Vote for Ashley part 2

This blog post is the most personal yet! I asked all to "vote for me" and I have lost 45 pounds so far just making a lifestyle change! I dropped coke, decreased sugar dramatically, ate on small plates, began an online food journal and exercise 4-5 times a week. When I started doing research on how to loose the kind of weight I needed to loose, weight loss surgery continually kept popping up. I really thought that surgery was for someone A LOT bigger than me. However the more I researched, I kept finding that most people looked EXACTLY like me.I went to the informational meetings and applied for insurance coverage. My insurance requires that I see my primary physician for monthly visits for six months. After loosing this much weight, the natural question was, "Why not just do it on your own?" The answer, per my surgeon, is that long range studies show that once a person is so many pounds overweight any weight loss without surgery is re-gained within the first ten years in 96% of people! 96% is not what I would call a fighting chance! Therefore, I have decided to have weight loss surgery to protect the weight loss I have had and then try to get to a healthy weight. Soooo tomorrow morning at 5:30A.M. I will be at Baptist Hospital surgery center having a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I have been on a pre-op diet for two weeks of protein shakes and soup broth and water. Today is water and broth only. I am doing fairly well considering! I am staying optimistic that I can use the surgery as a restrictive tool to attain my goals. I feel like I can be successful due to the fact that I have done so much on my own! Please pray that everything goes smoothly and peacefully. I am so thankful for each of you and your encouraging words and heartfelt support!

The Christmas Season of 2010

We really had a wonderful Christmas! The boys were full of the magic of Christmas time. Each decoration that we put up Cole said "ohhhhh amazing!" and Jack wanted each nook and cranny decorated with something. We made snowflakes and hung them across the kitchen. (We were inspired by our favorite Christmas movie Elf.) We have many traditions that Jack loves and that Cole thoroughly enjoyed! We even stepped it up and spent the night at Opryland! It is so beautiful every year but staying there was really amazing.

We went to Maryville, for the McClanahan family Christmas. It is always good for a ton of laughs. We play dirty santa and have a blast! The food is always wonderful and the company is equally kind and inviting!

The Nashville parade was so exciting this year! They had huge balloon floats that people carried down Broadway like in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. The boys had so much fun watching the trucks, cars and motorcycles. It is always the first week of December. It is the perfect kick-off to Christmas!

The Bellemeade Plantation had a vintage Christmas program for kids. We toured the home and saw how they celebrated Christmas in the 1900's and then made ornaments, and played games from that time.

We went to a Walk through Bethlehem. A local church puts it on every year and it is amazing! There are hands on activities for the children, foods and drinks to try and a Roman soldier looking for all children under 2. My favorite part is a man who gathers the children around and whispers that there is word that "the king has been born but to keep it quiet because the soldiers are looking for him. The kids are so serious. I love how they make His story real for them!

We also went to the Titan's Christmas party. That was very fun. The rookies all dressed as elves and had to sing Christmas carols. T-Rac was also there giving out presents. Jack loves to just run the length of the indoor field and Cole tries to keep up as far as his legs will carry him!

We also visited live reindeer and Santa in his sleigh! Jack told Santa each time what he wanted. Auburn football men, The Ohio State football men and Texas longhorn men! We helped Cole tell Santa that he wanted trucks!

However, our biggest event was the loss of Jack's first two teeth. The first one just flipped forward and the fell out about 30 minutes later! I did not know it was loose! I truly thought we were about to head to an emergency dentist appointment! My first reaction was to be afraid, Brad was the one that started cheering and I realized what was happening! We called the family with our "big news"! The tooth fairy came and left $10 and a Lego treat pack. Later, we found that the tooth fairy had been extravagant so we made sure to tell Jack that the first tooth always gets the very most because it is so special. One week later the tooth fairy visited again and brought $2. He had been given $3 by someone else and he was thrilled to take his $15 to target and pick out a treat! This was also hilarious because this was his first experience with spending his own money and he had ideas of grandeur! He sounded just like my grandfather walking the aisles. "They want $19.99 for THAT! Oh my goodness, no way! How much for this????What in the world ..$17.99???? " Ahh yess, my son things are expensive!!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ohhh Holy Moly

When a mother fills the bath tub twice before 10:30 this is like a crystal ball view of the day. It can only mean that we are going to have one wild and wooly day!

We began our day at 8:00 which is very late for this crew. (Maybe they needed extra sleep for crystal clear mental focus to execute Mission Torture Mom. I am o.k. with this really, really I am. I only carried you both in my belly for many months, threw up most days, and was in labor for more than 24 combined hours. So whatever you want to dish out is fine. Really!)

We started the day with breakfast of blueberry scones and yogurt parfaits. (not bad if I do say so myself). Then Cole began to fuss, then cry followed by wailing. I tried all of my normal tricks which only infuriated him more. It was as if he was saying, "this is what you got?, well I will see your silly attempt at distraction and raise you three octaves and a thrashing fit in the floor. "

Ok. Since we have all had a cold, (I feel like my head is in a vice and I am swimming the depths of the ocean) maybe he is just really tired and ready for an early nap. I put him to bed without much fuss.

"Muhaahaaha", you say " You fell for that one. I bet right when you got Jack settled into playing quietly and you laid down for a few minute rest, he began "Mommmmmmmmmaaaaaaa GeTTTTTT Yooooouuuuu!" This is what I hear every morning interchanged with Mommmmmaaa Kamereeeee (momma come here). Well then you would be right!

So I go to get him and immediately chaos and ninnyness rule! It is raining outside, we have had a lot of inside time so I had a brilliant idea to paint in the garage. This was Cole's first painting experience and much more was on him than on any paper. Then they found the umbrellas and begged to play in the rain. I let them. Experts say this is o.k. Just know that if you are thinking of calling the authorities on me. However, on this day I might have welcomed any authority and a trip to wherever they might have wanted to take me!

We then came inside for a tub. I filled the tub and once again thought, "I can rest for a few minutes. The tub is right beside my bed. So I can hear everything like,when they decide to play "timmmberrrrrr (which means a standing free fall in the tub and their is water two feet out of the tub and four feet up the walls.)

So I lay down and what do I hear," Ohhh nooo Moooooommmmm, Cole has pooped in the tub AGAIN! " I say, "please Lord, let it just be a poop shaped toy!" The prayers I have prayed with children! Such as, " Lord please help me to not hurt them if I trip over another ball while I cook! or "Dear Lord, please let me sleep past 7:00 just this once, or please let that absolute eerie silence mean that they are playing sweetly and not unconscious! Ohh, we know Our God has a big sense of humor!

So, I get the kids out of the tub and grab two plastic bags (you don't want directions on how to best get poop out of a tub while two naked cold children wait with out one ounce of patience... too bad) and grab the Lysol spray cleaner with bleach. All contaminated toys go to the sink with hot water and good spray of bleach cleaner. The children sit on a towel with uncontaminated toys. Take first sack and wrap around your hand, pick up poop and put it bag into the other plastic bag and tie up the mess. Drain tub and begin spraying bleach over every surface that stands still. I start singing songs because this seems to keep the wild beasts temporarily entertained. I refill the tub and let them play until there is not any unwrinkled parts or they begin to complain of hypothermia.

I get them out of the tub and dress them both in pajamas. Yes, it is only noon but with the way this day is going, it is good for the mind to see them ready for bed- even if it is only a mere 8 hours away. After pajamas, there was more crying, a lot of wrestling, more crying, incesent talk of football, scores, teams, injury reports, players,yards, positions,unanswerable questions,plenty of complaints and the general spirit of a postal worker at christmas time! We filled the day with eating, movies, a much needed nap and a lot of playroom time! It is good to remember that even if a day starts off this bad it will always at least still end with everyone asleep!

What I learned after two weeks at the beach....

• vacations are very necessary


• my children sleep like they have been drugged after a day in the sun


• Cole is afraid of the ocean so he will contentedly play beside me on the beach for hours ( Pack it up boys! We are moving to the beach!)


• Cole can jump into the pool at a rate of 5 times per minute so I must always be ready! And anyone who comes along needs a bottle of Valium ready!


• chocolate pudding with cool whip is the best!


• Cole really loves to be in the sling and I truly love it too!


• Cole could trip over his pouty lip!


• Jack is very creative and even though we left his football men back at home, the pirate men could line up and run plays just the same!


• Jack really wants to take care of Cole- Jack spotted a live crab in the pool and while waiting on me to get to them he bodily kept Cole from even sticking a toe in the water!


• keep your eyes open at all times you may just see a shark and lobster fighting each other! (We truly did see this on the side of the road- a mascot lobster and mascot shark fighting each other! It was wild!) Jack has not stopped talking about that one!


• reading five books that were purely fun beach reads is good for my soul!


• Halloween at the beach can still be really fun: trick or treating in Pensacola, making carmel apples, listening to our Halloween itunes mix, reading our favorite Halloween books and eating plenty of candy!
• having your mom with you makes everything easier and better! We laughed so much, ate great food, watched movies and just had a great time! Thanks mom!
• Brad is the most amazing dad! He truly loves every moment and makes the most of every second with the kids!
• watching my boys grow even closer is the sweetest part!

I am SOOO not ready for this! Part 2

In the last few weeks my five year old, (did I say five year old- yes ok- I just wanted to make sure that we are clear that you know I am not talking about a teenager!) has said a few very interesting things like:

• "Mom, you really just do NOT understand my life. AT. ALL. (then a huge eye roll- I wasn't even quite sure that they were going to come back down!)This was followed by: "My behavior would be so much better if you did understand!"


• "Mom, I am sooo embarrassed! (He did not want to put on his soccer cleats and socks on at practice, they needed to be on when he got to practice!)


• "Mom, that sound you are making is sooooooooo annoying! You MUST stop!" (This was while I was reading a goodnight book and using a voice for a character)


• "Mom, there is noooo way I can wear this to school! It is sooo not cool!"

I have always heard that the teenage years helped parents and children begin the seperation process for college and adulthood. I had no idea that there was a need for this before Kindergarten! And I am sooo not ready for that!

The Naked Pirate

Yesterday, I posted that I was not ready for how Jack has become a love sick 5 year old. Today, I was also met with a quite a surprise. I heard Cole over the monitor but I had just laid down to steal a few precious moments of sleep when I heard him. (I swear Murphy's Law is alive and well in motherhood!) I let him talk and I kept laying. After about 10 minutes, I heard "Mommmaaaa Commerrreeeee" (Momma Come here). That is always my cue that he is really ready. I walked up the stairs and opened the door. This is what greeted me:
A baby who had shimmied out of his sleep bag, jumped from his crib, took off his diaper and put on a pirates hat! All I could do was laugh and run for the camera.

This is my Cole. He is always surprising me. I have always delighted in surprises and that is something God knew when he gave Cole to me. The surprises sometimes have stopped my heart. I could definitely do with a few less of that type. However, for the most part there is a constant gleam in his eyes. He knows how to always find adventure, extremely quick with a hearty giggle, and a level of curiosity that boggles the mind all the while keeping me on my toes. I am so grateful for every precious part of him. I know our days will be full of many adventures and I could not be more grateful!

I am SOOO not ready for this!

My "Little" Man

Since Jack was a baby my best friend's little girl Sophie has always been a part of his life. They had a mock wedding at 3 and Carrie and I always joke that we can not be dueling mother-in-laws. They have the sweetest bond but it has been going for so long that it seems more like a brother/sister relationship. We know that many years and many other girlfriends/boyfriends will come before it could ever really be serious. So I get to keep 1st place in his heart.

I have cherished this position because I am very aware how short lived it is. However, I was not prepared to move out of this place so soon!But, just like every other phase of motherhood my children have dragged me out of the last phase and into the next one!

So this is how I was dragged out of this phase:

Tonight, Jack was typing on the computer and I looked over his shoulder and saw that he had typed "Ava, Ava, Ava,Ava" I said, "hey buddy why are you writing Ava's name over and over?" He sheepishly grinned at me. I sucked in deeply and said, " Is she your girl?" He said, "Mom, I just watch her all day and she never really watches me back. And then in a whisper, she is just so beautiful!" (ohh myy- BE STILL MY HEART!) "I am writing to her to tell her that I will miss her when I go to the beach." (We are going for two weeks and he has told me many times that he is not upset about missing soccer practice, soccer games or preschool.This is a BIG deal) He had written her name in the email "TO" box and then in the message section he wrote:

" Ava. I. will. miss. you. "

I am not sure what all of the periods are about but I know I do not like any of it one bit!