Krumwiede Kidlet overload!!!

Chad's family (his mom and dad, brother, sister-in-law, and their twins) arrived at our house at about 6pm and talk about kidlet overload :) The kids had a blast together. Delainey is totally in love with her cousin Kellen and they really are the best of buds...Delainey had his laughing so hard that he could hardly breathe... They are perfect for each other!!! They are both rough, tumble kiddos.

Tracy (SIL) and I quickly discovered that Shelby and Shea sound EXACTLY alike and were often answering to "mommy' from the wrong kids LOL...

Hopefully I can snag some of the pictures Tracy took of the kids but they had a blast!!! More to report tomorrow


AND YES NANCY... I AM STILL HERE AND STILL PREGNANT... 36 WEEKS TOMORROW BABY!!! WOOHOO

Happy 4th Birthday Delainey

I can hardly believe that our 'baby' is four years old today. When I think about how wonderful the last four years have been I just cry (happy tears of course). She has brought so very much joy into our lives that I can't even fully put it into words. She made me a mom...the one thing that I always wanted to be.

She is such a precious gift and I feel so very blessed that I 'get' to be her mommy. Are there days that she tries my patiences and makes me see red, but that beautiful smile of hers can melt my sour mood in an instant. She is a joy in my life that was missing before her.... Mommy loves you Delainey Chevelle.... you mean the world to me precious baby girl.

!@#$%^&*

Well apparently the holidays going smoothly at my house had to come back to bite me in the arse!! This evening after dinner, I cleaned up the kitchen, started the dishwasher, went down stairs and started a load of towels *you all know my never ending laundry saga* and came back up to get all the kids ready for bed.
Once everyone was in bed and asleep I started picking up etc (my evening chores you know LOL) and took the kids' load of laundry down to the basement to switch out the load, well upon entering my laundry room I smelled something "odd"... so as I walk closer to my washing machine, which happens to be right next to the laundry tub/sink and first I notice water rather high in the tub *Thankfully it had not run over on to the laundry that is always on the floor* and in the water is pieces of food floating.... long story short my plumbing is rejecting it's Thanksgiving dinner... :( Thankfully it is only the kitchen drain effected (and there for my laundry system as well) so the nice and pricey rotorooter man will be coming to my house bright and early in the am. I had called the 1-800 number that said 24/7 just to see if it 'could' wait till the am and the gentleman said "well is it my house or your house"... and I of course responded with "your house of course" and he said "Well since I don't want to pay triple the price to fix it, I'd wait till morning"... so I am glad that he was honest and said that it could wait till the am...and to be honest I probably wasn't going to do much more laundry tonight anyways...

Oh well... at least I have a coupon right??? LOL

Finally....

a recall that works to my benefit HA!!

Ok, I know that recalls on toys and products is not a laughing matter but for the first time one works in my favor (mind you I have had to deal with Fischer Price several times, Britax, Graco and Simplicity all in the past 4 months) but the Boppy Recall could not have come at a better time for me. See when I bought my boppy while nursing the twins I bought a pretty fancy cover for it...well I was JUST GETTING READY to buy a replacement when this recall was issued and now the very nice (and rather expensive) boppy cover that I purchased is being replaced for free... hee hee :)

Woman

* I do not normally pass along forwards etc, but I really felt that this one should be shared...for obvious reasons*

WOMAN:

By the time the Lord made woman, He was into his sixth day of working overtime. An angel appeared and said, "Why are you spending so much time on this one?" And the Lord answered, "Have you seen my spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, had a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart and she will do everything with only two hands."

The angel was astounded at the requirements. "Only two hands? No way! And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."

"But I won't," the Lord protested. "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can work 18 hour days."

The angel moved closer and touched the woman. "But you have made her so soft, Lord."

"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?" asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate."

The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak," the Lord corrected, "that's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride." The angel was impressed.
You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing."

And she is!

Women have strengths that amaze men. They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy. They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry. They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous. They fight for what they believe in. They stand up to injustice. They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution. They go without so their family can have. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend. They love unconditionally. They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards. They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding. Their hearts break when a friend dies. They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left. They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart. Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning. They bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideals. They give moral support to their family and friends. Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,

IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

PLEASE pass this along to all your women friends and relatives to remind them just how amazing they are.

35 weeks 1 day

YAY BABY!!! Two more days and I will be pregnant the LONGEST EVER :) well for me :) We have no signs/symptoms or reason to believe that we will not make it to a 'proper' baby day. I have all my appointments scheduled for the rest of the pregnancy and Chad and I have gotten into major baby prep mode.
We have the crib all set up with bedding washed, clothes washed etc and basically we are just waiting for "the day". We have not installed the base for the car seat just yet as with Shelby and Avery in the 3rd row seat of the van it is easier for me to put them in while sitting on the folded down chair (yes, it is a site to see LOL) and since Chad is a car seat pro I have faith that he will be able to handle it.

Delainey's "Friends" Birthday party...

It was a learning experience to say the least ;)

The kids seemed to have a lot of fun and Delainey was spoiled rotten and got far to much stuff, but overall it was a lot of fun. I do now realize why several of Delainey's friends did not have friend birthday parties this year :)

I would love to share pictures but because all of the pictures have other people's children in them I do not feel comfortable doing so...so I am very sorry. I will post some after her family party this coming Saturday.

Christmas Season Mission Step One Completed

Well a few days ago I posted a message about having the children go through their 'gently' used toys to donate them to a local community program and today we did it. Shelby and Avery weren't too much help but Delainey was wonderful.

At one point she picked up a doll and said "Mommy, I think we have loved this baby enough and a new little girl should get to love her for awhile"...and then gently placed the doll into the tub of toys that Delainey had been sorting to 'leave'.

It brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my face. She is growing up so fast and has such a sweet/kind heart...and I don't think we praise her enough for her 'good' moments. She is growing into such a 'big' girl that I can hardly believe how fast it has been going.

Chad and I are seriously considering donating even more of the kids' toys to the 'cause' but we want to make sure that is what we want to do as there are 'some' toys that the kids could/would play with more if I were to be better about 'rotating' them.

Thank goodness...

I have so very much to be thankful for this year at Thanksgiving and was able to thank God for it today, but I am so glad that the day is actually over. I am not sure if I forgot how hectic is can be to serve/host Thanksgiving for close to 30 people or if I was just tired today.

We were able to have a wonderful meal with a lot of family and spend a lot of quality time catching up and just chit chatting... it was really nice. Shelby and Avery were able to play with some "babies" (my cousin's twin girls) and while they were fun for awhile, Avery made no secret that the 'baby go by-by" was what she wanted... Me thinks we are going to have a bit more of an adjustment period where Brody is concerned verse when Shelby and Avery joined our family, but I know that the girls will do great as they are special little girls and so many people love them.

Delainey is now looking forward to her 'friend' party on Sunday, Her actual birthday on Wednesday (the 28th, which she happens to share with her twin cousins Kellen and Shea) and finally her Uncle Brian, Auntie Tracy, Cousins Kellen and Shea and Grandpa and Grandma Krumwiede coming out on Friday (the 29th) so they can be here to celebrate her 'family' birthday party. She is so excited...she is talking about it NON-STOP...

I can't believe my 'baby' is 4 years old (well almost), I mean I can't help but think that at this time four years ago I was admitted to the hospital to be induced because of my blood pressure problems (She was born on "black" Friday 2003)... The joy she has brought to our lives is just unspeakable... ok, enough of this...I'll save the rest for her 'Birthday post" next Wednesday rather than sitting here bawling at my computer tonight.

We hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! God Bless!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Our family would like to wish you and yours a wonderful, happy and safe Thanksgiving Holiday!
God Bless!!!

Is it to late...

to re-think having Thanksgiving at my house??? HA!!

I have spent the better part of the day (ok you who know me know that it took me all day) cleaning my house, prepping all my stuff for tomorrow ( I have all my veggies for my veggie tray ready, my green bean casserole and snicker salads all prepped, I have the eggs boiled for my deviled eggs) and aside from my bathroom (the kids are all getting baths in the am etc) my house is almost spotless. All I have to do tomorrow is resweep the kitchen floor, put the turkey in the over, and peel my potatoes :)

Long story short.... I AM BEAT!!! LOL

Christmas Cards

ARE IN THE MAIL!!! WOOHOO!!

I am so proud of myself... Chad thinks I am looney (when didn't he to be honest) but I wanted to get them out as soon as possible because I was so afraid that Brody will arrive and I won't 'get' to them. Plus after Brody's arrival I want to be able to get birth announcements etc out too. I know.. I am a freak, but I LOVE sending people mail that aren't bills :)

34 weeks 3 day appointment

Had my appointment today, and everything is going really well. BP, weight, HB etc was all good. I was able to schedule all my appointments up until delivery date, so that is reassuring and now I can plan a bit more. I am measuring 36 weeks rather than 34 but the doc isn't too concerned about that... maybe I'll have a 'real' sized baby this time :) *Delainey is our current 'heavy weight' at 5lbs 6ozs LOL*

Over all things are looking great! My doc is 'surprised' how well I am doing this time with our history etc and is glad that Brody and I have been able to prove him wrong.

A good deed sort of gone bad....

A friend of mine is hoping to have surgery tomorrow (I know that sounds odd, but she needs to have this procedure done), so I thought that I’d be a good friend and make her family a meal today to drop off and then her husband wouldn’t have to cook and her children *much to their disappointment I am sure* wouldn’t have to have cold cereal or fast food as she will be out of commission for a day or two.

Well I thought why not make my family the same meal and then I will be a bit a head of the game for the day J Should have realized then that anything that lets me start out ahead usually isn’t as good as it is planned to be Ha-ha!

Well I get all the items to make spaghetti bake out (noodles, sauce, ground beef, cheese), I put the water on to boil and I walk away. Well I come back to the water once it is boiling and add my pasta to cook, stir it and walk away because Shelby is screaming about the toy cell phone *again mind you*…so I come back just a few moments later and look into the pot of boiling water and pasta and think to myself as I am stirring it “Wow, this is cooking up really fast” because of the ‘amount’ of noodles in the pan. Well as I am putting the box from the noodles in the trash I happen to look at it… I MADE A 2 POUND BOX OF NOODLES!!!! Umm yea, I normally only use ½ of a 1lb box to make an entire dish of spaghetti bake for my family, so needless to say I had noodles coming out of my ears.

So not only does my family have dinner for tonight, my friend has a pan of spaghetti bake for tomorrow night, a pan of chicken casserole for another night AND I have noodles to make some sort of pasta side for Thanksgiving LOL, I think I may try one of those ‘baked’ macaroni and cheese recipes that I saw on the food network special this weekend… so while it was kind of ‘bad’, it worked out because now I was able to share in the wealth of my mistake!!!

Have a great day!!

An idea--- opinions needed please

Here is the 'deal'. All of my children will have their birthdays between Thanksgiving and the 'new' year. So we get more than our fair share of 'new toys' in a very short period of time because of the birthdays and the holiday season. We all know that no matter what 'we' say the kids are going to get new toys etc...so I came up with an idea today, but I am not sure how it will be 'received' by others and I wanted to get some feedback.

We all know that it is better to give than to receive---well unless you are a 4 year old who has been told for days/weeks/MONTHS that your birthday and Christmas are coming up so you should put it on your list-- so here is my idea. Rather than tell people they can not buy our children things because we don't want the clutter/stuff... what if we left/teach the kids to pick some of their gently used toys and have them donate it to some thing like the local toy play pen (according to my mom these toys do not have to be new), or even a hospital etc so that we can teach our kids that it can feel good to make certain someone else can 'receive' as well.

So, honestly... do you think this is a good/ok idea??? Of course both my mom and Chad think it is a good idea but I think they may be a little biased as my mom of course is one of the people who doesn't listen' re:no more toys and that Chad has stepped on the same toy for the third time shortly before I asked him... LOL

Moms and people who have receive blood---UPDATE

apparently can no longer donate plasma or platelets. This is going to be horrible on the 'industry' of donation. Heck....50% of donors are women, and a lot of them have been pregnant...and when you think of the people who have received blood that number gets even bigger. Heck I know 4 women just from my moms club that donate plasma on a regular basis that will have to stop.

http://www.kfyrtv.com/news_stories.asp?news=12445

While I certainly understand that cause of the rules etc it is just scary that blood products that are so needed and so hard to come by will become even more in demand because of the restrictions.


UPDATED:
It seems that these new 'rules' only effect blood banks and not places like BioLife (they are a local plasma donation center etc)... so hopefully the supply/demand will not be effected to much. I do understand the cause for concern re:the antibodies etc...I just hope that enough people who need these products can get them when needed. I mean I remember when I was going through my cancer treatment, them literally flying platelets in from TX and AZ because there were NO O negative platelets available locally or closer.

Update on Delainey's Ears

We had our appointment with our pediatrician today and Delainey's ears were given the all clear. She said that when she checked Delainey's ears Delainey jumped when she put the 'scope' in and that if that happened during her testing it could give the result of a 'problem'. There is no fluid or anything behind her ears what so ever :)

Delainey was given a prescription for an allergy medication to see if that helps with the constant runny nose, and if it does then we may have to do some allergy testing but we will see.

So long story short...Delainey's ears are PERFECT!!! WOOHOO!!!

NOW it's Delainey's ears....

What is it with my children and having issues with their ears?!?! Seriously. This week is going to be the death of me when it comes to my children and their ears. You can all hear Avery's 'journey' from Monday in a previous blog post so I will take the time to tell you the story of Delainey's.

Delainey has a few ear infections as a baby/toddler... I want to say like 2 maybe 3. They cleared up with antibiotics and she hasn't had a problem since. As part of her preschool program there are different screenings etc that she goes though each year. She will be evaluated by PT/OT, have vision screenings and also hearing screenings. Well her first hearing screening was 10/11-- she passed the actual 'hearing' part of it but failed this second part that measures 'pressure'... well they retested her again on 11/6 and she again failed the second 'pressure' test. So today in the mail I receive a referral from a specialist who does the screenings for the schools saying that Delainey needs to be see ASAP because she could be losing hearing every day this problem progresses. Apparently she had 'no response' in one ear and the second while better than the first was not much of an improvement.

So freaking out I called our pediatrician and scheduled an appointment and while bawling on the phone *today was a crying day for those who care* the nurse said "well Kristin we can get her in, but I wouldn't put much stock into their findings because Delainey has allergies" and I was like "what do her allergies have to do with her hearing"... The nurse went on to explain that because of Delainey's CONSTANT runny nose (and since Meth-heads have to use OTC medication to 'make' drugs we can no longer treat her allergies OTC and our insurance won't pay for the prescription meds she has had to suffer with them) that can cause fluid to build up behind her ear and this is what that test measures.

So tomorrow we have an appointment with our pediatrician to check and make sure that is the problem and not something else, but if you could spare a couple prayers that would be grand :)

Thanks so much-
Kristin and Krew

November is Prematurity Awareness Month...

As you know, November is Prematurity Awareness Month, the time of year when the March of Dimes brings special attention to the fight against premature births and other serious threats to infant health. In fact, prematurity is the number one killer of newborns.

But you have the power to make Prematurity Awareness Month irrelevant by making a donation to the March of Dimes to fund research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies.

And when you make a contribution this month, MasterCard will match your gift dollar for dollar* (when you make your donation using a MasterCard^® card).

Every dollar is needed to give all babies the best chance for a healthy start in life, and right now every dollar counts twice. But hurry, time is running out. You only have until the end of November.

Help us get to the day when all babies are born healthy and full-term: Make your donation today.

https://www.marchofdimes.com/howtohelp/mastercard2007.asp

Interesting results

Yesterday I saw a friend of mine had this celebrity 'look alike' thing on her myspace so I though I'd give it a try. Well when I got to the web site it had a 'kid a like meter' and since Chad and I often hear "this kid looks like you " etc I thought I'd give it a try and to be completely honest I was confused and shocked on some of the results. See we have always been "told" that Delainey is the perfect combination of both of us (which we agree with), Shelby looks like me , and Avery looks like Chad...well according to the web site this is what 'it' thinks...

Delainey is 4% more like Chad..

THIS one completely shocked me... Avery looks NOTHING like me if you ask me, but according to the results she is me more by 15%

This was another shocking one... everyone tells us (even Chad's family) that Shelby looks like me.. LOL

Moms Night Out

Tonight I was able to go out with ‘the girls’ from MOMS Club for our monthly Moms Night Out. See in our Moms Club we schedule one night a month in which it is MOMS ONLY… we are supposed to be able to let our hair down and have fun. We have this ‘unspoken rule’ about not talking about the kids, but we always do anyways LOL.

Well tonight we went to this wonderful place in town called “Bead Chicks”. It is a nice little shop in which we were able to bring our own snacks and have a ‘bracelet’ making class. Since I am not ‘big’ on jewelry (the only stuff I wear is my rings from Chad and the kids) I made Delainey a bracelet for her birthday. I hope that she likes it, but I am sure she will… she likes pretty much ANYTHING that yells “GIRL”… :)

The bracelet that I made tonight... I can be crafty when I try ;)

The real HEROS in Iraq

*I received this message in an email today and I thought that I'd share it with everyone that I could. We all know my feelings on the war in Iraq, but I love our troops and fully support THEM and the work they are doing*

This needs to make headline news...not some of the other negative junk that makes the news these days!! It's a tough, but heartwarming story...with a picture of John Gebhardt in Iraq

John Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family was executed. The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shot her in the head...but they failed to kill her. She was cared for in John's hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing.

He is a real Star of the war, and represents what some of the Western world is trying to do even if the war is just about oil.

This, my friends, is worth sharing with the WORLD!

You'll never see things like this in the news. Please keep this going. Nothing will happen if you don't, but the public needs to see pictures like this and needs to realize that we're making a difference. Even if it is just one little girl at a time.

Avery's day of torture

Ok you need a bit of background to fully understand just what a crappy mom I am :(

Friday night we had mashed potatoes for dinner. Well when Shelby and Avery eat mashed potatoes it basically looks like a bunch of art students went to town with 'freestyle' mediums and they go directly from their high chairs into the tub. Well as I was washing them up I noticed 'crusty' stuff on Avery's ears and even commented to Chad about "This kid took having potatoes growing in her ears to a whole new level'...

On Saturday Avery kept rubbing her ears and saying "owie"... so I took a look and aside from more 'crusty' stuff (which I just figured was from her dry skin around her ears) they looked ok. Well yesterday she was crying and pulling on her ears and was having a rough day in general. Well as she was sitting on my lap I noticed she had something crusty in her hair, so I went to get 'whatever' it was out and pulled her hair around her ear only to find that the 'gunk' was literally running out of her ears and into her hair and down her neck.... (This is where I am going to place my disclaimer... NO it was NOT potatoes in my child's ears...because she has ear tubes when her ears get infected rather than 'build up pressure' like most people's do her's drain and the infection was what was getting 'crusty' on her ears, hair and neck). Of course I found this 'fun' after the after hours clinic had closed and I refused to take her to the ER for an ear infection.

So first thing this am I called our ped and we were able to get a 1:40pm appointment. Well when I get their Avery has a little bit of a temp (99.9) and is rather fussy...nevermind she was pissed off because sisters were at Grammy and Papa's (my grandparents) house eating cookies and getting spoiled rotten, and she was at the doc but she KNEW that the doc was going to look in her ears. Well if you have a child who has re-occuring ear infections you KNOW taking them to the doc isn't fun (even with a great ped--who still isn't Dr. Connell but close). So the doc goes to look into Avery's ear and pulls back her hair and says "well I don't even need to look with the scope because this one is infected... " and same thing for the other side. But just to be safe she took a peek... Avery's ears had become SO INFECTED that the doc couldn't even see her inner ear (WITH THE TUBES WHICH GIVES YOU A STRAIGHT VIEW) because of the infection. In fact the infection was so bad in one ear they actually had to 'chip' away at the crusts when removing it so that they wouldn't pull her tube out. So long story short my 22 month old was placed in a baby straight jacket (not technically but close enough) while I was in the hallway listening to her scream as the doc and THREE (did I mention Avery only weighs 23 lbs) nurses fought with her to lay so they could get all the 'crusts' out... it was not fun. I was thankful though that they kicked me out because Avery often associates the 'procedure' with whoever she is looking at... so for today Dr. Zacher was "naughty' as Avery kept telling her once I picked her up.

So Avery is on 10 days of ear drops and oral antibiotics. It should be fun. Thankfully she LOVES the oral antibiotic and the ear ones have gotten a bit easier than the ones in the past as they now have 'single dose' packs so rather than trying to hold down a small child and also measuring the right amount of drops into their ears we can just take the top off the dropper and just pour :)

So hopefully this will make Avery all better soon... Ahhh the joys of kids who have 'delightful' immune systems. Wish us luck!!!

Thoughts of the day...

why is it after you complement someone on something they have done, their behavior instantly changes? I will not going into the details of this, but an example would be when you are shopping and someone comments on 'how good' your children are being and then all of a sudden all hell breaks loose and it turns from a nice shopping trip to the shopping trip from hell?

Or when you complement someone for helping you .... they STOP?!?!

Oh well ... at least Delainey is getting Baby Alive Wets N Giggles (the boy) for Christmas... WOOHOO!!

MY FRIEND ROCKS!!!!

My friend is officially THE BOMB!!!! She found it!!! She found the 'prized' gift of 2007 for Delainey :)

She found the doll while shopping out of town today with her family. She called Chad and asked him "Do you want two boys??" Chad of course responded with "Don't call my house asking that question".. LOL and had me call her right away.

YAY!!! Don't I have the BEST friends ever... oh by the way... this is the same friend who cleaned my house 'because'...

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!! *if you are wondering why I don't use the friend's name is it because I don't have permission and I don't want to violate her privacy*

Precious Babes...

Yesterday during morning nap (yes, Shelby and Avery still take two naps a day) the girls weren't settling down as they normally do. They were laughing and having a good ole time and since they are getting to the age where they don't really 'need' two naps I wasn't 'sweating' it too much. All of a sudden I hear full out laughter coming from the bedroom... it is an odd noise during nap time even if they are playing. Well I walk down the hall way and open the door to find:

AVERY STANDING IN SHELBY'S CRIB WITH HER!!!!! It would seem that Avery had climbed over the railing of her crib and into Shelby's. You see the girls' cribs have to be pushed together because they have always had to hold hands/touch in order to sleep.

We tried several things when it came to afternoon nap and the only thing that worked (after Avery actually fell OUT of her crib--we had moved Shelby's crib a bit away from hers) was to let the two of the sleep in the same crib. It seems to be working. Chad is still going to lower the mattresses on both cribs and we are going to see if there is some way we can attach the two cribs together so that the girls have a bit more space but here is a picture from the sleepover last night:

It's that time again...

Yes, my friends. It is the wonderful time of the year when Starbucks starts to carry their holiday blends of coffees and 'fun'. Meaning I will now be spending even more money at the coffee shop for the simple fact that I have to stock up on my "Christmas Blend" of beans that they ONLY carry during the holiday season. I am not to found of the eggnog or gingerbread lattes, and I learned recently that they always have the peppermint syrup so I can not get a peppermint mocha all year long.... but the pumpkin spice... that is ONLY available until mid February at the latest... so while most doctors tell their pregnant patients to not drink coffee etc thankfully I have an OB that believes that a mommy with headaches and asthma attacks (which is what happens for some reason if my body does not get enough caff) isn't worth it and 'suggests' I drink at least 2- 8ozs cups of coffee a day... Oh and it helps with lung maturity as well ;)

House full of sickies!!!

I live in a war zone!!! And not because I have 3 children three and under or because I am expecting #4 in just a few short weeks, or the fact that I go to school full time while doing all the delightful things that us SAHMs do.... no I live in a war zone that has been infested with what I think has been the biggest out break of the 'ickies' in a long time. Heck, even Chad is coughing, sneezing and whining.. I thankfully have been lucky to have missed out on the 'joys' of the illness so far, but I am sure that before it is over I will get at least 'part' of it.

Hope all is well in your homes!

My husband...

I won't go into the details because this is the internet and only gosh knows who will see this post but my husband is my hero. He does so much for our family without so much as a complaint (most of the time)... he does things that are in the best interest of his family even when it wouldn't be his first choice.
I know that we don't let him know enough just how much we appreciate everything he does for us (his family) but we really do love him and are so very thankful for everything he does for us...even if it isn't what he would really want to be doing.
So if you are like me and often forget to tell your spouse 'thank you' and "I appreciate you"... then please do so...

Please help me...

Ok. Remember years ago when people were literally getting shot over video game systems and such? Well I was a teenager and thought... "That is just insane"... well each year that is that 'gotta have toy' and this year my child has been bitten by the bug of it.

You are probably wondering what could an almost 4 year old want that would be the 'up and coming' toy right?? My kid wants the Baby Alive Wets and Giggles doll...which is actually easy to find... the hard part about it is she wants the BOY... I have been to all 4 major stores in town that would carry this item and NOTHING... NADA!! A friend of mine would be happy to know though that I did find the African American 'version' of the doll at all four places... :)

So I thought... what the heck.. I'll check out ebay... ummm RIGHT?!?! NO!! I refuse to pay $50 plus $14 for shipping for a doll that only costs $25 in the stores... I am sure that the more I hear about this doll and that she wants it so 'Brody can play with it too"... I will start to wear down but please, please my friends do not let me fall victim to the 'curse of Christmas".... BUT if you happen to find the doll in the store.. PLEASE pick it up for me LOL...

Sweet Poem

A very dear friend of mine posted this poem on her blog, and I just had to 'steal' it. It is beautiful!! In fact I printed it out and have it hanging on my fridge to 'remind' me how lucky I am that I 'GET' to "just" be a Mommy :)

NO SUBSTITUTE

Swings for arms,
Bottles for breasts,
Advice from the 'experts'
Who think they know best.

'Binky's and monitors
And all sorts of clutter
Think they can take
The place of a mother.

Pre-schools and daycares,
And babysitters, too,
Think they can do
What mothers should do.

Oh listen, dear mother
To words that are true -
No one or nothing
Can care just like you.

Your children are blessings
Loaned from above,
More than money or things
What they need is your love.

By Cynthia Flanagan.

The 'joys' that are my life.... AKA my children

Avery VERY impressed with herself for not only climbing into the chair, but for also getting the remote for the tv :)

I asked Shelby what she was 'chewing on" (notice the 'can' in her hand) and this is her saying:
"PEEEEES" :)

Delainey took the term 'baby stroller' literally when playing with her stroller with her sisters the other night. Avery was the 'baby'... :)

And as you can tell she (Avery) couldn't care less about it :) They actually had a fun time of it and played VERY well together for a very long time...as long as no one took the 'banket' away :)

Happy Birthday to me

As many of you know, my 27th birthday was this past Wednesday. Halloween is always INSANE around our house, so aside from the "happy birthday' phone calls etc we decided to put off celebrating as a family until last night. Oh, and Delainey thinks that it is just the "COOLEST" that 'everyone gets candy for YOUR BIRTHDAY mommy!!!"... so finally someone is impressed with my birthdate ;) I did however 'get' to celebrate my birthday with my friends on 11/1 and was able to go out for dinner and enjoy the evening visiting with friends. Chad "baked" the cake himeself...he didn't even have to be 'reminded' that I liked marble cake. He did however go a little 'over the top' with the candles... the white one in the corner actually 'sings' Happy Birthday!!

Delainey 'needed' to help me blow our "all" my candles :) Isn't she just sweet?!?!

**Thank you to everyone who called and mailed me birthday cards! It is always nice to be remembered and loved**

32 weeks

HA! We (meaning Brody and I) made it to my ob's goal of 32 weeks. Early in my pregnancy we had a long meeting about what to 'expect' because of the way things went with Shelby and Avery's arrival and also with Delainey's as well. We talked about 'risk factors', 'statistics' etc... (meaning they scared the ever living CRAP out of Chad and I) and my doc and I agreed that our 'goal' was to make it to 32 weeks prior to delivery....well we 'met' that goal today and here is to exceeding it! My goal of course is as close to 40 weeks as possible, but lately it is getting hard to 'appreciate' still being pregnant. Brody really is a mover and a shaker! In fact earlier today during his 'recess' (as Delainey calls his active times when she can actually 'watch' him moving) she said "Mommy, I think Brody needs a time out because he keeps kicking me and it isn't nice to kick!!!"... TELL ME about it sweetie ;)

We are so very greatful for the wonderful medical care we have received up to this point and we know that it will continue as our docs are being wonderful and my body is actually doing what it is supposed to. We are very confident in that we will make it to term as we have only had one elevated blood pressure so far, and even that we aren't really sure of because when they took it just seconds later is was a 'good' normal, we have had no swelling and aside from the 'normal' aches and pains are doing wonderful.

**Thank you all so much for your prayers, care and love!! We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family....GOD has been SOO GOOD to us all!**

The importance of Praise

We have been 'dealing' with some 'fun' behaviors in Delainey since she started preschool a few months ago. She has been very 'emotional' and been having a hard time telling us her feelings (which she has never had a problem with before) so being a mom, I wanted to 'fix' this, so I have been doing a lot of research and such on the subject and I saw this article online last night and I just wanted to share it with everyone. I think some times in our busy lives we forget that we like to hear that we did a 'good job' and why wouldn't our children? I mean I appreciate it and am in a better mood when someone lets me know that they think I did something 'right'/'good'. So please take the time to read the following article. It made a lot of sense for me and I hope it can help you as well :) http://children.webmd.com/guide/helping-your-child-develop-healthy-self-esteem

Helping your child develop healthy self-esteem

Self-esteem is a person's core belief about himself or herself. A person's self-esteem is reflected in his or her actions, both in how as well as what he or she does. Although self-esteem varies from time to time, the pattern usually leans toward a healthy or unhealthy view of self. With healthy self-esteem, a person is more likely to succeed in life.

Although building self-esteem is a lifelong process, the foundation of self-esteem is established in childhood. That foundation can do much to help a child deal with difficult life issues as they are encountered.

Parents have the greatest influence on a child's belief about himself or herself. Letting your child know that he or she belongs, is doing well, and is contributing can help him or her develop healthy self-esteem.

Keep these things in mind as you raise your child.

• Children sense that they belong by the way their parents talk to them and act toward them. Show and tell your child that you love and care for him or her.
• Children learn about how well they are doing by how their parents react to their behavior. Offer praise at least twice as often as you criticize (and try for four times as often).
• Children learn how to work with others by learning how to cooperate within a family. Give your child some age-appropriate household responsibilities.

You thought YOU were having a rough day**UPDATE**

This was the site that I saw on Avenue C and 6th Street this am. I was so mad at myself for not having had my camera with, but thankfully a friend of mine's husband received these pictures this afternoon in an email from a co-worker. I mean SERIOUSLY... how does this happen? You can't see it from the pictures but the little black car looked to have NO DAMAGE what-so-ever!

Talk about 'close' parking...HA!

Doesn't this just look insane??

From what my 'sources' tell me it would seem that the driver of the black vehicle was driving roughly 85 miles per house when he crashed into the back end of the gold car which was parked....apparently he had been out partying the previous night and was still under the effects of his beverages of choice.

Boycott Please

A friend brought this to my attention and I plan on making sure everyone I know is well aware of this 'plan'. There is a movie starring Nicole Kidman that is due out Dec 7 called 'The Golden Compass" and it is basically the anti-Narnia... it isn't pretty. Please click the following link about the movie etc... sad sad sad..

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp