Shut up already, it's Rude..

The best thing about having a blog is it's a place to vent. Whatever you want, whenever you want. The worst thing about having a blog is it's a place to vent. Whatever you want, Whenever you want.  I so badly want to vent ugly thoughts. Actually, none of you would think they are ugly thoughts. I'm guessing a lot of you could relate to my mean thoughts. I can just see the comments now..."Oh yeah, I have one of those in my life. Isn't it awful." or "Oh My Gosh, Amy, you are so hilarious (duh) and you just read my mind. I feel the same way you do about my *&^%$" You know something along those lines. I'm just sure of it. Today my ugly thoughts make me giggle...Well half of them do. The other half I just roll my eyes at. Ugh...this entire paragraph is pointless..It's like speaking in code. I hate code speakers. Shut up already, it's rude. I'm going to get text messages now....."What did he/she do now?" To my peeps: Remember, today I'm giggling. Sometimes karma has a way of working itself out. .... Bottom line, nothing is wrong. I'm still singing and skipping to Taylor Swift over here.

My mom should be calling me anytime now.

So today I got a coffee. Pierce, who took my money at the drive through window made conversation with me. Side Note: Did you know another word for 'conversation' is 'intercourse'. Really. Look it up. Today Pierce and I had a friendly 'intercourse'. Awkward. So.....yeah....The hot beverage wasn't quite ready yet so he did what any good employee would do, he made conversation. Pierce got skillzzzz. Also, Pierce had these magical green eyes and so, I felt compelled to talk back. This is how the conversation went down:

Pierce - "Your drink is almost ready. The countdown has begun. I'm just not sure what number the countdown started with."
Me - "That's okay, at least it's going down."
Pierce - "True, well except for the shots. Those stay at the top. Did you know that is what macchiatto meant?"
Me - "Actually,  yes I did. I Googled it." (Dork)
Pierce - .....................................................
Pierce - "Really? Are you one of those people that Googles everything before you try it or do it?"
Me - (insulted) "Pfffft...No. I just googled it okay. My friend had one and I was curious what it meant. So I googled it."

I felt a strong need to make sure this young man didn't think I was an old woman. I have no idea why. Maybe it was the green eyes. But seriously, I don't Google stuff before I do it. Who does that? Old,  boring people right? People that are afraid to try something new. (I apologize in advance if you are a Google before doing person) Like you can't Google statistics of sky diving accidents or shark attacks or Mexico Pirate abductions. Can you? Is this what happens the older you get? The more kids you have. The more you have to lose. You do things that aren't as fun or as adventurous. I couldn't tell you the last thing I did that was considered adventurous. Maybe I need to live on the edge a bit more. Come up with a master plan.  Maybe I should jump out of an airplane over the ocean in Mexico just to prove to Pierce I'm still fun and not an obsessive Googler. Maybe but Probably not.

Life's adventures just change. Having kids is an adventure in itself. And you miss out on all the fun stuff if you aren't playing close attention. Marriage is an adventure. The best kind. The kind where you learn more about yourself as a person than any other adventure you could be apart of. You learn what you are capable of and not. You learn your weaknesses and your strengths. You learn to be less about you and more about them. You learn to love someone more than you love yourself. Friendship is a huge undertaking. I get lost in that one sometimes. I don't know what to tell my daughter when she tells me girls are mean to her at school. I would like to tell her it gets better in time but I'm positive that it doesn't. Unless you have the right kind of relationships, the kind that teach you what a good friendship is. The kind that you want to aspire to be like. The kind that makes you want to be the best version of yourself. You have that and you have won gold.

P.S. I got skillzzzz too.....

In Mexico, over shark infested waters. ;-) 

Team Kenzley

Here are some of the pictures from the event we went to on Saturday for the ARKPD (autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease) walk. It was a huge success. Lindsey and Cal (and friends) raised a lot of money to go towards finding a cure for this rare disease. And it was inspiring seeing how many of their friends and families and even strangers came out to support them and the other family that also suffered a great loss. It feels good to be apart of something that is making a difference. Even if it's a small difference and even if it meant that we just walked!

They had lots of fun things for the kiddos to do!! It was a really nice family event. 

Mommy and Monkey

Lots of love here!!

I Believe in Mood Changers...

So lets start this day out right...or OVER

 

I Believe confidence and  humility are the two best things I can instill in my children. 

 

I  also Believe they are two of the most difficult things to instill in my children.

I Believe in having a relationship with God. 

I Believe if you first have Respect  in a Marriage, Love will always Follow. 

I Believe that there is nothing better than getting to hold the water hose on the trampoline.

 I Believe is green bean casserole and Pumpkin bread year round.

I Believe quality wins over quantity every time.

I Believe there are two sides to EVERY story. 

I Believe Paul Rudd and I were meant to be together in another life.

I Believe that killing them with kindness is always the way to go.

I Believe happy thoughts equals happy life. One day at a time.

I Believe in apologizing when you are wrong.

I Believe in keeping an open mind.

I Believe sisters are best friends for life.

I Believe Pomegranate Fro Yo with Cap N' Crunch Berries on top is Da Bomb.

I Believe in forgiving but forgetting is nearly impossible.

I Believe in Starbucks nonfat Carmel Macchiato. Just not every morning. Total bummer.

I Believe that when someone takes the time to read my blog and then takes even more time to leave me a comment I kinda, sorta get really giddy. 

I Believe there ain't no shame in that.

I Believe that crying is the only way to START healing when your heart is in pain.

I Believe we are meant to have a puzzle of friends. Each one is a different piece, with a different purpose and each one makes me feel more complete. 

Laura and Allison..I seriously have no group pics with you in them. WTH..

I Believe the best alone time is a long car ride with nowhere to go. 

I Believe in Fall. Any excuse to drink something hot and wear warm boots.

I Believe that you can absolutely marry your best friend and fall more in love every day. TRUTH.

I Believe Halloween rocks my socks off. 

I Believe Thanksgiving is the best holiday because it's focused around FAMILY. 

I Believe in the power of Prayer and Pinterest.

I Believe cousins make the best second siblings ever. For life yo...

 I Believe in music that makes you sing at the top of your lungs.

I Believe in working out. It is the best therapy you can get. 

 I Believe our children are our future. Teach them well.

I Believe that was just an excuse to put this adorable picture of my kids on here.

I Believe it's my blog and I don't need an excuse.

I Believe Honesty is not always the best policy. 

I Believe in my hair dresser. She makes my hair look hawt and my face hurt from laughing so damn hard.

 I Believe in long, passionate kisses.

I Believe big egos make small humans.

I Believe in making mistakes.

I Believe in trying everything at least once.

I believe all five sense are never so more cognizant than at the ocean. 

I believe in Big Bear Hugs. By this guy. 

I Believe that Faith gets you through anything. 

I Believe in standing up for yourself. Always. 

I Believe the courage to do that doesn't come easy. 

I Believe if you burn a bridge or two or three, I will politely wave at you from the other side. 

Because I Believe it's your mother lovin' loss.

PEACE.

I Believe you can link up here if you want to join on this BELIEVING stuff...

or Link Up Here: Living in Yellow

I Heart Math Nerds

Jackson and Ella are doing homework. Landon is watching Dora. I believe I have found myself a minute or two to write. Score!!

My sister-in-law just informed me that, in regards to grocery shopping, Targets prices are cheaper than Wal Marts. And if not cheaper, they are at least the same. And if not the same, then at least the difference isn't that significant at all. Are you serious right now? I have been shopping at Wal-Mart because I thought it was cheaper. This is huge. If this is true, I may never have to shop at a Wal-Mart again. Ever. And that would be a glorious thing people. I hate that place. With a passion. But, I am willing to sacrifice if it means my grocery bill every week is as cheap as it can be. (without being crazy coupon lady) My week keeps getting better.

Until......(dun...dun...duuuuuuun) Jackson brings home math homework. Which is every week. I hate math. Worse..I hate that I can't remember how to do 5th grade math. I usually have to Google it to remind myself. Of course, then the horror of it all comes rushing back to my brain and I can solve the problem with no issues. The matter of contention is no longer how to solve the problem but how to explain to my 5th grader how I solved it. "Just Google it" isn't going to help him learn a single thing. Thank God for my Nerd of a Husband. Times like these I get why he was put into my life. No joke. God knew what he was doing. Otherwise, my kids would be in trouble. Who am I kidding? We would ALL be in serious trouble. I heart math Nerds.

And this little man has a little bit of  "nerd" in him as well. Obviously, he gets that from his dad. 

But we are still in undies. Very little accidents. Moving forward. Most importantly, NO MORE DIAPERS!!!

So in three days I have a Pinterest Party. And what that means to anyone who has been hiding under a rock is that I have a crafty party with girlfriends and food and drinks. And although I am super duper excited about making my crafts, I am just as excited about eating. I get one cheat meal and I am going all out. It's not going to be pretty. Luckily, I am amongst friends. If they judge me, it will be subtle and in their own heads. I'm okay with that. 

But this is what I plan to contribute to the party. Or hoard all for myself. I haven't decided yet. 

 Caramel Apple Snickers Pie - I could eat this entire thing. I am considering making two of these. One for me and one for everyone else. You can find the recipe here.

And I know this looks disgusting but if you read the ingredients than you wouldn't think so. Actually, it looks really fattening. Which just means it is really good. Right?

If you're interested, you can find this recipe here.

 Awww...and then there is this. Doesn't it just look refreshing? It calls out with such conviction to me, "Try me... I'm perfect for a crafty, low-key, relaxing get together." Clearly I need to answer this call. If you want to try it out then you can find the recipe here. Easy Peasy.



I plan on blogging about all three of these that after the party to let you know what I think.



Oh yeah, and then there is my crafts that I am doing. I am not going to add pictures for those. I'm smarter than that. You see I could add the Pinspiration that I got my ideas from but then you would just have something to compare my finished products to. That isn't always good. At least not for me. So I will just wait until I complete them and post the pictures up then.

Have I mentioned how much I just LOVE baseball. Because I don't. We have baseball for the next 8 nights in a row. One night off and then the cycle continues. Yay!!! Ugh...fine...you know what?? Jackson did really well in his game last night. Like better than I expected. (I know I'm horrible) It's just that baseball makes me nervous. But Jackson left that game last night feeling really good about himself. And that, my friends, is a good feeling. Especially for Momma. I did exactly what I try to teach  my kids NOT to do. I judged, like heavily judged, a book by it's cover. And I think I may be wrong about this 'Book'. I hope I am. And sorry for judging you really weird, really likes all the attention, really questionable motives 'Book'. Truly, I am.

*(Tooting my own Horn ALERT)
Hey guess what....it's Wednesday and I have already run 10.5 miles this week. Daaaaaang....I'm awesome.

Also, I have walked in on two different women using the restroom this week. Not as awesome. But for real, use the lock. That's what it is there for. I'm pretty sure I was way more embarrassed than they were.

My daughter, Ella, loves playing with her cousin, Caleb. They are 10 days apart in age and are inseparable most of the time. This is largely due to Caleb's patience. I do not know another child that has the patience of my nephew. He is a Saint. He is the sweetest boy and they are the best of friends. Realistically it won't be this way too much longer. I get that.... but for now I am savoring the moments they are together. My bestest friends growing up were my cousins and they lived thousands of miles away. But they are all girls and it worked out for my sister and I. We played a lot of house when we were together. Had crackers with peanut butter and chocolate chips on them. Swam in my Grandpa's backyard. Learned the lyrics to 'Leaving on a Jet Plane' together. We had to have played that song over and over and over again. Literally...a gazillion times. We have made so many memories together and I have loved every single one of them. I hope my kids do the same with their cousins.

Best Friends

I started this post at 3 ish. It is now 5:40 and I have to go be a Mom. Cook dinner or something like that.

Later Alligator,

Amy Marie

How do you prepare for that?

 

  I don't really know how you can prepare yourself for a funeral and the gauntlet of emotions that come along with it. Especially a funeral for a newborn child. A baby who wasn't even an entire day old. A little girl who never really had a fighting chance. It was the smallest casket I had ever seen. But it wasn't that aspect of it that I thought I would have to brace myself for, it was the parents. It was Lindsey and Cal. A husband and a wife who got to be parents for a fleeting moment. And then she was taken away. How do you prepare for that? 

 I took a deep breath as Cal, the husband and the dad, got up to speak. I was sure the moment the first word escaped his mouth he would crumble. He would cry. He would be angry. He would be confused. He would question everything he ever knew.  I was sure of that because I imagine that is what I would do after losing a child. 

 And everything Cal said had me in tears. But...they were NOT sad tears. I was so moved by him and by his wife. I was so inspired by these two people that were surely suffering. Suffering so bad that it had to hurt physically. But in that pain Cal asked us all to not be sad for them. He explained what a beautiful blessing his daughter was. Even in her short life. Even as she grew inside Lindsey's belly, this little girl had changed the world. This little girl, whom they named Kenzley, brought them closer to one another. She brought them closer to family. She brought them closer to God. She was working miracles before she even got here and she continues to do that even in death. Cal and Lindsey have never been so close to God as they are now in their life. When most people would blame God , they are praising Him. There was never a why me? Or why us? Or just a little more time, please? Only praise to Him and to his wife. And how he has never known a woman so strong. 

How do you prepare for that?

I suppose you don't. And please know I am not trying to offend anyone who handles death differently. I handle death differently. We all do I think. But I would be making light of it if I didn't tell you that I wasn't inspired by those two. If I didn't tell you that I felt God's presence in that room that day. I could hear Him through Cal as he spoke. Even the minister said he learned something from Cal and Lindsey that day. We all did.

"Kenzley Anne died from autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD), which is a genetic disorder that causes fluid-filled cysts to grow in the kidneys. The cysts replace a lot of the mass of the kidneys, reducing kidney function and leading to failure. Kenzley Anne's kidneys had many cysts and were enlarged. At the time of her birth, she weighed 10 pounds, two ounces." - Southlake Times Star Newspaper, Heather M. Goodwin

Follow this link to learn more about it.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycystic_kidney_disease

Also, here is a link the Southlake Times Star Newspaper did with Lindsey and Cal on Kenzley's story. Please take the time to read this. 

  My Plea to YOU: 

The hospital that took such good care of Lindsey for so many months is sponsoring a 1 mile walk to raise awareness about this disease. It's in Southlake. It's free. It's family friendly. You can bring your kids in strollers or they can walk with you. It's a way to show a family support. To say to them, "I can't imagine going through what you did - but we are here for you. For your daughter. For all the other people that have to go through this pain. If it's the least we can do - We are here." Just show up. I know it would mean the world to me to have my friends and family there but more than that, just people. Friends of friends. Friends of Family. Just people. Because that is how we SHOW love. We SHOW up. Inconvenience or not. We SHOW up. 

You can follow the directions to register for the walk below. (posted by Kenzley's parents) If you have any questions let me know. The walk is free but donations are welcome and appreciated. They have already raised close to $4,500! That is amazing!!!!!!

 

 Hi guys. This is the info for the 5k walk to raise money for APKD. This is the disease that killed our beautiful angel Kenzley, and so many others. It is sponsored by the amazing hospital that took care of us medical city children's hospital. They are also recognizing and doing a special in memory of Jace Glenn. The amazing little boy that fought hard for three years to beat this horrible disease. Please keep there family in your prayers, they just lost him. He was the most incredible child, and touched our lives. They are very special people.

http://walkforpkd.org/
Scroll to the bottom and select Join a Team

Choose Dallas/ ft. Worth
Join, click Join
Hit I agree
Click join team
Select team Kenzley Graves
Feel out all personal info and just follow instructions from there.

Thank u all for your support. It really means a lot to us. 
You can make donations or join us. Hope to see you there. 
Please pass on to your friends and families. We would love to have you.

 

Mission Impossible

Guess What??

Wednesday of this week I had a challenge put before me. A challenge I gladly accepted. Although, nervous, I had confidence that I could pull this off. I also had TomTom. Besides the point. I had to get my kids to a new location for their doctors visit. *Insert Mission Impossible music here.* But I found it, no problem. And I didn't have to call one person in a panic or crying or angry at myself but taking it out on them. Not a single one.
Mission Impossible, accomplished.

Guess What else??

Last week, or maybe the week before, my sister called me in a panic. She needed some paperwork brought to her but could not leave the location where she was. I was happy to oblige. I got directions from Nick and started to head out the door. My phone rings. I answer.

Me: Hello
Mom: Hey, did you talk to Lisa?
Me: Yep, I'm coming by there to get the paperwork and then heading out there.
Mom: Are you sure? Because I'm off today and I can go.
Me: Mom...it's fine. Seriously. Lisa does a lot of stuff for me and I would like to be able to help her out.

One. Long. Pause.......

Mom: Well Lisa called me. She's worried you are going to get lost.
Me: (sigh) Fine.

Ummm...I have four words in response to that.
Rude. & I. Get. It.

So I couldn't decide if I was going to blog today or not. I ran 4 miles this morning. (I know...I'm awesome.) And I need a shower. But, obviously, I decided to sit down and write. Because, today was a good day. And I wanted to celebrate that.

Like I said, I started out my morning with a really good run. Slow run. But a good one nonetheless. When I was done running I had a text message from my MIL that put a smile on my face. And then I went to pretend shop at Hobby Lobby. What is pretend shopping you ask? Well, I'm not sure if you are all aware of this little fact, but I'm married to a financial advisor. What that means is I'm married to a man whose life revolves around budgeting money for hundreds of people.(this is the laymen definition of a financial advisers responsibilities)  And what that means is that I am included in one of those people. Lucky Me. So pretend shopping is going in with my list of things that I need/want and writing down how much all of that cost. And leaving. With nothing. Except I didn't. I had a basket with one projects worth of supplies in there that totaled $5. But when I went to check out I didn't have my debit card. I wasn't so devastated by the fact that I couldn't get my supplies as I knew in that moment, I wasn't going to get my coffee when I left there. People, I haven't had a coffee in like forever. Forever. And so I left. With nothing.

But that all turned into an opportunity to have lunch with Husband. And that created a chance for
Husband to take Landon into a restroom and watch him fall in the toilet. (ewwww but funny)  And that made my day even better. Just to clarify not the toilet sinking thing but the lunch with Husband thing.

And I love rain. I love a dark house in the middle of the day. It could be blistering hot outside but a gloomy sky and a somber house in the middle of the afternoon makes you want to cover up and watch a movie and drink something hot. Like a coffee, for instance. But it's not hot outside. It's amazeballs outside and I love it. But it's dangerous. Because it absolutely means I will be needing new boots sooner than later. Just sayin.

And I made my chevron board. Mom, I love you but you have no sense of taste. Not really. And chevron is the bomb right now and I think my board turned out pretty good. Not perfect. But good enough for me. Yeah, I pretty much love it.

 Some Randoms to finish out the week -

 I'm 34 years old. I have never liked tomatoes. They are disgusting. They were disgusting. Until now. Now, I can't eat a sandwich without them. This just got real people.

My friends brother has grown out a mustache. I'm not sure what to do with this.

One of the best times to be alone is in your car, on a long ride, with cool weather and loud music. 

My sister has crazy baby fever. Like, I think she may be crazy. I will get back to you on this one.

New favorite nail polish. Essie - No place like chrome. It's da bomb!!

Jackson told me he liked a girl in school but she was dating someone else. Pffffft...5th grade girls don't date.  What does that even mean?

 Crystal Michelle got me hooked. Hooked like a fish to Sons of Anarchy. It's literally a SOA marathon in this house every night after 9 p.m. I have bags under my eyes. But so worth it.

I discovered turkey sausage. It's so good with hot sauce on it. Like sooo good. And I forgot my love for pineapple. Wouldn't recommend the hot sauce on that.

Landon is my Rock Star!!! He is in big boy undies now and he knows what's up. He has only had a few accidents and on more than one occasion made it through an entire day with the same underoos on. Way to go Big Boy!!

For the sake of saving her from embarrassment I will not mention her name but I know a person, who knows a person who intentionally and purposefully watches Honey Boo Boo. I don't know what to make of this. It seriously confuses me.

I hope all of you are having a HAPPY day. Mine keeps getting better!!

With Love,

Amy Marie

Twilight Zone

It's Friday night and well I have been busy all day. And by busy I mean...like seriously pinning the crap out of stuff on Pinterest. What? Life is short. Gotta prioritize.

It's a little odd for me to be blogging on a Friday night. But...I figured I have two sick boys at home, and by home I mean at blockbuster with their dad, so why not. Remember, life is short. And I rarely have quiet.

I don't have much to blog about. I had a crazy, busy day yesterday and by crazy, busy I actually mean crazy, busy. Landon had to get chest x-rays done as a precautionary. I have been giving him breathing treatments for, at least, the last two weeks. So the doctor wanted to be sure he didn't have an infection in his lungs.  I knew it was his allergies. It's always his allergies. And we are on our 3rd ear infection in 6 weeks. X-Ray came up normal. Jackson waited for at least an hour and a half for me at the nurses office. We were all sure he has strep. He always has strep. So went to the doctor, no strep. Just a viral infection. Nothing we can do about that. Took my Grandma to the doctor. Her kidneys are not functioning properly. (due to diabetes) And she doesn't want to really do anything about it. (At 78, who could blame her) But man...I do not want to get old. Wait...I do not want my health to deteriorate. Getting old is out of my control. My health, for the most part, I can do something about.

Husband called. Wasted trip to BB. Jackson wants nothing there. Lame.

This means they will be home shortly. I'm hoping the guilt of me sitting here at the computer doesn't sink in until a good 30 minutes after they are home.

I am learning that sometimes it's just better to keep my mouth shut. Sometimes, peace is better than getting all crazy like and shouting out my opinions from the roof top. Actually...all the time and every time Peace trumps Opinions. Remember this Amy.

You know how every household has that "sock monster" ?? Missing socks galore before, during and after laundry is complete. (if in fact there is an actual time that laundry is complete) I have a different household monster. Mine likes towels. Bath towels specifically. It ate half of what I owned. Thanks idiot Bath Towel Monster. You suck.


Oh My Gosh...I just got a picture of my niece Abby in her first ever soccer uniform. May be the cutest thing I ever did see. Love it! (I feel old now - reminds me of when my younger sister started playing - Ewww)

 

Baseball is about to start for Jackson. . Baseball is about to consume 4 nights out of my 7 day week. FOUR. And it's not even select baseball.  Popped Collar, maybe takes it a little too seriously, old balls. 

That's okay because I will just gorge myself with these during each practice, batting practice or games.

These were da BOMB!!!

Hey hey...I am thinking that my little monkey is just about potty trained. We are purchasing the big boy undies this weekend people and he is going to rock the crap out of those undies. Hopefully literally. Crap out of undies...

So I am making this. I need all the backpacks to have a home up in this place. But... I don't have a clue how to do a Chevron pattern...or how to do it without it looking like my 2 year old painted it. I asked Crystal and she was no help. Her response was, "Oh no......it's hard......" Thank you Crystal. And that's what she said.

My husband just walked into this house (after going to the garage) with a paint tray and brush. Am I in the Twilight Zone? I feel confused. I mean I know he has some painting to finish but I didn't tell him to do that right now. Seriously, what in the hell is happening? Obviously I'm entering delirium now. This may be my cue to wrap it up. Besides, my guilt may have taken over. Who can blame me... Look at that face...oh  Squinky Ninja, I adore you. Landon's pretty darn cute too.

Have a good weekend Peeps!!

And remember.....

Peace trumps Opinions