Monday morning!

Hello there! Well, thought I'd check in real quick before going out to run a few errands. I still have to get Erin dressed and Isaac to get dressed... Isaac got to stay home from school today because his teacher is sick today... we were excited at giving the morning grump a little more time to sleep and about having him home today with us as well (once he woke up in a good mood:)). Well, we had a good weekend - relaxed most of Saturday. I haven't been feeling too well since Thursday night - having contractions (probably Braxton Hicks), but they are a little stronger, but not strong enough to worry about - some pressure and stuff, but I'll just keep on keeping track - they just tire me out is all! I did make 2 apple pies I think on Friday night which one turned out better than the other, but they never turn out quite the same for me! But, we're eating them and that's all that matters, so they must taste ok! Saturday, Jeremy patched a hole in the drywall in the hall. I think Erin must have pulled some of it off and I've been trying to catch her pulling off more and more cuz it seems to be getting bigger and bigger... But, one day last week, I caught our 6 month old kitten "attacking" the wall and pulling more pieces off - sorry, Erin! So, he patched and primed it yesterday to discourage the little bugger! I want to repaint parts of the house anyway... When, I don't know, but soon hopefully! Then, he went out to try and work on the car (1991 Buick) a little bit to see why it's been running "rough" again (not wanting to drive it for fear of stalling out somewhere). Now, mind you, my husband is very talented and works on our vehicles, tractors, etc. all the time and keeps them running and fixes them and is wonderful at it, but we've pretty much given up on making the car perfect! We have saved so much money by him having the ability to do that - he changes brakes, struts, you name it he can either do it or figure out how to do it. But with working an hour away now and not having the time, we decided that the van was a little critical and needed it asap and decided to have someone else fix it since it was a little more complicated... I've been praying for the last few months that we could just take it (the Buick) to the junkyard and get rid of it, not have to pay insurance on it anymore, etc. Well, he came in the house and said, maybe we should just give up on the car. What? Let me get the phone book! We called the auto salvage place down the road from us and they came and picked it up 15 minutes later with money in hand! Now, I did get an expected check this week for 24 hours of unused vacation time from last year (we needed 700.00 to get van fixed). Well, Jeremy came in after they left and said he was telling them about the van and they stated that they would fix it for $500.00. I said, let's take it in! With my vacation pay and the money they gave us for the car, done deal! So, we drove it over there and they said it would be done by Monday or Tuesday - PRAISE THE LORD! Plus, we have some extra $ leftover to go towards our insurance deductible on the truck - someone hit it in the van pool parking lot a few months ago so we're that much closer to getting that fixed! God is so good! I was thanking him while following Jeremy to the auto place and all day that day, I just couldn't believe it! We bought the buick 8 years ago this summer - the year Danielle was born and it was the nicest car and has served us well! It will be so nice to have 2 reliable vehicles again...

Erin is playing with some star wars figure (3CPO?) and keeps taking the arms and legs off of it, I've fixed him about 10 times in the past 5 minutes:( Yesterday after church, we went to the property to get a load of wood - Erin was so excited about snowmanning but unfortunately fell asleep on the drive out to the woods! She missed playing outside in the snow and she's the one that enjoys it the most! Isaac was whining about having to get out of the truck (video games so much more fun), but I kicked him out and heard he and Curt laughing and playing the whole time the girls helped Jeremy load wood into the backhoe bucket! When they were done and climbed back into the truck, I said "Isaac, I know you didn't have any fun out there" He said, "Actually, Mom, I did" and proceeded to tell me about the fort that he and Curt built, etc. Amber and Brooke had some snowball fights while waiting for Jeremy to cut up wood to load so they had fun as well! Thank you Lord!

So, we came home, got ready for church again and I decided to leave everyone else home with dad - Amber and I had to sing and it would be easier than worrying about everyone while I was up there. So, we got to choir, practiced our song afterward a few times and I thought I was ready. Never let a pregnant woman sing too much before a special! Our choir is starting to go up and sing an opener on Sunday nights as well - I waited too long to go up front and had to hurry a little which put me out of breath from the beginning (and entertained the church crowd, as well!). So, after that, I tried to not sing the congregational songs knowing I needed air. But, my nerves still got the best of me and sucked out what little breath I had! No matter how much I sing up there, I still get so nervous and I forgot to pray as well yesterday, too:( Anyway, I had to skip a few lines in the middle of our song to catch my breath... Oh well, I told them no more specials as a duet until after the baby! I have to sing one more time the week before my c-section, but it's with the ladies' group so they can atleast cover up my mistakes!! I do enjoy singing for the Lord, though and just wish I could do a better job of it! I need to do more praying! So, after church, I let the kids be on their own in the living room and came into our room and watched a movie with my husband. I let the kids stay up later than usual (10:15pm), so when I went out to put everyone to bed, boy was the room trashed! Needless to say, 10:45pm they were finally all in bed! So, I have my work cut out for me today in straightening out the house and the rest will have to wait until they get home from school to help!

Well, enough of my rambling - although I do enjoy that, too! I have some stuff to get done before I can leave and want to be home for naptime! So, have a great day and remember God loves you!

Thursday...

Hello there! This week has been pretty uneventful - praise the Lord, my sick leave pay was finally deposited! That is a big relief! Now, hopefully they won't mess up on it anymore for the next 3 months I'm off...

This week was kind of a lazy week. I've had my usual bouts of insomnia at night so haven't tackled anything too big. My husband had Monday off from work so we did have one big project when the kids came home from school - we moved their computer from the basement to the living room upstairs. This way I can monitor the usage much better and I don't feel like they are being recluses while downstairs. We try and keep it under control with passwords, etc. but you can't be too careful! So, with everyone helping, it didn't take too long and it was nice to clean everything real good as it got moved as well as the space downstairs where it's been for a very long time! I moved the keyboard down there for practicing. So, other than that, I've just been keeping up on laundry and general tidiness. We did go out to the property Monday night as well and Brooke and Curt helped Jeremy get a trailer load of wood and played in the snow that was steadily coming down. We did take a few sleds, but there wasn't quite enough snow... Isaac came up to Erin and asked her if she wanted to go for a walk so off they went, hand in hand. It was cute - I was wishing I had the camera! Well, they kept walking and walking until they were out of sight so I had to have Curt go and get them! They are pretty comfortable out there now, where before, they were always worried about getting lost. But, I don't like them to get too far out of my sight. Remember the days when our mothers rarely knew where we were - all my mom knew was we were out playing in the subdivision somewhere! Those days are long gone! I don't know if I'd ever be able to just send the boys out to the woods to play all day! Even when Isaac goes down to the "frog hole" not too far from the camper, I can hear him through the trees and holler out to him every 5 minutes or so and he knows to holler back! He likes to go there with a net to catch frogs and torture them with love! It's a small hole Jeremy dug in the middle of a stream so that we can water the garden from it, but it almost dried up last summer so we could only water from it a few times... But, the frogs loved it! Thus a great entertainment spot for Isaac and Curt and Erin when I would go down there with her! Now, when we got out to the property, Erin tells us "SSHH, look for deer!" Brooke used to do that when she was that age and we'd go to my Dad and Teresa's on walks. Erin is always asking when we are going to the camper (property). Our camper is at the dealership getting a new awning and some repairs so it's ready for this summer! I am looking forward to spring and getting them out there to play.

I've taken a few pictures, but forgot I didn't have the CF card in my camera, so I'll have to try it again! I should've waited to bring the baby car seat down, the cats think it's their new bed! So, I snapped some pictures of them and then Thunder (our beagle), who doesn't get to come in the house too often, was sleeping on the couch all sprawled out on his back! When he manages to get in the house, he will run for the couch or Isaac's bed and bury himself in blankets with his head on the pillow! He's no dummy, but he doesn't have good house manners, unfortunately! I haven't had much luck with animals in the last 14 years for some reason - can't get one that will behave in the house, go potty only outside, and stay in the yard! I love animals, but can't have them in the house under those circumstances! We have Thunder on a radio invisible fence collar system, but he knows when the batteries are going dead and will disappear as soon as it happens.

Ok, I gotta go and get some things done and play with Erin for a bit, she's wanting some attention here! She just said "Get off the computer, mom". So, I'll go put her to work, folding laundry with me - I still have the two totes of baby clothes to go through as well! Oh boy, maybe I'll just go and take a nap instead!!:) Have a great day!

Friday...

Good Morning! I am sitting here with my feet up on the bed, checking email and thought I would just post real quick to say we finally have a date, but whether the baby decides to wait that long will be another matter! My C-Section is scheduled for Friday, February 22nd at 39 weeks. I can't imagine there's that much more room in my belly for baby, but we'll see! Another night a insomnia last night and now I feel as if I could close my eyes and be asleep for awhile, but can't do that with a 2 year old in the house!

It's getting colder outside again - yuck! I can't button or zip any of my coats so going outside for anything is not a big priority for me right now! The parking lot at church always gets really bad (pot holes, bumps) in the spring and this little thaw we had a few weeks ago has had that effect - very bumpy and hard to drive through when pregnant! It's gotten better since it's been cold and Mr. Munson took the tractor and graded it a bit.

This weekend, Amber, Brooke and Curt go to their dad's and I guess the girls have a bowling activity tonight and they all have a dentist appointment in the morning. So, they'll be busy! I don't plan on doing too much of anything. Yesterday after the kids got home from school, I had a chore list of to-do's for them and we accomplished quite a bit. Curt and Amber went to the attic and pulled down a suitcase for me for the hospital, the baby car seat, and some more baby clothes I had packed away. So, I get to go through those in the next few days (or more:) depending on how I feel... So, I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be - I already packed the toothpaste, toothbrush, deoderant, shampoo - the things I've learned from experience you definitely don't want to forget once you're in the hospital! I will probably stay atleast 3 days. I know me and I tend to do too much once I get home, so I'm learning my lesson and need to stay as long as they'll let me, but 4 days is a little too long to be away from everyone! Amber will be taking care of things for the most part at home while I'm in the hospital so that Jeremy can stay with me and help - not easy to get in and out of bed and get the baby, etc. after my 4th surgery! It's as close to getting a vacation together alone that we get! Please pray that my legs feel better right away after surgery - I remember they did after I had Erin - that was the best part physically! They really can ache sometimes - I can't wait to exercise again and get the blood flowing better or something!

Well, I hadn't intended for this to be a long post, so I'll post again on Monday or Tuesday. I'm off to get a few things done so have a great day!

Wow where'd the time go?

I can't believe the week went by so fast! Nothing major going on around here - just getting much needed rest and keeping Erin out of trouble! She is quite the character as far as her clothes go (another Brooke, oh no!:)). She really comes out of her room with some get-ups on! Yesterday she had a summer top on most of the day and then her bathing suit, hat and gloves after Daddy got home from work. She was ready to go swimmin and snowmanning all at once! Two nights ago, she had to sleep on the baby's crib mattress on the floor in her room. She fell off it twice in the night! I should set the crib up, but want to keep her room spacious until the last minute, I guess. Curt and Isaac have been video gameaholics this week. I need to figure out a reward system for that thing - Saturday, I made them quit playing for awhile and come upstairs. I told them if they wanted to play later, they had to figure out some other things to do (read some books, play with star wars stuff, etc.), anything but video games or TV. It's a great way to get chores done as well! I always try charts and things, but it always seems to work at first and then fall away! The girls are busy as always, babysitting, working, church stuff. I can hardly keep up with them! We didn't do anything special this weekend - just hung out! Yesterday was my day for catching up laundry and picking the house up from the weekend. I had a few more nights of insomnia, so I didn't feel well at all by 6pm last night. Trying to get tax stuff together and census forms filled out, etc. Very stressful at times!

On a sad note, Justin passed away Sunday morning just after midnight. He was 15 yrs old and had fought cancer for the last 3 years! Praise God he is no longer in pain and has been healed from this terrible disease! Please pray for his family, his funeral is tomorrow. He had a peace the last week that passes all of our understanding, so I'm hoping that he knew Christ as his Saviour and is now in Heaven.

Well, 34 weeks and counting:) In some ways I don't want it to go by too fast, but in others... I feel so big this time! Nothing fits loose like I like it, anyway! My legs and feet and hands are swollen and my legs hurt if I stand for too long (lovely varicose veins, aren't they?). Even my belly gets sore if I am on my feet too long! Isaac told me the other day that my belly was getting huge! He also said another part as well (behind my belly), but we won't talk about that! Kids - so brutally honest when they're young! They still haven't called to schedule my C-Section so I'm thinking maybe this little one will just pick it's own birthday! No names yet which is driving Amber crazy! But, she'll get a name soon enough!

Ok, time to go and get motivated - have a great day!

Monday!

Good morning! I am sitting here, trying to talk myself into doing something, but don't really know where to start - there is so much I could do after the weekend. Yesterday, it seemed as if Erin was into anything and everything! She has discovered she can reach the light switches now and loves to go downstairs to Amber and Brooke's room! Lots of fingernail polish, hair goop, soaps, perfumes - you name it it's there -makeup! She comes upstairs looking a fright sometimes! Yesterday, she came upstairs with green goop in her her - I thought it was glue at first - no just hair glue to help with styling. I washed her hair a few times and by the time we got to church last night, she still had some hard crusty stuff in her hair! So, on my grocery list is a hook and eye for the outside of the girls' room so I can keep her out of there when they aren't in there! She loves to play with the bath beads as well - but those aren't as easy to get out of clothes (lestoil worked, yay!). Now she is making beards out of bubbles in the tub next to me! She asked for a banana earlier in the week and said "Yum Yum - deliciouso" (thanks to Dora). That was funny - she says it all the time now that we laughed at her! The kids were gone for the weekend. Jeremy went to the property to cut 2 trailer loads of wood for the fireplace and the rest of us stayed home and relaxed. I actually made 4 loaves of homemade spelt bread yesterday while Erin was napping. I love homemade bread. Jeremy usually does a lot of the work, but I tackled it by myself yesterday while he was gone - turned out pretty good! I love being home but now am at the point in my pregnancy where putting my shoes on is tough - I have been retaining water and everything feels tight and swollen! I have to wear heavy special hose for my veins and after I finally get those on, I feel like a nap - I'm always worried my water might break from bending over trying to get the hose over my ankles. Most days, I give up and just make sure I sit down and put my feet up more often! I imagine it's quite entertaining for those watching! Anyway, it's hard to feel motivated and do some of the things I normally don't have time to do! At church last night, I had a couple of - can't believe you're not due til February! Or, you're still here? I'm like, yeah, I have 7 more weeks to go! Makes me wonder what I'll look like then! I told Mr. Munson that my New Year's resolution is to lose weight in the next few months!:) I just hope to be able to fit into my work clothes somewhat by the time I have to go back in April! This baby sure moves a lot, though and I enjoy every minute of it - maybe not so much in the night when she keeps me awake, but it's reassuring! Erin didn't move this much! I will tell the kids to put their hand on my belly to feel her moving and the second they put their hand there, she stops moving - how does she know it's not my hand??? So, they have to be content with just watching her move! Isn't that funny?! Oh, please pray that my sick leave pay gets straightened out soon - I took the extension forms in on December 19th to the doctor and no one filled them out, so I haven't gotten paid since Dec 21st. I have to call their office today to make sure they were filled out and sent in. Then, hopefully the benefits dept at work will process it quickly and get my checks back on track and caught up! Christmastime isn't a good time to go without money for too long!

Well, I suppose that's enough rambling for now - have a great day and praise God for the warmer weather - I told Erin we'd go outside later and do a little cleanup of the yard since we can see it again - still have pumpkins sitting out there from Thanksgiving that need to be gotten rid of as well as stuff the dog has strewn around!

Pictures...

Well, I am trying hard to post pictures of Christmas, hotel stay, but I can't get the pictures to download. My husband thinks the pictures are too big, megapixel size. So, I will try and download some from Amber's camera if I can find it. I have been "nesting" a little the last few days. The kids went back to school yesterday so I shampooed carpets in the kids' bedrooms, got the crib down and have it ready to set up in Erin's room. I had to move Isaac's dresser back into the hall to make room... My sister-in-law had given me around 8 garbage bags of baby clothes, stuff from her sister and I finally went through the rest of those yesterday and washed baby clothes. Erin helped me put them away (I will have to go in there and refold them when she isn't looking). Such a big helper! She was having fun trying on 18 month sizes while I was sorting through! It was cute, I should've taken pictures of her. She had the hats and socks on as well! Then she gave up and had me put them on her baby instead! Boy, we were to used to staying up late on Christmas break. Isaac was very ornery this morning. I hope next week will be better! I have been miserable with heartburn and feeling sick to my stomach in the night. I feel lost in bed I have so many pillows holding me in place! I've been up since 2:30am... So, I don't plan on doing too much of anything today. While I was up, I felt burdened to pray for Justin (my cousin's cousin), who is 15 and has cancer for the third time. He is having another bone marrow transplant on the 9th(?) after just having had one in the spring 07. So please pray for him and his family if you think of it. Ok, I will try the picture thing again and then am going to rest for a bit. Hope you have a great day!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!!

Goofing around by the tree - Isaac and Erin
Reading verses of the Christmas Story before opening a gift
Hurry and read so I can open my present!
Isaac, Brooke, Erin and Curt
What a handsome guy!

Wow, we thought the week was going to be a little more restful because it didn't seem we had as many places to go but it still ended up seemingly busy and hectic! Wonderful all the same! Christmas Eve we went to our church's candlelight service, then home for pizza and dessert with Jeremy's Mom, stepdad and sister and watched some home movies. They were movies from when Danielle was still here with us - first time we've really watched them since she went to heaven! Very precious! Then, Christmas morning had to wait until Amber, Brooke and Curt came home at 10:30am to open presents - very hard for Isaac and Erin. Grandpa Steve came over and made biscuits and gravy and watched all the commotion. We stayed home all day. Wednesday we had Christmas at Jeremy's mom's which was fun. Good food, presents, games, etc. Friday we went to Grayling and stayed in the Ramada Inn for 2 nights and let the kids swim, play, etc. and played games in between (UNO/PIT). Curt was a fish and swam quite a bit. Isaac liked the warm pool (jacuzzi), but would get upset because he couldn't stay in there for long periods of time - too hot! The girls swam a bit as well. I got in once - still too cold for me:( I'm spoiled by our pool here in the summer which heats up to 90 degrees with the solar cover alone! Erin loved to go "swimmin" and slide. She would go into the room and start stripping, looking for her suit! Sunday, we went to my mom and Bill's in Roscommon for our Christmas there. Again, games, lots of good food (and desserts), presents, kids playing, kids fighting, etc... New year's eve, Amber, Brooke and Curt went to their dad's and Isaac and Erin and Jeremy and I went to his Dad's for the night. We ate, played games and the boys and Jeremy and his brother played video games while some of us went to sleep not long after midnight! Now, we are recuperating and resting up. Jeremy goes back to work tomorrow and the kids to school on Thursday. One night to get bedtime back to semi-normal! It goes by way too fast! I can't believe I only have 7 more weeks to go if the baby decides to wait that long! I'm feeling very huge and having a hard time fitting into anything! I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and happy new year!