More Than I'd Hoped For

8 years ago

2012-01-15T00:00:00.000-06:00

8 years ago today, I held my first baby in my arms for the first time. I also knew it would be the last time I would ever hold her, on this earth. She was tiny and perfect. She had her father's nose and her auntie Jenna's toes. While I held her, I knew that what I was really holding was her shell, for already, Jesus was holding her in His arms.

I want to be honest here. There have been days that I have wondered if I will ever really get to see her again. Will she be in Heaven? She never took a breath on earth. While I was laying on bedrest, we hoped for a miracle. We had already decided on names for our baby. If it was a boy he was going to be William James. If it was a girl, she would be named Elisa Rose. I had always loved that name. However, one day, while I was laying there, I believe that the Holy Spirit told me to name her Faith. I know that it may be hard to believe that I really heard the Holy Spirit, but I know that I did. I would have never thought of that name in a million years. I used to think that the significance was in what her name means. However, I recently figured out that the significance is what her being named means. Do you see the subtle difference? Faith, according to the Bible, is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. That is great news that gives me great hope of seeing her again. However, a deeper joy is found in that Jesus loved her enough to name her. Let me say that again. Jesus loved her enough to name her. The God of the universe, who created the stars in the sky, loved my baby--who would never take a breath on earth--enough to give her a name. How on earth can I doubt that He who named her, would hold her safely in His arms until I can be there?

So for now, I will rest in the knowledge that my dear Faith, will save a place for me until the God of creation calls me home.

Ashamed

2011-12-30T11:56:00.001-06:00

I generally try to keep this blog light and fun. However, something has been nagging at me and I have to speak up. Even if it's just here, for me.

An Open Letter to Johnsburg District 12 from your 1996 Valedictorian.

I grew up in a small town in a northwest suburb of Chicago. It was a town that you felt relatively safe in. We rode our bikes all over town and didn't worry about being snatched or killed. I went to a small public highschool--A little less than 800 students total. I enjoyed my time there, for the most part. However, I was never proud of the administration. We had a Principal who was convicted of driving his boat under the influence of alcohol. Great role model, you say? It gets worse. He completely failed in what could've been a teaching humility and forgiveness moment. What I remember from his apology to the students and staff of Johnsburg High School was one statement--and only a part of it. The part where he did not accept the blame. He said, "when you take a cop, who's mad at the world..." and then I don't remember what he said after that, because what I heard was "the cop was a jerk and should've let me off." Great lesson for your impressionable teenagers--most of them at or near driving age. Well done on that hire, Superintendent.

Johnsburg once again failed in their administration. I read this article and was horrified. You think that the Penn State scandal was a one time thing. But no, Johnsburg pulled a Paterno. They looked the other way while parents complained about inappropriate actions by a coach to his players. The police chief said it didn't constitute criminal activity. Are you saying that a person in authority texting an underage student and asking him about his private parts is not a red flag? There needs to be a zero tolerance policy. The coach should've been IMMEDIATELY fired. A child brings a weapon to school and they are immediately expelled, in order to protect the children. A coach intimidates a student and everyone looks the other way? We have games to win--that's what matters, right? Child safety goes out the window when basketball scores are involved? When did we become a society that values sports above children? WHEN?! You want me to trust that I can send my children to school and they will be safe? How can we do that when three different sets of parents feared for their children and a school district and police department did NOTHING. Now a child has been abused. I hope that you can sleep at night, because I bet that child cannot.

Two peas in a pod

2011-12-27T19:54:00.001-06:00

Have I mentioned that Bill loves presents? Even more than presents, he loves to be surprised by presents. Which is why he will not allow me to purchase gifts from his Amazon wish list. I have to "put thought" into them, blah blah blah. The pressure about kills me every year. Actually, twice a year--as he likes to be surprised on his birthday as well. It's torture, I tell you.

Anyway, this year we decided we were going to do $25 gifts to each other and keep it cheap. However, I discovered the Kindle Fire. I knew he would loooooove it. He loves gadgets and while he would like an iPad, I figured he would settle for the "poor man's iPad" as I like to call it. However, there was the issue of the $25 gifts. So I decided I would cancel my fall hair highlights and skip my Monday/Wednesday coffees. That would justify the expense.

I ordered the Fire and knew I would be the best wife ever (well to him, anyway) and I couldn't wait to surprise him. Unfortunately, he accidentally found out about the surprise. I was devastated and told him that I cancelled it (which I did, but re-ordered it). I think he wasn't entirely sure if I was going to come through or not. I know he was hoping I would.

Then, I saw it! There was a Cyber Monday deal for a Kitchen Aid Professional Series 6 quart mixer. I have been dying for one of these for a couple of years. The bowl is much bigger than my regular kitchen aid and it has almost double the watts! I sent him the link and kept my fingers crossed. I was 99% sure that he would get it for me, because he's that kind of guy. Out the window went our $25 limit.

I decided I wanted to trick Bill into thinking that he wasn't going to get the fire. I am evil like that. I gave him a gift certificate for amazon.com, knowing he would think it was for adding things to his Fire. Then I gave him a box about the size of a Fire. He opened it and in it was a kitchen scale. (maniacal laugh) He on the other hand smiled politely and didn't act like there was anything bad about it, since he had actually mentioned he would like one. I know that a tiny part of him died inside. And I enjoyed it--because I am evil like that.

I opened my gifts. There was no Kitchen Aid. I was disappointed, but I wasn't sure if he was going to save it for my birthday. Then as we were both cleaning up the wrapping paper, he went out to the garage and I went to the laundry room. We both returned with our secret gifts. We are soul mates who get enjoyment out of torturing each other.

my precious

say goodbye to evening conversation...

December 22

2011-12-26T12:16:00.000-06:00

Yes, I am a few days behind. The last three days have gone by in a whirlwind! Thursday, the kids were super excited to open their calendar and see "Zoo Lights with Aunt Nicki and Uncle Nicholas!" It ended up being a long day as we waited for Papa to get home so we could leave. We left by 3:30, figuring that at worst, it would take an hour and a half to get downtown. Almost 3 hours and two pit stops later, we arrived.

This is where I be honest with you all on how sometimes I have great intentions of teaching my children valuable lessons, but then decide to take the easy way out. We have had two DVD players for the car. Both have broken in the last year or two. Bill and I decided we were NOT going to replace them this time. We both grew up without DVD players in the car. Every year, my parents drove us to Florida--that's way more hours than my kids have ever spent in a car. We read books, slept, played games. We survived. Alas, Bill and I got to listen to, "She's touching me!" "He's singing and it's my turn!" "Can I have a pretzel?" I had to turn around and pick up Brendan's books a bajillion times, until I got nauseous and decided I'd rather listen to him cry than turn around again. It got to the point where, I'm pretty sure if we had passed a Target on the way, Bill would've ran in and bought whatever DVD player they had in stock. A sad reality. So, alas, Santa bought my kids a DVD player, along with the extended warranty. Pathetic, I know.

Anywhoo, I digress. We got to Aunt Nicki and Uncle Nicholas' house. The kids were super excited for a tour because they have only been there once, but didn't get to see the third floor and Liam desperately needed to see all 4 bathrooms. Don't as me why, he was fascinated. Maybe he'll be a plumber. They fed us dinner and we rushed out the door to see the Zoo Lights because we only had about two hours left before they closed.

Honestly, the lights were pretty amazing! We were all awestruck by how beautiful it looked. God was good and it stopped raining right as we got there, so it wasn't crowded, and the weather was perfect--just a little chilly. We got so see several of the animals--the gorillas were all sleeping right up against the glass spread eagle. I felt a bit voyeuristic, but it was super cool! I was surprised we were even able to see the lions--they were half asleep, but the kids didn't care. We got to see the entire zoo--there was even one section where the lights were timed to music. Brendan especially thought that was amazing! The kids had a great time--the two big kids fell asleep on the way home, Brendan on the other hand, told us he pooped every five minutes. We didn't get home until about 10:00, which is why it took a few days to get this up! All in all, it was a great day, hopefully we can make this a tradition--we will just do better planning of the day we choose to drive downtown!

Thank you!

2011-12-23T13:43:00.000-06:00

I don't have yesterday's photos from our Advent Activity uploaded yet because I left the camera in the van and Bill took it to work, so that post will be later. For now I just wanted to say thank you. I have, like I'm sure most mom's do at one time or another, been feeling underappreciated. This season, while I feel like I've been giving more of myself than ever before, I feel like some people are asking me for even more (they don't read my blog, so if you're reading this, it's not you :) ). It's amazing how just a couple of people can bring you down. It has been incredibly discouraging. So, I have been praying about my attitude and asking for some encouragement.

God has been faithful in doing that. One of the ways has been through all of you. I wasn't a very good blogger this year--I had more posts in December than I have all year. However, since I started posted daily, I have received around 40 unique hits per day. Now I know this is chump change for someone like the Pioneer Woman. But for someone like me, with a little family blog, it has meant the world. (Except for the person who googled "dirty underwear" and got this post--I am sure they were horribly disappointed, pervert). For the most part I have no idea who most of the people are that have been reading, because I don't get a lot of comments. But, whomever you are, I want you to know that it has been an incredible encouragement to me. I know that this season is incredibly busy for all of us. The fact that anyone (especially those not related to me) would take a few minutes out of their day to read about my day, means more than you could know. So thank you, and let me be an encouragement to you, today. I appreciate you and have been blessed by you all!

Merry Merry Christmas to you and your families

Day 21

2011-12-21T18:42:00.001-06:00

Today's Advent Activity was going out for ice cream! We have probably only gone out, just for ice cream, once since having the kids. That's mostly because they are much like their father and like plain vanilla--no mix-ins or toppings. It's not really worth the trip. However, when they have gotten to have ice cream out, they love doing it. Occasionally we will go to Culver's after church and ice cream comes free with their kids meals. Rori, in particular loves ice cream. She could probably eat a half gallon of it by herself in one sitting. I'm not sure where she puts it, but I envy her!

She can't get enough!

So, I thought, to make their boring (to me) vanilla ice cream trip more exciting, we would go BEFORE dinner! That's right, Grandma Casey, we are spoiling their dinner :)

Brendan mushed his to get to the bottom

Then finished Liam's cone...he looks a little intoxicated by ice cream

Since this is kind of a non-exciting post, and the next three days are going to be super busy, I wanted to give a shout-out to my friend, Leslie, for sharing the whole Home-made Advent Calendar idea with me. Without her, we would've missed out on the wonderful month of building memories and traditions! She is also doing these kinds of activities--I wish she had a blog that I could direct you to, but she's posting pictures on facebook and she has had some wonderful ideas! Leslie and I have just become good friends this year. She and I have several mutual friends, but hadn't ever spent time together, and unbeknownst to us, we live less than a mile apart! Earlier in the year, she came to Karen's Twi-Night and then we became facebook friends. Then we learned we both had Legoland passes and decided to meet up there and an instant friendship was born!

Leslie is someone that, while I haven't known her for years, I feel like I have. She, like me, is an open book. She shares, openly and honestly, her joys and struggles with motherhood (she has 4 boys 5 and under!). She's always willing to share tips and ideas and is one of my favorite bargain finders! She knows who she is, and I can tell has always known--she's not wishy washy about her faith. It's clear she loves Jesus and she walks the walk and talks the talk. Sometimes I think she and I grew up in the same house (and I mean that in a good way--our parents both did an excellent job of raising us)--we've seen the same movies as children, we had similar high school experiences, and have the same appreciation for butter! She has an amazing amount of energy--if you could see all the things she does with her boys (you really need a blog, Leslie) you would wonder when she sleeps. I have decided that she doesn't. You're a great mom, Leslie, and I'm so glad to call you a friend! Thank you for inviting me to Legoland, and thank you for letting me steal your Advent Calendar!

Day 20

2011-12-20T20:47:00.000-06:00

I have been looking forward to today because it was also an Advent Activity for me! We got to go to our friends' house. They are dear friends that we met when we started going to our current church and we've been in small group together. Unfortunately they live about 30 minutes away from us. We used to be able to get together more frequently, but now that the kids are in school, it's hard to get all the kids together (us moms still manage to find time, thank goodness) We had today's playdate on the calendar for probably 6 weeks! I was extra excited because I also got to see my friend, Beth--read the end of the post to find out why there are no pictures of the adults.

We were really excited to see my friend, Beth's, kids there as well--Brody, Liam, and Micah!

Anyway, Rori was especially excited because the house we were going to was Rachel's! Rachel was her very first friend ever. When we went to Calvary the first time, several of the parents we met had children the same ages as us, however, the ones Rori's age were boys, except Rachel. This is not to say that Rori "settled" with Rachel. Rachel is a very sweet spirit who loves Rori as well. All of April's kids are wonderful, sweet, kids who clearly love Jesus and aren't afraid to share Him. And I know they get a lot of their wonderful qualities from their mom (their dad is pretty cool too, but this isn't about him). She is a wonderful mom that is passionate about her children.

Sweet friends!

I love April. She is one of those special friends that you want to hold onto forever. She is one of those friends that empathizes with those she loves. She will cry with you at the drop of a hat--her compassion knows no limits :) She would drop everything for a friend in need--I have seen it first hand. She is open and honest about her feelings. There is no question that is "too personal." I know, I've asked. She is the kind of friend that you can have belly laughs with, but also share the depths of your soul. She is one of those people that you know exactly who they are and where they stand. And I really feel like she knows who I am--deep down. She's knows I'm crazy, needy, in constant disarray, but she loves me in spite of those things. I'm so happy that I have an April in my life--and I have managed to finagle my way into other parts of her life so that church isn't the only common ground that we have. I am currently working on some sort of arranged marriage between our children--I don't care which set--so that we will be related. This way, she can never escape me :) There is no picture of April and I--you can check my post about Karen if you want to see her. The reason is because while she looked lovely and even had make-up on, I on the other hand have a lovely red pimple on my chin and this is my blog, so I get to choose :) It's good to be in charge.

I'm sorry, Maya! This is the only picture I got of you!

Brendan is showing Claire he would make a good husband someday!

Claire! We love her!

Day 19

2011-12-19T20:52:00.000-06:00

As a child I used to watch the Sally Struthers commercials where they would encourage you to sponsor a child. I am sure you remember the ones I am talking about. She used to say that for less than a cup of coffee a day, you could change a life. I used to wish that I bought a cup of coffee a day, or that my parents did, so that we could quit doing that and sponsor a child.

Fast forward several years, to 2007. I went to a Todd Agnew concert with Bill. The concert was sponsored by World Vision. Todd talked about visiting a country in Africa and how much these children needed and how big a difference being a sponsor could make in the life of one of these children--I honestly don't remember the details. All I remember was thinking...I am an adult now. I can do this! I can make whatever sacrifice I need to in order for us to afford to sponsor one of those faces. For some reason I didn't tell Bill my plan. I didn't want anything to talk me out of it. At intermission, I told him I was going to use the washroom. Instead, I stopped at the World Vision booth. They had pictures upon pictures of children that needed sponsors. They were sorted by date of birth. You could choose. That's when it hit me. I wanted to choose a child born on January 15. Unfortunately I couldn't find one with that date. A kind woman offered to help me find whatever date I was looking for. She found January 14 and 16. She asked if that was ok. I nodded, feeling a disappointed lump forming in my throat. I explained to her why I wanted the 15th. Her eyes filled with compassion and she told me that they could try and find a child with my chosen date and mail it to me. She took down my address and I walked away, wondering if I would ever hear from them. I told Bill about it on the way home, and of course he was supportive.

A few weeks later, Sytenise Dorvil appeared in our mail box. Her birthday was January 15, 2000 and she was from Haiti. We have been sponsoring her for about 3 or 4 years now. At Christmas, we always make a larger donation and are always super excited to see what our money was able to help provide for her family. It's usually a goat, a dress, some shoes, and some hair ribbons (we aren't able to give a lot extra, but the dollar goes pretty far). This year, along with our financial gift, I wanted the children to make something for her. So...after a really long introduction, that was our Advent activity for today.

Bill found a Christmas craft that was handmade ornaments that we can glue pictures of the kids to. The thing about sending things to sponsored children is that they need to fit into a flat 6x9 envelope, so it's kind of tricky to think of gifts. These work out perfectly. I realize that she won't get them in time for Christmas, partly because of the distance and the process of getting through the sponsorship offices--it can take a couple of months, and partly because I am not going to brave the Post Office until after Christmas :)

That's chocolate on his face from a granola bar--apparently nobody washes his face for him.

Rori loooooves crafts! She would do one everyday if she could

Liam without his shirt...again

Even Papa got into it--I got to tie the ribbons, again.

The kids were really excited to make them--Brendan even got to help this time! We talked about Sytenise and what life is like for her, and while my kids really can't grasp the difference in our lifestyles, they are beginning to appreciate that they are very blessed and we need to do what we can to love God's children that have so much less.

Day 18--the home stretch!

2011-12-18T17:31:00.000-06:00

Today begins the last week of our Advent activities. I have reached the end of my creativity and the end of my energy level, so I felt a little bit like we were grasping at straws. I had planned out the whole calendar in advance, but there were some occasions where we needed to switch things around. Today was originally "bring a meal to Tim." Tim is our neighbor that I recently was upset with because he sent away the little girl and her mom that he had invited to move in at the beginning of the school year, and didn't allow us to say goodbye. It's a long story, but I wanted to teach the children that we could be forgiving and loving. However, Tim moved out earlier this week. Oh darn. Is it bad that I was relieved--mostly because I didn't feel like making an extra meal? So, instead of thinking of another family that could use a dinner, we swapped it out with a Christmas craft. But, tomorrow's day was going to be a craft too, so I was kind of bummed at my lack of originality. In swoops our friends Dan and Karen to save the day!

Me, April (she's awesome too, but we're going to her house Tues, so maybe I'll share her awesomeness then :) , and Karen--who on top of her other gifts, can take self portraits with a heavy DSLR camera)

This morning Bill got a text from them inviting us, after church, to their house for lunch and the men would watch the football game and the women and kids could visit. Yes! Perfect Advent activity! All of our kids love each other and all of the grown ups love each other--it's a love fest. I knew the kids would love to go there and I could get away with calling it our Advent activity for the day. I love win/win situations :)

Karen is the person that I want to be when I grow up :) She is the most generous, kind hearted, loving, caring, creative person in the world. She is the kind of person that will drop everything to listen to you and the first person to offer to pray with you. She is an encourager, and always has a positive outlook on every situation. She is the perfect hostess--I have visions of one day being a good hostess instead of the crab I usually am. She planned our Twi-Night and several other parties since I have known her. She leaves no detail forgotten and no guest left out. She is one of the most honest people I have ever met. Ask her anything and she will tell you the truth--which makes her a great person to go to for advice. She is spiritually wise beyond her years! Karen, I love you and am so glad that I get to call you friend!

Karen is super patient with the kids--she showed them all their hamsters

Karen's daughter, Keira, is just as sweet as her mom--Rori loves her!

Liam loves her boys, Christian and Carter--For once, Liam has his shirt on and someone else doesn't ;)

Day 17

2011-12-17T21:29:00.000-06:00

Today our Advent Activity coincided with celebrating Ryan, my brother-in-law's birthday. Jenna and her family, my parents, and my grandma all came over for pizza and to decorate the 120 or so cookies that I had baked--that was 8 sticks of butter, 8 egg yolks, and 9 cups of flour. I am going to put in another plug for a Kitchen Aid Professional Series 6 Quart mixer that could have done that in one batch as opposed to the two batches I needed to make.

I felt little stress today because normally I make the frosting right before we start and then end up having to make 2 or 3 more batches during and I don't get to have fun decorating. This time I made a huge batch before everyone came over. I wish I would've thought of doing that 2 years ago when we started this tradition. Sometimes I am a little slow. I may have also been a little less stressed than normal because I dipped into my airplane prescription of Xanax....maybe.

The kids did a great job decorating, and I was only a little scary. I may have thrown a tiny temper tantrum because when I opened the tins of cookies there were quite a few broken ones. But, I think I was justified. If you had spent two days mixing, rolling, cutting and baking cookies, you'd be irritated if they broke too. But honestly, it was a relatively calm and fun experience. This year all of the kids helped--even the babies. I think Noah enjoyed it the most though! This is a tradition that I hope we do as a whole family for years to come.

That thing on the bottom right, was Bill's contribution--it's a Star Wars ship--don't ask me which one, all I know is it's not the Millennium Falcon

Day 16 of Advent fun

2011-12-17T20:50:00.000-06:00

Friday was a really hard day for me. I think the stress of everything I felt I needed to do the day before, caught up with me. And I still needed to make a batch of butter cookie cutouts for the following day. I was kind of getting to the point of hating cookies... Anyway, I got hit with an incredibly bad migraine right around lunch time. I took my prescription medicine and ate some lunch and drank some caffeine, but I felt incredibly nauseous and was worried I might throw up. I've only had a migraine that bad once before. I ended up calling Bill and asking him if he could come home as soon as he possibly could get out of work. About an hour and a half later, it dulled and I felt like I would be ready for our activity for the day. We were going to drive around and look at Christmas lights. It was something we used to do with my Aunt and Uncle when we were little. Unfortunately, about an hour before we were going to go, the migraine came back full force. I took some more medicine and laid down. I still felt kind of bad, but good enough to go for a drive.

We decided to make it more fun for the kids by letting them get milk shakes to drink in the car. Rori didn't want one unless I got one too, so I did. I think it helped my headache :) So we drank our milkshakes and drove around looking at lights. The kids all really liked it, even Brendan. We counted the number of Nativity scenes--at least 18, and Rori planned out how she wants our yard to look next year. Papa's really excited about that :) There's just something about driving around and seeing the Christmas lights that really bring out the Christmas spirit.

I love it when houses go crazy for Christmas lights!

This house had homemade Disney and Pixar Characters--really cute!

Day 15, a few days late

2011-12-17T20:35:00.000-06:00

Ah, day 15, it was actually a day I had been dreading. You see, it was Thursday. The day before Friday, the last day of school before Christmas break. I had the bright idea of making teacher gifts. It's been an expensive year for us and so I wanted to do homemade gifts instead of spending a lot of money because I needed 4 gifts. People seem to really enjoy the gourmet popcorn that I make, so I wanted to make that for them. For some reason, I get these grandiose ideas and then end up killing myself to do them, and swear I will never do that again...and then I forget and do it again. I decided to make all three flavors of popcorn for each teacher. Unfortunately they need to be pretty fresh because I haven't determined the shelf life on them, so I needed to do them all the day before. It wouldn't have been so bad except for the vast amount of dishes that I created.

Along with the three batches of popcorn, I made sugar cookie dough because somehow all the cookies we made with Auntie Val the previous week had disappeared. Fortunately Auntie Val was coming over again so she happily helped the kids roll out the dough and put sprinkles on them while I barked orders like a drill sargent. I may have frightened myself. I think I was losing the Christmas Spirit...But to be fair, I still needed to tie all the ribbons and package the popcorn so I was a little overwhelmed.

Anywho, back to the Advent Calendar. It was supposed to be dinner at McDonald's Playland, but the day before Bill and I agreed there wasn't really time to do that, so Bill stopped at Michael's on his way home and picked up a Christmas craft. The kids were none the wiser. They got to color little vinyl Santa's. Bill wanted to help them because he said he felt jipped by always being banished to the family room with Brendan. So, I happily snuggled in with him to watch Mickey Mouse before bed.

This is pretty much his picture face...I think he thinks if he opens his eyes, the camera will steal his soul...

Fortunately the kids are loving doing the Christmas crafts, so it was once again a big hit! And after they went to bed, I watched fa la la la lifetime (thank goodness for cheesy Christmas movies) and tied ribbons on 30 bags of popcorn.

I bought these cute buckets from Target to hold the popcorn and those are the homemade cards the kids made

inside the bucket--they each held 4 bags of popcorn

My mom made adorable tags for each flavor

Peanut butter crunch, peppermint bark, and cinnamon caramel corn

Day 14 and some bonus rambling

2011-12-14T22:00:00.001-06:00

Remember when I said I would regale you with stories of Smiley Face Cookies and Wacky Pack Wednesday's? Well, today you get 50% of that. Today is Wednesday, so I am at work all day. Then, at 5:00 tonight is Bill's work Christmas party, and the kids have AWANA, so I will not get to spend much time with them. I hate that. Grandma Casey is going to give them dinner and take them to AWANA> So, anyway, I picked them up smiley face cookies from the bakery as their special Advent treat. They seemed excited enough that I only felt a smidge of guilt.

So, they didn't have smiley face cookies, but the kids thought I was a rock star for the santa ones. Win/win

Now, I bet you just assumed that would be the end of my post today, right? Wrong. I am feeling wordy, so there is something that I want to discuss. Well, one-sidedly of course, this is a blog, not a panel discussion. But we're all friends, right? I love you all, and I so very very much appreciate it when you leave me comments, whether it's on the blog or facebook, but I want to make sure that none of you have any incorrect perceptions. I don't want you to read my blog and say, "wow! She's amazing, I want to be more like her! Secretly I hate her a little bit because she is doing all of this for her kids, and I am not." I don't want my blog to make people feel badly about themselves. Now, maybe none of you are thinking that and all of this wordiness is for naught. If that's the case, feel free to move on, catch up on the newest episode of Psych, and forget I said anything. But, I just want to make sure that I am not giving false illusions. I have blogs that I read and sometimes I can't read because I feel like they are so put together and my life couldn't possibly live up to them--why can't I look this cute all the time, why can't I be this holy and peaceful all the time, why can't I develop a healthy relationship with food, like this person? The list goes on and on. I don't want people thinking that I am creative, or energetic, or a better mom than the next person. I am tired, disorganized, disheveled at least 4 days of the week, constantly battling the 300 lb man that lives inside of me, cranky, and impatient. However, I, like all of you, love my children with my entire heart and soul. I would die for them. So, with an incredible amount of help from Grandma Casey, Grandma Hoo Hoo, and most of all from the most unbelievably patiently helpful, and amazing husband in the world, I am working my way through Advent, even if it physically kills me (which at times, I have thought it might), to give my children memories of a mom whom, while full of imperfections and flaws, loves them even more than myself (and I can be pretty selfish). And, I know, that those of you who have commented on facebook and on my blog (you know who you are), are just as amazing and your kids look at you with the same love and awe as mine, and don't see the same flawed person that you see when you look in the mirror. Ok, thank you, if you have stayed and read this whole thing. Now, since flattery gets you everywhere with me, leave me a comment about how much more amazing I am than you even thought before--and you can throw in a "you're pretty" if you want, and I will consider us BFF's for life.

The 13th day

2011-12-13T21:32:00.000-06:00

I have been really excited about this day's activity! We are baking cookies and bringing them to the fire station as a gift to the firemen. I want my kids to realize that giving is often as much fun, if not more fun, than receiving. I picked the fire station because they have been called to our house on multiple occasions--you can read about a few of them here and here. I am so thankful that they have always been so pleasant and helpful and willing to come to our aid--especially with my allergy attack.

I decided that Liam would make a batch of cookies while Brendan napped and then Rori would make a batch when she got home from school. I have been wanting to try out a Cadbury Egg Cookie recipe from my favorite blog. This recipe calls for smashed mini Cadbury Eggs, which for the first time ever, I saw Christmas ones in the stores! So, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give them a try. Now, here comes a very important Public Service Announcement. Butter flavored Crisco is of the devil. I am a butter snob. However, when I make a recipe for the first time, I always follow it exactly. Then, the next time I make it, I make any changes that I want. This recipe called for butter flavored Crisco, along with a stick of regular butter. I went ahead and made it with the butter-flavored Crisco. When I tasted the dough, I felt like something was off. So then I tried a cookie. The off flavor was more subtle, but still there. I started to be worried that I had somehow poisoned the cookies. I checked the dates on my eggs, the butter and the Crisco. I had visions of giving the fire department food poisoning and then someone calling 911 but all the firemen were in the loo! Fortunately they were all good. So, I decided to taste the Crisco straight up. Yep. That was it. Tasted a little bit like evil. So, lesson learned. Butter-flavored anything, probably really doesn't taste like butter. Take that little tidbit and file it away for future reference, and then thank me later. Anyway, I know plenty of people like margarine and things like that in their cookies, so I am hoping the firemen aren't as snobby as I am, and will enjoy them. If not, they'll throw them out and we will be none the wiser--except for when they lock the doors if they see us coming next year.

We had to crush the Cadbury Eggs, so we tried a rolling pin

And moved to a rubber mallet

Rori's cookie uses the same basic recipe (minus the lesson learned about aforementioned Crisco) except we added dark chocolate and mint chips in place of the Cadbury eggs.Her cookies were AMAZING! They tasted like an Andes Mint or a Mint Meltaway. Lesson learned.

Liam liked his evil cookies

Brendan liked them too. Clearly they do not have their mother's discerning palate

Rori had zero interest in trying either of them

When Bill got home, we loaded up the car and went to the fire station. We had to be buzzed in and the fireman seemed thrilled that the kids made cookies just for them. He invited us in to see the fire trucks and then he offered to take a picture of us in front of the fire truck.

Five minutes after we left, I realized that I forgot to get a picture with the kids and the fireman. Argh! I'm seriously irritated about that, but oh well, maybe next time. I am going to blame my tired brain from making two batches of cookies plus I made the dough to roll out another batch of cut outs tonight because we need them to frost on another day. Boy would a Kitchen Aid Professional Series 6 quart mixer help...I'm just sayin'...

I hope my face doesn't freeze like that.

The 12th day of Christmas

2011-12-13T08:28:00.004-06:00

There--look at my creative blog post title! We did the Christmas cards for the teachers Take Two. This time I decided to research ideas the night before so that I wouldn't go into full panic attack mode when it was time to make a craft from scratch. I found a Christmas tree card that was very simple yet super cute. Bill even made the template because it's Wednesday and I work so I get home after he does. Man I wish I had gotten a picture of that!

Liam, shocker, didn't want to do it. Are you getting a theme here with him? Somehow we convinced him to participate and he had fun gluing the parts together and then trimming the tree with stickers. He even wanted to write Merry Christmas all by himself! Rori wrote a long note to her teacher--I am so impressed with her writing this year, she loves it--maybe she'll have a blog someday!

After we did the cards, Brendan wanted to snuggle--poor kid has been left out of quite a bit of the Advent activities because he's too little :( Next year he will get to participate much more!

I wasn't going to say anything, but my vanity or lack of self esteem--you pick--got the better of me and the reason there is a glare off my face and my eyes are dark is because I am in my pajamas and had just taken a shower. So there you go. I am shallow and couldn't just let it go. I like to keep it real--about my inner and outer flaws :)

11

2011-12-12T20:19:00.000-06:00

Oh how I have been looking forward to Advent Day 11! This one required zero pre-planning and was super relaxing. We went to the movies! Rori was not terribly excited because we were going to see the Muppets. She has zero interest in them. I convinced her that it would be fun because Giselle was in it. She was sold!

Grandma Casey was willing to watch Brendan because the last time I took him to a movie he ran up and down the aisle. Fortunately the only people in the theater were us and my friend Leslie and her boys. Otherwise I would've felt like I needed to give everyone a refund. Well, I might actually still owe Leslie a refund. Anyway, Bill had been DYING to see this movie, so this was the perfect opportunity.

I was a little worried that Liam would fall asleep, mostly because he has fallen asleep at just about every other movie we have gone to. However, he stayed awake, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Rori LOVED it and asked if we could buy it when it comes out on DVD. I have to say, I had not really cared either way if I ever saw it, but I found myself clapping at this cameo.

Jim Parsons from Big Bang Theory

Rori, on the other hand, is still talking about this cameo--if you ask her, Selena Gomez was the main star.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and highly recommend it!--even if Bill and I ended up with our yearly gut-rot from having movie popcorn as our dinner and then swearing we will NEVER do that again! A good time was had by all!

Day 10

2011-12-11T20:40:00.002-06:00

I am seriously bored of my post titles. Soon they may just simply be the number--my creativity knows no bounds. Yesterday our advent activity was making a portion of our teacher gifts. My parents were coming over because Rori's ballet class was having a Christmas show (when my mom sends me the pictures, perhaps I will do a bonus blog) and we figured since they were going to be out here, we could work on the gifts. My mom ordered a bunch of different potpourri ingredients and the kids made their own potpourri. She had done this with Rori two years ago and it was a big hit with everyone.

I wasn't sure if Liam would want to help because he had gotten to spend the entire time we were at the ballet show playing Mario Kart with Grandpa. I was only allowed 4 tickets to the show because it was held in the gym. The Spring recital will be held in an auditorium. So Grandpa Hoo Hoo stayed home with Liam while Bill, Grandma Casey, and Grandma Hoo Hoo came with us to the show. Anyway, he was enamored with Grandpa and I wasn't sure if he'd want to help, but he did. However, he is refusing to give them to the teachers because he's "scared." I told him that if he didn't give them to his teachers, he was going to have to sort our all of the ingredients and put them back in the bags they came from. I was sure that would be a deal breaker as there were 2 TB of cloves (tiny triangles) and 2 TB of allspice (tiny balls) mixed with other things. It would be a nightmare to separate them, but he started to do it. Dang, this boy is stubborn. So, I gave in and told him I would help him give them to the teachers.

carefully measuring

My mom made the tags--aren't they pretty? (Rori tied the red bow--she's pretty good considering she doesn't have tie shoes)

I had been looking forward to relaxing, but alas, guess who got to tie the bows? (I don't know why I look pregnant in this picture--I totally am not--normally I wouldn't post it, but I've been promising to have pictures of myself so that when I die, the kids know what I looked like :) happy thoughts )

Thank you Grandma Hoo Hoo for supplying the gifts for our Sunday School and AWANA leaders!

Day 9 of our Advent Calendar

2011-12-10T19:22:00.000-06:00

Ah, thank goodness for flexibility. Yesterday our advent activity was to make Christmas cards for their teachers. However, I had a lot of things to get done during the day, so I didn't get any ideas or things cut out to be prepared to make the cards. I was feeling overwhelmed because after school Rori has ballet and we don't get home until 5:30. Being a non-crafter, the idea of having to "wing-it" completely un-prepared to make cards sounded terrifying. I did, however, have a Christmas craft stashed away for emergency switches on the calendar.

Good Lord, this is tricky--and it's for ages 5 and up!

The peanut gallery/photographer was heckling us

So, we got home from ballet and I asked the kids if they would rather do the Christmas craft instead. When they saw what it was they were ecstatic! It was 5:45 and I figured we could do the craft, it looked like it would take 15-20 minutes, and then we would have dinner. I helped the big kids and Bill and Brendan were banished to the family room. Over an hour later, we were finished, and I was exhausted! Lesson learned--when the option is folding some paper and maybe cutting some Christmas pictures to glue on, or a 70 piece craft nativity set, the easier option is the Christmas card. However, they turned out wonderfully and both kids did most of the work themselves, and most importantly, with zero whining! They really had an unbelievably good time making them--nobody got crabby--not even me! They love their Nativity scenes and were so proud to show them off to Grandma and Grandpa today. Now I need to go back to the store and get another back-up Christmas craft!

Poor Brendan! He kept escaping from Papa who was probably sleeping on the couch!

Liam can't wait to play with them!

They turned out really cute--this is Rori's

Rori wanted to hold baby Jesus :)

Advent day 8

2011-12-09T08:28:00.001-06:00

Today was a day I have been looking forward to! It was decorating Christmas cookies with Auntie Val! This is an especially special activity for me because every year, growing up, my aunt and uncle would take us overnight Sunday to Monday. On Sunday we would do something fun like drive around and look at Christmas lights, and go to dinner. We almost always went to Baskin Robbins and picked up ice cream to bring back to their house. Then, Jenna and I would skip school on Monday and bake Christmas cookies with my aunt. We would each go through her recipe books from the library and pick out a cookie we wanted to make. Then in the morning we would get up and go to the grocery store and get whatever ingredients we needed. Then we would each get to make out batch of cookies. Often times Jenna picked the peanut butter ones with the Hershey kisses and I would pick oatmeal scotchies. My aunt taught us most of what we have learned about baking--we called her the Master Baker and we were her apprentices. We have been so blessed to have an aunt and uncle that have been so involved in our lives and I am so happy to pass on this tradition to my kids. We have been able to do this at least for the last three years.

I am so happy that all three kids love to bake. As soon as they see me take out my mixer, they pull up a chair to help. Brendan and I made the dough this morning, so it would be nice and chilled when Auntie Val showed up. Auntie Val and the kids did the rolling, cutting and decorating. She showed Liam how to roll out the dough, and he really liked doing it--may have a future baker :) Unfortunately it went by way too fast--maybe if I had a Professional 6 quart series Kitchen Aid, I could've made a double batch, thus doubling our fun... hint hint. Anyway, thank you Auntie Val and Uncle Randy for all of the memories that you made for us, and are continuing to make for my children!

Me, "say cheese." Brendan, "no!" Me, "pick up the measuring spoon for the picture." Brendan, "no!"

caught him turning on the mixer when he didn't think I was ready with the camera! I knew I could outsmart a 2 year old!

Auntie Val and Rori

Auntie Val and Liam

Seriously couldn't get all three people to look at the camera and smile at the same time :) But I love you all!

Masterpieces.

Day 7

2011-12-08T20:25:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was like Monday, as far as time to do something fun for an activity. I work on Wednesday and we also have AWANA. I get home around 5:00 pm and then we need to leave by 6:30 to get to AWANA and we need to get dinner made, eaten, and cleaned up by then. So, today I chose a Christmas craft for them to do. They painted Grinch ornaments. I picked these ornaments because we had taken to calling Papa the Grinch, before Thanksgiving. He insists upon waiting until after Thanksgiving to listen to Christmas music or watch Christmas movies. I, on the other hand, am in the instant gratification camp. I love Christmas music and could only wait until about the second week of November before I started listening to it. Bill and I are very different in this area. I want it now, and he can wait patiently. If I pick up dinner, I am going to sample the fries on the way home--Bill is going to wait until the table is set and his plate is arranged. If I make cookies, I need to try one hot out of the oven--I may burn my mouth. Bill waits until after dinner and the kids have gone to bed. Instant gratification versus ridiculous willpower. We make a lovely pair. Anywhoo, back to the Grinch ornaments. Of course, poor Brendan was left out once again. But if someone else would like to supervise him with non-washable paints, give me a call.

Of course, both kids wanted to paint their ornaments when Rori got home from school, so my mom got to help them. I hadn't set out paint clothes, so she found some. Liam would prefer to live life au natural, so he just needed pants, and Rori, is a slightly messy child, so she definitely needed old clothes--note the paint all over her shirt :) I really thought they would wait until Bill got home, but I guess they're on my side of the instant gratification line. Thanks for helping them, Mom, I know it wasn't in your plan for the day--but they had a blast and were so proud of their ornaments!

I swear he has pants on.

As we learned previously, she looks lovely with spaghetti lipstick, and now with Grinch green paint on her shirt!

Here's a picture that Bill took the day before, eating waffles for his advent activity, with Papa!

Day 6 of our Advent Calendar

2011-12-07T10:24:00.002-06:00

Alas, it is true, you cannot believe everything you read on the internet. That includes my statement that I would blog each day of the Advent Calendar, but alas, 6 days in and I have failed already. Frankly, that's about 4 days longer than I thought it would take--so, yay me! The reason I am a day late, is because our activity was in the evening and when I got home we needed to get the kids to bed and I needed to visit with my husband. So really, I was just being a good wife, and those of you that know me, also know I would never be one of those bloggers who are blogging at 4 am in order to get their post up. Nope, nothing besides a crying child would have me up at 4 am. I have zero dedication to anything besides sleep at that hour. Seriously, how do people have that kind of energy? I really wish I didn't need sleep as much as I do. On a typical night, I try to stay awake, but I end up sound asleep half way through whatever show we're watching, wake up, mumble to Bill not to delete the episode, and stagger up to bed. And it's only 10:00. Let's blame my allergy medication, shall we?

Anyway, now that I have ruined any illusion that you may have of my glamorous life, I will move on. So today's Advent Activity was to go to McDonald's Playland with my friend Heidi and her three boys, Trenton, Calvin, and Max. We were meeting for dinner, and I, selfishly, wanted to visit with Heidi instead of helping Brendan climb down from the giant tunnels, so he stayed home with Papa and was in bed before we got home. Papa told me they had a lovely evening eating waffles and watching Mickey Mouse.

Now that Heidi and my kids are getting older, it's harder to get together for playdates because of school schedules. Heidi lives about 40 minutes away, so this was perfect to meet halfway and in the evening. The kids had a BLAST and I loved catching up with her. She and I met at work. I will never forget the day that I met her. I hadn't officially started, but my new boss invited me to the company's quarterly lunch. My boss left me at the table by myself while she checked on the lunch setup. Again, if you know me, you know that I am a total introvert that works at being an extrovert. So I was absolutely terrified inside, but tried not to show it. Later, my boss told me, she left me by myself in order to see how I interacted with employees, because I was going to be in HR. Heidi came up to me and introduced herself and told me she used to work for United Airlines, which is where I had recently worked as well. I was beyond thrilled that she saved me from looking completely pathetic and alone. I took this opportunity to latch onto her and probably didn't let her leave until lunch was served and mingling time was over. I do that, just so you know, if we are ever at a function and I don't know anyone--the first person that is nice to me will not be able to get rid of me.

Heidi and I really bonded, though, during our pregnancies. She was pregnant with Trenton while I was pregnant with Faith. We even went to an ultrasound together. We both volunteered at the local community college ultrasound program. I was about 10 weeks, I think, and she was about 20 and was on the fence about finding out the gender :) She was there for me when we lost Faith, and was incredibly excited for me when we became pregnant with Rori. We have celebrated each other's babies and encouraged each other through motherhood, weightloss, and life in general. So, thank you, Heidi, for coming up to me and talking to me that first day! I will never forget it!

Max, Liam, Calvin, Trenton, and Rori

Please excuse the quality of the picture. Halfway to McDonald's, I realized that I forgot my camera, so I had to take a picture with my phone. I don't have a very good phone--it cost a penny and doesn't have internet so I had to text the picture to my dad, who emailed it to me--we have not yet joined this century as far as cellphone technology :) Thanks Dad!

Day 5 of the 2011 Advent Calendar

2011-12-05T20:31:00.001-06:00

This morning the kids were excited, as usual, to open their advent calendar. Liam took it down and had me read it. "Today we are writing letters to Santa!" Crickets. chirp. chirp. Ok, so they can't all be winners. I work on Mondays and then we have dinner with Bill's parents, so there is not a lot of time before bed for activities. I tried to get them excited by telling them we were going to write to him and let him know what they would like and then we could mail them. I may have thrown in a "woo hoo!" to help breathe some excitement into the idea.

Tonight they were more excited. After dinner we got out the paper they had given us at Santa's workshop on the first day. Liam drew pictures of what he wants--RescueBots and the Millenium Falcon. Rori made a list of Barbies, Color Wonders, and Sketch Pads. They actually had a really nice time.

Excuse the bit of spaghetti on her face. We don't own napkins. Or washcloths. But she's lovely with spaghetti lipstick anyway.

Good Lord, that smile looks like it hurts a bit!

He drew good rescue bots and bad rescue bots.

Concerned about committing to one thing in particular--I told her she could list a few.

The finished project. Ready to be mailed to the North Pole!

Advent Calendar Day 4

2011-12-04T17:47:00.002-06:00

Today's day made me thankful that we used Post-it's when we filled the calendar. Initially, I had put Watch Frosty the Snowman and have a Pizza picnic. I had thought that I set the DVR to record it on Friday, and then we would watch it Sunday. However, I noticed on Friday that it wasn't set to record. So, I double checked. It's scheduled to be on next Friday! This is par for the course for my organizational skills. I am not going to tell you all how Rori had a "needs improvement" on her report card due to the fact that I decided her reading log was optional because I couldn't ever remember to fill it out. Don't worry, I talked to the teacher and explained it (she said she raised 4 kids so she understood my lack of organization) and I promised to never forget to do it again. Anyway, I digress, and for no good purpose but making myself look bad. So, I did some quick switching around of the Post-it's. Then I discovered that I ended up putting two very similar activities next to each other. Fortunately, I saw on Facebook, that my friend Leslie had her family were watching Frosty! She kindly offered to loan me the DVD, so I rearranged the Post-it's back to their original location, and all was right with the world.

Well, that is until I have discovered that my kids have not yet developed the deep love for pizza that their parents have. They asked if they could have McDonald's instead and we figured it would be cheaper. So, alas, the children are eating McDonald's and Bill and I are having ham sandwiches. Don't be jealous :)

Advent Calendar Day 3

2011-12-03T16:57:00.000-06:00

I couldn't decide if today's activity was a cop-out or not. Bill assured me that it wasn't, so we did not add to what we had already planned for the day. Today was Parent's Day Out at church. What this means is, parents of children who go to our church, can drop off their children from 9:30-3:30 and get done whatever they need to get done while the children are supervised and play together. It's a wonderful thing for the parents as well as the kids. Rori and Liam love it especially, because they get to play with friends that they often don't get to have free play with--usually just see them at Sunday School and AWANA.

Brendan went from this to

this. Thanks to the lovely ladies and gentelman that were there!

We have been so blessed by the church we attend. We have developed some incredible friendships, and so have our kids. When Bill and I first got married, we attended a large, well-known church with a Pastor who has a real gift for preaching. However, we never really felt connected. I know that this is large part our fault. Neither of us is terribly out-going, and you almost have to be, in order to get involved at a large church. Near the end of our time there we got involved in a lovely small group, and still keep in touch with some of those people. The problem was that we rarely saw those people at church due to all attending different services, I came to realize that, for us, the church we attended needed to be more about community. I wanted my children to see the same friends every week, to grow up together. My memories of the church I grew up in, was that everyone knew each other. We stayed after church and visited with our friends. We had a small youth group that we were comfortable bringing friends to. We became saved at AWANA clubs. I remember all of my Sunday School teachers--and still keep in touch with some on facebook. I had my youth pastor perform our marriage ceremony. That's what I wanted for my children.

All the kids made a craft for us

Liam looooves playing with his besties (from left to right, Liam, James, Micah, Andrew) --please tell me I got the twins right, Leslie

At the large church Bill and I went to, we didn't know anyone and we ran out the door to beat the ridiculous line of cars out of the parking lot. When we lost Faith, the hospital asked if we had a pastor or anyone to call. We didn't. Our Pastor didn't know us from Adam. Thus our hunt for a smaller local church.

We ended up at Calvary (after visiting some WEIRD churches). We were immediately welcomed into a group of young families that I love dearly and I love their children. We are a part of the community. Our Pastor knows who we are, has helped us out with advice and followed up to see how the situation went. He visited us in the hospital when we had Brendan, and I know that if we had lost a baby whilst at Calvary, there would have been a long list of spiritual prayer warriors to call and pray with. Almost every Sunday, we stay after church and let our kids play in the gym. We help at AWANA clubs. Brendan is too little to attend AWANA, but one of the Sunday School teachers happily watches him and he loves her and acts like the big cheese when we drop him off. Our kids have made, what I hope, are lifelong friends. Frankly, I wouldn't mind if there were some marriages in the group so we could all stay family--I've been working on their dowry's ;-)

Rori was worried that the day would be too long and thought we should check on her and see if she wanted to leave early. She cried when it was time to go....

Rachel, her bestie, Rori, and Rachel's sister Maya, whom I think has potential for America's Next Top Model Cycle 78

So, I think keeping Parent's Day Out as an Advent activity is appropriate. It is helping teach our children what a church community feels like, hopefully helping form memories that will help them decide what type of church they really need for their families. Thank you Calvary for helping us to do and be the church, not just attend! We are so blessed and thankful to have been brought there! And thank you to all who gave up your Saturday to watch our children!

**I do want to add a disclaimer that there is NOTHING wrong with Mega churches. Bill and I just don't have the personalities to jump in and get involved. It just wasn't right for our family at this time. They can be wonderful churches and, I know, a tremendous blessing to those that attend.

Day 2 of our 2011 Advent Calendar

2011-12-02T08:11:00.003-06:00

Have you ever tried this popcorn? The first day I ever popped it in our microwave it smelled like a squirrel had died and was covered in Gruyere cheese. Yes. That bad. Even worse, the smell lingers for days. Everytime you open your microwave, you hunt for the dead squirrel covered in stinky cheese. Unfortunately for me, the kids loooooove it! I would've never thought that something so foul could be redeemed (wow, I can see a biblical lesson here, but I will skip it for today because it could be really "cheesy" wow--I must move on before it gets worse) anyway, I never would've thought it could be redeemed. However, one day I was at my dear friend, April's house. She opened her microwave and commented on the ~~dead squirrel~~ cheese popcorn smell. I smiled and immediately felt a misery loves company sort of camaraderie with her. So, now, everytime I make this popcorn, I smile and think of my lovely friend, April, how blessed I am to call her friend, and how she has also experienced this particular kind of foulness. Thank you, my friend, for redeeming this horror for me--it's reason number 784 why I love you :)

Now for tangent number 2, I will take a minute and explain our advent calendar. Some days are fun things we get to do together, some are little treats (that's right, there may be a whole post devoted to smiley face cookies or Wacky Pack Wednesday at Sonic--hold onto your seats this could be a wild ride), some are things we are doing together for other people, and fortunately all the days are written on post-its (can anyone think of post-its without thinking of Romy and Michelle?) so that I can switch them out if I need to.

So, on that note, for day 2, the kids have school and right after school, Bill and I are bringing them to Grandma Casey's so that we can go get beautiful. Well, I'm getting beautiful. He already is. (We're getting our holiday haircuts). So, I thought that for Day 2 it would be fun for them to watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and eat cheesy popcorn. Sorry about the smelly popcorn Grandma Casey! :)

First Day of Advent 2011

2011-12-01T14:10:00.000-06:00

I buy Advent calendars every year, for the kids. This year, my friend Leslie, said she was making one. I asked her what she was doing. She directed me here. I got super excited! This is totally something I could do. I am not very creative, but I can copy others' ideas well :) I think this is the perfect type of calendar because it creates intentional memories. It's all about things we are doing together (well most days are). I have decided I am going to blog about each day so that I can keep the memories for the kids--we'll see if I can do it. Just because I say something doesn't make it true :)

The kids have been super excited to open day one. So, this morning, they found out they were going to meet Santa! I got them dressed for school, loaded them in the car, and we drove off. Rori noticed immediately that we were going the wrong way--she's as smart as her mommy ;). I said, we're not going to school, we're going to see Santa now! They were super excited. I told them not to tell their teachers we went to see Santa, because apparently even though I am a grown adult, I'm still scared of getting in trouble from teachers. Liam pointed out, that was a lie. Crap. Love it when my kids call me out.

I brought my point and shoot camera and it wasn't focusing, so forgive the pictures. I finally looked at the lens and it's slightly sticky with a fingerprint. Hmmmm... not sure who did that....Brendan. Anyway, I didn't have my lens cleaner on me so, oh well. I'm just keepin' it real.

So, my super-friend, Leslie, also told us about this place to see Santa. (Seriously, she's super-mom, she has 4 boys--set of 5 year old twins, 3 year old, and 6 month old, she runs half marathons, bakes, made the advent calendar, and oh yeah, we got her Christmas card yesterday and she actually wrote a personal message on it. I haven't even ordered ours yet--and nobody is getting a personal message!) Anyway, so this place had Santa as well as other fun activities for kids and they give you a picture of the kids with Santa and it's all free!

We got there right before Santa and he walked around and talked to the kids. He was the most realistic Santa I've seen in a while. The kids weren't scared, which is a change from last year. Liam told Santa he wants Rescue Bots, Rori wasn't ready to commit to something (I think she's worried she couldn't change her mind later) and Brendan was more interested in the reindeer. We stayed for about an hour and a half--the kids shot guns, bows and arrows (this was at a hunting store), raced cars, and played in the dune buggies, or whatever they're called--I am not a hunter. That's gross.

Sticky culprit?

what? There's Santa? Who cares! Look at this super cool Dune Buggy!

I didn't crop this because of sticky blur and I wanted to show the cool decorations

Anyway, it was a super time, and a great start to the Advent season! I just hope I don't get detention tomorrow...

The Princess Bride Analogy

2011-10-10T11:38:00.002-05:00

I now have two children in school. Rori goes all day to first grade and Liam is gone in the mornings at pre-school. People have asked me how it is with just one child at home in the mornings. Understandably, they would assume that things are easier, that I get more done. This, however, is not the case. The best way I can explain it, it by using a Princess Bride analogy. I believe that most things in life can be explained with a Princess Bride analogy. Ok, not really, but let's pretend it is the case.

Anywhoo, if you have only seen the movie, you may not have been able to understand what Fezzik is saying whilst Westley is wrestling with him. However, upon reading the book, that part becomes quite clear. Below is the conversation that transpires between Fezzik and Westley AKA the Man in Black.

FEZZIK

I just feared you would give me so much trouble.

THE MAN IN BLACK
Why is that, do you think?

FEZZIK
Well, I haven't fought just one person for so long ... [struggling] ... I've been specializing in groups - fighting gangs for local charities, that kind of thing.

THE MAN IN BLACK
Why should that make such a ... difference?

FEZZIK
[Slowing down] You see, you use different moves when you're fighting half a dozen people, than when you only have to worry about one.

FEZZIK falls to the ground, unconscious. THE MAN IN BLACK checks to see if he is still alive.

Now, this is how the scene looks at my house.
MAMA
Brendan, I just figured out why you are running me ragged.
Mama is in the laundry room putting clothes into the washer

BRENDAN
Why is that mama?
Brendan climbs to the top of Rori's dollhouse MAMA exits the laundry room and gasps

MAMA
Get down right now! Well, I haven't taken care of just one person for so long ... [struggling to get Brendan's foot out of the dollhouse window] ... I've been specializing in groups - taking care of you and your siblings and the neighbor girl that won't leave. You all tattle on each other, so no one does anything crazy.
MAMA folds laundry and Brendan grabs the cats tail and then sticks his fingers in the dogs mouth. MAMA stops folding laundry

MAMA
Leave the dog and cat alone!
MAMA resumes folding laundry while Brendan puts the vacuum attachments together so they are like a sword

BRENDAN
Why should that make such a ... difference?
WHACK! Brendan is much too small for his makeshift sword and accidentally gets MAMA in the head.

MAMA
[Slowing down] You see, you use different moves when you're taking care of half a dozen people, than when you only have to worry about one.

MAMA falls to the ground, unconscious. BRENDAN checks to see if she is still alive and then scurries off to his next act of destruction.

End Scene.

My Movie List

2011-09-16T17:54:00.005-05:00

The Pioneer Woman has started an entertainment section on her blog and it has brought up discussions among my friends about what movies we like. So, I have decided to share the top 10 movies that I think everyone must see in order for their lives to be complete. These are in no particular order except whatever order I could come up with a clever segue.

10. Anne of Green Gables/Anne of Avonlea. I realize that it is technically 2 movies, but I am counting it as one. Note that I did not include the third. It was just ok in my estimation. But the first two. sigh. Gilbert Blythe, the dresses, the bosom friends, and the Gibson Girl hairstyles. How I wanted to wear my hair like a Gibson girl while I was a child. Unfortunately, when I was 17 I had my hair styled for the Senior Prom. I did NOT want a Gibson girl hairstyle that day. That would be the last thing a girl would want to look like at her prom--as if I had stepped out of the 19th centruy. However, I pretty much got one, but we pinned it down, thank God, because that night I kind of had two dates to the prom. That's right, nerdy me, two dates. My best guy friend Garrett and I had made a pact that we would go to prom together, even if we had boyfriend/girlfriends. I was a woman of my word, even though I had a boyfriend. So that night, I did "a woman's most difficult job, juggling wolves." Can you name that movie? It's number 9.

9. Rear Window. Grace Kelly says that to Jimmy Stewart while he is spying on Miss Torso. I love this movie. Grace Kelly is so exquisitely beautiful, it is hard to understand why she is so in love with Jimmy Stewart, except it's Jimmy Stewart, so you can kind of understand why. The story takes place in a tiny apartment and is done brilliantly. One of Hitchcock's best. Which brings me to number 8.

8. Dial M for Murder. This is also a Grace Kelly/Alfred Hitchcock movie. It has been remade as A Perfect Murder, but clearly the original is the best. Grace Kelly plays a woman who has been having an affair and her husband finds out. He needs money so instead of divorcing her, he decides to hire someone to kill her. His plot goes amuck when she kills the man hired to kill her, and is then put in jail for murder. It becomes a race against the clock for her boyfriend to get her off of death row and clear her name. Fine directing by Alfred Hitchcock. Which brings me to number 7. It wasn't directed by Alfred Hitchcock but I always mistake it for a Hitchcock movie.

7. Rebecca. I don't think I saw this movie and truly appreciated it until I was married. Lawrence Olivier makes my heart all aflutter. I can totally understand (but of course not condone) why Vivien Leigh had an affair with him. He is all man. Strong, handsome, mysterious, and a little scary. The interesting thing about this movie is that you never learn the first name of the female lead. She is only knows as Mrs. deWinter, played by Joan Fontaine, the completely underappreciated sister of Olivia de Havilland--Melanie Wilkes from number 6. (remember no particular order)

6. Gone With the Wind. Possibly my all time favorite movie. The costumes, Scarlett O'Hara, Rhett Butler, Mamie, Melanie Hamilton, I could go on and on. I can pretty much quote this entire movie, I have seen it so many times. However, as an adult I have watched it through a different lens. As a child I couldn't stand Melanie. I wanted Scarlett to end up with Ashley. Melanie was plain and boring. Now as an adult, I love Melanie, perhaps even more than Scarlett. She was such a sweet spirit that deserved so much better than Ashley Wilkes. And Scarlett needed Rhett Butler to tame her wild heart. Which brings me to...--(lame segue--some aren't as smooth as others, I take what brilliant creativity I can get)

5. Wild Hearts Can't be Broken. Sonora Webster, the blind horse diving girl. This is based on an incredible true story of a girl who rode horses of a giant tower into a pool of water...blind. As many of the movies I enjoyed in my preteens, this had a huge hearthrob for me as well. Al, Sonora's eventual fiance was so goodlooking. I used to rewind parts that I found extra dreamy. But really, the incredible part is that she overcomes her blindness that she develops as an adult, much like...

4. Wait Until Dark. This is a completely under appreciated Audrey Hepburn movie. She stars as a woman who has recently become blind. Again this movie takes place in a tiny apartment. She is terrorized by two mostly bad men and one very bad men, played Alan Arkin and Richard Crenna, who are looking for a heroin stuffed doll they think is in her apartment. The last five minutes of the movie are especially suspenseful. I am pretty sure that I've heard that when this movie was in theatres they turned the lights off completely so that people could get the true feel of her blindness. This is one of the most suspenseful movies I've ever seen--if you've seen it, let me know I'm not alone. A movie I KNOW that I'm not alone in seeing, is

3. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I know that a lot of my friends have seen this gem--I thought I was one of the only ones. It is complete with lovely girls, handsome guys, singing and dancing. Really, what more could you ask for? Somehow it is incredibly romantic that 6 men kidnapped 6 women and kept them from their families by causing an avalance. Trust me, it really is dreamy. Thinking about dreaming, makes me think about imagination...which is

2. Harvey. Harvey is an imaginary 6 foot rabbit that lives in Jimmy Stewarts imagination. As an adult, I learned that Jimmy's character, Elwood P. Dowd is actually quite the lush, which explains why he sees a 6 foot rabbit with him, wherever he goes. However, he's a wonderful brother and friend to all he meets. The supporting cast is divine. The movie is chock full of laughs and even a bit of tears. This is a movie that I grew up with, and introduced Bill to. He didn't want to watch it because he doesn't believe in Black and White movies, but now is a huge fan. If Bill likes it, I know you will too!

1. This movie actually does deserve the number 1 spot. The Princess Bride. I can quote this movie from start to finish and not miss a beat. Bill finds this mostly adorable and just a little annoying. At least that's my interpretation and it's my blog, so I can interpret it any way I want. Anyway, this is truly the best movie ever. There are so many quotable lines. The most profound--"As you wish." sigh. Just three small words, that have such romance behind them.All of the actors are perfect, from Cary Elwes as the incredibly suave Westly, Robin Wright is exquisite as Buttercup, Inigo Montoya breaks your heart as he fights the 6-fingered man, I could go on and on, but I know you've all seen this movie and must appreciate it as much as I do. I have also read the book, countless times and highly recommend it--it's as witty as the movie!

So there you have it! The 10 movies that you must see before you die. Go, now, rent them, buy them, come to my house and borrow them--I love to share movies that I love with friends. Trust me, your life will be richer, colors will be brighter, smells will be sweeter. Ok, not really, but I promise they will each give you at least 2 hours of joy :) Let me know if you've seen any of them!

Goodbye sweet Chili Dawg

2011-08-30T17:56:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to write this post in my head all day. I can hardly type the words for the title without hyperventilating. I want to think of something encouraging to say to my dear sister. You see, she needs to put her souldog, Chili-Dawg to sleep tonight. He has very bad cancer, and after amputating his leg, the cancer has returned with a vengeance. I want to have the words to comfort her as they do what is best for the dog who has given them so much. But I don't have those words. What I do have is a heart that is broken for her, tears that have been shed for her, and hope that perhaps our beloved pets will be reunited with us in Heaven--Billy Graham is quoted as saying, "God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he'll be there." Who am I to argue with Billy Graham? :)

She found out last Friday that the cancer was back and it would be a short matter of time before she needed to say goodbye. If you have never loved a pet, you cannot imagine the pain she is feeling. If you have, then your heart is breaking along with hers. I can't even begin to describe the relationship that she has had with this dog--it is a once in a lifetime experience. God gave Chili to Jenna when she needed him most, and for whatever reason, has decided that his time on earth has come to an end. So my soul cries out to God for peace that transcends all understanding as she says goodbye for the last time tonight. That she will be strong and courageous when she returns home. And most of all, I thank you, Lord Jesus for the years that you allowed this precious animal to be her comforter, protector, and most of all best friend. Please, sweet Jesus, be with her now.

Allergic to Exercise

2011-08-16T13:35:00.001-05:00

That's right, you read the title correctly, I am officially allergic to exercise. It started in high school. I had been playing basketball in the gym and my eyes swelled up. The doctor told me that I could take up to 6 or 7 benadryl whenever it happened. It would happen occasionally with different forms of exercise, but nothing terribly severe and the benadryl always knocked it out.

Earlier this month I was running on the treadmill at the gym and I could feel my eyes start to puff up and swell and my feet started to itch. I don't remember ever having the itchy feet part before. I drove myself home and took 6 benadryl and hopped in the shower hoping that if it was an environmental thing that triggered it, showering would help. It gradually got better. I worked out several times since. But I have been trying to remember to take 2 benadryl before working out as a precautionary measure. Yesterday I forgot.

I went for a run outside, after dinner, because it was a beautiful day. I was about a mile from home when I started to feel my eye swell. I had no choice--the fastest way home was running. By the time I got home my feet were super itchy. I came in--told Bill I was having an allergy attack, took 5 benadryl, ripped the contacts out of my eyes and my hands and feet were itching really badly by this time. I got in the shower and scrubbed my face and started to feel my gums swelling and my chest started to get tight. I kept feeling my face getting puffier and puffier. I am not sure if I even rinsed out the shampoo but I was starting to worry that it was going to travel to my neck and airways. I called Bill and asked him to call 911 because it's a good 10 minutes to the ER and I knew the paramedics would have an epi pen on them.

It felt like it was taking forever and Bill was shocked by how puffy I was and it was hard for me to swallow. My sick brain could only think about an article I read about a boy who had a peanut at a friends house and didn't have his epi pen on him and died before paramedics could get there. Of course that was going to happen to me. I could tell the 911 lady was giving Bill instructions. I asked him what she told him--I was hoping she gave him instructions on how to perform a tracheotomy with a pen :) Yep. That's the way my brain works.

By the time the paramedics arrived, this is what I looked like, except actually much worse. I wanted to tell the paramedics that I normally am much more attractive, but I don't think they would've found that information as important as I did.

They asked me what I had taken while they were putting in the iv. Then they injected even more benadryl and almost immediately the itching stopped and I could feel my gums returning to normal size. My eyes were still ridiculously swollen, but at least most of the chest tightness had gone away. The paramedics insisted I go to the hospital because benadryl could wear off fairly quickly. So I got to ride in the ambulance :) At the hospital they gave me some steroids and then I got to home.

Unfortunately we don't know what triggers it. It's called exercise induced anaphylaxis and the most frequent form of exercise that causes it is running, but any exercise can. But it is usually triggered by something--a food or a drug that on it's own doesn't cause an allergic reaction but combined with exercise can. Because this attack was so much worse than any other attack I have ever had, I am going to only be able to exercise if I have an epi pen on me. So, yep, I am officially allergic to exercise...what's your excuse :) ?

Here's a link to an article, because people think I'm crazy when I say that I am allergic to exercise.

Happy 6th Birthday Rori Rose!

2011-07-14T14:27:00.000-05:00

Rori Rose, you are 6 years old today! Six years ago I was preparing for the day you would join our family. Oh, how I prayed for you! I prayed for your safe arrival into my arms. Throughout my entire pregnancy I was unable to relax. I knew I wouldn't be able to until you were breathing in my arms. About two weeks before you were due, my fabulous doctor told me he was going to induce me because at that point he wanted to get you out. He said you were safer outside because he had helped us through our prior experience and I think he wanted you to come out healthy and whole almost as much as we did.

We scheduled our induction for Monday, July 18 and you were due July 23. I was so excited and starting to relax a little. We knew exactly when we would be holding you! I told my boss that my last day would be Friday, July 15. Ha! You had other ideas. In the early morning hours of July 14, my water broke. I lept out of bed and told your Papa. We were both incredibly excited. We knew we would have a baby within 24 hours! A baby! OUR BABY!

We called the hospital and they told us to come in. Then for about 3 hours the nurse kept saying ,"IF your water broke, blah blah." She wasn't entirely sure that it had. Finally around 10 am the doctor came in and confirmed it! Contractions hadn't really started so they gave me some drugs to increase them. I tolerated them for a bit--I'm not a big one for pain. So I got an epidural. Papa, Grandma Hoo Hoo and I then laid back and watched some tv...until the doctor came in and told me to push. So I did. For 20 minutes. Then you came into the world! So beautiful, so alive. I don't think the healthy birth of any baby caused more celebration among our family and good friends.

Photo courtesy of Baba Hoo Hoo of http://storiesofafairygrandmother.blogspot.com/

Rori, you have been more than I ever hoped for in a daughter. I am so thankful to be your mommy, and I love you more than you will ever know. Happy 6th Birthday!

Warrior Dash 2011

2011-07-06T21:42:00.002-05:00

Last year, my darling sister, talked to us about doing the Warrior Dash. We didn't do it because none of us had trained for it and it was right around when we went on vacation. She said we MUST do it the next year. I said sure, not thinking we really would. At least not thinking that I really would. But, in December, Jenna called us up and told us we had to sign up before the end of the year and the price went up. I decided to be brave, live a little, and sign up, along with Bill, Ryan, and Bill's brother, Todd.

I started training. They suggested you run, run, and run some more. So that's what I did. I hate running. It's bouncy and jiggly, and doesn't involve chasing a ball and I really see no point in it. Frankly, I run much more like a Phoebe than a Rachel. If you watched FRIENDS you know what I mean. Plus, I run more up than forwards--I would be super fast if I could propel my body forwards instead of straight up. Basically I'm a train wreck. However, somehow, someway, I've started to like it. Anyway, I got the running part down. Then I started doing this and this because I knew some of the obstacles were climbing and I had zero upper body strength. I am not exaggerating--when it would be time to change the shower curtain liner, my shoulders would ache and I would have to do it in two stages.

By the time the Dash rolled around, I was ready. I was thankful I did the upper body training because they changed a lot of the obstacles from what had originally been posted, and most were climbing over walls and things. Jenna warned me that the weekend before, a girl had fallen off an obstacle and had to have multiple surgeries with a long road to recovery ahead of her. perfect. just what I was looking for.

We started our run pretty strong and easily did the first obstacle of tires and climbing over junkyard cars. We made it through obstacle after obstacle. When we got to one of the climbing ones, I figured I'd better go first in case Bill had to push me up :) However, I scrambled to the top pretty easily. Then I looked down. Not good. It was far down. And you had to lift your leg over and put it on the other side. The thought going through my head was "This is not tv. You could fall and die." Awesome. Everything was a little slippery because it was coated in mud, and I had visions of slippng and falling as I tried to maneuver myself over the top. But I did it. And shut my eyes as I watched my sister do it--lest I see her fall and die. My mother would've been horrified.

Anyway, we scrambled, scampered, climbed, sweated, and sloshed through it all. The obstacle I thought would be the scariest--leaping over fire, was a cakewalk compared to the rest. At the very end was the mud pit that you had to swim through under barbed wire to get to the finish. I had mud everywhere. You don't want to know what my undergarments looked like. Well, now you can imagine.

After we finished the race, we got to get hosed off by the giant water truck that shot obscenely cold water on us. I stepped into it and it took my breath away so badly that I had to step out or I would've hyperventilated. Once I was ready, I braced myself and stepped back in. The thought constantly running through my head was "the water is freezing and there aren't enough boats." I will give a nickel to anyone who knows what movie that's from. We went home and reshowered, and cleaned out our belly buttons for a week.

It was honestly one of the most amazing, empowering experiences of my life. This is from a former chicken who didn't ride a roller coaster until high school. And I'm talking senior year of high school--and only because our class won a trip to Six Flags and I decided it would be less humiliating to die on a roller coaster than admit to being afraid of them.

So thank you my dear sister, for making me do this. And next year we will do it again!

Happy 4 years old Liam James!

2011-06-11T19:31:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to the one who has taught me the difference between Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and the Green Hornet. I had no idea who Iceman and Firestar were until you came along. Now I can easily name at least 40 superheroes and villains--(really, who knew there were at least 40 superheroes?)

Liam's regular identity (isn't he handsome?)

Liam's SuperHero Identity shhh....

I love you, my firstborn son, and cannot wait to see the man/superhero you will become.

And in case anyone else didn't know the difference--from left to right--Green Lantern, Green Hornet, Green Arrow.

God turned His back

2011-04-22T20:52:00.000-05:00

The other day, I was reading to Rori and Liam, from the Jesus Storybook Bible--if you have kids, get it! We were reading about Jesus dying on the cross because Liam was struggling to understand what a cross was and how someone could die on one. We got to the part where God turns His back on Jesus and the book says, "'Papa?' Jesus cried, frantically searching the sky.'Papa? Where are you? Don't leave me!'" And I could tell that Rori could feel that. She started to cry and asked me why God left Him there on the cross and didn't answer Him. I started to weep. My sweet daughter's sensitivity and fear for Jesus gave me a clearer understanding of the magnitude of the sacrifice that God the Father and God the Son made on that day. For me, sweet Rori. He turned His back on His Son for me and for you.

Igor

2011-04-05T21:34:00.000-05:00

Most of you that know me, know that we used to have the world's best dog. Her name was Leia, and she died suddenly when Rori was just about to turn one year old. We looked into getting another dog soon after, but she was irreplaceable. We had talked about it here and there for the last 5 years and occasionally browsed adoptable dogs online. I told Bill that we could get a dog when everyone in the house could use the potty. I wasn't going to housebreak a dog while changing diapers. That's just too much poop for one person. Well, Brendan is nowhere near potty-trained...but...I am clearly not a woman of my word.

Bill is on an email list from a pet photography place that takes pictures of adoptable animals. Bill showed me one named Igor. I laughed at the name, but then started to read about him. He was smallish--35 pounds, he was sweet, got along with other dogs (which is important because of Sarge--my parent's dog especially because they bring him with when they visit), and he was housebroken. We emailed about him to see if he had been cat tested because we had tried to adopt a dog a few years ago (I think I wrote about it then) and she was not cat friendly and tried to eat our cats. I'm ok if the dog wants to eat the neighborhood feral cats, in fact, I encourage it. However, I'm not wanting that for my personal cats.

Cortney, the person fostering him, emailed us back and said he hadn't been cat tested but would be happy to bring him out to see how he did. So that evening she and her husband came over with Igor. Cortney, if you're reading this, I apologize about the state of my house--Bill gave me about 45 minutes notice that you were coming and we had been busy all day so the house was a disaster. Who am I kidding, the house usually looks like that by 4:30 on a Friday ;-) Anyway, they brought Igor in and he seemed a bit nervous. I had instructed the kids not to get all up in his face and scare him, so they hung back until I told them it was ok. Rori, I could tell, immediately fell in love with him. So, we brought him to meet Scout, our cat. He pretty much ignored the cat and he listened really well. I was starting to think this was our dog! They left and Rori immediately asked when Igor could come over again. That night Bill and I talked about it and decided that if they wanted to let us adopt Igor, we would love to do it!

The next morning, I had an email that they thought we were a perfect family for Igor! We were all excited and couldn't wait to officially adopt him. Even Liam, who does NOT give his love freely (which if you've met him, you know that) asked when Igor was coming back. Cortney dropped him off that evening and he was ours!

I was sure that he was going to become "my" dog since I would be spending the most time with him. However, I learned tonight that I was wrong. I had to speak rather sternly (i.e. yell) at miss Rori Rose this evening at bedtime because she was not wanting to go to bed. Igor leaned against my leg real hard and when I left the room, he laid down by her bed. I called him to come out but he stayed there. I took a shower and peaked in and he was still there with no desire to follow me. He has found his true love. And she has given him her heart as well. I am pretty sure if she wasn't in the top bunk, the picture below would be a nightly occurrence! (For the record, he has won my heart too, but I don't think he cares nearly as much about that as he does about the children)!

Parental Supervision

2011-03-29T08:28:00.000-05:00

I had an opportunity to go to an HR conference (I work in HR) and Bill offered to stay home and watch the kids so that I could go. While Rori was at school, Bill decided to work out. He assumed that Liam (3 years old) and Brendan (17 months old) would be ok upstairs while he worked out downstairs. When he was finished, this is what he found...

It's even in Brendan's hair. Bill said it was also down his pajamas...

Clearly they had a good time whilst un-supervised. Apparently they had also colored the wall. Thank goodness for washable markers!

Twi-Night!

2011-03-28T20:21:00.000-05:00

My friend Karen was made to host parties! Our friend Beth suggested that several of us get together and watch the three Twilight movies and Karen volunteered to host it for us! They have an amazing movie theatre in their basement with leather recliners so we knew it would be a comfy evening. Everyone was bringing delectable snacks. The only night that worked for everyone was a Tuesday evening starting at 6pm. We all geared up for a late night! When we got there, Karen had decorated the bar with jewels, Eclipse plates and napkins. She had tattoos for us, and glowing engagement rings. It was AWESOME!

The food was AMAZING! We had beer bread, dips, potato skins, pepper jellied cream cheese, mini meatballs, Karen made amazing "blood" red velvet cupcakes, and I made hand pies--which were individual hand held pies in the shape of hearts--they were cherry and raspberry for blood, and apple because April likes apple :) Everything was delectable! We laughed and had a great time through the first two movies. You would think that would have been enough to get us through the night. Sadly, half the girls left as the third movie was starting, and two of us left (well Ashley was riding with me otherwise she probably would have stayed) at 12:30 because I didn't want to die in a sleepy, fiery crash on the way home. Only Leslie (who was 6 months pregnant and has 4 year old twins and a 2 year old boy) and Karen made it to the end. Karen, it was a fabulous party--but I am just too darn old to stay up that late and function at work the next day. I fell asleep by 1:45 and had to be up at 6:00.

Ashley spent the night at our house because we work together--she slept in Liam's bed and he slept with us. In the morning she offered to help me with my makeup because I am makeup-illy challeneged. Apparently it didn't help. A co-worker asked if I was feeling ok, because I didn't look so good! It was totally worth it! It was a wonderful night that managed to make me feel young and old all at the same time!

you can see Karen's tattoo and April's ring is glowing. I am in sweats because I am planning for a long evening--don't tell Bill--he says we don't wear sweats...

Look at all that yummy food!

Valentine's Blood Sweat and Tears

2011-02-28T10:37:00.005-06:00

So, after the Snowpocalypse, we had Valentine's day! Last year I made Valentine's buckets for Rori and Liam's Sunday School teachers and for our small group friends. They were a lot of work, so I said I wasn't going to do them again. But then my friend April mentioned them. And I thought to myself, "eh, it wasn't that much work and I would really like to do it for Rori's teachers at school. So, I decided to do them again. This year, I saw ladybug cookies on my favorite food site and Rori was really excited about them. I didn't think they looked hard or even that time consuming, and Bill was going to watch all three kids so I figured it would go fast without any "helpers". I am a terrible judge of what is time consuming.

I set up an assembly line for the cookies. They were adorable. While I waited for each part to dry, I worked on the rest of the treats for the buckets. I rolled the truffles, cut out the marshmallows, and dipped all of them in chocolate. The entire process took from about 11:30 am until 9:00 pm. I am an idiot. My back killed me from bending over, frosting the cookies, my kitchen was trashed, and I was exhausted. Poor Bill was tired too--I had banished him and the kids to the living room to eat their lunch and dinner. Of course I didn't get pictures of the final bucket because, well, I was stumbling to my bed that night. I won't be doing them again next year, except I probably will. My sweet Rori Rose gave me a picture frame and half of her sugar donut for all my hard work. She also made a point of telling people that I worked on them from lunch to bedtime--I didn't even have to tell her to do that. I love that girl!

For my mom, dad, and Anna

2011-02-27T19:33:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted in five weeks! And I have been gently reminded by my mom and Anna, and my mom said even my dad said something. I really don't have an excuse except I have been busy--but who's not?! I am actually reading real books these days--maybe I'll write about them and what I'm learning at some point :) But, going back a few weeks we had the great Snowpocalypse.

The weather reports were all warning us, so I suggested that Bill borrow his parents snow blower since his dad was in Arizona at the time and his mom would be using it. He said he would, but it was in his tone of voice that I know he is blowing me off. So the night the storm started, I went out and started to shovel. We already had several inches and it was supposed to continue through the night. I wasn't a happy camper. When Bill came out to help, I'd been out an hour already. I strongly suggested he get the snow blower. He whined something about having to take seats out of the van to get it in. I even more strongly suggested he get it. So he did. He only had to fold down one seat. The next morning we woke up to this.

He was supremely grateful to have the snowblower. While looking at this, all I wanted to say was, "The pass is open, the pass is open!" I'll give you a quarter if you know what movie that's from!

The Vomitorium, Cupcakes, and Gallbladders

2011-01-18T20:16:00.001-06:00

You can plan and plan, and life often doesn't fall into place the way you want it to. This last weekend, is an example. Faith's birthday was Saturday. This was the first year we decided to "celebrate" it. Rori wanted to make her cupcakes--Oreo cupcakes! She was very excited and asked, "who are we going to celebrate with?" Well, it just so happened that we had planned on going to my parent's house on Saturday and my sister and her family were coming too. So we made cupcakes, I made cookies--just to make sure there would be enough dessert. It was working out well that we were all going to be there on Saturday because my mom was having her gallbladder out on Monday. I think my mom was looking forward to the distraction.

The kids decorated the cupcakes--I even swirled the frosting on to make them prettier. Then my mom called and Jenna and her family wouldn't be coming. Jenna had a stressful week and was exhausted. I was bummed because we were looking forward to seeing the kids too.

After we made the cupcakes, the kids were all upstairs watching television in my bedroom. I came downstairs to start working on Faith's blog post. I heard coughing. And then a shout. More coughing while I was running up the stairs. Rori had vomited all over our bed, my pillows, and carpet. I called Bill's mom to come over to help me take care of the other two kids while I stripped the sheets and got Rori cleaned up. A few hours later, Liam started throwing up. Every half hour until the wee hours of the morning, the kids were vomiting. We were officially in the vomitorium. I called my mom and broke the news to her that we wouldn't be coming the next day either. I would be going to the store for new pillows!

We were all really disappointed, and the kids still felt a little off on Saturday, so while we sang "Happy Birthday" to Faith, we didn't partake in cupcakes (really, who wants the cupcakes made by children who proceded to toss their cookies within an hour of frosting them). Rori was very disappointed and still really wants to celebrate and make new cupcakes. So, we will do that in two weeks. Alas, it was not what we had planned, but life so rarely is. Just ask Brendan ;-)

I would appreciate prayers for my mom's recovery--she has a tougher recovery than normal because of her diabetes as well as the fact that her gallbladder was pretty inflamed. She's feeling pretty miserable and would appreciate prayers for a speedy healing!

Seven Years Ago

2011-01-15T08:00:00.001-06:00

Seven years ago, our Faith was born sleeping, into her Father's arms. She was carried on wings of angels to a place where she knows no pain or sorrow, only joy. A place that my heart longs to be. Seven years ago. Wow. When I wrote Faith-7 on the 2011 calendar, Bill said, "Wow, Faith would have been 7." It was hard for me to believe too. In some ways it feels like yesterday that we said goodbye, and in others, it feels like a lifetime ago. That's the part that scares me. I don't want to let her go, I don't want to forget her. But I realize that I haven't. I really believe that God has gifted me with reminders of her. I don't think one day has gone by that her name hasn't popped into my head. Whether it be for a fleeting second, or because one of my dear friends has told me they were thinking of her, or because Rori has reminded me about her. Somehow, each day, God has given her to me for a brief moment. Sometimes it has the ability to stop me in my tracks--like when I met Rori's teacher and she told me that Rori told her about her family, including her sister in Heaven. Or it brings me to tears in my office at work, when my friend texts me that her girls were talking about someday meeting Faith. Or a friend, who walked through the valley with me, lets me know that she hasn't forgotten Faith's birthday. Or when I am at home and look above the television and see the cross-stitch a co-worker made for me with her name and verse. God has been good. He has given me reminders of her, and hope for what awaits me in eternity.

Seven years ago I didn't know how I would ever get out of bed again. Today there are three little people that make sure I get out of bed every morning! And there is one little girl in Heaven that makes sure that I teach those three little people about Him so that we can one day be the family of six. I long for that day. The day that I will show her off the way a new mom shows off her new baby. I will be honored to introduce her to her sister who longs to know her and her brothers who would adore her.

But for now, we will make cupcakes, sing Happy Birthday, and thank Jesus for His sacrifice that brings hope and peace to our family.

My Grown Up Christmas List

2010-12-19T19:50:00.000-06:00

This weekend I had a wonderful time. I frosted my third batch of Christmas cutouts. Don't ask what happened to the first two batches. Bill and I took the two big kids to see Tangled--super fun movie--take your kids, boys and girls! And Bill took me to see White Christmas downtown. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I knew. I am an impossible person to surprise. I don't do it on purpose, I just ALWAYS know. It's a curse. It was a very busy weekend. Frankly, the whole season has been incredibly busy. I have made at least 14 batches of carmel corn, peppermint bark popcorn, and peanut butter cup popcorn, 3 batches of cut out cookies, we went on the Polar Express with the kids and my family, I've gotten together with friends, etc. I have been so caught up in doing things--and a lot of them are for other people--not in a bad way, but wanting to do things for friends and family, that I have really been missing Christmas. As I sit here and type this, I am thinking of my sister. She is having a miserable season. She is struggling to help her daughter, to understand what is going on inside of Juliana's tiny body, and frustrated that the doctors can't figure anything out. I am thinking of a family situation. A misunderstanding among brothers that is threatening to make Christmas awkward and painful. I am thinking of my sister-in-law, Marylou, who's brother has been diagnosed with terminal cancer while his wife is preparing to give birth to their first baby. Yet, while I sit here, Beth Moore's study, "Jesus" is staring at me. It is a reminder of what this season is all about and the answer to all of life's questions and problems.

2000 years ago, God came to earth as a baby. Jesus. Jesus came to save the sick, the misunderstood, the poor, and me. Sometimes I am all of the above... My hope is in Him, but when I see those I love suffering, my faith doesn't waver, but my frustration with this broken world increases. Watching my loved ones suffer, makes my soul cry out, "Jesus come quickly!" I don't know how much more some of them can take without cracking. So, I am praying to the Great Redeemer and Lover of My Soul, that those whom I love so dearly, would feel Christ's arms wrapped around them during this Christmas season. That they will feel love, like no other, hope for the future, and belief that this life is fleeting--just a tiny moment in the scheme of eternity--and the true knowledge that if they run this race with perseverance, never losing sight of the heavenly prize that awaits them at the end, they will finish at the feet of Christ and hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful Servant." That is all I hope for this season for those whom I love so much, that my heart breaks with them. That is my grown up Christmas list.

I am that immature

2010-11-22T21:49:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know all you people who read my blog think I am perfect, always keep my cool, know how to handle anything life throws at me. Basically I am June Cleaver. Well, I am about to burst that bubble. You will now understand why I thank God for a wonderful, patient husband, who finds my immature antics somewhat adorable and cute.

For the past several Sunday's, after church, Rori has had practice for the Christmas musical. So after church we eat lunch together in one of the Sunday School classrooms and then Bill, the boys, and I head home. We have decided that picking up Little Ceasars Pizza is the easiest option for us. It's $5 for a pizza and then I don't have to worry about packing lunches the night before for all of us. This Sunday, I was in charge of picking up the pizza. Actually I was picking up three pizzas because there were two families that were going to have some. I also was bringing Brendan with me. So, I called Bill and asked him to meet me by the door, because they are locked, so that he could open it and let me in. When I pulled up and had unbuckled Brendan and was carrying the pizzas in one arm and Brendan in the other, I realized he was probably going to be meeting me at the door on the other side of the church. That door made much more sense than the one I had picked. He tried calling me, but I couldn't get to the phone as I had no free hands. I was annoyed that I had told him the door that didn't make sense and I was annoyed that he didn't pay attention to the fact that I said the door that didn't make sense. So I put Brendan down and the pizzas down and dialed his number. He didn't answer. I dialed it angrilier (is that a word?) this time. He still didn't answer. People were looking at me sitting on the sidewalk with a baby and three pizzas. I called it again. No answer. I was starting to sweat. I hadn't had breakfast. I was debating just eating pizza with Brendan on the sidewalk and just waiting for someone to come find us and let us in.

Bill ended up calling me--his phone hadn't rung for some reason--and I told him I was at the other door. He must have run to the door I was at, because he was there within about 5 seconds. I huffed in angrily because he hadn't listened to me and been at the right (but wrong) door. I am completely aware that I am directionally challenged, but I don't like to be anything less than perfect. So, in my immature retaliation, I took his unopened can of Coke and shook it :) Yep, I'm that immature. Bill just laughed and told me he loved me. Thank God my husband is a wonderful representative of Christ's love for His church. For whatever reason, Bill loves me unconditionally and forgives me seventy-times seven for my immature behaviors. And I am even more thankful that Christ forgives my immature behaviors. It's mindblowing for me to think that He loves me even more than Bill does.

Jim Sinegal

2010-11-22T13:04:00.000-06:00

This weekend Rori and I went with my mom to see the Wizard of Oz that was playing at a Mariott theater. It was a present for my mom's birthday. As an extra treat, my dad, who does some traveling for business, used his hotel points to book us a room so we could spend the night before the play. We did this last year as well. This year, when my mom checked in, she gave my dad's name Jim Sin*ell--she even spelled the name (I have deleted part of the name so that no crazy stalkers will find him--because I have lots of crazy stalkers reading my blog, you know). Anyway, they told my mom she had a room with a king size bed and she explained that we needed two doubles. They made the changes and she discovered we were in the Concierge Wing, which is the VIP area. When we got to our room, the front desk called and I answered. She said, "Mrs. Sinegal?" I said, "Mrs. Sin*ell," but it didn't faze me because I'm used to people butchering my maiden name. And she proceeded to ask if my mom left a book at the front desk, I said no and we hung up. That was the first clue of mistaken identity. Rori wanted to explore the hotel so as we were leaving the room, a bellhop was bringing a tray of assorted chocolate covered strawberries and sparkling water. Mom jokingly asked if it was for us. He said if we are in room 3211. We were! He said, "they are for Jim Sinegal." Mom said, "I'm Victoria Sin*ell." So he delivered them to us and said they were from the hotel manager. We were in awe. Rori was in awe and thought they were beautiful. We didn't eat them, but put them in the fridge for after dinner. We looked at the card. It said Jim Sinegal. Clue number 2. Mom said, I think there's a mixup somewhere. I said, people butcher our name all the time. So we went and toured the hotel. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought mom was right. So mom called the front desk. They asked if she was with Jim Sinegal from Costco. Mom explained that she was not with Jim Sinegal but Jim Sin*ell. The front desk manager told us they had us booked at a different hotel and were sending a bellhop up to get our luggage. And yes, we had to give the strawberries back. We were hugely embarassed. We did the walk of shame out of our VIP room and gave our luggage to the very kind bellhop. Mom went to the front desk and while explaining it all to the manager, started to cry. I told him it was her birthday. He kindly booked us another room, back in the VIP area. We went to dinner and when we came back, the front desk manager had sent us a fruit tray with two bottles of water for mom's birthday. It was way better than the strawberries--I had already decided they were old and dry. At least that's what we told ourselves :) I googled Jim Sinegal, and he is the CEO of Costco. I hope he enjoyed his strawberries...

Happy Birthday Baba Hoo Hoo

2010-11-18T21:10:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to my very special mommy who gets up well before the sun every Wednesday morning to get to my house by 6:15 am with sausage and cinnamon melts for my kids! You have managed to tame the wild blonde boy, you travel to far away imaginary lands with Rori Rose, and you survive the three ring circus when Brendan is awake :) We appreciate and love you very much!! Thanks for being the best mom I could ever wish for!

Teaching Rori and Liam about the new baby they were going to get

Meeting Brendan Rhys

Showing that you are a Kool Aid Grandma :)

Kindred Spirits

My sweet niece

2010-10-24T18:02:00.002-05:00

Most of the people who read my blog also read my sister's blog, so you probably all are aware of what is going on with my sweet niece, Juliana. She will be checking into Children's Memorial hospital tomorrow in the hopes of getting a diagnosis for her problems. She doesn't eat, and often when they can get her to eat, she projectile vomits it all back up. She is very small for her age and Jenna takes her to several different types of therapies to try to help her. Finally, they have found a doctor who is serious about getting a diagnosis. He has arranged for them to check into the hospitals and is getting as many specialists together to try and find out why this little girl won't eat. Understandably, my sister is very nervous--I'm sure she's nervous that they won't find anything, and nervous that they will. So, I am asking for prayer. Pray for wisdom for the doctors, peace and strength for Jenna and Ryan, and healing for Juliana.

Michigan!

2010-10-21T13:51:00.001-05:00

I had been feeling like checking myself into the looney bin a few weeks ago. I had been trying to potty train Liam off and on, Rori's school had been wearing me out--along with her new attitude that came with the beginning of school, and Brendan decided one nap was enough for him. All those things made me feel like I was going to go crazy. I told Bill that if I disappeared, not to worry unless it was longer than 48 hours, because I would just be checked into a hotel relaxing. He told me he was coming with me. So...we decided to plan a trip. I hadn't been back to Calvin College since I graduated and I knew that they had made a lot of changes that I have been wanting to see. Plus, Grand Rapids is gorgeous in the fall! So we got a great deal on a hotel room, arranged for Grandma and Grandpa Casey to watch the kids, and we were ready!

We left on Friday, and all day I told Bill I didn't want to go. I wanted to bring the kids with us. I couldn't imagine going two nights without them! He told me, "too bad." So off we went. I was really excited when we got there because I was going to get to see my old roommate, Lisa and her husband Brandon! It was great seeing them, because we don't get to talk very often--once a year maybe? (hint..Lisa if you would go on facebook, I would greatly appreciate it. please. please. please.). Neither one looked a day older than they did 10 years ago! They have two adorable kids and one on the way. (hint...Lisa, if you go on facebook, I won't have to wait until your Christmas card to find out what you are having...). Anyway, we had a lovely evening and kept them out too late. Hopefully it won't be as many years before we see them again!

On Saturday we spent the day touring Calvin. I was a little bitter at all the great additions that have been made since I went there. But...tuition is about twice what I paid, so I got over it...sort of. The sports complex that they built left me speechless. There are indoor tennis courts, and indoor track, a rock climbing wall, a huge array of cardio equipment each with their own tv., and more. It was incredible. Seriously amazing.

The other thing that made me a little bitter (not really, but maybe a tad) was the overpass they built across The Beltline. The Beltline is a four lane highway that run between Calvin College and the campus apartments. We used to have to cross that highway in order to get to class and back to our apartments. It was like playing chicken with oncoming traffic. Now there is a covered walkway that goes across to keep students safe and warm during the freezing Michigan winters.

How cool is that? Below is the traffic we used to dodge. It was like playing Frogger. (ok, not really that bad)

When I started at Calvin, I was a Physics major. I only majored in it because I received a Physics scholarship. I knew it probably would not be the degree I graduated with, but I didn't know what I wanted to major in and since they were paying me to take a Physics class, I figured, what the heck. Well, I absolutely HATED my first and only college Physics class. It was all theoretical, which I hate. So I vowed never to step foot in the Science Building again. Unfortunately, I broke that vow. While we were visiting, we discovered that the Psychology department (what I ended up majoring in) had moved to the Science Building, thus forcing me to enter the dreaded place. I have to admit the new Science Building is pretty incredible, and maybe I could get past the horrible memories I had there...or maybe not.

All in all, we had a lovely time and I am so glad we went! However, on Sunday morning I was sooooo ready to get home to Rori, Liam, and Brendan!

Happy first birthday Brendan Rhys!

2010-10-04T19:48:00.003-05:00

I can't believe that I just typed those words! Where has the year gone? I am pretty sure that I just found out I was pregnant with him yesterday. Yet, this weekend we celebrated his first birthday party!

In a blink of an eye...that is where the time is going.

To my sweet biggest baby boy,

What a wonderful blessing you have been to me. You have been the easiest baby. As an infant you were very content. You liked to be held, but you let us put you down in order to pay attention to your siblings. I instantly felt bonded to you. At night, your papa wasn't able to get you to go to sleep or stop crying, but immediately after transferring you to me, you would stop crying and fall asleep. It was truly magical. You are such a joy for your sister and brother, and you love them too!

You are a ham for the camera. The other day while we were at the farm, a lady was holding a camera near you and you got kind of upset that she wasn't taking a picture of you! (I didn't understand it either-who wouldn't want a picture of your adorable smile?).

You answer to many names--chubba bubba, Magoo, baby boy, and most recently, based on the fact that you have everyone wrapped around your little finger, Prince Brendan :)

You love balls, cars, stairs, ceiling fans, and anything that we'll feed you!

You have made the last year a wonderful joy, I love you my sweet baby boy!

Inadequate

2010-09-23T13:40:00.007-05:00

I have been incredibly blessed throughout my life. Most things have come fairly easily to me. I did well in high school and college. I got, what felt to me to be, an exciting job upon graduating, and my Prince asked me to marry him. That's not to say that my life has been daisies and roses. Bill and I have had our share of trials. We've lost a daughter, a job, a dog, and a beloved set of grandparents. Even amongst those trials, being married to him hasn't felt like hard work, but I'm not entirely sure he would say that about being married to me--please don't ask him--I don't want to know. While I've been blessed, trust me, I am no superwoman--I'm disorganized, not a great housekeeper, and lacking in street smarts, for starters. Those flaws aside, I have felt equipped for most things that life has thrown at me. A sinful side effect of these blessings and gifts is arrogance--that is, until God gets me with a zinger that brings me humbly, on my knees, to His throne, begging for wisdom. This happened very recently.

The other night, when Rori was going to bed, she said her prayers and then she said to me, "God is doing the best He can to get Grandpa Casey a job." In that instant I felt completely inadequate. I knew the adult response to that, but I had no idea how to explain to her, that God is choosing to wait right now. I didn't want her to think that God couldn't do it if He wanted to, but I didn't want her to think God was mean and holding back a job when He could give him one. I explained it to her the best I could but that was the moment when I knew how huge this job, teaching our children about God, is. I realized that if I want my children to truly know who Jesus is, I was not going to be able to coast through parenting. In one moment I realized what an awesome responsibility God has placed on me. I understand that ultimately, their salvation is not up to me. However, God has called me to take each teachable moment, that He gives me, to teach them who He is. I need to be ready to recognize those moments, and I need to have the tools to teach them. What that means is that I need to get to WORK. I need to research resources to help me to answer their questions in a way that will make sense to them. I need to model godly behavior, and I need to PRAY. Pray for teachable moments and pray for wisdom to teach them.

I am going to trust that if I put in the work, and don't coast through parenting on auto-pilot, my children will choose to follow the Lord. Proverbs 22:6 "Train a child in the way he should go, and he will not turn from it."

Happy early birthday Bill!

2010-09-21T15:04:00.000-05:00

There's a good chance that my dear hubby won't get a heartfelt birthday post this year (someone else's first birthday is at the same time), and he is hitting a milestone birthday, so I wanted to take some time before his brithday to tell him how much I appreciate him. I also figure that if I post early, I can pretend he's 35 already and heckle him a bit earlier than planned ;)

I am one of the most blessed people on the planet, and I don't tell Bill enough. That's partly because he knows that I know that I'm blessed, but also because I don't want him to get a big head :) Recently he's done some extra sweet things. He plays basketball every Thursday. Last Thursday was the opening day for football, or something like that, and the guys decided to watch the game instead of playing basketball. Bill chose to skip going and stay home with me. I didn't ask him to; he just decided to do it because he said he missed me. It really meant a lot to me.

Sunday, he took us to Disney Princesses on Ice. I know that most other husbands would have said no way--it was the opening game for the Bears and most men would have stayed home to watch that. He didn't even grumble about it. (ok he pointed it out to me, but only because I take him for granted). I know that I just expect him to be willing to do things like that for his family, but I appreciate it very much.

Wednesday night, Liam and Rori were both up throwing-up into the morning. Bill called into work without me even asking him to. He happily did whatever was needed. On Friday night, when Brendan threw up, he rocked him while I took care of Rori and Liam. He volunteered to stay home with Brendan while I took Rori and Liam up by my parents to the farm the kids love to visit in the fall. I really and truly know that a lot of husbands would not have been so helpful. They wouldn't offer to stop at the store for banana's on the way home, they wouldn't rock their babies in the middle of the night, they wouldn't change nasty diapers, and they wouldn't put up with me. So, Bill, I really appreciate all you do for us, and I love you forever!!

Rori and Rachel and Princesses on Ice!

2010-09-12T21:27:00.001-05:00

We had a lovely, but busy weekend. It started with Rori's bestie's birthday party. They got to paint ceramics, and Rori had a great time! Then on Sunday, we got to go to Disney Princesses on Ice!! Bill and I had been contemplating taking Rori to see it, but it was pretty pricey. Then, about two weeks ago, Bill got a coupon code for seats in the fourth row for $12!! We couldn't pass it up. I immediately ordered 4 tickets, because we figured at that price, Liam should come too. After I ordered them, I thought, I should have gotten a ticket for Rachel as a birthday present. I talked to her Auntie, who works with me, and she offered to get her a ticket if I could still get one. Bill and I figured we would just get one more ticket and if it wasn't with the group, he would sit in it. I called Ticketmaster and they were incredibly helpful and got us the fifth seat in our group. I do have to give the dear hubby a shout out. I would have driven us by myself, but it was in the city and I would have no idea where I was going and everything is under construction, so Bill had to take us. Today was the opening day for the Chicago Bears, and he only grumbled a teensy weensy bit about missing it. I told him he only got a little bit of credit for it because he has set the bar incredibly high as far as husbandly and fatherly duties, that now, this kind of sacrifice is expected :) But really, thank you for taking us, my dear.

The girls were ecstatic! Rachel's dad dropped her off in the morning and she had on the dress that she and Rori both own, which of course, Rori thought of wearing already too! However, Rachel had on a green cardigan and told Rori to wear a green one too. Rori said she didn't have one, so Rachel happily wore one of Rori's white ones so they could match. Very sweet. The girls chattered the whole car ride down. It's amazing how their conversations are actual conversations now. We had The Princess and The Frog playing in the car and I heardt this conversation:
Rachel: "Her parents passed away."
Rori: "away to where?"
Rachel: "I don't know, that's what my mom told me."

Later, during the dancing scene, Rori said, "At my Auntie Marylou's wedding, I danced the night away." It was all very grown up :)

When we got to the theatre, the kids weren't very hungry--they were too excited. We got them popcorn and they sat back and anxiously awaited the show. I have heard mostly negative things about the cheese factor of Disney on Ice, but I thought the show was wonderful. They re-enacted scenes from Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Mulan, Sleeping Beauty, and the Little Mermaid. The second half of the show they dedicated to my favorite, Cinderella. The girls were enamored. And there was enough of the Genie and other boy characters to keep Liam's attention. Bill just sat there and imagined those were his seats at a Blackhawks game, instead of Disney Princesses.

It was one of the best days! The girls were a tad disappointed that Princess Tiana wasn't in the show, but I found out that she is in the next Disney on Ice production, so maybe next year...

Eleven months

2010-09-10T21:05:00.000-05:00

I am not even going to say that I am going to be better about blogging. Nobody will believe me anyway :) I've been exhausted since Rori started school and Bill and I are out of our regular routines. I haven't even worked out in a week! Which for me is crazy. That's always my "me" time, but frankly the second month of Insanity has kicked my behind, and I have to say, I think Shaun T has defeated me. But I am promising myself, I am not going to let that be permanent. I will start afresh next week. Putting it in writing should make me do it...

Anyway, my baby boy is going to be a year old in less than a month!! I do not know where the time went, and I am refusing to believe it. I haven't posted pictures of him in a while, and yesterday the weather was so beautiful that the kids got to play outside for hours (which is wonderful at bedtime--they are wiped!). So I decided to snap a couple of pictures. Have you ever seen such a handsome baldy?

First Day of Kindergarten

2010-09-01T21:07:00.001-05:00

I am a few days behind, but so what else is new? Rori's first day of Kindergarten came upon me faster than I had ever imagined. I remember sitting on the couch with Bill, after having Rori and talking about her someday going to school, and thinking it was a long way off. Then I blinked my eyes and suddenly she was five and about to embark on her journey to Kindergarten.

Bill took the day off so we could all go together. Rori picked out her dress and her fanciest shoes (Stuart Weitzman's from Aunt Nicki--I don't even have a pair!) for her first day. We live too close for bus service so Monday morning, we packed up all three kids and trekked over to the school. Rori stood in line to go into school and we all stood with her. I was waiting for her to tear up or her lips to tremble, but she never did. She stayed brave and walked into school with her classmates, and never turned around. I wore sunglasses to hide my watery eyes, Bill and Brendan waved bye-bye and Liam sat in the stroller crying that nobody loves him and he wanted new shoes. It was a real Norman Rockwell moment.

I picked up Rori from school and Bill and I took her to lunch to celebrate her first day. Her best friend, Rachel called to see how her first day went and we got to hear details that we had been trying to get out of her. I think I need Rachel to call every day so I can hear how her day went!

We went to Rain Forest Cafe--her choice and she had pizza and coke. She showed us around the restaurant and was so excited to show us all the cool animals. Grandma Casey had taken her several times, but Bill and I had never gone, so she was so proud to show us around. Then she told us all about the mall (the restaurant is in a mall) and showed us the moving stairs and the elevator with glass walls. I'm a little frightened that she knows more about the mall than I do--as a matter of fact, she's been there more times in the last 3 years than I have!

Anyway, I am so proud of my big girl for being so brave!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2010-08-11T10:16:00.000-05:00

Today is my Dad's 60th birthday!!!!

Happy Birthday Daddy/Grandpa Hoo Hoo!

Miscommunication

2010-08-09T21:00:00.001-05:00

Apparently I am getting deaf in my old age and I can't hear or understand people on the phone anymore. Today, I was at Target buying a booster seat for Rori. I wasn't sure if it would be ok if I bought a backless one since it was for Bill's car and I didn't want to spend the extra money for one with a back. However, if it meant that I was an irresponsible parent by getting the backless one, I would shell out the additional $30. So, I called my friend, April, since she was on my mind because I had been discussing our church outreach with her earlier, and she has 4 kids--one of which is Rori's bestie, or BFF, or bosom friend, or kindred spirit, as it may be. Anyway, April didn't answer the phone, but called me back as I was checking out, so I was a little distracted--at least that's what I blame it on. This is how the conversation went:

Me: "Is it okay if I get a backless booster?"

April: "Yes, Rachel and Maya have backless ones. It's totally fine. Oh shoot I forgot Rachel's socks! They won't let her go to school without them next Monday!"

Me: "Um. Okay. That stinks. Bye."

Actually, we chatted a bit more, but I thought, "how odd. Rachel's school has some serious restrictions on hygiene. I guess they don't allow sandals or something." Then I thought, well, I'm at Target, I'll call her back and offer to pick up socks and give them to her at church on Wednesday. I wonder if she needs a special kind. So, I called April.

Me: "Since I'm at Target, do you want me to pick up socks for Rachel and give them to you Wednesday?"

April: "Socks? Huh?"

Me: "I thought she needed socks in order to go to school on Monday."

April: "No....she needs shots."

Me: "Oh. That makes more sense."

The end.

Mating of the vegetables

2010-08-04T21:13:00.000-05:00

This year my zucchini, while having giant plants, have not produced the size and quantity of vegetables that they did last year. Several of them got to be just larger than baby carrots and then they start to rot. I was getting really frustrated until I googled it. It appears that the problem is that earlier in the summer we set up a bee trap to keep the bees away from the swing set. My garden is near the swing set, so we set the trap on the other side of the yard. I haven't noticed too many bees in the last month or two. Apparently the bees take the pollen from the male zucchini flowers and put them inside the female ones. If this doesn't happen, the zucchini stop growing and are small and rot. So, the sites I looked at suggested that I pick the male flowers and pull the petals off and tickle the inside of the female flower with the stamen. It sounds kind of naughty, but I may try it. If the neighbors hear giggling from me in the backyard, it's probably because I am mating my zucchini.

Ballerinas

2010-08-03T22:05:00.000-05:00

Growing up I always wanted to be a ballerina. I absolutely loved everything about ballet. I read books about it, practiced at home, and when I was finally old enough to be on toe, it was like all my dreams had come true. Alas, eventually I stopped taking lessons, but I occasionally still put on my toe shoes and danced around my room--even in college. I even took lessons one summer after Rori was born. Unfortunately all that did was make me realize I was old and out of shape!

I have always hoped that Rori would become interested in ballet. Today she was watching Barbie as the Nutcracker and Waltz of the Flowers came on. I told her that I had danced to that song a long time ago and asked if she wanted to see my ballet shoes. I pulled out my toe shoes and we both tried them on and I think she felt the magic too! We hobbled around in them and then put on my regular ballet slippers and danced around the living room. I was in heaven. She told me she wants to take ballet and it just made my heart melt into goo!

Happy Fifth Birthday Rori Rose

2010-07-17T19:13:00.000-05:00

Dear Rori,

You are such a joy for your papa and me. You are everything I hoped you would be. You are girly and sweet, fun and loving. You have a gentle spirit. When your brother won't share with you, you share with him anyway. When someone is hurt you worry about them. You are always concerned about others feelings. You never want to hurt anyone. If someone is left out, you will go to them. We joke that you are very diplomatic and would make a great politician (but please choose something else). You are excited to learn about Jesus and look forward to hearing Bible stories. You pray for your family, Grandpa Hoo Hoo's heart, Juliana's vomit, and Grandpa Casey's job search--all without prompting. I threatened you that I wasn't going to let you turn five because I don't want you to grow up. But it happening anyway. I love you so much, baby girl. I can't express my gratitude that God chose ME to be your mommy! What a wonderful gift He has given me.

Coming Soon

2010-07-14T20:53:00.000-05:00

Rori's fifth birthday was today, and her birthday post is coming tomorrow evening--I just didn't want anyone to think I forgot! The reason it's not tonight, is because I have to find the pictures I want to use, and some of them were from today and I'm tired and going to bed. I think I need my sleep because apparently, last night, in the middle of the night Bill woke up to me hitting him and telling him I hate him...hmmmmm I don't really remember that... I am not sure if I believe him, but just in case, I'm going to go to bed early. I hope he sleeps with one eye open!

Baconators and Insanity

2010-07-12T13:15:00.000-05:00

Wendy.s came out with the Bacona.tor sandwich a few years ago. It always looked tasty to me, but there was no way I could justify the calories and fat. I always swore that while I was nursing, I would get one. You burn about 500 extra calories from nursing, so you get to eat a bit more and still lose weight. Well, I am in the process of weaning what is most likely my last baby. And I am about to start a killer new workout program. So, it was now or never. Today. I. Ate. A. Bacona.tor. And it was delicious and gross at the same time. I didn't finish it because the soggy, greasy, bun ended up grossing me out and I just couldn't do it to my arteries. While I am horrified about it, I also have something I can check off of my bucket list.

I am now back on the healthy eating wagon. I have to be. I bought Insanit.y! Have you heard of it? It's a crazy new workout program that is 60 days of the hardest most intense cardio you have ever experienced. I did the fit test last week and then attempted the first DVD right after. I got through the warm up and stretching and then Shaun T. said, "suicide drills." I told him to go away, and I turned off the tv and paced around the house until the urge to vomit subsided. The next day I did the first DVD again, without doing the fit test first and made it through. But, I promptly popped 3 ibuprofen for the pain that I felt creeping up on me. I am officially starting the 60 day workout today and am really excited to see if I can make it through it. We took before photos (which I'm not going to post because I want to maintain some dignity) because if you send in your before and afters, they will send you a free t-shirt, which I will wear proudly. I am not expecting huge changes, just to drop the last 10 pregnancy pounds. Can I call them pregnancy pounds if they were left over from Liam when I got pregnant with Brendan? ;)

Wish me luck!

Happy Belated Birthday Liam James!

2010-07-01T22:20:00.000-05:00

Liam's third birthday was while we were in Florida, so we celebrated as a family this last weekend. I'm so glad we took the time to do a special day for him because he thanked us for his presents several times throughout the day, and still prays and thanks Jesus for his birthday presents :)

My dear Liam,
You have taught me so much over the last year. I have learned all about the super heroes. I can name ones that I didn't even know existed just a year ago. I can explain varying stories from the X-Men (thanks to your papa) that I didn't know. You wear your Darth Vader cape every day and pretend you're Batman. But when you're Spiderman you take the cape off and have to change into your Spiderman shoes. You have charmed your Sunday School teachers with a dimpled grin.

You like to play rough, but when you play with your baby brother, a sweetness comes in your voice and you are very gentle with him. Even when he tries to take your toys, you gently say, "no no." You pretty much ignored me for the first 6 months of Brendan's life, but one day, all of a sudden you came back to me--much to Papa's dismay!

You don't give your love freely. It must be earned, which makes it that much sweeter when you do give it. You are the best darn snuggler, and when you say, "I Yuve you mama." I melt into a pile of goo and would go to the moon for you.

I love you so much, my first born son!

The Princesses!

2010-06-24T16:26:00.000-05:00

We stayed in Sarasota which is about 2 hours south of Orlando. However, we decided that we couldn't go to Florida without taking the kids to Disney World. Bill and I signed up for Disney's "Give a Day Get a Day" program. We volunteered a Saturday at a resale shop and each got a free ticket to a Disney theme park. Liam was free because he was under three, so it was not a very expensive day (minus paying obscene amounts of money for hotdogs and water). My mom came with us--she almost wasn't able to because she wasn't feeling well, but thankfully she rallied because she didn't want to miss the kids' first trip to Disney! I had one wish and one wish only for our trip to Disney; that was for Rori to at least see a princess. I knew that the only guaranteed way to meet a princess at the Magic Kingdom was to dine at Cinderella's Table restaurant. You have to make reservations 6 months in advance. We did not do that, so we couldn't get in. However, right about the time we arrived at the Magic Kingdom a show was starting at Cinderella's Castle. I was worried that Minnie and Mickey were going to be the only ones in the show, but out came Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White! I don't know who was more excited--Rori or me! Being the cheese that I am, I teared up a bit because I was sooooo happy that Rori got to see them--even if they were on stage and not right up close.

The kids rode a bunch of rides and had a blast. Bill, my mom, and I melted into puddles of sweat, but thoroughly enjoyed seeing their faces. I saw on the map that there was a character greet area so we headed over there in the hopes of seeing at least one princess. We got there and I asked if the princesses were there and the lady told me there were some inside. I was worried we'd be waiting hours in line, so Bill and Liam went off to meet Mickey and Minnie. We only ended up waiting about twenty minutes and Rori got to meet three princesses!! Each one took some time to talk with her and give her a hug. Rori was in heaven, as was her mommy and grandma. They were each so sweet to her and it made the whole trek to Disney worth it!

Liam got to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse and he was almost as thrilled. Not as thrilled as if he had gotten to meet Batman, though!

By the end of the day, everyone was exhausted, but satisfied!

Notice Liam's sweaty head (although it's mixed with obscene amounts of sunscreen that Bill sprayed on his head)!!

Fleas, Roaches, and Dirty Underwear, Oh My!

2010-06-23T20:38:00.001-05:00

I am clearly behind on my blogging, so I think I am going to go backwards and start with the most recent events. We just went on our first family vacation, and our first any kind of vacation in 6 years! We decided to go to Florida to see my grandma who turned 90 years old this year. My parents, Jenna and Ryan, and all our kids rented a really large house that looked fabulous on the internet. It was originally owned by the Ringling family--you know, the circus Ringling's. You can kind of see from the picture it was quite spacious.

That's the ballroom with the sitting room attached, behind it are two huge master bedrooms. It really was enormous!

There were 5 bedrooms--four had bathrooms attached. It seemed like a dream vacation home. However, it was not the ideal vacation getaway I had hoped for. The fifth bedroom was unusable because the air conditioning didn't reach it. The air conditioner for the kitchen and dining room didn't work--it was replaced four days into our vacation. Because of losing a bedroom, we ended up with all three kids in our room. The room was spacious enough, but it made it difficult once the kids went to bed for us to get anything out of the room. We were wandering the house with our toiletries to get a shower in either my parents room or Jenna and Ryan's room.

Almost once a day we found a dead cockroach in the house. I know that Florida has lots of bugs, and big bugs, so I could mostly deal with the occasional dead roach. Thankfully, Jenna was the only one to see one alive. I think I would have lost it if I had seen that. To add insult to it all, we had paid a cleaning fee with the rental cost, and yet we found a pair of dirty underwear in the hot room (I'm assuming it was dirty, we didn't inspect it closely since noone was staying in that room). Jenna and my mom also found a human molar on the table outside. ummm...gross.

Now, I could deal with all of the above and chalk it up to you get what you pay for (the house wasn't terribly expensive). I would even consider going back. However, by day two I had several itchy bites on my ankles. They progressively got worse. We were thinking they were no see 'ums which are tiny bugs that can bite and some people have a reaction to them. A few days into the vacation, I decided to check the sheets because I was starting to suspect fleas. Sure enough, I found a flea in our bed. Then I found two in Jenna's bed. Worse, I found two on Juliana's face at random times and Bill found two on Brendan's face. By the end of the trip, I had over 75 bites on my ankles, feet, legs, back, and arms. And they itched like the dickens. Near the end of the vacation I started spraying myself with bug spray after showers and swimming to fend off the fleas. Needless to say, I was ready to burn the house down by the time we left. Note to self: Next time you go on a Florida vacation, ask when the last time the house was exterminated!

Note the bites but pay no attention to the ugly foot, I had gotten a pedicure, but what can I say, that's my foot...

The rest of the vacation was mostly wonderful and I will post about that next.

Welcome to the family Marylou!

2010-06-20T20:24:00.002-05:00

This weekend we were so excited to celebrate an addition to our family! No, not another baby :) Todd and Marylou got married!!! I'm so excited for her to officially join our family.

Whenever Marylou offers to bring food to a family function, I get really excited because I know it's going to be yummy! She makes a coconut cake and a cheesecake that are to die for!

Marylou has a wonderful sense of humor

She loves the kids and even though she thinks diapers and spit up are gross--it doesn't stop her from playing with them (the kids that is--not playing with the spit up)!

She even let us hi-jack her pre-wedding bar-b-que with a birthday party for Liam and his cousin, Ashley.

Granted, she did make us stare at this during the bar-b-que/pig roast...

Marylou was one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen!

Because she cares about hers and Todd's families so much, she had every small child in the wedding and put up with their lack of cooperation with grace!

Oh, yeah, Todd was there too :)

Welcome to the family Marylou! I'm so glad you're a part of it!

He gets it

2010-05-20T21:26:00.000-05:00

I had posted, when I wrote about losing our daughter, Faith, that I had regretted not getting her a gravestone. She was our baby and deserved recognition as such. I had been thinking about it again, recently, and it has really been on my heart to get one. I mentioned to my friend, how I had hoped that Bill would think of it on his own so that I wouldn't have to bring it up to him. We had recently refinanced our mortgage, and therefore got to "skip" a mortgage payment. Basically that left us with a little extra money that could cover a gravestone. My friend wisely told me that men are different than women and I needed to just bring it up to him. I did and he agreed we should get one. He even said he'd call about it that week. A few weeks went by and he didn't mention it to me again. I got really frustrated inside because I took this to mean he didn't care about her the way I did. I felt like he just didn't get it. So, I took matters into my own hands and got the information again on how to go about getting a stone. I told him how I felt and he apologized and we agreed that next weekend we would go pick one out.

Last night my dear friend Anne, aka my Jilli.an Michaels, texted me and told me her sister lost her twin babies at 20 weeks pregnant. I was heartbroken for them. It brought back many of my memories. I couldn't stop thinking about them all night. Bill and I were laying in bed going to sleep and I felt the need to text Anne that her sister HAD to get pictures of her babies. That is the biggest regret of my life, not getting pictures of our Faith. After I texted her, Bill didn't ask what I sent, but he reached over and squeezed my hand and said, "I love you." And I knew then that he got it.

My Birthday

2010-05-06T19:58:00.000-05:00

My birthday was yesterday, Cinco de Mayo! It's always a fiesta on my birthday :) Every year Bill renews my subscription to Us Week.ly (don't tell our friend Nat, he's a youth pastor and thinks it's a trashy magazine and we like to keep up our wholesome image ;-) ). He also gets me another gift because that one doesn't really count because it's expected. Lucky for me! This year he got me a new point and shoot camera!! I love it because my other one takes horrible grainy pictures--you can tell when I've used it if you go through past posts on my blog. I love my Nikon SLR but it's much too big to bring on vacation and I wanted one I could just throw in my pocket so I could take pictures at the park etc. So, of course I had to test it out and so this post is going to be photo happy :)
I decided to try a self portrait, since if I don't take pictures of myself, if I die, my kids won't know what I looked like...

Oops, this is better (but nice teeth above, huh?)

I have ape arms so am pretty good at taking pictures of myself and the kids together.

Bill sent me flowers at work. I love when he does that. I feel special. Aren't they lovely?

This was my birthday card from him. I made it extra-large because if anyone can tell me what it says, I'll give them $5...

Todd n ML showed up. They didn't know it was my birthday. They felt embarassed. So as punishment I am posting this picture.

We talked them into staying for cupcakes

Bill made them and the kids decorated them. Well, Bill decorated the ones with the red writing. I am doing the same $5 offer for that one...

This is what the cupcakes looked like unfrosted. Bill's not sure what happened...

But Todd approved

So did Marylou. I told her this picture was a good angle and she should practice it for her upcoming wedding pictures.

Rori liked the hats and wants to keep them for her birthday!

Thank you, my dear hubby, for a lovely day. Next time you get me a camera, though, warn me to put a little makeup on since I am pretty sure this is the most pictures of me that have been on my blog the whole year!

Attitude Check

2010-05-03T22:58:00.001-05:00

I have no idea what my spiritual gift is. I think I was absent the day they were handed out. Evangelism? nope. Administration? Have you seen my desk? nope. I have taken the inventories, and they are not very helpful. I have tried to think of ways to serve in our church using my skills. It's hard because honestly, and I'm not saying this so everyone will say nice things about me, I don't feel like I have useful gifts. One day, before I was pregnant I saw a sign up sheet for Meals on Wheels. This seemed right up my alley. I love to cook! I look forward to the week that we have main dish for our small group. I love cooking different types of food than what I normally serve my picky family. I get to experiment with new things. Anyway, so I signed up.

I never got a phone call. That is, until a week ago. The person that heads it up called me and asked when I could bring a meal to a family from our church. They have 11 children. Lucky for me, 4 of them are no longer at home. I hemmed and hawed, thinking, "don't you know that I have 3 small children and I work two days a week." She wasn't going to let me off the hook. So I chose last Friday. I felt quite indignant that someone would ask me to do that when I had so much on my plate--especially since it was for 9 people! Enter, attitude check. I felt God nudging me, and I felt ashamed. Every Sunday people serve my family. They teach Rori and Liam about Jesus, happily change Brendan's poopy diapers, and Bill and I sit in the sanctuary enjoying the service. Here I was grumbling about making a meal, something I enjoy, something that I signed up to do and hadn't been asked once in the previous year to fulfill. So, I changed my attitude and made a delicious meal, hopefully blessing the family by having one less thing to think about.

I ended up being blessed in return for making the meal. Sunday, when we went to church, the dad came up to us and asked if I made it from scratch and said they loved it. Then one of the little girls said to me, "my mom said that whoever made that meal knows how to cook!" I was humbled, touched, and ashamed of my initial attitude. I am ready for the next Meals on Wheels phone call. Unless it's a meal for the Duggars. I don't think I have a pot big enough to cook for them!

Todd n Ml

2010-04-27T21:10:00.001-05:00

Bill and I had an incredibly busy weekend, it was fun, but I am exhausted and need to have a day off to catch up at home! Bill's sister, Tiffany, and her daughter, Ashley, came in for the weekend because Bill's brother Todd and his fiance Marylou were having their bachelor/bachelorette parties and their couples shower this weekend.

It was fun seeing Ashley--I think it had been almost a year since we last saw her!

We got ourselves all spiffied up for the shower. Please take notice of my manicure. It lasted one day, but I thought it was really fun. The color was Emerald City. I am normally not that bold, but sometimes I have to do something wild and crazy ;) Better watch out for my wild side!

Be sure to note Bill and Liam rocking the sweater vests!

Here's Bill and his "big" little brother

Here's Marylou, Todd's fiance. I think Bill and his brother's like girls with beautiful smiles and good teeth, what do you think? (I can say that about myself and not be vain, because my parents spent a fortune to make mine that way) Todd and Marylou have officially become Todd n Ml. It's just easier and quicker :) I'm all about efficiency.

Continuing in the beautiful smile/good teeth genre, we have Nicki and Bill's other little brother, Nicholas, or for the efficiency experts out there, NPsquared (our last name starts with a P, get it?)

Here's Rori with the junior bridesmaids, Olivia and Eva (she's a flower girl). I was a little insulted because she spent the whole time with them, and only needed me when she had to go potty. She even sat at their table for dinner. Is this a glimpse into my future? If that's the case.I don't think I will ever let her be old enough to go to the bathroom by herself.

The wedding is right after we get back from our vacation, and we're so excited for them! They are truly made for each other! Thanks for the fun weekend Todd n Ml!

Supermommy?

2010-04-23T22:18:00.001-05:00

Last week I took all three kids to the park and was patting myself on the back for my preparedness. You want a snack? Got it! Poopy diaper? Changed it (actually changed 2 of those). Hand sanitizer, check! One mom even came up to me and asked for a kleenex. And while asking me she said, "of course you have one, you're so prepared. I bet if I asked you for a T-Bone steak, you'd pull one out of your bag!" Oh, how much more my hubby would love me if that were the case! Normally a trip to the park with three kids would have stressed me out--trying to make sure I had everything I needed, but I think I am starting to get the hang of it.

But we all know what happens when you think you're getting the hang of something...you get cocky and then learn a lesson. Today I had to make a quick trip to the grocery store--Jewel for a card for a wedding shower and few other things that I needed.. I normally shop at Super.Target or Mei.jer but I hate the cards at Super.Target--I don't like their selection and I think they're expensive, and Jewel is really close. Anyway, the nice thing about the other two stores is they have these big fancy carts that hold two big kids and a baby. Jewel doesn't. So, Rori and Liam walked and I wore Brendan in the Baby Bjorn because I didn't want to put him in the dirty cart and I didn't have sanitizing wipes. Apparently during the day, all the old people in the town do their grocery shopping at Jewel--riding on their mobile carts. I'm guessing it's because it's the oldest grocery chain in the area--the other two are newer and elderly are set in their ways. Heaven forbid they have to learn where the metamucil was located at another store. I'm just kidding; I know I'll get old and be scared to try new things too. But I vow not to run over small children with my mobile cart. So this is how our trip to Jewel went.

"Stay right by me."
"Watch out for that person"
"Stay here so you don't get run over"
"Don't touch that"
"No my middle child is a boy" (that was to one of the old people that complimented my adorable children).

There were about ten things on my list that I wanted to get. I got four. To be fair, it wasn't the kids fault. They did stay pretty close to me, but those mobile carts will take out small children no matter how close to you they are. I also made the mistake of going to the self check-out, which took twice as long because I had "helpers" wanting to put the items on the belt and bag them at the end.
Honestly, if I had to take the kids grocery shopping with me every time, we would never have any food to eat in the house! How do moms do it? If you have any tips, let me know! From now on it is strictly Super.Target or Mei.jer for me--no elderly drivers, and my kids are secured in the cart!

Faces

2010-04-21T09:43:00.001-05:00

I am Brendan's personal milking machine. However, this is what he looks like when I eat dairy. You can draw your own conclusions as to what that face means...

I have found that if I remove dairy from my diet, this is what he looks like.

That means I don't eat cheese, ice cream, milk, sour cream, etc. But it is completely worth it to see that smiling face. And I know it's temporary because I won't be his milking machine forever.

Any advice on what I can give up to make this face smile?

Easter Part II

2010-04-11T23:07:00.000-05:00

Our Easter weekend was truly an Easter weekend. It started on Good Friday. We went to my friend Anna's house. She is the most creative and best organized person I know! She didn't even pay me to say that. She also has three of the best behaved children I know. Case in point, her daughter McKenna was telling her something that her son Caleb did. Anna told her to tell Caleb to come up so she could talk to him. Caleb obediently came. Rori came to tell me something that Liam did. I told her to tell Liam to come to me. He said, "No, Never!" That's my boy! Anyway, Anna did an Easter egg hunt for the kids and she, smartly--why didn't I think of that--assigned each child a color of egg to find. She had filled each egg with goodies. The kids had a great time and talked about the Easter egg hunt the rest of the afternoon.

Liam and Caleb--not a great picture, but we were getting ready to leave and I did my best :)

Rori and McKenna--they get along great and Rori loves McKenna's long beautiful hair!

I already wrote about Easter Saturday. So on to Easter Sunday. The kids got all dressed up for church--as did I. I actually wore a bright green skirt and heels. I think I looked like an Easter egg, but there are no pictures to prove it. It's best that way. I also only got a couple of pictures of the kids because it was beautiful outside so I wanted outside pictures. Unfortunately it was also windy and my skirt had a tendency to blow up. Not a sight for the neighbors. Also, my heels were getting stuck in the lawn while I was trying to walk. I was cheaply aerating the lawn :)

Here's Rori practicing for Riverd.ance!

We have a rule that all males in the family must wear sweatervests. It's Bill's rule, but I think Liam rocked it :)

Brendan did not get dressed up for Easter, so no pictures of him either... It was the first Easter, that I remember, in a long time that we had such beautiful weather!

Hello Gorgeous!

2010-04-09T21:45:00.003-05:00

Last summer I was pregnant with this adorable guy

Unfortunately he did a number on my back and my feet while I was carrying him. So I was forced to wear these

I affectionately call them "Birkenstops."

This summer, I will be wearing these!

Chubba Bubba

2010-04-08T22:35:00.000-05:00

It was warm the other day and Brendan got to wear just a onesie. Normally he is in Sleep n Plays. He wanted to know if it made his thighs look big?

He's a little insulted that you would say that

Because can you do this?

He didn't think so

Easter Saturday

2010-04-06T11:51:00.000-05:00

We had Easter at our house with my family on Saturday. We did Saturday because my sister's husband had to go out of town on Easter Sunday. I have always dreamed of being a good hostess. My vision is making the perfect ham, with delicious sides, a lovely tablescape, and me, perfectly pleasant and polished. This is the way it went...a large ham--so large I could barely fit anything else in the oven and get the door shut. Cranky words were said. I sent Bill out at the last minute to buy chinet plates because I decided I didn't want to do dishes after. The kitchen was 80 degrees which made me crabby and not a pleasant hostess. I had one child (Liam) pulling on my leg crying and whining, another one (Brendan) pooping on his clothes, and Bill in the background saying "hey look at me, pay attention to me!" He was also asking me to make Brendan's cereal. Martha Stew.art I am not. How do people manage to have everything ready at the same time, table set, drinks poured, and guests happy? We are not a well oiled machine at my house! Fortunately my family all understands and are similar. At least we could all rejoice in the fact that He is Risen!

When a 4 year old feeds a baby

2010-04-01T19:46:00.000-05:00

This is what it looks like when a four year old feeds a baby...

And this is what it looks like when your sun rises and sets with your big sister, Rori Rose

For Lisa

2010-03-31T22:22:00.001-05:00

My college roommate commented on my last post and it made my day. Well, all comments make my day! I LOVE comments! Lisa and I don't get to talk very often but I think we have some great memories from college. We talked on the phone last fall for the first time in forever, but it was like no time had passed. Anyway, I was going to post about "my chair" when we got a new one, but I hope she would appreciate seeing it now :) That and I have no idea when I will be able to part with it. I think Bill wishes he would have thrown it out while I was on bedrest with Rori. That's when he disposed of my other college treasure--my 1990's macintosh computer, which we saw in a museum while we were in Washington DC. I'm still bitter about that one.

When I was a freshman, I didn't have any furniture so my grandma gave me her lazyboy recliner. I love it because it rocks, reclines, and its the perfect size. It was a joke with my roommates that if I was home, my rear end was on that chair. I am not sure if anyone else ever got to sit on it while I was around. Like I said previously, it has my perfect rear end print. Sadly, it's on it's last legs. It is a complete eyesore. There are marker stains, a new rip in the seat, the arms are so worn there is no padding left--just wood under the fabric. Yet, it's been with me through college, being a newlywed, and rocked all of my babies. I have such wonderful memories of this chair

It has definitely seen better days. So, yes, Lisa, the chair is still alive, but I fear there will be a day in the near future, when I come home and find her on the curb, and all I will be left with are the memories...

Treasure Hunting

2010-03-29T10:39:00.000-05:00

The only piece of furniture Bill and I have purchased for our house is our couch. Everything else has been given to us--and it's all in fabulous condition. Well, in fabulous condition except for my Lazy Boy recliner circa 1982 that has my perfect rear end print in it. I'm not calling my rear end perfect, but a print that fits my rear end perfectly ;) That chair is a whole other post--which I will do someday if I get a new chair... Anyway, about the couch. We were fairly young and inexperienced when we bought the couch. It is the world's stupidest couch. I regret buying it, but I refuse to buy a new one until everyone is potty trained, no longer spits up, and stops spilling. This couch shows watermarks--when we clean it, it leaves a ring where the water dries. The cushions don't come out so you can't flip or fluff them. You have to pull the back cushions out or you fall in the cracks. While these are all annoyances, nothing is more annoying than when you lose something in it.

The first thing we ever lost was the remote. We had been searching for days and then I wondered if it had fallen in the couch. We tipped the couch to the front and heard, clink clack bang. There was something in there. However, the lovely design of the couch included fabric covering the bottom. There is no way to get whatever fell inside the couch without cutting a hole in it. So we did. And out came our remote. We have lost varying things and gotten them out by tipping the couch and working to get the items to the hole so we can pull them out. Recently, Rori lost her cartridge game for her Leap.ster. We searched everywhere we thought it could be but couldn't find it. Bill never wants to tip the couch and look for something--he finds it inconvenient ;) So on Friday while he was at work, I tipped it. It's quite heavy, but I've been working out, you know ;) I heard, clankety clack, clankety clack. There was no way that I could hold the couch up and finagle all the things I could feel through the fabric over to the hole (I haven't been working out that much!). So, I proceded to cut several slits in the couch bottom. It was quite the treasure hunt. I found an Ariel mini doll, a Snow White mini doll, a Lightning McQueen car, two barettes, my night face lotion that I had been looking for that Rori had swiped, the Leapster game, and a bunch of dirty kleenexes! Can I tell you how much I hate this stupid couch?! Anytime something is missing, I'm pretty sure the couch ate it! Thank God we got hand-me down furniture in the rest of the house because if we had picked out the rest, with our skills, I think I'd have to burn it all and start from scratch!

Muffin Tin Lunch

2010-03-27T22:37:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to add more variety in my kids lunches and make it a little bit more fun. My mom told me about Muffin Tin lunches. She read on someone else's blog that their kids will eat anything out of a muffin tin. You can google it and there's a huge muffin tin meal movement out there! I decided to give it a go!

Liam wanted blue yogurt and Rori wanted red so I tried to give their tins that theme. I tinted vanilla yogurt with food coloring, gave them each some ham, colby jack cheese, apple slices, red or green (they don't have blue) goldfish, and red or blue m&m's. They thought it was so fun and asked for muffin tin meals for the next day too! What I liked about it was that they got a variety of foods instead of the chicken nuggets or hot dog and chips that I tend to lean towards. We also just watched Jami.e Oliver's Food Revolution--you should totally check it out--and it really solidified the idea that I need to give my kids more nutritional foods. I'm hoping that if I can find new ways to present food, they'll get excited about eating it. I have also noticed that when they help prepare it, they're more excited about eating it. Can anyone give me some tips on getting them to eat their veggies?!

On a side note--I am totally going to be updating my blog more frequently. I have been busy and exhausted because my sweet baby boy has decided that napping isn't his idea of fun anymore. It's been difficult and stressful for me to get anything done, but since this is supposed to be a way to document memories for my friends and family, I'm going to make it more of a priority instead of sitting on my rear end catching up on our DVR :)

After Church

2010-03-14T19:18:00.001-05:00

Bill and I have been attending our church for about two years now. Previously we attended a very large church that was about 30 minutes away. We decided to move to a smaller one closer to home because we wanted to make connections with people and have the kids meet some friends that they could grow up with. The first Sunday that we went to Sunday School we met our friends Dan and Anne. Anne, being very outgoing, made us feel welcome (Dan did too) and they, as well as several other couples had kids the same ages as ours. We were excited and felt at home immediately. Two years later we have joined their small group and made a wonderful group of friends. Now, every Sunday after church we go to McDonald's with Dan and Anne and their kids. Lunch is eaten, conversations are enjoyed, and mayhem occurs! It's great and we love it!

By the way, Anne is the one I credit for helping me lose the weight I've lost so far! She's my personal Jill.ian Michaels! She encourages me to exercise and eat healthy. Everyone needs an Anne :)

Juliana Update

2010-03-11T19:50:00.000-06:00

I am sorry that I have been behind in my blogging--I ask for prayers for Juliana and then don't give an update. Unfortunately the appointment with the gastroenterologist did not go well. You can read Jenna's experience here . Basically they didn't get any answers--just more questions. The doctor wants Juliana to get checked out by a neurologist and also prescribed more therapies. He is concerned because her head size is bigger in proportion to the rest of her body and she is behind in some developmental milestones and he wants to have it checked out. Naturally this is very upsetting news. Unfortunately they aren't able to get in to see the neurologist until March 31. So that means that we all need to wait.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Phillipians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
We will cling to that as we wait. Please pray for peace for Jenna and Ryan in this time of waiting.

Buttery Sweet Goodness

2010-02-25T22:23:00.000-06:00

In my previous post, my friend, Anna, suggested that I make Jenna some cinnamon rolls. I took her suggestion literally and made these :)

It was kind of challenging because the recipe is quite a bit of work and is time consuming. I took a few shortcuts because it seemed like I had a dozen kids instead of three. There was crying, whining, temper throwing, and that was just me--imagine the kids! Anyway, as far as the shortcuts--the rolls didn't rise as much as I'd like, but now I know for next time.

I did do part of it while Rori was at school and had a helper

It was serious business--but not so serious that he needed to put down his sucker!

Then, after they were all finished, Bill came home. He surveyed my hard work and then proceeded to pick which pans were his

And now after having my buttery sweet goodness, I have to answer to her

There Were Never Such Devoted Sisters

2010-02-22T10:06:00.000-06:00

My sister is my best friend. She would do anything for me and I would do anything for her. We are only 13 months apart and I think we are bonded as close as twins. She was my playmate growing up--she would play barbies with me and I would play G.I. Joe with her. (Thank God she was a tomboy so now I know a little bit about those things so I can play with Liam and Brendan!) I always looked up to her--even when the day came that I was taller than her ;)

She has walked with me along all of my journeys. She put up with my hissy fit when she got engaged (I was annoyed that some guy was taking her away). In fact, she understood it. I am horrified at the way I acted (sorry Ryan) but she didn't hold a grudge. I was her maid of honor. She was my matron of honor. She was at the hospital when we found out we would lose Faith, she was there when we lost her, and she and Ryan stayed at our house in the days following. The two of them would give us the shirts off their back if we needed them. In fact, I am pretty sure that she made a pretty big sacrifice for me. I think they would have had their first baby a little earlier than they did, but Jenna wanted to wait until we were able to have a baby. I think she knew that, while I would love her baby and be happy for her, it would be very difficult for me to watch her have a baby while I was grieving for mine. That was an incredible sacrifice and I feel selfish even talking about it, but that's my sister. Selfless.

My sister is incredibly strong. She has dealt with sometimes debilitating headaches for most of her life. She spent a great deal of her high school life in and out of the hospital trying to get them under control. She watched while I went away to college and she had to stay home because my parents wanted to make sure her health was under control (she was able to go away for her Junior and Senior years--where she met her hubby). She became one of the most beloved teachers in her school. If you check out her facebook page, you can see how much her students adore her. She suffered a brain injury several years ago that would probably cause most people to need to quit their jobs, was just another obstacle that she overcame.

Now, I am asking for prayers for her, her husband Ryan and their sweet baby girl, Juliana. Juliana eats very little. They have taken her to multiple specialists to try to get her to eat. Every calorie this sweet girl gets goes to her brain (thankfully) but she really needs more. Fortunately her head grows with every appointment, which means her brain is growing, but she is very small. The stress is taking its toll on Jenna and Ryan. You can hear it in her voice, and see it in her own physical well being. I have asked my sister what I can do to help them, but she hasn't been able to come up with anything. So all I can do is pray, which isn't nothing, but I feel helpless for them. The Bible tells us that the "Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." That verse has always given me comfort. When I just want to cry out to Jesus and have no words, I know that the Holy Spirit is crying out the words that I don't have. And He is doing that for us now. Jenna is taking Juliana to a specialist at Children's Memorial this Friday. She told me that she just needs some good news. Please pray that the doctor will have something positive to say. They really need to hear it. Pray that this burden of stress will be relieved, pray for a miracle!

The Old Ball and Chain

2010-02-21T22:00:00.000-06:00

I have been trying for the last several weeks to get my wedding rings on and today, Ta Da! They fit! It makes me so happy because, one, it means I've lost weight, and two, because my fingers aren't naked anymore! Excuse my nasty nails, and dry hands. This girl needs a manicure!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T21:51:00.002-06:00

Bill got me these

And this

So that I could do this

To make these

Those are butter cookies on sticks (like a cookie boquet), truffle pops, and homemade marshmallows cut out in heart shapes and dipped in dark chocolate. I am completely uncrafty, so I really have to pat myself on the back for these. I did have some help from my chief assistant Rori and my mom. Grandma Rose was our marshmallow taste tester...

How Big Are Those Suckers?

2010-02-09T08:25:00.001-06:00

Every year, growing up, my grandma from Florida used to send us oranges. These are not your typical grocery store oranges. They're about twice the size and four times as juicy. They even ship them with a bib because they are so messy. My dad has kept the tradition alive with my sister and me. He orders us fresh Florida oranges that arrive every January. Check out these suckers!

Muy impressive, don't you think?

Thanks, Dad!

(please don't be offended by the picture, I couldn't resist)

Getting the Crazy Out

2010-02-07T20:22:00.000-06:00

Bill and I have been pretty busy in the evenings and that is when I usually do my blog posts. One or both of us have been working out, or we've been catching up on our very full DVR so I haven't had much time or energy to post. The kids, on the other hand have been full of energy. I have been lamenting the fact that the kids haven't had much opportunity to "get the crazy out" by running around. Honestly, I do not like winter. We usually have cabin fever by the middle of January--and there are still several more months of winter. Yuck. The other day it snowed, but wasn't too cold out, so I brought Rori and Liam out with me while I shoveled. Papa stayed inside with Brendan. After we shoveled, the kids wanted to stay out and play in the backyard.

Liam got some serious speed on the slide!

Rori wasn't too shabby, either!

Ok, we had fun, I'm done with winter now...

Rori De Laurentiis

2010-01-28T12:42:00.000-06:00

Back during Halloween, Gia*da De Laurentiis did a show making candy. Rori asked me to record it and has watched it at least 15 times. Giada made Turtles, Truffle Pops and Homemade Marshmallows. Rori had been begging to make them so finally I caved. We skipped the turtles because 3 things was too overwhelming. We started with the Marshmallows. Rori let me know that it didn't take Giada nearly as long to cook the sugar mixture as it did us. I tried to explain the movie magic to her, but I don't think she understood. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the marshmallows, so I'm stealing the one my mom had of them in her hot chocolate. Aren't they lovely? Liam and Rori did the sprinkles.

They were fairly tasty in hot chocolate, but I don't love them plain. Coated in chocolate however....mmmmm

Next we made the Truffle Pops. Those were truffles on a lollipop stick. We made the ganache and Giada said to put cinnamon in it. I wasn't going to, but since Rori had seen it so many times, she didn't forget. She said, "Mama, we're supposed to put cinnamon in because it warms it up and gives it a little kick!" So we did. And she was right :) Then we put the sticks in and dipped them in the chocolate. Then I took a bite...they were heavenly...and I had to get them out of the house lest I eat them all and undo the work I've been doing with Jillian! Do you think Rori liked them? I am loving doing this with her. I am so glad she is enjoying cooking and baking--although it's going to be trouble for my saddlebags!

In a nutshell

2010-01-26T21:13:00.000-06:00

We have been very busy the past week or so. Rori and Liam were invited to a birthday party at a bouncy house place. Both kids had a great time, but unfortunately I didn't get great pictures, because I was holding Brendan the whole time, and of course we remember what happened to my poor camera. If you aren't caught up, it was about 2 posts ago :) This is Rori with her special friend from church, Rachel. They held hands and were inseperable the whole time.

Rachel is Rori's surrogate sister. I'm so thankful that God brought her into Rori's life!

Another new development in our home has been a push to healthier eating. My dear husband has NEVER in his life eaten salad. He has eaten 4 bowls of spinach in the last two weeks. That may not sound impressive, but if you know Bill, you are thoroughly impressed. He told me he was going to eat salad everyday and came home with spinach! I would have thought he would pick a milder green, but he wasn't going to mess around! I'm so proud of him. Now, if I could just get him to add salad dressing to it, he might actually find it enjoyable...

I have been working out and bought a new Jilli*an Michaels DVD. This one is even more difficult than the 30 day Shr*ed! Rori watched me do it for a while and asked why my hair was so messy...I was essentially dead afterwards...as you can see.

Six Years Ago

2010-01-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

Six years ago, yesterday, we walked through hospital doors, and our lives were forever changed. We found out that I was going to be delivering our baby girl. And six years ago today, we met her. We are now 2,190 days closer to the day that we will be reunited with our precious baby girl. Having Rori, Liam and Brendan, doesn't replace the loss we have felt. While the gratefulness for having them, cannot be expressed in words, we will always feel incomplete, until we get to Heaven. There we will be a family of six, not five.
My heart aches for the "what could have been's." My heart broke the other day when, Rori told me that she wished her cousin Juliana, was older so that she could play princesses. She will never know what it's like to have her older sister, to play princesses with her, someone to confide in, someone to get advice from, a bond that can only be from a sister... That's the part that hurts the most. The what could have been. My two girls and my two boys. The balm that soothes the ache is knowing where she is, who she's with, knowing that our family will one day be restored.
Six years later, 2190 days later, my heart still aches and grieves. But, because a Man gave His life, I know that my grief will know an end. He will turn my mourning into dancing. I will not carry my sorrow Home with me. And when I ask my Lord, "where is she?" I will know great joy. I am honored that Faith is already sitting with the Giver of Life--One who would sacrifice Himself so that we could be reunited through Him. She waits for us in a place where our hearts already are.
Baby girl, we still miss you, I think of you daily. Your sister and brothers will know of you. Rori was looking at the blog pictures the other day and asked whose footprints were on there. I told her that she has a big sister waiting for us in Heaven. She talked about you for two days straight. "I can't wait to get to Heaven to see Faith." "Faith and I are going to play barbies in Heaven." And she made great plans for all the things she wants to do with you, when we meet you again. You are never forgotten, you are always treasured, and always loved. I am honored that God chose us to be your family, chose me to carry you.

RIP Nikon D60

2010-01-13T10:00:00.002-06:00

I'm feeling guilty that it's been a few days since my last post. I have two posts that I've been wanting to get up, but they require pictures...Unfortunately my dear husband (I wasn't calling him dear husband on Saturday when this happened) was moving the computer cabinet which held my "precious" (have you seen Lord of the R*ings?). My "precious" is my Nikon D60. We bought it last year sometime after we received some extra money back from our mortgage company with some legalize explanation about too much money in our escrow. I didn't really understand it, but what I did understand was the fatty boom batty check that accompanied it. It was almost exactly what we needed to buy a new nice camera. If you remember, we were going to get it with our tax return, but then my dear kitty went and cut his rear end and needed minor surgery. Anyway, long story short, whilst moving the computer cabinet, it fell apart and my precious fell on the floor.

Dear hubby felt the need to call me at the gym and tell me about this. Not the smartest thing to do because then the whole ride home, I had time to stew about it. I got home, words were said, hours later apologies were made (on both sides), and the damages were assessed. Fortunately it appears that only the lens is broken. If I hold the lens on, it does still take pictures. Maybe duct tape would work? It seems to fix everything else--I know it works on vacuums :) Anyway, so I am in the market for a new lens, hence the lack of the two posts I want to do. And those of you that know Bill, know he's really sorry about it because he told me that I don't have to get him a birthday present this year and he would just ask everyone else for money as his present to replace the lens. That's how you know he's truly sorry (although of course I wouldn't take him up on it--it would be too much punishment for him...but then maybe he knew I wouldn't take him up on it so it was an empty offer...hmmm...could go in circles with that one).

Let's have a moment of silence for my lens, and while we're at it, let's have a moment of silence for McD's getting rid of their $1 large drinks. It was a sad day when I went for my large diet coke and it cost $1.65...

Happy 3 Months!

2010-01-05T14:54:00.005-06:00

3 months ago today, we met our newest gift! Isn't he handsome?!

I have a new favorite food site, courtesy of my friend Anna. She has this site on her blogroll and I've tried a few recipes and they have all been a hit! I made these peppermint brownies for New Year's Eve and they were really gorgeous! I have to say I used a box mix for the brownies and it wasn't a good one. Next time I'll use better brownies, but the frosting and ganache were oh so yummy!

I have tried their apple dumplings and their peppermint popcorn too! I think that explains why my New Year's resolution is to shrink my waistline and eliminate my rear end jiggle. This is one of the ways I plan on doing it. If you haven't tried this,
it is an awesome workout! Bill tried it for the first time yesterday and I suggested he try level 2. Well of course, the cave man in him had to show his wife that he could do level 3. Guess who could barely lift the phone to his ear afterwards?Anyway, it's one of the best home exercise DVD's I've ever tried!