Chris' 8th Birthday

I know I haven't been a good blogger lately.  I let some things get to me and got discouraged and stopped writing.  I'm back now though.   And what better reason to write a new blog than your child's birthday, right?!  :)

Today my son Chris turned 8 years old.   That just seems crazy to me.   Time is going by way too fast.  In just 2 years, he will be out of the single digit ages.  In 5 years, I'll have a teenager!

I've started doing a birthday interview for the boys each year so I can see how their answers change (or stay the same) as they get older.

This is Chris' interview for this year:


Favorite color:    Blue
Favorite restaurant:   Checkers
Favorite book:    Magic Tree House series
Favorite movie:   Batman
Favorite holiday:   Christmas
Favorite TV show:   America's Funniest Videos  (I remember watching this as a kid and still love it!)
Favorite Wii game:   Lego Batman
Favorite DS game:  Cars Mater National
Favorite toy:   Iron Man figure
Favorite animal:   bear
Favorite food:   burger and fries
Favorite drink:   Milk or pepsi
Favorite thing to do:   Homework.  (Yes, this was seriously his answer.   He's such a nerd LOL!  His school doesn't assign homework on Friday so the kids will be free for the weekend and he actually gets upset about it because he *wants* homework to do.)
Favorite thing to do at school:   do math and have recess

Best Friend(s):  Owen, Sammi, Christasia, Arianna
What do you want to be when you grow up?  singer
What scares you?   Monsters
What makes you happy?  cake, friends, and family



We had Chris' birthday party this past Saturday, so he got most of his gifts then.  This morning I let him open something that I'd been holding onto for him so he could still have something to open on his actual birthday.  He got the Mario Kart and Incredible Hulk Wii games.  :)

Eric and I went up to the school at lunch time so we could have lunch with Chris, and of course we brought cupcakes for the class!   The kids are always excited about that part.  We got 12 chocolate and 12 vanilla/yellow.  The chocolate ones went pretty fast.  ;)

When Chris got home from school, I took him to Toys R Us to get his birthday crown and balloon and to use the $3 gift card that comes in the mail from them.   The store was out of helium so he didn't get a balloon but he was still able to get a crown and use his gift card.  The girl at the front desk announced over the intercom that it was Chris' birthday so as he was walking around the store to find something he wanted to get, people kept coming up to him and wishing him a happy birthday.   That was pretty sweet.  




Here are some pics of how Chris has grown over the years.  

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Here are a few pictures from today

having lunch at school with him

Chris with his chocolate cupcake.  Yum

My not-so-little-anymore birthday boy

this is what he got with his gift card

Update On Us

First off I wanted to apologize for not being around much lately.  I've been in a bit of a blogging rut.  Blogging started to feel more like a chore than anything else so I wanted to back off for a while.


So, here are some random updates about what has been up with us lately.


*  I know I'm way behind, but I finally joined Instagram and Bloglovin.  You can also find me on Pinterest and Facebook.  Feel free to follow me and I'll follow back!
instagram
bloglovin
facebook
pinterest

*  Eric and I have hit a pretty severe rough patch in our marriage.  Right now we are just taking things one day at a time and are trying our best to get through this.  If you wouldn't mind, send up a prayer that everything turns out alright for us.  :)

*  Next week I will be taking Logan to a different neurologist to discuss my concerns about autism and ADHD.  For those of you who were with me last year, you'll remember our visit with "Dr. House".  Hopefully this doctor will be able to give us some answers.

*  We are finally back to being a 2 vehicle household!  That definitely takes a lot of stress off of me.  Having only one vehicle to take 4 people where they need to go (and even no vehicle at all for a couple months) was so stressful.

*  I've signed Chris and Logan up to play baseball.  They are pretty excited about it.  Chris is on the team where they do coach pitch and Logan will be on a t-ball team.

*  Logan and I having been going to our local library a lot lately.  He loves to play learning games on the computer, play on the lego table, do puzzles, and then check out some books and movies to bring home.

*  We have made a few trips to one of our local parks to feed the ducks.  The boys absolutely love doing that.  The first time we went, a few of the ducks came right up to us and took the bread out of our hands.  That was pretty neat.

*  Chris got all S's on his report card a couple weeks ago.  He's doing wonderful with his reading.  He's almost on a third grade level now.

*  I'm going to start exercising and eating better so I can get back on track with my weight loss.  I'm really wanting to stick with it this time.

Here are some pics from the past few weeks.  

playtime at the library.  He was a little upset that there
wasn't a third cow for him to put in the line-up

acting silly

feeding the ducks

at the bookfair at his school

Logan being silly

we finally got a *little* bit of snow, though it didn't last long
at all :(  

"spring fling" at our local baseball team's stadium

at the playground this past weekend

playing on the lego table at the library

Also, don't forget to stop by this post and tell me a little about yourself.  I'd love to get to know my readers! :)

Have a great week.

How well does he know me?

My husband Eric is constantly saying that I am so predictable and that he knows everything there is to know about me.  I thought the V-Day link up over at The Life of a Not So Ordinary Wife would be a fun way to test that theory.  ;)

We had to fill out some questions about ourselves and then give our husband the same questions to answer about us to see how they did.

Here are Eric and I's results :)


1.  How long have you been married?
Me:  7 1/2 years
Him:  8 years (I think he gets partial credit for this one.  It won't be 8 years until June, haha) 

2.  Where was your first date?
Me:  It was a blind date -- Eric and myself with his sister and her boyfriend.  We met at the mall first and then we went to a movie.
Him:  Mall, then the Carolina Theater.

3.  Where was your first kiss?
Me:  outside the theater after our first date
Him:  outside the Carolina theater.  

4.  Who first said, "I love you"?
Me:  He did.
Him:  I said it first.

5.  What were your wedding colors?
Me:  light blue and white
Him:  blue and white

6.  What is her most commonly used phrase?
Me:  I have several actually.  Seriously?  Really?  What the fudge ever.  Oh my gosh.
Him:  What the fudge ever.  Oh my gosh.  

7.  Who is her celebrity crush?
Me:  Patrick Dempsey
Him:  McDreamy (played by Patrick Dempsey lol)

8.  If she was ordering drinks for both of you, what would you each get?
Me:  sweet tea
Him:  sweet tea

9.  What is the best meal she has ever cooked you?
Me:  I cooked a really nice chicken marinara last year that he devoured.
Him:  She don't cook.  (Hey!  I do sometimes!  lol) 

10.  What is the worst meal she has ever cooked you?
Me:  I don't know.
Him:  Same as above.  (Ugh.  Meanie.)

11.  What is her most played song?
Me:  Country Girl, She's Country, and Some Kind of Wonderful
Him:  Country Girl

12.  What would she say is your most annoying habit?
Me:  SNORING!
Him:  Sighing (or what I call huffing.  He does it *constantly*)  

13.  What is the last thing she does before she goes to bed?
Me:  go to the bathroom
Him:  go to the bathroom

14.  If she could throw out one item of her clothing, what would it be?
Me:  holey pants
Him:  nothing

15.  What would you say is your favorite thing about her?
Me:  probably my butt, boobs, and my eyes, LOL.  
Him:  boobs or butt (figures lol)

16.  What is her go-to drink at Starbucks?
Me:  Yuck.  I don't like coffee, so I don't go to Starbucks. 
Him:  Nothing, she don't go to Starbucks.

17.  What is her blog's name?
Me:  Chronicles of Momnia
Him:  I don't know.  


Overall I'd say he did pretty well.  :)

Would your husband or boyfriend be able to answer questions correctly about you?

Four Things You Don't Know About Me

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start!


For this week's Tuesday Topics, I'll be telling you all 4 things you don't know about me.



1.  I am an only child, but I would have had two brothers and two sisters.  My mother miscarried two babies before she had me and two babies after she had me.  I would have been the middle child instead of an only child.  I often wonder how different my life might have been had they survived.  I never got to meet them, but I miss them.


2.  My mind has a wonderful way of taking a fear that I have and turning it into something awful.  If I'm driving behind a truck that has something in the bed of it, like cars, logs, or things like that, I'm suddenly envisioning these 'Final Destination' scenarios where whatever it is dislodges and comes crashing into the front of my vehicle, killing me instantly.  I'm terrified of driving on bridges, especially over water.  When I have to drive over one, I start to picture crashing, or the bridge collapsing, and then I end up drowning because I can't swim.


3.  I had glasses in the sixth grade but I hated them so I eventually stopped wearing them.  I thought everything was fine and maybe I didn't need them after all ;).  haha.  Two years ago though when I was renewing my drivers license, I almost failed the vision part because I couldn't read the chart.  Oops.  I got glasses (again) shortly after that and wear them all the time now.  ;)


4.  I have met two of my favorite authors.  I met Tim Myers a few years ago at our local Barnes & Noble.  He was doing a question and answer session with fans and then did a book signing.  Tim is a local author.  So local he lives in the same city as me.  Cool, huh?  I also went with my friend Abby a few months ago and met Nicholas Sparks.  I took a copy of one of my favorite books for him to sign.  I'd love to see them both again sometime!


So, that's it for my 4 facts.

What are some things people don't know about you?


(PS.  If you haven't already, please stop by this post and introduce yourself.  I would LOVE to learn more about my readers!)

Five Activities

Sorry this is a day late.  My youngest son is really sick so that has taken most of my attention.

This week's Tuesday Topic is Five Activities in Your Hometown.


Unfortunately there isn't very much to do in my small hometown of Hickory, North Carolina.


1.  One of the most popular things to do in Hickory, especially if you have children, is to go to the Science Center.  There are a lot of cool exhibits and there is also a section just for art.  You can also visit the aquarium and watch shows at the planetarium.

2.  Downtown -  the downtown area of Hickory offers a ton of unique stores for shopping and restaurants.  This is also where our annual Oktoberfest is held.

3.  Entertainment -  If you're looking for something to do, you can go bowling, go to the library, watch a movie, go to the mall, or go shopping.


That pretty much covers it.  :-/
I wasn't kidding when I said there isn't much to do here.   ;)


Hopefully I didn't bore you to tears, hehe.

Six Memories

This week's Tuesday Topics is about six memories.

1.  My Wedding Day -  June 18, 2005
Eric and I had a very small wedding.  Not by choice.  That's just how things ended up.  Things didn't go as planned (do they ever at a wedding, though? lol), people were stressed (especially me), and Eric and I have been through more in our 7 years of marriage than 10 couples go through in a lifetime, but we're still here.  We're in this together, for better or worse.


2.  Chris' Birth - Oct 16, 2005
(I don't have any newborn pics of him on the computer.  I didn't have a digital camera back then and don't have a scanner.)
Chris has been stubborn since before he was born.  I was two weeks past my due date and still hadn't went into labor on my own so I ended up at the hospital to be induced.  After 17 1/2 hours of labor, I had only gotten to 4 centimeters.  I was in distress, Chris was in distress, so the doctor decided to do an emergency c-section.  A couple hours later my first baby boy was born.  :)  ♥

3.  Logan's Birth - Dec 13, 2007
I had a scheduled c-section with Logan.  I was scared out of my mind even though I'd had it done before.  The surgery went great and I had an easier recovery.  Logan ended up in the NICU.  When he was born, his sugar was really low and he had some fluid in his lungs.  Everything ended up okay though and I took my second baby boy home 3 days later.  :)  ♥

4.  Trip to DC -  March 2011
Eric and I took a weekend trip up to D.C.  We had planned on taking the subway/shuttle from place to place, but the first time we tried, we ended up getting lost and getting on the wrong one.  Nobody would help us, I was in an unfamiliar place a long way from home, so I ended up having a complete breakdown.  Once we got back to where we started, I absolutely refused to get back on another one so we spent the rest of the trip taking a taxi wherever we wanted to go.  It was my first time taking a taxi and thought that was pretty cool, haha.  It was nice to get away for a couple days.

5.  The Best Friends EVER
This is like a ton of memories in one picture.  This is the Fab 4.  Me and my 3 best friends.  Normally you are lucky to find ONE best friend, but I was blessed with *3* of them.  Someone who is there for you *no matter what* and loves you for you.  I could go on and on, but I won't.  To put it simply, these are the best friends I could have ever asked for.  They are like sisters to me.  We have a lot of memories together and we will make a ton more throughout the coming years.  ♥

6.  Two Places At Once? 
This is a pic of the boys and I at Carowinds, an amusement park a couple hours from where we live.  It's right on the North and South Carolina line.  Cool, huh?  This was Chris' "big" present for his 6th birthday.  We had a blast!  I can't wait to take them back again.







So, those are 6 of my favorite memories.  Grab a button and link up!

What are some of your favorite memories?

Getting to Know *YOU*

This blog is all about me and my family and things that go on in our lives.  You are learning all about us.

I would like to get to know you though.  My readers.  I'd like to know who you are.


So if you don't mind, in the comments section below, tell me a little (or a lot) about you.  Are you a mom also?  How many children do you have and what are their ages?

Where do you live?  What do you do for a living?

Anything you'd like for me to know, I'll gladly listen!

I'm also curious to know how you found me.  What are some things you would like to see me write about?  Is there anything you think I can do to make my blog more enjoyable to read?  Is there anything you want to know about me, or want to ask me?  Go for it.  Want to chat sometime?  Contact me by email or Facebook!

Alright people.

Let's learn all about you!  I'm looking forward to it.

Ready.  Set.  GO!

Seven People

I hope you all have had a wonderful week so far.  I haven't been feeling that great lately so I've slacked off a little this week, so this post is a couple days late.

This week's Thursday Tuesday Topics is about seven people I'd like to meet.



1.  Patrick Dempsey

2.  Gerard Butler

3.  Hugh Jackman

4.  Kate Hudson

5.  Jennifer Lawrence

6.  Blog friends -  I would love to get the chance to meet some of y'all in person some day.  You're pretty awesome!  ;)


7.  Extended family -  I have extended family on my father's side in Indiana that I've never met before.  I'd love to get the chance to meet them some day.


Who are some people you would like to meet, famous or not?

Eight TV Shows

This week's edition of Tuesday Topics is all about TV shows.

Here are 8 of my favorite TV shows.


1.  Grey's Anatomy - my all time favorite

2.  F.R.I.E.N.D.S. - this comes in at a very close second

3.  General Hospital -  I never thought I'd be a fan of a soap opera, but my husband got me interested in this one and I was hooked right away.

4.  Everybody Loves Raymond -  this show is so funny.  Looking back on it, I see that Marie is a lot like my own mother-in-law.  Yikes!  ;)

5.  Once Upon a Time -  I just knew from the previews I wouldn't like this show, but my husband started watching it one night and I was hooked.  He figured I would like it.  Don't you just hate it when your hubby is right?  ;)

6.  Private Practice - I decided to check this show out because of Grey's Anatomy.  Loved it right away!

7.  NCIS:  Los Angeles

8.  Cold Case -  it's not on anymore, but I loved watching while it was

What are some of your favorite TV shows, past or present?