My Favorite Kids!

So. Did anyone even realize what time the post was written? Well, in case you didn't, it is exactly 03:00 in the MORNING!! Thanks to pregnancy, a new bump that gets in the way of my stomach sleeping, and this cold that continues to come and go, sleeping is happening only when it shouldn't. Like mid-day. But hey, I'll take it when I can get it!
Anyway, enough complaining for now.
I've mentioned a few kids in my previous posts and decided to blog/brag about them. Actually, I thought of it after dinner tonight.



This is Jake!

We had dinner with Kim,  Jeff, and Jake at Olive Garden (yum...one of my favorites!). Jake is sick...has some respiratory stuff going on and an ear infection. You could tell he wasn't feeling well, poor little guy,  but he was so sweet.  He took is nasty liquid antibiotic like a champ! Jake is 2 years old (see tons of pics and even more bragging about him here) and is at that age where he wants to move. Doesn't want to sit still and doesn't want to hear your reasoning for sitting still. Well, he did so good at dinner tonight! I was so proud of that little guy! You know at Olive Garden they bring salad and bread sticks to your table before your meal. Well, our waitress was too busy smoking (yes, I smelled it even under her tacky perfume) to remember to bring ours. Poor Jake was hungry and kept looking at every waiter carrying food and saying "My food?" or "I'm hungry!"  or "I want to eat."  He said what we were all thinking. Finally the manager walks by and Kim caught her and Bam!! we had bread sticks in a matter of seconds! (she was very closely followed by our waitress with another basket of bread and our salad.) We all dig in, Jake first of course.   He ate some of his food and played with some it...like little boys do. He said some of the cutest little things. The one I remember most is "Don't cry baby!" while looking a his momma and touching her shoulder. Sweet I tell ya!  Oh, and Kim said to him "What do you do when you cough?" and he faked coughed and covered his little mouth with that tiny hand! Ah! I wish all moms taught their babies that! It was so cute! He sometimes amazes me at the things he actually comprehends. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones bringing it out, but I was just looking and listening to him and was thinking, he's too little to know all that! And then of course I started wondering what our child will be like...hoping he or she is at least equally smart! lol

Jake and I last summer

So...moving right along. Let me talk a minute about my nephew, Ben. He is something else. Smart little guy. He's 8 years old and a spitting image of his daddy.  He likes to hunt, talk about hunting, talk about the land and how to get it ready for hunting, football, baseball, playing in the dirt... anything a typical little boy likes to do. One of my favorite things to do with the family is go to Ben's ball games. He is one heck of a little ball player! I like baseball best, but he's a great lineman too! He is just like is daddy...pretty good at just about any sport he tries. We used to spend a lot more time with Ben and his sister, but since they've gotten older, their schedules are busier than ours! I mean that seriously! Ben is so dang funny! I remember a few years back one of the most hilarious things I've ever heard/seen in my life! We were all at Bill and Belinda's house for something. Sitting in the den. Ben goes upstairs for something and comes back down several minutes later. We figured he had to use the bathroom. Didn't think twice about it. Until. Belinda goes up a few minutes after Ben gets down and then you hear a LOUD scream.... BEN!!!! lol He was squished in between Mikey and me on the couch and Mikey looked at him and said "What did you do?!" He of course said nothing. Then Belinda screams again, "Why did you clog the toilet up!? Did you push this stuff down there!?"  Mikey said "Well, did you clog it up?" He said yes. He had taken the entire bowl of potpourri (the kind with the big balls in it) and shoved it down the toilet hole....and even packed it down in there with a knitting needle! They had to separate the toilet from the wall to get it unclogged!!! lol Not funny for them, hilarious for us!  Anyway, funny, great kid! And he's definitely going to be a stud when he gets older! Lord help the little girls!

Terrible picture of me, but great of Ben!

Now, his sister, Jane Claire. Whew. Let me take a breath first. She is something else. She's 12 going on 25. I'm serious. She acts older than I do sometimes. She is a handful to say the least. So busy! She absolutely loves taking care of smaller kids...at ball games or whatever. She plays Momma very well.  She always makes sure Ben is taken care of...Always. She acts like she hates him one minute, but would beat up a kid for messing with him the next. True brother-sister relationship. She only wears the coolest, in style clothes....and probably has more money in her closet than I do! She won "best dressed" at school a few years in a row... of course. She loves attention! (but what 12 year old girl doesn't?) I love spending time with her...and trying to keep up with her. I really talk to her like she's my age. Well, I think I'm getting too old for her! I took her lunch and cupcakes at school for her birthday and she couldn't get me out of there fast enough!! I took the hint and left, but geez! I'm still cool! I told Mikey how uncool I felt, and he said "Well, you're her aunt, pushing 30, and your pregnant. Three strikes and you're out." Really? C'mon! Anyway. That girl loves some Chick-fil-A! She is very opinionated and knows exactly what she wants...and will gladly let you know! I think Shu Shu is probably one of her best friends...spends just about every weekend with her. She is something! You won't forget her once you've met her....especially if she is acting herself :) Love that girl...even if it is 'uncool'

JC last Christmas

So... that's enough for now...just  a little something about my favorite kids!
....well, all my favorites minus one....but she isn't related by blood!
I must have the cutest niece and nephews ever! Can't wait to meet my nephew Mason in just a few months! :)
Good day everyone!

Mikey and the Kids a couple of years back... Ben trying to be cool! :)

Great Mom or Not?

**This Could Potentially Be Offensive!**

(just warning you ahead of time, if you don't like my opinions, stop reading right now! I will not be held liable for anything further that you read!!! )

I've been thinking a lot lately (specifically, the last 13.5 weeks) about characteristics that a "great" mom has. What sets apart a "great" mom from an average mom or a bad mom. What makes a child say "I have the best mom in the world!" and what makes others say, "Yea, I love my mom." and leave it at that.  Even some adults say "I have the best mom in the world." Well what makes them so great? Seriously? What does a mom do that is so great it makes her grown up child remember she was so great as a child?

Does this type of mom even know that she's great? I'm sure every mom would like to think that they give their all to the child and take care of them as best she can....but that's normal, that's part of the definition of a mom (to me). But what does she do that pushes her over the top and makes her look like a hero to her kids?

Well, here is what I think a great mom is...and these are only my opinions. (The list is small... I could add things all day long.) Things that I will try my hardest at to make my child say "My mom is the BEST mom in the world!" and honestly mean it with their whole heart.

*I think a great mom is selfless. She puts her husband's and children's needs before hers. Whether it mean not buying that new dress for herself because her child would just die for that new baby doll or toy truck, and she would rather see her child's face light up with excitement any day of the week than to look good in that dress. Or it could be that she sends her child the last thing of Jello in their lunch because she knows they would just love it, although she's been craving it ALL day. It could be that the child is scared at night and just wants her to lay in bed with them, even though she had a terrible day and has an extremely early meeting in the morning, but would rather her child feel safe and secure than for her to feel prepared and rested for the next morning. It could be any of these things.

*I think a great mom is patient. She will spend countless hours with the child trying to teach them their ABCs and 123s, or their Algebra homework in 1st grade, or months helping them walk and say MaMa. I am not patient at all at the moment. It's something that I will have to work on. It burns me up when I hear (and yes, I have heard) "Mikey will have to do that, you just aren't patient enough." or "You're just like your mom, you have no patience." Well. That's true. But I also have not birthed a child yet. Neither of us know what is going to happen once that baby gets here. Everyone says that a baby changes everything...well, who says a baby can't change character flaws? I never want my child to look back and say "Mom, why did you never do this with me?" and me have to respond with "Because my nerves couldn't take it."  It may happen, I'm sure Chuck-E-Cheese will push me to the edge more than once, but I will try.

*I think a great mom never has a "sick" day. And by sick I do not mean physically ill, I mean just a free day to do as she pleases.  A day where she can just pawn her kids off on someone else just because she doesn't want to deal with them. Um. Hello. You had the child....or decided to make the situation happen.... Honey, you don't get to do that. I know kids can work your nerves, and I'm sure my time is coming really soon, considering my who the daddy is. I understand that sometimes you just need some "me" or "us" time. I really do get that. I just think that sending your children off to some one's house more than once a week, every week may be crossing the line. It IS crossing the line in my book. I just want to say "Get over yourself!" Nothing you could do for yourself is worth losing all of those hours with your children. You'll never get that time back.

*I think a great mom puts their children's happiness above a lot of other household chores. (but clean up our messes afterwards)  I've seen signs that say "Excuse the mess, we live here."  Do NOT get me wrong, I love my house to be clean. In fact, I'm a bit obsessive about the laundry.  When the baby gets here, I will try to keep it close to as clean as it is now and we will have chores and practice cleaning from an early age... but (and I'll have to work really hard at this one too) I don't want to deprive my children of play or learning just because it'll make a mess. We can always clean after we play. I remember having to have everything so clean at my house growing up, and I hated it.  Some of the most fun memories I have with my niece and nephew were made making HUGE messes!! Covering old bottles with melted crayons, carving pumpkins with Ben's little arms elbow deep in the pumpkin,  making and decorating cakes and cupcakes, just fun, messy stuff. We all love it!
*I think a great mom raises their children in church with a Godly love at home. I know that a 3 month old doesn't realize they're in church, but it builds a good, firm foundation for the child that will last them their entire lives. Some of the very first songs  I learned to sing were "Jesus Loves Me" and "Jesus Loves the Little Children"... God places such great teachers in children's lives to teach them things on levels they understand and ways their little minds remember.

*I think a great mom sets a good example for her children to follow. She does things that would make her children proud. I know children make their parents proud, I was told that all the time growing up, but I also think that the children can be proud of their parents.... they just may not realize it until they're older.

*I think a great mom uses positive re-enforcement. It makes such a big difference in the child's attitude. I was always told that I was pretty when I wasn't, that I was smart when I didn't do as well as I wanted, that I made my parents proud when I didn't think they could tell I worked so hard, that I was so creative when I would play.... Positive encouragement equals positive feedback. I look at kids at work and can pick up right away on how they're talked to at home.

*I think a great mom disciplines their child and shows they love them at the same time. I was raised getting my butt whipped all the time! I turned out just fine, I think. I didn't realize it when I was younger, but the discipline and manners that I learned at home has made me very thankful that I was taught and raised that way. I see a bunch of hoodlums running around back-talking their elders, kids snatching stuff without saying Please or Thank You, screaming when they don't get what they want, when they truly don't need it anyway.... If that were me 20 years ago, I would've had a red but and "I'm sorry" coming out of my mouth. I think the correct discipline (and I know that every family has different discipline styles....this is just the way I was raised) builds character.  Not just a pat on the butt, but an explanation as to why they don't do that.

*I think the greatest gift for a great mom isn't peace and quiet, but the sound of laughter and the sight of a smile on their kids faces. Peace and Quiet are a very close second though!!

*I think a great mom just shows her child a love and level of security that no one else can. She just strives to make her kids respectful, loving, happy, and safe. And would do that at any cost.

Now, these are just MY ideas and thoughts..... I warned you before you read!

I'm sure some of these will take a lot of work to get good at, but I will try. I'm sure I'll mess up and my kid will hate me at some point, but I always want my kid to know that their loved and that I'm always there for them...whether that makes me a "great" mom or just an average mom.

And no offense to the dads either. I just chose Mom because, well, I'll be one in about 6 months. It's easy for me to say what I'm going to do or not going to do. I know what I liked and didn't like growing up and these are things I can control. I think being a great dad takes just as much hard work and dedication.

If something here is wrong, well, I don't really care. I'm sure my views and outlooks of life and children will change a million times....even before the baby gets here. It's just what I feel and think now, so just humor me.

Fast and Furiously Freezing

Well Hello Again!
     I'm on one of my blogging spurts...so you'll see a few posts back to back, and then I'm sure I'll get busy with something (or nothing) and not blog for a month or so. It's just how it goes.
     Back to the subject....
     Every year my mother and father-in-law invite all the family and friends down to their land in Sardis for a cookout/hayride. It's always very close to Halloween, the weekend just depends on the kids' schedule. (who knew a 12 and 8 year old could be so important!?)  This year was the very first year that I've been able to attend!! I've been around for almost 6  years, and this is the very first time I've gone! (Side Note: it's not because I've never wanted to go, it just always falls on  a weekend night that I have to work....yes, some of us have to work to pay bills and do not have the option of just "not working" or having someone else pay our bills)  I was so freakin' excited! 
     So, because I don't drive to Sardis alone ( I could, but I'd probably never make it to the correct destination in a timely manner) I rode with Belinda. She drives a Genesis Coupe and had us there in about 40 minutes flat. My kind of trip!  Besides the 8 phone calls from Bill, and I mean that literally, it was a pretty decent ride down there....just kind of caught up on family gossip and talked a little pregnancy talk... It was enjoyable. (and Bill called about every 4 to 6 minutes asking Did you get this? Do we need this? Do y'all want something from here? Can you stop and get that? ....and so on. Bless it.)
     Bill, Belinda, and I got down to the land around 3-ish in the afternoon...perfect weather. We clean up the trailer a bit and start unloading the food and junk. Belinda starts all the food, the chili, the delicious white hot chocolate, the ruben dip, all the good stuff. Bill starts setting up the lights, getting firewood together, and packing the coolers. I sat my little butt down in the chair in the warm sunshine and watched :) hehe
     Watching Bill and Belinda try to accomplish a task together was very comical to say the least...as you can imagine. At one point Bill was trying to get the lights set up and in the right positions and, simultaneously, Belinda was trying to make the chili on a burner outside....that Bill insisted would work just fine. Well, every few minutes Belinda would stop Bill and get him to turn the burner up or down or stir the chili or put a rock under the pot (?) or something!! lol Bill was getting very frustrated, but Belinda didn't care....it was his idea to have her use the burner and not the stove in the first place. I know he picked up and sat down the exact same light in the exact same spot about 10 times before he finally put it in it's appropriate spot. It was fun to watch...made me laugh. Well, I'm not sure if it was that that was so funny, or him mumbling under his breath the whole time!  The chili turned out just fine...as long as you got it from the top of the pot and not the bottom!  :)
     Anyway, they finally get it all set up and everyone else starts arriving... We sit around the fire and talk for a bit....the music is going, the fire is warm, weather is cool, but not terrible at this point, kids are running around, and everyone is drinking some hot chocolate (or their preferred beverage). This is what it's all about...family and friends!
     After we eat our chili dogs and corn dip and all the other yummy stuff, it's time for the hayride! It's what I've been looking forward to for 6 years!! Apparently we 'have' to wait for it to get dark before we can start the hayride...which means it's cold. Real cold. Not freezing, but I think it was about 40 or 50 degrees out. We all load up on the trailer and wait. And wait..... And wait. The tractor was acting up and it took about 5 guys to look at it and decide that it wasn't going to pull the trailer.  So, BB decides to take his truck. That's okay...it still works and it'll still be fun, probably won't be able to tell the difference. Once we're all piled up on the trailer (again), between the hay and under the covers, we take off. (Side note: If the trailer would've had seat belts, now would've been the time to restrain ourselves) We had to go through a couple of fields before we could get out to the main road. Well. BB must have a lead foot because I swear as soon as he pushed the gas, we were going 45. In the fields. I do not mean fields of green and pretty luscious flowers. I mean bumpy, dirt, holey, trench-filled, hilly, bean planted fields. Fields with a speed limit of 5!  They have to make Ben and Tanner move closer to the center so they don't bounce off the back! Seriously!! We finally make it out of the fields... all alive, thank goodness, and make it to the road. Well, we accelerate. No doubt. Now we're going about 60. Hell, it was probably 75. And the temp is steadily dropping...and the wind is picking up! We're all huddled up close together, on top of each other, covering our faces and ears. It was cold. We figure that the ride will last about 20 minutes...at the max. We could deal. Well. We figured wrong. 20 minutes into it we're still going strong...and fast. We yell out several times for BB to slow down...he doesn't understand. He keeps flying. I swear we were up on 2 wheels on one turn.  We finally think the ride is coming to an end. Thank God in Heaven above. We thought wrong. He passes the drive to the land and decides to take a right on a road that it about 6 miles long.....and has no place to turn around.  Perfect. My first hayride will be my last, and my unborn child will be just that. Benji yells and flashes BB with his red flashlight several times! Several! He even gets off the trailer and tries to direct BB in a clear path to back up and take us back. He backs up about 7 feet and decides that it isn't going to work....and hauls off in the same direction. Again. It's a good thing Benji has good reflexes, otherwise he'd still be left in the middle of that little, no end street.  At some point the kids started singing some stupid, kid song. I thought I might lose it. Thankfully, that didn't last very long. The cold wind quickly took their breaths away.
     FINALLY we find a driveway that is large enough for us to turn around in. And thank God, we did.... If the people who lived at that house would've heard us, we probably would've been shot. Everyone of us. Men, Women, Kids, and all. It was not a very "welcoming" house.  We turn around, leaving rubber marks on the pavement and head back to the land. We make it! Everyone of us jumps off as soon as the truck stops! Not gonna chance him going for round 2. We go to the fire and de-thaw a little before we start making smores! Yum-O!   I tell Mikey that it is time for us to go and I need to get home. It was long afternoon. lol Long and fun...but my toes were numb and ears would've fallen off if someone would've touched them.  My long-johns were no longer keeping me warm, my hat was not keeping heat in, my feet warmers were even cold. It was just time to go....especially before my attitude came out.
     It was a fun trip, and I really enjoyed being around everyone...I think most of us did. It's little things that I appreciate that makes life worth while. The kids had a blast... Jake was every where, JC was bossing them all around like a 16 year old would, and Tanner followed Ben around like a shadow.  Good times and even better memories.
    

Caution!! The cult is expanding!

Consider this as your fair warning! May of 2012 the McCrory Cult will be growing by one!  Who? You ask? Who would be stupid enough to not only marry a McCrory, but intentionally sleep with one.... and dare I say, reproduce!?! 
     Well, I never claimed to be the smartest of them all.... so I must admit that it is Mikey and Me! We're Expecting!! And yes! It's a baby! Today, Nov. 5th, we are exactly 13 weeks along and couldn't be happier!

See! It's True!

     We started trying for a baby in March... we purposely waited 1 year after we married b/c we wanted to enjoy each other and get used to the 'living together' thing before we introduced more craziness into our house. We also had a loooong list of things we wanted to have complete before we got pregnant...dull, boring, grown-up stuff. ( i.e a new dishwasher, hardwood floors, new washer/dryer, an arbor over the patio, credit cards paid off, a new vehicle for Mikey, and a storage shed built.) Well, I am happy to say that all but the shed have been completed! By March we will have saved enough to pay for one!...just before the baby gets here! I have to say that this is a very great feeling of accomplishment! Kind of lame, I know....but Hey, your priorities change when you get married, right?  (well, some people's do anyway...but that's another blog in itself)
     We tried for about 3 months before I started to get irritated. I know I sound ridiculous right now, but in those 3 months, my cousin Lindsey, my sister, a friend of ours Amy, and a girlfriend at work all found out they were expecting! What are the freakin' odds!?! So I was doing everything right, prenatal care, eating right, exercising on a regular basis, followed up with all my doctors to make sure all aspects were lined up. I even went to my OBGYN to make sure it was okay to start trying!! (Idiot, I  know!) And still, nothing. We tested on days 6 AND 3 (before my missed period) EVERY single month! That is a ton of money! But we thought we HAD to! Just for peace of mind. After the 5th and 6th month, I was so tired of trying. It was like clock work. We knew the exact days to try and not to, we charted everything, kept up with all kinds of numbers, and even had apps on our phones to log it all. I finally said to Mikey "That's it. It'll happen when it happens." I was so angry and felt like I had done something to make God mad at me and punish me. I just had to let it go. It was so hard. I know that 7 months isn't long at all, but it just seemed like everyone and their momma was pregnant....and not even trying to be that way, and I wanted it so bad and had prepared for a year, and had all the steps down, doing it all the 'right' way...and it got me no where. I can not tell you how many times I cried and prayed and cried some more. But. What do you know, as soon as I said I can't handle it anymore, and gave it to God.... BAM!! (and it wasn't only me praying! I had my Nanny, my girlfriend Lexi, Mikey, a few other close friends praying everyday... I mean I would even send them reminders to pray for us!) We were pregnant within a month and half. Just like that. Easier said than done, I know. Trust me.

Don't pay attention to the
piece of bangs sticking straight
out...Hubs took the pic.

     So as I get further along, my belly gets slightly larger each week.... go figure. I can still wear my normal clothes, they just fit a little 'differently' now. My hair is fabulously thick and my nails are growing like crazy! The morning sickness has subsided for now, and the tiredness is slowly fading away too! Things are looking good! Warm baths and naps are my best friends right now :) And that is 100% okay. I'm going to enjoy this pregnancy while I can... It's only going to last 9 months. And if you had a terrible experience, Well keep that mess to yourself because frankly, I don't give a rat's butt. I do not need any negativity.... so Thank you in advance.
     By this time next year, we will have 3 new babies on the Read side! Lindsey is having a girl, Ily, Kerrie is having a boy, Mason, and we are having a ...... well, we don't know yet. We find out in January. JANUARY! Geez. I guess I'll make it until then. I just feel like it's a boy, and Mikey "knows" it's a girl. We have our names picked out...and have for a very, very long time :)  Isaac and Evie. Both are family names and mean a lot to both of us. If you don't like the names, keep that to yourself too! You get to name your children, and we get to name ours! And if you have a baby before us and you steal our names, God help you. I will pray for you.  (ever heard that song with the same title? :) )
       Christmas and Easter and all the holidays will be so much more fun next year! The Read's youngest kid is like 8! We haven't had bitty babies in forever!!
     I think everyone is excited for us... God only knows what this baby will turn out like. But I can guarantee you one thing. It will never ever wonder what it feels like to be loved or to know that it is cared for and is surrounded by support and love. We will try our best to make sure that it feels special and important every day of it's life. We may not be perfect parents, we've never said that we would be, but we will spend every second of the day trying to do what's best for him or her.
     We have gotten one ultrasound so far, and it was the neatest, most awesome sight I've ever seen. Precious. It was moving like crazy and had it's little hands up to it's face. Ah. My heart melted. We've also heard the heart beat! And again, awesome! There really is a life in there!!  :)

Sweet, Huh? Those boots are T.I.N.Y!

     So basically, we are on cloud nine right now! I know that it was God's perfect timing. Mikey will be a terrific dad...the kind that blames all the bad things on mom and makes me do all the punishing... But plays his heart out and tries his hardest to make the baby happier than any other baby in this world. I can not wait to see him hold it for the very first time :) He rubs my belly every day and tells the baby "good-bye and I love you" every morning before he leaves. I don't ever want to forget how we feel right now...even before we meet our baby. I know it only gets better! :)
    I had a ton of other stuff to blog about...like the fast and furious hay ride in Sardis and MeMe's surprise birthday party, but I got a bit side tracked with this pregnancy thing...and well, there's always tomorrow. Stay tuned for more blogs on the past few months.... and get ready for a few laughs. God love it.