Reflecting on 2011

As we approach the last few hours of 2011 I figured it was a good time to reflect upon the past year.  This year had many ups and downs for our family but overall I will chalk this one up to being a good year.

I of course spent the first few months pregnant and preparing for our new addition.  We were still getting adjusted to life in Georgia and settling into our new home.  We brought some ice and snow down with us as GA/TN experienced more than they have in MANY years.  I was still trying to get used to being a stay at home mom with the boys home and then school gets cancelled for over a MONTH (yes worlds longest Christmas break) and I have all three of them home full time stuck at home because the transportation department down here is totally not prepared for that white stuff that falls from the sky.  Roads were not touched for weeks and businesses were completely shut down.  Talk about cabin fever.

Once we got past the bad winter, things started to look up as Spring weather was beginning and the older kids were playing spring sports.  Payton played softball and Cole baseball.  They both did great and somehow I survived  carting them all over the county and managing practice schedules and games by myself as Jay worked constantly.  I did have to choose which kid got to play on a couple of occasions as they had games at the same time at very different locations.

Then the most tragic thing I have ever experienced happened - a string of horrible tornadoes hit our area and actually touched down half a mile from our house.  Our tiny little town of Ringgold, Georgia was almost destroyed.  The devastation was overwhelming and I still cry when I recall the faces, businesses, homes and trees.  The days, weeks, and months that followed were amazing to watch as this little town pulled together and rebuilt bigger and stronger than ever.  I felt so close to complete strangers and a sense of community was great.  It made us so proud to be residents of such a great town!

Of course in the midst of the devastation we had our precious baby Lilah Grace (just two days after the tornadoes).  She is absolutely amazing and definitely completes our family - she was the missing piece.  She certainly made me work for it however.  This was by far the most difficult pregnancy (yes I would even surpass the bed rest with Payton to how sick I was with Lilah) as well as the most difficult delivery.  But I did surprise myself (and probably Jay a tad bit as well) at how strong I was and how well I handled the pain.

Jay was off for 5 weeks once again (totally love Costco and their bonding leave - this makes 20 weeks he has received) and we loved having him around.  He was able to be there for all the practices and games for the remainder of the spring season and we did as much as we could as a family.  The summer went by very fast but at the same time kinda slow.  Fast in terms of Lilah growing and me not accomplishing any of the things I had planned but slow in terms of having 4 kids home with me full time and becoming a bit annoying :)  I love my kids to death and feel extremely blessed and happy that I am finally able to be home with them on a full time basis but by the beginning of September I was more than ready for school to start!

We did manage to fit in some fun times at several playgrounds, bowling, aquarium, zoo, the pool, play dates, nature center, and some other local attractions.  I love the fact that I am able to do these things with the kids with minimal planning and that Jay has a work schedule that allows him to participate often as well.  The other thing that I really enjoy as part of my new life as a SAHM is that I can go to the kids schools and participate in class parties and other activities as well as volunteer my time as often as possible.

Of course the summer brought some major losses to our family as our beloved yellow lab, Maverick, passed away on July 1st from heart troubles.  He was 12.5 years old and a huge part of our family.  The kids all rode him around like a horse and layed on him like a pillow.  I am happy that he was around to meet Lilah Grace and enjoy our new home for a while.  That same month one of our cats, Rajah, suddenly passed away making the kids very sad as he was one of the kittens Jay got for them just two years ago.

The fall brought the start of a new school year with Payton in the First grade and Cole in Pre-K.  Both are doing well and enjoying school.  New friends have been made by all and this makes me especially happy as I have found a group of amazing ladies that I am proud to call my friends.  These women are so selfless and have already done so much for our family.  All of our children are around the same ages and really enjoy playing together which makes spending time with my friends that much better.

Fall also brought a new sports season (we took the summer off) with Payton cheering and Cole playing baseball again (he is really good).  It was great seeing them both in action.

At the end of October I was ready to give in to the daily requests from the kids for a new puppy and we adopted an adorable tiny puppy from a rescue.  Bella Skye has become part of the family and

Although the house continues to be a work in progress and I am always trying to improve upon the organization, I have re-discovered my passion for crafts and organizing.  I have completed many small projects this year and have many, many more planned for 2012!

The holidays were a blur with our busy schedules but we managed to enjoy some quality time together just the  six of us.

Looking forward to 2012 I have so many resolutions/plans and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all but I figure I will take it one day at a time and do the best I can!

I wish the best to all reading this and here's to an amazing 2012 :)

The End of an Era

Well it seems the day has come that I have nursed my last baby :(  This is actually very sad for me because I really had wanted to nurse Lilah Grace for a year like the others.  For those fellow mommies out there that can relate this was a special time for us and something that only I could give to my babies (unless of course you are Salma Hayek or something).  It meant a lot to me to do this for them and lets be honest it was EASY - no messy bottles or stinky formula to prepare, nothing to forget at home (well except a cover up on occasion), no cost :), it was always there and ready at just the right temperature.  Okay, okay - maybe not always entirely easy.  I do recall the days of being a first time mommy when it felt like I was nothing more than a human milk machine and crying constantly; dealing with a snacker who constantly fell asleep; getting engorged; and of course being the one to feed them during nighttime wake ups.  But those times are far outweighed by the good memories - the cute little suckle noises and precious little lips; the tiny little hands reaching out and holding onto me (Lilah even massaged me as she ate); the incredible feeling of love and attachment; and so much more that I will miss.

Many factors went into making this decision and I pondered over them a great deal.  First of course was my own personal health.  My RA (rheumatoid arthritis) is worse than ever and most mornings I can barely function.  I cannot open jars or bottles and trying to dress Lilah is a long process.  Carrying the kids is almost out of the question and buckling their carseats takes a great deal of pain and effort.  I cannot treat my RA while nursing as none of the meds are safe for her and I am continuing to do permanent damage to my joints the longer it goes untreated.  Jay informed me that I will be a better mother in the long run if I take care of myself.

Along the same line is the fact that I have found myself to be on edge more recently (hmmm go figure with four kids age 6 and under) and I have become short with the kids and lacking motivation.  Soooo it is about time to find something to help me cope a bit better.

And the biggest deciding factor is my milk production.  I guess I should be happy that I was able to nurse four babies as long as I did.  What really did me in is having to cut out all milk and milk products from my own diet due to Lilah's milk protein allergy.  It is really hard to produce a sufficient amount of milk when you are not getting any yourself.  Of course part of me feels like I have failed in some way!  And don't even get me started on the cost of the special formula that has to be used without any milk protein (double the cost of the other stuff).

Looking on the bright side I guess I can have a milkshake, chocolate cake with ice cream and chocolate sauce, and any other yummy treats I have been missing out on.

The Adventures of Elffie

So we I totally bought into this whole Elf on a Shelf craze this year.  After much urging from several of my friends I figured we would give it a try.  I was pretty much desperate for anything that may help keep my kids in line even if for only a month.  I would love to say that it worked magically and my precious babies were complete and total angels for the entire month of December.  But this is the real world and not the one in my dreams so no such luck. 

It did however help and it was a nice tradition to start with them (I am very big into making traditions and then keeping up with them - shocker huh?).  The kids really looked forward to looking around the house to find where Elffie (the name they unamiously chose for our Elf - their creativety is impressive huh) was each morning after he returned from his nightly reporting-to-Santa-trip. 

Some evenings he was good and could be found in places such as the tree, a stocking, a shelf, etc.  But other evenings he decided to be mischeivious (a little something he picked up from our kids) and get into things such as my makeup, the fridge, the food and other antics. 


Santa delivered Elffie in a box left in the driveway which Daddy found when he came home from the grocery store.  The kids were so thrilled that he included a personalized note detailing what they had talked about when they met him at the mall.

His first night with us he was; well... on a shelf :)

Just hanging around (on the ceiling fan).

Elffie got into Mommy's makeup which is a big no-no around here.  Notice he drew cat whiskers on himself.

Oh No He Didn't! Yep he really did TP the family room - BAD Elffie!!

According to Payton his hanging with our family ornament means he cares for us.

Another naughty act - getting into the candy... 

Well this was nice - reading The Night Before Christmas. 

 Chillin' in the fridge (hahaha I made a funny).

This was really bad - he drew on our photos with a dry erase marker.  He was nice and didn't draw on Lilah Grace and put a halo on Mommy ;)

Oh and this got a good amount of laughs - he copied his little bum-bum.

"Snow" Angels

Playing Daddy's XBox

He couldn't resist a big bowl of Cheerios

He took Barbie for a spin complete with his arm around her.

He is all boxed up and ready for Santa to come get him to take him back to the North Pole.

Now I would love to tell you that each one of these was my own idea but we all know that would be false.  I did come up with some on my own but others were with the assistance of friends, Pinterest, and a couple great blogs :)  We look forward to Elffie coming back to stay with us next year but for now Santa needs his help at the North Pole.

Back in the Office

So last week I traveled to DC to meet my new boss and some other people who have come on board since I departed the area.  It was a very bitter sweet trip with many mixed emotions.

This was my first time leaving Lilah Grace and overnight no less (I will say this gets easier with each kid).  I started the day bright and early by getting up by 5 am (cannot recall the last time I was up that early); in the car by 6 and on a plane by 7.  The flight was fairly easy with a short connecting flight in Charlotte NC and I arrived in DC around 10 am.  I got off the airplane and headed for the Metro and that is when the first wave of emotions hit me.  It was like I had never left and part of me felt like I was home.  Seeing the monuments and all those wonderful DC things.  Then I realized that my home was no longer there and would likely never be again.

I made it into the office by only getting turned around on the Metro once :)  The day flew by with lots of meetings and catching up.  It was great to see the people I used to work with daily.  Staying so busy made it easier to not miss the kids too much and I found myself falling right back into the work life routine.  It felt kind of good to have my own identity (although everyone asked about the kids) and to be dressed up in my big girl clothes and shoes ;)

So once again I was reminded of what I left behind and the path my career was on...

Pretty nice huh :)

BUT......

I still choose this life instead EVERY day!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Falling Leaves Fall

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Total Meltdown

Despite outward appearances and what some might think, things are not always perfect in the Runion Household.  An example is a recent Saturday morning which had been planned for quite some time.  It was Lilah Grace's 6 month photo session and I couldn't have been more excited.  I have been planning for this since before she was born.  I wanted to include all of the kids this time and had purchased all the appropriate big/little shirts for everyone to wear.  I went to several stores finding the perfect ribbon to make the girls matching bows and spent countless hours online looking at photos and thinking of the perfect poses I wanted.

The morning finally rolled around and as usual we had our discussion with the kids of what was expected of them - how they would and would NOT act.  This discussion took place at home as we were getting ready, in the car on the way to the location, and once again while we were on location.  Everyone agreed to the terms and if all went well we would be off to Payton's school carnival for some fun after pictures.

It was a cold morning and the ground was really wet from a couple of rainy days and the morning dew.  We told them not to run around or they would get wet but they did not listen so of course pants were soaked as were socks, shoes, and feet which did not sit well with Payton at all.  We did Lilah's photos first because she was actually happy and smiling so we took full advantage of that.  When time came for the kids to join her Payton had a total meltdown.  I do not recall the exact events leading up to or during the meltdown (likely because I have blacked it out of my memory) but I do know that not a single decent shot was obtained of all 4 of our children together nor did we get any shots of us together as a family as hoped.  It was so bad that Jay carried her off kicking and screaming.  I manged to control my pending meltdown in front of our photographer but all bets were off once we were in the van headed out.

I will admit that I may have overreacted a bit and that I could have handled things better.  At this time I will re-direct your attention to the beginning of this post where I explain how excited I was about this and how many HOURS I spent preparing.  We had told Payton that if she was not good (we do have experience with this as it occurred the last photo session she was part of and really most big family events we have) she would not be able to attend her fall carnival.  Well unlike the countless times we have threatened to do something but not followed through (mostly because we don't like to upset them but also because it causes inconvenience to us - aka lazy parents) this time I stood my ground.  She went home with Daddy and cleaned her bedroom and the playroom by herself and was not allowed to do anything fun.  This was not at all ideal since I was committed to working the festival and had the boys with me but I made it work and the boys had fun (they shouldn't be punished for something she did).

Okay so not to end on a sour note, my wonderful husband knowing how important this was to me, gathered the kids together and set them up in our front yard so I could attempt to take the pictures myself.  I in no way did as well as Cindy would have done but at least it is something.

This time around it was Graham's turn to throw a fit (he was very tired).

So lessons learned from this experience:

• Do not set my expectations too high 
• Expect the worst when it comes to kids and important events
• RELAX and not take things so personal or get too worked up over things
• Always have a change of clothes and shoes in the van just in case
• I am no where near ready to take pictures for anything other than hobby :(
• Trying to get 4 kids to look at the camera and smile is dern near impossible
• Following through with my actions as promised is important

Baby Food Success

With my first two kids I didn't really consider making my own baby food for them.  Maybe because I was lazy busy or maybe it just wasn't that trendy at the time.  I did attempt it once or twice when Graham was a baby but he refused to eat it.  In hindsight I believe I did it incorrectly; but anyway they all had store bought food.  Now that Lilah Grace is starting to eat solids I have gone back and forth with whether to make it myself or purchase it from the stores.  I have done a great amount of research and talked to many moms who have made their own and decided I am up for the challenge (besides it really is the cool thing to do these days).  I have used some jar food from the store so I will likely end up doing both.

Per the direction of her GI doctor, I started her out with fruits and she loves them (and they are helping with her BMs).  I decided my first batch of baby food would be avocado because it is super easy and packed full of nutrients.  And yes it is a fruit (just in case any of you were not aware like I wasn't).

I started out with two large avocados and peeled the skin and removed the core thingy (I do not recall the correct term).  The insides are very mushy to begin with so it really did not take much effort to get it soft with a fork and then I used my hand blender to really blend it up.

I set aside enough portions for three days (as long as it is safe to keep refrigerated) and put the rest into ice cubes trays to freeze.  The kids thought this looked fun so they joined in to help.

And voila!  My first batch a huge success.  Lilah Grace loves them and I love the feeling it gives me knowing I did this myself :)

Up next....Bananas :)

Operation De-clutter Flat Surfaces

So in my attempt to gain control of our lives and become more organized, especially in the area of papers, I completed another mini project.  The first part of this was our family memo center which has been utilized (not as much as I would like) as shown below.

A good first step but I still found that the piles of papers, magazines, mail and other miscellaneous items ended up on the kitchen island, counter and table any flat surface.  This becomes very overwhelming and out of control especially when there is no room for the kids to eat.

Okay a very honest moment here - I did clean the piles up a bit before photographing them but you get the idea.

Let's be realistic - even the most organized anal person would have trouble filing things as soon as walking in the door with bags from shopping, backpacks, a baby in an infant carrier and three other kids running through the door.  The easy thing is just toss them down and attend to the immediate needs like the puppy needing to go potty, the baby screaming from hunger, the diaper that needs to be changed, the 3 year old screaming he is hungry yet again and must have a snack RIGHT NOW, and other countless items.  Problem is once all those immediate needs are met I often do not go back to the pile/stack of items tossed on the said flat surface (repeat above paragraph for about a week and you have the actual picture of my kitchen).

SO.....I was in need of a new flat surface that wasn't needed for cooking, eating or other daily activities and could handle a few stacks until I could sit down to sort and organize them.  Luckily our dining area has a large enough recess to hold a table or other storage item.  My very short term fix was of course a table tray and looked something like this.

That worked for oh about a week and then the stacks outgrew the tray and once again spilled into other areas.  My ultimate desire is to find a nice looking console table (possibly with a drawer) that will fit the space and allow me the flat surface I desire but also a place to pull up a chair and do the things I find I am using the kitchen table for - Scholastic orders, school forms, quick mail and other items that I do not want to go downstairs to the office for.  So I set out on an adventure with my girlfriend and 6 kids (we are crazy like that) to find the perfect table.  Well all that we found were either too big for the space or for my budget.  Needing immediate gratification and a place to put things NOW I improvised with a cheap bookshelf and some baskets and media boxes (thanks to my friend for the idea).  Now I have FOUR flat surfaces to stack stuff on and hopefully some places to hide those annoying yet necessary items (pencils, crayons, sight word flashcards, not yet filed coupons, etc).

What do you think?  Looks much  better than the tv tray and will hopefully do the job until I can locate the perfect table.