I'm 30!

Can you believe Christmas came and went??! What a fun few days......I woke up early Friday morning to a bunch of presents and little voices singing "happy birthday!" I'm sure you are all wondering about the "thing that goes on my finger" as Alaina told me on Thursday! I didn't get a ring.....but I got something that I really, really wanted. :) Here's a little background first. When I left TN last year my Bunco girls had gotten me a Pandora bracelet with three charms on it....a dice (for my love of Bunco!!), the Chinese meaning for friendship ( I think! I just know its for friendship), and a Bible. I've been telling Tim that if he ever wants to buy me something, I want charms for my bracelet. I even have a booklet with some circled! Of course, he forgot about all that, and last week we drove past a Pandora billboard and I told him again! He remembered this time and went above and beyond! He actually bought me a new bracelet with all the birthstones of my kids with spacers and everything!! I love it. I didn't need the bracelet itself, so on the way out of town I did exchange that for a couple different charms....... I have our 4 kids stones and then on each end its Tim and mine.... all of us are inside the "stoppers" I'll call them......its just two stationary charms that keeps the "insides" in the middle. Then on one side I have my dice and Friendship and on the other side the bible and an angel. I still have room for more, so I'm hoping he remembers for Mother's Day or any other time! :) I'll have to take a picture of it sometime....its hard to explain and make sense! I love it. :)

I also got a spa package.......as he said it was to go massage away my 30 year old wrinkles!! And, a purse (the Sak).....its one that I showed him and said "this would be a nice present!" I'm amazed at how he remembered!! :) Its so fun to see how the kids just get so excited. I always tell Tim that maybe you don't care so much about your birthday, but there are 3 (now 4) little people that think it is a BIG deal! I love birthdays in our house. :)

We got all packed up and drove North. Tim's parents met us and took the 3 big ones home with them and we met my parents, Amy & Vince (and little V), and Aaron & Jenny at the Brett Favre Steakhouse. It was so good!! We had so much fun......

Then on Saturday Tim and I shopped around Green Bay.....its funny, I'm not a big football fan, but we did Brett Favre on Friday night and Lambeau field on Saturday. We ate at Curly's there......it was really neat! And, a great restaurant! I highly recommend both places!

I can honestly say that I was stressing a little bit about turning 30, but its really not so bad!!

I'm not sure how to download pictures here at my mom's, but I'll try to figure that out and post some. I could go into Christmas Eve and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but I won't now. We had a blast........and the kids thought it was all way too incredible! Then today we went sliding behind the 4 wheeler with my dad......it was the yellow 4 wheeler (Anthony!) then Caleb first, Erik second, Annika, then Alaina, and last Ryan.....it was a train! We had a blast. Those pictures I will for sure have to post. We are praying for more snow!! With 5 sleds in tow, its way too funny. :)

I'll write soon. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!! You have to check out this youtube....it will bring tears to yours eyes and will make you think about what's really important! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY

Backwards....

I'm writing all these posts in the wrong order! So, if you read starting with Isabel's 2 month pictures to the top then you'll be in order. :) Here's the last picture.....a nice one of Auntie Lissy and Uncle Brian with the 3 kids.....Annika just got out of the shower and Alaina was on her way in, so I guess its a nice one of 1/2 of them!!

Rhonda.....

I was so excited.....the last present opened this morning was an iRobot Roomba......I couldn't believe it!! We were at Costco last week and I told Alaina to tell Daddy that I wanted one of those for Christmas. I didn't think she'd remember and I really didn't expect to get one! Well, they went shopping on Sunday.....she told me that the Jewelry store was closed, so they had to go to Costco instead! But, she couldn't tell me what they got...... I named her Rhonda and she was going to be a little helper cruising around all day vacuuming.....it was going to be great. Well......this afternoon after all the Christmas programs and excitement ended I went to open her up and get her going.....but I just couldn't do it. It seemed so frivilous and expensive! I love to vacuum (its the dirty stuff I hate!)......I couldn't see myself using her. And, we could use that money someplace else.....so I had to tell Tim to take her back. It broke my heart, but I knew it was the best thing to do. Here is Tim on his way out the door...... him and Alaina went out shopping for my birthday......apparently Rhonda was for my birthday, but when he saw that there were two presents under the tree with his name on them, he ran and wrapped her up and gave it to me early. The Total Gym was our Cmas present.....he didn't realize that the iPod he got was a hand me down and the gloves he bought himself on Saturday!! I really didn't buy him anything!! So, now him and Alaina are out shopping for my birthday. Alaina said she can't tell me what they are going to buy, but it goes on my finger!! How cute was that?!! She is good at keeping secrets......for the most part. She likes to give hints!

Letter to.....Brian??!

Here is a letter that Alaina left out last night. She wrote it all by herself.....no help from us. Not for Santa, but for Uncle Brian! It says "Brian, Dot tak d sukr and da krakr. Is for Satikluklall." She put out Saltines and a sucker! Santa wrote her back and told her to put out Chocolate Chip Cookies next year!

Christmas in Cary...

Christmas came early here. We leave for MI tomorrow.....my 30th birthday!! So, Santa came last night. We've been drilling into the kids that Christmas is not all about Santa......it's about Jesus. Santa is just a helper. :) They get to tell Santa one thing that they want....because God gave us one gift for Christmas and that was Jesus. And, what does God want from us for Christmas? Just us! To love him and honor him! This Christmas season has been really fun with them. What a big time. It gets more fun as the kids get older. They know what's going on now and really get into it. We've been finding Jesus in the things that come around at Christmas.....such as the Candy Cane and the Christmas tree. Its fun when they bring things to my attention that I might overlook!

I had to make a run to Toys R Us last night while the kids were at Awana.....what a zoo. But, I did find a Wedding Barbie.....actually they were out of the official wedding Barbie, but this Disney Enchanted Wedding doll was a good replacement. You will see that Lis and Brian (Tim's sister) were here for a night!! They are on their way to North Carolina from North Dakota..... It was a little shock to hang out with the 6 of us......a little louder and wilder than the two of them all the time! It was fun to have them here. :) You'll see the big Christmas present was the Total Gym.....hopefully by June or so Tim will be looking like Chuck Norris and I'll look like Christy Brinkley! We'll see. Its exciting.....no excuses anymore!

2 Months!

Isabel's 2 months old! She's put on a little weight in the past month! She is such a sweetheart. In her one month picture she was with a dog....I thought she needed something different, so we got out this lamb. Now we'll be able to see how big she gets a little better! Thanks to Uncle Rick and Sheila.....I know the lamb came from you a few years ago!!

Backfired!!

I thought I was Mrs. Cool Mom thinking I finally learned how to get my kids to "be good" while at a store. Its very simple.....I just put three little stickers on their hands. If they misbehave or wander off, I take a sticker off. If they have at least one sticker left when we leave they are suppose to be able to get a treat on the way out or some other reward. I haven't even had to buy them anything b/c the thrill of the stickers has been enough! I've been doing this for a couple weeks and it works! Well, I should say it worked! This week I had Erik, Annika, and Isabel with me and we had to pick up a few things while Alaina was at gymnastics. Before getting out of the van we got the stickers out and they got to pick which color smiley faces they wanted. We went over the ground rules one more time as we always do before entering a public place (this is basically for Annika who tends to forget)! We were doing good trying to find what we needed......then Annika started running up and down the aisle touching all the food boxes on the way down! I called her back and told her I was going to have to take a sticker b/c la dee da......well, I've never had to take a sticker from any child before! She started to cry because she only had two and she wanted three.....she cried and cried and obviously my whole plan was not working! A few aisles down I finally had to give her the sticker back.....then she was fine. I guess she didn't quite understand the point of this exercise!!

I do need to say that if you are looking for a way to get your kids to stay close, it works great for Erik and Alaina.......I'll have to figure something out for Annika!

How to Make a Christmas Cookie

Erik, Alaina, and Annika are going to demonstrate how to make a real simple, yet yummy, Christmas cookie that is easy to give away! First of all you need to unwrap a lot of Hershey Kisses. The white chocolate/peppermint ones are the best and prettiest, but the two stores we went to didn't have them, so we are using the mint truffle ones and almond ones. Next, you line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and fill it with waffle type pretzels. Then put a hershey kiss in the middle of each one. Easy, right?? Bake it for 6 minutes at 170 degrees. Oh, and do not turn your back on your three year old when the cookies are in the oven!

Ohhh.....this girl is going to be the end of me!! At least it isn't lipstick!! Note that the Mint Truffle Kisses are a lot softer than a regular Hershey Kiss!!

After you get the little chocolate clown cleaned up, the cookies should be done. Simply plop a M&M in each center and let them cool! We just put them outside on deck to harden up. For you Southerners, the fridge might work better.

We got little candy bags and each of the kids decided who they wanted to give their bags to. It was really a fun activity and they didn't lose interest. Well, the big kids didn't lose interest. Isabel thought it was a little boring. *grin*

Breakfast with Santa

I do have to admit that the Santa was a little cheesy this time. There was nothing fancy, no dressed up elf helper....just a chubby little girl with an elf hat....but the kids still thought it was so cool! Here's what they told Santa they wanted:

Alaina - "Merry Barbie with the pretty Christmas dress."

Erik - "A Spider Man toy....any one."

Annika - "Presents." "What kind of presents?" asked Santa. "Ummmmm, purple ones!"



There was a boy sitting just down the table from us. He must have been about 8 or so. He just pipes up and tells my kids that that was NOT the real Santa! What a little stinker! Obviously, the real Santa is a little more put together than this guy, but he didn't have to play "Mr. Cool" and say that! But, my kids didn't care. Alaina did say that he had a fake beard, though! And, Erik still thinks that the real Santa lives in TN, because we went to "his house" last year before we moved. Now, that I have to say, was cool. It's at the Carriage Crossing for those of you in TN! You have to go! He also gives out M&Ms rather than candy canes!

Erik was on a sugar high all day just from the syrup!! We always have real maple syrup, so it was fun to play with this stuff because it was so thick! He had a second helping after these were gone and he tripled the amount of syrup on that plate!

A Little Much...

Erik came running into the office tonight saying that we needed to get into the kitchen right away because Annika was doing something that wasn't good. When I got there she just said, "Don't worry Mom, I won't get a tummy ache!" Can you tell she really likes cottage cheese??!!

Snowy Day

My heart goes out to single moms! Tim's been gone 3 nights this week and I thought I was doing pretty good.....until now! I am exhausted!! I have good kids, but they are just wearing me down!! Tim comes home later this afternoon and the babysitter comes at 5. YEAH!! We were suppose to host a Christmas party here tonight for 18 people, but with Isabel and her big week, we backed out of hosting. Actually, we backed out of the whole party.....we're going to on a date instead. I most likely won't do much talking.....just to sit and look at Tim will be fine! Izzy's coming with us, so we are going to go get some Christmas shopping done, as well. We need to get some white lights for our tree.....last Friday the kids and I put the tree up (or as they say put the tree together).....and we only had lights that work on the bottom. But, the bottom is where all the ornaments are because the kids did all the decorating! I left at 8:30 Saturday morning and didn't get home until 11 on Monday, then Tim left right after that, so our tree has been half naked all week. I guess it makes for a good story for the scrap books.

We got some more snow last night. The kids think its the best thing! I'm just going to stay "snowed in" today until Tim gets back. Its really pretty and it makes it feel like Christmas. Josh Groban's Christmas CD is playing and the peppermint candle is burning. Tomorrow we go have breakfast with Santa.....the kids are thrilled. Then we have to go shopping for Baby Jesus. Erik and Annika have to bring a present for a baby for the "Home of the Sparrow". Its a place where Mom's can take their families if they are in an abusive situation or are in need of a place to stay. For the kids' Christmas program they bring the presents they bought and give them to Baby Jesus at the altar at church. So, we need to take them shopping for something that they think Baby Jesus would need or want. I'm sure it will be interesting to see what they pick out!

The kids are picking up there rooms now, but I hear a big fight happening! Erik and Annika....and Annika's crying. I have to go break it up and help them out. I just tell them I'm coming with the vacuum.....turn it on and start for their rooms and its amazing how fast they get cleaned up.

Enjoy your day!!

Winter!

Winter is officially here. We woke up this morning to about 6 inches of snow on the ground. The kids just could not believe it. After breakfast Erik and Alaina went downstairs and got their snowpants and the whole outfit on with no help from mom! They played and played....there is not a foot of yard outside with no footprints! They were out there for about 1 1/2 hours and came in with red cheeks looking for some hot chocolate. Tim and I are still in denial that winter is here....he is not one who likes to be cold and after 4 Tennessee winters, I feel the same! We did have to go on a snowpants mission today. Annika does not have any yet....and all the stores I hit this afternoon were sold out. Tim did find some this evening, so all is well for school tomorrow. :)

Isabel went back to the doctor today for a check-up after her RSV weekend. She has an ear infection and a super goopy eye. This poor thing! I guess the RSV has cleared in her chest and now it just moved up. She's on antibiotics for 10 days and hopefully by then she'll be over this. She's not fussy, though, and has gain 1/2 pound since Saturday! She's up to 11 lbs. 7 oz. I think she's going to be a "marshmellow" baby like Annika. I love it.

Sick!

This weekend it wasn't Annika in the ER! It was little Izzy.....poor thing! She was having a hard time breathing and was so sleepy & not eating well on Friday, so I took her to the Dr. on Saturday morning. The doctor sent me right over to the ER and made arrangements so I did not have to wait because I "had a very sick little girl and she needed treatment right away," I heard her tell the ER over the phone. She gave me the worst case scenerio so I could be prepared, so it was pretty scary. Luckily the ER was right next door. I felt like I was on "ER"......there Izzy was on the bed with 5 doctor's and nurses all doing something to her. She tested positive for RSV and they took some blood and gave her a breathing treatment and then admitted us to the hospital. She is so small and to see her sick was really difficult! I've gone through the hospital scene when Erik and Annika got their tonsils out, but this was a little different. She did super, though. She slept from 2 on Saturday until 4 Sunday morning. I had to work really hard to get her to nurse, and she never even opened her eyes during 4 breathing treatments! Yesterday she perked up and was doing a lot better, so last night was basically just for observation in case she got worse......she didn't. :)

I did get to watch a lot of the Food Network and HGTV while she slept!! So, I have some new Christmas ideas, but I'm sure won't have time to put them into action. I was starting to go crazy last evening and when Tim and the kids came to switch cars with me Erik was all concerned about my red eyes! Apparently they got blood shot watching too much TV!! I didn't come prepared, so I had nothing to do.....the nurse gave me scrubs to wear to bed. Tim couldn't bring me anything b/c I had the van with all the car seats and Saturday night was an ice storm. But, we all survived.

Isabel's a trooper and I pray this isn't the beginning of many more sicknesses for her. Being she is so young, I'm scared she'll be prone to it. I guess we'll see what this year holds.

My camera died at the hospital, so I only have this one from her sleeping in the big bed.


Here she is right after we got home with her stickers that hold the oxygen tubes still on her cheeks!

And, here she is all peaceful on the way home.

Please keep her in your prayers as we head into the cold and flu season. I do not want her to have to go through this again! As I think of it, please pray that the older kids stay healthy....they are the ones that would bring the "ickies" home to her! A good thing did come out of this already......Tim realized how hard it is to be a stay-at-home mom (or dad!). It was funny to listen to him talk about how he had such good intentions about getting the house cleaned and the floors mopped....yadda, yadda.....but just couldn't get it done with the kids being around and all the interruptions. So....I get to get a cleaning lady. God is good. *grin*