Put on a Happy Face

August

2010-08-06T15:33:00.003-05:00

It is hot, I mean really hot... with five o's and three t's. 104 is not my idea of a good time! Ethan got a haircut people - and I'd love to show you but I can't find the cord - still. We took it down to 1/2". Yes! a buzz cut. It will be much better for his cool factor (I mean temperature ya'll) since he can't tell me that he is sweating and icky and way too hot on his own. This way I can dump a bucket of water over his head and it will actually reach his scalp. It would otherwise have to find it's way through the thickest hair I've seen on a three year old. I miss his hair but it looks really cute.

The dog is getting ginormous and she found a friend in the neighbor's dog, junior. The older dog, Cajun, puts up with her but she knows he's in charge of the yard. She is truly a german shepherd. She keeps getting staph infections on her belly though - costs us $45 everytime we have to take her to get it looked at. At least the kids only have a $20 copay for the doctor.

Life is good, the kids are healthy and we miss everyone in Ohio bunches.

This is why...

2010-07-12T17:00:00.002-05:00

I'm not a good blogger. I don't update on a regular basis and well I really don't have much to blog about. I just try to get through my day without someone cracking a skull or knocking themselves out instead of cracking a dome. Really, that is what my day consists of besides making food and trying to get to whatever cleaning I can with two in tow. I never thought my days would be a constant alertness to the whereabouts of two munchrats and whether or not they were standing on a couch or chair about to fall off onto their beautiful little noggins. I don't have to worry about Katie too much unless Ethan is right there with her, he has a tendency to take her down with him or throw her off balance just enough.

Thank God for naptime!

In other news - who am I kidding? There is no other news! Have a beautiful day everyone.

My post from the other day...

2010-06-27T03:26:00.005-05:00

I wanted to let you all know that Ethan was approved and put on the waiting list for a therapeutic tricycle. It is called an AmTryke and if you follow me on facebook you have already heard me talk about it. Basically it is a special trike for kiddos with special needs. No we are not getting one with a motor - although, now that I think of it, that might be a lot of fun. We are saving up for it and if you would like to (shameless request for money inserted here)donate you can find all the info at http://www.ambucs.com/. Go to the AmTryke tab, wish list and click on grant a wish. For some reason I can't post the link directly. You would have to earmark it for Ethan or you can just donate in general if the mood strikes.

I was happy to read that Ambucs was chosen to recieve one of the $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Grants for the month of April. They were ranked #4 of 360 campaigns vying to get the cash. It would have been nice to be #1 or #2 and get the $250,000 so that even more kids could get their AmTrykes but I'm sure the 100 recipients will be super pumped about getting out and about on their new toy.

Another little blessing this week ~ We are trying to be more aware of our grocery budget, which got a little thrown off by visitors this month, and we decided to eat what was in our fridge/freezer/pantry (I know, novel concept right?) until the next budgeted grocery $$ was available. All was well until Tuesday when the last of the peas, carrots, and corn from the freezer were finally put to good use, we ate the fresh stuff last weekend. I look at my ceiling and ask God "what vegetables are the kids going to eat now?" They don't do so well with lettuce and that is all that remained in the fridge. I tend to stay away from canned vegetables, mostly because I can't recycle the cans at my friendly neighborhood Met. When I went to the garden I came across two of the largest zuchinni I've ever seen in person and one yellow squash the size of Katelyn's arm (slight exaggeration, but it was BIG). I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank Him for providing the food on our table in a more than average way this week.

If you've read my previous post on Gardens you will know that getting a yield from anything is a big blessing to us. Oh and to date we have lost all of our Mulberries to the birds and plenty of tomatoes to who know's what... I find them all over the ground half eaten so at least something is enjoying them. I actually got to 10 or so before anyone or thing else and Katelyn ate them for lunch today. They are cherry tomatoes so no, she didn't throw up from eating too many. I finally got "a roundtoit" and staked them today they are "tied" with masking tape because I couldn't find any string. We also have had a pretty decent yield from our thai dragon peppers - not that we have a use for them since I didn't get to planting the larger variety tomatoes. Good thing they are so cheap at the market this year. Salsa - here we come!

Now that you have gotten two posts in one - enjoy the Lord's day!

I have a post

2010-06-25T04:23:00.002-05:00

I really do - but I'm not ready to put it up here yet. It's in my head but that thing is so full of other stuff that is in the way of my post. So when I empty the rest out I will get that post up here right quick in-a-hurry. It's the weekend soon so the other stuff has tomorrow to get worked out and then it will have to wait until Monday so look for new post-age tomorrow or, more realistically, Saturday. Unless we get the pool out and then it will be Sunday or next weekend. I didn't ever realize that a $10 blow up pool could be so much fun at my age. Ethan is the pool master and Katie tries as hard as she can not to sit or lay in it. All very comical.

Anywho - just thought I'd let you all know that info about our lives is forthcoming - after life gets out of the way.

Have a great weekend and stay cool southerners!

Gardens

2010-06-13T16:10:00.004-05:00

They seem like such a good idea at the time. We have spent about $200 - $300 on the garden and supplies this year and we have gotten two yellow squash, a zucchini, two serano peppers and some thai chili peppers (which Noah tried raw for the first time last night - he he he). I just didn't have the time to devote to it that I thought I would and with all the rain every attempt to get out there was thwarted by thunderstorms and a flooded garden. I didn't realize it was the lowest point of the yard and that all the water migrates to the front of the garden. Fill dirt here we come. My broccoli was a complete and total waste of space and money. We didn't get any edible heads. It all went to flower before I got to it. It was pretty but I didn't pay for pretty. Have I disclosed that I have a total brown thumb when it comes to indoor plants? I wonder if that is why I am not doing so hot with my garden. Anyway, I think I will try to seed some lettuce for the fall. I can still get some melons, corn, peas and tomatoes going. I also have some winter squash to plant as well.

We are hopefully going to get to the orchard this fall. Canning applesauce is a favorite thing to do and it tastes better as well. My mother brought us up on homemade canned applesauce, pears, peaches and tomatoes. We had frozen beans, green and yellow, peas and corn from my grandparents garden too.

Here's to a better fall harvest. For all you northerners good luck with your gardens this summer. It has been a crap shoot for me in Oklahoma - goofy weather all season!

Did I Mention

2010-06-10T06:08:00.002-05:00

that my mother bought us a dishwasher? Thank You, Thank You, Thank You mom! This has already made my days so much easier. I finally feel like the bottles and sippy cups are clean clean. It also gives me more time to do other things like play with my kids or spend a little more time cooking without having to worry when the dishes are going to get done.

Last nights dinner was phenomenal. Noah doesn't usually like alfredo so when he suggested it I was shocked and unprepared. No cream, no fresh parmesan - off to the internet to find a recipe using ingredients I already have in the fridge. May I say that alfredo made with cream cheese is very very tasty ~ add some shrimp, whole wheat linguine and brocolli and it was on like donkey kong!

MIA

2010-06-08T03:57:00.002-05:00

My family came to visit and it was rockin' awesome. Ethan got a pool from auntie and uncle for his birthday and everyone, even the grownups, enjoyed that thing. Frisbie in the backyard with the big boys who came and cooled off in a blow up pool from wal-mart = best day of vacation.

It was really great to have them and now it's back to life as usual. As usual I cannot find the cords for the camera to upload pix of the visit. There are some good ones and the pictures from Ethan's birthday are great. You will just have to take my word for it.

More later -

Meet Sofie

2010-05-24T03:06:00.002-05:00

This is totally not a name we would pick for a member of our family but somehow it fits. We don't have anything against the name, in fact it was brought up last week and "nah" was the response it got. Somehow it resurfaced and stuck. It is sort of a family name, Aunt Marti this is for ya'll.

What else this weekend - hmm... just getting ready for auntie, uncle and grandma to visit for Ethan's birthday. Now the biggest decision I have is what flavor cupcakes to make. I think I'll make muffins the day before they get here so there will be something tasty for them to snack on while we are hopefully resting from our trip to the Tulsa Zoo. Katie loves elephants, has she ever seen one? Nope, but I do a nice impression of one. Monkeys too. Birds, cows, ducks, geese - well let's just say it's sounded like a zoo in my house at times. At least it keeps them entertained. Katie is getting to be very good at doing the puppy impression, she comes by it naturally.

Wish us luck cleaning and organizing the house this week. Everything is more difficult with a new puppy getting into everything.

Ethan's Early Birthday Gift

2010-05-19T00:29:00.011-05:00

We have decided to do it and most of the family knows already but for anyone who checks this blog - we got Ethan a puppy. After much deliberation, prayer and weighing the pros and cons the search for a puppy was on. We loaded everyone into the car and drove to the pound, which is now called Animal Welfare.

We saw some cute pups but didn't feel like any of them were our pup. German Shepherds yes, ours, no. After walking the line and disagreeing about all but one we played with him and Noah thought he was too big (which he was) for Katie to warm up to.

So we got back in the car and drove on while dad called his buddy who's mom worked at a place that rescued a dog off the street with her seven (?) puppies. Perhaps these would be small enough not to upset the girl.

Funny how one little girl is the deciding factor about such a huge commitment. We did end up finding two that were smart and cute and not loud or whiny.

It was down to the wire and the one we picked chewed on Noah's shoe so we took the other one home. Little things like that matter you know. So the pup fondly referred to as "fat-head" was promptly placed in a box and taken home for a nap and a bath.

She is in for a few tugs and falls but hopefully she will take it in stride and help our little man be more aware of his surroundings. He is already taking a shine to the little girl who has yet to be named and she to him. He is her boy and they both like to gnaw on things(like shoes and shoelaces). She already follows him around the house as if she knows that is her purpose.

Long time no post

2010-05-12T15:47:00.007-05:00

Four months. For real. Time flies when you are trying to get through each day without a major catastrophe. Take your daughter falling off of a bin that was placed in front of the fireplace to keep her from getting hurt and growing a goose egg on her forehead the size and shape of a silly putty egg, this would be one of those things to avoid. Another example would be your son falling headfirst over the arm of the couch onto a laminate floor laid over concrete. May sound soft but I assure it is not. A day in the life of me - trying to keep Ethan from biting Katie because he does not let go and has the strongest jaw of anyone I know. It's like one of those little lizards in Florida.

Ethan is going to be three. Three! Not possible. Two weeks from now he will be out of the soonerstart program and we will not have our wonderful Miss April or Miss Janette to visit us anymore. We will have to meet new physical and speech therapists and get to know them and how they work with Ethan. I am not looking forward to it but we will get to explore aquatherapy and Noah has even agreed to look into therapeutic riding. He is not a fan of horses but I certainly am. This should be fun. We will miss April. She is Katie's new best friend.

Um...

2010-01-16T02:25:00.002-06:00

Not much to write about. Katie is not sleeping again. Could be the teething could be that she doesn't want to miss anything. It's all bad news for me. I would love to get a good nights sleep. They are both mountain climbers and I have to pull someone off of something every other minute. This is one of those times that I wish we didn't have a gigantor stone fireplace. I could deal with just one doing it but when they are both up on something at opposite ends of the room - watchout. I have to keep laundry baskets and bins on the couch to keep Ethan off of it and pillows and toys and anything else I can find on top of the bins in front of the fireplace and still I have to grab them all day long. I can only imagine what it would be like if I didn't take these precautions. Add to that the mousetraps under the cabinets in the kitchen... Katie has surprisingly long arms and we can't push them all the way back without tripping them so we have to keep her out of the kitchen too. This is another one of those times when I wish we didn't have open layout. A door would be really helpful. Anyway - these are the Days of My Life (just a shout out to the old soap that really should have ended decades ago).

Peace

Am I the only person I know

2010-01-06T01:29:00.002-06:00

who blogs anymore? Amy, yes you blog thank you. This facebook thing tookover I guess. Oh well, I'll keep blogging about myself and my kids just for something to do. Maybe the occasional distant family member will check it out.

Peace

Getting Home

2010-01-04T19:08:00.002-06:00

So Ethan and I got the 24 hr bug on Friday so we couldn't leave until Saturday and when we did it was not too terrible until we hit Missouri. White knuckle driving for about two hours. We made it home in one piece but when we got here - no heat! Yea, that's right our furnace pilot light went out and no one would come out because it was Sunday. In Ohio any furnace/maintenance issue logged as an emergency would be taken care of promptly but here in OK they don't work on Sunday. You better be on call during the coldest months of the year - sheesh!

Anyway, they came today and now we have heat. Our floors are really cold though - yea for slabs!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T22:34:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to say - motherhood makes New Years Eve incredibly boring yet restful. I think we may have done something last year but this year with two definitely not. Nice quiet evening(thank you Lord!) with the kids asleep and planning to leave for home tomorrow afternoon. More Later!

Aaahhhhhhhhhh... Leftovers!

2009-12-28T22:41:00.003-06:00

Ok so my belly is still full from Christmas dinner. It's amazing how much food we make for one meal on one day. We are truly blessed to have so much while believing we have so little. God provides so completely for us that I don't even think about it. I will have to be a little more grateful than I have been. We may not have money to throw in the wind but we have what we need and some of what we want so I'd say we are doing pretty well.

Last time this year we were living in a house with no heat(seriously no HVAC system in the house). The stovetop worked but the oven did not. We had just put our cats down because they were peeing on everything, which wasn't much. We owned two chairs(rocker with the bottom broken out and a camp chair, you know the fold up kind), a computer, a king size mattress, a crib, two dressers, one side table, our clothes and about 20 boxes that we hadn't been into in over a year(some of them 4 years). Oh and four, count 'em four, space heaters to try to keep the house warm. We stayed in one room for most of December because it was the only place we could keep above 60 degrees. We were in negotiations for the house we now own and my mother and Noah's brother were the only two people we spent time with other than our realtors.

People do what they have to do to make it through but I thank God that we are not in that situation again this year. It could have been worse, we could have been living in the car. At least Katie had a nice warm place to stay!

Ok so sorry it's been a week or more

2009-12-26T23:32:00.007-06:00

but we were busy leaving Oklahoma just in time to miss people dying and weather flying. Apparently we missed a heck of a storm at home. Yea! Gotta love it.

So Zac and Carrie said Christmas was cancelled but they were wrong. We didn't buy a lot of stuff but we had many gifts to give. Zac got two, count em two, massages (to be redeemed while we are here). One for his birthday and one for Christmas. Carrie got either a facial or massage. Mom got a massage or facial too. I'm guessin she'll go with facial. Uncle Levi got a french press and some freshly ground coffee. The kids got clothes, we had already bought it for them so why not wrap it up and let them rip some paper on Christmas day right? They don't know the difference. The got a few toys from us and some more from the auntie and uncles. Grandparents gave books which is always a good gift. We didn't put up a tree due to the fact that we have two kids under three who would have just pulled it down anyway. Less cleanup is good. So here is what Christmas looked like this year.

Next up - Happy New Year!

Umm...

2009-12-17T09:37:00.002-06:00

yeah I was so tired yesterday that I fell asleep at 7:30pm. We had doctor appointments at 10 am for the kids and then I had an eye appointment at 2 pm so naps were short for the kids and non-existent for me(ok if i slept all night but I don't so naps are a must for me). Also, really difficult to go about your day when you have had your pupils dilated. Driving home from that was fun - all the headlights were an assortment of yellows, pinks, purples and orange.

I had invited the realtors who sold us our house over and they, of course, came on the busiest day of our week. Somehow I knew that was going to happen as soon as I made a bunch of appointments for the day. It worked out though, tea and cookies and some chat time. It was nice to have people who didn't work for the state coming to the house. Really the only people we ever have over are the physical therapist and speech therapist and occasionally the resource coordinator. Not that we don't love Miss April and Miss Janette -

What else ~ getting ready to leave is a little less crazy because I started at the beginning of the week instead of the night before we are supposed to leave. The plan is to be packed and ready before we want to hit the road. See you all soon up there in Ohio.

I must be doing something wrong...

2009-12-15T22:54:00.000-06:00

because neither of the recipes I tried today came out right. Gingerbread didn't bake in the middle and really didn't taste all that much like gingerbread and my black and white cookies were like rocks instead of chocolatey goodness that should have been. Back to the drawing board.

Doctors appts all day tomorrow. The kids and me - yea - naptimes will be missed, hopefully they will be okay because we are out of the house. I just have to say thank you Mary for the double stroller.

Blogging for my health

2009-12-14T22:07:00.005-06:00

So my doc says I'm way too stressed and showing signs of depression(nothing like someone telling you you may be depressed to brighten your day). So I am back to blogging because it gives me an outlet and takes me outside of my little baby box that I am in. I think having a vehicle that doesn't break down every month will also help - there is a certain feeling that you get when you know you are trapped in the house and can't go anywhere even if you wanted to. I feel better already!

I can't wait to come up - t-minus five days and counting. I love spending the holidays with my family. Total surprise from Noah about two weeks ago. He calls me from work and asks me to find out how much it would be to rent a car for two weeks. I look and when I see the total I logically say to him, don't you think it would be wise to put that $500 towards a new car payment instead of a rental for two weeks? He agreed and a week later we have a new car and we're coming to Ohio for Christmas. Funny how life works out like that eh?

We will be in Ohio for two weeks - please don't miss us as we probably won't be up again for a long while. This is the first "family vacation" we've ever taken so it should be fun and hopefully relaxing. Oh and if you have any favorite sweets or treats you like I will be baking and whatnot so please put your requests in soon.

Ok so here it is

2009-12-13T07:56:00.000-06:00

The first post of my revamped blog - hopefully we all find this an enjoyable process. I was sick of looking at my old post and everything that it reminded me of.

My son and daughter are both walking now. Life is good -we have a house - with heat. We just bought a car large enough to sit in without our knees touching our ears. No we didn't want to take on that kind of debt but we look at it as a necessity at this point. Let's be honest you can't fit two adults and two car seats in a basic F-150. I've visited Ohio twice this year and we are planning on another in a week. I have work lined up for two weeks a month without leaving my kids. I reiterate - life is good!