Thoughts from Rylee, Noah and Gracyn's Mom

In other news....

2011-07-12T17:20:00.002-04:00

We have some other exciting news....we adopted! Obviously we did not adopt J or R, although we would have loved to. Let me start near the beginning....

We live in Upstate NY. Since our 9 year old daughter was just a year old, we have hosted "Fresh Air" kids. The Fresh Air Fund originates out of NY city. They take kids from NY city, especially high rise apartment buildings, and send them to neighboring states for a "fresh air" break. Its usually a 2 week trip, but the kids can stay longer if you invite them back the following summer. For a couple of years we had just one girl coming up, then about 7 years ago we started having 2 girls come up.

Maria first came to us as a spur of the moment thing...basically, we got a call on a Monday AM to tell us our regular Fresh Air child had failed to show up to catch the bus, and would we be willing to take a replacement child that was ready and waiting to come. How could we say no? Maria was such a sweet and polite 10 year old. We fell in love and have invited her back year after year, lengthening her stays until she was with us almost the whole summer. The last 2 years she even spent Christmas with us. In January she moved in and started school a week later. In April we finalized a formal adoption, and a week later she turned 16! Wow.

Maria's story is her own to tell. Without going in to detail I will tell you that she has wonderful and loving biological parents who are still involved in her life.

While I have always envisioned us adopting, I thought it would be through the foster care system, not someone we already knew! I couldn't be happier to have her join our family. So, in case you are keeping count, we are now up to 3 biological kids, 1 adopted, and 2 foster children....grand total of 6 kids. Yes, you should see the looks we get when we go out in public. I have now come to a place in my life that I truly don't care! I'm happy as can be, doing what we were made to do (that's not to say that there are not bumps in the road), and I'm not going to allow someone's opinion of me matter more than my Heavenly Father's!

17 months and counting...

2011-07-12T14:44:00.002-04:00

A very kind anonymous comment was left asking for an update. How sad that it has been so very long!! I honestly didn't think anyone read this thing, so why update, LOL?! (By the way, I'd love to know who commented, if you feel like revealing yourself!)

Where to begin? Little "J" and big sister "R" are still with us! I'm sad to say that last Friday we received notification that they are going home in 6 weeks, towards the end of August. So much has happened. The kids have had 2 birthdays while living with us (including their first birthday party). They are now 4 and 6 years old. R started Kindergarten at the local public school (I homeschool 2 of our biological children that are school aged). She loved school and caught up so much to where she should be. She's almost there! Little J started speech and OT and has made lots of progress.

For almost a year we facilitated visits ourselves, and even acted as visit supervisors...something that I have since learned is not very typical. I think we were asked to do this for 2 reasons.
1) We were asked to mentor the family. Both parents came from not very great home lives, so we were asked to model good parenting.
2) We had a good relationship with the parents and were able to communicate as well as can be expected.
While handling visits took a lot of time, I was glad for the chance to get to know the kids parents more. I learned a lot...sometimes learning things that were not so great and being required to pass that info on to the kids caseworker. Unfortunately, the more we learned, the more obvious it was that the parents, although extremely nice and loving, were very mentally ill.

Fast forward a bit and the parents have taken parenting classes and are seeing their therapists. Fast forward even more to recently, where the judge feels like the parents are stable enough to get the children back.

Hubby and I have so many doubts about the ability of the parents to successfully parent and raise their children, but we don't really get much say. We truly desire to remain in contact with the kids once they go home, but that will largely depend on their parents.

Would I do this again? In a heartbeat. Does it hurt to know that a child you have loved and parented for a year and a half will no longer be here? Absolutely. Right now, knowing that they are leaving in 6 weeks feels like a band aid is being ripped off in slow motion. The selfish part of me wishes to get it done and over with even though I don't truly even want to say goodbye.

What was the hardest part of this? Several things pop in my mind, but I would have to say that it was frustrating to not be able to do things the way WE felt they should be done, but rather what the parents, the county, the state, etc deem right. Everything from how to discipline a child who is misbehaving to having to ask permission to have a child's hair cut. A few times recently (I believe out of frustration), the kids Dad has mentioned a few things he doesn't like about us or our family, or something he thinks isn't being handled correctly (nothing major, all very minor, even silly things), and having to feel like you have to explain yourself. Really, in the grand scheme of things, the "bad" parts are so minor. If I'm being completely honest here, I will tell you that the temper tantrums that came from little "J" were unlike anything I had ever seen. They would sometimes last 90 minutes and involve screaming, kicking, hitting, etc. I have been punched, kicked, hit, scratched and spit on more than I would like to say. Its infuriating at times, but I would remind myself over and over that this is what we are called to...serving God even when its hard. Very hard.

The best times? Hearing over and over "I love you", hearing the kiddo's say, "I've never done that before...that is so cool!" Seeing all the children interact lovingly together. Feeling the hugs and the love pouring from these little ones, and knowing that in some way we are making a difference to them.

There is even more to share, but I'll have to update later. I have a living room full of little ones waiting to go swimming : )

Book Review...

2010-06-11T15:17:00.003-04:00

I found out recently, from a friend, that I can receive free books from Thomas Nelson publishers if I am willing to post a blog review, via www.booksneeze.com. You bet I'm on board with that. It combines two of my favorites...books and free/cheap things!

I read the book "Love on a Dime", by a new author named Cara Lynn James. The book would be considered Christian Romance/Fiction. Its about a young woman of wealth, Lilly, in the late 1800's, who begins writing dime novels. She writes under a "nom de plume" as its considered improper for ladies of her class to write fiction. Her first love comes back in her life as the new owner of her publishing company, disrupting her current beau. Her secret identity is in jeopardy, as is her family's reputation, not to mention her relationship with her current beau.

This book kept my interest, even if it moved a bit slow for my taste. At times, things seemed a bit drawn out. The characters were well developed. The plot did hold my interest to the end, and had me wondering how things would be resolved. I think I would have appreciated a bit more interaction between Lilly and her first love, Jack. It seemed as if every conversation they had, she ran off. Overall, it was a decent first book for Ms. James. I'm curious to see how her future books compare to this one.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Thomas Nelson publishing company.

Now that we are on our journey...

2010-05-20T17:21:00.002-04:00

Blogging took a backseat to life. Sadly, Facebook is also to blame...too much immediate gratification, LOL! Three months ago we welcomed our first foster children into our home. I have been hesitant to blog about them as I feel its important to keep any details about them or their family from cyberspace. I can certainly speak about them in less personal ways, without divulging personal info. Sweet little "J", who is 2 1/2 and his fun older sister, "R", who is 4 1/2, have joined our family and adjusted beautifully.

They will be with us for several more months, minimum. We have a great, albeit unusual relationship with their parents. At times, we even drive the parents to their bi-weekly visits with the kids. We exchange letters, and I call on occasion. They are very nice and gracious folks who just need some time to work on some issues. To say that I feel God's hand on this whole case would be an understatement. Not only were we assigned a Christian case worker, but even the family mentor assigned to the family is also a Christian.

Just a few hours after "R" and "J" were dropped off at our house, Matt and I turned to each other and said, "This is exactly what we are called to do...no doubt! There is such a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction." Sometimes there are times in your life when you just *know* in your *knower* that something was "meant to be". This is one of those times...

My delayed response...

2010-01-03T18:21:00.002-05:00

When Matt and I first decided this past summer to pursue becoming foster parents and eventually adopt through the foster care system, we received tons of feedback from people. I would say about 75% of the people we shared our information with were genuinely excited for us and thought it was a good thing. About another 15% said, "well, God bless ya...". You could tell they were happy about it only because we were excited, yet at the same time it was obvious they were scratching their heads trying to figure us out. The remaining 10% think we are certifiably insane. We've had responses like, "why would you want to do that?" or, "aren't 3 kids enough?". One such person drilled us with questions (which is actually OK, because we are friends with this person and I would rather have the chance to answer questions rather than have people continue on with their misconceptions). He said, "why in the world would you ever want to do that and invite those type of kids into your home?". I tried my best at the time to share our reasoning. How do you share your heart with someone like that? How do you explain to a non believer that you feel like this is what God called you to do and He has given you the peace to carry it out? For months I have thought back to that day. If I had been given a while to form my true answer, this is what I would have said....

"If I know I have the chance to make a difference in someone's life, especially a child, and I choose instead to remain "comfortable", then SHAME ON ME! How do you look at a need, know that you can help fill that need, then walk away because, after all, the "problem" is not yours?"

Does that mean I think every person who call themselves Christian should be doing something about the orphan problem that exists in the world today? ABSOLUTELY!! Does that mean every Christian should adopt? No, sadly there are circumstances that make adoption not a good option for some people. That being said, I think that the majority of Christians have become blind to the orphan situation. If you cannot adopt, then support those who can. Whether that be financially, emotionally, or with just plain old help.

The Bible says that "to him who knows to do right and does it not, to him it is sin". To know that I can do something positive for a child, and not do it, would be nothing short of sin. If God calls you to do something, he gives you the strength and peace to carry it out.

I could go off on another tangent about how God did not grant us life so that we could be surrounded by every luxury and live "comfortably". Sometimes I think comfort is our enemy because it makes us lazy and complacent. God did not put me on this earth so I could live comfortably with my 2.2 children, in a large home with more money than I know what to do with (note to those who do not know me personally: I have three children, a small house, and definitely NOT more money than I know what to do with!). He called me to love and serve. Yup, love and serve. Not acquire a huge 401K. Not travel the world. Those things would be great, but they are not the truly important things.

Ok, I'll step down off my soapbox and stop "preaching", but since so many have asked us about our choice to foster and adopt, I felt it was high time I gave my true opinions. Feedback and criticism are certainly welcome...

Things I am learning...

2009-11-05T15:36:00.003-05:00

We have sat through 6 of the 10 classes required to become certified foster parents. They started off rather slow and have become more and more insightful and helpful in understanding the needs of the children in the system and how to deal with those children in the most effective manner. At times, the classes have been downright sad and disturbing; talking about giving back children to their birth family that have been with you for years, or talking about sexual abuse and protecting your own biological children. This is what I know now:

~ This (being a foster parent) will likely be the hardest thing we ever do.

~ It will require much time, energy and fortitude to be successful.

~ Foster children deserve so much more than the life they have been dealt thus far.

~ We are ABSOLUTELY meant to do this! Everything in me tells me that this is right time and the right thing.

After a great meeting with our case worker a week ago, we learned that we may be certified earlier than we originally thought. Perhaps as early as December, but definitely by January. Its even possible that we could have children in our home by Christmas.

Is it springtime?

2009-10-03T12:54:00.002-04:00

It almost feels like it should be spring. You know, a time of new beginnings. Monday we will begin our foster care training classes. I could not be happier or more excited about the path that God has led us down. Did I ever expect in a million years to be doing foster care? I thought we would only walk that path for the necessary few months in order to foster "our kids" until their adoption was legal. However, when God does a huge work on your heart and the heart of your husband, simultaneously whispering to you both that this is the path He would like you to walk...you don't argue. You scratch your head and wonder at the new way of thinking. You marvel at it, but then you just revel in the peace that comes with knowing God's will for your life and doing it.

Today, I'm busy organizing and cleaning. So far I have yet to make it out of the living room, but I've dusted the ceiling (trust me, it really needed it), made a few spiders homeless, and just gave the room a very necessary cleaning. I'm not done yet. I couldn't help but think of the symbolism. Out with the old, in with the new. Get rid of the stuff that slows you down, the old stuff, the broken. Make way for the functional and fresh. Make way for a different type of "broken". Children. Broken children who are starving for love and affection. Shake off what slows you down, so that you can do what you need to do. Literally and figuratively.

I am on the edge of major change in my life. But its a wonderful, God breathed change. I'm sure there will be hurts and tears along the way, but I also know that God does not call us to do anything that He does not equip us to do. God has poured into my life so many blessings, and I think its the time that he is placing a demand on those blessings. To whom much has been given, much is required...

Blessings

2009-09-26T15:30:00.003-04:00

You know its been a long time since you last blogged when you have to try over and over to remember your own blog address...no kidding! I'm here, and alive and doing great. Time slips through my hands faster than you can imagine and it boggles my mind. I must also admit that Facebook is just way too easy to get addicted to. There is a lot more instantaneous gratification available there, also. You post your status update, and within minutes people have commented. It can spoil you.

But, I have also felt like this blog has been neglected as well. Not that there are many readers...all 5 of you, perhaps? And yet, this serves as a journal of sorts. I look back and remember when I first started blogging while pregnant with our third child. Life has changed a lot in the last 17 months since she was born. That brings me to the title of my post.

I was sitting on my couch a minute ago. Just sitting and thinking about how blessed I am. I had just caught up reading several blogs I follow. Blogs written by people who have sick children. One blogger just lost her daughter to cancer. She was just a baby...less than a year. The heartbreaking twist to this story is that she is the second child this family has lost to cancer. I sit here and think about my super healthy children. My warm home. My full refrigerator. My clean clothes. My bed. My faithful husband. My working vehicle. My hot water. The children (ours and others) who are filling up our yard and living room, playing together so nicely. Does it mean I am without "troubles"? No. But, my troubles are so small in comparison to many. And so small to my BIG GOD. I'm blessed beyond measure.

Awww....

2009-07-01T16:11:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Gracyn sneezed and "sprayed" Noah a bit as he was sitting next to her. Noah turned to me and said, rather indignantly, "Mama, Gracie just blessed all over me!!"
Tee hee...too cute!

A journey begins...

2009-06-17T09:39:00.002-04:00

See these papers? They will dramatically change our life as we currently know it. What are these papers, and how can they change your life so dramatically, you ask? I'm glad you asked. These are applications for us to adopt a child or children from the foster care system. Yes, we have finally decided to get the ball rolling and persue a lifelong dream for both of us.

I remember watching 20/20 on Friday nights with my parents while a young teen. At that time, reporters were uncovering the atrocities of Romanian orphanages. I remember 6 year old children, with atrophied muscles and hollow eyes laying in cribs for months on end, with little attention or affection shown to them. Six year old children, the weight of my 13 month old, who could not walk, simply because nobody had taken the time to show them or allow them out of their "cageg". I've always had a soft heart for the "underdog" and children. I've always loved the idea of adoption, perhaps because I grew up in such an amazing family, full of love, affection and affirmation. I longed for all children to experience that. When Matt and I first started dating, one of the major questions I had for him was a potential "deal breaker"...how did he feel about adoption? He was very much in favor of it and had wanted to adopt as an adult for a while. It was even greater confirmation that he was the guy for me! Fast forward about 3 years. We are happily married, but have not yet chosen to start our family. We attend a meeting through the county for potential foster parents and adoptive parents. We love it. We are unsure of the timing, but glad for the information, as it confirms what we have felt for years. A year later we are pregnant with Rylee, our oldest, and choose to put our adoption plans on hold until we feel the timing is just right. About 3 years later, Noah joins us. And almost 3 years after that, we welcome Gracyn, now 13 months.

When Noah was quite young, I was ready to begin the process of adoption, but Matt thought it might be best to finish our biological family first, then adopt. I definitely wanted him to be completely on board when the time came, so I waited it out. About a year or two ago I began praying that if my timing was off and we were supposed to wait, that God would change my heart. I also prayed that if we were to start the adoption process now, that God would change Matt's heart. Last Friday evening, while working on his sermon to be preached on Sunday, Matt turned toward me and said, "I'm ready to adopt now." Just like that. I think my mouth hung open for a bit before I said, "What?" He repeated himself and I asked, "What changed? Where did this come from?", to which he replied, "It just breaks my heart to wait any longer." Oh my goodness, here we go!

This past Sunday we shared with our family our intentions. They were full of questions and excitement. Monday morning I called the county. It was initially a bit discouraging to hear that almost all the children currently legally free for adoption are quite older with severe emotional, physical or mental issues. We were strongly encouraged to do foster care and find our child through that avenue. While I have the utmost of respect for foster parents, I'm not convinced that its a road God has called us to right now. We are considering possibly doing short term "respite" or "vacation" care. We'll see. However, we did learn something. Just prior to the county going before a judge to request that parental rights for a child be revoked, that child has to be moved into a foster home with the intention of adoption, if their current home will not be adopting them. Then, the jusge can terminate their parental rights, making them legally free for adoption. Its necessary for us to be foster care certified first, and the process is initially the same whether we choose to do foster care, adopt, or both. So, yesterday we got these papers in the mail. They are 99% filled out, and will be notarized tonight. Tomorrow they are mailed back to the county and we should receive a call to meet with a case worker in about 2 or 3 weeks.

We will take MAP classes (Foster care training classes) for 10 weeks, while working on our home study. We will be interviewed, have our home examined, undergo medical exams, be fingerprinted, and fill out mountains of paperwork. About 6 to 8 months from now our home study will be complete, at which time we just wait to be matched. Its quite possible that within the next 12 months we will meet our future children.

We are so very excited to begin this journey. Our children share our excitement and have already began praying for their new brother or sister. Ideally, Matt and I would love to adopt a sibling group of two children, with Rylee remaining the oldest at 7 years of age. Likely, the child or children will not be a baby, but an older (up to age 7) child. If you think of us, pray that God brings us the perfect children and equips us to care for them and that we don't run into any major snags in the meantime. They say a long journey begins with a single step. These papers represent that first single step, and we could not be more excited!

A picture is worth a thousand words....

2009-05-14T18:05:00.002-04:00

Too long...

2009-05-14T17:45:00.002-04:00

Yep, its been too long. Of course I have been busy, but I also have felt uninspired to write. Plus, I felt the need to share things chronologically, and frankly, that just felt overwhelming. Perhaps Facebook is to blame for part of my laziness concerning blogging. I love the instantaneousness (is that a word?) of Facebook. I have a few thoughts rolling around my head...

First off, due to a persistent ear infection in Gracyn, followed by 3 weeks of various antibiotics, we have Thrush. We are treating it with Gentian Violet (Thanks, Carole, for the recommendation). Gentian Violet is BRIGHT PURPLE and so Gracie looks like she has been sucking on a purple ice pop for a week. Lets just say it leaves a stain on some *ahem* "interesting" places on me as well. But, it is working, and that is what is important. Can I just say I love "natural" and "homeopathic" remedies?

On top of the thrush, I have a cold...blah...who likes being sick? Not me, and especially not in warm weather while my lilacs are in full bloom.

I'm looking forward to our vegetable garden this year. Each year I get a bit better at keeping up with it. This year I'm going to search for Heirloom plants, so their seeds can be kept to grow future gardens. I'm also going to try my hand at growing some lettuces. I'm thinking spinach and buttercrunch?

We will be welcoming a bunch of chicks onto the property. We have raised chickens for our own fresh eggs for about 6 years. We are down to just one of the original hens. Its time to bring on some fresh cuties. This year we will be buying day old "Red Star" chicks. Sidenote....I was originally going to order these through Murray McMurray Hatcheries, however, due to EVERYONE and their brother raising chickens this year, there was over a 2 month wait for their chicks. I tried a different hatchery with a 6 week wait. I think I'm going to buy local off of craigslist. There is a guy about 50 minutes away with 40 Red Star eggs in the incubator. Maybe we'll clean him out of his pullets. The price was also better than buying via a hatchery and shipping them.

I'm reading an amazing book about children's health and nutrition by Dr. Sears. Its called, The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood. It talks about cutting out certain fats, food dyes and high fructose corn syrup. Its amazing where you find HFCS...bread, ketchup, yogurt, etc. I'd like to significantly reduce, if not completely cut out HFCS from our diet, or at least only consume it on special occasions. I'm learning about the hormones in milk and how some people suspect it leads to early puberty and breast development in some girls. I have decided for now to not introduce any milk to Gracyn, other than my own breast milk. I figure, god designed my milk to be best for her, why would I wean her from my milk, only to introduce cows milk, which really was designed for calfs? When the time does come to introduce her to cows milk, I'll probably start her on hormone free or organic milk, although I'm completely balking at the prices...does anyone know where to obtain good quality, hormone free milk without paying $6 a gallon. We go through LOTS of milk around here!! I don't really want to have to get a part time job just to pay for milk, LOL!

On that note, if anyone has any healthy recipes they would like to share, I'm all ears...or eyes, if you choose to email it : ) This week I'll be making hummus for the first time, ever. I also made cranberry cous-cous last night for dinner. I've made cous-cous numerous times before, just never added cranberries. I also bought some flaxseed to start adding to foods. Anyone use flaxseed? Beuler? Beuler? Just kidding...anyone recognize that movie line? (Not that its a hard one...)

Rainy day friends...

2009-04-04T09:57:00.005-04:00

...are wonderful friends!

They don't mind relaxing with you in the hot tub on a rainy afternoon, or in this case splashing around and treating the hot tub like a swimming pool ; )

They eat snickerdoodle cookies with you and play trains and blocks. They let you run around and act crazy, all while your mom and their mom talk away the hours. Chatting about natural, healthy living, cloth diapers, childbirth, midwives, cooking, adoption, and everything else under the sun.

Yes, its true...rainy day friends are wonderful friends!

The face of exhaustion...

2009-04-01T19:09:00.003-04:00

I know how you feel, buddy. The last few days have been a whirlwind of exciting things, but I'm feeling the effects of being busy and away from the house so much...dirty home, dirty kids and exhaustion. I'm off to see if I can remedy the first two right now. I'll post more about my excitement very soon!

"One step forward...two steps back"

2009-03-19T10:42:00.004-04:00

Or is it "Two steps forward, one step back"? I can not quite figure that out right now. As far as responsibilities and duties, I seem to have a difficult time finding the right balance. I suppose it all comes down to time management. Let me explain...

It seems like when my house is in good order (not perfect, but picked up and mostly clean), I am less stressed. I know this. But, it also seems like when my house is in good order, that there is less time to do school with Rylee, call a friend, catch up on my blog or email, etc. So, I set out to rectify the school issue and put aside more time to spend with Rylee. Then, dinner is late, the dishes are overflowing the sink and the same load of laundry I put in the washer at 8:00 am is still sitting in the washer.

This past Sunday night I started to get a little stuffy. I figured I was coming down with a cold. Monday I felt tired and very sneezy, but was really OK. Tuesday night I only got a couple of hours of sleep between my achy ears and head and Gracyn waking over and over. I had a fever as well as congestion and achiness all over. Matt actually stayed home from work to help care for the kids and do the necessary running around that comprises my Tuesdays. By yesterday, I felt mostly better and was fever free. I found no clean pants for Noah, so I had to dress him in a pair he had worn the day before. Don't worry...they had only been worn a few hours the day before, but it quickly became obvious we were in crisis mode as far as laundry was concerned. I had to use a big dish towel just to wipe Gracie's hands after breakfast because all the dishcloths were dirty. So, yesterday I started putting the house back in order. You ladies know how it gets when you are sick.

It seems like I can get a couple of areas of my life to really run smoothly, but then I turn around and the other areas have fallen into neglect. I feel like one of those circus acts where the guy starts spinning china plates on top of a pole. He gets one spinning, them moves on to the next, then the next. After a few moments he has to go back to the first plate to get it spinning faster again, or else the plate crashes to the ground. Every day its painfully obvious that I am NOT Super Mom or even Super Woman, for that matter. One day my kids are thriving and the house is kept up, but I have neglected to send out several birthday cards, my laundry room looks like Kilimanjaro, I have not spent any time reading my Bible or praying, and I realize with horror that I cannot remember how many days its been since my kids were bathed. Ouch...just keeping it real. I know I can not be the only one who struggles with the balance of life. Motherhood seems to find me striving to keep a tenuous balance of the different areas of my life. One day I am Super Wife, but Lousy Mom. The next day I'm Martha Stewart, but griping at the kids for tracking mud into the freshly cleaned kitchen and annoyed that once again school took a backseat to life.

I guess it comes down to this; choices. How do I choose to spend my time? I'm the first to admit that I spend too much time on the computer. I also know that I need to pray for wisdom and grace. Wisdom to know how to prioritize my day and spend my precious time, and grace to stick with that plan and manage it all. It does help to know that I am not the only one who deals with these same dilemmas. So, fellow mom's, its confession time. Let's be honest and take off out "Super Mom" cape and mask and share. Did your kid have to wear dirty clothes like mine did this past week? Do you have leftovers that are weeks,not days old in your fridge like I do? Does your yard look like a toy graveyard like mine does right this minute? Please share and make us all feel a little better...Are you brave enough to be honest and keep it real?

Overheard...

2009-03-19T10:36:00.002-04:00

Overheard today while I was loading the washing machine with yet another load of laundry:

Rylee, to Brock, my nephew, "I really wish there were six of us kids in my family!"

Awww! I love that she wants to be part of a big family! I asked her about it to be sure I had understood her correctly, and she confirmed that she would love there to be lots of kids. What a great kid. I'm happy to hear that as its always been a desire of both Matt and I to adopt from the Foster Care system. We also would like more biological children as well, so its likely that Rylee will get her wish ; )

Baby Girls...

2009-03-05T09:42:00.002-05:00

Reason #1 why baby girls are so much fun...

...you get to paint their itty, bitty toes with sparkly pink nail polish.

I'm feeling inspired....to sew!

2009-03-04T15:09:00.003-05:00

I received a super frustrating call a few hours ago from someone who promised to pay me a month ago for money they owe me. While it looks like I'll be getting it (hopefully!) in a few days, I was so flabbergasted by their lack of regard and disrespectful attitude, that I literally was shaking as I got off the phone with them. To distract myself, I cleaned up the kitchen, then decided to check out some cute kids dresses on Etsy.

How cute is this little dress? These style dresses are called "pillowcase" dresses, and are sometimes literally made from vintage pillowcases. My favorites are ones like the above, with funky or whimsical patterns. I love the simplicity of the design, with the girlie embellishment of the matching bow. I did a little research and found out that they are about the easiest clothing item you can make. While I do not own my own sewing machine, my sister already gave me permission to use hers to craft some of my own matching pillowcase dresses for Rylee and Gracie. You can actually wear them year round by slipping a long sleeved shirt under the dress and pairing it with leggings or tights. You can also wear them as shirts rather than dresses, as the child grows. Just pair them up with a cute pair of capris or leggings. They are so versatile. While I'm no expert on a sewing machine, I know I can pull this off. Maybe Rylee's American Girl Doll, Jenna, will even find herself with a new dress! So, I'm envisioning cute and girlie bolts of fabric with matching ribbons, and maybe even some embellishments like ric-rac or funky buttons. The Etsy prices are great, so its almost not worth my time to make them myself, however, I have not felt "moved" to sew in years. Don't you feel inspired?

Edited to include the following: Please click on picture above to view the entire dress. I'm not sure why its only showing part...any ideas??

A new favorite song...

2009-03-02T09:20:00.002-05:00

"By Your Side" by "Tenth Avenue North" (you can hear this on my play list in the sidebar)

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go

Thoughts on George Washington's Birthday

2009-02-23T10:10:00.003-05:00

As I glanced at the calendar yesterday morning before church, I realized it was George Washington's birthday. I mentioned it to Noah and Rylee, who are both very interested in him (perhaps because his image is found on money??). Noah said, "Wait a minute...George Washington is real?" I said, "Yes, Noah. George Washington was a real man, our first president, but he died a long time ago." Noah said, "Oh cool! Wow!"(his excitement was not over George dying, but the fact that he was real.) Perhaps in Noah's mind he was more like a super hero?

Later, after church, we had a potluck lunch. Rylee noticed that someone had brought in a large, decorated cookie cake for dessert. She wondered why someone brought it and I said it was for dessert. "Oh! They must have brought it in because they realized it was George Washington's birthday!!", she exclaimed. Too funny.

As we were gathering our things and leaving church, Noah carefully folded up his coloring sheet from Sunday School and tucked a little "note" in with it. He turned to me and said, very seriously, "This is a birthday card and a gift for George Washington." Well, if that isn't the most thoughtful thing! George Washington has gone from a make believe super hero type of a guy to a real, living person. Now, how to make him realize that George Washington was alive, but is no longer. Oh well...at least at this young age he knows who George Washington is.

Valentine's Day Fun

2009-02-18T19:01:00.005-05:00

On Valentine's Day, we were treated to a fun party at our friend, Kristyn's house. It was wonderful to see her great family again. Her sister even brought her 5 day old son to the little party! We love those newborns. This is Kristyn's daughter, Maia, holding "Jofus", I mean Joseph. Isn't Maia a doll?

This is Kristyn's son Mekai, joining in the festivities. He's a cutie. He and Noah added some rough and tumble "boyness" to the otherwise mostly female party.

This is Gracie, Maia, and Maia's cousins. They were all hamming it up for the camera,especially Gracie.

Because our weekend was so packed, Matt and I were not able to celebrate Valentines Day then. Last night he arrives home, walks in the door and tells me to get ready to go. "Go where?" I say. "Out to dinner with me for a belated Valentine's Day dinner". "Awww...that's sweet honey, but this is the first I'm hearing about it and I have not called anyone to watch the kids." I say. "I have it all taken care of. Your sister Cindy should be here any second." As he says this, she pulls in. She even brought Happy Meals for the kids! I was relieved the house was halfway decent and picked up. I was originally going to bring Gracyn, but we decided to leave her with her siblings, and she did great. Not a peep out of her, even though she is teething. Matt and I enjoyed a really nice dinner together, without any kids. That is the first time in almost a year we have been without Gracyn, at least. As we arrive home, we hear loud laughter before we even open the door. Cindy was pulling the kids by their pant legs around the living room while they laid on blankets on the hardwood floor. They were nearly crying they were laughing so hard! So once again, Matt proves he's quite romantic, and once again, my family is there for us by letting us have a night out without kids. Sweet, huh?

Random beautiful things...

2009-02-18T09:45:00.006-05:00

My childhood friend since second grade, Kelly, brought her son Brandon over last week for a playdate. Brandon fell in love with one of our dogs, Molly. Molly was so sweet and patient, letting Brandon cuddle her and love on her.

What is more beautiful than a pregnant woman? Not much! This is one of my best friends, Hannah, showing off her baby bump at her shower. Only a few short weeks to go!

This is the scene that greeted me this morning from our backyard. A beautiful sunrise breaking over the horizon. The orange glow was reflecting off of everything...our vehicles, the walls on our house, even the porch posts. It was stunning.

I came across this clip of Salma Hayek nursing a hungry African baby while she was visiting there doing humanitarian work. She nurses her one year old daughter and was able to hold this baby boy and fill his tummy up...how beatiful!

"Stanley, is that you?"

2009-02-11T16:45:00.003-05:00

This afternoon I got a telemarketing phone call. The man was very polite, but all I could think of was this guy sounded just like Stanley from "The Office". I almost wanted to say, "Stanley, is that you? Are you trying to sell me Dunder Mifflin paper?".

Yes, I know Stanley is probably not his real name. Any other Office addicts out there?

That phone call just made me chuckle : )

Remembering...

2009-02-09T17:46:00.002-05:00

Part of me wanted to post about this day just being bad overall...the baby is teething and had me up about 8 times overnight. I woke up not feeling great. And so the day began and it didn't ever seem to really improve all that much. However, I choose to not to devote a whole post to my yucky day. Because...there are so many more important things to dwell on, and I don't want to be so shallow. A week and a half ago, the kids and I were devastated to read that Tuesday had passed away from the Neuromblastoma that had plagued her for the last half year. She was just a little over 2 years old. We did not know her personally, but had been following her mother's blog for about 6 weeks. The kids and I had been praying for her every night and we even sent her cards and coloring pages, complete with our handprints traced on pretty paper. My heart just broke for her family, and especially her little twin sister. A few days later I followed a link in a blog I was reading to another blog. This mother was also writing about her 11 month old daughter who had just been diagnosed about 2 weeks ago with the same type of Neuroblastoma. Little Cora reminded me so much of our little Gracyn...chubby cheeks, bright blue eyes, fair hair and skin. Daily, I would follow the blog and see that Cora was holding her own. There were major bumps in the road, but it seemed like she was somewhat stable. Then, yesterday, I was shocked to read she had passed away early Sunday morning. Once again, a little girl I never met, but still loved by her family. I was crushed. In my head I've been reasoning how its so silly for me to get so upset at these little ones death. Yet, any mother often puts herself in that other mother's shoes. This little one who looked so much like my own daughter is gone, and now her parents are left childless. My consolation is that Cora's parents are believers, and that both girls are in the arms of Jesus, cancer free.

But, oh how my heart breaks for those parents. I have prayed for them so often since hearing their devastating news. I pray mostly for peace for them. As I was reading these sad posts, I felt so full of emotion. I'm so blessed...I'M SO BLESSED!! My children are healthy and full of life. I have an amazing husband. We enjoy our life together and have never had to deal with sadness like these parents are. Since first hearing the news of Tuesday's death, I've noticed I'm a bit more patient. I snuggle the kids close to me and breath them in. I squeeze the baby and hold her so close. I try not to complain when she wants me close in the middle of the night. So, who cares that I got up last night over and over with my fussy baby. At least my baby is here to be held and comforted. So, my kitchen was a mess this morning. At least I had children around to dirty it.

My arms feel full today. Full of blessings. And I'm so grateful.

Homeschool?

2009-02-06T08:09:00.002-05:00

Do you homeschool? If so, head over to www.octamom.com. Its a great blog written by a mom of eight, who coincidentally also homeschools. She is hosting a giveaway on her blog through Homeschool Boutique. There were lots of great T-shirts, bags, etc. Head on over and check it out. Leave a comment for your chance at winning.

Cute...

2009-01-21T16:40:00.005-05:00

The first picture just speaks for itself, doesn't it? Noah is such a cheeser. I mean, just look at that grin. There's mischief behind that grin, experience tells me.

There's a bit of a story behind the second picture. Rylee was playing quietly in her room (perhaps that should have served as a warning with any other child, but Rylee playing quietly does not usually equate to trouble for me). She comes to me and says, "What do you think, Mom?" I look and realize that she has just decided to cut herself some bangs. My immediate reaction was to laugh, so I covered my mouth so she wouldn't see. I didn't want her to think it was funny to cut your own hair. After 30 seconds of silent laughter, I just couldn't help it anymore and realized that I simply was not going to be able to keep a straight face as I questioned her. I said, "Rylee, why did you cut your hair?" She says, "I just wanted bangs". I continue to smirk as I look at her cutting job. She said, "I don't want everyone to laugh at me because I have bangs now!" I said, "I'm laughing because I can not believe you just cut your hair and did such an amazing job...don't you dare ever cut your hair again!!" She cut her bangs so well you never would have guessed a 6 year old did it. The following day she went with me to get my hair trimmed. She decided to get her hair cut as well and now has a shoulder length "do". She looks so much older now, sniff, sniff!

The last picture is Gracyn taking a bath a couple of weeks ago. Does this child ever stop smiling and making herself look adorable? I mean, really. As my mom often says, "Not an ugly bone in her body".

Tagged!

2009-01-21T11:49:00.002-05:00

I was tagged by Carole for this fun post. I am to post the fourth picture from my fourth folder in my pictures archive, then explain. This picture was taken by my sister, Cindy, while we were all on vacation in September of 2007. This is the beach in Corolla, Outer Banks of North Carolina. We has such a wonderful time on vacation that we repeated it this past September. We stayed at an even larger house and my other sister, her husband and kids all joined us. Its become one of our favorite places to visit.

By the way...how grateful am I that the fourth picture in my fourth picture folder was not one of those shots where my kids took my camera and shot really strange items up close, resulting in a weird blurry shot.

The rules are to tag 4 people...I tag:

Hannah
Trina
Jen
Jewel

Random...

2009-01-08T08:42:00.002-05:00

~ The older I get the more I come to realize that I am a pretty open person. I honestly can not think of a subject that is truly "off limits". I guess I really value transparency. Some of my most favorite people on this earth are those who are open and transparent. Not only do I feel close to them, but it also satisfies my intense curiosity with humans in general. That being said, I realize that not all people are wired that way. That doesn't mean I'm not close to friends who are not as open, just that I love it when they don't hold back. Know what I mean?

~ It amazes me that things as seemingly insignificant as a haircut or trim can really boost my mood or self confidence or whatever you want to call it. I don't know whether that is a good thing that I am that easily boosted, or a bad thing that something so "unimportant" makes me feel better. Hmmm...

~ I like doing laundry for the most part, but find it difficult to follow through and actually put the clean clothes away in the dresser or closet. I'm guilty of living out of laundry baskets at times.

~ My Christmas tree and decorations around the house are STILL UP. Yup, its January 8th. I think that is a record for me. Due to our crazy schedule in December, our tree didn't get up and decorated until a week before Christmas. It was a shame to spend money on a beautiful, fragrant tree and not fully enjoy it, so I kept it up. I think its time, though. Its dry, and I sure could use the space that it occupies. I guess its time to stop listening to Christmas music also. Speaking of which...

~ For whatever reason, I love the song "Santa Baby". The old one that Earth Kitt sang. I also love "Jingle Bell Rock". As for Christmas carol's, probably my favorite would have to be "O Holy Night". Am I the only person that remembers that old Hallmark commercial where the adult son comes home and starts singing that for his family on Christmas Eve...it gave me goosebumps to see/hear that. Please tell me that someone else remembers that commercial.

33

2008-12-19T07:31:00.004-05:00

I've been much too busy lately. Too busy to post, and sadly, I've barely been able to keep up with the absolutely necessary things. Things should calm down dramatically next week. In the meantime, I'm celebrating a very special day today. Today, 33 years ago, my best friend was born. Although he hails from Indiana, he was actually born on an Indian Reservation in Washington state. His parents were missionaries there.

My life has never been the same after meeting him. Now, 10 1/2 years of married life together, and 3 children (so far!), I couldn't be happier. He's the best. My only regret is that today is supposed to snow like crazy and he will be plowing All. Day. Long. Our dinner plans at one of his favorite restaurants for tonight will have to wait.

Happy Birthday, Matt!

Another one...

2008-12-19T07:26:00.002-05:00

Now that Noah has established where Gracyn came from, he wanted to know how long she would be staying. A few days ago this was our conversation;

Noah: Mama, how long is Gracyn staying?

Me: Forever and ever, Noah. Did you think she was going back somewhere?

Noah: Oh Cool!! Yeah, I thought she was going back in your tummy.

Me: No, I don't think she would fit anymore (thinking to myself that she barely fit when she was a newborn).

What was so cute was how excited he was to realize that Gracie was staying and not going anywhere. I love how much he loves her.

So funny...

2008-12-08T08:53:00.002-05:00

This was an extremely funny interaction with Noah last night as I was putting Gracyn in her car seat to drive to my parents house for a birthday party;

Noah: Mom, where did we get her from? (referring to Gracie)

Me: I grew her in my tummy. Don't you remember how big my tummy got before Gracie was born?

Noah: Oh yeah, I forgot (followed by several chuckles).

Its terrible, but part of me wanted to joke with him and tell him we got her on sale at Walmart, just to see his reaction. But, I know inevitably, it would bite me in the butt. A few weeks later we would be out and about and an unsuspecting stranger would say something like, "Oh, is that your little sister?" And Noah would reply, "Yup, we got her at Walmart. She was on sale." Then, I would have to try to explain to the stranger why my son thinks his baby sister came from Walmart. I mean, I do spend a lot of time there, but seriously, I did give birth to her almost 11 pound self. I really have to remember to write down this conversation in one of their baby books. It was a keeper.

Sick

2008-11-17T15:15:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posting recently. Both Noah and Gracyn had colds last week. On top of Noah's cold, he also had an intestinal bug...poor kid, as if one was not bad enough. So, once I've unearthed my hallway and laundry room floor from the mountain of dirty clothes and puked on sheets, I'll get back to posting.

GO VOTE!!!!

2008-11-04T08:22:00.002-05:00

If ever there were a time to vote, it is now! Please vote today. Not only is it your right, but your duty. In my humble opinion, you lose your right to "criticize" the government if you won't even take a few minutes to vote. Didn't vote? Then I really don't want to hear you bash the government when you couldn't even spare a few minutes to throw in your 2 cents. I'm just saying...

Sweet tooth...

2008-11-04T08:08:00.003-05:00

This weekend, while rushing through Wegmans, I grabbed a few bags of candy bars that were on sale, leftover from Halloween. Since we don't take our kids out to Trick or Treat, they don't get much candy...just a few bags from my family. This means that when I steal candy from their bags, its usually noticed, which is not good. So...I grabbed several bags of candy for Matt and I to eat from, whenever we wanted: ) Last night Noah asked if he could have a mini Snickers bar. I said, "sure". He tried it and surprisingly did not like it. He even spit it out. I told him he needed to clean up his gooey mess. I was whipped from being on my feet for several hours making jam, so I sat down for a moment on the couch. About 60 seconds later I hear the baby make a strange noise, like a frustrated whine, while sitting in her high chair a few feet away. I jump up to check on her and see her hands, face and shirt covered in chocolate. Apparantly, Noah had set down the remainder of his uneaten candy bar on her tray. She grabbed it and gave it a try, and boy, did she like it. Her frustrated whine was because the slippery lump of chocolate had slipped out of reach. As I cleaned her up, she kept lunging forward, trying to grab that lump of chocolate. She was pretty frustrated that Mama ended her candy binge. All I can say is, "I'm glad to see she is not allergic to peanuts". Just to update you, this is what Gracyn has now tried:

* Rice cereal
* Sweet potatoes
* Squash
* Mixed veggies
* Peas(by the way...she hates them!)
* Applesauce
* Snickers!!!

Pretty things...

2008-10-30T18:33:00.004-04:00

Several weekends ago, Gracyn and I went on a ladies retreat with about 17 other women from our church. We all stayed together overnight in a cabin at Camp Cherith in Nunda, NY. We were together about 24 hours and just had so much fun. I really got to know the ladies a lot better. We played a game where we each listed an obscure fact about ourselves. I think that out of the 17 women, I only knew about 6 of the facts. I was shocked because I really thought I knew these women well. Later, we played another fun game, "Imaginiff", which I will be adding to my Christmas list.

Gracyn was a little sweetheart the entire duration of the retreat, and I don't think she even cried once. The weather was perfect...Indian summer! We even enjoyed a visit to Letchworth State Park, which was only 15 minutes away and holding their annual Arts and Crafts sale. I was able to get a Christmas gift and birthday gift, which was great. The scenery was just spectacular in the southern tier, where we were. The campgrounds were just loaded with beautiful trees, rolling hills, forests, and this beautiful pond you see in the pictures above. My favorite picture is the forest reflecting off the pond. Its almost hard to tell where the forest begins and the pond ends. It was great to sit in that swing beside the waters edge and just enjoy the view. I even got to see either a turtle or fish repeatedly surface. And of course, another "pretty thing", my Gracie.

First tastes....

2008-10-23T08:45:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, October 22nd, was Gracyn's 6 month birthday. Is that possible? On the one hand it feels like she has always been a part of our family, but on the other hand I can still feel her warm, sticky, heaviness as they plopped her on my belly just after birth. Our lives will never be the same. She's so much fun. I think that I have always been a fairly relaxed mom, but with Gracyn I have progressed to enjoying my children more. They are less "work" to me now, because I have learned to enjoy the journey so much more. Its not that I didn't enjoy the other kids...hardly! Its more like I've finally come into my own and realized that being a mommy is one of those things I was created to be, so I embrace it fully.

With Gracyn, I decided to wait until 6 months of age before introducing solids. Both Rylee and Noah began at 4 months, but I knew that nursing was meeting all of Gracie's needs, so we waited a bit. I know she is definitely ready, though. The last month she has been trying to grab utensils out of our hands, reaching for our glasses, etc. Last night, on her 6 month birthday, we tried some cereal out on her. She was very eager, and managed the food really well, but you can tell the taste was just so different than what she is used to. She would open her mouth, take a bit off the spoon, let it sit on her tongue, then shudder wildly. It was hysterical. The faces were so entertaining. Matt and I and the kids were all laughing. Sorry about the closed eyes in some of the pictures, but you would blink too if you had a flash going off every other second.

Gracyn's personality is still easy going, laid back and super happy. She generally has one mood: Happy! She smiles non stop. She even stops nursing just to look at me and flash me a giant smile, then she'll go back to nursing. She loves attention and being held (what baby doesn't?). She already knows to react differently with different people. For instance, when Matt gets home from work, he scoops her up and she immediately starts "playing" and gently hitting his face and smiling. I think it must be a baby girls version of wrestling. With me, she tend to just smile and snuggle. With Rylee and Noah, she flashed these quick, engaging smiles to them that just beckons them to come play with her. She now says, "mama" with regularity. I think she even knows what she is saying because when she is tired or hungry, she'll cry "mama" over and over. Last week she started saying, "Hi!". Its not just any "hi", but rather a high pitched, drawn out "Hiiiiiiii!!", complete with hand wave. Imagine yourself saying "Hiiii!!" to a baby, and this is how Gracyn does it. Its pretty funny.

Gracie had definitely worked herself so completely into our hearts and lives that we just could not imagine our life without her. Happy 6 month Birthday, little one!

Wow!

2008-10-23T08:40:00.001-04:00

Wow! You must read what Randy Alcorn wrote about on his blog yesterday:

http://randyalcorn.blogspot.com/2008/10/im-not-voting-for-man-im-voting-for.html

I was tagged!

2008-10-22T13:40:00.002-04:00

I WAS TAGGED! And I have no idea how to include the image of the rules and link to other people's blogs, etc. So, here goes, minus the links and rules. (By the way, anyone is welcome to try and teach me how to do the above if they feel inspired to. I know you tried once Carole.)

I was tagged by Carole. These are always a fun way to learn about people. Unfortunately for me, I'm a pretty "open book" which means its difficult to think of new things to include, but I'll try.

Seven random or weird facts about myself:

1) I absolutely LOVE tropical punch kool aid. Call me a kid. I know its probably terrible for me with all that red dye and sugar, but I pretty much never tire of it. I even try to limit keeping it in the house because then I want to drink it. Yes, I do have self control, but still...

2) Ditto that thought regarding cream filled doughnuts. Not the pudding stuff or "Bavarian", but the sickening sweet, white, frosting type filling. Once, again, they cannot be in the house or I'm a goner.

3) I spent a large portion of my Monday in the Dr's office in severe lower abdominal pain. Around 11:00 I felt a cramp like sensation, then within minutes I couldn't even stand up straight I was in so much pain. My arms and face went numb, like I was going to pass out. I was on the couch writhing and moaning from the pain (this from a person who had an almost 11 pound baby with zero drugs and rarely makes a peep during labor). Upon arriving at the Dr's office, the pain began to lessen, but my abdomen was very sensitive to touch. I was sent for a special ultrasound which revealed that I was perfectly healthy. I think that it was strange occurrence that prayer took care of. (For those that are interested, they were able to rule out kidney stones, tubal pregnancy and ovarian cyst)

4) Chances are, if my feet are cold, the rest of me is too! I tend to get chilled quickly and take a long time to warm up.

5) I don't mind "doing" the laundry. Its just the folding and putting away that gets me.

6) I thoroughly enjoy nursing. I guess it gives me a lot of satisfaction to know that my body is doing what it was created to do...nourish a child. And I know Gracie enjoys it ; )

7) One of these days I would love to have a mini orchard in my back yard. Complete with apple, pear, peach, cherry, and plum trees. As well as assorted berry bushes (although I already have some of them), and strawberry plants and grape vines. I also really wish kiwi and lemons could grow in our NY climate, but they don't.

Hmmmm.... I tag Jen B., Hannah, Jewel, Amy Jo (if you are reading this) and that's about it. Although I have people reading this blog, most don't have their own blog so I cannot tag them.

Concord Grape Juice

2008-10-20T07:45:00.005-04:00

In my post last night I mentioned that we picked Concord grapes from our neighbors grape vines. He has more grapes than he can use and year after year he invites us to come pick to our hearts content. We are more than happy to oblige, especially after he told us about how his late wife and his daughters make juice. First, I just have to say that grapes must be one of the easiest fruits to pick. There are no thorns, you are picking right in front of you, not reaching above, and they come in beautiful clusters. The smell is amazing. I think my Nana must have had concord grapes at her house one time and allowed me to try them because every time I smell or taste a concord grape I am immediately transported back to 8 years old, or so.

Better than Welch's Grape Juice

Pluck grapes from stem and wash. Fill a 1 quart canning jar half full. Add 1/3 cup or so (depending on your tastes)of sugar. Fill almost to the top with tap water. Put lid and band on and tighten. Process in a hot water bath canner for 10 minutes. Allow them to cool. Enjoy.

That's it! Its so simple yet is so delicious. I forgot to mention that you do have to strain this before serving. We usually just use the lid to strain the grapes and seeds as we pour the juice out of the jar. Its healthy and delicious.

For the record, my kids absolutely LOVE making juice. Even Brock said in a sweet voice, "Thanks for letting me make juice, Jenny!" How sweet is that? I'm not even entirely certain why, I just know that Noah will sit for 1 to 2 hours plucking grapes for me, which not one complaint. Rylee, knows the entire process of juice making and does about 95% of it herself. She knows how many grapes, how much sugar, how much water, how to wipe off any sugar around the top of the jar, etc. I think the only thing I'm needed for is actually processing them. Noah has been begging since Saturday to make more juice. Maybe today I'll make his wish come true : )

A fun, Fall day...

2008-10-19T18:52:00.007-04:00

Yesterday was a fun day with the kids. It was one of those sunny, but crisp fall days. Friday night was the wedding of one of my friends that I have known since I was 13. She made a beautiful bride. I forgot to bring my camera, thus no pictures. My sister kept the 2 oldest kids overnight, so yesterday started with us sleeping in, then heading out with Gracie to breakfast. It was really nice to talk and not have to cut food up for little people before eating, although I would only want that break for a short time before I wanted to be Mommy again : ) We brought back both our kids as well as my sisters kids. We asked our neighbor friends to join us picking grapes from a different neighbor down our street. Tabitha, Peter and Emma helped pick grapes, then we came back to our place to make scarecrows. We hunted up some old clothes and the kids started packing them with hay. It was messy, but fun!
Tab's scarecrow looks almost real in this picture. She's in the flannel jacket. And there is our dog, Molly...always hanging out wherever we are. She's just content to be near us. What a sweet dog.

The kids are packing this shirt full of hay. We used a pumpkin for the scarecrows head and even put a hat on him. He really looked like a farmer with his denim overalls, plaid flannel shirt and hat. Would you believe after making him and setting him up on an old milk can that I forgot to take a picture? I'll have to remember to do that tomorrow (its dark out now).

After setting up the scarecrow, I cleaned up all the hay, and even cleaned up all the dead plants from the majority of our flower gardens that border our house. It felt so productive to get all that stuff done, yet we still did fun stuff with the kids. To top the evening off, we even had a campfire. It was so cold out, but we sat close enough to the fire and each other to keep warm. It was such a great day!

A choice of utmost importance...

2008-10-17T08:27:00.002-04:00

I've never blogged about anything "political" before, but the time has come. With only 18 days to go until we decide the next leader of "the free world", I cannot stay silent anymore. I have the utmost of respect for friends and family...even if we don't agree on political issues. However, within the last month I spoke with 4 people whom I greatly admire and respect and who are all strong Christians, and the issue of the election came up. I was shocked to hear of their likely vote for Obama. "What about the abortion issue?", I asked. Each person gave good reasons why other issues took precedence in their own lives. They were compelling issues for sure. Even if these friends don't change their mind and vote for Obama we will still be friends, but part of me cannot help but think that perhaps they truly don't know the whole truth about Obama. Sure, he's "cool" and widely supported by just about every movie star (that truth alone is quite telling). But he has also made abortion the VERY FIRST THING he intends to deal with if elected into office. Hmmm...not the economy, the war, or other important issues, but abortion. The taking of innocent lives. Does that not speak to the man's character? Actions speak louder than words, and he can tell me all day long that he hopes to decrease abortions, but just look at his voting record and what he says. I, for one, don't want innocent blood on my hands.

The thoughts below are not mine, but Randy Alcorn, a famous Christian author. I came across his blog entry this morning via somebody else's blog, but his thoughts truly echoed mine. I apologize for the length of this entry, but some things must be said.

"I knew from the first time I heard him speak that Obama was cool. And if the candidate I supported, for reasons of substance, also happened to be cool, that would be a nice plus. I coach high school tennis, and I like it when the kids like me. And hey, my generation invented the word cool! (Of course it also invented the word groovy, but....).

Then the sad day came. I checked out Obama's actual position on abortion and I was demoralized. I found that in every single vote related to the issue he's favored abortion, its legality and even the killing of children who survive abortion.

But Obama is savvy. He wants to attract young voters, including young evangelical Christians who are sort-of-prolife. He knows to say that he favors reducing or limiting abortions. Which is like limiting rather than criminalizing murder and rape and kidnapping and slavery. A candidate could say “I’m personally opposed to rape,” while he has a 100% voting record favoring the legality of rape. And he could say he favors limiting or reducing the number of rapes. But if he actually supports the legality of the hideous crime of rape, discerning people would see through his rhetoric of rape-reduction.

When I discovered Obama was an all-out defender of legalized child-killing, I was disappointed beyond words. And I knew that in the next election, I was not going to get to be cool.

John McCain wasn’t my first choice for president. But at least McCain's a hero, he suffered for his country and fellow soldiers. And at least he thinks innocent children shouldn’t be slaughtered, and has consistently voted that way. And he's chosen a running mate who not only professes to be prolife but lived it out by valuing a precious Down Syndrome child that 80% of people would have aborted. McCain and Palin are far from perfect. But I believe they would honestly stick up for the most oppressed and violated people group in this nation, unborn children.

Of course, these days it’s especially not cool to support a Republican, even if he would defend innocent children, because Republicans are part of the party of George Bush, someone who is hated by cool people. (Nobody mentions that the Republican Party was the party of Lincoln, that opposed slavery; they were hated for that too.)

I am deeply concerned about the one, two or possibly three Supreme Court justices to be appointed in the next presidential term. If you listen to the candidates, it's obvious that McCain/Palin would make a concerted effort to choose justices likely to reverse Roe v. Wade and it is equally obvious that Obama/Biden would choose justices most likely to uphold Roe v. Wade.

So, does God care about who his children vote for? In many cases, with not much difference between them, I doubt it. But here's what he says about the needy and afflicted who have no one to help them and are on the brink of death:

"For God will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight." (Psalm 72:12-14)

The blood of week and needy unborn children is precious in God’s sight. Please don't tell me abortion isn't the only issue. Of course it isn't. Treatment of the Jews wasn’t the only issue in 1940 Germany. Buying, selling and owning black people wasn’t the only issue in the United States of 1850. Nonetheless, both were the dominant moral issues of their day. Make no mistake about it. In our own day if we support a candidate who defends abortion, who is dedicated to that cause, we are supporting the killing of children. Yes, even if he’s the coolest candidate to come along in decades.

We will stand before the judgment seat of Christ for our decisions, and a vote is a decision in which we assume responsibility for the known beliefs and moral positions of the candidate.

This is not speculation, it is not a spin, it is demonstrable fact: Barack Obama IS committed to continuing the legalized killing of unborn children in this country.

Some Christians claim otherwise. But in his July 17, 2007 speech to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund Obama said,

"We know that a woman's right to make a decision about how many children she wants to have and when— without government interference—is one of the most fundamental freedoms we have in this country. . . . I have worked on this issue for decades now. I put Roe at the center of my lesson plan on reproductive freedom when I taught constitutional law. . . So, you know where I stand. . . The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing that I'd do."

If you don't know about the Freedom of Choice Act, it was written by the most radical proabortion activists because they saw informed consent and parental consent laws being passed at the state level. They wanted something powerful that would dismantle anything that could serve to reduce abortions through requiring that people be told the truth before an abortion or before their sixteen year old, who can't be given an aspirin without their permission, can have an abortion.

Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in America. Obama standing in front of them and promising he's 100% on their side is the equivalent of a presidential candidate 160 years ago addressing an assembly of the owners of the slave ships, and saying, “If you elect me, the first thing I will do is sign an act that will insure slaves won’t be freed, and that nullifies any and all voter-approved state legislation that restricts slavery.” (And sadly, yes, even hearing this, some Christians would have campaigned for and voted for him.)

Now, “first thing” means first thing, right? So before helping the poor and protecting the environment and addressing the economy and national defense, what is President Obama going do? He's going to assure that abortion stays legal and that the numbers are NOT reduced, by signing an act that will devastate decades of work at the state level by the prolife movement. Requirements of parental notification and informed consent and bans on partial birth abortions? History, if Obama has his way.

When Obama made this promise, he was either lying or telling the truth. If he was lying, he has a serious character problem. If we can’t trust him to do this, why trust him to follow through on any other promise, including those for which evangelicals are supporting him?

Ironically, however, if Obama was not lying, then he has a far worse character problem. Why? Because he is committing himself to oppose the rights of unborn children to live. I would rather he be a liar than that he be the defender of the killing of weak and vulnerable children, the orphans and fatherless.

I think he is sincere and likable, but on this matter, a matter of enormous significance, it is no exaggeration to say he is standing in defiance of the Creator. (A Creator whose blessing we should not dare ask if we defend the legalized killing of the children He creates.)"

Washington and friends....

2008-10-01T17:38:00.015-04:00

I decided to update my blog starting with the most recent activity and working my way back. This past weekend, on our way home from our vacation in the Outer Banks, we stayed several days with our good friends, Mikey and Jewel and their crew. Mikey and Matt go way back and have been best buds since they were fairly young. They have one of those friendships where they don't have to talk all the time, they are able to just pick up their relationship whenever they next see each other. Don't get me wrong, they do keep in touch, just not as much as women seem to. We were pleasantly surprised that they lived only 15 minutes from "the mall" and the historic places in Washington. We were able to squeeze in a visit and I was so impressed. This is standing at the Washington Monument and looking past the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial.
This is also taken standing at the Washington Monument and looking at the White House. I had no idea the president was able to look out his window and see the Washington Monument. Rylee was most impressed at seeing the White House. When she finally spotted it, she asked, "Can we go meet George Bush?" Isn't that great?
Here we are standing in front of the Reflecting Pool with the Washington Monument behind us.
I feel terrible that this is the only picture I got of the whole McRoberts family. As you can see, I was a little late snapping the picture.
Pretty, huh? I would say that overall I was very impressed with the beauty of these historic landmarks and how well they were taken care of.
This is the World War II Memorial. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't even know it existed. It was beautiful with large columns for each state and many fountains. There were scenes of battles and soldiers depicted. Someone even left flowers in one spot and it made me pause and reflect on how much we take for granted. So many lost their lives, and it was a sobering, but much needed reminder of the cost of freedom.
This adorable girl is Eden. Eden is beautiful. She's plump and sweet. She is a bit more reserved than her sister, but can be a cuddle bug when she wants to be. Mikey and Jewels children are our God children and we are honored to have been given that role in their lives.
This is Jordan. She's a little spitfire! She's spunky and loaded with personality. She's cute, and she knows it. She's also very affectionate and will just crawl up on your lap and make herself comfortable...especially if you are a man!
This is Mikey. He's a great guy. He's probably the smartest guy I know as well. He has a double masters and has always graduated in the top of his class throughout college. He works for the Navy and is currently stationed at the Naval Annex, which is directly across from the Pentagon. I'm glad our government has him! Although I didn't get a picture of her by herself (why is it that us Mom's are rarely in pictures ourselves? Maybe we are too busy taking pictures of everyone else!), Jewel is Mikey's wife. She's great, and we love her. She's so good with the kids and went way out of her way making awesome meals (Mikey made a great breakfast as well...apple oatmeal pancakes with Grandpa Wegner's real maple syrup he boiled down himself!). I'm afraid I gained some weight this weekend. Jewel and I are able to pick each others brain about homeschooling, kids, cooking, blogging, church, adoption (they have already and we hope to), etc. Sorry I didn't have a picture, Jewel!
This is Noah. He's not so fond of having his picture taken...can you tell? His name is Noah Daniel, while our Noah is Noah David. It can be a bit confusing and complicated at times. This boy knows more about football than I could ever hope to know. How sorry is it that a 5 year old knows the game and I don't?
This is Chi, short for Malachi. He's Noah's younger brother and only 2 months older than our Noah. I guess he got pooped out playing and just curled up on his chair and fell asleep. Isn't that adorable?
Here is our cutie pie, or one of them, I should say. Little Gracyn is just growing up before my eyes. She's beautiful. I know I'm partial since I'm her mom, but seriously...admit it, she's gorgeous! She is such a good girl and so sweet.
I actually got a little teary eyed reading what was inscribed in stone above Lincoln.
I must say that my favorite place we visited this past weekend was the Lincoln Memorial. I have always admired Lincoln. This Memorial was just an amazing place to see. On either end of the inside area are some of his famous speeches, The Gettysburg address and one of his inaugural addresses. I liked that they had little signs as you approached the interior saying , "Quiet, Respect Please". It was fitting. We had a wonderful time with friends and touring the famous landmarks in Washington. I look forward to going back in the future and seeing even more of the city. The architecture was stunning everywhere we looked. Although we did not intend it, it was a wonderful learning experience for Rylee. What a great field trip!

On vacation...

2008-09-22T20:26:00.002-04:00

I know, I know, its been a LONG time since I have posted. I've been reminded of that by quite a few people. Suffice it to say that I truly have been busy with fun and legitimate things.

But....right now, I'm sitting in an amazing beach house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, surrounded by most of my family. I went on a tour today to the 4 by 4 beaches about 10 minutes North of here. We drove in the sand the entire time, as there are no paved roads. We saw a whole bunch of wild mustangs. It truly was amazing. I'll blog more about it and most some picture in the near future.

For the next week, I'll be spending lots of time relaxing and enjoying my family.

loving it...

2008-07-15T13:02:00.002-04:00

Have you guys heard this song yet? Its called the Revelation Song. We just sung it for the first time this past sunday in church. Its one of those songs that I literally cannot get out of my head and I have been singing it for 3 days now. Its awesome. Here are the lyrics:

Worthy is the, Lamb who was slain Holy, Holy, is He Sing a new song, to him who sits on Heaven's mercy seat

Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord God Almighty Who was, and is, and is to come With all creation I sing Praise to the King of Kings You are my everything And I will adore You

Clothed in rainbows, of living color Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder Blessing and honor, strength and glory and power be to You the only wise King

Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord God Almighty Who was, and is, and is to come With all creation I sing Praise to the King of Kings You are my everything And I will adore You

Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder At the mention of your name Jesus your name is power Breath, and living water Such a marvelous mystery Yeah...

Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord God Almighty Who was, and is, and is to come, yeah With all creation I sing Praise to the King of Kings You are my everything And I will adore You

I'm sure this song has been around for several years. Have you guys heard it before? Do you love it as much as I do?

Ha!

2008-07-14T09:57:00.002-04:00

Last night Matt came downstairs for something. He saw that Noah had pushed a kitchen chair over to the coat hooks beside the front door. This is where I hang my purse. As Matt came down the stairs, this is what Noah said, "I'm not...um, I'm not....um, I'm not getting bubblegum from Mama's purse!"

Isn't that great?

A Weighty Responsibility

2008-07-13T21:05:00.002-04:00

Have you ever stopped to think about the responsibility that we parents have of raising our children properly. I mean REALLY think about it. Its heavy. It can really overwhelm you if you let it. A major portion of your child's personality, manners, and disposition rests on you as a parent and the upbringing they are given as a child. Sometimes I think I'm too strict, then other times (especially when I'm tired or frazzled), I feel like a pushover. Its a difficult line to walk. You have to set boundaries without totally smothering a child. You have to discipline, but not crush little spirits in the process. I admit I'm learning as I go, but aren't we all? There are times I look back and feel I should have handled things differently. Perhaps I was too harsh. Perhaps I let something slide that I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have raised my voice like I did...you know what I mean.

Perhaps an even heavier responsibility is that of raising a Godly child. One that truly loves Him and follows Him. Sometime I wonder if I'm up to the task, but then I am reminded that God does not give us more than we can handle. A real effort has to be made to not only live right before your children, but really make them understand Jesus and His ways when they are young. I've heard many times that 80% of Christians come to Christ by the time they are 18. After that age, opinions are well formed and its tougher to break through to people. They have often deadened their senses to God.

I want my children to be well rounded citizens of this great country...polite, loving, fun, patriotic, family oriented children. But more importantly, I want them to be followers of Jesus. I don't want to screw them up. I don't want them to be luke warm or apathetic. I want them to follow God with their whole heart because they adore Him. I want them to have their own relationship with God, not try to mimic mine or Matt's.

It would break my heart for my kids to turn their back on God. Ultimately the decision to follow God has to be their own, but its our responsibility to show our kids the real God. The real God is loving and fun. Yes, fun. I think God must have an incredible sense of humor (after all...just look at us!). God is not all about rules and regulations. Yes, there are things we should not do, but that is for our own good, not just for the sake of having rules. God does everything out of His love for us. We have to show that God, the real God, to our children. With the blessing of children comes a responsibility to raise them right, and its a heavy, weighty responsibility, but it should not be a burden.

That's just been what I was thinking about today...how about you?

10 years!!!

2008-07-10T17:32:00.003-04:00

Its hard to believe, but 10 years ago on June 20th, 1998 (I'm a few weeks late for this post, I know!), I married this handsome guy. (By the way, I'm not loving this picture of me as it really shows I'm still carrying some baby weight in my face...ugh...oh well!)

It was one of the happiest days of my life, and other than accepting Jesus into my life when I was a little girl, my best decision ever! He's my best friend and soul mate, and I couldn't imagine my life without him in it! He's one of the funniest guys I have ever met, although he complains that I don't laugh at his jokes often enough. He's so kindhearted and compassionate and wise beyond his years. God has really given him many gifts, but he's a great leader and very intuitive and can hear what God is speaking to us. He's a wonderful father and I know my kids often think of him as the "fun parent", although I'm no stick in the mud. He's a hard worker and does what he needs to in order to provide for our family. He's about as laid back as they come, and so we rarely argue or squabble. We were taught before we were married to "never go to bed angry", and we have practiced that. Even if it meant staying up until 3:00 AM in order to work things out.

Just today, I was talking with my friends Missy, Carole and Cindy, and I said that I almost settled for a loser boyfriend before Matt and I dated. I said that it would have been like settling for the Ishmael instead of waiting for the Isaac. I'm glad I finally saw the truth, and found my "Isaac". Life has never been the same, and for that I'm so thankful!

I'm a "socialization snob"!!

2008-07-08T19:04:00.002-04:00

I found this on a friend's blog. I loved it so much I stole it...thanks, Kim! This, in a nutshell, explains why we homeschool Rylee and will homeschool our other children when they reach Kindergarden age. As Kim said, this is not meant to offend anyone who reads this who sends their kids to public school, as it absolutely does not mean your child will not turn out to be an outstanding individual with strong morals. It simply mirrors my own thoughts on why we are not personally comfortable sending our kids to a public school.

Homeschooling's socialization snobs
Posted: July 05, 20081:00 am Eastern© 2008
Note: This column includes adult language.
Ask any homeschooling parent why they homeschool, and you're likely to receive as many different replies as there are families. Some of the common reasons include religious freedom, academic improvement, one-on-one tutoring and increased family closeness.
But for us, the single biggest reason we school at home correlates to the single biggest criticism homeschoolers get: socialization. Yes, it's largely due to the "socialization" children get in public schools that convinced us to homeschool.
Homeschooling allows us to be socialization snobs. We can filter out kids whose behavior offends us. We don't discriminate on the basis of race, creed, nation of origin, or other such nonsense. No, we discriminate on the basis of morals. If your kid insists on talking about the number of boys she slept with in the last month, I really don't want her around my kid. Call me fussy.
It's been said that too many rats locked up together in too small a cage will soon start tearing into each other. Same with kids. Schools force children to associate with other children based strictly on age. They are locked into cages containing dozens of rats … er, kids with one powerless and overworked teacher who is expected to be psychologist, counselor, nanny, babysitter and, oh yeah, teacher all rolled into one.
Manners are not expected and certainly not reinforced. If one child gets snarky with another, the other children encourage him until the snarkiness turns to meanness, which often leads to violence. This is the breeding ground for public school socialization.
I've been to homeschooling groups with up to 30 kids ranging from older teens to newborns. Everyone associates with everyone. Teens dandle babies. Twelve-year-olds play gentle tag with 5-year-olds. If one child gets snarky with another, there are five or six moms (as well as older kids) around to see the bad behavior and instantly correct it, so it seldom gets out of hand. Manners are expected and reinforced. This is the breeding ground for homeschooling socialization.
Why is this concept so difficult for the critics to grasp? I don't get it. I don't get it at all.
Recently, my husband came across a blog entry by a middle-school teacher that was so shocking that he waited until our kids were out of the room before calling me over to read it.
The blog entry [warning: obscene language] related a conversation this teacher overheard as she left school one afternoon. She passed a group of several boys and one girl (about 13) waiting for the bus. One of the boys had a plate of cookies. The teacher heard the girl say, "I'll give you a blow job for one of those cookies."
(Pause for a moment to marvel at how the heck a 13-year-old girl even knows what a blow job is.)
My husband e-mailed the teacher and expressed sympathy for the toughness of her job. The woman e-mailed back a weary verbal shrug and said it was all in a day's work.
Yes, all in a day's work to hear a child offer an intimate sex act in exchange for baked goods. And what does "all in a day's work" imply? That this type of social interaction is nothing unusual. Pretty typical, in fact. The teacher was just as horrified as we were, but she saw no solution. And people still have the gall to criticize homeschoolers for their … socialization skills? Or to criticize us for our parental desire to protect against this kind of exposure? I don't get it.
OK, so meanness, lack of manners and precocious sexualization are some of the "socializing" factors rampant in public schools. What about peer pressure and bullying?
We all remember bullying from our own school days. The fear of gym class. The avoidance of certain parts of campus such as the cafeteria, bathrooms or locker areas. The stomach-clenching dread of facing yet another day in which you were teased, threatened, snubbed or beaten up.
Kids have it tough. The desire to conform to peers is strong – strong enough to overcome parental influences, particularly when those parents are removed (by choice or by state) from being active in their children's lives. But even the children of good, involved parents can get mixed up with the wrong crowd at school simply because they desperately want to fit in. If you're not bouncy and pretty (as a girl) or athletic and handsome (as a boy), then you'll do whatever it takes to be accepted by the bouncy/pretty/athletic/handsome types, even if those types are bad influences in other respects.
"Homeschooling" implies that someone is at home. There are no latchkey kids. There are no after-school hours of "free time" before mom gets off work during which a 14-year-old with burgeoning hormones can get in trouble. Homeschooled kids are guided through the time of life when they have adult bodies but childish minds, a time when they can mature into competent adults or descend into horrifying mistakes. And yet people still have the gall to express concern over homeschoolers' … socialization.
Homeschooled kids don't live in a vacuum. While their publicly schooled peers are locked in a classroom for most of the daylight hours, homeschooled kids are out interacting with adults and children, picking up useful, well, socialization skills. And remember, one of the chief purposes of education is to teach children to become adults – productive, mature adults that contribute to society.
Academics are important, and studies demonstrate that homeschooled kids excel in this area. But there's more to life than academics, and that's one of the "balance" things homeschooled children learn in abundance. These are things like faith, honor, morals, patriotism, volunteerism, responsibility, family values, self-control and citizenship.
We sometimes hear the criticism that we cannot duplicate the benefits schools offer children, whether it's sports or music or chemistry labs. To which I reply, "You're right. We cannot duplicate your environment. We are merely trying to exceed your results."
Especially the results of socialization.

Lots of things....

2008-07-08T09:33:00.002-04:00

Its been quiet here in blogland, but not for lack of things to write about. Simply, I have been busy, and I didn't want to post some things without the corresponding pictures. Said pictures are in camera, awaiting being downloaded into my husbands laptop. The camera is only about 8 months old, and the laptop less than a year old, so I'm still learning how to really use it.

Everyone here is good...just busy as usual. Maria, our Fresh Air child has been here a week already. Is that possible? Wow. She will be here another month before heading back to Brooklyn and her sweet family. We love having her here. As she was getting off the bus last week, a videographer from Channel 13 news asked me if I would mind answering a few questions for him. He told me our clip would likely be on the 5:00 news and possibly the 11:00, and very likely to be on the web. Well, we didn't see ourselves on the 5:00 news, although they did report about the Fresh Air kids arriving in Rochester. I assumed they decided to not use us for the story. I checked the web and we were not on there. The next morning I get an email from a friend saying she was surprised to see us on the news. Me too! Well, I have had plenty of people tell me they saw us. I wish I had seen the story so I could assess how much of a dork I made myself look like! Hopefully not too bad.

Last week when Maria arrived, I told my niece Madyson that she could spend the night if she wanted to. Her little brother Brock wanted to come as well. Not a problem as he and Noah are such good buddies and he usually just goes with the flow. When we got home, the neighbor kids, Peter and Emma saw that Maria was in town and they were excited to see her. We invited them over to play after dinner. Fast forward an hour or two...I now have 8 kids here at the house, and we all decide its a great idea for them to all have a sleepover together in Rylee's room. They all enjoy a dip in the hot tub, I make strawberry smoothies for them, and they all were great. I seriously did not even have to tell them once to quiet down and go to sleep. It was too easy! I wish I took a picture as they were drifting off to sleep. The 3 boys were on the floor together, Maddy and Rylee were on the lower bunk, and Maria and Emma were on the top bunk. Before heading off to bed myself, I checked on them. Peter was sitting up. He said he was "protecting the boys from the coyotes so the coyotes won't get them. Its OK, their safe!" How cute is that?

Yes, I did mention a hot tub in that last post, didn't I? Those who know me well, know I love a good bargain and can be quite the "deal finder". I have wanted a hot tub for years, but didn't really think it was in the budget. Yet I would still tease myself and search for hot tubs nearly every day on craigslist. Well, one day I saw there was a hot tub being sold at an upcoming estate sale. People were demolishing their cottage on Conesus lake and were rebuilding a new cottage in its place. They were selling all their stuff, including a working hot tub. Assuming it was out of my price range, I still contacted the people for more info. I was told it was an older model (about 12 years old), seats 5 to 6, and is in good shape other than the wood needing to be stained, as it has been left unstained for a while and has thus weathered. It even came with a cover. The man said he was asking $50. Yes, you read that correctly...$50. I immediately replied back that we wanted to buy it. The next morning I drove the 30 minutes to his cottage, checked it out, and paid him. Two days later we returned with help and moved it. (By the way, that was an adventure. Lifting a very heavy, large hot tub off of a deck, onto a trailer below, then pushing the trailer up a steep hill to the car, knowing the car would not be able to make it up the hill on wet grass, towing a heavy trailer.) It sat in our yard for 2 weeks until my very sweet cousin, who is an electrician could hook it up for us. We have since been loving the experience. Even the kids love it. Matt put our screen tent over it and we can now enjoy sitting in the hot tub without bugs divebombing our head.

The rest of this week is busy...a trip to the library, having some good friends over with their kids for a playdate, having one of my best friends and her husband over for dinner, having dinner at another good friends house on saturday with our husbands and kids. Good stuff! Hopefully, I can get Matt's help and can put up some pictures in the near future.

Gracyn, and why I love her...

2008-06-16T21:03:00.007-04:00

My sweet Gracyn...
The things I love about her:

:: The sweet, content noises she makes when she nurses.

:: Her attempts at being a redhead like her mom.

:: Her beautiful, blue eyes.

:: Her rolls and dimples...what a chubby baby!!

:: How she is such a Mommy's girl.

:: How she needs to be touching me or grasping my clothing or holding my hand all the time.

:: Her sweet smell.

:: How intently she studies people around her.

:: How she is cooing and trying so hard to talk.

:: How when she is really upset she will yell "Ma" (I am not the only person to hear this!)

:: How much she loves when I give her eskimo kisses.

:: How she smiles all the time when I talk to her...so precious!

:: How she spits out her pacifier just so she can suck on her hands and hopefully find a thumb.

:: How much joy she brings to us and those who know her.

Good sites to visit...

2008-06-16T09:25:00.002-04:00

I have recently come across a number of good websites that I visit regularly, and I thought I would pass the information along to anyone who might be interested. After talking at length with my very good friend, Hannah, about education and homeschooling (she is a first grade teacher for the Rochester City School District), she gave me several education related sites to visit. The first is www.handwritingworksheets.com. It gives you numerous options, such as cursive or print, dash or dot or hollow writing, and the option of writing your own words in different formats for the child to copy. I will definitely be using this for Noah and Brock to learn to write their names while Rylee and I do school work together. The boys always ask to "do school" also, but rarely want to do anything other than color or draw. The other site is www.carlscorner.us.com. Its is loaded, and I mean LOADED with tons of ideas, games, stories, worksheets, etc. It covers a range of ages, too. The other website was one that both Hannah and my sister, Missy recommended. Its called www.starfall.com. It has lots of fun stuff for kids to do, and they learn while they are having fun.

Thanks to my friend Carole, I was made aware of a hilarious site called www.stuffchristianslike.blogspot.com. Oh my goodness, this guy is ridiculously funny. He is able to sarcastically mock the silly and stupid things we Christians do on a regular basis. As he says, its like a holding a mirror up in front of ourselves. Its scary, but oh so funny! He also has a slightly more serious, but still very entertaining site that starts in Genesis and does a chapter "recap" for you. Its called www.97secondswithGod.com.

Of course, its hard for me to imagine that there are actually people out there that don't know what Craigslist is. Its an online classified section for your local area. Its got tons of categories, usually includes pictures, and allows you to search for something specific if you want to. Its www.craigslist.com. If its one of your first times visiting it, you will have to click on your state, then city.

Since I just started using cloth diapers, I love to check out www.diaperswappers.com. They have lots of different forums, not just to buy items, but to get other readers advice on breastfeeding, cloth diapering, adopting, etc.

A funny look at the lifestyle of a rancher wife from Oklahoma is www.thepioneerwoman.com. Once, again, I got this one from Carole. This website often has giveaways of some really nice stuff. All you have to do is leave a comment, and you are registered into the drawing. Ree, who writes for this site, is a pretty funny gal.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a bargain hunter. In addition to finding good deals on craigslist, I will check www.ebay.com for something specific that I need/want. Its dangerous because you find yourself caught up in the auction and the thrill of bidding and winning, but can be a good place to find a good deal. I also like to see what is "on sale" via the website www.slickdeals.net. It lists really good sales or specials, can tell you how to get special coupons, etc. You can search by category as well on this site.

I know I have other sites that I like to check out from time to time, but these are some good ones that I think most people would enjoy. If you have some extra time on your hands, check them out. What are some of your favorite sites???

Cloth diaper update...I'm going green!

2008-06-09T16:33:00.002-04:00

Some of you know that I have been contemplating switching to cloth diapers. "Whaaaa?" you say. Well, cloth diapers have come a long way. I mean, a LLLOOONNNGGG way. No more pins and crinkly, stiff rubber pants, although I'm sure you could still find those somewhere if you wanted to. My midwife asked me at one of my prenatal appointments "have you thought of cloth diapers?" Inside, I was saying, "Oh...here we go!" It fit midwife/ natural birth stereotype. In my mind, switching to cloth diapers was only one step away from long skirts and Birkenstocks...no offense to you long skirt, Birkenstock wearing women out there. It just isn't me. Or so I thought...

For the sake of humoring my midwife and being able to say, "I checked it out and its really not for me", I visited a website she recommended. I was astounded that not only had diapers come a long way, but there were TONS of moms choosing cloth over disposable. I was frankly quite overwhelmed by the number of choices available. I decided to give my friend, Carole, a call. I remembered that she used cloth diapers. We talked and she thought I should email her sister, who used a lot of different cloth diapering systems, whereas Carole used the more traditional "prefold" cloth diapers and covers. I emailed her sister (who was due for a baby only 2 days before I was!) and she was really helpful with ideas and what worked for her, etc. She even offered to let me see or borrow the different styles she had so I could decide what I liked best.

My research visiting different sites gave several reasons to switch to cloth. Some of them are:

:: The cost factor. I had two different numbers thrown at me. $1300 and $2500. These are estimates on the amount of money it will cost you to buy disposable diapers for ONE child until they are potty trained. Yes, ONE child...you read that correctly. I suppose it all depends on what types of disposables you buy and how long your child wears them for.

:: Health and wellness factors. I learned that regular, disposable diapers are loaded with tons of chemicals. Some of which are frankly quite harsh and probably not what you want next to your baby's skin for 3 years straight. I'm not a chemist, so I really don't know the science behind it.

:: The environmental factor (thus the green color of this entry!). Yes, disposable diapers end up in landfills and we all know our landfills are filling up quickly. I should know...I live less than a mile from one, and I can attest to how high it has grown since we moved in 8 years ago. I have to be honest and say that this reason was not as large a factor for me as the financial and health reasons of switching to cloth were. Just keeping it real.

I didn't want to invest a ton of money only to find out that I really couldn't stand using cloth diapers. I found a website that offered free shipping, and bought a "package". It included 18 high quality cloth diapers and 4 covers. It was enough to last at least 2 days before having to wash, and would give me a good taste of cloth diapers without a huge investment. Incidentally, I chose the more traditional method/style of cloth diapers and used the prefold cloths diapers and covers. The covers are cloth on the outside with a nice waterproof lining. They look very much like disposables on the outside. My other options were endless...AIO, or all in one diapers, where the diaper and cover are one piece and the entire thing gets thrown in the washer together. Or, there are contoured diapers, inserts, pocket style diapers...you name it, they make it!

Friday was the first day I started trying these diapers out. Matt laughed at how excited I was to try them! Hey, I'm a stay at home mom surrounded with little ones all day. SOMETHING has to excite me! I am impressed with how much these diapers hold. MUCH more than a disposable diaper. My Gracie likes to nurse, and therefore pees and poops frequently and heavily. She would often, as in at least once a day, leak out of her disposables. I was buying Pampers and Huggies diapers, so not the cheap stuff, but they still could not contain her. Also, she had a very bad diaper rash. She had had it for 2 weeks and nothing was helping. I tried numerous creams and ointments and was even contemplating making a Dr's appointment for her. The only reason I didn't was because she seemed totally unbothered by it. Well, from friday to today, her rash has completely gone away! Her hiney looks great and is no longer bright red! I purposely did not use any creams or ointments the last 3 days other than 2 applications of Lotrimin as her rash was starting to look "yeasty" as well.

All I can say is, "I'm a cloth diaper believer!"

More updates on this matter in the future...

My thoughts on this hot morning...

2008-06-09T09:38:00.002-04:00

I wish I could bottle this morning. Its perfect...warm, breezy and sunny. My house has not yet heated to ridiculous temperatures, and I have not become crabby from the heat. The kids are all playing so nicely together a few feet away. The baby slept through the night for the first time, and did not leak out of her cloth diaper during her long snooze. My house is certainly not ready for Martha Stewart to visit, but its far from a wreck, however. I have not yet lost my patience or snapped at the kids, and the day just seems so fresh. In a few hours, the heat will really be turned up, and I hope I am still in this same mindset. Matt and I are considering installing central air. We don't really have the money, and it would mean financing it somehow. On the other hand, I think of how I tend to be really short when I have sweat pouring off of me. I get frustrated easier, snap faster and find myself irritable. I'm not normally like that. Which leads me to ponder...perhaps the cost is worth it. If it means I'm nicer, more agreeable, more patient and loving, etc. I'm even more affectionate, because lets face it; who wants to cuddle with your kids or husband when you are just soooo hot?! How much is too much to pay for a nicer me this summer?

I've been busy...

2008-06-01T18:01:00.002-04:00

Yes, I've been away too long. I have been truly busy. Of course I have the normal "busy-ness" of taking care of three kids, one of which is a newborn, and all that that entails, such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. But I have also hosted two visits by family. My mother and father in law were in town for a week in May. We had a lot of fun hanging out, and they enjoyed seeing the newest grandbaby. Then, my brother in law from LA flew in to surprise his mom for Mother's Day (I helped plan that one since most men completely forget when Mother's Day is!), he stayed for a few days, visited Montreal, then came back here for a few more days with his girlfriend who had flown in on his way to Montreal. We had a great time together, and I enjoyed getting to know his sweet girlfriend. On top of all of this you throw in some birthday parties, some errand running, etc. and it makes for some busy times. We planted our vegetable garden. A few more plants are left to go in, and hope to get that done in the next day or two. I bought some new window boxes for the front of our house, but realize I need to get more plants to fill them.

Today, Gracie and I stayed home from church together. We both have mild colds. I know, she is only 5 1/2 weeks old. I feel terrible!! Noah had a slightly runny nose for a few days, and that is the only exposure I know of to anyone who is sick. I feel so bad listening to her snort and sniffle. Her beautiful blue eyes are glassy with the extra tears, although she has been far from fussy. She even has a mild fever. Poor girl!

My new cloth diapers came in the mail this week. I'm so excited to use them. First, I am waiting on the new laundry detergent to wash them first. I was instructed by the diaper company to wash them 5 times first to improve their absorbency. I ordered 2 bags of Charlie's Soap. I'm excited to try something I have heard such positive things about, and know that its so much better for us than regular laundry detergents. Not to mention how cost effective it is...only 1 tablespoon of powder needed for a large load. AND free shipping!! I'm hoping I truly love using cloth diapers as much as I have heard others do. If so, we will be saving a ton of money. Gracie loves to nurse, and everyone knows that means lots of diaper changes.

Speaking of which, my little cherub is waking from her nap and wondering if the milk bar is open. (Of course it is!) More updating later...

You HAVE to see this video...awesome!

2008-05-16T09:50:00.001-04:00

This is an amazing video. Click on the link below...you won't be sorry.

http://www.mychurch.org/blog/30635/coolest-video-ever

"That's disgusting, right Mama?"

2008-05-15T10:30:00.002-04:00

So this is one of those posts that only a mother could understand and appreciate. I cannot even believe I am going to tell this story, but I just have to. Its too funny to keep to myself. Several weeks ago Matt and Noah were working in our garage on Noah's power wheels. Noah started doing the "pee dance" with lots of urgency. You know the one, where you start dancing around holding yourself, trying not to go. Matt knew he could not get Noah up to the house fast enough to prevent an accident, so he told him to just go pee in the grass. Noah was quite reluctant at first, but since then, it has become his favorite thing to do. We will be playing outside, I'll turn around and find my little guy with his drawers around his ankles, proudly telling me, "I peed in the grass, Mama!"

Well, Tuesday I hear Noah calling me. I look over and he is down by our garage with his pants around his ankles again. I walk down there to see if he needs help pulling them up. He said, "Mama, I pooped in the grass!" His expression was a very proud one. I said, "You pooped in your pants?" and he says, "No! In the grass...see!" and proceeds to point to a spot a few feet away. Sure enough, there was the evidence, complete with buzzing flies and all. I think I must have said, "Oh Noah, that is disgusting! Honey, you can only pee in the grass, not poop, OK?" I got to thinking about it. It must be very confusing to him. We told him it was just fine to pee in the grass. We then expect he knows its taboo to poop in the grass. I guess we should have spelled it out for him. Yesterday, I was telling my sister, Missy, about the poop incident, and Noah chimes in, "That's disgusting, right?" Yes, Noah, that is disgusting.

Welcome to my world, folks!

Now, proceed to go and try to get that mental image out of your head. You know you'll be thinking about it the rest of the day. Hopefully it makes you chuckle.

2008-05-12T22:55:00.002-04:00

Here is a picture of Gracyn that was taken yesterday after church. She was formally dedicated to God yesterday during church. Look at those blue eyes!! I think she's going to keep them.
Here are the three kiddos on saturday morning. I know they are mine, but gosh, they are cute!
Our friend, Missy, got Gracyn this adorable dress. Our other friend Cindy gave me those tiny knit shoes, and our friend, Lynda, gave us the blanket Gracyn is lying on. Look at those chubby arms and cheeks! I'm so curious about how heavy Gracyn is now...I know she certainly is feeling heavier to me, and she is filling out more, and outgrowing clothes quickly.

Its a girl!!!!

2008-04-29T11:12:00.002-04:00

Our baby finally arrived last tuesday, April 22nd at 7:55 am. We named her Gracyn Lynne. She is 22 inches long, and weighed in at 10 lbs 13 oz. (Our midwife actually said she was 11 lbs, but she had a massive bowel movement before she could be weighed!). She has strawberry blond hair and the hugest cheeks. Of all my children, she looks the most like me. She is sooo observant and alert for her age. She loves to look at your face and study you. She turns her eyes to whoever is talking to her. She loves to be held, and loves to nurse. Matt said she is like a little drug addict when it comes to nursing.

As for labor....well, it was the hardest thing I've ever endured. It was so different than Noah and Rylee's labor. I did manage to have her natural, which was my goal. But, it took every ounce of strength in me to do it. Gracyn was posterior until 5 minutes before I pushed, so I had terrible back labor. And because of her size, the regular labor was extremely hard. I'm so grateful to my midwife, Catherine, and her care and expertise. Without her, I'm sure I would have had to have a C-section.

More to come, soon....but for now, just know that Gracyn is here and she's just perfect!

Thoughts on waiting...

2008-04-17T09:12:00.002-04:00

OK...so I'm now 3 days "overdue"...whatever that means. This morning, while growing increasingly more frustrated at the slow pace of things, I tried to put it all in perspective. Lets see. What is the worse case scenario about how long it can take to wait on this baby. Standard practice in the medical world is to not allow a woman to go more than 2 weeks overdue. At that point, amniotic fluid is often decreased or getting reabsorbed, the placenta is starting to break down, and the womb, which has been a place of protection and growth just is no longer the best option for the baby. Add 2 weeks to my due date of April 14th, and you get April 28th. Today is April 17th. At most, I have 11 more days of being pregnant. YIKES! But, with that being said, the end IS in sight, and the "prize" is so worth it. My mom was 14 or 15 days overdue with me. Now that I'm just a few days past my due date, all I can think about that is "poor mom! I'm sorry I took so long to come!"

Even though I know that only about 10% of babies are born on their due dates, I think I mentally prepared myself that April 14th was the magic day. So when it rolled around, then a new day started, then another day started, etc...well, you tend to think your baby and your body just never got the memo that ITS TIME! In the meantime, I'm trying, really, trying to be patient. After all, what is 3 days? Not long. And at the longest, I only have 11 days before I meet our 3rd child. I'm blessed when you think about it that way.

Still Pregnant...

2008-04-16T09:53:00.003-04:00

Well, I'm officially 2 days past my due date, but the baby does not seem to think so. Its content to "bake" a little longer. I'm now 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced. My midwife said that I cannot get much more dilated without going into labor, however this past week saw only a very minor change in how much I had dilated, so things seem to be moving more slowly at this point. I'm content, at least at this point, to let the baby come when it wants to. I'm trying not to become impatient, although I do have to admit that thoughts of labor, contractions, meeting this baby, etc seem to consume almost all my thoughts. I'm trying to avoid any labor inducing things for the sake of being IV free during this labor. So, no Castor oil, no stripping of membranes, no breaking my water, etc. In another week, it may be another story.

I'm so curious whether this little one is a boy or girl. Also, how big will it be? My midwife estimated yesterday around 8 1/2 pounds at this point. If she is right, it would be my smallest baby yet. However, they gain an ounce or two a day at this point, so every day its getting a bit bigger. My kids are soooo anxious to go stay with their cousins overnight for a few nights. I have to keep telling them we are just waiting on the baby. I was hoping to be at church on Sunday (preferably with the baby) as we have our missionaries from the Philippines in, followed by a potluck dinner. I thought it would be the perfect time (as long as I was out of the hospital) to introduce the baby, but we'll have to see. Who knows how I'll feel, also.

My house is super clean, my laundry is caught up, I'm picking up just a few grocery items this morning while Rylee is at her art lesson. I might even stop by the library for some reading material to pass the time. I've been avoiding getting books from the library because I know myself and know I would get totally absorbed and neglect my house. But, now that I have done 99% of what I wanted to get done, I feel comfortable getting something to make the time go a bit faster. It helps that the weather today is supposed to be wonderful. The kids and I picked up tons of trash that had blown through our yard during the last windstorm from our recycling box. It looks so much better now. Maybe I'll even get a good, long walk in today....

5 days to go????

2008-04-09T09:11:00.002-04:00

5 days to go...or that is what they are saying. However, I saw my midwife last night and I am now about 3 cm dilated, and having very strong Braxton Hicks contractions the last 2 evenings. Things may very well happen in the next few days...we'll see! I'm ready to meet this little one, whether it decided to show up today, or 2 weeks from now.

It has been absolutely beautiful out the last several days. The kids have taken bike rides with Daddy (I stayed home...can you blame me?), and I took the kids on a long walk down the street to see their friends for a few minutes. I think that is what started the strong contractions, actually! Yesterday, Brock, Noah and Rylee all played outside for about 2 hours. The played on the swing set, played in the little forest behind the house, and had all sorts of fun in the sandbox. Matt took Noah's pants off last night at bedtime and commented on all the sand that came pouring out of his pants. I opened our windows for several hours yesterday, for the first time of the season. It was great. I even wore flip flops to my midwife appointment and wasn't the least bit chilly. I hear its supposed to get cold again over the weekend and early next week. That stinks, but at least I enjoyed this little warm spell while it lasted.

As for the bathroom project...its DONE!!! The only thing I would like to do is have Matt put a touch of caulk over his nail holes where he attached the trim to the wall. Not a big deal at all! Knowing things could happen quickly as far as the baby arriving, I have a lot of little things I would like to get done today. Laundry folded, carpets vacuumed, floors mopped, etc. There are some small things I would like to put away, and if I have time, I would love to hang some pictures in our bedroom. I have a whole box of them that were displaced when we moved our bedroom around in January. All our bags are packed for the hospital. I even included a little list of last minute things to pack (cell phone, toothbrush, camera, etc). The kids both have bags packed so they can stay with my sister while we are in the hospital. I even vacuumed out our van so it would be nice and clean. I set up our pack and play, with its bassinet insert and changing table in our living room. Diapers are waiting to be used. Drawers of gender neutral baby clothes are waiting. A brand new diaper pail sits beside the changing table upstairs. All that is left is the baby. And that will come when its ready to...

Painting...

2008-03-29T18:02:00.002-04:00

Painting my upstairs bathroom has officially ended. I just finished up the second coat. Words cannot express my relief at having accomplished this and to be "done" with it. In a few hours, or at the latest tomorrow, Matt will hang our mirror, install the new wall sconce light fixture, install the new faucet, rehang the doors of the lower cabinet that I painted, and put the new drawer pulls in. Then, I'll hang the new shower curtain, and put back some of our decorative things, and call it a day. Finally...after 9 LONG months. Of course, tomorrow we have to run to home depot and pick up some new trim and paint it, but that should be a very short job. I'm hoping to be DONE completely by tomorrow night. I'll have to fill you in then to let you know...

19 days to go...

2008-03-26T12:28:00.002-04:00

Yup, just 19 days to go, more or less. I saw my midwife again last night for another weekly appointment. She said the baby had really grown quite a bit since last weeks appointment and was noticeably larger. I, on the other hand, lost a pound. I was told that is pretty common for this stage of the pregnancy. I had to laugh when I remembered how much I ate on Easter, and how I had been sneaking candy from the kids baskets this week. Now I don't feel as bad! She was really happy with the fact that I am having a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions and the baby's activity level (it likes to kick her when she feels its position). She thought I might have more amniotic fluid than before, so if it seems that way to her next week also, then she'll likely send me for another ultrasound to measure the fluid. If it is indeed high, then she won't want me to go much past my due date. Those are a lot of "ifs", though. I'm not at all concerned. I really, really should pack my hospital bag, seeing as I'm now considered full term and the baby could come any time. I guess I'm not overly worried about it as both my other kids showed up after their due dates.

I'm really just wanting to finish up a few projects around the house that will really make me feel "ready". I'm hoping this weekend will help me accomplish just that. I would LOVE to finish the bathroom this weekend. Who knows how much longer this nesting instinct will stick around?!

21 days to go...

2008-03-24T10:09:00.004-04:00

That's right....only 21 days to go. Actually, its anytime from now until about 5 weeks from now. In 5 weeks time at the most, I will be holding our new little one!!

No time to blog more right now...I have to many things to cross off my "to do" list! Can you say "nesting"?

The Home Stretch...

2008-03-17T10:33:00.002-04:00

I am officially in the last month of my pregnancy. I have reached the 36 week mark. Depending on how you view "months" when you are pregnant, you would probably say I'm 9 months along. Although, if you count just 4 weeks as being equal to 1 month, then women who deliver at 40 weeks are 10 months along. Its safe to say that sometime, from now until 6 weeks from now (you are not usually allowed to go past 42 weeks without being induced), we will be welcoming our newest family member. If the baby decided to come a week early, that is only 3 weeks from now....WOW! It has felt like I've been pregnant forever, but now that the pregnancy is nearly over, it has really sped up. I now feel like I'm on a race against the clock...how much more organizing and nesting can I get done before #3 arrives? I'm definitely soooo excited to meet and hold and kiss this new baby. My excitement over this new baby is equal to my excitement with Noah and Rylee's births, for which I'm glad. I don't ever want to feel blase or apathetic towards a new life.

This weekend was a fun time of preparation. I got my Moby Wrap in the mail on Saturday. For those of you who are not sure what that is, its a very long piece of stretchy cloth that you can wrap around you and the baby to hold the baby in tons of positions, without putting all the baby's weight on your shoulders. I was able to find a very gently used one on Craigslist. Speaking of Craigslist...I was also able to get a free changing table from Craigslist. I had placed a "wanted" for an inexpensive changing table, and a woman who was really trying to clean out her attic contacted me and offered her nice one for free. Its in good shape. I was able to find some new, wicker, cloth lined baskets to place on the shelves to hold baby supplies really inexpensively. Saturday night I rearranged Noah's room, and got things fairly set up in his room for the baby. Tonight, the crib gets set up.

Yesterday, I sorted through all of our baby clothes and pulled out all the 0-3 month gender neutral clothes. They were washed in baby detergent and are not awaiting being put away later when the crib is in place (I have a nice, large drawer under the crib). It was so fun to see how tiny the little socks are, and remember either Noah or Rylee in certain outfits. They joined me in sorting the clothes and even loading the washer. They were laughing at how tiny the clothes were. We all were amazed at the newborn size diapers I got this weekend. Is it possible our baby's butt will be so small to actually fit in these diapers? Well, yes..but not for very long. Both my other kids only fit in newborn diapers for the length of time it took to go through 1 package. Then, it was on to size 1's. The only thing I really need to still purchase is a diaper pail...any suggestions? I've heard conflicting reports about which ones are best.

On a totally different subject...Happy St. Patrick's Day! Yes, I'm Irish, but only a little. I feel like I should be more Irish than I am because of my red hair and green eyes, but I really had no say in the matter. My crock pot is now filled with corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots...one of my favorite meals! I don't really have any green maternity shirts, so I feel like I'm not fully participating in the holiday.

I have seen 2 large, black ants in our house this weekend...how does that happen when its still cold out? Doesn't it seem a little early for those? Guess its time to buy some of those ant traps again. I thought that possibly with the new windows, we wouldn't get them this year.

Update...

2008-03-13T10:19:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday I saw the midwife again. The baby definitely dropped, and is sitting extremely low. I'm 1 cm dilated, which she was pleased with. She was able to touch the baby's head during my internal exam! I have not really started to efface yet, which just tells her that I won't go into labor right away (which is good since my due date is still a month away!). She said the baby is posterior, which is facing upwards, instead of facing towards my spine. She said the baby has plenty of time to turn around. If not, she said my pelvis was "great" and that I could push the baby out face up just fine. I mentioned that I started drinking the raspberry leaf tea today, which is supposed to tone my uterus and make contractions more productive in labor, she said that was great, but she grinned and whispered, "i don't think you will even need its help!" I will start going for appointments every Tuesday from now on. I was also cultured today for Group B Strep. I'll find out soon about those results. If its positive (I was for sure with Noah, and cannot remember with Rylee), then I'll just have to have two rounds of IV antibiotics during labor, but won't be hooked to the IV during my whole labor. It was a great appointment, and Matt got to meet the midwife and liked her quite a bit.

Right after that appointment, we all went to my hairstylists house so Rylee and I could get haircuts. Rylee got about 2 or 3 inches taken off, and really looks so much older. Its not getting tangled nearly as easily, and she is able to help keep it brushed and neat looking. Its still long, just more manageable. I got several inches off of mine, with lots of short layers. My hair is now well above my shoulders, and I even had some bangs cut in that are swept to the side. Its a really low maintenance cut, and so far I have received a bunch of compliments. I think I've become very predictable when it comes to getting a 3rd trimester "new hairstyle". It has happened with all 3 pregnancies. I feel better about myself with an updated "do", I guess.

I have something funny to report...did you ever get one of those emails that says to spread a bunch of Vicks Vaporub all over your feet, then cover with socks if you have a bad cough? Well, after Noah and I barely slept Tuesday night, I was desperate to try something other than standard cough medicine. Last night I spread it all over both of our feet, then covered them in socks. Did it work? Amazingly, I did not cough even one time once I turned out the light, and Noah was absolutely silent the whole night? I doubt it was a coincidence, as we have both coughed a bit this AM, and were coughing last night before bed. I guess you could say that I'm a believer now. I have no idea why or how this works. Especially on your feet, the furthest point from your nose, where you could breath the vapors in, but it does work. Still a skeptic? Next time you are hacking away, losing sleep, try it.

Fun things...

2008-03-09T18:33:00.002-04:00

After church today I asked Matt (we had to drive separate today) to pick up some Chinese food on the way home, for lunch. Can I just say that I love Chinese food? Today we got vegetable lo mein and sweet and sour chicken...YUM! I loved not having to cook a quick meal. We are always so hungry when we get home from church, and nobody, including myself, wants to wait long to eat.

I also love naps. I especially love Sunday afternoon naps. I like them even better when I'm having trouble sleeping at night like I have been lately. I think its just the normal "end of pregnancy" fitful sleep. I got to take a nap today, which was great!

I love it when my kids are sweet to each other and well behaved. Not only does it make parenting easier, but it makes me proud.

Today, some friends of ours got us 3 outfits for the new baby. All three were gender neutral, so we are safe for whatever gender we have. My favorite was an adorable aqua colored one that said, "I love Daddy!" It was so much fun to get stuff for the new baby. It was amazing to see how small the 0-3 month size was, and to know that when our little one is born in roughly 5 weeks that it will fit in this size. I was grateful our friends did not get us "newborn" size, as those clothes never seem to fit my good sized babies.

I was thinking today that I have some things that need to get done soon in preparation for the baby:

:: Set up crib, which will entail rearranging Noah's room and giving my sister a preschool size desk for Brock to make room for everything.

:: Take a trip to Walmart, so I can use my gift card to stock up on tiny diapers, and other essentials.

:: Buy a sensitive detergent (although my kids have never had problems or allergies with their skin), and wash at least a weeks worth of baby boy clothes and baby girl clothes. Since we don't know what we are having, I want to be ready and not have to do a bunch of laundry my first day home from the hospital!

:: Set up our bassinet in our room, although I have yet to bear a child that enjoys sleeping in it!

:: Write out a list for my nephew, Jordan, who will house sit for us while we are in the hospital. He will need to know how often to feed the animals, and how much, etc. He has house sat once before, so it shouldn't be a major thing, but I would still like to be ready

:: Pack the "all essential, hospital bag". I will pack as much as I can ahead of time, then I'll just have to make a list of last minute items to include. There are so many things I only have one of, that I use every day (hair dryer, toothbrush, address book with phone numbers) that I'll have to pack these at the last minute. I've never really gone into labor on my own, other than my water breaking with Rylee. Even then, it was 24 hours with no contractions before it was determined I would have to be on Pitocin. I was induced with Noah because of a condition called Polyhydramnios, which is excessive amniotic fluid. In both instances, I had plenty of time to make sure I had everything I needed.

Yes, I do have some work ahead of me, but its actually fun stuff. After all, I'm getting prepared to meet the newest member of our family, otherwise known currently as Baby #3.

Homeschooling setbacks

2008-03-08T09:09:00.002-05:00

I recently became aware of two court rulings that have delivered a devastating blow to the home school community. The most recent was a courts decision in California to not allow parents to home school their own children unless they hold a teaching certificate. If you don't hold that teaching certificate, your children are considered truants, and you, as a parent can face prosecution. Wow!! One woman who was interviewed by a San Francisco newspaper home schools her two children. She does not do so for religious reasons, but more because she is disillusioned by public schools. She holds a law degree, but because she does not have a teaching certificate, she can now face prosecution. I find that crazy! I understand that the idea behind the law is to make sure children are receiving a "proper" education. But tell me this...who cares more about my children and their education...me, their mother, or a state education board? Of course I care more about my kids. Every home school parent I have met have chosen to home school their child because they felt they could do a better job at tailoring their children's education to their meet their specific needs, not because we have nothing better to do with our time, or are "antisocial". Its actually comical...do I really need to attend college for years and years, just so I can teach my child their ABC's, basic math, and how to read? Are we that stupid of a society that we have to attend college in order to educate our young in the most basic principals? What's next? To require a masters before one can procreate and have children?

The second court ruling effects us here in NY state. Until recently, you could home school your special needs child, but you could also take advantage of special classes and resources offered through your local school district. That was overturned. You either give up your right to home school your child, so they can receive those special services, or continue to home school your child, with no additional resources from your local school district. I have one major question...do we not, as homeschooling parents, also pay the same school taxes as our neighbor who chooses to send their child to public school? Why are we being singled out and discriminated against. Thank God I do not have a "special needs" child, but if I did...I would be irate. I'm already so angered by such blatant attempts to undermine my right to home school my child. One by one, our rights are being stripped away, and its sad. The government is trying to overstep its bounds by decreeing that certain things can no longer take place, but I feel they are not making these rulings in the best interest of MY child. I have signed petitions with about 100,000 other home school parents to try to appeal these rulings, and can only hope and pray that things change in our favor, for our children's sake.

Because you asked...

2008-03-06T14:55:00.002-05:00

Several of you have asked me recently how Eric and Laurie are. They are the parents of the children killed in a car accident a few weeks ago. While I do not have any updated info on them, they wrote a very touching letter to the community that was published in the Suburban News this past weekend. They basically thanked their friends and family and first responders for all they had done for them recently. They said "together, we will get through this dark time". I just sent an e-mail to Mary Ellen, my former neighbor, asking if they had returned to work yet, and how they were doing. I imagine that now, several weeks later, is just as hard, if not harder for them to deal with their loss. The attention has died down and they are now left to deal with their loss.

Many of you also asked about the calling hours we attended. We were so happy at the number of people who showed up to pay their respects. We got to the church at 6:00 pm, and waited 2 hours to see Laurie and Eric. there were literally hundreds of people there. The usher told some friends of ours who were seated just a few rows behind us, that there were over 300 people in line ahead of them, and to expect a long wait. The local fire department was directing traffic, and the church lot was filled completely, and people had to park across the street in a neighboring church's lot. There were tons of pictures and flowers. It was hard to see Tori's favorite Barbie doll sitting on a table beside a flower arrangement. Chris's baseball team mates had signed his jersey and wrote touching things to him. The pictures were so sweet. Birth until just a few weeks before their death. Their dad said, "look how many people my kids touched". He was genuinely in awe of their influence. When we approached Laurie, she was initially dry eyed. She hugged us both, then stepped back and rubbed my large, pregnant belly. Then, she grabbed me and just started sobbing, saying, "get that baby home, just get that baby home!" It was heart wrenching. On the way to my sisters house to pick up our children after the calling hours, I said to Matt, "It really puts things into perspective, doesn't it? We really dwell on such little, insignificant things so much of the time, and it makes you see just how truly blessed you really are." He agreed, and we drove to our kids with tears in our eyes.

Last week we were able to spend several days with Matt's "God parents". These were the parents of his best pal (a girl) growing up, as well as his mom and dad's best friends. When Matt's dad became so sick with brain cancer, and required surgery, Matt and his 3 siblings went to live with this family and their 3 kids. They stayed for 2 months while his mom helped his dad recover in a neighboring city. Jim and Lisa are great people. They now live in Kentucky, and Jim recently retired. He and Lisa have become quite the travelers. While on their way to NY city this past weekend, they stayed in Churchville to visit with us for several days. We really had a good time and caught up with each others lives. I learned a lot about Matt's family, specifically his dad. I never had the pleasure of knowing him, as he passed away when Matt was only 10 years old. It was great to hear, from his best friend, what kind of guy he was like. I wasn't too surprised to hear that Matt is so much like him. Nobody has ever really had anything negative to say about Matt's dad. We will often get stopped in his hometown by strangers, asking if Matt is "Rick Atkinson's boy". When they hear that he is, we are treated to a great story about how kind or helpful Matt's dad was, and what a great influence he was. Its so great to hear that.

Sunday night I was reminded once again of how blessed I am to have such wonderful friends. The girls from my "mom's group", and Hannah and her sister, Abby, who just happened to be in town from NY city, and I all went out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. They threw me a little shower. I was given a generous gift card for baby things, plus lots of little things for me. Lotion, adorable slipper socks, etc. They even paid for my dinner. Aren't I blessed?

Tuesday we took our kids to Great Wolf Lodge once again for their birthdays. We had a blast, as usual. Noah was a bit older now and really loves the water slides now. Even Rylee was much more adventurous. While I was not able to join them on the water slides, and had to enjoy the hot tub with just my legs soaking in it, I still had so much fun. When both your kids are grinning from ear to ear, how can you not enjoy yourself? Tuesday was Brock's birthday, and he, Madyson, and my sister and brother in law all went to Great Wolf as well. All three times we have gone, we have coordinated to be there the same time as them, and the kids enjoy having cousins to hang out with. Brock and Noah would zip down the water slides, and if Noah was not fast enough getting back out of the pool to go to another water slide, Brock would grab his hand and say, "C'mon Noah!!" It was so cute.

Tonight, Matt and I are off to a belated "Christmas Party" at Mario's with his boss and fellow employee's. At Christmas time, his boss's family all got sick. They postponed the dinner so we would be able to attend (we were in Indiana for a week and a half), which was very nice of them to do. I'm looking forward to the dinner. Mario's is always great.

I'll try not to let so much time pass in between posts...

New Look...

2008-03-06T14:50:00.002-05:00

For those of you who are observant, you will notice I changed the look of my blog. Its still in pink, but the design is a bit different. Most importantly, I was able to add a few pictures. They are not super recent, but still fun. The best pictures are on Matt's laptop, and I just have not taken the time to add the pictures from there to my blog. I also added 3 really cute "lilypie tickers". Two are for Noah and Rylee and count down to their next birthday. The other is a countdown to my due date. They are adorable, but only half of them show up! HELP!! Do any of you guys know what I'm doing wrong? I posted a question in the "help" section, and I'm hoping someone from the blog group gets back to me with some helpful insight. Nothing I do seems to shrink them to fit. The only thing that worked was moving them to the bottom of the page, but then nobody would even see them, as most poeple just view the most recent post. Ahhh....the joys of blogging. Now, on to a new post to get you all updated.

Moving on...

2008-02-20T12:15:00.000-05:00

Last night my oldest sister took both kids, along with my niece, and they all made cutout cookies. Matt had practice at church, which left me with several hours of an empty house. I took advantage of that and was able to paint 95% of my bathroom. I only have a few spots of "detail" or "trim" work left, although I will need to go over the whole room a second time. I was really happy with the color. It reminds me of chocolate milk. It goes so nice with the new tile on the floor. This weekend we will buy trim and look for either a medicine cabinet or mirror. After installing those, the room will be done.

Over and over the last few days my thoughts have turned to Laurie and Eric, the parents of the children who died in the accident. Especially Laurie. They are living every parents worse nightmare. How can you not be effected when you think of the gut wrenching sorrow they are experiencing? They are in their late 40's...too late to have an more biological children if they wanted to. The last few days we have hugged our kids a little tighter, held them longer and said more "I love you's". I drove a little slower today on the way to the grocery store. Its unfortunate that it takes such an awful tragedy to remind us to do those sorts of things. Friday we will stand in line and pay our respects to Chris and Tori's parents and do our best to express our profound sympathy at their loss. I have chosen to not attend the memorial service the following day. Its simply too hard, and I know that by going to the calling hours on friday, that it won't really be "necessary" for me to attend both. I know that I'll be thinking of them, though. For a long time. Especially this summer when its time to swim again. We can only pray for Laurie and Eric and trust that God will turn this situation into something good.

Tragedy

2008-02-18T19:40:00.000-05:00

Today we learned of a tragedy. While watching the noon news, I heard a sad story of a brother and sister who were killed in a car accident. They were only children. I heard the reporter say the names of the children. She mispronounced the last name, but it was similar to a family we know. The camera panned over to the wrecked car and I saw a familiar vehicle. The family was the Claus family. We bought our house almost 8 years ago from them. Through our neighbors across the street, who moved a few months ago, we came to be friends with them. We saw eachother quite a bit in the summer when we would all congregate to swim at our neighbors pool. Laurie, the mom, was driving in a rural area in the next town over. For whatever reason, she made a left hand turn at an intersection and turned right into the path of an oncoming 18 wheeler. Both of her children were killed instantly. Tori, their daughter, was just 7, and Chris, their son was 11. The kids were super sweet and well behaved children. Their parents were very involved and very loving to them. My kids would swim with them several days a week, all summer long. Tori, and my niece, Madyson, were only a week apart in age. A few summers ago, their regular sitter went on vacation, and I watched them for a few weeks. I had no problem at all with them, and they were so respectful and nice. Chris loved this house and told his parents all the time that when he was an adult, he was going to buy this house from us and move back in. He had great memories in this little house. His old bedroom now belongs to our Noah.

When I first heard the news story, because of the last name being mispronounced, I was still in denial that it could be the same family. I called Mary Ellen, our former next door neighbor. She would know, I thought. I got ahold of her right away on her cell. I said, "mary ellen...did Laurie get in an accident this morning?" She said, "Yes, she did. We are driving to Rochester from Corning as we speak. We don't know where they have taken her and the kids, though. Have you heard anything?" I didn't know what to tell her except the truth. I said, (and getting choked up while telling her), "I don't know how to tell you this, but the news is reporting that both kids died in the accident. I'm so sorry!" She said, "no!". We hung up with eachother. After checking the news website I learned Laurie was taken to the hospital in Batavia. I called Mary Ellen back and got her husband Fred. I told him which hospital laurie was taken to. He thanked me and said they would head there right away. They were still driving to Rochester at this point. Fred and Mary Ellen, who are in their 60's, were not only best friends with Laurie and Eric, but were parent figures to them both as well, since Laurie and Eric are in their 40's. Tori and Chris called them Grandma and Grandpa. They spent holidays together, and when Mary Ellen and Fred's son got married, Chris and Tori were in the wedding party. They are extremely close.

Mary Ellen called me tonight at 6:00 pm. She was back in Corning once again. She and Fred gave Laurie and Eric some much needed personal time alone to process their emotions. She said Laurie does not even remember making the turn and has no idea what happened. The kids were killed instantly. Eric was called about the accident and driven by his brother to the hospital. Laurie was treated and released for minor injuries, but had to be sedated because of the emotional trauma. Neither of them are handling losing both their children well. Can you imagine? I cannot. My heart breaks for them. They are really good people. I am concerned most for Laurie as she was the driver. Over and over this afternoon I have prayed to God that He would comfort them and give them His peace. They are not saved. I cannot imagine going through this period, but especially not without God in my life. Mary Ellen's reason for the call was to thank me for letting her know about the kids and letting them know which hospital Laurie was in. I didn't know what to say. She was thankful to have confirmed by me what she suspected, that the kids were gone. She wanted to know that before seeing Laurie and Eric. It was very hard for them, she said, to go back to the house they all shared. Eric spent time with his son's body, but was not able to see his daughter. The Dr's would not allow him to. My heart just aches for these parents. Their family was wiped out in an instant.

Rylee and Maddy both cried at hearing the news. Their friends were gone. I was proud of Rylee when she told Maddy, "Its OK Maddy, one day we'll see them again in heaven!" She's right, of course. In the meantime, I'm trying to get past the numbness, shock and grief. My kids lost their little friends, and I feel, even if just a portion, the pain of our friends. Matt and I both cried over the loss. But, we also sought our kids out and gave them long hugs and reminded them about how much we love them. I prayed to God to not allow me to take any risks when I drive. I don't want to ever have to go through the sort of pain our friends are going through. Jesus, be ever so close to our friends...

Improvements...

2008-02-15T09:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we had our new windows installed. The workers are back again today to finish the project up. Not only did we get new windows, but other improvements were made as well. In total, we got 7 windows replaced, including a huge picture window in our living room. We do have more than 7 windows in our house, but they were replaced either just before we moved in 7 years ago, or 6 months ago when we remodeled what is now Rylee's room. We paid just a bit extra to have the mullions in the glass instead of just plain glass. We also replaced a very beat up storm door, replaced the flashing on the peak of our roofline that blew away in a windstorm a few years ago, had a programmable thermostat installed and more insulation added. Even though they are still not done, the difference could be felt almost immediately. In the past, I would guess that our heat came on a couple times an hour, at least. Yesterday, after they finished the last window, it did not come on for 3 hours! They also provided us with 12 new CFL bulbs. We have been switching over to these as our regular light bulbs died. I'm hoping to see a noticeable difference in our utility bills in the very near future.

I have to say its really exciting to have these improvements made. Our old windows were about 50 years old, and literally caused the "wind" to blow through our house. As far as cosmetically, its a 100% improvement...its really not hard to beat broken windows and chipping, pealing paint!

We have been fortunate the last two years to slowly be able to make improvements to this old house. It definitely makes it feel like my house is beginning to reflect more of my style, instead of the previous owners. Its exciting to have made significant improvements in just about every room. I hope in the next week to finish up our bathroom upstairs. It really only needs about 1 days work, but for whatever reason, it has not happened yet.

In short...improvements rock!

Back again...

2008-02-13T09:32:00.000-05:00

After several weeks absense, I am back again. It was mostly not by choice. First, I had a terrible upper respiratory/flu virus. I was so ill I was in bed for almost 4 days. I wish to never repeat that! It was tough having two young ones at home and being pregnant while feeling so sick. I must say that I was so thankful for some of the independence Rylee has exhibited. While in bed, she was able to start movies, get her and her brother fruit or cereal for breakfast, pop popcorn in the microwave for a snack for them, get drinks, etc. I think my most thankful moments were when she fed our chickens for me in the bitter cold day after day while I was barely able to stand and move. What a big help she really was. The kids behaved pretty well. I was not able to watch Brock or Jesse like I normally do, but sometimes that just happens. What are you going to do? My mom was great and watched the kids while I went to the Dr's, waited a few hours for a prescription, then even stayed and watched them so I could rest. She made dinner twice for us. Two ladies from church heard I was sick and each made us dinner. It felt really good to be taken care of. Even after the worst of the symptoms were over, I was surprised by how little strength and energy I had for another few days. It was a full week of not feeling myself.

Just a day or two after I returned to normal, Matt had knee surgery. Because of his sensitivity to general anesthesia, they were not able to remove a few "floating bodies" that they originally planned to, but were still able to scope his knee and really clean it up. He is off of work until monday, so we have enjoyed having him home. He feels pretty good and is not even using crutches right now, but is not allowed to drive until next week. The first few days after surgery when he was mostly laid up and had to keep his leg up and iced were a little tiring for me. But, he healed very quickly and is almost back to himself.

In the midst of all this, our little guy, Noah, turned 3 years old. We celebrated his birthday, along with my mom and aunt's birthday (they are twins) as well as my adult niece's birthday. Noah is young enough he doesn't care that he shared his party with the rest of his family. We all had a good time. I hosted the party here and it was a good excuse to really clean the house well. I still have some things I want to do, but I've been able to keep it up the last few days after the party ended.

Yesterday we worked on Valentine's for friends and family. The kids liked that a lot and it felt good to do something fun and crafty. Tomorrow we have our new windows installed...finally! I'm excited to see the finished project, even if it does mean that today we have to take down all our window treatments and move a few things in the basement so they can also add some insulation. I hope to see the new improvements reflected in our utility bills soon.

I'm 31 1/2 weeks along now. I'm feeling big. The baby has hiccups often and is really on the move. I love feeling its pokes and rolling over. I'm getting more and more excited about meeting the little one. My midwife appointments are starting to get closer together, and on this next appointment I will meet the practice's other midwife, who I hear is also great. It will be good to have met both of them so if there is an emergency and my midwife is not able to be there for our delivery, her associate will be there, and she won't be a stranger.

I'm tagged!

2008-01-22T10:21:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by a good friend of mine, Carole. I have to list 7 random/little known facts about myself. Hmmm...here are a few:

:: I don't like unmelted butter. Neither Matt or I will eat butter on bread unless its completely melted. Even if my butter does not completely melt on my toast, I will either not eat that part, or microwave it to melt all the butter. Watching people spread oodles of butter on Italian bread and eat it while the butter is still in its solid form just about gags me. It always has, and I'm not sure why. I was amazed to find someone else in this world who felt the same way about butter; "love it if its melted, cannot stand it if its not!". That's why I married him. Just kidding.

:: I have always had a fetish with smelling things. Yes, the normal stuff, but also smelling things that my husband or family finds weird. Like cups before I drink out of them. Or clean clothes before I dress. When I was younger I could not even take a test without first smelling the #2 pencil the teacher handed out to the students for the test. I guess I don't like bad smells. Who knows? The hilarious thing is that I seem to have passed this trait on to my kids, much to the bewilderment of my husband and family.

:: Most people swallow a pill by popping it in their mouth, then drinking a bit of water. I do it opposite. I drink a little water first, without swallowing, then pop the pill in. The only reason I can think of for doing this is that some pills taste horrible if they start to dissolve on your tongue before you can drink water and swallow them.

:: Its very hard for me to imagine being "done" having children if we were to stop at #4. When we first got married, we agreed that we wanted "3 or 4" kids. Now, we are about to have #3, and thankfully both agree that we want more after this baby. Matt used to tease me that I was going to go for "an even dozen", even though I didn't feel that way. Now...between our biological children and children we hope to adopt at some point, we may very well end up with a much larger family than we originally planned for. But, we are more than OK with that. The thought of a big family does not scare me at all. I would be lying if I didn't admit that one of the only things that I don't look forward to with having a big family are the comments and looks from people. Its not a reason to not have a big family though, especially if that is what you feel called to.

:: I love dairy products. Any type. Unfortunately, they do not love me. After a severe bout with the flu when I was about 8, it left my body with a slight lactose intolerance. Ice cream and glasses of milk are the worst for me. It can give me horrible stomach cramps or worse. Its sporadic, though. I can go for a week with no symptoms at all after consuming dairy products often, then, out of the blue, a small amount of dairy will leave me doubled over in pain.

:: I love rearranging furniture in rooms. I love the new look it brings to a room. When I was a teenager I would move my furniture around on a monthly basis. Now that I'm older and my furniture seems much heavier, I resist that urge. I am, however, in the midst of moving our bedroom around. Its long overdue and the room has been arranged this way for several years.

:: I don't like scary movies. It always seems that within a few days of seeing something scary, I find myself having to walk to our garage late at night in the dark, or across a darkened parking lot, etc. Remembering the movie makes my mind go wild with possibilities and it creeps me out. I also don't like dead bodies. I'm sure most people don't, but I used to get myself so worked up about just seeing a dead body at a funeral that I would avoid funerals and almost get sick to my stomach. The worst job in the world to me would be that of an undertaker or a medical examiner...yuck!

There you have it....wild and wacky facts about yours truly. Now that I have shared my deep dark secrets with you, its time to pick others to tag. I'm supposed to tag 7 others, but since my blog is so new, I don't know that I have 7 readers, let alone 7 readers who also have blogs of their own. So, the only one I can think to tag is Hannah.

Here are the rules for the game:*Link to the person that tagged you*Post the rules on your blog.*Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.*Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.*Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

Progress...

2008-01-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Much progress has been made here in the last few days to a week. On more than one "front". Noah is truly potty trained now. He has not had an accident in days, has been waking up from naps dry, and will go for hours between visits to the bathroom. Its almost as if he does better when we don't remind him. He just leaves the room, then a minute later you hear the potty flush and he asks for help pulling his underpants back up. He still wears a diaper at night, which I am fine with. Even with that, he is waking up much dryer than usual lately. The only time he needs a diaper other than sleeping is for #2, which is pretty common. I think soon he'll completely transition over to the toilet for everything.

My nesting instinct is kicking in full force. I feel like I have been so productive as of late. The last two nights I went through tons of papers. Most of these had been stored in a large desk in our bedroom, but my disorganization had taken over and I was even filling laundry baskets with papers to "sort and file". Yeah, right. I wondered why it seemed all my laundry baskets had disappeared. Now I know why. I threw away 3 trash bags of outdated or unwanted papers. I consolidated down to one large laundry basket of files that need to be placed in our 2 drawer file cabinet. Its amazing to me that we went from a huge desk, plus several "overflow" baskets to just a simple 2 drawer file cabinet. Wow! Not only did I unearth a lot of junk that could be trashed, but I found important stuff as well. Those missing birth certificates for Rylee and Noah that I searched in vain for last summer so we could take my in-laws to the Canadian side of the falls. Yup, I found em. Guess what else I found?! Money. Yup. While sorting through birthday cards for Noah from last year, I found a $10 bill that never got deposited into his savings account. And even better yet, I found an envelope that neither Matt or I remember. It probably came from his ordination this past June, but we honestly don't remember where this came from, but we found $100 cash in an envelope. Yes, $100!! That will help pay off his laptop sooner.

As great as it was to sort through everything and gain a little more space, I gained a sense of accomplishment and even a little peace as well. Its hard to feel restful and peaceful in the midst of total chaos and clutter. I also feel great about doing something I have literally put off for about 5 years. And you know what, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I thought it would take a whole day, or more. It took about 4 hours. Isn't life like that? The things you put off and dread the most are often not nearly as bad as we make them out to be in our minds. Now I know why they say the battlefront is in our minds. Determining to do something is truly half the battle.

When I see progress, it spurs me on to get more done so I can see even more progress. Its really a snowball effect for me. How much more can I get done? Well, lets just see! After all, I have 11 weeks and 5 days before my due date, so hopefully that means almost 12 weeks of nesting instinct spurring me on!

More on potty training ...

2008-01-16T09:52:00.000-05:00

After only a little success in November, I reluctantly had to put potty training Noah on the back burner for a bit. With Christmas and New Years fast approaching, and a 10 hour car ride (one way) to visit Matt's family, it just didn't seem like the timing was working out. Also, I was up to my eyeballs in Christmas shopping and making/selling jam. Almost every day we were out running errands, taking Rylee to art lessons or ballet class, at church, etc. These places, and car rides in general, are not very "friendly" to the potty training toddler. When he says he has to go, he means NOW, not in 10 minutes when we reach a restroom.

I tried last week to start him back up going on the potty. I thought he would at least pick up right where we left off, with maybe only a day's delay. I was wrong. I tried. I really did. By Tuesday night I was ready to beat my head against the wall. After over a weeks worth of fairly consistently putting him in underpants and reminding him often, we literally had only a success or two. I was beyond frustrated. I had decided I had two options. I could give up again temporarily and give it another try in say, a month. My selfish pride at knowing my little guy was going to turn 3 in just a few weeks really ate at me. I wanted him to be at least mostly, if not fully potty trained by the time he was 3. Why? I don't really know, but it would have made me feel better. My other option was to start getting much more firm about it. My mother in law said the only way she got Matt trained was to start spanking him when he didn't use the potty. Sounds terrible, I know. But, he knew what he was doing and was specifically avoiding the potty. He was so laid back in his personality, that he needed that push. I think she said she only had to spank him a couple of times and he got the hint and was trained almost overnight. Noah has a very similar personality, so I had considered taking this route. After getting off the phone with my sister yesterday, and talking a lot about potty training (Brock is pretty much trained!), Noah, who was wearing a diaper at the time, came up to me and said, "I want to go potty on the big potty, Mommy!" I was shocked to say the least. Not expecting a lot, I set him up there. He immediately went. Boy, did I clap and praise! Noah was grinning from ear to ear. He continued that way the rest of the day with NO accidents. I did put him in a diaper at nap time, but only then. This morning he has already had an accident, but has been in underpants for several hours. I'm hoping yesterday started something. I think we rounded a corner!

On a totally different note, I mentioned I was saving my profits from my jam sales this fall for a new couch and love seat. Matt and I went shopping recently and found something we both love. The couch and love seat should be delivered this weekend. Goodbye ugly, old, stinky couch!!!! It felt so good to know all those times when I was up until 3:00 am making jam and sooo tired, finally paid off. Our first time with new living room furniture. Its very exciting.

Oh, my aching back!

2008-01-08T12:36:00.000-05:00

Remember yesterday, when I said I don't really "do" New Years resolutions, but I do like the inspiration that tends to come with the new year? Well, I've been getting a ton of stuff done the last few days. It feels soooo good to know that a bunch of these little projects, be they ever so small, are getting done. On the flip side, I'm paying for it physically. I tend to have quite a bit of tailbone pain when I'm pregnant any time I do any amount of physical work. Honestly, the pain is minor compared to the satisfaction I'm getting watching my list get narrowed down. I love making lists to remind myself of what needs to get done and to keep me on track. These are a few things that I was able to cross off my list the past few days. Don't laugh...some of them are small, but they help keep order in my home.

-Washed, dried, folded, AND put away 2 loads of laundry (the folding and putting away part are a big deal to me, as I sometimes skip that step!)
-Made a bunch of calls to book musicians for our coffeehouse for the next few months.
-Steam cleaned Rylee's bedroom carpet...it looks great.
-Scrubbed both booster seats from my kitchen. Sounds simple, but let me clue you in....they were disgusting!
-After cleaning the boosters, I couldn't just return them to the messy chair they had previously sat in, so I scrubbed and washed and scrubbed some more. They were so crusty and grimy it took me about 20 minutes each for 2 chairs!
-Unpacked myself, Matt and Rylee from our trip over the holidays. Noah is almost there....
-Put away about 60 kids books and cleaned the corner they had previously been inhabiting (once again...crusty and grimy.)
-Swished and swiped both bathrooms two days in a row (you know exactly what this means if you are a Flylady follower. For those who are not, it basically means you clean your sink and toilet in your bathrooms daily)
-Cleaned up Rylee's room and put away a few things that were out.
-Made all three beds two days in a row.
-Cleaned up a whole recycling bin of newspapers that blew away into our yard. They were everywhere. The kids helped and earned a bit of piggy bank money.
-Finally put away some of the kids summer toys that were still in our yard. Better late than never, huh?
-Went to bed each night the last few nights with a clean house, empty sink and swept floors. No crazy morning rush to pick up before kids get dropped off. Nice!

I know, sounds simple, but I'm really so pleased with my accomplishments the last few days. Now if I can just keep this going...

New Year...

2008-01-07T10:32:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! I realize its been several weeks since I have posted last, but I have a great excuse...I was out of town visiting my husbands family in Indiana for 11 days. My inlaws have dial up internet and I would rather spend the time with them than post a blog that might tie up their phone line for a while. We had a great time.

As I sit here typing, Noah, Rylee and Brock are outside the window swinging on the swingset. Its beautiful out. No, its not sunny, but its got to be about 60 degrees or so. Are we sure its really January, because Rochester does not usually get this warm at this time of the year. I'm loving it. I'm happy for the kids that they can play outside once again and not be bundled up like an eskimo.

I know a lot of people take this time of the year to proclaim a new years resolution. I guess new years resolutions have never really worked for me. I also feel that if there is a change you want to implement, why wait until the new year? But hey, if it works for you, by all means go with it. Maybe I believe in resolutions but just don't call it that. I really want this year to be one of increased organization in our home. No more hunting for things amidst the clutter. No more junk lying around. Etc...you get the idea. As busy as we are, we don't have the luxury of living in a house that is cluttered and messy. I have been much better about that the past few months, but I want to get even better. Thankfully, baby #3 should be joining us mid April, and adding a new one to our family always spurs me into greater productiveness...possibly out of sheer necessity if nothing else. Yes, the nesting instinct has helped also. I want so much to be a good example to our children in all things. Not just in parenting or spiritual issues, but in keeping an orderly house as well.

I have become a fan of Flylady...ever heard of her? It seems that more and more people I know are getting turned on to her. She gives common sense advice in how to manage your home, and gives you routines to follow everyday until they become a good habit. Its not rocket science. If you can discipline yourself even a little, her advice will start making your home less cluttered and more relaxing to be in.

So, here's to a new year. Hopefully one that brings health, prosperity and peace to all of us. May your "New Year's" wish come true....

Keepers of the home...

2007-12-14T08:28:00.000-05:00

This week I came across a blog of someone I have never even met. She is a Christian, she is a mother (I think to 7 children), a homeschooler, and a pastors wife. I was so intrigued by her latest blog. It talks of doing what God made you to do: love your husband and kids, serve God, and be a keeper of the home. It reminded me of my father's most recent message this past sunday. He talked of expectations. Mostly those that we allow others to hold us to, or those we put on ourselves. The woman's blog said that our first priority should be to God and our family. If our house is in constant chaos, there is never anything to eat, no clothes to wear because they are all dirty, then perhaps we are overcommitted and need to reevaluate. Now perhaps you don't agree with her philosophy. I suppose it would depend on what you feel called to do. As someone who feels called to be a stay at home mom, I agree with her remarks for myself. I felt rather convicted by the sad state of affairs here at home. Yes, my situation is a bit different. Part of my job is to also watch 2 other children in my home. I'm also pregnant, which definitely has an effect on my energy level. I also try to make extra money for my family this time of year by selling jams at shows. This year was my most successful yet, and our reward will be next month when we go furniture shopping for new living room furniture. However, in the midst of all this, my house and patience has taken a backseat. I was short on sleep and long on stress, so I snapped more easily at the kids. My floors had berry juice stains on it, and my kitchen table was always covered in jam jars, thawing fruit, etc. Meals were put together in a hurry and laundry began to look like Mt. Everest. I'm so grateful to be back into a more normal swing of things now that my last sale is over with. Its still a little busy with the Christmas season, trying to get Christmas card pictures taken, shopping, Christmas parties, packing for a 10 day trip away, etc. Is there ever not a busy time in life? In the midst of all of this I'm making a true effort to be the wife and mom that God wants me to be,and to put my family first. I'm trying to remember what this season is all about. I'm figuring out that certain things have to be dropped because surprise, surprise...I'm not superwoman! I'm all too aware of my limitations. I want to "be all things to all people"...basically, the perfect wife, mom, sister, daughter, friend. I know that I should strive to be the best I can be, but realize that perfection will never happen. I doubt anyone will be seriously let down by me, but in my head I hear "this isn't how the perfect "so and so" would do things. Yes, my house would look like Martha Stewart lived here, and my patience would never run short, even in the midst of tantrums and whining. I would actually find myself with extra time to myself and have everything done ahead of time, never rushing. However, I'm me. I fall short. Period. All I can do is ask for more strength and wisdom and learn from my mistakes. After all, laundry will always be there for me.

Smells....

2007-12-06T09:09:00.000-05:00

They say that smells can trigger more memories and emotions than just about anything else. I believe that. Whenever I smell lasagna cooking, I think of my Nana. She was such a kind lady, and although she was not Italian, her second husband was. She honed her Italian cooking skills to the point that I always thought she was Italian during my growing up years. Her food was that good. That smell always floods me with happy memories.

This morning greeted me with not such happy thoughts. After taking a shower and getting dressed upstairs, I came down the stairs and was greeted by a terribly offensive smell. Before I was even down the flight of stairs, I said to Matt, "Ugh...that smell! Disgusting!!" He said, "What? I don't smell anything!" I said, "Are you kidding me?" He wasn't. Before going any further, I must admit to a strange trait I have. It might be a family thing, as my sister Missy also posesses this strange trait. Neither of my parents or other sibling do, though. You see, we have a very heightened sense of smell, along with a habit of having to smell everything. I will smell things and Matt will stand there clueless, like this AM. Well, after fully coming down the stairs, I rounded the table to find 2 piles of dog vomit on the tile floor. Further searching revealed an unbelievable mess in our living room. My dog had diahrrea in about 8 spots all over the hardwood floor, in addition to the vomit. The last week she has only been eating the cats food. I think she must not like the food I got her (although she has had it in the past). I tied a scarf around my nose to block the smell. For someone who already smells things that others do not, I'm also pregnant which seems to make my stomach very sensitive to those smells. My mouth was watering already, as if I might throw up myself. The scarf mostly helped. I didn't puke, but I coughed and gagged, and my eyes watered, and my nose clogged. After 30 minutes of cleaning up and bleaching the floors, I was finally done. I boiled water and added cinnamon and cloves, and it really helped with the smell. I hope I don't have to deal with that for a long time!!

I think I've passed this trait down to my kids. Noah more than Rylee. Last night we were at a church dinner and I asked him if he wanted chicken. He said, "Can I smell it first?" I added a little piece to his plate and lifted it to his nose, fully understanding him. He inhaled, but wasn't quite sure. He asked, "Can I smell it again?" I obliged, and he ended up eating some. My oldest sister was there and laughing her head off at the whole exchange. "Oh man, you passed it on to him?" She laughed. Yes, my son has inherited my weird trait. This is the reason he will not eat cheesy popcorn. It smells to him. I agree it stinks as well. I mean, have you ever truly smelled it? The white cheddar is the worst. I love the taste, but the smell is enough to gag me. I even remember my brother getting frustrated when I was a kid. We were eating dinner, and I didn't start eating until I had smelled my fork. Why, you ask. I don't know, I just do it. He said, "Would you quit smelling everything and just eat, for goodness sake!" So, if we are ever at a party, and you catch me sniffing something (the cup, my shirt, the silverware, etc.), just know its nothing personal and something that I just do. Don't ask me to explain it, because I cannot.

PS-So sorry if you are eating breakfast while reading this. It was not meant to make you gag as well!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

2007-12-05T08:02:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems as if that is all it has done the last 5 days. Although I absolutely love it, I must admit that now that my husbands job for the last 2 years has involved snow removal, I almost cringe knowing when snow is on the way because it means he will be away from us long hours. He put it over 17 hours of overtime this weekend between snow removal and a lengthy meeting. Monday AM he left for work as usual, and we did not see him until tuesday at 11:00 am. He was only able to get a few short hours of rest, and it made more sense for him to just sleep on the floor of the office in a sleeping bag rather than try to brave the terrible roads and come home. He was home for about 4 hours yesterday before heading back out. He's still out, and its 8:00 am on Wed. He was going to get about a 3 hour break, and once again, it just didn't make sense for him to travel over 20 minutes in 1 direction on little sleep, just to sleep here. I know he must be exhausted as well as his boss and coworkers. They should get a little break for the most part today. At most, it looks like we will get 1 or 2 inches, tops, today. I'm sure they are all breathing a sigh of relief knowing that. Our little area of the county got hit much worse than other parts. We got 8 to 10 inches of snow, although now it has settled and packed down a bit so it looks more like 6. My normal thoughts on snow are that if its going to be really cold, we may as well have snow on the ground. Now, I'm reconsidering that if it means not seeing Matt for long periods of time.

On a sad note, I found out that some aquaintances of ours from our former church, lost their first baby to a stillborn birth. The mom was 8 and a half or nine months along. I don't know a whole lot of details about what possibly went wrong, only that last tuesday they were not able to hear a heartbeat, and started induction. Wed. the baby was born dead. I cannot tell you how much it grieved me to hear such sad news. It was one of those sorrows that you literally feel in the pit of your stomach. It brought back memories of a close family member losing her baby to miscarriage at 5 months. That is how far along I am, it its so hard to think of that. I don't allow my mind to dwell on it because it would cause so much anxiety, which I know is not healthy for anyone. The only things I know are this: God promised to never give us more than we could handle. He also has numbered all of our days. For some of us, we will live to be old, while others are only given shorter times. I don't pretend to know why. Perhaps they only need a short time on earth to accomplish their purpose. It all comes down to when sin was introduced into our hearts thousands of years ago. It set a clock in motion that was never intended to be. We are created as everlasting beings. It was God's intention, I believe, that those "immortal" or "everlasting" lives were meant to be lived out on earth, but sin destroyed that. We are still "immortal" or "everlasting", its just that only a few of those years will be lived out here on earth. The remainder, well...its our choice. It makes me so glad to have peace that I will spend those years forever in heaven. I think of those parents who lost their baby. I hope they are able to see a long way down the road and remember that because they are God's children, and chosen a relationship with Him, that they will spend eternity with their son. He is not lost to them forever.

On a very happy note, our good friends, Claude (Mikey as he has always been known to Matt), and his wife Jewel received good news about their baby girl, Eden, who although she is officially adopted by them from Vietnam, was not granted a Visa like her sister was. Mikey and Jewel had to leave Vietnam with only Jordan, not Eden also, as was the plan. After a few months of writing senators, expensive lawyers, and many tears and prayers on their part, the official investigation into the facts surrounding Eden's abandonment have shown no corruption. Their lawyer is confident that not only will the baby be given her Visa, but that she will be home with her family in time for Christmas. If that isn't the best gift, I don't know what is! We are so excited to meet both of our God-daughters later this month when we go to Indiana for a Christmas visit. Their family will be visiting as well from California...what perfect timing.

Ultrasound fun!

2007-11-27T19:12:00.000-05:00

This morning we had our big ultrasound for this baby. It seems as if this is something I look forward to from the moment I find out I'm pregnant. Even after feeling the baby kick and move within me, reality doesn't truly sink in until you see the baby moving while feeling those little kicks. Its amazing. I never tire of seeing these images. Our little one was quite cooperative during the ultrasound and was awake the whole time. It kicked often and even responded to the technicians gentle pushes to roll over for a better shot...what an agreeable little guy or gal. We specifically asked to not find out the sex of the baby. I asked the technician before we left if she had determined the sex herself, and she said no. She said she specifically tries to spend as little time as possible in that area, other than to rule out abnormalities, when the parents do not want to know the sex. She said she didn't look close enough to figure it out. Matt thought at one point that he might have seen something indicating a boy, but he admitted it was so brief that he was not even sure if what he thought he was looking at was really what he thought it was, so really...we truly don't know. I love that big surprise in the delivery room. Labor and delivery are such hard work that it really is like a reward at the end of a long, hard day. He have picked out a full name for the baby if its a boy, but only a first name if its a girl. I think the middle name is definitely easier to figure out when you have determined the first name. It almost makes me want boy/girl twins so we can use both names right away!

Just last night I told Matt that for whatever reason, this pregnancy seemed a little surreal. Even just today, I glanced down towards my feet as I was about to come down our stairs, and had a jolt of reality when I saw my big tummy. Its almost as if I forgot I was pregnant for a split second. I love how much more real pregnancy feels after an ultrasound. I'm already finding myself itching to hold the baby and breathe in that sweet baby smell. I'm more than halfway there!

My first actual prenatal appointment with my new midwife is on thursday. I'm hoping that she has received my medical records from my former OB's office by then as I sent the request almost two weeks ago. I'm actually really excited about the appointment.

On a mostly unrelated sidenote....the upstairs bathroom that we decided to start remodeling a day or two before Matt's parents came in town in June for his ordination has come much closer to becoming a finished reality. Matt was able to finish laying the ceramic tile this weekend and grouted sunday night. Monday night meant reinstalling the toilet that has not been hooked up for 5 months. As a pregnant person who gets up at least once, if not twice to go to the bathroom during the night, I cannot tell you just how happy I am to have a fully functional bathroom just a few steps away from our bedroom. No more trips up and down the stairs in the dark, hoping I don't step on one of our cats who likes to sleep on the steps. Ahhhh...life is good! The rest of the project seems small in comparison....paint the walls (already bought the paint), install new faucet (already bought that, too), replace drawer pulls (already bought some to match the new faucet), and put trim up. Honestly, all that can be done in about a day. Then, to make everything flow together, hang my new shower curtain that my oldest sister remade to fit our funky sloped ceiling. I can picture it all now in my mind, and it looks amazing! It will have to wait a week or two since I have another jam sale this weekend. I'm down from 220 jars a few weeks ago, to just 71 jars now. Some varieties I have completely sold out of, so the next few days will be marathon jam sessions once again. I just have to remind myself of the new couch and loveseat all this hard work is getting me!

Well, I'm off to make some hot chocolate for my little family and settle down to watch the Charlie Brown Christmas special. I cannot tell you just how many happy memories this brings back from my childhood! Hopefully my kids will feel the same way when they are older...

Tis the season....

2007-11-24T20:17:00.000-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving. It was rather low key, but a nice and relaxing time spent with family. We spent about 5 hours at my parents house, along with my oldest sister, her boys, her boyfriend, and his boys. My adult niece was able to stop by the last hour or two, which was nice. She now lives in Niagara Falls, attending college, so we don't get to see eachtother as often as we would like. My mom goes all out for any and all meals that she makes. She baked a great turkey, and Craig, my sister's boyfriend, deep fried one. We also had sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, squash, corn, broccoli/cauliflower cheese bake, homemade cranberry sauce, rolls, etc. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but the table was loaded. Then, for dessert she made chocolate pie, dutch apple pie, and two pumpkin pies. YUM! I washed it all down with some hot mulled cider. A complete turkey dinner has to be one of my favorite meals!

The middle of the night found me waking, at 3:00 AM. Yes, that time does come around twice a day. After thawing out my very frozen and icy minivan, I picked my sister up at 4:00. We were bundled up in our gloves and scarves and heavy coats. Its not easy finding a coat that I can actually button around my growing tummy, but I found one. It was so strange to drive the several miles to her house, without ever seeing another car. It was over 10 minutes into our trip before we even saw another vehicle. We made it to Walmart by 4:30 and waited in line with all the other "crazies" who wake up at an ungodly hour to catch the best deals. We were in Walmart by 5:00 and done by 5:30. People seem to really lose their manners when there are deals to be had. That's why it helps to shop with someone else. You can laugh about it instead of getting really ticked off at people's rudeness. The crowds were probably even larger than past years, so hopefully that helps our sluggish economy. We had quite an experience at Kmart. We don't really care for Kmart very much because it seems customer service and sales staff are always lacking big time. Its often worse than Walmart which doesn't always have the best reputation. After waiting in line for 25 minutes, we spent another 25 minutes just trying to get our dozen or so purchases rung out correctly by the cashier. She was a woman in her mid 50's, and really seemed to have no clue about what was on sale or even care if it rang up correctly. Everything we bought was on a significant sale, often a buy one, get one free sale. (That is the point of getting up so early is to get these great sale prices, you know!) The manager ended up coming over about 8 times to fix the cashiers mistakes. In the end, she had to void the whole transaction and ring in everything herself with the correct sale prices. She apologized to us (too bad the cashier didn't) and even said, "Wow....this new total is a big difference from the other total, huh?" Yeah, $45 DOES make a big difference in a total. We apologized several time to the people in line behind us for it taking so long. They were so kind, and even joked, "Hey,you are trail blazing for us!!", which made the situation so much better. Its so nice when other people are understanding. We finally left with our great buys. AFter hitting another 6 stores, we were back at my sisters house by 10:00 AM. My brother in law had kindly offered to have our kids spend the night Thanksgiving night since Matt had to leave the house at the same time I did so he could go salt sidewalks for work. I felt horrible to learn Noah had woken up crying at 4:30 AM, waking the other kids up also. They were all up until 6:00 AM when my brother in law made them go back to bed. That lasted until 8:00 am. Thankfully, he was a good sport about it all. He had even made the bed that morning....wow!

My purchases yesterday allowed me to get about 1/3 to 1/2 my shopping done, which was wonderful. Hopefully, I can catch some other great sales for the rest of my list. When you have large families on both sides, good deals are a must!

I'm off to try our new 450 thread count sheets that I bought at a huge sale at Target! I truly love this season, even with other people's rudeness and all the commercialism that seems to overwhelm the true meaning of the season.

I'm Thankful

2007-11-20T10:08:00.000-05:00

This time of year finds many people counting their blessings. Thanksgiving seems to serve as a reminder of how blessed we truly are. Its sad that we often only pause to think about our blessings once a year. I find that I'm a much happier person overall when I stop complaining and try to find the good in a situation. Being thankful for the little things brings a certain amount of joy into my life. I try so hard to remind myself that this time of diapers, home-schooling, constant playdates and running around, etc is just for a season. One day, hopefully not very soon, my kids will be more independent and not need Mommy's help and constant attention. As frustrating and draining as it can be to be a mom to young children, I have to remember that one day they won't want help getting dressed or asking to be read a story. I want to sit on the floor and play Polly Pocket with Rylee, and cuddle with Noah and read him his favorite story. I'll say "yes" to them when they ask to come with me on errands, even if it means those errands will take twice as long because they are with me. What are you thankful for? These top my list:

*God in my life. The sense of peace that I have from knowing that God has everything in his hands is immeasureable.

*A new family member growing inside of me. I love the little kicks this one gives me.

*For Matt, who is probably the easiest person to get along with...ever...and he's my husband, which just makes my life so much better. He's thoughtful, kind, funny, and such a good daddy and hard worker.

*My kids. Rylee is so smart and thoughtful. She really does like to make us happy. Noah, who just loves to be with us.

*For my siblings. The older I get, my sisters have become more like best friends.

*My parents, who are such an example of Godly integrity, if ever there was one. They teach me so much in just their actions.

*The rest of my family. My adult (or almost adult) niece and nephews are more like buddies with me and Matt. We can hang out and have fun together and truly enjoy eachothers company. The littler ones are so cute with how they like us to play games with them. I love to hear their stories about school or their pets. My inlaws are great people who have always made me feel loved and accepted in their family.

*My house. It may not be perfect, but its home to my family. I'm grateful for vehicles that run and get us where we need to go. My pets who add so much enjoyment to my life.

*Health. It may sound so trite, but I see friends who are dealing with very serious health issues with their children. I'm so thankful for my own health, as well as that of my family.

*Our jobs. We may compain about them from time to time, but where would we be without them?

And last, but not least:
*My friends. They really do make the load of life so much easier to bear.

There are 1000 other things that I could add to this list, but won't for the sake of space. What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Even more news....

2007-11-16T10:15:00.000-05:00

I guess my phone call to the hospital ticked off my Dr. even more than I realized. On Wed. I received a letter in the mail that was dated for the previous day (the same day as my appointment with my OB). It was from my OB stating that she had decided to terminate our physician/patient relationship, effective immediately. She said she "hope you can find a physician you trust and are comfortable with". She obviously felt that was not the case with her. Gee...ya think? I am so grateful to be leaving her practice as she has really shown how adolescent her behavior can be.

After receiving the letter I called the hospital. I nicely explained exactly what had happened that day and the day before, all as a result of the hospital breaking confidence and revealing my name, when specifically asked not to. I ended up actually receiving a call from Dr. McNanley, who is the chief of obstetrics at Highland. He is the one who called my OB for permission to release the C section rate. He apologized about what happened and explained he was not made aware by his secretary that I did not want my OB involved. He siad he was highly surprised by my OB's reaction, especially since he found out her c section rate is "right in the middle of the pack" and not high. He spent about 20 minutes on the phone with me, and I felt satisfied with the answers he provided.

Yesterday I met with Mary Maher, who is my friend, Carole's midwife. I immediately clicked with her. I love her, love her, love her!!!! I feel so happy to be seeing her now. She met with me for over 45 minutes and was so kind and knowledgeable. I'm really excited to continue the rest of my pregnancy with her and see how this delivery compares to the others.

Things happen for a reason, and although it can be frustrating to be in the middle of all the drama while it is unfolding, usually the end result is a good one. My prayer was answered. I prayed that if Mary was the person I was supposed to switch to, that we would immediately "click" and I would feel very right about switching to her. That is exactly what happened, and for that I am thankful!

Continued "busy-ness"

2007-11-14T08:29:00.000-05:00

So sorry that it has been over a week since my last post. I can honestly say that I have been very busy, as usual. Last week saw me finishing making jam for the upcoming sale last saturday. I made just over 220 jars. My awesome husband even stayed up with me late friday night, until 3:00 AM to finish decorating the jars for the sale. I was back up at 6:30 to get him and the kids out of bed to help me get all the jam and table, etc into the school where the sale was. He even came back at the end of the sale to help me tear down. It was a huge success, and I sold almost an additional $100 worth of jam more than any other sale I have ever done. I'm hoping my goal of a new couch and loveseat are becoming more of a reality. As soon as the sale was over, we ran to my brother's house for my nephews 7th birthday party. It was fun. I was so tired by the time we got home, I was asleep by 9:15.

sunday was grocery shopping and relaxing. Monday was "catch up" day for my house. I had not done laundry in almost a week, dirty dishes filling the sink, and my tile floor had definitely seen better days. It was such a relief to get my house back in order.

Last week I started giving some serious thought to some idea that had been rattling around in my head for almost a year. I was considering leaving my OB/GYN in mid pregnancy to start seeing a midwife. Although I had two good labor and deliveries with my OB, I felt like she was very quick to jump start my labors. I had both kids naturally, which was my choice, and I loved it. I want so much to have this baby naturally, and hopefully without pitocin like the other two labors. My best chance of having that desired birth was with a midwife. My oldest sister, Cindy, had her 3 children with a midwife and the deliveries were great. I talked to my friend, Carole, who gave me a lot of info about midwives, as well as the name of her midwife, who she really likes. I have an appointment to see that midwife tomorrow. In the meantime, I called Highland Hospital last friday to request my current OB's C section vs. vaginal delivery rate. I was told they would be in touch with me this week to get those numbers to me. Only my first name and phone number were given. Although I had told them I didn't want my Dr. involved unless absolutely necessary, to protect our Dr./patient relationship, that is exactly what happened. I had a routine monthly OB appointment with my Dr. yesterday. At the end of my exam, she asks me outright if I contacted the hospital about her C section rate. She then continued to ask me why I wouldn't ask her that question, and basically gave me a big lecture about how this raised eyebrows at the hospital about her, which she did not appreciate. She said the door was open for any patient to leave if they did not like her practice, and in the future she would appreciate me taking any questions I have to her, not anyone else. I explained I thought I was doing the responsible thing by seeing if there was any merit to this rumor of a high C section rate, and I thought the hospital was the best place to go to inquire about it. I also told her I didn't want to make our relationship akward (too late!). To make a long story short, I felt humiliated even though I did nothing wrong. I never apologized, because I didn't do anything wrong. In fact, I did what I feel was the responsible thing for both my health as well as my baby's health. She made me decision to see a midwife soooo much easier. As long as things go well tomorrow, I'll be transferring my care to a midwife. It was frustrating what happened, but I'm also grateful because it took away my guilt at leaving her practice.

On the other side of this issue was the fact that I feel the hospital really handled this inappropriately. They may have even broken HIPPA laws regarding patient confidentiality. I will probably call to find out why this happened, but be very nice about it, not accusing. I'll let you know what I hear and how tomorrow's appointment go.

On a positive note, our little one's heart rate was 144 yesterday. He or she doesn't really care for the jeans I seem to wear. They have no "belly panel", so they sit low under your belly. Every time I wear either of these two jeans, the baby kicks at the waistband repeatedly. Its pretty humorous. He or she is active and gives me gentle kicks. So far they have not reached the intensity that was normal for big brother and big sister. It could be because I'm not real far along, or just that this baby has a different personality. I have the papers to schedule my ultrasound anytime in the next two weeks, but am waiting to schedule that until after tomorrow's appointment.

Lots of stuff....

2007-11-06T22:46:00.000-05:00

Today was a busy day, I guess you would say. Yesterday, I realized our youngest cat, Chelsea, had not come home all weekend, which was very unusual for her. I thought of her on sunday, but assumed I just had not been the one to let her in and she was just hiding out somewhere here in the house. I searched down the road a bit, around our yard, and talked with both neighbors. My neighbor across the street had seen a white cat (she's half white) a few nights ago, hopping around holding up a paw as if it was injured. Long story short, about 45 minutes after looking for her, Chelsea came home. She laid on the couch after a little while, and I sat beside her. She kept meowing when I would pet her back, as if she was in pain. After several hours, she got up and acted very stiff. She seemed to be tender on one front leg. I was very concerned that she had possibly been hit by a car. She just was not herself. First thing this morning, I called my vet and got a 10:30 appointment. I felt better about the situation as she felt good enough to climb the stairs last night and even hop on our bed and purr the night away. I took that as a good sign but felt it was probably still a good idea to have her checked over. After a thorough examination, during which our happy kitty purred the whole time, it was determined that she has a fractured rib. The vet told me that cats front legs are not held in place by a socket or joint of any kind, just muscles. The muscles that control the leg that seemed to be tender runs over her rib cage. Her leg was not hurt at all, it just hurt her to extend that leg fully. She's on pain meds for a week, and we cannot pick her up or hold her. Even petting should be limited to her head as its still a possibility of her puncturing her lung with the fractured rib. The vet thought that since she already seemed very improved since last night, that we should likely see a quick and full recovery. I was so happy to hear that. When asked what he thought could have caused this injury, he didn't think it was a cat fight. It was definitely blunt force trauma of some sort. He didn't think she was hit by a car or he would have seen more injuries most likely. He said the injury was consistent with something like her being kicked by a horse or something similar. We don't have horses on this end of the street, so we really have no idea what happened.

My poor mom had to rush from taking my great aunt to the hospital for some testing all the way out here to watch the kids so I could take the cat in. I'm so thankful she is around and willing to help like that. The kids all love spending time with Nana.

Noah had only one major accident today. He was so good about going on the potty when I asked him to, and even went poopy on it. We were really proud.

After watching the kids all day, then sending them home for the evening, it was time to vote. I really believe strongly in voting and feel that a person has no right to complain about government if they don't even take the time to vote. They lose that right. This year, even I considered not voting in this election. Our town government officials were actually running unopposed this year, and there were only 2 other offices, I believe that I could have even voted for. Nonetheless, I still went out. Its setting a good example for the kids, and I feel like its the right thing to do.

Then, it was dinner time. That was easy since I had made soup in the crock pot this AM and bread in my bread maker this afternoon. That made clean up easy and allowed me to get right to work making more jam. I hope to finish making the jam tomorrow, which will leave me thursday evening to decorate the jars and get everything ready for saturday. I feel like I got a lot accomplished. I'm really relieved that my kitty is doing better and quite happy with Noah's consistancy on the potty thus far.

Noah "one liners"

2007-11-05T10:04:00.000-05:00

You can tell that Noah is in the midst of potty training with the one liners he has come up with. I honestly don't know where he gets this stuff, as I don't remember ever having said any of them.

Noah: "Don't drink pee...its yucky!"

Noah: "Don't eat poop...its gross!"

Noah: "Don't pee on the wall!" (said as he was pointing to his bedroom wall)

I just don't even know what to say to that, other than laugh, and say, "You're right, Noah!"

Update

2007-11-01T09:36:00.000-04:00

After several frustrating days of many accidents and only mild success in the potty training arena, I think we may have turned a corner last night. I made a big deal of having Noah show Daddy how he pee's into his little potty chair by standing in front of it. This is his preferred way of going. He ended up using the potty successfully about 4 or 5 times in 2 hours time last night. I think some candy and gum were great incentives for him to go. Although we don't take the kids out to trick or treat, my parents and sister sent some candy home last night with Matt. It was quite a bit, and we were grateful. Daddy told Noah that he could not have any of it unless he used the potty. Well, within a few minutes he was cheering for himself because he had gone. At this point, I don't care if my child eats a pound of candy per day for the next few days, I just want him in the habit of going potty in his potty chair. The candy was a Godsend!

This morning we awoke to no power. It was not just our house or even our street, but several towns were affected. The local school district had to start 2 hours late because they didn't have power at the school. Sometimes its fun to have a little change to our normal routine. I'm grateful that Matt woke up at 6:25 and noticed the clock wasn't working. He was able to take a shower by candlelight and eat breakfast by candlelight before leaving for work on time. About ten minutes after he left the power came on, and I was able to enjoy the morning news. While I don't necessarily crave change, I sometimes do like to change things up a bit. Matt used to laugh at me so much because I really enjoy changing the furniture around in rooms. Its been harder to do in this house, just because of our layout, but I still love trying out new things like that.

As I type, Noah had his first success of the morning....YES!!!! Boy, does that feel good.

In my spare time (notice the sarcasm?), I make jam. I've had a fair amount of success selling it. I usually participate in a couple of craft shows near the holidays, and both my sisters have been amazing at offering to sell it at their work. They each bring in the same amount I make at a craft show! Anyways, my first of 3 sales this year takes place a week from saturday. As of yesterday AM, I had zero jars of jam made! Yes, it was a little frightening. I started making some last night and was only able to make 18 jars because I was much lower on pectin than I thought I was. The next 8 days will find me making an additional 300 plus jars of jam, then decorating the jars with fabric and a handwritten tag, and a sticker on the bottom. Yes, its a lot of work, but its still profitable to me. This year, Lord willing, I hope to make enough to buy new living room furniture in January. It will be the first time ever that we have had a new couch and loveseat. I'm getting excited, but I also don't want to count my chickens before my eggs hatch.

Last, but not least, we have a man coming out tonight to give us an estimate on new windows. Ours must be at least 50 years old, I would guess. They are single layer glass, with individual panes for each little square of the window. They have been falling out and breaking, etc. We were originally going to wait until our next tax return, but a local company is offering 25% off right now, with 0% interest for a year. If the estimate is good, we'll take advantage of the sale, and pay off the windows with our tax return. It will give us new windows through the coldest months of the year, as well. We'll see how it goes tonight....

My Saturday

2007-10-28T14:08:00.000-04:00

My Saturday, that was supposed to find me at home alllll day, actually found me in SuperWalmart with Noah. I ran out of cat food friday night, so I had no option but to run out. Because we live in a tiny town, which only has a couple of tiny stores, my options were limited unless I went to Wegmans or the SuperWalmart. Yes, I could have picked up a small bag of cat food at one of those tiny stores, but it probably would not have been my 3 cats normal brand, thus causing vomit. I don't like cleaning up vomit. Not cat, not human, not dog...you get it. It was worth the extra drive to get a huge bag of their normal brand of food just to not have to clean up kitty vomit. Whenever I go to SuperWalmart, I try to plan ahead. I don't like to have to shop numerous times per week because I simply forgot to pick up an item or two needed for a recipe. It worked out well in that Matt called me while I was still shopping to have me pick him up a new circular saw. His had bit the dust, and without a new one, our bathroom project was on hold. Hoping to make some progress in the bathroom, I was more than happy to oblige.

It was a productive day. I didn't do the one thing that I thought I would...put Noah in underpants and sit him on his potty. But, I did get so much cleaning and other things done around the house. My house was almost sparkling this morning, which really just started my day off right. I don't know if that is pathetic that the state of my house can alter my mood, or if it just means I should try all that much harder to keep it clean so I'm less stressed. Regardless, I felt like cleaning even more, which I'm off to do now.

The neighbor children, Peter and Emma, who are 5 and 6, respectively, will probably come play with Rylee and Noah later, which just delights my kids. Peter and Emma are really good kids, so it isn't a bother to invite them over. The best part is that I don't have to drive to pick them up!

As we speak my hardworking, sweet hubby is picking up a new drill bit so he can continue work on our bathroom. It seems like projects easily take at least 4 times longer than you plan on them taking, but at least I'm seeing some progress. Because of the small size of the room, he's been working alone so far. While I have helped in all aspects of laying tile (in our kitchen and other bathroom), I'm grateful this project has mostly been a one man job. Maybe when we lay tile I'll pitch in and help.

Noah, tired from a trip to Walmart with Mommy, fell asleep on my shoulder last night around 7:15. He stayed that way for over an hour and a half before I asked Matt to take him to bed for me. I loved every second of it. While Noah is a very cuddly little guy, he usually doesn't let me hold and cuddle him for that long, so it was such a treat. It makes me all the more anxious to meet this new baby I'm carrying. Newborns just love to held and snuggled. I'm already looking forward to kissing those chubby cheeks my kids seem to be born with. Five more months!

Potty training and comparisons

2007-10-26T17:31:00.000-04:00

Last night I commented to Matt that potty training was exhausting. I literally felt tethered to the potty chair. I was afraid to leave the room for more than a minute. My house, which has been undergoing a good cleaning this week, at least up until yesterday, was a wreck last night. This morning found us at homeschooling group lessons. This is a seasonal event where on fridays, we can sign our children up for age appropriate classes. They (our kids) are out of the house socializing, doing fun science (or other) experiments, and I get to mingle with other homeschool parents. Because of this, Noah was in a diaper all morning. When we returned home, it was time for lunch, then nap. Tonight we will spend 4 to 5 hours running the coffeehouse at our church. We bring our kids along. They think its great fun and beg to come. They especially like the shakes and smoothies we make for them. Once again, Noah will be in a diaper. The good news is that I have plans to be home allllllll day tomorrow....I LOVE that! Nothing is more frustrating than having a saturday filled with obligations, especially boring ones. Tomorrow, Matt and I hope to do the bulk of our bathroom renovations that we started back in June. That story, my friends, is a whole other post! That means that Noah can be in underpants and back to training again.

I was thinking this morning, as I sat looking around at the other homeschool parents. I was thinking about how I have a really bad habit of comparing myself to others. I think its mostly bad for me, in that I often come out feeling like I'm holding the short end of the stick. Why do we do this to ourselves? Is it our personality? Is it insecurity? I think probably a little of both. Most of my comparisons tend to be with others in similar situations as myself. "She has two kids, just like I do, and her house is sooooo clean you could eat of the floor." I have to remind myself that not everything is at is seems on the surface. Some of my friends have help sometimes with a professional cleaner. That is actually what I do every other weekend for a family, thereby subtracting those precious hours from my house and family. I also have friends who have decided that in this season of their life that they are not able to really volunteer or commit to anything more than sunday AM attendance at their church. Being that we attend a smaller church, which forces everyone to wear a variety of "hats" so to speak, I work plenty at church. It also makes a difference that the head pastor is my father, and that one of the associate pastors is my husband. Do you ever feel as if your time is not truly your own? Well, it really isn't....it belongs to God but he gives us choices to make in how we spend it.

Do you do this to yourself? I know I cannot be the only one. I know its not how God judges me. I know he isn't holding me up to the measuring stick of everyone else. I think the only way I can stop this is to make a true effort to recognize it when I do it, and put a stop to it. I have to remember that I am "fearfully and wonderfully made". If God feels that way about me, even knowing I have sticky orange juice spills on my tile floor and crumbs stuck in the folds of my sofa slipcovers, then who am I to question him?

Potty training

2007-10-25T11:23:00.000-04:00

Well, I think Murphy's Law also extends to potty training as well. After deciding yesterday that today was the day to really work with Noah on potty training, I started him off first thing on the potty chair. I had him sit on it for quite a while, and nothing was happening. Wanting to be a considerate mommy and give his poor buns a rest (and also remembering Rylee walking around with a huge red ring around her butt from sitting on the potty too long when she was training), I put him in his underpants and shirt. No jeans. Within about 5 minutes he had an accident. Thank God for hardwood floors that clean easily. Well, we have had two accidents now this AM. He did manage to go potty once while sitting on his potty chair, however his....ummm...."pee-pee"...wasn't pointed in the downward direction and it actually made a puddle at his feet instead of the potty chair container. I was still proud of him.

I decided to have Brock join Noah as well today in this potty training adventure. For those who don't know, Brock is my nephew. He is 28 days younger than Noah and I watch him full time. My sister has really done a great job training him already. He did manage to have 2 accidents as well, but has gone 4 times on the potty chair so far. He manages to aim perfectly. Any chance you can help Noah out with that, Brock?

I have to say that the two of them look absolutely adorable sitting side by side on their potty's in the living room. If I were mean I would snap a picture. Alas, our digital camera bit the dust and the new one should arrive in another week or 10 days.

Noah was actually pretty scared to even sit on the potty chair at first. Forget the big toilet. Even with the potty seat over the regular seat, it still really freaks him out. I finally broke it down for him....

"Noah, when the new baby comes, its going to need diapers to wear, so you need to be a big boy and start going potty in the potty chair!"

Being the sweet and generous child that he is, Noah stated, "baby can go potty in my potty chair!" This was his way of saying, "let me keep the diapers, you can use my potty chair for the baby!"

I had to explain the baby will be too young and too small to use his potty. After bribing him with juice and reading his favorite book, he agreed to give it a try. Within a few minutes he was actually enjoying himself. I think he felt he had his very own personal chair in front of the TV to watch Clifford from.

Right now he's using his rear to scoot the potty seat around with him so he can still play with his toy motorcycle all over the living room. It almost reminds me of how dogs sometimes scoot their rear along carpets.

Well, I told you this would be exciting. I know you have to agree, and are actually on the edge of your seat waiting for my next update. I promise not to keep you hanging too long : )

Here we go...

2007-10-25T10:20:00.000-04:00

Well, after being thoroughly amused and entranced by reading several friends blogs, I thought maybe I would give my own a try. Do I have an abundance of time on my hands and no things to fill it with? HARDLY! In fact, time was a major consideration when deciding whether or not to do my own blog. It basically came down to this: I am HORRIBLE at keeping a journal or diary, or even updating my kids Baby Books. I am a much faster typer than writer, and I enjoy spending time on the computer. Even if nobody but little 'ole me reads this thing, then I will at least have accomplished journaling some of my thoughts and progress of my children. I will feel better about that alone. Also, what a great way to keep in touch with those I don't always get to speak to regularly. At first, I thought my own blog was a little "self serving". Really, what things of interest do I have to speak about? But, I don't ever feel that way reading other's blogs, so why should I feel that way about my own? Besides, I am not forcing anyone to read this. So, if you ever find yourself with a few extra minutes of time on your hands and find yourself very, very bored....ummm....look me up!