It depends on your definition

Day 5.
I'll save everyone the rant.....I left my camera and video camera in Payson when we were there two weeks ago!  I realized it today, just as I was off to two of my children's class Halloween parties. Seriously, it's Hallofreakinween weekend! I mean, I spend hours getting my kids dressed up, hair done and looking fabulous for this event and I have no camera to document my self proclaimed mom of the year efforts. OK, so not really mom of the year, but you know one day when my girls are older this will go into the "look at all I've done for you over the years" file.  I need solid evidence.  I want to enjoy the fruits of my labor. Because, let me tell ya, getting four girls ready IS labor......If I stop now can this be classified as a lament? Plus, I'm pretty sure that somewhere in the definition of rant it says yell.  And unless you live on my street, you heard no yelling. 

PS. Today I am thankful for my camera, which affords me opportunities to capture moments I want not to forget.

Just give me one of those white sticks

Day 4.
Today I'm thankful for glasses/contacts!  I'm pretty close to blind.  I believe I was in 4th grade when I got my first pair of glasses (which I then proceeded to brake with in the first week of ownership. My mom was not pleased)  It didn't take me long to realize, wearing glasses did not make me any cooler or any smarter. (big fat bummer.  I had conjured up all kinds of ideas of how brilliant I'd become or how good looking I'd be.)  It wasn't until I got contacts in the 9th grade that I officially didn't go without either my glasses or contacts.  Each year I go back to the eye doctor, my eyes get progressively worse.  I always wonder at what point will I officially be declared legally blind (and what a tragedy that would be. I couldn't even get one of those seeing eye dogs. I'm allergic to anything with fur. Lame! You think they could train a pig? I hear they're quite smart.)  Maybe someday I'll get brave enough for that corrective laser eye surgery.  The idea of my eyes being preyed open while lasers are being used......well let's just say, it's not for me! With the help of my glasses/contacts I can see just fine and I am sooooo grateful to have them.

3 days in a row, I'm pretty sure that's a record for me!

Day 3.
Today I am thankful for the convenience of email. I have accomplished much today, all by way of email. I've corresponded with teachers, confirmed party plans, received meeting reminders, received notification of a UPS delivery and was reminded it's my last chance to save and receive free shipping at an array of my favorite retailers. (but since Black Friday is less than a month away, they can not tempt me with their hallow claims of "lowest prices of the season" crap. I am no fool. I am certified in the door buster, sleepless night, rock bottom prices, bedlam that is Black Friday. Crazy? Yes. But it makes for a merry Christmas)

Who'd of guessed I'd say that?!

Day 2.
Today I am grateful to have all girls. No you don't need to have your ears checked.  Yes, I actually said that! Now with the changing weather (finally!) here in AZ, I'm pulling out the pants and hoodies.  It's at this time I appreciate having all girls. No one, but Emry NEEDS new clothes. Now does this mean Summer, Tatum and Ava get stuck wearing all hand-me-downs? Heavens No! There are always items we simply just want and can't do with out.  Plus my girls are still kids and just plain ruin things. Making it necessary to replace with new. There are very few tally marks in the plus column with having all girls.  In fact,  this is the only one I can think of at the moment. But I must admit sharing clothes is a perk right now. (And don't worry, I am fully aware of the future fights that will ensue over the sharing of clothes!)

PS. Eric, this is what I am thankful/grateful for today. Not you! Trust me, I know you'd gladly fork out all kinds of money just to clothe even just one boy.

Challenge extended....Challenge accepted

32 days to a more thankful/grateful me. In an effort to blog more (ok, blog period) for the next 32 days I will document something I am grateful/thankful for. (And what a coincidence, day 32 is Thanksgiving day) Some will be important and substantial and others may be small and insignificant. But in the end I am blessed beyond measure and big or little it will do me good to acknowledge and remember them all.






Day 1.
Today I am thankful for friends. In the words of John Lennon ♪"I get by with a little help from my friends"♫ I love the give and take of a friendship. Sometimes you've got it together and can be the giver but we all know sometimes we're the taker. And that's ok. None of us are perfect. We all have our struggles and our friends have a way of making everything just a little easier to get through. I love that some of my best friends are family members. I love it when friends tell you "you can do it", even when you think you can't. I love having friends who are genuinely happy for me when good comes my way. I love having friends I don't see often but just thinking of them make me smile. I love friendships that inspire me to be and do better (even if it is just because they are fabulous at things I feel inferior at). I love that I have people in my life who I haven't known forever, that I don't call one of my best friends, yet still know when I'm having a bummer of a day and say and do things to lift me up. I love that I have friends who keep it real. You know, the ones who confess to having a house that sometimes looks like a crap hole, who scream at their children, who have to have a cafinated beverage just to get through the day, who don't shower everyday, who's children aren't the cutest and smartest around, who text while they're driving (despite signing Oprah's "No Phone Zone" pledge), who cook their family dinner only sporadically, who's husband's aren't the hardest working, best looking, most helpful or fantastic listener. Don't get me wrong, the importance of positive thinking and speaking is critical in life. But the brief moments when we let our hair down and speak candidly about our life is just plain refreshing. Friends know the good and the bad, they lift each other up when down, they listen without always trying to "fix it", they know the real you and love you anyway. As with life, friendships have their ups and downs, they have to be worked at, and we get out of it what we put into it.

Baby steps

Yes, I am aware this is the first time I have posted something in over 9 months!.....First things first, We are no longer Eric & Bre plus 3. We are plus four and Eric and Bre plus 4 just doesn't have the same ring to it.......Thus a new blog name is a must.

Yes, I know I skipped Summer's birthday (i'll get to it, I promise) but lets talk about headaches and hurt feelings

So these are my 3 rascals. And just so you know I do not believe a single picture in which all three are happy smiling and looking at the camera is in existence. It is a goal of mine to own such a picture, but at this point in my life that feat still alludes me.

Just a little 5 minute window into a Graham family breakfast:

Tatum and Summer (who should not be allowed to sit next to each other, but were) started in with the poking and touching. Yes you know what I am referring to. "she touched me" or "she poked my arm and made me drop my spoon." This goes on for a few minutes until it escalates into a shouting match. At which point I am forced to intervene. Brilliantly I move them apart and tell them to "stop, because it's only 7am and they're already giving me a headache!" Now my sweet little perfect Emry (HaHa) feels the need to throw in her two cents by saying "I wish they would just eat their breakfast quietly like me." Now the inner struggle begins, "let it go" I think to myself, but that is almost impossible for me. It's one of my faults (letting things go, not opening my mouth with a comeback) I'm fully aware and someday may even try to work on it. So of course I open my mouth to Emry saying "well, I wish you wouldn't talk so disrespectfully to me." Emry now sits there with a blank look on her face. I now feel the need to elaborate and give her a few of examples. (heaven knows I couldn't let her sit there and gloat in her self proclaimed innocence) So I start in "how about when you tell me you hate me, or the time you told me you wanted a new mom, or the time you said I just want to spit in your face" (yes she is just 5 and yes my jaw drops when I hear my "sweet little perfect Emry" say such atrocities. She is a drama queen in every sense of the term) I finish with "when you talk like that, it hurts my feelings." Emry gets quiet for a moment (you see, she is her mothers daughter so I stand there waiting for her comeback) then with a smile on her face says "well at least I don't give you headaches like Summer and Tatum. I'm pretty sure that's worse than hurting your feelings, so I guess I'm not so bad after all." I decide to stop there. I had to walk away as to not let Emry see me snickering.

What else..........but a Birthday......and better late than never. Right???

Apparently I only blog for Birthdays it seems. My little Miss Sassy Pants Emry turned 5 on July 8th. For her birthday she chose to go to Chuck E Cheese. You can imagine my excitement when I heard this. Up until this point my children have been deprived of the Chuck E Cheese experience. Forgive me if I enjoy a good Barro's pizza as apposed to the cardboard Chuck E Cheese passes off as pizza. Thanks to my frienemies at Nick jr. & the Disney channel who portray Chuck E Cheese as the next best thing to Disneyland, Emry demanded the deprivation end. She must go! So of course we (and by we I mean Tatum) went and wasted lots of tokens (apparantley Tatum would snatch handfuls of tokens and just keep dropping them in the rides, even after it was already going. This was not figured out until the end of the night) But the best part of the night is when we got home and Emry said "hmmm, Chuck E Cheese sure seems like a lot more fun on TV." Classic!

A little about Emry at age 5

* is my BEST helper

* sooo honest (even when it's to her detriment)

* as SASSY as they come

* LOVES to sing and dance (still tells me she wants to be in a talent show)

* favorite tv shows right now: Scooby Doo, Sponge Bob, and ICarly

* favorite movie: basically anything scary or a Barbie movie

* meal of choice: peanut butter and Jelly (or if she's feelin' crazy...PB & honey)

* always keeps us laughing, she says some of the funniest things

* frequently colors or draws a picture and then randomly tapes it on my walls somewhere in the house

* enjoys giving talks in Primary (always volunteers) Yay for me ;)

* very dramatic, everything is a big deal and can become hysterical in an instant

* thinks hide-and -go-seek is the BEST game ever

* LOVES to dress-up

* wants to "live with mommy and daddy FOREVER" even after she's married with her own children. (once cried when I tried to convince her she'd WANT to move out one day)

* likes to swim and has become pretty good at it.

* HATES to get her hair done (cries almost every morning)

* LOVES to help cook/bake

* tells stories like no other 5yr old I know (she's very creative)

* still the pickiest eater in the house (we argue every night over how many bites she must eat)

* now has an opinion on what she wears everyday :(

* tells me, sometimes Heavenly Father and Jesus talk to her heart

L♥ve you Emry!

It's been over a month since I've posted and my last one hardly counts. So what inspired me to climb out of my anti-blogging hole you ask.....Tatum ☺

This is my baby. She's 2 today. I can't believe how fast time has flown by. It seems Emry also feels the same way. This morning she said to me "I can't believe Tatum's 2 today, it's like I'm having a dream and I just can't wake up!" This is the first time I've had a 2yr old and not had a younger baby. Tatum is a crazy girl and fits in perfectly with her sisters, Emry and Summer. So here's a little about Tatum as she is today.....

*The biggest tattle tale I know.
*Words most commonly uttered by Tatum: "(insert name) did it" (most common names...cousin Preston or Aunt Kelsey. And no they do not even have to be around to get blamed)
*Loves shoes and will wear any left in her reach (including those found in cubbies at Chic-fil-a)
*Hates swimming/large bodies of water, including the bath (polar opposite from sisters)
*Loves gum! Has got a hold of entire packs and devoured every last piece
*Might actually love her binky and blanket more than Emry and Summer. (previously believed to be impossible)
*Always wants to be doing whatever her sisters are doing
*NEVER watches TV or movies. (Harkins Summer Movies should be a blast this year!)
*Throws a fit when forced to ride in shopping cart. Thinks she must push cart. (this is especially awesome when she pushes the cart into a display of shampoo and you get to see bottles fall and bust open)
*Great at saying "Thank you" and "your welcome"
*Fabulous at giving kisses and hugs. (can't got to bed without 'em)

Love you Tatey Bug! Happy Birthday.

I can't stop laughing

Seriously O.b.?! I know vampires are all the rage right now, but this? I mean who is their target audience? And do you think Stephenie Meyer should get a cut of the profits? Cuz really I don't think it was Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in "Interview With the Vampire" that inspired this ad. Gives new meaning to the term "blood suckers" doesn't it. ☺(I'll never look at tampons the same way again)