we went to the beach a while back

it bothers me when i keep checking back on a blog, and there is nothing! oops, i am now one of those people. no posts since February? well, that is just sad.

we went to the beach in april (or may). here is the one great shot i got. like it?

im in the picture! aka Embrace the Camera

i have been following this blog for a while now. I love this mom and her kids. I think in another life, i am very thin, very blond, have lots of tattoos and a nose ring. but alas, the real me is above. I love her idea about getting in front of the camera. and this is what i got. max found a Gatorade bottle, harrison was about to use his hands to eat straight our of the jar of jif, and sweet jax will always come when called. i've got this cool self timer remote, so get ready of more pics of me! *if only i could get this underlining to quit. i just noticed it quit now, but why now? i'll never know.*

his feet dont touch the ground

the boys got a trampoline for christmas from my parents. this is them on Christmas morning. they love it!!! for those of you worried, the outside net is now up and we are enjoying it safely. my boys are in constant movement and I think this helps get some of that energy out.

christmas was lovely and perfect.

my parents spent the night so they could be here christmas morning. and most of shaun's family came over in the afternoon for dinner and more gifts. the only sad part was that my grandma was ill and not able to celebrate with us.

what a happy holiday we had!

New Year & New Beginnings

Sorry it's been so long...but I have been busy. I have started a small private practice. I am open and ready for business. You can check out my website at dawnhedgepeth.com or call me if you have any questions. I would appreciate any referrals.

I will be back soon with pics of Christmas, our most recent snow day, and of course never ending stories & pics of our boys.

Happy New Year....Wish me luck!

Kris Kringle

Our latest visit to Gruene. We do this every year, this is the one pic where we all participate in the photo.

When we saw Santa, Harrison asked, "Is this the North Pole???"

Thank you Melody!!!

Sweet Melody took this photo. I love it!!! It will always bring me joy.

Happy Birthday Hubby - you are MINE

When I saw this video for the first time I couldn't help but think of Shaun and I.

I mean, he was a waiter at the Olive Garden (that is where we met) and we've had our rough patches, but in the end it is all great. I know it is a corny way to say "Happy Birthday and I love you" but it is really pretty sweet too!

So yes, in the beginning we both had a lot more hair and in the end we have one more boy, but it is pretty much a good video of us. (oh, and minus my parents fighting).

Happy Birthday and I love you sweet Shaun!

How cute is this?

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com


This reminds me of when I was little and we would go the amusement park and get those cut outs made of my mom, dad and I. So cute!!!

Run!

Here are the boys, running for the dinosaur at the Witte museum. What a fun day!

Max loves his bed

Max is bringing us so much joy right now. He is walking and crawling. He is up to about 6 steps before he falls, he might be able to take a few more steps if he wasnt trying to clap and walk at the same time. Someone is pretty proud of himself. It is crazy how much he has changed in a year...and yes, the time has flown by.

We are loving the cooler weather and the boys are excited about Jason & Dena coming to babysit, birthday parties and Halloween.

I love fall and my boys.

Really, I am content.

Bye Bye Perfection

This says..."Adios Perfection, Hola Contentment"

Really, I cant do it anymore. I can not be the perfect mom, wife, social worker, (or blogger) or friend. I just dont have it in me.

But I can be content with who I am.

Join the movement....www.ordinarycourage.com

Read the book....

And stop the fight and love who you are Right Now.

Max is 1 year old!!

Dear Max,

Happy First Birthday. You are such a joy and easy baby. You are sleeping through the night, and that makes me so happy. You wake up happy and ready to move. Yet, you are content to just be on my hip most of the time. You took a few steps for your dad and I today; it is only days before you are walking everywhere. Last year at this time, I was anxious about how I could handle three boys, now I can't imagine life without you. Your brother's ADORE you. There is a fight about who can wake you up each morning. And today, there was an argument over who got to hold you as we sang Happy Birthday to you. So, we got to sing to you twice while Jackson and Harrison held you individually for each song. You love being outside and eating leaves. And my day is not complete without holding you right before bed and having you look out your bedroom window. You complete our family and thinking of you warms my heart.

I love you,
Mama

Max is 1 - the pics

I know they are corny but every child needs to have cheesy pictures taken at some point. And once I got my mind focused on this, I would not let it go. I wanted cute 1 year pics and I had to have them done on your birthday. This is what they came up with and I think they capture you pretty darn well.

Happy Birthday my little Big Guy.

Jackson and Harrison phone message

Here is a message that Jackson and Harrison left me one morning while I was out running. I left before they woke up. Hope you can hear it and you think it is as cute as I do. Let's see if this works. It says it will only be up for 10 days, so let's hope someone out there hears it before it goes away. A special thanks for my great brother-in-law Jason for helping me with this.

Oh, and I did NOT have my wallet with me so they were very upset when I walked in the house empty handed!

Yvette's pics part II

nothing going on here, just getting ready to go back to work. hope all is well with you guys.

Yvette's pics part I

Sweet Yvette took these pics last time she was here. I love them and already have some framed on our wall. You will see more soon. Thanks Yvette!

BTW the perfect family picture is impossible now that we have 5 people. But we will keep trying.

bath in the sink

I have great memories of giving each of the boys a bath in the kitchen sink in our old house. I decided on a day Harrison and Jackson were watching Word Girl, I would do this with Max. I could take pictures and just enjoy the time with Max. I was wrong. There was no quiet time, no alone time with Max. As soon as Harrison walked into the kitchen for one of his endless snacks and saw what I was doing....it was all over. Both boys were naked behind me, climbing the sink, and all trying to get into the sink. Shaun was not home, so this was a bit of a challenge (as is all the things with three boys.) Oh well, this is the best I could do. I was so worried someone would slip off the counter, crush Max or get water everywhere. Yes, all of those did occur, no matter how much I tried to prevent it. But all survived!

July 3rd 2010

Our little neighborhood has the best July 4th celebration. There is a small parade and party afterwards. This is our third year going, but our first year not walking in the parade. We thought it would be just too hot for little Max. Life is wonderful right now. We have really enjoyed the last 4 weeks off from work together. It has been wonderful having Shaun home. He goes back to work this week. Boo Hoo. Max is 10 months old this week. Wow, time is flying by. Three boys is hard, loud, stressful, fun and crazy. I'm up for the challenge.

happy birthday to me

Help me with my list

Hum, my list. Vanna was kind enough to send me this idea. So what I need to do is to come up with 40 things I want to do the year I turn 40. I turn 40 in just 15 days. I like the idea of being accountable and having to do things I have always wanted. But, I need help. I want some of my items to be things that those I love (you who read this blog) can do with me or teach me. So, if you have something you can show me or an idea of something we can do together, send me an e-mail or comment here and I will add your idea to my list.

Here are a few things I'd like to put on my list of 40 things I want to do before I turn 41.

1. Buy flowers, not because someone is coming over, but just because.
2. Edit a picture with a real editing program like photoshop or elements.
3. Run a 5K.
4. Make a romantic dinner for Shaun and I, that includes dessert.
5. Spend the night in a hotel.
6. Go to a concert.
7. Attend or have a slumber party or spend the night at a friends house.
8. Get new PJs with a fun print on them.
9. Donate some of my clothes to the Battered Woman's Shelter.
10. Take a vacation (even to a local hotel) with my 4 boys.
11. Get cowboy boots from the boot whisper (Wimberly Texas).
12. Spend alone time with my mom at least once a month.
13. Take a family picture at least once per month.
14. Take a Zoomba class at the gym.
15. Take a spin class at the gym.
16. Attend at least 4 of my book club meetings over the next year.
17. Attempt to read all of the book club selections for the next year.


So, dear friends and family....help me add to my list.