twelve month rewind...

Oh. My. Goodness.  Seriously, where did the year go?  It seems like yesterday that Preston was just born and now we're already over half way to meeting our newest little man!  So, I thought I would take a minute to look back on our last twelve months so see if *maybe* I can figure out when I lost my sanity...

Minnesota Children's Museum visit on New Years Day 2011

Valentine's Day.. They were so tiny!

Family Trip to Cancun, Mexico

Easter

Parker's First 'Real' Haircut by Mom

A Second Birthday!

A Baptism

A Party

Family Photo Shoot at the River

Concerts in the Park

Standing!

Crawling!

A Parade

The 4th of July at Nana's Cabin

The County Fair

LOTS of DANCING!

Craft Projects

Messy Mealtimes!

A Wedding

(photo credit: Joe Kelley Photography)

A Photo Shoot

(photo credit: Helena Lynne Photography)

(photo credit: Helena Lynne Photography)

A Car Show

Walking!

Family Photo Shoot

(photo credit: Joe Kelley Photography)

Another Birthday Boy!

(photo credit: Joe Kelley Photography)

A Christmas Card

Christmas and announcing that the third baby (due in May 2012) is a BOY!

Before I wrote this post, I felt like we didn't do a whole lot this year.  But now I have realized why in the world I am so tired at the end of every day!  Hope this post finds you all in a time of happiness and health and I am wishing you all the best in the coming year!

Yesterday I was all fired up to get on here and complain about my children. The last few days their attitudes have been insane and their behaviors have been off the wall. Then I realized that a lot of that has been my fault (not all of it, but I know I am at least a little to blame)... Mealtimes have been unplanned, bedtimes have been pushed back (to say the least) and when we are playing, I feel like I mentally haven't been there this week!

On top of their behaviors putting me partly to blame, I realized another HUGE part... Is that REALLY The state of mind that I want to put myself into? Don't get me wrong.. There are days that I will REALLY need to vent about the boys, but right now (especially with the holidays right around the corner) I know that I have so much to be thankful for. Yes, they were driving me crazy in Target last night, with the fighting over snacks, not wanting to sit, not listening when they got the privilege of getting out of the cart, whining and crying, but that is something that NEVER happens, so I guess I am owed one horrible shopping trip here and there.

Thankfully, I didn't let that horrible shopping adventure consume me. I knew it was something temporary (even if it felt like it was never going to end). My kids are healthy (and with exception to the Target shopping fiasico) they are happy, and that in return is something that I should be VERY happy and thankful for... I guess the main thing that I am trying to get at is just a reminder that you can't always control the situation, but you can always control the amount of your energy that you will allow that situation to consume.

Have a good day everyone... I hope I will! ;)

reason for the season

I have been facing some 'Mommy Guilt' for the last couple of days.  For a couple of reasons, we have decided that we're not 'really' getting the kids anything for Christmas.  One of those reasons being money (or shall I say the lack there of) and another reason being 'Really.. Do these kids need any more stuff?'

It has been really hard because I see all this stuff that the boys would absolutely love and there are a few things that come to mind that I would like them to have, not to mention the list of things I hear that their friends are getting.  However, we are going to hold strong.  I got them each a book and I hope to start a tradition that each year they get a book with a personal letter in it from Ben and I.  I love things that are more meaningful, so I hope I can stick to it for the next 20 years!  There is also one cute toy that I am thinking about getting for them to share (and it's less than $20, so score), but I am still not sure... Then they each are getting one thing from Santa (so Mr. Claus tells me).  Like I said, I felt bad, but even now looking at that list I think that is more than enough.  They will be getting things from grandparents, aunts, and uncles.. So I think they will have the 'stuff we don't REALLY need' covered.   

On top of lack of gifts, I have been talking to Parker a lot lately about kids that don't have any toys at all.  The first time I told him that some kids have no toys, he immediately looked like he was going to cry.  It was actually really cute, I'm cruel, I know!  Anyways, with the holidays coming (and Preston's first birthday just passed), I decided to go through our toys.  I have a couple of large bins in the basement that I have full of toys.  I put them down there with the intensions to rotate them out when the boys got bored with the ones that are upstairs.  However, that still hasn't happened.  So... I went though the basement bins to get out any 'special' toys or ones that I know we will play with again, the rest are being donated.  Parker came down and asked what I was doing.  I told him that I was going to give some of his old toys away to other kids that don't have many toys to play with... I was expecting a battle (or atleast a whine) from him, but all he said (and yes.. It made me tear up when he said it)

'That will make me feel so happy to make ofver (other) kids happy.'

(keep in mind.. he's 2 1/2)

Those magical little words made all of my 'Mommy Guilt' fade away, so thanks dude!

I wanted to share that with you to remind YOU that sometimes your child will get more joy out of making someone else happy, rather than opening the $100 gift that you stressed out to find for over a month. 

(And please understand, with that statement comes no judgement from me, just a reminder that this time of year is about a lot more than gifts received.)

today i said 'yes!'

Lately I have been feeling like I have been telling the boys 'no' a lot. It's not that I really mean to, I just haven't been in the mood to scub paint off my kitchen table and it's ten times faster if I just make lunch myself. However, I recently heard a pretty inspirational story about a mother who started saying 'yes.' Honestly, I am sweeping the floor five times throughout the day anyways, what is one more time?

So today I said yes. It's not that I let the boys walk all over me, but I did give them some freedom that they don't always get. It may not sound like that big of a deal, but for someone who has some OCD tendencies, letting a 12 month old 'sort' beans is a pretty big deal. The boys and I spent some really good quality time at the kitchen table and it was so rewarding, I think for all of us. Parker was playing with beans.. Pouring, dumping, counting, sorting, you name it. I saw that he was about to use the bigger container and try to dump it into the smaller one.. The 'normal' me would have thrown myself across the table to stop the giant mess that was about to happen, but instead I took a deep breath and watched it happen. Once the smaller container was full, Parker, seeing that there were still more left in his big container, tried to add some more. They immediately fell all over the table and all over the floor. He made his usual 'eek!' face and at that exact moment I felt horrible. I don't want him to think that he will be in trouble for every mess that he makes. Yes, of course, I don't want him running around TRYING to make messes, but if it happens on accident there is nothing wrong with that. I told him that it was ok and that we would just have to work together to clean it up when he was all done. He looked shocked. No reprimand for making this giant mess? I continued by telling him that I understood it was an accident and that it is ok to make messes every once in while. Then he said, 'Momma, I didn't mean it. It made a mess because this one (pointing to the big container) is bigger than this one (pointing to the smaller container) and they couldn't all fit.' Wow! I don't know if it is just me, but I was so proud of him at that moment that he could have dumped that whole container over my head and I wouldn't have cared. He figured it out all on his own. I didn't say a word about the differences in sizes, I just sat back and let him teach himself something. And it felt wonderful.

After the fun of the beans wore off, I asked him to go get his broom so he could help me clean them up. I was expecting him to get a bean here and a bean there, but HE turned it into a competition of who could get more beans. (I still won by the way... I can't let these kids completely walk all over me. Ha!) so not only did he learn from his little experiment, he picked up his mess, with no complaints. It was so amazing to see my little man grow up like that.

Sidenote, yes.. I know I have been gone for some time, so sorry!
*And I am in my beloved iPad and I can't figure out how to add my signature, so for tonight...

-Betsy

daily report

Things I have to report today...

1. Last week was spent wonderfully... A visit from one of my sisters, bumming around the house and a visit from my mother-in-law.

2. I am tired. Like 'drained' tired.

3. My children are driving me insane today.  I cannot wait for naptime so I can cuddle up in bed, with a bowl of apple crisp and some ice cream and catch up on the latest episodes of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (insert judgement here).

4. Last, but certainly not least... The Kelley family is expanding (and so is my waistline)....

Parker is proud to announce (along with Ben, Preston and I):

'There is a baby in Mommy's tummy.'

After the miscarriage in July, we decided to let the cards fall as they may and well.. They fell right where we wanted them to.  I actually never got back to my original cycle after the miscarriage, so I called the clinic (after a very obvious positive home pregnancy test) and rambled on, to an answering machine, about when I thought I concieved, blah blah blah... They made me an appointment to have my blood drawn and then we were going to go from there.  The nurse said it would have to be at atleast 5000 and then they would have me back two days later to see if it double.  Well, I never even needed a second appointment.  My levels came back somewhere around 112,000.  The nurse almost laughed as she said, 'Yeah.. You're pregnant'.  I went in a couple of days later to see the little bugger via ultrasound. 

The baby looks great, and 'it' is measuring right on track... The only upsetting thing is that I have another blood clot on the side of the placenta, so they are going to want to monitor that again.  Hopefully this one will not rupture the way Preston's did (I will save that story for another day).

As of right now all I know is that I feel great (minus being tired) and there is a little vampire/alien thing growing inside me.

Oh... I am due May 6th, 2012

(I was 9 weeks on Sunday)

Yes, three under the age of three.. We ARE that crazy!

post of pictures

Honestly.. I am too lazy to write a lot right now, so here is my attempt at a post for the day. 

Things I Love.. My brats!

We took them to a car show on Saturday, with my parents, and then celebrated my step-dad's belated birthday over lunch.  It was a really nice morning (cold, but nice).  Here are a couple of my favorite shots...

The littlest nugget at a birthday party..

While the other one was running around with the 'older boys' playing guns.

Spending the day playing in pajamas

(and yes.. Parker is sporting his new pink slippers that he picked out)

I know, not the typical 'Things I Love' post, but I really wanted to post these pictures, and well.. I love my kids.  So there you have it. 

Goal for the next 48 hours:  Be back to blog about the overall wonderful time I had a Calvary MOMS Group and post a 'Look What I Made'

you gotta love fall..

It's beginning to be my favorite time of year!

I am sitting here with a cup of warm apple cider, enjoying the smell from the chili that is in the crock pot and loving the brisk air that I felt on my nose when I ran errands this morning.  There is nothing like it.. Fall!

Over the past couple of years I have become slightly obsessed with Halloween/the fall season and year by year, the obsession grows.  I have been scouring Pinterest (surprise! surprise!) and I wanted to share a few of my newest 'loves'... Now if only I could actually make/buy thes magical treasures and have them spread throughout my house.

White pumpkins and initals.. Heaven!

So easy!  Yet, I will probably never get around to making this!

LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

All I need is a new frontdoor (seriously.. embarrassing) and I will totally be all over this!

Too cute!

All this is, is a white pumpkin with tights over it.  Seriously.. Who thinks up this genius-ness?

Such a cute centerpiece!

Looking at all of these, I guess you could say I have a slight obsession with white pumpkins, not just fall! 

There are so many fun things to do and great crafts to make in the fall.. Hopefully I will get around to doing some of it (with and without the kids) because... Ahhh.. Seriously.. I am just so excited!