Goodbye 2011...

Today is new years eve. The cusp of new beginnings for many people, hope for a new start, and a chance to right old wrongs. As I look back at the last year a few thoughts pop into my head...

Warp Speed: This time last year I was 7 months pregnant, physically miserable, mentally exhausted, and uncertain of how our family would handle the addition of #3. Today I am thankful for Stratton, the biggest of surprises that has turned out to be one of the most amazing blessings. But man oh man, how time flies by! In no time at all that baby boy will be turning one. And for the first time in a long time, our house will be empty of baby bottles, formula, and such. I can't go so far as to say that I'll miss it, but I will look back upon it with more of a faint, reminisent smile than I originally thought I would.

Appreciation: I have the most amazing husband. And if there's one thing I hope to do better at in the new year, it is to make more of an attempt to show him how much he means to me and to our family. He is my rock, and he should know how much he is loved and appreciated.

Blessings: We made it through the year relatively healthy all things considered. Stratton's birth, Ky's eyes, J's kidneys...the list could go on, we're not exactly what you would call a healthy family. But 2011 was good to us. It was the break we'd been looking for and desperately needing since before Beck's birth. In 2011, we breathed...usually with one kid on our hip, one pulling on our leg and the other calling for us from across the house, but still, we breathed. I LOVE the chaos that is our life. And I wouldn't change it for anything.

Heading into the new year I hope for more of what we already have. A house filled with laughter, a family filled with love, and a life filled with the Lord's blessings.

I have a feeling that 2012 will bring with it change for our family. And that's alright, we've been waiting for some of it. And even the unexpected change that is yet unknown, we'll dive in with our hearts strong, our heads clear, and our family close.

I hope the new year is good to you and yours, and I pray that you get everything your heart desires...and if you already have it (like I do) my wish for you is even simpler, I hope for continued satisfaction that fills your heart with joy and peace.

Cheers to 2011, and Welcome 2012

Merry Christmas

Jason and I were up fairly late on Christmas Eve getting ready for the morning festivities. We had to pull all the gifts down from the attic, fill stockings, and put together Ky's barbie house (which turned out to be one of J's worst nightmares). We got an early start to Christmas morning when Stratton was up and ready to get going at 5 am. By the time the other two woke up, he was ready to nap, which actually worked out nice because we were able to focus on the kids that understood what was going on, but as a result, he missed any pics that were taken (which wasn't much)...

proof that santa came! yeah, they're green grinch cookies...pretty yummy too...

Santa wanted to make sure the kid's didn't peek, so he wrapped their bedroom doors. Ky was so confused when she woke up. She ended up army crawling under it because she didn't know what else to do...
Final shot before heading to bed Christmas Eve...I know I have some pretty good kids....but I'm not sure they deserved ALL they got =)

Our attempt at getting the Christmas pj shot we take every year. Not very successful....as is evidenced by Stratton screaming...

We started the morning by praying and talking about why we celebrate Christmas, and then we sang happy birthday Jesus. After that, it was game faces on as opening began!

Ky ripping into her doll house..

Beck checking out the dump truck Uncle Keith and family got him...

Kylie very happy to pose with her new "I can be: Bride barbie set"

Cars backpack, what a BIG BOY!

Christmas Eve...

Christmas Eve started off with an early dinner at La Hacienda and then over to my parents for opening gifts. Both the boys are still on antibiotics, but it seems to really be giving Stratton stomach problems. He was a mess the entire day and my parents house was no exception. After trying to put him down to nap twice, we gave up and took turns holding him while he whimpered and watched. Here's the before shot of my parent's pool table upstairs. It was swimming in a sea of presents....

Dampa helping Beck open his hockey stick.

Family Shot. The boys were wearing adorable matching tie tshirts that my friend Jess made and shipped. They looked so handsome....

Strattone trying to enjoy his first Christmas, even though he was feeling a bit yucky...

A brief glimpse of the chaos once the ''one at a time'' approach ended due to lack of time. The kids just tore in...

Ky and I.

Saying Thank You....

I wanted to get together with our two favorite girls, Kenz and Ash, over Christmas break and do something fun..with a little help from Steph, we picked baking and decorating cookies we could take to the fire department. At the last minute, Stephanie ended up doing it all, and watching Ky on top of her already full house, while I took the boys to the doctor and then quarantined them at our house. Oh well, it's the thought that counts, right? The girls all made very cute thank you cards and decorated some sugar cookies as well as reindeer peanut butter cookies. Here's a shot of Kenz, Ky, and Beck outside the fire department. Ash wasn't in the mood for a picture. My favorite part of the event (not that I was around for it) was driving in the car when Ashlyn decided to share with me that she was going to have 12 babies when she grew up. When I asked why, she responded "So I can have 12 beds and 12 high chairs and we can all eat pizza every night and Kenz can come over and visit." That girl is such a hoot....

Daily Rantings with yours truly...

I read an article this morning stating that Christmas time is a wonderful time to buy your children designer clothes at a great discount. The mom went on to say that she only purchases designer clothes for her three children. Her reasoning went something like this: Well dressed people get farther in life. They marry up, get the promotions at work, and generally gain more respect from people than those without designer labels. She concluded her article by saying that wait staff and strangers have more compassion and patience with difficult and tantrum filled children that are well dressed. She doesn't leave the house without her children being done up head to toe.

Really? The nerve of some people.... I kept reading because I was waiting for the clear haha sarcastic comment, alas, there wasn't one. She was being completely serious. Made me think of those V8 commercials when someone walks by and hits the junk-food eating person on the head knocking some sense into them. I just wanted to say "Here's an idea, how about you teach your children how to behave instead of covering up their brattiness and lack of respect with button downs and loafers? I would pin my kiddos (snot nosed, stained t's, and shoeless) against your well dressed brats any day.

And we wonder why children grow up with so many problems. We blame a materialistic world? Wake up moms, you shape your children's world with what you say and what you do. Our children are beautiful regardless of what they're wearing. You teach a child to give respect and they'll learn that in return, they will gain the respect of others. You teach a child the value of Prada and she will grow up to...well, lets just say it reminds me of a little girl whose birthday we attended a few years ago. Upon walking into the house the birthday girl came running up and the first words out of her mouth were, "ooohhh, how much did you spend on my gift?"......she was turning 4 by the way.....

ok. that's it. i'm done. talk about getting under my skin....

Stratton turns 10 months...

At ten months you:

-devour food like you haven't eaten in days

-can't stand to loose sight of your mom for any amount of time

-have created some serious aversion to the church nursery

-love to clap and say, "yay" over and over and over

-like the sound of music and the sight of Beck and Ky dancing

-LOVE to chew on paper: books, Kleenex, boxes....anything you shouldn't have in your mouth

-are fearful of your brother's new interest in playing with you. (I would be too if someone was throwing a ball in my face multiple times a day).

-are finally crawling!

-Got your first non baby hair cut (see below) in hopes that we could tame the craziness we like to call your hair. (p.s....it didn't really work, you're still a hot mess)

These two are gong to cause me MANY grey hairs...I already know it...

How I knew he was the one...

It is evident by the smile that comes across my face when someone asks me how Jason and I met, that it is one of my favorite stories to tell. (Although, listening to Jason tell it is even more enjoyable than sharing it myself). In a world rampant with divorce and single parent families, I am so grateful to have such a wonderfully devoted and loving husband and such a strong, consistent family backdrop to raise my kids in.

I don't claim to have the secret to a successful marriage. I consider us to be a constant work in progress. Jason and I both agree that it has just as much, if not more, to do with timing than love at first sight or finding your soul mate. (And this coming from one of the most ''love will conquer all'' attitudes you'll ever know). And more than anything, it takes A LOT of work. Patience, understanding, acceptance, and an ability to listen go a long way too, but without effort you got nothing...

The backdrop for when I met Jason can't be captured in words or pictures. Rather, it can only be experienced. No one can explain exactly what Bourbon Street smells like, how the reflections of the beads, lights of the neon bar signs, and stage strobes all dance gracefully together to create one of the most tasteless, tactless beautiful sights I've ever seen.

Our first encounter included deafening rap music, syrupy bar shots, a quick glance at a nice set of abs, and the inner feeling that only the essence of Mardi Gras can give a person. A concoction of hopes and dreams, pure enjoyment of the moment, and fear of the unknown. But hidden behind all of those pressing emotions is the rawest of all: Curiosity. He was a good looking guy with a genuine smile who seemed to have a couple really nice, and more importantly NORMAL, seeming friends with him. I was interested. Mainly because he didn't seem that interested at all. What I found attractive about him was that his intensions were so obvious. He wanted to have a good time with his friends without the interruption of girl problems or mindless chitchat. Early into getting to know him I realized he was a great conversationalist and also a bit of a control freak (another weakness of mind as I always enjoyed a challenge back when I was but a child).

Fast forward 5 months and two meetings later (we did the ''friends getting to know each other over the phone" for months before I had finally had enough and told him I was flying out to Philly for his birthday). Two weeks after that trip and he found himself back in New Orleans staying in the house of a couple crazy soccer chicks who didn't have a care in the world except making it to practice on time and finding out where we were going out the coming weekend (If you know Jason, you know this isn't really his speed). But it was during this trip that I knew he was the one.

It all started with walk around the neighborhood. Our house was only streets away from a MUCH nicer street lined with big oaks and historic million dollar homes that made it impossible to see and not fall in love with.

So what was it that brought us together? What sealed the deal? What was the icing on the cake? None other than a piece of trash. That's it ladies and gentleman. Isn't it romantic? Doesn't it just give you butterflies?

During our trip around the neighborhood, we walked by a plastic coke bottle laying on the side of the street. Now, New Orleans isn't exactly the cleanest city in the world, in fact, it might be dirty enough that just passing by would cause you to want to go home and scrub your house clean top to bottom, but he went over, picked it up, and carried it the rest of the way back to our house where he threw it away.

Yeah, isn't that special? It was enough for me. It was proof that he was a good person, not because of what he said or what he promised, but what he did. Actions speak louder than words.

I couldn't tell you what we talked about on that trip, but I will always remember that moment when I was smitten, and done for.

Trash brought us together, in more ways than one. Not much about our story would appear to have a lot of staying power when you look at it from the outside. Proof that it doesn't matter how it starts, but how you keep it going that matters.

Now if only I can figure out how I'm going to make our story ''kid friendly'' when Kylie gets old enough and curious enough to ask how we met. I'm pretty sure me answering, "Mommy was feeding Daddy's best friends shots from her waist" won't really be what she's looking for.

Knights in shining armor exist. Fairytales do come true. They're rarely conventional or expected, but happiness is happiness regardless of where its born.

A shot from the night Jason and I met.

Family Pictures

Since Christmas Cards have been sent, here are the rest of the shots from our attempt at family pictures this year...

p.s. i think santa finished wrapping gifts last night after the kiddos went down, bring on the festivities! I'm ready!

Weekend Festivities

Today we headed to the neighborhood Christmas Party which included horse drawn carriage rides, crafts, tons of food, and a bounce house. Fortunately for all involved, it was in the mid 50's this weekend, as oppose to the 30's it has been. It was nice to get some fresh air and have something to look at other than the inside of our house. As a family, we've been passing around the same cold for the last two weeks. It started with Beck, then went to Stratton, and Jason and I both woke up feeling it this morning. If it wasn't for the warmer weather, I doubt we would have been able to make the event.

Enjoying the carriage ride.

Stratton watching Ky and Beck in the bounce house...

Beck loves accessories. From Kylie's purses to hats, he'll wear them all. Here he has on Ky's fairy wings and a reindeer mask while he plays cars. what a goof ball!

This picture didn't turn out that great at all, which is a total bummer because I LOVE this face. It is rare when I can get him to look at the camera and smile at the same time.

Update: Potty training is still going really well. Yesterday was rough, with three accidents I was really worried that we were doing the ''one step forward, two steps back'' routine, but he had another accident free day today. Fingers crossed tomorrow will be just as good!

My biggest reindeer...

Sometimes her beauty blows me away...then again sometimes her teenage like attitude does that also...

One of THOSE posts...

I always laugh at some of the things parents choose to share on facebook, blogs, texts, phone calls. And even though I am well aware that the amount of people curious about Beck's potty training is population 0, I'm going to share anyways.

Attempt #2 started Saturday morning with an all or nothing switch to undies (minus nap times and long trips out of the house). I figured it was a perfect weekend since we didn't have too much going on and the weather was so horrible that I knew we'd be around the house much of the weekend.

Saturday and Sunday were filled with many dirty towels, loads of laundry and tears. He was VERY unhappy any time he would go in his pants (Which I am actually grateful for because if he had happened to be one of those boys that didn't care, well...lets just say I didn't have a plan B) He kept saying "undies not working mommy" over, and over, and over. At the end of Day 1 I looked at Jason and asked if we were just wasting our time, at what point he reminded me that consistency and patience is what would get us there. (not sure how I landed such a smart man) but it was just what I needed to hear to get me through Day 2.

By Monday evening I felt like he was starting to connect the sensation to the idea. He would begin to pee in his pants and then run to the potty. And although he was still very upset each and every time, we did get 2 successful potty trips that day, resulting in a new hot wheels car around bed time. Then, for some reason, he woke up this morning, at which point I took him straight to the potty and put undies on. After telling me he had to go, he peed around 7:30 am. and then again around 3:30 pm...yeah, what 2 year old goes 8 hrs. without using the restroom. I kept putting him on the potty periodically throughout the day and he kept saying he didn't need to go. Around 3:30 he came running in, I sat him down, and the rest is history. He went the rest of the day telling me when he needed to go and had not a single drop in his undies all day. Now, there were MANY false alarms, at which point I started to realize that he just enjoyed running in saying "hurry mommy, hurry, pee pee, hurry" and watching me bust out my super hero speed as we made the mad dash to the living room.

The next step will be moving the potty to the bathroom and then getting him use to the regular potty, then I dare say, we can leave the house?

I know we have a long ways to go, but we're making progress. The idea of having only one kid in diapers is within reach, and this makes me one happy momma...

MUST HAVE toys...

With all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season upon us, a good friend asked what toys my kids have used the most over the last few years. I know the list is different for every family, but I've learned there are just a few things I know the Alcorn clan could not do without:

-trampoline: My kids live on it regardless of the weather. In fact, the times they enjoy it the most is when its wet (because they can slide around) or covered in fall leaves (because they love to get dirty) Luckily we've had no bad injuries yet, and hoping it stays that way!

-sandbox: inexpensive and well worth the mess as long as you keep it covered when not in use. Ky loves to use the buckets and shovels to ''explore'' the backyard and Beck loves to move sand in and out of the dump truck.

-sidewalk chalk: whether it is me drawing cars or Ky creating a town, we have multiple pails and they are permanently placed on the front porch and in the strollers. My favorite is when I run into neighbors and they comment "oh, we saw beck was at the park this week, as evidenced by the road and trucks drawn all over the place''

-foam bath letters and numbers: they can get gross pretty quick if you don't put them away after every use, but at the cheap price, who cares...nothing like learning colors, number, letters, spelling, and phonics sounds while having fun in the tub.

-Easel: Kylie received one for Christmas three years ago, and both her and Beck still use it regularly. Having an accessible place for kids to practice their writing skills while playing school or restaurant is wonderful!

-play kitchen: I'm surprised ours is still standing after all the abuse the kids have given it over the years. What a great way to learn vocabulary and work on hand eye coordination. (and the fact that there's multiple drawers and cubbies to store more toys in is an added bonus)

-playdough: I can't stand it. It is smashed into my floors and carpets in almost every room. And I couldn't even guess how much my children have attempted to ingest over the years. But the possibilities are endless as you can use it as a teaching tool for just about anything. As much as it drives me crazy, it has also saved my sanity on many rainy days and I couldn't live without it.

-Library and Park. Yeah, I know, these aren't really things, but rather some fantastic places that I could not live without. Books and fresh air are a mom's secret weapon, and with both, children everywhere smile!

Playtime...

Stratton got to hang out with his good buddy Miles this morning. We try to snap a shot of these two each time we get together. Even though they're only two weeks apart, Miles is leaps and bounds ahead of Stratton in terms of moving, but I was reminded by watching Amanda chase Miles around the living room, that stationary is right where I'd like Strat to stay...at least a little longer....

I added my own commentary on this string of pictures I took.

"Really, you're really taking our pictures AGAIN?"

"What do you say we skip outta this joint?"

"Hold on I gotta make an important call to my milk man"

"Alright, we out"

Just in case you need a reminder of one of the first times we got these two together...

Fun in the backyard...

This afternoon it was actually warm enough to go outside and enjoy the sunshine, which is exactly what we did. I took my camera out and just snapped a couple shots of the kiddos hanging out.

This first one is a pic of Beck's feet. While in Pittsburgh he decided he HAD to get his toes painted since Sissy did. We have yet to take the polish off (he's been to gymnastics class twice and I'm fairly certain his coach noticed) but I love the mix of the dirt with the polish, makes me laugh. Just like him: sweet, sassy, and a mess all at the same time....

Stratton found a new favorite toy in the empty watering can, he was a pretty happy camper...

Family Pictures

Before heading to Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving, I booked a mini session with a neighbor whose also an ex teacher and just so happens to know something about little kids seeing as she has three of her own. I'm saving the family shots until after Christmas cards get mailed out, but since I didn't use these on the card, I thought I'd share.

Beckham

I know he's not smiling, but the fact that she got a shot of him doing something other than squinting his eyes is impressive to me...

Kylie

If only she would have given one real smile in the entire c.d. of pictures...

Stratton

This is my favorite of all the pictures, even the family ones. It just makes me smile because this kid is such a goober...
Pics taken by: Mandie McMurdie Photography

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

This weekend we pulled all the Christmas boxes down and decorated the house. I'm actually doing a scaled down version this year. With our house already feeling a little crammed with too many people, I decided to keep all the nicknacks stored away and just put up one of the trees and decorate the mantle. And of course, Ky has her tree in her room. We put the big tree up in the living room this year instead of the front window. With the addition of the train table from Beck's bday, the playroom is about to pop all on its own, and since this is the room we're in most of the time, I figured putting my snow covered tree with very fragile ornaments smack dab in the middle of that wouldn't be the best move. I actually like the combo of the tree and mantle together!

I know the colors aren't very traditional, but neither is my family!

If my house was on fire and I could only save a few objects (besides my family and pets that is) it would first be the kids scrapbooks, and maybe second this tree. It was love at first sight 5 years ago and every year I put it up we fall in love all over again!

Beck playing with ky's snow globe. I'm very excited to see how he will take in Christmas this year. I really think he's the perfect age for it. In fact, we even wrote his list to santa and I was amazed at his comprehension level. Among the regulars like cars, trucks, legos, he also had me write bubbles, pig, and money. Interesting choices I think..
Getting ready to help decorate the tree in ky's room...

Putting up the beads, love these two weenies...

Yeah, the tree is leaning, neither of them would let me touch the tree to fix it. =) they were too proud!

Much to be Thankful For...

This past week we packed up all the kids (and what seemed like half our house when all was said and done) and headed to Pittsburgh to spend Thanksgiving with Jason's family. Although the time spent on airplanes with potentially screaming children is never fun, this is a trip that always turns out to be more than worthwhile. The kids did fantastic on the flights and during the trip. Its amazing that not one of them ended up sick (I seriously think this is the first time we have traveled anywhere without one of them fighting some sort of illness.) And although we spent a good bit of time indoors thanks to the rain and cold weather, no one can deny how beautiful this place is.

Here are some shots we took from the front of Jason's parents house.

The creek and "J's tree" that is right outside the house he grew up in.

An accurate picture of their closest neighbors...and there isn't another house to be seen from any direction.

End of their driveway. I was amazed at how green everything was since I was so used to how bad/brown this summer was in Texas.

Dad and his mini-me playing outside. She could care less that is was 45 degrees out.

Checking out memaw's planting and trees around the house...

Kids of "the loop" to date. Gavin, far left, is the most recent addition to what was thus far our family clan. J has a group of guys from back home that we're very close to and we've been waiting for everyone's lives to catch up to ours..its finally starting to happen. We can't wait until Pat and Chris's baby boy joins us next year!!!!

Playing WII dancing games in the basement. No one was more excited than beck. notice he has a ''fake'' controller because he couldn't be trusted with a real one with all the thrashing and dancing he was doing...

Papap and Ky in the wood shop working away on a bird house.

J's grandma with Keith, Jason, and the grandkids. She was so happy she cried when we surprised her with a visit once we arrived.

Uncle Keith and Beck jamming out on the guitar...

Memaw and Beck

Uncle Keith got to meet Stratton for the first time!

Ky and Jacob, these two were inseparable the entire time we were there. here's their ''pose for the camera'' pic.

We even got a chance to drive the 2 hours up to du bois to see my grandma and some of her sisters. Its always neat to go back to places I remember visiting as a child...

Kylie riding papap's tractor. She's always been too afraid....its amazing what a daredevil little brother will persuade you to do...

Stratton with his indian hat hanging at the window trying to keep warm during tractor rides...

Beck LOVED every minute of the tractor. And I'm pretty sure if papap told him he could drive it, he wouldn't have hesitated a single moment..

Beckham playing with the cars his daddy and uncle played with growing up. This was really neat for me. I love sentimental things like this...

With the introduction of over 70 new (rather, old) cars, you can probably imagine beck was very busy and very focused all week.

All in all, we had a blast! I wish we could have stayed longer, but I'm not sure we've ever left thinking that we were there for enough time. We both got to see our grandmothers, spent time with family and friends, and even got to play a little pick up soccer one evening (something I'm still trying to recover from thanks to the soreness).

In fact, Beck did great on the flights home (not taking a nap which he has every day since he was born) until we landed in Dallas and we got off the plane and he asked where memaw was. You can imagine the fit to followed after I explained that she wasn't with us and that we were headed home....

What a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving, hanging out with family whom you're so thankful for!