never ending finale! Then afterwards when people were leaving, I guess they had a few they forgot to shoot up, so they did those. It was hilarious! The girls loved them this year. I have some video (very dark so you cant see the girls but you can hear their 'wow's!). Even little miss Emmalyn was mesmerized she just laid in my lap staring up at the sky watching them! Now for some pics!

Yikes!

well it's Air-Air's turn to be sick :o( She woke up this morning crying about how bad her throat hurts and choking on her spit. Same thing I just went through with Clarity 2 days ago. Peachy. My poor babies.. I so hate it when they get sick! Hopefully Emma won't get it..or Jesse... or myself. I guess I get to spend today disinfecting the house & toys. Be right back.. Ariel just got so choked she puked. UGH! Well thank God for small miracles it was just a bunch of spit. Poor baby! She just keeps wandering around the house crying and asking if she can give her bad germ to me because she doesnt want it anymore. Breaks my heart. I'm praying she feels better super soon.

I was watching an infomercial this morning about John Becks Free & Clear system. Supposedly this guy will send you all the info you need to buy a house for a couple hundred dollars. All you have to do is pay back taxes on it and it's yours! ha! I decided to look it up online & see if it had actually worked for anyone (I honestly didnt believe it) and my gut was right. It is a HUGE scam and people are losing their butts on hundreds of thousands of dollars. How is this guy not sitting in prison? It amazes me that people can come up with something crazy, put it on tv, scam people out of butt loads of money, keep doing it, and still walk away richy rich. oooh Karma is so gonna have to bite him in the butt one day!

Well I guess I better stop eating these peanut butter M&Ms (thanks mom.. lol) and get my butt off of the computer and get to cleaning. Hopefully I'll have a happier post next time!

I wish

So much time hasnt passed between updates. My blog is my baby but lately my internet hasnt been so wonderful. We're probably going to check into getting cable internet soon.. this satellite mess just isnt cutting it. But it's what we have for now so I'll just have to be thankful! lol.

Poor Clarity is sick... again! It has been a week with her. It started last Sunday... she got stung on the foot by a bee. Well her foot swelled up & turned red & hot. She couldnt walk on that foot and cried about it. Sleep was out of the question. Monday comes & she's running a fever and has a rash on her shoulders & tummy. This made me call Jesse home from work to take her to the ped. We get there and there are cops everywhere. They haul some guy away and impound his car. Well the cops being there made our wait take FOREVER. We finally get back there and Jesse asked the nurse if it was anything we should be worried about with all the cops everywhere. She told us no that some boy had been brought in with injuries so severe they had to life flight him to asheville. Poor baby must've been really bad since Harris Regional is right next door! I never have heard any more about this so I dont know exactly what happened or if he was okay. But anyways we see the ped and she said she thinks Clarity has a virus on top of the sting that it was a viral rash. I guess it's a good thing that mom of those boys didnt use me to babysit (guess she found someone closer to where she wouldnt have to backtrack.. she never called). I would have had to call her to come get them the first day I watched them to take Clarity to the doctor! lol. Flash forward to now and yesterday Clarity starts whining about having a sore throat. She's not running a fever but her throat is just bugging her. ugh. Poor girl. It's been a rough week!

Grandma, Abu & Patrick came over to see the girls this week. Ariel was thrilled to death. And it made it even better that her Uncle Patrick came along! She is always talking about him and how she misses him and when is he coming to see her. So when she saw him standing there, I think she about had a fit! It was a nice surprise :o)

Well other than all that, not much else is going on. Emma is growing like a weed and amazing me more & more everyday. she is giggling, grabbing at her feet, trying to play with toys hanging above her. Just getting so big and taking so much in! I love it when she wakes up in the mornings... she just seems so happy to be here and just lights up with a huge smile. She melts my heart. All of my girls do!!!

Jesse is going to Hendersonville to look at a vehicle for me today. If it's as good as they say and he approves he's going to give them some money to hold it & the rest when our check comes in. I hate that our stimulus is going to be gone in one shot... but I could so use something. Just having the truck and being stuck at home all week is getting to me.

well I'm going to take some new pics & vid of the kiddos today and I'll have that put up soon. Seems so much has been going on lately. I'm exhausted!

Big Update

I'm probably going to be all over the place with this post as it is midnight and my mind is scattered everywhere and lots has been going on.

Jesse missed work yesterday. He pulled a muscle or did something to his lower back and he literally had to roll out of bed. lol. He had been up all night the night before and come morning he was no better so he stayed home. Luckily the r&r helped him and he was back at work today and feeling much better. It did end up being a great day though...I was browsing on Craigslist (I did get that bumbo and tummy mat.. it was a steal and I'm so happy!) and came across a listing for a trundle bed & dresser for $150. The couple had a son about Ariel's age and he had used the top bed for not even a month and the bottom wasn't used at all. The couple was moving and just didnt want to deal with taking it. Well I emailed and wasn't expecting them to have it. They did! I asked the girl if we could just pay like $120 or $130 for the bed that the girls didnt need a dresser and she said that was fine, we'd work something out. I talk Jesse into driving to Asheville.. I really wanted to check this out! Well let me tell you we hit the jackpot! The mattresses are about brand new... one even had the warranty tag still on it...and they were Serta! So comfy! The trundle bed is in excellent shape and what did the people ask for it....$115! We hauled that baby home! You can't even buy one of the mattresses alone for that price. So the girls now have big girl beds in their room. Clarity is snoozing away in hers right now.. and Emiley is in the other. Yes Emiley... she spent the night tonight :o) Lisa brought her over to play and she didnt want to go home so I told her she could just stay. I had my moments when I wondered what in the world I was thinking.. but it wasn't her.. it was just having three kids running around the house making messes! lol.

The woman with the two boys came over with Camden and Carter yesterday. The are two of the cutest, sweetest little guys! Her and her husband were nice.. they've really been put through the ringer as far as babysitters go so they are being very picky and cautious. Who can blame them? I havent even left my kids with a sitter that wasn't family yet! She did love the house, the yard, and she said I was the best yet (She has been interviewing like 7 other sitters). So hopefully they pick me. I don't know yet, they havent called but she said she hoped to be bringing the boys back. Camden didn't want to leave.. lol. The dad says, "Well that's a great sign! He's comfortable here". She's hoping to be using someone by next Monday and I hope that's me. I guess I'll find out soon. We could really use the $$.

What else... oh yeah. I'm on my way to becoming a cloth diapering mama! It is EXPENSIVE to start but I think in the long run it will be worth it. I'm honestly not doing it to save money... it would probably be cheaper to keep using disposables honestly... but I am hating throwing away tons of diapers to be hauled off into a landfill when I could be more "green" about it. I'm a nutcase about recycling and taking care of the environment. Before I moved here and really started recycling, I didnt think it would make much of a difference but it really does. I have one or two big blue bags full of recyclables out by the curb and just like two bags of trash. When before we would have 5 or more bags of trash every week. I just want to do my part to take care of the world my babies are going to be growing up in.... now if only we could get rid of the crime and scumbags like that... recycle them into something more valuable... wouldn't that be something?

Well everyone is sleeping.. I guess I should be doing the same. Dont know what time the girls are gonna wake me up asking for breakfast and tearing through the house so I better snooze while I can. Goodnight!

Yay!

for Craigslist! As soon as Jesse comes inside & helps me get the girls ready we're going to pick up a bumbo seat & tummy mat new for $20! The girls son hated both so score for us! I was just looking at bumbo seats last week but couldnt justify spending $40 on one. So I get my bumbo after all. I doubt she'll like the tummy mat either, but hey, it's worth a shot!

You liking my pop music selection you are most likely listening to as you read this post? Yeah I never grew out of my teenage love for boybands and pop! So if you don't like it... tough... deal with it. Either that or you can scroll down to the bottom of my blog and turn it off. lol. Well I still have a ton to do around here.. just wanted to jump on and update a bit for the day.

Oh yeah we have had rain showers all day! woohoo! Maybe my hay like brown grass will be happy and turn green again! God I sure hope so.

Could be good!

well a mom got in touch with me about my ad in the iwanna for babysitting (as much as I've enjoyed all my time off since Lisa quit needing me...I need to babysit again! We need $$). She has two boys (eek boys! I dont have any so that would be nice!) ages 1 and I think 2 1/2 or somethng along those lines. I know they are 18 months apart. The best part she needs someone FULL time Monday- Friday (we would still have our family weekends.. YES!) from like 7:30-5. She said she's going out of town this weekend but will call me back Monday to hopefully see the house and meet us. It sounds too good to be true so I'm not holding my breath. she said she's called a bunch of people so I'm sure I have competition. So this weekend Jesse & I are going to go crazy cleaning & babyproofing since she has little ones. We need to for Emmalyn anyways. It's not a bad thing to get a jump start on that. I'm just crossing my fingers & toes & praying big time. I guess we'll know something Tuesday. I hope so!

Thanks Misty!!!

I found this WONDERFUL video on her blog & I have to share! They are sooo much hotter now than they were back then! Makes me even more excited for October, I tell you!

A vid!

Ignore my goofy laugh! I'm a dork! I should win a mom of the year award for giggling like a goon while my poor baby chokes on water!

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).