The Price of a Child

As we have all taken turns being sick this week, my emotions are very close to the surface. I don't know why we seem to be the final destination for every germ known to man. I don't know why our little family has been asked to bear so many physical trials over the last few years. I do know that I can't imagine going through all of this without all of them. We are definitely in this together and for that I am immeasurably grateful. I love my husband 1000 times more than I ever thought I could. I love each of my children more today than I did the day they were born. We have definitely had our share of trials, but in it all, we found a way to pull the bonds that tie us together just a little bit tighter. We are all sick, but we are all happy. How could I ask for more than that?

I'm sure this is old, but it meant so much to me today.

THE PRICE OF A CHILD

I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 to be $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, or
* $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 "if you want to be 'rich', don't have children. 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" ,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish upon a star. You also get to:
* frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets,

and collect:
* spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas,
* hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and
* cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no bigger 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 that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to witness history:
* her first step,
* his first word,
* her first bra,
* his first date, and
* their 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 called grandchildren and great grandchildren in your obituary.

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 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 that one day they, like you, will love without counting the cost.

That is quite a deal for the price!

Love & enjoy your children, grandchildren & great grandchildren

Swine flu anyone???

I know I haven't posted in a while. I have a lot to post about. Ben's birthday, my birthday, the kids, pics of my new bathroom. I'm sure I can think of more. But I'm not going to...not today.

Emma has swine flu. She has had a constant fever, aches, chills, no appetite, and an awesome cough. Her fever has been right around 103 for a couple of days. I hope it breaks soon. Bri and Clay now have fevers too and each of them is developing a pretty nice little cough. So far Justice seems fine. All 4 of them are on Tamiflu, so hopefully it doesn't get too bad. We are in quarantine for 7 days. Emma doesn't get to finish the last few days of school and she is pretty bummed. We are just hunkering down and trying to make this next week as enjoyable as possible. Lots of movies, lots of popcorn, and lots of meds.

Once we emerge from all of this, I will post all of the things I have been neglecting.

We were there (click here)

Click title to see where we were Friday night. You'll want to watch the entire video...watch for the Hi-5. Pretty cool. Our friend, Chris Amare, got the Cabrera HR ball.

Ben still has a job!!!

Yesterday was the day that Ben could have lost his job...he did not lose it. We are so thankful that he is still gainfully employed! Thanks to all of you who have been thinking and praying for us and Thanks to the Lord for helping Ben keep his job. Although we aren't out of danger yet...GM still has a ways to go before they have "turned around", we are very grateful for the many blessings that we have been given from a kind and loving Father in Heaven.

Happy Birthday to Emma!

Emma turned 6 on Monday. HOLY COW MY BABY GIRL IS 6!!!!! We had a family party and it was really fun. She wanted a Tinkerbell cake, so this is what I came up with. She is so happy that she is a big girl now and can't wait until her next birthday. Enjoy the pictures...

HVAC went out

Here is the deal...

I found out I was pregnant with Clay 2 weeks after we moved here. Within 2 weeks I started having morning sickness and for varying reasons, I pretty much felt terrible for the rest of the pregnancy. Clay had reflux and cried and threw up the majority of the time for months. After each of my other kids I have started feeling liky myself again right around the time they turn 9 months old.

This time around it has been way different. I haven't felt well since I got pregnant with him. I have been to dozens of dr. appointments and had more blood drawn than probably everyone reading this combined. I have been told over the course of it all that I *might* have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Narcolepsy, and a few less major things. I have had an MRI of my brain, and a sleep study done. Some of these have been ruled out completely (MS and Lupus). What we do know is that I have a significant vitamin D deficiency, sero-negative arthritis (which means it technically isn't Rheumatoid Arthritis yet, but might be in the future), and hypoglycemia. The sero-negative arthritis and hypoglycemia I just found out about last week. I have to do another sleep study to confirm or rule out narcolepsy, and the rest are still up for grabs. I also have to have a few other things looked at, but won't go into detail on those right now.

Ben works for General Motors. He may or may not loose his job in a couple of weeks. We don't think he will, but it is a possibility. If he does, do you know what he gets? Half a month's pay. HALF A MONTH'S PAY. That will pay or mortgage once, but then what? We have several months of food storage in the basement, so atleast we can eat. We won't be able to sell our house without putting some time and effort into it. It was on the market for a year and a half when we bought it for a reason. We have done alot since we moved in, but there are still a few things that need to be done before we can put it on the market and actually have a chance (however small) to sell it. I know it will sell if that is the Lord's will. If not, I guess we join the Michigan masses in Forclosure.

So, why am I spilling all of this on my blog? Because. Because I am struggling. I know I am supposed to "Come what may and love it." I know I am supposed to endure it well and put my faith and trust in the Lord. I know that other people have it way harder than I do. I know these things. I am not asking for sympathy. I just need to vent! I need to get it all out so I can say, "okay...it is what it is...let's move forward."

So there you go...

Detroit Three Find Hope in Centerfield

BY MITCH ALBOM
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

When the Tigers open their season this week, fans will look to centerfield at Comerica Park and see the greenery, the flagpoles and the giant fountain. And, as usual, every time there's a Detroit home run, those fountains will erupt. That spot, in the stadium business, is what they call prime real estate. Companies pay big money to have their logo smack dab in the middle, so that every time fans gaze out there, the brand is what they see. For the last few years, General Motors has sponsored that fountain, and paid a substantial fee to do so. This season, with all that has happened in the auto business, GM's folks called the Tigers and said, regretfully, they could no longer afford it. Given the layoffs, the bailouts, the threat of bankruptcy, well, owning centerfield was too great a luxury. GM had to step aside. Which is when Mike Ilitch, the Tigers' owner, stepped in. There were other bidders. Other offers. Who wouldn't want that real estate? A deal of three years worth between $1.5 million and $2 million was on the table.

Ilitch said no thanks. He was going to give it away. Or maybe "give it back" is a better way of putting it. Chalk up an outfield assist "It just seems strange to have the car companies in trouble," he told me this past week. "The Big Three, where would this city be without them? I mean, my father came from the old country and got a job at Ford's. It put food on our table. "It's scary to think that any of those carmakers could go away."

So Ilitch told his people to thank the potential paying customers, but to say that the centerfield fountain this year was spoken for. It would be the feature site for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. For free. No charge. Not one penny. "It's just a small opportunity to respond to what's happening," Ilitch said, embarrassed by the attention. There's nothing small about it. Every business has been affected by the collapsing economy; baseball teams are no exception. Walking away from a couple million dollars is not considered a wise financial move. Who turns away paying customers? In this case, Ilitch did. Because sometimes it's about the where and the who, not just the how much.

A message from the ballclub "I thought for a few weeks before deciding," Ilitch admitted. "I didn't want to offend anybody. I didn't want to put off the foreign carmakers. And I didn't want people to think we couldn't sell the fountain. As a businessman, you do worry about those things. "But I finally said, 'The heck with it.' I want to do something to help." So starting with the home opener this Friday afternoon, the Chrysler, General Motors and Ford logos will be on an equal plane above the fountain. And beneath those logos will be a few new words: "The Detroit Tigers support our automakers." It may be as close to a social statement as centerfield has ever made.

Visitors in Detroit for this weekend's Final Four may think our small, thriving downtown looks a lot like other cities' downtowns. But there is something different beneath the surface. Here, we construct in the face of adversity. We build on hope. Pure investors will tell you a city with rampant unemployment, enormous budget shortfalls, a troubled school system and a laughable city council is not a place to put your money. We do it anyhow. We do it because we love our past and we believe in our future. We do it because the alternative would be to close shop altogether. We do it because last week there were stories about the gleaming new Yankee Stadium, which cost $1.5 billion and has seats as high as $2,625 a game -- and here is Ilitch giving away his fountain for free.

Detroit may be the new home of the bumpy ride, but as the Three Musketeers once discovered, it's a little smoother when you grab hands with others. Think about that the next time a home run sends that fountain shooting up to those logos. Sometimes it really is all for one and one for all.

Play dough

My kids love, love, love to play with play dough. I usually just make it instead of buying it. My kids will play with play dough all afternoon. It can keep them occupied for hours which is VERY nice. However I don't pull it out very often. Why? Because this is what it looks like when they are done playing.

Yes, that is cottage cheese mixed with the play dough...thanks Bri.

SPRING Break...Really?

This is what it looked like in our backyard on February 6, 2009. My kids are so tired of being stuck in the house and I am so tired of GERMS! Can you tell that we are longing for the winter to be over and warmer days to finally be here?

Today was the first official day of Spring Break. We had high hopes for this week since it was actually warm enough last week to play outside without a coat on...sort of. This is what it looked like when we woke up this morning. Looks like we will have to keep waiting...

2010 Camaro

I had to go offsite and my manager was driving a 2010 Camaro, so I made a slight detour on my way to the supplier and stopped off at home. See some of the pix here.

Blog lists and Spaghetti Sauce

First, I finally got around to adding a ton of friends to our blog list. If you see your blog there and want me to remove it please let me know. If you don't see your blog there and would like me to add it, let me know. I am not purposefully adding or not adding people. I just don't know everyone's blogs and/or their feelings about being on ours. Email us at thepalmerfam-at-hotmail-dot-com. Thanks!

Second, I am on the hunt for the BEST Spaghetti Sauce recipe in the whole world. I have tried tons and haven't found "the one" yet. If you have an awesome recipe please pass it on. If I get any responses, I will try them all, and my hubby and kiddos will "judge" them. If you are the lucky winner, you just might get something pretty spectacular in the mail! :) Even if I have no idea who you are and you like to read my blog because it is so amazingly exciting, you are welcome to send a recipe on. Email me at thepalmerfam-at-hotmail-dot-com. Thanks!

Babies, babies everywhere

No, this is not an announcement! I have a TON of friends and family members who have all either recently had babies or are pregnant. I just found out this week that a very good friend of mine is pregnant. She has a 9 month old, so these two will be 18 months apart. I am really excited for her, but I think I am even more excited for myself! Why you ask? Because it isn't me!!!

I have never had a baby as old as Clay (14 months) and not already been into my second trimester with another baby. I know first hand how awesome and how hard it is to have babies that close together...again and again and again. It is so nice to see and hold and adore all of these babies and give them back to their mothers when they cry. I love that I have 3 potty-trained kids and only ONE in diapers...finally!

I wondered if I would be sad when I was done having babies. I have an occasional pang for a newborn, but it is quickly erased by the memories of leaking like a faucet, being up for hours, no weeks, no months on end, changing 12 diapers a day, and WAAAAAY too many visits to the Dr. and/or hospital. I love my kids and I wouldn't trade any of them for anything in the world. I would do it all over again and then some for the blessing and opportunity of being their mother.

I am happy for all of my friends and family and their babies, and I am happy that that part of my life is over. The best is yet to come...

Bri...have I seen this mess before?

A friend of mine has a son who reminds me so much of Bri it is unreal. She just posted a picture of a mess he made while she was in the shower. It reminded me of something that happened over Christmas break that I never blogged about.

I asked Ben to put ceiling fans with lights in all of the bedrooms over Christmas. I was downstairs with the kids when he called for me to come and help for a second. I had to hold the fan up while he was attaching all of the wires. All of the kids came up to see what we were doing and then went back downstairs. About 2 minutes later Emma starts yelling that Bri is making a mess. Awesome! I yell back to her to try and get Bri to stop and help her clean it up. A few minutes later, I hear Emma yelling that Bri is making another mess. I yell back the same thing...to try to get Bri to stop and to try and help her clean it up and that we were almost done. I finish helping Ben and come downstairs. What do I find?

Bri had gotten into the freezer and pulled out my bag of yeast. You know the brick of yeast that you can get from Costco...all over the floor. Mostly on the carpet. Emma thinks you use wipes to clean everything up, so tried to get it up with wipes. All it did was make the yeast get wet and gooey. Instead of stopping, Emma just kept using more wipes...a whole container of them. And all of them were gross and had to go in the trash.

Then Bri decided to get into the fridge and pull out the gallon ziploc bag of shredded cheese and spread it all over the floor too. Emma was out of wipes, so she tried to sweep it, and then finally gave up. This is what it looked like.

Flashback to my childhood...

When I was a kid and we lived in Northern Virginia, we had a house with stairs. My parents had this big black tub that they put shoes in and slid under the bed. Whenever they would leave, my brothers and I would dump out the shoes and ride it down the stairs. It was seriously so fun! Once that got boring, we would ride our sleeping bags down the stairs...it was a little more painful, but way more fun. Once that got boring, we would ride the sleeping bags down the stairs head first...don't know why that was a good idea, but it was exhilarating!!! I don't know if my parents ever had a clue that that is what we did while they were gone.

Now that I am an adult, I realize just how S-T-U-P-I-D that was. (I have to spell things out these days so my kids don't know what I'm saying, and it just seemed fitting to spell it here too.) Any one of us could have broken a bone or gotten a concussion or worse! Luckily, none of us were ever seriously hurt. Why is this a flashback you ask?

Because. My kids were running around the house being wild and crazy. Clay is still not feeling that great, and he is finally sleeping. The bigger kids wouldn't stop yelling and running, so I told the kids to go be crazy in the basement. They went downstairs no problem. About 20 minutes later I hear this thump-thump-thump and major laughing/squealing. I opened the door and what did I see? My kids were taking turns riding a couch cushion down the stairs.

We had to have one of those talks...you know what I'm talking about. The "I know that's really fun, but it is also dangerous" talks. They listened, and for now have decided that they shouldn't ride the cushions down the stairs anymore...we will see how long that lasts.

Clay is okay...

We just got back from the Dr. and Clay has "turned the corner". He got to come home instead of going into the hospital. He is still borderline dehydrated, but she thinks that he will be okay. His chest sounded much clearer, and his oxygen saturation was at 100%! She doesn't think pneumonia is a real concern anymore either. YEAH!

She also said, "Wow, you have cared for him perfectly...you have obviously done this before." Yep--this is the 4th time. I guess I get a gold star for the day.

Thanks for every one's thoughts and prayers.

Sick again

A couple of weeks ago Clay and Bri had really gross coughs. I took them to the Dr. and he said they had croup, gave me some steroids and some more albuterol and sent us on our way. In a couple of days, they were both back to their normal selves. Bri is still fine...she has an occasional dry cough, but I think that is just lingering. Clay on the other had is VERY sick. He started coughing on Sunday, and went downhill quickly after that. I took him to the Dr. yesterday and he has RSV (again) and 2 "flaming red" ear infections. We got antibiotics for his ears, and are doing the albuterol every 4 hours even through the night. I have to take him back in this afternoon so the Dr. can see if he is better or worse. If he is worse, he will go into the hospital. She said he had a 50/50 chance of needing to be hospitalized. He is also on his way to being dehydrated again, so she wants to check that, and his cough has lots of "pops and crackles" which makes the Dr. think he might be on his way to pneumonia too.

Seriously people. Can't we just have a break? I would really like to know what it feels like to not be so tired I am shaking, to not have a seriously ill child every winter, to not feel like junk for the last 2 years. Can't we just have a break?!

Parenting 101

I got this from someone else's blog. I don't know who wrote it...

Thinking of Having Kids?
Do this 15 step program first!

Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breast-feeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner.)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3 AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons.

How does that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6
1. Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and a jar of paint, turn it into an alligator.
2. Now take the tube from a roll of toilet paper. Using only Scotch tape and a piece of aluminum foil, turn it into an attractive Christmas candle.
3. Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty packet of Cocoa Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Lesson 7
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 8
1. Get ready to go out.
2. Sit on the floor of your bathroom reading picture books for half an hour.
3. Go out the front door.
4. Come in again. Go out.
5. Come back in.
6. Go out again.
7. Walk down the front path.
8. Walk back up it.
9. Walk down it again.
10. Walk very slowly down the sidewalk for five minutes.
11. Stop, inspect minutely, and ask at least 6 questions about every cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue, and dead insect along the way.
12. Retrace your steps.
13. Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbors come out and stare at you.
14. Give up and go back into the house.

You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

Lesson 9
Repeat everything you have learned at least (if not more than) five times.

Lesson 10
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a preschool child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 11
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 12
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 13
Move to the tropics. Find or make a compost pile. Dig down about halfway and stick your nose in it. Do this 3-5 times a day for atleast two years.

Lesson 14
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; an occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years.

You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 15
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt-sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 14 above.

You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

~*~ I seriously laughed so hard when I read this. Some days this is what it really feels like, but when any of them tell me that they love me, or give me a special hug, or color me a beautiful picture, it completely melts my heart and I realize that they are absolutley worth every bit of it!

Am I lucky or what?????

This post isn't supposed to be a pity party for me...read to the bottom, and you will see why I am so lucky.

I have been having problems with my heart for almost 2 years now. It has gotten better since I had Clay, but it hasn't gone away. This past summer I started having problems with my joints. When I wake up in the morning, I can barely use my hands because they are so swollen and hurt so bad. My mom has Rheumatoid Arthritis, so I assumed that I must have it too. I went to my regular doctor and she sent me to a rheumatologist. The RA Dr. has tested me for every possibility she can think of. The cardiologist tested me for a zillion things too. Every test ordered by every Dr. has come back negative. Great news! Frustrating news too! I feel like junk and hurt all of the time, so what is wrong?

I went to a couple of Dr. appts 2 weeks ago and guess what they told me? There is nothing medically wrong with me! Their diagnosis? Extreme Fatigue. Both of them told me that my body has been under a huge amount of physical and emotional stress over the last several years, and it can no longer handle it. My body is telling me that it needs a break NOW or it is just going to shut down. They also told me that it took several years to get this way, so it won't get better quickly. I asked for more clarification and the Dr. said that if I make my health my number one priority, it could still take a couple of years before I am back to 100%. A couple of YEARS! And if I don't? Then I continue to have health problems and it becomes chronic.

So, Ben and I had a very long talk about what to do going forward. My idea was to become Swiss Family Robinson...sort of... I suggested we sell the house, Ben quit his job, and we move to a very inexpensive place. Ben could get a job working 40 hours and paying just enough to pay the bills. Then he would have time to be home more and we could just focus on our family and getting me better. Ben's idea, which I have to say was much more realistic, was for him to tell his boss that I was having some medical problems and that he needed to leave at 5 every day so he could come home and take over for me.

On Monday he told his boss what the plan was, his boss agreed, and Ben left at 5. He has been home by 5:30 every night. While I get dinner on the table, he does a blitz of the downstairs and within 15 minutes, the slew of kid stuff that is spread all over the place is magically whisked away. We have been able to eat dinner as a family every night and I LOVE it. Then I go to bed...before my kids! Ben gets the kids ready for bed, reads story, scriptures, etc with them and puts them to bed. Then he cleans up the kitchen, and if he has any energy left after that, he tackles some other part of the house that needs attention. I hate to admit it, but every part of the house needs attention since I haven't had the energy to do it. He rearranged the furniture in the family room and re-did the book shelf earlier this week. It looks amazing. Last night, he scrubbed the kitchen to a spotless sheen. I have no idea how late he was up, but my kitchen was sparkling when I came down this morning. It didn't even look this good when we moved in. I was so astonished that I had to take pictures.Now do you see why I am so lucky?! Not many husbands would take on what he has agreed to take on in addition to working full-time. Today, my husband is my hero...

The secret is out...

Well, I guess since Ben just mentioned that I started a store, I should mention it as well. Let me give you all a little background first.

I have spent the last 5+ years making and caring for babies, which is a very good thing. However, it took a huge toll on my body and I am now no longer able to have kids. Now that we know they are all here, I am excited to get on to the business of raising them. As Clay approached his first birthday I realized that I have never had a 1 year old and not already been pregnant again. I also realized that for me, my entire identity was wrapped up in creating and caring for young children. I needed some sort of outlet and something that I could do just for me. I think I am a pretty good mom, but all of the other things that I used to consider myself...professional, well-spoken, detail oriented, etc. have taken a back seat to being a mother. I still want to be a good mom, and I think it will be easier for me to be that woman if I take care of the parts of me that are not directly associated with being a mother. So I decided to do something about it.

I started a store on Etsy.com. It is called Pumpkin Patch Designs and I sell hooded bath towels for toddlers and kids, super cute tote bags, mei tai carriers, and crocheted baby blankets. I have had so much fun making each of these things and it has been really rewarding to actually be able to make money on them. I have also been able to contribute to our family financially which I haven't done for a really long time and it feels good. I know that I said I was going to do something that was not directly associated with being a mother, but when I sat down to think about what I could do, all I wanted to do was create stuff for kids. I guess you stick with what you know. :)

I haven't said anything before now for a couple of reasons. First, I don't want any of my family and friends to feel obligated to buy something from me just because I am selling it. If it is something that you like and would buy anyway, then sure...buy it from me. However, if it is not something that you would buy anyway, please don't feel like you have to buy it just to be supportive. Your interest and well wishes are support enough. Second, I am 31 years old and still suffer from teenage insecurities. People that I don't know not liking my stuff is one thing, but people that I love and care about not liking my stuff is completely different. I know it's a lame excuse.

Oh, and how do I find time to be productive? I haven't found any extra time. I am swapping creativity...I am creating things for my store instead of creating a spotless house...which wouldn't happen no matter how hard I work at it anyway. :)

So there you have it. If you would like to see my store, you can check it out at www.pumpkinpatchdesigns.etsy.com. I also have a blog at www.pumpkinpatchdesigns.blogspot.com and email at pumpkinpatchdesigns@hotmail.com.

Ramblings of a tired husband

So I have a great wife that can do anything. She just decides to do something and there you go. She decided to open up her own store and there you have it. She did it, bought raw materials, produced, sold, and now she is at break even with just over a month in the business. Anything from here on out is cream. I think it is funny too that she always gets comments on her hair...the amazing thing about it is she cuts it herself (and you can't tell). She tries to rationalize it away saying that the curly hair hides any misshappen parts, but it's still amazing. I think she looks spectacular. So she continues to kick my butt and some day I may be what she needs me to be until then I'll keep trying. I got her three fans wired and installed this past week. That project way too long and I still need to patch the walls by the light switches where I went wiring fishing. I tried to have Sarah find jumbo switch plates, but they were still a little too small. I may have to go back and patch the wall along with painting those portions again. I put a disclaimer on these comments because it is 12:30am and I should be sleeping if I'm going to wake up in a few hours. Last night I couldn't sleep either. Sarah says I should get a sleep test. So I mention the no sleep as a disclaimer to my comments that are probably not in any order and this post may be deleted in the next few days if I ever get back to the site and read it. This hasn't been too long, but I think I'm going to trying and lay down again. You would think with little ones I was up this late with one of them but Justice only woke up for a second. Sarah has been great through our marriage and has tried to sheild me from crying little ones at night. She usually tries to hop up and get them before I hear anything. Becuase of this I have become a deep sleeper and when I want to wake up at night to give her a break I can't because I dead asleep. She's a saint. If I misspelted (okay that was on porpuse) that is inherent in the disclaimer too. So...HAPPY NEW YEAR Everyone.

For those of you that know Nancy my sister please pray for her as she is having surgery on her brain on Thursday. Sarah has all the details, but I will be fasting for here too for those that want to join.

Clay's 1st Birthday!

Clay turned 1 on New Year's Eve...quite a day for a birthday. He has had a tough year, but he came through it with flying colors. He was born 4 weeks early and was in the NICU for a week before he could come home. Then he had severe acid reflux which made him cry and throw up pretty much all day and night...for months. He finally started sleeping through the nights on a somewhat regular basis in May, and he stopped crying and throwing up during the day in October. He stayed on his meds until November, and now he is a happy and healthy little boy.

He has just started saying "Uh Oh!" and when he plays with cars he makes a car sound. He smiles and laughs all of the time now. He is very close to mastering the stairs. He LOVES his siblings and chases them as fast as his little crawl will take him. He just figured out how to walk with a toy walker/scooter and he is almost ready to start walking on his own. He has 2 teeth and a few more almost ready to break through. He also just got his first haircut and he looks so grown up! I can't believe my last baby is already 1. This year has been a tough one, but I am happy to have my little boy, and would do it all over again just to have his happy little spirit in our home.

Our Anniversary

Ben and I had our 8th wedding anniversary on Dec. 29th. We trade off who is in charge...I have even years and Ben has odd years. Last year I was very great with child (Clay was born 2 days later) and in no mood to do anything but have a baby. So this year, I wanted to do something special. It has been a tough year for us in many ways, and I wanted this anniversary to be the beginning of a happy new year in our marriage, family, and home.

This summer I was able to find a 3 day 2 night package (through a 3rd party) to Boyne Mountain which is a resort in northern Michigan. It was a SUPER good deal and I couldn't pass it up. I bought the package and booked it for our anniversary. Then I found a babysitter for the kids...yes, I left all 4 of them! Everything was set, and Ben had no idea. :)

3.5 weeks ago someone (from the 3rd party) called and cancelled it. They said that because of the economy they could no longer offer the discounted prices so they would refund my money if I wanted to. So I spent 2.5 weeks scouring the internet looking for B&B's, cabins for rent, hotels, anyplace that we could go that wouldn't break the bank. I finally settled on a hotel in Livonia, MI (priceline is a beautiful thing) and we left after church on Sunday.

It was heaven! I do love my children, but I have to admit that 2 whole days with no diapers, whining, fighting, or crying was so great! We could sleep when we wanted to, eat when we wanted to (who knew that food could taste so good when it is still hot?!?), go where we wanted to, and just had to worry about ourselves. We came back Tuesday afternoon and the girls who were babysitting did a FANTASTIC job. I couldn't be happier.

I'll admit that I needed the break more than Ben did. He was missing the kids by Monday afternoon and I could have stayed another day or two, but all in all, we got the break we needed, the kids had fun with their favorite babysitters, and we are now ready to enjoy the next 8 years!

Christmas Day

We had a great Christmas! Santa was good to us, and everyone was happy. Emma wanted a Barbie doll, and she got 2. Justice wanted a toy airplane, and he got a little plane, a bigger helicopter, and a really big plane that Daddy made for him. Bri wanted "something" and she got a stuffed animal, and a really cute bag that Santa's helper made for her. Clay didn't want anything, but he got a little teddy bear and a car to go on shelf in their room...we also got some great presents from extended family.

Christmas Eve

During grad school, Ben had several classes with a girl named Heather. She very quickly became a family friend, and the kids now call her Aunt Heather. When we moved to Michigan, we were excited to find out that her parents live about 10 minutes from us. Heather and her family have been very kind to us and we have grown to love them. We spent Christmas Eve with them and had an absolutely wonderful evening. Dan and Leslie, Heather's parents, are kind and thoughtful. They are great with the kids, and whenever we go to their house we feel completely at ease. We never feel like our kids are annoying or a burden. We hope that our future guests will feel as comfortable at our house as we feel at theirs.

We had a delicious dinner and great conversation, and before we knew it, the evening was drawing to a close. Then there was a knock at the door. Santa knew we were going to be at the Swanson's and he left jammies for the kids on the doorstep. He also left a bag of toys. The kids liked their new jammies, but they LOVED their new toys. We changed the kids and let them play for a few minutes...then we came home and got everyone into bed so Santa could come to our house. 3 of the 4 kids went right to sleep. Can you guess who didn't want to go to bed...yep...Bri. Little stinker Bri was up until almost midnight saying "Ho Ho Ho, merry mimas" over and over again. She drives me crazy, cracks me up, and warms my heart all at the same time.

Gingerbread House

On December 20th we had some friends, the Burns family, over for dinner and to make Gingerbread Houses. We made pizza first and while we were eating the pizza we cooked the gingerbread. Between our two families, we have 9 kids who are 5 and under. The funny thing is that our kids' and their kids' birthdays are all within a few weeks of each other. The difference is that they have twin 4 year olds. Anyway, I didn't make enough dough for each family to make their own house, but we still tried to make it work. Ben was the architect, and unfortunately the roof was a little too steep to stay on very well. It didn't help that my frosting wasn't as stiff as it should have been either. It started off looking good though...
Then one side of the roof slid off. We tried to put it back on, but it just kept sliding back off...

Then the second side slid off and we just left it alone...

Hair Cockey

Ben has an ipod touch and he downloaded some free games for it. Last night, before bed, he was taking turns playing some of them with Emma and Justice. Whenever it was Emma's turn, Justice kept asking to play "hair cockey" with dad. I finally figured out that he was trying to say "air hockey". What a funny kid!

What a cute boy!

I took this picture the other day and it is just too cute not to share! Clay will be 1 in 3 weeks, and I can't believe it. I remember how miserable I was this time last year, and I am just so thankful to have him here and to watch him grow. We have awesome kids and we are really lucky.

tons of new stuff...

I think I did 5 or 6 new posts today, so keep reading and you will see what we have been up to these past several months.

Just in case you thought Bri had settled down a bit...

These are only the things that I have pictures of. I can think of several other things that I didn't remember to take a pic until after it was already cleaned up. She is starting to mellow out, but I don't know if she will ever completely stay out of mischief. Ben was giving the boys a bath and ran to get the phone or something and when he came back Bri was washing Clay's hair. She isn't always a stinker...sometimes she can be very cute too!

She thinks that every baby needs to have a diaper on, so she changes them several times a day.

She found my make-up bag and decided to put some on. She kept telling me that she was "so preeeetttttttty". It took 3 baths before all of the pink was off of her. NICE!

Yes, this is what you think it is. She was in the process of being potty-trained and left me this beautiful present. I had to shampoo the carpet after this. I am happy to report that she is now day trained, and hasn't had any accidents in a couple of weeks.

This picture was after she smeared soap all over her body. The bubbles in the water are from that. I did not use extra soap. This happened on her birthday I think.

other random pictures

Here are some other pictures from the last several months.

Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving we went spent with a family from church. Ben and I went to school with 2 of their sons and one of them was coming home, so we got invited. It was a lovely meal and I only had to bring rolls. We also had pie with the Stoddards...Ben's cousins who are also in our ward. It was a good day. I ton' have any pictures of us that day, but I do have pics of our pre-Thanksgiving fundraiser for the boy scouts at church. Our house was a regular bakery for a couple of days prepping for the bake sale and auction. Ben made these super cute Turkey cookies that went for $3.00 each and my bread (2 loaves a week for a month) went for $45.00. We also did chocolate chip cookies ($4 for 1/2 dozen) and pumpkin muffins ($8 for a dozen). I think I should open a bakery!

Justice's birthday...only a month late

Well, I guess I am finally getting caught up. I hope you all don't mind the Cliff's notes version of our lives over the last several months.

Justice's birthday was the same day that I took Clay to the emergency room. So, I missed it. A friend from church made dinner for my family and made Justice's cake. Ben took pics for me to see afterward.

We also got Justice a "big car that you can ride in and drive all by yourself...real fast" We have a video of it, but I can't get it to load. I will try later, but don't hold your breath.

Halloween

This year for Halloween, I decided to get ambitious. I made Emma's costume, and parts of Ben's and Bri's costumes. I think they turned out pretty good! I also made some spooky treats. Emma was Tinkerbell, Bri was Strawberry Shortcake, I was the Stay-puff marshmallow man, Justice was Buzz Lightyear, Ben was Woody, and Clay was the chicken. For some reason, I can't get the girl's pictures to flip the right way. I don't know why.

Emma's first day of school...beginning of September

Emma started Kindergarten this year. She is such a big girl! She goes in the mornings and she LOVES it. Her teacher tells us how sweet and kind and thoughtful she is. She is working hard and learning tons. Ben went into work late so he could walk Emma to school with us. I walked her to and from school everyday until it got too cold. We will start walking again when the weather warms up. I made her a cake for the first day of school. It is a remake of the castle cake I did for her Birthday. You have already seen some of these pics...sorry.

Bri's birthday...5 months later...

Bri's birthday was in July, but I never posted the pictures. Here you go! A special thanks goes to Uncle Aaron and Aunt Rachel (who were visiting at the time) for making Bri's Strawberry Shortcake cake. It turned out super cute and it was so nice to have their help. I am also adding pics of when they were here.
Clay LOVED Aaron and went to him anytime Aaron's arms were free. It was so cute to watch. The kids spent a good bit of time dressing up and playing really well together. There were a few little spats here and there, but I think most of them were between siblings, not cousins. I'm really surprised at how well 7 kids got along for the week. The highlight of the week was Bri's birthday, but the "laundry soap incident" took a close second. You can see what the 5 older kids did one afternoon. The funniest part is that they thought to get the toy vacuum to try and clean it up. Too funny!

my baby boy

I have so much I could blog about...like the last 6 months for example, but I'm not going to. Today, I am blogging about my baby boy. He is the sweetest little chunk of a baby. I love him and am so thankful to have him in our home. My pregnancy was miserable and the first few months he was here were too. Now that the reflux is under control and we are both getting sleep, life is better and filled with fat little legs, beautiful blue eyes, and the most precious smiles you have ever seen. He is the happiest and most easy going of all of our kids. Nothing upsets him...not even a 2 year old who is taking things from him. He loves his older brother and sisters and his eyes fill with wonder when he watches them play. He has the best laugh and we hear it often.

To be honest, I wasn't very excited when I found out I was pregnant with him...4 kids in 4.5 years? The last two only 17 months apart? How was I going to handle it? I actually didn't handle it...not very well. My body decided it couldn't take anymore and stopped working properly. My emotions didn't handle it very well either. Accepting my pregnancy and the resluting baby was definitely a process for me. I owe a huge amount of gratitude to a very merciful and understanding Father in Heaven. I know that babies are blessings...trust me. After infertility issues and treatments to get the first two here, I know babies are blessings. I also know that sometimes life doesn't turn out how you plan and sometimes, it is a blessing and it just takes a bit of time and a good amount of humility to realize it.

I can honestly say that I am thankful that Heavenly Father knows better what we need than we do. I am thankful for His plan and for His help when I don't understand or appreciate it. I am thrilled to have Clay in our family. He has definitely taken his place in our home and in my heart. I truly can't imagine our lives without him in it.

Last week Clay got sick. As the week wore on, he got more sick. On Thursday afternoon he started throwing up and had diahrrea. He stopped sleeping and cried alot. I held him for hours and tried to comfort him and keep him hydrated. Every time he threw up he would shake and look at me with the saddest eyes I have ever seen. I hope I never see them again. Every time he would poop, he would scream because it would literally burn him instantly. I called the Dr. on Friday and they told me what to do (which I was already doing) and what dehydration signs I needed to look for. On Sunday I noticed that he was starting to be limp. He had no interest in food or any form of liquid. He just wanted me to hold him. His eyes were sunken in and his lips were cracked. He hadn't had a wet diaper in hours. When Ben got home from church with the older kids, I took him to the emergency room. They drew some blood and hooked him up to an IV. They said they wanted to watch him for a bit before they decided to admit him.

So, we waited. Then the bloodwork came back and it said that he was severely dehydrated. We ended up staying overnight. He kept having bad diapers and he threw up a few more times. Yesterday afternoon he started to look and act a bit better. They finally let us come home last night. The whole time we were in there I held him. He wouldn't let me put him down. All I could think about was how grateful I am for modern medicine.

I just kept thinking about how hard it must have been for the pioneers to watch their babies die in their arms. This could have happened to Clay. The Dr. told me his body was in "survival mode" and not doing very well. 28 hours of IV fluids saved my son's life. I know that I was born at this time for a reason. I also know that Heavenly Father has showered tender mercies down on me and on my family. Any one of my pregnancies could have ended in disaster because of all that goes on with me while pregnant and during labor. If I had been born a hundred years ago, I would have died in childbirth and if by some miracle I survived, I would have lost atleast 2 of my children to illness. I can't imagine how a woman would be able to pick herself up and move on and continue to take care of the rest of her family. I am in awe at the strength of those who went before us and once again I am eternally grateful for the miracles that our Father in Heaven gives us each day.

Ben just finished his 3rd marathon!!!

I just got off the phone with Ben and he finished the Marine Corps marathon!!! I am so proud of him. I think he is pretty spectacular. He has had foot trouble for the last 2 months, and I was worried about him not being able to finish, but he did it. So, to anyone who knew about it, and those people who helped me pass the time while he has been gone this weekend, make sure to congratulate him.

Good job Ben! We love you and can't wait for you to come home tomorrow afternoon.

love--your hot wife and beautiful kids. :)

Emma's half birthday...

Since yesterday was Emma's half birthday, I figured I should finally post about her birthday party. 6 months late is better than never right? Part of the reason I didn't post her birthday earlier was because we lost all of the pics and video of her party. I am pretty sad about that.

Ben and I decided that there are a few birthday's that are milestones, and on those birthday's we are going to throw extra big parties for our kids. Those years are 5, 8, 12, 16, and of course 18. I guess if theya re still with us, we will do one for 21 too. Since this was a milestone year for Emma, we went all out.

Ben found and we bought a Train bounce house. I was just a little bit more to buy one than to rent one for the day and now we have it for our other kids too. She LOVED it. We invited all of the kids from her primary class and some of the kids from her preschool class. Both boys and girls were on the invite list, but it turned out that only girls were able to come...which was fine.

My mom was here visiting and she helped me make a castle cake. It was awesome! I lost the pics of it, so I recreated it for the first day of school. I took more time on the one for her birthday, and it looked better than this one, but you get the general idea. We also had a Pinata and she was very excited about that. We had a craft too. Each of the girls got to make a princess crown with their name on it. Overall, she had a great day and it turned out really great. I'm glad we made this day special for her and even though we don't have pics of it, I am really happy that my big girl is now 5.

Want to help some kids???

Someone sent this to Ben and he sent it to me. I think this is a great way for American Express to spend some money. What do you think...?

Life sort of got the better of me...

I know I haven't blogged in a long while. At first I was just too exhausted to do much of anything. Clay has reflux. It is under control now, but it took a long time to get here. He used to cry most of the the day and throw up repeatedly. He wasn't sleeping, and neither was I. I was still not doing well from the heart trouble I had during pregnancy and not sleeping was not helping it much. My mom came out for 3 weeks in April to help, and then my friend Dorothy came out for a week and a half at the end of April, beginning of May to help. I can't say enough how much I needed it. Just having another adult around to hold Clay for a while or to let me sleep was so wonderful. Then we had the Palmer Family Reunion. It was a great week and that was the turning point for Clay. We went to the specialist a few days before we left for North Carolina, and he changed the dosage of Zantac and put him on Mylanta too. It made all of the difference. He started sleeping through the night on that trip. Slowly, but surely, we have started to get to some form of normalcy. Clay now sleeps pretty well. He still has the reflux, and throws up regularly, but he doesn't cry near as much. He is not hurting all of the time anymore and is actually happy most of the time. I am starting to feel like a real person again, and my heart is starting to settle down finally.

Anyway, that is my excuse for not blogging. I've also been discouraged because we had pictures of Emma's 5th birthday and our family reunion, and our camera died. I can't get any of the pictures or video off of the memory card. I am afraid that they are all lost and I am very sad about it. Not having pictures of the last few months sort of took the wind out of my sails and gave me another reason not to blog. No one wants to just read words when they could be looking at pictures too. We do have the pictures that the professional photographer took at the reunion. I guess I'll post some of those. I'm also going to break up the posts so there won't be one monster one for everyone to read.

Thanks for listening to my rambling explanation and for your patience.

Congratulations Tiana and James Fraze!

Yesterday marks a very special day for my very best friend. Tiana had her baby yesterday and I am so excited and happy for her. She had a little girl, Sariah Marie, at 2:51pm. She was 7 lbs 3 oz and has a full head of hair. I haven't seen pictures yet, but once I do, I will post them. I am so excited for Tiana and James. I am excited for Justin to be a big brother and for their future together as a family to be filled with love and happiness. I know I have a lot of competition, but I am going for favorite Aunt. :)

Happy Birthday to Sarah!

Happy Birthday to a wonderful woman!!

Handsome little guy

Seriously people, could he be any cuter?!

The many faces of Clay

No complaints

So Ben casually mentioned the other day that our blog has become my favorite place to complain about how stinky my life is. Of course I was slightly offended and said, "No it isn't!" Then I went back and read our blog and realized that yeah, it is. So, this post is to prove to myself and everyone else that my life is not complete misery. I have had fun with my kids this winter and I have taken several pictures to prove it. Enjoy!
Ben making cookies with the girls. They love to help me bake, and they thought it was a special treat to help Daddy make cookies.

Clay in his little dog outfit that the neighbor gave us when he was born. So cute!!!

Can you tell what Bri is doing? Who says they don't pay attention to everything you do?

Whenever I pull out the camera, Emma and Justice start acting crazy and telling me to take pictures. Bri starts to feel left out and grabs for the camera. This is a typical photo shoot of them.

You know you've been in quarantine too long when...

You know you've been in quarantine too long when...you read a friend's blog and then start looking at their friend's blogs and then their friend's blogs. These are people I don't even know and will most likely never meet, yet I keep reading because it is some connection to the outside world. I feel like everyone is living a brilliantly exciting life and I have been looking at the inside of my house for the last 3 months. The good news is that we have avoided a ton of sicknesses that have been circulating here in Michigan and Justice is doing very well because of it. The not so good news is that I am starting to think that even illness would be welcome because it would mean a trip to the Dr. and a reason to leave the house. Only a few more weeks to go and we are "free to roam about the country".

Sweet, Sweet Sabrina

How could you not love this face? She is so cute it is impossible not to fall in love with her instantly. However, she tries to test me on this everyday.

Since the last posting, I have washed her purple "shampoo jammies". I washed them with a load of towells and did NOT add any detergent. The first time through was very bubbly and very fruity smelling. I had to run the load again to get all of the shampoo out of everything. Here are pictures of both.

A few days later I got brave and put "the jammies" on her again. Everything was great. We got up, I made pancakes for breakfast. After breakfast I cleaned up the kitchen and then went upstairs to take a quick shower. The 3 older kids were playing in the basement and Clay was asleep. I was upstairs for exactly 13 minutes. (I have perfected the art of the super quick shower.) I came back downstairs and Bri was in the kitchen. I apparently forgot to put the syrup away after breakfast. I'm sure if you use your imagination (or not really) you can figure out what happen. Yep...Bri got the syrup and spread it all over my kitchen. Now "the jammies" smell like maple fruitiness.

Ben put the kids to bed a few nights ago and I sent Emma upstairs to get jammies for both girls. She came down with the same purple jammies and Ben and I joked about whether or not to put them on her. We did. The next morning we had oatmeal for breakfast. I cleaned everything up and put everything away. I double checked myself a couple of times to make sure everything was out of her reach. Then I went upstairs to get Clay. I was upstairs for maybe 3 minutes. I came back down and what did I find...Bri sitting on my kitchen floor in a mess of raw oatmeal and mashed potato flakes. I did put everything away, but I forgot to do the lock on our pantry door. What is the deal!?!

So yesterday we got new appliances and I LOVE them. Aren't they pretty? I let Bri play with the fridge door yesterday to see if she could open it. She could open the old one, and that is why we had fridge locks on it. I would rather not put locks on this new fridge. She was not able to open it no matter how hard she tried and I was so happy! So I went downstairs this morning to clean up the basement (that is a story for another day) and Bri came down. She was all wet. I thought she must have gotten one of the older kids' cups and dumped it on herself. Upon further inspection...she was covered in egg. She figured out how to open the fridge afterall and she got to my eggs. The good news is that she wasn't wearing "the jammies". The bad news is that I had egg all over the floor, fridge, and her. WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS GIRL!?!?!?!?!? It's not like I am a negligent mother. I try very hard to make sure there aren't things for her to get into, but she somehow manages to find every opportunity to get into stuff and make a huge mess. AHHHHH!!!!! How does a mom catch a break anyway?

Let's just say I'm struggling...

Anyone who reads this blog posting...be forewarned. I am exhausted and therefore overwhelmed...this will most likely be me rambling and complaining about how hard my life is to handle right now.

If you're still reading after that warning...thank you for caring. :)

As you know, Clay has reflux. The Dr. increased his dosage which I think is helping. I started to notice a bit of a difference before he got sick. How did he get sick? No idea. We haven't gone anywhere or had anyone over. We somehow managed to have both boys sick and no one else. Well, Justice actually made it through this illness quickly and without too much trouble. Clay on the other hand, has been sick for a couple of weeks. I have taken him to the Dr. twice already. Last Thursday night he did not do well. He was up a lot and coughing pretty hard. Eventually he started wheezing. I took him to the Dr. on Friday, and he has RSV. AWESOME! Justice had RSV at about the same age and ended up in the hospital. That was the beginning of all of the health problems he has had. The Dr. tested Clay's oxygen levels and they were low. He was also wheezing, so she had me give him a breathing treatment in the the office and wait a few minutes to see if it helped the wheezing and raised his oxygen levels. It was serious de-ja-vu for me. Luckily, the breathing treatment made a big difference, so we were able to come home instead of going to the hospital. Over the weekend we had to give him breathing treatments 3 times a day and on Monday I was able to start weening him off of the treatments. He has done really well with them. Unfortunately he hasn't been sleeping well. I think I have averaged 3-4 hours of interrupted sleep a night for at least the last week. I am exhausted...let's just say that as I am typing my hands are a bit shaky.

Yesterday I went outside to shovel snow and to try and get all of the ice off of our driveway before we had more snow and freezing temperatures last night. Clay was finally asleep and the other kids were watching PBS. I came in every few minutes to check on the kids. Everything was fine until I was just finishing the last little bit. Emma opened the door and said that Justice and Bri were making a big mess. I scooped the last shovel full and then went inside. Now remember that I was checking on them every few minutes. So in a span of 10 minutes (at the most) Justice and Bri made one of the biggest messes I have been lucky enough to face as a mother. You know when you buy something that is packed in those Styrofoam blocks? Well, Bri got into a box (we just bought a new end table) and she and Justice started breaking those blocks into tiny little pieces. It seriously looked like it had snowed inside my house. It covered the living room, dining room, kitchen, foyer, family room, and both kids. I mean covered! I should have taken a picture of it before I started cleaning it up. I didn't think about it until I had already been cleaning for over an hour. This is what is left after I had to stop to clean out the vacuum because it stopped sucking. NICE!

Because I wasn't tired enough, Clay woke up 4 times last night. Bri woke up at 6am and needless to say I was not ready to get up. I made her stay in bed with us until 7am. Ben got up and got ready for work while the kids were downstairs watching Disney. Then Ben went to work. Usually I hear him leaving and get up. Well, I didn't hear him leaving today...so yes, my kids were awake and unattended. That makes me feel like such a good mom. Anyone want to nominate me for mother of the year? Anyway, I woke up to Bri sitting on the floor of my bedroom and crying. I was a little confused for a second and then I smelled something fruity. It was a really nice fruity smell and I remember thinking that I wish I could eat whatever was making that wonderful smell. All of the sudden I realized that the fruity smell was Emma's shampoo. AAAAHHHH!!!! I jumped out of bed and found Bri sitting in a puddle of shampoo. She emptied the entire bottle (which was about 3/4 full) on our carpet. I am almost afraid to wash the PJ's she was wearing because I don't want bubbles to spew out of my washing machine. It wouldn't surprise me if it did...that is the luck I am having these days.

Update: So I wrote this last week and got sidetracked...imagine that...and never finished it. Every time I think I have gotten all of the little bits of Styrofoam I find more. The vacuum completely died. We had to take it apart and change the belt. I still haven't' washed Bri's jammies, and am a little afraid to do so. I will take pictures if anything exciting happens...

Pics of baby Clay

Okay... I know it has been way too long, but I am finally posting pictures of our sweet baby Clay. He is a wonderful and even tempered baby. Unfortunately I don't get to see it as often as I would like because of the reflux, but he is almost big enough for medicine, so hopefully that will change pretty soon. Emma, Justice and Bri adore him and are very good with him. We haven't had any jealousy issues that I have noticed...knock on wood. I'm looking forward to getting Clay on some meds for his reflux so hopefully I can get a little sleep. Enjoy the pictures.