Venture Out Of The House

Today was the second time I left the house in a month! The first time was on Tuesday, when I had a doctor's appointment. At first, I had a really hard time...especially in the elevator. But after awhile, I started feeling a bit better. Over the rest of the week, I had more moments of feeling less icky, just iffy. The evening is still really hard on me. What makes it really bad is that motion really affects me. So I feel fine when I am sitting or laying still, but when I have to get up is when I start feeling iffy again. This, of course, is impossible being a mother of two small boys and a wife. I can't shut down completely (as I sometimes want to) because I still have a family to care for.

Today, I finally made it back to church. I missed it so much. Even though I sat for a good portion of worship, I still made it through the service without feeling like having to go home and lay down. This week has been better than the previous three. So I am praying that I am on the upward swing from this "morning" (or better termed: all-day) sickness. Please pray with me. I just want to start feeling human again and I want to start enjoying being pregnant. I miss taking care of my boys like I should. I have put far too much on Joey during the day. He is my helper, but there are times he should just be able to play instead of helping mommy take care of little brother.

I have another appt scheduled this week; but I have to reschedule it for a different day, so I don't know what day it will be yet. Right now it is scheduled for Thursday, but since that is the last day of the month, Nick can't take any time off to watch the boys. A prenatal appt is not a good place to take three little boys. One thing that I read about the clinic is that they have 3D ultrasound equipment in each room! How cool is that. That means that I could see the details of the baby's face, rather than just a black and white fuzzy image. I have never had a 3D image of my unborn baby before.

Well, even though my posts are few and far between...I have very little to blog about. Nick will be going to Fairbanks first week of February. I'm not looking forward to it; not with the way I've been feeling. I hope I am feeling much, much better by then. My boys are growing so big and smart. I love them so much.

Hope everyone has a fantastic week. Love and miss you all.

I Still Feel Icky

I can't seem to do anything much while feeling this icky. I rarely get on the computer these days, and that is why it is so long between posts. But I did want to at least make some effort (since I can't sleep right now anyway) to keep you posted on things up here in the Great White.

It has taken awhile, but we finally got a good amount of snow dumped on us last week. I think we got a foot or more in just a few days. While the snow is fresh and clean (like on the trees) it is quite beautiful. I love looking at the snow...I just don't enjoy being so cold all the time. Right now, we've got two comforters on our bed, and I still throw an extra blanket on top of that. (Usually my new Tinker Bell blanket from Nanny encouraging the baby I'm carrying to be a girl! Thanks Mom.)

I have noticed a difference in the amount of daylight hours; the sun is up before ten am and doesn't go down until after four pm. That is quite an improvement. The boys are adjusting to sharing a room. There is still quite a bit of playing before settling down to sleep, especially at nap time, but they are taking less time to settle down. Baby Nick astounds me because he will jump up and down in his crib for over an hour, and still not get tuckered out enough to sleep! If I could only have a portion of that kind of energy. I'm not sure I would know what to do with myself.
Nick took some beautiful pictures of the snow when he went out to shovel the walk way. We live in a tri-plex, and are the furthest unit down, but Nick is the only one who will take responsibility and shovel the walk. The other night, he came home and found that the walk was shoveled....but only up to the first units' door! They didn't even have the courtesy to complete the walk even though this is the only time they've ever done even a portion of it! I know it shouldn't bother me...but some people have no decency. This is a community property; it shouldn't be up to just one person to take care of it.
Here is a spectacular view of the snow on the trees outside our door. The moose love the area behind our house. I saw two out there a couple weeks ago.

Joey loves to help Daddy shovel the walk. He also enjoys the big pile of snow Daddy makes for him to climb on and slide down. He loves going outside for some fresh air, even when it is freezing cold. Joey has two completely different sides to him right now; but I will only brag about the good side. He is such a caretaker. He is so good to me right now, while I'm not feeling well. He will let me fall asleep while the little boys are taking a nap because he knows I feel icky. Even though he would prefer to play with me (and I with him) he will play quietly by himself and give me a chance to rest. He will also be my gopher; get me anything I need to make things easier on me. He has such a tender heart and I adore him.

Baby Nick has quite a sense of humor. His laugh is so infectious. The other day, Joey stubbed his toe on one of the toys and Baby Nick thought it was quite funny. Unfortunately, Joey did not. But then, I threw up after changing a particularly stinky diaper (I am extra sensitive to odors right now) and only made it to the kitchen sink...so was retching for all the boys to see. Joey came in and started whining with his hands covering his ears (what he does when he is scared of something or doesn't like what is happening) and Baby Nick came in and started fussing a bit, too. But then Baby Nick found the humor in the situation and started laughing and jumping up and down, thinking Mommy is quite funny. I couldn't help but give a slightly miserable smile at him. He was too cute.

Well, there really isn't much going on around here...especially with me feeling this way. I am still here and will try to find something blog-worthy to post next time. I love and miss you all and wish I could be close to home right now.

Forgive My Absence

I really do want to blog...but I never feel up to it. The "morning sickness" I am experiencing this time around lasts all day long. No, I'm not nauseous, I'm not throwing up....but I still feel miserable. The hungrier I get the worse I feel; but I know that no food will make me feel better, so what is the point of eating. Even though I don't feel nauseated, I feel that if I move, I may just throw up anyway. This does not make taking care of the boys easy...but what choice do I have. Nick is an amazing man; he takes such good care of me. Even after working at the office all day, he comes home and takes over the care of the boys and house so I can rest miserably.

There is much I could say; for example, Joey is now sleeping in his own bed in his own room. Last night was the first fully successful night! I am very pleased. Hopefully the new trend has started. Baby Nick now likes to be laid down on his back instead of his tummy (although he flips himself over fairly quickly) but the problem with laying him down on his back, is that he likes to stick his feet up in the air making it impossible to cover him up! The little stinker.

Joey is very excited about a new baby. He has asked me several times, "Are you bigger yet?" Well, I know it may be hard to tell, but I assure him that he will be able to see a difference when the baby starts growing bigger. He has also asked if we are having two babies (he saw a show on t.v. where twins were born)...I said, "God have mercy, no." He also wants to open me up to see the baby! I told him that we shouldn't have to "open" me up, God willing, and we couldn't see the baby until God said it was time for the baby to be born. Then he asked me if I was going to squeeze at the doctor's office. That one took me by complete surprise!! I have no idea where that came from! But he takes good care of me, especially when Daddy is at work.

Well, I think I have sat up as long as I can stand right now. I think I will go lay back down and pray I don't get sick. Hopefully, this phase will pass in the next couple weeks and I will feel more like myself again.

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning "routine" includes opening stockings and "Santa" presents first. Then we stop and eat breakfast, get dressed, and start in on the rest of the presents. We like to take it slow enough where the kids can play with their new toys if they would like, and if necessary (especially where Baby Nick is concerned) take a nap in the middle to improve attitudes! This year, Joey was absolutely certain that Santa would bring him a Lightning McQueen bed and Lightning McQueen slippers.

And that is just what he got! He was so excited to see his new bed when he came down the stairs. The slippers were wrapped, so he opened those a little later. Here he is trying out his new bed! The best thing is, he has been sleeping in it for naps and bedtime since he got it. We have it in our room right now, giving him a chance to get used to his new bed before transitioning him into his room. Since Nick has to go to Fairbanks next week, the plan is to allow Joey to sleep in his bed in our room until next Friday when Nick gets back home. Then on Saturday, we will put his bed in his room and complete the transition. It's funny, Nick commented this afternoon that he hasn't really been sleeping well the last couple of nights. I guess it will take all of us a bit of time to adjust.
Here are my precious, excited angles with their stockings.
Joey is modeling his new Lightning McQueen slippers. He found the tires fascinating.
Bug is modeling his new stocking cap, that came with a pair of mittens. Trying to find mittens that will fit hands so small is a difficult task. The hat fits fine, for this year only. It is on the borderline of being to small. He looks like he is wearing an equestrian riding hat.
This is Baby Nick's favorite gift this year. He opened this broom first after eating breakfast, and he would hardly put it down for anything. Only a couple times, did I wrestle it out of his hands successfully to try to interest him in opening another present. It is usually the first thing he goes for when he wakes up. He drags that thing around the entire house. He has even tried to take it upstairs a couple times.

Wonderful Christmas

Sorry it has been another week sine I posted a blog. I love to blog, but I just don't have the mind power for it right now. It is hard to concentrate while the boys are awake, because they need so much of my attention (which I gladly give), and by the time they get to bed and I get a few minutes to myself, I really don't have much left to give. Not to mention the fact that I am pregnant and my brain has "left the building." Oh, you may think it is just an excuse...blaming baby-making on my scattered brain. But I know from experience, that your brain loses function when you are pregnant. I can't hardly complete a sentence without forgetting what I was trying to say, or inserting a totally unrelated word!

We had a wonderful Christmas. On Christmas Eve, the boys and I decorated some cookies and left some for Santa. Each of the boys were allowed to eat one...the pictures following are of that adventure. The boys went to bed nicely and I was finally able to finish all the wrapping. As you can see by the last picture, the boys hit the mother lode this Christmas. I have really tried to explain to Joey the reason we celebrate Christmas; as we were given the greatest gift when Jesus came to Earth as a new born baby to live among us. It was nice to sing "Happy Birthday, Jesus" with him this year.

Here is Joey decorating a cookie for Santa.
Here is Baby Nick looking at the cookie that "he (aka Mommy)" decorated for Santa.
Here is Joey admiring the cookie he decorated for himself.
Here is Baby Nick looking over at Daddy with a look of pure (almost diabolical) ecstasy, eating his cookie that Mommy decorated for him to eat.
Here is our sad looking tree with a mountain of presents under it. The tree, at one time, was a beautiful tree. But since trees have to be shipped up here from Oregon, you never know how long it has been cut. The tree, at this point, is nearly half its original width, as the branches are so dry and droopy. The ornaments placed on the bottom quarter of the tree (hidden by all the presents) were nearly laying on the ground! I had the tree cleaned off by 11am on Wednesday, and Nick took it to the recycling drop-off that night. I have never taken a tree down that quickly, but it was badly needed this year.

Secret Keeper

I am really good at keeping a secret. If there is something you tell me in confidence, I will take my secret to the grave, unless told I can share. However, when it comes to exciting secrets (such as trying to wait to reveal a pregnancy) about myself, I am only as strong as the weakest link. This time, the weak link was Nick.

After showing him the results of the pregnancy test, he kind of freaked out. He is not entirely ready for the idea of adding another little being to the family. Not that he is not happy about it.....it just takes him longer to adjust. I, on the other hand, just get giddy beyond giddy, and can't stop thinking and planning, and playing the "what if" game.

I thought it would be nice to try to wait until the idea of being pregnant took root in both our hearts.... a couple months, maybe, before telling our families. We always rush into telling everybody and have no time to enjoy the news just by ourselves. I also thought that it may make it easier being far away and not having to anybody in the eye.

When Nick called from work in the early afternoon, he said, "When are we going to start telling people?" I was thinking, 'geesh, it's only been a few hours!' So I asked him who he wanted to tell. He said, "I want to tell my Mommy. I want to call her right now!" How can I resist that! I mean, come on! So, of course, I caved and said, "Fine...you call your mom, I'll call my mom, and then you call me back."

So I set about making my phone call. Mom didn't answer. So I left a message and waited on pins and needles. When she finally called back (it really wasn't that long of a wait) I told her the good news and gave her a list of people I wanted to tell personally, before allowing her to spread the news. Next phone call was Aubrey. While I was in the middle of talking to Aubrey, Nick called on our other phone. I told him who I had told already, and he said, "I've called Mom, Angie, Dad, and Grandmama!" He got four calls in in the time it took me to make one and a half! Later, Nick said that he wasn't good at sharing details. I inquired, "Exactly what kind of details are you thinking have to be shared at this point?!?" I know he was thinking of after a baby is born; usually I will tell height, weight, hair and eye color, time of birth, how the labor went. Nick just tells people we have a baby! What a wonderful informer.

Anyway....I did start out with the intention of waiting to spread the good news, but I couldn't be any stronger than a son anxious to tell his mommy!

Yippee!

Well, when I woke up this morning, I really thought I would have a secret to keep to myself for a couple of months. I guess a couple hours is the best I can do. By now, just about everybody in our immediate families know that we are expecting our third child!

For those of you who may have looked at the blog in the last couple hours (before this post) may have seen the addition to the sidebar. I think this is one of the coolest things I have seen. Not only does it count down the days for you, it shows you day by day the miracle of God's creation. Even now, my baby's nerves are developing! And we just found out today! Isn't it amazing how God knows the very number of our days, is intimately involved in every detail from the very moment of conception. By New Year's Eve, my baby's heart will start pumping. Not that it will be able to be heard for several more weeks...but it will be pumping already.

I have been talking on the phone all day, often in the presence of Joey, but we didn't sit down and tell him until Nick got home from work. Nick got to do the honors. He asked Joey to remember when Mommy had Baby Nick in her tummy, and that now Mommy has a new baby in her tummy. First, Joey looked over at me, confused, and shook his head 'no.' Then when I explained that it was very, very tiny, but that it would grow much bigger, and that he would be able to hold the new baby in his arms, he threw his arms in the air and said, "YIPPEE!" I'm glad he is excited, he is such a wonderful big brother. We told Baby Nick, too....but I don't think he understands or cares right now.

I have to go put the boys to bed now, but as I leave I ask one favor of everybody: THINK PINK!!!!
(I need a girl!)

For Mom's Medical Advice

These pictures are for my Mom to see where my poor, abused son got hurt. Let me tell you, it is extremely difficult to get a profile picture of a 'ham'. Every time I tried to get a picture, he would turn towards the camera to offer the kind of smile he refuses to give when we are actually paying for professional pictures to be done! He's too cute, so I can't get mad.
But you can see that on the right side, on the top, is where he got hit with...something. I'm not even sure what with. My back was turned for a second to close the gate, and all of a sudden, Baby Nick was on the floor with a huge goose egg. After torturing the poor kid with ten minutes of ice, the swelling had gone down and a nice bruise was forming.

Here is a fairly good picture of the placement. It is closer to the temple area than I told Mom. It is higher than what I consider the "temple", but I'm not medically knowledgeable. He seems to be doing much better than after it happened. He woke up by himself from his nap, and was happy to be awake....so he should be out of danger. I am a little more leery of him bumping into things now. I would hate for him to get a goose egg on top of the one he already has.

Mom, I will call you tomorrow to let you know how he is doing. But for right now he seems to be doing just fine.

"Bitterly Disappointed" Add On

I didn't mean to sound so mean on my previous post about the Christmas Carol Quiz...I was going for sarcastic. But I sincerely apologize if it didn't come across that way.

The children's Christmas program will be next Sunday. We will have the morning service to perform it. I felt much better about how it is going after this week's practice. The kids with speaking parts had most of their lines memorized (a far cry better than last week) and the songs were better sung as well. This week, I have to try to find a costume for myself...I'm playing 'Granny', so I need to find an "old lady, hill-billy" dress. I searched through my closet, but I'm fresh out of hill-billy clothes! One of the little girls, Tianna, and I are going to sing a 'solo' together. She has such a sweet voice. I told Tina on Sunday, "I think Granny is going to carry around a Bible....that way she will have her lines close by!" Tina said that Uncle Yule (who she is going to play) will probably have a shovel to carry around that her lines can be taped to the back of! I think we will have a lot of fun, and I know the parents will be busting with pride to see their kids up on stage. At the end, we are going to have a "Precious Moments" nativity...with some of the littler kids. 'Mary' will be played by a cute little four year old girl...I can't wait.

It's hard to imagine that Christmas is just one week away! Joey is getting so excited. He is so sure that Santa is bringing him a Lighting McQueen bed and Lightning McQueen slippers. I can't wait till he wakes up on Christmas morning to find them downstairs waiting for him!

I'm supposed to be in bed right now. Nick put me to bed just after 8:00pm since I couldn't stay awake....but I never sleep for long. So, I got back up at 1:00am and have no idea when I'm going to feel able to sleep again. Hopefully, I will feel like I can sleep before I have to get back up with the boys.

Singing Christmas Tree

I love participating in the Singing Christmas Tree. I love singing in the choir. We had a really good program this year, and it's lots of fun, but I am so glad it is over. The weekend of the Tree is always such a long weekend.

Friday night our performance went pretty well, especially for a first performance. Saturday went better...except for the fact that half the mics didn't work. It just so happened that it was the half that I tried to use during my solo! I first picked up the mic in front of me, as I was supposed to, and it wasn't working. So the person to the right of the person to the right of me handed over the mic close to her. So in the middle of reading lines, we are criss-crossing mics, and I'm ending up just shouting the words out anyway. So two mics down. The person right above us, in the next tier up, handed down her mic....which had dead batteries! So then Pastor Gary, who was singing the male part of the solo, handed me his mic from down below, when he was done singing, so that I could sing my portion...then I handed it back down to him so he could do his other part...and for the part where we sing together....I just sang really loud! When the song was over, Pastor handed the mic back up to me to trade mics with the person above me, who hands her mic back down, and I hand it down to Pastor, and he has someone run and get new batteries. Then when the batteries finally get changed, we do the trade all over again. It was a night of music; not only musical voices, but musical mics as well!!

Sunday, Nick dropped the boys and I off at church; me with all my clothes and toiletries needed to get ready for the program later. After church, he picked the boys up, took us all out to lunch and dropped me back off at the church. I still had a couple hours before I needed to be ready for the program, but I volunteered to help make the cookies that we serve with hot chocolate for the audience after each performance. That way, Nick would also have the car to be able to bring the boys to see the Tree for the evening performance. The afternoon performance had a few minor glitches with the sound. Oh, and the girl next to me just about threw up after the first song, so I vehemently requested she abandon the Tree in a hurry. Other than that, it went well....mics were all working at least. But apparently, some of the lights on the Tree weren't working, again. After the afternoon program, the choir had some cheese and crackers, fruit and veggies for 'dinner' and got ready to do it all over again. I finally got to see my boys, whom I really missed all day. Apparently, Baby Nick had a very difficult day, walking around the house crying, looking for Mommy. That made me feel worse (and better, knowing he missed me too.) I would have to say that Sunday's evening performance was the best of them all. It was so nice to see my boys, way in the back. I couldn't see them real well, but I knew where they were, and occasionally the lights were just right to be able to catch a glimpse of Joey dancing all over the place! He was so cute. By the end, Baby Nick, who had only had a half hour nap, was way past his limit, so Nick took them out to the car to wait for me to be done. It wasn't more than two minutes when Baby Nick was out like a light, and didn't wake up until I got him out of his car seat at home.

Needless to say, it was a very long and tiring weekend. It would be great to be able to sleep all day...but the duties of being wife and mother never stop to give you a break, so I'm still going. Sometimes just barely functioning, but at least I am functioning at some minimal level.

Hopefully this year, they will be able to make a decent video of the performance and I will be able to get a copy to whomever wants it.

Bitterly Disappointed

I am so disappointed that not ONE of you decided to play the Christmas Carol Quiz! I thought it was a fun game and I thought you might enjoy it. I guess I was wrong. Well...just for the sake of it (and so it doesn't look like I have an incomplete blog) I will give the answers now.

1. Where would you go to hear Silver Bells? Every street corner.
2. Who was it that danced with the silk hat on his head? Frosty the Snowman
3. Where would you find Reindeer Paws? Up on the house top.
4. What did the cattle do to wake the poor baby? Lowed. (The cattle are lowing...)
5. When did I see those three ships? On Christmas day in the morning.
6. What size were those Kings of the Orient? Wee. (as in, "WE three kings..." It's a play on words.)
7. What is it that helps to make the season bright? Turkey and mistletoe.
8. Who wants a pair of hop-a-long boots, and a pistol that shoots? Barney and Ben
9. Who still wants a hula hoop? Alvin
10. Who kept time to the drum? The ox and lamb
11. Who, and what color was the animal that gave the hay to pillow his head? The cow, all white and red.
12. Where do the hopes and fears of all the years meet? In Thee tonight.
13. What would keep me warm all the way home? If you really held me tight.
14. What does Susie want? A dolly.
15. Why does the child want his two front teeth? To wish you a Merry Christmas.
16. What was the other reindeer's name? Olive
17. What was the horse in Jingle Bells named? Bob
18. When will I finally go? Not till I get some. (Figgy pudding)
19. What color is Christmas without you? Blue
20. What is the parson in the meadows name? Brown
21. Where does one go a wassailing? Among the leaves so green.
22. ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ? Noel (no 'L')

Too bad nobody played. Now I get to keep the fabulous prize I had ready for the winner. I guess I can thank you for that!

Singing Christmas Tree Starts Tonight

It's finally here! This is the weekend of our Singing Christmas Tree. I am already exhausted, knowing what my weekend will be like. I think it will go well. It's a great musical, and except for one video clip from The Nativity Story, we will be singing straight through. The program should only be about an hour. But singing it four times in three days is very tiring. We had our dress rehearsal last night, which for the most part went well. I have a few "narrator" lines to read before and after my solo. It shouldn't be too difficult since all the words are displayed on the screens so the audience can join in! As I was leaving last night, one of the ladies stopped me and said, 'Butter! You sing like butter; I love it!" What a fabulous compliment; a nice boost for my confidence. I am going to have to start getting ready soon, as I will be leaving within the hour. But trying to get ready with my two boys is hard enough; it's near impossible with no husband home and an extra toddler running around. I think I will have to bring everything down to our tiny half bath so that I am at least on the same level of the house as they! I snuck a shower in while they took their naps, so at least I'm freshly clean.
Hope you have a great weekend. I may feel like I have more time to think of something other than the Tree once this weekend is over. I may even feel like blogging again!

Visible, Tangible Proof Of God's Love

As you know, I was up until two in the morning Friday making pumpkin cheesecakes. What I didn't tell you was....

Well, I have a reputation for making good desserts. Nick knows, probably best of all, that I also am very picky when it comes to presentation. If there is something wrong with how it looks, or if there may be something wrong with the way it was cooked, I would rather throw it away than bring it out in public. I would be mortified.

While I was making the cheesecakes, I thought something went wrong (I'll get to what in a second). As I tried to find a way to correct it, I couldn't find evidence that something did go wrong...so I began to think that I possibly could have imagined it since it was so late and I was very tired. I was mixing the batter and came to adding the eggs. The recipe calls for eight eggs, added one at a time, at the very end...just before adding the pumpkin. At this point the mixing bowl is very full. In fact, it is so full that I have to pour it into the biggest serving bowl I have before adding in the pumpkin so that there is enough room. As I was adding the fourth egg, I thought I saw a big piece of shell fall into the batter. I stopped the mixer at once (the last thing I needed was for it to be beaten into lots of little pieces). I had no idea how I was going to search for this fragment of shell...I couldn't very well dunk my whole hand in to feel around for it, though I was extremely tempted to do so as I couldn't find any shell. I decided that after adding all the eggs, I would pour the batter slowly from the mixing bowl to the serving bowl to see if I could see the shell that way. I didn't see it. That is when I began to think that I possibly may have imagined it falling in in the first place. So I made the cheesecakes and brought one with me to the Ladies Christmas Tea.

There was a lot of food and desserts at the tea, and just under half of my cheesecake was eaten. Those who had some had rave reviews of it...but I was pleased that I could bring some home for leftovers. I had some later that night and the boys and I shared some Saturday before picking Daddy up. Still I found no egg shell, and thankfully had heard of no one at the tea having chomped an egg shell. Then Nick and I each had a piece after lunch yesterday (while the boys were sleeping, so we didn't have to share) and halfway through my piece....you guessed it! I found the egg shell...in my own piece!

If that is not tangible proof of God's love, I don't know what is!!

Christmas Carol Quiz

At the Ladies Christmas Tea last night, which was very fun, we played a little game I would like to share with you. I want to see how well you know your Christmas carols. The answers lie in the lyrics of the song. Now, I am counting on your honor...since I am not there to make sure you don't cheat, you may NOT look up the answers online or in any music you may have. I'm trusting you.

1. Where would you go to hear Silver Bells?
2. Who was it that danced with the silk hat on his head?
3. Where would you find Reindeer Paws?
4. What did the cattle do to wake the poor baby?
5. When did I see those three ships?
6. What size were those Kings of the Orient?
7. What is it that helps to make the season bright?
8. Who wants a pair of hop-along boots, and a pistol that shoots?
9. Who still wants a hula hoop?
10. Who kept time to the drum?
11. Who and what color was the animal that gave the hay to pillow his head?
12. Where do the hopes and fears of all the years meet?
13. What would keep me warm all the way home?
14. What does Susie want?
15. Why does the child want his two front teeth?
16. What was the other reindeer's name?
17. What was the horse in Jingle Bells Named?
18. When will I finally go?
19. What color is Christmas without you?
20. What is the parson in the meadows name?
21. Where does one go a wassailing?
22. ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ?

Good luck. For the winner who has the most correct answers, I have a fabulous prize. But you have to come up to Alaska to get it!! Ha ha ha. Look forward to seeing the winner!

Daddy's Coming Home!!

We are so very excited up here! Daddy is coming home tonight!!! In fact, we will pick him up in about eight hours. I will give the boys their baths and put them to bed like usual, and when it is time, I will pull the car out of the garage and make sure it is toasty warm, and one at a time, carry a sleepy child out to buckle them in. We will have our own little midnight adventure to the airport. Every morning, Joey has woken up and said, "I miss my daddy." I miss him too.

As a treat, I gave the children a piece of chocolate after lunch. I broke a small piece off for Baby Nick and placed it in his mouth. For the independent little tyke, this was not acceptable. Therefore, he took it back out of his mouth and licked it until it was a melty, messy goo all over. But he enjoyed it so much, and is so precious looking, that I couldn't really be mad. Kids will be kids. So, of course, I had to show you a picture of him all messy.

Hope everyone has a great week next week. Sorry, Mom, that your son had to leave again...but I sure am glad he's coming home.

Cute Quotes, And Such

I know I haven't been very faithful to blogging lately. It's not that I don't want to blog, and it's not that nothing goes on around here. It's just that I don't always time during the day (go figure, with three boys around here) and by the time I do have time, I'm usually out of energy and brain power. So, I have made a list over the last few days of some of the kids' cuteness so that I wouldn't forget to tell you about it when I took the time to blog. (Pathetic, I know.)

First, this has been a very long week. Nick is out of town on business. He's been out of town before, but this time, his business took him home. He is able to take advantage of the trip to see our families...most of whom he hasn't seen in over a year. Now, most of you know this already...as this is Friday and he has already seen everybody at least once. I'm very happy for him...but I'm jealous as well. There is nothing I want more than to be able to come home and see everybody. The opportunity to go to Portland visits our door and I am left out. There is something bitterly disappointing about that. At least one of us gets to see loved ones around the holidays. With Nick being gone, it makes my time seem to expand. My days seem longer, with more to do in them. And this week seems to be the worst. Monday, I was called about 4:30pm, asking if I wanted to meet with a group of ladies at a new chocolate coffee shop to visit. That sounded great to me; adult conversation, and with other women, to boot. So after Dakota went home, I packed the boys in the car and went to spend time with grown-ups. Of course, by the time we left, it was 7pm and the kids hadn't even eaten yet. So I had to rush them home, make them something for dinner and get them to bed.

Tuesday was choir night number one. Again, I packed the boys in the car, with a diaper bag full of toys and books. The boys are very well behaved when we are at church and have become a favorite with most people. (I love that...if I can't watch my family adore my kids, at least I can still watch people at church.) We got there a little early, and for the first ten minutes, or so, Joey ran back and forth singing a song about the days of the week. Once we started singing, the boys just ran around, in and out of everybody, and generally made everyone 'ooh' and 'aah'. I was very proud of how well they listened to me and obeyed. However, it takes so much out of me having to sing AND run after the boys at the same time. I was exhausted by the end of practice. Then there is the issue of not getting home until 9pm, well past bed time.

Wednesday, I didn't have anywhere I needed to be, so we had a normal day at home. But on Thursday, it was another choir night. Having just been through one successful, but tiring, choir night, I wasn't quite ready for another. Neither were the boys. They still did very well, but the worked me a bit harder than last time. They listened a little less, and did things they shouldn't a little more. For the most part they were still really well behaved and still adored. But I was even more tired than on Tuesday. We still didn't get home until just after 9pm. So far, that makes three out of four days that the boys were up late. After I got the boys into bed, I still had to make pumpkin cheesecakes; one for the Ladies Christmas Tea, and one for Nick's Christmas potluck at work next week.

I love our oven and am so thankful that we have one. That being said, our oven doesn't seem to be as effective as it should be. The cheesecake recipe makes two cakes, and they are supposed to be baked at 400 for twenty minutes, 200 for an hour, and then cool slowly in a turned off oven for another hour to prevent cracking. With our defective oven, it took two and a half hours at 200! By the time they were done enough, it was 2:00 in the morning and I was not about to stay up until 3:00am just to let them cool for another hour. I figured, if they cracked, I could just smother them with whipped cream and no one know the difference. As it was, they didn't crack, but I was still up way too late making them.

Tonight is the Ladies Christmas Tea, which starts at 7:00pm. Of course, that is just one half hour before Nick's bedtime, so it will be yet another late night for the boys. Four out of five....not a good record. Unfortunately, the boys don't understand the concept of sleeping in (not to mention that I have Dakota during the week) so I will have no sleep again tonight. Oh well...it has still been a good week of fellowship with the ladies at church.
Baby Nick is becoming very independent. He loves to eat with a spoon, but so far, has not become very adept at it. On this particular occasion, while eating left over turkey noodle soup, he managed to get a couple bites in with his spoon! I was so proud of him.
Joey is such a handsome boy. I realize that I don't take as many pictures of him 'just because' as I used to. So I start feeling like a bad mother, as if I love Baby Nick more because I take more pictures of him. So I wanted to have a picture of Joey 'just because' so I could show him how much I love him. (Mental, aren't I?)
Here's Baby Nick singing a duet with Frosty as he plays the piano and sings a medley of Christmas songs. This is a favorite with the boys every year.
Baby Nick is playing peek-a-boo, covering his face with an armful of clothes before dropping them with a smile and a "peek-a-boo" from Mommy. You can see in the background our beautiful tree...surrounded by the gate to keep the little kids away. Neither Baby Nick nor Dakota are of the temperament to take me seriously when I say "DON'T TOUCH THE TREE". The problem is, the gate is not quite big enough, and the boys can still reach the branches over the gate. If I'm not on top of things, I will see them shaking a couple limbs. Luckily, nothing has fallen off and broken yet. I will say, though, that the gate is at least a bit of an impediment and I am not having to constantly shoo them away.
Nine times out of ten, Baby Nick will let us lay him down and cover him up, but sit up to play before we are even out the door. So when we come to check on him before turning in ourselves, nine times out of ten, we will find him at the very end of his crib, near the door, laying horizontally in the crib. Here's proof. His poor head is smashed against the rails on one side, and his feet are sticking out the other. It makes me think of the Dr. Seuss book, I believe it is "One Fish, Two Fish" where the bed is too small for the creature and either his head sticks out one end or his feet the other. It makes me laugh to see him, so when I went to wake him up from a long nap, I couldn't resist taking the picture.

Baby Nick is in one of my favorite 'stages' of backing up to sit on my lap. When I sit on the floor, Baby Nick will turn from wherever he is in the room and start backing up to sit in my lap. It is too cute. He also backs up to go down the stairs, as he should, but he will drop down to his knees all the over at our bedroom door and crawl backwards several feet before finally reaching the stairs. I was showing him how to scrunch his nose up the other day. He made an immediate attempt...although he either open and closes his mouth, or blinks his eyes trying to copy the nose scrunch. He loves to 'sing' "If You're Happy and You Know It". He claps his hands along with the song. And just yesterday he started something new. On the part that says, "if you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it", you are supposed to put your fingers on your cheeks and twist your hands. Baby Nick gets his fingers up on his temples and scratches! Oh, can he get any cuter!

When Baby Nick has "done his duty", so to say, you know it right away. This kid packs a wallop! The funny thing is, you get ready to change him, expecting a big mess to go with the big smell and find the teeniest, tiniest turd. (Sorry for the TMI, but I am leading up to something.) When I start smelling him, I'll ask him, "Are you stinky?" He'll give me a big smile and wave his hand in front of his nose. So then I will tell him it is time to change his diaper, so he will walk a small circle around the rug and find a place to lay down! It is so darling! (I had to find a new word other than 'cute' and 'adorable')

Joey has such a vocabulary and repertoire of phrases. The other day, he saw me crying (probably over a sad movie...or a Hallmark commercial) and he came up and gave me a big hug and said, "It's okay, Mommy. I won't let anything happen to you." He's so protective. Whenever Baby Nick gets in trouble and starts crying, Joey comes over holding his hand out, wanting to comfort and protect his brother from getting hurt. Or he'll ask me something like, "Do you want to play with me? Say sure." How can I resist that? The other day, I was in the kitchen getting lunch or dinner, or doing the dishes....Joey came in and said, "T O Y spells toy." I was shocked. This year, when talking about Christmas presents, we have to spell things out, but now we have to be careful about that as well. Joey knows that Daddy's favorite color is blue and Mommy's is green. His changes everyday. He'll say, "My favorite color is pink today." The other day, he was reading my library book, "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe". This is how the story went while he was reading, while moving his finger left and right over the pages, "Happy Birthday to Grandma Mary and Aunt Angie are my friends and I'm going to the beach." Not everything he says is cute. Well, maybe cute, but not acceptable. When he is mad at the injustice of the world around him, (you know, like not getting his way all the time) he will mumble something and then say, "My entire life!" With his attitude and the way he says it, you can just tell he is saying something like, "This is the most horrible day in my entire life." or "I have never met such an awful Mom in my entire life!" Or, when he is getting in trouble, and Mommy is not being as controlled as she should be, he'll yell out at me, "I'm stake of your ploblem!" (Translation: I'm sick of your problem) It is so completely disrespectful that I don't laugh....in front of him, at least.

Joey was sitting on my lap at the desk the other day and was playing with a paper clip. He asked me if it was okay to play with it and I told him he could as long as he stayed in my lap. Then he asked if he could put it in his pocket. Again, I told him that would be okay as long as he was in my lap. Then he said, "You can say that again!" Oh, I laughed so hard. I'd never heard him say that before.

Well, I'm sure this post has taken well over an hour to complete (along with all the interruptions) and the boys are falling to pieces. There has been no morning nap for the little ones, and Joey is effected most when Daddy is gone...so he is being a bit difficult. Have a good day.

Hurry home, Daddy! We love and miss you sooooo much.

Five Spoons

I know it has been awhile since I've blogged, and I have more to blog than what I'm going to say here, but I have to tell this story real quick.

After lunch, I put the boys down for a nap like I do every day. Sometimes they take a fairly good nap, giving me time to both relax and accomplish something. Other days, like today, they don't give me much time. Since I choose to do my relaxing first (I know I shouldn't, but when else am I going to get the chance...especially with my husband out of town), the boys were up when I got around to feeling up to getting something done. The most pressing job needed was a good sweeping under the table. Joey loves to help me sweep and usually holds the dustpan for me. Baby Nick does his best to stay out of my way, and if I'm quick enough, I can keep him out of the pile of dirt. Today, I used the broom to "sweep" the leftovers off the booster seat that Baby Nick and Dakota use. I saw something sticking out from under the booster seat, and when I got close, I could tell it was a spoon! Since I push the chair right up to the table, I don't use the tray that comes with the booster. So there is a hole where the "peg" of the tray hooks into. Baby Nick is fond of stuffing food down there, so it was not much surprise for me to find one of my spoons down there. After pulling one out, I felt a second one down there. Finally, I tilted the chair over, lifting the booster up a little (not wanting to have to unlatch the booster altogether) and a total of FIVE, count them, FIVE spoons fell out! I couldn't believe it. I will have to get in the habit of checking the chair every time Nick eats with silverware.

Oh, he cracks me up!

Getting Old

Getting old isn't as scary as you may think it is, when you are a child. In fact, the older I get, the older "old" gets. So I can't see myself getting "old." I had a good birthday yesterday. Joey and Baby Nick got me a new pair of slippers; very soft, warm, comfortable slippers. Nick got me a new pair of flannel pajamas...very nice to have in winter up here in Alaska.

Nick wanted me to stay home from choir last night so we could spend time together for my birthday. At first, he wanted to cook me dinner...but as we had turkey noodle soup, I couldn't wait for him to get home from work before starting it. I did need him to finish carving the turkey in order to add the turkey meat to the soup. And of course, luck would have it, that he got an on-call stop added to his ride home. So he didn't even get home until close to 7pm. Needless to say, we had a late dinner. Plus, Chris called just before 5pm and asked if I could watch Dakota until 9pm as she had something she needed to do after work. So I fed the boys turkey sandwiches (since they were starving and couldn't wait for the soup to be finished) and they got to eat their cake before Nick and I even got dinner! When the soup was finally finished, Joey climbed on my lap and wanted to feed me. After getting half the bites dumped down the front of me, I kindly thanked Joey for feeding me and repossessed the spoon. Then Joey says, "You can feed me now!" What a clever way to ask for a bite. Overall, it was a very good birthday.
Here are a few pictures of Thanksgiving. Of course, they were taken as everybody was finishing eating, so Baby Nick is clearly a happy mess.
Joey loved the sweet potatoes (he ate two helpings) and "apple soda" which is what we call the Sparkling Cider.
Nick looks content. He ate his fill and was astounded at the amount of leftovers we had.
Beneath all the candles you can see glimpses of my cake. I made a spice cake and Nick made the caramel frosting. It was delicious!
Why did my dad have to retire from the fire department before my birthday?!?! Talk about your fire hazard. I made my wish (which I cannot reveal or it may not come true) and in one breath, which nearly gave out on me, blew out all my candles! I don't think I could handle even one more candle. I guess I will have to stay this age the rest of my life!

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday. The days are passing so quickly before Nick's trip to Portland. I am both excited for him and envious of him. I will send him with the strictest instructions to take home hugs for everybody from me, and to bring back hugs from everybody for me.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Now that the weekend is over, I feel like I can say "Happy Thanksgiving." Sorry it is a couple days late, but I feel like I can breathe again. Granted, we only had the four of us for Thanksgiving, but I still cooked a full Thanksgiving meal. The turkey turned out beautifully and delicious...the gravy, for some reason, was not as successful as it usually is. Oh well...it still tasted great. After making two double batches of pie crust to get one pie crust, I scrapped them both and ordered Nick to run to the store for a pie crust before the apples browned beyond recognition. Needless to say, the pie was not up to my standard either. The mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and stuffing were all delicious. Needless to say, with just the four of us, we had most of our turkey left over. Once we finish carving it, we will set some aside for turkey noodle soup (which we will eat on Tuesday, for my birthday) and leave some for sandwiches. Throughout the weekend, we have nearly finished off the rest of the leftovers...so we are doing good.

Saturday we spent a few hours at Nick's office to help him file and get things in order for the Regional Logistics Manager who is coming in on Tuesday. He will be auditing the Alaska branch, which adds a bit of stress on Nick. Once this next week is over, Nick will breathe easier and will be able to look forward to his week at home. After working, we did our grocery shopping. We left the house at 11am and didn't return until almost 5pm. It was a long day, especially for the little ones, but they were absolute champs. No melt downs, no fits, no arguments. After getting the groceries in, I had to quickly get dinner on the stove, eat, clean up dinner, and then start on baking my SIX batches of cornbread for the chili cook-off fundraiser for the youth group at church. We don't eat chili here (unless it is canned chili mixed in with cream cheese for a chip dip) so I volunteered cornbread as my contribution. (Nick wasn't exactly thrilled that I made so many, and even less thrilled when I brought three back home with me!) There was a dozen different chili's and a few other people brought cornbread or rolls, but when I asked Pastor Lucas how much cornbread he needed, he didn't really have much of an idea and made a guess. Oh well, we like cornbread. It will be good to eat with soup, for breakfast...and just about any time we feel like cornbread....at least until it is gone.

Baby Nick is such a gem. He has gotten very good at listening. All weekend, he has obeyed after being told only once. He has stayed off the stairs, even though we don't have the gate up right now, he has put things away when asked, and he has "stopped" whenever told to stop. The sweetest thing I have ever seen him do was on Thursday morning. The boys had waffles for breakfast, and I allowed them to eat in the living room on the breakfast tray. I was busy in the kitchen, making sure all my pots and pans were washed (since the boys like to play with them all day long) and then I see Baby Nick coming into the kitchen, carrying his breakfast plate and handing it to me at the sink. Talk about a heart-melting moment! I have never asked him to bring his dishes up to the sink, seeing as how he is only 15 months old. But there he was. He likes to help me now. He loves to close doors. He is usually so eager to close the door for me that he will start closing while my hand is still in the way. He is also in this phase of clinging to Mommy. Even Daddy isn't getting as much time with Baby Nick lately. He wants to be held all the time. I love it, on the one hand, but on the other it makes getting anything accomplished much more difficult. It's almost like he is an infant again! Although, I must admit, I am enjoying him much more this year than I was at this time last year! (Could it be that he was colicky, I had recently been ripped away from my home and family and I was thrown into nearly total darkness?)

Bubba continues to amaze me every day. The things that he learns, that he picks up. He loves to help me in the kitchen, he loves to play the computer. He astounds me on the computer. He knows where to click to get on the Internet, how to get to my "favorites" list, and where in my list are his game sites. He is allowed to play on PBSkids and Playhouse Disney. As long as he is given a warning (such as "this is the last game, then you need to get off the computer") he does really well with obeying without a fit. He adores his brother. He is always telling me how cute Baby Nick is. Whenever he walks by Baby Nick, he pats Nick's head on the way by. Bubba has always been my "lover". He has been asking for a baby sister lately. I keep telling him to talk to his dad about it!

And on that note, I will sign off for the night. I still have laundry to fold and it is now midnight. I've had an exhausting few days and have to work tomorrow. (Even if I didn't have to work, I still have to work...I'm a mother after all.)

Heat Wave In Alaska

Here we are, in Winter Wonderland, experiencing a heat wave as if it were spring. It is currently about 41 degrees outside. The six-or-so inches of snow we had on the ground have mostly all melted away. There are, of course, the larger piles where roads had been plowed and sidewalks shoveled, but for the most part, the snow is melting away. This presents a very treacherous problem. As the roads and walks are wet all day, they freeze again over night. Most of the main roads, which are kept pretty clear are fine, but those side roads (such as what we live down) are sheets of ice in the morning. As much as I would love for the snow to last only a couple months, I look forward to it snowing again to cover the iced asphalt.

Yesterday, the kids made pilgrim hats for a Thanksgiving project. The little boys did not like having them on their heads, and I fought tooth and nail just to get a picture of Dakota and Nick. It would be much quicker, you may think, to have just one picture of all three of them. But don't fool yourself....that is so much more work, trying to get them all to stand still and keep their hats on long enough for one picture. No...it was easier to get individual pictures of each. I also have a picture of "music time" where Maestro Joey is teaching Apprentice Nick how to play a duet. I love that my boys love music.

When I sang in church a week ago, I was there early for worship practice, and Joey walked around the whole time, holding one of the microphones that were not being used, "interviewing" people making his own kind of music. He did not put that mic down until we were all done. We asked Joey if he was going to play an instrument (Nick pushed the piano since we have one of those) and Joey thought through which instrument he would want to play out loud; "How about the trumpet? No. How about the trombone? No. How 'bout I play the saxophone? No. I want to play the guitar."

I just heard the oven chiming that it was hot enough for lunch. I better go get these kids fed. Have a blessed day.