Happy Birthday Paisley!

My baby sister's first little girl turns ONE today! So I guess that means I should probably stop calling her my sister "my baby sister". She's always been my little sister but on this day one year ago she became a mother and stepped into a world unlike anything she had ever experienced. As we become mothers we are full of love and hope for our children. We expect that things will go according to plan and while our baby may have colic or a milk allergy we still believe our baby is perfect. When we are faced with difficulties no matter how small, we learn to overcome them, we learn to be a different type of parent, maybe one we thought we wouldn't have to be. We watch our babies grow each and every day maybe there is a hiccup in the plan, but we still watch with hope and love. Maybe the day comes when you see something in your baby and it makes you wonder... is my baby ok? You may question if your baby is on track with rolling over, sitting, standing, crawling.. all of those things, but yet you still have hope. Then you may hear your doctor say your baby needing to see a specialist because she's concerned about something, but to you your baby is still perfect. So we watch and we evaluate and we blame ourselves... we don't show it though, we keep it together for our perfect baby, even if it means we have to cry in the shower because we are scared for our baby. Through it all we still have hope and an unconditional love. We do what we have to do for our baby because that is what being a parent means. Maybe we have to go to physical therapy every week for months so that our baby can learn to crawl or to stand. Inside we begin to fear the worst, we worry day and night, we feel like no one understands. But we still have hope. Maybe we start to see signs of improvement and our heart grows for our baby... more than we thought it could. We cheer, we coach, we help in every single way possible. We overcome our fears and we share our story and others give us  more hope because "their baby was the same way". We begin to accept that whatever challenges our baby faces are only making her stronger and more capable to take on anything.

Paisley is so full of life and laughter you would never know that she is the little girl in this "story", and those parents with hope are my sister and her husband. The day Paisley was born she filled her momma and dada's hearts with an unimaginable love, promise, and joy. On that day she was perfect and today one year later she still is.  Watching Paisley over the last few days I have to agree she is nothing short of perfect, she works hard every day pulling herself up, standing on her own, and climbing all over her mama. I see a little girl so full of strength and determination that no matter what life throws at her she will overcome it and will always be stronger because of it.

Happy First Birthday Paisley Jade, Auntie loves you to the moon and back.

It's Fall Yall

I mean I know its been fall since mid-August but we literally just had our first few cool days in Florida this past weekend and it was great! And it came at the perfect time as we headed to the pumpkin patch with the kids. As I've said in the past it can be hard to get into the "fall" Holiday season when the temperatures pretty much stay in the mid to high 80's, there is very little to no fall color changing leaves and we are still sporting shorts, tank tops, and flip flops. After being in Florida for over five years we have certainly learned to make the Holidays our own and just enjoy what is in front of us.

That being said it was nice to wear some jeans and a sweater (for a few minutes) as we headed to pick some pumpkins out for the kids. Only the second time for the twins and Parker's first! There is nothing like the excitement on your child's face when they see all of those pumpkins for the first time.  Of course we made them pause for some photos along the way but they had so much fun picking out their pumpkins and yes even trying to eat them.... Parker. The house is all a buzz with who will carve their pumpkin and who will paint, what will be carved, and the best question... how long until they rot? That's a legitimate questions when you live in Florida... the last time we carved pumpkins two years ago they lasted less than a week. No mater how long they last I know the kids will have a blast and there are sure to be many memories made... let the fun begin.

Sorry Maddy I had to share... hubby may have yelled at me for taking the photo and not helping her :) 

"fall" fun 2014

Parker ~ 7 Months

Well it's official Parker is now closer to ONE than to being a newborn!! I was crazy to think that time would slow down for this 5th baby of ours but it in fact seems to be going faster. Parker is just so full of life and is really a great baby for us. She's been a little sick this past month and is right in the middle of getting those first few teeth so sleep has been a little lacking and restless. Aside from those two things going on this month Parker is just so happy. Every day she is giggling and smiling and her excitement continues to show in her whole body. Any bad day is quickly erased when you see her smile at you.

She has perfected her monster noises and is really great at using them to show you how excited she is about something. I think she is most excited about eating and her sisters... but I could go out on a limb and say her favorite is E A T I N G . Don't even think about putting her in the highchair without following with some food. Show her a spoon or bowl and this little one knows exactly what is coming her way. Even if it's a food she can't have she will still try to take it from you or try to win you over with her smile and entire body shaking so that you will give it to her. She will eat anything and we haven't found any food she doesn't like. New to her this month are puffs and apples, we put apple slices in her mesh teether and she goes to town... I may or may not have given her an actual apple piece just tonight to gum on. Her second favorite is her sisters, remember back when Parker was just 2 and 3 months?? Her sisters wanted to play with her all the time and it just wasn't all that fun when Parker couldn't play back. Now that little miss can sit up on her own and play with toys the twins are absolutely loving it. They play with her all the time and even sing to her when she is upset. The are the best big sisters (of course so are Kendal and Madison). I really  couldn't ask for anything better from these 4 girls.

Next week Parker gets to go on her first flight to visit her cousin Paisley for her big First Birthday.. I have a feeling we are going to hear lots of Monster Noises on this flight! It's hard to believe how lucky we have been with FIVE super easy babies... Parker is certainly one of THE easiest of the five, she just goes with the flow of everything. If she has to wait to eat, or wait to get out of the car, or even wait an extra few minutes in her crib after she wakes up she just does it. We love this little one so very much and she brings so much joy and happiness to our entire family.

Happy 7 Months Parker Elaine!!

 Making Monster Noises

Parker 6 months

Mom Talk : 10/10

Mom can you?? Why do kids decide to ask you to do something for them when you absolutely cannot??? Why??? And why can't they ask the other adult in the room... in my case THEIR DAD?? Let me set this up for you... I'm laying on the floor during my workout with a resistance band wrapped around my waist right in the middle of the exercise and here comes Charlotte with play dough in her hand.. "Mommy make this a ball for me?" ugh.... go ask your dad!! Or that 5 seconds of peace you think you will get when you have to go to the bathroom and all of a sudden you see little fingers under the door... Moooooommmmmmyyyyyyy!!!! At least they need me right???

You're my Twin. I over hear the girls playing all the time and the stuff that comes from them is pretty funny. I absolutely love having twins especially when I take them somewhere and we turn into a circus side show and all the questions start flying. The most famous is.... Are they twins?? or wait it's actually Awwww, are they twins??? I have been trying to teach the twins to answer "yes, we are twins" they haven't gotten there yet. However, I did hear them they other day playing and Olivia said (during and argument I might add) "you can't do that because you are my twin" first my heart melted they actually know they are twins!! Second, I thought to myself is this how they are going to be as teenagers?? I pray they always look out for each other even if it means reminding the other they are twins.

You have your hands full... Oh do I really??? Please tell me why you think that is the case?? I mean I know I have 5 kids and sometimes I even have to carry two of them at a time. And today I had one in the baby wrap and I carried one on my back... but technically my hands were empty so I guess that doesn't really apply. Oh wait I had three of my five girls in the store with me at the same time.. does that qualify as "hands full"?? Ok, Ok, I know I'm being a little sarcastic here but these are real life things that happen to me when I am with my kids. I like to think people mean well and most of them do, but you know when you get the comment with the side eye at the same time it is really hard to give people the benefit of the doubt. I love my girls with some sort of love I never knew existed so I am happy to accept any comment thrown my way. But when you make those sorts of comments with a nasty look on your face and my kids are present you better believe I'm not going to just nod and smile. My girls are being raised to know the love of a big family!

Man cold... first let me say I love my husband very much, we've been married for 14 years and we are coming up on 20 years together as a couple. I know this man, maybe even more than he knows himself. That being said this loving husband of mine turns into my 6th child when he is sick. There's this video going around Facebook of a husband and wife.. the husband is sick and in bed all day while the wife is also sick yet she continues to do the housework and take care of the kids. This is possibly a slight exaggeration, or is it????? I think it has been determined that there is such a sickness known as the man cold... I am sure I don't really need to describe it because it's very possible we have all experienced it at some point. My husband has quite possibly perfected this "sickness" I am thinking it is high time I take a page out of his book and begin implementing the "mom flu" ... I'll let you know how it goes.

Favorite Eats : Buffalo Chicken Wing Pizza

If your family loves pizza and wings this pizza will hit the spot on so many levels. Being from Upstate New York and attending College in Buffalo we are very familiar with the famous Buffalo Wings.... no, not Buffalo Wild Wings... True New York State Buffalo Wings.

This recipe is from my husband's family and my sister in-law makes it all the time.. it is one of the easiest pizza's to make.... so easy we should probably make the kids make it for us.

Ingredients:

Your favorite Pizza Crust... Check out my favorite here Pizza Crust
You can really use any store bought crust or make your own it's totally up to you... but I think the thinner the crust the better.

We usually make 3-4 8inch size pizzas

-Blue Cheese (a semi chunky variety we like Marie's) - One large jar
-Cooked Chicken breast about a pound chunked or shredded which ever you like
-Buffalo Wing Sauce- this can be any kind you like, homemade, store bought.. whatever. We use Franks Buffalo Wing sauce - to taste
-Mozzarella Cheese - 3-4 cups or how ever much you like!

As you can see the ingredients are really basic and all about how much you want of each.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450

Make your pizza crust ( be sure to poke holes in the crust so that it doesn't bubble up) and precook, this will ensure the crust is partially cooked before you add the toppings. It will also keep your toppings from burning while you wait for the crust to cook through.

While crust cooks prepare chicken with buffalo sauce - cut or shred chicken to what ever size you like. Mix with Buffalo Sauce until all is coated. Again use as much or as little buffalo sauce as you prefer.

Remove crust from oven let cool a few minutes then begin adding toppings.
1. Spoon blue cheese over entire crust (use as much or as little as you want)
2. Add buffalo chicken, ensure chicken is even spread on pizza, you can play around with how much chicken you want on the pizza. We like a thin layer, think adding pepperoni.
3. Top with mozzarella cheese, enough to cover pizza, again the amount is up to you.

Cook pizza for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Simple right!?!

This recipe can easily be changed and made to your liking. It is for sure always a hit in our house, all the flavors mix so well together and the crunch of the crust puts it over the top!

Mom Talk 10/3

Target runs with my chubby baby and a decision to finally get braces... Oh this mom life sure is entertaining!

Target... oh target you are my happy place, my heart races with excitement when I pull into the parking lot and see those big red letters T A R G E T. I remember my first visit to target when I was in college then it was just a different store shop at besides Walmart and then Kmart (Hey I didn't say I was young). But even then there was just something different about Target, you could just get lost and not even know you were spending hours there. Today it's much the same except Target just seems like that magical place to get lost in when you need a break and don't even get me started on the Starbucks inside. Of course the break really occurs when you don't have your 5 kids with you but hey... it's still my happy place, even then. Many say you can't even go into target without spending much more than you thought you would. You always end up finding something else you didn't even know you needed.. target has that affect on us. Of course finding that extra things usually means you forget the one thing you went into Target to buy in the first place... Well played Target... Well played... See you tomorrow for that one thing I forgot. 

Braces?? Bet you thought I was going to say one of my kids needs braces didn't you?? Well yes, that may happen sometime soon but right now the person needing braces is ME.  In all my years of going to the dentist (and there have been a lot of them.... see above... ) I have never been told I needed braces never even a hint of well maybe you will need them in the future. This was until last year when I had to have a "fun" deep cleaning because my teeth are too close together in some areas and not straight enough in others causing some dental issues now and more in the future. Well today we decided it was finally time to just get it done ... the nearly 25% discount on invisalign was a big help in making the decision. But really, 37 and braces... ugh let the fun begin.

Wow, how old is she?? When this is the question I get after someone looks at my six month old I can't help but want to say uhhh.. .none of your business. Another favorite is how much does she weigh? and the best is She's really chubby.. let's not forget how much does she eat? Listen people I know my 6 month old resembles a small one year old and she has some chunk on her thighs and those chubby cheeks may make it look like she eats all day. But let me help you rest assured, Parker is perfectly healthy. Her weight and hight are within the 90-95th percentile, she eats like a normal 6 month old and enjoys every single minute of it. So yes, my wonderful healthy 6 month old may be bigger than yours but she doesn't mind one bit.. maybe you shouldn't either.

M I C K E Y  M O U S E ... Please tell me I'm not the only one that can go into a canotonic state while watching Mickey Mouse Club House with my kids? I really try to figure out what is going on with the show.. I mean are Donald and Daisy dating?? If so it's time for an engagement if you ask me. And I think I can see Clarabell and Goofy as one strong couple. And please, can we not forget Mickey and Minnie??? They are the epitome of love always making treats for each other and singing love songs.  I may have also made up my own version of the Hot Dog song but I'll leave that for another day. I owe a lot of thanks to that wonderful Mouse he keeps my girls company when I need to make dinner or fold laundry. His entire crew teaches my girls how to count forward and backwards, teaches them their A, B, Cs and even those pesky shapes and colors. Thank you Mickey Mouse ... Thank you

Kid Status = Many

Boy you've got your hands full... bless your heart.... your poor husband... these are just a few of the statements I hear on the daily regarding my big family. Don't worry, while they may be annoying and in my opinion over stepping I don't let them get to me. I chose to have a big family so I know that choice will come with certain looks and comments. Being a mom of five is both a blessing and a challenge. There are certain times I sit back and I say to myself I can't believe all of these girls are mine, and other times I don't know how I will give all of them the attention they need and deserve. Being a mother is a balancing act regardless of the number of children you have but the more children you add the harder that balancing act becomes. The older girls need help with homework each night, dinner needs to be made, the twins need interaction with more than just themselves.. and maybe I should be helping them to learn how to spell their names or recognize their letters. Parker needs attention to develop socially and mentally and let's not forget those milestones I may need to help her achieve. People often ask how do you fit it all in... and the answer is simple... I just do. There are things in life that you just don't have a choice over and meeting your children's needs is one of them. We have to find a way to fit it all in to make it work, we have to be comfortable to ask for help and accept help when it's offered. Being a mother is a humble job that requires patience, understanding, and a whole lot of love. I have found with each child added to our family my range of skills for mothering has increased; not out of practice but out of need. I learn something new every day, things I didn't even know I needed to know. I have moments of weakness and moments of strength I never knew I had. These girls I get to call my daughters light up my life and have made me the type of mother I never knew I needed to be. Never did I ever think I would have five children and maybe some think it's crazy and maybe we will never have an excess of money but I wouldn't change this blessing for anything. So the next time I hear "you've got your hands full" maybe my response will be "sounds about right... and I wouldn't change it for the world".