It's time for a new page deisgn, I'll have to see what I can find

Just a little retrospect here, I have in the past year been in 2 car accidents. Ansel was 3wks old when we got into one, had to replace a carseat, but it did it's job and protected my little man. We just had our second this year on Saturday. A whole chain of events happened that I am positive is what made our outcome so much better.

Lets start with, we have my niece over for a visit, James was at home with her and Grandma and our friend Fiona. Blessing #1

Ansel's car seat was installed in my friend's car and I was too lazy to move it into one of ours. Blessing #2

I am a car seat Nazi. Blessing #3

I didn't go by myself, Brian came with me. Blessing #4

Brian turned left instead of our normally going straight. Blessing #5

So many more..but lets begin the recreation of events.

Friday night, I went to a lovely conference for Women. It was inspirint and a much needed affirmation for me that I AM a good mother, and I DO do a great job with that duty.

Saturday the conference continued, my friend was with me, and we used my van to car pool. So she left her beastly tank of an SUV for Brian to drive. I had installed Ansel's carseat, and put the high back booster in the car for Madilyne and moved over James' booster as well.
Time Out For Women was fantastic, very inspirational and uplifting. We got home and I realized I didn't have enough chicken nuggets to feed everyone so I was going to go pick something up at the store to make dinner. I normally would have gone by myself or taken a baby with me somethin like that. I felt impressed to have Brian go with me, so I asked him to come and off we went. I thought about moving the carseats into our little cobalt, but alas I was too lazy to do so. I figured it was a 10 minute trip so I would move them later. We were across the street from the store, stopped at a stop sign, we saw that it was clear, to get to the store we had to cross a 4 lane hwy, once it was clear we went, made it past two lanes of traffic, Brian instead of going straight as he normally would have, he turned left. Out of no where, a black ford explorer emerged and smacked our front end, he bounced off and smacked us again. There were no skid marks, his car was so badly damaged he couldn't get the driver side door open. But the other driver was ok, Brian was ok, the car we were in barely looks like anything happened to it.

Madilyne, Ansel, and I went to the hospital to get checked out. Ansel was fine just scared, Madilyne bruised her shoulder bone, but nothing major. No broken bones, no lacerations, so that was good. I have a concussion, whip lash, and bruising to my upper chest area and back.

Had we gone about this the way we normally would have, I doubt we would have fared so well. That Explorer vs my little cobalt, explorer would have totally won. We had Fiona with us so we were able to leave Carly and James, making two less kids with us.I had installed the car seats the morning before and because I'm such a car seat nazi, they were installed correctly. Because my children were properly restrained they suffered minimal injuries. Had Brian gone straight, the impact would have been right into my door, and who knows what would have happened to me then.

All these blessings add up to an event that could have been completely different. Yes we crashed a car that wasn't ours, Yes we don't have the money to buy new car seats and wait for reimbursement, yes we don't have the money to pay the deductible, but YES my kids are alive, YES Brian and I are alive, YES we were protected by a guiding force that I can only explain as God and his Angels.

Life is good!

Still going....=o)

So I am totally diggin the cloth diapering. Ansel's bottom looks so much better and they are deffinately NOT what I thought they were.

I used to baby sit twins and they had the yucky prefolds, pins and rubber pants. HATED it. But I am so into the all in ones and pockets and all in two's and all the new stuff for diapers now!

Brian is probly glad we don't have alot of money right now haha, I'd be buying diapers left and right!

Pics to come soon!

My Cloth Diaper Journey

I have decided to take a little journey through the cloth diaper forest.
I have learned that there are lots of different trees in this forrest.
You can find really good protective trees that don't let sap run all over you, and then there are not so good ones that the sap just seems to oooze out.  I have also learned that when you wash these "trees" once fantastical trees and turn into stinky ooozing trees.

I have gotton alot of help along the way from friends, from websites and am hoping that the diaper fairy will leave me some money or some diapers LOL

Here is what I know.
I know that cloth diapering is so way different from the prefolds and diaper pins and rubber pants that I delt with when I baby sat twins years back...

I love all in ones, aka AIO, I like prefolds folded into thirds and put it in the cover, and I like pocket diapers too. They are half way between aio's and prefolds and covers. they have a nifty pocket that you put a liner into. lots of different choices and brands in all of these categories.

There are places that will give you great info on washing and care. There is even a place that will help those who want to cloth diaper but can't afford the start up! check out The Cloth Diaper Foundation

Lots of give aways and discounts. Right now even Cotton Babies is having a free diaper week! Seriously cool, hey a girl can hope she'll win right? I dig the Bum Genius diapers, they are an AIO and keep Ansel super dry! I also dig the econobum, it's very cost effective =o)

all in all this forrest isn't ask big dark and scary as i had originally viewed it. I am sold...Brian on the other hand...not so much..Yet at least

Mommy wants freebies give aways...gotta love em

So I totally dig Mommy wants freebies. I totally dig giveaways even still...so here are two spankin give aways


http://www.mommywantsfreebies.com/2010/08/coupon-binder-review-giveaway-ends-908.html  - coupon binder

http://www.mommywantsfreebies.com/2010/08/chicobag-review-giveaway-ends-914.html  - a foldy upy messenger bag

I love love the blog have fun and go check it out.

Today is it!

Today here in an hour I will have had my exit interview at Sage, a place that I have spent as much if not more time in that past four years as my own home. A place where I found loving friends, wonderful people and a decent place to work. Ultimately a choice I only sometimes regret lol...and only because it put us in a place where we counted on my job when that was never the intention.

I will be saying good bye to good people, to coming into work for "The Man" and turning over myself to my family once again and working for them.

I am beyond excited, but a little sad to close the chapter of my life that I call my Georgia existance.

yay for cool things!

http://mommywantsfreebies.blogspot.com/2010/05/loading.html

Cool give aways and cool things!

Just a quickie

Big things happening soon, life as I know it will never be the same...for that I am greatful. Stay tuned for pictures =O)

Wednesdays...I am not sure if I like em or hate em...

So here it is Wednesday again, On one hand I love it, that means only two more work days and I get snuggle time with my kiddos. But in the grand scheme of things, each Wednesday that passes so goes another week that I feel like I've missed out on in my families lives.

It's indeed a dreadful thing when all one wishes to do is be home and change diapers, wash bottles, wipe noses, help with homework, and cook dinner and just be Mom and my poor fantastical other half wants to go to work, make money and be Dad and we can't. Brian has to do what I want to do, and I have to do what he wants to do. All for the sake of staying afloat. Which I am indeed greatful for my job and do find it a blessing, but I do so wish the roles could be reversed. I wish it were me that didn't have the full time job and Brian did, not only because I want to be at home, but I want Brian to be happy and feel like he's supporting his family and doing his part.

Though I will say he does make a very good Mr. Mom...he folds laundry and puts it away...I only ever washed it. I did put the babies clothes away. I guess because they were small...I don't know.I do know I HATE folding laundry.

Our trip to see Kahaolani baptized is coming up, I'm excited for that. I've not seen my brother in over 10 years. His oldest was 2! I've never met the other three and he's never met Brian or any of my kids. It's much needed and will be hopefully a great stress reliever.The kids don't know we are going and they won't know until we leave that night, they are even going to school that day =o)

Holly is due with her littlest one here any day, Brittany and Amberli will be getting baptized sometime in May I suppose...life is changing all around...I wonder what other changes will come

A spankin giveaway!

http://mommywantsfreebies.blogspot.com/2010/03/giveaway-time-we-are-giving-away-50.html

Giveaway time!

We are giving away a $50 gift basket from Ruby's Closet! Ruby's Closet is one of the most chic, fashion forward places to get great things for your little one! Ruby's Closet has products in several stores around the country AND has been featured in several publications as well as swag bags for industry parties and awards events!


To enter all you have to do is go to Ruby's Closet and tell us what your favorite product is by leaving a comment on Facebook. If you are not yet a Facebook fan, please join us! You MUST leave a comment on Facebook to enter this giveaway!
BONUS entries:

• Blog about this giveaway
• Follow Ruby's Closet on Facebook
• Follow Mommy Wants Freebies on Twitter
• Tweet about this giveaway
• 5 BONUS entries for making a purchase on Ruby's Closet!

Leave a separate Facebook comment for each entry! Contest ends Saturday April 3rd at 11:59pm PST. Winner will be selected at random using www.random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or another entry will be selected at random. Please email me with any questions you may have at luckylucyjones@yahoo.com.

now that all my randomness is in one place.....

i am now 29. i've got one ore year til the big 3-0. i am ok with that...really i am. i thought it was going to be this big huge deal where i'd have a melt down and well i just won't. I have my kids, my husband, and the rest of my family and life truly is good. Sure some things might be hard but...we'll survive. Hevenly Father will not let us down. He will not forsake us and for that I take comfort.

I know that for all I do I will be blessed. I have brilliant children, a beautiful daughter, lovinghusband and two fantastically handsome sons. I have a roof over my head and as much as I may hate it there a job that pays more then minimum wage!

Now I have aspirations and places to be things to do and all that jazz but for now I am OK with how life is going.

aug 07

And this too shall pass

When you have kids, whining, crying, screaming at different intervals in the day sometimes you just want to cry. Then you suck it all up, threaten to beat them if they don't stop. Kiss them hug them and remind yourself this too shall pass!

I had to actually threaten James if he wasn't polite and kind to his teacher when we went to meet her yesterday! I told him he'd loose the xbox...ah the power of video games! Once he got over his attitude he actually really liked her, not so much for the reasons we do, but he does like her. He likes that he has his own desk with his own books etc....I love her already because she has a plan to keep him challenged! Multiplication work sheets, extra reading projects etc...so excited!

sept 07 when i hated public school

Today’s School System

If I could, I would start my own school system. For some strange reason, today's school system believes that no recess is a good idea, and that 15 min of TDPE(teacher directed PE) is all a squirmy, wormy, fun loving child needs n a 7 hr day to keep themselves under control.

No wonder today's society is full of ADD/ADHD, Obese, Bi-Polar, and depressed couch potatoes!

Not only does the school pretend to care, they look down on you when you actually DO care! If you voice your opinions differently then what they'd expect of you, you are suddenly the trouble maker, or uncaring, unconcerned parent.

School administrators today believe that all children should do is listen, follow directions, stay with the group, sitting in desks for 7 hrs a day, with only a 15min break in the day. They wonder why children can't sit still. Why they want to roll on the classroom floor with bean bags over themselves, go to sleep during story time, and why it is that the nation is suddenly over flowing with kids addicted to TV, ho-ho's, and  video games. Instead of the children that I remember being! Staying outside to play until it was too dark to see, or your mom called you in because it was getting dark.

When parents had to set rules of when it was time to come in, now we do all we can to get them to go outside!

Yet in many states recess is gone, TDPE for 15 min a day seems acceptable, and medicating the crud out of every child that can't sit still for 7hrs aday is the norm. I wish that I could change the world for my kids' sake.

jan 08

Reality...sometimes not that great...

Yesterday I realized that reality isn't always what it's cracked up to be...

Reality 1, I am 26 years old and have done nothing and everything already!- I am an accomplished Wife and Mother, my whole lifes goal was to become a wife and mother. I got married at 19 to the most amazing man I know, he is patient, king, caring, and picks up where I lack.I had my first child when I was 20, the second just after I turned 23. Leaving my lifes dreamed mostly fulfilled, would love to fill my life with more children, but for now that will have to wait. I love being a mom, I love being a wife. I feel so blessed that I was lead to such a wonderful eternal partner and was trusted to raise two such fantastic kids until they make it back to our Father in Heaven.....Everything!!!

I haven't given any thought to school, not since getting out of highschool I've had only 4 jobs outside of being a Mom. Loved and hated them all. The one that brings me the most gratitude is our photography. It's hard to pull that off and work full time as well...Maybe I can get it off the ground enough again that I can return home and work full time on that. I feel like a part of me though wants to go to school, but I think I'm mostly afraid of failure, of not being able to hack it, with me being married and a mom...Nothing!!!

Reality 2, I treated people sometimes growing up not very nice. I was a brat, I think mostly I was jealous of what they had...things like their Dad, no matter how cruddy he may have been, at least they had him. I wish I could just find everyone to make it right, or to mend what I can. And maybe they dont' remember me being so mean, or maybe I've just construed it in my mind as being mean...I don't know but I feel like I have some bridges that I need to patch and can't...It sucks to not be able to make things right.

Reality 3, I'm responsible for two lives besides my own, and oh I so don't want to screw them up! Now dont' get me wrong, I don't think I am a horrible Mom or anything, but sometimes the thought of being their mom, and being responsible for them growing up, learning to love the gospel and our Father in heaven as much as I do...even if I'm not that great at showing it...kinda freaks me out!

Reality 4, being fat sucks! I wasn't always fat, I used to swim and dive competetivly...haven't done that since I was 15 though..thanks to the crack head that ran into the car I was in. But as you have kids and then realize you can't eat like you did when you were burning more in a day then what you ate all together too late just well...it sucks. I want to make myself better, but for some reason as much as my heart desires it, my body either can't or won't cooperate with me.

Reality 5, in order to make all of these other realities something more then just life, I've got to get off my butt and do something...I've got to be more open about who I am and what I want out of life. I need to be honest with myself and the Lord, I need to pray more, exercise more, eat less, spend more quality time with my kids...and that doesn't mean veg on the couch after work. And I can and will be the person I want to be....

may 08

Keep Moving Forward!

One of the greatest words of inspiration from the great Walt Disney.  Though my kids are partial to "Mr. You are grounded til you die!" but any way...
That's the key to life, keep moving forward. No matter how easy it is to look back and say "dang, I could have done it better. faster, slower, with more heart etc."
Make life more then what you ever thought you wanted. I always had this nagging thought in the back of my head that maybe someday I'd want more...that I'd want a career, something else outside of being just a Mom. Now I say just a Mom, but we all know no one is JUST a Mom. But I also never thought I'd find complete fulfillment in those words...
James asked me what I was going to make of myself when I grew up, that I couldnt' be just a Mom. After some consideration on his part, he decided that it's ok for me to be just a Mom. He is such a bright little boy. He has wisdom far beyond his years. He teaches me more about life and loving every day.
I have been blessed with these two beautiful children, with lives and spirits that are just ready to burst from their tiny little bodies. They are truely my life's breath.
So though I feel sometimes I'm stuck in life, I just keep moving forward and trying not to look back. There is more I can do going forward then looking back. I can't change the pages that are already written but there is a whole book ahead that is waiting for the plot to unfold!

june 08

Time gets the best of us all...

Time gets the best of us all. We never see it flying by but only notice once it's gone.
James just had his 7th birthday. I totally feel like I just had the boy. I don't feel like I've been married nearly 8 years, and I certainally do not feel 27. I remember when 27 was soo old. Heck 25 was far far off. Now I am creaping up on my 30th birthday. I feel like I've accomplished so much, yet not accomplished much at the same time and have a world of things I want to do. My children are my life. My best friend stands by my side day in and day out, strengthening me, lifting me up and making me feel like he won the prize when he married me.  I have to say that he truely is the best man I could have ever hoped to be sealed to for time and eternity.
Time certainly has passed, I realized that my very truely best girl friend I've ever had in my whole life, that I hadn't talked to her in nearly 4 years. I thought of her often, hoped to be able to get in touch with her again but just hadn't been able to. Thanks to myspace I am able to talk to her again....

Have you ever had on person who you know that without them you wouldn't have made it to where you are now? She's one of those people. We got into trouble together, had fun together, were there for eachother, fought and loved eachother at the same time. She's the one sittin in the cell with me saying, dang that was fun wasn't it?  She helped me stay sane when my dad died, she helped me to know that I was worth something. While I didn't feel like I had alot as far as looks, personality, talents, you name it...she helped me see that I was certainly more then a waste of space. Because of her I was able to see past what the advasary would have me see. I was able to find the young woman that Heavenly Father intended me to be. I feel blessed to have her as my friend, and I am so glad that she was there for me that day when I moved into the Acworth ward 15 years ago. I don't know what I would have done or how I would have turned out had she not been there to be kind to me.

Time certainly gets the best of us all, don't wait until later to say what you want to say to those you love, you may never get the chance. But when time gives you a second chance, take that chance and run like the wind!

from my other blog date aug 08

Some times I wish that I could take all of my days, and just draw them out. I desperatly want to go back to the time when all I had to do was plan a day of fun for me and my little ones. Now I have to worry about what they are watching, saying, doing, and being while I am gone 10 hrs a day.

Change is good, growing is good, I just can't say getting older is so good! I am so proud of James, he's super smart, vibrant, sassy, confident, and on most days well adjusted. It's just those few days where he isn't all of those things, those days wear me thin.

Madilyne, boy she is shooting up like a weed and with that comes all the attitude a princess would have. I can see she is flourishing, soaking up all life is bringing to her. And suddenly my baby isn't so much a baby any more...

I am getting ready to start another busy busy school year. Though this year is going to be much more difficult. School starts on the 13th, it has just dawned on me that I have a 7 year old doing the school work of a 9-10 year old. How did I get kids that are so smart. Madilyne is excited about math, reading and writing. I have a feeling she is going to be reading before Kindergarden officially starts...This school year though brings new challenges, I am working a 4day work week now, so I'm gone 10 hrs a day, I am still trying to figure out how that is going to work, but some how it just has to. The other challenge is the love of my life is going to be gone for the school year.

 I will for the first time since I was 19, not have the love of my life with me, I've not gone a day without him for nearly 9 years. My partner, the father of my kids, the one who is always there to back me up. He has made the decision to go into the Army reserves, which for that I am super proud of him, he will get schooling, training, and then there is the crazy notion of being prepared to protect our country....

We are buying our first house, that's exciting, but also I'll spend nearly a year in it without Brian. I am not sure the effect it will have on our family dynamic, but it's a much needed change. Without this, we would be stuck with me working outside the home forever. This is not a desire of ours. I never aspired to be a career woman, I always only wanted to be the best wife and Mom I could be.

Brian will be able to get the education he needs inorder to make changes in his career to support our family on just his income. It's been a long time coming, but a change that is going to bring many many challenges before everything is better. That makes me scared...

Just another night of my random thoughts, I don't always keep everything well defined, but it helps me feel better, so if you made any sense of my blathering..thanks for reading!

Work... puke...Cars and Vans

As I start work week 3 back since before I got sick...last week was full of fun vehicle fixing and doing and working..The van's engine completely was toast. We spun a barring. We found a fantastic mechanic to fix for a meer 1200 bucks yahoo!

The car was rear ended on 12/31 on our way to walmart to get some new years eve necessities. Where Ansel and I ended up spending two hours int he ER...

And now James has the flu and ear infection and mr little man has an upper respiratory infection...can we say enough is enough!

Someone has been sick since we brought Ansel home. The cars have had plenty of trouble, the car has been rear ended twice in less than a year...and here I am at work. I yearn to be at home with my kids and I'm stuck working a late shift and feeling like I'm being punished for being on leave...

Life needs to get better like now.

Back in the saddle again...

Here I am my 3rd day back at work. Not only did I have to go back but I got shafted with a closing shift. I am desperately hoping for a shift bid so I can get a decent shift and see my kids during the week for more then 30 min a day.

Ansel was Blessed Sunday and there were babies crying alover the place ( not mine btw) so I heard maybe a few words of the blessing...for that I am sad but I did get some pretty nice pictures of my three little squishies..

 

this happened to be the first picture we took when we got home from church. 

i sure do love those kids.

this one is from an earlier photo session...one of my favorites!

My heart longs for one more...

As miserable as my pregnancy was, and how thrilled I was to actually finally have Ansel..I long for one more. Madilyne wants a sister =o)

I have some small recolection of the Dr coming in during recovery and telling me I shouldn't have any more. I am waiting for my appointment on tuesday in order to get a clear picture of what is going on inside...I know that there is another soul waiting to come to our family. I just don't know how this one will come.

Ansel was a surprise, we were preparing ourselves for adoption. We were hoping to start this year on that journey. Things certainly changed really quick and fast for us =o)

Now I'm enjoying every bit of Ansel, he's still in the cute snuggly baby phase, then we'll enjoy the cute baby on the move phase and all that jazz..I'm not rushing for him to grow up by any means. It's just the finality of the thought that the Dr said I shouldn't have any more.

So until tuesday I'll have to sit and wonder how the last one will make it's presence into our family..

Another post...shocker!

I am pretty sure no one reads these posts, but for me they make me feel better. They make me feel like I've accomplished something and am trying to share with someone....whoever that may be.

I have dreamed my whole life of being a mom, I never was quite sure that it would happen. I am thrilled I've been entrusted with these three beautiful souls. They make my heart go flippy flop every time I see them.

I always want to do right by them. I feel like a failure if I don't do everything exactly right...even though I know reality is that I can't do EVERY thing right. My current case in point..

Ansel will be 4wks old tomorrow, my how time flies. Everyone knows breast is best right?? At least that's what the current stigmata is..and in most cases this is true. The benefits are huge, that is...unless they aren't!

Ansel is the only one to have actually done well with the latching and the nursing and everything. His diaper output indicated we were doing everything right and all was well. Except this sinking feeling that it wasn't well. I always had in the back of my mind that something wasn't going right, I was in tears talking to the lactation consultant, desperately pleading for breastfeeding to work out. I have no idea what exactly it is but for us exclusivly breastfeeding isn't going to work. My milk has not nourished Ansel like it should have, my sweet little boy as much as he nursed only gained 6oz in 3weeks. Didn't even meet back his birht weight by three weeks when the norm is by two.

The Dr who we love and adore for my kids basically told me how it was, no sugar coating which I love about him. He said we gave it a try but it's time to turn over and see if formula will do what my milk should be doing...so last week we changed to me pumping and storing and Ansel getting at least 2oz of formula every two hours. He is now up to 3 or 4oz of formula every 2-3 hrs..little piggy! I am happy to report that in 8 days he's gained 18oz..in a little over a week he trippled his gain from what he had in the three weeks of exclusively nursing. so here is what I've learned

1. Breast is NOT always best
2. I am not a bad mom for giving him formula
3. Formula for sure will not make him dumb or kill him (this I already knew because James and Madilyne were formula fed...yet some how I let that stigmata passed through society eek into my head and warp the things I knew)
4. I am doing my best to keep my kids healthy and happy, and while I may not always meet the mark, I am always trying and that's what counts.
5. God entrusted these special souls to Brian and I for a reason...and we will do everything we can to help them on their road of life.

I am going to choose a word to keep me going this year, the  inspriation comes from my online friend Anya, she is very eloquent in her writing I think, she inspires me and makes me want to do better writing on my end...her word was Peace, and for her I can see how that word is perfect...so my word for this year is going to be

Resilience


I choose this word because it's really hard for me to just accept things some times. I know that life isn't always perfect or candy coated, and as much as I want to be able to change everything , I think I need to sometimes just accept them and learn how to be resiliant and bounce back.  To the new year, and hoping that everything changes for the better for us this year

Ansel is here =o)

So I'm a little slow at updating but here is my update none the less...

Ansel Griffin Humecky
December 11, 2009
10:49pm 7lb 6oz

He's handsome as all get out and a fantastic baby. His brother and sister love him to pieces.

When we came home Madilyne was sick...when we went to the Dr we found out it was the flu.
Luckily she was soo good at wearing her mask that no one else got it.

We are so excited to have these wonderful blessings entrusted to us.

Ansel had his first photo shoot wegot some decent pics...