a little gratitude

I know, a little late, but really, is it ever late to express a little gratitude?

I am grateful that although our trip was delayed a day, we were able to drive to Arizona to visit my family over the Thanksgiving week. (And on that topic, I'm also grateful that my oh-so-not-mechanical husband and I were-with the phone assistance of his dad-able to jump start our car and that after battery tests, were in the clear with a perfectly fine battery. ???)

I am grateful that after 14 hours in the car, at least someone was at my parents house to greet us. And at a house we had never even been to.

I am grateful to my not-so-little brother Garrett and his fine entertaining skills while we waited yet almost another day for my parents to finally arrive.

{I love Uncle Garrett's horse rides}

{I love my Uncle Garrett and even though I haven't seen him for 2 years, I can't stop talking his ear off}

{How come I didn't get to go outside????}

I am grateful for the full day we all spent together, totally relaxing doing nothing, before heading to Mesa.
I am grateful for my aunt and uncle for putting us up for a couple days. On top of just welcoming a brand new little baby girl the week before and hosting our family's Thanksgiving dinner.

{Kim and Steve with baby number 4, sweet Maycee}

I am grateful for all the wonderful food prepared. Especially those extremely hot HOT homemade stuffed jalapenos.

{My mom, the non-cook, getting sucked into some intense food preparation-hence the gloves and masks}

I am grateful for my little cousins that entertained my kiddos the entire trip. And for my uncle for bonding over a can of whipped cream with Reganne.

{Digging dirt in their Thanksgiving best-Hanging out in the Playroom-Four girls in a tub}

I am grateful to Kim for lending me some short sleeved tops to wear in the near 80* weather. (My Thanksgiving sweater was just not going to cut it.)

I am grateful to April and Camry for helping to clean up the cherry Dr. Pepper that sprayed everywhere when Christian threw an unopened can on the floor.

{What the heck??? Why does everyone else seem to be enjoying these???}

I am grateful that we decided to come home one day early-yes, only a little grateful...:( -and that our car's DVD player decided to turn back on when the screen suddenly went blank after only a few hours on the road.

***

And, I am so very grateful for my own sweet little family.

bedhead

What do you think, time for a haircut?

*****

There's the door Mom.

Really, another picture?

Please, I just want out.

Seriously Mom, put that stupid thing down and get me out of here!

*****

He actually wakes up really happy. He was just a little upset that I walked out of the room without him and came back with that *big black thing* and still didn't get him out of his crib. And no, that's not stuck on food on his face, he scratched himself yesterday. I did some nail trimmings today. I know, a little too late....

witches brew and the tiger's roar

I *love* this second photo. It represents them all so accurately.

Marryn is trying to be patient and take the pictures.

Reganne is throwing a fit because I made her wait until after the pictures to have a sucker.

Christian is looking for more candy and wants to head out for another round of trick-or-treating.

(Yes, I dressed them up and took pictures a little over a week after Halloween.)

and a little bit of pixie dust

October 28th. 2009.

Reganne turned 3.

It was a fun filled day at Pixie Hollow. Reganne loved her *adorable* jammies from Grandma Jean, her new Tinkerbell toys and DVD and of course, her very own Snuggie.

(Don't ask what the girls were posing as in that picture...?)

winner winner, chicken dinner

Does anyone else watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (or Triple D) on the Food Network? Joey loves that show, so we watch it often...
****

Anyways, after a pretty crappy weekend, I got a sweet little message.

I won something off of the Making Memories Blog! Check it out to take a quick survey to win yourself something fun. And to see my name;)

And then Friday, after waking up to a sinus infection (you've got to be kidding me!?!?!), I got my little package.

Yippee!!!

a sick update

I guess I better post an update on the kids, before everyone really starts to worry that we've been swept away by the swine or something...;)

After my last post, I decided to take Reganne in. She was very excited about it and it perked her right up. Must be the sticker she knows she'll get at the end. And other than the vomiting and little bit of diarrhea, she was fine. Doctor did prescribe some medicine to help her keep stuff down. And it worked great. Didn't get sick again until the next morning...and then we just gave her another dose and she was good to go.

Christian started throwing up that next day, but just a couple times. And it was so sad. I think it wore him out just a little bit more. But like Reganne, he was fine otherwise. We put off a weekend trip to see my parents (who were visiting my brothers on the Western Slope) because we weren't sure how things were going to continue, but no one else got sick.

So the week continued on. Wednesday was Reganne's birthday (more to come) and Marryn's school was cancelled that day, despite having hardly a flurry until that afternoon (???) and Thursday (with a little bit of snow on the ground-we were not hit like "they" said we would be) and then Friday came along and so did a fever in Marryn. So she stayed home from school. No other problems, just a fever that was easy to bring down with some Tylenol. Saturday, same thing. Sunday-good to go. But then, yes, Reganne had a fever...and Monday too...but today is doing fine.

Now, as for me.

I. Got. Sick. (And after I bragged about how I never get sick...)

With a cold.

And it totally knocked me out.

Halloween, I could hardly get out of bed. Didn't even take any pictures of the kids. But don't worry, Grandma Jean was here and not only did she take care of everyone, she took some pictures:) Sunday I managed to stake claim on the couch and eat dinner, but that was about it. I'm better now. Just have a normal cold now, you know, cough, stuffy nose, that kind of stuff. But no fever or chills or body aches. Man, I have never had a cold like that before. Friday night when my chest was just burning, I thought, I better visit the Urgent Care in the morning, but I after a "you'll-feel-better-after-a-shower" shower, I was so wiped out that I never made it. But I got better, so no big deal.


But then I'm sad to say, Grandma Jean left us yesterday...with the start of a cold...


Yes, I am so sorry that she's sick, but I am SO grateful that she was here.

a giveaway

Ok, not a giveaway from me, but a pretty good one anyways...

One of the blogs I follow is offering up a one year subscription to Clickin' Moms ($50 value) and although I'd hate to lessen my chances of winning ;), I thought I'd still pass it on. Go on over to Outnumbered By Testosterone Reviews and check it out.

The contest runs through to-nite!

*Update on Reganne-still can't keep anything down, but no fever and fine otherwise other than showing signs of weakness...who wouldn't when they've got no food in them...:( Poor girl. Is begging me for food, then throws it back up (toast, crackers, oatmeal-yes, she insisted on that...) Just trying to keep the fluids going...

end of a good day

So that good day I was talking about. Yeah, it ended. At about 1am. Reganne came into our room, a common practice of hers, came to my side and as I reached over to pull her up, she proceeded to throw up all over me.

Nice.

We hopped in the shower, Joey cleaned up the bed. Made a little bed out of thick bathmats next to us and by 2ish, we were wide awake.

Reganne quickly fell back asleep and slept fine. She woke up asking for food. I hesitated, but after a call to the doctor, gave her a little. She has no fever, acting fine. Then as Marryn and I sat down for lunch, she came over, begging for more food and then threw up again.

Still no fever, acting like herself and laughing at the cartoons.

Good thing I managed to finish all the laundry last night;) Got a butt load to do now.

Ugg.

an apology

As I was hanging out Sunday afternoon (Joe was at church teaching a lesson, I was home with three snot-nosed kids), after a nice weekend, I was thinking about my recent post of "a single mom." (If you're reading this on Facebook, you'll have to look it up on my blog. I needed to make a change and once it posts on Facebook, I can't change it-so it got deleted.)

I feel I need to apologize. Apologize to any actual single moms out there. And to those non-single moms who really are living a single life. I know that I am very fortunate. Right now the evenings are lonely without my hubs, but this is temporary. And weekends are still spent together.

My complaints of Joe working late hours are not because he's not here to help, I'm actually doing quite well (surprisingly), but no, they're because I miss him. There is nobody else I'd rather be with than him. That would be why I married him;) So to have the night fade upon me, and him not being home, well, it just makes me a little sad. I'm spoiled. I know.

So again, to those mothers who really are single or to those whose husbands work alot (weekends and all) or to that mother whose husband is the bishop;), I apologize for my petty complaints. I may not have it as great right now, but it could be worse.

As for today. Wonderful 70 degree weather. Lovin' our new patio (extended it from a 10x10 to a 15x17). The kids have been in and out all day. Literally. That's what Christian does. Goes out. Walks around. Throws a ball. Comes back in. Walks around. Then repeats the process. Love our sliding glass door (with screen) and big windows looking out back. Our last house had none, so I hesitated to send the kids out by themselves. The ice cream truck even made a stop in front of our house. I have never bought anything from him, but the girls were so excited and they did each get a dollar from Grandma in the mail today, so I let them pick out a Popsicle. Or course they only had a choice of 2 that were a dollar. Good thing they're little still;) And as for that mountain of laundry, it's gone. Almost. And all our pots and pans. Clean.

Today was a good day.

And Joe will be home early tonight. Broncos are on;)

all hallows eve

No, I'm not as creative as I wish. Made the garland, but from a kit. Purchased it at a scrapbook store last year from Making Memories (and copied it to a T...). The cobwebs I found at Wal-mart, and they're not the typical ones. They might not have even been cobwebs... Then the crows are paper cutouts from Martha Stewart. The girls have them stuck all over the house;) Found the SPOOKY blocks at Marshalls and the skeleton and pumpkin candle holders are from Michaels-bought last year at their Halloween clearance. I love it and even Joey noticed and complimented it when he walked in the door that night!

Thanks for all your compliments as well!

a single mom

Yes. That is what I've been feeling like lately.

Joe's been swamped at work. It's the end of a big financial...thingy(?), he's still somewhat training a new hire and his most recent boss left a few weeks ago for another job. So, getting home around 8pm if not later has been the norm lately. But I've been managing everything fine. Well fine if you agree that that means lots of take out, piles and piles of laundry (oh laundry...don't let me get started on that!) and stacks of dirty dishes;) It's not my ideal way of life, but I understand. Joe's job is important. It is what provides for our family. The good news: Joe has earned a promotion.

Yippee!

But with a promotion comes a price. A price in more time. But we're excited for this new opportunity for him. We know that this is a blessing from Heavenly Father. So, I better settle into my new role as a single mom. At least he's home to brush their teeth and put them in bed before we start watching Friends reruns;)

Well, what has a *single mom* and her family been up to lately besides that never ending mountain of laundry and running kids to and from school? Lets see...

***

Painted the girls' room while Joey was gone for the week in Cali and Kansas. Not quite the color I was envisioning, even Marryn said it looked "gold." But I think I'm liking it. (Hopefully I'll get the shelves and *stuff* put up soon-then we can really tell if it looks good.)

***
Went to World Market with my 25% off coupon. Proceeded to stare at this table.

Bought some oil jars and left.

***
Finally finished the backyard. Well, finished for this season. All that dirt is just waiting for some plants.

***

Marryn had her 5 year check-up and 5 booster shots. 38 lbs - 50%, 44 inches - 75%

***

Christian had his 15 month check-up with only 4 shots. 21.10 lbs - 25%, 31 inches - 55% (at least he's getting a little taller...Joey's really worried he's going to get my short genes...)

***

Put up some Halloween decorations.

***

Got hit with some pretty cold frost and a little bit of snow.

***

Eating lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Vegan approved for Joey.

***

Had to get Marryn a new pair of school shoes. Her $10 Target brand maryjanes are just not holding up. Trying to find a solid white pair of sneakers was not easy. Nor pretty. She loves her no-tie curly q's though;)

***

bad drivers

Since moving to Colo Springs, our car insurance has shot up. Well, actually it didn't shoot up until like 9 months after moving. I thought I had changed our address through the website, but then one day got a forwarded piece of mail (everything else was paperless-so I didn't notice). I then looked it up and no, my request did not make it through. So I did it again, this time I knew it was changed because we suddenly owed so much more. Seriously, it jumped about $350, for our 2 cars, every six months! We tried to tweek it to make it more manageable, but in the end, had to switch. We were pretty sad to do so, our *agent* was a good friend of ours from Fort Collins... But anyhow. I have now learned why it is so much more expensive here.

Bad drivers.

Over and over I have come home to tell Joey stories about what I have seen. And all in the area minutes from our home. Like the other day. I was at a stoplight in the turning lane. One car in front of me. The arrow turned green. And the car didn't go. I waited. Still didn't go. Was about to tap my horn (I really don't like using is, it has become such a rude thing) when I noticed why the car wasn't going. Here comes a car, just cruising through it's red light. Not in a hurry, so it obviously wasn't paying attention. Really glad I didn't honk. And this wasn't far from a small intersection that an off duty police officer was killed when someone turned into his motorcycle...

And then a few weeks ago, I was in a in front of some stores (Home Goods and TJ Max for those of you here) and a car started to back out. So I stopped. For 2 reasons. One, to be polite. Two, as to not get hit by the car. Then the idiot behind me whips around me as if I had stopped for no reason and then had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting the car I was stopped for. Now, what if I had stopped for someone to cross the street? This is a parking lot. Would he have smacked into them?

Well, I have prided myself on being a courteous and good (not always great, but better than most;) driver. So the other day, I'm going to pick up Reganne from her pre-school. It's in a neighborhood a few blocks over. As I come upon the house, I flip around in the street so I can park *correctly* on the houses' side of the street. As I'm about parallel in the street, I notice it. A FedEx Truck right behind me, slamming his breaks as not to blind side me.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I was so embarrassed. I rolled my window down and apologized, which he was really nice and just laughed it off. But then there were 3 of the mothers, standing out in the driveway. Nice. At least he didn't hit me. That would have been way worse. For many obvious reasons.

Yes, not one of my best moments.

But I guess I can take some learning experiences from this.

Watch out for more than just kiddos in the small neighborhoods.

And you're never as good of a driver as you think;)

please vote

Please vote for Marryn's Charter School

The Imagine Classical Academy at Indigo Ranch

For a shot at winning America's Favorite School and $20,000!

Sponsered by Care2.com and GreatSchools.net

walk this way

After months of cruising the furniture, standing alone and walking with our assistance, this little guy, at 14.5 months, finally decided to give it a go by himself.

Of course I had to bribe him with a fruit snack to do it;)

Whoever said boys are slower than girls was not kidding. Marryn walked at 10 months, Reganne just before 11 months.... But this has been his style, taking his own sweet time at everything.

FYI, that's poor sick Marryn whining in the background. And yes, I'm saying that sarcastically.

five, finally

Ah, September 8th finally arrived. Although the *party* started days before;)

We drove up to Sheridan for Labor Day (another mandatory Friday off for Joe) and decided to give Marryn a little party there with Chris's grandkids. (That would be Joe's dad's girlfriend;) Grandpa got her a cake, Chris got her a butterfly balloon and we picked out some Hello Kitty birthday supplies and headed to the park. It was a beautiful evening and the kids had a blast.

"This is the BEST birthday ever!" is what we heard.

Especially after she opened her Hello Kitty umbrella.

Then on her actual birthday, she had school. So we made Rainbow Chip Cupcakes to share with her class and she got to hold the Birthday Bear all day long! And that evening, she got to come with me to Mutual (well, they all had to actually) where our activity was going mini golfing. She loved it. And thought it was all for her;)

***

Then that night, yes at like 9pm, she finally opened the majority of her presents.

Her fav? Her Zebra Snuggie she's been asking for for months.

a go at digital

I was in charge of the invitations and programs for our Young Women's In Excellence program. So I gave it a go at doing it digitally. I had some brushes and frames from a *free* creative photo editing class I took (sorry, the class isn't always free...I got lucky;), so I played around a bit and came up with this! I am just so excited at how great they look (well, according to myself) and how inexpensive (ah, FREE) and quick they were to put together.

pre-school

Yeah for Reganne! She gets to go to pre-school!

She was so excited to go and just loves it! Gets to take her own backpack originally bought for Marryn, but too small for her school folders. Has 3 other girls and one boy all from our ward and she is the youngest, technically won't get to start kindergarten for 3 more years. I was slightly worried about how well she'd go, seeing her history at nursery, but she ran right up to her *teacher* (another mom who is teaching the first session) and never looked back! My only wish is that her and Marryn went to school at the same time....

She had to turn around for me to take a pic of her backpack, just like I had done for Marryn;)

ketch-up

How's that joke go?

What did the daddy tomato say to the baby tomato as he was getting behind? Ketchup!

ha ha

This seems to be my life right now. Trying to catch up on everything.

So maybe someday, someday soon hopefully, I'll get some posts up. Until then, know that I'm sitting here, trying to decide what I should be doing;)