A Bumper Sticker:

"Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you'd like to meet Him."

I wish I could take credit for that one, but I stole it from a friend of mine's facebook status. My mom will especially love it.

My first blog award...

Awhile back, I was awarded the very prestigious blog award that you see below. Thank you, Thank you! This is so unexpected! I don't know what to say...thank you to my beautiful children for giving me material to blog about on a daily basis, my loving husband for not getting angry when I choose to blog instead of watch TV with him, and Laura over at Lilly Loves for nominating me! :)

Apparently this award comes with some requirements...

1. Thank and link the person who gave you this award. Check!

2. Pass this award onto 5 blogs that you think are fantastic. Check!

I nominate:

Annie - Life As We Know It

Dad - Just Thinking

Meagan - My Lipstick Diaries

Ashley - Sommer Family

Amanda - The Dunaway's

3. Contact blogs and let them know they've won. Check!

4. State seven interesting things about yourself that people may not know.

Let see if I can come up with 7 "interesting" things about myself...

1. My full name is longer than the alphabet.

2. Most girls try to grow long nails...not me. I hate the feeling of having long nails. I trim them frequently.

3. My favorite cosmetic item is mascara! It would definitely be my "stranded on a deserted island" item and I've been tempted to put it on my kids several times. Yes, even Cash. Have you seen their lashes?!

4. When I was younger I would tan so well that a black boy in the 1st grade was convinced I was bi-racial! No wonder people ask me if Corrinne is too. :)

5. I am totally hair styling-challenged. I blame it on how fine my hair is, but its the main reason I usually keep my hair short. Poor Corrinne...

6. When I was 22 a woman prophecied over me. She told me God made me to sing and I should stop holding back for fear of people thinking I was just showing off, etc. I hear those words every time I get up to sing in church.

7. When I try clothes on in a store, if I like the outfit I do a little dance in front of the mirror.

Oh Em Geeee!

If there has ever been a time in my life where I truly, 100%, without a doubt, absolutely HATE my hair, it is now. (Including the "I'm growing out my cute pixie cut" phase.) I blame it all on Drew. He's the one that talked me into growing my hair out after we reminisced about our honeymoon while looking at pictures of me with a ridiculous tan, long hair, and a flat stomach. Considering the long hair is the only attainable feature at this point I committed to growing my hair out. I immediately regretted that decision. If only I were a "celebrity" like Kate Gosselin and had the luxury of time and money (even though I have 6 less children than she does...) to sit in a stylist's chair for 20 hours and have extensions put in.

In other news, I finally (FINALLY!) got sick and tired of the pudge thats taken up residency on my body and I'm taking the Special K challenge! Starting tomorrow I'll be enjoying a bowl of Special K cereal for breakfast, a protein shake for lunch and sensible dinners everyday for 2 weeks. I figure its only 2 weeks. Anyone can commit to something for 2 weeks, right? Special K promises you'll lose up to 6 lbs, or a dress size in that 2 weeks. I'll let you know how it works for me.

I'm also proud to announce that Crying it Out worked wonders for little miss Coco and we have not rocked her to sleep since! I'm telling you -- the first nights the hardest but its get much easier really fast! She's also become somewhat mobile and now rolls all over the place to get to wherever it is she wants to go...we have found her under Cash's table and chairs, getting toys out of the basket in the play room, and almost under our ottoman. Its exciting to see her grow and develop, but a little frightening to consider we'll have 2 mobile children soon! Lord, help us!

So long, 3am snuggles

Operation Cry It Out 2010 commences this evening. Prayers are appreciated. As we learned when Cash was a baby, the first nights the hardest.

here goes nothin'....

Boys will be boys...

I always knew this day would come, but wasn't sure how I would respond to it...

I was sitting on the couch drinking my lunch replacement protein shake (yeah right. replacement.). Corrinne was bouncing happily in her exersaucer, Cash was playing with his guitar. Next thing I know, Cash is climbing up on the couch with me. Knowing our rule is you have to keep your bottom on the couch, he immediately sat down next to me. I thought "how sweet" until moments later he's standing on the couch (with his shoes on!). Before I could get "sit down!" out of my mouth he leapt off the couch onto the floor!

This is the child that didn't start walking until he was 14 months old because he didn't want to fall down. The same child that can't even really jump yet.

All I could do was wait to make sure he was ok before cracking up. Then I told him that was a BIG no no.

Life with a son. And so it begins...

Silly Songs with Bethany

This may or may not come as a surprise to you, but I happen to be the kind of mom that makes up silly songs for and about her kids. It could be about anything - chubby legs, poopy pants, yummy rice cereal - most things pertaining to life with an infant have inspired a song by yours truly. And usually there's a dance involved but thats neither here nor there.

Anyways, tonight I caught Drew singing one of my gems to Corrinne. It was one composed for our first born that always made him smile and kick his legs. It is entitled, "Kick your legs!". (No wonder he kicked. Natural-born genius, I tell you.) After Drew finished singing he told Corrinne that I used to sing that song to her brother when he was her age and how much he enjoyed it (turns out, Coco does too!). I was surprised he remembered that and I asked him if he remembered any of the others. And he did!

I know that most of you will probably think I'm the biggest dork, but this blog was meant to serve as a way to remember this crazy time in our lives because I'm not so great at scrap-booking (actually, I pretty much suck at it - I had one of my fellow MOPS moms create the kids' birthday books for me. Yeah. Horrible.) and have proven to be just as lame at filling in their baby books. So lucky for you - you get to read all about it! Tonight I thought I would write down a few of the kids' favorites so that when Cash & Corrinne are 16 and 15 I can sing them when some boy or girl comes over. MWahahahahah!

And without further ado...

Kick Your Legs

Kick, Kick, Kick YOUR legs!

(In my defense, this was the first song composed when Cash was just a few weeks old and I was probably very sleep deprived and still taking pain meds for my c-section recovery - hence its simplicity.)

Casher Boy

Casher Boy, Casher Boy, You're my little precious baby, Casher Boy.

(I would occasionally substitute Pumpkin Pie for the words Casher Boy. Versatility at it's finest, folks.)

C.O.H.

Corrinne Olivia Hollingsworth, she is a pretty girl! She has two dimples and big, brown eyes. Prettiest girl in the WORLD!

Coco, Corrinne

Coco, Corrinne! Coco, Corrinne! She's so cute! Coco, Corrinne!

Chubby Legs

Chubby legs, chubby legs! Our baby girl has got some chubby le-e-e-e-e-gs! Chubby legs, chubby legs! Our baby girl has got some chubby legs.

(This is to the tune of a Sunday School song - I think - but for the life of me I can't remember the title or words. Sorry!)

There are others that I can't take credit for but are favorites with the kids. I'll include those just for memory's sake...

Little Me

Little Me, little Me. Jesus loves little Me. My head, my feet, my smile so sweet. Jesus loves little Me.

(I sang this to Cash every night when I'd rock him to sleep. Even now he'll stop and listen intently if he hears me singing it to Corrinne.)

Silent Night

I won't include the lyrics because I'm sure you all know this one. I started singing this to Cash during his first Christmas season and for some reason it would always calm him down at bedtime. Still works like a charm...

They both love This Little Light of Mine, Away in a Manger, Zaccheus (thanks to Cash's awesome Wednesday night teachers!), and Deep and Wide. I can't wait to hear their little voices singing with me someday. :)

Dearest Mother Nature,

Thank you for sending large amounts of snow our way enabling me to stay in my pajamas ALL day without feeling guilty about it! I look forward to tonight's Wintry Mix you have in store for us as I will lay my sweet chubby kids down to bed and indulge in some Teen Mom: Unseen Moments, a Mt. Dew, and the last row of Scotcheroos leftover from Sunday's Superbowl Party. I'm not sure a Tuesday night could get any better.

Sincerely,

bethany

Cash was helping me fold laundry this past Sunday when he came across these beauties and it was love at first sight!

He wore them as he vacuumed...

...while he had his afternoon snack...

... and while he sang his alphabet song.

Its the little things in life, I tell ya!

this one just makes me smile.