Frustration

Yesterday was a not so good day in our household, well I should say afternoon. The morning was good I had a doctor's appointment and got to hear my little girl's heart beating. Then as soon as the kids got home Red took the fish food and spilled it all over the floor, which was really no big deal just a real big mess. As I was making lunch I started to feel sick and thought I was going to throw up so I had to go lay down. After lunch the kids were suppose to be sitting at the table doing their homework but instead Monkey took a magnet to our computer screen. It was all discolored. So J turned the computer off in hopes it would fix itself when we turned it back on so I didn't have a computer yesterday to update. Well when we did turn it on the color was fine but all my blogs that I had bookmarked are gone. So I have to find them on the internet again and bookmark them not a huge deal but just frustrating to me.

Memorial Day

I was too lazy this morning to get the kids up and ready to go to the parade. We will try and make the 4th of July one but I'm not sweating it. J worked the parade and then came home and we played outside for awhile. Monkey is getting better at riding his bike. I can't wait for him to learn how to turn around and also start the bike himself it will be probably a few more days riding that his confidence will be better enough to learn those things. We went out to eat for lunch and then came home and both boys took a nap. Monkey doesn't nap so he must of been tired! When the kids got up we headed over to some friends house from church for swimming and a cookout. Speaking of swimming, we have always used little swimmers for our kids in the summer but we have usually only gone through one pack per summer well now that we got the pool passes and plan on going more I thought I should look into a more cost efficient swim diaper. I found a reusable one for 8.95 online and so I bought one for Red's size and then one smaller for when the baby comes. I was excited about that obviously because I am blogging about it :) Oh yeah and they have a 24 hour shipping policy too. Bring it on...

Boating....

Yesterday after I posted we left for school they were having the award ceremony for the Race for Education. We knew that Monkey was getting a trophy for running the most laps but we were surprised when GlamorGirl won the gift certificate! It was cool. Then we headed to my dad's for lunch and then spending the afternoon on the boat. I of course took pictures! We didn't get home last night until 8:30 and I was too tired to update.

Last night on the way home GG was telling me it would of been more fun if Daddy would of been able to go with us and I had to agree.

This morning J and our neighbor are putting in the swingset from their back yard. His kids have outgrown it and so he is giving it to us. That will be so nice to have for the kids to play on! Then after lunch we are heading to the pool to use our new pool pass and J has the day off. I love summer...have I mentioned that?

Red Time

Here are the 2 year pictures I took of him yesterday with my new camera. I was very productive yesterday with pictures and bike lessons :) Also I have to mention that Red went pee pee in the potty twice yesterday! I like when they pass this milestone just because I really don't like dirty diapers but not because I want them to grow up too fast...

All About My Monkey!

Monkey has been riding his bike with the training wheels bent up for about a month now. We did that with GG too. It is a confidence builder because they would know when they were riding right because they couldn't hear the training wheels on the ground. They learned to be straight on the bike but if they got off balance they wouldn't fall to the ground every time. I had been watching Monkey and J and I talked about how I really thought he was ready for the wheels to come off. With all the yard work J has been doing he says, "When ever you want to take them off and teach him go right ahead." At first I was like but you taught GG and I'm pregnant! But today I took them off and he did great and I didn't even have to run holding on that much with my slow pregnancy body :) I was helping him ride his bike and I took video...I know I'm talented! But the video is a little shaky so sorry in advance but I *had* to get it recorded it's so exciting to learn to ride a bike without training wheels.

His first good run!

Monkey getting better...

We are so happy he has learned this new adventure :)

Can't think of anything better...

to do after spending lunch and most of the afternoon at Chuck E Cheese then come home and sing praise songs! This guitar was J's birthday present last year and he started lessons in Sept 06. J and the kids had fun recording these songs. I hope you enjoy!

This is them singing Lord I lift your name on High!


singing Blessed Be the Name of the Lord


singing My Life is in You Lord. I maybe biased but I think they all did AWESOME :)

Neighbors

I try to live peaceably with my neighbors since almost all of us are outside in the summer. But I just need to vent for a second, there is one lady that has a 3 1/2 year old. SHE. DRIVES. ME. CRAZY. She hovers over her son and then she does that to my children, not to mention last summer she spanked Monkey right in front of me. Yeah I was steaming about that but that is a different story for another time. Anyways, my kids know they aren't to go to into the street even my 2 yr old knows that. When he gets close to the street we tell him to stay back and he listens and if he doesn't then he has to sit on our lap for a time out or we take him inside. Well her almost 3 1/2 year old (he will be 4 in Oct) hasn't grasped this concept yet because she runs after him every time he gets near the street and so he thinks its a game and most of the time runs into the street. It's really nerve racking to watch. Well today I was blowing bubbles and Red was getting close to the street and just as I was telling him to come back she starts running after him, which he thought was funny and then takes off, not into the street but away from her. I couldn't take it and asked her not to chase my children and that they know not to go in the street. I wanted to say, "I am their parent not you so please let me parent them they way I want and you parent your child they way you have been and let me know how that goes in about 10 years when he doesn't know how to handle himself without you around." Of course, I would never really say this to her but I *really* wanted to. It just frustrates me to no end. I just want to know what would you do if she was your neighbor? I think we will be purchasing pool passes this summer and so that we won't be home much!

Recovered!

I think I am finally recovered from the big party on Thursday night. We had 38 people at our house for the party and it was a blast! I only got stressed out once, on Thursday morning I was making the cupcakes and cake, Red pulled a chair up to see what I was doing. No big deal, right? He was watching tv so I figured it was a better use of his time to help then to sit in front of the boob tube. I asked him to go turn the tv off and as he was getting down from the chair he took the cartoon of eggs with him, completely accidental. There were 7 inside still and they cracked all over the place. I had to decide what/who I cleaned first the chair, the floor or Red. I cleaned Red first and ran outside (I was still in my pj's) to get J's help, who was mowing the lawn, for the party. Other than the egg mess the day was pretty stress free. I also got to use my new camera, so excited. I still haven't been taught how to put the pictures on the computer, hoping to learn today before J goes to work.

I love Saturdays, because we are all home together in the mornings it makes me long for summer break, where everyday is like Saturday. Today J and the kids rode their bikes to the park as I walked behind them and then we grilled out and had a picnic lunch. My plan is to do family things in the mornings on the day he works and do reading/math/school type stuff in the afternoon while Red naps so it is quiet! I need to call the library today and see when the summer reading program starts. The kids got some really good prizes last summer!

Happy Birthday Red!

Two years ago today I was holding my little boy and I mean he was little! It was a Monday May 16th and I was working as a teacher's assistant and I felt like I was peeing my pants but when I went to the bathroom I couldn't get anything to come out. So I called my midwife and she told me to come in to the office. They checked to see if it was amniotic fluid and it was so to the hospital I went. It was about 2pm when we got there and settled into our labor room. I was NOT in labor at all but he *had* to come out for his safety. We made all the calls we needed to and GG and Monkey were watching a movie in my room. At about 5pm my midwife got there and they started the Pitocin shortly after that. About 4 hours later after my body not progressing and the pain was terrible I decided I had to get an epidural. So they called the anesthesiologist and about an hour later I was pain free. I remember looking at the clock and it was 10:30pm when the meds kicked in, so then they broke my water. She let me try and get some sleep because when the epidural went in at 10pm I was only 3 centimeters dilated so she thought I had a few hours before I could push. At about 11:45 I told them I felt weird and they checked me and it was TIME. I had to wait for them to find the midwife who was checking in on other patients. When she got in there she told me to start pushing when I had a contraction, the only problem was the epidural didn't let me feel my contractions. So I had a nurse watching the monitor to tell me when to push and 3 pushes later at 12:23am May 17th my little Red came into the world. He was 5 weeks early. He weighted 6lbs 2oz and was 19 inches long. We had some minor complications those first few days, such as he had to be in an incubator because he couldn't keep his body temperature up on his own. I am just so happy to have him in my life. He has been such a joy and blessing these past 2 years and I can't wait for more years with him.

Last night I decorated his room per our family tradition and this morning he was so excited! I don't think he remembered last year. I took a picture with my new Mother's Day camera but I don't know how to get them on the computer yet but J and I plan on figuring that out today. For the rest of the day we are going to be getting ready for the party tonight and for lunch we are taking Red out for his birthday lunch another birthday tradition. Oh yeah we measured him last night and he is exactly the same height as GG was at age 3, which means he is only a 1/2 an inch shorter then Monkey at age 3, crazy big kid. Can you tell we make big deals about birthdays?

Flies by

Thursday Red will be 2 years old so I am hopefully going to be able to post his birth story even though that is the day of his party. The plan is to get most of it done Wednesday and then Thursday in the morning. Anyways, people know it is his birthday Thursday so they have been asking him "Who's having a birthday coming up?" He replies, "ME" Then they ask, "How old will you be?" He says, "old" and holds all 5 fingers up, we've been working on holding just 2 but it is hard. I just think he is so funny when he responds to these questions.

Time to Share

I had a great Mother's Day and I want to make sure I get it on the recorders! My day started off with the kids bringing me all the presents they had made at school and Awana clubs. Poor Red was so sad he had nothing to give me, he kept trying to take something from one of the kids so he had something to give. I got a book that had each kid in GG's class saying what their mom's favorite things were like food, book and so on and it also had GG's favorite memory of things we do together. It was really cute. I also got a flower pen, a homemade card, and a poem with GlamorGirl's handprints on it. From the Monkey I got a picture of him as a magnet, a cup of paper flowers, and a homemade card. Then I was ordered to stay in bed where I got breakfast in bed delivered by the two oldest but prepared by the hubby. Then it was off to church for Sunday school and service. After Sunday school I picked up Red from his class to take him to the nursery and he had made me a necklace with a picture of him on it. It was a super cute picture just like all his other pictures! The funny part was he didn't want to give it to me. Remember that morning he was sad he had nothing to give but then when he did, he didn't want to give it up...silly boy. The other two kids stayed in their SS room for Children's Church during the service. I went upstairs and sat with J and church started. All the men in the church got up on stage and sang a song to all the Mother's it was sweet. Also amazing that there was more men at church then women! Our service was mainly about men and how they did to show love to the women in their lives especially their wives who are Mother's. It was really good. Oh yeah, at the end they had all the women stand up and they prayed for us. Then they had drinks and cookies for the moms after the service. I picked up the other two kids from CC and they had a handful of things for me. For lunch J made the kids food and picked me up a Burrito from Chipotle. Yuuuummmmy. Oh I forgot the gift J got me. He bought me a new digital camera with better pixels for pictures and better zoom. We had been talking about getting one for when our little girl arrives since the other one is getting old! J had to work so he left and I put a movie on for the kids so I could relax and catch up on some reading I wanted to do. Also Monkey and GlamorGirl took turns playing with my hair...I love that! Then for dinner we met my friend Amy at Panera Bread and she bought the kids their food. My sandwich was so good and the place was pretty empty so it was relaxing as well. All in all I had a great day even though my hubby had to work. I really do love my kids and they are the reason I am a mom.

Kids

Lately

I feel like I am always posting in the morning about what we did the other day then I have a whole day of stuff that happens! Usually by the time the kids are in bed I am ready for bed, gotta love the baby making energy level! Well I really don't want to do laundry tomorrow on Mother's Day so I just put a load in so that I can get it done tonight. Which leaves me time for updating. We had an extremely busy day. We got up this morning and made Mother's Day cards for grandma's. Then my dad called and wanted to go out for lunch. Right after lunch Monkey had a bowling birthday party which all the kids were invited to attend. Red was sleeping when we got there and woke up about 40 minutes later with all the retro lights going. I was standing right next to him when he woke up but he had no idea where he was and he started shacking. I have never seen him do that before so I held him and he stopped shacking after about 10 minutes of sitting on my lap. It was the weirdest thing. I felt so bad for him.

I want to take a minute to elaborate on this party. There were 5 kids that weren't relatives or mine at this party and not one of them had their parents stay. They just dropped off their 4 or 5 year old and left. I was amazed as was the birthday boy's mom. Well I actually would of left Monkey because I know this family really well but she had told me to stay since I didn't have a sitter for the other two. When the party was over and we were heading out the door this mom totally frantic (not from our party there was about 3 other parties going on at the same time) looking for her daughter. She was crying saying that all the kids from the party were gone and she didn't know where her daughter was she was a mess, I guess she was only 5 minutes late getting to the bowling alley. I didn't stay to see what happened but it just reaffirmed my decision to stay at or near a party especially if it is in a public place.

After that party was over we met our friend Amy at the Christian Bookstore because they were having sales and I had coupons that were going to expire. I walked out of there with great deals. I was excited and we got done shopping right in time to go to our friend Jackie's 30th birthday party. That was a fun time and J was able to stop by and grab a bite to eat and socialize a bit. We left at 7:45 were home by 8 gave the kids a quick bath because they needed it terribly! They were in bed by 8:30 which I am happy about, if you don't know their normal bedtime is 7:15 and they are usually out by 7:30 if not sooner. Now I am just waiting to switch the clothes over and then I can go to bed!!! Tomorrow is MY DAY! I already have a pile of goodies waiting for me to open and I will probably get more tomorrow at church! I just want to say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mom's that read my blog :)

Not Cool

As the kids and I were leaving the house to take a walk yesterday a firetruck and an ambulance pull up and the men run up to our elderly neighbors house, they are in their mid-70's. My heart dropped and I was scared to find out what was going on. We have grown pretty attached to these neighbors as we see them almost everyday in the summer. Not to mention the fact that Red thinks that EVERY old man is Jack! Well everyone was ok in the sense that they were all alive. Jack, however, when crossing the street stepped in a pothole and fell, his face broke the fall. He was cut up and had a black and blue eye. The kids were very concerned about him as they ran up to him to see if he was ok. When you live next to people in that age rage you get nervous when you see the firetruck and ambulance. We are so happy and thankful that it was only minor injuries.

Beautiful outside...

That is why I haven't been on this computer. We have taken so many walks and played at many parks, my house was totally suffering. Today though I have finally caught up on laundry and cleaned much needed areas. I also went through the kids clothes and pulled out their summer wear. No more long sleeve shirts and pants! I love the summer.

Ok now I am going to date myself...but my highschool class is going to be having their 10 year reunion. We didn't have a 5 year one and this one is going to be in August which means I am going to be hugely pregnant. Should be so much fun :) I am actually excited to see some of those people!

I also got my prize in the mail. I got this really cute baby wipes container...totally for a little girl too! A really neat google speaker for the computer, a bumper sticker, customized goody bag for a kids party and the bag it all came in.

First Hair Cut goes to Locks of Love!

GlamorGirl has been waiting about 6 months for her hair to be long enough to donate to the Locks of Love. It has been about a week since I measured it and it made the length. The only thing we had to wait on was the fact that she wanted to surprise daddy with the hair cut. At first we were going to do it when he went to Canada then J and Monkey went to an indoor football game last night so we got it done while they were gone. This morning J was definitely SURPRISED! Now this is GG's first ever hair cut in a beauty shop...I've trimmed her hair a few times to make it even though. SO I took a ton of pictures, shocking right! Here is GG's 1st Hair Cut from start to finish! It was about 11 inches we took off.

Race for Education

Today was the day that the kids ran the track for an hour. In keeping with the 100 days of fitness that J and I are doing I walked with them and even ran a few times to help motivate them to make it to the finish line to get one more lap checked off. GG ran 10 times around the track and Monkey did 11 times. I probably did about 8 considering I cut through the field to catch up with my running kids! But I walked for a whole hour! Not bad for a pregnant mama who just got back from a women's retreat and barely got any sleep ;)

Speaking of the retreat it was a blast! Before we got there we went to an outlet mall and I got some really good deals on kids clothes. I bought GG and the baby girl matching skirts for 99 cents and got Red a shirt and pants for 1.99 each. I also got myself two maternity tops. The speaker at the retreat, Stephanie Fast, was truly amazing her testimony about what God has done in her life unbelievable but totally God. If you have heard her before you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you haven't heard her I highly recommend hearing her testimony on DVD! I could tell you some of the things she talked about but I couldn't do it justice you have to hear it from her. I also got a little homesick, too. It didn't help that when I called to tell the kids goodnight Red says, "Come home mommy. I miss you." and Monkey was crying because he wanted me...heartbreaking.

Lastly, I am really excited, I won a contest. The one I told you about on Adventures in Babywearing and encouraged you to sign up for. Well I won! I bet you are thinking that you should of entered, huh?

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

ok so it is a church van but I'm leaving for the weekend! I have to be at church by 9:30am and we're going shopping at an outlet mall on the way to the retreat. I am really excited because I am going to start my Christmas shopping, that is if I find good deals.

Remember how I said Jeff had felt the baby when we went away? Well afterwards he told everyone that it was just gas! This morning our little girl was going crazy in my belly so I told him and he put in hand on my belly and she just kicked him over and over again. Then he started pushing back on my belly and told me he was playing with her and bonding:) It was too cute. Well I need to go get ready...later

Pictures!

Today I am 20 weeks so GG took some pictures for me and I realized I had some other pictures on the camera so I will show them too! The first pictures are of J's hard work in the yard. It is a before and after. I think he did a GREAT job!



Next are some cute pictures of Red in J's work boots. He is such a little ham and what a joy these past almost 2 years! I have been trying to catch him on video singing. "Shack your booty" it's too funny for words :)



Ok here is the good stuff! Pictures of my belly...and a 3D picture of our new little girl.




I love the picture of Red kissing my belly and the shot I took with the camera you can see just a little bit of my feet sticking out...and everyone tells me I look small!

We're talking Pink...

Or as GlamorGirl would say PURPLE! We are having a Girl. We're having a GIRL! We're HAVING A GIRL!!! We are all so excited. Now we can start the naming process :) I like unique names so if you have a good uncommon girl name I would love to hear it! The ultrasound yesterday was so funny. We were all there and the lady was measuring the baby to make sure she was growing alright and she was pointing out different body parts to the kids. GG's responses were so funny she pointed out the head with lots of brains and GG says, "It must be a girl!" Then she said this baby is strong can you feel when they kick? GG says, "Well Girls are stronger." She did a 3D picture of the baby's face and she says, "It looks like a girl." I had to agree because I thought the baby's profile looked an awful lot like her big sister! Then she showed the kids how the baby had her foot up by her head which of course, GG said, "Girls are more flexible because I can do that." The lady asked to see and both the older two hopped down to show how they both could put their feet by their head and she told us quietly we were having a girl. J and I wanted to be the ones to tell the kids it was a boy or girl! Once we told them GG started jumping up and down with her hands in the air cheering. It was so cute. The ultrasound lady said she was more excited for her then for us because the whole time she was hoping and talking about a girl. Having a girl is totally an answer to prayer, Thank you Lord for hearing us!

I have a few 3D pictures but I'm not motivated to post them maybe later!