Family Photos!

Here are a few shots of our Dobbertin Family Photo Session. The pictures were taken by Trisha Priebe.

Our pretty little girl who will not smile.

My niece, Jayne. I love this little girl - tears and all!

Jayne and her mama, Kate

The Ryan Dobbertin Family

The WHOLE crew

Ryan's mom and dad, his three brothers, their wives and all 11 (soon to be 12) grandchildren

I loved this pic. Not a great smile of Gav, but it captures him perfectly!

My adorable Nephew Liam - Love this picture!

Will - what a cutie!

Baby Wipes!

I am seriously considering making my own baby wipes and was curious to see if any of you have ventured into this before. A friend of mine gave me this "recipe":

1 T baby wash/shampoo
1 T baby oil
1 T baby lotion
2 cups water
Bounty paper towel roll, cut in half
Round tupperware container

Have you tried this or something similar that worked well for you? What are your thoughts?

Whirlwind

The last two weeks have been quite the whirlwind! We . . .

Had Ryan's brother, wife and two kids here for the weekend

Headed to Michigan for a week - went to two different pools, had a fish fry, celebrated my mom's birthday and Father's Day, visited the Detroit Zoo, took lot's of naps

Dealt with Charlotte being sick throing up for the first time

Measured Gavin, who grew almost TWO inches in the last two months

(Ryan) got an award at work - because he's AWESOME

Had a Dobbertin family photo session (pics to come later)

(I) Have not had any time (okay, energy) to crochet lately

Have watched my belly doubled in size!

Have been couponing like crazy - Ryan is even into it

Are reading Dave Ramsey's book "Total Money Makeover"

whew! I feel like that is only half of it, but you get the idea. We've been having a blast, but are now catching up on our sleep! Hope your summer is shaping up to be as fun as ours is!

Fun Day!

We had such a fun day today! Ryan took the day off of work and we headed to our big ultrasound! When I was pregnant with Charlotte, I didn't have any caffeine or sugar on the day of my ultrasound. She was sound asleep with her legs closed shut when they were trying to determine her gender. This time around, I made sure to drink a little caffeinated beverage before we left! BOY did it work! This babe was dancing all around and showing us HIS stuff. That's right. It's a BOY! We are thrilled, especially Gavin. He got his brother! Now, we are busy playing the name game. Boy names are SO HARD for us to pick out. We can hardly agree on anything. Got any suggestions for us?

Coupon Adventures

Just came back from a few couponing adventures! This stuff can get pretty addicting! I'll spare you the details since most of you already know how to score great deals. Long story short, I walked out of CVS with six Dove deodorants and paid $.86 out of my pocket. Then I headed across the street to Target and scored a scrubbing bubbles power sprayer kit and refill for FREE. The cashier had to adjust the coupon so I wasn't making money off of the deal. It was great! I found these two deals listed at moneysavingmom.com and hip2save.com (thanks, Kelly!).

So, what are your favorite coupon websites? I would love to get some more input. I am keeping close track of everything I spend this month to compare it to what I used to spend on various products. I can't wait to see the savings add up!

Deal!

I snagged these crocs for Gavin at a garage sale the past weekend. They were a little dirty so I ran them through the dish washer. They still had a few spots on them when they came out, but Ryan cleaned them up with the magic eraser. They look good to me (especially since I know they will be dirty again in about two days!)! I'd say it was $1 well spent!

K.I.S.S.

One of Ryan's most commonly used phrases over the last several years has been, "Keep It Simple, Stupid!" I assure you, this is not directed at me. He is not calling me stupid. We just look at some families around us and see how over scheduled they are, how much "stuff" they have, how many sports their kids are involved in and so on. I realized that some families just work well that way, but we are not one of them. We strongly feel that the simpler you life it, the better and happier you will be. We always try to keep our "things" down to a minimum and our schedules at an appropriate (for us!) level. As we've been reevaluation several aspects of our lives, we came to to conclusion that we have somehow lost our minimalist attitude when it comes to the kids toys. Admittedly, buying toys for our kids is our biggest weakness. Combine that with out of control grandparents (you know who you are!) and we've landed ourselves in what looks like a day care center on some days! I went on a rampage this weekend clearing out toys we don't use and/or don't need. Gavin was so awesome during the whole process. He was willing to give up so much with little to no complaining about it. This mama was proud! I feel like the decluttering felt so good that I am moving to other areas of our house this week to see what else I can pare down! So, that's what we've been up to. We're tryin' to "keep it simple" over here!

I emptied out this entire bin full of toys - Charlotte isn't quite sure what is going on!

Here's a load of stuff that I am going to either sell on Craigslist or in a garage sale

I don't feel even the least bit bad for getting rid of toys because this is what my kids end up doing all day anyway!

That's almost 9 feet up!

Brother or Sister?

Gavin really wants a brother. He says, "I already have a sister, so now I need a brother." We find out this Friday what the gender of babe 3 is, so I have been trying to prepare Gavin just in case it is a girl. Today I said, "So, are you going to be upset if we get a sister instead of a brother?" He replied, ever so sweetly, "No, I will love a sister just as much!" How sweet is my boy! I told him I hope it is a girl so that I can always say he's my favorite boy in the whole world!

Coupons!!

My brother and sister were here over Memorial weekend (we had a blast) and my sis gave me a short tutorial in coupons and how to get her oh so fabulous grocery deals. I know I'm probably a little late jumping in on the coupon thing. But the other day, I went to CVS and purchased a pack of clearanced diapers for $2.12 and then got $2.00 in cvs extra care bucks. So, after the $2 ECB, I pretty much paid .12 for a pack of diapers. I will be using them when we go to Michigan in a few weeks. Normally, I would have just bought a back of diapers at target for $7.99. I'd say I got a pretty good deal! Yay! for coupons and yay! for sister in laws!

I Can't Believe . . .

I can't believe . . .

Gavin is now training wheel free!

I have to pee five minutes after I just peed.

I am still getting sick if I don't take my med's.

How good I feel at 18 weeks pregnant (when I'm not throwing up, that is). I never knew pregnancy could be anything but miserable!

How grown up I felt after attending a Parent's meeting at Gavin's school for next year.

The great deal I got on cloth diapers! I am now equipped to cloth not one, but TWO kids! Yay!

We get to find out the gender of babe #3 in a week and a half (hopefully, that is!)

How tough Charlotte is - she'll smack her head on something, flash a dirty look and just say "OWWWW!" and then get on with life.

Gavin can count to 100 (with a few helps)

Flowers!

I spent about an hour using up all the little bits of leftover yarn I had to make a bunch of flowers for various crochet items. It's such fast and rewarding work! These little blooms are oh so cute! I hope you are enjoying some spring flowers in one way or another these days!

Growing, Growing, Growing

Not talking about my belly here, folks. Although, that is growing. It's my boy that is out of control these days. He's gone from a 10 - 10 1/2 hr. sleep schedule to a full 12 hours and sometimes even takes a nap! He is a sleeping machine lately. I caught him snuggled up on the couch with my favorite blanket the other day. I thought it was just too cute not to share with you!

Andrea's Project

My friend Andrea had a birthday last month. She loves to write, so I knew she would enjoy this lovely journal. Then, I just had to stitch her up a little case for it. I loved this project and was sorry to see it get boxed up and leave my house. At least I know it went to a good home! My favorite thing about it is the leaf button.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

This little one climbed up on my bed while I was folding laundry. She immediately went for my yarn and hook. I think she was pretending to stitch herself up some pinky goodness! Possibly wanting to be like mama? Probably just enjoying the mess she made with the yarn. Ah well, it kept her busy while I folded!

Simple Things

I'm pregnant, that's no surprise anymore. It's getting to be quite obvious. I can no longer squeeze into my pre pregnancy pants, but am not quite ready for full blown maternity clothes. I don't know about you, but I don't exactly feel my best when I am pregnant. I mean, how can you feel great when you are dealing with constant nausea, heartburn, weight gain, sciatica, constipation (yeah, I said it), frequent trips to the bathroom, and the list goes on and on. I have found some simple things that make me feel WAY better about myself and my appearance. It's not really much, but it makes a difference to me. I've been accessorizing more! I have been wearing my favorite ring, a necklace and earrings everyday AND I've been taking the time to even put on eye liner! Today, I may even paint my fingernails (if time and Charlotte permit)! Here's a shot of me wearing my ring this a.m. while patiently awaiting my freshly brewed Starbucks coffee. I'm drinking Verona these days, in case you were wondering.



You can also catch a small glimpse of my perfectly wonderful Mother's Day bouquet. It's still going strong 8 days later! They make my kitchen so cheery!

Surprise!

Ryan informed Gavin and I last night that we should be getting a surprise in the mail in a few days! He wouldn't tell us what it is (although I think I know!), but he did give us a few hints.
1. It's black and white and red (read) all over.
2. It's something I will have to help Gavin with.

We are bursting with anticipation! I can't wait to find out if my suspicions are right!

I'm dreaming of . . .

YARN!!!


I am recently readdicted (word? I'm not sure) to crocheting. It consumes my thoughts these days. This blog has delivered an immense wealth of inspiration. Too much in fact that I am having a hard time deciding what to make! I keep thinking of projects and sketching them out. I am really waiting to find out the gender of #3 to really decide on what to do. . .

In the mean time, to satisfy my crochet hunger I have set a goal for myself and my etsy shop. I am taking this summer to really beef up my inventory so I am ready to sell in the fall! I have been feverishly crafting oh so cute hats in the evenings when my sweet things are all snuggled in bed. Here's some of my progress from the last week or so. I have been using up most of the yarn that I have. I only have one bin for yarn and I need to empty some out before new can come in! I've been saving up my JoAnn's coupons for a colorful trip of yarn purchasing! Hopefully it will come in my near future!



What crafty things are YOU addicted to these days?

Bath Paints

As I was perusing crafty blogs the other day, I came across this site. It had this simple reciepe (if you can even call it that) for bath paints. I gave it a shot and it was a HIT with Gavin. Sissy didn't enjoy it so much, though. She wasn't feeling well in the first place, so maybe that had something to do with it. Anyway, the best part was the clean up - SUPER EASY!

Third Party

Ryan is doing this District Management internship with Starbucks. It lasts 10 weeks and we are in the middle of it. I'm not going lie, the pay increase has been great! HOWEVER, we now have this third party in our marriage. THE WORK PHONE. I rarely complain about it, as I know this is an incredible opportunity for Ryan (he was chosen over 150 other managers or something like that). I seriously can't wait till the internship is over and this phone goes away.

It interrupts me mid conversation

It buzzes in the middle of the night (because you know reports about Frappucinos are oh so important)

It rings every night as I am making dinner and trying to coral the kids at the same time.

It CAN'T BE IGNORED

It goes everywhere with us

It has e mail capabilities so it's like carting the computer around everywhere we go, too!

Okay, I got it out of my system. Thanks for listening. I'm over it now! I am SO thankful that Ryan has a job, a really good job, and that he is moving up within his company.

Quote of the week

Ryan, referring to Charlotte: "She's kind of like a dog. She's so mischievous, she does things behind your back and she eats off the floor."

Inspriational words

by Pastor Gavin -

I'm pretty sure Gavin will be a pastor when he grows up. He loves the Bible, he loves to follow rules, sees everything in black and white and has no problem confronting people when they are doing wrong.

Here are some things Gavin said and did today -

While using the bathroom he opens the door to inform me that he is singing "Jesus Loves Me" and he is singing it to God, because that's worship and God loves that!

I handed him a bowl of gold fish to snack on while he and Charlotte were playing and he looked at me and said, "MOM! We have to pray for this snack before we eat it!"

He brought me his Storybook Bible and asked me to read to him about "John the Cactus". I asked who John the Cactus was and he said, "You know, the guy who ate locusts!"

Happy Monday!

I hope you all had a fabulous mother's day. I did. It was relaxing and I really felt the love. I was overwhelmed with joy and the privilege it is to be a mommy to some really great kids!
Today is pajama Monday! I am ready to go on a cleaning rampage. I've already made my chore list!
Here's some pics from our day yesterday! Happy Monday!

Finished Product (almost)

I've recently become "re obsessed with crochet". I go in spurts and lately, I've been loving it. My mother in law also is an avid crocheter (word?). I saw a case like this on etsy or somewhere for all of the gear that goes along with crocheting and I knew I had to make one for her for Mother's Day. When I was finished with it, I was completely jealous that I didn't have one, too! So, I made one for myself! Here is the finished (well, almost finished, I have a few finishing touches left) product! I can't wait to get crocheting again now that I am more organized!



Happy crafting!

Gall Stones

I had my post op. appointment this week. I just HAD to share this interesting news. The surgeon told me that some of my gall stones were 4cm x 2 cm. Break out the ruler, folks and check THAT out. No WONDER I was in so much pain. He said that basically they were filling up my gall bladder. Yikes! Glad that is over with.

All of my restrictions have been lifted, so it's back on the bike for me (with the kids in tow)! Yeah!

15 months and counting . . .

We had Charlotte's 15 month check up this week. I of course wrestled with the MMR shot - to give or not to give. Immunizations drive me crazy. So much info. and it all makes me uncomfortable. Both sides scare me and creep me out.

ANYWAY, this is supposed to be about Charlotte - our little wonder pulled through for us and packed on a few lbs. She jumped to the 25th percentile. They were getting a little concerned b/c she was not growing with the curve. But that's all in the past. She's fattening up quite nicely.

She is also, I am thrilled to say consuming all types of dairy. She has officially grown out of her "sensitivity". WOO HOO!!! I've lived without cheese for so long, I could just feel her pain. Now, she eats cheese sticks, yogurt, pizza, mac n cheese, MILK, MILK and more MILK! This girl loves her vitamin D.

She's a super spazzy little thing. Since I haven't been as diligent in writing in her book like I was with Gavin, I'll have to type it all out here - sorry.
So, Charlotte climbs on anything and everything
Runs
Jumps
Points at what she wants
Eats everything but tomatoes
Loves her daddy
Gives kisses freely
Wrestles with big bro
Loves to clap her hands and stomp her feet to "If you're happy and you know it"
LOVES to put on shoes, necklaces, coats, - anything girly except hair clips :(
Does some sign language - all done and please
Loves to brush her teeth
Loves to do everything Gavin does
Is DIRTY all the time

begin toI'm sure there is so much more. She is so fun and it has been a joy (and a frustration, at times) to mold her into the gal God wants her to be. She learning how to have a sweet spirit and be more submissive. I'm sure it's a long road ahead of us, but we are up for the task. Bring it on, Charlotte baby! We love you and can't wait to continue to see you grow!

Fists are Up

My fists are up and I'm ready to FIGHT - with my sewing machine that is. I am so frustrated. I found this lovely fabric in the half off section at the store and have already created something lovely for my mother in law for mother's day. I neglected to take a picture of it. However, I liked it so much I decided to make one for myself. Mr. Singer is NOT cooperating today and nap time is almost over. I had hoped to share my completed project today, but you'll have to wait for another day. In the mean time, here is a pic of the fabric. Let your imagination run wild with things I could/should be doing with it!

One Long Week

I usually stick close to home during the week. I only venture out with the kids once or twice. Ryan usually has the car, so it's not really an option. I don't mind one bit, though. I love being at home with my kiddos and having fun with them with no distractions. I am a true home body. I really do just love my house (well, apartment), all 850 sq. ft. of it!

This week is very abnormal for us - we have three dr's appointments, swim class and an AWANA party to go to. On top of that I was frantically working on some mother's day crafts for our mom's. I did finish those up and they are in the mail! Poor Charlotte has been dragged through the ringer. She's been catching naps in the car, eating lunch in her stroller and screaming at strangers - and it's only Wednesday! Tomorrow is our home day, and I just can't wait for it! P.J.'s all day!

All that, I guess to say that I have been an absent blogger because of it. I do have some posts planned in the near future dealing with schooling options for our big five year old. I'm excited to post about it and can't WAIT to hear all of your opinions. I just hope life slows down long enough for me to sit down and type!

Hope you are all well! What's keeping you busy these days?

I can't believe

I can't believe that at one point this week my son was playing with a pink pony and my daughter was playing with a Pirate Lego guy.

I can't believe that not only am I puking as soon as I open my eyes in the morning, but I also am having the privilege of wetting my pants as I puke. Nice.

I can't believe how a sweet little 15 month old can throw her body around in a raging fit when she is mad.

I can't believe I have lost weight while pregnant (thanks to surgery!).

I can't believe I made it through my first trimester with out having to pull out any matenrity clothes - this is a first for me!

I can't believe how many diapers my husband has changed (completely unassisted) over the last two weeks.

I can't believe how easy they make recovering from surgery sound - it is NOT easy, esp. while pregnant.


Well, that's all I got. It's been a rough month! I hope you enjoyed!

Sibling Rivalry

I really am astounded by how well my kids play together. They don't seem to mind the four years in between them! However, very often when they play someone ends up getting hurt and crying. I'm sure you can guess who that someone is. Well, I finally told Gavin that whatever he did to Charlotte to make her cry, I will do to him. That is SO something my dad said to my brother when we were kids. It sounded like a good idea when I said it.

So, fast forward a few hours. Gavin pushes Charlotte and she falls down and starts crying. So what am I supposed to do? Push my kid down? I don't think so. Gavin looks at me like, are you really going to push me down like that? I said, "Gavin, I am not going to push you, but you ARE getting a spanking."

I really need to think before I speak . . .

Have you ever threatened your kids with something ridiculous?

A lesson learned

I love helping people. I really and truly do. Whatever they need, I like to come through. Accepting help, on the other hand, is not something that comes easy to me. I am sure it's my pride. I think I can and should do everything on my own. After my surgery I was overwhelmed with phone calls and e mails from friends asking how they can help. I have meals overflowing in my fridge, my kids were well cared for and had a blast at their friends houses, and my husband was even on board and changed countless diapers ALL ON HIS OWN! I learned that accepting help is not so bad after all. I could not have had as smooth a recovery with out each of these blessings. AND, I have an easy week ahead of me this week due to so many meals!!! My pride has been checked! Lesson learned.

Surgery Update

My surgery went well, so they tell me. It sure didn't FEEL well. I had a really tough 24 hours post op.p I was incredibly nauseous and couldn't keep down any pain meds. I am feeling much better now. I'm moving around pretty slowly and I'm still in quite a bit of pain. The baby did fine during everything. They did several ultrasounds to make sure he/she was doing okay and he/she was flipping around like a crazy person every time. It was cute and fun to see.

Anyway, I am home now. Ryan has taken the next few days off of work to care for me and the kids. Our church family is blessing us with meals every night. I hope to be back to normal in a week or so. Every day gets better and better. I really can't wait to get back to my bike riding! I miss it!

Hope you all are doing well!

Upcoming Vacation!!!

Well, not really a vacation at all. I am having surgery on Monday to have my gall bladder removed. It has gotten really bad lately and they want to remove it so that I don't get an infection in my liver or gall bladder. I have been on this low fat, no fun diet for the last month and it hasn't even helped. I am still experiencing gall stones. This is normally an out patient surgery, but since I am pregnant they are keeping me overnight to monitor me. I was joking with a friend that it's like a vacation for me. She thought that was pretty pathetic that I would consider surgery a vacation. I just thought, "no kids, peace a quiet, sounds like a vacation to me!"

In all seriousness, please pray for me if you think of me. I know this is routine and they actually do it quite a bit on pregnant women. But there are still risks involved. Please pray that our little one stays safe and that my recovery will be quick! I will need to get back on that bike!

Progress Report

Well, I had some successes and some failures when fleshing out my 10 step plan. I'll start with my failures and get them out of the way!

I did NOT get up before my kids everyday. It turns out, I think it would kill me. I don't even feel bad about this failure. I'm over it.

I also did not "power clean" everyday. I planned on cleaning one room really well each day. I did do it one day. I cleaned the bathroom. It was so sparkly and I loved it. But the other days, it just didn't work out.

Now, on to my successes! Yay!

I was better at getting into the word. Although, I am still not where I want to be. I'm a work in progress on this point.

I did exercise five out of the last six days. I've been putting the kids in the bike trailer and taking them on three (or so) mile bike rides. It has been great. It's the best thing I can do for myself right now. I have SO much more energy, I don't need a nap during the day and I wake up in the morning feeling refreshed, not groggy! The best part was that I took a tip from Katie and downloaded some sermons from here and here on my ipod and listened to them while I rode. What encouragement for my heart!

I also did great with the kids. With all of my new energy: I was more patient, more willing to play with them, read to them, more consistent and the list goes on and on. We have lots of sticker charts going on now in our house. Chore charts, reading charts and a pink chart just for Charlotte so she doesn't feel left out! She loves to put those stickers on just like her brother - even if she has no idea what they are for.

My kitchen has never looked better every morning. It's so nice to make breakfast in a clean kitchen!

And, Ryan has not had to iron his own clothes (don't ask my about his lunches, though!) this week!

So, that is my progress this week. I'm sure you don't care. But I thought since I posted my steps, I should at least post my progress.

What are you working on these days?

10 steps

Today I came to the end of my pregnancy induced funk. Something snapped and I just started going nuts. It was like the fog cleared out of my brain and I was back to myself again. I was cleaning, doing laundry, washing dishes and who knows what else. It was so refreshing to be back to normal. I realized how short I've fallen from being the wife and mother I should be. Starting today, I am putting these 10 steps into place to help me get back to where I need to be. My wonderful family has been so patient with me but I am sorry to say I've been making them suffer (weather they are aware of it or not!). Here are my 10 "steps".

1. Read my Bible everyday (said with head hung low as I have NOT been consistent with this lately)
2. Read to each of my kids everyday
3. Get going again on Gavin's 100 reading lessons - sadly we are only half way through
4. Exercise, take my prenatal vitamins and eat a better diet - all in hopes of gaining more energy
5. Play with each of the kids individually every day
6. Get up and shower before the kids are up - this one might kill me
7. Spend 20 minutes power cleaning every day
8. Iron Ryan's clothes for work
9. Make sure the kitchen is clean before I go to bed every night
10. Be more consistent with the kids chores - they are so much happier when they know what to expect.

There it is! My ten steps to being a better wife and mother. I am sure most of you are already doing those things. I used to, but ever since I've been pregnant I have not "felt" like doing it. Well, that's no excuse! Even if I don't feel like it this week, I am going to accomplish these things!

What are the chores you don't feel like doing and how do you power through? Cheer me on!

Gavin Talk

He was watching a commercial one day and he came up to me and said, "MOM! That lady on t.v. told me I should buy these girly things and I really don't want to! Why did she tell me that?"

We were riding in the car one day and he told me, "I can't wait till I grow up so that I can honk at people when I drive!" Can you tell his dad is a true city driver?

We often call Charlotte our ragamuffin and sometimes we call her "rags" for short. I heard him comforting her one day like this, "It's okay, rags. Don't worry. It's okay."

I was getting ready in the bathroom one day and I was puffing my bangs. Gavin stopped to check it out and he said, "If you had a bump it, it would be much better. You go from flat, to up!" Have you seen those commercials?

Gavin loves to sit on the window sill and look outside. When the first snowflakes started to fall at the beginning of the winter Gavin looked at me and whispered, "OH! It's winter now!" It could have been a hot chocolate commercial or something. It was too cute.

He was playing in the bath one day and he called me in there to see something. When I got in there he was using Buzz Lightyear as Jesus and he was walking on water.

I asked Gavin what I am going to do next year when he is at school. He said, "Oh don't worry mom, you'll just get used to it!"

I've been really bad about writing down his funny quips lately. I feel like I haven't done one of these posts in so long! I hope to be better about it. I can't wait until Charlotte starts talking and I can start a "Charlotte talk"!

Blogging Funk

I know we've all been there. The blogging funk. We go in spurts. We love it, we hate it. It's probably a never ending cycle. I think that I am in an overall "life funk" right now. The blog is one of the many things that are suffering. I've been thinking a lot about it, though. The blog. I think of a post, but then realize it's not too interesting to the masses. Okay, it's not too interesting to anyone! I've just been taking a step back and trying to figure out why I blog. Well, I know why I blog. It's purely for me. It's an outlet. It makes me feel like I am talking with other adults during my day.

I can't help but roll my eyes at those "braggy" blogs. You know the ones. "My life is great, I never struggle, I never sin. My kids are awesome. They are so cute. Yadda, yadda, yadda." It's like reading their Christmas letter all year long! You only see the good, never the bad. I'm sure we all come across that way sometimes, I'm positive I do (even though it's not my intent).

Another thing I do not want my blog to be is a platform for me to impose my views on you. I'm not talking about asking others what their opinion is on such and such. It's the blogs that are pretty much saying "This is what I think, and you should, too!" It seems like just by reading it they want to punch you if you dare think another way! That is not what I want my blog to be.

The other kind of blog I can't stand is a boring blog! I feel like there are so many blogs that I read out of obligation, but really want to poke my eyes out. It's so hard to get through a post sometimes about peoples random every day occurrences.

However, I am pretty sure my blog falls under this last category. It's mostly boring. You don't care. I'm okay with that. Really, I am. Please don't leave comments saying, "No, your blog is so interesting. I love it." I know it's not. I'm sure I have the occasional post that makes you laugh. Overall though, I know it's big fat bore. So, I guess all of that to say this: I'm working on it. I want my blog to be creative, insightful, something you enjoy reading. Maybe you'll even learn something from it every once in awhile. So, I will end this post before you start poking at those eyes. But I do want to list some of the blogs that I LOVE to read. I mean, I love reading all your blogs, but there are a few I just really can't wait to read when I see them pop up in my goggle reader! In no particular order:

Loud Songs of Joy - because how could life with six kids EVER be boring?

Chloe and Clive Chronicles - a super fun frugal mamma, with fun ideas and the sweetest spirit

The Finer Neiners - inspiration always awaits here

A Museum of Memories - always learning something and being sharpened by reading this one. It also helps that their kids are SUPER DUPER cute

No better place on Earth - I love the honesty and humor that comes from this blog. I don't even technically know Beth, but if I lived near her, I'm sure we'd be FAST friends.

So that's it. Five of my favorite personal blogs. I hope you made it to the end of this post with out having to take drastic measures. Hopefully the next time I enter the bloggosphere, I'll have something interesting to say to you.

I can't believe

Well, it's the beginning of the month again and here is my "I can't believe" post, as promised! It's not as fun as usual, though. When you are sick, nothing is fun.


I can't believe my husband eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich almost every day for lunch.

I can't believe that only throwing up one or two times constitutes as a "good day."

I can't believe how much pain, unbearable pain, a gall stone can inflict.

I can't believe I have enrolled my son in KINDERGARTEN for next year! Yikes!

I can't believe it was 82 degrees today!

I can't believe how much my belly is already sticking out!

I can't believe how much food I am able to consume in the midst of all this vomiting.

I can't believe how long it's been since I've enjoyed a cup of coffee!


Wow, I almost hesitate to post this. It all sounds very depressing. I assure you, in the midst of everything we are happy and getting along just fine. Don't feel bad for me. I am so thrilled to be having this baby, I'll take whatever comes my way!!

Bed Time Battles

Never in my life have I had a battle to get my kids to bed. Sure, Gavin might whine a little bit sometimes. He gets corrected and then it's over. He's in bed. Well, our spunky little girl has been throwing these fits when I try and put her to bed. It just baffles me. Last night was the worst. She knew it was time to go to bed and every time I would go to pick her up and take her, she would run to Ryan screaming and crying. Then she would snuggle up to him and look at me with this snotty little face. I was shocked. She did it about three times. Ryan finally had to get up and take her to bed himself. He put her in her crib and we said good night and walked right out. She cried for 5 - 7 minutes and then it was over. Ryan and I were just looking at each other shaking our heads. When we imagined having a little girl, we thought it was going to be a much sweeter picture. It looks like we have our work cut out for us with this one! I know we will have our struggles with her, but we wouldn't trade her for the world. With the right direction, her will and firey personality will be able to do great things!!

Mail

I love getting mail. A card or a letter from a friend, pictures of my nieces and nephews, even thank you cards just make me smile. As much as I love receiving mail, I love to send it even more! I recently made and sent these cards out to our dearest family and friends! Wouldn't you just love getting something like this in the mail?

Front of Card

Inside of card

Pictures

I realized that I never put up the kids 1 year and 5 year pictures. Thanks to everyone who voted on what Charlotte should wear. It really helped me out! I went with the most popular vote - the purple dress. Here are their pics! I think they turned out really well.

I can't believe . . .

I've decided to make this a monthly post. So, as it's the first of the month . . .

I can't believe I survived SEVEN days without the hubbs while I was in Michigan and he was in Costa Rica

I can't believe I left the bathroom door open one day
I can't believe Gavin forgot to flush the toilet
I can't believe how much Charlotte likes to splash in the toilet. EW!

I can't believe I actually gave Gavin some baby orajel because he wanted to know what it tasted like.

I can't believe how many times my sweet daughter has pooped in the bath.
I can't believe Gavin continues to take baths with her.

I can't believe I saw a lady with a hot pink blanket running through a park in the city chasing (and trying to catch) a rooster. (This is no joke)

I can't believe Charlotte flipped out of the bathtub while I was standing right next to it blow drying my hair.

I can't believe I am attempting to give up drinking Coke . . . again.

Gamer!

I think we have a gamer on our hands here! She knows exactly what to do with the controller!

Sledding in the city

FORT!

What do you do on a snowy wintery inside day? You build a huge fort, of course! And you read books in it all day long!

My new Favorite thing

My sister in law told me about this idea. She bakes her brownies in muffin cups so each one is the perfect brownie. OH MY! They are so delicious! I must warn you, though. If you try this, you just might consume the whole batch in one day (especially if you use Ghirardelli brownie mix)!

Project!

I woke up in the middle of the night one time last week and could not go back to sleep. While I was tossing and turning, this idea jumped into my head. Eventually, I did fall back to sleep. I woke up the next day and made this Bible cover!

Ouch!

Last Thursday we were getting ready for Ryan's parents to come into town on the train. Ryan was heading out the door to run a last minute errand. He slipped and fell on some ice and cut (okay, sliced) two of his fingers open on a license plate. I heard him come back in the door and say my name. I followed him (and a trail of blood) into the bathroom. He was gushing blood. Poor Ryan was in so much pain he could hardly think straight. Once he absorbed the situation a little bit, he decided to drive himself to the ER. He was there for over three hours and I think they let a med student stitch him up. It looks awful. They didn't even clean the wound very well. When he took the bandage off the next day, he couldn't even get it off b/c it was stuck to gobbs of blood! Ewww.

This picture was a few days after the incident. It is healing up nicely here. I have a better, grosser picture on my phone, but I'll spare you all the horror!

Getting Older

I'm not one to mind getting older. In fact, I embrace it wholeheartedly (much to everyone's annoyance). With that said and out of the way . . . lately, I. FEEL. OLD.

When I was in Michigan I stayed up way too late with my sister in laws. We were having such fun that the time seemed to pass so quickly. One night we stayed up until 1:30 and the next night (I am ashamed to say) the clock read 3:30 before we decided to turn in! I felt fine the rest of that week. This week, however, boy have I been feeling it. I have even taken a few naps to try and catch up!!

With the mountains of snow that we received this week, I decided to take Gavin out to play while I shoveled. I did this for 2 days. The following day, I could not get out of bed. My mind thinks my body can do anything. My body is telling me different. I even went as far as popping a few ibuprofen.

I went to get my hair cut this past week. I love getting my hair cut. It's a kid free hour and I always feel great when I leave. Well, maybe always isn't the best word. This trip left me feeling not so young. I had a front row seat to view my gray hair. I have had a gray streak for quite some time. I've always embraced it and was even oddly proud of it. Well, as she was cutting I was starting to realize that my "streak" has almost taken over the crown of my head. How and when did that happen?

The last event to make me feel oh so old also happened while getting my hair cut. After my glorious shampoo, I was sitting in the chair with the towel wrapped around my head. I was looking into the mirror and discovered a wrinkle on my forehead. A WRINKLE! Now you have really got to be kidding me. I'm over it now, but at the time I was slightly bothered by it. Thankfully my bangs cover it and no one will ever see it. But seriously, a wrinkle?

Schmoozing with the big wigs . . .

While Ryan was in Costa Rica he got to spend some time with the President of Starbucks. Yes, I said THE PRESIDENT OF STARBUCKS!!

Can this be happening?

Did my baby really just climb up into this chair and sit herself down? No, no. I must have imagined it . . .

I can't believe . . .

I can't believe I let Gavin feed Charlotte nerds while at the store so that I could shop in peace.

I can't believe how much time Gavin and I logged playing video games over "Christmas break".

I can't believe my son told me that I was a terrible mother.

I can't believe how personally I took the above incident and actually shed some tears over it.

I can't believe I witnessed my son take my daughters sweet little face in his hands and then proceed to slam her face down into a pillow (she didn't seem to mind, but still!).

I can't believe how much Gavin talks. He even paused in the midst of vomiting to tell me some random fact about tornadoes.

I can't believe Charlotte shattered (shattered!!!!) my favorite vase.

I can't believe that Gavin was occupied for an hour with a tornado (construction paper fashioned into a funnel) and the houses from monopoly.