A little banged up...

I was in a car wreck yesterday.

I am fine.

I had NO babies with me.

My car is fine.

Well, it WILL be fine after a little doctoring.

The other driver is fine.

And by "fine" I mean I am terribly sore and have some neck and back pain, but what a miracle that that is all I have to complain about!!

There was a wedding shower at church yesterday afternoon. I had already decided Ellison was still too "new" to go, but I wanted to be there for the special event. I fed my precious baby, changed her diaper, and left her in her daddy's care. The boys were both down for naps. I was so looking forward to seeing my church family and the beautiful bride-to-be. I would be back in an hour.

Or so I thought.

I turned my Tabb Family CD on and hit #5, "He Knows My Name." It was a beautiful day and I was singing along, just envisioning Mrs. Kim from church singing it. {oh, how I love to hear her sing!}

I had been on the road mere minutes when I came to a curve and met a speeding car that was in MY lane. I veered to the right to give him some room...just hoping he would correct himself and spare us both. Instead, he just kept coming at me! Before I could realize what was happening he plowed right into me and I was then barreling down the road in a vehicle I couldn't control.

My vehicle was pushed off the shoulder and miraculously didn't roll right down the embankment, but came back onto the road and darted across to the other side. The whole time my vehicle was just shaking back and forth and I was hysterical as to what to do.

My side airbags had deployed and I was just blind to the world around me.

The only thing in my sight was a HUGE ditch in front of me and an even BIGGER tree that I knew was going to stop me in my tracks. At the same time I was terrified someone rounding the curve would hit me AGAIN because now I was in THEIR lane!! Oh, the nightmare wouldn't end!

I had a moment of clarity and realized I was so tensed up that I was pushing on the brake with all my might. I let my foot off the brake, regained my steering, and slowly hobbled back over into my lane and out of the way of oncoming traffic.

It is quite difficult to manuever a vehicle on a rim!

I've had my Tahoe for nine days. NINE short days. Oh, how thankful I am to have been in that vehicle and not something smaller. The outcome may not have been as favorable. Here's the other guy's car:

How thankful I am that the Lord took care of us both. We were both able to walk away. It could have easily been a head-on and then who knows how that would have ended. So glad I saw him when I did and was able to give him some more room...too bad it wasn't enough room!

I don't think he had a clue what happened until our vehicles met. I don't know if he was sleepy, texting, talking on the phone...all I know is he was where he wasn't suppose to be.

He told the officer he didn't know what happened. He told ME he didn't know what happened. There was plenty of evidence to support my story and the officer said such.

I really despise that highway. It has numerous curves, NO shoulder, and people just drive way too fast on it. I wish there was another route to church! :)

Can you see the absence of white paint in the below picture? That's where my rim ran over the white line when I was NORTHbound and in the SOUTHbound lane. Just a few more inches and me and my car would have gone down, down, DOWN in the ditch!

What a BLESSING I had no babies with me!! That's all I said over and over when folks stopped to make sure we were alright. I was just so very thankful I had no babies with me. What a true miracle. A little seatbelt rash and sore neck and back is all I suffered.

Truly amazing.

He knows my name...

What we've been up to...

While the house and Billy's pneumonia has caused me to fall behind in the blogging world, it hasn't affected my obsession with taking pictures. :)

Since we've been absent in the blogosphere:

Lynden introduced himself to Doritos, he's a fan...my carpet, not so much...

He also had his ONE YEAR checkup! Oh my. It's gone by so quickly.

Raegen has completed nearly two more months of preschool and even went on a fieldtrip to the Fire Station!

The boys LOVE pillow time! It doesn't matter if I'm changing sheets or making beds, if a pillow winds up on the floor, they're all over it!! Literally!

Billy left AND returned home from the Philippines...YAY! Daddy's home!!!

Lynden showed off his new skill promptly!

Some dear friends from church hosted a shower for me and baby girl AND another dear friend and her baby boy. It was soooo much fun!

I wasn't sure how to handle invitations since this is my THIRD baby, so I only gave the hostess addresses for family. So sorry if I ended up offending anyone. I'm always unsure in those situations. My mom, sister, and sister-in-law couldn't make it {because it was held during the week and they all live 1-1.5hrs away}, but they made sure their gifts were there!!! :) I'm so excited to share those in another post!! {and no, I have yet to write ANY thank you cards!!! Yes, that is TERRIBLY rude...another confession, I have yet to write ANY thank you cards for Lynden's birthday gifts too!! ugh. So very much unlike myself. Soon though...I hope!}

We introduced a new member to our family:

Mr. Benton Samuel...

I celebrated a BIRTHDAY!!! It was full of wonderful surprises! So fun!

Raegen had his dental check-up and of course Lynden and I tagged along too. ;)

No cavities!!!

And finally,

it's OFFICIAL!!!

We will be turning in our Wampus Cat blue & white for

OBU purple & gold!!!

Congratulations to one of our fave boys, Colt, on signing with Ouachita Baptist University.

We are sooooo proud of him!!!

GO TIGERS!!!!

{detailed posts to come soon for these highlights}

I need your help friends!!!

TWO things:
Numero Uno: Union Pacific is letting US!! {the people} vote for our favorite steam engine route. WE get to tell it where to go and YOU WANT IT TO COME TO ARKANSAS!!!! I know you do. Remember when my boys got to see it last year, here and again HERE!! Please vote! You can vote once a day until voting closes. Arkansas was in first place yesterday, but we've dropped to second. Do you really want to see a grown girl cry?! {The answer is no. It's quite ugly.} You can click the above link {Union Pacific banner at the top of the screen} to vote or you can click this link: http://x.up.com/40270 to vote.

You will be asked to give your email address, your first name, and a screen name. VERY SIMPLE!! You will then be sent an email to your inbox for you to verify your email address. They're just trying to prevent spam. So, simply check your email and click on the link they send you. Once your email is verified, your vote counts!!! And then you can vote EVERY DAY until voting closes!! YAY!!!! Thank you my friends. ;) My boys will LOVE seeing the steam engine again.

Numero Dos: Back by popular demand...the baby poll!! Do you think baby #3 will be another precious boy or a sweet little girl? I have added a poll to the top of my blog {just under the Union Pacific banner}. Please vote only once. ;) Voting will close Monday, January 17th at 1:30 p.m. because THAT'S WHEN WE FIND OUT IF WE'RE HAVING A BOY OR A GIRL!!!!

Gut feeling? Well, it just seems "natural" to have another boy so that's what I feel like we'll have. We have all the boy toys and boy clothes {well, except for the infant boy clothes through size 6 months. Yes, I REALLY thought we were DONE {stick a fork in me D.O.N.E.!!} so I gave away ALL of Lynden's baby clothes through six months. Seriously.} haha So, the baby will not have anything to wear until six months of age and then it will be all boy clothes so it just makes sense to have another boy. ;)

On the other hand, because I feel that way, I almost feel like it will be a girl!! haha Now, my family says "girl" because that's what they WANT! But I'm not really sure if that's what they really feel I'm going to have...they said the same thing about Lynden and he's very much a boy!

I have had no dreams like I did with Raegen and this has been a very mild pregnancy, very similar to Raegen's. So....what do you think? Go vote! :)

Oh. my. good. HOG. goodness!

And this is why the good Lord didn't give me a girl...

Yes,

she would HAVE to have these shoes!

They also have a boy version...

oh. my. sweet. baby. goodness.

those are too cute!

I would really, really, REALLY like to get those,

{wouldn't Lynden be ridiculously adorable!}

BUT

I think my husband would give me a knuckle sandwich.

{just 'google' Razorback squeaky shoes and you can find these at all price points}

Sorry Mom.

I promise to {finally... as requested} post some more pics of the boys tomorrow...
but for now, enjoy this!

I saw it last week and have shared it with everybody and their dog...and then I realized I hadn't share it with my own mother!! What a shame!

Watch it again...I know you want to!

Cuttin' Up

During the summer months my MIL travels 99% of the time. This summer she's been to California, twice!, and brought back some fun gifts. She picked up this whale shaped cutting board for Raegen.

It's made of leftover counter top...

I think it goes, the maker is the husband of Nana's sister's friend...pretty sure it's something like that.

He makes all shapes and sizes. The above picture is of the sticker on the back of the cutting board...give him a call if you're interested. I have NO IDEA what his prices are or what shipping would cost. Just thought I would share his cute creation.

Homey don't play.

Monday was the first official day of summer and

'round these parts it was h-o-double tee,

HOTT!

We didn't break any records,

but that didn't make it easier to bear either.

There's little hope for tomorrow as well...

It's so disgustingly,

uncomfortably,

suffocatingly

hott.

Yes, HOTT. spelled H-O-double Tee

That we will not be joining our amazing friends for some fun in the sun.

Instead, we will stay home and try not to move.

Though we might play hide-and-go-seek.

In the fridge, no less.

Or maybe place ice cubes on our bodies and see how long it takes them to melt...

Card Carrying Member

It's official.

I am now a card carrying member of the "I locked my keys in my car...

with it running...

along with my child!" club.

On Tuesday as we exited the splash pad, I pressed the remote start on my vehicle. I had put sun shades in the windows before we entered the park so that helped keep it cool as well. It was so hot that day and I didn't want to put the boys in a smoldering hot vehicle. When we reached the vehicle the AC was blowing full blast and it was nice and cool. Raegen climbed in his seat and I buckled him in. Then I opened the passenger door, put some things in the front seat, and stuck the key in the ignition {I was worried I would forget the keys were in my hand and lay them down somewhere and lose them!}.

I shut the door and pushed Lynden in the stroller to the back of the vehicle. I tried to open the back door, but it was locked.

That's annoying.

I walked to Lynden's door and tried it. Locked also.

That's when I realized ALL the doors were locked!

PANIC!

I just locked my baby in a running car...and he's buckled so securely he couldn't get out if he wanted.

I immediately called my friends that had just pulled out of the parking lot and all I could mutter was, "I need you to come back!"

Then I just stood there and tried to compose myself. I'm never good in these situations and have always had a hard time controlling my emotions...I'm a crier. It's something I've battled since childhood and I suppose something I'll always battle.

Next, I called my hubs who called AAA for me. Within minutes my friends returned and began asking, "What can we do? What happened? What do you need?" They had assumed it might be car trouble...and they were right!

We tried their remote keys because we have the same make vehicle, but no such luck. I was comforted by the fact that Raegen was sitting in a nice, cool vehicle and Lynden was taken to my friends nice, cool vehicle. So the boys were okay. I'm sure Raegen kept wondering why all these people were coming and looking in his window.

All we had left to do was wait...then I received this text from the hubs, "Look up number to police and see if they can beat AAA". Such the competitive spirit. I just rolled my eyes...this was no time for games. Then it hit me! I had cracked the front windows!!! Woohoo!!

I ran over to the nearby park and found the longest stick I could. It took a few tries, but in less than 5 minutes I had the doors unlocked! What a relief.

I learned a few things that day...

ALWAYS crack your windows, you never know when you'll need it ;)

NEVER put your keys in the ignition if you're not sitting in the car!

And it pays to have great friends that will turn around and run to your side.

boo hoo

It is a sad day when the following message appears:

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Tears, people, tears. For now, I have purchased additional storage, but it might take up to 24 hours for it to be credited to my account {so no pics today}. I guess it's time to get serious about preserving the 'ol blog so I can take down the old posts and put up new without having to pay for storage year after year.

There are soooo many choices for turning your "blog into a book"...where do I begin?! Anyone have a "finished" copy of their blog book? Satisfied?
Here are just a few of my options:
Blurb
Lulu
BlogBinders- whooops! out of business... really?!
Blog2Print

Oh, the choices. HELP me! Questions, comments, and answers, please!

So I've never...

made chicken and dumplings

OR

boiled a chicken.

This is true.

I haven't even begun to live life.

But my FABULOUS friend Lisa H. has! And as soon as she gets me her WONDERFUL, DELICIOUS, make you slap yer momma

{I wouldn't recommend doing that though}

chicken and dumplings recipe, I'll post it.

Stay tuned. ;)

You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

A few weeks ago I read on a friend's blog that her husband had never experienced "making tents/forts" as a child.

Never had he lined up the dining chairs and placed a blanket on top.

Never had he strung blankets up in the hallway, attached to door knobs with rubber bands.

Never.

Oh, the misfortune to grow up without blankets {pssst...you could have used sheets!}.

As shocking as it was to hear that news, I'm sure it was even more shocking for my friend to realize there was something about her husband she had never known.

A few days passed and then I had a similar experience.

Billy wasn't hungry for dinner so I said I would just make Raegen a PB&J sandwich.

And he responded,

"I never ate PB&J growing up."

Never?

NEVER?!

As in, never EVER?!

He never knew it existed until he went on a boyscout trip when he was 10...

the entree of the day?

Peanut Butter & Jelly!!

What a staple!

Even for the scouts. ;)

Wow, to imagine my husband grew up in a town that didn't sell peanut butter and jelly...

He is older than me. Maybe he grew up during the Great Depression?

So glad my boys will never have to suffer a childhood without PB&J.

I have such fond memories of that snack as a child and LOVED it when my mom cut my sandwich into small triangles.

Fun memories.

Nice to meet you.

My friend, Andrea, and her seven-month old son, Sean, came to visit us this week. It's been a few months since we've gotten to visit so it was a lot of fun playing catch-up.

And guess what?!

Andrea's a lazy mom too!!

I registered for {and received} this same feeding spoon that Andrea's using here:

It's a spoon AND feeding container! Talk about mess-free {hello, friend!} and convenient. Andrea even mixed two jars of baby food to feed Sean at the same time. She said he won't eat anything without fruit so she dumped a jar of applesauce in too!

At my shower I was teased about how lazy I am for wanting such a device...hahaha

Most of those in attendance had never seen one nor heard of it.

I love that Andrea's a lazy mom too!! :)

Jewelry Junky

It's official.

I am now a "Jewelry Junky Momma".

After a few days of this,

I now have all THIS:

The nice thing about jewelry as a craft is:

1) It doesn't take up much space!

2) You get immediate results and satisfaction!

my first creation

and

3) It's easy and fun to do with friends.

While the momma's heads are buried in their beads,

the babes are making forts and shooting the bad guys.

It's fun for everyone!!

Because.

Because

I had to.

Because

I can.

And, because

they're just too cute

not to!

and I will do it again! ;)

Who is this child and where is his mother?

I looked out my window and what did I see,

a little boy standing not three foot three.

Lookin' like a fool with his pants on the ground...

still not claiming to know this child, but I do know for a fact this was his first attempt at "dropping" his pants; and it was a failed attempt at that; being the kind person I am, I gave him some new play clothes and sent him on his way

Kickin' up the dirt,

and stompin' out the plants...

I thought of yelling,

"Stop doing that or your daddy's

my husband's gonna get you!"

But it was too funny.

The kickin' method just wasn't working for him

so he went on the hunt for some "destruction" tools.

AHA!

"I. am. the. MAN!

Say my name, dirt!...Raaaeeee-gennnnn!"

Thankfully his momma soon put a stop to the mayhem

and I went out to survey the damage.
Thankfully, little was done.

B's garden is actually looking pretty good this year.

This is our third year to attempt a garden...

our second for a real in-the-ground-traditional garden.

Grandpa, you would be proud!! :)

B planted peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, and squash.

So far everything is staying green and alive, but we haven't hit summertime yet. ;)