I should be studying....

BUT my mind won't concentrate on all these A&P terms. AAHHHHH!!! I have a test tonight. darn you procrastination!!

Studying has never been a strong suit of mine. Probably because I have never had to study. Never! For real. And yes i did very well in school. But I guess after three children this ADD is really kicking in--and kicking my butt. I have always had a rough time concentrating when reading something I found to be boring, but I was able to force my mind into liking it for a little while. Now--oh, now it is different story. I have MANY distractions. And I can't tune any of them out.

SO you see...this is why I am on my blog instead of reading about the nervous systems and muscles. Yes! I waited until the last minute. Yes! I feel terrible about that. And I always have every intention of doign things the "right" way. But my ADD gets the best of me. (--Just so you all do know--I DO NOT KNOW IF I IN FACT DO HAVE ADD!!!)

I guess I should get back to these quizzes before Emily wakes up.

Emily's 2nd Birthday-Revisited

We try to make our children's birthdays a big deal around here (who doesn't, right?). We have never had the funds to go all out, but regardless our children know they are loved and they are grateful for everything the receive.
When a birthday doesn't fall on the weekend, then we have a cake and sing happy birthday just the 5 of us at home. (And then we will have a party on the weekend.)But this is our opportunity to have a family "party". And celebrate one of our own.

I have been looking at old photos lately. And editing some of them to my liking. I came across photos from our family birthday celebration for Emily turning 2. It brought back great memories. And just look at the love.

Hill Art & Photography

I created a new blog for Hill Art & Photography. The one on Tumblr was just not working out to my liking. I won't be completely satisfied until I have a website (with a blog) that is completely customized. but until then this will have to do.
Here is the link.

Loaded Weekend (for us)

So this weekend was overflowed. The kids had a lot of fun, which always makes us have more fun.
Friday night we prepared ourselves for the next 2 fun-packed days. I cleaned the apartment (except for Trent's room and my bedroom).
Saturday morning we slowly crept out of bed and reluctantly got ready for the day. Or maybe it was just myself. The were all in costumes, and i brought a change of clothes for all three (I knew it would get hot). We finally made it out and headed downtown to the festivities. Um...can I just say it was not all that great! But the kids really enjoyed it, and that's all that matters. Right?
We came home with lunch and ate. The kids were supposed to take a nap, but that did not happen (I was very disappointed-but I wanted to go to sleep). Later that afternoon-we got cotumes on again. Although, this time Brenna had no wig and wore leggings instead of her tights. Trent had a short-sleeved shirt on. And Emily had a short-sleeved leotard on. It had cooled off from the noon sun, but I wanted them to be comfortable. We made it to publix just in time. They made their way around the entire store, stopping to hold out their buckets at every department. Then we headed to a church. A church that I went to when I lived here a million years ago. That has trunk-o-treat. And then we walked over to the jump houses. Um...yeah. That was a no way! A million kids crammed in there, while no adults supervised. I think not! The kids got their faces painted instead (we spent about 20 minutes standing in line). Then we came back home.

Somewhere in that night we got movies. I am pretty sure it was at the end-after the face painting. Yeah, it was. Because I remember Emily was asleep when we got to Blockbuster, and I carried her around the store. Then when we got home, of course she was wide open. And didn't go back to sleep until about midnight. Think it was all the sugar?

Sunday I had good intentions. But they didn't pan out like I hoped. We went to Publix (again), but this time it was for groceries. When we got home we made lunch and then the kids were sent to their beds. I was determined a nap would happen (atleast for them). Emily finally knocked out a few hours later around 5. I figured it would be ok because I'd wake her at 6 to go to a fall festival. Well, about 5:30 I laid down in Brenna's bed, and didn't wake until 7:30. So we missed the festival, and I was afraid it might be too late to go trick-or-treating since we would still have to get ready.

I felt bad for the kids, who acted like they were too tired to even care. So all was well. And the house is back in complete disaster mode again. I will be busy today for sure.

Thoughts of a Mother

Like most moms, I often wonder if I am parenting right. Am I going to screw up my kids beyond repair? Am I setting good examples? Am I raising our children to be the people I imagine them as adults? Will they be independent adults? Will they show sympathy to those less fortunate? I could go on forever.



Parenting three children is rather difficult. I find myself rethinking so much lately. I am trying different techniques, and get frustrated when it doesn't work out. I know part of the problem, which I am learning to deal with, is that I want instant results. And that is not always going to happen with a 2 and 3 year old. Not even with a 6 year old. I guess no one is perect and we all struggle.

I did get some reassurance the other day in the car. We were on our way home, and Brenna tells me "Do you know what I was just thinking?" i replied "No. What were you thinking?"

She then tells me she want to be better. Ok. I was really confused by this statement. And frankly it scared me. My first thought was that we were going to have to start dealing with self-esteem. And we have yet to trample onto that ground, because brenna is very self assured. But then she continued...

She said she wants to do better and finish all her work in class (she has been struggling with this because she likes to help all the other students on her group with their work, and she gets bored, and she likes to socialize). She also said she wants to listen to us better. And she said she wants keep her room clean.



I was in shock. I couldn't believe that she was even thinking about those things. I was so proud. My little 6 year old was maturing and thinking responsibly. My bright child. Maybe we are doing something right. :)

Life with a Toddler

Cleaning up messes like this has become part of my daily routine, and I very much daydream of days when I no longer have to worry with this sort of headache. Do you even know how uneasy it is to clean up spaghetti?




Brenna was such an easy child, and still is. I never really grasped the idea of a hyper and extremely free-willed toddler, until now. Trent was very "go with the flow". But Emily is a totally different story. She colored all over herself with a green marker one night. And I didn't even know until she came to me to "go potty", because she was supposed to be in bed. And just because it is washable, does not mean it comes off easily.

I often fail to come up with ways of parenting her. I have no clue how to reach inside and get her to listen. And I find myself wishing her toddler years away. But then I remember she has moments of sweetness and tenderness. And I sometimes have to remind myself she will only be little once, and I have to endure the bad and ejoy the good.

And she is my last child. No more babies for us. Although I secretly wish for just one more (another boy).

Just like Daddy

I know I have neglected this blog for some time now--But in my defense I have been moving, without the internet (still am), and taking on life.

I am realizing one thing--that my children's annoying habit of aggravating eachother might just be hereditary. YES! I think it is a predisposition that may not be helped. Or it may just be learned from their father. Either way, I think the culprit is their daddy.

Now Brenna doesn't care to annoy others. But Trent and Emily find some (actually lots of) joy in other's misery. Mainly Emily does things to aggravate Trent, while Trent does things to aggravate Brenna (maybe this is just a younger to older sibling rivalry we are dealing with here).

Lastight Emily was laying beside Justin on the couch (while watching a movie). This is something that happens almost never. She rarely wants to have anything to do with him. So of course he was loving it. But then (and he knows how moody she can get) he starts picking at her. I mean, come on! She was sitting so quiet and content, but he couldn't resist apparently. I even warned him, but he proceeded anyway. And once was not enough-he continued until she had enough and moved away.

Then I started thinking--Trent and Emily both aggravate their older siblings like their happiness depends on it. And maybe it is something that Justin has given them, whether biologically or through example. Whatever the reason--I think I am giving up on trying to stop it all the time. (Although, if you have ever heard Trent's whine you might see why I hate for Emily to annoy him. And I feel sorry for Brenna when she gets it from Trent, because I remember being just like her when I was little and my younger sister constantly did things just to get o my nerves--I guess it's an attention thing.)

--And by the way, we all get it from Justin. haha.