Birthday or bust?

We celebrated my hubby's 30th birthday today. Well, sort of. Megan developed a high fever last night and still had it this morning and most of the day today. I woke up about 3 am and sat praying at the toilet, hoping not to lose all the yummy food I had consumed the day before. We had spent the day shopping out of town while the girls were at my in-laws and saw The X-Men III too! Woohoo, like a whole day's date. But we got back to the in-laws, had a good supper my sister-in-law fixed, visited with my brother and law and his wife for a little while there too, then back home, 2 hours away. Didn't get home until almost 11 pm, and Megan had the fever when we left. Anyway, back to the praying to the toilet.....didn't vomit, took a tiny bit of Pepto liquid, which almost made me puke, then ate some Pepto chewables, which went down much better. Then slept a little while longer, then up with trouble from the other end.

Despite all that, I cooked for hubby--grilled sausage, potatoes, baked beans, and ice cream cake. We enjoyed our meal and got through the day. Wish we could have had a better celebration, but at least we got a long date the day before :) If I don't post before our Florida trip, I'll make sure to post some pics and fill you in on our trip...hopefully I won't spend it praying at the hotel toilet.

Potty words and suntans

Doesn't seem to go together, does it? I don't know what's gotten into the two talkers this week. They keep singing songs, substituting words for things we do in the potty and certain body parts. I really had to get on them today and took away snack time and did some time outs. What really was disturbing was when they sang Sunday school songs, eg "Jesus Loves the Little Children". And substitute children for a potty word. Not sure who started it, but I've got to nip it in the bud quickly. This must be the age to be fascinated by bodily functions.

Then, the suntan thing. I don't tan. Sometimes I turn a slight peachy color with supervised, limited sun exposure. Otherwise, I burn or freckle. I have very light skin and I've slowly come to terms with that over the years. First, after years of playing with friends who would take me to the pool all day and not make sure I wore adequate sunscreen--then subsequent 2nd degree burns on my back and shoulders. Very painful, large blisters, led to big brown freckles all over my back and arms. Then there were the years of "laying out" in the sun as a preteen/teenager to try to get the desired "peachy" color. I burned the back of my legs really badly once right before an awards ceremony and wore panty hose that night---ouch!!!

Now as a more educated, aware adult, I understand that the effects of sun exposure are cumulative and can lead to skin cancer, especially in the light-skinned folk like myself. And here I am, headed to sunny Florida next week, new bikini in tow, and no chance of a tan. However, what do I find myself doing the past two days? I wore shorts and sat outside with the kids sunning my winter legs, hoping for that slightly "peach" color. I felt myself asking, "What are you doing??" Why do we think that a certain "shade" of skin is desirable? What's wrong with good, healthy white skin? Healthy skin should be our primary concern, even if it means we must forego the hopes of a tan, or even a "peachy color".

So, off I go to Florida next week, and I will wear that new bikini, my beach hat, sunglasses...and plenty of sunscreen. I will not let myself be the lady I saw in the beauty shop the other day. Probably no older than 60, but so much sun damage that her skin was leathery, wrinkled and baggy. Not trying to sound judgmental, but if striving for the perfect tan leads to looking like I'm 90 when I'm 60, count me out.

Zoe's "babycation"

Our pastor presenting Zoe with her dedication certificate and a Bible.

















See Zoe's pretty dress that my mom made? Megan wore it on her second Easter. It will be passed down through the generations, I hope.

Meg's preschool graduation pics

The "graduating class".


















My "little mommy".

















Meg's buddy.

















Getting the "diploma".














Peas in a pod.

Mother's Day

Our baby Zoe was dedicated yesterday at our church. Megan called it "babycated" :) I dressed her in a dress that my mom had made for Megan before she was born. She made it from material left over from my wedding dress, which she also made. Ivory satin, covered with ivory lace. She looked so pretty in it. And it was a connection to my mom, a way to honor her memory yesterday, to connect her with the granddaughter she never met. It was an emotional morning as a beautiful song called "My Mother's Faith" was sang before the dedication. I'm so thankful to have had a mom who raised me with faith, love, and encouragement. I hope I can do as much for my little girls.

I had a pretty good Mother's Day, except hubby had to work most of the evening. We had a good lunch at the Mexican place, a bit of a nap, and I mixed up a box of Ghiardelli brownies. Mmmmmmm. Chocolate makes everything a little better.

I'll try to post some pics of Meg's graduation and Zoe's dedication.

My busy week

Putting the breaks on this week to catch you all up on my life. A quick recap.

Monday: 2 mystery shops, during the last one my oldest daughter fell down outside while home with daddy and smacked her mouth right on the black top. Blood, swollen lips, and one loose tooth. Great! Preschool graduation was the next night. Figures.

Tuesday: One mystery shop, last day of preschool, preschool graduation that night. Daughter looks like she's had lip injections but says her poem very well. They said poems about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Megan wanted to be a mommy---"awww".
"I want to be a mommy,
a mommy just like mine.
I'll be patient, kind, and loving,
The best mom that you can find."
Wish I could live up to the poem.

Wednesday: Kids here all day. Little fella is here really early. Did the Bible Study questions for my last chapter of our Bible Study during breakfast. Interrupted after each one, but got them done! Woohoo! Raining most of the day. Had to keep the kiddos inside and entertained. They weren't too bad, only a few time outs. Team Kid that night. One kid freaked out at the end of class, total meltdown. Scared the other kids, scared us a bit--unusual for her. So glad to get home. Hubby not home until after midnight, though. Outage at the power plant.

Thursday: Kiddos here all day. Had to make emergency run to Kroger for some Cool Whip for a pie I was making for my small group meeting. First time taking all three kids to the store. Promised them gum if they behaved. They did very well. Chewed gum all day. Small group meeting at 7:00. We went over the last three chapters of our book--we have been doing this study for 10 months, and finally got it completed. Starting a new study next time--it's about sex, so we may finish it sooner :) Everyone left around 9 pm. Whew! At least the pie was good, we had good fellowship and finished our study.

Friday: I so wanted that last 20 minutes of sleep. Hubby got up around 5:30 am and remembered around 5:40 am that we didn't prepare the baked beans he needed for a potluck today. So, I was up at 5:45 am mixing together baked beans. The house smelled like bacon, onions, and pork and beans. I have now made beans at midnight and before 6 am. I don't want any baked beans any time soon. At least I found out later that they were devoured. Almost makes it worth it---almost. Had to get Megan to the dentist a half hour away at 8:45 am to check that tooth. She did great! It won't have to be pulled, but will probably become discolored. Ok. We can handle that. It's a baby tooth. She'll go back in 2 months for a cleaning and x-rays. To the mall for some shopping and kiddie rides. To Mc'D's for lunch, then home for some quick chores and naps. I took a long one today too. Well, sort of, between phone calls. Found out hubby will not be home until sometime tomorrow. I hate outages. Poor hubby gets so exhausted. We miss him so much. Vacation is coming.....quiet walks on the beach, sleeping in, no diapers, no dishes.

Good day today

The weather was lovely today. Warm and sunny, and we played outside for a while after lunch. I can almost remember how it was to be a kid again, just running, playing, throwing balls and frisbees. It was fun. I almost didn't want to stop and come in for nap time. Good exercise, fresh air, funny little kids. They love being outside, and I love being with them out there.

Tomorrow, if no rain, we'll hit the park again. Then again on Saturday for a birthday party for a preschool friend. I love spring!

Toddlers, babies, and doors

Why didn't somebody tell me that toddlers, babies, and doors do not mix? Zoe has had her fingers pinched in some type of door almost every day for a week. Today, Megan shut the toy box lid on her thumb. Scraped the hide off the inside, big bruise on the other side. I was so livid. I bandaged it the best I could, spanked Meg and put her in time out and reminded her for the 100th time to be careful about shutting doors when Zoe is around. I don't know if her little fingers are going to survive much longer. Or if my sanity will.

Days like this, I need my mom, just to call and vent, to get some good motherly advice, some "been there, done that" stories. I called my hubby, but of course, all he said was put a bandage on it. Men are just not that comforting.

These kids keep running around the house banging against the walls, acting like complete little monkeys. I'm thinking about crating them. Oh, vacation, where art thou?

Summertime's a comin

Well, there's 4 more days of preschool left. Then it'll be 3 kids here 5 days a week all day long. I'm not sure how I'm going to survive, but it'll be good preparation for when we have baby #3. I'm going to miss the 2 1/2 hours I had 4 days a week with just Zoe. Exercise time. Errand time. Extra chores time. Quiet time.

Looking forward to playing outside, popsicles, park days, library story time, trips for ice cream. Looking forward to my vacation the end of this month. Sad too, knowing already that the time will fly by and Florida will be just another nice memory.

Sometimes I feel like life is getting away from me. It's hard to even remember what my girls were like when they were born. I have a lot of trouble remembering Meg's babyhood, and she's only 4. Is that normal? I just want to vividly remember how she felt in my womb, how she felt in my arms, how she nursed. But it's so foggy. I wish I had videotaped every day since they were born, so I could go back and see it. If only there was that much tape. :)

Shame on me...

Well, after contemplating my crazy post from the other day, I realize that I sounded like a rebellious teenager, but you know, I was never that rebellious as a teenager or even in college. I sat in my dorm room for three years and studied before I got married, then I sat in our apartment and studied for another year and a half :) It's time for a little rebellion.

I am not trying to thumb my nose at God's grace. But we all do it sometimes, don't we? When we tell "little white lies"--"Your hair looks....great!". When we promise to play with our kids and get too busy and forget. When we pass the homeless person on the side of the road. We all forget how much God has done for us every day, in the busyness of life.

I'm still confused though, how and where to draw the line when it comes to media/entertainment. How many curse words are too many? 1 or 10? How much nudity is too much? A belly button or a silhouette of a breast? How much violence is ok? Even if you try to watch/listen to only "Christian approved" entertainment, how can you be sure it's Biblically sound? It's like I'm darned if I do and darned if I don't. (Notice I used the word darned--Is iti ok to use substitutes for curse words when you know what the real meaning is?) You probably see what I mean. I guess I'll sum it up by saying I'm just not going to worry about it so much. I'll do what's best for my family as much as I can, but if we hear a curse word in a movie, and if my girls say it, I'll just tell them that's not nice--I'll guide them the right way and hope they keep heading in the right direction.

Now I'm heading to church because I don't want to be a heathen ALL day. :)

Tired

I'm worn out. I can't seem to get enough sleep. Still haven't adjusted well to the time change yet, I suppose. I try for 7-8 hours a night, but some nights I'm just tensed up all night. Wake up tired and cranky. *grrrr*

Tired emotionally and spiritually too. So much going on in the lives of people I care about. I don't know how to keep up in prayer, my mind is so fuddled I don't know what to pray for half the time. Tired of struggling to keep up with "mainline" Christianity. Every aspect of my life has "worldly" elements. I'm just me. I'm not perfect and I don't want to be sometimes.

I have great respect for those who have strong convictions and hold to them, unwavering--that's awesome and I hope I can only strengthen my own self and family convictions as time goes on. Establish family values that will last, that the kids can grow up and say, "That's how I was brought up, and I'm ok." I'm working toward stability, consistency, routines that help our family grow in a walk with Christ within this world. Where to draw the line with some things, I'm not sure, but I'm testing the waters, feeling out what works and what doesn't for our family. And I think we'll be ok.

Another cute pic!

Zoe, 15 months old and can't stay awake for snack time. The cookies were just too much. And it was almost nap time. I could't resist.

Thunder over Louisville pic

Hubby took some great pics--MANY pics of Thunder on Saturday. I have a few for you to see.


Great fireworks from our rooftop perch. You can see the Galt House to the right, the fireworks coming from the Second Street bridge in the middle, and blocking our view to the left is the new Muhammed Ali building. No one from the Louisville area knew what it's purpose is, except that you can see Muhammed Ali's face on the side of the building from far away, and it just looks hideous up close :)



The fastest plane we got to see at the airshow earlier in the afternoon. The Blue Angels were the fastest, but we got there late, as usual. This one was very fast and very loud. Zoe was a little scared, but then said, "Ooooooo!" and pointed every time it came by :)



Meg was so cute in this pic. No, she's not sitting on the building's edge, just a little wall on the roof between our building and the neighboring one. She found some kids to play with and of course made instant friends, tossing a ball around and giggling up a storm. She'd rather play with kids than watch the airshow :)







A great formation of 6 little planes. I never know the names of the planes. Just "big", "little", "loud", "fast"--whatever. Anyway, they were almost the last ones of the evening and stayed in tight formation, like they were one big plane. Amazing control those guys have.

My new exercise

I've sort of fallen off the exercise wagon again for a couple of weeks. At least, structured exercise. I've discovered something new--playing outside with the kids. Not just standing around or sitting and watching them play--actually getting out there and playing with them. I didn't realize how much you could move around while just playing in the backyard. We kick balls and run after them, play baseball, catch, and I chase Zoe all over the place, keeping her from eating rocks. Man, can she move fast on those 15-month old legs!

Yep, 15 months old today, and my dad's birthday too. 59 today. I called him to wish him happy birthday and apologize for not having mailed his card yet (I'm terrible about those things) and he said a phone call was worth more than any old card. *awwww* That made me feel nice. I guess our loved ones would always rather hear our voice than get a generic card in the mail. Of course, I got one from the girls and want Meg to sign it herself, which is always a treat for grandparents to read :)

So, there's my day again. I'm trying to talk myself into doing 8-minute abs and not completely rebel against the exercise "man". I want to look great in a new swimsuit for the beach in June! Woohoo! If only I could do something about those breasts...well, that'll have to wait until one more baby is done with them. New boobies! Woohoo! I'm really warming up to the idea.

And can you believe I've blogged two days in a row? I think my Depo shot is wearing off so my mind is clear enough to think again :) LOL!!! But next week, new birth control for a while, more mind fog. *sigh*

It's been so long....

Sorry it's been so long. I just can't seem to get into blogging mode. Every now and then, a thought pops into my head and I think, "I would love to blog that!" But then, I'm up to my elbows in a poopy diaper or picking up kids from pre-school, or wiping apple sauce off the floor. Then there goes the thought, and I can't think of anything to blog about.

So, what have I been doing that's interesting? Well, this past weekend, we attended Thunder over Louisville, a great airshow and fireworks show to kick off Kentucky Derby week. We were fortunate to know someone who owned a building right on Main Street and could sit out on the roof and watch the whole thing. Awesome weather and great shows! The girls loved it. Zoe was in awe of the fireworks-sat in my lap wide-eyed, pointing her little fat finger and babbling about it every now and then.

Zoe's 15 months old and walking fast! She even climbs pretty well too, if she can reach. I've been taking the kids outside almost every day to play, stocking up on new outdoor toys every time I go to Wal-Mart. I'm still keeping Meg's pre-school buddy and he'll be here full-time in the summer. It's great having a little boy around. I hope we can keep him entertained this summer. I think we'll make lots of park trips and do the summer reading program at the library.

Our vacation is FINALLY planned out! We are going to Lover's Key Resort near Fort Myers in Florida. Five nights, six days of beautiful beaches and peace and quiet. Away from the main drags. I'm so excited. We got good flight deals into Tampa--$69 per person one way. Renting a cheap rental car, got the internet special on the room. I think I can pay for most of the trip with the money I've been saving from my mystery shopping/surveys/babysitting. It's great for stay-at-home moms to be able to make some money on thte side. Great for taking much-needed vacations and having little extras, like hair coloring :) Which I need to do before we go--the gray is showing!

Maybe I'll get one of my hubby's fireworks pics posted soon. He took some great ones. He's becoming a really great photographer. And I mostly use the camera for work :) He actually bought it for me, I think--a Canon Rebel EOS--is that right?. It's an awesome digital camera with lots of memory and lots of features. I haven't been able to jump into the photographer mode and figure out what all it does--I just haven't made the time to learn. I do ok with the fully auto mode, though :)

Hopefully, I'll get a blog urge again soon. Until then, God bless your hearts!

Tuesday ponderings

I was watching an interesting show while on my treadmill this morning. It was on the History Channel, and called "Behind the DaVinci code". Written by Dan Brown, the book "The Da Vinci Code" makes claims that Jesus actually married Mary Magdalene and had a daughter with her, and that the early church authority hid all evidence of this, and that Leonardo DaVinci's art holds clues to this cover-up.

I'm not sure what to make of all this. There is also a movie in the works about this, starring Tom Hanks, wouldn't you know? The author, Dan Brown, however is currently being sued by different people who allege that he plagiarized their works in his book. Therefore, the movie, may not be released if he is found guilty. Beyond all that, I'm thinking, why all the intrigue?

We love intrigue, don't we? I used to love mystery novels, back when I had time to read. :) We especially like mystery novels that revolve around true events and people, kind of a conspiracy theory thing. It makes us think and makes us suspicious, makes us double check our own beliefs, and in this case, maybe faith?

Still, I'm thinking, even though the intrigue and claims are interesting, why would anyone really care? I really don't know why the early church would cover up the fact that Jesus was married. It really would not change my opinion of Him at all. Why couldn't he have gotten married if he wanted to? He lived an earthly life of a Jewish man. It wouldn't have been sinful if he had married and had kids. Why would that make anyone think differently of Him? Would it make people doubt his deity? Would people think, if he was God, then he didn't need to be married, so he wouldn't have done that? Like I said before, he lived on earth as a human man. He ate, he slept, he worked, he did everything regular men did--why couldn't he have been married, and if He was, why wouldn't it be in the Bible? Why would anyone choose to hide that? I can't see the need for any secrecy.

They went on to say that Mary Magdalene was pregnant at the time of the crucifixion, and fled to Egypt with the Virgin Mary's uncle and sister to protect their child from the Jews. Then, they may have settled in Gaul (southern France) or southern England, and Jesus' bloodline was hidden by church authorities, and kept "pure" by only marrying into Dark Ages kings, etc.

I liked the program, because it also provided viewpoints against the theories in the book, all of which sounded plausible. I would suggest you try to catch it on the History Channel if you get a chance. Please send any comments you have about your thoughts. I'm interested in hearing what anyone has to say about this one.

Ahhh, March.....

It's windy, it's warm, then cold. It's rainy, then sunny. Storms here and there. Not much else to say, really. I haven't posted at all this month. I am a blogger gone AWOL. I think I will add a more detailed post later to ramble about my life. But, now I must dress a 4 year old for preschool and feed a one year old her breakfast. Life is calling!

"What do you want???!!!! Oh, alright, I'm coming. *whispers* Can't I just put life on hold for a little while?"

"I heard that!"

"Sorry, life....*grumble*"

It's over...

Last night, I put Zoe to bed without any mommy milk. She is now officially weaned. We went from 5 to 3 to 2 to 1 feeding over the course of several weeks, and it's over now. I'm so sad. I've nursed that baby every day of her life since she was born. For her first 4 months, that's ALL she ate. And she was such a good nurser and not spitty like my firstborn.

I can be happy knowing that my mommy milk has helped her grow well and stay healthy and relatively cold-free. We had a few obstacles, like a cold she caught when she was 2 weeks old that made her spit up and choke a lot, teething, and of course, the nursing strike (see previous posts--October). She has transitioned well from baby food and mommy milk to table food and whole cow's milk. She had a pooping issue for a few weeks from the changes, but we're past that now too.

I guess all good things must come to an end. Now I will look forward to planning our summer vacation without the kids and letting Zoe stay at Nana's and Papa's house with big sis without me for the first time.

Now, where to go? If anyone has any suggestions, please let us know. We had thought about Vegas, but I think that's out now--bad reviews from a recent trip taken by my hubby's coworker made it sound less than pleasant. So now we're thinking DC or Lover's Key or the Carolina coast but any suggestions would be welcome. Our last big trip was to Pigeon Forge, TN. Very nice, and we're not opposed to going there again, but something new might be fun.

On the blog again....just can't wait to get on the blog again....

I've been too AWOL. Glad I don't have a big following. Not that I'm that interesting.

So, what's been going on with me? First of all, good stuff. My dearest hubby and I have been together 13 years starting tomorrow (first date Feb 12, 1993). We had a great date last night. We ate at a great local restaurant, not crowded, fast, good service, and yummy caramel turtle ice cream cake...mmmmm. Went to a movie that is in the same building. It's neat because the cinema has 4 theaters, and the newest one's seating is right over the restaurant's kitchen. It's a neat layout. Convenient too.

We saw "The Pink Panther". I really, really have to recommend this movie. Absolutely hilarious physical comedy. I love Steve Martin anyway, but he really did a great job in this without it being too silly. Great plot and I think we only heard one curse word in the whole thing, and it was spoken in a such a heavy french accent that I didn't even catch it. I think teenagers and pre-teens would love it too. A few minor sexual innuendos, but nothing vulgar. I haven't laughed that much in a long time.

A few yucky things happening. Marital troubles among several church members really been wearing me down. Surprising, sad, confused, helpless. I'm not sure how to feel about it. It's made me scared about my own marriage and those around me. No marriage is safe from Satan's attacks. Maybe these happenings will serve to strengthen our marriages--maybe some good will come from it. I'm praying for healing in these situations and also for stablization in our own marriage and those we love. I think it's really hard when people reach and cross that10 year mark in marriage, and when you have young kids. Time is so stretched and you just get bored and annoyed with each other sometimes. It's hard to re-kindle the romance, especially when one or both feel they're not getting what they need. When you get married, you don't realize how much work it takes to STAY married. It's hard and sometimes people get hurt. You can only pray that God will help you work it out.

Got a Depo shot the other day, probably my last for a while. I will start a new BC method in May, maybe the Nuva Ring, then maybe in December or January we'll try for number 3. It seems so soon right now. I feel like I just got Zoe home :) She's a year old already! Almost 13 months now. 5 teeth. Only nursing once at bedtime now. I dread weaning her. I'll miss that bonding time. I'll enjoy seeing the big milestones coming though. She's trying to walk. She says "Uh-oh" and "ma, ma", "da da", "na na" for banana. Developing such a cute personality. I do miss my little baby though. Went so fast. Why does time fly when you're in love? ;)

Zoe's first birthday!

Sorry to have neglected my poor blog for so long. I fell off the wagon and got run over by it. The Zoo Tycoon 2 bug hit me and I've been busy with a new youngin in the house too, teaching Team Kid, etc (see previous blogs). Anyway, for some really good fun, we celebrated Zoe's first birthday on Saturday. As much as I don't want her to grow up, it was great to see her getting into her cake and to have friends and family here to celebrate. I thought I would share some pics.

My amateur cake decorating again. Just a sheet cake this time. I didn't think a one year old would care about a "theme". Used sis's leftover Barbie tablecloth, had Dora party hats. Just a mix-match of stuff, but still a great party.









Zoe so deliberately and meticulously ate all of her cake and ice cream. Stayed fairly clean too. So different from sis's first birthday 3 years ago.











"Finger-lickin good!" She licked off each finger one by one :)












What a happy baby! She thought it was so cool having cake with no spoon and everyone watching her.











One of Zoe's birthday presents--a chair with her name and birthday on it, just like big sis has. She sat in it a long time and rocked herself :) Thanks Papa and Nana!
















This is Zoe with her great-uncle Garlan. She was born on his birthday! We were so glad to have him, his wife Doris, and daughter Joyce join us for our special day.
















Megan got plenty of presents and lots of candy too--thanks to Aunt Cheryl! She's showing off her green tongue from the candy dips. I think I see her tonsils. I can't wait for Cheryl and her hubby to have kids :) "Have some more Pixie sticks, kids! How about some Pepsi?!"