You're a grand ol' flag....

You're a high flying flag, and forever in peace may you waaaaave! You're the emblem of the land I love! The home of the free and the braaaaaave!

Do you guys remember singing that?? Holy second grade batman. I need a baton, sequins, and my jazz hands....I'm about to bust out my patriotic moves for you!

Being raised in a military family, and having family members still actively serving, I have a very special place in my heart for all of those who serve our country on our behalf. So as we have our BBQ's and enjoy our Memorial Day on Monday, lets keep them in our hearts, thoughts, and prayers!







To all the parents who have lost children, to the spouses who have lost their other halves, to the children who have lost their Mommy or Daddy....we remember them...and we thank them...and this weekend, we honor them!

Have an amazing Memorial Day!!

We can't all be Washingtons, but we can all be patriots. ~Charles F. Browne


**click images for source**

Best Christmas Ever!

It was perfect. Low key and perfect. I wasn't even heavily sedated or anything (the kids may or may not have been. just sayin'), and I STILL had fun! I know! Crazy, right?! We didn't waste any time on laundry or honey-do lists...just savored each and every minute with our wee ones and loved ones. We even managed to sneak in an impromptu snow trip! Now its Monday and back to reality...wah wah wahhhh....but at least I have pictures to serve as proof of our perfect Christmas.

{My favorite nativity ever!}

{Our kids are only slightly spoiled.....yeaahhh}

{She couldn't decide which to wear...my little fashionista!}

{Mason's ONLY wish list item was this flippin' game...he's played with it once.}

{Boogie saw Thomas the Tank Engine and his eyes glazed over...}

{Me and my sexy man meat..grrr}

{The boys couldn't wait to attack Daddy!}

{Snow angel my hiney...this kid is a snow demon!}

{Our ghettofabulous snowman...mad skills yo}

{We warned Boogie not to eat the yellow snow!}

{Those are some big balls....snowballs that is...HA!}

{I nailed that little sucker right in the head! Nothing more therapeutic than throwing things at your kids...}

{Little Miss' first snow trip!}

{Best Christmas gifts ever...well, except for the 7 SEASONS OF MURDER, SHE WROTE ON DVD that I got! BOOYA!!! Me and JB Fletcher are friggin homies!! HUNDREDS of hours or pure crime solving sleuthing goodness!! }

I hope you all had a FANTASTIC Christmas! One more week and school starts again. AMEN! Until then I'll be at the mercy of my crazy offspring. My eye's twitching just thinking about it. I have a feeling it's gonna be a loooong week. Maybe I'll just take them back up to the snow so I can throw snowballs at them...hmmmmm.

Time for bribery!!

So I promised a giveaway and I'm here to deliver!! First of, a huge thank you to all of those who read the crap I put on this freak show I like to call my blog. It's amazing how many awesome people, and how many creepy people, I've met in the last few months....its like a giant session of group therapy...only free. Cha-ching! Anyhow, life here at the House of Cline has been crazy to say the least and I'm looking forward to things settling down so I can get back to my priorities in life....like blog stalking and googling pictures of Chuck Norris. But until then, how about a little bribe to keep you around???? Uh-huh...that's what I thought...here goes...

The kind people over at CSNbaby approached me about doing a giveaway and heck, free stuff for you guys??? Why not?! I was actually really impressed by their competitive pricing and their super wide range of products. They have over 200 stores, but their baby store is awesome! It has everything from baby gear and toys, to nursery furniture. So go on and check it out! And now to the good stuff, one lucky reader is going to be the proud new owner of this bad boy...

{The SLING not the baby!!}

SO CUTE!! Little Miss Presley was a colicky hag for the first 6 months of her life and I would have died without my sling. Plus this sling is super versatile and great even as your wee ones get older! So I'm way excited to pass one of these on! And you don't have to be a mom to enter folks... These make awesome baby shower gifts or even Christmas gifts! So here are the rules...go on over to the CSNbaby store and have a peek around. Then leave me a comment letting me know an item you like and how much you looooove me (but really how much do you love me? I bet it's a lot!). You've got until next Wednesday the 18th! Now GO!

Thanks again for being such masochists and subjecting yourselves to my nonsense. If I had to choose between you guys and The Hoff it'd be a tough call. That's how much I love you all. You're hofftastic. And I'm delirious...exhaustion is setting in. Did I mention I threw a birthday party today for a bunch of sugar fueled first graders??? Shoot me in the face. So go on, enter the giveaway, pay me money, maybe you'll win. I'm off to la la land to dream of Jordan in a loin cloth feeding me grapes and folding the laundry....meow...

I'm feeling frackin' faaaaaabulous!!

Was yesterday a dream? Because seriously it was just too good to be true. I had a dang good time reading all the sweet blog lovin' that was left...you guys ROCK!! A huge thank you to all of you who stopped by, it totally made my day! And a huge HELLO to all the newbies! Just make sure you sign the waiver before reading, releasing me from all liability, thanks.

Not only was yesterday my SITS day, but I got my NEW FRIDGE!! Finally! And it's gooooorgeous! I may or may not have kissed it. I'm just sayin'. But now I might even be able to feed my family! What a mess that whole situation turned out to be. Unfortunately my dear sweet 'Tom' wasn't able to deliver it. I understand, it must be hard for him...now that I've moved on to a new fridge and all. It's just different between us now...but I'm sure he was here in spirit. Goodbye Tom...I'll miss you...and your bubble wrap.

But it doesn't end there folks!! Oh no no no! Guess what I got in the mail?! Let me give you a little background. 3 of my best friends are pregnant right now. I know!! Hussies....But for real, they're all knocked up with little demon offspring of their own! Sucks for them. I mean, it's so exciting, especially because that means I get to go SHOPPING! Whoop whoop! In fact, one of these three mamas-to-be was due TODAY and the little booger decided to bake a little longer (I'm sure she's just overjoyed). She's such a special friend to me and I knew I had to get my baby nephew the PERFECT gift! Luckily for me one of my BEST blog buddies had just the perfect thing! I'm all about personalized gifts. I looooove leaving my own imprint on a gift when I can, so I bribed Kristen into making a special burp cloth set just for Ryder! And they turned out SO DANG CUTE that she even put them on her website!! Look how cute!!!


I was beyond excited to give them to my mama-to-be! Aren't they totally rad?! I LOVE them!! I'm pretty sure they're my new favorite gift! So as a ginormous THANK YOU to my lady love Kristen I decided to give her all the credit where credit is due by pimping her awesome skills out on the ol' blog. Go check out her AMAZING shop...she has the most amazing items that you can get personalized, and not just for baby! Thanks K, mama loves you!! :)

{go check out my lady...i heart her}

On a side note, I've realized that I need to invest in a padded cushion seat. Mmmmmhhmmm. I have a nice ring on my buttocks from spending some quality time on the old commode. I think it's safe to say it's gonna be a loooooooong time before I'm delusional enough to cheat again. I have to say though, that pizza gave me some heavy duty ammo last night. Covered wagons galore!! Poor Jordan. Poor poor Jordan....

To quote Beyonce....I'm a survivor!

Mama Kat's writer's workshop: #3 Describe a difficult moment you have survived...

Life is good. I have no complaints. In fact, I always wondered how I was so lucky to end up how I did....because I'll be honest, if you would have asked me 5 years ago where I thought I'd be, I never would have guessed I'd be married to my scrumptious man meat and be a mother of 3.

When my oldest was just shy of a year I made the decision to leave where I was living and move home with mom. Truly a humbling experience. But it was more than leaving my home. It was leaving my job, my family, my friends, my life.....and my son's birth father. Now I wasn't moving the next town over. I was moving a good 7 hours away. I knew what it meant to take my baby so far away, and that was exactly why I was doing it.

For those of you who read the blog regularly you know I don't go into this topic too often, so sorry if I keep it vague, it's my little piece of life I don't like to share. So on with the story...It was gonna be hard. Of course I had my mom, but other than that I was alone. Just me and the little guy. But I knew in my heart that I was doing what was best for my baby. I was securing his future while protecting him from the present...and one day he would see that. I realized as I packed everything I could fit into my car and hit the road that I was the only hope this little boy had. If I didn't do what was best for him, no one would. So I left. We had some rough times, the little man and I. I got up for work at 3:30 every morning and went to school at night. This way I could spend my day with my baby. It began to take a toll on me.

I was exhausted. I was broke. Being a single mom to a one year old, working, going to school, and paying for daycare wasn't exactly the high life. And dealing with the aftermath of leaving didn't make things easier. Just thinking about that makes me sick. But after being there almost a year I landed a better job, with better hours and pay and took a semester off school. Things were starting to look up. Then I met Jordan......(this is the part where the heavens open and angels sing)

We'd barely been dating for two weeks at this point and we were making plans for the evening. I remember telling him I couldn't get a babysitter because I only had $20 until Tuesday...and it was only Thursday. The next day he paid my day care and my bills. I didn't know how to respond to that. So I married him. Just kidding...but really, it was hard. But as he slipped my ring on my finger a mere month and a half later and vowed to take care of 'us'...I realized it didn't have to be hard. The hard days were gone. We were a family. He loved us. He would protect us. And my oh my, how he has....

As we celebrate the 4th....

I think I've watched this video one too many times, and still, it gives me chills...There's just something about the day and age that we live in that has made my pride for our country rise to a whole new level. And as we get ready to celebrate our nations birthday...the day our freedom was restored, I hope we can keep in mind the true meaning of the day.

I can not even begin to express my undying gratitude for the brave men and women of our country that fight to uphold our beliefs, to defend our country, to give us our freedom. As we have our bbq's, let our flags wave high, and watch the sky burst with beauty, let's keep in mind the amazing people who make this all possible.

As I sat and watched this video, comfortable in my home, I thought of the men and women in the trenches, on the front line, torn away from their families, alone, and I am so saddened...but even more, I am just proud.

I have so much emotion that words just can not capture. Words can not do justice to the sacrifice that these countless number of men and women make. And not just soldiers, but their families as well.

So thank you to all those who serve our country, we celebrate this day for you and because of you. You are truly my heroes.

Reason #521

So my lovely lady friends and I went out tonight for a little girl's night out and caught the flick The Proposal. It was ah-may-zing! LOVED IT! About every 30 seconds I had to wipe the drool off of Brooke's chin, but we had a blast! Note to self: buttered popcorn not a great idea. bowels completely mad. I left the theatre feeling all starry eyed and kissy kissy face, eager to get home to my delicious husband. Romantic movies do this to me....I get all gooey and lovey dovey. So once at home Jordan and I start naming off the reasons we love eachother (aren't we cute? gag) He loves me because I have cute feet apparently...good to know...I wouldn't want him to love me because I'm an amazing mother and can make the best impersonation of a chicken ever. Feet are definitely more important. Kinda creepy in a Tanner P kinda way...

Then I made some raunchy remark about how I just want to run my fingers through his hair...but here's the rub. Jordan has an afro. Totally thick, curly hair...and a lot of it! So he uses gel to style it and I. Hate. Gel. For some reason I can't stand the way dry gel feels, it gives me the heebie jeebies. And needless to say, I can't run my fingers through gelled hair. He then tells me that he wants me to find him a new hairdo! Ummm, was that angels I heard singing?! I took full advantage of the moment and the next thing I know it's midnight and I'm washing his hair in the tub getting ready to channel my inner Vidal Sassoon. He was such a good sport, he didn't even complain when I got shampoo in his eye! I was on fire as I busted out the flat iron and got to work...I wish I had a picture of the end result, but can you say Ay Papi!! Bow chika bow wow.....Me likey!!

So reason #521 why I love my scrumptious piece of man meat: he goes along with my crazy ideas at all hours of the day and lets me tame his wild mane...what a man!

These dang sappy movies...but you know what? I don't need the movies, I have the happy ending...Some people thought we were nuts when we got married after only knowing each other for 55 days. But man it sure is fun to prove them wrong day after day!

My heart hurts...

Do you ever wonder if you're a good person? If you could stand up to do what's right? Help someone out in a time of need? I mean, for real though. I've always wondered how I would respond or react when faced with certain situations. Example: You see a guy shoving around and yelling at girl....Do you intervene before he gets violent? Or do you let them handle their own business? Are you too scared to approach? Would you wonder what happened after you left? Sorry for the depressing example, it's the first thing that came to mind.

Well today I received a partial answer to my endless questions. Brooke and I were out and about, returning from a trip to Pottery World. It was lunch time and we were absolutely famished. We were getting ready to go pick up some food when for some reason or another I decided that I wanted to go pick up my boys (the boys were at grandma's while Presley had a girl's day out) first. Making this decision completely changed our route.

So on route to our new destination we saw something up ahead in the middle of the road, but we couldn't quite make out what it was. As we drove closer we gasped in shock as we realized it was an elderly man sprawled across the ground, his motor scooter strewn on the ground partially broken, and his belongings were scattered across the sidewalk. We quickly pulled over and ran over to him, struggling to get his legs free from his scooter so we could stand him up. The sweet man was so confused. You could just see in his eyes that he had no clue what was going on. His poor arms were thrashed from where he hit the asphalt and there's no doubt in my mind that his fragile body ached, seeing as how he could barely stand. We asked him if he needed a doctor or if he had someone we could call for him and he politely declined. Which I'm totally kicking myself in the butt for now, I totally wish we had called so he could have at least been checked out.

At this time another guy pulled over across the road and ran over to help. Following him was an unmarked policeman (who was kind of a d-bag, not gonna lie). We could tell that the sweet man was from the retirement village just up the street, and as Brooke and I cleaned him up, gathered his belonging, and returned his glasses my heart just started to hurt. We made sure he was in good hands and that there was nothing more that we could do. But as we sat in the car, emotion just overwhelmed us both. There was something so heart wrenching about seeing this poor gentleman in the street that just struck a cord with me. I found myself wondering if he had family around? Did they visit? Was he lonely? Why didn't anyone else STOP?! It happened on a main street, there were cars everywhere, and it was apparent he hadn't just fallen....so WHY hadn't anyone STOPPED?! The more we thought about it, the angrier it made us. I was torn between anger and sadness...that's never a fun combo.

I'm grateful for that still small voice that made me change my mind, that made us change our route. This experience isn't something I've hoped to experience, but now that we did, I'm glad to know that we stopped. We helped. We rock. Brooke gets my Good Samaritan of the day award!!

Ugh...when did I get so emotional? Freak my emotions are going on rampage! Stupid stupid stupid period. Sometimes being a girl sucks! Sorry for the emotional, and rather novel-ish, post. That's so not like me. I wish I would have given the old guy a hug and brought him over for some milk and cookies while the kids played and adopted him as their own special Grandpa...oh well.
But I can't end a post all bah-hum-bug.....so look at this picture! How can you not laugh?!

Ya gotta love The Hoff!!

A moment to refelect....

Sometimes I don't think I take enough time out to stop and truly thank Heavenly Father for all the wonderful gifts he's given me, like...

Jordan...my wonderful husband and devoted father to our little mongrels

Our ward...for really making church an enjoyable environment and for their friendship, love,
acceptance, and support

Big Spoon...for having cookies and cream fro yo Thursdays-Saturday...amazing

My babies...without them I'd be lost, but well rested...they are the reason for my being

Ritalin...enough said



My mom...for living two minutes away with a washer that works (especially since I've been at her house ALL morning playing dirty skivvies catch up...I'd rather poke myself in the eye with a dull pencil repeatedly)



Jillian Michaels...for making the 30 day shred workout video that kicks my booty every day



Ands that's just to name a few...