Graham loves dogs

We went over to my friend Cyndi's house tonight and the kids loved playing with her dogs. In the car on the way home Graham said, "Mommy, I just love all kinds of dogs. No matter what kind of dog it is, I just wanna have a little pet of it."

House update

I'm not sure what I last updated on the house, but it sure has come along! Alif tore out two closets to make the living room way bigger, took out an entire wall to open up the kitchen, made the hall and kitchen entrances a little different with 45 angles on the upper corners, installed a soffit and recessed lighting in the living and dining rooms . . . hired a crew to do all the mudding and texturing. Then he took two days and prepped the bedrooms, hallway, living and dining for painting. Today he sprayed all of it! I haven't seen the living, dining or hallway done yet but he did the ceilings white, bedrooms off-white, and living, dining and hallway will all be taupe except the soffit will be a darker taupe. All of the trim is white. How great to have all of that done before we move in! He'll do some outside work (at someone else's house) for the next two days, and then it's on to the floors! Once the floors are done we can start moving things over, though he'll spend a couple of days putting up ceiling fans, base and crown moulding and finishing up details like switch plates etc. It's sure a lot of work but boy does this make me so thankful for my super-talented husband! Our goal is to be in by the 15th. Please baby boy, do not make an early appearance!! If ever there was a time to go a little overdue (a week would be perfect LOL) this is it!

Caris

Caris crawled into bed with me this morning and gave me a little arm rub. She said, "Mommy, your muscles are squishy. You need to drink more milk."

Later we cleaned her room and then I read some books to her. In the middle of the first book she said, "Can you pause it? I want to get one of my babies."

My new nephew!!

How darling is my new nephew, Christian James? He was born on December 17, 2006. Congratulations Megan and Jason!

Christian James

A New Baby!

I just got the news that Megan has given birth to Christian James at 7pm their time, 11 am our time! Praise the Lord! I can't wait to know more details and to see his precious little face!

The 12 Days of Homeschooling

I'll skip all the precursors and just start with the 12th day. Also I'm adding notes of my own below. Sing to the 12 Days of Christmas

On the twelfth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, Can they
go to college, I could never do that, what about graduation, they'll miss
the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long
will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, What about P.E., do
you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool
legally?

On the thirteenth day of homeschool I thoughtfully replied: They can
go to college, yes you can do this, they can have graduation, we don't
like the prom, we do it cuz we like it, they are missing nothing, we'll
homeschool forever, WE ARE NOT STRANGE!, We give them P.E.,
and we give them tests, they are socialized, AND WE HOMESCHOOL
LEGALLY!

On the fourteenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, How
can I get started, why didn't you tell me, where do I buy curriculum,
when is the next conference, WILL PEOPLE THINK WE'RE
STRANGE? I think we can do this, if you will help us, we'll join a
sports team, and we'll homeschool legally.

Ok, back to me. I can't tell you how many times I've heard all of those questions and comments. LOL The only things I would change are that our homeschool organization throws an amazing prom and there's no need for tests (at least up to this point - my oldest is in 3rd grade this year) because I'm the one teaching them, and it's pretty clear whether they know the material and are ready to move on.

7 more weeks!

Warning: Snoozer

I warned you! We did not have a super exciting weekend, but because I'm too lazy to write in my journal, I'll just type about it here. On Saturday we got up and Alif went to work. I took Malachi and Caris over to Fred & Juanita's and Graham & I took Mom & Rod to the airport bus. I felt sentimental saying goodbye to them, even for just two weeks! I was excited for their Scotland trip though, and it does sound like they're having a fun time. I wish my whole family could be there right now. Megan is due today and I absolutely ache to be near her. I can't believe I won't get to hold her baby until he's well out of the infant stage. Sigh.

I went back and picked up the kids and I do not remember what happened after that. Ha! Sunday morning we pretty much just kicked around the house (love that, don't you Mom?). We took naps and then we were busy the rest of the day. Ellie had a make-up Birthday party at 3:30 (she was sick for her actual party last week, poor baby!), then we went to church at 6, then to Fred & Juanita's for pizza, welcoming Chamil home and for them to give Graham his Birthday present, a scooter that he's loving.

I was so happy when we got home, got the kids in bed, and then I really wanted to veg but have felt convicted not to watch Desperate Housewives - well, I turned on the TV and there was an extended version of Extreme Home Makeover on! Despite the lady saying, "Oh my GOOOOD!" 100x at least, it was a really cute episode. That ended and I went to bed and read Raising Great Kids for a bit. I should say I re-read it. LOL

This morning I woke up to my stupid, stupid iHome BLARING at 5:27 am. It did that yesterday too. Mental note: figure out why iHome is blasting off at 5:27 am. Started doing a little cleaning, talked to Mom & Megan on the phone for a while, and then did phonics & handwriting with the boys. Now doing some more cleaning and then will finish up our schoolwork for today - grammar, math and science.

I told you it was a snoozer, but hey, it's our life! :-D

New Look

http://www.myspace.com/hiskids37

Baby Talk

The kids and I were in line at Costco's food area today and I got into a conversation with a lady:
Lady: Are they twins? (the boys)
Me: They're 20 months apart, but they've been mistaken for twins from day one. :-)
Lady: Are you due January/February?
Me: Yep!
Lady: Another boy?
Me: Yes!

Funny, isn't that? She really called it!

Also, yesterday I asked Caris, "Why is Mommy's tummy so big?" and figured she would answer something like because there's a baby in there. She answered, "Because our baby boy is growing bigger and bigger!" Quite precisely, my dear! LOL

New House Developments

Alif is working hard on our new house! I keep forgetting to take my camera when I go over to see the work, and that's too bad because every time I go it really looks different. Today's new developments are: the soffit is almost finished being framed, the electrical is done, and he put in 45s on the hall doorway and the new entrance to the kitchen. A not-so-happy development is that he had someone tear out an uneven brick pathway from the upper patio to the lower patio. I loved that pathway! It needed to be re-laid, but we won't get to that for a while, and now there's just a dirt slope. Poo! We will not be in before Christmas, but he assures me we'll be in before Baby comes. I'd rather be in the house before Christmas, but I'd rather move after Christmas, so it works out well. :-)

Happy 7th Birthday, Graham!

How old are you today? Seven
How tall are you? I don't know.
How much do you weigh? I don't know.
What is your favorite TV show? Avatar
What's your favorite toy? Scooter
Do you have a scooter? No
What do you want to be when you grow up? I don't know.
do you have any ideas? No
Do you want to learn any foreign languages? Yeah.
Which ones? Scotland. And French.
What's your favorite music? French music.

Say it isn't SO!!

My Mom e-mailed me tonight to see if I knew where to get The Teddy Bear Calendar by the Bialoskys. She's gotten it for me every year since the first one 25 years ago! I checked the calendar to see if there was anything on there about it, and there IS. A note saying thank you to all of the owners who have entered and shared their bears over the years, and there will not be a teddy bear calendar contest next year. OH NO!! :*(

It's back :(

Caris' eczema cleared up after the appointment with the allergy specialist this summer, and she's had only minor breakouts since. Well, it is back full force. Poor baby! :-(

Sad iPod = Sad Me

Boo hoo. My iPod is sad, and apparently that is a $274.00 repair. Ummm, I can buy one brand new for less than that. So I guess we can say that my iPod has officially bit the dust. Bummer!!

Vacation and Moving

I so enjoyed our time at the beach, and one of the things I enjoyed the most was having a neat, clean "home" to return to each evening. The day we left, we cleaned the whole place so it would be good as new for the next group of relatives coming to stay. It was actually fun cleaning it! It really made me start to think of ways I can make our actual home feel sort of like a vacation home. Obviously, our real home holds so much more stuff than a vacation home does, but there are ways to make that stuff organized and cute. Like, the books next to my bed could be cute in a basket instead of in an always-scattering stack. The papers on my desk should be sorted and filed, not just stacked up. Toys have their places and should be put there. You get the idea. Moving is such a great time for me to be thinking of all of this, because as we move things over I can make sure each thing actually has a place and doesn't get just shoved in somewhere.

Beach Trip II

Caris did not play in the water but had a great time playing in the sand!












Malachi and Graham, however, had a grand time playing in the water. All the way in the water. LOL












Each of the kids got a chance to fly the kite















All of that running and playing really wears a girl out!












Georgia and Dad were such good sports, coming along on all the child-oriented activities and eating at our favorite fish n chips place. We loved having them all to ourselves for a couple of days!











"Look Mommy! Daddy made me this horsie!"

Thanksgiving Beach Trip

One of our favorite restaurants is in Morro Bay. They have great fish n chips, and the kids love this big whale out front. Caris got a little nervous once she was up on it and clung close to Daddy.










As we walked down Morro Bay's main street, Caris found this little shark friend and said he wanted some of her candy stick. She was very generous sharing it with him, and she said he liked it very much.










Alif got the kite up in the air in no time flat, and later told me he's never flown a kite in his life!












Graham (and all of the kids) ran with joyful abandon along the beach. They'd have played the entire three days right on the sand if we had let them!










Mommy forcing a pose under the pier.

It's a Free Saturday!

On Halloween Malachi took this cute picture of me kissing my sweet "Cleo".











And here's the growing baby bump at 28 weeks! Don't mind my "mommy scars". LOL














Today is the first day we haven't had soccer in 10 weeks! It's been so nice and quiet today. I've gotten quite a bit of sewing and cleaning done. Hooray!

Oatmeal Madness

I made some oatmeal for lunch and it looked SO GOOD! It was fully decked out with butter, plump raisins, milk, and brown sugar, and as I walked away from the counter I dropped it!! Let me tell you, that was ONE BIG MESS!! It made me so mad I actually threw my spoon! (Hormonal maybe?) Geez, I am normally so not volatile at all. ROFL Thank God the kids weren't in the room!!

Spring Forward, Fall Back

Just in the last four or five days, I think this baby has had a big growth spurt! I am only 6 months pregnant, and I suddenly feel more like 8 months pregnant. My belly is in the way when I bend over, when I tie my shoes, even when I squat! Wow. I told Alif the other day that I don't know how women do it 7, 8 times. This is only baby #4 and I feel huge at 6 months! On the plus side though, it's absolutely wonderful rolling over in bed and seeing my large belly with its protruding belly button, or catching a glimpse of my growing self in a reflection, or feeling him move so big and strong now. The excitement is definitely building! Only three more months until we meet the newest member of our family!

The time change was this past Sunday. I was so looking forward to that extra hour of sleep, but of course I should have realized that with little children in the house, that wasn't bound to happen. Caris woke up bright & early for a few days, and now I think we're all back to a normal sleeping schedule. (Well, as normal as it gets for me at this stage of pregnancy). One thing though - being up earlier and it getting dark so early makes for days that feel VERY, VERY long.

ROFL

Caris just came up to me and said, "Did you sleep on your bed with your husband?" ROFL ROFL

Photo Update

We went to a local family farm with our homeschool group and the kids had such fun picking pumpkins and apples, playing in a kiddie pool full of dried corn, going on a hayride and through a big maze made of hay bales. Here's Caris, Emma, Ellie, Graham and Malachi














Pretty Caris, all snuggly in her sweatshirt at a soccer game











Me, looking WAY bigger than I felt at 24 weeks (I'm 26 weeks now)














Graham hanging out between soccer games














I heard a slam today, then Caris' loud cries and I knew right away she'd busted her lip. Sure enough, poor thing! She's smiling through the pain though:

Crock Pot Roast

Crock Pots are so great. I put a roast in this morning with carrots, potatoes, onion and seasonings, and now at not even noon, it smells divine. The only problem is that I want to EAT it now and it won't be ready until dinnertime. Aaa!

So we have gone back to plan A and we're having this baby at home! It's even more exciting this time around because we really prayed about the decision and now not only can I look forward to a wonderful birth but I also have total peace about it. All of the stress I've been feeling about the bad hospital situations has disappeared and it feels good!

Alif told me the other day that he'd like to be moved in to our new house by Thanksgiving. That seems awfully rushed to me but as long as we're settled in before Baby makes his appearance I'll be happy.

Speaking of Baby, he still does not have a name. I do not want to end up in another Graham-like experience of having no name for days after his birth!! I guess that's another thing to take to God in prayer!

About a week ago Caris came out of her room and said it stunk in there because someone was smoking outside. I thought that sounded really strange, so I went in to see what was going on. She had put her lamp on the floor with a book on top of it! The lampshade was melting and the book was blackened through. Thank God it didn't catch on fire, but what a scare. I had to think a minute so as to not scare her out of her mind about fire, but to let her know how serious that was. Well, apparently I went too far because for days she wouldn't go NEAR her room alone, and cried herself to sleep at night even with us checking on her every few minutes AND leaving her door open and the hall light on. Yesterday Alif bought her a Glo Worm and it seems to have helped her a lot last night. She did wake up at 4:24 needing to go potty though. That child wakes me up more at night, I tell you what. Malachi & Graham never have done this. I mean, since they were babies & slept through the night, I just plain & simple don't hear from them till morning. I hope this night-waking thing with Caris doesn't last long! When I got up this morning to take her potty, all I could think was how bad it would be if there was a baby nursing or sleeping in my bed and there SHE goes crying. Oh please, not two kids up in the night. Please!

Be Magnified

This song is my heart's cry in so many areas! Oh Lord, be magnified in my life!

Be Magnified

I have made you too small in my eyes
Oh Lord, forgive me!
And I have believed in the lie
That you were unable to help me
But now, Oh Lord, I've seen my wrong
Heal my heart and show yourself strong
And with my heart and with my song
Oh Lord, be magnified
Oh Lord, be magnified

Be magnified Oh Lord
You are highly exalted
And there is nothing you can't do
Oh Lord, my eyes are on you
Be magnified
Oh Lord, be magnified

I have leaned on the wisdom of men
Oh Lord, forgive me
And I have responded to them
Instead of your love and your mercy
But now, Oh Lord, I've seen my wrong
Heal my heart and show yourself strong
And with my heart and with my song
Oh Lord, be magnified
Oh Lord, be magnified

Lord, let your glory fall

Last night we were having wonderful worship at church. It was an especially small group at the evening service, but worship was clearly heart-felt and spirit-filled. There was a song about seeing God's glory, and our pastor mentioned something about seeing God in His full glory, and imagine how that will be. Suddenly 1 Corinthians 13:12 came to mind: Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. As I thought of this verse, God revealed a sweet thing to me. I thought of how much I love this baby I'm carrying and how connected I feel to him. Many, many times during the day I feel him move and feel overwhelmed with the feeling of "I love you, son!" I thought of how much I love him already, and I have certainly only seen a poor reflection of him so far - 2-D images of his sweet legs, feet, profile in ultrasounds, my tummy going bumpety-bump when he moves, and just the sheer imagination of what he will look like. Then I thought of my experience with each of my other babies: seeing their downy hair for the first time, their eyelashes, their plump, pink skin, smelling their sweet breath, hearing their coos and cries, what it's like when my lips brush their cheek, their neck, their toes. There's just no comparison. It would take a volume of books to even begin to describe what it is like to be a mother and to hold a baby in one's arms. Then back to that verse, that says that we see Christ now only as a poor reflection in a mirror . . . wow. I think of my most intense moments of worship, of adoration, of the knowledge that my God is truly awesome . . . and that is only a poor reflection? I'm pregnant with anticipation.

Tired

I had a cold over the weekend and I feel a lot better today, but totally exhausted. I hate the feeling of lots of things I'd like to be doing but no energy to do them.

The kids kept fighting over every little thing, so I made some playdough and now they're happy as clams, working on their cherry-scented creations at the table. Hooray for simple pleasures.

Movin' Right Along

This baby has obviously grown! I can feel him moving all day long, and all over my belly! Wouldn't it be fun to be hooked up to an ultrasound machine all day long and watch him at his antics in there?

And in other moving news, Alif is over at our new house today, fixing things, tearing out carpet, etc. How exciting!

More great news!

So I went to a perinatologist yesterday to do a re-check of Baby's kidneys and heart. Everything checked out wonderfully! Baby is healthy as can be. Praise the Lord! He is growing beautifully. I especially loved how chubby his little legs are getting! And yes, he flashed his manhood several times - definitely all boy in there. I cannot wait to see his sweet little face!

Heart of my Heart

Malachi started complaining of chest pain about six months ago, just every once in a while. For a few weeks though, it was daily at least and we decided it was time to mention it to our pediatrician. She scheduled us for an EKG and chest x-ray the same day and referred us to a pediatric cardiologist out of town. Alif took him to that appointment today, where the doctor performed an echocardiogram and gave Malachi a clean bill of health! He gave Alif and Malachi various reasons the chest pain could be happening, none of them serious and none of them requiring any action unless the chest pains worsen or start to disrupt his daily life. Great news!

Intensity

I knew Malachi was intense from before he was born. After all, I progressed from 2 cm to 10 cm in less than 10 minutes of transitional labor. When he was not quite able to crawl, and he'd yowl every time I dared take a single step away from him, I felt his intensity. When he was two years old and defying me with every fiber of his being, he was intense. Years have gone by and with those energy-draining baby and toddler years in the past, Malachi's really channeled his intensity into activities that are much more enjoyable, which means, in my humanity, that I don't notice it as much. He's a mostly quiet boy, especially around people he doesn't know very well.

The first year Malachi played soccer we were pleased if he got one touch on the ball in a game. He liked to play, but he just wasn't aggressive at all. I wished he'd be himself out there, but the truth was, his shyness took over and he was just too nice. The second year was better for him, and he usually kicked the ball a few times per game. Last year he was like a different player. He'd get in the action and really play hard. With Daddy as his coach, he blossomed and had a great year. It's now his fourth year and that kid can really play. I mean, he's one of the best players on his team, and also one of the youngest. He is serious about soccer, and he's easily the best defender in every game we've watched this season. He's not at all afraid to step in front of a boy twice his size and steal the ball.

Today though, there was a really amazing moment in the game. Both teams were playing aggressively, and there was a bit of foul play going on that the ref wasn't noticing. Just as Malachi ran close to us on the side of the field, flanked by two elbowing players from the opposite team, my son glared at them and said, "Hey! No pushing!" and kept about his play. I have tears in my eyes just writing about it. It was the first time I looked at my son with true admiration. I could never confront someone that way, stand up for myself so clearly. In that moment, his short life flashed before my eyes - his angry cries when I dared leave him in the nursery at church, his defiant eyes when I disagreed with his plans as a toddler . . . and the words of dear friends of ours, Jim and Ginny Smith, when I was about to give up: "You will be so thankful someday that God has blessed your son with a strong spirit." If it took 8 years and an AYSO soccer game to prove them right, it's ok. What a miracle to have a glimpse into the intense, strong, true and fair spirit of my unbelievable boy. I'm so proud of you, son.

MomTime

A while back I came across the concept of MomTime by Lisa Whelchel. The basic idea is to get a group of Moms together and just have fun! Well actually, friends, food, faith and fun. I prayed about it and kept getting more excited about the idea, so I called Lynette and she agreed that it sounded really nice. We invited a couple of moms and had our first MomTime today! I was nervous about making all the details come together, but we had such a great time! The first hour is the food/faith hour, where we just eat the lunch and talk, and the second hour is the friends/fun hour, where we bust out a game and play. I am not a big game person but oh goodness, we had a blast! I can't WAIT till the next one!

19-week checkup

I went in for my 19-week checkup today (well, I'll be 20 weeks tomorrow). Caris came with me, which was nice. I'm always happy to have a little time alone with one of my kids! It occurred to me on the way there that this is the first appointment of this pregnancy that was totally routine. Nothing to be nervous about, not a new doctor or anything, just a routine appointment. What a relief that is! Everything looks good! I gained SIX POUNDS in the last month, which puts my total at -8 pounds. Baby's heartbeat sounds good, and I got the lab slip to go for the glucose tolerance test in a week. Oh joy. LOL Later this week I have an appointment with a doctor who specializes in high-risk ultrasounds. We just want to take a good look at the heart and kidneys to make sure everything is ok there. I hope everything is all cleared up.

Oh happy day!

Yesterday was my Birthday! It started off a little poo-ey because I'm apart from my sister. We share a Birthday and I haaaaaaaaaate when we're not together for it! I got up and there was a sweet note that Alif had left before he went to work, so that was nice. I did some cleaning and got ready, and then my Mom showed up! She is like, the Birthday Dreams Fairy, seriously. She showered me with love and affection and gifts the ENTIRE DAY. I can't even describe how special she made the day! I came home and rested a bit and then Mom & Rod came over to further the Birthday spoiling with a huge bag of candy, pizza (we found out that Megan had Domino's in Scotland for her Birthday so we HAD to do it too!!) and cake & ice cream. It was scrumptious and delightful. Graham gave me two little notes he had written me during nap, and the effort he went to to write them made me want to cry. What sweet kids I have!!

So anyway, I got up this morning and felt like I really just did not want to do today AT ALL. We had to go to the store and then there was park day and I was so pooped from all the Birthday fun, I just couldn't face it. Nonetheless, we went off to the store and guess what? I had made my menu for every meal and snack and expected to go over my max, but I was $20 under it! Praise God! We got home and I rushed to get the pasta salad ready for park day, and figured I may as well put the stew in the crock pot too. Park day was actually a ton of fun! I'm soooo glad we went. We stayed quite a bit longer than I planned to, and when we got home, the smell of that stew cooking made me feel comforted immediately. Dinner is ready, and it's only 3:00! It'll only get tastier as the next few hours pass by, too. Man, for a day that started out with such a bad attitude, it's turned out to be a huge blessing.

Good morning, Baby!

I awoke this morning to Baby's kicking, rolling, thumping. I thought to myself, "What could be a sweeter way to wake up?" Well, as I sit here now I can't help but think that a sweeter way to wake up would be to see his precious face next to mine, his fuzzy head waiting for caresses, his hand trying to appease the will to nurse . . . oh yeah, all of that will be sweeter. But for now, little one, your movements will have to suffice!

Oscar the Grouch

I'm so grouchy. Not all the time, and not in a horrible, life sucks kind of way, but just enough to feel really NOT like myself. I'm so HOT and so tired of being hot (even in my air-conditioned, comfy house I'm hot!). My Mom promises it will cool down the week after my Birthday. I sure hope she is right! The kids can be playing and one minute I think they're darling in their exuberance, and the next minute I am saying to them, "If you have to make that noise, please go somewhere else to do it." I guess they're being well-trained in the art of dealing with hormones.

On a positive note, I have been buying a few diapering things here & there for Baby! It is so much fun perusing for BOY diapers! So far I've bought one AIO, 3 covers and 2 dozen preemie prefolds. I can't wait until they start arriving. Oh, I also bought him a cute Gymboree outfit on eBay for really cheap. It's so fun starting to collect these things!! On Sunday we worked in the nursery, and it was so sweet being with all of those babies. It made January feel like a year away, though. I am hoping that with all that fall brings, time will go by a lot more quickly now.

More about our boy!

Can you believe it? A sweet baby BOY! I am so excited!! The tech had a couple of very small concerns with the kidneys and heart, so we will recheck those in four weeks, but other than that everything looks great! ANOTHER BOY!! My Mom & the kids & I went immediately after to a local boutique and picked out a boyish 1st year calendar, baby book and she got me the prettiest diaper bag: http://petuniapicklebottom.com/product_detail.phtml?id=148 Also at the u/s, we recorded his precious heartbeat and on my birthday my Mom & I will go to Build A Bear and put the little sound button in his paw. How cute! Anyway, we are so excited!

Back from u/s . . .

Museum day

Here are just a couple of pictures from our museum trip: My kids in the animal art room









Clockwise from right: Caris, Taylor, Jordan, Courtney and Anna

Chicken Pox have left the building

Praise the Lord, the Chicken Pox are gone! You can still see just a couple marks on Malachi, a few on Graham, and tons on Caris, but they're healing nicely and no one has been contagious for quite some time. I'm very glad it's over and very sorry for anyone who goes through this - ever!

Happy Not Back to School Day!

Today's the first day of school for most kids in our city. It's a day I'm always so thankful for my kids and my husband and that our God directed us to homeschooling. :::teary moment:::

My friend Theresa e-mailed last week and invited us to the museum to celebrate not back to school day. LOL I invited Lynette, and we all went and met a couple of other people there. We had such a nice time! The kids had a ball playing in the children's museum, then we ate lunch outside, and then looked around the very old houses, offices etc. I wish I'd left after lunch, because it was hot after that and I got tired & grouchy and didn't listen to my limits. I guess it's good that we stayed though, because the kids really did like looking around the old houses and things.

I have to admit that this morning Graham was acting up and I started to get in a bad mood, and that old feeling from last year crept in, where I just wanted to stay home. But you know what? I am absolutely determined to be involved this year. I remember when we were super involved with a local group and I practically lived for Wednesday park days. Since we left that group I just haven't ever gotten back to being very involved and I don't think that is good for me or for the kids. So going today was not only fun but a great start to our new committment!

I like tickers

I love my family!

Today was a busy day. First I had my ob checkup. Everything looks great, and hooray, my u/s is in two weeks!! We're planning to find out the gender this time and I'm so excited I can hardly wait.

After that we had the first day of our new school year. The second I walked in the door Malachi said, "Can we start school now??" LOL! I made us a snack and away we went! We worked for an hour and a half and then it was lunchtime. I read to the kids until 1 and then we all napped (well, the boys had quiet time). After that we went off to the lab, where the phlebotomist took most of my blood. :-P

We got home and finished up our schoolwork, which took until 6:00. Weird day for sure. I made dinner after that and we ate - croissant sandwiches and grapes. Everyone loved it. After dinner we all cleaned until 8:30 and got the house mostly cleaned. Hooray. Put kids to bed and then crashed on the couch. Now it's Treasure Hunters time.

Woo hoo!

Ok, so I hardly ever actually say, "woo hoo!" in real life, but it feels great to write it because it's how I feel! The morning sickness has faded for the most part, and just in time, too. Now that I'm feeling better I can see what all suffered while I was sick. Like, we went grocery shopping for the first time last week (Alif had been handling that for me) and when I put away the groceries I noticed how the refrigerator was screaming to be all scrubbed out. What a difference that made!

Also, we are moving (just a couple streets away) in a few months and so I am going room to room, purging, tossing, goodwill-bagging etc. Moving has a way of making all of my accumulations so much less important to hang on to. Do I want to pack this and unpack it? Do I want to find a place for this in our new house? If the answer is no, away it goes. Some of it gives me a little sad tinge to get rid of, but if I know I'll never miss it, it's gone.

The boys did soccer camp last week and had a GREAT time. I didn't get to go since Caris was just getting over the chicken pox, but Alif went each night and it was a blast for them all. They learned a ton and it made them even more excited for the upcoming soccer season!

More and more and more pox

Even though I knew that the chicken pox incubation period is 10-21 days, I have to admit that by the end of last week, and absolutely no signs of pox on Graham and Caris, I started to feel pretty confident that they'd missed the pox. I was a little disappointed since it would be so nice to get them out of the way, but of course relieved that my littlest ones weren't getting sick.

Saturday we went to Malachi's all-stars game for baseball. Malachi made all stars! GO BOY! Malachi's not the most explosive player, but he was probably the most consistent player on his team this year. He hit every time he got up to bat the whole season! He kept up the great play and hit 4/4 at the all-stars game. His team whomped the other team, which was especially great since his regular team had lost every game throughout the season.

After the game we headed over to Brea's 9th Birthday party. The boys changed into their swimsuits, and when Graham came over to ask me where his clothes should go, what did I see but a huge, bulging chicken pox on his side! I turned him around and there were several more on his back. Yikes! Graham, Caris & I made a quick exit from the party. I thought I saw a couple little red dots on Caris but her skin is so break-out-ish anyway, who could tell. Well, when we woke up Sunday sure enough, she had several herself.

It's hard being the parent and making the decisions. We are getting about a half & half response to our choice to not vaccinate for chicken pox. Some people think we made a bad move there (why let your child suffer something when a little prick could have prevented it?) and some understand that even though it totally sucks watching them suffer, it will be better in the long run to have just had them and be done with it. Still, it totally sucks watching them suffer. Graham's face must have at least 50 of them already. I can tell his case is going to be much worse than Malachi's. Thank God for Benadryl, Tylenol, oatmeal baths, and Mommy & Daddy love.

On a positive note, I was finally able to order all of our books and art supplies for this coming school year! How fun! I also had a 3-day streak of feeling really good last week and got the dining room bookshelves completely cleaned out. What a relief! I just love looking at them now that they're restored to order.

Graham's funny

Graham to Caris, rather indignantly: Caris, if you're gonna tickle me then you need to trim your nails, and I mean a LOT, because they ITCH. They feel like a sword.

The latest & greatest

When my Dad calls he often asks, "What's the latest and greatest?" Here it is:

Malachi has Chicken Pox! We don't vaccinate for CP but it was still a bit of a surprise when the little bumps went beyond possible bug bites. Yesterday he napped for 2.5 hours and today he napped for 4. He also told me his head and tummy hurt, but all in all he's acting pretty usual. Caris is running a bit of a fever today, so it's likely she will break out too in the next few days.

As far as my pregnancy, the nausea is about the same. Some days are pretty good, some are pretty bad. I'll be 12 weeks tomorrow, so hopefully it'll start to ease up from here. I noticed today that my belly was really pouching while I laid on my back on the couch. I look much more pregnant than I actually am, but when you're overweight AND having baby #4, I guess that's to be expected. I'm not in maternity clothes yet since despite the slowly growing belly, I'm still losing weight from the nausea and vomiting.

I wrote out the list of what all I want to order for our upcoming school year, and we are all so excited! I have to admit, I'm the most excited about science. Every single lesson is a hands-on experiment. How fun will that be??

It's bearable, mostly . . .

Thank God, the nausea has NOT gotten like it was with Caris. Last week was pretty bad, but this week has been a little better. Still there's at least part of most days that I don't feel well, but my biggest complaint is that all afternoon I have a horrible taste in my mouth and the major burps. Gross, isn't it?

We had such a nice visit with Megan and Jason. I ATE UP having them here, but the joy of it all was mixed with the bitterness of not feeling up to doing what all I'd like to have done with and for them. Megan's baby shower was an absolute blast! The ladies were so sweet, the venue was gorgeous, the food was good, and Megan was blessed with some really nice things. Then the day after the shower we went to Babysightings and got to see Baby Mills swimming and wiggling and as precious as any baby could be. It was AMAZING. And we also found out that Baby Mills can now be called Christian James! We were all pretty surprised that it's a boy baby in there, but HE is DEFINITELY a BOY. Jason is so proud. :-)

Not Nausea

Ok, definitely the extreme exhaustion was WAY better than the nausea. This is inching up to being just like it was with Caris. Please, please let it not get that bad. As of now it comes in waves, with most afternoons being fairly miserable. ::::::groan:::::

7 Weeks

I hope I don't turn my whole blog into a big ol' pregnancy journal. Sorry if I do. The evening of and the evening after my ultrasound, I had quite a bit of spotting. I was so afraid I was losing the baby, but after a few days it stopped. It is interesting to admit that I'm actually thankful for the pregnancy symptoms that have set in since then. I'm having some nausea. It comes and goes and isn't anything like what I had with Caris. Thank God. I'm extremely tired, and though I'll take that over severe nausea any day, it is disheartening that it feels like 11 pm all day long. Hopefully I'll have more energy with the second trimester!

We just finished up a 2-week session of swim lessons. It was to be Caris' first swim lessons in a "big girl" class, but she was kicked out by the young, inexperienced manager 10 minutes into the second day. I was more than annoyed. Malachi and Graham both performed really well and passed all of their classes.

Baseball season is in full swing (sorry for the groan-worthy pun). I am really enjoying it this year, except for the one night I almost threw up at the field. NOT good. Know what soothed the nausea? NACHOS. HA!

Only a few days until Megan & Jason arrive in town really soon! I CAN'T WAAAAAAAIT!

Autobiography

Here's something someone posted on the January 2007 message board. Thought my blog was a more appropriate place to fill it out. LOL

Your Autobiography
Part 1: The Birth of You

Were you a planned baby?: Yes
Were you the first?: 2nd
Who was present at your birth?: I think just my Dad & the hospital attendants.
Were your parents married when you were born?: Yes
What is your birthdate?: 9/7

Part 2: The Family

How would you describe your family?: Succinctly? A typical American family.
Are your parents married? Divorced? Seperate?: Divorced, both remarried
Siblings or an only child?: Older brother, younger sister
If you have siblings are you oldest, middle, or youngest?: Middle
What are your siblings names?: Jerod & Megan
Which parent do you get along with best?: Closest to my Mom, get along with both great
What do you fight about?: Hmm, don't really fight with either of my parents
Do you have step parents?: Yep, but they're not really like step parents - they're my parents' spouses.

Part 3: The Friends
Do you have more than one best friend?: I have several close friends
What do you like to do when you are together? Depends on the friend. I spend the most time with Lynette, and we pretty much walk or just hang out and talk
Do you share the same interests?: Totally!
Which friend can you tell anything to? Lynette, Megan, Liz

Part 4: Your Personality
How high/low is your self esteem?: It all depends on how much I've been in the Word. If I'm distant from God I feel pretty useless.
Do you get depressed about things easily?: Sometimes
Are you an extrovert or an introvert? Hmm. I've always been more extroverted, but I find that now that I spend so much time with my kids, I can really recharge with alone time - but not too much or it makes me lonely.
Are you happy?: Mostly, yes!
Do you live life to the fullest?: Pretty sure that's a big NO. LOL But - I'm satisfied with my life completely.

Part 5: Appearance
Are you comfortable with the way you look?: NO!
Do you have any piercings besides your ears?: No
Describe your hair? It's brown with highlights, shoulder length with long layers
What make-up do you wear?: All types. I love makeup!
How do you dress? Casual - capris, jeans with fitted tees
Part 6: The Past
Were you a strange child?: No - what a funny question!
What did you use to love that you no longer do? Exercise
Do you have the same friends?: A few
Was there anything in your past that was traumatizing? Of course

Part 7: The Future
What is your ambition?: To follow Jesus
Are you scared of growing old?: No
Do you want to get married?: I LOVE being married!!

Part 8: The Outdoors
Do you prefer indoors or outdoors?: Depends what I'm doing. I love swimming and walking, both outdoors. Eating I much prefer indoors - same with sleeping.
Favorite Season? Spring
Favorite weather? Warm but not hot
Do you like walking in the rain? Well, I loved it in Scotland but it rarely happens here

Part 9: Food
Are you a vegetarian?: No
What is your favorite food?: I love Mexican and Italian and sweets
What food makes you want to gag?: Coconut
What is your favorite dessert?: Dulce de Leche ice cream
What is your favorite restaurant?: Umm, Olive Garden? LOL
Are you a fussy eater? No

Part 10: Relationships and Love

Are you single or taken?: VERY taken
If taken who is the lucky guy/girl? My sweet husband
Do you think love is the best feeling in the world? Yes
Do you believe in love at first sight? Ummm, I think there was a definite chemistry right away for Alif & I, but love developed along the way

Part 11: Experiences

What was one of your greatest experiences?: Ooooh, too many. Being with Alif, dedicating my life to Jesus, moments with my kids, going to Scotland . . . I could go on and on!
What was one of your worst? Again, too many and too depressing to list LOL
Have you ever thought you were going to die?: Yes, after my car accident in 1995
Have you ever suffered from depression?: Yes, but never severe or ongoing

Scrambled Eggs

Ok, seriously? Malachi makes better scrambled eggs than I do. How's that for an exciting blog entry?

Finally sharing!!

Ok, for anyone who can't stomach menstrual details, run now! So - I had my last period on April 1. Shortly thereafter, around the end of April, I weaned Caris. I hoped that within a few months of weaning her, my body would get back to normal and I'd get pregnant. I traveled to Scotland and a few times while I was there, I wondered if I could be pregnant. I was peeing A LOT and actually got carsick on the way home from LAX. Well, no such luck, as I got a period on May 17th. Or so I thought. It was really strange because the whole period started as brown spotting and just kind of stayed that way. My Diva cup was almost empty each time I cleaned it, which is NOT at all normal. Then again, it was 8 days, which is about 2x as long as my usual period. I figured my cycles were still wacky since I'd just weaned & traveled. On May 28th I decided to start charting again. My temp was way high that day, as in post-ovulatory high. What? I was like, how can that be? My period just ended four days ago! So I figured it was a fluke, but the next morning, woah, another high temp! OMGosh! I took a pregnancy test, knowing it would be negative but really wondering what was going on. Oh ~ my ~ gosh, it was positive! We were all home, just having a relaxing, usual morning. I didn't want to tell Alif and have him get all excited until I knew exactly what was going on - what was with all that bleeding?? I had a couple days of bleeding when I first got pregnant with Graham and he was implanting, but 8 days? Oh my. 2 hours later I took TWO more tests - both definitely positive! At that point I called Alif in to take a look, and he was happy and excited and not at all nervous about the bleeding. "Bodies don't always work like we expect them to," he reassured me. I wasn't reassured. I started doing research online and was saddened to find out that one can have positive pregnancy tests long after a miscarriage. Was THAT what all the bleeding was? Why wasn't it heavier, more crampy? Why was my temp still high? I called the doctor, and went in to see the nurse practitioner on June 1. She did an internal exam and said my uterus was enlarged and soft, indicating a very early pregnancy, and ordered both an ultrasound and labwork to test my HCG levels. I had the HCG levels done that afternoon. The next morning we left for an overnight trip, and that afternoon I called the doctor's office and the lab until I could finally get my results, from the Dr. himself. He said my levels indicated a 5-6 week pregnancy, and he'd like to retest the levels on Monday and also do an ultrasound on Tuesday. I had my ultrasound this morning, and lo and behold, there was my tiniest sweet pea, heart flashing! I'm so excited and so relieved I could burst!! I'm due January 31!

Caris' Clifford Party

Caris had such a nice party! She had chosen a Clifford theme months ago, but when I went to buy party supplies on Thursday, no one in town carried Clifford! Shoot - we went with red instead, and got yellow, red & purple balloons, black confetti, and I had ribbon with pawprints on it. Lynette let me borrow some Clifford books to set around also. It was cute. She came over early to help me set up and did an excellent job frosting the pawprint cake and all the extra cupcakes. THANKS LYNETTE! We had a smaller party this year and it really was nice. It was a big enough crowd to feel festive, but not so big as to be overwhelming. We ate Subway sandwiches and chips and drank soda. Simple as can be. After lunch it was present time! I set Caris in a lawn chair and uh-oh, it tipped over and she landed on her face! She bled a lot but it turned out to be a tiny little cut in her lip. It's swollen today but thank God it wasn't worse. She received so many nice gifts! We have such generous family and friends. Our gift to her was a bike - oh, and Graham chose one of those ponies-on-a-stick for her. How cute! After presents we brought out the adorable bone-shaped sugar cookies Mom made (many compliments to my Mom on those, of course!) and the cake/cupcakes. We couldn't get the candle to stay lit because it was such a breezy day, but it stayed *almost* lit until time for her to blow it out. I don't think she was the wiser. LOL Graham was pretty concerned that she didn't get to actually blow her candle. After that the kids played, I handed out goodie bags (cellophane bags with pawprints on them with kool-aid playdough and bubbles inside, tied with the pawprint ribbon) and we all just visited for a bit longer. Morning parties are a hassle because of not having the whole day to get ready for them, but the relaxing afternoon after the party is so worth it. We napped and hung out and then went to Fred & Juanita's for dinner. Really all in all a wonderful day!

The new allergist rocks . . . so far

We took Caris to an allergy & immunology specialist on Monday at Cedars-Sinai. Now my little town has its fair share of good doctors, but our local allergy specialist (the one recommended to us, anyway) just could not get Caris' situation under control. Her eczema was causing us all grief on a daily, even hourly, basis. So off we went. The new allergist (we'll call him Dr. A) was absolutely wonderful. His office is hip and fun (though the front office girls are decidedly snotty) and Dr. A is just who we needed. He talked to the whole family respectfully, then did a quite thorough examination. He found, in fact, an ear infection we didn't know was there, and he said her constant itchiness is probably blocking her from feeling pain. We then did a second round of skin tests (the first having been performed by our local guy), and while we waited the 20 minutes for the results, the nurse brought in a portable dvd player for her to watch Elmo. Nice touch! Guess what? She came back highly allergic to peanuts, questionable for cats & dairy, and absolutely negative for bermuda, tree nuts, dogs and strawberries! Woo hoo!! We then went back into his consultation room and he explained the course of action he would like to take and made sure we understood every bit of it down to the smallest detail. (For example, I asked where exactly do I apply a certain medication, and he got up and physically showed us, "I would put it here, here, here . . . ") We are on day 3 of the new medications and her skin, nose and eyes are VASTLY improved already. I'm still a bit skeptical since we had great results in the past with other medications, but four days into each one the symptoms would all come back fiercely. For now, I'm holding out hope and enjoying the peace my daughter can have without scratching herself all day.

Mother's Day

What an absolutely perfect Mother's Day! We got up and walked to Fred & Juanita's as a family for breakfast, then walked home and tidied up a bit, then put kids down for naps. I laid down as well, then showered and Mom & Rod came over. Mom loved her bracelet and she got me the Betty Crocker Cooky Book and a Cuisinart electric tea kettle! Mom used that Cooky Book all while we were growing up, and like Alif said, "Your Mom sure knows her cookies!" That book will be a treasure to me and to my family!! The second I saw the tea kettle I burst into tears. When we were visiting Megan and Jason, Megan told us about her electric tea kettle and how essential it is. Actually, she said, "I can't imagine not having it!" I've been wanting a tea kettle for some time, and this was just perfect timing and the perfect one!!

Home from Scotland

I don't know where to even start in describing my trip to Scotland. I'm still trying to process it all, honestly. Maybe I'll do a tiny bit of a summary here and then go into more detail another time.
* Scotland is absolutely a beautiful, amazing place to be. The oldness of the country is astounding, and it's hard to understand from the pictures that it's not just that way in certain places, it's simply that way everywhere. How can the buildings be gorgeous and old everywhere you look? Incomprehensible for a country as new as ours. Time almost seems to stand still in Scotland, because life in general isn't quite as hustly-bustly. That may not be true for everyone, but just generally comparing Scotland to America, I find a much more leisurely pace there. It was refreshing in a way I'm not ready to give up, and yet here I am, back in the hustle-bustle of life in the US.
* My sister and her husband are doing just great. It is so nice to be around them! They're transparent and genuine and very, very sweet. I miss Megan so much already, and I've only been gone from her for a day. When I heard that she was going into missions, I thought time would heal all wounds when it came to being apart from her, but it honestly gets worse as time goes by. Going to see their home and their life and living with them for a week was so amazing, and at the same time, it was such a reminder of what all we're missing out on by not being part of each other's daily lives. I hate that part of it.
* I knew I'd love seeing Megan's life and being with her, but I really didn't expect to hear so much from God while I was there. That is the part I'm spending most of my time processing, actually. So many things about my life that I've been wanting to change, I saw played out while I was in Scotland. Mainly three things: health (eating and activity level), ministry and time online. I know those things sound so generic, but when they dominate a good part of my mind and physical life, it's huge for me to be so convicted about so many things, and encouraged seeing others live the way I aim to live. I keep asking God what it is that he wants me to do specifically, but I'm not hearing anything yet, so I will have to keep asking and keep listening. I know that his purpose for my life is a lot bigger than hours online every day and a physical lack of health that affects me tremendously.
* The kids and Alif did GREAT while I was gone! God did cool things in Alif while I was away, and the kids have adjusted back to having me at home nicely. They were busy and happy and secure, and that's all I could ask for!
* It IS really great to be home. I'm still adjusting (doesn't that sound weird, after only a week away??) and I'm still exhausted, but life is continuing on like usual, for the most part, and I am sure in a week I'll feel like a new woman.

Friday, May 5

It's so odd that it's Friday already! We left LAX at 3:30 on Wednesday and arrived here in Glasgow at 1:15 pm Thursday. Mom & I did not sleep on the plane, which shocked me! Our flights were otherwise great though, and our trip so far has been totally charming. Megan & Jason treated us to a Black Cab ride back to their flat, which was adorable, and then we sat around and talked for a while. Then we headed out to dinner at a pub/restaurant called Waxy O'Connor's. It was absolutely beautiful there and the food was great. We had such a nice time talking! Just before we left there, it started to rain and that made this really feel like the Scotland experience. The neighborhood where M & J live is 200 years old and beautiful and the rain on top of that was amazing. Not only was it rain but a massive lightning storm too. Impressive! We had ridden the train downtown so luckily we didn't have to actually walk through much rain. Anyway, we woke up at 5:52 this morning (why did we wake up so early??) and we have a NieuCommunities team breakfast at 9:30. Later we'll go to a Bible group, then to a Scottish folk dance called a Ceilidh (KAY-lee) where we will hear live Scottish music, dance, and eat Mexican food. How enjoyable! I totally love that I can blog while I'm here!

We're leaving in 2 days!

TWO DAYS! I can't "bweeve" it! (As Caris would say). It's hot here, and boy is that heat draining my energy! We actually are running our air conditioner for the first time this year. I have it set on 80º and it's coming on every so often. Well, off to do more packing & preparation!

Tonsillitis

Yesterday my illness went to a whole new and unbearable level, so I went to the doctor YET AGAIN today, and I have tonsillitis. Yay for antibiotics.

Weaning Update

So weaning is going increasingly well, in case you care to know! My drinkies have decided to cooperate! Hooray! 2 days ago one side was really aching so I let her nurse for a few minutes, and since then everything's fine! The only bummer is that Caris is really taking it hard. She is so sweet and compliant, and she does little misbehaviors here & there, but rarely am I frustrated with her. Well, the last 3 days have been . . . frustrating to say the least. LOL She's been just really trying to get my attention any way she can, and I can see that she'll need some extra-special time with me for a while. Yesterday I gathered her up and we had a mommy-daughter picnic on the porch, and she LOVED it. She said, "this is fun" and "I wuv you, Mommy" and "it's nice" over and over and over. Awwwwww.

It's Saturday

OMGosh we're almost down to single digits! I am so excited I can't stand it!

still moaning

Yesterday was pretty miserable with the head cold. My nose and eyes were itchy and running like a drippy faucet. Literally - it was pretty gross. Today I woke up with a very stuffy nose but little else, so it's been a nice day. We celebrated Lyn's Birthday with a pizza lunch that was just really fun! I took a tiny rest during the kids' quiet/naptime, and have been sewing and cleaning and playing and reading and all the things Mommies do. Well, I finally took my inhaler to hopefully ward off the chest settling I tend to get with colds, and it is helping with the coughing of junk. I feel a fever coming on. Most women whine about their husbands being awful sick people, but if anyone in this house has a right to complain about that, it's Alif. I'm a terrible person to be near when I'm sick. What a moaner!

Not again ::::::moan:::::::

I woke up sick today. Again. This one is a totally miserable head cold. I cannot remember a year we've had so many sickies in this house! GO AWAY and leave us alone, would you?

Lynette & I took all the kids today and signed up for next year's Bible Study. Yay.

I'm resting and sewing and working and resting today.

Girls DO run too!

Megan told me about girlsruntoo.com a long time ago, and I thought the beginners' programme looked doable, but never did it. A couple of weeks ago, Lynette asked if I'd like to start running. I told her about girlsruntoo.com and we both agreed it looked like something we could manage. So guess what? We started! We went once, then Easter kept us busy and we didn't go last week, but we got back on track today. Boy did we work hard, and boy did it feel good!! YAY US! The kids whined all through the first time but did GREAT today. Yay!

Happy Easter!

Jesus is risen! What a wonderful thing to celebrate!!

It seems silly to write about weaning on the holiest day of the year, but that's ok, right? Since the last time I wrote, Caris has nursed 2x. The night of the 1 minute + on each side, I told her that in the morning we would not have drinkie. I thought for sure there would be crying in the morning, but she didn't even bring it up! That night when she prayed though, she asked God if she could have drinkie tomorrow. That next day I went ahead and nursed her for a few minutes on the other side. She hasn't nursed since! I asked her if she was ready for her special cup and she wasn't sure. I remained confident though, and told her I really think she's ready! Last night at Target I got her a Dora cup (like a sports bottle) and a Hello Kitty plate set with a tumbler. She loves them and is really excited! My nursies are heavy this morning. I hope it doesn't get too bad!

While I was at Target, I ran into Suzie L. - so good to see her, even for a minute! It reminded me how much harder I need to focus on re-developing a homeschool support system for the kids & I. How I used to look forward to Wednesdays with BHL! I know I can have that same feeling again if I'll just get off my tush and put us back in the game.

Also at Target I saw Richard Gandara's wife (horrible greeter that I am, I cannot remember her name). She recognized me and asked who I am, and though she was faintly familiar, I'd never have placed her. I'm so glad she approached me! After I left Target I thought - dang, I should have gotten their phone number, and asked what Richard is doing, and things like that. She is so sweet! Lynette and I used to always wonder what sort of girl he would end up with, and she seems to be the perfect match for him. How happy!

I did not give the kids Easter baskets this year. I'm so put off by EASTER becoming commercialized, I just won't play into it with my kids. I don't think it's wrong to give them baskets, by any means, but they already get baskets from two sets of grandparents and sometimes even extras from aunts and uncles. It's shocking to me, because when I was growing up, we got a beautiful basket from our parents and that was it! So - I just got them each a cute, soft Easter stuffed animal and made them each a little card. Last night we made Resurrection Rolls and they were SO cool. The whole family participated. Definitely a new tradition! How do people make the links into the words - like, here's the link for the Resurrection Rolls, but how would I make just the words themselves to be the link? http://www.dltk-kids.com/recipes/resurrection_rolls.htm

One last thing: Megan is going to use cloth diapers on the new baby! I'm ridiculously excited about this! Maybe pictures of Sweet Pea in his/her dipes will satisfy my baby craving. Ha ha! I actually made a list yesterday of what all Megan's stash should have. :::must not be meddling auntie::: I just cannot get over it still: Megan's gonna be a Mommy! Megan's gonna be a Mommy! Visions of the two of them cuddling their newborn - wow, how sacred! Suddenly though, every time I think of Megan, it's her as a little girl. It's hard to believe we're all three grown up, married and with families!

Scotland Countdown continued

Maybe she needs her own blog

I feel like I need a blog just for the funny, sweet, silly, crazy things Caris says! She's at that age, I guess. Here's one that happened just now. I was in the kitchen, and she came in to throw away her banana peel. The kids & Alif are all playing table soccer. She said, "Mommy! Daddy said I have to stay on the bunk bed! He put me up there and then he got me down so I can throw this away." I looked at her with a concerned face and said, "You were on the top bunk?" "Yeah! Daddy put me up there! I not fall down from there." I said, "I don't know that that's the best idea, sweetie. You be very careful! You're my precious girl!" She said ok and scooted off, then came back a few seconds later and said, "Mommy, God has to take care of me ok? I not fall off from there." I said, "Yes, He sure does honey, but that doesn't mean we should do unsafe things, ok?" LOLOL

Getting to know Graham

How old are you? 6
How old is Mommy? 7
How old is Daddy? 8
Are you being silly? No ::smiles in a rascally way:: I wanna watch TV. Can I?

Moments with Malachi

How old are you? 8
How tall are you? Uhhh, I don't know.
What's your favorite thing to do? Climb.
Climb what? Trees.
How about your favorite inside thing to do? Umm, play computer.
What specifically? Neopets.
How old is Mommy? 31
How old is Daddy? 31 and a half.
How old is Grammy? 6 and a half
How old is Caris? 2 and a half
Who's your best friend? God
Tell me about your pets. I don't know.
What do you mean? ::smiling:: I like 'em.
What is your favorite thing to learn about? God
What's your favorite school subject? Hmm. Math.
Why? 'Cuz I like to do it.
What's your favorite cartoon? Umm, Power Rangers.
What would you like to be when you grow up? A police officer.
What would that be like? Fun.
Will you be married? Uhh, maybe.
And if you are, will you have kids? Yes.
How many? I don't know.
If you had a boy, what would you name him? I don't know.
What about a girl? I don't know.
What would you like your wife to be like? I don't know.
What are you really good at? Soccer.
Why? 'Cuz I like it.
Have you had enough of my questions? Yes.

I hope it's okay!

I hope it's ok to blab at this point . . . MEGAN IS PREGNANT!!!! I'm so beside myself with excitement I don't even feel like writing ::gasp:: HA HA HA MEGAN IS PREGNANT!!!!

Blue House Soaps

Can I just give a HUMUNGOUS shout-out to www.bluehousesoaps.com? Melissa not only creates a wonderful product, she is absolutely WONDERFUL to work with. I e-mailed her asking how I could get my hands on a loaf of her Basic Bar, and she first mailed me several darling, great little samples for free, even though I offered to pay her for them. I loved everything she sent and contacted her again, asking if she could make me a loaf of the Basic Bar, but could she add raw honey and ground oatmeal? She said sure, and not only did she make it, she added it to her site! Look!

Emily's Honey Bear
Our new Honey Bear soap was another customer-inspired creation. Suggested by a customer with whom I have chatted extensively about the effects of eczema on her child, this was her suggestion and we created it from scratch for her in our Blue House kitchen. The results were amazing. Our pure and natural olive oil soap recipe is enhanced by a generous portion of raw golden honey and finely ground colloidal oatmeal. Honey contains many vitamins and minerals which support healthy skin care. Honey contains a bacteria-killing property known as "the inhibition effect", and is an excellent source to promote wound healing. Colloidal oatmeal in water will coat sensitive skin, moisturize and protect it. This soap contains NO fragrance or essential oils, yet it has a fresh, home baked smell that is amazing! We highly recommend this bar for use on people with allergies and skin sensitivities. This bar is generously cut to at least 4 ounces.

Click HERE to see an ingredient listing for this soap

Our Price: $4.49 Units: 4 oz +

The countdown is on!

Caving and Travel

So the drinkies were in a state of fullness this morning that I was not prepared to live with all day, and I indulged Caris and the drinkies in over a minute of nursing on each side. :::::gasp::::::

Also got out of bed and checked out any travel information Mom & I could need to know during our trip to Scotland. We're so lucky to have Megan and Jason to guide us, but also the travel information is pretty straightforward.

I'm now really starting to think about how it will be to be gone for 8 days! One thing that put me into a bit of a panic was trying to figure how to leave proper information on all of Caris's medications. I know them well, when to use them and when not to, the doses and times and which can go with which, but Alif is blissfully unaware. I think my best bet is going to be to just have him keep her on one - say, Zyrtec - the entire time I'm gone, and then leave instructions on managing symptoms. Hmm.

The Drinkies Rebel

I knew it couldn't last forever, this amazing adaptation of the drinkies to the newly-shortened drinkie schedule. All day yesterday they were uncomfortably full. They never did get to a truly painful point, but this morning with only 45 seconds per drinkie, there wasn't much relief. Caris is fully aware that her drinkie days are nearly over, and she often mentions the special cup! I've promised her when drinkie days are through, but she is not ready to let go. She brought up the special cup! this afternoon and I said, "do you think you're all done with drinkie now, all the way?" She said, "Not yet." So - I guess tomorrow we'll have a 30-seconds-per-side drinkie. Oh, I HATE this! I hate it!

Babble

Drastic Cutdown of Drinkie went way better today. I warned her beforehand that it would be VERY short. She had one minute per side, and she desperately clamped and clutched onto the drinkie and my pajamas, which is desperately heartbreaking, but with the promise of the "piggies" game she unclenched. Within 5 seconds she was giggly and happy. And in other good news, the drinkies themselves are adjusting amazingly well!

Alif comes home today from a 3-day trip to work on the house at the beach. We were supposed to join him, but with all the rain it just didn't seem like the best idea. I am glad we didn't, because it was really stormy all day yesterday. If I ever thought the kids got stir-crazy being stuck inside, I had no idea how stir-crazy a dog could get! Moxy's behavior was so obnoxious yesterday. Thank God it's not raining today, and none in the 5-day forecast either. WOO HOO!

Graham's Prayer

Graham's prayer tonight, after Grandma had taken Malachi to Build-A-Bear for his Birthday:
"Dear God, I love you soooooo much. Thank you for giving Grandma all the money to buy Malachi's Build-A-Bear and I hope he had a good time, and I hope he has a good time with his new Build-A-Bear. You are the most powerfullest man and if you touch the devil with your fingernail one time, you will defeat him. I love you so much. In Jesus' name, Amen."

29 days and 6 minutes

Mom & I are leaving for Scotland in 29 days! Caris & I are in drastic nursing cut-down now; as of today, we're down to 3 minutes per side. Yesterday she nursed 9 minutes total, today 6. I cannot believe our nursing relationship is ending in literally days. I guess I'm feeling a little more ok with it now. I had a nice, long cry the other night over Malachi turning 8 and Caris weaning, and as melodramatic as it sounds, grieving is really helping me to end this. It's freedom for me to know I don't have to act like it's no big thing to wean an almost-3-year-old. I mean wow, every day for the last 1000+ days I have nursed her! That's a loooooot of nursing. LOL! Anyway, pardon my rambling about the nursing, but please expect lots more of it before weaning is through, and probably beyond.

Gardenin' Fools!

It has been so rainy here the past couple of weeks that when the sunshine comes out, I just want to celebrate by getting my hands into the earth! We have put off renovating our gardens for all of the 7 years we've lived here, because we continually have a plan for adding on to the house and subsequently re-finishing the outside somehow. I figure the gardens will be pretty well destroyed in that whole process, so I've just let the weeds take over. Well you know what? I'm no longer willing to stare at weeds! I decided we'd just weed and plant one tiny section at a time until our yard looks like the English cottage garden I've dreamed of. We started with 8 small flowering plants, and we're slowly but surely weeding one little patch at a time in our front bed to make way for one plant at a time. So far we've got 2 planted and though they're sparse, they're infinitely more beautiful than the grass and weeds previously residing there. Praise God for His beautiful botanical creations!!

Oh, darn!!

I woke up with a slight sore throat and some major congestion. I worried it could be strep since the kids had it last week, but then wrote that off since I had other cold symptoms and no fever. Well, now I do have a fever and feel pretty awful! UGH! I scheduled a dr appt for first thing tomorrow morning, because if this IS strep, no way am I waiting it out. I'll feel pretty dumb if it's just a cold but even dumber if I wait and end up even more miserable than I am now!

Will I be a boy?

We were in the car and had just gotten Happy Meals for the kids (I asked for all "boy toys" since Caris wanted a spy toy, not a Trollz doll). Caris said, "Mommy, when will I be a boy?" I said, "You won't, honey - God made you a girl." She was pretty bummed to hear this news! LOL!

Phase Two

The kids & I went to Home Depot this morning and chose two shades of blue for the boys' room. One is really dark and will be the backdrop for their "outer space" wall with stars and planets. The other is a medium blue that will hopefully complement the outer space wall nicely, without being too dark. I put the first coat of paint up on the outer space wall. It's a GREAT color and the boys love it! Malachi even got excited - hooray! Hopefully the paint will dry quickly enough that I can put the 2nd coat on sometime tonight. It might even need a third coat. Bleh, lots of work, but to be expected with such a dark paint.

Alif's so cool

This morning Alif handled the kids while I "slept in" (amidst much ruckus, but still - I was in my bed) until 8:00, and guess where they all are now? Out to breakfast! I love my husband!!

ROFL Graham!

Graham is not suffering the same sadness as Malachi with this bedroom changing-around. He said earlier, "This is the most fun day EVER!"

Just now, as the boys watched Stuart Little, he said to Malachi, "That was a so short party, huh?" And I realized, there IS a party on that movie that is so tiny, and how funny that he recognized that! He's got Alif's powers of observation when it comes to movies, I guess.

Shakin' Things Up

I've thought for some time that it might be a good idea to switch the kids' bedrooms. The room Caris is in is bigger than the boys' room, and the boys' room has white paneling on the walls that was darling for their nursery but cuter for a little girl's room than a big boys' room. This is rather an involved process, because the beds will have to be disassembled and reassembled, ceiling fans switched, walls repainted, curtain rods moved, etc. We began the first segment of the move today - moving the stuff. This is a way bigger feat than I'd imagined, and we're only about halfway through. Yikes! We'd moved a few of the boys' cabinets over, and I set Malachi's karate bag on top of his dresser (a picture of he & I was on his dresser in their old room). He tried convincing me that he'd rather have the picture on the dresser and the bag on a cabinet, and I tried to counter-convince him that no, the bag would be lots better on the dresser. All of a sudden he dropped his head and started to cry quietly. In that moment I realized what a drastic change this really is for him! We moved to this house when he was 7 months old, so his old bedroom is the only bedroom he's ever known. I put the bag aside and set the picture where it had been and comforted and held him, knowing how really hard it is to make big changes. I asked him just before Quiet Time, would he rather have Quiet Time in his old room (in his own bed) or in his new room, and surprisingly, he said he'd like to have it in his new room, with some blankets and his pillow on the floor. He'll come around, and their new room is gonna be so cool he won't be able to help but to love it, but I need to be patient in the meantime!

That was quick!

Those antibiotic shots are very powerful! The kids are just about back to normal today! No one has a sore throat at all, and Malachi's rash is much improved. I feel a little congested and tired and am praying I don't get it!

Sick Indeed

All 3 kids have strep throat. All 3 kids had huge antibiotic shots. I hope all 3 kids are like new by tomorrow!

Sick kids

My kids & I have been sick for the last few days. Caris and I had colds - hers worse than mine. Graham had a sore throat and a bit of a fever. Malachi has a very sore throat, a low-grade fever (about 100.5) and he's just very, very lethargic. I'm actually afraid he may have strep, so I will have him seen today. It's no fun being sick!

8 years

We've been married 8 years today! Wow!

It's Monday!

Mondays always feel so refreshing to me. It's like a new start each Monday.

Last night Alif & I taught the 2/3 Sunday School class. It's our first time teaching and I was admittedly rather nervous, but it went just great! We had a good time, the kids had a good time, and we're looking forward to next week. We'll teach this class for 3 months.

I did not do any of my usual "deep-cleaning" on Saturday, so I'm doing that in between schoolwork today. So far the living room is done. LOL It's not 10:00 yet so I guess there's no room for panic, but I really would like to have the house clean today.

Tonight I have a meeting at church for CrossRoads' first VBS! How exciting! I have such fond memories of VBS as a kid, and I look forward to building those same memories for my own kids.

Yesterday I realized that next summer ('07) Malachi will go to his first summer camp! How weird is THAT? He is going to love it so much! It will probably feel like 5 of the longest days of my life without him here.

Weaning

Several months ago I came up with a plan for weaning Caris. I decided to get her set up on four nursings a day, then cut down one per month until we were down to one, and then spend another month cutting that one back to nothing. At the time this whole process seemed soooo slow and gentle, and the end seemed very far off. Well wow, it's March and she's down to one a day, first thing in the morning. It's so weird for both of us every time we cut one out. It's such a part of our daily routine! Last night was the first time putting her to bed without drinkie, and it was actually very nice. Everything was the same (kissing and hugging daddy etc.) but then I just carried her off to her bed, tucked her in, prayed with her and turned on her frog (it plays a tune for about 30 seconds), just like at naptime. It went perfectly for her, but weird for me. Today at nap she cried for a few seconds about wanting drinkie, but I assured her that she'll have drinkie tomorrow morning. How weird - and sad - it will be when there isn't that assurance any more. :*( I told her that when she is ALL done with drinkies, we will go and pick out her VERY OWN new cups, and she can have her milk in those special cups. I guess that will have to be our big deal. It feels totally false to celebrate her weaning when it really is a sad thing for both of us. I want to say it's bittersweet, but it's not sweet; it's just sad. Nonetheless though, it would make no sense to pump for 8 days while I'm in Scotland for an almost 3-year-old, so wean we will. Sigh . . . why do babies have to grow up?

Mommy! Mommy!

We finished all of our schoolwork, and I sent the kids outside to play while I heat up some soup leftover from last night. I sat down to send an e-mail and heard Caris's pat-pat-pat on the back door's window, and she calling excitedly, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" I went to see what was going on and she said, "Mommy! It's RAINING today! I can't BWEEVE it!" LOL The simple joys are the best!

Almost noon

I have spent all morning trying to get us ready to go to the store. It's 11:09 and we are nearing the "ready" point. Oh my. Yesterday I felt so blah, and it all came to a head in the evening as I spent several hours running to the restroom. I have no idea what brought it all on. Maybe a tummy bug, maybe hormonal, I don't know. I didn't even get to finish watching ice skating. I went to bed and tossed & turned all night, but at least this morning my tummy's not screaming at me. I'm really tired and can't wait until naptime, but I simply must get to the bank and store. I'm going to cut my menu in half and just do my shopping through Monday's meals. At least that will make for a shorter shopping trip.

Caris and Graham are completely ready, Malachi's finishing up his bath, I'm done with my tepid shower and just need to do my hair and makeup, and then we'll be on our way. :::yawn:::

Moxy's Pamperlicious Day

I have been so lazy today, and I figured as long as I hadn't showered yet, AND the sun was out, I might as well give Moxy the bath he's needed since day one. The water was definitely dirty, and he really smelled like horse, but after two lathers and rinses, he looks SO shiny and beautiful! He's so soft too!

Then as I laid down for a little afternoon rest (which lasted less than 5 minutes), the mail came with Moxy's new personalized nylon collar! It fits him so well, reads beautifully with his name and phone number, and looks a LOT more comfortable for him than the bulky leather one he was wearing. Bravo!

Exhausting Day

This morning started out in an ordinary way. Nice day, pleasant, sunny, slept in a bit, chatted with Lynette on the phone - just, a nice beginning to the day.

Then the phone rang. I saw that it was my friend Cyndi calling and answered. We are good friends, but we don't just call to chat, so I wondered what she was calling in regard to. I thought maybe she was calling to see why I wasn't at Bible Study on Thursday. So the phone call started in kind of an odd way, and I wondered what she was leading up to. Well, it turns out that God had just completely put me on her heart and she wasn't exactly sure what she was leading up to either. LOL I so admire (AND APPRECIATE!!) that she was willing to step out in faith like that. It's way too long to write about all the details, but it actually turned out that she had some serious spiritual truths to speak into my life. Some of it was just completely encouraging, and other parts were exhortations delivered in the most uplifting manner. I felt . . . well, just amazed that God really cares enough about me that he put my name on Cyndi's heart that way, and also that she actually followed through, not even knowing what it was God was asking of her.

I left that conversation feeling primarily really grateful and loved, but I have to admit that I also feel completely upside-down. What's so special about today, February 17th, that made God want to bring together so many loose ends? That's not even the right way to put it - I'm just at a loss to explain what I'm feeling. So many things that God has been trying to tell me came together through that conversation. Confirmations of things I *thought* he might be trying to say, new things that need to be refreshed and pressed into my heart, really old promises that I thought maybe He'd forgotten . . . wow. Like I told Cyndi, there's so much of God's power that I want in my life - I so want to be 100% poured out for Him EVERY day, and believing Him REALLY - deep down, in the core of my being . . . but man, the flesh in me rises up to DO something about it. Just - God, tell me WHAT TO DO! Alas - that's just not what He has in store right now. I've gotta just BE. Just be before Him humble, believing and the hardest part, waiting for what He wants to do in me.

So - I got off the phone with Cyndi and was just reeling, so many thoughts and prayers and just - WOW. Then reality hit. Graham bent up his new glasses, hit the dog with a stick repeatedly, got into Daddy's tools . . . I immediately felt so discouraged and disheartened.

I talked to Lynette again, and she was so encouraging about mothering, as she always is. Through that conversation I got to thinking about what things I am not really doing as a mother that would be for the betterment of my kids - my family. I prayed about it a little bit, and felt the conviction about my time online. This is a scary step for me but I wrote good-byes to two large groups of online friends. So much of my fulfillment is coming from the Internet that the rest of my life is suffering, including my kids. That is a sad and convicting realization, but again - laying that all before the throne, I know that God has a plan. He didn't make me my kids' mommy for no reason, and despite my failures, He has a purpose!

So, you can see that I am so scattered right now, which maybe is exactly where God needs me. I've always gotta work everything out - figure out the why, how etc. and man - that really doesn't leave God much to work with, does it? Humility. Humility . . .

Glasses for Graham

We have been noticing Graham blinking a lot more than usual lately, and Alif is forever telling him to scoot back from the TV. Then we went to his 6-year-checkup last week and he did not pass the vision screen. Today we went to see an opthamologist and sure enough, Grammy-Mams needs glasses! We looked through all the glasses there at the office and none of them suited Graham's fancy. We went over to Lens Crafters and he found a pair he loves. They are brown rectangle wire frames, just like Daddy's, and they have clip-on sunglasses. They are very cool, and we'll go pick them up after nap! Dr. said he is about 20/40 to 20/50 and that he's been missing a lot.

Cuteness, TV and other things

I opened up my copy of Power of a Praying Wife today and the bookmark was a slip of paper with the following written on it: Malachi 9/10/02 Gave me a hug at bedtime and said, "Mommy, I love the baby in your tummy." I said, "Me too, baby." He said, "And when it gets big you will push it out through your bagina like you did to me." I said, "Yep!" and he said, "And when you do that, I want to see."

Last night Alif returned from a 5-day trip to Florida. I was so lonely for him while he was gone and really happy to see him home! I don't remember how it came up, but Alif joked about throwing out the TV. I said, "Let's do it!" and he said, "really?" We both agree that the stupid TV brings more negatives into our home than positives, but will we actually throw the thing out? I really doubt it.

Moxie Max is really meshing into our family life! He still has some lessons to learn but all in all, I think we're a good match!

Oh, and one more fun thing. I checked out my friend Stephanie's website today, while wearing my olive green drawstring Old Navy pants, and my raspberry short-sleeved fitted tee from Target. As I was scrolling through the darling necklaces, I found the cute one pictured above and bought it! Too bad it couldn't fly directly from the screen to my neck TODAY! Ah well, I guess I'll have to wear this outfit WITH the darling necklace the minute it arrives! I love www.mybeadedbliss.com!!

It's Friday alright!

Boy is it ever Friday! I just finished a long overdue diaper, only to realize as I literally put the final stitches in that I made it in the wrong size. AGH! Oh well, I'm restocking the store on Monday anyway - I guess I'll just use this as instock. :-P

Also, I lifted the tin foil on a cake that the kids & I made for Alif and took a swipe of the chocolate frosting. Caris saw me and asked if she could do that and I told her she sure could. Well, she keeps walking by and getting her own little tastes, and I don't even care. LOL! We did have cut-up pears, bananas, mangos and apples for snack though so I guess a little chocolate frosting won't hurt anything.

Ramblings

We got a dog! His name is Moxie Max. We found him on petfinder.com and Alif drove to Lancaster to pick him up. The first few days were anxious for me: he was 99% sweet as can be, and then there were a few times he downright challenged me, and that was scary and unacceptable. He has since settled in and he is now 99.5% sweet. LOL He still needs to learn some manners, especially with company, and perfect the "no peeing or pooping in the house" rule, but mostly he is as good as you can imagine!!

The weather has been absolutely spring-like. The bright sun and warm air really perks me up in a big way!

I am completely caught up on laundry. Can you believe it?? I'm also giving over the boys' laundry to Malachi. He will be paid $1 per load he washes, dries and puts away. He's already a great laundry helper, but it will be good for him to have this job. Graham's new paying job is going to be handling dog poops. Go boys!

The Magician's Nephew

Seeing Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe last week got us revved up to continue our Chronicles reading. We'd gotten busy and sick at the end of the year and took a reading break but we started up again today. I love being in the middle of a novel with the kids, especially when there are happy moans at the end of our allotted time, meaning that they can't wait to find out what happens next. I think our togetherness reading time will be a fond memory someday!

Scotland, here we come!

My Mom & I bought our plane tickets! We are officially going to Scotland to see Megan and Jason! WOO HOO!

Medication

I'm not one of those people who hates to take medicine. If I have a headache or I cut a finger or something, bring on the Tylenol. Ongoing medication, though . . . that scares me. Imagine my dismay, then, when Caris's allergist recommended that she go on Claritin full-time. Whaaat? I'm going to put my two-year-old on a medication every day, indefinitely? I'm so not comfortable with this, so I haven't done it. I also haven't researched the long-term effects of Claritin. Sigh. Fast-forward a few months, and my poor baby girl is so miserably allergic that I now am in the position of actually needing to put her on the medication. Her symptoms are every day now, as opposed to occasional flare-ups. It's affecting her skin, her moods, her sleep. Please pray for my baby, and for me to have wisdom when I'm doing my research!