Christmas recap!

I am feeling much better today for the first time in about 10 days. The kids had a great Christmas. They got so many wonderful toys. Red and Money each got buzz lightyear custome and shoot gun from Grandma and Grandpa M! I believe that is Red's favorite gift. I have two buzz's running around. Today the two youngest stayed home with me and grandma and the older two and daddy went skiing/snowboarding with grandpa and Aunt Becky and Uncle Travis. I just talked to J and he said that GG was going down the big hills. Which I am glad I'm not there because I think I would be nervous watching her on the ski lift those things are high. Both the kids got 2 hour lessons this morning which I think helped. Today was Monkey's first time skiing so as fas as I know he didn't do the big hills. I will leave you with my buzz lightyears!

I've been MIA

Since I posted on Tuesday I came down with the worst stomach flu I have ever had. It was seriously debilitating. My stomach still feels upset this morning but not as bad as the past mornings. I hope and pray that I am on the mend of this because I really want to enjoy Christmas morning. Well I wanted to get on here and tell everyone Merry Christmas.

8 years of marriage and Lord willing many more to come...

Apparently I am no good at this surprise thing. Today is our anniversary and J had already made plans for a sitter so he could take me out to lunch. I asked him this morning if we were going to do anything and he said he wanted to clean the house. I was giving him suggestions of what we could do which he had already done but I didn't know about. I love when he does things without me knowing but I always seem to ruin them. We had a good lunch and now he took the three kids sledding. I hope we don't have any accidents like last year!

Yesterday was a very fun day. We pulled the two kids out of school and took them to the Winter Wonder Fest. My Friday morning Bible study at church had planned this event and so there was 39 people that went. There was a group of 16 who drove the church van they were all the women that had kids but their husbands were working and then the other 23 were 4 families us being one of the 4. The husbands were either firefighters or police officers so they have different work schedules! The kids had fun riding rides and playing with their friends from church. Dinner was fun too. We sat most of the kids at one table and the men decided to sit with them so us women had a nice dinner!

Family Get together...

This weekend was my grandparents family get together. We got home late last night because GG and Red where in the Sunday School program/Ark performance. Anyways, we had a good time with family needless to say. My Uncle, we'll call him Mr. T was telling me how he reads my google...you know your chat box. It was pretty funny, he meant my blog. I told him I would give him a shout out so here it is...

About half an hour into our time together Peanut got hungry so I grabbed my nifty little hooter hider that my friend Belinda made me and we nursed. Mr. T being a huge joke-ster asked if he could see how breastfeeding worked. He then walked away to do something when his wife informed me that if I were to show him he would run away crying. So I told her that after Peanut was done eating and I was all put back together I would call him over to "show" him. Well he won't come near me so I just lifted the blanket as I was telling him he could see. His face was priceless and everyone around me that knew what was going on was laughing so hard. It was all in good fun. I am actually planning a trip to go see him and his family this summer if everything works out! They live in another state.

Last Night!

I wish I had pictures to show but the batteries were dead in the camera I brought. I am kicking myself for not checking them first. At least she has one more performance so I hope to get some pictures then. She looked so sweet on the stage singing and dancing!

Looking forward to this weekend/week we are going to be crazy busy. We leave tomorrow just me, the 4 kids, and our babysitter to go to my grandparents Christmas gathering. We are spending the night in a hotel and then on Saturday is the family party at the hotel. We are coming home Saturday because we have to be at church early on Sunday morning for GG last performance. Then on Monday we are going to Winter Wonder Fest so the kids aren't going to school that day. I am really excited about it and J took the day off to come with us! Tuesday is our 8th anniversary, Wednesday is the party at Awana clubs, Thursday is GG's school Christmas program and then Friday is the last day of school for the year and their parties! Oh yeah and J's brother and family are coming to town late Thursday night. Then that starts another whole weekend/week of fun but that is looking to far in advance for me right now!

In Trouble!

I have been reprimanded for not posting and when I do it is pictures or a video. What do you except from a mama of four and the youngest is not yet 3 months old! My days basically consist of cleaning the house, laundry, dishes, and taking care of the kids which two have homework everyday. I will say though Life is Good and I feel extremely blessed! We have a few more gifts to buy for random things that keep seeming to pop up like GG's class is doing a grab bag for their Christmas party next week. Speaking of her she has her first performance for the Ark on Wednesday. She is excited and nervous at the same time. She has a dancing solo and a singing solo. The other girl is getting so big and she is just such a happy baby. She giggles all the time now and smiles at all her siblings even Red :) Now on to Red, his verbal skills have taken off. He has always been a good speaker but his reasoning has got too good sometimes. I know I have examples but at the moment I am too tired to think of them. And last but certainly not least is Monkey. Poor kid had a bout of the hives last week. He is finally over them Praise the Lord. I hate that we have no idea what caused them and will probably never know either, so frustrating. His teacher said that his writing and reading is improving greatly! Other than that he is still my loudest most imaginative child. I did ask him one day if he gets tired of me and his dad asking him to be quiet? He said, "No." I swear I tell him at least once a day he is being too loud. I guess one day I will miss his talking that sounds like he is screaming :)

Big Brother gets Big Laughs!

I was making dinner and Monkey was helping me keep Peanut happy. I had to stop dinner to get the giggles on video! I just wish it wasn't so dark on the computer the camera looked fine...

Hot off the press!

I took some pictures of Peanut today and wanted to get them on here on time! She is wearing one of GG outfits when she was a baby! The whole time I was trying to take her picture she was smiling but as soon as it flashed she stopped smiling.




One more thing I wanted to document...hehehe. J made me breakfast in bed. And there was no special occasion! Now I just have to get him to write me a song...hmmm. He has written each of the kids a song and our friend Olivia but not me. I can't be too upset he has written me poetry.

Olivia

Hi Olivia :)
Here are the words to your song...

Gonna sing a song about a friend of mine
I know you would like her too.
Pretty blonde hair and big blue eyes
And she's got three brothers too.

Olivia, that's her name. Olivia, it's you!
Olivia, that's her name. I hope you smile when you hear this too!

Spent five years on this great big earth
And you know what she likes to do?
Goes to church and plays with her friends
bet you'd like her to play with you.

Olivia, that's her name. Olivia, it's you!
Olivia, that's her name. I hope you smile when you hear this too!

Conversation with a 2 year old

Yesterday after we picked up Monkey we went out to eat. On the way to the place Red says, "Are we going to Photo's?" He recognized the street because we go there often. I say, "Yes, we are you are so smart." To which he replies, "I not smart I cute." I ask, "Can't you be cute and smart?" He says, "No, you say I cute so I cute not smart." I think we have some work to do. :) He also has a different way to hang ornaments on our Christmas tree...this is the picture I took.

This is the kids decorating the tree...

Our four blessings in front of our tree!

Most recent picture of Peanut that GlamorGirl took, she did a good job!

Hairy and Company!

Tonight at church Hairy and Company came to perform. Now just a little background on them, Red absolutely loves Hairy. We have the DVD and he *wants* to watch it over and over and over. Me trying to be a good mom and not just prop him in front of the tv, even though I get a ton of stuff done while he is entertained, I let him watch it only once. We got to church a little early and I asked Dianne if Red could give Hairy a hug after the show she said yes to Red's delight. Last night before I put the kids to bed I made the mistake of telling them that Hairy was going to be at church today. Red was so excited he didn't go to sleep until after 10pm. He kept getting out of bed telling me he was awake and it was time to go to church! Before the show started and after I was done talking to Dianne, Red says, "Are you from the Bible?" We both kind of laughed and she said, "No, but do you have my movie?" Red now laughing says, "Your from the tb." Yes he says tb for tv :) It was also pretty cool during the show she was talking and Hairy was coming out on stage and the kids were going crazy and yelling, "There's Hairy!" Red, of course, being one of those kids. Oh yeah did I mention we were in the front row?! Dianne says, "Red do you see Hairy?" The look on his face was priceless. She knew his name! Then afterwards he got to give Hairy a hug after big brother and big sister did first. He was a little apprehensive at first but warmed up quickly and wanted to see all the puppets. One last thing...Peanut even smiled at the puppets. She is our next Hairy and Company fan in the making. We had a great time...now go check out there website!!!

Christmas Time!

The kids have been off of school this whole week so we have been busy with playdates and Thanksgiving things. I have to say that yesterday was probably my favorite day of the week. We got up and had a nice pancake breakfast. I finished Peanut's blanket for Christmas now I just have to do Red's, that is a great feeling. Then two older kids and I played tons of games while the two little ones slept. When they woke up we went out to eat. When we got home is when all the real fun happened. We listened to Mercy Me's Christmas Album while we put up the Christmas tree, put all the decorations out, and hung the stockings by the fireplace. We need to get a stocking for Peanut then everything will be complete. Our house is so ready for Christmas! Oh yeah and J got up real every to go shopping on Black Friday, he was home before anyone else woke up. I think he is CRAZY! He said he got some great deals and the presents where all for me, well except one for Peanut. He always gets me the best presents I am excited about opening them, but with him getting them he always wants to give them to me right away. He was wanting me to open them last night before we went to bed. This month is going to kill him waiting! I also have pictures from the decorating but I haven't had time to put them on the computer. If I get a chance I will put them on here if it isn't too late.

Busy-ness/Stress

**Update**
J figured out what was wrong with the washer. I guess there is a little tube that attaches to the basin and then triggers the water to stop once it fills up to the level it is set at. That little tube broke and so when the water filled to the level it started going through the tube to stop the water instead the water just ran down the machine and on to the floor and the water didn't stop. I almost always do large loads, kind of have to with 6 people, so the water was already close to the top when the water started leaking which is why the water was coming out of the top, too! Needless to say, J was able to fix it for now until we can go get a longer tube. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have tons to be thankful for here.
**End Update**

I think our busy life caught up with us yesterday. The last two days had been non-stop action. Monkey had his Thanksgiving program Friday and it got over an hour before GG got out of school so we hung around school and went to the pep assembly. That was tons of fun. The school for the first time has a drum line and they rocked! We got home and had a few hours of down time until we packed everyone back up and took them to the basketball game at school. We certainly have school spirit :) When we got there two girls were doing face paints. Of course, all the kids got there faces painted...even Peanut. I wish I would of gotten a picture of her though. She had CLA written across her forehead. It was cute! Then yesterday was insanely busy. In the morning J and I split the kids. He took GG to church for her Ark practice and he and Red went to his parents house the practice was 2 hours long. I took Monkey and Peanut we went to the store and then to Monkey's gymnastics. Came home and made lunch and J and GG got home. He had left Red at his parents to take a nap and I was bringing the other two over in about an hour or so anyway. Then back in the car to grandma and grandpa's. Dropped them off and Peanut and I went to a baby shower. After that we picked up all the kids and headed to my dad's house for Thanksgiving dinner. When we got home it was 9pm. Poor Red hadn't been home since 9:30am he was almost gone for 12 hours. The kids went to bed and I got myself and baby girl ready. I was hoping the day was over for us but it wasn't. I lay in bed nursing my baby and all of a sudden she makes a funny noise. I jump in time to catch the spit up. I lay her back down and more comes out all over the bed. So I pick her up and she does it 4 more times on the floor. I strip the bed and her and start a load of laundry. I try and sooth her while I am cleaning and making the bed. Which brings us to today. As I was typing this the baby was sleeping on the bed and the kids were playing in their rooms and I had a load of laundry in. I started to hear and strange noise in the bathroom where the laundry is and decided to investigate. Something is wrong with the washing machine. Water is all over the floor. Make a call to hubby and start cleaning the floor. I really hope nothing is really wrong with the machine. I need to do laundry. Now I wait for him to come home and take a look at it mind you he is working right now. So all he can really do is look at it he can't fix it.

2 months...already?

I just can't believe that Peanut has been in our family for 2 months now! I took her to the doctor today and she weighs 12lbs 10oz she was 7lb 14oz at birth and when she left the hospital she was 7lb 6oz. She was 22 1/2 inches long she was 20 inches at birth. The doctor was very impressed with her tracking and how she responses to people talking to her with a great big ole smile! She told me she has never see a 2 month old smile like that. I was a little shocked by that considering all my babies started smiling at 1 month. I told her she has laughed too! But she does have three older examples to follow :) Anyway, she got one shot today and I went in there not wanting to do any but ended up just getting one out of the 4 they wanted to give her. We have had bad reactions to shots in the past and we are going to take it slow just like we did with Red. Here is one of the shots I got of her smiling that isn't as blurry because she just can't keep still...those arms and legs flail about!

Family Picture...

J wanted to do a different picture this year so this is what we got!

Family Game Night

We've been playing games one night during J's 3 days off and tonight we played Scrabble. We did teams as our kids are still pretty young. So it was Monkey and I against J and GG. The first half of the game Monkey and I were winning by about 20 points and then J and GG started getting really good words and high letter scores. All of a sudden Monkey says, "Who's winning." J replies, "We are." Then Monkey says, "Ok it's time to switch teams." It was the funniest thing but I say to him, "What am I chop liver?" Needless to say we had a great time playing games as usual!

My boys

They are so different from one another and I love them both. Today I had a conversation with each of them and they made me think about just how different they are.

With Red we were in the van running errands and decided to stop by a friends house.
And this was our conversation...
Me: Red, when we get to their house I am going to run up to the door and see if they are home. You and Peanut are going to stay in the car. If they are home I will come get you out.
Red: I don't think that is a good idea. You get me out. I come with you and if they are home we can go in and play.

In the van again with Monkey on the way home from school. He has a field trip tomorrow which J is going on. They are going to the nursing home two blocks away and are having the parents drive kids in their personal vehicles. At school Mrs. R told the kids they had to have their carseats with their names on them.
Monkey: Mom tomorrow when I go to school we have to bring my carseat in and it has to have my name on it. I don't want to put my name on my carseat, that would be silly.
Me: You don't have to worry about it because daddy is going on the field trip and your carseat will already be in the van.
Monkey: Mrs. R said if we don't have our carseats at school we don't get to go. (at this point almost in tears)
Me: Sweetie Mrs. R knows that daddy is going and that your carseat will be in the van it will be ok, you can ask daddy when we get home.

Monkey takes everything so literal which I have been told I did the same when I was a kid and I believe I still do at times. The boys are just so different and it isn't bad they are both very special to me. I'm sure the girls are going to be different from each other as well?!?! That will be fun to find out :)

There is a Rockin' Sling contest going on here. Go check it out but I want to win it :)

Birthday

Today is my birthday, yes, I'm a Halloween baby. This is the last year I have to be in my 20's. And you know what? I'm not even freaking out about it. I really don't feel much different than I did when I was in High School/College, well besides the fact that I have a family of my own now...and a few more responsibilities! All I know is that when my youngest is going off to college I will be 46 years old. Of course, in true hubby fashion J gave me my gift yesterday. As I was washing the dishes he put my mother's necklace on me with my new charm for Peanut. I had been asking for this charm once we hit September since at that point we knew she would be born in that month. This morning he brought me breakfast. I am excited about all the fun we are going to have today. We're going Christmas shopping (my idea) then getting the kids out of school for my birthday lunch. Then trick or treating!

Conversations...

We were in the van the other day and I don't even know how we got on this topic but we were talking about the kids getting married. J said something like when you get married make sure your dad gives you money. This is the conversation...
GlamorGirl being the smart little cookie she is says, "Your my dad. So you are going to give me money when I get married?"
He says, "Yes, how much do you want."
She stops and thinks about it for a second and says, "60 dollars."
Then the Monkey pipes up, "Do I get money when I get married?"
J: "Sure how much do you want?"
Monkey thinking about it then gets a really cute little grin on his face says, "A thousand dollars."
J: "Ok, a thousand it is."
At this point we have a completely clueless Red saying, "I want money too."
J and I together say, "Sure and how much do you want?"
Red once again having no idea because he is only 2 says, "48 dollars."
J and I laugh because what an odd number!
Then GG decides she wants to change her money from 60 to 100. J agrees to that and a few minutes later she asked to change it again.
J told her that this was the last time she could change her amount. She went back to her original $60, what a goof.
J said we should remember the amounts that they gave us so when they do get married we can give them that amount. I think that Monkey is the only one that made a good deal!?! So when the three older kids get married we will only be out $1,108 :) I really don't think that is going to happen but it was a very funny conversation none the less.

Siblings

Red loves Peanut sometimes a little too much. He gives her kisses ALL. THE. TIME. To the point where she has a wet spot on her head all day long. He has to know where she is and what she is doing all day long as well. It is very cute that he loves her so much but at times it can get a bit much. The other day I was nursing her and he came over and kissed her head like normal and then kissed my boob. He looks up at me with a goofy smile and says, "I kissed your nurse." He also likes to tickle her when she is laying on the ground. She has smiled at him a couple of times when he has done this, which is so sweet. Then there is the other side of it where he says things, for example, when she came home from the hospital and we changed her diaper. He saw the left over umbilical cord still on her and says, "I don't like her belly button, mommy." He also doesn't like when she cries in the van. He gets really nervous like and says, "It's ok baby. It's ok." We had to explain to him she doesn't like being in the carseat but that she is ok. I can't wait to see how their relationship blossoms over the next few months!

Happenings...

I haven't been on here in a few days because I was sick. Oh how I hate being sick, especially with a newborn. Well, I felt better on Tuesday but took that day to fully recover. But there have been things that I have wanted to write about!

Red is the kind of kid that will eat anything at least ONCE! We went out to eat with my dad and he had gotten a tuna sandwich. My dad gave Red a bite and you could tell by his face he didn't like it and wanted to spit it out. I told him to swallow it and I would give him a drink. Then about 5 minutes later my dad asked him if he wanted another bite. In Red's sweet little voice he says, "I don't like it." It was too funny. This is the conversation J and Red had the other day.
Red: Daddy you have a shoot gun?
J: Yes
Red: Do you shoot the bad guys?
J: No Red
Red: Can I watch a movie?

GlamorGirl has started a club at school with another little girl and they have a song, that they made up. It doesn't really make too much sense but it is all theirs :) Last night she came home got a singing solo and speaking part along with the dancing solo! She was so excited.

Monkey has really grown up this year being in school without his sister around. Last year they had recess together and now they don't see each other at all during the day. He tells me that his favorite thing is recess because the kids always play what he wants to play, soccer. But everyday he comes tells me something from Bible class, his teacher is 90 years old and I can tell Monkey really thinks he is a neat guy with all the stories he tells the class.

Peanut has really started to show her little personality and she is such so sweet. She smiles ALL the time and I love it. Someone said that she is interactive and I would have to agree! I can't believe that tomorrow she will be 6 weeks old. Her best friend was born on Tuesday. Their second child is the same age as Red and they are best buds and so we just figure the girls will be too. Plus girls weighed the same at birth so they already have that in common!

Straight Up

J found this on youtube I think I like his version better what do you think?

School Debut

Finally I took Peanut to school to show her off, of course! I first took her outside where GG was playing at recess (where she almost knocked me over from excitement), through the preschool to see Mrs. Sherry and then we walked to the other end of the school to get Monkey. We ran into Miss S. who GG has this year for 1st grade and she was so excited and wanted me to come up to her class but Monkey needed to be picked up and GG had already seen us at recess. Once I finally got to the Kindergarten wing that is where we drew a crowd, didn't think we were ever going to get out of there! Mrs. S. which was both Monkey and GG's Junior Kindergarten teacher was so excited to see her and then Mrs. R. who Monkey has this year came over. I haven't been to school since she was born so I got to talk to Mrs. R. (I wanted to see how he was doing in class) and she said she couldn't believe how night and day Monkey and GG are. Mrs. S. and I had both told her this summer that the kids were completely different but I don't think she realized it until she actually had them in class. She said they are both good kids and smart but their personalities are just so different! Man I love my kids. The funniest thing were all the moms that told me that seeing her makes them want to have another baby but that they are almost 40 years old, at least 3 moms said that to me. When we went to the preschool Mrs. Sherry asked if she will be getting Red next year and we haven't decided if we are going to send him yet. I had told her probably not and she was so sad. The main reason being I don't want to have to do the mid-day pick up (which she totally understood) but we'll see I am thinking if he does go it will only be 2 days and he WILL have Mrs. Sherry! So this is something that J and I have to really talk about because registration is at the beginning of January.

TIME...

I feel like it is flying by, Peanut is a month old. With 4 kids it is a little harder to get on here and blog about stuff that I really want too. But the kids are watching tv for the first time today and the homework is all done, the dishes are done and the clothes are drying so I have a little time.

Saturday we went to a pumpkin farm it was our first fun family outing since the baby has been here and I took pictures but I haven't put them on the computer yet. The older kids got to ride a camel! Then I realized that I only got one picture of the baby in the sling. Oh well at least I have the one to document she was actually there :) J started back at work yesterday and so I got a semi taste of what my life is going to be like. My dad came over and took us out for dinner. And then he was here while I got them ready for bed and so he helped with the baby. Today, Wednesday and Thursday J is off. Friday should be interesting.

Peanut has started to smile at us! Which is so great but I haven't been able to capture it in a picture yet. I am usually holding her and no one else is around to take the picture. What I really should be doing right now is getting the pictures off the camera and onto the computer. Ok that didn't take that long to do...here they are!

Excitement

So excited I just got off the phone with a lady from school who has a carrier for the back of my bike that holds two kids. This last summer we didn't ride much because I was pregnant but next summer we are going to have so much fun riding around, like two summers ago.

Last night we went to church and GlamorGirl is in the children's choir and she was very ecstatic to announce that she got a solo dancing part in the program. It was too funny when telling me about it, she went something like this, "Mom they had parts that you could sing all by yourself or you could dance all by yourself. I got the dancing part! There was only one dancing part and I got it! I am going to be on the stage all by myself DANCING!" I was surprised to learn she didn't want a singing part because the girl LOVES. TO. SING. But it will be cool to see her up there dancing, just like her mama used to do ;) Most importantly she is super excited about it. Oh yeah have I mentioned that Wednesday nights are my favorite day of the week now? I love going to church and hanging out with the other moms while my kids are being taken care of by other people I trust. On Tuesday night while I was at my bible study J and the kids made a video and left it on the computer for me when I got home and here it is...

Pictures!!!

I was thinking to myself today that I haven't taken many pictures of Peanut lately. They grow and change so fast the first few months that I really want to make sure I get her documented especially in her cute new outfits :)

I want to start off with a picture from the day she came home from the hospital and a picture of her in the same outfit 3 weeks later.



Now here are just some really cute pictures! The white outfit on the gray blanket was taken on Oct 1st and the rest are from TODAY! She is getting so big and super duper cute! Of course these were not all the pictures taken of her as I tend to go crazy with the camera these are my favorites.

Bath!

Tonight was the first bath I gave Peanut. J has been doing all of her baths, which the first one Monkey recorded and the second one I took pictures of but no pictures from tonight's bath. I forgot how sore my back gets from bending over the tub.

Today we took the kids to this HUGE store called Cabelas it is an outdoorsy type store and it had tons of stuffed wild animals and big fish. The kids were wide eyed throughout the store. It was funny to me because people were noticing Peanut and commenting on her as much as they were saying stuff about the animals. I don't think I can count the times I answered the question "How old is your baby?" I loved the fact that she was so content in my maya wrap and either slept or looking around. I will leave you with a few bath shots I took.




Want to add that there is another really cool contest going on over at 5 Minutes for Mom they are giving away a DIGITAL camera it is pink for Breast Cancer month! Just click the link to read more about the prize and to enter yourself. It is so easy you just have to write about it on your blog like I just did!

Dedication

We have had each of our kids dedicated. The way our church does it is that we as their parents stand in front of the church and dedicate our baby to the Lord and ourselves to raising them to know and love God. We had GG dedicated when she was 9 months old, Monkey at 10 months and Red at 6 months. I am thinking with Peanut I want to have her dedicated maybe at 3 months but no later then 6 months. Well J and I have been looking for a dedication song and I think we have found one. I absolutely love it because I feel like it totally encompasses my pregnancy, birth and having her here. This is a video of her while the song is playing in the background and I am going to type the words under the video, sorry it is so shaky she wanted to be held! And if you have a baby and want to use this song for your baby it is by Chris Tomlin on his CD entitled "Not to Us".



With rain, with sun
With much, with less
With joy, with pain
With life, with death

The only things that satisfy come from You
They come from You

Everything that's beautiful
Everything that's wonderful
Every perfect gift comes from You

Your grace, Your heart
Your voice, Your touch
Your word, Your peace
Your hope, Your love

A thousand words could not explain
A thousand worlds could not contain
Every perfect gift comes from You

It comes from the Father of Lights
It comes from the Giver of Life
It comes from the Heavens above
It's coming straight from Your heart
To the people You love

Blessed

I am feeling overwhelming blessed, right now, so I wanted to document it. Since I have come home from the hospital J has only had to make about 3 meals for us to eat. Friends and family have been bringing so many meals and I mean BIG meals, with sides and dessert. We have eaten super good and I'm not losing the baby weight! (Just kidding I'm really not worried about losing the weight it will come off eventually, I hope!) Not only the meals but the clothes for Peanut and diapers have been a huge blessing as well. I feel like my cup is overflowing with love and support. I love our church...this weekend was a couples get away with the church that we weren't able to attend but next year we are going for sure. And our church small groups are starting in a couple of weeks and I am really looking forward to that we are getting two new couples in our group, yay! I am loving the two Bible studies that I am doing and our playgroup is still going strong and growing another mom just told us last week she is pregnant!

Finally a Post!

Well a quick update on GG, she has been doing much better this week at school. She had to miss out on going to the indoor water park last week and stayed home with me, Peanut and Amy. She was the center of attention and it ended up not really feeling like a punishment but the time with me was what she needed. Then on Saturday J took her on a daddy/daughter date and she was so excited about it. Since then she has been fine. The boys have gotten to have one on one time with J everyday during the week but with GG being in school full days and then having at least an hour worth of homework when she gets home it is hard to give her that one on one time. Now that we realize she needs it we have been trying to be more available to her.

I just have to mention how Red has been doing with her because it is too cute. He is consistently asking "Is the baby nursing?" "Is the baby sleeping?" "Where is the baby?" super cute that he loves her so much. Then there is the "This is my baby." "My baby sister." Then completely not related to the baby he makes EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING into a gun. But he calls it a shoot gun...very funny.

Monkey on the other hand has been very odd lately. He was holding Peanut the other day and all of a sudden he says to her, "You look funny." J took him to the store and the person at the counter had an accent and he says, "Daddy that man talks funny he sounds like a robot." He has been saying other things like that and I am wondering isn't he too old to be saying things like that? I know he is just saying what he sees or hears but sometimes it isn't nice or polite. Anyways here are some new pictures!

Normalcy somewhat

Today we got up early instead of laying around snuggling in the bed and went to church for my Bible study. I say we because my wonderful hubby has to drive me there and once there he carried the baby and diaper bag in so I just had to walk...slowly into the building. For our first outing I think it was pretty successful, well I guess it was technically our second as Peanut had a doctor's appointment yesterday and she was 8lbs 3oz. Anyways, it was just nice to feel somewhat normal!

This afternoon J took the boys to the indoor waterpark that is 5 minutes away from our house and I was able to sleep while the babe was sleeping. I think I could of slept much longer but the hour I got was great. I did get woke up by the phone it was GlamorGirl's teacher. She has been having some issues this week at school. In the last two years of school she has never gotten a note home or been in trouble. I have a feeling it is all the new things going on at home but we are going to need to address this and hopefully get it taken care of, otherwise she is going to have a rough year of first grade and I really don't want that. The issues aren't really anything major but still not my girl.

Contest

There is a contest going on over at 5 minutes for Mom to win a Pink Dyson Vacuum, for Breast Cancer awareness month. Just click on the link and leave a comment on the post and then link to the contest on your own blog. Very simple and you could be the winner even though I hope I am!

Nervous...

I sit here alone in the house with Peanut. Yes, that is what she is going to be referred to here on out. J took the kids to church tonight for dinner, children's choir and Awana clubs. I have some friends coming over later to see the baby but for now it is just me and her. Which means I have to make myself dinner! I am on so many different pills it is also scary to me to be left alone because what if I pass out or get dizzy and fall? I am taking two different pain medicines, an iron supplement, antibiotics (for UTI, so not fun) and regular vitamins. I can open my own pharmacy! I need to make sure I have plenty of diapers and wipes at the location I sit with her so I don't have to keep getting up to get stuff. The kids have been great little helpers with getting things and throwing things away for me. I am so emotional too, which is probably why this post is jumping all over the place. Sorry! Nursing is going good but she has injured my left side and I need new nursing bras because yet again they have gotten bigger then the last baby...I don't even know how that is possible. I feel pretty good today as long as I keep on top of my pain medicines. I just can't wait to start feeling better and get off of these pills so I can just be the mom again. Well I need to go tend to my little girl.

Home Alone!

J just left for the store and I'm home with the 4 kids by myself!!! Of course the only one awake is the baby! Nope scratch that she just fell asleep :) The chaos has already started and I love it. I was nursing the babe while talking on the phone when I realized she had poop on her dress! Since I can't move very fast or really much at all I had to have J take care of the mess. That is one plus to having a c-section...not that I would recommend one I think the other way is so much better. Anyways, I really got on here to show her off :) So without further ado our newest addition (and last Lord willing, unless we get a pet!)










If they went in the order I wanted it should be a picture of me right before we left for the hospital, her just out and in the position she was in my tummy, then her close up and her with me and daddy and her siblings, and her ready to come home. I just realized I didn't get a picture with me, her and daddy or all 6 of us together. Oh well she isn't going anywhere!

Announcing.....

Ivory Rae born September 14, 2007 at 3:48pm. Mommy and baby are both doing good. Mommy is sore from the C-Section but feeling better every day. Tonya will update with pictures when she gets home and has a chance.

I'm GOING...

The hospital just called and said they want to bump me up for the c-section. So I will be in surgery at about 2:30/3pm today. Prayers are welcome and greatly appreciated. Stay tuned for updates on me and baby along with PICTURES!!!

Life

Tomorrow at about this time I will have a baby. I probably won't get to hold her for another hour from this time but she will be born!! Also I will have the hubby update the blog when he comes home tomorrow night so be watching for info on her. I will do the pictures when I come home from the hospital. Ok with that out of the way...last night we did our first night of Children's Choir (GG only) and Awana clubs at our church, this year. It was a very nice evening. It was almost like a date for J and I to be able to sit and relax while all of our kids were being taken care of by church friends. I think that I am really going to like Wednesday nights! Oh yeah and GlamorGirl doesn't have much homework on Wednesday because it is church night :) Speaking of her she had her first test Wednesday at school and she came home with a 100% it was a spelling test with 23 words. I hope this is how the rest of the year goes...

Wordless Wednesday...Belly Shot

More baby details...

So are you sick of me writing about this pregnancy and baby yet? Well only a few more days and she will be here! I had an appointment today and I lost 2lbs. I couldn't change the time of the c-section so I am stuck not eating all day on Friday, but I have a plan. I am going to stay up until 2am so I can eat one last thing then I am taking my sleeping pill and sleeping the day away. I will get up shower and be off to the hospital. At least I will be rested :)

The kids had a great first day of school and surprisingly I didn't cry...I felt the tears coming but I held them back. I am looking forward to J being off work until the middle of October! He originally was only going to take 2 weeks but because of the c-section and me not being able to drive for 6 weeks afterwards he changed his plans and took off 4 weeks. I should be able to get help the last two weeks of recovery with the school thing.

Oh yeah one last thing, please continue to pray she turns because that would be ideal and I know that God is bigger than the medical field and He can get her to turn. Either way He is in control of this whole situation and so I am resting in that.

1st Day of School!

Today was the kids first day of school. GlamorGirl is a 1st grader and Monkey is in Kindergarten. We got up this morning and had a nice big pancake breakfast. Then off to school for pictures :) We will be getting Monkey from school in about an hour and GG will be there until 3:35 seems like such a long day. I feel bad for Red because he has asked about 10 times already where the kids are. I hope he gets used to them being in school! I'm sure once the baby comes it will help...






Ok these pictures didn't come out in the order I wanted but I'm not going to worry about it.

Enough Baby talk for now!

This morning I started a new Bible study at my church. It is about the inner lives of men and how they think and act differently then us women. I am really excited about getting to know the women in the study better and learning more about how my hubby thinks and feels about things I say and do. The best part is it is biblically based.

I also wanted to get on here and say that the kids start school in 3 days! I can't believe how fast this summer has gone by. Also GlamorGirl starts her ice skating on Saturday while Monkey is in gymnastics. She is super excited about learning how to ice skate. But now I have to go dig out some pants for her to wear on the ice!

As for Red he has started this new thing that I remember GG doing when she was about his age. When he gets in trouble for doing something with daddy he comes running to me crying, "Daddy yell at me. Go scream at him." I then ask if he was naughty to which he replies, "yes" still sobbing. Then I explain if he was naughty then he should of gotten in trouble. It's just so funny they think I'm going to go scold their daddy for discipling them. I look at him and just can't believe how big he has gotten. He is completely potty trained during the day and does pretty well at night but still is wet some mornings but dry for the most of them.

No Baby

Well I guess God wants this little girl to stay in for 8 more days. She would not turn at all and they pushed and pushed and the best part was I couldn't feel it. But now I sit here with the after affects of the epidural and no baby. There is nothing else for me to do but to wait. I'll be honest am very sad right now.

Whirlwind of thoughts and emotions...

I don't think I mentioned that yesterday at my appointment they offered to do an amniocentesis to see if the baby's lungs were developed and if they were they could try turning her earlier. I immediately said no for two reasons, I've never had one before and I was scared it would hurt. Well I talked to two moms I know and trust who have had one done and they both said it didn't hurt and it was not a big deal. I called the midwife and told her I wanted one. Here we go...I went in today to get the amniocentesis done. Before hand J and I talked to the doctor about the risks and so on and then we scheduled a external version with possible c-section for tomorrow morning at the hospital, because we would know if her lungs were developed by then. Well during the ultrasound and they couldn't find a pocket of amniotic they would be able to use. Either the pocket had cord in it or when they pushed on my belly her arms and legs moved into the spot they would be testing. Both situations are dangerous for her so we didn't get one. I was almost relieved as I really hate needles. Then my next thought went to they are going to cancel my appointment for tomorrow. I was happy to learn that they still want me to come in and get the external version done with an epidural this time. If it works they are going to induce me but if it doesn't they will be sending me home empty handed and I will have to wait until the 14th for a c-section. I just hope I am going to be able to sleep tonight. I really want to meet this little girl. Please pray for safety for me and the baby, wisdom for the doctor and midwife who are performing the external version and for success so she will be born tomorrow. I am to be at the hospital at 6am with the doctor and midwife getting there around 7:30am. I will hopefully be able to update in a day or two with a little girl in my arms :) If not you will be hearing from me tomorrow afternoon.

Update

Yesterday we had a fun day going to the swimming pool. The last day of the summer swimming fun and we took advantage of it. It totally tired out the kids and myself so we slept great last night! Score :) After we ate dinner we decided to get out the video of Red as a baby. Watching that video makes me so excited for this baby girl to come out. I don't know if it helped my waiting patiently though! This morning J, told me that watching that video made him realize that us having another baby was a good thing, I think he was unsure but now he is so completely excited as are the rest of us. I really want to watch the other two kids movies but I am afraid that will make me not be content to wait, especially GlamorGirl's video.

Today I had another appointment and nothing has changed. I am still 4 and everything is ready to go but she is still butt first. So I scheduled a c-section for the 14th unless she turns on her own and comes out before then I will have a baby in 10 days. Other than my appointment we took the kids to their orientation for school and went to a couple volleyball games which was fun, but extremely hot! I'm going to bed now and it is only 7:45 :)

Weekend

Yesterday J and I got to go to a wedding with no children with us. It will probably be our last date alone before this baby comes. It was a really nice wedding the only bad part was it was a dessert reception so the only thing to eat was sweets with some fruit. After I got home I felt sick to my stomach and ended up throwing up everything in me. Have I mentioned that I despise throwing up? But I will say I felt better afterwards.

Today after church we went out to eat with the G's, they have become really good friends. We stopped by my in-laws to look at some things they were getting rid of but ended up not taking them. We didn't stay long because they didn't have their air on and it was really hot and making me feel sick again. J tells me every morning my body is freezing cold but I feel so hot. When we got home I laid down and J took GG and Monkey to the pool. When J and the kids got back they informed me that GG had gone off the *high dive* twice. She was really excited about that. I can't believe she is going to be starting 1st grade in a week. Anyways, Red was taking a nap so he stayed with me. I didn't really get much sleep as I feel asleep Red woke up. I put him on the potty, gave him a drink, put a movie on and went to lay back down. About 20 minutes later he comes running to me saying he has to poop. At this point I realize I'm not getting a nap. Oh well maybe I will get to go to sleep early tonight!

Game Plan

I had another appointment and baby girl is still breech. My body is completely ready for her to come out as the only thing that needs to happen is for her to flip which the midwife believes will put me in labor. The game plan is for me to keep my appointment for Tuesday the 4th and then we will schedule another attempt at the external version and if that doesn't work they are going to do a c-section. She will be here no later then the 14th of September. It could be sooner if she decides its a good idea to flip...which I am desperately praying for because her head being up HURTS so bad. It isn't like a little foot that can easily be moved away, it is a hard part of her body. I did take a 37 week picture today but I really am not motivated to post it, sorry.

I need to go take the kids outside it is absolutely beautiful here.

8 things!

I got tagged by Tammy and so I thought I would follow through and do the 8 facts/habits of mine.

1. Habit: I have to brush my teeth after getting out of the shower even if I have already brushed them.
2. Fact: My favorite book is the Bible
3. Habit: when I go to subway I order the same sandwich with the same toppings every time.
4. Fact: I got stabbed with a pitch fork when I was 10 years old.
5. Habit: I fall asleep every night with the tv on and set a sleep timer.
6. Fact: My birthday is exactly 9 weeks from today.
7. Habit: I give my family kisses every morning, when I leave the house and at night before bed.
8. Fact: I love going to sports games. We are leaving in 10 minutes to go to a Volleyball game.

Today

I'm having a pretty emotional day, but this video made me laugh so I thought I would share!

Still Pregnant...

I had a doctor's appointment today and nothing is happening with my body anymore. I am a little sad about that but at the same time ok with it because she is still in a breech position. The kids and I spent a couple hours outside today because it wasn't too terribly hot and J was only home for about 2 hours from 11am to 1pm, being out helped with my sanity. We had to come inside because Monkey was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and I had put bug spray on him. It was fine because it was starting to get hot out anyway. Hopefully I will be able to send out a quick update if I end up going to the hospital sometime this week.

Stress!

We just got power back! We lost it shortly after my last post so it has been a little stressful around our house with the rain and water gathering in the crawl space because we had no electricity (don't have a battery backup but looking into getting one now!) for the sump pump to run, not to mention we had no AIR CONDITIONING, I'm pregnant people and it was hot and sticky last night in our house. I want to leave you with this song because I just love it. I hope you enjoy.

It's been a few days...

Well Tuesday I went into my appointment and they check to see where little girl was and she was still in a frank breech position which means butt first. They also checked to see if I had dilated more and I did I am at 4 centimeters. With everything going on with my body and the baby they wanted me to go to the hospital at 6pm and they were going to try and do an external version to get her head down, the idea is to avoid having a c-section. If it worked they were going to put me in a binder to keep her that way. I didn't have an epidural and it was the WORST pain I have EVER felt in my life. They were only allowed to do the procedure for about 5 minutes because I was screaming for them to STOP. I didn't get an epidural like they usually do because they thought it was going to be easy and quick and didn't want me to have to wait for the epidural to wear off. I can understand that but I'm telling you if they want to do this to you, tell them NOT without an EPIDURAL. I got to come home at 8 sore and with no change in my baby position. I felt very defeated. I was so hopeful that she was going to turn for us. The midwife sent me home with instructions to help more her myself. Of course, I go home and lay down calmly and trying get her to move. I am almost positive I was able to more her head down but I couldn't do anything until the next morning. That night I had contractions all night long and was stomach was in major pain, baby girl was going crazy all night moving and shacking my belly needless to say I didn't get much sleep. I woke up to bruises in the shape of the doctor's fingers on my belly. I went into the office to get a scan to see if she did move for me but she was in a completely different spot then I thought I had moved her but she was still not head down. Ok no problem she has time to turn, I just hope my body cooperates and holds off on labor until she does.

Yesterday around 4:30pm my contractions started to get stronger and with each one I felt like I was dripping pee into my pants. I called and they wanted to check and make sure my water bag didn't break from the version I had done. They checked and it wasn't my water they think it was my cervix thinning out. They kept me there for a few hours to monitor me and the baby and checked me again and I was still 4 so they sent me home with strict orders that if my contractions got more intense or frequent to come back in. This pregnancy and delivery is making me extremely nervous because I haven't had a breech baby before and really don't want a c-section. I was in bed and my contractions were coming 8 minutes apart and the 6 minutes apart, if it was any of my other babies I wouldn't of gone back in and I probably won't even of given the contractions a thought. I called and they wanted me to go back so I did. Once I got there nothing had changed with my body so they wanted to give me morphine (which is a shot in the butt) and keep me over night. Ok I really didn't want to sleep there if I'm not getting a baby out of it, I don't like needles, and the last time I got a shot in the butt the area hurt for 2 years. We ended up coming home with a sleep pill I could take for the night. Let me tell you I haven't slept that good in months. I didn't even get out of bed to pee. My plan is to chill out and stop obsessing about where the baby is positioned and trust God knows what is best for her and that my body will tell me when the right time for her to come out is...even if it has to be a c-section. Prayers are still needed because this worry/anxiety I have over her coming out is a huge struggle.

Oh yeah and the kids are getting disappointed (especially GlamorGirl) every time I go to the hospital and come back without their baby sister. We all just really want to meet her.

The kids!

GlamorGirl is my little entrepreneur every time we see my dad he pays the kids to scratch his head, they get a dollar for every 4 minutes. He loves to have his head scratched and his back snapped so I bet in a few years when the kids are a little heavier they will be walking on his back to make money too. Anyways, Sunday my dad and step mom came over to play games with the kids, the plans we had with them got canceled because of the rain. Shortly after they were here the offer to scratch my dad's head came up and GG jumped on it. Monkey usually scratches too but he didn't want too. Well after my dad paid her he asked if she has used any of the money she has gotten. I told him that we have told her she could but she doesn't ever want too. She then tells me she is saving to get a bunny for a pet. Thus began our research on bunnies and how much they cost and how much more money she needs to save. She has $20, not all from head scratching! I told her once she had $100 saved we would talk to daddy about getting a pet bunny. I am all for it as I think it would be a great way to teach her about money and how much things cost there is just so many lessons to be had from her saving, buying and taking care of a bunny.

Also over the last few weeks we have started a chore chart for the kids to earn money it isn't very much they get 5 cents per job but it has helped make the house run smoother because they know what is expected from them. Plus, it is another way for GlamorGirl to earn more money towards her bunny! We normally do chore charts during the school year to make everything run. Summer time is so relaxed and laid back we get away from it. But in preparation for the new baby and school starting in 3 weeks we started it early. I have also changed our bedtime routine from summer hours to school hours in hopes that by the time school starts they will get enough sleep. I am excited for school to start but I really am going to miss GG because she is going full days this year.

I have my doctor's appointment today at 1:30 then we have a visitation right afterwards then I need to eat and go to my Bible study so I might update either really late tonight or tomorrow morning. Prayers are very appreciated!

Waiting

I am waiting to go to the doctor tomorrow and find out what is going on with my body and baby. It is so hard not knowing where she is positioned. I know she has moved but I don't know if it is the right way or what's going on. Also my ticker says 32 days but the most I have is 25 because at 39 weeks (if I make it that long) they are going to induce me and flip her if she hasn't flipped on her own. Why is waiting so hard? This pregnancy has seemed like the longest I have ever had but so far it isn't...is it because I know what that outcome is going to be a new baby to hold that is making it so much harder?! Please pray for me and my family (I am miserable and I am struggling not to make the misery known to them but I fail A LOT) just that we will hear good news tomorrow and I can make it these last few days.

Of all the days!

Last night before I went to bed J said that he would get up with the kids and take them to their last day of VBS so that I could sleep in. He knows that these last few weeks I have had a hard time sleeping due to the pregnancy and needing to use the bathroom at least 2 times a night. Well this morning soon after the kids woke up the city started to working outside and it was extremely loud. There goes my morning of getting to sleep in. Thank. You. Very. Much!

I didn't get on here yesterday because our day was very packed. Got up took kids to VBS and then to the car dealer to look at some more used cars. And I am very excited to announce that we finally bought one! We got a 2001 Toyota Camry with 38000 miles. We are both happy about the car and price we paid. These are very nice cars that can run over 200,000 miles so maybe this will be the car GlamorGirl learns how to drive with?!

Also we had a great date the other night. We went to this little coffee shop and each got a smoothie because those were the only drinks without caffeine. Then we went to see Bourne Ultimatum it was a good movie. It did make me a little sick during the action scenes because they were so fast and the camera was bouncy, but other than that it was good.

Another Doctor Appointment

This morning I had another appointment to see if baby girl flipped. They also checked to see if I have started to dilate. Well she hasn't flipped and I was told that she probably won't flip on her own because of the location of her feet. Which means I have to keep doing the exercises and help guide her in the direction she should move, not fun. But during the ultrasound she stuck her tongue out at us, it was too funny! Then I was told I am 1 to 2 centimeters dilated so that was good. Also I didn't gain any weight over the last 7 days which surprised me because we went to Old Country Buffet for lunch yesterday and I stuffed myself like always! I have another appointment next Tuesday and they will check everything again.

Other than that we aren't having any success with the car buying which is stressful and I am too exhausted to even tell you what we have been through the last few days.

On a happier note, J is taking me on a date! We are going to be leaving in a few minutes.

Wordless Wednesday Baby Thug!

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Monday!

The kids started VBS at school today which was kind of weird to have them gone. But J and I took advantage of it and went to look at more cars. We found a great deal on a new car from 06 but they didn't want to budge on the price so we walked. We plan on going to look some more tomorrow while the kids are at VBS. They both had a blast and can't wait to go back tomorrow!

Yesterday was a super fun day. After church Amy came over and she took GG and Red swimming. I really didn't feel like going and Monkey didn't either. I ended up taking Monkey on a mother/son date. We went to get an ice cream cone and then to the library. While at the library I picked out some movies. We got home about 5 minutes before Amy and the other two did and then we had a picnic dinner in the living room and watched one of the movies I got from the library.

I can't believe my baby ticker is under 40 now! I am getting so close I can't wait to hold this baby girl. I find out Wednesday if she has flipped for me :)

Obsession/ Random

I told you about the kids obsession with the caterpillar they found outside! Well last Sunday their Children's Church teacher brought a monarch caterpillar to church to show the kids. Yesterday she called me and brought over the crystalist and the kids were super excited about having it in our house. Then this morning when I woke up the monarch butterfly was just hanging there so I have a few pictures from yesterday and today. Very cool. GlamorGirl made a book with pictures she drew to remember the caterpillar turning into a butterfly. Here are the pictures I took.



Also we have started the whole car shopping process. Which is extremely hard with 3 kids that need to have car seats. We have decided that we are only going to look online until next week when GG and Monkey are in VBS at school and then we only have Red which will make test driving so much easier. Since we were out and about we took the kids to Rain Forest Cafe for lunch they loved it. It was Red's first time eating there and he was a little scared but sitting next to daddy helped calm his fears. Anyways, the whole reason we are looking is that I took J's car to my last appointment and it was shacking the entire ride. I don't feel safe in it and I really don't like the idea of my kids being in that car...it seriously feels like at any moment the wheels are going to come off or something else is going to go wrong.

We also took pictures today of my belly with the kids! I hope you enjoy we had fun taking them :)





On the kid front I am excited about their activities this year. I was trying to figure out what to do with GG and being in school full days. Well she doesn't want to do gymnastics this fall. She wants to ice skate which is fine. Her class in on Saturday morning and so I looked at the gymnastics schedule which is what Monkey wants to do and found a class the same day, almost same time and in the same building. I'm excited about this because J will be home so one of us can take them or both of us.
The only other situation I have is GG wants to be in the Children's Choir at church. She has waited to be old enough for 3 years now. Our church is about a half hour away, J works evenings so it would be me and 4 kids, it is on Wednesday nights and it is right before the Awana program at our church. We have been going to Awana's at the church two blocks away on Thursdays because it is close and later in the week. If she did choir they should probably go to Awana right after practice since we are already there and also the church choir practices during Awana which I want to join. They have nursery available for Red and the baby. I just don't know if I want to make the commitment. I also don't want to disappoint the GlamorGirl.