A Pirate Says....

Bait and Swap....

2010-02-05T14:55:00.003-05:00

(In full disclosure, this picture is a couple months old but I cant help but be in love with it)

I just watched Q pull a bait and swap on C. She was laying on the floor playing with something (a little zippered bag, nothing that would have hurt her and she was happy so I just let her) and Q baited her with a monster truck (a baby monster truck...no worries) and swapped it out. He did it effortlessly. It made me think I must have baited and swapped him many times before for him to do it so well.

What I dont get is that he has watched me do the dishes and yet he has NO clue how to do those!

Incredibly proud of my husband....

2010-01-21T10:37:00.003-05:00

I just had to say that I am incredibly proud of my husband. When our daughter was born in July, I think he was at his all time high for weight (possibly due to indulging in all of my cravings with me!)...but where as I gained weight while I was pregnant...I had the benefit of dropping a bunch of weight in just a matter of a few minutes...he didnt.

Between Calia's birth and the beginning of January he lost 25 lbs!!!! He is now nearly at 30 lbs loss. Whats his secret? Changing the way he ate and he has been working out like a maniac.

I am working my way down too. Since December 29th, I have lost 11 lbs. It may sound like it was extremely fast, but by changing the way I ate as well as trying to get in a little exercise every day, its totally feasible...think about those people on The Biggest Loser who lose 20+ pounds in a week.

Anyway...I'm not trying to brag...but I'm on my way down and I NEVER want to see that 3-digit number I just passed up EVER again (unless its in monetary form with my name on it!).

Our cute kids.... (and a shout out to our favorite photog)

2010-01-12T12:01:00.006-05:00

We have been blessed with these amazing kids.

Jackson turns 7 this year (SEVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) he is this amazing smart little man. He is so much like his daddy (but a little like me too). He has definitely inherited our love of reading. He is about 3/4 of the way through the 2nd book in the fudge series. He started the series around Christmas time. According to his teacher there are 18 "levels" that they like the kids to be through by the end of the school year, and he is at level 17 of 18. He got straight A's for his 2nd 9 weeks of school and is doing great. We loved having him home for Christmas break, but we were ALL ready for him to go back.

Quinten is our little comedian...on his way to being a class clown once he gets to school (and may I add, that is the goal for the year...get this kid into school!) . He has this charm that is both frustrating yet it invites you in. You can't help but love this kid. They say God never gives you more than you can handle, yet sometimes...I wonder.

Calia is our sweetheart. She is very particular as we like to say, she expects to be held a specific way. And daddy can hold her one way and she is frustrated and I do the same exact thing and she is happy as a clam. She is working on sitting up without toppling over and loves to bounce. She loves for Jackson to hold her and he is really great at helping with her. Quinn makes her laugh and is her fun time go-to guy.

We could not have asked for better kids.

(Shout out to our favorite photog, Tony of MA Photography for this fab pic of all 5 of us!)

2010-01-12T12:00:00.001-05:00

I can blog from my phone? So says Blogger.

Happy New Year...guess what....

2010-01-12T11:52:00.002-05:00

I'm fat.

The wiifit told me so.

What do I plan to do about it? Not really sure. I am not really the diet type, plus I'm nursing. So what are my options?

A gratuitous shot

2009-07-12T09:40:00.000-04:00

Introducing....

2009-07-09T09:35:00.000-04:00

Jackson and Quinten are proud to announce....

Calia Lisette Chisholm

July 4, 2009
10:09 am
6 lbs 5 oz

Despite being scheduled for the 6th, our little girl had other plans, so early on the 4th I called the doctor and she told me to head on in. She was already on call that weekend so it worked out well. We werent there that long and they were getting us ready for my c-section. At 10:09 our beautiful and perfect little girl was born. All during my pregnancy I had a dream that she was dark haired and looked like Quinn, as it turns out, I was quite right. She came out with darker hair than either of the boys, less than Quinn but more than Jack and she looks a LOT like Quinn although she does have quite a few Jack "looks".

Catching up...Jackson...

2009-06-19T09:44:00.005-04:00

Jackson quite possibly has had the most go on...I suppose that is how it gets when you get older. He finished up his first year of school...hard to believe that he is going to be in FIRST GRADE in just a few months. We really loved and appreciated his teachers Mrs. Fuson and Mrs. Erickson. They have amazing patience that I could only wish for. They taught him so much. Just a few weeks ago, I realized he could read. Now its not to say that we didnt pay attention to him, but he would pick out words he knew...then one day, I realized he was in his room reading out loud. Since then he has just been devouring the books. It is just truly awesome. (See picture picture below of him reading to Q and Oma--my grandma)

He also lost his first tooth! He was so excited...he called everyone in the family. The tooth had been wiggly for only like 2 days...and he lost the tooth just after he got home from school one day.

He also turned 6!!!!!!!! This goes right along with the reading and the tooth losing. Hard to believe he is old enough for all of this. He got 2 cakes...the first cake was an ice cream cake that Oma picked up for him while we were in Ohio visiting...he was amazed by the ice cream cake since we always have "regular" cake. Of course Momo made exactly what he wanted for his birthday cake...a rocket ship cake with blue icing and (star) sprinkles. What would we do without a momo to make the perfect cake every time?

6 years ago...he was 5 lbs 6 oz and 19.5" long. Now at 6, he is 46.5 lbs and 45" tall. He is turning into quite the helper, he will take out the trash, do the laundry and help corral his brother. He is very excited for his sister and will tell anyone who will listen all about her. I can't wait to see how much he changes in the next year!

Thanks to everyone who came to his party (Grandma Paula, Aunt Mandy, Uncle Andy, Steven, Brooke, Momo, Papa, Mimi, Andy, Chrissie, Kenzie, Raegan, and Madison). You made his birthday VERY special!

Catching up...Quinten...

2009-06-19T09:32:00.004-04:00

Oh, our little monkey. Larry was over at an friend's place catching up while all of our kids played together. This particular friend is a father of three lovely little girls...and said to Larry "I didnt know your kids were infused with monkey DNA". This phrase has come up numerous times since then...because its true...Quinten is quite the little monkey.

He is also starting to grow up before we can realize whats going on. He's asking questions all the time, learning to share much better, and I hesitate to say...he might actually be growing! It was just a few months ago that I got sick of his 24month/2T stuff that I put it away and just dealt with the baggy 3T stuff and just yesterday went through his drawers and put away a whole box full of stuff that I know wont fit when the colder weather hits.

If you ask most kids they WANT to be big kids...not Quinn...he says he is a "little boy". We have made sure to tell him that he has a VERY important job when babygirl gets here...he's a little brother AND a big brother. I think he's pretty excited at that prospect. But it will be a big adjustment for our little boy...even if he is excited.

Catching up...the baby....

2009-06-19T09:18:00.003-04:00

The picture is from the ultrasound we had on 5-20-09 at our doctor's office. She was concerned about the baby's size as I was measuring consistently "ahead" (in their magical doctor measurements where they use a measuring tape and measure the outside of your stomach) for like 3 appointments. Babygirl of course measured perfectly where she should be and coincidentally, I was measuring "behind" at that appointment. Figures...right?

Babygirl is always moving in the evenings after her brother's go to bed. Its apparently her time to show off and get attention. The boys are still VERY excited about her and they both sing and talk to her practically every day...sometimes to the point where I just ask them to leave her (and me) alone for 5 minutes.

We are working on getting everything together for her. The clothes have been washed (thanks, Papa!) and put away, the crib has been put together...but still more to do. I finally finished the quilt top for her room and it is on its way to one of my mom's friends to be quilted together. Can't wait for it to be done!

We are VERY excited about her arrival...which...should be no later than July 8th. I should have a better idea later today after my appointment about her scheduled c-section date. Last night, Mimi (my sister) called AT 11 PM to tell me that I needed to have a conversation with my daughter because of people being out of town...my mom is going to Honduras from June 26-30th and my sister will be at camp from June 28th-July 3rd. Yah...because babies are great at following plans...I'll get right on that!

Oh the time we have spent talking about names....

2009-05-10T23:30:00.002-04:00

Well...middle names. Her first name (yes its still pretty much a secret!) was decided long ago. But the middle name...gosh...it seems every time we talk about it...the list gets longer. Want a sneak peek?

Elise/Elyse (eh-LEES, Short form of Elizabeth (God is my oath) that is now commonly bestowed as an independent given name)
Juliette (joo-lee-EHT, A French diminutive form of Julie (downy-bearded, youth)
Jayne (JAYN, English cognate of the French Jehanne and Jeanne, which are feminine forms of Jean, a cognate of John (God is gracious). )
Violette (pronunciation up in the air... Vee-oh-let or Vi-oh-let but for sure not Vi-let, From the Old French violette, a diminutive form of viole, which is derived from the Latin viola (a violet). )
Isabelle/Isobel/Isabel ( I-zə-behl, A Spanish variant form of Elisabeth (God is my oath).)
Sienne (See-ehn, not sure of origin or meaning...Larry was the one who suggested it)
Renee (maybe) (reh-NAY, Feminine form of the French Rene, from the Late Latin Renātus, which is a direct derivative of renātus (reborn, born again).)
Marie (maybe) (mah-REE, French cognate of Mary, which is derived from the Hebrew Miryām, a name of debated meaning. Many believe it to mean "sea of bitterness" or "sea of sorrow." However, some sources cite the alternative definitions of "rebellion," "wished-for child," and "mistress or lady of the sea.")
Ryan/Ryann (RIY-in, From the Irish surname O'Riain (descendant of Rian). Rian is an ancient Irish name believed to be a diminutive form of rí (king): hence, "little king.")

I like them all for different reasons, I think some sound better than others, but I'm not drawn to any one in particular. I'm fine with waiting but I do analyze the names on a regular basis. My thoughts?

Elise/Elyse - Love the name, I think its a bad transition from her first name.
Juliette - Was my original favorite I do still love it, nothing really negative to say about this one
Jayne - People either love it or hate it. It fits well, but dont want to hear "plain Jane" out of anyone!
Violette - Sounds nice, gives her a less used initial like the boys each have, dont want to have to constantly correct people about pronunciation
Isabelle/Isobel/Isabel A name we have both always liked, sort of a weird transition from first name, and its sort of popular
Sienne - Might be nice to not have a name to spell and pronounce for everyone, so this may not be a great option
Renee We dont do family names...and not necessarily a blood family member, but is the middle name of a little girl who is only a year older than babygirl.
Marie See previous discussion about not doing family names, this is my middle name, I hate to use it because it sounds like filler but it still flows really well.
Ryan/Ryann Her first name is VERY girly so a name like this really balance our the girly name.

The days are flying....

2009-05-10T23:22:00.002-04:00

Holy gosh...I swear it took 3 years to get from 4-20ish weeks...now all the sudden...I'm looking at 31 weeks (so yes this picture is 2 weeks old). I think she must have been laying funny because I looked extra pregnant that day! We are looking at 8 weeks left until we have her...thats 8 weeks to finish up her room, get a ton of other things in order, let Jackson turn 6!!!!

I cannot believe how quickly the days are flying by!

I made it all the way through the month of April....

2009-05-10T23:21:00.003-04:00

while pregnant and didnt get into a car accident!

WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Easter 09

2009-04-21T22:11:00.005-04:00

The boys were quite excited about Easter, Quinten picked out his tie at Children's Place WEEKS in advance! I was going to get him a different one but he loved that one too much! I picked out one for Jack that was a bit more "him". He tends to gravitate to more solid colors or less flashy clothes than Q (who would wear neon orange every day of the week if we'd let him). I also got them hats and matching shirts, I was so excited for Easter day. I had this "vision" of them wearing their outfits with their sleeves rolled up about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way...Jackson DID NOT like this (he also likes his polos buttoned up all the way) and in turn Quinten didnt think it was a good idea. Nonetheless, they looked pretty stinking adorable!

Jackson had his first grandparent's day

2009-04-21T22:05:00.005-04:00

What a big kid he is turning into!!!! Last week I was out of town for work (out in Oceanside with Robyn doing a lot of just general idea work...we did some shopping for the site...but mainly bouncing ideas off each other for a trip we are going on in September) and on Monday, Jackson got to have his grandparents (that could make it) for a special snack and craft.

Grandma Paula and Jackson
Papa and Jackson

From what I hear, fun was had by all!

April 1st was a great day....

2009-04-21T21:53:00.004-04:00

and yes I'm just getting around to talking about it.

Thats our babygirl! We are lucky enough to have a wonderful friend who was able to get us in for a 3D/4D ultrasound. This is our 3rd baby and we have NEVER had one of these before...so it was just AMAZING for us. Apparently even though the pictures were awesome...she said they could have been better.

We cannot wait to meet her!

End of March already?

2009-03-30T00:36:00.004-04:00

So March is closing down on me soon and I've been a bad blogger (though I dont think anybody actually reads this so its really more for me).

What has happened?

Boys BOTH got scarlet fever...Jack for the second time.
Larry got bronchitis...again.
I got bronchitis...again...and I was a huge whiny baby about it.
We went to the Children's Museum with some friends.
Ate an awesome meal with the same friends (minus the kiddos).
I started on a blanket for the baby.

So in lieu of an actual post, I'll just leave you with some pictures!

Blanket top made by me, her name is blurred out in the middle

Fish hat made by a friend for a swap

Frog prince hat made by a friend for a swap

21 weeks pregnant

23 weeks pregnant

I cant wait for warm weather!!!

2009-03-03T14:46:00.002-05:00

I'm so sick of the COLD...and to make matters worse we didnt even have a ton of snow all winter juts a few days of bad snow...somehow having snow makes it easier on me for the weather to be that cold. but it is SO deceiving to see the outside and it be so nice and sunny out only to be greeted by bitter cold.

Between me being sick with this pregnancy and the cold weather, Quinn NEVER gets to go out and do anything fun during the day. Sure we go to the store and out to lunch on occasion...but we've only been to the museum I think once and havent been to the zoo at all. I cant wait to be able to take him out now that he's talking and understanding so much more than he was in the fall. I want him to be able to do some fun stuff before the baby gets here and Jackson is off of school for the summer.

Okay so its not a tumor....

2009-03-01T00:59:00.002-05:00

I am OBVIOUSLY pregnant. There is pretty much no denying it...you can tell at a glance. So pray tell, I ask you....WHY OH WHY must people constantly point out that I am pregnant?!?!?!?!?!? Like I didnt notice....

Tonight, this very crass old man points at me and says "You're pregnant"...and I look at him as serious as possible and say "No I'm not its a tumor"....and then I walk away while he looks bewildered. Its not that I dont like him, but good gosh...I've pretty much figured out that I AM knocked up.

Why does me suddenly having a baby give every stranger the right to comment on (1) my weight (2) the size of baby I'm going to be having (3) how I should be so happy that I'm having a girl because I would never want 3 boys.

Lets examine these carefully....

(1) my weight. MYOB...as in MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS. My weight is between me and my doctor...but I love hearing how huge I am and then reminding people that I spent the first 1/2 of the pregnancy losing weight. So I actually havent gained a million pounds...its just my 3rd kid...my body is much more comfortalbe going back to that shape.

(2) I am only like barely 21 weeks pregnant...you cannot tell what size baby I am having by now and anyone who really knows me will attest that the amount of weight I gaine seems to have no affect on the size of baby I have. I gained a TON of weight with Jackson and he was only 5 lbs 6 oz....with Q I gained about 25% less than I did with Jackson and he was 6 lbs 7 oz. I have little babies but they get bigger every time.

and last...

(3) Of course we are thrilled about our daughter on the way...but if she had been a boy instead, it WOULD have been okay....it would have been great and we would have loved him just as much.

Please....if you encounter a pregnant one...THINK about what you are saying BEFORE you open your mouth! Do it for me...and do it for yourself so you dont come across that one crazy pregnant girl that flips out on you!

For Lynn....on marriage

2009-02-27T16:17:00.003-05:00

Lynn over at Love, Laughs, & Lice posted this and I thought I'd play since I havent answered any of those little meme things on Facebook either...though some I half consider.

What are your middle names?
Mine is Marie (I have an Aunt Maria and my Aunt Christine's middle name is Marie so that worked out)...Larry...sort of didnt get one (I wont go into it, if you want the details...you can ask him). He got a middle initial so just "M".

How long have you been together?
Ummmm...we have been married 6 and some odd amount of months (anniversary is in July) and we were together about 8 months before getting married so, I'm going to answer 7.5 years...give or take a month.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We knew each other maybe two or three months..I think he might argue longer...I dont remember.

Who asked whom out?
He asked me out...but I declined and then finally one day I decided we need to do something.

How old are each of you?
I'm 27, he is 30.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
We are both the oldest...I have one sister who is over usually once a week and then he has 2 sisters, one of whom we see probably once or so a month..sometimes more, sometimes less and then another sister who we dont see at all (again not going into details, if you want to know about that...ask him). They all live in the "greater Indianapolis area".

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Oh gosh, our kids for sure. We balance eachother well most of the time but every now and again we dont agree and thats hard!

Did you go to the same school?
Nope...I went to IUPUI he went to Ball State.

Are you from the same home town?
Yep, we are both from good old Indianapolis!

Who is smarter?
Him. He is up to the minute on news and is a big computer geek (yes he knows I call him that). Not saying I am an idiot...but book smarts...him.

Who is the most sensitive?
Me. I cry over stuff like not having chips in the house (to be fair I AM pregnant but I'm still the more sensitive one!).

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
As a couple...like alone...Thai Cafe...the kids dont like to eat there so we go there when we can go without them.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Florida, for his friend/boy's godfather's wedding...it was a LONG car trip! And that was with the kids...

Who has the craziest exes?
I will go with we have both equally crazy and wierd exes.

Who has the worst temper?
Him. Ask anyone.

Who does the cooking?
Mostly me, but I've been so sick this pregnancy he's been doing a LOT more cooking.

Who is the neat-freak?
Him. No contest.

Who is more stubborn?
Him. Again, ask anyone...I'm stubborn too, dont get me wrong...but by far he is the most stubborn.

Who hogs the bed?
Me. As Quinn puts it, Daddy sleeps on the edge of the bed.

Who wakes up earlier?
On purpose? Him. If I'm up early its a special occasion or the kids are up with an issue.

Where was your first date?
Our first date...maybe his apartment. We watched a movie and he cooked dinner. (He was unemployed and was still trying to be impressive)

Who is more jealous?
I dont think either of us are jealous of the other.

How long did it take to get serious?
It was on again, off again for a few months and then we just decided to be serious and get engaged (honest).

Who eats more?
Him. Especially as of late...sometimes I eat less than the kids.

Who does the laundry?
I would say its like 70/30 and then we usually fold it together (or break down and pay my sister to do it!)

Who's better with the computer?
Him...for sure, see previous answer about him being a computer geek.

Who drives when you are together?
Him, most of the time its my job to keep the kids quiet and his job to get us where we are going, but occasionally I do drive.

So there it is...all about us.

Scarlet Fever....and my confirmed J-O-B

2009-02-23T23:57:00.004-05:00

As in...The Velveteen Rabbit scarlet fever. Really? I was pretty sure that was a "thing" of the past. I swear I have NEVER known someone to have scarlet fever. In fact I have said "scarlet fever" more than I can even explain today.

Why you ask?

Because Jackson has SCARLET FEVER (feel free to insert your favorite expletive in between scarlet and fever).

It all started Saturday morning with him being pretty sad and pathetic and not even finishing half of his cream cheese pastry thing at Panera...I thought he felt a little warm and we needed to stop at the store to pick up something anyway, so I got some medicine too for the flu (he was complaining of achy body and wanting to throw up so it made sense to me-picked up something for the achiness). He didnt have a real fever, just above 99 or so.

I went to work that evening and daddy put up with a rising fever, whiny kid, and even a little puke...so I was sure it was the flu. He never threw up again...but his fever was up and down and he was sleepy and whiny and just not himself...on one of his guessing 3 baths yesterday (Sunday)-well the last one, I noticed he had a wierd rash ALL OVER HIS TORSO. So I called the on call doctor because we googled the rash (I know shame on us) and one of the things that popped up was 5ths disease which he seemingly had the symptoms of and I knew it was BAD for me to be around being pregnant and all (can cause anemia in the baby). She assured me he probably just had something viral and would be fine.

I.was.not.convinced.

So this morning I called the doctor's office first thing and got in...what does he have? SCARLET FEVER...which is just scary...but is apparently just strep with a rash...but still SCARLET FEVER.

How do you treat it?

Just plain old antibiotics...I realized at some point today, this is the first time Jackson has EVER been on antibiotics. Pretty good if you ask me...he's 5.5. Antibiotics, a little motrin, and a nap later he was MUCH closer to being my boy and not that little whiny kid he's been all weekend. He MIGHT even get to go to school tomorrow!

So on to the J-O-B...we are at the store waiting for the prescription to get filled and Quinten wants to get down and go do the pick your Dr. Scholl's foot insert machine and I tell him that its only for adults. He says he IS an adult...and I tell him if he's an adult, then he needs to get a JOB....he looks at me with much conviction and says "I AM a job, mama".

Who am I to argue with that?

So I respond "No crap, Sherlock" and he thinks thats funny so he spends the next 2 hours repeating that phrase.

Yes kid...you ARE a job and since you dont give kisses any more, I am WAY underpaid.

When the mommy is away the boys will.........

2009-02-20T23:23:00.005-05:00

Totally make over the house. Yah I know. How did I luck out on this...lets start at the beginning...

I was going to Vegas for work from Sun-Wed, so Daddy decides he's just going to take the whole week off to take care of the kids and paint while I was gone. However this involved a bit of work, this meant that the boys were moving rooms (they moved to the office/dungeon because it had a larger closet and since they were sharing a room, I thought they should have more space than the 1 child who will be in their old room which is coincidentally about 6" closer to our room than theirs) approximately 4-6 weeks before I had really "planned" for them to in my head.

We had to:
*Clean out the office/dungeon (I called it the dungeon because it was where we would stash things if we didn't know where they went or we needed to hide them when people were coming over). And don't worry we didn't lose an office truly as Daddy had already converted our walk in closet into a pseudo office last year (after we purchased new wardrobes that line one wall in our room...don't worry...this girl didn't give up her closet!) and this was just the final installment...truly moving everything over.
*Pick out paint
*Pick out carpet
*Pick out fabric for the baby's bedding before I could pick out paint for her room

I annoyed the crap out of my mother and husband by sending them links to fabrics for days and days on end. I finally picked out fabric and purchased it without I think ever even showing it to Larry....I fell in love and he told me to pick what I wanted...so I did!

Picture is from yesterday when the fabric arrived...I'm just as much in love as when I bought it and I'm excited to get started!

I also said I would NEVER paint my girl's room pink. I was going to paint it orange (which would have worked but I was worried about matching...so what did I do?!?!?!?)

Yeah I picked out PINK...the actual name of it is Valentine Pink and is shockingly similar to the color of the Pepto Bismal in my bathroom. Even more shocking. I freaking LOVE IT. It looks really nice with the fabric and once we get everything in there it probably wont be as ummmm...shockingly pink.

The boys room is practically the same color as their old room but not to be left out...here is a photo of their room.

They are pretty excited about their new room and this means that we can start working on getting Littler Big Brother to STAY IN HIS OWN BED all night. Biggest Big Brother is pretty good about going to sleep and staying asleep and VERY rarely comes to our room until the morning. But the other one...that kid has VERY rarely STAYED in his own bed. My expanding stomach is not really working well with him wanting to snuggle with us (which is interesting since he is basically the same size as Jackson was when I was pregnant with him...just 2 years difference in age...don't ask me, Quinten is just his own size).

Anyway...the hallway looks great but its not very interesting thus no pic. The bathroom was done as well but is...ummm...a bit more neon than I expected and will more than likely be repainted...I'm trying to let it set for a few days before I do anything drastic!

So that's what happened in my house while I was away. On a side note I went to the doctor today for a regular check up and the baby is great...and definitely still a she! (Thank goodness since Daddy has already painted her room pink!)

Its a....

2009-02-05T11:47:00.002-05:00

Baby!!!

We got to see our little one on Monday evening...and it was VERY exciting to see the happy little baby in there! But not only that...we also found out that we are having a.....................

Yes....a GIRL!!!!! Quinn was right all along...he has always said it was a girl baby...so that means he gets to buy all the little stuff he has wanted to buy for the past few months. Somehow we are slowly collecting baby clothes already! I think we are up to a couple outfits, a dress, some leggings, and a onesie that says "Daddy I want a pony". Somehow I have the feeling that if she really wants a pony (well a fake one anyway) that Daddy will get her one...

hellllo from the middle of no where!

2009-02-01T10:36:00.000-05:00

Okay not NO WHERE...but pretty much. My grandma lives in eastern Ohio in a town that has 4 bars-which outnumbers the number of stores, gas stations, and post offices combined...by 3. Yep, they have a post office...that's it. So you can guess that there is probably NOTHING nearby.

The boys love seeing their Oma and my little cousins (ages 6 & 11) and even if they do NOTHING they always have fun. I am sitting in here actual peace and quiet because everyone else went to church. I am still dealing with this nasty upper respiratory/cold/yuckiness. It leaves me in coughing episodes that can last 5-20 minutes and that makes my stomach and back muscles HURT. (Which is great when you are trying to grow a baby).

I'm not really looking forward to the 5 hour ride home...but we'll see how well that goes! I need to do a switcheroo with the carseats and hopefully make everyone as comfortable as possible.

Tomorrow we are going to have our big gender determination ultrasound. I have mixed feelings about it, I think I want to know so that I can get ready for the baby...but I also sort of don't want to know. I feel like everyone expects me to have a girl since we have 2 boys and if we end up with a third boy I don't want to feel like I've disappointed practically everyone I know. I know we love the baby no matter what...just definitely walking into it with a bit of trepidation.

Driving in the winter in Indiana, clumsy pregnant person, and he's starting to write!

2009-01-27T23:16:00.000-05:00

Okay...so we got some snow (I'm guessing approximately 4")....but somehow...between seasons and even snowfalls, people in Indiana FORGET HOW TO DRIVE IN THE SNOW. When I get in the car on a day such as this...I'm not worried about MY ability to drive...I'm worried about everyone else. I'm not sure why its a surprise to everyone that you need to pay attention, give yourself some extra time to get to where you are going, and be patient. I could stay on this soap box all night long, but thats all I have to say right now. I'm sure I will be back in approximately March when we have a nice rainfall and people forget how to drive in the RAIN.

As for the clumsy...tonight my MIL took the kiddos for me so that I could relax a little since I am battling a cold and trying to be pregnant at the same time. I dropped them off around 6 and was supposed to go back and get them at 8. I decided I would get a bubble bath and relax...which was a good plan in theory. Until my clumsy self FELL INTO THE TUB. Don't worry I'm fine...albeit a little sore right now. I promised Larry I would call the doctor if I felt even the slightest bit off or worried about the baby. I'm sure he/she is just fine.

However, what I'm a little perturbed at is the fact that the clumsy part shouldnt come till LATER when I'm gigantic and pregnant. At this point I havent even gained any weight (though I look like I've gained about 30). Okay...and that bring up another point...it is NOT appropriate to say "Are you sure its not twins" to any pregnant woman.

Finally...a proud mommy moment. Jackson was coloring at the table and he brought me the paper and told me it was a poem for his Grandma Paula. Much to my surprise....he had actually written something (besides his name and words that contain 2-4 letters)....he had actually tried to write out the "1, 2, buckle my shoe...." poem. I know there are spelling mistakes...but I dont care. I am so proud of him!

And since I think I need to add in a picture of the boys for posterity...

What kind of creative are you?

2009-01-27T13:24:00.001-05:00

What kind of creative are you? I'm apparently "eyes wide open". Its just a silly test but I thought it was interesting.

(This was originally posted by Jess at How About Orange who is of course awesome and talented and has NO IDEA who the heck I am)

Nothing like a big kick in the face to remind you how lucky you are...

2009-01-13T15:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, friends of ours 1 year old was taken to the ER for dehydration (flu-yuck)-he hadnt had wet diapers in 3 days and was miserable. Not keeping anything down and eventually had to have an IV. I ended up going to pick up their older kids (13 and 5) from the hospital and taking them home so they could go to bed and get up for school.

As I was driving home, I thought about how good I really have it. If I had to take one of my kids to the hospital...I have a NUMBER of family members I could call to either come to our house to take care of the other child(ren). Most of our family lives within about 20 minutes of us and one of them is bound to be available for emergency child care.

I have no idea what we would do without them.

So so so so glad school is back in session...

2009-01-08T22:05:00.000-05:00

Don't get me wrong...I love Jackson to pieces. He is wonderful...sweet, fairly helpful, even 5.5 years later he is my cuddlebug. But he THRIVES on structure. When he comes home from school he's great (he's hungry but great)...Quinn loves to have his brother home. But on the days when Jack is home for days on end...they fight. (yeah...summer should be grrrreeeeat)

So I LOVE school...well Jack being in school because he does SO well. (Which furthers our thought that he will enter the military when he is of age...)

Scare the crap out of me...

2008-12-30T21:49:00.000-05:00

This baby is apparently bound and determined to not only make me crazy but also make me rethink everything I say. For example at my appointment on Christmas Eve...we hear the heartbeat and its wonderful. I EVEN say to the doctor "at this point with both the boys I had a scare and spotted...but not this time"...5 days later-I regretted saying that when I see spotting.

I cry...I freak out...I yell no no no.

Of course...this baby is fine. Its perfect in fact. I got to see that sweet little crazy baby kicking away. Better yet...I feel that sweet little crazy baby kicking away. On a fairly regular basis...especially in the evenings.

But really can't this kid just be the EASY one for a little bit?

I guess not.

Christmas was good....

2008-12-26T12:41:00.000-05:00

The boys were great...I ate a ton (probably the last day I ate really well) and enjoyed watching the boys. Quinn was eternally grateful for literally everything he got and Jack was so sweet. It was a really great day as a family.

Happy holidays to everyone!

I'm lame.

2008-12-19T23:07:00.000-05:00

So, its 11:08 pm-I have been in my pj's for approximately 3 hours, I've had a nice long bath.

Yah...sounds great until you realize that its FRIDAY - the kids are off with the MIL for most of the weekend and instead of going to see a movie or going shopping, I opted to come home and eat to go dessert and watch old episodes of Alias. Don't get me wrong, I had a great dinner (Stir Crazy) and a yummy dessert (Lemoncello Cream Torte from Cheesecake Factory). But I felt the need to apologize today because I feel like sometimes my seemingly pregnancy induced near social anxiety keeps us from going out.

Back story. Way back when, I had never been in a car accident...not ever. So I was approximately 32 weeks pregnant with Jack and I was headed home from a day of shopping with my mom (I think...we must have been doing SOMETHING baby related at that point) cause I was coming from her house and heading home to meet my husband and to make dinner. I go home the same way I always did and while I was waiting to merge into traffic my (practically brand new) 2003 Dodge Neon was rear ended by a full-size Dodge conversion van. I held it together long enough to call 911 and my husband (I think he might have called my mom). Then I got out of the car only to yell at the man driving the van (ha-imagine seeing a gigantically pregnant woman get out of a car you just hit!). He told me to sit down. I believe I told him to shut up.

We were all fine. 5 weeks of modified bed rest later, we had Jackson....who was perfectly fine. So lets count that as Accident #1, April 30, 2003.

When Jackson was 13 months old, I was headed home from I'm guessing work or something and was rear ended (again waiting to merge into traffic)-again the Neon. We were all fine in the end-but still...Accident #2 - July 2004.

Then...get this...Accident #3 - April 20, 2005 (notice the date was 4-20). We went out to dinner as a family (so that's all 3 of us in the car and I was 20 weeks pregnant with Quinten) we get rear ended by some stoner and a friend of hers. Of course we are all fine but, Q was proving himself to be pain in the rear end even then by not making a single move from the time of the accident (8:30-9ish at night) until the next afternoon. He even hid from the doppler when we went to the ER.

Am I done yet?

No

Somehow I avoided 2006, but last September (2007), I was working and had to go get change from the bank for work. I had convinced another employee to go with me (I was nervous there had been an attempted robbery there the week before) so we were laughing about all the things that could happen. Give that we were 2 totally trustworthy people, if we had said that we were held at gunpoint and they took the money-they would believe us. Another scenario was getting into a car accident and all the money goes flying *everywhere*. Ha ha....

Until we are on our way back and are sitting in traffic and I look into my rear view mirror and can literally see the people behind me crashing (like it was all in slow mo) and I have the time to say "we are about to get hit". It was just a tiny little bump...I was lucky to have been the last car hit in a 5 car accident. But again...in the neon....Accident #4.

So here I am at a juncture, I've had accident while pregnant, accident, accident while pregnant, accident.....so obviously even my 5 year old could tell you the next logical step in this pattern.

I worry about everything when we get ready to go out. Will we get into another car accident? What if its not okay like it has been in the past? What if everything is fine but Quinn throws a temper tantrum and I have to turn into a crazy mean mom? What if, what if, what if?

Logically something tells me to just avoid driving in the neon...but thats sometimes impossible (I am mainly driving the jetta now for the record). Something else tells me to avoid driving it in the month of April (maybe even April 10th to be exact?). But sometimes logical just isnt it. I mean I checked there is no target on the back of my car---ummm unless you count the Nobama sticker which might ACTUALLY be a target now that I think about it. But I cant avoid life just because of what might happen.

Right?

Or can I?

Your welcome....

2008-12-18T22:53:00.001-05:00

My husband keeps "thanking" me for all of his lovely sympathy pregnancy symptoms. I mean what am I supposed to say? So I just say...your welcome.

I mean really am I inducing this on him? Am I forcing him to feel sciatic pain? (No) Am I the one making him fall asleep at 10 pm? (No)

However, this little alien in my stomach. I think (s)he is trying to kill me slowly from the inside out. I cant drink OR smell coffee. Do you know how much Starbucks I used to consume? Now I can barely stand for it to be in the car for more than a few minutes from the closest Starbucks home. I can't eat...and if I do...its probably cereal. I mean I love a good bowl of cereal...I've been known to sneak my bowl of Lucky Charms...but now I cant even eat that. What am I eating then? Raisin Bran or Special K fruit & yogurt. And I'd kill to not feel like crap every time I ate every beloved piece of candy or chocolate that I crave.

I'm like 10.5-ish weeks now...which since I'm looking knocked up is nice to tell people since they all just look like they just want to hug me when I say I'm only 10 weeks pregnant. I can just see it in their eyes...they are flashing ahead to months from now when I'm the size of my entire car (yes we are getting a new vehicle...we will have to...I wont be able to fit behind the wheel much longer!)

I now have to go. My battery is running low and for reasons I will explain later-I cant charge my laptop.

I will leave you with this picture...from 2 weeks ago.

Its GIVEAWAY DAY!!!!

2008-12-03T11:55:00.000-05:00

Well not here...but over at SewMamaSew...so GO CHECK IT OUT!

http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=650

Baby Between Arrows

2008-11-29T16:26:00.000-05:00

Haha! The tech put "baby between arrows". I hope everyone has had a happy and restful Thanksgiving weekend. We are so happy to see the baby this week...made us extra thankful!

Omgoodness!

2008-11-17T00:40:00.001-05:00

Omgoodness! Or something like that! Yah I think the picture speaks for itself....and I'm not so shocked right now...its actually been about 3 weeks since this picture, and we've told our parents and our sisters. But still I'm a little shocked every time I think about it.

Oh long neglected blog...

2008-11-11T18:55:00.001-05:00

I have missed you, but everytime I think...I WILL BLOG TODAY...I decide to take a nap or knit or something.

Funny story.

Today at the store I asked Q if he needed anything from the grocery store, he thought for a moment and said "ummmm a campfire and marshmallows".

A new post will follow soon!

So just to update....

2008-10-30T00:16:00.000-04:00

Good ole, Rob from TireBarn called me today (after I made DH call because they really did NOT want to talk to me). Turns out their supplier DID in fact receive my new rim today...but the box was crushed...hence the wheel was bent up...and I cant get it fixed YET AGAIN today.

They said tomorrow...for sure.

YEAH FREAKING RIGHT!

Check out a place for you to NOT go....

2008-10-28T15:00:00.000-04:00

Seriously, the Tire Barn in Camby, IN...WORTHLESS. Last week I realized something was wrong with my car...of course...I thought it was something simple...nope. Larry goes to drive away to see if he FIXED it...and I see the driver's side wheel wobbling like its about to fall off. So I go running after him screaming and we look to see that 2 of the 5 lugnuts are MISSING. I cry. The kids and I were in that car. We could have been hurt...someone else could have been hurt...if not worse.

So we call my mom who calls her AAA service to come help us. We start talking to the guy and he finds out where we got the last work done on that area... you guessed it...Tire Barn...he says that he knows others who had problem with that specific Tire Barn and we should take it there. So we tow it there. Find out that the other 3 lugnuts on the tire are compromised in some way or another and they have to replace the rim. They put it on a donut and promise us a new wheel (rim) on Friday. So on Friday...I call and they say they wont be able to get it then, but they will definitely have it on Monday. On Saturday we go and pick it up just to have in case we need it.

So, I call on Monday...well....it doesnt look like they are going to receive it on Monday after all, but they will definitely have it on Tuesday. So Tuesday morning I call, and they say that they hadnt got it yet but that they would call me the second it came in. I gave up at a quarter till 3 and called....yep...you guessed it THEY DONT HAVE IT. Its on a UPS truck *somewhere* and they wont get it till 10 or 11 or whenever TOMORROW (Wednesday)....so if they hold true to that (ha!) it will be nearly 6 FULL DAYS since I had the problem.

6 days of not being able to drive my car (or when I had it on the donut...not above 40 mph). The kicker...they haven't said "Sorry" ONCE...not once for the tire not getting there not once for the situation they have put me in. I'm sick...I need to be saving all of my voice that I have for yelling at my kids to pick the toys up off the floor (what I'm doing as I type...hey its his fault he pulled EVERY SINGLE TOY out of the toy box...if I was a funny girl...I'd take a picture...but I'm too mad right now). I dont need to be wasting the time nor my voice on these people.

The saga continues...will I or will I NOT get a tire tomorrow? Only time will tell!

Ohhh...and ETA...the pics my husband took.

Please just stop touching me...

2008-10-27T14:26:00.000-04:00

I just dont get it, why must the children touch you ALL.DAY.LONG? He spent nearly 9 months inside me...the next nearly 2 years attached at the boob...WHY CANT HE JUST DO SOMETHING BY HIMSELF?!?!?!?!?!??

This morning he has climbed on me, sat on me, stole my diet dr. pepper, sat on me, stole my breakfast, stole my lunch, sat on me, climbed on me, been in the sling, hung on me.....

GIVE

IT

A

BREAK

Seriously kid, go build a tower, go terrorize the dog...

I realize that one day I will miss the day when he's not so sweet and into his mommy, its just not that day today. All I want is a shower (we are going out to dinner with actual adults and actual adult restaurant) ....which means I need to put UP my ipod, turn on some mind numbing Sponge Bob and hope for the best.

Trick or Treat?

2008-10-26T14:58:00.000-04:00

I always meant for this to be a CRAFTY blog...but maybe I'm not as crafty as I thought I was!!!??!?!? None the less, I have something crafty to post! Q's Halloween Costume!

Yep he was an orange Ipod...its what he wanted to be!

And how can I post without posting my handsome Superman?

And what is the trick you ask?

My fake preggo belly of course!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Officially a parent...

2008-10-24T09:29:00.001-04:00

And not just any kind of parent...I'm one who would do rediculous things for her kids. For example, last night...at 10:45 I left my house to drive to a movie theater (only like 10 minutes away...but still) to go buy 7 (yes you read right...SEVEN) tickets to High School Musical 3. Here's the breakdown...my 2 boys, myself, my sister, my friend Nichole, her daughter Hailey, and her little brother Tanner. We are taking 3 - 5 year olds and 1 - 3 year old to see a movie! Good lord I think we might be nuts!

Gorgeous quilt....for free.....

2008-10-15T22:54:00.000-04:00

You can win this gorgeous quilt!

I'm leaving....on a jet plane....

2008-10-15T22:44:00.000-04:00

I'm leaving on a jet plane....dont know when i'll be back again....

Okay thats a lie. I will be back on Sunday. I'm off to LA for the Mom2Be Tradeshow. Should be a good time, I've enjoyed all the shows we've gone to. I will miss the boys (all of them) but I'm sort of looking forward to the break. Q has been a holy TERROR the last few days...and J WILL.NOT.SLEEP until like 10:30...so he spends like 2.5 hours going to the bathroom every 7 minutes. It is SO annoying! I say I'm looking forward...but dont worry...I'll be missing them midday Friday.

I dont know who told him that we needed another baby....

2008-10-08T00:46:00.000-04:00

I dont know who is feeding this boy (Quinten) with the thoughts that we need another baby...but he's convinced there's one in there (...believe me...its currently unoccupied!).

So yesterday, we went to the Indiana Hand Center to get my wrist looked at (I've had problems before-2 ganglian cysts...it was bothering me, so the Husband convinced me to call and get seen-its something to do with my ulnar nerve being irritated...will update when I know more) and we were in the lobby and he is being a 3 year old boy, asking peoples names, etc. Seriously this kid needs to know everyone's name, their kids names, their brothers names, where their mom is...but he wont ask, I have to ask. After he finds out their name, he will tell them his full name. Most people are quite entertained by him needing to know all their personal information...its wearing on me.

I tell him to shush...he asks where we are (like we didnt have this discussion already)...I said "We are at Mommy's doctor" and he says VERY loudly "We are getting a baby!?!?!??" and I say no its not that kind of doctor and mommy doesnt have a baby in there...and he in such a serious little face says, "Yes you do, its baby Jesus!"

I only made him sing it 3x today...

2008-10-08T00:34:00.000-04:00

Tonight the husband and I went and had this AWESOME dinner at The Melting Pot...it was 80's night...all the staff was dressed up...the price was cheaper...it was awesome. We came home and Mimi had put the boys to bed...Super Q was conked out on the couch, but J was still up. I gave him hugs, kisses, and snuggles like I do every night...I assumed he'd go to sleep. Nope....that little boy was up nearly 45 mins later...he asked if he could sing me a song...how could I resist that?

He told me that Ms. Scott (the student teacher) had been the one to teach them this song (maybe I can figure out how to video tape it and put it up on youtube--cause the little actions that go with it are priceless). It went something like this...

I'm gonna wrap myself in paper
I'm gonna dab myself with glue
Stick some stamps up on my head
I'm gonna mail myself to you

So cute...I made him sing it 3x before he went to bed. I mean seriously HOW am I expected to pass that up?!?!!!??!?!!?

Spare Change...

2008-10-06T09:36:00.000-04:00

I am participating in a swap at Chickpea Studio called Spare Change. We are sending in 24 5x5 squares to swap...I'm pretty psyched to do this cause I cant wait to make a quilt for myself. I dont make a lot of stuff for ME...so now I have to find the PERFECT fabric to send in....off to shop!

He went straight from baby...to a man

2008-09-25T20:58:00.000-04:00

My first son, god bless him, is still a boy. He runs and plays, but he is still a boy-he always comes home to mama. The other one...he went straight from baby to man. Actually I'm pretty sure that he makes this change daily. Sometimes he's the sweetest little baby...and then...the man. He burps (on command no less!) and stares at girls. He doesnt listen to me...he does things just to spite me. He's 3!!!!!!! We've said a thousand times, the 2nd one is the devil...and I mean it. I never thought I'd love the devil this much.

My mom always said....

2008-09-24T22:54:00.000-04:00

My mom always said that I should write down all the things my kids say. She says I could write a book based on that. Where would I find the time? Jackson is getting so smart that sometimes I wish those backwards funny little sayings (jack-isms) would come back. But to the rescue is Quinn...he is FULL of chubba-isms. And sometimes he's so logical. More to come...I swear.

Oh dear, long lost blog...

2008-09-24T20:53:00.001-04:00

Dear blog,

It's not that I've FORGOTTEN you...I've just been busy. You are like an old friend...I know you are here...and willing to welcome me with open arms. I do want to talk to you every day. I promise. I will do my best.

Lovingly yours,

Jess

Super cute knot bag

2008-06-26T17:29:00.000-04:00

Hi! This is my new favorite little bag! I found the link for the instructions at whipup. Its super easy to make and has gotten a TON of compliments!

Win an Essential Babywearing Stash

2008-06-26T17:27:00.000-04:00

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

Christmas gifts

2007-12-17T23:45:00.000-05:00

I made this scar for my mother in law for Christmas. I'm really excited to give it to her. I found a really cute broach on sale at Khols to give it to her with that matches perfectly! I think my husband thought I'd never finish, but I'm proud to say it was finished with a WEEK to go to Christmas.

I also get stuck on one thing and I've got to DO IT! Here are a few magnet picture holder thing-a-ma-jigs that I'm going to stick in the Christmas goodie bags for son #1 to give to his fellow classmates on Wednesday (his last day of school before break). I am going to put a couple pieces of candy and a card from him. He is so psyched! I got the idea from Amy Karol over at Angry Chicken.

A gift for a birthday boy...

2007-12-17T23:39:00.000-05:00

We had a birthday party to go to and I needed a quick and fun gift so I appliqued his initial on there. He was having a pirate party and low and behold...I have a TON of pirate fabric! It seemed like the perfect idea!

Somebody smirked when I said I should have brought my knitting...

2007-12-14T09:18:00.001-05:00

Sigh, I was at work yesterday and my manager smirked when I said I should have brought my knitting. Do I not look like a knitter? Whats so funny about me knitting?

I'm a lemming...

2007-12-11T21:59:00.000-05:00

I'm a crafting lemming. I wont say I don't have my own ideas, but if I see someone else doing something...I think I can do that...and then i try! So yep...I'm a lemming.

A start to real blogging

2007-12-11T17:26:00.001-05:00

I cant guarantee I will have much to say, but you know I'll try. I need an outlet for my thoughts and even to share my different projects, so who knows what this will become!