Happy Halloween

 
 
 
 
So how cute are these guys? We had a lot of fun and ate a lot of candy! Little boy was going to be a tiger but was too scared of the costume so I quickly sewed dots on his black clothes and voila! a cow that everyone thought was a puppy dog! I didn't get a good picture of our sweet girl/ cow girl but she has chaps and spurs on her boots and looked very fetching! She was too busy rounding up candy to stand still for me.

fear

I will confess- I am afraid of change and unfamiliar things. Unfortunately I have passed that onto another girl we have living here. She is always quick to say NO! when I suggest some new or unfamiliar new sport or place to visit. She doesn't even stop to think about it and it aggravates me every time. But then I realized I do the same thing! So I'm really trying hard to stop and think before I so "no" automaticly. Maybe she isn't too young to change her ways!
Speaking of fear- Little boy was standing on the porch outside my friends house screaming and crying for no apparent reason. I walked over to find out what was wrong and he pointed to the itty bitty worm and cried "bug!" While the other little boy walks over and picks the thing up! We seriously have to desensitize him to these creepy crawlies. How can I have a boy who is afraid of bugs? At least I won't find them in his pockets!

The pictures for previous post

 
 
 
 

Production at an all time low!

Despite my good intentions, my blog is not getting much of my attention these days! I often think - I should blog about this but between diapering, feeding and keeping the house in livable conditions I don't often have much time to log on. However, if your wondering how things are going....
The short version: Sweet girl doing well in school- straight A's so far. She is also learning to play the recorder ( a instrument to listen to.) Little boy just turned two and is talking up a storm. He learns new words every day. Currently he is all about air planes and playing with his new basketball hoop. The baby is growing so fast! She has found her toes and her voice. She is quick to smile when she gets attention and quick to let you know if she isn't happy!
The long version involves downloading pictures so we'll see how far we get!

Running again!

I'm back at it and very motivated! This weekend I started training for my 1/2 marathon in February. While running this week I quickly realized that I was definately in need of new shoes. My knees and shins were aching like you wouldn't believe. I thought I would stop by Acadamy (the only local sports store) and try to find the perfect pair. I was armed with my articles from Runner's World about what type a shoe I need for my type of arch and a handy list of their "Best Shoes." While I was browsing an employee stopped to ask if she could help. She was a teenager but I thought maybe at a sporting goods store they had been given some training and she might have a clue what I was talking about if I mentioned stability shoes or cushioning, pronation. I told her I was looking for a cushioning shoe in one of these specific brands so she starts down the aisle and points to this goofy looking all white shoe and says " I just bought these and they are awesome! I just started working out and they are great!" Since she obviously didn't have a clue I didn't feel at all bad about walking away with a "thanks" over the shoulder! Without any further help from the teeny boppers I did find the perfect pair of shoes and will now commence with the running program!
Sometimes I really wish we lived in a bigger town with specialty stores- it would be awsome to be able to walk into a store instead of having to order stuff on line!

Not much of a trouble maker!

 
The other day I was between changing diapers and feeding babies and I thought I would check my e-mail. Little boy was hovering around me for a while sitting in my lap messing with everything he could get to while I tried to respond to a few e-mails. He wandered off after a little while then I realized I couldn't hear him. As every mother knows that is when the little darlings are probablly really making some horrible mess that will take forever to clean up. (Ask my friend Shawna - she once found 3 3yrolds and a 1 year old and a room completely covered with the empty bottle of baby powder.) I chose to live in denial for a few more minutes while I finished up my e-mail and then went to look for Little Boy. Guess where I found him... in the chair asleep! Relieved and feeling a little guilty for leaving him to his own devices I grabbed the camera of course! Later I found the fish food that he hadn't figured out how to open, thank goodness!

Time is getting away from me! There is this whole list of cool things to do - I highlighted the ones that apply to me, copy and paste it to your own response or blog!
1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a Praying Mantis

10. Sung a solo -For Those Tears I Died in church and I'll never sing by myself in public again.

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables- only got one tomatoe all summer

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21.Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - yeah to watch a little girl while her mom gave birth!

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping -nope!

27. Run a Marathon - maybe one day!

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice..
29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing does indoors count?

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance but Idon't remember that ride

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris -

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in movie

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China -

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia -

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Watched a baby be born

69. Met the President

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job - we'll they didn't really fire me,they just didn't renew my contract....

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person -

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating -yuck!

88. Crossed the Golden Gate Bridge

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Ocean

97. Gone to Australia

98. Ran through a corn field

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Talked your way out of a ticket - Apparently I don't know how to do that!

It has been a very long time!

It has been a very long time since... I blogged, slept through the night, ate hot food, walked throught the living room without stepping on something, ran three miles, fit into my clothes... but I digress!

It has been a very long time since my very dear friend had a house all her own and today I got to go visit with her and take the tour. Have you ever waited years for something? I have and I know the joy and gratitude that overflows you cup can be so sweet and satisfying. For most people when I hear they recently bought a house I think "that's nice!" but in this instance I wanted to cry for joy with her. Even though I have a little house envy (she has a pantry you can actually walk into and storage galore!) I don't begrudge her any of it! She deserves every bit of the square footage.

Top five fun things about having 3 kids:

5. A hot meal has become a thing of the past (except that it is so hot outside I don't really mind right now!)
4. Laundry seems to triple with each new family member.
3. Watching Jeff try to get everyone ready to go and out the door in less than 30 minutes.
2. Trying to get all the kids in a picture and smiling all at the same time. (This may be the impossible task.)
1. Trying to get all the kids to go to sleep at the same time so that their exhausted parents can get a nap or just finally end the day!

The baby is a month old now and I'm finally feeling recovered enough to get out of the house some and I'm learning how to manage the toddler and infant. Sweet Girl is a big help and I love how she plays with her little brother! I'm trying to hold onto these days and treasure the moments at home with the kids - it all goes by so fast.

Vacation Bible School

I had a fun time at vacation bible school.My teacher was nice she gave us sucker's.We sang we did crafts. I had my progarm last night!

At the new waterpark!

I went to a big waterpark 2 days ago. I went with my friends. There was a mushroom there and they had a lazyriver. There was circle and can not get out of it when you got in it you were STUCK. Daddy and I got stuck but Daddy got out. I could not get out because you kept going around and around in a circle. Then Daddy helped me out. There was a big red slide. I went down it and screamed once because it was so dark inside the slide. Then I went down the yellow one and it was so fun. When you get down to the bottom your back almost hit the ground because at the end it went down fast and you stayed under the water for like ten seconds or less. There was a big bucket it filled up with water and if you were in the little water playground it spilled over and you got wet. When you got down to the bottom of the slide it was hard to get to the stairs. There was a little slide on the water playground and I tried to hurry so I wouldn't get water on me from the big bucket.

Sweet Girl takes over!

Since I am short on time and energy these days I am letting Sweet Girl take over the blog temporarily. She is under strict instructions to use all the capitalization and punctuation rules she learned this year. She would also love to get some comments back if you have the time!

How it feels like to be a big sister again... from Sweet Girl

It feels funny when I have three brothers and two sisters (that includes all my step siblings and siblings). I have a sister that I don't have to take care of, she is my age. I have two brothers and right now I only take care of one. I play with him in the swimming pool. I have one sister I take care of, I hold her while Mommy and Daddy do stuff and when Mommy is feeding her I play with my little brother. When we come home our dog goes crazy and we have to pet her when we go home or she will not calm down. If you don't pet her she will lick somebody usually my little brother. I like being a sister because I have brothers and sisters to play with. I did not like being the only child in the family. My little brother likes to play with me in my room sometimes. Me and Daddy played in my room while Mommy and little brother and the baby girl was taking a nap. I play in my room, sometimes I listen to music or play teacher or do crafts. I love my little brother and my baby sister and Daddy and Mommy and my little puppy Maddie! Maddie likes to hide like playing hide and seek sometimes. She likes playing with her squeaky toy with me.

just more pictures

 
 
 
a few snapshots of the newest family member..........

Tessa's birthday

 
 
 
 
Here are some of the pictures from Tessa Jean's birthday! She was born at 8:59 on Wednesday, June 10th by c-section (the masked man with the blue eyes is the proud daddy.) She weighed 5lbs. 6 oz and was 17 1/2 inches long. So far she is doing great and will hopefully soon grow into her clothes. I am recovering from the dreaded c-section and the proceedure wasn't that bad but OUCH now it hurts! Still trying to figure out how in the world I am going to keep from picking up the little boy. We are finally home and glad to be out of the hospital. Thank you for all your prayers!

what goes on in her head?

Sometimes I wish I could read her thoughts. Sweet Girl has been asking lots of questions about the baby- What is she going to look like? (Actually, her exact words were "I'm worried about what she is going to look like.") When I told her probably a little like me or a little like Daddy or maybe a mix of both, she paused and said "Is she going to have bangs like you?" I wonder then does she not like my bangs or does she think it will just look weird on the baby?
Yesterday she wanted to know more about the c-section and what they use to cut my stomach. I told her " a scalpel (sp?)" which is like a really sharp knife. She said "like a steak knife?" ( Jeff thinks steak knives are the only kitchen knife worth anything and he cuts everything with one - tomatoes, apples, and of course meat. She has heard numerous discussions between us about sharp knives and now I know he has convinced her he is right, and I am wrong about appropriate knives!) I quickly answered that no steak knives would be use because that would leave a big ugly scar and is definatly not what a doctor would use!
All of these conversations took place while she sat next to me crocheting the longest chain in the world. I am soaking up the precious moments alone with each of the kids in this final week before our world get turned upside down by the newest arrival.

Music to my ears!

Yesterday I was busy picking up the house and getting some chores done when I heard the sweetest "music". Sweet Girl and Little boy were playing together - I don't think they were doing anything special but I couldn't help but think about all the times I wished Sweet girl had a sibling. They are very sweet together and he adores her and she is a great big sister. There is so much joy in the little things! There favorite thing to play is hide-and-seek. She hides in the same exact place and he squeals everytime he finds her in that one spot.

Cap Tex Tri

It's done. The Cap Tex Tri is over. 1500 meter swim (about a one mile swim), 25 mile bike ride, 6.2 mile run. Below is how the race went.

My goal for this race was to finish in under three hours. Little did I know that I would make a big mistake before the race even started. I did this race with a couple of friends. Myself and my friend stayed in a hotel in austin about 10 minutes from the race. We woke up at 5 am on race day to get our gear together and the truck loaded up, body making started at 6 am. One of the great things about this race is that they let you rack your bike the day before (after it was inspected) so you didn't have to worry about it the morning of the race.

We arrived and were body marked but our swim wave didn't start until 2 hours later. We were in the water at about 8:15. I borrowed a wetsuit, I'm glad i did, the water was 69 degrees. The swim went well, I got beat up a couple of times at the beginning and end of the swim. There were a lot of people. I didn't swim straight so I had to change direction a few times. I finished the swim in 29 minutes. When you arrived at the finish of the swim, a volunteer would pull you up out of the water and unzipp your wetsuit, then they would push you up the ramp. There were a lot of people so they had to get you out of the way as quickly as possible.

My transition to the bike went well, the wetsuit came off easily. I exited the transiton area and jumped on my bike. The bike was done by completing 4 six mile loops. The first loop was ok, the second loop was better. The third loop, this is were my mistake at the beginning of the race would take its toll. I only took one water bottle of Gatorade on the bike with me. I should have taken one bottle of Gatorade and one bottle of water. I finished the bottle of Gatorade around the end of my second lap. I started to get very thirsty and my legs were getting tired, but i had nothing to drink. I finsished the bike on 1 hour and 25 minutes.

My transition from bike to run went well until i noticed my stomach was cramping. I assumed this was from the lack of fluids on the bike. Not drinking enough on the bike cost me a lot time on the run. I couldn't run the pace I wanted to because of the cramping in my stomach. I walked at every water station to make sure I drank the entire cup of water. I alternated water and Gotorade during the run. At this point my goal was to finish without needing and IV. I new I would not make my goal of completing the race in under three hours, but I was not going to quit.

I crossed the finish line completely exhausted. My lovely wife was at the finsih line waiting for me. I was so glad to see her. After the race i began to rehydrate slowly. We went to the Hula Hut and ate lunch, I didn't eat much, my stomach was still upset. I sipped on water and gatorade the remainder of the day. I did eat a good dinner that evening.

I finish the race with a time of 2:59:43. I messed up by not taking enough fluids on the bike but I did not give up and I still met my goal.

I'm putting him to work this weekend!

Don't call us and ask us to do anything tomorrow! I am putting my husband to work. He says I'm nesting and I say "WE" are nesting. I have all kinds of projects scheduled for this weekend like shampooing carpets, getting the baby swing out of the attic and cleaned up and finishing up the room the baby and Isaac will share. We are only 2 1/2 weeks from our scheduled delivery of #3. I've been cleaning out and organizing for months now and I can't wait to actually cross the last few things off my list.
Oh yeah and Jeff has a triathalon on Monday, I am praying he doesn't have a bike wreck or otherwise kill or injury himself. So if I keep him busy maybe he won't get nervous!

The thing about bluebonnets...

For those of you who aren't from Texas it might help to know that bluebonnets are the Texas state flower and in the spring you will see huge carpets of blue in the fields where they are growing. It is "the thing to do" to take your pictures in the bluebonnets. The problem is everytime I take the kids out to get their pictures in them I get this kind of a face from Sweet girl!
 
Once we climb throught the itchy grass and flowers to the selected spot she doesn't want to sit because its itchy or muddy and she makes a "why are you making me do this" face and looks so uncomfortable so years from now when she is lookign through the scrap book and wants to know why I put this picture in the book I will tell her because her face is so descriptive and it makes me laugh!
 
  Little boy on the other hand didn't seem to mind so much but then I didn't make him sit in it either! (It helps that Daddy was making goofy faces at him.)

* As a disclaimer we only picked one bluebonnet and I think we were on state property so don't turn us in! Sweet girl was very worried we would go to jail for picking a bluebonnet!

World War 2

I know, I know why am I posting about WWII? Because I'm reading this fascinating although disturbing book about a group of 1000 European refugees that were brought to the US. It is written by a women who worked for the Department of the Interior and was sent to Italy to oversee their trip here. I have read other books about the time period (some historical fiction but also Anne Franks diaries and about Corrie Ten Boom) but none of them have disturbed me in quite the same way. The author describes how much the government knew about what was happening under the Nazi regime and how little they were willing to do to help the Jews. Not just our own governement but other countries as well. It blows my mind that beyond the normal quotas of immigrants allowed to come here only 1000 out of millions were "invited" to come to the states. One of the things the author points out was how little most Americans knew about what was happening to the Jews at the time. I can't help thinking if only... At the same time we know all about Darfor (did I spell that right?) and are we really doing enough there? How many other places in the world are suffering and we know nothing or little about it?
I am blown away by the stories I'm reading about these refugees. Stories of families separated, being constantly on the run, starvation and torture. It makes me want to hug my family close and never let them out of my sight. The name of the book is Haven written by Ruth Gruber

A winner in our book!

 
 
 
Saturday Jeff and Sweet girl ran in the Blooming Temple Festival. Sweet Girl ran in the one mile fun run and we could not be prouder! She ran the entire thing without slowing down or stopping and when we saw her pink shirt come around the corner on the home stretch we cheered and clapped! The first picture is a blur because she is so fast! Daddy had to chase her down to get her picture. Oh yeah, and Daddy did great in his race too - he shortened his last race time by at least a minute. I can't wait until next year when I can run too!

baby stuff

 
 
Check it out! I made this dress and little booties for the new baby girl and I'm quite proud - they are so tiny and sweet! I also made this mobile that Isaac is enthralled with- I had to rescue it before he pulled it all apart. We are getting everything ready early this time.

Easter pictures

 
 
 
 
We had a great Easter! Here are some of my favorite pictures I thought I would share. Little boy was very enthusiastic and fascinated with the eggs the Easter bunny had to hide in the house because of the rain. He was even more enthusiastic about the jelly beans he found in the eggs. Sweet Girl woke up about 2 hours later and luckily there were still some hidden eggs! Mom and Dad came to church with us and even my little brother made it! Never mind my ever increasing belly bulge don't the kids look cute in their Easter outfits?

week 29

We are coming up on week 29 of the pregnancy and Jeff and I are both a little nervous. Week 29 is when Isaac was born much to our surpise. Our doctor is optimistic and keeps telling me its not going to happen but ... So this week I am praying for peace and trying to remember that God is in control no matter what. I have a tendency to imagine the worst and play it out in my head but I really am trying to change that pattern and imagine the best case scenerio- waiting until June. However, just in case I am trying to hurry and get everything ready here at home and I am nesting early! I'm very excited about making her butterfly mobile and finishing some sewing projects. I'll have to post pictures when I'm done!

race day

 
 
 
 
These are pictures from a race Jeff and Sweet girl did to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network. The money raised benefited the NICU where Little boy was for two months so we were eager to participate. Jeff ran the 5K and Sweet girl ran a very fast 1K (we were very proud). Little boy and I froze our tails off and should have particpated in at least the walk just to stay warm - it was a very cold wet day! Doesn't Sweet Girl look cute in her hat and gloves!

First haircut

  This is the "fro" our little boy had before the hair cut- it was getting pretty wild and out of control!
 This is his sweet little neck after the haircut. I don't know why but in my mind there are certain milestones that mean he is growing up and getting his hair cut made him suddenly look like a little boy instead of my baby. He also transitioned (I should say is still transitioning) into his toddler bed so we can make room for the next baby. He is doing pretty well so far but it is a little bitter sweet watching him moving on to the next step so soon.

Mike's Musings

Mike's Musings: "Sunday, March 1, 2009"

Also good for a giggle is this entertaining entry in the day in the life of the family pets.

funny and irreverent!

I can't resist trying to link to this choir on you tube! It is so irrevrent and disturbing that I find it hilarious!

Sleep escapes me!

I don't know what it is about pregnancy that causes me to be this way but I am so tired of not being able to sleep the whole night through. I'm so exhausted! Last night was a typical night of waking up every three or four hours, usually from some ridiculous dream where I was working as a hair stylist or cleaning the upholstry on the furniture. I don't think the dog is sleeping very well either (she insists on sleeping right up next to my back) because of my tossing turning. I've tried different pillows,different configurations of pillows, taking naps and not taking naps. I don't drink caffeine often and never past noon. I long for the days when the baby is here and not a second of interrupted sleep is wasted on dreams. I know I was tired after little boy came home but I wasn't frustrated! I dread bed time because I know it will just be another night of crazy dreams and waking up grouchy and tired. Anybody have any suggestions other than Tylenol PM?

kid update

 
This is a picture from the day we went to get her ears pierced (because she turned 8 and that was the magically appointed age appropriate for ear piercing.) She was very brave and didn't even cry! Now we just have to wait until April first when her six weeks are up before we can wear one of the many pairs of earings she now owns.
  This picture nearly gave Daddy a heart attack. ( Jeff is positive that I let him stuff way too much food in his mouth and one day he is going to choke.) I couldn't resist taking the picture of him with berries all over his face with a vanilla wafer crammed in for good measure even if it did incriminate me with Daddy.

Potty Dance

Have you seen the new pull ups ad? They have a big rapper guy leading families in the potty dance! I am disturbed and a little disgusted that they couldn't come up with anything better. To make it all worse I keep seeing ads on line for families to submit their home videos of everyone doing the potty dance! This along with a couple of other commercials have led me to the conclusion that nothing is private any more and there is hardly a line any more. Remember when commercials for feminine products use to be really vague and you'd think they were selling a day walking on the beach? There was no such thing in our vocabulary as ED (which by the way did you know ad companies are the ones who start using acronyms like ED and then they become part of our vocabulary as if they are really medical terms. Actually they put them out there so we will be more comfortable with talking about these private issues.) So I am protesting and will not buy pull ups until they take these stupid ads off tv. One other question- what is with the double bath tubs in the cialas commercials? Maybe I don't need to know but I think its weird and out of place! Who has two bathtubs on their back porch and how does that have anything to do with their product?

I survived the first slumber party!

Well, actually it isn't over yet so technically things could still go south but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Upon reflection I am realizing that hosting a slumber party when you are pregnant and always tired is probably not the wisest path to take. However, with the help of some other moms we kept them occupied with food, toenail polish, jewelry making and movies. I did spare Jeff and sent him to my moms with the little guy last night but who knew 8 year old little girls could stay up until 11:30! I myself was falling asleep in the chair by 10:30. Sweet girl and her friend were doing everything they could to stay up until the first person went to sleep so they could mark them with a sticker and I just knew I was going to wake up with a face full of stickers. We have only had a few incidents of hurt feelings so far but I can see things deteriorating from here if the dark circles under their eyes are any indication of how tired they are. It is 9:30, how soon is too soon to call parents for pick up?
We may have to wait a good long while before we invite this many girls at one time! Sweet girl is having a grand time though and that's what really matters!
(As I label this post under "little girls" I have flash back to the movie "Annie" where the Carol Burnet character sings that song about "Little girls" and I have to laugh to myself - I think a houseful of girls 24/7 would drive me to drink too!)

I have failed but will keep trying!

I have failed to teach my sweet daughter how to clean her room! Maybe you have to be born an organizer and a cleaner? She was born a hoarder. Some days I just want to go in there and clean it and purge all the "party favors" and excess toys with missing parts. However, I know that doesn't help her learn to clean. So instead I have to spend the whole time in her room directing her to piles of stuff, prodding her to either throw away or keep. I know this is fascinating blogging right? The life and time of moms everywhere.

quote

I got another e-mail with a bunch of quotes attributed to Andy Rooney ( I don't know if they really are his quotes.) One of them has been bouncing around in my head - "I have learned that love heals not time." It reminded me of what I John 4:7 says, "Beloved, let us love one another for love is of God and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God..." (thats the King James Version I learned when I was a kid!) I am convicted to show love more often especially those who I know are hurting.

Check it out!

A friend sent me this link in an e-mail and I thought it was good enough to pass on. I was just listening to the Pres. Obama press conference last night and telling Jeff how glad I am that we have made it a priority not to get into a mess of debt and how blessed we are to have savings.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/02/01/frugal-americans-hurt-economic-recovery/

Just one question...

Do dishes multiply on their own? Little boy has a book about lady bugs, its one of those that starts out with ten bugs then the next page there are 9 and so on. At the end of the book there is a lady bug reunion and they are all together again. If I was to write a childrens book it would be something along these lines... (you'll have to picture the illustrations in your head).
There are ten bowls in the sink, Mama washes one and now there are...
9 bowls in the sink... the last page would say "Just when mama thinks she is done with the dishes in comes Daddy with ten more bowls hes been hording at work!"
I know what your thinking, I can't believe I'm blogging about dishes or that I have written a children's book in my head about the dishes but its raining outside, I'm by myself with a little boy whos vocabulary is limited to "mama", "ball" and "shoe".

14 children!

I know this lady with the 8 babies has been all over the news especially after people found out she had 6 more at home but I just have to comment. I think it is none of our business how many kids someone else has and if you want a big family more power to you BUT.... What was she thinking! It would be one thing if you have a husband and supportive extended family but to do it as a single mom? Is she out of her mind? The way I see it you'd have two choices in this situation either spend all your time making money to support the little darlings or live off welfare and charity and spend all your time raising the kids. I don't know if I could do either. My pride wouldn't let me live off others (especially when I created the situation,) and I would continuously feel enormous amounts of guilt if I had all these children I couldn't spend any time with. I saw a clip of an interview and she said she did it because she loves children, always wanted a big family and wants to spend her life raising and loving her kids. I think she is a little dilusional if she thinks she can do it all by herself. At the same time there is John and Kate with all thier kids and I don't feel the same way about them. Of course they have had to make sacrifices and compromises along the way too I'm sure ( I don't think I would want my family life paraded on a tv show.) I love the kids I have and would like a big family but I'm glad its not me in her situation!

He's finally walking!

 
Look at our proud little guy! He took his first hands free steps over the weekend and he was so proud of himself. Of couse he has to do everything these days with his tongue out! He also decided on his first word "ball" along with "mama" and he may be on the verge of saying "shoe" but time will tell. he also started blowing kisses to sister as she walked out the door Friday. She gets all his kisses! ( He is always willing to kiss sister but not so much with Daddy and me. What is that all about?)