Misc. March

Rachel and Kaden joined the Manila Magic Chorus for the spring session.  They had a cute concert and sang lots of fun, upbeat songs.  Kaden only joined for the end of chorus party I found out.... He says he's never joining again!  I guess the party wasn't worth all the singing.  They both did great though!

I went to work with Nate a few times while the kids were in school and he had some local jobs to do.  I would sit on a chair and hand him things while Haley and Eliza would run around the gym.  It was better than sitting at home "taking it easy" as I have had to do.

This is my only picture of St. Patrick's Day.  Green eggs is all we did.  Leprachauns don't come to our house.  I hope that's ok.  I kind of prefer it that way.  One less thing to worry about and plan for.

Nate was out-of-town and all the kids decided to watch the little picture video I made for his birthday a couple birthday's ago.  I thought it was cute.  They sure miss their dad when he's away.

One morning I went to wake up the boys and couldn't see Kaden anywhere.  I knew they had slept on their floor that night.  (Not sure why.  They have beds, I promise!)  I moved some blankets and pillows and discovered him all the way under the bed!  I woke him and he hit his head not knowing he was under the bed.  It was quite funny.  We all had a good chuckle.

Nate getting some office work done while Haley plays a game on his phone.  She looks comfy doesn't she?!  Nothing better than hanging out with dad. :)

Eliza the little snitcher!  Who can resist chocolate cake??

Since Eliza has been in a big girl bed her naps are very far and in between so we find her zonked out a lot of the time in various places.  She also gets out of bed about a million times at bedtime and often falls asleep on the floor instead.  If she would just lie still for 3 minutes at a time she would be out like a light, but she just won't!  Those big brown eyes don't help the situation.... it's hard to get too mad at her.

Have I Completely Lost My Marbles?

The answer is-- Yep, pretty much!  We got a puppy.  And by we I mean Rachel.  She lobbied and lobbied for one and her dad finally succumbed to her asking and begging, and to all her little notes and her books about dogs she would bring home.  It just so happened that my sister's neighbor had some Shih Tzu/Chihuahua mix puppies they were giving away for free and Nate took all the kids to see them while I was on "take-it-easy rest".  They all fell in love.... including Nate.  We had a family meeting because really it would be a family pet that Rachel would be responsible for and not to mention the newborn baby arriving soon.  Was everyone ready for major chaos?  The vote was 6 to 1.  Apparently I am the only one who thinks clearly!  The thought overwhelmed me, but to shoot down all the hopes of 6 other family members made me feel like a villain so I changed my vote.  Was it wise?  Probably not, but we have a cute little puppy taking over our lives so there's no turning back now.

She really is about as cute as they come!  She doesn't shed (which was a must since she's an indoor dog..... what have I done??!!)  It took 24 hours of trial and error for Rachel to decide on a name.  Maggie was the winner.  Welcome to our crazy home, Maggie!

Rachel and Maggie on the ride home.

Maggie was pretty snugly and mild the first few days.  She made herself comfy by my pregnant belly.  It was fun, I have to admit.  We are crate training her and she has done pretty well... so far.  I'll let you know how the training goes.  I have a feeling it's not going to be as easy as it seems.

Finished... Finally

We finally got the office and family room put back together.  It took almost a full month, but it's done.  Thank goodness.  Check that off the non-planned list of things to do.  I got a ton of organizing done.  Threw out mountains of papers that somehow made their way into my life and when I looked at them thought a crazy person was secretly stashing their junk in my files and drawers.  Seriously, it was rather ridiculous, especially considering I haven't looked at any of them in years and years and years.  Good riddance to junk!  My dear husband is so proud of me.  He loves to take things to D.I. and I gave him a nice pile to take.  I love to have things organized and in order, but sometimes find it hard to get it done or know where to start so things just keep piling up and get shoved in places that will never be looked at in a couple millenia.  Well, if you're having the same problem you may call my kids to come flood which ever room it is that needs some TLC.  That'll get ya going.

Before:

After:

I still have some decorating to do, but it's nice to have it done and to have some new colors.  That was the only good thing about the whole ordeal, getting to change it up a bit in the office.  The family room just got the same old paint.  That's a project for another day.... or year.

A Couple of Firsts

The first first was Eliza sleeping in a big girl bed.

While I was on bedrest Nate took matters into his own hands (because he knew I was reluctant and wouldn't be able to stop him!!) and got Eliza all set up in a real bed.  It's really the top bunk of the bunk bed, but since I didn't want her climbing up on a bunk bed all the time (which she would do even though I would have her on the bottom bunk), it worked out nicely to use the rails so she wouldn't fall off.  And my hope was she would think she was still in a "crib" and not climb out.  She figured it out quickly that she wasn't trapped anymore, but she's been doing moderately well in it.  Some nights are better than others.

The second first is Haley learned how to ride a two wheeler bike.  Yay!  No more training wheels.

Our little neighbor has a bike with no pedals or training wheels and I saw her cruising around on it with no problem at all.  She also can ride a scooter just fine so I knew she had balance.  I had Nate whip the training wheels off and she took off like an old pro.  She has been having a great time and feels so big.  She IS so big.  How did that happen??

When It Rains It Pours

It seems like things just keep piling up.  If it's not one thing, it's another.  So we had the lovely flood in our basement.  A pain, but nothing that can't be fixed.  Then add the minor, but semi-annoying health problems some of my children have.  Hoping some of those will go away soon... the health problems, not the children.  Then baby boy decides he wants to start trying to join all the craziness at 32 weeks and I end up on bed rest.  Ugh!

I felt fine (fine enough that is) then woke up last Saturday (March 3rd) feeling different.  I couldn't pin point it at first, but all day was having more contractions than I normally do (which is quite a few on a regular day).  I took it easy all day.  I felt guilty.  Saturdays always have long lists of to do's not counting the extra basement construction.  By evening I decided I was okay to go out to dinner with Nate.  All I was going to do was sit and eat.  How bad could it be?  By the time we got home I was still having contractions and decided to have Nate take me to the hospital.  When I got there and told them things just felt different today and something was "off" they kind of just looked at me like I was a crazy first time mom.  Then Nate spoke up and said this was my 6th baby and every one's attitude changed.  Kinda funny.  So they hook me up to the monitors and the contractions are 4-6 minutes apart.  They check me and I'm 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced, but that could mean nothing or something they say.  Hmmm.... I'm thinking it might mean something.  I had concluded before I went to the hospital that the little mister had "dropped".  My ribs that have been killing me were no longer bothering me and I could tell my heartburn was minimal compared to just the day before.  But now have so much more pressure down low and my hips kill, kill, kill.  It's the only explanation.  And I'm convinced it's why I'm having so many more contractions.  Anyway, I end up getting 3 shots of Terbutaline to stop the contractions.  The 3rd one did the trick, but can I just say OUCH!  That stuff stings like crazy.  We were able to go home after 3 hours of hanging out in triage, but I was put on bed rest until I could meet with my doctor on Tuesday.  So I was a good little patient and stayed in bed for a few days.

Then to add to this long story, Nate's mom has a random seizure last Sunday and my mom has hurt her back.  Oh my goodness.  What is going on??  I made Nate take work off this week (meaning no traveling, but he still had plenty to do in-town) so we could figure things out.  With both our moms not being able to be our backups we were scrambling a bit.  Now, I don't want to sound like all I care about is myself because I really don't.  I am worried about them and don't find my problems any worse than theirs.  My problems are manageable without them... they are usually just the most convenient ones to have help so it put a kink in our options.

My doctor on Tuesday said I just need to take it easy.  I need to stay down more than up.  If something starts giving me contractions, stop!  No vacuuming, no heavy lifting, and Nate's favorite... pelvic rest.  Ha, ha!  Sorry, I just had to put that out there.  When Nate learns a new term like that he runs with it.  We've had a fun time joking about it. TMI?  Sorry.  Any who, I feel like a lump on a log, but the more I do the more contractions I get so I'm trying to take it easy even though I so don't want to.  Nate this week has been a fabulous dad/mom/nurse/contractor/maid/chauffeur/chef.  The list could go on.  I have seen him less in this past week than I do when he travels!  It's been busy to say the least and I feel guilty because I'm mostly sitting around.  I go from one end of the spectrum to the other... this baby will definitely come early to nope, he's going to go full term then back again.  I know I'm not the first and not the last to deal with preterm labor and this is minor compared to something happening at 24 weeks or whatever.  I know, I am aware that it could be worse and has been worse for others.  I'm not complaining.  It's just what's going on in our lives right now.  I would rather be decorating the nursery (which is still Nate's makeshift office at the moment) or enjoying the beautiful weather we are having.  Oh well.  I'm trying to enjoy this moment in time even though it's not ideal or anything that I'd choose to be doing right now.  And thank you to all my wonderful family, neighbors and friends who have offered their help, their food and their homes to my kids.  It is appreciated more than you know.

New Year, New Look

It's only taken me 2 months to figure out what to change my blog title to.  Like I've said before, since I make each year of blogging into a book I like to change my title each year too.  My problem this year is my mind was blank.  So hopefully what I came up with I will keep and not feel the need to re-do it.  I'm sure I won't.  But if I do it won't be for a couple more months looking at my track record!

Finishing Up February

I'm always behind these days.  Always playing catch up.  And I don't see the trend changing any time soon.  But this blog is an important part of my scrapbook/journal so better late than never, I guess.

Eliza was having a rough night so Nate held her while he did some office work.  She didn't appreciate mom's camera bugging her.

Since it was getting slightly warmer we decided to have a fire one night.  Our backsides were cold, but our fronts were toasty!

Haley and Eliza being.... take a guess.... Naughty!  Haley climbed into Eliza's crib with a bottle of baby lotion and they slathered up.  I had an OB appointment  soon after and they smelled soooo nice for the doctor. :)

Tye and Kaden have come home more than once from exploring the empty lot next to us with countless burs all over them.  I can't be too mad because it reminds me of being in Idaho playing with my cousins and having the time of my life.  I hope they are having a great time too.... although I really could do without the burs.

Eliza loves to follow Haley around and one day came home from the neighbor's house sad as could be.  She wasn't too keen on getting muddy.  I think she did a pretty good job of keeping the rest of herself clean.  I could just imagine her coming back looking like they do in the movies when someone falls face first into mud.

SNOW!!  It was a miracle.  We actually got some snow that the kids could play in for a couple hours.  Of course, I had put all the snow attire away.... which is usually why it snows the next day!  I guess I should have put it away back in December.

Kaden and Tye made beards and mustaches after pack meeting one night.  Tye is rubbing his chin like an intellectual or something.  Cute, fun boys.  I love them!

Oh my Haley girl, why must you do such silly things?  She decided she wanted a bath, but not in the bathtub.  I'm wondering what trouble she's going to conjure up when baby boy arrives???

Flood of 2012

Oh the joys of flooding basements!  Truthfully, it's completely mine and Nate's fault so it is a bit maddening to know it could have been and should have been prevented.  Grrrr!  Live and learn.  We left the dang hoses attached and the backyard pipe decided to fail us.  I told Nate a couple times to get the hoses put away, but it never happened and it just so happens that I didn't take the initiative to do it myself either.  The kids evenutally turned the water on a few weeks ago and it took a few days for it to seep its way across our whole office and part way into the family room.  Who knows exactly when it froze and burst... I'm thinking it was actually a while ago, but the water never got turned on again until now.  It was Monday, February 13, I got the kids off to school and went down stairs to get something in the office and my foot stepped in a sloppy mess of carpet.  Great.  Nate was on a flight to California, my dad was with him as well, so my next option was my dear brother-in-law, Scott.  He was kind enough to come over and start ripping things up to find the source.  We decided to go the homeowners insurance route and had a company come in and help clean up the mess and tear out all the cabinets and flooring in the office.  Lucky me got to deal with all of that while Nate was away.  Happy Valentine's Day to me!

It's just a big mess.  It will force me to organize all my stuff I've collected over the years and get rid of a lot too.  10 weeks before our baby should arrive and my plans were definitely NOT redoing and organizing our office.  We had actually started getting ready to paint the nursery and get things set up in there.  Now it is the make shift office which we like to call the "command center".  Everything is on folding tables and in piles.  Oh well.  Glad we had a little spot to put it all, I guess.

The kids who normally sleep in the basement had to sleep upstairs since the fans were so loud.  I don't think they minded a bit to be having a "sleep over" on a couple school nights.

We're hoping to have it all put back together in two weeks.  Wish us luck!

Valentine's Day

I started the celebration of Valentine's day on February 1st by giving Nate a little gift each day until February 14th.... "14 Days of Valentines" (click here to see where I got the idea).  It was really fun for me to pull a gift out each day or pack it in his suitcase for him to find while he's away on business.  Cheesy?  Maybe a bit, but it was still really fun.

I don't normally make a big deal out of the day.  Yes, Nate and I try to go on a special date sometime around the 14th and occasionally we will get each other a gift.  I know Valentine's Day is one of those holidays that a lot of people loath even if they have someone they love.  They don't like someone or something "making" them spend money or do something on a specific day.  I get it.  I am one who doesn't necessarily like to be a "follower", if you will.  Trends, especially "over-the-top everyone is doing it trends" tend to make me squirm and resist.  My take on the holiday of love-- For one, it's been around for a long time.  It's not this new thing that all of a sudden everyone is doing and two, why not have a little more fun by doing something you don't necessarily do just one day out of the year?  I think I show my love for Nate and my kids year round, but do I get all creative ever?  Not really.  It's a fun excuse to do something different from the everyday show of love.  Does that make sense?  So, whether you love Valentine's Day or hate it, I hope you had a good one in your own way.

For the kids I only bought mini cupcakes and put a Valentine on top.  (We had a little house drama... flood... on the 13th and I was in the middle of dealing with that and just didn't have the time to put more effort into it, especially with Nate being out-of-town.  More about the flood in a different post.)

They got to eat them as soon as they finished their breakfast.  It was a hit.  Who doesn't love a little chocolate cake to start their day?!  That's all I did, but it was something different than the everyday so it worked and they felt a little extra love that day.

Nate gave me tulips (my favorite) and an end table for my family room.  I needed an end table and was eventually going to get one, but how great is it that he remembered one I had seen at Christmas time and liked?  It's the little things that mean the most.  Yes, it's great to have the table, but knowing that he remembered something from two months ago (since he doesn't remember a lot of other things) just made my day.

We made cookies a few days before Valentine's Day with some cousins we had over for dinner.  Good times!

I helped with Tye's class party.  A bean bag toss was what he wanted to do.  That's easy enough.  I luckily found a box I had tucked away since Christmas around 10:00 p.m. the night before Valentine's Day and SLAVED away making a bean bag toss game.  His classmates all loved it.  Phew!  Sometimes you just never know what kids will like these days.

And the Tooth Fairy got a Valentine of her own a few days before the big day.

Poor Rachel has had some stomach issues.  We think mostly from her anti-seizure medication so we are working with the doctor to try to remedy it.  She sometimes sleeps with a couple pillows to prop herself up.  She was afraid the Tooth Fairy wouldn't know which pillow to look under.  So sweet.