I have to write this down before I forget. I keep thinking of it and keep forgetting to come in here and write it down. So, yesterday I bought these little Christmas cookies. They were always my favorite kind...the small ones covered in white fudge with litte red and green sprinkles...and Sam's had a big box of them, so I picked them up and gave the kids some. Last night while they were eating them, just out of the blue Katherine holds up a little star cookie and says "This star is so special because it reminds me of Jesus." And she had this big grin on her face. It was so cool!

Kris and I are watching Mr. Deeds while I work. We watched it when it first came out in the theatres and remember liking it...but watching it now just reminds me of how funny this movie is! But I have to get busy--I'm supposed to be working while I am watching--the BEAUTY of working from home--though that is about to change. Starting this week I am going to begin working Tuesday and Thursday evenings until 11pm and during the day on Wednesdays.

I forgot to comment on the GOOD Weight Watchers week I had over Thanksgiving. I had points left over most days and still had some of my weekly points left over....so I actually lost weight over the holiday! Granted....it was one 1/2 lb. but considering I had gained the week before, I was excited! This week has been good so far too. Had points left over every day and have not used any of my flex points yet. I'm working my way towards a size 10 and the sooner I get there the sooner I can move towards a size 8!! Single digits--now that would be cool! :)

Abbey had a little fit the other day at my weight watchers meeting. She was not behaving well at all the entire morning and was beyond the point of listening to me by the time my meeting started. At the end, she had brought a couple of toys and something happened and her bird fell on the floor. She looked up at me with this glare in her eyes and said "You dropped my bird mommy. Now I mad!" It was funny. I'm not saying it didn't make me mad, because it did, but it was still amusing--the look on her face. She is just like me. She doesn't keep anything in...if she is upset about something...she'll let you know. And if she is still mad, she'll let you know that too! She came upstairs yesterday and said Kaleb took something or did something and then told me that it made her mad. I was impressed, right? So rather than hitting Kaleb or reacting...she came up to express her anger to me. And I said that I was proud of her for coming to me instead of retaliating, and then I told her to stay away from Kaleb if he was being mean to her. So she proceeds to go to the top of the stairs and yells down "You're mean Kaleb!" I in turn yelled her name and she started running....I told her to 'come here' and she went towards the stairs and said "I go tell Kaleb I sorry." So at least she knows right from wrong! She's still a riot to hang out with--but her behavior is starting to wear me down. She's been aggressive and mean and absoultely does not listen. But the last couple of days I have been trying to give her some one on one attention and hopefully that will help. She likes the baby, but I wonder if she doesn't miss the time just she and I had before Olivia was born.

Olivia went to the doctor for her two month check up--got four shots. :( But she is sleeping now and seems ok. She is 11 1/2 lbs now at almost 3 months and still growing.

I have surgery scheduled next week to get my tubes tied. Thursday, December 8th at 8am. In one sense I am excited. Not about the surgery or the recovery, but the prosepct of not having to worry about getting pregnant again because I am NOT ready and don't know if I ever will be again. People keep asking why I am doing it and not Kris. Hmm....well....first of all, it is tough enough taking care of 4 kids by myself with no help (which I am not used to because Kris is so helpful). But the thought of taking care of 5, all alone??? NO WAY! I'm not a good 'nurse'. I could never be one--I'm not the most sympathetic person in the world (when someone directly related to me is sick)--something I hate about myself. So I asked Kris, because on top of that reason, I was feeling uneasy about him doing it--which he would have hated but done for me anyway--I said "Do you want to do it? Honestly?" And he said "no". So I said, "Ok, I'll do it." I don't feel uneasy or have any doubts about the decision that I have made. It's funny now though because every is so used to us having kids and asking if we are having more--now that they know I am getting a tubal ligation, the questions SERIOUSLY have already changed to..."So do you think you'll adopt more?" Kind of makes me laugh.

Anyway...we are having dinner at Cindy's tonight and hopefully I will get a chance to take Olivia up to Metlife to see Patty (my supervisor while I worked there and a good friend). She hasn't seen her yet and it will be good to see some of my 'old' friends.

I have my Christmas tree up now. I'm very pleased with it. Kris let me go and buy new lights and garland. They make some really cool garland now--not that silvery stuff that falls off. So I got some that have snowflakes on them. Anyway, I'm really into putting pictures up here on my blog, so here are a few more!

I finally have two floral arrangements I am mostly satisfied with. Kris apparently really liked them. Kris has been working on our website for the floral arrangements...he wants us to put them on Froogle and see what happens. We might put the Christmas ones on there. We'll see. Anyway, here are the two I did today. If you know anyone who likes these kinds of things, feel free to pass on my name or my sister's! :)

It's been a long couple of days. Kris came home last Wednesday (right before Thanksgiving) and told me I needed to type this inventory list in by Monday morning. It was 170 pages, which with 4 days to do it wouldn't have been a problem, had it not been a holiday. Jenny and Raju were in Wednesday night, then we had company over for Thanksgiving, then we went shopping and out on Friday and so I didn't get started on it until about 3pm on Saturday. I finished it up around 12:45am today. But on the bright side...I do get paid for the 16 hours that I worked on it. I need that--since I spent way too much at Kohl's! But I got a lot of great deals and most of the shopping for Kris and the kids is done. Plus, they were giving out Kohl's cash for spending certain amounts, and I ended up leaving with $70 in Kohl's cash. I gave it to Kris yesterday, along with a few items to return and he did some Christmas shopping for me. It's seems strange, though I know it's not really--Kris' paychecks go for the bills, so I have to give him money to get ME Christmas presents. But I guess before I was working he would give me money to get him presents!


I put my Christmas tree up today. It was nice to have a break from that inventory list and be able to do something that I wanted to do. Some evening when we are all home together, Kris and the kids and I will put the ornaments on. I have water aerobics tonight--so maybe tomorrow. I'm hoping to wrap some presents and put together some floral arrangements today. Jenny and I sort of 'officially' have our own little online business. Katherine gave us the name "Two Blossoms", which seemed to fit perfectly. We aren't active yet--we'd like to build an inventory first...but Jenny got about 7 done this weekend out here. Here are a couple of pictures of them. I think they turned out great.


I think that this one is my favorite on that she has done. We got so many great deals on the fall floral stems. They were 75-90% off at Garden Ridge, so we just stocked up. Some of the things I got were .01 and .17 cents. Crazy!








Then this one for the holiday season is really pretty too. She did a good job.

Well Thanksgiving is over and Christmas will be here before we know it. My sister Jenny and her husband Raju were out here this weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday. I did WAY too much shopping, but at least I have a job that can actually help pay for it! They just left a little bit ago. But Jenny and Raju brought little outfits (indian ones) for Kaleb and Katherine. Raju is from Bangledesh and so they wanted the kids to have the traditional 'costumes'/clothing from that culture. The kids looked really cute. Here is a picture of Katherine and Kaleb with their Uncle Raju in their little outfits. They looked really cute. Kaleb wants to wear his ALL the time. He really likes it.

It was funny, though because the first time he put his on, and I saw him in it...it looked just a little strange. Check it out--in case you can't see, the character is Spongebob! He's so weird sometimes!-Not in a bad way!

This picture turned out really cute--their expressions. Plus it is a better picture of the entire outfit that they have on. Katherine got these bangles that she really likes. And it's cute to 'hear' her walking around because of the jingling they make. See!! I finally put some pictures of Katherine and Kaleb on here! Of course, it's not a picture of them in their Halloween costumes like I've promised...but one day...maybe next year on those. :)

And this last one of Katherine just shows how...hmm...what's the word....well, it's just part of her personality I think. She just looks really cute in it, I think.

A duck was the culprit with the bird flu thing. H5N1 virus--the bird flu. "It could be a catastrophe." The chances of getting a vaccine if there is an outbreak of the bird flu is likely to be 0. Worst case scenario-2-300,000 people could die in the US. The best hope to stop the bird flu is containment. Entire hospital wings WILL turn into isolation chambers. A 2 week quarantine will be required. Retail stores and shopping malls may close. Bank may be drive through only. In a bad outbreak--SCHOOLS WILL CLOSE FIRST! Keep the bird flu away in that case! We'll have to wear masks. Steps to plan for bird flu--buy a mask. They say that you can get more info (especially what steps we can take) on their website. I'm going to check it out.

Here is a line that is on the KMOV website regarding the bird flu: "So far, the virus is not passing from human to human, but if that does happens, there could be millions of deaths worldwide. " This next line just makes me laugh: "In this jet age a human bird virus could spread around the globe in a matter of hours." I understand what they are trying to say, but if you take that sentence as is....um...are there human birds? It seems to me that of course if there were human birds with a virus that yes it could spread quickly, but are we really at risk if there is not even a human bird in existence?

Kris is trying to help me understand this. A guy said that there was a 100% certainty that there would be an outbreak. Kris tells me that basically all that means is that at some point there will be some sort of outbreak of something. The people on channel 4 act like it has already happened and that the danger is imminent. Kris just said we needed to buy masks. Maybe I should start an internet business where I custom design face masks for when the outbreak of the bird flu hits. I wonder if I could make some money that way!

Ok, I don't want you to stop reading my blog because this topic bores you....but I just checked out the website on what we can do to help prevent spreading the bird flu...and it was hilarious. Maybe I should take this a little more seriously....but I just can't. If there is an outbreak of the bird flu--you can all send me a letter scolding me for mocking channel 4's over-exagerrated concern for the bird flu-but make sure you write it in the sunlight and that you are wearing a mask and surgical gloves when you are writing it. Apparently....the bleach and the sunlight will be our friends WHEN (because apparently it will) it stikes. This is the last thing I will put about the bird flu for now....there was a link on KMOV's website: http://www.avian-bird-flu.info/birdfluprotection.html. Take a look at it if you'd like. I found it very amusing. Here are some of my favorite bird flu protection suggestions (things in red and parentheses are my own comments):

If possible make sure all interactions with non-family members take place outdoors in full sunlight. Ultra-violet light kills viruses

Get your groceries and other essential purchases delivered (sounds to me like another way to make money). Keep the transaction in sunlight.

Spray or dip the contents with dilute bleach solution to disinfect. This includes fruits and vegetables. You can always rinse the solution off before eating them (in case you had concerns about eating the bleach solution and wouldn't have thought to wash off the solution).

Wear a flu mask, and insist on others wearing one as well (INSIST!).

Do not touch anyone. (EVER--make sure you avoid any kind of contact with anyone else ever)

After leaving work, you should strip, and shower, before touching anyone.

Leave your clothes outside exposed to sunlight to sterilize. (I guess washing them just will not be enough, even with a bleach solution)

Wash clothes and allow to air dry outside if at all possible.

"Hunting will only be a danger for the deer." Read it again.

"Hunting will only be a danger for the deer." Seriously--think about it.

Is this the news they come up with now? Were there no other pressing stories? This was one of the top stories tonight on channel 4. I'm confused. Why, first of all is that a top story, and second of all, was there ever a time when hunting was NOT a danger for the deer?

We actually have channel 4 on so that I can find out about that crazy bird flu. I think what intrigues me the most is how serious channel 4 makes it out to be as they describe the upcoming report. They start talking vaguely about this bird flu, and then say things like "Will you be able to go to work? Will your kids be able to go to school?" Find out they tell me, so find out I will and I will let you know what I find.

I had a bad Weight Watchers week last week, but I am back on track today and hopefully will make it through the thanksgiving holiday unscathed! I'm determined to keep going and by summer my goal is to be ABLE to wear a bikini and feel comfortable in it. I will NOT however, actually wear a bikini--I just want to be thin enough to feel like I could wear one if I wanted to. I'll finish up my water aerobics class at the YMCA this session and next session I think Kris and I are going to try to Absolute Abs class.

Has anyone heard of this bird flu? Apparently Monday on channel 4 we can get all the info we need--whether we have what we need in St. Louis to deal with it, etc....bird flu? Does a bird have to peck you first? Do you have to catch a bird and spend a certain amount of time petting it and being around it? Do you have to drink out of the same glass that a bird has been drinking out of? Anyway...

Kris and I had our first day (afternoon anyway) out without the kids. It was fun. We got to spend some time together without having to worry about even a new baby. We should do that more often. Not that I don't like the babies...I do, but it sure is nice to have a few hours off.

In fact, we get another night on Friday...my sister and her husband are coming in for Thanksgiving and the four of us are going out on Friday night. Should be fun. My sister Jenny and I are going to brave the crowds on what is apparently called Black Friday. There is a website that shows you the stores and the specific items that will be on sale. I HAVE to go to best buy--not for myself of course. Kris and I have about 50 best buy bucks and you can use them all on a larger item so I'm sure I can find something to get him for Christmas from there. The website to find the stores and deals is: http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/. It's cool...you can click on each store and find out what their specials will be.

I am hoping that a few months from now the pictures will look even better, but for now, this is the first time I've had a picture taken of me in a long time, and I thought I would put a couple on here. I am amazed that I got as large as I did. Look at these-the first is me at my largest, and the second is me presently.

Abbey is home now from Branson. She went with Cindy for the weekend. She actually came home Monday night but I am just now writing about it. I've been busy trying to get some work done so we have some money for Christmas. And someone answer me this--why does personal property tax have to be due right at the same time as Christmas? I think that is stupid. Nothing says "forget holiday spirit" like a $200 bill for personal property tax! Oh well.

Anyway, I think Abbey had a good time. She went to see the Dixie Stampede. She didn't tell me too much about her trip--basically she just answered my yes and no questions. She looked big to me when she came back.

Olivia is getting much more expressive now. It's fun to sit and talk to her. I make little noises and she smiles and tries to mimic them. Kris got to see it last night for the first time. It was cute.

The pictures are from Abbey's trip. I still don't have Katherine and Kaleb's halloween pictures on here do I? Maybe someday I'll get around to it.

I think it is really strange that Abbey was drinking out of a cowboy boot cup. Apparently Cindy and Dean didn't want theirs (they were probably frightened of them) because I ended up with three of them. I'll have to figure out how to sneak them back into their house! I guess it's all part of the atmosphere at the Dixie stampede. Who knows!

Here are a few new pictures of Olivia. Cindy has my digital camera this weekend and hopefully she will get a couple of shots of Abbey that turn out. She has a habit of taking terrible pictures but I just can't see how you can mess up on a digital camera. We'll see.

I know she looks just like the other girls...for all you know these could be pictures of Abbey. Oh wait...we don't have very many pictures of her! Having some space in between helps with getting back to taking lots of pictures. Poor Abbey and Kaleb. I'm sure they will survive!

I woke up this morning and went to get Abbey some milk and saw the strangest thing in my refrigerator. There, bunched up on the bottom shelf was Abbey's blanket that she sleeps with. She's so strange. I looked at her and laughed and said "Abbey, what is your blanket doing in the refrigerator??" She just looked up and smiled, like it was the most natural thing in the world to put her blanket in the fridge. And so I left it there. I figured there was no harm in it and if she put it in there, she could take it out if she wanted it. So when we were getting ready to leave the house, I told her to go and get her blanket. So she went and got it out of the fridge and said "My blankie cold." It was funny.

Abbey is gone until Monday. She got to go with Grandma to Branson. Kat and Kaleb have taken individual trips and this will be Abbey's first. She was pretty excited. She gets to go and see Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede or whatever that popular thing is there. I'm sure she will have a blast.

Tonight we went up to a harvest party at church. The kids had fun. Not that we didn't--we had fun too. It was the first time I've played bridge with real people (for a while we just played online quite a bit) in a long time. It was a lot of fun. We played with our friend Mary and her son Jason. The entire time at least one of us had a small child in our arms. Things have changed from 2 years ago when Kris and I were the only ones with kids in our arms during a bridge game. It was really fun though. I miss playing. We talked briefly about starting something up at the church where we teach people to play and then we can have our own little bridge club. Yeah, that may not sound fun to most of you (and when I say most of you--that could be no one because how often do people really read this???), but we like it.

I do hate when we have gatherings with food though. It makes it so difficult to stay within my Weight Watcher point range. I had done really well and still had a good deal of points left when I left the house tonight, but I think I have used all of my flex points for the week, which means I'll have to be really careful tomorrow and Sunday. I was trying to save them up because I knew I was going to Bread Company tomorrow...and my Cinnamon Crunch Bagel favorite with Hazelnut Cream Cheese is 12 points by itself...it will have to be breakfast and lunch if I want to stay within my points tomorrow. Maybe if I am lucky I'll get really full after half of it! We'll see.

Hopefully I'll make it to the Y tomorrow. I have already gone three times this week. It feels good to exercise. I walked/ran a mile on Thursday--18 laps = 1 mile...I alternated between walking and running but in reality I think I only ran 4 of the 18 and walked the rest. BUT....a year ago I couldn't have run even one lap and walking 18 of them would have bored me to death! But I'm motivated now that my size 12's (which I have just recently gotten down to) are starting to feel loose. I'd be happy at a 10....that's what I was in college....my secret goal is an 8, but I'll settle for a 10!

Well, I should try to get some sleep. The weekends seem to be the only time I can get any sleep. Kris is pretty good about helping out during the night on the weekends...I'm so blessed to have a husband like him.

Last night Katherine was awake after the others went to sleep. Kris had let her have a book in bed and I heard her in there trying to apply what she has been learning at school. So, she was in there reading some of the blends and trying to sound out the words, all by herself with no one around. She loves reading, even though she isn't technically reading yet. But she can spell most three letter words you give her to spell. It's awesome to watch her learn.

I went to Kris' office last night to get some work done. They had been having problems for about 5 days so I couldn't do anything...which means no money was made! But I'm back on it now and have plenty to do. I hope to get more done from home today.

All the kids are sick--well, they have colds. I heard Katherine coughing all night. Abbey's got the disgusting runny nose that causes her hair to stick to her face constantly! Kaleb has a sore throat and cough, but he refuses to take the liquid cough/cold medicine. The only medicine I can get him to take willingly are those Tylenol meltaways. Well, they help with fever, which he doesn't have. I have to literally force him to swallow the other stuff and it's just not worth the fight. Kris gets frustrated with him, thinking he is just being stubborn....but I understand Kaleb in that all too well. I hated taking medicine, still do. I could not and still cannot handle swallowing the liquid cough medicine. It makes me gag and want to throw up. But there isn't any kind of pill for kids that I can give him...plus how do you teach a four year old how to swallow a pill? Poor kid. It was frustrating when he kept spitting the medicine back out over and over again...but I felt bad for him because I knew exactly what he was going through.

How is it that when you start working, your paychecks are spent long before you get them? I got paid yesterday and of the $174, I only have $30. I would've had $70 but we bought some books from Scholastic for the kids for Christmas (which Cindy already paid for) and I still owed Cindy money for Abbey's dollhouse we chipped in for, for her birthday. Oh well. That's actually not bad, the $30, considering Kris gets paid again next Tuesday and hopefully I'll get a lot done so my next check will be pretty significant.

I'm excited tonight to be able to blog about something cute that Katherine did. I know it seems like I favor Abbey--I don't. It's just that she's the one that is with me all the time. We just put the kids in bed and I was in the living room with Olivia. Katherine and Kaleb get to listen to music at night and Katherine has this CD of Bible/Sunday School songs that she likes to listen to. And she is starting to learn the words to some of them and it's cute to sit in the other room and hear her singing different parts of the songs. Well, I was so proud when I heard her singing "The rains came down and the floods came up" along with the CD. My proudest moment and one that gives you one of those ear to ear grins is when the "O you can't get to heaven" song came on. I kind of heard her singing along, but then there was the rocking chair verse. When that one started, I heard her sing "Oh you can't get to heaven, in a rocking chair" and then she just started giggling. She kept singing that verse, giggling the whole way through. I tried to get Kris to come in and listen, but on the next verse she wasn't giggling. Well, at the end of the verse, I figured out why. It said "oh you can't get to heaven, in a limousine...." And she was singing along and as soon as that verse was over, she said (to herself) "what's a limousine anyway?" It was adorable and hilarious at the same time!

Abbey ended up having a cold and kind of throwing up this morning. So I will not be going to Indiana until Friday. But I think I have convinced Kris to leave early so hopefully we will be in before 9pm that night. With stopping to feed the baby and the hour time difference the 4 hour trip will feel like 6 hours. But it will be better than getting in at midnight.

I wasn't able to get pictures of Katherine and Kaleb in their Halloween costumes yet. I'll have to have them put them on soon and get those. I do however have pictures of Abbey and Olivia in their costumes. At first, I had Abbey as a lady bug and then decided to put it on Katherine. But I do have a picture of Abbey in the lady bug costume as well as in her princess costume. Olivia is a little lamb. All of them were cute. So I thought I'd share those pictures with you and I will put Katherine and Kaleb's on here when I get them.

I started my pre/postnatal water aerobics at the Y last night. Kris and I figure that for $60 a month, it's a real deal for us, since we get 'free' babysitting for 4 kids each time we go. We definitly think it is worth it just for that--and beyond that, we get the added benefit of working out and raquetball which both of us love. The class was fun. It aggravated my ankle, but it is feeling better this evening.

I am in a hurry to get this blog done--I need to finish packing. I decided last minute to head out to Indiana with Abbey and Olivia tomorrow. We were planning to all go out on Friday, but I am going to go out a little early and spend some time with my sister. Hopefully it will be a good drive and the girls will do well. This will be the first long trip with Olivia. We are having Thanksgiving dinner with my family this weekend. We are looking forward to that, of course. I'll have to save up some points (Weight Watchers) for the desserts, which are my real weakness.

Olivia is sleeping now. I should take advantage of it and finish packing and then go to bed...hopefully she will sleep for a while. I am getting up extremely early to babysit my friend Bethanie's 4 year old and her twin boys. That will be interesting. She tells me they should sleep until noon though, so hopefully that will be the case.

Ok...I'll try to get back in and update this again next week when I return. I can't believe it is November already.

Well, my ankle is finally feeling better. It was still hurting on Tuesday, so I went to the doctor. That was fun with Abbey and Olivia. It wasn't as bad as it could have been though. The doctor had me go get x-rays of my ankle to make sure nothing was fractured--nothing was, so that was good. They gave me this splint thing but didn't tell me how long I had to wear it or when my ankle would heal. I guess I'll just refer to the internet for that information...I'm sure it is on there somewhere.

Abbey and Olivia are watching cartoons right now. Well, in reality, I believe Abbey is watching cartoons while periodically being much too rough with Olivia. She likes to touch her but seems to have no concept of "gentle". Oh well...Olivia doesn't seem to mind much of the time. Olivia has a cold I think. She sounds really congested right now. When they are that little and are congested they sound so pitiful. Hopefully she will get over it soon.

I'm going to learn how to put some pictures on here. Hey, I did it! Here is a picture of Abbey at our new table that I am working hard to pay off!

















Guess I'll put one of Olivia on here too. Isn't she cute? This is my favorite picture of her so far.
















I've gotten back into quilting. Now I have so many projects I want to complete before Christmas I'm not sure I'll get them all done. I am almost done with Kaleb's batman quilt, which I will put a picture on here when I am done. Between quilting and working from home I'm keeping quite busy.

I think that I should change the name of this blog to "Abbey's Antics" since she is usually what I end up writing about all the time! Another funny story...So Abbey really likes to say "That makin' me happy!" all the time. Well, the other day she went to Sam's with me and the guy at the door put a smiley face on the receipt. Abbey insisted that she get the receipt--that it was her smiley face. I told her no, that I needed the receipt. She got upset and I told her that she could have the top part with the smiley face and I would keep the bottom so I had the receipt to enter into the check book. She started getting upset, and then she said "That make me mad." The way she said it was like she was threatening me...like if I didn't give it to her, she was going to be mad. It was really funny.

I fell today. I twisted my left ankle pretty bad (in my opinion) and as I did that, my right knee slammed into the sidewalk. So I'm a mess. Anyway, it was hurting really bad shortly after and Abbey came in and was very concerned about me. She said "It not make me happy when you hurt yourself."

We were all supposed to go to the YMCA tonight--Heather is watching Olivia, but there was nothing that I could really do without much pain, since my ankle hurts when I sit...so Kris took the older kids and here I am at home, until I need to go and pick up Olivia.

Olivia went to the doctor and got her first shot today. She screamed at first, but she seems fine now. She is up to 10 lbs 4 oz now. She's getting big. I on the other hand am down 27 lbs. I didnt' lose anything last week, which was kind of disappointing, but I didn't gain so that is good. And now we are going to start exercising (if I can get my ankle better) and so that will really help with the weight loss.

Abbey was having this conversation today in the car. "There a bug in my diaker (her word for diaper). GET OUT OF MY DIAKER BUG!!!" and on and on. It was funny.

Yesterday she was talking about something so I asked her what she was saying. She informed me that she was talking to herself. So I left her alone. A couple of minutes later, she was kind of upset and said "Myself not talking to me." Hilarious!

I go back to the doctor tonight for my postpardum checkup. I am going to talk to him tonight about getting my tubes tied. Kris has not given me an answer about HIM getting a vasectomy, so I will hopefully make an appt. tonight. The sooner the better, so I can rest easy and have my mind at ease.

Today is Abbey's 3rd birthday. I heard Katherine talking to her before she left for school today. She said "Happy Birthday Abbey. You're three now and you don't even notice it." I thought that was cute.

Then, I told Abbey she was going over to Heather's house, and her face just lit up. She started clapping and smiling saying "Yay!" Then she said (very excitedly I might add) "That makin' me happy!" It was adorable! I'm sure Heather will love to hear that!

I had a good weekend. I went shopping. I had to. That was the greatest part. I have dropped a size since I had Olivia, and had to buy new jeans. The coolest thing is that I am now comfortably in a size that I haven't been in since right after I got married! It feels awesome! I've got more to go, but getting down to a size I was 6 years ago feels great!

I made almost $300 last week doing some work for Kris' company. To some people that may not be a lot, but considering I am working from home and that I get to work when it is convenient for me, I think it's pretty good. The greatest thing is that it is all MY money, except God's portion of course! I will save some (to pay for my table) and put some towards an enrollment fee for the YMCA (we have decided to join this month) and still have some play money left over for whatever. I know that money isn't everything, but it sure is nice when you have some that doesn't HAVE to go towards the bills!

Abbey makes me laugh...at least 3-4 times each day. Yesterday, I was changing Olivia's diaper and Abbey's wet diaper from earlier was on the floor. I told her to throw it away. She was sitting in the pink chair just watching cartoons. So anyway, she starts saying something to me, which I didn't understand, and I kept telling her to throw it away. Finally, she raised her voice just a little bit and I understood that she had been saying "I busy Momma, I really busy." It was hilarious. She is using the word 'really' quite a bit lately. Her belly hurt really bad this morning. Olivia is cute, really cute. She just makes me laugh!

Today is an exciting day. The season premeire of One Tree Hill is tonight. Oh how exciting my life is...

Today is also my first day alone with all 4 kids. So far so good. It's like it was before the baby, except that now I have to take care of Olivia when she is awake, and the others are good about letting me. They want to touch her all the time though, and while I don't think it bothers her, it gets on my nerves. But I am sure I'll get used to that and as the newness of Olivia wears off they will settle down a bit.

I found a kitchen table and chairs that I really like and want to get. The price is the greatest part about it. It is a 7-piece table...comes with the table w/leaf, and 6 chairs, for $300. I have never seen a table that nice, with 6 chairs for such a low price. The only problem now is that I don't have $300. I am going to start doing some computer work for Kris' company, but I can't gaurantee that I will have $300 at any set time. Yesterday Kris almost said I could get it, then decided that I should actually have some money coming in first. I thought about borrowing the money from my parents and paying them like $60 a month until it's paid off, but I don't think Kris wants to do that either. He may still decide I can get it. My concern with waiting is that it will be gone by the time I can get it. It is at Sam's and I know they swap their furniture in and out from time to time, so what if it isn't there? The price is too good to pass up though Kris seems to think we can find another one for that price, that size, with 6 chairs. I am convinced that is not true...because I have been looking at tables and chairs for the last 6 years and pricing them. If they have a table that price, it usually is too small or comes with only 4 chairs so then you have to spend another $200 to get the other 2 chairs.

My life is really quite boring. This blog helps me to realize that. Oh well. I guess I don't really care.

I am really looking forward to tomorrow...it will finally feel like fall and this weekend should be nice too. We are having a big party at the house on Saturday for all the kids and so it looks like it might be the perfect weather so all the kids (especially the neighbor kids that come) can hopefully play in the backyard instead of running through the house, which I am sure they will try to do anyway. Of course that means that we will have to actually do some work in the backyard, pick up sticks and stuff like that, but if the weather is nice, I really won't care. I might even be able to get Kris to mow back there. We haven't mowed back there since last summer, and even then we only did that like twice. It doesn't need it much, as there isn't really grass back there...just some strange grass-like greenery.

The weekend is almost here. Just a couple more hours. In some ways I am hesitant about the weekends since we will have to adjust to all 4 kids home at the same time, but I am more excited about the weekend being here because it feels like I might get a break from the craziness that is my life. At least on the weekends Kris is here to help out. Next week will be interesting. Katherine and Kaleb only have school for a day and a half next week, so I'll have to figure out how to cope with all four kids by myself. I'm sure it will not be as bad as I am anticipating--at least I hope not!

Next weekend we are having a big party for all of the kids. I am looking forward to it, although from what I can tell so far, hardly anyone will be able to make it. Oh well. The only problem with few people coming is that we might have too much food. I know I know--it would be an awful thing!

I'm tired. I guess that's to be expected. Olivia is 2 weeks old now. Seems like she has been here forever! She's still so little, but I really feel like it has been longer than 2 weeks. Kaleb heard me calling her 'Livy' (not as in 'ivy', but more like 'libby' only with a 'v' instead of the b's) the other day and so sometimes he calls her that and it is cute to hear.

It's so cool to hear the kids talk about their days at school. They seem to be learning quite a bit. Katherine is even starting to read some words. That is just awesome! I really love to hear the songs they learn...they like to sing them for me and I more than enjoy listening to them.

Well, the kids have been promised a treat in return for cleaning their rooms, so I had better go and supervise (aka clean it up myself while they watch) so they can get their candy. They really want to go for a walk this afternoon...so maybe we'll do that too!

Kaleb's birthday has come and gone, and Olivia Morgan is 9 days old. She is a good baby--very calm for the most part, just like Katherine and Abigail were. As opposed to every two hours, she only gets up 2, maybe 3 times per night....that is a huge improvement from what I was used to with the others. It's nice. Not that I feel rested at all-I'm still pretty tired, but I'm sure I will get used to that too.

Kris goes back to work on Monday. He was off all week. It was really nice and helpful until Thursday, when he got the flu or whatever else had been going around. So much for having help! It was a rough day, that carried into Friday (not that he was sick anymore--I was just beyond frustrated at that point). And now it is the weekend and I have two days before I get back to reality with Olivia being here.

I am going to play raquetball with Cindy today and looking forward to that. It will be good to 1. Get out and 2. Do something active. Kris will stay with the kids...I tried to time it between feeding times so Kris won't have to give Olivia a bottle, but it isn't the end of the world if she has to have one.

The labor and delivery with Olivia was fast and easy. From start to finish I was in labor for only 7 hours before she was born. I got to the hospital to be induced at 8am and right at 3pm on the dot she was born. And now she is demanding my attention. I think she would like to finish her breakfast now.

It's been 5 long months since I was last on here. I've had a lot to write about, but for some reason never really got around to it. I'll try to just ramble on about recent events, rather than try to recount the entire last 5 months.

I had chance to talk to my friend Angi on Wednesday. We hadn't seen each other or talked in a while, but she called me and we had a really good conversation which lasted almost an hour. We ended by promising to get together sometime next week.

Thursday night I called Kris to have him get me some sandpaper for my latest project which I will explain in a bit. He sounded 'weird' and I knew immediately that something was wrong. When pressed, he told me that Angi (who I had just talked to the day before) and her two youngest boys were killed in a car accident. All I could say was "No, no, no. I just talked to her." And even now as I try to process it all, I do not get too far in thinking about it because I still can't seem to comprehend it having just spent an hour on the phone with her. I guess that's what is called denial. In some ways I just want it to hit me so that I can start to deal with it, but at the same time it scares me to face it.

We talked to Katherine about it all...when she was born Angi had a really special bond with her, as she was a little girl and Angi had all boys. She was the only person who ever called Katherine "Gracy" and the only person Katherine allowed to call her that. And Katherine had talked to her on the phone Wednesday too about coming over to her house. So anyway, I was talking to Katherine Thursday night about it and she said "It's a good thing that we didn't go anywhere today and get into an accident." She also asked me why God didn't let everyone in the world live forever. First of all, what is an almost 5-year-old doing thinking like that and how do you answer that? I just told her that I didn't know. That mommys and daddys don't know everything, but God does and she accepted that. She is amazing to me sometimes in how she thinks and the questions she asks. A neighbor was talking to me yesterday about it all and as if she was a grown up herself trying to talk and sort through grief Katherine informed the neighbor that she had gone to Angi's house before. Kind of a whole strange, surreal time right now.

Kaleb had a hand in saving a little girl at the pool last week. The kids had been playing with this girl just about Kaleb's age. For some reason the girl had taken her floaties off and apparently got out to where she couldn't touch. I noticed that she was kind of bobbing up and down, and at first thought she was playing. Then I saw her head start to go under. Kaleb was actually right in front of her kind of watching this happen....and as the mom screamed and the lifeguard came running Kaleb simply grabbed her under her arms, pulled her up and held her until they got there. It was only a matter of seconds that this all took place, but I have never been prouder of him. I still can't fathom what was going on in his head to make him reach out for her and pull her up. Katherine was right there too....but did not react like Kaleb did. It was like it was instinct or something and I am so proud to have been able to witness that.

I guess that is all for now. I'll hopefully get back on here with pics of the newly remodeled bedrooms once we get them done.

Wow. It has been WAY too long since I was on here. Not too much has happened. I did manage to somehow get pregnant again and all is going well so far. I am now 9 weeks along and have the nausea to prove it!! But that is a good sign! My stomach is all bruised up from the 2 shots a day I get, but if it keeps me healthy I guess it is somehow worth it.

I got to see Les Miserables right before Valentine's day. It was cool. I think it was much better the first time I saw it. Kris and I agreed that perhaps the performance just wasn't as good as it could have been. No one singing really just stood out--they were all just 'average' in my opinion. We went on the last day of the show so there were like 3 main people that weren't there--they had their understudies playing their role. That could have been part of it.

I've done absolutely NO pampered chef shows this month. I am kind of sad but I have some scheduled in March and hopefully that will go well for me. I'm excited because I just found out that I could deduct ingredients that I buy to practice recipes. So, let the cooking begin!!

I have to say that Blockbuster online has got me hooked. I signed up for a free 2-week trial to get their movies mailed to me, and it is great! It's convenient and easy. And I get two in store rentals a month--which is great becuase we just rented 2 playstation games and those are expensive! They are $6.99 each now. That's just crazy. So we got them for free. I'm convinced that is the way to go--don't use your in store rentals on movies since you can get those through the mail--use them on games which are much to expensive to actually rent anyway.

I'm so glad Christmas is over and that this year is almost over. It sure has been chaotic, to say the least. Last week was filled with enough drama and trouble than we've had in a long time. In one week, we had a miscarriage, I got laryngitis and Abbey broke her collarbone (this was Christmas eve too). It has to get better, right? I feel like I am just floating through waiting for the storms to pass. Will they? I'm not so sure I want to start a new year. New years come with new problems and I've had enough to last me for quite some time.



My sister got married. She seems very happy. The wedding was nice. It was a long weekend though with all the kids and the traveling, so we are definitely glad to be back home. We have a girl that might stay with us for a while, as she tries to put her life back together. We'll see what happens there.



That's really all. I don't feel like doing anything, even writing so this is going to be rather short. I have to 'discipline' Kaleb now anyway. Off to yet another fun daily task.

Well, in my opinion, the house just looks great! I can't wait to have people over! It seems like there might be a little less room in the living room, but I don't really care. I think it looks good! Tomorrow is the appt. with the psychologist for Kaleb. Should be interesting. Either he has been a little better the last couple of days, or God is better equipping me to handle him. Don't get me wrong...it has still been difficult to try to manage his behavior, but it has been less 'dangerous.' It doesn't help right now that they all, including Kaleb, have colds...so of course he is more whiny and less patient than usual. I can tell he isn't feeling the best because the girls are running around and playing 'school' and Kaleb is just watching cartoons. Kind of unusual for him. But the girls are funny. Abbey is wearing Katherine's backpack and Katherine is taking her around to different rooms, like she is dropping her off for school. It's cute.



I need to get a couple of prescriptions filled. The kids are out of their cough syrup with the codiene in it, so we definitely need some more of that--it helps their coughs too. Ha ha.



Tomorrow is the day before Thanksgiving. Where does the time go? It flies by. It seems like forever since my sister was out here for Thanksgiving last year, but at the same time it is hard to believe it is here again.



I need to get Kaleb out of my closet now and see what the girls are up to. Guess I should start thinking about lunch too. So many of the quick and easy things to make are so messy. I hate getting the kids all messy before taking Katherine to school. It annoys me. Uh oh...Katherine is crying. Must be a mommy now.

My feet are just KILLING me! I cleaned most of the evening. Am still at it. But the fun thing is that for the first time in almost 2 years of living in this house, we rearranged. I think it all looks cool. I just wish it wasn't after midnight and that I didn't still have to sort through all the junk on the table so the kids can eat breakfast in the morning. I thought I'd sit for a minute before going back to tackle some more.



So here is what we did. We have officially made the giraffe room our bedroom. It's kind of like a suite...the room is so big, so we not only have our bedroom stuff, but we also have the infamous pink chair and a love seat. Wouldn't it be great if I could turn the sun room into a master bath? Now that would be awesome!



So, what did we do with the computer and other couch? Well...we moved it to the room where our bedroom used to be. Yeah, we still have to come in here to get clothes out of the closet, but I think it will be worth it. Kris wasn't sure at first what he thought about my ideas, but he likes it now.



The other change we made is to the living room. It is so difficult to really rearrange in there, espcecially since we have this huge sectional couch thing. There's only one place you can really put it, which is why we have not rearranged since we moved in. But we took the middle piece out, and switched the living room around too. I like it actually. It does gives us less room in there, but it looks cool, more of an intimate setting.



I'm really tired right now. I should get back in there and work on the table. I am hoping that now that the rooms are rearranged a bit, it will be the boost I need to get the laundry done and the rest of the house cleaned up. I still have to figure out when I am going to go to the grocery store. I was going to go tonight to get stuff for Thanksgiving, but got carried away with changing my house around. I think Kaleb's room will be next. We moved some stuff out of his room, so I am thinking about moving his bed and dresser around. We'll see. It would force me to clean his room!



I've been so distracted and discouraged lately. Kaleb has just really worn me out. I think I am getting out of that--hopefully. I need to do so much stuff, but have lacked the desire or motivation to even begin. But I am hoping tomorrow will be a better day. Kaleb and Abbey go to the doctor in the morning for their check ups. I think they both get shots but I am not sure about that. Kaleb might be spared...we'll see.



Ok, time to get back to work so I can go to bed in my new huge room.

So today I am toying with the idea of driving to Indiana tonight. Either that or leaving at 7am and going out there tomorrow. My sister told me that tomorrow my mom is having the family Thanksgiving dinner. She knew we couldn't all afford to come out there for it, but I really need a break. So I am considering it. It would be kind of cool if all of us showed up out there, (Kris and the kids) but I/we haven't decided if we want to do that or not. I thought we wouldn't have enough money...but I think that we would be ok financially. Hmm....so many decisions. Another option is to take Cindy with me rather than going by myself. But then again, I know the kids would love the chance to see their cousins. I am also thinking that if all 5 of us went out there, surely there would still be enough food. Hmm....



So, I thought that rambling on about it would help me to decide. I am leaning towards all of us going. We could leave tonight and still get back Saturday night and be here for church. I have to be back Sunday anyway to pick up the bridesmaid dress for my sister's wedding.



Now I'm just frustrated with not know what I want to do. I guess I'll wait for Cindy to call me to figure out what her plans are this weekend.



That was really boring wasn't it? But I guess I don't really care because isn't this kind of like an outlet?? And you can stop reading anytime you want to. :)



Kaleb has been ok today. I'm really stressed. I feel tense all the time. I am hoping that some time away would give me what I needed to make it through next week. I feel really distracted all the time now. Unfocused. Or rather, unable to focus. I am having trouble doing anything around the house-laundry, cleaning, etc...

It has been a really long week. Well...really the last month has been long, but this week has seemed so stressful and difficult to get through. It is actually kind of depressing to me that today has barely started and there is still tomorrow to get through before the weekend.



I took Kaleb to the pediatrician on Monday. He seemed to think that my concerns were valid and suggested that I take Kaleb to see a child phsychologist. He didn't think there was anything physical going on with him.



Tuesday night at counseling Kris and I asked Karen about it. She recommended a lady that takes our insurance...she is a Christian and specializes in working with young children. We have been praying for Kaleb quite a bit. We are thinking that maybe he is sensitive to spiritual warfare or something of the sort. I think the prayers aren't really helping him so much but they are helping Kris and I, I think, to stay focused and try to trust God with how to handle Kaleb.



Today for no reason he just started taking his cereal and milk out of his bowl with his fingers and dropping it on the floor. I just calmly took his bowl and spoon away and out came the anger from him. He screamed in his chair for a while and then got down and knocked his chair over, on purpose. He screamed and yelled and made these ugly noises at me, and then suddenly, he was fine. I don't get it. And recently (this week) he has started to draw these questionable pictures. He is obsessed with his lower body, which the doctor said was not unusual for his age, but twice now I have caught him drawing picture with 'boy anatomy' and he talks about it and laughs as he is drawing them. It's just weird.



There is a fear deep down that Kris and I have, that someone has done something to him. The thing is, we can't figure out who or where or when. We don't leave the kids alone too often and when we do it is usually just with Cindy and Dean, and the thought does not even enter my mind that one of them would be doing something. Kris either. I know that none of us have done anything. And maybe no one else has either. I hope that is the case. But these signs he is displaying and the obsession...it's all just kind of weird.



Anyway, I have an appointment to meet with the psychologist next Wednesday. I hope that I can survive with him until then. On the positive side, Kris only has 3 days of work next week with the holiday and all.



My sister and her fiance are coming into town next Wednesday. That will be fun. We will spend Thanksgiving together and then my sister and I will have our annual (we started last year) stand out in the cold to get some good shopping deals the day after Thanksgiving. That night, as long as we can find a sitter, Kris and I will take Jenny and Raju to the casino, kind of like a bachelor/bachelorette thing for them. It should be fun.



I need to find a stress reliever. I feel so tense and have for the last couple of weeks with Kaleb. It has been very difficult to stay home with him. And yesterday Katherine's teacher told me that for the first time they have had to get onto her for not paying attention at circle time and she has gotten in trouble. I really think it is because of the situation and tension in the home with Kaleb and his behavior. I think it is sad. The fact that she is now being affected during school by it...something is just not right. Hopefully we will get it figured out. I know that God is in control of all things and that He will guide us. I just hope that He gives me extra strength in the process.

Well, I decided that since Jenn and Dacia have started blogging again that I would too now. It seemed like for a while I was the only one blogging!



Life has been rough the past month or so. But by God's grace things are getting better and my relationship with my husband has never been better! I want everyone to know, though I can't go into details about it, Kris was my hero last weekend. He stepped up, was a man, and led our family spiritually and it was awesome to see and renewed my love for him.



Kaleb has something wrong with him. It isn't physical at all. The past 3 weeks he has been so angry and defiant. This is not just typical 3-year-old behavior and anyone that tries to tell me it is can come and live at my house for a while and see for themselves. Kris and I just aren't sure what it is. He has something, maybe emotional or chemical going on with him. At first I thought maybe it was just him reacting to my emotions as for a while I had been in turmoil emotionally. But I have come out of that and the behavior and unreasonable-ness has continued. It is barely 10 in the morning and already we have been through 2 screaming fits, the first of which he got physical and was scratching and kicking me. I can't handle him. I don't know what to do with him and have two times now put him in the sun room and locked the door (I have stayed right there watching him) to keep from hurting him. It's pretty bad. I thought I would be able to wait until next week when he has his routine check up at the doctor, but after this morning, I called and he is seeing the doctor today at 2:30. Something has to change. Kris and I are helpless with him and don't know what to do. Continued prayers would be appreciated, that either God would miraculously take away whatever is affecting him or that the doctors would be able to figure out what is wrong and how to help him. He is just not himself. These moods come rapidly...and then can last as long as a half hour and then immediately he returns to his calm normal 3-year-old boy self. It's strange.



I guess that's all for now. Will update later after I find out what the doc says. Hopefully the appt. will prove helpful and not discouraging for me.

So, here is an amusing and sweet story that almost makes me cry. I am so proud of Katherine and so amazed at how innocent little children are and how big their faith can be.



Abbey decided to take a whole roll of toilet paper and play with it, in the bathroom. Katherine thought she would help clean it up. The yellow trashcan in the bathroom was full, so Katherine decided to just flush it down the toilet.



Katherine came out into the living room where Kris was and said "Daddy the toilet's full of water."



Kris went into the bathroom and decided that the best solution would be to flush it. When asked later (by me after I got home and heard the story) why he didn't just take the toilet paper out, he just had this look on his face. So he proceeds to flush it, causing the toilet to overflow.



In anger, Kris hit the door. It is important to state that this is in anger because it will play a large part in this story. Katherine got upset and started to cry. Kris let her know that he wasn't angry at her and that he was proud of her for trying to help.



They went out of the bathroom and were discussing the whole situation. Kris told Katherine he was sorry for getting angry and said "You get angry too sometimes, don't you?" Katherine said "yes". Kris asked her if she knew what they should do when they got angry. She said "yes" and he said "what?" Katherine said, "I want you to say it with me daddy."



Kris said "Why?" Katherine then said "Because I don't know what it is but I want to say it." Kris told her that they should pray to God to help them when they get angry. They talked some more about stopping and praying when they got angry. So then they prayed together, something about helping them be slow to anger--Katherine was repeating Kris.



Katherine afterwards started talking about the toilet again. She said she didn't know how to fix it and asked what kind of tools Kris had. Kris told her he had a hammer and a saw and some other tools but that they didn't work on toilets. "Let's pray that God helps daddy fix it." So they prayed. Then Kris went into the bathroom, plunged it and the water went back down. Then Kris went to Katherine and showed her that God had answered her prayer. Katherine got really excited. She said, "I can't believe God has tools to fix toilets." And then they just talked about how great God was after that! It was so cute because I came home as they were talking about it when Kat was in bed. And she was SO excited about God answering the prayer about it. It was so cool to see that!



So that was one story. Here is another funny story. It's not the story about how Kaleb keeps painting his fingernails and doing a really good job--that will be saved for a later day. Kaleb 2 nights ago apparently told Kris at bedtime that he had prayed earlier for a baby brother and God said yes. AHH!! Scary huh? But I wouldn't mind if God did tell him yes I suppose. But the problem is that Katherine really wants a baby sister. So tonight, after hearing the toilet story, we were talking and somehow the subject got changed to that of a baby. And we told her that Kaleb had asked God for a brother and asked if she wanted a baby brother. She said no, that she wanted two sisters first and then a brother. (So now I'm up to having 6 kids total!!)



Well, I was getting ready to go out of there and decided to see if she would pray with me before I left. She asked me to do it with her and so I told her I would repeat after her. So she started praying and she said "Dear God..." and then there was this long pause and you could tell she was really thinking about what to say. "God, I pray that I have a sister and that Kaleb doesn't pray for a brother ever again. She thought some more and had this cute smile on her face, and then said "In your name, Amen." It was great!! How funny they can be!

My grandmother turned 80 last week. We had a big bash at my mom's house in Indiana for her. She really enjoyed it. I am hopefully going to get to Florida in a couple of weeks to spend some time with her. It's kind of sad that before this weekend the last time I saw her was 5 years ago at her 75th birthday party. She had never even met any of the kids. Sad, I think. But it is difficult to get to Florida, not to mention expensive. So it isn't like we were avoiding her.



Kris told me a funny story last night. When he was putting the kids to bed, right before they prayed, Kaleb told him "I asked God for a baby brother and He said yes." Interesting. I wonder if that will happen?? We'll see I suppose!



My sister Jenny got engaged this weekend. I can't spell the guy's name-he is Indian and I don't even want to try to mispell his name! He is very nice though, so I'm happy for her. He really seems to care about her and is very kind to her.



Not too much else has happened really. Kind of a boring few weeks.

As crazy as my kids make me at times, I love them more and more each day. Sometimes I look at them and I am amazed that I can feel such great love and appreciation for them. Each day it is more than the day before and if you really think about it, it seems like it isn't possible for that love to keep growing, but it does.



Today they have been so cute. They play "house", or "work" or "doctor"--not the bad kind though, of course. Sometimes they are mommy and daddy and all you hear is their babies crying. That part is annoying, but it is still cute. I start to get onto them for whining and they inform me that it is their babies that are crying. Today Kaleb and Kat were running through the hallway and Kaleb says, "Let's go to my work." I love it when they can actually play well together. And though Abbey can't really talk much, she follows them around mimicking them.



This morning Katherine was singing her ABC's. When she finished, Abbey was sitting there and she looked at her and said "Abbey, sing with me." So Kat started again and you hear her singing and Abbey making all these noises, which is her way of singing. It was adorable!



So, while I still look forward to nap time everyday, I love them. With all my heart. And I wanted to share that.

Kaleb is now 3. We had a birthday party for him Monday night. I think he had fun. Kris let a bunch of the neighbor kids come over. I'll stay away from my perspective on that and just say that I think Kaleb enjoyed it anyway. Kaleb was really excited about all his spiderman deocrations and he got 3 spiderman gifts, so he's loving that. Katherine and Kaleb had a good time Monday morning discovering that they were both 3 at the same time. It was cute.



I need to get back to sewing again. I miss it. I wish that our basement wasn't torn up since all of my stuff is down there. I have projects to work on, but it's so daunting to go down there to get stuff so I just don't. We're all lucky if I get the laundry done. I have it in my head that if only it were main level, I would keep up with it. I think that is just wishful thinking but who knows...it might be true. But I won't know until we have a house with main level laundry!



Having trouble with our van now. We have spent about $1000 between our van and Cindy's (grandad's) car in the last month and now might have problems with our radiator. Hopefully it was just low on antifreeze, but unlikely with the luck Kris and I don't seem to have with cars. Oh well...God has always provided and I know he will continue to.

Well, Katherine's first day of school is officially over. I was so happy to see her again. When we walked into her classroom there was one other boy in there with her--all the other students had left already. And Miss Donna (her teacher, of course) was reading a story to them and Katherine was just sitting there cross-legged listening with her backpack on, waiting to go. I looked inside her backpack and there was a folder in there she had decorated with stickers and inside was this form to fill out, so the teachers and students could get to know her better. I asked Katherine all of the questions and then just put her answers down. I have to share two of them in particular.



There were 2 statements she had to complete: It makes me happy when... and It makes me sad when...



These were Katherine's answer...word for word.



It makes me happy when Kaleb and Abbey and you and Mommy give me a hug and a kiss.



It makes me sad when I have to try to go potty when I don't need to go potty.



I laughed and laughed. It was so cute and funny. That's Katherine for sure!! I'm so proud of her. Right now Kris is making her tell him what she did at school while he videos her. She really had good time and Miss Donna said that she did very well today.

Katherine starts preschool today. It is so exciting. She is SO excited!! Kris is coming home early today so that he can go with me to take her. I feel fine right now, but I don't know how I will feel when it is time to let her go. She will do so well and have a blast and it will be interesting here at home while she is gone, but it is so hard to believe she is old enough to be out of the house without me.



We went to my parents house this past weekend. It was a good trip. Glad to be home though and sleep in my own bed. We are heading back out there in September for my grandma's 80th birthday party. I haven't seen my grandma since her 75th, so it will be nice to sit with her and just play scrabble with her! After all...she is the one who taught and challenged me in that game! Dacia and Jenn....we need to play again!

So, the Evanesence concert was interesting, to say the least. Let's see...the first three bands I did not care for at all. I was hoping that Seether would have more songs that I liked, but no...they just had "Broken" and now I think that the only reason that song is any good is because Amy Lee from Evanesence sings with them. Every band that came out said things like "Hey St. Louis, how the f*** are you?" Or "Let's get this f***ing thing started!" It was horrible. And of course...almost every song had that same word or some form of it in there and so it was just not enjoyable. Amy Lee said that word once in one song...and so it wasn't as bad as the others. And she was really friendly (on stage-because it's not like I met her) and funny. Good performer. Her part of the concert was really good. My tickets ended up being lawn tickets, but it was a beautiful night and Addie and I had a good time. Saw some really WEIRD people there, which we expected but still had fun.



Katherine has her open house tomorrow night for preschool. I can't believe it is here already. She knows her teachers name...every now and then I'll ask her, and she remembers from having been told only 2-3 times that her teacher's name is Miss Donna. I am so excited that she will get to interact with other kids her age and start to learn more than what she does at home. She has a brilliant mind and it will be so cool to watch as she develops. School starts a week from tomorrow. I am hoping that the dynamic between Kaleb and Abbey will change some once Kat is in school. I think it will. I am not expecting miracles with the way that Kaleb and Abbey fight all the time...I just think the whole dynamic of the household will be different and I think it is a change that I am looking forward to. I guess we'll find out.



I had a good weekend. I stayed out at a hotel last night. It was my weekend to be completely kid free. I am really tired right now, so I can't decide if completely is spelled with that extra e before the l or not. I think I have it right. I guess it would have to be otherwise is would sound like com-pleht-ly instead of com-pleet-ly. Anyway, that was interesting and good to know, huh?

So I had a pretty interesting weekend. I kept hearing that Evanesence was coming to the UMB Bank Pavilion on Aug. 13 and so I just started looking around on line to see how much tickets were. But the problem was that I couldn't find anything about it online. Well on Friday I started listening to 101.1 constantly because they were giving away tickets the entire weekend to the 10th caller. So everytime they played Evanesence or Seether, you had a chance to win the tickets. So I started calling Friday night. I got through twice...once I was caller 1 and another caller 3. I gave up for the night and throughout the day on Saturday I made some attempts and never got higher than caller 9. There were two attempts on Sunday and I made Jim and Mary turn their radio on to 101.1 that afternoon while we were playing bridge. So I hear the familiar intro to Seether's song "Broken" and I get my phone out and take my time trying to give the other 9 callers time to get through. Then I dialed. It was busy. So I thought, well, I'll try again.



This time, someone picked up and said "Hi, who's this?" I was kind of in shock, but I managed to say "Jamie." And he says "Hi Jamie. How would you like to be caller #10?" And I said, "I would love to be caller number 10!" So, I won 2 tickets to see Evanesence and Seether this coming weekend! I couldn't believe it. I am still kind of in shock over the whole thing...because I don't win anything...EVER. So, needless to say, I am thrilled and blessed at the same time that though Addie is going out of town for the weekend, she is not leaving until Saturday so she will be able to go to the concert with me, which works out well because I wouldn't want to go with anyone but her! We'll have a blast!



Not much else is really going on right now, but I have to say I have really enjoyed this weather. This morning I sat outside in front with the kids and read while they played...for at least 2 hours. It was nice. It reminded me that I want to go camping again, and soon. Hmm...wonder when we can arrange that.



Katherine has preschool open house next Monday night and then will start school the following Monday. How exciting. Kris is even taking off work that day to take her to school with me. He's cute in how much he wants to see her go off for her first day of school. I bought her a new outfit to wear (my mom always spoiled me that way) and after her open house we will take her shopping for a backpack. She has already informed us numerous times that she would like a Barbie backpack...so that is probably what we will end up getting. She is also very excited about having to bring her own snack to school...I wasn't nearly as excited...but I am going to do my best to remember to send one with her everyday! I figure she and I can go to Sam's and pick out a couple of different snacks for her to alternate. She's going to really like school.

Well, I finally braved the grasshoppers today and went downstairs to do the laundry. Kris' intentions were good...but I am home a lot more than he is. But fortunately, I didn't really see any--yet! I tried not to look or shake clothes out...I just put them in the washer. I'd rather deal with dead ones than ones jumping around as I pick up clothes. I can tell by the weather that I will get a lot done today. I am actually motivated...it could be the thunder outside or the darkness in the house. I like it though because I rarely feel this way, and so stuff rarely gets done!



I can't believe it is already August. Time goes by so quickly. Kaleb with turn 3 this month. I can't believe that. I don't even want to think about the fact that Katherine will be four and going to preschool. Abbey now says mama like all the time. It's cute because the way she says it is just so funny. Her voice goes up at the end and she sounds really emphatic. Her other favorite word right now is uh oh. She has now started to shake her head and say hmm mm...like no. It's funny. If you ask her a question, positive or negative...the response is the same. It will be no time at all before she is talking in sentences.



We finally got life insurance! Very exciting for us. The coverages were a lot better than what we had before from Met and we aren't having to pay more than we anticipated having to pay...and we were anticipating lower coverage. I need to call my mom...she will want to know.

I paid off 2 small credit cards today.  It felt so great!  Sometimes, though I don't understand it, I think the rain motivates me.  Mostly you hear that people feel tired or lazy when it rains.  Apparently I work the opposite way.  I feel tired and lazy when it is bright and sunny out.  I was in a cleaning mode this morning...and it feels good to have some much needed tasks completed.

 

I can't do laundry.  Kris said so, so I will "obey."  He went down last night to put some whites in (he needed socks).  He came back up and said that I couldn't go down there and do laundry...that he would do it.  Confused, but thinking "cool" I asked him why.  Well...we've had grasshoppers in the basement since we moved in.  Apparently, some of them decided to mate and then have babies...right in the middle of the pile of clothes that was down there.  It should teach me to keep up with the laundry...but I doubt it will.  So, Kris was telling me how gross it was, and I was thinking "well, it can't be as bad as the cockroaches we had at the college apartment."  I asked him how bad it was and he said he wasn't sure but he had seen at least 10 small baby grasshoppers!  Yuck!  So, he knows me too well and knows that it will be a bad situation for me to go down there and see them all hopping around.  We need to spray down there.

 

I picked up a Spanish review book/workbook at Borders Monday night and have started going through it.  I am so excited!!  I have so much fun when I am "involved" in any way with Spanish.  What I really want/need is someone hispanic to come and live with me for a while so that I can get some practice conversing.  It's fine to go through grammar and learn vocab...but it would be so much better to actually be able to practice speaking on a regular basis.  Anyone know how I can get someone to come live with me?  I'm serious.  Oh I know...Jenn Reedy, you just come live with me for a while!  :)  You should be pretty good with the Spanish by now!

 

I still need to call a lady about life insurance.  I wish these things didn't keep coming up.  I had made a budget that was going to be really good for Kris and I for after we pay off our debt.  I included everything, or so I thought.  Until today, I didn't realize that it did NOT include life insurance.  There are 5 of us...and we have none at all.  I think I am going to do the Gerber thing with the kids...should be pretty cheap for them at least.  Maybe I'll do that today.

I'm very excited.  Today we got a check in the mail from Metlife for $6500!!  Yippee!!  Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have a bunch of credit card debt to put that on??  Oh well...it will feel so good to take $6000 of that and put it directly on our debt.  That will more than cut it in half!  Yeah...we have a lot of debt!  I say $6000...the downside is that we need new brakes on the van and all that good stuff...so we have to set some aside!



And anytime now, we should be getting 2 other checks from Met.  What a relief it is going to be!  We have vowed NOT to go back into debt.  God help us with that!!!



Abbey was so cute today.  Up to this point, she has not really said "dada/daddy".  Well Kris called today to talk to Katherine about something and so of course all the kids wanted to talk.  And I gave the phone to Abbey and said "tell daddy hi" and she gets this grin on her face and says "hi" and then she said "dada...dada"  It was so cute.  Very very soon she will just take off talking I will not remember what it was like without her talking...but that's ok with me.



Of course the downside to talking is with Katherine right now.  Her favorite phrase right now is "I don't like you..."  Usually it is directed at Mommy...today it was Kaleb, so I told her to go to her room...and THEN it was "I don't like you MOMMY!"  Oh well.  I don't really care.



Jenn...in case you read this and I haven't called you...which day next week (if either of them) work out best for you for dinner--Wed. or Thurs??  Let me know.



I am going out ALONE tonight.  Kris is going camping this weekend, so I get one more night off before the weekend alone starts.  I'm kind of looking forward to it though...the way things have been right now it will be kind of nice I think.  And it will be good for Kris.



Ooh...I was going to take a Spanish class in the fall...but I found this really cool review book/workbook at Borders the other night...and so I am going to go through that.  I think it will be right at my level and very helpful.  I'm very excited about it.   Andy and I were going to take the Spanish class together but I am going to see if he wants to go through the book with me.  We'll see.

I love that I can put pictures on here now. How adorable they all are! 

And look at this cutie now! 

And my other beautiful one, Abbey. So tiny they used to be. 

Does anyone have any doubt that this is Kaleb?? That seemed to fit his personality VERY well!! 

But look at my big boy now! At least he isn't crying in that picture! 

My first beautiful baby girl-Katherine 

How fast Katherine has grown! 

Well Dacia, thanks for making me feel guilty!  :)  I check the blogs quite a bit...but recently just have not had much or wanted to say much.  A lot has been going on, but nothing extraordinary.  Life has just been passing me by.  I get through day to day, not really sure how.  But I make it through.  To say I've been unhappy lately would be an understatement.  I've always heard that years 5-7 really can take a toll on marriages...guess we are finding that out.  Kris impressed me though and made a counseling appointment for Tuesday night.  So maybe we can start to figure out who and where we are as a couple.



On a positive note, Kris and I will be able to pay off ALL of our credit card debt within the next two months.  Kris decided to cash out his 401K from Met and that will arrive by the end of next week.  That will knock out the majority of the debt and then in August we should recieve a little over $3000 from his retirement from Met and that should take care of the rest.  It will be so great.  I wrote everything out today and came up with a budget that will allow us to save but also give us some freedom and flexibility with our finances.  I'm so excited!  Now if we can just stick to that budget!  That will be the hard part.  I need to open a checking account where I transfer all the stuff we are trying to save directly over when he gets paid.  If I don't do that...we might end up finding ourselves in the same place.  This will be the third time we are out of debt...you know how the saying goes.  We'll see!



The kids have been about as crazy as they could be.  This entire week there has not been one calm day.  And I know--can you have a calm day with 3 kids so close in age (or any 3 for that matter)?  Well, there are days that I would consider calm.  There were NONE this week.



My frustration turned to laughter by the end of Tuesday night.  It was just ridiculous.  So, for the most part earlier in the day they were ok.  They didn't really fight much.  Then later on I found an empty koolaid package (black cherry-not that that part is important besides the fact that it is dark red).  I didn't think much of it...until I went into the living room and found a baseball size spot on the carpet where the koolaid had been opened up and poured out.  Now keep in mind that this was just the powder.  I think there was a little milk or water in the center...but I didn't think anything of that either.  Actually I just didn't think.  So, I got the woolite oxy deep out...BIG MISTAKE.  Remember that baseball size spot???  It became, within seconds about the size of a small child!  It wasn't long after that that I decided to give the kids chocolate milk.



So, the chocolate syrup container was empty (or so I thought) and I put it in the trash.  Katherine came into the living room (maybe about 10 mintues after I had TRIED to clean up the koolaid) and said that Kaleb has the chocolate syrup.  So I go into the living room to find that Kaleb had indeed gotten the chocolate syrup bottle which I thought was empty and had proceeded to put that all over the carpet in the giraffe room.  Well, not all over, but ENOUGH.  So, that was interesting...both spots still are not completely cleaned...after about 5-6 applications of spot shot and it still was not clean, I decided to give up for a while.



Okay...so that in and of itself was enough for the day to be "hectic."  Well, during dinner, I had made a comment on the amount of things that had been spilled today (I think there were more before/during those other two that were mentioned).  Seriously...right after I said that, Abbey proceeded to take the lid off of Katherine's sippee cup.  Fortunately it just had water in it...but that ended up all over the floor in the dining room.  I just laughed.  What else could I do???  Okay, now this next story...I am not kidding-happened probably within 10 minutes of the other.



Katherine came into the dining room where we were playing cards.  This is what she says:  "Mommy, Kaleb has the coffee."  My heart sunk.  I knew that meant that not only did he have the coffee (it was the instant kind...coffee grounds...not already made), but that he had most likely opened it up.  Sure enough, as I walk into the giraffe room...coffee all over the entrance to the giraffe room.  I just kind of screamed!  I was in shock I think.



I still shake my head just thinking about it!  I seriously need like a week off.  Other people with jobs get a vacation...can't I have one?  And all of this is WITH me taking wellbutrin!  I can't imagine what would have happened if I hadn't been taking it.  Actually I know what would have happened...either one of my kids would have gotten hurt or I would be in Florida right now staying with my grandma and visiting the beach!



Anyway....I guess that is all that is going on for now.  Dacia, I will try to be better about blogging!  :)  Just teasing you.  I'm glad you had a "good time" with Kyle when he got home! :)



Jenn...when are you going to come over for dinner??



Okay...I see there is a place to upload images on here, so I will try that since I could not get pictures on here the other day.

Katherine said some funny things recently. Yesterday she was walking by Abbey and said "Abbey you're just the cutest baby." And then she turns to me and says "Mommy isn't Abbey a cute baby?" I thought it was funny. And then this morning I was changing Abbey's diaper and she started asking me what was wrong. I wasn't sure what she was talking about, but to set it up, the kids are supposed to have their cups on the table or in the fridge. So she asks what is wrong and I ask her why she's asking that and say that nothing is wrong. And she says "Why aren't you saying anything?" I just looked at her. She said "Well we all have our cups out here-aren't you going to say they need to stay in the fridge?" I love having conversations with her!

Kris and I are very excited! Katherine got placed in preschool for the fall! We didn't know what we were going to do, as we both felt like she would do really well to go ahead and start preschool, but we cannot afford KCA. So, we just kind of left it in the Lord's hands and then I found out that Hazelwood offered preschool. But it is all done by a lottery. The child has to take this Dial 3 Screening thing, and then if they do well enough on that, they will be put into the pool/lottery. And if the child is not placed from the lottery, they go on a waiting list, and depending on where they are on the waiting list, they could be placed that semester or the next year. Kind of up to chance really. And so I took Katherine for her screening--she did really well. On most all things they "tested" her on she was scoring at a 5 and 6 year old level. Pretty cool--of course we are so proud. So, anyway, I got the letter the other day that said not that she was on the waiting list but that she had actually been placed for the 2004-2005 school year afternoon preschool!



I saw Spiderman 2 tonight. I really liked it. I thought it was better than the first, which I liked also. I am not sure though if they left it open for yet another Spiderman film or if that was just the end. I guess we'll see. It seems that in July/August there will be a bad season of movies. On an interesting note, in November there is a movie coming out that is based on John Grisham's "Skipping Christmas" which I think looks really good. The book was okay--but the movie will be with Tim Allen and I just think it will be funny.