If it's not broken don't fix it

Holy moly what a crazy last 2 days! We decided to NOT move out of our house!

P.s. the title is something my mom said all the time and it was true... even though I swore I'd never say any of my moms dumb sayings :).

I honestly believe that if it's supposed to happen, it will. We REALLY wanted to move in to this gorgeous, very practical house in Queen Creek.... but nothing worked out at all. We had to pay the deposit ASAP, but didn't have it. We were scrambling.... trying to sell the suburban, trying to maybe borrow money, I was contemplating going back to work, trying to get an investor to buy it. Nothing worked, though. We had even told our landlords that we were moving out, and they had listed it on craigslist. Out of the 6 times we showed it, no one wanted it. That was surprising. We were trying to force something to happen, but it wasn't working. So we sat down and talked about it. As soon as the decision was made to stay, all of my stress vanished.
We talked to the current landlord and she agreed that the carpet needed to be replaced and the backyard needs to be landscaped. She said she would pay for anything we want to do to make it better, and we said we'd stay for another two years. Curtis and I are survivors... we both can make do with what we have. If he gets pushed down to a hand, we will survive. If anything happens, we will survive. One of the things I fell in love with was his work ethic and his drive to provide. So we may not be getting my "dream house", but I think we are here for a reason.
So Gilbert... we're here to stay! And suburban... you're not going anywhere! And house... we're not going to be camping anymore... you're getting painted and decorated and landscaped! Lol, excuse my ridiculousness, I'm extremely sleep deprived and overstressed and over stimulated.

Have a great Saturday everyone! Time to go play with the kiddos and the neighbor kids who spent the night!

Memories

I have to do one more blog since the idea behind this was to keep track of the moments I want to remember. So here it is...
Brooklyn:
She is learning how to pump her arms when she runs. She is punching the air in front of her and it is HILARIOUS! Especially when she punches so hard she twirls. I was rolling laughing when I saw it the first time. Momma G taught her how to put her hands on her hips, stomp her foot and go "mine, mine, mine!". I could kill momma g but it is cute. She also picked up a bad word. She says damnit now. To that I say, damnit! Need to watch my mouth!! Bummer lol.

Maddox:
At my mom's house, she was saying how funny it was that Maddox would kiss the ground every time he fell down trying to walk. Jokes on her... that was him throwing a fit! Haha. We were rolling with that one too! He is saying "momma" now when he needs me... which is awesome!! He also is getting two back teeth, which explains his constant napping. He is so funny, he woke up tonight and I realized he pooped (he won't sleep if he's dirty) and he was smiling the whole time like "haha! Jokes on you!"

London:
She is smiling all the time now! Like full face, really happy, not-just-gas smiling! She had me worried today though because she had gone almost 4 full days with no dirty diaper and was getting grouchy, acting like she was in pain. Finally, she felt relief (as well as me!) and now there's no need to go to the doc! I love cuddling with her, and she just gets cuter everyday, and my love for her grows more and more every day!
I love my kids and where they are at... can't wait to see what I have to write about tomorrow!!

They call me super mom..

I always get called super mom, and I think its the funniest thing. Not in a bad way...I appreciate it, but I don't believe it 100%. And here's why...
A "super mom" wouldn't mess up meals as often as I do. I won't lie, last weekend I screwed up two meals in a row. One of those was spaghetti... and the sauce is CANNED! How do you do that? I dunno... but none of my kids ate it.
A "super mom" would be on pinterest and sites like that more. Better yet, they would be inventing stuff for those sites. I don't like pinterest that much. It's like shopping... I want it all or want to do it all... but then real life hits and oh! I can't afford it. I don't have TIME. I'm just flat out NOT THAT CREATIVE. My house proves that.
Speaking of house, a "super mom" would have the floors swept, mopped, and vacuumed every day, always with fresh vacuum lines. The laundry would smell of summer rain and would still be bright as new and always clean. I'm not kidding you when I say that I personally know someone who has accomplished this. I don't have to tell you that my house is faaaaaaar from that. I'm lucky if I get my laundry switched before it smells mildewy. (Thanks mom for telling me about vinegar!). My excuse when people come over and see my pigsty is "would you expect any different?" I would love a bleach mixed with sugar cookie smelling kitchen all the time... but it's not the case.
A "super mom" would be able to attack my own personal enemy... grocery shopping. Holy macaroni... there's not one thing I despise more than that. And I ALWAYS forget something... some times one thing out of every meal on my meal plan.
"Super mom" would wake up an hour early for quiet personal time with a nice HOT cup of coffee and pop in P90X and get an hour of exercise done. I woke up this morning two hours before the kids, and guess what I did? Rolled over and went back to sleep.
Basically, I don't FEEL like super mom. Instead, I'm just like every other mom, doing the best I can. The load might be a little trickier because of my children's ages, but I'm no different than any other mom. And I'm trying. And practicing. Practice may not make perfect because I will never be a great chef and I'll always hit the snooze button to get some more z's and forget items at the grocery store. But, with practice, I can get atleast one meal right a week, and it's not impossible to get my house to smell delightful until the next dirty diaper. And at the end of the day, I always ask myself if my kids felt that I loved them. I would so much rather be known for the fun I have growing with my awesome little kids than how much I get accomplished every day.  That's my end goal. And I honestly believe those meals I get lucky on, trips to the store I rock at, and days I happen to stumble on a clean house are little blessings from God that keep me going. My kids are blessings from God... and I'm lucky to be their mom :).

7 Steps!

Today, Maddox took 7 steps in a row at my mom's house! Yaay Buddy! He will be running on his own soon, mark my words! And momma couldn't be happier!
We had the best Easter ever together yesterday. It was so good to see old friends and family. Our kids were played with and loved on allll day long. They got a months worth of attention and Brooklyn, in particular, was eating it up! She constantly was surrounded by the teenage girls who were just swooning over her. She went through two good size bottles of bubbles too. She's obsessed! The pictures are from yesterday, courtesy of my aunt Amy with Showpiece Photography.

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter everyone! Hope you all have a great day and remember the significance of this day as ya hang out with family and hunt for eggs! Here's some pics of my family from today!

To the Creek we go!

So, it was an extremely fast decision, but we decided to move to Queen Creek. We are wanting to have more space for our growing family and decrease our rent, and it was either the creek or Maricopa. We looked at about 4 houses today, and I fell in love with one, and of course Curtis fell in love with another. We are taking my aunt with us to look at both (with fresh eyes) to help us make the decision. I hope all my friends will come out and see me! If we get the house I want, it's great for hosting, and has a kitchen that is to die for. Yup... party at my house... mimosas and So Co and limes a must :)! Oh and all hands willing to help.. I wont complain! We will probably move in a month.

I'm only doing a short post since I was up at 4 to make a 5:15 spin class. Stinks when you go anywhere without your breastfed child. So much more goes in to leaving. It was a long day looking at houses and I failed at my second dinner in a row... too much to be a pro at it all I guess :-). My family was very polite and ate it without complaints. One lucky momma!

Tomorrow is Jayden's FIFTH (yes 5!) Birthday! When I met that chubby cheeked crazy haired girl, she was just barely two. Time flies! Its pretty cool that I have known her the majority of her life too. She's a funny chick. For every birthday, we do streamers and signs to decorate from her bedroom door to the bottom of the stairs. Taking full advantage of the fact I'm just her step mom, I posted one of her favorite words.. the sign said "Shake Your Booty!". Booty being her favorite word, regardless of how many times we tell her it's not a good word. I think her laugh when she realizes what it says will make her day, and mine! Who cares if its a bad word... for a day atleast :).

Today, I am thankful for extended family. I have some of the best, especially my really awesome uncles (on both sides). Y'all have a good night... and hopefully this dang headache will go away so I can too!

Chaos Moments

So, I have a few things to write about today.

First off, Brooklyn is ready to potty train. DUN DUN DUN! Not too excited to have to run her to the bathroom when it's just me and the kiddos out. But, then we'll be back to two in diapers. And I honestly think Maddox will potty train as soon as he can walk. He started going poo in the bath so Curtis pulled him out and set him on the toilet and he kept on pushing! Brooklyn hasnt pottied once on the toilet. If I could get both done soon, I think that would be awesome! I got a cute pic of B yesterday when I came downstairs to find her on her little potty with her pantspants pulled down. :). Its the little mommy moments!

So everyday, atleast once, I have a "chaos moment" as I like to call them. These are times when EVERYONE needs me all at the exact same moment. It's during these times I have to stay focused, and take care of one thing at a time, regardless of how many babies are crying. Today, mine was (thankfully) after we got back from the grocery store. I pull on to the garage, and London starts doing her hungry cry. Then Maddox is whining cuz its past lunch time and now nap time. Brooklyns whining for her sippy, and I have a trunk full of groceries. Oh, and I have to pee, really bad. Lol. Now that I can recognize these "chaos moments", I just laugh and try not to grit my teeth. And I'm getting better at dealing with them quickly. Yesterday seemed to be one continuous "chaos moment" but there is one that almost put me over the edge. I'm feeding London, again have to pee, really really bad, Brooklyn's eating Cheez-its on my bed (crumbs!), and Maddox has disappeared in my bathroom. All of a sudden I hear the splash of little hands in the toilet. I finally coax him from his fun and he comes and sticks his hands right in the cheez-it box. Wait, it gets even better. All of a sudden I feel something really warm spread all over my lap. And it was not me that peed all over my lap :). Breathe Whitney. I make it through with out crying, but I do have to tell you, someone (no names) went potty in that very same toilet Maddox had a blast in earlier that morning, didn't want to wake anyone up, and they didn't flush. Omg. Thank goodness urine is sterile and that box of Cheez-its was near empty and thank goodness Brooklyn was over them by the time Maddox got to them. Yuck!

I did have quite the accomplishment today.. finally got all four of us out the door and to the grocery store! I learned two things too. 1) my favorite time ro shop is before nine. The lady who checked me out was right... it gets busy after nine. Next time, it's kids in pjs, a quick stop at the bakery for doughnuts, and done by nine. 2) I feel like the carts with the car on the front are like handicap parking spaces. Leave them for people who need them. I had to wait for one to be available and was slightly aggravated when it was one single little girl in the whole cart. Its probably not anything people think about until they are in my position, which is NEEDING that grocery cart because it is the only way to fit everyone in. I think if I get there at 7 or 7:30, I'll have no issue snagging the car carts, and will get the blue one which is way easier to push.

Today, I am thankful for my beautiful babies and thankful they are all healthy. Brooklyn going potty. Maddox throwing himself on the floor in a fit if you trick him and let go of his hands when he's walking. And London who is smiling and coo-ing and just being my peace when the other two are being chaos (or eating urine covered Cheez-its).  I'm one blessed Momma, and I'm happy that I am in a place I can know that I'm blessed. Today is a happy day :).

Making good habits

So my goal is to write every day. I know it's not always practical, but I think it'll be a good goal. I also was thinking of how I want to format this blog. I came up with three things I hope every blog has. They are: things my kids did to make me laugh or happy and how they are changing, atleast one thing I'm thankful for that day, and of course what we have going on.

Yesterday, I was giving London a bath and realized her hair line is receding and fast. :( my girls losing her straight dark brown hair. I really hope some curly locks are going to take over! And I don't think this is normal, but she's 6 weeks old and she is already smiling and coo-ing. She literally gets so excited she talks to you! I got video yesterday of it... couldn't miss that one! We were looking at a house in Maricopa (more on that in a minute) and there was a mop in a bucket. The guy showings us the house saw he was getting in to it and went and took the bucket from Maddox. Completely freaked him out and hurt his feelings. He hid his face in my lap doing his high pitched cry and every once in a while would peek at the man to give him a dirty look. So ridiculous! And so funny! As we were driving out to Copa, we were jamming out and bubba was doing his head nod (Night at the Roxbury style) and Brooklyn was singing. That girl has been a music lover since she was in the womb... major rhythm going on.

Today, I am thankful for my husband. He is such a good, hard working man. He found out yesterday that the three crews working under his general foreman were going down to 2 (him being foreman of one) and they were going from 30 guys to 8, him being one. Most of them are either getting laid off or transferred. The reason they are doing this is because there is a huge project that they know they can trust this crew with. Pretty crazy. His GF told him that he is amazed at how well he is doing and can see him being a super intendant in the near future. From apprentice, to journeyman to foreman in less than a year. So proud!!

So we are looking to lower our rent, and seeing as our family is giant (7 of us!), we need atleast 4 bedrooms. We have figured we have 3 options to make that possible. 1) find an investor who will buy a house for us and we buy it from them in 2 years. 2) ask our current landlord to lower our rent. 3) move to Queen Creek or Maricopa. Yesterday was my first time ever in Maricopa. We looked at a giant 4 bedroom house, but it was kind of gross. I could clean it up pretty good, but the carpet was gross and the backyard was all dirt. Coincidentally, those are my two qualms about this house. How I see it, if I'm moving further from my friends and my family, I'm going to want a house that is already finished and cleaned. Probably selfish, but I take great pride in my house and I like to be a host and have people at my house. I want to be "house proud", so they say, especially if my friends and family are willling to make the trek. I want it to be comfortable.

Our lease isn't up until July or August, so we have plenty of time to pray about it and look around. I did like Rancho El Dorado... felt like Gilbert. Lots of people out walking and kids playing and the HOA was doing its job.

I think I hit all my goals! Hope you all enjoy our journey with us as we grow up and live this crazy life!

P.s. I joined a group/challenge called the 40/40 challenge. It's a challenge to spend 40 minutes a day exercising for the full 40 days of Lent. My goal was to run a 5k or sign up for one by Easter (which is quite a feat because I had London on day 15 or so). I haven't even gotten the chance to run, so instead, I signed up for the March of Dimes March for Children. Its a 3.5 mile walk in Phoenix on April 14. I have a team of 5 people so far, but I'm opening an invitation to others that might want to join. We also have a goal to raise $200, which we are only $25 away from but would love to blow that out of the water. So if you'd like to join or donate, the website is http://m.marchforbabies.org/team/t1859446. Thank you!

P.s. this is a blog from two days ago that never made it out if my outbox :).

Gettin back on the wagon

So, with THREE kids now, I think it's high time I start bloggin again.
Life is crazy! There is ALWAYS something to do...AL WAYS. Whether it's change a diaper, catch up on laundry, clean a bathroom, mop the kitchen, hug a baby needing attention, feeding dogs... I barely ever get even just a minute to chow some food. But, I won't lie.... it's the best job I could ever ask for!
And I know God is looking out for me. Like today, Brooklyn was cold after taking a bath. I got her dressed and laid her on her bed under her covers to warm up. She fell asleep! And Maddox was equally tired, so I scored an early nap time today! Just in time too, cuz I'm tired myself. It's little things like that that help me know there's someone looking out for me :).
I personally think my kids are the cutest, best kids ever. They are hilarious, sweet, loving, adorable and a blast to be around. Even when they make me mad, I have a hard time keeping a straight face because they usually make some silly face, or make a funny noise or comment. They make the millions of dirty diapers and crazy sleep deprivation worth it. Seriously, the best job ever.