Happy Thanksgiving EVE :)

Well, I am sitting here and it is almost 11:00 p.m. I am exhausted from 3 kiddos being up half the night last night and Doug being on call yet once again! I just made a jello salad and the hoping that it turns out.. part of the crust was breaking apart as I was putting on the cream cheese mixture... probably didn't let it cool enough... Anyway.. as I sit here, I am thinking about the days where the night before Thanksgiving was a night to go out and live it up! Boy, times have changed, but I wouldn't change anything! I am a blessed mother of 3 adorable kiddos! Andrew is now a full fledged TWO year old! He is still telling everyone he is "FREE" (three) I find it to be absolutely adorable! He is in full swing of the "terrible" twos I might add! Everything is No or Why? One day I will break the code of a two year old and figure them out! He knows when he has done something wrong and he puts himself in time out and comes up and gives me a hug and tells me he is sorry. This would be wonderful if he wasn't doing that same thing about two minutes after the time out! I know it is a learning curve and I am really trying to increase my patience. Ellasyn is getting bigger before out eyes! She is almost rolling over and it smiling all the time! We recently moved her to her bedroom and I about had a cry fest! We now have a video monitor and I must say, How did I live without one all of this time? My mom found this one at a Moms 2 mom sale for 20 bucks!! Hoping to invest in one that we can switch to watch all three kiddos! It would be nice to watch Isabella and actually see what she does for "quiet" time! We just had Isabella's first parent/teacher conference and all went well! Her teacher loves having her in class and loves listening to her elaborate stories that she tells. We are working on writing her long name. She knows how to spell it if we ask her! She is really turning into a little girl! I recently took her for her first real haircut and she looks so cute! She told the hairdresser that she wanted "princess" hair :) Well, it is time for bed!! Hoping I get more sleep than last night! Keep Smiling :)

:) Happy Hump Day!!

Well, yesterday I was able to get the WHOLE day to myself with a good friend! We spent the day at the spa and I have to say, it made me feel like a new woman!! I got my very first hot stone massage and I have to say, it exceeded my expectations! I will definitely get one again. I also got a facial and a manicure. What was even nicer, we got the spa to ourselves, so we felt like VIP! :) Doug stayed home with the kiddos and wouldn't you know it.. all of them took the longest naps and were on their best behavior. This day was suppose to show him what I deal with day in and day out and they happen to take a 3 hour nap? Oh well, I did come home to a perfectly clean house, so all is good :) I just hope he realizes that this isn't the norm at all!! Isabella funny: Yesterday we were sitting at the dinner table and Isabella was petting Doug's arm. She says to him, "Daddy, I love the fur on your arm!" We couldn't help but laugh :) I can't believe my little guy is going to be 2 years old on Saturday!!! He is still telling everyone that he is going to be THREE! It is so funny because you ask him what kind of party he is having, and he quickly replies with "DINOSAUR CAKE!" Ellasyn is growing before our eyes! She is smiling much more and Doug even got her to giggle yesterday! I cannot believe how fast time is going!! As the old saying goes, Time flies when your having fun!!! Have an awesome Wednesday and KEEP SMILING :)

Thyroid? Stress? Hormones?

Well, I decided it was time to set up a physical appointment, because I am losing my hair, not losing weight (even though I am eating pretty healthy), bloated, muscle aches and so fatigued I can't think straight! Well, of course I googled my symptoms and it sounds like a thyroid problem. I went for blood work today and have my physical on Monday! I hope we can get to the bottom of it, because I am tired of feeling so tired.. Your probably sitting here thinking.. you do have 3 kids, that is why your tired... This is a different kind of tired that I can barely keep my eyes open these days!! So, please keep your fingers crossed, that I find an answer on Monday!! Ellasyn and I had a busy day today! We dropped Isabella and Andrew off at school and we went to get my blood drawn, ordered Andrew's Dinosaur cake, Toys R Us and to the mall!! I find it amusing that my little boy is going to be two years old next week, yet when you ask him how old he is going to be, he quickly replies THREE!!! I think he is so use to Isabella saying, three that he thinks that is how old he is going to be as well! I can't believe the vocabulary on my little boy.. some I am proud of, and some.. I guess you can say that I have to watch my language!! He loves to say, "DAMN IT" like it is every day language.. oops on my part! Isabella is such a great helper! She quickly gets me a diaper, wipes and burp cloths quickly if I need them. However the other day she told me she was much too busy to be bothered... all I could do was laugh. Keep Smiling!

Clean House! What is that?

Well, I have finally come to the conclusion that no matter how much I try to keep this house clean, it will be clean for no longer than 5 minutes! I put something away, one of the kids takes it out! I guess it comes with the territory!!! I recently bought a plaque to hang in the kitchen, and it reads, "Please Excuse This Messy House, The Kids Are Just Making Memories." Now, if I could just wrap my brain around that mindset, I would be less stressed! I did finally hire a person to clean our house every other week on Wednesdays. The best part about her coming on a Wednesday is the fact that the older two have school! I get to enjoy a completely clean house for a couple of hours :) I need to NOT sweat the small stuff. One day I am going to miss the messy house and the little fingerprints all over the windows. I guess I need to set a goal to focus on one room at a time and not look at the WHOLE house!!! I found a new recipe that I am going to try today!! Sounds easy enough and looks like we will have leftovers for the next day, so I won't have to cook :) The recipe is for unstuffed shells. Enjoy! Keep Smiling :) what you need 4 cups medium pasta shells, uncooked 1 lb. extra-lean ground beef 1 jar (24 oz.) marinara sauce 1 tub (10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Original Cooking Creme 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil 1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese 1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA make it COOK pasta as directed on pacakge, omitting salt. Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet; drain. Stir in marinara sauce; simmer on medium heat 2 min. Remove from heat. DRAIN pasta. Mix cooking creme, basil and Parmesan in large bowl; stir in pasta. Spread half the meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with layers of pasta mixture and remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella; cover with foil. Refrigerate up to 24 hours. HEAT oven to 375ºF. Bake casserole, covered, 40 to 45 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 30 min.

Give Thanks!

Well, since this is November.. I have decided to post on my facebook page the things I am thankful for. First and foremost I am thankful for my wonderful husband. I have to admit.. he has been pretty busy lately with work and I pretty much feel like a single parent most days, but then I stop and think that if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have my 3 beautiful children, the dream house that we are living in and the feeling of love I get from him each day. One of the things that I cherish is every morning when he gets up he kisses my forehead and tells me that he loves me. Little does he know that this is one of my favorite parts of my day. I love you honey!!! We may be busy, but I love that you always take the time to show me that you love me :) Of course the second thing I am most thankful for are my HEALTHY children. Sure, they are adorable and say the cutest things and smile at me like no other person ever will, but the best part is that they are healthy and this is something I thank God for each day. I am one lucky mom and wife! I am going to challenge those of you that read my blog to pay it forward! I remember one of the best feelings was when I was living in Atlanta and on the way to work I would have to pass a toll booth. Well, I can recall one morning where everything was going wrong... I woke up late, was having a bad hair day and seemed to have NOTHING to wear. Well, on this particular day to work as I went to pay my toll, the person who would take my money told me to be on my way that the person in front of me had paid it for me! Well, this changed my day around and I chose to pay for the person behind me on the way home that day. So.. I challenge you to pay it forward and make someone's day!!! I would love to hear what you do.. so leave a comment below :) Happy Day!! Keep Smiling :)

Mommy of THREE!

I am back!!! I decided to look back at my older posts and it was such a thrill for me to see how much I had accomplished being a mommy of two! Well, I am back as a mommy of THREE!! Last year around this time, Doug and I decided we wanted to add to our family once again! We always discussed having four children and let's face it.. I am not a spring chicken! Well, we decided to start trying soon after Andrew's first birthday. With the way things would have it.. we would have a Happy Thanksgiving by finding out if our family of four would expand to a family of five! Thanksgiving Day 2010 at approximately 5:00 a.m. I took a home pregnancy test, only to find a big fat NEGATIVE! Of course my heart sunk, but I quickly had the thought that just because we were lucky the first two times around, didn't mean it would happen as fast the third time! A few days had gone by and we decided to take the kids to see Santa . I remember Doug asking me on the way if I had gotten my period yet? I quickly responded with a big fat "NO" and he said.. well, not to be rude, but its on its way!! Monday at 11:00 a.m. I still didn't have my period, so I decided to take the last pregnancy test that I had! I took the test and with it in hand proceeded down the stairs. I glanced down and saw.... My heart started racing... I was going to be a mommy of 3 kiddos!! I remember that morning like it was yesterday.. I think finding out your going to have another child is the best feeling in the world.. the anticipation of what the test will read and to see that it says, "PREGNANT" is even more exciting. What is even more thrilling, is years back I was told due to my severe endometreosis I had a slim chance of ever becoming pregnant. Well, fast forward 9 months and on August 5, 2011, we welcomed Ellasyn Cate Hoye to our family. She weighed in at 7 pounds 3 ounches and 18 1/2 inches long! She is the sweetest little baby. As we were in the hospital I grew very emotional about bringing her home to Isabella and Andrew. Most of all I was SCARED out of my mind to take care of three kids! Doug's schedule has stunk lately, so it would basically be me with the kids! How was I going to breastfeed and pay attention to Isabella and Andrew? I have to say... the first month is a blur! I fell into a bad postpartum depression, ended up seeing my ob and being put on a half a zoloft. Well, the zoloft seemed to work after a couple of weeks, then it made me even more irritable, so I decided to stop taking it and start walking and exercising. I am happy to say that most days are wonderful and other days are just plain, I want to crawl in a hole and not come out days! Those of you that know me, know that I am a happy person all around and feeling the way that I did after the birth of Ellasyn, scared the living daylights out of me! I am not one to just sit around and cry! I think there needs to be more awareness out there on postpartum depression.. and even support groups out there. I felt so alone and thanks to my wonderful family overcame one of the darkest periods in my life. Ellasyn is going to be 3 months at the end of the week, and I can hardly believe it! She has fit right into our family and is the best baby! She loves to smile at me first thing in the morning and I think to myself, this is what it is all about! Seeing the smiles on my children's faces gives me the best feeling in the world. I am blessed all around. :)