It's Party TIme!

So, I have never been accused of being "unsocial" and this time of year is no exception.Last week was one of those weeks. Tis' the season for parties- ornament swaps, small get together, large get togethers-- parties, parties and more parties. It started off on Monday: gift wrapping at the mall for our church with the Mommies Group. Tuesday was a fun night at B. McNeil's with my Bunko group. We had an ornament swap (which I LOVE!) and ate the most amazing food. I highly recommend the grouper. Wednesday was church- interpreting for Infinity. Thursday was the Mommies Group Christmas Partyat my house. Now, there were a few little complications with that-- about 2 hours before the party started the ice storm of 2008 came! Just my luck! Luckily, about half of the girls braved the weather. We had a very enjoyable night and, again, did an ornament exchange. Now, Friday night was a BIG night. I, along with 2 of my dearest friends, put on the Annual Small Group Christmas Party. With about 12 couples, a catered dinner, games and pictures, we had a lot to plan, but it went off without a hitch! Saturday I didn't have to actually plan anything, but attended a very nice "Holiday Tea". Sunday (yes, we are moving into the next week already) was a Truffle making Evening with Mary Helen. Thank goodness she had already tried making them beforehand because she had some good tricks up her sleeve to make them look a lot prettier than I was able.
So, this week seems to be a breeze! HA! Christmas packages are wrapped, I'm caught up on laundry, I'm not hosting any parties (that I know of) so I can just sit back and enjoy the days. Of course, Carson's birthday is in 2 days, but "Mama" is even taking the easy way out on that one too-- one friend spending the night with a night at Dave and Buster's! Can't beat that!
All that to say, I wouldn't change a minute of it! I love the holidays-- even if it does get a little crazy! May God bless each and every one of you this Christmas Season!

The Humor in Parenting

For those of you who know me pretty well you have heard me say, "Give me a houseful of boys before one girl" know that I love my nieces very much, but there's something so different (besides the apparent obvious!). Well, I wasn't exactly saying those very words when Carson was about 18 months old. In a matter of months he had gone from my laid back, can play by myself for hours baby to my crawling up the baptismal, fit- throwing, never- ending ball of energy toddler. I remember my hairdresser even asking me one time if he was ADHD! HA! Well, even though that time seem to last forever, one day Carson just woke up and became the calm, laid back child he used to be. I can't explain it... except that it was God.

Well, fast forward 4 1/2 years to the present and Carson is now in Kindergarten (that in itself is hard to wrap my mind around). He's doing absolutely wonderful! I work in his classroom once a week and get to observe for myself just how clam he is--- yes, I said calm!

So,you can imagine how proud I was when I walked into his school last Friday to this picture hanging on the walls of one of the main hallways:

One of the parents of the students in Carson' s classroom took this picture on a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch! It is absolutely beautiful! (It also helps that she's an amazing photographer!) Well, my advice to all of you moms or dads out there struggling with your wild and crazy kids is that it does get better!!!

Halloween Lasts a Week in This House

So, it started with the Hoedown last Sunday, then a Halloween/Chili Supper at my grandmother's nursing home on Thursday, then Friday morning Carson had Candy Day in his classroom, then for some trick or treating on the square, and finally ending it with some trick or treating in Gramma's neighborhood with cousins and aunts and uncles. So, my question is... how did this holiday become a week long event?!?!?

All right, I know it sounds like I'm complaining, but we really did have a good time doing all of those things and made some wonderful memories in the process. I just can't help but think what Christmas is going to look like if Halloween is becoming a 7-day event (not to mention the fact that Keith set up for Hoedown a week prior to it- HA)?

On a more positive note... If you know my family (which most of you do) then you know I have some of the most creative family members- a super talented sister, a mother - in - law and dad who should be getting paid big bucks for their artwork and sisters - in - law who could be on the DIY network for their creative flair!!! So, as I was talking to one of the creative sisters - in- law, Heather, she told me about an idea that she got from another blog that talked about The Jesse Tree. Now, I may have been living under a rock for the last several years, but I had never heard of a Jesse Tree. It comes from Isaiah 11:1 which talks about the coming of the Messiah. The Jesse Tree starts on December 1 and with it is a daily devotion involving ornaments, etc. It's too lengthy to explain, but if you Google Jesse Tree you will find out more information. I just thought it would be another way to focus on the true meaning of Christmas and help our family focus on Christ and not so much on the "hype" and commercialism of it all! Thanks for the idea, Heather!

It's Hoedown Time!

For those of you who have fallen off the planet or live on another continent, yesterday was the Hoedown at our church. This HUGE event is held on the church campus with a petting zoo, blow up slides that look like the sinking Titanic, massive tents filled with fun county fair type gamesand cotton candy (oh, the cotton candy!). With over 10,000 people coming from all over Rutherford County and surrounding counties you can imagine how amazing this event must be! And, with only a few scrapes and scratches, it proved to be a very safe environment! This year Heather and I got smart and strategic about things (it's only taken us a few years to get this way!). She and Bethany took the little ones (by that I mean Campbell, Reagan and Ella) and I took the big ones (Carson, Rylee and our neighbor friend, Mallory). We had an absolutely wonderful time and the kids were EXCELLENT! (no, really!) There was not a single complaint about the lines, no tears shed, no fits thrown--- God truly had His hand on the day! We stayed from the time it opened until they closed it down! In 16 years I've never done that (by choice at least!).
So, to all of those who volunteered their time (or their spouse's time) to work a game or bouncy thing, baked a cake for the cake walk, got covered in cotton candy sugar, drove a 4- wheeler around setting up lights, bagged up hundreds of bags of trash, blew up thousands of balloons, drove a tractor, performed in a worship band, danced a routine, directed traffic, shared the love of Jesus by bringing a friend (churched or unchurched), shoveled horse or long horn steer poop, decorated tents with mums and pumpkins, and if your name is Dora T. of whom this would not have happened unless her amazing leadership and organizational skills would have been in play and all of those whom I have not mentioned--- may God bless you! You're doing Kingdom work!

"I'm A McCainiac"

I have 3 words for you people--- vote, vote, vote! I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir, but I was able to go early vote on Monday and boy does it feel good to have a voice in this election! More importantly, Carson was able to go with me and experience this important liberty as well! I thought it would be a great learning opportunity for him to be able to go with me and see what all this talk and hype is about! He was so proud! Carson's wonderful Kindergarten teacher has been a great influence in this process as well. In Social Studies they have been studying "Leaders"- leaders of the school, leaders of the town, leaders of the state, and leaders of the country. So, one day Carson comes home and says, "Mom, if John McCain becomes president he will do good things for our country and if Barack Obama becomes president her will do bad things for our country." Now, I know I sound like a proud mom when I say this, but I believe he may be prophetic! (Oh, yeah, and it wasn't his teacher that told him that either- he came up with it on his own!)

Seriously, though, I strongly encourage and advise all of you to take the opportunity to cast your vote!

Enjoying the Good Ol' Outdoors!

We are finishing up our first week of Carson's Fall Break from school and to celebrate we went camping at Fall Creek Falls State Park (for those of you who have never been there I think it's one of the prettiest places in TN-- it's worth the 1.5 hours to get there!). When we got there we found the "perfect" camping spot. Well, unbeknownst to us, it was a reserved spot so we only got to stay there 1 night. We were quite disappointed and had come to the conclusion that we would just go home a day early (this place was packed- but not in a bad way- it was still very quiet). As we were checking out the park ranger told us of another spot, we checked it out, and set up camp (literally) there! It, too, was a great spot! We were set up at a "family camp area" right behind a huge field where there were playgrounds and close to bath houses (my personal favorite).

The boys had a wonderful time! We (yes, even Campbell) hiked down to the bottom of the falls-whew! We cooked hot dogs/chili dogs by the fire, the boys rode their bikes, we played 100 games of CandyLand, and, when the boys finally went to bed each night, played Rummy!

We met some really nice people-even a family from our church! It has also given me the "itch" that one day (sooner than later, I hope) we will need to invest in some type of camper. We were one of the few in a tent!! And boy do these people know how to camp- satellites, tablecloths with centerpieces, microwaves, stoves, you name it! Oh well, for now I'll stick to a big cooler, coleman stove and my boys not knowing the difference!

It was the perfect vacation from the hustle and bustle of our busy world!!

"How Many Pumpkins Did the Posch's Pick?"

So, last week I got to go on my first field trip as a "mom"! I went to Gentry's Farm Pumpkin Patch in Franklin with Carson's class. We had a WONDERFUL time! I was able to get to know some of the parents a little better, watch Carson with all of his friends and experience the fun of a field trip without being responsible for 20 kids on my own!! We ALL had a really great time! Carson is blessed with the most wonderful teacher and we couldn't be happier!

We also recently had our first parent conference at school. Boy, it's a lot different being on the other side of the table. I was actually a little nervous! Well, those fears were quickly calmed by his excellent report card and glowing reviews from Mrs. Hoekstra (his teacher). It seems Carson is quite the comedian (he stood up and told a "poop" joke to the whole class!), but is also a very compassionate little fella! He even seems to be a "hottie" with a couple of the little girls! It makes a mother proud!! HA!

On a serious note, it does humble me to know that all of the prayer and hard work we as parents put into our children reflects when it really matters most! He is a good boy and we are blessed!

"Car for Sale"

Okay, let me just say that I absolutely LOVE my van! With that being said, I'm selling it! What? Well, here's the deal! My father-in-law is selling his Toyota Sequoia for about the same price we can sell our van. It would be an even trade! (Totally cool in the eyes of Dave Ramsey- and my husband) Anyway, if you know of anyone looking for a van I've got it on Craigslist. The site is:

http://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/861512438.html

Thanks for your help!

"Hola! It's a Small Group Mexican Feast!"

Keith and I have been in a small group at night for the last 3 years and last weekend we celebrated a "multiplication" (our group is so gigantic we "multiplied" to two groups) by having a Mexican Feast! The celebrations was held at the home of Jason Wrather's parents who live on about 50 beautiful acres in Rockvale. This is the type of place you only dream about having! It is absolutely gorgeous and the Wrather's are so gracious that they are always opening up their home to us! Anyway, with over 80 people planning to attend, food was divided up--- we had rice, chicken/beef quesidillas and, to top it off, s'mores by a HUGE bonfire as well as hayride! Needless to say, Campbell REALLY liked the s'mores!
We are blessed to have such a wonderful group of people to be
accountable to, encourage us and to pray for us when in need!
God is so good!

"It's A Party!"

So, when you marry into a family with 5 kids the family can tend to be a little big! Well, I wouldn't have it any other way! Campbell's 2 year old birthday party was celebrated with (one of many) his cousin, Reagan, born 3 days before him! Heather and I decided last year it would be fun and make more sense to combine the parties--- until they absolutely protest! So, this year was at Barfield Park. We celebrated with family and a few close friends and it was a blast! Campbell and Reagan had a wonderful time and loved all of their gifts--- Reagan was dressed from head to toe in jewels along with her purse in tow and Campbell had all of his Bob the Builder/Handy Manny tools ready to fix whatever he could find! All in all, it was a wonderful day! We are blessed!

The "Terrific Twos"

Okay, Okay, I know I'm stretching it, but I'm trying to put a positive twist on this stage of life. It should be called the "trying" two's! Well, our little Campbell is not so little anymore! We just celebrated our little man's 2nd birthday and what would a 2nd birthday be without a little blood and bruising. The boys in our family seem to make the two's adventurous and sometimes accidnet prone. The night before Campbell's birthday he was sitting on the arm of the couch, fell off, and landed on a toy fire engine--- which is now imprinted on his face! Of course, I feel the need to explain this to everyone we see what happened so they don't feel obligated to call DCS!!! Anyway, he is fine and we celebrated the day at Chuck E. Cheese and playing outside on their swing set!

Keith and I are so blessed to have two sweet boys! It is never a dull moment in our home and we wouldn't want it any other way! Happy Birthday, Campbell!

"Tag! You're It"

Okay, so I'm trying to keep up with this blogging stuff and notice 2 of my sisters - in- law (Heather and Bethany) have won awards for theirs--what???? I didn't know such a thing existed! And Heather has officially "tagged" me so, here it goes:

These are 6 random facts about me:

1. I LOVE to clean! Okay, for those of you who know me, this is no surprise, but actually cleaning my house helps me clear my head and is quite therapeutic.

2. Coffee truly makes me happy! I don't even need the caffeine (although that sure helps)- just the smell of coffee in the morning makes me feel "renewed" and excited about the day!

3. I am an "event planner" wanna- be! There's something about entertaining people, getting them excited about being somewhere, giving little goody bags away that intrigues me!

4. I really enjoy making new friends. Now, this doesn't mean I get to spend a lot of time with them, but just getting to know someone and learning more about their lives is fascinating. The older I get the more my theory seems to be, "you can never have too many friends".

5. I am a jeans a t-shirt kind of girl! I am at my most comfortable wearing a pair of Gap jeans and a perfect fitting t-shirt. Call me crazy, just don't put me in a dress! HA!

6. By now I truly sound boring, but I LOVE being a stay- at - home mom! Again, that may not sound thrilling, but there is nothing better to me than having the opportunity to be at home with my babies, cook dinner for my sweet husband, and maintaining our home.

Boring, but all true!

Okay, now it's your turn! Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules to your blog
3. Write 6 random things about myself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

Okay, Heather tagged me so here's who I'm tagging:

Kristin

Okay, Let's Try This Again!

Okay, Okay, before you start "ragging" me on how long it's been, can I just say that I'm just not technilogically savy like some of you. All right, enough with the excuses. Since my last post (stop snickering) my children have graduated from high school. HA! No, Carson did start Kindergarten though and what a fun ride it has been so far! He got an absolutely wonderful teacher (she has all kinds of disgusting creatures in her room that Carson loves!) and he is just a sponge! Oh, and one of my prayers was answered--- I get to be the room mom! Now I know some of you think I'm crazy, but I absolutely love it! I get to use some of my teacher tactics
My sweet little Campbell is doing well too! He has hit the wonderful stage of "the terrible two's"! Sometimes he's a bomb waiting to explode and other times you could just eat him up!!! He's done surprisingly well with the adjustment of Carson going to school. They are as "thick as thieves" so I wasn't sure how he would adjust, but I've been pleasantly surprised!
And last, but not least, I am now keeping the newest addition to the Posch/Brand/Arnold clan--- miss Ella Jean Arnold! She is Bethany's daughter and is ABSOLUTELY precious! She is almost 6 months old and has the funniest personality! The boys are her private body guards and treat her like a little sister and she laughs all day at them! We are blessed to have her each day! Okay, enough for now--- this is wearing me out!!!! Over and out!

Starting to Get the Hang of This!

Okay, it's only day 2 and already I am consumed with this! I spent several hours yesterday getting all of my pictures downloaded onto my computer so I thought I'd share a few with you and give you a little more insight into my world. This is my adorable oldest, Carson. Carson just turned 5 and is preparing to go into Kindergarten in the fall. He is VERY excited, but it is "bittersweet" for mom. We have reached a milestone and it's a little hard to swallow, knowing he won't be with me all day! Fortunately, though, he will LOVE school and is a sponge. So, it will be fun watching him day in and day out!

This little guy is Campbell. Check out the "bedroom eyes" (as his grandmother calls them!). He, too, is SO much fun! He is very inquisitive and does his best to keep up with his older brother. He is fearless which keeps me on my toes, but I wouldn't have him any other way! Campbell will miss Carson terribly once he's gone every day to school. Needless to say, it will be an adjustment for all of us!

Greetings to all! Before I begin, may I just say that I am a "newbie" to all of this, but felt like I better get into this century before my sisters- in law and children pass me by with their technilogical savvy! I am a stay-at- home mom of two very beautiful, energetic, sweet boys--- Carson, who just turned 5 and Campbell who will soon be 17 months. They, as well as my very handsome husband bring me much joy! I love spending time with them as well as my friends and family. As you will soon find out, my husband comes from a fairly large (comparitvely speaking) family and we all spend a lot of time together, especially since we all live within 30 minutes of each other. I adore my neices and nephews-- all 16 of them-- and love spending as much time as I can with them as well.
I hope to build on this whole "blogging" thing as I become more and more familiar, but for now I say "goodbye"! Wish me luck!