Halloween fun...

Well here we are again, another Halloween and our kids no nothing about carving pumpkins. Both Thayne and I HATE carving pumpkins so we decided before we even had kids that we would not do that as a tradition in our home and so far we have had no complaints or from our kids. I do think we'll probably draw faces on pumpkins or I've actually seen fake pumpkins you can buy at craft stores that are carve-able, which I wouldn't be against. But right now, Halloween is all about costumes and candy, not pumpkins, for our family.

Jaed is a ninja this year, Josie is a unicorn, and Indi is a princess. I actually bought cheerleading outfits for the girls to wear for Halloween several months ago, but yesterday we went to a store that was having a HUGE Halloween sale (BIG MISTAKE). Indi saw this beautiful purple princess dress that she grabbed and wouldn't let go of. She threw the biggest fit and was crying hysterically when I took it away. My heart was breaking....and ....well...I GAVE IN. I know, I shouldn't have but I did. I confessed to Thayne and he just laughed at me. He knows that my girls can pull my heart strings faster than anyone can.

The Law School had a big halloween bash last night for law students and their families which the kids loved. They gave the kids "evidence" bags and the kids went trick or treating at the professor's office doors. Everyone commented on how dang cute Indi was in her purple dress. A couple of times Indi would do a little twirl for them if they told her how pretty she was. Our kids left the party with very full bags of candy. Indi was even dragging her bag because it was so heavy. I asked if I could help her with it and she said, "No mommy, I help it.". So I just let her drag it along beside her. Josie was our double dipper last night. Almost at every door she would say the routine "trick or treat" and try to grab as many hand fulls as possible before she was told to stop. At first I was so embarrassed but the professors would just laugh and say, "Oh she's a hungry unicorn, it's ok!". We tried to lecture her about it but nothing worked. Jaed even reminded her several times that she better only take one this time, but she was in her own world as usual.

I'll be posting pictures of their costumes tomorrow and I'm sure I'll have great stories to tell after Trick or Treating tonight!

Like Mother like son

I need to start off telling you a little story from my past so that you can understand the gene that I have passed on to my son.

When I was in 5th grade my parents let me get a neighborhood paper route. The first couple of weeks deliverying papers was fun but then it started to get old. My neighborhood friends started tagging along on my paper route and keeping me company which was nice. Then I slowly started letting them throw the papers to the door, and even roll the papers and put the rubber bands on. Within the next couple of weeks I had several neighborhood kids rolling ALL the papers, and deliverying them for me while I played at home and waited for them to finish and report how they did. I remember giving them each a dollar for the month for helping me. This went on for sometime until my parents found out. Boy, did I get into trouble. I had to give up my paper route and got a huge lecture about doing my own job.

Well yesterday we had a "cleaning party" here at our house and I sent Jaed to his own room to pick up his toys while Thayne and I cleaned the kitchen. I heard Jaed calling for Josie and Indi and then saw the girls running up the stairs to Jaed's room. When Thayne and I finished the kitchen, I decided to check on how Jaed was doing. When I got close to Jaed's door, I heard him say, "Ok Josie, now put all my legos in this bucket here. And Indi, you pick up my dragons and put them over there." I quietly peeked inside the room and saw Jaed seating on the bed with a book in his lap and the girls where crawling all over the floor picking up the toys. I guess Jaed thought they needed a bit more motivation because he said, "If you pick up all the toys girls, I'll let you play with three legos." Indi eagerly responded, "OK!". I decided to break up the slave labor scene and walked in the room. Jaed's eyes got huge and jumped off the bed and started picking up toys. I told the girls to go see dad and Jaed and I had a little talk about doing his own job.

Settling in

We've been in the house almost one week now and it feels so comfortable. My dishwasher is a huge time-saver and joy! The kids are enjoying the space as well. They have caught on to the rule that food stays in the kitchen rather quickly. I was sure this was going to bea constant fight but to my amazement they have done well. I even make them go to their rooms for an hour of "quiet time" and they are doing great with that. I get to relax, blog, and answer emails while they play in their rooms.

Thayne had a second interview with a large national insurance company today. He left yesterday and will be back later tonight. He really would like to get involved with corporate law so this would be a good fit for him. It would be a summer clerkship for him and then if all goes well over the summer they will hire him full time after his final year of law school. The company is based in Illinos so that's where we would be moving if all goes well with the interview. We should know more in about two weeks.

Jaed is having troubles in school again. I am hoping that it's the move that has disruptive his life a bit and that in a couple of weeks he'll settle down and start doing well.

Josie is also having a little trouble in her two schools. The biggest complaint is the lack of interest in participating in activities. The Joy School that she's in is getting a little more formal than I had hoped for, I think. Two moms have opted out of continuing for their own personal reasons and now I'm left to decided what to do with Josie. My in-laws will pay for a preschool for her if that's what I choose but I just think she's two young to have so much structure in one week. She gets the therapy preschool twice a week and that seems to be good for her, and the Joy School was suppose to be more fun and socialization, I thought. I guess I'll have to think about it some more and decided what's best for her and me.

The kids are so excited for Halloween. Jaed is counting down the days until he can put his costume on. It's so great to see them get excited about such a simple holiday. The Law School has a huge Halloween Party for law students and their families the day before Halloween. All the professors use their offices as "trick or treat" doors and the kids go from one office to the other and ask for candy. I think they get more candy doing that then they do in our own nieghborhood on Halloween night!

The big MOVE!

Ok, now to blog about the move to our new house. Thayne had a fall break last week and didn't have to got to school. We took advantage of the free time and made about two or three loads of boxes, to the new house, a day. By the end of week, we had everything but furniture over at the new house. I even unpacked several of the boxes we took over to the house so I wouldn't be so overwhelmed on the weekend. I know the kids were quite confused. We'd take their toys over and then return to the apartment with nothing. Josie, especially, was upset that her toys got to stay at the new house and she didn't.
On Saturday, we rented a Uhaul and waited for church members to come over and help us out. Thank goodness some showed up (Four great guys!!!!) to help Thayne load and unload all our furniture. Two guys even offered to take their shoes off in the new house and be the ones to carry the furniture from the door to whatever room I directed them. I was amazed at how careful they were not to ding the walls. Maybe I shouldn't be, but when we moved in the past furniture got broken, walls got dinged and we just had to throw up our arms and say "Oh well!". I should say that most of those moves were done by family (siblings) volunteers which we appreciate a ton but maybe you are more careful when you don't know the family moving as well. Who knows!
The worst thing to move was my large commercial size treadmill. Thayne has made comments before that the treadmill is a huge pain to move and since I dont' use it we should sell it. I either ignore him or tell him that if he talks about selling it again I'm going to get mad. I do use it.......when I want to. Ok, so it's not everyday, but it's my treadmill that he bought me and it's my business when I use it. I have gotten in a routine and used it everyday or every other day for a while, but then something happens and I miss using it several days in a row and my routine gets all messed up. I don't know why I feel like I have to explain myself about that stupid treadmill. I guess I just need to find the perfect excuse and writing it out always seems to help! :)
After all the furniture was in the new house, Thayne and I started putting together room by room. Of course, we started with the playroom....thinking that we could get that room ready for the kids and then they would play and leave us alone. We must be really dumb. Here we are, parents of three young children, and we actually thought that they would stay in one room of a new big house and not bother us at all. Can you believe we even got frustrated when they didn't do it? They just folllowed us from room to room and tried to help as much as possible.
When we finished the girls room and I put on their new princess comforter set, Josie and Indi were in heaven. They crawled into bed and pulled the comforter up to their chin and stayed still for several minutes. Indi had graduated from a toddler bed to her first twin bed and she was even more excited than Josie, I think.
We had bought Jaed a Star Wars comforter set for his birthday and when we put it on his bed he was thrilled. He jumped around and climbed in and out of his bed several times. He was sleeping on a futon but we got him a twin bed as welll so he was so excited. That night, all three kids slept all through the night without even one little peep. It was a great night for all of us!

Jaed's Birthday!

Well, I'm settled and ready to blog again. I think I'll start with Jaed's birthday party. After stressing about it for a week and driving myself insane, the party day finally came and I was ready as I was going to get. We had 4 kids RSVP, and I was praying that at least those 4 didn't get sick or forget about the party. My sister flew in from Washington state the day before so she was there to make the party fun even if no one showed up. So, we had everything ready by 12:45 p.m., and the party started at 1:30 p.m. at the park right next to our apartment. At about 1:05, the phone rang and it was a father of one of kids invited to the party wondering why no one was at the park yet. I hurry and grabbed an extra invitation that I had and looked at the time I had put on it and he was right! It said "1:00 p.m.". I thought I was going to die. I knew everyone had shown up and left because we weren't there and the party would have been a flop because of me. I apologized several times to the father on the phone and told him we would be there in less than 5 minutes. My sister and I grabbed the stuff and rushed the kids to the car and we drove 200 feet to the park. We set everything up and waited to see if anyone else was going to show up. To my amazement EVERYONE that RSVP'd showed up a few minutes later than we did (except the father that called) and the party was a success. I was thrilled and was able to relax and enjoy watching Jaed have a great time. At the end of the party, Jaed said "this was the best birthday ever, Mom!". Even with my bad luck with parties, this one was a complete success.

Unfortunately, the adventure didn't end after the party. Thayne had to leave half way through the party for an oral argument he had to give at school, so he took his keys (which I grabbed rushing out the door to get to the park) and the car and left. WELL..... as we gathered things up and started towards home, I realized I had no keys to the house and Thayne wasn't going to be home for at least another hour or more. My sister suggested that we just let the kids play at the park and wait for Thayne, which we did. Josie peed her pants three times and we had no extra clothes, Jaed and Indi played in the mud, and my sister and I were starting to get cold. I finally took Josie's shirt off and made her wear it as a skirt so that I could take her wet pants and underwear off. She had a sleeveless undershirt on under her shirt, and that was it. After about an hour we walked home and waited in front of the door for another 25 minutes but no Thayne. We decided to walk to a friend's house to call Thayne and see if he was on his way home or not. We had to walk to three different friend's house to find someone home but Thayne didn't answer his phone. As we were leaving the friend's house, Thayne had called back and my friend chased me down with his cordless phone. Thayne had just finished his oral argument and was on his way home. Ten minutes later we were all in the apartment, trying to get warm and relaxing on the couch.

WOW! What a day! Even after the second half of the adventure, Jaed still thought it was the best day ever.
























































(Jaed and his Aunt, my sister)

Keep checking in

We're in the middle of moving to the new house and my sister was in town visiting last week so I haven't had a minute to sit down and do much blogging. I'll update you all after this weekend. We should be settled in the new house and back to our routine. Keep checking back!!!

Throwing a party...

I absolutely hate throwing parties. I've thrown so many parties where only one person (or even none) show up and I"m completely embarrassed forever afterwards. Some how I seem to jinx any party I throw. I had a small birthday party for Indi and another friend who's child was turning and one person showed up, but my mom was in town so we just called it family party with friends to make me feel better. Now Jaed's birthday is right around the corner and I struggled with whether or not to throw him a party. Finally, I decided to go for it and I made really cute invitations and handed them out to all the boys in his class and a couple of good friends from church. The party is in three days and only two boys have RSVP'd. AHHHHHH!! I should be happy that at least two RSVP'd right? At least that's more than one. Well, Jaed will have fun with two or twenty friends....he doesn't care, so neither should I. I have no idea why it stresses me out so much. I guess I hate to feel "lame" and I do when the party is a flop. Maybe that's why I want several kids...then if no one shows up to a birthday party at least it's still populated with kids (all siblings) :). Maybe I"m getting crazy over nothing. I"m the worst about RSVP'ing and often times just don't do it but I still show up, so maybe there are other moms like me. My sister is coming into town tomorrow so she'll be here to make the party fun no matter who shows up. We'll be just fine....I'll keep telling myself that.
I have a friend who really wants me to throw a make-up party and I've been avoiding the topic with her for months cuz I'm scared to throw it and have NO ONE show up. That just seems so humiliating to me. I know she's gonna ask me again, and I'll probably cave in and have one but I"ll be praying the whole time that people show up. I know, it's ridiculous....but we're all allowed to have ridiculous fears, right? I have "get togethers" or scrapbook nights and am not even worried if my friends show up to those, so what is the difference between those and parties? Who knows. In my funny mind, there's a different. So maybe I should start thinking of parites as "get togethers" instead? Although, I"m horrible at trying to fool myself. It never works. I'll probably fear parties for the rest of my life, but I'll keep attempting them hoping that each one will be a HUGE success. Wish me luck!

Hmmm

I thought I would just post a little update of our family:

Thayne just finished one of his biggest projects for this semester so we may see him a little more until finals. He's had tons of job interviews but no catches yet. I know he's stressed about it but I know something will come around soon. He keeps telling me how much he enjoys his classes this semester and because of the more hours he's putting into studying, he's less stressed.

Jaed has been so good at school. He's gotten a penny everyday for those three skittles that he gets to buy. I can tell that he's very proud of himself as well. His teachers seem to really like him and I've heard them tell Jaed that he's a good example to the other kids. WOW!! I seriously never thought I would hear those words from one of his teachers. His teacher, last year, told us that he will ALWAYS be a difficult child for his teachers throughout his school years. Boy, was she wrong. Maybe I'll email her and brag about him :).

Josie has truly turned into a little girl. She now calls herself a "big girl" and thinks she can do anything that Jaed can do. The other day I asked Jaed and Josie to go get the table ready for dinner and I heard Jaed say, "Move, Josie, I'm the strongest and I can do it by myself!". Well that obviously made Josie mad. She said very loudly, "I'm strong too, Jaed!". Jaed informed her that girls were not strong, just boys. Josie yelled, "I'm strong Jaed, I'm strong!". Everything got quiet after that so I guess they worked it out.
Josie loves school so much. She gets pretty upset on the weekends when there is no school and even pouts about it. I haven't recieved any concerning letters from her teachers so I guess she's doing very well.

Indi has become quite the teaser. She is famous for ripping a toy out of Jaed and/or Josie's hand and running with it. And then when they tackle her to the ground and get the toy back she comes crying to me. I try and tell her that she can't take the toys away from them but within the hour she's doing it again.
I have had to assign jobs to my kids because they were fighting over who was going to do what. For example, when we leave the house, Indi is incharge of making sure the TV is off. If Jaed or Josie move towards the TV she yells, "NO, my job!" and they quickly back off. She loves to help pick up things too. She is really a good helper for only being two. It is a pleasure, not an extra job, to let her help.

Me, well I'm just taking care of my little family and trying to mentally prepare for another baby. Somedays I'm excited about the new baby and other days I'm full of anxiety. I know that as soon as the baby is here, I'll get us on a routine that works for me and things will be okay. It's amazing that even after 3 children I"m shocked when I feel the baby move. You would think that after several kids you would be familiar with the feeling but it's not true. Everytime the baby moves, I say to myself "There really is a baby in there!". Four more months is all that's left and with the holidays coming up, I'm sure it will fly by.

Chuckle

I took the kids to the grocery store with me today and Josie picked up a brochure of some kind and she opened it and started to follow the words with her finger while jabbering. Then all of sudden I heard her say, "Dear Hebenly Pader, tank u por dis day" (Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for this day..) and then she just started jabbering again. I said to her, "Is that what it says on that paper, Josie?" and she just shook her head yes and kept on repeating it.

Boy or Girl?

Well, well, well.......we went for the ultrasound today and the nurse took forever to get down to the parts we really wanted to see. Then when we got down to the real thing, the babies legs were crossed. So she went back up and showed us the heart, spine, fingers, brain, etc., and then she went down again. This time she saw what she wanted to see and announced, "I think you're having a girl!". Of course, I stop thinking when she said, "I think...". But the more she pointed things out the more she was determined that it was a girl. So, I guess it's official...we will be adding another girl to our family. I was actually relieved. I just think girls are so much easier for me to deal with, but I am basing that decision after only having one boy. I don't want people to think that I don't love Jaed as much or that he was a hard child, I just seem to relate better to girls and I understand them more, I think. I remember being a teenager and saying several times to others and myself, that I wanted to have all girls. I think it will be mostly true :). I am still kind of nervous that I"ll have the baby and the Dr. will say "It's a boy!", so I don't think I"ll go crazy on the clothes shopping.

When we told Jaed, he didn't seem to care a whole lot. He kept saying that he thought the baby was going to be a boy but when we told him it was a girl he said, "Oh" and that was it. I asked him if he was sad that it wasn't a boy but he said "No" so I think he's just excited that it's a baby! Josie gets bugged that we go to the Dr. and don't come home with a baby, she doesn't care what sex it is. And Indi can't even comprehend that I have a baby in my tummy, so the day that this baby is born will be an adventure of each one of them (and us, of course)! Thayne said that he's glad that we have Jaed and if we have only girls from now on he's fine with it. So it's going to be GIRL POWER in our house!

No more poopies!!

I was laughing at Indi today and thought I'd share the chuckle. Indi hates poopy diapers and even more, hates throwing them away. You either have to hand her a little tiny corner of the diaper for her to grab hold of and take to the trash or shove the diaper under her arm like a football and say, "Hurry, run, Indi" and she takes off running towards the trash. This morning after I changed ANOTHER (she has 3-4 a day) dirty diaper, I showed her the diaper and she started to whine. I told her that it's her diaper and she has to throw it away, so she came over to me and lifted up her arm waiting for me to shove it under it. I did as she wanted and said "Hurry, Indi, run!" and she took off, threw it in the trash and looked back at me. I clapped my hands and said, "Yay, you did it." and she smiled and bowed. She's never done that before. I laughed and laughed. She's our little star!

A whole new kid..

Jaed's teachers have caught on to the idea of rewards for good behavior and have implemented a reward system in class. They have all of the children's names on a chart and at the end of the day, if they have been good then they get a penny and a sticker by their name. They, then, use the penny to buy three skittles from the teacher. If they get 5 stickers at the end of the week then they get a toy (cheap one). Last week was the first week using this reward system and Jaed got 5 stickers! They use stop light colors to determine how the kids are doing. They all start on green and if they get a warning they get moved to yellow and if they still aren't behaving they move to red which means they don't receive a penny or sticker. Jaed got one yellow last week but still got his penny and sticker. I was so proud of him. He could still be kinda bad and settle for yellow everyday but he strives to get green! The teacher told me, today, that Jaed is like a whole new child. He listens, behaves and is a huge help. WHAT??? My little Jaed??? It's a MIRACLE!!! No, I'm just kidding. We have always known that he loves rewards (especially candy) and can really behave if he chooses to. The difference here is that his teachers are constantly reminding the kids to stay in "green" and so it's constantly on his mind. We tried rewarding him at the end of the day if he was good but I think he would forget about it and be naughty sometimes. I love his preschool. They really try to find out what works for the kids and what they can do to have an environment where they can teach and the kids can learn the best. It's a true relief to not dread picking him up because I didn't want to here that he was naughty. Now, when I go to pick him up, I just wondering if he just got a warning or not. Life is bliss (at the moment)!

From the Past to the Present

I was looking through some old pictures of the kids and I thought I would share them. It's amazing how fast they grow!

Here's Jaed, before and now:





































































Here's Josie, before and now:













































































Here's Indi, before and now:





























































Here the are together:

Jaed and Josie





















Josie and Indi

My recent conversation with Jaed:

"Mom, what does sugar go in?"
"Sugar is in candy, cookies, and other treat like stuff. But we shouldn't eat to much because it makes our tummies get big."
"Well, Mom, if you just burp really big then your tummy will get small again!"

(If only it was that easy...)

Sunday Best

Here's some pictures we took of the kids today before church. Jaed is showing off his new suit that Grandpa and Grandma sent. He looks so handsome and he felt like a star! Our babies are growing up, even little Indi.

New house

Well, I've been waiting to put anything in my blog about the new house we're moving into because I didn't know if it was really going to happen or not, but we got the official notice today.

Several months ago, Thayne's parents came to visit and the day after they left we got a phone call from his mom. She told Thayne that she was concerned that we would be too cramped in our 3 bedroom apartment when the new baby came and her and Thayne's dad were thinking about buying a place for us to live in. That was the end of the conversation for about a month and then they brought it up again. I really didn't know how serious they were until the brought it up the second time. Thayne's mom explained that they felt like if we lived in a bigger place our little family would be happier and Thayne would do better in school because he knew his family was comfortable and happy (and the baby wouldn't be in our room :) ). She asked us to keep our eyes open for some four bedroom houses or condos in the area, so that's how it all got started.

We found the BEST realtors you could find and the search began. We looked at a lot of different places and liked some and hated others. The ones that we liked weren't "the one" but they would work for us. I didn't know, for sure, what I was looking for so we just kept looking. The last day we went out our realtor showed us this four bedroom house that was in a nice neighborhood and had a lot of space. It had a living room, family room, three bathrooms, and even a storage room. I immediately loved it. It was a perfect house for our family and had tons of space for the kids to run around and for me to not feel like I'm contected to them by the hip. I remember turning to Thayne and said, "This is it. I love it!". I should say that it was filthy, dirty and smelled, but we looked past that and saw the real potential of the house.

When we got home, Thayne called his parents and they made an offer on the house that night. I was trying not to be excited because I didn't know if it would really work out but I found myself smiling and acting like a child who just peeked at their christmas gift that their parents hid in the closest (my parents hid our christmas presents there EVERY year). After two weeks of playing the bidding war with the owners, my in laws accepted the final counter offer. Yesterday was the final inspection and it passed! My in laws are going to fix the house up (new carpet, paint, repair things, etc) before we move in. It will be like moving into a brand new house! It's really going to happen!!!

How can you ever really say enough "Thank you's" for something like this? I don't even know where to begin. His parents have done so much for us since we decided to come to law school, that I feel like we will be indebt to them for the rest of our lives. I know that they're so proud of Thayne for taking a huge leep into law school with a wife and three children. I know that they want him to succeed, and by helping us in all the ways they have does makes this "adventure" a little easier.

I know that we are blessed with such wonderful families and the support they give us in different ways. We try to remember that daily.

Pheww

Today was my last day to teach Joy School and it was a little rough. Lots of hitting and crying going on today. I think I said "Keep your hands to yourself" about 100 times. I even gave several 'time-outs' but nothing seemed to help. I just tried to keep them busy with projects, stories and songs and we had very little free item, because that always resulted in hitting and crying. It's just A LOT of boys :).

I found a book that they ALL loved, though. I read it to them at least 5 times and everytime they would just sit and watch. The book is "Go Away, Big Green Monster" by Edward R Emberley. It talks the face of a big green monster, so I thought it was somewhat appropriate for the lesson since we're learning about our bodies. Ok, it was a huge stretch but they loved it and kept asking me to read it over and over. I collect felt board stories, and those are a huge success too. When I just think they need to calm down and just relax I pull out my felt board and they all sit down to see what story or song I'm going to do next. It's a good thing I will only teach every 5 weeks because I think they would get tired of hearing the same stories.

Josie loved to have her "school friends" over. I do have to say, though, that the boys don't play with her at all. They pretty much ignore her. I watched her try to play shooting games with them but they just played around her. Thank goodness, she doesn't seem hurt or sad when it happens. She just keeps playing and trying to interact.

Thayne has three job interviews tomorrow. I know how stressed he is about finding a summer clerkship, so I hope one of these works out for him. It would be such a relief to me as well as him.

Joy School

Today was my first day to teach Josie's Joy School. I'm exhausted!! It was pretty uneventful (thank goodness) but there are a LOT of boys. Josie is the only girl with 5 boys and she seems so quiet and to herself in a loud group of boys. I constantly had to tell them to use their 'inside voices' but I don't think boys really know how to do that. Josie and Indi played by themselves most of the time with dolls, dress-up, or books during free time and the boys played shooting games non-stop with bad guys and good guys. I had a huge list of things I wanted to do but I think I got about half of them done. Time seemed to go by way to fast. I teach one more time this week and then I'm off for 5 weeks. I hope the next time I teach is just as uneventful as this time!

Sacrifices

I don't think sacrifices ever end when you're a parent or spouse. It seems so unfair sometimes...ok...a lot of the time. I can remember when I decided that I needed to stay home to take care of my kids. It was one of the hardest decisions I think I've ever had to make. I was a Director and worked very closely with important people (Attorney General, Govenor, etc.) and I knew that if I gave that up I would never have those experiences again, or be in that situation again. I felt so important everyday I went to work. Why would I give that up? Because I had two little children at home that needed me. I remember feeling like I gave up my life for them. I know that probably sounds dramatic but it's truly how I felt. I miss those days, but I know that I'm doing what the Lord wants me to do even if I hate it sometimes.

Thayne is at a point in his life where he has to make sacrifices for his family. He has to give up some things that are so important to him and it's so hard for me to watch him go through it. It brings back the same feelings I had when I made the decision to quit and stay home. It's seems so unfair and almost as if you're giving up your life for someone else. Thayne loves to play computer games. It's a like a sport to him. He's been doing it everynight (almost) for as long as I've known him. Well, school work is piling up and now he has to give up those games so he has more time to study. This may seem trivial to many of you, but it's big deal for him....and me. I know that the games relax him and he truly enjoys playing them, but there's just not enough time to do it all. He told me tonight that he's doing this for his family. I could see such pain and hurt in his eyes. I just wanted to hold him and cry with him. It's not fair. Right now it seems like nothing is fair, but that's how things go sometimes. I'm not sure what to do for him other than be supportive and try to be positive that his sacrifices will pay off in the end.

A mother's concern

Thayne took Jaed to school this morning and upon their arrival Jaed's teacher handed Thayne a newspaper. On the front page of that section there was a big picture of Jaed with is FULL NAME printed below it. They were doing a story on the new preschool that Jaed is attending and decided to take pictures of some of the children. I was shocked that they would not only put his picture in the newspaper but then follow it up with his full name. I had a little war in my head about what I should do and if I was just being paranoid but finally decided that this was not okay with me. I have worked with victims of perpatrators (before I was mom) so it scares me to even think that my child was put in a situation that he could be a possible victim. A perpatrator could be reading the paper, see him and know his name instantly. This gives perpatrators such an advantage when it comes to taking their victim. It scared me so bad and it also angered me. I had decided along time ago that I would never give permission for my child's picture or name to be printed in a public document or newspaper. And now it was being done and their was nothing I could do about it, except make sure it didn't happen again.

I called the Director of the preschool who had every excuse in the book and when I wouldn't accept any of them she finally agreed that my son's name should not have been printed. I didn't feel like I got enough accomplished by talking to her so I made a phone call to the Superintendent. He was not in, of course, but his administrative assistant took my call. She seemed to be as concerned as I was and was even shocked that anyone within the school system would give permission for this to happen without a parent's signature. She told me that she would make some phone calls to find out how this would happen and I asked her to call me and let me know what will be done about it. When I got off the phone, I felt like I had talked to a parent who was as concerned as I was. Within about three hours she had called me back and said that it truly was a mistake on their part and that the newspaper should not have gotten permission to print his name. She did tell me that on the enrollment form there was a "small" paragraph saying that if you sign the enrollment form you are giving permission for a picture of your child to be used in advertisement or publications for the school, but it did not give permission for names. She apologized and said that a letter would go out to all the parents apologizing and a new form would be sent out asking for permission for a child's picture AND name to be used in any publication about the school. I was satisfied with what had been done but still upset that my son was put in this dangerous situation.

When I picked Jaed up for school this morning, I grabbed the papers out of his box, and there it was. The letter apologizing that names were used in the article, and a new form to be filled out by every parent giving (or not giving) permission to use a picture and name of their child in publications about the school. I filled it out right there and put a HUGE 'X' where it said "NO". Now I know that I will have to make sure that I ask, everytime I sign one of my children up for school, if there is a form like this and make sure it's marked "No".

I did think the picture was pretty darling! I'll make sure that his grandparents are sent a copy. Jaed thinks it's pretty neat that he was in the newspaper. We will be sitting down with him tonight and talking to him about strangers that know his name and what he should do. I'm sure that we will be coming up with a password so that if someone tries to persuade him to come with them, they better know the password or he'll scream and run the other way. This concept will be hard for Jaed because he thinks everyone in the world is his friend, young or old. To give you an example: We went to the children's museum (in town) this summer and there are volunteers that walk around and show the kids how to do work certain things. Well, Jaed attached himself to this old lady (probably about 70 yrs old) and brought her over to me and said, "Mom, this is my new best friend. She's playing all the fun toys with me.". The lady just smiled and patted Jaed on the head. We had even had the talk about "strangers" and "strangers" are not friends, before this happened. These are talks we will constantly be having with Jaed, I think.

My little princess, Josie!

Where do I start? I have had so much love in my heart for Josie, lately. I just want to protect her and save her all the time. But when I don't have complete control of certains things, I feel lost as a mom.

Today we went to a small playgroup where there were two older girls (5) and a younger girl (3, almost 4). Josie was so excited when she saw them. She ran up to me and said "Mom, there's my friends. " I encouraged her to go say and "Hi" and play with them. I watched her run right up to them and say "Hi, friends" with a HUGE smile on her face. The three girls stopped talking, looked at her, and then walked away. Tears automatically stung my eyes. My little girl's face showed her true feelings: hurt and sad. She just watched them walk away and then she turned and sat down by a tree and plucked at the grass. I just wanted to run over to her and put my arms around her and hug her so tight so no one else could hurt her. It's not fair that a child that age should have to feel those kind of bad feelings. I know that it's not the fault of the other girls. I'm sure they see her younger than she really is because she can't communicate with them as well as others her age. Josie did finally get up and start playing with some toys and her little sister. I caught her glancing at the girls quite often and every time she did, my heart hurt a little more for her.

Most of you know that Josie has a speech delay so she can't communicate or talk as well as girls her age. She makes progress all the time but she's still about 6 to 9 months behind Still, that doesn't seem to hinder her wanting to play with girls her age or older. Unfortunately, they don't seem to want to play with her and she doesn't understand why and wouldn't even if I tried to explain it to her. So instead I just try to protect her and love her.

I just don't want these experiences to hurt her self-esteem at such a young age. I want her to keep calling herself a princess twenty times a day like she does now, I want her to keep dancing and smiling in front of the mirror, I want her to keep calling herself a "good girl" even until she's old, and I especially want her to keep trying to make friends even if she might get rejected.

You know, if this situation happened to Jaed he would have chased right after those boys and kept trying to play with them until they gave in. It wouldn't have even phased him that they didn't want to play with him. I think being oblivious can be a good thing sometimes :).

After the playgroup, I took the kids to the grocery store to pick up a few things. Josie was watching everyone in the store very carefully. If someone had a frown she would point at them and say "He's sad, mom, he's sad". If someone looked mad she would point and say "She's mad, mom, she's mad." Sometimes the person would hear her and then smile and she would respond, "Oh no, she's happy now". It was so funny to hear her decided how each person, that passed, was feeling at that moment. And it was evene funnier to see their expression if they heard her. She would also point out the older ladies and say "Look, Mom, there's a Grandma". Some of the ladies were not that old but she said it anyways. The ones that heard her and didn't feel like a grandma didn't quite know how to respond. They would almost grin and then get a concerned look on their face. The older ladies, who were grandmas and proud of it, always smiled and even chuckled a little. I'm sure Joise and her comments will be the conversation piece at many dinner tables tonight.

Uneventful!

Well, this week has been quite uneventful....HOORRAAYYY! I've been able to keep my dishes done, my floor swept, and my living room picked up and vaccumed everyday. It's a miracle! It makes such a difference when I only have one child in the morning. I can't believe how much faster I am at cleaning and accomplishing other tasks. I'm even gettting some things done that, normally, I just don't have time for. I've been itching to get my stamps out and start making cards again. I miss the feeling of pride and excitement when I finish a card.

Thayne is loving school! He is enjoying every class and loves to look around the room and know a lot of the students. It makes such a difference when you're not the new kid on the block anymore. It's nice to see him come home with a smile on his face instead of a look of pain and fear. Yesterday he came home to some hot homemade rolls and I thought he was going to yell with excitement. He hugged me really hard and said, "You really know how to take care of me!". It's amazing that homemade rolls can do that to a man. How simple is that? I almost felt guilty that I haven't baked them more often. Jaed said the prayer for dinner that night and even thanked Heavenly Father for me and what I cook. When the prayer was over, Thayne had tears in his eyes. At first, I thought it was because of my great dinner, but then I realized he was just proud of his son for thinking to say those things all on his own.

Jaed was doing so well in school this week, until yesterday. His teacher said he was throwing little fits about everything. I guess you can't ask for a perfect day, everyday. If he does good today, then that's 4 out of 5 days he was good. That's pretty darn good for Jaed. I'll be happy with that.

Josie got to go to my 4 month check-up with Thayne and I, while the other two kids went to a friends house. She was so excited and couldn't sit still at all. I thought it was a little odd for her to be so excited, but I just laughed and smiled at her. Well, the Dr. found the babies heart beat, said everything was fine, and said good-bye. When he left the room, Josie got all upset and said, "Where's the baby?". I realized that she thought the Dr. was going to take the baby out. On our way out, we tried to tell her that the baby wasn't ready to come out and that it still need to grow somemore, but she wasn't accepting that. She just kept saying, "Take it out Mom, PWEEZE!". I was so sad for her. It didn't even occur to me that she thought it was time for the baby to come. Thank goodness there was a couple with a brand new baby there and the man said, "You can come see our baby". So Josie got herself together and went right over there to see their baby. They let her rub his head and hold his hand which just thrilled Josie. She soon forgot that we were leaving the Dr.'s office without our own baby.

Indi is becoming quite the horder. She has a bag full of the Little People guys in it and won't share any of them. If Jaed or Josie even attempt to play with them, she just starts screaming and crying. Even if I tell her she has to share, she won't stop screaming and crying until they're done playing with them and she can have them in her bag again. I can tell that she doesn't understand the concept of sharing very well....so I'm confused on how to handle it. I can say to Jaed, "Jaed, do think you can give those guys back to Indi so she's not so upset?", and he'll give them back to her. BUT not Josie. She just runs to another spot and yells, "No, these are mine!". I feel like I lose with whatever I do. If I make Indi share she's out of control and won't stop screaming and crying even to the point she's gagging (it happened yesterday) and if I make the other two give the guys back to Indi, they're thinking that sharing isn't important. It's not like we only have a few of these guys. We have over 20 of them, so there are plenty to go around but not in Indi's mind. Hmmm.......hopefully this is a phase and I hope it ends soon.

Potty Training again.....

Well we decided to potty train Josie, again. She's been doing it for over a week and I think this might be it. She couldn't get the handle on going #2 in the potty but the last two days she has been doing great with that. I just have to be patient and remember that most kids don't potty train as fast as Jaed did. This is going to be a long process and I have to stick with it. Josie loves her "panties" and she gets a chocolate cookie everytime she does something on the potty. We felt bad that Indi didn't understand that she didn't get a reward (chocolate cookie) like Josie so we finally gave in and made it a family reward when she used the potty. So now when she gets a chocolate cookie, I give her two extra to give to Jaed and Indi. Jaed has taken the position as he personal cheerleader now. Whenever I say, "C'mon Josie, let's go potty", Jaed speaks right up...."You can do it Josie, I know you can. Then we all get cookies. Go pee, Josie!". Sometimes he even claps his hands to cheer her on. She always has a huge grin on her face when he rallies around her. Jaed will do ANYTHING for a treat. One time when Josie had an accident and I was telling her that when she doesn't us the potty she doesn't get a cookie, Jaed said, "Yeah Josie, none of us get a cookie. You have to go on the toilet so I can have a cookie, and Indi.".

Matching shirts

I was cleaning out Jaed's closest today and Josie popped her head in and saw the exact same shirt Jaed was wearing, but just a smaller size. She ripped her clothes and put the shirt on. As soon as it was on, she went right over to Jaed and said "Wook Jaed, this is my shirt", and started dancing around in front of him. He completely ignored her! For the next hour or so, she pointed out their "same" shirts to Jaed at least a dozen times. Finally, Jaed responded "I know they're the same Josie, you don't have to keep telling me". Josie just grinned and walked away. She got a response, and it didn't matter what it was, just as long as Jaed saw that they were matching! I couldn't resist a picture.

The "BIG" school starts....

Well, Thayne started his second year of Law School and not without tons if knots in his stomach. He's interviewing, already, for next summer's internship. I really wish we could stay in Bloomington for the summer again but I don't think that's going to happen. The "unknown" is the worst, I think. Hopefully by the end of the semester we'll know where we're going to be for the summer.

Jaed is doing okay at school. A couple of days ago, when I picked him up his teacher said he punched a boy in the mouth. I wanted to die. Then the next day, he pushed a girl down. I seriously don't know what to do with that kid. We did tell him that if he doesn't behave at school then he won't play his 20 minutes of playstation a day. And, I told his teachers that if he's good he gets a reward when he gets home so I would be asking how he's doing everyday. I hope they use that to their advantage when he starts to misbehave. AHHHHHHH, if that doesn't work.....I just don't know what else to do.

Josie loves the bus. She gets so excited when it comes to get her and when it drops her off at home. The permanent grin on her face warms my heart. It does feel strange that I haven't met her teacher or seen her classroom yet. There's an open house next week I think, so I'll be anxious to go. Joy school starts a week from this Tuesday for Josie as well. She's the only girl with 5 other boys. I'm very interested to see how that goes. I wonder if she'll go with the flow and play "boy stuff" with them or if she'll play "princess" by herself.

I love the mornings I just have Indi. She just plays so well by herself while I clean and do laundry. I don't have to worry about her getting into anything (at least for now), and about every 15 minutes she finds me and gives me a hug and then runs back to where she was playing. She's talking soooo much now too. Her new favorit line is "No I not" and telling everyone they're "naughty" while pointing her finger.

Sirens and flashing lights!!

Thayne got pulled over by a cop yesterday. He was going 14 miles over the speed limit and we have a car with Utah license plates that expired in June. Do you think he got a ticket? NO! The policeman gave him a warning. Can you believe it? I have never been that lucky. I was walking Jaed to school with the girls when we saw the cop and then looked at the dork that got pulled over and it was Thayne. I just started laughing and said outloud "Let's just keep going and pretend we don't see Daddy". Of course, that didn't work, and the kids starting yelling "Daddy....Daddy". I could tell that Thayne was so embarrassed, especially when Jaed said "Why is that policeman talking to you Dad." I just spoke right up and said, "Because Dad was driving too fast which was sooooo naughty". I saw the policeman smile and shake his head.
It was an amusing moment for me and quite an embarrassing moment for Thayne. Usually it's the other way around....but not this time!

First Day of School...

Wow, what an exciting day for Josie, Jaed and the parents. Josie had to catch the bus at 8:05 this morning so we got her up and fed her breakfast. She was so excited and kept asking if the bus was there yet. She had a new outfit and new shoes to wear.....she looked so dang cute. She put her backpack on about 20 minutes early and wouldn't even consider taking it off. I was very nervous about her riding the bus. But Thayne kept reassuring me that she would be okay. The bus finally came and she ran right to it. I followed her up the bus stairs and she stopped when she got to the top. They had a teacher on the bus to sit with the kids, so Josie looked at her and then me and her eyes started to get a little big. I quickly told her to give me a hug and kiss and off she went. I didn't want to drag out the "goodbye", but I was so scared to let her go. She was the first child on the bus and it seemed so big with just her on it. I said a quick little prayer and felt like she would be okay. Poor little Indi cried and cried when Josie got on the bus and it drove away. She just kept pointing at the bus and saying something that we couldn't understand. But we quickly started to distract her and she was fine.
A little before 12:00, Thayne, myself, and Indi went outside to wait for the return of the bus. When Indi saw it coming she started to screech and point. I think I was as excited as she was. Josie bounced right off the bus with a huge grin on her face. I asked the bus driver how she did and he said "She did great. She told us everything that was happening outside all the way home." Josie gave me a big hug and said "I at a school, Mom". I could tell she had a great first day!




















Jaed started to get ready for school after Josie left. He was so excited that Thayne, me, and Indi were all going to walk him to school. He kept telling Indi that she was going to see his school but she couldn't stay cuz she was a baby. I was really worried about how he was going to react to the new school and if he was going to behave or not. I said little prayers all the way to his school. When we got into his class he went right to his teacher and asked where he put his backpack. She showed him where and then he was off to play. Indi wore her backpack to his school too and she tried to hang it up with his. I told her to keep it on and that we were leaving and she said "NO". Jaed turned to us and said "Bye Mom, Bye Dad" and Indi did the same, but she added a little wave. I felt so sorry for her, but I knew she'd be okay.
I introduced ourselves to the teacher and was impressed with the classroom and how it was set up. He has two teachers and there are about 15 kids in his class. I was feeling really good about the decision to put him in this preschool. We finally left and Indi seemed to be okay when we left until we got out of the school. Then she just cried and cried all the way home. When we walked in the house, she saw that "Barney" was on the t.v. so she went right over there and sat down and watched it without another tear.
We arrived a little early to pick up Jaed and had a chance to visit with the teacher. I asked with my teeth clenched, "So how did Jaed do?" and she responded with a chuckle, "Well, he's a loud little boy". I started to laugh and said "Well if that's the worst your going to say I am very happy". She said he did great although they did have to remind him several times to use his "inside voice". I told her that we would work on that at home. I packed Jaed a lunch and other kids in his class had "hot" lunch from the school cafeteria. His teacher said that when he was done with his lunch he pointed to one of the "hot" lunches and said "I think I'm ready for that now". She said she had to pinch herself so she wouldn't laugh and explained to him that he ate his lunch and that lunch was for the children that didn't bring lunch. He's so dang cute!! I told the teacher that I would add a little more in his lunch so he was full next time, she just laughed.



















So, the first day of school for both my kids was a complete SUCCESS!! My love for them grew a little more that day and I was so proud to be their mom. I have the best kids!

Back to our Home!

We finally made it home. Let me just first say that I am glad that I was able to help my brother and his wife enjoy a wonderful trip to Italy by watching their kids. They were very greatful and couldnt' stop thanking us. BUT.....will I do it again? Hmmm......of course I would, cuz that's the kind of sister I am, but give me some time to forget about the negative things (almost like childbirth).

The kid were excited to get home and see all their toys, their beds, and familiar stuff all around. While we were gone I started to think about Jaed's preschool (the private catholic school) and was feeling overwhelmed with that thought of driving him to school everyday and picking him up everyday. And when the baby came, I would have to drag Josie, Indi and the baby in the building to drop him off and pick him up. Well, I remembered that a month or so ago I got a flyer from the public school district stating that they were opening a preschool in certain elementary schools to help get children ready for all day kindergarden. I decided to check into it and found out that the elementary school next to us was one of the locations for the new preschools. BINGO!!! And it would be the school that he would attend for kindergarden. So I got all the details worked out and registered him for that preschool. He goes every morning from 8:45 to 12:45 and even has lunch there.
Josie was accepted into the speech preschool that she attended for a few months last year and a bus will take her to and from school. She'll be attending the special speech preschool on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:05 to 12:00. And on Tuesdays and Thursdays she'll be participating in a co-op preschool that several of my friends and I have arranged from 9:00 to 11:30. SOOOO....Josie and Jaed will be gone at the same time every morning (but friday) and I'll be left at home with little ole' Indi. Can you believe it? What will I do with myself? How will I survive....hehehehhe......I think I can do it. And, I don't have to drive anywhere to get them to school. It's wonderful how things can work out like this.

Alive and Surviving

Well, we're halfway through this adventure and still alive and sane. The little kids are having the time of their lives. They never stop playing and seem to get a long (most of the time). Jaed and Josie got to go spend seperate days with their grandparents. Jaed went to church with them and even spent the night. Josie just spent the day with them, but was equally excited. I know they each felt extremely special to go to Grandpa and Grandma's house without their siblings and have the full attention to themselves.

The teenage situation isn't much better but we're just taking one day at a time. I do have to say that cleaning chores are GREAT. When they all do their chores, the house looks pretty decent and I didn't have to do a thing.

Teenagers are SCARY!

Well we're here at my brothers house and with two teenage boys and one pre-teen, and three young girls...oh..and my own three stinkers. I never want my babies to grow up and be teenagers. These boys are ROUGH and remind me of my rude little self when I was there age. The constant talk back, the half done chores, and then there's the girls...AWWWWWWWWW. My brother left a bunch of rules for the two older boys about curfews, chores, computer time, etc.. I feel like all my time is spent controlling these teens then spending time with the little ones. Good thing Thayne is here with me.

My nephew wanted to go out with his girlfriend (my brother is in denial and calls the girl his son's "friend") and one of the rules is that he has to double date until he's 18 yrs old so I had to quiz him on who he was going with, where he was going, and what time he would be home. The only thing he didn't have details for was who he was going with. I finally had to tell him that if he didn't find another couple or friend to go with him and his girlfriend then his younger brother was going to have to go. WOW....he was mad at first but got right on the phone and found a friend to tag along. All I can do now is trust that he's not going to ditch the friend somewhere....cuz that's what I would have done. I might call him on his cell phone (yes the kid is so spoiled that he has his own cell phone and car) and ask to talk to everyone in the car to make sure there's more that two ppl....but I guess one could disguise his/her voice. So trust is it.....I have to trust he's going to be obedient...hmm....I think I'll be stressed until he gets back home and is where he can be kept track of. I don't have really any reason not to trust him but I remember what it was like to be a teenager and how you think you can get away with anything. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

I think I'll just lock my kids up from the time they're 14 until they're 18. That seems like the easiest thing to do :).

Vacation....kinda!

We're leaving tomorrow for St. Louis to watch my brother's six kids while him and his wife go to Rome, and other places I'll never be to. We'll be gone for two weeks. I'm not worried about watching nine kids because they're oldest is 17 and on down so it's not nine toddlers (I wouldn't go if that was the case :) ). I hoping to feel like I'm on a little vacation too. I plan on taking naps, and relaxing. I'll let you know if it really happens. I don't know how much blogging I'll do while I'm gone, so check in periodically to see if I had a few minutes to say anything funny :). Wish me luck and pray for happy days.

Good Ole' County Fair

Thayne and I decided to take the kids to the County Fair yesterday afternoon. Thayne was hesitant but I was determined to go so off we went. As soon as the kids saw the rides and all the fun things they were screaming with delight. I was so excited because they were. I could remember those feelings as a child when my family would go to the fair and I was so excited I couldn't believe I was really there. I'm sure Jaed, especially, was feeling the same way.

One of Indi's favorite rides was the boat ride. She got to go all by herself and she had a permanent grin on her face the whole time.











































Jaed and Thayne went on a couple of different rides together that the girls couldn't go on because they were too short.
















Here was Josie and Indi waiting patiently for Jaed and Thayne to finish their ride.















We all went on a haunted House ride and Thayne and Josie were the only ones that kept there eyes open and weren't screaming. Indi and I had our heads together and I was trying to cover her ears as well as mine. She screamed a couple of times which made me scream. I'm such a baby when it comes to haunted houses. Jaed had his head in Thayne's lap the whole time. I think the ride lasted about 20 seconds but it was a long 20 seconds for most of us.

I don't think there was a ride that they didn't like (but maybe the haunted house). Although, Jaed wanted to go on this huge boat ride that swung up in there air really high. Thayne finally agreed to take him. Jaed was grinning at first until the boat started to get higher. Then his head disappeared and I couldn't see him at all. Thayne said that as soon as it started to get high, Jaed put his head in Thayne's lap and started to yell. After the ride was over he was sure to tell us that he didn't want to ride that particular ride again. Thayne and were both laughing!


































We took them to see the animals but the pigs were the only thing that Josie wanted to see. The rides were the big hit for the evening. The kids went right to bed when we got home with huge smiles on their faces. I'm sure it was one of their best days ever!

More names!

Jaed shared some more names he thought of for the new baby. If it's a girl, Nalasha, and if it's a boy, Til. We told him we wanted names that we haven't heard other babies have so this is his answer to that...and...well...he did do what we wanted. I think he must think of the baby a lot during the days. We were in the grocery the other day and out of no where Jaed said, "Daddy, maybe the baby is a boy in mommies tummy". I know that he'll be a great big brother no matter what sex the baby is, but I kinda hope it's a boy for him. I can't believe I am saying that....I have always said that I wanted all girls after Jaed was born, but I'm hoping for Jaed, it's be different.

I keep forgetting to write about a funny, but a tad bit embarrassing, moment we had the other day with Josie. Friends of ours were having a get together with several other families and we were invited to come. The majority of the kid were in the back yard and the parents were visiting in the living room. On top of the T.V. was a vase with a beta fish swimming around. We were all chatting when I heard my friend, Kara, saying something about "Oh, Josie" and I turned to see my other friend helping her down off a shelf close to the T.V.. I immediately looked over at the fish and it was sinking to the bottom of the vase with very little movement. My next thought was.. "Josie killed there fish"..and I even think I said it out loud. Josie's arm was wet up past her elbow and she ran outside to where the other kids were. Finally the fish started shaking but it was still at the bottom of the vase. After a few seconds it started to swim again. I was so relieved. My friend said that she looked over there and saw the fish in Josie's hand and she was kinda pumping it in her hand. I'm just glad it was still alive. I kept an eye on Josie, like a hawk, after that little incident.

Relaxation

It's so great to have Thayne home. He's a huge help with the kids and has even done some house work and hasn't complained once. I haven't changed one poopy diaper since his internship ended. WOW....life is bliss :). I haven't been sick as much either so maybe I"m getting over this sickness phase.

I miss my friend Christy. She moved about a month ago and I'm just now dealing with it , I think. I was so focused on my sickness and the fact that I"m even pregnant that I tried not to think about her leaving. I miss hanging out, the girl chats, and the feeling of true friendship. I always felt like I could call her up and ask a favor and she would do it without any hesitation. I think she felt the same way about me (at least I hope she did). I have a lot of friends, but I always seem to yearn for that one person that I can call a close friend. Christy was that kind of friend. Now that she's gone I'm a little lonely.....ok...I'm really lonely. I don't think it's a particular type of person that can fit that "close" friend mold.... I think it's just the feeling you have when you're around them. Anyways.....I hope to be able to find another friend like her (and the other close friends I have had). We will still keep in touch but it's just not the same as it is when you live 5 minutes from each other.

Misc. Pictures

Here's some pictures I've been wanting to put up here.
















Indi LOVES her pacifiers. I have caught her a couple of times walking around with two of them in her mouth. That can't be comfortable......
















Here's the kids (and Thayne) waiting for the 4th of July Parade to start. They gave all the kids flags to wave.

"You're a great Mom"

I felt horrible this morning but I had planned a huge day for the kids so I was determined to follow through. I had a MOMS Club activity this morning and Jaed met a new boy that he loved to play with. Then we went to the store to buy Jaed and Josie some goggles for swimming. Jaed has been asking for some since the last time we went swimming and it seemed like every kid there had a pair. I had packed a lunch for us that we ate at the pool and then the kids went swimming. I can't believe how much they love to be in the water. They all go their seperate ways to play once we get there.

Jaed goes directly to where the majority of the kids are and starts talking to them immediately. Not long after we get there, he's running around with a group of boys I know he hasn't met before. He is so social and wants to be everyones friend. I hear him ask their names and he tells them his name even if they don't ask. He wore his goggles the whole time we were there. He loves to drop something in the water that will sink to the bottom and then he goes under the water to get it. He was so excited that he could see it with his goggles. He came and told me about it at least three different times.

Josie, looks around and finds toys that no one is using and takes them to an area where no one is and plays. She doesn't interact with ANYONE. She is completely content playing by herself. This is so foriegn to me because I am so much like Jaed when it comes to social situations. I almost feel sorry for her because she looks so alone but I see her laughing and smiling often. I went and tried to play with her and she let me for about 5 minutes and then she gathered her toys and moved away from me without saying a word. I think my feelings were hurt, just a little.

Now Indi.....wow....I never thought a 2 year old GIRL could be such a bully. She doesn't try to find toys that are not being used, she looks around and finds the toy that she wants and walks over and takes it without any hesitation. I was completely shocked the first time I saw it. I didn't know whether to go get the toy from her and give it back to the child (who's mother was sitting beside him) or run behind a bush and hide out of embarrassment. I decided to be an adult and get the toy from Indi and give it back. Indi didn't care....in fact...when I took the toy away from her to give it back to the child, Indi was off looking for another toy to snatch. I stopped her before another scene was made and helped her find some toys that no one was using. She would play with those for a while and then toss them down and go searching for that one toy that was already taken. I saw several moms ( Indi had taken toys from two of the mom's children) talking together and then one pointed to Indi......how embarrassing. They didn't look mad, more amazed, laughing, and shaking their heads.

There was this older lady who was laying on her stomach in the toddler pool trying to get a tan (I think). Indi had a bucket and filled it with water and went right over to the lady and dumped the water on her legs. I didn't know quite what to do. The lady turned over in shock, but then started to laugh when she saw Indi. I decided to make my way over there and when the lady saw me she said, "She's okay....it felt good, it just surprised me." I apologized for it but she told me that it was fine, so I went and sat down. Indi continued to fill the bucket of water and poor it on the lady, again and again. At one point, Indi laid right down next to the lady on her stomach as well. I could tell that the lady was thrilled and having as good of a time as Indi was.

As we were on our way home from a long but enjoyable day.....Jaed said to me "You're a great Mom!". I asked him why he said that and he responded, "Because you got me and Josie goggles, and made good sandwiches and took us to swim." For the first time, in a long time, I truly felt like a great mom!

Laziness

I have begun to think that kids are born with laziness....wait......now let me explain. Josie is my lazy child but, oh, so adorable. Ever since she was little, if it was time to clean...she always disappears. AND....if I ask her to throw something away, she points and Jaed and says, "Jaed do it". If I say no, then she points at Indi and says, "Indi do it". Even today, when she wanted a drink, I told her she needed to find her cup. The first thing she did was point at Jaed and said, "Jaed find it Mom". I told her that it was her cup and she would need to find it herself. She must not have been that thirsty because she went over to her toys and started playing. About ten minutes later, she came back and asked for a drink again. I gave her the same response and this time she pointed at Indi and said, "Indi find it". My answer to her was the same and off she was to play again. She didn't even attempt to look around for it.....not even a quick glance around the room. Hmm........did she learn this behavior or was she born with it? I certainly don't want to think that we taught her this so I'm sticking with "they're born with it" :).

Jaed has behaved so great in church the last two sundays. Even his teachers have commented on it. I'm sure it has nothing to do with that fact that if he's good he can play game cube with his Dad. Oh well....he is a child that works for rewards....even if it is sunday. He's even come home singing the songs that I taught them at church. That always makes me feel good. If I make a comment about it while he's singing, he stops immediately and won't sing it again.....so I have learned to listen and enjoy.

We're trying really hard (well Thayne is) to slowly wean Indi off her pacifiers. Thayne has said that she can only have them at bedtime...well.....I'm not as good as Thayne. I spend more time with her and have to hear her cry (which gets on both of our nerves) so the easiest thing for me to do is put a pacifier in her mouth. I know that I'll have to crack down on it soon, but it's gonna be rough.

Not much to say....

Well, I haven't posted for a couple of days, cuz I'm too sick to think of anything funny or witty to say. I think my sickness is affecting my emotional and mental state.......I'm not feeling like myself much. Sometimes I think the sickness is getting worse than better. OH well....I guess I'll keep trying to pull up by boot straps and move on.

Josie asks me everyday, "Is the baby still in your tummy, mommy?" and after I tell her yes, I ask her what the baby is doing in my tummy, and she says "It's getting eyes, a nose, ears, hair, and fingers.....". I told her that when the baby has all of those things then the Dr. will take the baby out. She seems satisfied with that answer.

Jaed and I have been clashing a little lately. Sometimes, I think I am way to hard on him. I don't know if it is because he is the oldest or if it's cuz he's a boy. Maybe it's cuz he's just like me (lucky him). Thayne admitted to me last night that he thinks Jaed is just like me: strong-willed and stubborn but extremely kind and loveable as well. Hmmm.....I think I"m still in denial about the stubbornness part :). I am going to think of some strategies on how best to handle him with more love so that I don't feel like a bad mom all the time. He truly is our miracle baby. Thayne and I tried many years to have a baby and then one day we found out I was pregnant with him. He was a great blessing that we had been praying for. I just need to remember those special moments when I'm mad or frustrated with him. I do love him and adore him!

Sometimes when you're feeling so horrible it's hard to remember the good things in your life. I know that I have a great little family who loves me and wants me to be happy. I think that even my children know how to make me feel better. When I've had enough and just want to cry (which I end up doing most of the time) all three of my kids are right by me patting my head, rubbing my arm, hugging me and saying "It's okay mommy.....it's okay". Even little Indi is saying it as she gives me kisses. How can I not feel blessed and loved. That's the best part about motherhood. Knowing that these little children can have so much love in their hearts for me and are not afraid to show it. What examples they are to me!

P.S. .. My due date is Feb. 16th........sooooo farrr away!!

For me, it was bad news!

Well I went to the Dr. for an ultrasound and check-up. I was extremely dissappointed to learn that I was only 8 1/2 weeks along instead of the 12 weeks they thought. It really was bad news.....I thought I was ending the first trimester but in reality I still have 4 more weeks of throwing up and feeling horrible to go. Thayne was trying to comfort me and said "Ally, it's only another month". I seriously thought if I could throw up I would have done it right there ON HIM! I was so bugged and frustrated and cranky and....welll....just MAD, at the bad news.

I met the Dr. for the first time and she seemed to be a very nice and kind. This is my first time having a female Dr., so I was a little nervous. I don't know if I'm completely sold on this clinic though. I don't like the idea that if I do go in labor on my own that I have to take whatever Dr is on call. What is the use of building a relationship with one certain Dr. if you probably won't have that Dr. at the crucial time of delivery. Hmm....I guess I better made a decision soon.

When we got home from the Dr appt. , the first thing Jaed said was, "Mommy is the baby a boy or a girl?". I think when we do go in for the ultrasound to determine the sex, we'll take him along. I think that will be a great and fun experience for him. He seems more excited about this baby than any of us!

The Movies

We were trying to think of something fun to do with the kids on Saturday and finally decided to try out a movie. We haven't taken them to the movie for a very long time because.....well....I'm sure you can imagine how it went last time. But now that our little ones have gotten older, we thought it might work. The only kid show playing was "Cars", and we hadn't heard very many good things about it but I have to say, I thought it was entertaining. It certainly doesn't increase any thinking skills but I was amused. Jaed loved it. I even caught him smiling several times through the movie. Our little Indi actually enjoyed it as well. Only the last 15-20 minutes did she start to move around and become a distraction for me and Thayne. NOW....Josie....what another story. I think she might have watched the previews but that was about it. She kept asking for popcorn but I told her "no" about 100 times. Finally, I was so sick of hearing her say, "Mom, I want popcorn PWEEEEZ", that I gave in and bought the $5 small bag. As soon as she was done with that she started asking for ice cream. I was digging my feet down and I wasn't going to give in. I just started ignoring her. She even got her face right in front of mine and said "PWEEEEZ, Mom", but I just looked around her at the movie. I had to keep picking her up and putting her in her seat, and she kept asking to sit by Daddy and when she got over to him she would sit for about 20 seconds and then ask for me and back and forth. She was quite the stinker. I don't think she'll be attending another movie anytime soon.

Today at church, Jaed's teacher asked them to draw a picture of something they were thankful for. Any ideas what Jaed might have drawn? A Monster!!! His teacher even wrote down on the bottom of the page "I am thankful for Monsters". Thayne and I laughed pretty hard. Not in front of Jaed, though. I put his drawing in his box of "keepers" so that he can have a great laugh when he gets older.

Thayne only has two more weeks of his internship left. I can't wait. Then we have a month to enjoy our little family together. Even though school is rough, I do enjoy the long and short breaks we get together. I'm sure I will miss those when he gets back to work in the private sector.

Rough Day

Well the day started out bad and just got worse. I felt sick from the moment I got out of bed. I tried to control any urge I had to throw up because I hadn't eaten so I knew it would be the awful dry heaves. BUT.....it didn't last long before I was yelling at Thayne to get me a bowl because I knew it was coming. Josie was sitting by me and Indi was laying on me when it started. At first they just looked at me with confusion on their faces but then Indi started crying and ran to Thayne and Josie didn't make a sound but quickly rushed to the other side of the room. Afterwards, my body ached and I was exhausted from the nasty ole' dry heaves. I knew that if I actually had thrown something up I would have felt better....oh well.

After laying on the couch trying to rest and recooperate I packed the kids up to make a trip to Walmart for diapers and wipes. I still felt horrible but it was a necessity run for diapers. While strolling through the store, very slowly, I had the urge to throw up again. I didn't know what to do....I couldn't run to the bathroom in time with three kids and I didn't want to have an audiance so I went in the clothes section and sat down behind some racks and tried not to move. Both girls were in the cart and Jaed was running around and threw every clothes rack around us. I wanted to yell at him to stop but was afraid if I opened my mouth I might lose my breakfast. After about 5 minutes or so the naseous feeling started to subside and I got up and started my shoping again. I did finally make it home without any scenes, thank goodness.

I decided that my kids needed some fun in their day since I wasn't getting any so I took them to the city pool. They had a great time and I.....well...tried to keep a smile on my face for them. When I decided it was time to go home, I had to drag Josie out the car and then had to go get Indi. She had stopped to throw rocks and calling her wasn't doing the trick. By the time I got all the kids in their seatbelts, I was about to cry out of exhaustion and complete frustration. I sat in the car for a moment to try and get control of myself and when I thought I was ready, I turned the key to start the car and....NOTHING HAPPENED! The car wouldn't start....it wouldn't even turn over.....! If it wasn't so hot outside and even hotter in the car I would have sat there and just cried, but I couldn't stay in the car in the heat. My friend lived just around the corner, so I got the kids out of the car and we started down the street to my friends house. But guess what.....NO ONE was home. I am completely surprised that I didn't lose it right there. We walked all the way back to the pool and I used their phone to call Thayne, but he wasn't home yet. I let the kids run around in the front area of the pool while we waited for Thayne to get home. I finally got a hold of Thayne and he made arrangements with a friend of his to bring him to the pool. We tried charging the battery but that didn't work so we knew that it must be something more serious. I couldn't even talk because I was seriously on the verge of tears. Thayne's friend brought us home and I went straight up to my room and just let it all poor out. It actually felt good.....I was so exhausted and worn out.

It was truly a rough day. But my hero (Thayne) came to my rescue and took care of things and still was able to pay attention to me and make sure I was doing okay. How lucky am I to have such a brave, kind, and loving hero always at my side?

What Name Shall it be?

Thayne and I are not ones to wait until the baby is born before we choose a name. We like to choose it and move on. We've been throwing some names around and Jaed decided he wanted to suggest some names too. Here is a few that he has chosen:

Boys: Chalk, Brayden (my nephew's name), and Walka

Girls: Josie, Indi, and Lame

Yes, the last girl name is Lame. I told him I would have to think about those names. He's convinced that I have a boy and a girl in my "tummy" and their names will be Walka and Lame. I hope he won't be disappointed when we don't choose either of those names! I think we have chosen the names we're going to go with though. If it's a boy, it's Maximus "Max" Dean, and if it's a girl, it's Savannah "Savy" Colleen. We're still thinking but those are the favorites right now. Usually by the time we know the sex of the baby, we've decided on a name.....so we have a couple of months to make a firm decision.

I know Thayne's family thinks we're a little obnoxious with baby names, but neither Thayne or I want common names for our kids. I remember when we decided on Indiya's name and Thayne called his brother to tell him that she was born and he said "Are you sticking with the name Indiya?".