My Grandma is coming to visit...

I am really excited because my Grandma is coming out with my mom in July. She will be here in a couple of weeks and will stay at least a week before flying back to Washington. I am really happy she will be able to meet the baby right away and hold her and rock her. Its been a long time since she held a brand new baby only hours old. She got to hold my niece but I think she was already a couple weeks old by that time. There is nothing better then having an awesome Grandma who loves and cares the way she does. She has always been such a positive influence and has given me the best advise about alot of things. When Kato and I first met and we went up to visit her, she told me not to wait to just get married. This was way before we got engaged. I asked her why and she said because she just knew that we were in love and happy and not to waste time. I am sure if I had married him that day she wouldn't have minded but it wouldn't have been the wedding of my dreams, like the one I actually had. Anyway, I always asked her how she put up with a man like my Grandpa for so long. Not that he wasn't a keeper but he was a little rough around the edges at times and I know he got under her skin a time or two but she always told me the same thing...she never put anyone above him except God. She put her husband first and worked it out when needed. She was very sad when he passed and felt very guilty for not being right at his side at the final moment. I told her it was because he didn't want to feel her sadness as he was trying to go to Jesus because it would make it harder for him to go. They believe in God and feel they are ready to meet Him when He calls. Its been a tough year for her. I hope the trip out here will help her remember the wonderful thing she created with my Grandpa, this family. Without her we would not be here. thanks for reading xoxo

Honey Do List COMPLETE

Its not everyday that I ask my wonderful husband to do something around here....ok yes I do. He has a "honey do" list but some of it he adds himself. This weekend I worked him to the bone! He had a bunch of projects to do and surprisingly he finished it. The breezeway project has been completed, at least until we get new flooring. He painted, installed, and touched up a ceiling fan for outside on our front porch. It helps keep the bugs out and its wonderful to sit on the swing or enjoy dinner with a cool breeze. He also painted the ceiling out there so its a nice bright white with no paint chips. Then he sprayed with bug spray and cleaned up with the shop vac. It will be so nice to enjoy the porch without all the spiders and dead bugs from the spiders messing up the place. He also fixed my broken cupboard door in the kitchen, hung new hooks down in Michaels room, so we can get his bow and arrows off the floor, helped organize Alex's toys again, sprayed the outside of the garage where I saw some wasps building a nest, and changed the oil in the car. He did all the laundry, cleaned the kitchen when I got done cooking, bathed the daughter (who was really a mess), cleaned up an accident on the couch when someone fell asleep (not me, one of the kids), dusted the tv area, and went shopping with me to look for some table chairs, grocery items, and paint supplies. After all that he then vacuumed the living room before going to bed and played a little indoor football with Alex. HOLLY SMOKES is he good or is he GOOD!!! Could he be nesting? No, he is the best and I am so thankful that my husband does these types of things for us cause there are alot of husbands out there who put themselves first and don't do things like this for their families. I don't know what I would do without him. Thank you so much Husband, I love you very much!!! thanks for reading xoxo

someone is pissy and its me....

Man am I cranky today. If someone were to say "is anybody here wearing pissy pants?" I would proudly raise my hand. I am hot, sticky, fat, sweaty, tired, swollen, and for some reason I have a stomach ache. Our hot water isn't working and I need it to wash things like my hands after changing a poopy diaper or dishes. I checked the pilot light and I saw a blue flame so its on. The kids are fighting, but not with fists just with words and whiny voices, so its more like bickering and I am at my limit. I tried to close my eyes and get in a quick 10 minute cat nap but it got interrupted when Alex asked if he and Rylee could go outside, then if he could get a juice box, then again when are we going to go outside. It was 2pm and naptime for the rest of the kids. At 3 when everyone was awake, changed, and water was ready we go outside and all I hear is whining about how hot it is or so and so is not letting me do this or I had it first or well if you do this then Im not playing. Too bad I couldn't just put them all in the garage close the door go inside to the cool air conditioning (which by the way feels too hot still but it was cooler then outside) take a nap and periodically check to make sure no one is bleeding. I hope I sleep better tonight so I am not pissy tomorrow cause honestly I hate it when I am like this. thanks for reading xoxo

Underware Boy

Sometimes, and mostly lately, Alex does not like to have his picture taken but I could not resist the opportunity to get a shot of "UNDERWARE BOY!" If you look close enough at the one with Jade in it, she too, likes to show off her goodies as her skirt is flipped up. Yes everything was clean and fresh from the dryer. thanks for reading xoxo

Fathers Day Weekend

We had a great weekend although I was mostly tired and felt drained. Saturday we had to get some supplies for the breezeway project. It got painted and fixed up real nice. Grocery shopping again. I took Alex, Olivia, and Bailey to the pool for about an hour before they all went to Toy Story 3. Once returned we went out to dinner to one of the boy's favorites, Pizza Ranch. Actually I think any all you can eat buffet is their favorite. Its like I never feed them, but I do. Anyway, Sunday was Fathers Day so we went to breakfast with Jayne and Keith to the Riley Tavern. They only serve pancakes and sausage but you get to pick what kind of pancakes and since its a seasonal thing they offered blueberry, cranberry, chocolate chip, and buttermilk. My favorite was the cranberry. Alex gobbled up some chocolate chip and Jade enjoyed some blueberry. It was so good. Once back home Alex swam in our pool, Kato finished up, what he could, in the breezeway, and I was almost too tired to do anything. I harvested my lettuce, cleaned up what I could and enjoyed a salad. The breezeway looks awesome. I picked a dark brown color for the bottom, added a chair rail and picked a light blue for the top. Kato put up a shelf that needs to be painted and added some hooks to the chair rail so the little kids can hang up their own stuff. We are planning to get new flooring and maybe a new light fixture. I really like it. Kato did the work and bless his heart for doing such a great job. I am very lucky to have such a handy man around. I don't know what I would do without him. Kato got a new flip camera for fathers day and I can't wait to use it. I hope he had a good weekend. Happy Fathers Day Big Daddy!!! Love you! thanks for reading xoxo

Water Fun Water Problems...

I took the daycare kids to the pool for the first time this season and it went pretty smoothly. I had talked with the older kids early in the morning about how we were going to go but we would not be able to swim in the big pool. I would like to be able to do that but with two babies who also want to be in the water I would not be able to watch the big kids along with the little kids. And if something were to happen there is no way I could be in two places at the same time. So for now we will stick with the little pool. The kids seemed ok with that for now and they seemed to understand. I would however love to get them in the big pool at least once cause from last year to this year their swimming abilities have greatly improved. Jade fell under about 4 times and by the third time she figured out to just stand up. She never cried about it. The kids had fun and I was glad to be able to take them. It was alot of work for me and I hope the next time it will be easier.

The city has been doing construction on the road one block over from us and it reeked havoc yesterday on our water supply. Apparently something happened and they had to turn off the water WITHOUT NOTICE!! I had 7 kids here and 5 of them are potty trained. Of course Alex was the first to tell me something was wrong. I guess the other kids didn't want to tell me the toilet wouldn't flush. Anyway, I called right away and told them I had daycare kids we are without extra water supply. They said it would be turned on by noon. IT WASN'T. I melted some ice from the freezer for a little bit of water and told the kids to not flush the toilets. Of course when you say that to the kids then they all have to go and they all did. I was not a happy camper cause it seemed they were going more then usual just cause the water was off. I checked the water before we left for the pool and it seemed to work but sporadically. Once we got home from the pool I quickly tried it and again it wasn't working right. The kids and I went to get something to eat and when we came back again problems with the water. I called the utilities and talked with the on call guy who ended up coming over and working on it cause he said things should be normal, they weren't. I ran the sink water and flushed the toilet at the same time and all the water shut off. After 45 minutes he got things back up and running. I was happy he fixed it even if it was a pain in the butt. Hopefully we won't have that problem again but with construction lasting for another 2 months I sure won't hold my breath! thanks for reading xoxo

Coo Coo for Zhu Zhu

Know what a Zhu Zhu Pet is? They are little mechanical hamsters that make all sorts of squeaking noises and have little wheels on the bottom so they can zoom around in a random chaos style. They come in different colors and have names and birthdates. The kids love them and for the most part they are not that bad of a toy...except that the kids want them like crazy!! I got one for Luci last year for her birthday, before they were the mad craze they are today. Alex got one for Easter and another one after his 5 year check up (not that he deserved it, you can read about it in a prior blog of mine) so now he has 2. I am sure I will have to get one for Jade cause thats how it is, if Alex has one she wants one too. Yesterday I gave one to Rylee for her birthday. So we had four Zhu Zhu pets going at once. The kids loved it. They were going in circles all over the kitchen. We tried to race them but they don't go in a straight line so no one really won. The Zhu Zhu's took over and now because not every kid has one they are starting to fight over them. They are taking turns but its not always easy. Kinda glad its a nice day so we can get outside and take a break from Zhu Zhu land. thanks for reading xoxo

Sympathy Pains or just an excuse for more ice cream...

Every night after I go to bed my husband hunkers down for his "relaxation time." He comes home from work around 6:15-6:30 on a normal night and we eat dinner. Shortly after dinner the kids want a Mr. Freeze popcicle. Sometimes Jade is fussy and wants only her Daddy and Alex wants to wrestle Dad. They fight over him and it gets frustrating. I understand why...they are with me all day so when Daddy gets home they want only him. Daddy gets a little frustrated and doesn't have the patients level to deal with it and sometimes he yells at them, which then I get upset cause I don't understand how he can be home for only a hour and a half and already he is pissy with the kids and their whiny fussy attitudes. Anyway, usually a beer is the best way for him to relax but lately his choice of yummy goodness is ice cream. So now every night after I go to bed and he is basically alone, sometimes Alex is with him, he enjoys a bowl of ice cream. Tonight I had to go to the grocery store and I debated for 5 minutes about getting him more ice cream or not. I finally decided that if he wants some he can go get it cause maybe he is ready for something other then chocolate chip mint. After dinner tonight he asked if I wanted to go for a walk. I said no because I needed to go out again to get a gift for someone and I didn't want to take the kids. He asked if I needed something from Sentry and I knew instantly that he was going for ice cream. I saw his empty container in the garbage this morning. He then says to me "I don't know whats wrong with me I never used to be like this...do you think its the pregnancy?" I have never craved ice cream during any of my pregnancies but who knows maybe its a sympathy thing. I am just happy that he is able to relax for a few minutes with ice cream before calling it a day, going to bed, and waking up to do it all over again. He's a good man. thanks for reading xoxo

Alex goes swimming...in the rain.

Since Jade was sleeping and it was warm outside I decided to take Alex to the pool. He was super excited to go and wanted to go really bad on Saturday but we had too much to do with Michael leaving and all that we didn't get back in town in time to go. Anyway, he got ready really fast and we decided to drive cause any time I walk anywhere I get contractions and then I get really tired and well I am just to darn fat and pregnant to get that much exercise. So he hustles out and then comes in to inform me we can't go because its raining. I think for two seconds and say well were gonna get wet anyway. So off to the pool we go. The water was freezing and we were getting rained on like crazy but the pool was still open. So he jumps in right away and jumps out even faster cause it was so cold. He wants to get into the big pool but at this point I am not getting in at all so I decided to sit out and just watch. That little fish swam for over an hour while I got rained on. I loved it though cause he was so happy. He asked me what he was swimming like and I would shout out different sea animals like seals, dolphins, penguins, octopus, and otters. After awhile I asked him when he wanted to go and he told me 8 minutes. After the 8 minutes was up he wanted to swim for 10 more seconds, then 80 more seconds, I didn't really care how long we stayed I just wanted him to have fun and enjoy swimming. I asked him when he was done if he had fun and he said "yes, I'll never forget that you took me swimming in the rain, NEVER!" Awesome. thanks for reading xoxo

Michaels Chewing Habit

Sunday, Kato was busy cleaning out Michaels room and the little kids were helping. I went down there to survey and it made me so nervous to see the little kids picking up stuff and touching things that I could hardly stand it. Especially when I see pop cans that have been used as spitters, a cooler which still had food in it from a wrestling tournament, and about 20 spitter jugs and empty chew containers. I guess Michael didn't understand me very well when I said NO CHEW IN THE HOUSE!! I knew he was chewing but there really isn't much I can do at this point. For those of you who say there is something I can do, you probably don't have a teenager. See they do what they want for the most part. If I tell him no chewing, he will just do it somewhere else. I can ground him and not allow him to leave except for school, sports, and work but he will still do it on his way to school, sports, and work. I can tell his coaches who are supposed to not let him play sports but with half the team chewing are they really going to not let them play? I don't give him any money anymore and he hasn't had his first pay check so I don't know how he affords it. Most of his friends chew and so does his dad. I care but what can parents in my shoes do? I have tried alot of things already and when I asked him straight up to stop he said that he probably wouldn't. So feel free to leave a comment as to what to do but don't be surprised if my 16 year old 6 foot 2, 200 pound high school junior laughs it off and keeps the habit. Thank you to my husband who is willing to clean that mess up all day and not go off the deep end! I love you. thanks for reading xoxo

Michael leaves...and leaves a mess!!!

Saturday we had to take Michael to the doctors again for his ring worm. He gets it all the time and he doesn't seem to care. He never washes his sheets or pillow cases and sometimes he doesn't even put pillow cases on his pillows. I am so glad I was never a 16 year old boy cause they are truly disgusting! He said it keeps the "distractions" away (girls) so he can concentrate on sports. WHATEVER! Anyway, he needed something stronger then over the counter stuff cause it was spreading like wildfire and he was getting ready to fly out that night. So after getting the prescription and some wart remover, cause he has those too, it was time to pack up and get ready to go to the airport.

Usually when Michael flies there is some kind of delay or redirected flight issue. Last we checked the weather was fine for flying. We stopped for an early dinner at Cheeseburger In Paradise, hit Target for a gift, then off to the airport. Sure enough his flight was delayed 3 hours due to weather in Denver. He decided to stay and tough it out. I checked the web once we got home and he ended up leaving only 1 hour and 15 minutes late so that wasn't too bad. I haven't heard from him today so I don't know what time he got to Seattle. Hope he has a good time!! Kato has been cleaning his room and let me tell you again 16 YEAR OLD BOYS ARE SOOOOO GROSS!!!! I can't believe the stuff that is coming out of there. No wonder it stinks!! For all you mothers with boys who will be teenagers...get them trained or trade them in now before its too late!! thanks for reading xoxo

Jade wearing Daddy's Hat

Alex got out his daddy's hat from the Navy and Jade really likes wearing it.

Summer Vacation Arrived

Summer is officially here...well summer vacation for the kids from school. Its been a busy week with extra kids all over all the time. Michael has his buddies over in the evening and there are a couple extra daycare kids during the day. Its been nice having them here even if they are loud and my tylenol bottle is empty again. Alex likes having Logan back to play with. The pool is open again and it would be so nice to go however the weather is not cooperating. I hope to get there next week. Last weekend I spent both Saturday and Sunday trying out double strollers with Jade. Its hard to decide but I think I found one that will meet the needs and wants. It should be here soon! Hard to believe I am down to 5 weeks as of Monday. Seems now I have no choice but to get my butt in gear and get things ready. Michael flies out tomorrow and will be gone for a few weeks. Hopefully he will come back in a good mood. Thats all for now. thanks for reading xoxo

Boat Owner and Aunt Gail Update

My husband officially became a boat owner yesterday. With the recent selling of the cottage he was sure to have landed at least the boat but with much sadness it seemed even those hopes were diminished until a quick conversation with the right person, his mom, changed all that. She went down and got the title changed into his name and yesterday the official documents arrived. I was very excited for him cause now I don't have to hear him say all summer "we should get a boat!" The only down side is there is no trailer. So maybe a new phrase will emerge such as "we should get a boat trailer!" Beggars can't be choosers!!

I also learned yesterday that my favorite Aunt Gail (blue shirt yellow apron), who was recently diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer, is undergoing a BRACC test. This will test if she carries the gene that could potentially bring the cancer back if its removed via lumpectomy followed by radiation. If the test is positive this means it is most likely going to come back, if its negative it means it most likely will not. I don't know the exact percentage of probability. My grandmothers breast cancer came back after a lumpectomy and radiation, but that's not to say my Aunties will. She is scheduled to have her lumpectomy on the 24th followed by 6 weeks of radiation. I miss her and love her dearly!! She will be ok and she is a fighter so I am not worried about that it just sucks when bad things happen to really truly good people!! Pray for her please. thanks for reading xoxo