It's Anarchy - I'll be the leader!

Sick of being sick!

2012-01-21T22:26:00.002-06:00

So on Friday of last week, our eldest complained of a belly ache, and ended up throwing up several times before the end of the day. On Saturday, our middle child (and lemme add here, he has a SUPER case of middle-child syndrome. He's been very... challenging...lately...) started in with the runs... and even running we didn't make it to the toilet on time. For several days.

On Monday, the youngest kid that i babysit threw up in the afternoon.... and (real shocker i know)... my baby threw up Monday nite and had the runs in the morning. So.... we've been cooped up pretty much all week, needing to stay near a toilet for my boys' runny butts. Lovely, eh?

Yesterday, after nearly a whole week, the runs finally slowed down. Hallelujah!!! Today, we ventured to Springfield. And our big kids were absolute BEASTS during most of the excursion. More than anything else, my kids have just lost their manners. It seems like they need some public time, away from home, to help them remember what is and isn't acceptable behavior. Today was the first time they left the house (and yard) in a week. Blegh! I'm curious to see how they'll behave during church tomorrow...

too much to say, too little time...

2012-01-15T15:13:00.002-06:00

Wow, it's been ages since i last wrote. What can i say - life's been full! In many good ways. Here are some highlights of the past few months:

Thanksgiving was Awesome! My sister and her husband and 4 little kids came to visit for a week. That made 7 kids in the house, plus the 2 i babysit... a pretty full house! Our kids enjoyed getting to know each other, we had a nice Thanksgiving feast, and i don't think anything got broken either.

Christmas was Awesome! Our kids loved all of the events leading up to the big day, especially the advent calendars! I think i drilled it into their heads pretty well that Christmas is about Jesus and Santa's just for fun... but i'm sure i'll have to do it all over again next year. I super duper love the Kitchen-aid mixer that i got this year.

Baby B. has been teething like crazy!! He got his bottom front teeth at 5 months old, and the top front 2 came in the week before Christmas... I kept singing to myself "All i want for Christmas is my two front teeth..." And then a week later another top tooth came through, and then just a bit later another bottom tooth came through. It's caused a little extra crankiness and a bit less sleep around here, but he's a champ and is handling it well.

Baby B. has also taken his first steps! Yes, first unmistakable walking steps. On Friday, he even stood up without any support, and took several steps over to me. I figure by his 11 month mark in another week he'll be walking more than just a few steps at a time.

Babysitting is still going well. The kids are pretty used to being here, we have a good rhythm going, and most days are pretty uneventful. I discovered that the biggest difficulty was Mr. E's need to have extra attention all the time. He may be only 3, but i'm pretty sure it's been a case of "middle child syndrome" that's been causing him to throw such terrible fits. When he gets crazy, i know he needs more snuggles and one-on-one time with his mommy. So i sit back, stop trying to "do" things, and just hug my children. It's a tough life, i tell ya...

Sick kids this weekend - throwing up, diarrhea, stomach aches... yeah, it's been fun. Fortunately, it's not lasted too long per child, so hopefully as long as we didn't catch it, we should be over it soon.

Pictures? That would be nice, wouldn't it. Perhaps someday...

Visitors

2011-11-18T13:48:00.002-06:00

I'm so lucky to have a super easy-going mother-in-law. She was here for 2 weeks, and just about every time i turned around, my dishes were done, the toys were all picked up, or a kid was being played with. Thanks Grandma Sue for coming to visit us!

Now, i've got about 24 hours to get some major cleaning done (bathrooms, floors, laundry, etc etc) before my sister arrives with her hubbie and 4 kids. I'm super excited for the cousins to MEET, and play together!! Yes, things will probably be a bit chaotic here with 7 kids all under 6 years old - well, 9 on monday and tuesday including the ones i babysit... but that's ok. Bring it on!!

Who's 5?

2011-11-10T20:43:00.002-06:00

This week we celebrated our princesses 5th birthday. She's such a girly-girl, it amazes me. She loves pink. And purple. And dress-ups. She is extremely social, yet tends to be kinda bossy with her friends at the same time. (perhaps a trait similar to other oldest children...).

Recently she learned how to climb one of our maple trees, and keeps advancing further up the tree. It's a fairly young tree, so thankfully she's about hit her max.

I love her sweetness, and that she has pretty decent manners in public for a kid her age.

She's started showing interest in reading - i mean, we read stories all the time, but sometimes she'll pick up an ad and start sounding out the words she sees. She got "star wars" with almost no help at all.

Oh, and she LOVES watching television. And movies. If i'd let her, she would zone in front of the tv all day.

She still sucks her fingers and takes her blanket with her everywhere... but hey, you're not a kid forever. Enjoy, little princess, this last year of true "childhood", before you begin to feel the influence of the world around you. I'll always be here to love, snuggle, teach and comfort you.

What would we be without our children? Such a painful joy each day. Perhaps they do not bring out the best in me every day. But they are making me a better me, one mistake and correction at a time.

Ugh... such a procrastinator.

2011-10-29T22:01:00.002-05:00

I should be preparing my lesson for tomorrow. But i'm just NOT in the mood. And unfortunately, it's 10 pm - i can't very well put it off any later either. It's an awesome topic - Loving ourselves and others - but it deserves more than i can give it right now. It's been a busy day.

He he he, how appropriate. "And there we have it. Conclusive proof that i am absolutely worthless after 9 o'clock" - Sheldon, from Big Bang Theory.

Hello? You still there?

2011-10-28T14:14:00.003-05:00

Bet you've been wondering that, right? Well... i'm still here. Mostly. Ok, only partly. Let's be honest, now, shall we? I'm a nut!!

Ok, so since my last post, i decided to "take a break" from babysitting. I think that started around the first of September - right when my allergies kicked into overdrive. (But i also discovered that Zyrtec works wonders for me - hallelujah!!!) I had several wonderful weeks of housecleaning, decluttering, and otherwise enjoying time with just my three kids... and then i started babysitting a new set of kids around the first of October. I'm a nut!!

This time i'm watching 2 boys, brothers, 3 and 1 year old, both only about 6 months older than my two boys. So... it's almost like having a diva and 2 sets of twin boys at my home every day... all day... Sometimes the 4 year old girl next door comes over too. Yep, we keep busy. I'm a nut!!

My kiddos have really been enjoying our home preschool group too. We meet Tuesday mornings at different mom's homes... and they are really enjoying the lessons, and the friends, and the environment of school. The last 3 weeks have been at my house too... so it's been even busier here with 8 or so extra kids on Tuesdays. I'm a nut!!

The baby, cute as can be, started crawling right around the 8 month mark. He just LOVES being able to reach a toy, or play with the door stops, or grab something contraband off the kitchen floor. Still only 2 teeth, but he's learning how to eat solid foods much better than his older siblings did at his age. Today at lunch he was very excited about chicken noodle soup. Even though it was super cold by the time i had a chance to offer him some. He is a very, very sweet baby, even if a SUPER mama's boy. He must love nuts...

I still haven't figured out how to upload pictures from my camera - probably just need to install drivers on this computer, but every time i get it all set up the way i like it, my dear hubbie switches out my computer, or makes some other "adjustment" for me... so i'm kinda not going to worry about it. Sorry!

Yesterday we had a surprise birthday lunch for one of our friends, and i counted 22 kids in the house. Yep, 22 kids (including my 5), and 11 adults. But food stayed in the kitchen, nothing got broken, i think most everyone had a good time, and there were no major injuries. Success!

And right now, all 5 kids are napping. Or at least laying quietly in their rooms. Yes, i'm a nut. But afternoons like today make it possible to delay my mental breakdown just one day more... my floor is in desperate need of a sweep and mop. But instead, i think i'll lay down and read some scriptures, and enjoy a few moments of peace. And who knows - perhaps this weekend i'll even get around to posting a picture of the Rapunzel dress i made for my little princess. It's not perfect, but it's good enough for a 4 year old!!

Quick Update

2011-08-14T22:27:00.002-05:00

I know, i know. I've been a terrible blogger this summer. Sorry! Lotsa good reasons, but mostly because my hubbie hates it when i typity-type late at night, which is about the only time i have to sit down and write.

So... here are some highlights instead:

First teeth have arrived! Just like his older siblings, baby's bottom two are pushing through right around 5 and a half months old.
Garden survived the drought - we've done 3 batches of pickles and a few pints of tomatoes, frozen 4 bags of sliced bell peppers, made lots of fresh salsa, enjoyed several cantaloupe, and still have more coming! It's full of weeds still, but hey, still producing so i can live with it.
Still babysitting- but school starts this week so i'll be down to only 1 extra baby. Should make things a bit easier around here.

Pictures? Well, somewhere. Maybe later.

Oh, the adventures of a stay-at-home-mom...

2011-06-30T15:18:00.003-05:00

This morning was difficult. Certainly not the worst ever morning, but it was definately something i'll remember for a while.

For the past couple months, i've been babysitting 2 extra kids in addition to my own little crew of 3. Some days are fantastic - the older kids play well, the babies sleep well, and we're all happy. But most often, one baby is waking up while another is ready to hit the sack, making both babies fussy at the same time, or the older kids won't stop picking on each other (or our poor little kitten)... or something like that. You know how it is. No two days are the same, and plan as you might, some days are great, and some are just not.

This morning my 4 month old sweetheart woke up from his nap around 10, and i figured we could get the 7 month old to fall asleep in the stroller if we went for a walk. The kids love being outside, so i try to always give them outdoor time if i can. Even on super hot days like today. So i loaded the babies into our double stroller, filled a jug with juice, brought a bag of pretzels, and let the kids ride their trikes beside me as we went on a little adventure.

The first half of the walk was awesome. Mostly in the shade, mostly downhill, with plenty of "breaks" for juice and pretzels. Everyone was happy, including the babies. Then we turned around the block to head back home, and our (almost) 3 year old just lost it. He did NOT want to go that way. He did NOT want to come home, or in the direction of home.

Now, on a cool afternoon, or with my husband's help, we might have allowed a long walk. But by myself with 5 kids, on a sweltering hot day, that just wasn't an option. We had already gone a half mile and we were all already sweaty - adventure was coming to an end. Air conditioning was calling. So... since i couldn't persuade our little boy to come my way, i had to force him instead. Meaning, i carried him over my shoulder, kicking and screaming the whole way home. While pushing the stroller with the other arm. While coaxing the other 2 kids to keep up. They were angels!! So were the babies. If my charming (almost) 3 year old hadn't been so stubborn, it could have been good exercise.

Instead, i got much more of a workout than i wanted. The 7 month old got the juice poured down her back (and slept right through it), and the big kids, well, they were fine. I love our little boy, but MAN, is he STUBBORN!!

And i know exactly where he gets it from. I remember my mom telling me about how stubborn i was as a kid, and i'm guessing she had to endure the same kinds of challenges i'm now going through with him. He melts my heart when we play together and he's being good... but boy, how that iron will drives me nuts at times.

I can honestly say, this is NOT what i thought it would be like when i decided to be a stay-at-home-mom. I thought there would be just lots of laughter and learning experiences, joy, a clean home, lots of time for extra projects... and when the kids were younger, there actually was. I was bored quite often, not having enough "stuff" to fill my day. But now, with older kids and more of them... well... there's rarely a dull moment.

But after a stressful morning, the extras have gone home, my kids are all napping, and i have enough time to relax, refresh, and make some plans for my hubby's birthday next week. So as the saying goes, all's well that ends well.

Joplin Tornado Tragedy

2011-05-27T22:59:00.004-05:00

On Sunday, May 22, the closest big city to us, Joplin, was devastated by an EF5 Tornado. It destroyed a hospital, a high school, our stake center, and blocks of residential and business areas. The tornado literally ripped a hole through the city.

There are some amazing survival stories. And unfortunately some intense tragedies. It sickens my heart to know that there are still children at a hospital that haven't been claimed or identified, even 5 days after the storm has passed. I love my children so very much, and just can't imagine how devastated i would be to loose them, or how sad they would be to loose me.

All week we've been contributing to the relief efforts in various ways. Through payroll deductions that'll be sent directly to the relief agencies, by sending donations of food and clothing, by getting out there and cutting down trees and clearing debris... and above all else, by keeping the storm victims in our thoughts and prayers.

So today my husband heard on the radio today Joplin was still in need of medical supplies, specifically IV start kits... and I opened a box of unused, unneeded medical supplies that had been sent to us for our little Hemophiliac... and whaddya know, we had about 10 IV start kits, several needles, lots of cold packs, a box of gloves, etc etc. So we decided to bring them out to Joplin tonight.

What devastation!! We took a straight route to an outlying relief area, but they sent us into town to drop off our donations, and long story short, we ended up driving through some of the worst-hit parts of the city trying to find the right place to donate our supplies. Completely unreal. Completely unbelievable. I mean, i've seen the pictures of the destruction, but being there firsthand is still shocking. It amazes me that, for as much destruction as the tornado left behind, there were only 130 or so casualties. Buildings completely torn to shreds. Trees left without any branches, or even any bark! it could have been so much worse.

And it seems like the people of Joplin realize that as well- the overall attitude right now is "let's clean up the mess and move on". The community is active, help has come from all over, and the rebuilding process has already begun for some. We love Joplin. We have friends that live there. And we'll continue to do what we can to help rebuild the city.

Just keep swimming...

2011-05-11T20:46:00.000-05:00

Some days are better than others. I'm still undecided about today. Here's why:

I've been regularly babysitting 2 extra kids for the past few weeks. They often come around nap time, or just before nap time, and my kids get so excited to play with their friends that they can't settle down for a nap. Such was the case today.

This morning i rushed to get some very overdue cleaning done (and the baby cried most of the time), then rushed to the library for story time and new books, then headed back for lunch before the extras came over. The end result - i didn't get any real "down" time for myself. And my older kids, who still very much need naps, didn't get any down time either. So they were very, VERY cranky this evening. We managed our way through dinner, then baths and getting them to bed... and now i hear my 2 year old crying in his bed. Yes, he does that just about EVERY time he misses a nap, waking up several times in the evening totally over tired.

So, on the one hand, it was lovely to have all the kiddos in bed before 8, and finally have a little bit of down time while my husband finishes some homework. But now... will i be paying for it the rest of the night?

I love my kids. I love earning some extra money babysitting. They're good kids, but i get so tired without my afternoon rest, which i was so accustomed to before. Ahhh, crying spell #2 already...

I hope the baby learns to sleep soundly more consistently. Some nights are fantastic- only waking once around 4 am. Then other nights, like last night, he's up 3-4 times. Yeah, i might be tired. This too shall pass. And until then, i'll just keep swimming, just keep swimming....

oohh, i just realized this is my 100th blog post. How fun is that!

Good news!

2011-04-21T15:27:00.002-05:00

I SURVIVED! Yesterday was a realatively easy day babysitting - much easier than Tuesday. And today, well, i have the 3 little kids asleep, have returned the 2 friends to their mother, and have only 1 more hour before my husband comes home from work. AND... (drum roll please)... DINNER IS IN THE OVEN!

Oh, glorious day!! I'm still tired. But at least today is mostly over, and tomorrow it's just me and my kids again. Yay!!! We just might even make easter sugar cookies. It'll be a rainy, overcast weekend... the whole weekend... but at least just my family. So it'll feel wonderfully easy compared to the past 3 days. Wahoo!!!

5 under 5

2011-04-19T22:11:00.002-05:00

I'm tired today. Really tired. Why, you may ask? I had a house full of kids, 5 in fact. All under 5 years old. I know, that's not much for some, but for me it was very tiring...

The oldest two were pretty easy - my daughter and her friend. Then my middle son, he's not too difficult... most of the time...

And then add the babies. One nearly 6 months old that was fussy pretty much the whole time she was here... and my nearly 2 month old. He's a gem! But, he needs to eat a lot, and sleep a lot, and can get fussy when he's tired.

Mostly my back and arms are just fatigued from holding little ones most of the day. And my older kids and i didn't get naps today... and they really still need them! In fact, my middle son has been in bed for nearly 3 hours, and has woken up crying 4 times. Over tired much?

Oh, and ants discovered our kitchen today. So on top of tending kiddos, i was also trying to keep things clean enough to keep the ants at bay. But they won. They found crumbs in the dishwasher and made a trail along the bottom of the cupboards just when i was thinking i'd done a good job keeping them away... good thing my hero of a husband came home and sprayed their stomping grounds... hopefully they don't return soon.

Then in the evening my husband takes off to do his home teaching while i'm left to get 3 fussy kids to bed, and he heads off to do homework while i clean up dinner (that i made), do the dishes and finish preparing for our young women activity for tomorrow night. I really can't complain - he's doing what he needs to be doing, and i'm glad that he is. But days like this i really miss extra help in the evenings.

So yes, i'm tired. And i get to repeat today's 5 under 5 tomorrow. And on Thursday we'll make it 7 under 5.... at least for a few hours while i watch my friend's kids as well. I must be crazy...

First one in a LONG time...

2011-04-07T14:26:00.002-05:00

It's not at all uncommon for my 2 year old son to wake up crying, demanding i come in his room and get him up. So usually, i ignore him, or just get there when i get there. After all, he's in a toddler bed and could get up by himself if he wanted to. He just, for some strange reason, doesn't like getting out of bed without a parent helping him.

Weird.

So yesterday morning when he was yelling for me, i didn't think much of it. Until his older sister came into my room to tell me his foot hurt and he couldn't walk.

Uh-oh.

I relocated him to the couch and told him to rest for a while until it was time to get up (it was only 6 AM), and went back to bed. His foot was not bleeding, so whatever was bothering him could wait. Right? When i finally mustered the strength to actually get up and look at his foot, i discovered what i suspected - he had a bleed!

A what? A bleed. In his ankle. Meaning, somehow during the night he started having some internal bleeding in or around his ankle, and it was now swollen and sore and already starting to bruise. What from? No idea. He could have tweaked it just before getting into bed, or it could have been just a spontaneous bleed - that's just something that happens when you have Hemophilia.

So i treated him with factor, gave him some tylenol, wrapped his foot in a bandage, and put the kids on the couch for the morning to watch cartoons, eat popcorn, and otherwise just rest and relax. By the afternoon he realized he could crawl around and play on his knees. Whew! Finally, a break for mom!!

This morning, he got up much more cheerful, we treated him again, gave more tylenol... and by lunch time he realized he could walk on his foot again - tenderly. So at least the joint is healing!

I can't imagine what it must have been like for my grandmother to deal with bleeds like that with my father - before factor treatments. This was my son's first bleed since he received his port in September of 09, after a year and a half of regular, 3 times per week treatments. And though inconvenient (we had planned a picnic in the park yesterday... which obviously had to be cancelled), it was totally bearable.

I feel so fortunate that this was the first bleed in a LONG time, that we can treat the problem and the pain so quickly and effectively, and that my toddler can continue to play practically uninterrupted. It's a good day and age to deal with Hemophilia.

What do you desire?

2011-04-02T22:42:00.003-05:00

The line that really caught my attention today as i watched General Conference was spoken by Elder Oaks: "Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions."

Ultimately, that says to me that we do what's most important to us. It's pretty simple, but so profound!

For example, if we (ahem, I) yell at my kids, then by default my highest priority is NOT to create a loving and Christlike environment for them. My highest priority is to get their immediate attention and have them respond to me. Is that really what i want?

If i overeat, then my true desire is not really to loose weight, but to satisfy my body's appetite for over-indulgence. Is that really what i want?

I think that in order to truly be a better person, to act according to my highest priorities and desires, and not just what i want to have happen RIGHT NOW, i need to define what it is i really desire, and make an "action plan" for how i will act in accordance with those priorities.

This isn't something i will be able to implement overnight - or even in a couple days. But i hope that with time and effort i'll be able to become more of the person i want to be, by making conscientious decisions on how I choose to act, based on my true desires.

"It is our actions and our desires that cause us to become something." I want to become something. Something good.

Family photos

2011-04-02T21:38:00.008-05:00

Ok, i've finally found a few minutes to add some pictures of our family.

Daddy and Mr. E playing guitar together. Sort of. Daddy playing, Mr. E mostly just trying to be like his papa.

My kids on the right with their best friends on the left. Such great pals!!

Our first family photo including Mr. B, even though he's trying to hide in his jammies.

Here's a closeup of our littlest man. Such a charmer!!

We often find him sleeping with his arm in the air - we call it his "heil Hitler" pose.

Here it is again, while napping in his swing. We LOVE his swing! And of course, we LOVE this sweet, snuggly, easy-going addition to our family. His older siblings adore him, and are very, very helpful when i need an extra hand. I'm so fortunate to have them all.

12 Pounds!!

2011-03-26T22:51:00.003-05:00

My "newborn" son weighs over 12 pounds already!!! He has a chubby chin and rolls on his thighs. How can he be so big in 4 short weeks? And more importantly, why am I not smaller yet?

Ok, that's being unrealistic, i know. But as i fondle the rolls that now cover my stomach, i've decided that something will need to change in order for me to lose the 35 pounds that will bring me back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Eating an entire chocolate cake didn't seem to help last weekend. Eating another one this weekend didn't seem to help either. I truly appreciate the thoughtfulness of my friends in bringing over such yummy goodness... but it's really got to stop. I have no self-control around such temptations.

So... i've decided that i'm going on my special "diet" again starting Monday. It's not traditional in ANY way, but it works for me. I basically eliminate ALL junk food from my diet Monday through Friday, and then I can eat whatever i want during the weekend. By dropping the junk during the week, i tend to eat healthier overall - i'm more aware of what i'm eating, keeping my portions in better control, and i snack on healthy items when i truly am hungry. AND, I know that in 5 short days (at the longest), i can have those unhealthy items again if i really want them. Usually, by then, i don't even want the chips, cookies, candies, calories... but they're not restricted from me so i don't feel like i have to "cheat" on my diet either. This "diet" worked fantastic for me after the birth of my first child, and i'm pretty sure it'll work great again. At least i hope so. That, and increased excersize as the weather warms up and i spend more time outdoors should help. I just don't feel good carrying this extra weight around my middle, and i'm determined to feel good. So the rolls must go!!

I'm not as gun-ho about my garden this year - I'll blame it on "baby blues" perhaps, but at least i have my seedlings started: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, various herbs, canteloupe, peas, pumpkin, onion... we'll try some new things this year, and see if this time i can at least keep the weeds in better check towards the end of the growing season. I still have roughly 7 jars of tomatoes, 18 jars of applesauce, 8 jars of pickles and 10 jars of peaches in my pantry from things i canned last year, so i kinda have an idea of how much i need to grow and preserve if i want stuff to last through the year. So that's progress!!

Hmm... pictures. I've taken some great ones. Let's see if Sunday will motivate me to upload them so that these blog posts aren't so boring... Don't know if it's "baby blues" or absolute fatigue... or writing after 11 pm on a dreary, overcast day, but i'm feeling too lazy today for pictures. Sorry bout that, but i suppose that's just how i roll....

Goodbye maternity clothes!!

2011-03-19T18:39:00.002-05:00

So today i officially packed away my maternity clothes. Wahoo!! This is certainly the earliest i've ever put them away after having a baby, but i have tons of t-shirts and plenty of pants in 3 different sizes... so i figure there's no reason to keep wearing preggy pants. I ain't pregnant anymore, and wearing super huge clothes doesn't entice me to eat healthier so that i loose the remaining 25 lbs or so.

And so, they are gone!

Yes, i still feel most comfortable wearing sweats... especially when i'm only lounging around the house all day. BUT, i DO have a few pairs of pants 3 sizes larger than my summer size that i can wear, that i bought BEFORE i got pregnant the first time. And they are baggy on me. (But the next size down is still too snug...)

It seems that the recovery from this pregnancy has been MUCH easier for me than the previous pregnancies. Perhaps because i'm already used to staying at home all day (thanks to babysitting all last year), perhaps because my older kids can play with each other and keep themselves entertained while i care for the baby....it's just not been as difficult this time around as i remember it being before. And for that i am extremely thankful.

And for healthy, happy children. And for a husband that goes out of his way to make sure we're doing ok. And for the weather warming up. And for so many things.

But right now, my son is jumping on me so the blogging must end.

Baby is here!!

2011-03-06T08:06:00.005-06:00

After 40 gruelling weeks of pregnancy and 14 hours of labor... our baby finally arrived on February 23! And it's a boy. Now Mr. E will have a little Mr. B to share his many, many cars with. Wahoo!!

This labor wasn't as quick and easy as I had hoped, but everything turned out ok-- so i'm not complaining. I decided to be induced at 4 days late, as my parents had flown into town to watch our kids while we were in the hospital... and if we had waited much longer they may have been on their way home again before baby came. My kids just aren't rushed to exit the womb.

So they started pitocin around 7 AM, and i had mild contractions with very, very slow progress all through the day. At 2:30 when i was only dialated to a 2, they decided to shut off the pitocin, give me a break, and try again the next day. Well... after the nurse checked me at 2:30, i felt a trickle of water and my contractions became INSTANTLY more intense. I recognized that feeling from my previous delivery, and knew that my water broke and the rest of the contractions would be intense. And they were, even with the pitocin turned off.

Around 4 PM i decided to get some pain killers (via IV), which made me very sleepy but killed the worst of the pain. Once the drugs started wearing off, i felt absolutely MISERABLE, and the contractions were about 2 minutes long... so i decided to get an epidural. Lemme tell ya how wonderful a well-placed epidural feels, when you've been laboring all day (with no food), stuck in a hospital bed, and contractions are about 2 minutes long only 3 minutes apart. BLISS! I returned to human. The last few hours of labor, of course, were easy. And after about 15 minutes of pushing, out came our baby (and LOTS of fluid, as my water breaking was more of a trickle and the rest came splashing out with baby).

I had wanted another "natural" childbirth as my 2nd had been, but being induced kinda killed that. So - eh, no biggie. Baby and I are fine, and that's the most important thing.

Our delivering doctor and nurses did a fantastic job! They were able to pull cord blood and send it to KC to test baby's factor 8 levels... and we got a phone call from the HTC just a few days later letting us know that baby does NOT appear to have Hemophilia. Double wahoo!! It will be very interesting for us to watch the brothers growing up together, one with, one without hemophilia.

My parents left at the end of February, my husband went back to work a few days later, and i've dicovered that 3 kids isn't so bad... as long as we're just chilling at home all day. Outings, well, that's another beast entirely. I'm sure i'll get the knack of it eventually, but for now we are just staying at home during these coldish end-of-winter days. Spring will be here soon enough, and until then i'll just enjoy our cuddly, snuggly newborn and his very loving older siblings.

Lotsa snow, big belly, and all that jazz

2011-02-05T08:07:00.008-06:00

So what's been going on lately? Well, not much really. We had a big snowstorm on Tuesday, which the news labeled "Blizzard 2011"... but since we didn't have anywhere to go and the electricity didn't go out, well, it wasn't that big of a deal for us.

Our driveway before shovelling - around a foot to a foot and a half of snow.

After.

On Wednesday i shovelled our driveway so that i'd be able to go to my Dr. appt on Thursday, and even after shovelling the whole driveway i still haven't had any contractions. I may be considered "full term" at 37 weeks, well, 38 weeks today, but my babies come only when they feel like it.

37 weeks, with a belly full of baby!

I realized on Thursday that i'm kinda just in a holding pattern right now, not undertaking much with my kids, not starting any new projects, just kinda holding steady waiting for this baby to arrive. In one sense, i feel kinda like i'm waisting my time not doing much useful... but on the other hand, i feel so worn out, large and uncomfortable that i really don't WANT to do much either. DILEMMA!! My have-to-stay-busy self has such a hard time dealing with my need-to-take-it easy situation, and the sub-freezing weather that makes it hard to DO much even if i wanted to.

BUT, at least i REALIZED this is why i have the "blah's", and know that the situation is only temporary, and this holding pattern will end as a new phase begins shortly... so i'm ok with that.

Our little girl LOVES "helping" us shovel snow.

This little boy is not as fond of the cold...

So today we're hoping the sun will warm tihngs up enough to clear more roads and driveways, and that we'll have a chance to go play in the snow. Our kids only last 5-35 minutes out in the cold, so we've gotta make it good when we finally go out. Crossing fingers for a lovely day today!!

Inhibitors - the biggest challenge of hemophilia

2011-01-23T21:09:00.004-06:00

My little sister called me this week to inform me that her 1 year old boy has developed an inhibitor. This is going to be a huge challenge for her and her family, and my heart goes out to her! Keep in mind that she has 4 kids, ages 4, 2, and twins that just turned 1. Add now to an already challenging array of children the fact that one of the youngest will need even MORE of her attention... yeah, this will be a tough year for her.

I'm guessing that most of the people reading this post have no idea what it means that her son has an inhibitor, so let me take a moment to explain. We are carriers for severe Hemophilia A, and have passed hemophilia on to our sons, her oldest and youngest son, and my only son (so far). This means that their blood lacks Factor 8, a vital component for blood's ability to clot. Fortunately, thanks to modern medicine, there are drugs available that can supply this missing element into our sons' blood, via regular intraveneous infusions. This is the preventative treatment her oldest son and my son receive, and as a result they live a pretty normal lifestyle, with few complications.

However, her youngest son has developed an inhibitor to this medicine, meaning that his body basically rejects the medicine and it's ineffective for him. So... fortunately there are some treatments available for inhibitors, but they are not nearly as effective as the regular care our other boys receive. So now instead of preventing injuries from occurring, he will be treated as a result of his injuries... meaning he'll be in a lot more pain, and the treatments aren't quite as good, so the injuries won't go away as quickly... and being only barely a year old... he'll need to be held a good deal and won't understand what's going on. Yeah, you think dealing with a sick baby is bad... try dealing with a child whose knee is swollen twice the size of normal, but wants to still walk and play and can't understand why he's in pain. Caring for young children with those types of injuries is really tough.

When we were in St. Louis this summer at one of the conventions we attended, i met a family whose 2 year old son has an inhibitor - and you'd almost not know that he had hemophilia, not to mention all the complications because of his inhibitor. So i know that there ARE things that can be done, and kids DO survive inhibitors way better than those of my father's generation, where there was pretty much nothing around to even treat hemophilia... but all of a sudden the comfort of "i have a son with hemophilia, we know how this all goes" is thrown completely out the window once you learn that they have developed an inhibitor. There is hope- there are treatments to inhibitors. It's just not as easy as it would otherwise be.

Why am i writing this? I dunno. Maybe just so i'll remember what it was like when she found out about their inhibitor. After all, my son could develop one as well, or if our baby IS a boy, and if he DOES have hemophilia, he could also develop an inhibitor ... it's in our genes. It could just as easily happen to me as to her. You just never know which challenges will be thrown your way.

For now, i feel very fortunate that my son's treatments have been so effective in preventing any bleeds or injuries. He can run, jump, fall down, skin his knees, whack his head... all without visits to the ER. It's amazing, really, and i'm so very grateful for what we have. Little sister, our prayers are with you, and the chocolates are in the mail!!

Less than 1 month left!!

2011-01-20T12:54:00.004-06:00

So yesterday was January 19. My due date is February 19. That means today i have LESS than 1 month before our next baby is "due" to arrive. And can i tell ya, i'm pretty excited!!

Of course, i know that means i'm considered "full term" in 9 days, but that it's more likely to be another 4-6 weeks before our baby arrives... but it's just super exciting to be so close to the end of another pregnancy.

I really miss snuggling with my kids on my lap reading stories. It's nice to have them beside me when we read, but it's so difficult to have them on my lap and see the book at the same time.

I'm really tired of my toddlers elbowing me in the belly. It doesn't bother me so much when it's just me they poke, but my skin gets so pinched between their elbows and baby's body, that it's just difficult to play with them without getting irritated with all the extra jabs.

But most importantly, i'm excited to see how our new little one looks, excited to find out if it's a boy (as we're inclined to believe) or a girl, and if it's a boy if he has hemoplilia like his brother.

Am i ready for another baby? You betcha! We have gender-neutral newborn outfits ready, the car seat's been cleaned out, my parents are planning on flying out on the 15th to be here with our kids when we deliver... yeah, it's getting to that time. Wahoo!!!

Here's my week 35 shot. I feel huge, of course, but know that in a few short weeks i'll at least be able to fit into my pregnancy clothes again without any belly hanging out anywhere... ;-)

Mmmm.... peppermint ice cream...

2011-01-09T22:15:00.003-06:00

I'm going to blame my 10 pm ice cream cravings on this pregnancy. It seems like i get heartburn late at night, and ice cream is SOOO soothing... especially leftover holiday peppermint ice cream. Unfortunately, i finished the carton tonight. So sad...

Last night i had another bout of insomnia - was awake between 3:45 and around 6:30 AM... just lying in bed unable to sleep. So annoying! We spent most of Saturday morning cleaning up the office, setting up a bed in place of the futon, reorganizing the closet, etc... and i think it's started to dawn on me that we'll have a baby here in about 6 weeks. 6 weeks until my due date, but could be sooner... or longer. Crazy.

I certainly LOOK like i'm ready to have a baby. My stomach is, well, very round. My doctor recommended i go in for an ultrasound last week, just to check baby's size and position, and it appears that this little one is still off on my right side, not yet fully in position, but measuring about 12 days larger than its "due" date. So... who knows, maybe this baby will come early instead of late? Maybe this weekend i'll pull some clothes out and wash them for baby...

We still don't definitively know if the baby is a boy or girl, because i told the ultrasound technician i didn't want to know, and she warned me to look away when she went into that area... but she mentioned at the end that it was good that i looked away because it was pretty obvious. Hmm.... sounds like a boy to me. Also, the first ultrasound technician (at 19 weeks) put a label on one of the pictures "welcome to the gun show" by the baby's bicep... and that's just something more typical to say of a boy than a girl. So, we're highly suspicious of this baby being a boy.

I asked the kids today whether they wanted a new brother or sister, and our daughter said sister, and son said brother. So... i guess either way we win one, we loose one. ;-) I'm just super happy that both kids are ok with me holding and caring for another baby - as i have done with a little 2 month old girl i occasionally babysit. They haven't shown signs of jealousy or distress and are kind and loving with the baby - let's hope that lasts when the care is not just for a few hours, but weeks, months, years. I think overall my babysitting has helped prepare the kids for accepting new additions to the home, and i think they're just as ready as i am for this little one to join our family.

Not that i want a premie, i can wait!! But we're getting our house in order. Slowly. But surely. One bowl of ice cream at a time.

A very merry christmas

2010-12-25T19:24:00.003-06:00

Today we enjoyed a very merry christmas at home, just the 4 of us, and my, did the time fly!! The kids woke up around 8, Miss E. coming into our room announcing that Santa had come and filled the stockings! So cute!! At 4, she was excited, but could still crawl into bed with me and snuggle for a bit before getting up for breakfast.

The kids loved their stockings, enjoyed opening presents, and played with toys pretty much all day... along with watching the shows daddy put on.

One thing we discovered was that if our little boy (2 and a half) is chewing gum... he won't eat or drink anything all day. Oops. He actually threw up around 10 in the morning - nothing in his belly but milk - and we offered him some cheerios, which he ate happily. After that, with a new piece of gum in his mouth, he refused lunch and didn't eat until i took his gum away at dinner... and then all he ate was bites of a roll and a few pieces of turkey. Any wonder the kid is so scrawny?

But, (having missed an afternoon nap) they're in bed already, dishes are done, the house is back in some semblance of order... and we get to watch Elf without any more whining or crying. Whew! It's been a great day. It's been a great past few days. But i AM looking forward to getting some sort of schedule back, and having the house back to myself.

I think our greatest accomplishment this year is that our princess (age 4) likes us to read the christmas story to her slow enough that she can say it along with us. And she especially likes to say the angel's part, "fear not, for behold i bring you good tidings of great joy...glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." I know i'm not a perfect parent, but i'm glad that she's at least learning that Christmas is about the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The rest is just fun to help celebrate His birthday.

I hope everyone has enjoyed a fantastic Christmas too. If i hadn't been feeling so much like a basketball-bellied whale all morning, i may have taken (and posted) some pictures. As it is - eh. I think i simply missed out on the photography gene. Merry Christmas everyone!!

Hugs!

2010-12-16T14:22:00.001-06:00

I love it when my kids look like they like each other! Still lacking a "family photo"... this is as good as it gets for now. :-) Merry almost Christmas!!

Very Blessed

2010-12-13T14:52:00.002-06:00

I'm feeling very blessed in my life right now. Here are some of the reasons why, in no particular order:

I have healthy, happy kids. At 4 and 2 they still both take naps! So I get unrestrained free time nearly every afternoon!!!! Amazing, really.

Both kids sleep through the night, most nights. I get a full night's sleep, sleeping right through baby #3's kicks and can ignore the need to get up and pee until morning.

I don't have "morning sickness" or any other common pregnancy discomfort. Well, let me rephrase that - there's the regular discomforts of being in my 3rd trimester, but i'm not on bedrest, i'm not visiting the doctor more frequent than my previous pregnancies, i'm not suffering from sciatica nerve pinches, leg cramps, depression, or anything else that would hamper my normal day-to-day activities. Guess i'm a regular breeder!! ;-)

I have all of my Christmas shopping finished! Ok, i'll need to get things to fill stockings, but that's just a trip to Wal Mart. We do that all the time for groceries anyhow.

I have lots of opportunities to talk about Christmas with my kids, since i spend all day, every day, with them. I can sing them the songs I want them to learn, and teach them all about Jesus, not Santa Claus.

I'm married to a wonderful man who (amazingly) loves me, our family, and works very hard to provide a comfortable lifestyle for us. Yes, I have to keep an eye on how "comfortable" we're provided for, and make sure that it fits our budget... but we make a great team, and we're extremely happy together.

What more could i possibly want or need? My needs are met, many of my wants are filled, and we are happy. Does it get any better than this?

I'm loving my life right now. I hope you are happy with yours too.

Insomnia

2010-12-03T04:44:00.002-06:00

I KNEW taking a nap yesteday was a big mistake... yet sometimes i just can't resist! Especially with my new early Christmas present rocking chair (which is so amazingly awesome)... sometimes i just fall asleep while putting the kids down for their naps.

And now i'm paying for it. Been up for over an hour in the wee hours of the morning. Will be dog tired all day. Will have to really try to not be cranky or short-tempered with the kids. It's not their fault i'm tired. Ok, well maybe Evan's fault since he's the one that came crying into our room at 3:15 this morning waking me up from my not-so-sound sleep. And then the baby's hiccups.

What bothers me most about insomnia is when there's NOTHING BOTHERING ME that should keep me up from sleep. Ok, maybe this sounds strange, but i'm fine with missing sleep if i'm reading a good book or have a personal problem i'm trying to resolve, or if i'm worried about someone or something... but when i'm awake with NO pertinent thoughts in my head, that's what kills me.

Ok, it's nearly 5 am. Maybe i can squeeze in a few zzzz's before i need to get up. Oh wait, Evan's fussing again. That kid is a terrible sleeper. It's amazing the noises people make all through the night....

Pettiskirt project - COMPLETE!!

2010-12-02T14:38:00.003-06:00

I am SOO super excited to have finished this pettiskirt with plenty of time to spare before Christmas! I am sure our little princess will LOVE it - i showed her pictures of pettiskirts months ago, and asked what color she would like if she ever got something like that... and she of course picked out pink. All pink. No other colors will do for her, not even a dark pink trim or anything like that.

If anyone would like to make their own, i followed the directions from this awesome site: http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2010/07/full-and-fluffy-pettiskirt.html So here it is! Layers of ruffles. Pink, pink, pink. She must get that from her daddy-o's side, because i was nothing but tomboy as a kid. After all the ruffles, gathering, literally hours of sewing on delicate fabrics... i bet i can handle just about any sewing project! But for now, i think perhaps some hair bows might be in order. We're growing her bangs out, and they're always in her eyes, and i think if she has some big floofy bows on barrettes she might keep them in and keep her hair out of her face.

I'll be sure to get some pictures of her twirling around in her newest dressup once she gets it on. He he he, so happy! I've been planning on making this since August, and it feels so rewarding to have planned a big project like this and completed it on time. If only i was more thoughtful about other things as well, right? ;-)

Thanksgiving, and all that jazz

2010-11-28T21:14:00.002-06:00

Look at me- i ate the whole turkey!! Kinda feels like it sometimes... this is my 28 week picture - i'm now officially in my 3rd trimester. Wahoo!! Can't complain, this baby has been treating me well.

This year was our 3rd Thanksgiving here in Monett. The first year it felt kinda weird not having any family to share the holiday with. But last year we went to a friends house and really just enjoyed a kicked-back and relaxed holiday. This year we returned to that friend's house, and again enjoyed a super relaxed holiday.

As much as I love my family, i really, really, REALLY love celebrating Thanskgiving and Christmas here on our own. Without any extra scheduling dilemmas, without needing to travel through unfortunate weather... It just feels good to be able to do things our own way. Especially since my mom - who i love dearly - gets super over-stressed with the holidays, and that kinda tends to rain on my parade and drive my husband nuts.

Easter, Summer vacation, spring break even, those are all great times for travel, but thank you very much, we'll stay here in the middle of nowhere for the Winterish Holidays.

Ok, my daughter, who was banished to my bed because she was riling up her brother at bedtime, has just returned to their room and they're chatting up a storm. Guess i must go put them to bed.... again...

Week 25

2010-11-08T13:23:00.002-06:00

I'm now 25 weeks along, with just over 3 months to go until baby #3 joins our family. And so far, so good! I haven't had any complications, absurd pains or problems yet. I feel very fortunate that i can still run around with 3 little kids and not feel overly "blah" at the end of the day.

I met my new doctor a few weeks back, and she is wonderful. The only glitch is that i won't be able to deliver here in Monett anymore, as the clinic i was kicked out of will not now receive me back as a transfer. So... i'll be delivering in the neighboring town, the hospital about 20 minutes away or so. (haven't driven to it yet, but that's what google maps says...)

Because i'll now be delivering out of town, and because it's a February baby and the weather here can be so obnoxious at that time if year, i've asked my mom to come out and be here to watch the kids when i go in for delivery. She's glad to help, and hopefully that will make things that much smoother despite the extra inconvenience of not being able to use the hospital 3 doors down from here...

I've submitted a complaint to the MO board of health about my previous doctor's negligence and unjust dismissal, so we'll see what, if anything, happens as a result. I'm ok with the way things have all worked out, but that doesn't mean her behavior is excused, or that she should be able to treat her other patients the same way either. She needs a slice of humble pie, and that's all i'm really asking for. We'll see however if that happens or not...

We Survived!

2010-11-02T13:05:00.003-05:00

I don't know about the rest of the world, but last week was CRAZY busy for us!! Too many events, including talks on Sunday, a concert on Sunday, trick-or-treating, and all the other holiday events. But we survived, with grace i believe.

Talks went well. Or at least, people told us they were good. ;-) Concert went well. Or at least, i didn't make any obvious blunders, and enjoyed playing the music. Trick-or-treating was fun for us and the kids, and now i have a lot of their confiscated candy to enjoy. :-D

Baby #3 is sure enjoying all the candy i've been eating... and s/he is just the right size that the squirmings are fun for me, and not yet uncomfortable.

I just finished reading a really good book - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. As tired as i was from the last week, i couldn't put it down last night and was up past midnight reading... and then sank as low as putting on a movie for Miss E to watch so i could finish it up this morning. It's that good. Made me cry several times, which of course isn't saying much when i'm pregnant, but still. Great book. Glad i read it. I can catch up on sleep when i'm dead.

My computer freezes up every time i insert our memory card in to look at new photos, but maybe i can find a workaround and get some posted. We'll see...

I should be writing my talk right now...

2010-10-28T13:12:00.003-05:00

I know i should be writing my talk right now, since this is like the only down-time i'll have between now and Sunday... but i just feel too "blah" to think about anything serious. Today is the first truly "colder" day this fall, and our heater's been kicking on and off all morning. I'm not a huge fan of cold. Blah.

This morning I took advantage of our newfound mini-van freedom and ventured outside and to the store for some much-needed groceries... and BOY, am i glad i chose the smallest, least populated store for my crew to visit. They were not bad... as in, they didn't pull all the food off the shelves and throw fits at the store... but they were not angels either. There was a lot of running down the aisles and "get back here and hold onto the cart." BUT, it was doable. And i have all the necessary ingredients to make Stromboli for dinner tonite.

I can't find my camera, but probably should soon, so we can get great photos of corn maze, Halloween costumes and the like. Hmm... maybe i'll just have to post again sooner than later...

Minivan Owners

2010-10-16T21:52:00.006-05:00

Today we traded our Toyota Corolla S for a Kia Sedona. While i'm thrilled about all the space we'll have in the minivan, and i know it's essential for our growing family, i'm kinda bummed to loose the sport-like little car, with it's lovely manual transmission.

Bye Bye Toyota :-(

But, we got a 2009 Sedona with 55k miles on it (i believe it was previously a rental) for not too much more than the trade value of our car. Ok, it was enough out-of-pocket to clear our savings account, but hey, that's what we save for, right? Better than going into debt if we can avoid it!

Hello Sedona!

We still have to transfer the registration, update our insurance, pay taxes on it and all that jazz... but it still amazes me that we got a new-to-us car today in under 3 hours time, staying within our budget. I know it, like many things in our life, was a blessing from above.

My Dr. fired me!

2010-10-08T12:40:00.002-05:00

Yep, i'm such a bad patient that my Dr. actually sent me a letter informing me that i've been released from their clinic. Pretty absurd, really, and completely unjustified. Here's what happened. (beware, this is a long one)

Earlier this year, my super awesome doctor moved away. Sad day! We were left with 2 doctors at the clinic to choose from, and i followed the recommendation of a gal that worked at the office and chose Dr. Heider. BAD DECISION! I've been to see her 4 times. The first time, we had a pretty long wait, but seeing as how 2 doctors had just left the group, i figured that was just because it was the height of cold season and they were short staffed. The 2nd time, i waited 45 minutes in the exam room before she came in to see us, with 3 children, one of which was sick and fussy. I wasn't too pleased that she took so long that time either, but all she could do was apologize, no good explanation.

On my 3rd visit i walked past her office and saw her talking on the phone. The nurse took my vitals and left me alone in the room. This time, as i had arranged to come without children, i could hear her on the phone for an additional 10 minutes. Then she went and gave direction to her staff for another 10 minutes. Then she went into a neighboring exam room for approximately 3 minutes. Came out, a few minutes' pause, then into a 2nd exam room for another short visit. Another pause, and then FINALLY into my room. This time i held my tongue and just made a note of how inconsiderate she was as a dr to keep not just me but 3 patients waiting while she was on the phone and scolding her staff.

I asked some friends who have the same Dr. if they've had the same experience, and they said she gets in to see them right away, or with very little delay. So i think - hmm. Maybe i just have bad luck.

Not wanting to repeat the past waits, i schedule my first prenatal visit (at 17 weeks) for 9 AM, having requested the FIRST appointment of the day. I arrive a few minutes early, sit in the lobby for 10 minutes, and am then escorted to the back room. The nurse takes my vitals and says the doctor will be in in just a few minutes, and leaves. After sitting there a while, i pull out my phone and start watching the clock. It's 9:52 before the doctor finally comes in. 9:52!!! For a "first appt. of the day"!!! She asks how i'm doing, and i say i was doing fine until she came in so late. I asked why such a delay, since i saw her sitting at her desk when i came into my appt, and she apologized and said she tries to not be late, but sometimes things happen. Said i could cancel my appt and reschedule or get a different doctor, and i said i'd just take the appt since i'd already been waiting so long. DUH!! She said sometimes she takes longer with patients, and i say 52 minutes? Who keeps their doctor in their exam room for 52 minutes? Especially when i specifically scheduled this appt for the first appt of the day, there's really no reason for a doctor to be so late. Again she apologized, and we proceeded with the appt.

A week later, i needed to get some paperwork from their office, and i asked the gal at the front desk if i could maybe switch to a different doctor in the practice. She said she'd have to check with my Dr. and let me know. The next day, she calls back and said that my Dr. said no, that the policy in their practice is that patients can't switch physicians, etc etc. I say ok, thanks for checking, and end the call.

2 days later, my doctor creates a letter informing me that i've been dismissed from their clinic, with the explanation "it has become apparent that FP&OB can no longer meet the needs of you and your family." Really? What needs exactly? The need to respect my time? The need to tell me "everything's right on track with your pregnancy"... which i knew already, since i didn't even bother coming in to the doctor until it was time to schedule an ultrasound?

So i called the office to ask for an explanation, and i was told to call the Regional Director, and when i finally got a hold of him, he said i was released because of "the combatitive nature between myself and the doctor." Really? Combatitive? Keep in mind i had my 2 year old on my lap the entire time i spoke with my doctor about her being late. Combatitive? She sat in the seat beside me, me with a child on my lap. I was hardly aggressive or threatening, just very annoyed at the consistent tardiness of my physician.

Pretty lame, eh? yeah, i'll take this blog post, add more detail, and send a formal complaint to the Missiouri health board and the network she belongs to. It's really unjust the way i was treated, simply because i chose to stand up to her arrogance and request a different doctor.

Today i made an appt with the clinic on the south side of the hospital (keep in mind, the hospital is only 1 block from my house, so this clinic and the one i was fired from are all within a 5 minute walking distance), and i'm super impressed with their etiquette and facilities. So... hopefully things should be all good now.

The ironic part is that my new Dr. does not actually deliver babies. She does prenatal, but then the last month or so of pregnancy, she refers her patients to the office i was just kicked out of to have one of those doctors actually deliver me. And the new doctor's staff assured me there won't be any problem with that either. So... take that arrogant doctor Heider! Your staff will see me again in 4 short months, and there's NOTHING you can do about it this time!!! Bwa ha ha ha!!!

That's my story and i'm sticking to it.

Back in the swing of things

2010-09-29T14:19:00.002-05:00

The other day, i looked around my living room and noticed it was a mess. Not just cluttered, as it usually is, but really messy. My view included the dining room (table covered, floors unswept) and kitchen (where did the counters go?)... and i thought to myself - oh dear, my pregnancy is winning and i am loosing control.

THEN, the next day i was adding an appointment to the calendar, and i realized i had been dealing with allergies and/or sick for OVER 3 WEEKS!! No WONDER my house was messy! I was tired, worn out, sick of blowing my nose and rubbing my eyes... just tired of being uncomfortable (and not even because the growth of my still-small belly).

So... i've been tylenol-free for 2 days now, and all i seem to have leftover is a lingering cough. It feels great to be on the upside of illness, that's for sure. And so now i feel much more in the swing of things. And that makes me happy.

Week 19

2010-09-26T21:53:00.004-05:00

I think this week i've moved from looking kinda chunky and frumpy to - oh, how cute, she's having a baby! It's nice to finally get some roundness on the belly.

Still trying to overcome my allergies/cold. Perhaps if i can get to bed soon and Evan blesses me with a full night's sleep, i may be able to shake the rest in the next day or two. Keeping fingers crossed!!

A few cute kid quotes: We hired a sitter Friday night, who often watches a little girl named Elizabeth that goes by "Lizzie". So at one point she called our Elizabeth "Lizzie," and Elizabeth turned to her and said in all seriousness"um, my name's Elizabeth."

Then today at church, i said to Evan "come on, little man", and he replied "not man, my name Eban." Yes, at 26 months old. That kid's very proficient for his age...

Anniversary Surprises

2010-09-24T13:49:00.003-05:00

I have been blessed with an amazingly thoughtful husband.

Today is our anniversary - 6 years of marriage have flown by already. The first year was rough. And i gained a lot of weight. But things have consistantly gotten SO MUCH BETTER since then. We've bought 2 homes, sold one, have 2 adorable kiddos, another one on the way, moved halfway across the country to a very small town in the middle of nowhere, Missiouri, and none of those changes have drawn us apart. We're much closer now, in fact, than we were as newleyweds. It's been a busy, good 6 years.

James kept trying to get me to go to bed last night (i was up editing his English paper), because he wanted to set breakfast out on the table for me. Not only did he have breakfast and a card for me, but flowers too. So sweet!

This morning we also got our first ultrasound of the baby - from what we could see, everything looked normal - heart beating, stomach and kidneys there, 2 arms, 2 legs, full spine, etc etc... we've decided to NOT find out whether it's a boy or girl, and the technician warned us to turn away a few times just to be sure nothing was flashed unexpectedly. What a great guy!!

Anyhow, so after we got home from the ultrasound, James pretended to head off to work... but instead went to the local florist to pick up the flowers he'd ordered for me - a BEAUTIFUL arrangement of Stargazer lilies and red roses. I'd show you a picture, but my computer freezes up each time i insert my flash drive. Gotta have that fixed one of these days...

So it's been a great morning! Truly, James blows the forgetful husband steriotype out of the water, as he never forgets my birthday, anniversary, or any other day I deem important. Of course, i'm not one to NOT drop hints at what i want either (i told him yesterday- so you're going to get me flowers, right? ) But still, i hint, he fulfills. Plus a box of chocolates. We may not have figured everything out, but that part is in the bag.

I wish everyone could be as happy in their marriage as we are. It's not always bliss, but we have a great friendship, understanding, love and intimacy that is constantly strengthened despite the wear and tear of daily living. And for that i am EXTREMELY grateful!! Thanks babe!!! It's great to still be in love.

Summer Success Story

2010-09-16T14:18:00.002-05:00

I responded to a blog today about what i was able to preserve from my garden this year, and it made me realize that, despite not wanting to go into the garden because of the stink of decaying japanese beetles (during my first trimester), i still managed to have a pretty successful garden. Here's what i've preserved:

1 gallon shredded zucchini (frozen)
several qts sliced zucchini (frozen)
several qts green beans (frozen)
2 gallons corn, frozen
12 pts pickles, dill and sweet
1 qt jalapenos, pickled
1 qt beets, pickled
8 cups crab apple butter, canned
10 qts peaches, canned
3 pts salsa, canned
12 qts tomatoes. (not including the 3 that i lost due to cracked jars, one of which sent me to the ER for stitches. I don't plan on repeating that mistake next year!)

I have a bag of apples waiting to be turned into applesauce this week or next - thanks Bekah for the apples and Rebecca for lending me your strainer! I hope to make at least 12 qts applesauce, as my kids loved it last year, and i can pretend i'm giving them healthy food since i canned it myself. ;-)

I also repainted my living room and hallway, and i'm very happy with the end result. Much lighter, much more me. A neutral color, yes, but i have some ideas for sprucing up the walls with some much-needed personality. It only took me 2 years to paint the walls, so no guarantee on how long it'll take for the pictures though. That's not a high-priority item for me. Yet.

I finally ordered thermal curtains for the front rooms too, and 2 of 3 sets have come already. They're perfect. I'm a happy camper.

Overall, i've been able to accomplish a lot this summer. One thing at a time, but even with little kids under foot and the first dreadfully tired weeks of pregnancy, things have progressed along. I still have a list of "to do's" to tackle, but it's nice every once in a while to sit back and appreciate what HAS been accomplished, and not just focus on what NEEDS TO BE accomplished.

Now, back to my regularly scheduled afternoon of dishes and mopping the floor...

Making Friends

2010-09-14T15:21:00.003-05:00

I've been thinking about friendship for a while. Or more like - why is it that i don't have a lot of close friends? Growing up, my mom and sister would call me a "social butterfly", because i would flutter around to all my groups of friends and would just chat with lots of different people. And i DID have lots of different friends - people i would frequently spend time with.

But I would hardly consider myself a social butterfly anymore.

So what's changed?

Is it settling down into married life and parenthood, where i don't need as many others to fill my time, as it's already mostly gone as it is? Is it that i was being superficial as a friend in my youth? Or do i just no longer have a need for friends?

I don't exactly know. But here is one possible explanation:

Being social was much more important for me in my youth than it is now because my self-confidence was not yet fully developed. I needed the support of others as i was learning to love and trust myself. I needed others around me to lift me up until my self-confidence was stable. And i saw that need in others and quickly befriended others to provide that same support for them. Now that my self-confidence is pretty solid, i no longer have the need to seek support through others. And with strong self-confidence and an innate independent streak, i don't care as much what others think of me and don't try very hard to find out either.

I like having friends. I really do. It's nice to have people to chat with, to garnish ideas from, to complain to, who will listen and like me regardless of what stupid things i may say.

HOWEVER, i don't like having friends enough to put a lot of effort into making new friends or fostering existing friendships. For example, i meet new people at a play group, can shoot the breeze just fine, but will rarely (ever) invite someone new over to get to know better. I don't put much effort into making friends anymore. If a friendship develops, so be it! But i rarely go out of my norm to help it along.

Perhaps i'm lazy. Perhaps i'm arrogant. Perhaps i'm just too busy to see beyond my own needs. But making new friends, as a married mother, is just not the same as it was in my earlier years.

And i'm perfectly OK with that.

I wonder what my perspective will be in another 15 years...

FHE

2010-09-13T21:10:00.002-05:00

We actually had Family Home Evening tonight. Super formal with preschoolers of course - a short lesson about being a friend. It didn't take much, but it felt SO GOOD to actually attempt to have organized family time.

I mean, we spent the whole evening together anyhow, as we do many nights, but to actually have a family home evening... nice. Now we can watch the Chargers vs Chiefs in peace. :-D

Parenting

2010-09-12T21:46:00.001-05:00

I'm not a big fan of "mormon fluff", so i could do without the cheesy background music on this clip, but i really like the message and think it's worth posting.

Parenting

After all, i'd guess around 90% of my waking hours are spent either parenting or cleaning (or both), so it's something i should think about more than just haphazardly. :-)

Rough night for toddlers...

2010-09-11T08:44:00.002-05:00

Getting my kids to sleep has been a real challenge lately. My nearly 4 year old has always been a great sleeper, but now she's telling me she doesn't want naps... even when she's yawning, rubbing her eyes, and otherwise showing me how tired she is. My 2 year old has always been a terrible sleeper, and will fall asleep fine if i'm in eyesight, but will take HOURS (and weeping and wailing) if i'm not in the room.

SO, lately i've been trying to sever the cord and get the kids to drift off to sleep without me. There are good times, but so far no extended successes.

Last night i *THOUGHT* i was succeeding, as i got the kids to bed and was able to leave them in there together, awake, to drift off quietly to sleep. As it turns out, the reason my 2 year old was quiet was only because he was TOTALLY engrossed in playing with his new cars, super cheapo ones that we got at the Dollar Tree, by the way.

After about 2 hours, 4 year old finally fell asleep, but little boy was still playing with his cars... so i confiscated them so he could sleep. BIG MISTAKE!! He cried, whined, and only when i came in and sat next to him would he fall asleep. That was around 12:20 in the morning. NOT the outcome i was looking for.

Best part of all, was when i heard him SCREAMING in the middle of the night (around 4 AM), and discovered him kneeling on the floor in search of his cars, distraught because his "green car missing". Of course it was dark in his room, but he remembered that his green car had fallen down before he fell asleep, and just couldn't sleep because of it.

So i gave in and gave him the cars back, put him in bed, and crossed my fingers that he'd sleep the rest of the night. FORTUNATELY he did- woke up around 8:45, exiting his room with ALL of his new cars in hand.

It was a rough night. Worst of all was that i was trying to keep everything quiet, as dad needed to get up around 2:45 to head to the temple with the youth in our ward. Go figure.

I just tell myself after nights like that - at least i have another day to try to improve. I'm not perfect, but if i can be better today than i was the day before, then at least i'm on the right path.

I love my kids. I love my husband. I try my best to take care of my family and our home.. But some days you can only laugh about, shrug off, learn from your mistakes, and move on. Here's to a brighter day today!!

Week 16

2010-09-09T13:54:00.004-05:00

I'm now 16 and a half weeks along, and very definately into maternity clothes. I could probably squeeze into some of my large shirts still, but i just look like a michelin tire... so why bother? At least with maternity clothes i look like i'm just into baggy clothes, and only if you really look hard can you see my little bump among the folds.

Over the past few days i've been feeling the first real baby flutters... i felt movement starting aroung 11 weeks, but that was more like my whole uterus shifting. These are more distintly little flutters of hands and feet stretching out. It's a great feeling!

I'm at the best phase of pregnancy, where i can eat and eat and eat, and it all tastes good. Where I'm starting to show, but am not yet large and uncomfortable. Where i feel more and more the growth inside me, but it doesn't yet inhibit my mobility.

A great blessing we discovered this week is that we should qualify for medicaid to help cover my medical costs! We have good insurance, which i'm very greatful for, but if we do qualify for medicaid, the state will cover our "out of pocket" medical expenses ($500 already for the stitches i got a few weeks ago, which should also be covered if we quality, amazingly enough). What a relief that would be, as we're trying to save up all we can to purchase a larger vehicle that'll fit our growing family. I tell ya, the Lord just continues to shower down blessings upon us!

On a side note, I've noticed that i rarely get comments on my posts. I assume not many people are reading. Or else i'm a kinda boring blogger. Good thing i'm a "red" or "A" personality and don't really give a hoot what others think of me... ;-)

For those of you who are reading, i hope you're enjoying getting to know me better through my ramblings. :-)

Camping!

2010-09-06T15:26:00.002-05:00

We decided that we'd take advantage of a long weekend and take the family camping. Amazingly, we were able to reserve a site at a nearby site (Table Rock Lake State Park) only an hour and a half away. We had a really nice time! Yes, there were a few hiccups, but overall things went really well.

Friday evening we arrived and setup camp. The man in the tent next to us was a VERY loud snorer, and that drove my husband nuts... but in the middle of the night he left the tent to sleep in the truck, and we all got good sleep until sunrise.

Saturday we rented a canoe to take out on the lake. Hubby wanted to rent a huge boat, but i talked him into the canoe instead - big boats are just too expensive. Sorry! At first the kiddos were freaking out in the canoe, but we paddled to shore and ate lunch, and after wading for a bit they calmed down and enjoyed smooth rowing for another hour or so. Too bad i forgot to put sunscreen on us!! My shoulders got the worst of it, but at least i don't fry as badly as others might.

Saturday evening we drove into Branson and had dinner at some buffet restaurant (hubby's choice), which was actually quite good. Much better than Golden Corral. And then took the kids to a fun place across the parking lot - i forget what it's called, but they had a blast playing in the ball pit and indoor toddler exploration area.

We got back to camp a little late, and the kids had a really rough time getting to bed... but overall the day was pleasant.

Sunday morning we wanted to go to church, but the kids slept in past 8... and after a rough night i didn't want to wake them. So instead we had a relaxing breakfast, then a walk to the marina, then let the kids swim in the lake for a while. We came back and had lunch, but the kiddos wouldn't take their naps... urgh!!!! Finally Miss E. konked off around 4. So hubby and i played catch for a while, then started the fire for our tin foil dinners (which turned out fantastic!!)

After dinner we took the kids swimming again, or at least the little girl, while the little man played on the playground. It was a nice, relaxing day. Minus the nap difficulty. Not exactly what we had planned, but still good.

Today (Monday) we broke camp and headed for home. We tried 3 different routes out of camp, but the back roads were disgustingly crowded - as in a complete standstill for who knows how long. So we finally headed for the freeway, a bit longer route, but definately more reliable. Got home, kids taking naps, looks like life is returning to normal. Except i'm pretty tired. Oh wait, that too is normal.

I'm glad we can take nice, relatively inexpensive family vacations together. But nothing beats home sweet home.

Gum Incident

2010-08-24T20:21:00.002-05:00

Today while travelling to get peaches to can, Miss E. manages to drop the gum she was chewing, and immediately starts crying (gee, who didn't get a nap today?...).

I turn around to help her find it (it had fallen into a crack in her car seat), and she picks it up and says: "but it's dirty".

I say "just chew it up, the dirt will go away."

So she looks closer and says: "but there's a hair on it".

SO i say: "just pull it off." She does, pops it in her mouth, and is fine the rest of the way there.

Meanwhile... dad is roaring with laughter in the driver's seat. Apparently he thought it was funny how i dealt with her crisis, and said i needed to blog about it.

Kinda funny how one person's normal is hilarious to someone else...

Week 14

2010-08-22T22:14:00.003-05:00

Here i am at 14 weeks - finally into the blessed 2nd trimester! Most of my maternity clothes are still way too big for me, but regular clothes are getting uncomfortable. So it's belts and safety pins and bagginess for now. Oh well. Early pregnancy (or any part of pregnancy really) is no time to worry about fashion.

Just a few more weeks of unendurable heat, then at least i can don the less baggy, warmer weather pants that fit me about right.

School Starts Today!

2010-08-18T12:46:00.003-05:00

I still think it's kinda wacky that it's mid August and a Wednesday and school starts today, but that's life in the midwest.

I'm very, very, glad that my kids are still too young for public schools. I still have two more FULL years to train and mold my oldest before I allow anyone else to teach her full-time. And the jury's still out on whether i'll send her to public school or keep her at home and teach her myself. A lot can happen in 2 years.

A lot of people ask whether she's going to preschool this year - and i say "no way!" She's only 3! Let her be a kid while she still has a chance! I do a "circle time" routine with her and her brother and the kid i babysit most mornings, with songs, and calendar time, crafts and a lesson. What more can a 3 year old really need? We have play dates and outings, and plenty of outdoor time too. What good can she possibly learn at "preschool" that we're not already doing here? She's still only 3...

Ok, back off my soap box. Hope everyone enjoys their new teachers and finds ways to supplement the public school system in teaching their children! Please, please, please, PLEASE just don't let the schools do all the teaching - they can't.

Week 12

2010-08-08T14:28:00.003-05:00

So i officially whipped out the maternity clothes this week. Sad to discover that the elastic was shot in one of my favorite pairs... but i think i can fix it.

It kinda amazes me - in the picture i think i just look like i've been eating more chocolate than i should be... yet it's just enough to make all my pants fit uncomfortably.

I'm feeling well enough that this week i painted our hallway, and yesterday i painted the ceiling in our living room. I don't suggest overhead painting - it's not fun!

Perhaps by week 13 the walls in this picture will also be painted. Perhaps not. Still 28 weeks to get the job done. ;-)

Fair

2010-08-07T14:06:00.004-05:00

The kids had a great time at the fair last night.

Miss E. really loved the animals, especially the baby chicks. Mr. E wanted nothing to do with the animals - he wanted to see all the lights and games. Very different personalities, those two.

Temple

2010-08-01T21:21:00.004-05:00

This weekend while in St. Louis, I managed to escape the conference we were attending to visit the temple. Let me tell ya - the temple provides an amazing spiritual recharge!!

It was so lovely to be reminded of promises and blessings we can obtain if we choose to live our lives according to the precepts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Truly, the choice is up to us, how we live our lives, how we treat those around us, how we handle the mundane everyday tasks in our lives... we are free to make something wonderful of ourselves and our lives. We are equally free to throw it all away. "... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

The 4+ hour drive to St. Louis is sometimes cumbersome with our little ones in tow, but visiting the temple makes the trip worth every scream, yell, potty break and unhealthy snack along the way.

Week 11

2010-08-01T19:00:00.003-05:00

I've been feeling better this week - not as tired, not eating all the time, overall almost not icky. It's been nice. And, just in time to start babysitting again this week.

I didn't get a good picture of my stitches, but my hand too is feeling much better.

Stitches!

2010-07-29T14:37:00.002-05:00

So last night i was excited to can up the rest of our mostly-ripe tomatoes. (The bugs are getting to them before they're fully ripe, but they're still good enough to can.) Everything was going well, until....

I lowered my 7 beautiful jars into the water, and heard 2 of them crack. Dang! Not again!!! So i quickly pulled those out and tried to transfer the contents to a new, fresh jar... which worked fine last week when the jars were merely cracked. Last night... as i was trying to transfer, the bottom came completely off of one jar, and my hand slipped... and next thing i knew i had a deep cut in my left hand, between thumb and forefinger.

FORTUNATELY, wrapping my hand in a towel and applying pressure helped keep it from bleeding very much. MORE FORTUNATELY, i was able to WALK the 100 yards to the emergency room (husband and kids met me there after i was in Triage), and EVEN MORE FORTUNATELY it doesn't seem that anyone else was in the ER and they had me stitched up and out of there within an hour.

Clean cut, 2 stitches, a tetanus shot, and a great story. And a little bit of discomfort. Nothing so frugal as home canning vegetables from the garden, right?

No pictures yes, as I still have a good bandaid on it, but i'll get one when the bandaid comes off and repost.

Week 10

2010-07-26T21:31:00.003-05:00

Still just a little pooch on my belly, but just enough to make most of my clothes pretty uncomfortable... hence the lounge pants and t-shirt. Oh wait, that's normal. ;-)

However, i'm starting to feel a lot better. I've decided that my afternoon naps were actually making me feel WORSE than when i don't nap - when i don't nap, i'm super fatigued... but when i do nap, i'm tired, cranky, and nauseous. So... i try to keep busy in the afternoons, and i feel much better. Really.

That wasn't too hard today since Miss E. decided she didn't want to sleep. Looks like she'll be dropping regular naps sooner than I had hoped. Oh well. At least she wasn't an absolute terror the rest of the day as i had assumed she might be...

This morning i cleaned and mopped the kitchen floor, cleaned the bathrooms, did several loads of laundry... so was feeling pretty accomplished for a first-trimester lady. I sat down to eat a snack... and had to run to the bathroom shortly thereafter to watch it all come back up. Guess i over-did myself.

This afternoon/evening I decided to make some crabapple butter - and I'm pretty impressed with how it turned out. It kinda has the tart-sweetness of cranberry sauce, but tastes like apple. We picked the apples off of a tree in the Olive Garden parking lot, added sugar and spices, some elbow grease and lotsa heat... ending up with 9 half pints. Pretty good for practically free! Guess what i'll be giving my neighbors this holiday season... ;-)

I have a lot of tomatoes that will need to be picked tomorrow, so tomorrow night it'll be tomato canning! I tried canning salsa on the weekend - but that was not my best discovery yet. Just straight canning of the tomatoes is way easier, and quicker, and about as much as i can handle in the evenings between getting the kids and myself to bed.

Speaking of which, i really should stop writing and hit the hay. Or maybe just one more chapter of my book, Anna Karenina. It annoys me that i've been reading it over 2 weeks and i'm still not done! Yes, it's almost 900 pages long, but i just can't stay up late reading the way i normally would with a book i'm sucked into...

Week 9

2010-07-18T14:04:00.007-05:00

I've always been impressed with people who can take pictures of their whole pregnancy and show how they're growing along the way... so this time i'm gonna try too. But don't be too terribly surprised if i forget some weeks. ;-)

Here's me today, week 9. I definately feel more pregnant than i look, but considering how much i'm eating already, it doesn't at all surprise me to be thickening at the waist and belly....

I LOVE it!

2010-07-07T14:11:00.003-05:00

I'm sure most of the moms in the world will agree- there are few things more wonderful than watching your young children playing TOGETHER. Playing, laughing, helping each other... it's such new territory for us, and I LOVE IT! We've had lots of parallel play, lots of squabbling,... but now they're playing together, give and take, sharing, the whole shabang. It makes me so happy to see them becoming friends.

This morning they entertained themselves for close to an hour with these little shampoo and lotion bottles that we've accumulated from various hotel stays. Who needs toys, when you can have little bottles instead?

Last Day!

2010-07-01T08:00:00.003-05:00

Today's my last day babysitting for the summer. I'm SOOO excited! Not that i don't love the kids i've been watching, but it'll be so nice to take a break!

We found out around father's day that i'm expecting again, and i've been so incredibly fatigued and irritable and feeling general ickiness that we decided i don't need to be watching extra kids right now, at least until closer to the end of my 1st trimester.

That worked out well with one family, where the mom is a teacher and today is my last day with her son until school starts again in August... but i had to tell the other family that they need to find another daycare. I hate that i had to turn them away, but for all of our sanity, it really is the best thing right now.

So now instead of feeling burdened down and tired and worn out - i feel really good. Still icky, but not so tired, not as irritable... it's a good thing to be just me and my kids again.

I'll REALLY be celebrating freedom this weekend. :-)

First Fruits

2010-06-20T14:41:00.003-05:00

We're beginning to enjoy the first fruits of our garden: lettuce, spinach, herbs, and zucchini.

Lovely zucchini!!

I think i'll be eating lettuce and zucchini every day for a while... but we have lots of green tomatoes too, so hopefully we'll also have those to spruce up the salads within a week or two. And cucumber is on its way too.

green tomatoes

We cut into a nice juicy canteloupe this morning, which was pretty tasty, but i just can't wait until the ones from our garden are ripe - home grown is just so much better than store bought!!

melon patch - watermelon and cantelope

Why i don't write...

2010-06-09T13:47:00.003-05:00

I really want to write something clever. Cunning. Inspiring. Interesting.

I just don't have anything to say. Can you believe it?

Life is good. My kids are all napping. My house isn't a disaster. I have free time to relax. My garden is growing fantastic. (so are the weeds, but i'm keeping them at least at bay...)

But i don't feel like there's much to report. No amazing or aggravating experiences to tell about. I'll post something if that changes.

Kinda makes me wonder if i'm this boring in person too...

It's here already...

2010-06-04T21:55:00.003-05:00

So my vacuum arrived yesterday afternoon. (Yes, i ordered it Monday evening and received it on Thursday... wharp speed!!)

I proceeded to vacuum the whole house (even though i had already vacuumed it in the morning), expecting to pick up TONS of junk off our floor. To my surprise, there wasn't too much it picked up. Yes, some debris, but not tons. Guess my earlier vacuum job dragging the darn thing on the lowest setting across the floor worked after all...

The machine looks nice, seems very durable, handles very smoothly, and has a super amazing hose. I haven't used the hose yet, but it's such a higher quality than the one on my old one, plus it's like twice as long! Yes, fantastic.

There are a few drawbacks though - for one, my model doesn't have a headlight. Apparently they've recently updated the machine, and the "newer" version doesn't come with a headlight. No biggie, really, since i don't usually vacuum in the dark... but i'm kinda used to a light in the front.

Another thing is it doesn't have an option to turn off the roller for use on hardwood/tile, so when i vacuumed in my dining room (hardwood floors), it kept kicking debris back onto my shins... so i just vacuumed back toward the living room and then vacuumed up all the debris that was relocated to the living room carpet. Not a show stopper, as i usually sweep my floor with a broom, but that option would have been nice.

As far as how "clean" my carpets really are... that's hard to tell. They've got stains all over them, and they're old, so they look dingy still (to me)... i want to steam clean them before too long, and then see how long they look clean with the new vacuum vs. how long with the old.

Overall, i'm content with it so far. It's not blowing my socks off, but i also didn't throw too much money into it either ($225, including shipping), so it's fine. I wanted a new vacuum, and i got it. That's good enough for me for now.

If i was really rich, i would have bought one of the Miele S7 upright vacuums, but 8 or $900 for a vacuum is just out of my league, especially when $200 works just fine. After all, it's just carpet.

I bought it!

2010-06-01T13:34:00.003-05:00

Thanks Sarah for your insight - i went ahead and ordered the Sanitaire as you recommended... being a commercial vacuum, there weren't many reviews of it online, but you mentioned the things that really matter to me - ease of use, good suction, long and useful hose... i should get it within a few weeks and will let ya'll know what i think of it when it arrives.

yippee! I'm excited to see how dirty my carpets were, and to see how much better the house smells once i get my carpets properly vacuumed and cleaned.

I need a new vacuum...

2010-05-30T13:58:00.002-05:00

Hello friends! I need your help.

I hate my current vacuum and have decided it's time for a new one. Yep, tired of vacuuming my floor only to lay down on the carpet and find a handful of debris the vacuum did NOT suck up. Tired of having the hose come loose while vacuuming, only to wonder how much carpet i covered before i noticed the hose was loose, etc. etc. It's time. I mean, we got the thing for $40 over 2 years ago... one can only expect so much from a vacuum of it's calibre.

However, i've not yet decided what vacuum i want to replace it with. I'm leaning toward a Dyson... but that's an awful lot of money for a vacuum. So i'm wondering if you, my readers, might be willing to give me some feedback on what vacuums you have, if you're happy with them, or if you could get a new one what your dream one would be...

As much as i dislike our beige carpet, i want even less to replace it, so i'll just have to keep maintaining it... so any insights on my vacuum dilemma are most graciously welcome!!

Thanks!

Neat Peeps

2010-05-23T21:29:00.003-05:00

I met some really neat people the other day. Very strange story- you'll enjoy:

About a month or 2 ago, my car was hit while i was at the library. No one was in the car, the damage was mostly just paint missing on the front bumper, and the lady felt really bad about having hit our car. (Our car was parked on the street, it was raining, she was in a big van... recipe for disaster).

Anyhow, we exchanged information and decided that, since her husband does auto body work for a living, it would be fine for him to do the repairs on our car rather than hassle with insurance companies.

So we drove our car out to their place on Friday, and visited with them for about an hour or 2 before heading back home, and they are a really neat family. They have 6 kids ages 15-1, and she's expecting their 7th in July. They are very religious, but not in a high-and-mighty kind of way, and I can tell they just have amazing family values. They're the kinds of people that I just don't have a problem trusting, even though we've just met them, because everything about them is so honest, good, and virtuous. Truly they understand what it means to be like Christ.

I want to be that obviously Christian too. I really don't know why i'm not. Or am i? I think i have some character to build still before near strangers would be able to identify me as Christian by my obvious Christ-like attributes.

I guess the real question is - what shall i work on FIRST? Patience, kindness, humility, honesty, drop the sarcasm, stop beating my kids? ... so many things to improve! Good thing my time here on earth ain't over yet!

You know it's love when...

2010-05-16T20:44:00.003-05:00

The other day i was complaining to my DH about how we can't get Red Vines Licorice here in town. I don't know what happened to it - last year the stores carried it, but now all we have are Twizzlers. A few days later, much to my surprise, I received a WHOLE TUB of Red Vines in the mail. Wahoo!!! ( I love amazon.com!!)

It's the little things in life that make it so wonderful. I, for one, am thankful for a loving husband who is also so very thoughtful. Thanks babe! You brighten my life and enlarge my stature... one licorice roll at a time.... ;-)

I just LOVE red vines. It's what i grew up with. Twizzlers are nice and all, but just not the same.

Happy Mom's Day!

2010-05-09T17:34:00.004-05:00

Today Little E. fell asleep in his father's arms at church - very unusual. But we figured since he took an early nap, Big E. could go without a nap as well. We were wrong. Around 4:00, she told me "i want to close my eyes"... and now at 5:30, she's still slumbering rather soundly:

So bedtime tonight will likely be interesting... but other than that, the day has been rather pleasant and uneventful. James brought me breakfast in bed along with a cute card and a few small gifts, totally appropriate for me.

Church was nice, and since Little E. was asleep for most of the 2nd and 3rd hours, James got his clerk stuff done just fine, and i was able to do my sharing time without any interruptions either, which was really nice. Big E. got to go up and sing with the other primary children, and i must say that she did a fantastic job! They sang "love is spoken here", which she's never actually sung out loud before. Over the past few weeks, i've been singing it to her before naps and bedtime, and she was able to sing, or mouth, nearly all the words while she was up there. I was very impressed. Children are such sponges at this age!

After church we came home, had lunch, lounged around, then James made me Lasagna for dinner (ok, i have to admit, i made the sauce last week and froze it, so he just boiled noodles and layered noodles, cheese and sauce... not difficult, but exactly what i wanted.)

I've learned that it's SOO much easier to GET what i want when i just TELL HIM what it is i want. For example - i wanted donuts and orange juice for breakfast. So i told my DH that's what i wanted, i bought the items and placed them in the fridge, and i nudged him out of bed when the kids started crying. As a result, i got served breakfast in bed, exactly what i wanted, with the added bonus of a card and some gifts. He's happy to make me happy, i'm happy because i got what i wanted, kids are happy because they're loaded with sugar... everybody's happy. And it wasn't hard to accomplish either.

I think sometimes the bigger challenge is KNOWING what it is we want. Once we can figure that out, the rest is just a matter of getting there.

Mother's day isn't really a big deal in our home, mostly because my DH treats me with love and respect every day. I know he appreciates all i do for our family - he doesn't wait for a special day to tell me - which is truly wonderful. I'm on good terms with my mother and speak with her regularly, and she knows i love her and accept her for who she is. So mother's day, really, is kinda just another day, except i get breakfast in bed and can usually convince my DH to give me a back massage too. That's always nice.

Happy mother's day everyone! I'm off to enjoy more of the thin mint cookies i made this afternoon... yum!!

http://safelygatheredin.blogspot.com/2010/05/food-storage-friday-thin-mint-cookies.html

Life is good

2010-05-01T14:27:00.002-05:00

I wrote this to my sister-in-law in an email and thought it'd be worth repeating in blog land:

I had a REALLY nice day yesterday. Thursday night i went visiting teaching, and my companion mentioned that her life was easy. She has 3 little girls between 5 and 1 year old, and they can be really demanding at times. But she said, "it's not like i have to work 2 jobs to support us or anything. Things could me much harder. I really have it easy."

And it made me realize that i, too, have things really easy right now. When my biggest concerns are which toys (of many) to let my kids play, how to keep them happy without tv, or what to make for dinner (from a fully stocked pantry)... i really have it easy.

I took that attitude into Friday, and we had a fantastic day. The little kid i babysit didn't get on my nerves as much, my kids were happy, overall we just had a good day.

One of my missionary companions told me frequently to "not sweat the small stuff.... and it's all small stuff." I thought she was crazy at the time, but really, most of the things that get me all agitated are small, totally insignificant things. If i can learn to not let them bother me, as i did yesterday, then i'm really much happier. It's fantastic. I just wish i could remember to let things slide more often. Maybe that will be my goal this week, focusing on "not sweating the small stuff" and letting insignificant things slide.

Community Orchestra

2010-04-28T20:48:00.002-05:00

Last night i joined the Ozark Festival Orchestra, our town's community orchestra. It's a fantastic group for me - not stressful, not too large or too small, and full of what seem to be great people and music. Plus, i LOVE playing my bass, and there aren't too many venues for that around here.

Here's a good read about the group: http://ksmu.org/content/view/3173/75/

Yay for music!

Kitchen!!

2010-04-27T13:15:00.004-05:00

Daddy came home for lunch this afternoon after the kids and i were done eating, so he brought his bowl of soup into the front room instead of eating at the table. Mr. E saw him eating in the front room, looked at him, and said "kitchen".

Daddy didn't move. So he came over to me, protruding his lower lip, threw his head back and began to cry, "kitchen!!".

After that, daddy went to the kitchen to finish his lunch.

What did i do this week?

2010-04-23T21:29:00.003-05:00

This week I think i got most everything on my "to do" list accomplished:

Monday - took truck in for safety inspection, followed by registration, followed by purchasing red mulch for landscaping. After naps, drove to Joplin to retreive Mr. E's monster truck from the store we left it at the previous week.

Tuesday - started watching "John John", a 3 year-old i'll be taking care of 8-5 monday-friday. Also watched a friend's youngest 2 children in the morning. Compiled/updated our emergency car kit during naptime. Transplanted brocolli, cabbage, tomatoes, watermellon and canteloupe into the garden in the evening.

Wednesday - cleaned out the kid's closet. Baked bread. Zoned in the evening... i needed a break!

Thursday - cleaned up/confiscated several small kids toys - filling up the cleaned-out closet. They haven't even noticed they're gone! We definately have too many toys... Watched a friend's daughter in the late afternoon. Went grocery shopping in the evening.

Friday - watched a friend's daughter during the day (along with my 2 and John John.) Sprayed Groundclear onto the weeds in the front planter, that i'll be covering with wood chips tomorrow. Visited a friend in the evening to help give her ideas on how to organize her garden (haven't developed the plan yet, but will work on it during naptime and tomorrow night to have for her on Sunday).

Tomorrow - do laundry, go garage sale shopping, purchase wood chips and distribute in front of house landscaping, then cover with red mulch, clean/organize clothes to return to sister-in-law (thanks Cindy!!!), then probably veg the rest of the evening....

It's been a busy week, but i like it that way. I want to enjoy my healthy, capable body as long as it lasts. Plus i am much happier staying busy while my husband's away than sitting around wallowing in his absence. Guess i'm a physical workaholic at heart, as physical work keeps me happy. Whod've thunk?

OH MY GOODNESS, i almost forgot the MOST IMPORTANT THING that i accomplished this week: MR E GOES TO BED ON HIS OWN AGAIN!!!! We had him going to sleep by himself a few weeks before vacation, but our trip really messed him up - he wouldn't go down without us holding him until he was asleep, he was waking up all during the night, sleeping with us... it was TERRIBLE! Now, however, I lay him in his crib and he goes to sleep! He's still waking up at night, but only once last night, and instead of holding him or bringing him into bed with us, i just TELL him to lay back down and go to sleep, AND HE DOES! It's awesome. Daddy will be so proud of me. (And relieved).

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-21T13:24:00.006-05:00

In the spirit of bloggers who post "wordless wednesday" photos... enjoy!

Next Blog

2010-04-18T14:20:00.002-05:00

Do you guys ever click on "next blog" and start reading whatever random blog comes up? I don't quite know how "next blog" works, but sometimes I come across some very interesting things.

I just returned from taking my husband to the airport - he'll be in Vegas for the whole week, returning next Sunday. I always feel a mild emptiness when he's gone, even though i know he'll be back soon. So with kids napping and no new emails, not being in the mood to put away laundry or do the dishes... i happened upon this blog that really puts things into perspective for me.

Be sure you have some tisses on hand if you decide to read on.
http://nikibs.blogspot.com/

I still love gardening!

2010-04-17T21:33:00.005-05:00

Even after lugging a truck load of wood chips between the rows of my garden, i STILL love gardening. Today I planted lettuce, spinach, carrots, onions, cucumber, squash (acorn, yellow and zucchini), and green beans.

Next week i'll transplant the seedlings: brocolli, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, cantelope and watermellon.

I'm not trying to boast or brag or anything, i'm just super excited to have found something that i REALLY enjoy. Scrapbooking, not my thing. Cooking is kinda a love-hate relationship. I love eating good food, but i hate that i almost always have kids hanging off of me while i try to cook, making meals most often less-than gourmet. Sewing? Sure, on occasion, or as needed. But i really love being outside digging in the dirt. :-)

It's garden time!

2010-04-16T13:18:00.002-05:00

I love gardening. I didn't know this my first 31 years of life, but man, i really love gardening. Over the past few days, i've forced my loving husband to till up a huge row of our back yard in preparation for our garden this year. Ok, maybe he offered, but even with an electric tiller, it's tough work getting all the grass up and the dirt nice and soft. Kudos to the man of the house!

This morning, i went out with the kids and made my rows and mounds... well, most of them. Evan got bored with playing in the back yard before i could finish, but i should get it all done after naps, if it doesn't rain on us first.

This morning i bought 5 bags of topsoil, which i'll then spread over the tops of the rows, to give our dirt an extra bonus... and then if all goes well i may even get some seeds in tonight, BEFORE the rain comes! I'm so excited!

My seedlings are doing phenomenal! The tomatoes are ready to be hardened off, as are the cantelope and brocolli, and the watermellon, cabbage and peppers should be ready with their 2nd set of leaves by the end of next week. It seriously makes me giddy to watch my seedlings growing big and strong.

I guess gardening to me is like parenting, but WAY easier! And a LOT less whining! I invest my time and energy into a living thing, watch it grow up, continue to care for it, and eventually enjoy the fruits (or vegetables) of my labors.

I feel extremely blessed to have enough yard that i can tear up a 10 x 35 foot strip and not feel like i've lost my entire yard, and that i live in a zone where things grow so easily! Of course, weeds will be my biggest challenge... but i have plans for those too. ;-D

Back from Vacation

2010-04-11T13:24:00.002-05:00

We're back! Visited my family in Utah for Easter, and we had a fantastic time! The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins, we enjoyed lounging around and sleeping in at my parent's house, and both of our colds went away - finally! It was a delightful trip, but one week with SO MUCH family was entirely too short. Must make it longer next time.

My seedlings all survived our absence, thanks to a diligent friend who came and cared for them. Well, all survived except the funny bell peppers, which were having a hard time before we left anyhow. I'll have to try those again maybe next year after i read up on those some more. But my tomato plants look awesome, the cantelope and watermelon are fantastic, and i'm super excited to plant in a few weeks. I'm so glad spring is here!!

We went garage sale shopping yesterday and found a tricycle for miss E, so that she and her brother don't have to both fight over her bike. Whew! It's been really nice now that both of them can ride around while i tinker with the yard. But now i am off to make berry cobbler...

Sick of being Sick

2010-03-28T13:19:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted much lately because I've been sick. And now i'm really just sick of being sick. It's only a head cold, but MAN, i feel like my head's in the clouds! Totally stuffed up, lots of mucus, just overall no fun. Dr. says it's most likely viral, so the only thing i can do is take some decongestants, tylenol, and wait it out.

It's rotten. But like all other things, this too shall pass. I just hope it doesn't pass on to my family members.

Poor James. He's been sleeping on the couch all week because the Nyquil makes me snore so loudly...

On the bright side, i can't smell or taste anything, so changing poopy diapers hasn't been a problem, and i may even drop a few pounds, since it's pointless eating yummy fatening foods i can't even taste...

Emancipation

2010-03-19T14:29:00.004-05:00

I'm free! Yesterday was my last day watching Logan. His family is moving to Kansas City this weekend, and i wish them all the best!

The extra income from babysitting has been a great blessing, but it's SO WONDERFUL to be just me and my kids again! This morning we took a walk, planted raspberry bushes, dug up some worms, fed dirt to the cat, went to the grocery store... all without ANY tantrums or crying spells. Bliss!

I'll look to resume babysitting after we get back from vacation in a few weeks, but for now, i'm really enjoying my restored freedom, and looking forward to doing some spring cleaning.

Dirty Dishes

2010-03-17T21:56:00.003-05:00

Tonite after dinner i asked our 20 month old to pick up his fork (which he had thrown on the floor) and put it in the sink. He did, with ease, and a smile. Now keep in mind, he's still much shorter than the countertop, so putting something in the sink is more of a toss, or a stretch up on tippy-toes to lean it over the lip of the counter into the sink. Overall, he has surprisingly good accuracy at getting his dishes into the sink.

So then I asked him to put his spoon in the sink. Well, this time he missed and it landed on the counter instead. He immediately said "awmosht" (almost).... i nearly choked on my dinner i was laughing so hard. It still amazes me the words he understands and repeats at this age.

Seedlings

2010-03-14T14:32:00.004-05:00

I am so super excited to watch my garden growing! It's far too cold outside to plant, of course, but i started a few seeds inside on Wednesday, and the broccoli and cabbage are already sprouting! Nothing yet from the tomatoes, melons or peppers, but hopefully they too will be sprouting by the end of the week.

See? Isn't that just awesome!

I'm so excited about planting my garden this year that i've literally stayed awake at night thinking about it. Yesterday i plotted out on paper where i want everything to go (and it'll all fit just perfectly in the area we plan on having tilled), and last night i FINALLY didn't wake up thinking about gardens.... guess i'm following the footsteps of my Grandmother in loving to garden. Or maybe it's a midwest thing, since it's so EASY to grow things here (including weeds and mosquitos...)

Freezing Potatoes

2010-03-11T14:42:00.002-06:00

Last year i had a bunch of potatoes that i tried freezing - i just cut them up and threw them into the freezer. They all turned brown, but were still edible in potato salads and other such stuff.

Again this week I found a steal of a deal on potatoes, and i found out you CAN successfully freeze them, but in a slightly more refined manner than mine. Check it out:
http://www.best-potato-recipes.com/freezing-potatoes.html

I now have 4 pounds of hash browns (LOVE my food processor for shredding!!) and about 10 pounds of chopped potatoes in my freezer. Yippee! I consider my day a success!

Preschool Photography

2010-03-10T14:17:00.006-06:00

She's not an expert yet, but i think our little lady has a knack for photography. Wouldn't you agree?

New Opportunities

2010-03-08T13:34:00.002-06:00

So often when one door closes, another one opens quickly thereafter.

Today i got a call from a little boy's mother asking if i could watch him a few times a week for the next little while. This boy is my daughter's age, and they had a great time playing together when i watched him a few weeks ago.

I'm pretty excited about it, as it'll be more like a play date for my daughter than a hard job for me. And, I'll be getting paid for it! Not much, granted, but every little bit helps.

I love how the Lord continues to bless me with new opportunities to meet my goals. :-)

2 week notice

2010-03-07T14:20:00.002-06:00

Looks like i'll be unemployed again in 2 weeks. This makes me happy, and sad. Sad, of course, that we'll loose the income my babysitting has been generating. But happy, because i'll be so free and clear to go outside and dig in the dirt with my kids (who LOVE being outside with me) in preparation for our spring garden.

The timing couldn't be more perfect for us, really, as we're planning on going on vacation at the beginning of April. And it's great that the boy's dad has found a good job in Kansas City, and his mom can stay at home with him now as well. So i'm happy it'll be just the 3 of us at home during the days again. And i'm sure we'll find a way to cover the lost income too. :-)

Worst Dr. Appt. EVER!!

2010-03-03T13:27:00.003-06:00

So today i took Evan in for his regular checkup/shots. Shouldn't have been a big deal, in and out without much fuss, right? WRONG!!!

To start off this morning, Evan woke up with a bloody mouth. He got injured last Thursday, and has been bleeding on and off since then, even with his regular infusions... but this morning there was a huge scab over his teeth, and it was just ugly. We had planned to infuse him this morning to prepare for the shots, so we weren't too worried about the blood... but he wasn't too happy that we woke him up to stick a needle in him at any rate. And then he smeared all over in his unhappy protest. Ahhh, toddlers!

He REALLY protested my taking his beloved "balls" jammies off to put on some play clothes. More blood smears.... I try to give him Amicar to help with his bleeding, and he throws another tantrum. Meanwhile, Miss E is screaching on the potty because she's constipated, and the baby i'm watching is getting pretty annoyed that i'm not paying him any attention. All this before 9 Am.

Finally able to calm the kids and get them all prepped for the dr appt. We get there at like 9:55, with a few minutes to spare, and wait in the lobby for 45 MINUTES before they call us back to the room. It doesn't help that the boy i babysit's mother works at the front desk, and every time he hears her voice, he crawls over to want to be with her... so the whole time we're waiting, he flip flops between wanting to be with her, and wanting to come out and play with us. It was super annoying!!

Ok, so around 10:40, they call us back to have Evan looked at. He wants NOTHING to do with getting measured, weighed, and absolutely melts down when his (rectal) temperature is taken. Oh, and the baby is pretty fussy because it's now really close to his nap time. So, while i'm trying to comfort both boys, Miss E has finally decided she needs to sit on my lap too. She actually did a fantastic job through the whole thing, the one highlight of the visit!

The nurse leaves, ten minutes later the Dr. comes in. We talk for maybe 3 minutes, she leaves to check on something... and another 10 minutes later the nurses come back to give Evan his (4) shots. Let me tell you how much he loved that....

So, finally around 11:15, we're heading out of the office, Evan in nothing more than his shirt and a diaper, very haphazardly applied because he was kicking and screaming the whole time... keep in mind, it's around 34 degrees outside still...

I got home, fed the baby, changed his diaper, snuggled the toddler, put baby to sleep, fed the other kids, read to them, put them to sleep... and am now wondering - was that really worth it? Three minutes of discussion with the Dr, because we were concerned with Evan's screaming fits... after all that hassle, and still not able to get a valid assessment. Frustrating, to say the least.

Anyhow, that was my worst Dr appt ever, thus far. I realize i've ommitted most of the gory details, but i'm sure you understand what a pain this morning has been. I wouldn't be surprised if others have had worse, with more kids and illnesses to boot, but for a routine checkup visit this was absolutely rediculous. I'll try to keep out of that office as much as i can in the future.

Nap Time

2010-03-01T13:07:00.002-06:00

I love nap time. I don't know what i'm going to do when our oldest drops her nap and i no longer have my couple hours of afternoon freedom. Hopefully keep some semblance of "quiet time" while the others sleep... but thankfully, it looks like naps are here to stay for quite some time. Yay!

I also love that my two kids, put to bed awake in the same room, still manage to zonk off together within about 10 minutes of my leaving the room. Yes, there are exceptions, but for the most part they really take fantastic naps. It's a wonderful blessing in my life.

I love that the kid i babysit also naps at the same time as my kids, and that he's so well adjusted to our family. I watched an extra kid all last week, and it wasn't so bad... but returning to just my kids and the one extra makes life seem so EASY again. It's a great blessing.

Now i'm going to try to finish reading the 5000 year leap. It's a great book, but not easy reading for me. I sometimes find myself napping during nap time when i read it. ;-)

Halloween

2010-02-24T21:25:00.004-06:00

Ok, so maybe Halloween was almost 4 months ago... but a friend forwarded this picture to me and i couldn't resist. Princess E still tries to fit into that dress at times - it's a 1-2 T, and she's a 3-4 T... a bit snug, but you can't stop a princess....

It's been a ho-hum week...

2010-02-16T21:10:00.004-06:00

I keep pulling up my blog WANTING to write about something, but lacking the creative genious. It's just kinda seemed like a ho-hum week. In actuality, I was sick for a good part of the last week - nothing serious, but icky all the same. We took a trip to St. Louis on Friday, and Miss E threw up in the car on the way there. Mr E screamed most of the way home on Saturday. And in between, a child screaming through night, stretched between us on a less-than-perfect hotel mattress. Why? For a bright and early visit to the Temple, of course! Perhaps we should get a sitter before we take the trek again...

Valentine's day for us is, well, pretty low key these days. Especially when my Prince Charming wakes up with a bladder infection. He was down and out most of the day, and the following day as well. Like i said, a very ho-hum week.

Today the sun shined. It was magical. I REALLY hope we get more sunny, and potentially warmer, weather soon. I can sure use a break from all the gloomy winter weather we've had lately.

This evening Daddy caught a fantastic picture of the kiddos - i just love these guys.

I guess i should be glad things are only ho-hum, and not bad. I have much to be thankful for.

I've survived!!

2010-02-08T13:32:00.004-06:00

Is it just me, or is this year just FLYING by already? Maybe i'm keeping just busy enough with the extra kid around, but i don't think a January has ever passed so quickly for me before. And thankfully, this will be a short week as we're taking a trip to St. Louis Friday/Saturday, then by Sunday the month is half over... and then it's MARCH!!! My absolute favorite month!!! (gee, any wonder why...?) Then if all goes well, we'll take a vacation in early April, and then it's time to start planting our garden... and then it might as well be January again for how quickly spring, summer, fall and the holidays pass away.

Yes, it's still winter, and it's even snowing outside (here's a picture out our front window). But already i feel like i've survived winter, because i know at this point that spring is not too far away... yippee!!

Daycare - week 5

2010-02-01T13:53:00.002-06:00

Wow, i'm entering my 5th week of daycare. It's great! I love the little fella. He's used to me too, including my morning vaccuming, trips down to the basement to do laundry, and other household chores i sneak in during the day. Overall, the only downside is not being able to get OUT during the day, especially with freezing weather. But it's February already, and in 4 short weeks it'll be March, and surely there'll be some warm days soon enough. Until then, we tear up the house every day, and clean it up every evening. That's exercise, right?

Are you sleeping?

2010-01-31T22:52:00.008-06:00

Right around bedtime, i laid down on the floor and pretended like i was sleeping. My little bundle of imagination proceeced to cover me with blankets, surround me with stuffed animals, and bring me all of her sleeping "helps" while i continued to "sleep". All the while, she was talking in whispers, singing me lullabies, and giving me kisses on my forehead. It was very sweet.

For obvious reasons, i couldn't get a picture of myself laying in the blankets, but she graciously posed for me before i made her clean it up and go to bed for real.

No fewer than 6 blankets on this "bed".Mr E. just playing with his cards... stuffed animals all around the "bed".

(Note also the cool pillow case I made on Friday - everything is "princess" for this girl.)

Not the flu...

2010-01-25T22:22:00.003-06:00

Turns out i didn't have the flu this weekend - it was STREP THROAT instead! Glad i stayed home from church on Sunday. I actually watched some great BYU tv, and i think i got more out of the devotionals and services i watched on tv than i normally do attending church meetings. Of course, that's with 2 squirmy toddlers trying to stay quiet at church, whereas i only had Mr. E at home with me (looks like he has strep too), and he pretty much just roamed around the house while i vegged.... It was an oddly nice Sunday, except of course the raging sore throat that pain killers barely helped. Oh well. I'm on antibiotics now, the pain is already subsiding, and i get to go to bed soon. Yay!

Also, thanks to Rebecca for the tip on how to use the dress patterns. ;-)

I made a dress!

2010-01-24T21:41:00.007-06:00

Despite my raging fever accompanied with the flu this weekend, i sewed my first dress for our little princess. It has plenty of imperfections, and i'm sure i used the wrong stitches more often than not, but it fits, and our princess loves it. To me, that's success!

Check it out:

nice pants sagging down on mr E, eh?

That bottom turquoise thingie is a rice warmer i made for my very sore throat. Works wonderfully!!

Daycare - week 2

2010-01-15T13:14:00.002-06:00

Ok, so this new kids is a PEFECT match to our family! My kids like him well enough, are only sometimes jealous of my giving him attention, and he NAPS in the afternoon at the same time as my kids, consistently! Could i have it any better?

Yesterday I asked his mom if she was happy with him here, and she basically said she's overjoyed to have found us. How awesome is that!! A super good fit for both of us. Today Daddy took the day off, and he was watching me in the morning with all 3 kids, and commented at how the new guy is just the right age and fits in just great with our kids. I couldn't agree more.

And i owe it all to the big man upstairs, that i am sure of. In October or November, when i was praying about our situation, my need to earn some income, and considering our options, i felt very clearly that starting my own daycare would be the best thing for our family. I put out ads, prayed for direction and inspiration, and shortly before Mr. L's mom contacted us, felt a calm reassurance that a we were being watched over and the right family was being prepared for us.

Tada! Even better, the mom just got off work early, and came and picked up her sleeping boy, and we're off to do something fun tonight!!! What a great way to end the week. b

Daycare - week 1

2010-01-06T13:44:00.002-06:00

Well, so far things are going quite well with my new daycare. The 10 month old baby that has joined our family during the day has adjusted quite well to our home. He is a great kid, and fortunately for me, takes fantastic 3+ hour naps. So... i've still had afternoons with peace and quiet and 3 kids asleep. Who could ask for more?

I got 2 phone calls today from other moms looking for daycare, and will meet them this week. Perhaps we'll have another little one join our group a few days a week. Perhaps not. I'll keep you posted. :-)

resolutions

2010-01-01T21:00:00.003-06:00

Tis the season to improve! In the spirit of the season, these are my resolutions for 2010:

1. I resolve to draw closer to the Savior through daily scripture study and more heartfelt prayer.
2. I resolve that i will not yell at my children, except to protect them from serious injury.
3. I resolve to prepare my family for emergencies with updated 72-hour kits, car kits, and a robust 3-month supply of all necessities.

Over the past few years, i've learned that i do VERY well with self-assigned goals. So... i have full confidence that, now that i've really set these goals and shared them with the world, i'll do all that i can to accomplish them.

Please don't hesitate to remind me of my goals, if/when you find me falling short. After all, that's what friends are for.

I'm Hired!

2009-12-30T21:10:00.002-06:00

So today i get a phone call asking if i'm still available to babysit... and a few hours later a lady comes over with her baby boy and husband... and a half hour later we've signed a contract for me to start watching their baby on Monday. How cool is that! All from a Craig's List ad.

Yippee! Now we'll see if i'm as ready for 3 kids as i think i am... :-)

The Merriest Christmas... sort of

2009-12-25T20:56:00.003-06:00

We had a pretty good day, considering all the sugar overdoses, toy surplusses, and lack of sleep our toddlers experienced. Prince E. just LOVED his matchbox cars and the little car wash we got him, both super inexpensive gifts - totally ignoring almost everything else. Go figure.

Our Princess enjoyed a wider variety of her loot, and was thrilled that we let her sleep in her new play tent tonight. Just THRILLED!!

Dad and I are watching the Chargers demolish the Titans right now... so sad the game's such a blowout...

Hands down, the best thing about today was being home with my family, just able to relax and play and not have to do ANYTHING. Ok, i did spend a lot of time getting dinner ready (which the kids didn't eat, and now has our fridge filled to max capacity...), but that was my choice. I wanted a nice dinner, and by golly i got one. Plus, i'm already looking forward to the ham, eggs, and hash browns for breakfast in the morning. Yume!

I know it seems cliche to say, but i hope you all had a fantastic day too.

(I was so happy my hubby gave me this food processor. SO much time saved in the kitchen!!)

Gingerbread men

2009-12-23T14:28:00.002-06:00

Oh my, oh my! I don't think i've every enjoyed Gingerbread Men before today - they are just DELICIOUS! I was AMAZED at how lovely these cookies smelled as i pulled them from the oven... mmmmm.... I must be developing a taste for ginger and molasses, because seriously, never, ever, ever before in my life have i really enjoyed gingerbread.

here's the recipe i used, in case you'd like to enjoy some too. Mmmmmm....

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Eileens-Spicy-Gingerbread-Men/Detail.aspx

(and i even used backstrap molasses, even though the recipe told me not to. oh well. no complaints here!)

Sharing popcorn

2009-12-19T14:11:00.004-06:00

I love, love LOVE that Princess E. is old enough to actually be helpful some of the time. Here she's even feeding Prince E. his after-nap snack. She's pretty good at sharing too... Prince E. not so much. Shortly after this photo shoot, i stepped away for a few minutes, returning to find the rest of the popcorn in a pile on the floor, no doubt a result of his attempt to yank the bowl away from his sister.... Oh well. You can't win 'em all!

(and no, she is not naked here. Just between outfits.)

The prayer of a 3 year old

2009-12-15T20:22:00.002-06:00

After initially refusing to join us for prayer, Princess E insisted on saying the prayer tonight, and insisted on saying it herself. We tried not to laugh as the volume increasingly escalated, until we had to remind her that prayers are supposed to be reverent. Dad said "shhh", and peeked to see Prince E. also going "shhh" with his finger almost over his lips. She stalled after a minute or so, so i jumped in to help her, and shortly thereafter had to cough.... so sure enough, Princess E coughed, followed by Prince E. Never doubt that your kids are watching (and listening to) your every move!

Nursing Home Visit

2009-12-14T13:36:00.001-06:00

Today before the weather turned too bad, we took a walk over to the nursing home and i went in and spoke with a few residents that i had been told spoke German. Well, they didn't speak much German, and my kids didn't like staying too long, but i did get out and over there, and saw how laid back things were for most of the residents- some were visiting with friends, others were eating in the cafeteria, some were sleeping.... no one looked particularly unhappy. That made me feel much better.

I bet the loss of privacy is a big adjustment for the residents when the first arrive though. Most residents share rooms, most rooms have the door open.... and this is their home. No front doors, porches, knocking before entering... a different lifestyle for sure. I hope when i get older that i can take care of myself, or that my kids will be kind enough to care for me when i'm not able to do so myself. And i SURE hope i don't have to grow old alone.

Nursing Home Carols

2009-12-13T14:01:00.004-06:00

Yesterday we had a primary activity at a nearby Nursing Home. The kids did a great little program, and i could see some of the residents really enjoying their sweet songs.

After the kids finished and were mostly gone, the semi-circle of residents remained in their wheelchairs while they awaited the arrival of nursing staff to return them to their rooms. It really saddened me to see the void we left behind. I can't help but wonder what i can do to help fill that void.

Santa's Little Helper

2009-12-11T15:13:00.005-06:00

It's AMAZING to me how helpful Princess E is, now that she knows Santa is watching her. I remember thinking: "sure mom, like that lousy trick is really going to change my behavior..." but it really works for a 3 year old!! She's been helping Prince E take his jacket off, helping clean up the toys, dusting, and today she REALLY wanted to help me vacuum. I'm just LOVING the change in attitude! I have a feeling i'll have to come up with some other plan for January, though...