I WORKED HARD TODAY

Now I'm tired and I want to take a long, hot bath but will my baby go to sleep so I can? No, he won't. He's just sitting here blowing raspberries and giggling. It's 11:25 p.m. and he's wide awake. Seriously?!

I pulled weeds for hours today. There were a lot of them. I'm not a gardener at all but we have this nice curbed in area in the front of our house that we haven't ever really done anything with (except grow weeds.) Well, I did plant a few things last year but it was minimal. But this year it just filled with weeds and before I knew it they had gotten tall. It's not like we've had good weather here for planting or even weeding yet. But I guess it's been warm enough off and on for the weeds to get through because they survived and were thriving. So, now that I've cleared it all out I can put Grandpa to work designing the front flower garden. He may not be able to plant it but he can design it and tell us what to do. I know he knows how to do that! Once we get it done I will post pictures.

WE REMEMBER--SOME GAVE ALL; ALL GAVE SOME

We had a fun time today watching the Indy 500 with Dad and Mom. Rob's brother came over, too and we had a feast. Mom spent most of yesterday cooking and part of today. Dad's tradition is to make homemade Lemonade on Memorial Day Weekend so he did that. It was great! We had some fun family time which is always nice. We were so full though it almost felt like Thanksgiving!

We are hoping to pull weeds and turn over some ground tomorrow and get a garden put in. That would be really nice! My husband actually has the holiday off. Yay!

Finally, I want to say thanks to all those who are serving and who have served in the armed forces. I'm especially mindful and grateful to those who have given their lives for our country and our freedom. We remember that you gave all. Thank you to those of you who are serving and protecting us now. You honor us and we are grateful. You have our unending gratitude. We will always remember.

GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES!

Grandma has been busy today preparing an Indy 500 feast for tomorrow. Turns out we can actually watch the race here on TV.  This will be the first time Mom and Dad have ever been able to watch the race without being in the stadium so they are excited. We have some family coming over and we are going to eat and watch the race together. We think it will be a really fun afternoon.

Today we've pretty much been playing catch up for all the things we didn't get done the rest of the week. Nothing much to tell. We still haven't been able to plant our garden yet, though. It's either been too wet or too cold to prepare the ground. Hoping that will change soon. It was a nice day today and we sure hope we have more of those coming.

Took this picture of Dad with our pup Sadie. Mom thinks it looks a little like the RCA dog (just in the posing). Can't tell who spoils the dogs can you? Or should I say, can't tell who's the sucker? Lol!

COUPLE THINGS

I got up early today and went to a funeral. One of my really close friends lost her sister this week to Cancer after a long battle and hard fought battle. I took Jonathon with me and left Carly with Grandma and Grandpa--you know, divide and conquer. Anyway, the funeral was a very sweet, touching tribute to a lovely woman and her loss is going to be keenly felt. We'll miss you Vickie.

Rob actually got home from work at a normal time tonight. It was nice to have him home for dinner with the family. He's put in a bit of overtime the last few weeks so we had kind of forgotten what he looked like. Lol! Hopefully, we can have a long, slow weekend together as a family and watch the Indy 500! That's right! Mom, checked it out and found out we can actually watch it out here from the comfort of our living room. Ya'll stop by now!

MY LITTLE GUY IS GROWING UP

I found him just gazing out the window this morning. And I thought, isn't he adorable? So, I got out the camera and took a couple of photos. Then I went to put the camera back on the shelf and by the time I got back he was sitting on the floor chomping on a piece of dog food. Gag! Woof! Dang, he crawls fast! Don't worry, I got it out of his mouth. Although, he didn't know what all the fuss was about. He just wanted something to eat and he was helping himself! Boys!

LITTLE MAN IS DOG'S BEST FRIEND

Carly and Jonathon were both having some crackers this morning. Carly is a little more adept at hanging on to her food than Jonathon is. By that I mean that we have two always hungry dogs who love to follow anyone who is toddling around dangling food from their body. Jonathon, as you might guess is an especially easy target. Sadie, our puppy with the new haircut, got ahold of one of Jonathon's crackers and ate it. NowJonathon didn't seem to mind at all but it made Carly darn mad. The next thing I heard was "NO SADIE! TIME OUT! TIME OUT SADIE, YOU TIME OUT! NO EAT JONANAN'S CACKER, TIME OUT!"

Carly was not successful in getting Sadie to sit in a timeout but it wasn't for lack of trying. I'll bet you can't tell what kind of discipline we use at our house, can you?

KISS MY BOO BOO MOM -- NO MATTER WHERE IT IS

It's a Mom's job to kiss boo-boos and make them feel better. And frankly, I don't know of any medicine or surgery that works better on a wound than a mother's kiss. It heals them instantly--even the perceived ones. Carly has definitely bought in to the whole "kiss a boo-boo" miracle medicine only Mommy can give. She comes to get that kiss for every injury. Although, I must say she did stump me a couple of days ago when she came running with tears in need of a boo-boo healing kiss. Yep, turns out the boo-boo was on her tongue and she wanted Mommy to kiss it. I tried to explain to her that it wasn't a really good idea but that only made her cry harder. I told her I would kiss her face and that would make her tongue feel better. That wasn't good enough either. "No, Mommy kiss tongue! Make better."  Hmmmm. Dilemma. Yuck! Darn. I tried again. I suggested that maybe Mommy could kiss lips and that would make tongue better. "No. Kiss tongue. It hurt."  I grabbed her by the face and smooched up her lips and gave her a kiss and just as I thought I was about to conquer the situation and say "There, all better" out came that little tongue and sure enough, I kissed it! Yuck! Darn! EW! GROSS! THERE, ALL BETTER! (And it was.)

I have a crazy two year old--or haven't you noticed?! But then, she has a crazy mother, too! Lol!

BUCK NAKED SADIE

I love dogs but I hate the dog hair! Once a year or so we treat ourselves to Sadie's haircut. It's a beautiful thing. We have her shaved buck naked bald! She loves it because she doesn't have to pant so hard to cool herself off and we love it because we don't have to follow her around with the vacuum cleaner. It's the darndest thing with her, though. When the groomer shaves her fur off all her color comes off, too. Now she still has a layer of fur on her. That is to say, that's not her skin you are looking at. But, all the color you see in the "before" is in the grown out length of her hair. The shorter her hair gets, the less color there is in it. I've never seen anything like it before--and I've had other dogs shaved. It's just kind of unique.

Without further ado, here's Sadie before her shave:

and Sadie after her shave:

and yes, those are little pink bows on her ears. I didn't do it, the groomer did. Lol! I do think it's kind of cute, though. Don't you?

She doesn't even look like the same dog, does she? Mom and I didn't recognize her when we walked in to get her. I never do when she gets shaved. It's just such a different look for her. But she's so much cooler for summer this way. It's a good thing for all of us.

SPAGHETTI BOY

We had Spaghetti with meatballs for dinner. This was Jonathon's first time to eat Spaghetti. I think he did pretty darn good. He seemed to get the hang of it right away. I'm just glad we started him out slow with no sauce and no meatballs. I think we would have had a real mess on our hands had we given him the whole sha-bang! As it was, when I pulled him out of the high chair he was covered with noodles all the way to his toes! No kidding! Don't know how he did it--but he managed!       

                                     

By the way, Grandma and Grandpa did get back safely from their trip to Sarah's and are no worse for the wear!                     

HE JUST CALLED ME MOM!

Just as I was starting to write this Jonathon said "Mom". Yay! My baby said "Mom"! And it's not a fluke because he keeps saying it over and over. That is the best sound in the whole world!

O.K., now for what I was going to write. Mom and Dad took a trip up to see Sarah today. We've all been pretty worried about her and with her just getting out of the hospital they were pretty anxious to see how she was doing. They spent the afternoon and part of the evening with her and her family. They are about 2 1/2 - 3 hours from here and are going to spend the night there and then head back tomorrow morning when they wake up.

I talked to Mom a few hours ago and she said Dad was pretty worn out from the trip but had done okay otherwise. Well, that's the news from here for now. Night all.

GRANDPA AND THE KIDDOS

Grandpa had just gotten back from his doctor appointment the other day when Jonathon decided he wanted to sit on his lap. It suprised all of us to find him because Grandpa's shoulders hurt him so much he usually can't lift him. But sure enough he had  actually pulled him up shoulders hurting and all. He said he couldn't have done it if Jonathon hadn't really wanted up there. I believe it too because Jonathon really loves his Grandpa!

Then for sure Carly had to join in because not only does she absolutely adore her Grandpa but anything Jonathon does

Carly must do also!

A SHORT UPDATE

Dad's appointment went really well today. His doctor thinks that his blood pressure has been changing a bit too much. He takes it everyday and it has been up and down a lot. So, she is putting him back on one of his blood pressure meds. He had managed with his cardiologist to get off all of those meds just after his surgery but it seems like maybe going off all of them was a bit much. His body seems to need just a little something to help regulate his blood pressure. The doc thinks that will help increase his energy level. Hopefully, we will see that happen soon.

As far as Sarah goes, she is still in the hospital but there is a good chance they will let her go home tomorrow. They still haven't figured out exactly what is going on. They are now thinking she may have some auto-immune problem. She is still not feeling very good and can use all the prayers you can spare.

That's the news from here for today.

A FEW THINGS FROM MY BRAIN

Sarah is still in the hospital. It did not end up being what they thought it was yesterday. The infection in her kidneys is fairly severe. They have her on some pretty strong antibiotics she will need to continue for about six weeks even after they release her. The did further tests today to see if she might have a heart valve problem but we have not heard the outcome of those tests yet. Please, please keep her in your prayers. I will update this if we learn anything new tomorrow.

Dad has the appointment with his regular doctor tomorrow--you know, the one he was supposed to have last week. So, I will give you and update from that as well. He has just been wearing out really quickly. Other than that he is fine. :}

My two year old has mood swings, but then so does her mother! That's probably not news--especially to those of you who have or have ever had a two year old--so I will just leave it at that. It was nice to get her in bed tonight and I will be happy when she wakes up in a good mood tomorrow. That always starts the day off nicely.

Well, if I say any more I could incriminate myself. So, good night all!

A LITTLE NEWS . . . SOME GOOD, SOME NOT SO MUCH

Took Dad and Mom to the shoulder surgeon today. Mom got some great news! The doctor thinks her shoulder can be good as new in no time with a cortisone shot! So, he gave her one right there on the spot! Actually, it can take up to a week to work. The numbing medicine in it helped her arm feel a little better right away but we should know something within a few days. He said if this one doesn't work they will do an MRI to check for a tear but he really doesn't think there is one. She can always have a second shot in 2-3 months, also if this shot works but just needs a little refresher. He also told her she could quit going to physical therapy but just continue the exercises at home if they were helping.

Dad got all his questions (at least the ones he has at the moment) answered for his surgery. He's scheduled to have his left shoulder done in late August. They took a couple more X-Rays of his shoulder from different angles just to be sure they had the best look at it possible. So, everything looks like it's a go for August.

I didn't write this news in here yesterday because we had no idea what was going on yet. Sarah, my younger sister is in the hospital. She thought she had the flu off and on for about a week. Her temperature would spike for a day or two and she would get really sick. Then she'd have a day or two when she'd feel better and it would start all over again. A couple days ago her temperature got really high and she got sick again so she went to the doctor. The doctor hospitalized her. They are running every test they can think of and she has been through several "possible" diagnoses but nothing firm yet. It looks (fingers crossed, knock on wood) like she could have an infection in one of her kidney's that may be causing all this rukus. They are going to start her on some IV antibiotics to see if that starts to help. In the meantime, they are still sleuthing for the problem just in case that isn't it. I'm sure she would appreciate your prayers. I know we all would. I will keep you posted on her progress.

Well, I'd better get some sleep. It will be morning before I know it!

OH-DO-DOKEY!

That's how Carly says her latest word Okey-dokey! I don't even know who she heard say okey-dokey but that's how she says it. Kids really are the darndest thing!

I just had my second ten minute conversation with her trying to convince her that the doors on matchbox cars do not open. (At least the ones she has don't.) She keeps bringing them to me and asking me to open the doors and then getting mad at me when I won't open them.) I explain it's "can't" not "won't" but she doesn't believe me. Silly mommy! Of course car doors open! I mean, how dumb are you? Seriously, Mommy?

I am amazed at how quickly Jonathon is picking things up from her. He is doing his level best to stay one step behind her, or is that one step ahead. She colors--so he loves anything to do with coloring. The paper tastes good. The crayons taste good. The coloring books rip apart really nicely! You get the drift. It annoys Carly and keeps Mommy on her toes!

Tomorrow Grandma and Grandpa both have appointments with the shoulder surgeon. They see him just a few minutes apart. I'm pretty sure that means they see him at the same time. I am going with them to make sure I get all the scoop and all the questions asked. I will be sure to report back here tomorrow what we learn. OH-DO-DOKEY?!

ISN'T SHE LOVELY . . .

ISN'T SHE WONDERFUL . . .

This little girl is so full of life and fun! She sure keeps our world moving and shaking! She is such a precious miracle in our lives! We absolutely adore our sweet Carly! Love you little girl!

SPEAKING MOSTLY TO ME

Yesterday a wedding. So of course today would bring a funeral. It so happened that one of my dear friends lost her father last week and the funeral was today. It was a very sweet, touching service. Her father had lived a very honorable, good life and had made a solid contribution to the world. My friend gave a Life Sketch (Eulogy) and her brother spoke as well. Their father lived 85 years on this earth before he heard a doctor tell him he was going to die. He got the news less than 3 weeks ago and his response was simple. He said; "Well, I knew I would have to leave here someday. I guess I know now, when and how." He'd been given a diagnosis of advanced Pancreatic Cancer and it moved extremely rapidly. He was blessed not to suffer much pain with it before he died.

One of the stories his son told was how he'd been working on his life history and when he got the diagnosis and learned how little time he had left he was worried he might not be able to finish it. He asked his son to get him a mini-tape recorder so he could tape record the rest of it instead of write it out. His son did so but the disease moved so quickly his Dad was unable to even speak for most of the two and a half weeks before he died. This man had lived such a good life and worked so and do for his family and serve others and write his history that I'm certain one of his children will finish it for him. I write that part of the story only because it made me think once more not to put off the things that are important until tomorrow.

I have another friend whose sister is dying. She probably has only a week or two left at most. She has raised her kids--well, her youngest is 19--so almost raised them. I get updates from her almost daily. They are not just about what her sister can't do anymore but about the blessings her sister finds in the smallest things. They are about what her sister values most. They are about the people she loves, the relationships she nurtures, the things she spends her time on--the moments when she feels good enough to do something. Those precious few moments of each day she has left. Her note today talked about how in a conversation with her sister she learned that until her sister got the diagnosis of terminal cancer--until it came back the second time--she felt she had not really begun to live her life. She had already been through breast cancer and that had not done it. It was this second, terminal cancer that really made her understand what it meant to live life, to see and count every blessing, to not take anything for granted, to love every breath you take.

Between these two situations--my mind has been working all day. I hope it doesn't take something as serious as one of these situations for me to really see the blessings in my life, to show gratitude for all that I've been given, to pick up the phone when I'm thinking of someone and tell them I love them, to learn to never leave anything important unsaid, to stop holding grudges, to be anything except loving and kind--BECAUSE life is too darn short! And we never know when we will see someone for the last time. We never know when our ride is up. We simply need to take greater care with and of each other.

If there is someone out there you've been meaning to call but haven't gotten around to -- PICK UP THE PHONE NOW! If there is someone you need to forgive--DO IT. It won't get any easier! Just do it! If there is someone you need to ask forgiveness of DO THAT TOO! That won't get easier either! Don't miss your opportunity to do what's right, what's good, what you should do, what you want to do, what you came to do. I love you, N.

NO KISSY FACE HERE

We went to a wedding tonight for someone we don't know extremely well. It was not the first marriage for either the man or the woman. One is widowed, the other divorced. They seem well suited to each other. It was a very sweet, dignified ceremony. The Bishop pronounced them husband and wife and then turned to the husband and said, "You may now kiss your bride." The husband turned to his bride and she jumped (literally) a good six inches away from him and said "Don't kiss me in front of the Bishop and all these people" and put her hands over her mouth!  Everyone burst out laughing but she wasn't kidding. She smiled but didn't let the groom kiss her. The Bishop said, "This isn't anything I had on my agenda" and everyone laughed again. She grabbed his hand and they went to the reception but he still didn't get to kiss the bride. Now we aren't talking kids here. These two are in their late 50's. It was the oddest ending to a wedding I've ever been to. I'm hoping the marriage goes much better than the wedding! Lol!

THE DOCTOR IS NOT IN

So, today's doctor appointment didn't actually end up being TODAY. Yep, that's what I said. The girl who scheduled it misunderstood what Mom asked, which was if the doctor could see Dad today or tomorrow. She told Mom "Yes," to bring him in Thursday at 11:30." When Mom and Dad got there today they found out the doctor is out of the office for four days and the appointment had been set for next Thursday. Oh well, stuff happens. They got some running around done while they were out so it wasn't a total loss. At any rate, we will all have to wait for a health update on Dad until we actually get one! Lol!

Well, the report from our family today is that Bubby is doing a lot more standing up any and everywhere he can hold on to something. He and Carly both think Grandpa's walkers are their personal jungle gyms. (Grandpa has 3 different walkers around the house.) They love to climb them and try to do tricks on them. We are constantly pulling them off so Grandpa can actually use them.

Rob took his brother Steve golfing today for Steve's birthday. They got rained out on the last nine holes. I think it was okay since Steve tells me Rob was losing badly. Of course, that's just Steve's version. I have yet to hear Rob's. He'll probably tell me he was letting Steve win for his birthday or something like that. Hee, hee, hee!

Well, as you can see it was a pretty non-eventful day here. As they say, no-news is good news. Love ya, N.

REPORTING IN AND LIGHTS OUT

Dad is heading back to the doctor (his regular one) for a check-up tomorrow. Nothing serious but it just seems like he's not moving as quickly as he was a few weeks after the surgery. We think it's time for a lube and oil and maybe a quick tire rotation! Lol! Seriously though, Mom talked to a physical therapist she is working with today and their thought was that maybe Dad should have kept on doing PT after the home care ended to keep his strength up. He's also off a ton of medications (which is a good thing in our book) so that could be changing things up a bit as well. It just seems he is wearing out a bit quicker than before so we need to see what's going on.

Next week Dad has a meeting with the surgeon who will be doing his shoulder surgery. That is scheduled for the end of August. Mom is going to see the same surgeon on the same day to have him look at the shoulder she has injured helping lift Dad. Hopefully, it isn't serious enough to need surgery but we are starting to think it's a rotator cuff tear. Yikes. She has been hurting for quite some time so it would be great to find out what is going on and get her out of pain.

I didn't get a lot accomplished today. (Do I say that a lot? It sure feels like it.) Although, I did have a fun day with the little ones. I went over to my friend Robin's with Carly and Jon. She was doing a craft day for the neighborhood toddlers--about 10 of them. So, I helped her with that and then the kids got to play outside and have fun. It was the first day this week nice enough to be outside. They all had a great time. Robin and I got to chat and just enjoy each other's company, too. I didn't take any pictures today but she has a little girl that is a month or so older than Jon. It's their first girl after 4 boys and Jon, of course, is our first (living) boy after 5 girls. So it's kind of fun for both of us to compare. Below is a picture I took last month of our two youngest together. They really adore each other. Her little girl's name is Ellie. She's a real cutie!

Well, not much else is happening here--that is except for the fact that Rob has tomorrow off so he is letting me go to bed EARLY tonight and he is getting Jonathon to sleep. So GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE! It's only 8:20 p.m. here and this tired Momma is going lights out! Yay!

SOMETIMES IT'S BETTER TO WATCH THAN LISTEN

Jonathon actually said "mom" today. I didn't capitalize it because it was just a sound Megan coaxed him into saying. He has no idea it means me. But it was fun to hear him say it. He's been saying Da' Da' for several weeks now and I think he's beginning to get the idea that it means Rob. It's fun to watch those associations start to take place.

I let Carly have her friend Isaac over today to play. I was busy feeding and taking care of Jonathon so I had them play in her room. I wasn't more than 15 steps away from the room so I could pretty well hear what was going on. Every few minutes I would stick my head in to make sure they weren't destroying the universe or killing anything living. The first time I stuck my head in they were each standing opposite ends of Carly's bed. Issac was on the headboard frame and Carly was on the foot board frame getting ready to jump into the center of the mattress so they could jump up and down on the bed. This is a two and three year old. How do they learn these things?! Anyway, I told them "NO", got them down and got them busy playing with toys again. Then I went back to feeding Jonathon.

A few minutes later I noticed something strange. It was too quiet. They were't making any noise. I went to investigate. They had removed one of her small drawers of hair clips and barrettes and were playing with them in not so hair-friendly ways. They had already been forbidden to touch these drawers on more than one occasion (especially Carly) and were even told today right when they went in the room to play not to touch them. Plus, the last time Issac visited, Carly and another friend, a girl, put lots of the pretty clips all through his hair. It was surprising, yet adorable when we opened the door and found him looking so pretty. :)  But I digress. I took these away from them; put them back in drawer and reminded them not to touch them. I then drew their attention back to the toys and I went back to Jonathon.

So Dad and I are both in the living room with Jonathon when the next thing happens. I hear a funny sound. It's a shhh-shing sound. I hear it three times coming from Carly's room. I think--"Are they sophisticated enough to make that sound with their mouths?" (Silly mommy. I am slow on the uptake today.) Of course not! I put Jonathon down and run toward Carly's room. I get there just in time to see Carly with an almost empty can of Coppertone Water Babies (Aerosol spray sunscreen for kids) which had been almost full aimed directly at Big Tom, her huge white Teddy Bear and her Giant Raggedy Ann. Some of the sunscreen had run down into her hand when she sprayed it and she looked up at me and said "Mom, sticky." Yah, so let's suffice it to say that Big Tom and Raggedy Ann can go hang out at the pool all summer long if they want and won't get sunburned any time soon.

As for Mom, she's getting a time-out. Lol!

SOME MORNINGS WHEN I LOOK IN MY MIRROR . . .

I FEEL THIS WAY TOO!

Isn't this funny? He climbed his way up and held onto the mirror all by himself. I think his distress actually is that once he got ahold of the mirror he wasn't quite sure how to let go of it and sit down again. The mirror is just leaning against the wall and I think he realized it would probably come down with him if he didn't do it just right. No worries, Momma saved him but not until she took the shot! Lol!

JONATHON ROBERT STEVEN IS ALL OFFICIAL AND EVERYTHING

And ain't he cute? Aren't they all cute? Julie had just finished Carly's hair and shot this photo of Rob with Carly and Jonathon right before Church. Carly is camera shy lately. We have to catch her unaware to get her real smile!

We had a really nice lunch after church with Susan and her family. This next picture is of Susan's two girls Ashley and Alyssa. Ashley is 15 and Alyssa is 18. Sarah's family was also going to be here but Sarah got really sick so they weren't able to make it. We hope she is feeling better soon.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Today was a beautiful day. It was about 65 degrees out and felt like shirt sleeve weather. It was surprising given that when we went to bed last night it was freezing. I was sure we were going to wake up to snow today. Thank goodness we didn't. We really want to get our vegetable garden planted. I don't want when we will stop having freezing weather but I do hope it's soon. I'd also like to plant some flowers soon, too. The only ones that seem to flourish at this moment are dandelions. Yuk!

Tomorrow on Mother's Day Jonathon is going to be blessed at church. We call it giving him a name and a blessing. It's something that is normally done in our church when a baby is first born. However, the schedule changes when a baby is adopted. We have to wait until everything is legal which in our case took eight months. (I say Legal Schmegal!) Once the baby's adoption is finalized in the court system then we can be sealed to him and have him blessed. We had Jonathon sealed to us on the 24th of April and tomorrow he will be blessed. For those of you who have never attended a blessing Rob and some other family members and friends who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood will lay their hands on his Jonathon's head and then Rob will formally gives him his name and a blessing for his life. It's a pretty neat experience.

Now in case you don't know Jonathon has a lot of names. When you are the only son (after 5 daughters) there is a lot to live up to. Jonathon is named after his Dad, both Grandfathers and his favorite uncle. Thus, Robert Jonathon Steven. In the beginning, he was a pretty tiny guy to have such a big name but trust me he is growing into it quickly and nicely. In fact, if he gets as big as we're thinking he is going to we may need to add a couple more names! Lol!

In closing, let me just say Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mother who is one of my best and closest friends. I love her so much! Thanks so much for everything Mom. You're the best!

Also, Happy Mother's Day to all of you. Thanks for the mothering you do for your own children and others. You make this world a better place. I honestly believe the saying, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." Love you all, Nancy

OH YAH, WE HAD VISITORS!

I completely forgot (which is SO unlike me--yah right) to mention that we had some Greencastle visitors about a week ago! Bob and Martha Sechman stopped by on their way home from their Winter sojourn in Arizona. Yes, they took the long way around (but it was worth it!) Mom and Dad had a terrific visit them and were so glad to see familiar faces! If any of you are ever in the area be sure to stop by. We would love to see your face!

Well, I did a little better today. I even got on the treadmill. Yes, I did. I thought it would kill me but I stayed on it. My stamina seems to be gone but I tied a rope and hung on. I walked for an hour even though it wasn't very fast. I managed to walk just over three miles. It's the first exercise I've pulled off in about two weeks. Yikes! I need to do more. Hope I can keep it up. Hate this time of year when pollen pulls me down!

Jonathon is determined to walk soon! He pulls himself up a little better each day. This little punk is strong and determined. His just bigger than him sister had better look out and be a little softer with him. One of these days if she isn't nicer to him he is going to clock her! Crazy girl!

Well, it's late and I'd better get myself in bed. Yay, it's Julie's night with Jonathon. I get to sleep tonight. :) Thanks Julie!

I GOT UP TODAY

I showered, gave the babies a bath, watched cartoons with them, fed them, put them down for a nap, put on makeup and did my hair and by the time I was done it was only 6:00 p.m.. Ever feel like you are functioning in a fog? Yah, me too. Hey, but at least today I was functioning!

Hubby was working more overtime so he didn't get home until almost 9:00 p.m. Poor guy has been putting in tons of hours. He is training a new guy and when that guy is up to speed he won't have to put in so many hours but it takes about three months to know what is going on.

Jonathon's front bottom teeth are almost all the way in. He looks cute with them. I've never seen a baby drool as badly as he does. I keep a bib on him all the time but he soaks the bib, too. He is always wet! I wish he would get past drooling stage. I'll bet he does, too. He crawls fast now and he is already standing himself up by grabbing onto things like the table or the couch. This little guy is going to walk early. We are in real trouble. Two toddlers = constant surveillance! Lol!

I need to get my mind and my energy back. If any of you run into them, please send them my way. :)

ALLERGIC TO TIREDNESS?

I hate this time of year when the pollen count is sky high and my energy level is SO low. It always takes me awhile to figure out what is going on, too. My migraines get worse and I can't find the energy to get out of bed, my eyes ache and itch and all I want to do is sleep. The last two days I have spent the majority of the day in bed, not necessarily asleep mind you. Part of that time I've had little ones crawling all over me but anytime I could get them to take a nap at the same time, I was out. Thank goodness for Grandma because she watched Jonathon when Carly took a nap so I was able to get a nap on Tuesday, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten one. Today, I actually got them down at the same time. Woohoo! My poor house, though. YeGads! It is suffering. Hopefully, I will feel better enough to get a handle on it sometime this week. Of course, it isn't helping my fatigue that Jonathon still doesn't go to bed early and isn't sleeping through the night yet. We are working on that.

Well, I did just get him down so I had best get in bed myself while I can. Love you all. Night.

AN AMAZING TRUE STORY

This is a video of a woman who along with her husband survived a small plane crash in 2008. The pilot, a good friend of theirs was killed. She writes a blog called the Nie Nie Dialogues that is really inspiring but I ran across this video yesterday and it was so powerful and inspiring to me I knew I should share it with all of you. She is an amazingly strong woman. I can't imagine being able to do as well in her shoes. Wow, what a woman! May God bless Stephanie Nielsen every day of her life with every ounce of strength, faith and hope she needs to be all she wants and needs to be while she's here on earth. Click on the link below to watch this story.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHDvxPjsm8E

TEACHER'S CONFERENCE, BABY FOOD AND BITING--OH MY!

Rob and I went to parent teacher conference for Julie tonight. It was hardly necessary as she is a really good student and her teachers like her really well, too. She needs to do better about turning in her assignments and can improve a little here and there but overall she's an excellent student.

I find it so interesting to watch the regression of my two year old as Jonathon progresses. He is crawling full speed now and can say "Da-Da." You will probably be just as impressed as I am to know that Carly can now do those things just as well as Jonathon, if not just a little bit better! Lol! Everytime he says "Da Da" and gets praised for it she says it several more times a little more loudly so we can praise her too. If he crawls, she crawls. If he eats baby rice with baby food bananas, that's what she eats. Nevermind the fact that I couldn't get her to eat much of that stuff when she was his age! All of the sudden, whatever baby does, Carly does. It's rather hillarious and pitiful at the same time. And trust me, it's not that she lacks for attention! This is one little girl that gets PLENTY of attention. She just likes the attention brother is getting. I just have to smile at it and give her the praise and attention she apparently thinks she needs. Otherwise, I think baby brother will get punched or bitten more than he already has. Oh, have I forgotten to mention that?

Yah, we have had a few incidents where big sister was checking the sharpness of her teeth on her baby brother--once on his toe and once on his finger. She did it to me once as well. Trust me, they are sharp and she got in BIG trouble. She has also just turned around and punched him or smacked him for NO reason at all. Well, no reason we could ascertain -- other than pure jealousy. So, we don't leave big sister alone with little brother even for a few minutes--even when they are getting along famously. That's usually when something happens, when all is well.

And really those incidents have been rare compared to how loving Carly usually is with Jonathon. She really does seem to adore him and he, her. They delight in each other's company and giggle and play together really well. Jonathon just lights up when she comes in to see him when he first wakes up and she just dances around and laughs and teases him. It's really a very cute relationship they are building--one based on much more than the sharing of baby food. Lol!

HOW CAN YOU NOT

FALL HEAD OVER HEALS FOR THESE TWO FACES? AREN'T THEY JUST SO ADORABLE?

Jonathon

Carly

STOP COLORING MY WORLD, I MEAN WALL!

I ran errands again today and left Julie to watch the babies. (Note to self--stop doing that! lol!) When I got home AGAIN baby girl had made Crayola her God and the wall her Canvas. Same exact spot; same exasperated sister. Only this time baby girl had been grounded--that's right grounded from coloring for the rest of the day. Good job big sister! Carly still doesn't understand what she did wrong. That is, she asked to color for the rest of the day and we would remind her that she colored on the wall and so she was not allowed to. She just looked at us confused. I imagine to a 2 year old those big white walls do look just like a huge canvas that need a splash of color. She probably thinks she is creating a mural for us and that we will be so thrilled when we see her artwork. Imagine her disappointment when we don't react the way she expects. :(

Oh, to be a two year old and to have such innocence again. It's so easy to get frustrated with her when she acts out but there are lots of moments when it is equally easy to stand back and look at big walls and see them as canvasses in a two year old mind. I love being a Mommy! I love trying to imagine what is going through her little mind. I love seeing her see something for the first time, hearing her say a new word, watching absolute glee come across her face because her little brother crawled over and kissed her forehead. I love the excitement on her face when she sees me for the first time each morning. I love the way she says M-O-M-M-Y! I love everything about this little girl--and I love Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Extra Power! Don't ever stop coloring my world sweet Carly--but please, stop coloring the wall before you give Julie a nervous breakdown! :}

WILL COLOR FOR GUMMIES!

Went to visit my mother-in-law today who had her knee replaced. She is doing really well. When we got home Julie was quite exacerbated, Carly was in a time out and Jonathon was just crawling around not quite knowing what to think. Turns out Carly had decided to use the hallway wall as her canvas. You know, have crayons--will color! Julie had been working feverishly to remove the Crayon from the wall. Carly was crying hysterically in her room (Not because she was sorry because she wanted to come out and color some more.) Poor Jonathon just looked terribly confused when we walked in. I think Julie might have thought she would get in trouble for the wall but I just looked at her and said "Julie, she's two. She's going to color on walls. Don't let it get you so upset. It comes off." She looked a little bit relieved at that point--though I think if I'd taken her pulse or blood pressure they would have both been high. Carly's too. I'm not sure you should leave a 16 year old sibling with a two year old sibling for longer than two hours and expect them both to be thriving when you come home. I think it was a darn good thing Grandma was in the basement or we might have come home to some serious carnage.