Four on Four.
It’s 10/4, good buddy, and here’s my 4 kids.
Add comment October 4th, 2011
Posts filed under 'Family'
Pregnancy Update: 27 weeks
Wow, I look really tired…
How far along: 27 weeks in pic, 28 weeks now.
Size of baby: 2.2 pounds, or the size of a Chinese cabbage, according to my pregnancy app. A week ago the baby was the size of a hothouse cucumber. What in the world is a hothouse cucumber? How is it different from a coldhouse cucumber? Why the need to differentiate it from a plain old cucumber? Is it related to Larry the Cucumber? So many questions.
Maternity clothes: Shorts are mostly elastic/athletic shorts, as I can’t really fit into my maternity shorts *yet*… the bottoms (jeans & dress pants) from previous pregnancies fit but it’s still too hot outside to wear them. I have about 6-7 shirts that I really love and wear pretty often (for instance I wore that same blue shirt today).
Movement: Tons. I feel like a punching bag sometimes and I can really tell when she moves from one side to the other. Getting easier to recognize body parts (knees, back & bottom, elbows). I’ve heard that an active baby in utero will be really smart. This girl will be a genius.
Sleep: Not too many hours in a row. I have mastered going potty a few times before climbing into bed, but I still wake myself up… snoring. Either that, or Kevin is kicking me to roll over. One day I swear I’m going to wake up and find he has put one of those Breathe Right strips on my nose.
Cravings: I have been wanting milk a lot more lately, also have been wanting a snack before bed – either Oreos or chocolate chips top my list lately… she’s finding her sweet tooth, this baby. And it seems like ever since my doctor said, “You might want to consider cutting back on carbs & sugar before your glucose test” which is this Thursday, it seems that has been what I’ve been craving… like the elephant in the room….
Symptoms: heartburn, tired. See above.
What I miss: My brain cells. I used to be so good with remembering people’s names. In Kindergarten choir, I’ve been calling one kid by his dad’s name and another kid by her sister’s name…. What was I saying again?
Best moments of the month: Realizing I have less than 3 months until she’s here! I can really tell I’m in the 3rd trimester, so even though I’m tired, I’m also nesting.. cleaning out the closets getting Kevin to take care of some honey-do projects. I still need to finish up my Christmas shopping well before Thanksgiving… put in your requests early.
PS – I’m going to post-date my Four for Four pic this month… you’ll see why later this week.
Add comment October 3rd, 2011
Painted Nails.
The girls watched me paint my nails one day, so they asked they could have their nails painted. I had no idea they’d want their daddy to paint!
pic taken April 2011.
He did such a good job, I’m booking him when I can’t see my toes anymore. Which might be tomorrow…
1 comment September 28th, 2011
Fish Tacos
I have 3 kids. This means I have a wide variety of appetites to please. If I try a new recipe for dinner, it’s a pretty good bet that none of the kids will like it but Kevin and I will love it.
This recipe, all the kids loved, except Colby didn’t want the tortilla. Here’s what I did.
I used these spices on top of about 1 lb. of tilapia filets.
Then I wrapped each piece in foil.
And put it in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
It turned out super yummy on top of flour tortillas, with shredded cabbage and sour cream mixed with guacamole. Wish I had taken a pic of that too!
1 comment September 25th, 2011
Bible readers.
All the kids were given little Bibles when we had their baby dedication service at church. Now I think our church/preschool ministry gives a full-size preschool Bible to the little one and his/her family. I can’t believe these kiddos will be reading stories to our newest little one very soon.
Pic taken January 2011. When Carlee still had a “dinky”…. so glad we are rid of that thing.
1 comment September 21st, 2011
To-Do List
I am a perpetual list-maker. If it’s on the list, I’ll do it; otherwise I forget. Sometimes I make a list, either on paper or my phone, just so I can cross things off – such a feeling of accomplishment.
I got a lot of things done today. But Colby & I wrote this on a day when I really needed some happy.
pic taken March 2011.
1 comment September 15th, 2011
Pregnancy Update: 23 weeks
Told you I got bigger. And wow, my hair is getting long.
How far along: 23 weeks in that pic, at time of posting 24, almost 25 weeks.
Size of baby: 1.3 pounds, “about the size of a small melon” according to my Pregnancy app on my iPhone. I look like I’m carrying a small melon, don’t I?
Maternity clothes: My XS shirts are starting to show my belly! I have started wearing some of my M (bigger) maternity shirts because they’re really cute and I’m tired of the XS stuff anyway. It’s been so hot that I’ve been sweating buckets, which means I get to change clothes a lot.
Movement: Tonight Colby felt the baby kick his hand a couple of times. I thought the look on his face was so precious because he realized what was happening! I’ll have to get it on video… he is so sweet.
Sleep: Eh. Not so good. I’ve been using a couple of different pregnancy pillows and have finally just settled on my 2 king pillows – one in front, one in back. I have no idea if Kevin is still sleeping in the same bed as I am.
What I miss: being able to run, bike, & otherwise exercise like a non-pregnant person. I saw a billboard advertising the first-ever B/CS Marathon & 1/2 Marathon. It will be on Dec. 11th. There’s always next year.
Cravings: still don’t like sweets all that much, but (again) since it’s been so hot I can’t drink enough water. Iced tea is a possible craving. I got a new(to me) bread machine for my birthday and I made 2 loaves of homemade bread last week. Guess I should lay off since my glucose test is in 3 weeks?
Symptoms: Heartburn! Started taking medicine daily (just 10 mg.) and it’s definitely worse when I go to sleep at night. I’m trying to go to the bathroom twice before I get in the bed, so I can save myself a trip in the middle of the night. And tired. Very tired.
Best moments of the month: I hinted at this last week, but we are excited to share IT’S A GIRL! Colby was pretty crushed he wasn’t having a baby brother, but I am not worried at all about him loving this baby. Plus, Carlee has already laid claim to this baby (“MY baby”). Kennedy is having too much fun at dance and pre-K. :)
We don’t have a name picked out yet, although I’m trying to convince Kevin of a name I really like. He has turned down pretty much every name except for this one, so I’m holding out for it…
3 comments September 12th, 2011
Where were you on September 11th?
It seems like this is our generation’s “where were you when JFK was shot?” question. (and the previous generation could have asked, “where were you when you heard about Pearl Harbor?”)
In 2001, I was 20 years old. I was living in a southside dorm at Texas A&M (Underwood, I think?), and I remember when I woke up that morning that I heard no music from my radio, only hushed tones and almost scared voices from the djs. I was kind of in a fog and my (incredibly dense) roommate at the time – NOT Bonnie – told me to turn off the music/radio and the lights because she had had a late night previously.
So, I got ready for my Ultimate Frisbee class (best. class. ever.) and prepared to meet this guy Brian, whose last name I never knew, but we’d always walk to Ultimate together because he lived in the dorm across from mine. I think it was him who said, “Did you hear that a plane hit a really big building in New York City?” I think I said something like, “No way.” It was not a far walk to the Simpson drill field where we had Ultimate, but I remember we didn’t say much on the way there.
And let me be really honest – I was 20 years old and knew pretty much nothing about the world around me. I had really no idea what terrorism was or who Al Qaeda was or even where the World Trade Center was. I don’t think I had ever seen or heard of the Twin Towers, until they weren’t there anymore.
Later that day I went to my child psych class, really because I didn’t know what else to do but to keep my normal schedule. The profs said they weren’t making anyone stay, but those of us who did stay talked a little bit about what had happened. I think we were all looking for answers but finding none. I think the profs said something about not worrying that anything was going to happen, because they still didn’t know who was behind these actions. (And because by this time rumors had circulated about bombs being dropped at the next A&M football game…)
So then I went to Kevin’s apartment, and we stayed glued to the tv all day. We couldn’t stop watching what was happening, what had happened, and thinking about all the specifics of that day.. the replay of the planes hitting the WTC… the plane hitting the Pentagon and the one that went down in Pennsylvania… And the number of people we saw who jumped from the burning building was horrifying… the cameras showed up-close shots of these people and I remember thinking how awful it must have been inside the building, if their best option was to jump from 77 floors to their death below.
In talking with Kevin’s sister, who is a structural engineer, she said everyone at her work was convinced that the building wouldn’t fall. Because you don’t just crash a plane into the side of a building and not expect it to topple over, structurally. But, they didn’t take into account the fire that happened and the melting that ensued, which did eventually cause the crumbling.
I really can’t believe it has been 10 years. Kevin and I were less than 3 months away from being engaged, at that point, and none of our kids were alive to even know what all took place. I am thankful that this tragedy united our country for at least a little while, but now I feel like we are back at finger-pointing and name-calling and not working together toward a common goal. I think about the large number of divorces that were put on hold or cancelled after 9/11.. because 2 people realized it was worth the trouble to try and reconcile, rather than having their own way. I wish we as a country would learn that lesson.
I also wish that our country would respect our President. Like him or not, we elected him *as a country*. Our country turned to our former President, looking for answers, and I think he did a lot of good. But the American people as a whole did not agree with his policy changes in the midst of tragedy, so the President’s hands were tied. Regardless of who we have in office, we are to stick by them, just as we stick by our favorite football (or baseball) team when they are 0-10. We might not like what they are doing, but we have to trust that what happens was done in the best interest of our team, or our country.
The church choir this morning sang one of my favorite songs, and these are some of the lyrics:
Bow the knee;
Trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee;
Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.
And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan,
In the presence of the King, bow the knee.
There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall,
The cold and lonely winds won’t cease to blow.
And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel;
We are tempted to believe God does not know.
When the storms arise, don’t forget we live by faith and not by sight.
Bow the Knee.
Where were you on September 11th?
1 comment September 11th, 2011
Kennedy & Colby’s first days of school.
Yesterday was Kennedy’s first day of pre-K. She is attending the same preschool program Colby attended, at a church close to our house. Kennedy is a real people-pleaser and I worry a little about her first time in a school setting. I am praying that her teacher will see how receptive she is to praise and that Kennedy would flourish and learn well.
And, this is the only pic I could get of her – she was so excited to go in all by herself that I had to beg her to turn around and hold still for a minute so I could snap her pretty face.
Colby is on the last day of his third week of school, and he is loving it. I can’t say enough good things about his school. This is his teacher, and I couldn’t be happier. She’s organized (wahoo!!!) and positive (yay!) and also has a 1st grader (not in her own class), so she knows exactly what I’m going through right now. Colby does very well academically. He also gets bored and wants to know exactly how to succeed so he doesn’t get in trouble.
On another note, I need to teach Colby how to smile again. I think he thinks if he raises his eyebrows, it will make his smile bigger. What a great kid.
And, I don’t have a pic of Carlee, but yesterday, since I only had Carlee, she and I went swimming after I taught my water aerobics class. We about froze to death, since temperatures have only been in the 80s and the hurricane winds have cooled things down a bit too. But we had a great time together and I don’t think I’ve ever heard her talk as much as I did today, when it was just the two of us! Mondays, Wednesdays, and a lot of Fridays might just be her favorite mornings of the week.
3 comments September 8th, 2011
18 weeks [mid-July]
This pic was taken when I was 18 weeks along. I have a dear friend who does monthly pregnancy updates, which I think is cute and I hope she doesn’t mind that I’m copying her idea! I filled this out back in July, so when you read my 23 week update a few days from now, you can see how things have changed.
For this pic, I used an app on my iPhone called Snapbucket – I think this filter is called Lomo.
How far along: 18 weeks & change
Size of baby: 1 pound
Maternity clothes: I love that all the things I bought when I was pregnant with Carlee still fit for this pregnancy. I have tons of clothes – maternity and not maternity.
Movement: Yes. Mostly in the evenings, during prayertime/storytime and when I’m getting the kids to bed. (Hoping this is not a sign of things to come when the baby gets here.)
Sleep: pretty good! I have to get up 1-2 times to go to the bathroom but still only sleeping with 1 extra pillow under my head. (no pregnancy pillow) I am taking a 30-45 minute nap each day.
What I miss: soft cheeses. I squeak around the “no lunchmeat” rule by nuking it in the microwave. Don’t know if the same rule applies to things like feta, blue cheese, etc., but I’ll have to look into that.
Cravings: meat. bread & butter. potatoes. still an aversion to sweets.
Symptoms: finally feeling not quite so sick now. I’m able to get out with the kids more and enjoy our last days of summer. Haven’t had much heartburn, which is such a change from Carlee & Kennedy.
Best moments of the month: People don’t have to guess whether I’m pregnant or not – you can definitely tell! The kids are excited about finding out what the baby is later this week…
2 comments September 5th, 2011
Books read July 2011.
18. The Sweet Potato Queens’s First Big-Ass Novel: Stuff We Didn’t Actually Do, But Could Have, And May Yet by Jill Conner Browne. I was recommended this SPQ series by a friend in book club, but I made the mistake of checking out this (untrue) book first. It was very easy reading, but it was just so silly that it ruined me to want to try reading the true ones. Being a self-proclaimed Southern girl, I found it almost offensive but funny too… Read the reviews on Amazon (of both the true and untrue versions) and make the decision for yourself. 3 stars.
19. Wither by Lauren Destefano. I couldnotputthisbookdown. I read it in a matter of hours (seriously) and while the subject matter is pretty intense, the story is riveting. Now my only regret is that part 2 of the trilogy doesn’t come out until next year! Which means part 3 will take even longer! I’m realizing how spoiled I was in reading The Hunger Games virtually back to back.. to back. 5 stars.
20. The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer. Thanks to Patsy for letting me borrow this one. I thought this book was cute. Definitely light-hearted and fun, chick lit. I still don’t know how the main character was able to deposit her paychecks legally, but whatev. 4 stars.
21. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Wells. Wow, crazy family. I’m giving this book 4.5 stars, only because of some subject matter. I am glad she told this story because I know she’s not alone in her struggle with family of this nature.
22. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Wells. Once I find an author I like, I’ll try to check out other books he/she has written. I loved the insight of putting together a story like this. It made me grateful that my kids knew their great-grandparents only a little, but they’ll know their grandparents (all 4 of them!) very well. 4.5 stars.
Add comment September 3rd, 2011
Where have I been?
Okay, okay, I know I haven’t updated the blog in almost 2 months… I keep reading all these blogs of mamas who blog every day and have ridiculously large traffic numbers. I think about 41 people read our blog, and roughly 2/3 of them are family members who don’t care about the number of times I update, as long as I put pictures up. Well to that I say, “phhhhhthththththththt”
Lately, people keep asking me, “what have you been up to lately?” and I get this faraway look in my eyes and try, for the life of me, to actually remember what I’ve been doing. Then I’ll start to point to my belly and my born(e)? children and tell them to figure it out themselves, and I’ll remember that not everyone understands my preggo brain. Heck, I don’t even understand my preggo brain. [Did I just say "heck"? How old am I again?]
Speaking of which, I had a milestone birthday about 10 days ago. Yes, August 20th is my birthday and I turned the big 3-0. Or, as I like to put it “my first anniversary of my 29th birthday”. :) No, 30 hasn’t been so bad – I figure it’s just another year, and 29 was probably the hardest and most stressful year of my life…. let’s see – 3 foot surgeries, 4 grandparents passing away, 1 parent’s open heart surgery, 1 heckuva flu virus (there’s that ‘heck’ again..), and 1 positive pregnancy test [whom we're naming "surprise!: the sequel".]
To celebrate my birthday, Kevin invited some of my [local] friends over for hamburgers and cookie cake . Cookie cake is my absolute favorite kind of cake, from the Great American Cookie Company. My mom & dad ordered one of the large rectangle ones for us (Thanks, Mom & Dad!) and even with 40+ party guests, we still ended up with half the cookie cake left over. But i wasn’t complaining – Kevin, the kids, and I polished it off the next day! Good thing birthdays (and subsequent cookie cake!) only come around once per year!
The other part of “what we’ve been doing lately” has revolved around trying to stay cool in the 100-degree heat we’ve had in Texas. It’s been ridiculous. I think every day in August (save 1 or 2) has been 100 degrees OR HIGHER. So, we’ve been swimming at least twice a week, as I’ve been teaching water aerobics at least twice a week, and we rented quite a number of [free] movies in the past month – when we need to stay indoors because it’s been too hot to play. Also, our recent trip to Colorado with Kevin’s extended family a few weeks ago (pictures hopefully soon!) was a welcome addition to our summer.
I will also mention that Colby started 1st grade last week (sniff) and Kennedy will start pre-K next week (sniff sniff). So we’ve been buying school supplies and snack supplies and lunch supplies and all the other things that go with preparing for school to start. Oh and stocking my pantry for when the Aggies come to town because it’s hard to drive anywhere with new Aggie parents who don’t know where they are going and are caravan-ing with a U-Haul full of stuff! :)
Kennedy spent this past week being sick. Actually, it was only the past 2 days, but to me it felt like a week. She only wanted me to hold her while she tried to get comfortable in my lap (so hard to do on a pregnant mama). The only symptom she had was a high fever, but that’s enough to make anyone miserable. Kevin and I are on opposite ends of “sick” remedies – I hate throwing up, where Kevin wants to throw up because he knows it will make him feel better. But Kennedy is on my side on this one – she and I know that the pain (and the anxiety) of throwing up is far worse than the relief that will come when it’s done. So, we wait it out! We’ll take the Tylenol to make us not hurt for a little bit, and try to keep food down – Kennedy has taken my affinity for salty things while sick – but throwing up is a “last resort” option. Colby and Carlee are even more different than Kennedy… who knows.
So, there’s the past 2 months in a very long nutshell. I think after this you’ll want me to blog more often so I don’t go off on tangents so much. Or, maybe I’ll go to bed. Which is another thing I’ve been doing lately. Good night, Mary Ellen. Good night, John Boy.
1 comment September 1st, 2011
Tim’s birthday
Tim turned 21 on Friday. He has told us many many times that his favorite food is meatballs. So, for every special occasion [and sometimes just because], we’ve made him meatballs – after he and Kelsey got engaged, during parents’ weekend when we had Kelsey’s parents over, etc. etc., and now for his birthday dinner.
This is the beginning shot of the video Kevin took, which I don’t know how to upload to the blog. The kids are singing Happy Birthday – Carlee practiced singing to Tim all day. The kids also made him birthday cards and in the midst of folding them up like cards, they taped the papers together so the cards ripped a little in the process. Sad face.
The meatballs were yummy and Tim really liked the brownies we made him. Usually I make brownies from a box but I found this recipe for Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies. I had all the ingredients on hand, and I don’t know if I’ve ever made brownies before. My not-pregnant self would absolutely love them but this pregnancy I’m not a fan of sweets OR chocolate – I know, gasp!
Happy Birthday, Tim!
1 comment July 10th, 2011
Colby’s “Naptime”
Pics taken April 2011.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned that Colby has given up taking a nap, but I’ll bet you could guess, since he’s 6+ years old. I can’t remember exactly when he stopped, because he has always been able to sit and play by himself. Always. So, he still has “rest time”, when his sisters nap. Sometimes we’ll unload the dishwasher together or he’ll draw pictures for me or we’ll read books or he’ll play on the computer. His favorite phrase to get my attention – “Mom, get a picture of me doing _________.” I’ll hang on to that for as long as I can.
He’s done the tower of dishes before. But this time it’s with muscles.
1 comment July 8th, 2011