Happy Halloween

Today has felt like it has been SO long!!! So much excitement and fun. This is the first time in 2 years that we went trick or treating "our" way. Every year since Katie was like 2, we all got together on Halloween with our golf carts an drove the neighborhood by where we lived. Even after we moved we still would haul the carts out there and go through the neighborhoods. It was a tradition that our kids had come to love. When we moved to Texas we sold our golf cart so we couldn't do it anymore. Tonight, thanks to uncle Jerrod and aunt Aubrey, we resumed that tradition and I must say, we had a blast!

Katie dressed up as a baby. She looked so cute in her owl slippers and pajamas with a paci she borrowed from Waylon. She had her hair in pigtails and carried a diaper bag. She was adorable.

Caden decided he wanted to be a dinosaur this year. He made a pretty cute one too. He told me I had to take a picture of him and send it to his friend Cayden Nash because he would know what kind of Dino it was. Sure enough Cayden AND his mommy knew. I would share with you what kind exactly but honestly I forgot. Haha

Waylon was a ducky. That lasted for about 5 houses and he was done. (and so was his mommy! He is a heavy little booger!) he was tired and hot from his costume and was more interested in helping daddy drive then running around like his crazy siblings. He sure did look cute though.

Colten had decided that he was not going to trick or treat this year. He said he was "too old" However, once we got there he found a bag and hit the houses with the rest of them... He wore his street clothes and surprisingly made out pretty well.

It was a fun night that was spent with family and that made me happy. I caught myself thinking about Texas and the festivities that we would be doing if we were still there though. I miss it. I miss my friends and the fun we had. I think that out of all this I have learned one very important lesson. DON'T TAKE PEOPLE FOR GRANTED!!! If I would have known that our time together was limited I would have squeezed every second I could out of those people back there! I think of all the time wasted and yearn to have that back. I think that too often we are guilty of this. We need to learn to treasure the little moments and the people that we assume will always be there with us because one day they won't and then all you will have are the what if's and should haves. :-/

Anyways, totally didn't intend for this post to go in that direction. Gotta thank the randomness of my brain. I will leave you with some pictures from tonight. Good night y'all!

"Mom, your grounded!"

Yep, I heard these exact words tonight from my oldest son! I am grounded! Haha let me explain.

We have a rule in our home for our oldest, Colten. If he doesn't make good grades and he falls below a C he gets grounded from his cell phone and other electronic devices until he brings them up. Actually, this rule goes for Katie too but she has only had 2 C's in her life so I think we are all good there. (FYI that was per her so until I can verify that for myself I will take her word for it. My memory wants to say she is correct but my memory has been known to be wrong every once in awhile.)

Ok back to my point. Colten just came off groundation for this very thing. Well tonight on our way to dinner we stop by our PO Box and check the mail. Randy runs in really quick and grabs it and once he gets back in the car he starts going through it. I was preoccupied with checking the stats for my ff (yes I am STILL in the lead) to pay attention to what he got. WELL, my college sent me a cute little letter that my amazing husband proceeds to open and read out loud.

"Dear Amber Tipton,

This letter is to notify you that your grade in the class listed below has fallen to a D!"

Oh Lord why didn't you give my husband brains enough to know he SHOULN'T out me like that??!! Do you know how HARD it is to say you must make good grades or you don't get your technology?!

First thing out of Colten's mouth was "Give me your phone mom, your grounded!!!" WHAT??? Ummm no??!! Talk about double standard! And to top it off I was caught so of guard (because I had my head stuck in my phone) that I wasn't prepared with a witty comeback or even a decent reason why that rule doesn't apply to me. I was backed into a corner, drowning helplessly and he busted out the question "Why don't you have the same rule as us mom!!??"

Yes, I did it. I did what I SWORE I would never do to my child! I used the one thing that every kid hates. "Because I said so!"

I know, I know!! It tried to take it back but the damage was done. I sounded just like my mother and grandmother! Oh the agony!!! I should have my mouth washed out or something!!! Even worse, he bought it! So low, so very very low!!

Moral of the story? Don't ground your kids for something if your gonna do the exact thing your telling them not to do!! Wanna guess who has to study EXTRA EXTRA hard to bring my grade up to at least a C? Smh!! What has this world come to??!!

P.S- Have I mentioned lately how much math sucks??!! It's ruining my life I tell ya!!! :-)

Ready for a slow down.

WoW! Things are totally crazy right now! (Yes I know I say this A LOT but it's so true!) Its a good/busy type of crazy though.

We are getting all situated in our new place, slowly but surely. Yes, there are boxes everywhere and no one can find half their stuff but it's coming along. We got the Internet hooked up today. Yesterday we got a kitchen table (thank you Craigslist!). Today I scored big time at goodwill on a dresser for Katie's room and an adorable little table and chairs for the kids to go in the computer room. Is it sad that I am so excited over my Goodwill finds and even more excited that Saturday is 50% off the entire store?! (Don't judge, I am a mom of 4 which in turn means I am cheap! Haha) As I said, things are coming together quite nicely!

I do have to admit that I am surprisingly shocked at how well my kids are adjusting to the new house. I had expected some resistance or perhaps some more rebellion due to the fact that it was yet another big change. They have been doing amazingly well. Caden has slept in his bedroom EVERY NIGHT, all night long. Katie, who had been giving us a hard time at bed time with going to sleep, has been doing great at getting to bed on time and we haven't had to move her bedtime up at all yet. I assumed that Waylon would have issues getting adjusted because it was a new place/surroundings but he is doing awesome! Sleeps all night and explores all day. Colten couldn't be more excited! He was the first one unpacked and set up. By first I mean we got the keys Friday, moved all of our stuff from storage that night then came back over Saturday to put the beds up and unpack. He had his room arranged but Saturday evening, completely! Lol crazy kid.

It feels right. It feels like we have been here forever and not just 5 days. I love that feeling. :-) I will be excited when everything slows down though. We have been going going going! Unpacking, arranging, setting up, all while going to work, school and normal life stuff. It's exhausting I tell ya! I can't wait until its all done and we can relax.

On a completely different topic, my grandma had surgery today. :-( She has been having some pain and other issues with throwing up ad stuff so they took her in and it turns out that she has stones in her bile duct. Today they did a procedure to remove them. Once they got in their they realized that it was way worse then they thought it was and they were not able to get them all. They didn't want to cause too much damage and risk infection so they will let here heal for a couple weeks and go in again.

It worries me because I am so far away. I know it's a pretty routine surgery but I wish I could be there with her. It reminds me that they are getting older and that they won't be around forever. To think about that is almost more then I can handle! I have asked for prayers via Facebook and received such a great response from so many. I really appreciate it. It brings me comfort to know that so many prayers are going up for her. I know she will be ok!

My eyes are getting heavy so I will end this crazy random all over the place post. Thanks for following long with me guys. You are greatly appreciated and much loved!!

Home Sweet Home

This very moment, exactly three months ago, I was 1000 miles away laying on a pallet in the floor with all of my belongings packed in a moving truck. I was bawling my eyes out and blogging my final goodbyes to the wonderful state of Texas. My heart was broken for what I was leaving behind and hopeful for what the future holds.

Tonight I am laying in my amazingly comfortable bed, snuggled close to my husband, with most of our belongings scattered in boxes through out our new home. Tonight my eyes are filled with tears as I blog this but it's not from sadness. My tears are because I am happy and I am thankful and I am amazed.

The last three months have been a challenge for me! I have struggled so much. I have pleaded with God, asking why he would do this to me! Why would you bring me back to here. To this place where I feel like we have hit rock bottom....again??!! What's the point? What is the lesson that you want me to learn? I had become angry and bitter and mean (mostly to my husband because unfortunately, as the one closest to me, he becomes my verbal punching bag). I honestly had given up.

So much had changed. Jobs were promised but fell through which led to my plans of being out on our own falling through. (gotta have money to do that!) I almost lost my financial aid for school due to my lack of enthusiasm and my terrible habit of procrastinating which led to bad grades and an appeal process that took FOREVER! Nothing was going the way WE had planned it to go. NOTHING.

Randy stayed positive. He drove me crazy because he refused to panic with me. He just kept pointing out the positive and saying "it could be worse!" REALLY??!! Seriously?! Ugh I am telling you this man drives me crazy. He doesn't even know how to be negative with me!! :-) Funny how that works out. I freak out he is calm. I am calm he freaks out. We just work that way. Never on the same page haha.

Anyways, he stayed calm. Took a job making significantly less then he had been making in Texas and what he was supposed to be making here. My hopes of getting out on our own and being independent again were dashed. I saw no hope. No light. Just darkness. But Randy kept saying it would all work out. HOW??!! "Who knows! But it always does so it will!" Turns out my husband knows what he is talking about every once in awhile. (If you tell him I admitted that I will deny it!!!)

Things are ok. Of course money is extremely tight but our bills are paid, we have food on the table (well once we get a table there will be food on it haha) and we are happy and healthy. What more could I ask for?

My heart isn't as broken as it was three months ago. I am slowly putting it back together. Some big chunks are still missing but I am working on it. God is working on it too and knowing that makes me smile. Although I will never know what are future holds I am comforted by the fact that He does and that it will always work out! God has proven that again and again.

The house is quiet. All the kids are sleeping comfortably in their own beds, and I am laying here relishing in the amazing feeling of being home and I am still very hopeful for what our future holds.