Mother's Day 2011

Almost 6 1/2 years ago to the day, I gave birth to my best friend. Ms. Bayleigh LizMarie Rutherford!!! She entered this world weighing a tiny 6 lbs. 14.9 ozs. and was 19 in. long. This tiny being of a person filled my heart with so much love I thought my heart couldn't possibly stay in my chest. I NEVER in my wildest dreams imagined this type of love and I NEVER want to experience a day in my life without again.

Tomorrow is Sunday, May 8th, 2011--Mother's Day. I know that the focus is supposed to be on the mommy of the house--that of course is me. However, tomorrow, I will be celebrating Bayleigh. I will celebrate her because she is my every reason for living in this world. She is my everything and I love her more than words could ever express. The second they put her in my arms in that surgery room, I changed. I sofened. I learned at that VERY moment what life is all about. Talk about seeing the light! I always tell Bayleigh, "You know how I know God loves me...He gave me you"! Boy did I ever do something right. :)

Having Bayleigh also did something to my relationship with my own mother. I think the one thing I am learning very quickly is about the word regret. My mom was a single mother to twin girls. We certainly did NOT make her life easy. We still don't to be honest. Since this past October things have changed in our family. I decided to be done with my sister. ((This does not change the fact that I love her very much)). We never really have gotten along--my poor mom can vouche for that. (regret) I know that this decision tears my mom apart (regret), but it's working for us girls. Life is so much more less dramatic, less stressful, and easier without the fighting.

I am sorry, back to my point....my relationship with my mom has softened as well. I love her. I have always loved my mom, but never had I showed it the way she deserves. (regret). I sadly, don't think I do now either. (regret). The day Bayleigh entered our lives I not only became a mommy, but my mom became a Grammy--and a dang good one at that. I see a joy in my mom's eyes and smile when Bayleigh is around that I never noticed before. It's beautiful.

I am 29 years old and so that means that for 29 years I have not been a good daughter, but it's never too late to change your story. As a matter of fact my Bible study right now is over a book titled Same Life, New Story. My new story starts now because it is NEVER too late to change. I will be a better mommy as of today. I will be a better daughter as of today. I will be a better me all together as of today. I hope I can make my mom as proud of me as I am of Ms. Bayleigh. I love you mom and am so sorry for being such a pain when I was little, OK and as an adult too. Bayleigh, YOU are my LIFE. I love you so much and I hope I will continue to show you just how much, each and every day. I love you chick-a-dee!!!!!

I hope you all enjoy your Mother's Day tomorrow. A very special Happy Mother's Day goes out to my Mom, Rachel, Kristen, Jenn, Jennifer, Aunt Mary, and every other woman in my life. Love you all!!! Until Next Blog!

Love,

Jenn

**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. When you click on a picture it opens larger. Just click the back button on your browser to return to the blog. If you get to a video in the blog, you must scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and pause or stop the playlist music player or the sounds will play at the same time. Feel free to post comments too!**

It's a BOAT!

One of Bayleigh's favorite things to do with her daddy is hang out in the garage. She reminds me so much of myself because when I was her age I was always in the same garage with papa, smashing cans, playing in dirt, playing with all his various tools. Her favorite tool--a hammer! LOL! Below is her latest creation--it's a boat. I think it is inspired by all of our rainy days. :) She said that the door stopper attached to the back is to break the ice that the boat might sail through--wonder if this is the Titantic?!

I do have pictures from our first and only practice we've had for Little League, but that's a later post. This momma is tired. :) Thanks for checking in! Until Next Blog!

Love,

Jenn
**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. When you click on a picture it opens larger. Just click the back button on your browser to return to the blog. If you get to a video in the blog, you must scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and pause or stop the playlist music player or the sounds will play at the same time. Feel free to post comments too!**

Teeth, Teeth, Teeth!

Bayleigh got in the truck to come home from school today, April 28th, 2011. She was SO excited because she is getting a new tooth! Her, (if you're looking at her face), her right bottom 6 year molar is coming in!
While checking out the new goods, I gave the bottom front two a wiggle test and low and behold....they gave a little!!!! This is a BIG deal for us because Bayleigh has been obsessed with wanting to lose her teeth so the tooth fairy will come!!! :) Keep checking in, it won't be long before those "wonderful" toothless pics start showing up. :) Until next blog!
Love,
Jenn
**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. When you click on a picture it opens larger. Just click the back button on your browser to return to the blog. If you get to a video in the blog, you must scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and pause or stop the playlist music player or the sounds will play at the same time. Feel free to post comments too!**

It's Raining Mud!

I know it's typically wordless Wednesdays for bloggers, but let's face it--Me + Wordless=More than likely not happening. :D
So, Bayleigh and Colin decided to play in the mud this afternooon. I noticed they were using the watering can to dump water on my truck and told them to stop. While watching out the window the following picture is what I seen.
I then go out and find the following picture.

I went out and told Bayleigh to stop squirting the truck and she said OK. Then I called Larry and he wasn't too happy. He said, she's in big trouble. LOL! I told her that he isn't happy and that she is in trouble when he gets home. She was very apologetic and used wet wipes to clean her feet. Then I heard the front door open and she headed out to use a wet wipe to wash my truck before her daddy got home. I told her to stop so that she didn't scratch the truck and she said she was really sorry again. I told her not to worry about it, and that her dad would pull the truck into the drive so she could wash it with the hose. So, the following picture comes from that.

As Larry is standing watch over the chore he starts to speak to her. I hear him say, Let go of the handle. LET GO OF THE HANDLE! LOL! I am dying laughing because she is turning to listen to him and SOAKS him with the hose! LOL! It was quite comical if I do say so myself.

Never a dull moment here! Thanks for check in! Until next blog!

Love,

Jenn
**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. When you click on a picture it opens larger. Just click the back button on your browser to return to the blog. If you get to a video in the blog, you must scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and pause or stop the playlist music player or the sounds will play at the same time. Feel free to post comments too!**

Easter 2011 and then some!

Hello Followers! I once again apologize for my absence. It is brought on my BUSY, BUSY, BUSY schedules that I don't see letting up any time soon. So, bear with me.
So, if you are from Indiana you already know that our rain fall totals for the year so far are through the roof. Let me just throw in here that I AM OVER IT!
Little League of course is already starting. Teams have been choosen and practices have been scheduled. Let me just add here--we've not been able to practice because of the previous mentioned rain. BOOOOO! We know who Bayleigh's coach is and what her team name is, but I will share that at a later time due to personal reasons. (To be honest, I am being caddy and to be even more honest--I really don't care at this point). So, stay tuned. :)

I encouraged Bayleigh to play in the very deep mud holes in our front drive, because--quite frankly, she is sick of being cooped up in the house and so am I, so why not?! She really wasn't sure about it at first, but then had a ball!!!
Notice how deep it is?!

Sunday, April 17th, 2011 we made our annual trip to the Greenwood Park Mall to see the Easter Bunny. Talk about chaos! There was only one woman working the camera, the cash register, and HER CELL PHONE!!! Argggg! LOL! I couldn't believe she was talking calls like that, but oh well. Even the Easter Bunny looked at me and put his hands up in the air like, "I have no clue what she is doing". LOL! Wonder if the bunny will find a way to "talk" to their boss???

Friday, April 22nd, 2011 we finally found the time to color Easter Eggs--around 9 O'Clock, but whatev! LOL! As you can see, Bayleigh absent mindedly reached in with her hand and grabbed an egg out of the dye and the mess ensued from there. It was a ton of fun though. We bought "magic" eggs again. Bayleigh was SO excited when she pulled eggs out of the dye that "magically" said, Mom, Dad, Bay, 2011, God with crosses, Jesus, Happy Easter, and a Bunny. One said "G" too for "G" across the street, (Grammy), but for some reason it didn't work out. Oooops! I am not sure how I know that either. LOL! ;) I am not sure where that nickname came from either, but when Bayleigh answers the phone she says, "Mom, it's G across the street". I think it's cute!

The Easter Bunny was good this year! Jelly Beans, The Easter Story and Junie B. Jones Dumb Bunny books, Bambi and Tangled on Blu Ray and DVD, Cinderella and Ariel Squinkies, and a new baseball glove!

Side 1 of her basket

Side 2!

Due to the rain mentioned above the Easter Bunny found his way into our home to hide the goods. Wonder if he has connections like Santa to get in?! ;)

DANG! The Big Golden Egg scored $10! All of the little eggs held 50 cents each--of course that money will be donated to the Riley Hospital Kids. That is where Bayleigh wants all of her money to go. I love it! :) Hence the $10 cash for her own bank account. OR, rather, I think that is what was intended. :)

I have to tell you, since hunting was inside this year Bayleigh came downstairs feeling sick and then ended up sitting on the couch, IN THE ROOM WITH THE GOODS, and didn't see a thing! WHAT?! I know! She was feeling SO bad that she didn't even pay attention. We spent Saturday cleaning and when I came down the stairs I seen the first egg. I said, Bayleigh, pick this sh*t up! We spent all day cleaning and now you are leaving your toys laying around! A big smile went across her face and she seen the "light"! LOL! She said, it wasn't me! The Easter bunny did it! LOL! That is why this year she is not hunting in her pretty Easter dress! :)

I should mention too, Easter this year fell on April 24th. We got up to head to church, but Bayleigh wasn't feeling well. Not long after I started feeling really queezy myself. I hated missing church, but we discussed the true meaning of Easter and gave our thanks to God and Jesus right here at home.

After deciding to stay home I went back to bed and woke feeling some better. We hosted our annual dinner with family. It was nice getting together with everyone. Dinner was wonderful. Larry of course did the cooking, but that's his thing. Trust me, you don't want me doing it--Especially not feeling up to par. Bayleigh and I are both feeling better now!

Thanks for checking in with us! Until next blog!

Love,

Jenn

**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. When you click on a picture it opens larger. Just click the back button on your browser to return to the blog. If you get to a video in the blog, you must scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and pause or stop the playlist music player or the sounds will play at the same time. Feel free to post comments too!**

How about a video Blog?!

Please see the fine print to be able to view these without the music running in the background.

How about some cute poems about the value of pocket change?!

Or How about this next video? I am SURE we have all had days like this!

See if you can guess what she thinks about her daddy in this next video!

And Now, see what she has to say about Mom!

Hey, I never said she was the next American Idol, but she'd def. have my vote. :D
So, as you can see. One morning, Bayleigh and I were bored out of our minds before finally deciding to hop out of bed and start our day. Sorry they are sideways. LOL! Thanks for checking in. Until next blog!
Love,
Jenn
P.S. Sorry for the delay between blogs. I've just been super busy and haven't had the time. Little League Practices start next week so you know there will be pictures from that soon. Unless of course it rains and gets cancelled. :D

**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. When you click on a picture it opens larger. Just click the back button on your browser to return to the blog. If you get to a video in the blog, you must scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and pause or stop the playlist music player or the sounds will play at the same time. Feel free to post comments too!**

Spring Break 2011

Well, it's Sunday April 3rd and Spring Break is coming to a close. :( I am not going to lie...I am sad. It was yucky and I call for a redo with nicer weather. I told my girlfriend that maybe the school system will feel sorry for everyone and give a sympathy week when it warms up. She said they will...between June and August. LOL! I actually had the week off. Well, off with Trent which counts as being off in my eyes. :) It was very nice, and I miss my kiddios too. Since the weather was so crummy our Spring Break was spent mostly teaching Bayleigh the fundamentals of being a good mommy and wife. LOL! My child has learned how to was toilets inside and out, clean floors, clean sinks, sort, wash, dry, hang and fold laundry. SHE LOVED IT! So did I! She would say mom, is the dryer done yet?! Kept me motivated for sure. We were able to go through her clothes and get rid of the ones that are too small. We still have a couple loads to go through, but man-o-man does it feel good to have that tote out of the house! Thursday, we were able to get out of the house and meet some friends at the gymnastics place the next town over. It was fun!!! It has also led to Bayleigh getting ready to start doing gymnastics...we think. She goes this week for a free class to see if she likes it. It is more expensive than dance, but dance sucks because the recitals for the fall class are the weekend we are gone to the cabin. :( Friday, my mom got off of work early and took us to lunch and we did some shopping. It was nice being with her too. Saturday, my nephew had his 7th birthday party at Monster Mini Golf. Poor Bayleigh, she was terrified last year and decided this year she was going to be brave. As she clung to my hand walking through the place...she was TREMBLING! They took off to golf and she cried because she was so scared. LOL! She will ride water slides and big roller coasters, but you put her in front of a fake monster and she is done. LOL! I hope that if you were able to go somewhere for Spring Break you had fun! Even if you didn't go anywhere--I hope you had fun! Even though we didn't do much it was so nice just being with Bayleigh. Her and I laughed and smiled so much. She would say, "Ummmm, You know what"?, I would cut her off and say, "no, I've never met him". She would get so frustrated. She'd get to the point of saying Ummmm, and we'd both just laugh. I love her!

This makes me laugh. At first she was too scared to let go. By the time we left she was swinging as high as she could and letting go without hesitation. All of these kids go to our school! Well, if they are old enough for school. We all ended up at gymnastics and then out to lunch. FUN!

Max and his friends at his party. Check out his Nightmare Before Christmas Cake.

Thanks for checking in with us! Until next Blog!

Love,

Jenn **On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. When you click on a picture it opens larger. Just click the back button on your browser to return to the blog. If you get to a video in the blog, you must scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and pause or stop the playlist music player or the sounds will play at the same time. Feel free to post comments too!**