Tuesday, January 29, 2008

check off list

*Sell my Tahoe...check! (Just sold last weekend, though I got sentimental when they took it away...)
*Look for a minivan...still searching....
*Register at the hospital...check!
*Start every 2 weeks appts at doctor's....check...seems like I am starting sooner this time...only 31 weeks!
*Find a partner for next year...check! Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Brown!
*Find a long term sub for maternity leave...check...kind of...my sub can only do 6 weeks, so need someone else for the last 2 weeks
*Register for baby stuff...check! Babies R Us and Target...don't need too much, though I need girl stuff and some baby stuff and new bottles and a car seat...hee-hee...
*Get a new double stroller for Disneyland...check! The Graco one we had was too big! We got the Joovy Sit and Stand...love it! (1 last trip for the 4 of us before Baby K!)
*Sell our queen size mattress since we got a cal king one...hey, we have 4 people in our bed around 5 AM...and it was given to us!!! It's so great!...check, sold!
*Pre-order the new Stacy Julian book...need to do...tomorrow!
*Go to bed...I'm off! :-)

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Still here...

...hanging in here...getting through the blustery weather we have had lately...every teacher's nightmare...indoor recess! The lunch yard duty even had the nerve to ask if the kids could come in at lunch recess b/c of the rain...I said no! Come on, I need a break from 20 wild 1st graders! (For the record, it was hardly raining, and they bring them into the cafeteria at lunch to watch a movie, so it's not like I left them out in the rain...)

Speaking of school, think I found partner for next year...she's coming to see the room on Tuesday. Her name is Mrs. Brown, too! :-)

Almost 31 weeks pregnant...geting big! Sleeping is hard now and carrying my kiddos is even harder. Cooper still wants mama toting him around. I have so much to do to get ready for baby K. Today I started working in her room. It has been the playroom for a few months, so I need to move out the boy toys. Her tiny little clothes are so cute! Pink, of course! I am afraid I could easily go broke buying girl clothes, so I am enjoying the hand me downs I have been given! Though, I do have to say, I love buying boy clothes, too! My boys have waaay more clothes than me!

Did some scrapping tonight...been so busy, haven't done much...so wanting THIS book...now!!! I love Stacy's philosophy about scrapping, so got to get this soon!

Well, better go, have some more work to do, then bed...tomorrow is my sleep in day!!! Joe gets up with the boys.
Will post some pics of the boys soon...the camera has been dead for the last few days....need to charge it up!!!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Tag!

Ok, so she didn't officially tag me...but Kelli did this tag on her blog....

8 Things about your kids

Spencer:
1. adores pretend play:trains, Little People
2. can remember the music from any movie!
3. falls asleep in about 1 minute at night
4. is so loving...tells me how much he loves me all the time
5. is so excited for kindergarten
6. has many girlfriends: Katelynne, Jaden, Atheina, Maddie, etc...
7. loves books and "reads" them to us
8. really good at remembering directions and which way to go

Cooper:
1. loves music and dancing...almost any kind of music, too (right now Laurie Berkner and Jack Johnson are his favs, and of course, his Ramones...funny kid!)
2. loves to scare you by growling
3. afraid of golly-gaws (spiders)
4. has a hard time going to bed at night
5. trying to potty train himself...he has to "go beep"
6. doesn't eat much, but will eat a lot for breakfast
7. so cuddly, loves to cuddle!
8. shy, except at home

Baby Girl (she only gets 4 since she is not here yet)
1. probably going to be named Kendall
2. already has a lot of pink in her wardrobe
3. gets kissed and attention from her brothers all the time (though Coop thinks there is a baby in his belly, too!)
4. will have her own room

OK, Sally and Michelle and Nicole...you're it!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

My Word

...so Ali Edwards always talks about her word for the year...something to help bring focus to your life. Sally has her word picked...which I think is great, by the way, so I have been thinking about my word...and came up with "create". Not just in the artistic way...but in the life I want to create for my family and me. We are adding a new addition to our family, and life will change. How do I want our life to look? I really want to focus on home life and making it a good one. My kids are getting older, and soon will be going to school, and around all kinds of different influences...scary! Last night we were eating dinner together and Spencer kept getting up to check on his show...and yes, I was feeling too tired and sick to insist on turning off the TV...but I wish I had. so this year will be the year I focus on family life...and creating art wise, too..creating an inviting home...and scrapbooks for our family to enjoy...and creating the Christian focused life we want to live. Our church seems to be focusing on this, too. So "create" seems to be the word I want to choose for 2008.
What about you????

OK: added a post from Ali's blog about her word (hope you don't mind Ali!!!!):

Ali Edwards:
Now that many of you have chosen a word for the year, what will you do to keep it in mind throughout the year? It can be very simple or complex, a craft/scrapbooking project or a simple reminder in your planner or on your bulletin board. Some sort of visual reminder is a great way to add a bit of focus to your word.
Here's a couple ideas for honoring your word this year:
• Go through some magazines looking for your word or themes/phrases/etc that relate to your word. Cut them out and collage them together as a visual reminder. This could grow and expand throughout the year. • Commission or locate a piece of jewelry that features your word. I am ordering a necklace with "vitality" from Lisa Leonard. Love this as a daily visual reminder. • Print out a word card (see photo above) and place it where you will see it everyday (a bathroom mirror or refrigerator or bulletin board are all front and center). • Create a canvas that introduces your word. Dump some paint right on there and go for it. • Start a journal to document thoughts, feelings, experiences you have with your word over the course of the year. This could be a visual journal or just focus on the words. Your journal could be as simple as a Word document on your computer. • Expand your interest in words by playing along with the challenges on the one little word blog.
What are the ways you are planning to honor your word in 2008?
from www. aliedwards.typepad.com

Sick...


...me, after taking care of sick kids and hubby, it caught up to me...of course, I still went to work...gotta save those sick days...besides who likes writing lesson plans! Not me!

Back to being busy with life...my layouts-a-day are not happening. I did one this week on Maddie, but that's it.

School has been pretty good. Some of you know I have a tough group this year, but they are calming down now it's been 1/2 through our year. Work is more enjoyable. I do love teaching, so it has been good to enjoy it more lately. 1st graders make so much progress...Wow! Now I am looking for a partner for next year...glad to be going back part time!

Spencer is hanging over my shoulder waiting for his turn to play on noggin.com....he has gotten to be very good navigating on the computer, playing his games. Cooper is walking around listening to Daddy's Ipod...only Depeche Mode! Every time the song he likes is over, he runs up to me and wants it changed back.

OK, better go, I need to lay down...gotta get better! Mommy being sick is no good to anyone...and we have plans this weekend...wanted to go to the snow, but don't think that is such a good idea. There is actually a lot of snow in the mountains this year here...last year, not so much. And Cooper has never seen the snow! We need to take him. Spencer needs to go again. His last experience was in the blizzard like conditions in Chicago when he was 1. It was sooo cold, he just cried every time we took him out!

Have a good weekend. :-)

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Observations

Some things I have observed over my break:

*What the heck is moon sand?? We got some for the boys for Christmas, but it is so dry and we haven't let them play with it yet....is that how it is supposed to be? It gets everywhere!

*Boys make great sound effects!

*Slip on shoes are wonderful!!! The boys both got slip on sneakers for Christmas and I love not having to bend over and tie sneakers! They put them on themselves!

*If you let your children stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve, it will wreck their sleep schedules for a while...couldn't help it, we were having fun hanging out with some other families at Aunt Chelle's.

*Benadryl will help your child sleep all night. Cooper finally got 12 hours of sleep last night!

*Children (at least mine) always get sick around Christmas! We managed to wait until the New Year's this year, but all three boys got sick this week and are recovering.

*When you are pregnant for the 3rd time, you don't get much sympathy. Too busy taking care of the other kids.

*America's Next Top Model can quickly become a guilty pleasure, especially when there is a marathon going on!!! I love Tyra now!

*This writer's strike better end soon...missing my shows!

*Christmas isn't the same if everyone is not home together...Megan and Jenny, you MUST, I repeat, MUST be home every Christmas from now on.

*Christmas music doesn't sound the same on Dec. 26.

*The earlier you put kids to bed, the longer they sleep in the morning...it's true, try it! I am shooting for a 7:30 lights out tonight...but really b/c we have to be up early tomorrow...ugh...

*You spoil your kids when you have a Tivo or DVR....Spencer gets mad now when he watches "live TV" and can't skip through the commercials! "Mommy, the TV won't work!"

Have a great Sunday! Now that we go to church on Saturday nights, Sunday morning is a bit different...no early rush...just relaxing. :-)

Posting again...

(Don't you wish you were on the computer with a Cooper on your head, too?) :))))
Yes, being off work gives me more time to post! :-) But starting Monday, it's back to work...I'll think of you, Kim, jetting off to Hawaii on Tuesday...lucky!!!! Can you squeeze me in your suitcase???
Jenny is back from her Mexican cruise...she enjoyed it, especially swimming with the dolphins! She fell in love with Cabo. It would be fun to rent a timeshare there sometime...maybe our family could do this sometime...I am wishing for a winter getaway.

Boys updates: Spencer: 4.5...happy, creative, loves trains and Little People, going to the library, watching movies, can be very dramatic (quite the storyteller!), has a great memory, sensitive, outgoing to us, but can be shy, loves our family : always telling us he loves us and we are the "best mommy and daddy in the whole wide world!" and that he "loves us to the moon and back". We adore him!
Cooper: 2.5...talking more, some signing, playful, cuddly, can't sit still, loves figuring things out, loves helping Daddy (he was vacuuming today!), doesn't eat much and is as skinny as a string bean, music lover, likes drums (I think he may need a set for his birthday, though I would probably end up regretting it:-)), good memory, can put his own clothes, socks, shoes, coat on(though big brother still "needs" help), calls Spencer "Bruddy" (brother/buddy). We adore him!

OK, probably should be getting to bed...just wanted to share some updates, I know we have family reading this. Hello!!! Hello to those of you reading from wintery, snowy Chicago! We miss you!
Jamming on my LOAD (Layout a day) class...made a bunch last night! It's kind of liberating to just create, and not worry about perfection or how great the page is...it's the story that counts...I don't think my family will look at the pages in 5 years and ooh over the ribbon used! I'll share a few here...some do not have the journaling yet b/c I need to print it out still and add it on. Started Spencer's "School of Life" album, idea from Stacy Julian again. If you haven't read her book yet, get on it! It might even inspire some of you on the fence to scrapbook. To me, scrapbooking is almost like a journal, a photo journal. I don't do it a lot, and usually only after the boys are in bed, so it's my creative release and a way to show my love for my family. I really want to start some heritage albums. Got to get this book soon.
OK, enough, right? Goodnight!!!!

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Mommy alert!

OK, so I am not the world's best mom...though I try to be the best I can be to my little men...and I am a bit embarrassed to be writing this, but if it can help you at any time...here's some relief!

My Cooper, who I previously mentioned can open child proof bottles, swallowed 4 or 5 children's vitamins today. This was not the first time, either...yes, we now store them waaaay on top of the cupboards....the first time Joe said he heard that nothing happens, your body just gets rid of the excess. But then it happened again today, and like any concerned mother, I went online to get some info. It scared the $#@! out of me! One site said that as little as 3 vitamins with iron could be fatal! I immediately called the poison control center...have their number nearby, please! The man reassured me that he would have had to have swallowed 30-40 for there to be any problems. (Though adult iron supplements would have been a bad situation.) Thank the Lord!!!! So, anyway, I just wanted to share this story to help any of you who might be in the same situation sometime....hopefully you won't! I am never buying those colorful, cartoon shaped children's vitamins again! We need plain tasting ones...and while I am ranting, why do they make children's medicines taste so good. My two guys have been sick lately, and have been asking for their medicine all the time! I think there is a problem when medicine tastes good!

OK, I leave you with a pic of my Grandpa with Spencer and me. Grandpa went back home to AZ, and I miss him!!!! The other picture is of my Coop at 10 months for my LOAD class (Layout a day) at Big Picture Scrapbooking...today's layout!

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Attention, interesting sites!

OK, because I have the time (right now), I am taking the layout-a-day challenge class at Big Picture Scrapbooking. It's free!!!! And if you upload your layout in the gallery each day, you have a chance to win a prize! I am trying to finish Cooper's album...almost done...and work on family pages. Trying out Stacy Julian's scrapbook system...not scrapping chronologically, but scrapping what you want to...made a "places we go" album and "all about us" album...took pages out of albums to put in there. Going to make a "holidays" one and "people we love" next. Whooo...gotta lot going on!

Also, because I want to live a simpler life...less things, more quality time...I have been researching....here are some cool sites, if you are interested....here, and here...
OK, gotta go eat lunch...happy new year again!

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Happy New Year: 2008!


Wishing you and your families a wonderful new year!