trying to hold back tears..

so things change.

babies grow, people die, time passes waaay too fast, and as women, we have hormones.

my hormones are at this very moment on the emotional up-swing.  it’s fabulous. 

(we are all thankful that I can step back and realize that it is hormones…)

so while I created these layouts earlier in the week, when my hormones were doing other things to my body, as I look at them now, I want to cry!!!

so we’ll get through this quickly…

first up is “grandpa’s chair” using goodies from liv, including her newest, brownbagger paper pack vol. 5.

I could NEVER get enough of her brownbagger papers…  NEVER.

(for full credits click on the layout.)

this second one is only four years old (ppffttt…), but this is what digital project life is so good for!!  catching up in a fast, easy, gorgeous way!

this layout I used becky’s “p” template (perfect for little peyton..), “honey” edition cards, “baby” paper,  stitching from anna aspnes, staples from liv, and that fun baker’s twine from splendid fiins.

okay..  so I am not going to look at these for at least another week, try to block out the fact that school will be starting again this month (aaaakkkk!!!!), and just try to do things that are fun, non-tear inducing.

this is going to be hard…

did I mention that it’s really the hormones fault?

Hormonal.

And it’s not me, for once. :)

I was about to send some female sanitary protection to church with Ashley on Sunday. 

It was that bad.

I could have sworn that menses was about to begin, at any second, for her.

Really.

There was a fit about her new haircut..

“I wish I would have NEVER got cut my hair!!  IT IS UGLY!!”

(It was made right after I styled it.)

But then, it was her dress..

“This dress does NOT look cute on MY body!”

(I swear, I never have meltdowns like this..  out loud at least.)

That was remedied with a cute new flower clipped in her hair.

But the hormones raged on.

(And continue to rage on.)

See how quickly the tides change?

And this was after I made a deal with her, that she could eat oreos and milk for breakfast if she would HAPPILY pose for some pictures..

There is a fit thrown over just about everything.

And they are usually irrational.

Oh, I try to help her reason through it, but you see, there is NO reasoning with her.

Won’t it be super fun when all three of my girls have synchronized cycles?

(That “super fun” was said with much sarcasm.)

I can only hope that level-headedness prevails when that blessed day arrives.

Monday in a nutshell..

Oh, Monday...
We started the day off with finishing Lynn's poster. She is the "Star Student" this week. We had fun putting together her poster. She freaked-out at me when I began sewing the gold paper onto the poster board. "Ms. Ashby is gonna be so mad at me! It's against the rules to sew paper..." She's wacky...
I love how she writes her name...
I spent the day taking down the whole tree, lights, ornaments, branches, everything.. well, except the first row of branches. You see, the very first string of lights we put up burned out. I un-did it all, and then spent the rest of my afternoon re-doing it, because I have A+ blood. I will have to do an Ally-inspired grand tour when I have my home all put together. It helped that it snowed today.. it was great until the battery in my Zen went dead and I couldn't find the charger...
We have been trying to do at least one Christmas activity a day. It has been something as simple as reading a Christmas book, or watching a Christmas movie together. Last week we watched "Elf".. "There's no singing at the North Pole!"... "Yes there is!!!"
For FHE we painted ornaments...
And Peyton made sure we didn't get paint anywhere that she could reach...
The girls loved painting. I got the ornaments at Michaels and the genius that I am, forgot to get more brushes, you know, so the WHOLE family could paint... thanks Brooke for picking up more while you were out :)
Merrill was cracking me up the whole time. He was acting like it was a contest. Telling Lynn to let him take credit for her ornament and saying that it looks like Michael J. Fox painted his... not so family home eveningish... it gets better...
Our little tradition is that he alters a Christmas tune or two.. this year, I think we are up to 13 or so...
Here's the finished ornaments. Ashley's has the most colors, layered on top of one another... Lynn's is mostly metallic colors, she loves shiny things... mine is the sock, and Mer's is the "JOY" that looks great! Don't you agree?
We finished the evening off with eating popcorn and brownies all while watching "Mr. Kruger's Christmas" (my brothers would appreciate that, especially Ken...) and the girls were sent off to bed.
Here I am... sleepless. Tired. But sleepless... this whole done nursing thing has me messed-up. I think the stress and worry of no calling isn't helping matters either. I have not had migraines or insomnia since I got pregnant with Lynn.. here I am now, with a headache for like the fourth or fifth day in a row. I haven't been able to sleep. I watched quite a few episodes of CSI on "On Demand" until 3 am this morning (well, yesterday now... here I am, not sleeping...) These hormones (or lack thereof) also have me in a B cup bra again... thank goodness it is a push-up from Victoria's Secret. It helps, a little. Too bad it can't give me the lift I really need.
I am looking forward to tomorrow... praying for a better attitude. I'll take whatever help I can get! Do you think if I asked, my C's would come back? ;)

I am thankful for two times of day, today.
First, when Merrill came home from work. He helps to bear the load of two, suddenly very hormonal, little girls. After trying to understand why they are freaking-out all day long, and why they seem to be on a roller coaster of emotions today, I am thankful for that wonderful time when he came home and I now have back-up.
The second time of day, I bet you'll never guess... BEDTIME. Right now. Yes a little earlier than usual, but I think I've had my fill for the day. I am trying to enjoy some Ben & Jerry's even as we speak.
Why is it that some days, they have an obstruction in their ears, that prevents them form hearing just about everything I say? Why do they take turns for who wants to go in a tizzy over the slightest unfair anything? I swear, I was never so hormonal. And here we are, adding a third ball of female hormones to the already volatile mix...
It's not all bad, and maybe I really am hormonal... Maybe that's why this is bugging me so bad today...