Dairy Farm

This past weekend we took the kids to a local dairy farm.

What a great time we had! We only had to pay $5 for each of us (except Grace) to take the tour. We had to put on these great hats to go into the bottling room and see how they store, pasteurize and bottle the milk. We also got to see how they clean the glass bottles before they are filled up.

Then we went to see how the cows are milked. They are lined up 6 at a time. We found out that each cow produces 3-5 gallons of milk a day!

The final stop was in the barn where they keep the baby calves. You could pet, brush and let them suck on your fingers. My two vets in the future seem to be Carter and Grace. They loved being that close to the animals. Also in the barn we were allowed to try hand milking an adult cow. That was much easier than we all thought it would be.

We were also given samples of the different flavors of milk, cheese, butter and ice cream that they make there on the farm. We loved it so much that we bought some banana and strawberry flavored milk and some butter.

We can't wait for the finish of their new building as it will be better to conduct tours. We will definitely be going back as long as they keep their prices down. I loved that we got all that for only $5 and then could spend more on their product.

I have Celiac Disease

Today I found out that I have Celiac Disease.

I've decided to start a new blog about this part of my life. It will only be about my journey with diagnosing this disease and how I will be moving forward. There are going to be big changes, but I am ready to feel better and live a healthier life.

http://myceliacdiseasestory.blogspot.com

Day 5 Stone Mountain Park-Thursday (7-16-09)

We spent the morning around the house letting the kids play with Scott's old toys. He has some old school Star Wars and Fisher Price toys the kids love.

After lunch we were off to Stone Mountain Park. I thought the girls would sleep on the way, but they didn't. The weather was warm, but not unbearable and we made it before rush hour traffic kicked in.

We set our blankets down on the lawn to save our place for the laser show, then we went to look around the shops. The shops are set up like a little mining town and are all new since the last time Scott and I were there. That was my first trip to Atlanta when we were dating, in 1998.

We stopped in a glass blowing shop and watched a demonstration. I liked it so much I was going to buy a glass flower like the one they had just made. Scott's parents were kind enough to get it for me. Then we went on and found an outside storyteller. He had his own little theatre set up so he could act like a character in the old times. The kids liked his stories, but Grace and Carter almost fell asleep. After another shop, we found a stream meant for cooling your feet. Scott's mom and the kids took off their shoes and ran through it for a while. At the end of the street was a multi-leveled ropes course. They wouldn't let us walk around and just look, but we had already decided that there was enough to do at the park that next time we would buy the pass for all the activities. This will probably be around $150 for my family.

After the boys bought themselves toy guns, we were off to the lawn to wait for Scott and his dad to get dinner. The kids loved being able to run around on such a big piece of land! We checked out the pond that was close to the mountain and ended up playing some games we had brought along.

The lawn quickly filled with people, and then a couple of vendors set up shop right in front of us! They were selling to glow sticks and toys that light up. We asked if they would be moving before the show started, and they assured us that they would. But Scott wasn't so sure, so he moved the blankets to the side. Good thing he did, seeing how the pair was still there probably 10min into the show!

It was a pretty impressive show! Most of the lights were shown onto the side of the mountain, but some were shining on the trees around the lawn and over your heads. I would definitely go see it again. I hear that it is always changing.

All the kids, except Malea, fell asleep on the way home. I couldn't believe she didn't sleep! I think that was the longest she has ever been awake.

Day 7 Just Hanging Out With the Family-Saturday (7-18-09)

Today is the last full day in Atlanta. Tomorrow we head to the beach!

It is a cool day, so we decided to go back to the park. Scott's parents have bought a kite and some water rockets for the kids and they need an open space to play with them. If you haven't been to Atlanta, it is covered with pine trees. My in-laws have a small front yard, but the sides and entire back are packed with tall pines. So, there is not much room and that is why we went to the park to play.

There was a breeze, but it came and went. Scott tried for what seemed like forever to get that kite to fly, but it wasn't having it. It would go up a little then nose dive to the ground. I know he was frustrated since another guy had his kite up for a while, but he kept at it. Finally, he gave up and we all played at the playground.

After the park, we decided to hit the near-by Mickey D's (as Malea likes to call it) and have a late lunch. We ate out on the picnic tables since it was such a wonderful day. After, we let the kids play on the indoor playground. Malea made a friend and Grace even went up by herself.

We started for home when my father-in-law realized he'd lost the keys to the house. He could not find them at McDonald's. We went to the house hoping the neighbor was home that had an extra key. She was not. We went back to the park to look there. My father-in-law was dropping money for the boys to "find" earlier and we thought he may have accidentally dropped it there. Yes he did! Thankfully we found the key and could go to the house.

We went back to the house and just hung out for the evening since it was our last night there for a few days and we wouldn't be staying long on the way back home.

Day 6 Atlanta Braves Baseball-Friday (7-17-09)

This morning we went back to the tennis courts and the neighborhood pool. Once again, we had the pool to ourselves. It really makes us wish we had our own in our backyard. I am sure we would get plenty of use out of it, especially with our kids.

The kids were worn out and took great naps. We went on to an early dinner before meeting Scott's brother and wife at the Atlanta Braves baseball game. We ate at Smokey Bones. I have really liked that place in the past and we don't have one back home. Unfortunately, it didn't settle well tonight.

We ran into traffic, of course, on the way to the game. We were following the GPS, but Scott decided to try a different route to save time. We ended up in the hood and unable to exit to the ball field where we wanted. So, we went on and found another way there. We found some parking lots about 5 blocks away, the ones where you pay the guy standing at the entrance. But the difference here was that he waved us on and let us park and then come back to pay. I wonder what happens to the cars where the people skip out on payment. We saw plenty of people that were looking over their shoulders as they were walking to the stadium.

After we park, Carter and Logan tell me they need to use the restroom. Logan says he can wait til we get to the stadium, but Carter cannot. I decide to let him go in an empty water bottle (easy for boys to do) and put it on the ground next to an empty beer bottle. When we returned it was missing! The beer bottle was still there. I am so hoping someone didn't think it was beer and try to drink it! Yuck!

Anyway, we went on to the game and met David and Stephanie. Of course, Scott's mom and his brother argue on which side of the stadium our seats are on and we follow David. He was wrong and we had to walk all the way around! It was a long journey with a 1 1/2 yr. old. We sat in the middle section out in left field. They were pretty good seats. I should also say, that my seat, of course, had dried pop on it and I sat down on it. It then stained my backside and I couldn't get it all out.

The Braves won 11-0! It was Friday night fireworks and we were excited to see them. Unfortunately, our seats were directly under where they were going to be setting them off. The ushers had us move, so we decided to go out of the stadium and sit on the grass across the street. We couldn't believe how many people were leaving the stadium! They just kept coming out. Finally, after about a 1/2 hour, the fireworks began! What a great show! It really was good.

Day 4 Misunderstood Plans-Wednesday (7-15-09)

This morning we went to the neighborhood tennis courts. Scott and I used to play tennis all the time when we lived in apartments, back in the day. But now, I could hardly get one in bounds! Then I hurt my shoulder (the one I hurt on the tubing trip the day before) and it was getting really hot. So we went next door and jumped in the pool. The boys swam the length of the pool and raced the width. Logan only won by one stroke! Malea played with her Ariel while Grace swam around in her ring.

The plan was to wear the kids out in the morning so they would all take good naps then off to Stone Mountain to sight see, shop and watch the night laser light show. Problem was the stupid Atlanta traffic! The kids didn't go down for naps til 2 and I didn't know we needed to leave at 3. It would have been fine for the boys, but the girls need a longer nap. So we decided to go the next night when we could plan better.

We waited for the kids to get up, then we went to mini golf. Wow! Another expensive venture, but we all had fun. Grace played around and didn't get bored til the 17th hole. Malea played with us the first half then just shot the first stroke on the rest of the holes. Carter is my good golfer and beat Logan. Scott and I tied! I never play as good as I did tonight!

We went back to the house and Scott grilled hot dogs, burgers and brats fro dinner. I don't know if I was super hungry or it just tasted wonderful, but it was a great meal!

Day 3 Helen, GA-Tuesday (7/14/09)

Woke up to promising weather! Everyone got ready then we were off to Helen. Helen is a little German town in the northern hills of Georgia. A great place for Oktober Fest.

Our first stop were the Anna Ruby Falls. You have to hike to them, but the trail is paved and is only about 1/2 mile. Grace made it, no problem. Scott and I hadn't been there since we were dating, so it was nice to go back again with the kids. Thankfully, we didn't see any snakes, just a millipede which we all inspected.

Next, we went back to town to go tubing down the Chattahoochee river (more of a stream in this location). Tubing really is a fun activity. We went on the long run which last about 2 hours. We tied our tubes together and made more of a raft. The 6 of us were probably the largest group going down the river! Thankfully, my in-laws knew to bring the walking sticks as there are many rocks to get hung up on. Logan loved it so much, that after 2 hours he still wanted to go down again!

We did a little shopping in the tourist town. I was sad to find out that our shop that made specialized hand-dipped candles went out of business. We bought our wedding candles there.

Day 2 Museum and Pasta-Monday (7/13/09)

Well, woke up to a weather report of a significant chance of rain in the mountains. So, we'll try for Helen tomorrow. Scott looked around on-line and found a museum that had dinosaur bones and fossils. It is the Fernbank Museum. Scott's brother took the day off. He and his wife met us there.

I thought this place was expensive for what they had, but I must admit, I have never seen so many different dinosaur bones. The boys really enjoyed seeing them too as we've read about dinosaurs for years.

The top floor was especially for kids. They had 2 imaginary play rooms that had multi-themes and a hands-on science discovery room. Here we played with big bubbles, saw a tornado and many things that played tricks with your eyes.

We stopped for lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory. We used to have one back home, but it closed down. This place was special to Scott and me as we used to go there frequently when we were dating. It didn't let us down; it tasted so good! I got the chicken, broccoli and mushroom fettuccini alfredo-recommended!

After lunch the kids fell asleep in the van and Scott and his mom went to some stores to look for a new laptop. They were unsuccessful, but one clerk said she'd overnight the one for Savannah.

We went back to the house and went swimming in the neighborhood pool. Dinner was dessert and then off to bed.

First Day of Vacation- Sunday (7/12/09)

Sunday was not an overly active day as we all were still recovering from the big drive the day before.

We went to Kennesaw Mountain to watch a Civil War reenactment of shooting the cannons. We thought we were going to see an actual battle with a thousand men, but I guess that was 2 weeks prior. Anyway, it was interesting since I didn't know much about the cannons. I learned about each person's job and the type of shot they would place in it.

Then we were off to find some girl toys to keep at my in-laws so the girls would have something to play with. They have kept quite a few toys, but they only had boys so there was nothing much for the girls.

Scott's brother and his wife met us back at the house. The girls and I took a nap while everyone else played cards and the boys played with the toys. After naps we went to a new park and then to dinner at a pizza/cal zone place-Mellow Mushroom-recommend it.

Back at the house to give baths and get to bed. Hopefully going to Helen, GA to shop and go tubing down the river tomorrow.

Driving to Atlanta-Part 3 (7/11/09)

The rest of the trip was pretty typical for our family. The youngest 3 took short naps after lunch. We drove for a couple of hours then stopped to get gas in Marion, IL.

The weather was looking bad, and we found out the Marion had just had a severe thunderstorm with hail. Thankfully, we missed it!

I took over the driving for 3 hours while Scott tried to rest while the kids watched a movie. But the kids didn't stay quiet for long, so Scott didn't get much of a nap.

We stopped at Sonic for dinner. We decided to get our and eat at the picnic tables to stretch. I think Scott and I were starting to get annoyed with it all. I accidentally spilled a drink which he didn't respond very well to and the kids didn't want to eat much, which I didn't like much. To top it off, we piled in the van to hit the local Target for a potty break, and when we arrived, Malea was missing a shoe! I had to carry her to the bathroom and back. When we returned, I remembered that the sliding door has a storage pocket. I asked Scott if her shoe was in there. It was!

Back in the car with everything we needed, we were off for the last 3 hours of the drive. Thankfully, the last 1 1/2-2 hours were quiet as all were asleep (except Logan since he took a good nap before dinner, and he played some games).

We arrived safely at my in-laws after 12 hours of drive time and a total of 16 1/2 of travel time!

St. Louis Zoo-Driving to Atlanta-Part 2 (7/11/09)

Road construction in St. Louis wasn't in the GPS, so we got a little lost on the way to the zoo. After many turns to get back on track, we finally made it. But literally as we are pulling into the parking lot, it starts to rain! It lets up to a sprinkle as we are walking in, but after potty breaks, it is a downpour! We huddled under a big bush til it let up then headed to the reptile house and monkey house. Both were indoors. After those 2 exhibits, we were on our way to all the outdoor animals.

St. Louis Zoo is wonderful! All the animals are close enough to see, and the ones that need bigger areas have multiple places to stop and see them. So you should always be able to get a good look.

Another great exhibit there is the indoor penguin and puffin habitat. It's pretty cold in there, but you can see them swim and stand up on the land. We really enjoyed this particular puffin swimming, splashing, and showing off.

Probably the best exhibit for our family was the hippos. The exhibit was half in the water, half on land with a thick glass front where you could stand up close and see them. One just kept swimming in circles so we could really see him! Malea especially enjoyed the hippos!

After 3 hours at the zoo, we were off to grab some fast food and hit the road til dinner.

Driving to Atlanta-Part 1 (Saturday 7/11/09)

Today is the first day of our vacation! We are driving to Atlanta. We would love to fly, but those days seem to be in the past for us. We would have to buy 5 tickets, rent a car and somehow manage the kids, luggage and car seats too. Even though driving seems long and miserable, this is how we are going to have to travel from now on and we better get used to it.

My mom was kind enough to give each of the kids a small canvas bag full of snacks, books and toys to help keep them entertained. We also have movies to watch, Vsmile and Leap pad to play, and workbooks to work on. Hopefully, this trip will go smoothly.

This is a 12 hour drive, but we are planning on stopping at the St. Louis Zoo for a few hours on the way. We hope that will wear them out and after we eat lunch, they should be out for a few hours. Then a few hour after that, we'll have dinner and then the last leg on to Atlanta.

That is the plan anyway. So, we'll see how it goes.

Getting Ready for Vacation (Friday 7/10/09)

Tomorrow we leave for our 2 week long trip to Georgia. I've been getting ready all week. I'm packing a bag of snacks, a bag of movies and a cooler for drinks. I've filled the van with gas and gotten the money from the bank. I've also put a stop on our mail and made sure all the bills are paid.

So today is dedicated to doing all the laundry and packing all the suitcases. Scott it trying to get off a little early so he can change the oil in the van and rotate the tires. He is also going to mow the lawn.

I started the morning by washing the towels and sheets and realized my washer and dryer were taking longer than usual. "Great, of course when I really need to do laundry!" is all I could think. Thankfully I figured that the outside lent trap was full, so the dryer began working better and the washer did better with the clothes, too. I don't know why it wouldn't spin the towels and sheets better, but I'll deal with it another day.

The best part of the packing for me was realizing I could get all 2 weeks worth of clothes for the kids and close to for Scott and me. I absolutely hate doing laundry n vacation and take all necessary routes to avoid it-even packing for 2 weeks! Now, I just hope the kids don't get so dirty they need multiple outfits a day. I will have to do some laundry for Scott and myself, but I hope I can just do one load.

A Lesson for Logan (Friday 7/10/09)

Tonight Logan broke both of his sandals! They were the generic Teva-type sandals with the velcro straps. I had been noticing he would bend the front part back on itself and stand on them. On more than one occasion, I told him to stop because he would break them. Then tonight while helping Scott change the oil on the van, he broke them.

I was so upset with him! I decided that he was going to have to pay for his next pair. Thankfully, I called a store that was having a sale and they had one pair in his size left. They were only going to be about $4!

I was excited about the sale but I also didn't want him to have to pay too much out of his bank to learn this lesson. Hopefully he doesn't think "it's no big deal" and takes care of this pair.

Why Do Only Girls Do Certain Stupid Things?

Sometimes I really hate being a girl. Let's face it, sometimes we do stupid things.

We were going out of town for my mother's birthday and the 4th of July. I spent the morning finishing laundry, packing the kids and cleaning the kitchen. I decided since Scott told me he would be getting off early, we would have time to get family pictures taken.

I knew the pictures would take a while, but I didn't think an hour and a half! Then, Scott told me he had to go back to work for a while and didn't know when he'd be able to get off.

I took the kids home and fed them. I then finished up the packing. I decided to fore go naps so the kids would sleep away part of the trip.

Two hours later, Scott still was not home and the girls were at their limits. I decided to help Scott by packing up the van. We usually do this by backing it up into the garage. Now, I am not good at backing up, and can admit that. But today I did a great job! I was able to get it all the way in, except a couple inches of the front end.

I popped the back hatch and loaded it up. Then, I thought, "Scott may not be home for a couple more hours. I'll try to scooch the van in a little more so I can close the garage door." I left the hatch open so we could still put in Scott's stuff.

I proceeded to back up and ran the back door into some storage shelving! Of course I get out and what do I see? Scott driving up and pulling in! I almost cried. I could do nothing.

I bent the bottom of the door so much the paint flaked, torqued the door since I hit only one side and not straight on, and bent the vertical angle so it wouldn't close properly. Thankfully, Scott was able to bend all 3 areas so it works now, but really! I didn't hit it that hard, and yet so much damage!

Only a girl would do this, I'm sure. And I know this will go down in the memory book to be brought up year after year.

Hopefully, the rest of our weekend will go much better.

Wonderful Morning to Have a Family Bike Ride

Yesterday we took our family on a morning bike ride. We like to find paved trails to ride. We have been riding just one trail that is relatively close to our home. It curves around a small lake and is mostly shady. We have a great time there, usually packing a picnic and enjoying the outdoors.

I have been wanting to try new places and a guy at work told me about some new trails. I was very excited because it was at a bigger lake and there are different trails to pick from. This lake is an Army Corp of Engineers lake, so no one can build houses on it. The trails go right along the coastline. Sometimes you are in shade, but mostly are out in the open and able to enjoy the view.

Since this was the first time there, we didn't know the trails. And we didn't notice that there was a map of them at the entrance. The boys rode their bikes and Scott and I each had a girl on the back of ours. We were off. We instantly loved this new place. The trails were paved, curvy and not much hills. The mile markers were marked clearly and we were able to ride 4 miles before turning around to head back to the car.

We stopped near a shallow area and rested and got some water. The kids had fun throwing rocks into the lake and seeing if they could skip them. I just longed to be on a boat having fun skiing, tanning, or just zipping around. Maybe someday.

Carter became very tired on the way back. Scott and I noticed his bike was getting a little too small for him. He would have had an easier time on a bigger bike so hit little legs wouldn't have to go around so fast. But he kept up and we made it back.

I was shocked to see that we had been gone on this ride for an hour and a half! The boys did great. The weather was awesome too. It was high 70s at the time with a little breeze and very low humidity! What a perfect morning.

We ended it at McDonald's for lunch and let the kids play in the outdoor playplace. I hope to repeat this morning often.

Vanity

I'm not sure when my vanity began. I'm not proud of it, but it's still there. I want to teach/show my children that being vain is in no way a good thing. I know already that I am failing in this venture. My daughters especially, see me doing my hair and putting on make-up. They ask about it and now even want lip gloss for themselves. They are only 3 and 1 year of age.

I do think it is good to take pride in ones self, but there is a line. I do believe I have crossed the line. Do I plan to change my attitude towards it, probably not.

Earlier this year I had lasik eye surgery to get rid of my glasses. I did this because I have been forced into wearing glasses for the last 7 years. I have hated every minute of it. I was supposed to have received the surgery for a college graduation gift from my mother, but that fell through. I didn't mind wearing contacts, but then I developed an astigmatism and was unable to wear the contacts any longer. About that time I became pregnant with Logan and was either nursing my children or pregnant pretty much the whole 7 years. With that part of my life over, I had the surgery. I have never regretted my decision. It is wonderful to be able to see all of the time!

I have now decided that I would love to have a breast augmentation. I used to be happy with my breasts, but now, after nursing the 4 kiddos, I am extremely unhappy. I have tried to be fine with it, but deep down I am not. I would like the surgery sooner rather than later for me and my kids' sake. I would like them to not remember anything about it being done just for the fact that I don't want them to think their body is not good enough. I know this screams vainness, but I can't seem to shake it.

I am afraid that if I do go through with this new surgery that I could very well become addicted to plastic surgery and procedures that make you look better. Good thing for me is that we really don't have money to spend on these and I hate to spend money on things that I don't see as a necessity (unless it's a vacation, and that is necessary sometimes).

Boosting Self-Image

As a mostly stay-at-home mom/wife, I sometimes feel like a slob and not a vibrant woman. I don't keep a very good house and often wear work-out type clothes and don't do my hair. I usually save my nicer clothes and make-up for Wal-mart and Sam's trips. No kidding. Going anywhere is an occasion to dress nicely for me. I don't even have to dress up for work. I work at a hospital and wear scrubs, which are like scratchy pj's. Mind you that dressing nicely for me is wearing anything other than the work-out clothes. I don't mean dresses and skirts. No, just some nice shorts/jeans and a nice top.

When one acts like this it is often a downward slope into not feeling girly or sexy. So, when I realize that I haven't been flirted with or even looked at in years (other than by my husband), I feel out of touch with society. It makes a girl feel good to think she's still desirable to others. I know my husband sees me as sexy and hot, which is a great thing since we've been married for 9 years, but it really boosts the self image when a stranger confirms it.

Scott has been working out more and has now lost about 15 pounds. I am so proud of him. I'll even admit that he definitely looks hotter now! He has told me on a few occasions how girls are coming up to him at work and commenting on his loss. One has even told him that she has noticed him before but now he is looking much better and to keep up the great work.

Now I haven't gotten jealous about these comments because I know he is committed to me, and I also know that this makes him feel better about himself. It really does make one feel better about themselves when positive comments are made directly to you.

All this being said, I do not feel guilty but rather flattered that a random guy trying to sell pest control at my door last night flirted with me. I'm sure it was mostly to get me to buy his product, but it made me feel good. I stay at home and no one flirts with me anymore. I used to love to flirt. I was just a tease most of the time, but it was fun. Scott knows I'm committed to him and should not have been jealous, but he was.

It is kind of cute that he still gets jealous. I know he loves me and sometimes worries we'll get divorced because everyone in my family is divorced. But that is exactly why we won't. I love him and am committed to him and our relationship. I do not want for me, him, and our kids what I had growing up-a broken family.

But it is nice to feel desirable by others, even though they can't have me!

Father's Day '09

I felt a little bad about Father's Day this year. I didn't get my husband a gift from me or the kids. We have been trying to save money and I was really busy last week. Not really a good excuse.

That being said, I did try to make it a nice day for him. We had breakfast in bed for him followed by the card giving. I tried to pick out really nice cards that told him how we all feel about him. Then we all headed to a fancy pool.

This pool is awesome! It has 2 large slides, a lazy river, kid playground in the water and an Olympic sized pool where you can actually dive off the side. This pool also had low and high diving boards.

We got there right when it opened and got a great spot to put our stuff in the shade. We played for a good 2 hours and left to grab a bite to eat. We came back and spent another 3 hours playing.

Probably the best part, for me, was seeing my 2 little boys go off the diving board for the first time! I really didn't think they were ready for it, but Scott was comfortable, so we let them go. Logan did wonderful. He learned to open his eyes under water and could swim directly to the ladder. He even went off the high dive a couple of times! Carter also did well. He too learned to open his eyes and could swim to the side. Problem for him came when he wanted to go off the board one more time while Scott and Logan were at the high dive. I told him I would be there at the ladder for him, but he wanted me in the water. When he came up after his jump, I was on the side instead. He panicked. I had to jump in and coax him to the side. That was enough for him that day.

We all had a really good time. Unfortunately, we all got burned despite the 55+ sunblock I put on everyone (even reapplied). All were tired and took a short nap on the way home. I didn't buy a gift this year, but I hope the memories we had at the pool will always be with him (and me) to cherish and look back on.

Happy Father's Day Scott and to all!

9th Anniversary

This year we celebrated our 9 year anniversary! One more year 'til the big 1-0.

Looking back it has gone by so fast. We started our life together in an apartment that we were planning on being in for at least a year. Then I got to thinking. Let's get a house. I don't remember why I wanted to move so quickly, but Scott indulged me and we looked and found our first home. We were lucky; it was brand new with money already put down from the guy that had it built. That meant we had some bargaining power and instant equity.

From there, we decided to get a dog. A golden retriever we named Ripley. He was a good dog, just a little high strung (I know he was a puppy, but we eventually moved and couldn't afford a fence. I also didn't like him scratching my hardwood floors. We found him a nice family in the country with lots of kids and running room).

We traveled to L.A. to celebrate our first anniversary since Scott worked for the airlines and we could fly for free. The second year we flew to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I was pregnant with Logan. The third year Aunt Christy came to stay the night with Logan while we went to a local theme-park hotel. I don't remember the rest sadly to say, but we added to our family a total of 4 kids. We also sold our first home, built a new home and moved into a nice neighborhood. Scott and I also changed jobs one time each.

This year though, I'm writing it down here.

Scott surprised me by getting Grace's birthstone placed in my mother's necklace. I hadn't worn it since she was born.

The kids and I went to the store to get items to have a picnic. I had wanted to surprise Scott, but events that were out of my control ruined that. Carter was hit by a bakery cart at Wal-mart and we had to fill out a report. This delayed my plans. We rushed home and made the sandwiches and things. I was going to go to Sonic for free floats, but found out they weren't available until 8pm. Good thing was I wanted to get Scott a rose and QT was close. Two birds with one stone: drinks and a flower. We met at a park and I did get to surprise him with his card and flower. He was happy and the kids were happy since they could play.

Scott got off early and we waited for his aunt and uncle to come over to watch the kids. (Thanks so much!) We went mini-golfing like we did on our first date, had some drinks and appetizers at a restaurant, and went to a movie (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past).

The weather was perfect and I really had a good time. It is nice to get out once in a while.

Anniversary Thoughts

I've been married to my wonderful husband for 9 years now. I still can't believe that much time has really gone by. It still seems like last week we were on our honeymoon (although sometimes I really wish we could go on a week long trip by ourselves and the kids would stay here with grandparents).

We went to Kauai, Hawaii. What an awesome place. It is a small island and there is not a lot of tourism there. We went snorkeling or scuba diving every day, I think. It was not a relaxing trip as we had something planned every day. There was a beach right next to the road and a parking lot that we went to often. How great to have parking right across from the beach! The inlet was near a small reef and was great for snorkeling. One of the things I remember about this place was that the drive to get there was somewhat rural at one spot and there was this awesome row of large trees that lined the road.

Back then I kept my eye on our 10 year anniversary. I knew it would be quite a milestone for me. Now it is only 1 year away!

I have been dreaming of a great vacation to celebrate. My mind keeps taking me to an all-inclusive resort. I know that they cost more, but I don't care. I want to spend the money up front and then enjoy my time there not worrying about the money. I want to be peaceful on a beach drinking fruity island drinks. I want to play in the water and do some water sports, maybe even some scuba diving. I want to sleep in and dance and party at night! I also want to be gone for a full week and not worry about the kids at home.

I have a feeling this trip might not happen just as I plan, on my anniversary, but not because of anything that we can control. And now I've decided it will be alright because my wonderful husband will be happier than he has been in a long time. He deserves this time and I know he will take me on my trip whenever it works for all involved. I love him so much and am just happy he still loves me. We will celebrate our love whenever we can, no matter where we are in a year.

Thank you Scott for 9 great years. I look forward to many, many more! I love you.

Malea's Dentist Pre-Visit

Today was our biannual visit to the dentist. I asked Scott to work from home this morning so he could watch Grace while the rest of us went to our visit. This is the first time Malea was able to go with us.


I start taking our kids to the dentist when they are 3. Malea's birthday is next week, so I thought she should start going with us. This first visit is just to watch and see what happens while we are there. The hygienist showed her all the things: the chair that moves, the bib they put around your neck, the bright light they shine in your mouth, the mirror and instruments, including "Mr. Thirsty" that drinks up the extra water in your mouth. She also had Malea smell the toothpaste and at the end, gave her a new toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and a toy!

Our office also has computer monitors that hang from the ceiling and move around. My hygienist usually will play a movie for the kids while they are waiting. Today they were allowed to watch "Finding Nemo". That was an extra treat that they all enjoy!

My little girl is a thumb sucker. This has bothered me for quite some time. I talked to the dentist about it today. Funny thing was that he knew she did just by talking to her. She does have a slight protrusion in her front teeth because of her sucking. I think I've decided to purchase a devise to help her stop sucking now rather than later. He confirmed that the earlier she stops, the better her mouth will be later. Also, her mouth should go back to the way it is supposed to be if she stops before her permanent teeth come in.

All in all, Malea enjoyed her visit. She doesn't seem too apprehensive about the office or the people. I do hope that 6 more months of maturity will also help when it comes to our next visit. She will be getting her own check-up then.

I'd Love a Personal Chef

Sometimes I really wish we had more money. I really don't think I'd live like a queen, but I would like a personal chef. I'm sure a maid wouldn't really help me since the kids would keep messing everything up. Besides, they need to learn how to pick up after themselves.

But a chef, that seems different. What do I get out of cooking for our family? Moans and groans about the food that they don't like that night, half eaten plates and a messy kitchen. I don't think I would miss some important lesson not doing the meal planning and cooking.

I would love to not have to plan meals, worry about what's for dinner or even decide what is for lunch. Breakfast seems easy for me with cereal being a big contributor to the meals. We also have pancakes, waffles, pop-tarts and breakfast burritos when Scott makes breakfast.

My kids would live on mac-n-cheese, pizza, tacos, or hot dogs if I let them. They don't like to try new things, which they get from their father, but I do. If I find something I like that is new, I don't usually make it again, since they either didn't like it or wouldn't try it the first time.

I often get stuck in a rut and feel like I'm always making the same dinner. No one helps me make a plan for the week and then they complain about the dinner I'm making. I've tried to get them to help me in the preparations, which they like to do, but then they still don't like what has been made.

I would love to have a person make healthy meals for my family with about a month's rotation to the menu. The best part would be that I wouldn't have to be taken away from the family to prepare and clean up the meals.

Logan's Story-Toddler Years

Logan started repeating everything he heard and developed a large vocabulary at about 19 months. It kept growing and growing and eventually all kinds of people were commenting on it. Family members, church members, neighbors and such all noticed. We were quite proud of him!

Scott and I built a new house and moved in about the time all this language was developing. We were one of the first finished houses on the block. Logan loved to watch the construction that was happening all around us. He would talk about the bulldozers, cement trucks and dump trucks. It was a good summer to learn about construction. We could see it before our very eyes.

This is the summer that we bought him his first baseball tee. Boy did that little guy have a great swing! I think he was just a natural born athlete. There is a lot of baseball in his genes. Scott played all his life and his first year in college and my grandfather was a pitcher in the early 1900s. We also worked on catching and throwing with him. He loved to play any sport and wanted to always be outside.

I also bought him the Leap Frog videos that teaches letters and their sounds as well as numbers. This kid learned all his letters and sounds from a song and would constantly sing it to all who would listen (stuffed animals included). His grandma couldn't believe he knew it already!

When it came time to potty train him, I think I started too early. I would sit him there before bath, which was fine, but then I tried plastic pants that didn't hold the wetness. I decided to wait for him. Then one night when I went to put him to sleep, he told me he had to go potty. I thought he was just trying to delay bedtime. I was wrong; he went! Three days later he was trained during the day and a week later trained at night. He had a few accidents, but he was done with diapers!

We were also expecting our second baby at this time, and found out Logan would be a big brother to a baby boy! When Carter was born, Logan was probably as proud as Scott and I were. He just beamed! He was very helpful trying to get things for me when I need it. He never had a problem with jealousy. He was just excited to be a big brother.

When he was 4, Malea was a part of our lives, and again he adjusted well. We decided to start him in recreational sports. Soccer would be the first followed by t-ball. Soccer was fine, but it was more like clinics and no real game. T-ball was a short practice then 1/2 hour game. He enjoyed them both, but we decided to focus on baseball.

The following summer we put him in a coach-pitch league and his skills really grew. The team was still young and many didn't know the game too well, but they all had a good time. That was good because that team didn't win one game.

Now my first-born was ready to start an all-day kindergarten class! What a change this was for the whole family. Grace was still a baby, and Carter and Malea would still be at home, but it felt so weird not having Logan there as well. It took me a good month to get used to him going to school. He was ready though. As you can read in my proud mama entry.

I know he will continue to surprise me in all that he learns and accomplishes through the years. I cannot wait to experience it all and watch it all unfold. But in my heart I do miss him being my little baby that was 3 1/2 weeks early and made me a Mommy.

Logan's Story-Pregnancy

Scott and I were married a year and a half when I got the baby bug. I had always wanted to be a mother and felt we were getting to a place where a baby would fit right in. We had bought a house, got a dog, had good jobs and were saving money.

We were blessed to get pregnant right away. I had terrible morning sickness that really lasted all day. Thankfully, it was my first baby and I could just rest and take care of me and no one else at the time. I didn't know what a luxury that was at the time.

We went in for our ten week check-up and were excited to be able to hear the heartbeat! I don't remember now what the speed was. I didn't care; it was the best sound in the world!

At 15 weeks I felt my first kick. I still remember it distinctly. I was sleeping in on my day off and woke up to a bedroom full of sunshine (I really miss those days). All of a sudden I thought I felt something. I pulled up my shirt and there was a tiny movement the same time I felt the kick. It seemed like a baby bird pecking at its' shell. What a miracle!

By 20 weeks I had a little bump. We went in for our first ultrasound with a blank tape in hand. We were excited to capture images of our new baby. I couldn't believe how well all the parts were formed! I especially remember the spine. It looked like a string of tiny pearls. Pictures were taken and video was recorded, but we decided that we didn't want to find out the sex of the baby. A healthy baby was all we needed.

I was allowed to use the restroom and change when the radiologist came in to take a look at what the tech had recorded. He said he wanted to take a look himself. As a healthcare provider, I knew this didn't sound good. I was suddenly very nervous.


He focused on the baby's head and then told us that he was seeing some cysts. He wanted to send the report to my O.B. and she would discuss it more with us. He did also say that this was common, maybe more common than we think, since everyone gets their ultrasounds at different times. They often don't cause any harm and disappear on their own.


My O.B. sent us downtown to a perinatologist for a level 2 ultrasound. I guess it is supposed to be more detailed. It seemed like more static to us. Anyway, after a long, hard week, we found out the cysts were gone! He said they usually disappear as the radiologist had said and we didn't need to come back. Man, the thoughts that went through my mind over that week. What a scary situation to have to go through.


The rest of the pregnancy seemed good until about 5 weeks before my due date. I started to feel sick and had a lot of pain in my back between my shoulder blades at night. I was throwing up and had to call in sick to work several times. I was having braxton hicks contractions and even went into the hospital 3 times to be checked out.


Scott told me I needed to get used to the pain, because I still had 4 weeks until the baby was born. I know now that he regrets those words. I started noticing more bruises on my body and having changes in the color of my skin. The last time I went to the hospital to be checked out, I asked the nurse if I looked yellow to her. She said it was probably the lights.

I was supposed to follow up at the doctor in 2 days, but my next appointment was in 3, so I waited. The office called me and told me to go straight to the hospital. I was annoyed because I thought the hospital and the office weren't communicating with each other. I drove myself to the hospital and told Scott not to worry; I'd straighten it all out.


When I arrived at the hospital, they put me straight in a room, not the triage room. This was quite worrisome. I was told to put on a gown and they were going to hook me up to the monitors and draw some labs. The blood work came back really bad. I had HELLP syndrome.


It stands for hymoptosis, elevated liver enzymes (liver failure) and low platelets (your blood won't clot). Apparently, it's a step beyond eclampsia, but I didn't have that or I did but it progressed so quickly that I didn't know I did. Also, I was never taught about this in school (I am a respiratory therapist, but this does affect the cardio-pulmonary status of a patient), so I didn't know anything about it or to look for it.

My labs were so bad that the doctors thought I couldn't be sent to the bigger hospital because if there was an accident I would bleed to death. Remember they had me drive myself to the hospital? Anyway, they turned down the lights because my blood pressure was so high they thought I might have a seizure, they told me I was going to have a c-section and I would have to be put under for it. I wouldn't be able to hear my first baby cry for the first time. They didn't tell me, but did Scott, that I had a 40% chance of dying on the table.

Thankfully, I made it through surgery and had a beautiful baby boy, Logan. I was in ICU and he had to have oxygen and an IV for a day or so, but we made it out healthy. We were able to be discharged together after only 4 days in the hospital! He is truly my miracle baby.

Scott and I would just look at him in amazement. We would thank God for him and wonder how He could make such a beautiful baby out of 2 tiny cells. What a miracle babies really are!

Learning More Signs

Last night I was working on the computer trying to learn some new signs for today's lesson when Malea came to watch. She sat right up to the table and tried to learn with me!

I found an area where I can learn by categories. I chose food and eating. We learned a couple of signs together and she was so proud of herself. I had her go and show Scott. He said she was beaming while she was showing what she had learned. He couldn't understand what she was saying while she was signing, but he didn't care since she was proud of herself.

She was signing cracker, corn-on-the-cob, popcorn and breakfast.

One-on-one would be great for me to teach them this, but I just don't have the time every day to commit to it.

I was excited to see this morning that Malea did remember most of what she learned the night before. Carter had no interest and eventually was sent to his room as to not disrupt the others while they learned. Grace tried to sing and sign and eventually signed more, milk, please and hungry! Logan told me that he's decided it's not so bad to learn sign language and even enjoys it! I think it's because today I decided to focus on the food and eating part. I also allowed him to watch the signs on the computer and he was able to pick out some signs he wanted to learn.

Hopefully we have found an area where they all will think it will be fun to learn. I would love to be able to continue this as a family project this summer.

Starting Summer Sign Language

I thought this Sign Language thing this summer was a good idea. No, I'm not giving up yet, but it is not starting off too well.

I started yesterday morning with a 15 minute lesson. I went over the alphabet first. Malea seemed to really like this part. It was a little difficult, but the three oldest got the idea after a couple of rounds. Then, I started to work on a song we all know. The boys were not thrilled. Malea just liked to sing. I went over it about four times then moved on to some signs we can all use with Grace. These included: milk, more, water, please, thank-you, good, bad and hungry. They all liked those and even asked later in the day for some more to use with her.

Now today was like pulling teeth to get them to sit and learn or even review yesterdays lesson for the 15 minutes. Logan said he just likes the way we talk now and doesn't want to have to learn this. I said it's not much different than the Spanish he's been learning in school. He said Spanish is easier.

I had planned on a short lesson each day Monday-Friday where I mostly teach something new at the beginning of the week and review all week long so they get it. I didn't want this to be a chore, but rather something fun we could all do together. Maybe I'll have them help me plan so they'll feel more involved instead of made to learn something.

I do hope I can get this going in the right direction, because I would like to learn too and thought it would help us all with Grace's language development.

Logan Hits the Winning Ball!

What a game! I have never been so excited/nervous at one of my kid's games before. I was literally about to puke I was so nervous.

Last night Logan's team played the Diamond Kings in a late night baseball game. It didn't start until 7:15, and as most know, that is pretty late to feel fresh enough to play a good game for a 6 year old boy.

The other team has only lost one game, as have we, to the same team, the Dodgers. We were the home team on a chilly, breezy spring evening. The DKs were up at bat first and scored 6 runs! We followed, but only had 3 runs. I missed a few plays as I was taking my daughter to the port-o-potty, which I despise.

Their boys played some good defense. They were quite efficient at throwing and catching the ball. One of the first plays was a hit to short, which he fielded and threw very hard and accurate to first. The first baseman caught the ball and made the out. I knew in that first inning it was going to be a long, hard game.

Logan played the whole game at the pitcher's position. He did a great job of being aggressive on defense. Even making some diving stops in front of the machine! He and his first baseman are getting good at reading each other and are starting to anticipate one another. The first baseman also made a lot of good plays as the ball was often hit towards him and he could scoop it up and tag the base ahead of the runner.

The middle of the game was fairly even with both sides scoring.

The exciting part was the end of the game. We were down by one run with a man on first and second. Logan was up to bat. I was so nervous because his last at bat he struck out. He did not show any fear. He just walked up to the plate and crushed the ball. It is a small field, but he hit it so hard it landed in the grass, took one bounce and hit the fence! The two runners scored and we were ahead by one run. Scott stopped Logan at second because he thought that was the game.

Everyone from our team ran the field and lifted Logan up in celebration! The fans were on their feet cheering! What a close game.

But was it?

There was only one out and the head umpire came and trumped the field umpire saying the game was not over. There were about 10 min. left to play. We all thought that the rules were 6 innings or 1 hour 15 min. We were in the bottom of the 6th inning. The head umpire, who is the dad of one of our coaches, said the rules are 7 innings or 1 hr. 20 min. So, Logan got back on second and we continued to play. We got one more run in that inning and started the 7th.

I was so hoping for 3 up and 3 down to make a point. The boys did get the first 2 batters out at first, but it took 2 more batters before we made the third out. In the end, the other team never scored, our team held them! We won the game despite the confusion and the late night!

Last Day of School 2009-Logan, Mommy is SO Proud!

Where did the time go? My oldest, but still my little boy, is no longer a kindergartner. He has officially passed and is now a first grader!

Starting school was stressful to me. I have had him at home with me for almost 6 years before he started school. He did not go to preschool or parents-day-out. He was with me, and I loved it!

He seemed smart from the time he took off with his speech at 18 months. He just started repeating everything. I remember being worried at his 18 month check-up because he wasn't talking as much as I thought he should be. He was on the low end of normal with speech at the Dr.'s office. Then, 2 weeks later, he just started talking. We drove by Royals stadium and he pointed and said "stadium"! How crazy to hear such a big word out of a little guy. He didn't even call me mommy or mama until after that visit!

He just grew and grew after that. He was becoming a natural athlete: hitting baseballs off the tee, throwing, catching, riding his training-wheeled bike. He loved to learn as well. I bought him the Leap Frog videos and he quickly learned his letters and all of their sounds. Don't get me wrong, I didn't sit him there all day. They are a 1/2 hour video that he watched on occasion.

We worked with puzzles, play-doh, crayons and occasionally worksheets. I found a game that uses flash cards to work on spelling and had him in activities at church to be with other kids. I was worried that he might be a little behind when he started kindergarten since he didn't go to preschool. I kept hearing how advanced school is now from when I was a kid.

I was wrong. They are more advanced, but Logan was maybe a little too ahead of the game.

In the beginning, I just wanted him to get a great teacher. I believe if he got great teachers and they challenged him, he would enjoy school forever.

Then, I saw what the goals for learning the first quarter were. I was worried that Logan would be seriously bored and not want to go. I discussed these worries with Scott and Logan's teacher. She assured me she would test him for the challenge program and give him extra work to do to keep him engaged in learning. I actually asked if she thought Logan should just move up to first grade. She said no and to just see how he does.

He didn't qualify for the first challenge session, but worked so hard that he did make it the next three sessions (there are 4 total)! His teacher was so proud of him, as were Scott and I!

He has continued to grow academically and physically throughout this year. He has gotten perfect scores on his progress reports and maintained a perfect discipline record all year. He has been treated to a new Wii game and accessories for this accomplishment! Great job Logan!

This year he also started playing basketball and machine-pitch baseball. Both of which he has continued to develop his skills. All of his coaches are keeping an eye out for him to get better and better with age and experience.

I cannot forget to mention that also this year Logan had outpatient surgery for a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy and did not fall behind with his school and activities even though he was out of school for 2 straight weeks.

Logan, I am SO proud of you! You have done a wonderful job this year and I could not have asked for more from you. Keep up the great work and you will surely see the benefits from all of your hard work. May the Lord guide you and keep you safe in your life's journey. I LOVE YOU!

Summer Learning-Sign Language

This summer I think I am going to try to teach my kids some sign language. I was taught a little when I was in the first grade and really enjoyed it. I also learned some more at church when my youth group put on musicals. We always sang a song that we also signed to.

I have some sign language software that I have never used before, but thought I might start by teaching them some song/sign combos. I also learned the Pledge of Allegiance in school, and we could also work on that.

I started early with Logan and Carter, teaching them some baby signs. It was very helpful to Scott and me when they were too little to really tell us what they wanted. They learned signs for milk, please, thank-you and more. The girls have never really picked up on it.

I am hoping we will have an awesome summer and maybe learn something that everyone can enjoy along the way. My plan is to pick a song or paragraph to learn for the week, but maybe I should install the software and see what it says about how to learn the language first. I just have to modify it for the kids and thought songs would be a good way to start.

Logan's First Sleep-Over Party

Logan was invited to his first sleep-over birthday party last Saturday. What a doosy it was! I still can't believe those parents wanted to take on such a large task.

The boy was turning 7 and he invited the whole baseball team plus some boys from the neighborhood. He had a two hour party at his house where the kids played baseball in the backyard, ate cake and opened presents.

After that, the boys were invited to stay and be taken to a buffet pizza shop instead of having party favors. Then they would be driving them to a dirt track speedway where they would be watching several races. Finally they would come back to the kid's house and have a sleep-over.

The party started at 2 p.m. and went until about 9 a.m. I can't even imagine having that many kids in my house for that long, or drive them around for that matter.

Logan had a great time. He did want to stay at the race track a little longer, but the majority of the kids were ready to leave. He was tired the next day and didn't tell us too much about it, but he did take a great nap that afternoon.

I am definitely not ready for these kind of parties here, but I better get used to it--there are many more to come I'm sure.

Heated Night at the Ball Field

Who knew that machine pitch baseball games could get so heated? I still believe that my son wouldn't care so much about winning and losing if it weren't for the grown ups at the game. He truly enjoys the game and is just glad that he is improving his skills and gets lots of game time.

Last night Logan had a game against a very competitive team, as are we. Scott is the assistant coach and coaches at third base when we are at bat. He told me the other team was having their players run more than others when the ball was overthrown. Meaning, if a kid was thrown the ball and he couldn't get it, the other team would continue to run their player until the ball was in control and time was called. This is a cheap trick some use to get the run total up.

Yes, we have done this too on occasion, I admit. Anyway, our coaches saw this was happening and decided to play that game too. The other team's coach came off the bench to stand next to Scott and yell about it. That must have signaled the players' dads to start yelling from behind the fence. I couldn't hear the exchanges, but new it wasn't good.

Scott took it well, just standing there pretending to ignore. Our moms told me we might need an escort to the car. Come to find out, those dads wanted to fight Scott and another coach after the game. Are we still in high school?

Anyway, the game was close, but we pulled it out in the final inning 16-10. Logan had a pretty good game. He had a triple his first at bat! He crushed the ball! He singled his second and struck out his third time. He swung at high and low balls, so Scott wasn't too pleased. Logan was still flying high from his triple, so it didn't really matter.

It's all about playing the game and having a good time doing it. Improving yourself during the season and learning more about the game should be the focus, I think.

Couponing

For over a year I've been hearing about these women who use coupons, combined with sales, to get their whole family's groceries for less than half off. A lot of times even 80 percent off or more!

I joined one of the woman's web site for a small fee for the first 4 weeks to see how it's done. The problem with that one for me was that I didn't have access to the stores she uses. She did have a couple of options for me, but I didn't see the savings she was getting. Also, there was an additional fee for more than one store's information.

I decided not to continue with the membership and just kept doing what I was doing. I shop for most things at Sam's Club and Wal-Mart. I have found that they usually have the cheapest price on almost everything, and of course I love the one stop shopping when I bring my kids along. I always use coupons, but not for all things. I often buy store brand items and stock up when something is on a good sale.

My ears always perk up when I hear something about saving more or being more frugal, but I am usually already doing the things I hear about. But I can not figure out this couponing game thing.

Last week my local news heard about another couponing woman from Atlanta and decided to fly her to the studio to show the studio manager how the game works. Problem for me was that neither the broadcast nor the website went into detail about how to really do it yourself. They told about gathering the Sunday paper for the coupons, sometimes more than one, and matching coupons with the sale items in the weekly fliers. This specific girl would spend an hour with the ads to make her lists and half a day going to all the stores. She saved her family of 5 enough to count as a part time job. I want to be able to do this so I don't have to work every weekend and am able to have a weekend with my family once or twice a month.

I am willing to spend the time to get the reward--I don't expect a hand out. I know everything worthwhile is worth working for, but I need help in learning how. The first girl I learned about over a year ago, now has a book. I think I am going to get it and see if it helps me any more. I have already joined her site once and googled all sorts of other sites. None really spell it out for me so that I get the idea. Hopefully, next time I write about this I can pass along the info I've learned. Also, please feel free to comment and help me out if you already play the game.

Cleaning the House

Why is this a chore that is never complete?

I've decided it is mostly because I stay home with the kids, and thus, am always living and doing things here that make it cluttered and dirty. I realized my friends that have both parents working full time probably should have cleaner houses than me. They don't spend as much time there as me and my children do.

A while back I was feeling completely overwhelmed with all the chores that needed to be done here. I don't have a huge house, but it does have 3 levels and 5 beds. Oh, let's not forget 4 bathrooms as well. I decided to break down all the things that had to be done on a weekly basis and divide them over 5 days. I could do a little each day and if I maintained this regimen, could enjoy a clean house more often. I do all the bathrooms on Monday, change the bedding's on Tuesday, laundry Wednesday, Thursday dust, and vacuum and clean hardwood floors on Friday.

Life seems to often get in the way of this schedule and then I get behind, but sometimes I'll just let it go and start the schedule over the following week. This has seemed to work better for me and help me feel less stressed about my house. Now I need to work on my pack rat habits and get rid of my piles of things I think I need or will go through later and never do. More to come on this later.

Mother's Day. . .

As a child I don't remember these, probably at all. As a teenager I told my mother that I didn't understand the point. Now, I admit, I do get it--a little.

I grew up mostly with one parent. My mother. I don't know how she did it, but thankfully, she did it pretty well since I think I turned out OK (I do have my issues that might stem from only having one parent though). When I told her I thought Mother's Day was a stupid holiday, I did make her cry. I didn't mean to, but no one was there when I was growing up to explain it to me.

Mother's Day doesn't have to be extravagant. We mothers don't want it to be. We just want a simple day that expresses the love of our children and spouses. We would like to relax with breakfast in bed made by our children, maybe have handmade cards or gifts and a day together with the ones we love. We don't want to cook, clean, do laundry or even argue with the kids. Just a peaceful day.


This year I thought it was not a big deal. I did make sure I didn't have to work, as my kids usually have fun with it. I didn't ask my husband if he had plans or any hints as to what I was thinking. This was a mistake.

I heard on the radio a couple of days before Sunday this lady that didn't have children of her own but did have a step-daughter. The girl had come home from school one day last week excited to show her what she had made for her mom. She had not made anything for her step-mom. Her step-mom did not showed her disappointment, rather her excitement in the nice gift she had made. On the radio, she expressed her true feelings: sadness. She was unable to have her own children and thought of her step-daughter as her daughter. She, too, would like to have been thought of at Mother's Day by her step-daughter.

I realized I have been taking for granted this special day by not acknowledging it's importance.

I didn't share my new thoughts with my husband, and I paid for it. In the past I complained about cut flowers costing too much and they just die and told him not to get me anything, including cards, because they too cost too much. So this year, I was not met with breakfast in bed or gifts from my children. I had complained too much. Scott didn't want to feel like he had failed again.

I am thankful, because my kids made homemade cards at church and Logan made a book about me at school. I will cherish these for years to come. Hopefully, I will also learn to be more open with my thoughts and feelings in the future, because if I don't, it's only me who's losing out.

I also hope that Scott and I can teach our children to be better, together. Parents are to be loved and cherished because one day they may not be here and be a part of our lives.

Working on Patience

After I wrote my last blog, I decided to focus more on my patience with my kids. That evening I decided it might be fun to make home-made pizza. There would be enough things involved in making it that everyone would be able to have a job or two. We would be making two pizzas: one cheese and the other hamburger.

I put Logan in charge of browning the hamburger as he is getting old enough to understand that the pan gets very hot and you just hold on to the handle. He did a fine job and asked questions when he needed.

The girls and Carter helped make the pizza dough. They each got to pour in some mix or water and all got to stir it up. Even Grace had a good time participating.

We all tried to spread the crust out on the sheets, but that posed more difficult than it should have been. It was quite sticky, so I ended up getting it as spread out as I could. But we all had a great time getting our hands dirty and sticky with dough. All except Grace this time.

Logan topped his with his browned hamburger while everyone else spread out the cheese. Grace had a good time trying to eat hers before I could get it into the oven.

They baked up well and we all enjoyed a memory filled pizza for dinner!

The best part for me was seeing them all work together and realizing when I really try, I can be patient with them all. I hope this will jump start me onto a different path that includes more patience with my family and in my life.

Patience is Helped with Gardening

Patience is not a virtue that I posses. What I thought might help me with this is gardening. For a long time now I have enjoyed plants and planting them. I'm not sure I pick the best varieties to go together, but I love taking an ordinary piece of ground and making it look like something. I used to want to be a landscape architect, but that never became a reality.

Yesterday I finished planting my vegetable garden and planted some annual flowers along my walkway. My kids love to help my in this chore, but me with no patience, has difficulty in letting them do this. I stupidly don't want them getting dirty. They are kids for goodness sake! Let them be! Enjoy this time with them and try to teach them something! Why can't I just relax and have fun? In my mind is how long this will take if I do it vs. how long if they help, and how much other stuff I need to get done. I don't over schedule them with extra-curricular activities, but I should schedule my day a ton better to help me and possibly teach them better.

With gardening, you have to plant and be patient and watch it grow. Then you can witness the beautiful flowers and fruit that they give you. Parenting is no different. You have a baby, nurture and teach it, and enjoy this beautiful creation that God has given you. Hopefully, I can be much more patient with my children and remember that they are precious beings that will one day be gone from my home. I have this one and only time with them now to teach and nurture them. To show them how God is love and how He wants us to live.

Patience is hard for me, but if I can get it right (and fast), maybe I can pass along this wonderful trait to them.

Where Have I Been?

I'll tell you...I've been painting my interior of my house. This includes my kids' bathroom, 1/2 bath my guests, and us as well, use and my living room, entry, and 2 halls. That is a lot of painting, and I'll tell you this is no easy task while trying to take care of small children.

I managed to get this done in about 2 and a half weeks. My kids did great! I admit a couple of days I let them watch more TV than usually allowed, but then they'd play nicely while I painted. Mostly, I painted while they were taking naps or down for the night.

Now, I am going to try to save to buy more decorations. I'd like some things for a shelf and something above a cabinet in the half bath, some sort of ducky decorations for the kids' bath and many things for my living room. I have a coat closet that has an open top that could use something up there, not sure what at this point. I guess some sort of container and foliage or flowers. I'd eventually like a new coffee table (or paint the old one) and an armoire for the TV that look good together.

I don't really like how the walls going up the stairs turned out...some streaking, but I'm thinking of trying one of those walls with family photos up there. The kind that includes old photos of grandparents, parents and siblings. My kids could look at people that might not be with us still or just see people that we don't get to see often. In the meantime, I'd cover up the blemishes on the wall and not have to repaint!

I have to add that I had some help in deciding what color to paint and where to shop for decorations from my cousin, Mindy. Thanks so much! I can't forget my husband, Scott, who helped my with the very tall entry and hall up the stairs. Thanks so much honey!

Music Performance Night at School

Last night was Logan's musical performance night at school. I have been looking forward to this all year. I remember, as a kid, getting ready for this occasion and have fond memories of standing up on stage in front of all the parents to sing my heart out for a few songs.

Logan's grade has 7 classes in it and this was a whole grade performance! I knew that meant we would have to get there early if I wanted a good seat and be able to see him. Unfortunately, my kids decided they didn't want to eat their dinners and made the process of getting ready a stressful one.

Logan got dressed in his nice clothes and the others got their shoes on and we were off. The parking lot was fairly empty when we arrived, so I knew the selection of chairs would be good. Off Logan went to his classroom, as it was "backstage" and we weren't allowed to go. Scott and I and the three other kids went into the gym to pick out our seat. There were some on the front row! We picked our seats and I waited while Scott took the little ones out to run around before the show.

But, he came back early so Malea could show off the nice goose egg on her forehead! She and Carter had a collision in the hallway and now we were in need of ice. Thankfully, she was a big girl and allowed us to put the ice on it. The ice then turned into the thing that kept her and Grace entertained during the show.

Logan walked in with his class, and they all stood there beaming at their parents. I have never seen so many people try to take pictures at the same time. You would have thought the paparazzi was there! He waved and we showed the I love you sign, as we do from afar.

I have to admit the show was quite lame, but the teacher did a great job involving all of the classes. This was not just stand up there and sing a few songs. This was a skit of sorts. None of the children had speaking lines, but some were acting characters. Every class came down to dance, play the tambourine or shakers, or pretend they were sun, wind, or rain. They were very proud of themselves!

My boy is such a good boy! He stood there with his hands to himself and paid attention to the teacher. Many were jumping, talking and doing various things with their hands. He beamed as he did his little dance being the sun. Then off he was standing in his place waiting for the next song to begin.

Little did I know that the show was only a half hour and we had a baseball game scheduled 15 minutes after it ended. I thought the ball field was too far away, but I was wrong. We called the other coach to tell him we were coming and off we were again. We headed home to get the baseball gear and raced to the field. Luckily, the previous game was a little late and we made it there before the game started!

Carter had to use the port-o-potty twice and Malea had an accident, but Logan got to play the whole game. He got two hits, scored one run, and did great in the field. The team won 15-8!

All-in-all it was a hectic evening, but what great memories we have now because of it!

The First After-School Play Date

Logan has been asking for weeks to have a friend over to play. I finally decided we are not going to slow down on the busyness around here and should just let him invite someone. Thankfully, he asked the boy who had him over last month. I felt like we owed him since he had Logan over. Not sure I should feel that way, but I do and if he invited someone else over then we'd still owe the first kid and the snowball would get bigger and bigger.

Anyway, I picked them both up from school and brought them home. Carter, too, was excited to have someone new at the house. He kept trying to enter the conversation, but Logan wouldn't allow it very easily. The boys had a snack and went downstairs where all the toys and fun stuff to do are located. It was no surprise that playing Wii was at the top of the list.

I did allow them to play some Star Wars on it due to the weather turning cold and it was still damp from the rain the night before. I did some things around the house trying not to interfere with their fun. Carter and the girls either watched them play the game or played with their toys downstairs. They kept playing and playing the Wii and finally I decided I needed to call Scott to ask his opinion about what I should have the boys do other than play Wii the whole time. He had a great suggestion of moving the cars out of the garage and letting them play basketball in there.

I had to repeatedly tell Logan to turn off the Wii, but when he did, him and his friend had a great time in the garage. The girls rode their bikes and played with toys. Thankfully, the boys let Carter play basketball with them. Scott got home and played one-on-three with them also. I guess the boys beat Scott and were beaming with pride over their victory!

Our first after-school play date was a success and Logan can't wait to have more! I have just decided that we are going to constantly be busy in one way or another and I need to allow my kids to have more fun. I need to not worry about how my house looks and have people over more. This is me and this is how I live. I need not sweat the constant toys all over or the piles of things I have everywhere.

More on the history of me later to come.

Whew, What a Weekend!

As the mother of 4 small children, I knew this was coming: weekends so full of activities that you are always on the go. So long to the quiet, relaxing weekend. And with only 2 of my kids involved in something, it is going to get twice as busy in the future.

My oldest, Logan, plays in a machine pitch baseball league where my husband, Scott, is the assistant coach. My second, Carter, is playing his first year if t-ball. Scott is the head coach of this team. Both teams are named the Thunderstix.

Friday evening Logan had his first game of the season. He has had two practice games, and their team has won both games. To me, Logan seems like an average to above average player for this league. Sometimes he is awesome at bat, sometimes he never gets a hit. In the field, he understands his position and plays well. He just needs more strength in his arm to throw the ball farther. His coaches have been putting him in the pitcher position because he fields well and he is accurate at throwing to first base.

This first game was against the Northland Heat. Our team scored 2 runs in the first inning! Logan's first at bat was a strike out, as was his second and final at bat. Bummer! He got to play pitcher for 3 innings, sit the bench, then pitcher for the last inning. It was a nail biter in the end with us winning 9-8!

Meanwhile, I had my other 3 children in the stands trying to watch the game and share in Logan's memories. As many of you may know, 3 small children don't pay attention to what we adults may find important.

Carter didn't want to watch and kept asking for drinks of water. I didn't want to give this to him since I know it would go straight to his bladder. He is my not so obedient one and will argue and complain until he either gets his way (hardly ever) or gets into trouble. The water became a battle that ended in a tie.

Child number 3 is my daughter Malea. She befriended an older girl who is a sister of one of Logan's teammates. This girl was so sweet. She had a tote bag full of stuff my kids enjoyed playing with. She was happy to share and pulled out balloons, glo sticks, crayons and paper, dry erase markers and board. You might ask, why doesn't a mother of 4 have activities for her kids to do at events like this? Scott and I have a goal that our children will watch their siblings participate in activities. They are allowed to play during practices, but we want them to pay attention and acknowledge the other's accomplishments.

Finally, our youngest, Grace, kept herself busy finding chewed gum, potato chips on the ground, and letting go of her balloon, so I could keep getting it for her. Don't we all love those toddlers!

In the end, I missed the final plays of the game because I was taking Carter to the port-o-potty. Gotta love those germ-infested places!

Saturday started with a bang-Malea peed out her diaper because she had been given a juice box from the team the night before. It was late in the evening, right before bed.

We all got ready for Logan's next game against the Dodgers-the self-proclaimed best team in the league. We took Logan to the batting cages to get some practice hitting in before the game. The slowest cage pitched faster than the one at the game, and he was able to hit quite a few balls off of it! This should make the balls at the game seem slow and easy to hit. It worked! He hit both times he was up at bat.

After his first hit, he made it to first base. Then, the next batter hit a pop fly to 3rd base that was caught. Logan, after hearing the smack of the bat, took off for 2nd not realizing he needed to tag first base first. Poor Logan was caught in a fury of confusion. Scott was the 3rd base coach. He was trying to tell him to go back to first. The whole Thuinderstix bleacher section was yelling at him to go back. Logan finally realized where he should go, but the other team beat him there with the ball. He was out and the inning was over. Scott talked to him to reassure him, but I don't think he understood the concept of tagging after a caught out. I talked it over that evening and am sure he gets it now.

Logan's second at bat was more productive. He hit and made it to 1st. Then, he made it to 2nd, 3rd, then home and scored the 3rd run of a 6 run inning. This league has 6 run limit per inning.

He got to play at the pitcher position for 3 innings, sit the the bench, then right field for an inning. He's a great fielder, always has his glove ready and in the ready position. He also did a great job of backing up the first baseman.

Unfortunately, the Dodgers were good and had two innings where they scored 6 runs. The final score was 8-18. Dodgers won the game.

Malea had a great time again with her friend and the tote bag of goodies. She did get marker all over her pretty dress though. But the little girl had Polly Pocket dolls and clothes and other things to do. Grace busied herself with more gum, peanut shells, sunflower seeds and bugs. She's learned to say bug and is fascinated with them. Today was black ants. One of the players' mom also played tickle games with her. Carter was allowed to play at the field park since it was close enough to see and a friend went with him.

We came home, ate a quick lunch, and put the girls and Carter to bed. Carter didn't want to sleep but did take a quick nap on the way to his first t-ball game. How exciting it was to see him get to play! He was the first hitter in the line-up and he hit it great! He made his way around the bases and scored a run! T-ball has a 5 run limit. Carter's team batted 3 innings in the time allowed and scored 5 runs each time!

Carter played 2nd base for 2 innings. He got the 3rd out of the 1st inning by a forced out at 2nd. The 3rd inning he played 1st base. There's a lot of action there and I'm not sure he's ready for it. He liked kicking at the dirt instead. The 4th inning he played left field.

My girls befriended another older sister of another t-ball player. She didn't have a bag of goodies, but she had a sparkly Hannah Montana hat and liked to play pat-a-cake. Some of Logan's baseball friends were there, so he played at the park with them after he watched Carter hit and then make the out at 2nd.

We beat that team 15-9!

We raced to the van for our final leg of this crazy day-MLB game! Royals vs. Tigers at the new Kaufman Stadium. The Royals are celebrating 40 years of baseball this year. Tonight they are giving away jerseys to the first 20,000 fans. Unfortunately for us, they opened the gates when Carter's t-ball game started, 3 hours before the game was to start. We arrived about an hour and a half after the gates opened and all the jerseys were gone. We still tried though. We raced to the stadium, bypassing places to stop and eat, and dropped off Scott and the boys so they could race to the gates. I parked and met them outside the gate because all the jerseys were gone. We were disappointed to find out many had bought two tickets: one to get in for the jersey, the other to sit and watch the game. After they had their prize, they would leave to tailgate the hours between opening and the start of the game. The jerseys were gone withing 40 minutes of the gates opening!

It was still an exciting time. There was plenty of things to walk around and see. Although many of the kids' activities cost money, there was a free jungle gym to play on. Carter and Malea didn't mind battling the large crowds of kids. As long as they're together, they can do anything!

We decided to go find our seats and watch the players warm-up. That was more fun than I expected. Logan is really starting to understand the game and Carter is beginning to. They learned about MPH, tagging up on an out and keeping your eye on the ball.

All but Grace have learned the Star Spangled Banner, and Carter really belted it out at the beginning of the game. Other spectators turned and commented to Scott about it! We all enjoyed the fireworks they let off at the beginning during the song and the announcing of the players.

But the day had been long and everyone was hungry-especially Grace. Scott and the boys got some food and all was good for a short time. The weather was bad with tornadoes only about 30 miles away. Thankfully, we only had some sprinkles. Grace was losing her battle with tiredness and was quite cranky. Scott and I took turns taking her out to walk around, but we finally gave up and left at the beginning of the 8th inning. the Royals were losing 1-8 at that time and we felt the possibility of a win was slim. We were right.

Logan was not thrilled we left early and was upset that we seemed to give up on them. He kept saying that they could come back and win. He is such an optimist! I hope he stays that way.

The following day I had to go to work and be gone from home 13 1/2 hours. Thankfully, the hospital is slow and I had a quiet day. I was not excited to come home to this messy house, though.

We are cleaning all day today and getting ready for Logan and friend he is bringing home after school. This is our first after school play-date at our house, so we'll see how it goes!