Two Foot Tall Teen

Funny- I ran accross this and had to think. This teenager in India is 1 foot, 11 inches tall and weighs 12 lbs.



Kathryn, at her 4 month check up, measured 26 1/4 inches tall- and weighed in at 15 lbs. 3 oz.

My 4 month old is bigger than this 15 year old.






if you can't see this- please check out this link:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/?bcpid=25500650001&bctid=25942317001

Things I love....

I love all of my nieces and nephews- they totally rock.

I especially love watching my sisters kids who are so close in age to mine.

I love that Jacob is totally cool with the baby.

I love that the boys play together-albeit loudly- so well.

I love that the girls seem to simply disappear in their quiet play of imagination.

I love that Jeremy's brother can make a last minute trip into town and wants to see us- even if it is at Chuck-E-Cheeses(A place I would never ever go without children).

I love that Jeremy's sister is available and we get to see her and her sweet family at these impromptu get-togethers.

I love the police that come quickly after a rotten fight across the street last night, and that me and my hubby could hide behind the blinds and get a dose of our very own reality TV.

I love my baby who wakes up in the middle of the night, fills her diaper requiring a change and flashes me the sweetest smile and gives me the funnest giggle when I tend to her that makes me chuckle even though I feel like the walking dead.

I also love that this little tiny person, just over two feet tall, can take over my entire spot in my bed, pushing me into the middle on the bump, requiring me to actually snuggle my husband.

I love my immediate family. We have our issues but its nice to have people so constant in my life.

I love my extended family. Aunts and Uncles who love me. Cousins I am getting to know better. I had a realization the other day when looking at my sweet little nephew- I adore my sisters kids. This must mean my Aunts and Uncles feel the same about me and my sisters.

Life isn't easy for me right now. I sat down to write out my frustrations and vent about various and many issues I am dealing with and took a moment to write out my blessing instead. I have so much. I LOVE IT! I can't bring myself to write about anything else now- what a great therapy session. :o)

Kids are Awesome

Some pics for the Grandmas and the rest of you lucky people who get to love my children:

By the way, my definition of a friend is someone who loves my children as much as they love me. Thank you friends.

J-my hubby

I am sure you all know how much I love my hubby.

He annoys me, he makes me insane, he teases me in ways I do not appreciate, he is distant when I want him close, he is too close when I want him distant. BUT- He takes care of me and loves me.

I am sure I annoy, drive crazy and tease him too, plus I make fun of him on my blog and he doesn't mind one bit. Oh and he puts up with the fact I can have five clean loads of laundry in the hall to be folded, and not one pair of his underwear will be clean.... hmmm...

Thanks Handsome- You are my Hunk of Burning Love. (He doesn't read my blog often so chances are he doesn't know he is my HBL or that I professed my love to him on the Internet.)

OH its the little things....

We went to Gabe's birthday party-NINE YEARS OLD! Yikes! How did that happen?

On our way home we had a comical conversation:
Leila: Mom, how old is Gabe?
Me: Today he is 8. Next week he will be 9.
Leila: 9? 9 years old?
Me: Yep
Leila: Will he still be our friend?
Me: Of course!
Nate: Will he watch us when you die?
Me: If you are lucky my boy.

I am also cracking up all day long because I am just so funny. Jeremy found a group near by that does D&D on Friday nights. Its a fun group and they do not have to meet every week. I am very excited for Jeremy to get out and socialize and have some time to himself. Makes me feel less guilty about the time I need for myself. Anyway, I told the kids Daddy couldn't come the party tonight and when they asked why I explained the game. I also taught them one of my all-time-favorite terms. So, I told Leila to tell Auntie where Daddy is and she replied: "He is with the Nerd Herd." I also can't tell you how much I laughed when explaining what the term means. Leila looked at me like I was nuts. And I am. I am happy to laugh at silly things.

There were several other things that just amused me today- but darn it- I can't remember them anymore. All I can say is laughter is fun, laughter is good, I am glad I am in a mental state where I am laughing at just about everything that come by. I have had a tough week physically and emotionally, so it really felt good. Poor Baby Kathryn has had a fever and mostly wants to be held and nursed, so maybe its the extra milk production... hormonal imbalances = insanity?

I'm not even going to be bad once

This little video is from a perfect day last week. We were all up quite early. We had no fighting previously. In fact, we were dressed and out the door to WinCo by 8:30- WOW! I am just a super mom I guess. Except... it didn't last.

At WinCo in the bulk food section, Nathan, after being told not to of course, pulled the shopping cart on its side on top of him, with Baby in her Baby Seat. Panic! What child do I help first? Well I went to the baby and pulled her out of her seat. She was securely buckled and didn't get hit, just jolted and a bit scared. It did break the hook on her car seat, so we can't use it with its base anymore. She is almost big enough to put in the next car seat up we have for her, so I know she will be OK using the seat belt and car seat.

Nathan was pinned under the cart, so I pulled him out and he was crying. Mostly because he knew he was in big trouble. A few Mommy's were helping me and I decided I couldn't keep shopping- it upset me too much. Once I determined we were all OK, and dried a few of my panicked tears, one lady handed my purse to Leila and took my barely full shopping cart to an employee to put back items and wished me luck on the rest of my day. Then Leila realized we were not buying apples or peanuts in the shell (Which is what Leila and I were putting in bag when the incident took place), and she joined in on the crying not quite getting that she wasn't helping, only understanding that this abrupt stop of a shopping trip was over and she was not getting what she really wanted to have to eat when we got home. Sorry kiddo.

At home I calmed down and made out my list for Jeremy to go later that evening and just took it easy. I did start laughing about the comedy of all three kids crying for various reason. Once I knew no one was hurt, it was OK to laugh about. I decided that just has to be my way right now... laugh at what I can not change and go with the flow. The day might not have been perfect the way it seemed to start out, but I had a few good hours and in the long run, how lucky!

Phonecalls from Friday

I had a delightful lunch with my dear friend Marcie after the kids and Jer took off. Then I visited my dear friend Annie and her belly. After that I headed to Target and indulged in my contained happy baby status and shopped the clearance racks and bought Kathryn a Bumbo seat-- very fun-- she loves it!

Anyway, around 5:30 I get a phone call from the Leila. They roasted wienies on the fire for dinner. Jeremy told me later the kids wouldn't get close enough to cook them, so he did it for him(points for safety!). Nathan kept telling me how much he loved me and I wished them a good night.

Around 8ish I got my second call. I am feeling OK with everything so I did not panic. Nathan has been given a time out and was upset and couldn't calm down. He just wanted him Mommy to sing the birdie song to him, and then the baby Nathan song, and then a few others(points to daddy for some compassion). So we sang together over the phone and he kissed me several times.

Jeremy told me they had story time in a little amphitheatre. They had activities for Saturday for the kids in the camp- It sounds like they are having a blast.(more points for daddy for putting my mind at ease).

Me- I am enjoying my very quiet home. My baby is amazing and I am enjoying every second with her. We took a long, fast walk today. She got her bath in and didn't cry a bit. I am going to vacuum downstairs and clean the kitchen, get a shower in myself and then see what we happen to do next... Life is good!

Packing is a Funny Thing

Against my druthers, Jeremy is heading out to the wilderness with the two big kids for two nights of wilderness fun. He is meeting up at Detroit Lake with his Dad to make use of his Dads new camper, and his dads trusted boat. The kids love the boat.

I personally was not and am still not completely OK with this outing because my babies will be away from for two nights. And as wonderful as Jeremy is, he isn't the most observant person in the world, a trait in which he inherited from his father. I am OK with the fact I am not expected to go with my almost 4 month old, but I am seriously dealing with anxiety with the 4 & 5 year old going. We went over rules rules rules last night at dinner: 1- do NOT talk to strangers. 2-if anyone tries to talk to you or take you, you are allowed to scream as loud as possible and find Dad, Grandpa, or another adult that has kids around them- but Dad and Grandpa first. 3- you are not allowed near the water without a life vest. 4- you are not allowed to swim without Dad right there with you. 5-do not under any circumstances loose sight of your Dad. The kids came up with their own rules: don't kick your sister(good one Nate!) don't forget your toys when are coming home(very logical Leila). I have a few rules for Jeremy regarding the kids... but I don't want to come off as a control-freak Mom, so I will not post them here.

I am the bravest mom in the world right now.

So, to the subject of this post: Packing is a funny thing. I enlisted the kids help packing and I am always amazed at what they want to pack. I explain why we need at least one pair of long pants and long sleeve shirt, why we need to pack an extra pair of underwear and socks, why I am putting in only bright clothes(sorry Nate- I totally veto'd his camouflage). I also explained they are in charge of any extras: Any barbies, cars, random pieces of plastic that had broken off a great toy and they still can not part with it.

Leila placed next to bag her things she would like to take. Two Barbies, four outfits(one of the dolls was nude-strangely enough Rick Rick(her boy Barbie) wasn't packed up-maybe he was to stay home with the kids?), a few books.

Nathan put out a pile of books. 17 to be exact. Now my kids LOVE books. I am raising readers for sure with their passion for reading. BUT, my boy loves cars and would be lost for a weekend if he didn't have any to play with.

I came downstairs to find their back-packs out and stuffed full of stuff I do not know. They just can't have enough.

Jeremy took today off since he worked both Saturday and Sunday of last weekend and had several long days this week. It was nice to get in a shower at normal speed- not the warped speed of supermom. Jeremy had hopes of leaving around 11, but its 9:15 and he has yet to shower and pack and in about another 30 minutes I will lock him out of his bedroom since the baby needs her nap, I have plans this afternoon and am relying on her getting a good one today, and he will get the same wrath as the children if he dares wake my sleeping baby.