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. . . .