Beach, River, and Back

I don't know why I can't get the pictures to do right... but they are all our of order b/c I am a dumb dumb and can't fix it.  I wrote something below........



Sawyer jumping off the deck in the river!



All the kids at Brandy and Jimmy's on 4th of July

Me and Mama at the beach having FUN.  Braxton my little photographer took this picture!

Hayes 1st BD cake!  Grandma Patsy outdid herself!

HAYES eating his bd cake!!!  Happy BD buddy!

I have been to the river, beach, home, back to the beach in the south and then back to the river in two weeks!!!  I was only home for less then 24 hours, in my own bed in 2 weeks!!!   We had the best time, we went to my sis in laws to the river for 4th of July and then Scott and I had a mini vacation in the OBX for a couple of days together.  Then we came back to Patsy's to pick the kids up, back home and repacked to go to the Topsail for a little over a week for vacation.  Then it was back to Little Washington for Hayes 1st BD!  Yep lots of traveling, lots of family time and lots of fun!!!  Here is a few pictures....

Maci's cute dook dook.... her little tail is so small it can't hold up anything!



Braxton and me having fun!!  This is my fav pic of him... I love his face!



Sawyer's 5!!!

Sawyer is 5 Today!
5 years ago today, I had kidney stones.....
I had my first son whom turned stopped breathing and turned blue in the hospital...

I added to an addition to our family that was apart of me and my wonderful husband....
We added the 2nd son on the Hardee side...
And the 1st little boy on the Lowe side....

5 years ago today, Scott and I realize what PURE love was by holding our first child...
WE LOVE YOU SAWYER!


Sawyer had an awesome birthday party last weekend.   Lots of his friends from school came that he wanted to invite and our wonderful family and cousins!  Thank you for making his day so special!

Another one of Grandma Pasty's creations! 

Sawyer's friend from his "OLD" school.  They played together like they had never been apart, and they haven't seen each other in a YEAR!

Braxton trying to blow our Sawyer's candles....obviously Sawyer was not to happy about that!

Road block....

Him and Riley playing hard!!!!



My beautiful, handsome young boy!  I can't believe you are 5!!!



Who am I?

I am mother, but lately I have started thinking, "Really what am I? "

This is what I am thinking my job role is:

1.  Waitress:  Thank the lord I did this job in college so I was prepared after having children.  BUT the difference is, I have 1 table of 3 kids now vs. 10 tables in college.  HOWEVER, it is much harder with the 1 table then it is with 10 because you have to serve, cook, and clean.  Plus you have to find time to eat in between the serving.  So here is a scenario:  As I am fixing them something to eat, they run over to ask if it is ready.  NOPE, give me a minute I say.  Instead of continuing to play or watch TV, they jump up in their chairs.  And then, they chant, "is it ready" "is it ready" "is it ready?".  When I finally start to p

ut the plates in front of them, they immediately ask if they can say their blessing (we don't eat unless the blessing has been said).  But the problem with this, is that I can't even get the plates to all the kids and get Maci buckled in her seat before they are trying to say the blessing.  The the fighting begins: Braxton wants to say God is Great blessing and Sawyer wants to say his ABC blessing.  So they start yelling one over the other to see who can be the loudest, meanwhile Maci is sneaking in some bites of her food.  After the yelling/fighting blessing is done, they start to chow down.   THEN, they are saying, "where is my drink"  "Where is my drink?".  I tell them to chill out, I am trying my best, I am not octopus mommy with 8 hands, I am fixing their drink right now.  If you would have waited until mommy would have finished getting everything ready then we would not have had this problem. 

Once I get their drinks, I sit down to eat my food.  By that time, one of them wants more drink, one of them wants dip, one of them is done,  one of them wants more fruit, one of them accidentally spills their milk, Maci is ready to get out of her seat, CRAZINESS.  I look down and I have not even eaten one bite of my meal. 

So basically, I am sweating more and stressing more on waiting on my one table of 3 then 10 tables I had in college. 

AND I still have to clean up behind the little boogers!  So much for eating!

2.  A servant:  I clean up toys in one room and the other room is already destroyed.  I clean up that room and the deck is a mess.  I do more laundry in a day then a woman should do in a lifetime!  I sweep our floor at least 15 times a day and it is still a dirty mess.  I pick up clothes off the floor, I put up laundry, I fold clothes, I pick up the pillows of the ground and put them back on the couch, I pick up the blankets that have been strowed all over the house, I vacuum the rugs (once in a while), I get them snacks, pick up the crumbs they made from the snacks, I clean up the milk they have spilled on the floor, I pick up Maci's shoes that she takes all over the house, I clean up the drawer of clothes that Maci has thrown all over the floor, I change diapers, I wipe butts, do you get the point??  I am a servant!

3.  A Cook:  Well, I might be exaggeratting on this one a little bit, but I do try my best!

4.  A Playmate:  When we are outside, here is what I hear.  Mommy, will you play with me under the house?  Mommy swing me!  Mommy push me on this tricycle.  Mommy let's play with chalk!  Mommy let's blow bubbles.  All this is fine, but when all 3 of them are asking for something different at the same time, it gets kinda difficult!  Then when you choose one of them over the other, jealousy plays into effect! 

And then on top of all this, I try to walk everyday so I don't get enormous, I am answering the phone from customers from my work on my days off, I am working on a spreadsheet for a meeting for work, I am trying to edit pictures for the people I do photography for (which I LOVE by the way), I go to the grocery store, and somewhere in the mist of all this mess, I do find time to use the potty! :-) 

So basically, I am a mother, but a mother's definition is not just to love your children unconditionally and teach them right from wrong... it is to be there servant, playmate, waitress, and cook!

And then there is the WIFE thing you have to think about in all of this too!  :-)

My little terror kid...

So today I had an angry moment at the park.  Let me back up first, because I have to give the whole story, my thoughts and all.

It has been so beautiful lately that I decided to take my kids to see Grandma Batten in the nursing home, and then if they were good, we would go to McDonald's, have a picnic in the park, and they could play for most of the afternoon so they could play with other kids and we could be outside.  So the first part was fine, they did good at the nursing home, so I stopped by McDonalds and got them 3 happy meals, for three happy kids!

Then off to the park we went.  They ate well, then Sawyer was off to play.  I found one GOOD thing for him having the loudest voice in the universe, I could hear him clearly across the entire playground!   There was a kid there that was a little obnoxious and in my head I was thinking, his mama needs to straighten him out.  He was not very nice to the little girl he was playing with, he yelled that Maci was to small to be on the play ground, and just had a rotten attitude.  I did tell him that Maci was not to small, and he shut up and went on to his next victim that didn't have a mother to stand up for their child.  BUT, anyway, that was my thoughts because I just thought he needed a good stern talking too from his mother or even a spanking wouldn't hurt. 

So anyway, that was my thoughts on that little boy.  Then the tides changed.  Sawyer kept wanting to play with other kids toys.  I kept telling him NO that there were plenty of things for him to do besides go play with some little kids toys, and he kept on and on and on and on and ON, until I put him in time out at the playground.  That will teach him I thought!  He sat over there pouting for 3 minutes or so, until I finally told him that if he could behave and quit asking about other peoples toys (and by the way, these were people I knew and they showed NO INTEREST at all in him playing with their toys because they were baby toys).  The first thing he did  was come right back and ask me WHY he couldn't play with those toys (as I was talking with another mother and he was interrupting me).  I told him to please quit interrupting and that he needed to go play with the other kids.  It did not stop there, he kept on and on and on and on, until the other mom just left, and I put him in time out AGAIN! 

So then, a cute little boy just came up to him and wanted to play.  Good, I was thinking, he is always good with other kids and make friends easy.  Oh not today.... the next time I looked up, he was throwing dirt in this little boys face and laughing!  The little boy ran away and I WAS soooo mad, that I grabbed him by the arm, made him go apologize and told him that if I saw him throw dirt at ANYONE else we would pack up and go home and he could stay in his room for the rest of the day. 

Everything was fine for.... say 15 minutes OR so I thought.  Maci was getting tired, so we started to pack up and go home.  I then met a couple of moms that were really nice and started talking to them for a few minutes, then I looked up and saw Sawyer throwing MULCH at about 5 kids on the playground.  Not only was he throwing mulch, but he was laughing and there were about 3 other parents over there looking DISGUSTED at my child!  I was THAT parent with THAT kid that I was "thinking" needed a good lesson in being a good stand up kid. 

I made him apologize to one of the kids (that just so happen to be one of the kids of the mother I was talking to) and I apologized to all the parents around there.  I WAS SO EMBARRASSED!    He had to call his daddy and tell him what he did and he got punished when he got home AND when daddy comes home, he will be punished again!!!  MY KID... the terror kid!   I was a good kid when I was little, why am I getting punished for SCOTT's childhood?  :-)  

BUT, I always end with a positive note because I hate being so negative.  In fact I think negativity is one of my biggest pet peeves, so here we go.  SAWYER may be hard to parent, but the kid is one of a kind.  He LOVES Jesus so much, he prays for other people without being asked, he is a great big brother (when he wants to be), he is very very smart, has a memory of an elephant, ask more questions then anyone I have ever been around, and he is super sweet and has a GREAT big ole heart on that little body of his.   He usually has a very outgoing personality and gets a long great with other kids.  He is a super athletic little thing and if he puts his mind to it could be the best out there.  Sawyer is a GREAT son.... when he does not throw dirt at other little kids on the playground!

Will she give in????

Ginger does not like Summer Prisspot very much...

She growls at her...

She walks away when Summer walks over to her...

She stays down at the shop all day just so she doesn't have to deal with the new addition...

BUT today was a BIG step ahead. 

Gin-Dog let Summer get close to her for 30 seconds before walking away!

So, maybe she will give in and be the little pups friend!

The boys call Ginger, Summer's mommy... however if I treated my kids like that then they wouldn't like me very much!

Summer Prisspot Hardee Lowe

We proudly introduce our newest addition to our famly:

Summer Prisspot Hardee Lowe

Born Feb 11 2011

6 weeks old

Summer all dressed up with her bow in her hair!

Summer "Prisspot" was named by Sawyer.  I asked him a few weeks ago what he wanted to name our new dog and he went through a few girl names, even a little girl who he went to school with name, but the one that he came up with first was Prisspot!  So Scott and I kinda wiggled Summer in there so she would have a easier name to say.  We have always wanted a little girl named Summer, eventually just ended up with Summers as a middle name for Maci (which was my middle name prior to getting married), so we decided this is our chance to have a little Summer!!!

When we went to pick her out, there were two yellow females in the bunch.  One was a little friskier and Summer was a little more timid.  I am usually drawn to the ones with a little more friskier attituide,but being a mother of 3 FRISKY, WILD children, I just didn't think I could handle another frisky dog right now.  In fact I had a little, or should I say A LOT of anixety on the way to pick up Summer Prisspot.  I just didn't think I could handle a puppy right now.  However, seeing how pretty she was and how excited the kids were (especially Sawyer), I just fell for her instantly.  She has been really sweet for the past day.  Now I might change my mind in a couple of weeks when she starts chewing up everything and digging.  However, right now I think she fits right in to our family perfectly.  Ginger however (our other lab) is not the happiest in the world.  She doesn't want ANYTHING to do with her. Hopefully she will eventually.    

Maci is just like mommy

EAT EAT..... this is the first thing she says every morning when she wakes up.  She cries and cries, until she gets something to eat.  I hate to say it, but I LOVE TO EAT TOO, AND WHEN i DON'T GET FOOD WHEN I WANT IT, I GET CRANKY!   So when Scott says, that is your child Jodi, I don't deny it! 

When she is ready to go... she runs over to me and says "BYE, BYE".  If I don't leave the minute she says that, she falls on the ground and throws a dramatic, crazy, estrogen driven tandrem.  She screams for minutes or even hours on end until she gets what she wants!  DRAMA, GIRL Driven DRAMA.  AS much as I like to say I am not a drama girl, and I really am not, I have to say... when I am ready to go, I am ready to go!!  I let my husband, my children, my mama, my friends... whomever is in my path, I let them know I am ready to go, and let's go now!  I don't throw the tandrem, but I DO want to go!   Maci is all ME!

She also like candy, chocolate, sleeping, eating, pocketbooks, shoes, her soft blanket, and being center of attention!   She doesn't look like me, but she ACTS like me!  My little priss pot!

Prayers

"I pray for all the sick people, I pray they are all going to be well, Only the Perfect one will be able to heal them, that is Jesus... mommy, your friend Melinda said she was perfect one night and I told her that only God and Jesus were the perfect ones." 

"Ummmmm, I pray that Brittany (our dog) is up in heaven playing, and mommy is daddy's grandaddy in heaven?  Can he see Brittany playing?  And Ummmm, I pray for all the kids in our class.  Mommy I played with Joseph today.  Mommy I want Cailyn to come play at my house, I told her she could come play, can she come play one day?  She said that she knew where I lived, and I want her to come play.  But she doesn't play with me on the playground, only I play with Camden and Liam.  But Camden got in trouble at school today because, actually, he did something wrong today."

"I pray for Chase, the boy who broke his neck.... mommy can he walk now?  Mommy how is he doing?  Mommy I want to pray for him. Can I draw him a picture?  Did he get my picture I colored for him? "

"I pray for that little girl you told me to pray for that is sick. I pray that she gets better."

"Mommy, where do babies come from, did they cut me out of your stomach?  Did I play with Braxton when I was in your belly?  Are Braxton and I twins?  I pray that Braxton's cough gets better.  I pray that Braxton starts to feel better."

"Jesus is the perfect one and I pray that all the sick and old people get better and that God will look after all the sick and old people and all the people who need Jesus."

AMEN, Bless my mommy,daddy, braxton and maci and all our friends and realitives.

That is one of the prayers that Sawyer does everynight!!!  Very cute and so sweet!!!!

So much to say....

and so little time to post!!!   Just a few snib bits of these past few weeks...

Sawyer has asked once again where babies come out of.... AGAIN!   He has prayed for Grandma's "pussy cat" at Chapel at his preschool... thanks Grandma Patsy!  :-)  

Braxton has once again been to visit the ER for not being able to breath.   He has slept with his plastic frogs every night for 2 months now.  He brings them to school in his pockets and puts them in his hat so that no one will take them and even dips them in his pancake syrup in the morning so they have something to eat!

Maci is saying everything you can imagine now.... except for the one person that keeps her almost as much as me, Brittany!  (our wonderful nanny).   She can even say, get this... "Where Granddaddy Joe Go" (in baby voice), but can't and WILL not say her name!  I think she does it on purpose!!!  

Lots more stuff has happened obviously, but I am going to bed!!!  I will try and blog more some other time!  When?  Not sure!!!  Work is crazy and my photography has really kept me busy lately!!! 

Here is a few pics of my sweet kids:

GETTING So big, so fast!!!  Slow down little munkins!

What is a real kiss????

This is a REAL kiss!!!!