Nesting

I'm running out of things to clean.

After an entire week of dragging my feet and sleeping for 12 hours a day, I got a huge burst of energy. My dishes still need to be done and my kitchen floor mopped (maybe I'll do it on my hands and knees to use up extra energy), but after that, I'm not sure what to do.

I'm considering sacrificing my toothbrush (don't worry, I have an extra in the cupboard) to use on the baseboards. I could polish the fake wood on my kitchen cabinets or organize my coat closet. I would like to move the furniture around, but I don't think that would be the wisest choice at 9 months pregnant. My windows need serious attention, but since it's freezing cold outside I don't think taking my windows out to wash them would be a wise decision either.

Please help! I need suggestions on how to use up all this nesting energy.

Oh wait! Isn't this supposed to be a sign that labor is quickly approaching? I sure hope so!

Caution: Oversized Load

Makayla and Ellie are getting excited for the arrival of this new little baby. I think they can sense that it's getting closer.

Over the past few days, they have both made hilarious references to my expanding midsection.

Makayla: Friday afternoon, she came up to me with a doll obviously stuffed up her shirt. Rubbing her tummy she said, "Look, Mom. I have a special tummy like you. Do you want to feel my baby kick? Come here. Feel right there." So I put my hand on her stuffed tummy. "Oh! Did you feel that? My baby just kicked your hand."

She also feels it necessary to state the obvious. Every day. "Whoa! Your tummy is getting really big!" Or one of my favorites, "Your tummy just hit me in the head."

Ellie: Today Ellie grunted as she walked up to me with her back arched and her hands rubbing her Buddha belly, "My baby is growing, growing big."

Christmas: The Recap

I got so wrapped up in watching my girls unwrap presents that I got exactly 4 photos the entire day: pictures of them in their new Christmas jammies. And right now I'm feeling a little too lazy to even upload them. So instead of the recap in pictures, which I had intended to do, I'll do a recap of my favorites from the day.

The meal: my 3-layer Christmas jello turned out awesome! Too bad my family didn't like it and I'm stuck with an entire 9x13 pan to devour by myself. I'm sure you can hear me crying about it, can't you?

Ellie: She opened her first present and started playing with it. Makayla kept bringing her more presents to open to which Ellie responded, "I got one." Her eyes got so wide with surprise and delight when we finally explained to her that she got to open more than one present. "More presents?!" It was adorable.

Makayla: Watching her look at all the tags to figure out which ones belonged to her. Seeing how excited she got when she opened her present with the Barbie--the one she's been asking for since October. She and Ellie played with their new Barbies literally all day. They even slept with them last night.

Up until Tuesday night, we didn't know if Kasey would get Christmas day off. Learning that he would get to spend the whole day with us was the best gift to me. We had a nice, relaxing day spent in our pajamas just enjoying being together.

Warm Cocoa Suprise

2 cups chopped Milky Way (3 bars)
3 cups milk

Simmer over medium heat until chocolate is melted.

Seriously easy.
Seriously delicious.
Seriously high in calories.

Seriously wish I had another mugful to drink right now.

Thanks To My Mom

I have a new-found appreciation for my mother after today.

This is the first year that Kasey and I will celebrate Christmas not surrounded by either my family or Kasey's. It's kind of a strange feeling. And not wanting to skimp on Christmas traditions just because we are at our own house, I decided to make a big Christmas dinner.

I planned out our menu and bought all the groceries. Early this week I thought I might want to get a little prep work done on Christmas Eve so that I wouldn't have to spend half of Christmas day in the kitchen.

Boy am I glad! I spent just over 4 hours this evening making a salad, putting together a potato dish, and baking dessert. Tomorrow I still need to bake the ham and the potatoes and rolls. Phew! I'm so exhausted.

And so here's where the appreciation comes in. I never realized how hard my mother worked all these years to get Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners together for us to enjoy. It's such a huge job!

Thanks Mom!

A Blessing and a Curse

Makayla has learned how to change the toilet paper. And while it's very nice when the roll needs to be changed, it's not so nice when I have several rolls of partially used toilet paper sitting around my bathroom. Or worse yet, when she throws away a roll because she thinks it's getting too low.

Spreading a Little Holiday Cheer

This is probably my all-time favorite Christmas commercial.

Pregnant and Feeling It

Only 1 month to go and oh how I am feeling it! I'm convinced that the last month of pregnancy has to be miserable; otherwise, no woman in her right mind would ever put her body through the riggers of labor and delivery. But seriously, at this point, I'm thinking, "Bring on the labor!" I'll gladly suffer through 6-8 hours of excruciating, forehead-splitting pain and 7 days of slow recovery just so that I don't have to be pregnant any more.

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Two days ago, I was slightly uncomfortable and found breathing with a baby in my ribs to be somewhat tricky. But I was managing. Then my baby dropped. Now my body hurts in every place possible. My bladder has become a punching bag. And my waddle has increased 10 fold. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do when Kasey goes back to work tomorrow and I have no one to put my socks on for me. I've given up all hope of reaching my feet, which have swelled almost beyond recognition, until after the baby arrives.

On a positive note, I can almost breathe again, and I no longer have a baby sticking her foot in my rib 50 times a day. Plus, Makayla doesn't go back to school until January 5. So I don't even have to leave my house for the next 15 days. (Which is a good thing since my car broke down and I couldn't leave even if I wanted to.)

I guess things aren't all bad.

Would You Like Fries With That?

Here's a sign that you've been going to the drive-thru a little too often:

4-year-old: I'm hungry!

2-year-old: You want chicken and fries?

Maybe we'll stay home for lunch today.

Ellie's Birthday

I finally loaded pictures from Ellie's birthday onto my computer. We celebrated her birthday over the Thanksgiving holiday while we were at Kasey's parents' house. It was really low-key, much like Makayla's 2nd birthday.

My friend Amanda lent me an awesome cake pan that makes one giant cupcake.

Sadly, these are the only 2 pictures I got before my camera died. I'm waiting patiently for my sis-in-law to send me copies from her camera. (hint, hint)

Ellie saw these pictures and had this to say, "It's my cupcake!" "Her give me a Powy doll." (Referring to her Polly Pocket doll that she got from grandma & grandpa.) "I want more presents!"

It was a nice, quiet celebration. Ellie loves all the movies, toys, and especially dresses that she got. Thanks everyone!

Baby Hungry

It's a good thing I'm 8 months pregnant and feeling ready to burst. Because when I opened the package that contained these teeny, tiny, little onesies,

I got really baby hungry.

Seriously! How adorable is that snowman?!?!

I can't wait for our little girl to get here so she can wear this little onesie. 42 days and counting.

My New Favorite Things

Makayla: Lately she has started hollering at me from the other room, "Mom! Come here quick! I need you!"

When I make it to the other room, she smiles sweetly and says, "I just love you." It's so sweet!

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Ellie: She has started adding "-ing" to all her verbs. So instead of saying, for example, "I have this doll," she says "I'm having this doll."

My other favorites:
"I'm wanting a treat."
"I'm be needing some apple juice." (This one cracks me up every time.)
"I'm loving you!"

5 Ways to Avoid Turning Up My Heater

I hate turning on the heater every winter. It's not because I enjoy being cold. It's because I hate opening the electric bill and seeing triple digits. It's almost physically painful for me to pay that bill every winter. So, when it comes to turning up the thermostat, I'm extremely stingy. It has to be really, and I mean really, cold outside first.

However, I realize that my family isn't as willing to stand the cold as I am. So I've come up with a few things that help keep our apartment marginally comfortable in the early parts of winter.

1. One of us showers at night, the other in the morning. Our water bill varies very little, so I don't mind taking an extra long, extra hot shower. Open the bathroom door, let the steamy bathroom heat up the apartment twice a day.

2. Dress warm. Long-sleeve shirts or sweaters and warm, fuzzy socks. We have the clothes. We might as well make good use of them.

3. Bake every day. We have to eat. Why not make every meal a meal that's cooked in the oven instead of on the stove top? Sure it may take a little bit longer. But when dinner is done cooking, I turn off the oven and leave the door open. I figure I've already paid to heat up the oven. Why not disperse it through the apartment. I just have to make sure to keep an extra close eye on the girls so they don't get burned.

*An extra bonus: if I do cook something on the stove top or in the crock pot, I usually try to bake a goody. Apartment gets heated and my family gets a yummy treat. It's a win-win situation.

4. Blankets over the windows. I only do this in the bedrooms. It encourages the girls to sleep in a little bit longer every morning and helps insulate their room from crappy windows that leak cold air inside.

5. If the girls tell me they are cold during the day, I first make sure they are wearing socks and a warm shirt. If they are still cold, I encourage them to make a fort out of their fleecy blankets. Either that or we all curl up under the covers on my bed and watch a movie together.

I realize that when the baby comes, I'll have to turn the heaters on. But until then, I'm going to save every penny that I can.

Life

This is how the last 23 minutes of my life just played out.

2:18
"Ellie, I'm going to switch the laundry. Stay right here and play with your dolls. Okay?"
"-K-"

2:18 - 2:23
The laundry has been switched, and I go back to my apartment. (small side note: although I do not have a washer and dryer in my apartment, the laundry room for the building is right outside my front door. Lest you think I'm a completely horrible mother and are picking up the phone to call CPS you should know that the laundry room is closer to my living room than my bathroom. And I go in there and close the door several times a day.)

I turn the door knob to find it locked. Oh crap!

2:23 - 2:26
Spend several minutes trying to explain to my 2-year-old how to unlock the door that she just locked.

2:27
Give up and start banging on all the neighbors doors. What!? How can no one be home at 2:30 in the afternoon? Oh right! They are all at work.

2:29
Try again to explain to Ellie how to unlock the door so mommy can get in. I hear my keys rattling and banging against the door. Realize that my efforts are futile and try to come up with a plan.

2:30
Remember that my neighbor down the street is also a stay at home mom. Cross my fingers and pray that she is home. Try not to think about having to climb in the window if she's not.
As I'm walking and shivering (I'm wearing a short-sleeve shirt with no jacket in 20 degree weather), I consider running. Quickly decide that's not an option and waddle faster, pausing for a really bad contraction. Ouch!
Try to remember exactly which apartment she lives in, hoping that I don't have to knock on all 12 doors to find hers.

2:33
Hooray! She's home. I use her phone and call the only phone number I can think of at the time--my friend Marni. Explain the situation, ask her to drive to another person's house, pick up my spare key, and bring it to my house. I would have asked my neighbor to do that, but she's new in town and didn't know how to get to the house where my key is kept.

2:37
Neighbor drives me home. She's super nice! It's cold and my contractions are picking up.

2:38
Talk to Ellie through the door. She's still trying to unlock the door from the inside with my keys.

2:40
Marni shows up with my spare house keys. I unlock my door and open it 5 inches before it stops. "Ellie, did you put something in front of the door?"
"Uh-huh."
"Can you move it please so mommy can get in?"
"No. Here your keys mama."
I reached my toe in and kicked something far enough to get the door open wide enough for me to squeeze in. And with this belly, there was a lot of squeezing going on!

2:41
Thank Marni a dozen times. Close the door and have a serious discussion with Ellie about not touching the lock on the door. She looks up at me and says, "I need some juice."

Sure glad that lesson sunk in.

Now I'm done typing this and I realize that my laundry is still in the laundry room, probably ready to rotate again, and it's nearly time to pick up Makayla from preschool.

I'm completely exhausted!!

Guilty Confession

I hate those woman who say they love being pregnant so they can eat whatever they want and suffer no guilt about the number of calories they ingest.

This morning I ate a whole plate of cookies for breakfast. I meant to stop at one (or two), but they were just so darn good! And believe me, there is guilt. It's crushing me.

Or at least it did until I got to my mom's house and saw her homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting sitting on the counter. The guilt definitely wasn't heavy enough to stop me from eating 2 pieces while I was there.

Tomorrow is definitely going to be one of those healthy-eating days. Because I plan on finishing off the last of the cookies tonight. I can't have that kind of temptation laying around.

Perhaps It's Time I Learned How To Enunciate

This afternoon Makayla brought a movie (Kung Fu Panda) to me. "Mom, I want to watch this movie."

Ellie was right on her tail saying, "No Panda Bear! I watch mermaids."

And the arguing commenced. I told them that we wouldn't watch any movie until they could agree on one.

Makayla's face twisted up in confusion. "Gree-on? What does that mean?"

"Agree on. It means you have to pick out a movie together that you both want to watch." So they both ran back to the movie cabinet and brought back 2 more movies.

Makayla asked me, "Is this gree-on?"

Ellie shouted, "No! This one gree-on."

"No, you girls need to choose a movie together."

This continued until I had a rather large stack of movies on my desk. They were finally able to pick a movie that both were happy with. As I was putting it in the DVD player, Makayla proudly told me, "Mom, we are big girls to gree-on this movie."

I would say that I need to start enunciating my words a little better, but then what would I blog about?

How Babies Are Born

This morning my girls hopped into bed with me. Makayla was examining my big ol' belly and talking sweetly to the baby. Then she turned her attention to me.

"Mom, your belly is growing really big."

"It sure is."

"It's going to get this big" as she holds her hand 10 inches above my stomach.

"I hope not. That would hurt!"

"When is your baby going to come out?"

"After Christmas." At this point I yawned.

"You have to practice to open your mouth really wide."

"Why is that?"

"Because you have to open your mouth really big so the dentist can reach in there and pull your baby out."

If that's the case, I've been paying the wrong doctor!

Somehow I Don't Think Tchaikovsky Would Be Impressed

Does this ever happen to you? Something funny happens, but you are the only one to witness it. But this event was so funny to you that it has you chuckling to yourself at random moments throughout the day. And people next to you wonder what in the world you are laughing at.

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Yesterday Ellie and I went to the store. Outside the grocery store stands a 7-foot nutcracker to announce the annual production of The Nutcracker, which is put on by the local college. Ellie looked at this huge thing towering over her and asked, "What's her name?"

"It's a boy, and it's called a nutcracker."

She looked up at me with the most quizzical expression and said, "Nutcrapper?"

I stifled a laugh as I repeated, more clearly this time, "Nut-crack-er."

It took her a few tries to get it right, but she eventually got it. Now whenever I think about it, I start laughing--out loud sometimes.

Let the Waddling Begin

So, we got back from our little vacation on Sunday morning at 4:30am. Needless to say, it was a long drive! We had tons of fun, and if I find my camera (I know it's around here somewhere) I'll post the 3 pictures that I took during the week.

Now to address the title of this post. I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. After all, it happened with the first two. But it's always so depressing to me when I start the pregnant waddle. I'm not sure how Kasey can keep a straight face when we go places together. If I watched me walk, I would surely snicker or probably laugh out loud.

I have a sudden appreciation for ducks. Waddling is hard work!

Also, my 2-year-old is now faster than me. And a 2-year-old who can out-run her mother is never, ever a good thing!

Taking Suggestions

On Monday my doctor gave me the okay to travel to Kasey's parents' house for Thanksgiving. That means I'll be spending approximately 30 hours in a car next week.

Anyone read a good book lately? I'm almost done with mine and need one for the drive. Thanks!

Gas Prices

I saw something yesterday that I didn't think I'd ever see again. Gas prices dipped below $2 per gallon in my town. I've been really surprised that prices have continued to fall like they have. I'm totally not complaining. I love that I can fill up my car for $40 now instead of $80. Love it! (I will especially love it come Sunday when we go see Kasey's family who live 700 miles away.)

Now if only the price of groceries could follow suit.

Please! I Just Want to Sleep

It has not been a very good night. Yesterday my doctor put me on some medication to slow my contractions. Unfortunate side effects are a racing heart, shaky hands, and insomnia. Lovely.

I finally got to sleep between 10:30 and 11pm (after attempts starting at 8:30) just to be awakened by Makayla's crying at 11:45. I tended to her needs and went back to bed. Kasey got up and ready for work at 2am. And you guessed it, woke me up again. After tossing and turning for another 30 minutes or so, I got back to sleep. More crying at 4:30am. This time it was Ellie who told me she was pooey. She was NOT, but I changed her anyway figuring it would be easier than trying to convince her to go back to bed without a diaper change.

It's now 5am and I find myself in an undesirable position. I can't sleep. I could go to bed and lie there tossing and turning, hoping that sleep will overcome me. But since the girls had an early bedtime last night, it's unlikely that they will sleep much past 7. Will an hour of sleep really make me feel better?

I could stay up and try to do something constructive, like the dishes I neglected last night. However, my banging around in the kitchen will almost surely wake up the children. I've learned that children who wake up at 5 am are not happy children.

I could try reading my book, but it's so good that I'm afraid it would have the exact opposite effect of sleep.

I have so much to do tomorrow: meeting with Makayla's teacher, appointment with the doctor again, pick up dry cleaning, people coming over to clean, and on and on. I won't have time for a nap.

Dear, sweet family of mine: Why don't you understand? I just want to sleep!

You Know You Are Pregnant When. . .

the featured OnStar radio commercial of the week involves a pregnant woman who is in a car accident, and you start bawling as you drive down the freeway.

Preschool is Hard Work

This is Makayla one evening after preschool. She worked and played so hard that she fell asleep at the dinner table before she could even eat her dinner. She woke up fast enough when I mentioned dessert, though.

Choosing a Name

The search for a name for baby #3 continues. We have a whole list of boy names that we like, but girl names? Not so much. We have it narrowed down to a few names we like, but I keep suggesting names to Kasey. There's still a small possibility that we will come across a name that we like even more.

I frequently ask Makayla and Ellie what they think we should name our baby. The most popular responses from them are Baby Claire (like the little girl at church) and Christine Daae (they've been watching way too much Phantom of the Opera lately). I think we'll keep searching.

Why is it so hard to name a kid?!?!

Life After College

Six years ago, Kasey and I were newly married and both going to school. We would often talk about our future together over a steaming bowl of Easy Mac or Ramen noodles.

Our wants were simple--a house with a garage, 3 or 4 kids, a job for Kasey that provided for our family while allowing me to stay home. We never planned on being rich, but we hoped to live comfortably.

During one discussion about money, I asked Kasey to tell me what his idea of comfortable was. He thought it would mean being able to go out to dinner when we want and buying a movie on a whim without having to budget specifically for that item. My idea of comfortable was being able to order food from the Schwan's man.

The reason I got thinking about this today is I recently signed up for the Schwan's man's route, and today was his first visit.

We don't have everything that we hoped for yet (houses are expensive!), but I feel like we are slowly climbing our way out of the poorness of student life and are well on our way to comfortable. And that's a pretty good feeling!

Pregnancy Update

Here's a little update. I went to the doctor on Friday. Everything is going well. I'm still supposed to take it easy, which will be a lot harder this week as Kasey won't be home to help. At least my mom is coming to help me out a little bit this week. Moms are the best!

Some days I feel really huge. But then I whip out pictures from when I was pregnant with Makayla and Ellie, and I realize that I'm not so big after all.

The night before I had Makayla.

The night before I had Ellie.

This afternoon.

I realize that I still have about 10 weeks to go, but I'm smaller than I was at the same point with my first two. That gives me hope for a small-ish baby. I say "small-ish" because let's face it, the only way I'm getting a 6 lb baby is if she comes a month early. And even then it's iffy. We grow 'em big in my family.

Movie at the Theatre

Today was a first for our family. We took the girls to the theatre to see a movie. We saw Madagascar 2. It's such a cute show. The girls loved it. I think they also loved all the popcorn and soda.

My favorite part was when Ellie told me she had to potty and started taking her clothes off in the theatre. Good times!

Other than that, they were both very well behaved. We had so much fun that I think we'll try to go to another movie sometime soon.

I'm Hooked

I just got home from my birthday pedicure. It was heavenly!

I've had pedicures before, but they were at a beauty college. Not to say that they weren't nice, because they were, but those people were still learning. The place I went today is an actual spa.

When I first got there, the girl took me back to a little lounge area. The lights were dim. The music was soft. There were refreshments for my enjoyment. As I was sitting there relaxing a little bit, someone brought me a heated rice bag for my neck and shoulders and a hot towel. I have to admit that I felt a little like Robbie Hart on The Wedding Singer. You know the part where he is flying in first class for the first time and has no idea what to do with the towel, so he uses it as a bib. Yeah, that's kind of how I felt. (But I didn't use the towel as a bib.)

Anyway, then the girl doing my pedicure took me to another room. Oh my goodness! The warm water, the foot scrub, the lotion, the massage, the really nice pillows to sit on. It was all perfect. The girl talked just enough for it not to be awkward, but not so much that I couldn't relax.

I came home and told Kasey I could do that once a week. Makayla and Ellie love the purple sparkly polish that I picked out. I knew they would.

What a great way to celebrate! Now I recommend that you all go out and get a pedicure. It will make you smile all day.

Memories From My Childhood: Reading

Tonight I watched as Kasey read to Makayla and Ellie books that we picked up at the public library. It got me thinking about my trips to the public library as a child.

Most of the time I went with my dad. I remember picking out books (Berenstain Bears, Beatrix Potter, and Mercer Mayer books were my favorites) and then sitting in a chair next to him as he read through various newspapers or magazines.

I think I must have inherited my love of reading from him. When I think back, I can't remember a time where he wasn't reading a newspaper, a book, or a magazine in his spare time. And he always seemed to have something tucked away in his lunch box to read while he was at work. Even now when I visit my parents, my dad always has something out that he is reading or has recently finished.

Thanks, dad, for sharing your passion for reading with me. Even if you didn't know you were doing it.

Another Year Older

Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone.

This birthday seems to be the birthday that keeps on giving. Saturday I got a card and money (woohoo!!) in the mail from my parents. Monday I got a card (and more money) from my grandma and grandpa. Kasey also gave me a gift Monday night--a gift card to a day spa. (I was so excited that I cried, but that could just be because I'm pregnant.) Tuesday I got phone calls and text messages from family and friends, more gifts in the mail from Kasey's parents, and went out to dinner. Also, Kasey cleaned almost the entire apartment by himself. It was awesome!! Today we had birthday cake. Tomorrow I'm going to a Pampered Chef party to spend said birthday money. Saturday is my pedicure at the spa. And next Monday my friends are taking me out to lunch.

Birthdays should always last a whole week!

Halloween Pictures. . . Finally

Sorry for the delay. I just got these from my friend tonight. For some reason, my girls didn't want to cooperate when I was taking pictures with my camera, but they would for my friend. Oh well. At least I got some.

Ellie as a butterfly. She loved this costume. She wore it around the house flapping her arms saying, "Ellie fuller-by. I a fuller-by." It was too cute!

Makayla as a witch. Apparently this is the meanest witch face she could muster. She must have been thinking about all that candy in her bag.

Trick-or-treating with friends: Theran the pirate and Emmie the fairy.

We had a lot of fun, and the kids got tons of candy. Whenever they want a piece they come up to me with their hands open and say, "Trick-or-treat, please."

Note to Webster's

Makayla was sitting at the table coloring. Without looking up she said, "Look Mom. This girl is violent."

"She's violent. What does violent mean?" I was really interested to learn where she heard this word.

"Violent. It means she's chewing gum and has blue hair."

Okie Dokie!

Election Day

It's Election Day. So everyone go vote!!

I Can't Stop Laughing

I stole this link from Eli's blog. It's so funny!! I seriously cannot stop laughing.

"Was her forehead really big, or was I just looking through a couple of bubbles?"

Delicious Artichoke Dip

I was going to write about how disgusted I am about the return of morning sickness. (What the heck!) In fact, I did. But then I decided that if I'm going to find the joy in life, I need to write about happy things. So, instead of a rant, I give you. . . Artichoke Dip. So easy. So delicious. So happy-making.

Artichoke Dip
8 oz cream cheese
12 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1-2 cloves garlic
1 cup grated parmesan
1 medium small onion, finely chopped
2 - 7 oz jars marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1/4 cup sour cream

Mix together, put into greased baking dish, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with bread or chips.

Warning: This makes lots and lots. My sister suggested that I separate it into smaller dishes and freeze it. I halved the recipe and split it into 3 portions. I have some small Corningware dishes that I can put in the freezer and oven. So handy!

If you end up freezing some, make sure to thaw it before baking. It tastes way better. Also, if you use a smaller dish, decrease the bake time so you don't burn the edges. Unless you like burned edges, and then by all means bake it for the full 30 minutes.

Complications

I hate taking it easy!

I'm not a take-it-easy kind of girl. I may have been before I had 2 children, but I certainly don't have time for that kind of nonsense now.

After a week filled with contractions, back pain and pressure, Kasey finally convinced me to call the doctor. The nurse told me to come in immediately, so I did.

Three hours and several tests later, the doctor told me I am starting to dilate but am not at risk for preterm labor in the next 2 weeks. Hooray! (I'm amazed at how much doctors can learn from a few cells on a cotton swab!)

However, I'm under strict orders to take it easy. Not only from the doctor but from my husband and mother. I could argue with them individually, but it's lots harder to fight against three of them.

So, here I am. Taking it easy. There are piles of dirty dishes cluttering my sink and counter. There are mounds of laundry spilling across my bedroom floor. There are 2-day-old cracker crumbs littering my living room. It's making me crazy! I know, though, that if I start working on these things, the contractions will come and I really will be down for the rest of the day. It's so aggravating!

On a happier note, my children slept in until 8:45 this morning. I think we'll go trick-or-treating every night from now on.

We Are Blessed

I know that I complain about Kasey's job a lot--the hours are long, the work is grueling, the coworkers are sometimes less than desirable, the elements are brutal--but we are so blessed. This morning, because I couldn't sleep and had nothing better to do (it's currently 3am), I logged on to his work website to check out his paycheck for today.

It was more than I expected. Significantly more. Kasey noticed that he had gotten a raise. Woohoo! It's always a nice surprise to get money that you weren't expecting. But then I started looking over other specifics of his pay stub, things that I usually glance quickly over without too much notice.

I added up his premiums for all the different insurances that his company offers. We have paid less in one year than some people pay in a month. In 2 years, we have contributed more to Kasey's 401K than he used to make in an entire year. Every three weeks, he gets paid to take a week off. It's like vacation every month (sometimes twice a month when the rotation is just so.)

So, I was thinking that even though his job is hard and requires a lot of us as a family, we really are so blessed. And I am grateful.

Potty Training Triumph

Ellie pooped in the potty tonight. I'm ecstatic! I'm elated! As only the mother of a potty training child can be.

Ellie didn't seem too impressed with this accomplishment. She just kind of looked disapprovingly at Makayla and me while we danced around the bathroom in celebration.

Then she looked in the toilet, said "Oh yuck!" and walked off.

Well, at least she did it.

Yay! A Tag

My bloggy friend Tamir tagged me. Like her, I'm glad I have something to blog about today.

8 Favorite TV shows

1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Private Practice
3. Lost
4. Ellen
5. The View
6. Oprah
7. Survivor
8. Maybe if I had cable I'd have a number 8.

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. The Olive Garden
2. Texas Roadhouse
3. Paraiso Vallarta
4. Rooster's
5. Wendy's
6. Mandarin House
7. Quizno's
8. Does Jamba Juice count as a restaurant? Probably not, but I love it anyway.
   

8 Things that happened yesterday

1. Took the girls to story time at the library
2. Learned some new songs for ward choir
3. Went to Walmart (Oh Target! How I miss you!)
4. Took a too-short nap
5. Tried to convince my baby to stay in a little (or a lot) longer. Apparently it worked.
6. Made delicious Artichoke Dip and then proceeded to eat 1/3 of it by myself. Yummy! I'll share the recipe another day.
7. Sat around the rest of the day with contractions and other such nonsense
8. Learned that a good friend of mine was killed. Definitely NOT the highlight of my day.

8 Things I look forward to

1. January 21--or maybe January 7 if I can convince the dr to induce me that early. We'll see.
2. owning a house
3. Kasey's week off (Let's just say it's been a long week so far)
4. paying off student loans and car
5. I always look forward to payday.
6. Thanksgiving trip
7. Twilight, the movie
8. My sister's wedding in May
   

8 Things I love about fall

1. warm days, cool nights
2. It's the beginning of evenings curled up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book.
3. Playing in the crunchy leaves. The girls and I go to preschool early every day just so we can kick the leaves.
4. Hunting Season--I obviously don't love this, but Kasey does. I love that he gets to do something he loves.
5. Breaking out all my sweaters
6. I hardly cook/bake during the summer. It's way too hot!! I love fall because it's cool enough to start cooking/baking again. Cookies, cakes, soups, rolls. . .yum!
7. My favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, is in the fall.
8. So is my birthday.
   

8 Things on my wishlist

1. money to pay off bills
2. a real bed--although I have to admit that after 6-1/2 years of marriage, we finally upgraded from cinder blocks under our mattress to an actual frame. No more stubbed toes for us!
3. a minivan. I know I have my Durango, but a minivan is so much more mom-friendly. With almost 3 kids, I appreciate anything mom-friendly.
4. a house. I'm so over living in an apartment.
5. I feel like I have a pretty good life, so there's not too many things on my wishlist.
6. Maybe one day I'd like to have cable again. I know! I keep talking about it, but it's just not a priority right now.
7. I would also like some new pans.
8. And maybe a few more things from Pampered Chef, but I need more space before I can buy the fun stuff.
   

"Mulan Hair"

One of Ellie's favorite movies to watch is Disney's Mulan. After every viewing, she grabs a handful of hair and says, "Look! Mulan hair." She even does it to me. She gets a handful of my hair and says, "Mulan mama."

Today, for a little change, I pulled her hair into one big ponytail. She was so excited when she saw it in the mirror. She started jumping around exclaiming, "Mulan! Mulan! Ellie Mulan hair!"

She even started running around the living room showing off her best karate moves with an enthusiastic, "Hi-ya!"

Because Sometimes a Nap on the Floor is Just Better

Things Can Always Get Worse

The next time I think I'm having a bad day, I hope I remember this post that I read last night. And maybe then I'll realize that my bad day could be so much worse.

Here's Your Sign

Several times this week I have found Ellie rummaging in Makayla's drawers for panties. When she finds the pair she is looking for, usually The Little Mermaid, she pulls off her diaper and puts on the panties.

Then she proudly runs up to me and says, "Look mama! Wear panties me. I pee potty. I a big girl."

I had really hoped to wait until after our Thanksgiving trip (okay and maybe until after the baby comes) to really hit potty training hard. But with signs of readiness like these, I would be a fool to wait any longer.

sigh.

Potty training, here we come!

We Each Have a Mini Me

I just went in to check on my babies before I retire for bed myself.

I found Makayla laying on her back, mouth open, arms above her head--just like her daddy.

I found Ellie curled up in a ball, blankets up to her chin, books scattered across the bed--just like her mommy.

I thought it was pretty funny. No, I did not take a picture. Are you crazy? I can't risk having them wake up when I worked so hard to get them asleep!

Book Review: The Audacity of Hope

I usually hesitate to write anything remotely political because it always creates such a stir. And frankly, I don't always know how to defend my thoughts or feelings. So, don't think of this as a political post. Think of this as a mere book review.

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I just finished listening to this book today. I've wanted to read it and thought it would be good to do before the election. My thoughts are somewhat scattered so I think the best way to approach this is with bullet points.

--He is an educated man and a politician; therefore, he speaks using an elevated vocabulary. Admittedly, I had to look up a few words so I knew what he was talking about.

--I love his thoughts on empathy. Our country, and indeed the world, would not be so divided if we had true empathy for our neighbors.

--He is somewhat of an idealist: a lot of the ideas he has can quite honestly never happen in the society in which we live today. As sad as that may be, it's the truth. However, since I am also an idealist, I agree with a good deal of his ideas for how to improve our country.

--I've had people tell me that reading this book will make me change my mind about Obama. I think that if you don't like Barack Obama and you read this book, you will dislike him more. If you do like Barack Obama and you read this book, you will like him even more.

--I like that he openly admits to certain things. 1. He says in the beginning of the book that his views are somewhat one-sided because he is a Democrat. I like that he acknowledges the fact that a lot of people will disagree with him just because he is a Democrat. He doesn't pretend to be something that he is not. 2. Near the end of the book he talks about the toll that being a US Senator has taken on his family life. But he also acknowledges that he has it easier than a lot of families because he can afford to hire a babysitter and a housekeeper and have a number of other things that people in similar situations cannot.

There were other things that I was going to write, but it's getting late. And my brain is turning to mush. If I think of them later, I will certainly add those thoughts to this post.

See pictures of my adorable niece and nephews over at Carried Away Photography.

Stuck

Generally, I think it's really mean when parents take pictures of their kids when their kids are asking for help. But on this day, I couldn't help myself.

One morning in September, I heard Ellie yelling at me from the bathroom. I walked in to see her stuck in the sink. Her feet were wet so every time she tried to use them for leverage, she slipped back into the sink. It was so funny watching her.

I checked to make sure she wasn't hurt. Then I grabbed my camera and took this picture before I helped her out. Mean, I know. I love the look she is giving me--"I can't believe you are taking my picture while I'm stuck in this stupid sink!"

Sweet Delights

About 5 years ago, I bought a little cookbook titled 101 Things To Do With A Cake Mix. I made 1 recipe out of the book, and then it got packed away somewhere.

Fast forward to last week. I was cleaning out a random cupboard (this nesting instinct is kicking in a little earlier than usual, but that's a topic for a whole other post) and came across this book again. I flipped through it and marked a few recipes that sounded especially good to me.

Today I made these yummy little things called Sweet Delights. They are sweet. They are delightful. And they are surprisingly quick and easy to make.

So, I'm sharing the recipe for those of you who need a Sunday treat today.

1 cake mix, any flavor (I used yellow.)
1/4 cup light-brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used white chocolate/semi-sweet Swirls. It's all I had on hand.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together cake mix, brown sugar, oil, and eggs. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough balls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from pan and cool.

I used a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop and got 45 cookies. These are seriously the easiest cookies I've EVER made, with the possible exception of the cut and bake kind from the store. From the time I started to the time the last batch came out of the oven was 35 minutes. I don't know about you, but the thing I hate about making cookies is that it feels like an all-afternoon project. Not with these. They are so fast!

Mmmm! I think I'll go have another.

Friday Project

Want to see what we did today? Well, actually, it's what my husband and father did today.

The girls room started off as a disaster this morning.
We picked up toys and moved the toddler bed out.
Kasey and my dad started work in the living room.
Wow! You can actually tell what they are building.
Nearly finished.
Makayla learning how to safely climb up
and down the ladder to her and Ellie's new bunk bed.
The finished room with beds and toys in place. Notice the beautiful matching quilts that my mom made for the girls. They love their new beds and blankets. And we decided today that the new baby will also get a matching crib-size quilt to match her big sisters' blankets.

The room is a little squishy with a bigger bed, but we'll make do.

Ellie struggled a little bit tonight with having to sleep in this new bed. I had to put her back in it several times. It was to be expected, though, and I'm sure it will get better as time goes on. I'm definitely glad that we started Operation No Binky earlier this week instead of my original (and foolish) plan to do it all at once.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for all your help today. The girls loved having you here, and you made the work go by so much faster.

The Not-So-Glamorous Side of Motherhood

My blog is titled "Finding Joy in My Journey" because I didn't want this to turn into a place where I vent my anger all the time. I wanted it to be a place where I could record the milestones of my children and reflect on the good things in life. I was hoping the title would remind me of that when I sat down to write new posts. I feel, for the most part, that I've been able to do that. (I am definitely not counting the last few days of binky withdrawal.) But let's face it--not every day is peachy. There are days when things don't go as planned, and life is just plain hard.

Today would be one of those days for me. It's a day where I'm having a hard time finding the joy in motherhood.

Yesterday was a day crammed with dentist appointments, shopping, and traveling. Things went well at the dentist (Yay Makayla for having no cavities!) and the shopping was really a lot of fun. But because we had to travel several hours to do our big city shopping, it was after midnight when we got home and in bed. I was so hoping that the girls would sleep in till 7:30 or dare I dream? 8:00?

That was not to be so. Just after 6am I heard some whimpering coming from the girls' room. Then a minute later I heard an explosion of vomit happening. I got up to see whose sheets I would be washing. Ellie's! Except it wasn't just sheets that I had to wash. There was some major projectile vomiting happening! Gross!

After quickly assessing the situation, I scooped up Ellie and tossed her in the tub to contain the mess all over her. Then I moved Makayla from her bed to my bed so that I could turn on the light to see just how bad the damage was. Oh, let me tell you--it was BAD!!! (Because projectile vomit is never, ever good.)

I cleaned up Ellie and made her comfortable on the floor in her room before I stripped her bed and started wiping puke off walls, toys, floor, and dresser. More puking. In fact, the puking lasted for a good 5 hours. Just when I thought she was okay, she would puke again.

And then the pooping started. All I'm going to say about that is I'm so glad we haven't really started the potty training yet. Diarrhea and panties are not my favorite combination.

When nap time rolled around, I was so tired that I just wanted to give her a bink so she would settle down quickly and get some rest. But I was strong and resisted the urge. I didn't really want to undo my previous 3 days of work with that. And it turns out that she only fussed for 5 or so minutes. Hooray! At least we are making some progress there.

So now, it's 3 o'clock. Ellie has gone through 5 outfits. I've gone through 3 outfits. And Kasey has gone through 2 or 3 outfits. I've washed Ellie's bedding, Makayla's bedding, and my bedding because Ellie somehow managed to puke on every one's bed today. I've been washing and sanitizing everything that Ellie touches. Oh! And since she refuses to puke in the toilet or a garbage pail, I've been following her around with dish towels so she pukes on something that can be washed instead of all over my carpet. My 7th load of laundry is in the washer. And if things continue this way after nap time, I'm sure I'll see my 9th or 10th load today.

I'm so far beyond tired. I'm physically exhausted and emotionally drained. I just want to sit and have myself a good cry and a really long nap. But unfortunately, moms don't get that luxury when their kids are sick. So I'll pick myself up and finish everything that needs to be done today. And maybe tomorrow, I'll be able to find some joy in this life I've chosen.

Death to the Pacifier!

Day 2 of cold turkey, and it is not going well! Ellie had a laughable excuse for a nap this afternoon and cried for nearly an hour at bedtime. My nerves are shot, and everyone around here is just a tad bit grouchier than usual.

I think I'll watch a little Adam Sandler, eat a huge piece of apple pie, and hope for my mood to improve.

Cold Turkey--Not the Yummy Kind You Eat the Day After Thanksgiving

I've decided to get rid of Ellie's binky once and for all. I'm not waiting to switch her to a big girl bed like I had originally planned. (Even though that's happening this weekend.)

Tonight was her first day with no binky at nap time or bed time. She didn't end up taking a nap. Oh well. One day without a nap won't kill her; although, her crabbiness was definitely wearing on me by bedtime.

It has now been 30 minutes since I put her to bed. There has been quiet in her room for about 5 minutes. Good, but I'm not getting my hopes up for an entire night of peace just yet. I'm sure she will wake up in the middle of the night, realize the binky is gone, and cry some more.

I'll let you know in the morning who survives the night.

Broken Toe

I think I broke my toe. (It's probably just sprained, but it sounds more dramatic to say "broken." Don't you think?) How? People ask me that and it's tempting to say, "I kicked Makayla," which is what actually happened, but it sounds so bad to say it that way.

What really happened is that I was walking behind Makayla. She stopped walking and I kept walking. My toe kicked her heel. I started hopping around like a crazy fool screaming, "Owie! Ouch! Oh! Eeee! Ahhh!" Of course my girls thought I was trying to be funny. Ellie has re-enacted it several times since.

Today is the first day that I've been able to walk normally since Thursday. The swelling has gone down, but it's still bruised. I took some pictures to show you. (Sorry if you have adverse feelings to feet.) I had to contort my toes a little bit to get a good picture of the bruising, which certainly didn't help the pain any, but oh well.

Please ignore my chipped nail polish. My tummy is getting big enough now that it's hard to do my own toes. Plus I wear socks every day so I don't really care too much what shape my toe polish is in. Maybe I'll get a pedicure on my vacation next month. But I digress. Here are the pictures.

My Little Artist: Part 2

Thanks for all your fun guesses. I showed this picture to Makayla and said, "What did you draw in this picture?"

The answer: "It's two mermaids, of course."

Of course! How silly of me not to know that these are mermaids. What a character! And what an imagination this girl has!

New Diaper Bag

Several weeks ago, I noticed a friend of mine toting around an adorable new diaper bag. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that she had made it herself. I told her I just had to have one and how much would she charge to make one for me. She thought and then said, "How about a day of babysitting?" SCORE!!!

This is the same little girl that I babysat earlier in the year while my friend was a substitute teacher. I watched the little girl, bought the fabric and notions, and voila! Two weeks later I am the owner of this adorable bag that is already getting notice.

It even came with this awesome binky holder. How stinkin' cute is that?!?!

There is tons of space inside and has several handy pockets on the inside. Today I discovered that in addition to my regular haul (wallet, checkbook, notebook, book I'm currently reading, diaper, wipes, sunglasses, misc toys) it also holds 2 jackets. Handy!

In the top picture there is a little clutch next to the bag. I found that for $4 before I even bought the fabric for this bag. I couldn't have matched it better if I'd been trying. Plus, it's the perfect size to hold things that I don't want to lose in the bottom of the bag (calculator, chap stick, floss, hand sanitizer, receipts).

Not too shabby for $12 and 8 hours of babysitting!

Loving My New Hair

I've been wanting to cut my hair for some time. When I saw my sister over the weekend, I asked her if she would do it for me.

I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I wish the picture wasn't so dark, but I think you get the idea.

My Little Artist

Since Makayla went back to preschool, she has been drawing all sorts of things for me. This one was the best! Anyone want to take a guess as to what these are? I'm tempted to wait for a few days before I tell you so I can see what creative ideas you can come up with. In fact, that's exactly what I'm going to do. Leave your guesses in the comment section.
Answer on Saturday.

Update! And It's a Long One

Whew! I feel liked I've been out of the blogging world for such a long time. I guess for me, 2 posts in 2 weeks is a little out of it.

My absence started because of a spur of the moment trip to Yellowstone. Kasey had the week off, and we wanted to do something fun as a family. On Monday afternoon (Sept 22), we decided that we would take a day trip on Tuesday (Sept 23). We left at 4 am and drove for 6 hours. We met up with my parents for the afternoon to look at the bugling elk in Yellowstone. We hung out for a couple of hours, but when it was time to leave for the long trip home, my mom convinced us to stay at the bed and breakfast where she and my dad were staying. So we did. We went to the nearest convenience store and bought some essentials and stayed the night. It was so much fun!! Then after hanging out with my parents and the elk for the morning, we drove the 6 hours home.

I'm not a spontaneous person by any means. (Um hi, deciding something the day before is considered "spur of the moment" at our house.) It was fun testing the waters of spontaneity for a change.

Here are a few pictures from that trip.

Wolf--we weren't lucky enough to see the pack that took down an elk earlier in the day.

Elk at Mammoth Hot Springs--they were so close.
Makayla throwing rocks in the river.
Me helping Ellie throw rocks in the river--both girls loved doing this.
A cute picture of Makayla on our little hike.
Elk by Madison--a bull with part of his harem.
Same bull.
Makayla & Ellie eating fruit snacks before Old Faithful erupted--they weren't as impressed with the geyser as I thought they would be. The treat was better to them.

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Later that week we made a Costco run. By the time we made it to Costco, I had exactly 2 diapers left. Talk about good timing! The girls and I hung out with my sister and her kids while Kasey and my brother-in-law went golfing. Then my sis and I caught the Relief Society Broadcast and dessert with her friends. It was a fun, but admittedly long day.

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Other things taking up our time lately:

*A parenting class put on by Makayla's preschool. Once a week for 5 weeks. I'm learning a lot and am quite a bit more patient with my children as a result.

*A trip to see my friend Amanda and her adorable new baby Parker. Got to see my other sister for a little bit that same day. She has an hilarious roommate from Australia. We love her!

*A weekend at my mom's house. She is making new quilts for my girls' new beds (we're getting them next week. I can't wait!), so I helped her tie one of them and got to see yet another sister before she moves across the country.

*We got home Monday and spent yesterday nursing Kasey back to health after his injury at work. Don't worry--nothing serious. He just tweaked his back and had to lay in bed all day. Not so fun for him, but the girls loved seeing their daddy all day long, even if they couldn't jump on him.

24 Weeks

I had Kasey take my picture Wednesday morning. I'm 24 weeks (in case you couldn't deduce that from the title). I'm finally starting to show. Kind of. Sort of. A little bit. Can you tell? I really am pregnant. It's not just fat!

A Real Post Coming Soon

I realize that I've been somewhat absent from my blog lately. While I compose a post with a little more substance to it (and maybe a picture or two), I'll leave you with a link to a hilarious blog that my sister recently introduced to me. Every time I read it, I laugh so hard that I cry and all chance of communicating the hilarity in front of me goes out the window. Yes, It's really that funny. Have I built it up sufficiently for you? It's called Cake Wrecks. Do yourself a favor and read it.

More Things to Remember

*Ellie running towards me yelling, "Wait mama, wait! I hug you first!" She squeezes one leg as tight as she can and says, "I la lou, too." (I love you, too.)

*For the past week, whenever I start to cook dinner, Ellie runs into the kitchen with arms waving and shouts "Oh no! A ruuuune the soooouup!" in Remy fashion. Don't know who Remy is? Lucky you. That means you haven't seen Ratatouille 100 times like I have. Here's a clip. (The ruined soup happens at 2:10.)

*I asked Makayla if her hurt finger was feeling better. She responded, "Not today. Maybe next year it will feel better."

*I love to watch my girls sleep. It's so funny that they both sleep with their hands above their heads. That's how their daddy sleeps, too.

*I try to teach my children to tell the truth. Even though there will still be consequences for wrong choices, the punishment is not nearly as severe if they fess up to what they have done. I think this lesson is starting to sink in with Makayla. When she does something she knows she is not supposed to do, she comes and tells me immediately before I even find out what she's done. It's usually something like this, "Mom, I'm sorry that I took a treat." This is, of course, after the treat has already been eaten and the evidence hidden.

*I asked Makayla who she wanted to take her to school today. "I want daddy to take me and you to pick me up." Whenever Kasey is home, this is her response.

*Make-believe is very popular in our house. Makayla has so many imaginary friends that I can't keep them all straight anymore. Ellie is a big fan of feeding everyone chocolate cake--the imaginary kind, of course. I ask her what she wants for breakfast and she says, "Grandma choc-o-late cake. Mmmm! Want a bite?"

*Makayla felt the baby kick for the first time today. She thought it was sooo cool. She was giggling and asking to feel it again. After a second kick to her hand, she decided she wanted to hear the baby, too. Instead, she got a swift kick to the cheek. She ran into my bedroom where Kasey was sleeping and yelled excitedly, "Daddy, Daddy! My little tiny baby sister kicked my cheek!"

Political Satire

It doesn't matter which candidate you support, this video is pee-your-pants funny!

Life Lesson 201: Regret

Regret: it's a topic that has been on my mind a lot lately.

Regret is an effective, but unforgiving teacher. It's effective for teaching us things that will help us make better decisions in the future, but it's unforgiving in that we can't always remedy that which we regret.

Kasey and I are finally to a point in our lives that we are ready to buy a house. It's something we've wanted our whole marriage but has not been possible up to this point for various reasons. I've been excitedly driving around neighborhoods where we'd like to live, looking for possible homes. I've looked at all sorts of websites which instruct new home owners on all the ins and outs of buying a first home. I've made lists of things we need and things we want in a home. I've used a variety of mortgage calculators to find out just how much our dream home would cost vs. a home for which we would simply settle. At times, I am encouraged at the prospects. At other times, I am filled with such regret and despair.

You see, last year we were faced with an important decision. I knew it was important, but I was impatient. My impatience led to a rash decision. I didn't think too much of it at the time. It really wasn't a huge deal then. But that decision is now preventing us from buying a house. Not a day goes by that I don't wish I could go back and decide differently.

This has been an important lesson for me. In the future, I don't think I will be as likely to make big decisions hastily like I have in the past. In that respect, I'm glad that I'm learning this lesson. I just wish the lesson didn't have to be accompanied by so much regret at lost opportunities.

Concert For One

As happens so many times throughout my day, I heard Makayla singing to herself in the other room. Except this time, she was pounding on the wall as she sang one of her favorite songs.

I went to investigate the reason for the pounding and found this.

She was playing the piano using this wall hanging that my mom made for me years ago. It's currently hanging above Makayla's bed.

She was a little reluctant to keep playing when she saw I was taking pictures of her.