{Ahh..the little things}

Happy Birthday .... to ME

Today is my #32 birthday & I looooooove birthdays! 

I am such a kid  :)  I still want special treatment, and a cake, and everyone to spoil me...you get the picture!  I think my husband probably hates my birthday because I love it so much, LOL!  I told him I must have a cake, even if that means he buys one (and because he laughed when I asked if he was making me a cake!!)  we settled on the kids & I making one today, which we did last year and had lots of fun.  This year it will be strawberry with strawberry icing...all pink just like I make Ellie each year ~ YUM!

As for the rest of the day...Harry took Kaden to school, giving me a break from the 6 degree temp this AM!!  My mom is taking me out to lunch, and we are not sure yet about dinner.  It might be a nice evening out, and if not I will insist on carry out from a GOOD restaurant (maybe Outback??)

My birthday gift to you all ~ laughter.  I've had this site open for two days, sitting to read whenever I get the chance.  Seriously FUNNY stuff  :)  Enjoy!

*updating to add Ellie has listened to this about 10 times already this morning & we have been laughing like crazy the entire time  :)  Thanks pioneer woman, you've made my birthday FULL of giggles so far!! http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/confessions_of_a_pioneer_/2006/09/farewell_dear_r.html

Off to enjoy my English toffee cappuccino...

Vacation??

Today while in the shower Harry yelled out to me...

"Honey, do you wanna go to Florida?  Like around Spring Break?"

and my answer ~  "Ummmm....YES!!  Of course I do "

We had been planning a trip for  Spring Break '07 (end of March) before Ava came along.  Once I became pregnant, we decided to scratch it, as it did not sound like much fun with a young baby.  But, considering it is in the teens here right now, Florida is sounding GREAT to me.  We checked his work schedule & Kaden's school schedule, and it looks like Spring Break is actually the first week in April this year.  The funny part is that the last time we went to Florida & Disney (in 2004) we ended up in Disney on Harry's birthday (April 6th).  It looks like we may be there again, but most likely not on that exact day as it falls on Friday and we will probably do Disney mid-week.  I am SOOOO excited with just the thought of a warm vacation, as we skipped last year with my being pregnant.  I LOVE the beach!  And I LOVE watching my kids enjoy the ocean.  We are thinking that we'll stay on the beach for most of the vacation & travel to Orlando area just for a day or two and hit Disney.  It will be hard not to go to Sea World too, so I imagine we'll spend a day there as well!?

I have not started looking for hotels/etc, but this morning I was doing some online shopping for Valentine T's for the girls.  I received a Target gift card that needs spending & we do not get there often, so I decided to order something for them.  So, I place the order & forget ot use the darn card, LOL!  I went back on the site and started looking at these for our trip:

I figured that I need a new one for summer even if we do not end up going.  Which do you prefer?  I have blue eyes & like blue in my swimsuits, but think that black one is VERY cute too!  Plus, it looks like the black offers a little more coverage & now that I've just delivered my fourth child, my stomach is not something that should be showing :)  Okay, so I lost that option two kids ago...but who's keeping track??

Of course, I am keeping track, and in fact just wore a pair of pre-pregnancy jeans yesterday for the first time ~ YAY!  I have not even worked out yet, so I am hoping that I can lose the rest of the 10 I am hanging onto, and maybe a few more too.  Now that I am through having kiddos it would be nice to get back into GOOD shape.  Now if I can brave the weather to hit the gym, I would be doing great  :)

I hate even leaving to take the kids to & from school right now when it is this cold.  Yesterday, we ventured "up North" to visit my Dad.  He lives right on St. Mary's Lake & it was only 14 degrees there, not counting the wind chill off the lake....BRRRR!  It looked like we were in the Artic, as I have never seen the lake frozen over the way it was.  It was VERY pretty!  Of course, I forgot to pack the camera, so no pics to share :(   but it was GORGEOUS none the less.   We had a fun day with "Grandpa at the Lake" (as the kids call him) eating pizza and going bowling.  Kaden kicked butt, and Ellie & Zander only lasted about 3-4 frames each.  They spent the rest of the time running around (much like I did as a little one at the bowling alley) while Kaden finished all the games, then played another against Harry. 

Today we had a strange scratching noise coming from a closed off chimney, and I immediately called Harry telling him to come home NOW... for fear that the cover would fall out & whatever was scratching in there would be in the house.  I was thinking it was a squirrel because we see them coming & going into the soffit every now and then, and I DID NOT want a squirrel running loose in here!!  So, Daddy rescued us  :)  Turned out to be a bird & it was actually quite funny seeing him try to get it out without letting it into the house.  He & his friend ended up catching it in an outside trash can and then letting it go .  What a way to start the day!

Ellie had a pajama party at pre-school too, so things have just been a little backwards today.  She & Zander had a bath, then she put on jammies again to go to school.  Of course, she picked a summer Barbie night gown, so I made her wear long sleeves and pajama pants under it.  With that and her snow boots, she looked too cute for words this morning.  Again, no pictures...I'll have to try to get one after school!

Well, with all of the bird excitement this AM, I missed my shower.  Ava & Zander are napping now so I need to take this chance to get one :)  Have a great week!!

*I decided to add a link to our last beach vacation to Myrtle Beach in 2005*

http://littlejones.photosite.com/Album2/

grateful

Okay, so I admit, I felt like blogging today but was at a loss for things to talk about (?!? strange for me, I know).   So, I went looking for prompts & found this idea:

Why are you are grateful for the winter season? List 10 (or more) specific things you are grateful for.

I like it because being grateful always brightens my day...

1. happy healthy kids (so far anyway)
2. snow days (with BIG flakes)
3. warm yummy drinks (chai, apple cider, cappachino)
4. candles burning
5. fuzzy blankets
6. hot bubbles baths
7. warm slippers
8. cuddling with family
9. hot chocolate after the kids are outside
10. seeing their cute cold red noses

Those are some of my favorite things about winter (not really in order).  I am a summer kind of girl, but I LOVE the beauty the Ohio Winter brings.  Snow is just SO pretty as it falls (and covers the wet brown ground). 

I must admit I miss this though...look at that GREEN grass, and that sun-tanned brown skin!!

 

YAY Friday

I must say that I am feeling like ME today :) 

I went to bed about 8:30 on Wednesday night and was able to sleep much better because little Ava was not congested.  I just took the day "off" yesterday (which in four kids land just means lots of TV and no house cleaning, LOL!) to be honest, I did not even shower!  I made it to bed by 10:00 last night and slept well again, so today I am feeling rested and in good spirits.

I was even patient as I was being "paged" by three kiddos at once.  Harry laughed and said I am like a maintance man, always being called by someone for something, and I can not finish one job without being asked to start another.  This morning it was clothes for Kaden, juice for Zander, and Ava needing nursed.  All of this, and I had been awake for all of 10 minutes.  The joys of having all young kids, they all still need me for lots of things.  I know there will come a time when they need me less and I will not know what to do with myself anymore.  But who am I kidding...that will take YEARS!  Heck, my mom just came with me for my surgery, so I am 31 (almost 32!!) years old...and still needing her :)

Say a prayer today for my best friend.  She just had her baby on the 15th and had been having kidney stone problems through her pregnancy.  The pain returned this week & she now has what looks like a blocked Kidney.  They are doing surgery this morning to remove her stint and see what is causing the pain/blockage.  I am hoping it is another stone that they will remove today & praying that the stint does not have to go back in.  She has been through enough already!!

Ava is paging me...gotta run :)

three years ago

I got a horrible phone call. 

It was early in the AM (I am thinking 9ish) so Harry was still home.  The phone rang and it was my friend's sister, knowing that my friend was due the next day I was SOOO excited...and said "Did she have her baby yet?"

I remember a long, strange pause.  Then she said "She was stilborn, they do not know what happened.  E wants you to come to the hospital."  I can't remember what I said, but I remember that I hung up the phone and collapsed on the couch in tears.  Harry & the kids freaked out because I could not tell them what was wrong.  I cried from the deepest part of me, like I never cried before.  I then said "E's baby DIED!!" not exactly the way that I should have explained things since the kids were right there & worried, and I was about 2 mths pregnant with Zander at the time.

I started this post yesterday & never came back to finish.  My point was just to be remembering little Toni Nicole & her Momma, not rehashing all of the details/pain.  I guess I needed to talk about it though, because this post came of it.

When I arrived at the hospital they had already taken her to the morgue & a funeral guy arrived soon after.  It was very strange to me how quickly things happened, yet I know now it is just the way things work.  E was so strong through it all, but later told me she was just *numb* and remained that way for at least a week.  The funeral was TOUGH to say the least, and the days/weeks that followed are forever engraved on my heart. 

I love you E, and think of you and little Toni often  :)

blah kind of day

Yes, today is just that.  And here is why...

• Ava had a stuffy nose through the night, so she kept me awake off and on all night (nurse/choke/breathe/nurse/sleep/wake up hungry/repeat again & again)
• I am tired (see above)
• I STILL feel rundown & just physically exhausted
• I spent all AM engorged while she napped (e-x-t-r-a long due to not sleeping all night!!)
• I missed MOPS because I just did not have the energy to get everyone up & out today
• I had to go to the grocery this AM & we were out of EVERYTHING
• I am tired
• I need a nap & can't take one until hubby gets home, and I am cranky
• A cranky Mom usually makes cranky kids ( we just picked up Kaden so let the fighting begin....)
• Ellie had a sore throat this morning (says she is better now) but I am sure she's getting sick
• Zander wants to play playdough (and I don't feel like cleaning it up today...out of the carpet, off of the shoes, covering the kitchen floor, etc.)
• My best friend had a baby LAST MONDAY and I have not been able to see her again since the day she was born due to either me or my kids feeling yucky
• I feel like I want to eat the entire kitchen full of snacks (that I should not have bought today) and curl up on the couch with a blanket
• my stitches are itchy
• I am tired...did I mention that??

So, I think I will head to the couch with my favorite fleece blanket, grabbing a caffine free MtDew and some port wine cheese and crackers & watch Oprah.  Maybe that will make me feel all better  :)

edited to add: even Oprah is blah to me today AND my cheese & crackers taste yucky *(SIGH)*

SHUT UP HER...

Just when I think that my little Ava is not so fussy, it seems that everyone else has had enough of her...

One day last week I heard her SCREAMING and walked in to find Zander's little hands cupped over her mouth (I'm talking, suffocation style here) and I quickly grabbed her and yelled for Harry.  I was in shock and when I finally collected myself and asked him what he was doing he replied "I shut up her!"  Harry talked with him about how dangerous for Ava that was, etc. while I sat there comforting her ~ my heart breaking.  I know he had NO idea what he was doing, but it was such a sad/scary sight.

  Within the same few days Ellie squealed at her while she cried because Ellie could not hear the TV, and on another occasion, Kaden said "Ava...come on...BE QUIET!!"  while he tried to watch football.  This weekend, I also saw a drawing he made at at school of his two youngest siblings.  It said "My brother is funny.  My sister is a crybaby" !   Honestly, at first I giggled, but then I felt saddened by it.  Poor Ava, it seems that they are all tired of her crying.

The topper was last Friday.  I had surgery Thursday & the kids went to my in-laws for the day on Friday so that I could rest.  They called after ONE HOUR asking for her swing, etc...something to make her happy.  Ummmm, that would be YOUR ARMS....ALL DAY LONG.  They came to get the swing, and when Daddy picked the kids up, he got  "I would go crazy if I had a baby like her" and "Boy... Ava cries ALOT!!"

So much for me thinking I could get away.  Looks like Daddy & I are the only ones with enough patience for our little cranky lady  :)  I really think she seems much better now too, LOL!  She smiles more, and lays on the floor with her play gym for longer periods now, and she has even started some cooing/talking (still more like gurgling) back to us in response.  I am enjoying her SO much more and feel like she is only really fussy when she is overly tired.

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As for me, I am healing up just fine.  I am still pretty tired/worn down feeling, and I caught a chest/sinus cold somewhere along the line, so that has been tough on top of the pain of surgery.  Anyone that has had any kind of abdominal surgery knows that coughing HURTS, and I have a cough.  It seems to be dying down some today,  and I also did not take any pain meds...so that is a good sign.   Hopefully in the next few days I will be feeling more like myself and less like the zombie that I've been since Thursday, LOL.   My body just does not do well with anesthesia  and I was out all day Thursday (my poor Mom waited in the hospital with me until 3:00PM, when I should have been awake between 11-12).  Then I came home and slept until 8:00 when I finally felt like getting up, then I threw up when I did (fun stuff)!  On Friday morning I was up and moving around for about an hour or two, but back to bed off and on for hours at a time. 

Today it is back to real life and I am struggling a bit to stay moving.  I need a nap!!  I do have time before I have to get the kids from school, but getting Zander to lay down with me is the problem.  Ava always naps this time of day, so maybe I can get him to at least watch TV in my bed so I can dose off for a little nap.  It's worth a try  :)

home & recovering

I'll post the details another time, but I am home and recovering from my surgery.

The kiddos are all at grandma & grandpa's for the day, so I have a VERY QUIET house.  I am soooo tired and quite sore, so I hope to sleep most of the day away.

Just wanted to ck in and let everyone know that I was fine and to say THANKS for the thoughts & prayers, they are MUCH appreciated!!

busy days

have kept me from keeping up on my blog & from checking others (which I love to do during my down time here). 

Monday the kids were off school and my best friend's baby girl KAMRYN was born  :)  She was 7lbs 8 oz and 20 inches long & absolutely adorable!  She has 2 other girls that are very blond, but this little one has darker hair.  She has the most squeezable chubby cheeks for a newborn...too cute!

Tuesday I had pre-admission testing for my surgery this Thursday.  Yes, it is official...I am getting my tubes tied.  Our family is complete with Ava, so I decided that I should have this done.  I am nervous because it is permanent, but know that it is best for us. 

We are blessed with four children, so I'll count my blessings, and move to the next stage of my life.  It is hard to believe that I'll never have another baby though  :(   I am having a hard time with that part of it. 

Poor little Ava will never be allowed to grow up, as I'll try to keep her a baby for much too long, I'm sure. 

This morning Kaden had an awards ceremony where he was the only one to get 4 awards & he was very proud of that (of course I was too).  The two that I was most excited about were that he was 1 of 3 children in the whole 1st grade to get all O's (for outstanding) on his grade card.  He also received an award from his gym teacher for being a great example & good listener.  That was extra special because they only chose one student!!  YAY Kaden :)

Today I am just catching up on cleaning the house, and I am lucky that today is not my day in the carpool to pre-school,  so I get to stay home until after school.  It is FREEZING here today, so staying in makes me VERY happy.  Maybe I'll bake some cookies or something...it is just that kind of day.

Please pray that my sugery goes well tomorrow & that I am able to get lots of rest & relaxation, so that I am able to heal quickly. 

all better

Ava is all better :)

Things are just busy around here with the kiddos being off school.  Sleeping in is great and I am looking forward to it tomorrow too! 

Here is to hoping they cooperate, LOL!