My twins are 3!!!!

Carson & Emilynn turned 3 yesterday!!  I had meant to post all day long, but it was a long, crazy day.  We had a fun party (in my opinion) and the twins finally fell asleep at midnight last night and I was about 2 seconds behind!  I let them stay up as long as they wanted to play with all their new stuff.  Today has been a bit quieter, but we did head out for lunch and to get a few last minute grocery items and dog food. 
I will post all the party happenings soon, but for now I am just enjoying my kiddos, and doing a little Christmas baking.  I don't know why I planned to bake after a party where I made chili, hotdogs, and cake for 75 people.  I am enjoying it today though, and amazingly didn't scrap the idea. 
Henry's appointment went really well and I'll update on that too.  His helmet will be in on January 2nd is the short update.  More on that later......
For now, I hope everyone enjoys the holidays with their families and has a very Merry Christmas filled with Jesus and the true "reason for the season." 

Christmas happenings

We've made a lot of progress on the list of things I wanted to do this month! 

We've gone to see the train display, rode to look at lights, went to the parade, made cookies with the cousins, heard the Cantata, had the dance Christmas party, and we are going to see the drive-thru nativity tonight. 

It has been fun because the kids know what's going on this year, and they get so excited about everything! 

Except looking at lights....well, they enjoy it but after about 2 houses, they are ready to go back home.  Dustin, Carson, and Emilynn that is.  Henry and I are happy to ride and look.  I told them Henry and I were going by ourselves one night without the party poopers/grinches!!!  :-) 

The parade was fun, and I took our homemade cookies for the kids to eat while they waited.  I felt like that was one of my "have it all together mom moments!"  haha!!  Actually, we just made cookies beforehand, so that's why I had them.  :-)  I think we'll do it every year though because it kept them occupied while waiting for it to start. 

The church's Cantata was beautiful, as always.  It amazes me what a smaller country church can do! 

We are going to go back to the train display, we stayed an hour and Carson still wasn't ready to leave.  He doesn't "do" much, like dance or social events....so I try to appease him when I can. 

The gifts are bought, just have to wrap those.  May do that tonight after kids are in bed.  We have Christmas with Dustin's Dad's side of the family tomorrow afternoon, so I have to wrap that stuff anyway. 

Cards are ready to drop in the mail, Birthday invitations already went out.  I think we have it sort of under control for the moment.  Of course there's laundry, dishes, etc. that always starts piling up if I don't do it every single second!!! 

I also went through the toys and took out a bunch, and reorganized everything.  It drives me crazy when they are all mixed up, that's no fun.  I am preparing for the new stuff and trying to keep the toys at a minimum when possible. 

We are just busy as we prepare for Jesus' birthday.  Hopefully we can make him a cake along with the twins' cakes and the holiday baking I plan to do. 

Right now we are enjoying Kenny Chesney's Christmas CD- the kids have taken a liking to "All I want for Christmas is a Real Good Tan!"  Haha!!  Hope everyone's enjoying all their own holiday happenings and traditions!!!!!

Plagiocephaly

I haven't updated on Henry's specialist appointment because I just needed to take some time to process everything and find peace with the situation myself first. 
The short update is- we're getting Henry a helmet. 

The long update is- my Mom and I took Henry to meet with the pediatric neurosurgeon on Tuesday of last week.  She took some time and examined Henry and told me his flat spot wasn't affecting his brain growth, a good thing.  It had caused his forehead to bulge out a little on the flatter side, and also his ear (his right ear) to be pushed forward a bit.  She basically said what I didn't want to hear.  She said it was up to us whether we got the helmet or not because it would be considered cosmetic at this point.  I honestly wanted someone to tell me yes, he needs it.  Or no, he doesn't.  It's just not that simple.  She gave us a prescription for it, and the name of the orthodist we'd need to see to get it, and said we could talk about it and decide.  She kept on and on about how cute Henry is and how there wasn't much we could do to make him any more adorable.  That part I agree with!  Haha!  He is certainly a little charmer, that's for sure. 

Dustin and I have talked about it and we decided to go ahead and get the helmet.  We don't want to regret later on NOT getting it.  Especially if we could do something to help with his head shape and we didn't.  If you wait much longer, you've missed the window of opportunity and it's too late.  I don't want anyone to think we are just "vain" in doing this.  If so, why would anyone ever get braces, that can be just cosmetic, right?  In all actuality, a flat spot is truly not just cosmetic.  It causes all of the cranial bones to shift.  You may not suffer any consequences from it, but then again, you could I'm sure.  Also, what if he needs glasses?  If his ears aren't aligned, that's going to be hard to manage (my non-medical thought anyway).  My personal thought is, if the brain is round and the head is flat, there's bound to be some affects at some point in your life, even if it is much, much later.  Maybe not, but all these thoughts are running through my head.  So, for our peace of mind as parents, Henry is getting a helmet for a bit.  We will go on Monday to do all of his measurements and then the first week of January for the helmet.  There will be a few adjustment appointments as well.  He will have to wear it 23 hours per day for as long as it takes to "fix" the flat spot.  It will possibly take longer now that he's older to correct itself than if we had done this when he was younger.  There is now way to know how long it will take though, it depends on the child. 

If you are finding this blog because you are also dealing with plagiocephaly, you may be wondering about the cost.  Our area has one of the lower figures for helmets, according to all of the research on other blogs I've seen.  The helmet is $2500.00 and that is due up front, of course.  Insurance sometimes pays for this, but in Henry's case it most likely won't since it is considered cosmetic.  They will submit his measurements to the insurance company, but I'm 99 % sure it won't be covered and am not even expecting that.  We will be leaving payment when we go Monday to cover it so they can go ahead making his helmet if insurance denies it.  I know that seems like a lot to some, but truly I think it will be money well spent to correct his head shape.  I don't want him going through life self-concious over this and not able to shave his head short because his head looks "weird".  We are blessed to have a health savings account, but I'm not sure what options are available if you do not.  I'm just being honest.  I read on some blogs where people were able to get a special credit card to just pay for this item, maybe called Care Credit or something similar.  I'd really, really hate to think children need these helmets but don't get them for financial reasons.  That may be something I research and look into. 

So, we are moving forward into our plagiocephaly journey.  I am being up front and open about this because I had a friend say that their other friend's child had a leg brace but they were very hush hush about it.  I don't want to be hush hush.  I am trying to prepare myself for stares as we go out with it, and also I'm sure children will have questions.  Maybe we can help another family going through this if we are an "open book" on the subject. 

I am 100 % at peace with our decision because I've decided most things I regret in life are things I didn't do, not things I did.  And I'm sure Henry will look adorable in his helmet!  We just have to figure out what "bling" to order to decorate it.  My favorites so far are the ones that say "Fixing my flat" with cars and "under construction" with construction stuff.  We want to make it look less "medically" if possible. 

That's where we are...I will update on this again Monday after the appointment with the orthodist. 

Henry's Stats

Henry weighs in at 19 lb. 12 oz. and is 28 inches long.  He is 50% for everything, although he seems really long to me.  :-) 
I will update after his dr.'s appointment Tuesday.  I'm not looking forward to it to be honest.  They said in the welcome packet to bring a book because you could have to wait a while.  I don't think it's ever good when they tell you that up front!!! 
It is at the huge hospital downtown, so I'm anticipating parking issues and possible issues finding it. 
Maybe I need to be more positive!!!!  I will try to have a better outlook on it!! 

It's December!!! Bring on the holiday fun!

I'm so excited it's December.  It seems like I plan for the season forever.  I start in the summer because if not, I would be super-stressed come this time of year.  Especially with a birthday party to plan that's just 4 days before Christmas.  I had read on a website a few weeks ago that you should make a December "bucket list" so that you don't get swept up into the hustle and bustle and not get to do all the special, meaningful things with your family.  I love to shop early so I don't have to be shopping during the month of December.  I am going on Saturday shopping for a few last minute, birthday party things because my mom offered to babysit the kiddos.  I need to hit the cake shop, craft store, party store. 
Anyway, here are the things I hope OUR family can do this month.  What all do you want to do with your family this month?   Don't overbook!  It's easy to get too busy this time of year! 

• Ride to look at Christmas lights- we'll do this several times.  We went tonight for about an hour or so.  We planned to stay longer but the kids asked to go home and we were all really tired by 8:30.  Yes, we are starting to go to bed earlier!   I can hear all kinds of logs being sawed all around me right now-music to my ears!!!!  :-) 
• Church Cantata- that is tomorrow night.  I look forward to this every year.  It is always beautiful!  Dustin is going to keep the kids at home because they won't sit still and be quiet for the whole thing-we've tried.  Last year they had outside people do nursery and Carson cried the entire time, so I don't want to put the kids through that.  I will enjoy a little time to myself and Dustin will hear the Cantata during worship service later in the month.
• Christmas parade-in a few weeks.  Henry probably won't go if we can find someone to keep him indoors.  We'll see.  We may have to divide and conquer. 
• Drive-thru nativity.  I can't wait to see what the kids think of this.  I look forward to it each year.  It's a whole story, with about 10 different scenes. 
• Make gingerbread houses-I'll probably get cousin Hunter for this too- cause you know I love a project that involves messy toddlers!
• Bake cookies with cousins Shelby, Hunter, Kelsey, & Riley.  We are doing this instead of exchanging gifts. 
• Visit the train display at our local hardware store.  Going here Monday after my dentist's appointment. 
• I also hope to let the kids walk around the park and look at all the lights and see the different scenes in the little houses. 

This is all I think we'll do so far.  We also may go to the local zoo for their presentation of the Christmas story using the zoo animals.  Also, we've been thinking about caroling with church.  I don't know if we'll do all of this, but we'll do what we can and not stress about the rest. 
Making a list will help us keep things in check and not overbook ourselves.

Catching Up

What's been up with us?  Lots, and I haven't had a minute free to blog.  Mainly because our schedule has changed-again.  It seems like every so often we have to adjust to different sleep schedules and things and now the kids get up anywhere from 7-9.  9 if I'm lucky.  7:30 normally.  This means I have to go to bed much earlier to get a good 8-9 hours sleep and be ready to hit the ground running when I hear the first little footsteps.  I think against my better judgment, I'm becoming more of a morning person out of necessity.  I don't LIKE it, but it is okay.  Now if anyone calls past 8:30 at night, I think, "who's calling so late?".  Maybe I'm just getting old.  haha! 
I realized I forgot to update with Henry's 9 month stats.  I will do that in the next day or so.  I don't know them off hand and I can't look for them because I'd have too many extra hands helping me!  They are on my desk which is right by all the Christmas gifts I'm hiding from the kiddos. 
I do remember he was 50th for everything.  He's just your average guy!  :-) 

Thanksgiving was nice, very quiet and low-key.  We didn't go anywhere for lunch, I actually made tacos!  We knew we were having turkey for dinner, so it was no point in overloading ourselves, right?  We did a bunch of yard work (well, Dustin did yard work, I watched.) and just played with the kids.  My favorite kind of holiday-quiet and calm!!!  Until Black Friday hit-haha! 

Black Friday shopping this year was my favorite year so far I think.  Except for the fact that my sisters were on a cruise and couldn't help us!!!  Anyway, after dinner Thursday my cousin Brandy and I went to our local Walmart.  We got lots of good deals and mainly had fun socializing with everyone!  My mom, step-dad, and sister Amanda were there, along with my Aunt Debbie. 
After that, Brandy & I decided on a whim to head to the city and do some more shopping at Target & Kohls.  We had so much fun, got a car full, and didn't spend all that much money.  I got in bed at 4 a.m.!  Dustin let me sleep a little bit later than normal, and I was fine.  I liked this better for several reasons- first of all, I wasn't gone all day Friday, I was only gone while the kids were sleeping.  Secondly, Dustin was still able to hunt later in the day.  Thirdly, the grand illumination for my hometown is that night, and I didn't have to rush back for that.  Henry's had a cold so we didn't go anyway, but in years past this is a problem. 

As far as shopping goes- I am done!  I'm so glad.  The mailman and UPS guy are coming here everyday, but that's okay!  Now, I just need to wrap everything.  I also have our cards ready, they arrived yesterday.  I just need to address them and get them sent out soon.  I panic if I don't have all this done fairly early, mainly because I want to focus on spending time with family and doing special things in the month of December, not shopping.  Also, the twins' birthday is in December, so I have to plan that and shop for that, so it can get overwhelming if you wait till the last minute. 

I had a flat tire last week with the kids-in my brand new tire!  Urrrghh!  Thank goodness I was able to get to my sister's work, I don't know what I'd do if I was stranded along the road.  Luckily, the place we bought the tires from fixed it for free.  They were wonderful all around, we will definitely use them again.  The kids were telling me it was "bumpy" riding in the back with the flat tire.  The mechanic at Amanda's work hopped in my car to back it up so he could try to pump it up, and the kids started screaming.  I guess Emmy thought he was kidnapping them or something.  They know him but have never ridden with him.  It was funny, of course we comforted her though.  I am glad she knows to scream if a stranger gets near her!!!!  Carson was still just saying "It's bumpy".  I guess it surprised us, we weren't expecting quite that reaction from the kids!!!

Carson and Henry can't seem to shake the colds they've gotten.  Mostly Henry.  He had an ear infection when he went for his check up.  I thought the antibiotics would clear everything up, but no such luck.  Henry goes next week to a pediatric neurosurgeon to have his head looked at.  He has plagiocephaly, which is a fancy way of saying, a flat spot.  Carson had one too and his cleared up on it's own.  Henry's may do the same thing, but we aren't taking any chances since it can affect other things if it doesn't round out.  We'll cross one more specialist off the list of ones we've tried.  We've been to the pediatric cardiologist, urologist, endocrinologist, opthamologist, and maybe one or two more I've forgotten.  Thank goodness my kids are healthy!!  I'm not even kidding.  We ARE healthy.

The Christmas tree is up.  I must say, I DO NOT enjoy putting up the tree.  I love it once it's up.  This year it was especially trying, as I tried doing it all by myself with the twins' help.  I finally called my mom and told her to get here quick or we'd have no tree.....she showed up with lights and helped finish it off.  The problem was it was a pre-lit one from Nicole, and a few lights didn't work.   No problem, I added more lights.  By the time I got it to the house from the garage (don't ask me why I thought it would be easier to put it up in the shed first), it fell over and all the shaping I'd done was flat again.   Lights were going out right and left on the NEW strands I had put on.  I was ready to throw it out the door when I called mom.  Thank goodness she enjoys decorating.  So far so good on it staying up with minimal touching from the kids.  We also did a small John Deere tree for Carson because I already had those ornaments from Hallmark.  We will do something special for Emilynn too, I just don't know what yet. 

Potty training is still going great!  They are dry except some nights.  Most nights they are dry, of course sometimes we still have a few accidents.  I am so proud of them and I never thought I'd see this day!!!  And speaking of potty training, they are playing in the sink now, so I've gotta go!!!! 

Pictures Galore!

I have finally, finally been able to load all the pictures off my new camera (well, new to me a year ago!) onto the computer.  I had ordered the cable I needed, then I realized I should probably get a power cord, just to be safe.  I ordered that so I wouldn't risk having the camera battery go dead mid-stream, possibly causing me to lose pics.  I for some odd reason got a notion tonight to do all this, set all the cords up, and could not find my instruction manual.  Urrghh...twenty minutes and lots of tearing the house up-I finally find the manual and start loading pics.  I had about 1300 or so to load.  Yes, I love taking pictures and actually haven't taken that many this year, or it doesn't feel like it.  I also loaded all the disks from last Sundays photo session, which was about 1500 pics I think.  I've been up to my eyeballs in pictures!  I've been able to work on our Christmas card, a few gifts, and change the blog pic-in case you didn't notice!  I will have many pics to share in the upcoming weeks-so stay tuned!  For tonight, I'm exhausted.  I can only deal with so much technology at once.  :-)  It's just not my "thing."  It does feel good to get a task done that I've been putting off forever!!!   
And since it's Wednesday already- Happy 9 months to my little baby Henry!  Where have the past 9 months gone?  He is such a big boy now and growing every day.  I will post his new stats tomorrow, as his 9 month check up is tomorrow morning.  Another reason I need rest......more later! 

Voting

Today was a special day-a day to get out and vote.  I have to say-it's never lost on me what a big deal this is and how many lives were lost for me to be able to vote.  I only hope that I can teach my children how important this is.  I WILL teach my children how important this right is, and to not take it for granted. 
I think it's a teachable moment all the way around.  A local election here in our county didn't go how I would have liked, and as a Christian you know that all eyes are on you when things aren't going your way.  I don't mean just me personally, because obviously I'M not that important alone.  :-)  I mean Christians as a whole, all Christians.  So, it is important how you react to such things, to others and to your children.  The way you react is most likely how your children will react themselves when faced with the same situation in a few years.  I know this is true by the amount of times I hear Emilynn say "oh gosh" when something happens, just like me.  I know this because Carson puts his hat on his chair when he eats, just like his Daddy.  Our children mimic our behavior, right from the start.  In a few years they will be able to walk in with us to vote, we just aren't there yet.  The nice ladies did send out stickers for them to wear, which I thought was very sweet and helped them feel like a part of the process. 
So, as I think about voting and all that goes along with it, I think about what I want my children to learn from the experience.  
We will teach our children to pray for all of our elected leaders and their families, no matter what. 
We will teach them to respect them, no matter what.  It's important and I'm thankful.  I'm thankful I had the freedom to go vote today.

A Declaration

I'm almost afraid to jinx myself by saying it....but last Thursday, I made a declaration- Carson is potty trained!  Wahoooooooo!!!!!!!!  Emilynn is 99 % potty trained as well.  Our diaper budget has gone to almost nothing it seems!  Diapering one baby is cake compared to three!  I can't believe I've had 3 in diapers for 8 months!  Unbelievable.  I have to say- potty training the twins was the hardest thing I've done with twins so far.  Harder than the sleepless nights and feeding two babies by myself, or anything I can think of that was hard.  It has honestly worried me to no end.  I thought we'd be sending them to college in diapers.  I've started training, then had to re-group many times.  I've read countless books on the matter.  It is hard. If you're a twin mom reading this-know it will be hard. 
Not impossible, but hard. 
It has also seemed to go on forever.  Carson started over a year ago asking to go to the potty.  He started this all, I never pushed them.  Which maybe was part of the delay, I'm not sure. 
Where we are right now is that Carson does great-he asks to go and will stop playing to go.  Tonight he did have an accident at my grandma's, but he was wearing bib overalls which he can't get down by himself.  I don't think it's a set back by any means. 
Emilynn has to be reminded and asked to go potty but she REALLY wants a Dora doll for her big thing for learning potty training.  She is so proud of herself when she goes.  She was having trouble with #2, but yesterday she did that twice in the potty.  I opened the bathroom door, and she was holding her kiddie potty and said "SURPRISE!" holding up poop.  It was so cute.  Yes, her pooping in the potty made me VERY happy!  It's funny what you get excited about as a mom! 
I am thrilled to pieces to be starting this next phase of life with potty trained kiddos. 
I will also admit, I am a bit sad because they are not babies anymore.  They are much closer to big kids than babies.  It is a little sad as each phase passes because I desperately want to soak it all up. 
So, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little sad to see another phase pass.  I am excited about all this opens up for them though.  They are so proud of themselves too, and that makes me so proud of them! 
In other milestone news- Henry says "ma-ma".  It's the cutest thing I've ever heard (of course!).  He will lay in bed in the morning and say ma-ma, ma-ma.  Oh my goodness it melts my heart.  He is such a little cutie pie anyway.  And YES, I'm very biased!  Haha! 
He is also so very photogenic.  Moreso than the twins I think.  He is just truly the happiest baby.  My grandma and others have always said I was such a happy baby and everything made me laugh.  I now understand what they meant because Henry is the same way.  We did pictures today and got some adorable ones of him.  I can't wait to see them and hope we got some good twin pics too.  Meme hired someone to come out and take family pictures and it was great.  We got so many shots....the girl took like 4,000 pictures and I'm not joking!  She said she had never filled a memory card before and she did with our group.  That was really before we even arrived to start our family pics.  I've always wanted pictures with my sisters, so that was nice to get and also with Dustin, me, and the children. 
Oh, and the biggest news of the week was-I'm going to be an aunt again!  I am so excited!  Hunter is finally going to be a big brother.  Our family has had a baby or two every year since 2008.  2008 was Hunter, 2009 was the twins, 2010 was Morgan, 2011 was Dylan, and 2012 was Henry.  2013 will be baby ???  If it's a girl (which I'm pretty sure it is) she will be Paige.  I'm sure I'll call her Paigey.  It just sounds cute. 
Anyway, enough of my aunt rambling. 
Halloween was good.  I love Halloween for some reason-I just always have.  I used to "borrow" Alyssa to take trick or treating so I could go!  Dad & Dawn were happy to loan her out because she is the fourth child.....so they had done enough trick or treating. 
This year the twins had pumpkin costumes.  I had gotten them at Target last year for $1 after Halloween.  They are really nicely made, not the cheap-o ones but were 90% off.  Henry was the cutest lion you've ever seen.  Meme got his costume when the twins were small but it never fit them. 
Carson ended up just being Carson because he was sick and not in the pumpkin mood.  He perked up when he started getting candy though!  We made 6 stops and got a ton of loot!  We could have done a few more but it was enough for the kids.  It's a lot to get in and out of car seats.  We only go to close friends and family anyway.  We have a huge tote of costumes that were Alyssa's so the twins were going to be animals like Henry, but then went back to pumpkins at the last minute.  They have strong opinions now, so things can get interesting.  I was worried once we left they'd want the other costumes, so I brought 4 extra costumes with us.  Dustin laughed because all you could see was fur in the back of the car.  Anyway, it was a fun time. 
Carson then gave his cold to Emmy, then Henry, then Daddy, then me.  We are all a little under the weather.  Henry gave us a scare Friday.  He was projectile vomiting for a while.  I called the dr.'s office and a nurse line for our insurance and they both said to watch him for dehydration and give him pedialyte.  He wasn't feverish, so that was good.  He has been better yesterday and today seems almost normal except a little snotty nose.  He was so pitiful Friday though, I've never had a sick baby that small.  The twins may have had sniffles but they never got sick like that.  I was ready to take him somewhere but he ended up holding down the pedialyte.  I haven't gotten much rest this weekend though, and with the time change I'm tired.  I know it's supposed to give you more sleep-but tell that to my kids!  They were up even earlier today! 
Well, I'm off to read and rest. 

Storm Preparations

As I sit in my warm, cozy house awaiting Hurricane Sandy, I can't help but feel incredibly blessed.  Henry's taking a nap, the twins are watching Word World.  I've been doing a little cooking, a little housekeeping, and pinning stuff on pinterest.  It's been a good day so far.  I'm hoping we don't lose power, but it is a possibility I think we're ready for.  I've got plenty of water for drinking and flushing toilets.  I've got the gas grill ready for cooking if necessary, plenty of food that doesn't need cooking, everything Henry needs to eat, gas in the car, all the laundry is washed, dishes are clean.....I can't think of anything we've left out.  We've got candles, flashlights, a radio, phones charged, Kindle charged (gotta have that to read!), and now we wait.  We may not have it all that bad once the storm hits, but better to be safe than sorry.  I always tend to over-do in preparations because Dustin's job requires him to be gone in storms.  That means it's me and the kiddos to fend for ourselves.  Indefinitely.  That is why I always insist on having 4-wheel drive.  I don't want to be stuck in the woods in a storm if we need to leave, get to the doctor, etc.  It makes me feel safer. 
You may remember we DO have a generator that will come on automatically in the event our power goes out.  Well, it's not fully functional yet.  Honestly, it hasn't even bothered me because that is how everything goes with us.  Nothing is usually easy or simple.  Remember the hot water heater fiasco?  We STILL have an extra hot water heater on hand.  It never really got all worked out, but we called it done. 
I've laughed because my 2 years olds use the word "generator" all the time.  Do all 2 year olds have the word generator as part of their vocabulary?  Poppy worked on it all day and into the evening Saturday but we've still got a few kinks.  I feel bad for him, he's so optimistic that each time will the "the time" it fires up!  :-)  I have full faith he's gonna get it working soon.  I keep telling everyone, "It's going to be so nice once it's hooked up!".  It truly will be.  Until then, we prepare.  Like a lot of America, we wait. 

My favorite time of year....

I love fall, and everything that comes with it.  I always feel like I can breathe again after a hot, sticky summer.  I love the leaves changing, pumpkins, etc.  The kids are having so much fun enjoying the weather, they can play outside most of the day.  Of course, they love pumpkins too.  Remember the giant pumpkin from last year?  It lasted till about 4 months ago!  They did not want it to go, but finally it "bit the dust".  :-) 
We have been very busy with different festivities this year.  Sadly, we have no time that we can fit the pumpkin patch in.  :-(  It just isn't going to work out.  I have taken them both years since they were born.  Oh well, there are always old traditions and new traditions as well.  Next year we'll have to plan on it much earlier. 
We added some new fall traditions this year- Saturday we went to a little Halloween party.  It was a lot of fun.  The kids really enjoyed it and got tons of goodies and candy!  They even had "junky" foods for supper.  I think they wondered why they got to eat that stuff for supper.  I never even batted an eye when Carson's plate had 3 forms of chocolate on it for dinner.  He did end up going back for a little pizza, so that was comforting.  Ha!  Sometimes we have to just cut loose and let kids be kids.  If I were two, I'd probably only want chocolate for dinner myself.  Both of my kids ate apples later on during the apple bobbing.  Carson had 3, Emmy had 2.  I think I love fall because apples are so abundant and cheap!  We spend a lot on fruit and produce, especially apples!  We can go through 4-5 a day!  I'm glad they love them though. 
Our whole family has been to church the past 2 weeks in a row.  That may be a record.  When you've got 3 small kids, there is always something that happens to keep us from going, it seems.  Unfortunately, sometimes we just oversleep!!!  Today we stayed after for the Operation Christmas Child shoebox "stuffing".  I had debated on whether to stay or not, but finally decided we'd try it.  It was a little hard on the first box for Emmy.  She didn't realize the toys weren't hers to keep, even though I kept saying, "let's put this in there for the little girl." I said it with each item and talked about how special the girl would feel on Christmas.  I'm sure others were tired of hearing it.   Anyway, she and I had a heart to heart after her meltdown, and then were able to turn the box in for the little girl.  A couple of other sweet ladies from church talked to her also. Carson didn't seem to mind giving up the toys, and he really got into choosing things a boy like him would like.   I was so proud overall of how they did and can't wait to do it next year.  The twins have a great memory now, so I'm gonna keep talking about them and remember the children on Christmas morning.  It was a neat thing to do as a family.  I desperately want my children to have a servant's heart, so even though it may be rough going at first-I wanted to make sure we start early and do all we can as often as we are able.  Isn't that what's most important in life anyway?  Jesus loved to serve others and we want to strive to be more like him each day. 
It was also precious in church when we were praying, I told Emmy we were praying and she starts singing "Jesus loves me" softly.  It was so precious, despite the interruption.  I think only the people closest to us probably heard her.  I've never heard a sweeter sound than my children singing hymns! 

Clothes Clothes Clothes

I used to think it was just me.  Then I started hearing other moms talk about the same thing.  The daunting task of keeping up with kids' clothes- what fits who, then tomorrow, it doesn't.  Each season kids get an entire new wardrobe for the most part.  Unless you're Carson, in which case you haven't grown-then you can wear your same clothes over and over.  Just kidding, he does grow.  Just not like his sister.  He is just getting into 2T clothes, and even some 3Ts if it's small!  It seems like just when I get all the clothes switched out, the old ones packed up, the new ones in the drawers...the season changes and I have to do it all over again.  I've always shopped ahead when I can for the kids, it's getting harder now to predict sizes.  We accept all hand-me-downs people offer us.  I recommend that, even if you don't think you'll need it.  Take them and you can pass on what you can't use.  I try to hit clearance racks, yard sales, and consignment sales/stores for my kids' clothes.  We also get some hand-me-downs from family.  Emilynn gets all of Alyssa's clothes.  However, she is too chunky right now for Alyssa's pants.  :-(  I thought I had her winter clothes squared away, and we had to re-group.  She is in 5Ts and I've gotten her plenty of leggings and stretchy pants for winter.   I try my best to store all "future clothes" by size and boy/girl.  It is a lot to keep up with though so sometimes things get out of order and it drives me nuts!  Now that I know we are done having babies (sniff, sniff), I can pass Henry's clothes along and keep the special stuff and hopefully bless others with our extra stuff.  Anyway, I'm just rambling about clothes because it is such an ordeal.  It really is.  That's okay, we are blessed to have clothes and somehow I always find what we need when we need it, in just the right size! 
Tonight for example, Amanda and I met and went to a consignment sale.  I took Carson and Henry with me and we set out to shop.  I was able to find 8 outfits for Emilynn-all are leggings/stretchy pants with tops, all are name brand-mostly Gymboree and Gap.  I also got a pair of Old Navy overalls for Carson, a shirt, a sweater, and a sweater vest, 18 pairs of socks from Old Navy & Children's Place- all for $44!  I love that my kids can wear name brand, nice clothes for great prices.  I am as thrifty as they come, but when it comes to kids' clothes, I believe you get what you pay for.  Meaning-the brand name clothes hold up better, and I've found they are easier to get stains out because they are made with nicer quality materials.  I bought Emmy a Garanimals outfit this year, she's worn it twice and it looks so old and worn already.  The pants are so faded it's ridiculous.  I definitely got what I paid for because they were cheap.  Since Carson was with me-we also got $5 worth of toys- we got a monster truck, a motorcycle with rider, a John Deere book, and for Emmy we got a Dora backpack with the map. 
I also have lots of things in the consignment sale-so maybe I'll make enough money to cover what we bought-then it will be like everything was free!  Well, not really but that's how I think of it!  :-) 

Milestones

Mr. Henry has a tooth!  He finally had a tooth pop through on the 24th.  It is the cutest little tooth!  Aren't baby teeth precious?  We call them "chicklet teeth" because they are so small and square like the gum.  I'm probably dating myself with that-does chicklet gum even still exist? 

Emilynn also had a milestone-she spent the night away from Momma & Daddy for the first time!  Well, except when we went to have Henry, but that was different and she was in her own home for that.  After Hunter's soccer game on the 22nd, Meme took Emilynn with her for the night.  It was a long time because she was gone for 24 hours total, maybe a little more.  Dustin and I both fully thought she'd come home but she didn't.  She called and told us goodnight and went to sleep.  Stinker!  Carson woke up in the middle of the night missing her, so he ended up with us.  It was a fitful night of sleep to say the least.  I missed her so much and I have to say, I'm glad that's over!  Haha!  It was precious to hear the twins talking to say goodnight.  Carson said, "I miss you Emmy."
She was so cute the next day, Carson and I had gone to church and we got back and she ran to him and hugged and hugged him.  She said, "I missed you Carson, I really missed you."  They are at such a cute stage right now.  They just love being together and play so cute together.  We do have some big fights too, but I love watching the bond they have.  Emilynn has started saying at times, "we're twins."  It's cute.  I wondered how long it would take for them to realize they were twins.  I still don't know if they know what that means!

In other milestone news, I may have had a birthday last week.  :-)  It was fun, the kids were SO excited and kept on telling me happy birthday, singing, and hugging me and saying "I love you momma".  That's the best thing I can think of for a birthday gift!!!  Dustin let me sleep late which was an awesome gift as well!  I had a delicious Mexican lunch too.  With the extended family we had dinner at my Dad's Saturday night-that is always a lot of fun with all the kids together playing and running around.  Kids also being my dad, Dustin, Uncle Wayne.....We had dinner with my mom's family Sunday night.  That was fun too!  Everything I got was so thoughtful and useful.  It made me feel so special that everyone took the time to get things they knew I would use and love.  I have the best family and friends EVER!  :-) 

Concert!

I had a night out the other night and went to a concert with some of my family & friends.  It was a great time-we were on the front row!  I've never been on the front row.  We saw Darius Rucker and had a good time.  Meme, Poppy, Aunts Lys, Ma, & Abbey, Uncle Wayne, Tricia (Meme's sister-in-law or Aunt Tricia), Cousin Kayla, and our friends Mary & Clyde went.  I had a great time and it was good to have some "mommy-time".  
I know I've said it before, but I LOVE going to concerts and it had been almost a year since I went to see Jason Aldean last year.  I think I was due a concert!  :-)  I'll try to make sure I see one a year-haha! 

Random thoughts....

Our new schedule is still working great-mostly for me.  I've had so much more energy and gotten so many more things done.  I really needed to make a change and I have to say, I'm truly enjoying the children more and also enjoying my "housework".  I think being well-rested and up before the kids has made all the difference in the world.  I also like getting a shower and being ready before they are up.  Lots of people tell me they would stay in their pajamas all day if they were home with their kids.   My personal opinion (which is just mine-no one else's) is that I'm not too fond of that.  I feel like I'm raising adults and I don't want to set that example for them.  I must say-who doesn't feel better after a shower?  Who wants to sit around in jammies all day?  Now, there are some days I don't end up getting a shower until Dustin gets home.  I really notice a difference that day, those days are "blah" days for me.  That's just what I've noticed about me.  Just saying.....

In other news-Henry is still toothless.  I've thought for months he was getting a tooth.   Every morning I excitely check his mouth and.... nada.  No tooth fairy visits for him yet.  Oh well....I'm not rushing it, but is there anything cuter than those little baby chicklet teeth?  I think not!!!!

Birthday month is still ongoing.  Nanny's b-day is Tuesday.  The kids actually know which birthdays are coming up-so it's exciting for them and something they look forward to. 

We have a big dirt "spot" in our yard right now.  It's not a dirt pile, it's just a spot we've cleared off, just because.  We aren't putting anything there, it just needed to be clear.  The kids are loving picking up sticks and helping clear it up.  Of course they also play too!  They were filthy tonight by the end of the night.  I love that they love playing outdoors and being "country kids". 
I know they are country kids when we saw a picture of a chicken the other day and Carson exclaimed- "Mom, there's an egg in there!"  It cracked me up.  He LOVES gathering eggs with Poppy and talks about it all the time.  He also likes to point out that you have to wash the poop off.  Kids are so brutally honest. 

All for now-I'm off to look up some new recipes!  I love finding new recipes.  :-)
 

Our New Schedule

Well, I didn't post yesterday because by 8:30 last night, I was exhausted!  Dustin and I decided on a new schedule for the kids, bedtime is now 8:30 for them.  I am setting my alarm to get up at 7 am, before them and get a few things done-like my shower, laundry, dishes, my Bible study homework/Bible time, blogging, bills, anything I need to do but can't seem to do with the kids in tow.  It's been a nice change.  I've also been going to bed much earlier, which makes for a more pleasant day I think.  I feel much more rested.  I've had to let some things go to do this.  Sometimes the house is a mess when I go to bed, but it will be there in the morning for sure.  I'm trying to limit my computer time as well.  It's just hard to stop browsing the internet once I start at night.  The next thing I know, I'll have spent 2 hours reading blogs, researching stuff, etc.  I still hope to post almost every day, but some days it just may not happen.  :-( 
On a different note- Monday I took the kids to a playground and they had a blast!  Amanda and I decided to get our lunch to go and take them there since Joyce ended up not being able to meet us.  We actually got to talk and the kids worked off some energy.  Once it was time to go, we got little resistance and everyone was happy.  I think we'll definitely do that again. 
Well, I'm off to do more chores.  I have all the windows up, enjoying this fall air!!!  Carson is running errands with Papa, Emmy is drooling over an American Girl catalog...Henry's being patient as usual but I think he'd appreciate some baby food. 
More later.....

Milk Monday

It's "Milk Monday" which means we will go get our fresh milk and today we are having lunch with Amanda and JuJu.  I hope the kids will cooperate, they've been a little "off" lately, which I think is attributed to lack of sleep.  They've been staying up later and getting up at the same time or earlier, no naps...equals fussy, grumpy kids.  Aren't we grumpy when we don't get enough rest?  Even Henry's not napped well the past two days.  He's already down for a morning nap now though, since he got up early today.  Some days he gets up to eat early, some days he sleeps on through.  I guess as Alyssa would say, "he sleeps till his hunger awakes him."  She's so funny.
Anyway, ever since we've been getting the fresh milk, people in our "milk click" had said they couldn't drink milk from the store anymore, it just tastes gross.  I had not had that problem, and sometimes have had to drink "store milk" because there wasn't enough for us and the kids, and the kids always get the fresh milk first.  Well, I drank some "store milk" the other day and EWWWW!  It tasted sour!  Yuck!  I just can't drink it anymore.  I wondered if this would ever happen and 1 1/2 years later, it has.  There is just nothing like fresh milk right from the cow! 

Scholastic Book Club

As a follow up to yesterday's reading post, I forgot to mention how excited I was to find that Hunter brought home a little Scholastic Reading Book Club flyer from pre-school!  Amanda made sure I knew about it so I could order.  Call me a nerd, but I LOVED getting these in school and always poured over them and hemmed and hawed about what books I wanted and hoped my parents would let me order.  I was so excited when Amanda told me Hunter got one.  You can get great books so cheaply through them!  I ordered 7 books this time, and only spent $19.95!  Two books were only $1 each, and they are well-known ones like "If you give a mouse a cookie".  I'm excited for the new books to arrive and to add them to our nighttime reading basket of books. 
Don't even get me started on the Read-Up points and free personal pan pizzas!  :-) 

Reading

Since I talked about going to bed so late last night, I will share our new bedtime routine.  We read at bedtime now, which we had not been doing for a while.  I always read to the kids when they were infants in their bouncer seats, etc.  Then they got mobile and no one wanted to sit for storytime.  Now, the kids are really getting back into reading, and I am SO EXCITED!  I LOVE to read, I always have.  In fact, I have to cut myself off from reading at times.  Right now, I haven't read a book for fun in over a month.  I just get too wrapped up in them and stay up almost all night reading.  The twins now choose which books they want me to read and we read, and read, and read, and read.....I know htey know it's also a delay tactic.  They do enjoy the stories though, and it's been neat to see them read them back to us.  The hands-down favorite right now is "Chicka, Chicka, Boom Boom!".  It is a really cute alphabet book.  We read it at least 4 times a night.  Emilynn and Carson both read it.  Last night Emmy saw the "Q" in there and said, "Mommy, it looks sort of like a zero."  I was pretty impressed.  Sometimes they say stuff and we don't even know where they've learned it.  We were alos looking at our bug book and she declared- "those ants are marching east.".  O-kay.  I am really, really glad they are so very observant!  Carson is a quiet observer.  He notices things like tractors and truck/car colors, etc.  He knows what everyone drives and what type of tractor our neighbor has. 
Anyway, I'm thrilled the children are so eager to learn and are such little sponges.  I can't wait until we can read chapter books at night.  Little House on the Prarie will absolutely be the first ones we read!  I love them and have read them many, many times! 

Our Day

Okay, so I know it's Saturday already, but I haven't made it to sleep yet, so this post still counts as Friday, right?  Right!  :-) 
Believe it or not, I JUST got the last child to bed!  Yes, it's been an off night for us.  Well, Dustin was off today so he did a bunch of yard work and we just played and hung around the house.  We didn't leave to go get some supper till 7.  Then both kids fell asleep on the way, so we decided it would be best to get take-out.  I also had to get a few grocery items.....we ended up getting home at 10 pm with two wide awake twins!!!  We finally got them down about 11:30, and Henry started crying.  So, he had to eat again before going down for the night.  Normally everyone is in bed at 9, so it's been crazy.  It's nice to be able to throw our schedule to the wind though when Daddy is off of work. 
Dustin was doing some work with the tractor, so Carson got his little push peddle tractor and was also "working" alongside Daddy.  So cute.  The twins are at a fun, yet busy age! 

Bus Ride

About a month ago, I met my mom at my grandma's house to take our bus ride we had been planning for the children.  We hopped on the bus at Nanny's house- mom, me, and the three kids.  It cost us a whole $2 total to ride.  The driver and other riders were so sweet and kept talking to the kids and making a big deal out of their ride.  The twins sat together and they LOVED it!  Carson sat by the window and put his arm on the armrest and never moved it.  He would tell us when he saw tractors, lawmowers, tires....just about anything.  Emilynn really liked it too, she was singing our "Wheels on the Bus" song and also looking at everything.  She is more into people though, so she was checking them all out.  The bus had a ton of riders!  I was shocked.  It was completely full at one point.  We rode for an hour and it was great entertainment.  Everyone told the kids "bye" when we got back off, and we stood waving at them till they were out of sight.  I will definitely ride again with the kids, I think I could take them myself and just leave Henry with Nanny.  Maybe next time Hunter can go with us too.  I can't remember if it was Carson or Emilynn who said it but they said, "I love that bus!"  It was so cute and a great day! 

Bible Study

I posted on how I loved our Bible study on Sunday.  As a follow up, since tonight is Bible study night, I have to mention what happened Sunday.  I got to Sunday School and church with the kiddos and the pastor started his sermon.  It was on anger!  I had just posted about how I was angry about something.  It's funny how a lot of the time the sermon seems aimed right at us, isn't it?  I was amazed at the message God had for me.  The pastor mentioned how when we speak and act in anger, we sever relationships and then we cannot be a witness to those people anymore about God.  He said a lot more that I can't really remember word for word, but it was just what I needed to hear that day. 
Carson came home and kept telling Dustin, "I went to church Dad".  It was cute.  They really love church now and enjoy going.  They always remind us to pray before we eat and at bedtime.  I'm hoping to get them a CD of songs called "The Rizers", short for the memorizers-so they can start learning scriptures through catchy little songs.  I don't know if anyone else has heard of them.  I haven't heard the songs yet, but I read great reviews on them. 
Anyway, I'm looking forward to our 3rd week of Bible Study and my Mommy time. 
Nicole & I have snack for this week-I have been cooking up a storm the past few weeks!  I keep signing up for cooking and I've really felt led to cook for people lately.  I'm not sure why...I just have.  I feel God placing it on my heart because it is something I can do, even with the kids.  There are lots of things that I don't sign up for at church because it just isn't possible right now, but cooking- that I can handle! 

May We Never Forget

I'm sure everyone remembers where they were on September 11.  I was in a college class, then classes were cancelled and I went home and was glued to the t.v. until 11 pm that night. 
I hope today everyone will remember all of those lives lost and pray for our troops who are fighting for our freedom each and every day.  What an amazing sacrifice they and their families make.  The twins are just starting to notice convoys that we see going down the road and we are starting to explainwho the troops are that we see when we're out and about, along with the American flag.  I look forward to teaching them to even more as they grow and are capable of understanding more. 
I want them to be Proud to be American! 

Birthday Week

It's a big birthday week for our family, which is why it's after 11 pm and I'm getting my post up!  We've had 3 birthdays this week-the most we have the whole year.  My uncle Dale's b-day was yesterday, my grandpa-"Pa"'s was tonight, and my cousin Brandy's is Wednesday.  We celebrated Brandy & Dale's together last night because Brandy will be out of town on her b-day.  I've made 3 cakes in the past 3 days!  My kitchen is a wreck, so I'm off of here to get some cleaning done & get to bed!  The twins helped me bake Pa's Lemon Cream Pound Cake today.  I was a bit nervous because I didn't start it until almost 4 pm!  Pound cakes take a while to cook, like 1 1/2 hours!  Yes, we were cutting it close.  It actually went really well though, everyone listened to me and took turns and we made a cake they were SO proud of!  It was tasty too!  We got Pa a new bag chair for ball games because his was in many peices and he put it together when he got to the game.  Well, Carson pats the gift and says "Here's your chair Pa".  Luckily Pa didn't hear him!  I knew they were going to start telling people what their gifts were, I just didn't know when. 
Birthdays are so exciting for them now.  They keep asking me if it's time for their Dora & John Deere party.  Well, they just want the cake & ice cream!  Haha!
More tomorrow.....the house looks like a tornado literally went through it.  It's bad....gotta try to clean just a teensy bit.  Tomorrow we are home all day & evening and I'm SO GLAD!!! 

Day of Worship & Rest

Since it's Sunday, I thought what better time than today to mention the wonderful women's Bible study we just started 2 weeks ago.  It is a Beth Moore study on David, Having a heart like his.  I love it already and I really, really need it!  I love the in-depth time spent sharing his word with my SIS group (sisters in service).  Usually there are tears at least once during a session when someone is sharing.  I was getting ready Wednesday night and I overheard Dustin telling the kids "Mommy  needs to leave and go for her Mommy time."  It was so sweet.  I'm so blessed to have a husband who knows I need that Mommy time to renew and be refreshed.  Henry has gone with me both times so far and he does great.  It is easier on Dustin to have only the twins to contend with while I'm gone. 

I have to say, having homework each night forces me to be in God's word each night and that has been a huge blessing as well. 
I will confess, I had a negative blog post ready to go yesterday because some things had really, really irked me that had happened lately.  However, I took some time (always a good idea), and decided against the post.  It wouldn't do any good anyway and there's no need to "stir a pot".  I think the Bible study truly helped remember that, along with a discussion Dustin and I had about how people look at you so much more closely if you are a Christian.  They want to see how you react to certain situations and are almost waiting for you to slip up.  Sooooo.....I want to encourage you to keep God's word close at hand and heart.  I love the email about how differently things would be if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone.  Anyway, think about your actions and whether or not they are something God would be proud of, before you say or do them. 
That's my soap box for today!  :-)  And I'm stepping on my very own toes!!! 

We've been in 1 John a lot with our study and here's a scripture I find so encouraging from there:

"We love because he first loved us.  If anyone says, 'I love God', yet hates his brother, he is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."
1John19-21

Cakes

I'm sure if you've read this for any length of time, you know I make cakes for my kids' and Hunter's birthday parties.  Honestly, I enjoy it as a hobby, but I wouldn't want to do cakes for payment.  It puts too much pressure and stress on me.  If I do them for fun and they flop, no harm done..we can run get one at the store.  Which HAS happened a few times- there was a particular incident involving a fire extinguisher, my cake, and a medium sized kitchen fire that caused us to buy a cake.  :-)  Thankfully I keep a fire extinguisher in my kitchen, and I HIGHLY recommend it if you don't!!!!  Just saying!!!!  Makes a great wedding shower gift as well.  Oh, and we picked up a new extinguisher at the store when we got the store-bought cake.  :-)  Enough of that kitchen story. 
Tonight I am working on two cakes for a birthday party at my grandma's tomorrow night, one for my cousin Brandy who is turning 30.  Another for my Uncle Dale.  Usually my grandma or Dale buys a cake, but they are so very pricey at the store and I spend so little to make one.  I'm not doing anything fancy, but I do want them to be special.  I almost didn't get my post of the day in because of that, but I'm on a break while waiting for icing to warm up from the fridge. 

I've been meaning to post pics of Hunter's cakes I've made him, so how appropriate to do that tonight!  Here is how the cowboy cake turned out for his 4th birthday: 

I loved how the cowboy cake turned out.  You can't tell from the pic, but it has little cowboy stuff around it, barbed wire garland, and the writing is "rope".  It was fun to make. 

 

Here is Hunter's 3rd birthday cake- Monster trucks!  Another fun one to make.  It really challenges me when there's no shaped pan to use.  I really prefer just a molded pan shape like his 2nd birthday cake below.  I also had fun pounding the matchbox cars with a hammer so it would look like Grave Digger had crushed them.  So fun!  The "dirt" is crushed graham crackers...also used the hammer...got lots of frustration out with this cake!  haha!

 

Here's the 2nd birthday Lightning McQueen cake: 

I was proud of him too!  He was fun to make and we also did cupcakes for that party...but I don't know why I don't have a pic of them.  :-(  Oops.

 

I don't seem to have a pic of Hunter's 1st birthday cake, but it was the Pooh one I also did for the twins, with the mini-Pooh "smash" cake.  I love doing this one, I will also do it for Henry's 1st birthday. 

 

 

 

So, there's Hunter's parties and my cakes of late!  Boy how four years has flown by.  I had just found out I was having twins when Hunter had his first birthday Pooh party.  I took him to church that day so Amanda could decorate and then got him some lunch and had some special time with him.  It was  a lot of fun! 

 

I will post more cake pics soon.  Don't know if they interest you, but I'm always searching online for cake ideas!  I love looking at cake pics! 

The Verdict is In....

I think I mentioned we were going to dance two nights this week, the first week.  Emmy's dance teacher really wasn't sure if she should keep her down for another year of Creative Movement or move her up to the Pre-Ballet/Tap class.  She's inbetween the ages and size wise she was much bigger than the kids in Creative Movement.  Cousin Morgan is in Creative Movement though, so that made it nice to have her in there and of course for me to talk to Kristen during class.  Cousin Olivia is in Pre-Ballet/Tap, so I had Melanie to talk to during that, plus all the moms from last year.  Many of the moms hadn't seen Henry since May, they couldn't believe how big and BLONDE he was!  :-) 
Anyway, Ms. Robin decided that Emilynn needs to be in the Thursday Pre-Ballet/Tap class.  I gave Ms. Robin the full and final say-I told her we would go with whatever she decided whole-heartedly.  Apparently Emilynn did much better in the older class, which makes me wonder if she was getting bored with Creative Movement after a full year of it.  She also watches Angelina Ballerina who does more classical ballet moves, so she seems to want to do more of those at home.  I think she's matured a lot over the summer and is definitely ready for the next challenge.  We will miss Morgan though.  :-(  After class Tuesday, I asked Emmy if she had fun and she said, "Yes, I got to see Morgan, and my friends!".  It was so cute.  Carson cried because he didn't get to see Morgan.  We will still do regular play-dates with Morgan, so everyone will be fine I'm sure. 
There was about 14 in the class last night, there was a lot of little feet tapping! 
We have to get tap shoes this week-so I guess I'm back to the shoe store!  As far as how that outing went, it was interesting!  We made the 40 minute ride just fine.  I took the front/back stroller for the twins, the front carrier for Henry.  It took at least 30 minutes to unload everyone (or so it seemed), and we headed into the store.  It amazes me how people see me coming with a stroller as long as an 18-wheeler, a baby attached to my front, and not one soul offers to open a door or anything.  It's okay though, I managed.  We got in, I got some shoes on her, despite having 17 lb. Henry between Emmy & me.  After much hemming and hawing, I asked the associate for her opinion and we went with the bigger ones for growth.  She grows so fast!  We got 1 1/2 sizes bigger from the summer class that ended only 8 weeks ago.  Then we got Carson a pair of tennis shoes, he didn't have any in his current size in the hand-me-down tote.   He was excited to get light up ones like Sissy. 
We paid and started the re-load process which is always harder than the un-load for some reason.  I got Henry in first, then the twins.  No one wanted to buckle.  Carson wanted the tags off his shoes that he had worn out the store.  Then he threw them off, then wanted them back.  Urrghh... Emmy hurled her brand new ballet shoes to the front of the car, just because.  I finally buckle everyone, walk around to my seat....hop in.  No keys.  Oh wait, I had to load the stroller after all of that.  Then hopped in and no keys.  I had a moment of sheer and utter panic.  But, they had to be in the car or store.  I had driven there after all.  I searched the diaper bag-no keys.  I took each and every item out of the bag-no keys.  I was literally about in tears at this point because I was going to have to unload all the kids, the stroller, and go back in to see if they were in the store.  At this point I am sweating profusely and trying to think of what to do.  I suddenly remembered I had sat the keys down beside Henry's carseat when unloading to go in the store....and there they still sat!  Thank goodness I had not locked the car.  I don't know how I would have sent a child through the hatch in the heat and trust them to unlock the door for me.  I seriously have mommy brain a LOT!  It's crazy how flightly I can be! 
I think I'll see if Dustin wants to get the shoes over the weekend, when he can go with me-for obvious reasons!  :-) 

It's Official!

We are going on a vacation in 2013!  Yay!  I'm SO excited already! 
I must say, I have NOT missed going on vacation the past few years.  The idea did not appeal to me whatsoever.  Others saw the beach and waves, I saw having to childproof a house, worry about a pool, worry about kids getting into everything.....worry about getting them to sleep in a strange place.  We are in a good place now as far as the kids go.  They are much better behaved and don't need things child-proofed so much.  So, we are heading on vacation next year.  I booked it today.  :-)  At first when we thought a bunch of family was going, we had a lovely house picked out, right on the beach, with a pool and all the "fixins".  Well, now it's become smaller, so we have a small, old-timey beach house right on the beach that's precious and quaint, minus the pool.  That's actually fine with me because my kids have no fear around pools and it scares me.  I am thrilled that we can walk right off the deck, down to the ocean.  No getting in the car, no elevators, just a short walk.  Beach toys can stay on the sand while we run in to potty, grab a bite to eat, etc.  I just want to sit by the ocean and read, and put my feet in when I get hot.  I'll be a happy camper. 
I'm really excited for the kids too, all their friends/cousins went on vacation this year.  They kept saying, "I want to go on cation".  It should be an adventure, no matter! 

Wordless Wednesday

Our busy week ahead..

We have a busy week this week!  It's only a 3-day work week for Dustin, but each of those 3 days is jam packed with stuff.  Today and Thursday we have dance.  Tomorrow night I have Bible study.  This means Dustin will be babysitting in some form or fashion each night after working.  Dinner has to be quick and easy...and ready early.  And I just realized Emilynn's ballet shoes are too small, so I gotta do something about that by 5:15 pm!  I guess the kids and I may be off to buy some shoes here in a bit.  I did spend 4 hours in the kitchen yesterday to get ahead for the week, so dinners are mostly prepared and either in the fridge or freezer.  The weekend brings our local Arts & Crafts festival which we'll take the kids to at some point to see the old tractors that they so dearly love, and I have to help with some clean up for a few hours as a church fundraiser.  Summer is definitely over and we are back in the swing of things full force!  Bring on fall-my favorite time of year when I feel like I can finally breathe again after the heat and humidity of summer! 

Something you don't see everyday....

Emilynn sometimes insists on wearing certain things and within reason (I guess that's a matter of opinion!) I let her. 

Here's to playing in the sandbox in August in your Christmas dress......we don't see that often in these parts...maybe in Florida or Hawaii you see this more often.  :-) 

I love Emmy's free spirit and individuality.  I really do.  She's a trip! 

Update on Carson

Carson is doing much better, thank goodness!  I finally took him to the doctor on Wednesday.  His throat was really red and irritated, but it wasn't strep, thankfully.  He had a few very, VERY grouchy days, so I am so glad he's on the mend.  :-) 

My fingers are crossed that no one else gets it! 

Hope everyone enjoys their Sunday-and holds it sacred as a day of worship and REST!   I love, love, love a Sunday afternoon nap and try not to do anything much for the day.  I don't like meetings and stuff on Sunday evenings, even church related because it's our family time. 

We are celebrating two birthdays tonight- my sisters Abbey & Madison.  It will be lots of food and fellowship.  Probably lots of laughter I imagine and it's always LOUD when we get together at my Dad's. 

More tomorrow! 

Operation Christmas Child Reminder

A post a day in September-we'll see how that goes!  Today is day 1, let's see how long I can keep it up!!!  One challenge is a lot of times at night-Dustin is on the computer.  I give up and go to bed!  I just can't post from my Kindle Fire, it's too hard to type so much on the touch screen (in my opinion!). 

Anyway- I wanted to remind anyone who is planning to do Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes that now is a great time to find stuff for the boxes.  School supplies are at rock bottom prices right now.  I also found things on clearance at Walmart, like yo-yos, jump ropes, kalidescopes, etc.  The kids helped me pick out things and it is so rewarding.  I don't know that they'll help me pack them this year, I still think they may not be as excited to part with the stuff when it comes down to it, but we'll see. 
I really prayed over our boxes last year and for the children who received them.  I wondered if the little boy who got a John Deere tractor loved it and carried it around as much as Carson.  Or if the little girl loved her dolly as much as Emilynn loves dolls, especially her favorite beloved "Chuckie Sue". 

I will leave you with one of my very favorite Bible verses-

"Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act." 
~Proverbs 3:27 

Carson

Carson is sick today-pooh!  Not the way we wanted to start our week, but is there ever a time you want to be sick?  I just hope....really hope...Henry doesn't get it.  He's been running a fever since late last night and just puny all day.  He's got some ibuprofen in him right now, so he's up for the first time all day and playing outside a bit with Daddy.  I've been basically just laying on the couch with him (his request) and taking care of his demands- "cover me up mom", "I want drink mom", "I want raisins" (I know-a weird request..the only thing he would eat today other than some cheese and an apple), and last but not least..."I want to watch fesh beats".  We have watched at least 10 Fresh Beat Band episodes today.  Emmy was crying for Dora or something, anything else.  :-)  Normally we play a lot outside and in and don't watch so much t.v.  A sick day means all bets are off though.  Henry's been great too, as ususal, so that's a help. 
I'm off to get a shower, figure out what's for supper......and possibly clean up the house.  :-) 
It didn't help that last night before I knew we were having a sick day, I emptied 7 large bags of clothes from Alyssa for Emilynn in the living room and sorted them by size.  I got 3 bags Saturday from Dad's and had 4 more in my storage shed.....I don't think we'll EVER have to buy Emmy many clothes again..which is a blessing.   Although I hope I can buy her a few cutesy dress type things....you know, stuff Alyssa would NEVER wear!  :-)  Haha!  It is quite a mess in the living room right now that I've looked at all day and could do nothing about.  Emilynn is in a Halloween costume today from one of the piles of stuff.  She wore a Christmas dress the other day-I have a pic of that I'll post soon.  So, we are celebrating all the holidays!  :-) 
All for now, more updates later. 

Dog......nope-CAT days of summer! :-)

First of all, I finally got the cable to connect my camera to the computer.  I was all in the mood to do it last night and well....the book says you need to have a fully charged camera battery.  Oops.  Mine had 11 mins. to go.  Bummer.  I am getting closer to loading more pics though!  Yay!  I also have taken a few with my "old" oh-so-annoying camera that takes forever to take a pic, now that I am used to my new one.  I keep it in the kitchen though to snap moments quickly and I have some of those to upload and share. 
My goal is to post every day in September.  Every....single...day!  I hope I can pull it off.  This is kind of a journal for the kids and I should do better keeping it up.  I have lots to share from what all we've been doing lately, we've packed a lot in the past few weeks of summer.  

I took Emilynn for ice cream the other day, Carson was gone with Papa and she was feeling left out.  I had to come up with something special fast, and ice cream fit the bill.  I made her stay on the porch with it, and I came out to check on her and found her sharing her ice cream with our cat. 

Our kitty, Sunshine was enjoying the ice cream right along with Emmy. 
A bite for Sunshine, then.....you guessed it-a bite for Emmy.  Eeeeek!!! 

It all let to this: 

One happy, ice-cream covered kitty!!! 
She is truly the BEST cat and puts up with so much from the kids, tail-pulling, trying to ride her, messing with her food....and she loves them despite it all.  She deserved cool ice cream on a hot summer day!!! 

A Pre-Schooler!

Cousin Hunter, my nephew, is officially a pre-schooler today.  I must say, it's very bittersweet.  He's excited, I know he'll do great.  But, he's growing up!!  My twins are growing up!  I was just thinking this weekend how they've gone from being very, very rambunctious and wild, and explorative....to being much better listeners and helpers.  Now, of course we still have moments, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  We can visit people without breaking things (most of the time), without going into every room we aren't supposed to.  I can go to the store with the children and they help me and are good.  They never expect to get things, so we don't have that fight.  I've just never started it.  If they get stuff, it's very sporadic.  Anyway, they are at a great age! 
Back to Hunter- let's pray for my sister as she drops him off this morning.  I can't imagine how scary it is to entrust your child to others for the day.  Maybe I'm dramatic...but I think that's huge.  His teacher is awesome and I'm sure it will be just fine.  We should probably pray for Nanny, as she won't have him during the morning anymore.  :-(  She's sad but will have him some afternoons.  Carson must have known something was up, because he wanted to spend the night with Nanny last night.  He's never done that with anyone.  He actually let me hop in the car and head on out, he really wanted to stay (or so he thought). 
As for my sisters- Alyssa is now a 4th grader, Madison is a 9th grader, and Abbey is a senior!  OMG...I remember when they were all born.  How old I feel today!!!! 
I will miss summer- I love having the extra help from my mom and sisters with the kiddos. 

The Stats

Henry had his 6 month check-up today.  Madison rode with me to take him and stayed in the car with the twins.  We had a nice lunch at Cracker Barrel while we waited for a prescription for Henry's rash that is on his chest/neck.  I had to run her to the school for a volleyball game, then go get our milk.  It was a busy day, and I'm glad to be home tomorrow and hopefully Thursday too!  Here's how Henry "weighed in": 

Height- 27 inches long
Weight-17 lb. 8 oz.

He is in the 50th percentile for everything-his is perfectly normal! 

We weighed the twins on Sunday.  Emilynn weighs in at 42 pounds!  She is so tall and so solid.  There's really not fat on her.  She does not look that heavy, then you lift her and think there's a brick in her belly.  I don't know what to make of it!  :-) 

Carson is 33 pounds.  He is so skinny!  I keep saying he'll be 5 and I'll still hold him on my hip!  He's hte oldest and I bet in a couple of years he'll be the smallest of the 3 and look like the youngest.  Henry and Emilynn will probably look like twins because they are both blondies....but we'll see!

All for now- I am exhausted from all the running around from the past 2 days!  Dustin took the kids tonight for 2 hours so I could take a nap-I kept falling asleep on the couch. 

Road Trip!

Whew, today was a long day!  We went on a road trip and I forgot how tiring it is to travel with little ones.  My mom (Boo Boo), grandma (Nanny), the twins, and I went to a drive-thru zoo.  It was so much fun, despite the long drive and long day.  Henry stayed with Meme-her idea and I'm so thankful!  I had to drop him off first, pick up the grandmas, then back track through our town and on our way....so I did some extra driving too.  In total I drove 260 miles today and I'm spent.  I just wanted to give a quick update-I will post more details and pictures soon.  I finally ordered and received the cable for my camera to put pics on the computer.  Yay!  Now if I just learn to use it! 
I took 155 pics today at the zoo-the kids loved it.  They will talk about it for weeks I'm sure. 

We also rode the local bus last week, hit up the ice cream truck, I had my special shopping day, and lots more to share....more real soon! 

Right now-I'm off to rest.  There's no rest for the weary though- Henry has his 6 month check up tomorrow.  Can you believe that little blessing is now 1/2 way to his first b-day?  I can't!  He is 6 months tomorrow though.  I'll post his stats later and we also weighed the twins yesterday.  You won't belive THEIR stats!  I'll keep you guessing for now......

Frugal Summer Fun

I've been trying to keep the kids busy this summer-taking advantage of my mom being off for the summer and able to help me do some fun stuff.  Also, my sisters being off from school helps me tremendously.  I think sometimes I get wrapped up into wanting to do things with the kids that cost money.  Maybe not a lot of money, but a little here and there can really add up quickly.  I have found the best things to do with them cost nearly nothing.

•  They have had a lot of fun with some spray bottles of water outside-squirting each other and anyone else who dares to get in their path.  Dustin had a friend stop by after work one day, he actually got here before Dustin, so the kids were spraying him.  He sprayed them back and they thought it was great fun! 
• I made bubble solution-I'll have to post the recipe sometime.  It worked well and I made a whole gallon for about $1.  Bubbles are a huge hit here!  They provide hours of entertainment. 
• I has some paintbrushes the kids found and they wanted to paint, so I gave them each a cup of water and they went to town painting with water. 
• The library had a little kids' day on Saturday and we met Amanda, Mom, and Hunter there.  They loved it!  It was ocean-themed and they made little jars with sand and shells, made ocean monsters out of paper bags and other items, and also got free books...plus some other stuff I'm forgetting!  It was fun and free.  Oh, they got sand buckets too. 
• We rode with my grandma to the store today and had lunch out, then played at a playground one town over.  The kids had a ball playing-today was cool enough that the equipment wasn't hot at all.  Trust me- I may or may not have gone down the twisty slide, even though 10 was the age limit.  It just looked too fun and my kids thought that was the grandest thing for me to go down. 
• Our library has a regular weekly story time, and the library one town over has a story/craft time weekly.  I think this fall we'll join one of those. 
• We had an ice cream party with Hunter last night.  It was yummy!  
• A trip through Walmart is always something my children like.  Or any store.  We went to Walmart Monday and were in there over 1 hour, just to get juice.  I started out with the twins out of the cart.  It got a little chaotic in the bicycle section, so I bribed Emmy to get back in the cart.  She is the flight risk, Carson stayed very close.  We looked at all the toys, including the hot wheels John Deere Gator Carson is hoping Santa Claus brings to our house.  We looked at every bicycle in there.  I had no idea the kids were so interested in bikes.  Emmy and I decided she needs the princess one with the seat in front for her dollbaby-Chuckie Sue.  Yep, that's her name.  It's from Sesame Street.  In case you were wondering.  :-)   Carson also makes us look at the tire section as well.  He loves tires, trucks, tractors, dirt, bugs, etc.  He is a true boy.  He tried to get me to put two bugs in his pocket today.  I'm wondering if he's going to bring a frog in the house one day.  He also found a baby dinosaur (lizard) again-he has no fear of them.  His book from the library that he chose was all about lizards.  Go figure.
• We have regular playdates with my cousin Kristen's children.  The twins really look forward to this and ask for Morgan ALL the time.  We alternate houses, it is our turn to host next, once Morgan's off vacation.  Every time I tell the kids she's on vacation, they say, "I want to go on cation Momma".  It cracks me up!  They can't seem to remember Dylan's name yet, hopefully soon!  He's my little sweetheart-he loves me!  Ha!  I eat that up!
• This will sound strange-but I bought a $5 guitar at a yard sale.  It's a real guitar and it has provided the most entertainment for our entire family!  The kids love to play it, and Dustin makes up the most hilarious songs on it too!  Don't tell him I told you.  I laugh till my side hurts at his songs.  He's so shy but he really missed his calling as a comedian!    

As far as things that cost money, we are going to the zoo Monday.  A special zoo in fact.  I will have more on that later.  It will be a fun day with Nanny and Boo Boo.  It was their idea and I was so excited!  It won't be too expensive-just gas and one meal out, plus admission.  We are taking a picnic lunch with us as well. 
I also hope to take the kids to the Children's Museum, now that there's a location closer to us.  We will also try to hit up the bouncy place again-that was SO much fun last year and was very cheap!!!! 
We haven't done our bus ride yet-I was hoping to do it tomorrow but my grandma is going to a concert and wants to get ready for that.....yes-my grandma!  Haha!  I have cool grandparents all around!! 
Saturday I am going out for a day of relaxation myself-well......actually I am going to do a little yard saling, a little shopping, go to a museum, probably eat out.  Just do some fun things with my cousin.  We always grocery shop and have to rush, rush, rush, so we are taking a day to go to the stores and places we never have time to go to.  It should be fun and I'm looking forward to it.  Dustin is so great to always spoil me with fun days for myself.  I always feel renewed and refreshed after that. 

Projects, Canning, Etc.

We have had a very busy week, full of lots of hard work.  I must say, at the end of the day, I've been tired!  I will also say, having been a night owl my entire life, I might...just might be becoming more of a morning person.  Yikes, did I really admit that?  Well, the issue is, the kids like to get up early.  Well, by early I mean around 8 am.  Sometimes if I'm lucky they sleep till 9....if they are extremely tired, 10.  And if I don't want to be a tired Mommy all day, I need at least 8-9 hours of sleep.  Soooooo....I've been in bed by midnight at the VERY latest, however, some nights it's been 9:30!  That has NEVER happened before.  I must say, I feel so much better during the day when I'm not tired.  I could not tell you a time when I didn't feel tired during the day until now.  That's kind of sad, isn't it?  I don't drink coffee, so that doesn't help me get going. 
Anyway, I've made a few changes that seem to be really helping me a lot.  For one thing, since I have more patience and energy during the day, I can get more done during the day with the kids.  Cleaning and things that I was having to wait till they went to bed to do.  I think they are getting more mature and not into everything either, so that helps.  They actually help a lot by doing a few little "age appropriate" chores and such.  I am not staying up to do household stuff, if it's not done by 11 or so, it has to wait.  If I'm real tired, I just go to bed at 9 or 9:30 once the kids are asleep and figure the house stuff will be there in the morning.  I'm not reading as much either.  I know reading is a good thing, but I tend to take it to the extreme.  I cannot stop when I'm reading a good book.   All these things seem to be helping me a lot.  Oh, and I'm not on the computer much either-as you may have noticed!  Sorry about that.  I will try to post more often without getting online to "surf the internet".  I tend to get distracted reading blogs and such. 
As far as the house goes, Dustin and I painted our bathroom on Monday.  We took the kids to Madison to babysit, and spent the day doing home improvements.  Our bathroom had a mold problem, and believe it or not, nicotine from the previous owners kept seeping through the paint we had used when we moved in almost 3 years ago.  I researched online what to do, and so I bleached the walls really well and then we primed and painted it again.  We also patched some holes in the twins' room and painted over some stuff on their walls.  I put up their monkey decals and I must say, it was cute.  I took pics of course which I'll load as soon as I get a chance.  They love their monkey room!  There is one behind the door and they think that's neat.  They keep saying "there's a monkey behind the door!" every morning, like I forgot overnight-hehe.  I need to get them some comforters and sheets, but we just do stuff as we can.  I had comforters and sheets but they were toddler bed sized....the new beds are twin sized. 
I have also been canning and freezing stuff like crazy.  This week has been all about tomatoes!  I've done two batches of salsa and two batches of tomato soup.  I've also made up a bunch of breakfast burritos for the freezer for Dustin's breakfasts.  I also made popsicles for the kids-these are so easy!  I just put fruit in the blender, add juice if needed, and add yogurt.  The kids love them and they are really good. 
In other family news- our ban on eating out as a family appears to be lifted for the time being.  Keep your fingers crossed it stays that way!  Last week for our anniversary, Dustin, the kids, and I went out to eat Mexican for our anniversary.  It was really nice.  We sat on the opposite side of the restaurant from everyone else, and we were the only ones!  It was so nice, like we were at a private restaurant and it was great.  The kids did great and it was a wonderful way to spend our anniversary.  Dustin cleaned my car out for me and so he doesn't want any eating in the car.  So, that means we had to eat IN if we were eating out.  I know everyone has bad days, but hopefully the kids will continue to do well. 
Henry is officially in his room now.  I switched him Sunday night.  He's doing good with it.  I must admit-our room feels so empty now!   I can't say it enough-he is THE happiest baby EVER!  My twins were great, but he is just over the top happy.  Everyone comments on it. 
I've been hooked on the Olympics.  The kids are enjoying it too.  Carson got upset today because he wanted to watch "the pool" and they had switched to something else.  Emilynn says she wants to do "nastics".    Dustin's not into watching them, just me and the twins.  I love watching all sports, and I think the kids are going to take after me.  They bring me their kiddie bag chairs and tell me they want to go to the ballgame. 
We had a playdate with cousins Morgan & Dylan at their house this week.  It was a lot of fun as usual.  They love Morgan and talk about her all the time.  We are going to see her today for a little while at Nanny's.  Hunter will be there, so all of Nanny's great-grandkids will be there.  Dylan is my buddy-he's a sweetheart and a teddy bear!
We went and swam with Hunter last week a couple of times-the twins love his cool pool slide.  It does look like a lot of fun...but I haven't tried yet. 
Well, I am off to start our day.  I have a few weekend projects to do-I still have some tomatoes on my counter, still have some bathroom stuff to put back in the master bath, and Carson got a new dresser from Nicole's yard sale...so I need to get his clothes switched over.  There's always lots of projects going on around here.  I am never bored, that's for sure!