The Ballard Bunch

In that particular order.

Hot off the presses, peeps!

Tatum's throwing a tantrum {surprising}
She's unreasonable and inconsolable {shocking}
After time out and discussion, she's calmed down a bit {finally}
I explain to her why I was upset and why she was in trouble {calmly}
And thus the following conversation {amusing}

"Tatum, bottom line is you were acting like a brat..."
"Mom, I'm not a brat. They're just dolls."
"Tatum, you were being rude."
"But mom, brats aren't rude, they're not even real. And I am real."

I know you shouldn't laugh while you're trying to discipline your child, but come on!
Sometimes you can't help yourself.

Here are the rules:
Link to the person who tagged you (Shanna). Write down six things that make you happy. Post the rules, tag six others and let them know you did it. Then tell the person when your entry is complete.

Six things that make me happy*:
1. Stretch Denim
2. Healthy Choice Fudge Pops (every bite except the part where you have to lick it off the wooden stick – that’s so gross to me!)
3. The Bachelor. Duh.
4. Beau’s Dimples. Simply Adorable.
5. A Good Black Purse.
6. A Clean House. Even better if I don’t have to clean it myself.

The Good
Jillian’s saucy pink gloves in Canada. Seriously, I love this girl's style. Where can I get me some? Oh, who am I kidding - those would end up in the girls' dress up bin faster than I can say "eh".
Big Canadian Flag Hug. I'm a lover of all things and people to the North. And the proof is in the picture.

Granny. I {heart} her.
Naomi. I really liked her more this episode. Too bad she got the boot instead of Molly. *oops* Did I say that out loud?
Jason’s eulogy. He kept a straighter face than I ever could.

The Bad
Molly’s golf getup. I just hate how rehearsed everything is with this girl. I'm kind of a hater lately, I won't lie.
Slot machines in the living room. A little awesome, I guess. But random.
Melissa’s parent issue. I actually can understand the privacy thing, but she did look genuinely disappointed. And, the fact that she’s used to it and it’s normal to her. How about a little support mom & dad?
Melissa’s friends kind of throwing her under the bus about past relationships. I sort of felt like they looked at her as kind of pathetic. Not the most pleasant of dinner conversations. How about a confidence booster, Miss 5th Wheel.


The Ugly
The Molly portrait by Jason. W-E-I-R-D. Her mom, in my humble opinion, is right up there with Naomi's, just in a more socially acceptable way, I guess.
Dove funerals. Even worse, dead dove in a bag in the fridge.
Awkward Religious Badgering. Hector, lay off.


Final Rose Attire
Molly – What was that? I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that the belt did not come with the dress.
Jillian – Love. Of course.
Melissa – A little on the short side, girlfriend. Not very “step-mom” if you ask me. WWTDCCS? (What Would The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Say?)
Naomi – Uh. No comment? Russel Crowe called, he wants his sandals back. I’m not a fan of the gladiator shoes. On anyone. Ever. Sorry to offend, sandal wearing peeps.


Bonus: Random Commentary on Next Week
Molly, do your hair. Please?
Melissa, now's the time to open up - let the guy in so he'll take you to the final two!
Jillian, keep on keepin' it real.
And for heaven’s sakes, when do we get some DeAnna-Drama?!?!?!

Okay, if you know me that would be a contradictory statement - I mean really, underwater & fun in the same category? I think not.

{however}

The kids had a blast at the aquarium today and we have the pictures to prove it. Please take note of the following:

1 - These kids are all deliriously cute. Seriously, I could nibble on each one of them.
2 - Hayden did not want her picture taken all day. Hence the "paparazzi" shot and her glare straight into my soul in the group shot. Seriously, I have about 6 in a row of the same pose and although the other kids mugs changed slightly, she kept the same look and shoved it in my direction in every shot. That's my Hayden, though. Stubborn but cute as hell.
3 - Season passes are a steal at the aquarium! For a few more dollars than a day pass you can go for free all year! Plus, 3 & under are F-R-E-E! In case you didn't know, that is my favorite four-letter word.
4 - Layne's bruise. I guess the other day (while dad was on duty) Layne pulled himself up using the back of a dining room chair and it fell down on top of him. Quite the shiner, if I do say so.

Anyone interested?

Just a few thoughts:

Stephanie handled the rejection like a champ. I may not have been her biggest fan, but I've always thought she was a way nice chick. Just not my choice for the final rose. But really, she impressed me so much last night and I thought Jason was really sweet about it all, too. If it's not there, it's not there. Maybe it was the faux fur vest that sealed her fate.

Naomi? Seriously? Yeah, she might be kinda hot to look at, but come on. She's SO not ready for the mom thing, I don't care how much she says it. Plus, I think deep down that girl is D-R-A-M-A!

And on to my latest favorite topic...Molly. I seriously like her less and less every week. There is just something so phony about her. I actually like her better when it's just all the girls, but the second she gets with Jason she's super-cheese. My personal opinion is that he's mostly physically attracted to her, but not as sold on the other connections. And, he's a guy - I guess you can't blame him for keeping the only girl he's spent the night with so far around. Still.

I'm still lovin' my girls Melissa and Jillian, but my heart really leans towards the other. Jillian is so much more real and mature than the other girls. Plus I think she's totally saucy and I love her style. And the Canadian-ness of it all helps too - much love to my Canadian peeps out there!

Melissa is still up there for me, but I didn't like her vibe when the date was called off at first...she didn't REALLY seem okay with the idea of him being late (hello, television show and he had a good excuse) and then seemed really forced when she responded to his invitation to come hang at home instead. But, she was most likely taken off guard, so we'll give her pass on that one. And props to Jason for not having her meet Ty...that kid doesn't need to see his dad being a man-whore until it's the very end of the process. I mean, how confusing is this already for him? Probably more confusing than her weird saggy-boob-metal-snake-closure dress was for me.

New Weekly Segment: Final Rose Outfit Choices
Honestly, Jillian was my only "like" last night. Classy and saucy, always. Naomi looked way larger than she is (totally not a flattering outfit), Stephanie was once again a pageant queen (and her blush? did anyone notice how bad it was last night?), Molly was kind of on the fence for me, she just looked so uncomfortable the whole time & my girl Melissa needs to watch the tan lines w/ the strapless dresses. Come on Mel, WWMMD? (What Would Mandy Moore Do?)

Side note: did anyone else notice that Jason shortens all their names? Mel, Jill, Mol, Steph. I guess not Naomi...that would be a hard one.

Also, does anyone know when we can expect the return of "the dumpee" aka DeAnna? It'll be bittersweet for me - great TV, but I think it's totally unfair to the other girls. But so looking forward to it none-the-less!

Next week I hope that it's Naomi in the limo driving home. And as a bonus, Molly could go with her! Not likely, but a girl can hope. I think the final two are going to be Jillian & Melissa. Not just wishful thinking either. What are your predictions?

...Mini-Neckties for Babies
{yes - I made this, and yes - I'd love to make you one}

And in honor of the joyous occasion, I thought I'd give the lovely parents a spin on the "baby generator" - just to see what might be arriving soon.



For the record, I tried pics of Beau and myself and it looked nothing like any of our kids, but fun none the less.

Can we ditch these ladies...




...and stick with these chickies?




And none of this. Promise me.



Much Love,
Evonne

I know, I know; it's been a week. It's called mommy-blog-block. And I suffer in silence.

Then, today - an epiphany. Maybe, just maybe, I could blog about something other than my kids. I know they're the cutest, smartest, most well-behaved, children on earth; but other things are also blog-worthy, right?

A Grown-Up Post. What a concept!

Problem is, I'm swimming so deep in the waters of mommy-life that I literally have an excruciating time thinking of what else to share with you. Really, struggling.

I've dumped Kate.
I bragged about my sweet husband.
I've told Black Friday stories.
I even post blog-tag responses. I'm good.

What else is grown-up enough to post about?

And then a realization within the epiphany. The hardest realization for me as of late. At least to admit out loud (or on blog, I guess is more appropriate).

I've kind of lost a part of me through all of the wonderfulness that I call my life.

I am NOT complaining, but I've come to the harsh understanding that most things in my life right now are not about me. And that's the way it should be, needs to be, will be for some time.

So for the sake of myself & for those of you who didn't know me in my pre-prime-prime, here's what I used to be.

Successful (I had a career, one that I loved)
Independent (I even peed alone - what a novel idea!)
In Shape (But without 3 beautiful kids to show for it, I know)
Saucy (I have moments now, but most of my life - to be totally honest - is spent in my "comfy clothes")
Awake (Do any moms really sleep all that much? If you do, please share your secret.)

One can argue that I am still those things (well some of them), but I think you get the idea. I am a different version of the me I used to be. And yet, in the wallow of my own self-pity, I am reminded of the many reasons my prime is NOW.









Even "skinny" can't any better than that.
I've got it good.

So, in honor of the above, I will forever now on be okay with mommy posts (although I will still be grown-up as often as inspired, but guilt-free). And along with that, I'll balance things out. My goal is to rediscover who I am outside of mom and wife. And maybe act on it once in awhile.

Guilt-free in 2003....except it's 2009. I guess I won't get t-shirts made afterall...

But really, what's wrong with daily, prideful blog posts that come along with having the cutest, smartest, most well-behaved, children on earth?

Nothing at all.

I apologize for the lack of text-posting as of late. With the New Year came the feeling of being more busy than ever. But I'll just assume that my readers are like myself and would enjoy pictures of my cute kids much more than anything I might have to say anyways. :)

Speaking of busy, here's the latest:

Tatum started Sunbeams. She was a bit hesitant (what, no toys?), but once she got home she was all smiles and stories and songs.


Layne's bulking up. Doesn't he look huge in this picture? I could munch on that kid.


Hayden is literally sillier every day. The kid is a riot. Oh, and soooooooooo crabby when she wakes up. And totally OCD (I'm sure I've posted about this before). And a mini-hypochondriac. Whenever she's sad or doesn't get her way it's, "My tummy hurts." or this hurts or that. It's kinda cute, actually.


Finished the girls' bedding. In case you're interested, two sheet sets, flat sheets sewn together to make a duvet cover, coordinating pillows made by tying the edges (super easy no-sew project). Can you tell they like pink? Pepto-a-Rama.


We also got our Xbox set up finally and have been enjoying playing Guitar Hero (Beau's addicted) and the girls and I love playing Lips (if you haven't played this, it's a must. Xbox Karaoke. Can't get any better than that). Tatum's two favorites are Leona Lewis (Bleeding) and Sarah Bareillis (Love Song). She and Hayden are surprisingly good!

Tatum! {today}



For "watching" Layne in the front room while I cleaned in the basement and making this happen: