I'm at war...

With this VERY STUBBORN 2 year old....

This is just a ENNSY WEENSY look at his spunk (he gets it from his dad ;) )
Today, I officially declare it, War Over The Foods Day.
Danzer Jack is the world's pickiest eater. I know all you mom's out there are rolling your eyes and thinking "what an exaggeration." But I dare ya to ask my husband and family about this child's eating habits. He is 2 years old and eats a diet ONLY consisting of baby food (sweet potatoes and peas), yogurt (only strawberry/banana and lemon), crackers (goldfish, nillas, and cheeze-its) and any form of chocolate he can get his hands on. Occasionally he'll have a fry. Really, that's it.
Now do the math in your head, 2 kids in diapers, 1 baby on formula, 1 toddler on baby food, wipes, and select snacks for toddler (which at our local grocer run about $4.29 a box). Do you want to guess how much that adds up to be in a month? It would scare the pants right off you.
Am I complaining? No. My kids are the GREATEST blessing I have ever received. In fact, I often think to myself "how did I get so lucky? Seriously, these are THE cutest kids in the world!"
But, I can't take it anymore. I used to think it was his ultra sensitive gag reflex, or the fact that he has projectile vomited from day 1. I used to think "well, he's getting lots of veggies so that's good right?" Then people started joking "you're going to have to send him to pre-school with baby food." Then I realized it was his stubbornness since he will eat ANY TEXTURE OR ANY FORM OF FOOD if it comes covered in chocolate. And the fact that he says he doesn't like something when he hasn't even tried it speaks volumes. Did I mention he was stubborn? Sometimes, being a good parent means making really hard decisions on behalf of your kids. So, it's starting. No baby food, no juice or milk unless he tries new food and attempts to eat it. So water, water, water and more water. And of course, fruit and veggies (real stuff, not what comes in the jar). Now, this was recommended by his Dr. mind you.... so it wasn't my idea and I've struggled with making this decision for MONTHS.
Yogurt in the morning, I can do. Baby food the rest of the day. Nope. Not gonna happen any more.
Wish me luck.

What's kept me going....

First off, I have to say THANK YOU to an amazing husband who has really picked up all the slack for the last few weeks. Hayden, I couldn't have done it without you. And THANK YOU to my awesome sister, mother in law Jacki, and my parents for coming to Texas to nurse me back to health. And lets NOT forget, my dear friends of Junction who pretty much rock! God has sent us here for a reason and now I know why... because I needed to meet all of you and we needed to become great friends! You know who you all are...
And last but not least, THANK YOU to my wonderful son and daughter... who kept this mama smiling every day. Take a look at this pic and you can see why.

I've always been a healthy kid. I've always been thankful for my health... but I didn't truly realize how lucky I was until this last month. When I got back from Utah I told Hayden "I just don't feel right, somethings wrong!" So I went up to my DR and asked her to do a blood panel on me. Come to find out I was severely anemic. I had no idea it could effect you so badly... but I was in a tough place. Within two days of going to the DR I was in bed and couldn't even gather enough energy to crawl out of bed. It was a long process, full of hard decisions. Do I get the blood transfusion or do I wait? After a lot of prayer, I decided I needed to wait and give my body some time. So my family flew down here to the rescue. They took care of my kids and house so I could rest. I really couldn't have done it without them and without my amazing friends. I am SOOOO lucky to have all of them. After a few weeks of resting and very painful iron shots, I'm happy to report that it's significantly up! I have a ways to go, but I am definitely on my way to being the healthy old me. YIPEE! THANK YOU EVERYONE!

My New Home Office....

This post is for my family back home to see what the finished door looks like. It turned out better than I expected. Hayden even said "Huh, you have the quirkiest ideas, but they always turn out good!" Um, I guess I take that as a compliment???

Hi.... I'm a bull snake... and I would like to eat your first born...

Now, I've blogged about the bugs before. But nothing, I mean NOTHING, makes my skin crawl more than a snake! They just freak me out to no end!
We found this lovely thing in our yard a couple days ago. Here is the story:
My good friend Ang was over for a visit. When she stood up to leave, I got up and looked out to her car. For a split second I thought "why is the garden hose wrapped around Ang's tire?" Then, I realized it was a GINORMOUS 3 foot long snake. I squealed and screamed like only a girl could for my dad (my mom and dad are here visiting). My dad came running thinking there was something terribly wrong with the kids.... um no, I just spotted a snake.
So out we all go to kill this beast! I made my dad get a shovel and chop it's head off. Only in fear that it might try to make friends with Danzer in the near future. I felt really bad watching it struggle for life... but, then again, thinking of running into it was more than I could take. So beware all you snakes out there.... come to my house and you will end up like this!