No Words...

No words can express how this sweet little family is suffering today. Please pray for God to heal their hearts...

I Did It...

Don't want to bore anyone, but I finally finished my "25 Random Things" that I kept getting tagged for on Facebook. It was harder than I thought...

1. When I was little, I was convinced I was a midget.
2. I met my husband on a blind date.
3. I hate the sound of pots and pans scraping the sink.
4. I named my childhood dog, Danny, after a boy I had a crush on in first grade...Danny Debrick. Wonder whatever happened to him.
5. Visiting Cindy Kim twice in New York 4 summers ago was one of the best eye opening, life-changing experiences in my life.
6. I gave my hubby boudoir photos of me as a wedding gift...=)
7. My hubby cannot beat me at dominoes, and it drives him crazy.
8. Having kids is the single greatest accomplishment of my life.
9. Summer is my favorite season.
10. Being a good mother is the most important job I have ever had.
11. I am a horrible driver...I speed wayyyy too much and am on the "points" system now in Texas.
12. I used to sneak out of my house all the time in high school...Sorry Mama and Daddy!
13. I love shoes.
14. I love throwing the football with my boys.
15. I had a friend in high school that only had one boob.
16. I am all for cosmetic surgery...gotta do whatcha gotta do!
17. During my freshman year of college, I skipped more days of class than I attended.
18. I have a fear of waking up during surgery.
19. I have just about every attribute of a middle child.
20. I worked at Gadzooks when I was 15 and watched every employee that worked there, help themselves to all the free clothes they wanted.
21. I love every single movie Will Farrell movie ever made.
22. I gained a total of 11 pounds with my first baby, but when I went in to deliver, I had lost 2...Can you say stressed.
23. My husband is hands-down my best friend.
24. When I drink wine, my face turns red.
25. I have never been happier in my entire life than I am right now.

My Top 5

Here are the rules:
Post your favorite 5 pictures and tell why you love each one so much. Can't wait to see yours, so once you've been tagged...I know there's been a lot of that going around, but I thought this would be fun and easy...copy & paste the directions in your own blog, post your favorites and tag a few more...if you want!

My Top 5:

1. This is a picture of Ryan proposing to me in Mexico. It was absolutely amazing...total surprise. I was recently told by a friend that the situation we both came from, the way we met, and the happiness we have found is something out of a Nicholas Spark's novel...and I'd have to agree. This picture pretty much sums up my husband: southern gentleman...still opens the car door and pulls out the chair for me at restaurants...thoughtful, caring, respectful, loving and full of sweet surprises!

2. I love this picture of the boys...what can I say? They are precious. Before I had children, I had always pictured myself as a mother of girls, but God had other plans. These four children are amazing, courageous, quick-witted, intelligent and creative human beings. Never a dull moment, and I love them!

3. Candid photos are the best, and this is one of my favorites. This was taken right after, "I now present for the first time anywhere, Mr. and Mrs. Soladay!" There is no guessing how we both felt at that very moment...

4. This picture is special to me because it was the first picture of us as a "real" family...The Solawatts!

5. My final picture ...This was taken this past Christmas Eve, which if you read my post about that night, you know exactly why this holds a special place in my heart...=)

Ok, I tag:

The Starnes Family

The Soladay-Jones Family

The Rand Family

Coco's Cuckoo World

Last Night...

Last night was Preston's 2nd grade musical at school...precious. It brought back memories of my own childhood school performances. Preston was so excited, although he wanted to be a penguin instead of a hunter...I felt his pain because I have never overcome the disappointment of being cast as "Glenda the Good Witch" instead of "Dorothy" in The Wizard of Oz in 5th grade. =) At the end, all of the kids took a bow, and one little boy bent over so far that he did a flip off the front of the stage...He was okay...Would have made a great entry on America's Funniest Home Videos...didn't catch it in time.

In this video, you can see Preston telling his friend that I'm trying to take his picture for my blog. =)

Preston and his friend, Andrew, being boys


















My Friend, Amanda, Preston's VERY pregnant teacher...Love her!























Carter was mesmerized by the cafeteria...I cannot believe he'll go to school here next year...

Questions & Answers...I'm It!

Britney tagged me, so here it goes...

Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.

Step 2: tag—eight other un-tagged people.

1. What were you doing before you started this post? Talking to my hubby on the phone.

2. What is the last thing you read/are currently reading? So B. It by Sarah Weeks...amazing children's novel...with my 5th grade students and Testimony by Anita Shreve for my own enjoyment...Love every single one of her books!

3. Do you nap a lot? Any chance I get...which isn't often.

4. Who was the last person you hugged? Preston...before he left my classroom this morning

5. What is your favorite TV series? Law and Order: Special Victims Unit

6. What was the last thing you said out loud? "I Love you, Ryan, and I am so proud of you." (to my hubby on the phone)

7. What websites do you always visit when you go online? Google, Facebook, Blogger, Time, & CNN

8. What was the last item you bought? Carter's soccer uniform

9. What is your most challenging goal? To be as proactive as Ryan....I have gotten spoiled.

10. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished- anywhere in the world, where would it be? My in-laws neighborhood...good schools, great families and HUGE yards for the boys to play in!

11. Favorite Vacation spot? Absolutely Mexico!

12. Say something to the person who tagged you: The Jones' Family, what can I say....that little boy of yours is pretty darn special! =)

13. Name one thing you just can't resist no matter how bad it is for you: Whataburger Ketchup...weird I know

14. What is your favorite item of clothing? My jeans!

15. What is one thing you wished had known before you became pregnant? The parts of your body you have "issues" with before getting pregnant, disappear during pregnancy, and come back with a vengeance post partum!

16. Name one thing you can not live with out: Other than my boys and my husband...coffee!

17. Has a celebrity's haircut ever influenced you on your own hairstyle? Jennifer Aniston...looking back it was awful!

18. What is your drink of choice? Chardonnay

19. What is something you do every day? shave =)

20. What are you wearing right now? black slacks, 3 in heels and a fun little blouse I found at Charlotte Russe with a black cardigan over it

21. What's your favorite room in your house? Family Room...so cozy

22. If you were to have a baby boy and girl tomorrow, what would you name them.
Girl - Ruby...I love it...so old fashioned, Boy - Price...another old fashioned name

23. If you could have any "special power" what would it be and why?
I would have the power to be invisible so that I could go into my boys' classrooms and watch them at school! I love to watch them with their peers when they don't know I am!

Ok, I'm tagging:

A House Full of Boys
The Fowler Family
Mad About Matthews
This Momma's Musings
F R O G G I T Y!
Brandon & Michelle Harmon
Cheatham Chat (Even though I am pretty sure she's been tagged already!)

I Must Be Insane...

The email I received:

"Good morning, my name is Kathy Phillips and I am a volunteer with PSA Soccer. Marianne sent out a note last week asking for a coach. The good news is that out of 15 teams that needed coaches, only 1 team remains without a coach. The bad news is that team is the one your child is assigned to."

The email I responded with:

"If you don’t have any volunteers, I will step up, and my husband can help me! =)"

The response I received:

"We have someone that stepped up to coach! Thanks...
She will be contacting you after the coaches meeting tonight.

Kathy"

What was I thinking? Am I insane? This should be interesting...

Don't Want To Know...

I came home from work yesterday, and Austin was no where to be found. I knew he made it home from school because his bike was in the garage. Ryan proceeded to inform me that he was asleep in his room....Two hours past....Ryan and I played Candyland with Carter and Yahtzee with Preston, cooked dinner, put away laundry...he finally appeared around 6:45, just in time for dinner, clad only in his underwear and a blanket wrapped around his newly formed muscular body. I say "newly" because these "things"....real-live adolescent muscles...have recently materialized all over "the teenager". He said hello, played with the dogs, and disappeared for a quick bath before dinner was actually served.

This napping after school is becoming a daily ritual for Austin...further solidifying his approach into puberty...ouch...That word was even hard for me to type...Once the boys ate dinner, the kitchen was cleaned, dessert was consumed, and teeth were brushed, Ryan and I put Carter and Preston to bed, and Austin departed for ANOTHER bath! Okay...he just took one before dinner...not even 45 minutes ago! Ryan and I collectively shook our heads, and retired downstairs for some alone time. About 20 minutes later, we were sitting in the family room conversing about the logistics of the day and future plans, and Austin came down to hang with us for a bit as he does every night. We have had some pretty interesting, eye opening discussions with "the teenager" during the hours of 8:00-10:00 PM...extremely entertaining...He told us a story about something he said to his science teacher that made him laugh and that his "girlfriend", Mia, thought was very funny, you know how it is, and he went back upstairs. Ryan and I reconvened our conversation, and I stopped in my tracks....I heard running water for the 3rd time. It was Austin in the bath again....Really? I have decided to let Ryan handle this, and I do not want know what he is doing in there...and I don't know how I am going to make it through all 4 of these boys turning into teenagers...

No Sleep...

I am having some sleep deprivation issues this morning due to the approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes of shut-eye I received last night. I was fine when I fell asleep around 10:00, but around 10:34...and I know it was 10:34 because I knocked a full glass of water over on my cell phone when I woke up and had to check it to make sure it still worked...Carter opened the door as if were 6:00 PM, and stated his movie was over. For clarification, the remote for his TV bit the dust on Sunday, so the sleep timer no longer functions. Without that timer, Carter doesn't seem to get the whole "close your eyes when the movie is over" concept. I took Carter back upstairs, laid with him until he fell asleep and got back in my bed.

That's when it started...my brain turned on, and no matter what I tried, I could NOT shut it off. I had been tagged 5 or 6 times for the "25 Random Things About Me" on Facebook yesterday, and before bed, I attempted to complete mine but couldn't think of 25 interesting random facts about myself, so I quit...The problem was that I couldn't get the 4 or 5 I was able to come up with out of my head! For instance, I used to have a friend named Dusty who was diagnosed with Multiple Personalities Disorder, and sometimes she walked around with a pacifier in her mouth, would speak in a "baby" voice and went by a completely different name. True story...very interesting...Another fact I kept thinking about was another friend I had from around that same "time period" who only had one boob...sorry if that's offensive...it's only human anatomy but some are easily offended...Really, she only had one. The left one never developed, but the right one was a size "DD"....she eventually had the "contention" fixed. Long story short, I am exhausted today, and of course it happens to be Tuesday....the longest day of the week...I tutor after school on Tuesdays....Not a fan of Tuesdays...

February...

Wanna know what I love...February...not because it means spring is just around the corner, or that spring break is next month, or that my adorable niece will celebrate her first birthday in 2 weeks, and definitely not that I will be turning 35 in 2 weeks....but because it is a month spent celebrating the ones we love...Love month...not to mention, I have an excuse to fulfill my currently out of control inner love of art projects with the boys. It took some persuasive lingo, but I think I have Carter and Preston on board for some homemade Valentines even though Backugan cards were top on their list. I found several really creative projects/card ideas online, but they all seem too "girlie" for my guys. Feel free to pass on your suggestions...I'm all ears, Casey! I am fairly confident however, that over the weekend, we will be making the cupcakes pictured below...

Frustration, Disappointment, Sadness and Guilt...

I don't think I will ever get used to my boys leaving for several days at a time to go to their dad's. I won't lie and say it isn't wonderful having alone time with my sweet hubby...every couple should have the opportunity to reconnect and focus on their relationship every now and then...I bet it could save a lot of marriages...and having some peace and quiet for a few days is rejuvenating. However, I hate that my boys are starving for more time with their dad and can't have it due to his schedule. This is heavily weighing on my heart this morning after watching Preston cry on the way to school while telling me he wants to "see Dad more". If you know Preston, you know the child doesn't talk about how he feels about anything. He holds emotions bottled up inside regardless of me trying to encourage him to express himself, so for him to cry, it must really be bothering him.

Ryan and I have worked very hard to make a family together, and the boys have even given us a name...the Solawatts...Their last name is Watts, and now mine is Soladay so they combined the 2...and we have both made a conscious effort to make sure they never feel as if their dad comes second. Divorce is coupled with so much frustration, disappointment, sadness and guilt, and there are days I feel the effects more strongly than others. I guess today is one of those days...

Our sweet boys at our wedding...