Updates

Much has occurred over the past few weeks. On a happy note - we moved into our new home. How wonderful to have more space! On a sad note, my Grandmother suffered multiple strokes starting the weekend we moved. She passed away last Thursday evening. She was 91 years old. We miss her dearly but know that she is with Grandpa, in Heaven. Her funeral & burial were yesterday. Oh, so many memories!

I'm exhausted! Christmas was bittersweet this year. The passing of Grandma was sad - but I don't think it will put sadness into every Christmas. 91 years is a long, full life span. While we grieve for our loss right now, we all know that it was her time to go.

I had better get to bed now. I work again tomorrow. Here is a pic of the boys that I must share:

This is the WEEK!

We're moving on Friday! I can't believe it! Yesterday we went furniture shopping. . .our furniture is pretty much shot. We decided to get a new dining room table & chairs as well. . . Our current table is antique & not very stable. We have free financing for a year so that is what we did. So we got a new couch, loveseat & recliner/rocker. . .brown leather & very comfy stuff! Our table is two tone & has 2 leaves that make it huge when we need it for birthday parties & what not. The stools for the island match as well. . . .I'm SO EXCITED!!!

Inspection on the house is Wed or Thursday & then there is probably just clean up/touch up stuff for the contractor to take care of.

I have a ton to pack yet here. . . I can't believe we have this much stuff!!! What I wouldn't give for a magic wand right now!

I may be off line a few days at the end of the week. I'll try to get back ASAP. . . we might just leave the computer hooked up here until all is set up at the new house. We don't have to be out of here until the 14th. . .so that's that!

Still workin' it

I DID work out again last week. . ..on Thursday I did the 8 minute workout. Friday I worked all day & then the weekend had it's own sort of work outs with the cleaning & packing. Scott removed our current home's shingles Saturday along with some help from several other men. He's very sore from all of the work as I'm sure the other guys are.

We went to our new home to see the progress today. Spencer & Parker were at a birthday party so we had Carter along (he slept in the van). I'll get some photos posted soon. It's coming along with tile already installed on the floors & fireplace. It's getting so exciting! Can't wait for it to be finished!

Talk later!

Procrastination Eat my shorts!

So I'm sticking to my plan so far this morning. . . .I did the Basic Tae Bo workout. Parker started to do it along with me but got too tired. . . It was so cute. Let's face it, anything with punching & kicking for a 4 year old is cool.

I feel good right now - all bets are off for later tonight or tomorrow morning though. I forget about some of those muscle groups!

I work tomorrow - so maybe when I get home I'll do the 8 minute workout. . .maybe.

Adios!

Me & My Big (NEW) Ideas

Had to share my cute pic of the boys. We were delinquent on the pumpkin carving until last week. . . and I think I forgot to get a shot of the finished work. . . DUH!

A cyber friend of mine had a topic in her blog that inspired me to write this. . .Thanks Jen!

Life Goals - or otherwise titled "Bullshit & Other things I might want to achieve in my life"

(I add "might" because I don't want to commit myself too much. I change my mind frequently.)

- Marry for money - crap! didn't do that & probably never will. Although, I married smart & for love so I guess I'm further ahead that way, right?
- Live in a big house. That's all relative. I could mark this one off already because I lived in a house for the past 8 years & it is bigger than the apartment that used to live in. We're moving into our newly built house in about 5 weeks. . . so count that as achieved:)
- Seriously now - be published other than this blog which probably nobody reads. I have ideas for what I'd write. I'm not sharing it here just yet. Just in case someone is reading this I don't want my ideas pirated. (Ok, so if you are reading this - you're not a nobody - I'm just being insecure when I say nobody reads this. What do I care? This is my outlet, right?
- Get my teeth whitened & straightened. No kidding. My dentist probably gags when he checks out these babies. They're yellowed from years of drinking highly fluouridated water & I'm sure the years of soda & now coffee don't help either. And they're crowded as well. Oh the joys!
- Not have to live paycheck to paycheck. OK, so if Scott gets offered & accepts the Indiana position this could happen sooner than later. . . .so we'll see what happens.
- Travel out of this state & out of this country. So far I've been to, in order, Michigan (only just across the border so big whoop!), Illinois (again, venturing out big time here), Indiana (passed thru on the way to the next destination & stayed a night), Ohio (yep, big honeymoon destination that was. I know, what the everyloving heck?), Orlando (now we're getting real), Chicago, Illinois, Hawaii (THAT'S more like it baby!) & Orlando again. Have not been out of the country yet. I'm a little freaked about that idea right now with the world in the chaos that it is. I'll get over that sooner or later.
- Get physically fit again. I've let my fitness slip BIG TIME since having children. Yeah, sure, I'm down to my prepregnant weight. . . but that's not exactly fit when I get winded going up a flight or two of steps. Time to stop being lazy & stop procrastinating. I'll get on that tomorrow. . . .

I make a lot of lists. . .so I'm sure I'll revise this frequently. If only I could find all of my lists. . .

Adios!

Halloween

Here are my little Trick or Treaters on Halloween night. Spencer & Parker went out but Carter didn't as it was too cold. Later on, Carter decided to try on Spencer's costume. . .. so cute! Too bad I didn't get Scott on camera. He was Superman this year.

Curve Ball!

Just when you think you have life figured out. . .

Scott got a call from corporate the other day asking him to consider a position there. . .in Indiana. Approximately 6.5 hours away in Carmel, Indiana to be exact. . . . which would be quite a move. We'll find out more info & I really want to see an offer in writing before we get into heavy discussion about this one. Let's not kid anyone, we've already discussed the possibility quite a bit. On one hand I'm bummed because I was so excited about our new house that we are just about done building. . . On the other hand, who am I to be so selfish? This is one heck of an exciting opportunity for Scott & for our family. Salary would increase & possibly quite significantly. That would change our situation. Not that we're hard off right now or anything, but let's face it, a bit more is always a bit nicer. We would not have to worry about meeting our monthly bills & could probably afford to have a few nicer things. Again, money is not the only thing to take into consideration.

I've already decided that IF he does get this job that the boys & I would not relocate until after the school year. I can't see ripping Spencer out of kindergarten half way through the year. I also can't see trying to find somewhere to live there during the winter. And, more importantly, I want to make sure this position is something Scott really wants to keep. It will be a HUGE change for all of us.

This whole thing makes it a bit difficult to be fully excited about the new house now. It's not like we'd settle in the new house & unpack everything if we just have to pack it all up right away in 5-6 short months. My head is spinning just thinking about it. I want to have all of the info NOW instead of waiting. I guess I want too much right now. . . so I'll just have to wait. Maybe we'll hear more tomorrow.

Calgon, take me away!

The update

Here is the house today, November 4, 2006. The garage doors are not quite the right color. . .but we'll get that fixed. We have a driveway & front walk & a patio too already. I couldn't get inside the house but I think the plaster is now done. It's getting pretty exciting! We're planning to move in around December 10th. Better get packing!

Challenging week

I've had a challenging week at work. . .actually, 2 weeks. 2 weeks ago I was the nurse taking care of someone 23 1/2 weeks pregnant with twins for her delivery. It was not the best case scenario. They made it through delivery. . . . update on that later. . .

Later that same week I was the nurse in a delivery that went a bit south. . . poor heart tones with a vacuum delivery (2 vacs to be precise). Baby was perfect at delivery. . . but it was stressful all the same.

The very next day I took care of 3 sets of Moms & their babies - and all was well with that. When I came out of one of their rooms the father from the twins the Monday before asked if I could talk for a minute. His eyes welled up with tears & he told me one of their babies just died. I sat with him for a little bit & then walked down to the NICU with him to pay my respects to the little guy & the mom.. How heartbreaking.

Earlier this week I had a delivery that went well but then the cord broke off & we had to go to the OR to get her placenta out under conscious sedation. That wasn't pleasant. Then she needed a little more help afterwards with bleeding. . . All is well now.

Then on Friday I had a laboring Mother who the doctor wasn't quite sure would be able to delivery this baby vaginally. . . . but they gave it a try. She received an epidural but then when she was 8cm dilated. . .the epidural came out leaving her in excruciating pain that she wasn't prepared to tolerate. The baby wasn't descending so we had to go back for a c-section. THAT was not fun as it took at least 5 tries for them to get her spinal in. That poor mother. It was a big baby too. . . . 9 lb 4 oz. All is well now. But what a week!

I'm just overwhelmed that so much happened in such a short time frame. It makes me feel so insignificant in the world. . . .yet significant because I helped these people through these troubling times. I just always feel like I could do more. When it comes down to it. . . we can only do so much. The rest is up to God.

I pray for the life of the other twin. . . hopefully it will be a healthy life. I pray for his parents. They have been through so much in such a little span of time.

The Brick!

It's been a few days since I've been to the house & today, this is what I saw. I'm just so excited! The inside has insulation now too so no more seeing straight through the walls.

We accepted an offer on our house. The inspection is tomorrow so let's pray all stays well. Closing is for Dec 15th - so we need to be out by midnight on the 14th.

Let the busy season begin!

Doors & Windows Oh My!

Wow! We have doors & windows. . . and a basement floor! We continue to be amazed at the transformation before our eyes. We picked out lighting today. Just flooring & paint to choose & then it's all picked out. . .I think. I'm sure we will have more decisions to make. We still have to decide for sure on reverse osmosis & sound system. I better start working more hours.

OUR HOUSE!

We started building on Sept 5th!!!! The process has been utterly amazing. We started with just the lot & now there is a house sitting there. . .

Expected move in date December 15th, 2006!!! We are so excited!

Starting something new

I'm going to sign up as a Lia Sophia advisor. I've never been really big into jewelry. . . & I wasn't thinking I'd ever have such a desire. . . but I've fallen in love with the beautiful pieces & just need to explore this avenue for a bit.

We meet with our builder tomorrow. Cross your fingers! I'm hoping that Scott agrees that we should break ground soon. I would like to be moving in in December. . .I know, crazy - but December is better than March in my opinion.

Gotta run! I was low censused this morning so the kids are at daycare & I have a day to work on the garage sale! Or maybe I'll get some paint & start that!

8 YEARS

Scott & I have been married 8 years today. Wow! A LOT has happened in 8 years. I am so grateful for having Scott in my life.

We're going to farm the boys out to our parents next Saturday for all day & overnight. We don't have set plans yet. We were going to go to Curly's Pub at Lambeau Field. . .but there is a home Packer game that night. . .so that probably isn't the best plan. I'm thinking of maybe doing the Fox Valley Parade of Homes to get decor ideas for our new home & then maybe doing a wine tasting thing (Scott loves wine) and then maybe take out Pasquales. . . the kids are gone for the evening. . . we may as well stay home!

Pizza is done. Time to feed the boys lunch:)

Jen

Mad dash to the gas!

OMG! Did you hear about the price increase again???? Mom told me it's going up a quarter this week. Is this necessary? I don't think so. But what are we doing to reduce the cost? Are we conserving fuel? Are we walking, carpooling, staying home??? For most it's a big fat NO. But we really need to try to do these things or we'll dig ourselves in deeper.

I did an eensy weentsy bit today by setting the thermostat a bit higher (which I know Scott will decrease when he gets home) and I took my bike to the post office instead of jumping in the van to go. This accomplished 2 things. . . ok, 3 things - saved on gas, got me exercising & got my package mailed. Yeah!

Mini blinds. . . Who the hell invented these things without an easy clean method? UGH! What a P.I.T.A.!!!!! We have many of them, as you might already suspect. They have been cleaned probably just once in the past 8 years that we've lived in this house. I'm totally considering just tearing them all out & replacing them with something else. Or heck, replace them with cheap blinds. It would be worth the money to save the time & hassle. I know, we'll go vertical instead. Those are not nearly as hard to clean. Now I know why people use pull shades yet. I'm probably going to have to look into something new. We're definately not putting mini blinds into our new house.

I need some motivation. Or maybe it's just coffee because I should be motivated as all get out to get this place cleaned up. Seems like I get more motivation when I can't possibly get things done - a.k.a. - when I have small children who need my attention. I love my kids. I just wish they could function independently alongside me. It's great to be needed but I have my breaking point.

I'm on call right now. . . so the kids are at daycare. I will pick them up once I know Scott is on his way home. My luck would be that I'd go to pick them up & immediately upon getting in the door the phone would ring & I'd have to bring them back to daycare because I got called into work. Then Scott would have to waste more gas coming to my work to exchange vehicles before picking them up. Oh the joys! Of course, he could walk to pick them up. Hmm. . . I'll have to suggest this if I do get called in prior to him coming home. We'll see how that flies. I could end up working until 11 PM or so depending - I'm on call until then.

I need to go whip up a brew to pipe some caffeine in. No more procrastination!

Addicted

I'm so addicted to the song on Jen Beal's blog that I can't stop listening to it!!! It's Far Away by Nichelback. I'm trying to figure out what all makes me want to listen to it. . . the song is awesome for one. The lead singer is pretty fine looking. . . . but maybe it's the firemen in the video. . . Scott isn't a fireman. He's pretty fine too. . .
I dated a fireman in the past. I guess you could say it was my only other quite serious relationship. So I can relate to the worry when he would go to a fire call. We didn't live together. . .but I was with him a few times when he would get paged out. Am I still thinking of him??? I guess I can't say I don't think about him. He was a special person in my life & until I met Scott I considered him my biggest love. Things happened out of our control that caused our relationship to be impossible even though we still loved each other. I dated other people after him before Scott. I'm VERY happy that I met Scott & that my life turned out the way it did. I think everyone ponders the what ifs in life. I wouldn't trade my life with Scott & the boys for anything at all. Last I heard my former love has a life that is somewhat parallel to mine. He's now a police officer, married & has at least 2 boys of his own.

Anyway, this song captivates me. It's well written & well sung. Thanks Jen Beals for sharing it!

Time for bed.

Spencer's First KISS!

This picture is from the Porkie & Pancake thing with Scott's family - my 3 boys are the ones on the right: Spencer, Parker & Carter - how cute are they???

It happened today - let it be recorded that on August 4th, 2006, Spencer Borley - being of the ripe age of 5 1/2, was kissed by a 7 year old girl on the nose & the cheek. Parker says, "They're girlfriend & boyfriend because she likes to get along with him." Spencer says, "well, I'm not going to marry her, but I might. I just don't know yet." How cute is that?

My little boy is growing up. But not too quickly. I love it when he says, "Mom, I'm only little for a little while." Of course, he gets this from me. Or at least he did. . . and now he states this so matter of factly when I say no to him. Or he'll say, "But you're the best Mom & I love you." Actually, what he'll do is this: he'll say, "You're the sweetest, best Mom. Can I give you a hug & a kiss? Now, can I play on the computer? Cuz you're the sweetest, best Mom & I'm only little for a little while. . . " OK, so he's learned manipulation at such an early age. How can I say no to that?

Parker, being the younger brother, is a little less tactful. He whines, "Mommy, can I have a snack?" And of course he asks this right before supper. . . and when I say, "we're going to eat supper in 10 minutes so you can wait," he proceeds to whale this ear shattering, high pitched whine/cry that could wake the dead. He needs reminding that this is not the way to go about making me change my mind. . . .of course, I don't change my mind about this anyway. . .but that is just downright obnoxious. He usually ends up in his bedroom until I allow him to come out for supper. Oh the joys of parenting!

Carter - my little tooth cutting, walking sassy pants. He is so into getting into everything! And everything goes in the mouth. He seems especially interested in anything paper. . . he must be craving extra fiber in his diet. The boy can find any piece of paper no matter how discreetly hidden & shove it in his mouth faster than a speeding bullet. It's so fun fishing slimy paper shreds out of his mouth. And he's not afraid to bite either!

OK, so it's clearly way past my bedtime. I'm on call at 7AM & it's already quarter to 1 in the AM. I'd better get motivating to bed now. Scott already so nicely told me that I am getting up with the kids should they cry out tonight. How is that fair? No idea. Oh well. Tomorrow night is mine!

More Adventures

Today I worked on more garage sale labeling. How do we accumulate so much stuff in just 8 years. . . 8 years!!! Wow! I cannot believe that it will be 8 years this October that we've lived in this house. 8 years this August that we've been married!!! So much has taken place:

I graduated from Bellin College & passed my boards
I got a full time nursing job at Manor Care Nursing Home
Scott graduated with a Masters Degree & got a full time job at Howard Suamico Schools
Got Married
Became Home owners
I changed jobs to Interim Healthcare as a Supervisor/Case Manager
Became Dog owners
We had 3 miscarriages:(
I was a Home Interiors demonstrator
I changed jobs again to Prevea Clinic as a phone triage RN
Became proud parents of Spencer
OK, time to abbreviate:
The Pampered Chef, Parker, me at St vincent Hospital, rental unit owners, Scott 2nd Masters degree, Scott ITT Tech associate dean then Dean, Hawaii, bought 1.5 acres of land, me DePere Health Dept, me Medical Staffing Network, Disney World, Carter, me at Aurora Baycare Labor & Delivery, Sold Rental, Building plans (Wow, I've changed jobs quite a bit! Good thing I'm a nurse. I've never been fired or let go. . . I just needed to find my niche.)

HOLY Cow! And that's not even counting all of the events that have taken place in history: 9-11-01 was HUGE. . . still is. The war in Iraq. Tsunami, Katrina. . . . . it's so much in so little time.

I'm pretty proud of what we've accomplished in the past 8 years. A lot of it has been difficult. We really work on our big accomplishments. I think that makes us appreciate them so much more than if they were just handed to us. Isn't that the case with most things? I hope to instill those values into my children. I don't want them to struggle with things. . .but I want them to know that sometimes you just have to knuckle down & work to get the things you want in life.

Time to get the little one to bed.. . yet another thing that is not easy. . .but oh so rewarding:)

He's WALKING!

OK, so I haven't quite captured it in this photo. . .but he IS walking. Today he took 5 steps on his own. It's the cutest thing ever. Look at how cute he is! Today I heard, "Look! He's standing!" from Parker (the toothless, scarred eyelid & now scratched up nose boy). Then Carter proceded to take a few more steps on his own before plopping down in a fit of giggles & drool.

Did I mention he has 4 teeth already? And another on the way? Oh the joys of teething & biting.

Spencer & Parker are now into daredevil tricks on their two wheeled bikes. . .can't wait for that ER visit. Surprisingly, Parker managed to do a "face plant" while riding his scooter yesterday. He had a bloody nose & scrapes across it. Lovely. Here is Spencer demonstrating a trick.

Gotta run. . . .

Funny how the weekend goes

You'd think that I'd get MORE done on the weekend. . .NOT! We met with another builder yesterday AM. Glad we did. We're tweeking our house plans a bit. We're thinking no bonus room. Instead, we'll finish a room in the basement right away. I'm excited for this. It will be the biggest investment of our lives. LOTS of decisions. Good thing we're pretty simple people. I need to control my husband's desire for extravagant/fancy things once in a while. I don't like frilly dilly. I like classic/stand the test of time things that are good quality.

Anyway, when we got back from that, Spencer needed to go get a birthday gift for the party he was going to. He & I did that. Then Scott walked him to it while I fed the other 2 lunch. . . It was 100 degrees! Inside time for us! We got some much needed Parker time as Carter took a nap.

Then Scott was off to golf with my brothers & BIL. So we went to pick up Spence. . . holy hot out! We walked - mind you, it's only 2 blocks away (short blocks!). I was sweating before we reached the first corner.

We made it back home & hung out briefly outside. . . then indoors to the air conditioning. We did go back out later & played with some neighbors in our yard. Who am I kidding? I sat & watched as the kids played:) Too hot for physical acitivity:)

Then back in for baths - which was a fight with my 4 year old. Why is it so difficult to get through one hour without him trying to pick fights with his older brother? Oh the joys! We survived bath time. . .I got all 3 boys clean & in jammies without blood being drawn. Then we had a snack - ice cream - rather befitting given the weather. Then they actually settled down quite well for night night. Of course, by this time, I'm exhausted. I showered, snacked again & sat on the couch watching whatever was on until Scott arrived home around 10:15. He was not really in the talkative mood due to being exhausted himself. . .and a bit over extended on the alcohol consumption. So we went to sleep.

I always make a short story long. . . so, in summary, I didn't get to scrap!!! And my house is still trashed!

So this morning we attempted to clean up the kitchen. . .this is a sore spot with me. Scott's idea of cleaning up after breakfast is throwing the dishes in the sink & pushing the chairs in. I put a kabosh to that & insisted that before we run outside to entertain our children the kitchen actually gets cleaned! UGH! This is just not going to be easy.

I'll snap a shot of our house plans soon & post them. I need to go make sure Carter is being supervised properly as I think I just heard Scott go outside. He thinks our 4 year old can watch our 10 month old. . . Scott has 2 Masters Degrees. . ..but he is just not the brightest when it comes to common sense.

2 down - many to go!

I've decluttered the Living Room & Boys' Bedroom so far. Holy Cow! My boys have WAY too many toys. I've relocated many toys from those locations to the basement. . .which needs its own decluttering done. . .another day for that one. I've also removed things that will be sold or donated. I need to find a spot to hide this box or my work will be for naught. Toys that are removed from the others have this interesting trait of being much more interesting than anything else - thus being thrust back into the general collection.

As parents we should really take advantage of this during the holidays & birthdays. Do you think it would work to just repackage what we already have? I'm so glad we decided to do the 3 gift rule for Christmas. Each child gets 3 gifts from Santa/us for Christmas. That way they still have things to open Christmas morning & we're not overwhelmed with WAY too much stuff. OK, maybe we still are because nobody else follows these rules. In fact, they get WAY more from Scott's parents than they do here. We need to implement rules for them this year. I'm sure they'll love that! They're not all to fond of us setting limits for them when it comes to grandparenting. But I guess I understand that. . .we just need to train them on quality vs quantity. . . enough said there.

OK, back to work. I've got my groove going & I don't want to lose it!

CAPTURING MY CLUTTER

And so it begins. I have started to attack the clutter that encases my house. OK, it more like encases, entraps, devours, etc. . .my house. You get the point. I have clutter! So far this morning I have gone through the living room. I'm just now working on putting the "put away" box stuff away. The only problem I run into (OK, not the only problem. Who am I kidding?) is that the places I need to put this stuff away are cluttered as well. THAT is a big problem.

So, anyway, I've conquered the living room. Well, almost. I have a box of give away/sell items. I have a laundry basket of put away items that is half put away already - yay! I have a throw away bag & a recycle bag. I also decided that the give away stuff had to be divided a little so I have a Pampered Chef to give away bag as well. . .you know, all of the paperwork stuff that you think you will use someday. I also subdivided the put away stuff into a general basket & then the Leggos & the Bionicles got their own receptacles to ease the later task of going through that!

See, this gets complicated even at this early stage!

OK, I've got to quit procrastinating now. . . maybe I'll get the chance to take a shot of my clutter progress. . .nah, that would be even more reason to procrastinate!

I'll update later!

My Fleet Farm Finds

I found all of these scrappy items at Fleet Farm of all places! Can you believe that???
And it was all clearanced out. . .the most expensive
item was $1.50. . .and I think that was something
metal. . .I forget. Anyway, most of these items
were 70 & 90 cents! I love bargain shopping!

I have to get scrapping!

We're going to build!!! We plan to break ground in November of this year! I have to get my house in order for selling. That means I have to really get going on my 12 step program for being a packrat! Garage sale here I come!

9-11 pics

I just watched pics from 9-11-01 set to Enya's Only Time. Amazing! I am still so full of emotion about that day. As most everyone who has memory from that day - I know exactly where I was standing as the 2nd plane hit the World Trade Center. I watched in shock & horror as I realized that the first impact was not an accident after all. I shook with fear as I thought of how fragile our lives are & how vulnerable we are to acts of terror. My heart sank as I realized the lives that were lost & the children who would never again see the face of a parent. . .and I shivered with anxiety because my own young son was sleeping soundly in the next room. What kind of future would lay ahead? And I didn't know it at the time, but a 2nd son would be coming within just one year of that day.
Here is the link to what I viewed:
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/topics/movies/attack.html
I encourage you to check it out. Be ready. You will feel many emotions.

Peace!

Hi there

Wow, me again! Back so soon! Let's see, . . . . I went to Fleet Farm yesterday to pick up dog food. . .and I ventured down the scrappy aisle. . . whoa! Clearance!!!!!!!! I made a haul at great prices. . . now I need to decide whether to keep it for me - ruining my string of no personal buying - or to give it away. Hmmm. . . I'll have to ponder on that one:)

Anyway - worked today. Got done early. We have an adult Easter Egg hunt tonight at our friends' house. It's always fun & quite interesting.

I need to go shower now. Carter is sleeping in my arms - very fun to type one handed! Here's a pic of Parker on the evening of his 4th birthday party. What a sweetie!

Back in the GAME

Holy Moses! It's been WAY too long. I will try to keep updating. . .try:)

New things:
I'm doing well with my full time job as a labor & delivery nurse. LOVE IT!
Spencer is in soccer & he is really good at it. Scores goals every game. 5 year olds are so cute.
Parker, the one with his 2 front teeth missing, now has a little scar on his right eye lid from a burn. . . campfire, stick, 4 year old, ambulance. . . need I say more? He's OK.
Carter has 4 teeth! He's still happy as ever, wants to walk. . .is so silly as he giggles at everything.
We meet with a builder tomorrow to see the sketches he came up with for our new home! I'm super duper excited!!! We plan to build starting next spring. Lots to do to get this house ready to sell.
I'm going to let my Pampered Chef business go completely as soon as 2 months pass that I have no orders. I just want my chance to get the newest products at 50% off & then I'm going to let it go. Tough decision. . .but necessary.
We sold our rental property finally! This is such a good thing let me tell you.
WE bought bicycles for Scott & I. Now I have no excuse not to get back into shape. I'm still breastfeeding. . .so I have about 10 pounds still on compared to my prepregnancy weight. I'm so OK with that. I just need to get back into shape exercise wise. And I might be able to get my wellness blog going again. . .but let's not push it too much:)

I'm starting myself on a 12 step program. . . I'm admitting I have a problem with being a pack rat. That's the first step. . . I'm on my way.

I'm off to scrapbook. The two older boys & Scott are gone to the fireworks & Carter is sleeping. Time for me to put in some tunes & scrap. I'm almost done with our wedding candids. . .hey, it's only been 8 years!

Missed February

Completely! Didn't get in here to update the entire month of Feb! You'd think I lead a much more interesting life. New job is going well . . . still in orientation - which is a good thing. There is lots to learn for labor & delivery. It's exciting & scary all at the same time.

I'm still the food source for Carter. In the last few days I've been his only food source. He was running a fever & not feeling well - so he refused his solid food. I have worked so he was eating sparingly during the day from a bottle & then uses the night to catch up! Even right now he's dozing & munching. I'm not getting much else done - but that's OK. I can type with one hand fairly well.

I have more updates - but Spencer is requesting my assistance. I'll attempt this again later:)

Tomorrow I begin my new job

I'm excited & nervous. Actually, the brain doesn't know the difference between nervousness & excitement - so just tell yourself you're excited & you'll be just fine. I know, little tidbits of knowledge:)

I did do some scrapping this weekend. Not nearly enough in my opinion - but I scrapped! I have to post my page counts yet to my groups. I'm still not purchasing anything scrappy.

Well, it's already 10:30 PM & 5:30 AM is going to creep up fast. I hope Carter decides to sleep a bit longer tonight. He's been wanting the "boo boo" quite a bit lately. That's what we call him wanting to eat from me lately. I know, it's kind of silly. I still can't get him to take a NUK. Oh how I wish he would. I don't mind him nibbling - but he's starting to get a bit curious as to what is going on around him while he's munching. This can make for some very uncomfortable situations for me as he twists me every which way. Sorry, I know. Too much information!

To bed I will go. Hope to be keeping up with this blogging thing a bit better from now on.

Is there black on this page?

Just testing. . .I'm having technical difficulties since I loaded a couple of pics:(

Hey, I figured this picture thing out! Yay for me! This is a shot of us on Christmas Eve I think. . . I'm not looking all that snazzy but at least the boys are cute! My hair is all up & I look like I have a weird haircut. Trust me, it's very long & kind of out of control right now.
Merry Christmas

My Boys

Is this just the cutest little scene? I think so! These poor little snowmen didn't last long in the heat wave we got the next days. I'm sure we'll have more snow. . .it's WI!

The battle of the bugs!

Our house was not spared from the dastardly (is that a word?) stomach bug that is "going around." By the way, every virus goes around. . .that's what viruses do. It's their job. If they stood in one spot they wouldn't even be known about. Now that we have that out of the way. .

I AM NOT GOING TO GET IT! Either is Carter. We've decided that we're not going to submit to it. Not gonna do it! Parker had it one night. Spencer had it a couple nights later. Scott got it the night after that. Guess who was going to die when he had it??? You guessed it, the oldest child, my 31 (almost 32) year old! I clearly recall him saying to me while he dry heaved into the porcelain god, "I think I need a doctor." HA! What is a doctor going to do for you? Not a whole heck of a lot they can do for you when you have that crud. I told him that all they'd do is stick an IV in him (which he hates) and hydrate him. Possibly, they would even wait to do that & instead try compazine rectally. THAT changed his mind pretty quickly! Tee hee, I'm so mean.

Anyway, I can assure you that he survived & will continue to survive. I can also assure you that if the tables were turned & it were me that was ill - HE would not stay home from work to take care of me. NOPE! He'd go to work, send the kids to daycare & probably call his mother over to take care of me. Which, by the way, would really tick me off. Don't get me wrong, my mother in law is great! But the last person you really want taking care of you when you feel miserable is your MIL! (OK, maybe you wouldn't want that really hot - oh forget it.)

Anyway, he's at work today & barely hanging on.

I'M NOT GOING TO GET IT!

The job thing isn't confirmed yet. This bothers me as they know the buy out is a must & they need to fill the spot. Am I confusing you yet? I forget what I blogged about this issue. I work for a staffing agency. I work through said agency at Aurora Baycare (ABMC). Labor & Delivery has a .9 day 12 hour shift available to which I applied. ABMC has to buy out my contract with the agency before I can be hired. I hate waiting.

Baby is awake! Time to cater to his wishes:)

I'm getting a full time job

I've applied for a full time nursing job in Labor & Delivery at a local hospital. The complication is that I currently work for an agency & the hospital has to negotiate a buy out. Sounds so funny, doesn't it? I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's time for me to get in the groove of working so that we can plan to build a home on the land we have. We're aiming for Spring of 2007. It's much easier to take going back to working full time when there is a goal in mind.

Carter is changing so much everyday. That makes me happy & sad. Happy because he is becoming more interactive & sad because he is growing so quickly. He's my last baby. Maybe that's why I'm hoping for a position in Labor & Delivery. . .then I can get my baby fix at work.

Gotta go, the feeding frenzy begins!