New Year Resolution #2

I know what your thinking, what was #1?

#1 Was getting healthy-The Green Drinks

So here we are at #2

*Learn How To Use My Fancy Camera*

I have officially owned that beast for over 2 years now and have always used it on the "Auto" setting.

What's the point of having a fancy camera if you aren't going to learn how to use it, right?

I HATE reading manuals.

I hate reading period.

But I buckled down the past few weeks and have learned some awesome things.

All of these are shot on my bed, because my bedroom has the best light.

Miss Ivy Jane

 I was so happy to finally capture her signature look, biting her lips!

Miss Brookelle

I took these for her newly remodeled bathroom and LOVE how they turned out!

Mr. Jack

He is such a stud, didn't complain once.

I've turned a new leaf

A green leaf in fact

 That's right, the Byrams have gone GREEN!

With my body failing me these days...

First my neck and now my eyes,

I have decided that I need to do everything I can to help fight all this crapola away!

After 2 years my cancer is still lingering, and my most recent adventure, the eye tubes, were a complete failure.

Apparently my tear ducts are forever broke :(

Side Note:{All this change came about after the tubes came out and I realized that they didn't work, and I  had a total and complete nervous breakdown about it, you know the kind where you are sitting in the closet sobbing like a pathetic excuse for a woman. Then I had one of those "A hah" moments where I slapped myself and said "Woman, you have got to get your crap together!!"}

So 2012 is the start of the new me.

No more pop tarts, or 6 bowls of Crunch Berries for Breakfast.

No more packages of licorice for lunch.

And no more pans of brownies for a snack.

I am guilty of all the above.

Not only is eating like that not healthy for a woman fighting the big C,

it is doing all sorts of bad things to my behind!

I make this one for Breakfast, and there is enough left for lunch too!

It is my favorite!!!!!

It. Is. Delicious!

My kids love this one!

Yes, you read that right, THE KIDS!

 I promise I didn't ask her to flip you all off, she chose that finger for pointing.

Jack calls the drink "The Grinch".

May I just say that I was completely skeptical when everyone started doing these.

Blah blah blah, I thought they were all stupid.

I have lost 4 lbs already, now who was stupid!

And they seriously taste good! Who knew?

We aren't going Vegan, or Gluten Free or anything crazy like that, but I sure hope this helps a little bit.

Maybe eating healthy will help my body fight off my cancer's little remnants!

And maybe it will help my behind!

Let's pray for both, okay!

6 Months

Look at how this little stinker has grown right up!

 I had apparently lost my mind, or been too busy to notice, because for months 1,3 and 6 her head isn't dressed up. Looks like for months 4 & 5 I really had my crap together :)

Our little Ivy sure is loved.

The kids literally fight over who gets to SEE her first in the morning, something I still don't understand.

And they fight over who gets to give me a diaper.  Seriously kids, we change her 6x a day, you will get your chance.

 She has plumped right up, weighing in at 17.9 lbs

LOVE those chunkles!

She loves the bath tub, or "Tap Tubby" as her siblings call it.

And now that she can finally sit up, she is experiencing a whole new world!

Oh miss Ivers, you sure do make us smile!

6 Months

• Loves her Babba
• Still not eating solids, working on it
• 1 tooth, 2nd one is on it's way
• Drools like CRAZY
• Always eating her hands
• Five 6oz bottles a day
• Wakes up 7:30am
• Bedtime 8pm
• Hates laying down
• Hates her carseat
• Still loves Jack the most!

One of these things is not like the other....

Jan 2008

Jan 2009

Jan 2010

Jan 2011

Jan 2012

Even though we are loving it....

I find it a bit unnerving.

No Whining

I tell the kids all day long,

"No Whining"

But I can do it all I want, because I'm the Mommy!

Come on, if you had this thing in your eye would you whine too?

How about if you had them in both eyes?

(yes, these are MY eyes)

How about if your eyes had cried constantly for over a year?

And you had no control over it.

And you lost most of your eye lashes because of it.

They itch.

Like Alot!

Like the worst itch you have ever had!

And I can't scratch them!!!!

The itch is never satisfied.
It's so fun to feel like there is an eyelash in your eye and you can't take it out!

 

Those fabulous little tubes are sewn into my top eyelid, and then go down into my bottom tear duct and into my nose.  My lacrimal duct.

On Friday my life just might change for the good!

As long as the tubes have recreated my eroded tear ducts correctly over the past 5 weeks, my

TUBES GET TO COME OUT!

I have completely ruined the skin around my eyes. I worry about how many wrinkles I will have later on because of it. The skin is raw and burns from the constant salty tears coming out of my eyes and the wiping and rubbing. 

Have I whined enough yet?

No?

How about the most annoying neck in the world?

You know, the one that got sliced on this side 2 years ago, and looks great now even though it left all the skin around it and the left side of my face numb.

The neck that decided to get cancer again and leave me with a nasty fat scar on the other side 4 months ago.

That itches and burns like crazy!

That stupid stripe itches and burns.

Stupid neck.

Stupid eyes.

Stupid baby fat I can't get rid of. (okay this one is more my fault)

But you get the point.

Is all my whining justified?

I have always been a whiner.

Forever.

If your last name is, or once was Wheatley, then this is not news to you.

If your name is Byram, you are quickly becoming aware of this.

We decided that it was the radioactive iodine that I took that dissolved my tear ducts.

So cancer is to blame for all this fun.

Thyroid Cancer is hereditary.

So if your name does have "Wheatley" in it, I suggest you have your neck checked regularly so you don't have to experience all these expensive adventures.

Got it.

Good.

Whining over.

Happy New Year

We went to Utah for New Years

And we were all set up for family pictures at the cabin on New Years Eve.

 Love this cute one we got of our little family.

What are chances of having everyone looking and smiling? Lucky!

Here are a few of my other faves.

And these two are responsible for all of this.

Aren't they cute?

After pictures were over, we could finally relax.

 What a bunch of cuties!

 The kids could finally watch tv.

(Don't look now, but Jack's legs might be crossed, again)

We could finally eat!

And Ivy could finally quit worrying about her hair getting messed up.

Phew.

We were so excited to spend the weekend with Katherine and Taurean.

They came all the way from Kentucky just to see me, isn't that sweet!

We opened some Christmas presents.

Brooke got a Mermaid. Best day ever. 

And the two kings of Legos...

built things all weekend long!

All the sudden it was midnight!

(or 8:30pm)

Happy New Year!

 Jack must have known that we duped them, because just after the real stroke of 12, he decided to get sick and throw up all over the place.

But since I am so intuitive, I had packed a throw up bucket, clorox wipes and everything else and even caught his fountain right as it was delivered.

I'm so good.

Vince is a trooper, he opted to spend the rest of the night on the bathroom floor with Jack.

What a guy!

I hope starting the new year out with vomiting isn't some kind omen.