My Favorite Four Plus One!

My heart belongs to these beautiful people~

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Pressure to be the perfect mom

Lately, I have been feeling a lot of pressure (put on by myself) to be the "perfect" mom. Who is perfect anyways though and I know that. I think we as mothers put a lot of pressure on ourselves in many different ways...I noticed this yesterday as I was standing in the middle of six other moms at ballet. All of us very different, all have made different choices about how to raise our children, etc. I think between the seven moms standing there by the playground there are 22 kids between us! Anyways, the conversation went from schooling to discipline to extracurricular activities etc. One mom was talking about how her daughter goes to a "good news" christian club after school one afternoon a week. Her daughter attends a public school. She made the comment that it was good for her daughter and for her because she "feels guilty about not sending her child to a private christian school." Emily goes to a private Christian school (one of the best I think) and I sometimes feel guilty for not homeschooling her and educating her myself. Isn't it funny....another friend over the weekend made a comment to me that she felt guilty about not having her kids in extracurricular activities like other moms but didn't want to always be on the road driving from place to place and enjoyed being at home but felt bad that her kids might not be as "well-rounded". It seems to be an age old fight...working moms vs stay at home moms, moms that send their kids to public school vs ones that send their kids to private school, extracurricular activities vs no extracurricular activities, school vs homeschooling, families that go to church on wed night vs families that don't go to church on Wed night. Good grief...the things that we find to make ourselves feel bad about. I have to say that all of the women I have talked about are excellent moms! There is not one that I would not take advice from or let my children be around their children. Men do not do this...at least I do not think they do. I don't see John worrying about what the next person does or putting guilt on himself for these types of decisions. All of the decisions in my opinion are neither best or better than the other....I believe it just has to be between you and God and what is best for your family. Now many days, I feel like I am failing or maybe have not made the best choice but why do we have to put so much pressure on ourselves as women and compare ourselves constantly to others! I have to remind myself sometimes daily that I don't need to compare myself to anyone...it only matters what HE thinks!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Latest happenings

I haven't posted in awhile...mostly just busy, been in kinda a funk, and just have not had time. So John just finished 6 days of night shifts...wow that was a test of Mommy's strength and patience! Some days it really did feel like I was a single mom! I so tried to let him get some good sleep. Some days it worked others it didn't. We are still working on the logistics of that. I thought the biggest challenge for me would be to be here all alone and doing the nighttime routine (baths, books, homework sometimes, bed) all by myself but that has gone very smoothly! The biggest challenge for me is that when John is working, I never have him to myself. Usually when he would get off at 7 pm, he would have about an hour and half with the kids and then they would go to bed, then Him and I would have about 2 hours to talk, watch TV and just relax together before we would go to bed. Now he wakes up about 3 pm and leaves again at 6:30. The kids want ALL his attention so we don't get that alone time. I miss him!

My grandparents have been in the hospital. My grandmother was in for four days last week and now Granddad went in for four days this week! They are both at home now and resting.

Emily had her big Boosterthon Fun Run today at school. They ran around a track that is 1/16th of a mile. She was so excited and it was a big fun day at school. She ran around 31 times! John went to cheer her on while I took Molly to a doctor's appt.

Molly had her one month appt today with Dr. Elzie. John and I had been taking bets on how much she weighed. We were waaaayyy off!!!! She weighed 9 lbs. and 10 oz! She is a chunky monkey! She has been having green poop which the lactation consultants blamed on me having overactive letdown...My mom and I have decided that I have "overactive" everything when it comes to pregnancy and birth!!!! Dr. elzie didn't seem to care. She is a healthy girl!!!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Molly 4 1/2 weeks old

This little booger thinks she wants to hold her head up and look around and she is only 4 1/2 weeks old. I knew she was going to be a go getter!


Saturday, April 18, 2009

Guy Time

Today and tomorrow, John is at Cherry Lake camping out with three of his best friends. He has known these guys since he was 16 years old. They all went to the same church, were in the youth group together, were in each other's weddings and have remained great friends. John and one other live in Tallahassee and the other two live out of town. No one goes to the same church anymore. But these guys have made it a tradition to get together (no girls allowed) at least once a year sometimes twice and go away (usually camping) together. I have to say that there is a small part of me that is a little sad when he goes and I get my feelings hurt just a little that he wants to go. I guess that is a girl's personality (or maybe just mine) that wants him to want to be with me ALL the time but the larger part of me is SO glad he has friends like this. I don't ever question whether they are a "good" influence or what "trouble" he would get in to. These are guys that have been here for our family no matter what. John and these guys sharpen each others iron, support one another, question each other, share struggles, share triumphs, and encourage each other to be better men, husbands, leaders, fathers, and friends. They have really been there for one another through a lot! These guys are John's second in line to ask for opinions (next to me or maybe before me sometimes) and they are the first to ask him how his marriage is or how his spiritual walk is. John almost always comes back wanting to put into practice what they have talked about! I think this is sooo important for men. They need that play time and bonding with fellow men who enjoy the same things. John's friends love camping, hiking, fishing, etc. And it isn't all serious. They kick back have a couple of beers, enjoy burning lots of firewood and do a lot of joking around. Dan got bit by a snake last camp out! Boys will be boys. I really try to encourage these trips in that it gives John a chance to take a breather and regroup. I have often thought about writing a thank you note to them or maybe a thank you email but that would be so not cool and way too girlie! But I do appreciate their friendship with John and our family!

Friday, April 17, 2009

FREE Stuff

I just had to write this down because I get so excited about blessings and I know that everything we have comes from God! John brought home a 4 year old basically unused dryer yesterday. It was totally free. One of his co-workers didn't need it after all and has been trying to give it to someone...sweeeeeet! Especially since our 11 year old dryer leaves black marks on white clothing sometimes for some unknown reason! Yesterday I sent out a mass email to friends and family and posted a want on facebook for a used piano. Today in less than 24 hours, the choir director at our church offered us a FREE piano to have. He said it is just there collecting dust, it is in good shape just needs tuning and all we have to do is move it! Emily needs an instrument to practice on since starting piano lessons back up and our prayers are answered immediately! Pretty cool week!

Prayer timer..Be still and know that I am God

I hesitated going to church on Wed night b/c I had all three kids by myself and wasn't sure if I could time Molly's feeding just right and we had already had a busy Wed. Emily loves wed night church though and they are preparing for a choir musical so we went. It is always on those days that I am not feeling it that I get a lot out of it. I went and sat in on a ladies class that a lot of the ladies my age go to. They do a simple devotion, nothing spectacular and nothing that has homework etc. I didn't even have my Bible with me :( Anyways, we started talking about the power or prayer and the intimate relationship that each one of us can have with God. We talked about what life would be like without HIM! A couple of the women shared, in particularly my friend that lost her husband to cancer in February. She has three children under 7. She shared that she has good days and bad days but God is her best friend. He enables her to get up each day, get her kids dressed, put a smile on her face and walk out the house. She shared how her and her husband had prayed for his healing and he was not healed and she doesn't exactly understand it but feels God's presence more than ever. Just to see her sit there and say those things and have a smile on her face was so awesome! We discussed ways to become more intimate with God and another friend had what I thought was a really cool idea. Prayer has never come easy to me. I have struggled in this area in my Christian walk but lately I have really tried to stop and be still and talk to HIM. In the middle of the night usually around 3:30 am when Molly wakes up to nurse, I have used that 15 or so minutes to pray for John. He recently started night shift so I know he is awake and at work and so praying for him at that time comforts me when he is away from us. My friend Ann gave me this idea about praying in the middle of the night while nursing. Also, we have tried really hard to pray with the kids before school every morning. This is something I have always tried to do but is hit or miss sometimes. At Bible study though, the friend said that she sets an alarm on her cell phone to remind her to stop and take a few moments to be still, know that HE is GOD and pray about whatever or whoever is on her mind. She said her kids know now when the timer goes off that Mommy is going to be praying and they actually will tell her prayer requests at that time. I thought this was a great idea b/c I can't tell you how many times that someone passes through my mind only to be gone again b/c I am in the middle of something. Shame on me! I really admire those people around me that are prayer warriors and maybe this will help me! I set my cell phone alarms for three times yesterday and it was really cool b/c it really did make me stop and be still and talk to my GOD!

sick babies

Last night, Molly ended up with a congested nose and having a hard time breathing through her cute little nose ALL through the night. I am thankful that it did not make her fussy and she does not have a fever but it is so sad to me to hear her trying to breath through her nose and then sputtering to get the drainage up and she hates being suctioned like every baby does! I don't think Emily was sick until after she turned one and I think John Daniel got his first cold around 6 months old. Both kiddos have been blowing their noses and stuffed up the past three days and I have done everything in my power to keep Molly well. We have washed hands, turned our heads when we cough and used magic soap but I guess it wasn't enough. I pray that her little stuffy nose won't last long!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Little bits to remember

Can you tell when I have a few moments by myself because I do a bunch of posts at once! Anyways...just some tidbits to remember.....

John Daniel told Molly the other day in the car when she was screaming "o.k. Molly you have had your cry." He said it very sweetly and it was so cute!

He went to Kohls the other day with me and Molly and as we are going up the escalator he said "Mommy, be careful with your baby!"

Molly is trying to hold her head up and does a really good job of it at three weeks old!

As I was trying to cook on Easter, Molly was awake of course and crying. I handed her to Emily and asked Emily to hold her. Emily loves holding her. She started rocking her and before I knew it Molly was completely calm and sound asleep in Emily's lap. She looked just like a baby doll in Emily's lap and Emily was totally content. My grandmother couldn't believe how responsible and mature Emily was in taking care of her. She really is a great big sister and will be a great mother one day. It really has surprised me and been fun to see this side of her!

Our Easter activities





































I'd be a bad mommy if I didn't post about Molly's first Easter. We had a great but busy day! John has been working so hard to get our house beautiful that he was just dying to have Easter brunch here. His dream is to come home after church every Sunday and eat a Southern cooked lunch here at our house...still working on this by the way! As a family when I was growing up, we would go out to eat lunch (at Morrisons in the mall when my grandmother was alive and going to church) so getting up and cooking on a Sunday morning before 8:45 church has not been accomplished yet :) John's family has a tradition of a huge Easter Egg hunt at his Grandmother's house in Thomasville and his grandmother didn't want to break tradition so we decided to do a brunch at our house with some of my family and then join the Gays in T-ville for the egg hunt. We made it to church all dressed in lavender to some extent at 8:45. We had a great resurrection Sunday and celebrated the risen savior! We even went to Bible study afterwards. John had to stand outside the room a little with Molly because she was being loud and he was attacked by at least 20 elderly women all oohing and awhing over her. The kids had a fun small egg hunt during their Sunday school classes. After Bible study we came home and cooked a nice brunch for my grandparents and parents and brother. John grilled ham steaks on the grill like Bobby Flay! We zoomed up to Thomasville after lunch and had a great time with John's family and family friends. The 5 grand kids hunted over 300 eggs! They ate candy and had fun counting the money they got in the eggs. Molly slept in her great grandmother Memmy's lap for most of the afternoon. It was a nice Easter and a fun time with all the family!

Our family's administrative assistant

So I am glad that administration is one of my spiritual gifts! I feel as if sometimes I am drowning in paper work, scheduling, phone calls to make, etc. My family needs a secretary...oh wait that is me! I am slightly type A when it comes to scheduling and my calendar and paper organization. I go through the mail immediately, throw all junk mail away and file everything else. I can't stand miscellaneous papers lying around on tables etc. When the kids bring papers home I immediately go through what I want to keep and write down dates and such in my calendar and throw everything else away. I keep a calendar by the computer and a calendar with me at all times. I write everything down in my calendar. If I was to loose it, I wouldn't know where to begin. I place coupons in a special folder, I get rid of invitations to parties or newspapers or unwanted papers, bill statements as soon as possible. Many times I have thrown away papers that John wanted to keep but I just hate all the junk! I am pretty precise about making phone calls. I make everyone's doctor's appts way in advance. I know when everyone needs to be somewhere, I know super far in advance what our schedule is. This is important because of working shift work. I took about 30 minutes yesterday and went through a stack of important papers that I had been keeping and organized it all. It feels so good when I am done! It really is at least a part-time job keeping all that organized and making sure our schedule runs smoothly. I guess most moms feel like they are some what of a secretary...I just tend to thrive off of it to some extent. It gives me a high when everything is organized, everyone is scheduled appropriately, all bills are paid, papers are filed, and calls are made. Too bad I am not the same way with the laundry in the house....speaking of that my couch is full of clean laundry....let me get off the computer and go fold!!!!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Easter Pictures!





































Easter pictures of our three beautiful kids! Molly was awake so it was a little bit difficult but they turned out pretty well! The girls had beautiful pale lavender embroidered dresses and John Daniel was dressed to match! He was very handsome. Thank you to my best friend Amanda for helping take pictures!

183 years of marriage!

Happy Belated anniversary (on April 8th) to Mom and Dad, Granny and Granddad, and Roosh and Pop Pop! That is right....on April 8th, different years of course, my parents and both sets of my grandparents were married. For my parents, 2009 made 37 years, 65 years for Granny and Granddad Thornton, and if my Pop Pop and Roosh were still alive, it would have been 81 for them! I am proud that I come from a long line of good healthy marriages.....people that stay married and love each other no matter the circumstances, for better or for worse! We celebrated with a pizza party at my Grandparents house last Wednesday....doesn't seem very glamorous but the couples seemed happy just having the whole family there, all 20 of us! If I can collect a picture of them all on their prospective wedding days one day I will post it! On my parent's wedding day, their parents both had anniversary cakes...kind of cool!

In Loving memory of Granddaddy Gay









I've been wanting to do this post for over a week now but I had to wait until John could help me scan these pictures. John's grandfather, his dad's dad, passed away on March 23rd. This was the same day we brought little Molly home from the hospital. New life begins and a grand life ends.....Granddaddy Gay was a fine man with a long life and many stories to tell. I only came into the picture 15 years ago but I know I have great memories of him as well. My first thoughts would be that he loved to tell stories, take pictures, show his pictures off, and he loved to tell you how much he loved you and how pretty you were! John has loving memories of him. He spent lots of time over the summers with his grandparents. One of their trips is shown in the pictures above. His grandparents took him to North Carolina and they spent time with his grandmother's brothers. This was the first time John had shot a shotgun. He had a blast. John's grandfather loved to tell stories and was a WWII veteran. His battles included battles in France and Rineland in Germany and the invasion of Normandy. He was wounded in action on Nov 26th 1944. He received many medals including the Purple Heart. John loves all this particularly because he loves anything about history and war. He found all of his grandfather's stories fascinating. The other picture is one of four generations that I am so glad that I took on John Daniel's first Easter. Granddaddy used to say, "John, you are my favorite grandson." This was funny to him because John was his ONLY grandson out of 7 grandchildren. Granddaddy Gay fought a long battle of chronic illness before his death but is remembered by many. His funeral was very special in that he had a full military funeral with all the honors. We love you granddaddy!

Monday, April 6, 2009

My rude awakening

Well my rude awakening came at 6:45 this morning. John is officially off of paternity leave, started his night shifts over the weekend. Spring break is over and kids are back to school today. John has been amazing the past two weeks. As well as trying to finish home improvements, he has made us breakfast every morning, waited on me and the kids, done chores, bathed kiddos, etc. It has been soooooo nice having him home and well I will so miss him now, especially at night, now that he is back to the grind. We are very thankful for his job though. In just two more days he will have six days off again! Anyways, John also had a staff meeting today after he got off at 7 am. He now has to go to staff meetings since he is considered command staff. So I was in charge of getting up, waking everyone else up, fixing lunches, breakfast, getting everyone ready for school, teeth brushed, shoes on and all in the car by 8 am to drop Emily off. It surprised me a little b/c I actually forgot that John had a staff meeting, so I was kind of expecting him to be here to either drop Emily off or stay with the other kids. But we did it and all four of us were in the van at the right time with matching clothes and clean breath and lunches. After taking Emily, Molly was asleep so I actually even got a shower and put some lip gloss on to take J.D. to school. Molly pretty much slept through the whole morning b/c she didn't sleep good last night but I guess that worked out for my advantage today. We then took J.D. to school. He was so excited that Molly was going to "help" get him to school. He got to show her off a little and I got to hear all the oohs and ahhs. After getting J.D. settled, we went to starbucks to get mommy a little pick me up and then came home. By this time Molly was ready to eat and I actually sat in the chair in the quiet and did my quiet time while nursing her. It was a good morning and I know I can do it again. Sure does make me appreciate my hubby even more though!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Spring Break
















This week has been spring break for the kids and it has been a different one in that we have a newborn baby. John and I had big plans to have some fun outings but the rain stopped some of it and our pediatrician poo pooed some of it. We've done some cooking together, played outside in the rain, and done more house projects. This was also John's last week of paternity leave. We had planned to go to the beach with our friends the Connells for the day but number one it rained ALL day and number two the pediatrician scared John by telling all the bad things that could happen in taking a newborn to the beach. So instead, the Connells invited us over for a steak dinner and it was marvelous! We talked, the kids played, and we ate great food. I am mad at myself that we did not get a picture of Molly and Ellie together. It was their fist "playdate" but they really didn't do anything except sit in their mommies laps :) We also went to the mall that day and walked around and got J.D. Easter shoes and new flip flops. We put Molly in the "peanut shell" and she slept the entire time. On Thurs, Nee Naw invited the kids over for lunch and playtime at her house. She had them most of the day...it was her spring break too. It was nice b/c Daddy worked the entire day on the house (he is trying so hard to get the last of the home improvements done) and the kids got to get out of the house and do something different. It rained the whole day again! On Friday, our friends the Brewers, were camping at Lake Seminole Georgia. They recently bought a pop up camper and were trying it out for the first time. We decided to drive over (it is only an hour away) and spend the afternoon with them. The pediatrician probably would not approve of this either but we didn't ask this time. We got there about 1:30 after visiting Grandma Gay in Thomasville and spent several hours at their campsite. The kiddos had a ball playing together and wading in the lake. Molly did great and slept good in my arms or in the car seat carrier. All in all we had a great family spring break getting used to Molly and spending good times together. Daddy went back to work on Saturday night...my rude awakening is awaiting me on Monday when everyone is back to school and Daddy is back at work!