baby #3

It's about time that I get this posted. We are expecting another baby.

We went in for our 1st ultrasound a couple of weeks ago, so I'm about 12 weeks now. We are expecting this baby to appear in May and we couldn't be happier about our new addition to our family.

Dance Class

I have Elizabeth enrolled in a dance class. It is for little kids. They work on ballet and tap and I think it is the cutest thing ever. Elizabeth looks so cute in her leotard and skirt. Granted, we haven't mastered doing anything yet, but that's ok. She's only been in the class for 3 weeks...1 day/week. She still relys on holding the teacher's hand through everything, which is frustrating to watch, but I am grateful she see's the teacher as an adult whom she can go to for help. We'll see how things progress. She is the youngest in her class, so I think she will get there.

Apple Orchard Field Trip with Playschool

Elizabeth at the dock

Martin taking a bite of his apple

Last Friday, the kids had their first field trip with their school class. We all met out at the Apple Orchard and were able to pick apples from a tree. Each child got to climb a ladder and pick 2 apples from the tree. I was amazed how well the kids did...all of them. The ages of the kids in the class range from 18 mon. to 3 years. It was amazing to see how skilled the kids are.

I was grateful Marty was able to take the day off and come with me...Martin was our challange...wanting to run off at every turn. He doesn't stop to make sure you are there behind him...he just keep on going.

My Little Man

Martin went in for his 18 month check-up on Thursday. He was such a trooper. He weighs 25 lbs and is almost 34 inches tall. While the doctor was doing her routine exam, she discovered that Martin had ear infections in both ears. The left one much worse than the right. I was surprised that he wasn't tugging at his ears, so I was caught off-guard by this news. Poor guy gets another 10 days of antibiotics plus another trip to the pediatricians office in 3 weeks. Already with 2 days worth of medicine in him, he seems to be doing better.
We have also moved him into a toddler bed. He definitely likes it way better than the crib. Now he can get up and play when he wants. Last night was a bit difficult for him and so I opted to put him in his crib to keep him contained. After 10 minutes of crying/screaming I went to check on him and found that he dumped his blankets overboard and climbed out of the crib (something he has never done before) climbed into him toddler bed and was sitting there crying. It was so sad, yet so funny all at the same time. He has also learned to open doors since this new transition. Yes, we do have locks on the outside of the door to keep him contained in his room. It's amazing to me how much he is learning and accomplishing every day. I think it's cause he wants to keep up with his sister.

Chickens

As most of you know, Marty and I got chickens in the spring. These stupid birds have really been a pain in the butt, but all that is finally paying off. We got our 1st egg last week. I say...it's about time. I'm really excited about the fresh eggs we are getting and hopefully these chickens will continue to pop out those eggs.

Almost Over

Just exhausted

Well...I have 1 week left...YEAH! There is one week left of my classes, and I am so excited. The 2 that I've been taking haven't been as horrible as I would have thought, just time consuming. I feel like I finally get a break and can now focus on cleaning my house. Some things we've been up to this summer...Marty and I took a trip to Mexico (I'll post some pictures later), family coming to town, Jessica's wedding in Seattle, and the biggie...getting a start on the house. It's amazing what has been accomplished.

The Day of All Days

It's been a rough one. I still do think that we are ready to say good-bye to the pacifier. It's day 2 and I was hoping for a day that looked a lot like yesterdays. I think everything was different because we went to town. Yeah, we left the house and did a little shopping, just me and the kids. I think that really threw Martin's schedule off, even though I'm not sure why. Plus, Marty's been working out at the property for 2 days now and neither myself nor the kids have seen much of him. I think Elizabeth has been the most affected by not seeing him. She sure has been defiant lately. And where has that come from? I say yes, she says no. Today I turned my back for 5 sec. and she had gotten up on the couch and grabbed the soap and smeared it all over her and the couch. I can't even explain ho many times we've talked to her about getting into the soap. I thought the solution was to put it out of reach, well she's just smarter and figures out a way to get it. It's frustrating, but I figure that everyone goes through days like these. I am just so grateful I put my kids to bed at 7:30 each night, so I can have my sanity back...if it's only for a couple of hours.

What's new???

no...this isn't Martin, it's Elizabeth's friend Tyler.

This one is my cute little boy

It's been so long since I've posted anything. I used to think I was good at keeping up with this blogging, and now I know that I'm not good with it at all...lol.

Well...a couple of months ago...right around Martin's birthday I got referred to see a urologist....I couldn't believe it either. It was a bit of a scare cause we didn't really know what was going on. Turns out I had a couple of very large kidney stones. I had one in my ureter...sp??? that was stuck and now allowing my kidney to drain, so I had a pretty huge kidney due to the fluid retention. Well, my doctor scheduled me for a surgery to have a stent put in. I went in and was out an hour later. I was able to get it taken out a week later. I do have to go back next month to get an x-ray just to make sure they are all taken care of. So that's that.

We went to Arizona a couple of weeks ago for Lea Ann's 1st birthday party. It was really nice to see family and get to hang out, even if it was for a short time.

I registered to take a couple of classes this summer through Southern Oregon University. I guess in order to renew my teaching certificate next year I need to take 9 credit hours of graduate level classes. Thankfully I thought about it and looked it over before it was too late to do anything. I've heard it's very hard to renew a certificate if you let it lapse, so here I go...ready to spend thousands of dollars just to keep my teaching certificate around. It's so frustrating. Thankfully I only have to do this once.

Also, I registered Elizabeth in a playschool for next year. It looks like it will be very fun. I took the last opening, and Martin is 1st on the waiting list. It would be nice for him to get into it also. It's once a week for an hour and a half of play time with other kids. The teachers do arts and crafts with them as well as a little instruction time. Also, parents are required to attend with also so that there is plenty of help with the little ones. I'm really excited about it and I'm happy that it's super cheap too.

An Act of Kindness

I can't even begin to tell you how amazed and shocked I feel at this moment. I was doing my daily shopping at Kmart, since they are doubling coupons this week I have gone in every day. I had in my cart a few items, and of course since I had coupons, it was taking the checker some time to get things rung up. My kids were good, well-behaved at this moment. I was chatting with the lady behind me and she was asking me if I worked outside the home and if I felt organized. My answer to both of those was no. She told me how she raised 5 kids and that it was tough but how fortunate she was to have done that. Well...the checker finished my coupons and of course told me my total and as I was swiping my credit card, the lady said, "I want to pay for your items." I told her no, but that was kind of her to offer. She then handed the cashier $20 and said, "I am paying for your items." She continued with, "When I was your age and raising my kids I had wished someone would have handed me $20 to help pay for my groceries. I want to do that for you." I thanked her and said okay. I grabbed my bag and began walking away when she stopped me and said, "here is your change." She didn't have it in her hand, the cashier was still holding it. I again told her she didn't need to do that and she had done more than enough. She again said," $20...and this is your change." My items were only a little over $13, so she was handing me $6 and change. I thanked her again and told her I would someday pass her kindness on to someone else.
I can't believe that it happened. I am grateful and feel blessed. She didn't know me or know my lot in life. She wanted to do a kind thing and I feel that being on the receiving end, I need to keep my eyes open and provide little act of kindness toward others.

Couch Potatoes

One of our favorite shows is the Backyardigans. I actually really like it too. It's educational, and there are is a lot of singing. Whenever it comes on, my kids turn into couch potatoes. They like to lounge and get comfortable. I always find it amusing.

A snack on a nice day

I thought I would post what a 16 month age difference is like in terms of eating. Today is a really nice day out. The sun is shining and the weather...well...it's warm for Oregon. I kicked the kids outside to spend some of the afternoon. Here they are enjoying thier pudding snacks. Notice how clean Elizabeth is. Martin...he's a bit of a mess. I did realize that I could save myself some extra laundry if I would have stripped him down, but that was after-the-fact. Elizabeth is not impressed with how messy Martin is. She keeps telling me, "Martin messy." "Martin need a wipey." I love this age...even if there is extra laundry!

Couponing

So, as some of you know...I've really gotten into couponing lately. Thanks to my friends Gayle and Aliza!!! Marty thinks I'm a little nuts and seriously probably thinks I go overboard, but I honestly feel really good when I get great bargains...even if I won't be using these products in the near future. I chalk it up to "expanding our food storage." This is my newest purchase.

I got all of this for $8.64. That comes out to be just a little over a dollar for each one of these products. I did have to do quite a bit of research and clipping coupons, but I feel rewarded! Because I'm fortuante to stay at home with my little ones, I feel like this is a small contribution to our household. Ok...that's a bit corny, but I really do feel that way. For those of you who are interested, I use the site www.the krazycouponlady.com to check out where the best deals are. I am hooked, and I am even using Marty's computer at work to help print off those extra coupons that I want. :)

Martin's Birthday

Martin is 1 year old. That makes me so sad. Where did this past year go??? Saturday we had a small birthday party for him. We had my parents, Marty's parents, my brother, and some friends come to celebrate with us.

Martin's zoo cake. Thanks Fred Meyer. They did a great job!

Martin getting ready for his party. He looks excited, huh.

Cailee, Elizabeth, and Chloe at the water table.

The water table was a such a great idea! It was hard to think about what to do for a 1 year olds party and this was a hit, with the older kids too!

Martin getting messy is his cake. He didn't really like it.

We had a great time. There would be more pictures, but I'm used to grandma and grandpa taking those for us and just sending us a CD with all of them on there.

It seems as if life has been kind of crazy lately. I thought for sure with the holidays behind us that we could take it slow for a while. I guess that with kids, it doesn't really ever happen. About a week ago, Martin took his first steps. Marty and I were guessing that he'd be walking in his 10th month; we were wrong. Even though I'm so happy that he's getting to that point, I'm also sad.

Elizabeth is doing so well with potty-training. I would say now that she is 90% there. We are now working on night training, so we are limiting her fluid intake. It's been a bit of a battle at night, because she is used to a water cup and now we have taken that away. It has been really nice only having one child in diapers. She is getting more comfortable going potty by herself too. That is a big step for her.

We are headed once more to Phoenix this coming weekend. It will just be the kids and myself. I'm a bit nervous about the plane ride. I hope that the kids will be well behaved. Since we do fly alot, I'm hoping all will be well. We are only going to be there for a couple of days, but I'm really looking forward to seeing my friend Melissa. It has been forever since I've seen her and I can't wait to see her new little baby.

Martin's birthday is also right around the corner. We decided this year to just do a family thing for his birthday, so my parents and Marty's parents will be coming in for that. I'm sad that my little boy will be turning 1. It is true that time flys by. I sure wish it would slow down.

So frustrating, yet soooo funny

Each Sunday I pride myself on bring able to get the kids ready for church. With Elizabeth it's a little more work since I have to put tights on, get a dress on her, and get her to sit still long enough for me to do her hair. I get all this accomplished! She has a beautiful clip in her hair and it's pulled back. While getting Martin ready, I turn around and find this. She found a hat that I bought for Martin and put it on. She's sitting in her chair watching T.V. She is happy and content, and I have to redo her hair. It was really one of the funniest things that's happened. Marty's laughing....I'm laughing, and she hanging out.


She is now attached to this hat. She's been wearing it ever since...well...not to church, but loves this hat and wants to wear it all the time. What a silly little girl!

Martin's 1st haircut

My friend Gayle was awesome to give Martin his first haircut. In all honesty, I tried taking scissors to his hair the night before and it turned out horrible! Poor kid has a mom that doesn't know how to cut hair. Thankfully, I have a wonderful friend who helped me out. She did a fabulous job.



Yes, she used the clippers

Thank you Gayle! It looks awesome! Since I saw her do it, it doesn't look that hard, but I really didn't know what I was doing!

The box is more fun

Elizabeth and Martin LOVE the box. I have always heard that the box is more fun than the toy and it is very true with our little ones. We caved and bought a new car seat for Martin, he was outgrowing the infant one. For four days now we have had this box in our living room, because the kids love it. Elizabeth asks Martin to play by saying, "Martin down on the floor." It is so cute. They enjoy playing with each other and can spend an hour crawling through this box chasing one another. Martin just adores Elizabeth, and Elizabeth loves it when Martin listens to what she says. It's too cute.

Happy New Year

We spent a bunch of time taking down our Christmas decorations as well taking apart the baby accessories. It was a little sad to me to put that stuff away. Now that Martin is crawling around, he doesn't want to sit in the swing or be in the exersaucer or jump in the jumperoo....whatever that thing is. So, we said farewell and I sent Marty to put it all up in the attic. We won't be seeing any of those things for a while. However, with all of that gone, it really opened up our living room and we were able to bring Marty's chair out from Martin's room. I've been in the organizing mood, bought some spacebags (I really like them) and compiled Elizabeth's 18 mon. clothes to put them away. I was feeling ambitious and put Martin's 6 mon. and 9 mon. clothes away as well.
YEA! I can stand! only if mom helps though.