Easter Bunny!

Tonight Scott and I went to the mall to take Deacon to see the Easter Bunny, he did so well! Of course when he realized that neither one of us was holding him because he was looking at us he had a slight meltdown, but as you can see from the picture Lovey and his fist fixed that! I felt that visiting the Easter Bunny was a must since I wouldn't take Deacon to see Santa Clause, it was just too early for us to stand in line for 2 hours to have some old man in a dirty suit hold my brand new baby and get everyone else's nasty germs all over him. No thanks! Maybe next year.

Happy Easter 2010


Speaking of germs, Deacon and I just can't seem to catch a break lately. All weekend we were both feeling yucky with a terrible sinus headache, and just when I thought things were starting to look up my body opened the flood gates (or should I say SNOT gates!). Yesterday I blew my nose every five minutes for over 4 hours and went through an entire roll of toilet paper one piece at a time. My nose was so raw that I had to put A&D on it before I went to bed! I fell asleep with Deacon on the couch at 8 (Benadryl knocked me out) and I don't even remember waking up with him in the middle of the night. Today was rough because I had major Benadryl hangover and Joi could tell so she pushed every button and boundary she could possibly find ALL day long. Love me some Joi but she was a MAJOR stinker today. This morning Deacon woke up cranky as ever and it only got worse as the day went on. I noticed that he was more upset when I laid him down flat, and that he was pulling and scratching at his ears and the side of his head. Since we're going to NC on friday I had Scott take him to the pediatrician this afternoon to get checked out, the last thing I need is for him to have a major ear infection while we're there. Apparently he just has a cold and is TEETHING! I knew it! Those two fingers mean that his teeth are finally popping up, and I can see the two on the bottom starting to make their way to the surface. Poor thing! The nurse practitioner said that when babies teeth every nerve in their face feels the effects and it makes their whole head hurt, and that babies use those two fingers to gag themselves because they think that if they stick them down there far enough it will relieve the pain. I went to Target and got him some baby Orajel, but she said other than Tylenol there isn't really anything else I can give him while we wait it out. I'm so excited that he's getting teeth, that means he'll be able to eat all the fun stuff sooner! :)

And here's my soap-box for the week... Yesterday I was watching Dr Phil and the episode was called "Are Moms Really That Busy?" Apparently some Dr from the University of Maryland did some study that said Moms have 30-40 hours of free-time a week. Really?! Several people made blog posts in response to it, and I cannot even begin to describe the ridiculous comments that pig-headed men left criticizing their wives and other women who stay home during the day. I don't know about you, but personally I would just like to pee by myself, thanks! 30-40 hours a week, what do they think this is some kind of vacation being home all day? Don't think so. I was so mad I called my mom who told me that she hasn't had that much free-time since before I was born. Haha my point exactly! Ridiculous.

Well I've started the laundry and am preparing myself for a long night of packing and cleaning tomorrow before Deacon and I leave for Raleigh on Friday morning. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! On the other hand, I'm trying not to show my excitement around Scott too much because he's really bummed that he can't come with us. He loves my side of the family and really wishes he could be there to spend time with them too. And it's a whole week without my Willow too! I always cry when I leave her, she's my baby! ONE MORE DAY! :)

Do as I say, not as I do.

I absolutely HAVE to share this story from today, my sides hurt I was laughing so hard! So I'm sure you've all figured out that Joi has quite the personality and picks things up like a sponge. She's quiet in the sense that she doesn't say more than a handful of words, but she's most definitely paying attention! I found that out first hand this afternoon when I was changing Jayden's diaper, it was a big ole nasty poop of course. I wrapped the diaper up (with a sour look on my face no doubt) and sat it next to me. Joi came over and picked it up so I said, "Oh are you going to throw that away for me? Thank you Joi Joi, what a big helper!" She looked at me, looked down at the diaper, and then back at me and said, "...Shit!" I was so shocked that I couldn't do anything but bust out laughing- you know, the tears in your eyes, can't catch your breath, and snort when you finally do kind of laugh! I didn't even know how to respond to that so I just said "Uh, yeah just throw it away for me." Haha! When I told her Mom what Joi had said we both had a good laugh about it and she said, "Joi, how many times to do I have to tell you... Do as I SAY not as I DO silly girl!"

Today must have been the day for some serious attitude, I got it from all angles. Deacon still isn't feeling very well which makes him incredibly irritable at times, and the tantrums he's started throwing (learned from the boys) isn't helping! Poor thing, he had his cranky pants on all day long. Right before lunch I was bringing a bowl of dry baby oatmeal upstairs to feed the boys and Willow tripped me up, sending oatmeal flakes flying all over the stairs. Amber warned me that the kids were scared of the vaccuum, but I figured it was easier to calm them down before naptime rather than during so I went ahead and cleaned up the mess. As soon as I turned it on the twins FREAKED out, screaming, red in the face, absolutely petrified by the thing! Jayden calmed down after a few minutes, but I swear he had dreams about the dang vaccuum because he woke up screaming 4 times before I finally got him down for a nap. And Jaxon... Oh sweet Jaxon... The boy gives me attitude all day long anyway with his incessant whining, but he cried and whined and cried some more for a good 20-30 minutes after I was done vaccuuming. Ok I get it, I won't do it again! Haha.

Willow was the icing on the cake with the attitude today, I was shocked she's usually such an angel! It all started last week when they left their dogs' food out on the floor of the pantry and she got into it. Of course it's not the same kind she eats, it's Ol Roy the 59cent Walmart food! Willow immediately went outside and pooped it all out afterward, but since then she has refused to eat her puppy food and sits by their dog food container and begs for me to give her some. No ma'am! She's almost 10 months old, so I figure it can't hurt to give her adult dog food now and I bought her some new stuff a couple days ago. Not wanting her to poop all over herself and our house I mixed her old food and the new stuff together, but she wasn't having it. 10 minutes after I poured it into her bowl I went back to check on her and the little stinker had picked out every single piece of her old food and spread it all over the floor! Of course I mixed the bags of food together so there was no going back and I've been kicking myself for it. Today I took some of the food with me to work hoping that she would try it again there, but she just sniffed it and turned her nose up. So then I spent a good 5 minutes separating the foods with my fingers and tried to hand-feed it to Willow. She took the piece in her mouth, gave it a whirl, and spit it back onto the floor. After the third try she finally gave me this look like "MOM! How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not going to eat it? Screw you AND this food!" Little miss attitude! So tonight Scott went to the store and bought Willow the expensive food and of course she ate the whole bowl. He said he bought Purina One because it's supposed to be for the top 1% of dogs, and Willow's in that calibre. Haha! And he teases ME for treating her like a person instead of a dog.

My poor sweetness feels yucky.


Trying to be a happy boy. Gotta love Tylenol!


Skype-ing!

Five days and counting!

Time for a serious update! Last week we had a lot going on, starting with Deacon's 4 month wellness checkup. I had to work and was sad that I couldn't go, but Scott was excited about having some Daddy time. Deacon now weighs 14lb 12.8oz and is 24 inches long! Big boy! I honestly was surprised that he didn't weigh more, but apparently he was being a wiggle worm and Scott hadn't fed him yet. So I'm just going to say he's 15lbs haha. Dr Bruce said that everything looks great and he's just perfect... But I could've told her that :)

Scott and I have become addicted to the show Fatal Attraction on Animal Planet, a new episode comes on in just a few minutes, I'm so excited! It's about people who own wild animals as pets and get eaten by them. Crazy, right?! Last Sunday some guy got salmonella from a lizard bite and then was eaten by them, Thursday a lady got attacked by her leopard, and tonight's episode is about chimpanzees. I wonder where they will go from here, it's very intriguing- and I'm DEFINITELY not going to be buying a lion or anything nutso like that. For some reason I'm very into big cats right now. I don't know if it's their way of life, the fact that they're absolutely breathtaking, or maybe I've inherited Gramma's love for jungle creatures, but every day at 2 I watch Big Cat Diary on Animal Planet. (I watch that channel a lot, can you tell?) The show is incredible, it's like a soap opera! Joi likes to watch it with me before she takes a nap, and a couple of days ago she started growling like a big lion we saw on the show. Haha! Scott and I also really like the new show called Life, Oprah is the narrator. A-MAZ-ING! I want it on DVD when it comes out, if anybody needs a good idea for a Christmas gift :) Haha. The picture is phenomenal, and it's really educational in a fun way, I think Deacon will enjoy watching it when he gets a little bit bigger. A few minutes ago it showed two sea dragons (like a sea horse) mating, and the dad carries the eggs instead of the mom. Scott heard Oprah say sea dragon and said, "Does it spit fire?" They live in the ocean.. Really? What a goofball!

Poor Deacon hasn't been feeling so hot this weekend :( The twins have been battling some sort of cold/sinus bug for the last couple of weeks, and I feel like the past 3 weekends I've been feeling kind of blah. Yesterday Deac woke up and was congested and had a runny nose, and he still hasn't bounced back from it. I've been giving him Tylenol every few hours which seems to help a little bit, but if he's not better by the end of the day tomorrow I'm going to make him an appointment Tuesday to get checked out. Poor Little Bear.

And here's what the other kids have been up to this week. Jayden has started moving around like a crazy man! He hasn't quite mastered the knee, hand, knee, hand, but he army crawls like a fool! He's everywhere in half a second, we've had to put up a baby gate and when I leave the room I have to strap him down to something to keep him out of the outlets, trash can, and away from Deacon and Jaxon. Jayden has clobbered them both numerous times and neither end up very happy about it. I keep telling him to wait until Deacon gets big enough to move around, and then HE's the one in trouble! Deacon's definitely bigger than the twins in both length and weight, they're going to be in for it before they know it. Jaxon continues to be my sensitive man and whine constantly all day long. He doesn't move around very well, but he's more advanced than Jayden in different ways. He's very vocal, can clap and wave, and wants to make SURE that he isn't forgotten. (I think that's what the whining is about, even though I pay attention to him more than anyone else!) Jaxon thinks he needs big people food too and has started spitting his food back at me, making a huge mess at both breakfast and lunch. Joi and I can't eat around him otherwise he refuses his food and cries the whole time we are eating. But he can't swallow any other consistency than baby food, so I don't know what he wants me to do about it! Haha. And Joi continues to be my big helper and absorb everything like a sponge. After her sisters left last week she started saying shut up, even though she has no idea what it means. She walked around saying "shut up, shut up, shuuuut up" in a sing-songy voice until I asked her what she was saying and then told her that wasn't a nice thing to say to people. Then she tried whispering it, yelling it, and saying it veeeery slowly, all the while looking right at me to see if I would notice. I threatened a time-out (even though she's never had one) and that nipped it in the bud. Joi's a lot like Willow, she'll test you and see how much she can get away with, but when it comes to getting in trouble she tucks her tail between her legs and gives you the big "I'm sorry" eyes. I'm a sucker, she knows that's all she needs to do and I'm loving on her again.

Deacon's 4 month photo session was today! Even though he wasn't feeling all that great he put on a happy face for a little bit and let Katie take some super cute shots of him. I can't wait to see how they turn out, I love her work. She's had a bit of a family emergency going on in the last month so she's backed up and we probably won't get to proof our pictures for a couple of weeks, but I'm okay with that since they've at least been taken. We've been waiting to get the last part of our wedding pictures taken for over a month, I'm trying to be understanding and not get frustrated since she's got a lot going on at home, but hopefully we'll get them taken care of when Deacon and I get home from North Carolina. WE LEAVE FRIDAY MORNING! :)

Rub-a-dub-dub! Bath time.


Deacon loves this duck, can you tell?!


Deacon found his fingers. Every single one!


Airing out the pigs.


The Scream


Part 1: Look Ma, no socks!


Part 2: Jealous Willow!

Sweet Giggles

One more video, it wouldn't upload on my last post!

Welcome to my crazy life!

I'm sure you all wonder what it's like to be with four children under the age of two all day every day. Well here's a little peek into my world... Enjoy! I certainly do :)

Sweet Joi Joi







Jaxon aka String Bean







Jayden aka Bobo







WILLOW! :)







Lunch time is always quite a mess!









DEACON! My sweet Little Bear.

Of course the links didn't work! Haha. Here is the Mandarin Orange Cake and Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breasts. Sorry!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mandarin-Orange-Cake-I/Detail.aspx
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/spinach-and-mushroom-stuffed-chicken-breasts-recipe/index.html

And this Tuesday... Recipes!

For our birthdays my mom sent Scott and me cookbooks, and they are awesome! I've always really enjoyed cooking, but while I was pregnant I got out of the habit of making dinner every night, and until now I've put it on the back burner (haha). So here are 10 recipes that I love or can't wait to try. Enjoy!

1. Baked Ziti
LOVE this recipe, I always make it when we have people over, it's one of my favorites!

1 box ziti noodles
2 jars spaghetti sauce
1 pound sausage or hamburger
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 package sliced mozzarella
1 package shredded mozzarella
1 package provolone
16oz sour cream
*I usually add mushrooms and black olives, but you can do it however you want!

Boil the noodles as instructed on the box (al dente). Saute the onion, mushrooms, olives, and meat until it is no longer pink, then add the two jars of sauce. In a 9x13 pan layer as follows: 1/2 noodles, 1/2 sauce, mozzarella slices, sour cream, provolone slices, noodles, sauce, and shredded mozzarella. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes covered with foil and 15 minutes uncovered.

2. Mandarin Orange Cake
I eat this cake every year for my birthday! Mmmm :)


3. Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash
I made this on Sunday and it is to DIE for! Tonight I ate the rest of the leftovers, it's even great a few days later.

2 medium acorn squash
1 pound spiccy pork sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 cup fresh baby spinach, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs (I broke up 2 hamburger buns)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
*Scott doesn't like cranberries so I left them out and added mozzarella cheese both in and on top of the stuffing.

Cut squash in half; remove and discard the seeds. Place squash cut side down in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 10-12 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, crumble sausage into a large skillet; add onion. Cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. In a large bowl, beat egg and milk; stir in spinach, bread crumbs, cranberries, and sausage.
Turn squash cut side up. Stuff with sausage mixture. Cover and microwave on high for 2-3 inutes or until heated through.

4. Linguine with Garlic Sauce
Scott and I made this last night.. YUM!

12 ounces uncooked linguine
1/2 pound sliced bacon, diced
5 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/4 cups milk
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted (again, Scott vetoed!)

Cook linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of drippings.
In the drippings, saute the spinach, onion, and garlic until tender. Add the milk, cream cheese, butter, salt, nutmeg, and pepper; stir until smooth. Stir in pine nuts and bacon; heat through. Drain pasta; toss with sauce.

5. Oatmeal Raspberry Bar Cookies
Courtesy of my Mama! She emailed me last week and told me that I absolutely had to make these, but I have yet to do so. Maybe this weekend.

1/2 c. butter, soft
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. rolled oats
3/4 c. fruit only seedless raspberry jam

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 inch square pan; line it with aluminum foil and then butter the foil. Mix all the ingredients together, except the jam. Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the jam to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top and lightly press it into the jam. Bake 35 to 40 minutes and allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting.
Makes 2 dozen.

6. Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breasts
I made these on Valentine's Day and they were incredible. Sounds like a complicated recipe but it's really not that bad if you organize yourself well. And SO worth it!


7. Bow Tie Beef Skillet
I think this is next on my list of recipes to try. It sounds scrumptious.

1 pound ground beef
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups uncookd bowtie pasta
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/3 cups beef broth
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 medium yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in the pasta, tomatoes, broth, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Add squash and green pepper. Cook, uncovered, 3-4 minutes longer until pasta and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup cheese. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

8. Caramel Chocolate Cake
The picture for this cake looks good enough to eat! I'll have to make this one with my Mom :)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 Tbsp butter, cubed
2 Tbsp plus 1 cup cold milk, divided
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 package (18 1/4 oz) German chocolate cake mix
1 package (3.4 oz) instant butterscotch puding mix
2 cups whipped topping

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and 2 Tbsp milk. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium. Do not stir. Cook for 3-6 minutes or until bubbles form in center of mixture and color is amber brown. Remove fromt he heat; stir in pecans. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
Meanshile, prepare and bake cake according to package directions for two 9in round baking pans. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
In a bowl, whisk pudding mix and remaining milk until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Cover and refrigerate until thickened, about 20 minutes.
Place one cake layer on a serving platter; spread with 3/4 cup pudding mixture. Top with remainging cake layer; spread remainging pudding mixture over top and sides of cake. Spoon pecan mixture around top edge. Store in the refrigerator.

9. Chicken-stuffed Tomatoes
I'm not so sure about this one because I'm not a tomato fan, but Scott got all excited when he saw it. Might have to take one for the team and make it for him. Haha.

4 medium tomatoes
1 cooked rotisserie chicken, skin removed and cubed (2 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup ranch salad dressing
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Cut a thin slice off the top of each tomato. Scoop out pulp, leaving 1/2 in shells. Invert tomatoes onto paper towels to drain.
In a small bowl, combine the chicken, carrot and onions. Combine mayonnaise and ranch dressing; stir into chicken mixture. Spoon into tomatoes. Sprinkle with walnuts.

10. Pistachio Eclair Dessert
This one's for you, Gramma! :)

3 cups cold milk
1 package (3.4 oz) instant pistachio pudding mix
1 package (3.4 oz) instant french vanilla pudding mix
1 carton (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 package (14.4 oz) graham crackers
1 can (16 oz) chocolate frosting
*Maybe use a different kind of frosting Gramma since you can't have chocolate, I bet vanilla would be just as good!

In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in whipped topping. In a 9x13x2 in dish, layer a third of the graham crackers and half of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remainging graham crackers. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
Spoon the frosting into a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 15-20 seonds or until softened, stirring once. Spread over graham crackers. Chill for at least 20 minutes or until frosting is set.

Four months old.. Big boy!

Can you believe that my sweet baby Deacon is four months old already? Time has absolutely flown by, I'm amazed by how big he has gotten. Every day I feel like he gets bigger, stronger, more alert, smiles bigger and more often, and the boy talks more than I do! A year ago today I had no idea that I was even pregnant, and now I can't imagine my life without Deacon Scott Hensley. He's the light of my life and the best part of every day :)


Willow, my other baby, has an ear infection- poor thing! Right after I had Deacon I noticed that she was scratching her ears a lot and wimpering, but I was so consumed with getting the little man out and into my arms that I just pushed the issue to the side. Oops. When I got back from the hospital and picked her up I could smell the infection in her ears, and Scott had to take her to the vet to get antibiotics and cleaning solution. I felt like such a bad Mama! I've tried to pay attention since then because our vet said that she is prone to ear infections, but this one just snuck up on me yesterday. Scott took her to the dog park on Thursday and she came home a MESS so I gave her a bath and cleaned out her ears afterward. I don't know if she got water in them or if it's just from the weather change, but when we got home from the grocery store yesterday afternoon I smelled that same odor again and knew what had happened. I scooped her up and sure enough her left ear was oozing (gross!) so I gave her Benadryl and have started the antibiotic drops again. Poor baby Willow! I know it hurts her and she hates me messing with her ears, but she's such a gentle soul that she just tucks her tail between her legs, hangs her head, and curls up in a ball while I doctor her. The Benadryl is a different story, however, you should've seen Scott and I try to get her to take the liquid yesterday! It's been so long since I've had to give it to her that I forgot that she will only take the pill. Willow has allergies and when the grass is mowed or she gets irritated by the pollen I have to give her Benadryl, but since it's winter it's been a while. I tried getting her to take it out of the cup- nope. Then I tried putting it on a piece of pepperoni- yeah right. I put it in some milk- forget it. Scott even held her and I tried to pour it down her throat- no such luck. At that point Willow was DONE and hid under the table like she was in trouble- and then I remembered the tablets. Haha! She's feeling much better now, but it was quite an ordeal.


Yesterday we went to Target to do some shopping and Scott saw this giraffe and fell in love. Apparently it brought back some suppressed childhood memory of a dinosaur he had that wound up and sung the "lullaby and goodnight" song. Haha. Of course he gave it to Deacon who grew just as attached and before I knew it Deacon was crying when we tried to take it away! Naturally we ended up bringing it home with us because Scott and I are both big softies and Deacon has us wrapped around his chubby little finger. We're so doomed! I told Scott that we're going to have to stop handing him things or we'll end up broke and with the kid who has to sleep with 45 stuffed animals because they're ALL special! Haha.


TWELVE days until Deacon and I go to North Carolina to see my family! I absolutely can't wait, I've been so homesick lately. It's funny how I used to only go back once or twice a year and even then I would hardly be at the house- but now I go a month without seeing them and I'm in tears. It's ridiculous how much has changed in the past year, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Angela sent me this picture of the ducks yesterday, they ordered 11 and 2 will be yellow and fluffy like this! I've already named one Gus, we'll see which lucky little ducky gets the name- I'm sure it will be the first one Max gets though, that's usually how things work out for me!


I've seen three Miller Lite commercials today, and can I just say that they are HILARIOUS! "If your Miller Lite and I were hanging off a cliff and you could only save one, which would you choose? -Uh, how high is the cliff?" "I want to tell you something. I love you. -Uh, I loooo... I luve. - Would you like another Miller Lite? -Oh I'd LOVE one!" And my personal favorite. "What do you love about the new Miller Lite bottles? (Lists a handful of very detailed features) OK, now what do you love about me? -Uh, I love what you're doing with this thing right here. And I love your teeth. What do you love about me? -You're my soul mate. - Ditto." HAHAHA! Gets me every time!


Ok so this has been my battle of the week. Friday was my friend Candice's birthday and I got invited to go to Blackfinn with her and some of our other friends to celebrate with her. What's the big deal, right? Here's the thing... I haven't seen Candice since last June along with everyone else who would be there. When I was an Alpha Chi, Candice was my grand-big and the person that got me into the whole sorority scene. We were really good friends and she became one of the few people that I confided in and trusted with my personal life- but when I got pregnant she disappeared with everyone else, and didn't show up to my baby shower. Granted neither did anyone else, but Candice lied to me about it. When I was on my way to the shower she texted me and said that she was sick and couldn't come, and later that day I saw on Facebook that she was going to a party in Dallas- one that she later posted pictures of. I called her out on it and she apologized for lying, but since then she has avoided me. Because I was never actually initiated I am not officially her grand-little, but a few weeks ago she invited me to be a part of her facebook family and I was told that that was kind of her way of making amends with me. Several posts ago I mentioned my friend Sam, she too was part of our family, and she told me that Candice had told her how badly she felt for abandoning me and how she treated me with the baby shower situation. Even though I knew that it would be an awkward evening, I decided to go to her dinner anyway in hopes that maybe she and I could make up the way Sam and I had. All day on Friday I was SO nervous, and when it came time for me to get dressed and ready I literally felt like I was going to throw up! I really can't pinpoint any specific reason why, maybe because there would be other girls there who had abandoned me and talked about me behind my back, or because it was the first time since I had Deacon that I was going out on my own, or maybe because I was self-conscience about my post-baby appearance. No clue! But I walked out of the house looking nice and got lots of compliments throughout the night (which made me feel good!) and the person I was most nervous about seeing didn't even show up. When I walked in everyone was nice and said hi, but I could tell that they didn't think I would actually show up. Candice was really happy to see me and tried to include me as much as she could in conversations, but the others weren't quite as welcoming so a good deal of the night was awkward and I'm sure the new girls who don't know me have a very cold perception of me. Thank goodness my friend Jordan showed up, she and I have become friends because we both have puppies and don't have a pre-Deacon history, so it was good to talk to her. Scott called me right as dinner was being brought out and Deacon had woken up unexpectedly and wouldn't calm down. I could hear him in the background and it was the "Dad, WHERE is Mom?!" cry, so I left money, gave someone else my drink, and went home. Thank you Deacon! :) It's just not the same anymore and no matter how much I want to I don't fit with that crowd like I used to. Candice told me she missed me and I truly think it would be different if she and I would hang out one on one and talk, but as far as making that crowd my girls night it's just not going to happen. It hurts, but I think I needed that night to finally turn that page in my life and move on from that group of friends. My big Vanessa, one of the first people I told about my pregnancy, someone I considered one of my closest friends couldn't even hold a conversation with me. I thought that of all people she would be one that would keep in contact with me, but she still has my Mother's Day card from last year- that's how long it's been since I've seen her. So I come away from this weekend bruised but not beaten down, and very ready to move on. I wouldn't change anything about my life, and I need to keep moving forward rather than leaving one foot stuck in the past.


I know this post was very random and I was all over the map, sorry about that! On a final note, Scott, Deacon, Willow, and I would like to wish Reese and Joey a very happy birthday! They both turned three yesterday, and we hope their day was extra special :)

10.4.T. (I guess I should say W!)

Sorry I missed my usual Tuesday post, things got crazy yesterday and I didn't have time to get it done before we went to dinner last night!

1. I am now legally Mrs. Scott Hensley! Yesterday morning Deacon and I got up bright and early to head to the DMV and Social Security office to get my name changed on all my important paperwork. We got to the DMV at 8:15 and Deacon was hungry so I had to feed him, but after that we sat in the lobby until 10:15! It took forever, and of course the morning I decide to go there is only one person typing everything up- just my luck! Deacon did really well, he only fussed for a minute and then fell asleep and was quiet the rest of the time. Unfortunately it was an entirely different story at the Social Security office, he cried the entire time we were there. They even bumped me up in line and put me on the "fast track" so I could get out of there! Deacon doesn't do well when he's hungry haha.


2. Today was Scott's 22nd birthday and Deacon and I made him a cake! His favorite is chocolate with chocolate icing, so Deac and I spent the morning making and decorating one for him. He ate two pieces, so I'm assuming it was good! I'm not a chocolate person so I thought it was just ok, but I'll get my birthday cake when I go visit my parents :) I'm no pro at cake baking and decorating, but I was pretty happy with how it turned out- it's amazing what you can do with some Betty Crocker icing and a sandwich bag!

3. Deacon's extra loveys came today, we ordered him some new ones last week. He is SO attached to that thing I can't even take it away to wash it once a week. I don't even want to know what would happen if heaven forbid he got lost or ruined so we went ahead and got him a couple new ones. Of course we can't just go to Target or BabiesRUs to find them, they're from some boutique in California called Angel Dear! His is a light blue hippo (I thought it was a dragon until I looked it up haha!) and I debated for a long time whether to get him more of the same one or to order a couple different animals. They're all so cute but I eventually decided to keep them all the same so he wouldn't pick favorites. Hopefully my plan will work!


4. When Willow was a baby Scott would always roll her over onto her back and blow raspberries on her belly and neck. Because we don't treat her like a person enough as it is, right?! Now to get our attention she runs up, puts her front paws on your shoulders, and plops her chin right over your mouth. It doesn't matter if you're holding Deacon, talking on the phone, folding laundry, or checking Facebook, when Willow wants your attention she's determined to get it! Silly puppy, all she wants is for you to blow on her neck, but she is so bizarre! One of a kind, our Willow :)


5. Last night Scott and I went to dinner with some of our friends for our birthdays, and we had such a blast! It's a group of people that I used to work at the hospital with, and after I quit we vowed to meet once a month for a date night so we can all stay in touch. They're all in their late 20's so turning 21 was old news to them, but they were very excited for me and made sure that my night was extra special. Valerie got me a crown with a big 21 on it that says "Bye Bye Bouncer, Hello Bartender!" on it, and Laura got me Cosmopolitan mix, a jigger, a shaker, and cocktial napkins that say "Enough with the damn juiceboxes, Mommy needs a cocktail!" Haha how fun! It was a really nice time, I miss seeing and talking to those girls every week. After hearing their stories though I definitely have to say that I'm glad I'm no longer there, the politics of the floor wear me out. I can't wait for next month, they're such a fun bunch!

6. This morning on the way to get the ingredients for Scott's cake I stopped in at Starbucks for a coffee and a pumpkin loaf. I usually get a chai tea latte, white chocolate mocha, or caramel machiatto, but today I decided to try their new darch cherry mocha. SO GOOD! I highly recommend it, especially for those of you who aren't huge coffee drinkers- it's definitely more cherry and chocolate than coffee! Definitely started my morning out right.

7. Scott and I filled out our NCAA brackets yesterday, which means that it's the start of my favorite time of year! I LOVE MARCH MADNESS AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT! College basketball is by far my favorite sport to watch, I'm not a fan of the NBA but I'll watch any and every college basketball game on TV. You can all probably guess already that my favorite team is the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, I definitely bleed orange and blue! I'm so disappointed that they didn't make it to the tournament this year, it's so sad to me that a team with that much talent has such poor coaching. Seriously people, Bruce Weber has GOT to GO! The only thing that makes me feel better about the situation is that UNC didn't make it either- Ha suckas!


8. I'm going back to school this summer, and though I'll only be taking a couple of online classes I'm nervous about adding something else to my already very full plate. I NEED to go back to school, I'm determined to finish just to at least be able to say that I did it. I've always wanted to be a nurse, but at the same time I'm not someone who is so career driven that I want it to define me. Even as a little girl I knew that I wanted to be a mom, to stay home with my children until they get into school and then go back to work. I guess I never considered having to juggle school and having a family, I always thought that I would graduate, get married, and then have kids and stay home- but that's not the order that I drew my cards. Slowly but surely I will finish school and get my degree, even if it's just to say that I have that piece of paper.

9. SIXTEEN MORE DAYS! I'm so excited to go home, I absolutely can't wait to see my family and friends. I know my parents are itching to get their hands on Deacon, I can see it all over their faces when we Skype. He changes more every day, I'm so glad that we get to talk to them as often as we do and that they are able to see him even if it's just for a few minutes at a time. My sister texted me earlier and told me that they are ordering baby ducks to be delivered while we are there, which means that we will be taking some super cute Easter pictures this year! Hopefully these next two weeks will go by quickly, I'm ready to get home!

10. Yesterday Deacon started this screaming thing, it's so funny! He gets so excited and just lets out this ear-piercing scream, like he can't contain his excitement. Check him out!

Pictures from this weekend!

Sorry guys, I updated earlier from my phone when the kids were napping and it won't let me upload pictures from there. And I'm bummed that my video from the other night didn't upload, it was SO cute! I'll try again and see what happens. Enjoy our pictures from this weekend, Deacon is getting so big and so is his personality :)

Success!

Scott's birthday surprise went off without a hitch! I bought him and his brother Todd tickets to go to the Pacquiao v. Clottey fight at Cowboys Stadium on Saturday. He had no idea and was pleasantly surprised when Deacon and I told him that he would be going. Todd picked Scott up and took him to Buffalo Wild Wings and then to watch all the fights, it was the perfect present (or so I was told!). I'm so glad he enjoyed it, he said the seats were great and that the fights were really entertaining.

On the otherhand, I felt like a single mom all weekend with Scott gone most of the time. Friday night he went to play golf at a driving range in Dallas with Todd, his Uncle Shane, and his cousin Chase so he was gone all that night too. Yesterday it was nice to just hang out as a family, we didn't have anywhere to go until the late afternoon. Scotts parents threw a family birthday for me, Scott, Todd, and Karli so we went over there for a few hours in the evening. Deacon was really cranky all day on Sunday for some reason so he had kind of a rough time while we were there, but for the most part it was nice to see everyone and catch up on life after the wedding. Michelle made my mandarin orange cake for me (so nice of her!) but I'm excited for my mom to make me one when I go home in a couple of weeks. The person who invented the recipe could make it and have it perfectly decorated, but it's never the same as when your mom makes it for you!

Last night when we got home Scott and I were getting everything out of the car and our neighbors across the way were pulling out. The girl was talking on her phone and not paying attention and backed right into Scotts truck! I looked right at her and she froze- but instead of
getting out to see what she had done she took off! Scott was so mad and we had to call the police, but because no damage had been done we couldn't file a report. In all of the commotion my phone got left in the car, our keys both got put in the diaper bag, and I took off this morning with both sets! It's a good thing LeRoy is on spring break and is home this week so I was able to bring Scotts keys back to him. That couldve been a disaster!

Tomorrow is my birthday I'm so excited! I'll finally be 21 :) I have the day off so Deacon, Willow and I are going to hang out for the day, and then Scott and I are going to dinner with some friends at night. I can't wait!

Love Never Fails.

I just sat down to write out my thoughts for the day and both smoke detectors went off! Ah! Thankfully Deacon didn't wake up, how I don't know, because one is right above his bed! The boy sleeps like a rock, but I can't complain. There's something in the bottom of our oven and I totally forgot about it when I went to make some chicken nuggets for dinner a few minutes ago. Thick smoke comes rushing out when you open the oven door, and the other day it was coming up through the burners! We need to fix this tomorrow, I keep forgetting to buy something when I go to the store- it's getting ridiculous!

Let's just say that dinner last night was beyond disaster, but I don't have enough energy to write out every frustration right now. We'll leave it at "another story for another day"! We have a party at Scott's parents for our birthdays on Sunday, pray that Deacon doesn't scream bloody murder the whole time we're there like he did last night. I hate when my baby cries like that :(

On the upside, here is a little peek into our afternoon when Deacon and I were having one of our sweet conversations. He's such a joy!

Have any of you ever heard the song Love Never Fails by Brandon Heath? (Mom you don't count!) It was the song we walked down the aisle to at our wedding and I absolutely adore it. I still put the cd in every morning on the way to work, it starts me out all warm and fuzzy :) Take a listen and you'll see what I mean.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Hump Day!

Tonight Scott bought us a lottery ticket, he said he had a lucky day and that hopefully it would carry over and win us some money. Haha dream big, right? Wish us luck at 10:00, apparently we could win 81 million dollars! Not bad, eh?

I think from now on I just need to blog about Deacon's pooping habits and that will keep him regular, the last two times I've written about it he's pooped the next day! At 5:30 this morning he let 'er rip, and I'm sure glad that he did while we were at home and not at work. I changed 16 poopy diapers today- SIXTEEN! The boys ate squash and mango today for the first time and it bit me in the butt (or should I say them?). Hopefully tomorrow will be better, I don't know if I can handle another day like today, my nose is shot!

Last night Deacon slept 9 hours straight! Thank you Lord, I felt like a new woman when I woke up this morning. Of course I woke up a couple of times in the middle of the night to check on him since it was his first time on his stomach, but I got a great night sleep. Apparently so did Deacon, because when he got up at 5:00 he was UP. I've got him on his tummy again right now in hopes that we can make this a pattern and start getting some much needed sleep at night. I can't believe my baby almost slept through the night last night, he's getting so BIG!


My little sister Angela is a freshman this year, I can hardly swallow that one. She's on the varsity soccer team at school and they had their first game last night- anyone want to guess who scored the first goal?! ANGELA! I'm so proud of her, I called earlier this evening to congratulate her and I could hear the smile on her face :) It's so exciting to not only be a freshman on the varsity team, but to score a goal is incredible! Congratulations Angela, I LOVE you!

Tomorrow night we are having Scott's parents and brother over for dinner so that they can see Deacon and hang out with us for a little while. We don't really see them all that much, so I'm praying that Deacon is on his best behavior and isn't completely pooped from his day. Our normal routine when we get home is to play for a little bit, take a bath, eat, and go to bed- let's just hope that having a couple extra people here doesn't mess Deacon up! I absolutely cannot wait to see Todd, he goes to A&M and we haven't seen him since our wedding. Love me some Toddly!

It's a downhill slope from here to the weekend, we're almost there! Happy hump day everyone :)

10 For Tuesday!

It's Tuesday again everybody! Here are some things that have been on my mind and my plate lately. Enjoy!

1. Every Tuesday night I watch 16 and Pregnant on MTV, Scott and I started watching it last summer after we found out that we would be having a baby. I honestly don't know why I watch it, I don't have anything in common with any of these girls. But after each and every episode I realize how incredibly lucky I am to have a job, a nice apartment, supportive parents on both sides, and a father who loves Deacon more than anything in the world. On the episode tonight the baby's father sent a text asking the mom to get him papers to sign to get rid of their "mistake". Never in my life have I heard something so heartless and selfish, I'm sick to my stomach! I know that I got pregnant before I was married and did things backwards, it was not at all my intention- but Deacon is the best thing that ever happened to me and I would not trade him for the world. I don't wish an unexpected pregnancy upon anyone and I pray that my brothers, sister, and Deacon don't have to go through this- but how dare anyone call a precious life a mistake? My sweetness is anything but a mistake.


2. Deacon has a new cry- a "my feelings are hurt!" cry, it's terrible. It all started yesterday when Amber was explaining to me how she wanted the art supplies re-organized in the pantry, I guess she was talking to me and he wanted her attention. The pout lip started popping out, his chin began to quiver, and all of a sudden he let out this blood-curling scream and wouldn't stop until she held his hands and talked to him! The same thing happened when Deacon and I were chatting in the mirror and I stuck my tongue out at him, apparently that was offensive. And he started screaming yet again when Amber got home and she said hello to everyone else except for him. I don't know what all that is about, but apparently he's become quite sensitive!


3. Scott just expressed to me how insulted he is that he doesn't even know how to get to his own blog! Apparently insulted is an understatement according to him :) He says that he's going to start making some posts because he has things to say. Important things! So stay tuned for that, this could get interesting. Haha!


4. I'm sitting here drinking a glass of red gatorade (because I always have to drink something at night!) and I completely forgot how good it is! When I was pregnant one of the first cravings I had was blue gatorade, and only the light blue kind. I drank that stuff like it was going out of style! Until now I really haven't drank much gatorade, when you drink 4 bottles a day for 4 months you get sick of it. It's a miracle I still like Italian dressing and black olives too!


5. It's day 5 again on Deacon's anti-poop campaign, thankfully this week he hasn't been acting cranky and gassy. I know he's about to blow though, the gas has gotten incredibly offensive, even Willow was appaulled earlier when he let one rip! It's funny how my life still revolves around poop, even now that I don't work on the GI floor anymore. The other day I was Skype-ing with my mom and Ryan, and I went through every single fart on the Atomic Fart app on my iPhone, we were all cracking up! And when I got my hair cut Brooke and I talked for 5 minutes about having to poop before you leave the hospital when you have a baby and how much fun that one is. I have no shame haha.


6. Next Tuesday is my birthday and next Wednesday is Scott's birthday- funny how that worked out! He's 364 days older than I am, and I think it's really fun that we can celebrate our birthdays together every year. This Sunday we're having a joint family birthday party for Scott, Me, Todd, and our cousin Karli- it's always an event when you bring the whole Hensley family together! Our birthdays is actually what got Scott to talk to me about for the first time. He came over and sat by me at the Super Bowl party last year but wouldn't say one word to me, at least not until I told everyone how excited I was that my birthday was during spring break! Who knew that your birthday could be an ice-breaker :) I can't wait to give Scott his present this year, I think he's going to be really surprised. On the off chance that he actually reads it I'm going to let you all be surprised as well- hopefully I can pull it off!


7. Today was absolutely gorgeous, it was 76 degrees and sunny! The kids and I went for a walk around the neighborhood this afternoon, you can imagine the looks I got with Deacon strapped to my chest, the twins in a double stroller, Joi holding onto the side of the stroller, and Willow trotting alongside us. I can't even remember how many people asked me if they were all mine! I love that weather, I wish it would last I'm getting tired of the cold. Willow loves it too, we went to the dog park again today and she got to run around like a lunatic and get all of that energy out. Have I mentioned that I LOVE my Boston? :)


8. The Bumbo is Deacon's new favorite thing, he loves sitting up like a big boy. He even likes to play with his gym sitting in the Bumbo with the toys dangling in front of him. Every morning while I get ready Deacon sits in his Bumbo and talks to himself in the mirror, it's so cute. This week he has enjoyed being plopped on the washer while I fold laundry, he just goo's and ga's and giggles- love it! Tonight has to be my favorite Bumbo moment so far, I put him in it on the counter in his bathroom while I gave Willow a bath (she was stinky after the dog park!). He started hiccuping and between each one he let out a huge belly laugh! If only my hands hadn't been covered in soap and dog hair, I would love to have had that on tape!


9. Hopefully tonight Deacon will sleep better, it's been a rough 6 days with him waking up every 2 hours. I've done everything I know how to get him back to those 8 hours, I've kept him up, woken him up to eat before I go to bed, put his pap in his mouth instead of feeding him, and tonight I'm going to try letting him sleep on his tummy. Deacon naps that way, but I've never been brave enough to let him sleep all night like that. I'm praying that it works, but I won't deny that it makes me nervous. Hopefully he'll sleep well, but I doubt that I will.

10.I ABSOLUTELY CAN'T WAIT TO GO HOME FOR EASTER!!!!! 24 DAYS :)