I feel like I'm fallin for fall

Remember Moose and Z?  They used to be a staple in our family.  Do they still have Moose and Z on Nick Jr.? 

Our older kids have graduated on to Disney Channel shows, which is very sad.  Jackson has shown absolutely no interest in watching TV.  I'm pretty sure Abigail and Austin were addicted by his age. #badmommy

So I put out my Fall and Halloween Decorations and all I can say is pathetic.  I'm no good at decorating.  It sort of overwhelms me, so then I just barely do anything or buy anything. 

 But Ill show you just in case you think I'm being modest. 

 I'm not. 



This is a door hang that I bought somewhere.  It's been so long I can't remember.  I'm too scared to change it up or spend the money on something that might look bad, or I should say worse.




Here is my fall candy bowl and my Halloween candle holders.  I've moved the candle holders about 6 times since this picture.  I just can't find a place for them.



Halloween nightlight in the kids room.  I think I got this at Kohl's a few years ago. 

The kids enjoy it.

My witch, ghost, and pumpkin outdoor hangs.  I bought these at the Dollar Store a few years ago and the kids look forward to me putting them up every year.  They are in pretty bad shape, so this might be there last Halloween.

I actually just bought these last year, but I can't really figure out what to do with them either. 
They look so boring in this picture.  I need some color or something. 



One thing I do know, is that I LOVE me some chicken and sausage gumbo with potato salad.


The BEST part about fall is the food!!
gumbo, chili, and soups oh my

We've had a few little cool fronts come through, but nothing major and as of right now it's in the 80's outside. 

Maybe someday I'll live somewhere with four seasons, but for now I just have to pretend it's fall outside!!



baby vampire

Look how sweet and innocent!!

Umm no



He bit me!!

It hurt a lot!

Then he did it again near the same spot, but not as bad.

What is this???  Neither of my other kids bit me. 

Here we go.

How do discipline a 13 month old?

lukewarm

Sup y'all?

Yeah, I think it's time for some change. 

You know that season in your life where you just feel like you need a change.  I'm there right now.

I'm tired of feeling like a hamster in a wheel.  Stuck!

I've been praying for a while now about some major changes I would like to happen in my life.  I realize that sometimes what I want is not what God wants for me, but I know for a fact he doesn't want me to continue feeling stuck and lukewarm anymore. 

“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."

Revelation 3:15-16

I know God wants more from me, but I need to make some changes and some sacrifices to get where I believe He is leading me.  I feel like I've got a lot of balls in the air and at any moment I'm going to drop one and then they will all come tumbling down.

I'm tired of being your average working mom, wife, and christian.

I would greatly appreciate your prayers while I try to navigate these changes. 

I was recently inspired by an awesome blogger who is using her blog in such a great way.  Megan at Just a Small Town Girl is selling ornaments for adoption.  Please go over to her blog and see how you can help.  You might also notice in my sidebar I've got her Ornaments for Adoption button to help spread the word.  You can help too.

So now on to a few superficial changes:

Weight loss is a thorn in my side.  It's always on my mind.  I'm so tired of trying to lose weight.  I'm not going to tell you how motivated I am and how I'm not going to stop until I lose fifty pounds, because I've said those things before and then nada. 



One of the ways I'm trying to drop a few lbs. Look at that cute little face under that helmet!



I really want to be rid of this extra weight, but I've also got to stop letting it consume my every thought.  I've never thought about praying about weight loss, but why not? 

Haircut--I've already made this change.  I really don't like putting pictures of myself on here, but I really like my new hair and wanted to share. 

 In the process of trying to take a semi-normal looking picture with my cell phone by myself, I realized that it's just about impossible.  People who can do this successfully are truly talented in my book.  Here are all my outtakes.

I really just can't take myself seriously, so I had to throw in a few goofball shots.

Abigail got her hair cut too and donated to locks of love.  We weren't originally going that short, but then decided that donating would be a great life lesson for Abigail. 

Before

 After

Doesn't she look sweet??!!

So these are some ch-ch-changes happening around here.
 
What changes are you thinking about making in your life?

29 for the first time

Yes, I am officially 29 years old.  Only one year away from 30!

But I really don't care, in fact I'm ready to be in my thirties.  I feel like the best is yet to come for me. 

I'm finished having babies, in other words I'm done being fat.  Well, almost done being fat.  I still have about 50 pounds to lose. 

My kids are getting out of the baby stage, except for Jackson, but in another year he will be more of a toddler than a baby. 

Brent finally has a good job, where we might be able to get our finances worked out. 

So yes, I'm excited about my thirties.  Not that my twenties were horrible, they were just stressful. 

I don't like to make a big deal about my birthday.  My mom sent me a text the day before my birthday and told me she wanted to make me a birthday supper and a cake. 

Brent didn't have to lift a finger, which in his defense he has been very busy and working really hard at his new job. 

Brent bought me a bicycle!  We put a baby seat on the back for Jackson. 

I LOVE IT!!

I know, I know a good blogger would have pictures galour of myself and Jack on the new bike, but hey I never claimed to be that good of a blogger. 

We go on a bike ride almost everyday!  Fun and good exercise!

It was a good birthday!

suzie homemaker

 

This post is embarrassing, but I'm keeping things real here on this little blog.

It's basically just one big confession.  As much as a I wish I was the perfect wife, mother, chef, and career woman, it just aint so!!

This was the cake I attempted to make for Jackson birthday in early August. 

This was the best the cake ever looked.

For some reason it just started breaking in half.  It looked rather like the beginnings of a canyon.

And very slowly both sides of the cake continued to slide off the sides. 

Pretty, I know!

At this point Brent and I broke out the forks and dug in.  I knew there was no salvaging it. 

Needless to say, I had to go buy a cake for Jack Jack's birthday. 

So call me Suzie Homemaker if you like. 

I know I've impressed you with my baking talent.

Abigail turns 7

I can't believe my baby girl is 7 years old.  

Seriously, I just blinked.

Brent and I got her a new bike.  She was still riding her little tiny bike, so this was a bit of an adjustment for her, but within a few days she was riding like a pro.  She has such short legs, poor thing, just like her Mom and Dad.

Of course we had to have a party and invite all her friends, plus some.  Her theme was sort of a mixture between butterfly 3D and an artist party. 

I found these really cute 3D decorations at walmart last month and they were super cheap, so I snatched them up. 

Brent was out of town training for his new job and missed Abigail's birthday.  He felt really guilty so he sent Abigail some flowers at school. 

She was literally beaming with happiness as she walked down the hallway to her classroom carrying her flowers.

Abigail and I decided that sending cupcakes to school for her class was old news, so we made these Oreo cookie lollipops. 

They weren't quite as simple to make as they looked on pinterest, but they tasted super yummy!!

The girls at Abigail's party painted little figurines.  They had a blast!

We had about 12 girls show up, which was just about right. 

 It was a tad chaotic, but what good party isn't!

Abigail and her BFF Elizabeth!

Don't forget about the peanut gallery! 

Audrie and Jackson had a good time hanging out with the big girls.

There's my sticker face 7 year old girl!!

Show and tell Monday

I'm linking up for the first time with Becky over at From Mrs. to Mamma.

This is an awesome blog I've recently stumbled across. This weeks show and tell is about babies.

If you're a first time visitor you should know I have three kiddos and plan to have no more. But I still thought it would be fun to link up today.

1. Tell us your favorite baby names? Aside from your own babies, if you have some :)

Two baby names I really like but never used are Amelia and Maddox.

2. Show me your "dream" nursery {can be your baby's nursery or one that you love}

I have a girl and two boys so that would be a total of three nurseries I've decorated (yes I teach math).

However, I've never really done a girly girl nursery. When I was pregnant with Abigail we decided to let the gender be a mystery. So I guess my regret is never being able to do a really pink nursery like the one in the picture below. I found this on the kids pottery barn website.

I love the birds!

3. How many children would you like to have? How far apart?

I have three kids ages 7, 5, and 1. I always thought 3 years sounded like a good gap between babies, but as you can see I never quite accomplished the three year gap. Two years apart is tough because that's two babies practically. Two cribs, two pacis, two in diapers. I'm not sure how I did it now thinking back.

But then four years is not great either because before Jack came along our lives were getting really easy. We had no diapers, cribs, pacis, highchairs, bouncy seats, or bottles.

So I don't think there is a magic number of years you should wait. It will have it's good and it's bad. Just remember your baby becomes a toddler in what seems like one minute, so enjoy your baby cuddles while you got em.

4. Tell us what you think the importance of parenting is?
I'm a public school teacher, so I can tell you first hand that kids now days are not getting the stable home environment that they need. All parents love their kids, but parenting is more than just loving. It's hard work. It takes consistency, patients, and being the bad guy most of the time.

5. Show us your favorite newborn photo {can be your children or random}

This is my sweet little Jack in his nest!!

6. Tell us some things you promise to never do as a parent {and if you are a parent, did you stick to it}

I'm pretty sure my pre baby self would have told you that I would never allow my kids to watch TV during dinner. Hahaha

I probably would have told you that I would never yell at my kids. Hahaha

There are plenty of things I knew I would do as a parent that I have actually done, but those aren't as funny. It's funny how little we really understand what we are getting into when we have kids.

Well that was fun! Happy Monday!!

my name is Jack

Hi there! 

My name is Jackson, but my Mom and Dad call me Jack Jack and my Nana calls me bubby.

I know what you're thinking.  Look at that sweet, incredibly handsome, innocent little fellow. 

But you might be surprised to learn that my newest favorite pastime is screaming at the top of my lungs whenever I feel the tiniest bit frusterated. 

I have absolutely no patience with toys that won't do what I want, or my mother who refuses to let me play with sharp dangerous objects. 

My favorite thing to do right now is go to town. 

As long as we are going somewhere I'll be a perfect angel. 

This is my big bro.  I really like hanging with him, even when he steals my toys or pushes me down for no reason.  I pretty much think I should be able to do whatever he is doing.

This is my Aunt Kelsie.  I think she's pretty cool. 

She just turned 21 and I think I forgot to tell her Happy Birthday!!

Like I mentioned before I can do whatever Austin and Abigail can do, so here I am riding my bike.  What can I say, I'm a natural. 

Well now, it's been fun chatting with you but I gotta go.  I'm sure it's almost time for my second poop of the day.  Yeah, I poop twice a day like clockwork. 

 Mommy and Daddy are so excited when I poop that they usually play a game called paper/ rock /scissors to see who is the lucky one who gets to change me. 

They really must love me a lot!

I want to move

- I HATE living in Louisiana. I'm sorry if this sounds totally traitorous to all those Cajuns out there, but I just do. Not to say that there aren't some great things about this state because there are, but they just don't out weigh the bad in my opinion. I wasn't born here and my family has no roots or background in this state.

Here is my list of things I don't like about living here in Louisiana:

1. Humidity: We literally cannot play or do much of anything outside during the summer for fear of heat stroke.

2. We really don't have much of a fall or winter. We could wear shorts and short sleeved shirts just about every Christmas. (this is such a bummer)  Our Spring is nice but only lasts about 2 weeks.

3. It's not pretty. Again, this is just my opinion. Some people might think pine trees and marsh land is pretty, but not me.

4. The preconceived notions that people in LA all live in swamps with alligators, wear overalls, are missing teeth, and are uneducated. I blame the news stations for this one. They always seek out the weirdest people to interview on camera.

5. The heat and humidity again, because that is a biggy!

6. Love bugs! Those of you reading this that aren't from around here might not have a clue as to what I'm talking about so I will clue you in with a few pics of these annoying flying beasts.



Don't be fooled by this innocent looking bug.



They don't bite or sting but they swarm.  Their chemical makeup is acidic and corrosive, so it's extremely difficult to get love bug guts off of your car.  Pain in the butt!!

This picture says Florida, but it's the same in Louisiana.  You might think this it's an exaggeration, but it's not.  Seriously it gets this bad. 

My ideal place to live would have these characteristics:

1. beautiful scenery

2. four seasons (no extremes) 

3. low humidity

4. within a days drive to my Mom's house

5. no love bugs

You see I'm not all that picky!

Randomness

- Things are super crazy busy around here, hence my lack of blogging. Although I do get on blogger almost everyday and read others posts. Reading blogs is part of my relaxation routine after Jack goes to bed.
1. Bath
2. Facebook
3. Blog reading
4. Bed

I look forward to this time every night. I know I know, you wish you had this exciting life. Don't worry maybe someday!

- Brent (the husband) just started a new job. We are really, really happy about this, but it could be long hours without Daddy around. In fact he is leaving for Pennsylvania this week for some training, so I'll be experiencing my first dose if single working mother. Pray for me!

-I took a long break from pinterest but I've recently found myself drawn back to the site to pin hundreds of holiday pins! I need to stop and actually do/make/cook some of these things!

-The following picture is just really cute, so I thought I would share.

-The next picture is really old, but I love it. Abigail and Elizabeth (the two in the middle) have been best friends since kindergarten. We LOVE Elizabeth and her family. I really hope they stay best friends forever. BFF

-I've mentioned in previous posts how much Jackson loves to play outside. This is him right after coming back inside from playing in the heat. He was so sweaty his hair stuck straight up. (he did have pants and shoes on outside just in case you were wondering)

Well look at that, two posts in two days!! What has gotten into me?