So much to do

It's been raining here all day. They say we might get some snow tomorrow morning but most of the time that means nothing. Maybe the stars will align right and we'll wake up to a foot tomorrow morning. Not! We went shoe shopping today Seriously when you're buying shoes for four kids it gets expensive VERY fast!!! We went out with the intention of buying crocs for all three boys and tennis shoes for Lucas and Jacob for spring. Allie really hasn't worn shoes yet and I will get hers from Stride Rite when I go for Caleb soon. First place we went was this giant shoe store in an old warehouse. I was going to get everything from there but found that they really didn't have a large selection when it came to sizes for the boys. We got their crocs from there and David about had a heartattack when he saw the total. 3 pairs of crocs hit $80 very quickly. Afterwards we went to shoe carnival to get tennis shoes for Luke and Jake since they usually have a better size selection. Of course that was another $80. I still have to go and get Caleb some shoes but his aren't in as bad of shape as the other two right now. When I go I'll try and see if I can find Allie some pre walkers too..lord I can't believe I'm saying pre walkers for my little girl. Only thing I have left for shoes for the older ones will be a few pair of flip flops and hopefully they'll be done for spring/summer as far as shoes go. Seriously..Lucas is incredibly hard on shoes! About three weeks ago I finally gave him and bought him some new shoelaces..he really did need new shoes but I knew if I bought them he'd just tear them up too so I just got the laces for the time being. Here we are three weeks later and those are torn up too! When we got them tonight we made it clear that the older shoes are for playing outside and the new ones better not be in the backyard PERIOD. Now it's clothes shopping for spring/summer..ugh!!!!!!! I dread it! What do you guys do for clothes shopping..I've learned that when you have multiple children it's easier to do alot of it online althought it's difficult because you can't see everything in person and sometimes there is a huge difference in sizes. I've even found that all mediums are not sized the same at old navy. Weird I know! Any tips on getting shopping done with as little stress as possible...I need a personal shopper!

Light of my Life

I can hardly believe it. On this very day nine months ago I was sitting in a hospital with my baby girl in my arms. Today I'm watching her crawl all around the house and get into absolutely anything she can get her hands on. I can't begin to express what she means to me. I never even imagined myself the mother of a girl...Boy after boy after boy and honestly I just didn't think it was in the cards. I was absolutely in love with the "boy" babies and never even thought of having a girl. Everyone knows that we were not trying when we found out that I was pregnant with Allie..we were done and happy with what we had. Caleb was still a baby and we decided when Caleb was born that we didn't want anymore. When I found out I was pregnant with Allie I cried for weeks...I was depressed and could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. The moment I laid eyes on her every doubt I had went away..I was made to love her. I can't explain the connection that I feel when I am with her. I have so many hopes and dreams in the years to come. My baby girl is growing up and as much as I would like for time to stand still so she could stay little for longer I am relishing every moment of her growing up.

Allie-

The past nine months have flown by. It seems like just yesterday that the doctor handed you to me after you were born. I remember your daddy was so mesmerized at watching everything that was going on he didn't even have the camera ready. You came out and the doctor looked at him and said "what by the time the fourth one comes you just forget everything?" :) He immediately remembered and started clicking away. You know better than anyone that the clicking hasn't stopped since. I asked your daddy the other day if he thought you ever got tired of the paparazzi. You're crawling up a storm now..you started a couple of weeks ago and I can't keep you still anymore. You have finally accepted baby food and I believe you are actually enjoying it now. Your favorite is applesauce and bananas. You are not a big veggie person right now. You absolutely hate green peas. You love bath time!!!! As soon as I put you in the bathtub at night you splash and laugh the entire time. When it's time to rinse your hair I lean you back and hold your head in one hand while I rinse you off and your legs and arms start pumping and you laugh and smile the whole time..I love to watch you! Your sleeping habits leave alot to be desired right now. You spend the majority of the night in between your daddy and me although alittle more on my side than your daddy's. Most nights I'm left with about a foot of bed and can't move in the morning. You're still waking up to eat during the night once although it's closer to early morning lately. You're scared of absolutely anyone that doesn't live in our house right now. You're fine just being around them but if they talk to you then you start screaming. You're making sounds and cooing like crazy..your daddy is convinced that you're saying Dada and I let him think it but we all know you're really just talking to me. Allie-you are my world. I love you more than you will ever know. I can't wait for everything to come. I can't wait to buy you your first Barbie and tea set. I can't wait to watch you grow up and experience life with you. I love the way you light up when I walk in a room and bounce up and down with a huge grin on your face. My absolute favorite thing in the world is to watch you with your daddy. He adores you and little girl between you and me..you've already got him!!!! Whatever you want I just know it'll be yours..he's wrapped around your finger already. We love you Allie and we'll always be here for you no matter what!

Here's my baby nine months ago.


I wanted to have a picture of her that was actually taken today. She really wasn't into getting pics taken this morning so this is about as good as it got. I'm going to get some more later and hopefully she'll be in a better mood.

Into It

Lucas loves to play video games and I absolutely love to watch him. He gets so into it. When he plays he moves around constantly and makes the funniest faces sticking his tongue out and making noises. Sometimes I just sit and laugh watching him play. I know they say that there's a certain amount of time that you shouldn't go over with video games and tv but Lucas does so incredibly well in school that I really don't worry about..okay those of you out there that think no more than 1 or 2 shows a day you all have the right to your opinion but with four kids and me by myself all the time sometimes tv is my lifesaver! When Lucas is home on the weekends or out of school he spends a large majority of his time playing video games,watching tv or reading a book. I'll miss watching him make crazy faces when he's older and doesn't allow me to just sit and spy anymore.

Wordless Wednesday

I know it's wordless and all but Allie's obsessed with the sliding glass door right now. She was sitting the other day playing with the curtain and I was clicking away. I love her eyes!

New pics!

I haven't done alot of experimenting with my new camera yet. I also got a much needed camcorder at the same time. The one that I had was one of the ancient ones that took tapes..yes that's right actual video tapes and I didn't have the battery charger for it anymore. When I contacted the manufacturer they told me it would be $150 to get a new charger..so I have been wanting one for a while and honestly I was begging Allie to wait on crawling until I got one so I could get it on tape...until then I'd been using the video on my cell phone. So I found one and found one that went on hard drive so I didn't have to purchase the tapes or mini dvds left and right. It's got me when it comes to the technical stuff though..I can get them loaded onto my computer but I can't get them loaded onto dvds to keep or onto my blog...UGH!!!!! it's really starting to piss me off! I've got alot of reading to do on both my camcorder and my camera. I know there are so many other features to them that I haven't figured out yet. I do have video of Allie crawling and I swear if I can ever figure out how to get it on my blog then I'll show you all because I know you're losing sleep just waiting to see it :) Until then here are a few that I've gotten with my camera that I'm just in love with!!!


I love this picture. The thing I love about my camera is the shutter speed...I can sit and take picture after picture after picture..click,click,click and I'm bound to get something that I like. I really wanted a recent picture of all four of the kids and was soooo happy to get this one..I wish Allie was smiling but I can't ask for the world,right?


This is my FAVORITE picture that I've taken of Caleb so far. I am really interested in learning to take the close ups and to be able to see the features of the face that often times we don't see in regular pictures. I LOVE this picture!!!!


Here's my two during one of the non fighting moments. Seriously those are few and far between right now so this is EXTRA special!!!


And what's a post from me without a picture of my princess? I can't take enough pictures of her..I asked David the other night if he thought she sometimes felt like the had the paparazzi following her? I just love this little girl more than I can put into words.

Not Me Monday

It's rolled around again so that must mean it's time for Not Me Monday. MckMama started this blog carnival and it's a great way to admit what we all DID NOT do during the past week. Head over to her blog and check out what everyone else didn't do last week too.

Now as for me:

I did not eat cookie dough last week and count it as a meal one too many times. I realize the importance of eating a balanced meal and since I ALWAYS make my kids eat them I would want to be the example and teach them the appropriate way to eat. And I absolutely did not tell Jacob no when he came up to me and asked me to eat said cookie dough while I was shoving it in my mouth..that would just be totally unfair.

I did not get incredibly upset when hubbys supposed to be one hour AA meeting turned into a three hour ordeal on Tuesday night..in fact since I didn't get up upset with him I most definitely did not get into an argument with him that upset me so much I didn't even eat dinner that night. I most definitely wouldn't have done that since I hadn't eaten at all earlier in the day either. I tell ya I know it's the right thing but it's wearing me out but I don't ever admit when things are bothering me so I did not just say that!

I did not get the most amazing camera for Valentine's day only to take shot after shot after shot and not load them onto my computer until last night.

I did not get so frustrated last night as I was trying to burn a video onto dvd that wouldn't work that I cussed my computer out. Why can't things be easy sometimes and just work the FIRST time I try?

I did not take this picture of my PRECIOUS little girl with my new camera and I am not absolutely in love with both!


My computer is once again not working right and I have not had to save and restart this post three times this morning so I most definitely did not just tell my computer that if it didn't work this time I was not going to do this again today!

I did not lay in bed last night trying to remember my Not Me's from last week so I could post them this morning. I AM NOT that old and my mind works much better than that!

Crazy few weeks

Things have been so crazy around here I seriously wonder how I make it through the days lately. I've seemed to have fallen into a rut and I can't find my way out of it. I really hope to catch up on a ton of stuff this weekend and get some cleaning done too. Here's a few pics from the past couple of weeks...I say that because I haven't loaded any pics from the past week at all. It's all relative though :)



Who doesn't love cupcakes? This boy will devour them and make a huge mess at the same time. We try to get together with my dad and mom every weekend for dinner and this was at their house not too long ago. The kids absolutely love to go over there so we try to do it as much as possible.





Honestly these past couple of weeks have been a battle with these two. They spent last weekend at my parents so I got a bit of a break then but otherwise it's been trying. My nerves are shot right now and it takes nothing to get me to crack. There have been days when they only time I can get a picture while they are behaving and not in time out is when they are in bed. There's also been early bedtimes alot lately..I've learned that those aren't so bad though :)





Allie loves this fridge toy. I have a ton coming up about her..she's started scooting and cruising up a storm. Once I can get a video loaded you'll see her. I'm going to try and get all that done in the next couple of days. She's been my light these past few weeks. There are times I feel horrible complaining because I know so many others have it much worse than I do and really I am blessed but when you're in the moment and things are crazy it can be hard to remember that. I hope you all have a great Friday!!...i'm going to try to just chill out and breathe!

New All Around

See my new baby? I think I'm in love all over again. This is what I got for Valentine's Day from my hubby. Seriously I was in desperate need for a new camera and it's exactly what I wanted. I went back and forth from a Nikon and a Canon but they had a special that I got a 55-200mm lens extra along with the Nikon so I went with that one. I love it..I haven't gotten any of my pics loaded off of it yet but when I do I can't wait to show you the first one I took of Allie. I know you're surprised I was taking pictures of Allie..all of you know that I don't ever do that :)

As most of you have noticed I also got a new blog makeover. I'm just giddy over it! Julie did it and if you're in the market for a new look you have got to check her out..seriously...she is the best! I am kinda new to the whole blogger world so I really had no idea what I wanted or how to even start. She walked me through the whole thing and even with my crazy questions she always explained everything perfectly. Thanks so much Julie for everything!!!! I am so thankful that we met and I LOVE my new look!

Wordless Wednesday

Hardly functioning

I'm here guys just not functioning very well right now. Allie was up and down all night long and I didn't get any sleep until 515 this morning. I stayed in bed with her until 815 but three hours aren't taking me very far right now. I'm wish I had an iv drip with coffee instead of just drinking it right now. I'll try to get up to date on comments and posting later on today...I got behind this weekend. I'm still here though so don't forget about me :)

Please Pray

I know all of you are living busy lives and have tons to do today but please take a few minutes and pray for Veiyah. I've posted about her a couple of times before but she's been taken back to the OR and is very critical. Please pray for her today!

Not Me Monday

I can not believe the weekend is over but when I turn my computer on and see Not Me Mondays staring me in the face I can't ignore it anymore. Head over to Mckmama's and see what everyone else did not do last week...it really is fun!

I did not go to BabiesRUs with three of four children in tow and a $10 dollar coupon to get diapers. I most definitely did not check out and get to the car before remembering that I forgot to use my coupon and I absolutely did not leave and not go back in. I know that I could have saved $10 and I would do that no matter what..having 3 children with me two of which were in car seats did not stop me from doing so.

I did not those little conversation hearts so much in the last week that they could be considered a meal. They do not taste extra good with a cup of coffee.

I was not incredibly thankful that it was 70 degrees outside most of the week last week so that my kids could play outside. I was not aggravated when they were outside 5 minutes and already wanted to come in.

I did not blog at all this weekend and was completely out of the loop except to check on this precious little girl to make sure she was okay. I did not panic when she took a turn for the worse and I did not praise God when she came through her surgery okay. I am not praying left and right that this little girl will make it out of the hospital and home with her family!

I did not get the best Valentine's day present ever from my hubby this weekend. More to come on that with pics later on :)

Forcing it

I never thought I would actually try to force a paci. I've been through a child that has the paci and fighting to get it away when they're about to turn 4 so why in the world after all that would I actually try to introduce it by choice. Lucas and Jacob took to the paci and it was hard as hell to get it away. I could never get Caleb interested in one but for some reason I just want Allie to have it. There were so many times that I wanted Caleb to have something to be able to comfort himself with but he never attached to anything like that. The first couple of days at the hospital Allie took a paci but when we came home she wanted no more of it. I gave up for a few months but a week or so ago I got a new breath in me and decided I was going to try again. I gave it to her and she loved it but not for sucking on it..she'd chew on it and she'd do it forever. Last night for the first time she sucked on it and even then it was short lived..she went right back to chewing in no time. I keep telling her it'll grow on her and if she ever does take a liking to it I know when it comes time to get it away from her I'll regret ever trying to get her to take it. I'm sure I'll kick myself in the ass on that day :)

I don't have the pics uploaded yet but Allie started scooting last night and was actually getting from one place to the other and where she wanted to go. Oh my I'm so not ready for her to move yet..I just want her to stay little for awhile longer!

Delayed for a Better Cause

I suppose you could say I am delaying my regularly scheduled blog post this morning for a better cause. I posted last night asking for prayers for Veiyah and her family. She is still in VERY critical condition and still needs all the prayer warriors she can get! So instead of putting pics up of my babies today or telling you some wild story of our insane life I'm going to focus on her today. I haven't been able to get her off my mind since yesterday. My heart just breaks for this family and I just pray that she will gain the strength she needs to get back home where she belongs. Please visit her blog and leave her family a message to let them know that you are thinking about them. Grab their button and put it on your blog or whatever you feel inclined to do. I will admit my faith has been incredibly challenged in the last few years and I've struggled each and every day with it but I'll be the first to say that if prayer works then I'm all for it right now! Anything to get this precious little girl back home with her mom and dad!

URGENT Prayer Request

Please pass this on to everyone you know. I have been amazed by the blogging world out there in the last few months and it is larger than I ever imagined. Word of mouth or I suppose I should say computer can spread faster than anything I ever imagined. This little girl needs your prayers RIGHT now! Post this on your blog and try to get the word out to as many people as possible so we can have everyone praying for her tonight.

Her name is Veiyah and she was born a twin at 30 weeks. Her twin didn't make it and Veiyah has been fighting ever since. She had to go in for open heart surgery today and has had some setbacks. She is in desperate need for prayers right now. If you would like please check out her familys blog and leave them a message tonight. I know that it would mean the world to them.

Wordless Wednesday

I {HEART} Faces

I HEART Faces is a photography blog that showcases talent from all over and holds a weekly contest with themes. It is awesome to see all the pics. Head over and check it out and enter one of your own.

Not Me Monday

I can hardly believe it's Monday again but it's rolled around so that means it's time for Not Me Monday. It's fun to read about what everyone else did not do so head over to Mckmama's and join in on the party.

I did not have a horrible week last week. I did not almost bang my head against the wall several times and I was most definitely not incredibly frustrated with myself and the way I was handling my stress. I should be able to handle it all in stride and not let it show after all.

I did not pull a pair of jeans out of the dirty clothes for Lucas to wear to school twice during my said horrible week last week. I would never get so behind in laundry that he wouldn't have any clean clothes to wear. I did not check to make sure they looked clean even though they really weren't.

I did not take Caleb,jacob and Allie to the doctor last week on my own and I did not go through Caleb and Jacob having shots either. Taking all of them somewhere is enough of a job without adding shots into the mix..why in the world would I want to add something else in the pot at the same time.

I did not bake fresh oatmeal cookies last night and I most definitely did not wait until the kids were in bed to bake them so that I could have peace and quiet to enjoy them.

I did not have an absolutely wonderful weekend after my said horrible week. I am not incredibly refreshed this morning and ready to start a new week.

Question?

Can you guys see my blog? When I try to view it all I can see is the header and part of the left sidebar but none of my posts are showing up at all. Is it just me and my computer or is it the same for everyone?

Snack Time

It's snack time around our house and for everyone other than Caleb it's predictable. So imagine you're 2 and you have your choice.

You can either have this:



Or this:



Seriously..he amazes me! I love this kid!!!

It'll only take a minute to help save this babys life!

I was reading a blog this morning and came across something that moved me to tears. I felt like I had to share and try to do my part to spread the word. This is about a little girl named Gwendolyn and her mothers quest to save her life. I am in awe of her strength and really you can't find a cuter little girl out there than Gwendolyn! So please watch the video and then sign the petition...it only takes a couple of minutes to get both of them done and then you've done your part in saving thousands and thousands of lives.

Checked Out

I had to take Jacob and Caleb to the doctor yesterday for their wellchecks. Taking them both at the same time was insane. Having Allie there and making sure she was content the entire time was a job in itself since we were there for two hours. Not to mention that they had to get shots...that was a huge obstacle to overcome. Seriously the shots get worse when they get older. Jacob cried so much by the time they actually gave him the shot he had hives. We came home..I gave them both tylenol and they both zonked out for a couple of hours..if only Allie would of decided she wanted to take a long nap too.

Jacob is actually way late for his checkup. His birthday was in Oct and we just now got to the doctor. He weighed 46 pounds and was 3 ft 9 in tall. I am in awe of how fast he is growing. Such a big little boy with a massive attitude right now. I tell ya I think that's the hardest thing is working on his attitude. If he doesn't get what he wants then it's war and it's brutal. It's very frustrating and extremely trying. Hopefully we'll both survive this stage :)

Caleb..oh my I can't believe he's 2. This is my baby that is so skinny the lady at Stride Rite told him that he needed to thin out..remember that? Well he weighs 28 pounds. Seriously..Lucas weighed 26 when he was 1 so Caleb is very small and keep in mind that Allie is 8 months and weighs 21 right now. Anyhow he's growing like a weed...he was 34 1/2 in long.

My babies are growing up!!! and oh how depressing it is! Lucas goes next week and he's almost as tall as me now so I'm sure he'll be off the charts. Seriously whoever decided that kids should grow so fast should go back and rewrite some plans so they can slow down.

Help!

I'm in the market for a new camera and need some help. The one I have right now is in desperate need to being replaced. Well technically I have two but Caleb has gotten ahold of one and broken the lens. I tell ya I can't keep anything away from him! The one I have that is still operable is close to calling it quits also. It was dropped a while ago and the battery compartment won't stay closed so it's seen its day also.

I want a camera that has a quick shutter speed so as not to get blurred pictures. I want clean,crisp,bright pictures. So give me your recommendations. Tell me what you have or what you want. I'm excited to learn about how you take pictures and how you approach picking out a new camera. Lay it on me :)

On A Role

I don't know where he gets it from. Lucas is incredibly bright! He loves to read and learn and explore any and everything that he possibly can. He got his report card a couple of weeks ago and for the second nine weeks got straight A's! I really don't know how he does it. I am afraid I am alittle spoiled though..I really don't have to explain very much to him. He comes home and knows how to do his homework so he doesn't ask very many questions. I am sure that it won't always be that way and homework will get tougher through the years and with other kids but he's got it right now. Here he is with his perfect report card :)



And what's your day without a picture of my precious angel? I can't imagine my life without her face!

Not Me Monday

I think Monday rolls around quicker and quicker each week. It's time for Not Me Monday again and it really does seem like just yesterday I was doing last weeks post. Head over to MckMama's for more!

I did not about eat myself sick last night! I am old enough to know when I'm full and have had enough so I absolutely did not continue to stuff my face again and again and again.

I did not get absolutely NOTHING on my to do list done this weekend.

I have not been giving Allie tylenol at night just praying that it will begin to help her sleep alittle better! As most of you know I am WAY against medicine and Tylenol is the only medicine that I will give to them on a regular basis if needed.

I did not go to Lucas' basketball game Saturday morning with two different shoes on. I did not Not notice until I got home and was getting ready to leave again and putting on the same shoes.

I did not completely forget about Lucas' basketball practice yesterday. I do not think his coach is a complete jerk and I most definitely am not going to feel bad that we missed it!!!!! Maybe subliminally I just didn't want to go back into the same gym I was in alittle more than 24 hours earlier with two different shoes on.

Serious Life Mag

I came across this remarkable family a couple of weeks ago. Inspirational does not begin to describe what they are. If you haven't checked out their blog then you should! They also have a FREE online magazine called Serious Life that is coming out with a new issue today. Yes I said FREE!!!! Can you believe that you could read something with so much depth online? Everyone go check it out!!