You could win....

New beginings in a lot of ways

Well, our summer has officially started. Although we have been extremely busy I have loved every min of it. I am hoping I can keep up with our blog better than i did through out the year. At the moment I am a SAHM. I am still looking for a job, but we will have to wait and see what God has in store for me. I am trying to be still and patient in this process, but it is difficult.

The kids ask every night before going to bed, "do we have school in the morning" and each night I answer no. They get all excited :) Jaiden is growing like a weed. I am amazed that he is 4 months already. Seems like yesterday that he was born. Riley,the poor lonely girl in our family has hit the drama stage. I am hoping it is short lived, but I have a feeling that it will stretch out since she is the only girl. I just repeat to myself several times a day " it could be worse, just breathe and correct". HA! Here are a few previews of pictures I will be posting on here soon.

Saying Goodbye

This post is dedicated to my students who will never see it. I have applied for a transfer closer to home. If I do not get one, I will resign from my job at LHS. I have now been there 3 years and I love my students. They have all been amazing kids and I was blessed to be there teacher. I will post more, as these were taken when we were not in our room, but thought I would do a preview.

First taste of cereal

Although it looks like I am feeding his nose, he actually did well with the first try. He has had some since, and is slowly liking it. I tried mixing it with formula, but that was a no go. So we stick with water. I think that next month as long as he keeps doing well with the cereals that we will start baby food.

Ian's Performance and Ceremony

Well- Ian had his Kindergarten Graduation. It is nuts to think that next year I will have a 1st grader and a 2nd grader! He has had an amazing teacher this year. Mrs. Jernigan was amazing and helped get him into school. She has a son who loves Star Wars, so that was right up Ian's alley! She will be leaving this year to become a Librarian at another elementary school. We will miss her greatly, but we are also so excited for her!! We are really proud of Ian!!

Ian and Mrs. Jernigan
Checking out his portfolio for the year
After the program
Ian getting his award for curiosity! I asked if that meant he was into everything, but Mrs. Jernigan said that he always asks the why questions and the deep discussion questions- wanting to know more.
ABC Rock
He spotted us! We were supposed to be in the section right in front of him, but there was no room- there were tons of people there

Riley's Debut

Well- One day I will figure out how to get these in order- I have tried every which way and I am giving up for the sake of getting them posted- any of you who still read this- tell me what to do!!!

Riley had her Nursery Rhyme performance for her class. It was really cute and Riley made a very cute kitten. She sang Pease Porridge Hot, and was a Little Kitten who had lost her mittens. I am excited to see her in dance in the fall- she is loving the stage!

Daddy and his baby girl! (LOVE this picture of them!)
Papa, Riley and Grandma
The 3 amigos...I mean kittens: Lily, Riley and Emma
Singing Pease Porridge Hot
Jaiden was enjoying the show...he was in front of Matt and I- I think he was trying to figure out how we got back there
3 little kittens, momma cat and Mother Goose
Riley and Lily- best of friends
Matt putting on Lilys nose
My little performer
Getting her nose and whiskers on

Long time...

Well- I am finally getting around to posting pictures of the kids. This one will be dedicated to Jaiden- you will see more photos of him in the next ones to come as well. He is growing like a weed and it is so hard for me to think that in June he will be 4 months!! That is insane! He is full of laughter and smiles. Here are some shots of my baby boy!

I am amazed he is smiling while in the car seat. Of course having mommy do silly things to get h im to smile could have been the reason! :)
Sweet boy after bath time
We call him Chunky Monkey- he is FULL of rolls!
Not sure why this is sideways, but every time it loads this way- so turn your head to see those beautiful blue eyes!
Loves his bath times! He will be a water baby just like my other 3!

To all the Mom's I know..

Happy Mothers Day!!

There are so many reasons I love being a mom. Seeing the joy in their eyes, the wet and fast kisses, the hugs, the smiles and sound of their laughter, the excitement they bring, their energy, chasing the fears away, wiping the tears, calming snuggles. I became a better person the day I became a mom.

I love you Caleb, Ian, Riley and Jaiden. I cherish each of you, I love each of you and I am PROUD and BLESSED to be your mom. Thank you for making me feel loved!

I love you Matt- Thank you for blessing my life and loving me unconditionally. You and I are in it for the long haul, and I am so thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life with you!

Long time...

Well it has been quiet a while since I have posted on here. Life keeps me pretty busy, and since I am now back at work- I find that my time is pretty limited. I am going to have to rearrange my time to get it all in! :) I have tons of pictures that I am going to be getting on here. But before that comes an update!

I am back at work, and so far Jaiden is loving his class. It took him a while to adjust, and for me to adjust, but we are getting there. Only 3 more weeks left and I am counting the days! :) I applied for a job closer to home and had an interview a few weeks ago. I am starting to get a little worried as I have not heard anything. But I am trying to be patient and hear God's voice. I know that He will tell me what to do.

Caleb, Ian and Riley are growing like weeds. I am constantly amazed at how they are maturing and growing right in front of me. I get teary eyed just thinking that next year, Caleb will be in 2nd grade and turning 8!! Seems like not that long ago, he was a baby in my arms. Sigh..... I know it is part of the "process"- just wish that he would slow it down a little.

Matt has started a new job with in Vandy. He is working for the Human Tissue network. He is really excited about it and will do an amazing job. I got to see his office and visit the bldg the other day. Pretty nice! Helps that a Starbucks, Borders and Bread & Company is right downstairs! :) I can see myself visiting often ;)

Well on to pictures...they are on the way!

I have a bunch of photos to upload and will get them on here soon along with several posts that I have been wanting to do. With all the flooding, we are out of school- so hopefully I will have time to do this today! :)

Pictures...

Pictures are coming soon. I promise! :)

Time to Renew

Today is the day that I will be "released" to exercise. Now I have been doing way more than I should since I left Room 217 at Summit Med Ctr., but this marks the day that my honest to goodness exercise and healthy eating regimen begins.

So as I begin to renew my body physically, I will be working on renewing my heart as well. Making sure that I am taking the time to spend time in his word, in prayer and in praise. Not only with my time but with the kids and with Matt. I don't want a day to go by that I don't take care of me and my spiritual journey. I want to make sure that He is my priority.

Today also marks the day that says I have 3 weeks till i should be returning back to work. I say should because I gave myself 3 weeks of "security time". I can still take up to 3 weeks of leave. I may use one of those weeks. I would love to go back to school that first week in May and only have 4 weeks till the end. But we will see. I can do anything for 7 weeks, but I am just not sure if I am ready to leave him :) We will see.

Pictures are coming- I have to get them off the camera. I have been trying to catch Jaidens smile and his pouty face that he makes when he is about to cry or is startled (I LOVE that face). I also have some of the bigger kids that I can't wait to showcase! They are growing so fast and I wish time would pause and let me enjoy this time that we are in... but every time I ask them to stop growing??? They tell me God won't let them :)

Oh one very funny thing that Caleb said recently... As some of you know, Caleb can on occasion have issues with using the restroom. We have meds for it, but when he eats too much dairy, he gets stopped up. I asked him the other night if he needed to go, and he told me no. So I did the mommy thing and double checked. He replied, " Mom if you prayed and asked God right now I am sure he would tell you that I don't have to go". Smart kid....what do you reply to that one??

Randomness

Well...there will not be any pictures of the kids- I know- you are dying to see some. Those will come tomorrow :) This post is so eloquently titled due to the fact that I have so many things just running around in my head. Concerns and frustrations. I figured - it's my blog- I am getting them out! :)

Some of you have never experienced what I am about to talk about....and yes I am jealous of you!! With each of my pregnancies (sans Riley's) I gained weight. Not just the recommended weight but some extra. I am not one of those people who loose it nursing, or that it just melts off of. I struggle with this. After each pregnancy I manage to loose some of the weight, but not all- the result you ask? After 4 pregnancies I have some unwanted weight that is really bumming me out. I look at my reflection and cringe. Am I ugly? I don't think so by any means. There is just more "curves" to me now. Would I take them away in exchange for never having my children? Heck no! I would take it all again to have each one of my precious babies. It just stinks to have such a different body now. I have never made my health a priority. Family, husband and kids and everything else has always come before that. Not that I am complaining- I like it that way- I truly enjoy taking care of my family. But I need to do better for me, so that I can take care of them. Hence the reason for this post. I am quickly approaching the 6 week mark where I can begin exercising. My goal is to become healthy. If I don't loose any weight, I will be ok with that. But I want to make it a goal to start off eating healthy, and eating less. I Also want to make it a priority to exercise at least 2-3 times a week to start off with. Whether it is walking for 20-30 min, or jogging. I think it will give me clarity in my mind and heart and also will help me to become physically fit and healthy for my family. I am posting it to help me be accountable. To have it remind me what I hope to accomplish. Ont he side bar I will have a ticker that will help count down the number of pounds I aim to loose as well. Hopefully the daily reminder will help me keep on track.

So if you back some yummy brownies, don;t tell me till I am able to handle it :) Keep the GS cookies to yourself and remind me when i do some therapeutic baking to send it all to work with Matt. :)

Jaiden at 2 weeks

Our baby is now 2 weeks old. Time is flying by so fast! I am amazed at how much he has changed in 2 weeks. I love him more and more each day and I am amazed at how much love my heart can hold for each of my children. I love each of them the same but in different ways. What I mean by that is- each of my children are different- they each have qualities that I love. My heart loves each of them for who they are. Each of them have stolen my heart in a different way.

Hi-Tailing it!

Ok- they are loaded in the wrong order and I have tried to fix it 10 times- I give up!!

These pictures are from the one time that Caleb decided he would take care of changing Jaiden. As you can see, he got the onsie unsnapped, off his feet, the diaper open and that was it. He saw the poop and ran for the hills. didn't even get the wipe in his hand :) Hey- at least he tried! He is 7 so I can't blame him ;)

Jaiden's Story (and Photos)

Our new little man

We Now have FULL van! :)
Squishy cheeks
Proud big sister
Proud big Brother
Proud big Brother



Well, I must admit- this was by far the easiest birth and recovery. It was pretty un-eventful and calm. I was lucky in the fact that I was given a spinal rather than an epidural, and I really think that made a huge difference. The day after the c-section, I was IV free and had no attachments. It was so nice. I was up and walking about 5-6 hours after surgery and never really had any pain. The kids were so excited to come to the hospital and see Jaiden. Caleb is a pro already at lifting him and holding him. He wouldn't give him up if it were not for the fact that he can't feed him. :) Ian and Riley love to hold him and are always looking for ways to make sure that he is taken care of. He has very healthy lungs and exercises them like clock work. He is not a huge fan of diaper changes and is particularly vocal about them at night. I made the mistake of coming downstairs a few nights ago, wanting to give Matt some sleep, and he woke everyone up. I hadn't considered that his cries would echo through the house. :) He is doing well and we love having him here!

Introducing............

Jaiden Malachi Clement
9:49 am
7lbs 10oz 19.5 inches



We are all doing well. I should be released from the hospital tomorrow and I will get more pics up as soon as I can.

Here we go again!!

Well...I realize I haven't posted in a while, but I have been pretty busy! :) I have been trying to get all my lesson plans done for my interim teacher, prepare for our new arrival and get through this serious nesting phase I am in. I don't think I have ever had a nesting phase like this, and I have to admit it is wreaking havoc on my body. I can't do what I feel needs to be done. So here I am at the eve of my c-section still lamenting on what hasn't been done!! :)

Tomorrow we will be welcoming Jaiden Malachi into our family! Amazing that this time has flown by so quickly- I am constantly amazed at how much my body can handle. :) I will be updating our blog after he arrives so all can see pictures! And more recipes will come at some point!

I want my daughters mindset

I am always amazed at what my children truly know. There are somethings that my mind cannot fathom, but to them- it is a given. We discuss Heaven a lot in our family. The kids are always curious about what it will be like, and every time we pass a cemetery, they are quick to say "that is where people are buried, but it is only their bodies, they are really in Heaven". Every time Riley sees clouds, she exclaims that when she is in Heaven she will sit on a cloud, but always wants me there to hold her hand so she won't fall. :)

At least once a week, if not more, My insightful daughter will exclaim " I want to be in Heaven right now so I can see God and my Pop". ( Now for those of you who don't know, Pop was Matt's grandfather. He passed away when Caleb was about 9 months old. Ian and Riley have never met Pop, and for that matter, really Caleb has no memory of him. They know that he died and is in Heaven. ) But what is amazing to me, and what I need to grasp from her proclamation is wanting to be in Heaven right now! There is so much that I want to see and do, watch my children grow up have families of their own, grow old with Matt, ect. I do want to see God and "be in heaven", but I still want that in the future...not now. Why is that? Why do I not long to be in Heaven as my little girl does? Is it because I know what I would be missing out on? Is it because I think I have so much more to do, and I need to be here? Am I scared? Is it because I know what it means to die? I am not sure....I just know that every time she says it, I wonder and I pray. I pray that God grants me the clarity to have her thoughts, to want what she wants. Out of the mouths of babes.....I am taught.

Y U M

So I did another recipe tonight and man was it good. The kids had seconds, Matt had seconds...and if I had the room, I am certain I would have had seconds! :)

Cranberry Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 envelopes dried onion soup*
1 16-oz can whole berry cranberry sauce*

Freeze chicken breasts in bag. When ready to serve- thaw. Mix 2 onion soup mix and cranberry sauce. Put chicken in greased baking dish and spread cranberry mixture over the top of chicken. Cover with foil and Bake 40 min at 350 or until done. Bake the last 15 min uncovered.


**I made several modifications to this one to start off. I put the chicken and the berry mix all in a freezer bag and froze it so that the chicken would absorb it. I also kept it covered the whole time. This seemed to lock in the flavor and it was DELICIOUS!!! I served it with a spinach salad and mashed sweet potatoes. It was yummy!