Yesterday

Like I said, we left our house at 8:30am picked up our babysitter (she came with us so that GlamorGirl and Monkey would each have an adult to ride with) and we got to the park at 10 right when it opened. We went on the Big two story carousel and then to the Whizzer. When we got to the Whizzer we realized that Red was tall enough to go with an adult and GG could be by herself. Red loved it and didn't want to get off when the ride was over. Poor guy :) Then the kids went on a few barf rides, as J calls them, you know the ones that spin while spinning! I started to feel light headed, it was extremely hot with a heat index of 99.5 so we headed to an indoor theater for some air conditioning! Red and I stayed for another show so we could be in the air for a little longer. J and Jess took GG and Monkey on two rides while we watched the short movie again. Then we went out to the van and ate our picnic lunch. I felt much better after eating and cooling down my body temp in the nice cold a/c. We were headed to the Demon but the line for the Whizzer was super short so they went on it again. While they were gone I checked our map to see what we should do next. They got off and we decided that we should go to the water park since it closed in 2 hours. Jess took the two older kids to the water park because they all had swim wear on and just needed to take off the top layer. J went to the van to get the bag with our stuff in it. I took Red into an air conditioned store to get him to take a nap. It worked he was fast asleep by the time J got back. We called Jess to see where they were at in the water park and she informed us that GlamorGirl ran off and she couldn't find her. My heart stopped. We got to the place Jess was as fast as we could and I took the two boys while they looked. After about 20 minutes of not finding her I was getting extremely worried. J took Monkey with him to look for her and I took Red to the Lost Parents station to give a description of her and so on. That was the worst feeling in the world to have to say out loud that you have a missing child. Then proceed to tell them what she looks like height, weight, build, hair color and so on. I couldn't help but cry it was horrible. After about forty minutes we finally found her. When she saw me she started crying because she could tell that she really scared me. She wasn't allowed to go back into the water. At this point I had been in the hot sun for an hour with no shade and I was feeling it. I ended up going to the first aid station with GG while the rest of them swam, it was the only place in the water park with a/c. They gave me two huge drinks of Gatorade and let me sit in the air for as long as I needed. We stayed in there for about 40 minutes then we went back to get them. I took the stuff out to the van with Red and the rest of them were going to go on the Demon but Monkey didn't want to go so only J and GG went. When I got back I took the 3 kids on the train ride while J and Jess went on the Ragin' Bull. Then we went to an indoor show called Show Stoppin' it was just a bunch of singing and dancing but it was air conditioned :) By the time that was over it was 6pm and we were all hungry we got something to eat at the park. Then we went to Bugs Bunny land that had about 5 kid rides. Then we went to Cartoon Network area which had more little kid rides. Then I took the kids to the Wiggles World while J and Jess went on the America Eagle. When they got back the park was closing in 15 minutes so they took Red and GlamorGirl and went on the Whizzer one more time. Monkey didn't like that ride so we stayed in the Wiggles World and rode 2 rides and then went to meet them at the Whizzer. So apart from the fact that I am 6 months pregnant and it was a super hot day and GG getting lost we had a really good time. After dinner the sun went behind the clouds for the rest of the day and it was really nice and cool with a sweet wind that felt so good. Needless to say fun was had by ALL even the pregnant women who only got to ride 2 rides!

As for today we slept in and then went to get groceries and I'm planning on taking it easy today.

There is a contest going on over at Adventures in Babywearing you can win a really cool sling at KimzKreations on eBay. So go sign up the contest ends tomorrow and you have to have the links on your blog to be eligible. Hurry!

Six Flags Great America!

Yup that is where we spent our day today. But it is almost 11 and we left the house at 8:30 so I will go into more detail about the day tomorrow morning after I get some SLEEP :)

I don't even know where to begin....

These past few days have been jammed packed with activities I feel like I am spinning. I want to get the recap of what we have done then I will talk about some other things. Friday night was the movie on the big screen at the church two blocks away. We walked with our neighbors and had a great time but we didn't get home until 10:30pm. Saturday morning I ran around the house doing last minute prep for Monkey's party. We left for our small group pool party/potluck lunch we got there at noon and left at 4pm. Ran home and grabbed the rest of the stuff for Monkey's party and went to the school to set it up. It was a good stress free party. The park was great entertainment for the kids! Then we got home and Grandpa K and 4 of my brothers came over Monkey opened his presents and then they headed out to see another one of my brothers they left at 9:30pm and then it was to bed for everyone. He got some really cool presents but I am too tired to list them all. Sunday we got up for church and did the normal Sunday thing. J left for work and the kids and I got out the water guns and water balloons and they had a water fight. It was a lot of fun especially for me at the end because I hosed them off before going into the house! The joys of being the mom...you get the soul use of the HOSE :) Then we met J for dinner and walked around a festival next to the restaurant, there was a live band and some rides but we didn't ride anything I had no money. Then we went to a park where a different band was playing and I got to listen to the music while the kids played at the park it worked out good then it was home for some lightning bug catching! Fun filled days of summer. But with everything that we have been doing the house was suffering a little so today was my cleaning day so the older two are playing the new playstation 2 and game Monkey just got.

So those are the highlights of our days but I just want to say how amazed I am at how disrespectful kids are, at the party Saturday we were on private property and this group of about 6 kids started coming into the gated play area. Shocked and realizing that they should not be there I said, "You guys can't be here." Then they proceeded to argue with me about how they were just going to play ball. Then J stepped in and they started to argue with him but of course he won and they left. I was just floored at the fact that these kids would argue with adults so disrespectful I would hate to be their parents.

Red has started this new thing that when ever I say anything to him he answers with "What?" For a while I was repeating myself thinking he must not of heard me then I realized it is because when I don't understand him I say "what". I have taught him to respond with the word what. He is talking so much lately but some of the words I just can't make out and that is when I say what or ask him to repeat it. I bet he is just as frustrated as I was at having to repeat but I really want to know what he is saying, if I didn't care I wouldn't have him repeat it.

The last thing is I think I have hit the stage of my pregnancy that I dislike the most, the irritated and annoyed at everything stage. The things people say and do that would normally just roll off my back are driving me nuts. Please pray for me to get through this stage in tack with my emotions.

Summer Boredom Busters

This list was from my blog friend Tee and I thought it was really good and wanted to post it on my blog as well. It has made me think of more ideas to do with the kids! Please add your ideas in the comments the more ideas the less boredom we shall will have :)
1. Tie dye shirts.
2. Picnic. done a few times already
3. Swim or play in a sprinkler. too many times to count!
4. Go to the movies. Many theaters, for example, (Regal Cinemas), have free family films on certain days during the summer. doing it this Friday night
5. Join your local public library's Summer Reading Program. check on this one as well
6. Go on a nature walk. Have your child keep a journal where they can draw the types of bugs, animals or plants they see. Identify them in a guide book from the library or a resource online.
7. Scavenger hunt (indoors or out).
8. Build forts out of blankets/chairs/tables, etc.
9. Get a book about making different styles of paper airplanes. Make a few different kinds and then fly them to see which goes furthest.
10. Fly a kite. You can buy one or make your own.
11. Plant a garden. Even if space is limited or soil quality is poor consider a container garden. Let them care for it. They'll be more likely to eat whatever veggie it is if they grow it themselves.
12. Catch lightening bugs. done this too
13. Play flashlight tag after sundown.
14. Make an obstacle course in the yard just using what's in the shed. (Hula Hoops, traffic cones, balls, jump ropes, etc.) Time the kidsgoing through it and see if they can beat their best time.
15. Have a lemonade stand. Older kids can calculate the cost of starting it and then figure how much to sell each glass. At the end of the day let them figure out if they made a profit or not.
16. Catch tadpoles and watch them grow into frogs and then release them back where you caught them.
17. Find out what volunteer opportunities are available in your city. Get involved along with your kids. (They could help you deliver meals for Meals on Wheels. Help prepare food at a homeless shelter. Do some yard work for an elderly neighbor, etc.)
18. Have your children write a letter to a family member who doesn't live nearby. Show them how to properly write the address on the envelope.
19. Think of things about your childhood you enjoyed and then share them with your child. If you used to like playing jacks or marbles, making a telephone out of string and 2 cans, putting baseball cards in the spokes of your bike, roller skating, Chinese jump rope, show them how to do it, too.
20. Climb trees. this is a daily thing with my monkeys
21. Hang up a bird feeder and keep track of the types of birds it attracts.
22. If you speak a 2nd language, speak it exclusively for one day each week so your children will pick it up. Make it a game. See how much they can figure out.
23. Teach your children old nursery rhymes, songs, or fairy tales which they still haven't encountered through school, etc.
24. Give your kids lots of art supplies and let them create. Hang their art and have an art show for Daddy when he comes home or even invite Grandma and Grandpa.
25. Check your newspaper for local events such as carnivals, festivals, car shows, or whatever else might interest your child.
26. Go to a museum. did this June 13th
27. Vacation Bible School or other free summer programs offered by your church, temple, mosque, etc. signed up for two!
28. Let your kids come up with their own show, theatrical play or commercial. After they have it planned out and have practiced, video tape it. Let them watch it when they're done. done this and I'm sure they'll do more
29. Play in the rain. Stomp in puddles. Look for rainbows. Make paper boats to sail in flowing water near your home (such as a small drainage ditch).
30. If you play a musical instrument, teach it to your child.
31. Read some funny poetry (such as Shel Silverstein) and then let your kids come up with a funny poem and illustrate it.
32. Go on a bike ride (get a seat on the back of yours for little ones).
33. Be a tourist in your own state. Search the internet for attractions within an hour or two from your home. You don't need a ton of money for vacation. Take day trips once in awhile.
34. Go fishing.
35. Pick a chapter book you loved as a child and read it to your kids each night.
36. Watch some fireworks.
37. Go out in a row boat or paddle boats. yep done it
38. Play board games.
39. Study safety. Water safety. Fire safety. Stranger safety. Gun safety. Etc.
The DVD The Safe Side, is awesome. It teaches kids stranger safety and is so entertaining that they actually ask to watch it again.
40. Have a yard sale. Donate the proceeds or use them for a special night out.
41. Go to Chuck E. Cheeses. love this place
42. Older kids may be interested in their heritage. Have them call, write or visit older relatives to collect information for a family tree.
43. Letterboxing or geocaching.
44. Make a time capsule and bury it in the yard.
45. Try No TV Week (or even just a day).
46. Look at the stars. Point out constellations.
47. Make homemade ice cream.
48. Roast marshmallows or make S'mores.
49. Camp out in the yard (even if only for a few hours).

I would add...
50. Go to the zoo and make a day out of it.
51. Go to the local pet store and play with the dogs.
52. Go to an amusement park or water park. went to Six Flags Great America/Hurricane Harbor
53. Go to cheap or free indoor play places on those really hot days...like a Mall or McDonalds playland.
54. Have a water gun/water balloon fight! we did this one the day after Monkey's birthday party
55. Visit all the different parks in your town or surrounding towns to explore!
56. have a messy party with friends, we went to one a few summers ago and it was a blast. There was a mud pit, baby pool full of jello and other messy activities that kids don't get to normally do you can use your creativity with that one :) Finger/body paints is always fun too.
57. have opposite day where you do everything backwards like dinner for breakfast and so on.
58. We always like pj day where we watch movies all day long...again nice to do on those really too hot to be outside days.
59. Play dates are always a hit we are going to have a pool date sometime the week of July 2nd, hopefully

Ok that is all I can think to add can you think of more fun things to do? Please share. I just hope that I will be able to do at least some of these fun ideas so that the kids don't think mommy is no fun when she is pregnant!

Plans

Sometimes I wish I didn't plan things because it seems that with kids they never end up working out the way I plan them. Last night Red was awake from 4am to 7:30pm, J took the 4 to 6:30 shift and I took over at 6:30, at 7am I figured out his ear was hurting him. I gave him some Tylenol and we fell asleep until 9am. Which probably means his whole sleep schedule is thrown off. We were planning on doing so many fun things today so I hope we still can and if not we will have other days to do these fun things. But why won't the doctor's office call me back so I can get him in, I have a feeling it is an ear infection.





**Updated**
We just got back from the doctor and sure enough he has an ear infection. I can count the number of times all 3 of my kids have ever had an ear infection and I think this will be the second total for all of them. I love that my kids have been healthy for the most part but they do get sick!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Water Fun!

Time is not moving fast enough

I got to talk to J a lot last night. It was so great to hear his voice now I am just waiting to see him so I can hug and kiss him. They are about 2 hours away right now and the time seems to go so slowly. Well I am going to go find something to make the time go faster...like clean something or read something. Later....

Father's Day

We are going to be celebrating today as to the Father in this house is still not HOME. We should be getting a phone call from him sometime around 6pm tonight letting us know he is back in the states and within communication range. I haven't been able to talk to him in 5 days...that is so long. At least when he was in the academy we got to talk every night. Anyways, yesterday we were able to pass the time pretty well. In the morning the kids played trains, read books and played in their rooms while I did laundry and dishes. They were so good. Then we packed up and headed to my dad's for an afternoon on the boat. Amy came with as I realized I wasn't going to be able to get in the lake water with the kids being pregnant. My dad's friend invited his kids and their families along too so it was nice for GG, Monkey and Red to have kids to play with. We had 7 kids, 10 adults and 2 boats. It was a good time. The two boat thing was great because we wanted to leave earlier then everyone else so they taxied us back to the dock! We got home, bathed and in bed by 9pm. I thought that was pretty good especially since we had church this morning.

Today Red woke up first and I looked at the clock to see it blinking. I thought "oh no! we are going to be late for church." but it was the exact time I was planning on getting up :) We went to Sunday School and then church. Since it was Father's Day all the women in the congregation got up and sang to the men. I was tempted to leave and use the bathroom instead of singing since J wasn't there. But I sang even though I really did have to use the bathroom! Now we are home and just got done with lunch. We are meeting Amy at the store and getting groceries. We haven't gone grocery shopping since the end of May and we normally go once a week! Needless to say the cupboards are EMPTY! We've been without Milk for two days now...it's time. Well Brae just informed me she clogged the toilet. Duty calls...

Only 3 more days...

I really don't know if I will be able to survive. I NEED MY HUBBY. Ok I'm done complaining. This morning Amy came over and took GG and Red to the pool. Monkey didn't want to go. He came with me to get my hair cut. I have before and after pictures but I am too tired/lazy to upload them and show you. Maybe when I have my support system back aka J. I will put pictures up. We bummed around the house most of the afternoon because it was super hot outside. Then it was off to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate Monkey's birthday with his friend Noah before they leave for the summer and head to Hawaii. Their dad is stationed there but their house is here so they come for the school year and then go there for the summer. Tomorrow my dad wants me to go boating with them but I really don't feel up to it. As of right now I have told him we were going to pass but that if I woke up in the morning feeling super good we would come. Please pray for me to make it these last 3 days. I am seriously struggling with the single parent-ness.

Oh yeah and after I updated last night I realized that my baby ticker is in the 2 digits! I am so excited.

Home Sweet Home!

The kids and I got back from a trip to the Dells, late last night. We went with our friend Amy. It was a nice little mini vacation. We stayed at the Copa Cabana which has an indoor/outdoor water park called Lost Harbor. The kids loved it. The hotel also gave us tickets to get into a bigger water park but after driving by we decided that it was too big for the kids to be able to keep an eye on them! They also gave us 2 free tickets to the Tommy Bartlet Exploratory and the boys were free so we just had to buy one ticket. It is a hands on place that had over 150 things for the kids to do. We were there for a little over 2 hours and I'm sure the kids could of stayed longer but I was getting tired. Then we stopped at our friends house on the way home and had dinner with them. It broke the trip up for the kids not that it was that long of a car ride. Today we had a lunch playdate with a family from church. Right now Red is taking his nap then we are off to the Mall for some shopping, GG got a gift card. We also have on the agenda library and grocery shopping. I am trying to keep our days somewhat busy so that the time J is in Canada goes faster. We are half way through! I forget how much I talk to him (he has no cell signal where he is) and how needed his help with the house and kids are. Well that is a quick update from our neck of the woods.

Exhausted to the EXTREME!

My night ended late because when J got home he worked in our room and it kept me awake. Then this morning the furniture came at 8am. The kids didn't wake up until 8:30am. Oh well. I put my clothes away in my new dresser and went outside to help J with the wood chips. I am so completely sore I have a feeling I will not be able to move tomorrow morning. I worked for 2 hours and probably shoveled at least 20 wheel barrels full of wood chips. My 76 yr old neighbor got mad at me for working. I didn't do anything that was hurting me, physically but I am feeling it now. I felt the baby kicking while working so I knew she was fine. I did stop and drink lots of water though. My legs are what are sore right now. But I have been having problems with my legs and getting charlie horses during the night plus the pain from my sciatic nerve. I think I should eat more bananas. We have a much smaller pile of wood chips though! Tomorrow I think we can finish them off and we will accomplish what J wanted. This evening my dad and step mom came over and we went out for dinner and DQ. YUMMY. Dairy Queen was a treat for the kids for being such big helps today with working on the yard. Monkey shoveled almost as much as I did and GlamorGirl was helping weed and shovel. They both helped play with Red. We have such great kids and I love them so much.

Running through my mind...

There is so much going on at our house I am exhausted just thinking about everything going on and needing to get done. First we have a HUGE pile of wood chips in our driveway. They dropped them off last night and I wasn't able to put my van in the garage. Today we worked in the yard all morning long and it doesn't even look like we put a dent into that pile. J and the kids worked on the play ground area and I weeded the triangle so that some chips could go in there but first we have to put down newspaper. Owning a house is so much WORK and not only work but HARD work. We still have 4 places that need to be wood chipped we just have to find the time to get them done. J has the idea of getting the pile gone before Sunday, I think he is crazy but knowing how motivated he is it could totally be something he does.

Another thing that has our house up in arms is our new bedroom furniture is coming tomorrow. Only 12 weeks after we ordered it but it is finally going to be delivered. I am so excited to have a matching bedroom set. Since we are getting a whole set our bed is non-sleepable tonight. So I moved Monkey to GG's floor and Red on the toddler mattress in the boy's room and J and I are going to sleep on the boys queen size bed. GG and Monkey are so excited about the sleepover that neither one of them are asleep yet and it is after 9pm. I'm not worried about it because there is no need to get up early for school. There are a few things that need to be moved before tomorrow morning but they are too heavy for me so J is going to do that when he gets home tonight.

The last thing is just something funny Red has been doing the last few days that has gotten him the nickname of "Food Klepto" When the kids are done eating their food if there is anything left on their plates Red snatches it up and eats it. GG had garlic bread and she didn't eat the crust no worry Red took care of it for her! The funny part is he actually gets up and goes to their seat, sits down and eats the food. No need for a garbage disposal in our house, we have the Red 2005!

School's Out for SUMMER!

My baby is now a 1st grader :)
and
Here is the short video I took of the balloon launch that ends the school year. Monkey's class did it too but we were at graduation when his class launched.


As for the rest of our day it was pretty crazy. After school we went out for lunch and then headed to meet my mom an hour away. Let's just say it has been one of those days as much as I have tried to make it fun and non-stressful. We were shopping in Sears and Monkey had to go potty so I took him and left the other two with my mom. He had to go number 2 when he was done I asked him if he got it all out. Well he said yes but he didn't. We went back to shopping and all of the sudden he grabs his butt and says I have to go. We run to the bathroom all of us because my mom had gone out to her car. We were in the bathroom for over 20 minutes and the underwear he was wearing went into the garbage. I had to wash his shorts because poop got on them and GlamorGirl (what a great little helper) stood at the blower dryer and dried the shorts while I cleaned Monkey up. I don't know how he did it but he had it EVERYWHERE even on his ARMS, that will remain a mystery to me how he accomplished that. This bathroom only had a blow dryer so I asked a nice girl who unsuspectingly happened to use the bathroom while we were in there if she could get an employee. I NEEDED PAPER TOWELS! They gave me some from the cleaning crew and the clean up went much smoother. By the time I was done washing him the shorts were dry. Poor Red was in the stroller while all of this was going on. GlamorGirl had given him his cup but it was empty so she filled it up with water from the drinking fountain except that she didn't put the lid on all the way and I had a Red soaked in water. At least it was WATER. At this point I am thinking we need to check out and go home...we have an hour drive. We said goodbye to my mom and left. I called J and made plans to get Subway for dinner and meet at the department. I gave him the run down of my day (nightmare) and we ate dinner together. Then GG went into the bathroom to blow her nose. Two minutes later I hear my name being called from the bathroom. I go in to find she had dropped the tie to her dress in the toilet after she had gone...it was in pee water. Good thing I had brought the clothes we had bought to show J, I just changed her into the new dress. What is the saying, "When it rains, it pours?" It was one thing after another today and I was trying not to let it ruin my day. If nothing else it is a good story and will one day be a good laugh :)

One More Day...

We have one more day of getting up early and getting to school. I am so excited! Anyways, I was going to post some pictures of Red in my *new to me* Maya Wrap sling. But the battery in my camera died and I have to charge it for tomorrow's graduation. My friend got the sling for her kids and never used it so she gave it to me. Another cool thing is that the fabric of this sling is the exact same as the doll sling that GG has for her baby doll :) She was pretty happy about that. Now I can spend the money I was going to use on getting a Maya Wrap and get a Mei Tai too! I still have my OTSBH sling as well, which I have used since GG was a baby. But now they have so many other kinds that I want and I am going to get them. I want to be comfortable when holding my baby and taking care of the other kids.

Yesterday was Monkey and GG's last day of gymnastics. I don't know what I am going to do next year with GG she really wants to take more classes but she will be in school full days. I don't know if Monkey wants to continue I haven't asked him because I want to see how having the baby goes first then we can see about adding extras but GG is talking about the classes so I *know* her opinion on the subject!

Today has been a very busy and somewhat stressful day for me. We had playgroup at an indoor play place that was crazy with kids EVERYWHERE. I have never seen it that busy in there. We ended up getting to school a little late to get the kids and they were freakin out. All was well when I told them we were going to Chuck E Cheese for lunch. It was to celebrate Monkey not getting any blue cards this year and GlamorGirl graduating from Kindergarten. J has to work tomorrow so we wanted to make sure we had enough time to play there! After we left I got a message from our sitter saying she can't babysit tonight. That is when the stress mode kicked in. All the high schoolers I called had to study for finals and the adults I called were not home from work yet. I did end up getting someone so all is well with the world now. And my stress level is much lower :) Sometimes I think in order to have kids you need to be a hermit and have no social life...

Pregnancy Blues

I hit 24 weeks on Thursday! I am getting closer but I am not very patient. It didn't help that last night I threw up. Hello I haven't done that in weeks, I should say months, 2 to be exact. I am hoping it was just something I ate that didn't sit right with me and it isn't the start of more morning sickness. Anyways, I haven't posted any belly shots in a while so I thought I would today. This is my belly 24 weeks and 2 days.

Mommy Moment

Today was GlamorGirl's last day of homework in Kindergarten and I got teary eyed. I just can't believe that after this summer she is going to go to school for full days. I wonder what next Wednesday, her graduation, is going to be like if I was crying today! Heaven help me, I'm going to need it. She is growing into such a strong sweet little girl. She does have her moments when I look at her and think who is this child but for the most part she is very loving and compassionate.

Today was a nice day and since it was Friday it was very relaxed...which was good for me because my maid of honor surprised me yesterday with a visit she lives 6 hours away. She was here until midnight, I am usually asleep by 9pm but I had some pop with dinner and that helped me stay up. The kids enjoyed having her around she is my age with no kids and has SO much energy. She was making me tired just watching her play with the kids! Not really but she has a lot of energy.

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!

Contest! Bloggers with No Make-up :)

Steph over at Adventures In Babywearing is having a contest where you can win prizes! You just have to put a picture of you without make-up on and sign the Mr. Linky on her blog. I believe there is another way to enter but I don't think it is as fun! So without further ado here is me with no make-up on!



Exciting isn't it?!?! Now go enter the contest yourself...

Looking ahead...

This weekend we are having girls night out to celebrate our small group leader's birthday. Sunday my dad's company rented out an indoor water park that he bought us tickets to go to and it is about 3 minutes from our house. We've been wanting to check it out for awhile now and this is the prefect opportunity. Monday we have our ultrasound. I am really excited about this and I am hopeful that we will be able to find out the sex of this little one kicking inside of me. Then next weekend I am off to the women's retreat...YEAH! So many exciting things happening in the next few days I just hope I don't get overwhelmed :)

100 Days of Fitness...

The town that Jeff works in is doing a 100 days of fitness for all the employees of the town and any of their family members. So Jeff and I signed up together. You mark off shoes indicating that you have done 30 minutes of working out or have walked/biked/ran a mile. As you can guess I am on the walking track! They give out prizes too...not that I think I am going to get one. But it is good motivation to get off my behind and exercise. It started April 10th and I have been able to mark off 7 shoes so I have walked 7 miles since that date only one less shoe then Jeff! It has been so beautiful outside that walking has been a lot of fun for both me and the kids. I hope to get 20 shoes marked off by the end of May and after the 100 days so over I hope to have done at least 40 so we'll see!

"Big One"

This is Red's newest phrase! We were in the car today and J had bubble gum in his mouth. He started blowing bubbles with it and Red in the back seat says, "I see Big One bubble." Yesterday on the way home from church we passed the airport, of course, you always see planes flying over head. When they are landing they are sometimes really big! Red's in his seat screaming "Oh Daddy, I see Big One. Big One plane." Then there is the sleepy Red who yawns real big and right before he falls asleep says, "Big One." Or when he passes gas and calls it a "Big One!" He is just such a funny little person with all his "Big Ones" :) I love to hear him talk even if it is ALL THE TIME! It doesn't even seem possible that he will be 2 years old next month.

I'm so refreshed!

J and I just got back from our over night get away! It was fantastic. The room we stayed in was huge and very home-like. We had two hard parts of the trip the first was leaving our house, our oldest, GlamorGirl held on to me for dear life when I gave her a hug goodbye and was crying. The baby was napping when we left which we had told him several times we were leaving so that made leaving easier on me, especially. We got there at 3pm for check in and went to see our room. We tried to take a nap but neither one of us could. I think it was the excitement of being away that kept us awake. So we snuggled and watched cable television, we don't have cable at home. They had a cheese and wine tasting at 5pm which we tried. It was a nice spread of fresh fruit, all different kinds of crackers, three types of cheese, and party mix. They also had 4 different types of wine and sparkling grape juice that was non-alcoholic so I could feel like a grow up too! Then we took a walk around the town and walked to dinner it was a block away from where we were staying and it was tasty. We went back to the room and got in the hot tub and started watching The World Trade Center we were getting wrinkly in the tub so we got out and moved the movie to the other television and laid in bed. When the movie was over we called the kids to tell them good night. The two older ones were excited to talk to us on the phone and told us all the fun things they got to do. Then we talked to Red and he was crying "mommy." That was the second hardest part. We got off the phone and J and I almost started crying, ok mostly me but it was hard on him too to hear our baby crying for us. I went to bed at 10pm and J watched tv in bed for awhile, this is what we do at home so I am so used to falling asleep to the tv on. I was a little upset that I ended up waking up about 3 times during the night. Once I had to pee and the other times I just woke up. We ate breakfast and came back to the room. I showered and then J surprised me. He had brought two songs from our wedding with and we danced. It was really sweet. But there was more...he had brought our wedding vows with too. Last Sunday our Pastor challenged the married men to renew their wedding vows with their wives. So he read from the Bible about marriage and then we read our vows to each other. We were both crying at this point. Afterwards we prayed together. It was so awesome. Then we checked out.

Another exciting thing that happened and I don't really remember when it was but I know we were in laying down in bed and the baby was jumping around and I grabbed J's hand and placed it on my tummy and he felt the baby move for the first time!

After we left the bed and breakfast we walked around the town and looked in all the different stores. It was a very neat little town. The buildings were very historic and it was so cool to walked into these stores that used to be houses. We bought a caramel apple with peanut butter pieces on it and we tried candy that looked just like rocks. Then we stopped for lunch at a restaurant that used to be a barn. It had the most wonderful food I had ever tasted. After lunch we headed home with a plan to stop at the Outlet mall. We made some purchases there and got back on our way home. We ordered pizza and it arrived as soon as we pulled in! The kids were so happy to see us as we were them. It just makes me realize how much I really do love those little burgers! Now they are in bed and I am going to go get my pj's on!

P.S. I really encourage you to go away with your husband for the night. We were both completely blessed by being with each other. We talked and talked and talked and more but I won't share that part *wink* *wink* It was really truly a time to reconnect as husband and wife and refresh as parents!

Pride

I am doing a Beth Moore Bible Study and let me just say it is a great study. I have always like Beth Moore and I'm so glad I have the opportunity to do this study with my small group. Anyways, there is daily homework and today's really stuck out to me so I thought I would share. We are talking about demolishing strongholds in our lives and today she talked about pride. This is what she wrote:

My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
I cheat you of your God-given destiny...
because you demand your own way.
I cheat you of contentment...
because you "deserve better than this."
I cheat you of knowledge...
because you already know it all.
I cheat you of healing...
because you're too full of me to forgive.
I cheat you of holiness...
because you refuse to admit when you're wrong.
I cheat you of vision...
because you'd rather look in the mirror than out a window.
I cheat you of genuine friendship...
because nobody's going to know the real you.
I cheat you of love...
because real romance demands sacrifice.
I cheat you of greatness in heaven...
because you refuse to wash another's feet on earth.
I cheat you of God's glory...
because I convince you to seek your own.
My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
You like me because you think I'm always looking out for you.
Untrue.
I'm looking to make a fool of you.
God has so much for you, I admit, but don't worry...
If you stick with me,
You'll never know.

Pride is such an ugly thing to have, and I pray that God will take away any pride I have in my life and make me humble.

Back to the Daily Grind

Well Spring Break is over and the kids went back to school today. They only have about 7 more weeks of school before summer recess so that is very exciting.

This morning I went to get the 2D ultrasound done on my heart. I will know if everything is ok in about a week. I'm trying not to worry about it and lay it Jesus' feet for the most part I am able to do that but then the what if's start to creep in and I have to shut them down quickly! It's nice to know that I am in God's care.

Today right before gymnastics I went outside to get something and Sherry was showing a house a few doors down. I heard her voice and I knew it was her! She came over and the people she was showing the house to, I knew as well! They came and looked at our house not that we are selling. But we've been trying to get Sherry to come look at the house for about 6 months, just funny how it turned out.

Red News: Now this is probably only exciting to me but I'm going to share anyways. Yesterday Red had diarrhea and a clear runny nose, so I looked in his mouth and he is getting two new teeth. Well after the second diaper of diarrhea his little butt was sore looking. I was going to be giving him a bath after dinner which we were right about to sit down to eat so I put him in big boy underwear to eat. Before I put them on him he says, "potty" so I took him to the bathroom where he peed in the toilet. Then we put the underwear on ate dinner. After dinner he was running around the living room waiting for me to be ready to put him in the bath tub. All of a sudden he runs up to me "poop poop potty" remember he had diarrhea so we ran to the potty. I took off the underwear and put him on the potty. He peed again and then he diarrhea pooped in the potty. It is clicking with him. I think he is ready to really start potty training. The only problem is Jeff and I are leaving over night soon and so I think I will wait until we get back to fully start the process. I am praying he potty trains as fast and as easily as the other two did. That would be AWESOME :)

100 things about ME!

I don't have anything else to post about so I thought I would take my turn and do this list!

1. I was born on an Air Force Base
2. My birthday is on Halloween!
3. I am the second oldest in my family
4. I have a lot of siblings 2 full, 7 half, and 2 adopted but mostly brothers the adopted ones are sisters.
5. I wanted a sister so bad growing up I used to dress my brothers in dresses then took pictures, they would totally kill me if they knew I wrote that!
6. I have one niece and…
7. two nephews so far
8. I was 4 years old when my parents got divorced and my dad got custody of the 3 of us
9. I was devastated by their divorce
10. I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 6 years old but didn’t live it until I was in H.S.
11. I love God with all my heart and want to share Him with everyone, because he loves you
12. I was a flower girl in my mom’s 2nd wedding at age 6
13. I still have the dress and my daughter uses it as a dress up
14. I fought to live with my mom when I was in 7th grade and from 8th grade on I lived with her…one of the best things that ever happened to me
15. I never went to the same school more then 3 years until High School where I refused to move
16. I don’t think I could even count how many places I have lived but it has been 3 different states
17. My first kiss was in 6th grade and his name was Mike
18. I thought the kiss was completely gross!
19. My High School mascot was a Pretzel
20. I was a Pom Pom girl for 3 years
21. I dated a guy for 2 ½ years of my H.S. career thinking he was the ONE but…
22. I met my husband the summer between my Junior and Senior year of H.S.
23. I had broken up with that boyfriend before I met J, just don’t want any confusion
24. I met J at Moody Bible Institute on a youth group conference with over 1400 students in attendance.
25. I knew I was going to marry him the moment I saw him I didn’t even know his name or age!
26. I have lots of letters from the first year of our relationship because it was long distance
27. He came to my Senior Prom and we had a blast
28. We spent the summer before I went to college together, we were totally inseparable
29. That summer he told me he loved me for the first time…we had been dating for a year.
30. I totally believed he loved me unlike other boyfriends I had in the past he waited a year to tell me that!
31. I am a year older than him
32. I went to his Junior Prom and Senior Prom but they call it Banquet
33. He proposed the night of his Senior Banquet Downtown after we took a horse drawn carriage ride
34. I got married the December of my Junior year of college
35. Our honeymoon was in Cancun…the only time I have ever left the states
36. I was pregnant 4 months after we got married
37. I was HUGELY pregnant on our first anniversary!
38. We had a baby GIRL…I was so excited
39. I was in labor with her for 4 ½ hours and used no drugs
40. The deal was if we had a girl I got to name her and if we had a boy J got to name him so I won the naming of her.
41. I still can’t believe she is now 6 years old
42. My daughter was 4 1/2 months old at my college graduation
43. I’m glad I graduated college but haven’t used my degree at all
44. My degree was Recreation Parks and Tourism it was very fun
45. I got pregnant again when my daughter was 9 months old
46. We had a son and I got to name him too…
47. J cheated at the ultrasound and knew we were having a boy so that is why I got to name him…score for me.
48. I was in labor with him a total of 1 and a half hours…he came scary fast.
49. No drugs for him either
50. I’m so thankful that I have him today he came out with the cord wrapped around his neck, we didn’t know about the cord until after he came out
51. The only thing we knew was his heart rate kept dropping with each contraction I had which they didn’t tell me until after which I am glad…didn’t need any more stress
52. We lived in my parents basement for about 10 months after J got his first job
53. We bought our first house in 2004 that was a frustrating process of looking for our house
54. I got pregnant shortly after we moved in
55. I had lost a baby 4 months before this pregnancy so I was really wanting to have another baby
56. I worked during this pregnancy at the school my two older kids went too
57. The baby broke my water 5 weeks early
58. That was the scariest labor and delivery of my life…my body didn’t want to cooperate because he was too early
59. His birth was the first time I used an epidural…but I wasn’t really in labor they had me on Pitocin, the worst stuff EVER
60. He was my smallest baby but would have been my biggest had he stayed in a few more weeks
61. I am pregnant with our 5th child but will be the 4th living
62. I am extremely nervous about the labor and delivery
63. I keep going back and forth on the epidural thing should I get one or not
64. Remember 2 of the 3 were drug free, but I just remember how much it hurts
65. I get worried about if I go in the middle of the night what we will do with the 3 kids…I tend to have very quick labor and delivery
66. The hospital is only 3 minutes away…we planned it that way!
67. I will be 28 when this baby is born but about a month later will turn 29
68. I’m not real worried about turning 30 even though it is getting close
69. I have a few gray hairs but I think that is genetic
70. My favorite food is authentic Mexican
71. I prefer vanilla over chocolate
72. My favorite place is home
73. I love to read, especially the Bible but I usually have 2 or more books going at a time
74. I love to scrapbook
75. My favorite sounds are the laughter of my children and hearing them talk for the first time
76. I am married to a police officer
77. I don’t speed just because of his job, even though I have been told I wouldn’t get a ticket
78. I have been married a little over 7 years
79. I have been with my husband for almost 11 years, wow that sounds long!
80. I have been pregnant or breastfeeding most of our marriage
81. I am a stay at home mom
82. I love my job as "the mom"
83. I love my kids with all my heart
84. I still think about the baby I lost 2 years ago
85. I hate throwing up
86. I have a hard time cleaning up puke too
87. I can’t wait to find out the sex of this baby
88. I can’t wait to hold this baby
89. I have only had midwives deliver my babies
90. I would love to have a homebirth
91. I would love for J to catch the baby instead of the midwife
92. I was pregnant at the same time as my mom with her last and my first
93. I have a brother 7 months younger than my daughter
94. I love to blog, it is a release for me
95. I like to keep busy with activities for the kids and myself
96. I lost both of my paternal grandparents within 12 days of each other that was hard
97. I still have my maternal grandma and step-grandpa, they got married around the time I was born and had their honeymoon while visiting my mom and dad to see me.
98. I never met my maternal grandpa because he had already passed away
99. I have always felt loved by my family
100.I want my family to always feel loved by me

So that is 100 things about me I hoped I didn't bore you!

Spring...Where are you????

It SNOWED today. I mean it snowed to the point that the kids can go outside and make snowballs. I just don't understand this weather. We didn't let the snow get to us! We took the kids to PUMP IT UP with the huge inflatables. Red was funny he got scared when we walked in and then once he realized it was fun he didn't want to leave when it closed. These days are going by fast and soon they will be back at school. I can't wait for summer break!

We went to the store today and I was looking at baby clothes daydreaming about what type of clothes I will get to buy. I am really bad in the fact that I really want a girl. I have to watch myself in the things I say. I love my boys with all my heart and I wouldn't trade them for the world but I had so much fun with GlamorGirl. Maybe because she was my first and I enjoyed every little detail of her growing up. Getting to dress her all cute and pretty. Last night we went to church and in the van J says, "You know we are having a girl." Now the kids were with us and hearing this. I said,"Why do you think that?" He said, "Because it is your hearts desire to have another girl." This is so true but I just don't want to set myself up for disappointment if we have a boy because I will be happy if we have another little boy. Ok I have rambled on about my baby issues enough. We will find out in 19 days!

Easter Program

This one cracks me up! Notice he isn't looking at J who is recording this video :)


This is where he clams up on us!

I did it...the kids were good or I'm getting fast!

Where to Begin!

We are now on our 4th day of Spring Break and it snowed today, not cool. Friday we met our friends Belinda and her three girls, Amy, my mom and her friends for lunch. Then Belinda and the girls came over to play. It was a lot of fun. Saturday we dyed Easter eggs. Don't worry I have tons of pictures! I'm hoping to get them on here sometime soon. Sunday we the Easter program at church and Red clammed up and didn't say his line. But he did get the place to laugh a few times with his "Hi Daddy!", "Hi Monkey!" and "Hi GlamorGirl!" Of course he used their real names! I have a little video of that, too. We came home and did the Easter baskets and lunch then headed over to my dad's for dinner.

I want to elaborate a little more on their Easter baskets. We don't have much candy in the house so we tend to buy gifts for celebrating Jesus' rising from the dead. This year was really special because my friend had given me an idea that I just think it to cool not to share. We bought GG a crown and to go with it a Little Princess Devotional Bible. The reason behind the gifts is that she is a princess of the King of Kings. Jesus is her father in heaven which makes her royalty as a princess. The crown sits on her dresser to remind her who her Father is. The devotional was an added bonus I found and it just happened to have the crown on it. Now that she can read she should start to have quiet times with God so that she can grow in her understanding of who He is and in her relationship with Him. Of course, I am going to come alongside of her and help explain things!

Monkey's basket had a book about God's Mighty Worrier, we told him he is also a prince but that he in God's army, too. Same goes for the other two kids, they are all in God's army. It was a really good book explaining how we battle the evil in our hearts. Red's basket had a book about the Easter Story. They also got a few other little dollar items but the main gifts were the ones about Jesus.

The kids are being good so I am going to try and get the pictures on a slide show! But I make no promises :)

P.S. I had my EKG done and it was normal but they want to do an ultrasound on my heart to make sure it is structural right. What a headache! I had my 16 week appointment today in which Brae came with me. We got to hear that little heart beating strongly at 156! I also made my ultrasound appointment to find out the sex only 3 more weeks and we will be able to start the naming process!!!

Heart Broken...

I as sit here I am just completely heart broken over a little boy in Monkey's class. His mom started having seizures and was admitted to the hospital. They found out she has a brain tumor and upon further investigation found that it is cancerous. All of this within a weeks time. I know I am hormonal and tend to cry easily but I just find myself sobbing for this little boy, his baby sister who isn't even a year old and her husband. A note was sent home today in regards of helping the family with meals and getting them a cleaning service. They have shared with the class that this little boy's mom is sick but no details of how serious it is and they have prayed for her everyday in class. I just look at my Monkey and can't imagine not being here to see him grow up. But my main reason for writing this is for prayer for this family. Please pray for them they need all the prayer they can get.

"Lord, protect these children and help the family deal with whatever happens. Be there comfort and source of strength through this tough time."

We're Booked and I'm registered!

Today I called and booked a bed and breakfast for J and I. I have never been to one of those places and have always wanted to try one. This place is running a special and we get the best room for $100 cheaper then normal and they are giving us a $25 gift certificate for dinner. I'm so excited. This is also very out of character for me, but I feel like it is very needed. We are leaving the kids over night and it is a school night! We have never been away for a night by ourselves (except our honeymoon) and we have been married 7 years and 4 months. I wanted to go away before we have our next baby because the chances of getting away is going to be lessened at least for a while, having a nursing baby.

Secondly, I registered, well I have filled out the paperwork but haven't paid yet, for our women's retreat at church. Once again so out of character for me but I am also so excited. J actually took off work so he could be with the kids and I could go, I know what a great husband. Don't forget he is leaving us for 8 days to go FISHING! Anyways, I leave at 9:30am on Friday and don't get back until sometime Sunday. I have heard great things about this retreat and can't wait to go and be refreshed, grow in my relationship with God through the seminars, and get to know some women from our church better. I have a feeling I am going to want to do more things than I am going to have time for, like I have a few books I've wanted to read. I'm not going to stress about it because it is suppose to be relaxing.

The last thing is from my quiet time today. This verse really stuck out to me.
Proverbs 12:4 A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

Wow, I don't want to be decay to my husband's bone. I want to be a women of noble character. I want to grow in my marriage to my husband which means I need to make time to be with him, just him. This bed & breakfast is a special opportunity and I'm thankful to my friend for pushing me until I made the commitment, I believe Jeff and I's marriage will be blessed and strengthen for getting away to reconnect. I also want to grow in my relationship with God, which helps build noble character and having the women's retreat I feel is also going to be a huge blessing. So be a crown to your husband and not decay to his bones.

What Busyness we have had...

I am so glad that I woke up feeling good on Friday because we had a busy weekend. Friday night the kids and I went to the Variety Show at their school. We had bought tickets in advanced so I'm glad we got to use them. My sis-in-law sang a song from the Little Mermaid. Now just for those of you that don't know but that is Red's *favorite* princess. He loves to watch the movie and it was the only princess he would sit next to at Disney. A lot of people say it is because she has red hair like him...I really don't know why he likes her so much but he does. When Liz was on stage singing Red yelled "Ariel" it was really cute! We didn't even stay for the whole show but we were there for 2 1/2 hours.

Saturday morning I had a Tea Party to attend. J had the kids while I went and had a relaxing time with the women from my small group. It was a really neat Tea Party. Ok I really have nothing to compare it too but I thought it was cool. We each brought our favorite mug and then we were able to tell why it was our favorite, we ate, did a devotional, and then ate some more. It was GREAT!

As soon as I got home I got the kids ready and we left for one of Monkey's friends birthday party. Two of my friends from the Tea came with us so it was fun. We dropped Monkey off then we took GG and Red for some ice cream. After the party J called saying that he was driving the *new* squad and wanted to meet us if we could. I hadn't seen him hardly at all so I was totally for it! The new cars are nice. We got home around 4:30 and I got dinner ready. After dinner we took a walk and after the walk I started not to feel so good. I think the walk pushed my body over the edge of what it could handle. I had only felt good for a day without throwing up. Saturday night I threw up again. I'm not sure if it was pregnant sickness or the flu still? Either way I went to bed hoping I would feel better for Sunday because we had another busy day.

Sunday we went to church and after church we went to J's cousin's house for his Aunt Judy's birthday party. It was an hour drive so we didn't get there until 1pm and we left around 4:30 getting us home around 5:30 just in time for dinner and bedtime routine. The kids had a blast at his cousin's house she has 4 kids and the youngest is GG's age. Then his other cousin has 4 also but the baby boy (only 6 days old) didn't come, his girls are 5 (almost 6), 4 and 2, so GlamorGirl had plenty of girls to play with! The boys had fun too playing air hockey. Monkey was stuck to that game!!

Today the kids have gymnastics after school only 2 more weeks, including this one. They only have 4 days of school this week and then Spring Break. I am so excited about all the fun we have planned I am just hoping that the weather cooperates with us.