I don't think that you're supposed to sit for hours on end when you're pregnant. Nor do I think you're supposed to paint an entire living room. I did both today, and let me tell you, I am beyond exhausted! I'm still trying to figure out how and why I'm still awake!

I'm at my mom's house right now, and I'm going home tomorrow. We came up yesterday, and my mom showed me how to do the files I will be doing for a job when I come live here. We worked together on them last night and today, FOREVER, and got almost all of them done. I'm still trying to get her to do one more before we leave tomorrow, but I don't think she wants to. I also met her neighbor, whose son I will be tutoring once we get here. I can't wait to live here! It seems forever away!

Trey went over to the house and started painting the living room yesterday. He had to sand down the judge's panels first, then prime them (they were a really dark wood). Then my mom and I brought the kids over, and helped him paint for a while. I did the walls in a light celery greenish color, mixed with a lighter green. We got this awesome paint roller on clearance at Home Depot yesterday, and it makes it kinda look like marble or stone of some sort with the pattern on the roller when you mix the two colors on the wall. Once it dries and whatnot, I'll try to take a picture, but I'm very sure it will never do the wall justice. It is so COOL!

That was my day, and that was enough for me! Tomorrow we have to go back and finish it up, then head on out. I haven't had time to have any fun while we've been in town, but that's okay. Soon, we'll have all the time we need to have fun in Charleston!

I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you soon!

Especially at a water park where it happens to be 400 degrees out. Just wanted to let you know...Which is why next time I decide to make something to give to everyone at a mom's group outing outdoors, I will not let TJ and Jacob make cupcakes.

I think I'm starting to feel the baby move more lately. That's good, b/c for a while there I thought he/she was not really there. I have gotten more round, but you know, that could come from anything....like, ummm, accidentally eating a basketball or something in my sleep. I have to say, though, that I think I'm finding the ultimate diet to be watching four kids. I wouldn't be surprised if I lose more weight this pregnancy than I gain. I do alright for breakfast, but usually anymore, when I make lunch and dinner, I have to make the foods baby-edible, as well as preschooler edible, and something they will actually eat that's good for them. Once I've gone through the stress of figuring out what that will be (which, if you read a while back, is the most stressful part of my life), and then making it, I'm usually too tired to fix my own food. Even when I'm eating the same thing as they are, I have to get it to them asap, b/c once they see food, the start doing these silly dances, and grabbing me, and making little monkey-like sounds, and it adds to the stress. So I vow to get mine together after they're sat and eating, and many times of late, I just want to give up by that point. Also, the fact that I don't EVER get to sit down anymore is helping, too.

Oh, and back to the water park thing. I also found out today that taking four small children to a water park in 400 degree weather is NOT FUN. In my mind, I saw an afternoon filled with joyful comeraderie w/the other moms, as we watched the youngin's run around and frolick in the water. Not so. Not at all. Again, didn't get to sit down. With Margaret Jane crying the whole time b/c she didn't want to be there, Taryn running off any which way she could as fast as she can, TJ disappearing to the playground next door w/o notice, and Jacob jumping like a flying squirrel from sprinkler to sprinkler, it was all rather, EXHAUSTING! I did get to say hi a couple of times to the other moms, though, so surely that meant something, right?

Anyway, I've got a few pics of the most adorable kids in the world on here. I'm especially in love with the face Taryn is making in the one close-up. I'm not sure what it says, but it looks rather sly if you ask me! Oh, and look at her little belly! I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you soon!

Boo...

That was a great movie, wasn't it? Okay, well you tell me, b/c I never saw it...

Really, though, I kinda checked back a bit, and found that I really haven't put any pics of my two most adorable cheerin' on here much lately. I'm sure you're all sitting at home wondering deep in your hearts if they are still around, and if I ever really had kids, or if I just managed to find a website filled w/pics of some other people's children, that has now found me and has put a restraining order on me to never go to the website again. Well, that is not the case. I have just been a bit on the lazy side lately when it comes to taking pictures, that's all. So, for your enjoyment yesterday and today, I took a few just to prove they are still alive and well. I even showed them w/other kids, frolicking in the yard (and of course, hitting each other in the head with sticks!). Enjoy!

Head bonkin'!

Taryn and Blue love each other!

Elise and Taryn are best buds! I get a kick out of the fact that they're the same size, but Elise is almost a year older!

Jacob and TJ in the wagon

Taryn as...herself!

Getting started on the packing...

Please note the natural horns that pop up in his hair everyday. I swear I don't have ANYTHING to do with them! They scare me...



Just a cutie!

Sleeping baby...so adorable!

Alright, that's all for now. I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you soon!

Gina gave me a letter, it's a P. If you want one, too, just click on her name and go get one. Yep, I'm that lazy that I don't even want to think up letters for you all!

Ten 'P' words important in my life, let's see:

Pitchford: Well, it's my last name, of course, so that's pretty important, I would think. Lord knows I had no idea what I was getting into when I married Trey and found out that, although people no longer make fun of my maiden name, Cox, it's just as easy, if not easier, to make fun of Pitchford (ie-Bitchford, Pitchfork...). As well, NO ONE seems to know how to get it right! It's not Pichard, Pritchard, Pichbird (this was on a bill once, I swear!), or any other concoction that can be made up from it. It's simple-Pitch a ball, Ford, a crappy vehicle.

People: I have to be around people. Now, don't get me wrong, I do love and very much appreciate my alone and quiet time. However, I must, must, MUST have people time. Whereas, it's always been a pretty obvious thing for me, it's never been so noticeable as now, when I don't get to see people very much. Yes, sure I see kids all day, but man, when their moms come to pick them up, they have to pretty much pretend they got an emergency call to get away from me running my mouth to them! We won't even talk about when they come to drop them off and are in a hurry to get to work! I crave time with other ummmm, less imaginative and more focused human beings, and I just don't get enough of it anymore! That's why my poor mother gets a call from me pretty much everyday!

Pets: This issue has been a pretty big issue w/Trey and me since we met. I am a total cat person, and he is (supposedly) allergic. He loves dogs, big, licky, jump on you and knock you over dogs. I'm not their biggest fan myself. Right now we have a dog, a black lab. I'm okay with that, but I told him when he got Blue that he was his responsibility and that I would only take care of him when absolutely necessary. Now, don't get me wrong, I understand that Trey unfortunately has to work his ASS off lately, and has very little time for a dog, but in the process, I have become Blue's main source of attention and love. I love the dog, but I'm not really a fan of him sniffing my butt all the damn time, and licking me and knocking me over everytime I go out in the backyard for two seconds! My most common phrase to him is, "GET OUT OF MY BUTT!" I'm sure the neighbors really wonder about us...thank heaven for bushes of privacy!

Pickles: The only way I choose to enjoy a cucumber. I do love me some pickles, and sometimes I wonder why I don't eat them more often. Trey and TJ are not fond of them, so I gladly take TJ's whenever he gets one on a hamburger (thus leading to his cute saying, "My nose said, my nose said...where's that pickle?"), and I happily take Trey's when he gets them w/his subs at Firehouse.

Pregnancy: Yeah, like Gina didn't pick P so she could see if I would pick this word! This one, the third and hopefully last, has been especially difficult. I may or may not have put it here, but I was virtually childless for the last two. TJ's is obvious, and w/Taryn, TJ was gone three days a week at his Nana's house, and Trey was home two days. So I had him on the weekends only by myself. It was quite simple, and I had plenty of time to rest during the week and give him the attention he needed on the weekends. This time, however, having two kids is KILLING me! I'm having some of the same problems I had when prego w/Taryn, where I wake up and have zero energy for the majority of the day (today was like that). Whereas before I could call in or just rest for a while, now I don't get that option. Even when Trey is here, he has to sleep sometime, so I'm stuck being mom whether I want to, or can, or not. This week has been particularly hard, b/c a cold spread throughout my network of people, and it seems to be hitting me the hardest. I can't take anything worth having for it, so it sucks even more. I'm so ready for this to be over. What's the worst is that I have no time to even sit down and just be excited about having another baby. I don't have time to daydream about nurseries, play online looking for names, try to feel if it's kicking...nothing. Still, I can't wait to see my new baby! Tonight TJ and I looked at prego pics of women online and talked to my tummy! He asked me yesterday when the baby is going to get here, right out of the blue...as if it would be here sometime this week.

Paralegal: is one option I'm tossing around for going back to work as. I have no desire to go back to work full-time, as I really, really, really want to homeschool my kids. However, it may be an absolute necessity, at least for a while, and teaching is pretty much out at this point for me. I'm also thinking about possibly going into sometime computer related, as I really love messing with them. Of course, either one of these would require going back to school, so I'd have to check into it all first and see what I could do.

Pretentious: Is something I'd like to believe I am truly not. I have always throughout my life tried to remain true to myself and be who I am, no matter the consequences. I admit at times I'm a bit stuck-up, as I tend to believe my beliefs and actions are better than others, but overall, I do my best to treat everyone in the best way I can. I love me, and I couldn't imagine ever trying to be someone I'm not. It's just not worth it.

Playful: I used to be so much more playful than I am now. I'm really, really hoping it has to do with the fact that having small children really wears you out. I want to be playful again. I was thinking the other day about how I used to work at a daycare at a church, and I would have so much fun with the kids on the playground, chasing them around and pretending to be a monster. Now, when I take my kids to the playground, I would be willing to pay someone just to let me sit while they go play! I want my fun energy back. I want to want to do things...I hope it comes back soon!

Private: I am NOT! I'm so open, even people who can't read can read my like a book. (yeah, bad analogy, but...) I've never had a problem telling people anything they want to know about me, even if I should keep it private. Oh well...

Proud: I realize that my life is totally not what I ever expected it to be. Of course, to be honest, I'm not sure what that was to begin with. However, I am so proud of what I have. I have a wonderful, awesome husband, and two, almost three, perfect children. They are everything I could have ever asked for, and I totally don't deserve the life I have.

I think this may be eleven, but oh well, b/c I can't believe I almost forgot this one: PURPLE!
Only my most favorite color in the world! It took me no time at all to teach TJ what Mommy's favorite color is, as well as his daddy when we first met. Most people I know are well aware of what it is, and if you've seen my wedding pics (dark purple dress), then you would have a few screws loose not to figure it out. I always find it funny that I really don't have that much as far as purple clothing, but it's not b/c I wouldn't want to. If I didn't know it would be beyond tacky, I would gladly have an entirely purple house one day, and never, ever get tired of it. It's such a beautiful color, with so many different enticing shades....and you know, it's the color of royalty (and Leos, which I happen to be).

Well, if you're still here, thanks for the read. Didn't quite realize this would be so long, but hey, maybe you know a thing or two about me you didn't already know. Hope you have a great day, and I'll see you soon!

Well, I mean that sarcastically, of course....

So, here's the scoop: We, as in, TJ, Taryn and I, are moving on June 26th. Trey will be there to help. By help, I mean do everything. Then he will go to Charleston w/us and unpack the truck, and stay the night. Then, the next day he will help us unpack and set up the house. Then, early the next morning, he will hop in his car, drive back to Columbia, and proceed to go back to work...for two months or so...living...well, we don't know where yet. Yep, that's right. His boss will not let him leave until around August or so. I could go into the details of why, but A: it's a LONG story, and B: it makes me VERY mad, and I don't want to go there right now, as I'm in a pretty good mood right now. So he's thinking of staying downstairs at his restaurant. That creeps me out a bit, b/c I'm very sure that place is haunted. However, he says there's a whole set-up, complete w/bathroom and shower, so I guess it's an option. Other than that, we really have no idea where he can stay. We certainly can't afford for him to stay in a hotel or anything, as those tend to cost money. So (I hope you're reading this Mommy), I'm going to be begging my mother for help for that first couple of months, b/c as I've already said, I'll still need to work when we move there, and I won't even have Trey to help out. This is going to suck...

However, I won't let that put a damper on my excitement about moving. I'm still very thrilled, and I'm still having a hard time waiting.

Oh, so tell me what you think of this. I tend to have some pretty wild dreams. I also tend to remember them when I wake up in the mornings, and they stay with me all day long. I'm not sure why, but they really affect me sometimes, even when they're totally out there. For instance, the other day we watched Hostel, a total waste of a movie that was partially set in Slovakia. Then, that night, I had a dream that women were being sold into slavery as sex slaves there, and my mom was one of them. She let them have her, and worked hard to be the best sex slave, so she could buy back her family. Yes, b/c we were all trapped in some city down the way where there was a ruler that was creating his own holocaust and killing anyone he wanted to. We had just gone there on vacation, and now were in danger of being killed. But the ruler of the sex slave city had an agreement w/holocaust city that his sex slaves could buy their families if they were really good at their jobs. Anyway, she bought us back a couple at a time (she must have been quite the catch!), and eventually we were all saved. Hooray! The point of this paragraph was that I was thinking of making a new blog where I write down my dreams. Sometimes, to me at least, they seem pretty interesting, and I would love to have them written somewhere for what reason I don't know. So what do you think?

Okay, I gotta go check on the cheerin' now. I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you soon!

Okay, I swear time is going by SOOOO SLOWLY....Like, look at the top counter there. The one for the house is just crawling by, and sometimes I swear it jumps back a few days just to mess with me! This next month can't go by fast enough!

Of course, then there's the whole "You owe us money for your bills, and it's time again," thing. It never fails that the month flies by for those! I know I just paid the rent and the car payment, and it's already time to pay them again! How does it happen, huh? How can the month crawl by, and fly by? It's just not possible. I think that if I have to wait till I can move, then I should be able to wait to pay the bills! Damn time!

So we went to Summerville again yesterday to pick up some stuff my mom had to donate to our yard sale we're having Saturday. While we were there, we went to the old house, the one which we'll soon be living in (of course, only if you're going by bill time!). I'm so excited! I spent the entire drive home figuring out what to do with the living room, and I'm so ready. Check it out, the living room has a fireplace with a sad little piece of wood for the mantle, and bricks going up the entire wall. The room already is a bit on the dark side, which we plan to help by painting it a lighter color and painting the wainscoting (judges panel), that's a dark wood, a bright white. Then, what I think we should do for the fireplace is build a big mantle to go around the whole fireplace, then cover the brick with sheetrock and make it like the wall is coming out some there. I've seen it done on tv, and it looks SO awesome. It really wouldn't be that expensive, either, if we could learn how to do it ourselves. I figure we can paint the room a light color of something, I'm rooting for a light, light sage green, then paint the mantle white and the wall above it a bit darker version of what's on the walls, or else a highlight color to make it pop. Then we could put a big picture on it. Oh, it would look FANTASTIC! The only concern I have is if the added sheetrock adds too much extra depth to the existing brick wall, how to make the fireplace flush with the mantle. Any ideas, or think I need to worry? What do you think?

So anyway, afterwards, we went to dinner with my mom and Bo. We were going to do the same-ol' thing, but instead, my mom realized it was Monday, and at The Kickin' Chicken they have buy 12 wings get 12 free. It was heavenly. Their wings were SO good! I got teriyaki, Trey got jerk chicken, my mom got lemon pepper, and Bo got barbeque. We all did some trading, and my favorite by far was the lemon pepper. Unfortunately, my mom didn't want to part with all of hers, so I had to steal TJ's when he wasn't looking! What I'm really excited about is the fact that we will soon (by bill time) be living just a few blocks from a Kickin' Chicken, and we can go there every Monday, and feed the whole family for less than ten bucks! I love me some wings, especially when they're cheap!

Well, gotta go get some cheerin' up from nap time now. I hope you're having a great day, and I hope to see you soon!

Oh, it was so nerve-wracking, and next week promises to be even worse! I sat, in nail-biting suspense and anguish, on the edge of my seat, just waiting to see what was going to happen. Of course, as usual, I was made to suffer through the boring and tasteless antics that come before this happens every single time. I swear, for the others who have to go through this in real-time, I really feel sorry for them...And then the moment came...

Who is standing there, alone but together, but my favorite, Kat, and my least favorite, Chris. As we all know, Kat had a rough night last night, and my stomach is tied in knots b/c I just know it's going to be her. I can't stand the thought of losing my favorite from day one. Sure, I absolutely have always loved Taylor, and even Eliott (sp?) has grown on me after all. Oh, but Kat, my all-time favorite, stands there, in the middle of the stage, yet again, and I just know that this is the end. Ryan spews off at the mouth, as usual, and he is just wasting precious time to avoid the inevitable. I always wonder how on earth a man can enjoy a job such as his, where he has to break such earth-shattering news each week to one person, and who does it with such ease and lack of compassion? I, for one, am not his biggest fan...

Oh, but don't let your thoughts drift now, Christi. You just know that as soon as you do, he will announce who's leaving without so much as a wince, and you will have missed the whole moment. You have to get your tear ducts ready, b/c it's just a sure bet after last night that she's going home. Oh, my little angel with hot moves...she who wows me with floor dancing (which, I heard, left her legs covered in painful bruises for a while), and has such a beautiful everything...she is going to leave me tonight...

"Chris, you're going home tonight." OH MY GOODNESS! I, for one, was one of the millions whose jaws dropped across the country. I've checked the forums, I've seen and heard what my friends think...Chris is totally adored more than Kat. Or is he?
My sweet, sweet siren, you are here to sing for me for one more week...

Thank goodness he's gone, I say. I was most impressed with him the week that Andrea Bocelli taught him finally how to sing, by actually using his diaphragm (uh DUH!). He actually sounded pretty good then. However, every other song he's ever sung has been a rock and roll rendition of whatever he was singing. Even if it's a slow and sweet love song. The only time he shows any personality whatsoever is when he's doing that rock yell thing. The rest of the time, he just sits there staring like a deer caught in the headlights, or like he's in pain. If it hurts that much to sing, perhaps it's not your career path after all! Oh, and the never taking your mic off of the stand, while a very classic rock thing, is very annoying after a while. I will say this, though, the man is H-O-T! I will miss looking at him, even if he was always scared shitless!

Man, I'm so not looking forward to next Wednesday night! It just gets harder and harder!

Is it really Monday already? Wow.

Friday was Cinco de Mayo, and I wanted to go out. Soooo, I called a couple of friends, Gina and Shawna, and told them the challenge was on to find people to watch our cheerin'. I called the mom-in-law, and she was more than happy to come watch her grandbabies. They, too, found people to hold their kids for a few minutes, and off we went...

We went to Monterey's, a Mexican restaurant chain in the area. Gina said she thought they were doing something for Cinco de Mayo, and I was all for it. It turns out what they were doing was serving food, and doing so with Mexicans that can not speak English. We were lucky to have gotten anything close to what we ordered! I, now don't hit me, ended up drinking a non-virgin strawberry margarita, b/c I had ordered a virgin one (complete w/explanation as to why) so I could look like I was partying, and he brought me a regular one. It seemed easier just to make the baby feel good than to try to get him to fix it. All-in-all, though, it was really fun just to be able to get out w/other human beings and have a meal that I got to eat all by myself, while it was still hot!

Afterwards, Shawna and I thought about going to see a movie, which didn't work b/c they were all starting too late, and we ended up walking around the strip mall just talking. I swear it felt too much like a date, and when I took her back to her car, I wondered if I should kiss her goodnight! She is rather hot, you know, and, well, if ever she left her hubby, and I left mine...

Oh, and then I was not ready to go home yet (MY babysitter was spending the night, so I had no curfew!), so I went to Barnes and Noble to read. I ended up buying a book called The Hot Zone, which is a true story about an international outbreak of Ebola in the 80's. It is, as the girl at the store warned me when selling me on it, absolutely NOT for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. The awful truth of what can happen to you when Ebola gets you in not pretty at all. It is, however, quite the page turner, and I will be leaving straight from here to go and turn some more pages....

Speaking of being able to sit and read a book...check this out: MY KIDS HAVE BEEN GONE SINCE SATURDAY MORNING!!! Yep, that's right, Nana took them home with her, where they have been on a nonstop vacation of fun and frenzy, and not enough sleep. Yesterday, Trey and I did the paper route together, and went to bed around 6 am. Then, we slept till...get this...1:30 pm! Oh, it was Heavenly! When I woke up, I asked him if they could go live there forever...Nana said they could...I swear this could really spoil a girl. I read my book, ate in peace, watched a LOT of tv, and did a little to get ready to move. It was wonderful. Today Trey is off, and we are going to have a date night. It's totally therapeutic...

Fear not, they won't be living at Nana's forever, they are coming home tomorrow. I must admit, although it was great yesterday, it was also VERY quiet, and later in the evening, I got all sad b/c I couldn't go and check on them in their beds. I'm sure that by the end of today, I'm going to be busting to get my kids back...or will I?...I have to say, it was very nice not to have to change a single diaper the whole day yesterday!...

Well, I'm off to enjoy some more of my book now. I hope your day is equally as wonderful. I'll see you soon!

Sweet and innocent my BUTT!

Here's the scenario:
It's 8:00 pm, I have just put Taryn to bed, and am heading to the kitchen to let TJ know he has to get ready in a few minutes. He's busily sweeping the kitchen floor for me (ie-pushing the broom around on the floor sideways, much as I do when I sweep!). I tell him he has five minutes. He moves to the living room to "sweep" there. After a couple of minutes, I tell him to give me the "sweeper" so I can put it up and he can go brush his teeth.

Which leads us to a few minutes ago...At that point, he goes into a rant about how he was sleeping in his room (ummm, was this last night?), and Jesus was in there. Jesus told him that he had to sweep the house b/c Jesus told him to (yes, he repeated it). He said that it was in His Jesus book that he told him to sweep the living room, and he has to listen to Jesus b/c He told him to, and that's what Jesus said to do, and I have to let him sweep b/c Jesus said so.

Okay, now tell me how I should feel about this. Here I am, glad that my son knows about Jesus, and that he understands that Jesus and God are the head honchos. He gets that we need to do what God and Jesus tell us to do, b/c they know what they're talking about, and God is like our dad, but He's everybody's dad. Great!

However, I feel a little duped here. Ummm, I do believe that my son just used Jesus, JESUS!, to stall going to bed! I don't know about you, but I foresee my future as being a WORLD of trouble with that boy! If he's only three, and already using Jesus to push my buttons and get what he wants from me, where on earth will he go from there when he's old enough to realize just how devious he can be!?

Okay, it's set. We are moving! The lease here ends on June 30th, and my mom is letting us rent her house from her (the one she's had up for sale for over a year...not the one she lives in!). I am so excited I could BUST! I've been kinda trying to avoid saying anything, b/c I really didn't know if it was going to happen or not, as Trey's work tends to say one thing and not do it. However, last night he told me that FOR SURE they are transferring him back to Charleston this summer. He may not get to leave by the end of June, and may have to bunk at someone's house, but we will be GONE by June 30th at the latest.

I feel kinda bad, b/c I love Elise and Margaret Jane, and I really hate the thought of telling their moms that I will be leaving after only having watched their kids for six months or so. However, it's not really my choice, as Trey is our sole income. I will have to find means of income, too, of course, but I think I may have something set up already.

Oh, but as bad as I feel about telling my "bosses" the bad news, I am SO EXCITED! I called everyone I know in Chas. yesterday and told them it's set, and they were so excited, too. I have to say, that just made me that much more excited. The fact that people are looking forward to having me there just makes me so happy and feel so good! I feel so...wanted...:) !!!!!!!! Oh, and TJ will finally have some friends his age, b/c Leah will live right down the road, who's only a month younger than him. Then there's Alison, his g/f, who's just five, and Andrew, who's a little older, but...Then there's Kiernan, also five, and Mariann, somewhere in the twos. How wonderful! Of course, now I'll have to go and find Taryn some friends her age, but I'm not worried about that. She seems to think she's a two year old anyway, so she'll fit right in. Besides, baby friends are easy to find. It seems that us Methodists tend to have babies in big ol' spurts together, so surely the local UMC has some babies hidden somewhere!

Oh, I CAN'T WAIT! I'm thinking that today I'm going to go out and look for some cheap plastic boxes. You know, the storage ones that you put stuff like Christmas stuff and the like in? I've devised that if I actually really go through all our crap and get it organized in boxes like that and label them, I might get more use out of what we have and know where to find it when I need it. I'm also going to purge and hopefully have a kick-ass yard sale and make some dough to help pay for this move that we are totally unprepared for. Of course, in my mind I have time to do all of this while twenty kids are running around and the rest of the house is still calling for my attention. But hey, do I really need to clean if we are going to leave anyway!? Yeah, I know, I do, but maybe I'll slack of just a little bit...

Alright, well, someone's screaming now. I'll talk to you soon. Can you believe I'm going home!? There is a permanent smile stuck on my face now. God ROCKS! Have a great day!