12.31.2008

Paging Animal Control

Over at My Hottie Friend Jules blog (Hi Jules!) She blogs a lot about the critters that invade her home. She has live critters like woodpeckers, squirrels and lots of snakes around her house. We have critters of the stuffed variety like bears, dogs, bears, hippos, bears...you get the picture. All cute, all cuddly..just a lot of them. A lot. I spent a good part of last night and today trying to organize the bonus room and the girls room a little bit. Oh my! I don't think you realize how much you have until you take it all out to organize it. Thankfully last night I got to throw out a lot since the kids were sleeping. I reorganized the play room and put some toys they don't play with often into tubs for the attic. I think we might try a toy rotation. In a few months when we're tired of our Christmas toys I'll bring down the ones from the attic. We got the girls room cleaned up today. Sadly we're giving away a bunch of stuffed animals..we just have too many to keep them all and not enough space..hopefully they'll find a good home. The girls are actually pretty good about giving things away..they think "goodwill" is a person and they are happy to give "him" some things they don't play with anymore. I'm very grateful for that.

Anyway as I was doing this massive cleaning today I kept thinking about gift giving tips I'd like to pass on. First, let me say, I am very grateful for all the gifts that we receive (Ok..most of the them)..I just want to pass on a few tips that may help you with your upcoming gift giving to any children (not just mine) as I'm sure some other moms would agree with me. Also, I am so not singling out any particular gift giver..I can't even remember who gives us a lot of gifts...Just things that came to mind while cleaning today....

1. If there are children under 18 mos living in the gift recipient home please do not give any of the following: my littlest pet shop (there is a reason it has "littlest" in the title), polly pockets or those polly pocket princess things. The pieces are too little and end up every where especially in your toddlers mouth. And your 4 year olds can not put the clothes on themselves. And they get very upset when the little shoes get vacuumed...
2. Yes, stuffed animals are cute and very cuddly but think about how many a child may have before giving them new ones...I know this one is rough for some of you to hear but we just get overwhelmed with them and space is an issue.
3. Please remember batteries.
4. Please be mindful that toys that cost $1 are that price for a reason...they are cheap..anything that has parts will break (i.e. cars with wheels) and those pieces will end up in a toddlers mouth or under a grown ups bare foot...
5. Books are always welcome gifts
6. Candy...not so much...

A Very Merry Christmas

So I realize I'm pretty late on my Christmas blog..hard to believe it's already a week past. Actually isn't just hard to believe it's already a new year...wow 2008 went fast! Anyways..this post is about our Christmas..which was really nice. Paul got home decently early on Christmas Eve..we opened our annual early gift of new jammies to wear that night. We've been doing that since Emma was born and she has yet to remember that's what the gift is that we open on Christmas Eve. Needless to say she was not that excited when she opened the gift. I think she actually pouted a little...whatever..she got over it..We went to church that night with my mother in law and sister in law. We came back to our house for a nice dinner and gifts. Emma got her Easy Bake Oven from Nana and Lily got a mystifying cool bake princess oven (it uses ice cubes to "cook" the food??). There were also some High School Musical and Hannah Montana gifts to be had. Very Exciting..

Christmas morning we woke up and Santa had indeed come. Emma got her Kit Kitteredge typewriter and Lily got her gumball machine (pink no less!)! The girls were very excited. They were also excited that Santa wrote them a note thanking them for the cookies. They seemed to like all their gifts..nothing too exciting but a fair amount. Lily, I think, just liked opening gifts..didn't care who they were too or what they were she just wanted to help open them. Paul and I exchanged gifts for the first time in several years. I scored big time with a fancy new purple phone...it has a slide out keyboard for texting (a must have since you know I think I'm a teenager..so text me if you text) and he upgraded our plan so I can access the Internet on my phone..you know I might miss an important Facebook status while in the carpool line...I also got the Jillian Michaels fitness wii game that I wanted and a few other things..very surprising and very fun! Paul had picked himself out a fancy gps so that was his big gift.

Later that morning my dad came over and brought a super yummy breakfast that his wife had prepared (sadly his wife was sick and didn't make it). He visited a while and we even got to go outside and play for a little while. My mom, step dad, aunt and 2 cousins came over later in the afternoon. We had a nice gift exchange with them and a nice dinner. We were blessed with many nice gifts and the kids were completely spoiled. All in all a very merry Christmas! Here is just a small sampling of the pictures from the holiday:

12.27.2008

Watch Out Paula Deen



Emma really, really wanted an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas this year. Thankfully Nana was paying attention and got her one. I thought it was a great gift..I always wanted an Easy Bake Oven and though my mother says I had one..I have no recollection of owning one. Emma LOVES it..I mean LOVES it...she is on a baking frenzy..she wants to bake all the time. She wants to bake the cakes and cookies for other people which I think is super sweet. This morning she made a cookie for her grandfather and tonight she made one for her small group leader at church. We've almost gone through all the mixes that came with the oven and the refill pack Nana bought. I must figure out how to make homemade easy bake oven mixes or she's going to break the bank with this thing...In case you get or give one know that it does not come with lightbulb..thankfully my dad happened to have a 100 watt lightbulb in his desk lamp and rescued us on Christmas Day.

Who Needs Starbucks..

when you have a Year of Crockpotting (crockpot365.blogspot.com). She posted a recipe on Christmas Eve for a Gingerbread Latte. Which is one of my favorite Christmas treats that I usually only get at Starbucks and really can't afford very often at almost $5 for one. So, when I saw that recipe I knew I had to try it. I had intentions to make it on Christmas Day but totally forgot so I made it yesterday and let me say..yum, yum, yum! Tastes as good, if not better, than Starbucks. So, now I can keep my $5 and have Gingerbread Lattes whenever I want! By the way, the Year of Crockpotting only has a few days left..I will miss those recipes..she makes some good stuff and all in the crockpot..one of my favorite cooking tools...

I will post about our very wonderful Christmas later this weekend! Hope your holiday was great!

12.23.2008

Melting My Heart

Every time Jacob smiles my heart just melts...that boy has me so wrapped around his finger it's not even funny! There is something about baby boys...I am so blessed to have one!

12.22.2008

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

I just read the funniest blog about a mom who is "breaking up" with Target. Here's the link if you want to read it: http://www.trianglemom2mom.com/content/break . I understand this writer all too well as I've had to break up a with Target this year too. Now I'm consistently shopping at Walmart and not just because it's my husband's employer..it's just cheaper. And at Walmart I can pretty much stick to my list where at Target that's nearly impossible for me. For some reason at Target lots of extras seem to sneak in my cart where at Walmart I'm trying to get in and out as quickly as possible. I haven't gone cold turkey..I will still shop at Target it's just not as frequently as before. They are too good for me resist completely but my visa is very thankful I've found a new place to do business...very thankful.

A Very Merry Hayride

I'm always on the lookout for fun seasonal activities we can do as a family. I came across this in the paper on Saturday: www.lightsontheneuse.com and thought it would be a fun thing to do. I wanted to go on Saturday but it rained so we decided to go last night. I hadn't heard anyone I know mention this so I was a little apprehensive to go spend $26 (plus the drive to Clayton) to go see the lights but in the spirit of the holidays we decided to go. On the way our friend Frances happened to call..she lives in Garner and happens to have 3 adorable little girls about the same ages of my kids so she piled everyone in the car and came to meet us. And we're so glad she did. Turns out they don't take credit cards (a major detail they should really put on their webpage) and thankfully she happened to have one check so she paid for us to get in.

Turns out a lot of people had the same idea as us..as Paul said "what did you expect..it's the Sunday before Christmas..did you expect it to be empty?" umm..yes..did they not know we were coming?? Anyway we finally get the tickets for the 11 of us (we're a scary party - there are 7 kids between our 2 families...we come and people run) and get in line for the hayride - the main attraction. Again, so thankful Frances came with us as we had to wait so the girls kept each other occupied and we all actually pretty good.

Finally we get to the hayride and it was really cute..there is a stop at Santa's workshop where it snows and lots of places where the tractor triggers the lights and they do a "show." The music is pretty good and everyone on the hayride was singing along. Though it was cold (well cold for here) we had everyone bundled up pretty well and no one complained. After the 30 min ride we went into the Sweet Shoppe for some hot chocolate. They also have Santa (in a cool sleigh) available for pictures. We let all the girls visit with him but we cheaped out on the pictures. All in all a fun family activity! Oh..a quick tip if you go: sit on the left side as you walk on the trailer - you have a much better view of the lights...luckily the girls sat on that side so they got to see the most...

12.19.2008

"Star" of the Show



Lily had her Christmas program at preschool on Wednesday. There are few things funnier than watching 3 and 4 year olds sing in a program. The 3 year olds went first and they sang a variety of Christmas tunes. There were a few children who sang (shouted) very loudly, a few who didn't open their mouths, one who wouldn't even be up on stage and one who kept pulling up their sweater. It was very cute. Then the 4 year olds got to go and this year they put on a little show. They sung some songs then acted out a version of Jesus' Birthday. Lily had a part as she was the Star which meant she had to carry a star for approximately 30 seconds. She was very proud and did a good job. She actually sang all the songs this year and did the hand motions...it was very sweet. All in all it was a great show and all the kids did great. Sadly I didn't get a picture of her carrying the star - no flash photography was allowed as to not disrupt the actors (as if cameras were the only thing that would distract them) and I couldn't figure out how to do video on my camera. Anyway here she is after the show:

New Member of the Family

Meet Elfie...


he's the newest addition to our family. Elfie joined us on Wednesday when my mom bought us the "Elf on the Shelf" as an early Christmas gift. The girls are wildly fascinated by him..especially Julia. If you don't know about the Elf on the Shelf it's a cute story about an Elf who comes from the North Pole to watch over the kids. Each night after the kids go to bed the Elf magically flies back to the North Pole to give Santa a report. Each morning he returns in a new spot to keep watch again. Every morning the girls look for Elfie (that's what Lily named him). Today he's sitting in the Christmas tree where he can see everything. The hardest part is remembering to move him each night! But I must say he's doing a good job of keeping the kids behavior in line...

12.16.2008

Random Acts of Kindness

Apparently I have been better than I thought this year as I've had 2 random acts of kindness bestowed on me in the last week. Seriously I feel so blessed and thankful this holiday season!

You may recall I blogged about Emma wanting the American Girl typewriter a couple weeks ago. Well.. my blogs go to my Facebook page and my high school friend Amy read my note about it. Turns out she lives in Atlanta where there is an American Girl Place..she happened to be going out near there so she popped into the store and found the typewriter for me! They had just gotten a shipment in that morning! I found out just as I was about to bid for one on ebay for more than 2x the price (thankfully Paul had already lost one auction). So, she shipped the typewriter to me and I got it today!! And, Amy just wants me to donate money to the food bank to repay her. How nice is that?? I'm so excited..Emma has told everyone she knows that she wants that darn typewriter..she'll be SO happy Christmas morning! So, my friend Amy is a rockstar and I hope lots and lots of good karma comes her way.

As if that wasn't enough I was at the mall today (Cary Town Center) doing some last minute shopping. I got an idea and decided to pop into Kirklands to grab a throw. As I was checking out the mall manager came up to me, said they were doing Random Acts of Kindness and paid for my throw! Seriously! How lucky am I? She even asked me if we were going to the food court because she was headed there to buy lunch for shoppers. How nice! We didn't get the free lunch as we had to get Lily but seriously..how kind!

So, now I am compelled and challenged to do 2 Random Acts of Kindness..pay it forward you know! I am reminded that though the holidays can be crazy, busy and stressful there are really kind people out there who are doing good for others. I want to be one of those people...

12.15.2008

3rd Time's the Charm

Yesterday marks the 3rd time I've been locked out of my house. Seriously how do I keep doing this? Once I locked the keys inside then over the summer we'd gone to the pool and I took just the garage door opener and for some reason it didn't work when we got home. Same thing happened yesterday. We walked down to our neighbors' for a brunch and I grabbed the garage door opener...it worked to close the garage so who would think it wouldn't work to open it. Yet, that's what happened.

We had an appointment at Portrait Innovations to get the kids Christmas picture done so we rushed from the brunch to go home and get the kids changed to get to the store. We got home and the door wouldn't open. So frustrating!! Anyway 20 minutes later we try our neighbor's battery and low and behold the door opened. So we rush in, grab the clothes and race to the store.

Except when we got to the store and checked in they told us they were 30 minutes behind. However, they were an hour behind. I'm sure you can guess how fun it is to wait with 4 kids for an hour to get pictures. By the time we got to go Paul and I were super grouchy and we actually didn't have time to view our pictures. So, we get to go back today to view them. Lucky us....I learned some lessons though yesterday:
1. Always take keys
2. Ensure at least one neighbor has your key (we did this but when my purse got stolen and we re-cored the house I hadn't updated our keys)
3. Don't go to Portrait Innovations on the weekend during the holiday season
4. Even though you think it's a good idea don't take your husband with you to PI on the weekend during the holidays...his grumpiness will rub off on you and the whole experience will be one you want to forget....

The Weekend

Whew...I'm glad to be through the weekend! It was super busy starting with an adults only Christmas party on Friday night. My cousin and her boyfriend came over the keep the kids (all 4! Thanks Em!!)..they seemed to have survived and even offered their services again! The party was for my neighborhood Bunco group and it was tons of fun..we played a new to me dice game called left, right, center..sadly Paul and I both lost but it was fun.

Saturday I got to sleep in a little bit..it was SO nice to have Paul home to help with breakfast and getting everyone dressed. We then went to Rocky Mount to celebrate Christmas with my dad's wife's family. Natalie's parents have 3 grandsons so my girls had a big time playing with their boys. Saturday night we had another neighborhood family Christmas party. Which was lots of fun until Jacob decided he was sick of parties and lost his mind...

Sunday we saw the Christmas production at church, which was outstanding! Sunday afternoon we had a lovely brunch at our neighbors..then pictures for the kids (a whole other post). Then Paul needed to go to a Wake for a friend's grandfather and I took Emma caroling at a retirement community with her Daisy troop. Needless to say everyone slept very well last night!

12.13.2008

Paul's Home!

Paul got home yesterday afternoon and we're SO glad to have him safe and sound at home! We all missed him a lot. I was starting to have some big behavior issues with Lily and I think it was in part due to Paul being gone. It was so nice to be able to "sleep in" this morning..read: he got up with the girls and got them breakfast. We have a pretty busy weekend with Christmas parties and I'm so glad Paul will be around. I am over going to parties/events with all 4 kids by myself..the Breakfast with Santa on Thursday morning at Lily's school nearly pushed me over the edge. I seriously do not know how single parents do it!!

12.10.2008

It's so NOT just a Virus..

So yesterday I woke up miserable...my throat was so swollen it was hard to talk..I gargled salt water like mad, took advil round the clock and tried to rest..nothing helped. Then I got the call...turns out I do have strep. And actually I couldn't be happier..because now I'm on an antibiotic and I feel TONS better than I did yesterday. My throat is not as swollen or sore..I can't open my mouth very wide so it's hard to eat but I really don't have an appetite anyway. And I've lost about 4lbs on the strep throat diet so that is actually good. I have been disinfecting the house like crazy and washing my hands a ton in hopes that none of my kids get it..of course they are probably the ones who passed it one to me anyway but I really don't want anyone to get sick so pray with me, 'k...

And to anyone I've been around the past 2 days..I am SO sorry I really didn't know until yesterday afternoon that it was strep..really I didn't know...

12.08.2008

It's "just" a virus...

I hate hearing those words from the doctor. Basically what they are telling you is that no medicine is going to make you feel better and you are going to continue to feel like crap until the virus "runs its course." Ugh!

I've been battling a horrible sore throat since Thursday night so today I decided to go the doctor. The doctors office only had a time at 2:30 and Lord help me I wasn't going to mess up naptime so I decided to go the CVS Minute Clinic. Though she told me I just had a virus it was overall a good experience. It was fast..read: no waiting..and I saw a nurse practicioner which is probably what I would have seen at the dr anyway. So if you're ever sick and don't feel like waiting at the dr office I would recommend the minute clinic...

I'm off to take a nap..this sore throat is kicking my booty.....

12.07.2008

The Great Typewriter Hunt

Do you remember when Cabbage Patch Kids came out and people were lining up at stores and fighting over them to get one? I wanted one that Christmas but my mother was never, ever going to stand in line to get something so she had my grandmother make me a doll that year (which, btw, is not a substitute for a Cabbage Patch Kid..not at all). Me, however, I like to shop and I enjoy the hunt of looking for an item so I would be that person who stood in line to try to get my child their favorite thing on their wish list. That said I'm in a quandary this holiday season.

You see, my precious Emma made a wish book with all sorts of things she wanted for Christmas a few weeks ago. Among those items were an Easy Bake Oven and various things for her American Girl doll including Kit Kittredges Typewriter. Apparently the doll typewriter has now made it's way to the top of the list and is the ONLY thing she really wants for Christmas. Well..that's what she said last night when she was crying because she was too scared to talk to Santa at our neighborhood Christmas party...I think her words were "I didn't get to tell Santa that the only thing I want for Christmas is Kit Kittredge's typewriter"..well, I think that's what she said..it was hard to understand through the tears. And there were a lot of tears.

I had not bought the typewriter for her but instead had gotten her something else for her doll that she had wanted. So I thought last night I'd just go on the American Girl website and order one and take back what I had gotten her..since the "only" thing she wants in the darn typewriter...However..the darn typewriter in on backorder until April 3, 2009!! Are you kidding me American Girl?? April 3!! What the heck is that all about? What's so special about this $22 doll typewriter???

So, now I'm all into the hunt..I'm on ebay and craigslist searching for the typewriter. I even emailed my brother's girlfriend to see if she'd go to the store in NYC to see if by chance they still had them stock. The item is on ebay but the problem is the ones on ebay are selling for twice as much as they are worth..literally selling for $35-$50..it's a $22 item in the catalog. And, if you know my husband you would know he would strangle me for paying 2x as much for something than it's worth. His response when I told him the item was backordered was "she'll get over it" and "she'll forget about it anyway." But what if she doesn't. We don't really do a huge Christmas so I really want to get them at least one thing they really, really want. I just don't want her to be disappointed on Christmas morning....so wish me luck that I can find this darn typewriter (at a reasonable price)....I'm sure if I don't get the typewriter she will be fine and I'm sure she'll get over it and have fun with all the other stuff she's getting but I don't want her to remember in 30 years how her mom didn't get her the darn typewriter she really, really wanted...

12.04.2008

Walmart's Not ALL Bad

So Paul was telling me today about these homemade Amish noodles they sell in their stores. Apparently they are really so good that Walmart got this itty bitty Amish noodle factory that used to make like 400 bags of noodles a day to supply all their stores with these noodles. So now the factory (which is apparently just several Amish women) make about 400,000 bags of noodles a day. I guess Walmart has done a lot of good for this community by giving them so much business. So, I guess they aren't all bad.

Oh and just so you know there is a "new" (well new to me) return policy at Walmart..you have to take your return to the greeter at the door and get a sticker on the item before you go to the service desk. If you don't get your sticker you have to wait in line at the service desk and then they will make you walk all the way back to the front doors with all your kids to get said stickers before they will do your return..then you will have to walk back to the service desk with the item and said stickers and wait in line again to do your return.

12.03.2008

Dreaded Words or Why I won't be going to Chickfila anytime soon...

Last night we had Chickfila for dinner...I had told the girls we'd have milkshakes for dinner one night while Paul was away and I've been dying to try their peppermint chocolate chip milkshake. So after gymnastics we go through the drive thru and get our food and milkshakes. The girls ate a few nuggets, fries and some of their cookies and cream milkshakes. We watched Jon and Kate Plus 8 and headed up for bed. Before going to bed Lily said her tummy hurt. I didn't make much of it..thinking she was full.

Well about 11:30pm she came in my room and I heard those dreaded words: "Mommy, I think I need to throw up". I told her to go bathroom, lay on the floor and I'd be there in a minute (I was feeding Jacob). I'm thinking she's fine but the next thing I know I hear her getting sick. I put Jacob down and run in the bathroom thankfully to find it all in the potty. Good girl...VERY good girl. She said she felt better but we decided she should sleep on the floor in our room in her sleeping bag in case she got sick again. Which she did. Six more times. Really..6!! I gave her a bucket to keep with her and she made it in the bucket every time. Thank God.

Needless to say it was a long night..between being up with her for 2 1/2 hours and then up with the baby I didn't get much sleep. Lily seems to be better though she's taking a nap which is very un-Lily. I think she's just tired from the ordeal. She hasn't eaten much today but she's not running a fever. Pray this is contained just to her..I really don't know if I could handle everyone getting the stomach bug while Paul is gone. I'm off to disinfect...

12.02.2008

A Little Surprise

When Paul and I lived in New England the first time we had a favorite breakfast place - Parker's Maple Barn. They have the BEST pancakes and this super yummy maple coffee. We didn't go there often but we really enjoyed it when we did. When we moved back to NC we used to occasionally order their maple coffee since it's one of my favorite things. We haven't done that in years and in fact I had forgotten all about it until the other week. Paul and I were out shopping and I casually remarked that we should order some maple coffee again.

So today UPS left me a little package from Parker's Maple Barn..inside were 2 bags of maple coffee! Paul not only remembered my comment and went home and surprisingly ordered me coffee! Isn't that so sweet and thoughtful! A wonderful little surprise!

I can hardly wait to wake up tomorrow to the smell of maple coffee brewing...might just make it tad easier to tolerate the next 10 days with him gone.

Thanks honey! I love you!

12.01.2008

Paul's Away Day 1

Paul left this morning to start his training for his new job...for 12 days..yes 12 days..in nowhere Indiana. Walmart is the cheapest company (which is why they are doing well and sell crap so cheap) so he had to drive..really. He's on the road now..hopefully almost there..he's been on the road all day through the snow..it sucks. I'm in denial that he's really going to be gone for that long. I don't know if I can make it 12 days by myself..it's going to require a lot of wine and chocolate.

The kids were actually pretty good today..I put Santa's email address and phone number on the fridge so remind them to be good. I'm thinking we might invite an "elf on the shelf" to come later this week. I need all the help I can get.

This is Emma's last week of school before her next track out so they started talking about the winter holidays and what people celebrate. She said 2 people celebrate Diwali and that everyone else celebrates Christmas and no one celebrates Harmonica...umm you mean Hanukkah?...right or is there another holiday I don't know about?

11.29.2008

Jacob - 2 Months



Jacob is 2 months now! Wow..it's going fast..he's outgrowing clothes now and changing so much. Here is a picture of him on Thanksgiving when he officially turned 2 months:


The Great Plate Fiasco



OMG..this morning I went to fix Lily a bowl of cereal. So I go to open the cabinet that contains the bowls and all of a sudden it started raining plates and all I hear is crashing. It took me a minute to digest what was happening...the top shelf somehow came loose in the night so when I opened the cabinet everything on the top shelf came crashing down. Thankfully not much was up there - just 12 coffee cups (from our everyday dishes) and some pasta bowls. So, not dishes we use often. However, they made quite a mess and scratched up some other dishes (and my floors!) on the way down. It was crazy!

I screamed as the mayhiem was ensuing and the girls got upset and ran up to tell Paul who was in the shower. They ran up the stairs screaming "Mommy broke the dishes! Mommy broke the dishes!!" So Paul runs out of the shower, shampoo in his hair, thinking I'm hurt or something and comes down to see the mess. Thankfully I was fine and wasn't holding the baby or anything.

Sadly there were no survivors. There was one cup that stayed pretty much intact except for a couple chips but Paul said we didn't need to keep it. Everything else was destroyed. Good thing we never use those cups! Check out the pics:



11.28.2008

Keep 'em Coming...

I just brought the boxes of Christmas decorations down from the attic in anticipation of decorating this weekend. In the boxes I found the basket of Christmas cards from last year. One of my favorite things to do when I get the decorations down is to go through last years cards and letters. I like to remember what my friends were up to the previous year - it gets me excited to start receiving this years batch of cards and letters. I love to get Christmas letters..I know some people find it braggy and annoying but I love hearing what my friends and their families have been up to this past year. I also love the pictures people send and I actually keep all our pictures and scrapbook them in our yearly family albums. When we get pictures we always post them in the kitchen so we can look at them all season long. The kids will ask me a million times who is who it the pictures but it's still fun to have them up to look at.

This weekend we'll work on our Christmas card pictures and letter with hopes of getting them ordered this week. Hopefully we'll start getting some cards and letters in the mail soon...oh how I love this time of year!

11.27.2008

Friends

I forgot how much I love "Friends" the TV show. TBS is showing a bunch of Thanksgiving episodes and OMG they are FUNNY!! I was a faithful fan of the show from the first season. I was sad when it ended but it probably needed to end when it did. I don't watch the reruns very often but when I do I always remember how funny it was. In my opinion there hasn't been a sitcom as funny as Friends since though Samantha Who is coming pretty close...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm sitting here on the sofa watching old episodes of Friends, feeling VERY full and VERY thankful this Thanksgiving evening. The house is finally quiet..just Jacob and I are still up. It's been a fun day...ate way too much, played a lot of wii, visited with family..good times. Seems like it was last month that we celebrated Thanksgiving last year...this year has gone by so fast! Didn't seem so at times but it really did go quickly. This year has been very interesting..lots of changes..some good, some not so good. But all in all I have so much to be thankful for: I have 4 great, healthy kids, a husband who works hard to provide so wonderfully for us, a nice home, a great family..the list goes on and on..I hope your day has been blessed and that you're finding much to be thankful for this year too.

11.25.2008

Boys are Hard

So seems like Jacob can't stand to ride in the car. Seriously almost every time we get in the car, which is a lot between all the school drop off and pick ups, he cries. He'll be perfectly happy then we get in the car and he loses it. Almost every time. Loud, unpleasant crying. Almost every time for at least part of the trip. Fun times.

The other day the whole family was in the car going somewhere and Jacob started crying. Emma asks why he crys in the car all the time. To which Lily replied: "Boys are hard..that's why...a baby girl would be much easier." Oh Lily..glad you're learning some life lessons early..boys are hard...

11.20.2008

Fishing Girl



Lily's preschool had their annual Thanksgiving Feast today. It's a cute event that's basically a pot luck lunch. The 4 year old classes make Indian outfits and headdresses to wear. They have been learning about Native Americans all month and even had a visit from Pocahontas a few weeks ago (Lily told Emma that Pocahontas from Disney World was coming but afterward said it wasn't the real Pocahontas from Disney just someone dressed up like her). Lily's class gave themselves Indian names and Lily chose Fishing Girl. Other girls in her class had names like Happy Heart and Singing Princess. Lily is Fishing Girl. Whatever. Here are a couple pictures of her. I used my little camera that is clearly on it's last leg so the pictures kind of stink but you'll get the idea:


11.16.2008

Lazy Weekend

Paul is working his last weekend at Dick's this weekend and we've really had nothing to do..which has been good and bad. It's been nice not to have to do anything or really be anywhere (except for girl scouts this afternoon) but the kids get a little nuts when they are inside so much. We did get outside yesterday to enjoy the nice temperatures while it was sunny. We went to church last night so Paul could go with us. Josh Hamilton was a guest and if you don't know who he is google him. He has a really inspiring story of how he overcame drug addiction and is now a great MLB player.

The kids did some cute things this weekend..Emma volunteered to change Julia's dirty diaper this morning. I told her to go for it..she used about a box of wipes then couldn't get Julia's pants back on but all in all she did a pretty good job. I think I'll be calling on her again! Also, the girls found worms in the driveway yesterday and proceeded to pick them up, name them and play family with them. That's right..I said worms...so gross to me but not Emma. She was all about picking them up. Lily, on the other hand, was a little timid about it at first and squealed like crazy when she finally did pick one up and it moved in her hand. Guess my girls aren't as girly as I thought.

In other news I'm having a bit of a breastfeeding crisis. It's just not going as well this time around. I'll spare you the details but it's very painful and I don't know how much longer I can take it. I'm trying but oh..it's hard. I'm having all sorts of guilt issues about it which I'll save for another post...

Off to take Emma to girl scouts and do a couple errands..trying to get a head start on my Christmas shopping while my sister in law is here to help with the little ones.

11.13.2008

Happy Birthday to Me!


I had a great birthday thanks to my wonderful husband. He's still in a good mood (despite injuring his knee on Saturday in flag football game) from his new job so my birthday came at a good time! The day started off well when Jacob slept for 6 hours. It's amazing how much good a long stretch of sleep can do for you. It's also amazing that I'm calling 6 hours a long stretch of sleep...

After we dropped Emma off at school we went out to breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Got to do some baking in the afternoon while Paul napped with Jacob. Paul picked up Emma from school and then surprised me with a Whole Foods birthday cake. You may recall that I love, love birthday cake, especially birthday cake from Whole Foods (he got the same cake after Jacob was born). That's a picture of my cake..doesn't it look delicious?? My mom came over to sit with the kids..all of them..and Paul took me to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for dinner. Yummy!! It was such a nice time.

Oh, and for my gift, which was totally unexpected, they gave me a handheld Dyson vacuum!! I have been wanting one for eons mostly because I'm lazy and hate using the big Dyson to do the stairs. Plus my kids are so darn messy that I need a good handheld for quick clean ups. My new handheld is in pink to match it's big sister my upright Dyson..also in pink. I feel so lucky!

11.12.2008

35 Years Young

Do ever look at your life and think "how did I get here?" I mean how did I get to be a wife, mother of 4 (!) and stay at home mom? Aren't I still in my mid 20's? Wasn't college graduation a few months ago? The last 10 years have been such blur. Don't get me wrong I'm so very blessed and thankful for where I am and it's exactly where I want to be. I wouldn't change a thing...it's just hard to believe how fast time flies. I seriously can not believe I've been driving for almost 20 years, that I'm closer to my 20 year high school reunion than my 10 year and that kids I used to babysit are now married with their own kids. Where does time go??

Today I'm celebrating my 35th birthday - holy cow - mid thirties (!!). I love my life (most of the time..I had a lot of sleep last night so I'm in good spirits today), I love my family, I love my friends and I thank God for the blessings he's given me. So here's to being 35 years young and still feeling like a twentysomething!!

11.10.2008

Jacob - 6 Weeks

Paul took the girls to my sister in laws yesterday afternoon so I had a chance to spend some quiet time with Jacob. Bless his heart, he doesn't get too much floor time when all the kids are around (it's best for his protection). So since they were gone I gave him a chance to stretch around and I got a chance to take some pictures. Here's our little man at 6 weeks:

11.08.2008

Out of Africa

I've been wanting to take the kids to the zoo for a long time but we could never find the right day. With the beautiful, warm weather we've been having I thought this would be a good week to go..the leaves are so beautiful right now and it's been so warm. I wanted to take Emma out of school for the day on Friday but Paul wouldn't hear of that but, I did convince him to let me check her out early. So, after lunch I checked her out and we headed to the zoo.

Well..that was the plan..we actually got delayed by an hour because Paul was dealing with the Walmart job offer stuff. So, we finally hit the road and got to the zoo about 2 1/2 hours before they closed.

It's been years and years since I've been to the NC Zoo. I had heard the Africa side was better so I wanted to park there. Unfortunately the lot was closed so we parked at North America. I told Paul we should take the tram to Africa and he said lets just walk. So, we had no idea how big it was or how far you had to walk to get to Africa! We saw a bunch of animals in North America and finally got smart and hopped the bus to the Africa side. The Africa side, in my opinion is much better. We loved seeing the elephants, zebras and giraffes. Lily was wearing a giraffe shirt and she kept saying she wanted to show the giraffes her shirt.

Since we didn't have much time it was a whirlwind trip but we enjoyed it. Hopefully we can go back in the Spring and see more!

11.07.2008

Selling His Soul...

Paul sold himself to the devil today and accepted a job with Walmart. That's right..I said Walmart..You know the "evil empire", the place I wasn't "allowed" to spend his hard earned money in last year. That one. Turns out they aren't so evil after all.

Before Paul started with Dicks he met someone who worked in a corporate position and he gave him is resume. Like 3 months later a recruiter contacted him and he interviewed for a market position (an operations position, not in a store). It went well and last night they offered him the position (and a sign on bonus..grossed up so we get the full amount after taxes)! He's been somewhat unhappy at Dicks - it was just so small and he had to work so many nights and weekends. This position is mostly Mon-Fri and he'll get a company car. So, needless to say we're very excited. He gave his notice at Dicks today so in 2 weeks he'll start the new job.

I'll still be shopping at Target because it's still my favorite but a discount at Walmart rocks. You just never know what kinds of twists and turns your life will take...never say never!

11.03.2008

Lunch Lady Lily

We get home today around 11:45 and Lily asked me to fix lunch..she was hungry..which she always is..I tell her I want to change over some laundry and then I will come down and do it. She said.."That's OK..I'll fix lunch for me and Julia." I said OK..go for it.

I go upstairs and work on some laundry. When I come downstairs she and Julia are sitting at the table eating. She indeed did fix lunch: carrots, yogurt and cheese. It was so cute! Then she says "I had to put it on napkins because I couldn't reach the plates." Bless her heart..she's can be so sweet and helpful (on her terms that is).

11.01.2008

Trick or Treat

We had a really fun Halloween. My mom and mother in law came over. We had pizza for dinner then Paul and I took the girls out for trick or treating. Usually Paul takes the kids out and I stay home handing out candy. But this year my mom was in town so I asked her to come over and hand out candy so I could go out with the fam. My mother in law came over too to get her some Jacob cuddle time so we could leave him at home. Neither of my older girls wore the costumes we'd bought for Halloween. Whatever. Emma decided to be a fairy and Lily Sleeping Beauty. They looked super cute. We hooked up with the girls BFF's Vanya & Meri and we headed out. The girls were literally running from house to house. I can't tell you how many times we had to yell at them to wait so we could catch up. We had Julia in the stroller and she just enjoyed the ride. We also brought along extra bags for when the candy got too heavy for the kids to carry. Emma dumped her bag several times but not Lily. Oh no..Lily, my hoarder, would not give up any of her candy. Paul must have asked her a 100 times if she wanted to dump her bag but she would not. I think she was afraid some might get missing. It was so funny. She was exactly the same way last year. I ended up leaving them to come back home to feed Jacob but Paul said finally by the end of the night Lily let him help her carry the bag. She, however, was not letting go of the bag. At all. We all got home and the girls sifted through their candy. While the girls were going through their candy Julia kept sneaking pieces of it. Every time we turned around she had something else in her mouth. It was hysterical. Overall they got a ton of candy..Paul and I took our favorites and slowly I'll take some of their candy away and let Paul take it to work. It was a great night!

10.31.2008

Ready to Go..


Lily just came downstairs declaring: "I'm ready to go trick or treating now." She said she and my doll are both Sleeping Beauty. I know I'm a little biased but isn't she the most adorable Sleeping Beauty?! What I'd like to know though is why she's not wearing the the HSM Cheerleader costume we bought for Halloween...

A Very Patriotic Pumpkin

Last night was our annual pumpkin carving night. We aren't very creative so we use those pattern books to carve our pumpkins. So the big girls got to pick out their own patterns. Emma chose the stars and stripes pattern. Apparently she's feeling very patriotic this week since her voting experience...go USA. Paul got that one. Ha. Lily chose a relatively simple face and I carved that one. Usually Daddy does the pumpkin carving but this year since both girls wanted something different and we were short I time I carved one. The girls were pretty into at first and actually helped clean out the pumpkins. However when it got to the tedious task of the carving they got bored. After we were done we lit up the jack-o-lanterns and they loved that part. We took them outside where they will great our trick or treaters tonight. Here are some pics:

10.29.2008

Exercising Their Right...

Emma came home from school yesterday with a "I Voted/Kids Vote" sticker on. She told me they read "Duck for President" and then voted. I asked her who she voted for and she told me to which I replied "awesome." She goes over to tell Lily about her voting experience and when Lily didn't respond Emma says aren't you going to say that's awesome? It was cute..she was clearly proud. I was impressed that she even knew who was running! I don't know that when I was 5 I would have known who was running for president. Clearly her parents have influenced her voting choice and it got me wondering what kinds of things her Kindergarten teachers got to hear as they were voting. You know those kids were totally repeating what they've heard their parents say and I'm thinking that could be dangerous (and probably pretty comical).

So this morning on the way to school Emma asked her friend Meri who rides with us if she voted yesterday. Meri replied yes (apparently they did at all schools around here). Emma said "well, did you vote for the bald guy or the brown one?". It was so funny.

I wonder where those election results will be posted..I bet it would be pretty interesting to see who won at school.

10.27.2008

A Very Festive Weekend

I'm tired. Not just from Jacob not sleeping in his crib but from a very busy, festive weekend. It all started Saturday afternoon with a neighbor's Halloween Party. The big girls got to wear their costumes and all their favorite friends where there. They had so much fun! After that party we headed out to the 'hood Halloween bash. Again..lots of fun..candy, games, prizes, costumes, dancing and a very cute parade.

Yesterday we deemed "Potter Family Fun Day." It was Paul's last day of vacation so we wanted to make it fun. We went to church and after church we finally went to the pumpkin patch. We went to HillRidge Farms again this year which I think is the best place around. The pumpkin patch was really fun. The girls (all of them) had a great time. This year they were brave enough to try the giant slide and after waiting an eternity they got to do it solo. I think Emma was a tad hesitate to go down but Lily had no fear so Emma had to do it too. Paul took Julia down and her look was priceless. She's such a daredevil and has absolutely no fear so she loved it! We took a hayride over the pumpkins and everyone picked out a pumpkin. It was beautiful out and the pumpkin patch was surprisingly not crowded (perhaps most people go before 6 days before Halloween?). We could have stayed longer but we wanted to go to the Fall Festival at our church. We stopped for ice cream on the way to church because what family fun day would be complete without ice cream. The Fall Festival was fun but really, really crowded. Long lines for all the inflatable things and the games. The girls had fun, Jacob slept. My sister in law met us there which was great because she helped with Julia. For some reason we decided not to bring a stroller. Bad move and mental note for next year..must bring stroller. Jacob was in the baby bjorn so he was fine but our wild child Julia was crazy and all over the place. Aunt Mimi saved the day by being an extra set of hands.

Needless to say, everyone was exhausted by the time we got home yesterday..but it was a great weekend! I love this time of year!!

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

10.25.2008

Bye Bye Bassinet

We got Jacob's crib set up yesterday in our room so he could start sleeping in there and hopefully get out of our bed. He's not been a big fan of the bassinet so we thought he'd be more comfortable in the crib. He slept in there for a while last night so I don't think we need the bassinet anymore. So, I took some pictures of it and I'll try to sell it on craigslist (though if anyone needs it..let me know). While I'm a little excited to get something out of our house I'm feeling a little sentimental about the bassinet.

When Emma was born I hadn't planned on using a bassinet. In fact, I remember taking it off our registry..I figured she'd go right to her crib in her room. However when I brought that tiny baby home I just couldn't bear to think of her all the way down the hall so far from me. So, I sent Paul to Target that very day to buy a bassinet. He brought home a very lovely one and it has been well used and well loved. Not only have my 4 children used it but we've loaned it to at least 3 friends for them to use. So, 7 babies all together have slept in the bassinet. It has such fond memories of tiny, sweet, little newborn babies. So, you can see why I'm a little sad to get rid of it. But, it needs to go..no more babies coming from this household. It's time to close this chapter and move on to the next phase.

Good Restaurant Gone Bad

Don't you hate it when one of your favorite restaurants goes down the tubes? There's a burger joint, Andy's pretty close to our house that we used to love. The first summer we lived here we went all the time. It meets a lot of criteria for us in picking out a place to eat: kid friendly, fast and cheap. I think our family can eat there for what we pay at McDonalds and the food is better and you get served. We still eat there quite a bit but the last few times we've been the service has been horrible..and I mean horrible.

Last night we went..got there at 6:15 and must have sat for a good 10 minutes before any server can to our table to get our drinks. The restaurant was sort of busy - there was one big party in but I would not say it was packed. We then waited 10 more minutes to get our actual drinks. Five minutes later we got half our food but had to wait another 15 minutes to get the rest of our food. Poor Lily kept asking when was her food coming. It was pitiful. There didn't seem to be any manager on duty but a cook did come over and apologize. He offered us 50% off our food which was nice but it doesn't make up for this being the 3rd time in a row we've had terrible service there. Needless to say this restaurant is now sadly off our list. Bummer too cause that's one place I could usually get Paul to go to if I didn't feel like cooking dinner...being that it's cheap and fast (but lately cheap and S L O W).

It's frustrating when places you love loose their luster so to speak. I guess it happens a lot but still frustrating!

10.24.2008

Flu Shots, Fair and Fried Food

Paul's been on vacation this week, a well timed one to coincide with not only helping me but also with the fair. Paul loves the Fair...loves it. So the plan was that he and his sister would take Emma and Lily to fair while I opted out this year. I didn't really want to take Jacob. So he ordered the tickets a month ago and he took them on Wednesday. Apparently they had a great time. They rode rides, ate bad food and played some games. A fun time for all. Paul was a little bummed because he didn't find some of the food he was hoping to get. But, I got the impression they still ate pretty well.

Yesterday the girls were all scheduled to get their flu shots. We were going to take Emma out of school for that and decided we'd go the pumpkin patch afterwards since we hadn't done that yet. I've been wanting to go to the pumpkin patch for weeks but Paul hasn't been too excited about it. He thinks about how much it will cost..I think about the fun and memories. Whatever. Well, I get a text message at Bible Study yesterday from Paul saying it was canned food day at the fair and we could go for free if we take food. Then I get another one saying we'd spend less money than the pumpkin patch. Apparently Paul really, really wanted to go back to the fair. Since this post is getting pretty long I'll get right to the point: pumpkin patch = out, fair = in.

We get Emma and head to the dr office for the flu shots. I tell you what..it's getting harder and harder to give my older kids shots. We had Julia go first..who did not even cry..and then it was Emma's turn. We had to hold her down. Then after it was done she said "it didn't even hurt." Lily was a hot mess too..had to hold her down. But, it's now done. Then we headed to the fair.

We told the girls we weren't doing rides since they had done them the day before. So basically we walked around, ate and let them play some games. I was also able to get my flu shot for free, which seems very random but I have been needing to get one and it was there. All in all it was a fun day. It was a little chilly but in the sun not too bad. The BEST thing we ate was the deep fried cookie dough..OMG..it's a little bit of heaven. Makes me happy just thinking about it...

I've been going to the fair for many, many years. As someone who grew up in Raleigh we went every year. I suppose I missed going my college years and we missed a few years when we lived in MA but I've been a lot. And let me say..the fair never changes. Sure the red cross building is updated and I don't know if they still do the Pink Floyd Laser Show where people used to go to get high but for the most part it's the same. Some new foods but a lot of the same foods..in the same spots. Vendors in the same spots, rides in the same places, same "interesting" people. Some things you can always count on.

Here are a few pics from the Family Fair Day:




10.21.2008

That's MY Baby Boy...

My photographer friend Laura posted some more pics of Jacob on her blog. Check them out:
http://www.lauraannphotos.blogspot.com/ . She's coming over tomorrow morning so we can view the rest of the pictures. I can't wait!

10.19.2008

Three to Four

I've been asked a lot in the past couple of weeks (and I'm sure to be asked more in the future) how the transition is from 3 kids to 4 kids. I must say it hasn't been that bad. I think the transition from 2 to 3 was harder. Mornings are hectic to get everyone dressed and ready for school on time and of course dinner time is hard (but I haven't cooked in eons) but those times of day are hectic even if you have 1 kid. The biggest thing I've had to do is plan ahead, especially for the mornings...ensure everyone's clothes are laid out the night before, think about what breakfast options there are for the next morning, get lunches/snacks packed the night before, get book bags ready the night before., diaper bags packed the night before..you get my drift. Today we had our first outing where we had everyone going to the same place at the same time..to church. We managed to make it on time and everyone did great. All in all I think it's going well!

Spoiled

Spoiled I am these days...I haven't had to clean my house or do laundry in 2 weeks thanks to my BFF and my aunt and I haven't had to make a meal in 12 days thanks to my BFF, my aunt and my awesome MOMS Club and Bible Study friends. Paul's on vacation this week so I have another week to be spoiled. Don't get me wrong..he won't do any cleaning, laundry or meal preparation but he will take care of the kids so I can get those things done. I feel so thankful and blessed to have had so much help. So, a big shout out to all the people in my life who have helped make things easier these past 3 weeks - THANK YOU!!! You are all VERY appreciated!! xoxoxo!!

10.15.2008

Mad..Getting Madder

So all this economic news was, at first, just depressing me but the more I read about it and think about it the madder it makes me. There was an article in the paper yesterday talking about how much harder it was going to be for people to get credit. The example they used was a guy who wanted a new car but couldn't get a loan because he didn't have $1000 for a down payment. Really? Shouldn't you have to put have to have a down payment to get new car?? Why do people expect to get something for nothing? I think a lot of this mess that the country has gotten itself into boils down to the fact that a lot of people have no personal responsibility anymore. They expect that they can get as much credit as they need and if they can't pay on it the government will just bail them out. It's just wrong..very wrong and I'm mad about it. And I'm mad that as a person who pays their mortgage, on a house they can afford, we will likely be paying for all those other people's mistakes. Sadly, I'm not smart enough and I don't know enough about economics to know how to fix the problems but I do know that people should take more responsibility for themselves. You should know how much house you can afford and if you can't pay for it then you shouldn't buy it. And that goes for cars, clothes and anything else. Perhaps in our schools we should be doing a better job of teaching kids about how to manage money. I don't want this post to turn political..not my intention..I just wanted to vent a little about how frustrating this current economic situation is..I'm sure we're all feeling the same frustrations..hopefully someone will have the knowledge to fix it and fix it fast.

Splish Splash

Jacob's cord fell off on Sunday and his circumcision is all healed so we were able to give him his first bath yesterday. I elected to just use the bathroom sink and that worked out well. I'm not a fan of the infant bathtub I have so the sink worked perfectly. He seemed to like it and stopped crying when he got in the warm water. He also didn't seem to pee everywhere for which I was very thankful. Here are a couple pictures of him. Most of the other pictures I have show more body parts so I'm hesitating to post them...don't want my blog to get censored..you know. I also don't him to be upset in 12 years that his "stuff" was posted on the Internet...

10.12.2008

Visitors

We've had a full house lately. My best friend, Erin, was in town all last week to help. And, let me say she was awesome. She cleaned, helped with the girls and stocked my freezer full of meals! I can not possibly thank her enough for coming. She left on Friday and tonight my aunt arrived from Richmond to help for a few days. She leaves on Wednesday and on Saturday Paul will start his vacation. I'm so, so thankful for all this help! I feel so lucky! We also had Howie this weekend. Howie, you may recall, is Emma's class "pet". He's a giant stuffed hedgehog and he moves. He's been quite busy since being at our house. We're so lucky to keep having him on weekends..no 1 night sleepovers for us! Howie goes back to school tomorrow....

Otherwise things are going pretty well. I'll take Jacob for his 2 week check up tomorrow and hopefully he's gained some more weight. He's sleeping about as well as can be expected and the girls still like him, even when he's crying!

10.11.2008

Because I think I'm Annie Leibovitz

Here are some pictures I took of the girls on the playground today and a couple of Jacob from this week thrown in...

10.07.2008

Paul's First Solo Diaper Change

Jacob is 10 days old today and Paul changed his first diaper this morning. I know..sad. But, Paul was freaked out about the circumcision (he's pretty squeamish when it comes to our children and any "injuries" they have) so I've been changing all the diapers. I know..sad. But anyway Jacob's circumcision is healed now so I told Paul he was changing his diaper this morning. He asked me to supervise and he did OK. He cleaned him and didn't get peed on while I was standing over him watching..success. So, I go upstairs to take a shower and get the girls ready.

About 20 minutes later Paul comes upstairs with Jacob and says "you have to take him..I've been spit up on, peed on and there's pee on the sofa..I wasn't ready to change his diaper on my own." I start laughing hysterically as I envision the following scene downstairs:

Paul is feeding Jacob a bottle of breast milk. He puts him over his shoulder to burp and Jacob spits up all over Paul. After he spits up he must have pooped so Paul reluctantly feels obligated to change his diaper. So, he lays him on the sofa and gets to work (Paul's pretty slow at diaper changes..seriously I could change at least 3 babies in the time it takes him to change 1). Paul is taking his time and then the fountain starts and Jacob pees all over the place, including the sofa. Jacob's blanket and sleeper are now soaked, Paul's shirt is a mess and the sofa has a big wet spot on it. Paul is traumatized.

Me..I'm still chuckling...

10.05.2008

The $10 Phone Call Rant

Last night we had a situation with Jacob where we needed to call the doctor (he's fine..no worries). It was a Saturday night about 10pm but that's when it happened. So I call my doctors office and get a recording that said something to the effect of this: "Like most pediatricians in the triangle we use Wake Med for after hours calls. You will be charged $10 for this call. We hope this won't deter you from using our services." What?? Seriously, they charge $10 for every after hours phone call!?!? Perhaps this is not news to most of you but to me it was. I'm not sure I've ever called after hours before but if I had I was definitely not charged. I thought one reason doctors got paid well was because they had to work after hours. I thought it was part of their job to work on call occasionally where they had to answer such calls. Apparently not..since the person that called us back was a nurse at Wake Med..who was already working!! So, let me get this straight...I just got charged $10 to talk to a nurse who was already working at the hospital. Are you kidding me? How many of these $10 phone calls are they taking a night? I'm betting a lot. And when the nurse called the first thing she asked was our address to send the bill! Ridiculous..simply ridiculous...it just makes me so frustrated!!!

Let me add I somewhat understand why they have the policy as I'm sure they get some really dumb calls in the middle of the night. But, if you are talking to a nurse who is already working that is different than waking up a doctor in the middle of the night. And, I had a legitimate question. Ok..now I'm over it. I think.

America's Next Top Model

So my friend Laura from the MOMS Club who is an amazing photographer (www.lauraannphotos.blogspot.com) asked if she could do a photo session with Jacob. She's starting out her photography business and wanted some practice shooting newborns. Of course I said yes and she came over this morning to shoot Jacob. It was a good time because the girls were gone with my mom and Paul was working so the house was quiet for a change. The plan was for her to come when Jacob had just finished eating so he would be content and sleepy. Right..newborns aren't so big on plans. Laura got set up while I finished feeding Jacob, he fell asleep and then we started his shoot. We put on a beanbag with blankets and took off his diaper. He wasn't too excited about this and he just couldn't get settled so I picked him up and of course he'd peed on the blankets. Oh well..on to plan B. Laura is seriously the most patient photographer. Jacob had a hard time getting settled and staying asleep. I ended up having to nurse him again. He finally did fall asleep and she was able to get some cute shots of him. I felt bad it took a long time but like I said Laura was really patient and gracious and didn't seem to mind. So the last shots we tried were of him sans diaper..after we were done I picked him up to dress him..I put him on the dining room table and..he peed..everywhere. This was the first time he's done that too me! I've been pretty careful thus far but it was like a fountain..little boys have impressive range!! Thankfully it narrowly missed Laura's camera lens! Anyway it was fun for me to have her shoot him and I'm very thankful and can't wait to see the pictures!

10.03.2008

First Week Home

All and all I have to say our first week home is going pretty well. Jacob is actually sleeping pretty well at night..well, he's sleeping pretty well when he sleeps with me but I need sleep. I mean he's been sleeping with me for 9 months right, why would he want to sleep in the bassinet by himself? Oddly, he'll sleep just fine during the day in the bassinet or the bouncy seat but come night it's a different story. Oh well..we'll get there and like I said I don't feel too sleep deprived yet so it's all good. The nursing is going well but good grief I forgot how sore you get. That does sadly not get better the more children you have. The girls seem to be adjusting pretty well to having a baby in the house. Lily loves, loves Jacob and wants to hold him all the time. Julia also wants to hold him a lot and is often pointing and grunting at him (since she doesn't really talk much). Emma hasn't been as interested in Jacob but I think it's because my mom has been around and she's been distracted.

Here are a few random thoughts about the first week home:
1. You forget how much laundry a baby has. Seriously how does one addition to your family seem to double your laundry load.
2. Diapers for newborns are so, so tiny, especially compared to your 1 1/2 year olds diapers.
3. Newborns nurse for a long, long time each time. And though you want to "enjoy" it as much as you can it's hard not to think about everything else going on.
4. Speaking of enjoying nursing...seriously who does in the beginning. I got asked that yesterday at the doctors office. No, I do not enjoy it..it hurts, it takes forever in the beginning, it hurts and it hurts. Will I keep at it..yes , because it's working, it's free and I did it with the others but enjoying it..not so much.
5. As tempting as it is it's not so good for the ego to try on your pre-pregnancy clothes your first week post-partum.
6. You do not take nearly as many pictures of your 4th child as you do of your 3rd, or 2nd and especially first. I've been so slack taking pictures of Jacob this week. Shame on me!
7. Thank you to everyone who has sent well wishes..sorry I've been so delayed in replying to emails..we'll get there!
Speaking of pictures here a few from this week:

9.30.2008

Sweet Husband

Seriously one of the nicest things Paul can do for me is offer to cook dinner or take us out. I don't hate cooking dinner, I just get tired of it night after night. So he calls this afternoon and says he wants to make dinner tonight which was so thoughtful. He said he was going to stop by SuperTarget on the way home and I thought he'd just pick up some steaks and that would be that. So an hour and half later he gets home with flowers, a Whole Foods bag and a cake!! We'd gone to a birthday party last month where they had a Whole Foods cake and I told Paul I really wanted one after the baby came but I really didn't think he'd remember. Apparently he did remember and he'd wanted to get me a cake for yesterday when we got home from the hospital but it didn't work out. But he got it for today and then got dinner from there. He prepared the dinner and mostly cleaned up the kitchen which was so helpful. He also picked up the new Nicholas Sparks book (one of my favorite authors)for me at Target. I think he's feeling a little guilty for all the long hours he's had to work the last few weeks but it was very thoughtful and sweet anyway and I'm very, very thankful for him.

9.28.2008

Jacob's Name

In case you were wondering about where we got Jacob's name...

First some backstory: when we were pregnant with Julia we didn't know if she was a boy or a girl so we had the name Ryan picked out if it was a boy. If it was a girl Emma picked out the name Julia. We don't know where she got it from but the whole time I was pregnant she insisted we were having a girl and her name was going to be Julia. So, when she was born and it was a girl we felt like we should name her Julia. And so it was.

This time around we asked the older girls early on if they thought we were having a boy or a girl. Lily replied a boy named Jacob. So from that point on I wanted to name the baby Jacob. Paul wanted to stick with Ryan, the unused boy name. Charles is after Paul's grandfather so we agreed that would be the middle name. So we debated back and forth for months between Jacob and Ryan. I really wanted Jacob since it was Lily's first choice (don't know if she remembers that but we'll tell her) and Paul finally agreed about 2 weeks ago. So that's the story of his name...in case you were wondering.

Jacob Charles

My Birth Story..by Jacob

I have to say I was pretty comfortable in Mommy's tummy...rolling around, using her bladder as a trampoline and eating all the good food she's been feeding me lately while she was enjoying the last few weeks of being pregnant with me. She went to bed late on Friday night after watching the debate then all that other boring news about the debate. She couldn't sleep well because I was really excited and wanted to play so I kept kicking her. I must have kicked a little too hard because I made her water break - oops! I think that was about 12:55am. She woke Daddy up and they called the doctor and the doctor said to come on to the hospital. I wasn't in a hurry to get out so there were no contractions coming but it was time to go to the doctor. Thankfully our neighbor, Mrs Belinda was able to come stay with my sisters. Mrs. Belinda ran down - she's so good to us!


We got to the hospital about 1:30am and at first I don't think the nurse believed Mommy that her water broke. Mommy was getting frustrated because she knew it had. They hooked Mommy up with all that medicine and she tried to rest. Mommy kept hoping and hoping the contractions would come but I wasn't ready. I wasn't supposed to come until October you know. Finally about 6:30am Mommy told the nurse she wanted to get me moving and out of her. I think Mommy was getting tired of being pregnant with me. She kept saying she was ready to meet me. Anyway, Mommy got her epidural and they gave her some medicine to make the contractions start. The nurse kept telling Mommy everything was going to happen fast but I had other ideas. I was in no hurry to get out. The epidural made Mommy really sick and from what I could overhear that never happened to her before. Her blood pressure got really low and they had to give her medicine to help. But, the nurse was really good and helped Mommy. About 9:30am the contractions were getting really hard for Mommy. Even though she had the epidural it didn't seem to help much. She was feeling very tired and in pain. The nurse kept telling Mommy it would be soon but I wasn't so sure. I wasn't ready to come. I was feeling bad for Mommy though because she was in a lot of pain. But not bad enough for me to drop down to come! Finally at 10:30am I decided I was ready and Mommy started to push. There were only a couple of nurses in the room and they yelled for the doctor to come. When I decided I was ready there was no stopping me. Mommy pushed for a little bit though I'm sure she felt like it was an eternity and then I just came on out. I kept hearing Mommy say it was hard and that she was tired so I tried to hurry out. Well, turns out the doctor didn't quite make it in time for my arrival..the nurse got me out! The doctor walked in right after I was born. The doctor looked surprised that I was already here! The nurses took care of me and got me cleaned up...that did not make me very happy. The doctor took care of Mommy and her all fixed up. I heard Mommy say that I was harder to get out than Lily or Julia and that her labor was much worse than she expected. I don't think her epidural worked very well. But it's all OK now because I'm here and I'm doing good. I guess it is better on the outside!!

New Title: Same Blog

Clearly with Jacob's birth I needed to update the title of our blog since our happy family has grown to six! I'm keeping the same web address though to keep it simple!

9.27.2008

It Really IS a BOY!!

This morning at 10:39am we welcomed our newest addition to our family. It really is a boy and his name is Jacob Charles. Jacob weighed in at 7lbs, 10oz and is 21 1/2" long. He's just a beautiful, perfect angel! I can't believe how in love with him I am. We are so, so, so blessed to have him here!

Here's a picture of him and I'll post his birth story tomorrow!


9.24.2008

Superheroes

Last night Spiderman came to our gymnastics gym. Aren't we so lucky! Turns out Spiderman had a birthday yesterday..just turned 3 and all of sudden wears a Wonderpets cape but he's very cute. I so love when I see little boys in superhero costumes at random times of the year. I've seen Superheroes at the park, grocery store, preschool pick up and at the mall numerous times. I'm sure you have too. Here's what I love about seeing kids in superhero (and princess) costumes at random places: both the kids and the mom have the confidence not the care what other people think. Before I was a mom I didn't understand why a mom would let their little boy wear a superhero costume to the park. But, now I get it. It's what the kid really wanted and the mom just didn't care or didn't want to fight it..you pick your battles you know. I also think it takes a special mom to let her kids wear superhero costumes out and about. A mom who is confident in who she is and doesn't care if she gets disapproving stares from strangers.

As I was thinking about this last night it made me remember a bunch of things I didn't understand before I was a mom like:
1. Why do little girls always have a sprout on top of their heads? Well, duh..it's not long enough to back any further and the only way to keep hair out of their eyes
2. Why don't moms make more of an effort for their children to match? Again..you pick your battles and some moms chose not to fight ones that involve clothes, hairbows, tights or shoes
3. Why do moms ply their children with food in the grocery store? Because if we didn't we'd be asked to leave because of the screaming/crying/whining that would take place and our families need to eat
4. Why mom cars have stickers all over their car windows? Because some "nice" person gave your 2 year old a bunch of stickers thinking they were cute and your 2 year old stuck them all over the car window and now you can't get them off.
And that's just to name a few....

9.23.2008

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I have a lot on my mind today and none of it is really related so I thought a Random Thoughts post was in order:

1. As I Twittered: The longer this pregnancy continues the grouchier I am getting and everything is getting on my nerves..

2. I am thankful for my mom today who called and offered to take us out to dinner. I'm so over cooking dinner right now. And lunch for that matter...

3. There are a lot of really bad drivers. Really, almost everyone on the road when I am, except for me. And what makes people think they do not have to follow the rules about turn signals, stoplights, no passing zones, school zones, etc...seriously is there a "no traffic rules for the day" award I missed somewhere?

4. This is scary: I went to Super Walmart this morning and it was nice...clean, organized. And they had new carts...AND I didn't have to wait forever in the check out line...maybe we are in the end times..

5. Perhaps all the candidates (local and state included) could help the economy by not running so many freaking expensive ads and put all money that into Wall Street. Oh, and stop asking me for money..I think the amount of money spent on political campaigns is sickening...

6. I have seriously been on the waiting list at the library to read "sTORItelling" (I know...I know) for over 3 months..there are really that many people in Wake County wanting to read it too.

7. Halloween costumes in the stores get more cheap looking and more expensive every year.

8. Exciting News: Lily has learned to pump on the swings. She uttered those glorious words yesterday: Stop pushing me..I can do it myself! Love it...2 down....

9.21.2008

The Case of the Missing Bead

I'm fixing dinner tonight and Emma comes downstairs crying and very distraught. I ask her what's wrong and she tells me she thinks Julia choked on a bead (back story: she got a friendship bracelet kit at a birthday party and she was making a bracelet for her friend Bailey at school). Julia was standing beside me, drinking milk, so I know she did not choke on a bead so I calmly ask Emma why did she think this. Emma replied, while crying, that she was working on the bracelet the bead fell on the floor and now it's missing and she's pretty sure Julia ate it and is choking on it. She's very upset and I'm thinking it's so sweet that Emma is so worried about Julia. I pick Emma up and hug her as she's really upset and tell her Julia is fine..she didn't choke on the bead. Emma then looks at me and says "I'm not upset about Julia choking..I'm mad she ate the bead!"

So much for sisterly love...let the baby choke..I want my bead!

9.20.2008

Soccer Saturday

We had Lily's second soccer game today and I'm happy to report it was much better than last week's "game." She was more excited to go today and actually ran to the field. They played against the Cheetahs today and the Cheetahs were much more competitive than last weeks team. I think Lily's team may a have won but I kind of lost track of the score. Lily never touched the ball but she did run with the pack the whole time! She played goalie for a little bit but thankfully the ball didn't come to her end of the field while she was back there. While she was goalie she played with the net and turned her back to the game to watch some older children playing in the open grass behind her but..it was all good since the action was on the other end of the field. I think she actually had fun..so glad for that! We were just so excited to see her actually running and moving today!

I'm also happy to report that it appears lice has not made it to our house (yet). Lily got a note home on Thursday saying that someone who "was involved with your childs class" had been diagnosed with lice. Needless to say I have been praying that we do not get it. I'm terrified of lice..I hear it's just the biggest nightmare. I suppose at some point we'll deal with it but please, not now. So, so far so good. Ironically my friend Amy in Hawaii got a note home this week that her kindergartner had a classmate with lice. Same issues everywhere...

We're in the 2 week countdown to my due date and really, really hoping it happens soon. We are ready to meet this little man. I'm on the hunt for any suggestions to help bring on labor so let me know if you have any ideas!!!

9.17.2008

Product Endorsement #2 or How Ziplock Big Bags Cleaned Up My House

I haven't done a product endorsement for awhile and since Preschool has started back and the amount of paperwork and art projects coming home is enormous I thought I'd blog about something that works for me.

The problem all started when my oldest first started her Mother's Morning Out Program. She went every week and did at least one art project. Then we had church and Bible Study where projects were also created. We'd get home and look at the projects then they would find their home on the dining room table. Before you knew it the piles of paper on the table were overwhelming and disorganized. So I'd go through it - recycle some of the paper, send some to my great aunts but still there would be things left over that I wasn't quite sure of what to do with. You know the cute things..things that are special to your child or for whatever reason you just couldn't part with. And still my dining room table would be messy with piles of stuff. And then it all got worse when Lily started school too...

I tried a lot of solutions..plastic totes, paper bags, boxes, etc. But nothing worked as well as I'd like it too until I found it..the Holy Grail of cheap organization: Ziplock Big Bags.

The Big Bags (XL size) are perfect for preschool (and Kindergarten) papers and artwork. They are tall enough for the oversized sheets of paper that come home. They are wide enough for the 3-D projects and sturdy enough for the heavy ones. So now, when we come home we immediately sort through the papers putting aside the ones that daddy needs to see (and dating them) and recycling the ones that aren't so important. After daddy praises the work the project goes immediately into the Big Bag. Each child has one hanging on a coat hanger in the hall closet. The bag is dated with the school year and teachers name. The past 2 years all the work has fit into a single bag and after the school year has ended we just zip up the bag and put it in the attic (eventually I'll go through the bag and toss out a bunch more stuff but at least it won't be as sentimental to me as it is now). Now we have no more piles on the table and a little less clutter. And all the school work for a single year is in one place.

Ziplock Big Bags are great for all kinds of things - clothes, blankets, stuffed animals..and they are much cheaper than plastic bins and take up less room!

9.13.2008

Live Blogging Lily's First Soccer Game

9:30am - Tell Lily..time to get your shoes on for the game...now..really...get your shoes, socks and shin guards..hair in a ponytail...get snacks ready

9:40am - We have got to go..game time is at 10am...everyone's in the car. Crap..forgot the camera...

9:41am - Pull out of the garage...off to the field

9:50am - Arrive at the parking lot...sunscreen all the kids, get the chairs, stroller, snacks...

9:58am - Finally get to the field...Panthers (Lily's team) are starting to warm up. We tell Lily to go practice. She s-l-o-w-l-y walks on the field and stands there

10:00am - Game time..but wait...where is the other team..the Bears??

10:05am - There are 4 Bears here..hmm..we need 6 to play and they have no coach...

10:10am - Lily's still standing on the field "warming up"...oh wait she just moved an inch...Still waiting on the Bears..our team is now offering them players

10:15am - Finally all the Bears arrive - there are 8 of them so the game can commence...

10:16am - Game On! Lily is playing on the front row, the Bears kick off and we get the ball. Two of the boys on our team run with the ball to the goal. Lily just stands there and does not move.

10:20am - Most of the kids are moving with the ball..not Lily...she continues to stand in the same place.

10:21am - Wait a minute..they have 8 players on the field..don't they know the rules say 6? Oh but 6 of the their players are not moving..guess that's why they have 8.

10:25am - First goal scored by the Panthers! Excellent! We're off to a good start. Lily's on the bench for a "water break" Guess all that standing made her thirsty...

10:30am - Panthers scored again - we have a little boy who is on fire. Bears still have 8 players on the field..hmm..

10:32am - Player down! A Bear has his hat covering his face and is laying on the ground...don't think he's hurt..Paul says he's pouting..apparently he does not like soccer?

10:35am - One of our players is playing goalie for the Bears and they still have 7 on the field (one Bear has left the game)..hmm...this is a comedy of errors. Oh and Lily found another little boy who also will not move. That little boy looks like he's trying to do a forward roll...Lily still standing but at least she's in the game.

10:36am - Lily ran down the field! Finally! But she's not really in on the action...

10:38am - Panthers score again. The poor Bears haven't even gotten the ball to their goal. Seriously all the action has been on the other side of the field.

10:39am - It's HOT out here! I mean HOT and if I hear Emma complain about being hot again I'm going to scream..

10:40am - Seriously, how much longer is this game..feels like it's gone on forever...Another Panthers score...Lily's on the bench for a "water break"

10:41am - The ball is out of bounds and the kids are still chasing it!!

10:42am - Wrong way Panther - our goal is on the other side...

10:47am - Game Over! Finally!! The Panthers "won" (we technically don't keep score)! Good job!!

10:49am - Hand out the snacks..seriously I think this is what half the kids were waiting for...especially Lily..all that standing around really works up an appetite!

Here's what Lily did the whole game....yup...nothing! Bless her heart..I'm just not sure soccer is the sport for her!

9.12.2008

Missing New England

New England in the fall is great place. It's this time of year that I really miss living there. When we lived there it seemed that fall actually lasted a couple months as opposed to here in NC where it seems fall is shorter and shorter every year. In September the days are warm and the nights are cool. As September progresses there is a crispness in the air. It's a great time of year to be outside. There's NO humidity (Aghh...how nice it would be to be outside for more than 5 minutes without your clothes sticking to you).

There are tons of farms open for apple picking and then pumpkin picking. The leaves start changing and are so beautiful. It's just a beautiful time of year and I miss the New England fall....

9.09.2008

Career Choices

I'm sure for the last 30+ years since more and more mothers have been going into the workforce the great debate over chosing to stay home with your children vs working outside the home has been full swing. In fact since I've been a mother and subscribing to all sorts of parenting magazines I think at least one a month has an article debating staying home vs not. With Sarah Palin becoming the VP choice it's once again a hot topic in the media. Every day I'm reading an article or seeing a newstory debating her specific choice to be in politics with 5 children at home. So, that's had me thinking. Then on Sunday I had an interesting conversation with a neighbor who stays home with her children for now but perhaps has other career aspirations at some point in the future. And that got me thinking.

When I was growing up my mother worked full time. It was never really an option for me that I would go to college, graduate then purse a career. My mother is pretty liberal in her thinking and I'm sure assumed that I would follow in her footsteps - she who taught me you can have it all...a career and a family. And women hear that a lot..of course you can be a mother and have a career (unless you don't like Republicans then, of course, Sarah Palin is the only mother that positively can not have a career and a houseful of children). I think too there are a lot of moms who are stay at home for now moms but when their children get old enough they will resume their careers or will start a new career. And you know what..good for those moms and for the ones that work and the for ones that stay home and for the ones that manage to do both.

My career choice, however, is to be home for my family. I hope that I will always be able to stay home. I have no aspirations to resume work outside the home (of course if I need to I will absolutely do that). Though it's tiring and frustrating sometimes to be with your kids all the time I love it. I love being able to do what I do with them. And I think that as they get older they will need me at home as much as they do now that they are little. But that's my opinion and my choice. Paul and I have pretty old fashioned roles around the house..I do most everything inside the house (the cooking, cleaning, laundry) and he does the outside (cars and grass). And that works for us. Those are our choices.

My point, I guess, is that I'm sick of hearing people make so many judgments about working moms vs. stay at home moms. Can you have it all? Well, I have no idea. But who are we to judge what someone else chooses to do that they believe is in the best interest of their family. Many families today have more non traditional roles where the husbands are home and the wives work and that works for them. Some moms work because they actually enjoy working and want to have a career and that works for them. I genuinely believe that most people make the choices they do because they feel it's right for their family. And though everyone isn't making the same choices we are let's give them a break! And for that matter, women who do chose to have a career outside the home shouldn't look down on those who don't. Women who chose to stay home shouldn't be made to feel as if their career choice is in any way inferior. It's just that..your choice. And your choice is yours and it shouldn't matter to anyone other than your own family.