Christmas Pictures

I couldn't wait for the annual Christmas card to share some of the Christmas pictures of the kids. I sure love this little crew!

Four Times

I had to be pregnant four times to figure out the following:
1. If I take Zofran in the day and Phenergan at night I get a full nights sleep and don’t get woken up (to throw up) at four or five when my stomach gets really empty. (You wouldn’t think this is rocket science because the major side affect of Phenergan, and the reason why I have always resisted using it for nausea, is drowsiness. It works awesome for me.)
2. If I go to the chiropractor on a regular basis back pain can be minimized. Why did I live with sciatica during my last pregnancy when I could have at least tried chiropractics. When I starting having a problem at about 17 weeks this pregnancy I thought “I can’t live with this” and I went straight to the chiropractor. I haven’t had to live with it, at least yet.
3. If I wait to have my ultrasound until the new-year I won’t have to pay the $400 out of pocket since my deductable hasn’t been reached for the current year. Our deductable is sure to be reached next year. Even if I was anxious to know the gender I could do that for $75. My doctor said that the ultrasound helps them to anticipate problems that may present themselves at birth, but it doesn’t really matter if I have it at 20 weeks or 30 weeks.
4. If I don’t wear make-up for twenty weeks or so my life is simplified and my friends still like me. I have never been confident enough to go without makeup, but when I was throwing up allot it really simplified my life to not deal with mascara. Now that I am feeling better the make-up is back on.

With all of these great discoveries I wonder what else I will discover in the next 16 weeks. (I really have 18 weeks, but 16 sounds so much better.) I am sure to discover yet another way to get labor induced, which is why I am planning on 16 weeks. Hopefully I can figure out a way to sleep at 36+ weeks. I guess this finally figuring a few things out is just one of the many benefits of having lots of babies.

BTW I am using the bead idea to help Caleb and Cara balance their “service.” (See the prior post.) When Cara does something nice for Caleb she gets to put a pink bead in the “service jar” when Caleb does something nice for Cara he gets to put a blue bead in the jar. The goal is to keep it almost even. They only get to put beads in if I tell them they can. Caleb is much more aware. It is really helping the problem from the prior entry.

Caleb's Personal Assistant

At the age of five Caleb has scored a personal assistant. He has been asking Cara for her services for years, but it is getting really out of control. Every time Caleb needs something done that is not "fun" for him he asks his assistant, Cara. The three kids shower together most nights, and Cara comes running out of the bathroom at least once and usually twice or more to get a toy or something for her brother. On Halloween every time Cara got a piece of candy that Caleb liked he would simply ask her if he could have it and her sweet reply is always "sure" as she would pass it over. (Every once in a while I tell him no way.) When he drops his pencil on the floor while doing homework he always asks Cara to pick it up for him. Yesterday he refused to clean out the dishwasher and asked Cara to do it for him. She got right to work. When I told him the only people that would get candy would be those who did their chores he asked Cara to get two pieces. She never refuses. They don't fight. If she ever resists his never ending demands he says, "fine, I wont let you in my room." She instantly complies. If I had a dollar for every time Cara has come to me to say "my brother needs help." I would be a millionaire. When he is in a pinch he just sends Cara for help.

If you have any ideas how I can deal with this please help me. I don't want to discourage Cara from serving her brother but really enough is enough! Maybe it is fine, but maybe they are getting ruined. Caleb is going to spend his life bossing people around fully expecting them to comply, and Cara is going to continue to serve the bossy and ungrateful. Help!

Halloween

I tend to be a "bah-humbug" when it comes to Halloween, but my kids have been SO SO SO excited. We had to make a calendar at the first of the month for Caleb to count down because otherwise he was asking me ten times a day "how many days until Halloween?" (Of course the calendar was good to help him with his numbers too which he is working hard on at school.)

The day finally arrived and the kids had a great time. There was a school carnival on Friday night. Caleb came home from school and told Cara that the principal had told them to bring their brothers and sisters. Cara sounded concerned as I heard her say "but my sister isn't here yet." I assured her that she could go even without a sister.

Caleb dressed up as Captan Jack Sparrow on Friday night and as a Storm Trooper on Saturday.


Cara was an adorable little witch. It was so fun to hear her say Trick-or-Treat and Happy Halloween to people. I may have been the only one that could understand Happy Halloween, but her speech is improving.


Andy was a bumble bee. He was so cute crawling around and scavenging the floor for dropped candy and begging for candy from Caleb and Cara. Without words, he sure knows how to beg.


I had to also post some pictures of carving pumpkins. Carving Pumpkins, like coloring Easter Eggs, is a tradition I could live without, although this year it really was quite painless. I just have to post pictures to prove to my family that I do it even though I don't like to.


Andy enjoyed snacking in Caleb's Jack-o-Lantern lid while the rest of us were carving.

When I grow up . . .

Caleb doesn’t just mention what he wants to be when he grows up, he obsesses over it and talks about it constantly. At the beginning of the school year he wanted to be “an army guy that flies in an airplane because the guys in the airplanes don’t die as much.” I was ready to send him to boot camp. For just a few days he changed his mind and decided he wanted to be a “secret agent” so that he could jump from airplanes. Then one day he came home from the library and had decided he wanted to be a racecar driver. He asked me if I would “stand up for him” if he died in the race. He dreamed about what car he will drive and asked his dad to make a car with him “out of all the junk in the world.” Today he had a fireman come and talk to him at school and now he wants to become a fireman. He is busy making our house fire safe and he promises “when our house starts on fire he will get it out.” I wonder what dangerous career he will want to take on next week.

The ironic part about all of these career ambitions is that Caleb is one of the most cautious kids I know. He is terrified of snow skiing although he talks like he is the best skier around. He was dying to be a hockey player so we took him skating and he cried the whole time although he insists that he loves skating too. Maybe by the time he really picks a career he will be as brave as he thinks he is.

My Pet

Cara was so appropriately named Sweet Caroline. I just can’t get over how caring and maternal she is. (Although she does like a good wrestling match and she hasn’t noticed that Caleb is bigger than her.) She and Caleb would both really like to have a pet. (Maybe I am depriving them of life experiences, but those of you who know me well know that I am a neat freak, maybe to a fault. I just can’t stand the idea of sharing my home with something hairy or stinky, besides Josh.) Anyway, back to Cara, today she brought me the blue cup in the picture with her “pet in it.” Her pet is an almost dead box elder bug. The bug was on its back and I told her it was almost dead. She said “it is just sleeping” and she put it on “this nice comfy pillow for a nap.” Luckily this time of year her pet can easily be replaced.



Cara is so excited to have “my baby sister.” I am only 18 weeks and we do not know what we are having, but she is excited. (We are going to wait to have our ultrasound until January so that it goes on next years deductable so we wont know what we are having for a while.) I am considering not finding out because I know she will love the baby either way, but she won’t like getting the news that it is a boy. She is adorable. She often loving pats and strokes my tummy and kisses it daily. When she hears my tummy growl she gets so excited. She says, “my baby sister is talking to me.” She doesn’t mind putting away the cloths that are too small for her because they are for her sister. (I am really trying not to egg her on. She doesn’t need any encouragement or ideas from me.) The only thing that upsets her about this experience is that she would really like to have her own baby.

Connie's Mission Call

My baby sister Connie got her mission call. I can’t believe she is old enough to go on a mission. She is going to the Ohio Cleveland Mission and the Historic Kirtland Visitors' Center. She will leave on January 6. We are excited for her! I hope it is hard enough to humble her! I have a hard time not being just a little jealous that it is such a seemingly easy call, but I guess she could be jealous that I went international. We love Connie! She is my children’s “other mother” and we will really miss her.

Pears and Cottage Cheese

Unless you really love me you may not be that interested in this post, but I feel compelled to write about my current, bazar obsession with pears and cottage cheese. Before September of 2009 I had probably only eaten pears and cottage cheese a hand full of times. I thought it was good, but not something that called to me. About a month ago I started eating pears and cottage cheese, and I haven't stopped. I eat it for at least two "meals" a day. When I am preggo I make my food selections based on how it will taste coming back up. Amazingly pears and cottage cheese treat my stomach well and stay down for the most part. I go to the fridge thinking I will eat this or that and it always comes back to "I guess I will just have some pears and cottage cheese." This morning I had one of my "favorite" foods from my other pregnancies, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, (cinnamon is supposed to be a natural remedy for settling the stomach.) I think I have thrown it up just a few to many times. I could barley choke it down. I just wished I was eating pears and cottage cheese.

There are lots of weird things that happen when one is pregnant, but food cravings, or in this case obsessions, has got to be somewhere in the top 10. When I was expecting Andy I was even more sick than this time. In my first 13 weeks I lost 10 pounds and could hold down almost nothing. One of the very few things I could eat was Macaroni and Cheese, a food I haven't eaten sense that time and before becoming pregnant with Andy I probably hadn't eaten it in 10 years. With Cara it was home canned peaches, but I had to pace myself on that one because there was a limited supply creating a natural end. With Caleb I didn't hold anything down until I learned about the miracle drug Zofran. I had lots of making up to do for the weight lost in the first 20 weeks and my food of choice was french fries, and every day after work I had a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Although I have experienced "craving" or food that I wanted to eat every day in my other pregnancies, I have never experienced wanting to eat the same food for every meal. So much for the balanced diet. That being said, I think I will go have some pears and cottage cheese.

The stats are in

Andy turned one on the 23rd. Once again I wonder how time could go so fast. Andy has been such a joy for our family. I think I have taken more time to enjoy him than my other kids. Being sick the past few months I have laid on the couch, and he has been my entertainment. I have watch him go from rolling to get where he wanted, to learning to sit himself up, and just two weeks before he turned one he finally began to crawl. He has such an easygoing personality. He is just happy waiting for his brother or sister to get him something to play with. Caleb and Cara love him so much. They would do anything for him.

Today was his one-year well child visit. He weighed in at 24 lb. 9 oz putting him in the 75% for weight. His height was 31 inches putting him in the 85%. He is healthy happy and strong.

My family stepped up to the plate to give him a happy birthday party. It is fun to watch him with his cousin Daniel who is four months younger than Andy.


Grandma Iva provided a really fun ball toy


and of course a chocolate zucchini cake.


This picture was just as he burned his finger on the candle. (Note to self, blow the candle out right away.)

Calm as a Cat

Tonight I went to get Primary Election results for city council at the city office building. I felt calm as a cat. I felt like I couldn't loose either way. The results came in very slowly, and I didn't feel nervous or excited. I just know that whatever happened would be for the best. Three of the seven candidates were eliminated and I came in fifth, making me the winningest looser. I received a respectable number of votes, but not enough to get past the primary elections. I am totally satisfied because I believe I put my best foot forward. There are two things that bug me a little, but I am sure I will get over them quickly. The first thing is that people gave me money to help me get past primaries. I believe that I spent the money wisely, but I don't like the feeling that I "owe" them. The second thing that bugs me is that I received only 35 votes in my home precinct. The number is very comparable to the other candidates, but I think it is unfortunate that more of my friends from the ward didn't get out and vote. I think that people don't think that primary elections are important. The fact that only 13% of the registered voters in Providence (which equals 604 voters) got out to vote proves that people don't find it that important. With such small numbers every vote really did count. Thanks to all of you who did get out and vote. I am not looking forward to condolences, so please no condolences necessary. It's all good.