I am in love!

I bought these shoes over the weekend and I just have to share with the world that I totally LOVE them! They make me feel rebellious! Just kidding! I just think they are so stinking cute and not to mention comfy!

Someone upstairs trusts me.

I have SO many pictures and stories to post, but I need to find time time get to it. But I did want to sit down and post this thought.

Yesterday at church I received a new calling. I am not the Young Woman's Secretary. I am so excited! I love serving the Young Women, but I would like to direct you to a post that I wrote a few months ago after this 16 year old girl's brother committed suicide. I expressed feelings of being able relate to these girls or not. They are faced with some pretty serious challenges and I fear that I just can' t relate and feel how they are feeling and maybe miss an opportunity to help.

I feel today that someone upstairs must really trust that I can handle this new calling and that somehow I can find a way to connect with them. They are in a very delicate time in their lives and this is the time that anyone can make one small difference. I have been trusted to help them to feel the spirit and be there for them.

My goal is to just try my hardest to help them in any way that I can,. Even if I don't know how they feel, I can help turn their hearts and thoughts to a man that if he can trust me, then he can help anyone.

I have been tagged!

I know, I know! It has been FOREVER since I have been in the blogging world. The kids are keeping me pretty busy! (More on that later.) When I was able to get on the computer yesterday I noticed that my dear friend mommyoffour had tagged me to write 8 things about me that are odd or unknown. I spent all night thinking about it and here is my list.

#1 Some people know this about me, some don't. I really, really, really like to play poker. I love to watch it on tv and I love the poker nights that we have with our friends. I don't play for money, we just have a poker chip set and we play until someone wins. For the record, I don't like to gamble, I just like the game.

#2 When I was in High School I really wanted to be radio DJ. So I applied to be an intern at a local radio station. I got the internship and worked for them the entire 3 years of high school. I have some pretty great memories of working for them. I got asked out on a date by the lead singer for 7 Mary 3. I hung out with 80's rocker band Queensryce for 3 days. I even have a shoe box full of concert ticket stubs. It was a great experience working for them.

#3 When I am hanging up the clean clothes I have a strange talent for picking out the exact number of hangers I need without having to count. I actually shock myself every time.

#4 When I was little I was hanging my head out the car window and hit my front teeth on the window. My teeth fell out and I was missing my 4 front teeth for about 3 years.

#5 When I am cleaning the house I always turn my ipod onto Johnny Cash. I sing really loud while I clean and the kids dance all over the house too. Despite all the rock and roll that I have been known to listen too over the years, Johnny Cash is my favorite artist to listen to.

#6 I am obsessive about the phone. I can't just let the phone ring without answering it. I want to know who is calling and what they wanted if my hubby answers the phone. As soon as I walk in the door I check my messages and the caller ID.

#7 I love to shop at Kohl's. This is my favorite store. Every time I go in I can find a cart full of things to buy. I would even consider this an addiction (I think that my hubby would be willing to vouch for that too). My entire wardrobe is from there and so is my hubby's and my kids.

#8 I hate scrap booking. I gave it a good, honest try but I am really bad at it. For that I hate it. I would much rather put the pictures in a picture album. I like arts and crafts, but I can't scrapbook to save my life.

Well there you have it. Hope it was as much fun for you as it was for me writing it. Now I guess I need to tag 8 of my blogger friends but I can only think of 5 that haven't done it already.

wonder woman
alison in wonderland
katkat
Suzanne from Happy Chaos
Gretchen from Party of Four

Family Pictures

Now that Mother's Day is over I can finally post these pictures. We had them taken at the end of April for our mothers for Mother's Day. I just have to say thanks to my friend Holly for doing such a fantastic job, and for being so patient with us!

Blessing Day

It has been too long since I have posted. There are so many things that are keeping me busy. I have been meaning to post these pictures for some time now. On May 6th was little man's blessing day. It was such a beautiful day! It was so much fun to have family over, and he just looked so dang handsome in his outfit that his aunt made him. (Thanks Sis!)

I can't believe how big he is getting! He is smiling so much now and I love it! What a cute little guy!


He is giving me a silly look in this picture, but I still think that he looks cute. It is one of the better ones actually of the entire outfit.

Little dude popped in while taking the pictures. I love how much they look alike.

I love this picture. I just think that he has the most perfect lips.

This corduroy vest is my favorite! I just had to take this picture!

Saying Goodbye to the Mistress

For the last year this has been my hubby's other lady! Well today we say goodbye for tomorrow she will being taking care of another man! Farewell and good luck!

Happy Birthday Little Princess!

My little Princess turned 3 yesterday. Here are some fun pictures of her special day.

Every birthday my kids put me to the test with my cake decorating skills. (or lack there of.) She wanted Strawberry Shortcake, and I delivered the best I could.


Here she is showing off some of her birthday gifts. See why we call her Princess? She also got her ears pierced. I will have to take a better picture and post that another day.

I can't belive that she is 3! Time just goes by way too fast! Happy Birthday little lady!

Little Dude riding his bike!

Little Dude learned how to ride his bike today without training wheels! He just got his bike for Christmas then today wanted to try it without the training wheels. The very first time he got on it he took off! This kid is fearless! He has been practicing all day! He is doing great! Here are a few pictures.



Here he is just about to take off.
There he goes! A natural if you ask me!

Dad still was running by his side just to make sure he was going to be ok! They had so much fun!

Just because he is cute!

Loaded

This post is going to be loaded with pictures and with info from the last couple of days!

To start off, I took the Little Man to his 2 week appointment. He is growing great! He is now 8lbs and 4 ozs. Also is 21 inches long! He is pretty close to the same size that his older brother was when he was born! It is crazy to think! He is a REALLY good baby and we feel REALLY blessed! He wakes up to eat every 2-3 hours (except last night, he went 5 hours!) but as soon as he is done he goes back to sleep. It is so nice! The other night about about 2:30 I was sitting on the couch feeding him and Little Dude woke up and came and sat next to me. We sat there and talked while the baby ate. When he was all done, Little Dude wanted to hold him and sing him a song. He held him softly and quietly sang "A, B, C, D..." it was really cute!

We enrolled Little Dude and his cousin in soccer. Their first game with this Saturday. It was so much fun! Little Dude is much better than he was last year, and his cousin is learning. They both seemed to have had a really fun time!

Also on Saturday my hubby came home with 40 lbs of fresh strawberries! I was shocked! He wanted to make jelly, I wanted chocolate covered strawberries. After MANY hours we ended up with TONS of both! 41 jars of jelly, a freezer filled with frozen ones, and a counter covered in chocolate covered ones! I was in heaven! A little tired of making jelly (hubby made most of it though) but we can now say that we have a 5 year supply of strawberry jelly!

We were given a swing set from a friend of my hubby's. It needed a few things done to it, but we got it up this weekend. The kids LOVE it! After eating the chocolate covered strawberries, the kids headed out to play, and have pretty much been there ever since (except for sleeping and school of course.). Check out the pictures of them that I added to this slide show! I am very excited to have this now! It has been so fun for them!

#2 in the Trio

This is just so I don't feel like I am leaving anyone out. Check out the slideshow of my little Princess (but she doesn't seem so little anymore.)playing in the yard this morning. What a cutie!

Wise advice from Daddy.

This wise advice was given to the baby the other night from his loving daddy

"If you can do everything in life half as good as you can poop, you will be a very successful man!"

Gotta love it!

Happy ONE week old Little Man!

I have been wanting to share these pictures of our our little man. (I think that is what I have decided to call him here on this blog) Our computer was having issues again, but my sweet husband got it all working again. They are MUCH better pictures than the last ones that I posted. I finally got time to take some nice ones. So go check out the slide show here and enjoy!

We are all doing well! Sleeping when we can, and just enjoying the time that we have together while daddy is home with us too! He goes back to work on Monday and I am starting to get a little nervous.

The two older kids are doing great with their brother, but they are still acting a little strange. I expected some change in them though, this is a big deal in their lives. All in all if we can keep them from escaping down the street while I am trying to feed the baby, we will survive.

Sometime when I get more time to write, I want to try and document what has happened in the past week. That might have to wait until the middle of the night when everyone but me is asleep!

The cutest little guy on the planet!

Here he is!!!!!

Born March 28th 2007

at 1:31 pm

7 lbs 15 ozs

19 3/4 inches

We are home now and doing well! We are also very happy that our little guy has finally joined our family! When I am not typing with one hand I will write more details, but I wanted to show him off. You can check out a few snap shots of him here.

Thanks for all the awesome emails and well wishes!

Impatient

The kids are at my sisters spending the night. My laundry is done, folded and put away. My dishes are done. My house has never been so clean in my life. You would think that I am really tired even considering that it is after 11 pm. I'm not though. I have no desire to sleep. I am very anxious for 6:30 to come so we can head to the hospital to have our little guy. I truly am the most impatient person in the world!

I really should take advantage of this moment. It is the last night in a REALLY long time that I will be able to get some sleep. I am sure that it won't happen though, I am way too excited.

So next time I post (which will probably be after Friday when I get home) I will have a new little gift in my arms. What a joy it will be too!

Wish me luck!

Pregnancy Report - for those who care.

Since today is Monday and I had my last doctor's appointment today, I thought that I would give my last pregnancy report.

The doc says everything looks great! I still feel pretty good so I wasn't expecting anything less. This last week I didn't loose any weight and I didn't gain any. I was very happy to hear that. That just means less that I have to worry about in the next few months. This did spark a question though. I was expecting to gain weight because of the baby getting bigger, so I asked the doctor about how much does he think the baby weighs. He says that going by the ultrasound from last week, and how he feels like a pretty small baby, that he will guess just a little over 7lbs. I was excited, I don't think that I could handle a big baby again.

He thinks that I will make it to Wednesday to be induced. I kind of expected that since it is supposed to snow on Wednesday*. Even though I could have had him induce me today I am happy to wait the extra two days just for my grandma.

Well anyway, that is all the news I have. Boring, sorry! In a few days I will be able to post pictures of the little guy and stuff. Then this blog will pick up a bit.

Have a great week!


* For those of you that don't know, I have always said that every day that a major event happens in my life, it snows. My wedding day, the birth of my kids, and a number of other things. Even if it is 70 + degrees the day before it still ends up snowing.

All the money in the world wouldn't make me want to go back.

I was just saying to my husband last night that all the money in the world wouldn't make me want to go back to being a teenager. It is such a hard time. There are some things that I think could have been handled differently. But if I went back and changed them it would make me a different person today. I kind of like who I am today, so in reality, I wouldn't really want to change anything.

In my church I currently teach the Young Woman group. It is an awesome group and it is so fun to try to relate to them. So full of energy and life. So full of possibilities and joy. Even though it has only been a few months, I have really been able to get into the calling, and just really enjoy it.

After church today the reality of what these young women are faced with every day really hit home. Let's back up a bit to a few months ago when a mother of a girl in my class had a baby. Due to complications, 4 weeks after the baby was born the mother died. I was heart broken for the family. Even for the young 15 year old girl that was now facing life without her mother. I didn't know the family very well since I am new to the neighborhood, but I just couldn't shake my feelings of sorrow for this girl in my class. How hard would it be to be her age and loose her mother?

Today at church I found out that another girl that is in my class (she just turned 16) lost her 17 year old brother on Thursday. Unfortunately he committed suicide, so this was no ordinary circumstance. One that is hard to find comfort in I am sure. When signing a card for her I just didn't know what to say. I am sure that there isn't anything at this point that is going to make the pain any less, that is going to answer all the questions, that will make it seem like it will be ok. All I could think of to say was that the Lord is watching over her, and that there are people, including myself to be there for her no matter what it was that she needed.

I came home flooded with emotions and thoughts of the trials that the girls in my class are faced with every day. Not only is the world getting tougher to live in and getting harder to stay on the straight and narrow path, but these girls are faced with the loss of dear loved ones. They aren't only going through life with the same trials as all young kids, but they are doing it with a sorrowful heart. I can't imagine how I would do it. I want to get close to these girls, and be able to relate to them. But how, when I have no idea how they feel?

I wish that you could shelter kids, and even young adults from painful things in the world. It never gets easy to deal with, but when so young, it seems that it would be much harder. I wish the very best for the two young girls in my class and all those around that have been effected. I hope in time that they, and even myself, will find comfort and know how to be able to deal with pain, sorrow and loss. I guess my words were meant for me too. The Lord is watching over all of us.

Me in a Meme

Since I can't think of anything else to post that doesn't have to do with me being pregnant, or the arrival of our new little guy, I thought I would steal this meme from a fellow blogger Silly Hilly. I thought it would be fun to do, but some of the questions are really really dumb so I am leaving them out. Sorry, but hopefully you still enjoy the ones I do answer.

1. How old would you be in 10 months? 28

2. Do you think you'll be married by then? I never plan on not being married.

3. What do you look forward to most in the next 3 months? Having my baby, going on little summer trips, being outside.

4. Who was the last person you called? My brother in law.

5. Who was the last person to call you? My sister.

6. Do you prefer to call or text? Call.

7. Do you have any pets? I have a bird named Pollo.

8. What were you doing at 12am last night? Trying to sleep. It was very unsuccessful!

9. Are your parents married/separated/divorced? Very happily married.

10. When is the last time you saw your mom? Monday night when she watched my kids for me. Thanks again mom!

12. How many states have you lived in?1

13. How many cities/towns have you lived in? 3

14. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet? bare feet.

15. Are you a social person? I like to meet new people, but as I get older I tend to be more shy.

16. What was the last thing you ate? A snickers. Yummy!

17. What is your favorite ice cream? Any kind that isn't mint.

18. What is your favorite dessert? My grandma's homemade Pecan Pie.

20. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich? Raspberry

24. Would you rather sleep with someone else or alone? I would rather sleep with my hubby, but since I can't sleep well in our bed lately I usually end up on the couch.

26. Do you know how to play poker? I sure do! I love playing poker, but not for money just with the chips. I would like to think that I am getting pretty good at it too.

27. Do you like to cuddle? I usually love it, it is really hard to though when everything makes you hurt. It is hard to turn down a cuddle from my kids.

28. Have you ever been to Canada? Twice. Vancouver, and Niagara Falls

29. Do you eat out or at home more often? Home, unless it is the weekend.

30. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you? Nope, but my sister's is 3 days before mine.

32. Do you speak any other languages? I have watched Dora enough that you would think that I would know Spanish by now, but I don't.

33. Have you ever gotten stitches? Yup.

34. Have you ever been in an ambulance? Thankfully no.

35. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool? As fun as it is to be on the beach, I can't stand the salt water, so a pool.

36. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat? Aisle, I get really claustrophobic.

37. Do you know how to drive a stick shift? Yes, I love driving a stick. I feel like I have more control.

38. What is your favorite thing to spend money on? Pretty much anything for my kids.

39. Do you wear any jewelry 24/7? If my wedding ring would fit right now, then I would say yes. Maybe in a few weeks it will fit again.

40. Whats your favorite T.V. show? The Hills, American Idol, Paradise City (I like reality t.v. ok.)

42. Who is the funniest person you know? My husband the walking joke book. He woke me up in the middle of the night a few weeks ago just to tell me a joke.

45. Do you still have clothes from when you were little? No

46. What is the color of your bedroom walls? Arabian Sand

52. Next movie you're going to see? I am really hoping that it will be Blades of Glory.

53. Can you change the oil on a car? Sure, I know where Jiffy Lube is.

54. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? Yes, but non of them have shown up on my record. Thank heavens for traffic school.

Ok I know they were really dumb and even some of my answers have to do with being pregnant, but I tired. Have a great weekend!

P.S. only 4 more days!

Pretty Funny!

A new blogger friend stopped by to say hi, and sent me a little email. So naturally I had to go check out her blog. It looks like it is relatively new, but with reading her posts, I can't wait for more.

Check out this post, it had me laughing out loud. Very well written, and so many can relate!

Let's all welcome her into the blogging world!

The Monday Review

So it looks like all I can ever think to post these days is pregnancy stuff. Sorry guys this will be over soon and you won't have to hear about my doctor's appointments and stuff. But for now that is about all that you are going to get.

I went to my doctor's appointment today. There was a mix of happy things and stressful things to report. First the happy. I lost 2lbs in the last week! I was thrilled about this, but I am not sure if my doctor was. Also I am now dilated to a 2 and 75% thin. Just enough to get me started on the 28th so I am not even worried about that at all. I think that when the storm blows through in the next few days things will change a little bit. They say that stormy weather helps. We will see.

Next the stressful. My blood pressure was just a little bit high. Nothing to worry about though, just annoying. Also I have a rash that is driving me crazy. I guess that it is very common when you are this far along. I remember getting it a little on my tummy just before little dude was born, but this is much worse. I have it all over my tummy and on both arms. Oh well, I can be a walking freak just as long as it only last for the 9 more days that I have left.

Then there is the really stressful. In the last week I have been having a little trouble feeling the baby move again. He is moving, but nothing close to the 10 - 12 kicks an hour. So I just thought that I would see what my doctor had to say about it, so I let him know today. He didn't act too worried but just enough to have me scheduled for an ultra sound and a stress test right away. So I called my hubby and down the stairs I went to have a little look at the little guy to see if things are ok. Things are actually pretty good. The mystery to not being able to feel him move very much is a combination of two things. He is really squished. (I kind of expected that.) The other is that I have more amniotic fluid than normal. So the way that the doctor put it is that he is swimming in there. Every time he moves I can't feel it because of the extra fluid. That was really comforting to know. So as long as I can still feel him move every now and then I am not going to worry. He looks great in there!

In fact, I finally got to see his face in the ultra sound today. Before he was facing the wrong way so I didn't get to see it. But today we got a really good shot. It was so clear! It was almost looking at a black and white picture. We got a few to bring home, I will have to see if I can scan them and get them posted. I am happy to report that this kid has big cheeks and big lips just like his older brother. The ultra sound tech even checked to see if he had hair, and she said there was some! I got to see him move his lips and his eyebrows. He is weighing in at approximately 6 lbs 12 oz. Lets just hope that he doesn't get too much bigger. I don't want another 8lb 5 oz baby, it was a little tough. It was AMAZING to see him! So different than at 20 weeks!

Even though it was a little stressful we passed the non stress test, and now we are just waiting for the 28th (or sooner) for his arrival. Seeing his face today totally made my week, and I have a feeling that because of my excitement the next 9 days are going to go by really slow! I feel great still, that is a bonus!