Show Us Your Life - Wedding Dress

I haven't participated in Kelly's Friday fun lately b/c things have been so crazy for me, so I thought I would chime in today. It's show your wedding dress Friday - So Fun. Head over there to see more.

These are definitely NOT the best wedding pictures we have, but you can see my dress pretty well. I LOOOVED my dress!!

The Back of my dress



Haaaa, it's a long story... But I am here to tell you that Las Vegas in May with no A/C is damn HOT!





I thought I would throw this one in just b/c I like it!

A Baby or a Boat

That was the ultimatum that I gave Seth a month or so ago. He VERY quickly responded, A BOAT!!! So after a VERY long search for the perfect one, here is... IN LIEU OF... Isn't she Adorable! hehe.



A Daddy and his Daughter...




My Happy Happy Bug
Seth's DREAM. He's sooo Happy!



Lydia was jumping in over and over. She LOVES the water - Thanks to Swim America lessons!!




It was an unusally COOL weekend in July. We had to bundle up!

Enough is Enough. We weren't in the car 5 minutes on the way back to the lake house and she was OUT!
MOre FUN in The SUN to COME!!!

- Next though is A LOT more of Lydia's adoption story. I need to try to finish it up and get on to Bam's. He's is CRAZY TOO!!

Summer Blues

I've just been in a funk. OK, not a funk necessarily, but just slowly declining in the mood area. It seems that it happens to me about this time of the year for the past 5 years or so. I can't figure out what it is. Well, right now, I know. Seth has been gone for almost five straight weeks with work. He may come home for a day or two and then he is off again. I seriously don't know how on earth single moms cope and survive. Well, scratch that, I could easily "cope and survive," but be HAPPY? NO WAY! Damn, this is HARD!

I try to keep my days jam packed with activities, as you have seen from all the pictures, all the way up until bed time. We all function better that way. At least Lydia and I do. I should have listened when everyone told me that 3 is harder than 2. Furthermore, she has given up naps and also come to our, ahem, I mean, MY bed several times a night. I am not the best sleeper. I used to be, but I'm not anymore. So once she comes in and wakes me up, I'm done. I can bet I will be awake for another couple hours trying to go back to sleep.

Here's another funny thing. Isn't it crazy how life always looks so perfect in pictures?! I mean, I browse around to other blogs and get pictures sent online from friends and I often think to myself, "man, her/their life if perfect." That's a completely distorted thought. I know that know now and I know that when I am in the moment, but I can't help but go there. I am sure that my life looks perfect in pictures too. Who goes running for their camera when they are so angry at their 3 year old for hitting her baby brother for the second time in the last ten minutes? NOT ME! And we're certainly not zooming and shooting when we're sweaty, frustrated and trying to console or discipline our children. At least in my house, the only reason the camera pops out is when we're happy - when we are ALL simultaneously happy. And ummm, truth be told, that just doesn't happen all that often.

Don't get me wrong WE ARE A HAPPY FAMILY!! We love and trust and pray and play and we have a GREAT LIFE, we really do. We laugh A LOT! We are truly blessed in the whole sense of the word. We both have awesome jobs, we are HEALTHY, we have the things we need to survive and then some, and then a TON! God has been SO GOOD to us!

So why do I get these summer blues? I find myself feeling sooo guilty. I have a recording inside my head that tells me "how awful and guilt ridden I should feel for ever being sad, or frustrated or anxiety ridden. I start to tell myself what a terrible person I am for having these feelings after all HE has blessed us with - Answered prayers, and I AM STILL NOT HAPPY? What gives? I must just be an awful person!" And that is when the trouble starts.
Yep, this is the recording I have. We all have recordings. Some are distorted and some are not. It's the thoughts that were ingrained in us at such a young age. It's the new thoughts that start as we begin to gain Independence and learn earn our sense of self. And then the ones that come with parenthood. I swear no matter how great a parent you are, I don't know that any of us escape the recordings. "Shit, I blew that.", "Did I handle that right?", "I really shouldn't have lost my patience.", "Oh hell, I sound just like my mother!" Haha. Am I the only?

What are your recordings?

Ok, I am taking off my therapist hat now. Although. I think I quite needed that session with myself.

And here are just a few pics of me and my Fam, keeping it real!

Yep, I am wearing HOT PINK shorts and a Turquoise tee shirt. I had to ditch my khaki -too tight Capri's(b/c all I have done is eaten and drank beer all summer) the minute I walked in the door. Boy, that makes you feel good about yourself! Haha.

And, here's Baby Bam - crying tonight at bedtime when I REALLY, REALLY just NEED for him to go bed.
Notice, the chewed up crib rails. Yes, just another piece of my very imperfect life!

Oh, and since we're talking about how GREAT I feel about myself, here's my dinner tonight after the kids finally got to bed. Holy Hell...Oh Well.



P.S. I use spell check EVERYTIME I post.

Ok, Good Night.

Boats and Rain

We have been looking at boats all week. I Really want a boat. My parents have a boat at their lake house, but, we want a smaller one to tool around the lake in and pull skiers and such. Well, we found one we LOVE today! Now we have to figure out how to make it all work!!

As soon as we got home this afternoon it started pouring! Seth got half of the lawn mowed and I got my car cleaned out. My flowers are doing GREAT!!! :) Pictures to come - headed to bed.

The 4th and Stuff...

We had an awesome weekend. Friday we had some good friends, Shannon and Ben over to swim and eat and play corn hole. We all had a great time. Then Friday night Seth crashed their date to the movies and tagged along to see The Transformers.
Daddy and Baby Bam in the pool...

Lydia jumping in for the 100th time!
Picnic at the pool.
Whew...Ben throwing Lydia. She LOVED THIS!!
Shannon and Lydia swimming!
That's my little cheerleader!
Saturday morning we went to our neighborhood 4th of July parade where everyone decorates their wagons, strollers, bikes etc. and follows the fire engine. Lydi and Seth decorated our wagon.The kids loved it, but the sun was bright and it was hot!

They are in there somewhere...haha.
Fun Times!
Zac's ready for the pool!
We headed back to the pool after that
After the pool we were off to a neighbor's house for a FUN cook out and small fireworks. I forgot my camera though. And then of course we went out for the REAL fireworks. I love fireworks! My photography skills (or lack thereof) did them no justice though!
My sweet Zachy waiting with Grandma to watch!

He was amazed and never took his eyes off of them!
Lydia liked them too but thought they were loud!
All the kids watching...
On Sunday we were invited to another swim party at some of our other friends home. Lydia had so much FUN swimming with her friends, Marlie and Macy. Sorry, I forgot my camera AGAIN, *sigh*!

This week has been a little nuts as we were seriously considering making an offer on a house just a couple streets away from us. It was stressful and in the end we just couldn't get the numbers to work - bummer. I guess we (ahem, I) just have the itch to buy something because we have been searching boats on Craigslist and Ebay like crazy the last couple days. Now, I MUST have a boat! Haha. I guess we'll see.

Here's a few more, just b/c my little Bam is so stinking CUTE these days. He LOVES stuffed animals and dolls and he loves to push things around. He figured this out and it was the best of both worlds...



And... I had to modify my post after looking at it. Seth thinks this outfit that Zachary is wearing is awful! He said he was too old for it and he think it looks "gay". Of course the term "gay" to US does not at all have a judgement attached to it or mean anything about sexuality (in this situation). Some of our very best friends and relatives are gay, and after all... if you read my "about me" you would see that I am very liberal and think all should be accepted just as they are... ANYHOW... back to the outfit... I have to ask you women and blogger friends... Is this outfit too young for my 16 month old? OR...Does it look Gay? And when you answer, think of the term "GAY" as in... completely southern momma dressing her kid in the way too preppy polo romper, trying to make her boy look like a little girl "GAY". Lord, I hope not, but I have to admit, it did cross my mind. We are so sweat pants and sweat shirts... Just ask my Gay Boys... hehe.

YES or No? Help.