Anonymous Commenter

Dear Anonymous Commenter,

I understand that you have an opinion as does everyone else in the world. You have been taking the time to leave not-so-nice comments on several of my posts, present and past. So, I thought I would respond, (which I cannot do in a private setting as I have no way to contact you!).

1. I am not too young to have three children. Am I young? Yes. Does that mean I am any less of a mother than some of the older parents? No way!
2. Just because I took pictures of my girls bickering rather than break it up, does not make me a bad mother. I feel that there is a time to intervene and a time to work out their differences among themselves. No one was being hurt in any way, so I let them work it out.
3. If you are going to comment on my blog and judge my parenting skills, please do not do it anonymously. If you have the nerve to write what you did about me and my parenting, leave your name.
4. If you don't like how my husband and I conduct our family, DON'T READ MY BLOG! This is a virtual scrapbook of sorts for my family and friends.
5. And, one more thing, I do love my girls more than anything. But, I feel this is a place to be honest and true. Life is not always smiles and giggles. If you say yours is, you are lying to yourself and others.

So, Anonymous Commenter, I deleted your comments. I don't feel they something that I want to be on my blog. Have a nice day! We sure will in our house...although, I am SURE there will be some fighting amongst the girls. (I might even argue with my husband about what's for dinner! OH THE HORROR!)

Yours truly,

Boni

It's not all smiles ALL THE TIME...

This weekend was pretty low key. We hung out at the house, watched football, grilled out and played outside.

Most of the time, it's like this around here...

But, this afternoon, we were outside. Emma was playing Frisbee. Hannah was dragging a chair around and sitting in various spots in the yard. Catherine was watching. Then, this went down...

And...this is what Catherine thought about it all...

All Smiles

Finally caught these smiles on camera!

Time flies...

...when you're changing diapers!

I have been changing this sweet girl's diapers for two months now! I can hardly believe it's been that long.

We went to see Dr. Lovell and he said she is doing "perfect". (His word, not mine...but I TOTALLY agree!)

Catherine weighs 10 lbs 1 oz and is 23 inches long. Dr. L also said she should be a volleyball player because she is TALL!

She is eating 5-6 ounces every 4 hours. Catherine takes a 2 1/2 hour nap in the mornings and a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. She is sleeping from 8pm-7am every night.

Catherine is smiling all the time and LOVES to sit in her bouncy chair and watch her sisters run wild. She also LOVES when we go for walks in the evenings and just sitting outside either in my lap or in her swing. She is trying SO hard to sit up!

This little girl is so loved and is SHOWERED with attention. We could not be more blessed to have such a happy healthy baby!

PC-napped

Hey, guys! It's me, Catherine!

I am two months old and I am pretty sure my Mommy forgot to post about how wonderfully I am doing. So, while she is trying to keep the tons and tons of laundry done, I stole her computer.

I am so happy in my house and love my new school. Sometimes, I miss my Mommy and Daddy, but my big sister, Hannah, comes to give me kisses and makes it all better. I love when we get home and my other big sister, Emma, rubs my belly (which is growing so fast!).

My Mommy, Daddy and both sisters talk to me all the time. I usually squeak out a coo, squirm around and flash a smile just to give them something to cheer about. And, boy do they! But, I will not show my dimples for the camera yet...I have to make sure the world is ready for this gorgeous smile first!

My sisters are REALLY loud all the time, but while they are running around, I love to sit and watch them. They make me sleepy. I have no problem tuning them out and taking a little siesta either.

So, that's about it. I am two months old and tomorrow I am going to see Dr. Lovell. I am SURE my Mommy will update tomorrow with stats. (she will also put some better pictures on here...these were taken after an exhausting day with my friends at my new school)

Our New Normal

Our new normal started today. Travis and I got up at 5:15 this morning and had coffee together. Then, I got ready while he packed lunches and fixed breakfast for the girls.

Emma and Hannah got up at 6:30 to eat breakfast. I finally woke Catherine up between 6:30 and 6:45 to feed her. Everyone was so happy this morning!

Everyone got dressed and I fixed hair and got all the hair bows in place. These are the best pictures I got this morning!

Travis is working in Fort Smith today, so I had to take all the kids. I took Hannah and Catherine first. Hannah SCREAMED and did not want me to leave her! It was so tough. Catherine, on the other hand, was all smiles this morning. She was just grinning and "talking" to me before I left. It was sooo sad! I am pretty sure she had no clue that she was going to be without me all.day.long.

I called several times throughout the day to check on the girls. I was never so glad to leave work a day in my life! (I probably drove a little TOO fast to get there...but I missed my babies!)

Catherine has been SO tired tonight and crashed early. Hannah promised she wouldn't cry tomorrow (but, we will see!). All in all, I think we managed just fine.

I think I can TOTALLY handle life with three kids! YAY!

Woooo Pig Sooie!

Saturday, we went over to the VanBebber's to grill out and watch a little football before the game. The food was FABULOUS and the company was even better. The girls had on their Razorback gear, even Catherine participated. However, I did NOT get a picture of her in her Razorback Baby Legs because she exploded the minute we got there.

Travis and my Dad left around 4 to head to the game for a little tailgating. The girls and I went home, ordered pizza and waited for the game to come on. We even tried to get Catherine to learn to Call Those Hogs!

Despite the heartbreaking loss, we had a great time. On to next week: GO HOGS! BEAT BAMA!

It's time...

Time for me to get adjusted to another new normal. Monday, I go back to work.

I am a really bad stay-at-home mom. My house should be immaculate, laundry washed and folded and dinner should be ready each night (at least that is what I envisioned when I started my maternity leave).

My house is clean. Although, the living room is always littered with toys. My laundry is washed, however rarely folded. And, dinner...ha! I cooked better meals when I was working.

But, I have so enjoyed the time with my three sweets!

I get to pick Emma up from school every day. As soon as she sees my car, she waves and runs to the car. I love being the first one to see that smiling face and hear about how much she loves her school! I love (kinda) her giving me directions home (she's such a backseat driver!).

I get to spend endless hours playing babies and grocery with Hannah. I love letting her climb on the counter and help me fix our lunch or make special deserts for Daddy and Emma! I love hearing her decide what her name will be for the day (Today she is insisting that I call her "Bubbles". not sure why)

Catherine...she has changed so much since she first came into the world. I love being the one that she wants to hold her ALL.THE.TIME! I am so grateful that she is on a good schedule and is sleeping from 8:30-5. I love laying her on my legs, blogging and having our good mother-daughter conversations. (which is what we are doing right now!)

I am going to miss all these things so dearly. But, I am not a good stay-at-home mom. It's the hardest job ever! I need a schedule, a plan every day. Staying at home, I do not do that. So, while I am going to miss being with my sweets every day, I am ready. Ready to get back to work. (Don't judge...that's just what works for me and my family).

So, its time for another new normal for our family of five.

(Think about me on Monday...hopefully we can all make it out of the house and to work/school on time! AHH!)

Hannah Brooke

Hannah is now the middle child, but she will NEVER let herself be overlooked. She is BUBBLING OVER with personality. Sometimes, that's good because she's so happy. But, that girl can drop and throw a fit quicker than any kid I have ever seen. (We are working on that...and this post is NOT about that).

She is such a good helper and loves to make sure Catherine is included in everything. The other night, she was putting on her glam and thought Catherine should get to play.

Hannah calls a mohawk a "hohawk". (DO NOT ASK ME WHY). She loved to get hohawks when I am washing her hair at night. She is amazed at the fact that Catherine can have a hohawk without being in the tub. So, she periodically asks me to make Catherine a hohawk and I do.

Last night, she asked for Catherine's hohawk and I agreed. She giggled like she always does. Then, she walked over and said "Bye, hohawk! POP!" With the pop she slapped Catherine in the top of the head to "pop her hohawk down." Catherine whimpered a little. I was trying to get on to Hannah, but it was kinda funny! (I know...I am not the careful mother I should be.) Travis being the over-protective parent took care of making sure Hannah understood why she shouldn't do that. (I was still laughing.).

Hannah LOVES to sing. She in obsessed with Sugarland, Lady Antebellum and Taylor Swift. Enjoy the video! (This was right before bath time, so ignore the lack of bottoms in the video)

I would also like to announce that we have been Sassy (passy) free for the past two weeks. How did I do it?

Well, since I am not the best with keeping up with things, we lost all her sassies. So, one night, she couldn't find one and I couldn't find one. Travis was about to go to the store to by some, but we thought we would give it a try without it. That didn't go so well. So, I gave her a "magic necklace" to sleep with.

(Definition: a cheap necklace from target that sat in Mommy's jewelry box. Any necklace that goes into the jewelry box is instantly turned to MAGIC.) It worked like a charm! YAY HANNAH!

Rainy Weekend

This weekend was a wet one! Saturday, the girls and I went to Ashton Peschel's football game. Of course, I forgot my camera, so no pictures. We had a good time and Ashton did great!

After the game, we came home and just played inside. I cleaned out some closets and tried to get a little more organized before I go back to work!

Sunday, it was rainy, but the girls were getting SO restless. So, Travis moved my car out of the garage and we played out there.

Catherine and Jack got up close and personal. She wasn't so sure about him, but never even cried even when he LICKED HER IN THE FACE! (It's ok...he's clean.) But, she did look a little worried...HA!

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures, but it was a good relaxing weekend. We watched tons of football and cleaned.

Labor Day Weekend

This past weekend, we loaded up and headed to Hot Springs. Uncle Jon's birthday was last week and we went on Friday night to celebrate it with him. We brought him a yummy cookie cake.

Honey and Daddy Brooks cooked yummy burgers on the grill and we all pigged out on cookie. Aunt Nicole got to love up on the girls and was SO good with Catherine.

My mom took over night time duty with Catherine (which she is only waking up once a night, so it's not too bad.) It was SO nice to sleep through the night for a change! Friday night, Honey TOTALLY had the touch and Catherine slept through the night! TEN HOURS! I got up and they were outside rocking and looking out at the lake. So sweet!

The girls and Honey cooked waffles for breakfast. Yes, the bowl of mix is on the floor...that's how they do it at Honey's house! YUM YUM!

Saturday, we swam and hung out by the pool. Catherine was not a fan...

GrandDa, Daddy Ben, Aunt Bev and Michael all came over. GrandDa just LOVED holding her THIRD great-granddaughter. She even managed to keep her sleeping while getting on to the football players we were watching! ha!

Sunday, the girls made cupcakes in their CUTE aprons that Mrs. Maude made them!

Then, they went outside and swam with Daddy Brooks while we packed and got ready to head home. It was a great visit with everyone.

Monday, we played outside A LOT and went for a walk after dinner. It was such a nice weekend to spend with everyone!

Emma's School Update

My sweet Emma! She is doing so well in school and loves it so much. While I do miss having her around the house during the day, Hannah, Catherine and I have a blast. We look forward to picking her up every day.

Last week, we went to her open house. Her teacher, Mrs. B, went over all the things they do during the week and all the things they are going to be learning. Although Emma already knows A LOT of the stuff on the schedule for this quarter, I am really excited that she is going to be learning to read.


She loves her teacher and loves her class. She has an activity period every day where they go to Music, PE, Computer Lab, Library and things like that. Much to my dismay, she has to wear tennis shoes to PE. (I HATE tennis shoes!) So, that took some adjusting for this Mommy trying to make her outfits look cute while wearing her tennis shoes...eek!

Emma is still a great big sister. She loves both of her sisters so much. I tried to take some pictures of all three of them today...it was not pretty! These are the best two that I could get...