Always crazy, Always fun, Always love

More Birthday Fun!!

2012-01-15T23:28:00.002-05:00

Ellen and Meghan have certainly been very spoiled as they crossed over into big kid world! After our own little family celebration on their birthday Wednesday, we had a party with their friends on Saturday (the 7th) and with our whole family on Sunday (the 8th)! But you only turn 5 once- it's a big one for sure so why not celebrate it big! :) These girls are so special and sweet and good and they deserved every minute of it!

I had not planned on having a party with their friends. I had parties for the boys when they were that age but stopped having them for a couple of reasons and so it never really occurred to me to throw the girls a party- but then they kept talking about all the friends they wanted to invite to their party and so I knew we needed to! I threw it together in one weeks time- from deciding to do it, to sending invites, to planning and throwing it! All in all, it was a big success. I lost my camera, as mentioned before so my amazing friend Annie offered to take pictures for me. She is very talented and took a lot of great pictures- and manipulated many of them to make them cooler. I wish I could post them all, but I will only post a few that are my favorites and that tell the story of the party best. This is a very long post- but with the exception of these first paragraphs, the words are kept short. The pictures are fun to look at!

We had a great turn out! Including Ellen and Meghan, we had 12 kids ages 3-5 in our tiny house! I was excited they could all come (the group included their sunday school class, preschool group, neighbors they play with often and a few other best friends) but nervous how it would go. Thankfully, it went very well- I kept it short- 1 1/2 hours- and kept them busy.

We started with balloon play. At first, they just tossed it in the air to keep it from touching the ground. When they bored with that, we did a follow the leader type game with them.

This shot shows most of the kids. It is only missing Joy (who you can see in the balloon pic above and others- she was working the radio) and Sophia and Amelia- who were feeling to shy to play. They played pass the crown- kind of like hot potato, but with a crown (the party had a mild princess theme, since the girls love princesses! ) Whoever was holding the crown when the music stopped got to control the music for the next round! Starting at the top of the picture and going around is the girls friend, Ellie- in the orange shirt then Annie, Meghan, Addie, Emma (Addie's cousin), Grayden, Zachary, Ellie and Clark.

We then did a fun- but easy and quick- art project! They decorated princess wands (girls) or swords (boys)- that had been cut out of card board and wrapped in foil. They loved it and did great! I just bought the puffy glittery stickers for them to stick all over them.

Sophia working hard! Love this one of Amy (Sohpia's mom and my so very dear friend) helping her!

And here is her sister, Amelia- who will NOT smile for pictures.... Annie is lucky she got a picture of her!

Grayden is focused on making a great sword!

And here are some finished products:

Friend Ellie with her wand!

And Zachary with his sword!

Joy with her wand!

I love how unique they all were!

It was a mild day for January so we went outside for the next game. It was a simple relay- scoop beans out of the bowl- run down and dump beans in a bag and run back. They loved it! Annie (the friend taking pictures) caught this picture before the game got organized:

Love how she made Annie E (yes, two Annie's in attendance- one adult, one kid! And two Ellie's for that matter!) stand out by making the rest black and white. It makes her look like the leader of the pack- but really, she just happened to be standing there with the group watching her before we started!

Soon, we got the game organized.... I think it is obvious which of my girls is more competitive! Ellie is focused and ready!

And here we find we were correct! Ellie is off and running- Meghan just watching! ha!

I love this one of Grayden- I think he is excited it is his turn!

Yet as he plays, he is cool and confident!

Next was cake and ice cream. I kept it simple- just cupcakes and ice cream. I love it how Annie (with help from my friend Amy) made my simple cupcakes look so grand by arranging the wands and swords around them (which had not yet been decorated at this point....)!!

I love how Meghan is so serious about her ice cream! She made sure to scrape every last bit out and was fully focused- totally like her!

This is Addie- a new friend who just moved into our ward (church) boundaries- the girls love her! So fun to make new friends (and for me too- her mom is pretty awesome too!)

And these were my FAVORITE pictures..... no explanation needed....

(I seriously wish I had Annie's eyes for pictures!)

And of course.... presents! I think present time got a little overwhelming- there were so many kids who were so excited to see what they got and crowding them and I think the attention got to them a bit and they acted up some here, but I think they did okay being two 5 year olds. I love the expressions on their faces in this one:

Katie (Grayden's mom) made awesome tutus for both girls- pink for Meghan and purple for Ellie. Very impressive for a mom of 3 boys! The girls just LOVED them. Meghan didn't understand why I wouldn't let her wear hers to church the next day.

So, they were happy and tired at the end of their party! I am so thankful that they are surrounded by so many sweet little friends!

Sunday was more fun! Only a few pictures for this one, but it was a great day! They got to spend some time with 4 out of their 6 grandparents, a few Aunts and Uncles and cousins!! My mom snapped this one of the sweet girls:

This picture was actually not hard to get- they didn't make it easy on her!

And of course, more presents!! The big thing this year for their birthday was the girl legos!

(Meghan kept hiding under the table to open her presents- I think she was a little shy from all the attention!

Ignore the dirty face in this one! Pretty cute/ classic kid though. My sister Julie got them these adorable head bands with clips. She is always good about that sort of thing. Good thing because I am not that good at it. I love for them to have these cute sort of things, but rarely think about it. I don't know why- probably just one more thing to think about....

So, we have celebrated this milestone more than enough and I think my girls are very happy! After all this- and of course all of this happening right after the Christmas rush- I think they might go through withdrawal now that they haven't opened any presents in a week! Ha! And now that their birthday is over, they don't get more presents until Christmas! They got all their fun all over with at the same time every year.

I love these girls so much. I could not imagine our family or my life without them. What an incredible blessing they are. Usually in the course of one day they will make me laugh, frustrate me, teach me, perplex me and make my heart grow more. I thank God every day for all 4 of my babies!!! Life is good!

Through the Eyes of a Young Child

2012-01-09T23:06:00.000-05:00

Today we were at my sister's (Julie) house. She watched my girls for me for a couple hours while I ran an errand and we were visiting for a bit when I returned. As usual, we were marveling over her sweet little baby girl, now two months old!

It made Julie want to look at the baby pictures of her other nieces and nephews and compare them to baby Claire.

While looking through the book, we also saw her wedding pictures when she married Jorge in November 2000. As many may remember, in November of 2009, her world came crumbling down and the rest of us felt our world strongly shaken when Jorge announced he was having an affair and was leaving the marriage. What a horrible time that was for everyone, but so very dark for Julie. The girls adored Jorge- he was truly a favorite for them. They were just about 3 at the time and asked for him often, wondering where he had gone. I did my best to explain in simple terms, but they really missed him.

Of course, the story has a happy ending- Julie found true love again and married Shawn, a very welcome addition to our family. November 2011, they welcomed sweet Baby Claire. Jorge may have shattered her world, but she has since built a much better, much happier world. We have all said good riddance to him. I have not talked to him since before the split and I hope I never run into him.

So, back to today. When Ellen and Meghan saw the wedding pictures, they kept asking why Shawn wasn't in the pictures. Julie explained that these pictures were when she married Jorge. Julie said, "You remember Jorge don't you?" The girls both said no, they did not. They had no idea who he was. It then occurred to me that- being not quite 3 when he left, that enough time had passed in their little lives that he had disappeared from it completely.

Jorge really seemed to love my girls and they adored him. But, that is another loss from him! Too bad, so sad- Good-bye and Good-riddance! Even the girls no longer remember you, you are through!

A Big Day for Two Big Girls!!!

2012-01-06T23:18:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday, January 4th, my sweet "baby" girls turned 5. I just can't believe it! The last 5 years just flew by! Sometimes I still find myself in shock that I got two babies.....and now they are 5!! We had a very good day on Wednesday- the day was almost entirely about them! I had to babysit for the choir as usual for Wednesday mornings. But, after that, we met my dad for lunch! These girls absolutely adore their grandpa!

(I don't know why this picture turned out so little....)

After that was an event they had been waiting for since Christmas! When Aaron's mom was in town, "Grandma Janet" as the kids know her by- gave them gift cards to "Build-A-Bear" for their birthday! So we went on their birthday! They were so excited- they had heard of it but had never been. It was a very fun experience.

First they got to pick the style of bear they wanted. Ellie wanted the brown bunny and Meghan wanted the Hello Kitty. We then went to the stuffing station where they were filled with stuffing! Very cool how it works- a machine shoots it in through a pipe in a matter of seconds and then the worker just has to pull and tie some strings to complete the sew.

(this is at the stuffing station)

They also got to pick a heart to put inside it. Meghan insisted her kitty needed two hearts. The lady was so nice to humor her.

Then it was on to the "washing station" It looked like a tub, but air blows out and they brush their bears:

Ellie washing her bunny

Meghan washing her kitty.

Then they got to pick out an outfit (they picked matching outfits) and then on to pay for them. Let's just say I am glad they had a gift card.... wow- sticker shock! ha! But their smiles were totally worth it.

Here they are showing off their dressed bears, that share the same birthday they do!

For dinner, I made exactly what they requested: Meatloaf and macaroni and cheese (and I added green beans). Yes, my 5 year olds both requested meatloaf!! Thankfully they both wanted the same thing so I didn't have to cook two dinners! I always make what the kids want for dinner- so it should be no different just because the girls share a birthday!

After dinner is cake! Ellie wanted vanilla cake with strawberries and Meghan wanted apple cake. I got smart and just made cupcakes so I could save what we didn't need- instead of having two whole cakes sitting around here. Though the apple cake recipe didn't transfer well into cupcakes...they were okay, but I didn't save the extra of those....

Of course, they have their build-a-bears!! They have been inseparable from those bears ever since!!!

Ellie blows out 5 candles!!

Meghan blows out 5 candles!!

And then of course, PRESENTS!!!

I just took a picture of everything they got. Some was Ellie's, some Meghan's and some both. They got barbies, barbie clothes, playdoh, goggles and girl legos! They have been asking for "girl legos" for sometime (meaning pink and purple) so they could start their own collection. (Aaron calls them chick-gos) I have been hesitant because the boys ALWAYS have legos around, but I figured they are only little so long- if they want legos, the should have them!

I LOVE this picture-

After opening the presents, the girls were so excited about the legos that they couldn't wait to put them together. So, Aaron very happily agreed to help them. He has never outgrown legos! I love how all three of them are bent over and focused!

What a fun-filled day it was! And, this weekend- there is more! We are having a party for some of their friends on Saturday and then a party with our family on Sunday. Needless to say, I will be exhausted by Sunday night, but it will be worth it. You only turn 5 once, right?

My little girls have grown so fast. I am already having heart palpitations about sending them to Kindergarten this fall! They can't possibly be old enough- yet they are! They are so bright and have such sweet friendly dispositions. They add such a fun dynamic to our family. As I have said before, I never knew I wanted twins. These two are so completely different yet best friends. They were meant to come here together.

They compliment each other. Ellie is outgoing, yet sweet and a cuddle bug. She reaches out to others easily. She is very quick to learn academics. Meghan is more reserved to those she doesn't know but opens up quickly once she feels she can trust the person. She is spunky and active and quick to gain physical talents. They are smart, happy, energetic girls that are a blessing in every way.

The Most Fun Crazy Friends Ever and a Year-End Review

2011-12-31T11:15:00.000-05:00

I, without a doubt, have one of the most fun, creative group of friends ever. The things they come up with are things I never would have thought of. I sometimes feel I don't quite fit in because I do not have the same creative bug they all do, but I am grateful they always include me- they are so much fun and I do things with them that I probably never would have done otherwise. And of course, they are genuinely really good friends- they have been there for me and seen me through some tough times. I am so blessed and lucky to have them! I love them all!

This Thursday night, we had a special girls night that was as fun and creative as always! Our friend, Tracie was turning 30. Since turning 30 is a big milestone in a woman's life, they tend to bring in their 30's with a flare! I am the "old" one of the group- one of the first to turn 30 (4+ yeas ago....) and it never occurred to me to do anything special, so I am so glad I get to celebrate their big day with them! For Tracie's 30th, she rented a private Karaoke room and we rocked it out 80s style! I am not much of a dress up kind of person, but I did put together a basic costume- a side pony-tail with crimped hair (or I tried anyway- the crimps fell by the time we got there), pegged pants and then an off the shoulder torn sweat shirt, courtesy of Abbey. It was crazy awesome how much some of these ladies got into it! We rocked it out to many of the 80's most popular songs. Here are some pictures! (again, stolen from Facebook- from Abbey's page)

This is Katie and Tracie (birthday girl)

Me and Katie- singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart"

Me and Autumn- can't remember what we were singing, but I remember it was cracking us up (obviously!)

Autumn and Abbey

Autumn and Katie in a perfect "Thriller" Pose- Love it!!

Breezi- isn't she adorable? She was upset over not finding what she was looking for for her costume in the thrift stores, so she "improvised" and I think her costume is just perfect!!! I wish I could "improvise" and come up with something like that!

And here is our whole group! Front- Katie; 2nd Row- Kelli and Me; 3rd Row, Jane and Andrea (I had never met them before, but they were hilarious- so much fun!); Back- Tracie, Breezi, Autumn and Abbey. The girls who took the picture was Alicia- another of Tracie's friends I had not met. She volunteered to take the picture because she did not dress up. I told her not to feel bad- normally I am the one who doesn't dress up, like I mentioned before- not exactly my thing. In September, when Katie turned 30, she did a 1920's style party that was so much fun, and I did not dress up. I think she has forgiven me. ha ha.

A Year- End Review-

Okay, so this is kind of two posts in one- but I since it is New Years Eve, I want to wrap things up so I can have the blog posts from this year printed. This section will be brief though.

What a year 2011 has been! It had its ups and downs, but overall, was not our best year. It has certainly been a year of trials and challenges. Some of our trials included:

-a difficult pregnancy that ended in a painful miscarriage
-trouble at Aaron's work that caused many of his co-workers to leave- he tried to leave too but was unable to due to office politics. He watched as his team disintegrated as people jumped ship, leaving him with a pathetic supervisor and with Aaron doing work several pay grades above his pay (and frustration from years without a good raise)
-illnesses and trials in our extended family
-Jacob's constipation issues causing continuous frustration and doctors appointments, trying to resolve this issue that has been going on for 4 years with no real sign of ending.
- Kenny's ADHD causing a few trials for him- including a really rough start to his 5th grade year- leaving him and me in frequent tears.
-weight gain. Again.
-financial strain- these last few months have been very difficult. Starting in September when some big expenses hit and we just could never quite rise above it- every penny gone before we get it. We felt like we were treading water using all of our energy just to keep our mouths above water.
-car troubles with our own cars- needing repairs we just didn't really have money for but had to find.
-client trouble for Aaron in his car work- he had a couple of customers that, though Aaron did nothing wrong, decided they didn't want to pay him. I guess that is one dis-advantage of working on your own at home on the side- people like to try to take advantage of you.

This isn't necessarily a comprehensive list, but the big things anyway. So, I am not disappointed to see 2011 leave. I am optimistic and hopeful as we go into 2012. Things are already looking up. Here are some of the blessings as we enter the new year:
-We paid off both of our vehicles so we are entering the new year with NO car payment- this has not happened in our entire marriage.
- Just last week, Aaron finally got the notification that he is receiving a very large raise and promotion, effective January 1. He is still working for the same idiot supervisor doing the same work, but finally getting paid more as deserved. Between this and the cars paid off, I am hoping will can actually breathe a little and get more things paid off.
-Kenny is doing much better as we settle into a routine with school- his first report card was actually very good despite the beginning of the year struggles. I also feel I have been able to get some of the help I need in helping him succeed. I have actually started the process of getting a 504-plan to help with some things he needs. He has a doctor that cares about him and 3 really good teachers. We still have a lot of unanswered questions, but I don't feel quite as lost as I did a few months ago.
-Our family is healthy and strong. I have 4 children that are healthy and well, active and happy. Aaron and I are also very healthy. Despite two pulmonary embolisms over the years, Aaron's health is stable.
-We have such a loving family and (as mentioned above) the best friends ever. In fact, we get to ring in the new year with many of these women pictured above! We have a support group that continually lifts us up.
-I complain of financial trials, yet we have a warm home, plenty of food, clothes to wear, cars to drive. I think we are okay.

Sure, we have faced trials, but we have also been so deeply blessed. I am sure there will be more trials either in our near or distant future, but I know we will be given the strength to face whatever comes. I am a very happy person and feel very thankful.

Happy 2012 Everyone!!!!

A Temporary Hermit- and Loving It!

2011-12-29T15:27:00.000-05:00

I find myself in a very odd place this week. Where might that be? Home! At home with no where I HAVE to go! Feels very strange, indeed!

Not only do my children not have school for winter break, but almost everything we are involved in has stopped for break too. My days of run run run have come to a- temporary- screeching halt and it feels so odd but nice all the same. Here is a sampling of all the places we go every week:

Take boys to school every day and pick them up
Preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays (home preschool that I teach at my home sometimes)
Karate for boys
Piano lessons for Jacob
Babysit for a community choir
Rec center classes for the girls
Band practice for me
Cub scouts for the boys

And that doesn't include other meetings that come up, grocery shopping and doctors appointments that fall throughout our weeks.

Last week was still so crazy, even when many of our other commitments stopped for break because once that was done, I frantically had to finish shopping, clean my house and many other errands that had been put off due to lack of time. Then of course, we had the holiday weekend- which was wonderful (see previous post!)- full of lots of good family time.

And this week.....NOTHING!!!! In the last 3 days, I have run the dishwasher a few times, did at least 18 loads of laundry (I lost track....), and took down all Christmas decorations. Since Monday, I only left the house once. Thankfully, the kids are still enjoying their new toys and video games (not to mention doing HOMEWORK.... I mean, really- why do they need HOMEWORK on Christmas break?!?!) so they haven't gotten too bored yet. They have also had plenty of playmates- I have been babysitting extra kids all week so for that reason as well, I have not been able to go anywhere because I didn't have enough seats in my van for everyone. It made for a nice excuse- but I didn't really want to go anywhere anyway. For a stay-at-home mom, I am not home very much so it is a nice change of pace.

Tomorrow, I only have one extra kid to watch and with time running out on break, we will probably venture out and do something fun.

As of next Wednesday, the kids go back to school and the rat race speeds back up, but for now, I am a hermit- and loving it!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T23:21:00.000-05:00

I find it a little surreal to be looking back on another Christmas already. The season really snuck up on me this year. Seriously, we were well into December and yet it didn't feel like it was really so close to Christmas. The weather didn't help either- cool, but not cold- and rainy and drizzly for pretty much the entire month.

Despite the fact that it never really felt like Christmas to me, the holiday itself was just wonderful- all I could ask for and more. We had happy healthy children, lots of family, good food and many smiles. There are so many pictures I want to post so I will try to let the pictures do most of the talking. Some pictures aren't as good because I seem to have lost my own camera (MAJOR bummer) so some were taken with my small cell camera (no fancy smart phone for me). The better ones were taken by others and I stole the pictures off of Facebook.

I thought Christmas morning was awesome when I was a kid. It is 10X better as a mom. I LOVE Christmas morning with my kiddos.

Here they are, awake and excited to see what Santa left!

They must have been very good kids this year! The girls each got a "Happy Napper"- which I thought was kind of a waste of money but they kept BEGGING for it, so Santa decided they deserved it. Kenny got a bucket of 1600 basic lego blocks (to go with the many sets he has collected) and Jacob got the Harry Potter years 5-7 Wii game he had been asking for! There were many more fun things as well!

Santa even brought them each a brand new pair of PJs! I would like to say I am one of those cool parents that let them open it Christmas Eve so they could wear them right away, but I did not. So, this was taken before bed on Christmas night.

After they opened presents and had ~~a bunch of junk food~~ breakfast, we went to church. I was looking forward to it because, due to the holiday, it was sacrament service only and was sure to have lots of beautiful music. Well, it went a little longer than expected and I was really tired so I was having trouble staying awake. After that, we relaxed at home for a while and then went to my parents house.

It was baby Claire's first Christmas! Here she is with my Grandma.

It is a newer tradition to decorate Christmas cookies with the kids. One of the reason is to take the focus off of gifts since many in my family can't really afford to buy a lot of gifts this year (including us!), especially for such a large family- not to mention that it really isn't what Christmas is about anyway. We agreed no gifts at all but would spend time together and make cookies. My parents ended up getting them all a little something anyway and the kids had a wonderful time!

This is Meghan, Kenny and my niece Kaylee- working hard on those cookies!

My beautiful nieces- Kaylee, Kristen and Savanna- they all made beautiful cookies!

Of course, the kids got bored after a cookie or two and went on to other things (like playing with the fun stuff Grandma and Grandpa bought...) and there were so many cookies left to be decorated- so I did a rush job and got them done so they could all be enjoyed...

A baker I am, a decorator I am not. Simple, but yummy!

Monday, we had an annual brunch at my house with Aaron's family. We were extra fortunate to have Aaron's mom and step-dad, Bob in town from Florida for Christmas! With 9 adults and 7 kids, my house was cramped (no one else's house is any bigger than mine- and our house is central to everyone) but we all still had a great time!

This is a very rare shot of Aaron together with his mom and dad. A very good picture, even if candid. I wish it would have occurred to me to take a picture of the three of them looking at the camera. (Thanks for snapping this one, Bob!)

Aaron's sister, Sarah with their dad, Chuck

Aaron's sister, Rachael with their dad (Sarah's husband- Jeff in the back ground)

Aaron's step-mom, Debbie and Jeff

Aaron's step-dad, Bob with Mom, Janet and Aaron (who is apparently telling an important story!)

I meant to gather all of the kids together to take a group shot of them before they all left, but in the chaos, I forgot- but here are a few random shots:

I love watching my children actually playing happily together- a rare occurrence indeed! They are playing with the hexbug nano-bots Kenny got for Christmas from Santa.

I found this scene quite interesting and humorous. The girls got some Barbie dolls for Christmas. Last week, sadly, Aaron's grandfather passed away (see previous post). It was the girls' first funeral experience. It must have been on her mind. Ellie was playing funeral. The Barbie in the box died and the other Barbies (sitting on top of the other box, as a bench) are attending the funeral!

I love this- this is classic Meghan- all dressed up! She is opening a build-a-bear gift card from Grandma Janet for her birthday! Monday was my nephew Joey's 5th birthday (you can sort of see him to the left of Meghan and his big brother Kurtis to the right) and the girls birthday is coming up on January 4th, so we also had a mini birthday party. The original plan was to take the 3 birthday kids to build-a-bear but then decided it probably wasn't the best plan for the day after Christmas, so she gave gift cards instead.

Ellen and Meghan are both all dressed up in the new dress up dresses from Aunt Rachael and playing happily with the toys that Aunt Sarah gave them!

Bob took 3 different pictures of Jacob assembling his new lego set and Jacob was so focused he had no idea his pictures was being taken! When I showed him this picture, he was surprised- he really didn't know his picture was taken!

Kenny is holding an AMAZING blanket that Aaron's mom, Janet, crocheted for us and also one for Sarah's family just like it. A few months ago, when she knew they were coming to visit, she asked all of us our favorite colors but didn't tell us why. She incorporated our favorite colors into the blanket. Aaron's favorite is blue and Jeff's is yellow. So, she made the top and bottom blue and yellow since Jeff and Aaron are the heads that "hold the family together" You can see the light purple binding all around the edge- that symbolized Christ surrounding us and protecting us. Then, in between are the colors representing each person. It is just absolutely beautiful- so very touching and I love the story behind it. Definitely something we will treasure forever!

So, this is a small glimpse on what it looks like to have 16 people in one small room, though you can't quite see everyone. I LOVE this picture. Only a family that really loves each other could be this cramped and still be happy! My children are incredibly blessed to have 6 grandparents that love them dearly. They are also incredibly lucky to get to spend time with ALL 6 of them this Christmas.

In closing, I had to include one last picture. We have 1 dog and 2 cats. How do they handle all of this chaos?

I love the look on poor Pebbles face here. It is like she is saying "Help me!"

It was truly a wonderful Christmas with lots of family and lots of fun!!

In Loving Memory

2011-12-16T22:16:00.001-05:00

Aaron's Grandfather, Elver Jay, (referred to as "Papa" by Aaron and siblings) passed away Tuesday. He is a great man and is very loved and will be very missed. Here is a portion of the obituary. I left out the areas with locations and names mentioned for privacy's sake.

"Elver "Jay"
1928-2011

Elver "Jay", 83, went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Tuesday afternoon, December 13, 2011 at his residence in Pensacola. He was born on November 12, 1928 and raised in Columbus, OH.

Jay retired from Rockwell Intl. and was a veteran of the Air Force and an avid singer. He was a member of the Masons. Jay was also a member of the Scottish Rite, and a member of the Aladdin Shrine Temple where he was an active member of the Chanters and the Jesters units.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Joann."

Aaron's grandmother passed away in 1991. Aaron and I did not meet until 2 years later so I never got a chance to know her but the family always speaks of her with such love and wonderful memories. I know she was an amazing woman and that "Papa" loved her dearly.

Papa was also a very good man and loved by everyone. I am thankful I got to know him, if even just a little bit. He welcomed me into the family from the very beginning and was kind to everyone. In these last few years, Papa's health steadily declined to where he was recently constantly in pain and very frail. While I know we will miss him and it is sad, I am also grateful that he is free from his pain. I know he is in heaven right now dancing and free- enjoying a joyous reunion with his sweet wife that he has missed for so long.

Unfortunately, since he lives in Florida, my children have only gotten a few opportunities to meet him. I think the last time they saw him was in June 2007:

This is Papa, Chuck- Aaron's dad, Aaron, Kenny (age 6), Jacob (Age 4) and Ellen and Meghan (5 mos). Kenny remembers him but I don't think Jacob really does and the girls were obviously just babies. I just wish that our children could have known him better because I know they would have loved him! Aaron and his dad have been able to get down there a couple of times in the last year or so to see him and I know Aaron is so grateful for the opportunity that he had to spend a little time with him.

Good-bye, Papa- till we meet again, because I know we will!!

A Big Scare

2011-12-05T22:24:00.001-05:00

This weekend, a very scary event occurred in the life of Amy, one of my best friends, that shook us all a little and means that life for her will likely never be quite the same. This is Amy's 5 year old daughter, Sophia:

Isn't this the sweetest picture? She is a beautiful little girl who has had to deal with a lot in her 5 1/2 years. She has quite a few allergies (food and environmental), asthma and more recently, seizures.

She had one in May of 2010. It was very unexpected- she had never had anything like it before and it came out of nowhere. It lasted 40 minutes until it was under control. She spent a week in the hospital as they ran tests trying to find a cause. The doctors didn't really find anything except the presence of a virus. They said it was possible this was a cause and said that everyone gets one "freebie" seizure where it is always a possibility of it being a fluke. This is what her family was hoping.

Unfortunately, it happened again last Friday, December 2nd. Sophia had a mild cold and was over tired from not having slept enough during the week, but otherwise was her normal self. Amy went to pick her up from school. Normally, she would have picked up her 10 year old son first, but she was running late and asked a friend to pick him up so she went straight to the girls school. She parked on the street and walked up to get Sophia and her twin sister, Amelia. She thought Sophia looked a bit dazed, but was otherwise okay. The grandmother of another student stopped to talk to Amy so the girls played on the sidewalk while they talked. Suddenly, Sophia just stopped and stood very still and her eyes went all the way to the left. Amy put her arms around her and kept asking if she was okay, but got no response. After a minute or two of this, Sophia collapsed right into her arms and the seizure continued. Amy yelled for help and carried her into the school and into the nurses office. At first when they laid her on the cot, she was still and they hoped it had passed, but then her left arm started shaking and that continued down through her body all the way to her feet- all on the left side.

The ambulance came and she was taken to the hospital- Amy riding along with her. Poor Amelia was completely terrified seeing her twin sister go through this and her mom having to leave with her. Amelia is a very shy child anyway and this was a lot for her to take. The school nurse, Mrs. B was just amazing and ended up taking Amelia to Amy's in-laws house where she would stay for the night.

As scary as this was, it was easy to see how God arranged things to be sure Amy was there for her when this happened. This is all way more than coincidence:

1) If she had picked up her older son first, they wouldn't have gotten to the school before the seizure started.
2) If the grandmother hadn't stopped to talk, Amy would have quickly loaded the girls in the car and taken off to pick up her son- so this would have happened on the road, with her by herself.
3) She parked on the street and walked up- whereas sometimes she pulls into the lot and loads the girls there. Had she pulled into the lot as usual, her car would have been in the way of other cars when this happened- right during school pick up time.

It is amazing how, even in the face of tough trials, our Father in Heaven looks out for us.

So, she was taken by ambulance to the hospital. It took "only" about 25 minutes for the seizure to get under control this time because they gave Sophia medicine in the ambulance this time but they had not before.

I went to see her and the receptionist asked if I was family to Sophia. I didn't even hesitate to say I was her aunt. It really isn't dishonest- I love her mom as a sister and I love Sophia as much as I do my nieces and nephews. I have watched her grow up for 4 years now and care for her well being. I figure the only thing that makes me different from her "real" aunts are:

1) I am not blood related, but then not all aunts are!
2) I have not known her since she was born- though I have known her since she was 1 1/2 years!
3) I don't get to come to family gatherings.

Otherwise, not much difference!

She was very sleepy for a long time due to being exhausted from the seizure as well as the drugs they gave her to control it. Later, she started waking up as they were admitting her and she started asking for her special stuffed kitty. Unfortunately, it was in the back packs with her mother-in-law, so no way of getting it. I felt for her- the poor thing needed something to hug on after all of that. So, I went down to the gift shop and found a kitty that was nothing like her own, but hoped it would do.

I am so happy to say it was a hit! She loved it and it was her special companion in the hospital. Check these out:

She even named him snowflake! Here, the "art cart" had come with fun activities to do- she chose to paint a magic wand!

Here she is telling snowflake all about how she is going to paint the wand.

And, this is the wand in progress!

Fortunately, she quickly returned to her normal self- seemingly unscathed from such a long seizure. The doctors are saying that is the biggest worry- is the length of the seizure and that this is not the first time. Any time she has one like that, she is risking brain damage. For this reason, she needs medication to assure another one like this will not happen. She was released from the hospital and will follow up with the neurologist in the coming weeks for more testing as they try to find the answer.

Understandably, they are all scared and very overwhelmed. Please keep them in your prayers as they navigate this unexpected road and search for answers. Amy is such an amazing person and a great mother- Sophia is lucky to have such a loving and caring family looking out for her!

Go Bucks!!

2011-11-28T21:37:00.001-05:00

Having a mother who works for the Ohio State University (specifically, the hospital) has its perks. For example, I got a college education at 50% off! Another perk would be that she gets access to season tickets to the OSU home games.

They sell most of their tickets, but my dad takes someone to a game every year. Last year, he took Kenny to a game and promised this year he would take Jacob. Jacob has been counting down all year, looking forward to HIS chance to go to a game in the SHOE with grandpa all by himself for his first time ever! It was on November 19th- for the Ohio State/ Penn State game.

As luck would have it, about 6 weeks before the game, my dad fell down the stairs and crushed his foot. He had to have surgery and is doing well, but has limited mobility- maneuvering "the shoe" was not an option. So, instead of a grandpa/ grandson date- it became a father/son date! Aaron took him and they had a blast! The weather could not have been more perfect. The Bucks lost, but that didn't really spoil their fun.

Can you tell he was excited?! I LOVE his goofy expressions!

Aaron even splurged and bought him this $8 (?!) foam finger- which totally thrilled him!

Looks like an attempt at a picture of the two of them together- not the best, but the only one they got!

And of course, they LOVED watching the band- which is my favorite part as well. After all, football is just a game to watch while waiting for the band, right?!

They even got to watch the famous "Script Ohio" performed TWICE! Apparently it was the directors last home game before retiring so it was done as a tribute to him.

I know my dad and Jacob were both disappointed that dad couldn't go, but I know that Jacob and Aaron had a blast together- I love to see them spending time together!

6 1/2 Months Later- For the Record

2011-11-23T12:15:00.001-05:00

This is a subject very close to my heart and personal so I will not link this one to Facebook as I often do. Instead, it is here for my own thoughts and memories sake as well as for those who care enough to read my blog without a link prompting them- which is about 2 people I think.

As I wrote about in this post, we were excited earlier this year to learn that baby number 5 was on the way. Unfortunately, I miscarried in early May. Today, November 23rd, was my due date. It has been very very hard, despite having 4 other wonderful children to keep me busy.

So, for the record, these are my thoughts, 6 1/2 months later on my due date:

One thing I have learned having 4 children is your heart grows with each one- making it possible to love each and every child with your whole heart. I can understand totally how someone could have ANY number of kids and love them just as much. We loved this one just as much. This one was just as real.
Even 6 months later, it still hurts. I still long for that baby and think of her often. I wonder if/when the longing will go away. I had a miscarriage before the twins. It didn't stop hurting until I conceived the twins and that pregnancy was successful.
I still feel a stab when someone announces they are pregnant- especially if it is for a 5th or beyond. It is hard to control the selfish thought of "Why is it so easy for them and not me?" (though I have been fortunate to have 4 children without fertility, at the same time, it has not been easy. We went through fertility testing, long waits to get pregnant, and of course, two miscarriages).
With this as well as other trials the last few months, I feel I have teetered closer on edge of depression- if not fallen all the way in- then ever before in my life. I cry over everything, have no energy, very exhausted, loss of interest in some things, forgetfulness, withdrawal and more.
I keep a lot of this to myself, even within family and close friends, because I don't want to bring everyone down and I feel most people just don't understand. I know for a fact that many close to me think we were insane for trying for a 5th anyway. Also, I don't want people to mistake my sadness for being ungrateful for the 4 I have. That can not be farther from the truth. I really do thank God every day for my 4. I know many do not get this blessing and I have been so deeply blessed. It is just that, well- a loss is a loss and it hurts regardless.
I do not know what it is like to have a miscarriage BEFORE having children, but I did once hear someone say it is just as hard if not harder to have a miscarriage AFTER you have other children because now you know what you are missing. Yep- that describes it.
I have kept this day close in my heart as it approached. I knew for a fact that no one else remembered it- not even Aaron did, though many knew it was nearing. I didn't really expect anyone to- really, there was no reason for them to. I was shocked though to find one person did, and it really meant a lot.
I never knew my heart could swell with happiness and love and joy while breaking at the same time. That is how I felt these last two weeks as I held my new baby niece that was just born. I was so excited to find that both my sister and I were expecting-and due within 10 days of each other and I envisioned our babies growing up together. I am so happy for my sister and I love my niece. Considering this was her first and probably only, I am thankful that this happened to me and not her. I just mourn that I don't have a baby that would grow up with her. As baby Claire grows, I will always remember my own- knowing they would have been the same age.
And that is just the thing with miscarriage that makes it hard to heal that people don't understand. Sure you mourn the loss, but you also mourn the future that you envisioned. For nearly 3 months, I had a vision of the future and it is still hard to know that future won't happen.
And that is just the thing too. The world doesn't really give us the chance to mourn- we have to pick up and move on the next day. Of course, it is not the same as losing a child that had been born. I honestly can not imagine such a tragedy. Of course that is infinitely worse. But, because of that, many minimize how much this in itself hurts, even if not as bad as losing a born child. I am expected to cry for a few days and then suck it up and move on. So, on the outside, and even around my family- that is what I have tried to do.
Ultimately, I know I will be able to move on for real- whether that is with another child or not. I crave and pray for that peace.

So, to end this on a positive note- though it is still often hard, I am okay. I chose to take today to remember and just breathe and take a break from the world. I do my best to stay positive on this blog and on Facebook so as not bring others down. I also just feel when we ARE positive we FEEL positive. I will go back to that after today. Today is my day to be honest about what I feel. Though I have been down lately, I do also feel very blessed and lucky. It is also easy to reflect on that, here the day before Thanksgiving. I love my family so much. I love my children, who make me smile everyday and are such beautiful gifts from God. I love my husband who is caring and supportive and loving to me all the time. I really have the best friends ever that are always there for me. God has honestly put so many people in my life that I am so thankful for. I truly believe that God has a plan for me and he knows what he is doing- and therefore, everything will work out just as it should be.

Welcome, Baby Claire!

2011-11-12T16:38:00.001-05:00

This week marked the end of a long wait to meet the newest member of our family. Julie's baby, Claire, was born this week. But, before we get to that, first things first.

I never did post about her Shower that we had in October. What a great day it was! Emily found a really cool location and it was very well attended!! (over 40 people!) She was certainly showered with love! I was so busy with preparations that I forgot my camera, so I had to steal these from facebook (since my dear sisters would rather post on facebook rather than email me the files....).

I am so grateful for these two women- my sisters are everything to me!

This is Julie with her best friend, Cheryl.

And she was certainly very showered with love! This little baby will want for nothing!

And still, before we get to the new baby, here are a few other good pictures:

This is Julie and her husband, Shawn

And I definitely must include this one:

Julie's sister-in-law, Beth, with the help of the rest of Beth and Shawn's family, painted her belly this way. Julie said when she first felt the baby move, it felt like a fish swimming in her belly.

Baby Claire is a true miracle. Julie has struggled for years with some feminine issues to where we weren't sure if she could conceive or even carry a child. It was a very happy surprise to find she was expecting. The first few months of the pregnancy were a little rough with some complications, but after that, the end of the pregnancy went pretty smoothly. Unfortunately, it does seem as if this will likely be her only baby but Julie is just thrilled and thankful to have Claire.

Speaking of, I will now finally introduce this sweet little girl:

Claire Love, born November 8, 2011 at 8:59 am. 8lbs 8oz and 20 3/4 in long! Isn't this picture just about the most adorable ever?! Loving the head full of dark hair!

Here are a few more fun pictures:

The proud mama!

The proud mama and papa, Shawn and Julie! (She will kill me for these later, but she really looks pretty good for having just had a c-section!)

Grandma Sara (my mom) holding her new granddaughter!

Grandma Brenda (Shawn's mom) holding her new granddaughter!

This is Calysta, Julie's 15 year old step daughter, holding her new baby sister! Calysta has been a great big sister- she lives with her mom in Arizona but couldn't wait to come to Ohio to meet her new sister. She has been a lot of help caring for her!

These are just minutes after she was born:

She is just perfect and healthy and so sweet! Claire hasn't been too into breastfeeding yet, but Julie is working with the lactation consultants trying to get things to work. Julie also had a rough first few days physically, but is doing better everyday. Other than this, everything has been going great!

I am thankful that I have had the time to spend a few hours holding my sweet little niece.

Aaron's Nose Job

2011-10-30T21:25:00.001-04:00

For quite some time now, Aaron has been wanting a nose job. I thought he was nuts- I mean, really, what was wrong with his old nose?! Every time he would mention it, I would just laugh and roll my eyes and say with all of our expenses, it was just to expensive to even consider and so I never really took him seriously.

Then one day, much to his luck, his dream fell into place. For FREE- which meant I couldn't argue- even if I did think the whole thing was a little nutty.

I bet you are dying for pictures!! Here goes.

BEFORE:

(Had you going, didn't I?)

He drives a VW Jetta Wagon. Which he loves. However, he always talked about how he wanted to change the nose of the car to a VW Golf nose. I really don't understand why- just a look he likes. I thought this sounded silly- why all the work and expense when there was nothing wrong with the current nose?

Well, as his luck would have it- he found (through his internet forums) someone who had a silver Golf that was interested in trading for a Jetta nose! Go figure, right? A match made in heaven for sure. So, one weekend afternoon, this guy with the perfect match came over and they set to work. It wasn't long before Aaron's car looked like this:

Doesn't look like much of anything, huh?

But, a few hours later, it looked like this...

AFTER:

He is in heaven! In case you have a hard time seeing the change, here are the two pics side by side:

By the time they finished, it was dark but they wanted to take an after picture of the two cars together so they drove to a well-lighted near by gas station. Here you can see the Jetta with the Golf nose and the Golf with the Jetta nose.

I may not understand it, but it all worked out- and with not cost except for time and their own labor- and he is a happy boy. All's well that ends well!

Something Scary in the Air....

2011-10-28T21:32:00.001-04:00

Tis the season for little dressing up and having fun!

Our little preschool group was no exception.

Myself and two other moms participate together in a home preschool co-op. We generally make our own curriculum but we do teach them reading lessons from the book "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." We also do counting activities, art projects, games and lots of play time! We usually do this on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and we take turns hosting it at each of our homes.This week was my turn. We were going to have a Halloween party yesterday but Ellie was sick. Thankfully she felt much better today so we had our party today!! What fun the kids had! It was a little extra crazy- with about 3 kids more than usual- two kids that I was babysitting for the day and the younger sibling of one of the boys in the group. But, it was nice to have a big group of kids to really enjoy the fun together.

We first did our reading lesson and then followed that with a fun painting activity! We painted paper plates to look like pumpkins and then we stuck triangles and circles on it to make the features:

Starting from the left and going around the circle: Annie, Meghan, Ellie, Hayden, Clark and Ashlyn.

Dominic- he sat doing this for a long time. When I asked if he was done, he adamantly said "No! I gotta paint!"

Here was the final result!

I love how creative they all were and each did their own thing!

We then read a fun Halloween book and rolled out cookies to eat later for a snack!

(I love how I caught this just as one two-year-old was trying to snatch a cookie cutter from the other two-year-old. )

We then put on our costumes just as the mommies came and we did a spider race and then went on a costume parade down our street!

Meghan is a doctor, Ashlyn and Ellie are princesses, Clark and Hayden are Captain America, Annie is Snow white and Dominic is wondering around- not interested in stopping long enough for a picture (I had put him in a m&m costume, but he promptly ripped it off!)

After our walk, they were pretty hungry, so we had lunch and decorated our cookies and then Abbey, (Annie's mom) made these awesome treat bags for us- including coupons for free frosties from Wendy's!! Thank you Abbey!

In Other Related News:

The boys had "harvest parties" at school today. I knew it would be interesting because they usually wear costumes and get candy and all of the normal Halloween stuff. This year, they decided that no unhealthy snacks can be given. I understand the health reasons as well as in fairness to those with food allergies, but I still just don't see anything wrong with occasional treats. So, I think it is silly, but I know healthy is always good. I wondered how parties would be now. In fact, Jacob's teacher sent home a note that said, "No costumes and no unhealthy treats." I couldn't help but think "Really?! What's the point?" Usually he brings home a treat bag full of candy. Today I had to laugh when I saw his treat bag:

Sure, most of this stuff is healthier then candy but..... well, some of it isn't THAT much better. And I had to laugh at the random broccoli florets Jacob stuck in there among everything else! I don't know why I found it so funny, but I did. And Kenny's class was a little different too. The teacher was not sure what to do about the "healthy treats only" thing so he left it to the parents. A grandparent offered to bring in pizza if parents contributed a couple dollars- the principal approved it. So....cupcakes and candy aren't okay but pizza is? Whatever.... I was happy to contribute. So his class had pizza and watched a movie.

In Other, Other Related News:

Jacob had a haunted piano recital today at a near by coffee shop. The kids were all supposed to dress up, so it was a trial run for the real deal Monday night.

The boys are mummies and the girls are wearing the SAME princess dress they have worn the last two years. I am not really complaining because I bought the dresses used for $1 each- but it is getting embarrassing because they are really tattered! The boys costumes are made from a sheet I tore into strips that I bought from the thrift store. They looked really cool, but by the time we got there, they were (obviously) already falling off so I will need to revise how I wrap them.

As usual, Jacob did a GREAT job playing!!! He is so very talented and I am so proud of him!!

And here is Jacob with his piano teacher with Christine. He just loves her and she really is great with the kids! Jacob's talent has just blossomed since she started teaching him.

So, that is just the beginning of a fun busy weekend! More to come....

Could Time Slow Down Just a LITTLE?!

2011-10-18T22:12:00.000-04:00

Two and a half years ago, in January of 2009, I posted about a pretty big change my twin girls got to experience when they went from this......

to this......

(don't they look so little?!)

Now, two years later, we have achieved the next milestone.....

They are just growing up way to fast and are LOVING their new beds! It all came about through shear luck as well. I just happened to overhear someone at church saying they had a loft bed they didn't need anymore that they were going to give away FREE. Considering these girls (who are VERY tall for 4 years old....) took up their toddler beds from end to end, I jumped on the chance! We got one of the mattresses for free also, so we only had to buy one mattress and the bedding! Sure, the wood may be a little dark for a brightly colored girls room, but we just didn't really have room to store it while we painted it and the girls were super excited to sleep in them anyway- and you just can't beat the price.

The only down side? They've already learned how to jump from the top bed to the bottom one..... I wonder how long it will be till we have a trip to the urgent care? Knock on wood- we have yet to have a child break a bone- I don't want to "break" that record.....

Camping: Boys Vs. Girls

2011-10-10T22:51:00.000-04:00

Friday night, our church hosted a Father/Son camp out at a near by state park. Aaron and the boys were all looking forward to it. There was a lot of excitement as we packed them up to go. The girls however were a little jealous, so we had our own girls camp out together. Who do you think had the most fun?

BOYS- Friday night consisted of a campfire with roasting hot dogs, marshmallows, and poking sticks in the fire and other fun activities:

They slept outside in a tent all night long. Luckily we are having a bit of an Indian Summer, so the days have been beautiful, but the night did get a bit chilly out there in the woods. But, Aaron packed the air bed and they had sleeping bags and extra blankets so they stayed warm enough. In the morning, the woke to a pancake breakfast. And of course boys will play!

How about some good old fashion sibling rivalry? Yes, this is Kenny and Jacob:

Soon after, they came home due to other events going on during the day, but had a great time!!!

GIRLS: As soon as the boys left, we started our own fun! We ran some errands at a few different stores, which- while not that exciting- did include dinner at Chic-fil-a!!! I let the girls choose where we went for dinner and they enthusiastically begged for Chic-fil-a so we went there and they got to play in the play area for a while. When we got home, we had a camp out of our own- in the living room!!! We have a small tent that I set up in the living room and they put all their bedding and animals in. We popped some popcorn and put in a movie, which they watched from the tent:

The girls also slept all night in their tent in the living room (I slept on the couch....) and we were in our warm house!

Saturday, we got up and ate a quick breakfast and headed out the door to our favorite apple orchard! I was looking forward to some fresh picked suncrisp apples, and these did NOT disappoint! I know I have said it before, but seriously, there is just nothing better than an apple right off the tree.

So, who had the better camp out? I think it was a draw! I am feeling especially grateful this weekend for the opportunities Aaron and I both had to spend some real quality time with our beautiful kids!!

(PS- for the record, I am NOT liking bloggers new posting format- I am having all kinds of trouble getting the pictures and text lined up like I want, so that is the reason for the space between the pictures....)

Life Happens

2011-10-03T23:02:00.000-04:00

I can not believe it has been nearly a month since my last post. But, the title of this post explains exactly why I haven't been around.

Life happens!

Wow- this past month has been wild! I feel like a few events have completely taken over my life. Here is what I have been up to that have prevented me from blogging.

1) School starting. This has really thrown me for a loop this year. I was simply not ready to send them back. I had a bad feeling that this year was going to be rough on Kenny and that has proven to be true. Fifth grade has been really tough on him.

The Good- Now that he is in 5th grade, he gets the opportunity to be on safety patrol! He loves it! I

have been excited for him as well. I knew it would be a good opportunity to have responsibility and

to feel valued. He has also just started playing Trombone in the 5th grade band. It is important to

me that my kids are exposed to music and experience the wonderful learning opportunities involved. Right now he is at 5th grade camp! Normally, I go with him but Aaron went as a

chaperone this year. I am excited that Aaron gets to experience it this year and that he and Kenny

will get to spend good quality time together.

The Bad- Academically, he is struggling to keep up. 5th grade has been very demanding. He has a

hard time focusing and homework takes him most of the evening to do! Also, I have discovered that

the school does not have a time set aside for band- the kids get pulled out of class for 30 min a day

twice a week. They recommend to take this into consideration when deciding to allow your kids to

play. I think this is crazy- music is such a great outlet and kids can learn so much- it shouldn't be

reserved for those who are "quick" enough to handle it all. One of Kenny's teachers is looking into

having one of the class times switched so they don't miss the same class twice. I believe the

opportunity should be open to all- no matter what their situation.

The Ugly- Maybe because of all of this stress or because he has officially reached the "tween" age,

he has acted out in ways he never did before. Yikes- not liking this tween stuff so far. What

happened to my baby boy?? He really is a truly sweet good boy and I am so proud to be his mom-

he does so much good that makes me so proud and I hate to see him struggle at all.

2) The Twin Sale!! This is the huge consignment sale that the twins club I am in does twice a year. I have not sold for several sales, but decided to sell this time. It was overwhelming and time consuming to go through all of my stuff and get it organized. I did make just over $200, though! And that was just random clothing- mostly priced around $1 and some toys and such. Thankfully, that is over for now- at least until the spring sale! I actually got my check in the mail today so me and the kids celebrated (since Aaron and Kenny are at camp) by going to Max and Erma's!! The rest of the money will go toward mattresses we will need for the girls new twin beds! They take up the entire length of their toddler beds. Seriously, when did this happen?!

3) Julie's Baby Shower!!! My sister is expecting her first child and we are so excited for her! Unless something happens sooner, she will have a c-section on November 8th! We had a shower for her on Saturday and it was beautiful and went so well! It was a cumulative effort of several people and had a large turn out. I hope to be able to do a separate post with pictures soon. (I did not take my camera but my mom did.)

4) Preschool! We started our preschool group! Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the girls go to preschool, either at my house or one of the other moms in our group. This way my girls get the benefits of going to preschool without me having to pay $200+ a month! We are using the book "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" as our curriculum, along with other learning activities and lots of fun!

5) Other randomness: So many other things that have sucked up my time: trying to learn how to be a scout leader (I am now involved with the cub scouts at church), choir babysitting, my band, rec center classes for the girls, keeping up with laundry and gathering winter clothes for kids, cooking food (these people just seem to want to keep eating every few hours....)

I feel like I have not had time to breathe! So many things I feel have been neglected that I feel I should be doing, such as:

1) cleaning house..... oh my, am I behind. I dream of a tidy uncluttered living space..... who has time?! As a "stay-at-home" mom, it would be kind of nice to actually be at home once in a while....

2) blogging- not only have a not had time to do posts, but I haven't read anyone's blogs either. I miss reading what everyone is up to and hope to have more time to now that some of the above have settled. It also doesn't help that, despite everything being crazy, everything seems mundane too and I just don't feel I have much interesting to write. Seriously, I am sure my readers are all asleep by now and have not made it this far.

3) couponing- I have been so overwhelmed with everything that I have not been able to search out the deals and clip coupons. I really enjoy using coupons and saving money. Lately (probably because of extreme couponers) the deals have not been as good and I have been strapped for time but I am hoping to recommit to it this month- I have to keep cutting my grocery bill!!

4) sleep- I am lucky to get to bed before 1 am but yet have to keep getting up by 7. Six hours may be enough for some, but I have always required more sleep and I start to fall apart after extended periods of time with reduced sleep. I am reaching that point.

Hopefully things will calm now that the boys are getting settled in school, the twin sale and the shower are over and I can get settled into a routine. Hopefully it also means I will be writing more!

4 Year Old Logic

2011-09-09T23:01:00.002-04:00

A couple weeks ago, we were driving home and enjoyed an interesting conversation with Ellie (4 1/2). It just had to be recorded.

I am not really sure how the conversation started, but we were talking something about how daddy goes to work everyday. This isn't verbatim, but pretty close.

Ellie: "Daddy do you work everyday?"
Aaron: "Yes, most days I do"
E- "Do you work tomorrow?"
A- "Yes"
E-"Did you work today?"
A- "Yes"
E- "When I get married, my husband will go to work everyday"
Me- "Yes, and what will you do everyday?"
E- "Sit around and watch the news all day!" (Is this what she thinks I do?!)
Me-"Will you have babies?"
E- "Yes"
Me- "What if they get hungry?"
E-"I will feed them"
Me- "What if your house gets dirty?"
E- "Oh, I will clean it!"
Me-"What if your clothes get dirty?"
E- "Oh, ya! I can wash them!"
(so much for sitting around all day watching the news....)
Aaron: "Who will cook dinner?"
E- (said with emphasis...) "MY HUSBAND!"

I love that kid! Sounds like a good plan to me!

MY day!!!!

2011-09-04T00:34:00.000-04:00

Today (Saturday Sept 3- it may be the 4th by the time I post this...) was a great day- it is my birthday!!! There are two things that are definitely true-

1) I am a bit of a ham when it comes to my birthday- I LOVE birthdays and love having my own day! I don't even mind getting older because of it. I hope that I will love birthdays just as much when I am 90! I have been very blessed and have a lot to be thankful for and I am thankful that God has given me another year. Who cares about getting older?! It doesn't define me. I am young in my heart.

2) When I knew for sure Aaron would be out of town for my birthday (I have known for months....) I definitely played the martyr that he wouldn't be there for my birthday- that I would be HOME ALONE ALL WEEKEND BY MYSELF WITH 4 KIDS on my birthday! Heaven forbid..... ha ha- I definitely made him feel bad about it. But I really didn't mind. It is the big annual "TDI festival" for VW's that he likes to go to- he didn't get to go last year because it was in Oregon, but this year it is in Kentucky- he went with my blessing.

But, I am happy to say, despite him being gone, I had a great day!

Here are the highlights of how I managed to get by "on my own":

I slept in (the kids got up and watched cartoons while I continued to doze in bed) and then Jacob helped to make me chocolate chip pancakes! Yum!!

Then, this arrived at my door:

Aaron had this delivered to me with a really sweet card!! He NEVER sends me flowers- seriously only a couple times in our entire marriage- not that I am complaining- he does a lot of sweet things otherwise, but this was a surprise for sure. And I love the Willow Tree figurines and I love that he picked this one!

Also, I had requested 3 things for my birthday- but told him not to get all 3 because it was too expensive, but well, of course he didn't listen:

He got me my own music stand, stand lights (you can barely see on the top) and a trumpet stand! Ever since I joined a community band last year, I have been jealous of these items that the other trumpet players all have!

Despite the fact that he wasn't here, he really spoiled me! I think maybe he was feeling a little guilty....

Then, I met my parents for lunch at McDonald's and we let the kids play a bit.

After lunch, we met Amy at the pool for an amazing afternoon!!! Thanks to a couple of coupons, we only had to pay for 3 of us to get in and it was perfect because today was hot and humid and the best type of day for the pool. We lounged at the pool all afternoon. She gave me this adorable little purse:

I actually have a "Vera Bradley" item!! Something I never would have bought for myself, but just adorable!

After the pool, we got home with just enough time to eat some sandwiches for dinner (Kenny made macaroni and cheese completely by himself) and change our clothes and head out to my friend Katie's party. Her 30th birthday is next week so she celebrated today with a 20's themed party. It was so fun- Katie doesn't know how to do things small I don't think- she thought of so many little details and things that just made it really fun! They all dressed up in 20's attire- I was the only adult that didn't, but it was because I didn't have anything that would work nor did I have the time and energy this week to search the thrift stores. But, despite that it was a lot of fun! It seemed a little different to go to a birthday party on my birthday, but I knew it would be worth it to spend the evening with friends- plus, I would get cake- which I did!!! I really enjoy spending time with them- they are amazing women!

Despite getting home at 10pm, my children had to be bathed before bed- they were filthy!!! Definitely a sign that they had a blast! To say they went to sleep quickly is an understatement!

Other perks of the day:

1) FACEBOOK! I love facebook for birthdays! As of this moment, I have 109 birthday wishes on my page! (yes, I am pathetic enough that I counted!)

2) MY KIDS! I LOVED spending the day with them- the girls especially said Happy Birthday off and on all day. Jacob played "Happy Birthday" on the piano in several different keys. The girls drew me pictures like this one from Meghan:

I received several weed bouquets too!!! They were so sweet- they seemed to really want it to be a good day for me! I am lucky to have them.

3) Phone calls from friends and family!

4) Receiving a card from Jackie with a Pampered Chef gift certificate! I LOVE their stuff!

5) I love having a birthday during Labor Day weekend- my birthday often falls on this weekend. I feel like I get to celebrate the whole weekend. Monday when Aaron gets home, we will have dinner with my family!

I am certainly feeling the love today. Yay for birthdays!!!!

Priceless

2011-09-01T21:26:00.003-04:00

Monday night, I hosted an awesome girls night. What did it cost?

Dinner at Chipotle- FREE- thanks to the prize I won through the raffle for the summer reading club! I got a coupon for Chipotle for 10! (that was the only bummer- that it was limited to 10- I seriously could have invited 30! I felt like I was leaving sooooo many people out! I am blessed with so many wonderful friends!)

Cake for Amy's birthday- cost was simply a couple hours to make it (I had all ingredients on hand of course!) This night out happened to fall on her birthday and you just can't have a birthday without cake! She was celebrating the 14th anniversary of her 29th birthday, so I decorated the cake appropriately!

Dinner with these amazing ladies?

(Front- Ashley, Natalie, Terri, Amy. Back- Autumn, Holly, Abbey, Katie, Jen, Me, Emily)

Priceless!!!

First Day of School/ Rain Gutter Regatta

2011-08-26T21:20:00.005-04:00

As mentioned in the previous post, my boys started school Wednesday!!! I seriously can NOT believe how fast this summer flew by. I remember thinking when we went to their school for the meet the teacher, it didn't seem like some big grand reunion when seeing people again. It was like, "Hey, didn't I just see you?" It seemed to me like no time really had passed between the last day and now this new first day. Not that we didn't have a lot of fun because we really did (see previous post for a small example!) it just went by really fast.

I also find I really don't look forward to the kids going back to school like many parents do. Sure the house is a little quieter with half the kids in our house gone, but I really don't like the morning rush of getting up early and everyone ready and out of the house by 8:45. I also reeeaaallly hate homework. Homework seems to be a frustration to me and the kids, then there is always a rush to get dinner cooking and onto our evening activities and then bedtime. Everything just feels so rushed during the school year. Seriously, today was the 3rd day of school and both boys already have received information regarding their first projects due. Sigh.... The quieter days don't really make up for the rushed mornings and evenings to me. Besides, I find I have so much running around to do during the day, it isn't like I get much done. I like the slower pace of summer where we can get up a little later, do fun things together, hang out at home and just not have the stresses.

Anyway, enough of my whining. Jacob admitted to being excited about the first day of school. Kenny said he was not, but I know he was a little:

Kenny- 5th grade, Jacob- 3rd grade Handsome aren't they?

They wear uniforms at their school so it takes the fun out of what to wear the first day, but at least they got to wear their brand new uniforms (definitely had to get new ones after last year- they had either outgrown or stained most of them!)

Here is Jacob ready to work:
He got the same teacher as last year, which I am thrilled about! Last year for 2nd grade, he was in a split 2/3 classroom for advanced kids. Mrs. J was his teacher and Jacob did so well, he was actually working at a 3rd grade level or above most of the year. The idea is she would have him again as an advanced 3rd grader in a split class again. But, they decided to do away with the split classes so my fear was he would repeat a lot of what he already did last year since he would now be in a regular 3rd grade class. Since he has Mrs. J again (she kept all her 2nd graders from last year) she knows where they have been and where to take them. This picture shows Meghan and Ellen waiting patiently while I get Jacob settled! I seriously lost count of how many people asked if they were starting Kindergarten this year. They were all surprised to learn they are only 4. They are both as tall as any 6 year old!

After getting him settled, I went up to see Kenny. Kenny's class was already quiet and listening to their teacher with no parents around so I didn't want to interrupt. I snapped this picture from the door way. I think it is funny that most of the kids in the picture already have the bored pose going with their head rested on their fist. Kenny has Mr K this year for 5th grade. It is his first time having a male homeroom teacher so it should be interesting. He seems like a cool teacher with lots of experiences planned. I don't look forward though to helping Kenny organize his first report due at the end of September- typed and put in a clear cover with a bibliography with 3 references.... really- in 5th grade?! Especially the beginning?!

I guess it just surprises me how fast my boys are growing. It feels so strange having a 5th and 3rd grader. I still think of them as my babies- when did this happen?!

Anyway, here is to a good school year that is sure to be full of lots of physical, emotional, spiritual and academic growth! (and no doubt a little whining....from the boys too!)

Rain Gutter Regatta!!!

Another fall tradition- that always occurs right around the start of school- is the cub scout rain gutter regatta! They always do this for the August pack meeting. Each boy receives a kit containing a boat to put together. They assemble it and paint it then race them in rain gutters filled with water by blowing them across. Here are their masterpieces:

Kenny:
Jacob:

And the race is on!!!

Neither boy performed that well (our boats never seem to do that well- probably more operator error, I am sure! Ha!) but they had a blast which is all that matters. They tied for 4th place (out of 6 boys....) but they didn't seem to mind. They each won at least one race and really enjoyed painting their boats. I thought they did a great job!!!

This Summer's Last Hurrah!

2011-08-24T20:55:00.009-04:00

Today, my boys started the new school year. Kenny is now in 5th grade and Jacob in 3rd. I feel so old having a son who will soon be in middle school! They just keep growing so fast and are truly wonderful boys!

We made sure to really pack in the fun before school and WOW- what a week we had! It was so very busy but oh, so much fun too! This last week, we had something going on every...single...day! We crammed in as much summer fun as we could before getting back to the grind! Here are the highlights:

This first set of pictures was actually a couple of weeks ago when we went to the Franklin Park Conservatory and saw the butterfly exhibit with some friends. A butterfly decided it liked Kenny!

Here are a lot of cute faces looking down on me from the loft above:And here are all of the beautiful little faces that made the trip with us!
It is a really neat place- it somehow manages to get kids into nature- while being inside!

Now onto this last week:

1)Last Wednesday: Zoombezi Bay! Our kids got free passes for participating in the summer reading club so we took advantage of that! It is too expensive otherwise! We had an absolute BLAST! In fact, I was too busy and too wet to really take any pictures, but I did snap this one before we left of our wet and tired family.

2) Thursday: Fair day! The town where I grew up hosts a small fair every year so we usually go- one of the few times I justify pigging out on fried fair food! The kids loved the rides!

(Did I mention it was H...O...T?!)

I got more pictures of the girls then the boys because Aaron and I split up during the day- he took the boys to the bigger kid rides and I took the girls on the smaller rides. Later, we went by the firefighters booth where all of the kids got a free tattoo!

3) Saturday: My brother-in-law, Shawn, took my boys and our nephew Joey on a fun day trip! He bought nets and took them to a creek to play and catch crawdads!
Here they are, excited and ready!!

Shawn warned us to send extra clothes because "they may get a little wet." Well, I don't think it took long for THIS to happen:
They came home happy and excited as can be- each with their own pet crawdads! Yay...... (note the lack of enthusiasm....). The boys put them in little containers when they got home. Kenny had two and Jacob had 1. The current count: 2 dead and 1 missing. Yes, missing! I was not too happy. We noticed it gone Monday night and still have no idea where it is. I am reeeaaaalllly hoping my cats or dog enjoyed a nice treat. Otherwise, I don't look forward to smelling/finding it (I am assuming it is dead- I don't think they can live long outside of the water...). But, regardless, it was a great day for them and I am so thankful to Shawn for spending time with them!

MEANWHILE- while the boys were away playing in the water, I took the girls to a birthday party for their friend, Zachary! They had so much fun. They did several games, had treats, and played in a fun backyard! Here is one of the games- they had to wrap each other up with toilet paper like a caterpillar in a cocoon and then burst out and fly like a butterfly!
Here is Andrew wrapping Ellie-

And Meghan wrapping Rachel!

4) Sunday: Jacob had his second piano recital- this one was outdoors at an ice cream parlor!

Of course, Jacob did an excellent job! Here is a 30 second snippet of one of his songs (I can NOT seem to remember my camera anywhere lately, so this is what I caught on my phone....sorry you have to rotate your head...or your computer...to see it straight!)

Rain was threatening all around us the whole time! It often sprinkled as the students performed, but the keyboard was under an over-hang so we were hopeful to get through them all. During the last student's first song, the skies unloaded and it started pouring! We all made a mad dash into the ice cream shop as the piano teacher and others worked to get the keyboard in quickly to save it from the rain! I felt so bad for that student- she did an excellent job and was very talented!

So, of course, after a great performance, we had to have some ice cream!

5) Monday: This was a not-so-fun day where we did nothing all day but shop for school shoes and clothes! But, that night, they did get to see their classrooms and meet their teachers and...again... enjoy ice cream at the school!

6) Tuesday: After an afternoon of playing with friends at the park, the kids spent a low-key evening preparing for school the next day. I am sure they were exhausted after the week we had! Apparently, there was an earthquake on this Tuesday (8/23) in Washington DC at 1:50pm. Many in Ohio felt it- we were at the park then and we felt nothing! So, I still have no idea what an earthquake really feels like! Not that that is totally a BAD thing....but I am a little curious!

I will stop writing here, but will be back soon with pictures from the first day of school!!!!

Then and Now

2011-08-13T21:47:00.002-04:00

THEN: July 2008

Kenny was 7 years old and longed to mow the grass but since he was still too young, he would follow Aaron around like this- "helping" him.

NOW: August 2011
Kenny's dream has come true! He is now old enough to cut the grass!! He LOVES this chore and asks us if he can mow. He does a great job too! Of course, Aaron is in heaven now, having the pressure off him. I like to remind Aaron that when we first moved into our house, he LOVED mowing the grass. It was so exciting to him probably because it was OUR house. Of course, that quickly wore off. I am sure Kenny's love of mowing will wear off too- and for that reason, I had to document proof that he once looked forward to mowing!

Don't Stop Believing!!!!

2011-08-06T22:08:00.004-04:00

Yesterday marked 13 years that Aaron and I have been married. It is crazy to think it has been that long- it doesn't really seem like it! We have had a lot happen in those 13 years- both good and bad- but I think more good then bad for sure. I honestly feel we get closer with each passing year and that our love is stronger then when we were younger. We work well together- we know how each other functions and we both have strengths where the other has a weakness, so together we can do a lot!

Several months ago it came to my attention that both Josh Groban and Journey would be in town doing concerts on August 5th. I really enjoy both and felt that since it was our anniversary we should splurge and see one of them. We almost never go to concerts- seriously, I can count the number I've been to in my entire life on one hand! It is just a cost I generally can not justify. But, what better reason then an anniversary?! I couldn't decide which to see (though I was leaning towards journey) so I polled my Facebook friends and got an overwhelming opinion of Journey! We definitely made the right choice! What a blast!

Before the concert we went out to a really great dinner. About half way through our time there, another couple was seated next to us (maybe 5 feet away). They were older than us- probably around 60 I would guess. They were so grumpy- obviously they had been fighting for a while about something and the squabbling continued as they sat there. It was awful- we could hear every word and they would not stop! I wanted to say- "Hey, it is our 13th anniversary and we are happy and having a great time- please stop squabbling so you don't ruin it for us!" But I didn't and we made a real attempt to focus on our conversation so we couldn't hear them! I kept thinking how miserable it would be to go to dinner when you are so angry! They both were just miserable. So sad. But, thankfully, we were thoroughly able to enjoy our dinner despite them.

The concert was actually Night Ranger, Foreigner and Journey so I was really excited! We got great seats!! Though, due to horrific traffic, we were late getting there and we missed Night Ranger completely. I was sad but not too disappointed because I don't know their music as well as the other two groups anyway. We got to our seats (on the floor and only about 30 rows back!) about 5 minutes before Foreigner took the stage. Both Foreigner and Journey put on a great show!!! I loved every second of it!

Aaron took this shot of us with his cell phone camera- I thought it turned out pretty good!

It wasn't really possible to take a great picture- especially since I only had my cell camera because I forgot my regular camera. But, I took a picture of each band anyway. The picture of Journey did not turn out at all (it was completely dark by then and the stage lights were bright so it didn't work) but I got this shot of Foreigner:
You can't see much, but it you can see about where we sat. I actually think the best part about this picture is the expression of the woman on the right! Ha!!

In addition to the music, it was also fun to "people watch." For example, there was this young couple (early 20's?) two rows in front of us that seriously needed to GET. A. ROOM!!! Oh my, they were all over each other! Quite a contrast from the older couple at the restaurant! Ha! I also couldn't believe the amount of drunk people as we left- all stumbling all over each other as they made their way to their cars! I wonder how many of them were driving!? Then we got the unwelcome experience of watching some guy (probably drunk?) pee all over the tire of a limo. Definitely an interesting group of people for sure!

I just loved the energy of the whole thing. As I mentioned before, I have been to very few concerts in my life- and only one other "rock" concert other than this one (Billy Joel, and yes-I count that!) It was soooo very loud of course- our ears were still ringing today- but so fun and so worth it to get out and enjoy the music and do something we don't normally get to do. It was so fun to sing along to the songs we new well and dance a little and just be a part of it all. It was so crazy to see these "old looking men" sing the songs that I have sung along with for most of my life. I remember the videos in the 80's of these groups with the young men with big hair. So funny to see them now-old but still big hair! But yet they are as great as ever! I really enjoyed watching the drummer of Foreigner. He was truly entertaining to watch. I love watching a good drum set player (this is for you, Scott A. if you are reading this! ;)). The Foreigner drummer would move his arms certain ways and his hair would flip as we played. The Journey drummer was great too, just not as much fun to watch just because he was more "hidden" behind his drum set and I couldn't see him as well.

My sister, Emily actually kept our kids overnight (she is either a saint or crazy.... I am thinking both!) so we were able to be child free all night and not get woken up by our crazy crew. It was down right weird how quiet our house was this morning (at least until the dog got sick....) We got up and went to IHOP together for breakfast before picking up the kids. Breakfast alone with my husband is something we never get to do! The kids had a blast too at "Auntie Em's"- I am so lucky to have such amazing sisters!!!

So, here is to another 13 years and 13 more after that and 13 more and 13 more and so on forever! I know that as long as we.....

DON'T STOP BELIEVING....

in each other, we will continue to keep growing closer. Happy Anniversary, Aaron!! I love you!!

Wet, Wild and FREE!!!

2011-07-28T12:03:00.007-04:00

I feel like there is a theme to our summer vacation this year. That would be:

"Either Free or Pretty Darn Cheap!!"

People frequently ask me if we are going anywhere this summer. I always say, "No, we went on vacation last year so it will be a few years until our next." I wish this weren't true. But, since it is, we are making the best of it and having a blast at home. We have been quite busy and everything we have done has been free or really close to it. We get zoo and COSI passes every year, so we have been to those places a few times already. We have also seen cheap or free movies, gone to the near by spray ground, played outside, library activities and much more.

Yesterday was a new adventure.

Downtown, a new spray park opened- full of fountains shooting up in the air. We decided to go check it out. It did not disappoint- we had tons of fun! We parked a distance away and walked there. It was a good 20-25 min walk, but the kids all had a great time with almost no complaining! We stopped along the way at one of the swings- here is a picture of some of the kids:
From left to right: Faith, Sheridan, Annie, Meghan, Ashlyn, Hayden, Jacob, Ellen and Rachel. (this wasn't all the kids- just what would fit on the swing- we had 15 kids total in our group!!

Once we finally got there- they cooled off in the water!

On Wednesdays throughout the year, there are activities sponsored by a local radio station- with a different theme each week. This week was a science theme! The girls got to plant seeds to take him with them:

Kenny loved the booth where they experimented with dry ice. The picture didn't turn out, but he is basically holding a "bubble" of dry ice- dry ice within a bubble of water. Then, when he closed his hand the bubble popped and the dry ice evaporated! Kenny spent a TON of time at this booth:
There was also a prize wheel (where we won two tickets to some kids movies coming up) and they did an art project by gluing beans on paper. As you can see from Kenny's picture- they also got free ice cream! They were just handing them out to everyone! And, this character, whoever he is, was walking around and made for a fun photo op:
So it was all this for FREE! All I paid was less than $2 in coins for the parking meter!

And, the bonus is we found a much quicker way back to our cars- it only took about 10 minutes to walk back! It was way crowded though at this park- probably because of all of the activities. It was a little unnerving trying to keep track of everyone. It just seemed really easy to lose kids. But, we all made it back! Though it was fun to go on a Wednesday and do the activities, we will likely go again on a different day when it won't be too busy.

Either way, it was a blast! Another great summer day to add to our memories. I love my kids!

An Unwelcome House Guest

2011-07-23T21:53:00.005-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows I have bug issues. I don't handle them well-especially spiders, centipedes and anything that crunches when you kill it. I know it is dumb but I can't help it. If something is big enough, I am sometimes too freaked out to even kill it. I will sometimes trap it (like with a bucket over it or something) for Aaron to deal with when he gets home. Not all bugs all the time, but sometimes! Pathetic, I know- but, it is what it is.

So, a week ago or so, I was quite unhappy when this spider showed up in our kitchen window- between the window and the screen! Complete with a big web.

Nasty, huh? I am not even sure what he expects to catch in his web- not many bugs get into there, but then I guess he did, so maybe he is getting lucky.

Anyway.... For a few days, I just wasn't sure what to do about it. I couldn't open the window for fear he would scurry away before I could catch him. At the same time, I can hardly sit and eat dinner with this window right in front of me and him right there.... I literally get chills when he moves his legs! I turned to Aaron for help but he was no help- him and the kids thought it was way cool and were enjoying watching him.

Finally, after a few days, Aaron took pity on me and went outside and hosed down the window like crazy- aiming the hose right at our guest, destroying his web and knocking him down. After that, he seemed to be gone.

The next day, he was right back there in the same place with the web the same size. We figured he was hiding in a little hideaway in the corner of the window until he dried off. At this point, we both new it wouldn't work to open the window to try to get him- he would just scurry into this little hole. So, for another day or two (!!!!) the boys again enjoyed observing him. I kept begging Aaron to get rid of it. He sprayed the window longer and harder- right on the spider- destroying his web and everything. He seemed to be gone. Again, he has returned.

He is taunting me.

But, I now know something he doesn't. (in fact, I don't know why it took me this long to think of it...) I know about the bottle of raid underneath the sink. I know that I can go outside and spray it through the screen right at him- just like the hose. I know that his welcome has long ago worn out and that Mister Spider's taunting will end tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, he is going down!

Disclaimer.... my one reason I was hesitant to post this... I have one friend who has been dealing with Lice on her children and another who has been dealing with bed bugs. I fear they will read this and think "really?! She is complaining about a spider with what I am dealing with?" I realize this in no way compares to what they have dealt with when it comes to bugs, and I am not trying to compare. What they have dealt with has been a nightmare and my heart goes out to them and they have been in my prayers- this spider is just annoying- I just wanted to share! :)

The Tooth Fairy is Set to Return!!

2011-07-23T21:52:00.002-04:00

Today was a big day at our house!! Ellie lost her first tooth!! Surprising, since she is only 4 1/2. A little younger than average, but not abnormal. My kids all seem to be "early losers"- both boys were just barely 5 when they lost their first (and Kenny is DONE losing teeth- all of his baby teeth are gone and he is barely 10!); but obviously, this is even earlier. In fact, Meghan had a baby tooth that formed wrong in her gums and had to be pulled as an infant. The dentist said she may start losing her teeth a little early. She may have one loose, but yet it was Ellie who lost one first!

(It is surprisingly hard to catch a picture of a 4 year-olds toothless gap! She had goofy expressions in all of them! But of course, still adorable!)

About 1 1/2 weeks ago, I took the girls into the dentist for their regular cleaning and the hygienist is the one who noticed her two bottom front teeth were loose. She has been wiggling them a lot since then, anxious to get to know the tooth fairy. In fact, the last couple of days when the one has been looser, she has even been asking Aaron to try to pull it. He kept trying, but it wasn't quite ready. Today, it did come out when he tried to pull it and she didn't even realize it until he told her to look at the mirror. She went and looked and saw a little blood- and at THAT point freaked out crying and upset! Ha! But then, all day she asked when it would be dark time so that the tooth fairy would come! All I gotta say is that tooth fairy better deliver!! We have had a lot of problems here with the tooth fairy- click here to hear more about why!

Reality Couponing

2011-07-19T23:25:00.003-04:00

Unless you have been living on a rock, you have also noticed that "couponing" has suddenly become an everyday term in this country. I have a few friends that have been couponing for years and have tried to get me to join them. Several months ago, I finally did jump on the bandwagon, but it seems I jumped on just before that bandwagon started to get really packed!

So many people were interested in it that a "certain" TV channel felt the need to do a show about it- and ruin it for all of us!! The show made people think they could get $1000 worth of groceries for $50 in one transaction- all at once. Truth is, that is impossible. Stores only allow so many like coupons in one transaction. Turns out, those stores agreed to "bend the rules" for the show. That and at least one of the "expert couponers" was caught using coupons fraudulently- ON THE SHOW! And, she was completely non-apologetic about it. Not to mention blatant clearing of shelves, leaving none left for others wanting a deal too. That is NOT "Extreme Couponing" but total false-hood and unrealistic.

Many looked at this show and thought "I want to do that too!" So, they started clipping coupons like crazy, sometimes copying them (HUGE no-no!!) and going to the store thinking they were ready and were angry when it didn't work. Store's got irritated at misunderstanding and at people trying to clear their shelves, using coupons wrong and costing the stores a lot of money. Now, stores are changing coupon policies, limiting more, and not having as good of deals. This is frustrating to an honest couponer. Despite this, I look for deals when I can and sometimes it works out well. Tonight was one of those nights! I had to take a picture:
This is what I consider "Practical" or "Realistic" couponing. Here is the run down (12 cartons 1/2 gallon Smart Balance milk (yes I have a large freezer), 9 bottles of 64 oz Old Orchard Juice, 4 Pantene Pro-V, 2 M&M's): The retail value of the items on this table totals a crazy $94.72!! Here are the regular prices of these items:

SB milk: $3.99 half gallon (seriously, who would PAY that?!)
Old Orch Juice: $2.89
M&Ms: 74 cents
P-Prov: $4.99 bottle (bought at CVS, everything else was Meijer)

Here is how it broke down after sale price and coupons:

SB milk: $2.59 half gallon- minus coupons= 59 cents/ half gallon
Old Orch Juice: $1.67 bottle- minus coupons= 67 cents/ bottle
M&Ms: 74 cents- coupons= FREE!
P-Prov: sale price 2/6.97- coupons and store extra care bucks= approx. 73 cents/ bottle!!

So, my grand total for everything (remember retail price of $94.72!!!) was only $18.25!!! Pretty sweet, huh?

I just wish that those who decide to start couponing would NOT watch the shows about it and follow these simple tips to keep it honest- (I am not an expert, but this is what I have learned and is common sense...)

1) If you print coupons, you can print two per computer, ONLY- this means if you have more than one computer, you can print more. Don't ever copy them- there is a PIN number on each coupon- you can/will get caught- making it worse on all the rest of us.

2) Beware of store rules and follow them (they are constantly changing right now so they are sometimes hard to keep up with.) But, most stores limit the number of coupons they will double or how many same coupons they will let you use in a day or transaction.

3) Be super courteous to the cashiers. You don't want to tick them off or you can forget it! Sometimes they are wrong, but don't berate them or be rude- you can kindly and gently explain it- but listen to them too, because you just might be wrong!

4) Use the coupon for the item described on the coupon. It is coupon fraud to use it on another item, even if it works. I have been guilty of this before- just in small amounts because I didn't know better, but I try to avoid doing it now.

5) DO NOT CLEAR SHELVES!! (Believe it or not, with all I bought tonight, I really did not come close to clearing the shelves- I left plenty for others). It is rude to take everything on the shelf (unless there is only a few left, of course....) Not to mention, a huge stock pile is crazy-you just don't need 30 years worth of mustard! It is good to have extra stored- but you should never stockpile more than what you can use in a year, or more that what you can use before it expires.

I just feel like if people would follow these common sense guidelines, the stores wouldn't have to be so strict- they would be happy to get the business and we would be happy getting great deals.

KEEP IT HONEST PEOPLE (AND TV STATIONS!!) OR YOU RUIN IT FOR EVERYONE!!

A Twin Sister's Love

2011-07-18T15:42:00.004-04:00

I have said it before- I never would have asked for twins. I have learned that a better way to say it is that I never knew I wanted twins. The last 4 1/2 years have been such an adventure. Despite the sleep deprivation and near constant chaos, it has been proven to me that God knew what he was doing- I love these two little girls like crazy! They are so different from each other- each with their own ideas and interests.

I truly believe they were meant to come together! Despite their differences, they really are best friends-they play together and are usually ornery together too. Sure, they have their moments of fighting or doing their own thing, but they genuinely love each other. There have been many examples of them being worried or concerned for the other. They love to take care of each other.

A couple of weeks ago, we went to a 4th of July party at my aunt's house. I didn't take any pictures this time around, but my cousin captured this great shot of her daughter and my girls:

Ellie, Meagan and Meghan
(wearing necklaces they made there!)

Soon after we arrived, the kids started working on a project my other aunt had brought for them. Ellie suddenly started screaming and I quickly realized she had been stung by a bee! This was actually the first time any of my kids had ever been stung! I whisked her into the house to help her and I didn't even notice at first that Meghan had followed. I took Ellie into the bathroom to look at the sting and treat it and I looked over at Meghan and she was looking at me with big eyes and her lower lip sticking straight out, trying not to cry. I told her Ellie would be okay and I gave her a hug and she started crying. So now Ellie was still crying because she was hurt and Meghan crying because she was scared and...well.... let's just say I had to dry my eyes too. The concern for her sister was so sweet and touching.

A week or so later, Meghan was running through the house (despite constant warnings not to...) and slipped on something that was left on the floor. She hit her chin pretty hard on the floor. Thankfully, she was okay- not bumps or bruises even, but of course she cried hard. Ellie was right there asking if Meghan was okay and just very worried for her sister.

These are just recent examples of many observations I have had. They both will often get something for their sister too if they are getting one for themselves. Such as, if Meghan gets a banana, she will often automatically take one to her sister. Or if I am pouring juice for them both, they will wait for both cups to be ready and take one to her sister. I know all of my kids, including my boys, have shown genuine concern and care for their siblings, but I speak of it as a twin thing just because it is definitely stronger and more obvious with Ellen and Meghan.

I am sure as they get older they will have many moments similar to this and many moments when they won't want anything to do with each other. For that reason, I had to record this memory.

I'll bet you are all wishing for twins now, right?

Meet Lion and Tiger AND a Great Summer Day!

2011-07-07T16:29:00.011-04:00

(So, after two depressing posts before this, enjoy a very happy one!)

A few weeks ago, we found more caterpillars in my parsley. They are attracted to it and this year has not been disappointing!! We were successful before in raising a butterfly and I posted about it, but I am posting about it this time too! Meet the two newest family members: Lion and Tiger!
As you can see, Lion is about to start his cocoon! I almost waited to long to take a picture! Within a day of taking this, Lion was in his cocoon and about a day or two later, Tiger had made his! Then, I DID forget to take a picture in the cocoon stage, but that is the most boring part anyway (at least on the outside where we can see it... I am sure the inside is fascinating!!) A couple weeks later, Lion emerged:
He was flapping all around like crazy- we didn't even get a picture after opening his cage outside before he was long gone! The next day, Tiger emerged!
He was pretty anxious to be out of there too, but I did get one quick shot when he landed briefly next to Ellie's foot (who thankfully did not accidentally squish him!)
I just think it is fascinating how this smooth green caterpillar can transform it self in this tiny cocoon to a beautiful black and colorful butterfly! It never gets old to me to witness this! Nature is truly amazing!

Today was a good day!

I was worried it would be a bad day- For some completely unknown reason, I could NOT sleep last night. I tossed and turned, finished a book and played on the internet until finally passing out at 4:45am (!) and then having to get back up at 7:45 am because Kenny had an orthodontist appointment. So, I was ready for a bad day, but it has really been great! After his appointment (which went fine), we went to my friend Autumn's house to pick fresh raspberries. She is out of town but said we could get some because they would be gone a while and did not want them to go to waste. So, I jumped at the idea of free fresh berries. The kids had a great time too!

Kenny wasn't actually too excited to pick the berries, but he humored me by picking a few for the sake of a picture! Meghan and Jacob loved picking them and they were the biggest help!

Ellie was most interested in playing on her friend's toys even though her friend wasn't there- but she did pick a few- mostly to eat them!! (there is definitely something to be said for freshly picked fruit!)

Here are the fruits of our labors!
(this is actually a pretty large container- the picture just doesn't show it)

When we got home, I was inspired to find something to do with all of the raspberries and wondered if I could make raspberry jam. I figured, why not look it up on line? The first site I looked at was educational, but also very involved using equipment I did not have nor will I have anytime soon. I was discouraged and almost said, forget that! But, I looked at one more site that had a much more simplified recipe- using only raspberries and sugar-and I could use equipment I already had at home! I decided to only make a small amount- reusing old jars- so I wouldn't have to worry about canning- I just wanted to put them in the refrigerator and use them now and if I was successful, I could venture into canning later. Well, it was so much easier (and yummier) then expected. In less than an hour, I had this:
YUM!!! (Jacob helped a lot- he was really into it!) And, we still have a few raspberries left just for eating, or smoothies or whatever!! This was so easy, I may just venture into canning jams soon- it really didn't look that hard! (and, even though I didn't use the "canning" method, the jars sealed themselves from the heat creating a vacuum! But, I still plan on using them sooner rather than later!) I was very proud of myself for trying something completely new!

We then went to an activity at the library as part of the summer reading program. The theme is "be a hero, read." The activity today was done at the library by the Columbus Museum of Art and it was geared towards ages 7-12, so I was going to drop off the boys and take the girls into the main part of the library to wait, but they said the girls could join too. I am glad they did because they all had so much fun! They made their own "super hero masks." I thought they were all really creative and fun!
Kenny even used pipe cleaners and other materials to make his own special cape:(The pics aren't the clearest because I used my cell camera which isn't the greatest...)

One the way home, we couldn't resist this:(These 59cent cones at McDonald's are going to be the death of me this summer!! And, the lady put way more ice cream on it then this picture shows!)

When Aaron got home, I got to go and get paid $35 to eat this:
I got to do a paid taste test for Wendy's! I have done them before- I usually get to do one every few months. Today, I got paid $35 cash to eat a Spicy Chicken sandwich and answer a few questions!!

Of course, add to this the normal stuff of the day- chores, feeding everyone, bathing everyone- and all this on 3 hours sleep! Just call me super mom....ha! (Gonna go crash now!!!)

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

A reasonable explanation? Not really.....

2011-06-30T15:08:00.002-04:00

Many of my facebook friends read my blog post about the incident at the rec center/ sprayground (see previous post). We discovered that 3 kids- all about age 6, had been left alone with no supervision. My friend, Abbey (who works at a different rec center), stated that that is allowed at age 6. Because of that, I did nothing at the time but continued to be bothered by it and wished I had said something. The responses from my friends ranged from "Call childrens services, call the news or my congressmen", and other such responses that made sense to me! Today we went to the sprayground again. Here is an update:

Today while at the sprayground, I noticed a sign with "rules" hanging on the gate that I had not paid much attention to before. It stated that "All kids under the age of 8 must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times." Okay, so 6 shouldn't be allowed right? In fact- seriously- who would actually leave their 8 year old their unattended?!?! I have a 10 year old and wouldn't leave him there alone!

So, I went in the rec center and told them about the incident last week and that they children were 6 but the sign states 8. Here is what the guy said- (I am still not sure I get it- I certainly don't agree anyway- but this is his explanation to the best of my understanding. I kind of hope I misunderstood.)-

He said that the kids may have been enrolled in the rec centers "summer program." He said children 6 and up may register and be left without a parent. He says sometimes during the day, the kids can go out to the play ground/ spray ground if they want but if they do go outside, there is no one specifically watching them to keep them from wandering off. He says parents are told this when they sign up so parents leave their children knowing this.

Seriously?! What kind of parent would willingly sign up for this knowing there may be times when their children are unsupervised?! At least if they are signed up that means the rec center has parent info in case of an emergency...but really?! How can the rec center allow them outside unsupervised (it should NOT be a part of the program if they don't want to supervise them!!) and parents should be smart enough to not leave their kids!! Ugh.... I just can't believe this but I am not entirely sure what to do about it. At least I know to never sign my kids up at a program where I won't be with them (not that I planned on it anyway....) Who is more at fault? The rec center or the parents or both? Who do I call about something like this? Anything specific that any of my readers would do?

Free Babysitting, Anyone?

2011-06-22T21:05:00.003-04:00

Something happened yesterday that I still just can not believe was for real. The more I think about it, the more shocking and unbelievable I think it is. So, of course I have to write about it! That's how I roll....

During the summer, we often go the a local "spray ground." (it is on the grounds of one of the rec centers) It is free and filled with different sprinkler type attachments that get the kids thoroughly soaked. We went yesterday for the first time this season. (No pictures- I didn't take my camera because I have a ton of spray ground pictures already).

I was there with a few friends and their children. As usual, we were chatting while the kids played. A group of three children (that none of us knew) - all around age 6 (at least two of them said they were six) came up to my friend Autumn. This is basically how the conversation went:

Kids: Do you have a dollar we can have?
Autumn: No, sorry- what do you need a dollar for?
Kids: To get ice cream
Autumn: Sorry, I don't have a dollar, but that is something you should ask your parents and not a stranger (an awesome response I thought...)

The kids said okay and started to walk away...

Me: Wait- are you here with your parents?
Kids: no
Me: With a day care, babysitter or other friends?
Kids: no
Me: With a grown up?
Kids: no- our parents dropped us off.

What?!?! So the kids walked away and Abbey (my friend who works at a different rec center for the same city) confirmed that it is actually "legal" at the rec centers to be able to drop your kids off at the age of 6!!! Seriously?!?! I can NOT believe this! (Note- Abbey does NOT condone this- she was just informing us of policy....) Add in the fact that the rec centers and some other locations around here offer free breakfast and lunch to any kid- and what is to stop an irresponsible parent from dropping their kid off in the morning, they get free breakfast, free lunch and can run around crazy!

Get this though- the rec center does not claim responsibility for them and doesn't watch over them. I think in theory, this is meant for kids who have a scheduled class- the parents could drop them off and come back and get them after the class, but obviously some parents just drop them off and leave them to their own devices- with nothing but their own conscience to prevent them from doing so!

What if a kid gets hurt? How would they find their parents? According to Abbey, each kid is supposed to have a leisure card (costing only $1) that they scan when they come in- the contact info is contained on this card. Okay, I get that- but it isn't like they are keeping track of who has parents there and who doesn't. There is no way to be sure that kids are not dropped off unless they have one. There was no one watching over them to keep an eye on them. And, what is to stop a kid from wandering off and getting lost or from getting kidnapped, or an older kid/adult (for example, the basketball court FULL of older teens/adults...) doing whatever they want to them? Nothing- nothing to prevent that. How could the parents not think of all this?! These rec centers were never supposed to be free babysitting. It is a community resource to be used under adult supervision.

And I don't buy that maybe these parents can't afford daycare- there are tons of options for poverty or low-income free/cheap daycare that is GOOD SUPERVISED CARE! I really believe the parents are taking advantage of the system- dropping their kids off to get a free lunch and play and do "whatever" while they go and do who knows what with their "freedom."

We couldn't even believe the kids were brave enough to go to a stranger and ask for money. We all mentioned how we never would have had the guts to do that as a kid. But, I figured that they are probably left alone often enough that they manage to do what they feel they have to do!

I always hate to pass any sort of judgment on parents- I am far from perfect as a parent. I just don't see this as okay at ALL- I wouldn't even leave my 10 year old there alone! I don't see how anyone could just drop off a six year old without direct supervision and leave without worrying themselves sick! This is just so scary to me! Also can't help but wonder what kids who are raised that way will be like as adults....

I Love Dad

2011-06-20T22:20:00.003-04:00

Thanks to a little fun, a little crazy and a lot of love, I think Aaron had a great Father's Day! It started with a GREAT breakfast:
The kids are really good about getting up and watching cartoons so sometimes Aaron and I get to sleep in "a little" bit. I got up a little after the kids did and saw this random bowl of cereal (with milk...) sitting on the table. At first I was upset thinking one of the kids poured it and left it to waste. But, when I questioned the kids, Jacob said he made it for Daddy's Father's Day breakfast!! I noticed then that it was sitting right in Aaron's spot at the table. I thought it was so sweet and left it there for Aaron to see. By the time Aaron got up a little later, I estimate it had been sitting there about 2 hours. I showed it to him and he even took a bite- making him a waaaaay better sport than I would have been! But, then I made him a "real" breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast and fried potatoes!

Later, we broke out his Father's Day gift: (which I put together BY MY SELF!!!)
And enjoyed a fire:
And of course.... S'MORES!!!
(This is where the fun and crazy comes in.... imagine 4 kids around a fire, fascinated by the newness of it, a little hyper, and trying to make smore's!!!)

Seriously though, it was soooo fun and I really think we will ALL enjoy this gift!

Afterward, we ALL smelled of smoke, so baths were in order all around. After bathing the girls (hence the wet hair in the photo...) Ellie went into her room and hollered out, "Mom?! How do you spell 'love'?" So I told her and then went to see what she was doing:
I just LOVE this!!! (of course, Meghan had to join the picture too... :)) They are both Daddy's Little Girls!!

Happy Father's Day, Aaron!!! We Love You!!!

How Long is 10 Years?!

2011-06-16T21:47:00.004-04:00

Not very long at all I have come to learn!! I remember the day 10 years ago from today like it was yesterday! 10 years ago today:

- was no doubt one of the scariest but best days of my life

- I learned what it felt like to completely give my heart away.

- I personally witnessed one of the greatest miracles God has given us.

- I understood a little more how my mother feels about me.

- I had more pain then any other time in my life to date, but didn't care!

- I got to hold this perfect little angel for the first time and melt into his blue eyes:
Kenneth James was born 6/16/01 and weighted a whopping 9 lbs 11 oz!! That is huge in it's own right- but considering he was my first, made him seem that much bigger! He was due June 7th, but had no desire to be born so the doctor induced labor on the 15th and he was born the 16th (at 12:06pm). I was in awe at this perfect baby boy God had given me and I loved him instantly and deeper than I had ever felt love in my life. I still thank God for him (and all my angels!) every day!

I simply can NOT believe I have been a mom for a DECADE! Wow! I feel like anyone who has done something for 10 years should be an expert at it by then, but I still feel like such a novice. My kids remind me everyday that there is no such thing as an expert parent- even after 4 kids, I am still learning every day! That is probably why it doesn't feel like it has been 10 years!

Kenny is an amazing kid! He is so sweet and compassionate and always well behaved. He is always helpful and rarely talks back. He is friendly to EVERYONE! I have never seen him treat other kids mean (except his siblings occasionally, but even then, not often!) and he always sees the good in everyone. He is so innocent still- to the point of being a bit naive for his age, but that is okay! I don't really want him becoming like the world or feeling like he has to be like the other kids! He is smart and works hard and, even better, plays hard! I am lucky to be his mother!

He had a great day today! We played at a park this morning and then he went to lunch with Grandpa at Steak-n-shake. My kids have come to look forward to this one-on-one time with Grandpa! Then, this evening, we had pizza (his request), cake and presents!!! I was quite proud of this cake- it was chocolate and vanilla swirl on the inside.
(a baker I am, a decorator I am NOT- I can make things taste great, but not so good at the beautifying part. This is as good as it gets!!!)

Then presents!!!! He got a new bey blade arena and new bey blades (his second set).

Did you know bey blades have been around almost 10 years?! I seriously never heard of them at all until a couple months ago!!! The boys started asking for them after seeing kids at school play with them!

He also got his own Nintendo DSi!!! Now both boys have their own! (Jacob got one for his birthday too- both DSi's I scored used but in perfect condition on Craigslist!!! Love that site!!!)
And of course, a new game to go with it!!!
And of course, there is more fun to come!! Tonight was just a nice, low-key evening together at home. The nice thing about having family so close, is birthdays sometimes go on for a while! We will be celebrating with the family next week!

Happy Birthday Kenny!!! We love you so much!!!

Grandma and Grandpa Came to Town!! (And Julie is Married Now!!!)

2011-06-14T15:01:00.005-04:00

Last Monday (June 6), Aaron's mom and Stepdad, Bob came to visit!! (Life has kept me from posting sooner- but, better late then never, right?!) It was very exciting to see them and visit for a bit. They live in Florida and we had been seeing them at a rate of about once every two years. This actually made the second visit in 2 months!! They brought dinner over (made life easy for me! Thanks!) and we enjoyed a great visit. Here is Ellie cuddling right up to them!!

Jacob put on a piano recital for them!!
We finally got some decent video of him playing, so here are a couple of songs for you to enjoy (Thanks to Grandpa Bob!!!!) Here, is playing "Big Chief Running Bear":

And this one is "King Tut":

After he finished playing, his shyness took over and he ran off. So, Grandma Janet and Aaron thought it would be fun to try to plink out his songs....
Let's just say....they have nothing on Jacob (he he!)!!! But, it was fun! We also enjoyed a yummy treat that I made- these strawberry tarts!
They were so easy, but sooooo good! All it is is sugar cookie dough baked into a mini-muffin pan. Then, they are topped with a mixture of cream cheese, powdered sugar and whipped topping, then topped with fresh strawberries!!

Then, Janet gave me this blanket she made special just for me!

Isn't it beautiful?? She said she saw the yarn and thought of me and that now whenever I needed my chocolate fix, I could cuddle with this blanket!! I thought that we so very sweet and thoughtful! I have truly had a very hard month- between the miscarriage, and several other things- so I have needed a chocolate fix pretty often! Maybe this sort of chocolate fix (versus the edible one....) will keep me from gaining MORE weight!! We love you Grandma Janet and Grandpa Bob!! We wish we got to see you more often!

IN OTHER NEWS:

My sister, Julie and her boyfriend, Shawn eloped!!! This happened Friday night, June 4th.None of us knew until afterward. We suspected they were going to do it but didn't know when. We are so very happy for them both. This picture isn't the best because she took a picture of it with her cell phone, sent to my cell phone and then I uploaded it from there. Hopefully I will get a bigger picture soon (Julie...hint, hint...)

When I asked her where they got married she said this: They searched on line to find someone and was looking at a certain site of a minister woman who does weddings in her basement. They recognized the background in a sample photo (same as that above) as in the picture of a friends wedding. So, she e-mailed that friend to see if it was the same person. That friend responded and said it was and they had been very happy with their experience. So, they called this minister, made an appointment (they had gotten their license two days before) and got married in her basement!

I am happy to call Shawn my brother-in-law. He is a great guy- works hard, loves my sister and treats her well. Their first baby is due in November (a girl!) and I am excited to meet my new niece. Julie has certainly had her share of trials the last couple years and so she deserves every bit of this happiness she has been blessed with!

Congratulations Julie and Shawn!!!

Let the Summer begin!!!

2011-06-05T22:47:00.007-04:00

So, originally, this was going to be about 3 separate posts, but I never had time to do them, so here they are in one big (but hopefully not too big) post.I will keep mostly to pictures and try to keep the words brief. (okay, after finishing the post I can say it probably does get a bit wordy- but that's me!) But, the events all have one thing in common- they symbolize the kick off of summer!!! Yay!!! I have been waiting for summer since about November!

The official start of summer may not be until the end of June, but in Ohio, MEMORIAL DAY is always the "unofficial" start to summer. Our church always does an amazingly fun picnic. This year was no different. What WAS different this year is that I played in the band! Last year at this picnic, a small community band came and played for us. I had been interested in picking up my trumpet again and they were interested in more players, so I joined them! This year, the band was asked to play again so it was a little weird but fun to play for my church family! Here is a very non-flattering pic of me Aaron took while playing. I was tempted not to post it, but oh well- it is what it is!
I am really not that good and have virtually no time to practice, but I enjoy it and am gradually improving. I figure it is better than not doing it at all! Here is a picture of most of the group that I swiped off of facebook- (You can't see me because I am off to the left- see the trumpet player in the red hat to the left? I am two more left of him)
The group is a lot of fun with people ranging in ages from their 20's to their 80's! Aaron and Meghan decided to dance together for part of one song. I captured this with my cell camera...

Of course, it isn't the beginning of summer without GRADUATION PARTIES!!! We were invited to a few, but due to scheduling, we only made it to two. The first was Aaron's cousin, Elise:
This is one of her senior pictures. Isn't she adorable? Her party was on Memorial day right after our church picnic. Her parents know how to throw some pretty amazing graduation parties (she is child 4 out of 4, so this was also their last!) At Elise's request, they even had Karaoke! I took this shot because it had several from Aaron's family in it. From left to right is Aaron's cousin-Evan, his uncle- Mike, don't know, Elise, don't know, don't know, Aaron's cousin David. Everyone had a blast. I chose to help them all enjoy by NOT getting up there to sing! Some people should never Karaoke- I am one of them! Ha!

Yesterday, was Jackie B's graduation party.
She, as well, is just adorable. Jackie was one of the young women in our church while I was a leader there. I was her leader from the time she was 12 to 16. She is an incredible young woman and I just love her! I am so happy for her with all she is doing.

Of course, what better kick off to summer is there than the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!

Can I just say I could not possibly be prouder of my boys???!!!! They both did so well this year. Kenny was in 4th grade and Jacob in 2nd grade.

This is Jacob with his teacher, Mrs. J:
She was really great and worked hard to challenge Jacob- he is working far above grade level right now!!! I really appreciated him having a teacher who knew this and pushed him even farther ahead. He earned several awards during the last day of school ceremony: honor roll 4th quarter, honor roll ALL YEAR, effort roll 4th quarter, effort roll ALL YEAR, and perfect attendance 4th quarter. (they are graded on "effort" as well for each subject and when they score perfectly in effort, they get the "effort" roll).

He also won a special award called the "G.O.O.D Student" (Go On Or Defeated) award.

There was once a teacher (who taught at my high school!) who had a stroke and was left blind. Instead of giving up, he kept going. He now gives motivational speeches to schools about staying in school and keeping on even when tough. He gave each 2nd grade teachers 2 shirts to award to students in their class who fit the 4 criteria (good attendance, good listening skills, good work habits, good citizenship). Jacob won for his class!! Not that I was surprised- he always works hard. He is perfectly behaved at school (wish he would do that at home...). At school, they have a chart where each student starts the day on "green" (for good behavior) but as they misbehave, their color is changed. Jacob's color was not changed once all year!!! In Kindergarten, it was also never changed and in first grade only a few times (mostly for forgetting to bring homework home- not really for behavior). He is an amazing kid and will do amazing things in 3rd grade!!!

Kenny also did great! Here he is with his teacher, Ms. W:

He got effort roll for 4th quarter and effort roll ALL YEAR! He didn't make honor roll, but he worked very very hard for every grade he got- his grades were so very close to honor roll and he is reading above grade level. We are so proud of him. He always gives it his all and is also perfectly behaved at school. 5th grade next year will bring so many exciting opportunities for him!!! He will get to be in the band for the first time (at first he said he wanted to play trombone and now he is saying drums...). He is also interested in Karate, so we will look into that. I think it may be good for him. He is an amazing older brother and his level of compassion amazes me! He will be 10 in just a couple weeks and I can't believe I have been a mom for a decade! I can't wait to see the amazing things I know he will do as he grows.

And, one more thing- what would summer be without FRIENDS to visit with!! My best friend, Jackie, from- well- all my life (we met when we were 6) comes to town to visit her family/ friends usually in June and she got here this week. I don't get to see her or talk to her enough so I always count down the days to when we can see each other. As an added bonus, our friend Lynette was also in town this weekend!! In high school, it was always the 3 of us together. We got to hang out together again!! The last time we were all together was 4 years ago when Jackie got married. Before that, I think it was college the last time the 3 of us were together.

I think I have posted this picture before, but it was the quickest one I could find (I have a ton but don't have a scanner so if I wanted to use a scanned picture, it takes advanced planning!)

This was after a high school marching band competition in 2004. It is me, Jackie and Lynette. Unintentionally, our pictures are almost always in this order. Here was us last night before we went out:Again, it is me, Jackie, Lynette!

Jackie now lives in Nebraska and Lynette in Alabama, so it was pretty neat that they were in Ohio at the same time. We enjoyed a yummy dinner and lots of talk talk talk!!! Later in the evening, Lynette had to go home (she had her 4 month old baby with her- soooo cute- and had an early morning flight) so Jackie and I went out for ice cream at Cold Stone. There were some crazy storms all around! While out driving, we actually saw a huge bolt of lightning come all the way down and hit something less than 50 yards in front of our car! It was so loud and bright and sparks flew everywhere. Then, everything around us went black! It was so scary- I had never actually seen lightning as it hit something before!

Of course, there is so much more to do this summer!!! Within the next few weeks alone, there will be cub scout day camp for the boys, Kenny's birthday, summer reading programs, zoo trips, sprayground trips, outdoor play and much, much, more!!! Yay for Summer!!!!!

It's Here, It's Here!!!!!

2011-05-27T09:31:00.002-04:00

Finally, my blog book is here! I finally did it! This was a goal from when I first started writing this blog that I would print it regularly to have a written record of all that I wrote- to preserve the memories I have recorded. 3 1/2 years later, I still had yet to do it. I was determined this year to get it done. So, I did a book through blurb.com that went from the beginning of my blog (March 2008) through Dec. 31, 2010. (My goal will now be to do one ever year.) I am so excited to have it and I LOVE it!!! Here is a sneak peak:
In case you can't read it, it says "Always Crazy, Always Fun, Always Love" (my blog title) and then says "The Craziness, the Fun and the Love in our Family from March 2008-Dec 2010" It then has my name followed by "Woman, wife, mother, chef, taxi driver, nurse, teacher and chaos manager."

One of the first pages is this:This is the quote I have at the top of my blog, with a cute pic of my kids beside it. Then, there is every post I have written with pictures on glossy pages- here is a couple of my favorites:
This was my post from Easter 2010 which had a ton of pictures, so I have some small beside the text and then a full page next to it.

And then this was from a trip to the zoo with my sister that was so much fun!!! I love how this one looks with the text and then the pics under it.

I am so thankful I am able to have this printed record. It took a while (I think I started working on the book in March!) because the 3 years of posts ended up being about 400 pages of text! Then, when I was finally ready to order it, I noticed some of the pictures had rotated sideways. I couldn't figure out why. When I was in the "edit mode", the looked fine but in "preview mode" just a few were sideways. But, when I did a print through the company, they would come out straight. I emailed the tech support for blurb and let me say they were amazing! They worked with me for a few weeks trying to fix the problem. They were so supportive and kind and helpful and even tried to re-upload my blog for me. I recommend this company just because they were so personable. Despite their many efforts, they could not fix it and recommended I delete those pictures and re-upload them individually. This was a very daunting thought. I feared if I did that, I may never get it done. I also figured my biggest goal here was not perfectly positioned pictures, but a record of my blog so I took a chance (hoping they would print correctly since it printed fine on my computer) figuring it wouldn't matter if a few pictures were sideways. Well, the ones that really mattered (like the one above with the quote) were straight! There are just very few sideways pictures, but they are small. It is so worth it! I love my book and definitely recommend anyone who keeps a blog to do this!!!

The Final Project

2011-05-20T13:33:00.003-04:00

As previously mentioned, Ellen and Meghan have enjoyed the preschool exchange I have done with my friend, Abbey. All year long, they have worked on learning their numbers and letters, writing them, playing games and doing fun activities. Abbey and I also enjoyed it because it gave us a good chance to spend time with the kids as well as be able to get out on our own when it was the other persons turn to teach. It was a successful adventure!

So, it only made sense now that they know all their letters, to make cookies showing off all they have learned! Here are the bright young graduates hard at work on their final project:

And here is the finished (and tasty!) result!! Everyone gets an A+!!!

Annie, Ross, Meghan and Ellen

It was a great year! They grew so much and it was so fun to watch them learn!

The Heat is On!

2011-05-13T14:11:00.004-04:00

(as in the old 80's song...)

There is one thing universal to all Ohioans.... (and yes, for the record, I am born and raised...)

Ohioans LOVE to complain about the weather. I am guilty too! I really think God feels like he just can't make us happy here. It is always to hot, cold, snowy, humid, rainy, gray, dry, etc. Though it is true, probably the hardest thing about Ohio weather is the quick and constant change. That is what I like the least, how it can go from cold to hot and back to cold in a day it seems.

This past April definitely ranks as one of the worst in Ohio's history. Luckily, we didn't have any snow, but it rained....all....month....long! The news even said that all month, there were only 6 days without any rain (and they weren't in a row...) It was cold and dreary too- temps in the 50's and gray. There are problems with flooding everywhere- even worse outside Ohio- such as along the Mississippi River. May was looking like it might follow suit. The first 1 1/2 weeks gave us gray skies, cool temps and....yes...more rain!

However, this week, things finally turned around. We have had very little rain this week with bright blue skies and....gasp!.....temps in the 80's! We seem to have forgotten how to handle ourselves! We whined about it being cold and rainy and now that it is hot and dry, everyone is whining again. Knowing that temps will cool down again, I refuse to turn on the air conditioner yet. Besides I have been so sick of being cold, I am okay with being hot for a while. I try to make it until June before cranking up the air, though I have been guilty of giving in before that too. I mean, really, didn't most of us grow up without air conditioning?!?! I never had air conditioning until I had been married a couple years! (For that matter, I never had a dishwasher until then either. It was also after I married that my parents could suddenly afford "real" vacations to cool places- not camping in a tent to see historical sites as we did my whole childhood- but that is a whole other story....).

I just can't help but chuckle at all of my facebook friends saying they "gave in" and turned their air on after a day (yet complained about the cold/rain last week!) They complain about it being so "hot" in their house with it being 80 degrees INSIDE! Gasp! Well, it hit 86 in my house yesterday for a few hours, but we did not give in. In the mornings and over night, it cools off. I just have to endure those stressful hot evening hours and I know all will be well. I guess that since I know it will cool off again (tomorrow is only in the 70's and it gets cooler after that!) that I would rather save the money and the fossil fuels and hold off turning it on. Though I am human, and I will be right there with everyone else soon enough!

Let me say though, if anyone who has complained about the heat, complains next week when the high is only supposed to be 59 deg and RAINY (sounds familiar)....well, I will have something to say about that!

Jacob's Week to Shine!

2011-05-08T21:17:00.003-04:00

This week was a VERY big week for Jacob!! Last Sunday, May 1st, he had his first piano recital with his new piano teacher. We were all really excited for it because he had been working so hard and is showing real talent! Unfortunately, it also fell on the day we got our bad news and I was feeling pretty crappy (see previous post if you don't know what I am talking about....). But, we made it JUST in time to hear him play and he did such a great job! He got right up there, played his songs with confidence and gave a great big smile afterward. Here is a picture of him with his piano teacher and some of her other students. Jacob is exactly in the middle in the white shirt. (His teacher is Christine, on the far right in the black shirt. A huge thanks to her for sending me this pic and the following video! Because of the chaos of the day, if not for her, I would have no pictures of it!)

Here is a video of him playing part of one of his songs, "Big Chief Running Bear." For some unknown reason, the whole song did not record, but this gives an idea of what he played:

Then, yesterday, Jacob was baptized!! In our church (I am sure I mentioned before when Kenny was baptized), kids are baptized at age 8. We believe that baptism is a commitment to God and children need to be old enough to be accountable for their actions before making that commitment. We believe for most children, that age is 8. We baptize by total immersion and Aaron was able to perform the baptism. Jacob seemed so proud and happy- just shining for his big day. Here is a picture of our family!

I am so proud of him. He is growing so fast and is such a little man in so many ways. He works so hard at school and treats his siblings so well. He is always willing to help at home and adds so much to our family. I love weeks like this when he is able to shine because he deserves it so much. He does have to deal with a minor medical issue which, while not serious, causes a lot of frustration and a lot of time to deal with. The stress adds up after a while. I am so thankful that this week could be all about him in a positive way- between his recital and his baptism. I want him to know how much he is loved and how thankful I am that I get to be his mom. Today, on Mother's day, I could not be more proud.

Not The Post I Imagined Writing

2011-05-04T07:49:00.005-04:00

This is not the post I imagined writing. Not even close. Here in a week or two, I imagined telling everyone that I was pregnant and we were so thrilled to welcome baby number 5 into our house. I was going to talk about how, despite having 4 kids (including twins) we felt we were being led by God to add one more to our family. It was something we felt so strongly about. I was going to talk about this and so much more. I could not WAIT to do that post.

Unfortunately, God had other plans. This past weekend, I was 10 weeks pregnant and miscarried. I had not told many people I was pregnant because I had miscarried once before (pre-twins) at 12 weeks and was "gun-shy"- not wanting everyone to know until I was past 12 weeks and all was well. However, now that the worst has happened, I find I don't really care if people know- and I think I figured out why, but I will explain that later.

On March 17th, St Patrick's day, I took a pregnancy test that came out positive. It was a bright spot in an otherwise awful day. (It was one of the days my girls threw up all day...) I had actually been off birth control for two years, so to get that positive was a miracle. I had a lot of spotting early on, but early ultrasounds showed all to be okay. We saw a heartbeat and saw the baby progressing. I had had at least some spotting in other pregnancies, so I tried not to be too worried. And, after a few weeks, it stopped altogether and I felt good!

This past Saturday, April 30th, my back was sore all day long, but I didn't think much of it, until I felt worse as they day progressed. By late evening I was spotting again, but it improved overnight so I wasn't too panicked. Then, Sunday morning, it started again and Aaron convinced me to go the ER. They did a pelvic exam, ultrasound and blood test. The blood test showed my HCG levels to be 15,000. The doc said at this point, it should be over 100,000. The ultrasound showed a 9 week size baby with no heartbeat or blood flow. I was instantly devastated. She was waiting on a call from my OB office to see what to do, but we were trying to make Jacob's piano recital (it started at 1:30 and it was already 1- at least my mom was able to take him- We barely made it to watch him play, but more on this in another post.) So, we left with instructions to follow up with my doc Monday morning to see about a D&C or another plan. But, as the evening progressed on Sunday, I gradually started to feel cramping. I woke at 2 am (after not getting to sleep till midnight) with strong, painful cramps. At 3 am, after a particularly hard cramp, I felt a gush of blood and fluid. I will spare details from here, but it was a horrible painful night. I have never seen anything like it or felt anything close, aside from childbirth, but that was in a hospital with a much more positive outcome (not to mention an epidural). At two different times, my bathroom resembled a crime scene. I didn't sleep a wink the rest of the night. The days following involved bouts of crying and occasional periods of sharp pain. I saw my OB Tuesday who confirmed that no evidence of the pregnancy remained so a D&C would be unnecessary. (With the first miscarriage, it did not pass on it's own, so I had a D&C. Having experienced both now, the D&C was so much less painful and way less traumatic). That follow up appointment in itself was so painful and so humiliating. I am glad that is over. So, my body is healing at a good pace, but my heart will take quite a bit longer. I just feel so sad and the disappointment is all-consuming right now. Why is it that our bodies often heal quick but our hearts stay broken for so long?

What went wrong? We will never know. I do have several fibroid (benign) tumors in my uterus, but they have been there a while and I carried the twins full term with them in there. The doc does not believe that they caused this or the previous miscarriage. He believes both to be just a natural genetic problem that would not allow the baby to thrive.

So, I did some thinking figuring out why I felt it so important to keep the pregnancy secret, but now that it has failed, I am so willing to tell people? I am sure part of it is the need for support, but it goes beyond that. To me, this baby was real. It was a real being with a heart beat that was growing within me. (I will now refer to the baby as "she"- it was too early to determine gender, but I can't stand referring to a baby in the womb as "it"). She was growing and we loved her and were excited to have her as part of our family. We are so sad in the loss. I guess I feel it is my way of honoring her life, though very brief. I just can't go on and pretend all is okay when it is not, or that it never happened when it did. That is ultimately why I decided to write about it too. At first I was not going to, but I felt I could not move on with the blog without talking about this. I have other happy posts to do, but could not do them until I wrote this. This was a child I loved and I realized I do not want to pretend that it never happened. Of course, when I look back on this I will feel sad, but she was real and was a real part of me that I will never forget and she deserves a page in our family history (considering this blog is my only journal right now that I will print regularly). That is how I am honoring her brief life, by letting people know she was here and she was loved.

I know I am so blessed in so many ways. I do not know what the future holds- if there is another spirit to come to our family or not. I really don't know what will happen at this point. What people need to understand is how hard and painful this is despite having 4 children. I had a miscarriage with two children and again with 4 and it is just as painful. I have 4 beautiful children that I love dearly that I literally thank God for every single day (I really do, every day in my prayers!) But, the one comment that has not been helpful is when someone says, "Well, just be thankful you have 4". If you have read this far, please don't say that. I am eternally thankful for the 4 I have and if this is our complete family I will show gratitude every day and be happy. I just don't think anyone should judge the right size for someone else's family. I feel the "magic" number of children is different for every family. For some, the right number is 1, for others it is 10. (no, I do NOT envision 10 children in our family....) Only God knows the right number for each family and families should consult with Him in knowing when their family is complete.

The one blessing here is the reminder of the amazing friends and family I have. The support I have received has been so wonderful and I have felt so loved. I have received so many supportive phone calls, letters, cards, friends and family that have brought meals (despite me telling them it wasn't necessary), help with my kids, treats to lift my soul, hugs and so so much more. I seriously have the best friends and family. God allows us to go through trials, but He also gives us the strength and the people to help us get through. To all of them (you know who you are), I am eternally grateful to them all. I hope I can serve others as they have served me and that I can help to lift another soul.

V is for......

2011-04-29T13:03:00.003-04:00

Volcano!!!!

Twice a week, my friend Abbey and I do a preschool exchange- taking turns with each other's children for a couple of hours, doing preschool activities. It has been very nice for our children to be able to do fun activities and play with friends while either me or Abbey goes and does- well, whatever we need to do! This week was my turn and we have been focusing on the letter V. So, we made a volcano! What a blast! First, I made a homemade salt-clay and colored it green (closest I had to an earth color!) Then the kids each took chunks of it and formed it around a small water bottle (which was set down in a deep Tupperware dish) to look like a mountain. Then they went outside to find grass, sticks and leaves to add to their volcano to make it look more real. I thought the finished product was perfect!

This is Annie, Meghan, Ross and Ellie

Then, using a funnel we added a few tablespoons of baking soda, a few drops of dish soap and 1/2 cup of water. I then added a few drops of yellow food coloring to 1/2 cup of vinegar (wanted to do red to make the Lava look more real, but was out of it, so I thought yellow would still look fire-ish!). Then I quickly added the vinegar to the bottle and removed the funnel quickly and WOW!!! I couldn't even remove the funnel before it just EXPLODED! The kids loved it! It was hilarious!! Here is after the explosion while it was still erupting:
As you can see from the soaking wet papers around it, it was a huge explosion originally! I was glad I put the paint shirts on the kids! It kept erupting for a while. Definitely a fun preschool project!

A Child's Heartbreak

2011-04-19T10:29:00.003-04:00

For anyone following my Facebook posts, you know I have a sister-in-law (Aaron's sister, Sarah) who is very sick. She has been in the hospital now for 1 1/2 weeks with a Staph infection that has spread through her entire body. The doctors believe it started in a hole in her heart (that has been there since birth- they thought it would heal on its own but never did and until now, never caused a problem) and so her heart has been pumping the infection throughout her body- all through her blood stream, her liver, lungs and beyond. She is on major doses of anti-biotics- which she seems to be responding to and is gradually improving. However, she is still very weak and needs several days in the hospital to get her strength back and will continue to need IV antibiotics once home for a while. Down the road, she is looking at surgery to repair the hole in her heart (to prevent a re-occurance) and to have her gall bladder removed.

Sarah is only 36 and has two small children- Kurtis (almost 8) and Joey (4). I have been helping care for the boys some. Yesterday evening I took care of them at their home while their dad, Jeff was in class. While I had no doubt that this trial has been very tough on the boys, they have been troopers. Last night, however, was an incident that broke my heart.

Joey went to play outside and I encourage Kurtis to do the same- but he was too busy playing his DSi game. After a while, the game started to aggravate him and he started crying. I know this has been an issue before and that his parents take away the game at that point. Since he had already been playing a long time, I told him to turn it off and go play outside. He turned it off and was crying louder, stomping around the house getting his shoes, and just crying and mad. Right before he went outside, I had him sit next to me and I said, "Kurtis, are you still mad about the game or is something else bothering you?" He said "Something else." I asked him what was wrong. He cried louder and said, "I want my mom!" Needless to say, my eyes were no longer dry either..... I did my best to reassure him that his mom was getting better and would be home in a few days. It was heart-wrenching. Their mom is their world. This has to be so hard on them.

He went outside to play but his heart wasn't in it- he sat on the porch playing with the leaves on their bush. So, I asked him if there was something he really wanted to do. He said that his mom was going to watch Star Wars with him but then she got sick. I asked if he wanted me to watch it with him and he said yes and asked for popcorn. I said absolutely! So we settled on the couch with Star Wars and popcorn. That is love right there- I hate Star Wars! Unfortunately, he had school today and the movie was running late so he had to go to bed before it was over, but I will be watching them again tonight, so I think a re-viewing is in order!

Well......at least someone cares!!!

2011-04-10T21:39:00.003-04:00

Believe it or not, a couple of weeks ago I was "rear-ended" for the 3rd time in 3 years!! Though, this time it was in Aaron's car- his "baby." Thankfully, the damage was super minor. I had pulled up to a stop light at a freeway exit near my home and was waiting to turn right on red. I noticed this lady had pulled up sooooo close behind me. I inched forward to check traffic, but she thought I had actually gone and went to go too and hit me. So, we pulled over and there seemed to be no damage to her car, and only several deep scratches on mine. Knowing Aaron would likely want it fixed, I agreed to exchange information and leave it at that- the damage was so minor, it seemed pointless to call the police.

So, I wrote down her name, address, phone number and license plate number and insurance. She seemed so nice- a lady in her 40's or so- and told me to call her later. Aaron called the insurance and based on what we had, could find no info without the VIN number, which I didn't have. So, we tried to call her- the number was disconnected. We soon found out the address was invalid too. This "nice" woman totally lied and gave us all false information. Un-freaking-believable. The only thing I know is accurate is the license plate number.

We called the police, whose response was telling us to fill out an accident report, but didn't seem very encouraging otherwise. We filled it out and turned it in. We still haven't heard anything from the police, but we know it is in the system because:

I have gotten several calls and letters from different chiropractors and lawyers!

So, this "woman" does not care what she did and the police don't seem to either.... but, hey- at least the chiropractors and lawyers do, right?!?!

Sigh.....

Birthday Fun and Camp "Fun"

2011-04-07T19:43:00.007-04:00

Somehow I continue to be surprised every year when my kids turn another year older. I always think "Where has the time gone" or "How did they grow up so fast?!" You think I would grow used to it but I still haven't! Jacob turned 8 yesterday!!! I still just can't believe it. How can it seem like I just held this little baby boy in my arms yesterday and today he is 8?! I looked back on the pictures I have on the computer and the oldest picture I could find of him was from Christmas of 2006 when he was 3 1/2 years old. (It was about then I started filing them on the computer-and I don't have a scanner) It is surprising how much he has grown! Here he is at 3 1/2:
Isn't he just the cutest and sweetest little thing?? Here he is now:
So grown up and such a little man now!

He had a very typical but good birthday! He took cupcakes to school to share- always a highlight for kids. For dinner, he requested waffles- which sounded good to me! Then, I heard that IHOP was having a special for the whole month of April- buy one adult entree, get one free! So, we had an extra special dinner at IHOP!
Dinner was followed by cupcakes (of course... see pic above!) and presents!
More Lego sets!!!

And, his own Nintendo DSi (that I scored used on craigslist with a starwars Lego game included! We have that same game on Wii and it is his favorite!) Ellie's expression cracks me up in this picture! He also got a Phineas and Ferb game! He was verrrry happy and of course had to try out the DSi first! Apparently, so did everyone else:

Jacob is a pretty amazing kid and we are so lucky to have him in our family! He is exceptionally brilliant, loves to joke around, talented at the piano and perfectly behaved at school. He enjoys playing with his little sisters- usually pretending to be their teacher. He also loves to play with his older brother- either video games, running outside or building Legos together. Even at the age of 8, he is still my cuddle bug and is very affectionate. He has a gentle heart and is very sensitive- sometimes to the extreme, but we manage. We Love you Jacob!!!!

IN OTHER NEWS!!

Jacob also had his school camp last week, March 30-31. I went along as a chaperone. Let's just say..... IT....WAS.....COLD!!!!!! Oh my, it was unpleasant! It was near freezing temps when we got there and starting snowing almost right away. By the time they got settled, had lunch and started their first activity, it looked like this:
(Jacob is to the left, in the red and black coat with black hat trying to catch snowflakes) This was the "wilderness survival class" where they learned to build a shelter using limbs and pine needles and such. After this, the snow continued to accumulate more, so the other activities (Adventure Team and Outdoor cooking) were moved indoors. The night hike was also canceled because there was 3 inches of snow on the ground by then and an alternate activity was done instead.

The cabins were heated with bathrooms and showers, but there was still so much outside time. Our cabin was at least 1/4 mile away from the dining hall, with half of that being straight uphill! (made interesting going up and down with the snow...) They also had to wait for everyone to gather outside between activities. So, there was still just a lot of outside time and it was so bitter cold! Last year, he went about this same time and it got to 70 degrees!

The other miserable part was the other parent in the cabin with me was incredibly annoying- I won't go on about it, but basically (despite the fact she is a 5th grade teacher) had poor people skills. In a nut shell, she was not an enjoyable person to have a conversation with and she decided to get up at 5:30 am to take a shower but was unable to do it quietly, hence waking the entire cabin- no joke...Ugh....

But, despite all this Jacob had a great time! My heart just wasn't in it this time around, but I put a smile on for his benefit and got through it. It was nice to spend a couple of days with him without his siblings interrupting and getting in the way. For next year though, I am wishing for two things:
1) Better weather!
2) Aaron goes next time!

What is Your Parenting Style?

2011-03-22T13:35:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was the first full day of spring and the only nice day all week, so I decided to take full advantage of that and took the girls to the zoo. Of course, my poor boys were stuck going to school all day while we lived it up at the zoo. But, hopefully they will forgive me with time.

It had rained earlier in the day but cleared up to become a warm early spring day with temperatures in the mid to upper 60's. We really had an awesome time together! It was so nice to hang out with my girls and soak up some fresh air.

As usual, I packed our lunches. When it was time to eat, we found a picnic table and sat down. As we ate, I enjoyed people watching and eavesdropping on conversations as people walked by. It so happens that the table we chose was near a puddle of water left by the rain earlier in the day. Of course, nearly every child who walked through there had to splash in the puddle. The differing reactions among the parents was very amusing to me.

Here are a few:

1) Some parents made a deliberate attempt to teach their child how to step over the puddle and avoid it all together

2) Some parents scolded their child for jumping in the puddle

3) Other parents laughed as they watched their child splash

4) I even saw one mom join in with her child and they splashed in the puddle together.

So, there were these kind of parents and pretty much everything in between as well. It got me thinking about how everyone parents so differently, but each with good intentions and our own ideas.

What kind of parent are you? No judgment- I am not saying any one style is right or wrong. I am just curious to hear your thoughts.

I suppose that means I need to answer as well. I wish I could be the type who joined in with my child, but I have to be honest that I don't think I would. I think I would have humored my child and let them jump a few times and then probably would have encouraged them to walk on.

Your turn... leave a comment below and tell me your thoughts!

What We Did on Saint Patricks Day This Year

2011-03-17T23:01:00.004-04:00

Today when I was on Facebook, I found myself quite jealous of all the people talking about all the wonderful things they were doing to celebrate the day. It didn't help that it was a beautiful day outside and so many were out taking advantage of that. My day didn't quite go that way. I figured I would share what I did today!

First off, my plan was to have Ross and Annie over for our preschool group. I was going to do a cute St Patrick's day craft. We were going to play outside and enjoy the day as well.

Here was reality. I woke at 12:30am to the sounds of Meghan (one of my 4 year olds) throwing up. (This is after Ellie threw up so so many times yesterday...). She proceeded to throw up every 20-30 minutes for the next several hours and on and off throughout the day. The only sleep I got was from 11:30-12:30 and then on and off from 6-7:30. Ellie still wasn't feeling 100% either so both girls were content to hang out on the couch (and other then cleaning up vomit, so was I because I was exhausted!) It seemed wrong to waste such a gorgeous day, but there really was no other way around it.

Here, Meghan receives some "Dino" therapy- he cuddled next to her for quite a while and she just layed there and pet him for a long time!

But, as I thought about it, we did at least incorporate GREEN into our day in several ways, so I guess all was not lost. Here is how:

1) Thanks to the grape flavored (but blue colored) Gatorade the Ellie drank yesterday afternoon (the only thing she kept down...), I got to see a lot of GREEN poo in the toilet!

2) I got to clean vomit off of our GREEN-ish couch twice!

But, despite the way it sounds, it wasn't all bad...

3) I got to look out the window and admire the GREEN sprouts of my lillies right out my front window!! A promising sign that spring is just about here!!

4) In a last ditch effort to celebrate the day somehow with my kids, I made a GREEN dinner!

Yes- that is green eggs and green pancakes! The kids thought it was cool (though Meghan of course didn't eat and Ellie only did a few bites- Ellie said she doesn't like them green, though of course it was the same recipe with food coloring added! ha! The boys enjoyed it though!)

5) After the kids went to bed I went to the grocery store and saved a bunch of GREEN!!!

I got all of this at Kroger. It is 40 items- a retail value of $82 and I paid only $5.60 TOTAL for everything!!!

6) On the way home, I stopped at McDonald's and got a GREEN special treat for Aaron and I...

Shamrock shakes!! They were pretty good- the only thing that would have made it better was some chocolate chips!

So, though it wasn't all bad, I am definitely hoping next year is different!

Happy St Patrick's Day!!!!

Fighting the Late Winter Blahs- Then and Now

2011-03-15T10:50:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, my friend Amy and I decided to get our girls (she has twin 4 year olds also) out of the house to do something fun. We considered going to the zoo- it was a bright sun-shiny day.... but a little chilly for my taste. So, I wimped out and suggested maybe we do something different. Amy was so kind to humor me and we took the girls to a local childrens' museum that we have been to several times before. We had such a great time!!! It was a great way to get out and enjoy the day as we endure the last bit of winter.

We were talking about how much the girls have grown and how we have pictures of them at this same place when they were quite a bit younger. I decided to post some of those pictures from then (March 2009) and now (March 2011)- exactly two years later!!

THEN:

NOW:

Ellie spent a lot of the day playing Vet- she took the little puppy with the carrier all over the place as she played with other things.

Meghan made a dash for the dress up clothes as soon as we got there. Playing dress up- especially in princess dresses- is one of her favorite things to do! She wore this dress the entire time- even when driving a fire truck and...

grocery shopping!

I also got an adorable video of Ellie and Sophia (one of Amy's daughters) singing ABC into the microphones, but I am unable to download the video correctly right now.

We had a great time and are also so grateful that it is almost spring!!! We can't wait to go to the zoo and spend more time outside!

There Was An Old Lady....

2011-03-03T15:11:00.006-05:00

...Who Swallowed a Rock!

According to Jacob, that is.

At school, they did a book-writing project at school and had to re-write "Their was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly"- with their own creation. The books were sent to a publishing company where they were all transformed into a published, hard cover book! It included all of their original writing and pictures (so it looks like they just wrote in the book, but they didn't- they were printed that way!). Each child got one free copy of their book.

Then, last night there was a "book reading" at the school where a writer talked to them and then they each got a chance to read their book in front of the parents and have refreshments. I thought Jacob did a great job and decided to include his book here as well.

For your enjoyment-in his own words (misspellings and all....):

There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Rock
By: Jacob- grade 2

Title page:

Page one:
"There was an old lady who swallowed a rock. Swallowed a rock oh swallowed a rock. There was an old lady who swallowed a rock. I don't know why she swallowed a rock? Perhaps she's out of luck."

Page 2:

"There was an old lady who swallowed some grass oh swallowed some grass. She swallowed the grass to cover the rock. But I don' t know why she swallowed a rock! Perhaps she's out of luck."

Page 3:
"There was an old lady who swallowed some rain. Oh swallowed some rain. She swallowed the rain to get the grass of the rock she swallowed the grass to cover the rock. But I don't know why she swallowed a rock? Perhaps she is out of luck."

Page 4:

"There was an old lady who swallowed a tornado oh swallowed a tornado. She swallowed the tornado to go with the rain. She swallowed the rain to get the grass off the rock. She swallowed the grass to cover the rock. But I don't know why she swallowed a rock? Perhaps she's out of luck. There was an old lady..."

Page 5:
"who swallowed a storm oh swallowed a storm. She swallowed the storm to go with the tornado. She swallowed the tornado to go with the rain. She swallowed the rain to get the grass of the rock. She swallowed the grass to cover the rock. But I don't why she swallowed a rock? Perhaps she's out of luck. There was...."

Page 6:
"a old lady who swallowed a rainbow oh swallowed a rainbow. She swallowed the raindbow to go after the storm. She swallowed the storm to go with the tornado. She swallowed the tornado to go with the rain. She swallowed the rain to get the grass off the rock. She swallowed the grass to cover the rock. But I don't know why she swallowed a rock? Perhaps..."

Page 7:
"she's out of luck!

Burp!

Burp!

Burp!

Burp!

Burp!

Burp!

Burp!

Burp!

Burp!

Burp!

Burp!

Burp!"

I love his happy ending with the rainbow after the storm! Good job, Jacob!!

Appetizing....

2011-02-26T15:35:00.002-05:00

Jacob (my 7- almost 8- year old) suffers from chronic constipation with some unpleasant side effects. Because of this, he has been on combinations of laxatives and stool softeners for nearly 3 years now. They have only been moderately helpful and I have hated the fact that the dose seems to just get higher instead of lower, trying to fix his problems. Though there has been a little improvement, the doctors have yet to find the magic button to cure him so the medications continue.

I am part of an online support group of other families that deal with this situation and recently there has been a lot of buzz about the benefits of probiotics. Many are in the same boat as we are- laxatives have only been a little helpful. Many have claimed that probiotics have turned things around for them. Willing to try anything, I asked our doctors about it who agreed it could help.

So, off I went to the vitamin store, where I found a liquid form of probiotics. I read the label and here is a portion of what it says:

"American Health's Acidophilus liquid is composed of hardy, viable balanced cultures of specially selected strains of lactobacillus cultures in a natural palatable base of pre-digested milk solids....Each serving provides 20 billion "friendly" organisms."

This is supposed to make me feel good about giving it to my child?? Despite the words "palatable" and "friendly"- it just doesn't sound good. I haven't given it to Jacob yet, but I did try it and it tastes awful- despite the natural blueberry flavoring. Hopefully he will take it okay or I can mix it into something. If not, I have discovered chewable versions on line that I can order.

Yuck.... I hope we can get past these issues soon!

Sugar, Sugar and More Sugar!!

2011-02-24T16:20:00.003-05:00

Here is a re-post of the blog I submitted for the twins club blog I contribute to. I post monthly on that blog with tips on saving money by doing things homemade. This was February's post:

I bet that title caught your eye, didn't it? Now that I have your attention, I would like you to picture the following scene. It shouldn't be hard- most of us have been there.

Your children have a Valentine's Day/ Christmas/ Halloween/ Whatever Party at school tomorrow. You decide to bring out the supermom within and make your world famous sugar cookies for their classrooms. You spent a lot of time preparing the dough and rolling out and baking them. It is now 9 pm. You have no icing, but you planned on making your yummy home-made icing recipe. You reach for your powdered sugar and find you have about half of what you need. Oh No!! You go next door to your neighbors house hoping she will have some, but she does not. What do you do?? Go to the store to get icing or powdered sugar? Send them un-iced? That would be fine except you know you like them better iced and so will the kids. You really really don't want to go to the store.... what do you do?

Yes- that was my scenario the night before my kids Valentine's day parties. As I pondered the situation, I thought I remembered reading something about how to make your own powdered sugar. Curiosity got the best of me and I researched it and found that it would be quite easy!!!

Powdered Sugar:
Here is how you do it. You need:

1 cup white sugar
2 TBSP Cornstarch

Place in a blender and blend until smooth! It will look like this:
I tried it in a blender and small food processor. It worked better in the blender. The taste was exactly the same as store bought powdered sugar and was so so close to the exact texture. I think it might have been the same texture exactly if the blade in my blender was a little newer/sharper. Some of the reviews I read stated that they used a coffee grinder (which I don't have) and it turned out exactly the same as store bought. Even though mine wasn't totally smooth (thought it was very very close), it worked great in the recipe!!!

The recipe above made about 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar:

Will this save money? Is it cheaper then just buying powdered sugar- quite possibly. Either way though, it definitely will save the time and expense of going to the store late at night when you are in a bind!

Sugar Cookies

So, I thought while I was writing, I would include my recipe for Sugar Cookies. Though I will admit, it isn't "my" recipe- it was passed on to me by a friend. I can say this honestly though: Throw away all your other sugar cookie recipes- this is BY FAR the BEST sugar cookie I have ever tried and it is so easy and does not use too many ingredients.

1 LB. butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 TBSP vanilla
6 cups sifted flour**
1 tsp baking soda

**make sure to sift the flour before measuring- it keeps the dough light and soft- even after rolling and re-rolling! Also, I have used butter and stick margarine- butter is easier to roll out, but it does work with stick margarine too. Don't use tub margarine.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. In a separate bowl, mix the sifted flour and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture one cup at a time. When mixed well, divide dough into two sections and wrap cookie dough in waxed paper. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or over night. Roll out and cut shapes and place on cookie sheet. (If really firm, you can set out at room temp for 20 min or so to make easier to roll out.) Bake at 350 for 10 min. Cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Ice as desired.

-note- this recipe can be halved- just use two eggs.

How about icing?? Here is a really yummy recipe perfect for these cookies:

Cream Cheese Icing:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick- NOT margarine)-softened
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese- softened
4 cups (or 1 LB) powdered sugar (store bought or homemade!)
1 TBSP milk
a few drops food coloring as desired

Beat together butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar. Add milk and beat to desired consistency. Beat in food coloring. Here is a pic:

My icing was a little softer than usual because I used light cream cheese instead of regular, but it still worked great and tasted great! So, if you want a softer icing, use light cream cheese, or for an icing that will stand up a little firmer, use regular.

ONE MORE THOUGHT:

Do you like to use those sugar sprinkles on your cookies? It is ridiculously expensive to buy those little bottles in the baking aisle. Make it yourself for virtually free! It literally takes just seconds! Simply put a little sugar in a sandwich bag, add a few drops of food coloring, close the bag and smush the sugar around with your fingers on the outside of the bag. In less then a minute, you will have this:

Sprinkle on your cookies and here is the finished product:

After finishing these, you can strap on that "Supermom" cape and wear it with pride! No one even needs to know that your kitchen is a disaster, you were up past midnight, your house is a mess, your husband feels neglected and that your hair sticking out all over your head makes you look a bit scary! All they need to know is you created something wonderful from the most basic cheep ingredients you had around the house and you came through for your kids who carry them proudly into school (hopefully not dropping them....) to share with their classmates.

Spring Tease

2011-02-19T10:05:00.003-05:00

The last few days here in Ohio have been such a welcome relief. It has been sunny with highs in the upper 50's. I think it even went over 60 yesterday. For someone who has been a bit down this winter due to the cold and gray, this has been a much needed reprieve. A light jacket has replaced the bulky coat with hat and gloves. Windows have been opened and the heated seats in my van have gotten a break.

Considering Mr. Groundhog was not scared away by his shadow, many think this is the beginning of our promised early spring. I am longing for spring as much as the next person, but anyone who truly knows Ohio knows that winter isn't near over yet. It will return. Winter is simply allowing Spring to give us a little tease- or a little break maybe to have the strength to hang on until Spring does arrive for good. My lilies are not even poking out of the ground yet, so there is still quite a wait for spring. The lilies will poke up in March sometime but winter really does last until about April around here.

Ohioans need to remember that this is somewhat normal. We usually do get some teaser days in winter, but the cold and the SNOW will unfortunately return. We will get at least one more big snow most likely with more cold temperatures. I am not trying to be pessimistic- just realistic- stating the facts.

Though I want spring at least as much- if not more- than most people, I wouldn't complain to have one more good snow. As I wrote here in this post, I finally bought sleds for my kids but we haven't been able to use them yet!

For now, I am just being thankful for the blessing of this temporary reprieve. I have been soaking up some sun, took the kids to the park, opened windows and smiled. That is what weeks like this are given to us for- for taking a deep breath and being thankful- and recharging our batteries to help us get through the rest of Winter!

"Mom! We are Making Snow!!!"

2011-02-11T11:43:00.005-05:00

A few days ago, Aaron received a package of car parts in the mail. It was packed with those hard pieces of Styrofoam. The boys saw it and got all excited- wanting to play with the Styrofoam or tear it up or whatever. Aaron told them no and so they left it alone. I then took them to the table to start them on their homework. I became totally focused on them and their work and totally had no idea what the girls were doing in the living room- literally right behind me! I turned around and Ellie said, "Mom! We are making snow!!" I could not believe it. There they sat in the middle of the rug- COVERED in little white Styrofoam balls- with those same little balls covering my living room floor. They were rubbing their hands over the Styrofoam to break the little balls loose. Here is the aftermath of the living room:

After the fact, it occurred to me what a much better/ funnier picture it would have been if I had a cool enough head to take a shot of the girls in the middle of it all covered in their "snow" before I brushed them off and sent them out of the room. I admit I am not that cool headed mom that thinks of the camera first. It wasn't until I got ready to start cleaning up, that I thought of it. Oh well. In retrospect, it was a funny site to see these two crazy girls covered in their "snow." I am still finding these little white balls all over, despite having vacuumed a few times!!

Speaking of these two crazy girls, they recently had a hair cut! Ellie has never had a hair cut (with her long curls, I was always afraid to cut it!) and Meghan had only ever had one cut. I put it off because I didn't want to pay for their cuts, yet I didn't trust myself to do it right. (I tried once with Meghan and really messed it up and a professional had to fix it....hence her first hair cut). Anyway, their hair was getting long and straggly- hanging in their faces so I figured it was time. Thanks to my friend Amy for the awesome coupons, we went to get their hair cut. Here is before:

During:

And After:

Ellie's hair doesn't look that much different- I wanted to keep it long because of her curls- but the lady did cut off about 2 1/2 inches!!! It is just more even and cleaned up. Meghan's hair totally suits her spunky personality. She is so adorable with a shorter do. It was a successful trip!

Metal Mouth!!!

2011-02-09T14:29:00.004-05:00

I feel as if I have officially achieved a new status in parenting. That of a mother of a child with braces!!! (Not to mention I am now an extra POOR mother now too....Yikes!!!) Yesterday was Kenny's big day!!!

Hard to believe that- at the age of 9- his mouth was ready for braces. But, he has had teeth falling out of his head and big ones trying to come in for years. His mouth is a good two years ahead of schedule- and very crowded!

Before they were put in, he was SO excited- he was counting down the days and just couldn't wait. I didn't want to kill his enthusiasm but also tried to gently warn him that it wouldn't be all fun- that he may be sore in the beginning and he would have to be careful to care for them correctly, but I think he was too excited to listen.

Right after they were put on, he said he wasn't sore- though he did have trouble eating lunch just because of the awkwardness of it. At dinner time, he took a bite of food and said his teeth hurt really bad. I gave him some medication and he tried to eat more but just barely could. His eyes filled with tears and he said, "I wish I never got braces!!!" Poor guy- my heart broke for him. I did promise him though that it wouldn't hurt forever. He wore his night gear for the first time as well last night and kept it on all night- though he is very sore today. I have been giving him medicine and feeding him soft things. Breakfast was oatmeal, a smoothie for lunch and Taco soup for dinner.

I'm just hopeful that we can get his paid off before any of the other kids need them!!

The New Penny-Pinching Me!

2011-02-05T21:34:00.004-05:00

While I have never considered myself a truly "cheap" person (though I definitely can be at times...), I definitely consider myself to be frugal. Especially in this last year or so I have increased my efforts to be more frugal. We have 6 people and 3 pets living on one income so sometimes I have to stretch the dollar until it nearly snaps. Yet, we always make do and get by. Though I may not have an "income" to speak of, I do my part by helping to save money. (Heck, one of us has to considering Aaron is a spender!)

Some ways in which I consider myself to be frugal are:

- Most of my food is homemade and often from scratch. I rarely buy dinner mixes, or cake or brownie mixes or rolls. I keep those basic ingredients on hand and make them myself. Fortunately I enjoy baking, so this works for me.

- We live in a (relatively) small house. We fit- two per bedroom- though as the kids get bigger, I swear it shrinks! But, we can afford it, so it works.

- I buy about 95 % of my childrens' clothes used. The 5 % they get new is clearance. (Seriously, how could anyone afford to buy clothes new for 4 kids?!)

- I buy my own clothes at thrift or discount stores. I seriously can not imagine EVER paying more than $20 for a pair of jeans...

- I generally buy generic brand food and other items.

- The last several months I have started making my own household cleaners and laundry detergent! My bill for laundry detergent has gone from about $200+/year to about $20/year!

- we don't drive fancy new cars (couldn't afford them if we wanted to!)

Despite being frugal, I do certainly enjoy the finer things in life as well- we do have cell phones and cable TV. I also don't cut my childrens' hair myself (though I would love to- but everytime I have tried it has ended badly!). We are also known to occasionally enjoy a dinner out (though never fancy places) when we can swing it. I feel like being frugal off-sets these things a little.

Recently however, I have begun a new endeavor- into the world of couponing! Sure, I have always used coupons- saving a few dollars here and there- but I was always jealous of those who knew how to fill a cart and only pay a few dollars. I have a few friends who have learned how to do that and they have been trying to teach me, but I have been resistant due to fear of the time it would take and feeling simply overwhelmed by it. A few months ago, my friend Abbey held my hand (metaphorically speaking) through a night of shopping the couponing way. She came over and helped me print the coupons on-line and clip others and make a list based on what Meijer had on sale. My first night was pretty successful thanks to her. Not too bad for a Newbie, I walked out paying about $9 for everything on the table below (retail value about $50)...
It certainly felt good to walk out with all this stuff I could use and getting it so cheap. It still took a couple of months though for me to really feel comfortable enough to take the leap. Let me say, the high of walking out of store with a large amount of food for a small price is incredible! It is a bit addicting. It definitely makes you want to do it again! Everytime I get home, I have to show Aaron everything I got and tell him the price. Most of the time I have to take a picture too. Here are a few examples:
My total here was about $15 for everything!

This one was better yet with everything you see here from Kroger totaling $16- with a retail value of about $80!

And this one was definitely my best yet. Everything here on the table- I paid only $6.71! It has a retail value of about $100! (The grouping on the left is from Meijer. The group of to the right was Kroger- everything from Kroger was FREE!) As a synopsis: the juice was $1.30 each (regularly $3.80 each); the wolf chili and salsa (both about $2 regular) were all free. The blocks of cheese were about 17 cents a piece (us. $2), the mustard was about 15 cents each (us. about $1.40); the pickles were 57 cents each and the pepperoni packs were about 30 cents each! And, no worries- it will all be used before it expires!

Now that I am getting into this, my grocery bill is going down. I find I paid about $600-$700 a month in groceries (which I feel is so so high, which it is.... but I find is pretty normal for my family size...). But now, I am stocking up on things on sale which gives me less to buy when I do my normal grocery shopping. Normally, I only go shopping once every two weeks- when we get paid- and spend about $300-$350 on groceries (hence times two is the monthly total...). The last time I went shopping, my grand total with couponing and ALL was a whopping $160!!! That is half!!! Wow!!!! Ya- I'm totally converted. And, I am getting name brand stuff which I never could before- and at much much lower prices then generic brands! Hopefully this will help off-set the cost of Kenny's braces (which he gets next week!) and Jacob's piano lessons.... ouch!

So, what is the secret? The secret is to combine store sales with coupons and- when possible- with store coupons as well! This can be a little daunting, but is made easier with money saving websites. A favorite of my friends and I is Happy Homemaker Cindy's site. She makes it very easy. She lists the stores- and then the sales and coupon match ups at each store. She tells you which flier to find the coupon in or gives the link to print from on-line when available. You can legally print two of the same coupons per computer. At one point, I had 4 working computers, but we are down to two. But, if you have access to more than one computer, you can get a lot of coupons! Just don't ever copy coupons! It is illegal and a smart cashier will know the difference (each printed coupon has it's own PIN number....) and it will ruin it for the rest of us if people keep trying to copy them. Plus, it helps to know the coupon rules of your store. Meijer doubles coupons up to 99 cents- and will let you double up to two like coupons at a time. Kroger doubles as well but will let you double 5 like coupons. But, if you have more than that at either store, you can still get them doubled, you just have to split up your transactions. It means check out will take longer, but it is worth it! Don't worry- the cashiers are used to it- just be nice to them!

It helps to organize your coupons. First, I have learned to never throw them away until they are all expired! I used to go through and clip what I thought I would use and toss the rest. It works much better to organize them by date received and don't clip them until you need them. That way, when a website (like Happy Homemaker Cindy) tells you to clip a coupon found a certain week, you know right where it is. You can get extra coupons by getting them from friends that don't use theirs or ordering extra copies of the paper. (Or, my friends....NOT ME... have been known to dumpster dive through recycling bins to find more!) If you are extra friendly to your paper delivery person and tip well, I have heard of them being willing to give you extra copies they happen to end up with as well if you ask.

Plus, stores will often have their own store coupons that you can use WITH the manufacturer coupon. If you combine these with an item already on sale, you can get things so so cheap!

Here is a couple of examples:

The Smart Balance Milk in the second picture above it normally nearly $3 a half gallon! I would never ever even consider buying it. Well, I got it free. Here is the break down:

Sale Price: $1.99/ half gallon
Coupon: $1.50 off (found in paper flier and on line... so I got several)
Coupon: $2.00/off of 4 (Meijer Meal box coupon found online the Meijer site)

Final cost- Free when you buy 4! Crazy huh? I never imagined I could get free milk! And we use soooo much milk!

Another example:
The Kraft block and shredded cheese above. I can't remember the regular price, but it is near $2.00 each.

Sale Price: $1.67 each at Meijer
Coupon: $0.75/ off 1. This doubles to $1.50 off.
Final price: 17 cents each!

And, they don't expire until July so it was beneficial for me to buy several bricks because we use a lot of cheese and will easily go through it long before it expires. And, by the time I use it all, there will likely be another sale with more coupons so I can stock up again- eliminating my need to spend money on cheese.

It feels really good to be able to stock up and feed my family at a lower cost. Our church has taught about Food Storage for years. We are taught that we should store up food (up to a year where possible) to help us have a supply of food should there be a time of disaster or no money (such as from a natural disaster where we may be stuck in our house or through something such as a job loss so that we can still be independent and not rely on others). I have always had a little-enough to where I never panicked like some people when a big snow storm is looming, but always felt discouraged feeling it is so hard to to store extra food when it took all I had just to feed everyone on a daily basis. In recent years, the whole world has caught onto this idea that our church had decades ago. With the many natural disasters and poor economy, people recognize the need to be prepared. I finally am getting a stock of things and can already say that if needed, we could already get by for quite a while on what little we have stored. If I keep this up, I will have truly significant food/supply storage that will last us for a long time if needed. I love independence and don't like to rely on others.

It is a little overwhelming at first and it does take a little more time to find and print/clip the coupons, but it also gives an amazing sense of freedom and accomplishment that makes it worth it!

Should I Be Mad Or Proud?

2011-01-31T14:20:00.003-05:00

Ellen wrote her whole name for the first time- completely on her own!!

The problem?

She wrote it on Kenny's school project....

You can clearly see her capital E, two small l's a small e, an attempt at an n and then a better n!

This is a blank pizza box. Kenny received this from his teacher to do a history project on. He was doing a report on the Wyandot native Americans and each side of the box had different requirements- with the inside bottom needing "pizza slices" with different facts about the Wyandot on each one.

Luckily though- some well placed construction paper covered her work, so I think I decided to be proud of her accomplishment!

Speaking of school projects- those I speak to often know how overwhelmed I have been. I never imagined being overwhelmed by my KIDS school work. Their school gives them a lot of projects to do- which I understand is way better academically then a worksheet- but they had several due at once. This was their schedule last week:

Both boys- had the "invention convention" project due last Wednesday. This is similar to a science fair project, but they had to invent something- come up with an idea of a problem to solve and come up with an invention to solve it. They had to either make the invention or a model of it as well as do patent research and more. Here was their ideas:

Kenny- wanted to solve the problem of houses getting destroyed by tornadoes and floods. So, he invented a metal box of sorts that is installed underground around your house. When a storm is coming, you can press a button inside your house and the box comes up and covers your house. Pushing the button again lowers it back underground.

Jacob- wanted to solve the problem of not wanting to do chores, so he invented a chore-doing robot. It has a washer/dryer as a belly to wash your clothes and bendable arms. It has a pencil for doing your homework and a trash bag to put trash in.

Kenny- had to do the above described pizza box project due last Friday. Thankfully due to these projects both going on at the same time, he did not have much other homework- just the occasional math page.

Jacob- had to do a report on dinosaurs also due Friday- he chose to study the T-Rex. He had to do a POWER POINT PRESENTATION (he is in second grade) to present his information on the T-Rex. It had to be stored on a Flash Drive. And he had to do a diorama to represent a dinosaur scene of his choice. He also had his usual homework including spelling words, reading, math flash cards, and mini-math projects.

Then, before all that was over, Jacob brought home information for a new project starting this week- for Black History month, he has to research a famous black Ohioan (I think we are doing Archie Griffin) and they will be doing a "Wax Museum" style presentation.

Anyone else exhausted after reading this? I thought I would pull my hair out last week. I am stuck between gratitude that the teachers are challenging them and not just putting worksheets under their nose and frustration at feeling unable to keep up.

Add with that that Jacob just started piano lessons and Kenny is about to get braces put on (more coming on that....) and I feel like I am just treading water trying to keep my head above water. What do I do when the girls get a little older?? I think I need another me. Already, I feel like I can't keep my house clean or do half the things I feel I should be able to get done. Sigh..... I know it all works out in the end, as I said above- I am just a little overwhelmed right now!

In Your Face, Winter!!!

2011-01-21T00:02:00.003-05:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that I hate winter. I really really do. I hate the cold and the wind and bundling up. Sure, there are nice things like the pretty fresh fallen snow and lazy snow days, but then there is the cold and slushy melting snow- just yuck! Well, tonight, I enjoyed laughing in Winter's face and letting it know it wasn't going to keep me down!

Every month, I attend a meeting for the local Mothers of Twins club. I look forward to these meetings for the night out to talk to other twin moms and we often go out to eat afterward. As the snow began to fall today and then continued to fall, I knew the meeting was in jeopardy. My family was encouraging me not to brave the roads after 4 inches of snow fall, but my friend Amy and I were determined to go if it was still on in an effort to combat our cabin fever.

Sure enough, the meeting was canceled. We were very disappointed and decided we would go out anyway and would just stay on our side of town. We went to a yummy dinner at Olive Garden and just drove slowly- I never went over 25 MPH on wide 4 lane roads. After dinner, we decided to go see a movie. Why not?? We were already out! We chose to see "Little Fockers" (which, by the way, was pretty funny- crude and dumb at times, but still entertaining). While we were waiting for the movie to start, we walked to the neighboring Bed Bath and Beyond store. I had just been complaining about how sad it is that I have been a mom for 9 1/2 years and we do not own any sleds! I never think about it until mid winter and then they are gone! Well, wouldn't you know it- they had sleds!!! So, I solved our problem and bought a few.

After the movie on the way home, we decided (at 11:30 pm...) that we should test those sleds to be sure they would work properly! We stopped at a near by sledding hill and- well, lets just say- the sleds work great! Ha ha ha! Oh my! What a laugh! It was soooo cold! We only went down twice and took pictures and our gloved fingers were painfully sore from the cold. Here are the pictures to prove our craziness:
Was in dumb to go out in the freezing cold bad roads when we didn't have too? I don't know- maybe- but you know? It was so worth it!!!! It was just what I needed and we laughed so hard and had so much fun! So, my message to Old Man Winter- "Ha! You won't keep me down!" Now I'm gonna go take a warm shower and climb into my warm bed.....

In the Blink of an Eye..... They Are 4!!!

2011-01-06T11:52:00.002-05:00

4 years and 2 days ago- this was our new reality....

(Meghan and Ellen)

(I have posted this picture before but it is by far my favorite of the girls!)

And now they are 4!!! Their birthday was Tuesday. I like to post on the day of my kids birthdays but had a horrible headache for 3 days straight and am just now feeling normal again. Despite my headache though, I was determined to have a good day with the girls on their day! In the morning, the girls went to Abbey's house. (Abbey is a friend of mine and we do a "preschool" exchange together- we do it two days a week for 2 hours/day- one week at my house, the next week at hers). So, at Abbey's house, they were learning the letter "I" and in honor of their birthdays, they got to decorate cookies with "I"cing! After that, we met up with some friends at Chic-Fil-A for lunch. The girls LOVE to go there! (But we don't very often because it is too expensive- but thank you Amy for the gift card!!) After lunch, we went to the indoor aquatic center/ rec center to swim for open swim- costs a whopping 50 cents/person to swim! (and that explains their crazy/frizzy hair in the pics below....) Then, it was time to rush home and get things ready for their birthday dinner! No time for a headache- I was doing my best to ignore it, though I did not feel good!

For dinner, they both requested breakfast for dinner and that sounded great to me! We had pancakes, bacon and eggs. They both requested pink and purple cakes.

I always do my best to give them each their own cake and we sing a separate happy birthday song for each girl. Meghan's was purple on the outside and pink on the inside, and Ellie's was the opposite. And don't forget presents!!!

New dress up clothes! I bought a bunch of hats, skirts, and a couple masks after Halloween for a couple of dollars each.
And here, Meghan got a "hamster wheel" for the Zhu Zhu pets that they got for Christmas and Ellie got Trio blocks. Grandma Janet sent these fun magnetic paper dolls- they played with them a long time!!! Ellie has her new lady bug pillow pet with her. They both started asking for pillow pets for Christmas after Santa had finalized his list, so I said maybe for their birthdays. Ellie got the lady bug and Meghan got the puppy dog (though I didn't catch a decent picture of the puppy dog). But, here is Meghan with the magnetic dolls:It was definitely a very good day and I know they enjoyed their birthday. On Sunday, we will have dinner with the rest of the family to celebrate.

Happy Birthday Girls!!!! We Love you!!!!

My Little Chef

2011-01-02T20:42:00.006-05:00

Jacob is proving to be quite a talented kid. He is really good at reading, piano, and he loves to cook! In fact, one of the two things he continually asked for for Christmas was a cookbook! Santa made sure to deliver! My sister also followed the theme by getting him his own personalized chef hat and apron!

The apron has his initials "JRB" and the hat has his nickname "Cubbie."

He was excited to try out some of his recipes, so last night, he made dinner- almost completely by himself!!! I was just there to guide him and instruct/ help out. He read the recipe and did the work on his own! He chose "Crispy Oven-fried chicken" and "Sweet Glazed baby carrots." Here he is, coating the chicken in the Corn Flakes mixture:

(We forgot his cook apron until we were almost done...) And stirring the carrots after cooking and adding the butter and brown sugar:

Here is the yummy food he cooked- I just added a salad to go with it!

We all enjoyed his dinner! He did a great job! We all enjoyed it and it is definitely a recipe that we (or he!) will make again! This picture isn't the most pleasant, but it was so nice to see him smiling and enjoying what he created!

Hmmmmm....maybe he could take over the cooking for the family! I could use the break!

Honesty is Not Dead!

2010-12-30T19:20:00.002-05:00

In so many ways it seems, this world just gets darker and darker. I hear about all the evil that runs rampant in this world and it sometimes makes me long for the time when Christ returns and we can move on from the world as it is. Hearing the news and knowing what goes on in the world makes it easy to not trust anyone and to sometimes assume the worst. I feel that I have lost some faith in humanity over the years. However, two recent incidents have made me regain a little faith in humanity and gives me a little bit of hope.

First of all, several months ago, I went to the bank to deposit money (about $300!) in the ATM. Aaron had done a job in the garage and so the money needed deposited so we could pay for the parts he used as well as pay a couple of household bills with it. It was one of those fancy new ATM's where you deposit the cash with no envelope or anything. Well, these machines don't always work as they should and it would not accept a couple of the bills. I became very frustrated and drove off with the unaccepted bills so I could deposit them through the regular drive thru. It didn't occur to me until several MINUTES later (yes, I am blonde...) that I had not completed the deposit for the money that was accepted! I knew at least one car had already gone through that ATM. I was horrified at what I had done and KNEW the money had been taken. My thoughts centered around what I was going to do to cover the lost money. Later that day, when I calmed down a little, I thought I would call the bank on the off chance the money had been turned in. It was!! The next car went through and the machine spit my cash out at them and they turned it in! I was soooo grateful!

Then, last night, Aaron and I went to dinner and movie. We had a gift card for that particular restaurant and a movie theater. I knew I had put both gift cards in the outside pocket of my purse. But, when we went to pay for our dinner, the restaurant gift card was GONE! Not in my purse, not on the floor- we even checked the car and the ground between but never found it. I assumed the worst (considering it was tucked into the pocket and the other gift card was still there). The restaurant was packed and we had to wait 20 minutes for a table- shoulder to shoulder with the other waiting crowd. I came to the conclusion that it must have been swiped from my purse. I was so upset. In my panic, we just paid for our dinner and left. I didn't think until this morning that maybe- just maybe- the card had been dropped and someone turned it in. I figured it wouldn't hurt to call so I did. They had it- it had been turned in!! I went and picked it up! So, I am a little bummed that I paid for dinner when if I had just asked, we would have had the card back- but at least we get to go out again sometime!!

It is so reassuring to know there are still honest people in the world. I know if it had been me that had an ATM spit money out at me or to find a lost gift card, I would have turned it in- absolutely no question. But, I was so sure that most people would not that in both cases my first instinct was to assume the money was gone. I was wrong. There are still good, honest people out there! May loads of blessings and good karma fall on those people who chose to do the right thing!

While I Was Sleeping.....

2010-12-21T12:36:00.002-05:00

Now that my girls are nearing their 4th birthday, they can be a little more independent in the morning. Now that my boys are on Christmas break, I have been taking advantage of the fact that I don't HAVE to get up with them. All 4 of them are good about coming out and turning on cartoons while I snooze a little longer- of course, sleeping with one ear open so I can hear any problems. Well..... this is what I found this morning when I got up....
Note the chair pushed up to the refrigerator, step stool balanced on top, and the two pen cups teetering on the edge of the fridge. When I asked who did that, Meghan said, "We wanted to color!" (Never mind the bucket full of crayons in their room...)

Homemade Hairbows

2010-12-15T22:54:00.008-05:00

As mentioned previously, I do a monthly post for my Mothers of Twins club blog on saving money doing things homemade. This is my December post....

With Christmas just around the corner, as does everyone, I have a list to fulfill but a very limited budget. I like to look for simple homemade ideas for gifts. I do some baking every year and this year, I found a really neat and easy gift I can make for the young girls on my list- such as my 3 young nieces. Every little girl loves hairbows! Before I even get started, let me tell you how completely NOT CRAFTY I am. I don't like crafts and I am not good at them. But, even I was able to easily learn how to make these bows and was surprised how easy they are! Here is a picture of the first one I made:

I had never done these before but within a few minutes, I made this adorable bow! I will show you how to make 3 different but similar bows. They were really fun to make and I have two adorable little almost 4 year olds that were happy to model!

To get started:

Here is a sampling of the ribbon I bought:

I didn't pay more than a dollar for any single spool. I bought a lot more than this- this is just a few! I found some in the dollar bins at JoAnns as well as in the dollar section of Target. Dollar stores also have them sometimes. You will also need:

- a few dowel rods (costs less than a dollar each)- you can get thin or fatter- depending on how big you want the curls in your ribbon. I also cut them in half.
- a few wooden clothespins
- plain hair clips ( I found them in the homemade jewelry section at JoAnns- I got snap-shut clips and alligator clips)
- glue gun
- thin thread

To get started, wrap the ribbon around the dowel rods, held on with clothespins.

Place the ribbon covered dowels across a cookie sheet and put in a 200 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Take out of oven and unclip the pins and let ribbon slide off- it will be curled!

To Make the bows:
1) First I will show the process for a large clip, similar to the one shown above:

This bow, like the first, is a little thicker and bigger. After curling the ribbon, cut 6-8 pieces about the same length. Take a long piece of thread, folded in half and lay across the table. Lay the pieces of ribbon in the middle of thread as shown below:

Gather the string around the ribbon and tie tightly into a knot (Don't worry about the ribbon staying perfectly aligned- you can adjust it). Then just fluff and pull the ribbon around until it looks right!

To get the clip ready, lay out a piece of ribbon that will match the bow and put a strip of blue from the glue gone on it. Place the clip on top of the glue.

Put a little more glue on the clip and wrap the ribbon over it.

Put a dab of glue gun glue on the ribbon where it is tied together and attach to the clip! Allow to dry and it is done!

2) Here is a smaller version of the same style:

To make is smaller, just cut the pieces smaller and maybe use fewer pieces. (on the ribbon above, I used 8 pieces, for this one, I used 5). You tie it and attach it just the same way:

3) Long curly pony holder:

Cut 4 longer pieces of curled ribbon (approximately 6 inches or so)

Gather them together in the center and put a single stitch through it to hold them together in that spot

After putting in the stitch, take a small piece of ribbon (an inch or less) and put glue from the glue gun on it. Wrap the small piece of ribbon around the middle of the bow and an elastic pony holder to attach them together and you are done! You may need to trim the ribbon a little to make it all the same length. (instead of long ribbons, it would work too with shorter ones- however you want to do it!)

These bows are fun to do and easy and cheap! As I mentioned before, I didn't pay more than a dollar for a spool of ribbon- some were only 50 cents! I paid a total of about $20 for ALL supplies (the dowel rods and clips included!) and got enough supplies to make dozens of hairbows. This works out to be less than a dollar a bow. These would cost $5 or more for a single hairbow in any store.

Obviously, the options are endless. You are limited only by your imagination! If you are good at tying bows, you could tie a bow with straight ribbon and glue to the clip. JoAnns also had a huge assortment of little flowers and such- all you would need to do would be glue those on a clip and be done. Definitely a low cost way to give a beautiful gift with a personal touch!

Titanic: The Story....In Pictures

2010-12-13T15:30:00.005-05:00

Kenny has a notebook that he uses to doodle/write in during church. Yesterday, I looked through it and found- page by page- his pictorial telling of the tragic story of the Titanic. Here it is for everyone's viewing pleasure:

Beginning: In the quotation marks, "Ice Burge ahead" (his spelling)

Before: Note the ship already hit the ice burg and the water gathering under the ship. He also included a key to help decipher the drawings....

Middle: The ship has started to sink!

Later: The ship has now broken in half and pieces of it are laying on the ocean floor while the second half still floats!

Before the end: Oh, there goes the second half....

Oh, now it has completely sunk... but don't forget:

After- several are left floating in the water while a few ride away in life boats!

And there is the complete history of the Titanic. Now we are all experts.

Introducing: The Newest Member of our Family!

2010-12-11T21:36:00.004-05:00

I recently realized that I have neglected to introduce you to the newest member of our family! Knurren (German for growl- the sound the car makes). Here he is:

Now, you may find it odd that I am showing a car- namely a VW Jetta wagon- and introducing it as part of our family. I find it odd too.... but to my husband, a VW nut, it is a valued member of the family. For a few years, we had this:A VW golf (named Matrix- due to the pattern on the seats- yes, my husband names his cars....). This was Aaron's baby for a long time. He would care for it, wash it, take pictures of it, brag about it online and adore it. Then one day, he saw an add on the online VW community he is a member of that the above wagon was for sale. He has always loved wagons. He got really excited and begged me to let him get it. Knowing we could not afford another car payment, I told him that if he wanted to wagon, that the following conditions must be met:

1) the golf had to go- we couldn't afford to keep it.
2) the money had to work out the same- owing the same or less then we already owed on his car.

He immediately put his car for sale on the same forum and it sold within a week. And, we owe a little less on the wagon did we did on the golf. So, a very excited Aaron went and picked up the wagon. I swear I could hear crying sounds coming from the golf. I mean, after all- he was Aaron's baby for so long and now he sat- rejected-replaced- alone.

When the golf's new owner came to pick him up, I swear the car looked sad as it was driven away.

This leaves me with a question in the back of my mind. With the way Aaron loved this car and then so quickly gave it up for something he deemed better- I can't help but wonder- should I be worried???