I am alive...

I have so much to post, but I can't find the chord that attaches to my camera to upload pictures.

As soon as I find it, I will blow your mind with all the pictures...

But until then, I have some good news to share...

Kelly had her babies!!! They were going to take the boys in the 28th (at 36 weeks), but due to some serious health concerns regarding Kelly, they took them on Monday.

I don't know many details, but they weighed in at just under 5 lbs. and just over 5 lbs.

Luke William (after Kelly's dad, my Papa). He looks JUST like Ava. Its crazy!

and Logan Val (after Dave's dad)

We are all so excited to have them here. Kelly and Dave's journey is just beginning...

Happy Mother's Day!

I LOVE this poem!!! I am truly blessed to have the BEST mom in the world, who is also my best friend. I can't imagine life without her. I also feel like the luckiest mom to have the two sweetest babies!!! I am also blessed to have my life touched by many other mothers. I love you all and am grateful for your presense in my life!



This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms,
wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying,
'It's okay honey, Mommy's here.'

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains
on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes.
And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers
who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.

And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars.
And that when their kids asked, 'Did you see me, Mom?' they could say, 'Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world,' and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making
babies. And for all the (grand)mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat.

For all the mothers who read 'Goodnight, Moon' twice a night for a year. And then
read it again, 'Just one more time.'

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before
they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice
calls 'Mom?' in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college -- or have their own families.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them
they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them. For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers
of those who did the shooting.

For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray
they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips?
The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?

Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache she feels when she watches her son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?

The jolt that takes her from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put her hand on the back of a sleeping baby?

The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when she just wants to hear
their key in the door and know they are safe again in her home?

Or the need to flee from wherever she is and hug her child when she hears news
of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for
young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation...
And for mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.

Single mothers and married mothers.

Mothers with money, mothers without.

This is for you all. For all of us...

Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them every day that we love them. And pray and never stop being a mother...

Why do they grow so fast?!

Just Jackson - April

I often feel that Jackson is neglected a little bit on my blog because he rarely lets me take any pictures of him. I've decided to devote one blog per month to just the cute things that Jackson says and does... Just Jackson. My friend, Jennie does this, and I love it.



As you all know, Jackson LOVES thomas the Tank Engine, so alot of what he says has to do with Thomas.

Jackson has started associating everything with the characters from Thomas. Every airplane we see is now Jeremy (the Jetplane), every bus we see is Bertie (the Bus), every passenger train is Boco, every tractor is either Trevor or Terrence, and so on.

It was raining the other day and I was using a green umbrella. I guess it was casting a green light on me, and Jackson said, "mama, you're green like Percy" (a train from Thomas).

Jackson was running through the house and I asked him to be a little more quiet because Caroline was taking a nap. He said, "leave me alone, Jackson is very cross." (the trains are often cross on Thomas)

Jackson was unhappy with me over something (thats most of the time these days) and he said, "You're making crazy mama, you've been like this all week." I wonder where he heard that?! :)

My dad and stepmom have two great danes, and when Jackson first met them he was convinced they were cows. Now he knows they are dogs and only thinks big dogs are dogs. We were taking a walk and came across two small, but grown, adult dogs. Jackson told me they were puppies and would not be convinced otherwise. Later when we saw a big dog, like those he is used to, he said, "Mama, that is a dog. Those ones are puppies." Atleast he likes big dogs and not little fake dogs. :)

Just about every day Jackson asks to go to Chick-a-yay for chicken nuggets, french fries and dippers.

Jackson has a little bit of a problem sharing his toys with Caroline. Mostly because he thinks that she should only play with her baby dolls. Every time she is playing with somethiing of his, he takes it from her ad brings her one of her dolls and says that she needs to play with her baby dolls.

Something on TV was talking about favorite friends, so I asked Jaskon who his favorite friends were. Without hesitation, he said, "Daddy, mommy, Nanay."

Jackson told me he needed to go pick the carrots from our front yard. I said we didn't have carrots, but he would not accept that so I old him to take me and show me where the carrots were. He showed me the small hostas growing in the yard (which do look like the leaves of carrots now that I think about it).

We have always joked in my family that my cousin Shannon was born to the wrong mother because she looks just like my mom especially as children and young adults. Jackson was looking through our wedding album the other day and came accross a picture of me and my bridesmaids (one of which is Shannon) and he said, Mama, Amy, Caitlin (he loves the two of them), and Nanay. I'm not even kidding. He thought Shannon was my mom.

This video is Jackson singing part of his favorite song from Thomas. Its a little hard to understand, but the words are:

Thomas, he's the cheeky one
James is vain but lots of fun
Percy pulls the mail on time
Gordon thunders down the line
Emily really knows her stuff
Henry toots and huffs and puffs
Edward wants to help and share
Toby, well let's say he's square