Seriously??? Only 5 days!

I had such lofty aspirations for this Christmas. Sparkly, homemade decorations, yummy cookies and Christmas treats, shopping done PRIOR to the holiday actually being here....

So far, I am lucky I even have the tree up.

After weeks of antibiotics and shots and trips to the doctor, #1 & 2 are finally on the mend, but we are still nursing #3 back to health from double ear infections. 

I haven't slept in weeks. (2 to be exact) The only reason I am still FUNCTIONING is because of my wonderful mother coming over and cuddling #3 while making sure #'s 1 & 2 didn't kill each other while I took a nap. (She also folded the unbelievably massive pile of laundry we had accumulated over the past however many days that I have had a laundry hating baby glued to me. Someone remind me to buy her a vat of wine. Or something equally worthy of displaying the amount of gratitude I have for her.)

As of this very moment, I haven't showered in 48 hours. 

The sparkly homemade Christmas decorations are nonexistent. The cookies and Christmas goodies.... Yep, they're non-existent also. 

Don't even mention the shopping. We finished Santa's loot, but as for anyone else in our family..... Well, they are currently gift less. Including my husband... At this point I am just ready to count the $300 worth of copays and antibiotics/tylenol/advil we have shelled out over the last 2 weeks as our gifts to each other. (My husband refuses to do this, so my stress to get him something wonderful that he will love continues) 

We have yet to see Santa, although we are planning on attempting that outing today. (Attempt being the main objective.)

The Christmas Train Ride we had been planning is looking like a no-go.

We've managed to miss every single Christmas Tree Lighting and Parade in every surrounding city. 

The only thing that still has the potential to go as planned is the actual holiday itself. (But I am not holding my breath)

Next Christmas, I'm starting everything in August. 

Mason's Mini Birthday Celebration

As I mentioned yesterday, my sweet, oldest little monster turned 6.

Since we had the big birthday party in November for both Ethan and Mason, there was no big party to celebrate on the actual day so we had to have a little something. Especially after the very rough week and a half we have had.

Luckily, I hold on to the majority of my party supplies after a party ends and was able to turn to my "party tub" for some decor to make it special.

We had some festive M&M's, some cupcakes (homemade by Target... Thank you very much. Feverish mommy's don't bake, and if you do... YOU'RE CRAZY!) and topped with some Dum Dum's that would not disappear from our treat bucket. (They're gone now!)

Spray painted Mason (or in this case Kerr) jar with some lolly pops. (that also wouldn't go away)

Everyone's favorite, popcorn. I bought these popcorn holders for Brady's circus 1st birthday party and never used them. (count four of them used. Only about 12 to go!)

Mason's birthday cupcake. Red star candle, also a remnant of the Circus party... (The stand for this lone cupcake is a candle votive and candlestick from The Dollar Tree that were glued together and spray painted.)

And now, our party goers!

Cheap, simple, and much needed with a house full of gloom and sickness. 

Now I can't believe that I am the mom to a 6 year old!

6 Years Ago Today

I was lying in a hospital bed waiting on the arrival of my sweet baby girl. (As some know, I have 3 boys.... We're getting to that part)

5 ultrasounds and 9 months of planning for our sweet Macy Lauren came down to this one moment.

After a rocky labor and a near c-section it came time to push....

"What are we looking for?" Asked the OB who was NOT my normal OB and didn't have time (apparently) to look at my chart since he BARELY got his vehicle out of the parking lot of the location they were having their company Christmas party at to get to the hospital in time to catch my rocket ship of a little monster.

"A girl!" the massive amount of nurses who had collected in my room, my mother, husband, and myself shouted in excitement.

Two pushes later....

"This little girl's got hardware!"

My sweet Macy Lauren was in fact a rambunctious, stubborn, hysterically smart and gorgeous baby boy.

Everyone squealed.

Everyone laughed.

Everyone was awestruck.

I, to this day, feel bad that my child will forever look at pictures from his birth and see a mother with a "Holy Crap" look on her face. You would have thought I had given birth to a monkey.

All of the monogrammed bedding (which, amazingly enough I had picked out yellow and green INSTEAD of pink! Thank you JESUS). All of the pink onesies. All of the planning.

Luckily, we were able to come up with a name that went along with the initials monogrammed on the bedding. So at the very least the bedding was usable.

So, on this day, 6 years ago, I welcomed NOT my sweet baby girl Macy Lauren, but instead of sweet, sweet baby boy... Mason Luke.

1 year

2 years

3 years

4 years

5 years

6 years old!

Happy Birthday Mason Bug!



The Adventures of Charley Days 9-12!

On Day 9 Charley went into extreme sports mode!

Zip lining Charley! (With note from Santa in tow)

On Day 10, Charley was missing everyone due to our stay at the hospital!

Charley took to Daddy's shaving cream and the living room mirror to express his sympathy... Only after giving himself a little Santa beard.

On Day 11, Charley channeled his inner outdoors man and set up a little camp for himself in the living room.

Marshmallows roasting on an open tinsel fire.... 

This morning, Day 12...

Charley did a super hero patrol of the living room! I'm going to guess he was on the lookout for stray germs trying to find a warm body to inhabit...

Unfortunately for those stray germs... There is no room at any of the "inns" in this house, but Charley tried.



Charley was by far an awesome investment. I look forward to him being a part of our family for a long time.

We're working on the World Record!

For most trips to the hospital/doctor in a two week period!

So far we are at.... 5 doctor visits (which will soon be 6 since Mason's fever isn't going down at all), 1 emergency room visit, and one 3 day hospital stay.

Now, I have an eye that is swollen almost completely shut, two kids who can't stop running fevers, and one kid who is finally on the mend after a 3 day hospital stay.

MOMMA NEEDS A BREAK!

THESE LITTLE MONSTERS NEED BREAKS!

EVERYONE NEEDS SLEEP!

Silver lining?

At least this is happening BEFORE Christmas instead of during...

Please keep us in your thoughts. Whatever sickness has taken residence in our house is a stubborn one.

The Adventures of Charley Day 8!



Charley took it upon himself to do a little office work last night.

I'll give you one guess what he made a copy of....

(If you guessed his square little bottom, then you would be correct)

The boys found this one particularly amusing.

I cannot tell you how many times I heard, "Charley made a copy of his Buuuuuuuuttttt" followed by giggles. It makes it even more cute that my children are blessed with that lovely Southern accent that gives butt a drawl like no other accent around.

Overwhelmed???? Me????

Nooooooo.... I NEVER get overwhelmed.

I keep my cool constantly.

Like when we make a trip to our pediatrician's practice on a day that she is out, forcing us to see another doctor in the practice, to find out that it's simply a virus and it will run it's course.

Two days later, we had this...

Definitely not a child on the mend after a simple "virus" ran it's course.... We had a child getting much worse.

After placing a call to our AMAZING pediatrician around 5 yesterday evening, she graciously offered to keep the office open well after their closing time just so she could check Brady out and keep us from going to the ER.

His temp was 103 when we got there.... Severe ear infection and a double eye infection.

Hopefully now that he was shot and is now medicated, he will be on the mend. He was so pitiful. I hate seeing my babies like that.

On top of Brady's illness, there are Christmas parties coming up. My mother and grandmother will be joining us at our house for Christmas Even brunch this year, so I have steadily been collecting brunchy (yes, I said brunchy) recipes for that. Thank you very much Pinterest. I have also been trying to come up with some cute ways of displaying the food. Even if the brunch is small, I would like for it to be special.

There were a few things that I had collected that have since had a little tweaking.

I got this.... I guess it was a dip and things to dip platter at some point??? I got it for little of nothing and I think I like it better as a display plate, so that is what it will be for us.

Gave it a shot of red for festive flare and she's ready to go.

I also got these candle holders at the Dollar Tree... I think everyone has done this so it is pretty well known as to what comes next...

Glue together...

Paint.

Now this will probably hold some peppermint sticks or maybe some chocolate dipped spoons! Who knows, I'll figure that out later.

Also, I started working on Mason's teacher's Christmas gift. I am planning on making her one of the crayon initial deals... Finger's crossed that it comes out at least halfway decent...

There is way too much going on. Now I understand why people take vacations at Christmas time! I need one!