merry christmas with a touch of bah-humbug . . .

it has been a month.  well, actually it has been a semester, a summer, a year!  as this year closes and i look back and . . .  i can't remember anything.  ok, i have not forgotten everything, but man how fast has the time gone.  audrey is 9 months and will be one soon, and liam is going to be turning 3 before we know it.  i don't feel that i have had the time to really just sit and reflect and soak in all that has happened.  so, i am going to try to do a year end wrap up followed by oodles and oodles of christmas pictures.  take a potty break now if you need to. 

the not so good: 

exhaustion.  i don't think i have ever been so tired.  two kids, a husband finishing his PHD, teaching a new class this semester, and two school plays have really taken their toll around here.  there has been very little down time and one very messy house!

sickness.  right now we have a little girl with thrush, had never even heard of it, a mom with poopy sinuses, a husband with a yucky tummy, a mother-in-law who also has a yucky tummy, and poor mema who has just had serious surgery.  the past month has been especially hard on mema and grandad.  mema has been having issues with her platelet counts and was put on steroids, only to have those steroids give her drug induced Parkinson's.  thankfully this has been discovered and is on it's way to being fixed, but then we found out her carotid artery in her neck was 90% blocked and needed surgery to clean it out.  God has really been watching out for us, mema's surgery went extremely well and she is already at home resting.  i am so thankful that everything has worked out and that God has guided us through it all, now we just need to get well for christmas!

school.  i love teaching, but this semester has really put that love to the test.  it has been a difficult transition into teaching with two little ones at home.  i am not a super multi-tasker, so i have issues trying to do too many things at once.  i have not felt extremely appreciated or competent of late.  i think the end of the semester was getting better, i just hope next year starts off on a good note.  

the good:

we are alive.  we make it through each day.  we have food on our table and a house to live in.  we are all here for each other.  we have a great small group that we are a part of, and we are surrounded by family that helps us out immensely. 

literary society.  recently i decided to start a literary society and it has been a blessing.  i love to read and i needed something that would force me to do it.  we have met 3 or 4 times now and each time it is a joy.  we eat, we laugh, and we share.  i always walk away feeling good.  thank you ladies for your time and your thoughts. 

the ranch house, and a just a short bit until oma and opa are back in the states.  oma and opa are building what we are calling  a ranch house out by throckmorton.  it is going to be amazing.  i cannot wait until we get to stay out there, relax, and ride the ranger.  i also cannot wait until oma and opa are back in the states.  every year brings us closer to that time.  although i have to admit, i love visiting europe and getting to see all the wonderful places.  i can't wait until they are here and get to spend more time with liam and audrey.  oma and opa summer camp is just a little bit away!!  

the great: 

PHD is done.  my oh so smart and talented husband, successfully wrote and defended his dissertation to become Dr. Byars.  i could not be more proud of him.  he has worked so hard and deserves all the praise he recieves for this amazing accomplishment.  shortly you can purchase a copy of his dissertation on amazon.com.  i will let you know when that is available.  

matthew arden byars.  what a truly amazing husband i have been blessed with.  not only does he put up with me, but i think he also loves me!  ha ha!  he is a wonderful father and it is a joy to see him with our children.  he helps around the house, and even, tonight, helped clean up the throw up of our little girl.  he is my knight in shining armor.  he listens when i need to vent, and is supportive of my endeavors.  he is my balance and my sanity.  

liam arden byars.  he is such a sweet and very 2 year old little boy.  he is so smart and funny and sweet.  he just keeps growing before our eyes.  he loves to do puzzles, play with daddy's iPad, read books, color, watch movies, and he is a great singer.  every night after we put him to bed he serenades us over the monitor with the "ABC" song, "i'm a little bull frog and God loves me", "the name song" (momma momma bo bomma, bannana . . . you know the rest), "you've got a friend in me" (the woody buzz song), and many many more.  matthew and i sit and listen and laugh and enjoy all of his antics.  he love his little sister, and sometime tries to stand on her head.  he of course wants every toy that she picks up and will promptly take it from her, only to grab a book off the shelf and "read" it to her.  they are adorable together.  we are anxious to see what he will become.  

audrey suzanne byars.  what a blessing this little girl has been to us.  she is off and crawling.  i can't believe that she is already not a little baby anymore.  she is pulling up and talking (gibberish but adorable) and picking things up. it amazes me how quickly the time goes, and i worry that i have not treasured up as many of her moments as i have of liam's.  i don't worry too much, but i hope and pray that she feels as loved and special as liam.  matt is already worried about the future boys that will be lost to her big blue eyes.  i don't blame him at all.  she is truly a beautiful little girl.

Lord, please help matthew and me to be good examples and supportive parents to the two precious gifts you have blessed us with.  Help us to discipline and encourage and to raise them up to love You and be lights to the world.  Amen!

the good far outweighs the not so good and we are so truly blessed i don't know where to begin.  i pray that we don't take for granted all that we have and that we and you are blessed in the new year! 

i told you deep introspective thoughts were coming.  

see you next year.  it is going to be a great one.  

here are pictures for your viewing pleasure.  enjoy!  

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND BLESSED NEW YEAR!

byars christmas card 2010

i am stealing this idea from a friend and instead of sending out a christmas card, i have made an adorable smilebox creation.  merry christmas and happy new year to everyone.  may God bless you ever so richly in the year ahead.

Another free collage by Smilebox

where does the time go . . .

i can't believe how long it has been since i posted anything.  there has been so much going on and so much to say, but for now, i am going to let my pictures do the talking.  hopefully over christmas break, i will get some time to sit down and fill all three of you out there that read my blog in on the happenings in our life and the thoughts that are running through my head.  

picture time!

cute patootie!

loving on aunt spazzy

stacey and burke - cutest couple ever!

couple of cuties (one of them is pregnant) can't wait to meet marin!

hanging on the couch (liam, nona, oma, audrey, and mimi)

ring around the tree

is that not the cutest face?!

going for a ride

the ranch house

waiting to go on the polar express

riding the polar express

sweet kisses for oma

sitting like daddy

enjoy the photos for now!  i promise some really in depth and poignant thoughts later.  i hope you can wait. ha ha!!

maybe not supermom, but i do have super friends!

thank you everyone for such great thoughts.  the prayers, both mine and yours, are working wonderfully.  the power of God is truly awesome when you allow him to work in your life!  

things are looking up.  i am feeling much more at peace and much more in control, what little i have, of everything that is going on.  it is one day at a time and sometimes hour by hour, but things just seem to not feel the urgency or the stress that they did before.  i don't know why i wait until i am overwhelmed to look to God for strength.  thank goodness He doesn't hold it against me, or any of us for that matter.  


thank you again, and keep the prayers coming.  

supermom, i am not . . .

i really don't even try to be, but lately i am feeling even less super than before.  i am not doing anything well.  i don't know when it happened, but i am not enjoying teaching this year.  don't get me wrong, i love teaching, but this year, there is a disconnect between my head and my heart when it comes to teaching.  


beware, stressed out venting ahead.  read at your own risk!


i am now a mother of two little ones.  when i am with them, i am thinking about the school work i need to do, and then when i am at school i am thinking about my kids.  i know this is common and i even expected it, but what i didn't expect was the degree to which i would be stressed about everything.  i even have an easier schedule than most, so why am i so unhappy?  i work three days a week and get to be home the rest of the time.  you would think it is a dream, and it is, but i can't seem to get ahead in any area.  


my English class that i am teaching got an all new reading list this year, and several of the books have no lesson plans or vocabulary lists or quizzes to go with them.  i am having to read and make up everything as i go and try to stay ahead of the students. (yes, i have checked, enotes, bookrags, and several other lesson plans sites online.)  i am also trying to learn an all new writing system as i go.  there are videos that i am trying to watch and understand, but i am watching them as i teach that unit.  i am also working on two plays simultaneously, a jr. high and a high school production.  oh, and did i mention, i am supposed to be working on two competition plays for the spring!!  


i think it got harder when liam started crying almost every morning when we get him up.  he just gets so sad and says, "liam go back to bed.  liam go back to sleep." and then the fight to get him up and out to the car ensues.  audrey is sweet, but it is hard to leave her when she looks at you with those big blue eyes.  


i haven't even mentioned my house.  it is a mess.  i try to make dinner, but that doesn't always happen.  laundry gets away from me.  i don't know the last time i dusted.  i am overwhelmed. 


well, life is life and it is not fair, and it is not easy.  i want a change, but i am not sure what change i want.  can you please tell me what to do, because i am tired of thinking about it.   


i really do know how blessed i am.  i have a wonderful husband, who is so helpful, i have a great house to live in, a car to drive, and food on our table.  and who can forget the amazing kiddos! they truly are wonderful, and i can say that after and evening of screaming and crying and chaos.  i just needed to get it all the yucky thoughts out of my head.  hopefully a good nights sleep will lead to a brighter tomorrow.  


my prayers of late are for peace and guidance.  what is in store for me next year and even the rest of this year?  i know i have not been very trusting or relying on God as of late, and i know what a huge difference it can make.  please send your prayers my way that i am more trusting and confident in God's plan and that i make more time to really pray, read, and listen to what He has to say to me.  

here are two adorable little things that really do make things better 

when i get to hold and snuggle with them: 

random

just because i haven't blogged in a while, i fell the need to post something.  so here are some random happenings in the byars' house. 


i got my hair cut. it had been five months since my last haircut.  i needed something new and different.  anyone who knows me, knows that i play with my hair.  hey, it is just hair.  it grows back.  my hair to me is a form of expression and fun!  so i chopped and colored my hair.  it is fall, so i needed to go darker.  it is not the most drastic cut i have ever gotten, but the change is what i needed.  i feel like a person again, who has a little bit of style!  not just worn out mommy.

here is my model look:

here is another look:

liam is a stinker toot and adorable as ever.  he is getting so big, i can't believe how fast time is flying.  he is 2 1/2.  super kids has started again and he is loving it.  we are not napping well yet, which makes our afternoon unpredictable, but his teacher is wonderful.  we are kind of sort of working on potty training.  he is not excited about it, and neither am i, so it is slow going.  we will get there.  he loves his sister still and enjoys rolling audrey over and over and over.  

here is the first day of school:

mr. cool and his sunglasses:

audrey is six months!  she is finally rolling over.  she has been able to do it for  while but chose not to.  what does that say about our future?  little miss mind of her own.  i am sure she will always do what she is told.  she is talking and laughing and drooling uncontrollably.  still sleeping amazingly well, which makes us all very happy.  she is sort of sitting up, but not for long.  we take bets on which direction she will fall over.  audrey and i have started walking the park on the days that liam has super kids.  oma and opa got us a new stroller seat, so it is fresh and clean, and she loves sitting up and looking around.  she is an angel and has made our family more fun and complete.  

bath time fun:

new stroller seat (i walk, she naps!)

now onto someone, i have neglected.  the daddy of the family.  matt is wonderful.  he is working hard at LCU and recently gave his first chapel talk.  you can download it on itunes university.  it is short and wonderful.  i am so proud of him and his accomplishments.  he is working hard on his dissertation and hopefully come spring there will be doctor in the house! he loves his children and is wonderful to get up with them many mornings and let mommy sleep in.  we go to the park and generally just have so much fun as a family.  

daddy swinging:

where liam has never liked swinging, audrey loves it, and liam loves pushing her.  the perfect combination.

oma and opa are coming to visit!!  i cannot wait to see my mommy and daddy and i cannot wait for them to get to spend time with the grandkiddos!  

this is heather singing off for the byars' family for now!  blessings to all.

whirlwind, business, craziness, poopiness . . .

it is amazing the different perspective you have after a 2 hour nap on a sunday afternoon!  Lord, thank you for wonderful naps, for me, for matt, and for my babies!!

i know you have all missed me terribly this past month! ha ha!  it has been a long and tiring month.  school has started for both matthew and i, and we have both been adjusting to our new schedule.  we all have to be up and out of the house by 7:00ish every monday, wednesday, and friday.  because of our new early hours, my children have decided that they should also get up early on tuesdays and thursdays and every other day!  so, i am no longer getting as much sleep as i am used to!  i was so spoiled, and i still am, just a little less so now.

but before i get to that, let's talk flooring!  we insanely decided one week before school started to put in new cork floors.  they are wonderful and i am so glad they are in, but i am never, never, never putting floors in again.  i know why people get paid a lot to do it professionally.  

before: 

the ugly white tile

during:

  

the grunt work.  believe it or not, i laid 80% of the cork.  matthew had to be doing all the weird and intricate cuts.

after:  

it is soft, beautiful, and much quieter then the tile.  it cleans much easier and is easier on the eyes!!  we love it!!  liam's first words when he saw the new floor was "bootifull!"  

next on the blog agenda for today is the massive birthday party weekend!  megan threw a surprise party for j.e. and it was a big surprise!  i printed of pictures of j.e.'s gorgeous mug and everyone wore a j.e. mask as we yelled surprise.  it was a hoot.  j.e. cried which tells you that it was indeed a great surprise to him!  

surprise: 

there can never be too many j.e.'s!!

next came will and clark's combined party!  iron man was the theme of the day.  the kids threw water balloons at villains that were attached to the fence and we ate yummy cake and sang happy birthday.  will turned 6 and clark turned 1!!  

birthday boys:

looking good!

yum yum!  what a cutie pie!

now, onto school.  it really is going well.  the kids are doing great at the grandparents and the great grands houses.  it is great that they get to have the time with them!  school is really going well.  i love being back in jr. high for English and i still love my drama classes.  we are going to try our hand at a competition play this year.  i have never competed so this could be interesting.  as stated earlier we are all up early this year, which is not terrible, but i am missing my sleep.  matt is really liking his classes this semester and has full classes, but i think he is really enjoying them.  liam will start his second year at super kids on tuesday.  we met his teacher on open house night, and we already love her.  we are blessed by super kids and all the wonderful teachers there. 

the kids are wonderful.  liam is getting big and louder, if that was possible, and is turning into a little boy.  what happened to my baby boy?  we haven't started potty training yet, but we are getting close, and he still is in his crib, but he sleeps so well in it!  i don't have the heart to move him.  it feels to much like he is growing too fast!  

liam: 

my handsome man!  so dapper!

so happy!  so fun!

audrey is precious and getting louder by the day!  she is so bright eyed and aware.  you can tell she is soaking in everything.  her hair is getting lighter and her little legs chubbier!  she is a great sleeper, but not such a great eater!  she is picky and eats only when she is ready.  we are working on cereal, but more  comes out than goes in.  but it is fun trying!

my pretty happy princess!

fashion truly does come back in style!  mema made me this top when i was audrey's age and my wonderful mother saved it and now my precious angel looks adorable in it!

don't tell liam, but i have one more of audrey.  she is just too cute in a diaper!  she can roll over, but she chooses not to.  already stubborn and willful.  who know where she got that from?! ha ha!

they really do love each other. liam loves to sit by audrey and hit audrey on the head trying to tickle her.  and audrey just smiles and enjoys every minute of it!!

that is it for now!  ready to enjoy a long weekend with my family!  have a safe and happy labor day all!

stats . . .

liam: 

2 years and 4 months - what doesn't he do?  he walks and talks and runs and sings and dances.  he almost knows his ABC's and can sometimes count.  of course he will do none of this when you ask him to.  he loves playhouse disney, and we are big winnie the pooh fans right now!  he is an angel when he is not a demon.  right now we are trying to do everything "all bout myself" (all by myself), so everything takes 10 times longer.  but the look on his face when he does it, just makes my day. i just can't believe how big he is getting and how much bigger he is going to get!  time is flying.  

audrey: 

4 months - she is 13 lbs. of sweetness.  her head is the opposite of her brother's.  she is in the 25th percentile while liam is in the 85th!  she is however very long and in the 85th percentile.  she has a few bald spots where her hair has fallen out and nothing is growing in, yet, but she is still beautiful.  she just rolled over from her tummy to her back!  yea!!  she loves to stand up and her huge eyes look at everything and take it in!  she is a loud talker.  she screeches a lot throughout the day. she is a great sleeper, praise the Lord, and is just the cutest thing since liam.  

audrey and liam together are terrifying and wonderful.  he talks to her and she lights up, he hits her with mr. potatoe and she cries, and after his spanking, he cries.  he doesn't want to hold her as much anymore, but he loves to sit next to audrey and he will take her hand and most of the time hold it, sometimes he tries to yank her arm out of her socket.  you just never know what is going to happen.  

that is life right now - what will happen next.

school is starting up again soon and we are both trying to figure out our schedules and the kids schedules.  just a few short weeks of summer left.  oh, and did i mention we are putting in new cork floors in our entry way and family/kitchen/dining room!!  we are totally insane!!  you will get more on that later.  

loving . . .

here is what i am loving right now -

1.  scheduled events - i never thought i would love to have my week scheduled out so much!  but with two little ones, if i don't have a plan they don't have a happy mommy!  the best weeks have been then ones where i know what we are doing every day!


2.  the science spectrum - liam LOVES it.  there is so much for him to play with.  i don't worry about losing him.  it is indoors away from the heat and mosquitos!!  we have a pass for a year, so it is, not free, but cheap!


3.  audrey napping regularly - we are finally getting on a schedule somewhat.  we take two shorter naps one in the morning and one in the evening, and we take a long 2-3 hour nap in the early afternoon.  plus she sleeps through the night as well!!  i know, i am blessed.  the Lord has blessed me with sleeping children!!


4.  summer - i had my mid-summer blues, but they are now gone and i am dreading going to back to school.  i am loving the lazy mornings, fun outings, naps in the afternoon, and just the general sense of relaxation.  i am not looking forward to the rushed morning that are just around the corner!!


5.  matt - he has just been great this summer.  love him!


6.  "the good guys", "psych", and the food network - funny, hysterical, and just plain yummy TV!!  (bradley whitford is just crazy fun to watch in whatever he does!!)


7.  being overly blessed by the Lord - i don't even know where to start!