12 Days and Counting.....

Very, very soon Kale will be back, the 16th to be exact. He gets in at 11pm that night and I am picking him up myself. Green has volunteered to come over and sit with the sleeping children. The girls don't know exactly when he is arriving, just that it's soon and before Christmas. Lilly will be very excited he will be able to attend her Christmas musical on the 17th.

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Black Friday

As is the tradition for the women in my family we went shopping on Black Friday. Green was kind enough to spend the night on my couch and "take care of" (be the adult in the house just in case) the older three girls. Rosy insisted I leave Delilah with Jason and Alan, I wasn't going to argue. I am just glad for my brother that she went straight back to sleep after I dropped her off at 4:40am. As always I have to be the first one up that morning because I am the driver and I have to pick everyone up. I picked Rosy up, dropped Delilah off, and picked Patience up. It's really not bad, I live 10mins from Rosy, Patience lives across the street from Rosy, and then it's 5mins to my mom's from there.

We went to Walmart first, arriving just before the doors opened. There was a line formed all the way around the outside of the store. We joined at the very end and it took us about 15mins to get inside. It was very cold that morning, only 20 degrees. Rosy was not ready for that, this was her first time getting up at the crack of dawn to join us. She went the years before, but after 8am usually. My mom bought her 50" Plasma TV my dad wanted, Rosy bought a trampoline, Meme picked up some gifts for the girls, Stella bought shampoo and nail polish remover (we teased her about this), Patience bought toys for her grandson Matthew, and I bought pj's and toys for the girls. My mom got right through the line and took the tv home while we shopped and stood in line. Patience and I didn't take too long in our line. We had a nice older lady in front of us and she was not letting a line jumper in our line. It was very funny to watch her tell him no he couldn't "squeeze in". Other than that we didn't see any arguments. After I got through the line I went to keep Rosy company, it took her awhile to get into line since they had to find a flatbed cart for her trampoline, that sucker was heavy. I couldn't even lift one end. It took us and hour to get through her line to pay. Then the worker loaded it in the van and we had to take it to her house or nothing else would fit.

We didn't get out of town (out of walmart) until 7:30am, then we headed to north KC. We spent another hour at Toys R Us. Then Kohl's, Target, lunch at Applebee's, and Old Navy. We were home about 3:30pm. I found Green as I left him, sleeping on my couch. The girls were dressed and had been fed, he woke up long enough to handle that much. It's a good thing Lilly is older and can take care of things. Delilah gave Jason a run for his money, she and Alan like to fight. There was an incident with Alan's poopy diaper and her grabbing it and flinging the poop everywhere. We laughed our butt's off at that one when he called to share. All and all it was a fun day, I wasn't sure I would be able to go this year and I am thankful my family stepped up to the plate to help out.

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The Days Ahead

We have a ton planned for when Kale is here. It's going to be a whirlwind visit, I think our heads will be spinning by then end of the trip.

17th: Trim the Tree, Family Picture (ENTIRE Family, all 14 of us), Lilly's Musical
18th: Delilah and I have doctors appointments at 1pm
19th: My parents are watching the girls and we are going out to dinner ALONE/Jason, Rosy, and Alan leave for Mexico and won't return until the 5th of Jan.
20th: Kale is taking the older three to see Bolt
21st: Kale's b-day dinner (his b-day was 11/22) at Famous Dave's with our extended family
22nd: Painting Sophia's room white again and switching her room and Delilah's
23rd: Kale's parents and Nanny arrive/We will go out alone again
24th: Christmas at my parents with everyone
25th: Christmas of course/plus Kale and his dad are taking the older three to Tale of Despereaux/Judy and I are making dinner/My mom and the teens are coming over for dinner
26th: Probably family pictures with Kale's family (since Judy all of the sudden after 5 years decided she wants to get it done professionally again, AFTER she has said numerous times that regular snapshots are good enough)/My parents and the teens leave for Chicago
27th: His family leaves
28th: Not sure yet
29th: He leaves at 6pm :(

The only positive thing about Jason, Rosy, and Alan being in Mexico for Christmas is that they are letting Kale's family stay at their house. That way we aren't cramped here and they don't have to spend money on a hotel. Otherwise it sucks, we will miss them like we do every year.

I may be hit and miss again during all of this. I have been very lazy, bored, and tired lately.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

No One Told Me....

First I would like to apologize for my foul language in my last two posts. I was typing so fast and furious I didn't even attempt to *** out some of the letters. While I do have a potty mouth, I know when and where it is appropriate to use.

Back to normal now....

No one told me just how hard this really was going to be. I cried last night on the phone with Kale, telling him just how hard it was and how upset I am that it's only 1/4 of the way over. I have been a mess this week. It's pretty bad when I am crying in my van when Gavin Rossdale's Love Remains the Same or Secondhand Serenade's Fall for You comes on the radio. -If you haven't heard either you should check them out, they are really good songs.-

I think my kids are handling this better than I am. I was fine the first couple of months, then school started and I have been home all day bored, just thinking of him. I am not having trouble dealing with the kids or dealing with the house. It's just the loneliness of it. I have not been apart from Kale for more than a month since I was 18, that's 10 years of being together. In February we will have been married for 10 years, he says he's finally going to buy me a big rock. :P But I have to wait until he comes back in June, he wants to be there with me when I pick it out.

I think it's the silence at night that bothers me most. He's been really good about calling me twice a day and emailing me everyday. I am happy when he calls, but I become even more sad when we have to hang up. It was easier for me in the beginning when I was so busy, but it was harder for him. At that time we didn't know that he can use state to state calling cards, which are WAY cheaper than the international ones he was using. I was also always busy and missed his calls often. He will have internet in his house again mid-Oct. and then it will be a little cheaper to talk. And I can talk to him all night long. Since he left my typing has improved, I was pretty good before, but now I am so much better.

In other news I have now lost nearly 15 pounds! I am excited. I am going to start walking to the school and back to pick up the girls on nice days, it's probably a 2-4 mile walk both ways. That will help. The "happy pills" have been helping to keep me away from sweets. I eat only what I need and I have even cut back to two 8oz pepsi's a day. I already drink a lot of water, so that's not a problem. I also started taking a multi vitamin to help with energy.

Well, my weekend is pretty busy. Lilly and Aidan both have parties to attend and on Sunday we are all going to the Renaissance Festival. It's been a beautiful week and it's supposed to continue for the weekend.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Wordless Wednesday: Sophia's Birthday Edition

Being a butt.

Building her puppy
Still being a butt
Crying until Nonnie took her somewhere else
The rest of the party having fun
Opening presents

Playing
Her birthday cookie
Pretending to blow out the candles
Giving hugs thank you
Her baby Abby, from Abby

Happy 3rd Birthday Sophia!!!

The only hospital shot I have of her :(

Kale had the camera, not me and they whisked her away for over an hour after she was born.

They did it because they thought I was diabetic (I so wasn't) and they wanted to check her blood sugar right away. She was however a little jaundice, but not enough that we had to do anything about it, just had to have it checked twice.

Her first day home, she was a peaceful baby.

She still makes this face. She was a couple weeks old.

Halloween, of course.

She would fall asleep anywhere, she was such a good baby.

At Mount Rushmore with Daddy in April of 2006.

I love her chubby face and the way she looked in her sweater.

Easter Morning

While the girls were flying kites she was picking (and trying to eat) dandelions

Learning to crawl

Just a pretty face and her "Disney Eyes" as K called them

First Birthday

She didn't have a fancy dress like this year, I had my miscarriage the weekend before he first birthday and was very weak from losing nearly half of my blood

I was lucky I got to go with everyone to the circus on her birthday, then we went back to my mom's for cake and ice cream

Her after cake serious face

Her 2nd Birthday Picture

All of the pics from her party have been hijacked by my external hard drive :(

Sophia is now three. She was a dream baby, which is why I decided to get pregnant when she was only 8mths old. With Lilly and Aidan I only got the "itch" again right before their 2nd birthday's. She slept easily, was quiet, calm, and ever so sweet. Then Delilah was born and all hell broke loose. :P She is still a good girl, but LOUD! We always thought she would be the quiet one, she hardly ever cried or yelled before Delilah was born. I am not sure if it was the terrible two's that did it to her or if it was spending two nights away from me and with Grammie (mil) while I was giving birth to Delilah. Who knows. But now she has hit the horrible three's and has been pitching some major fits lately. I am hoping it's just Grammie's influence and when grammie leaves she will go back to normal.

The birthday party went well, except Sophia was overwhelmed with being the center of attention. She pretty much didn't participate with any part of the party, with the exception of picking her bear, stuffing it, and picking the outfit. She didn't want to give the bear it's heart and after it was dressed she wanted nothing to do with it. The only thing she wanted out of the entire store was a $5 tiny puppy, so my mom bought it for her. My cousin's kid was upset too, he cried the entire time, he's 2 1/2. I guess it was because Patience (his grandmother) wouldn't carry him into the mall. His parents pick him up whenever he whines and she refuses to. So they left right after he built his bear. The other children and their moms had a wonderful time. After we built the bears we went up to the food court for presents. Sophia was very happy then and screamed with delight when she opened her new Choo Choo baby two of the children (brother and sister) had given her. Everyone stayed and had lunch together and my mom bought a big 15" cookie from Mrs. Field's with "Happy Birthday Sophia" written on it. We only ate half of it, she could have gotten the 10" instead, but oh well. After lunch Sophia was happy and played with the children.

Sunday night we had dinner out with everyone, my aunt Melvina and uncle Matt were in town for my cousin Guy Jr.'s wedding reception. We all went to that Saturday night. So we all had dinner, all 18 of us, at a local place in town where we knew we could all sit together without waiting an hour or more for a table. After dinner we all came back to my house for Sophia's family birthday party. We had chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and yellow cupcakes with yellow frosting. She screamed with delight when she opened the princess Belle baby doll my parents bought her. It's so very cute, maybe I will post the video. Green put together her new baby stroller and she fought with Delilah over it. She got way too many toys as usual, but I guess that's what birthday's are for. I will post the pics later this week of the parties.

Happy 1st Birthday Delilah!

Her birthday party

Minutes after birth

One Week Old

Sleepy Baby

Happy Baby

1st Halloween (obviously)

First Hospitalization

She had gastroenteritis

1st Christmas

Hard to believe my baby is a full year old now. I really was worried we wouldn't make it this far. She was not an easy baby with her laryngomalacia, being tongue tied, her hospitalization, her pneumonia, and all the problems she had with breast milk. Her condition has improved by leaps and bounds, you never even hear her breathing anymore. She hasn't been sick in a very long time (knock on wood). She is happier than she was in the first four-six months of her life when she was so upset all the time and I thought I might pull my hair out. I don't have to hold her when she sleeps anymore, I don't have to sleep with her anymore, she is on a set schedule that works for me. I do wish she slept a little more at night now, but I can't complain too much it is so much better than before. She is my youngest, my baby, and she is 1 year old today.

Wordless Wednesday

I made these this week for Sophia's Birthday

One for Abby. I am making her a necklace too. The pictures don't do the colors justice, but where I took them was shady.

Delilah's Birthday Dress Arrived!

I just love it!

Her new and very silly smile.

I also ordered the bow too match it.

Sophia's Birthday Dress AFTER K Fixed It.

Looks so much better now, I wish I had a before picture to show you.

It looked like she was wearing a potato sack.

The socks I had made for her too, I am hoping the same woman will make a pair to match Delilah's dress too. The blanket isn't for any special effect, it's to keep the dirt off the dresses.

I also ordered matching bows for her dress.

Freaking Out, A Little.....

It's less than two weeks now until our camping trip and I am a little freaked out. I have to get everything ready and I am worried Delilah won't sleep while we are there. Plus it's been 6+ years since the last time I canoed the 7+ mile route and I am so much more out of shape now. It kicked my butt last time, I can only imagine how much I will ache this time. Hopefully my back will be better by then, I tweaked it this weekend and it was killing me yesterday. I am sure everything will be fine in the end, but it's my nature to worry until we get there.

This weekend seemed very long and the girls were not as well behaved as I would like. Friday I made the mistake of going to the commissary, on payday, right after school. The girls were at least good that time. But we went again with my mom on Sunday and they were Out.Of.Control! I was so not pleased and my mom wasn't real happy either. We took Meme with us and she doesn't know how to be firm with them yet. But she wanted to push the cart with Aidan and Sophia in it, so we let her. They walked all over her, doing things they KNOW is not acceptable. We had a talk with her, gently telling her she can and needs to tell them no. So that was a very stressful day. On top of them acting up, it was Sunday after payday and all the blue hairs (retirees) were in for their monthly shopping. They refuse to be polite, move when they are taking up the entire aisle, or even move when you say excuse me. Plus in general they are slow and they buy a lot of stuff. I try not to go to the commissary on payday weekend, it's too much for even me. We thought we were safe by getting there when it opened, before church let out, but no such luck.

Friday morning Kale's cousin had her twin boys. I was surprised that they only scheduled her c-section a week before her original due date. She has been wanting babies for years, she had many miscarriages. I am pretty sure they found out that if she took 1 baby aspirin everyday her pregnancy became viable. The boys, Kurt (Jr or the III) and Jonathan, were 7.5lbs each, a great size for a singleton birth, let alone a twin birth. They are fraternal, one has blonde hair, the other dark hair, and one nurses, the other won't. So I am happy for them, they have been waiting for years to have a baby.

Saturday mom, the girls, Stella, Meme, and I went shopping. Well, I mostly went to return somethings and to use my $10 off any $10 purchase at JCPenney's. I got a shirt for myself for $8.99, not too shabby. I was behaving myself since I need to conserve money right now. Especially since I just had a birth I need to buy a gift for and in a couple of weeks I have a wedding gift to buy. When it rains it pours! And right now my money is getting ready to pour out of my account. I still have no clue what I am going to get Delilah or Sophia for their birthday's. Delilah doesn't like toys, she prefers trash. I guess I can get her a big box of food, that would make her happy. :P Sophia would love lots of toys, unfortunately she already has lots of toys. So I have no clue, I am open for suggestions!

This is my usual dilemma, willing to give them the world, but realizing they already have it.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

I Hope She Starts Sleeping Soon!

Delilah is teething again, which means sleep is not continuous for me through the night. That coupled with me watching the Olympics all night long, makes for a tired mommy. Before I was going to bed around 10:30pm so I wasn't so tired, but the past few nights I have been up past midnight. Someday she will sleep through the night.......I hope.

I booked Sophia's Build A Bear party this morning. I plan on having 7 children there (with Lilly, Aidan, and Sophia included) so it should be a fun, albeit pricey party. But I won't have to buy party favors, plan games, or clean up, to me that is worth the $150+ it will cost. K fixed her birthday dress for me, thankfully. I have seen it in pictures on Abby and it looks 100% better. I just received the bows I ordered for her and Delilah to match their dresses, they are so very cute.

Other than Sophia's party we will do small (HA! Like having all of us together is small.) family party with cake, ice cream, and presents on their actual birthdays. Judy is coming out again to celebrate their birthdays with us. We are also going camping Labor Day weekend. I haven't been since Aidan was a baby. I rented a cabin for Judy, the girls, and I, I am hoping Judy will help foot that bill since I only did it for her. I just realized we leave in two weeks for that trip! I am so not mentally prepared for it yet. Then the weekend after that is my cousins wedding, which I am only invited to the reception. I am glad Judy will be here to watch the girls, the reception starts at 7pm, too late for them. The circus is coming to town that week too, but I am not sure I will have the money for that too, even though I love going.

The first week of school has gone pretty smoothly. Even though this morning I shut my alarm off and woke up with only 20mins to get out the door. Aidan and I went rounds on the second most complained about article of clothing she has, pants. They were "too tight" which her pants always are when she is grumpy. I told her I didn't have time for her games this morning and she quit complaining. No problems with Aidan at school as of yet. I was a little worried, but as usual I worried for no reason.

We will do a little shopping this weekend, we have coupons :P But not too much because I need to save my money for the trip. Hopefully everyone else has a good weekend.

Wordless Wednesday

These are from Lilly's "party" @ Libby Lu and Chuck E Cheese