Brad, Alecia, Bradlee Jr., Tyanna, Tristen and Ashten

Blogging Takes Alot of Time

2009-09-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

Instead of writing a blog saying that I am going to start blogging again, I'm just going to jump in and write like I never quit!

Life has been so crazy these days! I've been coaching volleyball which just so happens to be one of the hardest things I've done other than having 4 kids! Literally, I am up at the school Monday through Friday from about 3pm to late depending on where the games are. And that's after we had Monday night open gym, camp, 2 a days, 3 tournaments and pre-season games! Auggghhhh! What have I gotten myself into?? Well the count down to when it ends has begun. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I tell you what though, in the midst of an intense game (win or lose) or hanging on the bus talking to really cool high school girls, it all becomes worth it. I still haven't decided if I can commit to next year :( Even though Brad has been amazing and helped with the kids so much, they still need their momma. Speaking of kids, here's whats going on with them.

Bradlee has started 2nd grade! Growing up so fast. He is also starting soccer this week. We took him for his evaluation so they can do team placement and I was impressed. He did really well.

Little Miss Tyanna started kindergarten. She's still doing ballet. And she does Lil Tigers Cheerleading at school. I gave her the option to do ballet or Allstars Cheerleading and she chose ballet. I wish she could do both but we wouldn't have the time. Daddy said next year we will put her in both.

Tristen is just doing his thing being a 3 year old. When he's not being cute and making us laugh, he is throwing fits,whining and crying. I love that boy, but 3 years old seems to be the hardest for all my children. Forget about terrible two's. He's not quite old enough for sports and that's not easy on him. He is my little athlete.

Ashten, my baby girl! She might be the smartest baby of all the Pratt kids. And that says a lot because my kids are all geniuses. She started potty training by herself at 20 months. She talks so well. She's a mommy's girl. Need I say more?

On to another subject. I started a Pageant Company. My sisters and I are directing them. We have done two now and are getting ready for our third. The second one was 90% better than the first, so if we keep going at that rate it won't be long before we have an incredible business.

Brad decided to build pools! We built our first in August. We have a couple more in the works.

OK, that's all for now. I think I did enough updating for one blog.

Little Miss & Little Mister Luau September 12th 2009!!!

2009-08-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

Sugar & Spice Beauty Pageants

Presents

Little Miss & Little Mister Luau

Saturday September 12th, 2009
Castle Rock Assisted Living Center
5519 S. Collins Street
Arlington, TX 76018

Registration: 12:30pm to 1:45pm. Pageant starts promptly at 2pm

Beauty Competition: Contestants need to be dressed in an Outfit of their choice. Attire should be “Sundays Best”. Our judges will score each contestant on Personality, Facial Beauty & Overall Appearance. This is a natural pageant. Light makeup is ok, but no fake hair, tan etc. Top 3 winners in each age division will receive a lovely Tiara and Sash. Grand Supreme will win a larger Tiara, sash and trophy. Grand Supreme WILL be crowned in age division as well. All pageant participants will receive a trophy and participation gift.

Optional Events, You may choose to enter if you would like!
Optional Outfit: Attire can be casual wear, sportswear, swimwear etc. Pick an outfit that will show off your child’s personality! One winner from each age division will win a trophy. If your score in this category is higher than beauty it will be used for the overall score.

Photogenic $10 - Our judges will select ONE photo out of the entire Pageant and the one contestant chosen will receive ½ of the Cash back from the money collected in this optional event. This fee is for one photo any size up to 8x11 you choose to enter in this event.

Overall Most Beautiful $10 , Prettiest Smile $10 , Prettiest Eyes $10 , Best Hair $10 - Our judges will choose one contestant for each optional event out of the entire pageant. One winner for each optional event will receive ½ the cash back collected in each particular optional event.

Talent Competition $10 – We will have a cd player and microphone available. Anything else needed for your child’s talent you will need to bring. Please keep it classy and under 3 minutes. Our judges will choose one contestant out of the entire pageant. Winner will win a trophy and sash.

Entry Fee before August 29th: $65.00
After August 29th: $85.00
$20.00 Deposit must be paid to register.

Ways to Register:
Email registration form and email or call with credit card information for deposit. Alecia.pratt@yahoo.com or 214-934-3307
Mail registration form and check or money order for deposit. Must be mailed by August 28th for the discounted price.
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 535535
Grand Prairie, TX 75053

Age Group Circle One: 0-23 Months 2-3 years 4-7 years 8-12 years 13-16 years

Boy (no age divisions for boys unless 5 or more register) or Girl

Contestants Name:_______________________________________________________________Age:_______________
Address:___________________________________________________Email:__________________________________
Phone:________________________Hobbies:_____________________________________________________________

Where did you get this entry form?___________________________

Entry Fee $65.00 or $85.00
__$10 Optional Outfit __$10 Photogenic __$10 Most Beautiful __$10 Prettiest Smile __$10 Prettiest Eyes __$10 Prettiest Hair __$10 Talent
Referral Discount $10 Per person you refer. Referrals must register and pay before discount or cash is given.

Total Fee _________ A portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity. (organization will have a display at the pageant)

Sugar & Spice Beauty Pageants Upcoming Event!!!

2009-07-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

Sugar & Spice Beauty Pageants
Presents
“Little Mister & Miss Sunshine”

Saturday August 1st, 2009
Crescent Place Assisted Living Center
225 W Pleasant Run Rd.
Cedar Hill, TX 75104

Registration: 8:30am to 9:45am Pageant starts promptly at 10am

Beauty Competition: Contestants need to be dressed in an Outfit of their choice. Our judges will score each contestant on Personality, Facial Beauty & Overall Appearance. Everyone is judged separately and on a 1-10 scale. Semi-glitz will be scored on a semi-glitz level and natural will be scored on a natural level. Top 3 winners in each age group will receive a lovely Tiara and Sash. Grand Supreme will win a Tiara, sash and trophy. All pageant participants will receive a participation gift.

Optional Events, You may choose to enter if you would like!
Photogenic $10 - Our judges will select ONE photo out of the entire Pageant and the one contestant chosen will receive ½ of the Cash back from the money collected in this optional event. This fee is for one photo any size up to 8x11 you choose to enter in this event.

Overall Most Beautiful $10 , Prettiest Smile $10 , Prettiest Eyes $10 , Best Hair $10 - Our judges will choose one contestant for each optional event out of the entire pageant. One winner for each optional event will receive ½ the cash back collected in each particular optional event.

Talent Competition $20 – We will have a cd player and microphone available. Anything else needed for your child’s talent you will need to bring. Please keep it classy and under 3 minutes. Our judges will choose one contestant out of the entire pageant. One winner will receive ½ the cash back collected in this particular optional event.

Please pre-register with Alecia Pratt by emailing alecia.pratt@yahoo.com

Please send this entry form at least one week before the pageant. If you plan on registering at the pageant, please send me an email so we can make sure to have enough prizes for everyone.

Mail Entry Form and Money Order to:
Alecia Pratt
P.O. Box 535535
Grand Prairie, TX 75053

You can register the day of the pageant with a $10 late fee. Cash only accepted the day of the pageant.

Age Group Circle One: 0-23 Months 2-3 years 4-7 years 8-12 years 13-16 years

Boy OR Girl

Contestant Information

Name:______________________________________________________Age:_________
Address:__________________________________________Email:____________________________
Phone:________________________Hobbies:______________________________________________

Where did you get this entry form?__________________

Entry Fee $75.00
__$10 Photogenic __$10 Most Beautiful __$10 Prettiest Smile __$10 Prettiest Eyes

__$10 Best Hair __$20 Talent

Referral Discount $10 Per person you refer. Referrals must register and pay before discount or cash is given.

Total Fee _________ A portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity. (Organization announced at pageant)

Tristen Manhattan

2009-06-28T11:09:00.001-07:00

Little Tristen Manhattan, oh how I love that little boy! A big awesome name for a person that's gonna do big awesome things in life! Daddy won the battle over names and I am so glad he did because the name fits so well. He turns 3 tomorrow!!! We threw him a little party this weekend with just us, grandma and grampa, aunt Amber and siblings. Yes, very small. When you have one or two kids, you can invite everyone whether they have kids or not to all the birthday parties. Once you have four kids it gets a little harder. So I figure since he will probably go to k-3 next year, he will make lots of friends and we can have a big party for him. This little guy is amazing! He has the softest heart out of all of my children. He cares so much for people. He loves to help me do things. He says sweet things daily. For instance this morning I walked down the stairs and my hair was big and crazy from sleeping and he said "mommy, you beautiful" He tells me that almost on a daily basis. And it's not just because he likes my reaction. He always says it for a reason, like I just put makeup on, or crazy hair, or cute clothes. He notices everything. Yesterday he kept saying thank you to everyone for his party. While he was playing with his new toys every 5 minutes or so he would say thank you for my new toys, or thank you for opening this toy, or thank you for putting that together. He seriously is the most greatful, loving little kid in the world. I love him sooooo much!

Birth-Day

1 Year

2 Years

3 Years!!!

Summertime!

2009-05-31T12:09:00.000-07:00

I love summer!!! This was our last week of school and the beginning of summer vacation.

We started off with Field Day. This field day was awesome. The whole football field was full of different events. They had a huge rock climbing wall, face painting, snow cones. I just didn't expect such an event from a private school. Tristen and Ashten got to participate with Tyanna's class. It was alot of fun.

Ashten with her new floaty device. This is awesome because it puts her straight on her back if she loses balance. Unlike a life jacket which puts her on her belly/face.

We went to the lake last weekend and Bradlee and Tyanna got to go tubing for the first time.

Next we headed to a party at the country club where my parents are members. It happens to be my new favorite place to take the kids swimming. It has a huge pool, huge hot tub and 2 seperate kiddie pools.

Hopefully more summer blogs to come. I really do enjoy blogging, it just seems like I don't have the time these days.

Just gotta do it!

2009-04-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

Blog some more that is! I don't blog enough! It is such a great outlet. I will be doing something during the day and think oh I should write a blog about this or that or whatever. Then I put it off and it either loses importance or I forget what the topic was going to be. So here I am writing a blog at 12 in the morning when I should be sleeping because I have to get up at 6am. Hmmmm, what should I write about? How about life in general.

Life is going good. Staying super busy. I am ready for the kids to get out of school which is in 5 weeks. Summer means sleeping in, and going swimming at least every other day. It means grilling with the family. It means Florida Family Vacation, woohoo! My dad rented an awesome house on the beach.

I'm getting excited as my babies get older. I know this should make me sad, but it doesn't. I have been raising babies for 7 years. Last major baby thing on the list is potty training Ashten. Which I will be starting in about 5 months. Mind you, I have spent the last 7 years changing diapers, and most of the time it was 2 sets of diapers!

What will I do with myself when they are all in school? Hmmmm, maybe go to school to be a midwife, or maybe just help my husband with our business, maybe become a coach at the kids school. Who knows! I still have a few years to think about it!

I really really really love my husband! Our marriage has pretty much been transformed over the last 2 years. We go to a class on Wednesday nights that is awesome. We recently started reading the book "The Love Dare". I would encourage every married person to read this book. Even if your marriage is awesome, this will make it even more awesome. Plus it just makes you a better person.

I've been spending alot of time at the gym lately. I go to LA Fitness and they have awesome classes. I usually go to the 8:30 classes which are Body Works, Pilates and step aerobics. I love working out, it makes me feel strong. Now, if I could just incorporate running I would probably lose those last 7 pounds that I feel like are never gonna go away.

We might have to move soon, sigh.... Actually, it's just kind of up in the air and really we don't know. However, my parents have a house that they want to sell to us. So we would be buying and not renting. It's a fixer upper, sigh..... But it is on 4 or 5 acres of land. Which means a yard for the kids to play in and maybe a dog for Christmas. Anyways, it's really stupid to even think about because we just don't know. It's really annoying not knowing.

I am done rambling on and on. I guess this was just a little updating blog since it has been so long. I need SLEEP!

Goodnight.

Annual Easter Party!!!

2009-03-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

“Richardsons Annual Easter Party”

Date: Saturday April 11th
Time: 12pm to whenever!
Place: 2102 W Bear Creek
Red Oak, TX 75154
(Right behind “Box Car” which is located on the corner of Bear Creek and Cockrell Hill)

Please bring one bag of pre-wrapped candy per child. There will be a bounce house, Easter Egg Hunt, Tug of War, Egg Toss and many other fun things! AND lots of food!!!

We look forward to seeing you!!!

For Questions please call Alecia Pratt 214-934-3307

Pageant Princess

2009-03-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

Tyanna competed in her 3rd pageant yesterday. She was crowned as Most beautiful in the competition. This means that she scored the highest score out of everyone for facial beauty alone. It's not grand supreme which is the "full package" but it does mean that my daughter is amazingly pretty :) The little girl that won definately deserved it for the show she put on in the additional outfit category. If Tyanna would have been a little more confident when she did her ballet stuff in the additional outfit category, she might have won grand supreme. ANYWAYS, all that to say that this whole pageant thing is exausting!!! Not sure we will do them very often! Maybe 2 a year, we'll see. After the pageant we went to the new mall in Cedar Hill and had a little family play time!

Tyanna's Princess Party

2009-03-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Tyanna's 5th birthday on Saturday. We did a princess party, and I must say I am quite happy with the way it turned out.

You can click on any of the pictures to make them larger!

Getting ready for the party:

Guests start arriving:

Makeover Time!

Lunch Time:

The Awesome Cake by Brittny Owens! (Disclaimer for Brittny, the tiara on top would have looked much better if I would have gotten it to Brittny on time. I forgot it and was waiting for Brad to get there with it, so I did the top, not her)

Aunt Debbie teaching the girls how to give Tyanna a toast:

Picture with Queen Debbie! If you know my aunt, then you understand that she is the girliest girl that still has a heart of a child!

Royal Pictures:

Opening Gifts, I had each girl hold their gift and present it to Tyanna, it was really sweet.

What's a party without a Pinata??

Pictures with the castle that my sisters Brittany, Akela and Amber made!

Singing Taylor Swifts "Love Story" to her friends:

The Pageant

2009-02-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

We put all of the Pratt Kids in a pageant last weekend! The plan was just for Tyanna and at the last minute Brad decided that it was not fair and that they all needed to be in the pageant. Probably won't do that again!!! Even though it was very challenging, they did well and we had alot of fun. Family memories is what it's all about, right? Now we won't talk about the fact that Bradlee and Tristen were the only boys in the competition! Here is how they placed.

Bradlee - 1st prize in his age division!!!! And, King over the whold pageant.

Tyanna - 1st prize in her age division!!!! Most beautiful girl in the competition and tied for highest score in the whole competition. There were about 15 girls in the competition, so she did really well!

Tristen - 1st prize in his age division!!!! Most beautiful boy in competition. And the judges told us he was 3rd highest score in the competition. He rocked the stage, it was really cute!

Ashten - 3rd runner up in her age division. She had a little bit of a hard time. In this age group most of the judging is on their character. No matter what the baby looks like, if they are smiling and waving at the judges and blowing kisses, they will do well. I planned on her winking at them and raising her eyebrows and waving and all that. Instead, she decided to stair at them with no smile and no expression the entire time! Oh well, what can you do!

Here are a few pictures from the award ceremony. From now on I think this is going to be mine and Tyanna's thing!

Oh, and you can't laugh at the cheesiness of this pageant. They were serving their community by entertaining the elderly people at this assisted living center!!!! They made 3 cards each to hand out and gave lots of hugs and high fives!

My Princess

2009-02-24T10:28:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that my 1st little girl will be turning 5 on Sunday!!! I still remember the sonogram when they told me I was having a little girl. Words can not describe my excitement. The love I already had for her! I still remember the day she was born, her tiny little body, her head full of hair. She was and still is absolutely perfect. She is beautiful, confident, strong, loving, giving, sharing. She loves to talk (help me Lord). This might seem weird, but I feel like she is everything I ever wanted to be and more! She loves the Lord and I know He is very pleased with her. She makes me so proud.

ALMOST 5!!!!!!!!

My Cat Is Toilet Trained!!!

2009-02-09T21:57:00.001-08:00

I wrote a blog several months ago about potty training my cat. http://uspratts.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-next-attempt.html I finally did it! Granted it's supposed to take 2 weeks and it took me 3 months. She is finally trained. The last step was taking the bowl out of the toilet and letting her use the restroom in the actual toilet. For some reason she was fine with pee'ing in the toilet but she didn't want to poop in it. Brad thinks it's because when she did poop in it she got splashed so she was scared. Anyways she pooped on the floor twice and put her nose by it, told her no, then put it in the toilet and left it there for a little while and NOW she does all her business in the toilet. It is greatness!!! Here is a picture of her a few weeks ago. I don't have a new one yet, now there is no litter or bowl.

The Constant Battle

2009-01-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

It's like I have an internal war going on between my heart and my mind. Do I want another baby or not? I think about this every day in an obsessive way, like all day!

My heart tells me I need another baby. A little girl named Alexis (yes she already has a name) I don't feel like I could not handle another child. She would be a great addition to the family. A little sister for Ashten and Tyanna. I feel like I need one more chance to go through labor and delivery all natural. Maybe even a midwife. One more shot to breastfeed for the whole first year. I have plenty other reasons.

My mind tells me no way dude!!! I don't want to gain 40 pounds again! I don't want to be on an emotionial roller coaster. I don't want to have leaky boobs for a year. I don't want to try and find a babysitter for five kids when Brad wants just us to go on a trip. I also have plenty other reasons for not having another.

I wish I could get a clear yes or no from God. But when I pray about it, I hear nothing!!! I can usually hear God's voice when trying to make a decision, but when it comes to this I think He thinks it's funny not to answer me. Honestly, I think God is OK with which ever decision we make.

I guess for now, I'll just do what I've been doing, worry about what I should do.

My Dad's 40th

2009-01-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

On Friday January 2nd, my dad turned 40! (yes, he was 14 when I was born, it's a long story) My mom worked for months to plan out the perfect night. And she succeeded! It was surprise after surprise. They started off in a hotel in Fort Worth. She had made plans for them and a couple of their close friends to go to dinner. Little did he know that there was 35 people waiting at the restauraunt to surprise him! He showed up and we celebrated. Then we all told him goodbye and my mom and him headed back to their hotel. Surprise number 2, my mom rented a hummer limo and it came and picked up family. We then headed to his hotel where Security stopped him at the elevater and told him there was a problem and brought him outside. Obviously when he saw the limo he realized, but as he opened the door, we all yelled "surprise" again! We decided to go dancing. You see my dad grew up dancing. When he was in college he traveled with a hip hop band and was a dancer. So dancing is one of his favorite things to do and he probably only really gets to do it less than once a year! I don't think I have ever made it to 2am dancing because I always get tired way earlier, but we were having so much fun they literally had to ask us to leave when the club was closing. My mom did amazing planning the party! I think she has really set the bar for 40th birthdays in the family! Here are a few pictures. My cousin took almost 400 pictures of the night. If you are friends on my myspace or facebook you can see alot more there. (I know the pictures are layed out really weird, I don't know how to fix it)

Christmas

2008-12-25T20:01:00.000-08:00

It was absolutely wonderful this year! I saw so much family that I haven't seen in awhile. We did our extended family Christmas Party at my parents house and it was a huge success. Lots of food, lots of love and lots of laughs! I have some great video's from that day, however, my laptop will not read my HD memory card, so no video's online untill I figure that one out :(

Then we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas at my parents house. We have done this every year since we have been married. It seems weird, but we have never spent Christmas morning at our own home. Sometimes we think about changing the tradition, but never do and I am always glad we didn't change it. We have so much fun at my parents house! The kids had a wonderful christmas. They deserved it. Last year we did a very low budget Christmas, so we made up for it this year. Grandma and Grandpa got them bicycles, a air hockey table and other little things. Daddy got them real golf clubs, which I informed him if he was going to buy them he would absolutely have to take them golfing so they weren't waisted! Their aunt Brittany got them personalized coloring trays and lots of accessories, and I of course got them tons of stuff during my trips to wal-mart, target, and toys r us! My parents and sister got Brad a golf bag that he has been wanting, and I of course have my video camera from them. All it all it was a wonderful Christmas! I hate to say it was because of the gifts, but they sure did bring lots of chear to the house. The kids woke us up at 6am and we were opening presents before the sun even came up. Here are the pictures from the day.

What a wonderful day!!

2008-12-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

This day has been amazing! I woke up to a text that said Bradlee and Tyanna did not have to be at school until 10am. So I went back to bed and woke up at 8:30! 2 extra hours is huge, I think school should always start at 10am. Then I was headed to get my hair done. Ashten and Tristen were with me. I stopped by my moms house on the way to get a baby gate that she was giving me and my sister was there and wanted to keep Tristen. Yeah! Only one baby at the hair appointment! So now my hair is dark root free. Then I headed up to my dads office to borrow a digital video camera that he said he just bought for the office. I needed it for the kids Christmas Program Thursday night. Well, he couldn't keep it a secret. My parents had just bought it for ME for Christmas!!! They bought it for me, then Sunday I asked if they had one I could borrow and they had to say yes because the kids program needed to be recorded! So I was on cloud nine! I have been wanting one since I got my Iphone. Someone told me the Iphone had video and indeed it does not. Then I got home and there were two UPS boxes on the porch. One is Tyanna'a doll house and one is my last two stockings from Pottery barn! Now my fireplace looks complete. I am on top of the world today! My house is clean and I only have a couple of loads of laundry to fold. I wish every day felt this great :)

My new video camera

Our cute little stockings

Tis the season....

2008-12-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love December! Even though it's cold and I don't like cold weather, it is probably my favorite month. I have been online so much trying to find the best deals for all the gifts we need to buy. I can't wait until the kids get to open all their presents. I was raised with tons of presents under the tree and it was always really exciting and I plan on doing the same for my kids. It's funny, growing up I always thought my parents spent thousands of dollars on each of us, but now as an adult I look back and realize it was nothing like that. Point is, it felt that way and that's how I want my kids to feel! One thing different is, my kids believe in Santa! I never believed in Santa. I like it and it's fun, but what happens when they find out??? Oh well, we'll deal with that when it happens. For now, Santa is bringing Bradlee Moon Shoes, Tyanna a doll house and a teddy bear, Tristen a car toy! I'm not sure what he's bringing Ashten, I know I'm getting credit for the play kitchen, Lol!

In just one year

2008-11-29T14:51:00.001-08:00

I really can't believe she is one. This year has flown by. We threw a small party which kind of made me sad, but it's not like she will remember it. The only thing she will remember is these pictures of her digging into her own chocolate cake!

We're All Good Mommies, Just Different

2008-11-26T07:04:00.000-08:00

Last week I was sitting at Red Lobster with Brad and our four kiddos. Ashten was in the high chair next to me, Tristen on my other side and Bradlee and Tyanna split up by Brad. Otherwise they fight about everything. This woman and her husband and one baby were seated one table away from us. She had the special high chair cover to make sure her baby does not touch any germs, which by the way I think are cool, just never got around to buying one. As soon as they sat down, she looked at me and maybe I was wrong but it felt like she was really judging me. It probably had to do with the fact that Ashten was eating a chedder biscuit and her baby had homemade baby food. Anyways, everything that I did I felt like she looked down on me. It was weird. Since her first weird look was because Ashten was sitting in just the yucky wooden high chair this is what I thought.

"I am raising four kids in a crazy world, germs are the least of my problems"!

Thanksgiving Part 1

2008-11-23T20:03:00.001-08:00

Sunday we headed to Granbury for our big family get together. We had alot of fun and ate alot of food. I love my family. They are my inspiration for having alot of children. My grandmother has 4 children, my mom had 4 children, my aunt Debbie has 5 children, my aunt Patty has 4 children and my uncle Chet has 2. And then me and my cousins have been working very hard to keep the family growing, Lol! Here are some pictures of our day.
I know it's mostly pictures of Ashten, but she's the only kid that wanted to hang out with me. The others were to busy for pictures.

My Baby Girl is Walking

2008-11-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

Ashten has been walking for the most part for several weeks now. It has been really exciting. All of my children walked 1 to 2 weeks after their 1st birthday. But not this little girl. She is determined. My other children would fall down once and refuse to try again for a few days. When Ashten falls, she laughs and tries again immediately.

Here is a video taken on November 1st. (so pretty much she started walking at 11 months)

I was going to do a more recent video of her walking all over the place but the camera is in the car that Brad is driving. And I am ready to get this blog out of my drafts and posted!

The 80's

2008-11-07T19:40:00.001-08:00

I don't remember a whole lot about the 80's. What I do remember is my older cousin's intensely large hair. I also remember wearing baggy multy colored pants, oh and stirrup pants. I remember one time, I was going to go with my cousin to see her boyfriend play in a band at "Crystal's" I have no idea where that's at, anyways, I hairsprayed my bangs straigh up and put lots of eyeliner and mascara on. Unfortunately my mom came home for a lunch break and I got in trouble and did not get to go. Did I mention I was only 8 years old at the time.

Wednesday's and Thursday's have been the highlight of my weeks for 3 weeks now. I go to dance practice to learn an 80's dance routine that we will be performing in the play the "Diary" at Trinity's Girlfriends event next week. Apparently, in the play they turn on an 80's video and that's us. We have props like head bands, big sunglasses, fanny packs and masks (for the thriller part) It's like 5 songs mixed together. It is going to be awesome. I think! The scariest part about it, is that we do the 6 minute routine in front of a mirror, so when it comes time to perform and I can't see me, will I still be able to stay on count. Ok, not thinking about that, I start to get nervous just thinking about it. I probably didn't mention that they had over 500 people at the last girlfriends event. That's alot of stinking people. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed so hard to get myself in the front, Lol!

Tonight, my sister and I went shopping for our 80's stuff. Funny thing was, I didn't need clothes. I already had pants and a shirt, I just needed leg warmers, shoes, and jewelry. Forever 21 baby! They are so awesome. I hope that this fad stays for awhile, because I really like the look. I wonder what people would think if I wore a side pony tail to church? I am especially fond of it right now.

This is my 80's getup:

And my awesome side pony tail:

October 31st

2008-11-05T09:11:00.000-08:00

We had alot of fun! The festivities started at school. It was Missions Day for the kids. Brad and I went up to the school and had lunch with them. Bradlee's class dressed up as Japanese people, and Tyanna's class dressed up as Mexican's. Bradlee wore a baseball uniform and Tyanna wore a pancho, which she took off really early in the day. Next, we had to go home and get ready for the evening. We were representing the Dallas Cowboys. Then we went trick or treating which didn't go as well as planned. For the past 4 years, we have always gone to Forest Hills in Arlington. The streets are crowded with people, the houses decorated and lit up, and the homeowners give really good candy away. This year we decided to go to a neighborhood over here in Cedar Hill that is comparable to Forest Hills. When we got there, there were no lights on, no kids on the sidewalks, it was like these people wanted nothing to do with trick or treaters. So we drove to another neighborhood close by. Same thing. Then we went to a older neighborhood, nice houses, and there were a few houses participating. For me it was a bummer, even though the kids still enjoyed it. Next we headed to Rock The Pumpkin. That was the name of Trinity's Fall Festival. They had bounce houses, a really cool hay ride, tons of games inside etc, etc. The kids enjoyed it alot. Here are our pictures from the evening.

Tyanna's Party

Bradlee's Party

Trick or Treating (I bet Elisa "Babies Mamma" got some good pictures)

Even Jessica and Tony showed up to the event

Tristen and Matty playing some tackle football

My next attempt......

2008-11-04T08:05:00.002-08:00

If I cannot potty train my two year old, doggonit, I'll potty train my cat! I HATE cleaning out the litter box. And because Brad hates fowl odors (well, so do I, just not as much as him), I have to scoop the poop every day or else he complains. So I found this post about how to potty train a cat. And now I will attempt it! I will keep you updated and take lots of pictures of the process. Wish me luck!

Voting Registration Question? Please Help!!!

2008-11-03T16:24:00.000-08:00

Brad is registered to vote in Irving and I am registered to vote in Grand Prairie. Since they are both in Dallas County, can we just both go to the one in Grand Prairie? I really don't want to stand in line by myself :(

I am sooooo excited to be a part of this huge election!

Last Weekend

2008-10-29T10:23:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Brad and Bradlee were invited to go hunting for youth weekend. Bradlee shot his 1st deer! I am sad for the deer but very excited for him! This picture is painfully blurry, but it's all I have right now. All the other pictures are on Brad's phone. This was the one they emailed me. Tyanna cheered at the football game Friday night. She insisted on being beside the mascot in the back, so you could barely see her. I was sad. Next time I'll try to make sure she is in the front. Here is the video from that.

Then Saturday, we headed to the pumpkin patch. I've been seeing so many great pictures on myspace and blogs of the pumpkin patch, so we had to go! We decided to go to a small pumpkin patch in Mansfield to keep from driving forever. I'm sure the Flowermound one is amazing, but the kids never knew the difference.

Now I'll start working on this weekends blog. We went trick or treating lastnight and then to Rock the Pumpkin (Trinity Fall Festival). We had lots of fun.

My Blessings

2008-10-27T09:19:00.002-07:00

It's hard to put into words how I feel about my children. I am so amazed at God's love for me and that he chose me to be the mommy of these kids. They are so amazing! I know all moms feel this way, and rightfully so!

Tyanna Crystal, my 4 year old princess. She is kind and loving. It is very natural for her to want to take care of others. When I picked her up at school the other day, her teacher said that she had to keep informing Tyanna that she needed to stay in her seat and quit helping the others with there project. The teacher said this is a daily issue. And even though it is challenging for the teacher, she informed me it is always in Tyanna's heart to help others. She loves makeup and getting dressed up. Right now, she is a ballerina and cheerleader. I know that even when I am having a hard day and my patience is thin with her, she still loves me more than anything and she will always be there for me!

Tristen Manhattan, my soft hearted little man. This little boy is amazing. So different than my other children. He is very serious. His little heart breaks when he gets in trouble. Having Bradlee and Tyanna before him, I am used to lines being crossed and buttons being pushed. He doesn't really do that. He likes to make me happy even when it means obeying when he doesn't really want to. He is athletic, yes I can already tell. He has good balance and likes to climb things and jump off of stuff. He loves to watch football and has informed us that he will play football one day. He is 2, and with that has come some fits, but still nothing like big brother when he was 2.

Ashten Serenity, my joyful little girl. I say to Brad all the time that her name should have had Joy in it. She is so fun! She is always smiling, always happy, always content and I could go on forever. The nursery workers at church always tell me that she was the best, sweetest, and most fun baby in the class. I tell them thank you, but in my head I'm like, duh it's Ashten. I love her so much!!!

Bradlee Preston, my smarty pants 6 year old. My first born, which holds a special place in my heart. He is extremely smart. He can debate with adults and win. He also has a special place in his heart for me, his mommy. If he hears Brad and I disagreeing about something he will always chime in and defend me no matter what. It's really sweet. I'm sure Brad doesn't appreciate it as much. He is very outgoing and has lots of friends. We can go to a football game and he introduces himself to older kids and immediately is hanging with them as if he is there age. I'm not sure I will like that when he's 14. He's not a little kid anymore, he is growing into an amazing young man.

Things Are Getting Accomplished!

2008-10-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

Tristen poo poo'd in the potty!!! Ok, I know that is way to much information, but I am so thrilled. Yesterday, I decided to start keeping his diaper on and reminding him every 20 minutes or so to go potty. And he did it! He sat on his little potty seat and did his business. And now today, he keeps trying, so I am fully confident that he will do it again today.

Yesterday, I had to go back to the dentist. They had to put my crown on my tooth from the root canal last week and re-do a root canal that I had done in high school. I was excited to get a day out to myself. I was jamming in the car, drinking some starbucks. I realized that my children must be alot of work if I was excited to go get my teeth grinded on! Don't worry, about 30 minutes into my dental work, I was dying to go home and be with my kids! I decided this time not to do Nitrous, becuase I was soooo sick last week from it. I figured out the pros and cons to nitrous. Last week I had it and this is how I felt: high as a kite, giggly, not nervous, but very neaseas. This week I did not have it and this is how I felt: jumpy to every noise, terrified that they were gonna strike a nerve, wide awake, but not sick. So there are pros and cons, I'm not sure which is better. I go back again in 3 weeks to get my crown for the root canal they did yesterday AND get a wisdom tooth pulled. As sucky as it is, I am very thankful for the oppertunity to get my teeth fixed right! Still haven't taken a Vicodin, I'm not sure why I am so scared of that stuff! I'll probably stick to the advil, it's working ok.

A fun oppertunity has come up. I MIGHT be on the dance team that my church has. They perform for our Girlfriends event. (which by the way is awesome) So I was invited to be on this team which practices Wednesday nights when my kids are ALREADY in nursery. Very convienant. They dance really cute to. My only dilemna is that for the next 4 weeks I will miss our young marrieds class. Which makes me so sad. I feel like I have learned so much in this class and that Brad and I communicate better than we ever have. This class has been awesome for us, so I really have to pray about it and see if I want to miss 4 weeks of it.

Oh, one more cool thing. I made a really cool chore chart for my kids this past weekend. I went to the Supernanny website and found one I liked, then recreated it in excel. It has cute little pictures for things they have to do, like make the bed, clean up toys, no whining etc. Yesterday was the first day we used it and I am happy to say that yesterday Bradlee recieved all his stars, and Tyanna recieved all but one star. She was very whiny yesterday morning. And today, they made their rooms spotless before school. So they will probably get all there stars again. I just hope the excitement doesn't wear off. Oh, each star is worth 25 cents, so if they get all their stars, the will make $7 dollars a week. Which we will pay them Saturday night, and they will pay their tithe on Sunday! I am really excited about it!

This blog was way longer than intended, but it was a nice outlet. If you haven't already, please add me to the blogs you read, so others will read. I mean clearly, you read my blog if you are here right now! Unless you are just stalking me, Lol!

Potty Training! Why do I try?

2008-10-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

I have decided this week that I want Tristen potty trained. He turned 2 the end of June. In my head, 2 seems old enough to potty train. However, Bradlee was 3! The good thing about potty training a 3 year old is there is no training. He just did it. No accidents. Anyways, we went and bought Tristen a potty chair on Tuesday. Which he still has not successfully pottied in. It's like a major case of stage fright. He tries, but nothing comes out. He even makes cute little grunting noises to assure me that he is trying. Yesterday, he wore big boy underwear all day which only resulted in 4 pair of wet underwear and 1 pair of poopy underwear. Today I started feeling defeated and re-thinking my decision. Let me tell you why. This morning when we got up, I took his diaper off and told him that when he needs to go poo poo to tell me and I will help him. Thinking surely he will not poop on the floor, right? Right, he did not poop on the floor! Instead, he climbed up on the dresser in his room and pooped on it!!! I was only away from him for about 5 minutes. I headed downstairs and asked him if he needed to poop. He replied "no" and pointed to where he had already done his business. As if to display it in a high place. He thought it was greatness. I can only imagine what it looked like, him climbing on the dresser and taking a squat, then climbing down without ever touching it. WHY??? So I called Brad and told him I don't think he is ready. Brad said, keep trying. Would I rather spend a week cleaning up after him or another year changing his diapers. So we are still trying, but I am a little frustrated! I did take pictures of the poo on the dresser to show Brad, but I will spare everyone else the ugly picture! If anyone has any ideas, please share. I am really trying to stick it out and get him potty trained this week.

Boss's Day

2008-10-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

Technically Brad is my boss. Somehow we have managed to work with each other for almost 9 years! Longest job I ever kept, lol. I will admit that there has been tough times, but we always seem to get through it. I remember on many occasions, threatening to go out and get a "real" job. Which he was always fine with, but once I actually thought it through, I realized how stupid that was and I would much rather be at home in my sweats! All in all he is a good boss. He appreciates me and he understands that taking care of the kids is a job itself. He works very hard, I think I would have anxiety attacks if I was responsible for the things he has to do! So, here's to my boss, my best friend, my husband! I love you Brad!

Two Hour Workout

2008-10-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

Today I feel like super woman! I went to the 8:30 Pilates class, then the 9:45 Cardio Kickboxing class. Whoo, was I whooped. For some of you who might not have read my myspace blog. I am trying to get down to 115 pounds. I don't even know if this is possible. It's about 22 pounds. My plan to get there is working out 2 hours a day Monday through Friday and drinking liquid dinners like smoothies, slimfast, or soup. Also I am on weight watchers and will continue to go once a month. Wish me luck! I still debate on posting my before and after pictures from my first 25 pound weight loss, but when I look at the befores, I just don't feel like I look that different, which makes me not want to post them. Anyways!

Root canal yesterday = very sore mouth today. I thought it would feel so much better because my tooth doesn't throb. Unfortunately my jaw is so sore from being open for over 2 hours that I can't even chew. I first noticed the pain when I opened my mouth to brush my teeth this morning, I let out a shriek! All is well, I quickly popped 4 advil.

Something totally sad happened. Yesterday when my mom got to the gym, there was an ambulance and fire truck there. She waited at the door because they wouldn't let anyone in. As she stood there, they wheeled out a young woman on a gurney. They were pumping air into her manually. So today when I went in I asked what happened with her. Her name is Crystal and she is a trainer at the gym and she collapsed. They never got her to breath on her own again. So she is at the hospital on life support. Her parents are flying in from Australia to say there goodbyes. She had a brain anurism at the age of 31. So sad.

Tonight, my sister in-law is babysitting (I think, I hope) so that Brad and I can go to dinner with his brother and his brothers girlfriend. We barely know her and Brian is very serious about her, so hopefully conversation will be great tonight and we will really get to know her. Brad has a hard time with how quiet she is, but I keep reminding him of how quiet Brittany (my sister in-law) was before her and my brother got married and NOW she is one of my BFF's! I really think Stacy (Brians girlfriend) is a great match for him. She seems really sweet!

Well, that's all I have for today! I need to do a little bit of work before I go pick up my kids from school!

Why Me?

2008-10-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

As far back as I can remember, I have had teeth issues. Luckily for me, it's all in the back of my mouth. I don't understand teeth. They have nerves, yet if you yank them out or have them pulled the pain is gone. What is the point of a nerve in a tooth? Sometimes my teeth hurt so bad I cannot function. It's worse than a migraine. Throbbing pain that pulsates through my whole body. Here's the good news: We found a dentist that needs landscaping! They have numbing medicine and root canal machines and we have Lupe and Juan! It's a win win situation. Please don't take offense to my reference to Lupe and Juan, they are real people and they are GOOD! We have been to the dentist office several times in the last few weeks. Once to get my teeth x-rayed, once to look at their yard and tell them what they should do, and once to sign the bartering contract. I love bartering! Somehow we worked it out with them to do half of my work before we start theirs since we demand half up front to start a job. So here I was today, relaxed in a reclining dental chair, headphones with kiss fm, sunglasses to make it dark and Nitrous Oxide known as "laughing gas". I remember when I was in highschool and they put me on this stuff, I kept randomly laughing. Fully aware of what was going on, it was really embarrasing. So this time around, I told myself "no laughing". And I failed. He asked if I was starting to feel calm and I busted out laughing with a giggly "yes". On the outside I looked like I was having a great time, on the inside I was yelling at myself to shutup and quit laughing! I went through several different feelings with this nitrous stuff. First I felt giddy, then I felt a little nauseas, then I fell asleep for a little while, then I woke up and thought I was going to throw up in the the dentist' face! I quickly pointed at the gas mask and he removed it. I spent the rest of the time focusing on not getting sick. It was terrible. I just wanted to be done. Today I recieved a root canal and two fillings. I swear I brush and floss people. It's hereditary, seriously! I have an uncle, my biological dad's uncle that became a dentist because of all the teeth issues in the family. Unfortunately for me, he lives really far away, oh and I've never met him. Here I am sitting and writing this blog while Brad drives to the store to get me some cookies and cream icecream since my mouth is a little sore. It's kind of nice, maybe I should still be hurting tomorrow too. Did I mention that the doctor prescribed me Vicodin. I've never had that before. I'm a little scared to take it. I might just keep it in my medicine cabinet for emergency stuff.