4/28/10

I'm In Looooove!

Miss B.'s room is finally finished and I couldn't be more pleased with the way it turned out.  From the bedding to the paint colors, I think it is perfect.  I loooooove this room!

This is a view from the hallway door.  This is what I see every time I walk past her room...PINK!! I love the dark blue ceiling, suede blue walls, and the black doors and trim.  Many friends have teased me for painting my baby girls room blue, especially since it has been every shade of blue and tan with the 3 boys who have slept in this room before her. We actually painted the room pink before this and hated it!  I love her new curtains that tie the whole room together! The butterfly mirrors are from Pottery Barn Kids and the black armour I found at a boutique.  It holds important things such as a glass piggy bank in the shape of a purse that reads, "shopping fund." See the horse on the side of the crib?  You weren't supposed to see that in this picture but Ledger was playing on it right before and I forgot to hide it back behind the crib! I guess I forgot to pick up that Fancy Nancy book that Ledger was trying to read too!  
Some of you may remember that this crib used to be a greenish tan color when my boys slept in it.  Jeremy took it to his painter and had it refinished along with the dresser.  I think the black is stunning with the hot pink, blue and white bedding. The black shelf and wall sconces came from a boutique. Jeremy sent his electricians over one day to run wiring through the attic so they would turn on from the wall switch.  We would have never done such a thing with our boys. The best part about this new crib, bedding and wall decorations?  That yummy bundle of pinkness peeking over the side at me!

This is what I look at each night before Miss B drifts off into dream land. The rocking chair faces this wall and is the perfect thing for me to stare at before I lay her down.  The reason? First off, look at that darling metal pink star.  My Dad's birthday was the 4th of July so whenever I see stars, they remind me of him.  I thought I loved red stars until I came across this.  It doesn't get any better then a pink star!  Second, look at that adorable jewelry sitting on top of her shelf.  As if a jewelry isn't awesome enough, I can tell you who gave me each little bracelet and necklace.  I have the best friends and family, what a blessing! Finally, do you see the hot pink tutu on the bottom of her lamp?  She wore that home from the hospital.  It looks so small now, but when she wore it home, it was huge and fluffy on her! Love it!!  
How cute are her painted name letters?  Each one was hand painted by my friend Karen from In Design.  And are you ready for this?  That adorable hot pink minky covered square is actually an old window from the farm on Greenfield. My mom took all the windows and doors out of the house before she sold the land and they tore down the house. You can see how old and worn out the paint is on it.  I love this board.  Another reminder of my Dad!
So you all know I have a small obsession with tutu's right? When I found this, I just couldn't resist buying it for my little lady.  I didn't make the tutu on it, but I love how it fits into the room.  I want to add a cute pink boa around the neck of it but keep forgetting to do it.  
So this is a little peek at Miss B's finally finished bedroom.  I am absolutely in loooove with it all!  Although the colors are bright and vibrant, I think it has a calm, pretty look to it.  

4/26/10

Am I REALLY old enough to be doing this?

Today, this lovely machine squeezed my boobies in a way I never knew possible.  That's right ladies, today I had my first mammogram.  My OB recommended it last week at my yearly checkup because I am 35 years old ya know!  Along with the mammogram, she kindly suggested a calcium supplement for my aging bones and a vitamin D blood test to see if I am low, which would be an indicator of cancer.  Can I just say, "GETTING OLD IS THE PITTS!" Seriously...a mammogram?!  I am not old enough for mammograms yet!  I know breast cancer doesn't care how old a person is, but boy do I feel old!  For those "young" friends of mine, let me explain a little something to you about how this is done.  First, you go into the screening room where the technician kindly tells you to take your clothes off from the waist up.  She DOESN'T leave the room so if you are like me, you start peeling off the layers as fast as possible for fear she may see something.  I don't exactly know what I'm afraid of her seeing cause it's obvious she's about to see it all in a minute! Next, she slaps 2 stickers with a metal pin on top of my nipples to mark where the nipple is when she squishes my boob.  Then the fun begins.  She grabs my boob, not gently, not soft.  I'm talking GRABS it! She then squishes it onto this flat surface of the machine, continues to move my boob around until it is in just the right spot, and then pushes a button on the machine that brings the top part of the x-ray machine down to my boob so that it can be squished as flat as a pancake.  She then goes to her computer to make sure my boob is the perfect flatness and takes the picture.  The machine then releases my boob and she does the next one.  It is the weirdest thing ever!  How would you like the job of the mammogram technician?  While talking to her today, she told me that she used to think of herself as a "breast contortionist."  Now she has realized that she is "An artist"  After all, she has to get each breast perfectly shaped before taking the picture. WHAT??  What has happened here. How could I be old enough to be doing this and how on earth does this woman get my boobs this flat and squished?  I wouldn't say that having my boobs squished to the thickness of card stock hurt, but it was, "uncomfortable." When all 8 pictures were taken, the technician tells me I can put my clothes back on but again, she DOESN'T leave the room.  I start piling on the layers as fast as possible while she is talking to me about what to expect. I thank her as best I know how in this situation and get the heck out of there! It was just weird! I am so happy that I survived my first mammogram, I didn't even cry folks!! Now off to Walgreens to get me some Calcium Supplements!

4/25/10

A Cold Weekend

On Friday night, Jeremy and I took the boys to Pine for the ward camp out.  Miss B. stayed with Sugar which was a good thing cause it was FREEZING COLD!! When we arrived at Camp Lomia it was rainy and cold.  By night time, it was beyond cold!  We pitched our awesome tent, ate our El Charro burros and enjoyed a night of entertainment from the ward.  The boys were exhausted so we settled in early which was fine by me! Of course there was no sleeping involved because I was so worried about the boys all night long.  Worried that they were freezing.  Worried that they were being suffocated in their sleeping bags. Worried that Ledger's moaning and groaning all night was keeping the others awake. On Saturday morning we woke up to ice on our tent which explains why were were all so cold.  All in all it was a fun, fast overnighter with the ward. I'm happy I got to go with the men I love! 
Ledger and Case drinking a Sprite.  
They thought it was great that I let them drink so much soda on the camp out.
Ledger's hands are "Freezing freezing cold."
Nothing like El Charro bean burros, chips and salsa when you're camping! Don't worry, I kept them nice and warm for my spoiled little campers by warming 2 bricks in my oven and placing them in a heat sack.
My super cute camper man!
Dad and Ledger trying to stay warm!
Donettes and orange juice in the morning are a real treat!
It looks like a Father's and Sons camp out but it wasn't!  Where are all the girls? 
 Oh wait...there's Katlyn in the back!
Joseph, Daniel, Michael, Brody, Kaden, Katlyn, Ethan, McKay and Clark.

4/20/10

This Is Only A Test!!

Why does this two year old cutie continue to test my patience each day?  It's as if he doesn't know the rules and boundaries of the house.  It's as if he is given no freedom in the daily decision making and he is frustrated and mad ALL THE TIME!! What is wrong with two year olds?  They are crazy, moody, up and down, a little bipolar at times.  It's making me tired, frustrated, angry, tired some more!! This kid will protest just about anything just to make a point.  He cannot be calmed down or talked out of the situation like my other two could.  He is head strong and determined to make everyone around him miserable.  He has no problem voicing his opinion in a LOUD LOUD screaming way.  He is driving us all crazy.  We're ready to ship him off to boot camp or boarding school for preschoolers.  Yesterday we loaded up in the car like we do pretty much every Monday morning to take Case to preschool (on Country Club and University by the way!).  Ledger was fine as we pulled out of our driveway and out of our street.  Then, out of no where, like a bolt of lightening, he decided he didn't want to go to preschool.  He started complaining that he didn't want to go with us.  "Sorry Ledger, I can't leave you at home by yourself." I calmly explained over and over.  We picked up Jefferson and by time we left his street Ledger was in a full screaming, crying fit.  He yelled in that horrible voice of his, "I DON'T WANNA GO TO PRESCHOOL!" I swear he must have said this 900 times!! I kept telling him very calmly to stop screaming.  Telling him that if he didn't he was going to get soap in his mouth.  Do you think he cared?  NOOOOOOOOOO.  He proceeded to scream and cry for a full 20 minutes.  All the while my blood pressure is rising and I am getting a very strong death grip on that steering wheel of mine.  By time we pulled up to the preschool I had heard enough.  By now I was crazy and mad!!  I yanked that screaming 2 year old out of his car seat and threw him over my shoulder.  He continued screaming which was a bit alarming and disruptive to those cute preschool kids (Sorry Miss Jody!) I dragged him into that cute ducky bathroom, slammed the door, and the crazy Mom in me came out... along with the soap.  I won't go into the gory details, but let's just say it was not pretty.  I was MAD!! After a few squirts of ducky soap in that loud mouth of his, he was done.  Just like that.  DONE.  No more crying, no more fussing...DONE!  We calmly jumped back in the car, ran some errands and made it back home at 12:00.  The rest of the day he was fine.  Perfect in fact!  Adorable and charming.  I'm telling ya...2 year olds are CRAZY!! He did this very same thing a couple of weeks ago at Miss Carolyns.  It's weird and confusing.  Is it something he is eating?  Is he not getting enough sleep? Am I not spending enough quality time with him? Is it just time to call the psychologist?  What is this?  I know...this is a test!  A test to see if I can survive the terrible two's.  Well guess what Ledger man?  I will pass this test and I will pass it with flying colors.  I will ace this test and you will grow up to be a happy, kind, nice 3 year old. Go ahead...show me what you've got cause I'm not giving up and I will win!  I am MOM...hear me ROAR!!! ROOOOOOOOOOAR!!

4/17/10

7 months already!

It seriously freaks me out that my Little Lady is 7 months old today.  Where is the time going?  Oh I know to baseball, swim team practice, swim lessons and music class.  Miss B. has had a very productive and busy month 6 if I do say so myself!  As a six month old she has:  learned to sit up on her own, started crawling (1 or 2 inches), grown her two bottom teeth, learned to clap, started eating solids (applesauce, pears, peaches, bananas, apricots, carrots, peas, oatmeal and rice cereal), and  she has learned that if I'm not in the room where she can see me or if I'm not lugging her around on my hip, she should SCREAM and CRY until I pick her up! Her little personality is in full bloom and I'm afraid it is a feisty one!  She has no problem protesting when she is unhappy or doesn't want something.  She LOVES attention from he big brothers. They are really good about playing with her and talking to her when she is fussing. Miss B. loves her Dad. When he walks through the door at night, her face lights up!  Her smile is enormous and makes all of us happy.  We are crazy about this Little Lady and can't wait to see what happens during her 7th month. 

This is a typical look from Miss B. right now.  
She can't quite figure out what is growing in her mouth! She is constantly feeling her 2 new teeth with her tongue.  How do you like the little ouchy under her nose? She fell flat on her face while she was sitting up the other day.


Here is an example of what a typical day is like for Miss B:

6:30-7:00 Rise and Shine!
7:00 Breakfast in the Bumbo in the sink. (Oatmeal and a fruit).  Hang out there until the rest of the gang is dressed, brushed and spiked! Protest a little cause you want out but I'm too busy getting the boys ready that I don't have time to pay attention to you... cry away little Miss!
7:30 Pick out the most girlie pink outfit I can find and decide which flower is the biggest and most obnoxious looking in your hair.  Do you have a cute bracelet or necklace to match that darling outfit?  You betcha! Laugh and giggle at you in the mirror cause I can't believe that pink outfit and flower are staring back at me.  It's beautiful!
8:30 Bottle and down for a nap. (unless we have to take Case to preschool and then it's eat and sleep in the car! We also run errands for 2 hours until we have to pick your brother up!) Sorry!
10:30 Up and ready to play!  You love your saucer, Bumbo, vibrating chair and sitting on the carpet.  As long as I am within seeing distance, your good to go!   You also love to have something in your chubby little hands to play with and suck on.  
11:30 Are you really hungry again?  Time for a 6 ounce bottle.  If we have to pick up Case from preschool, you are drinking that yummy bottle in the car (thank goodness you can hold your own bottle now!) (Three days out of the week we are off to swim lessons at this time which means you get to hang out in the beautiful weather and watch the boys swim.)
1:00  I've held you off long enough for another nap, but I really want you sleeping at the same time as Case and Ledger.  You are out cold the minute your little head hits your plush crib!  Good night little lady!
4:00  Sorry to do this to you, but, " wake up," we have to take your brothers to swim team practice! (Drink another 6 ounce bottle on the way there or when we get there.)
8:00  We are back home after swim team practice and a baseball game.  Since we haven't been home most the day, we had to get dinner after the game which means we are all exhausted by now...especially YOU!  Dad gives you a shower with the boys and I quickly put your warm, soft Jammie's on you and give you a bottle. This is my favorite time of night cause I get to hold you, all clean and warm, in that gorgeous room of yours and watch you fall asleep. I usually fall asleep with you which I love! I didn't have time to feed you rice cereal, peas and a fruit, but you don't seem to mind.  You are out like a rock! Good night sweet girl!!


As you can see, we are very busy right now. The other night we were at a swim meet and a friend politely (hmmmmm...) said to Berkley, "Your mama is gonna wear you out.  You should be home, not out with all these people." This is also the same woman who has nanny for her kids, who are now 17!!  This sweet lady doesn't take her kids anywhere until they are about 5 years old. She thinks kids should be at home, they have no business being out with the rat race!  While a nanny would be wonderful and great for our hectic schedule, it's not realistic for us.  The obvious reason is that we can't afford one, and the next being that we choose to do these activities.  I can't stay home with my new babies until they are 5 and have my older kids miss out on their activities.  It just wouldn't work.  When Brody was the only child, I thought Mom's like myself were out of control, ridiculous, and didn't care about the health and well being of their kids.  After all, how could they drag their kids around like they do and expect them to be happy and well behaved when they haven't had a nap all day or play time with Mom at home.  I've come to realize that while those things are important, so is having a kid who can adjust and adapt in different situations under different circumstances.  I'm not trying to justify our busy life.  I'm overwhelmed and exhausted too.  At night when I FINALLY get into bed I ask myself, "Why am I doing this?" Then I remember that this time will pass.  This craziness only lasts for 6 weeks and then it's over.  The problem is that all our activities are coming to an end or just starting.  They are all overlapping right now.  In another 4 weeks we will be back to normal (yea right!), I can do this!  My baby will be fine.  We will be fine. After all, "It may be a crazy life, but it's our life!"
Getting that crawling thing down!