Happy Mommy Happy Family

What's been going on?

2011-08-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

Wow...so I've been REALLY bad about writing lately. No good excuse...just lazy about keeping up. I keep saying "tomorrow I'll post something" but then it never happens!
so lets see...here's what's happened this summer:

July: Gideon turned 4, my dad turned i forget, Chris turned 32, my mom in law turned i forget, my grandparents celebrated their 60th anniversary, i got a "new" van (01 pontiac montana)
While at my parents we visited the zoo - the kids loved it!

August: Samantha turned 1 (HOW did that happen so fast) and learned to walk, boys went for a sleep over for 2 nights! Quite is a wonderful sound. High school 10 yr reunion. on the way to my parents (exactly half way between here and there) i got a flat tire - no fun. Chris and I celebrated our 7th anniversary.

We have done lots of hanging out in the backyard. I don't think we made it to a park yet!
my house has been cleaned, dirtied, cleaned, dirtied etc. we have a leaky faucet (still). We have more bills than I know what to do with. We're having issues w/ a tenant. I have to remind myself daily that God is in control - not me! the kids are back in school next week. I have lost & kept off about 30 lbs since new years.

Happy Birthday Samantha!

2011-08-14T10:16:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to my little princess! I can't believe you're a year old already! Your new trick for the week was learning to walk! Love you bunches - and so does Rocky!

I'm Annoyed That...

2011-08-05T05:45:00.001-07:00

1. My van has a flat tire and I need to get groceries
2. I didn't get a paper yesterday so I don't know where there are any sales on said groceries
3. we have a water leak in our tub (drippy faucet) and there is no shut off. this means that in order to not waste water, I have to go down to the basement and turn off the main water to the house. GRRRR....and I have no idea when Chris will be able to fix it.
4. We seem to have a leak in our pool - or should I say another hole. But I can't find it.
5. Speaking of the pool, We can't seem to get it to stay clear this year. Vacuuming it yesterday made it worse. Sigh....
6. It has been very slow the past few weeks for editing papers. I enjoy the break from mommy brain, and the money is nice too!
7. I have very few clothes that fit well, and the ones that do have stains
8. I haven't had a full night sleep w/o at least one kid waking up in MONTHS (probably close to a year)
9. Chris has been working SUPER long hours - and I'm sick of it

BUT

I HAVE lost 30 lbs since New Years
I am able to sit outside on our awesome covered porch and enjoy even the hot days
We HAVE a pool to cool off in
I HAVE a van
We HAVE food to eat - even if we have to wait a day or two to get what we'd like to get.
We HAVE a house (and all the fun that goes with it)
I HAVE 4 wonderful (if not challenging) kids - who have all been amazingly healthy
I HAVE a husband who is willing to work the hours so I can stay home w/ the kids

So I guess it's OK to be annoyed as long as there is perspective =)

Happy 4th Birthday Gideon!!!

2011-07-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe you're 4!!!

Postal Strike...

2011-06-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

Dear whoever is keeping the postal service closed down,
GIVE ME MY MAIL!!!!
You are holding my tax return check and we NEED THAT MONEY THIS MONTH to pay OUR BILLS!!!!
I really don't know/care who is keeping my mail back right now (government,workers, union...), I just want it. Why, when you are holding our money as hostage, will I be responsible for any late fees on our bills/mortgage? Our check has now been "in the mail" for 3 weeks. Thanks so much for adding to our already stressful lives!

sincerely,
A VERY frustrated mom

Another Update

2011-06-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Jacob is 5.5 years old and is almost done with his first year of school. According to his teacher, he has done very well; she even says that she will miss having Jacob in her class next year. His favorite color is still green, and he still loves playing with cars. He is constantly asking questions...many of which I just don't know the answer to. He is very interested in what the lines on the roads mean and what signs mean. He also likes to know exactly what kind of car/truck/bus etc. is driving (or parked) on the road. Samantha is his favorite play thing, and it is hard to make him realize that he doesn't need to carry her everywhere or tickle her constantly, or spank her, or "eat" her, or...or...or... I am enjoying his growing independence - most of the time. He is loving the pool again this year too!

Gideon will be 4 in just a few short weeks! I can't believe it. We are still working on getting him to remember to put all his 'business' in the potty. I think he gets lazy and/or doesn't want to take eut from playing. Gid's favorite color is blue. He also enjoys playing with cars, but is also interested in other types of toys/activities. He is still my sneaky get-into-everything kid. I think I have to padlock things in order to keep them safe! It was fun seeing him remember that he could "swim" on his own (life jacket and noodle) and not have to stay by the steps. We are also working on reminding him to always tell the truth, even in the little things. I am looking forward to him starting school in the fall! He will have the same teacher as Jacob did!

Levi is 2.5 and tries to act as big as his brothers. This results in lots of boo-boos. He is probably closer to being 100% day potty trained than Gid is. I am both thankful and frustrated by this! Levi is starting to learn his colors. We have kind of instituted that his color of choice is red. It keeps it easy having each boy have a different "favorite" color for cups or shirts or other misc. stuff! We'll see what color he ends up choosing when he actually can tell the difference! I find it hard to believe that he could start school in a year. I'm kind of dreading it! His first year will be the last one of the all day every other day jk/sk before going to all day every day. I'm torn between wanting him to get a year in of alternate days and keeping him home another year. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Our major challenge for him is to keep him from screaming so much. He has a VERY high pitched LOUD scream.

Samantha is 10 months old. She is crawling everywhere, climbing steps, and pulling herself up on everything. She seems to have a love/hate relationship with her brothers. She gets these looks on her face where she's not sure whether to enjoy the attention or cry b/c she's getting too much of it. She likes the pool as long as I am holding her. I am having a hard time not buying every dress/pair of shoes out there for her!!! I'm still enjoying being able to play with her hair! She is starting to go to bed and sleep better at night; hopefully in a few months she'll be able to move into Levi's room. It's fun getting to see one of my kids wearing pink & purple!

Rocky is still a pain, but I love him.

Chris is working insanely long hours. I feel like I never see him and when I do he's so tired it's hard to carry on a meaningful conversation. I wish there were more I could do to contribute to our household, but there just isn't right now. Chris works so hard and has such a great work ethic. That is one of the many things I love about him!

Me. Well, I've lost over 25 lbs since New Years! I was able to get a pair of size 9 shorts up and buttoned this weekend! I haven't been able to do that since High School! I didn't get them b/c they were a little too tight to wear in public, and I didn't like the wash (they looked pre-worn). I am still editing papers when they come in. I would love to do more of it! It's a nice break from "mommy brain"! Some of the papers are more like a puzzle - trying to figure out what the author was trying to say! I am trying not to stress about making our bills this month. We're still waiting for our tax return check. If the postal strike ends this week, and the mail gets moving, and we get the check at least some pressure will be take off! We are still having trouble with one of our tenants. It has been a VERY stressful 2011 so far. I am praying that the 2nd half of the year won't be so stressful. I am looking forward to 2 trips to Pennsylvania this summer; the first for my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary party, and later in the summer for my 10 year high school reunion.

Kinder Surprise

2011-06-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

So today I had about 5 stores I wanted to go with the kids. While we were in the check out at the first store, the kids saw the 3 pack of Kinder Surprise - not normally a big deal. But today they happened to see that they were the Kinder Surprises with Cars 2 toys. And me, being the (exhausted, no patience, bribing) wonderful mom that I am, decided to get a pack. 3 eggs, 3 Cars toys, and a bribe...I thought it would be a win win for everyone. Well, I told the boys they had to be good in the remaining 4 stores and they could then have their egg. We got home, had lunch and started to get into the eggs....only 2 of the 3 had cars in them. the other one had a paper balloon thingy. I finally REALLY looked at the box - 2 of 3 eggs have cars toys. OOPS!!!! So no what? Do I leave one of my boys without a car? Do I pile them back into the van? Do we walk? Well...I decided that if Gid wanted the car that I would take them back to the first store we were at and get another box, but we would have to walk. So we walked and got another box. Guess I should have read the box more closely or taken them to the dollar store in stead - it would have been cheaper!

Updated Brag

2011-06-15T06:53:00.001-07:00

So I've now lost about 25 lbs! i can't believe it. I'm down to the weight i was when i got married almost 7 years ago! My body doesn't fit clothes the same way it did then(4 kids will do that to you...lol)

People have asked how I have done it. It's actually been fairly easy. I've cut out snacking, especially at night. I was a HUGE snacker after the kids were in bed. Chris was usually working (and when he was home he wanted to snack too) so I was always eating at night. I cut that out and cut most snacking out during the day except for fruit. I keep snack food out of the house, except for what I need for Jacob's lunch. When I get the snacks for his lunch I immediately make about 6-10 lunches and put them in their own bags so the boxes of goodies aren't sitting around for me to see. It's also good so I'm not scrambling on school mornings to make his lunch.
That's about it. I try to get some extra walking in - like taking the long way to Jacob's school, but I usually don't go out of my way to exercise. now that I'm seeing the results - like NONE of my clothes fit it is encouraging me to want to do more. i want to be more conscious of what/how much I'm eating.

now I'm just waiting for the tax return to come in so i can get some clothes that fit again.

I'm also going to get my hair cut...probably fairly short. I'm excited!

My Garden

2011-06-13T14:47:00.000-07:00

mini garden at the base of my close-line pole
Baby Green Beans

mini rose bush

HUGE hosta
some sort of pretty flower
chives and bleeding hearts
tomatoes!!!
Can you see the mini tomatoes???
family picture in the garden
kids w/ the grandparents
Gid helped Grandpa plant the green beans
my garden
the transplanted hostas
another shot of the garden

Disturbing Documentary

2011-06-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

The other night when Chris was working late, I was channel surfing looking for something interesting to watch. There wasn't really anything I was interested in watching, but in my surfing I noticed a documentary on assisted suicide. I knew better than to watch it (especially at night, by myself) considering I don't agree w/ assisted suicide. But I couldn't help flipping back to it. From what I gathered, a man w/ a very bad disease (not sure what it was - he had to have something like a oxygen mask on at all times and couldn't care for himself) decided to go to I forget which country to have a legally assisted suicide. There were 2 things that bothered me the most. 1. He seemed to have such a good mind - not like there was any mental instability or Alzheimers or whatnot. 2. His wife (who appeared to be his primary care giver) seemed to be fully supportive of his decision.
I wasn't able to watch the entire thing, but still what I watched bothered me and is continuing to bother me. My one ongoing question is (and it may have been answered on the show during a part I didn't watch) how could his wife be OK with this...???

On Top of Everything Else...

2011-05-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

...My washing machine is leaking and our one toilet is not working properly....sigh....

My Brag

2011-05-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

Since New Years, I have lost 20 lbs!!! YEA ME!!!!

I now weigh within 10 lbs of where I was when I got married!!!

I love that I get to buy a size smaller pants!

It felt great to have people notice too!

I *think* I want to set a goal of getting into a single digit pant size....

Looking Up

2011-05-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well...I got my insurance MOSTLY figured out. My broker is fighting on his end for one last piece. I was able to get it back to the original (or possibly even less) quote of 8oosomething a year versusu 1000something a year! YEA! AND we finally will be getting rent money from our one tenant. Although there are still issues there and we may not get the back rent (of 3 months) at least we will get through another round of bills and mortgages! God is good!

on a side note: I don't believe the world will end tomorrow, but if, in God's infinite wisdom from all eternity He decided that the world would end, would we be ready? Just food for thought =)

I'm Just Tired...

2011-05-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

...Of fighting for what is actually mine (or Chris and mine). This past month or so I have been fighting (along w/ Chris) to get our rent money. I have had to fight w/ my car insurance - the Ontario ministry of transportation doesn't have a record of my driving before moving from PA to Canada which meant I had to call up my parents insurance to get my old DL number (b/c the ministry had to take my PA licence when i got my Ontario one). Then I had to get my drivers record off line (for a fee of course) from the PA dept of transportation. Well, that got my rates back to where they should be, but the insurance company messed up and is trying to charge me for an extra month where I wasn't actually insured with them. It's not a HUGE deal, but on top of everything else it's very irritating. I'm waiting for something to go right this month...sigh...

My Mom's Wisdom

2011-05-09T13:29:00.001-07:00

Ok...So it's been a few days since the letter from the neighbours, and I thought I'd give an update on how life is going.
I was able to talk to my mom, and even read her the letter, and after expressing over and over and over (etc) how frustrated I was, I came to some conclusions.
1) It wasn't that they wrote a letter, it was how the letter was worded that upset me so much. I have learned that how something is said can be more important that what is actually said. It took quite a while for me to be able to read through the letter without being SO MAD at the neighbours. I'm still upset - but it's a little better. Mom also reminded me that I was raised to be aware of how things were said. I was never allowed to say that mom didn't love me, but I was allowed to say that I didn't feel loved - things like that. So maybe i'm just very sensitive to the way things are said.
2) After I read the letter to my mom (I wanted her to help me with my verbal bashing...lol) she said that it sounded as if it was written out of frustration. NOT what I wanted to hear, but it was needed.
3) Ultimately, I need to please God. This was another thing Mom pointed out to me. She's so smart! Anyways, she reminded me that it really doesn't matter if things get "resolved" completely with the neighbours, but, since they did communicate a problem, that I need to remmeber to try to please God in everything I do. If I refused to do anything to help the problem, I would not be being a good witness. It was a good reminder to try to change some things - like not letting the kids run through the house and trying to teach them to use inside voices - not because the neighbours asked, but because doing so would be honoring to God. My pride doesn't want to change anything. Did that last paragraph make any sense? It seems kind of jarbled - at least it makes sense in my head.

So what am I doing to try and keep the noise level down?
I mentioned 2 things earlier, but I am also trying not to yell through the house. Instad, when able, I go and talk to whoever I need. It may be to stop yelling, or to turn off a light, or get something. Where I used to just call out, I now go for a little walk. I am also trying to to raise my voice when diciplining. This is NOT easy, espcially when I am tied up nursing Samantha or dealing with another kid.
I'm also trying to remind the kids, especially Levi, that they don't need to scream. He is a screamer when he cries - a HIGH PITCHED LOUD screamer.

well, the kids are telling me they are hungry so I guess it's time for dinner. =)

Semi Issue

2011-05-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

So today started out fine...get up, get kids up, dressed, fed, out the door, Jacob to school, home, collapse, clean etc. But after lunch I had to deal with an issue relating to one of our tenants (who we havn't gotten any money from yet - it's only been 3 months). So that made my day not so good. Then, I decided to grab the mail on the way to pick Jacob up from school and there was a letter from our neibours. Oh ya...we live in a semi-detached house, so we share a wall w/ our neighbours. I've always had some issues w/ semi's. I'm not sure exactly why, but I was quite hesitant to buy a semi...I would have preferred a detached house, even if it had been smaller and not as nice. Since buying this place we have realized that altough it looks good cosmetically, there's lots that needs fixed: plumbing, electrical, drywall (due to plumbing issues) and it needs the main floor kitchen completely built. The fence is falling down etc etc etc. But we're stuck here until we pay off enough to get a down payment for another place...
Anyways, back to that letter from the neighbours. They felt the need to explain that we do share a wall (thanks....I didn't know that...[please read w/ dripping sarcasm]. They said that they hear me "screaming at my kids" and my kids "screaming and crying" that my dog "whines and barks" at everythign and goes from "window to window to bark." Also, they thought that this would not last very long once the kids "got used to the new house and got older and the dog matured." Wait...i was pregnant w/ Samantha when we moved...how quickly do kids stop screaming and crying? I didnt' know it was by 6 months (again, sarcasm). Jacob is only 5 1/2...they are constantly fighting, playing, running in the house. oh ya...we're out almost every morning. The kids really aren't that loud until the evening. Sorry...but this is our house. I didnt' whine and complain when your dog pooped all over our front yard all winter.
I'm sorry that I have to yell in order to be heard/obeyed. I've tried talking in a calm voice - it doesnt' always work. Maybe they should try keeping 4 kids and a dog quiet when they can't go out to play b/c of cold/rain/snow/whatever. We finally have a big enough house for them to run through - that's one of the things i liked about it.
I feel like a complete failure as a person now. The way the letter was worded made me feel useless. It sounded like they think i'm such a bad mom b/c I yell at my kids. - oh wait, that's scream at my kids. and guess what, I hear their dog bark too. Chris works long hours and as much as Rocky's barking may be loud and annoying, I don't worry that someone will break into the house while i'm alone w/ the kids.

I'm pretty upset right now (if you hadn't gathered that). I called chris to let him know about the letter, hoping for a little sympathy or commiseration or something...but all I got was him telling me to be harder on the kids to keep them from yelling in the house and to move all the toys up to the loft and otherwise not to worry about the letter.

i'm so sick of being criticized for how my kids act (not that that happens too often) or how loud my dog is. he's actually been quiter this week while we've been dog sitting, than he has for a long time (although ace hasn't been completely silent...lol). Ok -anyways, I feel a little better just getting this out of my system in some form. I'm a verbal (this is kinda verbal) processor -i need to say (or write out) problems so I can begin to deal with them.

A Rambling Update and Rant

2011-04-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hm....it's been a while since last post. Nothing too exciting or new has happened. It's all just kind of same old same old.

Jacob is still enjoying school (although today I had to bribe him with Tim Bits - more about that later). He is begining to read, but won't do it for me. He loves Samantha to pieces to the point where i'm sometimes afraid she will break into pieces! His new favorite thing to do is to push Smantha in his little tykes coup car. She loves it too!

Gideon continues to be full of energy. He is either throwing himself at me giving hugs and kisses or he's in a full out tantrum. There's not a lot of in-between with him. He is doing better about remembering where to do his...ahem...poos and pees. Today he appologized for crying and said that 4 year olds don't have attitudes, but 3 year olds do.

Levi read the book on how to be a 2 year old. He is full of energy and hugs, but he is also full of "no" "no I don't" and "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH" (cried/screamed at an ear- splitting pitch)! He is also doing well in the potty training department...most of the time. He is a little mother hen toward Samantha - any time she has something that isn't hers he says "no 'Mantha!" It's pretty cute!

Samantha is my little mommy's girl. She's perfectly happy with anyone else unless I'm in the room...then she needs mommy. I guess I don't really mind too much! She has learned how to go up stairs now and pulls herself up regularly! She even seems to enjoy her brothers love.

Rocky is still a big oaf. His latest idiocity was to jump (or fall) into our reciently filled (and very cold) pool. I saw him trying to get out, but there were no steps. He was one wet puppy!

Finances are still not great and a large part of that is because our tenants haven't been paying for the past few months. We did get part of the month's rent from the one tenant, but we havn't gotten anything from the other tenant for 2 months now. This person is on welfare and her rent check shoudl be coming directly to us. I called the welfare office today to make sure they had our corrrect address on file. I wasn't allowed to know because it (somehow) would violate our tenant's privacy. Chris has been fighting to get this tenant to check the address adn make sure the check had been sent, but we dont' know if it's happened or not. We were suposed to get a letter saying that we would be getting a check directly to us, but if our address was wrong in the system we can't check to see ....ARG!!!! I find it super irritating that as an honest person there are so many dishonest people in the world so that we can't make honest inquiries because we might actually be trying to pry into their business. Ok...that was a bit of a ramble...but I want our rent money....It's really hard trying to make ends meet while carrying 2 mortgages when people don't pay!

I reciently started to break out in hives. At the begining of the week It was just one spot on my shoulder at night and it went away the next morning. the next night it was 2 spots. the next night it was all over my back. last night it was ALL over and VERY itchy. but it had been going away durnign the day. Today, the hives didnt' go away. I don't know why they are coming out. Do I have a virus of some sort...???? I don't feel sick at all. Is it stress? I don't feel overly stressed...at least not any more than normal. These hives are huge and they spread fast. it's not little pin prick ones, they are HUGE and look like welts. Whatever...at least it's not the flu or something like that.

I'm a little annoyed with myself about wanting to watch all the hoopla of the Royal Wedding. Part of me even wants to get up early to watch it live instead of just waiting and watching it a at a normal hour. I remember when I was younger some of my friends and I thought Prince William was just SO CUTE!!! We are all married to our princes now though! I feel a bit bad for the couple though - they have no privacy. I'm glad it's not me!!!

My van nad a flat tire this week. I'm driving around on the donut right now.

well, that's about it.

Feeling Better About My Life

2011-04-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

This past week was quite challenging (as the previous post so elloquently puts it *grin*). I am feeling much more accepting (if that's the word I want) of life right now. I poured my heart out to a dear friend ab out some things that are going on in my life (how's that for vague). I was able to confront an issue, and although not resolved, at least the ball is out of my court (again, intentionally vague). I don't feel as weighed down by certain things and people. I am able to live my life to the best of my ablilty without worrying about when/how to deal with said issue. There is still stress. Financially, March was a tough month. April is a heavy bills month along with having to play some catch up. BUT!!!! God is in control. I dont' want say that I lost sight of that last week, but with everything that I was dealing with the finances stressed me out more than I care to admit. I think I lost sight of everything that I have to be thankful for. My challenge for this week: Cancel our satelite service. I've known that I should have canceled it AGES ago, but I LOVE my satelite TV. Sad as it may sound, this will be very difficult for me. It means no falling asleep in bed to shows on Discovery Chanel/TLC etc. No Treehouse for the kids to watch first thing in the morning when I'm trying to pry my eyes open, and no Treehouse right before the kids go to bed. I'm sure there will be positives, but at this point it's a sacrifice I wish I didn't have to make, because I REALLY don't want to. (How self centered am I????) Anyways, I'm sure the stress/worry/frustrated monster will come back to haunt me, but for now, I'm going to continue to live one day at a time and count my blessings every day!

NOT a Good Day

2011-04-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

Ugh...Bad day Emotionally drained Financially drained Kids taking advantage of me being emotionally drained leading me to be physically drained

If I Can't Say Something Nice...

2011-03-24T14:55:00.001-07:00

...then I won't say it at all. I am going to try to live this out - especially about Chris. I want the world (or just whoever I talk to) to think Chris is the best husband in the world (maybe even be jealous that their husband doesn't do X,Y, or Z)! I want Chris to know that no matter what is going on at home or whatever feelings I may or may not be having, that I will always present him in the best possible way to those I am around. I find it very easy to "husband bash" when I am around certain people. I want him to know that I love, respect and honor him in my daily conversations. I want to keep my mind focused on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives/frustrating parts of [married] life. Most importantly, I want to honor God by my words and actions. When I and disrespectful of my husband, I am ultimately showing disrespect to God.

I have no illusions that this will be easy. There will be times when I am SO frustrated that I want to shout it to the world. There will be times when I when I want to make myself look better so I [want to] make Chris look bad. I tend to get a bad case of "foot in mouth" disease when I am around certain people - it will be a challenge to think before I speak. I might get a bloody tongue from biting it to keep from saying what I'm thinking.

So with all that being said, let me brag about Chris for a minute.
When I got home on Monday from 10 days at my parents, Chris had done all the laundry he could find in the house (6 loads!) including the sheets and towels. He finished folding the clothes and had the bed made. He even suggested that we order pizza for dinner that night! He worked on our entry way and, although it isn't finished, it is still useable - and he was right that it would be better the way he made it. He also took Samantha with him to a meeting in the evening so I could attempt to get life unpacked. Tuesday he picked Jacob up from school and took Samantha with him in the evening agin. Today, he brought me home a coffee!!! What a great guy!

Doctor Pet Peeves

2011-03-05T07:22:00.001-08:00

1) Waititing 20 minutes (or more) to see the doctor almost every visit. Showing up 5 minutes late (b/c i thought my time was later and i was going to be "early") and being told the dr. couldn't see us - this happened a number of months ago. HOW does that make any sense??? Was that really the one day the dr. was running on time???

2) The Dr. proscibing antibiotics/meds/whatever for EVERYTHING!!! Samantha has had a not very nice diaper rash this week - nothing concerning, juts not very pretty. i have been dealing with it on my own without thought to getting a perscription for it - especially since it didnt' seem to be bothering her too much. The day before Samantha's appt, I really gunked up her bum with rash cream and noticed a significantly less rashy bum in the morning. When I got home from her appt I had a call from the Dr that she was calling in a perscription for diaper rash cream. My dr. never even mentioned that she thought Samantha might need it when i was in the office. REALLY??? I would think by my 4th I woudl know if i needed something more than what I had at home and would have asked the doctor if I was at all concerned. BTW, I'm not picking up the perscription!

Christian Love

2011-02-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

Someone (I have NO IDEA) sent us $100 in gift cards from a local grocery store with a note saying to Trust in the Lord to provide.
It was a wonderful reminder that HE is in control. I pray that I will be able to pay it forward in the near future - but until then, I will continue to trust.

Random Stuff

2011-02-24T17:39:00.000-08:00

- I applied for a proofreading job. It would be an answer to prayer to be able to bring in a little bit of money each month. Hopefully I will hear back about that tomrrow. Maybe we can start digging out of this debt pit we are in...
- Chris has been working about a million hours a week (maybe a slight exageration).
- I think I found some good insurance that will cut our monthly payment in half =) Hopefully I can get that taken care of tomorrow.
- Our tenants move out this weekend and we still have noone to rent the house to for March. I got 2 emails today, hopefully one will pan out! I am trying NOT to stress and trying TO leave it in God's hands.
- It's been a bad sleep week in our house; all the kids have been up multiple times this week. I hope tonight is better b/c I am EXHAUSTED!!!!
- Only a few weeks til March break and a vacation to my parents!!!!

Something I Love

2011-02-09T10:09:00.000-08:00

I LOVE getting to play with Samantha's hair! I'm sure there will be days when I wish I didn't have to "mess with it" like the boys, but right now having an excuse to put in pig-tails, pony-tails, barrets...SO MUCH FUN!!! (and awefuly cute too!)

God is Faithful

2011-01-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

Again I was reminded how faithful God is.
Our renters are not able to keep making their rent payments for a number of reasons and thanfully they have been upfront about it. But that doesn't help US pay OUR bills. We have been seeing more red than black in our bank balance for a while and it's just a little (ok VERY) stressful. To help this we have been trying to sell our trailer for a number of months. We've had a number of people look at it, but no one has bought it...until today! Again I was reminded that God is at work in all areas. He doesn't ask us to worry about what will happen tomorrow - he only asks us to rely on Him for our daily needs. Thanfully, We will have the money to get through this month - next month can worry about itself!

Butter over too much bread

2011-01-20T11:10:00.000-08:00

I preface this blog post with the statement that I KNOW I am very blessed and have very much to be thankful for.

I've been feeling very blah this week. I'm in a rut...
maybe it's just that it's been an exceptionally challenging week w/ the kids. Maybe it's the weather (although the day above freezing was nice). Maybe it was Chris working so much and being gone for a few days/nights. Whatever the case...I just need a break.
'I'm sick of potty training. It's bad enough training one kid, but having to still remind and force your 3 1/2 year old to go potty is NUTS!!! He's had just as many accidents as my 2 year old. I have wiped up more pee and poo lately...sigh...
Samantha doesnt' seem to want to sleep all night any more...sigh again.
we've thankfully been mostly healthy which is about the only bright spot that i see right now. our renters called today to give us their 2 month notice - they're in a tough time and just can't keep up the rental payments. i appreciate how up front they are...but HELLO....we're in a tight time too!!! UGH!!! Chris is basically his own boss now, so he's working more than ever (didnt' think that was even possible). I end up feeling guilty every time i buy groceries b/c i'm speding money (although we DO have to eat). The kids seem to be constantly fighting/screaming/bugging each other - which i guess is normal, but it's getting frustrating. i'm finding that little things are really bugging me even though i'm TRYING not to let them. I'm trying my hardest not to worry or get stressed out about how we'll pay the bills at the end of the month. My prayer/devotional life, for lack of a better word, SUCKS (sorry to offend anyone).
I've realized there are some things that have happened in the past that angered/frustrated me more than I want to admit (how's that for vague...) and I probably (ok definitely) need to deal with them, but finding the time to do that is not working. I find myself fighting jealousy/envy over things that i never thought I would be jealous of (ya, vague again). I guess I just feel like my life is a treadmill right now. i'm going through the motions, but not really getting much out of it. the house is a constant mess, no matter how much or how often i clean up, it just gets messy again. No matter how often i do dishes or laundry, they pile up again. No matter how often i clean up pee/poo, there's usually more within the hour (did i mention my feelings about potty training???). Discipline is a constant battle. I feel like most days are just surviving from the time the kids get up til they go to bed and i'm not really enjoying being a mom. I hate this feeling - i want to be enjoying them, but I feel like i'm getting more frustrated with them than anything else. Is this just because they are all at a really intense age and there's only one of me to go around? to take a quote from Lord of the Rings, I feel "stretched, like butter that has been spread over too much bread." I have been trying to stay home more and not do as much running around during the week. i have been trying to spend some extra quality time with the kids, especially Jacob since i don't see him as much since he's in school. so it's time to go get Jacob from school and keep running on this treadmill that is my life.

End of Year Goals

2011-01-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

Instead of doing New Years Resolutions this year (which I ususally don't make or don't keep...) I'm going to make some End of Year Goals. We'll see how that works =)
By the end of 2011 I want to:
1) Have the closets organized. Right now the kids closets don't have any shelves so I keep piles of each kids clothes in my walk in closet.
2) Have all the paperwork organized. Right now it is stacked in various places (on top of the printer, table, in a box etc.)
3) Weigh less than I do now. I don't have a specific number in mind...just less =)
4) Finish reading through the Bible. I got bogged down at the end of Ezra for some reason.
5) Have our room and what will be Chris' office off limits to the kids (minus the middle of the night freak out when I have to get out of bed and take them back to their room). Right now they come in first thing in the morning and watch TV while I pry my eyes open. Evenutally I want them to go up to the loft and play/watch a movie or something instead of coming in. This will be the hardest, I think.

Then there are the perpetual reslutions/goals
1) be a better wife
2) be a better mom
3) get caught up on bills (this may be more a 10 year goal...lol)

Happy 5th Birthday JACOB!!!

2010-12-30T06:13:00.000-08:00

Quick Update...

2010-12-20T08:33:00.001-08:00

...While the kids are behaving =)

We took a trip at the end of Novemeber to my parents for US Thanksgiving. We were there for just over a week. It was a very good trip (they never seem long enough!!!). The kids were WONDERFUL on the trip down, but not so good on the way back. I think there was screaming for almost the entire 6-7 hr trip home from at least one kid. This was my first solo trip with all 4 kids and the dog.

Levi had his second birthday (where does the time go???). I Think he will follow the Two Year Old's Handbook to the letter this year ;)

December has been COLD and SNOWY. (Two of my not so favorite words)
Jacob is doing well in school and enjoys it. The past few weeks it was hard to get him convinced he really wanted to go though - cold, snowy mornings...need I say more?
He had his first Christmas concert. Those little kids are so cute!

We have managed to stay fairly healthy. Jacob is the only one who had anything worse than a cold, and he is back to health (although he still says he doesnt' feel well when he want's to get out of doing something - cute, but it doesn't work).

Last week my van's sliding door was frozen shut so I had to make numerous trips out to try to get it open. On one of said trips 2 bald eagles flew overhead. =) Made me smile and be thankful for my frozen shut door (which did open eventually!).

Gideon is finally almost completely potty trained - the past few weeks he has finally started telling me BEFORE he has an oops =)

Samantha is rolling over and is a hefty 15 lbs at 4 months!!! She usually sleeps 8-10 hrs at night which is wonderful!

When I took Samantha to her 4 month appt, a friend watched the boys for me. I was able (with her permission) to get my christmas shopping out of the way. I went to Walmart and must have stood in the toy aisle looking at matchbox cars/trucks for at least 10 minutes trying to figure out what to get so the boys wouldn't fight. I think I succeeded?!?!? I guess we'll see in a few days.

Merry Christmas to all!

Happy Second Birthday Levi!!

2010-12-02T13:43:00.001-08:00

Yea!!! Levi reached his second birthday!

Things sure have changed: New born
One yearTWO!!! (Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you - DONT TOUCH!!! Happy birthday dear Levi, Happy birthday to you!) I love your cheesey grins!

You are becoming such a big boy!!!

Smoke Detector Game

2010-11-16T10:11:00.000-08:00

For my mom's birthday last years, I compliled a bunch of cute (and not so cute) stories of things my kids did. I hadn't thought of that collection for almost this whole past year, but the past few weeks, the kids came up with a new game that had to go into my "book."

My smoke detector is kind of sensitive, which I guess that’s a good thing. Even with the exhaust fan running on high (and sometimes even the window open), the little bit of smoke that might occur, still manages to get the detector to go off. [Of course this has nothing whatsoever to do with my cooking ability! I’m a good cook, honest!!!] I have to drop whatever of the (usually about 5) things that I’m doing and race over and fan the smoke away. I go back to whatever I was working on…and have to race over and fan the smoke away...go back to whatever I was working on…and race over…and work…and race…
Needless to say, the boys think this is the funniest thing. They have begun to take turns saying “beep, beep, beep…” (quite loudly), and then another one standing on the chair waving something at the smoke detector. The turn ends with shrieks of laughter.

Pray Without Ceasing

2010-11-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling convicted lately about my prayer life (or lack there of). I am not proud of the fact that I have not been praying as much as I want to or should, but it's a fact of life.
I was talking w/ one of my co-leaders today at Coffee Break about an issue some people have brought up. She mentioned how she prayed about it and how she prays in the parking lot before coming into the church. I came home and made a prayer chart with some specific things/people to pray about. I posted it right by the computer so every time I sit down I have a reminder. The things on my chart:

Elizabeth - the niece of a lady from coffee break. she was hit by a truck a few weeks back and is in the hospital. Although she is out of the most critical time, she is still pretty banged up and there is still the posibility of brain damage. I think she's about 14.

Mr. Knox - The pastor of my parents church suffered a massive stroke a few weeks ago. He is doing well, all things considered, but there are still miles to go. He will probably be in a rehab facility for a number of months.

Chris - My wonderful, overworked hubby.

Coffee Break - wisdom in coordinating this bible study; allowing God to direct us.

Trish - A dear friend who is going through some tough times

The session of our church as they look for a pastor

Jacob, Gideon, Levi, Samantha - my wonderful kids

The World Leaders

There are so many more things i could have added, but these are the big ones that came to mind. My hope is to have more of these prayer posters around the house with other things/people on them and that at the end of the day, I can truely say that I prayed without ceasing.

Survival of the Fittest

2010-11-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

Today is going to be survival of the fittest - me or the kids =) So far today I've felt defeated by the kids. HOW do people who aren't even 5 get under my skin so badly...???
From the time they woke up they have not listened -ARG!!!
I had to run some errands and I almost left the last place in tears - needless to say we didn't make it to all the places I wanted to.
My goal for the rest of the day is to survive without too many tears (on either side) and maybe even get some of the house clean.

On a bright note - I got a new (to me) washer and dryer yesterday! Now I dont' have yucky water all over my basement!

Today's Musings

2010-10-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

- Jacob's class is dressing in their halloween costumes tomorrow. I wasn't going to deal w/ halloween this year for 2 reasons: it's on a Sunday and the cost of costumes (i didn't think last years would fit). BUT being the good mom that i am (some sarcasm there) I asked Jacob what he wanted to be and he said DINOSAUR!!! Phew...That is what he was last year (as was Gideon). We got the costumes free from a neighbour. And guess what!!??!!?? IT STILL FIT!!! Major sigh of relief!!! He won't be left out or laughed at and he gets to be what he wanted!

- I have felt progressivly worse as the day has moved on: headachy, tired, unsettled etc. hope it's not actually anything major and a good night sleep will make it all better (doubtful, but we can always hope)!

- I had LOTS of ideas during coffee break this morning - will any pan out? we'll have to wait and see...

- America's Next Top Model is on tonight! LOVE IT!!!

- My wonderful friend Trish brought me over some special tea's yesterday: Tonight's tea menu is Vanilla Chai in the cup and Coconut Chai in the thermos for later =)

- Bedtime for the boys can't come soon enough..it's been on of those days...

- i'm sick of Chris working so much, but I know it's what needs to be done right now...but i miss him. How do you end up missing someone you live with...???

- I can't wait to go to my parent's for a week around US Thanksgiving!!!

- I feel overwhelmed more often than I thought I would after moving to a bigger house and having Samantha. I think I thought the older boys wouldn't be as much mental work, but they are sometimes (ok, quite often) more mental work than the the younger 2 kids. Is this normal???

-No more thoughts or thinking, brain is fried =)

Thoughts from this Weekend

2010-10-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to a womens conference for the churches in our denomination that are in Southern Ontario. It was held at a hotel about 1/2 hr from me which was very nice. I shipped the boys off to relatives for the weekend, but took Samantha with me. It was SO nice to not have to think about what the boys were doing. So here are some thoughts:

- there were LOTS of babies there this year. Some of us with babies stayed over night and some didn't. It was nice to know that we all understood about going somewhere with a baby!

- the pull out couch wasn't as comfy as I thought/hoped it would be

- Our speaker was amazing. He's from a church in Michigan and he talked about Liberalism and a little on relationships.

- He decribed liberalism as "taking [too much of] a generous interpretation of Scripture." He mentioned that liberalism could be thought of as a different religion than Christinanity because of the generous interpretaions (many of which deny the sovereignty of God, that Jesus is actually God, how salvation works etc.)

- He described relationships as "our expectations of the people we are in contact with"
he used an example of being in traffic: our expectations are that we stay in our lane and you stay in yours and our 'relationship' is good, but when you get into my lane we are offended.
he also described offence as "when our expectations are not met in a way we feel they should be."

- the conference was over WAY too fast!

- I need to be away from my boys more than just 2 nights to really miss them =)

Samantha's Baptism

2010-10-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we were blessed to be able to have Samantha baptized. My granddad was able, for the 4th time, to baptize his greatgrand child! What a blessing to see so many generations of faithful believers.

Samantha wore a baptism dress my grandma made for me, and over it a gown my mom made for all our kids. She handled all the attention very well...sleeping through most of it!

My parents and grandparents came up on Saturday and stayed with us. We had 6 adults, 4 kids, and 3 dogs in one house. Then we had all the family and the pastor and his wife over for lunch after church on Sunday. It's so nice to have a house big enough to have everyone over. We had soup, buns, veggies, fruit and yummy treats.

Granddad and his 4th great-grandchild

4 generations of girls

Me and my baby girl

John 3:16

2010-09-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Well known words.
We are doing a mini study by Max Lucado on these words at our weekly bible study. On my way home today, as I was offering up another prayer for patience and financial stability (or at least making it through this round of bills) I had a profound thought. This is kind of how my thoughts went - and some thoughs that have now flowed out of them.

For God so loved ME: black, sinful, dirty me. The me who yells at her kids more than she should. The me that doesn't love her husband the way she should. The me who takes takes takes and doesn't remember to give. The selfish me. The hateful me. The me that even on a good day should be disgusting in God's perfect eyes. But yet, HE loves ME! He loves me in my brokenness and filth. How is this possible???

He sent his SON: Not just any son, but his ONLY son. His perfect, sinless son. How many of us would give up a child for someone else? I have 3 sons and would not give them up for anything even when they try my patience are are anything but perfect. Why did God do this for me? Why did Jesus do this for me? Because He did God now sees me as clean and white. His righteous anger toward me has been turned aside because of His great love for me.

All I have to do is believe: I deserve NOTHING and have been given EVERYTHING! There is nothing I can do to gain this gift of eternal life. I just have to believe. How hard it is for me to accept things without feeling as if I need to earn it. We are taught from an early age to be good and you will get things (think Christmas/Santa). We are taught that when we are bad that we will get punished. But here we see that even though we are bad (horible, wretched, sinners) we get the best gift we could ever recieve, and we can't do ANYTHING to earn it.

Maybe if I can remember how much God loves me and is patient with me, I will remember to be more loving and paitient with my own children. Maybe if they seen me being more loving and patient with them, they will be more loving toward each other. Maybe it really does only take one person to begin to change the world.

More random thoughts

2010-09-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

some random thoughts

Showers are a luxury...uninturrupted showers are almost unheard of!

walking Jacob to school in the rain is not so fun

paying bills is both stressful and a stress relief at the same time

I look forward to financial stablilty

I wonder why one of our tv's no longer plays in color???

I'm amazed how attached I am to unnecessary things (read: internet/cell phone/ satelite tv)

I'm amazed how (some) unnecessary things (internet, cellphone, home phone) are almost necessary in today's society

the house is much quieter (sometimes) when Jacob is in school.

i'm sure there are lots of other thoughts going through my head, but i can't think of them right now =)

Overwhelmed vs. Thankful

2010-09-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment (well, the past several hundred moments that have made up the past month or so...). No...it's not the kids (specifically right now) or the dog (for once) or housekeeping (ya...never) it's the bills that keep piling up. I thought (obviously naively (sp?)) that when we moved the bills wouldn't be quite so bad. Bla bla bla; whine whine whine!
I wouldn't be so overwhelmed if we hadn't had to put major bucks into fixing the truck the past 4 months or so. 2 of the 4 repairs were not planned on. On top of that we had to pay property tax for half the year, but our mortgage company is still adding the property tax to our monthly mortgage payment (in other words we're paying twice the tax we should right now). We knew we'd have to pay the 6 months upfront, but the extra being added...that was not counted on. It will get figured out sometime in the new year and our monthly payment will be adjusted. But that doesn't help us now...sigh...
So since we've moved we've had an extra amount of money that should be going to bills that has had to go to repairs/taxes so the bills are piling up and there's nothing I can do about it except PRAY we make it through.
I know God will get us through...He always has and always will.
I try not to stress about money
I try not to stress Chris out about money (or about his working so hard and long to make the money)
I try to be thankful for what we do have: house, food, clothing, electricity, warm water, showers, etc.

OK, I'm done (for now)
Time to stop whining and complaining and be thankful

First Day of School

2010-09-09T14:55:00.001-07:00

Jacob on his first day of kindergarden

He had a great day (and so did mommy!)

Enjoying the Here and Now

2010-08-31T12:46:00.001-07:00

In the past few days, I have read 2 blogs about enjoying your kids. They were specifically talking about enjoying them (young kids) even when things are going CRAZY...e.g. in the grocery store when they are screaming or at home when you don't have enough hands and the kids are all screaming. Both blogs mentioned missing them at this young age when they have grown up. I am right in the midst of this...4 kids between 3 weeks and 4 1/2. Life right now is crazy. Chris is working super long hours so we can pay the bills (why can't bills stop once in a while...sheesh...). So it's been me and the crazy kids. Thankfully Samantha is an easy baby, but there are still the 3 boys who seem to like to scream and fight constantly. I am trying to remember that I will miss having such young kids...but when they are throwing their toys, screaming, hitting, fighting, and I'm trying to feed their sister, and the dog is barking I catch myself wishing they were older, or wishing Jacob were already in school (which starts next week), or wishing Samantha were sleeping all night etc.
But then Levi comes and wants snuggles, or Gideon says "I want you" or Jacob comes to give Samantha a kiss, or Samantha just curls up and goes to sleep in my arms - and I ask myself how I could be wishing this time away.
My challenge to myself is to
1) not yell at the kids quite so quickly; to try and figure out why they are screaming before screaming myself.
2) not go strait to discipline, but see if there can be a resolution (eg, returning the toys to whoever had it first) or distraction.
3) give more hugs and snuggles

in the course of writing this entry I have already failed at each goal...oh well...try and try again!

Welcome Samantha

2010-08-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

So yesterday we finally had our girl! YEA! A boy would have been great too though =)

Samantha Renee was born at 1:13 pm at home after about 11 hrs of labor (not too bad). She weighed in at 7 lbs 6 oz (the smallest of any of the kids by 2 oz) and was 20" long. Everything is going very well. She mostly just sleeps and eats -I know that will change soon! We even managed a trip to walmart w/ all the kids today and survived, other than Levi's meltdown ;)

Well, life doesnt' stop, so i need to go...there's other kids to put down for naps, laundry etc...

New Blogging Idea

2010-08-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

I had a new idea for blogging. Instead of only blogging about the bad (potty training, moods, behaviour, blah blah blah, etc etc etc...) or the new/exciting (vacation, baby, moving...) That I would try to blog more often but with shorter posts. In college we would go around the dinner table sharing the "roses and thorns" of the day - the high and low point of the day.
Maybe i'll start doing a roses and thorns series of posts... at least then I will have to think of at least ONE thing that was good for that day.

Yesterday:
Thorn - broken AC window unit and fan...ugh it's hot
Rose - pool time w/ kids and hubby. the kids are really enjoying the pool. wish i could take some pictures, but cameras (at least mine) don't like water =)

So for today:
Thorn: the phone rings = kids screaming
Rose - 1) had to get jacob and gideon out of bed at 9 am 2) getting to get out of the house tonight w/o the kids!

Another rant about potty training

2010-07-30T09:26:00.001-07:00

I thought we were making progress w/ getting Jacob to poop on the potty...twice yesterday and once today! MAJOR breakthrough. We've been dealing w/ his poop issue for MONTHS - he's even seeing a pediatrician. He is very good about rembering to pee in the potty. So today he pooped on the potty and I was SO happy...but then right after lunch POOP AND PEE in his pants...and Gideon joined him and peed in his pants too...GRRRR...I HATE POTTY TRAINING!!!

Update

2010-07-23T09:54:00.000-07:00

So lots has happened int he past month or so.

we went on vacation to Sauble Beach w/ Chris siblings and parents.
We got possession of our new house and moved in (well...everything is out of the old house and at least into the garage...)
Gideon turned 3
My parents came for a visit for a few days
We finished finishing the old house and the tenants moved in. they've been there a week and we haven't heard anything from them! YEA!
Baby #4 is due in about 3 weeks - YIKES!

A day as seen through Facebook statuses (stati?)

2010-06-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

Leigh:

is really fed up w/ her oldest. We're fighting over him eating cereal...guess he can be hungry today

is going to stop by oma and opas

- oma and opa weren't home, but Jacob did decide to eat his cereal finally

really should get the clothes from the dryer

's kids are playing w/ the pop cans on the porch and making "patterns"

is freaking out about how much needs to get done this week

is still hoping to find a (cheap yet in good condition which is big enough for all of us) trailer for camping on Sat...

is SO tired- wish i could curl up and take a nap!!!

feels big and heavy - 8 more weeks til baby!

Lunch time...then hopefully nap time!

got to take a nap...more like a bunch of cat-naps, but i'm not arguing

: so the cuteness of playing w/ the waterbottles/can's of pop on the porch turned into frustration - kids were opening water bottles and dumping them out and throwing pop cans all over the yard....GRRRRR that stuff costs money!

- shepherd's pie for dinner...trying to use up odds and ends!

- hopefully a restful/quiet evening: dinner, bath, bed!

is really annoyed that bra strap and camisole strap broke in one week!

Again???

2010-06-18T11:33:00.001-07:00

Please ignore the mess! If you can see the red and yellow on the floor, that was what my middle child did while I was in the shower w/ the ketchup and mustard. Sigh...I though he would be content watching Dora. Guess he's not out of his creativity with food phase..sigh....again.
Oh ya...I hate mustard to begin with!

Children's Museum

2010-06-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

I didn't have a clue what to do w/ the kids today. It was raiy so the outside park was out, and the inside playground is closed til September. I looked up our local museum online and found that Levi and Gideon would still be free - until his birthday in a few weeks. We had fun, but I'm SO tired now! The kids especially liked the 'plasma cars' and the engineering floor (Trains, earthquakes, bridges etc.)

Hannah and Dave's wedding

2010-06-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

I'll start w/ the pictures which are in random order b/c I don't want to take the time to rearrange them:

my long time friend Rachel (also the harpest at the wedding) Her son Aiden and hubby Randy. I wish they lived closer...!!! Hannah, Jacob and myself before the ceremony

After cuttin the cake

at the reception (I LOVE this picture!)

I don't think she stopped smiling the whole day!

Me and my mommy!

Laura, myself, Melissa, Teresa: Friends from camp (a lifetime ago!) Now 3 of us are married w/ kids! YIKES!

Jacob was a grump going down the aisle, but he did it!

Me, my parents, and Jacob

My little grump! =) He could get away w/ it...he's 4! And everyone thought he was cute!

SUCH A BEAUTIFUL WEDDING!!!

What a week! Chris' brother & wife took Gid and Levi Monday-Friday so I would only have to take Jacob w/ me to the wedding! Chris' parents then had the boys Fri-Sunday since Chris was on call. It was SO nice to only have one kid to look after. He was such a trooper. We drove down Tues. evening and got to my parents around 9 pm.

Wednesday, mom and dad said they'd take Jacob w/ them when they did errands. I got to go to Walmart by myself (AMAZING!) and then dropped by to see my teachers at my elementary school. I dropped in on my friend Sara too. I was really only going to stay for about 15 minutes, but we were having such a good visit that I went to get my dress for the wedding fitted and then went back to visit w/ her more...about 3 hours more!

The dress fitting: wow...they kinda messed up. They ended up ordering me the wrong size and style, but they still made me look great (well...as great as I could look at 31 wks pregnant...lol). I guess they ordered a wrong style for another girl in the wedding too. Oh well...thankfully there were 2 styles of dresses and ours just got mixed up.

Thursday I don't think too much happened...oh ya, I had to go get my dress fitted again (it FIT). I took mom w/ me that time for a second oppinion. Then we went to Subway for lunch. A few hours later I had to go pick up the dress. Then in the evening we went to get Jacob's tux. He was SO cute! I think he was a little embarrassed about wearing it though.

Friday morning I went w/ some of the other bridesmaids and Hannah and her mom to get our nails done. I could get used to getting them done. I'm bummed the manicure isn't lasting well. Guess being a busy mom isn't good for nail polish =) After that I went back to my parents for lunch and to pack. Jacob and I got picked up by Hannah's dad to go help set up the reception hall and for the rehersal. We were spending the night at Hannah's. Jacob was SO GOOD! We only came close to a meltdown once or twice. We went for Thai food for the rehersal dinner. That was a first for me and it was GREAT! We went back to Hannah's apartment for the night. It was really nice to have some extra time w/ her!

Saturday- Wedding DAY!!!

Got up, got hair done, got dressed, pictures all that fun stuff. The church was SO hot and Jacob was in NO MOOD to cooperate. But he made it down the aisle (pout and all) and fell asleep during the ceremony - he was sitting w/ my parents.

I was so happy he even made it down the aisle considering how grumpy (and hot) he was.

It was a beautiful ceremony. Hannah and Dave couldn't stop smiling! I ended up having to sit down for part of the ceremony b/c I was feeling light headed. Did I mention how HOT the church was???

Anyways, after the ceremony we went for pictures. The only time it rained the whole day was during pictures, but we were able to get some between showers.

The reception was very nice - lots of dancing, which I didn't really participate in ;) My mom and dad did dance w/ Jacob though. I was so tired by the end of the day -almost to the point of being sick. I figured out part of why I had a headache that wouldn't go away was b/c I had almost 40 bobby-pins in my hair!!!!

Sunday morning Jacob and I hit the road to go home. It was an uneventful trip, but seemed long b/c I was so tired. I had to be at my church for the evening service to be in the babysit - there was a baptism so there were about 15 kids...YIKES!

Chris was out w/ the other 2 boys when I got home, but w/in 5 minutes of the boys being back together they were already fighting. It will be a long 2 weeks before we get the new house!!!

Blood pressure

2010-06-08T06:42:00.001-07:00

My "normal" pregnant BP is usually about 120/70ish: very nomal, very good - even when having to drag all 3 kids to my midwife appointments! Yesterday I had a midwife appt and only had to take Jacob w/ me. I made a quip that it would be much lower (not really expecting much of a change) and it was 96/70ish (can't remember the bottom number exactly). Guess I really was more relaxed yesterday than normal. It made me wonder what my normal, non-stressed (read no kids for a day), not pregant BP is =)

Sleepy heads

2010-06-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

how I found Levi last night
Chris and 2 sleeping boy...awe!!!

What's in a name?

2010-06-02T15:45:00.001-07:00

So I showed Chris the outcome of the poll...and guess what? He didn't like ANY of the names!!!???!!!??? ACK! Maybe this baby will be namelesss (esp. if it's a boy) for the next 18 years) =)I'm afraid to tell him my favorite names now!

Miscellaneous

2010-05-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the spelling Bea!!!

Anyways, not too much is happening right now other than the same old same old.
--The basement is still being finished so we can't use it. We are therefore still confined to our upstairs for living space and it's getting REALLY crowded.
--We did find someone who wants to rent our house (YEA!) and even better, they want it the middle of July which is PERFECT for us. Having that detail out of the way makes me ready to move...NOW!
--In 2 weeks Jacob and I get to be in my friend Hannah's wedding! Can't wait. I even managed to stop my nasty habbit of nail biting so my nails would look nice!
--Levi stays in his crib as long as there isn't anything in there he can climb on...so only small toys now!
--I missed my midwife appt last week (thought it was on a different day) so it's now scheduled for tomorrow at 1:45...RIGHT during nap time...sigh...oh well, guess it was my own fault
--speaking of which, i only have 12 weeks left! YEA/YIKES. now my appts will be every 2 weeks and life will be more hectic. =)
--Jacob is still having issues w/ his pooping. he's going, just not on the potty. yucky!
-- Gideon is almost fully trained though (at least during the day) Yea for my big boy!
--it's hot! Under normal circumstances i like about 2 days of HOT during the summer...now i want no more...I just dont' like heat!

Nooooo......I'm not ready yet!!!!

2010-05-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

No, not the baby yet - but Levi has decided that he no longer wants to sleep in a crib. Well, maybe not that, but he climbed (not fell) out of his crib this morning at 6:15. He's not quite 18 months!!! YIKES! I'm not ready to train him to stay in bed yet. I'm still dealing w/ keeping the other 2 in their room. And 6:15 is WAY too early. At least the other boys usually give me til 7. Until we move there is also not really any room to put a bed. I hope he "forgets" how to climb out for nap time anyhow! I was REALLY hoping he wouldn't learn this trick until after he turned 2 and the holidays were over. oh well

the rest of life:

things are going well. we found someone who wants to rent our house (YEA) and they want to move in the middle of July instead of the begining (YEA!)

I'm in a friends wedding in about 3 weeks (Jacob's the ringbearer) so Chris' bro/sis-in-law are watching Gid and Levi for a few days, his mom is watching them for a day and then he's in charge. So it will be a mini-mommy-vacation (only 1 kid and the dog). I'm SO looking forward to that weekend!

End of june: Camping
End of june: move into new house!!!

July: get life settled and we celebrate Gid's 3rd bday and Chris & his mom's birthdays too!

August 16ish: BABY!!!! only about 12 weeks left - YIKES!

Sept: Jacob starts school.

Time sure is flying away!

Mother's Survival Pack

2010-05-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

I found this on a friends blog - her son made this for her in school:

A Mother's Survival Kit (little baggy with items that he selected to fill it)
Penny ~ for your thoughts
Marble ~ to replace the ones you'll lose
Rubber band ~ to remind you to be flexible
Lifesaver ~ to save you from one of those days
Toothpick ~ to help you pick out the good in every situation
Eraser ~ to remind you that everyone makes mistakes
Wiggle Eyes ~ for when you need those extra eyes in the back of your head
Starburst ~ for that extra burst of energy
Hug and Kiss (Hershey's) ~ for when you've given all yours out and you need some back
Band-aid ~ to help with all of life's hurt feelings
Button ~ to remind you to button your lips (sometimes)

Mothers Day or Bust...

2010-05-09T15:47:00.001-07:00

Well...it was a bust. The only bright spot was Chris dealing w/ the kids when they first got up this morning at 7. I had such a bad headache (bordering on a migrane) that I'm not sure I could have gotten out of bed anyways. Then before 8 he got a service call. I decided to go to church w/ his parents so I'd have some help w/ the kids, but Gid decided he didn't want to sit in church, or go to sunday school, or go to the 2 year old room (w/ toys) or anything except lay on the floor. So I completely missed the whole sermon. Neither kid would really listen when we went to Chris's parents for lunch. Chris was on another service call and never did make it over there - in fact, he's STILL out and it's almost 7. The kids didn't listen, I was fighting a headache all day, there were pee/poop accidents, my hair would not behave this mornng. It was chilly so I couln't wear any of my "cute" summery pregnancy clothes and nothing else is fitting quite right. I had to fight w/ Jacob to get him to put his socks on this morning. Just not a good day by normal day standards, but I think I had some higher expectations today since it was Mother's Day so I'm even more frustrated that nothing went right. But nothing went right last year either. I don't remember exactly, but I do remember it was another stinky Mother's Day.
Poor me, poor me ;) Thank goodness it only comes around once a year...lol. So yes, I'm frustrated, tired, and venting. The kids are in their room and I'm waiting for Chris to come home so we can maybe BBQ up the steaks he got.

Renovations: Part who knows...

2010-05-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

So Chris had "kicked" me and the boys out for a week in order to finish the basement. A week wasn't long enough. No big deal...except that he kicked us out again in order to try to get more done. Again, no big deal, except that when I got home the entire bathroom...ok, all the stuff from under the sink (cleaning stuff, meds, etc.) was in the BOY'S room. So while trying to get 3 cranky (read screaming) kids to bed I had to reload under the sink and remove all the cleaning stuff and meds from their room. To top it off, Chris got a service call at 3:30 so he wasn't even able to make good use of his "free day."
Sigh....I can't wait until we are finished w/ this housing stuff....

PS....total over-reaction by a tired mommy =)

Cranky Flakes

2010-05-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

I think instead of the Cheerio's that I thought I put in the kid's bowl's this morning, I put in Cranky Flakes. There has been more fighting, screaming, crying, grumpyness, not listening etc. today than there has been in a LONG time. I think other than the 90 min or so when they were either sleeping or actually watching a movie quietly, there hasn't been more than 20 min w/o someone driving me to the point of going insane. Maybe they will calm down for their daddy???? Here's hoping!

Email I Got This Morning

2010-05-07T05:17:00.000-07:00

I got this in an email this morning and thought it was quite humorous!

A man was sick and tired
of going to work every day
while his wife stayed home.
He wanted her to see what he went
through so he prayed:
'Dear Lord:
I go to work every day and put
in 8 hours while my wife
merely stays at home.
I want her to know what
I go through.
So, please allow her body to
switch with mine for a day.

God, in his infinite wisdom,
granted the man's wish.
The next morning, sure enough,
the man awoke as a woman...
He arose, cooked breakfast
for his mate,
Awakened the kids,

Set out their school clothes,
Fed them breakfast,
Packed their lunches,
Drove them to school,
Came home and picked
up the dry cleaning,
Took it to the cleaners
And stopped at the bank
to make a deposit,

Went grocery shopping,
Then drove home to put
away the groceries,

Paid the bills and balanced
the check book.
He cleaned the cat's litter box
and bathed the dog..
Then, it was already 1 P.M.
And he hurried to make the beds,
Do the laundry, vacuum,
Dust, And sweep and mop
the kitchen floor.
Ran to the school to pick up
the kids and got into an argument
with them on the way home.
Set out milk and cookies and
got the kids organized to do
their homework.
Then, set up the ironing board
and watched TV while he
did the ironing
At 4:30 he began peeling
potatoes and washing
vegetables for salad,
breaded the pork chops
and snapped
fresh beans for supper.

After supper,
He cleaned the kitchen,
Ran the dishwasher,
Folded laundry,
Bathed the kids, And put
them to bed.
At 9 P.M. He was exhausted
and, though his daily chores
weren't finished, he went to
bed where he was expected to
make love, which he managed
to get through without complaint.

The next morning, he awoke
and immediately knelt by the
bed and said: -
Lord, I don't know what
I was thinking.
I was so wrong to envy my
wife's being able to stay
home all day.
Please, Oh! Please,
let us trade back.. Amen!'
The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied:

'My son, I feel you have
learned your lesson and
I will be happy to change
things back to the way
they were.
You'll just have to wait
nine months, though.
You got pregnant last night.'

Hannah's Bridal Shower

2010-05-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Chris REALLY wanted to get the basement finished and asked if the boys and I could leave for a week - I think he actually said go visit my parents (ya know, trying to make it sound like he wasn't kicking us out)...but he wanted us out of the house!

The week that worked for both us and my parents was over the last week of April which meant...I got to go to my super-duper friend's bridal shower!!!! I was NOT expecting to be able to make it down for one of her showers so it was AWESOME to get to celebrate her upcoming wedding with her!

The cake her matron of honor, Laura, made. It was gluten free and very YUMMY!!!

Cutting the cakeOpening the cross-stitch I made for her and DaveA close up before I had the matting changed: The day I got the frame the kids were being SOOO bad that I couldn't concentrate and the matte (sp?) ended up being a little too small. I tried to cut it bigger, but it didn't look like I wanted. When I went to my parents I went to Michael's and asked them to custom cut a matte. The lady kind of talked me into using a grey/purple for the matte and I LOVED it! I was going to stay with the "safe" white/off white, but I think the purple make it really pop. I wish I had taken another close up w/ the purple matting! oh well...Hannah and her boquet of bows

Only a few more weeks til we'll be celebrating again! Woo-hoo!!!

Lawyers, and Bankers, and Visa: Oh MY!

2010-04-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

Ugh...I thought after the financing everything would be easy...WRONG!

No one seems to know what's going on or who knows what or who's allowed to know what.

2 big issues: 1) do we need to close our visa account
2) do we have to pay a penalty for ending our first mortgage (the refinance) early?

1) Mortgage consultant - no; there is nothing in the paperwork for the financing that says anything about having to have it closed, just paid off. BUT somewhere between the bank and lawyers a clause "magically" appeared saying it had to be closed. This isn't a HUGE deal, but it's a pain.

2) Typically, any time you end a mortgage before maturity you pay a penalty. We were hoping (read: praying) that we could avoid this (it's like $2000) because we are increasing our mortgage and staying with the same bank - not to mention it would have matured in November. Sigh...
So when we went to sign the new (refinancing) mortgage papers at the bank we asked if there was a penalty since nothing had been mentioned. We were told NO. Then, when we were at the lawyers and looking at all the stuff that needed paid out we saw that we had to pay the penalty. WHAT??? We were told we didnt have to...sigh again.
So I called the bank and talked w/ the person we signed the papers with. She informed us that Yes, we did have to pay the penalty because of this that and the other reason. Why didn't she mention that before when we ASKED??? GRRRR....

I'm probably not assertive enough on the phone saying that we DON'T want that penalty...but whatever...it's done. Having the penalty leaves us a little short on what we were expecting to get back from the refinancing, but again, oh well. I know God is still in control. Guess I just can't go shopping like I was hoping to do =)

Things are falling into place (not quite as neatly as hoped for) so I should probably be more thankful and less frustrated. Hopefully the rest of my ducks will fall neatly into a row and all the money we need for the down payment and lawyers (the second time around) and everything else will come into focus etc etc etc.

The Deck

2010-04-17T16:39:00.001-07:00

Today Chris and his dad (mostly) finished the front porch/deck.

Before:

Chris stuck under the stairs. His dad had to take the next step off so he could get back out =) Levi enjoying the new steps

Jacob being the big "helper"

After: There still needs to be a little work done around the skirting, but it's ALMOST done! Not bad for a day's work!

Feeling Blah

2010-04-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

I know I should be super happy and excited b/c we got our financing - but for some reason I feel kinda blah right now.
Probably because:
-I have a nasty sinus headache and runny nose and cant' really take anything for it
-still have to find someone to rent this house and finding out we need to ask more on the lease than we wanted (b/c of paperwork type stuff) so that may make it harder to find a renter...
- still have a TON of papers to sign - and of course we'll probably be dragging the kids w/ us (like tonight signing stuff at 7:30...after they are normally in bed)
- begining to realize how MUCH is still left to do on this house before it is rentable and seeing how much money that will take
-knowing i cant' do any of the stuff left on the house to make it rentable (kinda a helpless feeling)
- kids have been, um, not so good the past few days
- dealing w/ some family stress (and reminding myself that the world does not revolve around me - even though I feel like it should right now...stupid hormones!)

BUT on a positive note, I got Jacob's daily laxitive stuff today: it was on sale (like $4 off regular price, AND there was a $5 off cupon! So I got 2 big bottles of it (about a 2 month supply) and I got 2 easter egg dying kits (CARS) for $.29 each. Cant' really complain about that!

YES!!!

2010-04-16T04:41:00.000-07:00

Post # 100

Notibles: Gideon used the potty by himself yesterday and told me he had to pee (but we didnt make it in time) I think he might be getting this potty training thing!

The kids were absolutely insane yesterday. NONE of them would listen and there was WAY too much screaming

We got our 2008 taxes back and paid off debts!

LASTLY:

After checking my email about every 5 minutes we found out just after 5 that WE GOT THE FINANCING!!! Which means we will be moving this summer to a house 5x bigger than what we're in now!!!
God is SO faithful!
T

Tomorrow???

2010-04-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

We should hear about the financing tomorrow...sorry if you're sick of hearing about this, hopefully there wont' be many more posts about waiting...and waiting...and waiting! To my understanding, the financing has cleared the bank and is now at a mortgage insurance place. As long as they approve it I think we are GOOD!!! YEA!!! But this needs settled tomorrow or we will need to somehow get ANOTHER extension, more paperwork, more stress. Thankfully my anxiety level is not TOO extreme right now.
"Jesus I am resting, resting...." or at least trying to!

Still Waiting

2010-04-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

We are still waiting to hear about financing. But I'm ok...really not even stressed or anxious right now. Come Thursday when we need to have it approved by if we havent' heard anything, then I might be, but for now, I'm happy enjoying the beautiful weather. I keep reminding myself that even if this particular house falls through, there are lots of other houses out there.
Chris and I have been working on getting the house decluttered. Yesterday we tackled the shed in the back yard. We had almost $80 worth of wire and metal (LOVE taking stuff to the recyclers....makes me feel like I actually have money). Now we need to get everything from the basement into the emptier shed.
Part of me wants to donate/toss ALL the kids toys and start over. I won't, but it's tempting!

So today is a gorgeous day and the kids have been relatively happy! The older ones are still playing outside while Levi takes his nap. I was able to get laundry done, floors swept and mopped, and actually have a cup of tea! I splurged when I did groceries yesterday and got a box of one of my favorite teas, Twinings Earl Grey.

I was disappointed not to see our rebate check in the mail today - maybe tomorrow! I'm looking forward to having at least a few days of not worrying about money =) We have already "spent" the rebate (paying off debt, finishing renovations etc.) There really won't be much left for "fun."

Some random thoughts:

- we took Gid out of his booster chair at the table, his knees kept hitting the table
- I need to wash my windows
- I want to get more DVD's - specifically the 4th Harry Potter movie (I have 1,2,3, and 5)
- Chris has been filling in the holes/scratches in our walls w/ drywall mud so our house is kind of splotchy
- I made curtain tie-backs with a placemat that I cut in 2. I was sick of having to figure out how to let light in.
- I either have too much stuff or too little space ;)

Do I Work?

2010-04-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

I have come to hate the questions "do you work" and "so you don't work."
Really! I think I work ALL DAY EVERY DAY!
Being a stay at home mom is a full time job. I don't get sick day (unless I happen to be sick on a Sunday) I don't get holidays (exept for the ocasional babysitter). Sundays are not usually that "restful." My normal "hours" are usually from about 7-7, but I'm on call 24 hours a day (usually up at least once a night w/ one kid or the other).
My day consists of being cook, maid, nurse (vet on occasion), referee, comforter, disciplinarian, teacher, spiritual advisor, bum wiper etc.
Most of the "jobs" I do multiple times a day. How would you like going to a job where you get little to no acknowledgement for what you've done and you do it day after day after day after day.
I do love being a stay at home mom, but please, don't tell me I don't work.
If you are somehow able, in your family, to be able to both work, good for you, but that does not make you superiour to those of us who have chosen to stay home with our children. Going to work so I can pay someone else to raise my kids is not worth it in my books.
Yes, there are days when I can sit and read a book (but I usually don't sit for more than 10 minutes at a time without checking on which kid is doing what where).

This next rant is what I think when someone says "You don't work."

The constant mental energy it takes to keep 3 little boys safe during the day is emence and just because you did it when your kids were little does not mean that I can't be frustrated with situations. I'm sure you werent' the perfect parent although talking to you now you sound like it. You never had to deal with all 3 kids and a dog in 600 sq feet of living space. You got to "escape" from the constant fighting/screaming and you actually got to converse daily with other adults. Just because I don't get a paycheck does not mean I don't work. I have a univesity degree, but am still made to feel like I'm lacking something b/c I don't "work." Maybe someday I'll work up the nerve to actually tell you this to your face, but until then, be careful telling a stay at home mom she doesn't work!

Ewwww!!!

2010-04-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

***WARNING: This post deals with poop!***

I LOVE being a mom! Really!!!! But there is one part of being a mom that I am getting VERY tired of: wiping poopy bums. Honestly....still having to wipe 3 bums and clean up after the dog (so the kids can play outside) just, well, stinks!
Jacob is on a daily laxitive to *ahem* clean him out (so he's been having nice runny poop); Gideon is still working on telling me before he poops in his pants, and Levi...well, he has an excuse.
The best (read worst) part: cleaning ALL that yucky underwear! EWWW!!!
Sorry if this was TMI -just thought I'd share that 1) my life revolves around poop and 2) I HATE poop!

Ugh...

2010-04-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

So we need to try to get an extension for our financing. The rates all went up this week so the banks are swamped and they haven't gotten to our application yet. Hopefully the seller will allow the extension!

It's All About the Little Things

2010-04-05T10:56:00.001-07:00

Ya, I know, lots of posts about this financing/housing stuff. But here's one more.

Saturday, we all loaded into the truck and headed to Home Depot to try and pick up some more stuff to finish off the front porch. We took some stuff to Value Villiage on the way and had to stop at the bank to put his pay check in. Before we even got to Home Depot, Chris got a service call and we had to go home. We were NOT impressed with this. Later that day, we met w/ the realtor of the house we're getting to sign papers and he reminded *told* us he needed a downpayment by Mon or Tues.
Well, it's a good thing we didn't end up going to Home Depot or there would be NO WAY we could have had the downpayment he wanted. God is certainly in the details!

Half Way There - the House

2010-04-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

Our first approval came through!!!!!!
Somehow I missed the calls from our mortgage consultant and she emailed me and her email ended up in my JUNK FOLDER!!!! ACK!!!!
I decided this morning to check my junk folder and THERE IT WAS!!!!
We still have to get approval for buying the next house, but we're half way there.
it makes the words I heard last night "do not be terrified, do not be discouraged" take on a whole new meaning.

Thanks to all who have prayed us this far!

Do Not be Terrified...

2010-04-03T18:09:00.000-07:00

I was stitting here, playing on the computer, trying NOT to think about how stressful the coming week will be (we have until Friday to get our financing figured out and I already have a stress rash on my arms) when the words "Do not be terrified, to not be discouraged" just popped into my head.
Maybe God is trying to tell me something? I hope so!

ps: The stress rash has not been offically diagnosed, but it is the only thing I can think of (even after scouring the internet) for what is causing my arms to be so itchy and bumpy - it's like they had an outbreak of mini-hives. Have ruled out things like detergent, soap, clothing etc.

A Boy and His Dog

2010-04-02T10:46:00.001-07:00

For all the trouble Rocky can be, there is one (well make that 3 +1) reason that I won't think about getting rid of him. His is just SOOOOO good with the boys. He seems to have a special patience level for Levi.
He lets Levi (and the others to an extent) climb on him and give him lots of hugs.

What a nice pillow!

Some Pictures of the Week at my Parents

2010-04-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

My Cutie-pie. Levi says "cheese" whenever he sees a camera

Jacob and Levi "I'm not touching him..."

Jacob helping Grandpa pick up pinecones

Best shot of the 3 boys - my mom found these shirts for something like $1.25 each.Gideon helping Grandpa too!Gideon getting kisses from GrandmommyMy flat tire =(The kids playing in the little stream at my grandma's house while waiting to be "rescued" Levi climbing up the hill to grandma's porch

Again, trying to get a good picture of the boys. This one is during a snack while waiting to be "rescued"

Half Way There

2010-04-01T14:42:00.001-07:00

I'm 20 weeks now (and a few days)...1/2 way through....August is coming fast and slow depending on the day. I've had 2 dreams that this baby is a boy. I don't remember if I had dreams w/ the other pregnancies and if I did what they were. I wish I could remember the name from the latest dream...I think Chris liked it =)
We'll see if these dreams turn out to be true or not. We had our ultrasound but didn't find out the gender of the baby. I like the suprise, although I am REALLY curious! I kinda wish I knew so I knew whether to keep or get rid of the boy clothes - especially since we are still PRAYING that we can move this summer.
All in all, everything is going well. I think I've only gained about 5 lbs total (which is amazing considering how much I've eaten in the past few weeks -- thanks stress).
I'm hoping that the next 19 or so weeks will be as uneventful as the first 20 - and I'd LOVE for the baby to come a few days, or even a week or so early!

You Can't Have One Without the Other!

2010-03-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

Luke 2:8-14
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

I know it may seem unusual to start an Easter devotional, but we cannot have Christmas without Easter and we cannot have Easter without Christmas!
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of a little baby boy: Jesus, God incarnated, fully God and fully man. Born to save us from our sins. I think we tend to not think about his death and resurrection at Christmastime because it is not as nice as thinking about the little baby. We get caught up with the details of the story; things like “there was no room at the inn” “they laid him in a manger” “gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh” “fleeing to Egypt” etc. Personally, I often overlook that this little tiny baby would grow up to be the Saviour of the world leading a perfect life, taking complete delight in obeying God’s laws,. He would be made fun of, tempted, tried, forsaken, crucified and buried – all for US!
But he would not stay dead:

Matthew 28:1-10
1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
8So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

How Full is Full?

2010-03-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been struggling with the question, how full does your "quiver" need to be before it is full enough.
In other words...is 4 kids enough? or should we keep having kids until we have our own football team?
I struggle with knowing there are families out there who can't have kids or have them as easily as we have and remembering to be thankful. I struggle with trusting God with finances. Arent' kids expensive...there's no way God would really want us to have more - is there??? Society is not set up for big famlies. Just look at vacation packages. They are usually set up fo 2 adults and 2 kids. What about what my husbands desired number of kids is?
I have come to the conclusion that I WILL NOT use a hormonal birth control. Other methods have not *ahem* worked so well for us. The debate now is whether to do something more permanent. I don't have a problem with this in theory...especially since God could still give us more kids. my hubby is content with 4 kids. I am usually fine with the idea of being done having kids. But I still wonder...should my quiver be full at 4?
Part of me says, God won't give us more than we can handle - which is true. Part of me says we need to be wise financially -knowing our own limits. It's important that I stay home w/ the kids...not much money there. But then again, won't God provide?!?!?!? Having 8 kids in 10 years does not really appeal to me. Even having 4 in 4.5 years seems like a lot. I don't think there is really a right/wrong answer here. And, honestly, if God REALLY wants us to have more kids, nothing we do will stand in His way!
This is definitey another thing I would like God to give me a BIG sign with FLASHING lights to point me in the right direction. =)

Answer Please!

2010-03-27T09:03:00.001-07:00

*Disclaimer: This post may or may not end up making good sense and the grammar may or may not be good.

Chris and I went to look at a house today. His friend knows the owner so we were able to walk through w/o an agent. the house is HUGE and GORGEOUS and about 5 times (no joke) bigger than ours now. There is the potential for a basement apartment too which would help financially!
There is a huge fenced yard and the fence is tall and private and WONDERFUL!!! there is an above ground pool too. I'm not convinced about the pool yet...
I'm scared about how fast we need to move on this house. the owner does have some other offers, but she wanted to give us a first crack at it. I'm praying God will give us an obvious answer as to whether this is the house for us or not. I am trying not to stress, but it's hard. there are so many questions...
will we rent this house or sell it (the one we're in now)
will we make the basement an apartment?
can we REALLY afford it?
where are we going to put all our stuff if we rent/sell...there's just too much stuff and not enough space to hide it if people walk through.
Sigh...
God (said VERY reverently)...please give us an answer!!!

My Week Away

2010-03-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

Chris is gracious enough to let me and the boys go to my parents for about a week two to three times a year. We've fallen into the routine of me going in March and usually either July/Sept/or US Thanksgiving week. When I go in March it is usually near or over my birthday. I love going down around my birthday b/c there is usually birthday money to spend!!! Not that I usually get anything "fun and exciting" but fun and exciting has changed from clothes/toys/etc. to diapers/wipes/training pants/groceries etc.
Here is a quick rundown of my week.

Wed.
Ultrasound in the AM the leave for mom and dad's.
NASTY trafic on QEW - take back roads. Got in "trouble" at customs for not having a signed letter from Chris saying I could take the kids over the border. Thanfully she still let me go (better get the letter for next time though!)
Sigh...6 hr trip turned into 9. hr trip - glad to be at my parents safely.

Thurs.
Had a playdate w/ Amy and her son Paul.
Hung out w/ parents

Fri.

hung out w/ parents in the AM. After lunch got together w/ Hannah (who I hadn't seen in about 9 months!!!). She asks if Jacob can be her ring bearer and if *gasp* I would fill in for a bridesmaid who couldn't make it!!!! Lets just say, apart from my wedding, to be in her wedding is a dream come true!!! And what makes it really fun, 3 of her 5 bridesmaids are pregnant!!! Can't wait for June!!! So after hanging out w/ her in the afternoon and (QUICKLY) getting my dress ordered (Thankgoodness for birthday money!!!) and inviting myself to dinner ;) I went to see my highschool's production of OLIVER! It was quite well done! I love going back and seeing everyone.

Sat.

Grandparents came over for birthday/Easter dinner. Lots of fun. Granddad was getting a new TV for his office so he gave me his old (only a few years old) flatscreen. YEA!!! They also gave me money toward my dress!!! YEA!!! Mom and dad gave me a laundry basket filled w/ cleaning stuff (new mop head, socks, tea, wash bucket, cleaner, dish drainer, conditioner, etc.) YEA!!!

Sunday

Church, nap, Church

Met the mom of one of the ladies at church. She is such a sweetie! I had just met her, but felt like I had known her for years!

Monday

hung out in AM

Dad watched the 3 boys and dog while mom and I went shopping in the afternoon. FUN!!!

Got lots of the "to get" stuff: diapers, wipes, socks, etc.

Tues.

More shopping - groceries are SO much cheaper down there!!!

Visiting w/ life-long friends in the evening!

Wed.

Left just after 9 am

Got to my grandmas about an hour later for a quick potty break (I mean bathroom break). When I got back to the van, I heard hissing...my tire was FLAT. Called mom and dad. Thankfully my dad had kept the tires from the old van which matched my van. Oh ya, I didn't have my spare...

So they came and helped - there was a garage about a mile down the road and they switched the tire and balanced it and checked my fluids for a REALLY good price!

After a 3 hour delay (Thankfully we were somewhere safe and it was a nice day for the kids to play outside and not destroy Grandma's house) I was back on the road.

No issues the remainder of the trip other than hitting rush-hour on the 403 (5:30) again, Sigh...6 hr trip turned into another 9.5 hour trip.

Chris had pizza hot for me! I got everything put away except for the kids clothes by 9:00. Not too bad.

Now I have to find my basement. Chris is working on insullating the walls and putting up panneling. So the basement is a disaster, the satelite is disconnected, I have an extention cord running downstairs to my computer, and the kids can't really play down here so we're stuck upstairs. I knew what was going on, but it's still a shock. Especially since about a third of the stuff is outside with nothing covering it if it rains. I knew I had a lot of stuff, but I have also been decluttering - wonder how much more I can get rid of. Sigh...hopefully the basement will be useable soon!!!

The Doctor and a Rant on Vaccines

2010-03-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

I like our family doctor, really! But I do have some pet peeves. Some are probably legitimate and some may not be, but that's ok too =)

I can't remember if I blogged about being 10 minutes late and they wouldn't see me (so said the secretary). GRRR. I probably should have stuck around and demanded to be seen, but oh well - life goes on. I'm over it (sort of...).
We went again this morning for our make up appointment. SHE was about 7 minutes late in seeing us. Common...if she can be late why can't I be late once in a while. I'm juggling 3 kids seeing her, Jacob w/ his pediatrician appts, my midwife appointments, plus life in general. I'm allowed to get a time for an appointment wrong once in a while right? And common, I was ONLY 10 min late (10 min early according to the time I thought the appointment was). Sigh...
This appointment was Levi's 15 mo. check up and shot. We have been doing all the imunizations except chicken pox. This is not to say that we will never get the chicken pox vaccine, but right now we have decided not to. Our old doctor (I REALLY miss him!) didn't bat an eye when we told him no, but this one...well, she assumed we were doing it (even though we discussed it w/ Gideon...) and was not impressed when I said no. She proceeded to remind me how serious it could be if they got it as an adult. Thanks, but again, we talked about getting it when they were teens if they had not gotten it before that. I was exposed numerous times when I as little, but didn't get them til I was in highschool. Sigh... I'm kind of dreading (if we have a girl) having to deal w/ the HPV vaccine. I think it is mandatory for girls to have it before they start (I'm not sure what) grade - please don't quote me on that, I'm really not sure...it's just something I thought I heard somewhere. Something I also heard somewhere is that the vaccine has been approved for boys too. Will I really have to fight about this??? Sigh again...

On a positive note...my doctor did do a quick check on the other boys since they have all had a nasty cough and fever (thankfully the fever is gone) for the past week. Not all doctors will check out the siblings if there isn't an actual appointment made.

I really do like my doctor. I sometimes think she's a little too ready to pass out a perscription, but ont the whole, she could be a LOT worse!

End? of the Bunkbed Saga

2010-03-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

We finally rearranged the boy's room. Not perfect, but better - at least the door opens the whole way now!

Here is the dresser and Levi's crib. If the room were an inch wider the crib would have fit between the dresser and the wall.

Gideon's Quilt made by my mom

Jacob's quilt made by my mom

The bunkbeds actually made up!

Prayer Request

2010-03-12T07:32:00.000-08:00

I feel that I need to put this prayer request out to as many people as possible.

A friend of mine from my inlaw's church and coffee break had a baby boy, David Peter, on Wed. He weighed 640 grams (1.4 pounds) and needs prayer. Please preay for this family, for Lori, Colin, their 2 daughters (4 and 2) and their new baby!

Three "P's"

2010-03-11T09:48:00.001-08:00

I was talking with another mom-friend the other day and we were talking about our kids and them being sick. This led to a discussion on puke. We also compared notes on potty training - poop and pee.
My life seems to revolve around these three "P's." We are dealing with Jacob's constant constipation (which the pediatrician wants me to keep track on a calendar how much he goes each day) and Gideon's potty training...and of course Levi's diapers. Thankfully we don't have to deal too much w/ the sick "P."
I have tried not to dwell too much on this topic on this blog, but today, I think something needs to be said - acutally a few things.

1. I HATE POOP!!!!
2. As if cleaning up after my kids isn't bad enough, the DOG PEED AND POOPED in the house today.
3. I HATE POOP!!!!

ok...I'm better now. =)

Random Thoughts

2010-03-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

I don't really have that much new stuff to blog about, so this will be kind of random.

1. I have a boy's name that I've settled on (for now - subject to change how ever many times I want). Yes, I say "I" b/c Chris doesn't like to discuss names until about a week before the baby is due. I've been thinking about this so much lately that I acually dreamed I had a baby boy. Part of me actually is wanting another boy just so I can use this name. But no, I'm not telling!

2. Jacob had his Pediatrician appointment today to try and figure out why he has trouble *ahem* going #2. The pediatrician determined that he has encompresis (has a big wad stuck in the large intestines and it makes him "unsensitive" to going"). This leads to lots of dirty underware and Jacob can't really do anything about it right now. He will be going for an x-ray to make sure nothing is acutally wrong (we're not worried) and will be put on a daily laxitive until this stretching of the lg. intestine is resolved and the nerves have healed. Sorry if that's TMI for anyone - it's my life... =)

that's about all that's new here...oh ya, I'm SURE Levi said "Giddy" or "Gideon" yesterday!

Save Those Pennies!

2010-02-26T13:31:00.001-08:00

Literally! I went shopping today and about 1/3 to 1/2 of my bill was paid in quarters and under (including at least 7 rolls of pennies). I think the people behind me and the check-out lady were about ready to shoot me...

Frugality

2010-02-25T10:11:00.000-08:00

A few friends of mine in the Blog world have regular posts about how to save money. As I've read through them I've thought of ideas from my own life that help save money (and in some cases, make money). I will put a * beside the ideas from these other blogs...don't want to be too much of a copy-cat =)

1. * Use cupons, but only for the things you ACTUALLY buy. You can find more of her ideas here: http://www.happylittlehomemaker.org/
2. If you can, take scrap metal to a metal recycler - there's money there!!!
3. Use sites like Kijiji.ca to try to sell things that are worth selling
4. Use sites like Freecycle.org to try to find things other people might be willing to give away. This is how I got my kids their play kitchen! I have also given away some of our backyard toys and our old double stroller and some other things we no longer needed that other people could make use of.
5. Look for recipes online. For example: Today, I wanted to make cookies, but didn't have any eggs. I found a great recipe for egg-less oatmeal (chocolate-chip) cookies.
6. Another friend of mine keeps a container in her freezer for leftover meat/veggies from dinner. When it's full, she makes soup/stew. I need to start doing this!
7. Find free things to do with the kids - I go to a women's bible study that provides nursery/children's programs. There is also a local church that has an indoor playground that they open to the public for FREE Mon-Thurs mornings from 9:30-11:30. You can either bring your own snacks or they have them there very inexpensively.
8. Look in the local paper's flyers for cupons. I found one for a $9 haircut. There is another one for a $5 certificate to the Salvation Army if you make a donation on Friday (Definitely have to take advantage of that one!).
9. Get a "points card" even if you don't shop at places often...and remember to take it and use it. Sobeys and Shoppers both have these cards (I think other places do too...). I always forget my Shoppers card b/c I just don't shop there often. Sobeys is easier b/c it's the most convenient store for me. I do end up getting $5 off fairly regularly.
10. Along the same line, save up that Canadian Tire money. Evenutally it adds up so you can get something big. My hubby paid for something around the $100 mark w/ CT money once!

I'm sure I've had LOTS of other ideas, but of course I can't think of them right now. Maybe I'll eventually think of more and remember them when I sit down to write something... =)

House...or Not

2010-02-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

Sigh...for the second time in a row, the "dream house" Chris and I had our eyes on, sold the week before we were going to look at it. I guess I should be thankful; at least we're getting the closed door as an answer to prayer. That might not make sense, but I have been praying that God would give us VERY CLEAR open or closed doors as we look at moving. So far it's closed door 2, open door 0. I have to stay positive that the right house is there, and, lets face it, our house is no where near being ready to go on the market. But ya, I'm disappointed...this was a REALLY NICE HOUSE!!!

New Toilet

2010-02-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally have a new, *hopefully* non-leaking toilet. As happy as this makes me, I think I kind of screwed up the "submissive wife thing" today. Chris didn't really want me messing w/ the toilet and I didn't really let it rest and he finally just said to deal with it and hung up. I don't think he's to happy with me, but that is a whole other thing....

Anyways, other than the above, I am REALLY happy we have a working toilet again and that I picked it out (w/ the help from the Lowe's guy), installed, and troubleshot it all by myself!!!!
YEA ME!!!!
There were 2 major reasons I wanted to do the installing. First, there was no way that I wanted to have to load up all the kids into the van if someone needed to do something other than pee. And I was sick of flushing and being terrified it would overflow. Waiting til Chris got home wasn't really an option in my book.
Second:
There is something very satisfying in doing something you have never done before - even if it takes longer than it would have someone who knew what they were doing. It was also satisfying knowing that I won't have to replace it tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day. I was feeling bogged down by the "same old same old" that I do every day: deal w/ cranky kids, wipe poopy bums, dishes, laundry, floors, keeping the kids happy and alive, etc. I know I was being stubborn about installing it myself, but I needed to.

So, the kids and I went to Lowes this morning and I was totally overwhelmed. Thanfully I had done some research before I left so I at least had an idea of what I was looking for and what questions to ask. I was going to get one, but they were out of stock. The Lowe's guy actually told me there was another one in the price I was looking for was actually better and he recommended and sold more of them and had one in his house. I didn't really see the difference so I went w/ the one he recommended - he better have known what he was talking about =)

I got it home and dismantled the old one. I put the new one all together and realized it was about 2 inches taller than the old one. So I loaded the kids up and went to a closer hardware store to find a new water connecter thingy (don't ya love technical jargon???). When I FINALLY got it hooked up it WORKED!!!
But...leaked some. I evenutally gave up for a while, but then I realized I really didn't want Chris coming home to a half done or improperly done job, so I took it all apart again and reinstalled it. So far (as of this posting) there were no more leaks!!!!

I feel like I actually acomplished something today! Hopefully Chris will forgive me for the attitude I had this morning!

I Hate my Toilet

2010-02-19T05:22:00.001-08:00

I try to keep this blog somewhat upbeat and try, even when I'm blogging about something that's annoying/frustrating/angering to keep it somewhat pleasant and remember to count my blessings. I dont' think this will happen in this post!!!

So yesterday, after having a wonderful, kid free, afternoon and evening (thanks mom and dad D. and Chris!!!) where I got my hair cut (at a place having a promotion for a $9 cut!!!), treated myself to McD's for dinner, walked around the mall just b/c I could b/c I didnt' have the kiddos, and then had a wonderuful meeting w/ my coffee break co-leaders at Williams, I came home and watched some TV w/ Chris. When I went upstairs to get ready for bed (which includes at least one trip to the toilet - side effect of pregnancy is having to pee ALL THE TIME) I noticed, as my behind got kind of wet, that the toilet was close to overflowing!!!!! AHHHHH
For the next 2+ hours my hubby and I tried everything we could think of to make this *ahem* STUPID PIECE OF..... flush. at 1:30 am I finally went to bed, about 1/2 hour after Chris. It is VERY NOT GOOD to not have a working toilet when you are pregnant (see above) and potty training kids.
Ok, I guess there are a few things I can be thanful for here: 1) it lets enough water go down that we can use it to pee
2) baby bonus came in today so I can go out and get a new toilet w/o having to wait for Chris to get home
3) I watched him take it apart enough that I KNOW I can install the new one

Now, lest you say...why buy a new toilet when you could try those instant plumbers etc. We tried for 2 hours to fix this one including taking it off the floor multiple times to shoot water/vaccuum it snake it, and our toilet has been giving us issues and grief for the past I dont' know how many months and we were considering buying a new one anyways, we're just having to do it sooner than we wanted esp. since we would have prefered to pay off other stuff. But that's the life of a home-owner.
ok, I'll add owing a home as #4 to my thankful list.

Hopefully later today I can add a much happer post about how easy it was to install the new toilet...???!!!

When Daddy is Sick and Gid is Quiet...

2010-02-17T12:28:00.000-08:00

...Bad things happen.
Sunday, Chris was sick and stayed home from both church services. He felt well enough to keep one kid home w/ him for each service so I wouldn't have to deal w/ all 3 at church on my own. For the morning he kept Levi and in the evening, Gideon.
When I got home, I noticed a wet spot on the couch. I think this is the first time I've WANTED it to be pee...
Chris hadn't left the bed the whole time I was gone b/c Gideon was playing "so quietly." Uh-Oh...
The wet spot: about a liter of milk and some pear juice allllllll over the sofabed. Yes, that's right, it soaked into the mattress of the sofa bed b/c Gid was nice enough to save the disgusting cushions. =)
Milk is not something that goes well with a mattress. I tried to soak up as much as I could w/ towels and I sprinkled baking soda all over the wet spots. Today I opened up the sofabed again and it's not the nicest smelling thing, but it's also not as bad as I was afraid of. Hopefully with some airing out and more baking soda and some Fabreeze type stuff it won't end up too bad.
I couldn't be too mad at Chris seeing that he really was sick, but I don't think I'll leave him alone w/ Gideon when he's sick again =)

Bunk Bed Saga

2010-02-17T12:19:00.000-08:00

We FINALLY have the boy's bunk beds set up. It was a much longer ordeal than it was suposed to be. Maybe we should have just bought new ones???

Jacob and Gideon have been sharing a bed for the past 2.5 months and it has gone well, but we still wanted them to have their own beds. Chris' parents had the bunkbeds from when their kids were young, so we were able to get those. That should be the end of the story, but it's not. Chris' parents are super organized people; they just don't lose things, but for us, they made an exception ;) Somehow, the rails that hold the mattress up were lost to both sets of bunkbeds they had. Not too much of a problem since I married such a handy guy. Chris just went out and bought L-shaped steel to make the rails, but then he had to cut it and weld it so it could be bolted on right. That part was pretty easy, but cleaning up steel shards off the floor wasn't the nicest job. Monday we tried to get plywood to hold up the mattresses, but NOTHING was open b/c of Family Day. 7:00 pm Tuesday, Chris went to pick up the plywood while I tried to keep the kids from destroying the house. They are normally in bed at 7...
When we were FINALLY setting the beds up, we were hoping it would just go together nice and quick while the kids were in the bath. Wrong again. Levi decided he would really rather help daddy than stay in the bath w/ his brothers. Since the steel Chris used was thicker, the old bolts wouldn't work so we had to find other bolts/screws. Therefore we had to drill extra holes through the steel to add extra screws. Chris had to cut a big lag bolt type thing to make the pegs to hold the upper and lower beds together. Then came the 20 minutes of figuring out who would be on top and who would be on the bottom. We finally left it up to them to work it out. Jacob ended up on top and they both slept well.
Oh, did I mention Chris was sick while he was doing this??? Ugh...
But, they are up now. Hopefully they won't fight over who gets which bunk tonight!

Thoughts on Citizenship

2010-02-11T13:10:00.000-08:00

With the Olympics coming up/in full swing I started thinking about citizenship and what that means. For the past 3 or so Olympic Games, I have been living in Canada, but I am still a United States citizen. I have been asked the question, who will you cheer for? My answer is that now I have twice the chances to see my team on the podium!
When someone asks you what your citizenship is, what is your answer? Are you American, Canadian, Dutch? Or do you reply with something like, “Well, I live in Canada, but I’m really an American.” Or, “My parents came over from Holland on the boat, so I’m a first generation Canadian.” How many of us would answer that we are citizens of Heaven?
Ephesians 2:11-22 says:
11Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)— 12remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
14For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

How many of us have felt like strangers on this earth? How many of us long for the world to come? I remember a conversation I had with my granddad when I was probably about 12. I would spend a week with my grandparents every summer, and by the end, I was usually starting to get a little homesick. My granddad and I were taking the dog for a walk one evening, and I remember telling him I was homesick. His response will stick with me forever; he said “Me too.”
How exciting that this world is not our final destination. How exciting that we are citizens of Heaven and members of God’s family. I will leave you with the words from Hebrews 13:14, “For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.”

You Would Have Thought I'd Have Learned...

2010-02-10T13:09:00.000-08:00

About 3 years ago my dear hubby and I made a financial blunder (UGH)!!!
I was DETERMINED not to make another financial blunder like that again...WRONG!!!
I just found out/figured out we signed up for a scam from Just Energy...a legitimate company who promises you'll save money on your Hydro bill, but in fact you don't. If ONLY I had checked the internet before we signed anything.
THANKFULLY, they give you a 30 day "Get out of contract" from the day you get your first bill. Guess what I'm doing tomorrow?

Maybe I have FINALLY learned my lesson???

I Don't Get It...

2010-02-08T04:59:00.000-08:00

Why, by Monday morning, does my house look like a bomb went off????
It does not seem to matter how clean/organized it was by Friday/Saturday, by the end of Sunday it's horrible. I don't get it....

Time Warp

2010-02-01T08:59:00.001-08:00

Am I the only one that feels like they are living in a different time and space than their friends? I went to the same church my whole life until I went to university and got married. I went to the same school for K-12. I was on (basically) on the same swimteam for 12 years or so. This all means I had mostly the same friends for most of my life. Then I went to University 5.5 hrs away in another country and my group of friends changed. I could no longer just hang out w/ my highschool buddies. We would try to get together during vacations, but we were all working or on different school schedules. I tried to stay in touch w/ some specific friends, but even that hasn't worked out too well. I still think of these people "back home" as friends, but they really are not much more than people I used to know. Some of them are married, some have kids, some live in the same area, some don't, some are still single etc. I feel that there are really only a few that I still have anything in common with. I am learning to make friends up here (I'm not always that good at making new close friends). Why is it easier to make friends when we're 5???
Anyways, I feel out of touch w/ my "old" friend right now. This is no one's fault, it's just a stage of life. She is engaged and I'm SOOOOOOOOO excited for her. If it were possible I would pack up my kids and dog and drive down to see her, but it's not. I'm sad that I can't be there to give her a hug, look at dresses and those bridal magazines for hours at a time. Engagements, weddings and babies make me sentimental.
On top of that, we are (hopefully) going to be moving within the next 9 months or so (no, we dont' have a house, no our's isn't on the market). One house we are looking at is about 1/2 hour away from where we are now. I'm FINALLY feeling settled into the community and have a group of moms both from church and from coffee break that I am really getting to know well. Being that far out of town will mean I probably won't get to see these people as often and that I'll have to break into another group of people to find new friends which scares me.
I guess my hormones are getting the better of me today - better start cleaning the house for my parent's visit tomorrow!!! YEA!!!

Dr. Appintments pt.2

2010-01-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

I realized I never posted about the other appointment. Last week I was suposed to have a midwife appt. in the evening after the kids dr. appt., but it got moved back to this week.
Everything looks good. I was a day short of 11 weeks and it was my first appointment so it was all the typical family history, bloodwork, bloodpressure etc. I was given the choice to try to hear the baby's heartbeat, but it would be a 50/50 shot as to whether we would hear it or not. The student couldn't find it but my midwife did =) It's always such a relief to hear that wonderful sound. It's probably a little silly, but I'm never 100% convinced I'm pregnant until I hear the heartbeat, no matter what other symptoms I have. So I am now 100% sure and everything looks good =)

My 14 month old

2010-01-29T06:34:00.000-08:00

The past few days I've really noticed Levi becoming his own little man. I really tried to savor his babyhood since I wasn't sure if/when we'd be having another baby. I really enjoyed being able to enjoy his first year of life without constantly thinking about the next baby. He was my first kid that turned 1 when I wasn't already 3-4 months pregnant w/ the next one. It was really nice. I am very excited about the next baby, but there is just something SOOO special about Levi.
He's saying so many words and starting to listen to simple commands. He will go to his chair (sometimes climbing onto the table and into his chair). He will find his cup and hand it to you when he wants a drink. He knows where the bathtub is. He loves giving kisses and hugs. He wants to keep up to his big brothers so badly...

Here's his vocabulary so far:
Hi
Bye bye
Dada
Mama
Book
Up
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Ba (cup/drink - not sure where he got Ba since he hasn't had a bottle for about 3 months...)
Ya (his answer to any question - I'm glad it's not "no")
Ta-you (thank you)

I'm sure there are some other words/sounds he says/associates w/ things, but I can't think of them right now.

Taxes...Ugh!

2010-01-23T12:12:00.000-08:00

I have always been a bit of (ok a big bit of) a procrastinator. I would use the excuse that waiting til things were due (eg, homework, papers, etc.) would make me do a better job b/c I'd do it all at once (or something like that...). Well, I definitely didn't grow out of this habbit.

Enter: January, 2009. Thoughts: Ugh...guess I should make sure everything is ready to get our taxes done. This included a log book of Chris' driving - inputting the info from GAS RECEIPTS for a whole year and figuring out how much was personal vs. work driving was enough to drive me insane (again, I did this at least 2 years previously too...).
Enter: March, 2009: We were all set to do our taxes, but needed ONE invoice.
Enter: May, June, July, August: All ready to do taxes (again) but realized we somehow LOST our paperwork. ACK!
Enter September, October, November, December 2009: Ya, we had the receipt and had replaced the lost paperwork, but did we file yet, NO...
Enter January 23, 2010: FINALLY get our taxes ready to file but realize we didnt' have all the paperwork in one place. Running frantically throught the house looking for said documents. Found all but one. I was SO afraid we had lost it AGAIN...but...(sigh of relief) it was found. Now Chris is off to do our taxes only a year or so late. Maybe we'll get this return quickly (ya right).

The big question is, will we be on time filing our 2009 taxes??? Stay tuned!

1-10

2010-01-19T05:35:00.001-08:00

I feel like I occasionally (and usually unintentionally) end up bashing my hubby when I'm talking with people. I don't mean to, but sometimes things 'slip out' before I realize it. I know it's not a good excuse, but it does happen, and I'm trying very hard to think before I speak (not one of my greater qualities...lol). So anyways, I read a blog where the writer is listing 100 things she loves about her hubby. I'm going to follow her lead, but I think I'll end up listing about 5-10 at a time and not expounding on them too much.
So here are reasons 1-10 why Chris is such a wonderful hubby:

1. He works SO HARD so I can stay home w/ the kids - and by SO HARD I mean he works his normal job and side work. We rarely see each other, but he wants me to stay home w/ the kids, so he sacrifices his "down time" to go make that extra dollar.

2. He eats my experemental dinners -Ya...this earns him MAJOR stars in his crown...some of these experements aren't so good...About a week ago more than half our meals were these experements -not one of my finer weeks as a cook =)

3. He's a Mr. Fix-it. Which is good...b/c I'm not such a fixer. I like duct-tape.

4. He's tall - hello, I'm only 5'2", it's nice to have someone be able to reach the top shelf =)

5. He's GREAT at putting the kids to bed. I fought w/ them for over an hour last night. The past week when he's been home for their bedtime, he had them calm and quiet in about 15 minutes.

6. He's not a super sports fan, but he does get somewhat excited when the Steelers are playing - he also looks up the stats before the games on his blackberry to find out who's injured etc. It's cute.

7. He took care of the kids when I was sick the other day. This speaks for itself!

8. He doesn't make me feel guilty for staying in bed as long as possible in the mornings.

9. He's a (mostly) realistic dreamer - He looks at the best possible situation for the future (eg, bigger car, house, opening his own business)

10. He brings me treats on occasion - this is usually a coffee from Tim Hortons. Not often, but it seems like he knows when I need one =)

Dr. Appintments pt.1

2010-01-18T08:54:00.001-08:00

Well, this morning saw me taking my 3 boys to the doctor for checkups. Acually, it was Levi's 1 yr appt and Jacob's 4 yr appt. Gid was just along for the ride. Jacob now weighs 36 lbs and is 41.5" tall. Gid is 32 lbs and 38" ? tall. Levi is 23 lbs and I forget how tall.
They're all healthy. We were referred to a pediatrician to see if there's a reason other than stubbornness as to why Jacob won't have a big...ahem...poop. I'm getting fed up w/ wiping poopy bums. Sorry if that's TMI =)
Jacob and Levi both had shots today. Jacob was SOOOOOOOOO good about it. He only said "ouch" and there were NO tears! Yea Jacob!
Levi was more upset that I was trying to keep him from getting online/calling someone on my cell-phone. He SCREAMED when he wasn't getting his way. I don't even think he realized he was getting his shots.
Over all, good appointment, but frustrating dealing w/ little kids in a not so kid friendly space =)