Em Eye Zee Zee Oh You!

Baby Items Checklist

2011-03-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

I am now 30 weeks along. I can't believe Prince will be here in just about seven weeks or so.

I just went online and found a "baby items checklist." Here I thought I had almost everything for Prince, boy was I wrong. How can such a little person need so many things? Oh well, I am so excited he is coming, I can't wait to go shopping!!

OMG!!

2011-03-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

I finally remembered my user name and password!!! I will have to start posting now:)

News

2010-11-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

We're having a baby! Yes, you heard right. This in number four and we couldn't be more happier!

My due date is May 25. However, I think he/she will arrive on May 12. Anyone else want to guess a date?

I am feeling fabulous and getting a little bigger everyday. I guess now I have FOUR reasons I need to start blogging:)

Finally

2010-07-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been over a year since I have posted anything. I don't know why I have picked today to do so because I don't have much to report. Life has been crazy with it's ups and downs. I just have to remember that things happen for a reason and everything will work out in the end.

When I have time - in a about a year - I will post pictures from our vacation. We had a BLAST in Chicago. I can't wait for me and Patrick to be able to go with out the kids sometime:)

Stay cool! I am so ready for the fall!

Breakfast

2009-04-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

My alarm goes off each morning at 5:37 a.m. after I fit snooze a few times I roll out of bed and try to get ready before the kids wake up. I try to have the big kids at the table by 6:30 ready for breakfast. However, I never know what to feed them! So, I rely on the good ol' sugary pop tarts and sugary cereals.

I am at the point where I am reaching out to my friends for breakfast suggestions. What do you feed your kids for breakfast?

Saks

2009-04-02T05:29:00.001-07:00

I went shopping at the Plaza way back in 1995 or 96 with my friend Mandy (at least I think it was her, it was a long time ago. Mandy let me know if you don’t remember this.) Anyway, we thought we were big shots because we were shopping at the Plaza. We went to Saks Fifth Avenue just for the fun of it. Well, I found this black wool blazer that I thought I just HAD to have. However, it cost a whopping $99 and I just didn’t have the money. The sales lady saw me looking at it and offered to open a credit card account for me. Who couldn’t pass up that deal!! So, I opened the account and the blazer is still in my closet 13-14 years later. What an investment.

What a Day/Night

2009-03-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

I put the kids to bed about 20 minuets ago. Claire just came into the living room, for the second time, saying (she even had her fingers up in quotes) "can Truman and I play in bed for about 20 minutes? You know, he really needs to get his energy out!" This cracked me up!!!

In all honesty I have to give them a little break. Since we have been living in this house they have had to share not only a room but also a bed. They have been great sports through the last four months. And NO I did NOT let them "get their energy out."

Kind of on the same note... Jason and Jamie had a couple look at their house for a second time on Sunday. This couple has Jason's house in their "top two." By the end of the week this couple is too make their final decision. If Jason ends up selling his house that means we would have to move before our house is done. Where would we move??? Good question.

Way off the subject, I had a horrible day at work today. Why do adults have to act like children? I could go on and on but I really don't want to waist my energy on something like this. I would rather use my energy too pick chicken out of my teeth. Can you tell I just really need to be around my real friends. I can't wait to see Abby and Mandy next week!

Look At Me, I'm Klein P

2009-03-20T10:15:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it, I’m six months now! I sit up really good on my own and boy do I love that baby food - and my mommy’s milk of course. Claire and Truman are so much fun to play with however, Mr. Lion is my favorite toy to play with. I just love to eat him up!!

Mom and dad are signing papers for our lot today so we can start building our new house. Who would have thought they would build a new house just because I came into the world. I must be royalty. Anyway, dad says they are going to knock down some trees on the lot today and start digging a hole in the ground on Monday. I wonder what the hole is for?

Have a great weekend you all. I am going to help my dad cut up the trees and take them to grandma and grandpa’s house so we can build a fire in the barn next winter.

Klein

Klein Met Truman!

2009-03-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

Klein met Truman the Tiger for the first time at the MU Cat Classic gymnastics tournament. There was so much action that the entire gang stayed focused on the activities. After the tournament we stayed the night at the Stoney Creek Inn hotel in Columbia. The big kids had a blast in the indoor/outdoor pool. Klein and I stayed in our room by the fireplace while Patrick swam with the big kids.

5 Months

2009-02-16T10:28:00.000-08:00

Food!!

2009-01-27T17:11:00.000-08:00

Klein had cereal for the first time last night. He LOVED it! He was helping me put the spoon in his mouth. If you didn’t know any better you would think that he had been eating that stuff for months!

My picture won't download. I will keep working on it.

Our Weekend in Columbia

2009-01-18T12:53:00.000-08:00

We spent Saturday at the Columbia Mall looking for some good end of the season bargains. Wow, we saw a lot of people there we know. It’s funny because I go to the Jefferson City Mall all the time and never see anyone I know. I guess JC is not the popular place to hang out.

After our adventure at the mall we stayed the night at a new hotel by the college campus. The kids were so excited! All they wanted to do was swim in the indoor pool. Why spend thousands of dollars at Disney World when they are just as happy in a hotel swimming pool 30 miles up the road???

My Baby

2009-01-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

He is such a good little guy!!

16 weeks.

Truman's 5th Birthday

2008-12-19T10:10:00.000-08:00

I haven’t bloged much lately, there just seems to be so much going on and when I have an extra minute I just want to rest, not be on the computer. Also, I have “misplaced” my camera.

Yesterday was Truman’s 5th birthday!!! We went to Colton’s for dinner or as Truman calls it “the place where you throw peanuts on the floor.” The wait staff had Truman stand on his chair as they announced that it was his birthday. I thought he would be shy but oh no – he was THRILLED everyone was looking at him. They also gave him a HUGE ice cream shake, which he would NOT share with anyone. He had a great birthday.

I couldn't get the picture to turn...

I guess I should have explained a little more...

2008-12-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

After much contemplating about the house next door we decided it was not our “dream” house. It was just too much money for us to spend with having so many doubts. So, our plans changed.

Our friend’s (Jason and Jamie) grandparents passed away earlier this year and their house has been setting vacant ever since. Long story short… Jason and Jamie want to move into her grandparents house. Their house is up for sale and as soon as it sales we have to move out so they can move in. Their house has been on the market since April and they have had no good leads. Once they sell their house and move in to the “Orchard” house (it is on Orchard Lane) they are going to renovate it.

We have decided to buy the empty lot on the other side of our house so we will still be across the street from Lois. We hope to start building ASAP however; we may not be able to start until this spring. Patrick plans on bring the contractor to help us save some money. If anyone has building talent let us know, we can use the help!!! Also, if you have time to help us look for a house plan that would be great! We don’t have internet at home anymore… I plan on going to the library to get some books but that takes time too… We want a 1 ½ story with 4 bedrooms. The master has to been on the main level. We could possibly have another bedroom on the main level and the other two upstairs, or three bedrooms upstairs. Other than that I am up for anything.

Update on the Move

2008-12-10T06:11:00.001-08:00

This past Saturday was our big moving day. I am blessed that the weather was as nice as it was – if you can avoid it don’t move in December. Patrick and two of his friends moved the rest of the “big” stuff as I packed the “little” stuff. In the mist of packing, Claire had TWO birthday parties that day. I didn’t want her to miss them because we were moving so I made sure she got there.

We have been staying at the Orchard house since Saturday night. The kids have adjusted well so far. Claire and Truman are sharing a room and little Klein has his own room. The house is pretty nice for being an older house. It just smells like old people! I don’t think there is anything we can do about that unless we want to get new carpet and paint – that’s not going to happen.

The people who are moving into our house have been moving things in to the basement since last week. Today they are moving their furniture to the main floor. It has been very strange seeing other peoples stuff in MY HOUSE.

We plan to start looking at house plans after Christmas. It is just a crazy time for us right now, Patrick and his mom had birthdays this week, Truman’s birthday is next week, we are going to Springfield this weekend, I have to find time to do some Christmas shopping or I am going to have some very disappointed kids, oh I have to find time to unpack so we aren’t digging clothes out of boxes anymore!!

When I find my camera I will post a picture of the new place.

Wrapping Up for the Big Move

2008-11-30T17:12:00.000-08:00

Need I say more...

The Best of Both Worlds...

2008-11-30T15:35:00.000-08:00

On our obligatory trip to Sedalia for Thanksgiving, we noted the preceding pictures. In order to not "Pick On" anyone of the towns we are from (Sedalia usually receives the brunt of these endeavors) we published these two pictures.
Let's first focus on the sale at the cemetery. To me, this sounds like a good reason to "off" the loved one in your family that has the greatest amount of insurance lined up. Heck, on top of the insurance payout, you'll get a hell of a deal on the cremation! The icing on the cake is, you won't even have to bury them, you can dump their carbon in their cremation garden and everything turns out rosy!
If anyone goes missing on Route B, I'd investigate out of towners!
The guttering place deserves the most criticism. I consider the cemetery's attempt to drum up business, honorable. The guttering place can't make that claim. If you look close, this is a case of do what I say and not what I do. Look at the gutters on the business claiming to be a guttering business. "Half off" gutters in this case would have at least made them look like they've attempted to be good stewards of our storm water. Damn Jeffersoncitians.

M--I--Z--Z--O--U--!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-26T04:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Kiss

2008-11-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

We started packing this weekend! We have rented two storage garages to put most of our stuff in. We are only going to be taking the essentials to the “Orchard House”. I call it the Orchard Hose because it is on Orchard St. and I just think it is a pretty cute name. It is really hard to decide what to take because we are clueless on knowing how long we are going to live there. Our basement is ¾ cleaned out. Now it is time to start working on the main floor. The “big moving day” isn’t until December 6 however, we are going to move as much as we can before then just to make it a little easier on everyone. Closing day on our house is December 12.

Packing is a lot of work with three kids. Claire decided she wanted to take a break and play “dress-up” this is what she came up with. I think she looks like she should be in the Kiss band. Klein was an extremely good baby this weekend so I was able to help out too. However, I must say Patrick did most of the work. Thanks Honey!

Welcome Home Daddy!

2008-11-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

Patrick just got back from being in Florida for 4 nights. In between his meetings, he was able to watch the space shuttle launch. He brought home ice cream like they eat on the shuttle. It was “yummy and good and I wish I could have some more” said Claire.

The kids surprised daddy with a welcome home sign. Daddy- you better take us with you next time!

My Little Helpers

2008-11-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

Claire and Truman were trying to help me give Klein a bath the other night and well, they were more trouble than help. They were trying to get in the bathtub and just were not listing to me (as usual). So, I told them if they wanted to play in the bath so bad they could just clean it. To my surprise, they left the bathroom and came back with dishtowels. I asked them what they were going to do with the towels and they said “clean the bathtub!” And they did.

Throwing in the Towel

2008-11-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to scrapbook for the past seven years and well, I have finally given up. I am not the most creative person so putting together even one page can take me up to an hour. So, I have thrown in the towel!

I went to Target and bought a photo album for each kid. Claire has been very helpful in organizing all of the photos and putting them in the album. Claire’s is complete and we need to buy another one. Truman’s photos have been picked out but still not in the book. Klein’s is up-to-day. Now I just need to find the time to journal by each photo. Check back with me in seven more years, I should be done by then.

Falling into Fun!

2008-11-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

Patrick and the kids raked leaves at the cabin while Klein and I sat inside by the fire. However; as you can see it wasn't all work and no play for the three big kids.

Salute to Daddy

2008-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Patrick LOVES to search online for funny saying on t-shirts. He has even come up with a few designs himself. Klein has several cute shirts so I thought I would post them to share with everyone.

Where's My Pumpkin!

2008-11-03T10:41:00.000-08:00

Claire and Truman had a blast at their school Halloween parties! Unfortunately, Truman got sick with a stomach virus right before it was time to go trick –or-treating. So, Claire and I headed out to get some candy. She is the best big sister – she was trick-or-treating for Truman too.

As for Klein, he slept through all of the excitement.

The Last Day

2008-10-27T10:48:00.001-07:00

After being home with Klein for the last six weeks, I have to go back to work tomorrow. Of course I don't want to go back to work however; I don't have a choice. The good news is is that grandma is going to be watching him. I know she will take very good care of him.

Today Klein and I are making the most of our day. Even though it is 30 degrees today we managed to go to the jewelry store, travel agency, wal-mart, fabric store, and TJ Max. The rest of the day I am just going to hold him:) He is such a blessing and boy and I going to have hard time leaving him tomorrow.

5 weeks

2008-10-21T14:47:00.001-07:00

Money, Money, Money

2008-10-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

I was watching Oprah yesterday and she was discussing money saving tips for families. Do you have some money saving tips you would like to share? I know that things are getting so expensive and we always seem to want more. I know I need help with this one…

No Training Wheels!

2008-10-02T11:07:00.001-07:00

My four year old is riding with no training wheels!!! He learned how to do this with the help of his big sister.

1st Doctors Visit

2008-10-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

Klein had his first visit to the doctors office on Tuesday. He now weights 8 pounds and 11 oz. and is 20 inches long. My little guy is growing too fast!!

No More Taco Bell!!!

2008-10-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

Klein had his first get-a-way to the cabin this past weekend. On Saturday Claire, Klein, and I went shopping at the outlet mall. On our way back to the cabin we picked up Taco
Bell. I thought it was so good. However, my little guy disagreed. He fussed and fussed all night long! I have now learned my lesson…

Here are some picture of our weekend.

Yet Another Surprise

2008-09-24T07:35:00.001-07:00

Oh the joys of having a boy… I was getting Klein ready for his first bath in the bathtub yesterday. I has holding my “unclothed” little guy about to put him into the bathtub and well… check out the pictures and see.

He was unsure of the bath at first and then he decided he did like it.

As Claire, Klein, and I were about to leave for gymnastics class I had to change Klein’s diaper. As I was changing him he decided that he wasn’t done with his dirty diaper. You guessed it, I got it again and it wasn’t liquid this time!

I need too start doing a better job covering up my boy!

SURPRISE!

2008-09-24T07:08:00.000-07:00

As I walked into Target on Monday, I got a phone call from Mandy. As soon I noticed it was her I started to panic because I forgot she was going to visit me and Klein today. She said that she was running late – therefore I had time to shop. However, when I arrived at home she was already there! How did she beat me????

Lauren was playing on the back porch so I ran inside and opened the back door for them to come in. To my surprise my other best friend, Laura was here too!!!! She drove all the way from Illinois to meet Klein!!! Wow was I ever surprised!

Thank you Mandy and Laura for visiting. I really enjoyed seeing you guys! Also, I need to say thank you to Laura’s family for making the long trip so Laura could visit with me and Klein. You all are the best!!!

Karen and Abby – I’ll see you all next week right???

The First Day

2008-09-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our new little guy.

The New(est) Bonnot

2008-09-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

Bonnot, version 3.0, was released 9/16/2008. The new program otherwise known as Klein Patton Bonnot features 18.25 inches of ram, 7 lbs, 14 oz. of megahertz and an additional fuzzy head of hair for pure, unadulterated speed. Made for gaming, this packet of goods screams for goodness to let us know of his desire for clear performance. The producer, Lori, is hanging in there and awaiting a 6 week upgrade. After the release, the companion computer had this to say..."whew!"

Bonnot 3.0 will be released to the general public on 9/18/08 at which time the companion will post pictures made during and after production (not those kind you gutter heads!). Because of the early release (13 days before the doctor said it would be here) we will post plenty of pictures later.

La Visita de Missouri

2008-09-13T06:02:00.000-07:00

The Tour of Missouri came to town yesterday and showed the midwest what it means to be free of the use of foreign oils. Well, sort of. For every rider there seemed to be a european station wagon and a full sized van. Maybe next year for as much as this thing costs the state of Missouri, they can bring solar cars.

Regardless, over a hundred racers from around the world entered Jefferson City from the East and did a couple of "circuits"...laps, downtown. Our city hosted the end of the hundred mile race, stage four. Needless to say, the racers were a little tired by the time they hit the Capital City. I'd always assumed that the riders would fly by you on level ground at 35 m.p.h. I think where they passed our positions, Claire could have passed them on a big wheel.

Watching these things is not nearly as productive as going here.

Baby Shower

2008-09-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

My Fulton friends got together and had a baby shower for Sweet Pea. The kids had the option of going with me or going to the MU football game. Well, of course Truman wanted to go to the MU game and Claire wanted to go with me.

I got a lot of really nice things and Claire and I had a great time. It was nice seeing my friends since I don’t get to see them very often.

I am 37 weeks today and I don’t feel any different than I did last weekL

MIZZOU

2008-09-04T05:36:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don’t know, we are huge Mizzou fans. We enjoy going to their games, hey we even named our child after their mascot. Well, Patrick has taken it a step further. We now have to decorate the yard for game day! I took this picture two days after the big MU vs. IL game, we did have our MU flag out on game day.

The Crib

2008-09-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

We put Sweet Pea's crib up this weekend! When the boys were putting the crib together I looked at it and just cried. My emotions have been all over lately, just ask Patrick. I am very thankful that I have a loving family who just humors me when I get a little out of control.

I am 36 weeks today. I went to the doctor yesterday and everything is great. I gained 3 pounds in the last week thanks to my mother-in-law for sending 13, yes 13, candy bars to my house. I am ¾ of them!!! I am dilated to a 1. Only 9 more centimeters to go!

Truman the Chef

2008-08-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

Truman and I spent some mother son time together this weekend. He asked if we could make cookies, of course I had to say yes. He is always such a good helper in the kitchen and always wants to help. He is always right under my feet every time I am cooking - which hasn't been much lately... Anyway, we had a great time together.

35 weeks

2008-08-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

35 weeks and counting...

I go back to the doctor on September 2 - going every week now:)

Good Bye Civic

2008-08-21T15:53:00.001-07:00

After almost 6 years of driving the Civic we finally sold it:( Patrick put an ad in Saturday's paper and it sold within hours!

Today we got a new Toyota Sequoia. The kids love the room and want to sleep in it tonight.

34 weeks

2008-08-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Sweet Pea will be here before we know it. We started to put the crib up the other day and had to stop because our realtor called and wanted to show our house. I am so ready to take that sign out of my yard!

I have been feeling good for the most part. It is starting to get uncomfortable sitting at my desk at work for 7 hours. My belly is so big that I just can't seem to sit still for more than 30 min. at a time. However; I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!!

Do You Believe in Ghost?

2008-08-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

Patrick and I believe we have a ghost in our house. He has actually seen her twice – once in our master bathroom.

We were abruptly awoken at 4:00 a.m. this morning by a loud noise. Patrick got up to see what it was. There were two wine bottles lying on the kitchen floor.

We have about six wine bottle standing together on the top of our kitchen cabinets. Last night before we went to bed I noticed that there were two new bottles up there. I asked Patrick about them and he said the put them up there about six months ago – I know, I’m not very observant.

I guess our ghost was listening in on our conversation about the wine bottles and decided to knock two of them onto the floor at 4:00 a.m. Luckily they did not break, however; we do have a few dents in our hardwood floors now.

What do we do? This is not the first crazy thing that has happened in our new house.

Daddy's Little Helpers

2008-08-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

Truman and Claire love to help Patrick do his "outside" work. However; for some reason they are not as excited about helping me out in the house. Actually, it's not that bad. I can get a lot more work done when the kids are helping Patrick!

1st Day of School

2008-08-18T08:10:00.001-07:00

The kids were asleep by 8:15 last night. I was so proud that we made it on time!

I have the day off today so I got up and made sausage and eggs for breakfast to get them off on the right foot. They both got their teeth brushed and dressed without fussing!!! Patrick and I both took the kids to school. We dropped Claire off first, she walked in the door and pretty much ignored us and went to talk to her friends - she is little miss social, I wonder who she gets that from.

We then dropped Truman off in his class. I think he was ready for us to leave his room too. You can see what I mean by the look he gave me in the picture. He is too cute!

Since this is the first day of school the kids get out at 1:00. I will let you know how it went.

We Have Gone Bonkers!

2008-08-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

I had the day off Friday and wanted to do something fun with the kids before they went back to school. We ended up going to Bonkers in Columbia. The the kids had a blast!!! I had a fun time watching them climb and slide everywhere. The funniest thing to me was that Truman was the "leader" and Claire followed him the entire time we were there. This is not the norm for the two of them.

Weekend with the Kids

2008-08-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

The kids and I spent the past weekend together. Patrick was out of town on business and then went to the cabin at the lake to do some work. Anyway, we had a pretty low key weekend becuase I really didn't feel very good. It was nice just spending time with the kids and not having to worry about doing the house work or rushing around to go here or there. I wish more weekends were like this.

Sunday before church I realized that I had not taken any pictures of the kids in a few days, so I thought I needed to take some. However; the kids did NOT want me to operate the camera. They thought they should be able to take all of the pictures. So, the picture with me and Truman, Claire took and the picture with me and Claire, Truman took the picture. I think they did an outstanding job!

By the way, I am 32 weeks and 5 days in this picture.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and everything is going good. I go back on August 25.

Stroller

2008-08-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

I bought a stroller/car seat last night! Patrick doesn't think it could be used for a girl. What do you think?

http://www.target.com/Graco-Travel-System-Melbourne/dp/B0015VW4HA/qid=1218041185/ref=br_1_11/602-0327641-5101463?ie=UTF8&node=3579971&frombrowse=1&rh=&page=1

Branson Landing

2008-08-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

Patrick and I went to Branson this past weekend, just the two of us. One last "getaway" before Sweet Pea arrives. We stayed at the Hilton at Branson Landing. This is such a nice area - shopping, dinning, the lake... We walked everywhere, I only had to rest every 20 min.:) It was SO hot and I am not used to being this active. Sweet Pea really took it out of me this weekend.

I am so glad that Patrick and I had some time to ourselves. It seems like we are always so busy that it was nice just to spend time with him.

The kids stayed with my dad and had a great time too!

Mommy's Helper

2008-08-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

Truman just decided, on his own with no bribes, to make mine and Claire's bed. He did such a good job!!!!

CC - Cartwheeler Claire

2008-08-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

Claire has been practicing her cartwheels and is getting pretty good at them. She wants to take gymnastics class do them even better and she also wants to learn how to do a back flip. We will keep you posted on her progress.

Adventure on the River

2008-08-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Patrick and the kids went out on the river yesterday with our friends, Jason and Jamie. Jason got a new boat a few weeks ago, this was the first time they had taken it out. I didn't think it would be a very good idea for me to go out on the water so I went grocery shopping instead. I don't get to do this by myself very often...

When I picked Patrick and the kids up after their adventure they all had huge smiles on their faces. While on the river they got the big tub out and took turns taking rides on it. Claire and Truman actually rode on the tub by themselves!!! They could not stop talking about their adventure last night. I wish I would have given Patrick the camera to take along. I will have to remember next time.

The Price of Children

2008-07-31T09:59:00.001-07:00

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:* $8,896.66 a year,* $741.38 a month, or* $171.08 a week.* That's a mere $24.24 a day!* Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!* Glimpses of God every day. * Giggles under the covers every night.* More love than your heart can hold.* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:* finger-paint,* carve pumpkins,* play hide-and-seek,* catch lightning bugs, and* never stop believing in Santa Claus
You have an excuse to:* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,* watching Saturday morning cartoons,* going to Disney movies, and* wishing on stars.* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreath s for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and card s with backward letters for Father's Day.For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,* taking the training wheels off a bike,* removing a splinter,* filling a wading pool,* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team thatnever wins but always gets treated to ice cream or pizza regardless.
You get a front row seat to history, to witness the:* first step,* first word,* first bra,* first date, and* first time behind the wheel.You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology,nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits So, one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

30 weeks and 5 days

2008-07-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

Claire and I just got back from my doctors appointment. I gained only 1 pound in the last three weeks for a total of 17 pounds. I gained 35 - 40 pounds with the other two. I'm not sure I will gain that much this time - at least I hope not:)

My doctor said that babies head is down low and in position. Hard to believe he/she will be here in 6ish weeks. The heart rate was 135-140. Boy? Girl?

I go back to the doctor every two weeks now. I will keep you posted.

Getting Ready for Sweet Pea

2008-07-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

Sweet Pea will be here in about 7 weeks! This weekend I plan on shopping for baby essentials. What do I need??!! It seems like forever ago that my kids were babies and I'm just not sure what to get. Let me know if you have any ideas. Also, I am looking for that "perfect" stroller. Any suggestions?

Weekend Fun

2008-07-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend at Tan-Tar-A Resort. We had a fun filled two days - swimming in the outdoor pool, bowling, eating dinner with Patrick's conference, Timber Falls Indoor Water Park, feeding the fish, playing... I wasn't able to participant in some of the activities because - well, I'm having a baby. The kids had a blast and were not ready to leave. Claire asked when we could go back, I told her it would only be 365 more days. She said "great."

By the way, both kids got a strike!!

Remember

2008-07-20T19:26:00.001-07:00

This seemed like my kind of 'Tag'.

Here are the rules:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you!

Baby Girl Bedding

2008-07-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

I found this baby girl bedding today and just had to have it! I am still on the hunt for baby boy bedding. I will just take one set back to the store after Sweet Pea arrives. I did not have a "pink" or "blue" room with either of the kids. So, this time I am!

Curious Truman

2008-07-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

For the last week the only movie Truman wants to watch is Curious George. Poky the turtle watches the movie with Truman as they eat their popcorn.

Tag, You're It

2008-07-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here are the directions-

1. Pick up the nearest book, turn to page 123
2. Find the 5th paragraph
3. Find the 5th sentence in that paragraph
4. Post the 5th sentence
5. Tag 5 people

Here is mine

Which was not going to happen

(book is called Richochet by Sandra Brown)

I tag

Karen
Mandy
Abby
Laura
anyone else?

2008-07-16T16:52:00.001-07:00

I am now 29 weeks along! We are getting so excited and so ready to hold Sweet Pea in our arms, instead of my belly.

For the most part I have been feeling really good. I get out of breath a little easier now than I used too. All in all I couldn't ask for a better pregnancy.

New Pool

2008-07-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

Claire and Truman got a new swimming pool tonight. They had a blast slashing Mommy and Daddy.

House Staging

2008-07-13T14:28:00.001-07:00

Well, our house has been on the market for 3 1/2 months now and still no contract! Our Realtor helped us do some "staging". Let me know if you have any other ideas. I would love to have my house sold and be moved into the new house before baby arrives.

2008-07-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

I did it, I started a blog! I am going to start playing around, it may take me awhile to get the hang of this.