The Drays Today

Soup! It's What's For Supper!

2012-02-07T08:11:00.000-08:00

With the cold blustery winter months upon us (Or not. I have pictures of the kids last week outside without coats) it is time to pull out the soup recipes. I'm a picky soup person. I only like certain kinds. None of them are tomato based in any way shape or form. All of them contain only the most mild tasting of veggies (read; no peppers of any kind). But I do enjoy a good hot soup on a cold day.

This is a "white chili" that a friend of mine brought to a potluck in the fall. I got her recipe, modified it a bit to make it gluten-free, and now we all can enjoy it.

Too bad mommy forgot that this little one doesn't do well with beans...after her third bowl. Oops.

Three bowls for this one also.

Only two for him, but that is highly unusual! It is a white chili, but I think of it more as a taco soup.

Here's the recipe:
5 chicken breasts
16 oz of sour cream
2 cans rinsed chili beans and 2 cans rinsed great northern beans OR 4 cans great northern beans
2 cans of shoepeg corn (not drained) OR 2 cans hominy (not drained)
2 PKGs powdered ranch (to make gluten free soup use 1/2c. Annie's organic Ranch instead)
2 cans GF chicken broth
2 cans water
2 PKGs of taco seasoning (to make it GF see below)

Cook chicken for about 20 minutes in the water and chicken broth. Shred chicken and put all of the juice/chicken in a crock pot. Add all other ingredients. Cook on low at least an hour. If too thin, add a little cornstarch.

Serve with cheddar cheese and tortilla chips :o)

*in place of taco seasoning you can use the following, from Carrie.
2TBS chili powder
4tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprica
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar

Nine Weeks and Mastitis

2012-02-06T13:14:00.000-08:00

Heads up this is a birthing and breastfeeding post. You've been warned.

The past few days have been pretty rough physically and emotionally for me. Thursday late afternoon I noticed some tenderness in one of my breasts. I chalked it up to a plugged duct and made a mental note to use warm compresses after the kids went to bed.

By the time the kids went to bed I had quite a bit of pain. I had no noticeable lumps or hard swollen spots...just a bright red sort of rash. I was pretty sure I knew what that meant having experienced it in the past, but went ahead and did warm compresses and massage nonetheless. So. Utterly. Painful.

I went to bed with Tylenol and a headache...and a fever. Sweet Pea had her two month check up first thing the next morning and we all have the same doctor so I at least knew I'd get checked out soon. Each time I woke to nurse I started her on that side, but by morning it was excruciating.

The doctor confirmed my suspicions and gave me a five day antibiotic. I try to be REALLY careful about taking antibiotics as I think they are over prescribed and I also take very little medication in general, especially when I am pregnant or nursing. However, I was at the "caught it before you have to be hospitalized with an IV" stage. The drive home I started to get dizzy and sleepy.

**Sweet Pea weighs in at 9 lbs 12 oz and is 22.25 inches** That's all the nine week info I have. No pictures. Sorry.

I was on round the clock Tylenol for pain and started the antibiotic. Despite the medication I had a fever of 100.8 consistently and was miserable. The whole room was spinning and I could hardly walk. My entire body ached. If you could feel toenails, they would have hurt.

By Saturday morning I could get up and walk, but doing easy daily chores wiped me out and I still spent much of the day in bed. Sweet Pea continued to nurse well and as often as she always does...but I noticed by Saturday evening her output was down to almost nothing. Not good.

I don't know if it is the infection or the medication (which is making my stomach a mess) but my milk supply is pretty low. Just what I needed. I spent much of Sunday skin to skin and nursing every hour to two hours. I don't care what kind of a latch your baby has, nursing that often makes you sore. And the less milk I was making the less she was trying. Just falling asleep. So of course I pumped. I think I'd rather clean the dog pen than pump (I pump every morning regardless). I also started weighing all of her output.

Today I am feeling much better-can even wear her in my Moby without it being too painful. The antibiotic is still messing with my stomach/intestines (I am eating as much yogurt as I can stand. I hate yogurt but I know the probiotics are important right now) but other than that I feel ok. However, my supply still seems to be on the low end. Sweet Pea's output is getting better, and I am still keeping track till she seems back to normal.

I have to admit I am pretty mad about the whole thing. It really isn't fair. Yep, this is me ranting...but seriously it doesn't seem fair.

This is where Sweet Pea was born. No medicine. Nothing to make her sleepy or inhibit nursing from the very beginning. I highly recommend water birth for anyone who has had a healthy pregnancy and would be willing to try. The labor is much easier. We got to the hospital Dec 4th about 3:30am. There wasn't a room available in the birthing center (located inside of our regular hospital) so I hung out with #1 in the triage area on a birthing ball till 4:30. Our nurse was Erika and she was so funny. She kept telling me Erika was a good name for a little girl if that was what I had. She offered me a "normal" L&D room to hang out in until a room had been cleared and cleaned, but I didn't see the point of dirtying up a room when I wasn't going to use it.

About 4:30 a room became available and by that time I knew I needed to get into a tub soon as labor was progressing quickly. I had to wait in my room for about 15 minutes to be checked again and for the tub to fill. Sweet Pea was born at 5:16 am. I have fairly quick labors.

Poor Sweet Pea, this is a horrid picture of her, but this is moments after she was out of the water. From this point on she wan't bathed or measured beyond a quick weigh as my midwife delivered the placenta. She was put skin to skin for the next hour to nurse. After that she never left my side and wasn't even bathed until she was probably eight hours old. Everything exactly how a lactation consultant would have it to be. I have nursed her "on demand" (except I try not to make her demand, I try to be more attentive than that!) since the moment she was born.

I've completely switched my diet for her. I don't know what else to do. I am now (I typed "not" on accident earlier. I totally AM doing what I know I need to) drinking nasty tea and nursing or pumping every hour to two hours. I am tired and I am cranky.

I'm not writing this totally to vent. A little of the reason, but not totally. People treat breastfeeding like it is the most natural and easy thing ever. Well for some of us it isn't. I have struggled with four babies. If you are reading this and you struggle too you are NOT ALONE. I wanted to give up this morning so bad. #1, who used to think breastfeeding was very weird and totally did not support me with our first baby, is now my biggest cheerleader. He talked me off the ledge and I'm still going this afternoon.

Here are some resources that help me: Click on each to be re-directed to their websites. Don't be afraid to seek help from a certified lactation consultant either.

Another great source is http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/enough-milk.html . I have to go now, someone is crying, again.

please pray-I have mastitis. so sick

2012-02-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

One Week Ago...

2012-02-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

One week ago I never thought I'd be seeing this. LOOK AT THAT SMILE!!!!!

We traded in our constantly screaming baby for a pleasant, happy kid! Not that she never cries (ALL the time in the car and quite a bit at night), but man is it quiet around here. Well, as quiet as any home with four children five and under that runs a home daycare can be.

I have been gluten-free for a week, and if this is any indication, I will be till she weans. I've found some great food and I think LMM likes having a GF buddy in the house.

Yup. Miracles occur every day, and this is one of them!

Come Over To My House!

2012-01-31T19:02:00.000-08:00

Hey there! Rosebud here! Come on in and play with me. Looks like I need to tidy up a bit before I have company over, but no matter.

I'll give you a little tour. This is where I take care of my babies. The one in the cradle is my mommy's from when she was my age. Her name is Baby Hannah. The fact that my mommy was little once and her dolly's name was Hannah can be so confusing at times. Have you met my mother? Confusing could be her middle name. But it isn't. There's another confusing thing. We have the same middle name. Can we please branch out on the name giving people?

Often I am seen walking around with my baby's bathtub on my head. It is my helmet in case my brothers are around. It is also a way to try and trick my mother into thinking I have clean hair, when indeed I do not. Those dinner plates just creep their way up on my head with food still on them.

There's a fire escape if you pull my walls apart like this. Safety first people. Never mind that my house has an "open front" feel to it already.

This is where I wash all my dirty dishes and clothes. You can see my husband sitting next to the sink looking like I put him in "time out". Just kidding, it is just Monkey Man's Woody doll over for a visit. Don't tell LMM though, cause he isn't too happy when his toys visit my house.

Nice visiting with you, come again soon!

Not Me Monday

2012-01-30T11:24:00.000-08:00

Ok I know McMama didn't do a Not Me Monday today, but I AM! (Not Me Monday is a sarcastic way of saying something you really did do.)

Today I did not get a FREE sling and carseat cover (I paid S&H, about $11, but still a steal). YOU CAN TOO! It is today only though. Go to sevenslings.com and pick the one you like (the gift sets will be $5 with the discount, the slings free). Enter the promo code "BeMine" and it will give you the sling for FREE. You pay S&H.

Same deal at https://www.carseatcanopy.com use the promo code "seven"

There's another one for a free nursing coverup, but as I have two I didn't do it. https://www.uddercovers.com is the site "seven" the code.

When it came to homeschooling I always ALWAYS said "Not ME". Well, this year...yes, me.

Snug only goes to school at our local public elementary 2, sometimes 3 days a week because of budget cuts. Being a former kindergarten and first grade teacher...I know that is NOT ok. So we homeschool 2-3 days a week. This past week shoe tying was top on our list.

He's getting it...

...but it isn't easy!

When he does, he is pretty proud!!!

Along with doing math, reading, writing in a journal, and fine motor things, we are also doing handwriting. Because handwriting is a BIG deal to me.

I think he's doing pretty good!

"Eight Weeks", Alternately Titled, "Crying"

2012-01-29T18:40:00.000-08:00

Sweet Pea is eight weeks today. She is 22 inches long and weighs 9 lbs 6.5 oz. Not great weight gain this week, but she and I (and Snug and #1) had a stomach virus so it isn't surprising she didn't have great gain.

The older Sweet Pea gets the harder she has been. I've mentioned before that she is "fussy". That is just being polite. She has been demanding, angry, and cries ALL THE TIME. It has been especially hard the last two weeks.

LMM was very similar as a baby, and I decided to try something. When we found out that he couldn't have wheat/gluten and discovered how much better he felt when he didn't have it...we wondered if that was why he was such a difficult baby. Maybe he just didn't feel well. So as of this past Thursday, I am gluten-free. Although gluten in my milk shouldn't affect her growth till she starts solids (then if she did have a gluten allergy she'd drop right off the charts like LMM did) it could make her really uncomfortable. If she indeed cannot have wheat the likelihood that LMM (and she) have Celiac disease goes WAY up.

*Side note, you can see her diaper in this picture...she is almost totally cloth diapered now and you can see a post about it that I wrote for The Cloth Diaper Whisperer blog here. There were quite a few grammatical errors I realized later...sorry.

I noticed an improvement in her Friday night and all day Saturday. Saturday night she was fussy, but most babies are in the evening. There was such a difference in her Snug even thanked God when praying for dinner that "Molly stopped crying". It was getting hard for everyone in the house.

I don't know for sure that wheat is the culprit. We'll see what the next few days are like.

But we hope not to see a whole lot more of this.

Snug Plays Ball

2012-01-28T18:32:00.000-08:00

Snug's first basketball game was today. He has never played much basketball aside from shooting at the Little Tykes hoop in the back yard. He had three practices, and then today's game. I'm not sure he was exactly...ready.

He's a pretty cute little player!

Here they are all lined up ready for tip-off.

Here he is guarding his own teammate. Note he's not the only one doing it though. He does understand that you need to put your hands up. I don't think he knows why, but he had his hands up the entire game. The coach can chalk one up for teaching that!

We need to work on things like throwing it in from the sidelines...he wanted to dribble it in instead. They had him retry a few times. He has a very patient coach, and the ref (seen reaching in to put him back on the sideline) was great. My favorite thing about the ref was him telling the other little boys "you have to dribble AND walk". So funny. Several of them literally walked from one end of the court to the other holding the ball so they could shoot. No one scored points for the other team, but it was close a couple of times. The coaches being ON the floor with the boys, and the ref coaching both teams helped prevent it.

Lots to learn, but he has a nice coach and enjoys playing-that's what is important to me. #1 has played lots of basketball in his life and I'm sure will help him out. Little Monkey Man is watching and learning and he will be READY when it is his turn, I assure you!

Watch It...

2012-01-24T11:12:00.000-08:00

You'd better watch it!

He's a knock out!

7 Weeks

2012-01-22T13:10:00.000-08:00

Seven weeks old today! Sweet Pea isn't at all sure she loves sitting with her big sister. She is so serious. Rosebud is the smile to Sweet Pea's frown. I think she's just taking it all in, but my aunt is right...she looks pretty unhappy in most of her pictures :o) This week though she was a little happier than in days past. She finally started taking a couple of hour-two hour naps a couple of times a day...without being held. The more sleep she gets in solid chunks the happier she is. Mommy too! She weighs in at 9 lbs 4 oz this week.

Speaking of Aunts, Sweet Pea has met three of mine now. My Aunt Beth and Aunt Cheryl both met her a few weeks ago, and this week she met Aunt Kim! Although my aunt and uncle, along with my cousin and his wife were here for a funeral this past weekend, a sad thing, we made the best of it. They stayed at a hotel with a pool and the kids had a great time swimming. Always nice to see family from out of town!

Here are the cousins together! Kai was born back in November...on my dad's side we've had four babies in the past four months. Alexis was born in October, Kai in November, Sweet Pea in December and my niece Ivy in January. I have yet to meet two of them, but a trip to meet Ivy is on the calendar.

Seriously, this little guy is a cutie!

Hope you all had a great weekend. If I don't have the chance before, I'll write again next week :o)

Six Weeks...I'm An Aunt!...We Had Snow!!!!!

2012-01-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

Six Weeks...I'm An Aunt!...We Had Snow!!!!!

This is a combined post about all the exciting things happening in our lives. First off, a day late, here is Sweet Pea's six week post...

She is learning to pick up her head. She's doing pretty well, but hates tummy time. She's happier to practice her muscle control while being over your shoulder...she'll pick her head up, look around, and then flop back down on the shoulder.

I've been trying to capture a picture of her smiling...this is the closest I've gotten. She's serious most of the time. She is also pretty fussy...I'm hoping it isn't because she has tummy trouble. We spend hours each day walking and bouncing and patting.

She is growing so fast! She has nothing newborn that she can wear anymore (unless it was labeled newborn but clearly 0-3 month size). She is outgrowing her newborn cloth diapers and I give her another week or so and they'll be done. I weighed and measured her at 8 lbs 14.5 oz and 21.25 inches. They had "measured" her at 22 inches last week at the doctor, but I didn't believe it. They do it on this paper that moves while she is kicking and screaming. They make a line at her head and then as she wiggles all over they grab her foot and make another line. It is always comical because I SEE her moving well below where they drew the head line as they mark her foot and yet it goes on her chart.

All that matters I guess is that she IS growing. She is nursing really well. She and I connected that way from the very beginning. Rosebud nursed well from the start also, and I attribute that to their births. I'll have to share that another time.

I'm an aunt!!!!! My brother and sister-in-law had a baby girl this morning. She looks just like my SIL & she is beautiful! I'd think she was beautiful even if she looked just like my brother :o) Anyway, she is one special little girl and I know they'll be fantastic parents. They named her Ivy which is such a pretty name. She weighed 1/2 oz less than her big cousin Sweet Pea. Not Sweet Pea's birth weight, Sweet Pea's today weight. So much for sending all my newborn girl clothes their way! I cannot wait to see her and hug her and kiss her!!!!

We got some Snow on Friday and the boys played outside Saturday. LMM enjoyed filling his mitten with snow and then eating it. GROSS. He was thrilled nonetheless.

Snug ran around with our dogs who LOVE snow. They're 1/2 husky so I guess that is understandable. I took these pictures from inside the warmth of my home thanks to the lens from my aunt! I feel very spoiled.

Anyway, it has been an exciting time here at our house.

For those of you on my blogroll, I have been reading your posts...but I've been doing it as I nurse via my Kindle Fire. Leaving comments isn't as easy that way, so I often don't. I feel bad too because when people comment you know they are actually reading. I'M READING! Someday I might be better typing one handed with a touch screen...but today is not that day!

New Birthdays

2012-01-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

A few days ago Little Monkey Man announced during devotions that he needed to ask God to forgive his sins. We talked for a few minutes and then we prayed together. I think he understood what he was doing but I don't know if he'll ever remember it. However, it is great to know he is thinking about such things!!!

If you ask him, he is likely to say he has Jesus "in mines heart!" Amen little man.

Last night as I was reading "Katy and the Big Snow" Snug started to cry. Katy isn't that emotional of a story. Actually there is not a single sad thing in it.

He said he was upset because he didn't get to ask Jesus in his heart like LMM did. I assured him he could do so at any time. We talked for a few minutes and then he too prayed and asked Jesus to forgive his sins and to "be his best friend". I think he understands more than his brother as we've talked about it on several occasions. He knows more about Jesus dying on the cross and rising again. He also could tell you before that he had never asked Jesus to forgive him and that he knew he should-just didn't want to.

I am so very humbled to have been a small part of their salvation. To God be the glory!

Mark 10:14b-16 "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Romans 3:23
"For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Emphasis mine)
Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"
John 3:3
"In reply Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.' "
Romans 10:9-10
"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

5 Weeks

2012-01-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

Sweet Pea was five weeks...two days ago. I'm finding it hard to find time to blog. I also realize I hardly write anything about the other kids, especially the boys. I'm going to try to remedy that this week.

At her doctor appt last Friday she weighed 8 lbs 3 oz. They measured her at 22 inches long, but honestly I don't really believe it. Their measuring method has never been reliable on my other kids until they are able to stand up on their own.

When we woke up Monday morning we realized we no longer had a newborn. It was like overnight she changed. I don't know if the new car smell wore off or what! Actually, it is just that when she is awake she is more alert and she is beginning to sleep in longer increments. She also looks different as she has filled out and her skin is smoothing out. In this picture she still has mitts on, but she's outgrown those onesies and now her hands are free most of the time-and she doesn't scratch herself up as she has a little more control over her arms.

We are working on NOT being held all the time...and not screaming about it when she isn't being held. Her lungs are nice and healthy! I promise I'll post at least one more time before Sunday. I need to get back in the saddle again.

4 Weeks & Happy New Year

2012-01-01T16:54:00.000-08:00

We spent New Year's Day at church-a great way to start a new year. There wasn't childcare last week or this, so it was interesting to sit through service with four small children. Snug does it regularly on Sunday nights, as did Rosebud till she was 18 months old.(We have an 18 month-4 year old class Sunday at night).

I have to tell you, although I don't want to pull it off every Sunday, it was such a blessing to worship as a family four a couple of weeks. Our pastor challenged us to not "shrink back" this new year despite the grim outlook of the economy and politics and the world being in disarray. He challenged us to give our all and live for the Lord more now than ever. Very inspiring!

I took this picture right before we left for church. Daddy and his girls :o) Hats with large accessories are new to me this year, but I think I'm lovin' it! I like hats on my kids in general.

I snapped this picture a couple of minutes ago. Hard to believe Sweet Pea is four weeks old today. She weighs in at 7 lbs 11 oz and is approx. 19.75 inches.

The cocoon she is wrapped in was made by one of my aunts. Very soft and snugly on a very windy cold night. We're having a fire and going to watch my husband's new Psyche DVD. Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Pictures!

2011-12-31T15:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve #1's family came to celebrate Christmas and go to our Christmas Eve service at church.

We all were very spoiled getting gifts and enjoying time with family.

Both boys got "football" hats, Snug got Michigan (go blue!) and LMM Ohio State (booooo). They also got bat bags, something they'll use a LOT this summer.

Christmas Morning

This is what Rosebud and Sweet Pea got for Christmas. My cousin had it at her house and her daughter outgrew it...and we are truly blessed. It is SUCH a fun toy.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care! Stockings are my kids' favorite thing to open.

Our tree Christmas Eve.

Rosebud and LMM immediately got to work setting up house :o)

It was hard to get them to sit still!

Each one got two presents to open (the one pictures counts as "1") and a BIG thing. You saw the girls' big thing...wait and you'll see the boys'.

Cars toys, a couple of DVDs, and Legos were the toys this year. Rosebud got clothes...she didn't care.

And the boys got a Power Wheels. I'm not sure who is more excited...daddy or the boys!

Just a few pictures of Rosebud Christmas morning right after church.

My mom made her dress for ME when I was a baby...I wore it my first two Christmases. She also wore it last year and now this year!

We hope you had a blessed Christmas and a happy new year!!!!

3 Weeks

2011-12-26T10:47:00.000-08:00

Sweet Pea turned three weeks on Christmas Day. She still sleeps quite a bit and it getting a tiny bit better about not eating all.night.long.

I don't think she even noticed it was Christmas. I do know she enjoyed having family here Christmas Eve...extra hands to snuggle her up. My friend Bethany also came by last week to help me get my kids to bed while #1 was at work...she then held/kept Sweet Pea happy for well over three hours while I went to bed and caught up on much needed rest. We've been really blessed by good friends who have brought meals by too.

She is now 20 in long and weighs 7 lbs 7 oz. I'll post Christmas pictures of the other kids soon :o)

Santa Baby

2011-12-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

For the record I hate that song. But I LOVE my Santa Babies. Even though we don't believe in Santa. He's fun anyway!

This Santa baby fell and busted her lip. She runs all the time and slips on our hardwood floors :o(

Found this dress when I dug out her 12-18 month clothes the other day. Jackpot!!!

She may be dressed as Mrs. Claus, but she's playing with the Nativity :o)

Attention all fluffy lovers...this baby has gone from preemie to newborn diapers and more and more of her cloth diapers fit daily!!!

I love this baby! She is so snuggly. Now if we could get her days and nights right.

She weighed in at seven pounds, three oz today. She has gained a pound since she was seen at the doctor at four days old. Grow baby grow!

*Hat is by Razzle Dazzle Kids (Gingerich family adoption fundraiser). www.feingerich.wordpress.com

2 Weeks

2011-12-18T11:24:00.000-08:00

Sweet Pea is two weeks old today. This picture was taken yesterday, but I don't think it matters that much. She weighs 6 lbs 11 oz so she has gone past her birth weight-weighs now what Rosebud did at birth. She also has her first cold, thanks to her big sister. Daddy also has it, and is returning to work tonight feeling quite yucky. With Sweet Pea sick neither of us is getting much sleep.

I took a picture of her sleeping in her crib. She only naps there and only sometimes as Rosebud can't be left alone with her. She not only shares her germs, but her books and dollies and anything else that isn't nailed down. She shares it right into the crib with Sweet Pea.

I took a similar picture of Snug when he was a few days old in his crib (same crib, just it was his at the time).

And also one of Little Monkey Man (known on the blog as Baby J back then). I also took one of Rosebud, I KNOW I did...but I can't find it. She was wrapped in a pink blanket.

Anyway, none of them can deny each other as siblings. Other than three with cold and three waiting to GET that cold...we are doing pretty good. Life with four kids is very hectic right now but we are so blessed to have these kiddos and we thank God daily for them. I'm hoping the boys settle down some after Christmas, they are both very wild. We'll see!

20 Months Old

2011-12-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

Our "baby" is 20 months old today. Do you see this face? It belongs to a little girl who keeps her mama on her toes. Such a beautiful little face. Such an active little body attached to it :o)

These are pictures I took the other day when I did our family's Christmas photos. We use Wal-Mart usually, and I love the girl who does them there...but I refuse to take my new baby out into the wide wide world of flue and cold season. So with a LOT of help from my husband and parents, I attempted to do my own.

Today Rosebud weighed in at 20 lbs 1 oz. That is the first time she's gotten to 20 lbs!!!! She has been close for awhile now and we were so happy that she finally did it! Next to Sweet Pea she looks huge, but she still isn't on the growth chart. But growing she certainly is!

This one it a little fuzzy (as is my header, I do realize, but I love the picture anyway). I also got out her 12-18 month box of clothes and went "shopping". It is always so fun to look through all the hand-me-downs and see what will be season appropriate. We have had so many generous people donate us clothes for our kids.

At 20 months old, Rosebud can jump getting both feet off the floor at the same time, say lots of different words, and entertain herself with, as my mom says "girly things" for hours. She loves pink and purple and everything sparkly. Give her a bag and she'll go collecting throughout the house and then say "bye bye" and proudly go somewhere to dump out her latest treasures. She is starting to refuse naps, but does sleep in her big girl bed now. She'll sit and play in her bed, but doesn't sleep. Not loving that.

We are so proud of Rosebud and enjoy seeing her become more of a young lady everyday.

One Week

2011-12-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

One week old today. She is already changing in looks. She still favors LMM in the face, but we also see some Rosebud. Tomorrow my friend is coming to take her newborn pictures-one day before her due date. All of our kids have had theirs taken within a day or two of their due dates and they all have the same ones taken. But the lady who used to take them doesn't have her business anymore so my friend is going to replicate them. I am excited to see what we get!!!

Big Sister

2011-12-10T12:19:00.000-08:00

Rosebud is adjusting to being the big sister rather nicely. She is testing out the baby equipment. Weight wise, this car seat takes up to 22 lbs. She may weigh 20 lbs, I haven't weighed her this week. Last week she hadn't hit it yet. Length wise she outgrew a baby seat in August.

She likes too get in close and snuggle with baby. She giggles when baby cries.

Sneak peek of Christmas photos.

But her favorite part of being a big sister is her new bed...that she won't stay in so she still uses the crib.

But it still is so fun to have.

And it looks so cute in the girls' room.

One of these days she'll stay in it (we try every day at nap and bedtime).

And really it is ok because technically we really have two babies*...one just happens to also be a big sister as well.

*Rosebud isn't even 20 mos. yet,

Meet Molly

2011-12-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

Snug says she is cute.

LMM has questions. My favorite was if she has legs!

Rosebud doesn't realize anything...yet...

Molly Lynn-Marie. Dec 4, 2011 5:16am 6lbs 9oz 19.75"

I'll post more later...I'm tired. Great delivery, healthy baby. Very Blessed!

Waiting

2011-11-30T12:39:00.000-08:00

I do have a few pictures to post, not sure when I'll do it. I'm working hard on Christmas presents for people, and that takes any time I do feel like sitting at the computer. Which isn't often because it isn't really comfortable at this point!

Just waiting on baby. Last week (37 weeks) my midwife had very positive things to say after she checked me out and really thought the baby would come any time. Tuesday I was having lots of very painful contractions, cramping, and I was downright misreable. Then by Friday things started feeling better. Saw my OB on Monday and I actually went backwards. Yep. I was looking less like I'd be delivering anytime soon. Baby is very happy where he/she is. Kinda depressing. I don't feel great. I have zero energy. I get contractions that hurt quite a bit and guess what? All for nothing.

I made a paper chain from now till Dec. 18th of at least one thing a day I can do because we don't have baby yet. Things like going to see Santa in the Park on Friday night or a special Christmas Concert I always look forward to this Sunday. Trying to be optimistic!

My actual due date is the 13th, but tomorrow (Thursday) will be 38 weeks, 2 days-the date I delivered Rosebud. After that it will be the longest I've ever been pregnant. I have a great debate up on Facebook on what date people think I'll deliver and if it is a boy or a girl. Maybe I'll make a spreadsheet. But not now because I'm already hurting from sitting here.

I'll keep you posted.

1 Little...

2011-11-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

One Little

2 Little

3 Little Indians!

Snug has his shirt from preschool last year, Little Monkey Man made one this year. I took a little undershirt that was badly stained and headed for the rag box and stained it with tea, fringed it, and put some stamps on it. Rosebud now has her own!

This is LMM at his Thanksgiving program at school. He sang very nicely and enjoyed all the attention!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Survival Of The Fittest Fattest

2011-11-19T18:33:00.000-08:00

#1 had SWAT training this weekend which means we were in the "40 hours with no daddy" weekend that we have once a month or so. This was going to be the toughest by far as I am not quick on my feet, feeling great, having tons of patience, or up to going out in public with the kids alone.

Friday afternoon as I was feeling sorry for my self and thinking of devouring a gallon of ice cream I decided I had better snap out of it. It wasn't going to help anything. Aside from falling down the stairs again (did that 2 weeks ago, baby and I are both fine) I wasn't going to be able to have #1 take any time off...they are at minimum manning almost every day. So I decided to man up. Or whatever.

I wrote down a list of things that sounded like very little effort on my part but fun for the kids to do. Then I made a list of things that should get done. Then I made a list of things that HAD to get done this weekend or we'd be living in a complete pig sty.

I put each item on a slip of paper and put them in a jar. This morning when the kids got up it was so tempting to turn on the TV, lay on the couch, and then listen to them argue and whine all day. But I didn't want that. So I got out the jar and explained the "game" to the kids. They were instantly hooked and very excited.

The boys got to take turns picking a slip out of the jar. After the item was done, we picked out another one. Meals and "quiet time" aka naps were at their normal times, not included in the jar. I warned them some things would be jobs, but they were happy to do whatever knowing that the next slip of paper might be something fun.

We pulled "get dressed" out of the jar at 10:30, and then "take a bath" came out at 11:00. So they got undressed, bathed, and re-dressed. They thought that was funny. Teeth were not brushed till 4pm, but I figured one day wouldn't kill us.

The slips of paper took us from 7:30am till 6:45pm. I had no idea how long it would take, and actually took one out that wouldn't work after dark (run around the house 5 times) when I realized it hadn't happened yet at 6pm. Here are a few things we did. Although I would HATE to run my daily life at random, this really worked for us this difficult weekend.

Fun:
Play-Doh
Make/Paint Thanksgiving napkin rings
Mommy reads a book to you (in the jar twice)
Take a bath alone (they took turns, they usually have to all go at the same time, this was a treat)
Play in basement
Play a round of "Sorry"
Play a Thanksgiving game Snug brought home from school
Run around the house 5 times (didn't use)
Skype with grandparents

Should Get Done:
Get dressed
Brush Teeth
Practice sight words
Phonics practice (Snug) letter ID practice (LMM)
Snug read to mommy
Clean up bedrooms
Get the mail

Had To Get Done:
Sweep and Vacuum
Empty Dishwasher
Load of laundry (in the jar two times)
Feed the pets
Stuff/fold/put away diapers

So that's what we did. And even things like the laundry were fun because I got the kids involved. I'm not supposed to be carrying laundry baskets up and down the stairs after my fun fall so the boys worked together and did it for me. They were quite pleased. I even let them "shoot" the laundry into the washer so the job was done quickly and without whining. Things went well until bedtime when an over tired member of the family finally fell apart, but overall, we survived and now they are all sleeping. I'm labeling this post as a boredom buster because, as you see, we were not bored! We didn't even go anywhere...we didn't even watch TV!

I have a cute Thanksgiving craft we made the other day to post, and pics of Little Monkey man's Thanksgiving program at school...I'll try later.

36 Weeks

2011-11-15T05:24:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big belly shot girl. I think I did it twice with Rosebud, and never with the boys. But here it is. The biggest belly I've ever sported. Last week at the OB I weighed 10 more pounds than I did the day I delivered either boy, and eight more than when I delivered Rosebud. This week I had lost 2 lbs...certainly not due to my lack of eating or eating healthier, I assure you!

I feel like an elephant, although I realize I really am not that huge. It just feels like it.

Officially four weeks till my due date. Here's hoping I don't have to go that long!

Pin?

2011-11-13T18:18:00.000-08:00

This is my "pin". I "pinned" it today. On Pintrest. Which I don't understand. I can pin off of something someone else pinned on Pintrest. But can I pin anything I see anywhere online? Help!!! Someone let me know what to do!!!! This seems really neat...but I don't know how to use it.

Alphabitty Moments "A"

2011-11-10T18:21:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Carrie for hosting Alphabitty moments! I am taking pictures of a book I'm making in Shutterfly for my kids...whenever I get a free book again. I can't seem to figure out how to just save a copy of the page I'm working on, so I took pictures with my camera. That works too I guess!
Check out her blog and other people's moments!

Bunk Beds and Halloween

2011-11-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

Ah, a week after Halloween this mom is finally going to post some pictures. But first things first. Today the bunk bed is complete. I blog about lots of milestones, and I think moving from toddler beds to big boy beds is a milestone!

Snug got to start sleeping up top of the bunk bed when we first got home from camp back in July. He was way too big for a toddler bed, and we found this bunk that was very stable and had stairs...too many little people around here that I didn't want falling off a ladder. The bottom bunk wasn't assembled, just left like a loft with Little Monkey Man's toddler bed sticking out from under it.

After I caught LMM launching himself from the top bunk to the toddler bed and then climbing back up without using the stairs, I decided it was time to build the bottom bunk and get rid of the toddler bed. It was really hard. I wasn't ready for him to be that big. But I also wasn't ready for him to split his head open from the top bunk.

And boy, was he excited to get into a big boy bed.

*sigh*

Ok, now to long overdue Halloween pictures.

The kids and I got to go to a costume party the Saturday before Halloween. Like my costume???

I didn't take great pictures of the kids that night because I was planning on going trick-or-treating with them.

I'll have to get Rosebud all dressed up again and get a picture for myself because these are the only three I have of her in costume :o( Anyway, she was a fairy princess, and sooo stinkin' cute. I made her costume, which is my favorite part of Halloween. I made Snug's too, but not LMM's this year. We borrowed the Tigger costume that we had borrowed for Snug when he was three. Tigger just really fits his personality!

Halloween I was so sick I wanted to kick the bucket, but thanks to an awesome lens from my aunt, I was able to take pictures of the kids carving pumpkins with their daddy.

I was totally grossed out to witness Little Monkey Man eat mouthfuls of pumpkin. I mean, I know it is edible...but ew!

I guess what doesn't kill him makes him stronger!

Snug had very specific ideas about how his pumpkin should look. He still doesn't use the knife, maybe next year.

#1 was so good. He carved pumpkins, got on costumes, and even took pictures before they left. It was the first time he'd been off work on Halloween since Snug was 2 months old. We had a big family night planned, but that didn't happen.

Rosebud didn't get dressed up for the outing. It was really chilly and #1 had done so much. I was too sick to care. These pictures took forever to post because, for privacy, I had to do some photoshop work (albeit not great work) to take #1's department name off Snug's costume.

He was so proud to be wearing "daddy's uniform". I have to laugh that he picked the pink bucket. I"m sure my husband was laughing...or not.

Little Monkey Man's pumpkin is on the left. He wanted a smiley one. Snug wanted a pumpkin that was "scary". I was kinda surprised...then he explained it was supposed to look "scared". I love how #1 set them so that it looks like Snug's is scared of LMM's. So cute!

Well, another long post, but I am so busy I end up shoving all my pictures into long posts instead of posting daily. I don't think that life is going to slow down anytime soon, do you?

What To Do On A Rainy Day...

2011-11-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

I've added a new "label" to my sidebar (see bottom left side of blog) called "Boredom Busters". If you live in a large area of our country, the next few months are sure to bring many inside days with little people. My ideas are (usually) not new or unique to me, but I try to share some things that work for us!

Welcome to anyone visiting from Jenilee's "Just Because Blog Hop"! Glad you're here! I"m Jenney, mom to three (almost 4) kiddos, and I run a home daycare. My husband is a police officer, and I blog about that occasionally too. Mostly though, about family life.

Today's activity was one I had done with my remedial kindergarten class WAY back. I was reminded of it though as my boys were vegged out watching Sid the Science Kid on Monday. While I was laid up with my lovely bug, they watched as much TV as they would normally in two weeks. All in the name of survival, I assure you!

SLIME!!!!

What you'll need:
Mixing bowl (I used a large measuring cup)
Cornstarch
Water
Measuring cups
Food coloring (optional)

The recipe technically calls for equal parts water and cornstarch, but I really think it depends somewhat on the temperature you're working at. Today we needed a tad more cornstarch. Snug enjoyed using a 1/4 c. because we've been talking in homeschool about four quarters equaling a whole. For those of you who didn't realize, yes I homeschool Snug as well as send him to the local public kindergarten. His district only offers kindergarten two, sometimes three days a week, so we homeschool the days he doesn't attend. It really has been the best of both worlds.

Little Monkey Man was in charge of water. We ended up using 1/2 c. water and nearly 3/4 c. of cornstarch.

Next the boys got busy mixing. I should have put the food coloring in at this point, because by the time we did our slime was pretty stiff when mixed quickly (when mixed slowly it oozes nicely).

Yep, it was messy. Our table (and a little of my camera) had cornstarch all over it. However, it cleans up VERY easy. Just water and a washcloth. We talked about how to make purple, as Little Monkey Man has been doing lots with colors in his preschool. We used one drop of blue and two drops of red and it made a lovely purple color.

I had the boys use the trays we use for grilling out (clean, of course) to play on. Little Monkey Man lasted...about three minutes. His sensory issues did NOT enjoy the slime. Although he is sensory seeking, he likes to be able to control what input he gets. This slime is so unpredictable he ended up shaking his hands and screaming. It was still good for him to have the experience. I washed his hands and he played in the beans and trucks instead.

You seriously have to try this some yucky day and let me know how it goes! Check out the other "Boredom Busters" and try them too! *It may take me a little while to find them all and label them...just sayin'.

34 Weeks

2011-11-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

Well, week #34 of pregnancy came in with a bang.

Sunday night 11:30 Snug woke up vomiting. I was up with him about three times, but he would go right back to sleep. He was fine by lunch Monday.

Monday morning 4am I woke up with awful stomach pain. It just kept getting worse. I missed trick-or-treat, I missed pumpkin carving, and I hardly cared. Whatever bug this was, the sheer pain was way worse than the exiting of food from my body. Add that to a super active baby constantly pushing on me the pain was almost unbearable at times. And from laying down too much, I was having lots of contractions-nice hurting ones.

Tuesday was my official 34 week mark (I was told originally that it was marked on Sundays, so I've been counting off by 2 days this whole time. Guess it really doesn't matter). I felt somewhat better, not nearly the pain, but still not hardly eating. Hungry? Yes. But the minute I ate I felt terrible again. Lost 5 lbs.

Today, Wednesday, I can eat in small quantities, but I have no energy. I feel like someone has beat me up. I do have Halloween pictures from a party we attended Saturday night. And I took a few pictures thanks to my new lens from my aunt (I was laying so far away other wise I wouldn't have gotten much) of the kids carving pumpkins with daddy.

Hats off to #1 who has been off since his last shift Sunday night...he's gotten so much laundry done, kept the house in order, and gotten kids to and from school. I do not know what I would do without him. I do know that I am really ready to be 37 weeks and then hopefully have this baby!!!!

Bathroom Blues

2011-10-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

I guess I can no longer go to the bathroom if #1 is not home. Seems how I feel the urge to visit there every 15 minutes...this could be very hard.

*I made sure she wasn't going to fall before grabbing my camera. No, she's never done this before. No, I won't be letting her in the future.

Not Creating Pumpkin Drama

2011-10-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

We have visited the same pumpkin place since Snug was born. Actually, it has moved locations, but I think it stayed in the family as all of the "props" have stayed the same. Every year we take a picture in this pumpkin cut-out.

Each year we take a little wagon ride and pick out the pumpkins everyone wants. They're pre-picked, but still fun to decide.

There are lots of animals to pet. They have donkeys, rabbits, chickens, pot-bellied pigs, goats, llamas, and a horse.

Snug wanted this BIG pumpkin, but I think it was like $25 so the answer was "no".

Rosebud didn't even pick out a pumpkin, so Monkey Man did it for her. She was just too busy walking around.

LMM loved the animals...especially the pot bellied pigs. These are piglets, and they were kinda cute.

Everyone loved the horse. He is old and gentle and very friendly.

I'm not sure what I like most about this picture. Rosebud getting nuzzled or the look on Snug's face.

This boy would make a good farm kid. He'd have stayed forever if we let him.

Snug really doesn't love getting his picture taken, but sat still for a minute so I could get his yearly "shot".

LMM can't get enough of the camera and wanted me to take several pictures. Then he insists that he "see them".

A lovely day at the pumpkin patch. The end.

Oh I so wish. The boys' favorite part about going here is that every year they've had a huge straw pile to jump in/play on. You can see last year's picture here. Seriously, if you didn't click there go do it. The kids have changed SO MUCH. And I can totally tell I was editing photos back then because they look much much better. Oh well.

Anyway, when we got to the straw pile/pit area there was a sign that said you had to buy a wristband this year. And they had the area snow fenced in. Very different, but whatever. So we went to purchase a wristband. I'm thinking $1-$2/kid. Wrong. $5 per PERSON who wanted to go in. Rosebud would have been free, but $20 to go play in straw? For that price I could have purchased some bales down the road and made our own pile. We had to tell the kids no, and they bawled. Seriously cried their little hearts out. And we got after them for not being grateful for the fun time they had and took them straight to the van...but after awhile #1 and I decided really, we'd have cried too. It was what they were really looking forward to. And charging that much (especially for adults as well) is crazy.

I typed up a letter to the owners of the farm, but I haven't sent it. I just explained that although we know the growing season was tough, that was a little...steep. I told them how much our kids love going there and how we buy our pumpkins there (for MUCH more than we could at ALDI or Wal-Mart) because we want to support local farming. I explained what a fiasco it created charging for straw play and how our kids were sorely disappointed. But I didn't send it. I don't want to create pumpkin drama. For now it sits on top of our desk. It is nicely written...very sincere. I just can't decide whether or not to express my feelings on the whole thing or just let it drop. At first I wasn't sure whether to even write a letter. Then I was sure I should. Now it sits all typed up...and I am unsure again. What do you think?

Snippets of Survival

2011-10-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

This will be a rambly post to be sure. Life just seems rambly right now. I feel like we are on fast-forward and I'm hanging onto the tow rope. I feel humongous although I am told daily no one would ever guess I am 33 weeks along. That's all great and such, but I weigh more than I have in my entire life and I'm bigger than I was with the other three. And I have 7 weeks to go. Yikes.

Tired. I am so tired. The acid reflux and insomnia I experienced with Rosebud are back with vengeance and I am convinced more and more each day that I am having another girl. Some days I wish I knew (like when I see super cute Christmas sweater dresses for a baby girl or when washing newborn clothing and finding out I loaned out/never got back most of my newborn boy clothes). Most of the time though I'm glad I don't know.

I bought this little dresser at a garage sale (At LMM's school of all things). We have zero extra dresser space for baby clothes, and just about zero space to even put a dresser, so this is going to be it for awhile. I can't say I was loving the look of it though.

I washed it up and sanded the whole thing, but it still wasn't quite what I was looking for.

While we were in Vegas Rosebud turned 18 months! She is a full fledged toddler complete with meltdowns, new words, and abundant energy. She is wearing a size 9-12 month clothes and is somewhere between a size 3 and 4 depending on the shoe. She weighs 19 lbs 4 oz and is 30 inches long. Her newest word is "up" which she doesn't actually say out loud. She mouths it and then kinda makes a "p" sound at the end. Very cute.

Our little Oliver is not so little anymore! He is a good kitty and takes quite a bit of loving. He also is feisty and if the kids don't stay out of his face (as in put their face RIGHT up to his) he'll get them...but they have been warned and they don't heed that warning. Most of the time though he's pretty laid back and is a great family cat. Here he is with Little Monkey Man during his morning breathing treatment. The steroid he's on has really helped him this fall, and we haven't had many breathing issues.

Back to the dresser. After sanding, and knowing that there was still too much varnish on it, I decided it would have to be stripped. Have you ever texted someone and they weren't on the same wavelength and it came out all wrong to them? Here's my text to #1 at work after we'd visited Lowe's for some dresser refinishing supplies: "Bought a stripper, but it was more expensive than I had thought". He actually thought I was talking about a stripper and was really confused. My next text revealed that the paint I purchased was only 50 cents. He finally put two and two together and pulled his eyeballs back into his head. The WOOD stripper did the trick and the paint went on well.

I bought little wooden knobs and painted them the colors that are in our Beatrix Potter nursery/Rosebud's room.

Here's the finished product sitting in our dining room. I was happy with the results!

It goes well with the little wardrobe (from when my brother and I were babies) that houses Rosebud's clothes.
Dresser: $5
Stripper: $9.99 (but there was enough left over to do a table I have out in our shed next summer)
Paint: 50 cents (look at the clearance shelf in Lowe's for paint that they didn't make the right color...super cheap!)
Knobs: 4 @ $.88 each
Knob Paint: Already owned!

I figure all in all it was a little over $15 for the whole project (if I half the price of the stripper seems how it goes to two projects). Not too bad.

This week both boys had Halloween parties at school and are sugared up enough to last till Christmas, let alone a party at a family friend's house Saturday and Trick-or-treat Monday night. Good thing we give all the candy away!

Police Softball Vegas 2011

2011-10-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

The whole reason we were even in Vegas was to play softball. Not me personally, but #1. There is a game for wives but I am not athletic and I don't think playing ball is on the "Approved" list from my midwives!

The park that they play at is beautiful. Each ball diamond is a miniature replica of a real professional stadium. So fun!

On Friday night, after winning their first two games, we watched an all star team made up of selected players from police teams that were there play against the Wounded Warriors softball team.

Each of the wounded warriors is missing a limb or a hand/foot. They lost their arms/legs/hands/feet serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan. And they play softball. Well. The all-star team won, but seriously the fact that these guys play at all is just awesome. And they were SO young. I'll bet the average age was probably 23. They gave a lot to serve their country.

Here's the team lined up before the game. As you look down the line, most of the legs you see are prosthesis. The crowd in the stands was not cheering for the police all-star team :o)

The view from the stadiums is awesome. Mountains in the background, perfect (but HOT) weather. It was great.

We tried to get ourselves in a few pictures too. Cause we were there-not just scenery!

#1 plays first base. He had a pretty good tournament.

He had two home runs and a few good hits. I was really proud of him!

This slide was really funny. After he slid in and was safe he had to hold the base and put it back where it belonged. The fields are astro turf and the bases aren't really stuck down so that people don't get hurt sliding into them. I have another picture of him facing down the third base line, towards the outfield, hugging the base after this slide.

I think I heard that there were seventy some teams at the tournament from all over the US and Canada. In his bracket (they have to split into different brackets or it would take FOREVER to run the tournament) I think he said there were about 30 teams. They finished 4th place. Not bad!

Walt Vegas, Las Disney

2011-10-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

While in Vegas, I decided it was the equivalent of the Disney theme parks...for adults. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather spend time in Disney any day, but hear me out here.

Disney hotels offer the nicest in accommodations. I've never stayed in one of their hotels, but I've walked through several. These pictures are from our hotel. It was absolutely beautiful. There were two drawbacks...first off sections often smelled like a funeral parlor being that they had decorated with thousands of lilies, and secondly it was literally a ten minute walk from our room to our car. Other than that, it was perfect.

Here is one of the outdoor gardens. There was no spare in detail.

Just like Disney, there was traffic in abundance and people everywhere. I'd recommend going to Vegas mid-week as it is much easier to maneuver than it is on the weekend. The crowds of people are just crazy.

Just like Disney, they have recreated places from around the world. My favorite hotels were The Venetian and Caesar's Palace. They were so beautiful. They really made you feel like you were there.

Just like Disney, there was something to see around every corner. This is not a statue, it is a real man. He didn't move, but I'm pretty sure if #1 had reached over and touched his tips he might have broken character :o)

Inside the Venetian. Doesn't this seem like Disney for adults??

Like Disney, there are shows everywhere. We didn't pay to see a show, but saw several spectacular things outside the hotels. This is the volcano outside of our hotel. Pictures don't do it justice.

Disney at night is awe inspiring. So is Vegas. Thousands of lights, so much to look at.

They both have palm trees.

They both have people in character that you can get your pictures with (only at Disney you aren't expected to tip them).

Another show (Atlantis in Caesar's Palace).

There were even some Disney characters in Vegas.

Another re-creation of a real place. I believe that Epcot has a replica of the Eiffel tower too.

Hey Buzz!

Of course, most of the characters we saw were not Disney themed. I didn't take pictures of MANY who were not dressed appropriately. But like I said, Vegas is Disney for adults. Not that I want that kind of entertainment as an adult, but I don't think I am exactly who they are marketing to!

The big guy himself!

Just like Disney, there are tons of beautiful pools to relax by.

This was one of the pools at our hotel. We spent a few hours relaxing here.

There was no spare to detail. I didn't get pictures, but there is a roller coaster on TOP and hanging OVER one of the hotels, and outside of another.

This is Vegas' Pirates of the Carribean. I think it was called Sirens of Ti, but whatever.

We watched the ship above as it traveled down the canal, but not the actual show. Unlike Disney, the Sirens were not dressed for a male audience. Excuse me, they were dressed for a male audience, but not my male. I couldn't believe how many people had their little kids there. Not just at that show, but everywhere. One o'clock in the morning? Kids of all ages, everywhere.

A fountain show.

At Disney, you can see cutting edge technology. In Vegas, we saw some too. This is a spiral escalator. Yep, you just stepped on and it took you up. It was amazing.

I guess I did get a picture of one of the roller coasters. Not as many rides as Disney, but you get the idea.

Money. There was so much money being spent in Vegas. You want it? You can buy it. There were stores EVERYWHERE. I saw stores I've only ever heard about with brand names I can't even afford to look at. People spent money like water. Not us. We're debt free and proud. But seriously, people spent money like crazy. We watched as people lost hundreds of dollars in slot machines and at game tables. I lost 54cents. Viva Las Vegas :o)

In the elevator on the way down to the lobby one morning, we encountered a group of college age girls. One girl was telling her friends how she has "literally lost a $100 bill and didn't care". She went on to say how "this place just makes me feel rich". #1 and I wanted to know exactly where she had last seen that money. Vegas didn't make us feel rich.

Just like Disney, food prices in Vegas were outrageous. We tried to stick to the cheapest food possible (in the hotels, most of the restaurants started at $40/plate). However, as we discovered, even McDonald's was expensive. A Big Mac extra "value" meal? Upwards of $8. Double cheeseburger? Over $3.50 for the sandwich alone. There were three things on the dollar menu. chocolate chip cookies, apple dippers, or a small parfait.

Denny's was our best friend. Denny's had regular prices. Now, here at home going to Denny's would be a special thing, we don't get to eat out often. However, being able to walk in, order breakfast to go (the line to actually get a table was usually a 40 min. wait) and spent $8 total...that was a blessing. We'd get something, split it, and have eaten enough-Denny's has great portions.

Ok, here's the Animal Kingdom part. Inside the MGM there are live lions. The day we were there we got to see two cubs play together.

They were so cute!!!! They acted very much like out kitten, Oliver.

So here is why we thought Vegas and Disney are similar:

Beautiful accommodations

Attention to Detail
CLEAN (inside the hotels)
Tons to spend money on...without even realizing what you've spent.

Expensive food

Tons to do/see
Lots of shows
Rides/thrills
Pools and palm trees
People acting childish

I am glad I got to go. It was quite the experience. It was all a little overwhelming!!!!

The Grand Canyon

2011-10-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

We decided Thursday morning to head out to the Grand Canyon. The drive was BEAUTIFUL. The scenery changed about every 20 minutes.

This was a scenic overview. Well worth the short stop!

A big horned ram.

This was a few miles down the road. We also saw desert and forest.

We took a tripod so we could get pictures of ourselves.

I had never seen cacti growing wild before. So fun!

I cannot even begin to describe the Grand Canyon. The pictures don't even start to show how huge and beautiful it is.

On the video at the visitor's center they talked about how it was formed over billions of years. I know better, and the scenery seriously made me want to sing hymns. Don't worry, I didn't-aloud.

Every time we got off the bus it was a new view. Just completely amazing.

Look closely. Do you see a castle? I do!

We'll call this my 31.5 week preggo pic.

#1 does a workout called "Crossfit". They take pics of themselves doing this all over the world. He can't wait to send his in.

We were wearing sunglasses because it was VERY bright out and hot. I was told it could be quite chilly around the rim this time of year but not this day!

Yep, I was standing right on the edge. However, I'll just say for the record that the next level down was only about 5 or so feet down. Not a fun fall, but not deadly either!

We got to see a herd of elk drinking in a little pool right off the parking lot.

They were pretty used to visitors as people were walking right up to them and this guy stopped up traffic for awhile.

If we would have realized exactly what 5 hours of driving to, then seeing, and then driving 5 hours back from the Grand Canyon was really like we probably would have stayed at the park. Hindsight is 20/20.

We eventually did have to leave, but we are so glad we took the time to go.

The drive back to Vegas after dark wasn't much fun, but we have memories of this place that we'll have forever.

BRB

2011-10-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

I've been away for a few days. I've been here! Our internet in our hotel didn't work right, but in the airport it is up and running. I'll post pictures later. BRB, I promise!

Indian Summer

2011-10-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

Sometimes being a police officer means that #1 isn't around much. This weekend is one of those times. He left for work yesterday at 3:30pm, got home probably around 12:30 am (so we didn't see him) and left the house before 7:00 am this morning. He won't get home tonight until 12:30am again...so by the time he wakes up around 8am for church tomorrow...that's a little over 40 hours since the kids or I have seen him.

That is a little over 40 hours with the kids by myself. I can't imagine having a husband that deploys!

I decided right away that we'd need a schedule of fun activities if we were going to survive! Last night the kids helped me wash apples and then watched as I canned quarts of applesauce. As a bonus, a college student friend of ours is home for fall break and came over to watch "Lady and the Tramp" and give lots of tickles and read stories. That was a real blessing to me!

The weather today is BEAUTIFUL. Perfect indian summer. Breezy, sunny, and about eighty degrees. I've been wanting to take a fall picture of the kids for our wall. I have a big frame that I try to change every season. I had a coupon from Wal-Mart for a free 16x20 print and although that is too big, decided to take a picture I could cut down and put in the frame. Today was the day!

I took the kiddos outside and got the shot I wanted in my first 30 seconds. I had a photo trip to a working 1800's farm all planned...and even though I had my picture, I decided we'd go anyway. More fun than being home. So I uploaded the picture to Wal-Mart to be picked up later and we headed out!

I was a little disappointed when I saw the horses out in the pasture. It meant that they weren't harvesting anything today. I was kind of hoping there would be something like that going on. Instead, we were among quite a few other people there taking pictures. Seriously, we saw no less than 10 families with professional photographers.

I have to admit that is intimidating for me, as I'd love to know how to do photography on a more serious level. However, my kids had no pressure to perform and were not in tears. I saw so so many kids crying because they had to get their pictures taken right now. I'm sure mom and dad were paying by the hour and wanted to get in and get done. I know the feeling, we've had professional pictures taken. But I was relieved to just be there having fun with the kids.

Snug remembered where we were when we got to this sign. He's been there before, but not since his 4th birthday. Instantly he remembered his favorite activities, but we were a little disappointed to learn that we couldn't go to the river and covered bridge today.

The blacksmith shop was open today and the kids got really excited....because there was a praying mantis. This guy had the bellows going and fire and sparks, he let them bend steel with their bare hands...and they kept focused on this bug. They crack me up.

As I'm in no shape to be babywearing at this point, we took our small wagon. It contained Rosebud well, and also carried our diaper supplies and lunch.

Inside the farmhouse I learned about canning tomatoes without a pressure cooker (I have one, but still don't really understand how to use it). The kids enjoyed the toys, including this marble run. I love the farmhouse there. If it had things like, you know, heat and electricity, I'd move in. It is a huge beautiful house with a nice front porch, large back porch, and a summer kitchen off the back.

For about 99.9% of the trip Rosebud was all smiles. She'd climb up on something, smile and wait for me to take her picture.

Little M.M. also wanted his picture taken, but has this really cheesy face for photos lately. This too shall pass and I'll have lots of documentation of that "phase".

The kids loved the chickens, and I did too. We're hoping to get some in the spring. We'll see how I feel after baby #4 is here.

Perfect day to be outside!

I took a couple more pictures of them altogether. I do not know how I will ever ever get four kids to look and smile at the same time.

The boys expended the last of their energy surfing on the cellar door. Then we headed to the visitors center for our picnic lunch.

After he was done eating, LMM decided to check out this cauldron. Not sure what they were going to cook in it, but he cooked leaves.

On the way out we stopped at the penny candy store where things like Sweedish Fish and candy sticks can be bought from 2cents a piece. Each boy had 10 cents from their bank...which translated to 3-4 small pieces each. Not even what would be in a snack size Skittles, but enough for them to feel really special getting to choose and pay by themselves.

I didn't notice how late it was getting, but when Rosebud had a complete meltdown, I figured it out. Ooops. I felt kinda mean taking her picture, but realistically she isn't all smiles all the time. She is a typical toddler.

So now we have 15 more hours without daddy...but we're going to make it. Some more time outside, supper, and baths should get us to bedtime and then I'm going to COLLAPSE! Hope you had beautiful weather as well.

Puppy Love

2011-10-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

Rosebud loves her dogs.

Her dogs tolerate her toddler-puppy love. (Don't worry these pics were taken about 5 seconds apart, and within 20 seconds or so she was removed from the dog).

Good dog. Funny girl.

Oh Boy!

2011-10-06T05:23:00.000-07:00

Age: 3 years, 3 months. His face is always dirty.
Height: 39 1/2 inches His eyes are usually smiling.
Weight: 33 lbs His energy is boundless.

Almost always barefoot.

Almost always in trouble.
Almost always having a ton of fun.

Living life to the fullest.
Giving it his all.
Figuring out things he can't do yet but wants to.

Oh Boy!

*Aunt Cheryl, this is how he looked the other day when we were on the phone. I took these pictures for you :o)

Courageous

2011-10-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen Courageous, you need to. If you are planning on seeing Courageous, see it this week as the first week a movie is out gives it the ratings, and the ratings determine whether or not a theater will do a similar movie later. This movie CLEARLY sends the message of salvation, promotes family values, and was, in my opinion, really well made.
And take some tissues. I cried. Pregnancy may have had something to do with it...but I have a feeling I would have cried either way!!!

HFCC ZOO WALK 2011

2011-09-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we traveled to the Detroit Zoo for the 4th annual Huron Forest Camp CedarRidge zoo walk. It is a fundraiser for our camp. The money goes to help with camp operating funds so that more kids can come next summer and learn more about the Lord.

Sponsors help offset the cost of getting into the zoo early for the walk. Walkers also pay an entrance fee and collect pledges from friends and family.

My aunt, uncle, cousin, and her kids got to come too. My boys were really happy because they love to hang out with Jayce and Grayson-they're within months in age.

I can still remember climbing on this cement hippo when I was a kid. And as a teenager when I went one time with my friends. Little Monkey Man is sporting a hat we bought him for his birthday to support Faith and Travis' adoption fund. Rosebud's is from them too. They sell lots of other great hats too, so please check them out!!!! (This is a different link with lots more hats)

The morning started off chilly. We wore lots of layers, but by the end of the day no one was cold.

SO CUTE! This is my cousin's newest little guy and I love him. His hat isn't from Faith and Travis, but it was still super cuddly and cute!

Pop Pop does lots of work for camp. He even was at the zoo by 6:30 am to help set up. He was so happy to get to have his grandkids there.

This photo needs a name. Or a caption. Any ideas?

Oh look, we have all six in one picture. No one is looking...but there they are!

We loved the new lion exhibit. They even roared for us!

I'm hoping to get a new lens for my camera. One that takes pictures of things far away without them being ant size :o)

We saw a polar bear. One. But I guess one is better than none (they have an awesome exhibit there and usually you can see several).

There is a great playground there. Rosebud is new to the playground scene, and luckily Grandmommy was up to running around after her. Mommy was exhausted beyond description by this time in the day.

Snug loves camp. And he was thrilled to do the zoo walk. He asked for most of our pledges this year, despite being really shy doing it.

Mommy would have liked to have been carried all day. She got some relief towards the end, but we're not discussing that.

The seals swim right over top of you in the arctic exhibit and LMM was THRILLED. He just was so excited every time. Normally the polar bears would (in a different tank, but it looks like they're together) swim over top too. He would have flipped out about that.

It was a great day, it completely wore me out, but what a fun way to help support a ministry so close to our hearts!

Just Another Tuesday? Never!

2011-09-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

#1 asked me the other day where the baby was going to sleep. Probably after I told him we probably will be meeting baby in about 9 weeks.

I had given it some thought, but not much. I guess I hadn't gotten past the first 2-3 weeks where baby will sleep in a pack n play or a co-sleeper in our bed. Past that...not much.

The plan, originally, was that when baby was a few weeks old he/she would get the crib and Rosebud would move into my old daybed that is up in her room. I even got a side rail for $1 at a garage sale in the early spring. Well, what I didn't know is just how small Rosebud would stay. When she is up on the daybed it all but swallows her up.

I've had another crib offered to us, but I really don't want it. I don't want more big furniture and I don't want two cribs that can't be sold or donated (both have side rails that move) on my hands in a few months. We don't even have room for another full size crib.

I didn't want to have to take down the daybed and trundle either as it is very difficult to disassemble and really, I don't feel like storing it...again. But that may still happen, we'll see.

Anyway, I got online and started looking at small toddler beds. I found a few I liked. I liked one from IKEA, but simply refuse to pay what they want for it. I found one on Wal-Mart.com that I also liked, but still, more than I wanted to pay. So of course, I turned to Craigslist.

I found a pink bed that I liked, and called the number listed. The girl assured me she still had the bed and would meet me at their house today at 10:00am. They have some sort of family emergency and as of this very moment are supposed to be driving to Arizona, never to return again. I told her I wanted to see the bed first, and she said that was fine.

So this morning #1 and I headed out to see the bed. The address ended up being at a house(?) that had a sign(?) on the side saying it was an automotive shop office. The automotive shop was next door, but didn't look to be in business. House/sign/shop were not promising looking.

We drove up and the front door was either open or missing, couldn't decide, and in its place was a broken baby gate shimmied to stand up and keep two small children from falling outside. I'll let you use your imagination on how the entire scene looked from there.

I could tell #1's cop-dar was going off full steam. He wasn't pleased to be at the location. About thirty seconds after we pulled up and were assessing the situation another mini van pulled up next to us. A lady and little girl got out, and #1 asked her if she was the one selling the toddler bed. She looked very confused and said she was there to buy the toddler bed. I was also pretty sure she wasn't the one selling it as from her appearance she did not fit into the situation at all.

Hmmmm. So both of us are there for the same bed. At the same time (which we had BOTH confirmed with the seller) Nice. I believe she even said to me "well, this is awkward". It was.

So the woman selling the bed came to the "door" and asked us to come in. I was hoping not to have to go in. And then was even more dismayed when we had to walk to the back of the house and into a back bedroom. I was glad for my husband at my side and the other random woman/child combo. At this point I was pretty sure I was not going to want to buy anything that had been in this household and trying to think of a gracious way to back out.

But when we saw the bed, it was exactly what we wanted, and in decent shape (we learned it had only been bought 2 months ago...any longer and more than one thing would have had to be screwed back on...just a minor repair). But I could tell it was exactly what the other lady wanted too.

She told me that I could have it because I had arrived first. But her daughter was twice the size of Rosebud, and clearly in need of a toddler bed before we were so I told her that I had time to keep looking as I didn't need it till Dec/January. She looked at me kinda funny and said "Really? I only need it till November! Where do you live?" Well we exchanged info (live within like 3 miles of each other) and in November when she gets her old daybed from her parents (funny, huh?) she has no need for the toddler bed. So in November we'll get the bed and we don't have to store it! Plus, I'm pretty sure from her immaculate-not-even-a-cheerio-on-the-floor-van that it will be well cleaned up.

This is the bed. Neither of us wanted the mattress. But we both get to use the bed!

Tuesdays are always so interesting!

The Apple Orchard Raspberry Patch

2011-09-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

One day I decided we should go to the apple orchard. #1 is pretty flexible about making last minute outings. I'm usually more the planner, but lately I've been kinda scattered. So after Oliver's vet appointment we stopped at an orchard.

They had a really nice country store that sold local honey, syrup, odds and ends, and tons of produce. Each of the kids got a free apple to munch on. Rosebud made hers last about 2 hours...but she ate it without help. We were hoping to be able to pick apples, but we couldn't find an orchard that would let us. Instead we got to pick...

...raspberries! There was plenty of room for the kids to run and play.

They also "helped" pick.

The people who sent us out into the bushes knew we had three kids and never batted an eye, just said "have fun"! Don't worry, they did!

Snug took it upon himself to carry one of the pint boxes. He was very careful with it.

Rosebud ate raspberries with one hand and her apple with the other.

She ate ripe berries, over ripe berries, and we even found nice white not-even-close-to-ripe ones with the stem (OUCH) still on them in her diaper over the next couple of days. We're still fighting the rash that resulted from so much fresh fruit.

Yum!

All of the kids sported raspberry faces, and after picking for about an hour (can't say that the bushes were loaded but we did end up with 2 picked pints). I really would like to know just how much they ate-I'd guess probably a pint between the three of them.

So our trip to the apple orchard turned out to be more of a trip to the raspberry patch. But that was ok. We had a great time. Bring on fall!

Published!

2011-09-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I write for The Cloth Diaper Whisperer, usually about once every six to eight weeks. If you cloth diaper, or know someone who does, it is a fantastic blog (not because I write for it, but because it is a great resource...had to clear that up). As I have (obviously)been out of the blog world for quite a few days, I missed the day that my post about washing a disposable diaper was published, but you can read it here. It was a total fiasco (the washing ordeal, not the blog post). So I did not was a disposable diaper. Not me! (Linking up with Not Me Monday which has returned!)

I've been out of the loop because:
A) #1 switched shifts at work which always alters our entire family's schedule
B) Homeschooling Snug two days a week is rewarding, but also takes a lot out of me
C) I am SO tired at nap/bedtime that I rarely do anything but fold laundry and lay on the couch.

We had a great weekend as a family, and I have some nice pictures to post...later.

A Day At The Pool...Little M Man's View

2011-09-07T23:57:00.000-07:00

This summer I went from a "I must have my life jacket on in case the water touches me" boy to a swimming with my face in the water without any help boy (as long as I can touch...nothing over my head please!).

When I can't be in my "Nemo Fish Pool" I love love love the water cannons at the splash pad.

I will spray you if you come close enough!

My mommy thinks I'm cute. She keeps taking pictures of me...and I just want to SWIM!

At the beginning of the summer all I'd attempt were the little slides in the "Nemo Fish Pool".

At the end of the summer, I'd do the little slides in the "big pool".

I always tell mommy what a brave boy I am after each slide.

And when I'm tired, I go back and relax in my "Nemo Fish Pool". I cried when the pool closed this week and there is no more swimming.

*Mommy*
I am so proud of how far LMM came this summer. Until the end of July he was terrified to be in any water over his head, even with a life jacket. He was not confident even in water where he could touch. By the beginning of September, when our pool closed, he would not only go into water where he couldn't touch with a life jacket on, he'd take it off in water where he could touch.

The downside is, he developed a NASTY case of swimmer's ear in mid August...something we battle daily now. He cannot get even a drop of water in his ears without them starting to get infected. He dutifully wears earplugs and an ear band-it to protect them. The other day Snug was taking a bath, I was helping Rosebud, and the next thing I know he was in the tub with Snug with his head under the water "swimming". As I had left him at the table to finish his milk...well lets just say I wasn't prepared to have him swimming. And now he has a fever and headache and earache...which means it is once again back. We'll probably have to take him to the doctor as I've battled this by myself for two days and he's getting sicker. We have medicated ear drops, but we know from the first time that if it gets bad enough we have to do antibiotics. With his previous history we simply cannot take any chances when it comes to his ears. Evidently he didn't get that memo.

Little Monkey Man's First Day

2011-09-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

Today was LMM's big day. The first day of preschool. He is attending the same school that Snug did last year for pre-kindergarten. He was a very very proud little boy today. He was thrilled to have new shoes.

He just is growing up so fast.

He and Little Miss E. that I have in my daycare are attending the same school, same days so that is very convenient for me. And as Snug's (strange) school schedule also has him in school on Tuesdays...#1 and I went grocery shopping with just Rosebud today. We called it a "date".

He was very happy to pose for some pictures and show daddy his classroom.

After "clipping in" he ran to the train table and didn't even say goodbye. I guess that is better than tears! He cannot wait to go back Thursday. I don't know his assistant teacher, but his lead teacher and I have known each other for years and I love her dearly.

When I picked him up after preschool, the director of the preschool said "he did really well. He will have to learn to follow our rules, but he's not the only one." Hmmmmmmm....could be an interesting year! I am just glad he was happy to be there and wants to go back.

Yay Yay Yay for Labor Day!

2011-09-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

Labor Day marks the beginning of festival season here in SW Ohio. We still live close enough to my college town to return for events, one of which is their Labor Day celebration. This year we are leaving out a major part of the festivities, which is the BEST fireworks I've ever been to (besides Disney, but that's a given). They don't start till 9:30 plus we still have to drive home afterwards. Due to school tomorrow, and the fact that I'd be taking the kids by myself, we won't be attending this year. It may be Labor Day, but daddy still works. He's moved shifts for the fall/winter so he does get to enjoy daytime fun.

We always start off our time at the fireman's breakfast. $5 for each adult, kids five and under eat free. It is supposed to be a fundraiser...I think they lost money on our family. We brought pancakes for LMM, but he ate his fill of eggs, sausage, and orange juice. Snug had four pancakes along with the eggs. OJ, and sausage. Rosebud ate eggs, hash browns, sausage, and a pancake. That right there was $10 in breakfast. We won't say how many pancakes daddy had :o)

After the breakfast the kids got to climb around on the firetrucks.

After the initial festivities, we walked around the festival site and then headed to main street to our pre-saved parade seats. The parade route fills up quickly.

On the way, we found several families from our church congregated and settled there instead. Daddy went and retrieved our chairs and we squeezed in.

Parades may have bands, and rescue vehicles...tractors and floats...but what my kids go for is CANDY.

The ironic thing is that they get 1-2 pieces during the parade and they never see the rest of it. The candy fairy lives here and visits after every parade and holiday. We don't actually say the candy fairy came...but once it gets home, candy is never to be seen again.

Rosebud settled herself down right on the street to enjoy her sucker.

Eventually daddy got tired of tripping on her and put her in a chair. She was just as happy. The sweatshirt she is wearing was mine when I was a baby. How fun!

After the parade we meandered back to the festival grounds for, as LMM called it "money in a haysnack". They spread out straw on a tarp and then threw nickles in it for kids to find. I am SO glad they broke it into age groups as when the 7-10 year olds did their's it was quite aggressive. LMM was in the 3 and under group. He got 30 cents.

Rosebud could care less about nickles, and she joined both the under 3 crowd and the 4-6 year olds to simply play in the straw.

Snug got it and collected about 60 cents. Not bad considering that is more than 2 days of chore money for him!

Well, here it goes! Almost every weekend from here on out is some activity...I love the fall!!!

A Day At The Pool...Rosebud View

2011-09-03T13:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my pool! My brother Little Monkey Man calls it "Nemo Fish Pool" but I call is "EEEKKKK". I see the water and screech. I can't wait to get in and splash. There are several fountains and two slides that say "ages 2-4". Guess what. I'm bored on them already. But this is the pool I spend most of my time in.

Sometimes I wear bathing suit...

...sometimes I don't. Depends on what my mama feels like. I could care less either way as long as I have my Bummis swim diaper on. There is a rule at my pool that my un-potty trained peers must have a swim diaper on. Guess what? Nearly half the kids here have regular diapers on. It is so gross. They get all saggy and then the gel starts to seep out when their mamas pull them out of the water. SICK.

Once an hour there is a fifteen minute break. I hate break. It means I have to get out of the water and...sit. I don't sit. But the splash pad stays open and I like to play there too.

When daddy goes to the pool with me, he takes me into the big kid pool. Now that is a party!

This people, is a real slide.

Here...

I....

Go! Often I end up face first at the bottom and that really makes me laugh. It makes the lifeguards nervous. Actually I make the lifeguards nervous overall. My favorite trick in the "Nemo Fish Pool" is to float face down, arms and legs out. And then I stand up and laugh. And they hate it. So does my mama.

In the end, I am exhausted. We usually only go to our pool for 1 or maybe 2 hours at a time. But man, that is a lot of work for a little lady.

Stay tuned, my brothers will give you their takes on the pool.

First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-31T04:53:00.000-07:00

Well, the day we knew was coming came. Snug started kindergarten. Hard to believe.

He was very excited to go, and it was hard to stand still and get pictures. He just wanted to BE there.

I printed this "First Day of Kindergarten" paper from a post I saw here. I actually was routed from that post to "How Does She?" and then got the free printable. I can print one for each grade, each year. I thought it was a nice way to keep track of exactly which first day of school was pictured.

He did NOT want to wear the new outfit that I had picked out for him. He said it looked like he was going to church and he was going to kindergarten. Ok then. He chose an ensemble of hand-me-downs that I approved and he was ready to go. I was pretty teary, but walked behind a very confident him so he didn't even realize.

His favorite part of the day? Recess. Followed closely by lunch. He got his new lunchbox from a good friend for his birthday. He loves it.

Goodbye

2011-08-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Summer.

We had a lot of fun this year.

I'll miss you.

*Draycare started back today so even though summer is still officially here...it is over for us.

Because...

2011-08-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Because our summer is quickly coming to an end.

Because next spring her little feet should easily reach the pedals. (This picture is very deceiving...she isn't anywhere near being able to use this trike as it appears!)

Because I can't believe how much he is growing and how fast he is changing. I swear his vocabulary doubles weekly!

Because he starts kindergarten this week.

Because sometimes they all sit nicely together and get their picture taken (despite dirty faces).

Sometimes I take pictures just because.

**Help help fellow Blogger users. I can't upload the last picture in this post to be my header picture. It says I have used up all my upload space and need to pay them $5 to upload anymore...but I can upload pictures just fine to the blog. What gives?

Police Softball

2011-08-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

The Sterling Heights tournament is always fun. The fields are shady and bathrooms close. As a mama those things are important! My family is close enough to stay with and then make the drive daily to the fields. I looked back at last year's post and I was shocked at how BIG my kids have gotten this year. This is Snug showing off his new handcuffs. He had to show "the guys".

This is a favorite tournament also because the purpose of it is to remember fallen officers and their families. Several families were present this year who have lost an officer since last year's tournament. It is always very humbling to stand during the ceremony and hear all the names read. I get choked up when a child of a fallen officer is chosen to throw the first pitch to start the tournament. You always pray your child isn't throwing the ball next year.

While in Michigan we also celebrated Snug's birthday. Along with handcuffs he got a new quilt for his bed. My mom made it and he loves it. Something must have been on my lens, and I didn't realize it.

This picture has nothing to do with anything (besides the fact that Rosebud wears the handcuff keys on a pink string around her neck). She just loves the camera. (Panda ears from Grandmommy's vacation Bible school).

Crying

2011-08-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

I get so tired of crying. I hear crying a lot at my house. Fit throwing, hurt feelings, pinched fingers, toys confiscated, over tired crying. Seriously. Too much crying.

Rosebud has taken to crying about eating veggies. She is quite insulted when on her plate appear only her veggies until they are gone. Many many a tear have been shed. If it isn't canned green beans or steamed broccoli, she's not interested. While those are all good and well (ok, I personally HATE giving my kids store canned veggies at all, but the no salt kind are handy once in awhile) she needs to broaden her horizons.

Little Monkey Man cries about bigger issues like being locked in the bathroom, having to go to bed, and not getting his own way. He loves to close and lock the bathroom door. However, he never seems to remember how to get out. I sweated it out and got a little scared myself the first couple of times and talked him through unlocking it. Now it is just plain annoying and I let him sit in there and scream and cry until he decides to pull himself together and think it through. He's been told to not close let alone lock the door. I figure that is for him to learn.

Snug is more of a cry because I-am-over-tired-and-I'm-not-getting-my-own-way kinda guy. He's also kinda sensitive and I have a feeling when school starts we'll be getting tears over others' comments. I was like that, I remember.

I just feel like crying because of pregnancy hormones and because I'm over tired. I'm awake a good chunk of every night (just like I was with Rosebud) and that doesn't lead to a happy mama in the morning.

But I'm also nesting. I have cleaned out (read: sorted through/organized/thrown away/donated) 1/2 our basement, both the kids' rooms, a hall closet, and one bathroom. The rest of the house better WATCH OUT. I still have our room, the garage, one bathroom, and the kitchen to go. The other half of the basement was already done in the spring and until I know what gender our baby is I really can't get rid of much. I am NOT crying about the sentimentals I'm throwing away. Not much anyway.

Projects With Daddy

2011-08-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

While we were out of town for the weekend (I'll post police softball pics later) for a tournament, a large tree in our backyard was struck with lightening and lost a huge branch. Above is some of the wood. We also have about twice that pile out back that needed someplace to go that we already had.

#1 priced out a firewood rack and didn't want to pay what it cost so he looked up some directions online and decided to do it himself.

I guess I should say himself loosely. He had three willing helpers. Everyone wanted to play with the drill, the circular saw freaked Little Monkey Man out (his sensory processing disorder still causes problems and he spent much of the time with his head in my lap) and I'm a little nervous there may be screws still in the driveway to find my tires!

Rosebud was in charge of screws. She spent about 40 minutes taking them in and out of the box.

When it was in three large pieces, the boys helped daddy carry the pieces to where it is to be assembled as it is really heavy now that it is assembled.

I didn't get any pictures of the finished result, but the wood isn't on it yet anyway. You can use your imagination. It looks nice :o)

Projects with daddy are always fun. Especially when they involve power tools :o)

Here Kitty Kitty

2011-08-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

So I guess I got a little kitty fever when we went to the fair and saw the sick and dying kitties.

Cause when I went to a garage sale and a little kitty tried to follow me into the street and I found out it was a stray...well it came home with me.

A nice healthy kitty says the vet. But he has fleas. Hmmmm. Many many baths later, we think we have nipped that problem in the bud.

He still isn't allowed to roam the house, just in case. He's a kitchen kitty. Right where I can wash everything daily. But he is a healthy kitty. And a nice patient kitty.

He lets the boys play doctor with him.

And the lion tamer is in love with him.

Up until today Rosebud has been on the OTHER side of this baby gate from kitty. Today she was allowed in. And they bonded.

Both kitty and girl enjoyed each other's company.

And even when the wrong end of the cat toy was shoved into his face...and even when I caught her picking him up very ungracefully...he was fine. So I guess we have a kitty. :o)

Snug's Birthday

2011-08-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend Snug turned five. FIVE!!!! We had a pancake breakfast and presents when he woke up.

Snug has a good sense of humor. He put this on his head and said "Look! I'm "Rosebud"!

He was very excited to get "big boy" Legos.

He had a friend birthday for the first time.

He wanted a Toy Story birthday, and this is the cake I made. I love making my kids' cakes!

We had the party mostly outside-we did crafts inside, but other than that the weather was hot and beautiful.

He had five friends over, plus he and Little Monkey Man. We played several games and I tried to make them Toy Story related. Here the kids were Slinky Dog's head and tail and they had to toss a water balloon between them without it popping. Yeah...so...that lasted not so long!

This is pin the parts on Mr. Potato Head. There may or may not have been some cheating...

Snug thought it was a really funny game.

I think it was my favorite game!

The end result!

After roasting hot dogs on the fire (one child at a time with #1 closely monitoring) we had cake and ice cream.

Rosebud took a nap through most of the party as she has a terrible cold and I didn't want to share her germs with the kids.

After naps and time at the pool, we met up with #1's parents for ice cream at a local dairy.

The kids were thrilled to get ice cream and to see their grandparents. Did you know there are gluten free ice cream cones?

After ice cream we went out to feed the goats (ok, that is my favorite part!).

Rosebud still wasn't feeling great, but she does love the goats. That's my girl!

So Snug had a full, fun fifth birthday. Can't believe he's five!

County Fair 2011

2011-08-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

This morning it was overcast and in the 70's. We decided it would be the perfect day to go to the fair. #1 had some things to get done in the yard first so we decided to go after naps. It was a bit warmer, around 80 when we left home, but still overcast. Know what? Not 10 minutes after we got to the fair the sunshine came out and it was blazing hot. Of course.

So we sweated our way through the fair. My favorite is always the goats.

Rosebud's favorite was her pink balloon (Snug and LMM also chose pink) but it came untied not from her wrist but from the actual string, so she only had it for awhile.

So we spent the most time in the goat/sheep barn. Cause it is my favorite. And I'm the mama.

After he got over the initial shock of the smell, LMM loved the pigs.

Each hog I guess they are technically called, got a lovely nose poke. When they would object or whatever it was they were "oinking", he'd laugh and say "he SNORTED me!" I was laughing.

This is a steer. This is my 15 1/2 month old sitting on the steer. This is actually a friend of our's steer. Can it also be called a cow? But I do know it is a steer.

COSI (an Ohio science museum) on wheels was at the fair this year and the kids got to do some fun things with magnets.

Not only did they get some animal facts (you know, from their mama who knows oh so much about their technical terms) they got a science lesson. Well worth their free admission, don't you think?

Not sure why all the smiles about the homemade ice cream. They did enjoy it, I promise!

Smile time! Each boy got to choose one ride. LMM saw a firetruck to ride in and knew exactly what he wanted to do.

Snug wanted to ride EVERYTHING. He finally settled on this alligator? ride. He would have loved to have ridden something much more...thrilling...but he was too short to ride most things without an adult, and then we would have had to pay for another rider. At the price of the rides, that was not happening.

Her ride in the backpack was about as thrilling a ride as she had. About halfway through the fair daddy was tired of babywearing and went to the van for the stroller. Not as thrilling of a ride...but comphy!

When we went to the horse barns the kids fell in love with the kittens. I can't say the kittens fell in love with them...but a few sick ones who weren't fast enough to get away each got a snuggle.

Snug made sure everyone got a turn petting the kitties. Mommy made sure everyone had hand sanitizer* after each pet. *I am not a big fan of hand sanitizer due to the fact that overuse can lead to mega strains of certain things I won't get into here...but in super dirty situations or when people are handling my newborns I am a believer

So we went to the county fair and we pet sick kittens. But hey, it was fun!

Seriously check out that face (both the extremely happy boy and the kitten who isn't going to live to see Saturday.)

Oh look! A horse in the horse barn!

A good HOT time was had by all. And now they are all in bed NOT sleeping because they rode around in a stroller instead of walking the whole time. However, the whining was kept to a minimum so it was well worth it. Hope you get to visit your county fair too. Go support the 4-H kids, eat some junk, and take your hand sanitizer! :o)

Big Fish Stories

2011-08-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

Both boys love to fish. They must get it from their Grandpa Dray and Grandmommy, because they sure don't get it from daddy or mommy!

Both boys have fishing poles, and were eager to try them out this summer. Snug is clearly pleased with his catch!

Here is Little Monkey Man and his big fish. He caught the biggest fish all summer. Snug catches lots of fish....LMM catches the big one.

Snug is more than happy to brag on his brother too. He and LMM take turns telling everyone about their fishing adventures. They tell some big fish stories too.

The pictures above were all at #1's aunt's house. They have a fishing pond and the boys had a great time.
The pictures below are from my aunt's cabin. They live on a lake, and there is also good fishing off their dock.

If your pole isn't ready, just lay down and try to catch some by hand. They made me nervous.

Waiting and waiting for fishing time! (Ok, they maybe waited 5 minutes)

This picture is really fuzzy. I like that Uncle Alligator made the shot. Also, it shows that Grandmommy is the worm lady. I helped for awhile, but got lightheaded standing up and sitting down and leaning over.

One of Snug's fish (he claims he caught hundreds).

And, of course, LMM caught the big one. He also caught another big one a few days later, but I wasn't there so I don't have photo proof. If you ask how big his fish were, he'll open his arms as wide as they go and claim they were that big. Big fish stories I tell ya!

Camp CedarRidge The Dunes

2011-08-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

Eight years ago #1 proposed to me at Lumberman's Monument Dunes. It is only a little bit down the road from camp, and we always visit there when we can.

When you first get there the visitors center has a great display of logging stuff (very technical, I know) along with explanations of what life was like for the lumberjacks. When I was a camper, I LOVED climbing on this stack of logs. Now my kids enjoy the same ones.

After a half mile or so walk, you come to the actual dunes. This is a view of the AuSable and the main dune.

Our library has a photo "contest" this summer that you take the library mascot's picture with you on vacation, snap a picture, and upload it. Then everyone can see where "Booker the Fox" went. I say "contest" because a winner is drawn at random, it isn't a who-took-the-best-picture thing or anything. But I think my kiddos would win for cutest!

Playing on the dunes. Snug got in trouble because he thought it would be fun to bury his crocs in the sand and then have us look for them...I was not impressed. I really thought we'd never see those shoes again!

Grandmommy and Rosebud stayed at the top of the dunes. At this point we didn't have a life jacket for Rosebud, nor was I carrying her back up the dunes once she reached the bottom.

There's the bottom. W A Y down there. We took the boys down, and then after playing in the water, canoed back to where we keep the camp canoes. My brother and sister-in-law drove to the canoe landing, canoed (while towing a canoe) to the dunes and picked us up at the bottom. None of our family had to climb back up :o) It was about a 30 minute canoe trip back to the landing, and the boys were thrilled to get to be back in the boats.

Anyway, this is one of my favorite places on earth, and I think #1 picked a beautiful place to propose, don't you?

7 Years

2011-07-31T17:27:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have been married seven years today.

I don't have too many pictures of the two of us together.

But I love these ones of him playing ball in Las Vegas last year.

Happy Anniversary honey, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!

Camp CedarRidge Part 2

2011-07-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

These pictures make me a little "homesick" but then I remember how much I do love my air conditioned house, especially in this heat wave. Enjoy another installment.

Slingshots were a hit with Snug and Little Monkey Man.

The horses are always fun too. I think this is one of my favorite pictures of the summer. He is SO happy.

Hanging out with daddy at the corral.

We didn't take the kids to the rifle range, some of the staff volunteered to watch them while we went down and shot. I did ok, but my best position is prone and that wasn't happening!

The boys had boots to ride in. LMM's were Snug's a couple of years ago, and I picked up Snug's at a resale shop.

Our cabin is the one on the right. I love these cabins!!!!

Monkeying around!

LMM wants a guitar so bad he can taste it. He loved playing this one with our friend "Woody". "Woody" has been someone we've known since he was a camper and it is so fun to see him all grown up and serving at camp.

Snug made a buddy during the week, and they enjoyed tether ball, sandcastles, and lots of soccer together.

Camp CedarRidge Part 1

2011-07-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

If you do not like to see pictures of our three children, if you do not like beautiful woods or outdoor adventures, you'll have to excuse us for a few days. I have four posts about family camping at our beloved Camp CedarRidge, and then posts about fishing, my aunt's cabin, going to the beautiful beaches of lake Huron, and an especially fun post about bugs planned. Smattered in there will be some other posts if I am able, but otherwise we'll see you later in August for beginning of school pictures.

If you do like to see pictures of our three children, if you love beautiful wooded scenes and outdoor adventures, please, join us each day for what we've done so far this summer!

After spending the beginning part of the 4th of July weekend with #1's family, we traveled further north to my parent's church and then on to my Aunt's cabin. It helped to break the trip into four pieces. We arrived at camp before the other families, and spend the day in town. This is a picture of LMM on the big deck at camp on the actual 4th. He was excited to be at camp, and even more excited about fireworks on the beach and sparklers!

I know this picture is a little...weird...but I was messing with my camera's settings and was pleasantly surprised with this one. If you look very close you can see Little Monkey waving his sparkler.

Donning on their boots, both boys were excited to go to "Wildcat Creek" and float the boats they had made out of paper.

The family camp staff was phenomenal and they were so fun for the boys to be with. Here is "Hammer" helping with boats that got stuck on their way downstream. You can hardly tell, but they are standing in about four inches of cold spring water.

Another day we drove to the canoe landing for swimming and canoeing. Little Miss Rosebud did neither, but hung out with her Aunt Danielle on the beach to catch some rays and eat rocks. Aunt Danielle didn't participate in the latter activity.

#1 and I took a canoe out for a few minutes so the boys could have a turn out on the water. I can't say canoeing is my "thing" but I do enjoy it on occasion.

This is "Lyra" and she is "one of mine". During the two weeks after family camp I did what I have been doing every summer for the past eight years-training teen girls to become camp counselors. "Lyra" was one of my CILTs (Campers in Leadership Training) the summer I had LMM. She plays quite a few instruments, and my boys especially loved her ukulele. I plan to purchase one in the next year and help them learn to play.

What would a week at camp be without S'Mores? Snug was a sticky, happy mess. I brought gluten free graham crackers so that LMM could also enjoy the treat. In fact, I obtained a copy of the menu ahead of time and pretty much had a gluten free version of everything that camp served (and camp food is starch city, let me tell you) for him to enjoy. The camp cooks were long time friends of mine and I enjoyed being in the kitchen with them.

Mama isn't super brave, and didn't feel like washing marshmallow out of every nook and cranny this girl has...so she simply had a cracker.

Stay tuned for more family camp adventures. If you'd like to skip the kids and simply see the beauty of the Huron Forest, you can see the scenery pictures I took here. Thanks to a really great camera I got some beautiful scenery shots.

Baby, Baby, Baby of Mine

2011-07-27T05:58:00.000-07:00

We went for the 20 week ultrasound on Monday. Ok, back up. We got home Monday 12:03am, then we went to an appointment later in the day. I'll post pictures and tell our "summer story" as time allows. So Monday we went for the 20 week ultrasound. Baby is growing well and everything looked great. I love watching the little heart beat. This baby is a wiggler! Not only do I feel vigorous movement throughout the day, #1 can feel the kicks and punches already. I feel like I'm closer to 30 weeks than 20, but the ultrasound confirmed that my due date is indeed accurate. I'm also the size I usually am at 30 weeks. I did not find out the gender of this baby. I want to be surprised :o)

And this baby is growing right up. She is a walker now and growing like crazy. She is 17 lbs 12 oz and 29 3/4 inches. She was 15 lbs 14 oz and 27 1/4 inches on her birthday, about three and a half months ago. GROWTH SPURT! She also talks up a storm, and has several actual words! I think you'll agree from pictures I'll post soon, she looks more and more like a toddler and less and less like a baby!

See You Late Alligator...

2011-06-30T18:39:00.000-07:00

After Awhile Crocodile.

We're off to camp. See you in 3 weeks!

SOCK MONKEY CAAAAKE!

2011-06-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

You must read that the way it is written "SOCK MONKEY CAAAAAKE!" Ever since I wondered if I could make a gluten free ice cream cake with a sock monkey (LMM has a sock monkey he adores that inspired his birthday theme) face on it and told Little Monkey Man about it, he has yelled "SOCK MONKEY CAAAAAKE!" whenever anyone mentions a birthday or a party or cake. He's been excited for months.

His birthday started off with Uncle "Alligator" and Aunt Danielle, along with Grandmommy and Pop Pop being at our house. We had pancakes (his favorite) for breakfast and I added a candle for good measure. You're only 3 once, right? My mom gave me a book called "Cooking For Isaiah" that if you or someone you love eats gluten free you MUST check out. These pancakes are from it, and they are great!

After breakfast we packed a picnic and headed for the Children's Gardens. I've posted pictures from there before...in fact we went there LAST year for his birthday.

Neither the air nor the water were warm, but the kids wanted in anyway. I love this picture because it looks like LMM has the ball suspended in thin air-like a magic trick!

I never get tired of taking pictures of Rosebud. Here she is cuddling with her Uncle Nathan.

The koi/frog pond in the garden.

The bees were out in full force pollinating the flowers.

I think I took as many pictures of plants and bees as I did of the children!

We'd been there about an hour when it started to rain. It wasn't exactly lunch time, but it seemed like a good time for daddy and Uncle Nathan to go get our lunch. We waited out the rain, and then were able to go back out after it stopped. I know they'll both be pleased I posted this one.

Snug and Aunt Danielle in the music maze.

This is one of two doors into the garden...this one is the kid one :o)

Outside the children's garden is another set of gardens. For the next two years this "sculpture" will be on display. Then it will need to be taken down and turned into mulch as it will be starting to fall apart. It is made out of saplings that are overgrown and taking over a local wetland area. I should have taken a picture of the explanation of it all, I don't really remember. A famous person who does this all over the world made it.

Inside the "sculpture" it is like a maze. The kids played hide-and-seek for quite awhile.

A view of the formal garden. (If you want to see more garden/flower pics, click here)

After naps and the putting up of decorations, it was time to PARTY! I made his shirt, and his hat was made as part of Faith and Travis' adoption fund raiser!

Getting ready for the party...

The "setup".

And then it was time to eat. I even made him a sock monkey pizza! Gluten free of course! Our favorite pizza crust for him is by Bob's Red Mill. It is fairly inexpensive, quick, and EASY.

SOCK MONKEY CAAAAAKE!!!! Yep, this is the final product. It is a 2 layer ice cream cake that I made using a springform pan. In the middle is hot fudge. It is frosted with fondant and the monkey face is fondant. Which I think tastes like the bottom of a shoe. But we peeled it all off and enjoyed the "cake".

Happy Birthday big guy! You are a special and great kid!!!!

**At his 3 year check up he weighed in at 32lbs and is 38 inches tall. I don't know if I posted about it or not, but he does not qualify for any special services from this point out. Although he still has a Sensory Processing disorder (always will) they don't feel it affects his day-to-day life enough to qualify and he is not delayed enough in speech either. His last day of school was last Thursday. Yeah for him!!!!!

To see his birthday from last year, click here.

I'm Becoming A Wednesday Blogger

2011-06-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

I noticed today I haven't blogged since Wednesday...maybe I'm becoming a once-a-week-blogger. Maybe I'm a Wednesday Blogger. Who knows. What I do know is...

This

We swim quite a bit...lots of bathing suit and towel laundry.

Reading, reading, and more reading!

What

I'm having a blast making things for LMM's 3rd birthday! It's a Sock Monkey theme.

We're

What actually came up in our garden is starting to do well. Lots of rain and muggy days help.

Up To

When he gets to stay up till dark, Snug loves to help catch lightening bugs. This one was on our house in the daylight.

How About You????

Baby Steps

2011-06-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

Someone took a first official step yesterday. A teeny weeny one. But a step nonetheless at her daddy's softball tournament.

Yep, that's right. ME. And today I took two more teeny weeny ones because I REALLY wanted to eat grapes and my mommy bribed me.

So I'm not what you'd call a "walker" yet, but baby steps people, baby steps!

Pictures

2011-06-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

It was bothering me not to post any pictures. But other than baseball, softball, and more softball not much is going on here. We do have passes to a local pool, but taking 3 kids by myself I do not even dare take a camera to take pictures. I have to be on vigilant watch.

So I visited other blogs and stole their ideas. I mean, got inspiration. Doesn't Snug look young in this picture? I see what he looked like when he was LMM's age in this shot.

Jenilee posted a picture of their summer reading program the other day. That gave me the idea to take some pictures of Snug reading. He loves to read, and spends quite a bit of time every day being read to and "reading" to himself. He actually can read quite a few words, but cannot just pick up a library book and go at it unassisted as of yet.

We are also doing our library's summer reading program. Snug is almost 1/2 way done with his. Today is our family's first official day of summer :o) Rosebud and Little Monkey Man have a different program than Snug and theirs isn't so much time spent actually being read to as it is doing pre-reading activities. There are 40 squares on their papers and each one is an idea of something to do together that promotes literacy, works on fine motor skills needed for writing later, starts conversations, along with of course, being read to. This is the first year for the toddler program and so far it is going well for us. Obviously there are more things that LMM and I can do together than Rosebud (who won't be able to finish hers, she's just too young) and I can...but it is still nice to have a specified activity to do with each one of them one-on-one every day.

And this idea was from Mama Bear. She was very brave and let her two little ones use her camera to take pictures of her and each other. I have to admit I am a little possessive of my camera as it costs more than I'll ever even think of spending on another one. However, when Snug said "Mama, can I take YOUR picture?" I remembered this post and said "um...sure. TWO HANDS, and the strap goes around your neck. OK?" He listened well and took this picture of me. We'll call it my 14 week pregnant picture.

And then he looked up into the tree and took this one. I thought it turned out pretty good!

Whew!

2011-06-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

I am getting worse and worse about posting. Summer will do that to me. However, I have been getting really bad about even taking pictures of the kids. Haven't taken one since Memorial Day! That is very unlike me.

What have we been up to? Well, the weather has been hot and sticky. My parents came down for part of the week to help #1 install a new water heater. It had been leaking gallons of water onto our basement floor for about a week. I've always heard you do NOT want to drink the hot water from your tap as if you saw the inside of your water heater it would make you sick

Guess what. What came out of the bottom of our water heater looked like someone had GOTTEN sick all over our floor. DO NOT DRINK THE WATER OUT OF YOUR HOT WATER TAP. Trust me on this one.

In other news, we've been doing 4-6 ball games a week. I knew when I married my husband sports would be involved. I'm not sure I knew to what level. Snug himself had 3 games this week. And oh has it been hot.

We installed an alarm on Little Monkey Man's bedroom door (ok, in all fairness it is also Snug's door, but he needs no alarm). He has a habit of waking up in the middle of the night and finding things to do. We don't even wake up and hear him. What sort of things are there to do in the middle of the night? Well, you can put pencils in your sister's crib, remove pages from board books and regular books alike, eat mama's snack for Sunday School, find scissors, and then I shared some documentation of the great nail polish mess. For all of you out there who may need a solution to similar problems...the alarm works great. We know each and every time he gets up and runs around the house. And due to the fact that his sensory needs include HATING loud noises he isn't making...he hates the alarm and just stays in his room!

Today is my last day of Draycare for the summer. I am very ready to be done. Not ready to live off of one income, but I am tired. I'm ready to head out for daily outings with just my biological children. Not that I don't like my daycare kids, I do. I am just ready for summer!

So that's what we've been up to. What's new with you?

Moms...Don't Forget...

2011-06-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

The End of the First Trimester

2011-06-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I will begin my second trimester of pregnancy #4. Either I'm getting GOOD at this pregnancy thing or I am definitely, 100% having another girl (we're opting not to find out this time...who wants to know what they're getting for Christmas???)

There are many days I forget I am even pregnant. I don't FEEL anything. Sure, my jeans are too tight and I'm much more comfortable wearing maternity shorts. Anyone would be wearing maternity clothes if they ate as much as I do these days. It's going to take awhile to lose this baby weight!

But I don't have morning sickness, sometimes smells bother me, but that is normal for me anyway. I don't have cravings per se. I just want to eat ALL the time.

As far as I can tell I'm not emotional.

I am TIRED all the time, but I think any mother of 3 who has 2 extra children 40+ hours a week, 2 dogs, and 4 ball games a week would be tired.

Baby is the size (supposedly) of a lime. I'll let you know when I feel her (or him) move-it should make me feel more pregnant when that happens!

Virginia Beach "Highlights" Part 2

2011-05-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

We have never actually swam while at Virginia Beach due to the fact that it is usually WAY too cold. However...the water was mild the the air temp hot so the boys got in! As long as he could just get his toes wet, Little Monkey Man was happy to run and splash. He mostly just dug with his new beach shovel.

Snug however is a fish. He jumped right in and enjoyed every minute of sun and surf. He made me REALLY nervous though when he was in past his belly with the waves everywhere. #1 was close by, but not close enough for my comfort. I told him he couldn't get in past his knees anymore.

We took turns being with Rosebud up on the shore. If she could, she'd make a break for it and crawl right into the waves catching facefull after facefull of salty surf. It didn't phase her a bit, but again, I was nervous.

We distracted her with her new bumpy ball and she was content to eat sand and play up away from the water instead.

Everyone had new bathing suits to sport at the beach thanks to #1's mom. I think Rosebud's is especially cute!

Look! She's modeling it for you! Actually she's doing something else that you'll see later in the post.

All dressed for dinner Saturday night. 3 VERY tired kids.

Look who's standing without help! That's what she was trying to do in the picture at the beach. She was having trouble getting up in the sand. Looking between her legs was more fun. On Saturday Rosebud stood by herself without holding onto anything maybe twice. By Sunday, she was standing more than sitting.

And CLAPPING. She stood and clapped everytime we cheered. It was so cute. She was very proud of her new skill and I can't believe she isn't walking yet. I think she could, just doesn't have the confidence

By the end of Sunday (where her daddy's team got FIRST place in their division) she was a FILTHY mess.

But she is cute when she is filthy!

On the way home, we stopped at a nice hotel. We've done that before, as if you stop at a business hotel on a Sunday night you get a CHEAP rate.

The kids enjoyed another hour in the pool.

This little boy cracks me up. These are his muscles :o)

We got a suite and the boys had room to stretch out on a pull out couch/chair slid up to the bed. In the morning we have a beautiful hot breakfast that came with the room. It was a great way to end the trip. If you need a night away with your family, seriously go for a Sunday night. It was less than $100 for the night and it was a Marriott.

After that we hopped back into the van and drove another 8 hours home just in time for....baseball pictures and a softball game. It never ends :o)

Virginia Beach "Highlights" Part 1

2011-05-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday we packed up the van and headed to Virginia Beach, VA. Snug was very content to have a 10 hour drive ahead of him knowing that A) he was going to the beach and B) he had full access to a DVD player.

Pictures do not do the landscape justice. It is a beautiful drive.

Little Monkey Man has to have ALL of his toys on his lap while traveling. The DVD player worked for about 8 of the 10 hours on the way there (they also slept during that time) and then it died. Never to work again.

One nice thing about diapers is she doesn't have to interrupt our driving every 2 hours!!! I do change her of course, but by the time we were driving home I was considering diapers for everyone under 5 foot! We stopped at a motel around 11PM Thursday night. #1 had worked all day and we knew everyone needed some "real" sleep if we were going to make it through the weekend.

After only having to drive maybe two hours on Friday morning we made it to our first destination. The Zoo! We have a pass to our local children's museum and it reciprocates with hundreds of zoos and museums around the US. This is one of them, and we got in free! There was another museum we had hoped to go to on the way home, but it didn't happen.

We tried to donate a monkey, but they said they had enough for now. Maybe next time!

The zoo was BEAUTIFUL. Very clean, and they did a fantastic job (in my not-very-knowledgeable opinion) recreating what their habitat would be, while including unique ways for us to actually SEE the animals without disturbing them. I've been to zoos where the habitat is great, but you'll never see the actual animal. I've also been to zoos where the habitat must be miserable for the animal, but you can certainly see them.

Everyone had a great time.

Riding the train was the boys' favorite part. We did have to buy tickets, but I guess getting into the zoo for free compensated that.

I personally loved the giraffes. I tried and tried to get the boys to look at them. But there were squirrels and they won out.

The elephants!

I think this picture is just too cute! LMM only smiles if he is having a truly good time. He can't "fake" it like Snug.

If you've ever read the book "Verde" you'll know why I took this picture.

Someone's irresponsible mother didn't strap her into the stroller and she decided to get out by herself. A scraped up nose and face was the result.

As soon as we got to the hotel the boys wanted to go swimming. I honestly can't remember if we did this first or had dinner first. No matter, Snug was in the pool faster than I could blink and loving every minute.

LMM was a different story. He was all excited to get in and then panicked. He held tight to either us or the rail the entire time. I bought a water sling at a garage sale (I realize now it was on inside out) and it was a big help with Rosebud. She wants us to let go of her in the water and pushes against us constantly. Being wet and slippery that is not easy to deal with while watching the boys. The sling keeps her right next to me and gives me at least one free hand at all times.

Friday night was a party hosted by a local establishment across the street from our hotel. Free food for all players and their guests. We went early, ate, and got out of there before the "party" really began.

Saturday morning the weather was beautiful. The kids sat for a second so I could get a picture of them in their matching shirts. All the (under age 5) kids that come to tournaments/league nights from our team have the same one, all with their daddy's number on the back.

The day was hot and long. Over a span of 8 hours #1 played four games. I was so thankful for the shade tent (think 1/2 a tent that goes up super easy) that my parents bought for us. Both LMM and Rosebud took a nap in it.

Rosebud loves her daddy!

This is another team baby. She and Rosebud kept each other very entertained. I tried to get a picture all day of both of them with their cute shirts and pink bottoms...but either someone would lay down or one had a bib on or would crawl away. They had matching busted noses, so I didn't feel quite so bad about Rosebud. It was "the cool" thing that weekend.

I love the vignette around this picture. It is actually because I took it through the fence, but whatever. Day one at the ball field was over. It was time to hit the beach, but I'll post those pics later. I think this is enough for now!!!!

Last Day of Preschool

2011-05-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was Snug's last day of pre-kindergarten. Above is the picture from his first day.

And here is his picture from his last day. I see a more confident, taller boy. He is so excited about kindergarten. I'm just hoping I'm doing the right thing sending him!

We went to Virginia Beach last weekend for #1's annual softball tournament there. I'll try to get pictures up tonight or tomorrow...the kids had a blast!