White Noise

Running

2011-03-05T21:50:00.003-06:00

Grayson missed the memo that you are supposed to learn to walk before you learn to run. He started walking January 1 at 10 months old, and he didn't start in the typical way. Most babies take 2 or 3 steps their first time and it takes a few weeks before they get pretty good at it. Not Grayson. His first steps were 6 at a time and by the time 10 days went by he was a pro. He runs all over the place now. He will even walk in circles to make himself dizzy. We love our little Grayson!

Especially For Adrienne

2011-01-18T11:35:00.004-06:00

I've heard that this blog has been missed. So I'm back by popular demand! I'm sure it is just pictures of my gorgeous children people have been missing instead of my witty musings. Here is a peek at some of the things that have happened since I last wrote.

Mackenzie turned 4! She is getting smarter every day. I didn't realize she could recognize numbers, but she can (at least a few of them). She loves coloring and painting and Strawberry Shortcake at the moment. She is usually a good big sister (with the exception of this morning when she hit Grayson in the head with a Lego) and wants to be just like her big brother.

Bailey turned the big 1-0. He got his beloved i-touch for his birthday, much to the displeasure of his older cousins who do not have one. He is doing great in school, getting all A's and one B on his first report card. He has been preparing for his big piano concert coming up on Friday and the Pinewood derby which is also on Friday. He adores Grayson and some days barely tolerates Mackenzie.

Grayson is just growing up too fast! He has been crawling since 6 months (on all 4's since 7 months), pulling up on everything and getting into everything! He seems to sense when someone has left the bathroom door open by accident because he is there within seconds! He is a busy little boy who wants to be where the action is. He loves to eat anything he can get his hands on (this includes many pieces of Strawberry Shortcake clothing that I've had to fish out of his mouth). I'm surprised he isn't 25 lbs with all the food he eats! On January 1 he took his first steps, and since last week he has been walking all over the place. I can't believe my little 10 month old can walk! It is so fun to watch him grow and learn. He is just about the most pleasant baby ever. Although he is getting a little temper on him when he doesn't get what he wants, but for the most part he is the perfect baby. He still wakes up in the night, but it is a work in progress.

Look at me!

2010-09-30T15:17:00.002-05:00

I leave him for just a few minutes and this is what I find.....

He is growing up too fast. Someone please stop him!

The Beginnings of a 4th Grade Something

2010-08-19T09:35:00.003-05:00

Another school year has begun! The summer went by incredibly fast, but I am glad for Bailey to go back to school. He and Mackenzie fought horribly for most of the summer. Unfortunately it continues when he gets home, but at least there are a few more hours of peace during the day.

We returned home from our vacation Sunday night and school started Tuesday morning. Bailey handled the change very well. His teacher this year is Mrs Duncan and his best friend Ryan is in his class again. I'm not sure he is exactly thrilled with some of the other kids in his class, but I think it will be a good growing experience for him.

Vacation!!

2010-08-18T15:29:00.007-05:00

This year we took off for NJ just two weeks before school started. It was a great way to end a summer that has gone by way too quickly. I flew out with the 3 kids to spend some R & R time at the farm. All three of them did great on the plane. Then Jared drove out to enjoy a week at the shore. It was just what we all needed! Now we are back to the real world but have a wonderful vacation to look back on.

Good ol' life on the farm!

See my new tricks!! Will be really crawling any day now!

Decked out for the beach!

This is how we took a few walks.

The kids and I with one of our favorite aunts, Aunt Jo Anne.

Chilling at the beach!

Enjoying the water!

This kid LOVED the beach. He loved the sand and the water. He is just a natural beach bum!

An attempt at some cute beach pictures.

PopPop and Mackenzie playing in the sand together. My dad never went to the beach when I was a kid, so I was glad to see him enjoying his time with Mackenzie.

Grandmom and Aunt June. Great picture, don't you think?

Bailey and his favorite Aunt Adrienne. Everyone should have an aunt like her!

I love these pictures of him enjoying the sand.

Lifeguards in training!

Our first family picture since Grayson was born. If only it wasn't so windy on the beach that evening, my hair wouldn't look so dumb!

5 Months!

2010-07-30T22:50:00.004-05:00

This has by far been the fastest 5 months of my life. Just thinking that a little more than 5 months ago we didn't even know Grayson was a boy, and now we are loving the little person he is turning into! Still a crummy sleeper at night, he is usually a happy, content little guy. Bailey and Mackenzie love him so so much. He is just such a special part of our lives.

Big Stuff!

2010-07-04T16:35:00.005-05:00

The other day I got out a bunch of old home movies from when Bailey was a baby. Grayson looks a whole lot like him, minus the blue eyes and plus dimples. I also think Grayson is longer than Bailey was at 4 months. In one of the videos Bailey was sitting up at 4 1/2 months old! I figured Grayson needed some practice to catch up:

Not too shabby for a first timer, and with a little bit of help!

Last week the "big kids" got out the slip and slide. I didn't think they would last long on it, but they surprised me. Although I left in in the grass through the night and killed the grass underneath. Oops.

And here are two pictures of Grayson just being cute. I just love that little guy!

Still Alive

2010-06-15T21:50:00.006-05:00

I am a lazy slacker with lots of excuses, one of them being I have 3 children at home all the time now! But I have been wanting to share pictures of Grayson. He is growing so much and has seriously captured my heart. He is about 10 days shy of being 4 months old (no! time needs to stop!). He is content most of the time, and crying usually just happens because of hunger or being tired. He could be a better sleeper at night, but at least I can handle lack of sleep.Enjoy some pictures of the last 6 weeks of Grayson!

This is how we get around! (I can tell this is before the humidity came because of Mackenzie's hair!)

Reading time!

Three months old. He loves his burp cloths as blankies!

All decked out for church

First time swimming for the summer!

If you're happy and you know it

2010-04-08T10:38:00.001-05:00

Smile!

Easter Pictures

2010-04-06T09:27:00.002-05:00

The kids in their Easter duds. Aren't they cute? Thanks Grandmom!

ONE MONTH OLD, SORT OF

2010-03-26T13:55:00.006-05:00

Because Grayson was born in February, today he is 4 weeks old along with being one month old. How the time just flies! I was trying to decide if a month old is still a newborn, I think so, even though he doesn't feel new to me he is still new to almost everyone else.

The kids are still crazy about him. They both have to hold him at least once a day. They are both a great help when I need someone to make him happy for a minute or throw away a diaper or just get me something because I seem to be tied to the couch permanently.

Grayson is a great baby. That is, if you are someone who doesn't need much sleep. He will only sleep for an hour or two at a time at night, and many times it will take him awhile to fall back to sleep. A three hour block of sleep sounds amazing to me right now! Grayson loves to lay on a blanket on the floor and just look around. He will be happy doing that for 45 minutes! He isn't crazy about the swing or the carseat. I just love him so much already.

Speaking of sleep depravation, the other night was a rough one. I had been up with him for 2 hours, and every time I thought he was asleep he would wake up 5 minutes later. It was very frustrating, and I was so tired. I fed him, then put him to my shoulder to burp him and I fell asleep. The next thing I know he wasn't in my arms anymore. He was on the bed and quickly sliding to the floor. Luckily the pack and play is right next to the bed and slowed him down so I was able to catch him. It did scare me to death though. Grayson was unfazed, fast asleep. That is, until I put him down a minute later. Sigh.

Here are some pictures. They are in chronological order, just how I like them.

Praying he will survive living in this household

First bath, he really likes his bath if he isn't hungry.

I think he was either one week or two weeks when I took this picture.

Captured a smile. isn't it funny?

Big sister always has to hold him!

He really loves laying on the floor!

There's that old man worried look again!

Big brother and me

One Month Old!

In Love

2010-03-11T15:16:00.003-06:00

Our little guy Grayson Jon was born February 26, 2010! We just love him to pieces! Bailey has been a great big brother and is happy that the boys now outnumber the girls! He is also hoping Grayson has blue eyes like him (I am hoping as well, so far we still have a chance!). Mackenzie is also doing great with the adjustment. She hasn't been jealous at all or acted out. She was sick during his first week at home which was really tough. I wanted to comfort her and hold her, but just couldn't risk Grayson getting sick. She still has a cold so I have to keep her away a little. She has been funny because she will tell me what Grayson is "saying" (even though he is quiet). Like in the car she will tell me that Grayson doesn't like that song so that I change the station.

Here is the story of his birth:

On Thursday Feb 25 I went to the dr. I was in a lot of pelvic pain that day, it hurt to walk and to get in and out of the car, so I was feeling pretty miserable. The dr checked me and I was 4 cm again, no change from the last time. The only advice she had for me was to walk, which being in pain I really didn't feel like doing. Plus it was freezing outside. So I ran a bunch of errands, although I didn't get everything done I wanted to. That night we went to Walmart to walk around. My children were being little hellions, so we were only there 45 minutes.

That night I woke up at 4 and thought my water may have broken. I figured I would wait to see if I had any contractions, but I didn't, so I went back to sleep. I got up at 6 and was fairly confident that my water had broken, but I still didn't have any contractions. So we called the dr who told us to go to the hospital. I had to act like nothing was wrong to Bailey. I wanted him to go to school because I figured there was nothing to do here but wait. So I sent him off without him having a clue! We dropped Mackenzie off at my inlaw's house and she had a really hard time with us leaving. That broke my heart! So we got to the hospital about 8 and confirmed that my water had indeed broken. At around 10 they started me on pitocin because I still wasn't having any sort of significant contractions, and I was still at about 4 1/2 cm. 12 o'clock rolled around, and still not much was going on. Lucky for me my absolute favorite movie was on tv, Ferris Beuller's Day Off. So we watched that for 2 hours and it made the time go by quickly. At around 2, I had a sudden pain, and from then on I had real contractions. The anestesiologist came in, and she was the nicest lady!! She was making jokes and was so friendly, and wasn't like "don't move even though you are in the worst pain of your life"! That was the guy we had when Mackenzie was born. Unfortunately the epidural didn't take all the way. There was a circle of pain still on my left side that I really had to breathe and concentrate through. They were trying to fix all of that when we discovered that I was fully dialated and the baby's head was right there. I was trying not to freak out, because I didn't have a whole lot of control over what was going on down there and didn't want to accidentally push the baby out without anyone there to catch it! I had to wait a little while for my doctor to get there, maybe 1/2 an hour. She finally got there, got ready, and in less than 10 minutes Grayson was born. We were so shocked he was a boy! And everyone I have talked to thought I was having a girl. But we are happy that he is here and healthy. He is sort of a crummy nurser, but he is getting better at it every day.

I hate every day that goes by because that means he is getting bigger and older. I am enjoying every moment with him. Well, almost every moment. Those middle of the night refusals to go back to sleep are tough, but I know they don't last forever.

Whoops, the pictures are backwards. Sorry!

The Newest Cousin!

2010-01-10T21:30:00.004-06:00

There is nothing better than a new addition to a family. Unless it is a crazy sister in law, new additions are usually so much fun. The kids in our family are crazy about their newest "cousin" that lives with their grandparents.

Introducing............

Hunney!

This little Malti-poo has won the hearts of the kids. All you hear is "Hunney, Hunney, Hunney, come here, chase me here, your toy is over here". The kids love her already. And she is pretty darn cute. And it is really nice because we can get our little puppy fix, and go home, leaving the mess of housetraining to the owners!

The kids help wear Hunney out. Here Victoria is holding her while she is passed out from hours of fun!

Mackenzie keeps saying how she wants two dogs at her house. Um, no thanks. One that only I pay any attention to is plenty.

Bailey loves her too! As if we don't have a hard enough time getting him home from Grandma's house!

Puppy kisses!

Christmas

2009-12-31T15:03:00.004-06:00

This year I haven't been in the Christmas spirit at all. Pregnancy has sapped most of the energy that I have for anything, and Christmas was included. The only decorations I put up were the tree and stockings, that was it. I have decided that 3 is the best age for Christmas. Mackenzie was so excited to see Santa and even told him she wanted a beautiful princess. Good thing Bailey had bought her a princess doll just a few days earlier, because Santa didn't know about this request until a few days before Christmas. She also thought that Santa would come to our house again the next day, so I had to explain that he needed time to rest before next Christmas. And in her prayers she thanks God for Santa and her presents. I was worried this year that Bailey's Christmas would seem sort of lame. He really didn't ask for very many things. He is pretty much a video games and sports kid. But he definitely wasn't lacking for gifts this year! We got him a personalized Cardinals jersey which he was very grateful for. He even gave me a hug when he said thank you!! My non Christmas spirit also showed in the lack of pictures. Oops. But here are a few that I did take.

Christmas Eve pictures in matching pj's.

Checking out the tree for the first time.

Opening stockings

Daddy actually gave gifts to the kids, and they loved what he got for them!

Definitely my favorite picture! She is giving him a hug thank you for her present.

Tinkerbell. Do you think she had chocolate for breakfast or what?
Here is a picture of me opening my big present (a pack n play for the baby). Although it wasn't the Dyson vacuum I dreamed of, I really wanted a smaller crib for the first few months, and this will do the job. This will probably the only picture I will be in until the baby is born, so enjoy (even though it is a horrible picture, but you can see the belly).

I need a T-Shirt that says:

2009-12-20T19:10:00.001-06:00

I SURVIVED THE STOMACH VIRUS OF 2009!!!

It was rough at times, but after a few days of two kids sick at the same time and then a sick husband, I survived. And the best part is, I didn't get sick. I washed my hands like a crazy person, which I think did the trick. I would be very happy if this kind of sickness didn't come back for a long time. I would say ever again, but I am being realistic.

Totally on a different subject, for some reason tonight my cats are enamored with me. Especially my hands. They keep licking them and nipping them. And at one point today I had both of them in my lap at the same time. Definitely weird since I don't have much of a lap these days. Cats are strange animals.

Complaints

2009-12-14T16:43:00.002-06:00

I heard that someone out there (you know who you are) was complaining that they were tired of seeing Mackenzie's markered face on my blog and I needed to add something new. Somehow more than a month has gone by and I've posted nothing. But I do have a reason for that.

I am tired of complaining.

That is all I think about, complaints. Right now, my complaint is a lovely pain in my ribcage. I feel guilty about complaining. It is only the time of year that we should be thinking of all we are thankful for and should be joyful and happy. But I don't feel very thankful or joyful or happy. I should, because in the grand sceme of things I am very blessed and have very few real concerns of life. But it's hard when you feel fat and uncomfortable and know that there is 3 more months of fatness and uncomfortableness.

So since all I think about is complaints, it is also all I would write about. Does anyone really want to hear all of my complaints? And do I really want to go back and read all of my annoying complaints? Not really.

I have never enjoyed being pregnant before, but this time has been harder. Maybe because I am older, or maybe because I have a 3 year old who still wants to be carried around, but I am not enjoying the pain. Good thing at the end of all this I will have a baby to hold and love.

The reason why I lost the Mother of the Year Award

2009-11-09T16:33:00.002-06:00

Mackenzie was coloring a picture not even 6 inches away from me, and this is what happens. She told me she was making herself a monster.

Good thing permanent marker isn't really permanent.

Trick or Treat!!

2009-11-01T21:45:00.003-06:00

Yet another successful night of trick or treating has come and gone! I love 3 year olds, it seems like they really start to understand why stuff is fun! Mackenzie picked out her own costume this year. We were actually just walking around Target, not intending on buying a costume, when she saw the bumblebee costume and HAD to have it. She did think it would actually make her fly at first, but she became content just to buzz around!

Bailey's costume idea is compliments of Grandmom. Around here, why would there be a normal Chicago Cubs player walking around? Instead, a die hard Cardinal fan got to him first and beat him up. Bailey was especially excited about the fake blood.

This year we again went trick or treating with the kids' cousins, Victoria and Alyssa. 99% of the time they have fun together. The giant Kermit is Uncle Jason. He is the only one of the adults to dress up. My mom used to always dress up with us, but I guess the gene did not get passed on to me.

It's a...........

2009-10-27T13:32:00.005-05:00

Baby! Isn't he/she cute? I am a little biased, being the mother and all. So today I had the big 20 week ultrasound. We had decided we weren't going to find out this baby's gender, and I was very firm with that choice. Up until 2 days ago. With the opportunity there, I wanted to cave. I like to be prepared. I like to buy cute little clearance outfits. But it is hard to do when you don't know whether to buy pink butterflies and matching big and little sister outfits, or blue with trucks. But I stuck with our original plan and I have no clue whether the baby is a boy or a girl.

If you ask Mackenzie, she swears it is a girl. And that her name should be Gabriella. Not happening even if she is right. I am a little afraid she is going to be disappointed if the baby is a boy. At least I can say I had nothing to do with it.

Dear Blog,

2009-10-03T21:32:00.002-05:00

I am so sorry I have neglected you lately. Just count yourself lucky. You are one of the many things I have been neglecting. I only have one good excuse, and even that one is pretty lame as far as an excuse goes. Being pregnant does not make me the most motivated person. Although lately I have had random bursts of energy, I do feel pretty sluggish. Almost like someone is sucking the life out of me.

Besides the lack of motivation (which is really just a nice way to say I have been a lazy bum), I also haven't been a very nice person lately. So I try to have limited contact with the outside world. Mackenzie's random fevers help me to achieve this since it forces me to stay home. I am also rediculously emotional. I was catching up on my DVR watching, and cried no less than 3 times. Over Dancing With the Stars! Come on, this is not your typical tear jerker show. I am just not myself, and really haven't been in a mood for the world (or my 5 readers) to see.

My life has really been incredibly boring. Making sure children are clean and fed are my main priorities. If those things are done, it has been a productive day. I do realize that I neglected to blog about Mackenzie's 3rd birthday, and have yet to post pictures of our summer vacation. Maybe some day I will have a strange burst of blogging energy and will update those things. Just don't count on it.

It might be different if I didn't read other people's blogs. People who are witty and who live exciting lives. I am dull and I feel like my attempts at humor fail. Maybe I would be a better blogger if I lived someone else's life. But then I might just have to leave my house.

So Blog, I am sorry. Will you forgive me? I know better than to make promises I can't keep, but I won't skip whole months of time again.

Your partner in crime,
Samantha

One week of 3rd grade down...

2009-08-23T15:40:00.004-05:00

Many more to go! Bailey is really enjoying 3rd grade already. I know, it is early, but he likes the challenge and being more independent. His teacher called us to tell us what a wonderful kid he is. (She gets points for calling us with praise of our child after only 3 days of school!) If only he could be that good at home! He ended up not getting his #1 choice for a teacher, but so far he is happy with choice #2. She is young and is still super excited about her job which I love. Bailey has really had good teachers. I love his art teacher. Bailey is no artist and is well aware of this fact, but the art teacher has them do lots of different projects that don't necessarily require art talent. So the projects he brings home are actually quite eye catching. To me, a great teacher is one that inspires students to enjoy a subject even if it is one they don't necessarily like.

Mackenzie doesn't mind being home by herself. She enjoys having mommy to herself and getting to choose what show to watch on TV. She is always telling us though that "Bailey is my best friend!!" So cute.

More than a month

2009-08-12T21:41:00.002-05:00

How time flies when you are having fun! I can't believe it has been a month since I have written anything. Oops. We were on vacation for two weeks in New Jersey, and the other two weeks I have been trying to adjust to being home! The summer has flown by quickly, and although I am sort of sad to see it go, I am happy Bailey will be back in school. He does well with a set schedule of things to do, and his summer schedule of tv watching and video game playing just isn't working. So back to school he goes on Monday! Right now he is having an end of the summer mini vacation with his Papa (my father in law) in Iowa watching the World of Outlaw racing. Glad I got to stay home for that one! They simply adore each other and it is so neat to see such a special relationship between the two of them. Friday is the Meet and Greet for Bailey's school where he will find out who his teacher is and who is in his class. I don't quite understand why they need to wait until the last minute to let the kids know who their teacher is going to be. Bailey is a planner and likes to know what is going to happen. He has a teacher in mind that he would like to have, and I am hoping for a friend or two in his class as well. Lucky me, I get to meet the teacher all by myself since he will still be in Iowa!

Hopefully soon I will get pictures of our trip on the computer and will post them. Right now Mackenzie is sick with what seems to be her monthly fever illness. I am hoping tomorrow she will be better!

Goodbye!

2009-07-10T21:46:00.002-05:00

On the 4th of July, we had a dear friend of the family pass away. Our friend Kathren, whom we called Katie, passed away in her sleep, just as everyone would like to go. The thing is, she lived to be 104! I can't even imagine living to be that old. She lived a rich full life, although the last couple of years have been harder for her as her mobility diminished.

I was lucky enough to know her, and for her to love me. I met her when she was 94. Our first outing together was not very pleasant. I was having a rough time, and I was immature and didn't know how to deal with things in an adult way, so I was sure I had ruined any chance for Katie having a high opinion of me. Somehow I was wrong. I thought she had forgotten the incident, as I had tried to do, but she has reminded me quite a few times of our first meeting! She never forgot! Yet she looked past that first impression and got to know me and loved me for who I was.

My father in law took Katie for years to the hair dresser on Saturday mornings. After her appointment she would take him out to lunch. Sometimes my father in law would invite us to come along, and we would enjoy a wonderful lunch with Katie at her favorite restaurant. This restaurant went out of business, and a few others were tried, but it just wasn't the same. So she and my father in law started going to McDonald's! They always went through the drive through, which made it easy, but can you imagine a 100 year old lady going to McDonalds? Many times when my father in law was out of town I would take her to her hair appointment. I felt so honored to be helping someone out. We would park underneath a tree and eat our lunch and just freely talk. Even though Katie had trouble hearing and seeing, there were some days when I felt like she heard my every word.

She loved Bailey. She always loved to see him. I have a picture of him with her when he was 2 in his halloween costume. Mackenzie got her middle name from her. Katie never had children, but I wanted her legacy to live on somehow. She wasn't a perfect lady, she made mistakes and many times didn't mince words, but she was a good person and a good friend. We said goodbye to her today, but I know I will see her again.

Princess Mackenzie

2009-07-05T15:00:00.005-05:00

Let's Go Cubs!!

2009-07-03T15:36:00.003-05:00

So the spring baseball season is over! What seemed like a million rainouts and chilly weather in the beginning ended up being crazy hot in the end. The team ended up 5-7, which was about middle of the pack in their division. I think it is funny how little league has divisions. Bailey had so much fun playing. He is a baseball junkie. He is constantly playing, watching, or talking about baseball. He probably gets it from me.

Jared was head coach again this year. He only had two returning kids from the previous year, but the new bunch of kids were great! So many nice kids and great parent support. Jared fell in love with each kid, and would send personalized emails after almost every game to the kids mentioning what they did good in the game.

Here are some pictures from the final game of the season. But in August, fall ball will start up and we will be doing this all again!

I love how this picture turned out!

Bailey playing 2nd base. He played a lot of shortstop this year, but I think he is better at 2nd.

Bailey reaching first after a hit and being coached by Coach Scott. He's been great to Bailey!

Leading off, ready to run!

Team picture after winning the final game! (Bailey is the one hugging his teammate, if you couldn't pick him out. Actually there were a couple kids that I had trouble telling who was who with Bailey. Bad mom, I know)

Because you have been patiently waiting

2009-06-28T15:58:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pictures for your viewing enjoyment. I sort of got out of the habit of taking pictures, so a couple of these are so last month.

My cute little niece Lotus. She is getting so big!

Mackenzie modeling her underwear. She was doing pretty well potty training, but had an accident Friday night at Bailey's baseball game that has made me nervous. Tomorrow we will get back on it!

Her hair was so cute that night. I just wish she would wear a headband more often. Or at least leave it on like she did that night.

A picture I took with the automatic timer and a tripod. It would have worked better if there wasn't so much other stuff for the camera to focus on instead of us.

A River Runs Through It

2009-06-21T22:15:00.003-05:00

Gotta love all of the rain that has been going on lately. I thought I wasn't going to have a back yard for awhile, but now it is back to normal. I am also very glad that we have never had any flooding problems in our house (knock on wood).

More pictures (this time of the kids) coming soon!

Slightly Disturbing

2009-06-11T14:56:00.002-05:00

Mackenzie and I went to the grocery store today. As we walked to the doors to enter the store, we had a small "welcoming" committee. A mouse greeted us, ran over to the outside wall, and climbed up the front of the store.

And yes, we continued to walk into the store and shop. Now if we had found that same mouse just 3 feet over inside the store, it might have been a different story.

School's Out!

2009-05-27T17:40:00.002-05:00

I find it so amazing that the older I get, the faster time goes by. When I was a kid the school year would drag on and on. Now that I have my own kids and observe other people's kids I can't believe how time flies. Maybe I am having more fun now.

Today was Bailey's last day of 2nd grade. Wow, how did that happen? Wasn't it just August and he was happy his best friend was in his class? Bailey agrees that the time has gone by quickly. We hope that he has advanced to the 3rd grade, but we haven't seen the paper that proves it. Report cards were supposed to come home yesterday, but Bailey's class didn't get theirs because of a "broken printer". Bailey tells a different story that the teacher (who has been subbing the last month since his real teacher had a baby) forgot to finish the grading. I don't think they will be offering her a full time position next year!

If I was a good mom, I would have taken a picture of him on his last day of school. I guess if I was a good mom I would have also been home when he got off the bus. In my defense, I was just a couple blocks away and it was a half day and I had gotten confused when school would be out (when I was a kid and we had a half day it just made the school day 2 hours shorter, not half as short). So he wasn't totally neglected.

In other news, the poor Neon is having AC problems. Not a good problem to have in the beginning of summer. Because the part to fix the AC is something like $700, Jared will have to sweat for a little bit. Sweating helps you lose weight, right? The Neon can't help it, it is 15 years old, but it needs to hold on for 17 more months. Please. I don't usually pray for inanimate objects, but I have prayed for that car. If the Spirit moves you, you could also pray for the Neon in its old age.

Slacker (for good reason)

2009-05-14T16:12:00.000-05:00

We were blessed with a visit from my mom and sister. Hooray!!! Bailey was in heaven with a constant baseball playmate in Aunt Adrienne, and Mackenzie loved the attention, on her own terms of course (she is quite a stinker, that one). They arrived May 2, and left yesterday. The kids are now bored, and I have to entertain once again. But I am not as fun as Grandmom and Aunt Adrienne! Here is a recap of our week:

First it was my birthday. Count them, there are 33 candles on that cake.

We were lucky enough to have tickets to the Cardinals/Phillies game. I used to be a huge Phillies fan, and still root for them. Exept when they play the Cards. Unfortunately we got beat, but it was still fun.

Next was the Butterfly House. Mackenzie is scared of bugs (she had a bad experience when one landed on her nose when she was on top of the slide), so she didn't have the most fun time inside. Wimp.

Outside was lots more fun for her.

And she absolutely loved the carosel. She tried to run on without paying, but I went and caught her.

One day we went to Grant's Farm. We let Mackenzie feed the goats. I made sure I picked a spot where there was one lone goat.

Hey, what is that dumb goat doing?

Excuse me, that isn't yours. And really, you shouldn't be hungry, you just eat all day long.

Um, Mom. A little help please.

Mackenzie is now all ready to get her driver's license. Grandmom gave good driving tips.

Aunt Adrienne always brings fun gifts. This time she brought water balloons. Good thing there was one day that was warm enough to use them!

I wonder who won?

One day they even went for a bike ride. Unfortunately Bailey took a little tumble, but recovered well.

Luckily Grandmom and Adrienne were able to catch one of Bailey's baseball games before they had to leave. Bailey struck out in this particular at bat.

And this picture turned out sort of cool even though he didn't make the best play.

But we were really proud that he hit a home run of sorts at his last at bat. Technically it was a double with a couple fielding errors, but it made us so proud anyway. Bailey loves baseball and usually tries his best.

Here are a couple of Mother's Day pictures.

I don't know why I can never get a good picture of the both of them at the same time. Actually this isn't the best picture that I took, but it is so hard to see with those darn thumbnail pictures.

Finally!

2009-04-27T21:32:00.003-05:00

I feel like the last month I have been tied to the couch for most of the time. This is because Mackenzie has been sick so much. First was strep #1, then a short lived stomach virus/food poisoning. Two days later she got strep again, and then a cold a few days later. Then starting last Tuesday she has run a high temperature for 5 days straight. Today was the first day that she had no sign of a fever without any medicine. Now when Mackenzie isn't feeling good all she wants to do is curl up in my lap and watch TV. It is nice to have some snuggling time, but it really has been too much lately. I need to get back to my regular life. Right before bed out of the blue Bailey complained about his stomach feeling sick. If he is really sick I will cry. I don't know if I can take any more sicknesses from my kids (or husband).

Last week I was able to have a garage sale with my mother in law, sister in law and a friend. I was not their favorite person at the end of the sale because I came home with more than $500. I sold a lot of the extra toothpaste, toothbrushes, and shampoos that I have accumulated with good sales and coupons. I was quite proud of how much I sold of my stockpile and can't wait to accumulate enough stuff for another sale!

I am hoping that my life will get back to normal soon. Please. Before I go crazy.

Hair Envy

2009-04-20T21:55:00.002-05:00

I have never really liked my hair. It usually has a mind of its own. When I want it straight, it is wavy, when I want it wavy it is straight. Actually most times one side of my hair is wavy while the other side is straight. So when I found out I was having a little girl I dreamed of putting her beautiful hair in ponytails, curling it, and just brushing it.

Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be.

It is hard enough that Mackenzie is small for her age, but her lack of locks really makes her look younger than she is. I know she doesn't know any different. It isn't like the other 2 year olds are making fun of her. But for some odd reason I am sad that she doesn't have more hair. As if it makes her less of a girl. I know it doesn't. But you would think by 2 1/2 she would not still be called a "little boy" at the grocery store (yes, I know male grocery store clerks and really old ladies aren't the best at gender guessing, but by this age it is usually hard to get it wrong).

Maybe what I am really feeling like I am less of a mom because she doesn't have girl hair. I know I haven't done anything to prevent her from hair growth, but I do feel like people (adults) talk about it. I have had people say things to me, like when is she going to grow hair, and I wish it didn't hurt my feelings, but it does. I admit it. I also admit that I have googled "how to grow hair", and it obviously hasn't helped.

I just remember there was a family at church a long time ago who had two little girls. The older one had beautiful long brown hair. She was such a pretty girl with a sweet personality. The younger one had straggly dirty blonde hair, and just wasn't as cute. I felt bad for her. Maybe I fear people feel bad for Mackenzie because she doesn't have pretty hair.

Am I being superficial? Probably. Ok, yes, I am. Who knows, a year from now I could be writing about what a pain it is to fix Mackenzie's hair every day. But in the meantime, if anyone knows any hair growth tip, I am open to almost anything (except for shaving her head, I really don't like the cancer patient look when there is no cancer).

Something that I want to remember

2009-04-15T10:30:00.003-05:00

I am so glad that even at 8 years old, Bailey is still pretty innocent. In the world we live in, that isn't always possible. Kids know about too many adult things, and I am glad that Bailey is oblivious to many adult issues.

So the other day Bailey and I were watching TV together (The Biggest Loser, I believe) and someone in the show said holy beep (the bad word was beeped out). Since we had an issue with Bailey and the word jackass, he has been sort of interested in what other bad words there are, since that is the only one he knows. He says to me "I know what they said". I said "Really?" He says "Yeah, they said cow". I had to try really hard not to laugh. He then said "why did they beep out cow when holy was the bad part?" I just answered that I didn't know, but I was impressed that he understood that saying holy like that is sort of sacreligious.

If only I could shield him from the world forever.

A Story, in Pictures

2009-04-10T14:09:00.004-05:00

Snickers is such a good sport!

A Commercial, of sorts

2009-04-07T14:19:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to share with my loyal readers (all 3 of you) about this great website where you can get points just for searching the internet. I know, you have probably heard of them before, but this one is a good one! Swagbucks is a great site that uses Google and Ask.com search engines, but the best part is the swagbucks you can earn! If you search multiple times a day, you are bound to earn swagbucks, because it is sort of random how they are given out. What I really love is you only need 45 points to cash in for a $5 Amazon gift card (and I LOVE Amazon!!).

So if you search online and don't have a way to get rewarded for searching yet, I highly recommend Swagbucks! Give it a try!

OK, commercial over. Will get back to the regular blogging later!

A Funny

2009-04-03T13:11:00.002-05:00

Mackenzie came in the room while I was getting dressed this morning. She picked up my bra and attempted to figure out how to put it on. I told her that it was too big for her. She took it off, put it on the floor and said "yeah, I need more" and pointed to the appropriate spots on her chest!!!

She is so cute!

World's Worst Mother

2009-03-23T13:37:00.002-05:00

Mackenzie has had a fever since Wednesday night. I try to let these things pass, because more often than not it is just a virus that a doctor can do little about. By Sunday she still had a fever. It would go down with Motrin and she would be acting normal for the most part until it wore off, which is why I wasn't overly concerned. So since she was still running a fever yesterday, I decided to check her throat. It was horribly swollen with a lovely white spot. So I took her to the Walgreens After Care Clinic (which is quite convenient and a whole lot cheaper than the ER or Urgent care), and sure enough, she has strep throat. Bailey has never had strep throat or even very many sore throats, which is why it took so long for me to even consider that maybe her throat was giving her problems. So I made my baby suffer for 4 days!! Luckily I was smart and we stayed home when she had a fever so we did not infect the world with strep.

Yesterday Bailey was full of rotten attitude (gotta love being called a jackass by your 8 year old--and he didn't learn that word from me!!) so I bagged up a bunch of his toys and took them hostage. He definitely thought I was the world's worst mother.

The Big 10!

2009-03-18T13:37:00.003-05:00

Today is our 10 year anniversary! This is a big deal to me. For one, being with any one person for 10 years and still loving them seems amazing these days. Plus when you elope after only knowing each other for 2 months the chances are higher that your marriage won't make it through. It seems like divorce is all over the place. Even our extended family is being affected by it. Many times it is best for people to get divorced, but I hate it when some people don't even try to work it out and think the grass is greener somewhere else.

Anyway, enough about divorce. This post is supposed to be celebrating marriage!! So in celebration, here is a list of 10 things I love about my husband.

He is such a hard worker! I love how he provides for our family and allows me to stay at home with the kiddos. There have been many times he has wanted to quit, but he sticks with it. Thanks!
He is Mr Outgoing. So opposite from me, but someone I want to be more like!
He has such a cute smile with dimples! I love those long eyelashes and I am so glad the kids have inherited them from him!
He is always willing to warm me up in bed.
He always tells me how much he loves me. I don't think I could have imagined someone loving me so much.
He always supports my everchanging hobbies.
He will let me sleep in on Saturdays.
He is pretty handy around the house (except for the occasional plumbing problem!)
He is such a good, safe driver. Since he drives for work, I don't have to worry about him quite so much, plus when we go places I feel safe.
He has given me two of the most wonderful kids in the world and he loves them to death.

I love you!! Here's to 10 years, and many more happy years in the future.

Look at my good deals!!

2009-03-16T15:51:00.002-05:00

Do you see all the stuff I got? 3 packs of Pullups (because potty training is going so badly), a pack of diapers, 2 big packs of wipes, 2 Irish Spring body washes, 1 Mylanta, 6 packs of gum, 3 Garnier shampoos, 2 conditioners, 2 style products and 4 Glade Sense and Sprays (I also bought 1 dozen eggs, but forgot to put them in the picture). Guess how much I paid for all that good stuff. Come on, guess. My total out of pocket was....... (drumroll please)

$3.54!!!

Not too bad, huh? I was pretty impressed. Especially to get all that diaper stuff. I bought it all at Walgreens where I worked their system to get stuff for free. The haircare stuff? All for free. The Sense and Sprays? They actually paid me $8 to take it out of the store! The bodywash was also free. I did spend $28 of Register Rewards (when you buy stuff at Walgreens they will run special deals, like if you buy $25 of Huggies you get a $10 Register Reward that you can use on a later purchase), but I also got $20 back in Register Rewards.

Couponing takes a lot of research and time, but for me it is so fun and rewarding. Plus I love the high I feel when I get an extra good deal!!!

Bailey loves me, I think

2009-03-09T16:38:00.003-05:00

At church yesterday Bailey had to write down what made his mother so great. He said some nice things about me, like I am nice and fun and I play games with him. But the very first thing he thought of and wrote down was that I am cheap (he spelled it ceep, but I knew exactly what he was trying to say). Along with cheap he said I like coupons and I save money. I know he meant it as a compliment, but still. No one likes to be called cheap! He now has a new word in his vocabulary: frugal.

I also learned that teaching him certain phrases isn't the best at times. Bailey also called me a stick in the mud. Jared and I have been teasing each other whenever we act boring (which, I will admit, is a lot of the time), we call each other a stick in the mud. I guess Bailey has decided that it is a term that fits me well.

It is funny what kids come up with!

Where has my baby gone?

2009-03-03T15:48:00.002-06:00

Has it really been that long since she was that size? This month Mackenzie will be 2 1/2. She already thinks she is big stuff, with a big attitude to go with her tiny self. The other day we brought a mattress from the basement and put it in her room so we would have enough places to sleep when friends stayed with us on Saturday. I ended up sleeping there Sunday as well to stay away from the germ room. Mackenzie wants to sleep on it too, so the last two days she has taken naps on this mattress. She hates the crib anyway and just climbs out all the time.

So last night I put her to bed in her crib without issue. Usually she will cry for a minute, but not that night. I didn't think anything of it until I went to go to bed in that room. She had gotten out of the crib and fallen asleep on the mattress. I went to sleep in Bailey's room instead, but when we woke in the morning we discovered that sometime in the night Mackenzie had climbed back into the crib!! Funny girl.

But now I am thinking she might be ready for a big bed. I just sort of want to keep her in a crib forever. She is my baby you know.

As much as I don't want her to grow up, I would like her to grow out of this stage of constantly fighting me over everything. Putting on clothes, leaving to go home, doing anything I asked. It is getting tiring. Please tell me it will end soon. Good thing she is so cute!

I have never washed my hands so much in one day

2009-03-02T20:41:00.002-06:00

My husband has succumbed to the flu. I have him pretty much quarrentined in the bedroom, I think he has only been out of it once. I am trying so super hard not to get it and to keep the kids healthy as well. They did get flu shots, we didn't, but who knows if the strain he has is one that the shot is for.

So I have been washing my hands every time I come out of the bedroom. I have even slept on a mattress on Mackenzie's floor so I don't have to breathe in germs all night. I keep praying and doing everything I can, but who knows.

Luckily spring is right around the corner. Fresh air and less sickness!

Happy Birthday!

2009-02-19T14:04:00.001-06:00

To my loving husband and wonderful Aunt.

Love you both very much!!!

Enjoy!

2009-02-18T20:51:00.005-06:00

Yes, finally I am posting some pictures. Some are old, well, now that I think about it, all of them are at least 3 weeks old. Oh well. Better late than never, right? And they are out of order, but I do not feel like going through all the effort to fix that. So they are pretty much chronologically backward.

Here is Bailey with his 2nd place winning pinewood derby car. Not bad for his first time! Plus he had a blast!
Mackenzie with her cousins Victoria and Alyssa. They helped to entertain her while the pinewood derby was taking place. Aren't they cute?

Bailey cheering on his car. I love this picture because you can only see Bailey's car, and it is winning by a lot!

My little niece Lotus. She is so cute! But she is getting big too fast.

Bailey in the snow during a snow storm about a month ago. It was the only time he went out in the snow. He is like his mother and would rather be warm and dry.

Mackenzie loved the snow. She is my little snow bunny.

Playing Rock Band. We actually have our own band, but since I take all the pictures, there are no photos of "Dudes". We are pretty good.

The rest of these pictures were taken over Christmas. We had a pinata at Christmas, and this is my nephew Taj attacking the pinata. I just love this picture. The look on his face is priceless!

This is Lotus at 15 days old. See what I mean about her growing up too fast?

Mackenzie in front of a pile of Christmas presents. Love her cheesy smile!

Christmas Eve and the kids in their matching pjs. (I already bought them their Christmas pjs for next year, only $5 for both pairs!)

This picture was taken while we were waiting to see Santa. When I look at this picture, I think about how cute my kids are!

This was also taken Christmas day. The kids played a game involving vasoline and cotton balls to see who would be the best Santa. I think Colton won.

Hopefully next time I will not wait so long to share my pictures!

What kind of Valentine's card is that?

2009-02-11T21:26:00.002-06:00

Bailey had to get Valentine's cards for his classmates at school. He picked out Indiana Jones ones this year, although he was a little worried what the girls would think. Turns out, it doesn't matter. We got a note from school saying each child should bring 14 valentines to school with just their signatures, no specific names for each student. They said that it makes passing out valentines easier and faster. I think that is a bunch of baloney. It may be a bit easier and quicker to deposit unnamed valentines into holders, but to me, it defeats the purpose. Don't you give valentines to people you care about? I would love to teach Bailey that he can care about each of his classmates individually even if he doesn't necessarily LIKE them. But when you just write your name on 14 valentines, it seems sort of silly.

When I was a kid, I would give valentines to everyone in my class. Even the kids who smelled a little funny. I was always nice. But to my real friends, I was a little nicer. I would pick out my favorite valentines for my most special friends. Maybe write a special little note to them. That way I wouldn't exclude anyone, but make those I cared about feel extra special.

I am sure that the school is more concerned with exclusion than speedy valentine delivery. This is a time when kids can be taught to care about others whether they get along with them or not. In the "real world" everyone has to interact with people they don't necessarily like. But we can have respect for them and treat them with kindness even if we don't like them.

Maybe 3rd graders are allowed to personalize their valentines.

25 Random Things

2009-02-04T21:40:00.000-06:00

1. I graduated from college in August of 2000, which I am very proud of since I had Bailey 2 months later. I have my BA in English and have never used it!
2. Because I have a BA in English, people think I am a human dictionary. I am not.
3. My husband and I eloped after knowing each other less than two months. And next month we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary. Not bad!
4. I would never recommend eloping to anyone! Especially not my kids!
5. I grew up on a farm, but have never ridden a horse.
6. I was 20 the first time I had ever been on an airplane. I was going away to a college I had never even visited and knew only 2 people in the whole state!
7. I used to be really afraid of spiders, but it's not as bad anymore, because Jared is more scared of them, so I have to kill them. I still don't like big hairy ones, fast ones, or any that are crawling on my head!
8. Growing up I collected the Babysitter Club books. Oh, I loved those books! I was saving them for when I had a girl so she could read them, but my mom gave them away without asking me. Oh well.
9. I am a big sports fan. Especially baseball, Nascar, and football. I know more about the sports than a lot of guys do.
10. I am a coupon addict. If there was a Couponer Annonymous, I would need to go.
11. Some of my best friends I have never met. Maybe someday!
12. I hate being called Sam. That isn't me. In typing, I understand, my name is long, and if you are a really good friend, then I can excuse that too. But it makes my skin crawl when random people call me that. Sammy is also OK if you are a friend.
13. I taught myself how to knit last year by reading a book. I have made Mackenzie a dress and a bazillion hats.
14. I have started to become obsessed with wrinkles. I feel too young to be getting them.
15. I know the reason why I have wrinkles is because I love the sun too much. And getting a tan.
16. Some of my best childhood memories are from spending time at the beach (the Shore!) or visiting my aunt in Vermont.
17. I hate being cold. I really should have lived somewhere tropical!
18. I hate making phone calls. Really. I only feel comfortable calling Jared, my mom, mother in law, and sister and sister in laws.
19. I wish so much that Mackenzie would grow more hair! I don't know why, but it bugs me that it isn't longer and is still baby fine.
20. When I was 2, I had an operation on my hip because I had hip dysplasia. I still have pain in both of my hips today, especially if I stand for a long time or walk a lot.
21. I have moments where I wish I was just a crazy cat lady living by myself with 10 cats. OK, maybe not 10.
22. I am not a morning person. Or a night person either. Anyone who has lived with me knows my hatred for the morning. Unfortunately I have early bird children.
23. I look forward to getting the mail every day. You never know when you will get a package, free sample, a check or something else good!
24. I am not a nap-loving person. I usually wake up crabbier than ever.
25. I don't swear. OK, I rarely swear. Only if I am crazy mad.

Tooting my own horn

2009-01-19T21:05:00.003-06:00

I think that phrase is so funny. Just the idea of tooting someone else's horn is gross. Spit in a musical instrument that is your own is gross enough, but someone else's? No thanks.

I digress. I have been knitting about a year now, and I had a baby shower to go to last week, so I decided to make a little hat. It was the first hat that I have made that actually turned out to be sort of newborn size. I am bad at sizing! Although it is far from perfect, I think it turned out pretty cute, and the mother to be seemed to really like it.

Excuses, Excuses

2009-01-12T15:07:00.003-06:00

It has been almost a month since I have blogged. I wish I could say it is because I have been extra busy with the holidays and all. That isn't really the case. Closer to the truth is my husband has discovered Facebook and now intrudes on my nightly computer time, a time when I would frequently blog. The real truth is I didn't feel like writing about a great Christmas and happy new year and resolutions and all that. Don't get me wrong, we had a wonderful Christmas, probably one of the best we've had as a family. But I just wasn't in the mood to write about it. Or post pictures, especially since the camera memory card has a new residence inside the digital photo frame I got for Christmas, since I can't figure out how to put pictures on the frame without the card. I need to read the directions. Fun.

Kids are doing well. Bailey's back at school. It's hard to believe the school year is about half over. He is busy with scouts and piano and awaiting baseball to start in the spring (with dad as coach again). Mackenzie is still "potty learning", slowly. I will be happy when we go a whole day without an accident. She is really good at holding it when we are out and about, so I think that is a good sign. She just forgets to actually go to the potty to pee. I am trying my hardest to be patient, which I am 99% of the time. Naptime isn't going well. In fact, she has been in her crib for 1 1/2 hours and hasn't fallen asleep. No screaming, just a lot of jumping in the crib. This isn't child torture is it? I just really need there to still be naptime. Mackenzie is a busy child and still gets into things she shouldn't. I need that little time to myself. Selfish? Yes. But it helps me be a better mom. Or so I tell myself.

The weather this winter hasn't been too bad. Yet. But I am already counting down the days until spring. Life just seems so much happier when birds are chirping and the grass is green. And any day you can wear flip flops outside without the potential for frost bite is a good day.

My sort of resolution for 2009 is to not sweat the small stuff. I don't want to get upset about things that aren't going to matter in the long run, to get mad at the kids about things that aren't a big deal, to just be a more easygoing person. Go with the flow and be happy with whatever life has in store for me. Because this life is about learning and growing and becoming the best me I can be (as corny as that sounds). Although I hate it when life is hard, I know it is for my own good and I will be better and stronger because of it.

Naughty, not nice

2008-12-16T21:40:00.004-06:00

It was an interesting day in our household. I had so much to do. I realized that Christmas was only 9 days away and I had to wrap and ship all of my family's gifts. Luckily I only needed to buy one last thing for their package, but I was running short on time. I decided that today would be the day to get that stuff taken care of. So I set Mackenzie in front of the TV, watching her favorite show of the moment, Spongebob. I was wrapping away in my bedroom, getting a lot done, when I realized that Spongebob was now over, but Mackenzie was still quiet. So I went to see what she was doing, and this was what I found:

She had taken off her underwear (yes, we are working on some potty training, it is going OK) and had put diaper rash cream on herself because she has had a rash, and decided she wanted to cover the rest of her body with it as well. Especially her hair! Yuck! So she immediately went into the bath tub:

Even after lots of scrubbing, it wasn't coming out! Oh well, I had things to do. So I tried to comb it out of her hair and this was the result:

I decided to give up. It wasn't too bad for around the house, but when we went out I was sure glad it was 25 degrees so she had a reason to wear a hat!

Later on, we had a little fun with her hair for a change. We gave her a mowhawk!

What a day. And the diaper cream isn't all the way out of Mackenzie's hair, although it is way better than it was. The secret is if you ever get anything greasy anywhere, use Dawn dishwashing soap. I am sure she will need another bath tomorrow, but at least I find it funny. Now.

L-A-Z-Y

2008-12-01T21:38:00.002-06:00

Yup, that's me. LAZY. I have been too lazy to blog these days. Of course I have a million ideas of what I could write about, but that takes too much effort. So because of my laziness you will not get to read a post about everything I am thankful for, you will not hear about what I ate for Thanksgiving or what I bought on Black Friday. Aren't you lucky? Instead, you will be happy to read this:

Things I am Proud of.

1. Bailey is doing well in school. He is no genius, but I can accept that. His reading level is where it should be at the end of second grade, so he is doing very well in that aspect. He is a wonderful friend to everyone in his class which is so nice to hear. His teacher even said she wished she had 15 Bailey's in her class. A nice compliment, I think. (Now I know I am talking about things I am proud of, but I wanted to add the only "negative" thing the teacher said was about his handwriting. Oh, it isn't pretty. It is bad enough he is a boy, but he is also a lefty. Maybe he will be a doctor someday!!)

2. The binky is gone and is never mentioned!! Mackenzie just seems to be growing up before my eyes.

3. A couple weeks ago, I went to Walgreens to buy some razors that I had heard was a fabulous deal after coupons. I also bought 4 bags of holiday candy because they had a $5 rebate on them. When the cashier rung up my purchases and ran my coupons through, he was shocked. The register said that Walgreens owed me $1.16. He called the manager, and I was a bit worried about what would happen, but the manager told the kid to give me the money since that is what the register said!! I walked out of Walgreens with 4 Soleil razors and 4 bags of candy and $1.16! Crazy! And I applied for the $5 rebate. It was my proudest moment as a couponer!

4. Tonight we put up our Christmas tree, and there was no fighting!! It was actually one of those nice happy family moments. Mackenzie loved putting the ornaments on the tree. We are trying to tell her not to take them off, but oh well.

5. I have 2 really great sister in laws. They have always been so good to me and have treated me like family since the beginning. I love them both so much and think of them as sisters. Even though our lives have been crazy, I think all of the stuff going on has made us closer and appreciate what we have!

6. My husband has been trying so hard to be a better dad and husband. He isn't perfect, but I know he is trying, which helps me to try to be a better mom and wife.

7. I have really been trying to not worry about things that aren't important. If I can't change it, then I try not to worry about it. Because of this, I have felt so much happier, like a weight of perfection has been lifted from me. I can't be perfect, because it isn't possible.

A Blessing In Disguise

2008-11-19T20:05:00.002-06:00

Yesterday my car was in the shop, getting a few things worked on. My husband called later on in the afternoon and said that his car broke. The car he drives for work is the car my parents gave me when I was 18. It is a little blue Neon, and I know it is a bit embarrassing for my husband to work around cars and drive this little thing around. But it is the best thing for us to do financially, so he bares with the teasing. He had the car towed and I had to go and pick him up.

My very first thoughts were "why is this happening? This is not the best time of year for car repairs!!!" At this time I had no idea how much it would cost us, and it got me feeling down. But I just had a feeling that we would be blessed for our faithfulness (or at least, our attempt at faithfulness). So I prayed that we will be able to handle the financial aspect of it.

This morning my husband gave me an update on the car. He said it needed a new gear shifter, which was about $200 or so. Not bad, I thought. But when they looked at the car, they saw the tie rod (which holds the shocks to the wheel or something like that, they are important) were so close to breaking that they would have him sign a waiver if he didn't let them do the work. To fix this will be another $300 or so.

I got off the phone, felt sad for a minute about the money we were about to spend, but had an epiphany. If the gear shifter hadn't broken, the car wouldn't have gone into the shop. The tie rod could have broken while my husband was driving, and he could have been seriously injured. Instead of feeling like the broken car was a burden, it felt more like a blessing! As soon as I realized this blessing in disguised, I thanked God. I feel so lucky that our prayers of safety have been heard.

Bye Bye Binkie, Take 2!

2008-11-17T15:35:00.002-06:00

Mackenzie went to her 2 year doctor appointment on Thursday. I knew exactly what the doctor would ask me "How is she sleeping at night?" Lately, she has been waking up 1 or 2 times a night, usually in search of the darn binkie. This has gone on for about a month, so I figured it was time to get rid of it. But I needed the doctor to give me the advice to get rid of it, so in my mind I could think "the doctor said we had to get rid of the binkie".

I decided Friday was the night. Mackenzie asked for the binkie, like always, and I told her they were all gone. I threw the binkies away, so I wouldn't give in to a moment of weakness. I showed her the spot they are usually kept, and once she saw they were gone, she was pretty much OK with it. No crying when going to bed, which is good. But naptime hasn't been as easy of a transition. There has been crying and throwing things out of the bed during naps. I am just trying to be patient about it, because she definitely needs a nap on most days.

Last night was the first night in over a month that she didn't wake up at night. Sort of. She did wake up at 10, but we were still awake so it didn't disrupt our sleep.

The doctor said it should take about 4 days for her to be over it. Tomorrow is day #4, so I guess things will only get better! Right?

Much Anticipated

2008-11-10T22:13:00.005-06:00

Here are pictures from Bailey's baptism. I didn't get to take quite as many as I would have liked, but oh well. I got enough to remember the day.

And here are from Halloween. Gotta love my cuties. The poodle is my niece Alyssa, and the dragon is my nephew Taj. They are all so cute!! I had pictures of my other niece Victoria, but for some reason they are not on the computer.

(Maybe I am doing it wrong, but it is hard to tell from the little thumbnail pictures which ones are the good ones and which ones have people with their eyes closed or looking dumb. And rarely do the pictures stay in their intended order. Sometimes I hate technology for making me feel stupid.)

Tying up some loose ends

2008-11-09T22:03:00.002-06:00

I assume that you have noticed my absence. I did go to Vegas, the children (and my mom) did survive, and I am happy with my choice. One of the best things about my trip is I got to see my awesome friend Barbara and her family. She is such a great friend!! It has been 3 years since the last time we saw each other, and instantly when we saw each other it was as if no time had passed. I love those kinds of friends! She and I were college roommates (I guess apartmentmates would be closer to the truth). Barbara was the girl who brought the guys to our apartment. Not on purpose though! They all thought she was great and she could care less about them all! Good thing she found her match so she could stop teasing all the boys! Barbara and I lived together so we saw each other often, but I remember times that we would run into each other on campus and would miss our classes because we were so busy talking. That's a great friend! Her kids are so cute, little perfect mixes of her and her husband. And they got along with each other so great!

Another one of the great things about my trip was how rejuvinating it was. I spent a lot of time reading and knitting and just spending time by myself. I know, to a lot of people that doesn't sound fun, but I loved it. Coming home I have so much more patience with my kids.

Mackenzie did GREAT with her first long time away from mom. In fact, she didn't even mention me the whole time I was gone. She did cry when my mom went home today though. Poor thing.

So now my life will be back to normal. What is that? The house we have been working on for about 7 weeks is now finished. Hopefully it will sell soon so my in laws can have their furniture back (it is busy acting as staging furniture). Tomorrow I think I am going to just run errands and spend time at my house.

Yes, Halloween was a long time ago, but we had fun. Mackenzie was a giraffe and Bailey was Anakin Skywalker, I think. Mackenzie LOVED trick or treating. Not surprising since she loves candy, especially lollypops. If people left their candy bowls down too long, she would pick more than one piece!

Pictures will be coming soon. I promise. Really.

Oh, and Barbara? Thanks so much for dinner last week! I don't feel like we thanked you enough. And you really should start a blog. I would even comment on it!

I Feel BAD!

2008-11-02T20:56:00.003-06:00

My husband and I are going to Las Vegas for the week. My mom was nice enough to fly in to watch the kids for us. But I am now thinking twice about going. Bailey isn't feeling well. I know, he is old enought to fake me out on being sick, but I know that he isn't feeling good. It's just probably a cold, but still. What if Mackenzie gets sick too? What if something worse happens? I know I can't just stay home forever because something bad might happen to my kids, but I can't help but worry.

Am I alone in worrying about this?

Phighting Phils!

2008-10-29T22:06:00.002-05:00

My first true love is baseball. Yes, I will admit it. It is the best! Now I understand how it is boring to some people, but not to me. I have even listened to countless games on the radio. When I was 15 I really got interested in the Philadelphia Phillies. I watched games all the time and was a big fan of all the players. Baseball helped keep my mind off the fact that my life was boring and I didn't have many friends. Baseball was my friend and kept me entertained 162 games a year. This particular year (1992 to be exact) the Phillies stunk, and weren't very popular, so we had a lot in common.

1993 is when I really got crazy. The Phillies were good, and that made me happy. I also had a huge, huge crush on one of the players. I had many fantasies of him falling in love with me. There was an 11 1/2 year age difference (and 2 weeks, if you want to know the exact difference) but I didn't care. There was no boys at my school who would even look twice at me, and at least that baseball player couldn't break my heart because we would never meet.

In 1993 the Phillies went to the World Series. It was huge! The stuff dreams were made of. We were so close to winning, but my crush ended up losing the Series for the team. I was so sad. I did cry tears of sadness over baseball! I also found out that my crush was getting married in the winter, so that also broke my heart.

Life was hard for awhile, but I was able to move on. But I still love baseball. Now that I live in St Louis, the Cardinals are my favorite team. But the Phillies will always be the team I cheer for. The Phillies and I have history. First true loves never fade away, at least not for me.

This postseason the Cardinals didn't make it in, but the Phillies did. So I did what I always do, cheer for the Phils. Bailey joined me, and now says the Phillies are his favorite team. And tonight I saw them win the World Series!! Ah, the joy! It has been a long time coming, 28 years since the last time the Phillies won the World Series. Although I wish it could have happened in 1993, I am happy for my Phillies, for they will always have a piece of my heart!

Bailey's Special Day!

2008-10-25T22:11:00.003-05:00

In our church, we baptize children when they turn 8. We baptize by immersion, like Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist. Ever since the doctor laid Bailey in my arms, I thought about how it would be when he was 8 and would be baptized and officially a member of our church.

Today, that day arrived. It seemed unreal that my little boy, my baby, could actually be old enough to be baptized. It was a wonderful experience for him. Bailey had so many friends and family come to see him be baptized. That made me realize how special Bailey is. We had 4 month old babies there and a 104 year old friend there. All to show their love and support for my son. What more could warm a mother's heart?

The only thing that went "wrong" was I had a picture slideshow that I had spent hours working on, and I couldn't get it to copy onto the DVD right so I could show it. That is what happens when I am barely computer literate.

My church means so much to me. My Savior means so much to me. To see Bailey begin to go down the road that leads to happiness in life makes me so happy as well. Even when life is tough, I know that God knows me and loves me and can help me through the tough times. He has so many times already, and I am sure He will do it again!

Bailey, I hope you will remember the day you were baptized as a special day. You are so loved, and I am proud of you for who you are!

Happy Birthday Bailey!!!!

2008-10-20T22:01:00.002-05:00

I can't believe I have an 8 year old! How the time has flown by! There are times I still think of him as a little kid, but he's growing up!

Bailey has been such a wonderful blessing to our lives and to the lives of many others. I didn't feel ready to have a baby when I was pregnant with Bailey. I thought I would finish school and get a "real" job and support Jared while he finished school and then think about having children, but God had other plans for us. And I am so glad he did! I remember holding Bailey in my arms for the first time, knowing my life had changed forever. Once a mother, always a mother, and he is the one who made me a mother.

I just love him dearly. He is so special, and I just feel that he will do great things with his life. I love how much he loves his little sister. He has told me a few times that he wants our family to have another baby girl someday! I am so proud that he is my son, and I hope this year of his life I can be a better mother to him!

Nanny, I love you!

2008-10-18T22:17:00.002-05:00

My mom's mom we called Nanny. We were close from the beginning, although she hated my name, at least at first. There was a cat down the street named Samantha, so I guess she didn't find it to be an appropriate granddaughter name. She babysat me while my mom worked. Nanny lived in town where there were sidewalks and next door neighbors (we didn't have either), but she had a huge backyard with a metal swingset just for the grandkids. She also had air conditioning (the window kind, but it still worked great compared to no AC at home) and cable. Oh, how we loved to watch Nanny's cable tv! Nickelodeon and game show reruns (before the days of the game show network!). Nanny would always play games with me, like Dominoes or cards. She had this game Triominoes that were little triangle dominoes. I won EVERY game I played against her! I loved spending the night at Nanny's. Her bathroom smelled so good and she always had lots of bubble bath and lotion. Many summer evenings we would go and get an ice cream cone (custard).

Nanny's birthday was 2 days after mine, so we always shared a party. She didn't mind. I always felt special to her. I remember around Christmas when Nanny (and Grandpop too) would put bags and bags of presents into our car. Now I know that you can't buy love, but I'm one of those people where gifts make me feel extra special. When I didn't get along with my family, I would envision myself running away to live with Nanny.

Many summer vacations were spent at the beach with her and Grandpop. It doesn't feel like a real vacation to me if extended family isn't around. Going to the beach during the day and playing board games at night. A few times I went with Nanny and Grandpop up to my aunt's in Vermont. One particular time I can remember is we stayed at a motel (I think it was either a Howard Johnson's or Holiday Inn). I hadn't stayed at a motel often, not like Bailey has! The motel was having hot air balloon rides. Although we didn't go for a ride, I had never been that close to a hot air balloon and I took half a roll of film of this balloon.

When I was in high school, I spent the week at Nanny's house. I don't think we had big plans to do anything. I just loved spending time with them. One of the nights I was there Nanny woke me at 1 in the morning. Grandpop had fallen and couldn't speak and so an ambulance was called. I was so scared, but I was glad to be there, that way Nanny wasn't alone. Over the next month while Grandpop was in the hospital recovering from a stroke, I stayed with Nanny often so she wouldn't be lonely. A few months after Grandpop came home, he had another stroke in the middle of the night, and I happened to be there again. He passed away the next year, and I really felt like Nanny and I were close.

Nanny would always send cards for holidays, even when I was in college, and once I had kids she would send cards to them. When I moved away from NJ, I called Nanny often, and she called me. I tried to send her pictures of Bailey, and she would always call me to thank me for them. I NEVER doubted her love for me. When I was a kid and felt like my parents didn't love me, I knew that Nanny did.

About 2 years before Mackenzie was born, Nanny started to not be herself. Her cousin who was like a sister to her died in a car accident which made Nanny afraid to drive (Nanny didn't even learn to drive until she was 35!). She had trouble remembering things, and we worried about dementia. The doctor said she was OK. When Mackenzie was born, Nanny was the first member of my family that I was able to talk to. It was the last time I talked to her. 3 weeks exactly after Mackenzie's birth, Nanny passed away. October 18, 2006.

This is why I write of my Nanny today. I still miss her terribly, even after 2 years. I didn't get to go to her funeral because we live far away and Mackenzie was a newborn. I wish I could have gone. Maybe I wouldn't miss her so much if I had gotten a chance to say goodbye, since her passing was a surprise. Every time I see an older lady with gray/white permed hair, I think of Nanny. Birdfeeders make me think of her, since she loved birds. I am sad she never got to hold Mackenzie, although she did see pictures.

Nanny, I love you. I hope you are happy. I am. I have faith that we will see each other again. Please come visit me in my dreams again.

Life as a mom

2008-10-15T22:31:00.002-05:00

One puking child - one husband away for business = a mom who is sick of doing laundry and getting puked on

Don't husbands always pick the best times to be away? OK, so he didn't pick this time to go away, he didn't have a choice. But the timing ended up good for him! Not so good for me.

Hi. Did you miss me?

2008-10-13T21:19:00.002-05:00

Sorry about the blogging break. I was just super busy and didn't have the energy to post anything. Plus I am sure you did not want to hear how busy I felt and how I was a single parent most of the time. Still busy working at the in law's other house to get it ready to sell. My husband has been out of town a bunch lately for work, and when he was home he was working late. Mackenzie is still loving the movie Pollyanna. Bailey is awaiting his 8th birthday, which is next week.

****Just a pause in my train of thought, I put Mackenzie to bed almost an hour ago and she is still awake, talking and playing. As long as she is happy, I don't care what she is doing. Wait, I don't really mean that. But I do hope she will go to bed soon so she can wake up at 7 so we can take Bailey to school.*****

Where was I? Oh, I think I was boring everyone with details of what has been going on at my house. Well, for one thing, it is dirty. I haven't had the energy for cleaning. Maybe next week.

Today is my father in law's birthday. He is old. But he is great, even when he isn't perfect.

*****Sorry, interrupting again. The happy noises from the crib don't sound so happy. It sounds like she is calling Daddy. That is funny. Last week Daddy put her to bed, and he got her out of her crib 10 minutes later because she was in there playing. So she now knows he is the sucker to call for to attempt to get out. She doesn't realize Daddy isn't coming home tonight!*****

Well, hopefully in the next few days I will find something semi-interesting to blog about. Maybe.

Overwhelmed

2008-10-04T22:03:00.002-05:00

Ever feel like you have too much going on and zero energy to do anything? Yeah, I am having one of those days. My house is messy, the kids are out of control and I just don't have the energy to deal with it at the moment. Thank goodness tomorrow is Sunday. I am just going to have a relaxing day. No worries about anything. Spend time with the kids and show them I love them. Be outside and enjoy the beautiful day. Be spiritually edified with church. And just not stress. Here's hoping my great plan of relaxing works!

Pollyanna

2008-10-03T21:50:00.002-05:00

Have you ever played the Glad Game or had a fear of falling from a tree to get to your 3rd floor attic bedroom? Then you must have watched Pollyanna as a kid. In the past 2 weeks I have listened to Pollyanna at least 5 times, if not more. I have the whole thing memorized, almost. This is because it is now Mackenzie's favorite movie. That's right, it is a 2 year old's favorite movie!!! I don't understand what the appeal is to her. But she sits down for almost the whole 2 hours. Usually she takes a few breaks, but I can't believe how much she is mesmerized by this movie!!

It has been a tremendous help to me. I have been helping my in laws get a house ready to sell, so I have been doing a lot of painting and wallpaper scraping and many other backbreaking jobs. In a house that is practically empty there isn't much for a 2 year old to do. My mother in law brought over a tv that has a vcr attached. I don't have many vcr tapes, but MIL brought over some of what she had. We thought Mackenzie would be interested in 101 Dalmations since she loves dogs. Nope. Scooby doo? Forget it. Bailey put in Pollyanna and there was silence for the first 30 minutes!! Finally, I could get things done!!

I think I might need to get a copy for myself. Only on dvd this time!

First Timer

2008-10-01T21:15:00.002-05:00

I've been tagged! Don't worry, I won't tag anyone! Here it goes:

5 fears, 5 joys, 5 obsessions/collections, 5 surprising facts about you. Tag 5 people.

5 fears:

The typical one: my family dying. Especially the kids dying in their sleep. I always worry when they sleep in!

Calling people on the phone

Crying uncontrollably in front of a big group of people

Having no money

Losing my wallet

5 joys:
My kiddos

My husband

Getting a good deal

Being at the beach

My cats when I am sad, they always seem to know!

5 obsessions/collections:

Coupons

Going to Walgreens and Target

The darn internet

Cool TV shows like The Hills and America's Next Top Model and Dancing With the Stars

I collect the US state quarters. I think I need 7 more for all 50 states!

5 surprising facts:

I am a pack rat, but I also purge my pack. So it is hard to tell that I am a pack rat. There are things that I wish I hadn't thrown away, though.

I was in the marching band in high school. I played the flute. I sucked.

I grew up on a farm in Southern New Jersey. When I went away to college at BYU, I was made fun of (in a playful way, of course) for having an accent. I had NO idea that I had an accent, and worked hard to get rid of it. Now I pretty much have a non-accent, and no one can tell that I spent the first 20 years of my life in NJ.

My husband and I eloped after only knowing each other for 2 months. And 9 1/2 years later we are still together. I would not recommend it to ANYONE. We are the lucky ones.

When I was 2, I had an operation on my hip (I had hip dysplasia). I was in a body cast for 6 weeks and had braces on my legs for awhile. Because of this, I was in a special gym class in school with a boy in my grade who was in a wheelchair. My family still jokes about me being in "dumb gym". This is the reason why I never tried out for sports.

An interesting day

2008-09-30T22:41:00.003-05:00

Today my fabulous sister in law Denae (don't worry Melanie, you are fabulous too, even without a brain!) called to see if I wanted to go for a walk with her in her neighborhood. Mackenzie loves spending time with her cousin Taj, so off we went. We had a great walk in beautiful walking weather. We got back to Denae's house and let the kids play outside. While we were chasing the kids around, Denae heard something. It sort of sounded like kids playing, or a cat crying. It sort of sounded like someone crying for help, but I just couldn't be sure. Denae decided to check it out. The kids went inside and busied themselves with some toys and I went back outside. Denae called to me to come, so I did. An elderly neighbor across the cul-de-sac had fallen outside her front door into some bushes. No broken bones, so Denae and I were able to pull her out of the bushes and get her back inside. We made sure she was OK and that she called her doctor and we were on our way.

I share this story not to say how great I am, because I played a small role in helping the neighbor. But I have been praying the last few days that I can be the answer to the prayers of others. An apostle in our church, Elder Utchdorf, gave a talk the other night at the General Relief Society meeting. I didn't get to hear it because of Mackenzie's birthday, but a few friends told me about it. Elder Utchdorf said in his talk that we should pray to be the answer to other people's prayers. After all, Heavenly Father answers our prayers most of the time through the actions of others. I decided to start praying for that. Then this happens today. I wasn't planning on being at Denae's. She called me to help her be motivated to walk. If I hadn't come, she wouldn't have been outside (most likely) to hear her calling. When I had this realization, I felt so blessed to have had the opportunity to help someone in need. I felt my prayers had been heard.

Through small and simple things, Heavenly Father reminds me that He loves me and knows me.

Birthday Pictures

2008-09-29T21:19:00.004-05:00

Playing with my new water and sand table

Jumping in my little bounce house with Bailey

Present opening with Dad and Bailey

Blowing out my candles

I love cake!

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!!!

2008-09-27T22:37:00.002-05:00

My sweet little girl. I can hardly believe you are 2!! The past 2 years have been such a blessing for our family to have you in our lives. You are so special to us, and especially to me. Bailey loves you dearly. He was super excited for your party and all your presents.

It took me a long time to decide I could handle another child. I suffered from depression for a long time and sometimes it was tough to handle day to day life. Bailey has always been a special blessing to me, but he has been a special blessing to everyone. People just seem to gravitate to him. You, Mackenzie, have been my blessing. Ever since I got pregnant with you, the depression has lifted. Not to say I don't have rough moments, I still get down sometimes, but my life is just so much lighter with you in it.

I wish I could find the words to describe you. You are full of energy and life, but at the same time observant of the world around you. You are huggable and sweet. You love to play outside and get into things. You are independent and want to dress yourself. You have the cutest little voice. You love to say prayers. You insist on praying before going to sleep and you love to just randomly turn off the tv during the day so we can say a prayer together. You like to draw and are always trying to draw a doggie! Taj is your buddy and you get so excited when you are together. You hate to sit in a shopping cart and you aren't very obedient at times, but I love you.

Mackenzie, you are so special to me. I can't wait to share many more years with you in my life!

A past memory

2008-09-24T22:40:00.002-05:00

With all the thinking time I have had lately, I had an old memory pop into my head today.

I have a crazy aunt. Thank goodness she isn't my blood relative. I think most people have a few nuts in their family tree. She was one of ours. When I was younger I would spend time with their family. I even went on a few family vacations with them.

One day, when I was probably 11, we went to K Mart together. She let my cousin, sister and I go off on our own. We told her specifically where we were going to be, in the book section. True to our word, we were in the book section, waiting for my aunt to be done with her shopping and come and find us. This never happens. To my absolute horror, I hear over the intercom "Will Samantha, Jared and Adrienne please come to the service desk. Their mother is waiting for them." I felt so humiliated. When you are shy you don't want someone calling your name over the intercom like you were lost. We weren't lost. My aunt was too darn lazy to go to the book section and find us. Plus, she was NOT my mother. At this time I suspected something wasn't right with her and I really didn't want to be linked to her in this way.

It is funny how some memories are still so vivid in your mind. There are so many more important things that I could remember about my life and childhood, and this is what I remember. Some days I think I would like to watch a movie of my life so I can see all the things I have forgotten, but I might be too embarrassed of myself!

So many great ideas, so little time

2008-09-23T21:48:00.005-05:00

As I mentioned earlier, I have been super busy lately. But I have all these things that I want to do that I never seem to get a chance to do. And usually when I get a chance to do them, I have lost the motivation to do it.

Here's my first great idea. Mackenzie has a headband that is made of ribbon and has an elastic in the back. It is really nice because it actually fits her head and wasn't made for a newborn. Here's a picture of her wearing it a few months ago:

I thought I could make this myself with ribbon and some elastic. I bought the supplies. Now all I need to do try it out.

I also want to make Mackenzie a tutu for her birthday. Since her birthday is on Saturday and I don't have much free time between now and then, it probably won't happen (although Thursday is looking promising, but we will see). I don't know why I have suddenly felt like making her a tutu, but I can't get it out of my head.

Knitting. I still love doing it. I feel like I need a bazillion baby hats for all the people having babies in the next few months. Not to mention my friends who have had babies for months that I still need presents for. Yes, I am a bad friend (sorry Carin and Kelly, I need to get on the ball). I will say it is easier to knit in the winter when there is less going on.

I need to have no more great ideas until I finish all of these.

Why Mackenzie will have a broken bone before the age of 5

2008-09-22T22:19:00.002-05:00

I Have Failed

2008-09-22T12:56:00.003-05:00

I was doing so well blogging every day. Then it all fell apart. I got busy. Life happened. All those excuses that everyone has heard. And now I am giving them.

But I was busy. For real. Usually I lead a fairly simple life, not a whole lot of busyness. But both Friday and Saturday were spent working on flipping a house. Just like those reality shows. In fact, we thought we would make a good reality show. All we needed was the camera crew following us around. I know, we were probably only funny to ourselves. Melanie, some day we might just have a reality show!

Yesterday was Sunday. The day of rest. Sort of. At church we had the Primary program where I helped tame kids to sit still long enough to sing and do their speaking parts. Bailey got many compliments from people on his singing voice which always makes a mother proud! He did get his singing abilities from me, you know. Ask anyone who has ever sat next to his dad at church! Actually, he carries a tune ok, just doesn't love singing. The program was really good. Of course I cried during some of it. Music just touches my heart sometimes. Plus I am sad that my work in Primary is almost officially done. I love those kids with all my heart.

This week I am trying out the single parent gig since my husband is gone for work. That means after the kids are in bed I will have more time for blogging!

The Hills are alive

2008-09-18T21:16:00.002-05:00

I just love the Sound of Music! As a kid when it was on tv, I was never able to watch the whole thing. I would always fall asleep. In fact I thought the movie was over the first time they sang the "So long, Farewell" song. It wasn't until I was in college (or maybe later!) when I watched the whole thing and realized I missed out on more than an hour of the movie! I had the record, so I knew all the songs. Ah, the good old days of the record player! My mom still has one at her house.

Anyway, the hills of the Sound of Music wasn't what I was referring to. That darn MTV show The Hills is so darn addicting! I am 32 years old, I shouldn't be interested in watching a bunch of rich 20somethings run around, go to clubs, and fight with their friends. But I just can't stop watching. Maybe part of it is I would love to be 20 something again, and of course I would love to be rich. Being young and free sounds so nice when you can't even go to the store because you know your almost 2 year old won't sit in the cart for longer than 2 seconds. On The Hills, they get to shop whenever they want (you never see them wear the same outfit twice) and they are always going out to eat at cute little bistros for lunch or fancy reservations needed dinners.

But really, I watch The Hills to see Spencer Pratt. Now if you don't know who Spencer is, you really need to know. No, he is not hot or anything. In fact, he is slimy pond scum, and I just have to watch to hear what horrible thing he says next. Ugh, I just can't stand the guy! He is controlling and rude and yucky. And I have to watch him!

Haven't seen The Hills? Oh, you are missing out! It is one of those shows that my husband can't believe that I watch. Yeah, the majority of the audience is a teenager, but I am sure I am not the only regular adult who watches. At least I hope not!

(By the way, Mackenzie is back to running and being a wild child. No broken toe!)

It was almost "trip to the doctor, part 2"

2008-09-17T21:30:00.002-05:00

My kids have to be practically dying before I take them to the doctor. The idea of wasting money just to hear the doctor say "(s)he's fine, or just has a virus, or just wait it out" is just beyond my sensibilities. Plus I think of all the germs that are at the doctor's office. I don't even want to think about going to the doctor, being told all is well, and then having contracted some deadly disease that warrents a real trip to the doctor. I'm sure it is a conspiracy, that is how doctors stay in business.

Anyway, getting back to my story (actually, starting it, I suppose). This morning, Mackenzie fell off the couch while playing. As I helplessly watched her fall, I saw her land on her arm in a slightly awkward way. She cried for a minute, then went on her merry way to see what mess she could make next. The kitchen is a great place to get into stuff! In attempting to take every can out of the lazy susan, she drops one on her toe. Lots of screaming and crying this time. I look at her toe, and there is a bruise under the nail and it is a little red and barely swollen, so I don't worry. But all morning she refuses to walk. She just sat in my lap looking sad. If she did walk she would cry after a few steps. I started to worry that maybe she hurt more than just her toe. I figured I would put her down for a nap and reevaluate her after her nap.

When she woke from her nap, I found her standing on one leg. Not a good sign. She was limping around a bit, better than before. I touched her foot and she didn't have any reaction to my touch. After awhile she was running again, but more cautiously. Whew! Doctor's visit averted. And I look like a smart parent.

Tonight, I caught her in the lazy susan again. Will this girl ever learn?

2008-09-16T21:18:00.003-05:00

I am really proud of myself so far for blogging this long. I am proud of anyone who has read the whole time! I am short on time and thoughts for now, but I didn't want to not blog today, you know?

Just wait, tomorrow's entry will be fabulous!

And the password is....

2008-09-15T13:59:00.002-05:00

I hate having passwords to everything. As if I don't have enough to remember. And it seems as soon as I figure out a good password that isn't obvious that I have to change it. You can no longer have a numeric only password, it must include letters. The newest criteria is you also have to include some sort of capitalization as well.

And don't get me started on user names. They are just as bad. I especially hate it when I sign up for something new and I have a great user name that I also use for other things and it has already been taken! So I have to come up with something else, which really just means I am going to forget my user name. And have you ever tried to log in to some account or website and you aren't sure whether your user name is wrong or your password? This has happened to me countless times.

I know, I should just get smart and write all of this down on actual paper! But it is hard to find a pen around here...

Sunday

2008-09-14T20:56:00.002-05:00

At church I help run the children's Sunday School, which we call the Primary. I am actually the secretary and have been almost 3 years. The jobs at our church are called callings where the bishop and his counselors decide who would be a good fit where. I know the time at my secretary calling is almost up, which I am sort of glad about. I am not exactly the most organized secretary ever, or very neat. But I do love the kids and enjoy getting to know them.

Today we were practicing for the program that we do once a year for the congregation. They practiced last week too, but we were out of town and missed it. The kids each have a speaking part and sing a bunch of songs they have learned throughout the year, and there are a few group singers too. My heart was really touched today by a group of kids singing a song. These kids are all 5 and in kindergarten and the song is called "I'll Walk With You". It is a really sweet song about kids who are not afraid to be friends with kids who are different because "Jesus walked away from none, he gave his love to everyone". Just to watch these pure hearted kids sing just reminded me of the love and innocence of children. Much of the bad behavior they learn is through the modeling of selfish adults.

I wasn't looking forward to going to church today, but those kids made it worth it to me!

Am I the only one?

2008-09-13T21:31:00.003-05:00

Who dislikes the weekends? Monday through Friday seem so much more natural to me. They are predictable and have that safe feeling, because I do go through them 5 days a week. When Saturday comes, there seems to be more chaos, more arguments. A case of too many chiefs and not enough indians. Sunday is a whole different day altogether.

Today was just one of those days where I just look forward to Monday again. The dog got out of the yard and almost got hit by a car, and I mean almost! Mackenzie figured out how to open the gate, the stinker. She is too smart for her own good sometimes. Bailey was a motor mouth all day, which can be maddening.

I am hoping for a better day tomorrow.

A Love Affair

2008-09-12T21:33:00.004-05:00

The other day, all was quiet at our house. Which meant Mackenzie was up to something. When I went to check it out, I found the door to her room shut. Not a good sign. I open it and don't see her. She has pulled her crib away from the wall but she isn't behind it. I call her name a few times and she finally replies. She is in the closet with the doors shut.

This is what she was doing:

She was hiding in the closet with her binkies!! You can't see it from that picture, but she also has one in her hand. She knows that binkies are for sleeping only. I have had to put them out of reach so she doesn't get creative finding ways to reach them. Sometimes they fall out of her crib while she sleeps and I forget to put them up.

This is what she looked like after I took them away:

Imagine ear piercing screams, and it is almost as if you are here!

Oh, it is going to be tough to give up the binkies 100%!!!

The Tick!!

2008-09-11T21:31:00.003-05:00

This evening we were busy doing yard work for the inlaws. Mackenzie was her usual "let's see how much trouble I can get into" self, and Bailey was actually very helpful for a change. We were all hot and sweaty when we came home, so it was showers for all. When we took off Mackenzie's clothes, we discovered she had a tiny seed tick on her!! Ew! So we searched for the tweezers to remove it. I had actually been meaning to buy new tweezers this week because we have somehow misplaced the two pairs we have. No luck finding the tweezers. So we called MIL to bring over some tweezers to help.

I have never used tweezers to pull off ticks. Growing up in the country, finding ticks on you or the animals isn't unusual. But I have never taken a tiny one off of a squirmy almost 2 year old. Of course when I remove it, the head of the tick stayed on her. We try and try and try to get the head out. She screams bloody murder because we have to hold her still. We probably worked on it for over an hour. No luck. So we gave up. I am hoping that we dislodged it enough that it will come out on its own, although I suppose that is wishful thinking. I will most likely be calling the doctor tomorrow on it though. I just wish it could have been me instead of her!

ETA: I took her to the doctor this morning. He was able to pull the head out. It was so tiny you could hardly see it! And Mackenzie screamed the whole time. She hates being pinned down! The doctor did say that the tick's head would absorb into her system, but it would have taken longer for it to heal. So $25 copay later...I guess it is worth the piece of mind!

I'm a geek

2008-09-10T13:30:00.002-05:00

I just read over the post below and I realized I sound like a geek. So now you know. I am a geek. I was a band geek in high school, and now I am just a geek without the band.

Oh well. Good thing I like being a geek!

DO U WAG ?

2008-09-10T13:06:00.004-05:00

I bet a lot of you were like me in the past. Walgreens (AKA WAGS) was an expensive drug store where you go when you needed to pick something up, like Tylenol, and you would get sucked into buying a bunch of other expensive junk that you really didn't need. Well, my eyes have been opened to the world of WAGGING, shopping at Walgreens where they are practically paying you to take home their inventory.

Sounds too good to be true? It isn't, if you are smart about it. I have been doing this for about 6 weeks now. It takes some money to get started with it, but once you get started you can pay very little out of pocket. I have learned most of my WAGGING tricks and tips from two places: www.slickdeals.net and www.moneysavingmom.com. Both of these sites have more than just Walgreens info on them. Slickdeals is my favorite. This is where I find out about freebies, great internet deals, Target couponing, and Walgreens shopping. Oh, and also survey taking.

Explaining how Walgreens works is a little complex. The more I do it, the more I understand. Plus it seems that different individual stores have different policies on things. If you want to learn more about how Walgreens works, go here.

Another great thing about Walgreens for me is that there is one within walking distance to my house. There is another one pretty close by, but I don't think I would walk there. Because I am a little lazy, you know. Anyway, Mackenzie and I walked up there this morning. We have become friendly with one of the cashiers, which is helpful when you are having coupon trouble.

So here is a picture of what I bought today:

I spent $14.31 out of my pocket and got all this stuff. But that isn't even the best part of it all. If you look closely, I bought 3 Robitussins. I am not expecting some great outbreak of the flu at my house. Walgreens was running a deal this week that if you buy 3 Robitussin for $3.99 each you get a $10 register reward. A register reward is a coupon good for your next visit at Walgreens with a two week expiration date. What made this a fabulous deal is I had 3 coupons for $3 off 1 Robitussin. So I paid $3 for 3 Robitussin and got a $10 coupon for my next purchase! In essence I made $7 on the deal! The mouthwash was pretty much the same thing, although this time I had to buy 1 Crest Prohealth Mouthwash and I got $4.50 back in register rewards. Crest Prohealth mouthwash is $4.49, so I pretty much got it free! The toothpaste is a free after rebate item, so I will be getting that for free too (and if you have your rebate money put on a Walgreens gift card, they give you an extra 10%!!).

There are just so many deals going on each week. I get excited thinking about it! Walgreens is slowly becoming my favorite store!

A "promotion"

2008-09-09T21:12:00.002-05:00

Money sucks. I could complain about money every day, but I won't bore you. I wish I was rich. Sort of. I guess I just wish I could be comfortable.

Anyway, my darling husband came home today and said "Guess what? I got a promotion at work today. I am now the new territory sales manager." I instantly get excited and start thinking about what great timing this promotion is. Making ends meet and saving money has just gotten harder and harder it seems and a pay raise is just what we need. But wait. He didn't mention anything about a pay raise. It seems that his wonderful company gave him a promotion WITHOUT a pay raise. What garbage!!! I am so mad. Oh well. What can I do?

I don't like money. Or being an adult.

Some Updates

2008-09-08T21:26:00.002-05:00

1. The washed ipod is now working! At least it is charging and you can see the screen. Sort of. The screen is scratched so you couldn't see it before it was washed.

2. I can't remember whether I mentioned this or not, but I did write an email to Target about not being able to use internet coupons. I got a response which had their coupon policy on it. They of course, are supposed to accept both Target and manufacture coupons. They left a phone number to call, and I think I will. I lost $4.50 out of the deal because they wouldn't take my coupons. So today I went to the other Target with coupons printed from the internet, with the full intent of fighting to use them. I didn't have to. I used them with no problem. Everything I bought today (except for one thing) was either on sale or I used coupons or both. I won't be going back to the new Target any time soon. Actually, I will, I lied. I have a coupon there for a free smoothie and it can only be used there (one of those new store promotionals).

3. I overdrew from our bank account AGAIN. Ugh, I am frustrated for many reasons. My stupidity and general lack of money, just to name a few. Luckily last month's fees were only $13. I think I have learned my lesson this time. I promise.

4. Bailey is doing well in school. Last year he had a really hard time the first month of school, but this year hasn't been a problem at all. His reading is just improving all the time.

5. While we were on our vacation to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, we went to Nascar Speedpark. We went on the big track there, and of course I had the lamest car out of the bunch. You aren't supposed to bump people, but whoever was behind me kept bumping me. He could have easily gone around me, but no. He ended up crashing me into the wall. I was stuck and couldn't move the car (there is no reverse). The kids who work there are supposed to help you when you are stuck. 6 laps later, the kid finally comes to help me. Oh, I was mad. I already felt dumb being that girl who crashes. Later we went on another track that was fun because I didn't get stuck. I don't know why I wrote down that story!

6. At Nascar Speedpark, Mackenzie was too small to ride any of the rides. She wasn't even big enough to ride the merry-go-round!!! What a rip off!

7. Here is a picture of our cabin, or at least outside the cabin! Our cabin even had a hot tub!

Home at last!

2008-09-07T21:51:00.002-05:00

We are home, tired and happy. We had a really fun time, and now are just exhausted. You know how vacations are, when you come home you need a vacation from the vacation! Anyway, I will be short on the details today so I can have something to share tomorrow!

But here is my one tidbit from our trip. I got confirmation that Mackenzie does get carsick. Nice. I had no idea that the carsick gene was dominant. I have never actually gotten carsick, just felt yucky, but my lovely husband is well known for his carsickness. Bailey gets carsick too, but he has gotten so he knows what triggers it and how to get the bag ready!

The carsickness was the only negative to the trip, and it only lasted a little while. So hooray for a great trip!

Super Saturday

2008-09-06T10:09:00.000-05:00

What better way to spend a Saturday than look at my little cutie?

Cutest thing EVER!

2008-09-05T14:06:00.001-05:00

I have to preface this by saying: you know that great post about Mackenzie giving up her binkies? I need to delete it. I was a horrible mother and gave them back to her and now she loves them more than ever.

Anyway, on to the reason for this post. The other day Bailey was upset about something (who can remember what, it was one of those days where the fact that the sky is blue made him cry). Mackenzie came up to him and lovingly touched his arm and the tears on his cheek. She said "Bay cry?" I told her he was sad right now, and she looked sad for him. It was very sweet. She left the room for a few minutes and came back with her binkies. We leave them out of reach on her window sill, but she pushed something over to the window just to reach the binkies and she gave one to Bailey to help him feel better. Isn't that so sweet? It just melted my heart to see her try to console her big brother whom she loves so much. Or maybe she was trying to tell him he was being a big baby that day, who knows!

Leaving in a minivan....

2008-09-04T10:03:00.000-05:00

Off we go on another exciting family adventure! Yeah right, we are just going to another car show! Since I am lame and do not own a laptop and my husband fears he will get fired if his work laptop has anything that is non work, I am not sure how I am going to do this every day blogging thing. I'm sure there is some way to write a bunch of posts and set them to post at different times, but I can't quite wrap my brain around it. Never mind, I figured it out. Maybe I am smarter than I think!

Keep up all the great blogging!

A Big Oops

2008-09-03T13:26:00.002-05:00

I am doing the wash today. I really don't mind doing the wash. It's the folding and putting away that I hate. Maybe if the drawers weren't stuffed to the gills it wouldn't be so bad. Anyway, as I was moving one pile from the washer to the dryer I discovered an oops. I washed my husband's i-pod!!! I feel horrible. I don't know whether he left it in his pocket or I had accidentally scooped it up with a pile of clothes on the dresser. I am hoping that once it dries out that it will work again. He could always use my i-pod, but mine is pink and he is a nonpink type of guy.

I will say this is better than washing a cell phone. We have done that twice, and those need to be replaced quickly. An i-pod can wait.

Target Practice

2008-09-02T13:17:00.003-05:00

I took my much anticipated trip to Target yesterday. All by myself! And I came home highly disappointed. See, I have really tried hard lately to save money, and isn't it even better if someone pays you to use their product? At Target this week they have Pop Tarts, Cheez-its, Keebler cookies, and Rice Crispy treats on sale 4 for $9. When you buy 4, they give you a $5 Target gift card (who doesn't love a Target gift card? If you don't, you can send any you receive to me, OK?). That makes the deal in essence 4 for $4, which is pretty good if you ask me. But I have coupons!! I had $1 off 2 rice crispy treats, $1 off 2 keebler cookies, and $1 off 2 pop tarts. With those coupons it would make the deal 4 for $1. Good deal, right? Well, I could make it even better! All those products are Kellogg's products and they are offering a $10 mail in rebate when you buy 10 Kellogg's products. And to make this great deal even better is I found Target coupons online for 50 cents off pop tarts. I had it figured out to where I was going to make money and take home 12 boxes of assorted junky treats.

I was excited for my great deal. I even printed out a couple of other Target coupons. I go to the store, happy that I could devote my full attention to my shopping. I loaded up my cart with more pop tarts than anyone should own in their lifetime, but they were more than free so I couldn't resist. I have a super nice girl checking me out. She even asks me if I have any coupons. I hand her my huge stack of coupons and guess what she says? "We do not accept any internet coupons, including Target coupons." What?!?! I wasted all that time on the Target website searching for coupons, printing them out and I can't even use them? The nice girl tells me that it has to do with them not paying taxes on the coupons or something that sounded lame to me. I couldn't fault the girl, she was friendly and in fact didn't like the policy either.

I came home, not very happy. My hopes of a moneymaking deal was dashed. But my kids can build a fort out of pop tart boxes. I did write an email to Target. I can understand if they do not want to accept internet coupons, but they should at least accept their own internet coupons! In fact I used their internet coupons just last week.

This is a brand new Target less than 2 miles from my house. I think I will go back to my old Target, which is also less than 2 miles from my house. In fact, they are both almost the same distance from my house. Hopefully the old Target accepts their own internet coupons.

Happy Labor Day!

2008-09-01T13:04:00.002-05:00

So far, this has been a labor-ful day. Lots of fun work around the house. Not much of a holiday, but I did get to sleep in until 8 am. In fact, it was the 3rd day in a row that I got to sleep in!

My mom called a little while ago. I know she called just to make me jealous. She and my dad are at the beach. I wish I was there! Where we live would be the perfect place if it was by the beach.

Anyone doing anything fun for Labor Day? I think in a little while I am going to Target. That counts as fun, right? Because I will be going by myself!

30 Days of Blogging

2008-08-31T21:46:00.002-05:00

My friend Melissa was lamenting the other day about how disappointed she gets when she checks the blogs she loves to read and finds the same old boring update from 2 weeks ago. I don't like that either, so I can imagine that everyone (all 4 of you) who reads my blog feels the same way.

Well, my friends, you are in for a treat. I am going to blog every day for the next 30 days. No kidding. Even when I am on vacation I am going to make it happen. My topics will probably be as boring as my life sometimes, but that's just the way it is. You can't be funny and inspiring all the time.

This would be much easier if I could only connect the computer to my head so I wouldn't have to type all the great ideas I think of in a day. (Will someone invent that please?)

Day #1, complete!

The Dog Days of Summer

2008-08-25T14:18:00.003-05:00

I am sad that summer is almost over. But really we have been lucky that it has been a nice summer. Not super hot or humid and we have gotten enough rain so we haven't had to water the grass.

So even though we haven't had too many of those "dog days", at our house there have been MANY dog days. Since the beginning of June, we have dog sat for 5 different dogs for a little over 7 weeks. Luckily our dog Snickers is a good sport about other dogs because she has had to put up with a lot! Little yippy dogs, friendly (but slightly scary) pit bulls, overly playful teenage dogs, and lazy easygoing dogs.

It was actually enjoyable to have other dogs around. Mackenzie especially loves it. She is a dog lover, and they all seemed to enjoy her as well.

The worst part of it has been the early bird dogs. We are actually watching a dog now and she thought 5:30 was a good time to bark to get up. And we all know how much of a morning person I am.

On a different note, the car I have had since I turned 18 is broken. I am praying that is a cheap and easy fix. I need something to go my way!

An early trip to Gambler's Anonymous

2008-08-20T22:03:00.000-05:00

I have never played the lottery. The only slot machines I ever played were the nickel slots, so maybe I have blown $3 tops on gambling in my whole life. Our religion teaches us that gambling isn't good and can lead to addiction and can ruin lives.

Two weeks ago Bailey went with his grandpa to Iowa for some races. To get to the races they ride a shuttle. On this shuttle they have sort of a roulette game on one of the wheels. When the shuttle arrives at the destination, the person who has the number that was landed on wins the money in the pot. Of course, you have to pay $5 to play. Bailey's grandpa gave each of the kids $5 to do what they wanted. He was trying to teach them a lesson that they would have more money by not playing than by playing and losing. He just didn't count on one of them winning.

Bailey is so into money these days. I think it is the age. He wants money, and lots of it. He doesn't want to necessarily work very hard for his money, but he is very willing to spend it. Bailey decides to play his $5 instead of keeping it. He loses. Lesson learned, right? Wrong. His grandpa also decides to play and he wins the pot of money. Next day, same thing. Bailey has $5 and plays it. He wins!!! $70!!!! His typical 7 year old mind is spending more than it even was worth. Ipod, cell phone, you name it, he wanted to buy it.

The lesson that I learned? Don't rely on grandpas to teach the important lessons about money. They are just too fun for that!

In case you were wondering, I told Bailey that he could spend some of the money and the rest had to be put in his savings account. So he bought a skateboard with it and will be putting $40 in the bank! So maybe something good came out of this after all!

First day of 2nd Grade!

2008-08-14T14:16:00.003-05:00

How did I get a 2nd grader already? I can hardly believe it. My little boy was sent off to school today, and I think he will have a good day. He has a lot of friends in his class and his teacher seemed nice. She's a sports fan too, so they will definitely get along.

Bye Bye Binky!

2008-08-07T21:51:00.002-05:00

Mackenzie has always loved her binky. Bailey never took one, but used me as a human pacifier. After she turned one, I realized we needed to ease up on the binky use. I think she would have had it in her mouth at all moments except for eating. We let her have her binky only during naptime and nighttime. During the last visit to the doctor, I was advised to wean her from the binky sooner rather than later. At the time, she wasn't quite sleeping through the night every night, so I thought "once she sleeps through the night consistently, I will take the binky away". When she started sleeping through the night, it was close to when we were going on vacation, so I said "when we get home from vacation, I will take the binky away". We got home, and she got sick. You can guess what I said! It was surprising to me how hard it was to take something away from her that reminded me so much of her being a baby.

Just a few days ago, Mackenzie decided that she loved blankets. This past winter she wouldn't sleep with a blanket on, and suddenly she wanted to be wrapped in a blanket, even when it was 100 degrees outside. A lightbulb went off in my head that it would be the perfect time to take the binky away. Last night I put her to bed without it, and she went to bed with no problems! Today's nap and nighttime haven't been as easy, but it will take a few days of adjustment!

How did my little baby girl get so big? Her favorite phrase is "I want that". Already demanding the world!

Things could be better....

2008-08-06T14:05:00.002-05:00

But I guess they could be worse too. At least that is what I keep telling myself.

A UTI and overdrawing the checking account aren't the worst things that could happen. I could have cancer or some other disease or disorder. Instead, I just felt like I had to pee for 24 hours straight before I was able to get some medicine.

At least when I overdrew the bank account, I had money to put in it. I had just forgotten that $450 + $600 = more than I had at that moment and that I needed to move money from savings. That was so frustrating to me, because it was the first time I had EVER overdrawn our account. I almost did when I was in college by a penny. My bank was in NJ and I was in Utah so thank goodness my mom put some money in my account so I didn't have to pay any fees because of a penny.

The overdrawn account is so frustrating to me. My job in our household is to take care of the money. I am always on time with payments and I always have money for those payments. I felt like I failed at my job. Plus I have been trying super hard not to spend any unneccesary money. I have been clipping coupons and looking for good deals on stuff I already buy. I hate money, and it is harder when I don't really supply it to our family.

Anyway, on to happier news, Mackenzie pooped on the potty AGAIN this morning! I was so proud! Let's hope this is an every day occurrence!

You know your life is boring when...

2008-08-05T14:36:00.002-05:00

Poop is the highlight of your day. To be more specific, poop that lands in the right place.

So the last couple weeks or so we have been encouraging Mackenzie to go to the bathroom on her little potty. She has gotten to the point where she goes probably 97% of the time that she sits on it. But she has to want to. This is one of the hurdles we are facing. She just doesn't want to sit on the potty every time she has to go. I don't blame her, really. She hasn't learned to hold it, so really she pees every 10-30 minutes. She has pooped on the potty a few times, but they were mostly about being at the right place at the right time.

Today we were playing in the backyard in the blow up pool. It has a cute little slide to go down, and today was the first day that Mackenzie was actually going down it and having fun. She came over to where I was sitting and said "Side". I asked her if she wanted to go down the slide again, she nodded, then shook her head. She then says "side poo". Oh, you want to slide in the pool? Nods again, then shakes her head. About a minute of further conversation with her and I finally figured out that she was really saying "Inside poop". I asked her if she had to poop, and she says yes and heads towards the door. Sure enough, she sits on her little throne and poops! I was so proud! I am so happy that she realized what the sensation was and was able to hold it until I figured out what she was talking about. I put her in underwear after this, and 15 minutes later, she pees on my couch.

Yes, I guess the little gross things in life make me happy today!

I did it!!

2008-07-31T13:16:00.003-05:00

I am very proud of myself. I started knitting a dress for Mackenzie about 6 weeks ago, and I was able to finish it last night! Correction, it is 99% finished, I have to get a button for the back, but besides that it is finished. And the best part is that is actually fits Mackenzie! She is going to wear it to church on Sunday where I am going to tell everyone that I made it myself.

It's a No-Go

2008-07-30T13:41:00.002-05:00

Every year at this time (ever since 2002) our family has gone to Louisville, KY to the Hot Rod Nationals. I personally am not a hot rod lover, but my husband works the show with his dad and spend special time together. I enjoy going because we stay at the Hilton (which has the most comfortable beds ever!), we go out to dinner every night, and see friends that we don't usually get to see. This is probably the last year we will be able to go, with my father in law retiring in the near future so we wouldn't get the free hotel room or dinner or gas there.

Yesterday, Mackenzie woke up feeling warm. It was close to a million degrees when she woke up, so I thought she was just hot. Then she was acting crabbier than usual and didn't have much fun at the pool. I knew she just wasn't herself. Sure enough, she has a temperature. She was up in the night with her fever and crabby again this morning, so I had to say goodbye to Bailey and my husband. I let them take the trip without us.

It was a hard choice, especially knowing we probably won't do this again. But I figured I would have more regret if I took her and she was sick the whole time, or even part of the time, than if I stayed home and she was all better tomorrow.

I hope that Bailey has a lot of fun though. This show has always been one of the highlights of his summer. He likes "working" (especially when our friends give him money for his work!) and just being around the whole car scene.

I am hoping that my time at home minus husband and 7 year old will yield some productivity in me. My house needs some cleaning and I have a knitting project that I am ALMOST finished with. I can't wait to share it!

Remember the good ol' days?

2008-07-27T21:27:00.002-05:00

When back to school shopping was fun? When it meant getting new fall clothes and a new pair of shoes, a new lunch box because the old one smelled from being closed all summer (and because you left a half eaten salami sandwich in it), and of course, a new Trapper Keeper. The new Trapper Keeper is a must because last year's model was covered with "I Heart Mark" and this school year I am sure to heart at least 3 different boys.

Now that I am grown with a school aged child of my own, back to school shopping is no longer fun. This is mostly because of what I have to buy. I own a house, so I pay taxes that go to fund the schools. So why do I have to buy paper, crayons, markers, colored pencils, 8 glue sticks, scizzors, tissues, and hand sanitizer that will all turn into community property? It just doesn't make sense to me. And I have wondered what would happen if I didn't supply these community supplies. Would they charge me for them? Or not let Bailey color the book he is writing? He wouldn't mind that at all, since he hates to color. He isn't a very artistic child, but not everyone can be.

When we went shopping for supplies in kindergarten and first grade, it wasn't a very fun experience. I somehow picked the same time as a thousand other moms and their 3 kids trying to get 100 different things off their list. Not a fun time. I am not a fan of big crowds. This year had been lots easier. Target at 8 pm on the Saturday before the sales tax holiday is a great time to shop for school supplies. Not a crowd at all!

I am excited. Only two more things on the list: very specific pens (for the teacher I think, and I can't find them) and 1 gallon sized ziploc bags.