Baby Dedication

As most of you know, we took part in the baby dedication service at Trinity Fellowship this past Sunday. It was very special to be able to have Caroline dedicated at the same time Rob and Misty dedicated Phoenix. Thanks to Mimi, Grandma Duke, Grandma & Grandpa Haskell, and Uncle Nate for being there as well! We know God has something special in store for these 2 sweet babies, and we can't wait to see what that is!
P.S. I have had several comments made about my skin color---NO, I DO NOT HAVE A SUNBURN...the tanning bed is just making me a bit on the pink side this year. Maybe it's from not tanning for a year while pregnant. Dunno. Just thought I'd clear that up. :)

Welcome Sawyer!!

My dear friend Lindsay just welcomed her son Sawyer Cory Schumacher into the world. He was born at 3:10pm and weighed 8lbs. 13oz. Such a large baby! She was originally due on the 23rd, but he took his time getting here. I am just amazed by my friends that have been having large babies, since mine have all been under 7 lbs. :) Congrats to Lindsay and Cory, and we cannot wait to meet him!!

Great Day To Buy A Car

That's right folks! According to Mike on the Air 1 morning show (radio), it's a great day to buy a car. Why you ask? Well, that's because it's National Honesty Day. His theory here is that you could use that as leverage with a car salesman. You could just say, "Well, I know you have a great deal for me, and I know you will be honest about it because it's National Honesty Day." Worth a try right?!? :)

Actually, I need a new car like I need a hole in my head...but if anyone out there takes Mike's advice, let me know!

Let's Play Burritos!

Poor Christian. Momma always seems to blab about his mixups and laugh at his funny sayings. :) He LOVES to play Play-Doh, and he found it again in the cabinet today. Not only that, but he also found some Pampered Chef plastic cookie cutters to use with it. He ran into the living room bursting with excitement and yells, "Momma, let's play burritos!"

WHAT?!?

Oh yeah, Play-Doh. Hmmm. "No, Christian, burritos are what we eat. Play-Doh is what we play." "No, Mamma, I wanna PLAY burritos!!"

You pick your battles.

So it was off to play burritos for an hour or two!

Too Many Bums In the Bumbo

Well, we were finally able to buy Miss Caroline a Bumbo seat, and she loves it! The great thing about the Bumbo is that no matter how hard they try to get out, they can't (and we have definitely tested it). Christian got jealous that Caroline had a new "toy", so he had to try it out too. The problem now is that he thinks it's his new tv watching chair! It's a tad bit sad that our darling 3 year old has such a skinny bum that it fits as well as the 6 month old's bum. Hmmmm....:) I feed him, I promise!! HaHa

Proof that C2's skinny bum actually fits. He's watching Barney while lounging. Jeez! :)
And here we have Caroline in it. She was playing with a big sunshine...funny that that's her nickname!

My Baby Is Back!!

Well, it's been a sad, lonely 2 months without my darling violin. :) She had some issues, and the great Buddy Squyres was so kind to her. He rehaired her bow and glued a new bone tip onto it, set her sound peg back into place, and put on an awesome (and according to him, a very expensive and rare) bridge. She sounds just spectacular! Buddy truly is a master violin repairman. He takes his time and treats each instrument with the upmost respect...except for the fact that he smokes while he does it and lets his cat sit on the case...but let's not be too picky! :) I am including a before pic of when John squashed my darling, as well as a pic of her new accessories.
Here she is, just moments after being squashed! I thought she was beyond saving.

And here she is now. All that's left from the accident are scars. What a miraculous save!

Relaxing Sunday

We just had a very relaxing Sunday yesterday. John did yard work, Caitlin and Christian played baseball with the neighbor kids, and Caroline hung out with me and Charlie the dog in the back yard. We also got to go see Nathan's new apartment. It was very nice! We will have to go bug him every once in a while and see what he's up to. The kids loved the apartment because you have to ring his room number and he comes on the loud speaker to talk to you and let you in. They had a blast with that! All else is the same at the Haskell household--just grateful that those storms that blew through on Saturday passed us by!
The first picture was taken from our back yard. It's crazy to be out there and hear cows mooing as they pass by on their way to the water tank. Only in Texas!

Momma Haskell's Haircut

So here is the pic as promised...I can't believe I waited so long to do this. I absolutely love it!! It such a "Mom" haircut. I guess it fits me then huh. :)

Ahhh, what a day!

This post is just a congloberation (my own word there) of things going on in the Haskell household.

Poor Daddy Haskell has to work a 24hr. shift tomorrow for Pantex, thus leaving us to twiddle our thumbs once again. He is putting in a 2wk notice with BSA, so he will be home more often...which was the WHOLE POINT of his promotion anyway. Thank goodness.

Caitlin (C1) has had a really exciting week at school. All of the teachers at Arbor Academy bought these kits with freeze-dried caterpillars and a big net/cage thingy. They whole point of them is that the caterpillars will make caccoons (sp?) and hatch into beautiful butterflies. So far, 5 have done so. Her class has named them. The names are Miracle, Bugsy, Anna, Stripes, and Napoleon. She is fascinated with the new butterflies and talks about them daily. C1 also finished her testing this week. I was wrong...it wasn't the TAKS test like what the public schools took. They were a form of the SAT's. Whatever. Still stressful if you ask me.

Christian (C2) has been his cheery, funny self. Today, I was getting dressed and didn't have my top or bra on (they were downstairs in the laundry room and I was still upstairs getting him ready for the day) and he said the funniest thing. I was in the process of doing his hair and he began to whine. When I asked him what was wrong, he said, "Momma, I don't wanna see your boobies!" Boys.

Caroline (C3) has been such a beggar with her oatmeal. If she doesn't get it at least twice a day, she gets fussy deluxe! We went to the mall with my friend Jill and Miss Alexis, and that was fun. Both girls were fussy from time to time, and Christian was just along for the ride. He kept calling Alexis by the name of Phoenix. Poor boy is totally confused with all of these darn babies! :)

Ok, last but not least...Momma Haskell. I have an appointment this evening to get my hair cut. I'm thinking I will do something semi-short---shorter more like. Anyway, the hair stylist is a girl I went to school with, so I hope that since she knows me she won't butcher me. :) I'll post pics when I get home. So, Christian, Caroline, and I got into a small fender bender today. A chick (her name was Melissa I might add) rear-ended us on the way home from hanging out with Jill. she was driving a minivan similar to mine and not going very fast, so the damage was minimal. Also, I would like to point out that I have angels surrounding me at all times, so that definitely helped! Everyone is fine, and life goes on. Dents and all.

That's it ladies and gentlemen! Have a great weekend!

Photos By Janice

Ok, I know this is post #3 for today, but I just seem to have so much to share! This is truly amazing. The woman that came and took Caroline's pictures when she was a week old has started a photography business. Caroline was actually her first client! Janice is her name, and she truly has a gift for capturing children at their best.

If any of you are interested in having her photograph your children/grandchildren, her website is: www.photosbyjanice.blogspot.com. Of course, feel free to go check out the pictures she used of Caroline and Alexis Crum (the baby above Caroline). They are beautiful!
Also, her husband (he works with John) said that she is still in the process of getting her portfolio together, and will charge only $50 for the sitting fee and approx. 200 pictures. For any of you that have had professional pictures taken, that is a STEAL!! It's only good for a little while, so I would say jump on it asap!

I am going to have her take Christian's 3 year old pictures and possibly some 6 month ones for Caroline. Also, she will be doing our Christmas pictures and things like that from now on. She's great and I want everyone to know about her so she can build a successful business!

BodyPump and Sleepwalkers

Getting 3 children ready for the day is no small feat. If you add getting ME ready in that mix, it's quite the trip. However, every Wednesday, I leap out of bed at 7am, go through the regular routine, and then head off to the gym for my 9am BodyPump class.

I am really in a love/hate relationship with this class right now. There are some mornings that I feel like if I hear the skinny, sexy instructor say "Get those booties down ladies!" one more time, I'm gonna just lose it. I just never understood why those of us who are less than ideally fit have to watch a hot chick up on a platform bend over and demonstrate the proper dead lift moves with a cheek hanging out.

For goodness' sake.

So yesterday morning was just like the others. Rush to the gym, set up my weights, and wait for Jesica (instructor) to show up and punish the class some more for the extra bon bons we got into over the weekend.

Lo and behold...what is this? Jesica looked a little rough around the edges, to be polite about it. No makeup (now, let me interject that I don't wear makeup usually, but then again I am not the hot instructor...you get the idea), short shorts and a relaxed t-shirt, hair halfway in a ponytail and the rest sticking out in every direction...bags under her eyes!

Wow.

We began the class as usual, only she kept forgetting the moves and blaming it on the fact that she is learning the new material and just got mixed up.

Mmmkkkaaayyy.

So, I somehow felt inspired to go up in my weights on this fine day. Man, I was pumping it out, lemme tell ya! I haven't done weight like that since I was a twig. Felt pretty darn good.

What came next took the class totally by surprise. Jesica is not normally a chick to complain, but apparently she needed to vent. So here we go. During the bicep track, she just blurts out, "So, I'm married to a sleepwalker." Ok. good for you. "You see, ladies, it's BAD. That's why I look like this today."

Well, that explains a few things.

So the bicep song is over, and she begins to elaborate.
"He's a great man, and we've been married for 9 years, but it's really wearing me down. Like last night, I woke up on my tummy, hanging onto the headboard, with Thomas pulling my legs. He tells me to let go and that he won't let me fall. I told him to LET ME GO! You see, people diagnosed with this sleepwalking condition will obey commands, but that's it. If you try to reason with them, they can get violent. So I commanded him to let me go and get back in bed. He crossed his arms, plopped down hard in the bed, and angrily turned over. It's like he reverts to a 2 year old when I don't allow him to play out what is going on in his head."
There was an awkward silence in the room.

Do you laugh or not?

She continued. "You see, it's a stress-induced problem. Right now, the stress is that it's tax season and he's a CPA.

(I'd be suggesting a career change for Thomas)

It has gotten so bad that there have been some nights that he has spent in the bathroom by himself. He goes in there, shuts the door behind him, and can't figure out how to get back out. The next morning, he has dark circles under his eyes from not being able to get good sleep."

Are those dark circles similar to the ones you're sportin' today sister?

So by now, the class is stunned. Truly feeling sorry for Jesica, we just chuckle and say, "Awww, you poor baby!" Honestly, I wanted to break out in full-belly laughter, but thought it inappropriate as this poor woman is spilling her guts.
There's silence in the workout room.

And that was it. No more elaboration on the subject. She apologized for looking like death made over, and we moved on to lunges.

Dreaded lunges.

Goodnight Mush

I have discovered that my children LOVE to be read to just before going to bed (novel idea, I know). Caitlin loves reading Bible stories, and Christian likes a random assortment of books. Right now, his favorites are the dinosaur book that Pappaw bought him for Easter (he is learning all of the dinosaurs' names and can say them very well!), Polar Bear Polar Bear, and Goodnight Moon. Since reading Goodnight Moon, he has started a funny nighttime tradition. In this beginning of this book, the author talks about a comb, a brush, and a bowl full of mush. Toward the end, when he is saying goodnight to all of the objects in the room, he says, "Goodnight comb, and goodnight brush. Goodnight nobody. Goodnight mush." Well, Christian just thought that was hilarious. So, now after we read books and say prayers, he ALWAYS says, "Goodnight Momma, goodnight mush." Then, he expects me to respond with, "Goodnight Christian, goodnight mush." If I don't, he gets pretty irritated. :) Ahhh, children....

Cookie Time!

As most of you already know, Caitlin had to stay home from school yesterday. She wasn't feeling too hot, and she had thrown up the night before (so much fun). Anyway, Grandma was kind enough to let Christian hang out with her for the day so I could take care of Cait. Christian got to make cookies for everyone, and from the pictures, it looks like he had a blast! Each cookie was beautifully decorated and VERY tasty! Thank you Grandma, for being so sweet and letting a 3 year old play in the kitchen! :)

Many Thanks

This post is one of the most special ones I have done to date...for me anyway. I wanted to stop and take the time to thank some very important people. Let's begin!
To Mom and Dad: Thank you both so much for being such caring and loving parents/grandparents. You have stuck with me and this family through thick and thin. You have provided and cared for us when we needed it most, and we will NEVER forget that. Thanks for putting up with Mamma Haskell through difficult pregnancies and long recoveries. Thanks for babysitting the babies and being so helpful to poor Daddy Haskell when it seemed like the household was comin' down! Thank you for the sweet care packages, Friday/Saturday night dinners at your casa, and everything else you have given to us...you inspire us to be more giving of ourselves each day. Most of all, thanks for bringing us smiles and joy! We love you! (P.S. Joshie, we love you too, and thank you for being such an awesome uncle!)
To Grandma: You are such a wonderful woman! We love having you around ALL of the time, and the children just adore you. Thank you for babysitting the children as well, and thank you for cooking such wonderful meals(there is nothing like Madge food!). I know this year has not been easy for you (or for us), but you continue to give of yourself and that means so much. You also inspire us to be more giving, kind, and gracious...and you have taught this Momma to not complain, for I have never heard you do so. We love you!
To Steve, Celia, and Nate: We all thank you for being so kind and loving as well. Thanks for the help during those difficult pregnancy days too, and for being an ear to listen. Thank you for being sweet grandparents and a great uncle. We wish you all of the blessings that God can give! We love you!
To friends--Misty & Rob, Tina & Randy, Jill & Steve, Sheridan & Doug, Dianne, and those we may have forgotten to list: Thank you for the calls, prayers, lunch dates, kiddy play times, babysitting, lifegroups, smiles, laughs, and good times! Blessings to you all!
This Momma just wanted to take time to recognize those in life that make it just a little bit better each day! Without you, this family would be lost and lonely! I am sorry that I haven't sent paper thank you notes to each and every one of you, but I hope this makes up for it!

Hungry Little Monster

Here's her famous open-mouth, wrinkled-nose smile! If you look close enough, you can see her 2 new teeth and that RED hair!
Christian tried to help...and his dinosaur was hungry too
There's that left hand, ladies and gentlemen! ;)



So, today I finally broke down and decided to feed Caroline her 1st bites of cereal. Since Christian was so allergic to rice cereal, I decided to try baby oatmeal instead. I mixed it with some Mommy's milk, and let me tell ya--she went nuts!! She even grabbed the spoon and started shoveling it into her mouth quicker than I could get it to her. By the way, she used her LEFT HAND!! Hee Hee The other 2 kids were so excited that Caroline is now a "big girl" that they wanted to witness the feeding frenzy. At dinner tonight, I tried again (mind you, she is only getting about a tbsp per feeding here) and man, she went crazy again! Needless to say, I don't think she will have a problem getting used to this whole "table food" thing. :-)

Sweet Dreams!

So most of the time, I have a cute Caroline or funny Christian story right?!? Well, today it is Caitlin's turn. She's such a dramatic little girls sometimes that I hardly know what to say in response (I really have NO IDEA where her dramatic personality comes from...ha ha). Anyway, we went to Wal-Mart the other day, and she talked Daddy into getting her a new pillow for her bed. The pillow she had was really flat and uncomfortable, so we were more than happy to get her one. She was so excited that she carried it around the store, scanned it herself, and immediately put it on her bed when we got home. The next morning, she came downstairs with this: "Hey Mom, you know my new pillow? Well, I know why they call it the Dreamaker pillow; it really did give me great dreams!! It's the most comfortable thing I have ever slept on! In fact, when I laid down to go to sleep, I was out in like 3 seconds because it was so comfortable!" LOL

Never Say Never

Ok, to all of you that know about John's promotion...remember I proudly announced that I will NEVER again have to sleep alone?!? Well...you know how the saying goes: "NEVER SAY NEVER." Hmph! He has decided that working 7-5 is just not enough. He will now be working for BSA one day out of every week, doing a 7pm-7am shift. That means he will be gone for 32hrs at a time! Then, he is picking up at least 1 extra shift on the weekend once a month to earn a bit more $$. Yes, that means poor, poor, pitiful Melissa will have to spend some nights by herself again. WAAAAAHHHHH!!! :) Alright, that's my daily whine. Hope everyone has a blessed and happy Easter!

Gorn, Daddy Gorn!!

So, as most of you know, Christian is WAY into Thomas the Train. His birthday party theme was Thomas, his new mini-computer is Thomas, he watches Thomas movies all the time, and he carries a backpack around that is full of diecast Thomas and Friends trains. The funny thing is that he knows which trains has and which ones he doesn't have. The diecast trains have magnets on each end so you can attach them and make a gigantic long train out of them...way cool. Anyway, he was playing with his trains and watching his Thomas movie (he acts out the scenes and follows along) when he came to the horrible realization that he did not own the train named Gordon. He couldn't follow along with the movie "completely" until he got Gordon...so he was on a mission. "Gorn Mamma, Gorn!" Ok, in kiddo language, Gorn = Gordon. I explained that he would have to ask his Daddy when he got home, being as I have purchased roughly 15 of these diecast trains at approx. $5 a pop...I didn't wanna get into trouble by spending yet more $$ on them. So, Christian waited all day long to talk to his daddy about this situation. The very MINUTE John walked in the door, Christian sprinted to him and yelled, "Gorn, Daddy, Gorn!!" John came walking into the living room a bit confused, and said, "Melissa, for the love of Pete, give the kid some corn if that is what he is wanting to eat." Ummmm, no. Try again. I made Christian repeat himself. Again, John thought we were speaking of yellow kernels...so I translated. Needless to say, Daddy agreed to purchase "Gorn" for Christian. Let me tell you, I haven't seen a 3 year old that happy. He slept with it, ate with it, and has driven it about 1,000 miles around this living room today. Funny how small things bring such pleasure huh.

Ahhh, Warm Weather

So today was beautiful and warm! We had a very relaxing Sunday--went to church, ate out, took a LONG nap, played outside in the sandbox, ate outside for dinner, and went for ice cream afterward. John grilled chicken! It was delicious! Now if only it would stay this nice outside for a while...
(yes, those are Grandma's folding chairs...sorry we had to use them! thanks for letting us borrow them; they will be returned asap. :) )