Four and now more.....

Emergency Preparedness

2011-09-10T10:19:00.001-07:00

There is a cool contest you want to check out for a 1 year supply of food! Go to this link and enter to win!

Dinosaurs!!!

2011-06-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

The next part of our trip was beautiful St. George, UT. Josh wants to move there now. LOL Don't worry, I dont. We stopped at the Dinosaur Museaum and checked out the nifty footprints and stood where dinosaurs walked. The kids thought it was really cool!

Notice pink camera Hannah is holding. That is why the next set of pictures was cut short. She left it at the museum and we had to rush back to get it because they were closing in 10 minutes!! But we got it and we left for Nevada right after that, so it was a close call!

And here is the gorgeous St. George Temple. I wish Josh and I could have gone inside!!

Such a lovely place.

Easter trip and Kirby Family Wedding

2011-06-05T10:16:00.001-07:00

It's time to update the blog and I have renewed a goal to myself for picking up my blog again. It's been a long time and I am starting to miss the blog world and friends. So, here is what we did for Easter time!

My family looks exhausted but we made to Utah just in time to go the church and bless my sister's new baby boy Hayden!!

Here's the crowd that made it to the blessing!

We had a family night of bowling and pizza! The kids loved it. They had never been bowling before. We will definately be going again soon. They did so well it was hard for me to keep up! LOL

Here is my sis Leah with baby Hayden.

Hannah having some dinner.

The kids used these cool ramps to help them bowl. They were helpful for sure!

Maizer enjoying the night.

And of course Josh hamming it up.

This was trip part one. I'll post part two next. :)

Asher has a new love

2010-12-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

I have to post some adorable pics of my baby boy. He will be 18 months old on the 13th of December so I guess he isnt really a baby baby anymore. :) He loves pajamas and slippers and his winter hat. He sleeps with them. Check out these cute pics. :)

This is long overdue....

2010-11-15T13:35:00.000-08:00

I have to apologize to my friends and family for not writing for so long. Sometimes the thought of posting on my blog is me groaning and dragging my feet. LOL Why? I dont know......just have other things to do maybe? Or other things I would rather do?? Anyhow...I am feeling ready to blog a little today so here is the update...

Hannah is in Kindergarten and she loves it. This winter has been hard on her. She is sick a lot from kids at school and church and has lost a lot of weight...3 lbs and counting. She has missed 11 or 12 days and has been present 37 days. Not a good ratio but what can we do? I am optimistic still and I am holding off as long as possible from pulling her out of school and church for the winter. I wish some parents would just keep their sick kids home and not spread germs cuz yeah ok..your kid is healthy but mine isnt. So why punish her for it? Sorry..it gets me mad. But she is doing good for the most part.

Maizer is officially potty trained and is doing excellent! He doesnt wear a diaper at all not even to sleep in! I am so proud of him. He is turning 4 on December 15th. I cant believe how grown up my kids are getting. Maizer brings me a lot of joy. He is very aware of anothers feelings and he just loves people. He always tells me I am beautiful.

Asher is also a good boy. He is very busy and happy and wants to do everything the other kids can do. He is fearless! LOL He is going through a phase where he will smack you a good one so we have to watch out but he is just keeping us on our toes! He is very loving....usually. :)

So my sweet children are doing great and we have been up to some fun things. I will post our trip and Hannah's first tooth lost and a swimming day soon. :) Love you all!

Asher's 1st Birthday!!

2010-06-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some cute pics of the big boy!!! I think he liked his cake! :)

Asher's Birthday

2010-06-13T22:16:00.001-07:00

Today my little Asher turned one! I will post some pictures tomorrow about the happy day! We had a nice time.

Maizer

2010-05-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

Maizer is a wonderful little boy who really never gives me any trouble. He is sensitive which can be somewhat tiring at times when he cries over nothing but I remember that to him things mean a lot more. What I love so much about Maizer is that he is so loving and cuddley, he is funny and I love to hear his laughter. When I sit on the couch he climbs up there and sits next to me. If I come out of my room dressed and showered or ready for church or if I just put my shoes on he always tells me I look beautiful! I love this so much because it is so sincere in the simplicity of the compliment. Yes Maizer, my blue tennis shoes make me look beautiful don't they? As does my wet hair from my shower. LOL He makes me feel his love so easily and for this I cherish him so. He says randomly everyday several times a day..."Mommy?" "Yes Maizer." "I loovvee you." And then he puts his head down and looks to the left or right trying to hide his face with a shy smile on it. "I love you too sweet boy!" And the world is good for him. He will come to me with a slight cry and not quite know what he wants or needs so I ask him, "Do you want some chocolate milk?" "Yes!" After he drinks it he gets down from the table and says as he walks off "Now I'm happy!" Yep, I've fixed the unbalance in the universe with chocolate milk! Go me! I hope as Maizer grows that all I ever need to do for him to make him happy is a hug, kiss, and cup of chocolate milk!

How old are you anyway? 15?

2010-05-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

This is the conversation in a nutshell that I had with Hannah yesterday.

Me: Please stop hitting each other with that big ball, you are going to hurt your neck.

Hannah: It's not our neck it's our back. Calm down now mommy, stop freakin' out.

Hmmm, ok. LOL

Busy Baby

2010-05-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

Asher sure is growing up fast! He is by far the fastest walker in the bunch as he started walking at 10 1/2 months and my others were about 1 year old. Here are some pics on his 11 month old birthday. :) I can't believe we will be celebrating his 1 year birthday in a matter of a few weeks!!! That's nuts!

Some more cute ones. :) A haircut is in his near future. :)

I call these his Farmville Jammies!! LOL!!

Where are my roots?

2010-04-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about how much I love being a mother. But where are my roots? My mother committed suicide when I was 12 years old and my grandmother raised me but she was not my mother and though I knew she loved me, she had not grown knowing how to show or communicate love very well.

I can remember as a child knowing that I loved babies and I couldn't wait to be a mom. I have wanted children of my own for forever. Now I have 3 children and look forward to when we can announce a fourth.

My mothering skills have been based on what I wish I had when I was growing up and didn't, coupled with my natural instincts and great love I have for each individual child in my home. I sometimes take a step back and make sure that the path I am on is the path I should be on.

When Hannah was a baby she stopped growing well. I was told how desperately she needed calories by her Dr.'s. She wouldn't eat. I was told to give her high calorie foods and not worry about what kind of foods they were for now because all that mattered was something in her belly.

My path was taken from me and I was given a new path. A path I did not want to tread on. But such is life and we make do with what we are given. I have come a long way in my personal journey. Now I feel ready to reclaim the mothering path I wish to be on.

This must be done in small steps but the first one I can't wait to tackle is eating. Food, glorious food. I grew up on fattening type meals and not much thought to healthy living even though we ate vegetables and fruits it was paired with fried chicken, cheesy casseroles, and plenty of buttered garlic bread. Food equals love, right? Yes, it can. I love my children and so I try my best to feed them and give them full tummys and happy hearts. But what to do when the way you may have changed past patterns was taken from your control? I would not have raised my children on full calorie pudding, cream cheese chicken, french fries and chicken nuggets, hersey kisses, and packaged snacks and cookies. However, I would have treated them every now and then but kept things more basic and healthy with choices of good food to eat or not eat. Wouldn't I have????

The funny thing is, would I really have known enough to do that based on how I was raised and all that I knew? I would have made meals I knew how to and given food the way I knew how to. I suppose the painful truth of the matter is that I never knew how to feed my children because I wasn't fed well. Yes there was food, but sometimes there wasn't food. Yes there was dinner, but there wasn't snacks. Often times we had half of the whole picture. I did know that when Hannah was born I fed her based on her cues. If she was hungry she got to eat. But her cues were off because she didn't feel hunger like she should have and I became desparate from what the Dr.'s were telling me and then our lives were patterned. Patterned to behaviors not condusive to good and healthy eating habits. Behaviors which actually caused setbacks in our journey. Behaviors that were normal for the circumstances but that could have had different outcomes had I known back then what I know now.

I can't wait to change things and to regain control of my path. I am what I have always wanted to be and I am learning to trust myself in that. I know I am a good mother and I know my children better than anyone else. Even if I make mistakes, I can correct them and we can be on the right path. My path. Where are my roots?
They are where I plant them. I am who I make myself. And sometimes we have to take what we were given and make something new. The Lord says, "Behold, I make all things new." Rev 21:5 My past does not define me and I give myself permission to be set free and made new.

Beautiful Boy

2010-04-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

I love my son so much!!

Gorgeous girl

2010-04-25T16:55:00.001-07:00

I love my beautiful baby!

Annoying tidbits

2010-04-23T17:29:00.001-07:00

Is it weird that I really find phrases like LIVE LAUGH LOVE or DANCE LIKE NO ONES WATCHING or LOVE LIKE YOU NEVER HAD YOUR HEART BROKEN annoying as all get out?

I mean sheesh! It's so overplayed. It's like the colors blue and brown together. So commercial. The minute I see an email with something like that on it...it's deleted without being read. No offense to others who think it's cute or fun. But I think it's dumb.

LOL Thanks for reading my rant...until next time.

Emergency Essentials Food Storage Analyzer

2010-04-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

What a nifty tool! Do you ever wonder where you stand regarding your food storage? How much do I need? How much do I have? How can I keep track of it all? Well, I just took a look at the Food Storage Analyzer.

The instructions are easy to follow and each tab is easy to navigate. I simply created my login and signed on. Then I was able to enter my family members and their ages. After I hit calculate I was told how many calories each person would need given their age and sex. That is awesome to know!
Then I clicked on the next tab header and entered what I already had in sotrage. After I hit calculate I was told how many days my food storage would last me based on the people I wanted to feed. So easy!!! Don't worry there are ways to enter food from the grocery store and food you would like to enter on your own!!!! Now everything you have in your food storage can be easily counted.
Put in items you want and save for future purchasing on another tab. This makes it so easy to keep track! When you buy more simply update what you currently have or if you use some you can update what is left.
I can't tell you how much I love this feature on emergency preparedness. It's a dream when you are a novice at getting a food storage together!!!

Check it out and tell me what you think!

Faith

2010-04-22T12:29:00.000-07:00

I have been soul searching lately and really trying my best to grow personally. I have made some realizations that I think I would like to share. I have a deep love and strong testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that I am a child of God and that He lives. I know that there is a wonderful plan of salvation that will lead me back home to my Heavenly Father. I pray and read the scriptures and attend my church meetings so that I may lead and guide my family in the ways of the Lord. This is very important to me especially in the world we live in today. So what is the problem? I have realized that I do not fully trust the Lord with my life. How can that be? How does that make sense? Well, I have endured many trials in my young life and many of them have brought me to my knees in prayer. But I have been living in fear that something terrible will happen in my life and not trusting my Father in Heaven to take care of me if something does happen. I have learned so much in these past 5 years since Hannah was born but most of my growth has happened in the last 5 months. We were threatened with CPS involvement regarding Hannah's well being and ever since then I have been on a roller coaster of emotions. Anger, fear, frustration, sadness, fear, anxiety, despair, and did I mention fear? It was my worst nightmare coming true. Josh and I have really come together working hard on our family to strengthen ourselves and our children in many ways. Hannah is doing much better and Josh and I feel we have some control in our medical journey. Again, I did not ask my Heavenly Father for mercy. I relied on only myself to get us through this and I tell you it was so lonely. I have realized that I have a tendency to separate myself more from my Heavenly Father in hard times. I suppose it is opposite of most others. Why do I do this over and over? I have a strong faith and it is unshakable, but it is not perfect. I can only perfect myself through Christ and in doing so I must be closer to Him, more like Him, it is a natural progression if striving to have a perfect faith in Him. I know He has never moved from me and it is only myself who has turned away, holding my breath until the storm passes with hope that I can stand on my own two feet once again. What I did not realize is the compassion and love my Savior was giving me the whole time. Just because I have a close relationship with my Heavenly Father does not mean that I will be tested more than I can handle. I have been humbled and know that I have so much to learn. I have been denying myself blessings and that hurts the most. I am so grateful to know that I have en eternal family through Temple marriage. I am so excited to grow closer to my Heavenly Father and feel the Spirit with my husband by my side. I always thought and felt I had something to prove because of where I came from.....but I finally realized that I am loveable just the way I am and I don't need to do things all on my own...I can ask for help from others....I can ask for help from the Lord and I will receive...I am not perfect...but I am worthy and I am loved. Now I am stronger and I have more to give. For this I am so grateful!

Basement

2010-04-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Josh has been working hard on framing our basement! I'm so excited for it to get done and be livable space!! Here are some pictures of the storage room framed up. Josh will build two other walls of shelves in the room and then the middle part will be an office and the front where all the toys are will be a family room. I'll keep updating as more progress is made!

Also, the carpet you see are remnant pieces. Not bad to have something to play on! The lumber is just part of it. We have nearly 100 more upstairs in the garage.

Happy 5th Birthday Hannah!!!!

2010-03-26T11:47:00.001-07:00

Hannah's birthday was last Tuesday and we are having a party at Chuck E. Cheese for her tomorrow. These are some pictures of her family party. She opened a few presents and then since Maizer was sad she let him open a couple of her gifts too. How gracious and loving! And since Hannah has dress up clothes that she often puts Maizer in, Josh and I got Maizer his own dress up clothes which made him a very happy little boy! I threw in a pic of Asher for good measure. :) We all had a great time and Hannah is officially a big girl and will start Kindergarten this Fall.

I'm a cutie pie - Yes I am!

2010-03-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

Oh Asher! I love you so. :)

Look mom ....look what I can do!

2010-01-20T09:56:00.001-08:00

I can get a tube feed with my barbies!!

I can pose for a picture and smile at the same time!

I can make a kid train! (Hannah's idea)

I can hold my baby brother and give him loves all by myself!

I can look cute with hair in my eyes!

I can eat all kinds of stuff!

I can try to crawl, see, I have good form!

I can do pushups!!!

I can just try to stand up! Who needs crawling anyway???

Whats new pictures

2010-01-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

Not much is new except that I have a few pics to post. Asher is 7 months old as of yesterday.

Hannah is looking better and doing better. I love her hair this way and lucky me so does she! Hannah will be 5 in March. I can't believe it!

Asher can sit up by himself, army crawl anywhere he wants to go, and is almost 17 pounds. :) He is such a sweetie!

Maizer is a darling little guy who is now 3 years old and he has such a funny sense of humor. He loves to play and read books. He also can put together 25 piece puzzles without ever seeing what they are supposed to be a picture of. He likes to do 3 at a time all mixed up. It's crazy cool!

Daddy with all 3 kiddos. I asked him if we had more where would he put them? LOL He said he has a back and a head. LOL

Daddy with Asher on Christmas Day. What a handsome husband I have! xoxoxox

Here is Hannah holding a blanket I made for her for Christmas. She loves it!

All 3 blankets I made. Hannah's is Hello Kitty and Maizer has Spiderman. My sis Katie has a superhero theme! LOL It has a red backing and Batman and Robin words like "Pow".

Kirby's 2009

2009-12-31T13:23:00.000-08:00

Well, this is the day we say goodbye to a year and enter into a new decade. It's crazy to think what has happened this year let alone the last 10 years!

Let's see if I can recap both for you all. :)

2009

We are pregnant with our third child and we bought a house in Feb. I close my "daycare" and we move in to our beautiful home. Hannah turns 4 and finishes her year of preschool. We start our new ward at church which changes after 2 months to another whole new ward by boundary changes. We give birth to a baby boy we finally named Asher. He was late in coming by a week. Josh's mom comes to visit us for the first time in 2 years. Hannah takes a nose dive in her weight so we try to start tube feeding her again. She starts a new year in preschool and gets sick constantly. Maizer starts to talk alot better and interacts with Hannah more. Josh's sister Mia comes up to visit and meets the kids for the first time. We go on vacation to Oregon and see the zoo, Portland, stay in a yurt for a night, see the falls and fish hatchery. Can't forget IKEA!!! We get back to find out Hannah is in dire need of body fat. We were threatened with CPS regarding Hannah's present starvation state. ???? Don't ask. Very long story that makes Josh and me hostile. Josh and I decided to take matters into our own hands and now we feed Hannah 3 times a day through her tube and she has gained 3 1/2 pounds!!! The baby is about to crawl and is eating baby food, Maizer turned 3, my sister Katie moved up and is living with us, we pulled Hannah out of preschool and keep her out of church except Sacrament to keep her healthy for now. I am down 37 pounds since giving birth. And last but not least, we had a wonderful Christmas and enjoy our new ward. Whew! I am sure I am missing something in there.

As for the last decade, I have changed more than I can say. I have grown as a woman and a mother. I have struggled, lost, and fought for a better life. I have earned, learned, and blossomed. I have reached goals and gained potential. I have lifted up and fallen down. This all sounds so cliché, but it's true and if I looked into the eyes of my 10 year younger self I would be pleased. That is all that matters isn't it? And if this is what I have accomplished in 10 years, I can't believe what the next 10 may hold for me. I should write a book! LOL

Take care my dear family and friends. I truly wish the happiest of years this next decade for you all.

Love,
Chloé

And one of my fave Christmas photos from Kirby Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T23:04:00.000-08:00

I love you for forever Josh .... I wouldn't want to spend my eternity with anyone else. xoxoxo

More Christmas 2009 pictures

2009-12-25T14:41:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Kirby Family Christmas 2009 pictures

2009-12-24T13:33:00.001-08:00

Drumroll ....

More to come!

Asher's new hair style

2009-12-23T13:38:00.000-08:00

Gotta love rubberbands! LOL

Happy Birthday Maizer! The big 3!!

2009-12-23T11:12:00.000-08:00

My boy turned three years old and I just can't believe it! I love this little guy so much. Things that make Maizer, Maizer:

1. He is the fair child in the bunch with beautiful blue eyes.
2. He is a boy with a funny sense of humor. He says "Trick or feet". :)
3. He is a loving boy with a quiet sensibility. He likes to sit next to you and
say nothing but just cuddle.
4. He loves books!
5. He is excellent at putting puzzles together without ever seeing how they are
supposed to look as a finished product.
6. He loves to build things.
7. He lays all of his toys be it markers, books, shovels, cars etc. in intricate
patterns on the floor.
8. He LOVES chocolate milk.
9. He loves his hats, loves to dance, loves to be a superhero, and loves to play.
10. He has touched our family in wonderful ways and we could never do without him.

Christmas in the Kirby Home

2009-12-10T22:51:00.000-08:00

We finished decorating the house - well the inside anyway. :) Here are some photos.

I also am including some adorable pictures of my little sis Katie and Asher who will be 6 months old in 3 days!! Yikes. I have a few cute photos of Maizer and Asher with Katie but I can't get them to download. Poopy. I'll figure it out though. In the meantime - Enjoy my chubby faced babe. :)

Sweet Aunt Katie and little nephew. Katie can put Asher to sleep anytime by holding him. What a great Auntie. :)

Brothers

2009-11-17T20:48:00.000-08:00

Are they not sweet together?

Gnome

2009-11-15T21:06:00.000-08:00

I found this costume at Walmart on sale at 75% off making it only $4.25. I couldn't pass it up for Asher to wear when he is bigger. Maizer barely fits it but we had to try it on him. We were laughing so hard!

A tepee for a sweet pea

2009-11-14T15:59:00.001-08:00

Well, two sweet peas anyway. :) Josh built this for the kids last weekend. He is so handy!

Happy 5th month Birthday Asher!!

2009-11-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

We are so happy you are a part of our family. You are a beautiful, funny, precious baby! I hope your happy personality and good attitude remain as you grow older! LOL

Monster cupcakes

2009-11-11T15:36:00.000-08:00

Hannah and I finally got around to making our cupcakes for Halloween. It was like Nov. 3rd or something but that's ok. :) Here is what you do!

Bake cupcakes to perfection...

Use frosting, candy corn, oreos, and mini m&m's to make a monster face.

You will need to break oreos in half and take the corners off to insert the eye part. They end up looking like triangles. Have fun! I liked the ones with just eyes cuz I'm not fond of candy corn. :)

Have fun eating your monsters!!

Do you mind?

2009-11-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

I'm just jumping here!

Asher's Blessing Day

2009-11-09T00:35:00.000-08:00

Wow - this was a while ago. :) But it was a special day because our ward was a brand new ward and it had already had a wedding and a funeral but it hadn't had a baby's blessing yet. And we were 1 of 4 baby's blessed that day!!! We were actually #4. Josh did a beautiful job as always. We are so lucky to have the priesthood in our lives. Here are some pictures. Josh's dad John came as well. He has gone to all of our kids blessing days. :)

It's been a while

2009-11-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

I haven't written in a long while. We all had confirmed cases of swine flu which wasn't pretty and now we are all in good health. Thank goodness! So I have a few updates to post and I think I'll throw one out each day this week. :) The first one I'll do is on our Halloween night. We took the kids to the mall and they were able to go trick or treating in the warmth of the mall and get enough candy for their young age. LOL Here are their costumes! Asher is a frog, Maizer is a puppy, and Hannah is a butterfly princess.

Are we still alive?

2009-10-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

Just barely......oh heavens, I hate body aches and headaches and sick kids when I too am sick. All I can do is pray for Josh to hurry home so I can officially go die in my bed. moan...moan

No one looking but me

2009-10-08T16:15:00.001-07:00

Hannah and Mommy

Maizer and Mommy

Portland Temple and Bonneville Dam

2009-10-08T15:48:00.000-07:00

Here are the pics I promised. :)

You can see many blowup possibilities. Josh did an amazing job on the photos. I really want to put a few on the walls. :)

Here is the dam:

Feeding the fish with pellets from a .25 machine.

A bench Josh and I like. We took a picture so he could build it later. :)

A huge Sturgeon fish. There were like 5 of them in that pool that were huge and a bunch a little smaller. The kids really loved it. It was a beautiful place.

Our vacation to Portland, OR

2009-10-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

We went to Portland this last weekend, well Thurs., Fri., Sat., and Sun. We stopped off at Multnoma Falls and stayed in a yurt at Champoeg for our first night. Friday we went to the Oregon Zoo which was awesome and stayed in a beautiful suite at Homewood Suites by Hilton. It had a living room with fold out bed and a bedroom and a kitchen. It came with a hot breakfast each morning and the room had 2 flat screen tv's and granite counter tops. What did this costs us? Only $76 a night. Screamin' deal I tell ya. Saturday we went to Ikea and bought a few little things for the kitchen and an art easel for the kiddos with paper roll. We are giving that to them for Christmas. On Sunday we went to the Portland Temple and walked the grounds which were lovely. This is Josh's favorite Temple. :) He took some gorgeous photos that we are planning on blowing up and framing if they will look nice blown up. :) We also stopped by Bonneville Dam and fed the fish and looked at some huge sturgeon. Check out our photos. We had a blast. Can't wait for our next vacation! Hopefully it won't be long before we make it down to the Grand Canyon. I haven't been yet.

Can you see the arguantan? So sweet. :)

Temple and Bonneville Dam photos soon to come!

How is my progress?

2009-09-28T20:12:00.001-07:00

Well, I just wanted to update on my weight loss. Of 54 lbs. gained during pregnancy I have just 17 left to lose!!! I am happy with this progress! Asher is only 15 weeks old. I hope to lose all of my baby weight for our Christmas photos, which are being done by the same photographer who did our most recent photos in Manito Park. So exciting!!!

Our 9th Wedding Anniversary

2009-09-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

Josh and I have been married for 9 years today. What a ride! We have 3 beautiful children and so much love! I can't tell you what a joy it is to be married to this handsome man! I love him so much and he gives our family so much! He is a great dad but since this is our wedding anniversary, I'll talk about him as a husband. Most of you know that Josh and I were married when we were 20 years old. We were young and wanted different things back then. After 3 years of marriage we divorced. It was very painful and very hard. After two years we re-married and have never been happier. I guess we both needed to grow up a bit and we did. So for the last 6 years we have been sealed together for time and all eternity not till death do you part in the Mormon Temple in Reno, NV. I love that we have an eternal family. Josh is a wonderful partner. He does chores when he gets home from work, he bathes the kids, he puts them to bed, he rubs my back, he landscapes the yard after work, he loves me deeply and lets me know at random times so I feel special. He does all these things (not all every single day that would be nuts lol) and he is calm and laid back. I'm not so laid back so he balances me out. We make a great team in many many ways.

He knows me better than anyone in the world and he is my best friend. I can not imagine life without him. I know that if we live for 50 more years I will still be just as in love with him as I am today if not more.

Happy Anniversary my love!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

2009-09-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

Ok - My loving husband was rubbing my shoulders while I sat at the computer and asked me what I was making for dinner. Then, he pulls one hair out of my head. Yes, it hurt. What the heck? A dead hair? A stray hair? A hair he thought was unattatched? No, it was a gray hair!!!! A long gray hair. No denying it, my first official gray hair shown to me by Josh. UUUGGGHHHH! I'm only 31!! He laughed and said well he's only 31 and he has hundreds of gray hairs. Am I really getting old already? Anybody else find a gray hair recently?

This kid doesn't have to worry about gray hairs. He doesn't even have to worry about no hairs like most babies. This was taken last night. It's getting more wild looking. LOL

Asher 13 weeks old!

2009-09-18T21:10:00.001-07:00

UPDATE: Do you think Asher's eyes look Chinese? If not what shape do you think they are? Baby doll? LOL

Asher will actually be 14 weeks old tomorrow but I took these pictures of him 9/9/09
He is such a sweet baby. I enjoy him so much. He is very easy going and never fusses unless he is hungry or tired. He has a great personality and loves to be near me. What joy!

What'd I Say?

2009-09-18T19:59:00.001-07:00

Sheesh kiddos....

My weight loss journey

2009-09-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't gotten to post about the chubba chubba gone gone train ride so I thought I would give an update! Since my beautiful family photos were done I have lost another 9 pounds! That brings me down to only 23 pounds to go before having lost all 54 pounds of baby weight gained. So exciting! I have a weight loss goal that I broke into 3 parts. The 1st part is all the baby weight from Asher lost. The second is all the weight I held onto since I got pregnant with Hannah lost (10 pounds). And third, the weight I gained after I was married (20 pounds). I want to do this by next December so that we can get pregnant again. LOL We always wanted 4 kiddos and I am not getting any younger people. Let me remind all those who may think I'm nuts that I am 31 and a half now. I would like a life after my children grow up and not a nursing home so it's chop chop time. LOL

Speaking of kiddos, Asher was blessed today and it was beautiful. I'll post some pics of him after I download some onto this lovely new computer. Chow.

Family Photos 2009 - Manito Park

2009-09-04T17:27:00.001-07:00

They are here!!! Just beautiful!!! Enjoy some of our many photos!!!

We bought a new computer!

2009-08-31T14:43:00.001-07:00

Enough said.

Well, I'll add I hope it gets here soon! LOL

Family Photos

2009-08-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

Yeah! We had our pictures professionally shot at a gorgeous park here in Spokane called Manito Park. It has several different areas and gardens. We went to an area with greenery arches and fountains with tons of different colored flowers and a gazebo. Then we went to the Rose garden with Greecian columns and roses of every color and then over to the Japanese garden and we took some in front of the waterfall and on the stone steps. I can not WAIT to post some on here and show everyone. :)

No - we still don't have our computer back. Hopefully very soon. I miss updating my blog journal.

By the way - Asher is 10 weeks old now and he had his 2 month appointment last week. He weighes 11lbs 14oz (50th percentile) and he is 25 inches long (95th pencentile). Craziness I tell you. That kid has grown!!!

We are blessing him in church labor day weekend. It should be lovely.

Comings and Goings

2009-08-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

So, I think we are buying a new computer. I need to get going on selling my ebay as the season has started and I sure would like to update my blog like I used to. :) Hannah sees the surgeon on Friday. Her tube will be replaced in his clinic office and Josh is coming thank goodness. She didn't get it done last time as we had the wrong tube delivered. Asher has his 2 month appointment in a week and guess what?

We are getting our photos done by a photographer!! I sure hope they come out great. You all get to see them as soon as they are ready!!! I am so excited.

Asher has a baby blessiong coming up as well on Labor Day weekend Sunday and everyone is invited of course. If you need directions let me know. It starts at 1pm.

We got grass put in the front yard so half is done and it looks so much better! I can't wait to post pics on that as well.

No pictures until I can download on my own computer - sorry. Soon though, soon. Sigh

Computer is down still

2009-08-04T15:38:00.000-07:00

I think we should have it up in about 2 weeks or so. I sure miss my blog friends but know I appreciate your support with Hannah and my family. I hope to catch up soon as asher will be 8 weeks old on Saturday! And all the goings on. I can't wait to finish a project I want to do and post that as well. Wait till you all see it!!!
Anyhow, Hannah is doing ok. She has to take in 16oz of pediasure daily and we'll see how she is in 2 weeks. Tweeking her regiment as needed is a great thing. I just want her at a good weight before school starts as she gets sick often enough and always loses more weight when that happens. I hate RSV and flu season!!!! Take care all and I'll post when I can until my computer is fixed.

Hannah

2009-07-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

Hannah was seen by her nurse today. She has been struggling to gain weight. She grew 1/3" and gained 5oz. So her Body Mass Index has plummeted even further. She is malnourished and we have to put her back on tube feedings now. She has to have her tube replaced because the closure broke on it. We go in on Friday to the surgeon's office. He will replace it for us. It is supposed to be quick but they have to restrain the kids. This sucks big time let me tell you! But it will be very good to get her metabolism functioning correctly again and hopefully we can try again soon to get Hannah to stay out of a cronically starved plateau. Pray for Hannah as she struggles with this terrible disorder. It makes me pretty angry that this isn't something she can't just get out off. She is currently under the 3rd percentile for her weight to height ratio. 28lbs 2oz and 41.06 inches tall.

Computers!!!

2009-07-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

My computer went quits again. This sucks. Writing from downstairs but I can't get on it regularly so I'll let everyone know when I'm alive again. LOL

Asher 5 weeks old now!

2009-07-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

Holy cow time goes by fast. Time is a funny thing though isn't it? Sometimes you wish time would go by slow so that you can enjoy the moment and other times you wish it would go by fast so that you can get to the point in life where you want it to go by slow. Strange. Perhaps I should just wish time would go by at a nice pace that never changes........technically it does. LOL

Anyhow, here is my sweet baby weighing in at nearly 10 pounds now! What a little chunk and I think he'll be my rockstar with that hair! :)

Catching Up Again

2009-07-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

Ok - So I have a few things to catch up on. I have been a little busy with appointments and finishing things with the house. First off, Hananh has gained weight. She was checked yesterday and weighes 28lbs 6oz. That is just great! Maizer weighes 27lbs 6oz and Asher weighes 9lbs 12oz.

I have lost 4 pounds this week which is also great!

Josh picked up a spinet piano for me that I found for free on craigslist yesterday. It is in good shape and came with a bench. I need to have it tuned and maybe 3 strings at the very top need new strings. We'll see what the tuner man says. I own an upright piano already but I wanted one that doesn't overwhelm the space in our home and a spinet is an upright that isn't tall.

It looks good but does need to be refinished.

I also haven't posted any pictures of Josh's mom coming to visit us for a very short weekend. Here she is with the kids.

And no - she doesn't always have her sunglasses on. LOL

I see my Dr. this Friday and then I will start working on getting the baby weight off. I do hope to lose 3 more pounds this week just so I can go into my appointment with 30 pounds total lost since giving birth. That would be awesome!!!

Well, I am off to clean the house and take care of a bunch of sick kids. :( All 3 of them.

New News!

2009-07-17T10:21:00.001-07:00

Here is what's going on with us:

The Good News

I am feeling a lot better. I would say I am up to 90% now and feel great most of the time. I really needed last week when the ladies from church took my kids Tues, Wed, Thurs., and Mon. Now I can get things done while managing the kids and I can't wait to get on a better schedule to fit in art time and outside time. It will be awesome.

The Bad news

My children are quite different than other kids. Their eating habits leave much to be desired. First off Maizer is little and he is only speaking half real talk and half baby talk. To people he doesn't know it isn't much at all. I have trouble getting him to eat all he should at home and he never asks for things he needs. I just make sure he gets them. So, when he was at these homes 4 to 5 hours a day he wasn't fed well and when I called to check on one house I found that he wasn't given a snack because he hadn't said he was hungry. I told her then that he would never tell her what he needs because I always just meet his needs and he is a laid back soul who is shy around others. So, please make sure to feed him and change him. Well, he wasn't changed either. But this was just one house and the other's seemed pretty good as I updated very well before the kids left.

Now Hannah...Hannah eats food pretty good these days compared to how she was doing. Still not as much as other kids and we don't have her outside for more than 2 to 3 hours at the most. Hannah played so hard while at the other houses with the kids outside running around and such that she easily spent more calories than she took in. She lost an entire pound these last two weeks after finally getting back to the weight she was at when we stopped using her G Tube. This is a terrible setback as now we may have to start her on it again. She weighes 27lbs 13oz. This is what she weighed last year in July. She fell below the 3rd percentile for weight again and this is dangerous territory. And to top it off she started not feeling well yesterday. I hate to have to put her back on tube feedings so please pray that she can bounce back quickly now that she won't be going to any other homes to play.

P.S. What concerns the nurse as well is that Hannah's appetite did not increase with increase in activity. She should match her activity level and she didn't. We obviously can't shelter her from play just to plump her up. Sigh.

Gymboree Madness

2009-07-16T11:58:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of the cute outfit Kristine won. I seriously have a Gymboree addiction. LOL

A Good Example

2009-07-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

My heavens where does the time go? Another Monday already? Asher is 4 weeks old now! I'm sure I have a few Not Me's! somewhere so let me dig and dish!

I did not wash my bra in the shower while washing myself up too out of desperation for a clean nursing bra and then dry it in the dryer real fast. Not Me! That's just nuts!

I did not wish the lovely ladies who babysat for me would just sign up for the year and not just the week. That would be selfish and of course that would also mean other people raising my little ones and that's not cool, right? Hmmm, not me!

I did not stay up till 5am with the baby even though he slept for a couple of hours after midnight sometime and not even realize I did it until I checked the clock. I must be an absolute zombie at times! Not me!

I did not actually talk about sex with a woman I just met because she brought it up first. I have more sensibilities than that! Not Me!

I did not imagine in my mind all the things I would have liked to have said to an old lady and didn't when she commented that I better stop having kids so I can have a life. I'm an adult now so I can voice my feeligs freely, right? My childhood lessons of respect your elders had nothing to do with me being silent and just smiling. Not me!

Overall, I acted a bit like white trash last week but redeemed myself with the old lady I think. Whew, I can still be a good example some of the time! LOL

A winner!!

2009-07-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

Kristine H. is the winner! She sent me a picture of my blog page and counter with an exact hit of 2500!!!! Wow! Ok Kristine - email me your address and what you would like for gender and size! I'll take a picture of the adorable outfit so I can show all of you what she won! Stay tuned for my Not Me! Monday post.

Gymboree Contest

2009-07-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

We may have a winner for the 2500th visitor! If you were close let me know at chloescornercloset@hotmail.com! The winner will be announced very soon! My numbers jumped so fast I didn't even have time to warn you blog maniacs that it was coming up! I love you guys! You're the best!

An Ode to Katie

2009-07-12T02:51:00.000-07:00

There are some things in life that touch you so deeply. A memory, a smell, a touch, a look, and in this case .... a song.

Oh how I love my sisters. But this little sister of mine is the sister I wish to write about today. There has always been a sweet connection to my sister Katie. As our life paths have taken us down very different roads she has never been out of my thoughts or out of my prayers or far from my heart.

We grew up with a mother who had a hard life and committed suicide when I was 12. Katie was only 8. This experience was confusing, sad, chaotic, and much more. All three of us girls, my mother's daughters, were tossed into the air and where we would land defined our future. Unfortunately for my little Katie Bug it was in my mother's footsteps. A life held down by drugs and Katie's drug of choice is a meth addiction. A love/hate relationship that the song below so amazingly describes. This song has touched my soul and has brought me back once again to my Katie.

Where is she now? After a year clean she has been seduced yet again by the never ending pull of sweet release, disgusting release, loving release, sickening release. I can not win. This awful desire is stronger than my love for her. I have spent all my strength and energy wrenching her free from it's grasp so that she may gain back her sense of worth, the worth I know she has. Oh, the tears I cry yearning for a life filled with purpose and joy and love for my sweet sister.

I may not have power over this evil called meth but I laugh in it's face! Because I do have power in MY purpose. I have STRENGTH in my convictions, my love, my sisterhood. I will never give up on her. I will never let her go. I will never stop telling her the truth in the midst of the lies that surround her.

Katie - You are LOVED. You are worth EVERYTHING. You have my DEVOTION. We will always be SISTERS. This bond can not be broken by the destruction you cling to.

I love you.

The words above in bold is all I can give to you. My Strength.

"Gravity" by Sara Bareilles

Click to listen to The Song

Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long
No matter what I say or do
I'll still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone

You hold me without touch
You keep me without chains
I never wanted anything so much
Than to drown in your love and not feel your rain

CHORUS:
Set me free, leave me be
I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am and I stand so tall
Just the way I'm supposed to be
But you're on to me and all over me

Oh, you loved me 'cause I'm fragile
When I thought that I was strong
But you touch me for a little while
And all my fragile strength is gone

CHORUS

I live here on my knees
As I try to make you see
That you're everything I think I need
Here on the ground
But you're neither friend nor foe
Though I can't seem to let you go
The one thing that I still know is that
You're keeping me down
Oooh

Keeping me down
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

You're on to me, on to me and all over

Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long...

All Aboard!!!!

2009-07-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

Ok - so here is the post I wanted to share with you and see what you think!

I only have 2 more weeks postpartum and then I will be free to exercise. So here's the deal.....I want to lose my baby weight and then some. I have lost 22 pounds since giving birth but I gained 54 pounds in the pregnancy. So you see I have a bit to lose plus I want to get lower than where I was when I got pregnant. I have 32 pounds of baby weight to still lose and then I want to lose 28 more pounds after that for a grand total of ...... 60 pounds!!!

Can you and will you all hop aboard the Chubba Chubba Gone Gone and encourage, help, give tips, and much love while I try to stay focused on this?

In return I will post weekly photo updates and stats (like pounds lost, inches lost, what I am doing for exercise, what I am eating, and most importantly what I am struggling with and need help on).

Let me know if I can count on you! Leave me a coment and a suggestion on how to start or what you are doing to stay in shape or lose weight. What has worked for you?

An Incredible Contest!!!

2009-07-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

Who would like a beautiful new outfit from Gymboree? Any size....boy or girl...you choose! Here is how you win!

Be my 2,500th visitor!!! I am currently at 2,122. The counter is on the left sidebar under my profile. It's the last item on the sidebar. Take a pic to show me how close you got!!! The counter goes pretty quick so keep your eyes open!

I'll post another reminder when it gets close and if you win, comment and let me know. You can email me your pic!

There is a catch.... the counter MUST hit 2500 by next Thursday July 16th or contest if off. Why you ask? I am using a special coupon to buy the clothes and it expires soon. :)

A Heaven on Earth

2009-07-06T12:32:00.001-07:00

The last few posts have all been about the hard times while trying to get on track here, but I wanted everyone to know what's really important. My family.

Asher after his bath. His hair is so fun! I love being able to hold him and get to know him. I love his little smiles that are coming through now.

The love I have for my children is so deep it can hardly be expressed in words.

Maizer's beautiful loving eyes pierce my soul and my love for him overflows. What a sweet spirit he has! He's my cuddle bug.

I always dreamt of being a mother and my life could have gone in so many different directions. But I made good choices when it mattered and I am a mother of three beautiful children.

Hannah is a gorgeous little girl who is so smart and energetic. She keeps me on my toes and is loving and compassionate to her family and others. She has a strong testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus and loves to go up and tell everyone in church about it on fast Sunday. :) She is a lot like me and has made me grow the most as a mother in very wonderful ways. I love her so very much!

I can't wait to get a photo with all three of my miracles! I may have hard days and crazy times but I wouldn't change my life for anything else. I am blessed beyond words and I know it. I don't go a day without it passing through my mind all the blessings I am grateful for. Nothing is taken for granted.....nothing.

I love this picture because Josh is in white, the walls are white, the baby has a white diaper and everything (besides the bit of tv behind him) looks so Heavenly. Just as it should be. A Heaven on Earth!

I got the baby boy blues!

2009-07-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Another week and I am grateful that last week is over!

I did not have a harrowing week last week that caused me to cry on several occasions questioning my sanity. Why you ask? Well, let's get a run down...

First, I did not have to take all 3 kids to a hearing appointment for my new baby to check his ears out and make sure he can hear us right, which I knew he could. And I did not have to try to keep 2 kids in order while breastfeeding the baby just so he wouldn't cry with the ear plugs in his ears! Not Me!

Second, I did not attempt to have a normal day and do what I would if I didn't have 3 kids by going to Walmart after the hearing appt. and having the kiddos pick out toys with their grandma money. And while there I did not have to stop and breastfeed in public, I did not stop to change a baby diaper, and the trip certainly did not take 2hours!!! That isn't quite what I would consider normal and so we head home - another 35 minute drive. Not Me!

Third, my poor baby boy did not have to get circumcized the very next day and we certainly did not have to corral the other 2 kids because who brings other kids to a circumcision appointment????? Not Me!

Fourth, I did not blow off a home nutrition nurse appointment for my little girl who has a feeding tube because I had to rush my new baby back to the clinic as things weren't going well after the circumcision and I totally spaced that she was coming in the first place. And my poor unsuspecting father-in-law did not have to be there for it when she showed up on the doorstep. Not Me!

Fifth, I did not tell a sweet lady from church on Friday that things could be better and that I felt like crying a lot as my week was tough that she took pity on me and surprised me on Sunday with a sign up list for meals to be brought in to us all week! Not to mention the babysitting arranged for my older 2 so I could get a couple hours of rest during the week. I must have seemed desperate! Not Me!

And lastly, I certainly did not sit around all week thinking of all the ways I could get my body back while breastfeeding and taking in enough calories so I can feel beautiful and sexy and not like a mother of 3 who just turned 31! Not Me!

If 6 reasons aren't enough to convince you of my title - well I can always add more!!!!

What's with today, today?

2009-07-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

If you have seen Empire Records then you know the quote in my title. I saw it when I was like 18 - so last year!. (I don't want to admit how long ago that actually was.)

Today Asher was circumcized and we can all safely say that mommy and son alike are traumatized. I have a raging headache and can not STAND to see my baby crying like that. Not to mention that I am engorged and my shoulders are on fire. A little too much stress today you say? Hmmm, I suppose so.

Bought the kiddos McDonalds, held it together long enough to settle everyone and begin pumping. And then I melt down. Yes, I'm crying like an exhausted mommy of 3 does when she hasn't had any help and the house is a mess with no clean clothes for me. Yet everyone else has clean clothes....what is up with that??? So, I threw in a load for myself and am now getting ready to make sure my younger ones are occupied and safe before lying down in my bed praying to the heavens that my precious infant stays sleeping so that I don't have to bother the tiny Asher if you know what I mean.

Stay tuned for an interesting post that I would like all of your opinions on! It has to do with ...well, ME!

Let's Compare Shall We?

2009-06-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here is Hannah born 5 weeks early so she is a tiny one. She has dark hair but it is brown. Weight - 4lbs. 15 oz.

And then came Maizer only 5 days before his due date. He has light hair as you can see. The water makes it look darker than it is but it was light strawberry blonde.
Weight - 7lbs. 10oz.

And here is Asher, clearly the most hairy of them all with dark black hair! So, when I am pregnant with #4 (yes, we definately want at least 4) I shall take bets on the hair issue! LOL
Weight - 7lbs. 7oz.

Complete Denial

2009-06-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I haven't done one of these in a couple of weeks. I'm sure there is a ton of crazy things I don't want to admit to but as I just had a baby - remembering them is a whole other matter. :)

I did not have another woman's little boy climb into the back of my car and unbuckle my 2 year old as my pelvis hurt too bad to do it myself even though the boy was like 9 years old! Not Me!

I did not allow my new baby to roll out of his bouncy seat because he wasn't buckled in. Not Me! That would make me a terrible mother! I definately would not admit that my newborn is now initiated into our family by that mishap as my other two suffered an equal fate. Hannah did not fall off our bed and Maizer did not fall off the couch when they were babies. I am not that scatter brained as to allow all my children to fall at some point in their infancy. Not Me!!!!

I did not have a mental meltdown the night my mother-in-law flew in to see us because my husband had forgotten to clean the bathroom, so I ran around like a crazy lady trying to clean it in as little time as possible while my sweet babe cried for my loving attention. Not Me!!!

And I certainly do not stay in my pajamas all day and take visitors and nurse visits with hair unkempt and house looking like a tornado came through because the only time I find to clean is after everyone goes to sleep the night before. Not Me! I am more together than that because I am super mom who is always freshly groomed complete with make-up and earings, with perfectly behaved children, and a gorgeous, emaculate house.

Excuse me while I go live in my obvious denial ..... :)

Hannah is Amazing!

2009-06-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hannah brought this in to me the other day. She made it out in the livingroom and came into my room to give it to me. She is so smart! Just turned 4 too!

If you can't tell, it says I love you and some letters in the middle with handwritten "mommy" on the bottom. Amazing!

Catching Up

2009-06-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

Here is the view I get from my back patio. Very pretty. The sunset is different everyday!

My Dr. appointment went well. My heart issue is not unheard of after birth and will resolve on it's own. It's already not happening as often. My pelvis is slowly getting better and I can't see a chiropractor until after my postpartum is over - another 4 weeks. So I decided to take over more responsibilities in the house today. I cleaned up last night and did lots of laundry. Today I will make dinner and try to get a bit more organized, laundry put away, dishes finished, etc. Tomorrow I would like to start activities with the kids again but it depends on how things go. I just wish I could feel 100% already instead of 65%. Sigh.

Asher's 1st Bath

2009-06-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

I finally bathed our little guy in the tub. His belly button thingy fell off the very next day. He was getting a bit stinky from spitting up and such so I wanted a snuggle bunny again! Here are a couple of pics. I didn't post too many cuz all the others show his penis and I don't want to get into trouble for cyber porn. That would just be my luck.

Life goes on

2009-06-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

I am pretty exhausted. I have not been healing well enough and I have my Dr. appt. today thank goodness. It feels as though I am having a heart issue. It's strange but it is like my heart keeps skipping beats and I can feel it. I do have a heart murmur and have had it since birth but it was checked out when I was 14 and was ruled normal. I don't know if birth has changed anything there or if it is something else but I am glad to go see the Dr today about it. Also, since my uterus wasn't contracting after birth like it should once home it has taken a while to get back to normal and I am glad to see the Dr. about that as well.

My mother-in-law is flying in tonight at about midnight and leaves Sunday night. Quick trip. Hannah is so excited she keeps saying how much she loves her grandma. I'll post some pictures of the time they spend together. I am glad that she gets to see the kids. It's been about 2 years.

I do have some pictures of Asher. He is growing but I don't know how quickly. He still looks so tiny to me. :) He will be 2 weeks old tomorrow. We always take pictures at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year and then about twice a year after that. Family photos are great. I wish I had someone professional take us out somewhere pretty this time though. I'll have to look in to it. Our family photo wall was great in our other house. I haven't put anything up yet in this house for obvious reasons but now I am getting excited at finishing unpacking!

Asher's hospital photo is up now. Go to this WEBSITE and click on special delivery. Enter Asher into the baby name search and click on the Asher Xavien. Yes, they spelled his middle name incorrectly. I think newborn 1st photos are so dang cute!!! I also have Asher's first bath photos to post soon and something amazing that Hannah has done!

Well, tomorrow I will mail out my lovely prizes for my contests. I want to do a contest for my 2,000 visitor so I will post about that later. It's getting close!

Impossible....almost

2009-06-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally chose a winner. I don't know how MckMama does it! It was so hard to pick a title, everyone's was so good! I received some on my email too that you didn't see, but I finally narrowed it down and picked.

The winner is Tiffany from Canada!!! Her title was "The world at your fingertips".

I definately think each of my babies is worth the world and more! Thank you for all your entries.

Tiffany, contact me with your info so I can mail out your giftcard!! Email me at chloescornercloset @ hotmail.com.

Asher's post will be tomorrow. I am so tired and I haven't showered in 2 days. I am off to clean myself up and pass out!

Samantha's Prize!

2009-06-24T15:56:00.001-07:00

Ok here are the pictures of Samantha's prize for guessing the correct weight of Asher. I think a picture or two may be blurry but she gets, bath confetti in a keepsake tin, natural honey soap, Bath and Body Works Breathe lotion, coconut lime hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works , and a Bath and Body Works natural lip color balm. You can see the pretty color on the tube. Love Spa stuff!!

The Name That Photo contest ends in a couple of hours! I also have Mary Kay make-up to give away and a wonderful contest for a Gymboree outfit boy or girl any size coming up!!! Stay tuned.

Check back for a new post on Asher and tonight's winner of the Starbucks gift card!!

A Photo Contest!!!

2009-06-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

I absolutely LOVE this photo of father and son. I am going to copy MckMama and have a "Name that Photo" contest. Enter a title for the photo below and I will pick the best one. The winner will receive a Starbucks gift card. Yummy!!! Good Luck all and I look forward to reading your clever comments. :) Contest will end Wednesday evening.

Father's Day

2009-06-22T09:07:00.001-07:00

What didn't my husband do on Father's Day? My lack of sleep caught up with me with a vengence. I only stayed awake to feed a baby, eat, go potty, and occassionally change a baby diaper. Josh changed the baby and rocked him, did laundry, took care of the kids, made meals, cleaned the house, playroom, and much more that I didn't see. I was secluded in my bedroom where he ordered me to stay. What a sweetheart. He held me when I cried yesterday and gave me hugs when I came out to the kitchen. I can't tell you how much I love my husband and what a good father he is.

My own father was a great dad in my eyes for the time I spent with him which was birth till 8 years old. My parents divorced which ended that relationship. I remember playing with him, building snowmen, him playing the guitar and singing songs to us (he's a fantastic musician), telling us the BEST bedtime stories!!! These are the good memories, but unfortunately it takes a lot more to be a father and there were plenty of not so good memories. And for my sisters and I we grew up without a dad.

I look at my children and their father together and I am peace with my choice in companion as I couldn't have chosen a better man, husband, lover, friend and father. He truly is wonderful in providing for us and making us laugh and helping me to grow as a woman, as a person, as a mother, and a wife. I can only hope that I do as much for him as he does for all of us!

I love you babe! I love you for giving my children what I never had, I love you for giving me what my parents never had, I love you for helping me to be who I am today, and I love you for who you are today! Happy Father's Day!

Asher's Birth Story Revealed

2009-06-19T19:41:00.001-07:00

Warning - this has birth details so if your sensitive to too much information don't read. :)

I had alot of anxiety come to the surface as I got further and further from my due date. I knew I was waiting for an induction Saturday 6/13. I really didn't want that to happen. I wanted to do things on my own. But funny thing is, the baby has all the control. LOL When I woke up Friday 6/12 I had a bunch of things I wanted to get done so my home was clean and ready for the sitter. By the time dinner came around I needed to sit down! My contractions started then and they were painful but not too unlike my other previous encounters with contractions. They were pretty regular and the difference I think was the feelings I had to hurry. Hurry and get the kids in their jammies, hurry and take a shower, hurry and sweep the floor. LOL This feeling was new and I had the thought that this was definately it. I went to the bathroom and told Josh to get ready I was calling the sitter.

We didn't get to the hospital until 10:30pm and by then I was breathing through my painful contractions. I changed into a gown and was checked. I was dialated to a 3 1/2. That's great news I thought! Progress...I'm staying here! By 2am, I was a 4 and ready to have an epidural. I decided to have one this time because I was so tired and afraid of how I feeling with each contraction knowing how much worse it was going to get and I just didn't want to do it. LOL So "the happy man" (who actually is never happy - I had him give me an epidural before) came in and we set up for the terrifying needle tube in the spine. I hate epidurals because I can't stand to have someone mess with my spine. Anyway, he was numbing the area and it was AWFUL!!! I felt nerves zinging down my back on the left and then on the right and back on the left again. It took about 15 minutes or so to get ready for the epidural itself and by then I was trying not to cry too hard. It was ridiculous. Finally all was set and I laid back to get comfortable and sleep a little before the birth. Josh was exhausted having worked all day. So he slept until like 7am or so and I did too except I was woken up a few times for vitals and emptying bladder etc.

My Dr. came in and joked with us about not having an induction after all and he said that he would break my water to get things going. He checked me and I was 7 to 8 dialated. Great news! So he broke my water and discovered mecconium. That's the baby eliminating inside. This frightened me but I was told it was normal because he was so overdue. This is where things escalate quickly! My contractions were causing too much pressure on Asher and his heart rate was dipping down into the 30's to 50's.

They had me move onto my side and put oxygen on me. Now I was worried. I wasn't ready to push yet and my baby was in distress. The Dr. was paged and I was moved onto my back again because it wasn't helping and an internal electronic monitor was placed on my baby's head .

He checked me and said to try pushing and see if things can get going. So I tried to push and I peed. Yep, I peed on the Dr. Well not directly on him but close enough. LOL Oh well, at least it wasn't somehthing else if you know what I mean.

Anyhow, he said ok let's push you're complete. Alright, let's go... Me pushing, Dr. saying push longer, me pushing longer, Dr. saying harder, me pushing harder, Dr. saying Chloe, your baby needs you, me thinking what the heck is going on??, Dr. saying come on keep going, me hurting because I can feel EVERYTHING!!, Dr. saying I know it hurts it's ok just push, me thinking who the "Bleep" turned off my epidural??? And 6 minutes later Asher was born with cord around his neck, blue and the room was extremely quiet. I held my breath......they transfered him to a baby incubator bed thingy and a team was there to suction him and "go to town on him" as the Dr. explained. He said that it was exactly the way it should go because we didn't want Asher to breathe until he was suctioned well from the mecconium. Then a nurse did go to town on him, rubbing and moving and wiping. Asher cried and then cried louder. Then I cried as my baby turned pink.

I watched him from afar as Josh was given the ok to take pictures. They don't let you take pictures of procedures which is good because if you saw his lifeless blue leg like I did it would break your heart too. I wanted to hold him so bad but I couldn't because I was being checked and still occupied with delivering the placenta. I know TMI but you were warned! LOL And then he was in my arms. :)

I didn't tear at all which is amazing because it took 6 minutes to deliver him! He weighed a good amount too. I am so blessed. Afterwards my uterus was being "lazy" and wouldn't contract. I had a few very painful visits from the Dr. (he pushed hard on my stomach to help my uterus contract). If your uterus doesn't contract after a birth you can hemmorage. So they decided to hook me up to pitocin, a drug that causes contractions. I was on this until 9:30pm. I was miserable. Reminder - no more epidural and contractions all DAY long! I didn't get to shower until 3pm the next day. And my back was killing me. So I went home Sunday night and got meds Monday morning. I'm still on them for pelvic inflammation but overall I am recovering more quickly than I did with Maizer. :) I am extremely swollen from water retention and IV fluids etc, but my face is looking thinner already. I hope my legs, ankles, and feet are soon to follow!

I have more pictures of Asher but I need to download them. I will post tomorrow! But here are a few from the hospital.

We love you Asher!!

And the Winner is....

2009-06-19T13:10:00.000-07:00

Samantha from BerryBlessed in Kansas! She guessed 7lbs. 6oz. and Asher weighed 7lbs 6.8oz. at birth. They always round up to 7lbs 7oz which is what I actually guessed in the hospital before they weighed him. That is pretty cool! So Samantha was definately right on and I will post a picture of what she wins when I get it all pretty in packaging. As for date of birth, Meagan of Spokane guessed 6/5/09. That was the closest date but not close enough as he was born 8 days later! Good job ladies!

Next closest to weight was Tiffany from Canada 7lbs. 8oz. and LisaLee from Spokane 7lbs 8oz. as well.

I will be doing other contests for things so keep your eyes open!

Asher's Birth Story

2009-06-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

I will be posting more sweet pictures along with the story as to how this beautiful boy came into the world later today. Check back.

I also will be checking all the birth weight's entered for the contest to see if there is a winner. Unfortunately, no one has won the Labor Contest as we all know nothing worked to get things going. He came when he wanted to - 6 days overdue. :)
As for due date, again no one guessed the exact day. However, there is one person who was closest. I will post about that later as well.

Until then! Thank you for all your sweet comments. I love sharing him with you.

Drumroll Please.....

2009-06-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Introducing....

2009-06-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

A baby boy! LOL Yes, we will name him later today. I will let all of you know very soon. In the meantime, enjoy this little eye candy! He is so sweet. I just love looking at him and all his beautiful black hair.

He was born 6/13/09 and weighed 7lbs. 7oz. and is 20 3/4 inches long. I will give a birth story later. The good news is that an induction was not needed!

See how his hair hangs down below his hat? It's so long! :)

A birth struggle

2009-06-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not go to church last Sunday 6/7 on my due date expecting the good Lord to bless me for my attendance and send me into labor! Who expects a little give and take made in deals with the Maker? Not Me!

I did not nearly pee on the Dr. while in labor. That's too embarrasing! I wouldn't admit to it if I did anyway! LOL

And I certainly did not bring home a beautiful child without naming him and to this day still does not have a name!!!! That is too much.

I am home!

2009-06-15T19:32:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to put in a quick post to let everyone know that I am home now from the hospital. I have a lot to say and a lot to tell. I even have a lot of pics! :) But for now I can't stand to sit in this chair for long so I'll get it ready and post in pieces tomorrow. Our little boy is so sweet! Can't wait for everyone to "meet" him!

Update....

2009-06-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

Morning Everyone,

First let me start by saying I was hoping that the proud papa Josh might update the blog with some pics of their new addition yesterday. He was able to update many of their friends and family through facebook. At any rate, here is the update without photos at this time. Shortly after I posted yesterdays blog, I called Chloe to see how she was doing and to my surprise and delight Josh answered and told me he was holding their new baby. What What What What???? Last time I talked to her she hadn't given me any indication that the birth was imminent! LOL! Anyhow, their sweet little boy weighed in at 7lbs 7oz, 20.5 inches long. He has a head FULL of dark hair and in my opinion looks alot like his older sister Hannah. He's just the sweetest little guy! He is a beautiful baby! Chloe called me later in the day and seemed so happy to have her little baby in her arms. I think she may have been a little sad that Josh couldn't stay with her. He had to get home to Hannah and Maizer. No doubt they are all anxious to be back together as a family! I'm sure Chloe will update her blog as soon as she can and give you all more information and of course some photos. As for the name of this little guy...it turns out she doesn't think he looks like an Asher and well she still isn't convinced Ender should be his name. Hmmmm, this little guy might reach his 1st birthday before he has a name! LOL! At any rate, I'm sure Josh and Chloe will agree on a name that's perfect for him and one they will both be happy with. Congrats to Chloe and Josh!

Enquiring Minds Want to Know.....

2009-06-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Chloe's big sis here! I've hijacked her blog for the next couple days while she's in the hospital. Hopefully I can do as good a job as she does at keeping you all in the loop. So as many of you know she was scheduled to go in this morning for an induction. Well....my sweet nephew, who continues to NOT have a name even as I write this, decided he was going to get things going on his own. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. Hopefully this isn't the beginnings of a natural born procrastinator. LOL! Ok so I digress....Chloe gave me a call last night about 9:30pm her time and informed me that they were heading to the hospital because her contractions were painful and close together. Clearly, she knew these contractions were different than the ones she'd been having off and on now for the last couple of weeks. When she arrived at the hospital around 10:30, the nurse checked her and she had FINALLY made some progress, measuring 3cm. By 2:00 am she was at 4&1/2cm, and asking for an epidural. Apparently the epidural was a bit of a harrowing experience, but I'll let Chloe share that story if she wants. As of 7:45am this morning she was between 7-8cm and they had finally broken her water. SO... my little sis could be holding her sweet little boy in a matter of hours now. I'm so excited for her and I wish I could be there to help out and meet my sweet nephew! So for all you ENQUIRING MINDS keep checking the blog for more updates. You never know we might actually get a name soon! LOL !

Oh for the love of ...whatever!

2009-06-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

I am here to tell you what's been going on. I wish I had a laptop to give you updates later but I think I'll have my sis do that. I am scheduled to be induced tomorrow at 7:30am. I have had a little trouble finding a babysitter but I have someone for tonight if needed and in the morning and evening tomorrow. I am waiting on a call about the afternoon. Crazy to have to schedule like this but I guess it happens. I have felt such stress getting things organized for my kids while we're gone. I mean why does it have to be so difficult? They are great kids, come watch them in their own home and we'll be back soon. Sheesh! Anyway, I've cried like 3 times over this in the days leading up to now. I just want to relax and await my baby coming. It seriously makes me wish that I had family to count on. I hate that fact that I only have 2 sisters and out of those 2 only 1 is capable of helping me out but she lives in UT. I don't have parents, I don't have grandparents. It is what it is and what else can I say? It makes me jealous to be honest of people who have big families. Families that are there for each other and live close together and are reliable, great people who have dinner every week with everyone and visit often and enjoy each others lives. The way things ought to be, you know? Ok maybe I just live in a dream world, who knows.

I am sorry this post is irritable but so am I! LOL I have dinner made and ready to pop in the oven tonight, I have fed my kids lunch, I need to do the dishes, put laundry away, and finish my kids guide for the sitters. I want to take the kids out in the sprinklers and put Maizer down for a nap. I want to pack a different top for my hospital bag and add the lotion I forgot. Whew! Ok, I am going to go rest and then start again on another task.

Words of encouragement or sanity are most welcome! And no, we haven't picked a name yet. I give up, at least until tomorrow. LOL

A wonderful gift!!

2009-06-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

Ok - so most if not all of you wonderful blog friends know, my sister's son is in remission for brain cancer. He just turned 3 years old. He has a long road ahead of him but he is doing just great!

There is some exciting news about Bone Marrow Donation. Now until June 22nd you can register HERE to possibly be a donor for bone marrow to someone who desperately needs you to save their life - FOR FREE. How great is that?? It normally is $50 - $100 to join so this is a great opportunity.

What you need to know is that once you join you'll receive a kit and all you have to do is swab your cheek cells and send it back. It does not hurt to donate bone marrow and it takes about a week if chosen to complete the process. About 5 days is a medication to take and then the collection and recovery of about 2 days. Not all donations are surgical. Some are just a blood draw!! You can still work and live life as normal. If it is surgical, it is outpatient and all you feel is a soreness in your lower back afterward for a few days. That's it!!!

Check out the SITE HERE and read the information. It's pretty straight forward. Some people may be chosen immediately, in a few years, or never.

There is a great need for mixed race donors as so many people are mixed these days. :) Let me know what you think and if you are going to do it! You guys are the best.

P.S. I'll post a little later today on how things are going for me and what the plan is for the birth of our baby. I am 5 days overdue now. Crazy isn't it? :)

It's a .......... Shovel!!!

2009-06-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, my son loves his shovels. He won't put them down! But as of today he has switched to a green spoon and little things so he can carry 4 or 5 little treasures around. He has to have them when we leave the house, to sleep with them, to watch Super Readers, to play....we draw the line at taking them inside stores or bathing. (we have bath toys for bath time). But he does loves his shovels and he often goes back to those!

P.S. I am now -4 days pregnant! LOL

Not Amused

2009-06-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

Ok - so I didn't post my Not Me! Monday and I did have a couple sillies. Perhaps I will just wait until this Monday becuase I will definately have my baby by then!

Yes, I am still pregnant and went to see the Dr. yesterday. We tried to schedule an induction for Thursday or Friday but the hospital was booked. So Saturday it is if I am still around by then.

I am so tired at this point and I feel guilty at all the things I wish I could be doing with my kids. I can't run errands because I can't walk and manage the kids at the same time. I gained 3 pounds in fluid retention this week and I can't sleep again. I was doing good for a while there with Josh's special bed he made me. :) Thanks babe!

Now, I am just let down because I have been so excited for so long at the idea of going into labor. I am exhausted. I did clean the house yesterday! All but the bathrooms (it's super hard getting down on the floor because I have to actually get up too!) and the laundry needs to be put away. Josh will clean the playroom tonight with the kids and I want the sheets changed again. I think we did it last week but I really want eveything nice.

At least we put some grass down in the backyard!!!! I'll take a pic and post that soon. Wish me luck, I am so dejected right now. No progress! I am still dialated at a 1. Sigh.

P.S. We have not agreed on the name and a friend - Tifani - pointed out that she was 11 days late with her daughter because they couldn't agree on her beautiful name of Sari. I think that may be our issue as well. Josh and I stayed up late last night discussing it. I wonder how I would feel about Ender if I had never read the book. At least Ender is a great character and saves the world in the end! (Sorry for the spoiler).

No More Preschool

2009-06-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

Well, Hannah had her last day of preschool 2 weeks ago. I know ... I'm behind a little. But here she is at the park we went to. They did a program on farm animals and we had a picnic with some play time thrown in. It was nice. We gave her teacher a $10 gift card to - where else? - Cold Stone and told her it was a "sweet treat" to have her as Hannah's teacher this year. By the end, I was completely pooped out and just happy that I didn't have to schlep (did I spell that right?) all over town taking Hannah to school. Her school is a 30-35 min drive away now that we moved into our new house. I love her preschool though. They rotate to different class rooms doing language arts, music, math, art time, free play, and snack time. They don't stay in a tiny room for the whole time and learn so much more as everyone gets to paint at the same time or read or do worksheets etc. I love it! Until next year!

My Due Date

2009-06-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

How can I not post something for today? It is just wonderful to be pregnant and to be blessed with the ability to have children. I have many friends who struggle so and it breaks my heart. We have had our own struggles as well.

I had a tubal pregnancy for our first baby and lost a fallopian tube. We thought we would struggle with infertility but were blessed with a pregnancy 8 months or so later. Hannah came into our lives and she is just so beautiful and wonderful. Then we were pregnant again but this time with twins! Wow - that's seems so crazy, I was in shock. After our ultrasound at 5-6 weeks to make sure I didn't have another tubal pregnancy I lost one twin. It was maybe 7-10 days after the ultrasound. I remember how much fear I felt. I just didn't want to lose both and there was nothing any Dr. could do to stop what was happening. It was a relief to have another ultrasound to find that one was still there! And Maizer was born to us and he was truly amazing. So patient from the get go. Never cried over anything really and he was so laid back I thought wow, such a contrast to Hannah! LOL She is a bit more demanding, but so incredibly smart!

And now, I am pregnant for the fourth time (each time planned!) and about to welcome another son to our family. He is taking his time in there and seems content till he makes up his mind to come and meet me face to face. I truly am blessed and in my prayers I thank my Heavenly Father for trusting me to be a mother to these beautiful little spirits!

So, little baby boy on your due date....take your time to meet me, that's ok. I have waited all my life to be a mother and I am happy to wait a little longer for the privilege of sharing your precious turn on Earth!

Contentment in a bowl

2009-06-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love Cold Stone. I have to say I only ever get one thing there when I go. That is banana ice cream with brownies and pecans mixed in. It is so delicious! I seriously feel myself relax when I eat it. That is a serious addiction I believe. LOL Anyhow it's a good thing we only have one store here and it is a little out of the way. Just look at these yummy creations. But mine is the best combination.

If I don't post for a couple of days you know where I am! Cold Stone is by the hospital so maybe someone will bring me a lovely treat while I am there????? LOL But in the meantime, I am still waiting for this precious little boy with only 1 day till my due date. It would be so nuts (pecans please) to go over!

Cancer - An ugly word

2009-06-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to put this on my blog today as my sister reminded me that today is her little boy's 1 year anniversary from having a cancerous brain tumor removed. What a shock it was to hear such news. I remember very well the helplessness I felt. Living far away didn't help either and I had wanted so badly to be of comfort and help to my sister. I only post this as more of a journal entry than a poem plug. I really am not the poet. I did write this 1 year ago for my little nephew Ian.

And please, stop by my sister's blog. She posted something very beautiful in remembrance of the past year. She needs love and support too. Comment if you like, she will appreciate it.

- By the way, Ian is in remission and doing well. He does have some lingering side effects from the chemo like hearing loss (he wears hearing aids) but over all he is absolutely great!

I always knew I loved you,
my sweet, sweet nephew.

I just didn't realize,
the joy and life in your eyes,

would touch my soul and heart,
and every other part,

in ways that warmed me,
making me want to be,

your favorite Aunt Chloe.

I always knew I loved you,
my sweet, sweet nephew.

I want to hold you and protect,
your precious world so you'll forget,

all that frightens you now.
And with this poem I vow,

to show the love I have inside,
grows everyday for you, it is tried

and true, it will abide.

I always knew I loved you,
my sweet, sweet nephew.

My sister is the lucky one,
to have you, Ian, for her son.

Ugghhh!

2009-06-05T00:00:00.001-07:00

Enough said.

Appointment today

2009-06-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

*Update* - The Dr. said I have no change!! What's up with that? LOL Well, at least I am not totally miserable yet. He doesn't think I'll make it to next weeks appointment but hey - he didn't think I would be there today either!!

I have what I hope is my last appointment with my Dr. today. I will update when I get home later. I thought I would also post my last pregnancy photo once more at 38 weeks 6 days. I have 4 days till my due date and today is my little sister's 27th birthday. I guess she's not so little! But she would like the baby born today. We'll see. :) I went till 5 days before my due date to have Maizer and he was born early in the morning. I can't believe I am just sitting pretty with this one. I could go who knows how much longer! My feelings range from - ok, I'm ready..rested and showered let's go! - to - you better not come now I'm going to sleep and my hair is a mess! I really feel irritated at the thought of him coming when I'm not ready. This isn't at all rational but what can I say? LOL

Happy Birthday Katie Bug! XOXOXO Miss you.

Why Me?

2009-06-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Another Not Me! Monday has arrived after taking a break for the holiday last week. So here it goes!

I did not sit on a camping chair out front and have it immediately break through. Not Me! That is something that the universe doesn't allow to happen to pregnant women as a law of compassion! And I did not have to resign myself to the automatic handicap chairs at Walmart. Not Me! I do not ride around in those things as if I were elderly or had an issue with my legs. Not Me! Who does that when your only malady is a huge mid-section? I will give myself points that I have not had to do that twice now. LOL

As a side note - walking around the store too long brings on contractions and dizziness so.....

I did not go through 6 bags of ice in 1 week. Not Me! Who lets their cravings get THAT out of control? And I did not have my poor hard working husband go to the store at 1am to retrieve said ice. No way, that's mean. Not Me!!!!!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Daddy/Daughter Date

2009-05-31T11:19:00.000-07:00

Josh took Hannah out last Saturday for their first Daddy/Daughter Date. She went to Build-A-Bear because she earned enough stars to "pay" fot it.

*I will post all about star earning later - works great for incentives to do the right things and to listen! I also have great tips on consequences if you're interested.*

They went a little late in the day so she fell asleep on the way home after a mini-melt down. :( But she had a great time and we laughed and laughed about what she chose to make! She named it Rainbow Scooba-doo but has since changed it to Baby-E. Why I don't know! LOL

Deck building part 1

2009-05-31T11:07:00.001-07:00

My husband so lovingly spent his Memorial Day weekend building our deck. He doesn't have the stairs finished but that will come in part 2. He is a wonderful carpenter. He does finish and trim and all kinds of other things. If you have a question that perhaps he can answer about your home projects I'll be happy to pass it along! If you notice the pictures of our home, he did the floor and all the wood work! Here is his deck!

Two babies?

2009-05-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't posted in a little while. You all must be wondering if IT has happened. No - not yet. LOL I personally think that I look as big as possible and that perhaps there really are two babies in there! Just kidding. here I am 38 weeks 6 days along. Hanging in there in the heat! I am SO happy that I don't have to be pregnant through the summer!!!!

Dr. Appointment Sabotage

2009-05-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

Well,
I packed the kids in the car...new seating arrangements courtesy of car seat safety check and headed to my Dr. appointment today.

Note on the car seats - Maizer and Hannah were right behind the driver and passenger seats of our van. We planned to put the new baby in the middle of the very back seat. Well, Maizer is now in the middle of the back seat facing the rear instead of the front because his seat allows for rear seating until 35lbs. It's a lot safer and so we decided to switch him around which means opening the back and putting him in his seat through the "trunk" by climbing over the seat and into his car seat. Does that make sense? Ok now - imagine me climbing in and out of the back...not cool! Hannah is behind the driver now and the new baby will go behind the passenger front seat. Whew!

Anyway back to the appointment. I checked in at 4pm and was called maybe 10 minutes later. I got weighed (no gain - yeah!) went potty and was put into a room. I put the kids in a seat and gave them snacks. We waited..and waited...and waited. I had to go potty again so we all went and when I came back to the room (seeing my Dr. in the halls between bathroom visits) a nurse came in and said - "oh, the Dr. is going to check you again so get undressed. He has to check on a woman upstairs who may need a c-section so hang tight and I'll let you know if he is coming back or not. Get ready anyway because you are next to be seen." OK - I'll just sit here half naked while trying to corral my children in this tiny room. No worries! Take your time.

Which they did. A little after 5pm finally someone came in and said he isn't coming back down so get dressed and I'll listen to baby and you can head out. OK - now I am beyond irritated. Not that a woman had to have a c-section during my appointment - How dare she! - Just kidding, but that I was sitting there naked for so long trying to keep my monkeys off of everything. Good Heavens people!

I left and went straight to Starbucks for some happiness in a cup! A vanilla cream frappacino with whip cream. (That has no coffee in it as I do not drink coffee let alone give coffee to my children.) Yummy. If anyone wants to make my day, just give me a starbucks gift card and I'll be your best friend forever! LOL I got a grande and a tall split in 2 cups for the little ones. They love it too. :) So, everyone is happy and I drive all the way home which is a 35-40 minute drive from the hospital, which I drove up there and back for nothing.

My husband and I tried to get pregnant at a certain time as to have a June Baby, which I really wanted. I am almost to June although the day I picked for labor is tomorrow! LOL I do hope to make it to June though. I am so close. Wish me luck and give me encouragement posts!