Why girls are WAY better!

...and I'm talking about more than the obvious things like the ability control certain bodily functions until the end of meal.

I've had the pleasure of spending a couple of days with my little sister (she's only 10) and she just makes me happy. After keeping the boys busy all day (which that alone makes me happy) we just have so much fun being girls. The truth is...I am a girly girl, contrary to what some of my friends (Lana) would say. Not necessarily in the sense of getting all dressed cute and made up for a random Tuesday...but in other ways. Brooke and I do silly girl things. We dance to cheesy Disney songs in our pajamas (we make sure no one is watching, of course). She comforts me when I cry while watching Ice Princess. I brush her hair...for hours. And of course we talk...really talk. Don't get me wrong, my boys and I talk all the time, but somehow it's just not the same kind of conversation girlfriends or sisters or mothers and daughters share.

Today I took my little sister (Brooke) and the boys to the Children's Discovery Center in Mississippi. We also went with my older sister and her two stepson's, ages 18 and 14, who are in town for a few weeks. If you're wondering how she was able to convince two teenage boys to go to a Children's Museum with a bunch of kids, please read back to the past blog where it is mentioned that she has a positive attitude. She simply walked in their room, woke them up (11:00am) and told them we were going to "have a great day acting like kids again in a place where we wouldn't see anyone we knew". GENIUS! And did they act like kids?! They dressed up costumes; climbed in the mazes with the little ones and sipped fake tea with their pinkies out (I did mention these are boys right?). Anyway, we had a great time there. The original plan was to go to the beach after, but a typical summer thunderstorm quickly changed that plan. So we ended up at the outlet mall for pizza and a little shopping.

Speaking of food...those teenage boys can EAT! Before we left for the day they each ate 3 sausage, egg and cheese biscuits, then ate an entire monster size pizza AND a bowl of spaghetti just a few hours later! Both of them are as thin as rails, so I don't know where they put it. Those of you who know me...know that we don't spend much on groceries. If this is how typical teenage boys eat, I'm going to need to look for a job!

A day without my hubby

Well....EVERY DAY is a day without my hubby, but today was Sunday. I'm use to having him around on the weekends and I feel a little cheated when he has something to do. But since I'm trying to have a good attitude (see previous post) I decided to make the best of it and try not to give him a hard time about needing to leave.


First, please know that we do have bad days, really bad days, in fact most days are filled with meltdowns, bloody noses and tears. Did I mention meltdowns? But as I said in my very 1st post, I'm only going to write the good things about my family and today was filled with good things....


We started by going to church... just the boys and me. We were on time and actually a little early. They both went to their Sunday School classes happily and without incident. And even though I'm not crazy about sitting by myself, I ended up being surrounded by people I knew so I didn't feel too pathetic. The music was especially uplifting and I spent half the service fighting tears of appreciation for everything I have. The sermon was awesome, as usual, and I left feeling inspired and ready face my busy week.


I promised the boys we'd go to our favorite "fancy" breakfast restaurant after church, so that was our next stop. The wait was long, but they sat quietly and waited for over 30 minutes. Since there were no available seats to wait in, they found two empty magazine holders (that actually looked like children's chairs) and sat in them. They thought they were so smart for figuring that out. Once we finally sat at our table, they sipped their $3 chocolate milks (served in a fancy glass with LOTS of whipped cream and a straw) and ate all of their breakfast. We had interesting and educational conversation and the word "poop" was not used once throughout the entire meal. This is a huge accomplishment. At one point, a man from the table next to us turned to me and said how well behaved they were. That comment from a stranger has made me decide that I need to start telling people (especially moms) the same thing when I notice their children behaving well. As moms we don't get much encouragement or appreciation, so it's up to us to support each other. Anyway, breakfast....was a success!


Next, we had to go back to church to drop of some decorations for VBS. As I figured, I ended up staying to help for several hours. The boys, again, were really good and helpful. They're even more excited about going to VBS now since they've seen a little preview of what to expect. By this time my hubby was home and rather than tackle the mess in my house, I asked him if he would mind if I went back to church alone to see if they needed anything else (sadly, that is what I like to do for fun). He was fine with it so I went back and ended up meeting some great people. It's amazing what a little uninterrupted, adult conversation can do for a person whose main vocabulary consists of phrases like..."because I said so"; "please don't pee on your brother"; and "Sweetheart, your underwear are on backwards again"!!!

In today's sermon, the Pastor talked about a man who said "I've been going to church for 20 years and I've heard thousands of sermons...but I can't remember what any of them have been about. It's all been a big waste of time." Another man responded "I've been married for 20 years, and in those years my wife has prepared thousands of meals for me. I don't remember much about those meals...but, they've nourished me every day of my life." I'm sure you can see where he was going with this...

This day, reminded me of the sermon. After all is said and done, this wasn't a day that I'll remember for a long time. We didn't really do anything out of the ordinary or special or life changing. It was just another day...another great day.

Why we sail.

I do not have a bad attitude...I do not have a bad attitude. OK, apparently I have a bad attitude. My husband tells me all the time, but now my friends are telling me too! So, I complain when I have to exercise...doesn't everyone? Apparently not. As I'm working out with Amy, she's begging the teacher (who happens to be my sister) for more and smiling and talking and looking like she just loves the pain. And me? I just want to know when the next water break is going to be and praying my shoes come untied so I can stop for a minute.

So...I'm refocusing. I'm ready to be positive. I am woman. I have a good attitude...I have a good..................Oops, dozed off for a second there. I have a good attitude.

OK. Here we go.
Sometimes when I tell people we have a boat they'll say "you mean your husband has a boat". But the truth is I love it too! My husband and I fell in love on his sailboat. Since falling in love means getting married, buying a house, having kids and less money in general, we sold the sailboat. We've since tried other recreational vehicles (4-wheelers, jet ski's, powerboats...and when I say "we" I mean "he") but, they just weren't my thing. We have often talked about getting another sailboat and after years of saving, we finally did it. It is everything I remembered and more! Although, it is a totally different experience with the kids, it's still wonderful. I'm not sure which is better...enjoying it with friends (see My Bayou Vieux's blog), or just the spur of the moment family trips.

Last night was one of the last minute family trips. I heard that the moon was supposed to beautiful, so we decided to go out, watch the sunset and check out the moon. My husband picked up some steaks, I grabbed the boys' swimsuits and we were off. After a short ride and one 3-year-old meltdown we anchored at the beach for a swim. I'm going to bore you with details now, so feel free to skip to the next paragraph. The water was calm except for the unusual amount of fish jumping out of the water. The beach was almost private, a welcome change from the weekends, where the abundance of teenagers and obscene music is pretty much intolerable. I even convinced my husband to play the instrumental guitar CD we have. I have to mention it was the CD we listened to at our wedding rehearsal. Every time I hear it I can picture his grandparents dancing in our backyard while wedding construction was happening all around them. And as I sat on the boat eating the steak my husband just made me, I watched my kids and their daddy playing in sand and water and realized that this is what I want them to remember about their childhood.

So, I am making a promise to myself right here...right now. Every time I even think about exercising....we are going for a boat ride instead. It's simply just the right thing to do for my family. After all, what's more important? The few extra pounds I've put on, or a lifetime of memories for my children?

Could my kids be any more different?

As I'm sitting here checking my email, my kids are inside their tent trying to work out the details of an imaginary game. The older one wants to play "baby and mommy". The younger one wants to play "golf player Power Ranger with a shootin' gun". Keep in mind, he has never seen a Power Ranger show, he has a few of the action figures and just assumes that they play golf and shoot guns. Somehow, their game seems to be working out. The "mommy" is a Power Ranger, and they are taking about going to work to get a snack (probably because I haven't fed them breakfast yet). Now their conversation has turned to Buzz Lightyear. I think he's the waiter (or "the man" as they call) it in their imaginary restaurant. Ty is telling Buzz "I'm going to count to four and you better give me it" (just in case you're wondering...the tone is not very nice). I really hate hearing my words come back to haunt me! I'm now being interupted by Ty, who needs to "check his PBSkids.org".
This would be a good time to make breakfast!

Fathers Day!

Fathers Day... where should I begin? My hubby decided (well...asked) if he could go 4-wheeler-riding with a friend for the day. Since we have several Fathers and Grandfathers that live within driving distance I told him as long he we wouldn't be missing any big family gatherings that I wouldn't mind at all. Lucky for him, when I called around there wasn't much going on so he made plans to go. I thought I'd just spend the day at home with the kids and try to get some cleaning done, but at the last minute we had a message that there would be a get-together with some of his family. So I decided I would just pack the kids up and make the rounds (which meant 4 stops). The closest stop being a little over an hour away and about 30 minutes in between each one. Of course, I totally judged the timing wrong, so we only ended up spending about 45 minutes at each stop until we reached our final destination, where my hubby met up with us (that's the area where he was 4-wheeling).

Even though we rushed around all day and dodged huge lightning storms in between, the kids were actually really good. It usually takes them about an hour to warm-up to new places so they never were comfortable enough to complain or whine even though they didn't have lunch or dinner until after 8pm. My 3-year-old even proudly recited all 18 of the bible verses he knows for his Aunt and Grandmother (OK...I had to bribe him and promise him he could have some Sprite if he did it). Later, when we realized how late it was getting we ordered pizza. When it arrived, everyone was finding places to sit and eating as fast as they could while 5 different conversations were going on (the normal chaos). Then, Ty quietly started singing our usual mealtime prayer. Within seconds, the room was silent and we all prayed together. It was adorable and of course, I felt soooo proud of him.

Now that I'm thinking about it, my kids have been really into prayer lately. Before we left for our adventure today, I was telling the boys about all the "Dads" we were going to see. They asked if we'd be seeing Paw Paw Courtney. I told them we wouldn't because he was in heaven with Jesus (and has been for over 20 years). So they decided we should say a prayer and ask Jesus to tell him Happy Father's Day for us. Of course...we did. Later while driving in a really bad rain storm I heard Sam whispering something to himself so I turned the radio down to hear him . He must have sensed that I was nervous because he was telling God that he knew we needed rain to make the flowers grow, but if he could please just slow it down for a little while. Again...soooo proud and touched that he was doing that for me.

I really think I'm going to like this blogging thing. I probably would never have remembered these moments if I hadn't sat down and thought about something great to say about today.

1st Time Blogger!

(OK Amy...I'm finally doing it, this one is for you!)
I love reading my friend Amy's blogs, and she always tell me how much she loves to do it. So one day she sends me an email with this website and an account all set up for me and ready to go. She knows me well because I would have been totally overwhelmed at the thought of setting it up and would have thought about doing it...but never would have got around to it.

I guess what inspired me to start was my recent "Girls Weekend". A couple of good friends of mine (Lana & Tamara) have been going on a weekend trip with five other friends for almost 10 years now. They invited me to join them two years ago, and we just returned from our four day stay at the Retreat Cabins in Poplarville, Mississippi (our cabin is pictured above). It was awesome! There's a handful of quaint (and more importantly...clean) little cabins snuggled into over 100 acres of nature. I know what some people may think..."a weekend in a cabin...no cable...no phone (well, we did have our cell phones and if we leaned over the back porch at just the perfect angle we could get some reception)...no restaurants...no wireless...what are they thinking?!" I guess I forgot to mention the most important part...it's quiet and they offer in room massages! That sealed the deal for us. We have 13 children between us and one on the way. So quiet, relaxation is very rare in any of our lives. We all take turns cooking at least one meal and we all help clean up. It's funny to see everyone's style of cooking. For some, they open bag of donuts and pre-made bagels and serve them on paper plates, and for others (Deborah), it it a full 5 course meal with appetizers, soup...and some spectacular entree that is slaved over for hours. Either way, we all sit together at the table for what seems like hours. We don't have to cut anybody's food, nobody complains about what is served, nobody cries because someone is sitting in "their" chair. It's wonderful!

While having our adult dinner conversation one night, the topic turned to the massages we had all had. The first thing the the masseuse said to each of us once we were on the table was "relax and go to your happy place". As we shared our "happy places", the usual ones were the beach, in bed...etc. But my friend Lana said "at the dinner table with my family". I was floored (and felt a little guilty). She quickly added that most of the time it is NOT the best experience, but...there are day's when everyone is happy, everyone loves what is on their plate, and the conversation is priceless. (OK...now I feel guilty and a little jealous). But after thinking about it, I realize that we do have those moments, so I needed to start documenting them so I wouldn't forget them!

So...my goal for this blog, is to document the good things about my family. I can't promise that I won't throw in a couple of complaints here and there (my poor husband gets to hear most of those), but I'm going to try and keep it positive!

Thanks so much Amy! I'm sure you've been checking to see when I would start!