Did they mean "Terrible Threes"???

I will start by saying I love my life. I love my husband and I love my two baby boys. I love being a mommy, and I love being able to stay home and raise my boys and watch them grow. With that said, some days I'm not sure that I am going to survive!!!

Have I said that being a stay at home mom is the hardest job IN THE WORLD???? Well, it is.

Rayden is such a strong willed, independent young man, which on most days are great traits, traits I hope that continue to stay with him as he grows older. Other days, he uses those traits to try and overpower both myself and his daddy. We have had a few of these power struggles in the past six months or so, and when they come they are so horrible. Yesterday was one of those days. I guess Rayden woke up thinking he was the boss and that was the way it was going to be. We were almost ready to leave for tumbling when I asked Rayden to pick up his toys in the living room. He agreed but asked for a piece of candy. I told him I would open the candy after he picked up the toys. He said okay, and then proceeded into the living room, plopped himself down, opened the candy himself and continued to watch cartoons. I didn't say anything to him, but got the remote and turned the TV off. Rayden marched himself up to the TV, turned it back on, turned to me and with a pointed finger declared "Don't you EVER turn my TV off again". I about fell over! I busted his little butt and sent him to his room. He got to his room and stopped at the door and yelled "I don't HAVE to go to my room". I was in complete shock, I mean WOW! He got another spanking and I told him to get up on his bed, which was followed by another "I don't have to". I had had it. I went to the kitchen and got some garbage sacks and started putting every toy I could get my hands on into the bags. This is while Rayden is screaming, hitting me, and trying to rip the bags out of my hands. That was my breaking point. I then did what any rational mom would do ~ call dad home! Rayden is now in his room with the door shut, crying and I am sure probably trying to get the toys out of the bags. He comes out of the room and says to me "Give me your phone- I am calling my daddy and he is going to spank your butt" I just shake my head as Rayden gets the phone to call. When Chance answers Rayden says "Daddy, I need your help!!!" I can hear Chance say "you need my help?" Rayden says "yes, can you please come home and spank my momma's butt?" Chance tells him he will be home in a few minutes to get to the bottom of what was going on. Chance makes it home and we tell him what has transpired over the morning. Rayden is sure he is in the right and that Daddy is going to spank me. Rayden is in shock when Chance goes in his room and tells Rayden that all of those toys are going to storage until he can earn them back this is met with "No, Daddy, please go back to work, please just go to your shop" Chance has to leave the room because he is laughing so hard!!! So here we are, with three garbage bags of toys in storage, along with his tool bench. He can earn the toys back by being good and doing what we ask, as well as loose other toys by doing the opposite. So far, it is working, well, it's only been a day, so we will see how long it lasts.

My question is, who said "terrible twos" did that person not survive to make it to the threes. I would take the twos over the threes any day... Only four more months until he is four! Can I survive? And nobody out there better tell me that it could possibly get worse for the fours......

Did you hear me say that being a stay at home mom is the hardest job IN THE WORLD???? Well, it is.

Under the Big Top!

Wednesday night we went to the circus in Lubbock. Chance and I took Rayden and Melissa (sister in law) took Gage. I don't think Rayden really knew what to expect, he only knew there were going to be elephants there and he wanted to ride one. We got there early for the "pre show" where we got to go down on the floor with all the performers and have them sign your program (which cost a whopping $15!). They had different things set up that kids could do to get a up close and personal feel of the circus. After that it was off to get goodies and find our seats. We order one Snow cone in an elephant cup and a cotton candy with "complementary" circus hat- $20 ~ I almost fell over, I just ordered a snow cone and a cotton candy!!!! There are booths set up with souvenirs at every corner, as well as people walking around selling them, you can't get away from it. There is a sword that Rayden sets his heart on. I'm thinking, okay, probably $10 for that piece of plastic, nope, way off, $18!!! I am such a cheapskate that I try to talk Rayden out of it, I mean I am sure that I can get the same sword (with out the elephant sticker of course) at Wal Mart for like $2. Nope, not leaving without the sword! Anyways, I love the circus, and Rayden and Gage really seemed to enjoy it so I will get over my feelings of getting taken for my money and focus on the excitement of it all!!! Rayden stood and danced to the music the entire first half of the circus. He loved the elephants the most (did I mention they DIDN'T have elephant rides..... don't they always have elephant rides at the circus????). After intermission Rayden began to get sleepy. He was waiting for the motorcycles, which was the last performance, and barely held on, he was ready to go to bed!!!

Gage & Rayden Hula Hooping

Eating Snow Cones
Rayden in his Circus Hat

So Excited to see the elephants

Munching on some popcorn

The Performing Weenie Dogs

(Holly this pic is just for you!!)

The Tigers

And Finally the motorcycles

(there are 3 of them riding around in that ball!!!)

9 Months

Today my sweet baby Casen is 9 months old! Where does the time go??? It seems like it was just a few months ago that we were bringing him home. Here are some things about Casen:

• He is a Momma's Boy!!
• He is crawling all over the place, and walking a little in between.
• He can say Momma, Dadda, & Bubba and wave and say bye-bye.
• He has three teeth, the two bottom front, and one top side tooth (I don't know where his top front teeth are!)
• He loves food- big people food. He isn't much on baby food except the turkey & sweet potatoes and his fruits in the morning.
• He is the happiest baby~ he is always smiling and laughing and trying to engage in the conversation.
• He loves bath time!!! He gets so excited I can hardley get his clothes off of him as he is trying to climb into the tub!
• He loves to be outside in his walker, watching his brother play and playing with the dogs.
• He is constantly pulling the pictures off of our entertainment center. No matter how many times we tell him no, he just can't resist!
• He knows when his brother isn't around and misses him. If Rayden isn't in the car with him he says "bubba bubba, my bubba, bubba, bubba" the whole time.
• He loves to drink coke ( I know, horrible) and he has learned how to drink out of a straw~ big trouble, we have gone from being able to give him a few drops from the straw to him guzzling the coke down if he gets a hold of it!
• He loves the bouncing Tigger~ he gets on his knees and flings his arms and bounces! He also loves his rocking bull, he kicks his feet and laughs and laughs!

Fishing

(Two posts in one day....WHOOOOO)

Over the weekend we took Rayden fishing at his Uncle Casey's fish pond. Rayden has been asking to go fishing for a while now, so Chance decided Friday night was as good as any. It didn't take Rayden long to get a bite, and he reeled in a huge fish!!!! As soon as they finally got it reeled in he said "Oh, that's a shark!!!" He was so happy to have gotten a fish, although he wasn't much on touching it or holding it, he said that it was gross!!!

Tumbling Again

Rayden had another tumbling meet this past weekend. He did pretty good, although he was really hyper and seemed to bounce off the walls more than he paid attention to what he was supposed to be doing!! Oh well, he always has such a good time and when he finishes his pass he stops and looks out at us with the biggest, proudest smile!

My Dad and Casen

Rayden doing his tumbling routine

On the Double Mini

Trampoline

Getting his medals

(Showing off his "big muscles")

Baby Wipes!

I can't leave the boy alone for one minute!!!! He was so happy and so proud of himself for pulling out most of the tub of baby wipes. He was just grinning from ear to ear and laughing, so I decided, why not, might as well let him finish having fun!!!

Ruidoso, White Sands & Las Cruces

Over the weekend we went to Ruidoso and then onto Las Cruces for my brother's surprise 30th birthday party. On the way to Cruces we stopped at White Sands to take Rayden and my niece Katlynn for a little fun in the sand. We had a great time sledding down the hill and burying each other in the sand (well, I didn't want to get buried!!). Then we went onto Cruces for a great birthday party and caught up with some old friends. On Saturday we were back at my mom's in Ruidoso. We planned on having an Easter egg hunt for Rayden and Katlynn, but with the rain, snow, sleet & hail, the Easter bunny had to leave the eggs in the house~ not as much fun as hunting outside, but still fun!!!

Over the weekend Casen realized that he can walk!!!! He would walk back and forth between anyone who would sit in the floor and catch him. He is growing up so fast!!!

It was a great weekend!!!

Looking off my mom's porch....Ahh relaxation!!!

White Sands Here We Come....

Out of the truck and up the hill!!!!

Getting a feel of the sand

Rayden buried in the sand!!!

Katlynn and Rayden

Trying to get Chance all buried!

Rayden making a sand angel!!!

Rayden getting ready to go down the hill

Chance taking his turn at the fun!!

Onto the Party in Cruces

My Brother Gabe and nephew Dylan (blue shirt) and beautiful niece Sephra.

(side note: Sephra will be appearing in a movie The Burning Plain that will be out later this year. She was a newborn when the movie was being filmed& it was being filmed in Las Cruces and she was chosen to star as the baby version of the character played by Charlize Theron. Although her part will be very small in the movie, she is a movie star to us nonetheless!!!!)

Dylan & Rayden waiting to get their hands in that cake!

Sweet baby Casen, with milk dripping down his chin!!!

Hunting Eggs

Oh, I forgot....Easter Cupcakes!!!

I almost forgot to share the bunny cupcakes I made for Rayden's school party. They weren't as cute as I had hoped, but I think I used all my creativeness on Chance's cake!!!!

Happy Birthday Chance

I threw Chance a party for his birthday on Wednesday night. We had about 30 people over and cooked out, ate cake & ice cream, had a pinata, and did a lot of chatting!! It was a really good time, and Chance had a great time hanging out with his friends. He didn't want me to do anything for his birthday but I think he was glad that I did. He is such a socialite, I think he could have sat outside all night talking with his friends.

Here is the lovely cake I made Chance for his birthday. He is always calling me "old nag" so I made him an "old fart" cake (complete with my name tatooed on the butt!!!)

I will say we are a fertile group of people. There was no lacking in the baby department (and there were plenty more outside!!!!)

Casen & Cash

Rayden taking a whack at the Spiderman Pinata he picked out for Chance's birthday party!!!

(Yes, that is Chance's friend Jordan, being the brave guy holding the pinata, and yes, that is a fire poker he is holding it with, WE ARE NOT REDNECKS!!!!)

Chance, being a dork, holding his Spiderman Pinata!!!!

Chance & Jordan with thier Spiderman masks on, although they look a little scary to me!!!