Happy Birthday to Dakotah!!

Dakotah's birthday was actually Saturday, but I a now getting to her birthday post. I just wanted to share pictures of our sweet, energtic girl who is now a big 6 years old!!

I absolutely love this picture. She is so beautiful!

(She can get a little attitude sometimes!)

Dakotah is such a sweet girl. She has a lot of spunk in her tiny body and she makes our days so fun!! We love you, Kotah!

Happy Birthday to Cuddles!!

Today is Cuddles' birthday and she is 10 years old!! While it may seem strange to devote a post to our dog, she was, after all, our first child, as some of the following pictures prove. She was quite spoiled before other children came along.

We received Cuddles as a gift from my aunt and uncle who have a dachshund of their own.
Look how tiny Cuddles is!!

Being an only child for a while, she was showered with a lot of attention.

She slept with us,

we wrapped her in our favorite blankets,

she slept on my lap,

and Clay's.

She loves to get presents as much as anyone.

And now that other siblings have come along, she has adjusted well.
She puts up with the silly things we like to do to her.

And at the end of the day, no matter what, she always loves us.
Thank you, Cuddles, for your constant companionship.
We love you!!!

Happy Birthday to My Sweet Savannah!!

My sweet Savannah is now eight years old!!! Here are a few pictures of her.

The day she was born! I look like that because I am completely drugged.

The cute babe at 3 weeks old

3 months old

Chillin' with her sis uh I mean, dog Cuddles.
What is it with babies and the remote control?

Waiting for daddy to come home.

2 years old,

3 years old,

4, 5 years old,

and before I knew it, she was off to kindergarten!!

Here's a cake I made that actually turned out.

Now she is a great big sister.

What a pretty girl!

We love our Savannah. She is such a joy to have in our family. Love you sweetheart!!

The Winner of the "Worst Mom in the World" Award is....

ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you. I work hard for such acknowledgment. Here's the story:

The last day of swimming lessons for the session is a fun day for the kids to play and go down the slide. At our pool they have two new slides. The one that Dakotah is tall enough to go down is enclosed so it's pretty dark inside. She really wanted to go down it so up the stairs she went. When she got to the top she got scared and wouldn't go down. The lifeguard tried to get her to go down the slide but she wouldn't. She tried to get her to down back down the stairs but she wouldn't do that either. The lifeguard finally carried her down the stairs. I tried to get her to just play in the pool but she really wanted to go down the slide. So back up the stairs she went.

Again at the top she got scared and wouldn't go down!! She really wanted to do it but wouldn't. So here's where the mean mom comes in. I went up the stairs, and with the help of a lifeguard, grabbed her hands and legs and pushed her down the slide. At the bottom, her hair wasn't even wet. She made it and realized it was okay.

My other daughter, however, thought what I had done was mean. She flipped out at me, asking how could I do that, and hit me a couple times and kept glaring at me. Uh, what? I didn't push her down the slide and she was flipping out where Dakotah didn't say anything about what I had done.

I can't win either way.

Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday, shout hooray! No wait, I am a mother; it is just another day in Motherland.

As I get older, my birthday means less and less. I take a minute to remember it as the day I was born and then continue on with my motherly duties. Even though I am now a ghastly 32 years old, I still harbor a deep, long held secret. My birthday usually comes and goes with the usual birthday greetings (which I enjoy) and if I'm lucky even Clay will remember. But every year, on every birthday, I secretly hope that this is the birthday that someone will make really special. Just once a year, I want to feel special. I love and truly enjoy my role as a mother. But just once, I would love to have one birthday that is really all about me. That sounds really selfish, but as I am always thinking about someone else, is it really that bad for me to want to focus on me for just one day? Just one day out of an entire year?

So today on my birthday, I will take my kids to swimming lessons. Then we will go to the library since Dakotah has finished her summer reading and has earned a free book. Then we will come home and do "Mommy school." I will do dishes, sweep the floor, fold the laundry that has been sitting in the living room all weekend, and do more laundry. I will try to remember to vacuum since I haven't done it for two weeks. I will clean the downstairs bathroom and guest room for guests that are coming tonight. If I'm lucky Colby will keep his poop to a minimum. Hopefully the girls won't fight and Colby will be all better from his minor sickness (he threw up on me at swimming lessons last Friday.)

And maybe, if I'm lucky, I might get a few minutes all to myself. But then, without my kids, what would my life and existence be all about?

Happy Birthday Dad!

Here is a special birthday video for you from your granddaughters!




Here is a birthday surprise from Colby!


Love you Dad!