Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The weekend and some other pictures I found!

This is who Jeff really wants to marry but Im ok with sharing him!! LOL This is in Vegas at Wax Museum she is not real so don't get too excited!!
This was at the 2009 SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. We had a Blast!!!! Except my Orange and Blue Team didn't win this time!! Jeff is such a good sport about me being an "anybody playing Alabama Fan"!! We went to the Auburn Alabama Game @ Auburn and he was the best sport ever!! I was going nuts cause Auburn was doing so good and doing my little War Eagle Dance but he just laughed with me but I guess because at the end Alabama ended up winning but I told him he was a better person now that he had been to Gods Country in AUBURN!!!  I don't have a picture from that game but we had so much fun! I also went with Jeff to his first Hooters Experience I even took his picture with the hooters girls, how sweet am I??? LOL





The weekend was Grrrreat!! Jeff and I took the kids to see the movie How to Train Your Dragon. It was a fantabulous movie and all 5 kids seemed to enjoy it. Saturday was full of baton lessons, and Jeff's Kids ballgames. It was a great beautiful weekend full of good times with our soon to be blended family. Are we telling when we are getting married?? welll.....................nah I'll just surprise you guys after the fact.
Gracie's Softball Game!
Ty so should not have this bottle but he does!! oops!



Grayson took the bottle away from Ty (I told him to) and Ty was just about to throw a fit before I took this picture lol! This will be all the kids except Graham is not in ths picture. They love each other and are so much fun to be around. So heres our basketball team minus Graham. So if you want to have  family game just call us...we are good!!! : )

Friday, March 26, 2010

The Second Marriage

Ok so who wouldn't be scared to death about a second marriage??? I AM!!!! I won't lie one bit about the fact that I am scared to freaking death! So I have been reading and PRAYING and reading and PRAYING for the right things to happen and for me to be able to handle the things that "come up" in the way God would want me to handle them. We will be a blended family he has 3 kids and I have 2 and we will be joining them together. Here are a few things I am nervous about: Jeff is very relaxed and doesn't dicipline the way that I do, he doesn't make his kids do chores and I make mine as young as they are do some choirs. Ok so I know these things are small but all you moms out there that have a strick routine like I do can kinda see where I am coming from. I don't want my kids to see that the others have to do nothing while they have to do what I tell them to do. So I have been reading and found some very good little rules to follow but the most important rule  I have made for myself is to CHILL OUT and BEND a little to make things work. Its going to be a transition for all but I want to make it the best I can by being the best for my children, and jeff and his children. So here is a little article I found on the internet:

Starting over from a divorce is never an easy experience. When you find love again and make the decision to enter into a second marriage, you may be wondering how to make it last. The truth is that the new marriage may be no more successful than the first if you aren’t willing to do things differently the second time around.
Rely on Your Experience

After your first marriage, you should have gained the knowledge and experience to know what didn’t work. Unfortunately, if you don’t apply what you’ve learned, you may fall back into the same routines and problems that caused the first marriage to end. Nearly everyone who marries for the second time is going to bring some level of past baggage with them. The knowledge you have gained from the experience of the first marriage, however, will help you make the second marriage last.
Marriage Help 101

A prior marriage isn’t a guarantee that you know what you’re doing. Too many couples don’t take the second marriage as seriously as the first one because they think they have the past problems solved. They are also less afraid of divorce since they’ve been through it. Even before you exchange vows for the second time, you can benefit from seeking out marriage advice through premarital counseling. Premarital counseling was once thought of as something people did before they walked down the aisle a third or fourth time, but counseling can help you settle issues from your previous relationships and prepare yourselves for a new marriage. Plus, advice from a neutral third party can make all the difference when it comes to preventing problems before they start.



You, Me and Exes Make Three (or Four)

A new marriage needs time to get settled, but with a second marriage there is usually no time to allow yourselves to get used to your new roles, especially when ex-spouses enter the picture. Holding your breath until they agree to go away won’t help, and you will probably pass out before it happens.



If you are dealing with your ex-spouse, set clear boundaries with them if your marriage to them didn’t end cordially and you have children. Depending on your custody arrangement, you might need to see your ex on a weekly basis. Focusing on what is best for your children and maintaining a regular schedule for visits will go a long way toward reducing conflict. Try not to fight, and bring in a lawyer or a mediator to settle any disputes.


Excessive complaining about your ex to your current spouse will indicate that your ex still has a big place in your life, and that won’t put your new marriage on solid ground. When your ex makes decisions that impact your current marriage, reassure your spouse that you are doing all you can to put the past behind you—and follow through on what you say.

On the other hand, if it is your new spouse’s ex who is causing trouble, you might not trust them to set boundaries, or you might be tempted to criticize how they handle the matter. You may want to give advice if you have a decent relationship with your own ex, but don’t nag or give ultimatums. Every situation with an ex is different. Continue to support your new spouse, and be there for them while everyone adjusts to their new lives.


Change Only You

We have romanticized versions of what marriage and love should be about. Should you marry a second time, you should drop those visions of changing your new spouse and focus on changing yourself. You have to become the person you want to be. A failed first marriage can be traumatic, but, if you want the second marriage to succeed, look at what you want from your new marriage, and seek to change yourself so that you get it.
Communicate Through It All
Eventually, you must come to a decision about what is worth an argument and what isn’t. Mistakes and issues from the previous marriage will return when you least expect it. How you react to those times will affect whether or not your second marriage works. Help each other by admitting when you’ve handled a situation badly, and discuss openly what is hard for you
Trust is usually one of the biggest issues for people entering into a second marriage. Advice on how to trust each other varies from one marriage expert to another. Ask your partner for ways to help you and—again—consider counseling. Odds are your new spouse is just as committed as you are and will be willing to help you through these feelings.

A second marriage is another chance at long-term love. However, if it’s the second marriage for both of you, you will now have to deal with one another’s exes. This doesn’t have to mean that you end up in scratching or screaming fights or that you have to spar on a regular basis, but it does mean that you should be prepared for what to expect when it comes to such interactions
It’s important to remember that not every ex is going to hate you, especially if it’s been quite some time since they were married to your loved one. Don’t go into the interactions ready to tip some hair out or throw out your best insults. The “kill them with kindness” mantra should be your best friend when dealing with your loved one’s ex. Don’t give them a reason to hate you, and you may just end up with a nice friend, or at least an acquaintance.
Be nice to your spouse’s ex, but try to keep your interactions short. You don’t want to live in the past. Even if you and your spouse’s ex get along, it’s important not to bring up their relationship if you can help it. You want to focus on the present and the future; you don’t want to go digging around in the past just because you’re curious.
If the ex is jealous or cold to you, don’t take it personally. It doesn’t immediately mean that he or she wants your spouse back. It could just mean they feel jealous that you could make it work when they couldn’t. Don’t be hurt if the ex doesn’t want to talk or interact with you.
Give your spouse the chance to talk to their ex from time to time. They may still know the same people, he may be close with your spouse’s family and they may have some financial things to work out or objects to return to one another. Nobody likes a jealous spouse. If your spouse doesn’t want to talk about the ex or their exchanges, respect this. He just may not want to mar the present with talk of the past. Remember that this is your spouse, and that at the end of the day, he sleeps in your bed.



So here we are the "Brady Bunch" or aka the Long Bunch. I think we should really do our own show!! LOL It's going to be a wonderful!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Dear Jeff,

Jeff keeps up with my blog so I know he will read this so here goes.
Jeff,
You know I love you but we just can't get married or move on unless I get this pig! Here is a picture, good luck finding it for me. I will know if you are serious about this engagement if you get me this pig!
Love
Nina

This is the mini pig I was telling you guys about in the previous post. Jeff knows Im only kidding about getting this pig I just wanted him to see how CUTE they really are. Jeff thinks his cat Heidi will hurt it but I think that is just an excuse not to get me one!! LOL I love you Jeff and Im only messing with you!! : )
Look Jeff they get along GREAT with cats!! I think Heidi will love the pig!!! LOLOLOLOL

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

THE RING

This is where he proposed
This is right after he proposed! I was taking a picutre of the Gazebo

The MASSIVE ROCK!!!! WOW!! This was at Silky Sullivans before he proposed
Right after (bad pic) another couple took itSilky Sullivans before proposal and I really had no clue at all what he was about to do!!


We are very excited but are telling nobody about our plans to get married but will let you know when  it happens. We have 5 kids to consider and prepare for the big change and our kids come first. We were at "the gym last night he was working out I was teaching baton classes and I came out of class and he was telling everyone about our engagement and then said "well she's pregnant so we have to!!" I thought I would DIE cause that is so not true and embarrassed me to death!!! He always does stuff like this to me I should be use to it by now!!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Walking on Sunshine

Wow what an unexpected exciting weekend I just had!!! Went to Memphis to a Majorette Competition and saw the best little majorette groups I have ever seen. The song "Walking on Sunshine" will never ever ever be the same with out thinking about the MAN who did a majorette twirl solo to that song with a HUGE sunshine on his shirt!! So anytime I hear that song that guy will be dancing in my head!! Sorry I didn't take a picture I couldn't because I was trying to hold myself together so I would not laugh out loud so I looked at the ground most of the time just to keep it in!! But truly the best twirler I did see!! He was great!!
Well lets go back to Friday night......Jeff and I were eating at Silky Sullivans in downtown Memphis and had a blast. The singer was awesome it was just a great night! We watched the Grizzlies Flippers on Beale Street as we were walking back. The weather was PERFECT so Jeff said lets go up on this kazebo thing and I said nah it's says restricted and you have to have a permit to go up there and well while I was getting that out he was going over the chain and I said "what are you doing?" then before I knew it he was on one knee with this HONKER of a diamond in his hand. Needless to say I was speechless because I was in TOTAL shock and had no clue this was going to happen or if it would ever ever ever happen. We have been dating a little over a year off and on and off and on and off and on and I thought he is never going to make up his mind about me and well I think he did and I am very excited! Do we have a date set? nope but after it happens I will let you all know but nobody is going to know when or where or anything it's a surprise.
Saturday we went to baton competition and then shopped around then we went to the Memphis Grizzlies game which was awesome. We came home Sunday and I am still in total shock. I waited to tell Jake and Ty first then I told my parents. Jake and Ty didn't understand of course but they are the most important precious things in my life and they had to be the first to know! After I told my parents I called some close friends and in the next 30 min I was getting phone calls from everybody!!! Crazy how news travels in Haleyville Alabama!!
My new blog name will be the Brady Bunch cause Jeff has 3 kids I have 2 and it's going to be so fun and so wild. I mean we can have our own basketball team LOL!!! So are we going to have kids of our own??? huh who knows but for now I want a miniture pig  but Jeff says "No Nina, we are not getting a pig", HAHA I keep giving him cute names for the pig and he just rolls his eyes. Just wait till I bring one home and he can't do anything about it!!! If you haven't seen those miniture pigs you need to google it and look how cute they are!!! You will want one after you see them! They are like $4000 so Nina will not be getting one I just like giving Jeff a hard time!!! I do not have my camera with me today or I would post picutes of the weekend and the ring but I will sometime this week!!
We are idiots!! Well not me...he is!!! lol jk
We do have a little bit too much fun together!!!


So as Jeff and I plan our life together I will be blogging about it so stay tuned to see if we tie the knot in a week, a month, a year???? Who knows....... but the weekend was just like Walkin on Sunshine!!!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Jake's 4th Birthday Party

Jake and Cooper




Jake Jackson and Ty
Reece Jake and Bella



Ty's first date in a car!
 
The party was tons of fun! Can't belive my baby is 4 years old!! What a great 4 years! We had the party at the Gym in Haleyville and they got to play basketball and ride their ride toys all around it was WILD but so much fun!!!!

Friday, March 12, 2010

My 12 and older baton class!

These are my sweet sweet 12 and up class. 2 of them are already Haleyville Majorettes and the others will be next year! They are such fun kids to be around and awesome twirlers! We are working on "Thriller" to take to competition in November. The girls and I are very excited!!!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

My 3-6 year old baton class

So Ms Nina tried her best to get my 3 little girls attention yesterday and it did not work!! HAHA!! The third kid Addison, ran from my camera and would not pose for a picture!! But little AnnaBeth and Emma did not mind the camera! AnnaBeth decided to get Ms Nina's shoes and wear them instead of twirling. It was hilarious!!! I love these little girls they are so fun but I need Advil afterwards!! haha!! Taking them to Birmingham to compete with a routine to the Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, it's going to be sooo cute!! More pics of my other two classes soon!!

Monday, March 8, 2010

So what else am I up to??

Hummm lets see I have started my own baton classes. I teach 2 classes on Monday nights and 1 class on Thursday nights. I am taking the girls to a comeptition next November and I am very excited! The older girls are working on a routine with "Thriller", my middle group is working on a routine with "Lollipop", and my tiny girls are working on a routine with "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini". All of the girls outfits will match the song and they are being hand made, which makes it even more exciting!!! I will post pictures of the girls practicing soon. We are called the Northwest Alabama Twirlers.
Jake Bryant turned 4 years old today so Happy Birthday to my baby boy. His party is this Saturday and I am so excited! Ty turned 2 on January 10th, we clelbrated with a Chucky Cheese Party and I will not lie....I was EXHAUSTED!!!! LOL!!

So where have I been??

Jake loving on his mommy!
The boys and I at the beach!
outside our hotel in Vegas with NO LUGGAGE!!!Eating at Emeralds in Vegas
Jeff and I went to Vegas and it was Grrrreat!!! We went to see all kinds of shows and this is us at the Grand Canyon which was amazing!!!