Ready, Set, WHAT?!?

I haven't been writing much lately. Not for lack of fun stories, interesting thoughts {or at least to me}, or helpful how-tos...we've been a lil busy. lol I honestly had to go back and look at my instagram to remember what all we'd been doing. {btw: sorry if you follow my instagram via my FB page- its gonna double up}

  • Shortly before mother's day we found out our #4 is coming to round out the family! Eeeek

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Rothacher' Harlem Shake Video {announcement}

  • Saw a Bunch of former students graduate down in Parker's Chapel.

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  • Went on an awesome day of adventure to Magic Springs water and amusement part with some great friends.

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  • Celebrated our 9th anniversary!!!

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  • Moved the rest of stuff out in 2 days {boooo}
  • We FINALLY sold our house, "Big Blue"! I'll be doing a follow-up post on the Homemaker's Challenge scheduled for July.
    note to self: put the memory card in the camera so you can have that "last day in front of our house when we sold it" picture
  • Had our 1st block party for the Vilonia community. {the night after 'closing' in White Hall}

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  • Valley Groups have launched! Our ultimate goal and entry point for our church.
  • Started potty training our 2.5 year old, Jamin. Yay for new-to-us underroos!

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  • We had our long-awaited 1st ultrasound. Baby #4 is due December 24th {but we will likely meet him/her closer to Dec 10th via c-section; entirely different post}

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  • Had an awesome Girls Night Out in Little Rock where we went and saw Steel Magnolia's at Murray's Dinner Theater
  • Hosted our daughters big 'o 5th birthday party at the park {the next morning after our GNO}992809_680143107367_2104152303_n
  • We made an offer on a house in Vilonia! After a year of searching {and waiting to sell}, we made an offer at 3:30pm, received a counter-0ffer {of exactly what we were looking for} at 5:30pm, and accepted at 6:00pm. Did I mention this was the same day as the ultrasound? Busy day 😉943103_680572292277_1985188541_n

Now we are moving on to the "Honey-Do" list that we are hoping to accomplish before my sweet hubs leaves for Super Summer for a week and a 1/2; leaving me to single-parent {unskillfully} while he's gone.

  1. Sign papers & turn them into the bank for our loan- check
  2. Wii & DVD player hooked up correctly and ready to rock way too much screen time- check
  3. Remove the giant wad of plastic wrap that I tried to use to help the bathtub water leak out slower but may or may not have gone down the drain before I could snag it possibly causing slow drainage and a pretty good clog- check
  4. Go to SAMs Club as a family to get TP & other much-needed essentials so I don't pass out from loading, pushing, and unloading all that stuff by myself- check
  5. Stalk up on simple foods & snacks for the prego & kids at said club- check {but may need a couple things a the big WM, ugg}
  6. Catchup on the dishes, laundry, and big cleaning around the house- 1/2 check
  7. Bring in our microwave from big blue because our current one got tired and doesn't heat any more- Wednesday
  8. Baby pool, weighing way more than I should lift, dumped and refilled with clean water for scorching days- Wednesday
  9. Collect tax return papers after the bank makes copies- Wednesday
  10. Home inspection complete on our New House {within 10 days with the hubs being gone 7 of those days}- Thursday
  11. Mow the jungle- maybe not...
  12. A thousand other random things my hubs will do because he's so good at taking care of me- CHECK
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One with My Husband

I love Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day

I'm not a big flower and chocolate kinda girl but I love a guaranteed date some time during the week of the "Love Holiday". Matt and I went out Tuesday night. Nothing fancy. We did get to eat at Old Chicago for < $15, just say'n. GREAT legit deal! We relaxed. Talked. Enjoying being ONE for a while rather than five.

vday at old chicago

I'm a slacker and only got my hubs a couple little cards. This is an odd holiday to buy for...well, I'm learning almost any holiday can be odd to buy a gift for a man. I know some women complain about it but for the most part you could get me anything 'householdy" and I would love it. Men...my man. Not so much into the "man toys." He's not outdoorsy and although he is becoming Mr Fix-it, I don't think he's looking for  a drill wrapped in heart paper. Any ways. I've become worse and worse at this gift stuff the longer we've been married and the more kids we have. I love being sneaky but with all these kids and responsibilities floating around, there's not much room for surprise.

Matt on the other hand has taken advantage of my distracted mommy-self. One year he saved for ever and surprised me with a laptop, then a kitchen aid mixer, then tickets to ALUME! He's good!!! For Valentine's Day he bought me clothes. He knows me so well. I hate shopping. I get depressed trying to find modest clothing to fit my short squatty body. I love wearing t-shirts and for years my wardrobe has been youth event Ts. Those have all become extremely worn and there aren't any new one in my near future. Matt hooked me up with TWO new Union28 t-shirts. The brand new "One with my husband" t-shirt and the brown "United In All Times" t-shirt.

one with my husband WE GO TOGETHER

We really do "Go Together"!

You know I love this company...I actually already owned 2 shirts and a hat. What can I say. When your wardrobe is t-shirt and jeans, ya got grab up the cute ones, even if they are all from the same place. ;D

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The Raccoon Slayer {My Husband ROCKS!}

The kids nightly bath time with daddy means it's time for me to do my "chores". I headed in the laundry room to do the nightly load and hear a nasty chewing sounds coming from the back deck. "Awe, our poor Kiz. Our old def dog is noisily scarf'n some food." I thought to myself as I went to the back door to look out on our giant golden retriever. When I looked down on the dog food bowl I did NOT see old man Kiz...I saw a FAMILY of Raccoons!

This began happening nightly. Those fat daddy 'coons would down an entire dog feeder full in a matter of hours. We tried to start bringing in the dog food at night but would of course forget. They ate at least one big bag of dog food on their own. I'd had enough. This was getting expensive. One of the nights we'd forgotten, I flung open the door baring a broom to shoo them away from the food so I could bring it in...That Mean Booger hissed and swatted at me!!!! I screamed for Matt to come help me. THAT was the night the Raccoon Slayer was born.

My Grand Husband.
The protector.
The defender. The Raccoon Slayer!

It was annoying enough that these 'coons were eating his dogs food and were known to be mean to dogs but get'n feisty with his wife- NO! Matt had a plan. For a week he would rush down from bath to bait the 'coons with the food. Each night he would practice perfecting his killer tactics {yeah, I saw what I did there}. He went in armed with his sword which normally finds it's home under our bed...for burglars... He added gloves for a better grip on the blade {he chose to attempt to smack it with the heavy handle rather than chop it in 1/2 to save himself some clean up}. Then came better food wear as to not fall when whipping open the back door leading onto the well lit back deck were the rumble was planned to go down. Night after night we would watch a family of at least 4-5 raccoons make their trek to our porch to chow down on some SAMs Club dog food. Must be good stuff.

Finally came the night. Dog in the garage {for his own safety}. The porch light was on. Dog food in place, centered in the middle of the small square back deck. Back door unlocked and slightly cracked. Matt perched in a chair geared for battle. Waiting. They approached boldly. No caution about them. As if this were their turf. Matt waited until the first one was in place. He slung open the door and swung the handle end of the sword all in one fluid motion. SWWWwwwaaaaake! It was a near miss. Shattering the giant sword handle into several pieces. STANK!

Matt returned from battle laughing but obviously frustrated. Placing the pieces of his weapon on the counter with an air of defeat, he explained to me that he needed to find a new weapon. He marched down to the basement and dug for a proper tool for such a project. Not knowing where he'd gone, I peeked out the back door looking for the varmints. I saw him with the flashlight below. Thinking my self very cleaver, I began scratching on the door frame and making a terribly nasty chewing noise. He Scrambled! Rather than hustling up the back stairs on to the deck like I assumed he would do, he took off up the other set of stairs to the side deck and in the playroom door. I nearly fell on the floor laughing! I met him in the kitchen joining the playroom and laundry. He blew past my laughing-self to the back door. He wasn't scared of the creature seemingly on the deck, he was ready for a rumble! Finally I explained that it was me, not the evil nocturnal, making the sounds. He was not as amused as I.

In the following nights he did make contact with a couple but none of the 'coons met their demise. Enough was enough. He upped his game! He had weeks invested in this hunt and there was no way they were going to win. It was time to wip out the big guns {again, pun intended}. He'd considered poison but opted to round-up less risky ammo -1 live trap and a pellet gun- from a friend. Upon inspecting the live trap he decided these varmints were too large for the size of this small case and he wasn't quite sure where to "release" them one by one night after night. He went with the open kitchen window and pellet gun. He practiced his aim on cans from various distances before the big night. Pretty good shot for a non-hunter!

Warning: the following is 
not for the faint of heart
or for the animal rights picketers!

Sunday September 23rd, 2012

THE big night he'd been training for was finally here! Again, the porch light was on. Food in place. Door cracked. Window open. Chair and gun in place.

Matt had been pacing back and forth from the living room to his kill zone. Then. Then I heard it! Pop! Scramble. "Julie. Come here! I got one!" I dropped what I was doing and took off! When I got to the back door to look through the glass at his kill I did not find a lifeless creature to be sad over. I found an evil rabid flailing beast tossing about making a wretched racket. Even my {literally} def dog had aroused to check it out. After being clawed at, Kiz wasn't sure how to respond. He batted back and made a slight growl as he lunged forward at the 'coon as if to say, "I could take you!" That poor evil thing flopped right between the railing and plopped down onto the concrete patio below.

{insert eery silence}

 Camera in hand I ask if it was dead and creeeeked the door open. Matt gazed below at his 1st ever kill. Lil creepy.

No "awes"!!! That innocent-looking varmint has held us captive in our house for a least a month after he and his posse hissed and threatened me. Look at that lil turd holding his chest trying to insight pitty. {sniff} NO! Stay strong!

After making Matt walk {partially} down the stairs with flashlight in hand to take the picture, for fear of a sneak attack from the 'coon brothers, we heading back inside not really knowing what to do with ourselves. We {mainly He} felt great relief and accomplishment yet now a sad let down. Hmmm, I killed one...

I went back to writing and Matt paced once again from the living room chair to the back of the house. Very shortly another, heartless, must-have-just-sniffed-and-passed-his-friends-cold-dead-yet-furry-body-and-come-right-on-up-the-stairs raccoon appeared on the back deck munching away at the Member's Mart filled bowl. {apparently, I was typing like a fool}. Cat Cat! The gun went off. I waited.....Matt wandered into the living room and calmly continued into the entry way. I thought, but would NEVER utter to my husband. "Awe." Then I gently asked, "Did you miss?" "Nope." he responded. "ReeeEeeealy!?!" "Nope, it's dead."

I was baffled! And finished my interrogation of the throw-down all the way to the kitchen as I followed him and his newly found gloves back into the open window. He started to go out and remove the creature but couldn't. Yet ANOTHER heartless boozer was seemingly unaware that his sister was lifeless right next to the nearly empty bowl he was scrounging for left-overs out of. They're not opossums! She's not faking! Come on.

You see, they really ARE heartless evil rabbies-carrying fur bags who must be slain.

Matt shot at number 3 but only nicked it with such short notice and it scrambled off to lick it's wounds. So far, the count is 2 confirmed deaths, at least 4 injured and more stories to come!

maybe...this got kinda long. Thanks for reading our tail of the Raccoon Slayer!
My Husband Rocks posts are sponsored by

My Husband Rocks Tees & more @ Union28.net!

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Wordless Wednesday :: Big Screen Debut


Because my husband is the one who is so cleaver to come up with these mystery dates for our adorable littles, this post is in honor of him. My Husband ROCKS!

My Husband Rocks posts are sponsored by

My Husband Rocks Tees & more @ Union28.net!

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My Husband ROCKS! {planter, runner, handyman}

So a blogger friend acquaintance of mine {she's got a bazillion readers of which I'm just 1} is starting this really cool link-up series called "My Husband is Awesome" over at the Bohemian Bowmans. I love this because I LOVE my husband and don't get to praise him enough {via the net or in person}. Recently I noticed when reading other blogs {since 2-5 minute blurps are what I read if and when I read} that there are several women talking about marriage stuff/bettering their marriage or their husbands in general. I talk a big game and know that my husband is my best friend, my confidant, my biggest fan, and the person who treats me the most like Jesus. Many days I wish I could write about how-to better your marriage, love your hubs better etc...but I don't. Because...I don't. I'm aweful at 'working on' my marriage. Loveing my hubs in his 'language'. I get stuck in that same rut of kids, house, and my self-involved blogging business. I've always been bad about not trying unless I knew I was going to be successful at something. Even right now, I've been struggling with not trying in a couple areas for fear of failure.Thanks Jess for kicking me off the couch on this. Here's to trying!

Today I'm going to begin posting {at least} weekly updates just about my handsome hubs, Matthew Ray Rothacher!

WARNING: This man has been claimed til death does us part, so no creepers look'n to snag him up. He's mine. Not sure why God blessed me so abundantly, but he did. Sorry Ladies! ;o)

This week kicked off with an 'interview' at 1Church so our new church family can begin getting to know us and our vision for The Valley church plant. Matt rocked this out the house! God's refining him into such an amazing communicator! Just listening to him Sunday reignited the fire to jump on board with what God is planning to do in Vilonia!

Monday morning, we had our normal routine of me and the kids going grocery shopping and Matt heading off to his office {aka the local McDonald's}. He even coordinated a Nanna Day for lil J {since he could do his normal awesomeness in taking him to the office with him for the morning} so shopping would be that much easier. When I returned home we informed me he had good news. SWEET! I like good news! "People are coming to view our house at 6!" Even SWEETER!!! As I began my plan of attack on the house in my head Matt quickly grinned and said, "Well, there goes my afternoon." I love this man! He whooped tail going rabid on the garage. He moved all his boxes from his old church office who had found a temporary home in the garage down to the basement. DANG! Such a hoss! Only breaking for the potty and give me smoochies, he was non-stop until it was amazingly organized.

Did I mention he's looking hotter and hotter every day because he's doing this fun 'couch to 5K' thing and is committed to training/running at least every other day. Oh, and he always plans his runs early in the morning or late at night as to not miss family time.

After the peeps that came to see our house didn't jump on making an offer, I did what every rash person does in my situation... I email the realtor that showed our house. hehe I just let her know I would love some feed back: likes, dislikes, concerns, etc. Sadly, she responded that they liked our house but were concerned with the flat roofed patio above the garage and the old water damage in the garage. When I let Matt know she'd actually responded to my insane plea to sell my house completely normal email correspondence with those concerns his pour face sunk. We both had high hopes of these being the ones! Then, he disappeared.

My man has installed a new drainage system in the floor of our patio! He is also planning to fix the quirks in his amazingly designed system before re-sheet-rocking the ceiling in the garage. Take that dis-satisfied potential home buyers! Oh, and I forgot to mention, he bought me 'new-to-me' patio furniture from Craig's List! 1st patio furniture Every AND I get to pick out new cushions!

These are just the new ways he's found to love me this week, added to the doing breakfast duty so I can shower, helping with my babes, changing ridiculous amounts of poopy diapers {ya know, since he can't smell. For Real}, and doing nightly bath/bed so I can do my 'chores'. I love my man!!!!

I know yours isn't ever gonna be as cool as mine but if ya wanna share anyways, comment below or hit up Jessica's link-up to share with many others!

 This series is sponsored by:My Husband Rocks Tees & more @ Union28.net!

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