Feeding the animals

It seems we have taken on the feeding of a few new animals around here, and quite exotic ones at that! A giraffe and several dinosaurs!The boys have really been into their stuffed animals lately, which is fun to watch. They haven't shown much interest in them up until the last few months, but they have plenty, so it's good to see them using them to play with and not just keep on their beds. Most mornings, when they get up, they bring up their stuffed animals and ask for a bowl for them too while I am getting their cereal ready. Then they line them up on the kitchen floor and the animals "eat" while we do.

Blame the little one

It seems a little mean to blame my low blogging frequency on our unborn baby, but he/she really is the reason. So....sorry little baby in my tummy, I still love you!!!

I have been feeling on the not-so-good side for the last 6 weeks or so. Mostly just nausea and mostly just in the late afternoons/evenings till bedtime, but it's still very annoying and has made me not very motivated to do much of anything except lay on the couch and moan and groan. As a result, I spend most of my days catching up on the stuff I didn't get done at night and it seems like the last few months have kind of flown by without me doing much of anything. The boys have been so great though, so understanding and not much complaining about how lame mommy has been. Chris has been so great too -- taking the boys to do fun stuff in the evenings to give me a break and totally understanding when I am tired and grumpy half the time!

We started construction on our basement this week and it's been a mess and loud down here. We are getting a bedroom and bathroom ready for Brayden and Logan to move downstairs so we can have a room just for the baby and move Preston to a big boy bed. Today the roofers came and it's loud and messy outside now too. But, it's taken so long for them to get to us, we're just happy they're here!

I'm hoping to get back to blogging more regularly and actually having things to blog about besides nausea and me stuff. I can't believe I haven't even taken any pictures this month yet and it's already almost October! Keep checking back, maybe that will make me more motivated!!

I actually won something!!

Thanks to my friend, Magda, I have won a Bumbo from her blog giveaway. This is the first thing I've ever won anything and it's just in time for baby #4. Thanks Magda!!!

A little perspective

Yesterday's post was a little bit (okay a lot) of a downer, I know! Today is a little better. My car is still not very driveable (except to take Brayden to and from school), but I know it will get fixed. By who and for how much, that I don't know. Apparently when the lug nut broke, the bolt it screws onto broke with it. Chris' brother is a car-fixing genius and they spent five hours together last night trying to get it fixed, but they didn't have one tool they need, so no luck. Hopefully there will be a repair shop with an opening today.

I didn't get to bed as early as I would've hoped last night, but I feel semi-rested and I don't have my niece today, so I will get to just kind of relax and take it easy today.

And sometimes just a little step back is all I need to realize that my day wasn't as bad as it seemed when I was right in the thick of it. I have an amazing husband who was willing to drop everything and put his own plans on hold to help me. And fortunately I heard the "thud, thud" of the tire right away and didn't drive on it too long and ruin the rim or the tire. And one of the advantages to no naps or a short nap for the boys is an early bedtime! Everything will be okay, the weekend may even be a little salvageable!!

The terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

I should've just stayed in bed today. And if not in bed, since that's not really an option as a mom, at least I should've stayed home in my 'jammas! The day started out alright, except for the fact that Logan got up way too early considering he went to bed about an hour and a half later than usual. He was pretty fussy all morning, but that I can deal with on it's own.

I decided to go back to MOPS this year after taking a year off last year. I still know a few moms that go there and thought it'd be a nice break! Unfortunately, the boys (and Madison) were not really on board with me getting a break. I dropped Logan off first. He went in okay when he saw one of his friends from church, but come to find out, when I picked him up, that he had cried for about the last hour and a half because he wanted me to come and get him. I dropped off Madison next and she screamed. She wasn't happy at all. Preston was next. I had to go into his classroom with him and the teachers (who weren't real friendly and engaging) had to pry him off of me. He said to me "Mom, I don't want to go to MOPS, I want to go to McDonald's!" Broke my little heart. When I picked him up she said he was very fussy for an hour or so till they took the kids outside and he saw Logan. However, Madison never settled down and they ended up bringing her to me about halfway through. So much for my break. Not sure if I'll go back. It's not worth the hassle or the money if I have to fight and force my kids to stay.

Then, I'm leaving MOPS after not a great morning and I drive maybe 100 feet and hear a thud, thud, thud noise. I've never had a flat tire, but I thought maybe that's what it sounded like. Sure enough, I pull over, get out and look, and that's what it was. Not just a little low either, completely flat! At that point I lost it. I was crying and the boys were like "what's wrong mommy?" I said "mommy's had a terrible morning" (which isn't all true because before they brought Madison to me, MOPS was fun, but you know how it goes). I called Chris because I just didn't know what to do. Well I did know what to do, I had to change the tire, but honestly I've never done that before and didn't think I'd be able to even push the crowbar hard enough to loosen the lug nuts. I've seen it done on TV and I can do it in theory, but theory and actually doing it are a lot different! I called him sobbing and he was so quick to offer to come help, even though he had a class starting in less than an hour. He is so sweet, I don't know what I would've done without him. During the process (which I know I wouldn't have been able to do myself because even Chris had a hard time getting the lug nuts off) one of the lug nuts broke and the jack was hard to work because I was parked too close to the curb. He got it fixed though and then followed me home to make sure I didn't have any more problems. I have to go pick up Brayden from school, but that's all the driving I plan on doing.

Because of all this, we didn't even get home until 1:30 and the boys hadn't eaten lunch or anything. I fed them a quick lunch of hot dogs, chips and ketchup (don't judge!) and then sent them downstairs to watch a movie for about an hour before we have to leave to pick up Brayden. Unfortunately, they fell asleep and now I'm going to have to wake them up to go get Brayden. UGH! And of course, on days when we have 3 hours before we have to go get Brayden and I have a ton to do, they won't nap!

The only good news I've gotten today is that most places will repair a flat tire for free and lug nuts are only about $2. Let's hope it's that easy of a fix!

Tonight is a lay-on-the-couch, watch-TV and fall-asleep-early kind of night for sure!!!! And I would add eat-a-big-bowl-of-ice-cream kind of night to that list too, but this baby hates when I eat ice cream for some reason. I suppose I could eat a big bowl of tomatoes and veggie dip -- yum (although somehow not quite the same)!

I will never forget

I can still remember where I was on this day eight years ago. I was working as a teller and I had gotten to work around 7:30 to open up the drive-thru. We usually had the radio going since the Muzak didn't play up in the drive-thru (thank goodness!). However, this day, on this particular radio station, it was very abnormal for us to hear lots of talking, especially in somber voices and about some plane crash in NYC. And it was especially strange to hear them play Amazing Grace and other God-themed music. As we continued to listen throughout the morning, we learned just how serious this was. When I went home for lunch, I found myself glued to the TV, even though the images were horrible to watch, I couldn't tear myself away. It was almost surreal, as if I was watching a war in a third world country or something.

I remember feeling personally affected, even though I had no connection to anyone that was directly affected and I was thousands of miles away. It was not just a plane crashing into a building, it was an attack on our country, our freedom and our values. I was very thankful to God that he had spared me from being close to the attacks and from danger, but I also couldn't stop thinking about the thousands of people who were affected and whose lives were forever changed.

This morning I was talking to the boys a little bit about what the significance of September 11th. They were very curious and asked lots of questions. At one point I think I might have gone too far in explaining it because Logan said he was scared a plane would crash into us. I just told him, though, that there were lots of soldiers right now fighting to protect us and that we are safe right now because of them. Brayden had just learned about the American flag yesterday in school and he said that he thought today probably it would be flying at half-mast. I told him yes, because it was a day to remember and to be respectful. Then he asked why we would want to remember today and what the bad guys did. I told him we didn't remember today because of what the bad guys did, but instead of what all the heroes did. The heroes were the people that helped people on that day and saved more people from dying.

I can also remember, in the aftermath of 9/11, what an openness to God there seemed to be. It seemed as though people were made aware of their need for someone greater than themselves and it wasn't unusual to hear praying in public places or Amazing Grace (or other religious songs) on a secular radio station. How sad it is that people have forgotten that part of this day already and have gone back to thinking they are in control and they have no need for God. While I in no way wish for another horrible attack on our country or a nationwide catastrophe such as happened that day, I do wish for another revival in our country. Not one that is superficial and goes away as the feelings fade, but that is real and that comes from the hearts of people who realize their need for a Savior.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and

pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,

and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Singing

Logan probably spent an hour this morning singing me songs while I was doing things and trying to come up with some fun songs for kidz choir. Towards the end I was having to think up songs for him to sing because he had run out of ideas. At one point, I told him to sing "Oh be careful". When he got to the verse where it says "oh be careful little mouth....", he sang "Oh be careful little mouth what you chew..."!

Silly boy! Well, I guess, yes, that's important too!!

Gettin' so big

I took these pictures of the boys Sunday morning before we left for church because Chris had spiked up all their hair and it looked so cute. Then, when I was getting them off my camera, I realized how grown up they all look. Definitely not babies anymore!!!!

Doing preschool

Since Brayden has started back to school, Logan has been doing some preschool-type learning at home. We didn't do a formal preschool #1 because of the cost #2 because we feel like he gets enough social interaction from the things we do at church and #3 because I can teach him letters and numbers at home and get to spend the time with him before he goes to kindergarten next year.

We just use some workbooks focused on letters, numbers or colors. So far he has worked on tracing numbers and learning letter sounds and beginning word sounds. He is very excited for this time every day, he begs for it! He was very upset when we missed it one day this week because I had to go to church to do a bulletin board. I am glad that Logan loves to learn and that he enjoys this time.