christmas....crafts....stuff (a pictorial)

the kids made ornaments this year....they each made 4

mia's

noah's

aidan's

mia hanging her's
our tree

a patient's family that i have grown close to, made these cute turkeys for my kids for thanksgiving....and they were delicious!

nkotb forever!

my friend janet and i recently caught the new kids on the block concert in st louis. it was by far one of the top 5, yes i said 5, concerts i have ever seen in my whole life! absolutely amazing! the concert was opended by lady diva? i really don't know, i had never heard of her and was not that impressed by her. i think solely because i am not a huge fan of club music, but it was okay. next up was natasha bedingfield. prior to seeing her in concert, i was a fan, after seeing her in concert, HUGE fan!

i was happily snapping pictures and taking video, wondering what the red flashing light on my camera meant.....well, i quickly discovered, that meant near to no battery power remaining. natasha bedingfield did a meet and greet after her performance, before the new kids. as i was trying to snap pictures then, my camera DIED! luckily my friend janet stepped in in a pinch and continued documenting our night. phew!

so i will have to post the majority of the pictures later as she has not shared them with me yet.....it takes her awhile. but enjoy the bit of video i have and the pics. if you can, definitely go see them....so worth you time and money.......HANGIN' TOUGH FOREVER!

more things political

as i am organizing my stuff, i am trying to catch up on stuff i wanted to post. first i have a clip from the obama rally.....you must turn your head sideways to see it.....and the sound quality is not the best.....but hey, enjoy anyway, it's the thought that counts. next up, a few palin rally pics. i was not nearly as close as with obama and i did not attempt to record any of the speech. basically, if you heard any late stump speechs, then you heard this one. i was even reciting parts at the end.

if you look REALLY close under the vote sign, you can see gov. palin in red......i know!
anyway, she visited jc the day before election day, to get all those undecided joe plumbers to vote for john mccain. i'm not sure if that's what did it, but missouri ended up becoming a "major" state in the election....and by major, i mean we took the longest determining our winner and we were super close. but if you look at my ballot, there is no doubt who i voted for.


i took noah with me to vote that day and he went into the booth with me. afterwards, i let him cast my ballot. it was very exciting for both of us! we both left there with our "i voted" stickers on, and each with a different thought about that. later that night while we watched history being made i became very emotional...........i am proud to be an american is one of noah's favorite songs and mine as well. there are many times in my life when i have truly felt proud and that night was one of them. until next time......

family pictures

it is that time of year again......family pictures. i would love for one year to take the "perfect picture." not necessarily perfect but somewhat. we did a family portrait for mother's day and it was okay, except aidan slept the whole time.....but he was 1 month old so i don't know why i expected anything else. we just took our latest photos and amelia grace was in the mood of all moods. every picture she took with us, she looked just like that. so we have lovely pictures of the TOP OF HER HEAD!
the boys on the other hand, took the cutest pictures......

but everyone we encountered that day thought we had beautiful girls! no matter how many times we corrected people and told them aidan was a boy.....he quickly turned back into a girl. well i guess he is adorable.

by the last picture, mia was better. i think it was because it was her by herself, which is what she really wanted all along. she took the last picture just fine and made me wish we had done it first. but i knew all along what a diva she can be...........she better be famous or this will all so not be worth it later.....lol until next time.

barack obama rally

okay.....i haven't blogged in quite some time, but i am back in the mood to talk about what is going on in my life and the world and share my thoughts, so here goes.......
before president-elect obama was president-elect, i attended his rally in columbia, mo (como to those hippsters). election time always seems to inspire and motivate me. as i was preparing to head to the rally, i thought a lot about previous elections and rallys that i have attended.
the first presidential election i was eligible to vote in was 2000 election of george bush vs al gore. i will not lie, i was a gore supporter all the way. this was simply because life in the clinton administration had been good to me and i anticipated more of the same. i had been married for one year during this election and was carefree and wanted to continue in that vain. but, alas, florida and the hanging chad will always be something i remember from that time.
the next election was 2004, george bush vs john kerry. things had changed for me significantly in those four years. september 11th occurred when i was 8 months pregnant with my first child. the WORLD was forever changed at that point. by 2004, i was pregnant with my second child, the economy, for me, was at the beginning of its decline. i attended the kerry/edwards rally and came away inspired and hopeful for a brighter future for myself and my family. but again, we were foiled by the politics of the times.
now 2008........i began this election as a supporter of hilary clinton. i am still to this day a hilary clinton supporter! but she was not our candidate and after reviewing the choices i had remaining in this race, i went with who i thought would be the best choice for this country: barack obama. i, of course, felt what a lot of others did......that america would never elect a black man as president of the united states. i began to prepare myself for 4 more years of hardship under a republican administration. but president-elect obama made a pitstop to columbia, mo (30 miles up the road from my home) and i felt drawn to see him as i was drawn to see kerry/edwards 4 years prior. from the moment i stepped in line to await entrance through the gate, i felt "something." as my father and i stood in line, i made "friends" with those around me. people from small surrounding towns, college professors at mu, college students with $2 in their pockets........this was america.....this was me.......i knew these people.
we walked through the gates and were greated by the sights......

just seeing "missouri for change" in lights, gave me goosebumps and that little rumble in my stomach. i knew this would be great. we waited inside the gate for over an hour. i was excited.....

finally, time to begin......the royalty of the missouri democratic party were all present and accounted for.....judy baker, robin carnahan, and the next govenor of this great state of missouri, jay nixon

then it was finally time for barack obama to come on stage. just seeing him in person brought this sense of euphoria to the crowd. it was as if everyone present knew this man was destined to be something wonderful to us all. he only spoke for about 25 minutes, but in that 25 minutes, i felt as if i had been touched......as if i could face tomorrow because we were going to be okay. my family has struggled in the last 4 years. we have worked and worked hard, but it never seems to be enough. with the election of barack

obama, i feel as if my silver lining has come. i can see it now. this is my dream come true.

there is the further signifcance that his election holds for me and my family. i wish that my grandparents could be alive to see where we are today. my mother's parents (my grandmother and grandfather) and her cousin were big in the civil rights movement. her cousin, charles billups, was one of the organizers of bloody sunday (or so the family i have been told). i wonder, what would they say? do they know?

i wish my father's father was still alive for this moment. i can see the tears in his eyes because i know he never thought his grandchildren would see this day.

at the moment of his speech, i was proud to be standing next to my father. a man born in 1939 to a school teacher and a pullman porter......a man who reminds me of barack obama. i was thankful that he not only got to witness this presidential candidate but later be at grant park for the day this man would be named our next president. god is good!

i think about and thought about that day....my sons......they can dream big! they must dream big!

well, as i feel that i am rambling at this point, i am not making any point whatsoever, and i am about to fall asleep, i will wrap this up for the night. i will continue sometime in the future with my sarah palin rally experience (i attended that the day before the election) and the whatever else has occurred since i last blogged. until next time.

DNC in Denver, CO

okay, i've been trying to keep up the dnc this week, and i have been both surprised and disappointed. there have been some truly dull moments with some really inspiring moments sprinkled throughout.
monday night's tribute to ted kennedy and his speech did bring tears to my eyes. i did come away from that with hope in my heart! now michelle obama.....while i think it was a good speech and she did a great job, i still am not sure if i "like" her. but i do feel like i know her and barack a little bit more now and i feel comfortable with that.
that being said.......moving on to last night and hillary rodham clinton! loved it!!!! i came away from her speech wondering why she wasn't our nominee?! she should have been giving that same speech all along and she would have been. the video tribute was wonderful and to have her daughter introduce her was lovely as well. watching at home last night, there were many times i wanted to jump up from my seat and yell and applaud, but then i felt silly because i was the only in front of my tv.........
i now have my favorite slogans from the night:

• four more months!
• keep going!

well those our my basic thoughts for now. until next time........

cardinals game

went to the cardinals game over the weekend.....father's day present for "all the father's in my life." the game was supposed to be at 1:15 pm but was delayed due to the heat. so glad that it was because it has been over 100 degrees lately with the heat index. game was a lot of fun for all involved. (except the cardinals, as they lost 4-5)
we rode the metro to the game so as to avoid the parking issues....but apparently every other game-goer had that same idea. but the kids loved riding the metro. [it will prepare them for our upcoming trips to nyc and dc (hopefully!)]
all noah wanted was a foam finger once we got to the game. but once he was bored with it, then he told me he really got it for me. needless to say though, the foam finger did not make it home in one piece! :-( travis does seem to think we can superglue it back together?!? (he's a man, that's all i can say.) mia ended up with a baseball purse because (let's face it) she is super girly about some things and really loves her purses.
the game did really make me want to partake in an "adult-only" game outing.....we'll see in sept. if i can get that together.
will post more pics later. back to work i go......

akrss family reunion 2008

so reunion time again. i haven't been to a family reunion in....probably 7 years? maybe less, but it has been awhile. this year it was held in memphis, tn. so the whole family (and by whole family, i mean me, travis, the kids, AND my parents) all piled into the "ban" and headed out. now in theory, 6 hours should not be that long, but in actuality when traveling with a 6 y.o. with a small bladder, 3 y.o. that chose this weekend to try potty-training, a at-times cranky 3 month old, and an adult on lasix.......6 hours quickly turns to 11 and it becomes the ride from HELL! but there were moments........

aidan slept for awhile

mia and noah played, fought, played again.....

upon arriving at the hotel, it was time to quickly (and i mean quickly) get everyone changed into their banquet attire. once noah and mia were changed, they were ready to go and conquer the world, er banquet.

(they believe themselves to be superheroes...don't tell them they're not)

they were one of the highlights of the banquet. chicken was slightly on the rubbery side, but the potatoes and vegetables made up for it. there was a great candlelight, memorial service for those family members that died since we were last together. also a family history that i enjoyed....i didn't realized before (or i probably did and just didn't give it much thought) how intermixed our family was. ashfords marrying knoxs, and knoxs marrying smiths, and smiths marrying ashfords, etc....you get the picture. i guess it's a wonder no one ever got too close in the gene pool.

after the long day and festivities on friday, we were all exhausted and headed to bed. but saturday came quickly.......

once we got everyone up and out, it was off to ihop for family breakfast. this is my favorite part of any family vacation....we will usually find an ihop, bob evans, some really good breakfast establishment and have pancakes, eggs, and really greasy bacon. just sitting and eating with the kids and not having to think about anything more pressing than if i want cheese on my hashbrowns is wonderful! (and yes, i did get cheese on them and they were wonderful.) everyone enjoyed their breakfast and we all ate so much we were ready for naps as soon as we finished. but instead it was off to the family picnic.

due to the heat, the picnic was actually held inside a school (love air conditioning!). nothing but food, games and family togetherness. just a few of my favorite things.

i will have to post more later....pictures and commentary. for now, i must go. until next time.....

time

so i've been thinking a lot lately (shock, i know).......i realized, travis and i have been together for 10, yes 10, years! i don't know where the time has gone. we started out here (weren't we nice and thin)

and now, 10 years later.............................

a little heavier

and 3 kids......................

it just seems unreal!

and next my 10 year high school reunion......then 30 years old.........it never stops!

unexpected interruptions

i just finished reading unexpected interruptions by trice hickman and i loved it! i like to read lots of different things......normally i don't like interracial romances as much (i know that is probably shocking). but usually they are all the same....the bw is usually really extreme, stereotypical, strong black woman and the wm is usually extreme conservative with waspy family. they whole plot is centered around their races and will they be accepted, etc.

unexpected interruptions is the story of victoria small, an smart, independent a.a. executive who is getting ready to begin dating again after being terribly hurt by her fiance a year ago. she asks God to send her a man and finds herself with two.....be careful what you wish for. anyway, the first is her boss: the white ted thurston. the second is mr. gorgeous: black surgeon parker brightwood. the story is her journey as she figures out who she is and who she should be with as she is in love with both of these men.

unexpected interruptions, yes race was an issue (lets face it, it has to be on some level) but not the entire plot of the book.

i found myself identifying with victoria and i love that because i like to be able to identify somewhat with the characters i'm reading about or it's just not believeable for me.

i found myself laughing out loud in the very first chapter which is usually a positive sign for the book as a whole.

i loved the fact that ms. hickman dealt with the skin "color" issue. as a lighter-skined black woman i have always had issues (now whether they were always real or sometimes imagined is another story) to deal with. and you don't always read a story that confronts that so it was refreshing.

i was happy to get to know parker brightwood. you don't always read a story where the black male lead is so........perfect. he was smart, caring, charming and hey, mr. gorgeous.

in other reviews i read about the book, many said they weren't sure who victoria would choose in the end. while reading, i knew she would pick ted, especially toward the end because imo parker became too much of an ass. :-( did ms. hickman write him that way because he was too good and needed victoria to choose ted? i don't know. but i had issues with ted too. i almost thought him to be controlling and manipulative. did he really love victoria or just want her. i like to think it was love.

i have many wonderful things to say about this book and as you can see my thoughts are scattered and jumbled which is another good sign for this book. if i can write a polished review that meant i didn't have enough good things to say about it. with this review all these things keep just "popping up" as i sit here reflecting on the story.

i usually try to read reviews before i get a book because i can kind of determine if i am wasting my time by reading it that way. every review i read was good! i don't think i have ever encountered that. usually as i read reviews on amazon, you will usually have one or two bad reviews thrown in there too, but for this story not one bad review.

so if this is you sort of book, go out and read it.....you'll love it!

until the next time..................................

blogger sucks!

let me just say......Blogger SUCKS!
i am finding myself hugely frustrated. for a week i have been trying to upload images to a post. fails everytime. i have tried all their "helps", deleting cookies, changing browsers, etc. nothing fixes the problem. i think it's related to whatever "fix" they did earlier in the week because i didn't have problems before then, so i think it is an issue on their end. but can i report that.....NO. please tell me someone how to actually contact support because i can't seem to get there. i get to another help group, or support group. most of the image uploading issues they have are dated from october 2007. i did find a few current ones, but they all seemed to be like me......looking for help but with no answers.
i started my blog as an enjoyable way to keep friends and family updated about my family and as kind of a family journal, but they have made that process so frustrating that i am ready to give up on blogger and discourage all my friends too!

Kids

WELL I HAVE DECIDED TO POST THIS EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE ABOUT 4 MORE PICTURES THAT I WANTED TO ADD, BUT I AM SO FRUSTRATED.......I GIVE UP. SO HERE IS MY LATEST POSTING NOT IN ITS ENTIRETY (SP?)!

noah had his first t-ball game monday night. am i a bad mom if i didn't go? honestly, after working 10 hours in an office without air conditioning, i just wanted to go home and go to bed. but travis took pictures for me and they both related all the tales of the game.

before heading to the game, i told noah to have fun. his reply was that he would and he just knew he was going to make a lot of friends. i love that that is his only concern: making lots of friends. and noah usually makes tons of friends where ever he goes because he will talk to anyone (we do have to work on that because it is a little scary sometimes).

overall, much fun was had at t-ball and he's ready to go back next week.

INSERT PICTURES FROM GAME HERE!!!!!!

mia has decided what sport she would like to play.........................jumprope! she says because she likes to jump. i'm sure she will be awesome at it.

well, travis worked tuesday night, so the kids and i had to entertain ourselves. noah would rather watch tv then hang out with the rest of us (but when it's time for bed then he will beg for "family fun time"). so mia and i decided aidan needed to have his picture taken, and she was more then willing to take a few with him. (if she does not become a model/actress/some sort of entertainer as an adult, then all of her vanity now will be wasted! you will never meet a kid who loves to have their picture taken more and pose too!)

then we gave aidan his bath

INSERT PICTURES OF BATHTIME HERE!!!!!!!!

which then put him to sleep

INSERT SLEEPING AIDAN PICTURE HERE!!!!! (YOU GET THE IDEA!)

by 8:30 they were all asleep and life was grand!

till next time............................................

just another day at the park

only one child wanted to be photographed. noah was too busy playing with the other kids and aidan was too busy sunning himself in the stroller (aahh, the life of a newborn). yep, she's destined to be a fashion model.

back to work

it's my second day back at work and it's like i never left.

the first day was crazy busy.....mainly because it was the only day to register for summer classes that start today.....so everyone wanted their health restrictions taken care of. has no one ever heard of being prepared and taking care of those things BEFORE the day it needs to be done?

then it was on to take care of the things that piled up while i was gone...updating med reports, filing case reports with the state, etc. today i can actually start to see my desk, but now i have new projects to work on (can someone tell me how to download web pages i've designed onto a jump drive? isn't it just ctrl+s?......i'll figure it out eventually).

now to add to all the things i love to worry/obsess over......i may need to start looking for a new job as mine may be going away soon. unless the clinic finds a new doctor(s) by june 30th, then we are out of work. so now i say all my little prayers because i really don't want to have to find a different job. as much as i complain about this one at times, it really is a great job to have, especially for me with small kids.....very accomadating (sp?) and good holidays and benefits.

oh well.....back to work

getting started.....

my first blog on blogspot......what should i write about........here's what's been going on lately

had my 3rd bay-bay on april 23rd.....aidan michael holt joined our very dynamic family.


aidan fits in very well. but if i were him, i would be very scared.....noah and mia may seem sweet now, but once he gets a little older.....they will turn on him! lol. (that's actually funny if you know my kiddos)

right now i'm having some issues with our newest addition: 1)breastfeeding is becoming extremely trying. we had some issues with the 3 week growth spurt and now i'm getting a little discouraged. i'm trying to decide now if i should continue breastfeeding or is it time to throw in the towel. (just a little sidenote: how come my breasts don't look like those breastfeeding hollywood moms, calling halle and christina: what's your secret?). 2) I MISS SLEEP!!!! i can not stress that enough. i had somehow forgotten that part of newborn babydom. 3) i have to go back to work (WHAT! that so sucks).

one thing i am excited about with this newest arrival is the new addition of my double stroller for only $50. very happy, excited, proud (insert your own adjective here) if i do say so myself. i have been wanting one since.....well january......but i have refused to pay $200 for one. but i got a deal.



now the only question is: will mia fit in it? or is she too big? we will see. summer vacation is coming soon and we will be trying it out.


i just finished reading
and




both were great books. i would probably read Die for Me by Karen Rose and Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas first (just so you have all the backstory) but both were really good.


Rachel Gibson's new book comes out tomorrow. i was kinda hoping to still be on maternity leave so i could stay in my pj's and read it all day, but alas, that is not meant to be. i reread a few of her books over the weekend to reaquaint myself with the characters because i think this new book is part of her "women authors" series (my name for the series, not hers). love rachel gibson so i'm super excited to read it.

we had family pictures taken over mother's day weekend and i can not stop looking at them. i LOVE my family. and i have the cutest kids in the entire universe. no, that is not bias, that is the truth.







well, i think i must sign off now as my kids are driving me crazy! we are supposed to be going to visit my momma and if they ask me one more time, "mom are you coming?" then i may have to scream. until next time.........