Thanksgiving, kitty, and lots of spit up!

I haven't written in a while so I thought I would quickly post something.  I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving this year.  We enjoyed ours although it never seems to be the same as when we were younger.  We always stayed home because we had a lot of family in town.  I just remember how nice it was to have everyone home, which happened every Saturday, but it was different.  It was nice to wake up on a cold Thanksgiving morning, Dad had a raging fire in the fireplace, Mom had the turkey in the oven and the house was clean.  Then after a while all our family would start showing up.  We would eat and eat and usually spend most of the evening playing Canasta.  We didn't play until we got older, but it was just fun talking and joking and seeing some older ones throw little "fits" when they lost!  I really miss that kind of Thanksgiving. Ours was still really nice this year.  We went to Abilene and had Thanksgiving dinner with Samantha's new side of the family.  Their tradition is playing football after dinner, so Daniel got to play.  I wanted to watch, but I had to feed Everet.  Then when I was done, Ema said, "Daddy's hurt!"  Daniel had dislocated his shoulder again so he was sitting there (not in pain)  I guess just that odd feeling of not being able to feel his arm.  Samantha's sister-in-law is a nurse and was trying to ease it back in, but it wasn't working.  So we thought we were going to have to go to the doctor, but then it slid back in by itself.  After a while, we went back to Samantha and Kerry's house and tried to play cards.  It doesn't work real well with 4 little kids running around and clamoring for attention.   It was still fun though.

This week is back to "normal" for us.  We had a kitten meowing outside our bedroom window all day yesterday.  We went and found it.  It's probably 2 months old or so and is all grey.  We let the kids put it in the back yard for now because they have really been wanting a pet.  Cats are less maintenance than dogs so maybe this will suffice.  Ema got up extra early this morning and was out there in 30-4o degree weather feeding the cat.  I heard it all last night and then I heard it in a different spot.  Ema was carrying it around the house.  I use the excuse that I am allergic to cats, which I am, as a way of keeping animals out of the house.  I can't stand to have animals in the house, especially after being in my parents' house.  They don't have cats, but the previous owner must have had a few that ruled the house.  Our house's previous owner had one too and I have found big fur balls in the vents.  Nice.  So anyway she had to take it back outside even though "he was so cold."  I know.  I'm heartless.  This morning I've had the treat of listening to Elena meow back and forth with the cat at the back door.  Sometimes Elena sounds more like a tiger cub. 

I had to take Everet to the doctor on Tuesday.  His congestion just seemed to be getting worse. Especially at night-he could hardly breathe so he and I were up for quite a while.  The doctor said his lungs and throat were clear (it didn't sound that way to me though!) He asked if he spits up.  YES-all the time.  He said the congestion is probably due to spit up going up his nose a little and I guess irritating the whole area.  He suggested that I try cutting out dairy products in my diet to see if that helps him stop spitting up.  He may not be able to digest the protein or the lactose in the milk.  So I have refrained from eating the cheese and cereal that I love so much and I haven't seen a difference in his spitting up.  It is so frustrating.  It doesn't matter how much or how little I feed him, when he burps there is almost always something with it.  And not just a little on the corner of his mouth, we have to have a towel to clean it all up.  And if he burps a few times in a row, or has the hiccups, it is worse.  I just don't know what else to do.  How long would it take to get the dairy out of my system?  We have his 2 month checkup next Wednesday, so I'm waiting to see if it gets better by then.  I've been having him sleep in his car seat at night so that he's elevated (I do take it out of the car, for those of you who might be concerned!) and that has helped him sleep better.  At least we're getting a little more sleep, but I'm just really tired of cleaning up spit-up.  I saw a clip from "4 Christmases" where Reese Witherspoon gets thrown up on.  They whisk the baby away and she is just left standing there with her arms out trying not to touch anything and she says, "What do I do?!"  Vince Vaughn is gagging and trying not to throw up.  The whole scene just feels so familiar.  Daniel doesn't gag, but Ema does and Elena screams, "he spit up."  Eli yells it.  And whoever is holding him stands there stunned (although we kind of expect it now) trying to figure out what to clean up first and why won't this towel DO WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET IT TO DO!!  That's the frustration building.  Some of you may have heard Daniel or me talking this way!  We don't really expect the towel to clean it up by itself-it usually happens that Everet is laying on the towel in some way that restricts us from getting it all the way to the spit up before it is on the floor, couch, our pants, or whatever.  It probably is a funny scene to watch.  Sometimes I'll be singing to him or talking happy and then interrupt it with "aaahhh maannn" because it goes everywhere.   Okay now I've talked way too long about spit up.  

On a side note, I didn't "quickly" write this post as I had intended.  The boys woke up and after feeding them and the kitty and getting drinks for them, it has been over 2 hours since I started it.   So much for that!

Pictures and things

I thought I would try and post some updated pictures. This one was just when we were trying to get a family picture. I thought it turned out pretty cute. We've been staying pretty busy for the past couple of weeks so I'm hoping this Thanksgiving week will be a little more relaxing. We are going to Abilene on Thursday and we get to stay in a motel with an indoor pool. The kids are excited about it and I have to admit that I am too, even though I really can't swim. It's still fun to play in the water! We will actually be there for a little longer than usual and I'm hoping not to plan too much to cram in those days.  We will be taking time to see our new nephew, Nathan James for a while.  The pictures are adorable, but I'm sure they don't do him justice!  It's much better to make a visit.  Arly's family is there so we will let them have more time with him since they live farther away.  I'm excited though!  We're coming back Saturday afternoon instead of Sunday because it is always so hectic on Sundays to try and get everyone ready for church, and pack up and check out of the motel before 8:00 our time. The kids are usually hard to deal with because of the time difference and just being away from home and so we just decided to come back and have a calm day at home. Now I just have to get the laundry done and pack for 6 people. That's not stressful at all!

This is just a cute picture of Ema after her Halloween party at school.  She got her face painted and we had to take a picture before we washed it off and ran in to change into a Snow White costume.  This is when she had both of her front teeth still.

This isn't the greatest picture, but it shows that she had lost one of those front ones and that other one is just barely hanging on.  We were trying to get her to pull it before her party, then we tried to convince her to let one of the grandmas do it.  But she didn't want to.  Finally the day after this party, after church, we spent over an hour wrestling with her because we were afraid she would swallow the tooth or something.  I thought the police may have been called on us because of all the screaming, but we finally got it out.  We were all so frustrated-it was ridiculous.  Now they are out and she was messing with another tooth one day.  I told her, "Don't you dare try to get another one loose.  We need a bit of a break from the last two drama episodes."  We keep meaning to take a picture of her, but haven't gotten a good one yet.  This picture also shows Aunt Mantha's favorite gift of sugared gum that Daddy bought!

The first three pictures are this past Sunday.  He has really started smiling and talking.  He's to the point that we have another way to console him.  Not just feed him, change him, or put him to sleep.  He loves to be talked to.  Right now his tummy must be hurting because nothing is working.  He's also been very congested the past few days and there's really nothing more we can do for him.  It's frustrating.  After I re-read this it sounds really grim, like we're just trying to keep him comfortable on his last days!  I meant we can't do anything else besides the humidifier, and cleaning out his nose.  

I finally broke down and bought a sling because I wasn't getting around to making one and I was afraid the material I had wouldn't work right.  Ema wanted to wear it, but it's too big for her, so I let her try this one that a friend had made, but was too small for her and me.  It's still too big for Ema, but she enjoyed holding him with it while he slept in her arms.  She's a pretty good helper!

My kids have resorted to eating dry oatmeal and watching Cars for the second time (it's REALLY scratched up so it skips through most of the movie!) while I've been doing this-among other things like taking care of fits, accidents, diaper changing, etc., etc.  I hope everyone has a very happy Thanksgiving!  Oh-and I will post pictures of my other 2 kids one of these days!

Happy Birthday Ema!

Today, despite the gloomy national news, we are celebrating Ema. Seven years ago today, we were in Midland Memorial having our beautiful Ema Cheri. She was finally born at 6:26 pm. She was 7 lbs, 1 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. One of the first things said in the delivery room was "He" is a "she" because they kept calling the baby "he." I can still remember the feel of her soft, warm, tiny head in my hands. I just can't believe that was seven years ago!

Ema, you are such a special girl. You are creative, silly, ornery, energetic, stubborn, caring and thoughtful. You always want to be doing something, whether it's making a project out of paper cups and sticky letters, or just going out and getting a drink with Daddy. You are so smart and have an excellent memory. You keep us on our toes with your quick thinking. When we were trying to pull your tooth the other night, I said, "Let me try to pull it and you just talk to Everet." The look on your face was priceless and you said, "how can I talk to him while you have your finger in my mouth?" You are such a sweet girl. You love to make cards for people, even if a lot of them say the same thing, you know that someone may need a card and you make a few for them. You are usually pretty helpful with Everet like holding him when I just need to do something. I can remember you even helping with Eli and Elena. The older women at church were surprised, and a little scared about you carrying Elena around, but you've always been pretty careful. My hope for you is that you will always focus your energy on doing good for others, and that you will always be as confident in your beliefs as you are today. Your stubbornness might get you into trouble at times, but hopefully it will come in handy when you are faced with bigger issues. I promise you that I will always be there for you to help and support you and most importantly, to pray for you. You are one in a million and I hope we can always show you how special you are.

I was trying to think of some funny or neat things Ema has done. There are so many so I may come back and forth adding them as I think of them. Feel free to add your memories of her in the comments. I have a bad memory, so I always appreciate when someone reminds me of something.

I remember:
-reading "The Fox Book" with her when she was about 2. One of the pictures has a huge woodchuck next to a small fox. I read "the fox pups go out and meet their neighbor, a [giant] woodchuck." We laughed together for so long. We still read it that way and laugh.

-playing Barbies with her and making up silly conversations for them.

-her screaming at the top of her lungs in the middle of the night because there was a dinosaur with "shaap teef" in her bedroom. We didn't watch Jurassic Park anymore after that.

-going for walks on the dairy with her, feeding the calves, looking at all the cows.

-fainting in the emergency room as I watched her get her first stitches.

-her wiggly worm dance she did when she was about 6 months old. She put her hands behind her head and wiggled her body from side to side. So cute!

-she has always loved to read. She is one of the best readers in her class. She even was reading a card written in cursive to me yesterday.

-she has also always loved singing and listening to music really loud. She likes to make up songs too.

I probably could go on, but I need to get some other things done. I am going to make cookies and take them to her class in a little while. I am still having trouble getting into our old pictures on the computer, but I am amazed at how much Everet looks like Ema. They actually all look quite similar. All of them are as beautiful and handsome as they can be!

We love you Ema and hope you have a wonderful birthday!!

Conversations

I was just in the kitchen with Elena and she said,
"you know what?" (her new phrase) "Dalton say da da, and I say BE TWIET DALTON."
(Me) "Well that was rude."
(Her, laughing) "Yeah, I know it."

She just cracks me up sometimes. Ema came home the other day with a cheer she learned from a friend at school. It goes something like, "to the back, to the front, to the side, to the side, let me see your butterfly." Elena says, "watch this, mom" and jumps around laughing and says "front side back, wha me hee your butterfwy." I don't think Ema does it when she does the cheer, but Elena kinda shakes her hiney on that part. I know it's not supposed to be cute or funny, but it is a little bit! She's actually shaking her whole body, but that is the part that shakes the most. She is a big ham.

Ema has been dressing up for school this week. They are having their drug free week and each day is a different theme. Some seem like they are stretching it a little bit but oh well. Like "crazy against drugs" where they dress crazy-Ema wore 2 shirts, 2 different socks, and her hair in 2 low ponytails. She actually looked really cute. Tuesday she wore her chef's hat and apron because they were supposed to dress up as who they wanted to be when they grow up. Today she is wearing a Snow White dress that someone made and handed down to us. (The theme is our stories are drug-free) She thought she was supposed to dress up as a character that they've learned about this year, but I told her it could be anyone. (Really, how do you dress up as the Pied Piper or Anansi the spider? I need a picture.) Anyway she was self-conscious about it this morning and was afraid she wasn't dressed as the right kind of character. So I had to call one of our friends to avoid walking in with her in my pajamas, messed up hair, and spit-up on my shirt. Then she was okay with it because Ms. Terri said it could be any character from any story. She just reminded me so much of myself this morning. I am the type of person that doesn't like to look different or stand out. This is one reason I don't like Halloween because I always HATED trying to figure out something original and neat to be, and then wondering if anybody else was actually going to dress up. I guess most people go through that. Anyway I am proud of her for doing it.

Eli is still thinking he's going to be a rhinoceros for Halloween so if anyone has any ideas on that, please enlighten me! As usual I have waited for the last minute to figure something out. I put a pumpkin suit on Elena yesterday and she said, "I wook funny." I don't know if she'll wear it or not, but it was cute.

Is it just me, or do other people burst out laughing when nobody else is around? Please tell me I'm not crazy-maybe I just don't get out enough. I was cleaning yesterday and just thinking about things. The scrub brush I was using has rubber bristles and it can be used for many different things. I had ordered it from the FlyLady website that Kristi told me about. People on the website said you could use it for combing pets, or massaging someone's head (I know-random) along with all the other great cleaning uses. Anyway Daniel had a shaved head so he was sitting there and I rubbed his head with it. If you know Daniel, you know he just sat there, unimpressed.
(Me) "Does that feel nice?"
(Daniel) "I guess."
(Me) "They said it's supposed to feel nice."
(Daniel) "Okay. Yeah."
(Me) "It worked really good on the toilet too."
If you know me, you know I like to see how people react to things I say or do. Daniel is hard to get a reaction from. He might have thought it was funnier if I could have kept a straight face through it, but I couldn't. So he just smiled and let out a small chuckle. I love it when I can actually make him laugh, but it doesn't happen very often. Anyway I was thinking about that yesterday while I was cleaning and cracked up all over again. Then there is the other story that makes me laugh so hard. (If you all have other things to do, feel free to go. I didn't intend to write so much, but I'm getting a kick out of myself!) We were sitting around with our friends talking about hospital stays or something. One couple was saying that he had kidney stones and spent a miserable time in the ER and so the next time he had them, he knew what it was so he didn't go. His wife was telling the story and she said, "He was too stubborn to go to the ER again, so he just laid in that bed until he passed it." Daniel quietly leaned over to me and said, "note to self, don't buy a used mattress from the Carsons." I guess laughing is my stress reliever so I'm glad I have these stories to fall back on, when nobody is around to make me laugh.

I've wasted enough time now, but I will leave you with one final piece of advice. If you are ever in a car accident and it suddenly gets quiet, don't take your seat belt off. . . . you may be airborne. (I've been laughing at this one for 12 years. It never gets old to me!)

Finally some pictures

I know a lot of you have seen these already because Shellie and Arly have some up, but here they are anyway. We've got some more on our camera, but the battery won't stay charged up. This is going to be short because I am having to do everything one-handed. Left-handed even because Everet is comfy in my right arm for a few minutes anyway. He's been a little fussy lately so if I can't do something with only one hand, it hasn't gotten done. I try to get a few things done when Daniel gets home, but have been pretty tired lately. Go figure.

A quick review of the last 2 weeks: A very quick (for me) surprise labor and delivery, surgery to assure this doesn't happen again, a bunch of family visiting and helping (thank you all SO much), a 10-day vacation for Daniel (so nice to have him here-the kids couldn't understand why he went to work this week), a week of weakness and soreness (I had to hold my belly to laugh), a clingy, slightly jealous 2-year old, supper being brought to us almost every night (incredibly helpful), first times back at church apparently with sick friends, 3 of the 6 of us throwing up (I also can't tell if Everet is spitting up or throwing up-it's been spewing today), Eli and I have managed to avoid it. We had a trip to the doctor today for an unhealed circumcision and yeast infection. Eli also had one a few days after he was born-maybe because of the penicillin I had to get during delivery? The girls didn't get one though-weird. We've had many "get out of his face" scoldings, lots of just sitting and holding, and a bunch of sleepless nights. It has been great though. That's all I can think of right now. Hopefully we'll get into some kind of routine soon. And I think I need to go and get me one of those slings to hold him in. I haven't been to Wal-mart in 3 weeks people! That's a new record for me! And our bank account appreciates it!

As I Fall to Sleep...

Some recent events have caused me to think upon and remember some great truths, some great promises and the love we have (or should have) for each other. It may seem strange to some but these thoughts have been stirred up from depths of my heart by, of all things, a hard rocking alternative Christian band; Skillet. Those who have the enviable pleasure of knowing me also know that Skillet is by far my favorite band - and I listen to every album they have released to date every day. I’m not kidding either – every album, every day. My iTunes library will attest this fact. Maybe it’s the name, the face melting guitar rifts, or the true beauty of many of their songs – I don’t know for sure but something connected with me that fateful day back in 1996 when, at the ACU Campus Store, I gazed upon the music rack and saw for the first time, a CD with a skillet emblazoned across its cover and a band named after a cooking utensil. I was hooked, they had me – and my wife thanks them every day for snagging me.

But today, as I faithfully listen, something came to mind. The song was Will You Be There (Falling Down) and the first few words are:

As I fall to sleep
Will you comfort me
When my heart is weak
Will you rescue me

Will you be there
As I grow cold
Will you be there when I'm falling down
Will you be there

Those words I’ve heard and sung hundreds of times over the years – but this time they reached into me, grabbed hold and shook me, bringing to my mind the recent death of a friend and brother.

He was a good man who loved his God, his wife, his daughter, his granddaughter, his family and all his friends. He had turned his life around, giving himself in submission to baptism to become a child of God and recently had been selected to serve as a deacon in our congregation. About four months ago we played softball in the local church league. About three months ago he found out he had cancer. Almost three weeks ago he fell asleep and almost two weeks ago we remembered his life.

A few days before he died, in Bible class Sunday morning, we asked his wife how he was doing. He wasn’t doing well at all and hadn’t eaten in three days. She was trying to be strong and provide for the man who had provided for her for so long. And through the words we could all feel the depths of sorrow and pain that she suffered. That day I was selected to pray on her behalf. An honor for me to say the least and one of the hardest, most painful prayers I have ever offered to my Lord. I asked for strength, for mercy, for love and above all – healing.

Knowing our God is the Great Physician with the power to restore his body and heal our pain, I pleaded with God, begging Him to give our brother back to us. This is what we want were the words I spoke, acknowledging our own personal desire. Then I asked for strength and understanding whatever the outcome may be, knowing that in all things Gods will is done, knowing that God understands our pain – He gave His Son – and in the end God shall wipe away all tears, there’s no death, no pain, nor fears. Three days later about 7 am, he left this life.

The song simply asks God will You be there. The answer is a deafening, unequivocal and resounding YES! God will be there, He is always there. And He did answer my prayer. He took the pain away, and He is healing us, every day. We miss our friend and brother, husband and father, but we know there is no more pain, and we know that God is there and will always be there. And I praise my God for again teaching me how great and awesome He is.

As I write this another song has played and ‘stirred the pot’ you might say. The song is titled Rebirthing. Here is the chorus:

Rebirthing now

I wanna live for love, wanna live for you and me

Breathe for the first time now

I come alive somehow

Rebirthing now

I wanna live my life, wanna give you everything

Breathe for the first time now

I come alive somehow

My friend was a Christian. He lived for the Lord and died in the Lord. He had been and has been reborn. Through the terrible pain of his cancer he has now been reborn, where there is no pain. In my mind this has now been compared to birth. As you know Syndi is pregnant with our fourth child, due about October 7^th. As I remember the births of our first three children I can’t help but draw a connection. Through the terrible pain of childbirth a new life is born. I don’t know what it was exactly but something connected with me on those beautiful days when, at the hospital, I gazed upon an infant and saw for the first time, a life with me emblazoned across its face and a child bearing my name. This child is my flesh and blood, having been woven together by God and now placed in my care. I was hooked, they had me – and I thank God every day for snagging me.

From pain, came life. God has taken our sin away and allows us to be reborn and become His children, but this could only happen through the pain and suffering and death of His Son becoming the ultimate perfect sacrifice. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ we are born again, reborn, to be children of God – emblazoned with the blood of His Son.

These events also brought to mind something that happened awhile ago. Syndi wrote about it at the time but it has now come back to teach me. Really it isn’t about the specific event per say, but more about the pain that was endured, can and will be endured, and the ability I have to do nothing about it. I can’t take it away, and I can only try to prevent it. In the end all I can do – is be there.

At the time it happened – Ema had two teeth pulled without the full benefit of anesthetics – I could do nothing but hold her and try to comfort her, when what I wanted to do was take the pain upon myself (and gleefully shove it down the dentists’ throat). But I also knew that I can’t do that, every parent wants to but we can’t. We don’t like it but pain makes us grow, makes us stronger and better able to deal with life. And so we sat, in tears, and I held my beautiful daughter. The following day I couldn’t help but write…

Within my heart was kindled;

So must be writ, the impassioning within.

- Stained with Tears -

And stained . . .

. . . I am.

The tears have come;

And falling hard upon my chest,

they beat . . .

. . . with longing cries.

And cradled in my arms, So tight . . .

We weep;

. . . but why? Why?

I’m here my child,

My love,

My all,

Held in my arms,

My love to heal.

You are my child,

My flesh,

My blood.

For all and ever and aught we bear;

the life, the joy, the pain we share.

And this, my child, to you I swear

I give my love, my all

For you my child, I give my life.

and I – now stained . . .

. . . my tears

. . . my blood.

Something within me drew a connection to the pain I felt through the pain my daughter felt to the pain my Lord and my God felt in knowing we were lost, sinful, dead, yet He gave His Son to suffer the pain of death – withholding His own hand, knowing He couldn’t take the pain the away – so we could be reborn through the blood of His Son. Again I praise my God for teaching me how great and awesome He is.

One last thought. The day before my friend passed away his wife said something I will never forget and hopefully will live and demonstrate on a daily basis. In speaking of her husband and the effects that cancer and morphine had upon him she pleaded with us not to take for granted our spouses and the time we have with them. Three days later she lost her husband. But she knows the love they had and wonderful marriage they shared.

It is my prayer that I have not, and nor do I ever take my wife for granted. Our marriage is truly wonderful. She is my best friend, my confidant, my life, my love, my very self. She is my everything; my angel; my immortal beloved and I love her so deeply, so fully, so powerfully – my soul aches, longing to be near her. From the beginning my love has grown and will only continue to grow.

I will love you, you and no other, my whole life.

Wasting Time

I am trying to find other things to do right now so I don't have to tackle the big mess in the kitchen. You can see that I've changed my blog a little bit. I was trying to get a cute thing on it, and I followed the directions, but I can't get it to work. Oh well. I had a doctor's appointment early this morning. Everything is fine right now. Still waiting for another few weeks though. For those of you who don't know, we are having a boy. I know I got on my soap box about that, but we were pretty sure anyway, and we were having such trouble coming up with names (still haven't decided), and I really wanted to get rid of some things, like the mounds of girl clothes we have. So we are excited that it will work out so well with bedrooms and play mates and stuff. I also figured out that the age difference between Ema and Elena is almost exactly the same as between Eli and this one.

We are hoping to have a yard sale this weekend if I can kick it into high gear. Next weekend is Daniel's birthday, and then after that, I'm just hoping I will be recovering by that time and not still waddling and I won't be able to have a yard sale. We have been putting it off for some time now and I would LOVE to get the stuff out of our garage. I finally ordered our bassinet last week only to find out that it has been discontinued. I found it still in stock on amazon so hopefully we will at least have that soon. I don't understand why it would be discontinued because it has 4.5 stars and is not too high priced compared to some I saw. It also is a multi-function thing. Hopefully it will work out.

Ema is still enjoying school for the most part. We got her 4-week report today and the only area she needs to work on is listening and paying attention. Kinda like at home. I need to go grocery shopping tonight and get busy on some things. I'm just not real motivated right now. I guess that's all I have to say right now.

Elena

Just a funny thing about Elena. She just came in and has her little truck loaded up with people and animals. She said, "My boy is tryin to take my kids." I said, "your boy, meaning Eli?" "Yeeeaahh." (real pathetically!) Last night I was trying to go over Ema's spelling words with her and Elena was sitting there with a little book. She was using it as her song book and kept saying, "GIRL, hing with me." She still pronounces her "s" with "h". I couldn't hardly say Ema's words without her bossing me to hing. She was doing that the other day too, but had her hand moving in the song leading way. She is quite the little ham! At least she's not saying "dude" too much yet like Ema. Ema is starting to say it less, so that is good!

One more kind of funny thing. During my doctor's appointment Wednesday, (Daniel had gotten the day off) he took the kids and went to get the oil changed. I got out earlier than I expected and called him. He said it shouldn't be long so instead of waiting in the cold wind, I just started walking. There is a pretty long road around the hospital and medical complexes so I figured he would be back before I got to the end where it's a busy highway. I got toward the end where some guys were doing construction work and one was whistling at me and kept staring. I was a little creeped out because they didn't quite fit the mold of people that I would want whistling at me, if I even wanted the attention. But I was just thinking, "I am 8 months pregnant people. Just because a woman is walking by, doesn't mean you have to whistle. AND GET BACK TO WORK!" So when I told Daniel that, he said, "They probably just thought you would like it." Thanks babe for your vote of confidence! I can't even get a construction worker to actually think I'm cute! That's just one of those things that I get to tease him about!

Sleep, perfect sleep

I am trying to make myself wake up this morning. If I sit still for too long, I fall asleep. It doesn't really help that Eli likes to just sit with me in the mornings for a while. I woke up at 6 this morning (which I was trying to get into the habit anyway) but Elena had wet the bed. She does really good most of the time, but she kept drinking water last night and I kept having to take it away. She doesn't like to wear pull-ups anymore, so every now and then I get to wake up to a wet, crying child. Anyway, Ema woke up along with her and apparently was still on a sugar high or something. We got her off to school and then I sat down for too long. The kids do pretty well playing or watching TV or something on their own for a little bit, but I still feel bad. I honestly think I could sleep all day and still sleep well tonight. I wasn't feeling well yesterday and the night before. This baby is either really long or likes to stretch out or something. The night before last, it was moving all night long and if felt like it was lower than usual. Every time I moved, I felt really dizzy and my head was buzzing. Then all day yesterday I was so weak and dizzy I was starting to get worried. My blood pressure is normally pretty low, but it was down to 94/49. I kept resting and drinking water all day. It was up to 102/60 last night and is about the same today. I don't know if that's what it all was, but I am feeling better today. Just SO tired I can't hardly stand it. I know if I do something, that will help a little. My house is definitely in need of some tlc. I guess that's all I have to complain about right now. Oh wait-just a note for those other pregnant ladies out there. The "secret fit belly" pants from Motherhood aren't worth all the hype-to me anyway. I tried the mediums and of course I have to order online. I thought they fit really well, took off all the tags and started doing normal things. They kept falling down and looking real saggy and there is nothing to pull them back up with-no belt loops or anything to hang on to. The belly panel doesn't help get them up either. So I took the plunge again and spent the money on a pair of smalls. They do the same thing except not as bad. I just don't think they have enough denim to go around the necessary parts, and the belly panel doesn't fit tight enough (which is probably a good thing for many people) but I want some part of the pant to make me feel secure in my jeans. At this point I have to keep checking the back of my pants to make sure they are still up even though I know there is a panel back there. I haven't taken the tags off yet-I'm still trying to decide if I can live with it. Anyway that sounds like a review I need to post on the Motherhood website-or not.

12 Long, Wonderful years!

On this day in 1996, Daniel and I became official with our first kiss. We had spent most of the weekend together while we were dropping Shellie off for college. He helped us find our way around Abilene, ate lunch with us, and helped carry all of Shellie's stuff in. Saturday night he and I got to watch "Independence Day" at the theatre. Sunday we got to walk around campus with our handsome tour guide, Daniel. We got to walk around the park for a while and talk and we went to Schlotchky's (I don't know if that's how you spell it.) oh and we shopped for a birthday present for his brother. Then, knowing that I was leaving early Monday morning, he kissed me outside of Shellie's dorm where I was staying. The dorm mom kept yelling out the door for everyone to get inside because it was curfew, but it was so hard to tear myself away from him. I cried quietly for a LONG time on the way home-partly because I was leaving my sister, one of my best friends behind, and partly because I had finally gotten to spend some time with this guy that I had been head over heels for, for over 2 years, and I had to leave him behind too. These crazy pregnancy hormones are making me tear up just thinking about it. I feel a little weird about posting this because it seems so personal-especially the kissing part-like I need to apologize to our parents or something! ANYWAY-all that to say, we try to do something a little special on this day. Tonight we are celebrating by going to a 1st grade orientation. Woohoo! Hopefully we can have a nice dinner or something too.

Anyway, I just wanted another chance to brag on my wonderful husband. He is so helpful and sweet, a great spiritual leader for our family, funny, a wonderful daddy, a hard worker and a great provider. We had a teen devo at our house last night so we had a busy weekend. We have a planter on our front patio that was driving him crazy, so this weekend, he smashed that up and got it out, he helped my parents tear out a couple of walls at their house, he fixed our toilet that needed the insides replaced, AND he helped me cook and clean. Talk about a great guy! So, happy 12 years to you, Daniel and I look forward to many many more. I love you so much!

An expensive drop of water

Last week, Ema had a friend over. They were using the computer to listen to itunes and Ema spilled a little water. I didn't realize it at the time, but it had gotten onto the keyboard and shorted it out. So we couldn't really do anything on this computer unless we just had to use the mouse. We tried everything we could think of to make the other one work, but it just wasn't happening. So, since we have a wireless keyboard, we got to pay $80 to have a new one shipped to us. We just got it today. I was glad it didn't take as long as my books from amazon that I ordered July 18 and they just shipped today. The new keyboard is nice though-exactly the same as our other one except without the dirt and grime!

I've been meaning to get on here and post some pictures from our weekend. Since Ema starts school on Tuesday, we decided we needed to do something fun so she might have something to say other than "My mom is pregnant so we laid around all summer." Daniel took last Friday off and we went to Carlsbad. There is a neat park there with a castle and everything that the kids have enjoyed so we were going to go there, but it was being repainted and worked on. So we played at a smaller park for a little while and realized how hot it was after 45 minutes. We got something to eat and headed for the caverns. It was nice to be "outside" but in a very cool place. We rode the elevator the 754 feet down and walked around the great room. It was really awesome and the kids enjoyed it. Elena fell at one point toward the end and Eli's legs were hurting. Daniel was carrying him and I carried Elena. Of course it had to be the part that actually had steep ups and downs. My hips felt like they were going to crack. Daniel offered to take both of them and put one sitting on each shoulder, but there were some deep pits, and I got a little too paranoid about one of my babies getting too squirmy and losing their balance. Not that Daniel would let that happen, but I guess that's just a mom's way of thinking. We finally got all the way through it-I think it was a little over a mile, we sat down to have hot chocolate and saw some bats deep in the cave. Then we went on to Pecos.

We spent the evening with Daniel's parents eating hamburgers and relaxing. Then we went to the ice cream shop and made a big mess. It was good though! Saturday we had heard about a fun place in Fort Stockton that had bowling, putt putt, a movie theatre, and arcade. So we all went there and were disappointed in it for the most part. We still had fun bowling, but the arcade games weren't working right, the bowling thing broke down in the middle of the game, but they got it back up, and it was kind of expensive for just a fun outing. We had read that the builders had wanted to have a place where families could come, and people could have something to do in a small town, but with their prices, I don't know how you could do it very often. Maybe we are just cheap, but I like to actually get something when we use our money instead of using it and only seeing the effects for a few hours. The kids had fun. Elena and Eli and I shared our turns at bowling because I knew none of the three of us would be interested or capable of doing it all. When it was Elena's turn, I helped her roll the ball and as soon as it was out of our hands, she would turn around and jump and yell really loud, "YEAH, I DID IT." It was cute. We even had the video camera and didn't use it. Bowling in real life is definitely not as easy as it is on the Wii.

I fell asleep when we got back to Fred and Nyla's house. The girls chased the turtles around for a while, baked cookies with grandma, and then splashed in the little pool. Eli had a really bad headache, so he fell asleep for a while. He was pushing on the sides of his head and crying. He's never done that before which broke my heart. We didn't know if it was just too hot, or if the tejano music that was blasting at the bowling alley made him have a headache. We also wondered about the elevator ride from the day before. He was better on Sunday though after 3 or 4 doses of tylenol. We got to go to church on Sunday morning and enjoyed seeing all the familiar faces. We went to Daniel's grandparents house on the way out of town and visited them for a while. The kids love to go there because of the loft. They like to stick their heads through the rails and wave and scare us all. This time they got the futons (or flutons for some of you that know this joke) and blankets down and were playing house. They were all tuckered out on the way home, so Daniel and I actually got to talk for a while. It was a really nice weekend though and hopefully the kids will remember it.

Now we've just got to be ready for school in 5 days. Oh and Ema has 5 more days to practice the whistling that she finally picked up on today. She's been trying so hard lately and today-during nap time-you could just hear her blowing and blowing and whistling a little, then blowing. . . . Then she got the hang of it, and is now whistling one note. I think that's the way I learned to whistle too, I just think I might have to work on showing her how to make different notes. She even had her roller skates on (that I just got put back in the garage) and was whistling. Talk about talent! I will try to post pictures later.

Oh and I almost forgot. I had my doctor's appointment today. My titer count went from 4 back down to 2. I didn't know it could do that, but it's great news. We don't have to take the trips to Lubbock for now. I am at 30-31 weeks. (I can't keep track of the days-weeks are hard enough for me to remember) My next appointment is in 2 weeks now. I can't even tell you how excited I am to be going down to just two weeks. Not that I want to sit in the doctors office, but it's just getting closer and I'm so ready to not be pregnant anymore. On a side note, I really enjoyed being at the Pecos church because people were saying things like, "you're just as small as can be," and one lady said, "you just look better and better with each pregnancy." Here people say things like, "OCTOBER! I don't think you're going to make it." or "you look like you could pop any minute." And nobody is trying to be ugly and I feel the same way, but sometimes it is nice to hear the Pecos compliments! Now I've given you all too much to read so I am closing now. (Shellie is that what Grandma always used to write in her letters? "am closing now") It just sounded familiar.

A bunch of nothing!

I hadn't posted in a while so I thought I would give it a shot! Yesterday was very chaotic and today is a lot calmer, so I feel like I have a minute to post something. I had to babysit the little 18-month old boy from church yesterday. I need to tell her that I can't do it anymore, but I know she's having a hard time finding anyone else so it makes it harder. Right when he gets here, my kids morph into terrors. Ema and Eli want to play with him, but if they get too close, he slaps them in the face. Elena seems to be jealous of him and will take anything away from him and clamor for my attention. So from 10-6, I feel like I just say "don't do that, don't hit, get out of his face, you can go potty by yourself, don't eat that dried up piece of macaroni you found on the floor." (That last one was to Dalton who finds anything that you don't want him to, and tries to eat it.) Yesterday was a little better than most of my days with him because Ema actually took a "nap" for me. I don't try to make her go to sleep anymore, but she has to stay in her room and rest, coloring or whatever. She started cutting out pieces of different pictures and making a new picture out of it which I thought was very creative and cute. She only called to me a couple of times because the glue was coming out too fast and even when she called me, she wasn't too loud and then waited patiently for me to come in. I was so proud of her. So I got payroll done, and some other things picked up, and then went and played dolls with her while the others still slept. I always need a few minutes in the day where I can have some quiet time away from the kids, even when I'm working on something. It makes my mood much better.

I was also very proud of Eli because he ate his dinner so well last night. I made some of that wacky pasta and added hamburger and sauce, and green beans on the side. Eli fed himself-nobody had to jam it in his mouth-and he didn't cry and throw a fit. He ate his whole or most of the portion of green beans and probably 7 bites of the pasta mix. Then he got some jello. I know this doesn't sound like much, but we have made big strides since I starved him last Tuesday. He could only drink water and eat the supper that he didn't eat the night before. He slept for 4 hours that day because he was upset, and finally at 4:00, he ate the warmed and cooled, warmed and cooled, then warmed up supper! Last night, he wasn't real enthusiastic about chewing the food, but Daniel is a great encourager and Eli really likes to please him.

After supper, my body was aching so bad that I asked Daniel if he would help the kids clean their rooms while I took a bath. He gave me one of his "that's good for you" smile looks, but he let me anyway. I felt SO much better and the bedrooms were mostly picked up when I was done. Ema likes to have "help" so I pointed out the things that are hard to see, like the cards strung out on the floor, and the toys that had climbed out of the toy box.

So today I am staying in again for most of the day anyway to try and get my laundry done. I've got so much that I could pile it up and the kids could jump in it, but we won't today! Sorry I can't give you all anything more exciting, but this is my life! Tomorrow will be our "going out" day because I'm going to get so much done today! The free kids movie is "The Waterhorse" so we are going to meet some friends there. Then our 4D ultrasound is in the afternoon. I'd kind of like the kids to go with us, but I don't know how many they let in. They love to feel the baby move and Elena likes to "take it out" of my belly button and hold it in her hand. I tell her it's too tiny, so she'll have to put it back and let it grow some more. I'm sure she's thinking like everyone else, "how can it mom, you're hUGE. (The silent H thing is for Shellie!) Oh-one more quick thing. I was talking to Ema the other day about one of our spats. I was having to physically move her and put her on the bed over and over. So afterwards we were clearing the air and I told her as a sidenote that she weighs 60 pounds plus this big belly adds 25 pounds so it is too hard on me for her to be acting that way. She looked at me real skeptically and said, "that baby can not weigh 25 pounds." She wasn't challenging what I was saying, she just couldn't imagine a 25 pound baby. I just thought it was kind of funny. Elena keeps turning my chair around which really annoys me, so I better go!

Your opinions

I just wanted to see what everyone thought about this subject. We are still trying to figure out names for the new baby. It's not consuming our every thoughts or anything-just a nagging, we-need-to-get-that-done kind of thing. First of all, I'm a little irritated that we have gone with the whole E thing because it's hard to find something that works all together. We didn't intend to have all E's. When I was pregnant with Eli, we had the name Elena picked out for a girl and something else for the boy. But that didn't work out and we ended up with Eli. Then we still really liked Elena so now we have all E's. Here is the main problem though. After Elena was born, Shellie was so kind and insightful to point this out! We have Ema Cheri, Eli Douglas, and Elena Elyse. EC, ED, & EE which was completely unplanned. So the question is, should we continue with this and use the initials EF for the next one. I think it's kind of neat, but at the same time, no one will really know unless we point it out. Plus it's hard to find a good E and F name. But I don't want someday to be saying "well we did have EC, ED, & EE but then EJ came along...." and have that one feel like they messed it up or something. Maybe that is over-thinking it, but you never know. So what does everyone else think? If you'd like to contribute ideas for E names as well, you can and they will be considered!

The other thing is-I'm feeling totally overwhelmed with my tasks now and the task ahead of me (raising four children) and I feel like my head is not screwed on straight much of the time. So the other day I was thinking maybe a palm pilot would help me to be a little better organized. I am a crazy to-do-list maker. I just have to see things. I would also like to use it for things like grocery lists, budget and money type things. I don't need it to stay connected to my clients or email or anything like that. Does anyone know what to look for with that? I found one called a Palm Z22 I think and that looked like what I was wanting-it also is compatible with our mac and pc so that is nice. Just curious if anyone had any insight on that.

I've got a lot to get done to get ready for our trip so I guess I better end here. Thanks for your opinions!

We're still here

I haven't blogged in so long, I thought I should sit down and write for a minute. I've been cleaning all day today and my eyes are screaming at me to go to bed so it might be short. It seems like we've been so busy, but to actually write it out, it doesn't sound like much.

Ema has been out of school for 2 weeks now. It's been a bit of an adjustment with her home because she doesn't take naps and the other two still do most of the time. She still has to stay in her room and color or play quietly, but she finds any excuse to come out and tell me something. She has also decorated her room quite extensively with pictures and school papers. I will have to take a picture and show everyone. There is a lot going on in there! We've been trying to go to the library for the summer reading program and the free programs they offer during the week. She seems to enjoy that, but when we go to check out books, it's hard to find one that is right at her level. I want to get out as fast as we can because Elena is pulling books off as fast as I can put them back up (I was a library aide in 8th grade, so it's against my nature to put it back in the wrong spot). But she likes to read to Eli and Elena and is very helpful when they are all in the right kind of mood!

Eli is going through a real whiny stage that I'm not real sure how to deal with. He's starting to actually talk when he's upset now instead of "UUUUUHHHHH, UUUUUHHHH sob, sob UUUUUHHHH." But it's a very quiet talk. I've gotten to where I can ignore the fits while he sits in his room and yells, and pretty soon he calms down. I really hope this stage gets over soon though. I'm being as consistent and patient as I can. When he prays at night, he always thanks God for Ema, Eli, Elena, and mommy's new baby. I think he's excited about it. He does want another sister though, which may seem odd, but he's very good with his sisters. I tried to let him feel the baby moving, but he's not quite patient enough to wait for it.

Elena's just as ornery as ever. She's been doing really well with potty training. I know I said I was going to do that long ago, but we went backwards for a little while and I got lazy with it. But we're back to it and as long as she wears panties, she does really well. She does okay with pull-ups, but not as well. I'm just not brave enough to take her into public with regular panties on yet. I just need to keep extra clothes in the van I guess. She loves to make Eli and Ema laugh at her, and will do just about anything to make it happen-either that or have them chase her, usually with something that they've been playing with, in her hand.

Daniel has been playing softball in the church league for a few weeks now. We started off really well-winning our first 2 games, but then we went up against some really extra athletic teams and lost 2. The first loss was by just a little, but last night, we got smeared. Hopefully they can do better tomorrow night though. It is fun to watch when the teams are pretty well matched, but last night, all their guys must have been college aged, ball players from the time they were tiny, and in Daniel's opinion, on steroids! That's not as fun to watch!

I have been feeling a lot better now. My morning sickness FINALLY went away and aside from my body telling me that I shouldn't be pregnant for a fourth time, I'm doing pretty well. We had our ultrasound last week and found out we are having..................................




only one baby! Some people at church were thinking I might be having 2 because I look kinda big, but that is just because of the poor muscle tone in my abs. I can't hold anything in. For those of you that know about my antigen issue, they tested my blood at 4 months and the level was at a 2. When I was pregnant with Elena, it was around 16, so we got some excellent news. I was under the impression that it could only go up from 16, but apparently not. They will test me again at 6 months and probably every month after to monitor the change in the number. That's really what is more important-to make sure it doesn't jump up. This baby is really active. I can't really remember how it compares to the other three, but it has kept me from falling asleep at night sometimes. My favorite part of pregnancy is feeling the baby moving and letting Daniel and the kids feel it. Hopefully it's just feeling really cramped in there and it's not an indication of what this one will be like on the outside!

Okay so that was as short as I could make it. Hopefully I'll write again soon! I'm going to bed!

To Know or not to Know

When people find out that you are pregnant, there is one question that is ALWAYS asked after the appropriate time has passed. "What are you having?" I could probably come back with a smarty remark, but I usually just say, "we don't know, we like to wait." Call me old-fashioned, but it just seems like the right way for us. It's weird because I like to know what other people are having, but I don't ask "what". If I say anything about it, I think I just ask if they want to know. But I try to avoid it because I know it can be annoying to me. Just for starters I hope that I don't offend anyone with this post. I understand that there are just a slew of questions that people ask pregnant ladies, and I'm okay with it. This last pregnancy has made me go back and forth on this issue though. In a way, I think "this is the last one, maybe we should try it and find out early." But I keep coming back with the fact that you can't un-know if I'm disappointed that I found out early. Then I think, "we could figure out how to do the bedrooms and get started on preparing everything." But-most of you know us pretty well-we are procrastinators. We do everything at the last minute. We wouldn't get it done. Plus the baby will be in our room for a few months anyway. And a lot of people say, "it's still a surprise, it's just an earlier surprise." I just can't help thinking (and this just applies to me-I'm not saying anybody else would be like this) that if we knew, then in the delivery room, there wouldn't be as great of an anticipation to get it done. It's hard to explain. Nothing beats the feeling of working so hard, going through so much pain, and having that extra surprise at the end-waiting to hear the doctor, or Daniel say "it's a girl!" or "it's a boy!" It's just a wonderful experience. That's not to say that the beautiful baby isn't good enough. For me-that just seems like the right way. I don't think there is anything wrong with anyone else finding out, if that's what they want.

The thing that really bothers me is when people actually get upset because you are one of "those" people. My sister was telling me about someone who was going off on a tangent about people like me. "We have all this technology today, there is no reason why you shouldn't find out." If a couple makes the decision to patiently wait, nobody else should have a problem with that. I understand that there are certain inconveniences that I feel bad about-like people wanting to get or make a certain gift, or saving clothes and things in case the baby is this gender. I truly am sorry about that. But the couple is the ones that are having to wait with the most anticipation-pregnancy is something that consumes your thoughts and changes your entire lifestyle. The only one that goes through such drastic changes is the woman (and the man who listens to her complain and does extra things to make up for what she is "unable" to do!) It's something that can actually be decided in pregnancy (I can't decide not to have back and leg pain) so I am exercising my freedom. Just because 90% of women choose to know, doesn't mean the rest of us have to conform. So, I'm sorry to all those people who are slightly annoyed that I never have found out. That's the way I'm hoping to go again. Of course we are going to have a lot of sonograms toward the end again, so there's always a chance that something might slip, but I hope not. I had a dream the other night that I knew what it was going to be, so the rest of my pregnancy was kind of blah because I already knew-what more was there to know?! I know that sounds stupid, but it's hard to put it into words.

Again-I don't ever look down on someone because they find out. I think it's neat that way too. Just for us, it works better this way. I'm glad that Daniel likes it this way too. On a side note, I also think it's funny to hear different people's theories! When I was pregnant with Ema, one lady said, "It's a boy, I can tell." and she went on her way, nothing was going to change her mind. There is a lady at church now who says it's a girl, and then another who says it's a boy because I'm carrying high. I thought it was opposite (girls-high, boys-low) but the way she carried her kids was boy-high, girls-low. I honestly have never really noticed a difference in the way I carry them. And I don't examine other women's stomachs to try and guess either-it seems a little strange to me. I just smile and let everyone think what the want to, knowing that each pregnancy is so different. It just makes me laugh a little. ANYWAY I think I've spent enough of your time rambling on about this! I'm sure I could come up with more, but I won't!

I know, I know!

I know I need to blog! A few people have mentioned it lately. I've been trying really hard not to spend too much time at the computer lately. I've been trying to keep my house clean and have done a pretty good job with it, but it's gotten a little out of hand these past couple of days. I realize that keeping a clean house isn't the most important thing, but it has always been a struggle for me. One side of me is a perfectionist that wants a place for everything. The other side of me (the tired and lazy side) just says "I can do that tomorrow when I have more time." And it only gets worse-and I know exactly what will happen. Tomorrow will be one of the craziest days because one of the kids isn't feeling good and I've got to go do this and that and it never works out. But anyway-I've been doing really good for the past 3 weeks or so. We are fixing our bathroom and can only really work on it on Saturdays so it's stuck being kind of dirty. It throws me off because I love to see my clean and orderly bathroom and bedroom. It's relaxing. Soon though, maybe!

Ema had a rough morning today. She has had 2 cavities that we've known about since November I think. I tried to get her in sooner, and if I would have known how hard it was to get them in, I would have tried harder. I finally got her appointment for today. We made this appointment in January. I should have just taken her to Midland or something just to get it done. Last week they were really bothering her, so this morning she was ready, even excited, to have it taken care of. I told her she would have to have a shot, but she said she didn't care. We had x-rays that the visiting dentist for the school had taken but she had to take new ones to see if the decay was worse. It was, on both sides and she had a small cavity on one of her bottom teeth. So she had the nitrous gas and then he gave her shots (without numbing the spot which I thought they usually did). She winced and quietly cried. He waited long enough I thought and then came and filled the one cavity. Then he pulled the other two teeth. It's hard to watch someone tugging and pulling in your child's mouth. He was very caring though-when she was whimpering he stopped and asked her if she was okay, and called her baby and was real sweet with her. He thought she said she was okay, but with her mouth open it's hard to tell. I thought she was okay too. Finally he was done and I was standing next to her. She said she wasn't okay, but still couldn't talk because of all the gauze in her mouth. When we finally got out to the car, she just let it all out. She said only her lips were numb. I asked her if she could feel her teeth with her tongue and she said she could feel like normal. Usually my tongue will be numb. I'm sure she was a little numb, but not near what she should have been. I felt horrible-one, because I hadn't gotten her in sooner, maybe her teeth could have been saved, and two because she had to endure that much pain. She is doing a lot better now though. Her cheeks are a little swollen. She's got 2 really gross, rotten teeth to put under her pillow. She thought she'd probably only get a penny for one since it was so bad! She does brush her teeth, usually twice a day (sometimes we get lazy at night and would rather just get them to bed) But I think we are going to be more diligent about it, with all of them because I don't want them to go through all this. I know she eats a lot of sugar-not near as much as some kids, I try to limit it, but I guess she is just more prone to cavities-kinda like her parents.

I think I've spent enough time typing this. I have a hard time writing a short blog. I better get to work!

News

I know that a lot of you already know this because I think most of my readers are family.  We are expecting AGAIN (I know-we've had the talk-I just don't know what happened!)  It's not an egg in the oven either, just for clarity!  My due date is Oct 16th.  I went to the doctor on Wednesday and everything seems to be alright.  I am about 8-10 weeks along.  She tried to hear the heartbeat, and was pretty sure she heard it, but she couldn't get a lock on it to hear it steady.  I'm supposed to go back in 2 weeks to make sure they can hear it.  She also gave me some pills for morning sickness because it had been lasting most of the day, and that seems to be helping quite a bit.  I'm just SO tired I still am not getting much done-the story of my life.  

Wednesday was our 9th anniversary.  I meant to blog that day, but I didn't.  I just can't get over the fact that Daniel and I are such a perfect match.  Even though we can get irritated at each other at times, he makes me laugh every day.  I've always needed a good laugh every day-just ask Shellie-she was the laughEE while I was the laughER most of the time growing up.  She's hilarious too though.  A lot of times when Daniel and I start arguing about something, it turns into joking and laughing about it instead of a heated discussion.  He always has better comebacks than I do though!  He's much wittier and more ornery too.  We met on July 14 or 15th, 1994.  I can't believe that it has been so long.  We started writing letters back and forth (or forth and forth because he forgot to write sometimes!)  We still have all of those letters which I keep meaning to read again because they make me feel all giddy inside again!  We started "dating" on August 18, 1996.  That was the day before I went back to Colorado for one more year of high school.  But then I came back a year later to start college and we were inseparable.  I am so blessed to have such a loyal, respectable, and loving husband.  He puts up with me when I'm at my worst and loves me more each day.  I love him more and more each day too and see something new in him all the time.  Last night he was so cute playing with the kids.  He usually doesn't get too roudy with them, but he was chasing Eli around our circle (kitchen, dining, living rooms) having a pillow fight with him.  Ema got in on it too, and they were all giggling up a storm.  So cute!  Anyway, God has blessed me more than I ever thought possible with a wonderful husband and now 4 beautiful kids!

One exciting note-Elena found my missing-for-2-weeks wedding ring!  I was washing dishes a couple of weeks ago and had laid my ring on the counter.  Elena wanted to sit on the counter while I did it because she likes to play in the cabinets.  Then it was gone.  I looked everywhere for it-I looked in the cabinet she was playing in and looked in all the cups and everything.  We even looked through the trash the day after it happened.  I figured at some point it was going to show up, but I was starting to lose hope.  I kept dreaming about finding it and if I was going through something and felt something unusual, my heart would jump, but it was never the ring.  Today when I was doing dishes, Elena wanted to get up there again.  I said, "why don't you find my ring for me?"  Just saying it, not thinking she actually would.  After a few "what"s because you have to repeat most things to her in a different way to make her understand.  It reminds me of a comedy bit.  She turned to the cabinet and a minute later said, "yyeer it is!"  I don't really know where she looked that we didn't, but I'm just happy that she found it.  So now I feel more complete with a little bit of weight on my hand!  

I've gotten a hole punch from my teacher Ms. Ema, because I was hitting a fellow classmate, and I have done 3 pages of work while typing. So this post is a little scattered!  I'll be going now because apparently, I need to finish this "A.R. test."

Birthdays and Bragging

Elena's birthday party went pretty well, I thought.  After I finally got lunch ready, it worked out well.  Ema did me a favor and wrapped all of Elena's presents that we got for her.  That was her "thing" on Saturday morning, and then she wouldn't let anyone else in her room because the presents were in there.  We are some of the suckers that feel like the other kids should get a little something too (from us-nobody else needs to feel like they have to do this!) partly because then they have something to play with and maybe they will leave the other kid's new toys alone for a little bit, and partly just because we don't want them to feel left out or something!  I know, they need to used to not getting something at every party!  Anyway-Ema ended up wrapping her own prince (not the artist-formally-known guy) doll-but nobody else could see theirs!  

When we started singing Happy Birthday to Elena, she started crying!  We weren't sure if it was because she didn't like all the attention or if we told her she couldn't blow out the candles yet.  By the time she started crying, we couldn't remember what anyone had actually said to her about the candles!  I was trying to get pictures loaded up, but can't get it to access my photo library.  What is wrong with me that I can't figure this out?  I thought I was pretty up on technology, but apparently not!

Fred and Nyla, Samantha and Kerry, and Shellie all traveled here to come to her party.  I thought it was pretty fun and it was nice to get to see everyone again.  My parents were also there for a little while.  Dad mowed our huge weeds for us and then his allergies were acting up. I felt bad about that.  Thank you though, Dad!

This morning, Ema got to "run the halls" at school because she accomplished her advanced reading goal.  She read through all of the AR books on her level.  She wasn't real sure about it before school today, but when she got there and did it, she had fun.  I really admire her strength because I know how dependent I am on other people, especially if I'm doing something new.  I always want someone to go with me the first time.  Maybe that's something little, but I think it's a big deal anyway.  The other kids that didn't make their goal stood outside the classroom and cheered the runners on.  It was neat to see and I know it made Ema feel good.  She was one of three kindergartners (out of 40 K's) that got to run.  She is quite the reader.  We were doing a little homework test last night where you write down the child's responses.  It is so easy for her, it's almost not worth doing.  Except that we are spending time together without fighting!  She corrected me on something that I wrote down.  I asked her what sound "v" makes and she told me.  I wrote "va" down because how else do you write a sound down?!  She said "no, it's not va, it's vvv."  I stand corrected!  

We may be going to Abilene this weekend so I guess I better get some things done.  I will try to figure out why I can't get to my photo library and post some pictures!