Happiness is...

What a great weekend! All of the kids are asleep & the quiet has set over my home.  I just finished stuffing goodie bags with jordan & dominic. They had such a great time doing it. Those moments are the best for me.  I was constantly guiding them. ( Some of the bags had 10 stickers on them and others only had 2. I explained that everything had to be even)  The looks on their faces after we were finished were priceless.  They were so proud of themselves that they were doing this for their 'baby brother'. 

Dominic was worried the entire time that Dycen would know what we were doing. After a few moments I just quit trying to explain to him that Dycen would probably never know what was going on but the memories that we are making for him and the pictures we will take will forever be for him. "Someday he will look back and appreciate all we did," I said. "Yeah, Mom you're right, I remember my carnival party too." (very interesting because dominic never had a carnival party.. hahaha)

Moving on...

There was never a dull moment the past 2 days.  This is the first time I have been able to sit down and catch my breath. I like it like this though. I like being on the go and having places to be and people to see. 

I have been typing and erasing, typing and erasing because I don't know how I want to write this blog.  Before I started tonight, I read one of the blogs I follow and her title was Happiness is...  That is perfect for me right now. The fact that making memories on the weekends with my entire family is what I live for, happiness is on my mind. I live for the weekends. I live for packing the diaper bag EXTRA LARGE, remembering little toys for the car rides, extra clothes, sippy cups, snacks,  the 'seat belts on, we aren't leaving until everyone has their belt on' talk every time we get in the car, the chaos of unloading and loading our brood,  and pretty much everything, as long as we're together. 

Happiness is defined as a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy.  


Happiness is... 
my weekend. enjoy.

having my brother coach my son.

 Happiness is...


watching my husband coach our son.

Happiness is...

seeing who can finish their drink fast enough without laughing.

Happiness is...

being able to sit outside Bed, Bath & Beyond while momma bear shops.

Happiness is... 


spending their dollar after a well behaved weekend shopping trip.

Happiness is...

frosting cupcakes with your friends.

Happiness is...

no rules.

Happiness is...

treson christopher.

Happiness is...

finished cupcakes for my father-in-law.

Happiness is...

big brothers decorating goodie bags for their baby brothers 1st birthday party.

(oh yeah, that's my new eating area that i said i would post pictures of, there ya go)

 

 
 Happiness is...

eating his first ice cream cone. tru dat.

 

Our weekend was full of smiles, laughter ( some crying of course, i won't even lie), togetherness but most of all,  happiness. 

Hope your weekend was full & bright. 

love y'all

oxox, jess

 

 

having it all together, only sometimes.

"True friendship is when two friends can walk in opposite directions, yet remain side by side."


Last night was great with my girlfriends. It's always so nice to get out and let loose. I love to laugh & be silly. After a great girls night of crab cakes, bang bang shrimp, pinot nior & checking the TV every once in awhile to see where we all stood with our brackets, leaves me feeling rejuvenated.  Almost like my mind & body tell me 'thank you' & then there's an immediate strength that comes over me saying, "Let's do this... let's get this done, back to work!"

I feel that I have been put on this earth, most importantly to be a mother, among many other things. To raise 3 boys to become respectful, hard working, honest & good hearted men. Being able to take time for myself is one of the things I am most thankful for. I know in doing that, it helps me to be a better parent. It helps me to relax and clear my head. I am thankful for my husband who stands by all my decisions and let's me be the woman I want to be. I am thankful.

Now that I am done with that rant we can move on!

So I remember yesterday that I said and I quote, "I finally think I have my act together." Oh lawd, I don't know if I will ever have my act together... 


I was so excited to finally post something on here yesterday. I had everything organized around the house. I got everything I needed to do within the time limit I wanted to. Laundry, vacuum, sweep, wipes down counters, wipe floors.. etc. I got to spend quality time with dycen & dominic. I was on a roll or so I thought.. 


Dominic asked for grilled cheese for lunch. I was totally cool with that because he always 'helps' & that is an easy 'help' meal. We played around in the kitchen for a few and started to butter the bread and throw the cheese slices on when the doorbell rang.


I was thinking to myself... who could that be? I haven't ordered anything that I was expecting a package. Everyone in the neighborhood was in school, my neighbors were at work... hhhhmmmm.. 


I answered the door, mind you... this was 12:30 in the afternoon & guess who it was?? JORDAN! He immediately said to me, "Why did you lock the door mom? You knew I had a half day today!" My heart sank, I couldn't believe this... I totally forgot and felt so horrible about it. I definitely didn't let Jordan knew I forgot. I blamed dycen for locking the door... really jess, really? ugh! I had to come up with something fast. 


I am so glad I didn't go anywhere. I am so glad that we were at home. Thank you jesus!  What would have happened if I wasn't there? I felt like such a bad mom. Wow! How could I have forgot? I immediately began the 'if I wasn't home when you got home, what would you do' conversation. We discussed that he would go with his buddies to their house and wait for me to get home. I then ran next door and spoke with my neighbor and discussed it with her and we were all on the same page. I am hoping this will NEVER happen but there always has to be a plan.


I have talked to other moms and they have told me that they have done stuff like that too. It's normal but it really didn't make me feel any better. I thought I had my 'stuff' together. Apparently I don't but but who does. Who always has it together? Who always remembers everything? No one and if there is someone out there, I would love to meet them.

Point of story... I will never have it ALL together and that's okay with me. I do the best I can. However, I do know that Jordan has a half day today and I will be down at the bus stop with bells on. =)


Happy Friday!


oxox, jess

a quick catch up.

Okay, I finally think I have my act together. It's been a little over 2 months since I have last blogged. I feel like a failure but then again I realize that I have to be fair to myself and my family. I will be completely honest with you. I haven't been myself. I have been going through one of those 'down' times as a person and parent.

 I should have kept blogging but I didn't want that side of me to be shown. From now on.... the good, bad & the ugly will be shown. :) I was sad, angry, frustrated & exhausted. I was living in the bliss of having a new baby and enjoying every moment I had with him and my other children, when I started waking up and not feeling like myself. Not wanting to get out of bed. Not wanting to get dressed. Focusing on every negative part of my life. I don't know why. I have so much to be thankful for. I have so many wonderful people in my circle I can turn to, to help me get through whatever it is that I needed. There was something that was missing. There was some real reason I wasn't feeling myself. 

I decided after almost 6 weeks of feeling like this that I should go to the doctor. It took my mother telling me, "Jess, you don't sound right and you haven't been acting yourself and I am worried about you." To hear those words from her were not cool. I knew I had to buck up and see what was going on. 

I got the test results back from the doctor and I was glad to hear nothing major was wrong. She said that my potassium levels & vitamin d levels were VERY low. I need to be on supplements. She also said that I have an under active thyroid. My numbers with that are just a little bit lower than what she would like so not enough to give me synthetic thyroid. She said the vitamins should help that out as well. At the time I thought this was all very silly until I looked it up on the net and educated myself.

I started on all my new vitamins and feel like a NEW person! I am so thankful I went to the doctor. It's so easy to take my kids, but when it comes to myself, well.... that's just a different story. 

I didn't know if I would start blogging again because honestly I didn't know if I would have the time. I realized that after weeks of not doing it and many people writing, texting and calling me wondering why I haven't blogged made me think that I really need to start back up. It gives me something to do for me. It gives me a moment to speak my peace and document my thoughts. Plus I know that years down the road, I am going to love to go back through all of these posts and re-live 'my moments'.


My life right now is full. Jordan has started flag football. He loves it and the joy I see on his face makes my heart explode. I am the team mom so I'm organizing the snack and drink schedule and making sure everyone is volunteered to help with our community service hours. 


Dominic is growing like a weed. He amazes me everyday with all of his new words & thoughts. I am in the process of finding a preschool for him so he can start in Sept. He is so ready! I am so ready!! :)


The past year has been amazing. Having three boys has truly been a dream come true for me. I sincerely cannot believe Dycen will be ONE on April 5th. That is absolutely CRAZY to me! I am planning a HUGE first birthday party. I spend at least a 1/2 hour on it everyday just trying to make sure I have all my ducks in a row. It is going to be a carnival at our church. I can honestly tell you he has no idea what is going on but Jordan and Dominic sure do and they can't wait! 


Demond and I have re-done our 'eating area'. We had someone come in and texturize under our chair rail and do an accent wall for us. We painted and added new wall decor. It totally freshened up that room and I now love sitting in there. It's amazing what a fresh new coat of paint can do. I will post pics when I can find them. :-/


Work is great for me! I am starting to get really busy. I love it! I have built up a large 'regular customer base' which is really helping me and my pockets. :) I love a full bar with laughing, happy, fun loving guests.

I'm off tonight and look forward to a girls night out at my favorite restaurant, Bonefish. Until then, I have a huge mountain of laundry, bathrooms that need my love & two cute little boys who want to wrestle. 


It's good to be back. 


Love ya'll


oxox, 
jess




 

chair rails, birthday parties & shadow boxes.

As I sit here in my chair listening to the sleet against my window, I thank God for all my blessings. 

We had such a great weekend! It was filled with family time, birthday parties, eating out, house projects & early nights to bed (which are my favorite).

In observance of Martin Luther King day, Jordan didn't have school today. It definitely feels like a Sunday night. 

On Saturday we made a family trip to Home Depot. I can't even begin to describe to you how much I love that place. I love the people, the popcorn, but most of all the tile, paint, lights, molding, knobs, plants, flowers.... I could go on forever, trust.

We chose the molding we wanted for the chair-rail & shadow boxes(for our stairwell). I picked out the paint, after asking every woman's opinion in sight. I hate second guessing myself but sometimes I need some reassurance. I've been wanting to start this project for weeks but life never seems to slow down. After walking through almost every aisle probably twice we were done & ready to go.


Oh, I almost forgot. Jordan was whining. Dominic was complaining he was hungry & Dycen started crying.... that was the real reason we were ready to go. :) I was so caught up in picking colors, I forgot we had 3 kids to keep calm.... thank goodness for Demond. He stood next to the cart while I checked out every flippin' paint swatch they had. Ok, now we're ready to go.

Demond and I took turns watching the kids. He would measure something then I would check it out and give the 'ok'. We went on like this for a couple hours until Dycen went down for his nap. The older boys are ok if we put a movie on. We knew we had about an hour to an hour and a half before he would wake up. We worked as fast as we could... almost like clock work as Demond nailed that last nail, we hear "Dada, dada, dada", through the monitor. Perfect timing!

There was no way I could paint on Saturday. That would have to wait. Disappointing because I'm such a sucker when it comes to interior decorating. 


Sunday we celebrated my nephew's 1st birthday. Isaac turned one and what a celebration it was.

Dycen Carter 9 months old

Big Sister celebrating Isaac's birthday!

Dominic, ready for cake!

Happy Birthday Isaac! We love you so much!!

The Good Life! Father & Son

Cake time!

Tasting cake for the first time.

Always time for wrestling!

Later that evening, all of the Tapscotts (yes, all 25 of us) met for dinner at Longhorn to celebrate Daron & Little Daron's birthday. I forgot my camera so unfortunately I don't have pictures of that.


Today, my sister-in-law took all three kids so I could paint. She is the best! Thanks Danielle!! After 4 hours of painting I finally finished. What a wonderful weekend. I'm ready for the next project. Until then, enjoy some of the before & after pictures. The colors in the pictures don't do the actual paint colors any justice. 

Before

 I stared at those colors for weeks before I decided on the lighter one of the two.

After the wall was finished painted & the chair-rail and shadow boxes were almost done.

It's done!!

& I love it!

Thank you Demond for being awesome & putting up the chair-rail and designing the shadow boxes. I love you & everything you do!


Look who else loves you... & look who learned how to kiss... kinda! haha!

Hope you all had a great weekend. We sure did!


be blessed.
oxox, jess

yuk.

So most of my posts are loving, funny, sad or whatever but this is just silly & gross... I had to share! Sorry Mom.....

I've been a mother for over 6 years & today I experienced something I never wish to experience again....

Dycen threw up in my mouth! YES! He threw up in my mouth!!!!!!

We were in the kitchen & he had been fussy so I picked him up off the floor. I held him above my head kissing his face & really just trying to change his attitude. I kept kissing him & making silly noises... All of a sudden it happened. I had an entire mouthful of grossness. In my nose, on my face, running down my neck but most importantly IN MY MOUTH!  Sorry if this is all too graphic but like I always say... I'm keepin' it real. I've gotten pooped on, peed on but never this! I've truly seen and experienced it all. Thank goodness we were in the kitchen so I immediately spit it out in the sink.

Ugh! I will leave it at that but wow.... motherhood is down right nasty sometimes... 

I put Dycen down & cleaned myself up. I don't think I will ever be the same. I can tell you I will never hold my child above my head while talking and being silly..... my mouth will ALWAYS be closed!

Good thing I love them so much! So now when I say.... "I could just eat them up!" I think twice :)

Haha. Love y'all.

GoodNight 

oxox, jess

Friday Night Randomness

It's Friday night & I'm not working. I'm sitting in my chair listening to the baby monitor. Dycen went down awhile ago but has already been up once. He doesn't feel good.

I picked him up from his crib and he immediately got comfortable.  There was no more crying, no more coughing. He nuzzled up on my chest & took a big sigh. He was comfortable & that's just where he wanted to be.

I rocked him in my chair. Singing all of my special little songs...  He eventually went back to sleep. That brings me to where I am now. In my chair with my feet up listening to the heat crank up & turn off, listening to football on the TV & staring at the kitchen table that needs to be cleaned off. 


You would think that having a night off would be a night off. It sure doesn't feel like a night off. I actually feel more tired than normal..... ah well... it's silent right now & I'm enjoying every minute.


Dycen is everywhere these days. I caught him going up the stairs today. Dominic thinks it hilarious but I don't find it funny at all. It's actually heart wrenching... I can just see him falling down and really hurting himself. And so it goes....


I was feeding Dycen this morning. I went to the kitchen to get a rag & put his spoon in the dishwasher when something told me to turn around. I did & to my surprise he was standing in his highchair. Hands in the air with the biggest smile on his face. No, I don't use the straps but now I will. One wrong move and he was done! Ugh! I don't think I moved as fast as I did this morning in years. I grabbed him and said no, no, no... he could care less, he smacked me right in the face. Oh yea, he does that... he thinks its funny... it's a good thing he is cute or we would have  issues.


Dominic is growing up so fast. I remember when Jordan was his age. Jordan was always a smart kid but Dominic truly amazes me with the things he says. It's crazy how different it is when you have an older to sibling to teach you the ropes. 

Jordan is doing well in school. I'm really anxious to get his report card. 

Jordan has this friend who comes over all the time to play. He's in 5th grade. Is that weird? I often wonder why a 5th grader wants to play with a kindergartener. I listen to their conversations & watch everything. Nothing has caught my eye to be strang but isn't that weird?


Anyways.... I feel like I'm rambling now. Have a great weekend ya'll!


oxox, jess

My 2010

2010 has come and gone. The older I get the faster the time seems to go. Sometimes I don't want to blink because I think I will miss something.

2010 was so good to me. I feel like a grown up. I know that has to sound weird but it's totally how I'm feeling at this exact moment. 

I completed my family with the most perfect addition. I always questioned how I would be able to love something like I love Nic & Jordan. Dycen is the perfect fit to our family, the perfect fit to my heart.

Dycen Carter perculatin'

The first time I ever held him 

The first picture of my 3 sons

2010 taught me many things about myself. I really am strong, even when I don't feel I am. I don't do well off a schedule & neither do my kids! :) I got a crock pot in 2010 & couldn't imagine life without it now. I have learned to let go. I've learned to ALWAYS go with my heart and stick to what I believe in. And above all else.... I've learned to forgive. Thank you God. 

I love the simple things in life. The sweet smiles, the laughs, the 'momma I wanna lay with yous', fresh air,  sleeping on my stomach and the chaos, the round the clock chaos!

Enjoy some of my favorite photos of 2010.

February 2010, Dycen still in my tummy

March 2010 Roasting marshmallows for the first time.

May 2010 Main Street Fair (The cutest tiger EVER)

June 2010- Slip n' Slide in the backyard

Happy 3rd Birthday Dominic!

Fun times down by the river with Jaxson Davis!

August 2010

Our Getaway to Ft. Lauderdale -August 2010-

Happy 6th Birthday Jordan! OBX Style

September 2010 OBX Aquarium

October 2010, Our first professional family photo shoot!

October 2010, Sky Meadows State Park, our picnic spot!

 2010 made me a better person. Whenever I tell people I have 3 children under the age of 6 they always have something to say about it.... "Oh, you have your hands full or Wow, praise you."

But to me, I don't look at it that way. I look at it like this is my life. This is where I'm suppose to be. It's not that hard. It's alot of work but not hard. Don't get me wrong, some days are better than others but never more than I can handle.

In 2010 I have realized that I am capable of anything. I am capable of doing things I never knew I could. I have a wonderful husband who supports me & I'm so lucky for that.

2011 is here, at least for the moment. I'm so excited to see what this year has in store for us but really excited to see what it has in store for me, for Jessica. I'm done having babies & I'm ready to start a new adventure. Something for me.... something other than being a mom & the fun bartender. I'm going for it, I'm reaching for the stars!

Stay tuned!


I leave you with this funny tid bit...


Me (standing in the kitchen): Jordan, What is Dycen doing?
Jordan: I don't know.
Me: Nic, what is Dycen doing?
Nic: I don't know MOM!
Me: Jordan, please make sure he isn't playing with your small toys.
Jordan: Ok Mom, but if you really wanna know the truth I would come in here yourself, I mean...... he is, YOUR baby! Not mine.
Nic: YEAH!!!!! He's not mine either, Mom! Gosh!! Boys don't have babies!!!
Me: I couldn't stop laughing, the dishes had to stop & I sat in the middle of the living room, right between all the chaos... after taking the best advice I'd ever received from a 3 & 6 year old.


Happy New Year to you all!


oxox, jess