Weekend is over

Phew! What a crazy weekend!

Friday we went to Multnomah Falls, and the Bonneville Dam and fish hatchery with Grandma Ard and the visiting families. That night I played softball again on Melissa's work team. I was so proud! I never struck out! I got to 2nd base once! The other times they caught me out or got to the base before me. So, yeah, I suck, but at least I didn't strike out!

Saturday morning, Steve and Becka went to a Daddy/Daughter Activity at church. They enjoyed that. As soon as they got home, we sped over to Clackamas Towne Center to see Wall-E with all the cousins. It was cute. Had a blatant political message running through it, but overall, I liked it. After that, we went to 6 different stores looking for a bike for Miss Becka. She got tons of birthday money to use for it. This was, of course, at lunchtime on a 100 degree day, with Rachel who hadn't had a nap. By the time we gave up on the bike hunt and got to Grandma's house, we were grouchy and hot. Steve, Grandma and Becka went to another store and came back with a new bike! Hooray! I will post a pic tomorrow!

I left at 5:00 with the girls to go to Kelsie's birthday party. After the party we went back to Grandma's house. Rachie played in the water for a bit, Steve was grilling the food. It was fun visiting with everyone. Rach started to totally melt down and I was so frustrated because Steve was either grilling or playing on the computer with his brother. Ugh...Damn computers!

So, we loaded up and came home. Rach was asleep before we even turned off of Grandma's street. Although, when we got home, she started SCREAMING and cried for almost an hour before she fell asleep again. Poor baby girl! Nothing we did helped.

I then spent until 2 am working on Primary stuff. I am subbing for the Primary chorister for the rest of the summer. Today went well. I had fun, but we were just reviewing. Starting next week, I have to actually teach them a new song. That will be interesting! Gonna spend a lot of time online looking for ideas.

We had planned on going back to the Ards this afternoon, but Steve had Home Teaching and interviews to do, so we ended up sticking around here, watching movies and then visited my mom. We hadn't seen her in over a week, so it was extra fun. We played Rummikub and Skip-Bo, both of which I COMPLETELY sucked at tonight. I couldn't concentrate with Rachel "helping" me.

We did have a small thunderstorm today. It wasn't as impressive as I had hoped. The sunset was amazing though, as they always are after a thunderstorm. I, of course, had forgotten my camera. I was wishing for it when we were driving home from Mom's and saw several places to take some great pictures!

All in all, it was a fun weekend. Crazy busy, but filled with fun and some memories too!

Bleh

Ugh. I thought I was doing ok off my meds, but I can feel the anxiety and depression creeping back up on me. Time to get the prescription refilled.

Nothing super exciting happening around here. We got to visit with all of Steve's family on Sunday. That was fun! Since everyone is in town, we took pics and they turned out great. I did have some up on my dropshots, but Steve made me take them down because he hadn't edited them yet. Meany!

Next week I start really kicking up my walking. I am on a walking team with Melissa and her co-workers. There are two teams competing to see which can get the most miles in. I figure I have to walk an average of 4 miles a day to keep up. When am I gonna get that done? lol! I am also gonna start the "couch to 5K" plan that I have had sitting here for a few years now. The time has come to get myself in gear!

Our website is almost finished. I need to write the Bio about us for it, and I have a few pics to add that Steve hasn't gotten up there yet. I need to also work on a watermark to add to the photos. I forgot about that being one of my "jobs."

Melissa and I are planning a trip to Forks, WA. Hopefully we can go in September. The book series that I am currently obsessed with is based there, and we want to go visit and take pictures, etc. It will be so much fun!!

I am already wishing summer vacation was shorter. My kiddos do nothing but fight! I guess they have to get used to being around each other all the time again or something. Yesterday we went to the library, and today to the free movie, but the minute we get back in the house, they go off. Especially Becka. She was screaming at me all day today. Ugh! Sometimes I wish I could duct tape her mouth shut so she could see that really, it is her smart mouth that gets her into the most trouble.

I go back to the doctor tomorrow. I haven't lost any weight since I was last in there. Actually, I may have gained. But, I am on the right track now at least. Melissa and I are walking at least 4 times a week, plus I am bike riding, etc with the kids and Steve. My goal is to be down 15 pounds by the time we go on our vacation in August. Hopefully by Christmas I will be down about 30 pounds. By my birthday I would love to be down 50 pounds. After that, I hope to maintain. I know I won't ever be like before I had the kids, but I would like to be healthier and to feel ok about my appearance. Of course, if I get pregnant between now and then, that will throw all my plans off by a few years. That's ok though. I would rather be fat and have my babies than skinny and not have them.

OK, so this post has nothing of any importance in it, just me rambling. I should head to bed. It is midnight and the kiddos have been getting up when Steve leaves at 6:15am. Haven't they ever heard of sleeping in???

Becka's Birthday

My Baby Girl is officially ten years old! Exactly ten years ago, after 30 hours of labor, 24 of it on pitocin (horrid stuff) and an emergency c-section, I was FINALLY holding my sweet baby. I can't believe it has been that long. Seems like it can't be 10 years! I am also thinking that I am definitely not old enough to be the mom of a 10 year old!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECKA!!

Recovering

Phew! Recovering from Becka's birthday party is taking longer than I thought! lol! We had a great time on Saturday. I have a few of the pictures up on my dropshots page if you want to see.

Wanna hear what we did? If not, stop reading now! :)

First, they came to Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station and presented their train ticket to board the Hogwarts Express. Once inside, they were sorted into houses using the sorting hat. After that, they were each given the password to tell to the pink lady portrait so that they could enter into the Gryffindor common room. Once in there, they played a game of Harry Potter Scene It. When that was done, we went to Olivander's wand shop and everyone got a magic wand. Next, it was time for classes. First class was Potions, where Professor Snape (Steve) demonstrated two cool "potions" and they each got to make their own potion. The ingredients available to them were: Mandrake Teeth (chopped nuts), Bloodworms (gummy worms), Dried Spider Silk (coconut), Troll Dandruff (powdered sugar), Blast-Ended Skrewt Toenails (pop rocks), Dragon Tears (green koolaid), Hippogriff Brain (crushed pineapple), Bowtruckle Droppings (raisins), Bat's Blood (red koolaid) and Essence of Plumeria (purple koolaid). After they made their potions, they each got graded and told that in order to pass that day's class, they had to drink at least half of their potion and stay alive. Hee hee hee! After Potions they went to Muggle Studies where they learned about hobbies that muggles had, and tried out a muggle hobby called "crafts" by making a golden snitch necklace without magic. Finally, they met in the Divination Tower (top of the playground) and had a test to see if they were possessed of the "inner-eye." They had to taste 10 jelly beans and guess what flavor each one was. Following that, we had cake/ice cream and presents. At the end, they played "Quidditch." It really ended up being more like broom hockey, but was still fun! They hit a ball around the backyard with brooms and tried to make goals. Jake acted as the bludger, he ran around trying to knock the ball away from everyone, and Ang, Mom and I threw around a small ball to be the golden snitch. After that was done, I just let them play outside, and such until parents came to get them. In their goody bags, I gave them each a cool Hogwarts Journal (Mom found them), a package of "Droobles Best Blowing Gum," "Fizzing Whizbees" (pop rocks), chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.

I lay on the couch most of the rest of the evening. I was so tired! I couldn't have done it without Steve, my mom and Angie there to help me. It was a blast, and the girls seemed to be enjoying themselves. I just don't think I will be doing anything that involved for a long time! I figure that she doesn't get a friend party every year, and 10 is an extra special birthday year. Jake wants a Star Wars birthday party this time...what kind of precedence have I set for myself?????

Old School

One of my mom's groups have been talking a lot about the New Kids on the Block getting back together. This got me thinking about all of the "old school" music that I loved back in high school! I added a few to my playlist, just in case you start to feel a bit nostalgic. My kids and I were having fun dancing to the songs as I was listening to them while adding them. Rachie especially loved it. She has always loved music.

Have I told you about her? Before she was born, Jake used to stick his face on my tummy and sing "Twinkle Twinkle" to her all the time. The day she was born, he was holding her and she started to fuss. As I reached out to take her from him, he snuggled her in tighter and started singing it to her. She quieted down immediately and listened while he sang. It made my heart melt. When she was tiny and would be colicky, Steve had a sill song that he made up for her and it never failed to calm her. In church from the time she was about 4 months old, she has always joined in when the hymns were being sung. Granted, it was her own style of singing, but cute and sweet, and kind of cool all the same. Since she could sit up, in addition to singing along, she dances to any music she hears, including cell phones ringing. I think people at church are finally used to seeing her boogieing down in the aisle in the chapel during the more "peppy" hymns. I hope she continues this love of music. It is fun to have someone who shares that love with me!

Harry Potter Frenzy!

I am in a crazy Harry Potter frenzy over here! Seriously though, I am having fun! My Hogwarts castle practice cake was a flop...not sure how I will fix that problem. I can always go back to the original idea I had and do wizard hat cupcakes if all else fails. I have everything but the chocolate frogs ready to go in the girls' goody bags. Those are cooling in the fridge. I need to make the portrait of the Pink Lady to go over the entrance to the Gryffindor "common room" and then I will be able to breathe a bit easier. I have no clue how to do it though, I am not an artist! My mom is making wizard robes for Becka and Steve, and she is gonna make the sorting hat for us also. I can't wait to take pictures and show ya all, I think it will be lots of fun!

I have been walking or doing some sort of exercise every day with Melissa, for almost a week now. It is hard to schedule it in, but having Melissa to prod me along helps a lot. I wouldn't do it if it was just me! The whole family and Melissa went for a bike ride the other day. My bum is so sore from the hard seat on my bike! We went about 6 miles though, which I know isn't very far on a bike, but for someone like me who hasn't exercised regularly in years, in is AWESOME! We got caught in a rain shower and saw the most beautiful rainbow ever! If you check out my dropshots, you will see pics of it.

What was I thinking?

Seriously, I must be deranged or have something wrong with my brain! I just now sat down and wrote out everything I need to get done for Becka's birthday party. What the heck is wrong with me??? I have SO much to get taken care of. She had better appreciate all of the trouble I am going through!

Anyone wanna come over and help me make chocolate frogs??

A few sweet shots

Angie, Kelsie and Karlee came over Wednesday and spent the afternoon with Rachie and I. I had meant to get a real photo shoot of Miss Karlee, but the camera wasn't cooperating with me. We did some snapshots and got several sweet ones...had to share my favorites here. You can see all of them on my dropshots. www.dropshots.com/punkinmama



Mommy, Big Sis and Baby



Cutie

Is this really what I signed up for?

Sometimes I wonder if I really wanted to be the mom.

This is not what I pictured before I had kids. I imagined days of reading books together, playing outside, doing arts and crafts, making fancy dinners, going on leisurely walks in the evenings. Picking flowers in the perfectly landscaped yard, growing huge vegetables in my weed-free garden. Me, skinny and happy...friendly all the time. I guess it was the "Stepford wife" ideal, huh?

No one told me that I would practically be living in my dirty minivan, breaking up kids' fights several times a day, begging a two year old to use the potty, picking up the same toys over and over and over and over again, drowning in laundry constantly and unable to keep up with the dishes, not to mention the rest of the house. I am constantly feeling guilty because no matter what I do or how much I try, I can never be quite good enough.

We got two more backdrops yesterday, so we had to play with them. Steve got this awesome shot of Rachie...I love it!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

catching up

Whew! What a crazy week! I got sick early on and spent a miserable few days running around when I should have been in bed. Did all the shopping and planning for my mom's birthday party. Plus helping Becka with her huge report that is due this Friday. Add that to all the regular crazies around here and you get my week.

Monday (Memorial Day) we helped Melissa and Michael some more with moving and then had a BBQ with Brandon, Afton and their kids, Dana, Derek and the girls and Melissa/Michael came. It was lots of fun. Poor Rachel was running around the corner and smacked into the wall really hard. Her forehead has a cut and is bruised on one side. That, added to the terrible burn on her hand from the day before when she grabbed my hot curling iron, makes her look like an abused child! Poor baby girl!

Steve and I had our 11th wedding anniversary on Friday. We didn't get to do anything super special. He ended up having to stay at work late. He got home 2.5 hours later than usual, and then we had to re-order some prints for the wedding people he took pics of. So, we went to a late dinner at McGraths. It was actually kind of funny. We drove around town for almost 45 minutes before we gave up and went there. Couldn't decide on something that sounded good, so we were just hoping to drive past someplace and know it was "the place!" It was fun to hang out together without the kids or other interruptions. I was brave and had something called "Halibut Davinci" which was basically small pieces of parmesan crusted halibut over noodles with a sun-dried tomato pesto sauce. It was pretty good, and a big step up in my seafood eating department. lol! I am a fish and chips only kind of girl! Steve had swordfish. He said it was ok, he mostly ordered it just to say that he had eaten swordfish. He made me have a bite, so I guess I can claim it too! :)

Saturday night we went to the reception for the couple whose pics he had taken a few weeks ago. They had several of the pictures in frames on display and they looked wonderful! He got tons of compliments and several new customers that night! I was bursting at the seams with being proud of him, so I am sure he felt good too! The cutest thing of the night was when Jake got in with the single guys to try and catch the garter! LOL! I love that kid, he cracks me up!

Today was an adventure! We went to Newell Creek Ward to be there for Karlee's blessing (did I mention that my best friend had her baby on April 29?). Anyway, we were excited because not only would we get to see Angie and her family, but that is Brandon and Afton's ward. But they weren't there! Hey Afton...where were you guys????? :) Mom and Dad Ard are also in that ward, but they are still on their trip to China. Allright, so on to the adventure part. We got about 10 minutes from home after the blessing and Steve looks at me and says,"you got my bag, right?" I am looking at him like, "what the heck?" I said no, I didn't know he had brought his bag, since it isn't our normal ward and I didn't think he would bring it with him, since it is just bishopric stuff for our ward. We had to turn around and go ALL THE WAY back to the church and get his bag. It took 45 minutes each way. We had planned on going to the last hour of our church, but since we had to go back, we didn't get home in time. Pretty bad when gas is so expensive.

Tomorrow the kids have pajama day at school. Jake wants to wear his sleeper jammies. I am trying to figure out if he will be able to cram his feet into his shoes when they are covered by the jammies, and will he get made fun of by the other kids for wearing that kind of pajamas? He looks adorable in them...they are red with race cars, but I think he is adorable no matter what, since he is my boy! Becka is wearing her Bobby Jack jammies.

Becka had a big project due at the end of the week. It is a report about Washington state. Today she made Mt. St. Helens out of flour, salt and water dough. I helped her get a box ready to use for a diorama. We are just hoping that her mountain dries in time to be painted and glued into the box! I am proud of her hard work on this. She is doing a good job, and is even doing more than the minimum required. She and I are also having tons of fun planning her birthday party. I admit that I go a bit overboard, but it is so fun. She doesn't have a birthday party with her friends every year, so I feel justified in making the parties she does get to have extra special. I can't wait for this one. It is (of course) Harry Potter themed. Just wait for pictures! You will want a HP party too!

Besides Rachie's recent knack for hurting herself, she is doing well. The potty training is going slowly, but it is going. She pooped in the potty yesterday and was so excited! She got to call Nana and Eesa (I asked her who she wanted to tell) and got to have a big marshmallow for doing it. Hopefully she will keep it up! She has always been lovey, but lately it is getting super cute. She is always saying that she loves you, or if you say I love you to her, she says, I love you more! Sweetie!

I ended up needing a CPAP machine for severe sleep apnea. I finally got it this week. I was planning on waiting until we could pay off the actual sleep study itself, but it ended up that they don't charge interest and I only have to pay 10%, since I met my huge insurance deductible this year already. We are hoping to get Steve in for a sleep study when I do get mine paid off. If I have severe sleep apnea, he has it terribly. He should have gone in first I think! I feel silly and a bit embarrassed about using the machine. I had it on for a few hours last night, after Steve fell asleep. It was ok, except that I like to sleep on my tummy and the tube doesn't let me do that. Bleh!

Ok, enough blabbing for one night. I need to go change the laundry over and get in my bed. I gotta stop getting on the computer so late!