Santa comes to church

After a busy Sunday, the kids were happy to see Santa at church. Brooklyn told me that Santa doesn't come to church *LOL* For the first time since Melanie was a baby they all actually wanted to crawl up in the strange man's lap and even smiled for a picture. I was so glad that Tiffany was there to capture the moment!

Bad blogger...

YIKES it's been a while since I've blogged. I always keep up with the blogs I'm reading, but have just been horrible about making some time to update mine. Family portraits have kept me busier than I expected so I'm usually processing pictures if I'm at the computer.

I'm really excited for Christmas because I love spending time with family! Brian was rained out of work today and will probably be home the rest of the week if it rained enough. I love having him at home and I'm hoping he will be off of work over the holidays too. Don't get me wrong, I feel so blessed that he continues to work in this horrible economy...but it's nice to have the Daddy home :o)

Brian's parents dropped by this weekend and Grammy brought over a gingerbread house kit. The kids had so much fun putting it together and decorating it. Mommy and Grammy didn't really think we needed to wait the 15 minutes for it to set before we started piling candy on and our house experienced an earthquake. Brandon told me I should always follow the directions *LOL*

Happy Thanksgiving!

There is so much to be thankful for this year! A husband who has managed to stay employed even though his "last day" at work has been looming for months now!! Three healthy children!! A wonderful community of friends and family!! I could go on and on!
Melanie's class had a little performance on friday and it was fun watching all the first graders sing their hearts out. Brooklyn and I were ready to feast with Brandon's class, but he threw-up right as we pulled in to the parking lot, so we stayed at home instead...this was after baking 2 dozen rolls for the feast *LOL* I can laugh now because he's feeling better and nobody else got it...yet!!
I'm excited to have this week off of school and just enjoy the season. Praying that all my friends and family have a wonderful Thanksgiving wherever you may be celebrating!Here's a couple pics of the two B's since I've posted quite a few of Melanie lately...gotta be fair right!

gone for good

It seems like I was just writing down the dates that all these pearly whites were coming in and now the first one is gone...then over the weekend another one fell out!! I need to take a picture of her with the bottom two gone, but this one will have to do for now!

One of "those" days

You know the ones, we all have them.

when your 6 year old cries the entire way to school because she wants you to put her shoes on...even though you've already asked her to put them on about 5 times and she wouldn't let you!!

when everyone who you pass by is staring at you...no doubt because you have a crying first grader trailing behind you and a cranky 3 year old wiggling out of your arms but begging for you to hold her at the same time!

when you can't seem to get anything accomplished even though you are running around from room to room like a crazy woman!

when you can't please anyone because everyone wants something different...whether it's a song in the car, what to eat for dinner or whose room stories are being read in!

when there is so much crammed in you wonder how it's only been 24 hours...school runs, grocery, coaches gifts, cleaning, laundry, work, PE mom, soccer practice...

when you're so excited for the day to be over and to crawl in to bed...but then you can't sleep because so much didn't get done and so much could have been done different.

when you have to STOP being overwhelmed and START praying. God is so much bigger, He can stay awake all night and handle all of this, I can wake up in a new day, filled with His GRACE, STRENGTH and seeking His guidance so it's not another one of "those" days!!!

7 things...

I was "tagged" by Marilee to blog about 7 interesting facts about myself and since I enjoyed reading hers, I thought I better post mine as well. My first thought was how am I going to think about 7 interesting things about me? But I'll try ;o)

1. I have a serious obsession with checking my email and following people's blogs. I think that's why I've been going nuts without my laptop. It was so convenient to pop it open and check stuff throughout the day! I also think it's so odd when people don't check their emails often...but I have to remember I have a problem *LOL* My internet addiction also drives my husband insane, because he is rarely on the computer for anything!

2. The thought of going back to a full-time job scares me!! I feel like I've always wanted to stay at home, have babies and then spend the rest of my days raising them and taking care of the family! I feel so blessed to be at home right now because this job is so overwhelming and rewarding on a daily basis! Looking at other "careers" makes me realize how passionate I am about the one I'm already in!

3. I'm a "night owl" I could stay up until 1am trying to get things done and not feel tired...but in the morning it is SO hard for me to crawl out of bed!

4. I LOVE coffee, but didn't start drinking it until a few years ago. Between the caffeine in coffee and pepsi, I'm in trouble. I try to limit myself because I know how awful it is for your body.

5. I HATE drinking water! I know how essential it is for health and definitely can see the consequences I suffer for not drinking enough of it. But...I still struggle with drinking it!

6. I can't stand shoes! I am ALWAYS in flip-flops regardless of the weather. My feet just feel too confined when they're stuck in a shoe.

7. I don't wear make-up. Mostly because I have NO clue how to put it on. I'm realizing as I get older that I "need" to wear it though. I do have a lip gloss and powder compact in my purse in case the circles under my eyes are looking too dark or I need to cover blemishes...but I hate feeling the make-up on my face.

OK, not totally interesting things, but those were 7 things that came to my mind :o)

My Crew

Technically this is a super sucky shot, but I just love how it captured all my kid's personalities! We had a great time trick-o-treating and then headed over to a bonfire church event...it was a GREAT night.

My little lady

I took Brooklyn to a pumpkin decorating meet-up this morning. It 's always so nice getting a chance to spend time with her when the older two are at school. She dressed up as a ladybug and had such a fun mornings. Will try to post some pumpkin patch pics later today...

So much to blog about...

So little time! I wanted to blog about the kids' birthdays, our recent project at church and our pumpkin harvest. Of course I can't stand to blog without pictures which means I have to process all of these pics before posting a blog...which means I keep procrastinating on my blog *LOL* So here is my super quick recap with a few pics...


Kids birthdays came and went so fast. I can't believe I have a 3 year old and 5 year old now. And yes the sassy one only gets sassier at 3!!! But had to include a smiling pic of her because she has her moments ;o) Brandon had some close friends over and of course we celebrated with family. He had a blast.

Our church closed it's doors last Sunday and we went out in to the community to "be the church." I didn't know what to expect, but it was AWESOME. We went to a home/school for troubled teens and took part in many projects that they had. There was painting, shoveling, car washing, brick laying, furniture sanding and staining, carpet and tile removal and hot dogs to top it all off. It was an amazing thing to serve as a body of Christ out in our own community! I loved how even the kids got involved and helped to make it all happen! There are tons of pics here


Lastly is our pumpkin harvest this year...can you call it that if you only yield about 6 pumpkins? Last year we had more pumpkins and different sizes, but we didn't fertilize as well this year I guess. It's so much fun watching them grow though. I can't wait to plant them again next year!!

Mom my Ride...

Decided that the car was getting to the point that it needed to be deep cleaned! Three kids + one busy mom = disastrous van! I can finally see the floor again and had to list exactly what I found in my car so that you get a vivid picture of how bad it was:

1 hairbrush
8 hairclips/rubberbands
2 Empty tupperware containers
5 sippy cups
4 plastic water bottles
1 Ice pack
8 shoes...some matching, some not
8 socks...none of them matching!
3 flip-flops
2 pairs of soccer cleats
2 pairs of soccer socks
2 soccer balls
4 shinguards
1 soccer banner
3 folding chairs
1 umbrella
1 stroller
1 blanket
3 pairs of pants
1 shirt
4 books
1 sticker book
5 coloring books
2 mini dry erase boards
7 spiral notebooks
1 pair of kid scissors
3 crafts from church
1 game for leapster
1 screen cover for leapster
NO leapster
4 stuffed animals
1 kids digital camera
1 toy sword
2 toy snakes
3 cases of wipes
2 DVD cases...one without the DVD in it!
3 booster seats
1 baby carseat

Things that were too numerous to count:
goldfish crackers
pens, crayons & colored pencils
change
chuck e. cheese tokens

Bless you if you got through that list. Everytime I clean out my car I swear that I'm not going to let the kids trash it again...but somehow life happens and it gets pretty bad within 3-4 weeks. Now I just need to figure out how to shampoo all the carpets so it smells less like sweaty children inside *LOL* Guess nobody will be wanting to ride with me for a while.

Darn laptop...

I knew our laptop was on it's last leg. We have been through 3-4 power cords to limp it along, but the problem is actually in the laptop where the power cord plugs in. We figured out all kinds of tricky ways to tilt the cord or computer to get the power supply to charge the laptop. But last week it finally died! So after pouring money into it (for new batteries, power cords, replacement keyboards, etc.) it's time to let it go *LOL*

I'm so sad because I knew that I was due to back up the last few months of pics and I just hadn't had the time to do it yet. So now I'm on the hunt for someone with my exact laptop (it was a dell...surprise, surprise) to see if I can use their battery just to get my sad computer to turn on one more time and allow me to get some of my recent stuff off of it. I think that I may switch to MAC if I ever get another laptop...I'm so tired of computer problems!!

So their may be a lull in my blogging and email response time because I just can't seem to sneak upstairs during the day to get on the computer. So frustrating for this computer addicted momma!!!

I love my hubby

We had such a busy weekend with soccer games, a sick kiddo and company! On Sunday I spent the morning cleaning the kiddos rooms (took me almost 2 hours). Not only did Brian keep the kiddos occupied the entire time but he also did all the laundry!! Oh yes he washed AND folded about a zillion loads of it! I can't remember the last time that I have been all caught up on laundry. It feels GREAT!! I know I will have more to do sooner rather than later. But for today I will bask in a light of a laundry free day!!! I married a good man ;o)

Little B

Man oh man do I have a hard time getting pics of the littlest Watson! This girl will run away from me, blow rasberries at me and sometimes she just looks at me and screams, "NO!" Well the other day she actually let me snap a few pics while we were waiting to pick her brother up from school. This girl can be so silly and sweet sometimes...when she's not being sassy and unruly *LOL*

More Soccer...

Just some random pics from Brandon's soccer game this weekend. He scored 6 goals...although 2 didn't count because he tapped them with his hand *LOL* The kids seem to really enjoy soccer this season! Brandon's team of almost all girls played a team of 4 boys and 1 girl. Makes us wonder why they form the teams the way that they do. But the final score was about 12 to 1 (Brandon's team being the one scoring 12...yippee) so I guess it shouldn't bother us anymore.

My Fridge

Accepting Alex's challenge and posting a pic of our fridge in all it's glory! I'm a big picture person so our fridge is covered in them. I should have taken a picture of the side of the fridge to prove it. The inside isn't too exciting right now because I need to hit up costco this weekend. Check out my flickr for more detailed notes of what is on it...that's the fun part :o)

Also have to make a note that my husband laughs at me because I tend to call it a "fridgerator" and he always has to correct me and say "REfridgerator!" He also makes fun of the way I say "crayon" but that's a different post in itself *LOL* Let's see your fridge!

"Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World"

I have been reading this book by Joanna Weaver, and I just can't put it down. I really feel like God is speaking to me with each new chapter that I read. I'm so excited too because I just found out that our church is having a Bible study using this book and I can go because the kiddos are in school!!

Anyways, I really liked this part because I feel like God has been calling me out of my comfort zone for quite some time now!

"Are we willing to let God explode our comfort zone and expand our capacity for Him? Or do we want a God we can manage? Unfortunately, a lot of the time that is exactly what we want - enough of God to make us happy, but not enough to make us change. We'd never say it, but our attitude is just what Wilbur Rees had in mind when he wrote:

I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please, not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don't want enough of Him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please."

It scares me to think of leaving a place of comfort for the unknown. My life may not be trouble free, but I think that my relationship with God has always been a comfortable thing. But I know that if I can keep Him at the center of things then all will be ok...more than ok!

Brandon's First Day of School

Jr. Kindergarten started today for Brandon and he was actually excited this year. He had a few concerns: #1 Who will help me open my cheetos at lunch? #2 What lunch box am I bringing? #3 Don't go to the store without me ok? But when it came time to walk in to school, he proudly walked in, sat on his carpet square and waved goodbye to me! I think that Brooklyn was actually the saddest Watson today because she didn't want to leave Brandon at school.

It's so crazy having two kids in school 5 days a week. It feels a bit lonely, but I'm sure that I will enjoy my one-on-one time with Brooklyn. Melanie was a little sad this morning too because I had to leave her before the bell rang so that I could get Brandon to school on time. But a friend of mine saw her and she sat with her until her teacher came out. Melanie even wanted a goodbye hug from her :o) I'm sad I can't stay and watch Melanie play on the playground, but I'm hoping she will get used to it and not mind me ducking out to get Brando to school. Most parents drop their kids at the curb and the kids head out to the playground until school starts so I'm glad I can atleast walk her in and get her settled in before I have to leave.

I guess our mornings will be hectic until Christmas break...but then I have 4 hours to get stuff done around the house with only one little Watson to entertain :o)

Fun in the wilderness

I know I post about it all the time, but we have so much fun venturing out our back gate and into the wilderness area behind our house. Our trip out yesterday was filled with crawdads, dragonflies, sunflowers, butterflies and Brandon says he saw a panda bear *LOL*
On our way back the kids saw a rope tied to a huge oak tree and of course they all had to take turns swinging on it!

Of course all of our walks usually end with someone being tired and grumpy!

Empty Me

I just LOVE this song! It really speaks to my heart that is often so involved in the busyness of life and myself that I don't stop to let God fill me up! I love the line that says, "Cause everything is a lesser thing compared to you." Definitely helps me to remember to keep my focus on the "One thing" that matters!! I was excited to see that it was sung by Chris Sligh too because I really liked him as a contestant on American Idol.

I've had just enough of the spotlight when it burns bright
To see how it gets in the blood.
And I've tasted my share of the sweet life and the wild ride
And found a little is not quite enough.
I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change.

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.

I've seen just enough of the quick buys of the best lies
To know how prodigals can be drawn away.
I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change.

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.

Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you, compared to you.
Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you so why surrender all?

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.
Oh, filled with you.
Empty me.

Our Birthday Bash

Well I must say that 31 feels much older than 30 for some reason! My mom got my sister and I a gift card to a local spa this year as a gift. At first I wasn't too excited because I had no clue when I was going to have the time to escape off to the spa. But my brother-in-law took the day off work so that my sister could have some kid free time and my mother-in-law came out to watch Brando and Brooklyn. We went on our actual birthday because you get in free! It was such a blast being able to get pampered and then hang out with my sister without kiddos constantly interupting! We had some lunch, floated in the pool, went in a mineral bath (stinky) and then covered ourselves in mud. It really was a fun and relaxing experience. Next time I'm grabbing my Diet Coke and floating in the pool all day....but this time we had to head back so I could pick up Melanie at school and my sister could get back to her kiddos!

My wonderful husband made a cake with the kids and brought home some ice cream and soda to top it off (we officially cut soda and ice cream off of the grocery bill). I'm so blessed by my family and friends who made my day so special this year :o)

My life...in a nutshell!

My little Diva

Melanie went to one of her friend's birthday parties where they got to dress up, get their hair done and have their nails painted. I think that it may have brought out the girlie side of her (I was beginning to wonder if she had one). She was the only little girl who chose not to get her hair done, but got to choose a wig...doesn't surprise me since she won't even let me brush her hair without tears and screaming! Thought I would share a pic of our girlie girl.

Fun at Nana's house

We headed out to Nana's house last weekend to celebrate Grandpa's birthday! The kids had fun playing in her trees and eating all the goodies :o)

Being the only boy...

My computer time seems to have dwindled, just like the summer!! We are up early to get Melanie off to school and then it seems like I'm running errands or doing laundry until we pick her up! It has been nice having one less Little Watson around for a few hours. The fighting seems non-existent from about 9am-2:45pm. I do miss having her around though and really wonder what goes on during her day. It's so hard to pull information out of her. I'm really hoping to learn more next week at Back to School Night!
Our weeknights and weekends have been filled with soccer lately. Here are some pics from the kids opening day last weekend. Brandon is feeling a little odd since he's the only boy on his team. Mom and Dad are a bit frustrated too. It gets old when everyone refers to the team and says, "come on girls", or when all the girls get matching hair ties and Brandon doesn't get anything, or when team mom tries to have Brandon take his pic with a pink ball...ARG! I suppose things could be worse *LOL* Brandon says he doesn't want to play soccer, but seems to have a blast at practice. I think we'll see how he does this season and let him make the choice to play again next fall.