May the Pox soon be lifted!

Alternate Titles:

• Cabin Fever Anyone?
• "With all the pillows in the house, why are you laying on MINE?" (Okay so I'm not so proud of this one)
• Grocery List: LYSOL, LYSOL & LYSOL
• Knock Knock.  Who's there? Atch.  Atch Who? God Bless You! (which btw, Kinley now fake sneezes...too cute).
• When it rains it pours

Our house has been filled with the sickies!  I feel like the dead man walking, as I am the only one to not be sick yet *knocking on wood*.  It started off with Kinley running a low grade fever on Friday that turned into a horrible case of hand foot and mouth disease (which is essentially just a virus).  Then on Sunday night/Monday morning Abbey woke up with a sick stomach.  Then when Brady got home from school on Monday afternoon, he and Matthew both crawled into bed with body aches and fatigue.  I think everyone is on the mend although poor Itty Bitty has some serious blisters from her virus!  If you have a weak stomach, don't look at these pictures.

The blisters are on her lips, around her mouth and around her nose

The rash starts off looking like a heat rash...

...but then turns into blisters

This one is just for fun, so you can see how long her hair is getting!

And then September hit!

• I remember a time when our week day evenings were all about homework, dinner, bath time and bedtime!
• I remember a time when my vehicle rarely saw the week day's dusky evenings!
• I remember a time when Itty Bitty spent more time on the CARpet than the CAR!

And then September hit.  It hit us HARD.  Gone are the days of my kids being in the same extra curricular activities.  When Abbey was little (before Brady was old enough to have any activities) she did gymnastics and later ballet.  When Brady was old enough to start some activities we enrolled them both in a soccer program.  They both had practice on the same night at the same time and had games on the same day (sometimes at the same time).   Then they both tried tennis for a summer...neither really liked it all that much.  Then the place they played soccer discontinued their program.  So we got them both into golf.  Again, same time, same place.  NO BIG DEAL.  Then my world came crashing to a halt or more like sped into warp speed mode.  Brady decided he HATED golf...I'm sorry did I say "hate" I meant to say despised...like fake a sudden stomach virus to get out of playing despise!  He missed soccer, he wanted to play soccer again, somewhere, somehow.  But Abbey, nope, she loved golf.  Has aspirations of playing on her middle school team.  Working towards college scholarships, she is!  And one day will play for the LPGA (or so in her mind). 

So here we are in September. Golf lessons on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Soccer on Mondays and Saturdays. Then we decided to throw in Cotillion for Abbey on Monday nights and Brady's guitar lessons on Tuesdays. And don't forget church on Wednesday nights. Then you throw in a random dentist/doctor/hair appointment on Thursdays and there goes my week and then my month. So as you can tell, this is why I haven't posted much and I will not be going out on a limb and saying I will try to do better, cause, frankly people, it just aint happening! I leave you with some random pictures!

Bow-Bow Holders

I've started making organizers for hair accessories as gifts. I've made quite a few, but of course didn't take pictures of all of them but here are a few that I have done.

I've started making organizers for hair accessories as gifts. I've made quite a few, but of course didn't take pictures of all of them but here are a few that I have done.

I also used this same idea and made teacher appreciation gifts.  I attached clothes pins all down the ribbons and on the rings I attached blank index cards.  And, of course like I said earlier, I forgot to take pictures of those!

Trash vs. Treasure

The big kids are going to learn really quickly not to leave stuff lying around.  Itty Bitty has figured out how to open the garbage can drawer AND "throw away" things!  She was pretty proud of herself!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

p.s.  Is it just me or do I sound like I've been sucking down some helium?  Maybe I could get a job at WDW as one of the characters! :)

Pride cometh before the fall

I was feeling pretty pleased with myself today.  The kids have been back in school for the last two weeks and I have stuck to my meal planning and house work despite the fact that we have been bombarded with activities.  In the past, PTA meetings and birthday parties and sick babies would have been a great excuse to order take out or skip cleaning the toilets.  Not this time, no sir, I made a commitment and I was sticking to it!  So as a reward for my "good behavior" I decided to be especially frugal and hit Steak-n-shake for their happy hour half priced drinks.  I got a nice refreshing fountain coke to sip and enjoy after a couple of weeks of hard work.  But alas, the Lord kneweth my sin and he judged me.  As I turned the corner out of the steak-n-shake parking lot, my cup of bubbly caffeinated nectar toppled out of the cup holder and spilled in its entirety all over the floor of my truck.  SIGH...So not only did I NOT get to enjoy my refreshing beverage, but I had to clean out my truck when I got home!

Lesson learned, dear Lord...at least until I fall again!

He must think I'm cheap...

Overheard Brady telling Abbey in the car after school today:

"I wish we had to pay $1 each day to go to school.  Cause then Mom wouldn't want to pay that much money and not send me to school."

Eleven in '11

Dear Abbey,

August 23, 2000 at 8:40pm you arrived in this world.  That was eleven years ago and you have not stopped blessing our lives.  You are a light in this world that shines so brightly.  You are outgoing and friendly and almost always smiling.  Your smile and personality are contagious.  If you're afraid of something you don't really show it.  You accept challenges and tackle them head on.  You have grown and changed so much in this last year.  You are no longer my little girl, but a young lady.  Your desire to follow Him is so uplifting and I hope that feeling continues to grow and influence others around you.  May this new adventure in middle school be full of exciting and happy memories.  We love you very much Abbey Rose!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Stock piles...

Have you seen the Extreme Couponing show?  You know the one where they stockpile all sorts of unnecessary grocery items (for instance, diapers when you have NO CHILDREN) in order to get their grocery bill to a measly $1.31!  I can't seem to figure out the whole stock piling idea.  Whenever things are buy-one-get-one at Publix we "stock-pile" items that we actually use.  Taco kits are one of our favorites.  We eat tacos in our house A LOT...like a couple times a month!  So this is why the thought never crossed my mind that perhaps my taco shells were a bit rancid!  Rancid, you say?  Oh sure, I opened the package and thought "hmmm, that smells a bit strong."  Then I popped them in the oven and as they were cooking away, I thought "man, what spilled in my oven that stinks sooooo bad?" Nor, did the thought cross my mind when I mentioned it to sweet Hubs that they smelled weird.  And when I bit into my first bite and nearly gagged in my mouth and said there is no way I can eat these taco shells did I think that they could possibly be bad.  Finally, Matthew said "I guess they taste a little bit weird, but not that bad."  That's when I thought I'd better check the box and lo and behold the expiration date had not only come and gone, but was older than my sweet Itty Bitty!  Dad-gum, how long had those been sitting in my pantry.  And as my wonderful older sister will tell you, it is not the first time we have had expired food in our house (and usually it gets served to Kimberly before we find out it's expired).  So, I state my question again!  How in the world do these extreme couponers maintain their stock piles without it going bad?  My so called stock pile consists of maybe 5 or so of an item at one time and yet I am constantly throwing out unopened expired food!  So much for saving a couple bucks on the BOGO items!

Book Preview

I can't call it a "review" since I haven't finished it yet, but I wanted to share it with you because so far I am really enjoying it.  Abbey starts middle school in just 17 short days.  And yes, come Monday August 22nd if you are suddenly overwhelmed by the sounds of hysterical sobbing, that will probably be me!  So with middle school comes all these awkward discussions a parent must have with their child...and with Abbey being a girl, guess who gets that job!  So far the talks have gone smooth and groovy until the most recent brick wall we've seemed to have hit.  BOYFRIENDS!  Oh yes, my not quite 11 year old is only slightly boy crazy (read: the hormones have kicked into high gear).  I was really struggling with how to approach the topic of boy/girl relationships and heard about this book from none other than the Duggar Clan.

Here is the synopsis from the publisher: This guide to radiant purity combines the thoughts and events in the life of a young princess with solid, clear teaching of Biblical convictions that young ladies today need to grasp. Through a captivating fairy tale, modern day examples, practical instruction and abundant humor, Sarah Mally challenges young ladies to turn to the Lord for fulfillment, to guard their hearts and minds, to identify and avoid the world’s thinking and to shine brightly in this generation.

It is a "fairy tale" type story that is interspersed with the author's (a single young woman) views on how to remain pure.  It is specifically written for girls who have not started dating, in that it is not graphic as to what a physical relationship is, yet it is also written for a woman of any age on how to conduct herself in a relationship.  What has really impressed me the most is that all the scripture quoted is from the KJV.  Abbey and I are reading it together.  Abbey is enjoying the fairy tale portion as much as the commentary.  It opens up the door of communication to what kind of things she should look for in a boy as well as other biblical principles, such as respect of elders.  Now don't get me wrong, I am certainly not trying to marry off my tweenager.  But I think it is so important for her to be confident enough in her convictions from an early age, that as she gets older and is faced with the temptations of this world, that she will have the foundation necessary to resist and thus avoid some life altering repercussions. 

So far, I think the book is great.  We're about 1/4 the way through it.  I will give my final review when we finish it.  This book gives Abbey something to look forward to with just us together.  I strongly recommend this for anyone with young daughters on the verge of middle school.

Bartender...

...I'll have a Cheerio Spritzer, Neat!

Kinley decided to invent a new mixed drink cocktail during our very hot walk around the lake today.  She was pretty proud of herself.

click on the picture above to get a closer look at the cheerios floating around in the water bottle!

The monkey stole his moves...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I've always wondered who taught Brady to dance...and now we know!

The one where the kids got mono!

Yes, my 10 and 8 year old have mono.  I have no clue who they've been kissing.  We don't know of anyone who has it.  They don't share drinks (or kiss) anyone that we don't know so I'm guessing it may have been picked up through a water fountain perhaps.  Or maybe last month when Matthew was sick, he had it and didn't know it was mono...just thought it was a cold.  We're baffled to say the least.  But as much as I hate to "waste" our summer being sick, I guess this is the best time to get it.  We don't have to be anywhere or do anything.  They can just rest and relax and get it knocked out of their little systems.

I'll try to condense the story down.  Kinley was sick at the end of April.  Don't know if she had it, but could be.  Then in May Matthew got pretty sick.  He was wiped out for a good week or two.  At the end of May (Memorial Day to be specific) Brady started coming down with similar symptoms to Matthew.  Took him to the doctor and they thought for sure he had strep.  Everything came back negative.  He wasn't getting any better so they thought maybe it might be a sinus infection so they had me fill a prescription for Amoxil which he started on Friday June 3rd.  Then this past weekend Abbey started coming down with it.  We were out of town at Disney for the weekend.  So Monday when we woke up I called the doctor to schedule an appointment for her.  After checking her over he announced that she had an enlarged spleen.  He checked Brady also and he had an enlarged spleen too.  The doctor drew blood on both of them and they both came back positive for mono.  Now we have to keep them inactive until the swelling goes down.  All I have to say is the Lord was certainly looking over them.  I keep thinking back to all the physical things they have done that could have caused their spleens to rupture prior to us knowing the diagnosis.  Thank you Lord. 

So now we will plan on a very quiet summer.  I told them it was going to be the summer of their wildest dreams:  They get to lay around and watch TV and play video games and read all day long without me telling them to "go outside and play!"  We will be hitting the library, the free movies at the theater and any other low key activities I can come up with!  This is just forcing us to slow down and take a much needed breather!

Parenting...FAIL!!!

What is that saying?  "The best laid plans of mice and men, often go awry"  Yes, here it is June.  My Itty Bitty turned ONE on May 11th.  And not only am I just now getting around to writing her 1 year old post, but because of the crazy hectic month we have had, her birthday party WILL NOT be until the end of June!  Can we say THIRD CHILD SYNDROME?  So without further ado, the much awaited, highly anticipated One Year Old Post!!!

Dear Itty Bitty,

Look at how much you have grown in just 12 short months!  This past year has flown by.  This year has been both difficult and amazing all at once.  What we once thought was colic/acid reflux, I am now beginning to wonder if it wasn't just your strong will.  You know what you want when you want it and make sure everyone around you knows it as well. 

We can still call you Itty Bitty.  At your 12 month check up you weighed in at a whopping 16 lbs. 9 oz. and 27" long.  That is the 1% for weight and 3% for height but your head circumference is near 50% which means you're too smart for your own good!  What is surprising is that you are eating us out of house and home.  We have yet to find a food that you will not eat.  You want black beans and rice? Okay! You want a dill pickle? Alrighty! You want a whole corn on the cob? You got it, Girl!  The only thing we are having trouble with is getting you switched over to whole milk.  You are still nursing 3 times a day, but twice a day you take an 8oz sippy cup of formula.  I tried weaning by slowing increasing the amount of whole milk and decreasing the amount of formula, but you didn't really care for that too much.  So then we tried cold turkey and gave you all whole milk, which you rather impolitely turned your nose up to.  So we've decided to just keep you on formula for a little while longer.  And frankly, with the summer coming up and all the go-go-going we've got, formula is a LOT more convenient!

Your favorite things right now are your Elmo couch (which used to be Sissy and Bubba's "weekend" bed).  You love to sit/lay on it and read your books, play with your toys, drink your milk or even conk out for a little cat nap!  Although you can walk a good bit, you still prefer to crawl.  It's your comfort zone.  You're speedy and coordinated with crawling, but walking? Not so much!  In fact, you crawled into Brady's room the other day and pulled out his big Pokemon Book.  This book weighs almost as much as you and yet you managed to get it from his room back out to the family room so that you could lay on your Elmo Couch and read it.  You are getting more bold and brave in your walking tho.  If you start to crawl, we tell you to stand up and you do.  I think it's just a matter of confidence for you.

You know where your toes are.  You can tell us what a cow and elephant say.  You love to be sung to and you try really hard to sing back.  If we ask you what song do you want to sing, you always put your fingers together for the Itsy Bitsy Spider.  Your vocabulary is not very big right at the moment.  You can say mamma, dadda, hi and bye, ball (which sounds like bye).  You make a noise that sounds just like you're saying "what's that?" and it usually is accompanied by a point of the finger.  You have practically lived at Abbey and Brady's school this year.  Everyone at the school oohs and ahhhs over you and you love it.  You are still very much Momma's girl (which I thoroughly enjoy), but you also enjoy flirting and entertaining people as well.  There's not a whole lot of people you will go to other than me, but if they are offering food it certainly makes you rethink the whole Momma's girl decision.

You're gorgeous and goofy at the same time...a dangerous combination in my opinion.  I have enjoyed this past year with you and I look forward to many more years of you learning, developing and becoming this amazing little girl!  Happy Birthday to my sweetness!

Sneak Preview

I've spent the better part of my day making these invitations.  Finding the perfect font, placing the circles in just the right spot, drawing the ladybugs just so and of course taking the perfect pictures!  The first picture is her blowing a kiss to everyone.  The second is her telling everyone how big she is!  Wait till you see the poem that goes on the back side!  It was written just for her by her Aunt Kell Kell!

Even Baldy Babies...

...have bad hair days!

Alternate Titles:
     "Reading with Bozo"
     "Fuzzy Wuzzy was a Bear"
     "Naptime was a Doozy!"

Check it out!

My hubby has a new website (he doesn't want to call it a blog)!  Check it out here!

Wordless Wednesday

Thoughtful Thursday

This is just a list of the few random thoughts going through my head!

Thought #1: I really wish I blogged more.  If I spent more time blogging and less time reading other peoples blogs, then I wouldn't feel so bad about not updating my children's baby books.

Thought #2: I stalk WAAAAAYYYYYY too many blogs.  It's pretty embarrassing when I have a conversation that goes like this:  "Oh my goodness, you'll never believe what I heard today.  My friend...well she's not really my friend...I know her from on-line...well I don't really know her, I read her blog...and well, never mind it's not really that interesting" and then I slink away red faced and hoping I didn't reveal just how much of a nerd I really am.

Thought #3: I wonder if anyone stalks my blog. :-)

Thought #4: I need to work on my patience.  Yesterday morning when we were supposed to be walking out the door to leave for school, the kids were in Abbey's room goofing off.  When I went in there to get onto them about not being ready for school, they said they wanted to show me something with Itty Bitty.  Instead of letting them show me, I yelled at them and told them we didn't have time and we were going to be late for school.  In retrospect, I felt really bad about it.  They were having so much fun with their baby sister making her laugh harder than she has ever laughed before and I cut that short.  I apologized to them after school.

Thought #5: I really wish I had a talent for photography.  So often I look at something the kids are doing and I can see a great photo opportunity.  I want to be able to look back at that photo and not only SEE what they were doing but FEEL the memory.  I'm lucky if my photo turns out with the kids in focus.  And to think I had a whole semester of photography in college.  What did I learn? That I really don't have a talent for photography.

Thought #6:  I am really happy for my friends who have recently added to their family through the gift of adoption.  I think about the birth mothers' selfless act that gave these special families these amazing little blessings.  I think about the Lord's hand in these situations and I am so thankful.

Thought #7: I was beginning to wonder if I was being too protective of Brady because I still don't let him go into public restrooms by himself (he has to go in the ladies restroom with me) and then I read stories like this and it just reaffirms my actions.  And to think we were just at Lowry Park last week over spring break. 

Thought #8: Thought #7 really made me think about my "danger radar" and I wonder how many times my radar has protected my children from something or someone horrible.  Sometimes things like that keep me up at night.

Thought #9: Perhaps my "danger radar" has been enhanced by watching too many episodes of Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU.  Note to self: do not watch those shows right before going to bed.

Thought #10: I have really bizarre dreams sometimes.  Note to self: stop watching Criminal Minds and SVU right before going to bed!!!

Way Back Whensday!

My computer crashed a little over a year ago and I lost all my pictures that were on that hard drive. But, my hubby, my hero saved the day. He took the old computer to his IT guy and was able to rescue all (I think) of my pictures. So last night I was browsing the disc and came across some really funny pictures, that I'm sure my kids will be mortified that I am posting, but oh well that's our privilege as parents right?

Brady has always had a fascination of climbing into small confined spaces.  Never could quite figure this one out.  And for those of you who are wondering who that pretty little girl he is sitting with in the laundry basket...that is one special Kit Kat!

Strength from the Lord

When I was a child I often thought about becoming a nurse.  Then the older I got the more I realized I really didn't handle viewing medical procedures all too well.  I've passed out at the sight of my own blood.  Had to turn away from seeing my child getting stitches.  Had zero desire to see my own children being born.  In a million years I never thought I would be able to take on the task of giving anyone, my child none the less, a shot.  But here we are.  Abbey began a medication this weekend that is administered in injection form.  We all learned how to do the injection, but Abbey hasn't built up the courage yet to give it to herself.  So each night mean old mom sticks her with a needle.  She is so brave and determined.  Please pray for her and pray for me that the Lord will continue to give me the strength to do this.  We have this medicine on a trial basis as our insurance has denied initial coverage.  The medicine is VERY EXPENSIVE and not something we can afford to do without coverage.  However, the mfg. of this medicine is providing it to us at no charge on a temporary basis.  We are hoping that Abbey will respond to the medication in a way that we can use it as leverage for the insurance company.  I think even harder than inflicting the pain of a needle on your child is the knowledge that your child would benefit from a medication that you can not provide for them. 

"You're My Best Boy"...

...those are the words I always share with Brady, to which he replies "and you're my best Mom."  *heart melts*  There were days during my latest pregnancy that I often wondered if I would be the Mother of 1 girl and 2 boys or 2 girls and 1 boy.  I think the Lord knew exactly what he was doing.  Brady is my one and only.  A son has a very special place in a mother's heart and I am so thankful for that relationship.  Eight years ago, this little man came into our lives.  It's so hard to believe how fast they grow up.  I look back at pictures from just a couple of years ago and I stare in wonderment at the little boy who is quickly approaching the teenage years.  This last year has been a challenge.  I'm not sure if it is the change from being the "baby" of the family to being the middle child AND the only boy.  Or if it is just he's at an age where he is being exposed to more things (and behaviors) and flirting with the boundary line. 

Brady, you are goofy and silly and witty and shy.  You don't like to be the center of attention unlike your older sister.  You are timid and fearful of trying new things and you definitely are not a daredevil.  You started taking guitar lessons from Poppa this year and seem to really be enjoying it.  You have never really been into music, but your bright blue guitar has peaked your interest more so than anything else.  You listen to songs on the radio and ask questions about the instruments you hear playing.  Of course your Daddy just beams with excitement when you make observations about acoustic vs. electric guitar sounds.

Brady you are an amazing little boy and I pray that the Lord will continue to direct us to teach you to be the man He would want you to be.  Happy birthday, Bub! We love you very much.

Months 6-9

I can't believe how these last few months have flown by.  You are learning new things every day.  You are growing (although not as much as we'd like to see).  At your 9 month check up you tipped the scales at 14 pounds 11 ounces, which is just barely on the growth chart at 1%.  You are 26" long which is a whopping 7% on the growth chart and your head cir. was 17 1/4" which is 44%.  So we have determined that you definitely have a biggie ole noggin for that growing brain of yours.  You are very active.  Just after your 5 month old post, you started crawling and have not slowed down since.  You mastered the stairs last month as well.  You now venture all over the house looking for things to occupy your busy little hands.  Your favorite thing to do is crawl into your room and take EVERY SINGLE book off your book shelf.

We still battle the "spitty baby".  We took you to a GI specialist in Dec. who classified you as "failure to thrive."    This made me so angry because they measured you wrong and wouldn't go back and take a second measurement.  They wanted to run all kinds of tests to rule out diseases like cystic fibrosis which you clearly don't have.  They also wanted me to stop nursing and put you on formula full time, I told them I was not willing to do that so instead they told me to supplement each feeding with a bottle of formula that was mixed at 24 calories per ounce instead of the standard 20 cal/oz.  In addition to that they wanted me to add a calorie booster to your solids twice a day.  Needless to say we decided to get a second opinion.  We went ahead and did the calorie booster and formula supplementing and 3 weeks later we met with another doctor.  In 3 weeks you had gained just under 2 pounds.  The new doctor said you're gaining too much weight too quickly and to take you off the calorie booster.  Other than that he said you were perfectly healthy and not to worry about the reflux.  You should outgrow it by the time you are a year old.  In the meantime, we took you off the calorie booster as the doctor suggested and within a few short days, you stopped sleeping through the night.  You cut your first tooth during this time so we didn't know if it was the teething causing you to wake or if it was a growth spurt.  Pretty much the entire month of January, we adjusted many different things to get you back to sleeping through the night.  We finally called the GI specialist (the one we liked) back and asked if maybe you needed to go back on the calorie booster.  The nurse said it wouldn't hurt to try so I promptly ordered a new can.  We started adding a little to your food at night only and it seems to be doing the trick.  We've got our sleeping baby back.

Kinley's Tricks

• Clapping
• waving
• says "bye"
• gives high five
• plays peek-a-boo
• climbs stairs
• pulls up to standing position
• fake coughs/sneezes (I do have video of this and I will try to post it later)
• plays "night night" (this is where she lays down and pretends to be sleeping, but then pops up and you have to yell "wake up wake up"
• throws a ball (it's more like drops the ball)
• drinks from a sippy (hooray)

I blinked...

...and 3 months passed by.  So I'll try to catch you up.  We went to Georgia for Thanksgiving and then blah blah blah had 20 or so people over for Christmas then yada yada yada and now we're coming up on the February birthday boys!  In the meantime, Kinley began crawling shortly after her 5 month post.  And within a week or so of crawling, she started pulling up on furniture.  And just recently she has managed to climb up the stairs in an effort to find her Bubba and Sissy.  So the baby gate has been placed, however, it doesn't fit properly with the baseboards, so I will give her another month or so before she figures out she can actually go under the baby gate to access the stairs.  I owe you pictures for her 6-9 months.  Yeah yeah yeah, I'll get a round tuit!

Kinley got a new swing for Christmas, so she got to try it out the other day.  At first she didn't really like it, but once Abbey and Brady got on their swings too, she thought she was big stuff!