TEAM BLEVINS 4.0

Incredible Week

2012-02-18T17:56:00.000-06:00

Ah, home sweet home. Let me back up though... I love traveling! I am not sure what it is about packing up a suitcase, and staying in a hotel, but I LOVE IT! I adore exploring new cities, eating new food, sight-seeing, browsing around, etc... It's a thrill and a great way to make memories. This year, our Chick-fil-A seminar was held in Orlando, Florida. We have had seminar there several times before, and I had been a few times as a child, but it was different this year. We stayed in this hotel:

It was beautiful! Situated on a golf course and having 5 pools qualified it as a resort in my book. And the best part was that our room overlooked all of it.

Anyways, this year's seminar was focused on developing High Performance Leadership Teams (HPLT's). As always, I could apply this to my job as a mom. Instead of micro-managing the kids in their chores, or just doing them myself because I know I will do it right, I need to trust them more and give them more responsibility. Allow them to make mistakes and then teach them the right way. Of course, this was EXTREMELY interesting from the business stand point but that was something that I thought was great to apply to my life.
As for entertainment, we had a concert by Martina McBride, Melinda Doolittle (former American Idol contestant), the winners from seasons of America's Got Talent, and some other reality show (can't remember the group names), and the little pianist/genius Ethan. We also had lots of other fun entertainment and ran into the former wrestler, Sting, while there. Outside of that, we spent one afternoon at Universal Studios - Harry Potter ride was AMAZING!!! All in all, a great seminar. Just tiring because we were up everyday at 6 and not in bed until close to midnight each night.
On Wednesday afternoon, seminar ended but we extended our trip as always to hang out with our friends who own CFA's in Brentwood, Franklin, Hermitage, and Cookeville. There are 5 couples and to say we have fun is the understatement of the year. So, on Wednesday evening, we went to Downtown Disney to shop around a little, had dinner, and then called it an early evening. Thursday was started out with a Segway Tour through the Wilderness Resort. That was great, but not as good as the one we all did last year in San Antonio. Our segways this year didn't go as fast and our tour guides were safety patrol freaks. The only mis-haps that we had was that Kim ran into a tree and Christina couldn't get hers to stop and just kept riding off while saying "oh no oh no oh no!!" It was funny, but no where near as funny as Randy running into a homeless man in a wheelchair last year and getting fussed at by him. THAT was priceless. Anyways, after the tour, we had lunch, shopped and then went to Cirque de Soleil.

Our view from dinner on Thursday night

Segways!!!

Top Pic: Kim, Kelly, Christina, Ben, David, Barry, Randy, Joy, Kelley and John

Bottom Left Pic: Ben and Christina (CFA in Cookeville)

Bottom Right Pic: me and David on the left side

Ben with Sting

Me and David ready to ride!

Random Week In Review

2012-02-11T22:11:00.001-06:00

This is a post of pure randomness because this week has been CRAZY! So, here we go.

1. I got a call from Chloe's allergist (after waiting for over 2 weeks for him to get back to me) stating that he had received her records and wanted to go over them with me. Apparently, I was told wrong at Vanderbilt two years ago. She has several indoor allergies and no outdoor allergies which explains why seasons don't really matter for her asthma flare-ups - they are completely random. He also said that her previous x-rays were read by the radiologists as consistent with asthma and possibly a walking pneumonia. So I guess his impression 2 weeks ago of Chloe not having asthma or allergies was WRONG. Not that I want her to have them, but there is such a thing as mom intuition. Mine has never steered me wrong. She is scheduled for allergy testing in 8 days which will be the blood test that will test for 150 or so allergies.
She is off of her Singulair and Flonase now that she has been off of dairy for 2 weeks. Oh, and speaking of Singulair, here is some interesting information about that little allergy pill that I came across last week. Check out this site: drug recalls. It speaks about the link between neuropsychiatric behaviors and the drug (including suicide) and what really freaked me out was the link between Singulair and Churg-Strauss Syndrome. I will be asking the allergist to test for this in Chloe too as she fits into the first 2 phases of the disease. I know it is very rare, but while they are drawing blood, they may as well rule this out.

"just say no"

2. I have switched my lifestyle to one of Paleo eating now. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this, it is a lifestyle change where you cut out all sugars, legumes, grains of all types, processed food, vegetable and partially hydrogenated oils, and dairy. So you may wonder, what am I eating? Healthy foods! The type that they ate in the paleolithic period. Chicken, fish, small amounts of red meat, veggies and some fruits and raw nuts. It's been exactly a week now and I feel amazing...other than the random ridiculous cravings I get. They haven't been horrible, but there have been times I have had to scream "no!" to myself. You eat only when you are hungry instead of the typical 3 meals/2snacks per day. Today, I have only had about 10 bites of a salad, some grapes, and some homemade chicken salad and I am FULL!!! There are differing opinions about Paleo eating but it just makes sense to me. I have read The Primal Blueprint and am currently reading Wheat Belly. These books are enlightening to say the least. Check them out. Several people have asked the difference in this and low-carb diets. The difference is that on Atkins or South Beach you can eat those meal replacement bars or have sugar-free candy etc... Paleo is none of that.

3. The kids left today for gramom's house in Georgia. We won't see them for 7 days and I am S.A.D!! I miss them terribly already and it hasn't even been 1 day yet. David took them down today and I was here alone. The house was incredibly quiet...almost too much so. I did talk to both kids on the phone though tonight and they sounded happy. That was a relief considering that this morning Brody was crying big crocodile tears saying "stay with mommy. mommy come with me." I admit that I cried a little too. Something about saying goodbye to my kids gets me every time.

4. Chloe was promoted again in gymnastics! More on that later in a separate post. She practices now two days each week 2 hours each time...and she is loving it (even the lap running she has to do)

5. I had MOPS this past Friday which was great. The speaker this month was actually our mentor moms and their husbands. It was a panel type thing where questions were asked and each couple took turns answering. One question I about laughed myself silly at was, "Thinking back to when your children were young, how did you keep your romance alive and what advice to you have for us?" One of the MEN on the panel piped up and said, "Don't rule out the 2 AM time-frame for romance!" I seriously about fell out of my seat at these prim and proper guys in khakis and button ups answering so quickly. It was great!

6. Friday night I went to a women's conference titled Momentum at Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville. It was really good. The speaker was Lisa Harper and she spoke on the compassion of Jesus siting passages from the gospels of Mark and Luke. I went down with 2 other gals and then we met our pastor's wife down there and another girl. We had a blast but would it be wrong to say that the fellowship time with these other ladies may have been my favorite part. Dinner was a blast at Mimi's Cafe and the conversation was hysterical thanks to Kristin.

What I Have Learned (no smart comments please. ha!)

2012-02-05T00:22:00.000-06:00

So, after a highly disappointing appointment with Chloe's allergist (you can read about it here) and poring through the book my SIL recommended to me, (here is that post), I have made some dietary changes in our household and have some things to share with you. You have to understand that after leaving that appointment, and STILL not hearing anything back from the allergist after almost 2 weeks, and watching Chloe begin her coughing again, etc...that I am at my wits end. I have made her an appointment with Dr. Haase who is a wellness/preventative medicine doc in our town. He is one of my doctors also and is brilliant. He treats the patient, not the symptoms...in other words, he doesn't put a bandaid over the problem but gets to the root of it and solves it for good. He is going to test her for allergies doing a blood draw which will actually test for over 150 food and environmental allergies. That appointment is in a few weeks.

Anyways, back to the original reason for this post. What I have learned by reading the above mentioned book, "What's Eating Your Child?" Here we go in list form...
1. Picky eating can make kids tired and irritable, but it can also be a sign of underlying medical issues such as reflux and reflux can be caused by the milk protein called casein.
2. Picky eating is not a passing phase to be ignored, and nor should one accept such conditions as colic and reflux given for children and babies (Chloe was diagnosed with colic and reflux as an infant as was Brody)
3. A kid frequently sick with colds, ear infections, stomach viruses, throat infections, and/or pneumonia means that their immune system is under attack. (Chloe and Brody both had/have ear tubes for frequent infections that were difficult to treat and still have them on occasion, Chloe has had multiple pneumonias and a few sinus infections, and Brody has had multiple sinus infections).
4. Eighty percent of the protein in milk is casein, a complicated protein that is difficult for many people to digest. Cow's milk is designed for a regurgitant animal with 4 stomach chambers. When humans consume it, the response in people who can't tolerate it is irritation which the body tries to soothe by producing mucus.
5. Children with a zinc deficiency can become almost repelled by the tastes or smells of many foods. They may even get anxious about even thinking about trying new foods (this is Chloe to a tee. She oftentimes will say that she is scared to try a new food and will gag the second it even touches her tongue)
6. If you had trouble finding a formula that suited your child your child may have reflux which can be cause by a reaction to the milk protein, casein. (Chloe was on soy formula and Brody was on non-milk/non-soy/hypoallergenic formula and still had to take Zantac)
7. Also, if your child has asthma, frequent illnesses, bad breath, burps often, or has little interest in eating they may have reflux and the recommendation is to stop milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and pudding.
8. Ninety percent of kids with recurring ear infections or ear fluid had positive markers for food allergies and when those foods were removed, the infections/fluid went away. (EVERY time Chloe was taken in for a sick or well visit the doctor always commented that she had fluid behind he ears)
9. Children often crave the foods that they are intolerant or allergic to. (Chloe ALWAYS prefers milk to drink and she would eat cheese all day long if I would allow her to)

And that my friends and family is why my kids have had no milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt or pudding in the past week. Has it been hard? Only at times...Chloe has asked for a grilled cheese on occasion as that was a favorite of hers but she understands that this is something that we have to do for at least a month or until allergy testing comes back telling us otherwise. She's doing fine though and even asked me to tell her grandmom that she can't have dairy when she stays with her in a few weeks. I assured her that I had already emailed her and that grandmom said she wouldn't give her dairy. I am supplementing with the recommended amount of calcium and will start zinc supplements soon I think.
So that is what I have learned and this is where we are at. Pray we get answers soon as I just found out that one of her allergy medicines has been linked to childhood suicides and depression so I am going to take her off of it.

Girls' Night Out

2012-02-04T10:36:00.000-06:00

We had a long overdue girls' night out last night. I let Chloe choose what she wanted to do so this is how the night went down.
1. She got dressed in a super cute dress and sweater (she wanted us both to wear dresses but I had to draw the line on that one)

2. She asked to go to the new PUBLIX again (this would be the third time in the three days it's been open) This time for a cupcake, coloring books and crayons to use on our date night.

3. We headed to Lasater's Coffee Shop, got some "pretend" coffee (aka apple juice for her and pomegranate green tea for me).

4. We colored, ate the cupcake, played tic tac toe, rock/paper/scissors, and thumb wrestling, and just talked for a little over 2 hours. SO MUCH FUN!!! One questioned I asked her was what was the most important thing in her life right now. She surprised me by saying "loving Jesus. Duh mom!" Made me smile.

Ringling Brothers Circus

2012-02-04T10:08:00.000-06:00

Ladies and Gentlemen. Boys and Girls. Children of all ages.... Welcome to Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. The Greatest Show On Earth.
Yes, that intro truly was necessary. It brings such feelings of nostalgia. And...we just heard those words on Saturday afternoon when we took our kids to the circus. It was their first time going and they were... well... (more on that later). Earlier that week, David and I decided that it would be fun to grab tickets and make it a family evening with the show and then dinner in Nashville. And to make it even more fun, we kept it a total surprise until about an hour before we headed down to Nashville.
Now, for how we told them about the surprise... They were sitting on the couch and getting ready to watch a cartoon. I grabbed the camera and hit the record button and began asking if they wanted to know a secret. I was so thrilled in the video that I could hardly contain myself. I mean I built it up HUGE expecting a HUGE reaction. The kids were beside themselves with excitement and when David and I told them we were taking them to the circus, Brody grinned and Chloe did NOTHING!!! I mean to tell you that we could hear crickets chirping, pins dropping, etc... I immediately hit the stop button and quit recording that epic failure and asked if they were not excited. They said yes and then kind of just carried on like a normal day.
I was upset thinking they were ungrateful and too spoiled and that's why they were acting nonchalant. I may or may not have been ready to say "screw it, we are staying home." However, I got over myself and put back on the happy face and carried on with the plans. THANK GOODNESS!!! We all loved it so much! The kids were just in awe the entire time (except when Brody fell asleep - in his defense though he has been sick with a sinus infection for 6 weeks and is on his third antibiotic for it). We fell into the circus trap of buying souvenirs, slushies in those crazy expensive cups, and junk food. However, for their first trip to the circus, we wanted to go all out.
And then, after leaving, having dinner, and getting home, Chloe and I began our nightly ritual of bedtime. I read her a book, a Bible story and her devotional. We prayed and then we began talking. Brace yourselves...here comes the "mommy now feels like sh*t moment." Chloe says, "mommy, do you know why I didn't act excited when you and daddy said we were going to the circus?" I told her no, that I didn't know. She replied, "mommy, I never been to a circus before so I didn't even know what you were talking about. But it really IS the greatest show on earth." And then I felt about as big as an ant. Oh well, lesson learned and a piece of humble pie was eaten.

This is how David tolerated the circus and the men in tights. HAHA!

My favorite part!

Sick little boy getting in a power nap

Chloe's favorite part

Exactly why I think tiger trainers are CRAZY!!! Look at that tiger growling at him.

Brody's favorite part

I Think I May Cry

2012-01-30T19:26:00.000-06:00

I may or may not be sitting here trying to hold back tears and stifle the sniffs so that David doesn't roll his eyes and say "Kelly, it's still 7 months away." Sentimental...and scared to death to send my first born out into the world of Kindergarten. Here's how I already feel so I know come August it will be really really hard:

January Almost Over...ALREADY?!?

2012-01-27T17:31:00.000-06:00

Where has this month gone? I cannot believe that it is almost February which means it is almost time for David's birthday, our trip to Orlando (sans kids for our CFA Seminar), a celebratory "3 year survivor dinner", and the extra day in our year this wonderful Leap Year. It also means I only have 5 months to complete the first draft of my book and decide which direction of publishing I am going to go with.
Anways, a few nights ago we had a SCARY night of horrible weather, tornado warnings, sirens going off and telling us to get to our "safe place", and crazy amounts of rain and lightening. It was creepy to have this happen in January, but even creepier is that it happened on the 13th anniversary of the tornado that demolished our downtown. People were certainly on edge around here. As for the Blevins, we tuned in to the local weather station, gathered up flashlights, set our weather radio to the right channel, and got on facebook...you know, just in case everything ELSE failed, someone would certainly give the play by play on facebook. I guess it is good for something. Oh, and I bribed the kids into cleaning up the play room which is downstairs just in case the tornado came close...all their toys would be organized and "safe." I know...horrible mom but hey, it worked. And then, around midnight, the sirens sounded and this is what we did...

This was taken in the downstairs bathroom on my cell phone hence the poor quality. However, it's Chloe and Brody sleeping on their bean bags and under blankets in the bathtub. Safest place to be, right?!? And I had cushions and pillows on the floor to rest on and throw on top of them in the case of a tornado ripping through our house. EEEK!

Anyways, we survived, all of our friends were fine and the next day the only thing any of us suffered from was lack of sleep. Thank you Lord for your protection. Oh, and Brody did tell me that God could make the storm go away if we prayed and asked. LOVE that boy of mine!

Per Recommendation...

2012-01-25T15:36:00.000-06:00

I have just downloaded a book to my beloved Kindle Fire (yes, I love it enough to call it beloved and I may even give it a name). Anyways, given yesterday's post, I decided to do some of my own research and have decided to start here:

My SIL recommended this book upon reading it herself and says that it is really a great read. I am excited to start reading it, taking notes, writing down questions, and uncovering answers. I will report back with any new info that I gather from this and will certainly let you in on any changes that we make with Chloe's diet and the effects they have.

Stay tuned...

Frustrated Beyond Belief

2012-01-24T21:19:00.000-06:00

So today was a big day for us. We FINALLY got Chloe into a pediatric allergist after waiting 2 months (well, actually almost 5 years if I get technical). I went expecting some testing to be done and my questions to be answered, and a plan of action for my sweet Chloe. Instead, this is what I got:
1. I'm not convinced it's allergies
2. It may be that her immune system is just not responding properly and she will need further testing (ie blood draws and possible appointments with immunology)
3. I'm not convinced it's asthma
4. Sign some forms and we will get copies of all of her past chest x-rays and previous allergy testing and then we will see her back.

Can we say OH MY GOODNESS?!?!?! WTH?!?!?!? I left more frustrated and angry than you can imagine. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely want nothing more than for my child to have NOTHING wrong with her respiratory system, but this makes NO sense to me.
Here is her history:
1. hospitalized with bronchiolitis at 4 months old. On oxygen.
2. hospitalized with pneumonia at 3 years old. On oxygen for 5 days.
3. In between those hospitalizations, has had 3-4 sinus infections, and has been diagnosed with pneumonia at least 6-7 times.
4. Has required oral steroids at least 6-8 times in her life (waaaay too many)
5. Has been on daily maintenance asthma medication for over 2 years and STILL has asthma exacerbations.
6. Has been on allergy medication since she was 6 months old
7. Currently is on 3 daily meds for her allergies and asthma and also has a rescue inhaler for when she starts wheezing despite her meds
8. The inside of her nose is gray instead of the beefy red it's supposed to be and she has dark circles under her eyes and always has which are CLASSIC signs of allergies

There HAS to be a reason that my child has all of the respiratory issues. There has to be an answer. But for now I have to do more waiting. I HATE waiting. I know that there are lessons in the waiting periods of life, but when it comes to my baby's health, waiting is so not cool. I want to know what is going on and I wanted to know at our 2:00 appointment today. Instead, I'm left feeling like this:
1. Have I been medicating my child her whole life for no real reason?!?
2. Why are the meds seemingly making her better in between flare-ups or are they not really working hence the frequent flare-ups of respiratory illnesses?
3. What are we going to do if it's not allergies or asthma? Let her suffer with this the rest of her life? It's absolutely horrible to watch your child working hard to breath, using all of the stomach muscles and sucking in at the ribs just to get a breath. It's hard watching them cough so hard that they vomit on occasion. It sucks! I would trade places with her in an instant if I could. She deserves better.
4. What in the heck could possibly be wrong with her immune system if her issue is indeed not allergies or asthma? Today the doctor was talking about it and in my head I immediately went back to my days as a Peds nurse taking care of the little ones with cancer. HORRIBLE thought, I know! But when you hear immune system not working right, and there has been so much "cancer" in our lives, I think it's normal to "go there".

Please just pray for my girl. And while you are at it, pray for Brody too as he is starting this path with what they are assuming is allergies and reactive airway disease...

can you see those dark circles?!? They are always there...

Book Ratings - Kelly Style

2012-01-21T22:41:00.000-06:00

So, I LOVE to read. I read anything and everything (almost) that I can get my hands on. Bookstores are like a second home to me, although my Kindle has drastically decreased the amount of time I actually spend at the bookstore now. (Side note: i am absolutely in LOVE with my Kindle Fire). I get several magazine subscriptions which are great for when I take those hot baths a few times per week. I also get new books for Chloe and Brody often and they also love reading/being read to. You get the point...reading is an essential part of my life. So, you may ask, what do I have on my Kindle right now? I'd be glad to share it with you and also let you in on my personal book rating system. It's nothing professional, but certainly worth looking at :) Enjoy...

Have Read and Rated:

1. Beautiful Outlaw - John Eldridge - 4 Stars

2. Grace for the Good Girl - Emily Freeman - 5 Stars

3. Not A Fan - Kyle Idleman - 5 Stars

4. The Shack - WM. Paul Young - 5 Stars (have read this one twice)

5. One For the Money (the first 2 in the series) - Janet Evanovich - 3 stars

6. Decision Points - George W Bush - 4 Stars

7. The Help - Kathryn Stockett - 4 Stars

8. Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins - 5 Stars (will read again before movie in March)

9. Imperfect Justice - Casey Anthony Trial - Jeff Ashton - 3 Stars

10. Sun Stand Still - Steven Furtick - 5 Stars

Reading Now or Getting Ready To Read (trying to get more fiction in this year)

1. Three To Get Deadly - Janet Evanovich (would love to get through whole series)

2. The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women - Dawn Dais

3. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer

4. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

5. Jesus + Nothing = Everything - Tullian Tchividjian

6. Through My Eyes - Tim Tebow

7. Feminine Appeal - Carolyn Mahaney

My Goal is to Read 25 books this year alone so I have quite a ways to go in expanding my list of currently reading or going to read. If you have any suggestions, leave a comment and feel free to rate your recommendation based on my system :)

Tagged...I'm It!

2012-01-15T00:16:00.000-06:00

I've been tagged! I admit, I kinda like tags because you get to share some fun things about yourself that others wouldn't ever know, AND you get to learn tons of new things about other people. So, at the end of this post, if I tag you, play along and let me learn some new things about you! Here we go...

{The Rules}

1. You must post the rules.

2. Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.

4. Tag eleven people and link them on your post

5. Let them know you've tagged them!

{11 facts about Kelly}
1. I am left-handed...none of my siblings are, neither of my parents are, and neither of my children are. I'm the lone "south-paw."

left handed scissors...

2. I am counting down the days until The Hunger Games comes to the theater. I read the whole trilogy in a span of about two weeks which says a lot since I have two pre-school age children at home with me all day every day. No worries, I still found time to feed and bathe them :)

3. I LOVE talk radio and could not tell you one current song on the radio now because of that.

4. I take piano lessons every Tuesday. I took lessons and played for 8 years in my childhood and decided to get back into it last year. Lots of things have changed in the past 18 years but I am learning SO much more.

5. I moved to Ohio in 2003 on a traveling nurse assignment and met my husband at church during the first week I lived there. We got engaged 6 months after our first date and got married a year after the engagement. We've been married 7.5 years to date!

6. My son Brody who is 3 years old comes into our bed every night around 2:00 AM and crawls in to cuddle up with me. He is "mommy's baby!" And I secretly LOVE it!

7. I hope this one isn't one that people don't know about me, but I love Jesus and make it my life's goal to be a true follower of Him, not just a fan! (read the book called Not A Fan!)

8. I sleep in my contacts at least 4 nights/week...and they are only daily wears.

9. I got a stuffed puffalump pig when I was 8 years old and slept with it every night for 25 years...until it basically disintegrated. Poor piggy!

10. I grew up in North Carolina where I lived very close to all of my family. And now the closest family I have are my in-laws who live 4 hours away in Georgia and the furthest is my brother and his family who are a VERY long flight away in Washington.

11. Next month is three years since I had my first mastectomy to remove the Stage 3 aggressive breast cancer...which means next month I am a three year survivor...which means in 2 years I will be considered CURED!

{My questions for you!}

1. Favorite Blog you follow? My favorite blog to follow is my sister-in-law's blog...Life's A Dance

2. Favorite Pandora radio station? Even though my pic up there shows Pandora, I don't actually listen to it...I'm all about 99.7 and 88.3.

3. Last thing you ate? Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding

4. Last thing you bought? gas

5. Favorite date spot? The Melting Pot

6. Pets? Do you have any? If so, what are they? We have a 7 year old cocker spaniel named Cabot.

7. Favorite book you have read? Oooh, OK, I have to break this down into categories. Fiction: Hunger Games (the whole trilogy). Nonfiction: Not A Fan.

8. Favorite kid friendly apps {if this applies} or favorite app in general? Kid-Friendly: Scribble Naughts. Mine: Words With Friends

9. Who is your favorite actor / actress? Why? Patrick Dempsey (McDreamy on Grey's Anatomy) for the sole reason that he is quite hot! Really...I can be THAT shallow. At least I am honest though, right?!?

10. Favorite baby names? boy & girl... Well, besides the obvious Chloe and Brody, my 2 next favorites, and ones to be chosen if we have more children, are Jack and Molly

11. Favorite Sunday afternoon activity? sitting in the big comfy chair and vegging out with my Kindle

OK, and now my questions for those who I am tagging are:

1. Chocolate or Vanilla?

2. What is your profession and is it what you always wanted to do?

3. Where is your dream vacation locale?

4. Favorite food/recipe...and feel free to share the recipe!

5. Favorite Scripture or quote?

6. First thing that comes to mind when you hear the word "diet."

7. Do you have a bucket list? If so, what's 1 thing on it?

8. What is your favorite color?

9. Last movie that you saw?

10. One pet peeve you have is...?

11. One thing that makes you smile is...?

And now...the list of those I am tagging. Wait for it. Wait for it...

1. Kim and Jordan

2. Amy

3. Kristi

4. Nichole

5. Emily
and...that's it for me. I am breaking the rules by only tagging 5 people and not 11 (that's a lot!) Rebellious, I know!

Now that She Is FIVE...

2012-01-14T13:11:00.000-06:00

So apparently being FIVE changes everything! Chloe no longer NEEDS me for everything, nor much of anything, because she is "so grown" in her own mind. I mean, being able to hold up a whole hand and say "5" when you are asked how old you are is a big deal, but hardly grown per say.

One thing that has changed a bit now is that when she and her BFF Hannah get together to play now, it's no longer a technical play-date. I drop Chloe off at Hannah's house for a few hours, or Aimee drops Hannah at our house. It's good though because the girls get along great and completely love to be together. They actually met 3 years ago at Parent's Day Out and have been in the same class there for 3 years now, they are in the same class at church, gymnastics, and played on the same soccer team last fall. They are 2 little peas in a pod. And Chloe tells me that they have already planned to be cheerleaders in Kindergarten for Hilldale Hoops so I guess that's what they will be doing...hmmm, wonder if Aimee has been informed of this yet :)

Anyways, over Christmas break Chloe was going through some Hannah withdrawals so we had her over to play one day. They were so good! They played everything under the sun and even let Brody join in for a little while. Then a few days later Aimee told me that Hannah was complaining about being bored and wanted to have Chloe over or come back to our house. I am really hoping that she and Hannah remain good friends and are in the same Kindergarten class in the fall. I like knowing her parents. I like that they love Jesus and are instilling Christian teaching into their children. And I feel 100% comfortable with Chloe going to her house. I really do think we are on the same page when it comes to raising our kids.

Anyways, I snapped a picture of the girls with Brody that I couldn't resist sharing.

FIRST SNOW!! 1/12/12

2012-01-13T13:29:00.000-06:00

It snowed for the first time this year...well really the first time this winter! The kids were ecstatic, I was happy and David was okay. He's thinking it may mean a lull in business, and I am just thinking that I hope we still have our MOPS meeting tomorrow. I HEART MOPS!!!
Anyways, I did get some cute pics of the kids playing on the deck after PDO today...it was the only place with even a tiny bit of accumulation.

Mothering Truths...

2012-01-12T22:29:00.000-06:00

Here are some humorous signs I have seen lately about mother-hood. Some may seem harsh but if we are all honest, we have all thought them...maybe not verbalized them, but though them nonetheless....

true...so true!

and a wife...haha!

ahhhh.....

2012 So Far...

2012-01-12T22:08:00.000-06:00

So far, so good. 2012 is going to be a great year for Team Blevins...if not naturally, then we will still choose to find the good in every single day. That is something that I am working on with our kids. Each night we talk about our 3 favorite parts of the day and then our 3 least favorite parts. I love how this opens communication even at the pre-school ages and allows them to reflect on their day. I love the saying, "Every day may not be good, but there is good in every day." I think I may adopt that as the new Team Blevins motto.
So, this year the big thing that is going to happen for our family is that Chloe will start Kindergarten. It's hard for me to type those words, much less even think about walking her in to school that first week. Wow! I don't know how all the other moms in the past have done it, but I get teary eyed just thinking about sending her off into the world...especially a world where there are lots of other kids whose parents I don't know, who may have been raised with different values, and who may just be down right mean. I can hardly bear to think about my Chloe ever having her feelings hurt by another child although I know it won't be the end of the world. I just love her so so much and want to protect her from every single hurt that may come her way. I've had 5 short (sometimes long) years with her here at home with me and I feel blessed! When she was just a few months old, I was praying and asking the Lord if I was really meant to be a stay-at-home-mom and immediately I could feel in my spirit him telling me that I have 5 years to shape and mold her into the little lady that he wants her to be and that my only job in those 5 years was to be the best mom that I could be. I hope I haven't failed him or her.
I have debated on sending her to a private Christian school, the Clarksville Academy, and homeschooling. I've prayed about what to do and I just don't think that any of those are the answer. I've talked with our pastor's wife about it and she has reminded me that Chloe is a light of Jesus. That she is going to be a light in a dark place and she may be the only light that a lot of those kids see. When I think of it like that, I love it! I love the thought of Chloe radiating Jesus in the public school system. So, in my soul, I am at peace with sending her to the new elementary school that is just down the road from our house and is being built right now. I'm hoping her two best friends, Kirk and Hannah, will be in her class, but if not, I'm praying that she makes new friends really fast.
Oh geesh, and here I go getting teary eyed thinking about her at "big girl school" not knowing anyone in her class and being scared. I have to stop those thoughts though because Chloe has never had an issue meeting new friends and going new places. As a matter of fact, she has recently told me that I cannot come have lunch with her at big school unless she invites me to. She has also told me that she can walk into her class by herself because she does it now at pre-K, and she has begged and begged to ride the darn bus to school which I have told her NO repeatedly. We finally compromised and I told her that she could ride the bus on field trips :) She was fine with that.
So, that is the big thing going on in 2012 for us... along with some traveling plans in the works for this year!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T19:47:00.000-06:00

Christmas 2011 was different for our family this year. Generally we spend it together...just the 4 of us in our little family unit enjoying each other. However, a week before Christmas David had a spinal fusion in his neck, Brody got pneumonia and an ear infection, and Chloe got a sinus infection and an asthma flare-up. Needless to say, I was thrilled when The Blevins showed up on Friday afternoon. I was finally able to get a much needed break from medication distribution and breathing treatments galore.

On Christmas Eve, we were able to share, with my in-laws, the traditions that we have established. We always go to the Christmas Eve service at church followed by a walk along the Riverfront to take in the beautiful light exhibits, and then we had our annual dinner at Wendy's by the River. We started this when Chloe was 1 so it's definitely a tradition now. This year I only got two pictures before my camera battery died. Then when we got home, we made cookies for Santa, sprinkled the Reindeer Food in the front yard, and checked the Santa Radar a few times. The first time I asked Chloe where she thought Santa was and she said, "I'm pretty sure he is in Bethlehem!" Then her second response when we checked again was, "mommy I think he is in Afghanistan now." I personally think she has heard me talking about Jesus's birth and Uncle Jordan's job. HAHA!

Pose by the lights...hats, gloves, coats all on

Then Christmas morning came with joy, laughter, and excitement as the kids woke up at 7 ready to see if Santa had stopped by our house. I LOVE this age for Santa! The wonder of it all is so much fun. So, battery fully charged and ready to go, here is how the rest of the day went down...

Barbie Dream House, baby bunk beds, LeapPad - each year the kids get 3 Santa gifts

Transformer Fire House

Awesome Construction Set with Remote Control Dump Truck

LeapPad for Brody too!

First look...

Super excited over electric toothbrush

Same for Chloe...

Playing his "kids iPad"

Opening up his game

Slushie maker from Granny

BatMan car

Looking a little overwhelmed I think

Taking his time...

Serious expression

WOW!!!!

David's 91 year old grandmother. Isn't she cute?

Marble Racer from Grammy and Op-Op (my parents)

Brody mixing up the birthday cake for Jesus. The helmet is new and it stayed on all day long!

Decorated and ready to eat

Putting on the finishing touches.

I loved having extended family here this year and we decided that having family here needs to be included into our tradition. The kids loved it as well and after all, is there any better way to spend the holidays?!? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Team Blevins!!!

More Adventures of Ernie...our Elf

2011-12-23T22:14:00.000-06:00

Ernie has been up to NO GOOD this past week...especially on this day :

He got into my canister of flour and made himself a snow angel. He and my kitchen were a MESS! Chloe and Brody, of course, thought this was hilarious and asked if Ernie was going to be in trouble. And then Chloe said something that gave me the idea for the next night's elf adventure. She said that Ernie was going to have to take a bath since he was so dirty. So...

That is what he did...took a bath in my sink!

Ernie has been such a great source of fun for us this year. The kids have loved him and we have equally loved setting everything up to surprise them each day. Poor Ernie has his last night with us tonight. He leaves each Christmas Eve night to go back to the North Pole not to return again until next December 1st. Stay tuned for his final shenanigan! It should be fun - or funny!

Christmas Pictures

2011-12-18T09:21:00.000-06:00

Just snapped a few or 20 photos of the kids this morning after they got dressed for church. Hope you all enjoy these sweet little faces...after all, I did have to bribe Brody with gum and a Bug Juice to let me take his picture.

an obvious out-take

cracking herself up

and if they aren't fighting...this is what they are doing all day - laughing hysterically

My goodness I love this boy of mine!

I Wonder If...

2011-12-18T04:52:00.000-06:00

I have been awake since 3:45 with just one thing on my mind...

I wonder if Mary was ever awakened by the sounds of Jesus' little feet pitter-pattering down the hall to her room in the middle of the night. I bet she was!
I wonder if Mary was ever slightly annoyed that Joseph and Jesus could fall asleep in 2.2 seconds yet it took her forever to unwind at night.
I wonder if Mary ever gave Jesus "eskimo kisses" and if they giggled about it in the process.
I wonder how Mary taught obedience to Jesus as a toddler - especially a 3 year old.
I wonder if Mary ever got frustrated with Jesus - surely she did?!?
I wonder if Mary ever just caught herself staring at Jesus and silently began thanking God that he chose her to be Jesus' mommy.
I wonder if Mary knew that she would only have 33 years with her precious Son what she would have done differently, kept the same, done more of or less of, etc...

These things, along with many other, cross my mind especially this time of year. We are coming upon the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I feel like I have fallen into the Christmas spirit of frenzy, decor, gifts, parties, and activities with the kids. Don't get me wrong, these are are wonderful and exciting things when kept in perspective. It's just that it has been and will continue to be a busy season for Team Blevins. I had chemo 5 days ago, David is having surgery tomorrow, I'm having another thyroid biopsy Thursday, and our family is coming for Christmas. There are groceries to be bought, meals to be prepared, a house to be cleaned, kids to keep entertained, a husband to take care of post-operatively, and the list goes on and on. Not to mention that I haven't wrapped a single present yet. Oooh, I can just feel my anxiety level creeping up as I type. I wonder if Mary's anxiety ever crept up as she just thought about what her days entailed.
It's time to stop, bring the focus of Christmas back and let it be what drives the rest of the season forward. If you find yourself like me, all caught up in the "to-do" lists that seem to grow with each passing day in December, take a moment to breathe, really thank God for the birth of His Son, and bring Christ back to the forefront of your mind this season.

I'm off to spend some time with Him now and as I do, I will not only pray for my family and the week we have ahead of us, but I will pray for each of you...that your week will be filled with things that scream Jesus and bring you back to the real "Reason for the Season."

Our Elf and ICE

2011-12-12T23:40:00.000-06:00

We made our annual trip to ICE on Sunday which again proved to be lots of fun. We headed to Nashville after church and got there just before the crowds showed up. This year's theme was from the movie Merry Madagascar and it was amazing as always. Here are some pics of the event, and then below are the pics of Ernie, our elf on there shelf, and how we have found him recently... The kids are having lots of fun with Ernie and his crazy shenanigans lately.

Everything made of ice!

Of course Brody is touching the ice when they have told everyone to NOT touch the ice. Ha!!!

Woo-Hoo...ice slides!

He loved them!!!!

Check her out...hands up...Wheeeee!!!!

just hanging around...

checking things out from the candle sconce...

playing Brody's game Pirate Pop Up

Drinking the syrup.... silly elf!

Learning a Casting Crowns song on the ukelele...

The 12 Days of Christmas...What We Really Want :)

2011-12-09T15:10:00.000-06:00

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-04T23:03:00.000-06:00

The Christmas decor is almost all up. Just a few outdoor touches left to do and it will be done. This year I decided to do things just a little different with our advent calendar. Last year, the kids took turns opening the doors each day (beginning on Dec. 1) and inside would be a slip of paper with what the activity for the day would be. Some examples are : go to the library and choose Christmas books, make Christmas brownies, give canned food to the food bank, etc... So this year we are doing the same thing, HOWEVER, in each box is also a little "surprise" that goes along with a Bible story. For example, the first day each kid had a quarter in the box which represented 25 days left until Christmas and the story was about the poor widow who gave her only 2 coins and how Jesus blessed her for giving all that she had. They will give their quarters for offering at church on Sunday. Then on day 2 they each had a grape sweet-tart and the story that went along with it was of Jesus' first miracle turning the water to wine. I changed it up just a tad to grape juice so they would get the correlation between their grape candy and the miracle. Chloe was really surprised that Jesus was invited to a wedding. HA! I think that may have amazed her more than the actual miracle. Anyways, I am excited to do this with them each day and be able to correlate it with scripture. There truly are ways to ALWAYS tie in Christ with everyday things.
Anyways, here are some pics... oh, and before I forget, Ernie Elf (our Elf on the Shelf) has arrived again and is working hard. He has come up with some pretty clever hiding places each day which have left the kids in awe. He is quite the silly elf according to Chloe.

Dining room table

Chloe at the Festival of Nativities - this was a first for us and we really enjoyed it!

1 of the numerous Nativity Scenes that were on display

I may totally be making this up, but if I remember right my parents had something that looked similar to this...only it was white. If not, I have no idea where that came from. Anyways, I loved it!

My favorite Nativity Scene ever!

Close up of it

Chloe again - by this point Brody had tried to touch every single set and was crawling under the rope so David took him back to the car while us girls stayed to check it all out...hence the no pictures of Brody there

Ernie Elf (our Elf on the Shelf) showed up on the ceiling fan on Sunday morning!!!

And of course here he is hanging with Barbie. He and Barbie go way back...he probably helped make her back in Santa's workshop before he got promoted to an Elf on the Shelf :)

In the midst of running crazy I captured this sweet boy's picture...I think he has candy in his cheek.

In the hall - I made these - and they look a lot better in person.

Kids' stockings

Team Blevins 4.0 tree 2011

this board is where we will hang Christmas cards this year

The living room in the midst of being decorated

Annual Girls' Trip

2011-11-27T13:03:00.000-06:00

This was mine and Chloe's third annual trip to Opryland Hotel in Nashville to take in the sights and sounds of Christmas. Each year we stay 1-2 nights in the hotel, go exploring all of the Christmas decor, see the Rockettes, and go to ICE. This year was only slightly different. My mom was able to be here to enjoy the time with us on our girls' trip. It was such a nice time and I loved spending it with my mom there too. The only thing we decided not to do was go to ICE. We are going to go back to the hotel with David and Brody because I know they will enjoy that exhibit as much as we will this year.

Here are some pictures of our trip...

Grammy and Chloe looking into the hotel from our balcony

say cheese!

Chloe in front of the ginormous tree

Chloe looking at the tree exhibits

Train conductor Chloe

Enjoying a Coke in the 50's themed diner

Chloe loved this USA tree...she said it reminded her of Uncle Jordan

Watched the Shrektacular show - very cute

The lights in the Cascades section of the hotel

Cascades fountains - one of Chloe's favorite parts to look at

Waiting in line at the Rockettes

Just a Little Late

2011-11-21T18:19:00.000-06:00

Chloe chose to have her 5th birthday party at Clarksville Elite Gymnastics. This is where she takes classes and honestly, it is the best place in Clarksville (in my opinion). We've tried other places, but this one is just the perfect fit for us.
So, last Saturday, Chloe along with 9 of her closest friends gathered at CE and partied with Coach Olivia. It was SO MUCH FUN! Several of the parents commented that it was the best birthday party they had been to as the kids were totally occupied the whole time and it was just an EASY party.

Here are some pictures to scroll through of my baby girl (she will always be my baby), her sweet brother, and her great friends!

Happy Birthday Chloe!

Swinging quite high

Brody taking a large leap

Chloe with her best friend Hannah

Kirk's turn to swing

Aiden and Braxton taking turns jumping and climbing

Strawberry Shortcake

Make a wish!

Zoe, Chloe and Hannah

Upside down Chloe

Letter to Chloe (with some pictures)

2011-11-15T07:59:00.000-06:00

Sweet Chloe,

Today you are 5, or as you like to say, you are a "whole hand" while you hold up all 5 fingers. I cannot believe it! Where have the past 5 years gone? It seems like just yesterday we were driving home from the hospital with you and I was thinking "oh no, what do I do now?" I was scared to death even though I had been a pediatric ICU nurse before having you. I learned that everything is different when it comes to having your own child. My heart grew bigger than I could have ever imagined and it melted every single time I looked into your eyes.

You are such a little lady now. You absolutely LOVE fashion and all things to do with it including purses, jewelry, shoes, tights, etc... Dressing up to go anywhere is one of your favorite things and you will stare into your closet until you find JUST what you want to wear. It never fails either that you come out looking super adorable, but then again, you are adorable regardless!

You also have an athletic side to you. You just ended your second soccer season and scored 19 or 20 goals in just 6 games and blocked numerous goal attempts by the other team. You dribble the ball down the field beautifully and you love playing. My favorite thing this season was that every time you scored you would look at me on the sidelines and give a thumbs up. I LOVED doing this with you! AND...you are also a little natural at gymnastics. You have been taking for just 3 months and you have already been asked to join the pre-competition team by two different instructors. I love watching you do cartwheels, jump on the balance beam, and flip over the bars. You are really improving each week and I am so proud of you.

You also LOVE to learn. About 3-4 nights each week we sit down and do "homework" out of a Kindergarten curriculum, yet you are just in Pre-K. You are just so smart, and meticulous when it comes to school work. You told me that when you finish the Kindegarten book that you want to go on and do the 1st grade book because you already knew how to. Aaah, you are studious, just like I was. I loved to school and learning and I hope that you will continue to also!!!

All of these things make me happy and proud, but do you know what makes mommy the most proud of you??? It's the fact that you LOVE Jesus and have a heart that hungers for Him. I love when you ask me questions about Jesus, God, Heaven, etc... When you asked me about being born again, I nearly exploded with joy. God is drawing you to Him and it is my prayer that you will become a follower of Christ early on and really learn to live life with full dependence on Him. He is all that you will ever need Chloe and I can promise you that He will NEVER let you down. You just place your trust in Him and everything else in your life will fall into place. He is all that matters!

Chloe, you have been a complete joy over the past 5 years and I am so grateful that God chose me to be your mommy. You have blessed my life in more ways than you will ever realize. If I could keep you this age forever, I would! Really, I would. However, since that is not an option, I will look forward to watching you grow over this next year physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Happy 5th birthday sweet girl! I love you to the moon, sun, stars, planets and back to the earth!!!

1 day old

5 years old!

November 14, 2006

2011-11-14T19:24:00.000-06:00

Guess what I was up to FIVE years ago today!!!

LABOR!!!

That's right. Five years ago today I was at Gateway Medical Center in labor with my first baby and dying to meet her! It was not only my due date, but my induction date also! However, when I went in for my induction, I was already contracting every 2-3 minutes (I had no clue) so they admitted me but didn't start any meds. After 12 hours of this and only getting to 4cm, the doctor decided to go forth with Pitocen and speed things up a bit. Chloe had other plans.

Eight hours later, I was still only 4cm, she wasn't dropping at all, but her heart rate was occasionally. That was when the decision was made to proceed with a C-Section. So, around midnight I was wheeled into the OR, scared yet excited....nervous yet peaceful, knowing I was about to meet her.

At 12:28 AM on November 15th she was here. Chloe Grace Blevins was welcomed into our world. She was 7 pounds 14 ounces and 21 inches long. When the doctor delivered her, his exact words were, "I have never seen a baby born with so much hair. WOW!" It was true, my sweet angel had the most beautiful black hair that was already covering her neck. The nurses called her a china doll. We called her our blessing. It would be 3 hours later before I would get to hold her for the first time because of some rapid breathing that she was having. She leveled out though and then barely left our sight for the next 3 days in the hospital.

Five years ago my life changed forever. Five years ago my heart grew exponentially. I cannot believe that my first born will be 5 years old tomorrow (technically in 5 hours. ha!).

Halloween 2011

2011-11-05T19:53:00.000-05:00

Halloween around here was loads of fun! It started on the Thursday before Halloween with both kids dressing up for their class parties at Parent's Day Out. Brody chose to be a fireman this year and Chloe chose to be a fairy princess. They both were ADORABLE!
Brody really enjoyed this Halloween as it's the first one he really understood - as in got all excited about dressing up, understood what to say at each house, and how exciting it was to get candy. He was totally into it. He even slept in his Halloween costume a few days before the big day, and then after being out trick-or-treating, he took his bath and put his costume back on to sleep in again. So sweet!
Chloe was a princess...what more can I really say? She was cute, sweet, and had a great time going through our neighborhood.
Oh, and the day before Halloween, we went to a fall festival at Living Hope Baptist Church right by our house. This is where Chloe goes to Awana... The church had it all set up with a concert, bouncy houses, train rides, free popcorn, cotton candy, drinks, and candy bags, and amazing people to run the whole thing. Chloe was especially excited to see some of her Awana friends there and her Awana teacher. This was a great night and we are so glad that we took the kids!

getting ready to go see our friends Ms Annie and Ms Shirley

Kids with Ms Shirley. She and her friend Ms Annie (91 yrs old) are LOYAL

customers of ours at Chick-fil-A. We have formed a wonderful relationship

with them and consider them family. They wanted to see the kids all dressed

up so I took the kids over to see each of them before we went through

our neighborhood. So much fun!!!!

Check out this loot!

And he didn't come up too shabby either!

Race for the Cure 2011

2011-11-05T19:37:00.000-05:00

Team Blevins 4.0 set out again this year to participate in our 3rd annual Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. The first year we walked, I was still getting chemo, the second year I was in the midst of reconstruction, and this year back to getting a form of chemo. Hopefully, if we do it again next year, I will be done with all treatments and healthy as ever.
I would love to sit here and say it was an awesome and spectacular day, but I would be lying. So, here's the truth of the matter. It was depressing. I cried nearly the whole day, and vowed to not put myself through that again. It was just seeing all of the "in memory of...." signs, the huge poster boards with women's faces on them who had not "won the war," the incessant questions from Chloe about heaven and Kate (which normally don't bother me), and the list could go on.
At the beginning of the walk, all of the survivors line up in accordance with how long they have been cancer-free/a survivor. There are signs indicating 1 year all the way up to 25 years. As I lined up, I looked back and just wondered if I would ever see 25 years because from my view point, I was a LONG way from there. I was at the 2 year mark...closer to me though was the 5 year sign. This is the one you pray you make it to because the five year mark is when you are deemed "cured." Even it seemed far off though.
Anyways...enough of the re-living...all of that to just say, here are the pictures from this year's Race. Enjoy.

Pre-Race

Check Them All Out

2011-10-19T06:19:00.002-05:00

Lots of new posts finally done and posted. Check them all out as there are some pretty cute pics and details of some traveling we've done.

Put This on Your TO DO List...

2011-10-19T06:18:00.000-05:00

I was going back through my blog posts and came across a tag that I participated in. Here are the answers to the phrases 3 years ago. It's amazing how life changes your perspective... below are my answers to the same phrases today.
If you read this blog, then do the same. Answer these phrases and then re-answer them yearly. Watch how things change...

I search: for my keys nearly every day...not kidding when I tell you that chemo-brain is a for real thing!
I regret: not much of anything - I am who I am today because of everything that has happened in my life
I love: when Chloe tells me I am her best friend, Brody tells me I am his favorite mom (as if he has another one), and when they ask questions about Jesus because I know they are beginning to want to know about who our Savior is and it will hopefully only grow from here
I care: because I am passionate about the things I believe in
I always: check my email
I worry: about Chloe going to Kindergarten next year because she will be in a whole new circle of influence. I would love to put her in a bubble FOREVER.
I am not: afraid. of anything. Perfect Love casts out fear. I'm living proof!
I remember: Kate - especially this time of year...
I believe: in heaven and that the way to get there is by trusting and believing in Jesus Christ as my Savior.
I sing: Praise and Worship music in my car and the Bubble Guppies theme song...A LOT
I dance: the perfect Just Dance 2 version of Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne
I don't always: take the dog out because I have human beings to take care of first.
I argue: about things that I am passionate about.
I write: what I know...I'm writing a book now...to be published sooner rather than later...
I win: every single day that I am alive and healthy
I lose: my mind at least once/day, but usually more because Brody has hit the terrible stage of being 3 years old. Help me Jesus!
I wish: that the innocence of childhood with stay with my children forever
I listen: when God speaks
I don't understand: how anyone can get through life without Christ
I can usually be found: in the kitchen cleaning up from breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, etc... It's never-ending
I am scared: of getting to the end of my life and realizing that I could have done more for the Lord...the harvest is plenty but the workers are few...
I need: some me-time...every day...
I forget: um, I can't remember...chemo brain...true phenomenon :)
I am happy: with my life. I love my husband, my kids, and Jesus. Not much else this gal could ask for...

Play along and answer these phrases too. But if you do, you have to be authentic...even if it does mean you forget to take your dog out and your 3 year old is driving you crazy :)

Sleepless In Seattle...not really

2011-10-19T05:38:00.000-05:00

Over Fall Break (as if either of my kids need one being preschoolers and all) we ventured up to visit my younger brother, Jordan, SIL Kim, and their baby Adalynn - who Brody has loving started calling "Adal-poo". This was a bittersweet trip for many reasons but most of all because it's the last time I will have to spend with Jordan until after he gets home from deployment. He leaves for Afghanistan in a few short months for a 12 month deployment.

Other than that though, it was a bittersweet trip because:

A. I LOVE my family! Not kidding when I say this, I have got to have the 2 best sisters-in-law hands down. I couldn't have chosen better for either of my brothers. They are the sisters that I never had growing up and I am thankful for them. So, I already miss Kim too! She is certainly the "hostess with the mostest!" No really, she is. And, she is responsible for my new obsession with the VitaMix. Thank you Kim for that nearly $400 obsession :) We are both "juice making moms" yet I have been on a different type of juice fast lately...the kind that means I am fasting from even making the juice. Eeek! I HATE my juicer because it's so dang time consuming and difficult - but now, having met Mr. VitaMix, I hate my juicer even more! It's for sure on my list of MUST-HAVE's.

THE Vitamix! Soon to be my third child :)

B. I miss my sweet sweet niece Adalynn. I mean I really miss that baby! She has got to be the most happy, laid back, content 12 month old I have ever seen (although Brody was super content as a baby). Chloe and I visited them when Adalynn was 4 months old so there is no memory of us at all, however...when she saw Chloe, it was like her BFF was back in town. Those two were inseperable. It was cute to watch them interact. Brody even joined in on the fun but he has made it clear that he is "mommy's baby" and he does NOT want another baby. I think he even got a little jealous at times of Chloe and Adalynn playing together as he had to vie for his big sis's attention. However, he was sweet with Adalynn and as soon as we headed back to the airport, he was talking about missing his "Adal-poo."

Adalynn- 4 months old and Chloe with matching bows

Adalynn 12 months old with Chloe

Chloe was excited...she picked out matching Halloween jammas for her and A

C. I LOVE LOVE LOVED Seattle, Dupont (the town they actually live in) and Olympia. Seattle is just A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!! Not sure why I never did a travel nurse assignment at Seattle Children's while I was still singe and working, but maybe it's because I would have NEVER wanted to leave. No really. The Public Market is heaven on earth. Not kidding. I have never in my life seen such beautiful fresh produce, vibrant (and cheap) flowers, and an array of all sorts of food (and people) gathered in one place.

These flowers at a florist at least $50, here at the market, $10

Pike Place was fun...it's the fish throwing market. I think I liked this more than the kids did and had I been there without them, I may have even tried my hand at the fish toss/catch. Or at least I like to think I may have...I'm not really keen on touching big huge dead fish. Anyways...
After the Public Market, we headed to Seattle Children's Museum where we spent a few hours letting the kids play and explore. Again, a GREAT place!

On to Dupont. Let's just say this is the best life-style community. I would love to live in a community like this. It's small, has it's own post office, school, library, Starbucks (duh), restaurants, and pretty much everything else you can think of...all within walking distance. It really is it's own little community. Lots of parks and running trails, and just super quaint.

And finally Olympia - the capitol. I LOVE downtown Olympia! It's adorable. We walked around there one day, hit up an upscale baby consignment shop, had lunch at my favorite little deli again (best tomato basil soup), and enjoyed the cool rainy day.

All in all, a perfect trip with great family, amazing cities, and perfect memories made...except I, well really Brody, may have scared Jordan a little when he saw how terrible the THREES (not the twos) really are. He's already prepping himself for when Adalynn turns 3 :)

Ladies of Legacy 2011

2011-10-19T04:20:00.000-05:00

** wrote this a month ago and forgot to post**
This was my second annual Ladies of Legacy retreat in Gatlinburg. Briefly, this group was started 11 years ago when 4 of the gals decided they needed a break from life and took a short weekend trip to relax and come back refreshed. Over the past 11 years, the group has grown from 4 to 29. This year was the largest group. We stay in a huge cabin nestled in the mountains and generally we have one roommate. Of course we come from all over the place so generally the Clarksville Crew grabs the bottom floor of the cabin while the Nashville Natives get the top floor. The middle level is the living area where we spend most of our time. This year was awesome as there were a bunch of new gals and a new way of doing things. The only things that are mandatory and scheduled are the Saturday morning session which always goes along with our theme...this year it was Leaving a Legacy of Grace. And then we are free until the evening session which are breakouts...you can choose 1 of 3 different themes to sit in on. This year I chose Living in Joy. After that session, we have a time of worship and then we bust loose. This year I even took on the challenge of doing Just Dance 2 on the Wii and am proud to report that one of the gals told me she had never seen anyone do it so perfect! Of course it was my fave song that I had only done a million times before but whatever! We stay up late that night and just have fun. Then on Sunday we have breakfast together and communion before we all leave and go our seperate ways home.
Here are a few pictures from the weekend. If you are interested in going next year, please let me know. I would love to bring a new person with me!

Halloween and Fall Decor

2011-10-06T07:19:00.000-05:00

This year I have really gotten into decorating for the fall and Halloween. Thanks to Pinterest, I have made a few crafts myself and check this out...someone told me I should post a pic on FB and start selling my crafts. HA! Stranger things have happened I guess because I so don't consider myself to be crafty enough to sell. Anyways, here are the home goods...you be the judge.

Pumpkins and Thanksgiving things in front of fireplace

Candy Corn made from foam cones in the floral dept and yarn

Halloween wreath I made using ribbon, a shiny spider from

the $ store, and a straw wreath. This was super fun to make.

Lights on the banisters...orange and purple. So pretty at night

The kids always do the window gels for each holiday

so that's what this is. May have to look close to see them

Table runner on kitchen table. The little tree has now been

decorated by Chloe with bats, ghosts, and pumpkins

And finally, this has nothing to do with Halloween, but with it being

football season, it is for sure a must have on this blog.

Check Them Out

2011-10-01T19:39:00.000-05:00

Lots of new posts done today so scroll on down and read them. Fun pictures on them all.

A Lotta Late...

2011-10-01T15:12:00.000-05:00

I documented all of David's trip to Ethiopia earlier via Ordinary Hero's website, but I wanted to just share a few more pics of the "coming and going" of the trip.

YAY!!! Daddy is back home! We missed you!

We had a LONG wait at the airport as their flight was delayed twice so the kids made themselves at home. Brody took his shoes off and danced like crazy. In true Nashville fashion, there was a country music artist at one of the waiting areas singing for several hours.

Chloe, Cross and Mercy all waiting for their daddies. Mercy and Cross are siblings. My friend Kelly adopted her from Ethiopia 6 months ago. Isn't she the cutest?!?

David's "checked luggage" pile. Each person who went was to pack 2- 50 pound totes full of supplies and things to leave in Ethiopia,

This tiny little bag was for his carry on and personal items. We actually got all of that stuff packed in that little tiny bag and a backpack. Can you believe it?!?

Soccer Saturdays!

2011-10-01T14:59:00.000-05:00

Fall soccer season has started back and I am one proud soccer mom! Chloe has really improved since the spring season as in the tune of scoring 7 goals in just 2 games. She can dribble the ball like a pro, she can block the other team from scoring (at this age there are no goalies as it's just 3 on 3), she can drive it into the goal and she can smile like a super proud player! She and I have a thing where when she does something awesome she will look over at me and we give each other a thumbs up.

Here are some pics of Chloe in action. Oh, her team this season is called The Ladybugs! CUTE!

the whistle had blown signaling end of the first half

Kicking the ball off

Chloe's best friend Hannah getting ready to kick

In action!!!!

Ready to start another quarter

Good game- especially since she scored 1/2 the points.

Presenting....

2011-10-01T14:44:00.000-05:00

The female version of NOAH - as in Noah and the Ark!

Chloe attends AWANA at a local church very close to our home since our church home doesn't have this program. I remember going to AWANA when I was a child so I was thrilled when she showed a major interest in it and begs to go back every single week. Each week they have a theme and the kids are supposed to dress up in whatever the theme is to earn AWANA bucks which can be spent in the AWANA store at the end of the semester. They have had wild hair night, rainbow colors night, crazy hat night, and Bible Hero night. She came up with being Noah all on her own and I have to say that she rocked the look. I even made her costume...ok, don't look at it too closely. I just cut holes for the head and arms and used fabric glue so the edges wouldn't ravel around the bottom. So sewing skills here!

For Us Southern Belles...

2011-09-25T23:35:00.001-05:00

Saw this on Pinterest and had to put on my own blog...

My Girl Makes Me Smile

2011-09-12T00:25:00.000-05:00

Tonight Chloe was telling me that she does not want me going on my Gatlinburg Ladies of Legacy trip this weekend. She went on and on and finally said, "Mommy, I don't wanna get married cause I wanna be with you forever. I love you more than candy!" Now THAT is love!!!

10 Years

2011-09-11T23:52:00.000-05:00

I know exactly what I was doing 10 years ago today. I had been working the night shift as a nurse at UNC Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC. I was exhausted, and trying to fall asleep so that I could get up and work another 12 hour night shift later. The TV was on and as I was drifting off to sleep a breaking news segment came on. I remember it was on NBC and I heard that a plane had crashed into the WTC. I sat straight up in the bed and thought to myself that it had to have been a freak accident as it was the most beautiful day with perfectly blue clouds. I remember the emotion being more of a "wow, that is horrible...those poor people and families!" AND THEN...another plane hit the second tower and the report came across that another was heading towards the Pentagon and a fourth towards the White House. And then I remember hearing the words, "The United States in under attack." I was shaken. Shaken to the core. I could not believe what I was seeing on TV. It just seemed like something out of the movies. Was this really happening in America?
The emotion today has been one of sadness, pride, gratitude, sorrow, and grief. The sadness came when I turned on the TV while getting ready for church this morning and saw numerous family members of those killed in the attacks giving speeches and paying tribute to their lost loved ones. The sorrow came at realizing that most children who are under 13 or 14 years old will never remember the US not being at war...that some of those children have daddies who died on that day in order to save other people. The grief comes mostly because I live in a military town who has seen great loss over the past 10 years. BUT then, pride enters the spectrum of emotion. I am proud of my country! I am proud of our military! I am proud of the way George W Bush handled the tragedy that day and the days/years afterwards. I am crazy proud to have a brother in the Army and a cousin in the Marines who have given up so much in order to ensure the freedom of everyone in this country. And finally I am grateful. Grateful for every person who is in public service...especially our wonderful military, policemen, firemen, and emergency service workers. I am grateful that when our country was being attacked, that America came together and laid personal differences aside in order to help each other out demonstrating true selflessness.
And lastly, a very special thank you to my brother Jordan, cousin Steven, and all our ARMY friends here at Fort Campbell for your willingness to be away from your personal comforts of home so that my family can have and enjoy the personal comforts of ours. Team Blevins loves and truly appreciates every one of you!

Ethiopia Updates

2011-09-01T08:09:00.000-05:00

For the sake of time, I am just posting all updates from David's Ethiopia trip on my "cancer" blog. There are 2 on there as of now. Click here to read them.

What I Wish...

2011-08-24T17:52:00.000-05:00

I wish:
** that the 90 degree days would go away! I'm tired of sweating to death 24/7.
** that our Parent's Day Out started when all the others did and NOT wait til after Labor Day
** that I didn't have lymphedema
** that I loved kale since it is such an amazingly healthy green
** that my dog would just calm down...he's 6.5 years old!!!
** for my kids to always love going to church...specifically AWANA! They absolutely get giddy when it's time to go to AWANA every Wednesday night
** that the 3 year old attitude had not hit Brody
** for a cure for all cancers
** for my friends who are hurting to have healed and happy hearts
** for another baby one day
** for no more hot flashes!
** to be used by God to help further His Kingdom in a big ol' way
** for uninterrupted sleep at night (aka - KIDS, STAY IN YOUR OWN BEDS!)
** for safe travels for David and the mission team as they leave for Ethiopia in just 4 days, and that many many lives would be changed for Christ!!!!!! (I have high hopes for this one)

So, do your own post and tell me what you wish...can't wait to read them!

Birthday for Brody...part 2

2011-08-19T19:32:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures to highlight Brody's third birthday. It was literally the best birthday that we have done to date. No stress, no party, only the 4 of us, and it was perfect!
As I said in my letter in the previous post, Brody is obsessed with tractors so we started the day off by taking him to the John Deere store. We were able to let him climb on, pretend drive, and touch every single thing he wanted to. He was in heaven! I think we stayed there over an hour!

So this was his birthday shirt...however, it only stayed on long enough for

this picture. He insisted on wearing Captain America and who

am I to argue with a boy on his birthday?

Let the fun begin...

Somehow when Brody moved this gear stick the loader

thing on the front started moving. Eeek!

I love this picture! Isn't that adorable with the shadows behind each of them?

Up in the combine thingy (have no clue what it is really called but that sounded great!)

I loved how Chloe could fit inside of this wheel. It's the

wheel on the thing in the picture above. HUGE!

Picture with my birthday boy!!!!

This hat has not left his head except for sleep and a bath

since he put it on in the John Deere store.

After leaving the tractor store, we went for lunch at Applebee's where Brody got a free ice cream sundae and the staff sang to him. He wasn't too keen on the singing part, but he LOVED his ice cream!

After getting home, it was time for presents. He opened the ones from Chloe and my parents first. The big hit of that batch of gifts was his John Deere weedwacker. He has wacked every weed and then some since opening it.

What's in the box Brody?!?

After a short rest time, it was time for his big gift from mommy and daddy. This was his big surprise and I think the look on his face says it all...

It's been one day since getting this and he has run the battery

down 2 times already, rode it through the neighborhood once,

and allowed Chloe to drive it 2 times around our house.

And there may be a track of flat grass around

our house because he has probably driven it around

the house at least 1000 times.

Next, it was time for cake, dinner, and the last batch of gifts.

Yummy!

THREE candles! I can't believe he is so grown now!

And finally, after the festivities were done, this is how

I found him (notice his hat is just behind his head). Goodnight

sweet boy. Love you to the moon and back!

Dear Brody,

2011-08-18T07:12:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to you sweet boy! You are the big THREE years old today which leaves me sitting here shaking my head and wondering just where the past 3 years have gone? I distinctly remember the fear and excitement that I had on this very morning as I was awaiting the scheduled time that I would get to meet you. You were a late morning c-section, but the contractions started and you were telling me that you were not going to hang out much longer...that you had a world to explore and a family to meet.
You have grown and changed so much in the past 3 years. Physically, you went from 20 inches to 39 inches. From 8 pounds to 32 pounds. From a little bit of hair, to bald, to blonde, and now sandy blonde hair. You went from throwing up every single feeding (thank you pyloric stenosis) to chowing down at every single meal and always wanting more. You have had 3 surgeries in your 3 years of life and I pray that that is the end of that road for you. You have gone from wearing only teeny tiny newborn socks to a size 9 shoe. You still are in a 24 month size for shorts (with the waist band adjusted in as much as possible), a 3T pant (because you are SO tall) and again with the waist band as tight as possible. You wear a 2T shirt in most brands but a few 3T fit you perfectly. Your favorite shoes are flip flops and your crocs. And you insist on wearing your hat everywhere we go...even to church. You hate shirts with collars and will pitch a pure fit about wearing them, but boy do you look so handsome in them, and you don't want to wear anything other than "gym shorts."
This year you learned your alphabet, lots of new and fun songs, how to count to 20, all of your colors, how to spell your name, how to potty, and how to live without a passy. You had your first visit to the dentist and finally were able to sit through a whole haircut without crying. You also finally made the switch to a toddler bed although that was more mommy and daddy's idea. You were perfectly content in your crib and had never even tried to climb out. A few of your favorite things are tractors, lawn mowers, fire trucks, bulldozers, dump trucks, Toy Story, Cars, bubbles, swords and guns (I thought I could keep these from you but I have decided that these desires are in a boy's DNA). You also like to play house with your sister though and your baby doll "Donald" is always there with you. You also love your little stuffed doggy and your beanie baby bear that we got for you in Texas. Your favorite cartoons are Wow Wow Wubbzy and Caillou. Your favorite food is a fruit snack (which for future reference isn't really a fruit at all and maybe doesn't even qualify as food). Your favorite color is blue.
As a baby you were certainly laid back, relaxed, and happy all of the time. As you have approached 3 though, you have become more vocal with your wants and opinions. You have an intense desire to do everything all by yourself and you want everything to be just so. You are certainly passionate about most things in life! I prayed when you were a baby that the Lord would just ignite a fire in you and your sister and that you guys would be crazy in love with Jesus and would change the world for Him. Little did I know that the passion has to start somehow...even if it's being passionate about not wearing a collared shirt to church. HA!

Brody, I love you so much. You make this mommy's heart swell with pride and joy every day. My prayer for you, in this next year of life is that you would have a teachable spirit, that you would soak in more of Jesus, that you would be heatlhy this year, and full of joy.
I love you son!
Mommy

C.E.L.E.B.R.A.T.E.

2011-08-16T08:56:00.000-05:00

So this is a BIG week of gratefulness for Team Blevins 4.0
Here's the rundown:

August 17 - celebrate the TWO year date of completing my chemo!!! Cannot believe it's been 2 years already and...my hair is still curly as ever! I was told that the curl would only stay in for 2 years. WOO-HOO!!!
August 18 - Brody turns THREE I cannot believe my baby is already turning 3. Where have the years gone? I could squeeze and kiss his sweet cheeks all day long..and some days I may have done that :)
August 21 - David and I celebrate SEVEN years of marriage! Thank you Lord for protecting our marriage over the past seven years. It's pretty impossible to imagine on your wedding day that you could ever love your spouse more than you do on that very day, but as life takes shape and happens, you find that love either grows or withers. Ours has grown...sometimes with growing pains, but it has grown nonetheless. And for that, I am thankful.

We owe it all to God and give Him all of the glory for growing our family, and providing a way for Team Blevins to run the race in the crazy thing called life.

Summer Photo Session

2011-08-11T17:58:00.009-05:00

All I can say is Heather Bro Photography is THE BEST!!!! Great pictures, great pricing, easy to work with, and amazing with the kids. Check out the summer pics of Chloe and Brody (including some with Grammy and Op-Op...my parents). And then click on this link Heather Bro Photography and schedule a session immediately! Last year she did our fall pictures at the pumpkin patch and an old barn that had a huge tree with a tire swing by it and they also turned out awesome! Now is the perfect time to start scheduling for a photo shoot in the fall. ok, enough babbling. Enjoy the pix!

Downtown Clarksville

Wishing...

Toss them in...

Happy happy kids

Brody with his Op-Op

Chloe was having a conversation with Op-Op as they strolled through town

So sweet how Brody is hanging onto Op-Op's finger

Love this sweet girl!!!

Brody checking out the Roxy schedule for 2012

Just exploring

Checking out the bird in the tree...

Approximately 7 Inches?

2011-08-09T19:58:00.000-05:00

Chloe just got her first true haircut in about a year! We've been just letting her get it trimmed because after seeing Tangled she decided to grow her hair as long as Rapunzel's hair. However, after many days and nights of screaming while I brush tangles out of her hair, and many complaints that Brody won't stop messing with her ponytails, she asked me Saturday if she could get her hair cut short. I jumped on the chance and scheduled an appointment with Laura...the best cosmetologist in Clarksville...just sayin'!!! She has been cutting Chloe's hair for almost 4 years now...and mine and Brody's too. Anyways, here are some pictures of this momentous occasion for Chloe (and me)... THANKS LAURA!!!!!

Back to the stacked bob!

Ignore my camera...I lost my SD card for my great Nikon so I am back to using my small digital until my new card comes tomorrow.

And yep, she has the flip in the back like I did pre-chemo. I have to round brush it to get it to lay flat, but this is right out of the bath and just being combed.

On another note, I got mine cut again today and when I straightened it tonight, it looks identical to Chloe's! However, I love my curls too much to straighten mine. It took me 32 years plus 16 chemos to get my curly hair. I'm keeping it as long as possible!

Our Sweet Brody Has Morphed Into...

2011-08-02T07:38:00.000-05:00

someone I barely recognize on some days...namely today. He has begun back-talking, telling me "no" at every turn, wanting to do everything himself and taking no help from anyone. He refuses some nights to sleep in pajamas and most nights will not sleep unless he also has on his flip flops and baseball cap. He is so stubborn and hard headed, but I guess he gets some of that from me. It is soooo hard to remember that this is just a stage that we will get through. Got through it once before with Chloe so I know we can survive one more.
It just takes a whole lot more work to discipline and shepherd a child instead of just letting things go or allowing them to get by with it "just this time." There have been times when I have wanted to just sit on my toosh and not move while the kids disobeyed or were ugly to me or acting out. Seriously it would have been nice to just tune it out and keep my seat (and there have been several times I have been lazy like that). However, I KNOW better than that. I know that doing that repeatedly would end up costing me and them in the long run. I want them to be productive, responsible citizens who are respectful and have integrity and love Jesus on top of all of that.

**update...4 hours after I wrote this post...** I was putting Brody to bed and this is how his prayer went (all of it said with NO prompting from me at all) "Desus, tank you for mommy and daddy and CJ and YMCA and school and tractors and Donald (his little baby doll) and my trains and my bubble lawn mowder. I be good boy morrow. I wuv you Desus. AMEN!"
And that makes a mama's heart smile and makes it worth trying all over again every day. Parenting is quite possibly the hardest job I have ever had but by far the most rewarding!

Vacation Part Two

2011-07-26T13:01:00.000-05:00

So on Friday morning we all slept in until 9:00 (that NEVER has happened), and then hit the breakfast buffet before hitting the huge indoor waterpark. Let me explain just a bit about this indoor park. IT IS HUGE! They have specialized glass walls and ceilings making it feel like you are outside, but somehow the temperature stays 86 degrees in there year round. It was very comfortable in there...especially seeing as how the temps outside were 98-100 every single day we were there. The kids went down the tunnel waterslide at least 100 times each and then went down 2 red slides that bounced into water another 100 times each. They played with all of the ropes, buckets, waterguns, etc... that they could get their hands on. They stood under the HUGE bucket that dumped 750 gallons of water every few minutes and then they would wait for it to do it again. We rode in the lazy river and...discovered that although Brody gets NOTHING else from my side of the family, he does have a TRUE LOVE of lazy rivers and THAT would be from me! I could ride around in those things all day long and so could Brody. You should have seen him all kicked back with his arms behind his head just relaxing! So sweet. While there, we also hit the "hot pool" as Brody called it. My kids loves hot tubs and always want to get in one. So that didn't last too long, but we did it. We also rode the waves in their mock ocean pool. That was awesome. Chloe and Brody both loved going up and down in their floats while riding the waves.
After that excitement came to an end, we rested up and then headed out the the Tanger Shopping Outlets for a few hours of shopping and dinner. While there, we decided that there was still so much we wanted to do that we couldn't leave the next day so David used his Hilton points and got us a free room stay at a different hotel.
The next and final full day there, we went back into Gatlinburg and had breakfast at the famous Pancake Pantry. YUMMO is all I can say! After that we hit a few stores, walked around a bit more and then switched hotels and rested for a while. Then we went out to finish out the trip in true Gatlinburg style...putt putt, go cart racing, and bumper boats. Brody and I won the go cart racing, Chloe and David won in bumper boats (aka they remained the most dry) and the kids both were way over par on putt putt so we didn't keep up. Brody needs a golf lesson from his OpOp.
Sunday morning we packed up and headed back to Clarksville. It was a wonderful vacation that I hope we all talk about for a long time to come.
Oh, and the camera...let's just say I bought a disposable one...took horrible pictures and the CD I got of them so that I could upload them on here doesn't work. Pictures just were not part of the plan.

Vacation Part One

2011-07-22T14:18:00.000-05:00

Well, I am certainly going to regret not using my packing list for vacation this time around. I forgot several things...namely the CAMERA! How does a mom obsessed with taking photos of her family forget the camera? Well, when you are packing for yourself and two kids the morning you are leaving it can happen. Especially if you don't go by the packing list that has never failed you before. Oh well, I am getting a disposable camera tonight to use the rest of our time here.
Yes, you read that right. I am blogging from vacation during a rest break. Since I have no pictures thus far, I wanted to get it all written down so I won't forget anything. I'll start with Wednesday when we left home to come to the Wilderness in the Smokies (Sevierville,TN) near Gatlinburg. We got all the way to Pleasant View (10 miles from home) before Brody started screaming about his shoes. He screamed about them all the way to Joelton (10 miles) and then we threatened to "turn the car around and go right back home." That helped for while. Then in Crossville I made a new aquaintance...State Highway Patrol. He pulled me over for speeding and then asked where I was heading in such a hurry. I wanted to ask him what the right answer was, but decided just to tell him the truth. "Officer, we are heading to vacation and the kids are just being loud and crying and I'm trying to find an exit to stop at." He still asked for all of my information and again, I wanted to ask him "oh, was that not the right answer? Am I still getting a ticket?" Instead, I apologized and told him I knew better. He confirmed that by handing me a $200 speeding ticket. Thanks officer...thanks. Great way to begin vacay!
We got to the resort a few hours later, settled in, and headed to the water park onsite. It was just OK. We were tired, the kids were CRAZY hyper, disobedient, whiny, etc... We didn't stay too long at the park before we came in and went to bed. Everyone at that point needed sleep and attitude adjustments. Thank the Lord that His mercies are new every morning.
So, day 2... we got up and had brunch in town and then headed over the the Ripley's Aquarium. It brought back lots of memories as it's identical to the one in Myrtle Beach that we took Chloe to when I was 8 months pregnant with Brody. It's hard to believe that next month he will be 3 years old. TIME FLIES! We all enjoyed the aquarium! Brody loved the sharks, and the little frogs. Chloe loved the sharks, frogs, and seahorses. I loved all of it...except the numerous trips to the potty! Brody wants to try to potty about 60% of the time now and Chloe has a urinary infection so I was back and forth the whole 3 hours we were there. After that, we walked around downtown Gatlinburg for about 3 more hours. David and I have a new nickname for that town. We call it "The Airbrush Capitol of the South." It's true. And yes, we are so getting some airbrushed t-shirts! Every where you look there are air-brush shops and confederate flag bikinis. Geesh. Anyways, we didn't get back to the resort until about 7:00 that night so there was no waterpark...just dinner and bed. And believe it or not David and I were both awake before either child was the next morning!!! That hasn't happened in 4.5 years.
On to part 2 of vacation in a few days...with pictures that will be taken by a cheap disposable camera cause this mama forgot the good one. Oh well, at least I remembered the children and swimsuits.

34...and loving it!

2011-07-18T07:28:00.000-05:00

On Saturday I turned 34 years old. Now I know some people think it's odd for a gal to share her real age, but this gal LOVES birthdays...especially since I wasn't sure 2 years ago that I would have any more. This was the first year since 2008 that I have had a super healthy birthday! And it felt great.
I started the morning with a 5.6 mile run through a beautiful big neighborhood right down the road. I was going for a full on 10K but was short by about 1/2 mile. It felt good though to get back on the road since I have been "taking it easy" for a week now due to full on shin-splints/possible stress fractures. After the run, I came home and was greeted by my two kids with screams of "mommy, mommy, mommy's home. Happy birthday mommy!" It was awesome, and then my hubs took them out to pick up a few things while I iced my shins and chilled on the couch. By the time they got home, I was off the couch and showering up for the day. When I came out of the room, they had set up a Tangled Party for me. Chloe had wanted to give me a princess party so she picked all of the decorations out. I must say it was super cute and fun. We enjoyed cake from the Looking Glass which was amazing, and then we all settled in for a nap. Can you believe how awesome this day was so far?
After naps, the babysitter came and David took me to the outdoor shooting range in Southside, TN. Yes, I wanted to go there for my birthday! We have handguns so I wanted to learn how to shoot them in case I ever need to defend myself. I had never shot a gun before (other than in my police class which was only 18 rounds) so I was quite surprised when the range master told me I was a really good shot. The first bullet fired hit right in the center bullseye! He helped me with my form and gave me lots of tips (he was a sniper in the army for 30 years), and then I finished up my time at the range with an amazing looking target for a first time shooter.
Next we headed over to the new Buffalo Wild Wings in Clarksville. This is mine and David's favorite restaurant for lots of reasons...and from here on out it will be referred to as BW3 (no one here seems to know that is what it is really called). First, we had our first "hangout" at BW3 when we were first getting to know each other and we were too shy to call it a first date. HA! Second, with the exception of when I was on call at the hospital in Columbus, OH, we spent EVERY single Saturday at BW3 watching TN football because we didn't have the football package on our TV at home. And then during basketball season we went with our friends to watch my Tarheels play Duke every time they played. The BW3 has lots and lots of amazing memories for Team Blevins...pre-kids. HA!
After that, it was time to come home. All in all...the perfect birthday. I cannot wait to see what God has planned for this next year for me!

Four Minutes Is No Big Deal

2011-07-12T21:15:00.000-05:00

Please take 4 minutes to watch this video. It was filmed by a gal who visited the trash dump in Korah, Ethiopia which is the same place David will be going while he is there. For those of you who are so kindly donating to Team Blevins so that he can go on this mission trip, we want to keep you updated with news and videos of what he will be doing, the people he may come into contact with, and just how much your donations will impact the lives of the people of Korah.
Now go grab a Kleenex, or just use your shirt sleeve if you have to (you can always change it later), and hit play. Your heart will be broken for what breaks God's heart but that is where we, the children of God, can take the simple step of obedience and reach out to those who need so desperately to see the love of Jesus.

Africa Bound...

2011-07-08T22:12:00.002-05:00

I seriously doubt that what I am about to write could be any more exciting than this: David is going to Africa...in approximately 50 days!!! At the end of August, he will go with 9 other people (mostly from Clarksville) to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to love on some sweet little orphans, help rebuild a boarding school, and spend time investing in the lives of adults and children who live in a trash dump (more on that in a minute).

This has literally been the most unexpected thing to happen to our family in 2 years! We would have NEVER thought that this would be happening, but when Jesus calls, you either obey or you wind up in the belly of a whale (you remember what happened to Jonah!). So, we are stepping out in faith and just trusting Jesus. I say "we" but truly it's David as I will be staying behind on this trip and praying fervently for David, the other team members, and the people of Ethiopia who they will meet (and selfishly that the Lord calls me to go one day also).

Anyways, while they are there, the team will do 3 projects as I briefly mentioned earlier. They will work on a project at Resurrection Orphanage where our dear friends met their beautiful daughter (they brought her home 6 months ago). They will also travel to a place called Korah, a literal trash dump where an entire community lives off of the trash brought there. It is painfully heart-wrenching to know that these people have to go through trash to find food for themselves and their children. Can you even begin to imagine that being your life?!? In Korah they will partner with an organization called Project 61 to help them with whatever they need. Finally, they will complete a project at the boarding school where children from Korah are able to attend by sponsorship through Project 61.

The trip will be 10 days long and costs $3000. That price includes everything except a few meals and any souvenirs that David may want to purchase to help stimulate their economy. We have prayerfully considered how to get this much money is such a short time frame and honestly, I have had some anxiety over it. HOWEVER, I KNOW that Jesus has specifically called David to this mission and that He will provide exactly what we need. He always does. Thankfully, the organization that this trip is through - Ordinary Hero - has a great fundraising program. If you will check out their website store by clicking on this link Ordinary Hero Store, you will see many amazing items that you can purchase and 40% of your cost will go directly to David's account! All you have to do at checkout is click on David's name in the "Affiliate" box and it's done. Simple! I have already chosen 3 T-shirts for me and the kids to wear and I'm telling you they are absolutely adorable! They also have jewelry, accessories, etc... Just go check it out for yourselves though and see. AND...if by some chance you don't see anything that appeals to you, but you want to help us out, then you can click on the button on the side of my blog that says OH and donate to David that way, or you can donate directly to him. If you choose a direct donation though, the check will need to be made out to Ordinary Hero. And if you are unable to help out financially, then we ask that you would PLEASE help out by praying for David and the entire Ethiopia team. Pray that they will have safe travels, have the physical and mental strength that they will need while they are there, and that they will come back shining the light of Jesus even more than they already do. Pray that the Ethiopians that they will come into contact with will see that they are loved and cared for. Pray for their health, security, and salvation. And pray for those sweet little orphans to find forever families.

Thanks for reading this entirely long and informative post. I will post periodic updates as to where we are with our fundraising efforts mainly so you can see how Jesus is providing and how you can still help if you feel you are called to do so. Feel free to copy, paste, and forward this blog link to anyone you know who may want to help change a life and become an "ordinary hero."

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the timelines for funds being due which is where some of my anxiety lies...EEEK! July 20th is the first due date for $1400 and August 20th is the final payment due date of $1500. Whew...typing that just increased my heart rate...trust Jesus, trust Jesus, trust Jesus is my new mantra!!!

Hugs to each of you!

Fourth of July...Part Deux (2)

2011-07-07T22:49:00.000-05:00

OK, where did I leave off? Oh, I think we had finally gotten to Atlanta in the previous post. So, we arrived after lunch on Saturday and spent that evening just hanging out with family, catching up with everyone, and letting the kids go crazy with Gramom and Grandaddy and Granny (D's grandmother). We settled in pretty quickly and then after dinner the first night we watched a firework spectacular presented by David. Afterwards, the kids were tired so sleeping arrangements were settled. Brody would sleep with David and Chloe would sleep with me. Probably sounds a little crazy, but they are not ready to sleep alone at Gramom's house yet (especially with us there) so this makes them comfortable and us uncomfortable...er, I mean it makes us feel better knowing they are sleeping soundly.

Anyways, on Sunday we hung out, watched the Casey Anthony trial (which totally sickens me to no end), and relaxed. The kids went to the park for a bit to play and we did more fireworks that night.
On Monday, we headed to downtown Marietta, called The Square, and watched a great parade! We got there early enough to have front row seats at a prime location (thank you Grandad!) and had a HOT blast (it was 90 some degrees). After that, we had lunch downtown and then walked around and checked out all of the vendor booths, had a fried banana pudding (God's gift to me I am sure), and sweated to death. It was the most ridiculous heat ever! In the afternoon we left to go home and get rest before the firework show that was to come later at The Square. However, rain came and they cancelled the show. It was good though as we were all worn out from the day.

Getting ready to go celebrate

one thing I love about these 2 is that they literally can just look

at each other and crack up laughing

ready for the parade to start

sweet pretty girl of mine

i just thought this would be a cool pic...plus I love the headband

Mr Patriotic himself!

Brody had 3-4 firemen come up to him during the parade and give him hi-5

He loves all things firetruck, tractor, and dumptruck/bulldozer related

I just had to take their picture. The Pink Suitcase Sisters! These ladies of

all ages travel the US and world together. And...they all have pink suitcases!

Google them and check out the places they have been!

These are the lawn chair dudes. A group of neighborhood dads who

put together this routine for the parade. It was hysterical.

David enjoying his boiled peanuts on The Square

And Brody being Brody...crossing the lines when he is not supposed to.

Tuesday came and we were supposed to head back home, but we decided to stay for one last day. Gramom was kind enough to watch the kids for us and we had a date day. We went to tour the new Coke Museum, which was fantabulous! Then we went to the hotspot The Varsity for the famous hotdogs (wha' ya' have? wha' ya' have?). You better know what you want when you approach the counter as they don't play! If you have never been and know nothing about it, google it and see what all the hype is about. Tons of famous people go every year. It's awesome! After that, we headed to IKEA...also known as "Heaven On Earth." I could have spent all day and all night in there. When we build our new house you better believe that IKEA will be a place we get lots of our stuff. Whew!

Yumm-O

If Chick-fil-A doesn't work out...well then, there's always the Varsity

New and improved Coke Museum

Check out Japan's bottle...all blinged out!

I love this original label of Coke. It's referred to as Brain Tonic...the cure

for headache and exhaustion.

David studying all of the profits/losses in the first years of Coke

Check out these Coke coolers. Wouldn't Pawn Stars or American Pickers

love to own these things!

And finally, this is the coolest alligator made out of coke cans. There

was a whole display of things that were made with Coke products.

And finally, on Wednesday, we packed up and hit the road back to Clarksville. After a full and fun 5 days we had to get back to get the dog...and hopefully/prayerfully my car this week!!!! Thanks Gramom and Grandad and Granny for allowing us to come and invade your home, make a huge mess, and eat your food, oh yeah, and partake of your babysitting services!

Scroll On

2011-07-06T21:52:00.002-05:00

I put 3 new posts up tonight and there will probably be 2 more tomorrow so keep on scrollin' to catch up on the going-ons of Team Blevins 4.0

Fourth of July...part 1

2011-07-06T21:50:00.000-05:00

So we decided this year to take our July 4th trip to Atlanta. David's parents live there and they have an amazing July 4th celebration in Marietta (the city they actually live in). We loaded up David's car on Friday as mine is STILL being repaired from when David wrecked it by backing out of the garage without paying attention. It's been in the shop for over 2 weeks now and Lord only knows when I will get it back but I am praying it's this week as I am tired of driving a small car when I have grown accustomed to having room in my SUV. And that sounds pretty pathetic given the fact that many many people have no food or shelter much less a second vehicle. Geesh...forgive me.
Anyways, back on topic. We loaded up the car and set out around 2:00. At 4:00 we noticed the car started riding funny so David pulled over and checked the tires. Uhhh, right rear tire shredded and left rear tire punctured. So here we are on the side of Interstate 24 on a holiday weekend with massive traffic flying by us. There are no mile marker signs around, our cell signals are in and out, and we do not have roadside assistance or a spare tire. Furthurmore, the tires on David's car are a specialty tire so very few places keep them in stock (except the BMW dealers), and it's a holiday weekend!!! Also, by the time we could get there, most places would be closed. GRRR!!! Anyways, after calling our amazing insurance company (USAA), we were able to get a tow truck out to us by about 5:30 and they took us about 30 minutes back on the interstate to Murfreesboro where we were truly blessed! Firestone had 2 tires in stock like we needed, but they could not work on our car until the next morning. BUT... there was a Hampton Inn right beside the Firestone so we just got a few things out of the car and walked right over. We are Hilton Honors members so we always stay in Hampton or Hiltons anyways. AND...we got the VERY LAST ROOM they had! Thank you Jesus!!!
By 9:30 the next morning, we were back in our car and on our way...again...to Atlanta. We made it safely and spent the next 4 days there enjoying our family.

And the drama begins...

Hazard lights turned on and left on for 1.5 hours. LOOOONG time to

wait with 2 kids in the car.

Look at this SWEET boy of mine enjoying his night in the hotel.

Part 2 comes tomorrow... stay tuned.

Summer Summer Summer Fun...

2011-07-06T21:27:00.000-05:00

So these are the things we do in the afternoons when rest time is over. The Blevins kids love being outside using their imaginations and I love watching and playing with them.

Brody is "Handy Manny" and is going to fix Daddy's car

"I'll just saw this rim right off."

Chloe coming back from the neighbor's house. Her little friend Hailey lives next door.

Drawing a "city" on the driveway. See the road, cars, house and people?!?

And now Handy Manny is Captain America (with the manny glove still on)

And finally - the lawn mower. One of his newest obsessions.

Funniest Thing I've Heard

2011-07-06T18:03:00.000-05:00

Brody said the funniest thing ever while we were in Atlanta over the 4th. We were in the kitchen at David's parents' house and I was standing beside Brody when out of nowhere chocolate milk landed on the floor. I bent over and asked Brody if he threw up and if he was okay. He said, "I fine mommy. My burp just falled out."

I am still laughing at random times when I think about it.

Kinda Heartbreaking

2011-07-01T07:36:00.000-05:00

I thought we were nearly over the chemo and cancer comments around here...Chloe has been living it for 2 years and has grown accustomed to hearing the terms, and asking questions (and hard ones at that). We have always been open with her and have been told by counselors to always answer her questions as openly and honestly as possible.
So the latest question/conversation was this:
"Mommy, I am NOT having a baby ever."
"Oh, that's okay. Not everyone has a baby."
"Well mommy, I am not going to have a baby because after you have one you get cancer and have chemo"
(uhhh, wow! not expecting that) "No Chloe, that's not true"
"You did mommy. When Brody was a tiny baby...when he was zero years old, you got cancer and had chemo. Remember?"
"Well, that is right Chloe, but having a baby does NOT give you cancer. It just happened and I am fine now. Remember my doctor telling you that mommy's cancer is all gone and I am NOT sick?"
"Yeah, I guess I will have a baby one day."

I can't imagine what goes through her head at times to make her think of things like that. I'm just glad she voices those little concerns so that I have an opportunity to speak truth into her.

Almost the End of a Season

2011-06-29T20:10:00.000-05:00

I will admit it. We are almost out of the "baby" season in our house and I am feeling pretty melancholy about it. We are down to just 2 things that "scream" baby...the crib and diapers. That means, Brody is done with everything else...including pacifiers! Two nights ago the "passy fairy" came to our house. She came to get the last of the pacifiers because there was a new baby at the hospital named Matthew who needed a passy (I take full credit for making that story up and lying to Brody). In return though, Baby Matthew gave Brody a Disney Cars TV for his room via the fairy. I think that is way fair! Anyways, the first night was a little rough for this mama as Brody screamed in his crib for about 10 minutes non-stop and all he screamed was "Mommy...Passy!!!!!" It broke my heart, but I stuck with the decision and did not give it to him. After about 10 minutes, he fell asleep and did great. The next night he did the same thing but for just about 5 minutes and then slept 12 hours. He has mentioned the passy about 3-4 times since Monday night and has said he does not like passy fairy and baby Matthew. However, he does love his new TV!
As for the crib, well, we are going to convert it to a toddler bed this week (sniff sniff). He LOVES being in his crib and will say "I wuv my bed mommy." However, he is just outgrowing it. I think with the one side off and just a 1/2 rail on, he will have a lot more space to move around and get comfy. I'm still debating this whole thing as he does NOT try to get out of bed and it does obviously keep him contained so he can't come out of his room, but his personality is such that he would probably just lay in a crib until he was 10. I don't know what to do.
And then there are diapers. Brody will tell me "mommy, I peepee. change me please." He also wakes up 60% of the time totally dry, but he will refuse to use the potty, tell me to keep his big boy underwear in the drawer, and to put a diaper on him. He has NO interest in potty training right now. Again, he may be the kid who is content in diapers until he is 10 (ok...praying that's not the case), but I am not going to push the issue. When Chloe was ready, it took her only 2 days and she was barely over 3 when this happened. Maybe Brody will be ready by the fall. He turns 3 in August.
Which brings me to my next issue. I always imagined that we would start trying for another baby when Brody turned 3. We had even planned that out. However, cancer put a STOP to that plan for a few reasons...a) I am on a medicine for 5 years (3 more to go) that you absolutely canNOT get preggo on as it causes severe birth defects...b) I was thrown into chemo induced menopause and while I have come out of it, I am barely out of it as I have had only 1 cycle in 3 years, and c) I would be considered advanced maternal age (I'd be 37) if we did decide to try when I got finished with the medicine. I sort of hate the term advanced maternal age as when did being 37 years old qualify you for advanced age of any kind?!? So, part of me feels like the baby stage is being finalized here, and most of the time I say how glad I am and how it will be awesome, but deep down I do not feel that way. Plus I keep feeling God saying "never say never dear child."
So, for the next 3 years we avoid pregnancy like the plague, get used to being out of baby stage for the first time in nearly 5 years, enjoy the precious gifts of Chloe and Brody that we have been immensely blessed with, and pray about the future of our family.

Am I Crazy?

2011-06-28T15:33:00.000-05:00

So, am I? Am I totally crazy? I have signed up for another 1/2 marathon for September 24th. It's the Women's Half Marathon in Nashville and I am so excited about it...but also a little leary as I still have the memories of the first one I ran in Clarksville and how painfully long and hard things got around mile 10 and especially at mile 12. I'm telling you that the final mile is THE LONGEST one ever. However, crossing that finish line, getting that medal, and feeling a huge sense of accomplishment is worth every bit of training and time that this will entail.
A few advantages that I have this time are: I'm not training during chemo or running during radiation treatments so I should have more energy and endurance this time around. I have a running coach and have joined a training group so I will have several gals to do my long runs with this time. And, the medal is so amazingly awesome...hot pink with a music note as the medal and in the middle of the music note is a round piece that pops out and can be worn on a necklace chain as a charm. I will be honest. Seeing the medal is about 60% of my decision to run another 13.1 mile race. The other 40% of my desire is the fact that last time I missed my goal by exactly 1 minute. I knew then deep down that I would eventually HAVE to try again.
So, here is to running for the next 12 weeks...if you see me out and about, don't honk because I am so uncoordinated that I may trip, fall, and get run over trying to see who you are. HA! Remember, I am the one who has fallen off a treadmill once, almost fallen off another time, and have fallen off an eliptical machine trying to talk to my neighbor at the gym.

BEST VIDEO EVER FOR MOMS.

2011-06-24T09:54:00.000-05:00

My sister-in-law posted this on her blog and I HAD to steal it for mine too. I think this family is playing the roles of Team Blevins 4.0
Seriously, you need to watch this if you are a mom who thinks mini-vans are UNcool because the swagger wagon is anything but uncool...and the video is just hysterical.
ENJOY!

Surprise!

2011-06-18T23:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning, Chloe decided to get a little more artistic than usual. I don't know if you remember her last episode with artwork...let's just say it involved paper, crayons, glue, and her wall... but as she reminded me, it was her mural and she wanted to be a famous artist when she grew up. That one though, is nothing compared with the art she did yesterday....ON MY TV SCREEN!!!! Yes, that's right. She colored the entire tv screen in our bedroom green (crayon) while David was in the shower and I was in the living room with Brody. Let's just say that it wasn't pretty around here for a while and the punishment was no TV, iPad, iPod or computer games for the entire day. For her, that's torture because she LOVES playing those little educational games on my iPod and the iPad. Plus, added torture is that Brody was allowed to.
Here is a picture of the TV. Look close and you can see the "art."

And the mischief carried over into the evening hours also. I had the kids get in the bath to just kind of rinse off from being outside earlier. They didn't need their hair washed or anything...it was supposed to just be a quick thing. I put Chloe's hair up so it wouldn't get wet, and I told Brody no "swimming" in the tub. They both acknowledged me. I went to grab pajamas and when I came back, this is what I found...

Bubble Fight...Brody lost

So much for keeping the hair dry.

I've Got A Reader... Sort Of

2011-06-14T06:17:00.000-05:00

Chloe has been asking me for about a month now to teach her to read. She has known all her letters, upper and lowercase for a few years and the sounds that they make. She can write all of her letters and can spell about 6-8 words by memory. So, since she has been asking and really showing interest in learning to read, I went and got the BOB set of beginner reader books (I think they are by Scholastic). It's a really great set to start out with. She has completed the first 2 books out of 8. We are taking it slow as I want her to retain, but she asks me every night if we can do "homework" together.
I also have some workbooks that she enjoys doing. They are by BrainQuest and they cover all of the subjects taught in school from math and reading to science and shapes/colors. I LOVE this company!
And finally, as part of "homework" she gets to play on the computer. She has learned how to maneuver the mouse on my laptop and how to work David's iPad so we let her on and usually go to either www.ezschool.com, www.starfall.com, or www.abcmouse.com. Those are fun learning websites and then of course she loves www.nickjr.com.
I think Chloe has inherited my love for learning and I couldn't be more thrilled that she has displayed such an interest in this. I'm trying to find the balance though between letting her do as she wants in regards to "homework" and making her just be a kid because once she starts school she won't have a choice. Geesh, glad her birthday is a late one and we have an extra year before school.

Bible School and Working for a Livin'

2011-06-12T22:15:00.000-05:00

I will start out with the Bible School portion of the post. Chloe was old enough this year to attend most church Bible School programs. She is signed up for 2 and has just completed her first one. Last Thursday night she had her graduation ceremony where her class got up in front of the other kids (700 others) and the parents and sang the 2 main songs that they learned...and the sign language to go with the song. Super cute!
Chloe has definitly sealed the deal that she was born to be center of attention. You see, all the kids were seated prior to the show starting while other families filed in. About 5 minutes before start time, Chloe had to go potty so I ran her there and ran her back, but by the time we got back, another little girl in her class had shown up and taken Chloe's place on the stage. Eeeeek! NOT GOOD. Chloe kinda lightly pushed her over (which the poor child couldn't move because it was sooooo crowded), but when the girl wouldn't move over, Chloe just sat on her lap. Eeeeeek again! After that, the sweet little girl found room to slide over and all was well. Chloe had her place on the stage and was ready to perform her little heart out. And that she did. And you know what she asked when she was done? "Mommy, I will probably never get to go be on stage again. I loooove being on stage mommy." I reassured the sweet drama queen that she would probably be on stage again at her next bible school in 2 weeks. Whew.

Strike a pose

Waiting for the program to start.

During the program she was peering over to make sure we were watching only her.

Now, on the working for a liven'. We have been saying for a year now that we were going to put Chloe to work in David's store this summer passing out mints and purell hand wipes. We want her to learn the Chick-fil-A culture because it is quite an amazing one, and honestly, she will work there probably until she leaves for college so the sooner she gets used to the environment, the better. So, Thursday was her first day to report for work. Brody got wind of it and decided he wanted to start working also. So I got him all dressed up in his little Chick-fil-A attire and gave him his "Brody" bucket stuffed with purell wipes. We headed to pick up Chloe from Bible School, changed her into her work attire and gave her the "Chloe" bucket stuffed with mints. And then their 1 hour shift began...from 12:30-1:30. Now, this is a super busy time in our store so next time I may choose a slower time, but the kids had fun, the customers loved it, and they saw how long they have to work to get even a little bit of earnings (they were paid with pez candy). Chloe and Brody both told me they were tired after working. Hahaha! I may send them to work every morning with their daddy and go pick them up around nap time.
Anyways, I got a pic of Brody before his shift started and then I forgot my camera and couldn't get one of Chloe. Enjoy the Brody-man though! He just makes me smile and laugh so much.

"Ex-coo me... here is a hand wipe.

It's my pweasure"

Dance Recital Done.

2011-06-05T21:11:00.000-05:00

So the year has officially come to an end. This was Chloe's second year of dancing at Natalie's Dance Network. We end the year feeling bittersweet. I am glad that we have a break for the summer (sort of), but sad that next year Chloe will not have her favorite (and only teacher ever), Taryn. Chloe and the other little girls absolutely LOVED Taryn. She was fabulous and fun, but she is so busy with college and her other job that she is having to move down to a substitute teacher position. She has actually danced at Natalie's since the doors opened...15 years ago!
Anyways, the recital was great! The girls worked so hard to learn their routines and they did them well. None of them were scared of the stage, lights, or loud music. All of them wanted to be on stage a lot more than they were, and all of them were so good in between routines. You see, our routines were about 2 hours apart so the girls had to keep entertained in between their dances. They were not allowed out of the dressing room so keeping them contained and happy would have been hard, but the girls were just really on their best behavior. They colored, watched movies, played with Pet Shoppe toys, did crafts, etc... I worked the dressing room Friday night and admit it was fun...except that the air was out in our dressing room and the temp was well over 85 degrees in that room with at least 50 people in it. UGH!!!
Anyways, on to pictures. This will be it for dance until July when it's time for dance camp...and she is already ready for that :)

Chloe is the 3rd one down. Tapping to "Everyday Princess"

Katie, Kendall, Chloe, Olivia

Check out my sweet ballerina on the end doing her twirl. Dancing to "Rainbow Connection"

I love ballet!!! Chloe is the second one from the right

In the dressing room

Olivia, Abigail and Chloe striking poses

Katie, Chloe, and Abigail. They are the 3 musketeers of the class.

Good friends (check out Chloe and Abigail holding hands while they eat

snack in the dressing room)

The whole class - front row: Brooklyn, Killian, Kendall, Jayda

Back row: Olivia, Abigail, Chloe and Katie

Ooooh, sweet Jesus I love this ballerina.

We're Goin To The Zoo Zoo Zoo

2011-06-05T08:41:00.000-05:00

A few weekends ago, on the spur of the moment took the kids to Nashville on a Friday night to stay in a hotel, swim and go to the zoo the next day. It was random. It was totally unplanned. And it was perfect. After getting to the hotel, we quickly got on bathing suits and hit the pool. The kids are like little fish. They both LOVE to swim and be in water. So they swam, jumped in and out, splashed, and played for about 2 hours before we made them get out.
After that, we made our way back to our room, settled in for bed and prepared for the next day. It wasn't quite that easy though. We had to get both kids to fall asleep with all of us in the same room, but eventually everyone slept and all was good.
Saturday morning, we enjoyed a quick breakfast at the hotel and then packed up and headed to the zoo. The weather was perfect, the crowds were few, and the kids were so tired that they whined most of the time we were there. So, after seeing everything except the elephants and giraffes (yes, those are my favorite things), we decided to just get out of there knowing that I would take them back again soon anyways.
Don't get me wrong. We had a good time, we were just tired and ready to get back home. Upon arriving back in Clarksville, the whole family took a much needed nap in our own beds and woke up refreshed and ready to play outside.

Getting ready to go

Brody has started walking with at least one hand in his pockets. So funny.

David and kids in the tunnel to get an up-close of the meercats. Brody LOVED these!

I cannot believe that prissy pants who is scared of a fly would pet a goat!

And Brody had to chase the goat down to get a "pet" in.

Spring Soccer - Over...Now What?

2011-06-05T08:17:00.000-05:00

For the past 9 Saturdays, we have been on the soccer field watching Chloe play her new found "favorite" sport. I put the word favorite in quotes because everything the child does is her "favorite thing ever!!!" I do have to admit though she has a natural talent and can dribble a soccer ball like no other 4 year old I know. She is a great defender and gets right on in the action when needed.
It was a fantastic season! All of the little girls did great as did the Coach...David! There was one little girl, Alyssa, who would always run up to David when she first got to practice or the game and yell "Coach, Coach!!!" Adorable. Anyways, if you have never seen 4 year olds play soccer, it's a must-do in life. It's funny, tense, cute, etc... Chloe ended up scoring 2 real goals this season, and 2 non-counted goals. The 2 non-counted goals were when she was so into the action that she continued to dribble the ball into the goal after the whistle was blown and all the other girls had stopped running. We never told her they didn't count because we could NOT break her little spirit. I cheered just like I did when her real goals were scored :)
And as for being a sideline parent. I was definitly a sideline parent. I got irritated when the "big" girl on the other team would stiff arm our little girls or push them and it not get called by the ref. I yelled "Go Little Ponies" and "Great job (insert name here)" more than you could imagine. I guess I really am a soccer mom.

However, it's over now. Our Saturdays are back to normal. Now what?!? I guess we wait until Fall Soccer and then go with the craziness all over again. I can't wait!

Summer Time

2011-05-23T20:26:00.000-05:00

Well, Parents Day Out is over and summer is here. Here is what I have planned for the kids this summer. The goal is to keep them busy because the first thing both of them ask each morning is "mommy, where are we going today?" So here is the run-down:
May 16th - every Monday for 6 weeks - both kids have swim lessons at the YMCA
June 1,2,3 - Cheer camp - this is a maybe, she isn't sure yet
June 3,4,5 - Chloe's dance recital
June 6-10 - VBS for Chloe at Hilldale (Brody isn't old enough to go yet)
June 20-24 - VBS for Chloe at Sango Methodist (different program than first one)
July 11-14 - Dance Camp for Chloe and Music Camp for Brody
July 18-21 - Dance Camp at the other dance studio (maybe)
I wish there were more things for Brody to do, but I will at least have some one on one time with my sweet boy while Chloe is at her various things. He and I will probably hit the library, parks, pools, and mall while Chloe is busy.
And I think that is all. We will be going to the free movies each week at Great Escape also (well, they are free this year, but ALMOST free), and I have signed up for a summer Bible study that kicks off in June so we will be there too. Also, the YMCA will be a daily occurrence and play dates with our church friends. We are hoping to throw in a vacay maybe at the end of July or beginning of August. We will see. Busy summer, but EXACTLY how we like it!

Pinterest. Where Have You Been All My Life?

2011-05-23T07:21:00.001-05:00

I have discovered the BEST website EVER! Especially since we are looking to build a house in the next year or so. Instead of pulling pictures from magazines like I had originally planned, I have found this website and have started "pinning" pictures that I like. I have things pinned for every room in the new house that I can think of so far. Super cute things for the rooms! I'm slightly addicted to this website so I wanted to share it with you all. It's kind of like an online scrapbook of things that you like.
And for my SIL - Kim - there are tons of ideas for photography! I have pinned some really cute photo ideas that my friend Heather is going to do for me. I am going to set up a session with her and have her try her hand at these adorable pics/poses or whatever you want to call them. I will send you an invite to join pinterest and then you can get to pinning too.
If any of you want to join in, give me a holler and I will send you an invite too. The web address is www.pinterest.com. Check out the things I have pinned. If you click on "people" then type my name in the search box a bunch of Kelly Blevins will come up. Scroll through and find my facebook picture of me and Chloe and then click and see! It's fun.

Names are Being Changed to Protect the Innocent...

2011-05-14T22:19:00.000-05:00

So tonight, my friend E called and asked me if I wanted to go with her for a pedicure and then have our hubbys and kids meet us at the Mexican restaurant afterwards for dinner. Sounded great to me so she came and picked me up and we set off.
Aaah, the pedi was so relaxing! The perfect pedi in the most quiet and relaxing environment with one of my best friends...what could be better? Oh, I know...the dinner we were going to have afterwards with our families.
And that's when the dream ended...
We get to the restaurant, get the kids all settled in, get everything ordered for everyone and begin waiting for our food. Well, my plate came out first and as the server sat the plate down, he knocked over my glass of water which spilled all over the table and onto E, her cell phone, the floor, etc.... He stood there for a second and then ran off. We assumed he was going to grab towels, but he NEVER came back. Well, that's not true, he actually did come back about 5 minutes later with everyone else's food stacked all the way up his arm and looked at us like we were dumb when we told him he couldn't put anything else down until the table was wiped up (we didn't even have napkins to do it ourselves). About that time, our original server came out and stood and just stared at the mess. Finally, after J had some verbal exchanges with the servers, they got some towels (and he didn't say anything ugly...he just said what we were all thinking...clean up the flippin mess or give us some towels and let us do it). During this whole process mind you, our whole section was looking at us, and our unruly kids in the booth across from us. Anyways, we finally get the mess cleaned up, and Brody comes over to our table and spills the chips all over the floor. REALLY!!! I kid you not. Then he steps on a few of them to boot. Now I was really feeling like everyone was looking at us like we were a bunch of hoodlums who shouldn't be allowed in public. Then, Chloe proceeds to tell me 3 times very loudly that she had to "pee pee mommy." So, I take her to the potty and there are a few other ladies in there. When Chloe gets ready to flush, she says, "wow mommy, this is the coolest flusher ever!" I heard some muffled laughs under the stall as Chloe went on and on about the flusher.
So, we return to the table and wrap things up so we can get out of there. The only great things that happened at this place were that J and E didn't have to pay a penny for their meals which is awesome, and we came away with another awesome memory with some of our best friends.
Oh, and on the way to the car, Chloe fell face first in the parking lot and scraped her knees, and hands and screamed like a banshee.
Whew...what a crazy night! I wanted to go back the the nail salon and request a manicure when we were done with dinner so I could relax a little more.

Family Picnic...seriously?!?

2011-05-05T15:16:00.000-05:00

OK, here is a bit of a rant. Just bear with me for a paragraph or two. My kids go to a Parents' Day Out program on Tuesday and Thursdays from 9-2. It is a wonderful program and we have been going there for 3 years now. That being said, there are a few things I really have a problem with. Number 1 problem is that next week they are using one of our "paid for" school days as the family picnic day at the park. Come on! Really?!? Don't they remember that we missed tons of school days due to the weather in January and February? And those were days we still paid for. Do they not know that all of us moms will be "park-ing" all summer with our kids?!? Do they not realize that with just 2 weeks left of PDO that we value every last one of those days and we really don't want to spend it with a ton of kids at a park when we have paid for them to be in school that day. If you are going to do a park day, do it on a non-school day, then maybe more moms would show up and maybe we wouldn't be so bitter about going. Actually, I may not even go. I may opt to go to the gym that day. No, that's not true, I would feel major mother guilt for not going, so I will show up with lunches packed, sunscreen, extra juice, and blankets to spread out and sit there and endure it for the 3 hours or so with the other moms who there thinking the same things I just said.
Number 2 is that if we truly follow the school system's schedule, then why oh why do our kids not start until September when the school system always starts around August 8th? I'm done with that one. I don't even want to get into it.

Check Them Out

2011-04-25T23:02:00.000-05:00

I updated with 4 new posts that include pictures so be sure to check them all out. Grandparents...you won't want to miss these adorable pictures of your grandbabies!

Easter Pictures

2011-04-25T22:58:00.000-05:00

Why is it soooo hard to get pictures? One smiles, the other doesn't. One looks at the camera, the other looks outside. One stands up straight, one slumps over like they are miserable. Grrr....despite all of that though, I took pictures anyways. Enjoy.

Super cute little pose! I know I am biased, but I happen to think my little girl is absolutely beautiful.

Handsome little Brody. This was a quick throw together outfit. Brody hit a growth spurt this month and outgrew his original outfit before he could even wear it :(

As for the hair...well, I had to force him to take off the Toy Story hat that the bunny brought him.

All of the cousins except for the newest baby Adalynn. We missed you baby A, Kim and Jordan!

Chloe's basket and Brody's basket

loving the Toy Story hat!

Mmmmm...chocolate bunny!

Check out Emma's sweet and sassy little pose! I love it!!!!

Easter Activities

2011-04-25T18:27:00.000-05:00

So this year I have really gotten crafty and adventurous with scissors, glue, paper, cooking, etc... And for those who know me well, those things and I normally do NOT go hand in hand. However, I am enjoying this new found craftiness and the kids are too! Let me share with you guys all that we have done this holiday beginning with making Resurrection Rolls.
The night before Easter, I decided to try a new recipe since the kids are really grasping the Easter Story for the first time this year. So Chloe, Brody, Emma, Nicklaus, Sharon, and myself all gathered together in the kitchen. We gave everyone crescent roll dough and had them put a marshmallow inside. Then I explained that the marshmallow was like Jesus' body and that after they took him off the cross, they wrapped his body in cloth. Then the kids wrapped up the marshmallow in the cresent roll dough. Then we brushed the top of the roll with butter, cinnamon and sugar which symbolized the oils and spices they used on Jesus's body before burial. Next, we cooked them and after they cooled came the real surprise. As they bit into them, they could see that the marshmallow was gone showing that Jesus was no longer in that cloth or tomb because he is alive in Heaven. It was a really cool experience and I am so glad we did it.

Next we dyed Easter Eggs. Can I just say that every single year I say that I won't dye eggs the next year because Brody always tries to drink the dye, it's messy, it's hard to get off of fingers, and it's just not this mama's cup of tea. BUT...I always forget the bad parts and get giddy over dying eggs so we always do them. This year was no exception.

And then for some more little crafty projects...take a look:

Teacher gifts for Chloe and Brody's teachers at Parent's Day Out. These are called Bunny Brownies and I attached the recipes to the lids.

Easter Garland hand made.

Getting ready to make the resurrection rolls

Brandon is our assistant for the little kids. Chloe is admiring her rolled up marshmallow.

Emma striking a pose for the camera. So sweet!!!

Chloe putting the butter and spices on the roll.

Brody getting ready to dump his spices on

And this is the only picture of dying eggs that I took because I was too busy trying to make sure egg dye didn't end up all over the place and that eggs were not broken like crazy.

Family is Here!!!

2011-04-25T18:12:00.000-05:00

This past Friday I was so excited to welcome my older brother and his family into our home in TN. He, his wife, and their 3 amazing kids made the 10 hour trek to spend Easter with us. This has been nothing short of a glorious visit and pretty much nothing I can say will do it justice. It has just all in all been perfect. I didn't realize just how much I really missed being around family until they came here and I know that tomorrow when they leave to go back to NC it is going to be a bit lonely. Chloe and Brody will certainly miss their cousins! Emma and Brody are just 1 month apart so they are both 2.5 years old, Nicklaus is 8, and Brandon is 15. And with Chloe being 4 we have had the whole gamut of ages here. FUN!
So, what have we done? Well, on Friday we kind of just chilled out because they were super tired from their drive. The kids all played outside for a long time though and we enjoyed the nice weather. On Saturday, we all went to Chloe's soccer game where SHE SCORED HER FIRST GOAL!!!! She was super proud by the way. And I think she was really excited to have her cousins there watching because she kept looking at us and smiling during the game. After that, we ventured to grab lunch and then headed to RiverView Mounds Farm for their Easter Egg Hunt and other events. That was a total blast!!! We go there every year, but they have really changed it and there was TONS more to do this year. I will save the details in words and instead post pictures below to show you all that we did there. And then on Sunday we all worshipped together at our church. That was simply glorious as well!!! Thank you Lord for that resurection day! Because of that, there is HOPE that never fails. After church, we came home and had a fantabulous meal of fried turkey, deviled eggs, green beans, macaroni, yeast rolls, and pie. Sounds great, huh? Guarantee it tasted even better than you can imagine! And then we went to our friends' house for a big Easter celebration. There were probably 20 adults and 30 kids?!? It was crazy organized chaos. Truly that is the best way to describe it. The kids had a blast hunting easter eggs and playing with their friends and we had a great time hanging with our friends.
Today, we are heading down to Nashville to do a bit of sight-seeing before they have to leave tomorrow. I think our main stop will be Opryland Hotel and the Ryman Auditorium. And then we will head down to Broadway and walk around downtown. Maybe show them the Titans Stadium, Vanderbilt University, and the famous Gigi's Cupcakes. I would not be a good sister/sister-in-law/aunt if I did not let them in on the wonderful secret of Gigi's!
OK, on to pictures now.

Let's go hunt eggs mom!

Yes, I know I'm cute!

Baby Goat at the Farm. Brody loved this!

Nick rode the pony. Pretty neat!

Brody found a farm set to play with and LOVED it!

River View Mounds Farm

Sandbox fun!

Nick coming off the slide

On the hayride...Chloe is more concerned about a hangnail.

Corn-pit. There were kernels all over the place when we got home!

Seriously he has the best eyes!

Emma observing the corn-pit from a slight distance.

Brandon and Nicklaus stuffing corn kernels down Brandon's shirt!

EGG HUNT!!!!

Oooh, I see an egg...nevermind the 2 behind me!

Dropping in the basket while continuing to search the ground.

Brody on the barrel train ride. He was steering with a mission!

Sunday is Coming!

2011-04-24T16:38:00.000-05:00

Thank you Lord for Friday, but good grief, PRAISE YOU LORD FOR SUNDAY!!!

Double Trouble

2011-04-21T15:13:00.000-05:00

So for 2 weeks now my kids have been sick. It started with Chloe having an asthma flare up along with strep throat and an ear infection. After 20 days of antibiotics and several other meds, she got completely better except for a lingering cough. Brody got sick a little over a week ago with a bad cough and green snotty nose. I took him in to see the pedi and she started him on Zyrtec with instructions to call back if he wasn't better within 5 days. Today, I decided that I should probably call about both kids since they are both still coughing like crazy (to the point of vomiting), and Brody is also still snotting everywhere. I took them both in today per the advice of the nurse and they both now have sinus infections and are both on Omnicef for the next 10 days. I can't believe we made it through the whole winter with everyone well and now spring is kicking us. Tennessee weather is crazy!!!

Speaking of that, here is how exhausted I was last night. We had tornados come through Clarksville, the city sirens went off, and what did I do??? I slept through the entire thing. Had no idea anything had happened until I got on Facebook this morning and saw that we should have been in our downstairs bathroom last night around 1:00 AM. Believe me when I say that I have thanked God immensely today for His protection last night. Also, a house in our neighborhood was struck by lightening this morning around 5:00 and I slept through the firetruck and police sirens!!! What in the world?!? Their house is totally destroyed. Very sad to see. We didn't know them, but when it hits that close to home, it's easy to see just how easily that could have been our house. Again, thank you Lord for protecting us!

Anyways, I am having camera connector difficulty and can't get my camera cord to work hence no pictures lately. Grr! Totally frustrating. I will keep working on it and see what I can do. Until then though, no pictures.

Total Case of the Mondays

2011-04-18T21:09:00.000-05:00

Today has been blah at best. I didn't get up to work out when I should have so I missed it. Then I stayed home all morning doing laundry and cooking chicken so it wouldn't go bad from being in the refrigerator for so long. And of course it happened to be lots of chicken from SAMS Club so I had to cook it all. Lord knows what I will do with it. I'm thinking a poppyseed chicken casserole, chicken salad sandwiches, chicken quesadillas, and sour cream chicken enchiladas. I guess I will get to work on all those things soon and just freeze what I can and eat it later.
Anyways, after getting all that done, along with feeding my two munchkins, it was time for the family to head down to Nashville to be the "talent" in a music video. The lead singer for Building 429 is our friend and worship pastor Jason Roy. He asked us to be in the video for his newest song and album title "Listen To The Sound." It was a really cool experience. Our kids got to check out the tour bus and we all got to hang out in the green room until it was our turn to film. Can't wait to see the finished product!

The rest of the week proves to be just as busy. Lab work and dr appt tomorrow along with piano lesson and police class tomorrow night. Wednesday is bible study and a meeting at church for small group leaders. Thursday is meeting at the YMCA with the breast cancer program director and soccer practice. And Friday my family comes into town for a visit. Saturday is a soccer game and some sightseeing with my family and then Sunday is Easter services at church and a cookout with some friends.
OK, I'm exhausted just thinking about it all so off to bed I go. Good night blogger friends, good night!

It's Monday Again?!?

2011-04-11T15:30:00.000-05:00

My weeks are totally flying by lately. I am so crazy busy that I feel like I barely get my pajamas off before it's time to put them on again and go back to bed. Here is my menu for the week...well, at least my dinners for the week because I eat the same breakfasts and lunches pretty much every day (which are in some previous Monday posts). OK, here we go:
Monday: Good Earth Meal with Italian Green Beans
Tuesday: tacos
Wednesday: Chicken and Tomato Saute with whipped maple potatoes
Thursday: Spiced Chicken with Collard Green Saute
Friday: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Balsamic Roasted Broccoli
As always, if you want any recipes, post a comment and I will post the recipe for you.

Other than figuring out what to eat for the week, I have been busy today since 4:15 AM. I get up early every other day to work out with my trainer at 5:30, but before I leave the house, I like to get in my quiet time and start my day off with God on the forefront of my mind. It makes the biggest difference for me! Other than that, I have been doing 9 loads of laundry (have 2 left), fixing lunches for 5 kids, hanging with my friend DeAnna (who brought her 3 youngest kids over to play so we could catch up), playing with the kids, decorating for Easter a little bit...like a very little bit. In a few minutes, I have to get the kids up so we can get Chloe to dance and then I am heading up to Madisonville, KY with my friend Erin for a special church service at the church she grew up in. I am so excited! And then I will hit the sack and get ready for my busy day tomorrow...
Alright, that's it for my manic Monday. Does anyone else have crazy Mondays?

Bi-Polar?!?

2011-04-10T07:42:00.000-05:00

Today, I feel bi-polar. Let me explain and I am almost 100% sure that those of you with toddlers may just have some situational bi-polar-ness too. We started out the day with my kids cooperating and being really good. They were playing well together, laughing together etc... Brody even woke up dry and used the potty!!!
THEN...things changed. We got to the soccer field for Chloe's game and Brody started acting out! He was throwing popcorn, crying, trying to put his chair on the field, and just about everything else you could imagine. Then Chloe got upset because another mom had given Brody a sucker and she didn't have one. She actually came off the field because she wanted "what Brody had." I really quickly went from happy and proud mommy to irritated and frustrated and kinda mad mommy. When the game ended, I was so relieved...
BUT THEN... Brody went back to happy boy and Chloe was thrilled with her performance during the game. Everything was fine and dandy. David brought the kids home for naps while I went to my friend Kara's house for some much needed "catch-up" time. It was glorious!!!
THEN...I get home and we took the kids bowling and to Chili's for dinner. Bowling was great but eating was HORRIBLE! Brody wanted to go potty while we were waiting on our food, but he refused to actually pee each time we went in there. I started to once again get slightly irritated.
THEN...the food finally arrived and what does Brody do? Refuse to eat even one bite of his meal. Would not eat one stinkin' bite but instead crawled under the table a million times, harassed Chloe, blew Sprite bubbles in his cup rather wildly, dumped all the sugar packets out, fought with Chloe over the silverware, and again, everything else you could imagine.
AND THEN...we get home, he poops in the potty, takes a bath without fussing at all, and is now making me a "surprise" with paper, crayons and scissors. He and Chloe have watched a movie in her room together, shared a bowl of popcorn (his treat for pooping in the potty), and been the sweetest most happy little guy this mama could ask for. Therefore, I am back to happy, relaxed, and in love with my job as mommy.
All in all, this day was literally night and day. Things were great, things were horrible, things were great. And at this point, we are ahead so we are calling it a night with the kids and getting them in the bed...before I get close to going off the deep end. Again.
Wait, it just occurred to me. Maybe I, and other moms, are not the bi-polar ones, but instead it's the beautiful creatures called TODDLERS who are.

Germs, Bugs, and Bacteria

2011-04-06T22:01:00.000-05:00

I feel the need to disinfect my daughter, my house, my sheets, her sheets, every cup we own, and heck, even disinfect the dog while we are at it. Why?!? Well, because after we have gone 1 solid week with some healed up ears, she wakes up this morning and the day progresses with a terribly tight cough, faint wheezing, rapid breathing, and having to work hard to breathe. Oh, and lest I forget the fever she spiked.
So we wound up back at the pedi office for the 3rd time in 4 weeks. She has her 3rd ear infection in 4 weeks (tubes fell out, ear drum busted and now there is a small hole in the drum), has strep throat, and an asthma flare-up. GEESH!!! My poor girl cannot catch a break lately. She is quite pitiful though...laying around, using her energy to get her breaths in and fight infection. Right now she is cuddled up on my bed and is staying here tonight since she is having some breathing issues. She is a trooper though. I explained the meds she would have to be on and she took them all up with no arguement at all. That's right, a neb treatment that lasts 15 minutes, an inhaler treatment every 4-6 hours as needed for distressed breathing, singulair for allergies, Orapred for swelling in the respiratory system, and Augmentin for the strep throat and ears.
We go see her ENT doc tomorrow for him to check out her ears again. I am praying this child does not need another surgery, but if another set of ear tubes are needed, then put them in because the first set worked miracles for her!!!
Pray for my baby Chloe and this sad mama's heart as I try my best to tenderly care for her. I'll keep yall posted as to what, if any, changes follow in the next day or two.

She has earned the privelege of sleeping with mommy and daddy tonight since she is

not breathing perfectly. It's either that or I am up all night checking in on her.

Tackling It On Tuesday

2011-04-05T22:55:00.000-05:00

So this week I don't have a lot of time on Tuesday (I'm even pre-writing my post) to tackle anything extra as I am going to have lunch with my girl at Parents' Day Out and then I'm grabbing my boy too and we are off to Nashville for an appointment. And actually, I guess that all qualifies as extra things I am tackling in my already crazy busy day.
Anyways, in the spirit of Easter, and the fact that my kids are obsessed with Easter eggs, I made an Easter Egg Wreath. Yep, I actually MADE IT MYSELF!!! I saw it on someone else's blog and decided that it would be fun and easy to make and it took me about 30 minutes to do it. Here's what you do, in case you decide to tackle it in a spare 30-45 minutes you may have:

1. grab either a grapevine wreath or a styrofoam circular wreath. I used a grapevine wreath that I got at Wal-Mart for $8.
2. get 3-4 bags of plastic Easter eggs. I got 3 big bags from Wal-Mart for just over $2 each. That was just enough eggs.
then to make the wreath, you just:
1. lay the wreath down flat
2. begin by hot-gluing the eggs down in various patterns.
3. fill the wreath completely on the front and on the inner inside (I even did a double layer on the top to cover all visible parts of the wreath)
4. let dry and hang

Monday - menu and update

2011-04-04T13:34:00.000-05:00

So last week we had a few things come up that I didn't really expect so most of the meal plans are repeats of the week before. Actually all of them are because the ones I did get to make were SO VERY GOOD! So instead of repeating the whole menu from last week in this post, I will tell you the advantages of getting the entire menu planned and ready before your week even really starts.

1. the breakfasts were super fast and yummy. I think the hardest thing about this part of the menu was getting dried oatmeal off the bowls. Really... why is it soooo hard? At times I would rather just throw the bowl away.
2. The snacks were a cinch since I pre-bagged them all and put them in their own bin in the fridge. It was nice to not even have to think about it, or count anything! I just did a grab and run.
3. I have developed quite the taste for plain water although deep down I do still desire a little flavor in it. I have been drinking tons of it though so that's good.
4. the lunches are pretty easy if I wait until the kids are napping to eat. The only thing I didn't account for is that on Wednesdays after Bible Study we always hit up Chick-fil-A so on that day I got a grilled chicken sandwich and a cup of fruit. And on Saturdays after Chloe's soccer game we will usually hit up the local frozen yogurt place (Beary Bear) to celebrate her game. So...on Saturdays, fat free frozen yogurt is my lunch.
5. Dinners are super easy! I have everything pre-chopped and all ingredients in a bin in the fridge so I pull the bin out, and get to cooking. Super easy and hardly any mess since it's all pre-measured/cut/chopped/etc....
6. another huge advantage is that I did lose 2.2 pounds this week. That is probably thanks to eating really healthy and working out with my training group. I've had more energy, felt more alive, and just generally happier.

All in all, a healthy week last week with a great anticipation for another one this week! And again, if you want to check out the website I use for my meals/recipes/shopping lists, it's www.plantoeat.com

Friday Fun...or Something Like It

2011-04-01T16:22:00.000-05:00

Friday in the Blevins' Household is our fun day. I generally either have a play date planned for the kids or we go to Nashville or do crafts. Today, we went shopping with friends at the local mall. Honestly, the kids were awful! They threw fits, argued, begged, pleaded, and got mad when I wouldn't do everything they asked. Now, know this. My kids want for NOTHING. They probably have waaaay too much for their own goods anyways (or they did before this mommy dearest got to organizing and cleaning). Despite this, my fashion forward Chloe wanted every "adorable" thing she saw including shoes, skirts, shirts, and jewelry...and a Hello Kitty Lunchbox because "mommy! This is the cutest thing EVER!!!" Brody, my ever so all-boy boy begged to ride the little rides a million times, wanted new flip flops, a batman lunchbox, and pretzels with sprite because "mama, I REALLY firsty."
By the time we got home we all 3 took naps. I won't be taking them to the mall together again for a LONG time!
So, today...was it the fun Friday we had planned? Nope. But after taking those naps, we woke up refreshed and ready to paint rocks they collected yesterday on our afternoon walk. And now, I am too tired to even get into how that went. Maybe tomorrow...

Boogers and Poop and Spit, Oh My!

2011-03-30T07:11:00.000-05:00

I know...gross! However, that has become my life since my baby turned 2. All Brody talks about (or so it seems) is boogers and poop. He is fascinated. I mean really fascinated by them. And he doesn't just talk about them, he also feels the need to get me involved in this by doing things such as this: I will be driving and he will say "here mommy." I reach back unsuspecting and he puts a booger in my hand and laughs. Thanks a ton son! And when I tell him we don't play with boogers or give them to people, he just laughs even more because I said boogers. Geesh. Boys! But it can be worse, and at times it is. Here are some of the other ways little guy talks about these things (and these are all things that have happened recently)...

1. We are walking down the aisle in Wal-Mart and he says "hello Mr Poopy-pants"...and it's a perfect stranger. Imagine my embarrassment while he and Chloe crack up.
2. I will be disciplining him and I say, "do you understand that this is your warning?" He replies..."yes ma'am mommy poopy-pants." Where do I go with that?
3. He randomly tells people that he has boogers.
4. He is enthralled with spitting...not like men spit, but that baby spit thing. And he especially loves it when we are trying to eat. Yeah, last night, he actually spit shrimp particles in my face and blew milk bubbles so hard that I got splashed. Grrrr!!!!
5. Yesterday on the way to Parents' Day Out, Chloe said something about poop and Brody felt the need to be righteous and tell me, "mommy, Chloe said poopy. Chloe don't say that word. It is a potty word only. Don't say it...okay poopy-pants?"
5. And finally, the other day he and Chloe were downstairs with some friends playing and I hear them having a contest to see who could say "poop" the fastest. Guess who won...and who laughed hysterically every single time. Yep, that would be David's boy :)

How in the world could this sweet little angel turn into a mischievous little man.

Really, can't you see the mischief written all over his sweet face?!? And I am quite

sure he was laughing in the pic because he said the word poopy.