A Story and a Lesson

My children teach me a lot. Sometimes I get a rather profound lesson from events that seem silly to others or sometimes even gross - like the time I blogged about sin and snot. I had another of these experiences recently so I thought I should share..........

The Story

Sunday afternoon I had the kids all down for rest. Tripp was unusually quiet so I figured he must have actually gone to sleep. I was tired so I vegged on the couch instead of getting up to check in on him. When Paris got up she started a movie. Viv was still asleep so I told Paris she could open Tripp's door so he would start waking up. She did as I asked and then exclaimed "Oh Bubba, why are you naked?" I got up and headed to his room to find him naked from the waist down. Then I was hit buy a foul, foul smell. Then I saw it. True to form, Tripp had waited until rest time when he would have on a pull-up to do his "business." Once done he had removed the soiled undergarment. Instead of following his normal routine of crying until I get him a clean one however, he decided that his poop did indeed look remarkably like brown play dough. I can only imagine that he first touched it and flung it off his hand thinking it as yucky as it truly is. Then after looking at it a while, maybe he decided it wasn't all that yucky and playing a little would be fun. I'm sure once he started playing it just became so much fun he couldn't stop. He proceeded to "paint" his toy shelves a lovely color of brown. He smooshed and smeared his new found plaything into his toy piano and left pieces of it all over the carpet. When I realized what I was starring at I was in shock. So, I took him by the hand over to the bulk of the devastation (the toy shelves) and said "Tripper, No no. We do not play with poo poo." I spanked his little naked rear with my hand and told him to sit on his bed. I made him stay there as I cleaned up the colossal mess he had made. When he saw the toy shelf shining white again he sat up and proclaimed, "Ah keen! Good job Mommy!"

The lesson:

This one is really pretty simple. Isn't this how we are with sin in our lives? At first it's easy to say no. But the more time we spend around that thing or person or situation, the more we start to think it's not so bad. We begin to understand the "other" point of view on a topic or we start to feel entitled to a little bit of "fun." It doesn't matter what the sin is, at some point we decide it's OK and we start to play with it a little. It is so easy from there to just get so involved that we don't have any sense at all how big a mess we are making. And then we find ourselves standing before our Father, naked, in the middle of a big, stinky mess. With all the love and gentleness in the world he tells us no no. Sometimes he even spanks those of us that are a bit thick in the skull. And we always find ourselves sitting by, watching him do the work of cleaning up our mess because we are so totally incapable of repairing the damage on our own.

I suppose the good news is this: since Tripp had his "artistic outburst" he has put his poo in the potty everyday. If only I learned so quickly the lessons God is trying to teach me.

Father, thank you for cleaning up my messes. Thank you for sending your precious son to wash all the brown play dough from my life. Help me Lord to stay as clean as I can. And when I start to play in something that smells of Satan, stop me, tell me no, spank my naked rear end if you have to. Put me in time out and help me look at the reality of what I have done. Forgive me Lord and wash me clean again, and again, and again..............and when you have brought me through yet another of my stumbles Lord, let me give you all the credit with a resounding, "Good job Daddy! I couldn't possibly have done that on my own. The credit is all yours. Thank you for your patience and love and meticulous cleansing of my soul." Amen.

Ol' Army, Teeth, Blessed Cough Syrup and a Quandry

Ol' Army has invaded my house. Sweet Vivian who we thought would just NEVER crawl has mastered forward movement. Between the good ol' army crawl, an occaisional inch worm, and lots of log rolls she can move faster than I can keep up. So, she got introduced to the playpen a few days ago. She didn't particularly care for it, but she's learning to tolerate it in small doses. She is very intent on getting a hold of things that aren't hers and eating them. Things like Tripp's v-day card from Nana, leaves off of my one live plant, dust bunnies, and any other small thing she can get her chubby little hands on.

On another note, Paris has been sick. I thought we had avoided that illness that has been plauging her classroom at school. I thought wrong. She has one nasty cough and a low grade fever. After consulting several other mommies I decided it was worth the $30 co-pay to verify that she didn't need any antibiotics and get the blessed cough syrup. Indeed, all it takes is one dose and the cough quiets down as my sweet baby girl drift off to dream land. Don't get me wrong, I'm not normally one of those moms who enjoys medicating a child, but this stuff is amazing. She's actually napping.

And now the quandry.........what to do, what to do. Here's the situation: Vivian still nurses. I've nursed her longer than either of the other babies. I really decided at about 4 months that it was going so well and it is so, um, FREE that I would just nurse her to a year and then go to milk and skip the whole formula thing we did with the other kids. So, I've got about 2.5 months to go and I think I'm done. See, I'm going to be out of town for two weekends in a row in the middle of March. The pedi said I couldn't put her on milk yet since she's on the little end of all those growth charts so I started trying to pump after not pumping since before Thanksgiving and I got nothin'. (that was a really long sentence) I'm taking theses herbal supplements now and they are helping some, but there is NO WAY I will have enough milk for her for two weekends in a row. In addition to this problem, she will not drink my milk out of anything but me. No bottle, no cup, no nothin', Add all this to the fact that she has taken to turning over on her belly while she nurses and sort of arching her little back so she's nursing and looking at me at the same time. She does this catch and release thing that makes me feel more like a water fountain than a mom and in truth when she does that it just feels WEIRD. And lastly, after 9.5 months she has finally cut a tooth (that would be the teeth from the title). This explains why the nibbling she does on occasion while nursing has suddenly started hurting more. All of this has me thinking that two month's worth of formula isn't that big of an expense. And I would sure love to spend an evening alone with my hubby that doesn't end with me getting back out of bed to go nurse the baby one last time before we go to sleep. ( I apologize if that's too much info, but it's all part of the issue at hand.)

So, - that's what the bulk of me is saying and feeling. Then there's this small part going "But you got this far, why give up now?" I think part of me feels like I might be failing if I quit. Like I just didn't have what it took to do the best thing for my kiddo. So I keep getting up every day and continuing on while wondering if it's really worth it and exactly how we're going to get through those two weekends in March.

OK, that's enough for today. I'm going to rest while all the kids are resting. Hope your Thursdays are going well!

A Quiet Morning

Vivie got up "early" this morning to eat and go back to bed. I used the time while the kids were still in bed to take a shower in peace. I even fixed my hair! So, it's been pretty quiet around here. Quiet, but not silent. Here are five things I've already said on my very quiet morning (note, it is not yet 8:00 AM):

1. Hello my sweet. (to Vivie as I picked her up out of bed)
2. Morning Goose. (to Paris when she got up and came into my bathroom)
3. Paris, that's too loud. (as she was making a VERY obnoxious noise VERY loudly)
4. Paris, don't speak to your brother that way. (as she was screaming at him to move out of her way to see the TV)
5. Well, let me know when you're hungry. (To Paris after she explained that she was NOT going to try the stuffing from the chicken dish I made for dinner last night. She was reminded about how she got sick last time she tried to not eat what we made. She is still standing firm that she will not try the stuffing "for breakfast or lunch or dinner or breakfast or lunch or dinner." Wish me luck.)

And just so you know, I did speak to Tripp when he got up. We had our usual morning greeting of "Hey bubba. Let's go potty."

I wish you a happy, peacful, and quiet Friday.

Just for those wondering, she ate the stuffing at lunch. Her will isn't lasting as long as it used to!

Stay-Home Mom?

So, I've been thinking today about the phrase stay-home mom. I'm not sure what that means exaclty. It's something that in parts of todays society is looked down on and in other parts is very respected. I've frequently heard "just a mom" be the descriptor of a mom who is not going to a job outside of her home on a daily basis. For those of you who are moms you know that "just a" doesn't even begin to cover what you do.

What has really struck me lately though is this. I'm around a lot of "stay-home moms" in my life. At church, in MOMS club, and even in some of the business arenas in my life. What I'm finding to be the truth is that none of them actually stay home. A rather large majority of them do in fact work in some fashion. Many have home-based businesses (like me), and many work part-time (like me), and many spend lots of their time working for service organizations or organizing activities for their church or civic group. I honestly don't know a single stay-home mom who stays home.

So how does the mom of today define herself? I was recently asked in some paperwork if I considered myself to be part of the workforce. I said no. When people ask me if I work, I usually answer "I've got three kids at home. or I'm home with the kids." The truth is, however, that I collect a paycheck every month. It's not much, but it pays for most of the kids clothes and most of my clothes, and those little things like mulch, and flowers, and the Women of Faith conference I'm going to in March. It helps when a car breaks and when Easy and I want to do more than just eat dinner on date night. But, I'm not a working mom by most standards. I'm also not a stay-home mom.

I think instead I'm a mom actively seeking to improve my children's life. If that means putting in some hours so they can have a birthday party or some new shoes when they need it, so be it. If that means saying "no, I can't help with that" because I know it would take too much time from my kids, so be it. If that means putting together activities at church so that I can be around other parents and have my kids around other Godly families, so be it. Whatever it takes to improve my kids' life and teach them the values and character of Christ - so be it.

So, to all of you out there finding your own way to be a mom I say keep up the good work. I'll pray for you today that you are listening for and hearing His voice as He directs your path. I've learned that the path isn't always what we are most comfotable with, but His path always end in a better place than I would've gotten to on my own. So I guess what I've concluded is this - I'm not just a mom, or a working mom, or a stay-home mom, or a domestic engineer..................I'm a Seeking Mom. I hope you are too.

Challenges

I know it's not Friday yet, but I plan to leave by 10:00 in the morning for a weekend trip to Baytown to hang with my folks and brother & sister-in-law. So here you go..........

Five things it's challenging to do with your dominant hand in a wrist brace:

1. Put on or take off your bra. I suppose Easy is always willing to help with the latter, but getting that blasted thing on in the mornings is tough.

2. Open baby food jars, medicine bottles, or anything else the needs a push and turn approach.

3. Feed the baby. Who know you needed your wrist to turn so much to shovel sweet potatoes in a mouth?

4. Cut things with a knife - like cheese, meat, anything that requires actual pressur to slice.

5. Wipe. I'll leave that to your imagination.

Weird Food Confession

I have to eat candies in 2's. Most particularly I have to eat M&M's, Reese's Pieces, Smarties, etc... (anything small and round) in 2's. If I get to the end of a package and there is only one left I will give it away or throw it away. I will not eat it.

Also, I made cookies the other day and I melted some chocolate chips to make little snadwiches out of them. I wound up with way more chocolate to spread than I actually needed. Once the cookies were done I looked at the leftover chocolate and couldn't throw it out. I considered my options and........I ate it.

Thinking Back

I recently attended the funeral for my sister-in-law's mom. Kara and I grew up at church together and she started dating my bubba when we were in high school, so I have many memories of her family. I also recently found out that one of my best friends from youth group years has cancer. Things like that make you stop and think and remember. So today's Friday Five is a look at five of my favorite things from youth group years...............

5. Summer. It was during the summer that youth group really played the big role. We always did things with our sister congregation so it was like during the summer you got this extended set of good friends. With no school you got to do stuff together pretty much any time you wanted. When people talked about year-round-school I can remember thinking, but what about summer friends?

4. Bowling Lock-ins. Once a year towards the end of the summer we had an area-wide bowling lock-in. Sounds silly I'm sure, but man was it fun. Nothing better than staying up all night with your buddies.

3. Skating. Once a month we had an area wide roller skating devo. It was always on Sunday evening and was a chance year-round to see those friends that you got so close to during the summer. It gave you a way to stay connected.

2. CAMP!!!!!!!!!!! We always went to GCCYC for a week with s few other area congregations. There are no words to describe summer camp. If you never went, I am truly sorry for you. The spiritual re-charge was amazing. The friendships forged there last a lifetime.

1. My Buddy Matt. Those of you who know me well know just how much I love my big brother. Over the last few weeks as I've thought back over so many memories Matt is a part of nearly every one. The day he was baptized stands out as on of my favorite memories. It was not long after we had come home from the above mentioned camp. I had my leg in a cast because I broke my ankle as we were leaving camp. He carried me to the car. Actually he and my friend Brad fought over who would carry me to the car. Matt won. We didn't always get along perfectly, but I always knew that Matt loved me and was there if I needed him. We won best camper of the year together one year. I went to camp Blue Haven one year and he didn't go. I cried on the way to New Mexico because it was the first time I was away from him like that. I love my Matt. I guess he hasn't really been "my" Matt for many years. He's Kara's Matt now and has been for a long time. But you know what, he is always going t be my big brother. Today as I think about all we've shared and all we have in the future (they're providing me with a nephew soon!) I just get excited. I don't see Matt as much as I'd like and we hardly ever talk on the phone. We email on occasion and we stay updated through our mom. It's nothing like the relationship we used to have, but I still cherish every memory we make together.

OK, so that turned into the I love my brother blog. Didn't know that was coming, but I guess sad news makes you cherish those you love even more.

Father, please continue to comfort Kara and her family as they learn to live life without Ruth. Let them all lean on you for strength and peace. Please also be with Brad. Help Jenny's delivery to go smoothly and Brad's current recovery from surgery to go well. Decrease his pain Lord. Lift his spirits and remind him that you have a plan. Lord, please, just fixt it. Take away the cancer and fix it. Please.

Rejoice With Us!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited I can hardly sit still. I have amazing news. No, I'm not pregnant. No, Easy didn't get a new job. No, Vivian is not crawling. But.....................

Tripper poo-poo'd in the potty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woo Hoo!!!!!!! There was dancing and singing and double the usual candy reward. I think he was proud. He of course had to get down and turn around and inspect his production. Once he was satisfied that indeed, that poo-poo came out of him and into that potty he was happy to flush and tell it "Bye bye poo poo!"

OK, now that the celebrating has subsided I have to admit that I really haven't a clue if he did it on purpose or not. He was getting very still and serious at the table while we were having a bit of family crafting time. (Yes, Easy was crafting too.) We asked if he needed to go and after thinking about it he said "Poppy." Off we went. There was a very lengthy TT period and then it stopped but he didn't sit up. (He leans forward on the potty so as not to shower himself or his assitant.) I was just about to ask if he was all done and I heard the most wonderful sound I've heard in quite a while. Who knew ploppity-plop could sounds so great?!?!?! In an effort not to terrify him with sqeauls and shouts of delight I simply said very calmly and queitly "Tripper, you poo-poo'd in the potty! Good job Buddy!" Once we were all done the above mentioned celebration began.

So, I'm going to go with yes, he knew what he was doing. I feel better about that than we just happened to catch it at the right time. Either way, I finally beleive we are truly on the way to a potty trained Tripp! Feel free to rejoice and do a happy dance - once he's trained I'll probably stop blogging about poop!

New Book Tag

I've been tagged by Mrs. Jenny!

Here are the directions:
1)Grab the book closest to you
2)Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence
3)Post the text of the following 3 sentences on your blog
4)Name the author and book title
5)Tag three people to do the same


To hear the voice of the Lord God must be very difficult; otherwise, it's hard to account for the hundreds of verses in Scripture which exhort us to hear. Most notable of these is the Shema (Hebrew for "hear"), which lies at the heart of Jewish worship: "Hear O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone"(Deuteronomy 6:4). A capacity to hear God is a longed for spiritual gift in the Jewish (and Christian) traditions.

Pilgrim Heart
Darryl Tippens

I know I long for that gift myself. I've decided it does indeed take quiet time alone with Him to be able to hear Him. So, I've started by making quiet time for Him alone each morning. Those who know me well know this is a challenge for me, but when God call me to something - it's my job to say "Yes Sir!"

I tag: Stephanie, Sheri, & Angela R.

Another Five for Five

Five things I love about the five people in my house:

Paris
1. The way she fiercly loves her family. Those of you who have received one of her running hugs understand why I chose the word fierce!
2. The way she cares for animals. They rank a seriously close second to the people in her family.
3. When I'm not in the room with her and she screams at the top of her lungs "Mommy!" I usually cringe, epecting something bad or at the least complaintive to come from her mouth. Instead, on occasion what I her, still at the top of her lungs, is "I love you!" That's the best.
4. Her helping spirit. She always wants to help me no matter what I'm doing. From laundry to dishes to cleaning the bathroom she's ready to lend a hand.
5. How she never forgets anything. I don't mean, "I forgot Badges go get him" because that happens a lot. I mean that she doesn't forget experiences. She asks all the time if we remember when...........most of the time we do and we all share the memory together. Last night she stumped us though - she was recalling the last time we were at Mimi's house and we didn't have a clue about the story she told us. Granted, the last time we were actually at Mimi's house Tripp was a nursing baby. But she remembers!

Tripp
1. The way he loves Elmo. He showers Elmo with sugars and hugs. He has such affection in his voice when he sees Elmo and says "Dis Ehmo." And his insistance that you too love Elmo.
2. "Hi Mommy."
3. That grin. Oh my, that grin. It slays me every time.
4. The way he calls his sister Digaduh with an evil smile even though he is totally capable of saying Puh-is.
5. The way he gets very upset and calls for "Vifi" if you put him in his carseat before you put the baby in hers.

Vivi
1. That she only cries when something is really bugging her, like being tired, in pain, hungry, or poopy.
2. The way she is starting to help dress herself by pushing her arms through her sleeves and switching her little blue Elephant named Peanut from one hand to the other while getting dressed.
3. The way she shakes her head no when you try to feed her another bite of food and she hasn't finished the one in her mouth.
4. The way she smiles and laughs for her big sister.
5. The way she flaps her arms at her daddy when he gets home every day.

Easy
1. Those eyes - they can still melt me in a second.
2. His sense of humor. After 10 years I now catch about 90% of his jokes. Maybe in another 10 I'll catch all of them.
3. They way he is absolutely compelled to open the box and play with his newest device, tool, whatever. He thinks this bugs me, and I suppose it does when there are more pressing things to be done - like changing diapers and feeding the kids - but it's really kind of cute to see him NEED to play with his new toy like a little kid.
4. His vivsion - he is always stretching my brain to see a bigger picture of life - what it is and what it can be.
5. His patience with me. I'm not always the easiest person to live with. I get behind on cleaning and laundry. I'm not always chipper. And sometimes I get in a funk that is just sort of unpleasant for everyone to be araound. But he has this amazing sense that the "real" me is still there and waits patiently until she is ready to come out again.

Cowboy
(Yes, I know he's not a person, but he counts in my book!)
1. The way he is ALWAYS happy when I come home.
2. The feel of his little body curled up behind my knees on the rare occasion we get to take a nap.
3. The way he MUST lick the children in the face after they have gotten up from a nap.
4. The way he knows when the kids are in bed for the night and when I sit down, instead of sleeping at the other end of the couch he comes and sits next to me - at least for a little while.
5. His hugs - yes, my dog gives hugs. Just ask anyone in my family.

Belated Five

Well, it's not Friday but I thought I'd put up my five late just because I want to. For those of you who don't appreciate scattelogical (sp?) humor you may want to look away. For those of you yet to have kids - just know that these things are true and that when you do have kids they will actually matter.

Five Kinds of Poop created in our House

1. Baby Poop - this is what the nursing baby makes before solids/baby food is introduced. It has an odor but is not offensive. It is not a mass. Wipes off easily.

2. The Wedge - shaped remarkably like a wedge of iceberg lettuce, and aptly named by my friend Lara, this begins to appear after rice cereal and other baby solids hit the diet and sticks around until the child is potty trained. Stink, but fairly easy to clean.

3. The Turd - also known at times as a turdlet or grown-up poop. This is self explanatory and begins appearing around the same time as the wedge. It's always suprising, and some how cute the first time you see it - after that it's just poop. Stinks, but clean up is a cinch.

4. Yucky Poo Poo - this is what results from a stomach bug, teething, or sometimes antibiotics. Aptly named by Paris, it is yucky whether it is in a diaper or the potty. This can begin at any age, and I personally still experience it so apparently there is no end. Odor and clean-up is, well, yucky.

And lastly.......my least favorite.........

5. Saucer Poop - this is what results when baby poops while playing in the exersaucer. The continual bouncing around causes the poop (regardless of what form it took to start) to leave the top of the diaper and crawl up the back - sometimes all the way to the neck. This same thing happens to newborns in a carseat. And, as we discovered last night at Denny's, this unfortunate phenomenon happens when the baby is sitting in the Bumbo as well. What a pleasant dinning experience it was. Odor may vary in severity, but clean-up is always, always difficult!

Happy New Year

It's 2007. I'm up early today. I got up this morning before everyone in the house to have some quiet time with my God. I wanted to start the year right. Mom gave me a Quiet Time Bible Guide for Christmas that will guide me through the New Testament and Psalms this year. Today I started with Luke 1. I was surprised how many little n uggets I found in that one chapter. When I completed the devotional time I spent some time in prayer. The sound of my new little coffee pot (again a gift from Mom) brewing a fresh cup for me made me smile as I transitioned from prayer to preparing for my day. So, I thought I'd take just a minute this morning to hop on my blog and say to you all - happy new year. I hope that 2007 brings joy a blessing to each of you. More than anything, my hope for you is that in this year you will intentionally walk closer to God. That you will take a step every day to walk as Jesus did. Resolutions fly around each year like Grackles (those awful black birds - not sure on the spelling) on campus at A&M. I decided that instead of a big flock of birds I would just created a few commitments - prompted by our Bible class teacher - that are a bird of a different bread. In 2007 I will daily, intentionally walk closer with God. I will take care of my body. I will be a good wife and mother.

Father, thank you for giving me a mom who can help lead me to your path for my life. I am so blessed to have her as an example. I ask for your help this year as my children continue to grow up. Help me to be the mom they need most and not the tired stressed out version they have seen so much lately. Help me each day to rise before they do so I can spend some time with you. Help me to be a good wife to Easy and to communicate with him in a prdouctive way that builds him up each day, even when I'm asking for his help. Help me to truly remember that my body is your temple. I'd like to do some remodeling for you this year. Please help me to make good choices so that I can glorify you in all I do this year. Without you I am nothing and can accomplish nothing. Be with me Lord, as you have promised, and guide my actions. Take over my thoughts. All praise is yours Father, my beautiful creator. Thank you for life. Help me this year to give that life back to you as I have never done before so that the people you have placed around me can see you and know that all good things come from you. In Christ's name I pray, Amen.

Retraction & Apology

This is an apology to my Dad. His name is not Earnest. His name is Edwin. His father's name was Earnest. He went by Cowboy though. It's easy to get confused. Earnest is Cowboy, Edwin is Skip, Sanford is Easy, and Sanford is Tripp. I hope when my children grow up, get married, and have their own kids that they break this cycle of nicknames.

So - Daddy, I'm sorry I posted your name incorrectly. I would tell everyone how easy it is to remember your given name, but that would require teasing you publicly so I won't do it. I hope you accept my apologies - if you read my blog.

Five for Five

Five important people, five nicknames a piece:

1. Nell Hartleib = Mom, Graggie (invented by Paris), Mama Nell, Sweet Nell (only my Dad calls her that), and Grago ( a version of Graggie)

2. Sanford Foster Jr. = Easy, Smooch, Daddy, Baby (as in "Hey Baby"), Honey

3. Paris = Goose, Princess, Digadum (this is what Tripp calls her even though she hates it and he's capable of saying Paris - the sibling bickering/irritation has already begun!), Baby, Sweet Girl

4. Sanford Foster, III = Tripp, Tripper, Monkey, Tipey Toe, Prince

5. Vivian = Vivie, Little V, Bug, Duchess, Vivoo (that would be Paris' nickname for her)

and so he doen't feel left out.............a bonus

6. Earnest Hartleib = Skip, Dad, Dadoo(inventd by Paris), Skipper(usually by my folks good friend Brenda), Old Man (usually used by me when he hasn't heard anything else I've said!)

The House is Quiet

Well, it's Saturday night and my house is quiet. Mom & Dad left from here (they came in on Wednesday) to go get my Nana and bring her back here tomorrow for Christmas. Kids are all in bed. It's eerily quiet. So, I thought I'd take a minute and give a synopsis on my week.

Saturday I went on a date with my hubby to celebrate our anniversary. We've been married 8 years. We drove down to the Woodlands mall, did some shopping, and then ate at Papadeaux using a $50 gift certificate that Easy got from work. Yea free food!

Sunday we had friends over for our annual Christmas party for our internet business. We had 13 children here - the oldest was 8. Thank goodness it was warm enought to send them outside! Sadly that meant it was hot inside because our heater AND air conditioner weren't working properly.

Monday we spent the day working on the potty thing with Tripp.

Tuesday (our actual anniversary) We spent the day working on potty training with Tripp. My hubby came in briefly after work before he had to attend a meeting. We made plans for a romantic rendevouz later that night. Sadly, while Easy was gone Viv's spiked 103 fever. No romance.

Wednesday I took Viv to the doctor where they switched the antibiotic she was taking to something else that would "hold us over" until we go see the ENT next Tuesday. Graggie & Dadoo (that's my folks) arrive for Christmas vacation at the Foster's. Took the kids to see Santa's Wonderland (an amazing lights display that is ALMOST worth the $20 a car the charge to drive through). Went out to eat at Sodalak's to celebrate my husband turning 30. Finally he can stop poking fun at me for being 30 because he is too!

Thursday:
Finished all Christmas shopping and wrapping.

Finished Viv's stocking. Well, mostly. It has a Teddy Bear that gets stitched into the big snowman's arms and I didn't finish that. The instructions even tell you to put the whole thing together and then do the teddy bear. It's almost as though they know that mommies everywhere will frantically being trying to finish the stocking in time so they just give you an out. The bear will be done after Christmas. The important part is that she has a stocking - already full of stuffers - for Christmas morning.

Did the big grocery shop with my Mom. Last time we had Christmas at my house was two years ago and it was a MUCH smaller house with a MUCH MUCH smaller kitchen. I think this year will be a more pleasant cooking experience.

Friday we had Mimi & Papa & Christopher (Easy's mom, stepdad, and we'll call him a step-nephew - it's really complicated) up for our little Christmas with them. We all went out to lunch and had a blast. Then we did the present thing. Fun all around. That night after the two little ones went to bed, Mom and I played a rousing game of Pretty Pretty Princess with our princess Paris followed by a game of Go Fish that Easy and my Dad joined. It was a wonderful day.

That brings us to today - the first true family day we've had in I don't know when. After my folks left we lounged around a while and then went to Petco and the mall. We came home and had naptime - everyone napped except Tripp. He played in his room. Then we loaded back up and went out to see the lights at Central Park. We were hoping to get out and walked the park, but it was raining so we stayed in the warm suburban.

Amidst all the activity this week we were able to make MAJOR progress with Tripp's potty training. He now goes over to his potty when he needs to go TT. He even went twice today in the little potty we keep in the car. He has demonstrated that he can feel it coming, and he has also learned to let it go. It's not always easy or fun but we are definitely getting there! I'm gonna go - Easy and I are going to watch Click now that the kids are all in bed. Hope you all have a great Christmas - ours is has already been fantastic and it's just getting started!

New Frontiers

Friday Five this week is dedicated to the new frontier my son is conquering:

Five places Tripp Peed yesterday:

5. On the carpet sitting in front of the TV watching Elmo's Potty Time - this actually happened twice.

4. In his cute little undies (boxer briefs!) standing in front of the TV watching Elmo's Potty Time.

3. On the carpet sitting next to his Little People toys playing in his room - again this one happened twice.

2. In his diaper approximately 30 seconds after I put it on him for nap time - seriously, I think he was holding it until then!

and the #1 place Tripp put his TT yesterday..............................................

In the Potty!!!!!!!!!

We had two success - one in the morning and one in the evening. I've already figured out that when sitting on the potty he can feel it coming and tries to hold it. I suppose after two years peeing in the very confined space of a diaper it is a little weird to let it go when your just hanging out there on the potty. But he did - twice! I'm proud and I'm convinced he is ready to learn how to do it for real. Day two begins when we get back from picking up my suburban from the shop. With dilligent effort and a few prayers my hope is to have him trained (excluding sleep time) by the time he goes back to school in January. Wish me luck!!!!!

Brrrrrrrrrr..........

It's cold outside AND in my house! OK, so I'm glad we're actually having cold weather because I love cold weather....when my heater works - which it doesn't. Thursday night Easy commented that he didn't think it was working right. Having been chasing kids and cooking I didn't hink the house was all that cold. Friday morning I conceded that he was right. Poor Viv slept in little spurts of 2-3 hours because she got cold enough it woke her up. So, a very nice tech came out and "fixed" the problem late Friday. He said it was a temporary fix and he would find out how to permanently fix it and be back next week. Silly me, I thought the temp fix would actually last until he came back. No such luck. We had heat until sometime early this morning. Now it's cold. Viv's still fighting a cold, Tripp's coming down with one and its cold in my house. I think I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight so I can snuggle Viv close and keep her warm. I'm unhappy. My babies are cold and there is nothing I can do until tomorrow. Grrrrrrrrrr, oh I mean Brrrrrrrrrrrr.

On a happier note - I want to give Josh Jones a shout out for what he did with our POPS class this morning. Last week Josh asked all the men to stay after for a moment. I'll admit, some of us wives talked this week trying to figure out what they were up to. Well, this morning we found out. Our entire class time was spent listening to our hubbies tell us "3 reasons" why the love us. The cool part I thought was that no one really had 3 things. It was either way more than that, or was a continuous thought on how amazing their wife is, or they got choked up and couldn't really talk. I've never seen more men cry. It was a beautiful outpouring of love. We are so loved and cherished by our husbands. Thank you God for prompting Josh to plan such an activity. And thank you Josh for listening. And thank you men for being so honest. And thank you Smooch for loving me. I love you too.

Friday Five

Five Reasons I haven't blogged in two weeks:

1. I sprained the fool out of my ankle the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Did you know a sprained ankle can make your brain top functioning properly? It can.

2. I left town (and my computer) for 5 days to spend Thanksgiving with family in New Braunfels.

3. The amount of food I ingested while in New Braunfels slowed my reflexes so that it took until today to be able to think and type.

4. I got a cortisone shot in my wrist and had to start wearing a brace to hopefully releive the tendonitis I have there. (Be looking for a Friday Five of things it's difficult to do when your dominant wrist AND ankle are immobilized!)

5. I've been too busy putting up Christmas decorations in my house to stop and play on the computer!!!!!!!!! WooHoo!!!! It's December!!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Friday Five

Five Things I LOVE About Cold Weather

1. Warm Drinks - most particularly Spiced Tea, recipe from Helen's Tea Room in Highlands, TX. Hot Chocolate is pretty good too.

2. Snuggly jammies ( I am a jammie-a-holic)

3. Snuggling with Smooch! (of course that's available year round, but it's just not as much fun to snuggle when you've both been sweaty in the Texas heat all day.)

4. The feel of crisp air on my face when the rest of me is toasty warm in winter clothes. (my fondest memories of this feeling are from high school when I'd wait outside the band hall with my letter jacket on - it alway struck my as strange that I could be so cozy and warm when the air on my face was COLD)

5. My cute winter house shoes from Old Navy. Pink with cream faux fur trim and cute little silver heart bangles that make noise when I walk.

Hooray for a little bit of cold weather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

O Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree

I know it's a bit early, but MAN am I fired up for Christmas!!! I was at Hobby Lobby yesterday getting some stuffing for the stocking I'm making Viv (side note: if you make a handmade stocking for your first child you are obligated to make one for all subsequent children. If you haven't started a family yet, just file that nugget away and pull it out when you see that stocking kit that looks so cute when you are expecting your first. With each child you have less time for sewing crafts.) and I find that they have a sale on Christmas stuff! Many things are 50% off! I walk around a bit and then I see it. It's beautiful. It's big. It's full. It's pre-lit. It's on sale!!!!!!!! I think my heart literally skipped a beat. I got an amazing 9-foot tree (we have 12 foot ceilings!) at 30% off - I saved over a hundred bucks!!! For those of you who crunch numbers you will soon figure out that if 30% is a little over $100 it was still more than anyone really wants to spend on a tree. I'm considering this an investment though. We will be using this tree every year as my children grow up.

I remember the tree we had growing up. Every year we would get all itchy and scratchy as we shoved each of those limbs into the centerpole. Then we'd plug in this weird silver ball that made a sing-songy bird type noise. We'd ehang up all my snowflakes and all of Matt's silver ball ornaments. ( I started to say "hang up Matt's balls" but that sounded not quite right!) We'd check the lights and fix the bad ones until it was lit up and then - only then - did it really feel like the spirit of Christmas was in our house. Then Dad would say something like "Bah Humbug" and we'd laugh and enjoy the month of December. We'd put stockings on the big bookcase (no mantel in that house) and then check every day with a quick feel to see if there was anything inside. It was a fun time with lots of family time. December was always full of smiles as far as I can remember. Thanks Mom (and Mr. Bah Humbug) for helping us focus on love every December.

People talk about Christmas traditions. My hope is that when we put up our tree this year and set out all of my snowmen (I LOVE snowmen!!) that I can begin passing on not a tradition of how it should be done, but rather the heritage of love that is ours in Christ.

Friday Five

I have several friends that do Thursday Thirteen on their blogs. I don't think I can come up with thirteen things every week so I decided I'd do Firday Five instead. So, here's the first installment:

Five thing I love about my new house:

1. The kitchen - four people can be in my kitchen working on something and not touching each other. This is phenomenal!

2. The laundry room - it has a door, but it is in the conditioned space - does it get any better? Oh, and the Duet W/D!

3. My bathroom - corner whirlpool tub for two anyone?

4. The pantry - it's actually in the kitchen as opposed to our last home where we actually built a pantry in the dining room because there wasn't one anywhere else!

5. My husband - OK, he's not actually part of the house, but the house is a gift from him. He worked (and still works) his rear end off getting it ready for us to move in and so that we can pay the mortgage each month and so many of the thing in this house were his idea (like the wood floors, and the use of the upstairs space, and the shower in our bathroom that our whole family will fit in - not that we've done that). Every time I turn into the neighborhood, after I think "How is that possibly my house?," I think "Wow, my husband loves me and our family more than I can put into words." Thanks Smooch!!!

Testing, Testing

OK, it's been a major long time since I blogged. Things have been a bit rough in th etime management department for me lately. I'm working on it.

Since I don't have much time, I just want to put these few new flashes out there:

Tripp had his second b-day on Friday. How is that possible? We're going to start potty training soon. Pray for us.

Vivian is 6 months old now - constant babble and drool is what her world consists of.

And the big news..........I'm gonna be an Aunt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you hear the angels singing? Matt and Kara are pregnant!!!!! Due May 5, 2007.

Well, the baby is crying - time for that morning feeding..........I promise to write again soon. I've had many things on my mind as of late and I need to post them to make room for my brain to function!

Hmmmmmmmm

Easy and I will be traveling via airplane soon so I was checking out the new restrictions. One product that is allowed struck me as funny. For the most part you are not allowed liquids or gells of any kind. There are a few exceptions...baby formula/food, small amounts of breastmilk, up to 4oz of saline solution, prescription meds, and.........drumroll please..........up to 4oz of KY Jelly? Hmmmmmmmmmm

In other news, school has started. The kids are loving it and so am I. Both P & T have great classes with friends in them. T picked up his first tummy bug of the school year. I've been told it lasts about three days. I hope no one else gets it.

And one last tid bit. We've been talking a lot about whether or not we are done having babies. We're probably 90% sure were done. We got a little affirmation on that. Last week some friends of ours had a baby boy and named him Brody. That happens to be the name we would have used had V been a boy! So, the last name we had in our little name bank has been used! So, I'm thinking if the name bank is empty, perhaps the baby oven better stay that way.

Schedule, What Schedule?

OK, I know this title was on the list I put out a few posts ago, but this is a completely different topic than I had in mind then. The title just seemed to fit so I'm using it.

It's been an interesting week sind my children came home from there week long vacation with my folks. Viv and I got used to the slow pace we kept while the "big kids" were away. I'm a little tired from the return of full-on parenting of three. I did, however, do something that has made life eaiser.

While the kids were off playing and having fun I made a schedule. Now, I know there are some out there that would say this was way to anal-retentive of me. Anyone who knows me should know that my AR tendencies are random and have diminished since giving birth to my firstborn. The schedule is one of the few things I've done in the recent past that would even fall into that category. It does indeed start at 6:00 am and end at 11:00 pm, broken into half hour increments. Some things that made the schedule are times for food (meals and snacks), times for sleep, times when TV is allowed or not, crafting time, family time, bath time, etc... There is even a list under the schedule of "Mommy's Chores" that sort of splits things up into a managable system for keeping up with the cleaning and laundry. It's a great backbone for my days. It has even helped with Paris' whining issues because now I can say "Let's look at the schedule and see. No, it's not TV time you'll have to wait."

So, how has the week gone since they got back? Monday - great! Tuesday - started great. Tuesday afternoon Paris spiked a 103 fever. She does this on occasion so I wasn't to worried, but an hour after Motrin it had gone up, not down. We still managed to keep some semblance of routine/schedule that day. Vivian also decided that she was not really interested in eating a decent amount - I was a little concerned since it was the second day she was only "snacking" but I figured she was maybe just tired. And then Wednesday came....

Paris starts the day at 103 with a little cough. I call and get her an appointment at 1:20. I take the little ones to my friend Stephanie so I can go see my OB/GYN. It is SO pleasant to go to the lady doctor with a feverish four year old. Vivie was still not eating well, hadn't pooped in a week, and seemed to be messing with an ear a lot so I called and got her in at the same time as Paris' appointment. Had lunch at my friends and waited around there until it was time to take them in. Take all three children into Scott & White (Tripp was just along for the ride). The doc says everything looks OK. Paris most likely just has a virus and is doing that Mystery Fever thing she does and Vivie might have a touch of a tummy bug making her not hungry, but nothing he could find was actually wrong. We come and put everyone down for rest and feed the baby. Vivie ate like a champ and filled her diaper with poop. She now owes me $30 for the wasted co-pay. By the time Easy got home it was just nuts around here. I didn't even start dinner until he got home. No chores got done and I thought to myself, "Schedule, what schedule?"

God - thank you so much for teaching me that just because I have a schedule doesn't meant I HAVE to stick to it. Thank you for growing in me a tolerance for chaos, patience for sick kids, and the ability to laugh at my AR tendencies. Help me today to play "catch up" around my house and to maintain my desire to stop and have crafting time with my kids. It really is fun.

A New Test

First, let me apologize to those of you who cast a vote a few posts back. I will soon post the Life with Teenager topic for you. The rest of the subjects on the list have sort of faded from my mind so if you voted for another you'll have to just use your imagination.

Today's topic is related to one of those options I listed though! Send the Mortgage to the Arachnids was on the list but got only one vote. For those of you who know me very well at all you know I have issues with spiders. Truth be told I am a full fledged arachniphobe. In reaction to seeing spiders in the past I have screamed, run, thrown up, had uncontrollable shivers and goosebumps, had my hands go numb, and of course simply been frozen in fear. I acknowledge that these reactions are irrational. They have been in my experience also uncontrollable.

Well, our new house is a bit out in the country. We have an acre lot so there is room to breathe between us and our potential neighbors. It's beuatiful out here. Except for the spiders. We have Garden Spiders. Garden Spiders get BIG. The also weave beautiful webs. During the final weeks of construction my efforts to come out and get some painting done by myself were thwarted by Garden Spiders that seriously seemed to be garding every entrance to my house. It took me 45 minutes to get in the house that night.

So, God and I had a little chat. He's come through in a big way since then. We had our bug guy, the fabulous Don Hancock, come spray the week before we moved in. We haven't had much trouble with the larger spiders (larger to me being anything larger than a quarter) since then. However, after living in the house about three weeks we seemed to be overrun by smaller solid black spiders. Every night they would start running around not long after we put the kids to bed. One evening we saw and/or killed over ten of the little suckers. They ranged in size from pea to penny and I had no irrational reactions. As a matter of fact, God as given quite a dose of courage to me. Since moving in I've gone from irrational reactions to being able to kill them without flinching. I've even killed a few with a bare hand or foot. I've been quite proud. After today I'm guessing I was a little too proud because I got a new test.

I'm headed to the utility room to get Easy's whites out and I see it on the top of the door frame. A large spider you ask? No, no. It was much worse. It was an arachnid with an exoskeleton. Yep, that's right. A scorpion was in my house. How did I react? Frozen in fear with waves of goosepimples washing over my skin. I know enough about scorpions to know you don't want one stinging you. Once my initial panic subsided I had to come up with a plan. I got one of Easy's shoes and began the stalking. I'm not dumb enough to take a swing at it when it's over my head. Seriously, who wants a not quite dead scorpion landing on them? So I waited and watched. The creepy little thing ran up and down the door frame and all over the baby gate. Every time it vanished to the other side of the baby gate and then came back a new wave of goosepimples washed over my skin. The way it moves is almost pretty. I mean if it wasn't a creepy arachnid that can cause intense pain you could almost see the beauty of the way it seems to glide around as it waves its pedipalps (those are the pincher things at the front) around and sticks his tail up like a flag. To me though, it was just plain creepy. It was tough. It took about an hour, but I finally got it. A few smacks with one of Easy's big shoes would hurt anybody and it dfefinitely did the job on the scorpion.

So, tomorrow I will call the fabulous Don Hancock again and have him come spray for every pest imaginable. And tonight I am reminded that no matter how good I get at smacking spiders, there will always be things in the world that scare me. I am thankful that I will always have God to give me strength and courage and comfort. Oh, and in case you are wondering, the big kids are at my folks' house for the week so no one had to witness the crazy lady stalking a scorpion.

I'm tired off.....

dead fish, dirty dishes, not having drawers, 3:00, 4:00, and 5:00 am pacifier runs, taking the dog out with no fence, spiders, boxes, headaches, dust, laundry, gibberish, and weeds.

But I'm thankful for a daughter that loves her fish tank and doesn't mind flushing her dead fish down the toilet, my dishwasher, a kitchen big enough that utensils can sit on the counter and I still have room to cook, a healthy, happy baby girl, a sweet dog and an enormous yard for him to play in, the stuff that's still in boxes, Tylenol, the stuff that dust settles on, a son that communicates well even though he doesn't speak english yet, having flower beds, and the 4 million other blessings I see in my life every day. Thank you Lord for filling my life with so many wonderful things. And forgive me for not having a positive flip side for spiders - I really am just tired of them.

Still Wakin' Up Everyday

OK, so it's been a long while since I posted. Yes, we are all still alive and well. I've been experiencing a lot of things lately that made me think "I should blog about that." Getting that done has proven to be much more difficult than you might think. Below you will find a list of things I've had rolling around in my mind - go ahead and cast your vote and whichever wins will be my next post.

Barefoot at Wal-Mart
Send the Mortgage to the Arachnids
Life with a Teenager
Visiting Campus (Creating a new Ag)
Where is My Husband?
Three weeks, no shower.
Who needs Cabinet Doors or Drawers?
Schedule, What Schedule?

Movin', Movin', Movin'.........

Quick update - we are moving to the new house this weekend. We have gotten it to the "functional" point so we're ready to go. I think for at least a week we will all be having to share the one functional bath tub (which happens to be my amazing corner garden tub for two!) and one functional sink (in the kitchen). That should be interesting. I'm really glad we have a sprayer on the garden tub so we can at least squirt ourselves off. I must say though - it's hard to imagine Easy getting up at 5 something in the morning to get ready for work in the garden tub! He's such a shower man. I know he sleeps standing in the shower so I'm going to make him set an extra alarm just in case he falls asleep in the tub! I better run - lots to get done between now and then!!

Time Flies

It's hard to beleive little Viv is alread 51/2 weeks old. It's been pretty crazy around here, but we're holding our own. Here's the latest update on things: (and I promise to go back to writing witty and sometimes thought provoking posts after we get moved and settled in the new house)

Vivian: Growing like a weed. We've been battling a pretty bad case of eczema. It is finally getting better, but it took a while. She had it all over her little face, ears, neck and shoulders. Her face is cleared up but now we're fighting it in other areas. She also had to go see an ENT today. Viv failed her hearing test in the hospital and again at 4 weeks. After our visit this morning we discovered she has an ear infection in one ear - and may have even had one in both last week when she failed the test. So, we're doing antibiotics and have appoitnments to follow up and retest her hearing toward the end of June. We know she hears loud noises - you should see her jump when Easy sneezes! She also seems to quiet down to singing and responds to Paris' voice so we aren't too concerned at this point.

Tripp - teething like crazy. If those bottom molars don't break through soon I think I might go nuts. He is cranky and cries a lot. He's also adding words to his vocabulary. His most recent additions are bubble and car. He has also begun to push back when Paris is holding on to him or trying to wrestle with him. I think she has a rude awakening in her near future when he realizes he can fight back.

Paris - doing great. She misses school already and she really wants to move to the new house. We go from having wonderful fun together to her being a total pill and back to fun several times a day. She would love to be the one in charge of either Tripp or Vivian and doesn't seem to fully understand why that's not such a good idea. I keep telling her she doesn't have any milk to feed the baby and she just looks at me and says "You do that part silly!" We are planning to get her a fish for her birthday so maybe the concept of responsibility will start to sink in after that. As of now, all she knows she is responsible for is keeping up with Badges (her little stuffed dog) and he gets lost...A LOT!

Easy - working like a dog trying to get the house done.

Me - hanging in and smiling most days. Thank goodness for a good mom that lets me call and talk to her every day if I need to hear a grown-up voice or have someone give me a bit of perspective.

House - coming along. The cabinets should be here tomorrow. The floors are almost all done - just need to grout one bathroom. Easy says moving on the 17th is still a go. Keep praying.

In other news - I'm planning to attend a summer study on Psalms on Wednesday mornings at church. I've missed the structured study time I used to have before I started working childcare during Ladies' Class so I'm really looking forward to it. I'm also planning to attend a knitting class at church on Wednesday nights. It's called Threads of Love - we learn to knit, study scriptures, and in the end we donate a blanket we have made to Hope Pregnancy Center (I think). Well, Viv is stirring so I better wrap this up. I'll try to post again soon.

Quick Update

I don't know how much time I have so this will be quick........

Vivian Faith was born on April 21st. She was and is beautiful. Good eater, fairly good sleeper. Weird thing she does....snarfs breast milk out of her nose. I'll be asking the pediatrician about that next time I'm in there.

The siblings are adjusting well. Paris is in love. Tripp is just now acknowledging that she exists. Most of my time is spent trying to stay a step ahead of our "routine" so that nobody gets TOO hungry or TOO thirsty and TOO stinky. That's when the melt downs happen and we like to avoid melt downs.

The house is coming along. I think we'll move the weekend of June 17th. We finally got a shipping date on our cabinets that have been holding us up so I am very encouraged. Everything else is falling right into place so I marked my calendar and am planning to move one weekend and have Paris' b-day party the next. Am I nuts?

And lastly....You know your boobs are too big when..........You're getting dressed in the morning and as your remove your sleep bra (if you don't know what that is then your boobs are NOT too big) a potato chip falls and hits your foot. You then think briefly about when you ate potato ships last and realize that it was the night before. Indeed you realize you slept "all" night and nursed a baby 2 or 3 times without ever knowing there was a potato chip hiding under your boob.

Clearly I am no princess for I would NEVER know there was a pea under the mattress!

To Everything Turn turn turn...

I find myself with mixed emotions today. There truly is a season, and purpose, to everything under heaven. I don't think they are clear cut seasons though. I think they overlap so much sometimes that we don't really know where we are or exactly how we feel. Either way, I love the scripture (and song) that addresses this topic.

I have a plaque in my home with the scripture printed on it that was given to me by some very special friends. Technically it's already packed up for the move, but I can picture it clearly in my mind. It has been special to me since the day I received it. Those special friends are part of my mixed emotions today. Over the last year they have come under attack by Satan himself. Their marriage has gone from bumpy to shaky to court dates. These are people that I love. They helped raise me as part of my extended Christian family. They truly shaped parts of who I am. My heart is breaking for them and there is nothing I can do but cry for them and pray with faith that God will see them through this - together or not.

Another good friend lost her father in a car accident last night. I don't even know what to say to her. I think if I were in her shoes I would be in a useless heap on my living room floor. As part of me grieves with her, we rejoice together. Her father was baptized Sunday morning. Praise God! He so clearly has a plan for his children. Talk about mixed emotions. The spirit part of us is doing flip-flops of joy over his decision to accept Christ as his personal savior and the human part of us grieves his departure from this world.

And then there is the stuff happening in my own house! I am getting so very excited to meet Sweet Vivian!! Her arrival is so soon. Within two weeks I would say. I can't wait to see what she looks like and introduce her to her sister and brother. To see that look of total and complete adoration on Easy's face when he looks at her. I'm not sure if Easy realizes that's what shows when he looks at his children, but that's what I see. And at the same time I am very anxious about her arrival. Exactly how will she get her? I'm schedule to have the procedure done on Monday where my doctor will try to turn her. Will it work? If it doesn't, what will a c-section be like? If it does, when will I actually go into labor and have her?

So, my seasons are overlapping a great deal at the moment. In our cradle roll classes we teach the babies about warm clouds and cold clouds meeting and making thunder and lightening. That ties in well with the storm analogy from my last post. Amidst the thunder and lightening and increasing winds however is a very quiet voice. "Sarah, be still. I've got it covered. Afterall, I am God and I love my children more than you can fathom."

Father God, thank you for loving us so very much. Let your peace and comfort be on all those who need it. I think that includes all of us here on earth. You know specifically who is on my heart right now. I know this next request is a bit selfish, but if you don't mind Lord, could you tell Vivian to turn, turn turn........

Before the Storm

I love my parents. Last week my mom came up on Wednesday morning to help paint trim for the new house. On Thursday she went to my doctor appointment with me and then helped me straighten up my house because we were having people over. Friday morning she went home, and she took my children with her. Easy and I were meeting a friend in Houston Monday night, so I went to Baytown to get them after that. We all came home Tuesday morning.

I can't remember the last time my house was so quiet. I didn't even turn the TV on until Sunday night so Easy and I could watch our soaps together. I don't remember if the saying is the "quiet" before the storm or the "calm" before the storm. Either way it occured to me about half way through the weekend that surely that must be what I was experiencing. I spent almost two whole days in silence - speaking only on the phone and then to my Smooch when he got home after dark. It was blissful!

Now, before you go thinking I was eating bon-bons all weekend, let me assure you that a lot of work got done. I repainted two pieces of furniture that will be in Tripp's room at the new house. I (with some muscle help from Smooch) moved the children into Paris' bedroom. They will be sharing until we move. I put together the crib and got all of Vivian's linenes and clothes washed and prepared for her arrival. I packed a bin of toys and two boxes of "stuff" for Paris and Tripp's respective new rooms. And....I slept. That was my indulgence. No alarms. No chattering children at 6:40 AM to start my day. On Monday I didn't even open my eyes until 9:00 AM and then I stayed in bed another hour because I could. It was heavenly!

I also got a bit of much needed quality time with my Smooch. We went out to dinner Friday night and Saturday night. We had grown-up food and conversation. We didn't worry about getting home early or if we remembered to put up the baby gate when we went to bed. We actually choose to wait an hour for a table at the Olive Garden. Had I not been about to pass out due to hunger when we sat down to eat in a booth I wasn't sure I would fit in with this big baby in my tummy it would have seemed like the old days...before we had kids. It was wonderful!!

Then I brought my kids home. Paris got sick the afternoon we got home and ran a fever for 48 hours. Tripp is having a hard time adjusting to napping in his (Paris') room so I'm having to sit on the floor to make him stay in bed until he goes to sleep. Then Paris got well and spent all day yesterday checking to see if the rules were still the same at home. Tripp is teething I think and has been clingy and crabby. I've done more laundry than I thought I could do in an effort to not have Paris' virus make the rounds this time.

And as I'm doing all this I am constantly aware that Vivian is still sitting perfectly straight with her head in my rib cage. That is not where her head should be at this stage in the game. If she is still sitting there in a week my doctor is going to try and turn her over....from the outside. Sounds fun, huh? Chances are real that just having that procedure could reslut in bringing home baby a few weeks early.

So, it's not storming here yet, but I'd say the winds are picking up and it's starting to cloud over. I think I even felt a few sprinkles yesterday. I may have a few more calm/quiet days before the downpour starts, but I think I'm ready. My children are currently running manic through the house, my kitchen needs to be cleaned and there is still more laundry to be done. Paris insists on hugging Tripp until he screams in frustration and Cowboy (our dog) keeps giving me that look that says "can't you send them back to Baytown?" I am healthy, my family is healthy, we are building a new house, my husband brings me home Big Read Vanilla Float sodas because he loves me and life is....well, blissful, heavenly, and wonderful!

Mostly Good News

I say mostly because the topic of the house construction sends me into to serious stress mode. This in turn makes me have Braxton-Hicks contractions which stress me out even more. It is not a pleasant cycle in which to find oneself. However, thanks to a MUCH NEEDED mommy-chat this morning I am feeling better. It is so nice to have my mom back on her own turf (she just got to go home from caring for Nana!) because I don't feel near as guilty when I call to whine and cry and ask her to cheer me up. In turth, chatting with her this morning just sort of affirmed that I am not insane, my logical thinking skills still work, and despite the pregnancy hormones that are ruling my life I can indeed still function as a productive member of society. Thanks Mom for helping me feel normal again!

Now for the good stuff....Paris is having a great day! See, for a while we have been re-evaluating our discipline strategies with her. She has been pushing the limits to say the least. Easy and I have talked some things over and we (with the help of my best girlfriend who happens to be a Marriage and Famiy Therapist - we went to grad school together) made a pretty good plan - we think. Then I implented half of it. Things seemed better for about a week and then the insanity resumed. It occured to me this week that I never did the other half of our plan! So, today Paris helped me make her star chart. It simply includes a calendar and three color blocks - green, yellow, and red. We discussed what happens when she ends the day on which color. How she moves from green where she starts each day down the "stoplight" of colors. She seemed to get it and we had the most peacful rest time she has had in probably six months! She has had to move to yellow today, but she's also gotten a special green star in her square for obeying the very first time I told her to clean her room! You would think that with a degree in psychology and in marriage/family therapy I wouldn't need a reminder that incentives and rewards for good behavior are frequently much more effective than consequences for disobedience and "poor choices" as we say in our house. Who knows if this will make as great a difference in the coming days/months, but as of right now I feel like the light at the end of the tunnel is closer and we may indeed find a way to handle some of these parenting challenges that have plauged us the last few months.

And lastly....I started reading a great book. Captivating by John and Stasi Elderidge. If you are familiar with Wild at Heart, this is essentially the book John and Stasi cowrote for/about women. I've only read two chapters and I must say that I already feel more validated in my skin. I have been reminded that God did indeed make me the way I am for a reason and that some of the things society sees as weakness in a woman were put there by the Master himself. I'm looking forward to the rest of the book. With all the stress of the house and pending childbirth I think the timing could not be better to read something that puts me back in perspective in the world. I am a creation of God and as the bumber stickers say, "God Don't Make No Junk!"

Toddler Bed, Ankle, and Bon Jovi

Yes, that sounds like an odd combination, but those are the things that have been happening in my life since I last blogged. So, here's the update:

We moved Tripp to a toddler bed a week and a half ago. The first few times he slept in it he went to sleep on the floor and we had to scoop him up and put him in bed. I guess waking up in it helped him realize it is for sleeping so he's gotten the hang of pretty well. We do still occasionally find him asleep in an odd place though. Easy found him sacked out on top of the cedar chest in his room and also caught a glimpse of him early one morning sleeping under his bed with only his feet sticking out. All in all it's been a good transition though. The worst part is that now that he can get up and play he's been getting up REALLY early. I'm talking 6:00 early. For those of you who know me well, you know this is not how I function. I'm trying to teach him that mommy doesn't get up until 7:00. but he really does not seem to care. The other quirk we've hit is some regression on Paris' part. Since Tripp went into the toddler bed she has refused to sleep in her twin bed. She has instead been sleeping on her fold-out Dora couch that is not even long enough to accomodate her length if she stretches out. It's not worth the fight though, so we've just been letting her sleep there. I think the "Dora bed" is going to get packed for the new house while she is at school tomorrow.

In other news, I tripped on a toy (the Leap Frong Cash Register) last week (monday) and sprained the fool out of my ankle. I was carrying Tripp when I fell. Fortunately we fell into the couch so nothing but my ankle suffered the impact. Tripp just looked at me like "Why did you throw me on the couch you crazy woman?!?!" Paris was a real trooper. She went and found my cell phone so I could call a friend for help - I seriously couldn't really get up. She then held me on the couch and told me she was sorry I was hurt and that Jesus could make it better. I don't think she'd ever seen my cry due to pain. She has such compassion. She will be a good mommy one day. Anyway, with a lot of help from friends I got to the doctor and got my instructions. I almost laughed out loud when he said to stay off of it. Seriously, I have two kids. But, I did my best and the Lord humbled me so that I called and asked for help when I needed it from others. I'm on the mend now - just some twinges every now and then and a slight limp. The aircast is off so I look normal again too. (except of course for the VERY large belly - someone has already said I look ready to pop! I have 8 weeks to go people!!)

The ankle injury was on Monday, the best concert ever was on Tuesday. That's right folks - it was Bon Jovi time! And yes, I ignored my doctor's orders and went. I did use crutches so I was as "off" the ankle as possible without sacrificing the best anniversary present ever. The concert was amazing. Bon Jovi still rocks, and they definitely know how to please their mostly female crowd! My husband is such a good sport. He just let me scream and squeal like a teenager and did nothing but shake his head. I even saw him singing along a few times. He went and got me water when I needed it and stopped to get me food on the way there and the way home. I think it was one of those he was happy that I was so happy kind of deals. And let me tell you - I was HAPPY! Our seats were great, my husbnad is great, and yes, Jon Bon Jovi (and Richie Samboa and the rest of the band) is...great!

So, there you have it - I'm now just trying to catch up on laundry and things that didn't get done last week while I was on the injured list. Funny how I pushed myself to the concert, but felt no inclination to push myself to do household chores. What can I say - I am only human....a very pregnant human who decided an bum ankle was a good excuse to get as much rest as possible. That's all I've got. I'll try to have a point to my next post.

Piggy Bank

Again, my daughter is teaching me. Paris has had a piggy bank for quite some time. When she gets money in cards we usually put it in there and every so often she and her daddy will clean off the shelf where he empties his pockets and deposit all the change in the the bank. When Tripp was born he got a bear bank and she started insisting that we put half the change in his. We have never emptied her piggy bank so it is currently stuffed to the brim. We have been talking for a while about counting it up and starting a savings account for her. She has been on the same page and thought putting it in the bank was a good idea.

Well, Valentine's Day rolled around and she got a total of $15 from her grandparents and great-Nana. I asked her what she wanted to do with it and this was her reply: "Put it in my piggy bank. But Mommy! My piggy bank is full. We need to emtpy it out and give it to Jesus."

Um, wow. I of course told her what a wonderful idea that was and that we would do that very soon. Now, my more practical human side was trying to figure out how to get that savings account started. I even entertained a brief thought of teaching her what 10% meant. Then I realized what a TOTAL boob I was being. (yes, I said boob) Who am I to tell her not to give her money to Jesus?!? If anything, I should follow her example more closely.

So, I've decided that we will count up her piggy bank money and put it in the collection plate. (or maybe just take it to the church office...it would be a noisy collection to drop all that change in) I think I will also match the amount out of my "mad stash" and start the savings account as well. And of course, I now find myself wondering if I should even have a "mad stash" at all. Hmmmmmmm........

MOM

I got a great present today. When I picked Paris up from school she hurried to her cubby to get out a little envelope. She happily brought it to me and proclaimed that she made it to "make me feel better." I guess she picked up on the fact that I'm fighting off a cold that makes me feel less than stellar. Anyway, I looked down and in perfectly beautiful brown crayon was the word "MOM" written in her very own handwriting. I teared up. Her teacher (a substitute today) told me that she came and asked if she could have some help. After Miss Johnnie showed her how, Paris wrote "MOM" on the envelope for me. She filled it with old valentines that she had cut up into pieces. Apparently cutting is one of her favorite things to do at school. The envelope even had a few slices in it. Truth is, I didn't care what was inside. All that matters to me is that my sweet 3 year old daughter was thinking of me and wanted me to feel better. She wrote "MOM." That's me. I'm "MOM," and today I was reminded of what a wonderful thing that is to be. Thank you Paris. Now, SIT ON YOUR BOTTOM AND FINISH YOUR DINNER!!!

Snail Party and a Random Question

Yesterday I had a "sick day." No, I didn't get to stay in bed and have someone bring me soup while I watched cheesy movies and napped all day. Instead I met the basic needs of my children and allowed them to destroy our home with play while I laid on the couch watching just close enough to ensure that physical injuries were not going to happen. Tripp wasn't feeling great either. It amazes me how much snot can be in the head of someone so small. I wore a black t-shirt most of the day and when I took it off last night it looked like a family of snails had a raging party on my shirt. That is mother love.

Random Question - Why are public bathroom toilet seat so infernally cold? Yeah, I know - you're supposed to squat and not actually touch them. That's a physical impossibility at this point. Were I to attempt such a thing I would find myself with a headache from tipping over and ramming the stall door with my head. The miracle of life does have a few drawbacks along the way and I think having to sit on freezing cold public toilets is one of the biggest!

Just thought I'd share............

Move Over Bacon!

Well, I started to post on Wednesday and stuff kept happening to prevent me from finishing it. I now know that was God. Had I actually posted, you would all have had to endure my whining about how frustrated and taken advantage of I am. God clearly had other plans.

Today my message is simple - GOD IS SO GOOD!

When I pulled into the parking lot at church Wednesday night I was beyond angry at the world. In general my thinking was this, "You want to talk to me? Fine, I'll yell at you." I can't even explain the emotional state I was in. I did have my wits enough about me to know I needed to get my rear to church so I went. I dropped the kids off in their classes and went to see what adult options are this quarter. I saw a class listed that is about prayer and the women involved are women I have tremendous respect for so I thought I'd check it out. I now know that was God.

When I left class I was refreshed, broken, reminded, repentant, rejoicing. It was one of those experiences when you realize God is talking directly to you. He punched me in the gut, kicked my rear and then hugged my heart so wonderfully, peacfully gently that I broke and the tears flowed. The message at the root was basic - I'll sum up..."Now that you admit you can't do it on your own and that you have forgotten I am in control, move over and let me work."

And boy has he been busy! I can think of at least 5 prayers that have been specifically answered this week. A broken family I love dearly has started the healing process. We sold our Vette for more than we expected. (this is a bittersweet answered prayer - but I'll talk about that in another post) All the pieces fell into place regarding my little job at church coordinating childcare for Ladies' Bible Class. The framers are decking the roof on our new house (that means we are ahead of schedule if you can imagine). AND, my Nana is already out of her surgery and doing well.

I assume some of you remember the "Move over Bacon, now there something..." (was it leaner or meatier - I can't remember). Well, that's the slogan that ran through my mind when I got the message loud and clear. I'm going to write Move Over Bacon on my bathroom mirror as a reminder to see each morning that I need to keep my controlling human thinking out of the way and let the Master work His plan. Please pray for me, that in my hormonal, stressed out state I can do just that and rest in the peace that His plan is so much more than I could ever accomplish alone.

Care-a-laters

My sweet Paris is always teaching me things. She (and her brother) love the Care Bears. They are for the most part cute and tolerable so I don't mind this obsession of theirs much. The Care Bears have a Caring Meter in Care-a-lot (that's whre they live). It looks a lot like a gas guage on a car. I guess to Paris is looks like a clock.

Now, she know that clocks tell time. Digital clocks are just that, clocks. Watches are either watches with buttons (digital) or watches with turny things (regular). Small clocks (travel alarm size) are just clocks too. Anything larger than that, however, transforms from a clock into a "Care-a-later." My Nana has an old clock on her mantle that is Paris' favorite, but pretty much any clock big enough to be hung on the wall is a care-a-later. Funny thing is she still knows they tell time and are not showing how much caring is going on. She came out from rest-time (we don't call it nap time anymore since she refuses to nap) and said "My care-a-later is pointing up at the 12 so I can come out!" She was correct.

This whole thing has had me thinking though. I think, as alway, she is on to a bigger message. I think clocks - all of our clocks - are indeed caring meters. After all, they tell us where our time is spent, and where we spend our time show us what we really care about. How much time we spend at work, playing with our kids, watching TV, reading a good book, reading God's Word, in fellowship with others, sleeping, etc....

This realization has helped me re-evaluate some things. I now turn my computer off during the day. I only use it first thing in the morning, during rest-time, and after the kids go to bed. I'm trying to spend more time playing in the floor with the kids (though the growing belly makes that tough). I'm not fussing when Easy has to spend his time taking care of things outside of this house because I know he is doing it all for our future and because he loves his children so much it can bring him to tears (trust me, I've seen it). I'm trying to spend less time on my couch and more time getting this done that will help my family be strong and healthy both mentally and physically. I'm trying to use the little time we have on earth to do what it is God wants me to do - and sometimes that hard (but that's a whole other blog entry).

So tomorrow, I encourage you to strap on your care-a-later and see where your time goes. It truly is a good representation of where your heart is. We don't know how much of this time stuff we have, so I hope we can all learn to use it as best we can and remember that moments spent in relationship with others are usually way more importnant than blogging or getting the dishes done.

Bring it On!

Well, the holiday season has come and gone and it is now a new year. I learned a few things during my blogging break. First, my Nana has an amazing spirit. This isn't really news to me, but I've seen it shine through yet again as she is recovering from breaking her hip and having it repaired. Second, my Mom has the same spirit. She has done an amazing job being there for Nana and keeps her cool better than I ever could when things get challening. I hope one day my daughters will say I have that same spirit....I think it will take some cultivating though. Third, slinkies require constant maintenance. That may not be earth shattering news to you, but since Paris recieved 3 of those sproingy little toys in her stocking my world has changed a bit. The good news is that fixing a slinky can at times be so monotonous that it's almost like knitting. Rather, almost like I think knitting would be for me if I knew how to knit. Your hands are busy and your mind is not. Maybe I'm wrong about knitting.

So, now it't time to take on 2006. I say, bring it on! If there is one thing 2005 taught me it is that God's plan is better than mine could ever be and that He is always watching out for me and my family. We started the year off still adjusting to having our second child and looking for a job for Easy. He has been laid off just weeks before Tripp was born so it was starting to get a little rough. While we soon adjusted to life with two kids, the job hunt was seemingly fruitless. He picked up some jobs here and there, but nothing steady. We had to get private health insurance...everyone got approved except me. So, with lots of walking and re-learning what it is to let your stomach growl before you eat I lost enough weight to get added on around May. Good thing it was "baby weight" or there would have been a 1-year waiting period to see if I could keep it off! Right as we were nearing the end of our nest-egg that had been keeping us afloat - I mean literally, we only had a few weeks left before we were going to start asking family to help pay bills...all the bills - Easy got hired at a company in Houston. I was so excited to have a steady income that could hardly sit still. Turns out that the commute isn't too bad, our private insurance is cheaper than what we would pay to go through his new job (not to mention we are totally out of network in BCS), and I was still capable of being a stay-home mom without him around. (I had really gotten spoiled to his presence and help.) That was in July I think - maybe the end of June. We started working on getting everything in order to start building a new house - a dream God planted in our hearts back in February when we could hardly pay our light bill. We were able to secure THE lot we wanted in a new development on the Houston side of BCS. I know God was holding it for us. He's good like that. In August we found out that we were pregnant! Talk about surprises. To round the year out the process of getting started actually building our house took about 4 months longer than we expected. The loan finally closed on December 22nd. My Nana fell and broke her hip a few weeks prior to Christmas, so our holiday schedule went haywire. In the end, however it was a great time - this will be the only Christmas I have actual memories of being in Nana's house. It was a real treat to have her come home on Christmas Eve and celebrate together as a family.

So, here's 2006. We're starting off expecting our third child in a few months. We have income. We have actually started construction on our new house. We have the most amazing support system in our family, friends, and church home. We have SO much! Thing is, the things that are different are just details. Instead of a having a newborn, I'm pregnant. Detail. We'll have a new address soon. Detail. Money - detail. All the important things are exactly as they always are. (we just forget what's important sometimes) We are blessed by and amazing God who has already done more than I can fathom to better our lives. We are children of God and friends of God and there is nothing else that is more important.

So as the year procedes with it's own surprises, challenges, and blessings I say...Bring It On! My only resolution this year is to remember how gracefully God carried us through last year so that my peace, my joy, and my strength comes from Him alone. (Yes, I know that's easier said than done, but that's why it's a resolution.) I wish the same for each of you.

Merry Christmas!

Well, I'm headed out of town tomorrow and won't be home until after Christmas so I thought I should post one last time before my brief break.

It's been a better week than last. Still full of challenges, but most didn't involve fevers and puking so I'm counting it as an improvement. Easy and I did get the stomach bug over the weekend, but it was short in duration and all are fine now.

Monday morning my Nana fell and broke her hip. She was taking food to a friend that just had knee replacement surgery when it happened. She has already had surgery to repair the break (a plate and pin) and is doing fantastic. I hope my attitude staye as awesome as hers when I'm in my 80's! Mom is there now and I'm going with the kids on Monday to help make sure Mom is taking care of herself and not just Nana!

Paris finished school for the semester. I think her most amazing accomplishment this term is that she can now write her name!! It was a wonderful surprise to get a homemade ornament from her all wrapped in a package that she had signed herself. I am so proud. She has had fun signing Christmas presents here at home now that I know she can do it. She had a busy day of playing an dwrapping yesterday and finally fell asleep in the middle of the living room floor at about 6:45pm. I was shocked that she slept until 7:00 this morning, but I definitely took advantage and got a few extra zzz's.

Tripp is doing well. Ear infection seems to be gone and he is just happy to be playing everyday. As long as I remember to give him milk, feed him, and keep him in clean diapers he is a very happy little boy.

Easy and I are pleased to say that the bank finally has everything they need to put our construction loan through. We are waiting for the title company to gets us on the schedule, but it looks like next week is REALLY the week it will happen. I'll take that as a Christmas present and be glad when construction starts on January 2nd! Of course, that really only leaves 3 1/2 months to get the house done, so every "spare" minute Easy has will be spent working on it. I am fully prepared at this point to bring little Vivian home here and move a few weeks later. Easy keeps telling me it can be done, but I've been married to a construction man long enough to know better than to count on that kind of a schedule.

Well, I think that's all the update I have. I'm headed to Baytown tomorrow. Easy's company Christmas party is Saturday night so the kids will be playing with Uncle Matt and Aunt Kara. Paris counts this as a HUGE treat and is very excited. It should be a nice weekend, and probably the last I will have for a while with my little family actually spending time together so I'm going to cherish it.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and I hope that peace, joy , and love abound during your holiday season. Travel safe and I'll see you back in the blog world when it's all over!

What a Week!

Man has it been a crazy week...here are my highlights:

Saturday: High of 89 degrees! We started the process of cleaning the house so we could put up Christmas decorations. This was a three day process. The cleaning on Saturday required music...that's how dirty my house was. i laughed at myself as I loaded some of my favorites into the the CD player. First up was The Police. Jennifer, my sitter and hire for whatever I need person, was here working with me. She had never heard of The Police and was shocked to discover how many of their songs she knew and liked. She also didn't know Sting was their front man. I am getting old, very old.

Sunday: High in the upper 50's. Work at early service at church, go to class, come home and prepare dishes for Christmas party in Centerville that starts at 3pm. Do more cleaning and give Jennifer a list of what to do while we are gone. Come home to a clean house around 8pm and begin decorating after kids are in bed.

Monday: High in the 60's. Normally my stay at home day. Had to pick up an estimate for parts of the new house, as well as some items I ordered from a friend. Attempt to clean the childrens' rooms - fail miserably. Apparently it is impossible to clean a 3 year old's room when she and her little brother are at home. That was a wasted hour and a half. Tripp's room got straightened but has yet to be really cleaned. Sniffles start for all but Easy. Have dinner hot when Easy gets home. Put up tree and decorate after kids are in bed.

Tuesday: High in the 50's. Sonshine school for Paris. Hobby Lobby for needed supplies to complete Christmas presents. Tripp is crashing so grocery store must wait. He continues in a very cranky and clingy fashion ALL afternoon. Find out there are "a couple" of cases of Mono at Sonshine School. Grocery store gets done around 6:30 after Easy gets home. At least I only took Paris with me. I hate going to the store at night. One of the perks of being a stay-home mom is getting to grocery shop in the morning when no one is there. I made up for this slightly by parking in the "reserved for Expetant Mothers" spot at HEB. Sniffles are worse.

Wednesday: High in the 40's. Paris wakes up at 5:15 am. Work my last day of Ladies' Bible Class - I'm the childcare coordinator. Hold Tripp almost the ENTIRE two and a half hours I am there so he doesn't scream. Close out the nursery and assess what needs to be done before next semester starts. Make appointment for Tripp. Go to playgroup at friend's house - we are the only ones who show up so it's a small crowd but a welcome fun spot during the day. Take two small children out in the beginning of a winter storm so Tripp can see our awesome pediatrician. Take children to pharmacy to drop off perscription (he has an ear infection and cold). Decide Daddy can pick it up later since there are no seats available. Have dinner hot for Easy. Realize at 8pm that I can not locate the syringe thing that we use to give babies medicine so I have to get dressed - yes, I was already in pajamas - and go to the pharmacy in the midst of worsening winter storm. The Burb was already iced over. Go to bed "early" only to have Paris start crying because she can't breathe through her nose. Administer medicince to mostly sleeping 3 year old and let her lay in my bed until it kicks in. Easy works in the office until 2:30 AM. Not much sleeping going on.

Thursday: Highs in the 30's. Wake up to an ice covered world. Kids seem to be feeling OK and the roads are clear so we get ready for Sonshine School. At 8:30 I go out to start the Burb so it can be warming up and defrosting only to find out I can't get the doors open. They are indeed frozen shut. I tried the tap water deal to no avail. Break it to Paris that she won't get to go to school today. The rest of the day has been pretty good - managed to get the burb open around 10:30 so I could get my hair cut at 11:00 - of course that meant taking BOTH kids with me. My stylist is a saint. She even helped me bundle them back up when we were done. Needless to say we ALL took big naps this afternoon.

Friday: Still stinking COLD. Having friends over for lunch and dinner so it will be a busy one!

Saturday: Not sure about the weather - I can't plan that far ahead. Meeting in Houston so Mom is coming to watch the kids. She's a saint too.

I'm tired. Please note that Paris' room is still not straight or clean and Tripp's room isn't clean. I haven't done any laundry until today and that's mainly because I'm out of pants. I can't even fathom what life with three children and a house twice this size is going to be like. I think I will be tired a lot.

I would like to amend Thursdays comments to add 3 episodes of puking between the hours of 9 & 11 pm. Paris seems to be fine now. I spoke with our friends and the playdates are still on. We are all hoping it was just something she ate. Since it seemed to fit with the theme of my week I though I should add it to the list.

Baby (Girl) Brain

Well, I've been trying to blog for almost a week and thought that blogger was having an attack of stupid. I kept getting this incorrect password deal and I'd try to fix it only to have it go nuts again in a matter of minutes. Turns out I was just not remembering my username properly and was also not reading all of the info they sent me to "fix" the problem. Apparently I am the one having an attack of some kind. Instead of stupid though, I'll just call it baby brain.

If you've never been pregnant, jsut let me warn you that your brain power decreases as the baby grows. You will NEVER recover all of it which means as you continue to have more children you start with less each time. I'm thinking that the mom in Yours, Mine, & Ours had no brain left at all and was simply functioning out of habit. So, consider yourself warned.

Now for the real news........it's a girl!!! I have mixed feelings on that announcement. Easy had almost convinved me it was a boy, so I'd really been thinking about all things male. Now I have to shift gears and get ready for hair bows and shoes all over again. Of course, I'll get to do some things I didn't with Paris. Things like buy a really cute pink outfit to bring her home in. We didn't know what Paris was going to be so she came home in a white polo shirt with a duck on the collar. I'll also get to make the nursery a girl's room. Again, something Paris had in a completely neutral fashion. So, I'm warming to the idea and there's a little part of me that is even excited at the prospect of more estrogen than testosterone in the house.

For those that are curious...her name will be Vivian Faith. Easy had an Aunt Vivian that was tragically killed as a young woman. I never knew Vivian. She was the youngest of his mom's siblings (I think), and her death impacted them all. It is a beautiful name and I am beyond happy that Becky (my MIL) is pleased with our choice. It feels so absolutely right I can hardly even explain it. I think this baby's conception and her name are complete and total "God things."

Enough rambling...it's time to put the kids down for "rest time" and attempt to get some laundry done and maybe even rest a bit myself.

Magic Words

I went to the doctor today. Looks like little Foster is growing right on schedule. I'm in the midst of the really quick, "everything looks good" series of visits. No tests, no bloodwork. Just your basic weigh-in and blood pressure. Of course, we did hear the heartbeat. That's always amazing. The little munchkin was quite active and made my doctor chase around to catch the heartbeat. It doesn't matter how many times you hear it, that little pulsing, swooshing sound just takes your breath away. I wish I could say that was my favorite part of the visit today...but it wasn't.

My favorite part involved those amazing magical words that all pregnant women want to hear. The doctor is looking over my chart, studying my numbers and lab results, and then she says it..."weight looks good." Do you hear the angels singing? I did.

I was a bit concerned, as most women are, that I was perhaps ballooning a little too fast. Craving M&Ms hasn't helped. I keep telling myself that I'm not really eating that much, but it's hard to be convincing when my belly is clearly protruding. So, today was a relief. A pound a week at this point is what the "experts" say is OK and that's exactly what I did.

It was just a nice reminder that God engineered my body to work a certain way and as long as I'm listening to it (and Him) I'll be fine. Sometimes my body craves M&Ms, sometimes broccoli or soy milk, and yes, sometimes a peanut butter, mayo, and pickle sandwich. Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?

I feel Compelled

I'm writing not to insight the fury of anyone today, but simply because I feel compelled to do so. I will be going to vote today. I think it is my duty, my responsibility, my right. Reading so much lately about the issues in this constitutional vote has got me thinking and here's what I came up with:

When I was younger and fancied myself a liberal (mostly because my family wasn't). I used to think very differently. I used to say things like "Well, personally I feel this way, but politically I fell this other way." I would vehemently explain myself and talk about America and what it means. I understand that logic and view point without a doubt.

Now I'm older and in a much different place in my journey. What I have learned is this: I put God first above everything in my life. Yes, above my children and my husband. In order for me to do that I have to do everything I can to live by His word and to help others do the same. I never shove my views down someone else's throat, but do my best to simply live my life as Christ-like as I can and talk with others when the Spirit leads me to or they ask. It's that living my life part that has made a shift. If I am to be true to who I am in Christ I must, yes I said MUST, align my political views with my personal beliefs. To be any other way is living a lie.

That's all I have to say. I hope ALL of you go vote today and that your vote is congruent with your faith.