Oreos!

What could be better than oreos with Daddy?



Not much!

It's been a really long time since I posted a picture of Kimberly (or any of my girls for that matter). She's changed so much since June!

Random Updates

It just occurred to me that Christmas is only a few days away, and I haven't even started wrapping presents. Nor have I finished making our family Christmas cards. Guess I'll be saving those for next year.
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I've been in a super-crafty mood lately. I started making hair bows and other fun hair accessories. The problem is that I didn't have anywhere to put them. So tonight I made this really cute clip holder. I already have it 75% full.

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35 Weeks Pregnant: the end is in sight!

Best thing about this pregnancy: I've only had a few contractions here and there. Nothing like previous pregnancies.

Worst thing about this pregnancy: I'm carrying around a little soccer player who is only content when one or both of her feet are shoved up underneath my ribs. Ouch!

Weirdest thing about this pregnancy: I crave chocolate. I'm not usually one for chocolate, but it seems lately that I can't get enough of it. I don't particularly care for what it's doing to my rear end. Hopefully the craving goes away when the baby arrives.

We finally agreed on a name. And no I won't tell anyone until she actually comes. (There's still a small chance that we might change our minds.)

Great-Grandma

My grandma passed away over the weekend. Over the past few days I've had several conversations with Makayla and Ellie about death and funerals and being sad about how much we are going to miss great-grandma.

Tonight I found this note that Makayla and Ellie wrote.

I'm criing Grat Gramma
I misse you sooo much Grat gramma
See you ladr grat gramma
Luve Miss Makayla and Ellie.

What sweet girls I have!

Future Aspirations

Ellie bounded in the kitchen where I was working and announced, Mom, when I grow up I want to be a Musketeer.

You do?

Yep.

But I would be afraid of you getting hurt.

Welllll. . . . . I would have special power if I was a Musketeer.

You would? What kind of power?

Hairspray power!

Hairspray power?! What kind of power is that?

It's magical power that will help me kill all the bad guys.

And where did you learn about that?

On Barbie and the Three Musketeers.

Then she ran into the living room shouting, One for one, and One for all!

Pregnancy Update--25 weeks

Several people have inquired, so I thought I'd give a quick pregnancy update. It turns out that all the symptoms I was experiencing before were due to an infection and dehydration. Once I finally went to the doctor and got some medicine and started drinking more water, all of the discomforts magically disappeared.

Now I'm feeling great. In fact, this is probably the best I've ever felt during a pregnancy. I have the energy and the motivation to actually do things--take my kids to the park, clean my house, make dinner, get down on the floor and play with my girls, volunteer at Makayla's school, shower get dressed and put on makeup all in the same day. It's great!

I'm just enjoying this stage as much as I can now. Next month could be a whole different story.

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On a side note, does anyone have any good girl names they aren't going to be using? Kasey and I are kind of at a loss for another girl name. I've asked Makayla & Ellie, but after going through every name from the Barbie movies and all their favorite TV shows, I'm convinced we aren't going to get anything good out of them. And I've told Ellie on more than one occasion that we are not going to name her new sister "Andralecia" no matter how many times she suggests it. Thankyouverymuch.

Help

Has anyone else had a hard time uploading videos to blogger recently? I've been trying to upload a video for several days, but I keep getting an error message.

Any suggestions?

The Way to My Girl's Heart

The remote and Dora the Explorer.

Kimberly loves, loves, loves to watch Dora. She sings the song. She does the little dance. She yells "map" and "backpack" at the appropriate times. When she doesn't get what she's reaching for, she sighs "oh man!" just like Swiper. It's actually really cute.

However, things have gotten a little out of control. I have several episodes of Dora recorded on my DVR and when Kimberly wants to watch Dora, she starts singing the Dora song and then runs for the drawer with all the remotes. I'm somewhat amazed that out of the 5 or 6 remotes in the drawer, she always knows exactly which remote turns on the tv and which one starts Dora.

This morning after breakfast she wanted to watch Dora. Of course. I decided to try my luck at getting a couple snuggles in exchange for an episode of Dora. I asked Kimberly for a hug. "Uh uh!"

"Do you want to watch Dora?" (nods her head) "Then I need a hug first." She gave me a half-hearted hug while reaching for the remote. And that's when my mama smarts kicked in. I turned around so my back was to the remote. "Can I have another hug?" She leaned in for what was sure to be another short hug when she saw the remote behind me. I got the best. hug. ever. So what if she was only trying to reach the remote to turn on Dora. A hug is a hug is a hug. And I'll take them anyway I can!

Housework: I'd Rather Have a Root Canal

Sometimes housework is so depressing. Like today. After 4 days of doing absolutely no cleaning except washing dishes, there is so much to catch up on. And even though I've been working all morning (picking up, wiping down, filing away, washing and folding) it still looks like I haven't done a thing all day. I guess that'll teach me to procrastinate!

I'm Not Alone In This Parenting Thing, Right?

I just stepped outside for a minute and heard my neighbor's little girl throwing an absolute screaming tantrum. I heard something, a toy I imagine, get thrown across the room and hit the window with a thud. I also heard the voice of a mother who was completely out of patience with her daughter, but trying so hard to remain calm.

As I walked up the sidewalk, I chuckled quietly to myself. Partly because this was so very similar to the scene that unfolded in my own house just 2 hours earlier tonight, and partly because I was so glad not to be the only one that this happens to. It made me feel just a little bit better knowing that I am not alone.

Another Classic Prayer

One thing that I absolutely love about the ages of my kids right now is listening to them pray. Makayla and Ellie are both old enough that they can pray by themselves, with an occasional prompt from me. I love finding out what's going on inside their little heads and learning what's important to them. Listening to their prayers is a perfect opportunity to do just that.

On a lot of nights, I am thoroughly entertained by what comes out of their mouths. It was Ellie's turn to pray tonight, and she didn't disappoint.

"Please help my teeth not to fall out or turn black. And please help my teeth, and my sister Makayla's teeth, and my sister Kimberly's teeth, and my mommy and daddy's teeth not to have cavities. And that we can all remember to brush our teeth. And please help the baby in my mommy's tummy that she can grow some teeth when she gets out."

"Please help me to dream about unicorns and goats."

". . . and don't let my doll or Makayla's special toys fall off our beds tonight when we are sleeping. . ."

Pregnancy Woes--Probably a Little TMI

I had such high hopes for this pregnancy. I started out feeling so good. Tired, of course, but good. My morning sickness was nowhere near as bad as it was with my previous 3 children, and it ended a good 3 weeks sooner than it did with previous pregnancies.

Early contractions have been a problem in the past. And the bad thing is that they start 4 weeks earlier with each baby (Makayla-32 wks, Ellie-28 wks, Kimberly 24 wks). When we decided to move, I knew I would have to be extra careful. And I was (unless you ask my mom who thinks I did WAY too much), but the contractions came anyway. At 18 weeks. After seeing my doctor and being told not to lift more than 20 pounds, with the exception of Kimberly who weighs 23 pounds, I was a lot better. I have been better. And honestly, after we got moved in I was feeling so much better.

But then a few days ago, all that changed. I started getting some pretty bad cramps. Not so much contractions as "if I was on my period I would be downing a Pepsi and some Midol while snuggling up with a heating pad" kind of cramps. And they come from doing the simplest things--walking up the stairs, being on my feet for 30 minutes, squatting down to put shoes on somebody. Little things that you wouldn't think anything of. And if little things cause this kind of cramping, imagine what it does for me to lift Kimberly into her car seat, go grocery shopping (even with a friend who is pushing the cart and unloading the food at my house), insert any number of things here.

And then there are the headaches. Does anyone else get headaches when pregnant? I've heard it happens but never experienced it. My headaches get so bad that I literally cannot see. I open my eyes and all I see are black spots. I am completely useless to do anything but lay in the dark with a cold rag on my face. Medication does not help. I am simply at the mercy of the pain until it goes away on its own. Sometimes hours later. And one time, 2 days later.

I do not want to have a preemie baby. I want her to be full term and plump and healthy. But at the same time, I am soooo ready not to be pregnant anymore. Because I know it only gets harder from here.

Ugh! I am so bad at being pregnant!

Mine

Kimberly has learned to say "Mine." It wouldn't be so bad if she simply said the word. But no. It's more like a shriek. "Miiiiiiiinnnne!!"

Or sometimes she says it over and over. Not unlike the seagulls on Finding Nemo.

And let it be known that everything belongs to her. I know because she's been yelling it at me all. morning. long.

Heaven help us!

Passing Notes in Church

I found a note this morning while I was picking up the living room. It was mixed in with some other papers from church.

Stoopid yur mad me in chrabl {angry face}

I translate it to say

Stupid you made me in trouble

At first I was a little upset that Makayla was calling Ellie "stupid." But then I just had to laugh at her phonetic spelling of the words. And I especially love the angry face she drew. It has vampire teeth. Even though I don't condone the name-calling, I'm tempted to keep the note.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Update: I talked to Makayla about the note, and she denied having written it to anyone. But the guilty look on her face proved otherwise. When I asked her if it was nice to call someone "stoopid" she shook her head no. Then she snatched the note out of my hand and tore it into little pieces. I'm a little bummed that I don't have it to show her when she is 20. At least it's on the blog.

Ch-Ch-Changes

Whew! We have had a crazy, crazy summer.

June is a blur. I found out I am expecting baby #4 and pretty much slept most of that month away. We probably did stuff, but I have no pictures to document it. For all I know, June never happened.

We spent the first 2 weeks of July visiting Kasey's family and some of our old college friends. We had so much fun! And even though I was eager to get home and back to a normal routine, I still felt like we left too soon. We were home for less than a week before we headed south to stay with Kasey's brother for 4 days. We went swimming every day, and the girls had a blast!

August brought us more traveling--a family reunion with my side of the family, and several day-trips to the city. I think we went somewhere every single week off that Kasey had this summer. Although we had so much fun, I am glad to finally stay home for a change.

Well, that is until we found an awesome new apartment that we couldn't pass up. We knew we would have to find a bigger place when the baby came. Because 6 people in a 2 bedroom apartment? So not happening! While looking at the classifieds one day, I found a 3 bedroom townhouse for rent. I called the lady and was meeting her 15 minutes later. I fell in love with the space (twice the square footage of where we were living) and the dishwasher! and washer/dryer hookups! (my washer and dryer had been in storage until 3 months ago when my sister asked to borrow them) and the his/her closets in the master bedroom! and the HUGE kitchen/pantry! Basically, the only thing better than this townhouse would be owning my own house, which in all honesty will not be happening for a while. And an extra bonus--this place was about $400/month cheaper than most of the other 3 bedroom places I'd been seeing in the paper.

So over the past 2 weeks we have slowly been moving our stuff over and unpacking. It already feels like home.

As a result of our move, Makayla had to start at a new school. The first 2 days she was really nervous. But now every day after school she excitedly proclaims, "This is the Best. School. Ever!" I'm happy about her enthusiasm and can't wait to see what first grade will bring for her.

In the middle of our move, I got to take a little break and get my 20-week ultrasound. We found out that Kasey will be a little more outnumbered than before. That's right! We are having another girl!

So that's what we've been up to all summer. Hopefully with school in session and getting settled in our new place I'll be a little better at blogging. But if not, I'm so blaming it on the pregnancy.

Not Quite an Update

It's been a long time. I know. My family reminds me of it frequently.

I have to admit that it's hard to get back into blogging after such a long break, but I'm determined to do it.

Tomorrow.

Duct Tape and Its Many Uses

I'm feeling so redneck-ish right now. I just put duct tape on Makayla's shoes to hold them together until this fall when I buy her new shoes for school. It's true, I could go buy her new shoes right now. But I would be furious if I bought new shoes now and still had to buy new shoes in the fall because her feet grew, which would inevitably happen. So we're going with the duct tape. I hope no one looks at her feet too closely.

Strawberry Jam

My friend helped me make strawberry jam this afternoon. I get so much satisfaction from looking at my 14 containers of homemade jam lined up neatly on my counter.

Pretty red jam. It makes me look forward to this fall when I will bottle apples, peaches, pears, and possibly some vegetables. Yum!

Happy #8

So how did we celebrate being married for 8 years?

Fancy dessert.

Grocery shopping with no children.

Perfect.

Sweet Baby

Kimberly rarely falls asleep in my arms. Even as a baby she just wanted me to lay her down in her bed to sleep. So when she does fall asleep with me, it's so precious. Luckily the other day when she did it, my camera was within an arm's reach.

I can't get enough of this picture. Those eyelashes! That cute button nose! Those pouty lips! That little hand under her chin just like the princess that she is! Oh sorry. I got a little carried away there. I just love this little one!

Kindergarten Graduation

The morning of Kindergarten graduation, we got up early so I would have time to make Makayla's hair look nice, the front pulled up with tons of curls in the back. However, when I wanted to take a picture, all she wanted to do was strike this pose. So I have half a dozen pictures like this with none of her beautiful hair.


I had every intention of getting to the school early so I could get a good seat. Since I know my camera does not have a very good zoom, I wanted to be close for some decent pictures. Apparently 1 minute before was not early enough. We sat on the back row. Oopsie! So while I have no good pictures during the ceremony, I do have this cute one of my girls afterwards.

One thing that I loved was they had each student say what they wanted their future occupation to be. Some kids were really shy at the microphone so the teachers stepped in to help. Makayla was not one of those kids. She very boldly stepped up to the microphone and spoke loud and clear, "Hi! My name is Makayla (last name), and when I grow up I want to be a fireman." Who knew?

There was a little boy who made everyone laugh when he said, "When I grow up I want to be a mom and a dad."

I, admittedly, was a little nervous that it would be a little boring and a lot cheesy. But it was 100% super cute! I even got a little misty-eyed when they showed a DVD of all the kindergarteners. Makayla has grown up so much this past year.

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On a side note, this is a picture of the music teacher who terrified Makayla on her first day of Kindergarten. He does look a little intimidating, but he is seriously the nicest guy ever.

First Ice Cream of the Summer

Hammin' it up for the camera.

Ellie, do you like your ice cream?


I'll take that as a yes.


Here mom. Want some?

No thanks, you eat it.

Mmmmmm!

This was Kimberly's first time to get her very own ice cream cone. She was in Summer's Dream heaven.

Coming Soon. . .

once I figure out how to unlock my external hard drive where all my photos reside, pictures and posts about

• Kindergarten Graduation
• Kimberly dressing herself
• the first ice cream cones of summer

I can tell you all are so excited!

On Being a Mother

This afternoon I went outside and jumped on the trampoline with Ellie when what I really needed was a nap. Or to pay bills. Or to wash dishes. Or to finish laundry.


To me, this is what it really means to be a mother. Not just taking care of my children. Not just merely providing for their physical needs. But taking time out of my day and things that I need to do in order to spend it one on one with my little girl who just wants to be with me. Having fun and being crazy.
All that other stuff can wait.

That's One Way to Learn the ABC's

One morning when I was getting Makayla ready for school, I asked her how she wanted me to do her hair.

Do an "X" with braids.

Wow! Really? I'll do my best.

The kids at school loved her cool hair. So the next morning she asked me to do her hair in an "A."

What followed was 3 months of crazy hair experimenting, trying to braid/twist/etc the 26 letters of the alphabet into her hair. Some definitely turned out better than others. Well, just see for yourself.

The kids in Makayla's class were so funny. When I went in to help on Thursdays, if I hadn't done a letter in Makayla's hair that day, the kindergartners would come up to me and complain, "Why didn't you do a letter in Makayla's hair today?" or my favorite was "Why haven't you done "T" for my name yet?" "I was gone when you did my letter. Can you do it again?"

Although it was fun creating the alphabet in Makayla's hair, I'm not sure I would do it again. Good thing I took pictures the first time around.

Insomnia

It's 4:30 in the morning and I can't sleep. That seems to be happening to me a lot lately. I'm so exhausted, but I can't turn my mind off long enough to get some decent sleep. I'm either up until 2 am, or if I get to bed by midnight, I am usually wide awake before dawn.

I have so many thoughts racing through my head. I have so much that I want to blog about, but whenever I sit down to type, my mind goes blank. (It took me 7 minutes to write those 2 sentences. Ridiculous!)

This reminds me of when I was a junior in high school. I had really bad insomnia. I literally went for days without sleep. And I had the worst writer's block. And I cried a lot. There has been much crying at my house lately.

Ugh! Why can't I sleep!?

Camera Shy? What's That?

This is Kimberly's latest trick--batting her eyes. It is so adorable, but she does not do it on demand. Which is why I was so lucky to get it on video at all.

If you listen, you can hear Ellie in the background saying, "Mom! Take a picture of me!" So I did. Actually, I took 10. How can I resist this cute, silly face?

Immediately, Makayla started begging for her picture to be taken as well.

What's wrong with these kids? I NEVER wanted my picture taken when I was younger.

About the Surgery

I had a cholecystectomy on April 7. That is to say, I had my gall bladder removed. I just think it's more fun to say the big long medical word. Makes me feel smarter somehow.

The night before, I mentioned how nervous I was. The morning of the surgery was even worse. I don't ever remember being so nervous for a surgery before. Maybe it's because the last time I had a surgery, I was young and dumb. I didn't know to be scared.

No worries, though. I told the anesthesiologist about my pre-surgery jitters, and he totally hooked me up! I'm telling you, those drugs (whatever they were) were awesome! I'm thinking about calling that guy to hook me up with some more the next time I have to speak in church. They were almost as good as an epidural during labor and delivery. Almost.

Anyway, everything went well. I had some pretty nasty bruising and swelling for about a week. And then there was that whole thing about not being able to breath. But my tests came back normal--no blood clot in my lung. It just took 2 days of deep breathing exercises and a little more walking.

I feel so great! In fact, the last time I felt this healthy and energized was before I got pregnant with Kimberly--two years ago. The only minor thing is that I can't eat fatty foods. Fat=serious discomfort. I really miss pizza and french fries, but I'm not complaining about the 12 pounds I've lost thanks to this new, healthier diet.

T-Ball

Makayla started t-ball a few weeks ago. I'm afraid the poor girl has inherited my total lack of coordination, athleticism, and ability to comprehend anything sports-related. Which is really too bad because she loves baseball. She's been looking forward to this since I signed her up in March.

Kasey and I took her to buy a mitt. or glove. (Wait. Is it called a mitt or a glove? Or are both correct? I'm so confused!) We got to the sporting goods aisle of Walmart and showed her the options. Right away she started jumping up and down, begging for the pink one. Please, please, please! Can I get the pink one? Pink is my very favoritest color in the whole Earth!!

So we bought her the pink one.

It has been so fun watching her at practices. She hasn't quite grasped the concept of moving her feet to field a ground ball. Rather, she puts her mitt(glove) on the ground and then watches the ball roll right by her, shocked that it didn't roll TO her. That darn ball!

Watching her throw the ball is a special treat for me, as well. The coaches have been teaching all the kids how to step and then throw the ball, using their weight and momentum to propel the ball forward. After chasing down the ball that has rolled past her, Makayla runs back to her spot and tries to throw the ball back to her coach. But I think the running kind of confuses her mind a little. Because instead of a step and throw, she does more of a skippity, shuffle-run "I'm-not-sure-how-to-do-this-so-I-hope-the-ball-makes-it-to-you" thunk. . thunk. . . . thunk. . . . . . (ball rolls almost all the way to the coaches feet before it stops.) Oh my Heck!! I LOVE IT!!

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Makayla's first game was on Wednesday. She was so excited. She had her uniform (complete with baseball pants, jersey, and hat) on and was ready to go.

We rushed out the door after a few quick pictures. She got to the field and warmed up with her team. The Twins were first on the field. A few kids batted and then I see Makayla lean over to her coach and say something. He nodded and Makayla started running toward me. Halfway across the field she yelled, at the top of her lungs, "Mom, I have to go potty!" A few of the parents sitting by me chuckled. "Yes, that is my daughter."

By the time we got back from her little potty break, it was Makayla's team's turn to bat. I got this awesome video of Makayla's first at bat. Kasey and I laughed about it several times.

I think my favorite part is when the coach turns her head to look at the ball.

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Although Makayla is absolutely loving t-ball, I have to admit that I'm not crazy about the schedule. Three to four days a week she has either practices or games. I know that doesn't sound like much. Really, it's not. But I am such a homebody. I'd be perfectly happy to stay at home, never leaving to even check the mail for 5-6 days at a time.

So for me, having my kids involved in things is a huge sacrifice. But I think the looks on their faces when they get to do something they love is absolutely worth whatever I think it may cost me. I mean look at the grin on this kid!

Tap. Tap. Tap. Is This Thing On?

Hello?. . . . Does anyone still read this blog?

I've taken quite a break from blogging. Okay, it's only been a few weeks, but for me that is a long break. But now that I'm healed and have my energy back, I've got lots to write about. So stay tuned for some updates.

Deconstructing the Billing Process

The medical bills for the previous 6 weeks of our lives have started arriving. It's a little scary to see the huge numbers that follow the dollar signs. I am grateful every day that Kasey's employer offers such great medical benefits. We would be sunk otherwise.

There is something very interesting that I have noticed with all of these bills. It seems to me that the longer the name of the test or procedure, or the more difficult it is to say, the more it costs.

For example, an x-ray costs less than $100, but a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI for short) costs nearly $2000. Too bad they don't have an abbreviated price to match the abbreviated name.

At my post-op appointment with my surgeon, he was concerned that the symptoms I was having pointed to a blood clot in my lungs. He ordered a CT Pulmonary Angiogram at the hospital. That's an awfully long name. I'm concerned about getting that bill.

Nerves

My surgery is set to take place in approximately 12 hours.

I won't lie, I'm a little nervous. Okay, a lot nervous.

Wish me luck!

Easter Love

This morning I was awakened by Makayla jumping up and down and shouting, "Mom! Wake up! You gotta come see this! The Easter Bunny came! I can't believe my eyes!"

Ellie followed closely behind with, "The Easter Bunny brought me Princess and the Frog coloring book! That was so nice of him!"

Upon closer inspection of Kimberly's basket, Makayla found a package of baby fruit strips. "Hey! these are for babies. How did that Easter Bunny know Kimmy was a baby? I think he must be pretty smart."

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I wasn't too excited about doing the whole Easter Bunny thing for my kids. We didn't participate in any egg hunts or get pictures with the Easter Bunny at Walmart. But seeing the excitement on their faces this morning totally makes me want to go all out next year. It's quite possible that they are more excited this morning than they were on Christmas morning.

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Last night, there was a knock on my door. When I opened it, there was no one there. But whoever it was left 3 Easter buckets on my step. Inside each was a stuffed animal, a package of cookies, and various Easter treats. The girls were so excited! And me? I was overcome with emotion.

Since all this crap started happening to us in the beginning of March, our family has felt an out-pouring of love from friends, family, neighbors, and members of our church. People have come over to clean our house, bring us dinner, watch our children, do our laundry, and called us on the phone to let us know they are there if we need anything.

I am overwhelmed by the kindness of people. These secret Easter Bunny baskets have just been the icing on the cake. And while I'm pretty sure the person responsible is not a reader of this blog, I just want to say thank you. This means more to us than you could possibly know.

I'm Sure God Has a Sense of Humor. I Just Don't Get It.

For the better part of March, we have had beautiful weather. Last week was especially nice. We took advantage of the 60 degree temperatures to color on the sidewalk with chalk,

test drive new bikes,

and run around with huge grins on our faces.

But this morning, God played a little April Fool's joke on us. That's the only way I can explain the scene in our backyard. . . .