Learning to listen.....

In hopes of warmer weather....

2011-03-10T14:50:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I never posted the pictures of our water fun last summer like I said i was going to so here are a few in hopes of it bringing on warmer weather. :-)

Sprinkler fun!!!!!

Playing in the sun....he's not really into the sprinkler much.

Wading pool @ Washington park

Ok so now bring on the warm weather and sunshine....I'm ready to play in the water!!!! :-)

Long time....and scrapbooking plea :-)

2011-03-10T14:28:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to do a quick post while I was looking at everyone else's. :-)

Life is going fairly well for us right now.

I am working part time (nights) at Central Washington Hospital Emergency Room and that is exciting because I got hired on at a really good time for the "Med Rec" position. There are 4 of us CMA's that do the Med Rec job which entails visiting with each patient and getting an up to date medication list from the patient and inputting it in the computer. But I got hired just as they decided to expand our roles and utilize more of our skills which is just awesome so we are also doing EKG's and will eventually be doing blood draws. Along with the fact that I refuse to only do my job :-) so I am constantly learning as much about the department as I can and trying to learn whatever I can to help out the RN's and the techs such as transporting patients to the "floor" (when they are admitted to the hospital) and I am in the process of getting computer clearance to cross train for another position so I can help cover breaks. I figure with the money crunch the hospital is in....the more indispensable I can make myself the more job security I can buy myself. :-) I am sure my Med Rec coworkers would like me to stop finding new jobs to take on but I work nights and there are times when I sit for hours with nothing to do so I find new things to learn. :-)

As for Brad, he was back with the union for what was supposed to be 4-6 weeks but after 2 weeks of work they were out of work again. :-) SO I think we are done with the union. There is no work and no stability with the union right now. We are trying to focus on getting it to work with him working full time with his dad. It gives us the flexibility we need for my hours and the boys and it allows Brad to do what he actually enjoys. So i am praying that this is what he is supposed to be doing. I feel like it but it is so hard to know sometimes. So I guess we will just keep praying and taking each day one day at a time.

The boys are doing great. Cameron is enjoying 1st grade and learning so much. He is ahead of where he is supposed to be for reading and has brought home many +19/20 and +20/20 spelling tests so we are very proud of him and make sure we put those on the fridge so he knows we are proud of how hard he worked. He has been working really hard at keeping his focus in class where it needs to be and it shows on his daily tracker report so that is a big deal for him. :-) He is getting excited to start soccer next month. We gave him the option of soccer, baseball or hockey for spring sport and he chose soccer. We tried to encourage him to try baseball since it would be with a pitching machine or hockey since he hadn't tried it before but he had his mind set on soccer so we signed him up. He is not easily persuaded. :-) Kinda stubborn like his daddy if you ask me. LOL But we didn't really care which sport he played as long as he chose to play a spring sport so that he was staying active.

Ethan is really enjoying preschool. This month they are doing something pertaining to science each class. He has really enjoyed the science stuff. He loves his teacher and really likes his class. He is learning a lot. He learns a lot from his brother too. Just the other day he counted by 10s to 100 using the same rhythm that Cameron was taught. He also learned how to spell Mississippi because we were challenging Cameron to learn it. LOL We are hoping that this fall he will have the confidence to try playing soccer. Right now we can't get him to do anything without us or brother other than his preschool class. So we really want to get him broke out of his "shell". We did finally agree that he would do one more year of preschool instead of starting kindergarten this fall. He is just so little and and socially not ready for all day kindergarten. His preschool teacher put it this way: It's a decision of whether we want him to survive or thrive....if he went to kindergarten this fall she has no doubt he would survive but he would probably struggle. If we let him go through Pre-k and do kindergarten next year she feels he would thrive not just survive. So Brad and I decided we don't want him to struggle like we both did through school. And Cameron was almost 6 when he started kindergarten due to his late birthday so Ethan will be just a little older when he starts school.

Ethan's class wearing their Stegosaurus hats they made. :-)

So there you have it....an update on our lives. :-)

Sorry I haven't been posting things, I check on everyone's often I just don't usually take the time to post anything. I am really in need of a scrapbook day!!!! We need to plan it on a weekend that I am off and Karalee can come up so we can spend the day in scrapbook bliss. :-) LOL I haven't scrapbooked in so long and really need to get some done and hopefully keep working on it so I can get somewhat caught up. But it is so much more fun to do it with a group. :-) So that is my plea.....please can we all think about maybe planning something. :-)

2010-08-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

One of about 6 hummingbirds that are constantly flitting around...so cute!

We just got back from a very short :-( trip to Brad's Granny and Papa's in Republic. It was a wonderful trip and super relaxing I just wish we could have stayed longer. The weather was decent and it's so quiet and pretty up there. I got to sit and talk a lot to Granny and watch the hummingbirds flutter around the feeder and watch the squirrel taunt the cats from up in the tree. We saw a few deer while on the porch and 2 while riding four wheelers.

Looking north towards Canada from their front porch...the furthest mountain you see is in Canada. They are 16 miles from the Canadian border.

They really love riding the four wheelers!

I can't believe Cameron starts school in 3 weeks...OMG! And he should be starting soccer practice in the next week or so and then with me starting orientation and 12hr training shifts (not sure how many days in a row yet but know that for training it will me noon to 12:30am shifts) it's going to be hectic for the next few weeks. But I am really excited for Cameron to start soccer and so is he. Now I just have to stop procrastinating and go get him his gear. LOL His Grammy Lynda took him school supply shopping so he is all set with that but we still have to go school clothes shopping which I am not looking forward to because he is very squirmy and loves to goof off in front of the mirror so getting him to go in to the dressing room and come out in a timely fashion is very hard and I usually end up getting very frustrated and so does he and it usually turns out to be a not very fun shopping experience for either one of us. I have been trying to psych myself up for it and tell myself that he's a year older and so am I but he is still so wiggly and still gets so goofy in front of mirrors that I am still procrastinating the school clothes shopping trip but I know I have to go because he has grown out of all his clothes. Alas I will eventually get to the store....and I am pretty sure it's gonna have to be this week because the next two weeks might be way too crazy. :-) Although if anyone wants to take on the task of taking a vain almost 7 yr old boy clothes shopping please let me know I will gladly let you... LOL

Please pray that I find my patience somewhere between home and the store because I could really use a huge load of it when we go. :-)

9 years....WOW!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

So Brad and I just celebrated our 9yr anniversary last wednesday the 21st and it was so much fun. We had Brad's cousin Shawn come watch the boys and we went and had dinner in Leavenworth and then went and played mini golf which he beat me at. We got some good laughs in at mini golf though. I had a few out of bounds hits that got us laughing so hard I was almost crying. At one point I hit the ball and it flew off the course and into a bush and we couldn't find it so we are looking and laughing and there is this boy whose like maybe 12 and he's looking at us like we are crazy and he points at the ball and says "it's right here" with a tone to his voice like "duh you old fogeys". It was really fun to say the least. So after that we went and got ice cream and sat in the downtown park area and ate it while people watching and listening to the music they play over the speakers (it's like a radio or something) and then decided to go down to Blackbird Island (i think that's the name) anyway we had walked around 1/2 the island and was coming back the other side of it and right in the middle of the path was a deer. It wasn't spooked by us either. So we stop and try to decide if we should just continue walking toward it or what. By then it walks off the path into the trees so we continue to cautiously walk toward it's direction on the path. I stopped to take pics because it really didn't seem to care about us. Brad was a little worried that it was gonna attack us or something which was totally cracking me up. Anyway I took a picture of it and then there was a rustling behind it and out comes a teeny tiny baby deer no taller than maybe 2 ft tall. Runs up to the momma deer and starts suckling. It was so precious. I tried to get a picture but seeing as all i had was my phone I didn't exactly get a professional photo.

She is right in the middle...the baby isn't in this picture....at least not that I know of anyway I didn't see where the baby stood up from.

All in all it was a wonderful evening and a great way to spend our anniversary. It was nice to spend some time just the two of us and laugh and have fun together. And the boys had fun with their "Uncle Joe" aka Shawn. It amazes me how long 9 years is and how it seems to have flown by and especially when I think about the fact that we have been together 13 1/2 years....almost 1/2 my life I have spent with Brad...WOW. Well here's to the future and what it holds in store fore us! TTFN

New direction

2010-07-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

So after my last rambling about facebook I decided I needed to change things. I removed some previous posts so that hopefully people don't feel as though I am complaining. I am going to try to keep this as only upbeat happening and keep my all other thoughts between me, Brad and God. Maybe that's where they need to stay, sorry for burdening you all with them in the past. You all have enough in your lives to worry about without having to worry about Brad and I so on to a new start with a better blog. :-) We will get through all this with God's help and I know I have friends who care about me and I don't need to put my struggles out there in hopes that someone comments just so I am reminded of that. So no more ( unless I forget and regress. lol) on to better posts and happier things. When I get time I hope to post pics of our park outings and the sprinkler fun the boys have had. So look forward to that. TTFN.

Facebook

2010-07-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

Ok so most of the time I read peoples facebook status' and they don't really pertain to me but today someone posted about "If I ever complain about something that I made the choice to get myself into I give you permission to shake me senseless." or something like that I don't even remember exactly what it said or who said it but it made me think. I really hope the people who read my blog don't think that about us. I know we have made some choices that have turned out to not be so great in the long run. But we didn't know that at the time we made the decisions obviously. I just really hope you gals don't feel like i am complaining. Because I don't want to. I am looking for encouragement and friendship. I don't mean for it to sound like complaining if it does. And if it does I am sorry and please comment something like "Hey dumba** your complaining again." :-) or something like that. LOL I just don't really hang out with anyone or do anything with anyone so my way of getting out of the confines of my depression sometimes is to write it on this blog and whoever reads it and comments is who I get my advice from. So anyway now that I have left my tidbit i am going to go for now. Hope you all are having a wonderful day and enjoying this overcast windy day (if your in wenatchee.), it's a nice break from the blazing sun i guess. :-) Toodaloo!

Some T-Ball pics

2010-05-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

I really like this picture but he looks older in this picture....but look at the focus.

Man this was a good hit....cleared the dirt and a ways into the grass. Way to go Cameron!

Where Does God Live?

2010-05-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

I was reading a few of the books tonight that I checked out from the library the other day. One of the books is called "Where Does God Live?" written by Holly Bea and Illustrated by Kim Howard. I LOVE IT!

It is a very beautiful book and I highly recommend all my friends checking it out if you can. (the library will eventually have it back when I return it...I really like it so i may keep it as long as I can :-) It's about a little girl who asks a lot of questions and she asks her mom one day where God lives and her mom says that "he lives in heaven, way up in the sky." So the little girl tries to figure out where heaven is because she has never seen it in the sky. So she goes and asks her animal friends and each animal friend believes that because everything around them is so beautiful that God must live right there with them where they live. So the girl ends up asking her Grandma and her Grandma tells her how God lives in everything, and everyone.

Here's my favorite part of Grandma's answer:

"God lives in the frogs and the birds and in you.

When you're looking for God, it's easy to do.

God lives in all things that you see, hear, or touch.

God lives in all people. God's in each one of us.

And when you meet people who are loving and good,

They're letting God out, just as everyone could.

And if you meet people who seem hateful or bad,

They've forgotten God's here, and that makes God sad."

I am definitely putting this book on my Books-To-Buy list. I highly recommend it to all my mommy friends and if you read it please let me know what you think of it. God definitely knew I needed this book right now though and I am so thankful I read it with the boys tonight. So heart warming and filling.

Feelin Good....

2010-03-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

Okay so first off......Baby Madison got to go home late yesterday. So that is a huge praise!!!!

Ok so on to me....so far this week I have lost 2lbs.....I think mostly water weight since I started flushing my system with water and tea and not drinking coffee daily, but none the less I have seen a loss on the scale and am feeling good. I went to boxercise tonight again. I love it! I dread going just cuz I don't have the energy but once I get there and start going I enjoy it so much and especially the feeling afterwards.

I tried a new recipe today for lunch and it was pretty good. It was a La Tortilla Factory Tortilla, FF Cream Cheese, Turkey lunch meat, cucumber, tomato, lettuce and onion (3pts total). It was really good. Next time I will probably leave out the onion because it was kinda overpowering. Brad had turkey, lettuce, tomato and onion on a sandwich thin (2pts total) and said it was delicious. We so far really like the sandwich thins and even if you aren't on a diet they are tasty and make great sandwiches and burgers because there isn't a ton of bun/bread that overpowers the food.

Anyway enough babbling. That's all I have for tonight. Hope you all find yourselves and your families happy and healthy.

Sports

2010-02-23T13:44:00.000-08:00

So excited!!!! We signed Cameron up for TBall for this spring.

We were gonna do soccer but then my mom reminded me about tball so we looked into the registration and it is still open and the same cost as soccer so we gave Cameron the choice and he decided to give TBall a try. I am actually really excited. I think he will like it and he still plans on playing soccer just not till fall so now he has a spring sport and a fall sport. Plus I can't wait to see him in those cute baseball uniforms. LOL

So anyway, I will post a game schedule as soon as I get one but the season doesn't start till April 5th so it will probably be late March before I know what team he is on and when his games are. Hopefully some of our friends and family will attend his games and cheer his team on.

We got him a mitt and ball yesterday and are going shopping for a bat and some more balls so that we can take him down to Morris park (it's only a couple blocks from our house which is really nice) and start working on him so he knows a little bit once he starts practices. I figure there will most likely be quite a few kids on his team that have played already so I want Cameron to know something so he doesn't get frustrated. I researched drills that coaches do with the kids and the skills they work on so we plan to go down to the park on the weekends and work on some of the skills and start running the bases so he can learn the bases and start getting used to running since it sounds like they run at every practice.

Anyway, just wanted to share my enthusiasm. Makes me want spring to get here that much sooner. Bring on the sunshine!!!!!

Melt my heart.....

2010-01-20T20:07:00.000-08:00

So the writing station at Cameron's class today was to write about Bad/Sad News......

In case you can't read it...." I had a bad dream and it was scary it was with my gramma and with my grampa was in it."

He's doing really good at phonetically sounding out words other than his slang pronunciations...lol. and he's doing really good on his spacing so that you can tell there are separate words.

So i thought that was cute. Didn't really ask him what the dream was about because the next page made me choke back the tears. Amazing what kids remember and think about. For those of you who read this regularly you will remember that my Uncle Hal passed away in September. Cameron has mentioned him a couple times and more so in the last week or so then he has since September. So here's the picture that made me cry.....

I didn't include the writing part because it is partially erased and very hard to read and scanned in even worse but I am pretty sure you can tell that this is a grave with a headstone for Uncle Hal.

Oh my goodness! I left his room after he confirmed what i thought it was and just sat in a chair and cried. Out of all the sad things that have happened to him in the past year or so (getting rid of our pets, moving away from nene, etc.) he chooses to write about Uncle Hal. It warmed my heart to know that he remembers him and misses him but then it melts it knowing that he is sad because he knows that Uncle Hal died and went to heaven. The other day he told me he saw a rainbow and wished on it that Uncle Hal could come back alive. Where does he come up with these things????? I love him to death but it breaks my heart to know that he thinks of such sad things. But I know he is old enough now to understand what happened and it makes me smile to know that Uncle Hal will not be forgotten.

And just to clarify, this is the first time I have seen a Bad/Sad News writing come home so this not an often thing thank goodness. It varies in subjects such as sports, Happy/Exciting news, animals, school, etc. Last Thursday he wrote about how it was baby Kayleigh's birthday and that she was gonna be one and that uncle Brandon and Aunt Jessica were gonna be there. So it's not all sad but this one struck me and I needed to share it with my closest friends who have kids and can understand why it pulled at my heart strings.

coupon trip

2010-01-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

Ok so i don't have time for details but lets just say I did a coupon trip from krazy lady and wow definately understand the coupon high now. Spent $30 and saved $57 plus got 8.50 in coupons to use on my next trip. WOOT WOOT! Photos and details will be posted soon i promise. LOL

Begging for coupons

2010-01-08T12:44:00.000-08:00

So if anyone has any extra of these coupons i would love to take them off your hands....LOL

They are some of the sales at albertsons and things I would really like to stock up on along with if you have any genral mills coupons for the cereals. The boys go through cereal pretty quickly so if I could get coupons and stock up on cereal i would be very happy. So let me know...i know it's short notice but we no longer have johnny's income so now money is gonna be even tighter and i need all the savings I can get. Although i did order ink for my printer so hopefully soon I won't have to beg like this it just won't be here in time for these sales. :-)
$0.50/2 – Betty Crocker Fruit by the Foot, Gushers – (coupons.com)

$1.00/2 – Betty Crocker Fruit by the Foot, Gushers – (bettycrocker.com)
$0.50/1 from GM 1/3

$1.00/1 – Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters – (coupons.com)

$1.00/1 – Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters – (bettycrocker.com)

$0.50/1 from GM 1/3

Zumba

2010-01-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

So we signed up at the YMCA so that we can workout but also go swimming as a family. Sunday we went swimming and that was really fun. Then Tuesday I did a tai chi class which was nice but not sure my focus is there. Wednesday i did a Pilate's/yoga class and that was really nice and I am definitely feeling my abs from it. Then tonight I did Zumba and oh my goodness it was so fun and a really good workout and I am sure I will be feeling it tomorrow. I love how good I feel and it was such a blast.

I need to get some different workout gear though. I got really hot for one in what i was wearing but it also allows a little too much jiggle of the belly and boobies. LOL So my plan is to get a workout tank that will help hold in my belly a bit and then wear a sports bra under that and then a tank over the top of both to hide the bulge. LOL I also will eventually have to get a new pair of shoes as I need something with better arch support so my foot doesn't hurt so bad and my toes don't go numb. I know I need alot and have no money to get it but I have a list and will work at getting one thing at a time as the budget allows.

Anyway the point of my post is that if you get a chance to try Zumba I think you would get hooked. I know I want Tuesday to get here soon so I can go again. :-) Alright well that's all i have so goodnight.

P.S. Is there no spellcheck on this new version???

URGENT...Yet another prayer request...

2010-01-05T21:31:00.000-08:00

My grandma is back in the hospital. She has a cyst on her pancreas and a possible blockage in the tube that runs from the pancreas to the liver. She has had diarrhea for 2 weeks and is just plain feeling crappy. They sent her ct films to a dr. in seattle and that doctor reccomends doing a scope of that tube. They don't want to do a scope until they can get her feeling better. Also they found a mass in her abdomen and the seattle dr described it as ovarian cancer but grandma had a full hysterectomy 30yrs ago so not really sure what it is just yet. But the dr said his main concern right now is the possible blockage but again he can't do anything until they get her feeling a little bit better. Also she is 48hrs off of Coumadin (blood thinner) but her bleeding time is not getting better which means that her liver is not functioning correctly which may or may not be caused by the possible blockage. Please pray for grandma's strength and her to get to feeling better quickly. So please pray for the doctors that are taking care of her and that they are able to get her feeling better and do the tests they need to in order to find out how to help her.

My Uncle Don is feeling pretty good heart wise. He has two stress tests coming up but not sure if he is going to be able to do them due to cost. They are already worried about how to pay for the initial bills from the heart attack along with the very expensive medications they put him on. So prayers that those issues work out and that they can get help with the hospital bills and medication costs.

Update

2009-12-28T11:18:00.000-08:00

I have yet to get up to the hospital today to visit my Uncle Don. But I spoke with my Aunt Tracy (his wife) and she said when she called up to the nurses station today they said he is still kinda in and out of it. But when he is awake he is still feeling really good. So that is a huge blessing. I still want to get up there and see for myself so that i can rest my mind and my heart but hopefully sometime today that will happen.

As for my Aunt Sherri...she was released from the hospital this morning around 2am. The CT scan showed no appendicitis so they thing she just got a fast acting yucky virus and so they gave her some meds to help keep the nausea away and she is at home sleeping finally. So that is another huge blessing.

My grandma is still feeling kinda sluggish and this morning she had a headache but she is doing pretty good other wise and her heart is feeling normal. So that too is another blessing. So things are looking good this morning. I am doing better emotionally. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I will update again on my uncle when i know more. TTFN

Prayer RequestS....PLEASE!

2009-12-27T22:23:00.000-08:00

So I feel as though my family is falling apart very rapidly and need several prayer requests...

1st prayer request: My Uncle Don went into the er this morning around 3:30am with a heart attack. He at one point flatlined but the doctors and nurses got him stabalized. They took him into surgery and placed a stent. He is currently in ICU and when he is awake he is feeling really good and his only complaint is that they are keeping him for 4 or 5 days. :-) So please pray for his fast recovery and that the stent has truly fixed the problem.

2nd prayer request: My Aunt Sherri went into the er this afternoon with severe vomitting and diarrhea. They got her on iv's to help hydrate her and did some blood work. The nurse was pushing and prodding around my aunts recent surgery site (hysterectomy) but found no points of pain or concern. However when she moved up and right to the location of the appendix my aunt about jumped off the table with pain. So they are getting ready to do a ct scan to see if her appendix if inflammed/irritated and the cause of problems. So she may be in surgery soon for an appendectomy. So please pray that she too has a quick and easy recovery as she is still recovering from her hysterectomy too.

3rd prayer request: Earlier this year my Grandma had a surgery to stop her heart from going into episodes of tachycardia (very very fast heartbeat that is very ineffective at supplying the body with blood.)...the surgery was supposed to help for up to two years but on friday she went in to the hospital because of an episode that she couldn't fix with meds. She is fine but frustrated that she had an episode so soon. So please pray that she doesn't have another episode for a very long time.

I am having a really hard emotional problem with all of this and really need prayers to get through it. I found out about uncle don tonight at 7pm then about my aunt sherri at 9pm and about my grandma's visit at 9:30pm. So in one night I find out about all of this and I just wanted to scream, cry and puke. I know that none of them are knocking on deaths door but with my Uncle Hal passing in september and then in one weekend having not one but 3 family members in the hospital and my uncle Don having a heart attack (which by the way the coroner has listed a heart attack as the reason of my Uncle Hal's death) it has just really thrown me into an emotional whirlwind. So please pray for my family that everyone comes through ok and with quick recoveries. Please pray that my grandma's heart behaves correctly. Please pray that i don't have an emotional meltdown. Thank you. I will keep you up to date as soon as I know something and have time to blog. :-)

Christmas Season

2009-12-25T17:05:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends!!!!!

This christmas season has been like no other. To put it in one word i would definately have to say.....blessed. We have gotten so many mysterious blessings for our families this year. We are so very thankful! First we got the Veggie tales movie reminding us to have patience. I needed that reminder so very much! Then we got wo visa gift cards. That was a huge help! We were so grateful for those! I was suprised by some wonderful girlfriends with a fun night and a wonderul stocking full of goodies. Then two weeks ago we were blessed to have our lives intertwined with another family.....

Through WOW (the game Brad plays online) we met a gal who lives in Gig Harbor but her parents live in Wenatchee. Her parents aren't able to get their christmas decorations down so she wanted to know if we would help suprise them with a decorated tree and presents. Of course we had to help her! She then informed us that not only was she suprising them with a tree but they thought that her and her daughter were not going to make it this christmas which would be the first time in 9 years that they wouldn't all be together for christmas. But they were actually flying in on the 23rd and staying through the 26th. So anyway, on the 18th we took a fully decorated 2ft tree to their house along with all the gifts she sent over. Her parents were so happy and excited to see the tree and presents, and they were so nice. We visited for a bit and as we were getting ready to leave they made a point of letting us know we could come visit anytime. I have since stayed in touch with Bel (her wow name) and we went up to meet her and her daughter at her parents house for dinner on wednesday. Such an amazingly nice family! And her parents were so excited to see her on wednesday! At the end of the night Ethan really wanted to watch Night at the Meuseum so the dad decided we should borrow the movie that way we have to go back and visit when we return it. I am not sure why God led us to that family but i am sure glad he did and so excited to see where the future leads.

And then to top it off, not only have we had a wonderful christmas day but we got home from visiting family and got a knock on our door. Brad opened the door and there was a guy with a box full of food. He handed it to Brad and said it was a from a friend of a friend. WOW! Thank you so much to whomever had a hand in that! There is all sorts of good stuff...Mac N Cheese, pasta, chili, soup, peaches, pears, popcorn, and pudding. I sat and stared at the box and thanked God for all our blessings this year.

We have been so blessed and I am so thankful for all the blessings!!!!! I continue to pray that things continue to work out for us and that he continue to help me learn to follow him and trust in him. I know things will be okay for us because he loves us and these christmas blessings have reminded me over and over to continue to have faith and trust in him. Our christmas season has been so amazing thanks to God first and all his helpers who he sent to us! I pray everyone has been as blessed this season and that you are blessed throughout the new year!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!

Snow stress....lol

2009-12-14T21:35:00.000-08:00

So just when i was feeling good about finances, it snows.....I know we should have already thought about snow before now but we didn't. So here it is snowing and we have no snow boots for Cameron and he has school tomorrow and I am sure they will be outside for recess. So Brad grabs up Cameron and they make a quick run to Walmart for snow boots for tomorrow. Well apparently more people are like us because the gal at Walmart said that as soon as it started snowing the boot department was cleared of most inventory. UGH! Anyway Brad found a pair of boots on sale that Cameron says are warm and feel really good so they got them. Unfortunately they were $31.00. That bites!! An unexpected cost we didn't prethink and of course soon we will have to buy Ethan a pair of boots unless we can find someone who has a pair they are willing to give away. So if you know of any boots for free or really cheap in size 9 please let me know.

Ok enough venting from me. The snow is so pretty and I love how quiet everything is when it snows. I am excited to get some snow pics of the boys...that is if we find boots for Ethan. I am hoping we have a white christmas and then it can all melt away! LOL Ok well that is all i have for right now.

I know God will provide financial provisions but i am still kinda worried. So please pray that I can put my faith in God that he will provide what we need.

Thank you to whoever.....

2009-12-13T17:51:00.000-08:00

A huge thank you to whoever is helping us. First a huge thank you to whoever sent the Veggietales movie about patience to me. I almost cried when i saw what the movie was about. And I can only figure it had to come from someone who reads this blog because you guys are the only ones I vent to so thank you. I appreciate it very much and truly enjoyed watching it with the boys. And it was a much needed reminder that I needed to have patience. Secondly, we received two gift cards in the mail either yesterday or friday and a huge thank you to whomever sent them. It will be a huge help. I don't know who sent either but I am so grateful for both. Any help is wonderful but both things came at such a needed time. SO THANK YOU!!!!!!

The only part I am struggling with is who both items came from. How am i supposed to say thank you if i don't know where they came from. I did immediately pray and thank God for the movie and gift cards but i would still like to know who he worked through. But if i never know it doesn't matter. I thanked God graciously for the reminder and the help and hopefully he will pass it on to the hearts he worked through.

Life may not be fun or easy all the time but the blessings i have make life worth living. Thank you to all my friends who have continued to give me strength and prayers. I appreciate it more than I will ever be able to tell you. Even your simple comments of just reminding me that you care mean so much to me and often make my eyes sparkle with tears of joy.

May the Lord continually bless you with heaven's blessings as well as with human joys.

- Psalms 128:5

2009-12-10T12:25:00.000-08:00

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. (Proverbs 3:5-7 NKJV)

I found this verse to be oh so true for my struggle right now. May it speak to you as it did to me.

2009-12-10T12:16:00.001-08:00

Praise be to God for this day!

Doing better!

2009-12-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

I think I have resolved my internal struggle. I am feeling good about my decision and look forward to the road ahead of me. It will be a slow and steady wins the race type of process but I am up to the challenge I think. Plus I decided that no matter what I chose, I wasn't going to succeed until i got to walking with Jesus Christ rather than just calling on him when I needed something. SO I am trying to focus more on my walk with him and learning to listen and not fight against him. I'm trying to let my guard down and put 100% faith in him and I know once I accomplish that then the other small things will fall in place.

I am so grateful for Brad's Granny who helped me to know what I needed to decide. So to fill you in, I have been down about my weight alot lately and told Brad that I wanted to go back on the hcg diet when we could afford it. So he talked to Granny and Papa and borrowed money so that i could. But I was sick to my stomach as soon as I found out. Something about actually going back on the diet scared me and was making me sick to my stomach. I couldn't shake it and was having a really hard time with it. Brad was pushing me to do it because he thought that is what I really wanted. The more he pushed the more confused and frustrated I got and the more sick to my stomach. Finally last night I called Granny and talked to her (and cried alot) about how I was feeling and how I wasn't sure what i wanted to do and how confused i was feeling. After her and I talked for awhile, her and I decided that God was obviously trying to tell me not to go on the diet by making me so sick over it and since I have only been on my new meds for a short while and haven't even given them the chance to work that I needed to be smart with my health and so I decided to not do the hcg diet again.

Instead am looking into a group through a local church called TOPS. It's a support system and they do classes to teach you how to lose the weight sensibly and how to make food exchanges and control portions. Plus I am going to look into the open door program at the YMCA where I would have to volunteer 2 hours a month and get the use of the facility. After telling Brad my plan we decided to look into the family program so that we could all go down and go swimming or workout or do whatever but it would allow us all to do something together occasionally. I am so relieved and feeling great about my choice. It won't be as quick of a loss as with the hcg but i feel it will be a healthier loss. But I know that until I get right with God that nothing I try will work. So that is my first focus.

I am so blessed with the husband I have though. He is by my side 100% no matter what I choose and he is so willing to help me with every step. I pray that i am even half the wife to him that he is a husband to me. I feel so blessed to get to share my life with him and so honored that God placed him in my life at the right time. Brad and I have been through so much early in our relationship and he has been by my side since the night he asked me to be his girlfriend 13 years ago (Saturday is our dating anniv). I pray that everyone is as blessed as i am when it comes to family.

Thank you to all who said prayers for me and kept me in your thoughts. I am OK and am happy and healthy. Thanks be to God for all he has given us and all that he is trying to teach us.

Prayer Request

2009-12-07T19:30:00.000-08:00

I am having a very hard internal battle. I don't want to go into details. (I know i hate when people do that but I just have to...sorry!) Please pray that God will help lead me in the right direction. I am so torn as to what to do and I actually found myself on my knees in prayer tonight almost yelling I was talking to him so loud.

I know that i can do nothing without the help of Jesus Christ but why is it so hard to put 100% faith in the signs he gives me? Why do I doubt everything? Why do I rebel and pull away so hard and yet long to be so close? What do i have to do to let down my guard and take his hand and truly walk with him? I know one answer is get back to going to church and i am trying. So please pray that I can get my head and my heart cleared and on the right track and that my internal struggle be resolved so that I can get on to a healthier life. I am so thankful for all of you who I know will read this and say a quick prayer in your head for me. I love you guys!!!!!

Little things

2009-11-29T21:37:00.001-08:00

I went to church today and I am really glad i did. There was no sermon, heck the pastor wasn't even there but it was exactly what I needed. The service was a mix of singing and presentations from 3 local organizations, Solomon's Porch, Serve Wenatchee Valley, and Young Life. And throughout the speeches i found myself tearing up. I have been really down lately because we aren't sure we are going to be able to buy much for our kids for Christmas and we don't have a lot of food and there are things i want but can't afford (like to color my hair before the gray hairs take over...lol). But i realized that all of my worries (minus the food thing....food's kinda important...lol but we have some food which is more than some people have) were over little things. We have a home, a vehicle, our health, clothes, toiletries, running water, heat, income (even though it's unemployment, it's still income) and we have a family. There are people who have none of that. There are people who don't even know where they are going to sleep tonight and some who are sleeping on cold benches with no blankets to stay warm.

It opened my eyes today that i take so much for granted and worry about so many little things that I don't cherish the big things. Like what i do have, especially my family. So a huge thank you first to God for getting me to church this morning so my eyes could be opened and another thank you to Denaye for helping me to push myself to pray and ask God's help to get there. I am so thankful and blessed to have friends to help me out of my slump. (I'm really looking forward to a play date!)

So if you are like me and feeling down about something not going right in your life, take a moment and think about every BIG thing you have (family, health, home, etc.) and realize that you are probably feeling down about a little thing. Take a moment and thank God for the BIG things in your life, I know i did today!

On a side note, please pray that God help my friend Amanda. She just found out this week that she is pregnant with twins but a blood sack threatens the life of one of them. She is on strict bed rest which is going to be very financially hard on their family if she has to stay on bed rest. So please pray that the babies continue to survive and grow and that if she does need to stay on bed rest, that God provide financial provisions for them and help them through this stressful time.

Heavenly father i pray to you that my friends and family be surrounded by BIG things and that we all realize that there are people out there who have so much less than us. I pray that you help me to find a way to help those less fortunate than myself. I pray that you take care of Amanda and keep her safe and healthy and the babies are healthy, and that if she needs to stay on bed rest that you provide financial provisions for her family. You have been so generous with your provisions and we are so thankful. We are blessed with so much. I am so thankful that you would help me to get to church today so that my eyes could be opened. So many things in life get us down and yet you are there to remind us that you are here and that you are taking care of each and every one of us. Please forgive me for falling away from you and continue to work with me as i am an ever changing work in progress. I know i struggle with listening but i am trying and know that with your love and guidance i will continue to learn and strengthen my walk with you. Thank you for being you and for loving me and creating me to love you. In Jesus name Amen.

From a kids mouth....

2009-11-19T11:42:00.000-08:00

So i was in the Car with Cameron headed to Walmart to pick up my prescription and we drove by the cemetery and he was asking what the big white buildings were so i told him they were mausoleums where more than one body from the same family was buried.
The conversation went on like this:
Cameron: "so they all get to be in heaven together?"
Me: "well yeah i guess."
Cameron: "when i get to heaven i will get to see what God looks like."
He then paused to think for a few minutes.
Cameron: " I think God looks a lot like daddy."

So cute how he decided that. Made me smile and get teary to listen to him talk about God with a heart full of love for him. A few minutes later he is talking to himself and I hear him say;

"they (the angels) must have 46 foot fishing poles so they can pull us up there."

Oh too cute....I love how children think. Just thought i would share this since my other post is nowhere near heartwarming.

Prayer Request

2009-11-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

OK so i know i don't blog much but i read everybody's at least once or twice a week. I love hearing what is going on with my friends and their families.

I need prayers though for a several things:

1: I found out on Tuesday that i have hypothyroidism and started a thyroid med on Wednesday. Please pray that it works well for me and that i start to feel better soon without side effects.

2: I just got a call today from our cable company with a threat to cancel service because i was 2 months behind....I swear i made the payment and even marked it as paid on my bill spreadsheet but I have no record of a payment and neither do they so alas I have to pay it still. So i paid last month's bill today and will pay Nov.'s bill out of the money I get for watching baby Johnny. Problem is due to the computer crash we are already dipping into that money to make ends meet so i am not sure we will have any left over for Christmas presents plus we have to make our van payment late again since Johnny's money doesn't come in till the 2ND or 3rd and rent is due on the 1st and we have to pay that on time so the van gets paid late. So if you have any money laying around that your not using...i would be happy to take it off your hands....LOL!

3: I am having a really hard time lately with money(or lack there of actually). If we could get a head a bit and get stocked up on food and gas then we could be fine but we got behind due to some new bills when we moved and we just haven't got caught up again so we are always using bill money for household stuff and having to push bills off so we are always a week behind. Food is getting pretty scarce in our house and it makes me sick. We need help and have nowhere to turn. I am stressing so bad about how we are going to make it once i stop watching Johnny. As of Dec. 21st he can go to the daycare where his brother goes so i will get one last paycheck in January and then no more. Plus in June I have to start paying on my loans again and i know i am jumping way into the future but i have to keep it in my head so i remember to start planning for it. So please pray that God continue to give us financial provisions and help us to learn to spend way less and save on what we do spend so we can get more for our money. Which leads me to my next stress.

4: Brad is still laid off. The hospital job was supposed to start in October but was running behind so we thought November and then this month when Brad called the union rep he said they still weren't calling out guys and then at the end of the conversation he told brad to have a good holiday season as if there won't be any work till after the first of the year. We really can't afford for Brad to work anywhere else. He would have to find a job that pays a minimum of $18.50/hr with really good benefits. And that wouldn't put us ahead at all that would just keep things the way they are now. And he is very adamant that he does not want me going back to work until Ethan is in school because the cost of daycare would make my take home next to nothing which is why i quit working in the first place. The union (when he is working) pays so good and their benefits are awesome and that is the only way we are going to get ahead and actually save money. So please pray for Brad to get back to work with the Union REALLY soon.

5: And last prayer request......We just found out yesterday that Brad's insurance has expired. We are very grateful that it lasted as long as it did but with my new diagnosis and having to have blood work periodically, I am worried about getting our clinic bill too high and having them increase our bill. So please pray that Brad and I stay as healthy as possible and that he again gets back to work soon so that the insurance can start up again. The boys are covered by Molina so i am not too worried about them but Brad and I are not so we really need his insurance.

OK so I think that is the last of my vents. I feel as though i am sinking in a sea of stress and have been having some serious anxiety moments and need all the prayers i can get. So please pray that i am able to emotionally get through this as I can't afford to go back on my antidepressants and seriously worry about a mental breakdown happening. Please pray that Brad gets back to work soon so we can get caught up on bills and food. Please pray that God continues to provide financial provisions so that we don't get further behind. And please pray for my health as well as Brads. Please pray that everything with my thyroid condition improves with this medication and that i don't have side effects from the medication.

P.S. For those of you who are really good at getting lots of food for next to nothing....(you know who you are ;-) Please I would love to know how to do it and how to get started.

Update

2009-10-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

Ok so i know i don't blog much anymore but i am on almost daily checking to see what other people are blogging. I love hearing about what is going on in other people's homes.

As for us....well we are all getting over a round of flu i think. I started with a sinus infection and then I think Cameron came down with the flu first with me following closely behind. Then Ethan came down with it and last but not least Brad is now 3 days into it and I am hoping he is almost done with it. I hate how little Ethan is because his poor little body just can't handle illness as well as Cameron. So Ethan was very feverish, lethargic, and his eyes got all red and puffy and he just looked so sick. He is still very tired and sleeping a lot but he's felt cool to the touch since yesterday afternoon so I am hoping the fever is done and now we just have to deal with all of us having a residual cough. ( I hate the non productive coughs that just last and last and last!)

Brad is still laid off which has been enjoyable getting to spend so much time together but I am still hoping the union will pick up soon. But life is ok right now. I really need to find a way to de-stress though. I feel like i am constantly stressed to the max and not sure what is causing it. But it is interfering with my happiness, my weight, my headaches, etc. So that is my goal is to take some time each day to focus on de-stressing. I want to get back to enjoying each and every minute I have with the boys and Brad. I want to get back to focusing on my growing relationship with God too. I have really let that slack and it has been bothering me a lot lately. I also want Cameron to continue to learn and grow his relationship too.

Well that is all I have for now. My wrist has been hurting for the past couple days and is hurting more and more as I type so I am going to go rest it.

For those of you who have inquired about my uncle, we do not know cause of death yet. We had a graveside service for him Oct. 5th with close family and friends. It was beautiful. They had a gun salute, a trumpet player played taps, Pastor Tim Wilbur did the service (he's the pastor that married Brad and I and he also did my dad's funeral) and I did okay through all of it until the end when the honor guard unfolded, presented the flag, refolded it and presented it to my Uncle Don and then I lost it. It's like it finalized something in my head and the tears started streaming. But the service was so beautiful and it was so nice to see how many people loved my Uncle Hal that i didn't even know. However, the coroner put on the death certificate that COD was pending meaning there was no clear cut cause for his death and that they had to send off tissue and blood samples for testing to see if they can find the cause of death but it may take 4-6 weeks to hear anything so we are all still waiting. So please pray for a speedy answer on that.

I hope you are all enjoying life and your family and that you are all healthy and flu bug free! Until next time.....TTFN

Prayer Request

2009-09-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

I am asking for prayer requests from all our friends. Please pray that our family stay strong and lean on each other for support. We found out this morning that my Uncle Hal was found dead in his house last night around midnight. This is a huge blow as he wasn't sick other than dealing with his diabetes. The coroner is out of town till thursday so we won't know cause of death till then which makes it even harder. So please pray for us to stay strong.

I am trying to stay strong escpecially since tomorrow is Cameron's birthday and I don't want him to have a sad day. So I am strapping on a smile and hiding away my tears until I am away from him. I know we will get through this but it hurts so tremendously bad. Your prayers and thoughts are appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Oven Fried Chicken....

2009-09-08T07:36:00.000-07:00

I made some really yummy chicken last night for dinner with my mom and stepdad. I am really enjoying being able to cook in my own kitchen again. So Sunday night I made turkey roast, stuffing, and corn on the cob. YUM-O! And last night i made Oven Fried Chicken, Mashed potatoes, gravy and butternut squash. It was so yummy. I decided to post about this so that I can have the recipe saved until I can get a recipe book started. SO you can try the recipe if you want or just disregard this posting....it's mainly for my own knowledge/use anyway. I will post more about the apartment when i have a camera that can take some pics to share. TTFN

Oven Fried Chicken

12 Chicken Legs-skinned
Milk for soaking
1c Bread Crumbs (i used garlic & herb progresso bread crumbs)
2/3c Parmesan Cheese
2T Parsley Flakes (i didn't use these because of the herbs in the bread crumbs already)
1/2t pepper

Place chicken in a shallow pan and pour in enough milk to cover. Let soak 15mins.
Dip chicken in breading mix. Coat on all sides.
Put chicken on baking sheet and lightly spray chicken with vegetable oil spray.
Bake at 375 for 45-65 mins or until internal temperature reaches 180.

This chicken was really good and didn't need any extra salt or anything to dip it in. It was really tasty.

Getting close and overwhelming...

2009-08-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

The first of the month is fast approaching. We are so excited to be moving and yet the task of actually moving is so overwhelming. There is so much to do. We don't actually have a lot of packing to do but we have a ton of moving to do. Most all of our stuff is in storage so we have to move what we do have here and then empty out storage. We will still have a storage but we should be able to downsize so we will have to empty the current storage unit. Also all of our dishes and pots and pans are at the back of storage so we will have to dig back there anyway just to get the duplex functional.Ugh. It seems like such a monumental task. My husband is the best though because he plans on doing most of the loading and unloading I just have to unpack most everything. I get out of the loading and unloading because i started watching a 7mo on monday and will watch him full time till the end of the year when he can go to the daycare that his big brother attends. So it works out in my advantage...I get to make money babysitting and I get out of the hard part of the move. Yeah me! LOL

We are heading to republic tonight since this is the last weekend we will get to get out of town for awhile due to Cameron starting school. We got his paperwork on monday and his teacher is going to be Mrs. Lake. We also found out that Brad's stepsister Lisa is going to be a para pro in that class so I am curious to see how that will go. I am hoping that it won't be a distraction to Cameron or that he won't cause a distraction because of her. So we will see on that.

However, us going out of town means that we come home sunday and it's balls to the wall (sorry for the expression. LOL) to get things ready to move monday night, tuesday at 8am we do the walk through, pay first and last, and get the keys and then we can start moving in and our goal is to have it functional enough for us to stay there tuesday night. Cameron starts school wednesday but luckily him, and us go to the school on wednesday to meet one on one with his teacher and then he doesn't go a full day till friday and then will start full time after labor day so it allows lots of time getting the duplex set up before he actually starts full time.

I would like to ask for prayers that this move along with starting school all at the same time isn't too hard on Cameron and that Ethan handles brother going to school well and the move is fairly easy on him too. Oh and that the move doesn't throw baby johnny off too bad either.

Oh and please pray for safe travel to and from republic.

We may not have tv/internet right away after we move so unless I can steal a wireless signal it may be a little bit before I update again. So take care and be safe. TTFN

Praise is in order!!!!!!

2009-08-07T21:00:00.001-07:00

Thanks be to God!!!

We got approved for the duplex. We will be getting one of the freshly remodeled ones so it will be all clean. We are super excited. We should be getting to move in by the end of the month which is nice because it gives us more time to save up money. And the duplex is in the Washington Elementary School Zone which makes me very happy because that is where we wanted Cameron to go to school so that made me very happy too. So hopefully we will find out in the next week or so exactly when we can expect the remodel to be finished so we can move in.

Also Brad's unemployment (based off of Tri-con employment) ran out this week so he opened a new claim (based of the union employment) and was approved for 26 weeks of unemployment plus at the end of that time, he will qualify for an extension which means we for sure will continue getting unemployment and that if he gets laid off again we will for sure have unemployment for up to 52+ weeks. That was a huge stress relief.

So we are very thankful tonight for everyone who prayed for us and especially God's provisions.

I admit that I strayed from my walk with Jesus after getting hurt feelings last year it has taken a long time to get back to it and I feel that a lot of the things that happened to us was God's way of trying to open my eyes to my actions and get back on track. Unfortunately it has taken quite a while but I am focused on getting back to learning to walk with Jesus and to know God and it's amazing what faith, listening, love and prayer can do. I feel so hopeful that things will continue to look up for us. I am proud of myself that as the good news came in today i immediately thanked God for his help rather than either not thanking him or thanking him but at the same time asking for more help. Today though....I simply thanked him. And you know what? It felt GOOD!!!!!

But............................as much goodness as there was today, we also got some kinda scary news and need prayers...and lots of them. So please pray for my family. I cannot give details but would appreciate your prayers that my family member who got some scary news will come through this hard time with a happy/healthy outcome. (I know it is probably annoying that i am not sharing more details but they have asked that I not tell anyone and so I am not sharing who or exactly what.)

So please say thanks to God for his provisions both in the way of shelter and income and please pray that my family member be ok. Thank you for all your support, love, encouragement, friendship, thoughts and prayers.

Nervous

2009-08-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

So today is the day we can call and hopefully find out if our screening cleared and if we get one of the duplexes. I am very nervous. I really don't want a no. I want one of these places so bad. They are perfect for what we are looking for and how much we can afford. So please pray that when Brad calls, we get a yes. In the perfect scenario, we would not only get a yes but would get to move in in the next 2 weeks and only have to give the $400 deposit and first month's rent. That way we can use the rest of the money we have saved up to pay off the PUD so that we can get it put in our name again. Plus we might just be able to get local tel hooked up if that's the case otherwise we may have to go for a little while with no tv or internet. But look at me i am getting ahead of myself again. Right now I just need to hear a yes. SO please pray for this if it is meant to be. Thank you.

Please Pray for us....

2009-07-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

So I am reaching the end of my limits. I am honestly not sure how much more crap I can take before I completely lose my mind. And no this isn't just a vent....I honestly feel like I am within inches of needing serious medical help. It just seems like one thing after another has happened for the last year. First brads back and ethan's illness, then the bankruptcy, then Brad's on and off again work, then having to move out of our home, give up our pets and move in with family, then move into my sisters basement.

So here we are living in my sister's basement. And don't get me wrong, I am extremely thankful for a place to live and the relationship I have with my sister but we need our own place.

We have put in an application for an apartment but not sure we will get it because of the bankruptcy. That was a huge blow for us. We didn't even think about it until the question on the application came up. So we have been talking to the company and had to submit a letter explaining why we filed. So they accepted the letter and went forward with the screening but we are still unsure of whether or not we will get the apartment. We really want the apartment. It's actually a duplex and it's two bedrooms and the rent is less than $600 so it's perfect. So please pray that this works out. I am tired of stressing about living conditions.

We need our own place so we can get a routine going. I haven't done any preschool stuff with either boy in a long time because I have been having such a hard time dealing with everything that I just don't have the energy. I want to get back to going to bed at a regular time and getting up fairly early so that I could actually spend some time each day doing preschool stuff and enjoying my kids. I want to be able to feel like I have accomplished the things I want and still having some quiet time to myself. We just really need our own space not only for the boys benefit but for my sanity.

So PLEASE pray that we get accepted for one of the duplexes.

That time of year again....

2009-07-27T22:20:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow is one of the days I dread every year. Although it is a happy day it is also a day that fills my heart with so much pain it seams unbearable. Tomorrow is my dad's birthday. He would have been 66yrs young. =)

So if you could please take a moment and pray that he has a wonderful birthday in heaven. And pray that my family and i can find the strength to celebrate his life rather than mourn it.

I miss him so much all year long but especially on his birthday and his death anniversary. I go through all the emotions on those days. I am sad because i miss him, angry because he had to go, happy to have had him as long as I did, sad that my children didn't get to know him, excited for the day when we all get to be together.....and so on.....

Please pray for me that I can spend more time smiling tomorrow and sharing happy memories and less time crying and mourning.

In memory of a wonderful husband, son, brother, friend, grandpa and most of all the best dad in the world.

Happy Birthday Daddy.
I love you and miss you with all my heart.
Love Wienerie (once again it was a childhood nickname, don't remember how I got it, hated it growing up but would now give most anything to hear my dad call me that again.)

Church

2009-07-26T12:52:00.001-07:00

So I went to church today for the first time in like almost a year I think. It felt so good and I had to hold back tears (not sure why I wanted to cry but I kept it together) for most of the service. I prayed a lot that God would help bring me back to where I was in my faith when I chose to get baptized and that he would work with me and in me to know him better. I also prayed that he would help me get Cameron into going to the children's service. I want Cameron to know God and to learn about him. So please pray for Cameron and I that we can find our way back to God.

When I got home I was talking to Brad about how it felt good to go and he almost made me bawl. He got somewhat teary and said that he didn't like being home without me and that he wishes he had had time to shave so that he could have joined me. Which if you know us you know that Brad doesn't really enjoy church and he would rather have a relationship with God through thoughts and prayers at home then going to church. But to hear him say he wanted to join me made me feel so awesome.

I am very torn though with the church I attend. Last year when I quit going to church it was because I was very saddened and hurt by someone from the church. The pastor in fact. I had reached out to the church when Brad hurt his back so bad and Ethan had just been released from his hospital stay and we were so scared that the ITP would come back. And we knew that we would be filing bankruptcy soon. So I reached out for help and prayer. And the response from the elders were phenominal and they at one point pulled me into the office and prayed for us. Which all of that was amazing and I felt so blessed. But due to some things that were said and done after that I came to feel very hurt and saddened. And since then I have just avoided church and in a way kinda lost my way. I have been feeling very lonely/empty lately especially with our current living situation and no end to it in sight and not going to church so I finally decided that while I can't change our living situation for financial situation, I can change my church situation so I went to church. And although i am not ready to confront Pastor, I am praying that God will help me to forgive and move forward with my relationship with God and the church. I did kinda sneek out of church today before anyone could talk to me but then again, no one was chasing me down to talk to anyway. LOL

But like I said at the beginning, it felt good to be back at church and i am glad I went. I hope and will continue to pray that God will help me to get back into a routine of regularly going and hopefully be able to talk Cameron in to going too. Anyway now that I have bored everyone with my babbling I am going to go spend some time with Brad and the boys before I have to go to work for a couple hours. I hope that everyone's week goes well and that God will bless each of you. And while I most likely will not be going to church next sunday since it's Brad's 30th birthday I do plan on going the following sunday.

P.S. Denaye, do you know if they are doing a women's retreat this year? I really enjoyed the one i attended and would love to go again. SO please let me know if you know anything. Thank you.

Yes...we're alive. LOL

2009-06-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

So anyway sorry i haven't been blogging lately. I have been reading everyone else's just not taking the time to write anything. Not much is going on with us. We are moved and fairly settled in at my sister's house and so far we are really enjoying living here. The boys are having a blast with Matthew and being able to pretty much be outside from sun up to sun down. They have been taking "tubbies" together (Matthew's word for baths) and having fun doing that.

Ethan is finally getting the hang of the potty training thing. Well kinda anyway. He does really good when we are inside and he needs to go pee but he doesn't tell us he needs to go potty outside until it's too late and then he has yet to go poop in the big boy potty. I am starting to get frustrated about the pooping thing. I don't know how to get him to go on the potty. I have tried telling him he will get more m&m's, my sister got him a big chocolate coin candy and told him he could have it when he goes on the big boy potty and I have done the "ewww, yucky, pooping in your underwear is so gross." But nothing is working so far. So if anyone has any tips, i would love some help. My sister said she just kept telling Matthew how gross it was and that poop went in the potty not in his underwear and after a few days he went on the big boy potty. Well we have been doing this for a week and he is still going poop in his underwear. So I don't know what to do.

Anyway, that is all I have for right now. We went camping for memorial day weekend so i will try to get pics of that up soon and will blog about it then. This weekend we are going to Kennewick for Karston's birthday so we are excited for that and then next week Thursday thru Sunday we are camping at Potholes State Park for my birthday with my mom and step dad and on Saturday we are attending a 10Th anniversary party for one of my best friends and I am really looking forward to that. So lots to look forward to. Will talk at you all later. TTFN

My Mother's Day

2009-05-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

My Mother's Day was terrific. We got up nice and really early (lol) and went and picked up my mom and then headed over the pass to Woodland Park Zoo. The drive over was uneventful and went rather smoothly. All three boys (brad, Ethan and Cameron) slept most of the way over while I drove and mom and I talked. It was actually a really nice drive. We left Wenatchee around 7am and got to the zoo just before 10am. The weather was fabulous. Sunny with a light breeze that kept us from being hot. It was gorgeous. We couldn't have asked for better weather.

We planned out our route so that we could see just shy of 1/2 the zoo by lunch time. The boys did awesome and were so excited to see the animals. The animals seemed to be enjoying the weather too as most of them were out showing off. We had a good lunch and then headed back out to see more animals. I thought the zoo closed at 4pm but found out that it didn't close till 8pm but the inside exhibits closed at 6pm. Well come to find out it was a very good thing the zoo didn't close at 4pm because at 4pm we still had the "African Savanna" to see which includes the giraffe, elephants, zebra, monkeys, and a few other animals. But we managed to see all of that by 6pm and were ready to head home. Just as we were at the last animal viewpoint looking out at the Zebra's it started to rain. Phew! Boy am I glad it waited till we were done.

All in all it was one of the best Mother's Days I have had so far. Aside from my very first mother's day. (Nothing can replace the feeling I had on my 1st Mother's Day. The pride of finally being part of the mommy club is overwhelming. At least in my opinion.) But I am so happy I got to spend my mother's day with my boys, husband and especially my mommy. =) And the boys were in such good moods we didn't have to get on either one about anything all day. It was so wonderful. Anyway hope all my friends and family had an equally lovely day. Mom's Rock!!!!!

We found a place by the way.

2009-05-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

So we found a place to live. Our friends Ernie and Rachel have a 1 bedroom apartment that they were needing to get the current renter out of anyway so it worked out that now they have a reason to follow through with the eviction. It's nice because our rent will be paid by Brad and I (mainly Brad. LOL) doing repairs to the apartment. It's in okay shape but definitely has some things that are in dire need of repair. So it will be a work in progress for a while probably but it's in good enough shape for us to live there while we do most of the repairs.

But before we can move in we have to wait for the current occupant to move out and then we will be shampooing the carpet and painting the whole apartment. Brad and Ernie are going to redo the sink, the drawers and cabinets around the sink and the counter top before we move in as the sink is not really in working condition. Well it works, it just doesn't drain properly therefore causing the kitchen to stink. Ewwww! But they will fix that before we move in so I am not worried about it.

However we have to be out of Bob's house by the 27Th at the latest and they would prefer sooner if possible so that causes a slight problem. We have to be out of one house 2-3 weeks before we can move into the other. But thankfully my brother in law (it was his idea) and my sister offered to let us stay with them until we can get the work done and move into the apartment. Down side to that is that we will be moving two times in a 3 week period (let's hope it is less than two weeks) which sucks because I hate moving. But hey at least we have a place to stay and an apartment to rent.

Yes it sucks because it's a 1 bedroom apartment so we will still be sharing with the boys but we have been doing that for 4 months now so it won't be any different. I look forward to getting to paint since I pretty much have free reign of colors. I am excited!!!! But we have a lot of scrubbing and steam cleaning and carpet shampooing before I can paint. BUMMER!!! =) But I enlisted the help of my sister and mom so that will be okay.

Anyway just wanted to give an update. I will keep you all posted and will talk at you all later. TTFN

Where has the time gone?

2009-05-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

So I found a disc that I had made for my grandma when Cameron was a little baby and for some reason never sent it to her. Which is a very good thing because all the pictures from the time Cameron was born until he was almost 3 are on a disc that we can't access because the program that created the disc only runs on Windows 98 or older which we don't have. So needless to say i am heartbroken that I don't have many baby pictures of Cameron. So to find a disc with baby pictures was awesome. On the flip side it made the tears start rolling. What happened to my baby? He is 5 1/2 years old now and going to start kindergarten in the fall. WOW!!!! Where did his toddler years go? Anyway here are a few pictures I wanted to share.

Cameron's 1st smile

Daddy's hair tickles

3mos old and already trying to hold his own bottle. So big!

Such a ham right from the start.

"Tellin' stories"

Prayer Request

2009-05-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

We are in need of some big prayers. We will have to move by the end of June into a place of our own. We are pretty sure we will be finding an apartment when the time comes which isn't a problem. I don't mind living in an apartment. The problem comes with the fact that Brad is still not back to work yet and we cannot come up with deposit money without him working. So please pray that something starts happening with the union and that he can get back to work. We have no choice but to move in June and at this point it seems as though we will be moving into the van if something doesn't happen. =) So please pray for us.

Quick vent

2009-05-01T13:44:00.001-07:00

Okay so i am feeling very under appreciated and need to get it off my chest and then go get some things done. You don't have to read this I just needed to write it so I don't explode.

First of all we are in the middle of switching banks from Wells Fargo to Numerica. So now to my issues....

So this morning I check our accounts to make sure they are looking okay. And what do I find? Our WF acct is overdrawn because Brad used the wrong debit card for dinner last night. Not 100% his fault I should have reminded him but still none the less regardless of who's fault it is or isn't, our acct is now overdrawn. So I rush around and get the boys dressed and rush to Numerica where I have to withdraw money. I then rush to WF and deposit said money. So far i have not got an overdrawn notice so maybe I got the cash in the bank early enough that it won't have actually overdrawn thus saving us the $35 overdraft fee. I think Brad might have said Thank you but not very heartily. Oh well not a big deal.

So on to my next issue.... He calls me around 12:30 and says he got paid from Ernie (our friend he is working with right now until the union has something open.) and that he is almost home so I can go get my paycheck from the gym and go deposit a little more money in the WF acct for cushion and then deposit his check in the Numerica acct and get cash out for his dad for rent. SO that is fine with me. So he gets here and I leave. While I am gone I am text-ing him that Ernie needs to put James instead of Brad and he responds "kk lol" so curious i ask what kk stands for....he says " it's my way of saying hurry the f up nicely." OH MY GOSH!!!!! Who is the one making sure all our accounts are okay and getting cash to pay his dad? And i wasn't the one who came home so that I could make a bank run he was and yet now he is telling me to hurry up as if i was out lolly gagging around. I was so frustrated. So then I was gone roughly over an hour. I get home and neither one of the boys are asleep and laundry isnt switched. Granted I did not ask him directly to switch laundry but he knows I am working on laundry today plus he wants a certain shirt to wear tonight so I thought he would at least switch the laundry. Nope!!! But he did ask if I found and washed his shirt. ARGH!!!!! So then he has to leave as soon as I get home to go finish helping Ernie. So now here I am....I have to be the bad guy to the boys and make them go to sleep and then work at cleaning the bathroom because it is filthy and stinky and I have to continue to do laundry and try to find his shirt. And do you think i am going to get a thank you??? Probably not! Most likely the only way I will get a thank you is if I actually find the shirt he is looking for and that will be the only thing he thanks me for. He most likely won't thank me for doing any other laundry and he most likely won't thank me for cleaning the bathroom and again i might of gotten a mumbled thank you for my bank runs but not sure if I did or didn't. But my feelings are still hurt from him acting like I was lolly gagging so even a thank you won't be warmly accepted.

SO anyway that is all i have to vent about. I am just hurt and frustrated. Anyway now that i got that off my chest I am going to go get the bathroom cleaned and switch laundry. Thanks to whoever takes the time to read my vent. Hope you all have a good Apple Blossom weekend and stay cool since it's supposed to get so warm. AND BE SURE TO WEAR SUNSCREEN EVEN IF THERE IS CLOUD COVER OR WIND!!!! YOU CAN STILL GET A SUNBURN!!!!! Be safe, be happy, be healthy!!! TTFN

2009-04-30T23:17:00.000-07:00

A little while back i blogged about Brad and i going up hay canyon and shooting so I found the pics and thought I would share some. We had a lot of fun.

We didn't have a table to take with us to sturdy our arms so we improvised.

Brad using the car seat to steady his gun.

Taken through the scope of Brad's .22 We had fun playing around with the camera and trying to get this cool picture.

Brad with one of his .22.

Me shooting my .22. And I actually like this picture of me.

Memories

2009-04-30T22:45:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics I found on my phone that made me smile so i thought would share.

Such a little stud.

What a ham.

Yum....cereal!

Easter 2007

He really wanted to wear big boy undies........as a hat!

Ethan age 2 3/4 and Cameron age 5 1/2.

Testing out brother's toy....call it Big brother's quality assurance test.

My silly boys.

I think he is about 3 1/2 here. Look at that smile. Melts my heart!!!

Ok so I absolutely love this pic. It is Kiera and Gabe put her in one of the cubbies at Apple Valley Gymnastics after play gym while he put his shoes on and she is just so adorable. She looks so tiny. LOL

No this picture doesn't really make me smile. To see my baby soooo sick and with that IV in his arm makes me very sad. But knowing that he is in the clear and we don't have to worry about the ITP anymore for now is what makes me smile. He has been healthy and free of ITP symptoms for 12 months now and his chances of recurrence are very low. THAT MAKES ME SMILE!!!!!

So I hope you all enjoyed the pictures. Like I said, they were ones on my phone that made me smile so i just wanted to share them. Talk at you all later.

2009-04-30T22:43:00.000-07:00

I found this on Brad's phone. YUCK!!! I have lost 42 lbs and although I am struggling to keep losing, i am at least maintaining and seeing this picture made me realize that I look so much better already. I never want to look like that again. YUCK!!!!!

My absolutely fantabulous husband

2009-04-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

So i truly could not ask for a more awesome husband. He often does things that a lot of men won't do. So to explain the most recent events that make me say wow.....

About a month ago Brad and I agreed we would watch Ty (our nephew) for the day because he didn't have school. Well then I decided I wanted to go shopping for a few things. Brad told me to go ahead and go even though Ty was here and he would have all three boys. So I left. Well while I was driving i called my sister ( I know that's a no-no but hey I'm telling a story here.) to see if she had any shopping she needed to do. She did and so we decided we would meet at Target. Well i called Brad to see if he would want to let Matthew come there and play rather than go shopping with us since he would get bored with us. Brad said that would be fine. So my sister took Matthew to our house before meeting me at Target. So Brad had Ty (7yrs), Cameron (5 1/2yrs), Matthew (3 1/2yrs) and Ethan (2 3/4 yrs) all by himself. What impressed me even more than his willingness to watch them while we shopped, is that he made them all lunch, let them play for a little while longer and then put ALL 4 down for a rest. So when we got home Matthew and Ethan had just woke up from their nap and they were all outside playing again. I was very impressed with my husband!!!!! Here is the lunch picture he sent me....wow what a cute group of big boys. (Also note that he remembered that Matthew doesn't like sandwiches so he even made him a slightly different lunch.)

More recently was last weekend. I had to work Sunday but really wanted the boys to get to go down to the park for kids day. Brad wasn't very thrilled with the idea of taking them but he worked it out to where Joe (aka Uncle Shawn...brad's cousin) would stay the night saturday night and then go with Brad to the park for kids day. So Brad took both boys down to the park and let them go on one bounce house and then walked around the booths and got some of the freebie things. Nothing super exciting but still he took both boys to the park for me and made sure they had fun while I worked. I love him so much. Here is a pic he took.

Life or something like it...

2009-04-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

So I don't really have anything really cool to post but thought I would at least post some of the happenings from the past few weeks/months.

So recently i decided the boys needed haircuts and since Aunt Erin doesn't really like to do it (because the boys usually get so upset and she doesn't want them to hate her) I would take them to supercuts. Well it worked out that last week that Gary took Cameron so I only had Ethan. So after his gymnastics class I decided to go get his haircut because it would be easier with him by himself. So we went and WOW!!! what a difference age and being alone made. He sat in the chair by himself and let the lady cut his hair. I was flabbergasted!! He did such a great job.

So then I decided to see if Gary would bring Cameron. He did and Cameron did awesome too. I almost couldn't believe they were my kids. Cameron sat there like such a big boy. I didn't cry but sure thought about it. LOL

My oh my what handsome boys I have. :-)

Funny Ethan

2009-04-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

Too funny...had to share.

Brad:"Ethan did you poop?"

Ethan: "Nope"

So Brad goes and smells him because something was stinky.

Brad: "Ethan your lying...you did too poop."

Ethan: "no, Cameron pooped in my diaper."

Brad: "how did he do that?"

Ethan: "he just did it."

I so wish I had been here to hear him tell brad that Cameron was the one who pooped in his diaper. Too funny. What a kid!

I love my husband...

2009-04-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

I have had the absolute best 3 days with my husband (and kids). No we didn't go anywhere or do anything super cool but we got to spend time together doing things we hadn't done before and that has been so terrific.

So now to explain.....Saturday Brad and I went up Hay Canyon and spent a couple hours shooting. I have 1 22 rifle and he has a couple so we took mine and 2 of his up and shot up some targets and bottles that were up there already. It was an absolute gorgeous day and we had a blast. The sun was out it was slightly warm and we were by ourselves. (A rare occasion these days!!!) So that started our weekend.

Sunday after I got off work we took the boys up to Leavenworth and saw Monsters vs. Aliens and then let them play the arcade games for a little bit. We had a lot of fun and the boys enjoyed the movie. We then came home and the boys got to play outside. It was another awesome day and so nice to be together as a family.

Today, after Brad got done working for a friend, we had dinner and then left the boys with Bob and Carolyn so that we could hike up to saddle rock. It was an awesome hike. HARD!!!! I thought I was going to die several times but every time I wanted to stop and turn around I prayed. I whispered to God for strength and to thank him for helping me get that far. I haven't felt that exhilarated in a long time. I found myself singing " I lift my eyes up to the Lord, where does my help come from, my help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." many times. We made it all the way up to the "base" of the rock in 40 minutes. It was so hard.

I ended up crying. All of a sudden I was washed over with self pity. I was sad that it took me so long to get up there and that I had such a hard time doing it. It was really weird. i know it was just me being tired but I don't understand why I wasn't happy that God had helped me to get up to the "base". But on the way back down I again was talking to God and thanking him for his strength and help to get up the hill and asking that he help us get down without injuries and we did. At one point i found myself humming the same part of that song over and over again. It really gave me strength and control to keep my feet under me and to keep going.

So all in all it was an awesome experience and I am so thankful for such a loving and caring husband that stayed right with me and helped me the last little bit to keep going because he knew I would be disappointed with myself if i didn't make it to at least the base. I am excited to do it again hopefully fairly soon. (of course i am saying this now....we will see how I feel in two days when the pain sets into my muscles and I want to cry just sitting down. LOL)

So like I said the past 3 days have been terrific. I really hope with the warm weather that we can get out and spend a lot more outside time as a family. That is all for now. I gotta go take a shower so hopefully my legs will stop feeling like jello. TTFN

Prayer Request

2009-03-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

So like so many times before, I am asking for as many people to pray for us as I can get. Brad is being laid off at the end of today and right now there are no local union jobs taking on workers. So this layoff may be for several weeks. We are going to be WAY short on the money we need for bills and I am scared. I am not sure what we are going to do. SO please pray that God will get us through and give us the financial help we need to get by until Brad can get on another job site. I know you are probably tired of me writing the same prayer request every few months and trust me i am tired of the recurrent stress. But it is what it is and all I can do is pray and ask for my friends to pray for us too. I would appreciate all the prayers we can get. Thank you!

2009-03-06T08:48:00.001-08:00

Cameron's 5 year pictures. He was such a ham. It was by far one of the best portrait sessions we have had. The lady was awesome and Cameron listened to her and did exactly as she asked. Brad and I laughed because he already has a picture smile. You know a smile that you paste on your face the minute someone gets their camera out. It wasn't his natural smile but it was still cute.

Putting off potty training

2009-03-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

So I am kinda bummed but we have decided to put Ethan back in diapers and wait another month or so to try potty training. I don't know why he had one superb day and then since then he has not went in the potty. And he is getting to the point now where he gets too worked up if I even try to take him in and have him just try. So we decided that since we still have diapers left we will just wait a bit longer. Maybe during this break I can work with him on sitting on the potty without getting all worked up. Anyway, I am going to go finish cleaning my living room. Just wanted to do a quick post. Will talk at you all later.

Bad potty training day

2009-02-28T21:49:00.000-08:00

Ok so today wasn't such a good potty training day. He has refused to tell us or my mom when he has to go potty and has had accidents all day. I talked to my sister about it and she said Matthew had days like this too and to just keep reminding him to tell us and taking him in to try and if he does have a success to be sure to make big praises of it and not a big deal about accidents. So that is what I have told my mom since Ethan is up at her house tonight. She is bummed because she really wants to get to praise him for a success but he hasn't has a success yet. I told her to just hang in there and not let him bum her out too bad.

It is just so frustrating since we had such an awesome and dry day yesterday and today is like the first day of potty training all over again. Oh well we will just continue to remind him to tell us and make him go in and try occasionally and do the praise and sticker rewards if he does have a successful potty. I know he will get it but he is going to make sure it is his idea and on his own time. I keep praying that God will help me in this challenge and give me the patience to continue trying and ignoring the repeated accidents.

Well gotta go for now but will talk at you all later.

Making progress

2009-02-27T16:42:00.000-08:00

So Ethan is making some progress on potty training. Last night i made him sit on the potty before he went to bed and he went pee. Then this morning he was still dry so we went in and he sat on the potty and went. I made him try one more time this morning and he went. Then we had to go do some shopping so we figured he would probably pee in his pull up while we were out. When we got home he told Brad he needed to go potty so Brad took him in the bathroom and he went and to top it off his pull up was still dry. Then we went to Sears for Cameron's picture session and while we were there Ethan said he needed to go potty so I rushed him in to the bathroom and he sat on the big toilet and went without even fussing about the big toilet. (It was awesome given the fact that Cameron goes into hysterics whenever we try to get him to use a big industrial toilet.) So so far he has stayed dry all day except a dribble.

I am so stoked. I really hope this excitement he has shown today sticks! Although I really hope he gets the hang of it and we can transition to underwear soon since if he even slightly dribbles in his pull up he wants a new one and they aren't exactly cheap. Although we will probably use what pull ups we have until they are gone and then if we need more we will get the one's from target that we used with Cameron that we really liked. But my baby is making progress on being a big potty trained boy.

I have to admit that while Cameron was getting his pictures taken I got a little teary that he is going to be starting school this fall and turning 6 and now Ethan is potty training. It was all a little overwhelming. Where did my babies go? Where has the time went? Oh well we still have lots of things to look forward to as they get older. And I just make sure I get to see Kayleigh or Clara for my baby fix and then I am OK for a little bit. I can do this! I can be a mom of two big boys and not break down in tears at each new experience. At least that is what i tell myself. LOL

Anyway i will post Cameron's pictures as soon as I can. Talk at you all later.

Potty training

2009-02-25T20:23:00.001-08:00

So my sister gave me an e-book that she had purchased and printed on potty training in 3 days. Well I started with Ethan yesterday. We haven't made a ton of progress but I keep hoping that he will get it by the time we are done house sitting for my sister tomorrow. So far we have had no successful pee-pee in the potty and only one poop. Luckily in two days he has only pooped once and he told us he needed to go so that has been a blessing. As for the trips to the potty, he will go in occasionally for me and sit on the potty for about 2 seconds and then say he is done. He then will go out in the living room and play and within 10 minutes have an accident. But the book says to stay calm and constantly give praise and to try and catch the accidents when they happen and run them to the bathroom and change them there. So that's what i am doing. I am trying to stay calm which is really hard when i want him to so badly just sit long enough to go potty. Why is this so hard? I really want to get him potty trained and things I read say he is definitely ready so why can't i get him to realize when he has to go before he is already peeing down his leg? I really hope the book is right and he gets it tomorrow. Although we haven't been doing underwear at night. We have been putting him in a pull up to sleep since he shares a bed with Cameron and that is just gross to have Cameron sleeping in brother's pee. So I hope it doesn't prolong this process too long by putting him in bedtime pull ups. Anyway if you have any bright ideas that will help please share them. Talk at you all later. P.S. to my bible study friends, I will most likely not be there tomorrow.

Happy Dance

2009-02-17T20:03:00.000-08:00

We have officially found homes for all of our animals and we are doing the happy dance. Toby went to live with my brother and his family. It makes us extremely happy because we will still get to see him as often as we want. He will have a new buddy to play with too. They have a 10mo old Pug mix and Toby played with him like he was a puppy again. I think this will be a good change for Toby.

Amy (the lady that gave Rex a home) has stayed in touch with us and Rex has transitioned quickly and happily. He is loving his new indoor/outdoor status and being able to lay around on the couch. Amy seems like a wonderful person and is 100% happy with Rex joining her family.

We are extremely happy and are so thankful that God answered our prayers and opened up homes for all of our animals.

Does this look like a happy pooch or what?

Hurtful people

2009-02-14T08:12:00.001-08:00

Here it is Valentines day and first thing this morning i get an email from a very hurtful and negative person in regards to getting rid of Toby. She had to get my email from craigslist so I have removed it from there. But she said "If he (toby) means so much to you then you should make him a priority in your life. No wonder the shelters are full. It's people like you who keep them that way." I am just shocked that someone could be so mean. We have put them as a priority otherwise we wouldn't have filed bankruptcy last year just to be able to afford rent in the house we just moved from. It just really hurt to have someone say those things to me. I wish she could feel an ounce of the pain I have all day every day in my heart that I have to even look for a home for him. I wish she would have been with me yesterday when I cried and hurt when I handed Rex over to his new owner. I wish she could have seen my husband break down and sob because the reality of getting rid of them finally hit. How can someone make such hurtful comments to people when she doesn't even know the pain we are in? I don't want to get rid of them, I don't want to live in my father-in-laws basement, I don't want to break my son's heart when we get rid of his pet, I don't want any of this but I am not in control. It doesn't make the pain any less knowing I am not in control it just gives me the strength to keep taking one step at a time. Please pray that we find toby a home soon and help me to get past that email quickly so that I don't dwell on it and ruin my Valentine's Day. Thank you and I pray for love, happiness, strength, and compassion for all of my friends and family. Happy Valentine's Day from our house to yours.

Getting very nervous

2009-02-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

So I am very thankful that God supplied us with a new owner for Rex. She already has another Eskie so he will have a playmate which is great but she lives in Pendelton so we won't be seeing him again. As happy as I am that he is going to have what looks like a great home, my heart is seriously breaking. It makes me sick to my stomach to be making arrangements to take him down to kennewick. I DON"T WANT TO GET RID OF HIM. I don't want to say good bye to him. I hate this!!!!!!!

I know that both dogs will end up with good homes with people that love them but it sucks that it can't be us. And right now we don't even have a home for Toby so if something doesn't change this week then we are going to have to take him to the humane society and I don't know if I can handle that.

I know that God only gives us what we can handle but I really feel as though my world is spiraling out of control and i can't even get it to slow down. I mean come on...I am living in my father-in-laws basement. And to top it off, Brad is happy with this arrangement and doesn't want to rush into a place of our own. I know living with Bob really helps them out and helps us out too (rent wise.) but I can't do this long term and Brad is in no hurry to try to get our own apartment. It makes me feel kinda trapped.

Anyway, I have blabbed enough and I need to get to bed. i have lots to do in the next two days. Good night to everyone and will talk at you all later.

I wear jeans all the time!

2009-01-25T08:35:00.000-08:00

So yesterday we were moving things over to my in-laws house and my husbands step mom was asking me how much total i had lost so I told her I had lost 21 lbs and she said: "I thought you had lost quite a bit. Your looking really good and you are even in real jeans. WOW. Good Job!" So that got me thinking...I wear jeans all the time so apparently I must not wear them when i go to their house because it makes it sound like i am always wearing my stretchy "fat" pants or something. I just thought her comment was weird. But it still made me feel good.

So last night was our first night staying at Bob's. It was nice. I think it will be okay. Plus I couldn't have asked for a better house to move into other than my mom's because they are totally trying to help out in every way possible to help me with my diet. They want to have dinner every night all of us together which I think is totally awesome as long as I get to help with some of the cooking otherwise I would feel like I was mooching. The only thing I don't like is it puts a lot of attention on me and my diet and I don't like that part. But they are trying to learn what I can eat and how I can eat it. Like we had chicken last night and they were seriously asking me like 20 questions as to how I can cook it and what seasonings I can put on it and what vegetables I can have with it and so on. I am honestly surprised at how much they want to try and make dinners "me friendly". If you know my relationship with my father-in-law you can understand my surprise at this.

Anyway I think this will be an okay living arrangement until we can get out in an apartment or something in a few months. We will see. We just have to take it one step at a time, no need to rush, It's like learning to fly or falling in love, it's gonna happen if we just let it happen and we find a reason why, one step at a time. (song by Jordan Sparks that I love!) Sorry just had to add in those lyrics, the song is running through my head and I can't make it stop.

Bible Study

2009-01-20T20:23:00.000-08:00

So I am truly and whole heartily enjoying this bible study. In the past I have started two other bible studies and the same thing happens, I have to force myself to sit down on Wednesday night and do up the whole weeks worth of lessons and then force myself to go to bible study on Thursday. The first one I did I liked but ended up not finishing due to health and such of the boys. This last one i just never really got hooked by so I ended up not finishing it.

This time however i am totally hooked!!! I tried to find time all weekend long to sit down and do some of the lessons but it was too hard with being at Karalee and Adam's and trying to focus just wasn't happening for me.

So yesterday I finally got to sit down and start the lessons. I made it through day 3 and stopped only because it was 10pm and I was tired. So today Brad and I got some sorting and packing done as quick as possible because I wanted to sit down and do more work on the lessons. So finally I got to work on them this afternoon, stopped for dinner and then started again around 7pm. Here it is 8:28 and I am finished with day 5. For the first time since I started bible studies, I am finished with all weeks lessons and still have 2 days before bible study.

I am fighting back the urge to work ahead in week 2 even. I am really enjoying this study and just wanted to share that. I am excited about what I will learn on this journey and so much more insight than I have ever had. WOW! I can't wait for Thursday night.

Oh...the thoughts of a child

2009-01-15T16:53:00.000-08:00

So we finally sat down with Cameron and told him that we would be getting rid of the dogs and that the guinea pig was going to live with Bamma and Papa and that the cat would be going to Granny and Papas. So we explained that we would still see Winnie and Corky (Guinea and cat) but we wouldn't be able to see the dogs anymore because they will be going to a new house with new people to love them and care for them. So here is the rest of the dialogue:

Me: "So Cameron we want you to know that this all going to happen really fast and it is going to be sad but the dogs, cat and guinea pig will all be going to new homes and we will be moving in with Grandpa Bob and Grandma Carolyn."

Cameron: "Are you going to sell Ethan too?"

Brad and I just laughed and told him no we weren't selling Ethan or him. That only the pets had to go. He made us laugh so much though it made things a little easier. I told him earlier today that he wouldn't be going to preschool anymore after this month and he seems okay with it for now but like our friend Bryce said, he probably won't comprehend exactly what I mean until the first week that I don't take him anymore. So we will have to see but I had to share his Ethan comment it was just too darn cute and the look of worry on his face when he said it. Such a sweetheart. Talk to you all later.

We need a good home for our pets.

2009-01-14T19:21:00.000-08:00

We are going to have to move. Our lease is going to be up and with Brad's upcoming layoff we have to move. Unfortunately we can't take our dogs or guinea pig. So....we need a safe loving home for our two dgs and our guinea pig. The dogs are 11yrs and 9yrs old. They are both outside dogs and great with children. The guinea pig is a sweetie just hasn't been held much. She comes with a cage, water bottle, food dish and a bag of food. So please if you are interested or if you know of anyone who is please let us know. We are kinda desperate. We really don't want to take them to the humane society. So PLEASE HELP IN ANY WAY YOU CAN! Thank you.

Prayer request

2009-01-13T13:11:00.000-08:00

I am sending out a prayer request for financial help. (Please don't tell Brad he would be mad that I am sharing our crisis with anyone.) So since Brad was off for 2 weeks we had to use our savings to get through. Well now he is back to work and Friday we will get a paycheck (phew!). So that is good news but the bad news is that his boss is talking about a possible layoff in 2 more weeks and if he does get laid off then we are going to be in BIG trouble. We don't have enough time to get our savings back up to what we need to cover bills on top of Brad's unemployment. So please pray that for one of 3 scenarios: either Brad makes it through the layoff and gets to stay on for a while longer, there is no layoff (which would be fabulous) or that God will help us some other way get through this rough winter time. Once it warms up I know he will have work it's just getting through till then. We did run into a friend Sunday at the bowling alley that offered to let Brad work for him and his brother if or when he gets laid off given that they have work for Brad to do of course. SO that was a blessing we just have to hope that they have work if Brad gets laid off in two weeks otherwise I don't know how we are going to get caught up on bills and with the bankruptcy we can't afford to screw up our credit any further. So please pray for financial help and please pray that i can relax and just put my faith in God that we will get through this. Thanks!

It's been awhile....

2009-01-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

So I haven't blogged in awhile partly because not much has been happening and partly because I have been blogging daily on my diet blog. So the holidays were good for us. We spent friday Dec. 19th thru Dec. 23rd at Adam and Karalee's in Richland. That was fun. We went down for my consult appt and planned on coming home saturday after my appt and then decided to stay till Sunday. We headed home Sunday and made a wrong turn and headed towards Yakima. about that time we realize that I have left my purse and phone at Adam and Karalee so we stop in Sunnyside (?) and decide to turn around and go get it and then make sure we take the right turn to head home. So on our way back to their house we find out that Brad was going to be off until the 5th of January so we decided to stay another night and then we decided to go to chucky cheese's on Monday and went home tuesday. It was really fun and really quite relaxing as we were away from everything and the boys got to play all day and we started and finished our christmas shopping. I can't wait to go down next weekend. We won't get to stay a week but it will still be fun and enjoyable.

I already posted previously about our Christmas day so that leaves New Years. We spent new years eve hanging out at home with Shawn and Ty. It was actually pretty cool. They boys played until midnight and then zonked and Ethan fell asleep about 10 but was fairly pleasant when we woke him up for new year smooches and hugs.

Nothing else has really been going on at our house. The two weeks off with Brad and Cameron both home all the time was really nice but I was getting kinda stir crazy being in the house all day every day. Cameron is now back to preschool and enjoying it as much as ever. Brad is back to work and hating it as always. At least today was warmer and he didn't have to wear his coveralls all day so he was happy about that. Anyway gonna go for now and hopefully take a bath if Brad is willing to keep an eye on the boys as he plays his computer game. Talk to y'all later.

My diet...

2008-12-30T09:35:00.000-08:00

So I started a diet last Wednesday that is working wonderfully right now. It's tough but so worth it. I started a blog just to track my weight loss and such because I hopefully someday will allow it to be accessed by other people on the diet and they just don't need to know all my personal stuff that I put on this blog. So if you want to learn about my diet and progress and give support please click on the link on the right that says My weight loss journey.

That's it for today. I have to go help Brad clean Ethan's room and do laundry so I will try to blog later. TTFN

Our Christmas Day!

2008-12-26T13:44:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas day was terrific. We had to wake the boys up at just a little after 7am since we had to be to my sisters at 9. So we got the boys up and they started opening presents. Cameron was a little slower to get started but was pretty excited when he opened up his bow and arrow that Santa got him. Ethan was so cute because we got him a shopping cart but didn't put it together I just wrapped it in the box so he unwraps it and I can tell he's not quite sure what it is but I ask him "so what did you get Ethan?" he looks at the picture which has a little boy pushing the cart with a teddy bear in it and some pretend food and smiles and says "ooohhh a teddy bear and a ......kid." It was so cute. We finished opening gifts and then got ready to head to my sister's. We had a terrific breakfast and then opened gifts. They got some awesome toys and books and puzzles. Ethan got a huge (like bigger than him) puppy for his bed and immediately hugged it and tried to lay down on it. The last gift the boys received were from my sister and she made them double layered fleece blankets. They are so soft and warm. We then watched headed to Brad's dad's. We had a wonderful lunch and then opened presents. Last but not least we headed to Brad's mom's. We visited and opened presents. Finally after a long day we got to head home. We snuggled up on the couch and watched my ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIE!!!!!!!!!! Miracle on 34Th Street. It was so nice to finish the day that way. It was a terrific Christmas day.

Safe trip prayers requested

2008-12-19T10:27:00.000-08:00

We are going down to Richland/Kennewick today when Brad gets off and prayers for a safe trip would be appreciated. We will be back tomorrow. Thanks for thoughts and prayers.

FRUSTRATED

2008-12-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

So we had Ethan's appointment today. AND I AM MAD!!! I was told it was going to be the upper GI scope to look at the esophagus. So we go and instead it's a barium swallow test usually used for patients who choke on fluids. Ethan doesn't choke on fluids we already knew that so I got to spend an hour or more (lost track of time) trying to get Ethan to calm down enough to drink barium so that the radiologist could see if he swallows right and if the fluids go into his lungs or not. It was Hell to say the least. How do you get a 2 1/2yr old to drink barium on command?

Anyway so we got only half the swallow shots they wanted but Ethan was done he was not going to drink any more and we were all getting wore out so Dr. Bihde said we could be done. So now we wait for results. When I got home I called our nurse and she said that this is the first step that had they did the scope I was refering to we would have had to go to seattle or spokane. It would have been nice to have that clarification before we got to the exam and then to top it off they scheduled him for 11am with nothing to eat or drink 4hrs prior. My poor ethan was starving. We had to go to walmart and get heaters and drive around to keep his mind off of being hungry. But we are done with that part for now so hopefully it gives us some answers or a direction to go in anyway. Will keep you all posted.

Ethan's appointment(s)

2008-12-14T20:12:00.000-08:00

So over the past 4-5months Ethan has been getting progressively worse at choking on food. It used to be once every 2 or so weeks and then it got to about once every week in a half and down to once a week and this last week he choked twice. So Saturday we took him in to see Dr. Eisert and see what he thought of it all. He talked to us a while and checked Ethan out and then decided that it may be one of a few things or a combination. So we are treating him with Zantac for acid reflux which may be irritating his esophagus. It may be something like a lesion in his throat or abnormal epiglottis (the flap that covers the wind pipe) or something like that also so Monday I have to call and they are going to schedule him for an upper GI scope to take a look at things and see if there is anything causing this.

It scares me so bad and to see him panic and gasp for breath just breaks my heart. So please pray for us that we can get this scope done soon as he choked again today and I don't think I can handle much more of it. Also pray that the scope goes smoothly and quickly...in my mind it's as bad as him having surgery...it scares me just the same anyway. Please also pray that we can find what the problem is and treat it. (Preferably with something else other than Zantac syrup....It smells horrific and tastes just as bad. We have been mixing it with chocolate milk but he has to have it twice a day and that's a lot of chocolate milk. =) ) Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and I will keep everyone posted.

Pampered Chef Party

2008-12-03T15:16:00.000-08:00

Pampered Chef Party
Tuesday Dec. 9th, 2008
6:30pm @ my house.

Please RSVP or text me. I really hope you can all join me in some good food and fun.

Pampered Chef Party

2008-12-03T07:15:00.000-08:00

OK so it' a fine line between a bad party host and a bad aunt and I would rather be a bad party host. I have to reschedule the Pampered Chef Party in lieu of my nephew's Christmas program. I know you are all as extremely bummed as I am on the missed opportunity for girl time but as you are all parents and most of you are aunts I am sure you understand my dilemma. So I have emailed Brooke to find out when we can reschedule it. I am looking at either this Friday (which is very short notice.) next Tuesday (which I think Brooke was unavailable) or I will have to go out to the following week or I could have the party at like 5pm this Thursday if everyone promises to be out by 5:45 so I can head to the program. LOL Anyway so I will let everyone know when the new party is scheduled for. Thanks for you patience and maybe the second time around I will get more attendance commitments. =) TTFN

2008-12-01T13:15:00.001-08:00

I posted pics of the van look back in the post about it.

Our New Van

2008-11-29T20:29:00.000-08:00

I am so excited. We got a van today. Since the bankruptcy we obviously don't have the best of credit so getting a decent vehicle I thought was not going to be part of our vocabulary any time soon but God has answered our prayers.

We have been continuing to make payments on the Honda even though it doesn't run and it's very frustrating. The Mazda runs okay but the window was cracked right in front of the driver and there was a hole in the exhaust so all the exhaust went right into the car (YUCK!) and the struts on the rear passenger side was bad and going to cost a good chunk of money to get fixed soon as it was causing the tires to wear out really quick. (The previous owner put new tires on in October of last year and we had to buy 4 new tires in July. So that was going to get expensive quickly.) We needed a safe dependable car with more room for times like today when we have more than just our two children.

So anyway, I have been trying to figure out how we could get a good running, dependable vehicle with little to no money for a down payment and one trade in that isn't running. Well Brad finally gave in to at least looking so we went yesterday to Wenatchee Family Auto Sales. They took the Mazda as a trade in and they guy we bought the Honda from is going to take it back. So we are now the very proud owners of a 2005 Ford Freestyle Van. It is so nice to have a vehicle we can be proud of again. The people there were awesome and got us financing so we can start working on our credit in a postive way and they did it with a very small down payment and got the monthly payments as close to our target as possible and a decent timespan for repayment. We are very pleased with the whole experience and would reccommend them to anyone. I will post pics as soon as possible. I am just so excited that I had to share. Now when I have to go get Cameron from preschool and I have Max, Cameron won't have to sit in the front seat. (Thank God! I hate him in the front seat. It makes me so nervous.)

Anyway, I will post pics hopefully tomorrow. And just a reminder of my Pampered Chef party on thursday at 6:30pm. Please let me know if you can make it. Thanks!

So Not the best pics since it was in the carport but will give you an idea.

Pampered Chef Party

2008-11-27T00:40:00.000-08:00

So I am having a pampered chef party thursday Dec. 4th at my house at 6:30pm. I would really like as many friends to come as possible so we can all spend some time together so let me know if you can come and if you need direction just let me know. Later!

Comments

2008-11-25T09:41:00.001-08:00

So I am a little disappointed in responses to my plea for opinions/comments/thoughts. I asked for everyone to give me their thoughts and ideas on the private school situation and I got one comment back. Albeit it was a terrific comment although I am not sure I would recognize God's answer even if it was right in front of me. So I just thought I would share with you all that I was bummed that when I needed responses I didn't get them. Oh well I guess we are all dealing with our own lives and I guess this is a subject that will have to be between Brad, the boys, myself and God. (I know that's how it should be regardless but the comments/opinions and thoughts of my closest friends matter to me too.) Anyway gotta go for now....P.S. Rachel, her kids, me and my kids and not sure who else are going to go up to the Ceramic place in chelan tomorrow around noonish and want to invite whoever wants to come to join us. The more people that come the more willing the shop owner is to accommodate on the day before thanksgiving. So let me know if anyone wants to go with us. Sounds like it will be really fun. So call me and let me know so we can let the shop owner know a rough head count. Later.

New Kids on the Block weekend

2008-11-24T21:21:00.000-08:00

Okay so this weekend was a blast!!! We headed over Saturday morning and had a great drive. Stopped in Cle Elum and had lunch at Taco Del Mar. (It wasn't too bad.) We got into Tacoma and went to Nordstrom Rack and Lane Bryant. I got a cute pair of earrings at Nordstrom but nothing else. I resisted the urge to spend any money at Lane Bryant....I was very proud of myself. We then went and had dinner at Claim Jumper. We all three shared mozzarella sticks, zucchini sticks and chicken strips. It was sooo yummy. (Fattening but yummy!) After that we headed to check in at the hotel and drop mom off there. The hotel was really nice. So then Jennifer and I headed to one of the best concerts we have ever seen. We got there in plenty of time so we decided to get a glass of wine and sit down and relax before the concert. That was very weird feeling.....drinking wine while fulfilling a childhood dream....I felt like a teenager in a grown up body. SO anyway, the concert started with Lady Gaga, then Natasha Bedingfield (sp?) and then FINALLY New Kids on the Block took the stage and for the next 2 hrs they rocked the dome!!!! It was a great mix of old songs and new songs and even the old songs were slightly tweaked with more energy. It was an awesome concert. We had so much fun and screamed our voices hoarse. It was a truly surreal feeling to be watching the boy band that we had so much wanted to see 15 yrs ago. I am so ecstatic that my sister and I got to have that experience together and really I am glad we had to wait till we were adults because we are best friends now and we weren't back then. We got back to the hotel around 12:30am and then talked with mom until almost 2am. Mom and Jennifer woke up before 8am and so then I had to wake up apparently so we got up and got ready (slowly....three women all having to take showers and get beautified....yeah it was slow going) and went and stuffed ourselves at IHOP. YUM!!! After that we stopped by South Center and mom shopped for shoes and I went and picked up Garlic Pretzels from Auntie Anne's. Next we stopped at trader Joes and did some grocery shopping (I love that store) and then we headed home. The drive home seemed to take longer than the drive to but oh well we made it home and had an over all awesome trip. I am so glad I got to go and share the weekend with Mom and Jennifer. Anyway I gotta go get Ethan to sleep so will write again tomorrow and will post NKOTB pics soon as I know you are all dying to see them.

Which school to choose...

2008-11-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

Okay so Brad and I are really kicking around the idea of switching Cameron to a different school for kindergarten. We still REALLY want him in a private school which really surprises me due to the fact that we both went completely through public schools and never even thought about putting our children through any type of private schools until it was time for Cameron to start preschool. But we really like the idea of smaller class size and better student to teacher ratio. Plus for him to learn about God is surprisingly becoming very important to Brad and I.

So here is our dilemma. We have been looking at Cascade Christian Academy (where he currently attends preschool), The River Academy (classical christian school) and St. Joseph's (catholic school). I have heard really good things about CCA and St. Jo's but not much of anything about The River Academy. Cost wise it would be cheaper per month for us to put both boys through St. Jo's and my brother in law and a friend both went to St. Jo's and totally recommend it. When I talked to Andy (my brother in law) about the difference between Catholic and Christian schools he said there is not really anything different that is taught.

I want to give Cameron (and Ethan too when it's time) the best foundation I can when it comes to school and his future. Not that public schools are bad but they have bigger class sizes and no biblical teachings. I like the idea of Cameron learning about God and the bible and biblical history and I look forward to the challenge of researching and learning with him when he comes to us with a question that we don't know about God or the bible. I want him to succeed and I want him to like school. I agree with Andy about sending the boys to public school once they get to the 6th grade so we are only looking at private school for K-5th grade for both boys. I want to make the right choice in Cameron's schooling (and Ethan's too when it's time) and I am so scared that we may not make the right choice in schools but how do we know? It feels like such a big decision and I don't feel like we get to know if we made the right decision or not until it's too late. Argh!!! Parenting is sooooo hard sometimes. I really want my boys to succeed in school and get good grades and not settle for barely passing like I did. I want them to feel like a 3.0 is barely acceptable not a 2.0 like me. I don't want them to struggle through school like Brad and I did. I want them to strive to be on the honor roll and be proud of their achievements and be popular and outgoing. I want them to like sports and do as many as they can through school. There are so many things that I regret about my school years and I really don't want my boys to have those same regrets. So how do I decide the best school to send them through to set them up for success? I look at my sister and brother in law and am sometimes jealous that they have Matthew's schooling already planned out for the most part and they aren't worried about their choice. He will be starting preschool next year at St. Joseph's and will continue there through 5th grade. He will then go to whatever middle school their house is in the zoning for and the same for High School. They feel it's the right path for them and Matthew (and any other children they may have some day).

Anyway enough rambling and venting.......the reason for this blog is I would like feedback from you guys PLEASE!!!!!!! If you would please tell me anything and everything you know about any of these schools or what you think about it all I would appreciate it very much. We are going to have to make a decision soon so we can get him registered and secure a spot in which ever school we decide on. So PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK/INPUT.....Thank you.

I am getting so excited.....

2008-11-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

The New Kids on the Block concert is saturday and i am getting so excited! And now I think mom is going to go with my sister and I so it will be the three of us. We had such a blast when I honed in on Mom and Jennifer's weekend when they went to the Rascal Flats concert I figured why not let mom tag along and have some time to herself while Jennifer and I are at the concert. I absolutely loved my alone time when Mom and Jennifer went to the concert. So I am even more excited now. I think it is going to be soooooo fun. we are planning on going early enough to go shopping and then have dinner at Claim Jumpers (I don't know if that's the right way to spell the name) and then Jen and I will go to the concert and mom can have some her time. When jen and mom went to the concert I went down and had a glass of wine in the lounge, sat in the hot tub, went and read my book and watched a movie. It was so fun and relaxing. So now I get to return the favor for mom. We are staying at the Raddison (sp?) and it looks awesome. And then Jen and I get to go see New Kids on the Block. AHHHHHHH!!!!! I am so excited. I really wanted to see them when I was like 10 but for one I was too young and 2 my parents could not afford to take us. So now that we are adults we get to take ourselves. Anyway gotta go feed my hungry kids. Most of you probably think we are insane but oh well that's just us! =)

I hate cold cloudy weather.

2008-11-18T10:18:00.000-08:00

I hate the part of fall where it is too cold to enjoy being outside and worrying about if the kids are gonna get sick from being outside. Plus for the next three weeks I am watching a friends little boy Max from 10-11am. Which isn't long but it's right at the time when i really want to get things done and so far he doesn't think that's such a cool idea.

He's very cute and for the most part wants to just play with the boys until I start to clean or something and then he wants my attention or wants something to eat or wants his sippy. But we are learning each other so maybe by the end of the week we will have figured out a way to make us both happy along with my boys.

Friday's I will have him from 10-2:45 and then I go pick up his sister Ellie and have them until 5pm. Ellie is a hard one to handle. She thinks she knows everything and has a little attitude to match. And she argues with almost everything you tell her which gets really old really quick. But just like with her brother we are learning each other and thank goodness I only have her for a couple hours on fridays and only for 3 weeks and then they will go back to their grandma.

Now on to attempting to do something productive and useful.

Just a quick thank you...

2008-11-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take a quick moment and thank Brooke and Karalee for getting me started on this blog. I absolutely love being able to share my daily laughs, struggles, comments, ideas. Thank you to you both for giving me that push to start.

Tis the season and we've started it with a bang!

2008-11-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

We are rushing right into the sick season and Cameron made sure we started it out with a visit to the emergency room and diagnosis of Croup. Tuesday night he sounded kinda croupy but not too bad. Yesterday he sounded fine with a small cough every once in a great while. But we had a feeling we would be seeing the emergency room either last night or tonight because of the way his croup has progressed the two other times he's had it. So by bed time he was coughing a little more and sounding raspy with strider (medical term for wheezing both on inhale and exhale). Well he went to bed at about 10pm.

He woke me up at 11:40 coughing hard, crying and struggling very hard to breathe. Well then he started coughing up blood tinged mucus. So I rushed out to the computer to call brad using Skype (he was in line at game stop for the midnight release of World of Warcraft Lich King) and of course last night i left my phone at my sisters so I had to use the computer to call Brad while Cameron is in the bathroom bent over the toilet.

So Brad rushed home and we loaded up the boys and headed to the ER. They were great there for a change. Got us right in (the admitting nurse wasn't even done with paperwork (and for those of you who went to WHS it was Jackie Kellums from attendance)so she brought it into the room for me to sign.) They took his vitals which he sat there like such a big boy and even let the RN take his temp with an under the tongue thermometer (I was floored. He didn't even cry once and last year he screamed bloody murder when they wanted to do that.)

The respiratory therapist came in right away and got a nebulizer treatment started and Cameron sat there and let brad hold the mask on his face without a fuss. (once again WOW! huge change from last year) Once that was done we had to wait 15-20 minutes for the RN to come back. He started sounding a little better by then. She came back with an oral medicine called Decadron which is a longer lasting medicine to help with the bronchial inflammation. He took it with no crying, gagging or puking. I was so proud of him. So then we had to wait another 15 or so min before the Dr. came in. He examined Cameron and said that since we live so close we could go home. Usually if you live further away than we do they keep the kids and observe them for 3-4 HOURS to make sure the kids don't have a rebound attack but since we lived so close we could get back to the ER quick enough if that happened so we got to head home.

So we went home and straight to bed. So far this morning he is still kinda raspy and his voice is a little hoarse but he feels fine. So now we just gotta keep praying that he doesn't have another episode tonight. Especially since Brad's insurance for the boys isn't in effect yet and the clinic insurance ended Oct. 31st so we have no insurance at this time. OUCH! But oh well I couldn't just not take my kid because we don't have insurance. So we will deal with that when the bill comes. But I am just happy that Cameron is feeling okay and I am able to be with him without jeopardizing my job. I love being a stay at home mom!

Please pray that Cameron doesn't have another episode like last night and I will keep you all updated. Hopefully his cough is gone by Saturday for his first horse show.

Getting ready for horse show saturday.

2008-11-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

We went to appleatchee today and work with Poco and Topper. I rode Poco (it was so great....I haven't ridden in 8 years I think.) and ponied Topper after Grammy worked with Cameron on turning and backing on his own. So then we just rode around the indoor arena and him and I talked about the show on Saturday. It was so great. To share one thing I love with my son and for him and I to have time just the two of us was so awesome. A memory I wouldn't have had I not quit my job. Just one more blessing. To follow my statement from my last post....it was a moment that took my breath away. Cameron did great and Topper was a great sport too.

We were telling Cameron that he would have to tell the judge his name and age and his horses name and Cameron asks what his number is. So i tell him that we won't know that till Saturday and they will give us his number to pin on his shirt when we sign in. So he tells me his number should be 295 because he can say that and remember that number. I laughed and told him we would have to wait and see. I am glad he is excited for this show and so thankful for Susan letting us use Topper so Cameron and Matthew can both show. I will post pictures and let you know how it goes.

9 Years ago today....

2008-11-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been 9 years ago that my daddy died. I miss him so much. I can't believe it's been 11 years since he first got sick. I miss his warm safe hugs that made me feel like no matter what was going on that everything would be okay. I miss the way he would walk by me when I was laying on the couch and he would squeeze my toes. I miss hearing him tell me " I love you wiener." ( that was my nickname and I have no clue how i got it and used to hate it and now I would give almost anything I have to hear him say it again.) Everyday I miss him but this day every year I replay in my mind that day 9 years ago when Brad, Mom and I spent all day at his side while he struggled to keep breathing. He was at Cashmere Convalescent Center and we had been there since about 7am and I was exhausted. . Daddy's status hadn't changed all day so Brad took me home so I could take a nap and then we would go back out there. We got home and I got laid down and the phone rang. Brad answered talked for a minute and hung up. He told me we needed to get back there that Daddy was getting worse. As we drove out there Brad said something to me that I will never forget and will thank him forever for saying it to me....he said "I want you to know that if your dad passes before we get back there that he did it on purpose. He didn't want you to be there when he died." At the time it just made me cry but it now gives me peace in my decision to go home and take a nap because by the time we got there daddy had taken his last breath and took God's hand. At the time I was so angry with myself that I wasn't there and felt so selfish for going home to take a nap. I realize now that daddy held on all day because I was there and before I left I told him it was okay for him to go now and he waited till I was away to take God's hand and exhale his final mortal breath. I don't know why he waited and I won't until I meet him in heaven but I just have to believe that is the way he wanted it. I miss my dad so much and get so angry that my children never got the chance to meet him and know him and I don't know why and may never know why. I try to keep believing that this is all part of a grander plan but dang it it hurts and there is times when anger is so much easier to deal with than heartache. I am blessed that Brad got to know him even those few months before daddy went into the hospital and our lives changed forever. I am blessed that my husband wants me to share my memories and my heartache and not be afraid to cry when i miss him so bad I feel like my heart is going to explode from pain. I am so thankful for my children who when i cried today told me it was okay and that they loved me "sooo much". I still don't know for sure how I will make it each day without my dad but I know I will figure it out and just have to keep waiting till that glorious day when i get to see him again. I love that Diamond Rio song One more day...

Last night I had a crazy dream
A wish was granted just for me
It could be for anything
I didn't ask for money
Or a mansion in Malibu
I simply wished for one more day with you--

One more day, one more time
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied
But then again, I know what it would do
Leave me wishin' still for one more day with you--

One more day
First thing I'd do is pray for time to crawl
I'd unplug the telephone
Keep the tv off
I'd hold you every second
And say a million "I love you's"
That's what I'd do with one more day with you--

One more day, one more time
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied
But then again, I know what it would do
Leave me wishin' still for one more day
Leave me wishin' still for one more day
Leave me wishin' still for one more day
With you--

I miss my dad so much and yet I don't wish for one more day for that very reason. It would leave me wishing for one more day. So for now I just have to bide my time on earth until I see him again in heaven. How fitting that today is raining though. I immediately thought of the song There are holes in the floor of Heaven by Steve Wariner. Anyway enough with my sad story. Today is another day for me to spend with my kids and no sense spending it crying.

We are home!

2008-11-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

Okay so we are home from Malo. We had a terrific weekend and the boys did awesome. It was so great to get to relax and spend time with Granny and Papa Pete. We really missed them and it's been a long time since we got to go up there so although I was sad that I missed scrapbook saturday I really am glad we went up there. We didn't really do anything exciting we just sat and visitied alot and relaxed. We even got to spend part of Papa Pete's birthday with him. It was friday and unfortunately we didn't know that until Granny told us friday night. So that was pretty cool I just wish we had known prior to going so we could have gotten him a card or something but he didn't mind. He was just glad we were there to visit. Anyway gotta go do some housework and get back on track after our 3 day weekend.

Remember, Life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away. So live breathlessly!!!!!!

Prayer Request

2008-11-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

We are heading to Malo this afternoon and would like everyone to pray that we have a safe trip there and back on Monday. We will most likely encounter snow as we are going up in elevation and over Wauconda Pass. ( I don't know exact elevation.) So please pray for us to have good roads and that all the psychotic critters stay far away from the highways.

I hope my scrapbook pals have a terrific Scrapbook Saturday and I sure hope you miss me or at least pretend to.=) Anyway gotta go get Cameron and get back and finish getting the house cleaned up so we can leave. I have everything packed so now it's just cleaning house so it's acceptable when we get back. Love to all and will post when we get back.

My Bread Maker finally arrived

2008-11-07T10:28:00.001-08:00

So I ordered a Sunbeam Bread Maker clear back on the 13th of October. I did the super saver free shipping which takes a few days longer which was fine with me. It was supposed to arrive on the 21st. So on the 25th I emailed Amazon because I still hadn't received it. They said to wait until the end of the 28th and then email if I still hadn't recieved it. They didn't want to send me a replacement too soon so I didn't have to worry about returning one. So I waited and waited and emailed on the 31st because I still hadn't received it. I got an email on the 3rd saying they were sending me another one and it should arrive on the 7th. Low and behold I received it this morning. I am so excited. Except....we are leaving for Malo today and won't be back till monday evening. Bummer!!!! Oh well, I will just take the book with me and learn how to use it when we get home. I'm just so excited I finally have a bread maker of my own and it is soooo pretty. Doesn't it look so nice on my counter. LOL

How I spent a little me time.....

2008-11-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

SO since I had all day saturday to myself I did a lot of relaxing and not much else. By the end of the day I was feeling kinda frumpy and have been thinking about coloring my hair for awhile. Brad being the amazing husband he is told me to go get my hair colored and trimmed so I did. It was an enjoyable because for 3 hrs I had someone messing with my hair and then the head massage when they wash out the dye...Oh my heavens I love that part. So I really enjoyed my time and love my hair. I went way dark but am really enjoying it plus by the time it fades it should be pretty close to what I think ( emphasis on I think ;-) ) is my natural color but for now I'm loving it and so is my husband. Apparently it does good things to him when he sees me because he gave me a full body massage last night with massage oil (if you know my husband that is huge because he hates oils and lotions). It was so relaxing. He even lit candles. It was very nice. Anyway enough boasting about my husband scoring brownie points with me. I figured I better post a pic since I don't get to join my girls on saturday which I am bummed about but we REALLY miss Granny and Papa Pete and this weekend worked best because next weekend is Cameron's first horse show. So without further ado here is my pic for you. ( HA HA it rhymed. sorry a little bored.)

Halloween Fun

2008-10-31T09:58:00.000-07:00

So the boys had a blast on halloween and they really got the hang of trick-or-treating except Ethan and Matthew kept trying to go into the houses when the people would open their doors. But Cameron had fun being Batman and Ethan was a ninja and oh so cute and Matthew was Elmo (2nd year, he really likes his elmo outfit). They got lots of candy and got to run house to house up in Canyon Place up 5th street. We go there every year because it's a nice culdesac and my sister's dad lives there so they know everyone on the street plus we can all meet at Bob and Pat's (my sister's dad and step-mom) and then we usually have dinner. Before we headed there we stopped at Brad's parents houses. After Canyon Place we headed up to my moms house and for the first year my mom actually had toys for each boy and cupcakes. (Usually it is a couple bucks and smooches.) The boys were exhausted by the time we got home which is great because they headed to Yakima to see their Step-Great-Grandma Howe so they went to bed at a reasonable time and was up and in pretty good moods when my mom got here to pick them up.

Recipe's I've tried

2008-10-29T10:07:00.001-07:00

Okay so I have tried a few recipes but haven't been good at sharing my opinions. I tried the Italian Cheese Bread that Denaye had mentioned off of Tammy's Recipes (http://tammysrecipes.com/italian_cheese_bread). It was really good. I didn't have the rapid rise yeast so I used normal yeast and put it through the dough recipe in Karalee's machine. Instead of the oregano I used italian seasoning and added some cheddar cheese to the parmasan and mozzerella mix. It turned out terrific and Brad want's to have it every time we would have normally made garlic toast. Since Karalee took her machine back I sure hope my machine gets here soon. I have spaghetti planned for dinner this week and he wants that bread with it.
I also tried the chicken strips that Denaye said tasted just like Larry's Chicken. Oh yum!!! She was very right. They are sooooo good. The recipe is from Baker's Dozen http://bakersdozen.typepad.com/a_bakerss_dozen_daily_lif/2008/04/really-easy-rea.html and I made it with the italian bread crumbs like Denaye did and they were super. I didn't take pictures of the chicken but I did of the bread and I will post it soon. But i definetly recommend both of the recipes and they would probably even be delicious together. I've really been enjoying this cooking and learning new recipes and I am so thankful for you all sharing them.

In Memory of Mackenzie

2008-10-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

This poem was on Jeff's MySpace page and is amazing. My thoughts and feelings put perfectly into words of how I know the family must be feeling (and even myself even though I didn't get to meet her.) (And just to let you know they confirmed it was SIDS and that she pretty much fell asleep friday night and died shortly there after.)So now here is the poem and if you are an emotional fool like me have a tissue handy.

How do we say goodbye?
When we’ve hardly said hello
To a girl so very young,
She shouldn’t have had to go.

Yet God chose for you
To go and be with him,
The loved one’s left behind
Will keep your memories within.

The echo of a laugh,
An image of a smile
Will warm the hearts of those you’ve left
Who must stay here for awhile.

So now you walk with God,
Your little hand in his,
And as he takes you in his arms,
Peace is what he gives.

Today we celebrate your life,
The little that we knew.
Privileged that he let us walk
A little while with you.

In loving memory of Mackenzie Lynn Martins
February 3, 2008 – October 25, 2008

V.
Clements ,2008

A setback in my faith

2008-10-26T23:06:00.000-07:00

We have had a tragic loss in our "extended" family. Brad's step-sister's husbands niece (did you get all that?) Mackenzie Lynn passed away 10-25-08 in her sleep. She was just shy of 9months. She was a beautiful baby and will be greatly missed. I never got the chance to meet her in person but looking at the pictures on her mom's myspace page made me want to. It's times like this that shakes my faith so hard. How God could let something like this happen. I try to tell myself that he knows what he is doing but how am i supposed to believe this when something like this happens. I honestly just don't get how this has a purpose and how I am supposed to believe that it is all part of Gods plans. HOW CAN IT BE? I am so frustrated right now and so furious and really having a hard time believing that someone as loving and faithful as God is supposed to be; that he would let this happen. An innocent precious little girl who just barely made a mark on this world. How does this fit into a grander plan? I just don't get it. I keep praying but I know I am not praying with my heart. I want to be at peace with the idea that he had something better for her but I just keep thinking about Marissa (Mackenzie's mom) and her family and I can't even begin to imagine the pain and hurt and anger and brokeness they must be feeling. Marissa is only 18 and has to make funeral plans for her daughter. My heart goes out so much to her. Please pray for Marissa, Mackenzie, and all the family and friends of Miss Mackenzie Lynn that they will all be comforted through this very rough and heartbreaking time. And please pray for me that I will come to peace with this and believe that God knows what he is doing and that I can continue my walk with Jesus and that my faith will keep me strong in my journey. Please go hug your children and let them know just how much you love them. And keep the Harvey family in your prayers. Mackenzie Lynn 02-03-08 to 10-25-08

Horse-ing around

2008-10-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

So at some point in the last month someone told Cameron against my will that he could grow up. I know I wouldn't in my right mind tell him he could and when I find the person that did I want to give them a swift kick in the rump. Okay so now to better explain myself. Cameron used to be my super hard child. He would scream, cry and puke at the dentist office. He would scream, cry and kick at the doctors office and it used to take two people to hold him down to give him medicine. Just last month he sat through his dentist appt with no tears and didn't even fuss when they did xrays. He sat through his doctor appt and didn't fuss through the ear or eye exam. And he is on cephalexin for the bug bite and he has been sitting and sucking the medicine out of the syringe like it tastes good or something. And at the beginning of the summer my nephew had a riding class at appleatchee so we went. When I put Cameron on Grammy Lynda's horse he went in to hysterics. Today he asked Grammy Lynda if he could ride and so he did from the barn all the way up to the areana and then around the arena when Matthew was done. He had a terrific time and now wants to go ride constantly. Lynda said she will round up another horse so he can do the lead line class in november. He is very excited. Well gotta go for now.

Pumpkin Painting

2008-10-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

Matthew and Jennifer came over yesterday and painted pumpkins with us. It was so funny to see how differently each boy reacted to the experience. Ethan was really concentrating and not saying much. Cameron was bouncing between colors and smiling but not saying a ton. Matthew on the other hand wanted to use pretty much only green and was so excited and talking a lot and he was so animated as he spoke. Jennifer and I just sat back and laughed. He was so hilarious. But they all had fun and we got some good pictures so all in all is was a great time.

What do I do?

2008-10-22T11:18:00.001-07:00

Okay so I am at a loss. I don't know what to do with the boys. Cameron is constantly picking on Ethan or teasing him and Ethan is constantly whining. It is so frustrating. I don't know what to do with them to get them to get along. I thought with Cameron going to preschool 3 times a week that things would be better at least those three days since they don't get to see each other all morning but things aren't better. As soon as Cameron gets in the car they start at it again. I get so frustrated I end up yelling at them and it makes the whole afternoon miserable for all of us.

Today I had to keep Cameron home because his neck is still swollen and I want to keep a close eye on it. Anyway so this morning they have been picking on each other and they have both been whining. Then Cameron was playing with a box and told Ethan to get in the "boat". Ethan didn't want to so Cameron started getting mean with Ethan about getting in. So I took the box away. Cameron throws himself down into a sitting position with his arms folded and starts whining and crying about wanting the box. I told him to go to his room if he was going to whine. So he headed to his room. Ethan started following him. Next thing I know Ethan comes back screaming and crying that brother punched him and he's holding the side of his head. So I call Cameron out to ask him about it. Imediately he starts telling me that the wall bonked Ethans head. So I ask Ethan if he fell against the wall and he says "no brother punch me". So I look at Cameron and he starts telling Ethan he is sorry. So I ask Cameron again if he punched him and he finally admitts he did. I asked why and he told me that it was because Ethan was following him and it made him mad. So I sent him to his room to think about it.

But I am at such a loss as to what I should do to help them get along. I try to engage them in play and such but they just end up arguing. If you have any ideas please share them I really want our time together to be enjoyable not a daily battle of trying to get them to get along.

Change in plans

2008-10-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well I was all hyped up to go to Smallwoods Harvest today whether anyone went with us or not but Cameron had other plans apparently......Sunday we went up to the pumpkin patch in Malaga and had a blast running around finding pumpkins, taking pictures and the boys enjoyed the corn stalk tee pee.

So we had already played for about an hour, found our pumpkins, got pictures and were ready to go but Jennifer was on her way up so we hung around waiting for her and Matthew. Once she got there we went through the corn maze. We then headed towards the area where the smaller pumpkins are so Matthew could find a pumpkin. As we left the corn maze and headed towards the pumpkins, Cameron all of a sudden screams and starts crying saying that a bee stung him. (There were no bees flying around so who know what it was.) But he had a small red mark on the side of his neck. By the time we left about 30mins. later there was an area of puffy white skin right around the red dot but nothing more. Yesterday he got up and went to preschool and his neck looked fine.
Well by last night around 5pm his neck was swollen and red. He said it didn't hurt or itch and that he could breath and swallow just fine but it scared me so I called the pediatrician on call . Dr. Crawford was the Dr on call and he said that since kids' airways can become compromised so quickly that he wanted us to go to the walk in just to check for infection and make sure it wasn't anything serious. So we went. The PA-C there said that at his age and the 50/50 shot of it either being infection or just allergic reaction that they treat for both so Cameron is on Cephalexin 4 times a day for 10 days and Benadryl every 4 hours until the swelling is gone. He then drew a circle all around the redness and said that if the redness goes outside the lines then we need to get him in right away. So we stayed home today so we could keep a close eye on him. The swelling and redness hasn't really changed but it hasn't gotten worse so we are doing okay so far.
I am hoping to maybe go to Smallwoods next tuesday if anyone is interested in joining. I gotta go finish dinner so until next time take care and don't forget to listen to the one's you love the most.

Pumpkins

2008-10-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, 1st to answer the comments from Brooke and Karalee, I would love some apples. I would really like to make applesauce with my mom and the boys (I think it may be fun.) and I love homemade applesauce. So if I can get apples that would be awesome. So on to my next request.....Brad, the boys and I are going to the Malaga Pumpkin patch tomorrow (Sunday) but I really want to take the boys to Smallwoods Harvest sometime too. So I am planning on taking the boys on tuesday and I know the boys would love to have friends go with us so I was wondering if anyone would like to go with us to Smallwoods Harvest on Tuesday. Please call me or email me and let me know. I was thinking of going up around 10:30 that way we can get home for lunch and naptime at a reasonable time. So please see if it will work for anyone and let me know. Talk to yall later. =)

Baked goods

2008-10-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

Okay so I really have the craving for Apricot Fried Pies that my ex co worker made for one of our eat days. I chose to do it the semi-homemade way and had Brad buy pizza dough and apricot/peach preserves. But here is a recipe I found online.

Dough recipe is:
4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. shortening
1 c. cold water
Combine flour and salt; cut in shortening with pastry blender (a fork works okay too) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle cold water (1 tablespoon at a time) evenly over surface; stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Shape into a ball and chill.

Apricot Filling: (you can use jams, preserves or even jelly in any flavor that sounds good to you if you don't want to make your own.)
Place apricots in a medium saucepan; add water to cover. Cover pan and cook over low heat 15 minutes or until tender. Mash apricots, add sugar; set aside. ( I bet apple would be so yummy too but would probably need to add some cinnamon along with the sugar.)

Roll 1/2 of dough to 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut into 3 1/2 inch circles. Spoon about a teaspoon of apricot filling on half of each pastry circle; use finger and moisten edges of circles with water. Fold circles in half; press edges together with a fork dipped in flour. Repeat procedure with the remaining dough. Heat 1/2 inch of oil to 375 degrees in a large skillet. Cook pies until golden brown, turning once; drain well on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Okay so I would recommend making the dough. The pizza dough is really hard to work with because it doesn't like to be rolled out. Other than that they turned out good. I definitely recommend them as an occasional dessert.

Wow..I didn't know he liked that!

2008-10-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

So another nice part about being home with the boys is I am learning that Ethan likes things I had no idea he liked. Today I made chicken nuggets, green beans, and applesauce. I figured neither would eat anything except the chicken nuggets but am trying to be diligent on offering fruits and vegetables daily. So anyway Ethan is one of those weird children that eats all of one thing before moving on to the next thing. So of course he starts with the chicken nuggets. Eats all of those and then heads for the applesauce. I didn't know he liked applesauce. He ate his bowl, Cameron's bowl and then finished off mine. While he was eating the applesauce I got him to eat about 3 green beans before he very politely said "all done with those please put it down on that plate." He was so cute. But I have now found out within the past 3 weeks that he likes pears and peaches too. He even tried salad last night for me. WOW! so different from Cameron who won't even try things for us and definetly won't eat any fruits or vegetables. So another life's lesson learned as a stay at home mom...just because one kid won't eat it doesn't mean the other one won't. What have I learned? keep offering them fruits and vegetables at least maybe Ethan will eat it. Well gotta get some cleaning done Brad should be home in 30mins and I haven't done anything all day.

Live, Laugh, Love!!!

He makes me laugh!

2008-10-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

Okay so Cameron just got up from his nap and came out and sat in the green chair next to me. Here is the dialogue that followed....
Me: So did you have a good nap?
Cam: Yeah. (still kinda sleepy)
Me: So...are you ready to go clean the bathroom for me?
Cam: No
Me: why not?
Cam: Because I am not the bathroom cleaning guy and I don't work in the bathroom. (then grinned really big.)

Oh he makes me laugh. I totally expected a "yuck" or "I don't want to" or something along those lines not "because he isn't the bathroom cleaning guy." Anyway just wanted to share. He made me smile and I wanted to pass that on. Later.

Housework

2008-10-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

So all I have told myself I want to accomplish today other than washing laundry and keeping the living room/kitchen tidy is to clean the main bathroom. So it is now 1:29pm and I have taken Cameron to preschool, washed one load of laundry, picked Cameron up from preschool, fed the boys and put them down for nap, made mini cupcakes, and have done a few online surveys. Do you notice something missing??? Ah yes the bathroom. I don't know why but it just seems such a big task to take on and yet it is a pretty small space. So what's my problem? I have not a clue. I know I want to accomplish it and yet here i sit at this darn computer thinking to myself "cool I have 2 hrs before Brad is headed home....plenty of time." Which it is plenty of time but if today ends up the way yesterday did,....I will be cleaning the bathroom at 3:30pm when Brad should be on his way home. Oh boy...trying to be a good housewife is hard work. And Brad keeps saying it's fine but I don't feel like it is and yet the guilt isn't enough to get me off my butt and accomplish more than I absolutely have to. Oh bother, the life of a stay at home mom is hard. I give props to my girlfriends who have been doing this all along. Please pass on some of you words of wisdom on how to get the energy to clean my house and play with the boys, oh and get dinner started without turning into a vegetable on the couch at the end of the day. I just want to sit around and watch the boys play and do nothing all day but that obviously doesn't get anything done. I am hoping that once I get through this week where it is all so new that I will be able to figure out a routine so that I can feel like I accomplish what needs to be done. Now that I have whined to you all I guess I will go attempt to start the bathroom. Please don't take anything I said here offensive or rude I am simply venting my own feelings and if you don't like them then please don't read them. =) If you know me at all then you understand my constant badgering of myself to fit the mold that I will most likely never fit but will probably continue to struggle the rest of my life trying to fit. But hey at least I have friends that ignore that part of me. By the way thank you to all my girlfriends for scrapbooking saturday. I may not have accomplished much but I had a blast. Thank you so much for the laughs, the ideas, the terrific food and the relaxation. Oh what a great day it was!!!!!