Tuesday, December 6, 2011

O Christmas Tree

This weekend we went and cut down our own Christmas tree!  Mack has always wanted to cut down a tree and to share this experience with Hudson was extra special!  I can remember when my dad would take us to cut down our tree when we were little.  The tree farm we went to also had a Santa!  Hudson had no fear, he ran right up to Santa as soon as he got out of the car!  He even had him pick him up when we were leaving, I was in the bathroom so didn't get any pics of that :(  Anyway please enjoy the pictures of our tree cutting experience :)


 Sitting on Santa's lap



 Driving with Mommy


 Looking for the perfect 1




 Found it!


 Mack getting to work...


 yes his longall is too short, I'm not ready to admit he is in 3T



 He did it!










We had a great time and are very excited for our new family tradition! Once the whole tree is decorated I will take more pictures!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Flashback Friday: Christmas's Past

Happy Friday everyone!  Sorry for my glum post yesterday but it felt good to put it out there!  While I'm home potty training today (without much luck) I decided to do a flashback post!  Enjoy these pictures of us from years past :)

Christmas 2005

Christmas 2006 with our 1st baby Bruster and Phoebe

Our 1st time hosting our own Christmas Party 2007


Christmas Eve 2007 with my brother Todd


Christmas Day 2008, 6 months pregnant and M had just had surgery

Hudson with Legendary Santa 2009 (you Richmond peeps know what I'm talking about)

Christmas Eve 2009, H's first Christmas

Walking around Lewis Ginter in the cold, 2009


Christmas Tree 2010

H eating Santa's leftover cookies

Playing with his Nativity

Can't wait to get our tree tomorrow and get it decorated!  Hudson is really understanding Christmas this year!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Struggling

I don't usually write posts like this but another blogger gave me some courage so here I am....spilling my guts.  Now I know my thoughts wont be popular with everyone but that's ok, because again these are my thoughts.



I'm struggling...struggling to be everything to everyone, struggling to not lose my temper when my child gets in & out of bed & turns on the lights until 10pm every night and then wakes up at 5:30, struggling to make friends, find a job, be a homemaker, etc etc

It all started when I lost my job back in July.  I was not ready to go back to being a SAHM, I worked 3 glorious days and was home 2 days a week, it gave me just enough "away" time during the week and I still had time to have playdates with friends.  When I lost my job H was about 80% potty trained, his school really stepped up and I owe them a lot for taking on such a stubborn child!  A month later he had completely regressed :(

Now don't get me wrong I was lucky enough to stay home with H for 18 months and I will forever be grateful for that.  However I was ready to get back out there and H needed more than I could give him on my own, he is a very bright little boy who needed to be stimulated.  He loved school and blossomed in his environment.  People always ask if I teach him since I used to be a preschool teacher and in some ways yes I do but it is hard, he knows which of my buttons to push and likes pushing them!  H kept asking to go to school in the mornings after we pulled him out and that broke my heart. So I am struggling to be a teacher and a mother and a disciplinarian.

We moved to TN about a month ago and while my mom  and in laws have been here to help out I am still struggling to meet people, find a job, find a preschool, and just to get settled.  I love spending my days running errands with H, going to Chik-Fil-A for lunch, and being able to nap, but most of the time I just want to be at "work," if that makes me a bad mother then so be it.  H has not adapted to this new environment at all, my once easy baby who went to bed without issue now takes at least an hour to put down for bed or nap.  M and I have tried every method and I am at my wits end with this whole going to bed thing, not to mention he has been getting up at 5:30 every morning.  I guess we have also hit the terrible two's because a day doesn't go by where we don't have some sort of fit or tantrum because I wont buy him gummy bears...true story. Keeping my temper and patience in check has become a daily struggle. Sometimes I just need 5 minutes, 5 minutes to cry, yell, or just breathe!

I know my thoughts don't always make sense even when I put them down but this is more for me than anyone else.  I love being a mother and hope to be one again but I guess I never really realized how hard it is.  I miss my girlfriends back in FL who always let me "drop" by if I was having a bad day or would grab a drink after bedtime!  Meeting people has never been my strong suit, sometimes I can come off as hard to get to know  but that is because I have been back stabbed by more than my fair share of girls.  So this is me, struggling to find my balance again.  Thanks for listening to me ramble!

P.S. as I type this I am potty training again............

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

My All Grown-Up Christmas List

So growing up kinda sucks...all the things I want for Christmas are more practical than fun.  I guess that comes with getting older ; )  There isn't much on my list seeing as we just moved and I am still unemployed, but here are a few things I would love to see under the tree!

Frye Melissa Boot


These adorable and oh so comfortable Sperry flat
A triffle dish



This bookcase would be great for our loft


This PB dining room table calling my name...but this 1 is a long way off


So there ya go, my practical Christmas list.  Now I just need M to do one so I know what he wants!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving

 Happy Thanksgiving everyone! H and I are hanging out by ourselves after a great Thanksgiving! Mack's parents Gigi and Big Daddy came from VA to spend Thanksgiving with us in TN. The weather was absolutely beautiful and the food was amazing! We decided not to cook since a lot of our kitchen is still in boxes, instead we had lunch at Goodness Gracious Cafe which was wonderful! I dropped everyone off at the airport this morning, including M who is going to get the last of our things. I had wanted to potty train again this weekend but I think I have decided that there isn't enough wine in the world to keep me in good spirits in order to accomplish potty training! I hope everybody had a great day!


Daddy and Hudson



Outside Goodness Gracious


Walking around downtown after lunch

The Murfreesboro Courthouse



Playing in the leaves is a new experience for H














Mommy and Hudson



Playing with Daddy












Hudson and Daddy hanging out this morning



So thankful for these 2!

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