Cole is three!!!

Well not actually until Sunday.... but I am going to try and catch up so I wanted to get his birthday post done first!

My boy is three and what a wild ride it has been!! He is truly sooo funny and super cute that I know that all of the trouble he WILL get into his charm can get him out of most of it! I pray! He is still getting plenty of discipline! Although most of the time, I am hiding my face to laugh or bitting my cheek so I have a serious look on my face! He is my snuggle bug and I am so very thankful! A lot of times it does feel like I am getting love from a bear cub! Many mornings while he drinks his cup of milk and eats his "kind"( meaning his kind- cinnamon raisin toast) bread, his tush is on my head with his legs straight up in the air! He loves to wake up to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so it is very fitting we will be in Disney for his birthday! I think that he may truly jump out of his skin with excitement! When we talk about it, he begins to either breathe hard until he hyperventilates or begin to squeal so much that I think the windows will break!

It has been wonderful to watch a different combination of Brad and I grow and develop! He is really looks mostly like me and my people. Every Gentry that sees him immediately says that he looks like a ringer for my grandfather's baby pictures.And help us all... he has many of his traits! He is adventurous, very expressive, loud, funny, charming, loves to laugh, dramatic, loving, talkative, easy going, nimble and quick! I think he is going to miss the red hair though!

He loves Jack and emulates him as much and often as possible! He calls him "brudder" and my heart melts every time I hear it! "Brudder, where are youuuuuu?" "Brudder, I wuv you! You are the best brudder ever"! They play together always. When they do fight, it is over as quick as it began. Normally, they are giggling, wrestling, or playing some sport together!

I have tried to keep up with some of the funny/horribly embarrassing things that he has said this year:

"Momma, why can't I see my pootsies?"

" What is that man with the tail doing? " It was a Kroger worker who had a feather duster in his back pocket.

"Look at that big fatty guy" This was said to a large man only a few feet away

" Release mommy duck" What he thinks the lyrics to the song Feliz Navidad are...

"That dog is trying to eat me" When my parents dog licked him in the face

Many of my other favorites come from facial expressions that I can not do justice with words. If he is disappointed from not getting his way, the top half of his body collapses with the loudest and longest sigh. When he does come back to standing his bottom lip is so far out we could all trip! He also loves the eye roll but not always being rude. Sometimes he just likes to roll them! I have walked past him on the potty, and he is rolling them from one side to the other for his own entertainment! I just crack up all day!

If you can't tell, I am completely smitten with this little guy! I could have never believed that I would love being a mom to boys so much!

Happy Birthday sweet buddy Cole!

My baby is six... SIX I say!

Jackson is SIX! Holy Moly! REALLY????? He is changing and maturing in so many wonderful ways! I am truly so very proud of who he is and becoming! It is almost like a mini-glimpse into the future! I hope!
He is extremely obedient at school, even though not always at home (but still most of the time). His teachers are astounded that he has ever yelled at us, thrown a fit or jus plain "fallen out"!
He is extremely competitive in soccer (and every other way and even some ways you have never heard of !).He is always competing at the dinner table, getting ready for bed, going up the stairs, getting in his carseat, with other cars and on and on and on!

He is also very compassionate. He loves babies and helping others! He is the very best brother I have seen at his age. Everytime Cole is crying, he runs to Cole's bed and gets every blanket and stuffed animal that he can carry!

He is very smart especially in math! He astounds me most every day! He can add and subtract much faster than most adults. He has also started playing Scrabble on my ipad and can tell you how many points most words have (if he can spell them).

He is also very funny and loves to play tricks! He is desperate to get to the status of "master trickster" as we call it! He comes from a long line and has very far to go, however, he is improving and will tell you he has already achieved the ultimate title! A few weeks ago, we were staying at Jan and Doug's while they were out of town and our roof was being replaced. Jackson found a kitchen timer and together we figured out how many hours to set it for so that it would go off around 1:00 a.m. the night they returned. Jackson then put it under Jan's pillow! We recieved a not so happy call the following day and Jackson sang like a bird that it was my idea! We will have to work on that part. However, he is also very honest and I do not want to mess with that too much!

He has begun to notice girls but he is far from swooning! At the begining of the year he told me about how he liked to stare at Ava. So when Valentine's day rolled around, I asked him to write a sentence to each of his 15 classmates! He was NOT excited about the idea at all! I wrote out several sentences that he could choose from for each friend. He quickly counted the words per sentence and choose, " I love you, friend" for each card. When he came to writing Ava's, I said maybe you would like to write," You are so special to me!" He looked and counted and shook his head! I said, "Buddy, I thought you would want to write something extra to her since she is special to you!" He said with a huff, " Mom she is NOT that special!" I died laughing and knew then that one day we might have to work on the romance a little, if I am ever to hope to have any grandchildren!

So even though, six years ago today, Brad and I sat in a stupor at the surprise of our first born arriving 5 weeks early, we can truly say we are so amazingly greatful for the "extra" time we have gotten to spend with our firstborn son!

Colieolie is the BIG 2

My second child is the big 2. He is vastly different from my first! However, he has stolen my heart just the same. I know that I am partial, but I really feel so blessed that God choose me to be the mother to the two of them!

Cole is part monkey, part charmer, and since he has turned two, part dictator. As part monkey, he would definitely qualify to be a member of the Xtreme toddler team (if that existed)! He does amazing feats with his body that would have put most children in a body cast 10 times over yet, knock on wood , we have not made any trips to the E.R.! However, he just got his first skinned knee, it has concerned him very much. He truly seemed astounded that he could have let this happen. Also, as part monkey, he has even started using his feet to hold his sippy cup and to turn the pages of a book. He is also the toughest little guy I have just about ever seen. The other day our glass door swung shut on his face. He did not flinch! Another time he put his hand on the elevator door as it was opening but never took his hand away. The door slid back into the frame with his little hand inside. I pulled his hand free and he did not seemed the least bit fazed. While I wanted to curl up in a ball in the back of the elevator and shake and cry! I am quite sure that he has already taken a few years off of my life. The rapid acceleration of my heart rate, gasps, shudders and heightened quick response times are all part of a normal day. He also has fine motor skills that astound me all of the time! He plays with the tiniest Legos, little toys, and loves to pour from one container to another and hardly ever spill. Although sometimes he likes to pour with only one container. (Read: He loves to just pour things out on the table or floor!)

Also,Cole is the truest definition of a charmer! He has the biggest brightest blue eyes and he has no trouble using them when needed. My Dad is convinced that he has a lot of Gentry in him! My grandfather is the original charmer! My little boy loves to cuddle, to read books, and follow his big brother on any adventure. He melts our hearts all of the time, probably too much of the time! When he does get into trouble, he crosses his arms across his chest and huffs. He normally goes and puts his face on a wall and then turns those bright blues over to us. As to say" You could not seriously be upset with me?" He also loves to roll his eyes until they seem as though they might get stuck. On many occasions I have had to cover my face so that he does not see me laughing!
His newest tricks leave people confused or into fits of giggles! When he first encounters someone we are just meeting or haven't seen for some time, he sticks out his tongue and points to it saying "Dis my tongue". It is his version of the handshake! Then a few moments later if he spots anyone looking his way, he pulls his shirt over his head and says" dis my stomach". No one is sure what to make of any of this but normally everyone has a good laugh and is completely charmed! His sentences also keep me completely adoring him. They are short but completely do the trick! "What doin?", "Are youuuuuu Bubba?", "Yes, momma!" "What dat noise?" "Touchdown Tennessee Titans"
As 2 yr. old dictator, he began hitting, and we worked through that, then he moved onto hitting himself. He did not get anything on that one! He has now moved onto screaming his reactions at us. I tell him that he needs to say, " I am sorry for screaming, momma." He mouths the words "sorry screamin momma." I say, "Cole, I can not hear you" He says in the softest whisper, " I sorry sreamin momma." We go through that a few times until I get an audible answer. Then I make him say, " I am angry" He says, " I angry." "Yes, Cole instead of screaming, you can say, 'I am angry" This has not worked yet but we are still working! This normally gets us straight for a few minutes. Then the next event comes, this time instead of screaming, he will usually just fall face down on the floor or refuse to make his legs work or do what we call "going no bones" or "falling out"! I am not sure if I should consider it progress that he is not screaming again.

The bottom line is that no matter how many screams or fits, I am unabashedly smitten with this boy! (Everyone knows I am smitten with Jack, but this is Cole's birthday post) I come from a female dominant family and always thought I would want all girls. I am as happy as a pig in mud being a mother of boys! I truly could have a few more! If only there was a guarantee they would be just like these two!

An open love letter

To my dear,

I have never been more thankful that you are my husband! You have not only supported me but given me the extra push to start this journey to better health. You have celebrated every pound lost.You have gotten up with the kids so that I could go work out! You have told me you are proud of me every single day! You have truly kept me going! I have been so grateful for all of those things. However, I am the very most grateful for you the week in the hospital!



My hospital stay was really rough and you were there every moment.



After surgery, when all I could have was ice chips you fed them to me spoonful by spoonful.



Each time I was asked to walk the halls, you helped me out of bed and walked each step by my side!



Each of the 9 IV starts, 6 blood draws, and the 14 shots in my thigh you held my hand each and every time, even though when anyone talks about blood you usually leave the room.



You went to Smoothie King when I had a whim for strawberry banana and just banana smoothie. Even though I only had two sips of each, you were so excited to see me drinking!



You went with me to both of my CT scans and donned a lead apron during my upper GI. That was really pretty cute!



You kept a vigil by my bedside as my blood pressure plummeted and fever began and my white blood cell count started going up. You talked to the doctor, friends and family all the while keeping wash cloths cold, spoon feeding me, and not eating more than one meal a day until I was out of the woods! I was so scared and you were so strong!



You also helped me keep the lights out or a pillow over my face as my migraine intensified and people scurried around trying to figure out what was wrong with me!Even though I was so scared about was happening, I was so comforted that you were with me every moment! At the two week check-up my surgeon praised you for being by my side the entire time. He said that most husbands just visit after work! You raise my statistics of being successful with the wonderful ways that you support me!



One of my favorite funny things that you did was let me to pretend to be asleep while the transport worker wheeled me back to my room after a test. He decided to describe in detail about the tick that was attached itself to his "nether regions" last summer. If only he had stopped there. Ohhh noooo! He continued with all of the ways that his wife and parents had treated his problem after his shower for two weeks. Then once you told him your tick story about how your parents were told to light a match and blow it out and put on the tick on your head. He responded with "Now if I had done that, that would have been a real WEENIE ROAST!" By this point I almost started making "honk, shoooo, honk, shoooo, honk" noises! If I had of been able, I would have run away! You told handled the situation and kept me from being uncomfortable at all! In a way, that is exactly what you did for an entire week! You were so focused on me, getting me better and catering to my every need! It was a horrible time but just like most other horrible times, I came out grateful for the experience of seeing just how much you love me!

Jack's teachers told him that everyone has an invisible bucket that needs to be filled. In one week, in my worst week, you made my bucket overflow! You showed your love for me in every moment! The Bible says that we are each other's help! You embodied that all week! I hope that I can be equally supportive of you and fill your bucket to overflowing one day too!



I love you!

Ash

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!