Happy New Year

I have been trying to explain to Grace what the New Year is, but she has no clue. I guess I haven't done a very good job with her in Kindergarten. I need to work on the calendar more. Hee hee. How do you moms do it? When you have two different grades to teach...something has to give.

I am still in my pj's and it is after 5:00 pm. Can you believe that? I was up a lot last night with Grace. She kept waking up crying. I finally figured out what it was. Her shirt that she was wearing was making her uncomfortable. Once I changed her clothes, she slept the rest of the night. She cannot get over heated at night either or she will wake up crying. She wears shorts and t-shirts year round to bed. (So do I.)

Just think...in 4 more months I will have another baby boy in the house. How fun! Happy New Year everyone.

Spiritual Stuff

If you really don't care about my spiritual journey, you can stop here and not read any further...I promise not to be offended:0)

I alluded in a previous post that God has me on a spiritual journey that is huge. I mean, it's huge for me. So huge in fact that as I emerge from a thought process that I was certain was "truth" I can only imagine that this is what it must feel like to come out of a cult. As much as I do not want to promote discord among anyone who professes to be a Christian, there are some things that must be mentioned. If you have time (these are lengthy articles and should not be skimmed) please read the following articles about Doug Phillips(founder of Vision Forum Ministries), his brother Brad, and the family that was torn apart because of Doug Phillips' church. You can read her very own story here.

My poor sick house

The children are all going downhill. What used to be a cold two weeks ago has turned into a sore throat, goopy eyes, and low grade fevers. I am thinking it may be sinus infections, but I cannot take all four children to the doctor at the same time. So, I am waiting it out. I am starting antibiotic eye drops on Josiah (he is the one with the goopy eyes) and praying this goes away. Olaf has it too. I still have a cold and am coughing some now. I sound like I have smoked my entire life when I talk. (Essentially I have. My parents each smoked 2 packs a day.) I went to Walmart tonight to stock up on cold medicine and children's motrin. I bought Dayquil, Nightquil, Alka Seltzer Cold Medicine, cold medicine for the children, and children's Motrin.

Our health insurance is changing January 1st and do you think they have sent new insurance cards? Why, no they haven't. We are switching from an HMO to United Healthcare which is an 80/20 plan. Not by choice either. Delta is no longer carrying the HMO because it is too expensive. Anyway, now I have to pay to deliver this baby instead of it being free. I also have to pay for any labs or ultrasounds that may be required. Stinketh. My max out of pocket will be $3,000 which I will certainly meet with the birth of the baby. Still...$3,000 or free....$3,000 or free...I choose free thankyouverymuch.

Happy 4th Birthday Josiah!

Mama loves you more than you'll ever know.

Christmas Eve

Tonight is our "Chirstmas" to most Americans. It's the night our family opens our presents (yes, ALL of them) and we read the Christmas Story from the Bible. We eat crusty rolls and cold cuts. The children are WILD with anticipation as you can imagine. We won't open presents until 6:00 pm so they have a long time to wait. They are going crazy behind me trying desperately to pass the time until night falls and they can open their presents.

I am sick with a nasty cold. It has really slowed me down. My head feels like it is going to explode with all the sinus pressure. I hope I get better soon. My nose looks like Rudolph from blowing it so much. That will make for lovely pictures tonight.

Olaf is dusting right now...getting ready for Christmas. How nice of him. He has to have everything "perfect" for Christmas Eve. It never lives up to his expectations, but he tries every year. When the Christmas Story is read he wants the children to sit and listen attentively at his feet. However, in our home, Caleb will be rolling on the floor licking something, and Grace and Josiah will be bickering and Camille will be doing her best to stop everyone from disobeying...then Olaf gets frustrated because noone is listening to him. It happens year after year. So, this year I suggested that Camille read the Chirstmas Story. I think it will be better. I'll let you know.

From our chaotic home to yours, Merry Christmas!

Getting used to the idea

that I am having another son. This little wiggle worm inside of me is a BOY! That is just fabulous. On Tuesday I took the children Christmas shopping for Olaf. Camille wanted to buy a specific present and we couldn't find it anywhere. Finally we went to Kohl's and found it. While we were there I looked in the layette section and bought some BLUE stuff 40% off. It was fun. I also bought this for $23.00. You'd think after five children I would have everything I need, but either I gave it away, or it is worn out. My bouncy seat broke with number three. My layette I gave away to a friend who really needed it. (About a month before I found out I was pregnant...) Chances are her baby will be done with the layette before my little guy comes along. She'll probably give it back.

Trying to think of names. I'm sure it will change a lot before he gets here. His middle name will most likely be Perry. That was my Grandfather's name and all of our children have family middle names. Camille Rose is named after our grandmothers, Caleb Scott is after Olaf's brother, Grace Ingrid is after Olaf's mother, Josiah Olaf is obvious, and this one will be something Perry. I like the name Otto (which is also a family name on my side-my great grandfather) but I haven't convinced Olaf. We'll see...

Thanks for checking in on me...

Well.....

Who doesn't like his picture taken! Everything was measuring true to my due date, all his organs looked normal, everything looks perfect. Praise the Lord!

Sugar Cookies

Yesterday the children and I made and decorated sugar cookies. They had a blast. I was neurotic. I think this was the first time in my life (don't laugh) that I have actually made sugar cookies and frosting from scratch. The children had fun "painting" the cookies with frosting and pouring Christmas sprinkles all over them. I really admire those of you who make batches and batches of these things to give away to friends and neighbors. It's a lot of hard work.

My husband is home with pizza, so I need to get going. Have a great weekend!

To my German visitor

Someone from Germany is visiting my blog a lot. He (or she) is doing searches on Google with my name, my husband's name, my mother in law's name, my sister in law's name, etc. Please e-mail me (the link is in the sidebar) or leave a comment below. I would like to know if you are family in Germany that is looking for your realtives in the United States. Thank you.

Tetanus Shot

I had to get one this morning. It's a long story, but I sliced my finger open with a nail that was buried in the backyard. It has been about seven years since my last tetanus shot so I called the OB to see what I should do. They called back at 4:50 pm and said to definitely get the tetanus shot. So, I went in to my PCP this morning and got the shot. I have a local friend(Hi Patty)who got tetanus. She got poked while gardening and didn't think too much about it. Then the area became swollen and before you know it she has lockjaw and is on deaths door. Praise God they were able to treat her, but she was in the hospital for days and then on IV antibiotics for weeks after.

Olaf was able to feel the baby move last night. The baby either had hiccups or was doing something spastic and kept kicking me in the same spot over and over. Olaf came over and put his hand on my belly and was able to feel the baby. That was fun for us.

I am ready for the weekend. How about you?

Spiritual Journey

You know, I have purposely NOT written here about this new journey the Lord has me on. Mostly because I cannot communicate effectively through the written word (or even face to face!) and I know that a lot of my friends would be "worried" about me or my faith if I were to discuss these issues. However, as the Lord prods me, I may have to come clean and just let y'all know what I'm thinking now and again. For now I just want everyone to know that I am A LOT less judgmental now than I have EVER been since becoming a Christian. There is no more "us" versus "them" anymore in my mind. My view of God is enlarging and I have to say, it is making me a nicer person. I don't consider myself any particular "type" of Christian anymore either. I wouldn't classify myself even as "evangelical" or "fundemental" for that matter. Am I saved by grace? You betcha! And for now, that's all I know.

This and That...

Grace lost her second bottom tooth last night. She looks adorable. You can already see the permanent teeth coming in. She went to the dentist today for a cleaning and they said everything looks fabulous.

I washed my chinese prefolds again today. I think that will be the last time before the baby comes. They are nice and soft now. Not to mention shrunk down to size. Those suckers shrink like crazy. I also bought four used FuzziBunz from my friend, Nancy. They are in terrific shape. No stains at all. I also started a Baby Jorek Blog. I'm not sure why exactly, but I started it anyway. I guess to journal just pregnancy stuff, then maybe the birth story, and a few pregnant photos here and there.

My friend came over this evening to drop something off. She came in with her almost one year old who would have NOTHING to do with me. However, he loved Olaf. Went right to him and snuggled down into his chest. This is the first time this child has ever met Olaf!! When his Mama tried to take him back so they could leave, he cried and reached out to Olaf. It was so cute.

I think I am going to wrap a present now. Maybe.

Have I wrapped presents?

NO! Not yet.

Today we went to a pizza buffet for lunch and then I took the Josiah and Grace to the Dollar Tree to buy gifts for their siblings and Papa. It's hard to take a three and five year old shopping because they are still in that "I want this" stage instead of thinking of the person we are supposed to be buying for. But with a little reminder here and there they picked out some nice presents.

Then we all went to Linens and Things where Olaf bought me this and this for Christmas. I cannot wait to open them! Being fat and pregnant means I will NEED both of those things in my third trimester. I am also going to buy a Bellybra in my third trimester. I heard they were fabulous for back support.

Have a fabulous Sunday everyone!

I will SO take that...

http://www.myheritage.com

Traffic

Olaf left the neurologist appointment with Caleb at 4:15 pm. It is now 6:04 and he is still about 45 minutes away from home. He spent OVER an hour and a half on I-285 to travel about 30 miles total. He is not a happy camper and neither is Caleb. He drives a stick shift and he says his leg and foot are killing him from the constant shifting and clutching. He never went above 15 miles per hour the entire time and most of the time it was stop and go. How frustrating! Caleb does not do well in traffic either. He gets very agitated and I am so happy it wasn't me in that vehicle with Caleb.

Tonight is The Office and Survivor. My pick for elimination is Parvati. (What where her parents thinking with that name?) Looks like she'll also win reward, send Jonathan to exile island, slice her finger open hacking a coconut, and get booted anyway. We tape The Office and watch it after Survivor. I am looking forward to Lost coming back in February. I heard that it's time slot is changing to 10:00 pm though which doesn't please me. It doesn't want to compete with American Idol I hear.

We are having a neighbor boy over tomorrow morning while his mama goes to the doctor in Atlanta. I hope the traffic is better for her or else he may have to spend the night! The children are excited about playing with him. He is cute as can be and has a really BAD southern accent. It cracks me up. I love listening to him talk but I always ending up smiling and wanting to repeat something he said. He will be five in May so he is right between my Grace and Josiah.

Still procrastinating about wrapping those presents. I know it won't happen this evening. We don't have a spare room to go into so I cannot do it while the children are up. I use the dining room table to wrap presents.

Thanks to Sandra on wah I have figured out where I want to spend my 25th wedding anniversary. Our anniversary is in the winter (January 23rd) and I would love to go here! What do you think? Look at this photo of it. GORGEOUS!

If I don't post before the weekend, have a great one. Oh, and one more thing. Congratulations to my friends Jeff and Eileen on the birth of their new baby boy, Thor. He weighed 9 pounds at birth. Ouch!

Christmas is coming...fast

We have appointments galore the next two weeks on top of all the other Christmas excitement. Olaf has three dental appointments, the children have dental appointments, I have an ultrasound, Caleb has a neurologist appointment this Thursday.... We are going to be running. We need to wrap presents too. I really dislike that part. I think the children have seven presents this year. But 7X4=28 presents to wrap not including Josiah's birthday presents and any little thing that we may buy for their stockings. I wish I enjoyed it more so I could make the package look pretty. We also need to ship Olaf's brother's package, and a package to a friend. I want to make sugar cookies this year with the children too. We have never done that before and I know they would love it. I did order a friend and our next door neighbor Harry and David Gifts last night though. Those I won't have to wrap or ship. Their pears are the best. Olaf's brother and his wife (Scott and Frances for future reference) got us a basket last year from Harry and David, and the pears were huge and firm and yummy. This coming from a woman who normally doesn't eat pears. So I ordered this for our friends, The Pitts', and this for our next door neighbor.

Gotta run. Children need me.

Christmas Tree Farm

We got our Christmas tree at the same place we have gotten it for the past four years. It is a lot of fun for the children. They always have baby bunnies to hold, a firepit to roast marshmellows, homemade cookies and hot chocolate, a walk around the lake where you can feed ducks...all for free. You can cut down your own tree there, but we always buy a Frasier Fir that is precut. It is private property and the house and land are absolutely gorgeous. The man who owns it is very nice and hires several young men to load and tie down the tree on your vehicle. My children really don't care so much about the tree as they do holding the bunnies.

So today the children have decorated the tree.


And in a an hour or so we are off to watch our local Christmas Parade in downtown Newnan. It's been a fun weekend!

I am so boring

I haven't written anything because...nothing exciting is happening. Life is marching on like it usually does. I am having trouble with Camille again. Several issues are creeping up that I have no idea how to handle. Public school is looking mighty fine right now. My husband will never go for that, yet he won't do anything to help me either. I am stuck between a rock and a hard spot. She is going to be the child who graduates from homeschool and says "I HATED homeschooling. My mom drove me nuts, was mean to me, and I didn't have any friends!" You'll see her on Dr. Phil in 8 more years.

Grace had a well visit yesterday. It was her first one in 5 years. LOL! They pricked her finger and she cried, but she did fabulous at everything else. She was in the 90th percentile for weight (51 pounds) and 75th percentile for height (46 inches). She got her first ever shot. A tetanus shot. The doctor didn't even give me a hard time about not vaccinating her with the other bazillion shots she is supposed to have. That was refreshing.

Josiah has watched a Charlie Brown DVD about 100 times in the last week. Good grief.

I watched The Office last night. It always makes me laugh. I also watched Survivor and am so glad Candice is gone. She was just....gross. I am totally rocking on Fantasy Survivor. I am ranked 11th out of thousands of players.

Have a great weekend! We are getting our Christmas tree tomorrow. It's supposed to be cold. Perfect tree-getting weather.

The heartbeat was strong and about 130 beats per minute. My ultrasound is scheduled for December 19th. Will it be a turtle or a taco? I cannot wait to find out.

Off to Callaway

Today looks like it is going to be a lovely day. We are going to go to Callaway Gardens to ride bikes. We promised the children that the next time we went we would take the bikes. I am not sure how it will work out with Josiah, but we'll see. We are still fighting colds and a bit of a cough, so this may make things worse.

I have an OB appointment tomorrow at 4 pm. I sure hope she can find the heartbeat with the doppler.

Olaf is making pancakes for breakfast right now. The children love pancakes. I eat them, but they aren't my favorite. I have never really enjoyed breakfast food. I'd much rather have lunch food for breakfast. Leftovers are my favorite thing to eat for breakfast.

We have most of our Christmas shopping done. I think Caleb needs a few more gifts to be even with the other children. I did all my shopping for Olaf online. I love online shopping. Camille's wish list was mostly books. She loves to read. Her favorite series are Deltora Quest (the covers look hideous, but the stories are adventerous) and Phantom Stallion. Camille liked the Rowan of Rin books and the author is the same as the Deltora Quest. That is how she got hooked on that series. Disclaimer to Christian parents: Read the books yourself first to see if you feel they are appropriate for your children. I know a lot of Christians disagree about things, and children's books are certainly one of them. The debate over Harry Potter and such comes to mind. The Emily Rodda books Camille reads do have a "bad/dark side" but the good always prevails.

OK, off to brekky!

Type A Personality

You know what I don't like about Thanksgiving and Christmas? You can't go anywhere even if you want to. I know some grocery stores are open and, of course, the movie theater...but if I got a hankering to go shopping...ain't happening. For some reason that gives me an uneasy feeling inside. 99% of the time I never leave my house. My days are spent at home and I am content with that. In the back of my mind I know I could leave and go somewhere if I wanted to though. But on Thanksgiving and Christmas, just knowing it's not available is enough to drive me nuts. CONTROL FREAK! That would be me. I know a lot of you are thinking "just relax" but that is literally impossible for me. Unless of course someone gave me some narcotics. I guess it doesn't help that we do not have any family to spend the holiday with. The older I get the more I wish things were different for the sake of my children. I really wish they had a grandparent. Just one... However, this is my cup. It's time to get the big girl panties on and deal with it.

I think I may have felt a little flutter tonight. Not sure if it was the baby or gas. Maybe both.

Olaf and I watched Season Two of The Office. If you don't watch that TV show, you really need to. It is hilarious. It's on Thursdays at 8:30 pm on NBC. Flippin' hilarious. Rent Season One and Season Two to get to know the characters. It's not necessary, but it will make Thursdays even better.

We started some Christmas shopping for the children. I can't say what we bought as Camille sometimes reads my blog. Caleb is the hardest to buy for. He has the brain of a four year old in an adult (fat) body. He likes some children's toys but he breaks them. He likes some age appropriate toys but he doesn't understand them. (For example computer games) It is really hard to buy things for him. He has so many balls because that is what we always end up buying. Footballs, baseballs, soccer balls, basketballs, volleyballs...you name it. He also likes guns and swords and we have a bazillion of those as well. He wants a motorcycle. Yes, a real one. Ummm...I don't think so. We'll probably buy him another scooter although he exceeds the max weight limit on all of them. This will be his third or fourth scooter. He breaks them.

Olaf is in bed. He isn't feeling well. It's going to be a LONG weekend.

It's almost Thanksgiving

The children are doing better although we all still have colds. At least they can breathe now. Caleb is home all week from school so I get to hear "Mama eat" a thousand times a day.

I fought the crowds at WalMart yesterday to get groceries. It was super busy. If I would just get busy and start cutting coupons again, I wouldn't have to go to WalMart. I have been so lazy in doing that and it really does help tremendously in the grocery bill. This website is so helpful! We have decided to forego the turkey and just have ham this year. So our menu is:

Ham
Potato Salad (requested by Grace)
Mashed Potatoes (required by Olaf)
Sweet Potato Casserole
Corn
Green Beans
Gravy
Rolls
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie
Pecan Pie (required by MOI!)

The pregnancy is going fine. I have an OB appointment next Monday. Hopefully I will get to hear the heartbeat. I will be 16 weeks 4 days then, so I should be able to hear it. The appointment in December will be the ultrasound where we get to see if this little baby is a boy or a girl. I am looking forward to that. It will be my first 3D ultrasound. They can copy it to DVD as well, so maybe I can figure out how to post a picture from it on here. Don't get your hopes up though. I'm not that techno savvy.

Catch up

Well, I took Josiah to the doctor on Tuesday because he was starting to get croup. When Josiah gets croup it is pitiful. I wanted to get him started on steroids and they helped a lot. Today is his last day on steroids and he sounds SO much better. It is a struggle for him to breathe when he has croup. So...of course...Grace starts last night with the same symptoms only she is also manifesting a fever. She is struggling to take every breath and it is scaring her. I gave her some Motrin and decided she needed to sleep with me so I could be with her if she woke up scared. Her voice was nonexistent thanks to the virus, so she couldn't cry out for me. Needless to say, I got very little sleep last night. I started her on steroids this morning and hopefully she will be feeling better in the next couple of days. I guess mt children are just prone to that inflammation of the the wind pipe and voice box. They really don't get the cough, just the stridor and such. Camille started with it this morning as well, but hers isn't as severe as the little two. Her voice is gone, but she doesn't have the wheezing.

I went out to dinner on Tuesday with my friend Misty. Guess what? She is pregnant!! But don't go over there and congratulate her because her family doesn't know yet. They have been trying to have a baby for FOREVER, and she is about 8 weeks preggo...WOO HOO! Congratulations girlfriend!

My other friend, Penny, had her baby November 15th. She sent me pics and Matthew is so cute. I'm sure she will be posting pics on her blog soon.

Tonight I am going to a women's ministry event with my friend, Chantell, at her church. It's some sort of Christmas thing, but I'm not sure what. She invited me and I am going. Anything to get out of giving the littles their medicine at bedtime. I am sure this weekend will be spent resting and recovering from the sickies. Caleb is out of school next week so hopefully we can recuperate before he brings home something else from school:)

Have a great weekend! Thanks for checking in on us.

I knew it...

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What a day!

Let's just say that Camille did school from 9:30 am till 8:00 pm with only one break for dinner. I really don't want to talk about it. When my children do not excel, or show a lack of intelligence or diligence, it reflects poorly on me. At least, in MY mind it does. Therefore, I will now shut up about my very bad, not-so-good, awful, horrific day. I am silently hoping that there is another homeschooling mom out there who feels like I do so we can commiserate. The perfectionist mom with a child who is, well, NOT a perfectionist. As a matter of fact, this child has NO inner drive whatsoever and is perfectly fine with repeating the 5th grade all over again. ::heavy sigh:: Sorry. I said I wouldn't talk about it and here I am blabbing.

Did I mention that Josiah only lasted two nights in Caleb's room? He is now back in his toddler bed in the girl's room. I think he feels safe with Camille. Hopefully one day he will decide that sleeping in the girl's room is for...girls!

Next week is Thanksgiving. I am trying to talk Olaf into buying a precooked turkey this year from Publix. We did it before and it was fabulous. Olaf insists on having a big Thanksgiving dinner although it's only our little family. Every year he is in the kitchen cussing under his breath while preparing the meal (I'm not allowed in the kitchen) and every year I beg him to just order the darn meal from Publix. He is kind of like the dad from "A Christmas Story." It drives me insane, but he never listens to me. We just have to put up with his "joyous" attitude the entire day while he cooks, and then sit down for 10 minutes while the children eat a roll and I eat sweet potatoes. Yes it's true; no one enjoys the turkey and all the fixing's except my husband. I guess that is why he is so insistent about having a huge dinner every year.

Gosh. Can you tell I'm pregnant? I've done nothing but complain today. Deal with it!:0)

Say it isn't so!

5 1/2 years old and lost her first tooth! She is SO cute!

SCORE!

Olaf scored big time with Cingular. Somehow my husband fanagled FREE Razr phones, and mine is PINK! It is so cute...and FREE! My husband called Cingular and cut this deal with a customer service manager awhile ago. Of course, Cingular doesn't usually GIVE AWAY Razr phones, so it got sent back and forth within their system for awhile. He kept calling every few days to see if it was finally solved. They credited us $30 on our account "for our trouble" and the phones showed up today via FedEx. Free phones, a $30 credit...it doesn't get better than that.

My throat is scratchy. I am constantly clearing my throat. It's annoying.

Have a great weekend. I'm not too sure what we are doing, but it will probably involve being lazy.

Birthday Fun!

My birthday was wonderful. I was spoiled, spoiled, spoiled. Want to hear all about my presents? Good...

Olaf: Digital Cable and a DVR box! WOO HOO!

Camille: Willow Tree - Mother and Daughter

Caleb: Yankee Candle Jar - Home for the Holidays

Grace: Willow Tree - Thank You and a pretty bracelet.

Josiah: A Yankee Candle votive and some Goat Milk Lotion from Cracker Barrell.

Cheri: Vera Bradley Tote in Mesa Red. It's lovely. I am going to use it as a purse/diaper bag when the baby comes. She also bought me an ornament from Disney and a board book for the baby.

Charity: Homemade apple sauce, Beanpod Soy Beans and warmer, A Beanpod Candle jar with the wonderful scent of Earthly Embrace, and some Beanpod tealights for my warmer. She also bought me a bouquet of flowers!!

I also received cards from my friend Mary in Virginia, Misty who walked the 3-Day with me, and numerous birthday wishes via e-mail and phone!! It was a fabulous day and I am so thankful for all the love that was showered on me. I think it was my best birthday so far. I cannot wait for 40!! Well...I can wait another year.

Update

Olaf got smart and is backing out of the van deal. As much as I would love to have a huge van, we simply cannot afford it. We will have to deal with the minivan and possibly taking two cars if we need to go somewhere as a family. At least for now...

Shameless begging...

...will get you everything! I received THREE birthday cards in the mail today. THREE! All in one day. The first one is from my best friend from middle/high school. She sent me a Napoleon Dynamite card. YESSSSS! She also sent me a DVD of my birth year; 1967. Thank you so much for thinking of me Tammy. Then I got another card from my sister and, get this...my father-in-law. He is still thinking of the children I guess. If you haven't sent one, you still have time. My birthday is Thursday. ::giggles::

The children and I went to Uncle Bob's Pumpkin Patch today. We took a hayride, watched a woman spin rabbit angora into mohair (right off a live rabbit on her lap), learned about bats and bees, petted all the farm animals, plus much more. It was fun. I need to download the pictures tonight.

I made a fabulous supper tonight, but it was time consuming. It is a cheesy chicken spaghetti. Grace and Camille liked it. Josiah wasn't so sure because it didn't "look good." He did take about 5 bites which is his normal dinner. The boy just eats to live. He is my skinny child. My only skinny child.

Oh, guess what my birthday cake is going to be? Lemon Cream Cake from Olive Garden. DEEELISH! I am so excited about that.

Olaf is buying a 15 passenger Chevy Express this weekend in Alabama. It is a 2006 model with 11,000 miles on it so it still has a factory warranty. Now just pray that we can sell our minivan. We have a 2001 Mazda MPV with about 78K miles on it. It is a terrific van though. Super clean, super reliable, nice shape. I told Olaf that we don't need a 15 passenger van. Especially right now. But when Olaf has something in his head that he wants to do, he does it. Since I don't take care of the finances (at all) I really don't care. I know we cannot afford it, but I am burying my head in the sand because I don't want to know. I just really don't.

On that happy note, I'm signing off.

Woo Hoo it's Friday!

I can honestly say that nothing exciting has happened to me since I posted on Monday. Got up, did school with the girls, surfed the net, did a little housework (not much), showered once in awhile...you get the idea.

The children have enjoyed the cool weather by jumping on the trampoline. They all have colds thanks to Caleb, but it's nothing more than a runny nose. No cough or fever. The little two love to be outside and Camille is their official babysitter. Thank God for big sisters!

My friend, Karen, started chemotherapy again yesterday. Please pray for her and her precious family. Chemo makes you feel horrible and Karen has five small children to mother. She is taking Xeloda which is a pill. It doesn't make you lose all your hair either. She was on Xeloda when she was first diagnosed with cancer over 18 months ago. She went off it last November and has been chemo free for almost a full year. You can read her update on her blog.

I received my diapers from Jardine Diapers. I love them. I had the best time washing them and folding them. Yes, I still have SIX MONTHS before the baby comes...but I cannot wait to put a cloth diaper on it's little bum.

Look at all that cloth loveliness!! Notice the pile of covers on the right. I have many different brands and sizes to try. I bought some cheap baby washcloths from the Dollar Store and some from Target as well to use as baby wipes. I figure if I'm washing the diaper it will be much easier to use a washcloth than try to dispose of a regular wet wipe with poo on it. I'll just wipe their little bum and put it in the soiled diaper. Can you tell I am really excited about this?

So glad it's the weekend. Olaf needs to do some yardwork and get some things ready to donate to Goodwill. I need to do some grocery shopping.

Oh, I baked a yummy loaf of whole wheat bread yesterday. Charity ground some wheat for me and the bread was delicious. No, I do not have a bread machine. Yes, I do everything by hand...just like the old days. (Except my pan is WAY better)


My recipe just calls for wheat, water, yeast, honey, and salt. No egg or oils at all. I am going to have a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. YUM!

There ya go! There was my week. Have a blessed weekend. Now I am going to make myself a sandwich...

A nice weekend...

We had a nice weekend with lovely fall weather. I love the fall. It has to be my favorite season of all. We didn't accomplish much though. Olaf set up the bunkbed in the boy's room and Josiah actually slept all night on the top bunk. Up until last night he had been sleeping in the girl's room in his toddler bed. We bought him a Thomas the Tank Engine comforter and he thinks that is the best thing ever. I cannot believe my little guy is in a top bunk!!

I talked on the phone today to a old friend. It was fun catching up on life.

Camille is in Cinderella mode today. To combat some "laziness" issues I implemented a "work your butt off day" today. She has been completely (and I mean 100%) responsible for her siblings today. Everything from playing with them (nonstop) to feeding them to you name it. They have enjoyed it very much. Nothing like a big sister to be at your beck and call. She is also grounded from Toontown yet again. Poor child. She has such a mean mother.

I keep looking at the ultrasound of my little baby. That is such a miracle. I still don't feel pregnant. I have the easiest pregnancies. I'm sure my tune will change in the third trimester when my legs are swollen and have I hemorrhoids so bad I cannot sit down.

My birthday is in 10 days. Send cards now. Preferably with money. Hee hee.

I don't like the time change. Caleb gets up at 4:00 now instead of 5:00. Yucky.

Thanks for checking up on me...leave a comment.

Everything looks fabulous

Thanks to a retroverted uterus, they couldn't hear the heartbeat on my perfectly healthy baby!:) Yes, all is well with wee one. I even have a picture to prove it although it's not a great one. The heart rate was 154 and the baby was measuring 13 weeks. WOOOTY!

My OB Visit

Well, they couldn't hear the heartbeat last night at my OB visit. I am going back today at 3:30 for an ultrasound. I'll post later this evening with the results. I am at peace with whatever happens. I know the Lord is in control.

I got my hair cut last night. It was supposed to be a trim but she went a little crazy. It is shorter than I wanted it, but it still looks cute. I just won't need to go back for another haircut until April.

(I seriously need lipstick in this picture)

Check back this evening sometime...

Cloth Diapers

I just ordered some cloth diapers from Jeanne at Jardine Diapers. She was very helpful and I put a link in my sidebar in case anyone else may want to venture over there. I am getting NO compensation for this...I just think she has superior customer service.

Recap

The weekend with Opa went well. Much better than I expected. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that he cannot hear. So, he was oblivious to much of what was going on around him. He started to complain on Saturday night a bit. About money, his neighborhood, etc. Three days was about the maximum that I could have him here without going crazy. He wants to come again next year but he refuses to stay in a hotel. So...I'm not so sure if he will come again or not. We will not have room for him next year after the baby comes.

Caleb has a cold. No fever but a stuffy/runny nose. This is number two since school started. He cannot blow his nose, so I am wiping that nasty thick snot off his nose all the time. YUCK.

Josiah had his two teeth filled yesterday. He didn't even cry. Not once. I am so proud of him. They gave him a little laughing gas and then gave him the novacain shot. Not a peep. Then they drilled and filled and he was such a brave boy. I am so proud of him. His mouth was numb for quite awhile afterwards. He looked so cute.

I went to Babies R Us over the weekend. I bought some Gerber burp cloths. Hee hee. There is so much in that store that YOU DO NOT NEED! Oh my. I passed the changing tables and thought, "a towel on my bed will work just fine." I passed the expensive bedding and thought, "sleeping next to mama will keep him plenty warm." Not to mention the exercise thingies, the play n packs in every size, shape, color and pattern, bassinets, swings, toys, diaper disposal systems...it was so overwhelming. I remember going there when I was pregnant with Camille and wanting everything. Now I don't have room for much of that. Although I would like another bouncy seat. I did use that. I am going to cloth diaper part time. Mostly because I want to, not necessarily to save money. I will use these diapers with these wraps. I haven't bought any yet, but I'd like 2 dozen of the small prefolds and at least 2 covers each in small and medium. That is about $100 which isn't too bad.

Okay, enough rambling for today. Caleb will be home soon and I have no idea what to fiz for dinner.

Opa

Josiah loves Opa! He is on his lap every time he sits down. Now, Opa cannot hear...at all. Even when the children scream at him, he still doesn't understand them. But they are having fun anyway. It is the first time Josiah and Grace have seen Opa. The last time Camille and Caleb saw him was 4 1/2 years ago at Uncle Scott's wedding. Everyone is enjoying his visit very much.

Getting ready for Papi

Well, mentally at least. We need to clean a little and get everyone settled into their new bedrooms while he is here. Papi will take our bedroom and Olaf and I will move to Caleb's room. Caleb will sleep on the floor in the girls' bedroom with the other three children. He arrives on Thursday and leaves on Sunday. I just don't know what to cook. Everything gives him indigestion. I bought some cold cuts and German dark wheat bread since that is what I am assuming he'll want for breakfast. Who knows? I'll post pictures of him when he's here.

Tomorrow is LOST. I really want Tivo so I can start it 15 minutes later and skip through the commercials. There are so many commercials...frustrating.

Camille helped me with dusting today after school. She willingly does anything I ask. She just doesn't take the initiative to do it without asking. If I make her a list though...no problem. That may be normal 10 year old behavior.

Caleb is going through a really gross phase right now. He has done it in the past and it always grosses me out. If you are weak in the stomach don't read. Skip this paragraph. While he is having a bm he vomits. Which is not good if you poop 8 times a day like he does. He is not sick. This I know. He has done this in the past and then gets over it. It's a sensory issue but not one that is fun to deal with. Over the weekend he pooped in his pants while he was sleeping and vomited in his bed too. Now that was fun to clean up. Think about it. A 190 pound 11 year old boy, with poop and vomit everywhere. You try to take off his clothes only to smear it all over EVERYTHING. Olaf did all of that fun stuff while I changed the sheets. Nothing better than waking up at 4 am on a Saturday morning to THAT. Yeah... I guess that is the cup the Lord has given me. I can accept it or I can smash it to pieces and tell Him it's not the cup I want. Doesn't matter though because it IS my cup and I have to drink it. I can either drink it willingly or sip it through my fit throwing.

My pinched nerve is getting better, but it's not gone. Neither is my lung/rib pain. I'm not sure what it is, but if it continues I'll have to go see my primary care physician.

My birthday is soon...ALL presents welcome.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Swonderings

This meme brought to you by Women at Home.

List 10 of Life's Simple Pleasures:

1. Double Stuff Oreos and cold milk.
2. Knowing I have a husband who loves me more than anything in the world.
3. Mexican Food
4. LOST
5. Listening to my children play together. And like it.
6. Knowing a baby is growing within me.
7. Pumpkin Spice Creamer for my coffee.
8. Filtered water over crushed ice with fresh squeezed lemon.
9. Toothless grins from babies...not husbands.
10. Watching videos on You Tube that I watched on MTV in the 80's. Like Joe Jackson's Steppin' Out, or Life in a Northern Townby Dream Academy.

Pain!

I pinched a nerve or something in my shoulder yesterday and boy howdy...does it hurt!! I cannot move my head very well and trying to sleep last night was a joke. I hope it heals fast or I am in a world of hurt. I also have this awful pain in my ribs when I take a deep breath. I have no idea what that is, but it's been there over 5 weeks. Anyone know what that could be? Between the two pains, I woke up every single time I tried to change positions in bed.

Olaf got his tooth pulled yesterday. I forgot to take a picture but I will post one soon. He went in this morning to get the crown on his other front tooth and he said it looks really good. I cannot wait to see it when he gets home. I have never seen my husband with white front teeth.

The weather is lovely today. It's cool and sunny. I need to school Camille through the summer when it's too hot to play outside and give her the fall off. This is the tine to jump on the trampolene and swing on the swingset. They ride their bikes up and down the driveway (I won't let them go anywhere else) and draw with sidewalk chalk. A few days ago Camille raked a pile of leaves for the little ones to jump in. She didn't know it had dog poop in it. Ewwww... I am so happy that my 10 year old is still so innocent. I will shelter my children until such a time when I think they are emotionally and spiritually ready to learn things. Then I will be the one to tell them.

Olaf's father is coming for a visit next Thursday. We haven't seen him for over four years. I'm not sure how the children will react. He's old and cannot hear very well. Grace and Josiah have never seen him before (well, Grace was 12 months)so I think they will be rather shy and that may tick him off a bit. I know I can look forward to him telling me I am fat. Oh happy day! Yes, he really will tell me. Just like that. He has a German accent so it will sound something like this (spelled phonetically):

Ahhhg (glutteral sound at the end) Misty! You need to loose (yes, say loose not lose) a little veight. You are getting shubby (instead of chubby).

Thomas the Tank Engine

Here is my big fella in front of Thomas. We drove over five hours to Spencer, NC to spend the day with him. Josiah had so much fun even though it was cold and rainy. You can go here to see more pictures of Thomas. Olaf and Josiah had a blast. The rest of us went along for the ride!:) It gave me so much joy to see Josiah's face as it lit up when we saw Thomas. It was so worth the drive. He is already talking about going again next year. Speaking of next year, I decided that I really want to spend my 40th birthday at Disney World. Hopefully we can do that. I think November would be a perfect time to go to Disney. It wouldn't be so hot. The baby will be 6 months old on my 40th birthday, so he/she will still get free admission.

I have caught up on my laundry from the weekend. Three loads and ALL the laundry is completely done. I love my front loader.

Olaf set up our new phone line from Sun Rocket. We are not 100% convinced we will keep the service yet. We are going to give it a few weeks and see if we like it. If we decide to keep it then we will switch over our phone number. Right now it has a different phone number. It sure is a lot less expensive than BellSouth. Sun Rocket is $199 per year which includes long distance, local calls, and all the bells and whistles like voicemail and caller ID. BellSouth is $60 a month for the phone line with the bells and whistles...no long distance.

Olaf gets his front tooth extracted this Thursday. He was smart enough to take the day off. Then he gets his final crown on the other front tooth the following day. It is going to be so wweird seeing my husband with white front teeth. They have been gray as long as I have known him.

Caleb is home from school today for Columbus Day. Needless to say, I didn't do school with the girls today. Impossible to do while Caleb is home.

I put some pregnancy blinkies in the sidebar. I am looking for some more. If you know where I can find some, let me know. My next appointment isn't until the end of the month. We just found out our medical insurance is changing at the begining of the year and now I will have to pay 20% out of pocket. No more HMO's. That really stinks, but what can we do? I guess if a homebirth is less expensive we may go that route again. I hate fighting insurance companies. Especailly United Healthcare!!

Off to fold some clothes. Have a great day.

LOST was fun last night. Who would have thought that they have their own little subdivision with a book club reading Steven King? I am looking forward to this season. Isn't Henry Gale aka Ben a great actor? I like him!:0)

Tonight is Survivor. It starts in 45 minutes. My boot pick is JP tonight. We'll see....

The children have gotten on my nerves today. They haven't done anything wrong or bad, I guess it's just the pregnancy. Everytime one of them tattled or needed something, it seemed magnified by a thousand for some reason. My back is hurting a lot right now. I think it may be a kidney or something...maybe I just pulled something. Anyway, I think the pain made it worse too.

My next door neighbor works where they make the Weight Watcher Lemon Cakes. If the packages don't weigh exactly what they should they get rejected and he gets to bring them home. He gave us three boxes today. YUMMY! We are blessed to have great next door neighbors on that side. Thank you LORD! They are the closest house to us so we are so thankful to have them there.

My belly is huge. I feel huge. I am embarrassed to go out in public. My husband is so nice to me and tells me I am beautiful. I wish I could believe him. I ordered a few pair of maternity pants today. I hope they fit and I won't have to send them back. I really, really, really, do not want to be photographed at all this pregnancy. I look just like the Goodyear Blimp. Oh heaven, help me.

Have a great evening. I'm off to watch Survivor and be super lazy...because I can.

Dentists and Doctors, oh my!

Olaf stayed home today so he could take Josiah to the dentist. My little three year old boy has two cavities. ALL Olaf's fault. It is his responsibility to brush the boy's teeth every night. So, when I noticed a hole in his tooth I made Olaf take him to the dentist. He went and saw Dr. Dunkleberger in Fayetteville but they didn't fill the teeth today. They just did a cleaning and X-Rays. He said Josiah did fabulous. He didn't cry at all and the only thing that made him a bit nervous is when they moved the chair. Olaf said there were other little children screaming and throwing fits in the rooms next to theirs and Josiah said, "they are not obeying their parents, huh Papa?" His fillings are scheduled for October 23rd. The dentist said he will give Josiah a little bit of laughing gas and it should only take about 15 minutes total to fill the teeth.

Olaf is currently at an orthopedic doctor right now. He is trying to figure out what in the heck is wrong with his ribs. This is his last hope. After this I think he should see a chiropractor for awhile.

This Saturday we are driving up to North Carolina to see Thomas the Tank Engine. It's over 5 hours in the van for a half hour ride on Thomas. So worth it if your little guys likes Thomas as much as my little guy! We will leave early Saturday morning and come home Sunday afternoon or evening. Our neighbors will be watching the animals for us which means I have to clean the house before Friday night:)

I am going to WalMart when Olaf gets home. I am out of lemons and that just isn't an option for this pregnant woman. Guess I need to get a shower then.

Private message for some lurkers...

You (or should I say y'all as there is more than one of you) know who you are. It is not the workcenter gal who was flirting. It was someone else. Just wanted to squash that little rumor. Now, get back to work!:0)

Here she is...

Aint she purty?? This is Delta's Breast Cancer Awareness plane. I think the paint job looks fabulous. The next photo is my friend, Karen, her mother, and three of her children. Karen was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer almost 18 months ago. Doesn't she look fabulous?? Oh my word. God is good!


Olive Garden was terrific. I did, in fact, have the talapia and enjoyed it immensely.

The weather today is heavenly. Cool and sunny. Nothing better than that. Camille is over at her friend's house playing for a few hours and the other children are outside riding their bikes.

Yesterday was Olaf's birthday. We went out to eat at Chili's because he wanted the country fried steak. His presents included a Narnia computer game, an Ionic Breeze for his car, and a Tool Kit for his car.

We now have IN HAND the last three DVD's of season two of LOST! We will be done before season three kicks off on Wednesday. My husband likes the show more than I do, but it is fun to watch. I think it's going to stink only watching one episode per week though. Right now I watch three at a sitting with no commercials to boot. I personally think one of the main characters (Jack, Locke, Sayid etc) is somehow the leader of the "others" and it's all like a Truman Show type thing going on. We'll see...

Have a great weekend!!

I hate it when that happens...

I had a fairly long post with lots of links...and BAM! Blogger ate it when I tried to do a spell check.

I am going to the Olive Garden tonight to celebrate Mrs. Mike's birthday. She is my bible study leader as well as a very Godly Titus 2 woman. I love her to death. I will be ordering the parmesan crusted talapia. It is fabulous!! You must try it if you ever go to Olive Garden. Mrs. Mike is also the mother of my friend, Karen, who has breast cancer. Today they, along with my husband, went to the unveiling of Delta's new breast cancer plane. It is painted pink with pink ribbons on it. Olaf took a lot of pictures and I cannot wait to see them. I am hoping Becky will be able to make some sort of collage type header for Karen's blog with them. Delta's now defunct low cost carrier, Song, had a breast cancer plane as well. Olaf told me that he held Karen's youngest, Zachary, for much of the time. Zachary just turned three but he is very small for his age so he seems younger. Olaf enjoyed holding him as Josiah doesn't let us do that very often. Josiah is so big it is almost impossible to do it for very long at all. He's skinny, but tall. I look at him and think "where has the time gone??" He's not a baby anymore. He wears the same size shoe as Gracie now. And before too long, he will be taller than her as well. He's a big fella.

OK, I need to get in the shower. The day is escaping me and I need to catch up a bit.

Toodles.

Somedays...

I want to hide in my bedroom. Today would be one of those days. I think being pregnant is kind of magnifying my emotions anyway, but add another round of spelling list fiascos and I am ready to go back to bed for a week. Camille is such a sweet, precious girl. She really is. But she has no internal drive...at all...to do things well. If her spelling list is partially legible and mostly spelled correctly, she is fine with that. She is not a perfectionist. She could care less that her printing is really pathetic. She just doesn't care. She wants to get her list DONE. That's it. Finish it. Who cares what it looks like or even if she misspelled words. If she were in public school a "C" would be fine with her. This drives her perfectionist mother CRAZY!

On the other hand, this child is so sweet and innocent. She plays with her siblings a lot without complaint. She never backtalks, never gives us an "attitude", obeys immediately. She is a dream child to raise. She is thrilled that we are having another baby even though she knows her workload is going to increase. She is caring and giving and loving. I need to walk that fine line between "school" and "what matters most." Her heart is more important than her spelling list and I need to keep that in mind when I have days like today.

We are now on Season 2 of Lost. I have watched the first 8 episodes. I really don't think I will be able to finish season 2 before season 3 starts next week. I still think the acting is less than good, but the story lines keep me watching. I especially like Hugo (Hurley) and love the episodes that focus on him. He makes me laugh. Jack looks like Olaf to me. Some expressions that Locke makes look just like our friend, Terry Pitts. And of course, I look just like Kate. Hee hee.

Pregnancy is going fine. No symptoms still. I mean, my girls are tender...but that is all. I think my belly is bigger but its hard to tell with all this fat. No nausea or anything. I think I am the luckiest pregnant woman on the face of the planet. I'm not even tired. I cannot wait until the baby starts moving though. That is my favorite.

Alrighty then... time for me to sign off. I'm going to go add one of my signatures. It's been awhile since I did that...

So gorgeous today

The weather is so, so nice! I wish it could stay this way forever. We went to the park this morning with Charity and her precious children. Ian took Josiah's hand as we were leaving and they walked hand in hand to the parking lot. It was so sweet. Charity looks cute with her pregnant belly poking out there.

Olaf is at the dentist right now starting the crown process on his front tooth. (The tooth that is not getting the implant) His extraction for his other front tooth is set for October 12th at 9:00 am. The tooth is so dead that they are expecting it to break during the procedure and they will have to dig it out. That sounds like fun.

I have a MySpace site tht I never ever go to anymore. Anyway, two people from school contacted me through it recently. First was a girl I knew in middle school. (Tammy it was Gwen McClintock) She looks exactly the same and still lives in Oregon. The second was a girl I hardly new in high school.

Josiah is outside and I need to go out and watch him. Hope y'all have a great day!

Blood test results...

So I call my OB today to see what my Hcg level was from my appointment last week. And you know what? They don't DO hcg levels in a normal pregnancy work up! I thought that was routine. I did ask them to do a progesterone level and that was fine. It was 25 which is pretty good for 5 weeks pregnant. So, now I just have to wait and see... The old fashioned way. Did I tell you that my OB has one of those coolio 3-D ultrasound machines? I am so excited about that.

Not much else to report here. Camille got her spelling words correct on the first try today. Hee hee. Grace read her first "reader" book today and did fabulous. This is what she read:

Sam can run. Sam can jump. Get it, Sam!

Pam and Liz sat on the log. Liz fell. Liz is wet! Pam will help.

I am so proud of her!:0)

Well, the weekend was fairly uneventful. That is good. We all went to Caleb's baseball game on Saturday and then I went grocery shopping on Sunday. Ah, I live quite the glamorous life, eh?

Today Camille had to write her spelling list (which is 30 words including vocabulary) ten times! Yes, it took her ten times to actually spell every word correctly. All she had to do was copy the spelling list onto a piece of paper. That's it. And it wasn't until the 10th time that they were all spelled correctly. Our favorite saying (stolen from Cheri) is "The lazy man and the hasty man does things twice." (Or ten times...) Granted, I can't spell half of those words correctly either...but I wasn't staring at the list copying it. Her words are all plurals this week:

attorneys at law
scissors
church goers
policemen
cupfuls
algae
cacti
data
oases
analyses
diagnoses
vertebrae
parentheses
theses
agenda
emphases
memorabilia
debris
1 and 2 Samuel
1 and 2 Kings

Vocabulary: (she has to define these and use in a sentence)
criteria
bacteria
media
phenomena
larvae
fungi
alumni
crises

Synonyms: (she also defines these)
hypotheses
guesses

On another note, Grace is doing superb in Kindergarten. I wish I had a scanner for the work she did today. She is the opposite of Camille and is meticulous about her work. I have to be very careful not to compare the two.

On a totally different note, I want one of these. We cannot afford it, but it sure would be nice. We have outgrown the minivan once this baby comes along. Grace and Josiah will still be in booster seats and the baby will have his carseat. They cannot all fit in the back row. Caleb and Camille are too big to go in the back row as well. Caleb now weighs 190 pounds! (Yes, I know...) and Camille is 5'1" and 130 pounds. They are adult sized children. I guess we will have to take 2 cars if we need to go anywhere as a family. Oh well...I should be grateful that we have two vehicles instead of complaining that I want a bigger one.

Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity;in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Phil 4:11-13

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Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things about my week:

1. I had the worst weekend of my life thus far. In almost 19 years of marriage, I would have to say that this weekend takes the cake for being the worst. Ever.

2. I realized that I can forgive through the power of the Holy Spirit and a lot of wonderful women praying for me. Thank you my precious friends.

3. I have eaten 9 lemons. Yes, eaten them. These are not the lemons that I put in my water. (Yes Jeff, I know about the enamel. Sometimes a pregnant woman has to do what a pregnant woman has to do:0)

4. I had my first OB appointment. I have fibroids in my uterus. Lovely.

5. Josiah likes to say the word "poop." I'm not sure why, but he says it often. He also likes to make fart sounds and poke his little rear out.

6. Olaf had a CT scan on his chest. We are waiting for the results.

7. We need a larger vehicle. When this baby comes we have outgrown our minivan.

8. We have also outgrown our kitchen table. It only seats six.

9. I bought a brand new infant car seat at Publix (that's a grocery store) in the clearance section for $29.99. Can you say Woo Hoo??

10. I rented the first season of Lost because I had never watched it before. It's OK, but I still don't get all the hype. Seems kind of hokey with bad acting if you ask me.

11. However, Survivor started tonight. And I totally rocked on Fantasy Survivor. I even picked the guy voted out.

12. Now that I'm pregnant I am so happy they didn't choose me for the upcoming show.

13. Grace loves me more than any of my other children. She really does. It is so precious.

Baby Update

Well, I went, I was stirruped, I gave blood, I went home. She did mention that she felt some fibroid tumors in my uterus. Noone has ever told me that before, so I'm not sure what to think about that. Maybe they will be able to see them at my 20 week ultrasound. I am spotting because of the pap smear...that is always scary during pregnancy. I guess all I can do is wait now. And pray.

Olaf had his CT scan. I'm not sure when he will get the results of that. Probably next week sometime.

We went out for lunch at Cracker Barrel today. I had never been there for anything other than breakfast. It was good. I am still full. I had Country Fried Steak, fried okra, and hashbrown casserole. Yum. The only thing I want to drink right now is water with a lot of lemons squeezed in it. It must be the shaved ice from the refrigerator too. No big cubes. I eat at least one lemon a day. Sometimes two. I have craved them with every pregnancy in the first trimester.

And that, my friends, is how the day went.

What a weekend!

I never want to go through another weekend like the last. Whew! I'm drained. Emotionally and physically. But, I have forgiven and it's time to move on...

I'm still pregnant. Praise God! I have my first appointment tomorrow with the midwife. I had it scheduled six weeks ago. It was my routine yearly exam. It has now turned into a "new OB" appointment. I guess it will just be my pap smear and blood work.

Olaf has a CT scheduled of his chest tomorrow afternoon. It's really bothering him. His ribs are extremely sensitive to the touch. I feel so horrible for him and I hope they are able to find something this time.

Caleb's birthday was yesterday. He had fun. He woke up this morning with a stuffy nose, so I'm sure the rest of us will be sick by this weekend. It took a whole month of school before he got sick. He will have a cold for all of the winter and get the stomach virus in the spring. He'll probably get strep throat too. Ah, the joys of mentally challenged children sharing germs.

I'll check back in tomorrow and let y'all know how that OB appointment goes. Keep me in your prayers.

What a weekend!

I never want to go through another weekend like the last. Whew! I'm drained. Emotionally and physically. But, I have forgiven and it's time to move on...

I'm still pregnant. Praise God! I have my first appointment tomorrow with the midwife. I had it scheduled six weeks ago. It was my routine yearly exam. It has now turned into a "new OB" appointment. I guess it will just be my pap smear and blood work.

Olaf has a CT scheduled of his chest tomorrow afternoon. It's really bothering him. His ribs are extremely sensitive to the touch. I feel so horrible for him and I hope they are able to find something this time.

Caleb's birthday was yesterday. He had fun. He woke up this morning with a stuffy nose, so I'm sure the rest of us will be sick by this weekend. It took a whole month of school before he got sick. He will have a cold for all of the winter and get the stomach virus in the spring. He'll probably get strep throat too. Ah, the joys of mentally challenged children sharing germs.

I'll check back in tomorrow and let y'all know how that OB appointment goes. Keep me in your prayers.

Remembering September 11th

Hweidar "Dar" Jian from East Brunswick, NJ
42 years old
Senior Programmer Analyst, Cantor Fitzgerald
Confirmed dead at/in building

I found this article written in January 2002 by Newsday, a Long Island Newspaper:

Hweidar Jian moved to the United States from Taiwan to continue his education. It was an importance he emphasized to his American-born sons. "He wanted to stay in the U.S. to give us a chance at a better education," said his oldest son, Haomin Jian, 19, an economics and finance student at the University of Maryland. Born and raised in Taiwan, Hweidar "Dar" Jian, 42, was a brilliant software designer who was fluent in three languages; English, Chinese and Taiwanese.
While serving in the island's mandatory military service, he learned to design computer programs. When he came to the U.S., he enrolled in graduate computer studies at SUNY in Buffalo, his son said. There, he met his wife, Juhsiu, also a Taiwan native, who is a computer-firm executive. The couple has three sons; Haomin, William, 12, and Kevin, 8.

Last year, Jian started a new job as a senior programmer analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald in the World Trade Center. At Cantor, he designed software programs to traders' specifications. It could be frustrating: He complained sometimes that the traders didn't know what they wanted.
Jian won over colleagues with his easy-going style, lively sense of humor and a ready willingness to help others. "He was kind of difficult to upset," his son said. "He was pretty laid back."
Jian didn't like to bring work home. He worked hard during the week, leaving home in East Brunswick, N.J., at 6:30 a.m. to catch the bus to Manhattan. He'd return home at 7:30 or 8 p.m., as his younger boys were getting ready for bed. "He spent as much time with us as he possibly could," Haomin said. "A lot of the time, he was pushing himself very hard." On weekends, he'd catch up on his sleep and take his sons to tae kwon do classes or piano lessons. Coming from the densely populated Taiwan, Jian enjoyed living in the suburbs and having a house with a backyard. Gardening was relaxing for him, as well as his knack for tinkering with stereo systems, DVDs and all kinds of electronics equipment. Soon after Sept. 11, Jian's sons returned to school, their homework routines unchanged. "My mother kept the family on routine," Haomin said. "She was back at work two days after it happened. She was really strong through the whole thing."

To honor the other 2,995 people killed that day, please go here.

Thank you!

Thank you for rejoicing with us and leaving all those wonderful comments. It makes me happy to know that so many of you were praying for this very thing. Of course I wonder if I will carry to term, but I know Who is in control and I am trusting in Him. Please continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy.

My pregnancy still hasn't quite sunk in. I'm still a bit in shock and walking around like I am the only one in the entire world who has ever conceived. I am on cloud 9 and floating everywhere. Olaf is the same way. He cried like a girl when I showed him the test. He wants a baby more than I do if that is even possible. We both LOVE that newborn stage and fight over who gets to hold the baby. I'm sure I'll have to fight my children too. They are so so excited. What a blessing. I know this sounds absolutely crazy to most people, but we are hoping that we conceive number six right away after this one is born. My other children are all in pairs. Caleb and Camille are six months apart. Grace and Josiah are 19 months apart. And we want another one to be close in age to this one.

Olaf is taking Caleb to the Atlanta Motor Speedway this Friday night to watch a race for his birthday. If he doesn't flip out at the noise, he will be getting a ride in a race car. I hope he likes it. You never know with Caleb. He has sensory issues and it's hit or miss with him. We did buy him a skateboard and gave it to him already. He loves it. I think he'll get the hang of it after awhile. He was happy to be going back to school today. He loves Denise, his bus driver. He asks for her BY NAME everyday.

OK, I need to get Camille to piano lessons. We go every other week which works out well for us. I don't have to go, go, go. I am a home body by nature. I don't like leaving if I don't have to.

$$$$$ We are SO rich! $$$$$

I remember a great man coming into my house, at Waltham, and seeing all my children standing in the order of their age and stature, said, "These are they that make rich men poor." But he straight received this answer, "Nay, my lord, these are they that make a poor man rich; for there is not one of these whom we would part with for all your wealth." - Joseph Hall 1574-1656

We are happy to say that God has increased our wealth! The newest Jorek is due May 10, 2007. To say that we are thrilled would be an understatement.

I can never think of a title...

Don't you love to catch up with an old friend? Today I just had an urge to call my friend Lisa. We were stationed with her husband when we were in the military eons ago. Her husband is still in the Air Force and I give her a call about once a year. I read her updates on the website as she posts, but it was still nice to hear her voice.

Today has been a rather lazy day for me. I did school with the girls and showered...but that's about it:) Camille is playing with the littles and they are having a blast. Well, at least the littles are having a blast. Cami...not so much.

Today is my friend Charity's birthday. She is 29 today. No really. She IS 29. I know that is the age that noone ever passes, but for her it really is her 29th birthday. Happy Birthday my friend. We are going out tomorrow night for dinner to celebrate.

My husband is starting the process to get a dental implant for one of his front teeth. The extraction will be in October. Hee hee. My husband will be toothless for 9 months. Yes, they will give him a "flipper" so he doesn't look toothless, but still... It makes me giggle. I am hoping this stops ALL flirting by other women. Just take that fake tooth out, smile REAL big, and pass gas. There ya go. Only I could love the man after all that! Especially if he says "Git er done" afterward.

Caleb wants a skateboard for his birthday. He has wanted one for years but I have always been afraid that he was going to hurt himself. I guess this year I am going to suck it up and be prepared for the ER visit. He will be thrilled. Absolutely overjoyed. Speaking of being overjoyed, we bought him some race car T-Shirts at Kohls on clearance and those four shirts are the only ones he will wear now. He loves them.

I am absolutely in love with my perfume that Olaf brought me home from France. (You can get it anywhere...he just happened to buy it there) It is call Angel by Thierry Mugler and it is fabulous. Notes:Bergamot, Hedione, Helional, Honey, Dewberry, Red Berries, Vanilla, Caramel, Patchouli, Chocolate, Coumarin.Style:Pure. Soft. Innocent.

That's it from the homefront. Hope you have a great day! Leave a comment and let me know you stopped by.

I just had to post this

Strongest Dad in the World
[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay
for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in
marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a
wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and
pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back
mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes
taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was
strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged
and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life." Dick says doctors told him
and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an
institution."

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes
followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the
engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was
anything to help the boy communicate. "No way," Dick says he was told.
"There's nothing going on in his brain."

"Tell him a joke," Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a
lot was going on in his brain.

Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by
touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to
communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!" And after a high school classmate
was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for
him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do that."

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker" who never ran more
than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he
tried. "Then it was me who was handicapped," Dick says. "I was sore for
two weeks."

That day changed Rick's life. "Dad," he typed, "when we were running, it
felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!"

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving
Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly
shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

"No way," Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a
single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few
years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway. Then
they found a way to get into the race officially - in 1983 they ran
another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the
following year.

Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?"

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he
was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick
tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour
Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud
getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you
think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own?
"No way," he says.
Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick with a
cantaloupe-sized smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston
Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best
time - Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world
record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to
be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the
time.

"No question about it," Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the
Century."

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a
mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries
was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape," one doctor
told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago."

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston,
and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always
find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and
compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's
Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants
to give him is a gift he can never buy.

"The thing I'd most like," Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair
and I push him once."

Here's the video....

Nineteen Years

Usually we dont celebrate the anniversary of our first date, but this year is significant. We have officially been together half of our lives. Did you hear that people? HALF OF OUR LIVES. I woke up this morning to find a CD of Shania Twain's "You're Still the One" along with the lyrics. (Can you believe I have never heard this song before?) Olaf wrote this next to the lyrics:

Hi Beautiful,
I hear this song on the radio sometimes. It always makes me think of you/us. Remember what "they" said when we got married? Only problem with this is the title-it shouldn't be "still" it should be "always have been and always will be."
I love you!
Olaf

Yes, I cried. I am crying right now. He loves me. What can I say??

Thank you my sweet, sweet husband for making me the happiest woman on the face of the earth.

My Gracie and me!

Animal Control

My dog, Ella, is old and decrepit. That is why I was very surprised when Animal Control knocked on my door. She usually stays on my porch or in my yard because she has arthritis and who knows what else. The nice gentleman that delivered her said she was in the middle of the road about 10 houses away. The Animal Control man was very nice and issued me a warning. He said that the last time I got a warning was in the year 2000, so he treated it like a first offense. I guess I need to watch her better. I cannot afford to pay a fine.

Caleb got hit in the face in PE yesterday (with another kid's head) and has a big huge bruise on his cheek. He doesn't act like it is bothering him, but whenever he gets hit in the head I start to worry about a seizure. His first seizure happened just days after hitting his head very hard while running down the hall. The doctors don't think there is any connection, but I still think it had something to do with it. Needless to say, I am a bit worried.

This is my PMS week and I am happy to report that I am doing much better. Thank you modern medicine. I don't feel out of control or overwhelmed with life. Phew.

Caleb's birthday is September 11th and I have no idea what to buy the kid for his birthday. He is so hard to buy for. Olaf is going to try to get him a ride in a Bush race car. He'll love that.

My children are all down playing in the bedroom. The girls are playing dolls and Josiah is playing dolls too, but he uses his Thomas the Tank Engine instead of a doll. The littles LOVE Camille. She is their playmate. She isn't too happy with that situation all the time, but that's a part of being the oldest sibling.

Have a great day everyone.

Flirting or not?

You know, sometimes having a hot man for a husband stinketh. My husband's work environment is mostly male. I would say the percentage of females that he deals with on a daily basis is about 10%. However, there is one single female that may be flirting with my husband. He told me about it this weekend. When they were alone together in his office (door wide open, window in the office) she yawned, strecthced her arms over her head, and stuck her chest out at him. She keeps calling him "hon" and wondering "why you haven't called me" about thus and such. She send him e-mails that say things like "you rock!" Your opinion please. Does that constitute flirting? He isn't 100% sure that it is flirting. He says it just may be her personality. He has asked another man who deals with her if she acts the same way around him. He said no. But the bottom line is my husband told me about it. He didn't want to because he didn't want to upset me. (I tend to be very insecure anyway because I'm fat) But he did. And I am so grateful for that. I love you Olaf.

Can you believe it?

They have a confession from John Mark Karr on the killing of JonBenet Ramsey. This guy has such loose lips it's almost impossible to believe him. He has publicly said that he killed her but it was an accident along with a whole host of other things. It's almost bizarre. I'm keeping my eye on it though. I love Court TV and that is all they are talking about right now.

Tonight is Bible Study. It may be the last one ever. We will be discussing that possibility tonight. I will miss it though. I love the ladies there. Although being home on Thursday nights will be great when Survivor starts. Yes, I still love the show even though they didn't pick me. Losers.

I got another shipment of Sheer Cover this week. It will last me a year I think. I don't wear make up everyday. I mean, I should wear it because I am getting old...but I don't. Heck, I don't even get dressed everyday!:) I still love it. I think it is the best make up ever. I also got the bronzer this time and it is fabulous as well.

The 29th of this month will be the anniversary of my first date with Olaf. Nineteen years. Almost half my life has been spent with him. Can you believe that? We have literally grown up together. Not to mention grown out together. Our girth is not the same as it used to be.

I hope y'all have a great day.

Lightning

of course the correct spelling is lightning. I hate it when I make mistakes.

Boxers or briefs?

My husband is at the doctor today. It's kind of a follow-up to the neurologist and also to ask why he is having such bad chest pain. My husband is an enigma to the doctors. No one knows why he's in pain or what's going on. Very frustrating to say the least.

Our days are becoming routine now that Caleb is back in school. I am a fairly relaxed homeschooling mom, so I don't worry too much about starting at a specific time etc. I wasn't always this way, but it works for us now. We rarely start school before 9:00 am and are always done with seat work by lunch time. In those few hours Camille does Math, Language, Spelling, and one other subject depending on the day. Today we did Georgia History and Science.

Gracie is smart as a whip. She is catching onto phonics with lightening speed. She writes well too. Her penmanship is much better than Camille's was at this age. Both of my girls are doing fabulously at school.

Caleb is bothering me daily about his baseball game. He starts this Saturday and asks all of us several times a day if we are going. Josiah always says, "Sure I'll come. I like baseball." Cute. He doesn't mind answering Caleb for the 100th time in an hour.

And the title has nothing to do with my post today. I just put it there to throw you off...

Mothering

We have all heard it. Being a mother is the hardest job on the face of the planet. I totally agree. We have been given real life human souls to mold, shape, educate, and train. Being a mother should make us grow up. Become less selfish. Before children I didn't like to share my food. Yes, it's true. Now I don't get to eat anything without little people taking a bite of whatever I have. I used to enjoy some adult conversation during the day, run to the grocery store whenever I needed to, and use the bathroom without someone pounding on the door. But you know what? I would never go back to "before children." I find some of my fulfillment in them. I enjoy watching them grow. Both spiritually and physically. I cannot wait to see them as adults and hold my grandchildren. I believe my time being a homemaker is the BEST thing I can do for my children. That is why this article makes me so sad. Written by a narcissistic woman who doesn't want to be bothered by her children. Why in the heck did she have them anyway??

I did post...I really did.

Then blogger ate it and spat it out. I told you all about my week. About how we got a new computer that is so FAST. About how I love to play Toontown on it. About how we set up the old computer in my bedroom so we could get yet ANOTHER Toontown account so we can play as a family. Heavy sigh... It was a really good post.

School is going well with the girls. Caleb loves riding the bus. (He started school on Monday) Josiah misses Caleb during the day though. Caleb was his playmate this past month while the girls were working on school.

It has been super hot here and I cannot wait for some cooler weather. C'mon November. I'm a waitin' for ya.

Craziness abounds with my family in Oregon. What's new? I haven't been to Oregon in SIX years. My mother has never seen Grace or Josiah. Last time she saw Caleb and Camille they were five years old. Anyway, my sil is in jail on drug charges and my 6 year old niece needs some serious prayer for protection. She has been exposed to so so much from my brother and his wife. Children's services will not take her away from them and I don't understand why. They are drug addicts who are in and out of jail constantly. I feel so sorry for this little girl.

OK, husband just walked in the door. Need to run.