While you were out........

 Dear Mom and Dad, while you were out and left me and my family in charge of your home we decided to have a little get together.  No, no, not like in college or high school - a much, much more ummm dirty get together.  We decided to invite Daphne utilities and a local plumber over to check on a few things.

Hope you don't mind :)  Enjoy your vacation, I promise no more parties!

If you want to see how my parent's are doing, you can follow them on their journey up the East Coast at www.henryandjayne.blogspot.com

Enjoy your summer :)

Mother's guilt

Guilt is one of those things that can either push us further, make us stronger, or stop us right in our tracks. I hope this is a story of strength!

Latley I have taken up running again. I need this, it clears my mind, strengthens my body, and just makes me a nicer person all around :) While I run I think about so many things, I pray, I think about my children, but the one person I always think about at the end of my run is Cecilia. See after a good run I can finally get a good stretch on my broken arm.

And after 5 months, it still hurts, it's still tight and I only had it in a cast for 3 weeks! I pull my arm back, feel the pain of the muscels and then my heart begins to hurt. I have to take Cecilia's arm and leg and stretch it multiple times a day. She hasn't been on a long run, her body isn't extremly loose and warm and ready for a major stretch, and yet I need to get her stretched out. I think to myself, if this hurts me, and I only had my arm stiff in a cast for three weeks.....how bad can she hurt since it took me 9 months to realize something was wrong.

Guilt is a very strong thing. I choose to step up to the challenge, I warm her up as best as I can, I thank God for giving me this perspective, and I stretch her. I see her walk better, grab things with her left hand, and smile and laugh at how proud she is of herself!

Don't let mother's guilt stop you.

Not a professional

 I am not a professional at anything parenting... but I have tons of opinions!! :)  One thing that I love to tell other people how to do - but have not succeeded in doing it in the said way, is potty training!!  Potty training is sooo hard!!  I'm sure most moms would agree.  With this little girl, it has been next to impossible!!  I thought girls were easier??   Well, she is very strong-willed and with all the crazy changes in our lives I guess she decided to have a little control in her life....

I am proud to say that after constant talks, her holding it in all the time to the point of me getting extremely worried, and some tears (maybe mine) Miss Abigail Anderson Maddox has officially started going on the potty!!  She is not "trained" but let me tell you, we are sooooo much closer than we were a few days ago!!  Thank you Jesus!!

Hello again!

I finally called my grandmother (Memere) yesterday and I realized that I'm not the only one who reads my blog. This beautiful, amazing woman; who we once saw about once a week now only has this blog and facebook to keep up with my rascals

So I decided I needed to get back on the horse and try blogging again. I love blogging. I love telling all of you my stories, random thoughts, crazy moments, and so forth, but 2012 has been a bit crazy and scramble with all the moves and house decisions so I'm still readjusting. God is great, and I have some amazing children, family, and friends, so this to shall pass and things will feel normal again (or is this the new normal?)

Anyways, a few weeks ago we were blessed with a visit from my cute little nephew Henry L. Murphy III (a.k.a. Bing). I promised my mother, his mother, and myself that we would get a picture of all five of them....hahahaha! Children are hilarious

Not sure Bing thought Stephen was so hilarious (but don't worry Nikki, Bing had enough sense to get out of there before things got too rowdy!)

Happy Summer!

Did you know?

 Did you know that I love this guy?

I love so many things about him, especially how amazing of a father he is!! 

and well I love that he is as silly and crazy as me :) 

Happy Friday!

I just put Abby and the twins down for a nap

grabbed my computer so that I could maybe finish this post

Walked down stairs

And behold....Alan walked in the front door!!!

Happy Friday!!!  Thank you shipyard for whatever reason the power went out! 

A little lost

 Happy Easter everyone!!!  Things around here have been crazy busy - like most families I know :)  I do feel a little lost these days though - hence the inability to blog.  Things are just a little different right now with the whole not having our own home thing :0  But I know how blessed we are to have a free place to stay while we find "the perfect one." 

 There are far more bonuses to minuses when it comes to living with family and having four small children! 

I won't go through the entire list, but one of my favorite is how all of my sweet children jump for joy when a grandparent enters the room!! 

Even when moments are hard, and I start having a little anxiety about getting a new house I remember that this will always be a special time in my children's memory.  I should cherish it with them and enjoy the extra help!!