Home

I got to come home this afternoon. Yeah!

The quiet hospital was nice for a few hours and then it got old.
Before I left I got one more shot of steroids for the babe. This specific shot is HUGE and goes in the booty and hurts like nobody's business.
After that I really wanted to go home.
I'm glad we don't have cable TV at home. I would watch way to much TV.
I'm still having contractions, but I'm not dialating.
I see my doctor again tomorrow.
No more teaching Jazzercise (for at least 2 weeks).
I will go through workout withdrawl.
I'm more worried about my mental state than my body.
Working out is really good for my mind.
I'm supposed to be on moderate bed rest.
Meaning more rest than activity.
My husband is so incredibly great.
He already shares so much of the kids/home responsibilities and has no problem picking up the slack.
As I listened to him refereeing the boys fighting in the tub tonight while Charlotte fussed and fussed, I did think though, am I really supposed to just sit here?
Then the guilt really sets in.
He is really wonderful, I am beyond blessed by him.
This is really an OK week for all this to happen.
Tyler's work schedule is minimal and flexible.
We'll be with lots of Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunts who are all very helpful.
I'm not hosting anyone at our house and don't have to cook (although I was planning on helping out).
I had lots of cooking and baking on my list for the week.
I decided to choose one thing to bake and say no to everything else.
I choose PW's cinnamon rolls.
Have you tried them?
You would have chosen them too.
I'm off to find a comfy place on the floor to wrap some presents.
Thanks for all your kind notes and offers of help.

Pre-Term Labor?

Well, I'm hanging out in the hospital tonight. Blah.

I am 26 weeks and 1 day pregnant.
I've had lots of Braxton Hicks contractions during the last few weeks.
Yesterday they were plentiful, but not painful.
I noticed many contractions during a dinner party at my mom's last night.
Once I got into bed last night they began to be very consistent.
From 12:30 am until about 4:00 am they were every 2-4 minutes.
No pain, no cramping, no bloody show, nothing. Just consistent contractions. Finally I fell asleep.
They began again around 9:30 this morning.
I came into the hospital at 11:30 this morning.
My sister brought me as Tyler was in the middle of leading worship for 2nd service :)
I AM NOT DILATED! Praise the Lord.
My Fetal Fibronectin Test did come back positive.
I am on medication to stop the contractions.
I am on steroids to boost the babies lungs, just in case.
I am on IV antibiotics in case I have an infection that might be causing the contractions.
The meds to stop the contraction work for about 3 hours, then I start up again.
This is strange.
I have so many fluids in me I feel like I could pop.
I love the hospital ice.
I love the hospital bathtub. I didn't have to clean it before getting in.
The only thing missing was a glass of wine.
If I progress at all they will whisk me away to Kansas City.
Apparently they don't like 26 week old babies at this hospital.
I have great peace.
God is on the throne ruling and reigning.
Christ is at His right hand interceding for me.
The Holy Spirit is at work in me.

**If you read this, please leave a comment. I'm very bored and would like something to read.**

Look Alikes

You might have seen this post on Calvin's look-alike. Well, this household doesn't stop there. Brennan lost his top front tooth last week (the other front one is about to go too) and we think he looks like Cole Aldrich!!

If you don't know Cole, you must not follow KU Basketball. He got his front tooth knocked out playing basketball. He was on the front page of our paper this week and the resemblance is quite remarkable!

We're Gonna Be Late

For years now I've been using some rendition of the words "Hurry up kids, we're gonna be late". I really enjoy being on time, or even a couple minutes early, so having kids has really cramped my style.

"Hustle up, we're gonna be late."
"Go, Go, Go, we're gonna be late."
"Let's move kids, we're gonna be late."
"Get your booty in the car, we're gonna be late."
"Honey could you please move a little faster, we're gonna be late."

They all mean the same thing. Mom doesn't want to be late!

Calvin is my quintessential pokey little puppy. His head is usually somewhere in the clouds, making him move especially slow. He is often the receiver of my encouraging "hurry up" words. Today, headed to preschool, I said to Calvin "hurry and buckle Cal, we're going to be late".

He looked at me and kindly asked "mom, what does late mean?"
*
*
*
*
*

Talk about wasted words all these years!
So, the question is, now that he knows the meaning of the word "late" do you think he'll move any faster?
Hmmmm, I think not.

Uncanny Resemblance

****Did you read the hair mishap story? If not, scroll down one post and read first.****

Have you watched the show Glee? The first episode I saw my first thought was "this is all that is good and true in American TV". It was so great! All that singing and dancing was right up my alley. Well, now, several more episodes into the season they've gone a little to melodramatic for me. Now it's more about racy story lines that display teenagers in SUCH a bad light....uggg.

Can I stop for a moment and say how much I love Hulu? I haven't watched a TV show during it's actual showing time in years! Since we don't have cable (or satelite or dish or whatever else) we don't really have the need for Tivo. At least one night a week you can find Tyler and I on the couch with Hulu on the laptop, playing catchup. Love it.

Ok back to my story. So after the Mohawk Incident I brought Calvin home and the first thing out of Tyler's mouth was "he looks just like the kid on Glee!"

And so it seems he does.

Award Winning Momma

Yup, I'm going for the Mother Of The Year award here.

I've been buzzing my boy's heads for years now. Usually in the driveway or in the bathtub if it's cold outside. So this morning, just like I have many times before, I stripped Calvin down and stood him in the tub. Plugged the trimmers in, cleaned them off, and vroom, made a strip just right of center, down his head. OH MY WORD!!!!! I forgot to put a guard on!!!

I just stood there. I couldn't figure out whether to laugh or cry. After a few moments I chose laugh, it is after all just hair (and a 4 year old who doesn't know the difference between good hair and bad hair).

So here were the results.



My 2 choices were...
1. Go ahead and shave him bald
2. Offer a mohawk

As a sidenote let me say this. I'm not a fan of mohawks on children. It's one thing if the child really wants one and it's the kids idea. But when parents give their small child a mohawk it makes me think the child is just a pawn in the "I'm a Cool Parent" game. *stepping off soapbox now*

So Calvin chose a mohawk. Feeling I'd done enough harm at this point I loaded the kids in the car and went to someone slightly more professional than I. Thank you Super Cuts.

Here's the after.




It's a good thing this child of mine is so cute. Maybe that will make up for the fact that his mother is losing it.

Family Pictures

We had family pictures taken over the weekend by our friend and amazing photographer, Mrs Mama. She put a sneak peak on her blog All Astonishment.



I am in LOVE with the pictures! She did such a great job. My kids don't sit still for much, especially pictures, and somehow she was able to capture them. I was kind-of in "the zone" during the photoshoot. You know that "zone" where your slightly frustrated with your kids but trying to be happy so that they don't get grumpy? You're stuck in your head wondering if they're looking at the camera, while keeping a smile on your face. Or trying to smile and look at the photographer while saying things like, "look at the camera, don't touch yourself there, take your finger out of your nose," to your kids. That zone.

But now that I know how good she is, next time I'll be able to relax and know that she's getting great shots!

So go check out our pictures and leave a comment for Mrs Mama, she's great!

Pregnancy Update

I've reached the half-way point, 20 weeks. Here's what that looks like for me.



Yes, I know, I carry unusually high. I've carried all my babies exactly like this. I think it's because I'm very short waisted, but who knows. That whole "bellybutton pops out when it's cooked thing" is not true on baby #4. As you can see mine is popped and the baby is not done cooking! My bellybutton is permanently popped, thank you 10lb babies.

* I'm still teaching Jazzercise classes. This picture was taken last night before I went to teach. I feel really great and don't plan on switching to low intensity until things begin to hurt. The only thing that's getting a little tricky are abdominal routines on the floor. My classes will be seeing more and more standing Abs!

* We had a sonogram a couple weeks ago and everything looks great. We DID NOT find out the gender. There is absolutely nothing in the world like that surprise! I really feel like it's a girl though. I'm very close to settled on a girl name (Tyler's still pondering) but boys names have been elusive this time around!

*The boys throw out baby names all day long. Brennan saw something about the Mos Eisley Cantina (Star Wars) the other day and said "hey mom let's name the baby 'Can' like cantina". I appreciate the suggestions, so far they are nothing but suggestions though :)

* I really like being pregnant :)

* I've always been slightly worried that I wouldn't ever be ready to stop having babies. I love being pregnant, I love giving birth, I love newborns. Seriously! HOWEVER, I'm beginning to see the end in sight :) This pregnancy thing is hard on your body! That first pregnancy is just not the same as the forth. Taking care of the needs (mainly physical) of three others makes being pregnant that much harder.

* When I think of Mrs. Duggar (mother of 18, going on 19), my jaw drops. My belly button (and other unmentionables!) would give out LONG before 18 babies. How I would love to ask her pregnancy questions!

Scented Markers

So this is what happens when you let your kids use scented markers.
He said it was cherry.



A funny conversation with Cal today....

He was invited to go to a birthday party this weekend. I told him that he wouldn't be able to go because we would be in Kansas City. He thought about it and asked if he could have a treat in Kansas City because all his friends would be having treats at the birthday party. I told him it sounded like the only reason he wanted to go to the party is so that he could have a treat. And he said "well of course that's the only reason I want to go to the party, she's a GIRL".

The Star Wars Gang and a Pizza Hut Delivery Guy

Memories from Halloween 2009:

* Yes, if you're very observant, you noticed the boys are wearing the same costumes as last year. This was their choice, not mine. I tried to get them to at least trade. Nope.
* Since this was probably the last year Charlie would not have an opinion on her costume, we made her be Yoda.
* The boys didn't think for a moment that since she was a girl she couldn't be Yoda. I love this. In their thinking, short person=Yoda.
* Our boys still don't like anything on their faces. They wore their masks for the pictures only.
* They still don't get the "quantity" part of Halloween. After about one block they were ready to come home and eat candy. Fine by me!
* This year we were at Aunt Lisa's in Kansas City for Halloween. She has a GREAT neighborhood for trick-or-treating. Lots of older couples who gushed over our kids and gave GREAT treats!
* Tyler dressed up as a Pizza Hut delivery guy. Funny because he used to be one! When we lived in TN and Tyler played music full time, delivering pizza's paid a lot of bills. Towards the end of the night I asked him to go change clothes, it was bringing back a mixed bag of feelings {grin}.

Now that we're done with Halloween, bring on the good Holidays!!

My Pumpkins

A couple of nights ago we had a family pumpkin carving night. Beef stew for dinner, pumpkin carving and pumpkin cookies. The kids were so excited (me too)!

Five years ago, when B was just one year old, I wanted to carve pumpkins. I made a big deal of it. A fun afternoon of fall foods and pumpkin carving. Then we spent the entire time trying to get B to stop eating the pumpkin guts! He could have cared less about the carving and certainly wasn't able to help at all. Well, we've come a long way. This year he was very specific about the pumpkin he wanted (green), once I cut the lid off he cleaned out the inside all by himself (no easy task!). He drew on paper what he wanted the face to look like and I drew it on the pumpkin. Then, with only a little help from dad, he cut the face out! He loved every minute of it.

We've never talked about the scarier sides of Halloween. My kids have only really known about pumpkins, costumes and candy so far. As a side note, we've never shopped for costumes either, they've always chosen something out of their dress up clothes they already own...SCORE!! They have no idea people go to great lengths for costumes. Anyway, their exposure to the scarier side of Halloween is expanding ever so slightly. Brennan wanted a "scary" face on his pumpkin. It's interesting to watch him process this information. It's causing good conversation about the things in life we should really be afraid of, what is Truth and what is pretend and what we do and don't believe in.

I'm going to join in on this little blog party today.



20 Weird Questions That Will Give a Little Insight Into Who You Are
(Pick whichever ones you want to use , use all of them - or make up your own)

1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while you're blogging?
Haha, I don't blog enough to know.

2. What is one thing you wouldn't want to live without?
My husband. And my hand-held Dyson vacuum.

3. Beach, Mountains or Farm? Where would you live if you had a choice?
I think I'd choose farm. Not barn and animal "farm", but out in the country, lots of land, type "farm". My kids would be in heaven. And I could send them outside to play without worrying they'd get swept away in the tide or fall from a cliff. These things are more worrisome to me than snakes and grass stains. Plus you can travel to beaches and mountains but who goes on vacation to a farm?

4. What's your least favorite chore/household duty?
Cleaning toilets, cleaning showers.

5. Who do people say you remind them of?
This doesn't happen to me very often. People say I look like my sister (not true though). The only famous person I can think of that people have said I look like is Sharon Stone.

6. Prefer parties and socializing or staying at home with the fam?
Both. But more social than not.

7. Do you sleep in your make up or remove it like a good girl every night?
I take it off every single night. I can count the times I've slept in makeup on one hand and one was my wedding night.
I grew up in a home with a Mary Kay Sr Director, sleeping in makeup was akin to slapping my mother.

8. What's one strange thing you're really good at?
Using the booger sucker-outer thing on babies.

9. What first attracted you to your spouse?
He was playing guitar and talking about God. This is still one of the most attractive things about him. In fact it's taken me a number of years to be able to truly worship when he's the one leading music.

10. What is something you love to smell?
The backs of my babies necks, my husband after a shower, campfire.

11. Tell something about you that you know irritates people.
I get frustrated with small talk (I'm not good at it). I'd rather have deep, meaningful conversation. People that know me well can always tell when I'm ready to move to the next level of conversation, I withdraw in a moody kind of way.
ALSO, when I'm pregnant we don't find out the sex of the baby until it's BORN.
ALSO, I'm bad about interrupting people.
ALSO, I'm bad about writing on this blog. It drives Tamara and Whitney crazy.

12. When you have extra money (HA!) what's the first thing you think to do with it?
Assuming it's "my" money, not "family" money, I'd usually spend it on clothes or shoes. I'd save a little cash for random coffee/Sonic runs during the day.

13. Are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? What makes you laugh the hardest?
Out LOUD. I laugh the hardest at my husband and America's funniest Home Videos.

14. Where is your favorite place to shop?
Anthropology

15. What's one thing you'd do more often if you had more time?
Spend time with friends. Travel to see friends that live far away.

16. Are you a big spender or frugal?
Pretty frugal. Except on things in which quality makes a big difference (this is very few things in my book).

Pregnancy Thoughts

I recently ran across a blog called Design Mom. She is a mom of 5 with a 6th baby on the way. She ran a series on her blog asking others for their thoughts on pregnancy. It was beautiful and funny and made me cry a lot. Here are some especially great excerpts.

********************

Most books have it all wrong.
Enduring pregnancy isn’t a matter of getting enough sleep, sucking on ginger candies, or kegel marathons.
Really, it all comes down to storing up a repetoire of snappy comebacks to stupid questions.
Mostly the ones I received were about my size — I was too small, too big, way too big, and should I really be eating so many chocolate chip pancakes?

In Gabby’s case, no doubt it will be about the size of her beautiful family. And while she’s far too gracious to use any of these, I would have some stock answers ready to go. Just in case.

-Yes we planned it. It seemed a shame for that last seat in the minivan to go to waste.

-Yes we planned it. I hear we get a free toaster with every sixth baby.

-Yes we planned it. Now only 12 more to go!
(Liz Gumbinner)

********************

Wear a bathing suit whenever possible. Seriously. Wear it around the house. Wear it to church. Whatever. I mean, you're probably hot (temperature wise) anyway, especially as you get further along, so it helps with that. And, also, you're totally looking hot (smokin' hot wise) because a.) you're glowing, everyone is telling you this and b.) your giant stomach makes your backside look smaller. Think about it. You've really never looked better, so wear that tankini to Target. Trust me on this one.

Enter as many strength competitions as possible. Now's your time. Because you're not just a giant person, you're two giant people. And two giant people can kick one giant person's arse (is it okay to say arse on here?) every time. You will win every wrestling match you enter. I guarantee it. Because besides your gargantuan-ness, no one wants to say they beat the pregnant chick. Bad form. They'll totally make you feel like you won. And really, you have.
(Laura Mayes)

********************

I'll soon be 77 and I find myself wondering how I could ever have complained about the joy and thrill of having a new baby. Of course I remember the queasiness, the awkwardness, the ordered bed-rest, etc. But mostly I am consumed with wonder and gratitude and nostalgia for the soft, helpless, beautiful babies that came through me.

I marvel how I treasure the memory and the joy of holding and nursing a new-born babe. Thinking now as a great-grandma, about the responsibility and trust placed on us naive, new and young parents, I stand all amazed! The miracle through it all is love, love, love along with faith and trust and knowing that we follow long lines of mothers, mothers, mothers! Families! Families! Families!
(Julia Blair)

Who's Coming With Me?

I am such a dork! I can not wait to get my hands on this cookbook! And I can't wait to see Ree, THE Pioneer Woman, in person. I just know we're going to be best friends. So, who wants to come with me ?!?!






“The Pioneer Woman Cooks” Book Trip
(click here for her other book signings around the country)


Kansas City (two events)
Monday, November 16, 1009
Rainy Day Books event at Will Wyatt’s Cowboy Couture
DAYTIME (11:00 AM-1:00 PM booksigning and meet and greet)
15245 Metcalf Ave
Overland Park, KS
Order Event Admission packages at www.RainyDayBooks.com or call (913) 384-3126.

Rainy Day Books event at Unity Temple On The Plaza
EVENING (event begins at 7:00 PM, doors open at 6:00)
707 W 47th Street
Kansas City, MO 64112

“Ticketholders will hear Ree discuss her life and work with Vivien Jennings of Rainy Day Books and will be eligible for prizes donated by Will Wyatt’s Cowboy Couture, Pryde’s Old Westport, Andre’s Chocolates, Traditions Furniture, Upper Crust Pies, and a KitchenAid mixer provided by The Pioneer Woman herself! A booksigning for ticketholders will immediately follow the presentation. Order Event Admission packages at www.RainyDayBooks.com or call (913) 384-3126. (Booksigning will open to the general public will follow the Event booksigning and will begin at approximately 8:30 PM.)”
St. Louis

Stealth Videographer

I've been sneaking around my house with the video camera lately. Here's what I've found....


This first one is aptly named Jazzer-Charlie. I'm a Jazzercise Instructor and work on a lot of routines at home. I walked out of the room one day and left a DVD running. That's when I found Charlotte try her hand at the routine. This girl LOVES to dance!



This second one is of Charlie reading. She does this all day long. Picks up a book and reads to herself. My boys NEVER did this. Every time I see her do this I'm amazed (and reminded, of course, that she must be a genius).




Enjoy!

Hard To Put Into Words

This is a neglected corner of my world these days. There are so many other corners to tend to, and honestly, they are vastly more important. But know this, everyday I write posts in my head for this blog. Does that make it better? Trust me, if we sat for coffee I'd have plenty to tell you.

I read THIS POST this morning and it struck a nerve. It's brilliant and says so much about the way I feel at this moment. I so admire this woman's writing. There are some largely different (theological) beliefs in our lives, but man do I love the way she writes. Go and read, you won't be disappointed.

Surprise!

There's news in the Clements household! I'm not very good at keeping secrets, so I've had to be silent on this little 'ol blog for awhile. Oh, and we've had a bazillion things happening. I'll play catch up slowly.





I realize this may be one of those videos that is really only funny to the parents. But the part where Calvin doesn't know who is having the baby kills me!

Home

See the guy in the picture below? He's coming home tonight and I'm thrilled by that fact. He's been gone for the past 2 weeks with a short reprieve in the middle. I didn't say anything here because I didn't want to alert all those blog stalking, axe murderers. It's been a LONG 2 weeks, but of course God was gracious and it was a GOOD 2 weeks.

Here's the funny thing...this used to be our normal. He played in a band for years and spent the majority of any given month on the road. The first few years I traveled with him but then stayed home when we began to "be fruitful and multiply". That life was great, we loved it, but it was also very hard. You see, I really, really, like this guy a lot. I prefer to be with him, doing life together, as often as possible.



Although I am a fully complete woman in Christ, there is certainly something missing about me when he is gone. I am a different person when he's not around. Not quite as fun, not quite as relaxed, not quite as happy. And of course there are a few little people around here who will be much better behaved when daddy arrives home.

Reproof?

Last night the kids were eating cheese sticks on the couch just before bedtime. In keeping with the theme, everything in life is a competition, Calvin finishes his cheese and says in a sing-song voice, "I'm done first". And then Brennan promptly responded with "you know Calvin, the first shall be last and the last shall be first." I'm not sure if Calvin was impressed with Brennan's (inaccurate) command of scripture or if he really believed him, but the argument stopped right there. I just sat and stared not wanting to mess up the moment.

That's when I decided that even when my children take scripture WAY out of context it's so nice to hear the Word of God come from their mouths. Seriously, I think I heard trumpets in the distance. Does this mean they are listening to us? Surely not.

At a later date I'm sure we'll discuss the actual meaning of that verse in Matthew 19. But for now I think I'll enjoy my kids using scripture to set each other straight.

Tooth Fairy, that's me

So I'm getting ready to go do the Tooth Fairy thing.

The boys have been asleep for an hour now, but I'm waiting to make sure they're sleeping deeply before I stick my hand under a pillow and replace a tooth with coins.

Brennan lost his 3rd tooth today. He was very excited. He wanted to invite his cousin, Jaydon, over to see it.

Do you do the Tooth Fairy thing?

Why do I do this?

I think Calvin (4) is nervous about the whole thing (they share a room, bunkbeds). He asked "why does she come in the middle of the night?" and "can I sleep in bed with you?" Poor guy.

We do Santa (but I'm getting close to blowing his cover. The questions are getting complicated). We don't do the Easter Bunny. I can't figure out why I do the tooth fairy.

Maybe Charlie will be fascinated by Fairies and it will become more fun. Brennan is only interested in the coins.

So tell me, does the Tooth Fairy come to your house? And if so, why?

Oh yes, my blog

Hey there!  Yes, I did forget I had a blog.  Thank you for asking.  I'm not going to attemp to "catch up".  In fact the feeling that I need to "catch up" is, in fact, the reason it's been so long since I've posted.  So I'm sitting down tonight with the goal of posting SOMETHING, that's all.  

Did you forget what my kids looked like?  Well, here they are...

Since my last post we've had 2 birthday's. So they are 2, 4, and 6 years old. And no, we did NOT plan it that way.

It's been awhile since we've had a family picture that did not include a very postpartum me. So I was happy to get a good one at Easter. I made the boys keep their "church clothes" on after church until we got to Grandma's house. You'd have thought I was ripping their toenails off. But I really wanted a picture to prove they have khaki pants! Once the picture had been taken it took them .5 seconds to change into their "basketball clothes".


We're doing a little remodeling in our house. I promise to post pictures soon (hee hee, no really). We, and by we I mean Tyler, ripped out some cabinets and a countertop in our kitchen. Above where the counter had been was a cork board. The woman who lived in the house before us, Irene, probably had quite a few things tacked up on her cork board. Important notes, coupons, telephone numbers. You know, important stuff. She probably got really miffed when things disappeared from her cork board too. She may have even turned the house upside down looking for those things. Well Irene, little did you know that there was the slightest gap between the counter and the wall just under that cork board. And when we took out the countertop we found all that important stuff you thought was lost forever! All of them about 30 years old, slightly yellowed and very humorous to us. Here's an add for a pizza place in town.

Can you imagine getting a Large Pizza for just $3.99? Mine would have Sausage, green pepper, onion, mushroom, and black olives on it. What would you put on yours?

OK, that's it. Riveting, I know. But I've met my goal. I posted SOMETHING and that's better than nothing.

I'm Back (for a moment)

I'm coming out of my blog hiatus to bring you this....

Every spring when I peruse the aisles of Target and see those pails of sidewalk chalk, I get a little giddy. I loved sidewalk chalk as a kid! I envision butterflies, flowers, hop-scotch, and my kids names in bubble letters.

And then I remember that my oldest 2 kiddos are boys.

The vision is shattered and this is what remains....

                                               (tilt your head slightly to the left)

Yes, it is what you think it is :)

a Thousand Words

This is what I found my kids doing the other day....



Calvin is "curling" Charlie's hair with a cowboy pistol.
Yes, those are dinosaurs in the bathtub, that's how we roll.
And yup, the soap scum on the bottom of the tub, that's how we roll too.

Madness

Most people around these parts are waking up this morning thinking only one thing... THE JAYHAWKS PLAY TONIGHT!

Our house is no different. Well maybe I had a few other thoughts too, like, I need to pee, I really need to work with Calvin on learning to spell his name, I need new underwear, I need to workout today, oh and my ever present mid section was growling. But other than that we are thinking about the game tonight.

Last Sunday when KU played Dayton, Tyler was getting all set to watch the game. I was getting Charlotte ready for her nap when she said, "wa b ba daddy" (watch basketball with daddy) and preceded to climb up on the couch with him. Here's the proof of the cuteness...



We won't tell her that when the Jayhawks play tonight she'll already be deep in slumber.

The Many Faces of Charlotte

This girl is SO expressive. I foresee a little drama in our future. Not only does she talk more than the boys did at this age, but her face speaks volumes more than theirs ever did. Is this a girl thing?

Looking Forward

Ever notice how time goes by so slowly when you don't have much on the horizon? January and February are usually like that for me, slow. Then spring begins to creep closer, the calendar begins to fill and all of a sudden time is cruising along again. Here are some things I'm looking forward to.

Tyler and I are attending A Weekend To Remember marriage conference this weekend. (read: hotel, no kids!!)

We're headed to Nashville for spring break. So excited for a road trip and GREAT friends.

Nicer weather means an end to coats (stuffed into carseats) hats, gloves, etc. Actually I gave up on the hats and gloves before Christmas, but just getting rid of the coat pile is thrilling!

KIDS PLAYING OUTSIDE!

KIDS PLAYING OUTSIDE it's worth repeating!

I love having my windows open so that I can hear my wind-chimes outside.

I am so ready for flip-flops. Although a pedicure might be in order. I'm not kidding when I say there is a sliver of red polish on each of my big toes....leftover from the last time they were painted (August, I think?). The upside is that I know exactly how quickly my toenails grow :)

It seems our entire family (both sides) has spring birthdays. Yeah for birthday parties (and cake)!

This was a pretty lame post. I promise to make it up with cute pictures tomorrow!

Cal Turns 4

People have thought Cal was 4 for about 2 years now. But now it's official. Actually it was official 1 week ago today, but I'm a bad blogger. We've already established that haven't we?

Let's start at the beginning. (maybe not the VERY beginning, that would be a little embarrassing now, wouldn't it?)

Here I am feeling all giddy BEFORE pushing out all 10 pounds of him.



Here he is staring at his momma.



And here he is on his 4th birthday pulling Spiderman off the top of his cupcake.




I swear, that's how fast it has gone. I remember the day he was born so well. I remember listening to Chris Tomlin's "How Great is Our God" on the way to the hospital. I remember going through the Starbucks drive-thru so Tyler could get some coffee. I remember feeling so calm until I got to 8cm's. I remember thinking "this one has to bigger than my first!!". I remember the Dr telling me the baby had turned posterior. I remember crying for the epidural I really thought I wouldn't need. Ironically I don't remember the head, but oh how I remember the shoulders.....I remember Tyler pulling him from my body and the tears running down his cheeks.

I remember the sweet cleft in his chin and how we told everyone he had a John Travolta chin. I remember eating a hamburger and milkshake. I remember his grandma and his aunt holding him and crying.

I remember Brennan coming to the hospital to meet him the first time. I remember Brennan walking right over to the bassinet and peering over the edge. I remember the rush of hormones and the endless tears. I remember thinking "how in the world will I manage?". I remember realizing the cleft in his chin came from his great-grandfather who passed away only months before Calvin was born.

I remember every minute. And yet, somehow, 4 years has passed. Some of the days have been endless, but the years are gone.

I love you Calvin Samuel. I thank God for the gift he has given me in you. It is such a joy to be your momma.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

I HAVE A COMPUTER AGAIN! For those who didn't hear me, let me repeat, I HAVE A COMPUTER AGAIN! Remember my sob story about having our computer stolen at Christmas time? Yes, very, very sad. But, praise the LORD for insurance!

We lost about 2.5 years worth of pictures, but it could have been worse. Tyler spent this week uploading the pictures that we did have backed up onto our NEW iMac (she's very pretty, by the way). So I've been taking a long, leisurely, walk down memory lane this week, looking at lots of old pictures. Would you like to join me?

Here is a very cute Calvin eating an ice cream sandwich outside. He had THE BEST baby hair.


This is Halloween 2006. Yes, I dressed B as Interstate 70. Clever, huh? The days of me picking out their Halloween costumes are long gone. FYI...about 30 min after this picture was taken, Calvin threw up all over our neighbors entry way.


Gratuitous, cute children in leaves, picture. But they are cute, aren't they?!?!


This is Tyler and I in Hawaii. He just finished his first (and only) marathon. I had just run a 10k. I was about 18 weeks pregnant with Charlotte.


I'm pretty sure Brennan had something to do with Calvin being in this position.


Just keepin' it real...the jeans in this picture no longer fit.


This is Brennan drinking Gatorade. OH MY HINEY, if only I would have known what that awful stuff was doing to his body!


Here is Tyler back in his Rock Star days. He's behind the drums playing for a crowd of about 5,000.


Well, thanks for joining me on my little walk. I'm impressed if you made it all the way to this point. Now, because I can't stand posting all these pictures without even one of Charlie, I'll add one more. This is our computer desk. She's sitting where the CPU should go. But since we are a MAC family we don't have no stinkin' CPU!!!

Ugg

I stepped in pee today (again). What is it with little boys and their lack of aim?

What's scary is that our bathrooms used to have carpet and I never noticed the drips and puddles...gross, I know.

I really should post something.....

Maybe it's February. Maybe it's the grey weather. But I'm not feeling so inspired to write here on this little ol' blog of mine. But I know my sister keeps checking and is sick of seeing my rant on being in my 30's. So, to oblige Whitney, here are some very random thoughts that will have to make do as a "post".

I made roasted brussels sprouts for dinner tonight. They were so good, but man, my house STINKS now. And yes it's brussels with an s on the end, I had no idea until I just spell checked it.

Calvin (3) is completely obsessed with the movie Free Willy 2 right now. Tyler took the boys to the library to check out (free!) movies last week and he's watched it every day since. Yes, sometimes we check out actual books at the library too.

I'm doing Weight Watchers and working out at least 4 days a week and I've lost 6 pounds so far (3 weeks). There's a post brewing on that, but it may take awhile to make it's way to a screen near you.

I really want a glass of wine right now but I've used all my WW points for the day...boo.

And now I'll leave you with a funny/random Calvin story...
We were in the car today, on our way to Target.
Me: shoot!
Calvin: what mom?
Me: I forgot something.
Calvin: Did you forget to get us a hotel?

Yup, that's my sweet Cowboy. Random as can be.

Would You Like Some Cheese With That Whine?

I'm about to turn 31 in a mere 6 days. Aging doesn't really bother me too much, I had no problem turning 30. But now that I've had a year in my 30's I'd like to complain a little.

WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO MY BODY????

WHERE DID MY METABOLISM RUN OFF TO???

IS THAT A SPIDER VEIN I SEE ON MY THIGH????

Seriously, is anyone out there with me on this? Is it the 3rd baby that did me in or is it an age thing? Yes, I realize I had 3 babies in 4 years and that they all happened to be gargantuan, but come on! After my first 2 babies I was shocked by the stretch marks and the lovely deflated balloon look my stomach took on. And yes, the herniated bellybutton was a bit of a shock at first. But by the time I became pregnant a third time I'd kind of gotten used to it. I had accepted the hand that had been dealt and maybe even embraced my cute little pug face belly. I also thought I'd be able to do something about it a few years down the road.

Well the 3rd baby came and man did she do a number on my belly. But I was so stinkin' glad to have a GIRL I didn't even notice the skin that could have been tucked into my pants. However, little miss Charlie girl is 20 months old now and I'm starting to see through the cloud of pink. Here I am at almost 31 and I'd like to put in a request for my original body. Or at least my original metabolism so that I could get that body back. I'm doing all the things I used to do to loose the weight and IT'S NOT WORKING.

I believe through and through that I am "fearfully and wonderfully made", but the fear part of that is making more and more sense to me these days.

OK, that's all for my whine session today, thanks for listening. I promise not to do it too often. Here's where you get to do a little whining yourself.... what has surprised you about aging?

Narcisism at it's Best

I saw this meme over here and here. There are no rules to this (my kind of meme) just 16 random facts about you (or me, as this happens to be my blog).

1. I like to dip pretzels in mustard.

2. I don't like to read books or watch movies more that once.

3. I'm not very competitive, unless I'm feeling competitive, then I'm REALLY competitive.

4. If I get the giggles late at night, I'm cashed. Peeing my pants is a very real possibility.

5. I was a tomboy growing up, never owned a Barbie. But I loved dolls. I know, I'm a walking contradiction.

6. I used to have very short hair. Like 2inch, spiky, short hair. I loved it and I'll probably go back to it someday.

7. I love to dance and do so often in my kitchen.

(are you sick of me yet? I am!)

8. I used to have straight hair. Then, in 8th grade, I got a perm. My hair has been VERY curly ever since. I think I can blame those horrid puberty hormones.

9. I'm not a very good house keeper. I'm good at picking up and making things "look" clean. When it comes to the actual scrubbing, and dusting, uggg, don't ask how long it's been.

10. Related to number 9....people who keep really clean homes are intimidating to me.

11. I've never been to Disney World, and don't have much desire to go.

12. I work at a place (very part time) that does massage therapy, but I don't really like to get massages.

(only 4 more to go!)

13. My favorite spot on my kids is the back of their necks, at the base of their hairline. It's terribly soft and I think it's where their individual sent is the strongest.

14. I don't like animals....gasp!!

15. I love being pregnant and having babies. LOVE IT! When I'm done having babies I think I'll become a doula so that I can live my love vicariously through others.

(only one more.....
wait for it, wait for it.....)

16. I love Jesus and I love His church.


whew......hope I didn't bore you to death with that one. I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you do this on your blog let me know in the "comments" and I'd love to read it!

Ahh the Innocence

Today the boys saw that famous scene from Lady and the Tramp where the 2 dogs are eating the spaghetti and end up lip locked. Brennan, who was watching quite intently, is laughing hysterically at the scene. He gives me the 5 yr old play back...

B: "Mom, that was so funny! The two dogs were eating the same piece of spaghetti and then they bumped noses!"

I stand there waiting for it to hit him....waiting, waiting, waiting....NOTHING! He has NO IDEA that the dogs are KISSING! We've hit the poopy jokes, the naked jokes, the hit each other in the "privates" jokes, but apparently we're nowhere near the kissing jokes yet!! Ahhh, the innocence.

So I've been thinking.....

....that somedays I wish I got graded on how well I did the grocery shopping and cooking for my family. Yes, I know, I'm weird like that. But seriously, grocery shopping and cooking are a really big part of my life (I NEVER thought I'd say that). And, most weeks, I give it quite a bit of thought and energy.

So here's what I'm thinking. After checking out and paying for my groceries, I'd walk over to a little booth with an extremely gracious woman inside, she'd smile kindly, we'd talk about my beautiful kids and then she would grade me on how well I did that day.

She could grade me on how many fruits and vegetables are in my cart, how well I did at keeping things preservative free, all the high fiber, grainy foods, etc. And then if I come in under $80 then I get extra credit!!!

Of course, that same lady would smile and wave (smile and wave boys, just smile and wave...name that quote anyone?) on those days when I don't have the time or energy to plan well and my cart is questionably full.

And of course she'd always overlook that little bit of chocolate that jumped off the shelf and into my cart :)

Anybody with me on this?

WOW

Hey there blog world. It has been so long since I've posted, sorry! There's a reason, but I'll explain that in a minute.

We had a fabulous Christmas. By the looks of my house, we're not quite done yet. The gifts are still scattered and the Christmas decor is still up. Not sure when I'll get to that. We truly had 12 days of Christmas this year! We started at Gpa Walt and Gma Debs for Christmas Eve Eve, then back to our house for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, then on to Gigi's and Papa Pat's for Christmas day and Fri, then to Hutchinson for some time with Papa Jim and Nana Karen. Then we had a couple days to recoup at home before going to Gma Janet and Papa Skip's for New Years Eve and day....whew! It was exhausting but great. We are blessed with AMAZING family and love spending time with all of them. Calvin has asked several times in the last few days if we can have another birthday party for Jesus.

On a sad note, our car was broken into on Christmas night at my mom's house. Among several other things, they took our computer. Tyler's beloved 17in Mac Book Pro. So sad. The last 5 years of our life are on that thing. All the pictures, videos of our kids, Tyler's video projects and many, many more things. But the truth is, they are just that, THINGS. So that's my reason for my lack of posts. My computer time is limited to a few evening minutes when Tyler brings his work computer home. Thankfully insurance will cover much of what we lost.

I can't upload any Christmas pictures because our camera cords were stollen too (not the camera though!). So I'll do a Christmas in Feb post and upload them then.

If I could post pictures here's what they would be....
1. The kids on Christmas morning waiting at the end of the hallway until we let them run into the living room.

2. Brennan and Tyler working on Lego's together.

3. Charlotte holding her 25th anniversary Cabbage Patch baby (I got the first one 25 years ago when I was 6).

4. Charlotte walking around with a light saber strapped into her baby stroller.

5. Charlotte with chocolate smeared all over her face after eating the cookies Santa didn't finish.

6. Big, fat, yummy cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.

7. All the kids sitting with Great-Grandma Ruth.

We are so thankful for Immanuel, God with us. Hope you all had a great Christmas!