...adventures with three

My Day Zero Challenge: My list 37-47

2011-01-10T15:39:00.004-07:00

...ten more

37. finish all of my children's baby books
38. take a photography course.
39. take a french cooking class.
40. learn how to ballroom dance with my hubby.
41. knit a pair of socks.
42. host a "knit along" on sheknows.
43. plant a vegetable garden in my back yard.
44. organize my pantry.
45. make Photo Christmas cards for 2011.
46. mail out my Christmas cards!
47. learn how to make a good margarita.

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We are moving!!

2011-01-08T17:16:00.004-07:00

....to my new blog!
Come and visit me over at:my new adventures with four

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Day 2: 365 photo challenge

2011-01-08T12:28:00.001-07:00

nothing beats a great pair of blue jeans!
Punky's first pair!!
Two months today!!

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Day 1: 365 Photo challenge

2011-01-07T12:20:00.002-07:00

We officially have a thumb sucker!!
We have never had a thumb sucker so this is taking a little adjusting to what I had anticipated this little one would be like. Guess that teaches me for thinking all of my children would belong in the same mould!

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My Day Zero Challenge

2011-01-06T23:07:00.003-07:00

Some of you may have heard of Day Zero. If not, I'll tell you that it is much like a bucket list. I decided to embark on this challenge because it seems like a lot of us are just strolling through life waiting for it to end. We wake up, go to work or school or start our daily household tasks. The day goes on, business as usual. We have breakfast, lunch and dinner - most often times it is the same type of meal: oatmeal or scrambled eggs, turkey sandwich for lunch, you get my drift.

Then we retire to the couch and watch our tv shows every night like clockwork. Off to bed and do it all again the next day. It is like we are programmed and it is okay to go on living status quo. Sure we look forward to the big events in life - like weddings, childbirth and family trips. But once those milestones have been reached and that day goes by, we are "life as usual" again.

Maybe the daunting task of being a mother to four has effected my thinking but lately I have been wondering "What is the point of life, really?" actually I was up most of last night thinking and I realized if we keep doing these routine things in life, we just might miss it. The moments will just "pass us by". Although I thoroughly enjoy my life now, I don't want to miss everything that this world has to offer. Now obviously I don't expect to see and do it all, but I want to be able to have things to talk about.

Enter, Day Zero. 101 things to do in the next 1001 days. It is less finite than a bucket list and I have a time limit. Some things on my list are easy enough (I have to feel like I can accomplish some of them, right?), some are more difficult. So, here I go on my journey to try and complete most of these, and you can follow along too.

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My Day Zero Challenge: My list

2011-01-06T22:49:00.002-07:00

..the beginning.
The list will grow to 101 but for now...here are the first 36 that I could think of.
1. Go to Las Vegas
2. Make a custom recipe book
3. Go whale-watching
4. Take the kids camping
5. Achieve my goal weight
6. Buy something from Etsy
7. Go to Disney World
8. Go to the strawberry farm and pick my own strawberries
9. Write a love letter to my husband
10. Write a letter to be opened when the 1001 days is over
11. Write a children's book
12. Visit New York
13. Watch a movie at a drive-in
14. Ride on a train
15. Buy a piece of original art
16. Buy a little red dress
17. Climb a tree and take a photo of the view
18. Send a message in a bottle
19. Get a hot rock massage
20. Don't complain about anything for a week
21. start a 365 Day Photo Challenge
22. Don't log into Facebook for one week
23. read the bible from Genesis to Revelations
24. Achieve my goal weight (again!)
25. learn to identify 10 constellations
26. Perform a Chinese fire drill
27. Take a photo of the same place every month for year and then turn it into a calendar for the next year.
28. Throw away all my underwear and start again
29.Listen to 26 bands I’ve never heard of, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet
30. Plant a window box herb garden
31. Kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower
32. Watch turtles enter the sea for the first time
33. Write my name in the sand
34. Don’t swear for a week
35. milk a cow
36.Don’t use internet for a week

someday
1. visit all 7 continents
2. visit the Grand Canyon
3. Go to Newfoundland
4. Make a Year in Pictures Album
5. Ride a gondola in Venice
6. Kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower
7. Try every specialty beverage on the Starbuck's menu
8. Re-new my wedding vows in Hawaii
9. Write a memoir for my children and my grandchildren.
10. Watch the ball drop on New Year's in Times Square

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6 weeks old today!!

2010-12-22T11:11:00.003-07:00

Okay, I will admit that I couldn't wait for her to be born.
I was exhausted with being pregnant and just wanted the "prize at the end" but shesh is this going by fast!! I can't believe that my sweet little punky is already 6 weeks old!!

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Ho ho ho....

2010-12-21T13:25:00.004-07:00

Tis the season!
..to wrestle with Christmas lights, wade through a sea of people at the mall and try desperately to keep what is real about this season close to my heart.
It's not about the sights, sounds or smell.
It's about family.
It's about a baby born in a smelly manger all those years ago.
It's about the man that baby grew up to be.
The only man who could take on all my sin so I could have a relationship not only with him but with the father.
You may have seen this on facebook:
Greatest man in history, named Jesus, had no servants, yet they called him Master. Had no degree, yet they called him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today. Re-post if you believe with your heart.....Merry CHRISTmas!

I posted it...did you?

and now for some pictures...
The kids trimming the tree.
Most of the ornaments are 3feet high..all the way around!

Then last night we were baking/decorating shortbread cookies....

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One month in...

2010-12-09T12:55:00.002-07:00

A new "normal" is beginning to emerge.
One with a little less sleep and a lot more laundry that's for sure!
But I think we are all adjusting pretty well.
Giggles still is a little confused as to why I can't feed the baby juice and Mr.D loves to smother Punky with kisses.
Lots and lots of kisses.
Hard to imagine what life was like before Punky joined our little family but she defiantly has found her place in all of our hearts.
It's only been a month but it has been a busy one!
At her one week well baby check the family doctor though that he heard a "click" in her right hip so we took her to see a pediatric specialist for a consultation. He didn't hear anything so next week we are taking her for an ultrasound.
I'm not worried.
God has her covered and we are believing that she is totally fine!!
we also have already faced our first breast feeding issues (dang thrush!!) too and on the mend.
So, that's where I have been... How has life been with you?

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my adventure with 4 has started

2010-11-20T12:42:00.005-07:00

Our newest Addition "Punky"!

(a little late I know but life with 4 can be a little daunting to say the least!)

As most of you know I had been dealing with braxton hicks on and off since Thanksgiving and had done 1 trip to labor and delivery for a non-stress test and the very next day (which was my birthday) I was back thinking that "this was it!"
We were wrong...they sent me home as we weren't progressing fast enough for them to keep me.
Actually, she said that I had a "cranky uterus" so, we went home.
The contractions continued but they didn't really have a pattern and they defiantly weren't doing anything to convince me that we were having this baby any time soon.
Fast forward to the 5th of November.
My dear friend came over for coffee and unfortunately "shared" the stomach flu with my entire family unbeknownst to me at the time.
Mr.D promptly started getting sick late Friday night so I was thankful that baby hadn't arrived yet as I didn't want to deal with a sick baby as well.
Thankfully he is such a trooper and he got over it pretty quick!
Saturday went by with me cleaning like a crazy woman then I crashed and had a really long nap.
Guess my body knew before I did what was coming next!
Early Sunday afternoon we were back at labor and deliver to get "checked"
My back hurt so bad I was convinced that I was in labor and found out that I was in "early labor" and just like last time I wasn't progressing fast enough so they sent me home and told me to nap and get some rest.
They said my back was hurting because baby was "sunny side up" and to get on all fours and the baby would turn. I was dilated 1.5 cm and 60% effaced at the time so I went home.
Frustrated but I knew that my doctor's appointment was the next day and the doctor was going to strip my membranes and get the "show on the road" so I went home and napped. Got a good one in too until the phone ran!
It was my mil calling to tell me that Giggles was throwing up and wanted her momma so, I grabbed some ginger ale from the grocery store and headed over to get her.
Stepped out of my van and promptly threw up in their rock garden.
Great! Just great eh!
So, Giggles and I headed home to get some rest.
She was such a trooper and only got sick two more times and then she was totally fine.
I, on the other hand was a blubbering mess.
We ended up heading to bed at 6:45 for the night but I spent most of that time running back and forth to the washroom.
Add to the fact that Giggles is sleeping on the floor in my room and I have to navigate around her to get to the washroom too each and every time I need to get in there.
I was starting to feel like I was disturbing the entire world! :teehee
Around 1:00 I got a hankering for some apple juice.
The things you want when you are sick!
So, I went and got a nice cold glass of apple juice and had 1 sip and it bounced.
Then I wanted an ice cube.
Tried that and it bounced.
You know you are really really sick when you are sitting on the toilet and throwing up in a pail your in trouble.
Around 1:10 I had a HUGE contraction that sucked the very wind out of you and you know that you are in really really big trouble!
I headed to the computer and pulled up the contraction monitor.
I timed 4 contractions.
They were 1 1/2 minutes long and 3 minutes apart.
Time to go!
And of course, I felt like I had to go pee so I went to the washroom and felt a "pop" and knew that my water had broken and it was time to get to the hospital.
Waddled upstairs, flicked on the light in our closet and told my hubby "time to go!"
Which woke him up in a hurry.
I got dressed went all the way downstairs to the basement to tell my oldest she needed to come up and watch Giggles as we were going to the hospital.
Grabbed my coat and the hospital bag and told my dh I would wait for him in the van. :teehee
We left the house around 1:30ish. Hubby ran every red light and it's a good thing we did!
Once we got to the hospital they put me in a wheelchair and took me up to labor and delivery.
The contractions were intense and like a wave one after another after another. The porter wheeled me into the elevator and all I kept thinking was "not again...no, not again!!" (Giggles was born in the elevator)
Once I was out I felt a little better!
they wheeled me into the "assessment" room and I looked at the nurse and told her that I felt like I needed to push so they took me straight to delivery.
I remember looking at the clock and it read 1:50 when we got in there.
I got up on the bed and they checked me.
I was 9.5 cm and ready to go.
Pushed for 9 minutes and she was out!
She was 8lbs. 2oz and 19 inches long and a head of gorgeous brown hair.
Where that came from is beyond me.
My babies are usually bald! She has lighter blue eyes too which was a surprise along with the fact we were thinking that she was actually a he!
My fastest delivery yet! (thankfully she is my last...or the next one would be a home birth!)
No time for meds....again!
Of course because she was born so fast her face was quite bruised and the capillaries in her eyes popped leaving the whites completley but almost 8 days later she is looking less and less bruised.
She still has some bruising but not like she did in the beginning.
I can not wait to see what she looks like with her normal coloring but that might be a little while longer.
This was her at 6 days old so you can see how much her face is healing.
And now my adventure with 4 has started...some days we get NOTHING done but I think in a few weeks time we will get back to normal.
**fingerscrossed**

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twiddles thumbs

2010-11-05T18:54:00.003-06:00

I have been hiding.
I will admit that.
Sitting here waiting for our baby to make his/her grand arrival can be a little frustrating.
Okay, okay...a lot frustrating!
Feeling like I am living my life on hold is a little more than I can bare some days but God is helping me thru it.
I might not like it but at least I am learning how to get through it.
Trying to memorize how it feels when baby rolls and kicks so down the road I will be able to remember what it felt like.
Almost 39 weeks and honestly, I believed baby would be here sooner.
Which is probably part of my problem.
When you are expecting early and you don't get it it's easy to feel like your a "labor failure" but I know that the next time I go to the hospital it will be for real and I will leave with a baby in my arms!
The little ones are getting anxious too and it's hard to imagine that my due date is in 10 days!!
10 days.
Almost to single digits... Shesh, where did the time go?

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37 weeks and holding...

2010-10-30T15:43:00.001-06:00

I'm just done.
so done.
I want this baby NOW!!

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guess who's back!

2010-10-17T10:19:00.007-06:00

Ouch!
"service not available"
Apparently blogspot is unimpressed with my shoddy attendance record too..
I haven't forgotten you...at least not Intentionally.
But I am sure your not interested in excuses.
Just hurry up and get to the good stuff right?
Yeah, I thought so too.
Well seeing as my last post *cough* was in August I guess I should have quite a bit to share so, grab a coffee and settle in.
This might take awhile.
August wasn't quite the warm month we had hoped or expected it to be but it was memorable.
Nightly we were got to experience God's awesome display of power with beautiful thunderstorm.
Watching the lightning streak across the sky and waiting to hear that boom has always been exciting to me.
If I wasn't such a chicken I am sure I would be a storm chaser but for now I will just enjoy watching the show from the comfort of home. Those nightly storms brought with it a ton of rain. So, the few warm days where the temperature was above 30 we either had to bathe ourselves in bug repellent or hide in the house as we were plagued with hoards of blood sucking mosquitoes which made going outside unbearable for a good week.
August also saw the arrival of a funky pregnancy rash all over my growing baby bump.
It wasn't itchy, but it sure wasn't attractive!
So, off to the medi center I went where I was assured my pretty little rash was either viral (something I caught from my children) or an allergic reaction so I was sent off for blood work.
Needless to say I never did hear any results so I wasn't too concerned until I saw my obgyn who sent me for a bile acid test to check for cholestasis. Did I mention that there is only 1 place in town where you can get such test taken.
So off to the university hospital I go to get this test taken.
Considering the nurse at the office told me there was no prep work I assumed that I could just go there, get the blood test taken and go home. Apparently I was the lucky one because I am the only one from my clinic who got sent home for not fasting for 8 hours.
Not cool to do to a very pregnant woman!
The stress you feel when you can't take a test you know is important for your baby is horrific to comprehend.
And yes, that was me sobbing my eyes out in the parking lot and now you know why!
And the worse thing to tell me is what you are testing me for.
Google on a good day is a great thing.
Google when you wonder what the heck is going on with your baby is not.
The fear is overwhelming but thankfully God was with me every step of the way.
The rash disappeared and the test results came back normal.
I also had to do the dreaded gestational diabetes test in August too.
For those of you who don't know what this test is let me share!
They give you what looks like orange pop with 100% more sugar in it then normal pop.
You have 5 minutes to drink the entire thing and then they make you sit in the waiting room for an hour, take your blood and then send you home.
I Flunked the first time.
How do you flunk a blood test!!
So, on Mr.D's first day of kindergarten I was trapped in a lab doing the 2 hour test.
Lucky for me I passed that one and dogged another common pregnancy complication.

The coolness of September was a relief because at least we knew the bugs would get killed off with the early morning frost.
September ushered us all into a new phase of our lives.
One that I had hoped I had entered gracefully but I will admit, there were more than my share of tears.
Some in secret.
Some down right ugly that could not be contained and I am sure brought a little embarrassment to my family.
Two of my three children are now in school.
Do you have any idea how weird that is to say?
Niffy Nunu began her "high school career" and entered Grade 10 **sob**and with that came a flurry of expensive back to school necessities and expenses that sucked the breath out of these ol lungs.
For example...why does my daughter need a $140.00 calculator for math?
Especially when she needed a new calculator last year for math?
Does this one fold laundry? teleport her to her classroom so she will never be late for class ever again?
Umm... no. Just sucked $140 out of my bank account and that didn't even cover school fee's.
Granted, there were more expensive calculators to be purchased but luckily they weren't on the "required materials list"
As soon as there is a school picture, I will post a school picture but blondie locks forgot to bring home her picture form so, she didn't get pictures and we aren't sure when re-takes are so I might have to take matters into my own hands.
My precious 5 year old Mr.D entered kindergarten. **sob**
I wasn't the only one who took this hard.
Giggles was an emotional mess the first two weeks of school.
Clinging to my leg every morning she would sob her eyes out for her brother and I would have to scoop her up in my arms and carry her to the van. Her blanket and her lion that have long been forgotten have re-surfaced and she refuses to go anywhere without them now. Broke my heart to see her so distraught so, we got busy and got plugged in and are now going to bible study Tuesday mornings and play group Thursday mornings to help with the transition and to keep her from missing her big brother.
Seeing that child growing in her faith and getting such a heart for God has had such an impact on me.
One that is impossible to describe.
To have faith like a child is so precious to see.
She asks for God to come and play with her, tells me that Jesus lives in her heart and you can hear her singing
"Jesus loves on me me me me me"
"Jesus loves on me me me me me"
(and not sung to "Jesus loves me either" at least five times a day.
An all consuming fire of faith in a 3 year old!

School has proven to be interesting for both Big Daddy and I along with Noah.
It's hard hearing your son tell you that he "didn't play with anyone" during recess but I know that he has friends.
When I drop him off in the morning there are always children crowding around him wanting him to come and play so it's hard to know for sure.
Now we just have to figure out how to help him with what appears to be the "kindergarten bully".
A kid in his class who feels it's his responsibility to tell our little guy who he can and can not play with.
Befriends our son, has one "get together" then decides that he has voting rights in what our little guy does.
Really?
Already? **unhappy sigh**
Where do this kids come from?
We are also experiencing the "back to school catch every bug around phase too".
So far he has missed 1 full week of school because he has been down with cough/strep throat/ear infection and pink eye.
All at the same time.
All during the same week.
**sigh**
Giggles managed to snag the ear infection and the pink eye while I got the ear infection.
Honestly!
Here's his first school picture.

So far October has been busy.
Sick children and a baby ready to arrive any day have kept me quite busy.
As of today I am 36 weeks pregnant and just ready to be done.
Since thanksgiving I have been experiencing Braxton hicks contractions mixed in with a few real ones.
So yes, this has been going on for a week now.
Every.single.day.
Just enough to make me wonder if baby is on his way sooner that his expected arrival date.
I want to see this baby and snuggle him in my arms.
I want to kiss those sweet little baby toes and smell that sweet baby scent in his hair.
And no, we don't know for sure it this one is a boy or not but hopefully we will know soon!!
According to one of the kindergarten mommies "you have this look on your face" and "you have dropped" so we shall see how much longer this one will bake.
Seeing as this is our last baby I am trying to enjoy what is left of it while storing the good memories somewhere deep in my mind but I will be honest with you.
Maternity pants are for the birds.
You can't keep them up even with a bella band and I just want to get back to the skinnier version of me!
Honestly, I am pretty much ready.
The clothing I want to pack in my hospital bag is in the washer, the car seat is by the front door and the diaper bag is packed and tucked away by the front door.
Towels are on the seats in both the truck and the van so should my water break while I am sitting the seats won't get trashed.
Nesting has become almost my new hobby for me but at least the house is getting clean.
I doubt the baby will care if my linen closet is clean remains to be seen but for today it is bugging me.
So we all know I am going to be tearing that apart and re-organizing it before the day is done.
As I finish this Giggles is coloring at the table and the baby has the hiccups.

Life is good and always an adventure!

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we have critters!

2010-08-10T15:19:00.014-06:00

.. the creepy crawly kind.
and yes, I am actually okay with having them live in my house.
Seriously.
No screaming for big daddy to come and squash them!!
Having a saltwater tank in an exercise in patience.
It takes awhile for the chemical levels to finally behave and do what they are supposed to but we have finally gone thru both our ammonia spike and our nitrite spike which means that we are actually able to host creatures in our tank!!
The first to arrive were our emerald green crab
Whom I have nick named "Mister crabs".
He's pretty hard to catch actually.
Loves to hide in the rocks so I am actually pretty lucky to have snapped this one of him.

we have snails ...

and hermit crabs...

We also have a cute scooter blenny who apparently is a little camera shy

and a funky shrimp

We also have our first piece of coral....a hammer head.
This is what "he" looks like when the light is turned off in the tank.

but it sure looks nice when the light is on!

And nemo..well two.
Who are nameless for now...

this is what our tank looks like now.

the base rock is starting to show signs that it is becoming "live rock" as there are tiny speckles of purple which means that it is growing coralline algae starting to show up.
Really exciting to watch!
This is definitely a great hobby to get into!

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One Minute Sermon

2010-08-03T14:42:00.001-06:00

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the tale of two tanks...

2010-07-16T11:05:00.004-06:00

I guess if you can't live near the ocean the next best thing is to bring the ocean to you!
My kid sister gave us her old 38 gallon tank so since we have a space big enough we decided to make this tank a saltwater tank.
An expensive and time consuming adventure to say the least but so far we are really enjoying the adventure so far.
The first step we had to clean out the tank and scrub off the water marks.
Then we added our live sand and water then began the slow process of adding salt to our mixture.
We finished our 7 day stability treatment yesterday so we were able to purchase 20lbs of base rock (that's the stuff that looks white) and 10lbs live rock (that's the rock that looks a rich darker brown/gray)
So this is what our tank looks like now.
We more than likely will move the rock around until we find a "look" we like but when we added everything yesterday it stirred up all of the sand and it was like a dust cloud in there making it impossible to see what we were doing.
But for now it looks like this.

On one of our pieces of tonga live rock we have this:

Not really sure what it is yet but we "officially have one living thing (beside the rock and the sand) in our tank!!

Our next step is to wait..
again..
but this time we want to make sure that our ammonia levels haven't spiked so when we add in our "cleaner crew" we won't kill everything we add.
So our next purchase we will be adding :
30 blue legged hermit crabs
At least their bright blue legs will give us some much needed color to the tank!
5 red scarlet hermit crab
10 astrea snails
10 margarita snails
10 cerith snails
My son is going to freek out.
He HATES snails with a passion!!

...once these guys are well established we will move on to the fun stuff!
Brightly colored fish and corals!!
**happy sigh**
by that time the weather will probably be turing and the color will be greatly desired.
We can not wait!!

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Why is there glitter all over my floor?

2010-07-16T10:42:00.006-06:00

I will tell you why.
It's because SHE showed up...

We had a surprise visit from the tooth fairy a week ago

..just when I started to get comfortable with Mr. D heading off to school in the fall this happens .

" Momma!
I lost my tooth!!
I'm a big boy now!!"

I realize that baby teeth are supposed to fall out.
I went thru this years ago with Niffy Nunu so I should have been more on the ball that we were close.
But I didn't think we were this close.
Shesh!!
This happened on the 7th and wouldn't you know it.
A week later and the OTHER tooth is wiggly.
Big Daddy told Mr. D that the "tooth fairy is on vacation and won't be back until September"
I wonder if he bought it?
Yeah, me either **sigh**
And, of course.
The tooth fairy didn't leave the customary quarter or loonie from when we were kids.
Nooooo...
She left him ...

Granted, he loves it.
But what is she going to bring him for his second "lost" tooth?
**sigh**

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Our mini vacation.. in pictures!

2010-07-06T15:41:00.011-06:00

We needed a break.
Even if it was only a mini vacation.
We sure packed a lot of fun into a short amount of time!
First stop!
The calgary zoo..

..the wild boyo scaling up a gigantic tree.
(the funny part was he got up there and then he couldn't get down!!

A friendly face greets us on our way into the prehistoric park.

..huh?
What's beside me?

Just follow the big yellow footprints!!

oops!!
So that sign means "no climbing" too bad the 5 year old couldn't read that!

Surprise!
I ran into one of my Bridesmaids!
We haven't seen each other in 9 years...

please mom...no more pictures!!

Back in the truck we go!!

On their way to throw some rocks into the water

we caught a little bit of rain on the way out of Banff...

We stumbled upon this little gem after the GPS took us on a "detour"
Ghost Lake Reservoir....

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Studying and spoiled rotten

2010-06-24T15:55:00.002-06:00

...Niffy Nunu has been studying all week for her final exams.
Guess the "stress" finally caught up with her!
This is how I found her yesterday afternoon "studying" for her Science test!!

Yesterday was Bid Daddy and my 9th wedding anniversary and I got SPOILED rotten!!
Just check out this beautiful bouquet :)

We snuck off for dinner just the two of us and had a nice quiet evening at home :)
Time sure does fly!!

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Well, that's funny...

2010-06-24T13:05:00.003-06:00

I remember when going on the internet was something fun, exciting..there were so many sites I wanted to visit and things I had to do that my time got sucked up in a vortex and what started off as a quick 15 minute check turned into hours. Wasted.
But somewhere along the way it became...boring.
Did I just hear you gasp or was that me?
Probably me.
Saying it out-loud doesn't change how I feel by any stretch of the imagination but it does feel better.
Like I am justified in my obscure views of technology.
I find I visit a handful of sites over and over again through the course of the hoping for something new.
Anything new!!
Something that might catch my attention for longer than 15 seconds but let's just be honest here.
I wasn't meant to spend my time scouring the internet and neither were you.
The fact that you are reading this blog means that you have either stumbled upon it quite by mistake or you have been following me since I started my ramblings and I thank you for your loyalty.
But be honest with yourself.... how much time do you spend online?
Probably more than you would like to. I know, I feel the same way.
I have been feeling this way for awhile...like there has got to be more to life than "this".
It's like at the end of the day I curl up in bed and press "re-wind"
Do you ever feel like this too?
I want my joy back and zeal for life instead of wasting time in front of our mac typ
And I have figured out how to find it...but I am going to have to back away from the keyboard to find it.
Hidden away from people and nature have left me feeling empty and alone and it is so easy to feel that way.
Or at least be lead to believe that's how I feel.
Spring is a season meant to be enjoyed.
With the warm sun on my face and the gentle breezes tickling my toes.
I want to take my children back to the zoo and see the excitement in their eyes as they watch the animals:

I want to encourage Mr.D to play with the bugs:

I want to sit on my deck and enjoy my children running through the sprinkler their laughter filling the air.

Not in front of the computer plugging out of life.
So, while I have a chance...I am going to take it.
Starting today I am going to cut my computer time drastically.
It might be days before I post something new but I know finding myself again will be worth the wait.
Re-connecting with my friends and family and nature, enjoying my children while they are still little..enjoying the remainder of my pregnancy are things that I can never "google" on the net.
And that...will be time well spent!

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our little peanut...

2010-06-22T14:01:00.002-06:00

It's been a few days since we got our first sneak peak at our littlest one so you will have to forgive me for not sharing sooner.
The weekend has been a bit of a blur with time spent with friends and family.
So, here it is.
Our sweet little peanut!
If you look closely you can see one little hand over by the face and another reaching to give me a little poke.
Squiggly wiggly child and honestly I didn't feel a thing!
Soon I will be feeling those kicks but for now not much.
Anyways...

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The rest of the weekend we were busy with our oldest at her dance recital.
Here is a sneak peak of her Ballet dance...

Keeper of the Cheerios

2010-06-04T10:08:00.002-06:00

..that should be my new title.
Because I swear all that I have done this morning is feed children.
And wipe snotty noses.
And try and convince my darling 3 year old that there are no monsters and "no I can't kill them because they are not real"
She doesn't believe me.
At all.
Utterly panicked with a tear stained face she begged me to "kill the monster"
Where she picked up "kill" is a little beyond me.
Kind of disturbing none the less but more disheartening that it took almost a half hour to calm her down.
You would never know now that she had such a fear filled morning.
She is happily playing upstairs..after 3 bowls of cheerios.
Yep.
3.
The kid must have a hollow leg or something..or is going into another growth spurt.
Funny, I just weeded out her clothing drawer and it looks like I might be doing that again soon...
**sigh**

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Snow, Fire & Blood and fights...

2010-05-31T08:56:00.002-06:00

Yep,
I think that is an accurate description of our past weekend.
And no, I am not exaggerating.
I wish I was, trust me but only in our lives do we see all 4 in the span of a few hours.
Blame the snow on us.
We foolishly ordered the remaining fence boards so of course the weather had to turn on us.
It poured buckets while we were building our deck so why would we even think that the weather would be nice so we could finish off our fence.
Mother nature proved us wrong and blanketed our entire world with thick wet flakes.
Our poor tree look like it might snap under the weigh of the snow.
Thankfully it didn't but our plans were altered.
And so were friends of ours so we had company!
Which brings me to the fire part of our weekend.
My dh took a can of spray duster in an attempt to clear a way ward hair off of the lens of our projector (which was hot at the time) and when he started spraying fire shot out of the air vents. Oops!!
Needless to say either the hair is still there (haven't really looked) or it has been singed off and we won't have to worry about that one.
Once that was done we settled in to watch UFC.
Couldn't tell you who won though because somewhere durning the fight I fell asleep on the couch.
Blaming that one on pregnancy hormones or the fact that my dd tried to make me ill when she baked some peanut butter cookies which turned my tummy quite the opposite direction that this former peanut butter lover would have assumed.
Anyways...I decided the couch was not for me so I abandoned my post and headed for the bed only to be up a few hours later with a nosebleed.
Another perk of pregnancy!
And to top it off when I woke up in the morning I got another one... UGH!!

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..time flies when your having fun!

2010-05-17T07:48:00.002-06:00

**happy sigh**
We had such a great weekend hanging out with friends, laughing, watching our children get down and dirty playing in the earth.
Really puts into focus what is important in my life and what is just "filler".
We spend so much of our time and energy focusing on stuff that doesn't really matter so it was refreshing to just sit and enjoy everyone and everything around me.
I must admit.
I really did enjoy laying on a lounger enjoying the sun on my toes but keeping it out of my face with a huge umbrella.
Sipping water and enjoying the laughter around me.
Makes me wonder how much time I have actually wasted doing things that ultimately don't matter.
How many days are spent wasted in front of the t.v. when really we could be walking in the trees exploring nature?
I guess it's all about balance.
Finding time to spend with God, with nature and with the people you love most in the world.
Being real.
Being who you are and not caring who see's it.
After all..wouldn't you rather focusing your energy on the people who you love instead of laundry?
Yeah. Me too!!

An update:

Your Baby: Week 14

Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over the body for warmth

This week I get to hear the little ones heartbeat.
Something I have been waiting for since my last ultrasound.
Apparently they don't even try to find it until 14 weeks so at this appointment I will get to hear that wonderful sound again.
Slowly getting out of the morning sickness phase and am actually able to enjoy food again.
And no, I am not eating for two.
Really, I have no desire to gain 14 bazillion pounds this pregnancy.

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we have critters...

2010-05-12T11:21:00.004-06:00

I know,
Sound worse than it really is.
We are actually "hand raising" Painted Lady Butterflies just like we did last spring.
We had so much fun last year that we had to participate again this year.
Funny, the day I picked them up we were in the middle of a blinding snowstorm!

Snapped on the 4th of May the day after we "brought" them home.

Two days later and these little critters are already on a major growth spurt.
Snapped on the weekend.

And here is where they are living today:

They are starting to cocoon so they are entering into the next phase of their life.
Should be interesting to watch!

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So, do you want to know my secret?

2010-05-10T15:06:00.003-06:00

I will admit.
As far as secrets go this one has been really REALLY tough to keep under-wraps but somehow I have.
Until today.
I mean, I have shared everything with you.
You experienced the excitement of my children's successes, the pain in loosing family members and dear pets.
You have witnessed my attempts at humor and creativity.
Even when they have crashed and burned miserably.
You have seen my unbridled anger and heart wrenching sorrow in the face of not one but two back to back losses so keeping this secret to myself for such a long time was hard.
I wanted to share.
Honest I did but I held this one just a little closer until I felt it was safe to share.
And today I can...
Big Daddy and I are expecting sweet baby #4 in the fall.
Yes, that means I am way WAY past just finding out.
In fact today is my first day in the 2nd trimester and I couldn't be more thrilled!
Granted, this also means that the endless trips to the bathroom are starting to end and hopefully so will my "morning sickness" but my energy is starting to pick back up too.
So, to give you an idea of how big baby is...

Your Baby: Week 13

Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)

...there!
That feels better :)

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I have a secret...

2010-05-09T16:47:00.000-06:00

One that I will share with you all....
Tomorrow!!

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and it was finished!

2010-05-04T09:23:00.002-06:00

so this is how mine looks...

I am going to blame it on my choice of yarn.
If you were here and were holding the dish rag in your hand you could see the picture but trying to hold it up too snap a picture of it is almost impossible.
The colors are well, busy!
The lighting is horrible too.
Granted I didn't know what it was going to be so I just used the wool that I had on hand.
Heaven's it going to be used to scrub yucky counters and wash dishes!!
So, honest now.
Can you tell what it is?
It's supposed to be a boy gardener.
And look like this...

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Day #8

2010-05-03T13:23:00.003-06:00

Ooops...
seems like I got distracted and forgot to take Day #7 picture.
Oh well!

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Day 6...

2010-04-30T14:44:00.001-06:00

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...I didn't forget!

2010-04-29T11:30:00.000-06:00

Day 5....

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a knitting we will go...

2010-04-22T11:15:00.000-06:00

Day #3

Day #4

Hmm..wonder what this is going to be!

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so, I have found myself smack dab

2010-04-20T11:56:00.005-06:00

In the middle of a mystery!
Now before you think that I am trading in mothering my children to become the next big private eye you need to know something.
This is no ordinary mystery.
I have decided to join he mystery dishcloth knit along over at Rachels knitting corner
She posts a set of rows each morning (between 8:30am and 9:00am Eastern Time) as well as post a link to her flickr album with progress pics along the way so you can check your work as we go if you choose to do so.
So far it's been pretty fun!
Granted it's also the first time I have done anything quit like this either.
Here are my first rows:

Believe it or not I actually found some quiet time during nap time so here are my second set of rows:

I am hoping you will get a chance to see what the picture will become but this yarn might make it a little difficult.
Guess we all shall wait and see!

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dreaming on the sand..

2010-04-14T09:59:00.000-06:00

I.need.a.holiday.
I want to put my feet in the sand and sit on the beach and relax.
Hopefully we can pull off a vacation soon....
but until then I will just sit and dream!!

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The wall..1.. .mommy 0

2010-03-27T17:27:00.003-06:00

I love the budding interest my son is showing in the arts.
It tickles me pink to watch his growing interest in writing his name over and over and over again.
I don't even mind that he has used up an entire package of printer paper to hone his skills.
I do have a problem when he uses my walls.
A big BIG problem!
We tried....baking soda, tooth paste and hairspray.
Finally we purchased the "Mr. Clean eraser" to tackle the job.
It worked but rubbed off the paint as well.
Wonder how much it would cost to get ALL the walls painted.
Any guesses?
Yeah, me either!

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10 things you might not know!

2010-03-25T18:16:00.002-06:00

I think I've got a fun one!
It's not very original but I think it will be a blast.
let's hit the fast forward button. What are 10 things - right off the top of your head - that we would only know about you if we knew you really well? 10 random things ranging anywhere on your personal map that make you a tad distinctive? Or just plain weird? Think quickly. Don't go for deep. Go for quirky. Don't try to put them in any kind of order and don't make them long. Just start typing. I'll go first to give you the idea.
1. I wear shorts and go bare foot all year round.
I don't care if there is a raging blizzard outside and 6 feet of snow I will still be in shorts and barefoot!

2. I'm not good at buying good-fitting clothes hence the semi-annual trip to the department store.
Albeit a hilarious trip in the making but it can make for a long day.

3. I make my bed every morning.

4. Sometimes I find myself sounding a little British. (but only when I am mad!) Never even been to Europe. Huh.

5. My wallet is full of receipts and my purse is full of change. Why can't I clean it out?

6. I love the color purple--in all shades.

7. The Lord is teaching me to trust Him in a deep way "without fear or misgiving" (PS. 84:12 Amp)

8. I cannot do an 'updo' with my hair to save my life -- unless a basic ponytail counts. I'm hairstyle-challenged...

9. I know a zillion goofy Girl Guide songs.

10. I'm a coffee snob but much to my horror have discovered that I actually do enjoy a London Fog with a Chai tea bag

What about you? What are 10 quirky things we might not know?

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How to tell your all grown up

2010-03-15T10:51:00.003-06:00

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Just look UP!

2010-03-11T12:06:00.007-07:00

the simple things in life we forget...

The buzzard:

If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

The bat:

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

The bumblebee:

A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies,unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom..
It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

People:

In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem!
Just look up.

Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, But faith looks up!

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and trust in our
Creator who loves us.

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Growing up is harder than it looks...

2010-03-03T07:19:00.003-07:00

One of my worst childhood memories have always been growing pains.
Waking up in the middle of the night with searing pain running down both of my legs. Unable to find a comfortable spot in my bed where the pain would at least lessen so I could catch some much needed sleep I tossed and turned and cried until the tylenol kicked in and I fell into a troubled sleep. You would think with the grief that I had growing up I would be taller than my impressing 5'3 stature but no God wanted me on the petite side.
My sister's growing pains were horrific than I experienced and she has a good 3 inches on me.
His big sister went thru it and occasionally still has a bad night and she just passed dear ol mom height wise.
You should see her gloat!!
Hmm, I wonder how tall this little guy is going to be?
Last night was h.o.r.r.i.b.l.e
He spent the night over at nannie and gua's house and things went well until 11:30 with wicked growing pains and a nasty headache. Gua was pounding on the door at 2:30 to get some medication so I dressed quickly and brought him home to be with mommy.
He settled down quite quickly and has been asleep ever since.
Shesh, growing up is harder than it looks!!

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Like a ghost I was gone...

2010-03-02T15:33:00.003-07:00

It’s been a while. The last time I stopped to send a juicy update was around the time that dear sweet Jinx went to his heavenly home and then poof.
Like a ghost I was gone...
I wasn't intending on that happening.
Honest!
when I look around my life and realize:
the kids are fighting
the laundry needs folding
the floors need mopping
the dishes need washing
the door STILL needs fixing
…and…
*sniff*
“What’s that smell?”
“Eeeeew! It’s ME! I haven’t had a shower yet, and it’s 4:00 in the afternoon!”
I don’t mean to be graphic, but that’s what life for a multitasking, self-employed, slightly over-ambitious, mother is like some days. While the details may differ slightly, chances are good you can probably relate to what I’m saying.
It's just,somewhere along the way life got busy. Too busy if you ask me.
With dance lessons, training quizzes, Bible study homework and normal day to day stuff I found I have had to re-focus on what needed to be done at that time and along the way I have made some adjustments to my normal day to day life. I was feeling strung out and stressed out which meant I was entering into a season of change.
One that I actually didn't fight this time so I know that in some aspect I am growing.
I have trimmed things from my life that are no longer satisfying and enjoyable for things that are.
Rediscovering things that I truly enjoy doing even if someone else wouldn't and picking up a new interest along the way.
Like this one!

I picked up a stampin up card making class.
Two wonderful hours once a month where I don't have to think. at all.
I can let the creative juices flow and walk away with a completed project.
20 valentines cards actually.
Cute eh?
And I put myself back in my agenda.
Funny how I became a mother and all of sudden I put everyone else needs before my own.
Well, that too changed and I learned that wii fit has an excellent "stress reliever" a.k.a boxing and that smug look of satisfaction I get on my face when I destroy that punching bad is totally worth it.
We also celebrated Niffy Nunu's 15th Birthday!
How time has flown...
Promise, I won't get all sappy on you this time...

Niffy Nunu's Cake..al la moi!

Probably the best cake I have done to date really and a real eye opening experience too I might add.
I started cake decorating because I want to be "that Mom"
You know, the crazy one down the street that is up all hours of the night decorating a cake to make it look just "right" when I could have gone down the street and picked one up from safeway.
Either I had too much icing sugar but I learned that I really enjoy decorating cakes!!
Boy was it tasty too...
She celebrated with a sleepover...10 15-year old girls up until the wee hours of the morning.
Hmm, wonder if the silly string mess has been cleaned up or if it will all wash away with the snow?
Oh, and another quick snap before I bolt...

"my kitchen help"
What a darling little girl she is growing up to be!!
Well, time to soak in the tub.
It's been a long day....

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I stayed...

2010-01-26T15:08:00.004-07:00

"Sometimes faith is the absence of fear. Other times faith may be choosing to believe God even when your heart is melting with fear. Perhaps, then, faith is tested by what we do with fear, not whether or not we have it."

Found in "Breaking Free by Beth Moore".

By nature I like to think that I am gutsy and when things get hard I stand firm in what I believe and do what needs to be done regardless of how hard it might be at the time.
No regrets right?
At least that is what I would like for people to believe.
But, that's not the truth.
It's been something that God and I are working thru...leaning on Him when I am afraid or fearful instead of turning to myself.
I got my first big lesson this week and boy was it a doozy.
I have someone I want you to meet....
Actually there are three.

But for now we are going to focus on the big orange tabby.
My lovable Jinx.
The cat who I am convinced thought that he was a dog.
When he came into our lives (and stole our hearts) he was tiny enough that we could fit him into a Barbie car and could fit his whole upper body into his feeding dish to eat.
He loved to scamper up the screen window in hot pursuit of a bug and would gobble it down without a second glance.
Trust me.
He more than earned his name!!
There is so much I would love to share with you about him but that's something I will save for another day.
Where to start?
Saturday was supposed to be a good day.
A "date night" for me and Big Daddy and it turned from being a good day to a terrible horrible no good very bad day.
After yet another unsuccessful attempt to go and see the movie "Avatar" we settled on purchasing tickets to the movie for the next day and we grabbed a bag of popcorn for the road on the way to the fights.
We decided that instead of paying an outrageous amount of money for a drink we would swing by the house and fill up our water bottles instead so we did.
We were there around 4:30 (everything was fine) so we headed out to the fights.
literally a block away from where we were heading to Niffy Nunu calls to tell me that Jinx is in a LOT of pain.
My heart dropped and I started shaking....
She said that He was crying and panting and his tongue is hanging out of his mouth so without a second thought we turn around and head home.
When I come into the house she tell me that he has moved himself over by the litter box but now he can't walk and is dragging his legs so, I scooped him up and race him upstairs to put him in the loaned cat box so I can take him to the vets.
In true Jinx fashion he shared his displeasure with not only the car ride but being "trapped" in his box.
The rest pretty much was a blur but I was told that he had "thrown" a blood clot and that's why his legs weren't functioning and that he probably had "thrown" a blood clot to his lungs so they recommended that I put him to sleep.
Heartbreaking.
Absolutely heart breaking.
I wanted to run and be anywhere but there...
Sitting back now I am more than glad that I didn't run.
That somehow I pulled it together enough to show him the love and friendship that he had unconditionally given to us while he was here.
I stayed with my friend and scratched his head and petted him well after he passed into Jesus's arms.
Was I afraid.
Heck yeah.
Of getting hurt.
Of the loss...of the heart break.
Of being so close to death.
again.
But, I stayed.
Learned a lot about who I am and what I believe.
There was no way that I did that in my own strength...I leaned on Him and he gave me what I needed when I needed it.
Isn't he amazing....

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do you have the map?

2010-01-20T13:04:00.003-07:00

"You may not always end up where you thought you were going but you will always end up where you were meant to be."

That's my status on facebook today.
Kind of fitting I thought for where I am right now.
probably where you are too.
I was never given a map.
Were you?
Hard to know from day to day where God is going to send me or what he has in plan for me to do that particular day.
Exciting and frightening all at the same time!
Actually, I don't need a map.
I have a book.
You probably have one too.
it's the Bible.
Everything I need to know about life here on earth and how to get ready for where the next stop is.
I just grabbed mine off of my dresser and brought it down stairs.
Bible study tonight.
So excited and I can not wait to see what God has in store for me tonight!

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..I got nothing.

2010-01-12T10:08:00.002-07:00

Startling I am sure seeing as there are times when I am sure that Big Daddy or my msc would love me to just BE quiet and enjoy the moment.
But, seriously, I got nothing.
All I want to do is curl up in my bed with my book and read the morning away.
But no, I get to go to my dreadful ultrasound this afternoon that deep down I know is good for me but I really would rather not go.
wouldn't it be a hoot if the doctors at the hospital was wrong.
That I didn't "really" miscarry and this was all just a huge misunderstanding?
yeah, I know.
I live in the real world and not on a soap opera.
That's not the case.
There is no bun in my oven...yet.
I am going to be shuffled quickly into a cubical so I will not have to see all those swollen bellies of women who are anxiously awaiting their first glimpses of their unborn babies.
Nothing more heart wrenching then knowing that I should be pregnant but something went terribly wrong and now they are wondering if I am "retaining product" hence the importance of this "Emergency ultrasound"
Forced to wear an unflattering gown that makes my legs look even whiter than they normally are.
I wonder if they plan it that way?
I mean, honestly, my dignity is going to be flying out of the room once they begin but couldn't they spare us the horrific gown?
At least I get to wear my socks...and a cute pair at that.
There is power in a simple pair of socks...and no one is going to change that!!

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What is this new normal?

2010-01-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

**sigh**
I apologize now because this is going to get ugly but unless I spill these words they are just going to eat at what is left of who I am.
All I want to do is curl up in a ball and sob my eyes out.
Or lock myself in a closet and scream until my vocal cords burn and there is nothing left to say.
I don't want to be going thru this again, why did I have to go thru this at all?
I just want my baby back.
I want to wake up in the morning and not be greeted with thoughts of dead dreams. I don't want to think about the little one that I never got a chance to hold in my arms but for a moment I held in my hands in utter agony. knowing that this was the only time I would hold my precious little baby.
A baby I don't even have the chance to get to know.
It's just not fair and I am angry.
I want to stamp my feet and clench my hands into a fist.
Angry that my hormones are still all over the map.
Angry that instead of learning my beta hcg numbers weren't at zero but are at 82. This has been going on for so long now.
How long does it take to get back to "normal"
What ever that new normal is.
Angry that I have to have yet another "emergency" ultrasound.
How is it an emergency if I have to wait the entire weekend before I get a chance to even get in?
I wish with all my heart that the next ultrasound would be a joyous one and not one filled with heartache and pain.
The empty womb.
Angry that the people I love the most feel like they have to walk on egg shells around me when I "thought" that I was doing O.K. with all of this.
When will this be a bad dream instead of my new reality?
Livid that the "medical community" describes a miscarriage as "retaining product" you want product...go to the damn drug store and buy a bottle of hairspray. There's your product.
God where are you in all of this?
I can not go on and I can not stay where I am?
Please lift me out of this pit!

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A new Year...

2010-01-04T12:43:00.003-07:00

I have spent a decent amount of time the past few days thinking about resolutions and goals for 2010 and beyond, both for my life at large as well as for my blog.
When I first started blogging, years ago, I did it as a replacement for pen and paper journaling. I did it to share photos of our children with faraway family. I did it because it was fun. I discovered that blogging was a great place for me to find my voice.
I used it as a tool to help me muddle my way thru my first miscarriage.
But have remained silent thru my second loss.
A way of protecting myself I guess but that too will become more in focus in the new year as we begin the journey into "the why" of it all. I will warn you. I am going to be brutal honest in that journey because I believe that somewhere there is a woman who will read this down the road and she will need to hear what I have to share.
I am going to be real and authentic and sometimes that will be a little uncomfortable.
For both of us.
I am, however, telling you here and now that in 2010 I will blog boldly .

Have you ever struggled with the temptation to come across, perhaps via your Facebook status or what not, as much more together than you really are? I know, unless I am deliberately bringing my will in alignment with God's, I am tempted much more often to Tweet "I just made homemade sugar cookies with my children!" than I am so share, "I just got so tired of being with my children that I sent them to their rooms for nap an hour early just so I could have some blasted time alone."
It can be scary to think about sharing boldly, blogging boldly, Tweeting boldly, Facebooking boldly and just living boldly. If all your friends have social media updates like, "I'm on a date with my adorable husband!" it can be a bit fear inducing to update with the truth of your moment, if it's anything like moments I've experienced in my own marriage: "Big Daddy and I were supposed to go on a date tonight, but we got into such a wretched fight that we called it off and he went upstairs to play PS3 instead."
Indeed, I think God sometimes uses our fear (of being ridiculed or of looking worse than others or whatever) to move us out of our comfort zones. And He wants us out of our comfort zones so He can refine our character. To guide us towards conforming to His character. You see, sometimes when I blog, I find that my human nature causes me to care about my comfort level. But God doesn't.

God cares about my character, not my comfort.

I have decided that this year, I am going to be making a concerted effort to try to blog boldly, paying less attention to my comfort and more attention to just plain doing the right thing, whether it's comfortable or not. In fact, when what I am doing is not comfortable, those are sometimes the things I should be doing, in my life and with my blog.

Today I would like to encourage you to blog boldly. too. Or whatever. Live boldly. Parent boldly. Work boldly. Love boldly. Blog, live, parent, work, love according to your beliefs. From your core. Because you value your character and not because you want to be comfortable. Take no heed (or at least as little heed as you humanly can) to what others say or to what you think they are thinking. After all, God does not care about our comfort level. Nor does He judge us by what others say. He judges us by His standards, regardless of what the world thinks of us.

Listen to what your heart says, be sensitive to what God wants you to do with your life in 2010 and beyond. And then, just go out and do it. Blog boldly, live boldly, parent boldly, work boldly, love boldly, and forget the naysayers.

An unwritten chapter in my life waiting for the words to be written by me....boldly written words.

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'tis the season

2009-12-21T11:52:00.003-07:00

For baking cookies...
For years I have said that I would love to dedicate one day and just get all of my Christmas baking done.
So far.
My track record is a little **cough** off.
But, I did take a step in the right direction this year!!
I purchased a package of the ready to bake snowmen thinking it would be a fun baking activity for my children.
Also, I was thinking about myself and how much time we would save in not having to clean the kitchen after they were done.
Who knew the biggest challenge would be getting everyone home at the same time to do them!!
Niffy Nunu took on this task with the two little ones.
Here they are getting ready.

Niffy Nunu explains "how this was going to work" to the little ones.

All done!!

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He knit me in my mothers womb

2009-12-16T12:59:00.004-07:00

Isn't God amazing!
Only He could turn a unfortunately normal every day event into a teaching moment!
Turning the words found in scripture into a something that I could grasp and understand the meaning.

I was curled up on the love seat beside the fireplace with my knitting needles, my pattern and a ball of yarn enjoying the laughter of the two little ones playing in the living room and I was using the time I had between chauffeuring Niffy Nunu to get some of my knitting done. It can take me awhile to get much progress as my hands fall asleep more often that I would like them to so, it's harder to actually get a substantial amount done at one time so you can understand my horror yesterday when I was about 14 rows in when I discovered that I was a missing stitch. Somewhere along the way I had dropped a stitch and because of the pattern there was no real way I could work my way back and correct the mistake. I would have to unravel all of it.
All.Of.IT!!
So, as I began pulling the stitches loose this scripture came to mind.
"you made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb."
Unlike me in my humanness God doesn't have to go back and unravel anything.
His stitches are perfect.
He isn't distracted and the pattern he follows is flawless.
Perfect, each time.
Just the way he designed.
Now isn't that cool...

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'Tis the season

2009-12-04T07:54:00.003-07:00

The winds of change are in the air..
Something new is happening all around us.
Snow softly falling all around us....
There is a smile on the faces around us.
Frosty breath and red noses.
Laughter and high Christmas spirits.
Our schedules are starting reflecting the busyness of the season.
Parties to attend..cards to be written and mailed.
Gifts to be purchased and wrapped.
"Tis the season for Change...
Last week we splurged and purchase a new chaise lounge sofa set so we knew that we would have to get the bonus room ready for the new arrival.
Which prompted Big daddy to get our projector hung in its proper place and the speakers needed to be moved as well.
Trying to keep the play space available and safe has been some what of a challenge and I had hope that we would all make the transition smoothly.
There is a laundry basket filled with tools tucked away in my closet along with a ladder.
Hard to know where everything will end up when furniture is being moved around.
It's darn near impossible to get out of the way if you are a plastic Alligator.
And that my friends is what I found when I moved the chair to give us a little extra play room.
We found "Al the Alligator" flattened like a pancake.
And an imprint to match in my carpet.
The children were very entertained and he became the new "it toy" to have all day.
What a great claim to fame...squashed by a lazy boy chair!!

Much to my surprise this morning he was as good as new!!

Which makes me wonder..
What did they make him out of?
Can you imagine if we made cars out of this stuff?

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2009-12-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

so, what do you think?

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a whirl wind..

2009-12-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

I have not forgotten about you.
I promise.
Every day new adventures arise and at the end of it I am exhausted and can't think of a thing to share with you!
But, the ride is taking a slower turn around so I will be posting more often.
I promise!!

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little green men and flying spatulas

2009-11-23T08:31:00.003-07:00

**sigh**
Sooo very glad that this is OVER!!
Well, at least until next month when I have to make Giggles her birthday cake! **teeheee**
I had intended on starting this last night after the Christmas party but upon learning that I had no oil to put in the batter I had to wait till this morning.
I mentioned the party was at 3 right?
Yeah,
I put the cake in the oven at 9:40 (50 minutes to bake, 60 minutes to cool) EEK!!
Thankfully my oldest put the cupcakes in the oven last night so I got to work on something while waiting for the cake to cool!
Here I am starting on the "little green men"

which looked like this:

I ended up making 24 of these little guys.
But, halfway thru I ran out of icing (did you know those tubes of icing are so flippen small that they will only do 9 freeken cupcakes? Yeah, me either!)
so I had to make more icing.
And like normal...I was in a rush and my small spatula flew out of my hand and landed on my hardwood floor.
See..
I was laughing so hard when it happened!!

All in all I think that the cupcakes turned out pretty good!
They looked like this:

I say looked because they are ALL gone.
Nothing is left.
Nothing!!
Then it was time for the cake!
I started with this base:

This is me working on it...

The finished product!!

( I did not do the writing...my oldest did :) )
All in all...I finished the last bits of the cake at 2:30.
Shesh..nothing like cutting it close eh!

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..the laundry fairy

2009-11-20T10:16:00.001-07:00

SEE!!
She is real!
And I caught her...
**teehee**

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Finally!!

2009-11-04T17:24:00.003-07:00

Today's the day!
The sun is shining...her cast came off!!
I think she was more excited than I was to be honest with you.
After wearing her "banaid" for 4 long weeks today it came off!
Usually Abby takes her time but not this morning!
She was dressed, had her hair done (she even kept it up for an hour!!) and had breakfast and was sitting at the door itching to get out.
Awesome if we were running late...
But we had an hour to kill!!
So, we took one last picture...

This was the adorable mask that she had to wear while we were at the cast clinic in the hospital ...thank you H1N1.
(I had to wear one too but mine wasn't as cute!!)

Granted..wearing a mask turned out to be a good thing!
The whole appointment that I was told to expect 2 hours for only took 30 minutes!
She sure is happy with it off!
Wouldn't you agree?

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Shesh, get out from under that rock!

2009-11-03T18:53:00.002-07:00

Seriously,
I have had enough of this rollercoaster ride!
I just want to sit on the bench with my bucket of carmel popcorn and have a little break. Some "me time"
Is that too much to ask?
Yeah, you would think so right?
Wrong...
We have been swamped!

A few of the highlights since I am literally sneaking in computer time here while I wait for Big Daddy to get home from work.

*Mr.D caught a horrible cough and the thoughtful little boy he is shared it with his little sister who then shared it with me.
(grabs tissue and wipes overly sore nose)
Thankfully I have the option of an early bedtime and perhaps I will even will and for go The Biggest Loser tonight..maybe..the vote is still out on that one.

*Giggles caught a tummy bug the night before her cast was to come off and because of all the "H1N1 drama" we were reschedualed for tomorrow morning.
Did I mention that I just want to put her in the tub and scrub her?
Well, I do.
I want her to sit in the tub and let her play with all her bath toys until she is wrinkled and then I will slather that arm of hers with smelly lotion.

* I feel like I have been on a little bit of an emotional overload this week.
My "due date" is quickly approaching but sitting on this side of it, honestly it sucks. I know there will be no baby to bring home because of the miscarriage. Every time I have been out this week I have seen either newborn babies or pregnant momma's to be and instead of the happy person I normally am, I turn the other way and pretend that I don't see. Honesty, that one is pretty hard to do when you hear the hollering of a newborn but for my sanity and Big Daddy's I did. Two more days..I can survive two more days right?

Thankfully I know the promises that my father has for me and I know that he will lift me up this week.
I don't have to hide.
But sometimes, it's best not to post when all I have to share with you all is blah garbage.

And besides, I totally forgot to take picture of my Birthday Manicure/Pedicure so I couldn't even share that!!
**sigh**

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Tell me a story..

2009-10-15T14:45:00.003-06:00

Because the one that keeps repeating over and over in my head is one I wish I could close the book on.
Shove it under the bed and let the dust bunnies get it.
I hate that I can't. But I sure wish I could.
I hate that 7 months ago my little one went to be with Jesus.
I hate that my due date is almost here and I will have empty arms on the day that it does.
I don't know what that day will look like.
Now don't get me wrong.
This isn't a pity party.
There are mothers who have gone thru much much worse than I have.
I'm just trying to sort out these emotions before they over run me.
I still have the pregnancy test tucked away.
Why I am keeping it I don't know but it's the only thing I have to tell me that it was real.
That the pain I felt was real.
But the healing I have experienced has helped numb the pain.
I know with time it will go away.
I'm just not sure when.

Today is pregnancy and infant loss awareness day.
Tonight at 7 there will be candles lit all over the country as parents remember.
I just wish that I wasn't one of them.
But I am.
Please join me in remembering all the babies who have gone too soon, including my own sweet little baby.
And hug a loss momma...heaven knows we need it!

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Then there was a purple...

2009-10-09T15:00:00.002-06:00

Cast!!
Giggles took a tumble down the stairs on Wednesday and it took until yesterday afternoon to get everything sorted out.
She has a "buckle fracture" so she is now sporting this beautiful purple cast for the next two weeks.
I think she likes it.
What do you think?

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God's Fingerprints

2009-10-07T08:44:00.003-06:00

We have seen them.
All over our lives for the past two weeks.
Maybe it was because our backs were up against the wall.
But, we have seen them.
All over our lives.

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I have been listening...

2009-09-29T13:48:00.004-06:00

I just finished my first week of homework for the bible study "living Beyond Yourself" exploring the fruits of the spirit.
Through my quiet time with God I have been listening..
I love it when I can bury myself in his word and quiet my heart long enough to hear him speak to me.
Usually I keep what I hear to myself.
Wrap my arms around it and protect what I have heard and not utter a word to anyone but this post is on his prompting.
I guess someone else needs to hear this too...

a joy unspeakable and full of Glory that cannot be affected by outside circumstances.
He will show me how.
Let Him teach you what is best for you.
I direct you in the ways you should go.
Pay attention to my commands!
Don't be a people pleaser- keep your heart, mind and eyes on me!
I already have something great prepared for you!
Enjoy the hear and now.
Stop trying to plan every detail of your life- I already know what's going to happen next.
Trust me!
I am the covering for your guilt and the armor for your victory.
I do not change.
You change.
You fail me.
Deny me.
Desert me.
Choose someone else over me.
Make choices that break my heart but...
you will always be my treasured possession.

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Miss me?

2009-09-25T07:52:00.001-06:00

maybe just a little?
Are you wondering what has had me so pre-occupied that I haven't had a chance to check in?
Me too!
(just kidding)
Life is back in the swing of things.
We are busy with back to fall activities and honestly, I haven't even had a chance to get much done around here and for that I am sorry.
There have been some bla days.
Day's where I don't even want to get out of bed or open my mouth but I am learning something pretty amazing.
God can change my mood.
Even if I am really wanting to be angry he can soften my heart and make me smile.
How crazy is that!
What have you been up to?
Has God taught you anything lately?

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going down?

2009-09-14T14:30:00.007-06:00

I love it that my dad was able to snap this great couple of shots of giggles sliding down the slide on their trip to the playground.
It's obvious by the expression on her face that she was having so much fun!

personally, I was a "swing girl" myself while I was growing up.
What about you?
And then it was Mr.D's turn...
Granted..his turn was a little more adventurous.

Next time..work on the landing Mr. D!
It'a bit **cough** rocky.
(tee hee!!)

*More pictures than you ever wanted to see coming soon!

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enjoy the season that you are in

2009-09-14T13:59:00.004-06:00

...for that is where you are ment to be at such a time as this.

I'm "that person".
The one who actually enjoys fall.
Strange I know.
I enjoy the warm days but the nights are so much cooler.
Where the hum of my air conditioner is silenced and instead the windows are thrown open and I get to hear the frogs in the nearby pond croaking while I drift off to sleep. I can feel that there is change in the wind...but I am not feeling anxious by it. I enjoy watching the geese as the make their annual migration south heading for warmer climates and possibly fruity beverages with straws in them.
Doubtful I know but hey, this is my blog..I can pretend that they have important plans awaiting them in California and they are anxious to get there so they can enjoy a social beverage with their friends.
I like wearing sweaters and jeans but,the one thing I just can't seem to part with are my trusty "birks"
I will deal with cold feet and trust me, I am not äbove wearing socks in them much to my daughters horror.
The smells of hot Apple cider and warm apple pie.
Thanksgiving just right around the corner.
Fall is one of my most favorite seasons.
(next to spring when I am feeling snowed in and anxious to just get outside!!)
I love the hustle and bustle of September.
Getting back into a routine which I know in a few months time I will be desperately needing a break from.
I enjoy the newness that comes with fall..new adventures, new friends. New activities. Sometime between now and then (whenever that will be) transporting three children all over the city will become draining and frustrating but I don't mind the escape for now.
The laziness of summer is slowly being replaced with activity.
We will be starting back to Bible study, Wee College, Youth group, Girl Guides & dance classes. (did I mention it's three kinds of dance lessons... Ballet, Jazz and Lyrical to be exact)
But it's a good kind of busy.
A feed your brain learn something new kind of busy.
Honestly, I thought that once I left school learning would take a back seat and I would begin to "live" but I have discovered that learning enhances my living.
So, I will enjoy this season that I am in.
And, I will be glad in it.
I hope you will too!

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a letter to the teacher...

2009-09-03T15:36:00.005-06:00

As a parent who just survived the "first day back at school" I found this little diddy and almost peed my pants laughing.
Yes, I almost peed.
I can admit it.
Laughing so hard the tears were rolling down my face so I knew that you would enjoy it just as much as I did.
I have included the hyperlink to her blog so you can see it for yourself.

A Letter to My Child’s Teacher, Whom I Suspect Is a Sadist

Dear Mrs. X:

In just over a week, you will be my son’s Grade 1 teacher. He is ever so excited to be under your tutelage. Why, since the last day of kindergarten, entering your class was all he could talk about. He gleefully thrust a piece of paper into my hand on that June afternoon, and said, “Here’s a list of the stuff I need for school next September!”

And I have to admit, I, too, was excited. I’m a school supplies geek from way back. And so, in early August, I set out to buy the items you’d listed.

It was on my fourth store that the realization began to sink in.

You’re a crafty bitch, aren’t you?

This list was a thinly disguised test. Could I find the items, exactly as you’d prescribed? Because if not, my son would be That Kid, the one with the Problem Mother, Who Can’t Follow Directions.

For example, the glue sticks you requested. In the 40 gram size. Three of the little buggers. (What kind of massive, sticky project you’ve got planned for the first day of school that would require the students to bring all this glue, I cannot imagine.) But the 40 gram size doesn’t come in a convenient 3-pack. The 30 gram size does. But clearly, those would be wildly inappropriate. So I got the individually priced 40’s, as per your instructions.

Another bit of fun was your request for 2 packs of 8 Crayola crayons (basic colors). The 24 packs, with their 24 different colors, sat there, on sale. I could have purchased three of the 24 packs for the price I had to pay for the 8 packs. (Clearly, you’ll not be teaching the youngsters any sort of economics lessons this year.) Even the cashier looked at me, as if to say, “Pardon me, ma’am, but are you slow?” as I purchased these non-bargain crayons. But that’s what the list said. And I was committed to following the list.

But the last item, well, now, you saved your malice up for that one, didn’t you? “8 mm ruled notebooks”, you asked for. Simple enough. Except the standard size is seven millimetres. One. Millimetre. Difference. Do you realize, Mrs. X., exactly how infinitesimal the difference between 7 mm ruling and 8 mm ruling is? Pretty small, I assure you. The thickness of a fingernail, approximately. But that millimetre, that small bit of nothingness, made me drive to four different stores, over the course of three sweaty August hours. And when I finally, finally found the last remaining 8 mm notebooks, I took no pleasure in my victory. I merely shifted my focus. To you, Mrs. X.

You wanna dance, lady? Let’s dance.

Because I am just batshit crazy enough to play your games. And, in turn, come up with some of my own.

On show and share day, my son will be bringing the video of his birth. It will be labelled, “Ben’s First Puppy.” Enjoy.

He will be given a list of words, and daily, he will ask you what they mean. Words such as, “pedophile”, “anti-semite”, and “skank”. Good luck with those.

At some point, you will attempt to teach him mathematics. And I’m quite sure that, like most of your ilk, you will require my son to “show his work”. And he will.

Through interpretive dance.

Because that is who you’ve chosen to tangle with, toots. A stay at home mom who is not entirely balanced, and has altogether too much time on her hands. But is, most certainly, A Mother Who Can Follow Directions.

Sincerely,

Ginny

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my pretty girls...

2009-08-26T15:44:00.003-06:00

I love it when the girls get new clothes! And in pink to boot!!
These darling new outfits came from Auntie V and Uncle Stephen in Ottawa.

The front..

The back...

This one is from Auntil Laura,
The outfit giggles wanted to wear and screeched until we put her in it!!

Thanks so much for all the wonderful outfits!!
The children looks darling in them :D

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enjoying days like these...

2009-08-20T13:58:00.003-06:00

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Here and now

2009-08-15T08:46:00.003-06:00

I so enjoy the quietness of the morning..granted if I had the choice I would still be in my comfy bed with my blankets pulled up over my head but since that isn't the case this morning I have chosen instead to be "glad in it".
The organic coffee has been brewed and I am almost finished sipping my first cup of the day.
Rascal our fuzzy black kitten is curled up on my lap purring loudly waiting for me to give him a quick scratch behind his ears.
He is still small enough that he can lie on my entire leg and not fall off.
I love the feel of his warm fur against my toes.
He's quiet comical to watch too especially when he is emerged in a dream.
He flexes his paws and his whiskers twitch.
Sometimes I wonder what he is dreaming about...maybe me?

Giggles is up too...first we tried to get the t.v. to work so she could enjoy "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" but after numerous attempts to get the darn thing to work we retreated to the kitchen where she busied herself with coloring and is now practicing how to manipulate and use scissors.
A quiet tedious job that seems to be amounting to something if all the snowflakes of paper that surround her mean anything.
The fog outside has yet to lift so it feels even more quiet than it really is.
I think I just heard big daddy's heavy footstep above me so I think the rest of the house will be up soon.
And then my day will really begin!
But until then I am just going to enjoy the here and now.
To find contentment in that is such a blessing.
One that God has been teaching me these last few days.
I need to stop "worrying" about tomorrow and enjoy right where I am.
Even if I am still in my pajamas enjoying my coffee!

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5 months today.

2009-08-12T10:11:00.003-06:00

I'm doing okay.
..the little one that went to be with Jesus has a name.
The pain is gone but I will miss that little one until I get to heaven.
But, until then I know everything is as it should be.
I am finally at peace.

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Once Upon a blog....

2009-08-07T08:00:00.003-06:00

Remember when I was gushing about my new look way back in February?
(has it really been that long?!)
Well...the designer Jennisa (who gave me this great new look) is having a giveaway!!
Here's what you need to do...click on the link above for more info!!

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Once upon a potty....

2009-08-06T18:47:00.004-06:00

I know I had a copy of that book here...
Where?
Not sure...but I have been looking!!
I did find this:

And this one...

We did watch them both...over and over and over again.
Pretty sure that I know the "potty song" off by heart now.
I sure hope that song doesn't repeat over and over again in my head.
Actually...I am wondering who is actually being trained.
Me or her?
The timer is driving me nuts...every 20 minutes I take her to the potty.
Some times she goes..some times she doesn't.
Honestly, I was soooo ready to throw in the towel today and insist that she never takes off her diaper again.
But, how many 5 year olds do you see still in diapers?
My thoughts exactly.
So, I we are going to tough it out.
That being said I should mention that I am technically training 2 two year olds.
Oi!
What have I gotten myself in to?

Accident #1 happened at the kitchen table while she is eating cereal.
Now if you have ever seen Giggles eat you know that this could have been disastrous.
The child refuses to sit down while she eats but would rather stand and lean over her bowl so when she peed it ran down her chubby leg, down the leg of the chair and pooled under the table.
Accident #2 happened while she was perched up on the bar stool in front of the sink washing her hands..same story...Thankfully the puddles are in places that are easy to clean!
She even has the odd "little accidents" on the potty.
Guess she is a little over zealous and truly commits to the task at hand.
Those I can handle.
So far:
Day#1: 6 accidents.
Day#2: 3 accidents...wonder what tomorrow will be?

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ah, the joys of potty training!

2009-08-06T08:46:00.003-06:00

Day#2 of potty training giggles...
I am praying that it will be better than yesterday.
I am praying that it be better than yesterday!!

I guess I should have gotten the hint when Giggles started crying for her "iaper" first thing in the morning.
But, this is something we have to do.
Better now then in the winter time when we have snowsuits to deal with.
So,I stuck to my guns and put her in her panties.
Oi.
Thank goodness I have a speed wash cycle on my washer,
I am convince that every pair of panties the child owns went in yesterday.
Either I need to buy the girl more "big girl panties" or she needs to figure this out and quick!
I know that once we get over this "hump"this will be a breeze for her but we just have to get OVER that hump!!
So far we have had one accident today.
Please be the ONLY accident we have today...
Guess only time will tell and since we are hitting the potty ever 20 minutes hopefully today we will get over that hump...
Dang..there goes my timer!
(hmm...I wonder who is being "trained" here...me or her?

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Hmm..what is she up to?

2009-08-01T09:42:00.004-06:00

Blame it on the summer sun, sitting in the shade with good friends enjoying a frosty cold beverage.
Blame it on me realizing that my babies won't stay babies forever so I have been weaning myself away from the computer.
I desperately need a little digital down time so, I am being selfish and taking it.
I needed a chance to..
... reflect.
... enjoy the sunshine and focus on life around me.
...remember what I am (a daughter to the King of Kings, a wife and a momma) and not try and be more than that. No one expects me to be supper mom!

I have used this chance to take a good look at who I am, what I want this blog to be about and where I am going with it.
Might be a bumpy twisty road but if your in for the trip I would love to have you along!
And as for what that might look like when we get there..well, I guess that too will be an adventure!

I am also taking a break from the {memes}.
Not actually sure if I will go back or not.
I haven't decided yet.
One day at a time.
One day at a time!
As fun as they it's sort of feels like "blog fillers and fluff".
I would rather not blog for a couple of days then feel like I need to "provide content" that isn't reflecting what I want to share so, if I am silent for a few days..you know why!

I'm out at the pond, feeding the ducks with my amazing little ones..enjoying the sunshine and the cool breeze.
(and I hope you are too!)

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Giggles 0 Sudocream 1

2009-07-28T20:51:00.003-06:00

We have all read "that" post.
Laughing until tears sprang from our eyes and the tears rolled down our chins while we read "that" post.
Forwarding it on to everyone in our contact list for a "good laugh".
At least I know I have.
And yes, I did openly admit that..I have snickered seeing someone Else's child covered from head to toe in diaper cream secretly pleased that it wasn't "my" child.
Until today....

You know the posts...
Child covers self with Sudocream.
Child touches everything so, of course, everything is covered with sudocream.
Mom makes horrifying discovery that adorable baby is hollering at the top of the stairs the sudocream has been smeared in their eye.
Along with her hair and everything else from the tip of giggles toes to her cute button nose was covered in a white tar like substance that I am convinced was manufactured by Syncrude.
It has to be.
Do you have any idea how hard this stuff is to scrub off a child?

So, I swept her off of her feet and races up the staires to put her in the bath tub only to discover that the carpet in front of the bathroom, the door frame, the outside of the toilet bowl, the toilet lid, the counter top, the sink and the faucet are all covered in sudocream. Smeared on by her sweet chubby little fingers.
I should have been thinking... "how am I going to get this stuff off?"
It was "where is my camera?!?"
Trust me, if the camera and I were on speaking terms I would have snapped a half dozen pictures.
But we aren't.
Apparently the lense doesn't want to actually come out of the digital camera.
**unhappy sigh**
So, I don't have any pictures to remember today..but I still have a stubborn little stain on the carpet to prove it!
Anyone know how to get this stuff OUT?
Maybe I should go back and find those posts...to see how those mom's got the stain out!
...wonder if they are still saved in my "sent" folder?

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Storm the Gates of Heaven

2009-07-27T19:25:00.001-06:00

Please say a prayer for lil Stellan. He is not doing very good at all right now and he has took a turn for the worst in the last few hours. I know most of you know Stellan & his family, but just incase you don't please say a prayer for him and his family and then stop by his mom's blog (click the picture below) to learn more about this special little boy and let her know that you are praying.

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Wonder who won...it's after 12:00 right?

2009-07-27T12:02:00.004-06:00

Thank you so much for entering our first ever name that photo!!
Would you like to know who won?
I have know for almost two hours now and in between running Niffy Nunu to dance camp and getting little ones down for a nap My computer and I had a slight disagreement as to HOW I was going to upload the picture so, I cheated and snapped a picture of my computer with the digital camera then "tidied" up the picture so it was presentable!

WOW!
#2 Won!
I know it's a random generator so every number gets a fair chance but what are the odds that this would be my IRL (in real life) Best friend Michelle!

This was the winning entry:

The Itsy-Bitsy Spider Meets Giggles' Baseball Bat...
This was fun!
Michelle, I am going to pick something up for you and pop it in the mail!!
(yeah, mail that's fun and not crummy bills!!)
Look for the next "name that picture" some time soon!!

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Who are all these people and why are they calling me Sweet Momma?

2009-07-24T18:38:00.007-06:00

Who am I? Why do I call myself Sweet Momma? And where on earth did I come from!?

If you ever wondered, grab a cup of cocoa and read on...

In Late fall, 1974, I am born. the first child in my family.
A role I will have all to myself until 1978 when I welcome a baby sister.
I have a carefree childhood spent playing outside, curled up with many books under the tree in our backyard. I read the entire "Nancy Drew" series in one summer and decide to be a detective when I grow up. I am a Girl Guide and compete with the girl across the street to see who can get the most badges by the time we are done..I think she won. We move.. alot.. ever 3 1/2 years to be exact so I learn how to make friends fast and understand important it is to hold onto the good ones!

I attend church with my mom until I am old enough to decide that " I would rather watch cartoons then sit in a stuffy old church" I become a "Christmas and Easter Christian" but believe that I am "saved"

In 1993: I graduate high school. The Grad party after was hilarious..my father armed me with 3 "light beers" and tells me not to drink them all in one place. I behave myself and stumble in around 6..more tired than anything. My Grandfather gives me a matching pen and pencil set to "write myself out of jail with" I assume he is kidding but deep down wonder if he's not.

In 1994: I move to the "big city" and live in a basement suite with a little old lady that my parents knew until the end of the school year when I move in with my best friend Michelle. We share a two bedroom upstairs suite and have the best summer of my life. Summer storms with great puddles to jump in, sappy old black and white movies. And a landlord who smoked pot out in the garage.

In 1995:While in college,In all my "new found freedom" I flirt with satan and find myself pregnant and in the winter of 1995 I welcome Niffy Nunu into my life. A blessing in the middle of disaster.
I force myself to "grow up".
I graduate from College..a feat since I brought Niffy Nunu with me to class every day. Thankfully she was a great baby and slept through the night right off the start so I could get some studying in.

In 1998: I move myself and Niffy nunu back to my parents house.
I have a spiritual awakening after experiencing hurt and heartache and re-commit my life to Jesus. I begin to walk with Him personally--reading my Bible, praying with passion--for the first time in my life.
I begin to learn more about God's grace, mercy and forgiveness.

In 1999 I meet Big Daddy and fall head over heals in love.
We date, we laugh, we have fun..we got engaged.
Maybe a little too soon.

Summer 2001 Big Daddy and I tie the knot with Niffy Nunu as our flower girl..what my dh lovingly refers to as the beginning of "two years from hell". I know that sounds a little harsh, but it's true.
We both had a lot of learning and growing to do.
Thankfully we have since moved past that place with God's help and our relationship is much stronger.

In the winter of 2004 I give birth to a son whom I nick name "Mr.D" .
Niffy nunu is 9 and filled with such emotions over her new little brother.
Excited that he is here but not overly impressed with all the attention he is receiving.
We learn to function as a family of 4.
I adore every minute and fall in love with my son.

We decide that we need a bigger home and a change in location so we start plans to build a home 4 /12 hours away from all of our friends and family! 18 months later In the spring of 2006 we move into our own house!
Construction is complete!
Oops..guess we should have asked them to build a 4Th bedroom!

Giggles is born in the winter of 2006. Mr. D is 25 months old. I have bounds of creative energy and stories to tell and need an outlet. My nana tells me that I should really write a book to record all the crazy adventures we have had along the way.

Took a little prodding but on July 6, 2007 , I start this blog and never look back.

Spring 2009: We learn that we are pregnant..again!
sadly I suffer a miscarriage at 6 weeks.
I continue to share our life through blogging, unbeknownst to our children, who spend their days in a family full of many big blessings. I strive to love my husband as God would have me to, and to parent our children together with him in a balanced, loving way.

And, in 2009? God only knows!

And what about you, dear ones? When and how did you intercept our lives? Now that you know more about how on earth it is that I became Sweet Momma, I'd love to hear about how you came to be sitting on that end of the computer!

Do share!

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Name that Photo contest!

2009-07-24T09:39:00.005-06:00

So here you have it, everyone. Give this photo a clever name, caption or title before noon (my time) Monday and win!

The Itsy-Bitsy Spider Meets Giggles' Baseball Bat...

(and if your reading this on facebook make sure you
click here in order to qualify!

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COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED

What would you like to know about me?

2009-07-24T08:25:00.003-06:00

I realize this could be a loaded question.
But I am tossing it out there and seeing what happens.
I have posted a question in "theblogfrog" ...adventures with three community and would love to hear back from all of you!
Just click the button and ask away!
Can't wait to see what you all are dying to know about little ol' me.

I will be posting all my answers here....
so watch for it!

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lately

2009-07-23T14:32:00.003-06:00

This is me.

And lately I have been...

...staying up way too late.

...rediscovering my love for a great book!

..."winning" and "loosing" on eBay.

...changing tons and tons of diapers.

...thinking about my little one that went to be with Jesus only 4 short months ago.

...avoiding housework & Laundry (I swear the dryer has been eating my socks!)

...wishing that God would give me a sneak peak at what's to come.

...wearing lots of flip flops.

...trying to be careful not to chip the nail polish on my toenails since a pedicure is a rare treat for me.

...fiddling with my camera and snapping oodle of pictures of nature and my kids.

...wondering if something special is happening sooner than I though but not 100% sure.

...being mysterious on my blog about some little upcoming changes which is driving some of my dear readers bonkers.

...working hard at just being me.

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Angels among us...

2009-07-21T21:09:00.004-06:00

I love lazy summer days.
Sitting under an umbrella with a good book, feeling the cool breeze of my neck.
The soft grass under my toes.
So in case you have been wondering if I have fallen off of the planet I haven't.
I have escaped the confines of my living room for some real air and sunshine.
Trust me, I have the horrible tan lines to prove it but that's best left for another day...
+28 outside.
What a beautiful day! **happy sigh**
Apparently I wasn't the only one who felt that way..
What do you see in this picture?
And no, you should not be turning your head sideways and squinting your eyes to see something..if you are... STOP IT!!
just rub your eyes and take a good look..now,
what do you see?

I saw an angel...how beautiful is that?
The first thing that came to mind was my sweet Nana.
I miss her more than you can imagine and would love to think that God gave me a little tid bit of heaven..here on earth!
Anyways..a sneak peak at our adventures outside playing in the sun!

Biker baby...

Pouty little boy at the sand table

The sweetness of summer...don't you just wish we could bottle this stuff and save it for the middle of winter?
Yeah, me too!

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hmmm...

2009-07-15T18:44:00.005-06:00

I.hate.it.when.I.do.this!
Loathed is probably a more accurate description.
Somehow I got it into my head that I needed a trim.
Granted it was a year in March that I got my last cut so I was more than due.
A trim would have worked..I'm sure it would have.
But noooo....I didn't want just a "hair cut"

I needed bangs.
I haven't had bangs in a decade.
A decade!
What made me decide that I wanted them now?
I have no idea.
Do you?

Maybe elves whispered this "idea" into my ear in the middle of the night and that's why I chose to run off to the hairdressers and get a drastic change.
Anyways..what is done is done.
(at least if I decide that I really truly deep down hate them I can grow them out again)
What do you think?

I can't decide it I think they are crooked..maybe that's just me?
Maybe I was sitting funny?
Maybe I AM crooked...wouldn't that be something interesting?
hmmm..going to have to think this one over.

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throwing rocks & tip toe in the trees!

2009-07-13T13:04:00.008-06:00

..just a few pictures of our latest trip to the pond.
We were going to feed the ducks but we never saw any...
(I wonder if they saw us coming and flew off before we got there?)
Plus I snapped a few nature pictures as well.

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I think he's trying to tell me something...

2009-07-13T12:49:00.003-06:00

I would love to believe that deep down Mr. D believes washing dishes is harmful to my health and that is why he insists on submerging my gloves in the soapy water but, we both know that's just not the case.
(but wouldn't it be nice to learn that it could be...imagine how much time I would have if I didn't have to scrub a dirty pot)
I think he just likes to fill them up and laugh at how silly they look.
Or maybe he likes to hear me groan "Not again!!".
That always seems to get him into a huge giggle fit.
(the best kind of fit any mother could have to face)

I think I might have to have given up on using them.
Every time I turn them inside out to dry they stay that way long enough for me to say "that they are dry" then Poof! Back into the sink they go for another sudsy dip.
**sigh**
hmm, I wonder..maybe I just need to find a better place to hide them in order to keep them dry.
Exactly where one could hide them from a 4 year old remains to be discovered.
Unless you know?

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Bring scratch & Sniff stickers to your graduation party!

2009-07-09T14:40:00.006-06:00

Welcome to the July 9th version of Thursday Thunks!
(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!
This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by
Berleen, the number 141 and the color of your underwear.

1. Do you tend to have a guilty conscious?
depends on what I may or may not have done. I have a tendency to feel guilty for stuff I didn't even do!

2. Do you still have your wisdom teeth?
Nope..got them taken out at 21. Worst dental experience to date.
**shudders** and I wonder why I hate the dentist so?

3. Peanut Butter - creamy or crunchy?
Creamy.. YuMMY!!

4. Get up off your butt. Take 5 steps. Which leg did you start out on?
Umm, my right leg..only because I can't go to the left unless I want to walk in the wall.

5. What color is your favorite kitchen utensil? Gotta love my ice cream scoop from ikea!

6. Did you watch the Michael Jackson memorial/funeral?
Nope..

7. Do you know anyone who graduated from high school this year?
Were you invited to their graduation party? Did you go?
Umm, no, sorry, don't hang around high school students so I would have to say no to all the above.

8. White with black stripes or black with white stripes?
Neither! I would rather NOT look like I should be in jail

9. If we were to call your 6th grade teacher, what would they say about you? Umm, wow..I know a better question..do you even remember who was your grade 6 teacher? yeah, me either. But, I know back then I was a bookworm and a loner so it's safe to assume that I was a model student.

10. Can you draw a perfect circle?
With a tracer sure..free hand, no.

11. What was your favorite scratch & sniff sticker scent?
Umm, I love the popcorn sticker when I was growing up. The pine scented one made me sick. Bleck!

12. What does your sibling do for a living?
She is a pediatric nurse.

13. How many light switches and electrical outlets are in the room that you are in right now?

I think 3 but I could be wrong..

14. Do you know sign language?
I wish I did..how cool would that be?
But sadly, I don't.

15. Do you step on cracks in the sidewalk?
Ah yes, the "step on a crack, break your mothers back" I avoided cracks for years until I realized that my mom's back didn't break and now I try and see if I can only step on them.

16. And the sheets on your bed look like....?
cornflower blue.

17. What is something that everyone else has, but you don't?
Actually, I am very blessed. If I don't have it I probably don't need it!

Are you playing yet?
Make sure you go and check out the other thursday thukers

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A little something to quack about...

2009-07-06T19:16:00.005-06:00

Ah ha!
Not only did Iremember to bring the camera but I got my
almost.dead.need.to.replace. batteries.or.camera. won't.work. to work!
Okay..so I had to take the batteries out, blow on them and put them back in.
But it worked.
One picture at a time!

Here are a few pictures of the more adventurous birds.
Apparently they didn't get the memo that small children will get bored with throwing bits of hamburger buns into the water and will pick up a small pebble or two instead.
I will admit..these fluffy ducklings were rather close to my feet and I did wonder if they might nibble on my toes!
But I am glad I got the shot.

Mr.D stopping to feed the birds..you should have heard him giggle!
He was so excited to get up close to these fuzzy little creatures.

Niffy nunu and Giggles exploring the path...surprisingly enough the stick didn't make it home.

Mr.D taking a juice break...but of course,something caught his attention just as I snapped this picture so he went from looking at me to looking somewhere else. I am not really sure what he was looking at..knowing him it was probably a bug!

And of course, because I was walking with 4 children under the age of 5 and because I had our little red wagon to pull this was in the middle of my path...

Thankfully Niffy nunu was there to help me hoist the little ones up over the fallen tree along with our little red wagon.
I hope that they get it cleared up in the next few days...this is one of my favorite walks to take the little ones on!

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walking in the cool of the morning...

2009-07-06T10:27:00.004-06:00

What a wonderful way to start the day don't you think?
The freshness in the air,feeling the dampness in the grass as it seeps into my sandals.. the birds chirping, the leaves rustling in the trees.
Actually it's a walk in the woods is one of my favorite things.
We live relatively close to the trees so it's something we can enjoy daily and trust me, I try and enjoy it daily.
It's my way of escaping the "big city feel" without leaving the big city.
I am hoping the weather holds out long enough so I can take the kids for a walk around the pond.
Maybe if I remember we will bring some old buns so we can feed the ducks.
(watch for pictures of our walk later on...)

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Canada Day 2009!

2009-07-02T16:43:00.008-06:00

We took the kids to a pancake breakfast but arrived early enough that we got a chance to let the little ones play at the playground.

(this was snapped the first time around on the swings..the second time she got brave enough to take her hands off the metal links while air born and flipped right off the back of the swing and landed in the sand)

On our way to the parade:

At the parade:

(she wore the hat for maybe 15 seconds before the fight to take it off began. Sorry Big Daddy!)

I was fiddling with the camera and took these photo's of our Provincial flower (The Alberta Rose)

really, the day was a blur but we did get a few great shots while we were out and about!
what did you do on Canada Day?

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I have been hiding...

2009-06-29T19:54:00.005-06:00

Shhh...I'm hiding.
Well, trying to hide.
DO you have any idea how difficult it is to hide in a house with this many small children?
It's pretty hard and trust me..they always find the one they are looking for!

It's been one of those days.
Logical thought has seemed to escape.
Currently draining my gajillion cup of coffee trying to clear away the cobwebs.
It's not working.
I am not sure why.
Coffee always works...

The breadmachine and I are no longer on talking terms.
Apparently making a loaf of bread means that the bread should rise and, the machine didn't agree with me on that thought.
The washer and I aren't talking either.
**sigh**
Why is it we can send a man to the moon but we can't get the washer to dump it's own load into the dryer?
And what the heck does it do with all my socks?
Don't even get me started on the dishwasher either.

Giggles is mad at me and telling me that I am "be rude, " because I refuse to let her pull"kitty tail" and I won't let her in on where the "nittens" are hiding.
They owe me one.

Niffy nunu has escaped to the neighbors and Mr.D is out for the night so it's fairly quiet.
Which is making me stir crazy.
Strange I know....I feel like there is something that I should be doing but have forgot to do and have no idea what it is.
And it's rainings... I love the smell of rain.
The coolness in the wind and the freshness in the breeze.
(insert happy sigh here)

Oh, and Big Daddy got his first belt tonight in Muay thai!
Not too shabby for only taking 9 classes thus far

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The king of Pop...

2009-06-25T20:50:00.007-06:00

From your signature red jacket, the white glove and that crazy black hat that you always wore.
You were an icon.
A part of my past and now a part of my children's.
Especially since after we learned of the king of pop's passing we have been glued to youtube watching our favorite videos over and over again.
This feels like Princess Diana all over again.
So very sad....

He was an entertainer like no other...his videos aren't "fluff" with some air head shaking her butt at the camera like you see on MTV now. ..**shakes head** HIS videos were like a movie...
I'm still in shock.
This can't be real!!
Your going to have to go thru youtube to see what I mean since most of the viedos have been "disabled" for some annoying reason but you can check out this one!

I love this one too...
It's michael Jackson songs but it shatters the traditional wedding dance forever!

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Milk might be on the science test...

2009-06-25T07:54:00.007-06:00

Milk might be on the science test
Welcome to the June 24th version of Thursday Thunks!
(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!
This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Berleen, the number 1559 and the color calico.

1. Someone knocks at your door. You answer it. It's a kid from the local school selling candy bars for a fundraiser. Do you buy one?
...hang on, let me get my purse..if there's money in there sure, if there isn't nope...not going to happen this time around. Maybe try back after payday?

2. The end of the world is tomorrow and you are out of milk - do you go buy some?

well, that's a silly question..of course I would go and get milk. I do have an insistent little girl who wouldn't even think about not getting a drink of milk before bed.

3. Have you ever picked up the phone and called someone that you hadn't talked to in years?
Yep, **gulp** and it was nerve wracking but once we both got over the initial shock of what the other one sounded like the conversation just flowed and it felt like it did when we were kids.

4. Whats on your computer desktop background?
I have a mac so I used one of their premade/esthetically calming pictures of this little Japanese tea house (which is strange because I don't even like tea so why would I choose a tea house?)

5. What was the very first movie you saw in a movie theater?
My dad took me to see "ET" I remember the smell of the big bag of popcorn and crying because I thought ET was dead which is a horrifying thought for a child. **shudders** I actually picked up the anniversary edition (strange that I am old enough for the anniversary edition) but we haven't even watched it.

6. If you had to take a 10th grade science test, do you think you would pass?
sure, if I had a week to cram before hand, which means that there couldn't be any children around so it would be quiet and I could actually study so at the rate I am going..no, I think I would flunk out...with the laundry, dishes, the msc (many small children) I don't get much "quiet" time now how would I study?

7. Describe heaven.
There isn't enough room in my blog to do that!

8. Has a place that you lived ever been infested with some sort of insect or rodent?
eww...no!!

9. When you were a youngin',did you hide in the clothes racks at department stores? I probably did...

10. Is there anything in your vehicle that is broken?
Well, my windshield is cracked and needs to be repaired (call Speedy for a quote) and our tires need to be replaced (call fountain tire for a quote) plus while it's still warm I would love to get the carpets shampooed (call bubbles for a quote)

11. What is something in your house that people would be surprise to find?
Ummm..I would think no, but I am sure that there might be a pair of dirty socks at the end of my bed that might surprise someone. Wait! nope, I just washed the sheets so the socks are gone...so I am going to say, I am not sure.
How honest is that?

12. Do you agree with the death penalty?
thankfully we don't have the death penalty here..while I disagree with putting people in jail for the rest of their lives and giving them a job (and no where to spend their money) and an education (you seriously want a law degree now?) I wouldn't want to say yes and find out that someone was put to death and they were innocent... honestly, I am not quite sure of the history of the death penalty are you?

13. Whats your favorite type of bear? I have always been a sucker for the strong silent type

14. Where was the last place you went? like travel wise? that would be Mexico (insert happy sigh here) or in town? That would be to go and get milk and diapers... not very exciting I'm afraid!

15. What if that person knocking at your door earlier was an adult selling candy bars... would you buy one?
...hang on, let me get my purse..if there's money in there sure, if there isn't nope...not going to happen this time around. Maybe try back after payday?

now scoot...go and check out the other thursday thunkers!

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Once upon a time....

2009-06-23T08:34:00.007-06:00

Funny how all good stories seem to start with those 4 words.
I don't remember saying those exact words 8 years ago..
I remember being crammed in a car going thru the drive thru at McDonald's to get a cheese burger after I had my up do on my hair done.
I remember worrying that I would smudge my makeup on my dress.
I remember crying when I got to the church and saw a packed parking lot..but I don't remember saying "once upon a time" once! Strange eh?
Big Daddy & I have been married 8 years ago today!
(my don't we look fancy!)

Happy Anniversary honey...the years keep getting better!

...and they loved happily ever after.

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Our weekend...

2009-06-22T12:59:00.005-06:00

Where does one even start after a weekend as busy as ours was?
Our whirlwind of a weekend thankfully is over..seems like we didn't even get a chance to stop and take a break!
The highlights...
*Niffy nunu won "Most promising 2009" at her dance recital and received a statue of a gold dancer and she also received a scholarship for Dance camp this summer.

(I am currently trying to see if I can get her dance uploaded from the camera so I can add it here)

Saturday we painted and built one side of our fence.
We still have to do the other side but at least half of our adventure is done!
I was still scrubbing the paint off of my toes this morning in the shower.
Who knew that gray paint would love me so?
Big daddy and I did take a little break thought..we snuck off to the movies for a date night to see "The Proposal"
If you haven't heard of this new romantic comedy check out the link!
**remember this is NOT PG so cover little ones eyes!!**

As for yesterday...a blur of BBQ, grocery shopping and guitar hero.
How about you?

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Summer is here!!

2009-06-21T13:00:00.002-06:00

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Happy Father's Day!!

2009-06-21T12:42:00.002-06:00

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The Skit Guys- Meet the King

2009-06-18T14:13:00.002-06:00

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The Worst Thursday Thunks Ever!

2009-06-18T08:57:00.005-06:00

Welcome to the June 18th version of Thursday Thunks!

(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!

This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by
Kimber, the number 3000 and the color grape ape.

1. Are your ears dirty?
Nope..cleaned them this morning.
(what a dumb question..do you really care about the state of my ears?
NO, I didn't think so either..and to be honest with you, I am going to skip this question when I am reading your answers too)

2. Would you rather be stung by a scorpion or bit by a snake? (Don't say either...no one wants to be in pain, that's the point. Pick one.)
A snake..the only ones around these parts are harmless garden snakes..it might hurt but probably not as much as giving birth and since they aren't poisonous I won't keel over and die

3. Do loud noises make you snappish? (i.e. A loud restaurant, screaming child next to you, booming stereo from a neighbor's house?)
Heaven's no..especially since the screaming child is MINE and the booming stereo is just big daddy working out in the garage..and we are the loud table at the restaurant.

4. PETA- thoughts on this org.?
My momma told me that if I didn't have anything nice to say then not to say anything at all...I have nothing nice to say so I am not saying anything at all.

5. Would you rather be the discoverer of the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot? (Imagination!)
Duh...Lock Ness Monster! (insert happy sigh) trying to pick up their accent, soaking in my heritage...Then I would be in Scotland checking out the castles...

6. When in a public toilet and it's not flushed: do you flush & use or move on to a clean one?

EWW...flush the toilet and move along to another one...

7. Neighbors are having a noisy, party bonfire, what do you do?
Bring over some ice cold beverages and join in the fun!

8. Do you play Monopoly? If so which version of the game?
Heavens no..the game that never ends?!?
NO thank you!

9. Are you a remote hog?
Nope..the manly power stick belongs to big daddy

10. Do you like the smell of paint?
Yep, on a freshly painted wall that's I didn't have to paint!

11. My questions obviously suck this week. {I've had a bad week.}
So do you think Kimber should have...
~smoked pot before doing these questions?
~drank liquid courage?
~begged Berleen to do them (she's better at them anyhow)?
~just piss off! I could have done better!
OR Stop being so hard on yourself...this is purely just for fun!!

as always...go see how the other Thursday Thunkers answered these crazy questions and leave a comment so we know that you care!

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What did that 4001 visitor get anyways?

2009-06-17T13:12:00.007-06:00

Remember this?
Well, the proof is in the picture!!

I wanted to make sure she received her package before I shared with all of you but, after our own little "drama" and numerous emails back and forth
(and since she already knows) I figured it was okay for me to share it with you as well!

It's funny how the Lord works.
The original prize ended up being something totally different than the one that I sent. (Isn't it great when he tells us what to give!)
It was impressed upon me to send Kristen at i love you to pieces a copy of:

The Love Dare
I hope that this book will be a blessing not only to her but also to her marriage and I can not wait to hear her side of the story later and how this book plays into it!
If you aren't familiar with the book watch this short clip:

Okay guys...
Make sure you check out her blog and tell her I said HI!!

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God's Chisel-The Skit Guys

2009-06-17T09:19:00.002-06:00

My prayer for today.... Bring on the Chisel!!

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Songbird...

2009-06-16T10:34:00.000-06:00

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Crazy Googlers!

2009-06-15T15:32:00.002-06:00

It's been a long time since I checked my stat counter to see the keywords people have googled that brought them to my blog.
I took a look at it this week and this is what I found...

The Dirty Three
Interesting..not sure, but maybe these dirty barefoot feet might have been the catch phrase?
facebook
blogspot
twitter
proboards

There were several more interesting ones but they have seemed to be eaten by my counter!!

I also checked my country totals:
United States (US) 700
Canada (CA) 676
Germany (DE) 10
United Kingdom (GB) 5
Australia (AU) 4
India (IN) 3
Spain (ES) 2
Japan (JP) 2
Switzerland (CH) 2
Philippines (PH) 2
Italy (IT) 2
Argentina (AR) 2
Sweden (SE) 2
Russian Federation (RU) 1
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA) 1
Netherlands (NL) 1
Ireland (IE) 1
China (CN) 1
French Guiana (GF) 1
Malaysia (MY) 1
Peru (PE) 1
Brazil (BR) 1
Dominican Republic (DO) 1
Mexico (MX) 1
Asia/Pacific Region (AP) 1
New Zealand (NZ) 1
Egypt (EG) 1
Korea, Republic of (KR) 1

**waves hi!!**
Thanks for stopping by!!

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bye bye butterfly

2009-06-15T13:52:00.004-06:00

So, I decided that an early release was a good one.
I loved watching them transform from larvae to chrysalis to butterfly but honestly, I wanted my counter top back more and as I was shocked to learn as the butterflies "matured" so did their actions and I found they weren't so "G" rated anymore if you catch my meaning.
Today was supposed to be our release date.
It's muggy and gray..not the nicest day to introduce butterflies to the great unknown so I am glad that we chose Saturday when it was sunny and warm.
I hauled out the garden, let my two little ones say goodbye and then I unzipped the garden.
Nothing happened.
Waited...and tried to coax them out.
Nothing happened.
Shove my hand inside the garden to take 3 of them out then the rest seemed to figure it was better to fly out on their own so they made their escape.
Thank goodness!!
We released them into our backyard where I learned much later there was a hungry Robin watching my every move.
We haven't seen any of the butterflies since but I am okay with that.
(I also haven't seen the Robin so I don't know if she got well fed or not)
This experience has been a great one!
I proved to myself that I am not that scared of butterflies or bugs in general and hopefully that rubbed off on my little ones.
The Butterfly garden has been scrubbed clean and is now ready for use next year.
An experience well worth the time and investment!

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Three months today...

2009-06-12T10:44:00.002-06:00

How can it be three months already since we said goodbye?
Where has the time gone?
My heart still aches for what was but thankfully I have moved on.
The nightmares have stopped.
The emotional roller coaster ride from hell has stopped.
I am still healing and so is my heart.
I know that I would not have survived this without my faith in the all loving God and for that I am truly blessed beyond measure.
And thank you..for sticking with me, for listening to me rant and for loving me all the way thru it.

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...adventures with three

My Day Zero Challenge: My list 37-47

We are moving!!

Day 2: 365 photo challenge

Day 1: 365 Photo challenge

My Day Zero Challenge

My Day Zero Challenge: My list

6 weeks old today!!

Ho ho ho....

One month in...

my adventure with 4 has started

**twiddles thumbs**

37 weeks and holding...

guess who's back!

we have critters!

One Minute Sermon

the tale of two tanks...

Why is there glitter all over my floor?

Our mini vacation.. in pictures!

Studying and spoiled rotten

Well, that's funny...

our little peanut...

Keeper of the Cheerios

Snow, Fire & Blood and fights...

..time flies when your having fun!

we have critters...

So, do you want to know my secret?

I have a secret...

and it was finished!

Day #8

Day 6...

...I didn't forget!

a knitting we will go...

so, I have found myself smack dab

dreaming on the sand..

The wall..1.. .mommy 0

10 things you might not know!

How to tell your all grown up

Just look UP!

Growing up is harder than it looks...

Like a ghost I was gone...

I stayed...

do you have the map?

..I got nothing.

What is this new normal?

A new Year...

'tis the season

He knit me in my mothers womb

'Tis the season

a whirl wind..

little green men and flying spatulas

..the laundry fairy

Finally!!

Shesh, get out from under that rock!

Tell me a story..

Then there was a purple...

God's Fingerprints

I have been listening...

Miss me?

going down?

enjoy the season that you are in

a letter to the teacher...

my pretty girls...

enjoying days like these...

Here and now

5 months today.

Once Upon a blog....

Once upon a potty....

ah, the joys of potty training!

Hmm..what is she up to?

Giggles 0 Sudocream 1

Storm the Gates of Heaven

Wonder who won...it's after 12:00 right?

Who are all these people and why are they calling me Sweet Momma?

Name that Photo contest!

What would you like to know about me?

lately

Angels among us...

hmmm...

throwing rocks & tip toe in the trees!

twiddles thumbs