Kids clothes

I'm linking up with Kelly at Kelly's Korner today. 

My boys are exactly two years and four days apart.  We were blessed in that way.  When Jake and I found out we were expecting the second time, I hoped, and prayed, for a little girl.

 Peyton, boy number one, may act like me but he looks like his daddy.  I wanted a little girl that would look like me, so I could dress her up and make her wear pink everything.

A few days before the gender revealing ultrasound, I really had a peaceful feeling, from God I know, that another little boy would be just fine.  Not to mention cheaper on the old wallet!  TJ, boy umber two, is just fine with me.

Furthermore, since their birthdays would be so close in the year, clothes would most fit in the correct season.  I would detest 6-month-summer clothes if my baby hit that size in say, November.  See what I mean?

SUYL topic: Where do you buy kids clothes?

I have only bought a handful of things for them, EVER.  Almost ALL of their clothes are hand-me-downs from older boys in our church.

 WHEN I do shop for them, I buy something matching (go ahead and judge me) generally (in the case of mass market) from Old Navy.  In the case of personalized/ home parties, I just go with the flow.  If I want the boys to wear monogrammed shirts to a party or event, then I use a entrepreneurial friend.  Just this week, I purchased Fall shirts from Amanda, here.   Last Christmas, OK August, I attended an Orient Expressed home party and ordered our card picture outfits. 

Oh! My husband put a 18-month age limit on smocked items.  So we are strictly Polo's and khakis now. 



Peyton, TJ, and Jake's hand



courtesy Sarah Snowden

Link up It's OK Thursdays...

... to put yourself in Mommy timeout. 


... to freak out when you almost lose all connection to the internet.


...to go to WalMart everyday.

Carpet

It's another blog-tory post!

I'm hoping to move this house swiftly, so I want it to look it's best.  That includes our year-old carpet.  Two little boys can make one rough year on the carpets let me tell ya.

Peyton's room looked worse, only because  of the sheer size of his stains, which we think were chocolate milk....

But it was under the middle of the bed...

so there really is no telling.

I forgot to take a picture of the stain to begin with...but here is the best I got.

See the dark spots? 

The whole area was that color!  I'm talking 1 foot by 6 inches!

here we are to save the daaaaaaaay!

Meet the dirt devil

stain: "I'm fading!"

one more touch up ya think?

It's like magic! But for now, no more drinks in the bedrooms!

We love cowbell!

Bless him, Peyton just wanted to ring his Daddy's cowbell!  As happens so often to small people, he dropped the cowbell on his toe.  This happened LAST Wednesday, but today (Tuesday) his poor little toe is still suffering.

bless him

If I Had a Tear....

...for every time I've been frustrated today - I'd have a river! 

BUT- I am still here and so are the kids. 

Well, actually they are on their side of the hall. 

I am hoping to finish "Knowing We're Showing" this week; first part of the week hopefully.  The worst part of deep cleaning your house to put it on the market: surely is dirty-ing up one room to clean another. 

I don't have pictures to prove this, can you trust me?

Something else I don't have pictures to prove?  Our first poison control scare!  Peyton swallowed trace amounts of a cleansing medicine. 

Dude, I am tired.  This single mom stuff ain't no joke. 

not the poison control issue- this is when they spilled apple juice and found candy corn

Jake was Right

Everyone has obsessions.

Mine is books!

(for the kids)

board books

one stack I didn't have space to display



more books I can't find a place to display

Jake is constantly encouraging me to stop increasing the collection.  After this experience, I will...sort of.

I PLEDGE: to only purchase high quality literature for the kiddos.

water bottle courtesy Peyton

?

??

fan blade?

"Mommy,  I  took a picture of your beautiful clothes!"

I'm thinking maybe PeyPey has a future in photography. 

Shenanigance

I make this face all the time.  I'm so glad to know how ridiculous it is.  What does this look mean?  I'm perturbed.  Basically, one of the kids has just come up with a completely insane way of making my life harder.  That is when I make this face. 

Look closely at the background of the picture.  See the shed?  Want to see inside of it?

Please focus on the newly painted floor. 

See, what happened was..............

I was merrily packing boxes with china and crystal, when I realized how mice and quiet my surroundings were.  That's not good. 

So I trotted myself outside and found my shed door open.  Then I ran

What I found was my two little preciousness into Mommy's art paints. 

The ones Jake keeps asking me to throw away.

SIDE NOTE:  During this move, we have resolved to decrease our possessions by one-third.  It is my opinion that my boys just want to help.

Anyway, so I found TJ with black paint on his lips, (why?) and Peyton squeezing the tar out of all my paint bottles. 

"OK, boys, let's have a bath." 

I took the picture AFTER bath and boys were at nap. 

NEXT

I once had a nice patio table.

Not anymore

The boys decreased that for me too.

Fortunately, it was made of tempered glass, so no one was injured.  I used four WM bags to carry all the little rounds of glass away.  TJ tromped on the glass as if it were snow.  Peyton tried to run his hands in the broken glass.

To Gloss or Not to Gloss

May I just gloss over teh last week?  Would you mind terribly? We went to MS this weekend after Praxis day.  Actually, the boys all went to MS Friday so I could make a last ditch effort to study. 

Remind me to study BEFORE the test day next time.  Oh, nevermind.  I hope not to have a next time. 



My weekend was filled with shopping (new black shoes), and new church visits (TJ did cry).  Then my Daddy had sinus surgery Tuesday, I made pasta fagoili, and we all went to sleep. 

See? Nothing too exciting. 

I worked my tail off last week on this house.  Upside? My kitchen now has clean cabinets, dining room has bright windows, and TV cabinet is covered with minimal junk.  All that is left before listing my house is everything else. 

But today is not the day to start anything else.  No.  Today I wwill wash clothes and try to reclean the  kitchen, dining room, and living room.  Becasue deep cleaning is messy!

I'm still here

a new post will be coming soon

Southern Living Chase

Sometime in 2010, my Aunt Donna gave me a two year subscription to Southern Living.  I have poured over every issue EVER since I was a little girl, so this was the sweetest thing she could have done for me.  At that time, we used a PO box. 


At Christmastime 2010, my Daddy and Dad put up a mailbox by the road for me.  One of my first actions was to transfer my subscription to our house.  This can be easily done on the internet!

Well now, I am changing it again.  But I made a boo-boo this time. 

A couple months back, we ordered Shutterfly pictures for my MIL, but she has never received them.  I was convinced that she gave me the wrong address! 

So when I forwarded Southern Living, I supplied the address I just knew was right.  Then I informed Jake.   I was wrong. 

Back to the internet address change form.  Only this time, it was too soon.  Customer Service request?  YUP, this is serious business people.  We're coming up on the Holiday issue!

Luckily, I received a confirmation email Tuesday night to inform me that my address has been updated, with the correct address. 

The one my MIL gave me.


Now what about those pictures.....

Ugly Cry

You know about ugly cries right?  Some folks call it snot crying.   When Jake left Tuesday, I ugly cried. 

Since then I have been feverishly working on our house. 

You probably can't tell I've done that much.  I've only filled 10 boxes with unessential kitchen items!   And you probably really can't tell.  I'm a weebit discrouraged. 

Psalm 61:2 From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety,


The boys have been busier than usual, I will so post about their shenanigance. 

Pray for These Babies

Read about Baby Kate.  Kate's mom is a sorority sister of mine, actually she's my twin sis.  Even if you haven't clicked on her button, please take time to pray for this baby.   For me?


Read about Baby Ryder via Sweet Collette. These are families we met when Jake was finishing his degree while I taught at Sudduth.  My Sudduth teaching experience is another post altogether.  Please take time to pray, even if you don't read about her.

Thoughts from Today

Renovate to Sell-abrate list

You remember that we are moving to our hometown, but first we must sell our inaugural home.  I called the repairing part of getting our home ready for market 'Renovate to Sell-abrate."  Did you think that was dorky? Just wait.

Knowing We're Showing list

Now get your mind out of the gutter - I'm not preggs.   We're showing our HOUSE.  This is a list of things we need to do before the house is market ready.  

continuation of the list

I'm scared folks.  That is a LOT of stuff to do.  Our realtor agreed to wait a couple of weeks before putting the sign up, but I have SO much to do!    Would you be interested in before/after shots?  We'll see.

Glass Repair

Today was supposed to be the day that Jake left for Corinth.   He will stay in Demopolis until our glass gets repaired.  Several of the windows in our house have been broken in the three and a half years we have lived here.  How?  I'm glad you asked. 

summertime pastime

Sometimes, and I do mean rarely, the boys go a little too fast on the lawnmower. 

Look at the rocks

Rarely, when the backyard gets mowed (rarely because grass doesn't really grow there) they have to work around the rocks.  And since we don't use our backyard or the gravel for vehicles, the grass has grown over the rocks.   Actually, the only part of our backyard grass that WILL grow is the section right up next to the house - in the gravel. 

Shouldn't Jake raise the lawn mower blade? He does.   But...

...they lower the blade back down.

Suffice to say, a few windows needed replacing.



Up and Down People

Renevate to Sell-abrate! Phase 1: We had to relay our floor in one room.

  After the excitement of this weeekend was over, TJ's crib fell apart!  Six months ago I would have said, "REALLY?" But now I just say, "We better get over it and get on with our business." 

new bed = play pen

In case you ever wonder, your house and life turn upside down during renovation.  The kids?  They just roll with the punches and question the moving furniture.

Why does my room look different?

There are other side effects too.  The toy box was placed in Peyton's room during the floor relay, which resulted in NO sleep for Peyton Friday night.  Don't believe me?  Want proof?  I have some!

budding photographer?

You see, I found this picture WHILE Peyton was confessing his midnight adventures to Daddy. 

Comment on September 11, 2011:  Ten years ago today, Jake and I were seniors in high school.  ACHS (Jake's school) was allowed to watch  the coverage, but CHS (my school, Go Warriors!) was not.  I didn't need to see it anyway.  I do find it funny, however, that in 10 years I have grown and healed yet without fully processing the events of that fateful day.

Christmas Dance 2001

Tomorrow is our last real day as a family in this house.  I smell a house tour in your near future.  Minus the front room that you've already seen.   OH! I've painted the doors and mouldings white again, well, really I just touched everything up.  But I felt good about my accomplishment. 

Just Pictures

TJ's nap on opening day- 9/3/11, at Meme's

Last lunch at Robert's

so handsome

it's a bucket on his head

PB & J in his hair

he should  have been in bed

I Learned to Work!

I love it!

Day 1 of Renovate to Sell-abrate: First up, removing the humps in the floor of the formal living room / guest room.  I was prepared with face masks, work gloves, and a flat-ended shovel!  *whisper voice: be honest Whitney*  Fine, I realized I needed those things 1 hour into said project and ran to my handy dandy Walmart. Which I could see from my house until Aaron's was built.  But I digress.

this room, remember?

My grandfather (Dad) and I worked diligently until naptime.  The boys must go down to rest, and I needed a shower.  Dad kidded with my mom, on the phone, that he was teaching me how to work.  HEHE, I like that! 

Jake came home from his FINAL day at Foster Farms today.  When he started working with Dad I realized that I was no longer crucial.  pooh.  Upside?  I like to watch Jake work.  It's true!  Once, I watched while he used a sledgehammer to break up a concrete pad outside our living room.  Does that make me lazy? 

Dad and Jake

What did the cuties do while Dad, Jake, and I worked?  They played with my grandmother (Nana!)  Busy and sweet.

Nana put his mask on like a beanie

But sometimes Peyton helped out in the renovation.  He loves to work, that boy of mine!

Peyton wore his mask over his mouth

It Got Crazy for a Minute

The kids  made me get up at 7:something this morning.  Read: This is a problem.  Why? TJ and Peyton both crawled in with me last night until I solved the problem.  "No one in Mama's bed except Mama!" What? Jake had already escaped!   I carried TJ to his room and plopped him down.  Then I went back for Peyton, "Why me Mama? I wasn't kicking you."  He did have a point, but by then I wanted to be alone. 

Back to the original point.  I finally got up, started Sesame Street, and went to the kitchen to get started on pancakes (from scratch since I ran out of mix.)  The recipe I use for pancakes calls for bunches of milk.  This resulted in a VERY thin batter.  I guess I should have finshed combining dry ingredients before adding wet, huh?  We ate crepes for breakfast, lots of crepes.  Each child 'polished off' nine each.  I say 'polished off' because they literally licked the plate.  Boys.

  I quickly realized that my plate was full today.  Well, not my breakfast plate because my kids did not leave me hardly anything to eat.  Our real estate agent was coming by for her initial visit at 2, my grandparents were coming to visit at roughly the same time,  I needed to make cute cupcakes for a shower at church, and I - I was sitting in the middle of my kitchen floor surrounded by crumbs, dish rags, and my good silver that the kids were using to cut play dough. 

No.  This process is moving too fast.  I am not ready for the real estate agent to view this mess of a house that we call home.   No.  I will just call her back and postpone our viewing.  Yes.  That will make the crumbs disappear, the rags put themselves in the wash, the cupcakes bake themselves, and the good silver will waltz back into its' boxes.  Oh, it won't? I should take a chill pill? 

This is where God spoke: My child, let me take care of this.
Whitney: OK!

So I swept the floor, put rags and towels on to wash, and gathered the good silver in the sink. 

And some other stuff that was no more glamorous.  Then the realtor showed up, and she didn't mention the crumbs (because by then, more crumbs accumulated from the cupcakes I was making for the aforementioned shower.)  She did, however, suggest we take down our extra bed that is stationed in the formal living room.  OK!  

taken after the sebatical

Then my grandparents arrived.  My Dad (for that is what I've always called my grandfather) put in our new icemaker.  Sidenote: Have you ever seen the little contraption appliance-men use to activate an ice-maker?  It is AWESOME!  They put what looks like a false cover on the ice-maker and push little buttons on the side, then, then it lights up. 

Cupcakes:  I picked up two boxes of chocolate cake mix at the Marketplace last week.  Unfortunatley, the cake mix called for three eggs and A WHOLE STICK OF BUTTER!  Imagine whipped, silky, chocolate buttercream icing - that would be this batter.  Of course whenever I host (or co-host) as baby shower, I volunteer for cupcakes.  Because I have a method for cupcake and muffin making that I really should attempt to patent.  OK, so maybe not patent.  Instead of filling the pan cup 2/3 full, as directed, I fill the pan cup 3/4 full.  Sometimes, not always, this happens. 

not today's cupcakes, but similar

That's why I went light on the icing, that, and the whole stick of butter.  Leftovers.

So, true to Fairhaven form, we hosted a TRIPLE baby shower.  Once again we had three ladies due within weeks of each other.  The first triple shower was held for TJ, his friends Emma James, and Mia.   I totally thought news of our impending departure had traveled throughout Demopolis, alas my sweet, pregnant friend Lana did not know.  There were tears.  Then I had another heart-to-heart with my pregnant friend Heather.  Finally, I spoke with the pregnant Mallie about how happy I am for her and Tony. 

At home, Jake was washing dishes (like every GOOD man should.)  Our media player has stopped working completely, so we listened to music on his iPhone.  George Strait was singing "Troubadour" as we slow danced in our kitchen.  "Lord, help me to hang on to this moment in the coming weeks when I am alone and missing Jake's help with the kids, the house, and most importantly, his comnpanionship." 

Jake and TJ sleeping in the green chair- sometime early 2010

Blog-tory: Our History

No matter how long you have been reading my blog (e.g. since the beginining [Apr 2011] or just now [Sept 2011] or you are reviewing the blog-tory [in the future]), you have probably heard of the sebatical. 

Definition:

  Sebatical- May 2010, Jake accepted a night shift position at Wayne Farms, Decatur, AL.  This was suppposed to be a twelve hour position, but we soon found out that in reality, the position was 16 hours.  During the six weeks Jake stayed on at said location, the kids and I lived with my grandparents in Corinth.  Obviously, this whole Wayne Farms thing DID NOT work out.  As soon as Foster Farms asked Jake to return, we gladly did.  That, my friends, is a sebatical.

Not an actual picture from the sebatical, but Jake's face discribes how we felt.

I think we actually took this picture before TJ was born.

Going Public

This blog has gone public!  Every where I turn, people are involved in moving; several blogs, one episode of Andy Griffith,  and my pastor Allen Atkins. 

Stay tuned for the adventures we are sure to encounter.

What a Man (little)

Peyton and I were alone this weekend.  We started with learning about puzzles and ABC's. 

little ashamed of the mess in my floor, but I was concentrating on learning

I wanted us to clean, clean, clean!  But we wound up just being us.  Daddy left us his truck, and we took it to the 'nasty' place.  It is really just a dirt road.  But Peyton loved every minute of it!  

Sunday night after the church ice cream social, we came home to no internet or Netflix.  What to do? Wash dishes and fold clothes! 

proof

He folded!!