Happy Birthday Robby

This morning, on the way home from taking the kids to school, Bryce announced that it was Robby's birthday (Robby is one of his imaginary friends). Bryce asked if we could have a birthday party for him. Since we had to go grocery shopping, I let him get some cupcakes (for Robby). After lunch, Bryce went and took his nap. When he got up he asked for a cupcake. He went in to the kitchen and saw that one was missing. He asked if Robby already ate one. "Yes, you told him they were for his birthday and he could not wait anymore!"

Bryce asked if Robby talked to me. I told him he had to tell me he wanted a cupcake. He said okay and went and ate his cupcake. I guess as long as Robby actually spoke to me to tell me that he wanted the cupcake - it was okay!

A Baby Story

For some reason, several times this week I have watched A Baby Story on TLC. Am I trying to scare myself or what? It is funny though because Bryce will be in his room playing and when he hears the crying baby (right after they are born) he comes running in.

He watches with a wrinkled up face at the "dirty" babies. He then asks if that is what Andrew will look like. It was very sweet. He put his hand on my belly and started talking to Andrew. He seems like he will be a great big brother, but we will see when it comes down to sharing the attention even more!!!

Short, Long Day

I had a short, but long day. Does that make sense? It was short because it was the first day I have had time without ANY kids since before Christmas - those few hours always go by quick. At the same time though, it has been a long exhausting day.

Paul got called out on and ER yesterday. He had to go to Kansas City to a plant explosion. So, I had to get all of the kids ready for school and out by 7:30. I got Caleb dropped off and went to take Isaac to therapy. The teachers were locked out of their new school. I waited for a little while, and his therapist told me to go ahead and go and she would sign in Isaac.

I finally got everyone dropped off and headed out in search of a dresser/changing table. I found some dressers, but just did not want to pay as much as people were wanting because we don't know what kind or color of bed etc he will have later. I found a really nice changing table, that matched the crib. Apparantly it was the last one, so the guy offered it for more than $50 off. So I got that taken care of.

Then tonight we had basketball practice. I tried to talk Caleb into skipping, but he went into this long spill about how much he needs to practice, so we went. On the way, I got pulled over - in our neighborhood!! There were two police cars hiding somewhere. They did not have lights on top so they would have blended in with everyone else, I guess. He came up to the car and told me he pulled me over for not stopping at the stop sign. I told him I was sorry and thought that I had. He said "No ma'am. You almost came to a complete stop, but you didn't!" I started to hand him my license and he said that they were only giving warnings for now. THANK GOD!!!

So, I have enjoyed my bath, now I am laying in bed and enjoying the quiet!

Paul got called on an ER today. So after church I came home and got the boys in bed. I am laying in my bed watching some tv, and started hearing a noise from the kitchen. I ignored it at first because I thought it was one of the animals. I finally decided to go check it out. When I turned on the light, Bryce jumps and starts dancing around "I can't get in my bed, I am scared. Too scared for my bed!"

He was digging in the pantry in the dark, but he is too scared to stay in bed!! Go figure!

The Hooker on the Wall

Tonight the boys and I went to church. When I went to pick up Isaac and Bryce, their teacher told me she had to tell me what Bryce said. I was SCARED!! He saw a hook on the door and asked what it was. The teacher told him it was a hook for hanging things on. He went and played and a little while later found another hook on the wall. "What is that hooker doing on the wall?" he asked his teachers. She said they got a pretty good laugh!

I Got Spoiled

Okay, I have been spoiled. We have always lived within a couple of blocks of the kids schools, since Caleb was in Pre-K in Texas. Not anymore! Not only did we move, but Isaac's school moved so now I have even further to drive than before.

I must give Paul credit, he is still taking Caleb to school in the morning and it IS out of his way! What is so hard to adjust to is that Isaac gets out at 3 and Caleb closer to 3:30. I don't really have time to come home between then like I did before. So now, I have to sit in the car with two kids who DO NOT want to sit in the car!

We will get used to it, eventually! Isaac just started his new school today. It is NICE!! He has been so excited, looking forward to his new school. If the boys don't get to stay at the school they are at, the school they will be going to is a couple of blocks away. As much as I dislike having to drive the further distance to the other school, I REALLY want Isaac to do Kindergarten there next year. He already knows all of the therapist he will have at that school (in fact, his Occupational therapist he has had since he started OT). I just don't know how he will handle ALL the changes at one time if he has to go somewhere new.

I must say, I have always wanted a house with a split floorplan, then I was apprehensive about it before we moved in because of Bryce's asthma attack. Well, I LOVE IT!! First off, let me say that NO ONE has had a cough or wheeze since the day we moved into this house - AMAZING!

It is so nice for the kids to be able to play (quite noisely) and not be able to hear it all! I can be in the kitchen and can't hear the bird screaming in Caleb's room! It is great!

The last couple of nights the dogs have been locked in the hall right outside of our bedroom. In the mornings, because Bryce cannot get through the gate, we hear "Mommy, Daddy get up - it's a beautiful morning!" Luckily, strangely and amazingly, we have been awake before the boys! They seem to be sleeping SOOOO much better now. Bryce is not even waking up in the middle of the night crying like he did in the other house!

Bryce's new favorite thing to do: run from one end of the house to the other screaming. There is not only more space, but he echoes through the house!

Paul's favorite spot: in front of his new 56 inch HD television! Even though he does not have satellite yet (I am stuck at home today waiting on them to come hook it up), he likes to watch DVDs on it. I have to laugh at him because he hooked up the rabbit ears to the tv. It looks kinda funny having rabbit ears on this huge fancy tv!!

My new favorite spot: in my whirlpool bathtub!! Every night, as soon as the boys go to bed, you can find me with a candle lit, soaking in my AWESOME tub!! I feel so small in it, but it has been just the therapy I need to relax and unwind at the end of our BUSY days!

What A Beautiful Morning!

our house with it's first snowfall! That is actually snow too - it is really blowing around today (as it melts away!)
across the street from the garage
this is what your cars look like when you have so many boxes in the garage you can't park in it!!

I AM BACK!!!

FINALLY!! Our DSL came on last night, so after a week without internet (boy, was my inbox FULL!) - we are back!

Moving (and everything that comes with it) has been awful!! But, we are in our new house and slowly getting things unpacked! THe first night was eventful! We did not quit moving until midnight. We only had the Uhaul one day, so we had to keep trucking until it was done! While moving, Bryce managed to get a rock stuck up his nose. I kept telling him to blow out and he would suck in. Luckily, it was a fairly good size rock, so we were able to get it out before he sucked it up!

The dog threw up on the carpet the first night! So much for new carpet! The weather held off somewhat. It drizzled and lightly rained throughout the day, but nothing horrible like expected!

I have got the boys rooms unpacked. It was nice - since many of the toys have been packed for a month, it was like getting all new toys for them! We did not see them at all the first couple of days.

Caleb is liking his own room, sort of. He is not used to not having his brothers around all the time, so I think he has spent more time playing in their room than his. I am sure once we get his computer set up and tv going, things will change!

So, I have about 10 weeks (maybe) to get this house put together, or at least get a room for the baby set up! Let the countdown begin!

Colorful Hair

Last night, on the way home from basketball, Caleb and a friend of his were talking about relatives that they don't know or don't see much. Caleb started talking about my brother, Ronny. He was talking about how he had had lots of different colored hair, but that the last time he saw him, his hair was darker.

He started naming all the different colors, and I was amazed that he remembered things like that. Kids pay attention to the oddest things and remember them. I guess red or blue or yellow hair would stand out, but we are talking over many many years!!

"But God Said..."

When we pulled into the drs office today, Bryce said he could not go to the dr. I asked why.
"God told me at nap time not to go to the dr. He told me to go home." I told him I was sorry, but we had to go. His response: "I am scared, because God TOLD me not to go. I have to mind God!"

He tried using it again since. I told him I would have a talk with God tonight.

FYI

Bryce is now scared to go to bed!!! Isn't that nice (especially since we have been up since 2 AM!!!!!).

Bryce's Asthma

Well, we were up at 2:30 this morning. It was not as bad of an asthma attack as Monday, but this time it was major coughing and wheezing. He could breathe this time, just could not quit coughing. The two of us ended up in the chair in the living room. It took him a long time to calm down and doze off, but apparantly not long after we dozed, he laid down and started coughing again. So pretty much - we have been up since 2:30.

We have been running around trying to get stuff done today, so when we got home from picking everyone up from school, I made him take a nap. He slept for literally about 10 minutes. When he woke up and came out I told him that was not a good nap because it was so short. In his sleepy, whiney voice he says "It was a pretty rough nap too!" I know it was because I heard him coughing the whole time!

Looks like we will be in a chair tonight and I guess I will have to call the dr tomorrow to make sure we are not in the beginnings on bronchitis!

Moving Weather

Well, I said it was suppose to be perfect weather (for this time of year) for moving. Now, they have put rain chances in the forcast, but only for Saturday - the day we have the uhaul and have to move EVERYTHING!!! As of now, it is only a 30% chance, but it is only Wednesday. Even if it is only a 30% chance - all of the rain will be concentrated from this house to the new house!!!

It is not a move if it is not raining, I guess!

Caleb Knows How To Work People!

Caleb was asking questions CONTINUOUSLY - as always! The builders agent really seemed to like him. Caleb kept asking questions and he took the time to answer and explain everything (which usually only leads to more questions!).

He was also doing his normal finding trash and picking something to use it for. Today it was some foam from the dishwasher that he was going to turn into a boat - along with some carpet padding! I was explaining how Caleb likes to save every piece of trash to "recycle" it at some point in the future for something! Usually it is to make trash with trash, but hey!

They are going to start building another house across the street and over a couple of lots. The builder told Caleb that he would bring him their scrap wood so Caleb could build a boat. YEAH FOR US - MORE TRASH!! Hopefully he will forget to bring it!

Our realtor kept telling ushe was the next Bill Gates! She kept going on and on about how smart he is for his age!

OLD NEWS!!!

Only Bryce

Bryce has already made the place his own. While we were talking to the agents, Bryce decided he needed to poop. Thank goodness, we already knew the water was on - BUT THERE IS NO TOILET PAPER!! What was worse than the fact that we could not wipe his butt, he did not make it to the toilet before he pooped, so it was on the floor.

Luckily, being the mother of three boys, I have learned to be prepared. I keep several things of flushable wipes in the car!

Unfortunately - our realtor is the one that had to come tell us that he had an accident on the floor. She said it was because he was nervous. Either she is just polite and trying to make us feel better or she does not have boys and does not know better!!

Just picture this: the realtor calls me and I come to where she was. When I look up in the bathroom, Bryce is standing there with his pants off and his shirt pulled all the way under his chin. MODESTY CHILD - MODESTY!!??

...And It Is Complete!!

The yard that is! I drove by around 2:30 and the fence was up. I did not go look at the yard though, because the superintendent was there and he likes to tell you his life story - I had less than 3o minutes to get Isaac picked up - no time for life stories!!

So, we met our realtor and the builders agent at the house. The yard looks better, still not great though. I think we really do have to let it settle and see where the low spots are going to be - but they addressed the issue of the water not flowing and now it should. They also got the concrete poured, they are just waiting for it to dry so they can pull the frame. They powerwashed the back patio and the back of the house, oh and they fixed the yard at the side of the house in front of the back gate.

Now, for the inside. They have to repaint the entire house! Apparantly, when the house was first painted, they go the paint from one company. That company got bought out by another company who changed the mix. In other words, all throughout the house where they touched up the paint a couple of weeks ago, the paint does not match - even though it is the same name. So they went and got all new paint and are starting over! That is suppose to be done tomorrow.

The appraiser is going to come out as late as possible tomorrow, so that the painters can finish. There are some other little things that their agent pointed out to us that will be getting fixed (like our shower doors are backwards, lightbulbs that need to be replaced), other than that - we are good to go.

Oh - and - we are suppose to have dry nice weather this weekend - lets pray that the weathermen are right!!!

House Troubles

Friday evening, I was getting ready to go out for a girls night when the phone rang. I saw that it was the realtor and immediately knew something was wrong. Things have gone WAY too smooth!

The house itself is great - pretty much done, but we have been trying to get the backyard fixed. It holds water in a few spots and we were trying to get it leveled and fixed to where the water will drain instead of just stand. They also need to fix our back patio, where the landscaper drove his truck over the corner of the concrete and broke it.

We have been going to the house at least once every other day the last couple of weeks to make sure things were getting done. When I went over the end of last week, the frame for the new concrete had been put in, but the concrete had not been poured. They were supposed to be taking care of that that day.

The realtor called and told us Friday that she had gone out to the house earlier that day. She had talked to the builders agent before hand and was told that the concrete was done and the yard was going to be getting done. When she got there, the concrete was done, and the yard still looked bad.

Here is the problem. We are suppose to close on the house on Friday. The appraiser will not come out until the backyard is taken care of and the rest of the fence is up (they won't put the rest of the fence up until the yard is done). If our lending company does not have ALL paperwork in their hands (including the appraisal - which is all we are waiting on) by Tuesday, we don't close on Friday!!

We HAVE to close on Friday!!

The realtor asked what we wanted her to do. I told her we have been asking for the backyard to be fixed since before we put an offer on the house, and they had had plenty of time to take care of it. If we did not close on Friday, the builders would have to pay for us to stay in a hotel and store our stuff because the house we are in has been sold already!

She called the agent and he said he did not think the yard would be done by Tuesday, because it was suppose to rain all weekend. So, she called the builders. She told them that I was VERY pregnant and did not need the stress of this on top of trying to move, etc. and that they were going to put me in labor (yeah - she knew she was stretching!!). She also told them that she has had clients pull a deal for less than this. They said they would fire the crew and the yard would be COMPLETED by Monday night.

We drove by Saturday morning at about 9 - there were guys out there working on the yard. They even had surveying equipment out so the grade of the yard was correct. We drove by again around 11 to see if they were still working, since it had started raining and sleeting. They were still working in the rain and sleet.

Apparantly, the old man who was doing the landscaping was eye-balling everything, and his eyeballs obviously aren't as good as they used to be! The builders hired professionals to come out and get it done. They worked all day Saturday - but not at all Sunday. I have not been out there today to see what they have done, or if they are even there. We are, however, meeting the realtor out there this afternoon to make sure all is done as promised!

Our realtor has been great. She has really gone out of her way to make sure everything goes right and we get what we want. We were not to sure about her when she showed up to our first meeting 30 minutes late (she got lost), but she has proven a great asset to our buying!! It is especially great that she is our realtor only - she has nothing to do with the sellers!!

We will see this evening how things are going to turn out!

Long, Scary Night!

I am kind of scared about the floorplan of the new house. I have always wanted a split floorplan (master bedroom at opposite end of house than other bedrooms). I was very excited to see this one had one - until last night!

I did not sleep well last night, between a squeaky fan, outside dogs barking, and my ever-moving child inside me. At about 4:15 this morning, I started hearing a very strange noise. I heard it a couple of times and sat up to try and figure out what it was. Then I started hearing Bryce crying intermittingly.

I went into his room to see if he was okay and if the noise was coming from in there. As soon as I open the door I start hearing the noise again. I turn on the hall light and see Bryce sitting in a corner. As soon as I looked at him I realized the noise WAS HIM!!! I was hearing him breathing from my room - with both doors closed! He kept crying asking for medicine!

He was having the most severe asthma attack he has ever had. Usually his asthma symptoms are severe coughing and light wheezing. There was no coughing, only a horrible, barking, gasping breathing. Bryce hates his inhaler - there is always a fight to give it! The fact that he was BEGGING for it proves how scared he was and how hard he was having to try to breath!

I had already said something to Paul about putting a baby monitor in there room too at the new house, and had decided that since they normally just come to our room when they are scared or have a problem, I would not spend the money on it. At 4:30 this morning, when I sat it bed holding Bryce because he still could not breath, I told Paul that I was going to get a monitor for there room!

Bryce was so scared that he just ducked into a corner on his bed and struggled to breath! We have been up since then. It took until almost 6 this morning just to get his breathing back to where he was no struggling to take a breath. I did not want to go back to sleep, because I did not want him to lay down flat, and I could not sleep with his struggled breathing in my ear if I wanted to.

There is an inhaler in the car and two in the house, but since I will soon be carrying a diaper bag again, there will be one in the diaper bag as well. I don't know who was more scared last night - me or Bryce! This morning, he is a little raspy sounding and I am now on bronchitis/phnemonia alert - since those are what he likes to get this time of year!!

P.S. Even Paul leapt out of bed when he realized that the sound he was hearing was Bryce!! And, unfortunately, he was up with us most of the morning since!!

Dr. Sears on Dr. Phil

Today I turned on the television to turn on the x-box and Dr. Phil was on. I don't remember the last time I watched Dr. Phil, because I don't have much time to watch television! I ended up turning on the xbox and then going to my room to watch the show. They had Dr. Sears, his two sons and his wife (the nurse) on. I only got to see the last 15-20 minutes, but there was really some good info on it.

For one, they were saying that we should not be started babies eating with rice cereal. They were saying it was full of carbs and it is no wonder that Americans are carbaholics - because we are started on them at such a young age. He said, even though most drs will not tell you this, you should start with fruits and vegetables (naming mashed bananas and avocados as good first foods).

He also talked about "colic." I have heard mixed stories about what colic is and if it is a real problem or just what drs say when they don't know. They say it is what drs say when they don't know what is causing a babies constant crying.

As most of you know, Isaac suffered from "colic" for about 4 months. The only way we could get him to sleep at night was to put him in his swing (next to our bed) and let him swing all night. If the swing stopped he screamed. If we laid him down in bed, he screamed.

Dr. Sears said that often it is because of the equivalent of an adults heartburn. They said that frequently with nursing mothers, if they eat dairy or wheat it passes through the breastmilk and cause this problem with the baby. I thought you were suppose to drink milk when you are nursing! Nurse Sears was in the green room with mothers and babies. One of the mothers was asking about colic. She told her to set up the baby and rock her. I guess that explains why Isaac would only sleep in the swing!!

Definently things to make you think!! Hopefully I can remember these things when our little one gets here!!

House Update

I went by the house this morning to see if carpet had been put down and the back patio fixed. When I got there the garage door was open, but noone was there. I went in the backyard and saw they had worked on the back patio. They got the corners cut and the frame down - all they need to do is pour the concrete now. I peeked in the window and there was carpet down - HOORAY!!!!

The door into the house from the garage was not closed all the way. I peeked my head in to see if they had put the black microwave in - which they had. I did not want to go in, because I did not want someone to drive up and think I was "breaking" in or anything.

As I was leaving the builder pulled in. He asked if I wanted to walk through the house - and of course I did!! It looks GREAT! They got it all cleaned up - all the paper out of the windows. They touched up the paint (they had previously touched it up with the wrong color!). He explained the plan for the backyard, but the yard man has been in the hospital the last couple of days.

There is a guy coming out to hook up the gas fireplace today and someone was coming out to do the final inspection on the house. Other than the backyard - everything is pretty much done. He told me to call the realtor and have her call his agent and set up the final walk-through. It looks so different now that it is cleaned up and there is carpet. Bryce was quite excited (as was Mommy!)

Thank goodness the water was running! Bryce was going from room to room closing himself in the rooms. For some reason when he went in the bathroom, I thought I better go see what he was doing. He was pottying!! Doesn't matter how many times we have told him he could not use that bathroom until we move in - he did anyway. Luckily, the toilet flushed!

Report Card

Caleb got his report card last week. He again got straight A's. His semester grades are:
Language 97
Reading 93
Spelling 99
Math 91

And S's for those classes that don't give number grades.

Such a SMARTIE!!!

Doesn't That Figure

So my day starts today with me trying to take Isaac to school. I open the car door to put Bryce in. When I do, I hear a popping sound and the handle does not pop back like it is suppose too. I put Bryce in, go to shut the door - IT WON'T SHUT!!

I study the door, latch, etc., trying to figure out what is going on. The only thing I can figure is that the door broke - why else would the handle not go back like it was suppose to. So, I call Paul. He is stuck in traffic and cannot turn around. I call Isaac's therapist and told her we were not going to make it to therapy and she offered to come pick him up and bring him home after school.

Paul calls me back to tell me to call roadside assistance to come close the door. I told him I did not think it was going to closed and thought it would have to be towed to the dealership. He comes all the way back home.

He got the door to close. I thought he had fixed it, so I open it to put Bryce in. It won't close. Paul tells me he only closed it to get me to the dealership - and closes it again. I get Bryce and we go to the dealership.

When we get there I told the guy what was going on. He said he was going to look at it and if he thought it would be awhile, he would give me a car to use. They opened and closed the door 50 times, and it did not act up once. I look like some pregnant psycho saying my door won't close - even though it is closed when I get there (but it was forced!) and it acts perfectly normal for them.

How does a door handle not work at all and then 20 minutes later work perfect?? I don't have enough going on already?

Still Going...

Maybe we are having the energizer bunny!!

Paul thinks that I drank nectar yesterday for my test and the baby became a hummingbird.

I don't know what to think!

Well, the baby still has not stopped. He has not slept since yesterday morning when we did the glucose test. Literally, he has been moving continuously. He woke me up numerous times last night and Paul and I both woke up this morning to him rearranging my ribs - he apparantly has not found a rib arrangement he likes yet!!

It was funny at work though. I was holding a two month old little girl. She was sitting in my lap facing out and leaning back on my belly. She was happy and smiling and talking. Then the baby kicked her. She started screaming. That happened with this one little girl three times today. You know it is bad if he is kicking so hard that he makes another baby cry!! THINK ABOUT HOW I FEEL!!!!

Maybe he will decide to sleep tonight! PLEASE?

No More Sugar!

As if this baby was not active enough - they make me drink sugar. He has not slept AT ALL today!! He is always active first thing in the morning, and since I drank that stuff at 9:45 this morning, he has gone non-stop. It is not just kicking, though. He is doing somersaults and jumping on trampolines (my bladder and other vital organs) and rearranging furniture (my ribs). It seems to be more exhausting for me than him though, because it is not 6:50 - and he is still going full force!

It is going to be a LONG night -and I am suppose to work tomorrow! Yeah for me!

P.S. I have been drinking water since this morning trying to dilute that stuff - apparantly that has done nothing but make me have to use the restroom more!!

A Dog or a Train?

Caleb and Bryce went with us to the dr appt (Caleb's school was closed for MLK day - Isaac's had to be open because they have been closed too many days this year). I figured when the babys heartbeat came on - Caleb would know what he was hearing, but he didn't at first. When we first heard the heartbeat Caleb looked up from the gameboy and said it sounded like a dog (don't know where that came from because it didn't sound like a dog!!). The dr said it kind of sounded like a train (more along the lines of what I heard). So then Caleb and Bryce started saying the baby sounded like Thomas.

We went by a store on the way home and Caleb told the salesperson that the baby sounds like a train. I did not explain - so the poor guy was probably VERY confused - especially since I was wearing a coat and he could not easily see I was pregnant!!

28 Week Update

We had our 28 week check-up this morning. This was the "fun" one where they did the glucose test. For those of you that have never experienced this, you have to drink a - in todays case Fruit Punch - flavored sugar drink. It is very sweet and by the second sip - the baby was going crazy kicking! After you drink it ALL (in less than five minutes and we are talking 10-12 ounces I think) you have to wait an hour for them to poke your finger.

Anyways - all is fine with the baby. We got a good strong heartbeat and he was kicking the entire time the dr was getting measurements. He said I was measuring exactly what I am suppose to be. I have gained 19 pounds since the beginning - which is a little more than I should have gained by now, but the dr did not say anything about it.

I see the dr again in 4 weeks and then we go to seeing him every 2 weeks. Only 12 more weeks until our due date!!!! I have made it to the last trimester! Hopefully, since we will be moving in a couple of weeks and then with all of the unpacking, I will stay so busy that the time will fly!

I HATE WALMART

We FINALLY knocked out a big chunk of the baby shopping! We went last night and got the carseat, stroller, playpen and swing. I did a lot of research on carseats, because of the consumer reports test that came out in which most of the seats did pretty poorly! I had decided I wanted a Graco Snugride, which ranked second, but was pretty close in ratings with the number one.

I did a lot of shopping around, trying to find one I liked. The one I wanted, and was going to get, cost quite a bit more than a lot of the ones I was looking at. I decided to go the cheap route - since I have so much to get for the baby alone! When we went grocery shopping last night, I looked at Walmarts selection. They had a Graco travel system I liked, but they are zip-tied to the counter and they are so high up you cannot see anything.

While I was TRYING to look, a Walmart employee came over and while talking on her cell phone - told us we could not take them down. I was a little annoyed that she would come over and tell us we could not look at it, but extremely annoyed that she did not even get off the phone to help us!! So I went to ask another employee if they could cut the ONE ziptie and let me look at it. She said they were not allowed to. "So, you are telling me I have to buy it, take it home and put it together and then bring it back if I don't like it?" She said that is all I could do!

At that point, I told Paul I did not even want to buy from Walmart! We left and went to Target to see their selection. They did not have much Graco Snugrides. We went to a different Walmart and they did not have what we were looking for at all.

I was trying to keep from having to drive the two and a half hours to Memphis to go to Babies R Us, and too cheap to pay the shipping cost to buy online, so we went back to Walmart here and got it. When I was checking out I asked if after I got it all put together, if I did not like it if I could bring it back. SHe said yes, and asked if this particular one was displayed. I explained what happened and she said there was no policy that said they could not cut the zipties, those people were just rude.

This is why I HATE WALMART!!!!!!! But, at least the baby will be safe in his carseat if we ever get into an accident! The sacrifices we make for our children:)!!!!

What Was He THINKING?

Obviously he wasn't!! Caleb got in big time trouble this weekend. This is something I really went back and forth on posting, but I want the boys to be able to look back at this and see the things they did - good, bad and stupid!

Saturday, after a day of running around, the boys were in the playroom playing together. Isaac and Bryce ran into the kitchen to tell us that Caleb had pooped in the playroom and gave us a lego. The lego had poop in it. We called Caleb into the kitchen with the other two and asked who did it. Isaac and Bryce say Caleb, Caleb says Isaac.

Unfortunately for Caleb, he can not lie to save his life! He finally confessed and was sent to his bed to determine what punishment was suitable for what he had done. After about 10 minutes, he came out and said that he should not be able to play with toys for a month. That was a little harsher than I would have given or expected him to choose, but we agreed. Then Daddy told him that he had to write sentences on Sunday.

So, this morning, he got up and started writing I will only poop in the toilet. He did three pages, front and back of this then switched to I will not lie to my parents - and did 2 or 3 pages - front and back - of this. He kept asking if he could come out to the living room to write, and we would not let him. I had to keep explaining that it was punishment and if he wanted to be included with what the rest of us were doing - he could not act like that!

He spent the entire day we were home today writing. He is finished now, and surprisingly - he is drawing. I did not figure he would want to hold a pencil again for a while. Maybe that will teach him not to do stupid things. I thinking pooping in a lego - at 8 or any age - is pretty stupid. We also told him that next time we would make him tell all of his friends what he had done.

When punishing Caleb - you have to get creative!!!

P.S. The lego went straight to the trash - even though I thought Caleb should have to wash it (and then throw it away!).

Growing Caleb

The beginning of the school year, I went and got Caleb some new jeans, because he had outgrown all of his jeans from last year. We are only half way through the school year, and I am on my way back to the mall to find some jeans for Caleb. That is right - in 6 months he has already outgrown the size he started the year in!!

I am sure his age is a big part of this, and it will get much worse before it gets better!!

A Bad Sign For the Day to Come

We are in the process of packing - with me in throw out mode. This means we are filling our big WM trashcans in about 2 days tops. Our trash has been picked up a day late the last couple of weeks because of holidays. I guess this morning they were wanting to get it done, because when I came home from taking Isaac to school - the trashman was driving past the house WITH NO TRASH OUT!!

They don't usually come until noon or later, so I usually take the kids to school and come home and put it out. They saw me roll it to the road when I got home, but they did not come pick it up!! Now I am going to have to try to store trash in the garage - with all of the boxes - and hope that they will pick up all of the extra trash next week. Believe me - a week before move-in date there will be alot of trash!!

Hopefully this is NOT a sign of how my day will go!

Doggie Accident

Poor Trip (our cocker spaniel), Sunday, came in from outside with an occasional limp and yelp. I asked Paul to look at his foot, because he sometimes gets something stuck in his pads and it hurts. Paul looked, and unfortunately it was more than just a sticker in his foot. Somehow he had broke his dew claw, down past the quick.

He would not quit licking it so we decided to wrap it with some vetwrap we happened to have. It was so funny watching him - he would hold his paw straight up in the air like he was trying to give someone a high-5, except he would just hold his paw up like that (I told him it was probably good to keep it elevated!!). He would do this, that is, until we quit looking at him. Then he immediately started chewing the wrap!

So Monday morning he went to the vet. He was still in pain and the claw was bleeding occasionaly. The vet gave him a local anesthetic in the paw and then cut the claw off. Because of how far down he had broke it they had to cut all the way to the base of the claw. Now, he is on pain killers and an antibiotic for his foot. While we were there we discovered that he had an ear infection - which we have been battling off and on since we got him. The dr said it is probably just his breed, but that it was pretty bad. So on top of the two medicines for his paw, we have to flush out his ears every day and put drops in twice a day.

He is getting rather spoiled though. The pain killers are chewable, so we have no problems giving that to him. The antibiotic is a capsule. We have to put it in a piece of hot dog to get him to take it. Now, every time he sees us get into a medicine bottle, he runs to the refrigerator. It is amazing how long it takes to train a dog to do something like potty outside, or sit or heal, but you throw a hotdog in the mix and they get it in a day!!

I take care of his ears before I give him the hotdog/medicine. His ears are pretty sensitive so the first several times we gave him the drops or flush I literally had to sit over him (I did not put all of my pregnant body weight on him!!) and hold him while Paul took care of his ears! He is getting better at it though, because today Paul has been out of town and I have been having to do it by myself! After all of that I guess he deserves a treat!

He will be sorely disappointed at the end of the 10 days when he no longer gets a hotdog twice a day!! Lets hope he does not go injure himself again for the treat!

Stupid Criminal Story

I heard this story on the radio and think it tops the stupidest criminal list!!

A man walked into a Bank of America and wrote "Put all your cash into this bag." on the back of a deposit slip. He then went and stood in line to wait his turn. While standing in line he bagan to worry that someone may have seen him write the note and was afraid the police would be called before he even got his turn. So he left.

He went to the Wells Fargo bank across the street, and got into line. When it was his turn he handed the teller his note and bag. The teller says "I am sorry sir, but I cannot accept your stick up letter. It is on a Bank of America deposit slip so you will have to go back to Bank of America. Disappointed he said okay and left.

He was arrested a few minutes later in line at the Bank of America across the street!

HOW STUPID CAN PEOPLE REALLY BE?

Pictures

I know I have not posted many pictures of the boys lately. Before I get lectured from anyone, just let me say that things have been REALLY crazy lately. Between everyone being home, trying to find a house, buying a house and packing a house, I have a hard time remembering to do the everyday things!

I will get back on track - eventually! I will try harder to remember to get the camera out more now though - I am just not making any promises!

Scaring the Unborn

Last night was my monthly Bunko night. Usually, I have fairly good luck, but last night I was not rolling well!! Our little group gets pretty loud while we play and last night the person next to me got a bunko (or baby bunko) and started screaming with excitement. She scared the baby!!! He jumped so bad that the person sitting across the table from me SAW him jump!!

Mommy No More

Bryce likes to call me names other than Mommy. Don't get me wrong, they are not usually bad! For a long time he very lovingly called me MiMi. I don't know where it came from - I guessed he was just playing with sounds.

The last several days though, he has been calling me Baboo. This is awfully close to baboon, so I am not sure what to think about it. He still says it very sweet and lovingly - so that is a good thing. I guess I will start to worry if he calls me that when he is mad at me!

Milk

Bryce came in and asked for a drink of milk this morning. I grabbed him and played with him for a few minutes and then said "let's go get some milk."

He grabbed my hand, "We go to the farm for milk?"

He apparantly wanted it straight from the cow!

Picture of the House

This is not a great photo, but it gives you an idea of the house. I could not see what I was taking a picture of because the sun was shining in my face.

We went by the house yesterday and took photos of the yard and to check out the fence. I thought while I was there I would snap a picture of the house. They have put out the SOLD sign!!!

When we got home, we emailed the realtor and explained that we had talked to the builders agent about the yard. We told her that we had asked about getting it leveled and he said we should wait until the yard settles and the sod takes root. We told her that we did not think it made sense to wait until the sod takes root and then have to lay new sod. At that, the way the sod is under water and in some places floating on the water, the sod will rot before it ever has a chance to take root.

She is going to take care of it today and we are going to add an addendum to the contract saying that has to be fixed or in writing that it will be fixed within an alotted time - before we exchange any money. I will add a few photos of the yard so that you get an idea what we are dealing with. It will show a couple of the spots, but there are more that I can not get to load on here.

They are supposed to be coming tomorrow to put in our gasline, which somehow got forgotten. It is kind of important, since we have gas stove, heat and water heater!! Carpet should be here early this week and they said it should only take a day to lay it. As I said previously, they put the fence up the end of last week, except one spot in the front - so they can put the compressor in for the air conditioner.

Things are finishing up quickly!!! YEAH!!!!!

Wheelchair

Yesterday, after church, Caleb brought Daddy a Children's Tylenol bottle. It was empty. After we spent quite a while trying to figure out where the medicine went and who took it, we figured out that Bryce took the bottle out of my bag. I don't know how much was in the bottle, what he ate and what he threw out or hid. It had been a couple of days since he had gone through the bag, and he finally said he had eaten some Friday or Saturday.

Daddy was telling him he was going to have to go to the hospital and get some shots in the bottom. "No! I don't have a hole in my butt."

I will leave that one there!!

Caleb then starts telling him he will have to have a wheelchair when he gets to the hospital. He kept walking around asking what a wheelchair was, but noone would answer him (we are trying to scare him as much as we can!!). We got in the car to go to look at some stuff for the house and he really started getting concerned.

About 5 minutes into the trip, and Caleb telling him we were on the way to the hospital for his shots, Bryce frantically asks "WHAT IS A WHEELCHAIR? Is that what they stick in my butt?"

Moving Out

I was fixing lunch for the boys just now. Caleb was trying to use multiplication to figure out how many pieces of bread it was going to take to make 2 sandwiches for each one of them. He got it right! Then he had this to say: "When Bryce is 13, Isaac will be 15. When Isaac is 15, I will be 18 - then I will be out of this house!!"

"Yes, but when you are 18 and out of the house, you will have to have a job so you can pay for someplace to live."

"Oh." was the only response I got - along with a look of deep thought! I guess it was sounding as good then!

Rooms

Well, I have been trying to get a floorplan of the house on the blog. Hasn't happened yet. We finally got everything settled as to what is going where (until we move and decide we don't like it!). The boys bedrooms are 12x13, 12x12 and 10x10. Isaac and Bryce will be in the 12x13 (with a bunk bed), Caleb will be in the 10x10 (which is a change - he was going to get the 12x12) and the nursery will be the 12x12. We decided to give Caleb the smallest room instead of the baby because we decided to put a twin bed in the nursery for late nights and for when Paul's sister comes over.

I did not know how he would take the news that he was going to get the smaller room, but he took it well. I think at this point he is just so ready to have his own room, it could be a closet and he would be happy.

The other two are fine with sharing a room. Bryce is always scared, so he does not want his own room. I think Isaac doesn't care one way or the other. They are very concerned with not having a playroom. We just keep explaining that the toys will be in there room, but that I will start throwing them in the trash. Now, everytime they talk about it, they discuss how when

The New House

I just got back from returning a carpet sample to our builders. When I got there, the builder was the one there (we have been dealing with his agent before now). I gave him the carpet and he asked which house it was for. I told him and he started talking to me about the house.

He told me the gas company came out and apparantly the gas line never got laid. He said it was no big deal - they were coming out Tuesday to take care of it. He also said that the company they are ordering the carpet from is one they have never used, so while it SHOULD only take 3 or 4 days to get it, he can't really say because he has never dealt with these people. Other than that, he said the walls had some touch-up painting done, but it was done with the wrong color. He asked if I had noticed it. I told him we have only been over there one time with the lights on and we were only there long enough to pick out carpet. He said they were taking care of it.

I called Paul when I had left and he asked me to go by the house and see if the builder was there (he left when I did). The backyard - which has sod down - is very unlevel. It would not be to terrible a problem, except water is pooling in a few low spots. We mentioned this to the agent and he said that there was a one year warranty on it and if there was a problem, they could come back and level it. We have seen it twice now, after rain. We know it is going to be a problem. Paul wanted me to mention it to the builder and see if they could fix it before they put up the fence because the post are in, but the boards have not been put up. To level it correctly, the fence is going to have to come partially down.

Well, when I drove by, the builder was not there, but the guys were there building the fence!! I guess at this point it is there problem. We mentioned it to our real estate agent and the builders agent when we first looked at the house (it is always nice to look at a house in the rain! You see things like this!) and then we have mentioned it several times since. It will be mentioned again in the final walk-through!

To me it makes no sense to wait until the sod takes root and then either pull it up and start over or throw dirt on top of it and lay new sod. This is something we are just going to have to stand our ground on (no pun intended)!

Everyone seems to think the house is going to be ready very soon, and the lender called and said since the appraiser was coming out today, we will probably be ready to close before the original closing date of the 26th. That would be nice, but at the same time means more closing cost (they charge interest per day). We will see how things turn out and see what has to be done when we do our final walk-through!

Nursery Gloom!

I have spent the last 3 or 4 days looking for bedding for the nursery. I am very disappointed!!! As I said in a previous post, I wanted to do his room in green and brown. Well, I cannot find ANYTHING in green and brown. I was not even wanting a theme necessarily, just green and brown. I have one blanket that is green and brown, but cannot even find a brown or green (that will match the blanket) solid color bumper.

So, I have given up. I searched ebay, overstock, all of the department stores - nothing!! I keep showing Paul different bedding sets, he does not like any of them. I gave up on him, too. I finally broke down and "settled" on something. It is sky blue (I know, I did not want blue), chocolate brown and camel brown suede. I got it on ebay. It is a $300 set I got for $80. It is nine pieces (which that is a GREAT deal).

Paul does not really like it, nor anything else. When I ask him to help me look for something he says "that is your thing." Yet, when I choose something I like he says no. So, I asked him about this set. He said he did not like it. I told him I was going to watch the bidding and if it stayed low, I was going to bid because it was a great price for everything. He acted shocked last night when I told him I bid on it.

This is what I figured. From what I saw - I thought it was "okay," but the price was great. I told Paul if we get it and just really don't like it - I will put it back on ebay. There were several of them on there, and I got a good price compared to what some of the other auctions were going for. If we see something else we like better - we will ebay it.

I am almost 26 weeks pregnant and we have next to NOTHING for the baby! We have got to get going because we have a LOT to buy!!!

Livery

Yesterday we were outside playing and Bryce picked up a newspaper. He kept putting it in the mailbox. Every few minutes he would run to the mailbox saying that he needed to get his livery (sometimes it came out libery). It took us a minute to figure out what he was saying, but we finally did.

Rest In Peace President Ford

I watched the services for President Ford and today the burial. It was so neat today to see Mrs. Ford, who started in a wheel chair, get up and follow the casket all the way to the burial site. I also thought it was great that the Vice President was the one to present the flag to her. I can not imagine anything happening to Paul now, but I really can't imagine being married to someone for 58 (I think is what they said) years and then having to say goodbye to them. I guess this is why Paul and I have always said we would have to die together!

It was also very hard to watch. I guess this is the first military funeral I have seen since Paul's Dad died. I was doing good until I watched them fold the flag. Memories of Ron's funeral came flooding back. When the flag was presented to Mrs. Ford, I could vividly remember the flag that draped his father's casket being presented to him.

That was such a hard funeral - not just because it was my husbands father and my father-in-law, but it was also the first funeral Caleb had gone too and the first death he REALLY understood (as much as a 5 year old could). I remember at the funeral home, looking in to the chapel with the casket, and seeing Caleb - by himself - kneeling at the casket. I went in and talked to him with Lindsay. He had SO many questions. It was such an innocent picture to see such a small child kneeling at such a large casket.

I was so proud of him. We let him choose whether he wanted to go to the funeral, and he wanted too. The burial ceremony was on a different day, different location. As we were taking care of the many floral arrangements that had been sent, Caleb asked if he could save a sunflower (Pepa's had told Caleb that was his favorite flower) to put on his casket when he was buried. There was a portion of the burial ceremony where they said that Ron's eldest grandson would like to place a flower on his casket. I loved that they made it a part of the ceremony.

Caleb still loves seeing sunflowers and it is still is favorite flower. Every time he sees one he wants it because it reminds him of his Pepa. I am so glad that he chose to go to the funeral, and that he got to say goodbye to him. It is still hard on him at times, and he still remembers, but he got some closure by going.

I will never forget the one sunflower sitting on the top of that casket!

What A Busy Weekend

We got a lot accomplised this weekend. Since we are trying to be completely out of this house by February 1 (so we can go a month without any kind of rent or house payment), and we are suppose to close on January 26th, we spent the weekend packing and cleaning out the attic. We got A LOT done, I must say!

I am in throw out mode! I do not want to take a lot of junk to the new house. I would love to have my closets as closets for once! The attic is not set up to where we can put a whole lot in them, and eventually we will be getting a shed for the backyard, but for now - there is not a place for a lot of junk!

We spent a couple of hours pulling everything down from the attic and going through it all. Everything is now in the garage and organized and all trash thrown out. I have been saving boxes for a year and a half to two years - putting them in the attic. I did not realize how many boxes we had, between that and a friend who just recently moved and donated all of her boxes to me!

When we were done with the attic, we packed all the boxes we had. I am trying to get all of the stuff we can live without for a little while packed. I am having bouts of morning sickness again and don't want to put off getting stuff done and end up being sick the way I was the first trimester.

The plan - we close on the 26th and get the keys. We will make some runs in the cars (which won't hold too much!) that day and we will get a large Uhaul in Saturday. We will - hopefully - get everything moved Saturday and spend 27th through the 31st taking care of the rent house (I even offered to paint if they would get the paint - what was I thinking?? Trying to get my deposit back!!). Then I will spend the next couple of years unpacking! Packing is much quicker than unpacking!

We will be going tomorrow, probably, to pick out carpet. Then tomorrow evening we have a company coming to give us an estimate of getting gutters put on the front of the house and around the back porch. After they get the carpet down and stuff cleaned up, we will do a walk through with the realtor and make a list of anything that needs to be taken care of so that it can all be done and ready for us to move into on the 26th.

The New Year

I am very excited about the new year!! It is starting out great. We have a healthy family, a new baby on the way, and a new house we should be in by the end of the month. I hope it continues the way it has started!!

I also have the best husband ever in recordd history (his words!) It has been a nice 2+weeks having him home everyday (except for when I sent him for tape yesterday and he was gone for over an hour!). Unfortunately, he must return to work tomorrow. :(

I hope everyone has a great year and that God blesses them the way that he has blessed our family.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!!

Offer Accepted

We put in our offer for the house today and they had until 9 pm tomorrow to respond. They already responded and after a small amount of negotiation - we got the house. There was a compromise made, but we still got $7300 the total transaction (some off the house and they pay closing cost)! The builders response to our last offer was "start packing!"

Looks like we will be in a NEW house by the end of the month!!!! HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It Wasn't Me

Bryce has gotten really bad lately about blaming everything on his brothers - even when we watch him do what he is denying. I went to get him up to go potty before I went to bed tonight and he got up repeating "It wasn't me" over and over. I guess that is his life motto now!!

Pictures of House

We made an offer on the house today - we should know by tomorrow night if they accept our offer. These are not the best pictures, I took them quickly today while working on paperwork. I did not get any outside pictures because it was pouring. If they accept our offer we will go pick out the carpet color this week. We should be closed and get the house on the 26th if everything goes as planned.

The boys went with us to the house today. They are all very excited and other than concern about how dirty the house is (it is still a construction site) and the fact that there is not carpet or flooring - just concrete - they really like the house. In some of the pictures there are spots in the photo - that is where the boys kicked up all kinds of dust and the flash got it all.

I was just joking about the master closet and linen closet. Paul will get to put his clothes in the real closet (I will just take up more space than him!!). I took a picture of the shower and whirlpool bathtub, but for some reason it will not upload into the slide show. You can see the tub a little in the picture with the sinks though.

The kitchen will be changed a little bit. Since we already have a black refrigerator and all of the appliances in the house are white, the agent for the builder told us that they could switch the white for black (same appliance just different color). So we will have black appliances when we move in.

Looking For a New House

We have been looking for a house the past couple of weeks - hoping to move before the baby comes. We got preapproved for a loan, but finding a house here has proved difficult. Between our wants and the fact that really, with as much as this city is growing, it is hard to find nice property for sale.

The problem we have run into is that there are several new subdivision, but they are trying to squeeze as many houses as they can into these areas so they are not putting yards with the houses. I don't mean they are not putting grass down - I mean if you were to take your lawn mower one or two strips the width of the house - you would be done mowing your back yard. I have 4 boys and dogs - a back yard is a MUST!!!

So we found a house we loved in a subdivision we loved. We met with our realtor today for the first time and she showed us the house. We knew the house had been listed previously and had been taken off the market and relisted with a different realtor at about $6000 more than previously listed for.

We got there before the realtor and walked around the house. We noticed that we could not see any foundation on the house and the backyard seemed kind of soggy. When the realtor got there she informed us that the house had flooded several times. I thought she meant the backyard - nope - she meant the HOUSE had flooded. From the back door to the front door had flooded. All of the yards slope down into this houses yard and the water goes straight through the house. When you look at the base boards in the living room - you can tell!

Of course we did not make an offer. Go figure - Paul works with mold A LOT and once you got it getting rid of it is not easy! We decided to go look at one more subdivision where they are still building. The realtor called the builder and found out how to get in. The house is within a couple of weeks of being finished. There is no carpet down yet and they need to finish the 8 foot privacy fence in the backyard and then just cleaning the house.

A representative for the builder actually came out while we were there. It was kind of nice having him there because any questions we had about the structure etc., he could answer. IF we decide we want the house pretty quick, we will be able to pick what color carpet we want - out of there choices. It is nice because the house is close enough to being done that we don't have to wait forever, but we can still make some choices on the interior.

I am going to try to get some photos of the inside of the house tomorrow. We are meeting with the realtor again and we are going to go back to the house and take another look around. If we decide on this house we could be moving in by the end of January!! Wish us luck as we go through this headache again!!!

Santa?

I should have mentioned that Caleb has really questioned last year and this year if Santa is real. He makes comments about how Daddy and Mommy are Santa. Then when we are talking about Christmas and Santa - he suddenly starts talking about Santa.

Friday after we got the boys picked up from school, Paul opened the garage where the Santa gifts were. Caleb saw his Capsela box - even though he did not know what they were - he knew he was not supposed to see them.

That evening I told the boys that Santa had to drop off some presents early because his sleigh was too full. I told them he was still going to come to fill their stockings and they bought it and were fine with it. We had already planned to put the Capselas together and put the extras in a tub, but I did not know if Caleb would put it all together. (We threw the box away before he got up this morning.)

I don't mind Caleb knowing the truth about Santa, but I don't want him to spoil it for his brothers and if he knows - he will tell EVERYONE!! He is such a realist - he questions EVERYTHING!

Last night, Paul had a fire going in the fireplace. Isaac and Bryce were concerned about how Santa would get in the chimney without "burning his butt!" Before anyone could say anything, Caleb says "he has special clothes that won't let him get burned." The boys bought it and they were fine after that.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Last night we sat down and read Luke 2 to the boys. It has been so neat to hear them talk about how Christmas is to celebrate Jesus' birth. This is the first year they have all started to really understand everything. Caleb started out the reading, but was having a hard time with some of the words so asked Daddy to finish it.

We put out cookies for Santa last night and some oats for the reindeer. We were going to make cookies, but at 6:15 last night I realized we had no eggs and all of the stores closed at 6.

The boys got up at almost 7 this morning (we figured they would be up much earlier). They came and got us before they went to look under the tree though! Caleb got Capsela's - which are motorized science models. You can build many different things from cars to planes to boats and they are motorized. He had never even heard of these (Paul had them growing up), but when he saw the crane that "Santa" had set up this morning - he got VERY excited about them.

Isaac got a GameBoy and accessories. This is all he has been asking for!! Caleb will be glad because this means Isaac will stop playing his Gameboy!

Bryce got a Knight castle from Playmobile. I love their toys because they are so detailed. Last year Caleb got their pirate ship and accessories. Bryce spent the majority of today playing with the castle. He had been asking Santa for it and I think he got a bit more than he had expected!

Then they opened their gifts. Caleb got a Razor scooter, a microscope and lots of different science experiment kits. He has been busy today building and experimenting. We got him a tool box to hold all of his science stuff in and a lock to keep his brothers out of it.

Isaac got a big R/C Corvette, some games and movies for his Gameboy and a board game. He drove the R/C around the house as much as he could, but with all the toys all over the floor - space is a little limited.

Bryce got a fire department sleeping bag, a firetruck alpabet book and a big wheels. He was so cute laying in the sleeping bag while playing with his castle.

Over all, the boys had a great day. The boys had cornish game hens and Paul and I had tbone steaks - which Paul did an AWESOME job on - as always!! We had a few sides and some pies, but we did not do as much food as we normally do for the holidays.

What A World

We passed a liquor store today that had a nativity scene outside of it. For some reason those two just don't seem to mix!!??

Christmas at the Capitol

Isaac's Birthday Cupcakes

We got Isaac's cupcakes for his birthday from Walmart. Apparantly, the woman that checked us out was having a bad day. We bought about $30 worth of cupcakes (and 2 bags of candy) for the three boys Christmas parties. After she rang them up she threw (I mean threw them) in a bag sideways!!

I don't care how bad your day is - you don't throw someones cupcakes in a bag. This is what Isaac's birthday cupcakes ended up looking like:

Family Fun

We spent this evening out having fun. We decided to take the boys to a park in North Little Rock that had a drive thru Christmas light display. It cost $5 and was worth it to hear the excitement of the kids as they determined what each display was. It only took about 10 minutes, tops to SLOWLY drive thru, but it was fun.

Then we took them to the capitol to see the lights. We took pictures and video and as soon as I get the pictures off the camera. The kids had a lot of fun running around and the capitol was beautiful with all of the Christmas lights.

Then we went to the bookstore. Caleb spent his birthday money on a science experiment kit. He got a microscope for Christmas (they all got to open one gift today). So, tomorrow will be spent making slides with whatever he can find and examing under the microscope and making science experiments.

We finished the night off with a trip to Krispy Kreme Donuts. I have never been inside one before, only through the drive thru. It was really neat. You walk in and they immediately give you a glazed donut. You get to see the entire process of the donuts being made. The boys were fascinated - as were Paul and I. The boys each got a Christmas sprinkle donut and milk. The donuts were so warm and soft!!

Now we are back home and the boys are all playing with the gifts they got to open today. Isaac picked out the game MouseTrap - which he is not really old enough to play, but we improvise and he manages to be happy with it. Bryce got a big truck with lights and sound (because there is not enough sound in this house full of boys). It also has a big trailer with a pair of jet skies and lots of little pieces (like a cooler, tool box, floor jack, etc.). Maybe these will hold them over until Christmas morning.

Paul Plays Tip the Cow

Have you ever heard of cow-tipping or tipping the cow. Well, it is a game Paul has recently picked up. An example is we were working on dinner just now and I was getting a pot out of the cabinent. He decided he needed a can opener out of the drawer above my head, so he decided he would act like he was going to hit me with the drawer.

He acted like he was going to open it and I moved quickly to keep from getting hit - except I am already off balance so when I move to dodge him - I fall over. I fell (literally) for it twice! I asked him if he had taken up cow-tipping and he came to try to tip me over!!

Such a supportive husband!

Busy Weekend

I know I have kinda slacked a little lately in postings, but this is a busy time of year. This past weekend we went down to Texas for a BUSY weekend. I got to go see my best friend graduate college. She has been working very hard for a long time to raise her three boys and get a degree and she did, finally, and graduated cum laude!! I am very proud of her and happy for her.

Then Sunday we went and saw my Aunt get baptized. It was so great to hear her wonderful testimony - it was a long road for her to get where she is!! It was also great to see everyone. She got baptized in the church that Paul and I went to before we moved away. We got to see many friends there, on top of my parents, grandmother, aunt, and cousins (and their husbands).

The boys had a long weekend. We got up at 4:30 Saturday morning so we could make it to graduation in time. Thanks Mom, Dad and Aunt Linda for keeping the boys so Paul and I could go together. The boys really enjoy spending time with Aunt Linda!

Paul has had this week off and has next week off, so we have been getting last minute Christmas stuff done while the boys are still in school. Unlike most schools, our schools don't get out until tomorrow.

A Possible Name

We are thinking of the name Andrew Alanison.

Andrew was a name Paul came up with in the car the other day. It is the first name one of us has come up with where the other did not immediately say no. Alanison is Paul's great-uncles middle name (it was a family name). Paul was very close to him and they had a lot in common. He to this day speaks of him VERY frequently, although he died many many years ago. I wish I had gotten the chance to meet him! We wanted to use at least part of his name somewhere, so that is how we chose this name.

The boys all like the name and can all say it clearly already, but we still have several months to change our mind!

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY ISAAC

What's In A Name

In researching different names to find the perfect name for No-Name, we stumbled across something somewhat disturbing. Caleb is faithful, Spencer (which was a family name) is dispenser of provisions.

Isaac is full of laughter and Avery is one who is a wise ruler.

Now, Caleb is faithful and Isaac is full of laughter so when it was time to name the third baby, we thought we would try out the theory that you determine who your child becomes by what you name him. It backfired!

Bryce Allen- in the book we were looking at - was ambitious and quiet. Now I am seeing different meanings that are strong and alert and handsome. It definently backfired, because he is far from quiet!!

We will not rely quite as heavily on the meaning with this baby!!

Big Belly

I meant to post this a couple of weeks ago and forgot. My last post reminded me of it. When we were at the store last week, Bryce told me that he had a baby in his tummy. I told him he didn't and I did. He pulled his shirt up and exclaims "Look my belly is big - I have a baby in it."

The other people standing around us got a BIG kick out of him!

Baby Playroom

Bryce and I were walking through Target this morning looking at baby stuff and getting Daddy's stocking stuffers! We stopped to look at the baby stuff - which I am guilty of doing everytime we go in a store. I was looking at bedding stuff and across the aisle were baby toys. Bryce asked if we could get the baby a toy.

I told him that the baby would not need many toys for quite a while. "Baby brother doesn't have a playroom in your belly?"

I AM his playground, apparantly, but I did not tell Bryce that!

Baby or Octopus?

I don't know for sure that we are having a baby. I think, quite possibly, we are having an octopus. How else can he be EVERYWHERE inside me at once - and he is not SUPPOSE to be very big right now (I guess we will see if he is more than two weeks too big still next week when we visit the dr.).

I guess I spoke too soon in the previous post about having a calm baby! The last couple of days the baby has been HURTING me. I don't know what body part he is sitting on - but it is very uncomfortable (and when he gets off that body part he moves to my BLADDER!).

He moves non-stop the last couple of days and it is already getting pretty uncomfortable. Paul thinks it is funny and actually makes him move more. I think, if he is not an octopus and is in fact a human, he will be a great boxer!!

Childhood Memory

I was just reminded about something that happened when we were growing up. I am talking to my sister and we are being immature (go figure).

When we were younger, we were at home and my parents were gone. Well, since there are four of us, we all managed to get into trouble when Mom and Dad were gone. One day, in particular, we still frequently laugh about.

I don't even remember why this happened, but my older brother and sister HUNG my little brother in my parents closet - FROM HIS UNDERWEAR. We are talking the ultimate wedgie!!! I hope my kids don't read this before they are old enough to not do this, but it is just one of those childhood memories you will never forget!!

It was not funny to him then, but he laughs WITH us about it now! I am scared to know what other memories will be commented on now, but at least I control what stays!! HAHA!

To Papa (again)

Bryce was just looking at the blog and saw the last post to you. He got excited when he saw the Potato Heads and screams "My Papa is a Potato Head!!"

We love you!!!

Lindsay:

In response to your comment about your lost item:

What you don't understand is that being the only woman living with a house full of guys, is that I have to keep a mental filing cabinet of everything I see - especially if I KNOW it is out of place because they cannot find anything on their own!!

On top of that - when they ask "Where is....?" It is not enough to tell them, because chances are something is covering it up and they can not look under ANYTHING (half the time if it is in the open they can't find it). Therefore, I actually have to go get it and hand it to them.

It is really kind of funny because I have gotten to where I don't even tell them where something is when they ask, I just get up and get it. Paul always says "If you will just tell me I will get it." But I know that I will have to go get it anyway, so I just save time and words!!!

SO... when I saw a purse in the cabinet UNDER YOUR STOVE, it kinda stood out in my head! Even several weeks later - that one was easy to remember!!

OOPS!!

I don't know that Paul will be taking the boys Christmas shopping for me again!! Between Caleb coming home and telling me how much they spent on me and then Bryce today - I think that is it!! He had already told me what he was planning on getting me, so when Caleb told me what they spent, it kind of gave away what it was.

Paul brought it in and showed it to me since Caleb gave it away. Well, this morning, I could not find my camera. I asked Bryce if he had seen it. "Yes, it is in the car. It is BIG and it is a surprise for you."

I was asking about my little digital camera, and he was telling me about the camcorder they got me for Christmas. I guess after he said that he went to my room to look for my digital and saw the bag with the camcorder because he brought it to me and said "Here it is! Do you like it?"

Aren't kids great. You don't even have to carefully unwrap in this house to peek at what you are getting because the kids can't keep it secret - even when they are trying too!!!

Good news - you will now be able to see clearer video of the kids!!!

Bryce

To Papa

Bryce made this Mr. Potato Head and said it was Papa. I am not sure, but we will just say that is a "man purse."

He was very proud of it and asked me to mail it to Papa. I did not think it would make it in one piece, so I asked if I could take a picture and send to him instead. He reluctantly agreed. So here you go Papa!!!

Isaac and Bryce Performing

Isaac is the one on the end














Bryce is the short one in the middle - this is before he spotted Mommy and Daddy in the audience and ran off stage in the middle of the performance (yelling "Mommy! Daddy! in happiness).














Isaac and Bryce performed with their choirs at the Thanksgiving service. Again - the pictures aren't the best, but the best I could get!

Caleb's Church Performance

Our church had a missions dinner a couple of weeks ago. Caleb's choir sang some of the songs that they were going to sing in their Christmas performance. The pictures aren't great, but it is the best I can get with my little camera!!

The kids were told to where something Christmas-y, and Caleb had outgrown everything, so we had to go get something for him. This is what he picked out to wear! I was pretty impressed that he picked this when the other kids were not this dressed up!

Manipulation

I think I finally realize why a very manipulative person was put in my life!! It was in preperation for Bryce!! I have never seen such a manipulative three year old before, but I think if I had not had a very manipulative person in my life previously to teach me how to handle it, I would not be able to handle Bryce.

God does not give us more than we can handle, and he has, what we may feel, are strange ways to teach us and prepare us. For me, this was a way to prepare me for my most important task - raising my children.

People ask me when I drop Bryce off why all of a sudden he throws fits when I try to leave - because up until probably September or October, he never has. Now it is every time I take him. I tell people he is TRYING to manipulate me. I have had mothers who cannot understand how I can leave him and walk off with him throwing a fit, that it is seperation anxiety and I should not leave him.

No - it is manipulation. That is why he can tell me, in the car on the way to school, "if you drop me off at school and leave I WILL be bad." (those are HIS words!!) And, then he is bad at school.

Don't get me wrong. It is not just when I go drop him off. It is ALL the time. When I get on to him for something - "I want my Daddy!" is all I hear. Because I have been so warn out from being manipulated - before Bryce was even born, he does not stand a chance. We play battle of the wills - and mine usually wins! I want to break him of this before he starts relationships (friendships) outside of the home!!!

Psalms 127

v.3 Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

I have been quadrupally blessed. It is not always easy to see the "reward" in them, but you always do! I really wanted a girl, but was surprisingly accepting of hearing that we were having a boy. God has a reason for giving me four boys. Maybe it is the lessons that I have, am and will learn from them (I know you can learn lessons from girls too). I will continue to love my boys and will always find the "gift" in them - even when I really have to search!!

Children are too often seen as libilities rather than assets. If we take the time to listen to them and watch them they can teach us many lessons from their inquisitive minds and trusting spirits. How can we treat them as an inconvienence when they are so highly valued by God? They are great gifts of God.

This is my life verse (for now anyway) because when the days are exceptionally trying with the boys - I can read this and remember that the boys are mine and Paul's rewards from God.

I searched for a month for this verse, and could not find it. I even had a couple of other people looking for it. Yesterday, while talking to a friend, she said that she randomly opened her Bible and started reading. This was what she read. When she started telling me I got really excited and asked the verse. She said for some reason she thought it was Psalms 127, but she was probably wrong. When she went and looked it up - it was "the" chapter I have been searching for all this time!!

I guess God made her open to that passage to reward me for the month of searching!!

You Continuously Amaze Me!!

I hosted our monthly Bunko group at my house last night, which meant the boys had to leave for the evening. Paul was wanting to take the boys to Putt-Putt, only to find out that one of our local Putt-Putt places was already closed for the summer and the other one closes at 7pm (which they had to be gone from 7-9).

When we found this out, I got online and looked to see what movies were showing. Paul was going to take the boys to see Happy Feet - so I thought.

He came home and cleaned out the fish tank and then headed out, but not before he told me he had changed his plans. Instead of going to the movies, where the kids would be sitting and quiet and busy, he decided he was going to do some Christmas shopping. He said they were going to get my present and he was going to let the boys pick out one gift each (for themselves).

He took them to Burger King for dinner and let them play for a while. Then he took them to TOYS R US and Best Buy!!! Now, he has not taken all the boys shopping by himself more than a couple of times - and we are talking Walmart for groceries or last minute gifts type of thing. I don't even like going to Toys R Us with one kids by myself and he took them ALL!! Very impressive!

The boys came home very excited. They all ran in (while there were still people here) and started announcing what they each got. Then Caleb announced how much was spent on my present - which was a give away to the gift!!

All in all it was a good night. Paul said that Isaac and Bryce behaved very well and Caleb had some issues - just like all weekend!! Now I need to go clean my kitchen!!!!!!!

Calm Baby

Last night I got a little concerned because I had not felt the baby move all day. He is definently the calmest baby - so far anyway. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. The other boys were ALWAYS very active when I was pregnant with them.

After I got in bed, which is when he usually starts moving around, I tried to get him to move for a while. Could not get him to do it. I finally got him to move just a little. I think what was going on was he was facing inward, his butt and back were against my stomach.

This morning, I got up early and worked a Christmas banquet for our church's food pantry. I worked for about 4 hours and then came home and laid down. I spent most of the day being lazy in bed and Baby was making up for his lack of movement before. Paul had his arm over my stomach and Baby did not like the lost space apparantly because it did not matter where Paul's arm was on my stomach, he was kicking it.

He moved around non-stop for the 4 hours or so I laid in bed (I told you I was being lazy). I got up and actually got busy doing housework, and have not felt him since, but at least I know he is still in there!!!

Bad Weekend

Last night the boys had choir practice at church because they are all performing Sunday (their Christmas programs). Isaac and Bryce had practice from 6-7:30, and Caleb from 6-11. When we got Isaac and Bryce and we were leaving, they were very concerned because we were not getting Caleb. The entire way home they kept asking where he was and why we were leaving him there. The closer we got to home, they started saying maybe he was home! Bryce kept saying that "we" don't have 3 kids anymore - just two. When we asked about the baby in my tummy he says "Oh yeah, we don't have four kids anymore - just three."

It is amazing how the boys do nothing but fight and argue when they are together, but show such love and concern when they think we have "forgotten" one of them.

Caleb, oh Caleb. He got in SO much trouble last night. I made Paul go pick up Caleb and he got grabbed up as soon as he walked in by the choir directors. Apparantly, Caleb got into a fight with another kid. On top of that, he was not listening, hiding behind partitions when he was suppose to be doing other things. It was not a good evening!!! He says that the other kids started the fight, but I explained that as soon as the other kid started something he should have gone and gotten a teacher. I was not there, and don't know what really happened, but his behavior thus far this weekend has not been good!!

Bryce and the Alphabet

Bryce has known how to sing the alphabet for a while now. Now, though, he can RECOGNIZE the alphabet. He knows every letter, with no problems, except T, L, Z, E. We have to work a little harder at these. I am so proud of the progress he is making!

New Cravings!

Goodbye raw potatoes!! I have finally moved past the raw potatoe craving and moved on to much better (and normal) things. As we speak, my wonderful husband (at 9pm) is making me pancakes and bacon. I was really wanting pancakes last night and again today, but I could not wait any longer.

And yes, we did eat dinner. This is the "fourth meal" - and they are awesome pancakes!!

I Am Seriously Scared!!

Mom called me this morning and told me to tell Paul how much I love him and appreciate him because you never know when he could just drop dead and I would never be able to tell him that. Luckily, we tell each other all the time, but never enough!

Apparantly, a man at the church she works for, a very athletic man, literally dropped dead. They are waiting for an autopsy report to know for sure what happened.

Well, tonight I was watching a show with the same theme. Appreciate what you have and let people that you love know how you feel about them while you can, because you never know what tomorrow holds (or even a minute from now!).

It kind of has me scared. Why is this a common topic today? Is something going to happen? I can see little sleep tonight!

Presents

Today I wrapped the only two Christmas presents I have bought so far. I put them under the tree and, of course, the boys noticed pretty quick after walking in the door from school. There is one for Caleb and one for Bryce.

Isaac asked where his was and I told him I did not have one for him yet. He told me when I got one HE would help me wrap it. I told him that would not work because then he would know what he was getting. He said he knew that - that is why he wanted to help!

Retained Information!

It is so funny the things that kids retain (and even "funnier" the things they don't!!). Caleb is to the point of obsession and annoyance with recycling. He wants to recycle EVERYTHING!! If he sees me throwing something away he lectures me about recycling. He wants to save EVERYTHING because "I might want to use it for something later to recycle." He keeps asking if we will save different size boxes so he can "make a city," as a way to recycle.

The funniest thing though. The other day he told me I needed to quit driving so much. I asked why and he said to save trees because of gas. I told him the gas was not made from the trees and he said he knew that but gas leaks and when it rains it runs into water and trees and then kills the trees.

He can't remember what I told him to do 2 minutes ago, but he can tell me how gas effects trees!!

Nursery

I have decided on the colors for the baby room. Paul and I were talking about it yesterday and he said that the decorating was my thing. I told him I wanted it to be our thing and his response - "Okay, lets do his room in Superman!"

OBSESSED I'M TELLING YOU!!!!

I am doing green (like a mint green and brown). I got this blanket:



















(the colors look a little off on the computer) from Target and really liked the colors. It comes from this collection:












I don't know that I am going to go with a theme or just the colors, but I have had my fill of blue! I have not done a whole lot of searching on bedding yet, just decided the colors I wanted.

Superbaby

We are still looking for a baby name - this is not easy. I love the names the boys have, and they all flow so well, which is putting a lot of extra pressure for a perfect name. Never mind the fact that this child will be stuck with this name for HIS ENTIRE LIFE - unless we really screw up and he changes it when he is older!

Paul - he has a couple of names that he keeps coming back too every time we talk about names. They are Clark and Kent. Does that sound familiar? Clark Kent? SUPERMAN!!!

I told him that I am not having Superman. He responded with "I know, you are having Superbaby!"

See what I am dealing with!?!?

Company Christmas Party

Friday we went to Paul's company Christmas party. It is always nice to go every year because there are not a whole lot of times that I get to go out and be around other adults - kid free!!

Every year the company puts on a slide show. Throughout the years, when the employees are out of jobs, they take pictures. They take the best, funniest pictures and compile them for a slide show at the party. They are usually hilarious. This year - during the slide show - something hilarious happened to me.

For those of you that read this frequently, you may remember that a little while back Paul accidently told a guy at work "I love you" at the end of a phone conversation. Well, at the party, I ended up sitting between Paul and the guy that he said that too, Bill. During the slide show, I we had our chairs turned around so we could see the slide show. Paul was kind of sitting behind me instead of beside me.

A newer co-worker came up and asked if he could take our picture. Bill said "yeah, I guess." The guy taking the picture told Bill and I to move closer and act like we like each other. "We can, but man she is Paul's wife." This was funny enough, just the mix-up, but I immediately thought of the phone conversation where Paul ended with I love you.

I ended up in some funky love triangle or something!! The guy took the photo, but I had Bill and Paul with their arms around me - and I am dying laughing (could not compose myself for the photo!!). Here is the picture:

Isaac's a Man!!!

Tonight I was telling Bryce he should sleep in pjs because he always wakes up an ice cube (he won't sleep under a blanket). Isaac said he wanted to sleep in pjs and I said he shouldn't because he is a sweat-er.

Bryce says "Nu-uh, Isaac's not a sweater he is a ki...man - quit calling him names."

"Are you a kid?"

"Yes."

"What is Caleb?"

"He's a guy."

Montana Who?

Last week, after school one day, I was watching Rachael Ray on tv. She had on Joe Montana as her guest. Caleb just heard the name Montana and asked if it was Hannah Montana (while he was looking at the screen). He was telling me that all of the girls in his class were in love with Hannah Montana, but that she was like 16. I explained who Joe Montana was.

Well, I am talking to my sister, Heather, while I was typing this. Apparantly she watched the same show and her son, Corran, who is about Caleb's age, walked in and asked who the man was. Heather told him it was Joe Montana, a football player. Corran asked if it was Hannah Montana's husband!!

Neither one of the boys watch Hannah Montana (we don't even have Disney), so she is apparantly well known among the kids!!