Cherish the Moment

Sticky Words

2011-07-23T09:19:00.003-04:00

My Mom bought me a scripture wall vinyl from Sticky Words and I LOVE it! I couldn't figure out how to embed the picture in this blog post, but it is the "Be still and know that I am God" scripture verse.

We love have verses in our home, but scripture art is hard to find and is usually very expensive! Sticky Words is a great alternative to traditional wall art as it is less expensive and creates a beautiful effect on your wall.

They also do custom work! My parents had a verse that was special to them designed and printed on vinyl by Sticky Words. It looks beautiful above their bed in their bedroom!

So if you are looking for wall decor, especially scripture verses, check out Sticky Words! Their service has been great and their products amazing!

*If you blog about their website, you can also receive a discount...can I get a woot!? :)

Christmas Cards 2010

2010-11-29T19:21:00.003-05:00

I am just beginning to think about Christmas cards for this year...ummm, I have no picture taken or photocard selected. I actually have no Christmas Card list either, thanks to my computer hard drive dying multiple times this year. My dear hubs resurrected it, but all my files are gone. Anyhowser, my sister posted this great deal from Shutterfly, and even though I am woefully unprepared in the Christmas card dept., I'm hoping this is the impetus to get me started!

Shutterfly is offering 50 free cards to bloggers who advertise their cards on their blog! I have purchased and received their folded cards, and they are sooo lovely!

Shutterfly's photocards are top notch. When I first entered the world of digital photography wayyy back in 2002, what most impressed me about Shutterfly was their selection of cute card designs. 8 years later, their cards are still top of the line in cuteness and quality.

For the 50 free cards promotion, I am supposed to link to 3 different Christmas card designs, but they are sooo cute, it's hard to pick 3! I have no idea which one I will use this year, I usually pick my card design based on what picture or pictures I have of the kids, but since I have no picture yet, I'm not sure which card I'll choose. I'm sure it will not be hard to choose one, because they are all so adorable!

I really like the fact that you can add more than one photo to the cards. With 4 children, it's hard to get them all to cooperate for one photo, so it's nice to be able to use 4 different photos to be able to capture their cuteness without pulling my hair out during a Christmas photo shoot. If the photos are all from different places, etc., they can easily be unified by turning them black and white, etc.

Here are a few of my favorites:

So cute...

And a simple, but sweet ribbon...

And a delightful monogramed card...

I've also seen their desk calendars which are a GREAT gift idea. I'm also really hoping to do a 2010 photobook this year, too. Check out Shutterfly for other great inspiration for your Christmas cards and gifts!!!

Little Train Lovers

2010-06-21T20:10:00.001-04:00

Busy Weekend

2010-06-14T17:30:00.003-04:00

We had our annual garage sale in my neighborhood on Friday and Saturday. It was fun and exhausting. The girls sold all sorts of goodies this year and had a great time.

Noah took a package of dental floss over to my sister during the garage sale and said, "Auntie, this is string....for your your teethes...and it tastes!"

Levi had a fever last week and must have shared with Sophia. She woke us up in the night with a fever. Levi was up for a couple hours last night too. It's not like him to be up and inconsolable in the night. I'm wondering if he has an ear infection or something. Poor kiddos. I'm rootin' for some sleep tonight...I'm tired! :)

Happy Monday!

Funnies

2010-06-08T22:35:00.002-04:00

Noah in a loud and confident voice: Psalm 100, Makin' a joyful nose unto the Lord, all ye lands...

Noah: I want to watch "the bouncing bears" (the Berenstein Bears)

I recently remembered one of my Elijah favorites. E didn't talk much when he was little. He was a silent crawler. You didn't know he was crawling up to you until he was pulling himself up on your knee. Such a quiet little fellow he was. Anyhoo, he was, of course, a late bloomer in the speech department. When he was finished eating he couldn't say, "all done" so instead he would say, "naa naa". I just don't want to forget that.

We passed a group of kids on the sidewalk in our neighborhood, and Sophia called out, "Look! There's a girl on crunches!" (crutches)

It was hot recently and so Sophia dressed light for bed. She came in and announced that she was wearing a "tanker top" (tank top) to bed. Ah, the life with lotsa brothers. She hears a lot about tankers, and skid steers, and John Deeres.

I've been *trying* to use the summer to sharpen Sophia's math fact memorization and often Elijah gets in on the action. They enjoy showing off how much they have learned. One day Elijah proudly announced to Noah that "five plus five spells 10". Oh those poor, uneducated homeschoolers.

Speaking of poor homeschoolers. I was talking to Sophia about a test booklet that I was getting rid of. She asked, "Mom, what's a test?".

Ooops. Forgot to teach her about that one. whoopsy.

A happy day to you!

Camping Birthday

2010-05-24T10:49:00.004-04:00

We celebrated Levi's birthday by going camping! It was so much fun!

Brand New baby boy

2010-05-21T10:24:00.000-04:00

I don't think I ever posted any pictures of Levi, as a brand new boy. If I have, oops, but two sets of newborn baby-licious isn't all bad.

One Year Ago Today...

2010-05-20T10:03:00.005-04:00

...our sweet little Noah left our friend's house and ran away across town to the post office. No, wait, okay, that's true, but on this day our sweet little LEVI was born!!!

Levi is my "maly anjelik", little angel. He is such a jolly little chap. He loves his siblings, especially his little Mother, Sophia. Noah has recently become enamoured with him and they like to play together. I don't remember the other kids playing together at such a young age as Noah and Levi. I think they might just be buddies......or.....partners in crime!

The L man just started pulling himself up in the last month and one of his favorite places to pull himself up is the piano. He likes to plunk on the keys. He's such a delightful little boy. He naps easily, smiles easily, eats small objects he finds on the floor, loves his crib, really really really loves his Daddy, and is happiest in the middle of a bunch of craziness. We are so blessed to have you sweet, little man! Happy Birthday Dude!

Some other stats for posterity:

Favorite word, first word, pretty much only word up until now: Dada. No matter how much I say mamama to him, he says dada back to me. It's as if he's doing it on purpose! It's so cute. He wakes up in the morning calling for Da-da-da

He's said: ly-dah for 'Lijah before.

He's said: sissss for "sissy" before.

Mercy

2010-05-12T10:43:00.002-04:00

We have been *done* with school for all of 3 days and I report the following:

-candles crushed all over kitchen floor
-water war in the bathroom, it was 1 against no one, because the others knew better than participate.
-I know several other things happened, but I am too tired to remember.
-A headache. I have a headache. Not a headache, but a head and neck and shoulder ache.

I am a beggin' for mercy, and I know that these boys need to be wrestled with or something!

Ps. Did you know that stretching can really help upper body tension? Also, laying on the floor with your feet and legs against the wall for a bit can help your energy level too. Oops, I forgot to mention that because the sun rises early, we had a 5:30 riser for a couple of days...time to black out those windows! :)

Thank you, Lord for energetic boys. Sometimes I really don't know what to do with them and sometimes I don't know why on earth they do the things that they do, but you made each of them, and I am so thankful for your lending them to us. What laughter and excitement they add to our home! I praise your infinite wisdom in entrusting them to my care.

...off to wrestle...

180

2010-05-07T12:19:00.002-04:00

1-8-0.

One hundred eighty.

180 days of school complete. Yipee-yahoo-yay-hooray!

Halleljuah and Praise the Lord!

We're officially done today! However, I'm a mean Mom and we are still doing Math and Reading over the summer. So, we're officially done, but we're really not done. Are you ever supposed to stop learning?

Thank you, Lord, for helping us to complete what we began at the beginning of the year. For help through the trials of the schoolday. For forgiving my failures and loving me anyway. For my 4 little blessings and the opportunity to teach them about you and about life. You know the past, present, and future and I can trust you to guide our steps as we school now and in the coming days.

Amen and Amen. :)

And now for the celebration. The kids are having cheese balls (one of their favorite junk foods). I refrained and had chips instead. I think ice cream may be in order as well!

The Easter Gentlemen

2010-05-03T16:44:00.001-04:00

After primping and curling and fussing over Sophia AND Molly on Easter Sunday, it was refreshing to slip polos and sweaters on the boys. Aaaahhh, nothing like the low maintenance of little men!

Sophia's Easter

2010-04-30T15:56:00.000-04:00

Sophia recently got "Molly" from American Girl. I must admit that, I think I might be having more fun with Molly than she is. Perhaps we're tied in how much fun we are having with 'lil Molly McIntyre.

Anyhoo, I bought the boys' Easter sweater vests at the end of season last year, so I wanted to find something for Soph to wear that coordinated. I couldn't find anything, so on a whim and really cheap clearanced fabric at Jo-Ann, I decided to make her a dress that matched. The dress pattern had a purse pattern. So I decided to make the matching purse. Well, Sophia loves matching so she asked for Molly to have a matching dress AND matching purse. From there they both needed matching hairbows and from there she wanted her Molly mini doll to have a matching dress, purse, and hairbow, but we didn't get that done. I don't think I could have sewn a dress that small.

I think we could write a book about this...

"If you give a Sophia a Molly she'll want a dress to match her...when you make the dress, she'll want purses to match...when she sees the purses, she'll realize she doesn't have a hairbow and will want you to make one to match. When the hairbows are done and you have succeeding in burning your fingers with the glue gun and you are both chillin' on the bed in the days before Easter she'll remind you that she has a mini doll. And chances are if she has a mini doll, she'll want a dress, purse, and hairbows to go along with her." :)

Here's my girlie with her curlers in, preparing to be pretty on Resurrection Sunday.

The two little ladies...

It was such a fun project. Sophia loved it even though she didn't sew anything. Perhaps we can sew something else for her and Molly someday and she can get in on the sewing action. That would be very exciting!

Mr. Levi

2010-04-26T16:39:00.000-04:00

Some of the nicknames he's been tagged with so far...

Levi

Dan the Man

Levey D

The Leev-ster

Lee

Danny boy

He's almost at prime nickname age. I think it's somewhere between 12 and 18 months. We'll see what else he gets called in the next 6 months or so and what sticks.

Sophia is still Sophie or Soph or to us. Icall her Suzy and Suzy-belle sometimes too.

Elijah is 'Lije or 'Lijah (to me) and Shibby (to Graeme) Shibby is short for Eliashib which was the original nickname which morphed into Shibby. This nickname came from the man who said he didn't like having nicknames for the kiddos. Ironic, huh. :)

Noah will always be my Johnny. He reminds me so much of my brother John. I don't know what Graeme calls him. I don't think he has a nickname other than "crazy man" or "dude" or something like that. Graeme always tells me that Noah is "such a cool kid". I agree.

Nicknames are a lot of fun.

Still more Noah Funnies

2010-04-23T22:20:00.001-04:00

I hope you're not tired of my endless recordings of Noah-isms. Here are a few more. His silly sayings are endless right now...

Mommy: Noah, put your boots on.

Noah: I want to wear my snakers instead.

*******************

"Mommy, I picked a Daddylion for you."

Coming Out of Hiding

2010-04-21T16:22:00.003-04:00

I've been on maternity leave from blogging since this little engineer was born. :) Well, my little chap is nearly 12 months old so I think it's time I tell you about this little charmer.

Levi means "joined in harmony" and I think he was joined to our family in harmony. Albeit a loud sort of banging, noisy, rumpus-ish sort of harmony, a harmony none-the-less. He has been such a glorious addition to our rowdy household. His arrival was uneventful, his needs were minimal (what do you need after four kids and three boys in a row!) , his personality is congenial, his siblings adoring. He just joined the bunch. No fanfare, no excitement, just along with us for the wonderful, wild ride of our life.

He's a keeper.

Levi making a "Graeme face"

A Few Noah Funnies

2010-03-02T22:12:00.003-05:00

These are for Kay because she asked when I was going to blog again. :)

Mommy: Where's Daddy?
Noah: He's up in Chile.
Mommy: What's he doing?
Noah: He's giving people donuts

Mommy: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Noah: "Daddeeee!!!!"
Mommy: Why?
Noah: Because he's eating donuts

Mommy: Does God love you, Noah?
Noah: Yes. Bob the builder likes me too.
Mommy: Really?
Noah: Yes, Bobby comes along to get attention.
Mommy: With God?
Noah: Yes, and Buddy Davis is not in my belly.
Mommy: Who is in your belly?
Noah: Umm, Bedra. (Bedra is Noah's imaginary friend who permanently resides in his belly.)

Noah: My name is Johnny and I'm here to help you!

I love putting Noah to bed. All of this in one night. :)

Saturday

2009-09-26T10:12:00.003-04:00

I'm snuggling my little man and have a few semi-quiet moments, thanks to Daddy being home, so I thought I'd say hi!

Graeme and I watched the video I posted last week late one night and laughed and laughed...into bed...the next morning, the next evening, etc., etc. I don't know why we found it so funny. I suppose because it was just so bizarre.

Levi is four months now! I can't believe it. He's getting so big. His first food was a lollipop at three months. Noah fed it to him.

Noah continues his early Friday morning arousal due to the garbage truck coming through the neighborhood. He gets so excited by having a big tough garbage truck that close by. We quietly tuck him back in...only for him to get up again when the recycling truck comes through!

Elijah has been having fun riding bike, doing math, hoarding toys in his bed and cup holders in the van, and really enjoyed playing with the neighbor's "herman crabs".

Sophia says her favorite toy is her real baby brother and is especially fond of trying to get him to smile and also holding him up with her hands under his arms like a mommy. We just went through a major emptying of her room. She loves stuffed animals, but they were overtaking our lives. So, now they are resting peacefully in the black trash bag in the great below of our basement. She's okay with that, and likes having room to walk in her room. :)

Yesterday we got to go to Sight and Sound to see In the Beginning! My Mom watched the two little boys and we took the big kids. It was so much fun...the kids really enjoyed it.

I want to post some pictures, but my computer is giving me problems. Ta-ta for now!

Is it just me or is this hysterical?

2009-09-18T08:41:00.001-04:00

Noah and the burger

2009-09-15T13:30:00.001-04:00

We were at Chick-fil-a the other day and Graeme was giving Noah his chicken sandwich. He said, "Here Noah, here's your burger". Noah took the sandwich and opened it up and said, "Where are they". He was looking for the boogers (burger).

It's fun to have a 2 year old in the house.

'Lijah

2009-09-13T12:28:00.000-04:00

I love how Elijah still says some words wrong. It's some of the last baby-ishness in him. I asked him if he could say vanilla, to which he said enthusiastically, "this time I know how to say it, ba-nel-a!" I love to ask him and then hear him say it as Banella.

We have been doing some phonics in school this year. he's PreK, but we are having fun together. We did the letter "r" one day and I didn't even realize that he says "r" as /o/ or /w/. It's so cute to hear him say, "/o/ you coming?" or "we wan to the pool". Stay little my sweet one.

Eli's favorite things these days are to "sit right next to me" at the table and spread his person all over my lap if I am sitting on the sofa or bed. I love his cuddly-ness.

Bees

2009-09-11T13:12:00.000-04:00

Bees are an apparently very in demand insect at our house lately. I keep "losing" the bug spray bottle and the hair spray bottle and the water spray bottles to eager bee-slayers. Picture me running around the house when we are late for church trying to find the spray bottles for the boys' hair because they are in the back yard with the eterminated bees.

Noah got stung by a yellow jacket earlier this summer. It was so sad to see his little eye so swollen. The swelling didn't seem to bother him. I immediately went to grab the ibuprofen to give him some, but we didn't have any, he downed nearly a whole bottle of Ibuprofen just the week or two before. Did you know if your 35ish pound 2 year old drinks 4 ounces of Ibuprofen they do not have to go to the emergency room!? Just in case you were wondering.

Okay, back to the bees. The kids are very aware of the yellow jackets and bees in the air and like to talk about how they saw the biggest and the bestest bee and so on. Sophia and Elijah hunt the creatures with shovels, brooms and hairspray, and upon their unfortunate end the bees end up in a plastic sand pail filled with water. This is a tremendously popular pastime at our house this year. Noah, who wants to join in on the big kid fun saw a bee and mused, "Look! A bumble jacket!"

I love that little mischeif maker.

More Noah Funnies

2009-09-09T13:27:00.001-04:00

Mommy: Noah, are you a queen?

Noah: No, you are a princess and I'm a kinger.

Noah Funnies

2009-09-07T18:04:00.002-04:00

Here are a few of the latest from Noah...

When strapped into his car seat and excitedly wanting to be released, "Buckle me out! Buckle me out!!"

My Dad took all the grandkids on a train ride. Noah and PopPop have a mutual interest in trains, and afterward Noah spoke very fondly of the event, "I went on a runaway come-boose train ride". He rode the steam train, and now he wants to go on the "runaway come-boose diesel ride". I love that little train lover and his PopPop.

For Posterity

2009-07-02T15:13:00.002-04:00

When something tastes good, Noah says, "it tates!"

Sophia still calls crutches, "crunches". I don't correct her...it's too cute. :)

Noah: "I'm sick, I need some lettuce-in (medicine)".

Elijah: "tatoes", for potatoes

There's more funnies, but I can't remember them now that I'm sitting down to record them! :)

Levi is 6 weeks old...yee-haw!

Graeme is home tomorrow, double yee-haw!!!

Mom Pedicure

2009-06-22T16:08:00.003-04:00

What you'll need:

1 set of rowdy hooligans
1 pair of callused Mama feet complete with chipping nail polish
1 childrens swimming pool
1 nursing infant with coordinating nursing pillow
1 chair to sit next to the pool
Snacks for said hooligans
Patio umbrella to shield infant from the sun's rays
1 foot file

Directions: Sit next to pool in chair with nursing infant. Insert callused feet into pool filled with water AND dirt, rocks, sand and grass clippings. Feed snacks to children, continue to nurse and nurse and nurse while refereeing kiddos. Put sleeping baby to bed. Feed more snacks to children. Hold crying child. Put child down and file away.

The result: Smooth feet with always attractive chipped polish.

Couple this treatment with a bi-weekly shower and you will give Katie Holmes a run for her money.

3 Week Weigh In

2009-06-11T20:13:00.002-04:00

Levi turned 3 weeks old yesterday! He is such a sweet baby, and he is starting to sleep longer....hooray!!!

We grow big babies in these parts. I thought it would be fun to record the kids' weekly weights as they are quite astounding at this stage. Here's a run down of each of their weights at 3 weeks old:

Sophia: 11 pounds 2 ounces
Elijah: 11 pounds 8 ounces
Noah: 11 pounds 2 ounces
Levi: 10 pounds 6 ounces.

As you can see, Levi is our lightweight. However, all is not lost as he only weighed 9 pounds 1 ounce last week. I think he is trying to catch up. :)

Levi

2009-06-09T21:13:00.003-04:00

The man has been here for almost three weeks. I got 7 hours of broken sleep last night...5 straight hours then 2 more...it felt like heaven on earth. :) Since the man was born, Sophia and I have had strep throat, Levi had to go back to the hospital for a jaundice test which involved the staff losing our paperwork which equalled an hour long wait, then an inexperienced nurse dug around on my poor baby's heel for 10 minutes before finally extracting enough blood for a blood test, Elijah has an infected finger, Noah got a bee sting, Sophia got an allergic reaction to her antibiotics, and Momma was/is t.i.r.e.d.. There was/is a lot of people to Dr. around here.

The littlest is soooo very wonderful. I love to smooch him as does his other mother (Sophia). The kids love him, Sophia especially. It's cute to see them interact. On Sunday afternoon I took a nap, and Sophia brought him into our room in a different onesie and told me that he had pooped and that she had changed his diaper and put a clean onesie on him. Then she had taken his poopy clothes to the laundry room for me...ah, bliss!Here are some pictures of the new little man...

Levi's Pregnancy pictures

2009-05-15T15:38:00.003-04:00

The first two were taken on Mother's day and the last one was taken on Wednesday. Once again, I have donned "big blue" for the occasion...

Don't mind my Dorothy Hamil hairdo. My stylist got a little scissor-happy. :)

I thought I looked small-ish in the first two, but then when I saw this one, I changed my mind...

What do you think? How big do you think ole' Levi will be???

Noah's Pregnancy pictures

2009-05-15T15:33:00.003-04:00

Here I am in the same outfit I was wearing in the Elijah pictures. I was about 6 weeks from delivering in this picture too.

Here I am in my resident "big blue" shirt which I reserve for the last weeks of pregnancy. I was late in these pictures. My eyes look so tired in these pictures. I think this was a Sunday and he was born the following Saturday.

Elijah's Pregnancy pictures

2009-05-15T15:21:00.003-04:00

All I could find from Elijah's pregnancy was these pictures from about 6 1/2 weeks before he was born. So, I guess they don't really compare very well because they were taken so long before he was born...

These aren't pregnancy pics, but I couldn't resist sharing them. Wasn't my Man handsome in this picture?

Sophia was so cute and small and edible! I forget how small she once was. My baby is growing up...wah...

Sophia's Pregnancy picture

2009-05-15T15:03:00.002-04:00

All right girls, here are the pregnancy picture. Don't laugh too hard at this one! Don't you love my "amazon woman" hair??? Notice my rather large elephant feet. All finished off with a lovely red jumper for extreme style...lol!

This is the only picture I could find from Sophia's pregnancy. I know there are others, but I would have had to search the basement for them.

Noah's Birth

2009-05-14T17:36:00.003-04:00

Noah means peace and rest from the Lord and his entire pregnancy was wonderful. Of course, I had the normal discomforts, but perhaps because he was my third I had grown accustomed to them because I really enjoyed my pregnancy with him. It was wonderful. I felt even keeled the entire time. I thoroughly enjoyed my pregnancy with him.

I was due November 10, 2006, but after Elijah's late arrival, I fully intended to be late and I most definitely was! I remember getting all kinds of phone calls once I was late from friends and family wondering if "anything was going on" or "what's happening", but nothing happened. I was at the Dr.'s office on the 16th for an U/S, non stress test, and check. I was having some contractions and was already 4-5 cm, but no labor.

This time around, I was fully prepared to be late and really didn't mind. I felt fine. Friday, the 17th, I decided to re-organize quite a few things in the house, I babysat Abbi's kids and I can't remember what else I did. I should have known that the time was coming! That evening we ordered pizza (see Friday night pizza brought on labor for both boys, LOL) and our family danced around the living room all evening long to the demo music on the digital piano. Chopin and 9 months pregnant, no wonder I started having contractions!

I started having contractions that evening. We went to bed. I called my sister for someone to talk to, as I couldn't sleep and Graeme was already asleep. The third...husband sleeps through labor. :) Finally, in the night we decided it was time to go to the hospital - Graeme did wake up. My Dad came down and slept at our house with the kids. I wore my nightgown to the hospital. Every bump on the ride was very painful.

When we got to the hospital I was 7 cm and got to use my favorite labor-aid, the jacuzzi. That was calming. Noah was not posterior as the others were, which was a huge answer to prayer as it made labor much more manageable. He was in a good poisition and they told me that if they broke my water I would be complete in 45 minutes or so, but I was gunshy after having my water breaking with Elijah and then stalling, so I waited.

Noah's labor was surprisingly easy, my contractions stayed far apart, but each contraction was long. I had an on-call Dr. and I can't remember when I was complete, but I started pushing - my least favorite part of birthing - and nothing happened. Finally, the Dr. came, and I was told my cervix had swelled. Which brought about a lot of admonition from the Dr. with very unpleasant bedside manners and a lot of painful poking. He was so unassuring, I didn't know how bad this kind of a complication was, but he made me very scared. I remember pushing so hard that everything went black several times and also thinking to myself, "I suppose this is what death feels like". I have never experienced that kind of pain in my entire life. Elijah's birth was exhausting and long, but the pain of Noah's delivery was much, much more intense. Thankfully, however, it didn't last too long.

He was such a little handsome thing when he was finally born at 7:53 am on Saturday, November 18, 2006. He weighed 9 pounds, 3 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long.

So, there you have it, the records of all my chitlins births for posterity. We'll see how #4 goes, but as I write this I am thinking, "epidural?"!

Elijah's Birth

2009-05-13T17:36:00.004-04:00

Elijah, our little Slovak boy, our meatest little-big-mite. Affectionately referred to as "Bubba" and "Boaz". The largest Anderson on record. My darling firstborn son 'bout did his Mother in.

The pregnancy was rough. I was deranged in the head the entire time. I felt like a different person the whole pregnancy. My belly was ginormous. I will never forget looking down and barely seeing my toes after we arrived at the hospital on his birth-day. Quite a few pregnancy discomforts were experienced with the pregnancy.

I was hopeful that he was going to be early, like I was for my Mom, and like my sister's little man who was 10 days early the year before. I was induced with Soph, so I didn't know if I was an early-bird or not.

October 10th, 2004 was his due date. October 10th was also a Sunday...a church day...not a good combination for an over-anxious, deranged pregnant Mama. Our loving church family (300 strong)was so excited for us, it seemed as if all 300 people asked my why I hadn't had the baby yet. I too, was wondering why I hadn't had the baby, so it wasn't a really joyous combination. For the record, the words "still here" can get old when you are pregnant. I have said and I'm sure, will say them again, but I was especially sensitive this Sunday as it was my due date. One man said to me, "aren't you going to have the baby" or something like that, and I just about lost it. He was being kind, but I wanted to say, "you have know idea just how much I want to have this baby!!!"

In came the due date, out went the due date, and I was beginning to realize that I was not following my Mom and sister's early-bird birthing schedule, and I was not happy about that. :) Like Sophia's pregnancy, I had been 3 cm for several days or a week, I can't remember. On Friday night after having pizza with my sister and brother in law - we used to live down the street from each other, sniff, sniff - I was having some contractions, but they weren't very strong, so we went to bed. After a few hours, I would wake with each contraction, then go back to sleep.

At about 4 or 5 am, I couldn't sleep anymore, so Graeme and I got up and starting timing the contractions. We called Scott and Abbi and arranged to send Sophia over to Scott for the day. I remember Graeme leaving to walk her down the street to their house. She had her little pink ruffle coat on, and I was teary eyed to leave my baby. She wasn't going to be our only little baby anymore, and a big change was coming and it made me sad...see I was a nutcase the whole nine months. :)

I don't remember when we left for the hospital, maybe 8 am or so. I can't remember how far I was when we got to the hospital, but I remember my contractions being very manageable and not very painful. By 1p.m.-ish I was 8cm, but my labor had been lagging all day. Finally, they broke my water, which made my contraction pick up in intensity quite a bit. They reeeeelllly started to hurt. However, I wasn't making any progress. After 2 or 3 hours of stalling at 8 cm, my Dr. helped me get into a position to hopefully help Eli's head move, he was posterior, and his noggin was large. He also started pitocin in there somewhere. I remember the nurse coming in and turning it up a few times. I didn't appreciate that. I was laying in bed, in total agony. I was sooo tired, and I remember thinking, if the next time he checks me I haven't made any progress, I'm going to beg him to cut me open and take the baby out. It was so awful. Finally, on one of his visits, I asked my sweet Dr., can you hold my hand. So, he sat there and held my hand for an hour or more and talked to us and said comforting things, etc. He was really nice to do that.

Finally, I was complete and when pushin' time came I wanted this baby out! I don't know how long I pushed, but it wasn't too long before our burly 9 pound 7 ounce brown-eyed boy with the large noggin' was born. 6:01 p.m., October 16, 2004, our handsome Elijah Graeme was born. My longest and most miserable labor. I was so exhausted after his birth. And then, the ravenous large child wanted to nurse constantly! They brought him to me all day and night long.

I remember getting an hour of sleep the second night and the nurses bringing him to me saying that he had been crying for 45 minutes and they tried everything, even sugar water, but he wouldn't be calmed. As you can imagine, I was afraid to bring the ravenous little booger home for I feared I would never sleep. However, big isn't all bad, as he slept through the night by 4 weeks because he had a nice big tummy.

He was such a fat and happy little baby, and I remember my arms hurting from holding his chub-licious body. :)

Sophia's Birth

2009-05-12T17:35:00.002-04:00

Sophia was due to arrive on July 29th, 2002. 2002 was an EXTREMELY hot summer, especially because I was enormously pregnant. I craved gummy candy when I was pregnant with Sophia...then it made me sick. I also craved pop tarts, oh so healthy. I remember my feet being so swollen that summer that they were purple. I had only one pair of sandals that fit, they had lots of elastic.

Sophia's pregnancy was the one in which I gained the most weight, even though she was my smallest baby! Almost 60 pounds, believe it or not. I don't have any pictures on my computer, and I am too lazy to scan one, so suffice it to say, I was large. I used to cry when I left the Dr.'s office because I was gaining too much weight. I've never gained less than 40 pounds whilst pregnant, so now I think my tears were kind of funny. The Dr.'s told me I would be obese for life, blah, blah, blah, but I'm not...yet. :)

Four days before my due date I had a Dr.'s appointment and to my surprise, my blood pressure was high. The Dr. ordered me to bed rest and sent me home with a jug for the 24 hour urine-protein test (sorry, not trying to be gross), but it really was gross. It was a Thursday or Friday, and I had an appt. at the hospital on Sunday at 7am to check my blood pressure and decide whether or not to induce labor.

Saturday night rolled around and I could not sleep. In hindsight, I think I had bad acid reflux, but I was a newbie and didn't know why I was so uncomfortable. That night at around 2 am, a group of coal miners who had been trapped in a mine were rescued, slowly, one by one. I had the unique opportunity of watching Geraldo Rivera commentate as all 9 miners were pulled to safety, slowly, one by one in the middle of the night. It was a long night.

Sunday we were off to the hospital at 7 am. My blood pressure was still high so they decided to induce. I cried because I was terrified of induction and the dreaded "P" - pitocin. I was already 3 cm so they gave me cytotec and at noon they broke my water. That was all it took and labor had officially begun at about noonish. I remember my Dad saying Hi after church and trying to smile and be pleasant, but it was really starting to hurt!

Our hospital has a jacuzzi tub and I remember spending a lot of time there. It really helped. It was my favorite labor-aid! At 7:30-7:45pm. I started to feel ready to push, but I wasn't quite complete so I had to wait a few minutes. I never felt that urge to push with either of the boys, ironically.

Finally at around 8 I got to push, which I thought and still think to be the most dreadful part of labor, and at 8:43 p.m. on July, 28th, our little princess was born! She weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces, was 21 1/2 inches and she looked just.like.Graeme. She still does. I love that girl.

I remember remembering giving birth on each Sunday following Sophia's birth and thinking each week how I never, ever wanted to do that again. I changed my mind, but as I write this on the eve of the due date of our 4th babe, I am again wondering why I wanted to do this again. :)

Birth

2009-05-07T17:30:00.000-04:00

The closer I get to D-day, the more I think about birth. Such an exciting event, yet, oh-so painful. I am totally looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. I have spent no time preparing for it as I haven't spent a great deal of time thinking about much of what's going to happen after the baby's born.

I purposely stop myself from thinking about "how I am going to do it" after the baby is born because my theory this time around is that what comes will come and if I try to anticipate everything that could/may happen during the birth/post-partum period I will be worried and anxious. So, I have saved myself a great deal of anxiety by simply avoiding the topic all together. Good planning or bad planning, I don't know? We'll see soon enough.

My plan is to roll with it...who knows what's going to happen. Each of my pregnancies, births, and post partums have been very different. I have never recorded any of my birth stories, so hopefully I will over the next few days in preparation for the arrival of our newest little sweetheart!

Old Chair, New Chair

2009-05-04T16:50:00.000-04:00

I inherited this chair from my parents. As you can see, it was a lovely 1990 hunter green. Not bad, but not great. I wanted something else in my foyer, but the green just had to go. So, here is my picture tutorial on "re-upholstering, ghetto style". My Mother, the world's most fantastic seamstriss has re-upholstered several times and she does it the right way...this is the wrong way, I have sewing ADD. I am too impatient to do it the right way. So here's what I did...

Start with chair. Buy 7ish yards of movable, easy to work with fabric. I bought the cheapy bolted decorator fabric at JoAnn for around $6/yard. Grab a staple gun, get lots of staples and of course, a glue gun!

Cut fabric and staple it around wing backs and around arms, leaving 12 inches or so draped over the front of the arm.

See the fabric hanging off the arm?

Pleat the fabric with your fingers and pull around the side of the chair.

Like so...and staple in place with your handy dandy staple gun.

Staple or hot glue a piece of fabric to cover the front part of the chair as seen below...

Just leave the fabric hang off the bottom of the chair, we'll finish the base of the chair later.

Staple the arm fabric down, just below the arm.

Hot glue the fabric in place in all the seams. Pull your fabric tightly to avoid sags and puckering, etc.

I don't have a picture, but next I think I stapled fabric below the arms. I am not a details person, did I mention my sewing ADD? I stapled the underside of the fabric and then pulled the fabric over top of my staples, does that make any sense? That way you don't see the staples.

Next, cut a piece of fabric to fit the back of the front of the chair.

Hot glue the seams and staple it over on the back of the chair.

Next, get yourself some upholstery tacks to make your chair look purdy.

I have no idea what I am trying to show in this picture, but the pictures are in sequential order so see if you can figure it out. This is the back of the chair. :)

Hammer the upholstery tacks in anywhere where the fabric is not yet secured and where you would see staples...upholstery tacks are so much prettier...and only $.99/package at Walmarts.

Cut a piece of fabric for the wing back outsides and fold it under around the curves of the wing.

Riddle the wingback with tacks to keep everything neat and orderly. can you see the tacks around the edge of the wing?

Now, fold and tuck fabric up around legs of chair, and staple fabric up in between the legs to hold in place.

Finally, Cut fabric, and staple it to the top of the chair on the underside of the fabric (so the staples don't show. Turn in the sides of the fabric so there are no raw edges showing.

Staple the fabric under the bottom of the chair. Use upholstery tacks down the back side edges of chair to hold fabric in place on the sides.

I am not going to tell you how to do a seat cushion because I can't describe what I did to mine. It's really not very good, I lost patience for "taking my time and doing it right" (my Mom always said that phrase to me when I was a kid!). You can take apart your original seat cushion and make a pattern out of it.

Anyway, mistreat yourself a seat cusion...and Viola! You have a ghetto-style, re-upholstered chair!

Total time it took to complete project: 2 1/2 hours with children hanging around. Not a bad time investment for the result.

Markers

2009-05-01T16:47:00.000-04:00

Apparently markers are meant for your face, not the coloring book.

Nothing Has Changed

2009-04-28T16:38:00.000-04:00

My awesome husband is, you could say, Mr. Organization. I never realized just how terribly disorganized I was/am until I married him. Almost 9 years of marriage to Graeme has forced me to become organized, to get to bed on time, to leave church at a reasonable hour, and I have to say, I really like it! One of the cardinal rules of organization/accomplishing tasks is sticking to your list...if you promise to do a task on a certain day, do it. Don't make up unrealistic lists and not accomplish your tasks. Set achievable, measurable goals, blah, blah, blah...

While visiting with my Mother in Law recently she shared this childhood story about Graeme and it made me laugh!

Graeme was the baby of his family and when he was preparing to go off to nursery school, his Mom was, as most mothers are, sentimental about her baby leaving for the first time. They talked about his going off to school for the first time, and when the big day came, my Mom in law was sad to see him go, of course. Hoping for some sort of loving reassurance from her son, she asked, "are you sure you really want to go to school today?" Graeme replied, "Mother, this is the decision we have made, and we need to stick with it". Nothing has changed in 30 years.

Graeme's Project

2009-04-23T16:28:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows my hubsville very well knows of his love for scripture memorization. He has memorized a few N.T. epistles and has a passion for God's Word. He is an inspiration and an encouragement to me to memorize more and to teach the kids more...it's a very good thing!

We both really enjoy listening to Alexander Scourby's audio Bible . It helps me to listen to a passage before and while I am memorizing, besides he has a fabulous accent and for some reason that helps me memorize because when I recite verses that I have listened to, I remember them with good 'ole Alexander's accent.

This year and last he started memorize the book of Psalms...he's doing one chapter at at time because he doesn't think he could recite all 150 books in one shot. Graeme has done various internet searches for Free downloadable Bible MP3's and it's hard to find decent ones (and Alexander Scourby is not free), so he decided to make it his personal goal to record the Psalms this year. He has a website going here where he is uploading his recordings. Check it out and listen to my man's passionate recordings and debonair voice read God's Word! Please let us know if you are or are not able to download his files if you decide to check out the site.

I heart my man. :)

Easter

2009-04-21T16:24:00.002-04:00

Here is my favorite Easter group shot. :) This picture is like life...nothing is ever perfect! The big kids had it totally together, but Noah was oh so not happy!

Mama's Boy

2009-04-17T13:44:00.001-04:00

Noah has suddenly become a Mama's boy, crying for me all the time! I hope he gets over it naturally before being forced out of the baby position in a few weeks! Poor little man doesn't know what's coming!

Still on the Throne

2009-04-14T13:24:00.000-04:00

She will not relinquish her role as Princess of the house this May, and she is proud of it. I love my helpful little girlie! She loves her brothers, can wrestle with the best of them, yet can dress up and play Mommy in the gentlest way.

Recipe for Fire Hero

2009-04-09T14:00:00.000-04:00

Ingredients:

1 too small fireman costume
1 humidifier
1 vacuum cleaner hose
1 creative sister
1 fireman loving little boy

Directions: Mix them all together, and you have hero lessons for a happy little four year old!

Play-Doh Baby

2009-04-06T13:30:00.000-04:00

Sophia made this little cutie and her cradle all by herself. I thought it was cute and creative.

I awoke, opened my door, looked down...

2009-04-03T13:11:00.000-04:00

...and this is what greeted me. A little boy who got himself a bowl, filled it with cereal, and had already started his breakfast. :)

Farm Show

2009-04-01T13:37:00.000-04:00

We went to the Pennsylvania Farm Show back in January. The kids loved it...especially the farm equipment room. The boys would have stayed with the "achines" all day if I had let them.

Eli loved seeing the sheep up close and personal!

In the giant tractor wheel.

Elijah was very happy to be on the blue tractor (his favorite color), can you tell!?

PopPop and one of his boys.

"I dive it" (I drive it)!

The stowaway

Skid steer loaders are very popular at our house, so it was a real thrill to be able to sit in a real one and "atend" (pretend) to drive it!

One tired little man after all that activity!

Fish Funeral

2009-03-31T13:07:00.000-04:00

Bob bit the dust. We had a funeral, just like the Cosby's. Elijah sent flushed him to his watery grave during the prayer. RIP, Bob.

Little Scientists

2009-03-30T13:15:00.000-04:00

Thank you Lord for a two story family room....the science experiments we have already done have made it well worth all the extra noise. :)

They are using a fan to blow the balloons up high and Graeme and the kids somehow figured out how to make the balloons stick to the wall way up high...I am not the scientist so I don't know how they did it. Truthfully, I wasn't paying attention. :) I've never been a Science person, but now I am being forced to become one by my little Science lovers and their Daddy. :)

Thankfulness

2009-03-28T14:17:00.000-04:00

God has been so faithful to our family. I am so thankful for our new-to-us stove and refrigerator. We were able to get them super cheap on Craigslist. The fridge has scratches on the bottom which is perfect for our kid-house! No getting upset over the kids "messing up" our new fridge...it's already scratched up! :)

Thank you, Lord!

Whatever it takes

2009-03-26T13:20:00.000-04:00

Graeme doing whatever it takes to get Noah to sleep a little longer. It didn't work. Unfortunately, covering the windows with linoleum makes a bedroom as dark as a cave and poor Noah woke in the night because it was too dark...bummer.

However, we did figure out how to get him to sleep longer. :)

Cooking like a crazy woman

2009-03-24T14:08:00.000-04:00

I am cooking and baking like a crazy woman. Not necessarily because I have to, but simply because in the third trimester, food becomes the central focus of my life. I am a food lover to begin with, but there's something about the last weeks of pregnancy that make me oh so hungry!

With every baby, I have cooked "freezer food" to give me a break from cooking once the baby comes. Here are the things I have made so far to fill our hungry freezer. :)

Baked Ziti
Turkey Barbeque - I found a really good recipe for this from tasteofhome.com
Cranberry Chicken
Chicken Spaghetti
Macaroni and Cheese
Ham, Cheese, and Broccoli casserole
Fish Parmesan
Carrot Cake - I had some oooolllldddd carrots that needed to be used up. :)

I have some other things on my list as well. We'll see if I get to these:

Smokey Beans
Haluske (Slovak cabbage and noodles, with bacon of course)
Slovak Soup
Meatballs
Beef Stroganoff
Tortellini Soup
Salmon Cakes
Dijon Salmon (Salmon is Graeme's fav. food)

Twice Baked Potatoes
Bread, cornbread, etc.
Mashed Potatoes

Blueberry Muffins
Zucchini bread
Cheesecake
Crunchies (Scottish cookie recipe from Graeme's grandma)
Waffles or pancakes
Raisin Bran muffins
Shortbread brownies

The above is more of a wish list and I'm sure I won't do all of them and will switch things around. What I have been doing is cooking extra of what we are having for dinner and planning it that way, which is easy. I am always so glad I go to the trouble of this before the baby is born when I am postpartum and tired.

The Demise of the Christmas Pajamas Picture

2009-03-23T13:56:00.000-04:00

I think we gave up and ate cookies instead. :)

Christmas 2008

2009-03-21T14:27:00.000-04:00

Way old, I know, but better lates than never. :)

One of the klassiest ornaments on the tree... :)

We have a foam artist in the house...

My favorite Christmas sight...

Sophia with her presents. The tinkertoys were a big hit!

Noah's favorite was his new geen ganket and Thomas toothbrush!

Elijah's favorite was his eemote (remote) controlled car!

Our firstborn son with his goodies...

Noah with Baby Jesus's birthday cake. More foamies courtesy of "the artist". :)

I was soooo sick right before Christmas that I thought it was going to be totally horrible, but thank the Lord I got well and we were able to enjoy a relaxing Christmas together!

1 Peter 5:5,6

2009-03-20T15:05:00.000-04:00

"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:" 1 Peter 5:5,6

This isn't the best video of Noah saying this verse, but I thought I would share. I never thought the kids would be able to memorize these verses as they are long and kind of confusing for little kids, but they did it. Noah, of course, being the first to surprise me with his memorization genius....he gets it from PopPop!

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-19T14:04:00.000-04:00

It was a day of food coloring galore! We started by wearing green and eating green pancakes. We enjoyed green Powerade (free from CVS of course :)) with our lunch, and at dinner, we learned at Patrick the great missionary. After that, Elijah said, "can we have a blue day next!?"

Noah's 2nd Birthday

2009-03-18T14:20:00.002-04:00

I started to upload these pictures a long time ago, but blogger gave me trouble. Then I got sick and it was Christmas, then house decorating, blah, blah, blah. So, they are extremely belated, but Happy Birthday Noah! He was 2 on November 18th! You never cease to amaze us with your sharpness, little man!

Getting a hug from the queen herself...

As soon as you could finally get up close and personal with your cake, you took off one of the presents and shoved it in your mouth...atta hungry boy!

Opening presents with Auntie and company

Cuteness

2009-03-18T12:57:00.002-04:00

Here we have the resident Ham being his usual lightning-speed-silly-self. I haven't put pictures on my blog in forever...that's because I haven't taken any pictures....bwah!

So Noah moved into the boy room with Elijah. He resides on the bottom bunk or so we thought. We have been having a terrible time with him waking up too early in the morning. He would be up around seven and be completely miserable all day because he was tired. We couldn't figure out why he was waking up so early. Finally, Saturday night as Graeme and I were talking in bed we realized that we have never checked on him to see where he is actually sleeping or if he is staying covered up, etc. after we leave the room. So, Detective Dad went in to investigate. Much to his surprise he found a little ball on the middle of the floor, asleep on top of his geen ganket. Ever since Saturday night we have found him either on the floor in the fetal position, backwards in his bed, or not under the blankets...B-I-N-G-O! Now he is sleeping much better, and longer, and he's not grumpy...and neither is Mommy. :)

Noah-isms

2009-03-05T17:39:00.005-05:00

After playing in the basement Noah said, "I go down in da batement and play on the treadmilk (treadmill)!"

Yesterday he told me he wanted a "tractor for Christmint".

I love that boy, but I fear his allegiance has officially switched to Daddy-o, not that that's not where it's always been. My kids are huge Daddy fans! Ever since he moved into the "bottom gunk (bunk)" he doesn't want me to rock him before his naps anymore. I used to love to rock him and enjoy him sleeping against me, but no more, he's too big and mature for that anymore...boo! I'm glad I get another one to cuddle soon. :)

Buckling down for the homestretch

2009-03-04T07:56:00.003-05:00

Please excuse my lack of blogging over the last couple of weeks. I have been busy doing that nesting thing. We have hung pictures, painted, re-upholstered a chair, hosted a party, re-worked Goodwill lamps, decorated lampshades, sewed pillows, listed ebay, and many other things. I have been a crazy, hormonal pregnant woman. In addition we moved the boys into the same room...it's been interesting to say the least. They are sleeping together at night, but they haven't mastered daytime naps yet. Momma's taken a break from trying because they are wearing me out! All this was coupled with Graeme working and having a class that keeps him late sometimes. It has been crazy.

I've tried to post a time or two, but for some reason wasn't able to get on my blog or I was able, but then my computer froze...so I gave up for a while.

The last trimester is my time to focus inward. I'm tired and I mostly just want to be at home resting or nesting. It's also coooolllld this time around! Both boys were born just as winter was beginning so it wasn't so miserable to pack up kids and go out. I cannot wait for spring!

In my deranged state, I still have some more goals before the baby is born. One fo them is cooking "for my freezer". We have a big freezer in the garage and I like to cook ahead and freeze meals so I don't have to cook when the baby is born. So far I have made a Mac'n'cheese/ham casserole or two and turkey barbeque. My freezer thanked me for starting to fill her up, she was hungry.

Things are slowing down for Graeme at work, and our house projects are virtually done. Now it's just cooking, preparing for the baby, which I haven't done much of yet, his closet is organized though. Actually, everyone's closets are organized...crazy woman.

Hoorah for the last few weeks of winter, bring on Spring!

The Two Year Old Male Ego

2009-02-19T10:11:00.002-05:00

Last night while Noah and I were chatting before bed, he was, of course, sucking his thumb. I tease him and pull his thumb out of his mouth and say, "get that thumb outta there!". He loves this little game and we do it over and over again. I asked him, "why do you like to suck your thumb?" His reply, "it makes me feel important". I asked him the same question again this morning. He gave the same reply. Yup, he's a little man all right.

Nothing Importantish

2009-02-17T12:28:00.001-05:00

It's been a crazy few weeks! Here's a quick synopsis of what's been going on in our neck of the woods:

- Graeme was in Puerto Rico and returned to full force Wescoe School classes which keep him late at work on Wednesday which means Mama rallies the troops by herself on Wed. nights. It also means he doesn't get his work done during business hours (he has class during business hours too) and works late...a lot. It also also means that he has homework, so not only does he work late, he brings work home with him. I am thankful that my husband has a job and the opportunity to take a class to further his education, yadda, yadda, yadda, but I am looking forward to it being over in July. :)

- Noah has become the night roamer. Ever since Graeme was been gone and before he has been waking in the night and waking up REALLY early in the morning. He has about sent me to the looney bin with his antics. We are making him stay in bed until 7:30 to hopefully get him back on track. Once I found him roaming the downstairs of the house at 5 am in the pitch black. Another time, we woke at 3 am to find lights on downstairs. I think he is having nightmares and stuff. He moves to Eli's room next week which I am hoping will help him be less afraid. Which brings me to the next happening...

- Sophia is moving into her room for good. Why have a girly room if you don't use it, right!? For the past several months she has been sleeping with Elijah in his room. They love being together at nighttime, and I thought we would have a hard time getting her to go in her room because she doesn't like to be alone. However, we decided to decorate her room and she is now very excited about sleeping in her own "girl room".

- We've spent the last few weeks doing some home decorating, and Graeme has done some painting in hopes of finally getting pictures on the walls, etc. I must say I am happy with our results. He hung pictures and things in the Family room, Living room, Kitchen, Sophia's room, hallway, and I can't remember where else! I am so thankful for my Man's mad skillz. ;) He also painted the baby's room (still Noah's room until next week) cocoa brown to go with this bedding set I got cheap-o at Target.com. I am looking forward to having a decorated nursery to bring my baby home to, unlike the other kids where it all had to be done after the birth and usually didn't get done until they were 12 months old, LOL.

Getting the house mostly decorated has been our big goal for the month of February. We are mostly finished except for baby's room and a few other things. Graeme is great at planning and getting organized and he has been great at helping to get this done.

- Next month I hope to sell some of our junk on ebay and start cooking for my freezer. Before both boys I cooked and froze meals and it was so nice to not have to cook after the baby was born.

- Abbi and I are already talking curricula for next year. I am thinking I am going to try Apologia for Science next year, supplemented with DK Eyewitness Books because they are so cool and have such great pictures. My kids (and hubs) are Science fanatics so I want to do a better job at Science next year. We'll see how it goes. Elijah will be 5 in October so I think I will start something with him next year, probably the same book I used for Sophia, only spread out over two years since he will not technically be in Kindergarten until the next school year.

- Can you tell that I am a pregnant, deranged, nesting fool!? I like being pregnant for the simple fact that I get things done. :)

- We've had and are having a few people to our home in recent and coming weeks which has kept us busy.

Here's a Noah funny. Every night at bedtime he wants to see my belly and he kisses the baby and talks about the baby something like this: "Baby stuck in there", then he grabs my belly and pulls and says, "uhh, open it", "I open present and get baby out". It's very funny. Then he gives up and says, "baby stay in and grow a little bit". He's very interested in the whole "baby in dare".

Oh, and Elijah also thinks that he can get chickenpox from chickfila. :)

Enough literary-blogging genius...gotta go feed my kiddos lunch now.

The Beginning of the End

2009-02-08T21:00:00.003-05:00

I've hit a new pregnancy low...It seems I can't make it a day without "pulling out the ice cream" at least twice. Oh the scale, the scale!

Blogger and Credit Cards

2009-02-04T17:17:00.004-05:00

Well, I just finished typing a whole long post about how I think the sales clerk at Goodwill stole my credit card and the whole post got lost in Bloggerville somewhere. There is now a small fire in my oven from the chocolate cake that overflowed in there on Saturday so I don't have time to re-write the whole post, but here's the bottom line of the story.

Yesterday I returned something to Goodwill, the sales clerk messed with my receipts to get me to look away from my card, I believe she took my card at that point and I didn't even know it was gone. I went home immediately after that, which is why, unless I dropped it somehow, which would have been really hard to do with my big huge bag, there's no other way I could've lost it. 45 minutes after I got home the CC company was calling me to tell me about fraudulent activity. So, a closed credit card, and a theif who didn't get any money was the result of my shopping excursion to the ole "Goodwills".

I wrote it more interestingly the first time, but I need to go and attend to my fire now. :)

Mr. Thumb

2009-01-31T18:08:00.002-05:00

Noah is an avid thumb sucker. He's been since he was a tiny baby. He never liked the pacifier. Elijah was a thumb sucker too, but he gave up his thumb at around 11 months. Not Noah. He looooves his thumby. As soon as he gets his geen ganket, in goes the thumb. I know I'm supposed to not like this bad habit, but I do so love it. It's so cute. When I rock him before bed and he is sucking his thumby, it's so sweet and baby-like.

Today before nap, I gave him his ganket, and he told me that he had a hawt fingaw (hurt finger). I wasn't really listening to him, but he kept complaining about it, so I non-chalantaly asked him where it hurt, how it got hurt, etc. just to make him happy. He said Sophie did it (his explanation for everything), and he said it was his thumb. "Turn the light on", he said. So, finally, I did and checked out his thumb. It appeared that his beloved right thumb had a blister that popped or something because his thumby was red and he couldn't suck it because it hurt.

I encouraged him to try his index fingers, both of them, and then his left thumb. They didn't seem to "fit" very well. It was so funny to watch him try to get comfortable with all of the different fingers, He'd move his head back and forth, reposition his ganket under his head, and habitually start to put his right thumb in his mouth, then he'd quickly take it out. This went on for a few minutes. He lasted the longest with his left thumb, but it just wasn't quite right. He looked up at me and said, "this thumb doesn't taste so good!".

He fell asleep without any finger in his mouth. There's just nothin' like 'ole faithful, I guess.

Bedtime Babblings

2009-01-27T20:50:00.003-05:00

Tonight my little guy and I had one of our bedtime chats once again. I asked him a question I ask often:

Mom: Noah, are you a big boy or a baby

long pause

Noah: I'm actually a girl!

He then proceeded to tell me that his name was Leah.

Ouch and More!

2009-01-25T21:38:00.003-05:00

This afternoon, I made the mistake of carrying a couple of pillows and baskets to the basement in my bare feet. Halfway down the stairs I decided to switch the things in my hands around to better put them away when I lost my balance, my feet went straight out from under me and I bounced down the stairs. It was a delightful feeling, from which I screamed rather loudly. I hit my head the worst, but also my back. It seems the babe is kickin' just fine though. I was so upset because I thought I wouldn't be able to go to church and see our new friends join the church and hear one of our dear missionaries preach. Well, a bit of ibuprofen solved that. However, now the meds are wearing off and I am feeling a large, large egg on the back of my head and another on my back.

Graeme was gone in Puerto Rico last week for work from Sunday 'til late Friday night. I don't like to tell that on my blog b/c I'm a fraidy cat, but anywho, he was gone.

It was an interesting week. The boys were sick. Graeme also got the dreaded stomach virus in Puerto Rico. There were many other unforseen issues and problems to deal with. I am tired. It's cold. My skin itches. We shoveled snow. Noah wandered the house in the wee hours of the morning in the pitch black darkness. I got hives in the middle of the night again. I had to take benadryl and slept through Noah waking up in the morning b/c of the meds and woke to find him in the family room with cheerios and a tupperware bowl, helping himself to breakfast. :) We had fun with friends and family at the end of the week when everyone was feeling better. It was a long week. I think it was one of the harder trips (for me).

However, all was well when Daddy got home. The kids were sooo excited to see him. We had a nice Saturday at home. My outlook on life is always better when Daddy is home, whether it's after a week long trip, or after a day at the office. We love having Daddy with us...but he has to go back to work tomorrow...sigh...

God is Good All the time, All the Time God is good.

2009-01-21T14:55:00.002-05:00

A while ago, a preacher preached at our church and he said over and over, "God is good all the time, all the time God is good". It has stuck with my and I have found many applications of this truth, just in the last couple of hours! Here goes:

God is good, all the time...when you have a headache and everywhere you look is mess, mess, mess, and there's no end in sight...all the time God is good. - Look up not around.

God is good, all the time...even when you hear your kids screaming, "Noah's peeing" and you race to the scene not only find that he is going pee-pee, but he's done something even more substantial. All the time God is good. - Thank you Lord for a healthy child, and big kids that can yell! :)

All the time God is good. Even when your little one has just used the potty and he carries a dripping wet toy tractor out of the bathroom and says, "my tractor not like to go in the potty", God is good. My baby can speak...quite well, a blessing.

God is good, all the time...when your kids are rambunctious from being in the house for days on end with just you and no one else and you lose it. All the time God is good. - He remembers our frame, that we are dust.

All the time God is good. As you hold your sweetly sleeping two year old and rock him just a bit longer, God is good. - God loves me and holds me in his arms.

All the time God is good. When your little girl reads her reading lession quickly and efficiently, God is good. - Diligence is rewarding, praise the Lord for the opportunity to teach my girlie.

When everything seems to be going wrong and out of control and you want to beat your head against the wall, God is still good. All the time God is good.

Ps 107:8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

That Ugly Word Called Submission

2009-01-20T21:56:00.003-05:00

Isn't submission such an ugly word in our modern day? Submission is hard to act out in a day and age of "watch out for number 1", but it is Biblical and necessary for a home, workplace, etc. to run smoothly.

I have been thinking about Biblical submission lately and thought of a few tidbits I want to remember. It is so easy to get out of line as a wife, Mommy, or employee, and it is good to be reminded at times of the importance of this underused character trait of submission.

My favorite wife book is, "On the Other Side of the Garden", by Virginia Ruth Fugate. She does a wonderful job of explaining submission and a godly wife's role. I've read her book and referred to it often. I know everyone has their favorite, I'd love to hear yours! :)

She uses the text in 1 Peter 3 about Sarah being a godly example of a submission wife. In essence, Sarah is our model of submission as wives.

"For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement." verses 5,6

When I do Bible study, I like to look up definitions of key words and sometimes read the passage with the definitions. Like this:

"For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted (expected, hoped, and confided) in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection (a subordinate in obedience and submission to) unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed (took heed and listened attentively to) Abraham, calling him lord (supreme and honored master): whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well (as a favor or a duty), and are not afraid (frightened) with any amazement (alarm)." verses 5,6

Who of us ladies can say that our hubs have always acted correctly? I know mind hasn't, and he would be the first to admit that...what a guy. :) Who can say that Abraham in the Bible did? He lied about Sarah being his sister, not once, but twice! Yet, Sarah submitted to him. God's order for our lives, especially as ladies is to put ourselves under the guidance of our husband, employer, pastor, etc., all of which are fallible people.

I think it comes down to the following truths for me.

1. We are to trust God's order (example: husband as head of the home), and rest in that plan. Yes my husband is going to do things that I may not agree with, and perhaps he is completely wrong at times, but if I don't respect and honor his decisions, then I am going to be wrong too. In trusting God's order of placement in the home, I don't need to worry if my man is doing everything perfectly. I just need to support, offer input when necessary and pray for the Lord to direct our family. It is really a very peaceful existence, this submission business! :)

2. I need to listen to those in authority and give great weight to their decisions and direction. As you will note, the definition of Sara obeyed, took heed and listened attentively to. I need not take my leader's words lightly.

3. Thirdly, Sarah called him lord. Lord meaning supreme and honored master. She gave great respect to her man or leader. 'Ole Abe was a scoundrel when he put Sarah in precarious positions twice by lying about her being his wife, but Sarah still respected him and his God-given office of leader of their home. No matter what your opinion of your husband or leader, it is never right to de-fame their name in a public or private manner, no matter what they have done, or you think they have done to you. Twisting of scriptures to indict them, rude comments are never scriptural or edifying to the brethren.

I am so blessed to have a wonderful hubs who has been patient and continues to be patient with me as I learn Biblical submission more fully. I must say, it really does work swimmingly! It's so sad that submission is such a bad word in our day and age, as it is really a wonderful thing. I find it very liberating! I don't have to worry about the details, I just need to make sure I'm in my place, encouraging, offering input and respecting my man. It's much easier than trying to be my own boss.

Thank you, Lord for your order for us as people. Help us to rejoice in your plan, respect and uplift our husbands and leaders, and in doing that glorify your name.

More Winter-ness

2009-01-20T21:07:00.000-05:00

The sickness has spread. All the boys have fallen prey, but Sophia and I are still healthy...for now. :)

We had Graeme's fam. on Saturday and we thought Noah was feeling better.....we were wrong. During lunch he started to fuss. I could tell he needed to go potty, but he was very resistent. I bribed him to sit with a lollipop, but then he started to gag on it and then the rest is history. It was very interesting as we had a house full of guests. Thankfully we were in the downstairs bathroom, but I needed a change of clothes for Noah and myself. I called Sophia to get Graeme to get clothes, and just after he came and I was out of dirty clothes, Noah began, e-hem, the other "half" of the illness, all over me and the bathroom. It was highly disgusting. Graeme came back to the room and said, "it smells interesting in here".

All the while the family obliviously enjoying lunch. I was so glad they didn't know what really happened in the bathroom! After 2 or 7 cleanings and an overdose of anti-bacterial room spray along with multiple loads of laundry, and a napping two year old, all was well....until Sunday when Eli started!

I do believe age four to be the age of "vomiting maturity" as this seems to be the age when they really do well with the bowl/bucket concept. He was going until about 3am Monday morning, but he slam dunked every time with no mess. I love the age of "vomiting maturity". It's so much easier. I still slept in between and he didn't cry and fuss.

I also would like to take this opportunity to give praise to the Lord that all eruptions (so far) happened on solid surfaces. I think the Lord knew I wouldn't be able to handle carpet cleaning right now. :)

Sorry for the gross post, but it's part of our family history and I just *had* to record it. :)

A few things...

2009-01-16T12:22:00.002-05:00

It is c-c-collld today! I am so thankful to have a warm-ish house!

Noah has come down with a stomach virus. It started yesterday, and he is a lot better today, just sleepy and lethargic, which is, I'm sorry to say, kind of nice. Last night we lounged around all evening, and I thought to myself, "why don't we do this more often?". Then I looked over to my little boy sucking his thumb and gripping his ganket and laying on the floor and I immediately knew why we do not lounge around. He's usually not still for more than about 11 seconds.

We were at the farm show this week. I hope to post a few pictures of that. Noah loved loved loved the tractors. he could have played on them all day. I enjoyed all the food...yum! Elijah loved the sheep and the school bus ride (shuttle service) to the farm show from our parking spot. Sophia liked everything, she said. It was a fun, exhausting day. It's always nice to look forward to every January.

Speaking of January, I think it's the hardest month of the year, followed by February and into March. I think the combination of dreary, sunless weather, freezing cold, being cooped up in the house with rowdy boys (they are much rowdier in the winter! ;)), sickness, darkness and my dry skin (eczema) make for a difficult month(s). I am determined to be joyful in January, but some days it's just plain hard, kwim? I never used to mind the winter months, and then I had kids and it all changed.

This year, however, I am very thankful for our garage as it makes going out with the kids sooo much easier than at our previous home where we parked on the street and gambled losing our parking spot everytime we went somewhere, not to mention trying to put kids in carseast with a massive snowbank next to the van. Yes, indeedy, the garage is a wonderful blessing!

Someone's calling...gotta go for now...

Photo Tag

2009-01-10T17:00:00.002-05:00

Jeanette tagged me for this fun photo essay.

Here are the rules:

1. Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.
2. Select the 4th picture in the folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag four people to do the same.
5. No Cheating (cropping, editing, etc.)

Here's my picture:

This is Sophia when she was five weeks old. Graeme dressed her, but he put her dress on backwards, as you can see. I guess to a man, buttons always belong in the front. :)

I think most people have done this post or have already been tagged, so if you haven't, consider yourself "it"! :)

Before I forget...

2009-01-09T08:02:00.002-05:00

I always forget to write down the things the kids say, so her are a few Noah-isms of late:

Treadmilk (tread mill)

"Someday, when I grow up I'm going to drive a big grader".

His favorite song right now is "How Did Moses Cross the Red Sea". When I put him to bed at night, he sings it for me:

How did Moses cross the red seek,
How did Moses cross the red seek,

He doesnt' sing melodiously, so if you say it aloud with an emphasis on the "k" at the end of seek, that's how he does it, it's funny.

Elijah has been coming up with lots of funny saying too, but, *wink*, I can't remember what they are. I hate it when that happens. His newest thing is every day after his nap he says, "Mommy, didn't I take such a good nap!?" I'm so glad I'm having another sleepy boy. :)

The other week when Graeme was off work and Scott was working mega-overtime, we took the kids and Abbi took her kids to the local farmer's market, after which the girls and boys split up. Graeme took the boys home for a nap, and the girls went shopping. Isn't that an interesting little math equation:

boys + sleeping = girls + shopping

Anyhowser, Joey and Elijah took a nap together on the top bunk and one woke to go potty, but then they both went back to sleep. I thought that it was cute that they would actually sleep together on the same bed.

Today is my day off and I am off to hopefully score some house decor deals. The last two weeks I have spent in the teens and twenties/thirties on food for our family to save up for this day. Yee-haw!

And the winners are....

2009-01-08T14:17:00.004-05:00

...the boys! Sophia was quite happy herself. None of them really cared, but when you asked, the boys were for boy and Sophia was for a girl. Sophia's princess reign continues. :)

IT'S A BOY!!!!

Here's a profile picture of the little man...
Here he is with his fist at his mouth.

As soon as the technician put the scanning thingy on my belly, he was spread eagle, just like a proud little man, showing us what he had! It was so funny and nice. There is no doubt we are having a boy! :) In the car on the way over I was thinking it would be awful to know, but not for sure, but our littlest man left us no question as to his manhood.

The kids were happy. Noah noticed the clock on the wall behind the ultrasound machine, more than he did the ultrasound. The big kids liked to watch. Sophia was enamoured with how cool it was, as was I. Elijah knew that the office has lollipops, so that was his biggest concern.

Our office got a new U/S machine and it is really nice and soooo much clearer than the old one we used to have. He kept putting his hands by his face and sucking on his fist (hello thumb sucker...yippee!). He has Eli's big bulb head...ugh for the delivery of that noggin'.

He's measuring in the 75th percentile and was almost 18cm (7 1/2 inches) and 1 pound, 3 ounes. Atta boy!

I am so thankful for a healthy baby boy! As I posted last night I thought, knowing the gender is exciting, but most important is a healthy baby. I am so glad to know that he is doing well. I was on sooo many meds when I was sick, it made me a little paranoid. We are so incredibly blessed to have a fourth, healthy child on the way. Thank you, Lord.

"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." Psalm 127:3

Just about to leave...

2009-01-08T10:47:00.003-05:00

...for our appointment. The sides are divided, the boys want a boy and Sophia wants a girl. I'll let you know, Lord willing, who the lucky winner(s) are in a few hours...

Tomorrow is the big day!

2009-01-07T22:57:00.002-05:00

We are having our ultrasound tomorrow...so we will know if I get to buy pink or blue!!! We never found out with the other kids so I am looking forward to the new experience.

I'll let you know tomorrow, if the babe cooperates!

Elijah says...

2009-01-02T17:32:00.003-05:00

..."I love vitamins, Ethan, and shrimp!!!"

Here's the little man after he put on Daddy's tie. He wanted to wear it and he wore it half of the day...following in Daddy's footsteps...

No, No, No, No....

2009-01-02T17:26:00.002-05:00

Ever since Noah turned 2 he's started with the "no" phase. I'm always sad when the sweet baby leaves and the disagreeable two year old comes. Almost every question lately is answered "no" by him. Today I asked Noah if he wanted to sit on my lap to which he replied, a hearty, "no"! After which he monotonely said, "I say no about everything." What a stinker.

The Christmas Treats are getting me...

2008-12-31T23:57:00.002-05:00

There are just too many good things to eat in this house!

Reflections from 2008

2008-12-31T22:08:00.003-05:00

As I ponder 2008 in its final hours, I think of a few things I have done and learned this year.

- A lot of changes took place in '08. We moved Dec. of '07, so adjusting to the new house took place this year along with trying to get our bearings, a LOT of painting, arranging, re-arranging, Craigslisting, and on and on.

- Sophia ended Kindergarten and started first grade and this year I feel like a full fledged homeschool Mom.

- We found out we are expecting our fourth little blessing in September.

- I got sick in November/December, and I was once again reminded that our times are in God's hands and he controls what we do and when we do it. A good, albeit lengthy and at times, painful, reminder.

Here are a few things I learned in 2008 from each of my children. Some of these things I've been learning for a while, but the learnin' continued in '08

Sophia: It's so wonderful to have a daughter and to do "girl things". It's been exciting to watch her learn to read and do so many other things. I feel like she's the guinea pig in so many ways because she's the first to do everything. She's the test spec. Oh well, I suppose being the firstborn has its perks.

I have learned from my girlie that God doesn't make mistakes and that I need to ease up on my first born. She is our quiet, but determined girl. When she was small, I wearied of the power struggles and wondered why she was made the way she is, a strong willed girlie. I learned that thinking that way is questioning God's plan. God makes each of my children unique and fashions their personalities according to his plan. Strong willed isn't bad, in fact, this year it has proved to be a tremendous blessing as Sophia has been a willing and necessary helper. I love her determination! She is tenacious and persevering. Overall, she has the will to do what's right which is a great asset to our family as she is the oldest. She's still only 6, but I can see a little glimpse now of why God made her as he did. How wrong it is for me to question God. I am so thankful that he made her just as she is.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thing own understanding..." Proverbs 3:5

Elijah: I have learned soooo much from my boy this year. He went from a very non-verbal boy last January to talking everyone's ear off at the dinner table this Christmas. I've learned a lot about him and who he is and why he does the things he does as he has started talking more and more. The biggest thing I've learned from my little man is that "perfect" isn't always God's plan.

Eli is very sensitive although you wouldn't know it if you know him as he seems rough and boy-ish. He's not the average boy. I don't think he has any life long problems, but he's easily over-stimulated and a little behind in social settings. He does best with his daily routines as his safety net. It can be tough to watch your child be misunderstood and to often misunderstand him yourself. I have a much better understanding of my boy at the end of 2008 than I did at the beginning for which I am thankful.

Elijah has shown me that not every child is going to be the teacher's favorite or the star pupil or the most popular. It seems our society places such a high priority on having the "perfect child" involved in 10 extra-cirricular activities and the straight A student; Those things equal a successful child and parent. It's been a challenge bucking that ideal through this little man, but I learned a major life lesson: It doesn't matter what anyone thinks, if I am doing what God wants me to do to the best of my ability. People (me included!) can unknowingly say things that sound harsh and are ignorant of your situation, but it's not people I am to answer to. I need to look to the Lord, not people for affirmation and direction. He never fails to guide and encourage.

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;" Hebrews 12:2

Noah: From Noah I learned that caffeine isn't all bad! I need some to keep up with this little fella'! When the first two were 1-2 years old, I had to keep a close eye on them and that was hard work. Noah, on the other hand, in a word: "dizzying". I feel dizzy when this boy is awake. He never.stops.moving. I feel so guilty some days that I can't wait until naptime. Wow, wow, and wow! He's like the energizer bunny, he keeps going and going and going. My favorite time of the day, you guessed it, naptime. My weary little boy falls asleep in my arms and sometimes, I fall asleep too!

The thirdborn has been liberating for me. I think having Noah has made me a more relaxed parent. I simply don't have the hands or the brain power to keep everything and everyone perfectly in check all the time, and as maddening as that can be, it's also liberating. I just do the best that I can and I let the peas fly get squished between little hands as they will. Does it really matter that much? I hope I have gained a little bit of perspective as a Mom from my wiley thirdborn.

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." 1 Peter 5:7

Well, I started this post a while ago and I need to post it before the end of the year, so Happy New Year all! Here's to a New Year filled with its own set of learning experiences!!!

"Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." Psalm 37:3

Life goes on

2008-12-29T21:39:00.002-05:00

It has been a crazy past 6 weeks. 3-4 were filled with sickness for me, but I am happy to report that I am finally feeling better. I was beginning to wonder if I was becoming weak like Clara in the book "Hiedi" or the one sister in "Little Women", I can't remember her name.

I have so many things to post, but because its been so long I am overwhelmed and don't know where to begin. Perhaps I'll scrap the past and just post the now.

Noah is still potty training. He's doing well, with the occasional accident, except for today when he decided the potty was not for him. 7 weeks down, so at least we have that much time under our belt. I really believe potty training to be part training and part waiting. It just takes time before they fully get it. I think the term "fully potty trained" is kind of misleading and I don't know when either of the other kids actually became fully potty trained. It just happened over time. It's a process.

Christmas day was so nice and relaxing. We had the fire on, the kids played, I baked and cooked. We had a few guests for dinner. It was such a nice day.

We spent the Saturday before Christmas with Graeme's family, but I forgot my camera. :( We had such a nice time! The kids all fell asleep in the car and Eli woke up asking to play with James (his cousin). I knew when I saw three bobbing heads in the van on the way home that we would be in for tears when we got home. They always wake up crying when they fall asleep in the car, especially Sophia.

We spent Christmas Eve Eve with my parents. Abbi has pictures of that night. Elijah wanted to be an angel last year, but he was a shepherd, and he was very bitter about it. :) This year he got his heart's desire of being an angel, which he was very excited about. Noah was Joseph and Sophia was Mary. They were all so cute. The older three (Lily, Joey, and Sophia) are really starting to act instead of just wandering around like the little ones. Its such a nice tradition. We ate fabulous food too! It was a great time.

Noah's favorite toy from all of the Christmas holidays? The singing Thomas Toothbrush. It was a big hit. Followed closely by a new "geen gankey". Now he says, "green ganket"...boo! I don't want my baby to grow up.

I hope to post pictures and more stuff soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Super Savings Saturday: CVS

2008-12-13T21:35:00.002-05:00

Here's what I got:

2 jumbo packages of Huggies
1 Huggies Wash
1 tub of huggies wipes
10 bags of Hersheys candies
4 64 oz. bottles of Apple Juice
1 Powerade
1 Contact Solution
3 packs of Energizer batteries
1 pack of Lithium batteries
4 Glade glass scents
12 pack of Scott Toilet paper
15 Power Max energy bars (Graeme LOVES these!)

Total out of pocket: $13-ish
ECB's leftover: $25

I used $30 something in ECB's from the black friday sale and I had some money on a gift card from a prescription offer from another local store which CVS honored. Did you know that if you have a gift card coupon or offer from another drug, grocery, or discount store, that CVS will honor it? Pretty cool!

I loved CVS this week....awesome deals I got...woo-hoo!

For more Super Savings Saturday deals, click here.

Alive

2008-12-11T23:32:00.003-05:00

I'm still alive, albeit sick with the neverending cold/walking pneumonia/bronchitis/pleurisy-ish sickness. I'm starting to forget what normal feels like!

I am sooo thankful that my hubs-ville is off work tomorrow! He realized that he had one personal day left to take this year, and tomorrow was the only day he had a sort of open schedule. He still has to phone in for a meeting, but that was the best day for him and I am soooo glad.

It's been a very long week. I forgot how rowdy little boys get during the winter! Both boys have been waking in the night this week. Elijah for nightmares and Noah for who knows why. I think he must be getting his bottom molars or something, because it's very unusual for him. He normally is very tired after a day full of action!

I've been going back and forth about this baby. Once recently Sophia was being especially whiney and I thought, "O Lord, please let this baby be a boy." Then we put up the Christmas tree the night we had carolers and I quickly remembered how hard it is to decorate the tree with an active 2 year old boy underfoot and I prayed, "O Lord, let it be a girl". I'm so glad I don't get to decide the gender of the baby, I could never do it!

Other than the above, not much has been going on here. I've been in bed for two weeks and for the last week I've just wished for bed and rest. :) Speaking of which, I think I'll go and do that right now. Nighty-nite!

Coughing, coughing, coughing...

2008-12-02T15:24:00.002-05:00

Just when I thought I was starting to feel better, I got sick again. So...I'm still hacking away over in my corner of the world.

On Friday and Saturday I was starting to feel better, but by Sunday I was sick again. I'm not sure if I got more of the same sickness or caught a different sickness. I think this is a world record number of sick days for me.

One fabulous perk of this whole sickness thing, is, that it appears that Noah is mostly potty trained. Not by me, of course, but by his wonderful Father! I will not dare use the term "fully" potty trained for quite some times because he just started, but he gets the basic gist: tells when he has to go, keeps himself dry, etc. Woo-hoo! I hope it lasts. :)

Now back to coughing...

My biggest little helper

2008-11-27T17:28:00.003-05:00

This girlie is my third arm most days. She has been my waitress in bed and my house informant this week. She is all determination and I love her to pieces for it.

Can you tell I miss my kiddos???

Noah doing "Funny Face"

2008-11-27T17:25:00.002-05:00

Mr. Mustache

2008-11-27T17:21:00.003-05:00

Eli insisted I photograph him with his milkshake mustache. Perhaps this is only cute to me...I think this little man's smile is just one more thing to be thankful for, don't you?

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T16:59:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, an evil cold virus has taken hold upon my lungs and sinuses adn has rendered me useless for these past several days. Graeme had taken vacation the whole week, and I had all my plans laid out. I even had an afternoon alone at Panera to blog in the plan. None of my plans happened. My 6 year old first grader didn't learn about the first Thanksgiving (I'm a bad homeschool Mom), we did abbreviated school at best. The house was a mess and is now in greater shambles. I have cooked for no one. I changed our Thanksgiving plans due to this illness, and here I sit, at 5 o'clock on Turkey day, holed up in my bedroom with a humidifier and a hack that can be heard all the way to Cinncinatti. Sometimes the Lord changes our plans, doesn't he?

I had noble goals for the week, doable, not overboard. We had R&R planned for both of us, a special craft to do with the big kids, a little pre-Thanksgiving Christmas shopping. I've realized this week how unimportant and insignificant "my plans" are. None of those things were done. We are all still alive. The children are happy and thriving. Graeme may be a little tired of being Mr. Mom, but he isn't complaining - he's so wonderful. I have a long list before me of un-done things, but in the short term, it really doesn't matter much to anyone but me.

I've spent a lot of time in bed the last few days. Because I have such a dry cough, talking makes it worse, so I've had to be near mute this week....it's been very hard to not speak! I have made up twenty-eleven or so blog posts up in my head because I just have pent up words. :)

From the sickbed, I caught up on the news, which I really don't follow too closely, but hey, I was bored. I read about bombings and shootings in India. I don't normally look at pictures from such events because (my own personal soapbox) I don't like all the gorey pictures. I think people need dignity and we don't need to see such things, but that' my own soapbox. Anyway, in my boredom, I strayed from my soapbox and looked at some pictures of the events. What struck me the most was the dirty conditions in India. The poor hurt people were being transported to a hospital on what looked to me like a filthy Home Depot flatbed cart. You know, the cart we put pieces of wood on? Wounded people with open wounds on a cart so dirty we wouldn't even think of using it to haul our 2X4's. There was also a picture of a crowded hospital room. It looked so primitive and to me, not the least sanitary.

We are such spoiled people aren't we? We complain about not being able to afford our fancy coffees and huge SUV's. There are headlines plastered across the news (believe me, I've read them from my sick-room :)), about how American's don't have enough money for Christmas this year, blah, blah, blah. I complain about not getting anything accomplished this week and missing the normal Thanksgiving festivities. Shame on me, I am so blessed. I can walk into a store and buy the medicine I need (not to mention, we can get free meds with coupons and rebates!). I have clean water to drink when I'm sick and to humidify my room. I have cough drops and Campbell's Chicken noodle soup, although, I think I'm going to explode from excessive sodium intake if I have any more Campbells.

Think about it, even in our discouraging moments, isn't our God good to us, and aren't we extremely blessed?

Ps 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

Turkey Funny

2008-11-26T16:02:00.002-05:00

The Bug Has Got Me

2008-11-25T21:41:00.002-05:00

Graeme took off this whole week. We had the entire week spelled out of things we were going to do, who was going to do what, etc. I was looking forward to getting a few things done. I haven't looked at the lists. It seems I have caught a nasty cold-bug which has me hacking until my muscles hurt. All my big plans out the window.

I am thankful that Graeme is home though. It would be hard to do much of anything feeling this sick. And, I suppose you could say I'm getting some R&R. Isn't that a funny thing, Moms have to get sick to get R&R!

Another thing I am most thankful for is my hubs. He is so good with the kids and he doesn't complain that his plans were messed up and that he has to clean up pee-pee. He took the kids to his fav. store, Radio Shack and came home and made them a cardboard house for their animals complete with a light with a switch. They were so excited, and I thought him rather brave to take all three kids with him alone to a small electronics boutique. It was reported that Noah did dent some packaging on one of the items in the store.

He also things I deserve diamonds and a raise after being Mr. Mom for a day. :) It's nice to be appreciated, but I would like to get back on the job soon.

Potty Fest 2008

2008-11-23T22:24:00.002-05:00

I have been on a little bloggy break because my littlest man is potty training. We started last Tuesday, and he seemed to start to get the hang of it on Sunday. I was so thankful for some progress. It was all week with nothing...but accidents.

Potty training is not my maternal forte. I dread it like childbirth. But, like childbirth, its a necessary progression, and its good to get started. Childbirth is only the beginning. There are weeks of sleep deprivation, physical weakness and pain, etc. But birth is good, because it is the beginning. So is potty training. It's only the beginning of rushing to the potty and numerous accidents and frustration, but its good to take the first step and get started.

Bravo, little potty boy, potty on!

Isn't he a cute little thumb-sucking, potty training, care bear holdin' boy? His "geen ganket" (green blanket) is his favorite, and it has accompanied him all week to the potty...it even was partially submerged in the potty....oh the joys....

Super Savings Saturday: Giant PA

2008-11-22T21:49:00.005-05:00

I had a very fun time this week at Giant!

GiantPa has a great promotion for their gas stations. Basically, you get 1 gas points for every dollar you spend (before coupons..teehee!). 100 points = $.10/per gallon off gas. Almost every week there are also deals where if you buy 8 of a group of items you get an additional $.20 off per gallon. There is no limit to the number of $.20 deals you do each week. This week I did 2 of the $.20/off deals three times each!

Here's what I spent on all the goodies pictured above:

Total before coupons: $157.17

Total savings: $83.96

Total OOP (out of pocket cost to me): $74.33

BUT, it gets better! This trip I earned $1.30/per gallon off of my gas. Now my big huge minivan tank takes 25 gallons of gas. That's an additional savings of $32.50! So, you could say I spent $41.83 on all those groceries. I love a good shopping week!!!

CVS was fun this week too, but I don't have pictures to post. Let's just say I got a LOT of cheap batteries, just in time for all the battery sucking Christmas toys! :)

Check out this video...

2008-11-18T19:50:00.001-05:00

http://www.ignitermedia.com/products/iv/singles/18/meCHURCH

Too funny!

Some great places to visit and more...

2008-11-17T14:19:00.000-05:00

Here are a few places that I have been visiting and enjoying as of late:

No, No, Nanette - Nan is a friend IRL, is hilariously funny and loves the Lord. You will be inspired and encouraged by reading her Mommy thoughts. I'm so glad she started a blog!

Queen of My Trailer - This blog proves that great home decor can be done on a tight budget. Scroll through posts of how this home improvement homeschooling mama turned her terrible trailer into a beautiful oasis...on a shoestring. I love the title of the blog!

The Pioneer Woman has a fabulous artery stopping recipe for Twice Baked Potatoes. They are soooo good!!! I loved them so much I ate one cold from the refrigerator!

This DVD is an awesome homeschooling tool for the up and coming reader. There are actually three Meet the Sightwords DVD's and they are great! The DVD's are wholesome and the kids love them. Even Noah says, "the, the, the". They don't have a great story line, but they are cute and the kids learn the words. Hey, anything to make the learning process easier and more fun! Thanks Suzanne for telling me about these dvds!

Craigs List - I have found so many great deals on here. Its more effort than shopping at the store but its so worth it for the savings!

Blindspots

2008-11-16T14:13:00.000-05:00

The thought occured to me the other day...blind spots are just as they sound. Blind. Spots. Things we cannot see. It is true that others can see our blind spots and we cannot. It is also true that we can see others' blindspots and they can't see them.

I find it easy to notice faults in others, but I was thinking that just because I see or perceive a fault in someone doesn't mean that they are even aware of it. Likewise, and here's where it gets scary, others see my faults and I have no idea about what those faults are.

It would be wise for me to use more grace and less criticism.

For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38b

Mr. Mischief in Action

2008-11-15T11:04:00.000-05:00

I saved up a collection of glimpses into the life of our own resident mischief maker. Little did I know when Sophia was a baby and playing with Baby Magic, what I was in for in just four short years. Noah never ceases to surprise with his feats and antics. Here are the highlights...

He got the first bath and got dried and into his jammies. Then he saw Eli in the tub and wanted to get back in and Mr. Impulsive just climbed right in...

And on yet another occasion. Notice how he is holding onto his pants after realizing that something was awry with his situation. Too funny. He sees fun, wants to be a part of it and totally forgets the obstacles in between himself and said fun.

Sophia got a drink and Noah wanted one to, thankyouverymuch, so he helped himself. Apparently, the pitcher was left within his grasp...

Thankfully, it was empty.

Another Noah pose...who said the high chair is only for sitting? Is it a baby or a monkey...I can't tell...

And my favorite moment of late. the bana incident. Because Noah is part monkey, he loves his banas. He will eat three in a row without hesitation. Apparently, one morning he was hungry, and I didn't come quickly enough to give him his banas, so he helped himself. How, you ask? The bananas are situated on the back of the kitchen counter. Noah is tall and his arms are long so that he can reach about 1/3 of the way back on the counters....but not to the back of the counters. He did what any logical climbing child would do, and "made it happen". He did this by pushing the metal (and very dirty I might add) trash can over to the counter top, a distance of 10 feet or so, climbed on top of the trash and up onto the countertop. When I came into the room I saw him on the counter and bana peels on the floor, as well as napkins, because I suppose neatness is important to him.

There's always excitement at our house.

Camera Hijacking

2008-11-14T12:09:00.000-05:00

Am I the only one with a hijacked camera? Practically every time I download pictures (which isn't very often), there are a slew of "hijacker" pictures. You know, one of the kids gets the camera and goes to town. What did we do before digital!?
There are usually lots of floor shots, and chopped off head shots, but occasionally, they surprise me with their creative shots. Here are a few. I'm not sure who the photographer was, so I cannot give proper credit to that person because, as it were, the camera was hijacked.

One of the beloved 4th grade Science textbooks. We don't use it for school, they just love it...can we say weird homeschoolers?

Sophia. I think I can safely attribute this one to Elijah...or Noah, he has gotten hold of the camera once or twice too. However, I don't think he could take one this good.

The sun shining in on the entertainment center...

I like to call this one, "spring blossoms"...

Okay, enough silliness, time to get back to real life....

Daddy-O Turns Three-ty three

2008-11-13T19:40:00.000-05:00

Graeme had a birthday on October 27th! We celebrated with dinner, cake, and a few practical presents. The big kids each made their own cards...without me helping them...that was nice. I love that they are getting old enough to do things without me!

Here's our Darling Daddy sitting at the table with his little olive plants about him.

This year I delegated the cake decorating responsibilites to my determined young lady (the string of fall birthdays in our family wears my cake decorating finger joints out). She begs to do the decorating and I am obliging her early with hopes of her learning early so that she can do most or all of the birthday cakes at our house!

This is her first solo masterpiece, although she did her birthday cake this year as well. She calls her creation, "Daddy in the rain with an umbrella and a heart, because he loves me".

Her Daddy does love her. So much so, that he has on numerous occasions stayed up all night with her as she repeatedly lost the contents of her stomach...what a man! He plays dollhouse with her and picks flowers with her. He tells her "care bear stories" before bed and does devotions with her and Elijah.

What a Daddy we have. He memorizes oodles of scripture passages, and recites them methodically and perfectly. I don't know how he does that. Actually, I do, it's practice, practice, and practice. Meditation and more meditation. It amazes me and puts me to shame.

He plays "doggie catcher" and horsey with the kids and tucks the big kids into bed each night. He does dishes and takes out trash. He stays up late to listen to me talk about my day, even when he is uber tired and has to get up early..and I am not saying anything important but rambling about my day. He prays with me, prays for me, and loves our home and being with the kiddos.

I am sooo thankful for my man and his attitude of sacrifice for the good of our family. I love that he loves children and that he is the reason we are having another one. He gave me "the speech" right after we brought Sophia home from the hospital. The speech was something like, "we're going to have 4 or 5 kids". I told him he would have to use a surrogate womb. He won. :) Here we are with his #4 on the way.

I love that I know that Graeme desires to put Christ first in all things and that even though he is human, I can trust God and know that my hubsville is doing the same. I love my man and the longer we are married the more I know that we are MFEO (made for each other).

I love you darling!

Ps. The boys were especially fond of the chocolate icing...

Applesauce

2008-11-13T08:35:00.000-05:00

Last week I promised the kids we would go to the Farmers Market and orchard on Friday. I woke up tired on Friday, but they remembered, so after school we were off to the Market and Orchard. The kids rode the ancient kiddie rides at the Farmer's Market and we got 8 baskets of apples at the orchard. I had no intent to do applesauce that day,but Sophia was convinced and excited to do applesauce.

The last time we did applesauce she single-handedly milled almost all of it. I was so amazed at the time because she was only four that I must have praised her up and down and now she loves doing applesauce and has been begging for months to do it together. Its amazing what praise can do. I'm wondering where else I need to use more of it in my mothering!?

I didn't want to let all that excitement go to waste so Friday afternoon we started our applesauce and we got it all done on Friday and canned and frozen on Saturday. I was so glad we did it right away.

Here's the beginnings of the applesauce...

Rub-a-dub, getting a bath in the sink...

My enthusiastic worker with an enthusiastic eater in the backround...

Lots of containers were needed to hold all the applesauce we made this year...

Eli getting in on the action...

Daddy the innovator finding a better way to get the job done, and getting to use his toy in the process.

Elijah definitely wanted to be a part of the tool action...

The finished product.

We did 7 1/2 half bushel baskets of apples and ended up with 64 quarts of sauce. It was a fun family evening. Who knew making applesauce could be so much fun?

Thomas we LOVE you!

2008-11-12T12:00:00.001-05:00

We have enjoyed Thomas the Tank engine videos for quite some time now. However, neither Sophia nor Elijah were true Thomas fans. They watched the dvds, but the hysteria for Thomas was not there. So much so, that I sold most of our train track and stuff at our yard sale this spring. I sold too soon. My little boy has become a Thomas fanatic. His first word for train was, "Tomish". He lurves Tomish with a passion. I am soooo thankful that my mile a minute never stops moving boy likes to sit still and watch Thomas for 20 minutes or more at a time.

A few weeks ago, Noah was tired and cranky, so I put a "Tomish" on for him because I could tell he was tired. I think he woke up early that day. I went out of the room and came back to find the fan of the number one engine out cold on the family room floor. It was too cute.

Why is my sleeping boy so irresistable? Now that he's down to the one nap, he is really tired at nap time and every day, if I hold him long enough he will fall asleep on me. It is so sweet. Its one of my most relaxing moments of the day, rocking my almost two year old and watching him such his thumb and hold onto his "geen gankey" (green blanket) for dear life. I liken it to nursing a newborn. Its so peaceful and sweet.

I'm so thankful to have these special moments to cherish with my "baby". He grew up so much faster than the others and I love having one last "baby moment" with him.

What I did today

2008-11-11T22:46:00.004-05:00

As I mentioned afore, food is paramount for me these days. So, its no wonder that I have been doing a lot of cooking and baking for the sole reason that I am always hungry. I am dreading the scale at the Dr.'s office this month. Guess when my appointment is? Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving! And to top it off, I think I have the precise, detail oriented Doctor in our practice who ALWAYS mentions how much weight I am gaining. He's very nice and I really like him, he's just precise, that's all. I just don't want to know! :)

Today I...

Baked Lemon Blueberry Scones from a mix my SIL gave me.

Mixed up a batch of Raisin Bran muffins for the fridge. The recipe is nice because you mix up the batter and can keep it in the fridge for a week or two without it spoiling and just bake as needed.

Baked Zucchinni bread for my hubs. Another big reason I did the bake-a-thon today was because myhubsville was discreetly and not discreetly reminding me that I didn't have any baked goods in the freezer for him. *Note to the single and newly married* Don't get your husband hooked on your baked goods or you'll never be able to get out of baking. Actually, I really don't mind baking for him, especially when he washes the dishes.

Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies for me! I need chocolate these days.

Cooked up a double recipe (one for dinner, two small pans for the freezer) of the Pioneer Womans Chicken Spaghetti. I had cooked chicken in the freezer so that made this and easy meal. I'm not a huge fan of the canned soup casserole, but this is a good recipe so long as you don't skip or skimp on the cayenne pepper...or cheese.

I had extra chicken so I made some of my Grammy's Chicken Pot Pie. Yumm-o. That will be dinner tomorrow with extra for the freezer.

I love a good cook/bake-a-thon!