I'm still thankful...

I love love love all my kids. However, I am just so dang thankful that I FINALLY got a toe head!

It doesn't hurt that he's so dang cute I could just eat him...and I've tried!

He hasn't been feeling very good the last few days, so tonight when he started all this...

I was happy to see he was feeling up to some good old fashioned Gunter communication! Oh, hope you turned your speakers down before you enjoyed that one. That could do some damage!

Turkey Coma

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. We started with pies for breakfast at my mom's. I have a hard time with this tradition. It sounds great, but then I don't want pie later, or I do and I end up eating too much pie for one day! But, I guess that is what Thanksgiving is all about, right?!? OK, maybe just kind of what it's about. So, for breakfast I made Decadent French Toast, which might as well be a pie. I think it is soooo good and I get angry when people don't eat it right. I'm learning to let go....Anyway, while at breakfast we decided to go and see Twilight, again! It was the 1st time for 4 out of the 7 of us. It was a good excuse to go, so I went along. I actually liked it better the 2nd time, which doesn't usually happen for me. I really love that movie. I know it's corny, cheesy, bad make up and all that stuff, but when a book you read comes to life, it's just awesome! So, I still love it! While we, the ladies, were at the movie the men and children were mostly at my house playing Rock Band! Such a fun game. (Why did we get to play Rock Band?? Well, such another post, but since it was purchased for Christmas, and we "always" open our presents on Christmas Eve, Walter figured Thanksgiving Eve was close enough!) Then we had a FANTASTIC dinner at my mom's. It was fun to see those who could come! We missed Dan's and Mark's families, but somehow we still filled the house quite full! We all stayed and played and enjoyed our time together. I am now EXHAUSTED!

However, I did want to share one picture. This last time Walter was out of town I let the kids watch a movie and they fell asleep on the couch. So, this picture serves as a reminder that after all the running, screaming, and pulling my hair out, they seem so innocent, wonderful and amazing once they fall asleep!

Love these crazy kids!

Long Undies!!

Do you have any idea how many times I had to take this picture to get this picture! These kids are crazy! But soo cute! LOVE THEM!! For the first time, I bought them some long underwear, or thermals, so we can be warm! I'm not so sure how the heat works here in the basement, but I have a feeling that, being the basement, it might get a little chilly! So, we are prepared...and stinkin cute!

Some Winni funnies!

Winni knows I'm not a big fan of Wubbzy. I really think it is a stupid show with awful animation. So, whenever it comes on I change the channel or turn it off. She doesn't so much like that I do this. So, yesterday after school I let her watch some TV cause her brothers were sleeping and I was paying bills. When Wubbzy came on she looked at me and I gave her the "not a fan" look. She then tells me her great idea...."Mom, I'll watch Wubbzy and you look that way!" I couldn't stop laughing!

Oh, and today Winni told my sister, Julie, that she couldn't eat bananas that have any black on them, cause then her skin would turn black. I think she might be a bit confused when/if we move to The South! She continued to tell Julie that she would eat it when it "turns back into a banana!"

"Just like TWILIGHT!?!?"

Walter decided to capitalize on my love for Twilight. He actually went with me to the movie at 12:10 AM last week! What a good husband. The lady in line behind us asked him why he was there? He told her he was there to support his wife. Her response was, "You know she is still going to come home to you!" Apparently she thought he was there to make sure I didn't swoon too much! I let her know that he was there to buy me treats and get me refills! :) He was such a good sport and he really liked the movie. At least that is what he tells me. He now has a lot of questions...

One thing he did understand was that Edward is a vampire and Bella is not. I guess he really liked the scene at the end at The Prom when he went for her neck. On Sunday while I was fixing dinner he came in and gave me a hug, then went for my neck. I'm not much a fan of hickeys, so I squirmed. He said it would be "just like twilight", as if that would make me say, "OK, tramp stamp me!!" Well, what it did do was make me laugh, enough so that I wasn't strong enough to fight him off! I guess we'll put off family pictures for another week...


What, you can't see it?? That would be the lighting. Take a closer look!!!

That would be my lovely "I belong to Walter" stamp. So, what do you do when you have a hickey?? Well, can't stay inside for a week, so me, my tramp stamp, and my dirty kids still in their jammies at 3 PM went to Wal-Mart...and nobody thought anything of it! I fit right in!! Thankyouverymuch!! :)

FHE

Tonight was the beginning of what we strive for every week. Family Home Evening. We finally got it together and made sure Walter was home. We had a song, "Are You Sleeping, Brother John", followed by a prayer by Winni. Then we tried to get out of Winni what she learned in Primary. She says they learned how to dance. hmmmmm......so we moved on to the game. We played "Guess Who!" our own way, then read a scripture and Trae gave the closing prayer. Then we had brownies. Wonderful! We were kind of making it up as we went along, so we had to make up the rules as we went along also. We are up to 1 rule. It is, No table dancing during FHE! We almost kept that rule...better luck next week!

Kids say the sweetest things!!

Winni comes up with some pretty fascinating stories! Her answers to my questions are pretty creative! For instance, today Trae was trying to put boots on and couldn't, so he kicked Winni. I know, that was the most logical thing he could think of to do! So, he kicks Winni in the chest. She comes to me crying, "mommy, he kicked my heart! It's bleeding!" She continued that "it doesn't squeak anymore!" I wasn't aware that it was squeaking, so I was kind of glad it wasn't squeaking ANYMORE! So, she gets the attention she was craving and we go on our day. Then later, I asked her how her heart was. She told me it wasn't bleeding anymore. "It's fixed!" Wow! NICE! I asked her how it got fixed and she let me know that "Jesus fixed it!" She is so smart! I'm glad she recognizes where our blessings come from.

Trae, on the other hand, still doesn't say much. Well, he says much, but I don't so much know what he is saying! But, he is very passionate about it! Luckily, what he lacks in language he makes up for while doing the dishes! That boy could spend all day scrubbing the same pot for me!

Backfired!!

So, I once heard a relative of a relative (now that's a new way to start some gossip) say that after their mom would put them to bed, if they started calling out to her and asking her for things she would say she was off duty, or something to that effect. Well, I tried it tonight. My two sweet monsters would not go to sleep. After asking me for a million things, I finally said to Winni, "I'm not your mom!" Well, it backfired! She started crying and wailing. I went in to see why and she said, "you aren't my mom anymore!" It was heart-breaking. She won! I got her out of bed and held her and told her I was and am her mom...FOREVER! She kept telling me that it makes her sad when I say that. She is so stinkin cute! All she wanted was to be tucked in, for the millionth time tonight! So, I'm still her mom, even in the middle of the night.

Beans are a VEGGIE!!

Remember the song, Beans Beans the musical fruit?!? Well, there is a contest to redo that song and make it honest, because beans are a veggie! Here is one of the entries! so so so funny! Well, I think so!

Vote for me in this contest!

Submit entry

Contest details

So, what are you going to come up with??

Day 1: SUCCESS!!

So, Day 1 with no computer during the day....awesome!! We played this morning, went for a walk, made lunch, had a picnic at Grandmas house and when we got home...all 3 went down for a NAP!! Can we say SuuuuWEEEEEETTT!! I got some me time and a nap was on my list! I need to work on wearing them out in the afternoon though, after naps. They helped me make breadsticks, but it didn't wear them out enough to go to bed on time. Well, there is always tomorrow!

PS, thanks for you words of encouragement as I battle this addiction. It's also nice to know I'm not alone. Blogs are a great place to connect with others, get great ideas, be inspired, share thoughts, and talk about our great kids, but if I'm on the computer all day I don't realize the fun I'm missing out on! Moms ROCK!! And you, my friends, are ROCK STARS!! Hmmmm....I think Rock Band would be a great way to wear my kids out! I'll have to tell my husband it's work related, so he can't say no! :)

My name is Amber Gunter and I am a blogaholic!

Dear Satan~

I'm SORRY, but we're gonna win!

Amber

So, tonight at Enrichment we were deeply enriched by Lori Thurston. She taught us a wonderful lesson about Satan. Rather, defeating Satan. She reminded us that we have what Satan will never have. We have each other. We have the opportunity to have children, we have the love and affection of our families, and we are on the winning team! The only way he can take those things from us is if he distracts us from what is important. And, they don't have to be bad distractions. Some of my good distractions include over planning, expecting perfection, rather than striving for it and appreciating the journey, and of course, blogging. I love to blog. I love to read blogs. I get inspiration from blogs. I think blogs are a wonderful thing. However, I find myself consumed by my blog and others. I wait all day for comments. I check all day long, just to see if someone left a comment or blogged on their own blog. And, while I'm worrying so much about what other people are doing in their lives, I'm missing my own life. I'm glad I have a blog so that I can document my wonderful life, but I've found that I live for my blog. To tell the world how "cool" I am. But, ya know what??? I don't care what the world thinks. I care what my kids think. Some people can juggle their family and their blog. Some people can show restraint. But for me, I cannot!! So, I'm cutting back on the blog. I will only blog after my kids are asleep. Because I want my kids to remember me as the mom that was building forts WITH them. I have found in the last few days that cleaning up a mess I was a part of making is so much more fun and rewarding than cleaning up after my kids. I have even found I have more patience! Especially when I know why they are sad or ornery or wild and crazy. And ya know what?? My kids are cool! They love being with me. They love cleaning with me and cooking with me. I'm going to get back to basics, and to what is important. My kids, my husband, the scriptures, family home evening, living, loving, and learning. I'm going to teach Winni to read, rather than having Super Why do it! I'm going to teach Trae to go potty, rather than waiting for him to teach himself! I'm going to hold my baby Grady, before he grows up too fast! I'm going to take care of myself...read the scripture, exercise, eat (cause sometimes I forget), cook, bake, plan ahead. And, I'm going to stop complaining about cleaning up after my husband, because my home is my castle and he is my Prince. I'm letting Satan know that he can't have my family. Our time together is precious and sacred, and it's ours!! So, if I miss a night blogging, it's probably because I've fallen asleep holding one of my little buckets! I'm exhausted! Being a kid is a lot of work!

Granny O

Lila O'Kelley
Athens - Lila O'Kelley, age 97, died Thursday, November 6, 2008 at Quiet Oaks Nursing Home. Born in Oconee County, she was the daughter of the late John Wesley and Maggie Shelnut Duncan. In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by her daughter, Ruby Gunter. She was a homemaker, member of the Salvation Army Church and attended Johnson Drive Baptist Church. She is survived by her daughters, Frances Shiflet of Hartwell, Sue and Billy Melton of Hull, JR and Peggy O. Smith of Hull, Betty "Bootsy" and Jimmy Human of Royston; sons: George O'Kelley of Danielsville, Johnny and Diane O'Kelley of Danielsville; sister: Lucy Prather of Hull; brother: Ralph Duncan of Loganville; 18 grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren; and 11 great-great-grandchildren. Graveside services will be held Saturday, November 8, 2008 at p.m. at Gordon's Chapel United Methodist Church with Mr. Shannon O'Kelley officiating. Visitation will be held from 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Lord & Stephens, EAST. Flowers will be accepted. Lord & Stephens, EAST, is in charge of arrangements.

Granny O with Winni May 2005

Granny O with Trae October 2006

Spending time with Granny O October 2006

Every time we went to Georgia we would make sure to visit Granny O in the nursing home. And, every time, without exception, we would run into someone else visiting her. She was quite the popular one. And, why not?!? She is Walter's great-grandmother, which means she had quite the posterity and many people who loved and adored her. I believe she was 97 years old. Thanks to a job interview with Ross Controls, Walter was able to be there with his family when she passed, and therefore able to be at the funeral as a pallbearer. What a wonderful and rare opportunity is has been for my kids to have a living great-great-grandmother! Although they won't remember her, they will always feel of her love. I'm so grateful that Families are Forever!! We'll miss visiting you, Granny O...'til we meet again!

GIVEAWAY....

My way! :) For a little bit of background, like I have said so many times before, I am 28 years old. I've never cared much about trends and being popular and the like. So, what I'm thinking is, I must be a late bloomer!! Because, I want to be "trendy!" Well, sort of, anyway. I'm not saying I want to become a gym rat, been there done that! I'm not saying I want to start wearing mini skirts and halter tops, is that even trendy?? I DON'T KNOW!! But, what I am saying is, I want a "trendy" hairstyle.



OK, not so much like this, but something to remember me by!

I'm sick of my boring hair. I love it when I do it, but I really aint so much of a hair doer. I want some cute layers, but keep some length. I want some fun coloring. Not blue and orange or anything like that, just something more daring/trendy than the grown out root look I'm sporting these days. So, here is how I do giveaways...what's in it for me?? I feel justified in this thinking because you are thinking the same thing, that's why you came back for my giveaway. I'm looking for someone to help me become hip. Someone with a license to do hair is pretty much a must. So, tell all your friends who do hair, or yourself if you are the hair magician in your neighborhood. And, in exchange I'll use my license on you and give you the BEST DANG MASSAGE YOU EVER DID HAVE!! So, leave me a comment and tell me how cool you can make me look! Oh, and if you know how to do make up, I could use some tips.

Disclaimer: I "think" I'm the best LMT! However, I can't know for sure, seeings I've never given myself a massage. I've wanted to try, but I just can't get myself to relax enough...and I'm not a contortionist, so it's kind of out of the question. But, I do think pretty highly of myself! :)

Can we say HAIR BALL??!?

Sooooo, remember how I got a new vacuum recently?? Did I tell you how much I love it? I really do. I've used it for everything!! I cleaned out the spider webs in the storage room, I clean up the crumbs in the high chair, I vacuum up the spices when Trae decides to be a chef. It really has been great. I love using it practically every day! It's that great! However, it seems to have picked up some friends it wasn't so willing to get rid of.



I'm so sorry you had to see that. I realize it is disgusting. (Although I find it funny that while still attached to the head, it can be considered beautiful and even lusted after!) Anyway, this is how it is supposed to look...



And, coincidentally, how it looks now!

All's I'm saying is, I knew I was losing hair, but seriously!!




That's a LOT of hair!! Which has inspired me to do a giveaway! I know I'm not one of those exciting blogs that "strangers" look at and even comment on. I've never received an anonymous comment I couldn't figure out. But that is OK. EITHER WAY, I'm doing a "giveaway" tomorrow to boost my own self esteem. So, if you want in on it you had better come back, even though it's a Friday and you are too cool to blog on a Friday, it just might be worth your gander!! :)

Totally Jealous!!

So, in honor of the elections yesterday, I'm trying to "share the wealth!" In my motherly life I have an abundance. An abundance of what?? Let's call it an abundance of fun and adventure!! What is it that I'm sharing??? I'm guessing just a story, because I'm not sure anyone is going to want what I have to offer! :) It all started this morning.......

We woke up to a beautiful snow fall! The boys had Dr's appointments today so we were getting ready. Grady was tired so I put him down for a little early nap so we could survive our trip. Winni decided she wanted to come with us (otherwise she would have stayed with Grandma or played with a friend) and help me with Grady. Those were actually her words. She said, "Mom, I want to come to the Dr and help you with Grady!" She's growing up so fast. Anyway we had to wake Grady up after a really short, like 10 min, nap. Everything was going great. We made it through the snow to the office and only jumped in a few puddles along the way. As we are waiting for the Dr to come in I hear something that sounds like a water fall! hmmmmm...what could that be?? I check Grady, nope! It was Trae. I didn't know that he wasn't feeling well. I checked his diaper and as nasty as it sounded, it didn't look too bad. I decided his diaper would survive, since I had just changed him and didn't bring a diaper....ooops!! Anyway, Dr Wall comes in and starts checking out Grady. As I'm trying to tell him what a happy baby Grady is, he is screaming and crying cause he is still tired and now hungry! However, during this exchange with the Dr and Grady, Trae starts to realize his part in this whole thing. While Grady was there for his 9 mo check, Trae was there for what we now consider, the usual! He looked at Dr Wall, then at me and said, "get it out??" while pointing to his ear. He got the saddest look on his face and started crying. As soon as we were done with Grady it was Trae's turn. Dr Wall and Tina put him on the table and held him down, while I held a crying Grady and Trae's legs. As Dr Wall pulled a hair elastic out of Trae's ear Winni was playing by herself. Then, all of a sudden, THUMP!! She had fallen off of the Dr's swivel wheeled chair and landed on her back, resulting in hitting her head. As I consoled her screaming (I had 3 screaming kids at this point) she started throwing up! I reminded the Dr about what happened to her back in September. She stops throwing up and I get her all cleaned up. We decided to have another nurse come in and hold Grady, make sure Winni was OK, and allow me to help with Trae because the play dough I thought was in his right ear was actually in his left ear. So, I assume my position holding Trae's legs. While Dr Wall fishes out the Play Dough, I realized that his diaper wasn't able to hold the waterfall poop from earlier and his pants are soaked. Now, Winni is happy and gets an OK from Dr Wall. She threw up because she was crying so hard, no new concussion. Grady is naked and happy, but ready to go home and Trae is trying to open the door so we can get out of there before we decide to torture him again. Then the nurse walked in with the shots. Grady got his 2, calmed down quickly and was passed off to Winni to hold him, on the floor, while Trae became victim...again. After a quick flu shot and pink bandaid we pulled up his wet pants (as he pulled the bandaid off) and were out the door! Now we are home and the tired boys are asleep...and it's only noon!! So, please don't be jealous! I'm willing to share....

Grady Pants

I'm not quite sure how my kids get their nicknames, but this one has stuck for my little Grady Pants! He is seriously such a happy baby. Today I found him with the witch, jammin!!



He kept pushing the button to make her sing and he would dance along. He is so funny! Plus, he's got a little of his dads rhythm...??

To prove his happiness, here he is a couple minutes after Trae hit him with the whiffle bat!





And, what a cute fat lip that is. (sorry for the snotty nose, but seriously, doesn't he have enough going on? A little snot might help the healing process!)