Thursday, April 30,2009

I am super tired this morning, I did not sleep well and it really did not have anything to do with the kids. My throat is really sore but I think it is just sinus drainage. So I was up most of the night drinking something to help my throat. I think I got to sleep about 1:30 and then Sam was calling for us at about 2:30. He said he was scared so he got in bed with us. He was all over my side so I got up and got in bed with Emma. She kicked me most of the night and when I finally got to sleep I had a bad dream and woke up in a panic so it was hard to get back to sleep. Chloe started waking up about 6:30 but I made her lay back down because the other two were still asleep. Well once again we are staying home today. It is supposed to be another rainy day. Since there is not much going on I thought I would give a quick update on the kids. 

* Samuel- Every day I am more amazed at how much he growing. He is always talking these days but I do not mind most of the time. He is a boy with a million questions. Every morning after breakfast when we start moving around more he asks "Mom where are we going today?" and it does not matter what I say he follows up with "and where are we going after that?" and it goes on and on like that. Even if I tell him we are not going anywhere he still asks again. It usually ends with me saying "then we are going to bed" and he will ask once more "where are we going after that?" He still is constantly writing. He writes all of our family's name and then he wanted to know how to spell about 50 other words. He is really smart about hearing a word and knowing what letters are in that word by the sound. The other day Jeremy and Sam were playing the ABC game where you say "I went to the store and bought..." and you say what comes next in the alphabet. He know what letter came next every time and said something that started with his letter. It was pretty amazing. I am also starting to realize how annoying commercials can be. Sam wants EVERYTHING he sees on TV. Every time he sees a commercial for a new snack he wants it! One last story about Sam and then I will move on. The other day Sam went with Jeremy to Lowes and they saw a big pile of wood that had been cut. Sam asked what that was for and Jeremy told him it was firewood for a fireplace. Jeremy asked Sam if we had a fireplace. Well we have a gas fireplace but it is not hooked up and we do not have the gas logs in it. I have a candle holder with some candles in our fireplace. So Sam replied "No dad we have a candleplace". 

* Emma- She is really trying to say everything these days. She tries so hard to talk in sentences but it sounds really chopping and I have to resist the urge to finish her sentence for her. If she is saying a word that we cannot understand she will keep saying it louder and louder until we guess what she is saying. Her new favorite phrase, that I am trying to break her from saying, is "I can't". She also started putting the word "mine" in front of just about everything. She still tries to be just like her big brother and she also likes to "write" in her notebook. She is becoming very independent and is also growing up so fast. She is getting so much better at being patient with Chloe and is really doing better at not falling apart over every little thing. 

* Chloe- She is my little handful. She is the one that wears me out the most out of the three. I probably say at least 20 times a day "Chloe get that out of your mouth". She is also becoming more territorial and has started pushing or slapping her siblings if they are in her way. Thankfully she is not biting like Emma used to do. She also has developed this little fake whine that she does when she is not getting her way. She will put her hands over her eyes and really puts on this sob act. Yes, it is an act. When we are around other people they feel so sorry for her but Jeremy and I know that she is just trying to get her way. Last weekend we were with some friends and she wanted another brownie. She had already had some banana pudding and a brownie so we told her "no". She put her hands over her eyes and started her little act. We were trying to ignore her and our friend looked over at her and she was peeking out from behind one of her hands. As soon as he looked at her she started up again. We all just laughed. She is still not saying much but she is trying. She does say "bite, bubba, and hot" on a regular basis. She is a hand full but she is pretty sweet most of the time. She is always smiling but sometimes I think she smiles when she does not know what emotion to feel. I know that sounds weird but sometimes when someone new is talking to her she smiles but I can see in her eyes that she is scared or confused. I guess my biggest issue with her is trying to keep her fed. She wants to eat ALL day. She will finish her meal or snack and grab something off Sam or Emma's plate. 

Well I know this is a long post but I guess my last few have been short. I am going to catch up on my shows I have missed this week. We taped a bunch of the shows we watch and I have not gotten to them yet. Well I hope everyone has a good day. 

Sam eating a Crush cup yogurt. He makes such a mess.

This Emma's new favorite toy. Her name is "Little Miss Naughty". The toy is one of those Mr. Men characters. The toy fits her just right:)

Wednesday, April 29,2009

Not much going on here again today. Yesterday we stayed in and I actually saw the bottom of our laundry hamper and the floor of my laundry room was empty of any clothes. I was pretty excited but it was short lived because by last night the hamper was completely filled again. The kids played pretty good yesterday so that was helpful. When Jeremy got home he was able to work some in the yard but he did not get to the mulch and flowers. The kids and I were in the garage trying to organize a little. Well this morning I woke up about 7:30 and realized that the TV was on. I had woken up about 6:30 for a second and the TV was not on and Jeremy was already gone, so I jumped up because I figured that one of the kids turned it on and I did not hear any kids. I saw the kids bathroom light on and at first I just thought that Sam had gotten up and he was using the bathroom but then I heard all three kids. I went in the bathroom and all three were sitting around the toilet looking in the toilet bowl at a bug that was swimming around. I am surprised that I did not find Chloe in the toilet too. Of course I made them all mad when I flushed the toilet and made them leave the bathroom. The kids usually eat cereal for breakfast or maybe some frozen pancakes warmed in the microwave, but this morning I decided to make them scrambled eggs. As I was making the eggs I realized why I usually make their breakfast quick. Chloe was hanging on my leg the whole time whining and whimpering. She acted like she had not eaten in days and that I was not planning on feeding her anytime soon. Well I am a few days behind on the pictures so here are the kids playing outside on Monday. 

Tuesday, April 28,2009

Well it is back to our uneventful life. Yesterday afternoon the kids played outside and I did a little work in the front yard. Our landscape is in desperate need of some work. We still have tons of leaves that have been in the mulch and around the bushes since Fall. I was racking the leaves up but it was pretty hot outside so I did not get all of it done. Jeremy and Sam went last night to get some new mulch and a few flowers. It is supposed to rain today but I am hoping it will be nice this afternoon so we can get some things done outside. My plan for today is to tackle the laundry. Well I know this is a short post but Emma is throwing one of her fits. Her and Sam were coloring and she broke four crayons. So I told her she had to use the ones she broke. Well she refused to color anymore and threw all the crayons on the floor so I removed her from the table. Now she is seriously having a fit. Here are a few more pictures from the weekend.

This was taken before we combed Sam's hair, so he looks a little wild

Monday, April 27, 2009

We had a busy weekend. Friday night Jeremy painted most of the house while I kept the kids occupied. The kids slept on the floor in our room but Chloe did not sleep so great. She was wide awake most of the night or rolling all over the floor. I got up several times to put her back on the bed I had made for her on the floor. She then woke up at 6:00 Saturday morning and woke the other two up as well. I did get a little break from the kids Saturday morning. Jeremy's mom came and got the kids and they went to Nashville to watch Papa run in the County Music Marathon. They were gone for a few hours and so I was able to put their rooms back together and Jeremy was able to finish painting. After they got back home we went up to the local grocery store for a few items. The kids were putting on some side of show. They really turned on the charm and every time I looked up there were several people coming toward our basket to talk to the kids and tell them how cute they are and of course they turned up the charm. So my short trip to the store took a lot longer than I had planned. We came home and the kids took a nap and then we left for a youth group activity. We had a Teen Invasion at Frank and Jennifer's house. We went there and ate super and the kids played for a while. Sam loved jumping on the trampoline. I forgot my camera so no cute pictures of him jumping. Yesterday we had church and it was a great service. Yesterday was our mission service and Neil Gilliland spoke and it was wonderful. The service really spoke to my heart and helped me sort through some things that I have been dealing with in my own life. After church we came home and ate lunch and then I took a 2 and half hour nap. I was afraid I would not sleep last night but I did not have any trouble getting to sleep. Well that is a recap of our weekend. This morning I made a run to the bank and Wal-Mart. The girls are taking their nap and I am getting everything put back in place from the weekend. 

Friday, April 24, 2009

I have spent the last two days cleaning and organizing and I still feel like I have not made a dent in getting this house in order. The kids have not played so great this week so that has not helped in my effort to get things done. Sam and Emma ganged up on Chloe yesterday and today Sam and Chloe are leaving Emma out when they are playing. I have also come to terms with the fact that I will NEVER catch up on my laundry. Other then the mad frenzy of cleaning we have not done much around here. It is really warm out today and we are going outside after the kids finish lunch. We are painting tonight so that should be fun (insert sarcasm). We are going to have the kids camp out in the living room or our room and get their rooms painted. We will tackle the kitchen and hallway tomorrow. Well I know the pictures of Sam and Emma look a little strange but there is story behind what they are doing. A few hours ago I killed one of those bugs that look like a mosquito but they are called something else. They are over taking our front yard so they get in the house. Well the bug was on the ceiling and so it fell on the carpet and it was there for a while because I had not vacuumed yet. There was another one of those bugs on the outside of the window and I heard Sam talking to the bug. He said "I am sorry bug but my mommy killed your buddy." He was very concerned about the bugs feelings. He then got his little stool and placed it over the dead bug so nobody else could hurt it. So Sam and Emma spent about an hour just looking at the dead bug under the stool. I eventually had to vacuum so Sam said good-bye to the bug and moved on to something else. Later Chloe came in the kitchen with her little paper and sat down and acted like she was really reading. Well I better go I need to get these kids outside for a while. 

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Well my streak of getting a decent nights sleep was over last night. Chloe was crying at about 1:00 so I went in to check on her. She had a dirty diaper so I changed her but she did not want to go back to bed. She cried for a while but finally went back to sleep. I had to stay in the room with her until she went back to sleep because I was afraid her crying would wake the other two up. I got back to bed and then Emma woke up about 3:00 wanting a drink. So, I am kinda tired this morning. I am still working on getting the house cleaned up and getting the laundry caught up. I have most of it washed but I still have a lot to put away. Well not much going on here today. I am picking up my friend's girls from school at about 3:00 and then take them home. I will probably make a Sonic run while we are out and then we will go to church tonight. Well here are a few pictures from the weekend. We went to a park Saturday to play and feed the ducks. The kids had fun feeding the ducks but I was a little bit of a nervous wreck. My fearless girls wanted to get as close to the ducks (who where kinda mean) and to the water. I could see both of them jumping right in the water. Before I go I guess I should clarify why Jeremy might be mad about the video I posted yesterday. He does not like Sam singing songs from "Mamma Mia" because it is for girls. I think it is cute and it makes me laugh.

Samuel the Singing cowboy

OK so Jeremy is probably going to get mad at me for posting this video of Sam but it is so funny. Samuel came in the living room this afternoon looking like a real cowboy. He had is cowboy hat, his guitar, and his dog. He wanted to sing a song. Well as you can hear my phone started ringing. It was my sister and my ring tone for her is "Dancing Queen" from Mamma Mia. It was so funny that Sam started singing it. The boy cracks me up. 

PICT2782

Tuesday, April 21,2009

We had a pretty good afternoon yesterday. I am almost caught up on my laundry. Today my plan is to finish going through the closets and get rid of a bunch of stuff. I went through some of the girls clothes yesterday and I probably kept a lot more than I should. They have all of these little dresses that I just cannot get rid of yet. I am also trying to hold on to some stuff to pass along to any other nieces I have but who knows when that will happen. I did have two bags full of clothes that I am giving away. I also need to tackle their toys but I seem to have a hard time getting rid of toys too. Well the kids slept good again last night. The girls have been up since 7:00 but Sam is actually still sleeping. We are not planning on going anywhere today except for our walk. My friend is coming after lunch to walk. We missed several days last week so yesterday when we walked it was harder then it should have been. Well I better go. I am trying to get all the closet stuff done because we are planning on painting at the end of the week. We will probably have to paint when the kids are asleep or we may have to send them to someones house. Well have a great day. 

The other day I was shampooing the carpet in my living room so I put the gate up so the kids had to stay in their rooms. I might be using that gate more often. They were so cute standing up against it. 

Monday, April 20, 2009

Well considering all that went on this weekend it was pretty good. We left early Friday morning and went to Cookeville, TN for Grandpa's funeral. Since the visitation and funeral were the same day it made a very long day for the kids. They hung out in the nursery most of the day playing with all their cousins. The funeral service was nice and paid great tribute to the amazing life Grandpa had lived. There was one little thing that happen during the funeral and I felt so bad. The grandsons were the pallbearers so my two sister-in-laws and myself were not going to be sitting with our husbands. The family was going to be walking in together, but there were five kids (my three and Josh's two) and Alison and I knew we could not handle our kid by ourselves. So between myself, Alison, Lynsey (Jacob's wife), Janna, and Jeremy's mom we all took a kid. I had Chloe and Lynsey had Emma. The service was moving along and I noticed that Emma's diaper was all crooked so we tried to fix and we thought we had. Emma was sitting nice and quiet on Lynsey's lap when all of a sudden Lynsey turned to me and said "Emma is peeing on me". And sure enough she was using the bathroom and it was running down the side of Lynsey's skirt onto the the pew and behind Lynsey. I grabbed all the bibs I had in the bag and we soaked up what we could. I felt horrible but thankfully the skirt she had on did not show that she was wet. She went after the service and got some different clothes. After the service and the burial we went back to the church and had a meal. After the meal Jeremy and I went to Georgia for the weekend. We had made the plans to go a few weeks ago. We decided that we were going to go ahead and go even though our plans had changed a little. We were visiting were we are having our mission trip this summer. The kids had a great time and met some new friends. We got back home about 8:00 last night. The kids were so worn out that they slept all night. Sam got up once to go to the bathroom but he went right back to sleep. We got up about 7:30 and then went to Wal-Mart and we had to pick up Maggie from the vet. We ended up boarding her this weekend. Well I have a million things to do around here so I better go. Here are a few pictures from the weekend with cousins Austin and Andrew.

Thursday, April 16,2009

Well it looks like I had a lot more pictures from Easter weekend than I thought. So I just posted the ones I had left in this post. We are leaving in the morning and I probably will not be posting until Monday. We all slept pretty good last night. In fact I slept until about 5:30 when Sam woke up (who was in my bed) screaming that he was wet. I know he was upset but I was so mad. I had just washed all the bedding, including the mattress pad, yesterday. The mattress pad and comforter takes forever to wash and dry, but I am doing it again today. We got back a few minutes ago from Wal-Mart. My house is pretty much clean so I wanted to get out for a few hours so maybe my house will stay that way for a while. We got back and the girls went down for their nap. Jeremy should be home about 4 and then we are going to his parents house for supper. The church is bringing a meal and Jeremy's brother Josh and his family are coming in from NC. So, we have a busy next few days. I also have a prayer request that I cannot share the details but I would ask you to pray for me about something that has been heavy on my heart for a few weeks now. I am kinda struggling about something and I just want to do what God wants me to do. Well I hope everyone has a great weekend. Please also pray for our family tomorrow as we have the funeral for Grandpa. I know it will be sad but I also have a feeling we are going to get a little taste of what Heaven will be like. 

Chloe riding the carousel at Rivergate Mall. It was kinda hard to take her 

picture because I was also holding her, but it turned out so cute. 

Sam is all about being a cowboy these days so my mom bought him a cowboy hat.

Of course Emma had to have a cowboy hat too. 

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Jeremy left about 8:00 this morning but he has already had to turn around and come back home. He has the van keys and I need the van. He said they got a late start so hopefully this is not going to set them back too much on getting to Missouri. Well it is another chilly day here so we will be staying inside today. The kids are a little wild this morning but they have actually done pretty good at getting back on track with our normal routine. I was up at least once last night with all three kids so I am kinda tired. Sam was up once to go the bathroom and then he wanted to sleep on the couch. Chloe had rolled all the way to the end of the bed and was hanging off crying. Emma could not find her drink and she was cold. So, from about 1:30-3:30 I was up and down with the kids. Well that is about it for today. Here are a few more pictures from Easter. Please continue to pray for our family. Randy (my father-in-law) is having a rough time. Sam has been asking a few questions about why we are crying or he will ask about Grandpa when we are looking at pictures of him but he is a little confused. Last night at supper Jeremy told Sam that we needed to pray for Papa because he was sad. Sam asked why he was said and Jeremy told him that his daddy died. It was so sad because I think Sam truly understood how sad that sounded. He started to tear up and he said, "Papa lost his daddy. That is so sad." He then prayed for Papa and it was so sweet. Of course Jeremy and I wear crying. I am a little nervous about the kids at the funeral Friday so if you could also say a little prayer for that too. 

Quick update on funeral arrangements

There will be a service tomorrow night in Missouri for Grandpa. Jeremy, Jacob and Janna are leaving in the morning to go to Missouri. The kids and I will not be going. They will come back Thursday and then there will be visitation from 11-2 on Friday followed by the funeral and burial in Cookeville, TN. We will all be leaving Friday morning to go to Cookeville. Please pray for all of those who will be traveling over the few days. 

Tuesday, April 14,2009

Last night Grandpa Riggs went Home to be with the Savior. He was surrounded by his loved ones has they sang his favorite songs. He was an amazing man that left an amazing legacy behind him. I am very blessed to be part of his family. I have many sweet memories of Grandpa but I would like to share one of my favorite. Samuel had been home about a week and Grandpa and all of his brothers and sisters were having a get together in Crossville,TN. Jeremy had something going on so Jeremy's mom and I went to Crossville to show off our new addition. When we pulled up to the park where they were having the party Grandpa and Bea came over to us and Grandpa wanted Sam. He hugged our little Samuel and wept tears of joy. Grandpa kept saying to Sam "Oh son, how we have prayed for you. Thank you Jesus he is finally home." It really was one of the sweetest things I have ever witnessed. Thankfully I got this picture to always remember this precious memory. 

I am not sure of the funeral arrangements. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. 

Monday, April 13, 2009

We had a really great weekend. I am really tired today from all the activity from the last few days. I told my mom that I was not used to being out of the house three days in a row! Well Saturday we went shopping again. We went to the mall and Target and a run to Wal-Mart. We got home about 2:00 and I put the girls down for a nap. We left again at 4:00 and met my brother and his family for supper. Samuel fell asleep on the way to the restaurant and slept the entire time we were there. My sister-in-law held him the whole time and he did not move an inch. Yesterday we went to church and then the kids had an egg hunt at church. I got a couple of pictures of the kids yesterday morning and you can see that Emma was throwing on of her fits. I usually do not take her picture when she is acting like that but I decided that most people do not believe me when I say she regularly has a fit. Yesterday morning she was fine and I asked if I could take their pictures and this set her off. She cried and whined until we got to church and just as quickly as the fit comes on it goes away and she is happy as can be. After church we came back home and my brother and his family came over for lunch. We had another egg hunt in our front yard and then the kids blew bubbles and played. Well the kids are completely off of their schedule so it should be an interesting few days. Well there is no word about Grandpa Riggs this morning so I am guessing he made it through the night. Yesterday his breathing was very shallow and his blood pressure was extremely low. So please continue to pray. Well my mom is about to leave to go back home and I have a mound of laundry that I need to tackle. Have a great Monday.

It is hard to believe that this is the same girl from the first picture!

Fires, Storms, and Easter eggs

Saturday, April 11, 2009

We have had a wild few days. My mom arrived Thursday afternoon and of course the kids were so happy to see her. We colored eggs, which I had never done with my kids. I am not sure why I never did that with Sam but I decided to do it this year since my mom is here. We only colored a few eggs. Sam and Emma had a lot of fun. Thursday evening I get a call from my sister and she is very upset. The wildfires that were spreading across Oklahoma were about 3 miles from her house. They were all safe at a friend's house but their house was in danger of being destroyed. They were able to get a few things out but not much because the police were making them get out of the house. I was up most of the night praying and talking to my sister. Thankfully the winds changed and the fire was able to be put out and no damage was done to their house. Unfortunately many houses in their community were destroyed by the fire. My sister is my best friend and I miss her so much. I just wanted to give her a hug! Well yesterday my mom and I headed out for a shopping trip and to get the kids pictures made. About 30 minutes after we left the house a massive tornado producing storm passed right over our house. Jeremy was taking cover in the closet. There was not a tornado that touched down near us by in the city of Murfreesboro, TN a tornado touched down and did some major damage. Jeremy and some of the teens from the youth group let early this morning to help clean up the tornado damage. 

OK back to yesterday. The kids appointment was at noon. Well at 1:00 they still did not have their picture made. They were so slow and the kids were about to go crazy. Emma was so over getting her picture made at about 12:30. Sam and Chloe did great in the pictures but Emma was not going to smile. She still looks beautiful but we only got a few of her smiling. After pictures we finally got the kids lunch at about 2:00. We met my sister-in-law and nephew at the mall and shopped for a few hours. We left the mall at about 4:30, came home and then Jeremy and I headed out to a Good Friday service at our church. My mom stayed home with the kids. Well I have a ton of pictures already but I thought I would just post the ones of the kids coloring the eggs. One more thing before I am done. Grandpa is not doing good at all. Jeremy's parents left this morning to go to Missouri. His passing will be very soon. They said yesterday morning Grandpa was disappointed that he woke up on this side of Glory. Continue to pray for him and  our family. When he does die they will be having two funerals, one in Missouri and one in Cookeville, TN. This is going to difficult for our family.