Rays of sunshine.

This move has been chaotic, stressful, and pushing me to the limits at times. In fact, when I showed up at church on Sunday our friend Cache said:
"Wow, when Lindsey was talking about this being your last Sunday I told her there was no way you would show up here with three kids all by yourself. I said she'd have to be crazy!" Well, apparently that's exactly what this move has turned me into.... a crazy woman. However... with the move there have also been some sweet and wonderful moments with my adorable little nuggets that I thought I'd share before I forget to write them down.

Mr. Blayne.



I'm sure you are all aware of the never ending potty training that has been occurring at this house for far too long, and the little nugget who is refusing to get rid of his diapers. Well, a miracle has been happening over the last few days here and Blayne has gone pee pee on the potty ON HIS OWN ACCORD a handful of times. Yep, there is a slight crack of light at the end of this tunnel, unless I just jinxed it, which I probably did. There have even been times when he has noticed that the training seat wasn't on the toilet and placed it on so he could go potty. He is loving taking his diaper off by himself (which makes me extremely nervous- we've already had a poopy diaper left on the living room floor and a gorgeous brown mark left by a naked bottom. Ugh.) and is doing all of this without any resistance or crying.
However... all of these times have been when he decides to do it himself, and not because mommy has asked. I learned that very quickly this morning when I said "You've been so good about going pee pee on the potty lately let's go potty right now." to which I received the reply "NO, NO!! I don't want to go potty ANY MORE!" So I just need to be patient and let it be his idea. Because if it's his idea he's willing to do it, and it's a great idea. Gee.. who does that sound like? *I guess he's got some Zach in him after all. Ha ah!! Love you honey!*

Mr. Xander.



In a desperate attempt to use up all of the food in the freezer/fridge the kids have been given some food options that they were less than thrilled about (lately all the want is peanut butter sandwiches). Thus resulting in kids not eating well, and food that I wanted to use so I wouldn't have to throw it out.... being thrown out.
The other night was no different. I was trying to use up some chicken and vegetables and the boys were not having it. Finally, I did what any mother would do in my situation... I used guilt.
I turned to the boys and said "You know, it makes me so sad when you don't eat your food because there are kids in the world who don't have food that would love to have the food you are given. Blayne was oblivious to my attempts of manipulation, but Xander looked at me with the most concerned look on his face.
Xander: "There's kids with no food?"
Me: "Yes, they don't have all the nice things that you have like regular food, a nice house and lots of toys."
Xander: "Oh mommy. That's so sad. I will eat my dinner."
Me: "Thank you Xander. We should always eat what we are given to show our gratitude for all we have."
Xander: "Mommy, before I eat my dinner can we say another prayer?"
Me: "Of course."
He then began the most beautiful and innocent child's prayer asking that "all kids will have some foods, a house, and really cool toys.".
It was definitely the highlight of my week. I love my kind hearted boy. He's always concerned about others and wanting to help in any way he can. Makes a momma proud.

Our latest escapades....

For those of you who know us well enough, you know that we really don't stay in one place too long. In fact, the longest we've stayed in one place since being married was when we were in Oklahoma City for 2 years. We've been here in Fayetteville for 1 1/2 and apparently the "fates" were alerted to that fact because once again...

we are on the move!

Yep, Zach has been promoted (again) and we are headed off to Little Rock, Arkansas.



In 6 years of marriage, this will be our 6th move. 4 of the 6 being work related, and 3 of those 4 happening shortly after I had given birth to a little nugget, or was pregnant with a little nugget.
The news came so quickly that Zach is actually already there working and staying in a hotel near the mall. The kids and I have been hanging out here while frantically searching for a place on line. For the last few days this is what my life has been...
Get up in the morning, get the kids fed, then proceed to the computer and spend the rest of the day searching on any and every site I can think of, calling and getting info., taking occasional breaks to feed/take care of the little nuggets, then talking with Zach after he gets off of work and telling him the new houses to go take a look at.
He then takes a look at the house, finds out if the area is safe, then is either told that the house is no longer available for rent (all the houses we have loved) or just tells me flat out NO. The search has definitely been a long, exhausting, and frustrating one. If we love a house it's either already rented, or a scam on Craigslist/Hotpads.
Needless to say, I was getting a little discouraged when Zach called me up on Wed. and suggested that the kids and I drive down and we could check out the 5 houses we had found on-line, and just spend some time together. So that's what we did. I quickly packed up the kiddos, drove the three hours to Little Rock and met daddy and headed off to the first house. The first house was a new home, but was a higher price range than we had wanted to spend. Then we saw the area... quickly locked our doors and turned back the way we came. Yeah, no bueno.
Then we drove to the second house that was right by the mall Zach will be working at. It was not at the top of our list because it was tiny, had no garage or carport, and looked/smelled like the previous tenants had been using it for an ashtray. Although it was undesirable we figured we could clean it up and it might be nice for Zach to be able to walk to work. We decided that if none of the other three homes worked we would give this place a go. Since it was getting late we went out to eat and headed back to Zach's hotel to get some rest.
The next day, Zach went to work for a few hours while I got myself and the kids ready. Then we picked Zach up, got some...




*Mmmmm... do-nuts. Yes, Joy. You were right... they are amazing. Am I drooling? Maybe.*

then made our way to see the last three houses.
The third house was about 25 min. outside Little Rock and was a little higher than we wanted to pay, but by now we were looking at anything that was available. The house was older, and HUGE. The upside was the storage possibilities. The down side was the kids rooms were on the lower level and there were two doors that led outside (for those who know Xander you know why that made me nervous, the bars on all the windows didn't convince me that it was a safe area either). Another down side was the thought of heating/cooling such a large place. We were already at a price range that was higher than we wanted to pay, and adding high utilities and a long drive didn't help. So... that was a no.
The fourth house was just the opposite. Good area, close to Zach's work, all on one level, but no storage whatsoever. Also, it was UUGGG-LYY, and didn't have all the appliances in the kitchen. It was just as expensive as the first house, and add in the cost we would have to pay for the missing appliances and you get a big no from us. Strike four.
The fifth house was the same price range as the other two but even closer to Zach's work, and the one I was most excited about. I had seen the house on-line and couldn't wait to see it. It was an older home that they had completely remodeled inside. The pictures on-line showed a gorgeous kitchen, some wonderful new bathrooms, and some nice rooms. It even had a cute wooden deck that led to the fenced in backyard. We pulled up and I couldn't wait to go inside. Once inside... I was confused. I had opened the front door, but I was in the kitchen? There was a tiny little bedroom to the right (the doorway alone made me claustrophobic) but I had yet to find the front room. I searched and searched but... there was no front room to be found anywhere. It got even more confusing when we discovered that the master bedroom had french doors that led to the carport? With no front room, odd bedrooms, doors to outside in weird places, and not enough storage space we decided this was a no as well.
We looked at each other, defeated, and decided to call and put an application in for the "ashtray" house. Surprisingly enough... we were informed that it had just been rented out a few hours earlier and was no longer available. WHAT?!? Even our "if we become desperate enough" house was taken?!?
That was it. I wasn't moving. As I loaded up the kids to go home, my sweet husband gave me some words of encouragement and promised me it would all work out. I knew I had to change my attitude and be patient but I was really discouraged and bummed out.
After an hour of driving a little voice from the back of the car informed me that he needed to go potty. Great.
I pulled into the gas station of a small town and got ready for the adventure of taking three little ones into a restroom stall. With the car seat in one hand and Xander and Blayne in the other we stumbled into the largest stall. I changed Blayne while Xander did his duty, then told the boys to entertain Kendell so I could take my turn. As soon as I sat down someone entered the stall next to us. Immediately the boys forgot all about Kendell and started bending down to look at/talk to our new stall friend. I stood them back up, then Xander said "What he doing in there?". I responded with "Using the restroom." in my quietest voice possible, appalled that my child would be so intrusive to someone's privacy, when it dawned on me that Xander had said "he".
It felt like I was moving in slow motion as I looked down to see two man-sized cowboy boots in the neighboring stall, followed by the realization that the person in that stall was relieving themselves while standing. Then my sweet boys decided it would be funny to add to my horror by trying to open our stall door. As I repeatedly pulled them away from the door and silently whispered for them to "knock it off" and "stand by the baby" the question of "Did I go into the wrong bathroom?" kept coming to my mind. After all, I was toting three kids, I could've easily made that mistake in the rush to corral them into a bathroom stall and take care of business. But then there was the unmistakable little mini metal can on the wall informing me that it was there for women's unmentionables. I was confused and decided to just stay in there until he left, in case I was the one in the wrong, when suddenly a gruff voice with a thick southern accent said....
"Am I in the wrong bathroom?"
Me: "Umm, I think so. Either you are, or I am." *Feeling quite uncomfortable.*
Gruff voice: "I bet you was over there thinkin' man this lady's sure peeing a lot."
To myself: Actually I was thinking... if you were a woman you were talented to pee in that position. To him: Uncomfortable laughter.
Gruff voice: "Well, I sure am sorry, I'll have to look closer at the door next time. Hope I didn't make you too uncomfortable."
Me: "Don't even worry about it, you're just fine." Feeling less uncomfortable.
Gruff voice: "I'm sure you're fine too if I could get a look at your sweet face. *Uncomfortable feeling returned.*
Then a flush of his toilet, and a quick exit out the door. Yep, no hand washing. *Extreme uncomfortable feeling and a realization to not let the boys touch the door, and that I need to keep my paper towel for more than just drying my hands.*
After washing our hands and using the paper towel as a germ barrier between myself and the door handle, we stumbled our way out of the gas station to see a bunch of cowboys grinning and whispering to each other like they had just heard a very interesting story from one of their buddies. I quickly loaded the kids and drove the rest of the way home.
A few hours later my wonderful hubby called and asked me to get on the computer and look at a home he was looking at. He was in front of the house and said it looked really nice and that the neighborhood was even better. When I looked on-line I found a beautiful home that basically was an updated version of our current home. We both agreed that if he liked what he saw inside the next day, we were going for it. I said a quick prayer and crossed my fingers that this house was actually legit. It would be about a 20min. drive to work for Zach but was in our desired price range, was only 4 years old, a nice area, had more closet space and all the appliances in the kitchen. Then yesterday I got the news that it was real and that we would be able to move in ASAP.
FINALLY!!! An end to the rental home nightmare.
In a short time we will officially be living in Benton, Arkansas. Now all we have to do is move all our stuff. Thankfully, Dillards is sending someone to take care of that for us. Can you imagine having to pack a home with two toddlers and a newborn under your feet? UGH. No thank you.
We will miss you Fayetteville, you have been wonderful and given us some great friends and even better memories!!
Wish us luck!!

I wasn't joking...

When I told you in my last post that my siblings are incredibly talented and amazing, it's because they really are.

These are just a few of the newest items my sister is selling on her Etsy sites.

**She has 2 sites: #1- Plumage Design (www.kimkendell.etsy.com) #2- Peek a boo Monkey (www.peekaboomonkey.etsy.com) **

~First up, Plumage Design site. This is her site where she sells all of her handmade jewelry. If you live in Utah you can also purchase her jewelry at the Soel Boutique located in The Shops at Riverwoods.

These jeweled hair elastics for women. Fancy up your hair without using a hair accessory from your 12 year olds stash.


~Secondly, her Peek a Boo Monkey site. This is her site where she sells all of her hand crafted items, hand sewn items, and my favorite... her hand made baby items!

In the category of hand crafted... she has these beautiful easels made from forks. You can use them to hold your recipe cards, photos, or anything else you desire.



In the category of hand sewn... she has these fabulous purses that she calls her Mary Poppins' Purses. They are durable, reversible, absolutely beautiful, and large enough to hold anything you would like! They even are large enough to be stylish diaper bags.

The purse above is a floral brocade that reverses into a brown corduroy. And the purse below is a herringbone and corduroy.




When it comes to the category of hand made baby items... she has these ADORABLE tie onesies that leave the competitors tie onesies in the dust. She uses actual ties and the bottom half is not sewn to the fabric so if worn with pants the bottom of the tie isn't covered.

Although the tie onesies are adorable, my favorite baby items of hers by far are her BABY BOOTIES!!
She doesn't have any for sale right now, but when she does they go fast, and they are fabulous!!!! Here are just two examples of the fabulousness that are her baby booties...




So there you have it people. The second blog post of why my siblings make me feel inferior. Ha ha! Hope you enjoy. Now go to Etsy and buy my sister's stuff!!! Really, go. Why are you still reading this? Get shopping already!!

True Talent

You've all heard me rave about my talented sister and how she can do and make just about anything. Well, the truth is.... ALL my siblings are incredibly talented and amazing. The other thing they all have in common... they are all amazing artists. In fact, out of the six children of my parents I'm the only one who has no artistic ability. Give me a makeup brush and I can give you artistry, give me a pencil and paper and I can give you....a stick figure.
Well, enough about me. Today I'm going to rave about my amazingly talented little brother Cameron.
Not only can Cameron pick up just about any musical instrument and begin playing it (very well I might add), he's a fantastic artist to boot!! I have been blown away by his recent drawings and wanted to share a few of my favorites!!

These are his visual twists on some old fairy tales.

Little Red Riding Hood...


The Princess and the Frog...



These are some drawings done on varying materials:

The Catfish (I believe this one was done on wood slats)...


This piece was just a doodle he was drawing on some cardboard. But as soon as it was seen, was sold to a guy from San Antonio, TX. (who realized great talent when he saw it). This is Piece 1 of a 2 part series called Goresloth Attacks. I can't wait to see Piece 2 of the series....



This last drawing is by far one of my favorites! I absolutely LOVE it! I believe it's titled Swamp Encounter...

I just love how bold the little boy and his teddy bear are in the face of imminent danger.

So those are just a few of Cameron's amazing pieces. To see more, or to commission a cardboard painting of your own, check out his blog at... www.camkendell.blogspot.com. or just click on the Cam's awesomeness link on the right hand side of our blog.
Love you Cameron! Keep up the great work!!

Been a little busy....

It's been a while since the last post (something has been keeping me busy), so I decided I'd better get some new stuff up A.S.A.P.
First things first....
The story of Kendell.



After keeping us on our toes for weeks, and two false alarm trips to the E.R.(I was having contractions but my cervix was not cooperating), Kendell finally decided she wanted to make her debut. After hours of continuous contractions and pain getting worse and worse, we dropped the boys off for an early 4am sleepover party with our friends The Hassels, and headed over to the hospital.
* Thank you Mary and Martin!!*
While in the E.R. we were given the news that we had already heard 2 times before...
"Sorry, you're not dilated enough." This time we were stuck at 3 1/2 cent. So we went walking for an hour around the hospital because I was not leaving that day without a baby. Kendell was definitely trying to prove to us that she was only going to do things when she wanted, and on her time frame, but I was ready to show her I could be just as stubborn as she could. We got back into the E.R. and were finally given the news that we had been longing for: we were at 4 cent. and we would be staying till we had our baby girl in our hands! A few hours later and enduring pain that I was glad to have never felt with my boys (otherwise we may have stopped at just one) out came our beautiful little girl and we were now a family of 5.


We were blessed to have great friends who were willing to watch the boys as long as needed, and to have wonderful parents ready and willing to come help us adjust to life with three kiddos. Zach's parents came for three days, and then my parents were able to stay for a glorious 2 1/2 weeks. Thank you so much to our fabulous "Nanna's and Pappa's"!!! It had been about 8 months since I had last seen my family so to have my parents here was pure heaven. They really made life easy-peasy those first few weeks. They got up early with our "eager to get up at the crack of dawn" boys, played with and entertained said boys, helped make food, helped clean, were wonderful examples of good parenting, and helped keep us sane. Can you tell how much I love my parents?

*Kendell with her Nana Beck*

*The boys with their Papa Beck*

*Kendell with her Nana Kendell*

*Kendell with her Nana and Papa Kendell*

*Xander with his "robot self" Nana Kendell helped him make*

Before my parents left we decided it would be best to bless Kendell while they were still here. Zach's parents, Lindsey, Aleshia, Elliott and their kids were all kind enough to drive up from Texas to join us for the blessing.
Zach gave a beautiful blessing that brought me to tears and Kendell was a good girl throughout the entire blessing. Being only two weeks old the dress I was blessed in was too big for Kendell, but my mom's blessing dress was just the right size for her and she looked beautiful. It was perfect and made it so special to have her in the dress my mom was blessed in.

*The boys love their new little sister*


*Proof that they love her... Xander let her borrow his blankie and hippo when she was crying. Until she started eating hippo, then he was quick to take them both back*

It's been an interesting eight weeks, full of excitement and much to get used to... but definitely worth it!!
We love our little girl and are so excited to have her in our family!


Love you Kendell!!

Only Two Weeks Post-Partum-Seriously??

Well It really does not matter what I write on our blog because I dont think people look at it anymore. So this ones for Codi. This is a picture that I took of the two best ladies in my life. (Sorry mom and mom in law, but both of you have officially been lowered in ranking since the newbie arrived.) This was 2 weeks after Kendell was born, on the day that we blessed her.

Can I say how hot my wife looks?? Seriously two weeks??

4 weeks

4 WEEKS?!? How is my newborn 4 weeks already?!? Time is just flying by! She is a wonderful, sweet baby and we love her to pieces!! Sometimes I have to be referee to make sure the boys aren't loving her too much, but I'm just glad they are so thrilled to have her here. Xander, especially, just can't get enough of her! He is constantly telling me "Ohh.... mommy, our baby girl is soo cute!" He loves her, and loves being near her. He's a great helper and very gentle. The other day she started to cry and when Blayne said "Mommy, baby need you." Xander said "No, she need me." He jumped up, ran over, and said to her "It's okay baby, Xander's here." He then began singing our lullaby to her and placing a pacifier in her mouth. She immediately calmed down and just smiled back at him. It was such a precious moment. Blayne doesn't invade her space as much as Xander but he does think she's "sooo cute!" and loves her.
She, as you can tell from the picture above, she seems to be another Daddy fan. I thought I might get lucky with her and have one child who is a Mommy's girl, but just like her brothers.... it's all about daddy. I've caught her grinning while he holds her more than a few times and often when he speaks she quickly turns her head his way. Oh well, I guess I can't blame them I'm a Daddy fan too! She loves her brothers and Daddy, and LOVES to be held. I'm guessing that having 2 1/2 weeks of adults continually taking turns, and anxious over who gets to hold you next, will do that to you. But why wouldn't we want to hold this sweetheart?!?



So far the only thing she seems to dislike is tummy time and rolls herself to her back almost immediately after I place her on her belly. She has a remarkably strong neck so I'm not too worried about enforcing tummy time.
Things so far have been going quite well, besides the lack of sleep, and I just can't wait to see how things progress as we take on the challenge of being a family of five. However... with the help of my other nuggets and their fabulous daddy I have a feeling things will go quite smoothly.