Swimming Lessons...and other stuff!

*Sorry I've been absent for the last few weeks, but now that summer has come I'm not finding a lot of free time to blog with three little ones to entertain all the time. We are having a lot of fun so far this summer, but don't expect quite as many updates as we have been busy, busy, busy!

You know it's officially summer when swimming lessons get under way & that's just what we have been doing for the last two weeks! Today we completed our accelerated two week swimming courses at the "Y" & the kids loved every minute of it! They went 4 days a week for two weeks straight & boy am I tired! On top of the swimming lessons Chandler has been going to summer school every day & to a special "social skills" group once a week-whew! I know that sounds like a lot, but come July we will slow down quite a bit. However, one thing is for sure, I'm certainly not slowing down in the "growth" department. I think I wake up a little bigger every day.

Here are a few pictures from the kids swimming lessons:

Awww, what a cute brother and sister picture!

















Chandler learning to float on his back in a life vest (part of boating safety day).













Chandler waiting his turn.














McKenna was SO excited to go to her lessons all week.

















Working hard on that side stroke.













Here is just a *bonus* picture of the kids from last weekends "camping in the backyard" adventure!


Mmmmmm, S'mores in the backyard!














































Oh, and just in case you were wondering....yes, I'm only 5 months pregnant. Please, say that to my face in a really shocked and surprised tone that seems to insinuate "Geez, you look more like 7 or 8 months along". I just LOVE that!


The classic side/headless view.













Chandler thought he needed to be in this picture with "his baby". How cute is that?
















*On a little more serious note, I wanted to let you all know that your prayers would be much appreciated concerning a little "bump" in my pregnancy journey. On Tuesday I had a regular prenatal visit with my midwife & she detected an irregular heartbeat/skipped heartbeat in the baby. She quickly assured me that this may not be something to be too overly concerned with, but that we did need to try and figure out if there was something that is causing it. Soooo, I'll be going in for a Level II sonogram with a perinatologist on Monday. At that appointment they will do a more detailed sonogram of the baby's heart (called a fetal echocardiogram) to determine if there is any obvious reason for the irregular/skipped heartbeat. This could just be something that will clear up on it's own before (or shortly after) the birth.

All in all, that's pretty reassuring to know that this is most likely not something to be super concerned with. However.....it's certainly not the kind of thing you want to hear halfway through your pregnancy. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a tad concerned after hearing such a funky heartbeat on the doppler this last Tuesday, but that's kind of my job as a Mom to worry a little (it comes naturally to us Mom's).

I'll keep you all (all two of you that read this blog-ha!) posted on the ultrasound results after Monday's appointment :-).

Pregnancy cravings.....

With each pregnancy I've had some sort of salad obsession. With McKenna it was Chili's Chicken Cesar Salad. With Chandler it was On The Border's Steak Fajita Salad. With Maya it was Panera's Summer Strawberry Salad. With this baby it's my very own concoction that has me running to the store every week for ingredients. It's kind of a "oriental salad" of sorts with spring greens, Mandarin Oranges, Edemame beans, Garbanzo beans, red pepper, almonds, and a ginger sesame dressing. It's WONDERFUL! Add some sliced grilled chicken and you have yourself a full meal!















Some other pregnancy cravings I've had have been kinda funny because they are so "typical" pregnant girl stuff:

-Watermelon.
-Scrambled eggs and toast (almost every day!).
-Grapefruit Juice.
-Cheese....any kind!
-Steak.
-Guacamole.
-Chocolate chip cookies (homemade....only my recipe....and straight from the oven!)

It's no wonder I gain 50 lbs each pregnancy!

Memorial Day Fun!

Of course it RAINED on Memorial Day this year (when does it not rain on Memorial Day?). However, that didn't stop the kids from going out in all the sloppy, muddy, yucky-ness & playing their little hearts out.















Maya and Evely had the most fun I think!


















Remember when finding a little frog in your backyard was like winning the lottery? McKenna must have played with this little guy for two hours straight. Ah, the simple pleasures of being a kid!















By the end of the day I think I must have washed dirty little feet no less than 20 times. The kids kept wanting to come inside which meant we had to wash muddy little piggy's EVERY TIME they came in! It got to be a bit comical by the end of the day.









*All in all it was a great day. Memorial Day was also "Big Papa's" 34th birthday!! I didn't get any pictures of the birthday boy with his red velvet cake (shame on me!), but I think he had a great birthday. I'm going to enjoy this next year when I can still say I'm in my "twenties" & Jonathan is now "mid-thirties"....it's a good feeling to say the least-LOL!

**A special thanks to Tom and Karen for hosting a great party. Love you guys!

Past The Halfway Mark!

This pregnancy has gone pretty fast when I stop and think about it. Of course, it always seems like time stands still once you get closer to the third trimester. We still haven't accomplished any of the "big" home projects that are on my list, so I'm in no hurry to rush through this pregnancy. I'm still hoping for an October baby, but with the early swelling I'm already having I won't hold my breath on that one!

Here is a recent picture of my huge (or so I've been told) baby bump.















(For the record: THIS is not "huge" to me...it's normal!)


In other news.....

My beautiful Mother's Day flower garden was cursed with some very un-friendly visitors this week & I think I might have lost my sweet flowers to the Ortho spray used to kill said "visitors".













Ewwwwwwwwwwww!


Pretty sure those are termites. Figures.....only the "Whites" could have such fortune !















Stay tuned for pictures of Maya's new bed!

Crime and Punishment!

The Crime:
































Yes...that is indeed an empty laundry detergent box (that Maya pulled from the garbage can) that served as undercover "storage" for her stolen booty.

















Sneaky little thief!

















The Punishment:


The sneaky little criminal was caught red handed (or, is that yellow handed?) and had to serve some time behind bars while the kitchen floor was cleaned and disinfected.
















It's true what they say about those cushy minimum security joints...they really are pretty nice!












I don't think she "learned her lesson"...but she sure did make me laugh!

My Little Graduate!

It's official! We have a preschool graduate in our home! Last week Chandler had a "Moving On" ceremony at his school & he officially graduated from Early Childhood (sniff, sniff). I'm really going to miss his wonderful teachers & therapists from the early childhood program, but I know this is just part of him growing up. I certainly don't feel ready for him to be in Kindergarten next year, but I'm comforted by the fact that I know he will once again have fantastic teachers & it helps
that I really like my kids school.

Here are a few pictures from his little ceremony:



Receiving his certificate.













Taking a look at it.....













He was so proud!













What a cute little man!

It's a........

Baby giant?? I had my "big" ultrasound yesterday and this baby is measuring about 1 week ahead of my due date & even a little "chubby" at that (10 oz)! The tech asked me how big my biggest baby was & when I told her 8 lbs, she kinda paused...then we told her our 8 pounder was a month early! She kinda laughed and then didn't say anything else. I'll be sure to thank my husband (who was a 10 lb, 4 oz baby) this October when I give birth to this giant without an epidural!

Other than this baby being "impressive" in size, everything else looked great! We saw the face, belly, heart, hands, feet, liver, lungs...all that cool stuff! We brought McKenna with us to the ultrasound, and she thought that it was so cool to see the "baby x-ray's".

Oh, and we saw one other thing too............................................
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IT'S A BOY!

We are thrilled that Channy will finally get the brother he has been asking for! It will also be kinda fun to have two of each, since we are really, REALLY done after this baby. Oh, and just in case you are wondering, this baby will continue to be called "baby" until after it's birth since my husband seems to have some sort of baby naming aversion that causes him to act juvenile when the mention of naming our child comes up. He pretty much mocks the naming process by offering suggestions like "Larry, Daryl, and Daryl", "Stevie Ray", "Cletus", and "Percival". He does this every single time we have a baby! Unfortunately, this will most likely continue until the hospital hands us the birth certificate papers and makes us fill them out! So, wish us luck on the whole "naming" thing...because we are gonna need it!

This is me a few days ago, at 18 weeks :-).

Happy Mother's Day!

It's no secret that for the past 6 years Mother's Day has been my least favorite holiday. I referred to it as "Grandmother's Day" instead. That's because for my first 6 years of being a Mother I spent the entire day running around to both of the grandma's homes to pay homage to them (which usually meant me cooking some sort of side dish for a meal, and buying them the "perfect" Mother's Day gift). Don't get me wrong...I love our Mother's, but I was not so in love with the "special" day that put so much pressure on me. It was anything but special for me & I began to despise the holiday. It was much like Christmas...but the stakes were even higher!

SOOOOOO, this year my loving husband worked really hard to change all that. We managed to show our Mom's we loved them, without having to run all over the city on Sunday. For my first Mother's Day ever I got to sleep in, have a fun day with my kids, and actually relax for once! Imagine that!! It was a really great day & I owe it all to my wonderful hubby who worked so hard to make things fun.

I'm such a nerd that I actually asked for PIZZA on Mother's Day. It's a good thing that I have such unrefined taste, because do you know how unpopular pizza joints are on Mother's Day? We had the whole restaurant to ourselves & the kids behaved beautifully. It was a dream come true!

After a tasty and satisfying lunch we went to Home Depot to buy my gift..........

I asked Jonathan for flowers for Mother's day...and he delivered!









I spent a few hours in the afternoon planting flowers with Jonathan and the kids, and then we had a cookout in the evening. It was the perfect day! I guess I have some planning to do for Father's day now.............

Financial Peace & lessons on giving!

Well, Jonathan and I just completed the 13 week Dave Ramsey course called "Financial Peace" & I can say for sure that the last 13 weeks really have been life-changing! It's one of the best things we have done as a married couple & I finally have some hope that we really can change our family tree. I don't want to bore anyone with all the details about what "Financial Peace University" is, so I'll just say that the curriculum title says it all...you really will find financial peace if you choose to adopt the principals this course teaches.

This past Wednesday was our final class and the last lesson was on "giving". I really do think it was the best lesson out of all 13 lessons because it is at the heart of why I really desire to be debt free. Sure, I want to alleviate financial stress & be able to do things that my family never got to do (like take vacations!), but I would not say that is what drives me to seek being out of debt.

As many of you know I did not grow up with any sort of financial stability in my home. In fact, there were times where if it were not for the grace of God, we would have been homeless. That's my family history in a nutshell. When I grew up I vowed NEVER to let that be the legacy that I passed down to my children.

However, in the midst of being poor and destitute I was able to witness something pretty amazing from my parents...they were givers! Not with monetary gifts, but with their time and talents! My entire life I saw my Dad pick up hitch-hikers and buy them a meal, take in guys who were fresh out of prison, and down on there luck, & teach them how to write a resume & help them find a job. He also started several prison ministries were he would have worship bands come in and play for these guys & then hold a Bible study afterwards. Even today my Dad goes to a local prison to hold a monthly Bible study. He has mentored several of these guys when they got out & even found AA mentors for them so that they would stay on the straight and narrow and not end up back in prison.

These are just a few things I saw my parents do despite the fact that we were pretty destitute in our own way. There were Christmas's where we didn't get gifts, and months when the only food we ate was that which came out of our own garden or from the farm we lived on. Yet, my parents still had a heart for others. I didn't grow up with much, but I did grow up with parents who placed a high value on hard work and charity of the heart.

But...you know what I think is sad? My parents had a very hard time not feeling guilty about not "giving" to the Church in the "right" way. You all know what I mean. If you grew up in the Church, you heard the yearly "giving" sermons & maybe wrote a check or two out of guilt. However, I've never been at peace with that idea. I have to ask myself, "Is that really what God means when he says to give". I'll be honest here and tell you I never have bought into that & I never will.

What I am about to say next is not very popular...but this is my blog, so I get to say what I think... right or wrong! I said earlier that I wanted to become debt free so that we could be "givers", and by that I do mean giving MONEY (not just time and talents)! However, I do not think I'll ever be at peace with my soul if I write out a check to a Church building every month for 10% of my gross income. Why? Because, in my heart I believe God has called us to raise our heads up and out of the four walls of a Church building to see the world of needs all around us. He called us to "look after the orphans and widows in their distress" (James 1:27) & I take that very seriously.

What I'm saying right now is only to my Christian friends: Please think about what I am saying. Please consider that God has called you to give in more than one way. I find it very discouraging when most of my Christian friends do not have time for anything outside of their "Church Ministries". I do not think that speaks very highly of Christians. When you can't make time for programs like "Big brothers/Big sisters", when you don't have time to do a charity walk to raise money for cancer, stroke, autism, March of dimes, etc...what are you saying? Here is just one example that comes to mind : My Dad has asked, begged, and pleaded with many of his Christian buddies to come to the prison with him once a month and do a Bible study with these prison inmates, and he has yet to get a "yes" from any of his friends. They are all too busy with "Church stuff". What does that say??

OK....stepping down off my soap box. What I want from this post is to help others think outside the box. What I beg of you is this : Please understand that Christian or not, we should all be givers. I believe we were all created in the image and likeness of Jesus Christ, and he was a giver in the biggest sense of the word (For God so loved the world that He GAVE his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -John 3:16). If you really believe that giving the biggest chunk of your monetary gifts to a Church building so they can crank the heat and A/C, turn on the lights, and pay staff salaries, is what God has called you to do...well, I'll not argue with you then. But, promise me that you will remember that God has called us to see the whole world....his world...a world full of needs.

Please do not forget that somewhere across the street, or across the world there is a single mother who is struggling to feed her children & she still needs help. Somewhere, there is a man laying in a prison cell that needs to know that someone thinks he is worth more than the sum of the wrongs he has committed. Somewhere, there is a family with a young child that is dying of cancer, and their only hope and encouragement comes from a local not-for-profit charity that is funded by people like you and me. Please...DO NOT forsake these people! You simply cannot ignore the world around you because you are "too busy". We are capable of so much more than we realize, we just need to step out of our tiny little worlds to see it sometimes.

I'm saying this as much to myself as I am to anyone else. I do not want to forget where I came from, or where I'm going. I want to live this life with purpose and meaning. I want my children, and my children's children to have a rich heritage filled with great examples of generous givers. I hope my name is NEVER carved in a cement park bench at some multi-million dollar Church complex, because my money was used to build a useless courtyard for people who already have a courtyard in their own backyards! I DO hope that some day a poor family with three little girls will receive an anonymous package filled with gifts and food on Christmas Eve, just in time to give those little girls hope that this Christmas will not pass once again with no gifts (that was me many years ago...)!

I'm sure that I've sufficiently bored many of you to death with this long, grammatically incorrect, self-righteous tirade...but it was sure therapeutic for me ;-). If you did read this, I hope it gets you thinking about what you want for your future, and your family tree.

Peace!

It's over!

Well, this is gonna be the short version of my oral surgery story (because I'm really busy today).

I had my surgery yesterday (despite contemplating how I was going to get out of it all last week). I was pretty proud of myself for even showing up at the endodontists office yesterday. Inside, I think I really just wanted to get it over with. The surgery itself was not too horribly painful, because they made sure to numb me up really well. I can't say I enjoyed getting to witness my own apicoectomy (cutting out the root tip of a tooth), but I imagine that might give me some new bragging rights. No?? I mean, not many people can tell you what it sounds like to have two large roots from your upper right molar scraped out of your head. It's...memorable to say the least. Oh, and it was bloody too...very, very bloody!

The pain was pretty significant after all the numbness wore off. I thought maybe I was going to vomit in the middle of Walgreen's when I went to pick up my prescriptions last night. However, I told myself to do everything in my power to avoid vomiting, because I figured stomach acid would probably make the 20 or so stitches in my upper gums burn like wild fire! So, no vomiting for me :-). For those of you who were wondering, you CAN take prescription pain killers when you are pregnant. My lovely midwife called my endodontist a "dork" for telling me I couldn't take anything after surgery & gave me a Rx for Tylenol 3. I really love my midwife right now! Had it not been for those pain killers, I'm quite confident I would not have been able to sleep last night.

So, here's to 6 more days of soft foods, careful chewing on the left side of my mouth only, and lots of pain killers to get me through! But, at least it's over now!!

What kind of world do you want.

The last week has been full of ups and downs for me (and NO it's not just the funky pregnancy hormones messing with me!). Last Friday Jonathan and I went to Chandler's "moving up" IEP (individual education plan) meeting. My little boy is starting Kindergarten next year & believe me when I say "I am NOT ready".

I know I don't talk about it much on my blog, but most of you know our son Chandler has autism. I purposefully do not mention it all that often because I want my son to be treated normally. I don't want people to see him as "that kid with autism". I want them first and foremost to see him as "Chandler". In so many ways he is just your average 4 year old little boy (except for the fact that he is the size of a 10 year old!), doing very normal little kid things. I guess we are "lucky" that he has a very high functioning form of autism, and over the last two years he has learned to function and communicate quite well.

However, I have reminders every day of the battle I am up against. For instance, I have an almost 5 year old that still tantrums like a two year old when he gets upset & often times he does not have the words to tell me what he wants. He does not understand what kinds of things are dangerous for him (despite us explaining it to him dozens of times). He is attracted to "shiny" knives, the bright red light that comes on when the stove top burners are turned on, he loves water & will jump right in the deep end of the pool despite almost drowning one time. His syntax is often jumbled and very difficult to interpret ("I want for to the dinosaurs box books green at the store"... Take a stab at that meaning???). There are lots of little idiosyncrasies that make up Chandler, but that's part of what I love about him. He can be very difficult to understand at times, but I believe he is full of potential.

One of the more difficult tasks of being a parent of an autistic child is having to attend these IEP meetings & hear about how other people view your child's abilities. I have very high hopes and expectations for my son, and I've had to learn how to be his advocate in a world that constantly puts limitations on him. I understand why they may "limit" him in some areas, but that doesn't mean it's not painful to hear that your child can't do what all the other kids his age are doing. I've had to find the balance of fighting for him in the areas where I know he is capable, and accepting the areas where I think he still needs help. It's not a fun thing to have to talk to 8 people for 2 hours about what your child can't do.

For now, I hold on to the hope that one day we will find a cure for this awful disease that is affecting 1 in every 150 children. As a parent it's terrifying to not know what causes it. You live in constant fear that you may actually be harming your child further with everyday things like the food they eat, the water they drink, the medicines they take when they get sick, and of course the vaccines they receive (should you do them, or should you stop them altogether?). None of the answers are simple, and no one solution seems to work for every child. It's frustrating and disheartening to feel so helpless when you see that your child suffers with something that NO ONE has an answer for.

However, I have chosen not to feel sorry for myself (and I don't want you to feel sorry for me either). What I DO want to do is help my son and the millions of other children that suffer with ND's (neurological disorders)find a cure. If it means I have to be more vocal about Chandler's autism...then so be it. I'll just have to trust that the world will still see in him all the potential that I see. It's a hard thing to trust other people with your child, especially when you fear that they will judge your child just because they don't understand them. But, that's one thing that I want to change for Chandler's future. I want this world to be a place that loves and accepts him even if he is never "normal". I know that's a tall order, but unless I stay optimistic and ever vigilant, it may never happen.

So, what kind of world do you want?

*This is a video of a little boy who is struggling with autism and I thought it was touching & very appropriate for this post :-) Enjoy!

http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/

What have I done?

Today, I did a very bad thing. I let my 2 year old have a Ho Ho. You know...the chocolate cake rolled with creamy filling. What have I done? It was a moment a weakness that I'm sure I will soon come to regret.

As it is her entire diet consists only of string cheese, grapes, bananas, cheese-it crackers, yogurt, Pb&j and the occasional bowl of mac-n-cheese. The child does not eat meat or vegetables of any kind. But I'm pretty sure she would sacrifice her right arm for a cupcake, or even just a handful of M&M's. Yes, she has her mothers cursed "sweet tooth".

Well, at least I got some cute pictures of her Ho Ho dreams coming true...
The first bite....
Pure delight!
Now, that's the stuff dreams are made of.

And then you have a night like last night....

Well, I was all set to do a whiny post about having "one of those weeks" when everything breaks at the same time (at our house it was the car, the washer, and my mouth!). Then, something very sad happened in our neighborhood last night that made me reconsider how "bad" I really have it.

Around 6:00 pm last night Jon and I were in our back room talking when all of the sudden we heard a BOOM! CRASH! Then our lights began to flicker & we heard the unmistakable crackle and pop of a transformer blowing up. We immediately ran to the back yard to check on the kids, then we turned toward our neighbors house and saw his back yard go up in flames. Jon yelled at me to call 911 & he hopped the fence to run next door to check on them. I quick rounded up the kids & got them inside just about the time we lost all power. I could see all the neighbors coming out of their front doors, but I stayed on the line until I got through to 911. That's when the 911 operator picked up and said "Are you calling about car accident on your street?". My first words were "NO...I'm calling about the fire in my neighbors back yard"! I didn't even realize yet what was going on.

What I saw next was in one word...horrific! No one knows how or why, but a young girl somehow managed to skip the "gully" (otherwise known as a trench for storm water), plow through a fence, flip her SUV, and hit a light pole before finally coming to rest. The end result was pretty ugly. Her SUV was on it's side, trapped under the largest portion of the broken light pole (it split in two!) with the windshield and roof bowed inward pinning her inside the car. My neighbor and I were the first ones to approach the car, and suffice it to say it was frightening to see this poor girl trapped! I won't go into all the details, but from what we could see it looked like the girl was alive when they got her out! Life flight landed a few blocks up the street & the police told us she was still alive when they got her to the helicopter.

It took all night to clean up the mess & when I finally went to bed at 1:00 am our street was still blocked off and glowing with emergency lights. What a night! It's times like these that make you realize that the "little stuff" like bills, car repairs, and whiny kids is NOTHING in the cosmic grand scheme of things. NOTHING! I went to bed feeling so thankful that I had my whole family tucked safely into their beds. This life is so precious, and I want to remember that every time I'm tempted to complain about the "little" things that clouds my vision.

Last night was a wake up call! As I watched emergency crews work to free that girl, all I could think was "this life is too short to obsess over the things I have no control over". I want this event to remind me that NOW is the time to embrace this life. NOW is the time to appreciate all the many blessings that God has given me. NOW is the time to remember that each day, each moment we have is a gift. 50 years from now I can guarantee you that this time of "struggle" we are going through will mean NOTHING! 50 years from now I probably won't even be able to recall the week that everything in my house decided to break at the same time. Nope! I won't remember those things because honestly...they just don't matter. I've got what matters right now...and I'm going to try my hardest to remember that this week :-).

Bins and Bellies!

What an exciting life I lead! Wanna know what I did this weekend? Well, I'll give you a little hint.....

Yup! I forced my poor hubby to sort through boxes, bags, and mountainous piles of children's clothing that had been taking up way to much storage room in the closets. We sorted, folded, and placed the clothing neatly into 12 carefully labeled storage bins! To accomplish this huge task we stayed up till 1 in the morning this past Saturday! Why so late? Well, because you can only do this sort of organizing while small children sleep...otherwise you would have waaaaaaay too much extra "help".

Jonathan really loves the 7 month nesting phase I go though every pregnancy :-). I think the outdoor siding needs cleaning next.....oh, and the garage floors will get a good washing too! You think I'm kidding...but I'm not! You know what the best part of all this "nesting" is (besides a really clean home)...my sweet hubby actually helps me with it! I love to do "projects" in the Spring, and now that I'm pregnant that urge is just magnified 100x more! So, the next time you see Jonathan, just sympathize with him (because he's gonna be really busy this Spring)!

Oh, and for my out of town friends...here is your "belly" picture.

Mama's Still Got It!

I could not let the events of this past weekend pass without at least a brief mention of them (because this sort of thing never happens to me). The short of it is I was hit on TWICE this weekend. Yep...two times! Now, the surrounding circumstances may take away from that a little bit, so I thought it was important to "WOW" you with the raw facts first-LOL! As I'm sure you all are aware by now, I'm carrying baby #4 and growing quite fast this time, so I've been trying my darnedest to conceal my ever-expanding tummy to the best of my ability. It gets really old to hear all the comments about how "big" I am this soon (there will be plenty of time for that later!).

So...Saturday night I decided to squeeze into my jeans one last time (mainly because I don't have anything else to wear right now) to go out for the evening. Jonathan and I went to Paddy O's to catch the KU/NC game (which was freaking awesome!) with some friends. We spent all evening at the pub watching both of the final 4 games, and by the end of the night I was feeling bloated and more than a little uncomfy in my pre-preggo jeans. That's when it happened. The drunk guy that had been sitting across from our table all evening and cheering with us told me I was "beautiful", and asked if I was married. HA! That's when my brother-in-law laughed and said "She's not only married, but she is working on baby #4". I don't really think this guy got all of that (he was on beer number 9 or 10 by that point), but he gave me a high-five & told Jon he was "lucky". Ah, nothing like a drunk man to boost a pregnant girls confidence :-).

The second "hit" happened on Sunday at the grocery store. I was in the produce section marking things things off my way-too-detailed shopping list (I'm trying to stick to a budget, which requires a lot of fine tuning to my grocery list), when I saw this Nigerian man pass by me and look over my shoulder at my produce list. I smiled because I thought he probably wondered what the heck I was doing writing prices beside all the things on my list. Then, he did it again...he pulled his cart right up to mine & looked me straight in the eyes and smiled. At this point I was pretty sure he found my shopping style down right sexy...you know, with the whole typed list with sub-categories and all. Oh, and I was also weighing all the produce, and then calculating everything with my cell phone calculator (grrrr, baby!). I know some men find that anal-retentive shopping strategy completely irresistible! I smiled back and moved along. A few minutes later, when I had moved on to the hamburger helper aisle, he came by again. This time he formerly introduced himself & asked my name, and if I had a boyfriend! There I was, holding my box of cheeseburger macaroni, wearing my first pair of maternity pants, and I was being hit on for the second time that weekend! It just doesn't get any better than this-ha!

Of course, when I told my husband about my grocery store "hit" he laughed and said "Jonathan" (that was his name...how funny is that!) was probably interested in me because I was a "citizen". Oh, puh-lease! He was clearly attracted to my very detailed hunting and gathering skills, and I won't let myself believe any different. I think this baby is giving me a "glow" that men see, but don't understand. Heck, I better get something good out of the deal since I'm already caving to the temptation of maternity wear this early on :-).

*This is a boy....I'm sure of it now! My girls just give my zits and oily hair. Chandler made me "glow"...therefore I'm voting BOY this time around :-).

Endodontist Consult.

Let's see if I can make this short.

In a few weeks I'm going to have my gums sliced open while this endodontist digs, picks, and files away 2 twisted, gnarled up roots in my upper right molar . Then he will stitch up my gums and send me home with a Rx for...nothing! As an added bonus to all the pain and misery I'll be experiencing, I get to take good old Tylenol for pain relief (Oh, and an ice bag to the cheek for swelling-woohoo!). Yep, this is sounding better all the time isn't it?

As a added benefit to all this pain and discomfort I also get to dine on a liquid/soft foods diet for 1 week while my mouth is full of stitches. Just in case you are wondering, the stitches don't dissolve either. I'll get to go back a week later to have them removed.

This life I lead...it's so freaking glamorous at times. I already know how jealous you are going to be when you see my puffed up chipmunk cheeks. Try not to hate me, because it's really difficult to be this perfect all the time.

Just say it...you want my life.

Easter Thoughts, and some pictures.

I must say, this Easter was one of our best years ever! We had a wonderful weekend, with plenty of great memories from time spent with our family. I think one of the things that made it so wonderful was the fact that we were so "free" this year. I don't want this to come across the wrong way, but this was the first year that we were not committed to something Church-oriented & it was wonderful! We actually enjoyed Easter for once - imagine that.

For me, it really was a time of reflection on what Christ did for me. Now for my guilty confession...we didn't even go to Church Easter morning (faint.....gasp...I know, I know...). We did take some time as a family to read about the resurrection & we shared the Lord's supper with my family on Easter day (with our meal...the way it used to be done). It was a refreshing change to the days of old when were stressed out to the max on Easter morning because we had to be at Church to fulfill some duty or obligation. I don't know if I can ever do that to myself again. Now, I'm not saying we will never go to Church on Easter Sunday again (not at all!). However, I will be careful about filling my calendar on resurrection Sunday with a bunch of things that don't matter. I liked having time to focus on what does matter.......the risen savior! Can I get an AMEN? :-)



Anyway....enough about that. Here are a few pictures from Easter Sunday.

Maya with her Easter Sunday breakfast :-).

My sweet McKenna. It's kinda hard to see her cute little dress under that sweater. It was a little chilly this year for the sleeveless look.

"Mooky-Girl's" little dress. (She's not really into looking at the camera these days).

Chandler got some cool shades in his Easter basket.

My annual attempt at a "3 Little Whites" Easter Sunday picture. Sigh....one day it will happen...one day....
(How about that giant marshmallow egg in Chandler's cheek? Gotta Love that!)

My dentist LOVES me...

Because people like me make her very, very rich! Every time I pull into the office parking lot and see her shiny green Porsche Cayenne, I shake my head and wonder how much of that car is "mine"- HA!

I've been told over the years that I have "perfect" gums & that I obviously take very good care of my teeth....but it really doesn't mean crap in the long run! It's so bad that my dentist & her entire staff know me on a first name basis. When I call the office I'm all "Hey, Kelly - It's Amber...yep me again". It's like that! We're even so comfortable with each other (me and the receptionist) that we talk about the kids, where we get our hair cut, what we are making for dinner, and stuff like that :-). When I come in for an appt I don't even have to sign in on that clipboard thing because they already know me.

I'm the urban legend that dentists hear about in school, but they never believe there really is a person out there with a mouth like that!
When there is a "best case/worst case" scenario...I'm ALWAYS the worst case! Yep, that's me! I'm the person who uses up her entire insurance allowance 2 months into the year & get to pay everything else out of pocket for the remaining 10 months of the year. Do you see where this post is going?

Anyway....I've had this funny little "bump" on my gums & I figured it was something bad, but what's new? So, I let it go for a month or so to see if it might miraculously go away on it's own...it didn't. So, today we were at the park (right across the street from my dentist office) and McKenna had to go to the bathroom so we went to the dentists office to use their potty (because it's WAY cleaner then the nasty porta-potty's at the park). While McKenna was using the facilities I tell the receptionist I need to have this "bump" checked out because I think it's a problem I'm having with an old root canal. About that time the dentist comes out & was like "hey Amber...what's up?" (first name basis...gotta love it). When I told her what was going on she got me right back to look at it (no appt necessary for me!). Sure enough, it's a bad root canal! Who has that? Seriously...who? ME...that's who!

So, guess what? I've got a really bad infection that needs to be treated & a root canal that needs to be re-done...through the gum line (oh, joy!) They don't want to take the crown off and go through the tooth because apparently that's more risky. The best part of all of this is that I get to pay for most of this (which is very expensive)out-of-pocket. I also get to look forward to an extremely painful oral surgery that I can't be put out for, or take any "good" pain killers for, because I'm pregnant :-). Anyone wanna trade shoes with me...anyone?

I'm gonna go cry now............. I hate teeth!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Well, it was a rainy, yucky day today so I did what I love to do most on rainy days and I cooked ALL day long! I usually serve green pancakes and eggs for breakfast on St. Patty's day, but the kids didn't want to wait for a "festive" breakfast this morning, so I just let that one go (easy to do when you feel queasy in the mornings anyway...). I was actually more excited about my dinner plans!

This year I wanted to do something special for St. Patrick's Day because: 1) the kids were home on Spring break, and 2) This is probably the only stress-free holiday we get to spend together as a family. Sometimes I really hate that my kids never get to enjoy just being at their home for holidays. I decided that I want to make St. Patrick's day a fun-filled day where we don't have to worry about running around to see all the grandparents, missing naps, stressing out about helping cook a big meal, or worrying about keeping the kids clean in their matching outfits so that every relative under the sun can take 14928923 pictures of them before they roll around in the dirt!! I just wanted to do something special with my family for once!

So.....this year I got brave and cooked my first ever "traditional" Irish feast! I had so much fun doing research on Irish meals & finding new recipes. In the end I settled on Guinness Corn Beef, Colcannon, Irish Soda Bread, and of course we had roasted carrots and parsnips too! Oh, and in my family one kind of bread just isn't enough, so we had to have regular raised rolls as well. :-)

It was really fun & I think this may just become a new family tradition. McKenna was our brave one & she tried a little bit of everything! She even said she LOVED dinner! WooHoo! Chandler and Maya were not so easily convinced...but they both settled on Irish Soda Bread for their dinner. Hey, at least they tried something new. At our house we call that a VICTORY!


McKenna and Chandler checking things out.

Irish Soda Bread

Guinness Corned Beef, Colcannon, and Roasted Carrots/Parsnips.


That's Chandler letting me know he had no intention of trying the carrots and parsnips! (sigh)

Random pictures and info...

OK....I never mentioned anything about Valentine's day this year because it wasn't a very eventful "holiday" around here. We did...nothing! It was just one of those years. Some years I care & other years I'm just too busy to get my panties all twisted if I don't get something "romantic". Such is life when Valentines day falls 2 weeks after your anniversary. Now, if we are talking about my birthday... THEN I care.

So as not to give up completely on this made up holiday (created to fill the dead space between Christmas and Easter), I ALWAYS make valentine cookies for my kids (I guess it's my attempt to show I care about this "special" day-he he!) . This year was no exception. So...here are a few pictures of our valentine cookies this year....enjoy!

Mmmm.... cream wafers!

And sugar cookies with way too much frosting....

I think I enjoy photographing food too much.

The small plate that was left after we gave cookies to all the teachers :-)


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Because I spent way too much time complaining on my blog about how sick we all were, I thought I'd share a few funny/sad pictures from our 3 weeks of never ending sickness.

Poor Channy was so worn out that he fell asleep all curled up on this dining room chair.


Can you tell Maya was feeling just a little miserable (that's a lip injury from doing a face plant at the park few days before)...

That didn't stop her from trying to steal my favorite blanket right out from under me. Sneaky little baby!

*Jodi-thanks again for this beautiful blanket. Every time I curl up with it it makes me smile :-).
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Do you know what a "ticker" is? Check out mine............
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If you are still confused maybe this will clear things up for you...



Hmmmm.... now what am I going to call my blog? I guess I have until October to figure that out. :-)

*Oh, and here are my answers to your two most common questions...

-It's none of your business :-)
-Yes...we are thrilled!

Ready for something new....

So am I! It's been kinda slow and boring around here, so I'm sorry I don't have any fresh thoughts to share right now.

Well, that's not exactly true...I will have a "book report" to share in the following weeks (don't hold your breath though...I'm a slow reader). I'm sure I'll have all sorts of thoughts to share when I'm done with this read. I'm reading a book called "Pagan Christianity" and it's rocking my world! I cried when I read the introduction because I couldn't believe I had finally found something that affirmed everything I've been feeling in my spirit over the last couple of years. I guess you could say I'm having an epiphany of sorts.

If you are curious, you can check out the authors my space site :

http://www.myspace.com/frankaviola

Just a warning though...this is not going to be for everyone! We are all on a journey, and this is my journey. I don't expect this book will be a hit with many Christians, as many Churches have tried to ban this book from even being sold! Maybe that's what made me want to read it so much....I had to know what was so "scandalous". What I found was a quote that made my "outside of the box" disposition smile a little on the inside....

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident."
[-Arthur Schopenhauer, Nineteenth-Century German Philosopher]

Flu Bug's, Pneumonia, Bronchitis...OH MY!

It's been one LONG couple of week at the White manor. Starting on the 21st of February everyone (except McKenna) came down with a horrid "bug" that spread like wildfire and caused the worst flu-epidemic known in White family history! In the end the worst casualties were Jonathan and Chandler. Jonathan got bronchitis & Channy ended up with pneumonia :-(. Folks...it was ugly around here!

At one point we had to call in reinforcements (known as "Me-Maw & Pa-Paw"). My parents had to make a midnight run to the grocery store for food and medicine, because we were all so weak and sick that no one was able to move...let alone go to the store! We are slowly (ever so slowly) returning to normal & I hope that by the weekend we will all have our strength back.

Did I mention that I hate winter? Because I do!