JEMMA

This little Boston Terrier/??? Mix walked into our lives a short time ago but has already won our hearts. She is known around here affectionately as "big dumb dog" by Greg and I. She jumps on the slide then goes down it. She brings something wonderful to my broken heart. There is nothing like puppy breath. If she keeps going we wont be able to pick her up the next time I post. She is 10 lbs and doubled her weight in 2 weeks. She is also expensive but aren't they all. Adopting a pet has been awesome and I wouldn't change a thing about it! Instead of us taking care of her I think it is the other way around. We love her.

A catch up in "The House of Potts"

Thanks for the emails wondering if I am alive... I AM.

I am so way far behind blogging so I will give a quick catch up.

Luke is doing wonderfully in 1st Grade. We LOVE LOVE LOVE his teacher. You know, a teacher is so important in these early years.. they teach morals, values, addition, subtraction, reading. All the things our kids need to survive. It is such a comfort to know that he has a super teacher to look out after these things while I am away from him. We had parent/teacher conferences last week and he had all A's. Not sure his sister will fare the same academically!

He is about to finish up the Fall soccer season. This year is the same as years before... we are ready for it to be finished about the time it does! Ready to not have to be somewhere every Saturday morning. Can I just brag here a minute about Luke? He has the biggest heart (most of the time) and is always making things for his Dad and I. He is always thinking of us while he is at school (or so he claims). He is the greatest big brother in the world. I realize how BIG he has gotten and how much he has matured. He will always be my taterbug:(

Aniston-- Well she is the same- beautiful as ever and talking more. YES- she still has a bad attitude and I worry we will follow her to juv hall one day. She is so strong willed and so so so.... RUDE most of the time. You have to make her say please and thank you. You have to beg for kisses most days! Aahh, but she has brought so much to our family and we are all in love with her (well maybe her cuteness). She is routinely spanking her babies and toys.I am saying these thing about her and I am her fav person so imagine how others feel:)

Me- I am volunteering some at school and loving it! I wish I could be there more but Aniston is so wild that some days I question why I do what I do.

Greg-- Busy with work and Deer Hunting so far no deer heads on my walls and that my friends....is a good thing.

Sad News-- I type this with tears rolling down my cheeks Rudy is now in Doggie Heaven chasing mail people and bitting their ankles. He has been gone over two weeks and for me the pain is as bad as it was when I found his lifeless body in the backyard. But, we are all moving on and it breaks my heart. There was a point in my life that he was my best friend. He was my dog and after 10 years it is hard to believe he is no longer with me. I will give "Jemma" her very own post- she is our new pound puppy. Well, she is really Luke's and he takes way better care of her than most 6 yr olds would. She has cost us a small fortune in a short time.

I will make a promise to update more in the future.

Destruction by AniPoo

Aniston has struck again with the remote control. This time Luke was her victim. He has a knot on his forehead, a bruise, and a small cut. He cried and so did she. She cried because of the spanking she got from daddy:( She needed it because she is out of control. I see a juvie future for her!!! An ice pack and he was on the road to recovery.

First Grade

So, we made it through the first week of first grade! Luke cried a little the first morning which really shocked Greg and I both. Actually, the big shocker was that I did NOT cry for the first time in....oh.... 4 years when dropping him off. Now, I have not ever cried in front of him.

He is loving school once again and enjoying having friends to play with and the snow cones rock! I am happy about once again having a routine down. I just wish Miss A. would cooperate and go to bed like a good girl! Then, I could have a couple hours to myself. I am not liking trying to potty train her or getting up early. Especially after long nights.

Luke went in late to school yesterday because he had to have his yearly allergy testing. This year he was ONLY allergic to 47 out of 50 things. YEA Whoo Hoo!! Just kidding. He was allergic to too much for shots because it would take about 5 yrs to build up an immunity to all those things. So we are trying bumping him up to adult doses of Claritin, Zyrtec, Singular, Patanase, Omnaris, and a new med called Alvesco. We are hoping for good results as is our bank account!

I have been having a steady stream of interest in my photography photos. I have a couple newborns on the books for when they arive. I am loving it!! I entered a photo of Aniston (which is probably my fav that I have even taken of her) in a NWA based contest. There were over 3500 entries and we placed 5th. There were no prizes for 5th and I REALLY wanted that camera for first. But, I was happy to have placed that well.

Greg is still up to work and working at school to get in our volunteer hours. He stays very busy with those things. But, he has been looking forward to deer season and taking Luke out in the woods some.

My photo blog:

www.julieslens.blogspot.com

Summer is just about over

I take Luke tomorrow to drop off school supplies he is a 1st grader. Oh my where has the time gone? I felt so sorry for him over the weekend. I was missing him and went to his room. He was on his bed watching TV looking all pitiful. I asked what was wrong. He went into a story of how sad he was that he didn't get to go anywhere fun or do some of the things he wanted this summer. Some of that was because of the weather being so hot. I reminded him of some fun things and he felt better then. He has had lots of time with Papa, time with his cousins, and lots of video game playing. He seems so grown up at times and I have found myself missing my little boy. However, he has asked me for biscuits and gravy a bunch this Summer-just like when he was little. It makes me happy to see his goofy grin when I say sure I will make you biscuits and gravy.

Aniston went for her 2 year well child visit. She has regained all and some extra weight from her surgery. She was 80% in height and right under 40% in weight. She checked out well. I need to commit to potty training. I honestly think I am struggling with letting go of diapers... I know crazy huh? But that will end all things "baby". She is doing her 2nd pageant tomorrow night and it should be lots of fun.

Everything is else is the same nothing new to report! I have been doing some photos for people this Summer and am very excited where that path seems to be taking me. I have a separate blog for that www.julieslens.blogspot.com

A few Pics

Blog Guilt

Yes I have it! It has been about 6 weeks since I have updated. So I will do a catch up post then a photo post.

Luke- Finished Spring Soccer and had a blast. At least we didn't have a bunch of rain outs to make up. Started T-Ball which actually overlapped Soccer. His last game will be tomorrow night. He has been great this season. I love watching him play. Greg has been an assistant coach again this year. They only have 6 games so season goes by really fast. Luke has enjoyed the batting cages and that practice has really helped him. I am looking forward to next Spring.

He lost his second tooth exactly 7 days after his first. He was very excited. He is enjoying riding his new bike and it is shocking how good he is at it too.

He graduated from Kindergarten- I don't have any photos yet because I couldn't manage a camera and Aniston (more on that below). Also he received a 50 pt AR award which means over 100 books were read since January. Some he was able to read entirely and some we read to him. He was tested on every one of those!


Dad- just working and helping with Luke's activities. He had a business trip and the kids, my friend, and I had a good time while he was away.

Mom-same stuff here. I did complete an on line camera class and managed to walk away with a few awards which landed me free tuition!

Aniston- she has had lots of activity. She seemed to be sick the entire winter with ear infections or some type of tonsillitis or fever--- constantly. She had her tonsils and adenoids out on March 24th along with PET Tubes for her ears. We discharged to soon and ended up being readmitted two days later. Which was the afternoon of Luke's graduation. Once again we got dehydrated and had to readmit for a third time. What a rough road for our little Mouse! She is currently suffering with a sinus infection right on the heels of recovering from surgery. We pray this ends soon and our sweetie returns.

She loves "mouse minnie" or that is what she calls her anyway. I can't believe she is 23 months old. Man time has flown. Many days I wish her back to a baby and some I look forward to college! I cried at Luke's graduation those kids were so precious. His teacher cried and that was moving. We realized during Aniston's illness how fortunate we were to have Luke in a school where they prayed for all of us every day. Parents emailed to ask how she was. We believe in the power of prayer! Luke did so well being shuffled during the hospitalizations. I stayed with Aniston and Greg and my Mom rotated being with me. Greg worked as much as possible. This surgery was very difficult because of her age but was necessary. We are also very fortunate to have a world famous Children's Hospital 35 minutes away.

She is stringing words together now and says, "I see you" and "do own self" quite a lot. Also, she says "get away" and "go" to her brother when he bugs her.

Hopefully, this caught you up on A HOUSE OF POTTS!

Lil Miss Priss

Miss Sassy Pants is high maintenance. She has been sick for over a month. Her being so demanding is getting annoying especially in the weee morning hours. She will say, "Mama cup, Mama pa-pa, Mama nuggle, Mama kiki one right after the other. When I can't get it to her quick enough she yell ok ok ok. I try to keep her at bay since the boys are sleeping which is not easy sometimes. She is talking more and more and I must say she has the sweetest voice!

All about Luke

It has been an exciting couple of weeks for Luke! He earned his 25pt. award for Accelerated Reading, learned to ride his bike with no training wheels, and lost his first tooth! You are growing up way to fast buddy.

The sad that brings joy!

A friend suffered a miscarriage this morning. She called me not long ago devastated. I didn't even know that she was pregnant. She knew I would understand. And, that I do. I hung up thinking about her saying she hopes soon she won't hurt- but that never totally goes away. In a few days I will wake up and realize that it is my Angel's due date. I will feel very sad even though it has been 2 years. No one will even remember but me. Many times I have wondered why it still makes me sad when I have Aniston. I wouldn't have her had that baby survived. But, what I know now is that no matter how brief that baby was a part of me, Aniston never has or never will replace that child in my heart. Although between Aniston and Luke there is much joy in my heart!

Turn Off the TV

For the last 10 days L. has not watched TV, played video games or used his Spongebob Laptop! We are extrememly proud of him. This was all part of a school program. Kids could participate but it was not required. At the end, if your parents sign off that you did stayed away from all the above you get a huge prize. I hear the prize if a Luau outside and you get a 2 hr recess! Sounds good huh? Oh, you also get to eat lunch outside. Greg and I were talking this morning about how hard this is. Also, we did crafts each day to fill up some of the time. Our weather here in AR has been beautiful and that helped. GOOD JOB LUKE!

What a great Easter we had! The weather wasn't quite as sunny as predicted but at least it wasn't raining in cold. That Easter Bunny really outdid herself this year! She showed up a day early and brought both kids perfume/cologne, crocs, sunglasses and some of the usual junk. We went to Mass in Morrilton so we had to get up early. I always enjoy being there though. The kids were looking forward to playing at Noni and Papas. The had 3 egg hunts. First, Papa's. Second, Uncle Robert's and lastly at Aunt Joy's. We all had a great day. It was very special to hear Luke talk about why Easter is special. He loves his Jesus!

Back from Spring Break Vacation

We had a great few days in Memphis, TN. The kids were very well behaved and we crammed lots of fun activities in. We went to the Children's Museum to meet Spongebob! Aniston was not afraid at all and kept saying Bob over and over. We spent a few hours there cause there was so much neat stuff. Luke got to be a bug inspector for Terminex! They had part of a FedEx airplane that had a slide we all loved that. The kids enjoyed the virtual surfing and the grocery store. Everything was just their size and they got to check out and bag their own groceries. It was great we planned that for the rainy day. It was cold everyday but we still had a great time. This was actually our first trip just the 4 of us. We ate a a wonderful restaurant I think the name was Firehouse. Beautiful inside and the prime rib was the best ever. Aniston was close to getting us thrown out I am sure! I guess it wasnt really a place for small kiddos.

We took a 45 min drive to the Tunica area for one day of shopping. Once again the kids were good. Greg saw a sign that said fried bologna so like true Southerners we stopped in for some lunch.

The Zoo was great and I took lots of pics there. It was so cold though. Most of the animals were out and about thankfully.

Where is Spring?

It has been really cold at all of our soccer games so far. Noni has stayed behind to keep Aniston out of the freezing temp a couple of games. Once again Luke is on fire on the field. He scored 4 goals at the first game, 6 at the second and I think 2 at the third. He loves soccer.

We took some pictures of the kids at UCA for our Easter card. It was cold late that afternoon and Aniston kept running away. Somehow, our card turned out beautiful. It only took an hour and 130 pics to find 3 or 4 good ones. Greg says that I expect too much of the kids. It is so frustrating to get a good one of Ani and then see that Luke was making a gang sign or something else crazy!

Luke has a part in a play for Easter at Mass. He said his line perfectly and we were really proud of him. Also, Noni came through and kept Aniston so Greg and I could both go and enjoy it. Luke wanted to give up his laptop for Lent. I have to say that I have been really impressed with how well he has done. With the exception of asking to take it to Papa's house, he has not asked for it. Now, he has asked to play on mine a few times:) I feel so very blessed to have him in a school that teaches about Christ each day. He begins and ends his school day with prayer. I have watched Luke grow up and change so much this year.

We had parent teacher conferences and he received all outstandings and even above that on some things. We were most proud of what his teacher had to say about him showing caring and consideration for his friends. She said he is always the first to offer help. It makes us think we are doing something right even though it seems he is in trouble a lot at home.

Aniston is growing so fast. She is now in 95% on height and 10% on weight. She has battled colds and ear infections all Winter. She is saying more and more. My favorite thing she says is "Pa Pa Pa Pa when she wants her Paci then she will say Peaz if I haven't gotten it to her yet. She is also saying Thank You and Hi Mommy. So we are beginning to see her string 2 words together. I must say she has the sweetest voice I have ever heard. She loves her Bubba!

Haircuts

Aniston and Luke both got haircuts today. I thought I would pull mine out by the time we got out of there. Aniston was playing in hair on the floor and trying to tear down their blinds. Luke kept squealing while getting his cut and finally I threatened to spank him if he didn't sit up and be still. We got home and I actually noticed a couple little dried blood spots- guess it did hurt!! Aniston got a couple inches cut off of the back of hers and she has a precious little bob for now. They were too precious for our pics at Wye Mtn.

Spring Maybe???

The warmer weather has been so nice. I think it puts this Mom in a much needed better mood. Sickness continues to lurk here at A House of Potts. This time Miss A got the stomach bug. Well, we think that is what happened. It has been several days since and she continues to be quite irritable and fussy. Out of the blue, she will throw up. I called the clinic to see if they were concerned something else might be going on. They said it could be a week before she completely went back to normal.

Luke got a 15 pt AR award at school. I guess Aniston messed with my camera and the photos didn't expose. He will be getting 20 pts next week so hopefully I will have pics then.

Playing catch up

I thought having a family blog would help me keep up with our lives better- but clearly it hasn't. We have been busy around here. I am anxiously awaiting Spring. Actually, the kids are playing right now in our backyard. We have had a couple good snows but that is enough for me.

Luke- is growing and reading and learning. He is a really smart kiddo. He is working on AR points at school. We read about 10-12 books a week and then he gets awards at 5 pt. intervals. He will start soccer practice tomorrow night. He has been invited to lots of birthday parties. We have 3 this month actually. I can't believe how quickly this school year has gone. He was really sick last week. I took him to a weekend clinic on a Sunday. Next he ended up at ACH ER twice in one day. He had strep then that caused chaos with his asthma. He is much better now. I think he coughed for 24 hrs straight without a break. The dr. said time and steroids would work and they eventually did.

Luke has said some pretty funny things lately. While sick, he was aggravate at me and said, "Do you even know how lucky you are to have me?" I told him I did but I was laughing- couldn't help it.

He is very nosey about things going on around him and always has been. He has forgotten his backpack a few times lately. He remembers when we pull up at school. I have had to run it back to the Primary office which is about 20-25 min round trip. He was so cute this morning when getting ready for school. Greg pointed out that his backpack was already on and it wasn't even time to leave.

Aniston- well she is just Ani Poo!! We love her but she is a handful. I noticed while in the grocery store this morning she can actually say alot more than she lets on. I heard her say: bread, cake, coocoo aka cookie, duck, moo, cheese. Greg got her the "My baby can read DVD's. We have watched them a couple of times but she really isn't that interested. She will say Mouse when she wants to watch Mickey Mouse clubhouse! Backyardigans is still her favorite show but she watches several things. Two weeks ago we had her allergies tested because of the constant snotty nose and congestion. She wasn't allergic to anything. WOW what is causing this? She went to the doctor on Feb. 25th and was 95% heights and 10% in length where the heck does she get that from?

I guess that's all for now. Enjoy the pics!

Random Thoughts......Lets Talk AniPoo

Thanks to all of you who let me know my comment section isn't working. I tried to fix it-not sure yet if I did. To a couple of you who asked where Aniston's outfit came from- Of course, EBAY! The little converse sneakers came from a really nice lady and were a super duper bargain. They didn't even look worn and I paid less than $4 with shipping. The pettiskirt and top came from Hong Kong-and was cheap cheap. Shoot me and email if you want the seller.

Luke had a little asthma problem but seems to be clearing up with some extra breathing treatments. No missed school but not much playing in our snow either. I will upload some pics over the weekend hopefully. The snow was beautiful! Ani and I went to the after hours care clinic last night and she has an ear infection. Poor girl has been snotty, congested and above all very cranky for over a week. All of this equals no rest which makes it hard. I was in the shower the other morning after a very hard night and this verse came to me Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. I repeated it over and over and thanked God for the opportunity to be without rest- because I have a precious daughter who needed her Mommy! I feel bad for all the grouchiness I have when going on little sleep!!!!

LETS TALK ANI POO

Ok, I don't know what the deal is but Luke never did these things. She climbs and jumps. She is a total disaster with anything that isn't nailed down. And, if you have she wants it. I have nearly made it to the witts end mark over the past few days. I buy more toothbrushes, toothpaste and dental floss than the Duggars! Not to mention, she has left all of our toothbrushes dented, pulled apart, and mashed. Luke is in no way immune to her damands. If he tries to sit down with a toy she will climb all over him and scream. I have spatted hands, booty, and scolded none matter because "if you got it she wants it"!

My dining table is covered in orange marker, ink, and purple pencil. I need to get some magic erasers to clean that up. She loves to scribble but ironically, not really on paper. She will stand at the open fridge and scream and shake her firsts and only say "no". I can pull out everything in there but she wants who knows what.

She has gotten to where she will run away after her bath resulting in wet slippery falls. She always has a bruise somewhere on her face. She is tough and doesn't cry from many of her injuries. She loves Bubba. As soon as the garage door opened last night (after our trip to the after hours clinic) she began saying Bubba over and over and over. It was after 8PM so I didn't know if Greg had let him stay up to tell us goodnight. Thankfully, he did and it was touching to see her run to her Bubba and watch him carry her around and all. He loves her dispite making his life very complicated!

She has been sleeping with me for a week and I do NOT look forward to getting her adjusted to her bed again. But, as I think of all the chaos she causes and disasters I have to clean up over and over- I also think how irresistable this girl is as she is napping beside me. Thank you God for all each of these children bring to "a house of potts"!

Happy 18M Birthday.....

Luke helped me get some pics of Aniston today! I can't believe how quickly these 18 months have gone by. In many ways it makes me sad, but in some ways I am looking forward to seeing her developing personality unravel! I am pleased with how my photos turned out- thanks to an awesome giggle getter we know as Luke!

Both kids recently had their well child visits. Aniston was at 90th percentile for heights and 20th for weight. She is clearly the tall child. Luke, remained steady at 10% for height and 25% for weight.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Ani is 18 M old!!

I can't believe it but as of today, our baby poo poo girl is 1.5 yrs old. Of course, I know the time flies! Luke was 6 on Christmas Day and I wonder, How is that possible? She has been having an awful time teething. It has left me begging for my patience and pleading with God on occasion. I feel that I have lots of patience with my babies when they are sick but.... well damn let the screaming stop for at least a little while each day. I won't even go into the night and sleeping issues. Greg has taken her two nights and allowed me time to be with Luke and enjoy some much needed rest. I thank him so much for that. The first night I slept with Luke in his bed and he said the sweetest thing. He said,"Mom remember when Aniston lived in your tummy and we both slept in my bed?" Then he said, "I miss those days lets have Daddy kept Ani Poo on Sunday and Monday's and me and you sleep in my bed." I loved it- it made me sad. I thought of how much time she has required at night for these 18 months. I think she was easier to handle as a newborn nursing every 2 hrs. Aww, we will be glad when all 20 teeth are in!

She is starting to talk more and really understand direction. She loves giving hugs around your legs. She still is totally in love with her big brother. Here are some of her favorite things:

Playing chase with Daddy and Bubba
Eating
Dancing
Backyardigans
Mommy (esp during the night)
Nona
Balls
Strawberries

She has completed our family and after the things we went through to get her here we all feel blessed by her. Yes, even when the teething is horrible. I am going to do some 18M photographs of her myself. But, I just ordered her outfit yesterday. Also, I need it to warm up to take them outside. So, it will be a couple weeks on those. However, I just laid her down for her nap and stood there thinking how sweet it is that she wraps herself up in her blankie to sleep. Her little feet are precious and I wonder where those little feet will end up one day. So here are a couple pics of her, officially 18M old, sleeping.