The Days Ahead

Wow...it's been a while...

2009-04-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in post, as usual, I'm really busy and I'm also obsessed with Facebook, so that's where I am all the time. Anywho....to update on our lives around here.....

About 3 weeks ago, I decided that I was going to get my crap together and start losing weight. I joined the gym at the beginning of the year, but with all the craziness of sickness and kids needing me here and there, was never able to make it there. I have a trainer that I see once a month and every time I met with her my measurements didn't change, in fact one week they went up. However, I went home to visit family 3 weeks ago and while I was there I went to the gym with my friend and she talked me into doing a 10k with her. The catch...it was only 2 months away. So, I had to start busting my butt to be able to do it. So, I have been working out 6 days a week. 3 at the gym, 6 doing power 90, and walking 4 miles with my friend here as many days as possible. I have to tell you, I have never felt so good in my life. I am literally addicted to the exercise. This week, DD has been sick and I haven't been able to hit the gym, and I feel like crap. I have also been eating REALLY well and I feel so good from that too. As far as the 10k goes, I AM doing it, I'm signed up, but most likely I will be speed-walking, not running. My knees and feet and asthma can't take the running. But, I walk 4 miles 3-4 times a week, so what's 2 more miles. One thing that was really discouraging me was the fact that the scale wasn't budging. I was working out a TON, but no movement from the scale. I am a scale junky..I will get on that thing about 3 times a day and I'm trying to not do that. So, I ignored it for a few days, and low and behold...finally, it started moving. I'm down 5 pounds and I'm so excited about that. I noticed that my clothes were fitting differently before the scale moved, and I know that muscle weighs more than fat, but it's still so hard to not see those numbers move. I was supposed to meet with my trainer this last Monday, but had to cancel because DD is sick, so I don't know how many inches I have lost yet. but, I'm hoping it's a lot! I have another motivator and that is my Aunt getting married and i'm the Matron of Honor. I want to lose as much as I can before then and look good in the dress. Of course it's strapless. What else!! ;o) And get this...the wedding is only about 8 weeks away. Fun huh? So, I will continue to bust my butt and lose the weight. Wish me luck!!

DD is getting so big! She is almost 1!! I can't even believe it! She is very close to walking, but just doesn't have the desire to take that first step yet. She says, momma, dada, a couple of her brother's names, doggy, she points, plays catch, and loves to go outside, and especially loves to shop! I'm not kidding, everytime we are at a store, if she sees purses, she screams with excitement!! That's my girl!!!! ;o) We are going to have a Tinkerbell themed party for her in a couple weeks, I can't wait for my first girly party.

The boys are good, DS-1 continues to give us trouble in school, but we are hoping to just get him through to the High School where everyone tells us it will get better. Apparently the middle school here is the worst, so we will see! DS-3 is very excited to start Kindergarden this fall and so are we!

well DD woke up, so i have to cut this off for now. i will continue later.....

So far so good....

2009-03-04T05:20:00.000-08:00

Well, our 11 year old son had his tonsils and adnoids out yesterday. He is doing well, but is in pain a lot. He is eating lots of ice cream and popsicles. He has to use a dry erase board to converse with us. It's kind of nice not hearing him fight with our 5 year old. ;o) I know it will be short lived though.

Not much else happening around here. Same old stuff, different day. Going shopping this weekend! Can't wait!! I'm also going to see my BFF from high school. She was my maid of honor and we really haven't seen each other much since then. I sang in her wedding a few years after mine and that was about it. We are so glad to find each other again. I found her on Facebook.

Well, gotta run!

Crazy Days!!

2009-02-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

hi! It's me again!

I have been so busy with everything, I haven't had much time to blog. We have been sick around here like crazy and now our 11 year old has to have his tonsils out next week! Fun fun!! That's a long recovery I guess, so this should be interesting. I had pneumonia a few weeks ago, don't remember if I posted that before. Then we all had the stomach flu (again) last week. Even the baby got that this time and that was no fun!!

I'm doing ok when it comes to losing my mom. I have been missing her a TON lately. I think it's because I just had my birthday and that was one day out of the year that I KNEW she was going to call. She called me every year on my birthday and she always made a big deal out of it. This year, there was no phone call. That was really hard to take. My dad called of course, which was very nice. He also sent me 3 birthday cards! I got 1 everyday leading up to my birthday for 3 days. It was pretty cool and very thoughtful. My aunt (mom's twin) also called and she is taking me shopping next weekend. We were supposed to go last weekend, but I was sick. So, everyone is trying to help with the fact that my mom is not here to say Happy Birthday. I have to say that this one was the hardest so far out of every Holiday. Christmas wasn't even as bad as this. I just miss her so much right now. It's been 8 months, and it still feels like it was just yesterday. Most days are really good though, more good than bad, so I think that's a very good sign. I know we will get through this, it's just so hard. My dad is still so lonely and I feel horrible for him. Please keep us both in your prayers as we are quickly approaching the one year anniversary of her death.

Our DD is getting so big so fast! She is almost 10 months old already! It's crazy! She is so much fun! She is getting her own little personality and it's really neat to watch. She says 'momma' now! Yeah!! She has been saying "da da" for quite a while. Daddy loves to hear it, that's for sure!! She is a daddy's girl, there is no doubt.

The boys are doing pretty well, our oldest is having some issues with school, and we are probably going to put him back into a Private Christian school this next fall. He's going into 9th grade and we are seriously hoping he makes it there. We have even considered Military School and have even been in contact with one. We hope it doesn't come to that.

Well, I have to make lunch for the little ones!! Hope you all have a great day, and I will be in touch soon!

Facebook Rocks!

2009-02-04T05:50:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have been MIA, but I am now obsessed with Facebook. I have found so many old friends on there, it's awesome!

So, just to update....we have had 2 birthdays in our house since the new year began. Son #2 just turned 11 and son #3 just turned 5! It's crazy!! We have been very busy, and I have actually had pneumonia for the past week. Lots of fun! Our baby girl is getting so big! Just this week she started to say "no no" by shaking her head, she waves and says "hi", she is starting to pull herself up to things and she started clapping last night. She also does "peek-a-boo". She says da da and said ma ma for the first time 2 days ago. She sits by herself in her room and just plays and plays with her toys. She is such a joy to have.

Well, I have a busy day ahead of me, so I have to run, but i will try to update more soon!

Jamie

Wow...

2008-12-31T20:22:00.000-08:00

It's been a while huh?? Sorry, i have been so busy. Our computer has been giving us fits too. It's not working that great now either, so this may be short.

The holidays were good, but really different without my mom. I have been missing her so much lately. My dad really missed her on christmas day, and everyday, but Christmas was really hard for him. We were there with him most of the day though. sometimes it still doesn't seem possible that she is really gone, then i remember it is real. I still get that urge to pick up the phone once in a while to call her, and then I remember i can't. It is still a one day at a time thing. I will be going through genetic testing soon to see if I carry the gene, and my new OBGYN says a complete removal of all my "girl parts" is most likely in my future. she doesn't want to take any chances and niether do I. It's the best possible prevention there is. I so wish they could find a cure.

On a happier note....we are all fine here. Kids are doing well, and our little princess is growing like a weed. She has 2 teeth and sits on her own and is about to crawl any day now. She is so much fun for us all. Her brother's just adore her, as do my hubby and I. It was so fun to buy girl presents for Christmas!!! My first time!! Our family got a Wii for our big gift from Santa this year and we are loving it! I love the Wii Fit the most!!! Found it just by chance one day, and I'm so glad!!

well, better run for now. if any of you are on facebook, I'm on there a lot now.

Happy New Year!!!

I'm #1!!!

2008-11-12T11:22:00.000-08:00

Literally! On Sunday I did a 5k walk race with my friend and I placed 1st in my age group! Crazy! My friend came in 2nd in her age group and 3rd place overall (she came in about 4 seconds ahead of me). We couldn't believe it! I thought I was going to die we were walking so fast, but I made it! I'm glad I pushed myself (or should I say, I'm glad my friend pushed me). The sad part is, she is 12 years OLDER than me! But, we did it and we placed! It was lots of fun and really worth it.

I'm still doing Weight Watchers and loving it. I was down another pound this week. Yeah! Actually right now I'm pretty much on a liquid diet because my teeth are in such bad shape in the back of my mouth that I can't even chew anything. I need to go to the dentist really bad, but I hate it so much. I would rather give birth! ;o) I need about 4 root canals and 3 teeth pulled (wisdom teeth). Lots of fun!!! I'm hoping to make it through the holidays first and then start dealing with it.

Not too much else happening around here. I have just been cleaning and organizing the house. I have a lot more energy since I have been working out all the time. I love it! We have company coming for Thanksgiving, so I'm want the house to look really nice. My Aunt (mom's twin) and her hubby are coming for Thanksgiving day and then my dad is going to come down that night and stay the entire weekend. We are going to go to this huge Christmas store that my mom loved to go to and get my DD a "name" ornament. My mom had ornaments for all of us and my dad wants to make sure that she has one. We may also get one in memory of my mother as well. It should be a great weekend. We are going to watch Christmas movies together that my mom loved to watch too. I can't wait to have him here.

Well - have to run! I have worship practice tonight and need to keep cleaning while DD is napping!

Later!

Losing it...

2008-11-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not losing my mind, I'm losing weight! Yeah! I'm down about 8 pounds so far and still counting. Tomorrow I am doing a 5k walk with my walkin' buddy. It is supposed to be really cold and nasty though, so we are not sure we are going to do it. We have been walking an average of 4 miles/day about 4 or 5 days a week. So, I'm walking almost 20 miles per week! I love doing it and I feel so much better. I want to lose 5 more pounds before Thanksgiving; that is my next small goal. I have A LOT to lose, and I'm not going to post how much for several reasons. No one ever believes me anyway. But, I am so determined to lose it. This winter will be tough because we won't be able to walk outside as much so I will have to rely on myself to be motivated to walk on the treadmill. I am also enjoying Weight Watchers. It's really easy and it truly works. It's a lifestyle change, not a diet. It's something I can stick to forever.

Well, we just celebrated my mom's birthday 3 days ago. This was the first major "first" we have had since she died. Now we have thanksgiving and Christmas. My dad is going to come for Thanksgiving weekend and spend it with us. That will be really nice. He went to dinner with family and friends on my mom's birthday to her favorite place, Outback Steakhouse. It's so funny, I didn't know that was her favorite (since we live in different towns and don't go to dinner much together) and it is also my favorite! I called my dad today and he sounded really down. He said it's so quiet in the house, and I know he misses my mom terribly. These next couple of months are going to be the hardest on him. I at least have my hubby and kids to keep me occupied...he is all alone. Please keep him in your prayers, and me too.

not much else going on around here. Keeping busy as usual. I will post again soon! Hope you all are well! I will post some new pics too.

Later!

Hello Again

2008-10-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

So - I have been extremely busy. A lot has been going on around here.....

This past weekend I went up north to see my family and attend a concert that was done in honor of my mother. She had been a part of the Community Concert Band for over 20 years and they started their season with a concert in her memory. They also announced that they will be having a song written in her name, which is so amazing. She was the 1st Chair Clarinet and had been the "Concert Mistress" for years. They left her chair empty last night, and I could just picture her sitting there, it was very nice.

So, I completed my first class after returning to school again, and even though I finished with a 4.0 in the class, there is so much going on in our lives that I decided now was not the time for me to return and I have gone back to a withdrawl status and have no intention of returning anytime soon. It was just WAY too much for us right now and I am so glad I decided to drop. I am in no hurry to get my degree and that is one less thing I have to worry about. Our oldest is really struggling with school and he needs my attention right now. Also, I was missing out on our new baby girl and that is not what I want. Maybe when she is in school, I might go back. For now, I'm done...and I am SOOOO ok with that.

I also started walking with a friend and we have been walking about 3 - 4 times a week and we walk at least 2 miles each time, but usually 4. I also am doing Weight Watchers. I love it! I have been on it for about 10 days now and I have lost 6 pounds. I'm working on my first 20 pounds, so I have 14 to go!!! I can't wait to reach that goal! I'm not hungry and do not feel deprived at all, it's great.

So - my mom's birthday is coming up very soon, about a week and a half away. That is going to be really hard, especially for my dad and my aunt (her twin). Then, we have Thanksgiving and Christmas to deal with. This is going to be really rough, but we will get through it with God's help.

Hope you all are having a good month - even though it's almost over already!

Oh - GO McCAIN & PALIN!!!

Some more new pics

2008-10-06T05:39:00.001-07:00

Some new pics!

2008-10-06T05:36:00.000-07:00

Paper due

2008-10-06T05:18:00.000-07:00

I have a paper due today, and I do not want to write it! It's about the differences in language among different cultures. This is not a strong area for me. So far I am getting an A in the class, but I have a feeling that may change after this paper. It's worth 10 points. I seriously considered not doing it, but I just can't do that. I am so hard on myself when it comes to my grades. I want to earn every point possible. I have my final paper due in one week and that one is 8 - 10 pages and I am not that worried about that one. This one is only 3 - 4 pages, but it's the whole "culture" thing I have trouble with.

Oh well, hopefully it will turn out ok. I will let you know how I do!!

I know, I know...

2008-10-03T19:03:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted in almost a month. Sorry!! I have been so busy I haven't even had time to think about it.

There isn't a whole lot new in my life, just been working on school, taking care of the kids, and getting through each day. I talked to my dad the other day and the whole time I just wanted to say, "can i talk to mom?" I want to call her on the phone so bad. As the Holiday's are approaching, I can see this is not going to be easy. Her birthday is also a month away and that is going to be hard. I'm sure my Aunt is probably going to have the hardest time of all of us, since they were identical twins and obviously shared a birthday. I know we will get through it, it's just going to be rough. I seriously can't believe it has been over 3 months already. We are going to visit my dad next weekend and he is really excited to see us. He hasn't seen his grandaughter in over a month. Speaking of the little one, she is doing great. She is so sweet. She gives kisses now. They are open mouth kisses of course, but it's so adorable. the boys just love her and she loves them too. She is eating baby food and loves it. If I am eating something, she tries to take it. I will post new picks soon, she is so stinkin' cute!

I have started walking with a good friend of mine about 3x/week. One of the days we walk 4 miles and the other 2 it's about 2 1/2 miles. It's so nice to walk with somebody, it makes the time go by so fast. She goes to our church and I sing with her husband. I'm hoping it will help me to get in shape. I'm trying to exercise more and I love walking, so that seems to work for me! My dh wants us to do a 5k next summer, so I'm up for the challenge.

Well that's about all from here. I will try to post more, but can't guarantee.

Thanks for reading!

Still Here!

2008-09-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

I'm here, just been very busy...sorry for the long delay in posts.

I start school on Tuesday, so I'm looking forward to that. My book for the class came yesterday and I'm very excited to get started. I can't wait to get my degree! It will be a while though. ;o)

I have also been busy watching all the Election "stuff" on TV and am VERY excited about McCain's pick as VP. She is an amazing woman and I think the two of them can do great things for this country.

You may have also noticed that September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. Last night the networks aired a special called "Stand Up 2 Cancer". It was awesome! I wish they would have mentioned Ovarian Cancer, but I know they couldn't mention all of them. It was hard to watch because it reminded me of my mother so much and others that I know fighting the fight. Cancer strikes 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women...Every 60 seconds, someone dies of cancer...Every week, 10,000 American's lose their battle. Please help if you can, and visit www.standup2cancer.org and make a pledge. Together we can put an end to cancer deaths. They have come so far and are SO close to a cure. You never know who it's going to strike, your wife, mother, son or daughter, husband, or you. Please take a stand against cancer.

I miss my mom so much. I cried myself to sleep last night because I miss hearing her voice, seeing her smile, and knowing that she was just a phone call away. I do talk to her and I know she can hear me, It's hard when I can't hear her though. I know I'm going to continue to have these days and I need to. I have to grieve, I can't keep it in.

Please pray for a friend/reader of my blog, Nat, as she continues to fight the fight of Ovarian Cancer. Her scan after treatments came back with some bad news, but she is seeking a trial treatment and I am praying that it will do the trick.

I hope you all have a great weekend and I will post as soon as I can!

Back to school...

2008-08-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided yesterday it was time to get back to school again. I took an extended leave while we had the exchange students and I was pregnant. I start back up in 3 weeks and I'm very excited about it. I just need to do this for myself and actually prove to myself I can accomplish this. I am still going for the BA in Psychology and will go on to get my Master's in order to become a Marriage and Family Counselor. I have a long road ahead, but I will get there someday. Just getting my Bachelor's will be a huge accomplishment and sense of achievement for me. I can't wait to get it done.

I also am going to be working with one of band leaders at church on a solo recording. He will help me write some original songs for it and help me put together the recording. I can't wait to have that done and be able to send them out to producers and see what happens from there. Should be fun!

So, I have been keeping myself busy which is how i function best. ;o)

I'm doing ok dealing with my mom's passing. I miss her so much and think about her every day. I'm trying really hard to just keep going forward and live my life like she would have wanted. I stil have my moments though, and it's still very hard. I know it will be like this for a long time. I'm still just taking it one day at a time.

talk to ya soon!

I'm Back....

2008-08-06T14:40:00.001-07:00

Sorry I have been MIA. I was out of town for the last week and a half. My hubby has to work in our hometown for a month, so I went with him for part of it. The kids and I came home a few days ago. While I was up there, I went through more things of my mom's and spent time with my dad.

It's still very hard to be in that house. It's the house I spent most of my childhood in and that my parents have lived in for about 23 years or so. There are so many memories there, and just the smell of the house reminds me so much of her. The chair she always sat in in the living room is covered with her things. My dad has all sorts of things there. I just expect her to walk out of her bedroom every time I'm there. I want her to be there so bad, and it's hard to accept that she will never be there. Something my dad and I decided to do was to skip having her ashes buried and my dad will just keep her with him. when he dies, i will then bury them both together in the same plot and I only have to go through one burial. It's kind of comforting having her ashes there at the house. we know it's not her, but it is a part of her, and that helps.

I dreamed about her while I was up there too. It was the first time since she died. I may sound crazy, but I have heard about people who have lost loved ones that had them come to them in a dream. I have been praying that that would happen for me, and it finally did. I know it was her coming to see me. she was all in white, like an angel. In my dream, I layed in bed with her and she held me and we talked. Then when it was time for her to go, she gave me a big hug and disappeared. The whole time she was with me, there was someone else there who was completely in white as well. I know it was Jesus. I couldn't see His face, but I know she is with Him, so it has to be Him. I know there are a lot of people who don't believe something like this is possible, but I do. It was so awesome to see her. She looked so good. I may never have an experience like that again, but I'm glad I had the one. I will never forget it.

So, I'm back home. Getting through day by day. I am still on the anti-depressants and they are working great. They get me through each day. I'm sure i will be on them for a while, but I don't want to be on them forever. I know it will be a while though, I have no doubt about that....and that's ok.

On a brighter note....the baby is absolutely a joy. She is the sweetest little girl ever. She smiles all the time and is on the verge of laughing. I can't wait to hear that for the first time. And get this...she sleeps in her own bed for 8 to 9 hours a night! My boys NEVER did that. They didn't sleep in their own bed until they were at least 2! They were always in and out of ours. She is awake for most of the day, but I totally can deal with that if she is going to sleep at night. I will take that any day. I will post some new pics of her soon. I have some great ones!

The boys are good. our 13 year old is back from Germany and had a great time. The 10 year old is going to start soccer again in the fall...and then there is our 4 year old. He is giving me a rough time right now. Very defiant and really testing the limits these days. I know we will get through it, it's just not much fun. Our oldest did this to me at the same age, so I know it will pass. We just have to survive it. ;o)

Well, that's all for now. I will post again soon!

Keeping myself busy -

2008-07-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

well, I've been keeping myself busy. Not really to keep my mind off of my mom, but just so I don't sit and cry all day and replay the whole situation over in my head, over and over again. I have been doing a lot of organizing in the house which has been put off for way to long anyway. we are moving our kids rooms around and getting them moved into different rooms so that the baby has a room. Our oldest is going to have a room in the basement, so we are also working on that. It's almost done, so it should be ready when he returns from Germany. I'm also starting to get our DD's room done. I have my closet back which is nice. She had more clothes in our closet than I do! ;o)

I also have been put on an anti-depressant which has really helped. It doesn't keep me from grieving, but it takes the edge off. I can actually concentrate on other things and it's really helping me. I've been on it for only a week and I feel a lot better already. I still have my moments, but it has really helped me. I still have to be a wife and mother, and I can't sit around and be depressed all day. My mom wouldn't want that either. I miss her so much though. I talk to her sometimes. i know she is watching over us, and I can feel her presence every once in a while. Not like a ghost or anything, just the feeling that she is there. It's actually really nice. So, I have had a couple of really good days, and hope I have a lot more. I know there are going to be many, many hard days ahead, but it's so nice to have some good ones again.

thanks for "listening" -

New pics

2008-07-17T05:03:00.000-07:00

just added a couple new baby pics on the side there. Just wanted to update those. I just had those taken yesterday. enjoy!

One Day at a Time

2008-07-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

Well, the weekend went well. We spent every minute we could with my dad. That was really nice. It was so hard to be at my parent's house though. It's so real when I'm there. She really is gone. I went through a lot of her things, not so much to get rid of her stuff yet, but, just so that I have some things here with me to remember her by. My dad wanted me to have some things. It wasn't too hard going through her stuff, it is just hard being in that house. I don't know how my dad is holding up having to live there. He has her ashes with him, which I think is a little comforting for him. We both miss her terribly though. I think I am finally waking up from my "dream" and realizing it's not a dream...it's real. I want to call and talk to her on the phone so bad, and I can't. My baby girl will never know her grandma. I am so greatful that my mom got to hold her, just 2 weeks before she died. This truly is a "one day at a time" thing. It really sucks though, I can't express that enough. I just wonder when it will get easier. I can't imagine that even happening. Some days are easier than others, and today was one of those rough days. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little easier, but you never know. Going back to their house really was hard, but I think it helped me to truly start the grieving process since I was forced to face the fact that she really is not there anymore. I know I will see her again in heaven, I just wish she was still here.

Well, just so I don't end on a sad note.....

Our baby girl is getting so big and we just love her to pieces. She smiles at us all the time and is very close to laughing. I will post a new pic soon. I have a really cute one. Our oldest is in Germany right now and is having a great time. our middle son is staying with my dad right now to keep him company and our 4 year old is here with me. I think the quiet house here is making it a litte harder for me too. I only have 2 kids with me, and it's so weird. They will be home soon though.

I will post more when I can....

Like a dream...

2008-07-03T09:45:00.001-07:00

It's been 1 week and 1 day since my mother's Memorial Service. This whole thing doesn't even seem real yet. It just feels like a bad dream that is taking forever to wake up from. I'm going to my parents house tomorrow to see my dad this weekend and I know when I walk into the house it's going to hit me again. When I'm home, it's almost like she is still here because I can't physically see that she is really gone. When I'm at their house, I know for sure that she is gone because her stuff is there, but she isn't. Right after she died it was so hard to go there because I missed her so much, and of course still do, so it's going to be hard to go there tomorrow, but I know I have to...I have to face it...she is gone. I was doing pretty well until the reality that I have to go through her things this weekend hit me and then the emotions start flooding back. I know I will get through this, i just have to take it one day at a time.

I know I haven't shared her story with you about exactly what happened yet. I will, I just need some time. It actually helps to talk about it, but for some reason it's harder to write about it. I don't know if I want to post the whole thing online anyway. I will probably e-mail you the story (those that I have e-mails for). It's just so personal that I don't really think the whole world needs to know about it. I don't care about my personal issues, but I don't want to share my mom's personal story with people I don't know.

Thanks for all your concern, prayers, and support. they mean so much to me. It has really helped me to get through this, and I truly mean that.

Keep praying for my family as we get through this.

My Heart is Breaking.....

2008-06-23T05:03:00.000-07:00

.......for the loss of my mother. I know this is a complete shock to all of you, believe me no one knows that more than my family right now. On friday morning, my mom took a huge turn for the worse, and by saturday night, she was gone. It's so hard to type through my tears, so I will have to go into more detail later. I just wanted to let everyone know that my mom's fight with cancer is over, and she is free from pain. She went home to be with Jesus, which was her request Friday morning. I am in the midst of helping my dad with preparations, and it is the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. Please continue to pray for my family as we face these days ahead. Especially pray for my dad, as he has lost the love of his life, after 33 years...to the day.

thank you all for your prayers and support through all of this. I will post as much as I can, but this is so hard right now.

NEW PICS!!

2008-06-16T09:14:00.001-07:00

Hey, I just updated all my pictures on here and added a couple new ones. Just wanted to stop by and say hi! really nothing exciting happening here. Our son leaves in less than 2 weeks to head to Germany. He is very excited and we are so happy that he has this opportunity. Our Exchange student's parents arrived on Saturday and they are so nice. We know our DS will be in good hands while he is gone. It's a little difficult communicating with them, but we are all doing pretty well with it. they just left this morning for a trip to New York for 3 days. We are then taking them on a little trip up north and then they will head to Chicago for a few days. Then it's 'bon voyage' for everyone. It's been a great experience for us all.

Mom is the same, pneumonia is getting better though. Still has back pain. Hopefully they can start chemo soon to get rid of the new tumors that are causing her pain. Keep praying please!!

Our little princess is doing very well. Sleeping a little better at night, so that is VERY nice for mommy. Who knew 4 hours of straight sleep could feel like a full nights rest!!! She is such a joy to have around and we can't wait to watch her grow!!!

Ta ta for now!!

Update..

2008-06-04T06:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry, been busy with the new baby.

So, my mom went to start her new chemo treatment last week, and when she got there she told them about a pain she was having in her side. they sent her over to the hospital right away, and come to find out, she has pneumonia. So, now that has to clear up before they can continue with treatments. Her back pain has been bothering her really bad too. Her spirits are good though, which I know really helps. Please keep praying for her...she obviously still has a long road ahead of her.

we are all fine and dandy here. Baby is great!! She is such a sweety!

Gotta run!

Mom...

2008-05-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

My mom has been having horrible back pain for a few days and we thought it was just strain. Well, yesterday it was really hurting so my dad took her to the ER. While they were there they pulled up her scan from Friday and it shows that the cancer is not gone, in fact there is more. I think the stuff that was there has shrunk or is gone, but now there are new tumors in her abdoman, and one is on the back side which is causing her back pain. She still has to meet with the Gyn-onc doc on tuesday, so we don't know what the plan will be from here on out. Please pray for her as we are probably now facing more chemo/radiation and who knows what else. Please also continue to pray for my online friend Nat, as she is going through the exact same thing as my mother.

Thank you!
Jamie

surprise, surprise!!!

2008-05-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

Well........guess what!! The reason I have been MIA is that I had the baby a week early!! she decided to surprise us by coming on her own!! I had gone in to the hospital to have some swelling checked that had come on suddenly, and when they hooked me up to the monitor, I was contracting. They kept getting worse and worse, and the doc said we would have to just go ahead with the c-section that night!! We were both really shocked, but very excited! Luckily my doc was the one on call that night and was already there. So......

Our precious baby girl (don't want to post a name) was born at 9:38 pm on wednesday 5/14. 8 lbs 4 oz. She is absolutly adorable.

For those of you that I am a little more personal with on here (Amy, Nat, and Tara), e-mail me, and I will send you a link to her web nursery. AJ1194@yahoo.com

That's all I have time for for now, baby is waking. I will post some pics soon. Hubby isn't to thrilled with this being an open blog, so I will see what I can do.

Oh....we will have the news about my mom a week from tomorrow. Please keep her in your prayers. She is feeling great right now. I hope that's a good sign.

Thanks for checking up on me!!

nothing yet.....

2008-05-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not due until May 29th, so there really shouldn't be anything happening yet. I have never once dilated on my own, and it's the same this time. I am scheduled for a c-section on the 21st, so we are less than 2 weeks for the big day! yeah!!

I'll let you know if we get a surprise sooner than expected, but I highly doubt it and wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. ;o)

Later!

Still here...

2008-05-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

I'm still here. we are anxiously awaiting the arrival, and counting down the days!!! I'm still busy making sure everything is ready.

this past weekend there was a mother/daughter tea at our church, and my mom, grandma, and Aunt all came to join me. It was so nice!! I'm 3 hours away from my mom, so I don't get to see her very often and wasn't sure if she would be up to making the trip, but she did great and has been feeling very good. She will have a scan in about 2 weeks to find out the results of all her chemo treatments. We are hoping that she is in the clear!!! it will be very nerve racking waiting for those results, that's for sure. But I'm just grateful that she was able to come and be with me for the day on saturday. She is hoping that she and my dad can make the trip down right after I have the baby. That would be so nice!!!

Not much else exciting around here, all i can think about is having this baby! I am very uncomfortable, and cannot wait to have her on the outside!! ;o) Please be praying for me and the baby, that there would be no problems during or after delivery for either one of us. I am a little nervous about it, and just want it to be over with. Thanks in advance for the prayers!!!

Ta ta for now!

I know, I know...

2008-04-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted at all since we returned. I'm sorry, I have just been so busy trying to get things ready for our little girl's arrival, that I haven't had time. I'm "nesting" big time right now, so I'm going through each room and organinzing and cleaning, getting rid of junk we don't need, etc, etc. I'm also making sure I have everything I need for our trip to the hospital which is FOUR WEEKS from TODAY!!!! we are counting the days and cannot wait to hold our new baby girl!!

I haven't been able to post Disney pics yet, we used DH's mom's digital camera for most of the pics, and her card doesn't work in DH's computer. We also used our new camera for some too, and DH hasn't gotten those on here yet, that I know of. I will try to get them on soon.

My mom is doing pretty well. she is having her 6th round of chemo this week and supposedly that is the last one, but there has been talk of maybe one more before she is done. They also have to check and see how the tumors are looking before they can give us any definite answer anyway. Hopefully that will be soon, and she will be clear!!! She is walking without her cane now, which is a huge milestone. She was in so much pain that she couldn't walk without it before, and she's getting past that, so something is definitely working. She should not be walking with a cane at onl 50 years old. Please continue to pray for her.

Well, I have to get going, just wanted to let you know I'm still here! Baby is still in the womb, and we are anxiously awaiting her arrival.

Ta Ta for Now!!!

We're Baaaacccckkkk!!

2008-04-08T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well, we had a great time in sunny florida and loved staying at Mickey Mouse's house!! It was SO warm there!! I think the average was 85 every day. It was awesome!!! I will post some pics soon. we took lots!

We are so glad to be home though. The drive home was SO long! Traffic was horrible, it rained for quite a while too, plus construction. Overall, we had a great time though. I had a slow moving time, but DH pushed me in a wheelchair for most of the time in the parks. There is still SO much walking involved though. I'm glad it's over. We will never go when I am prego again. That was crazy! I still got to go on the rides that I really enjoy (the kiddi rides), so that made me happy.

Well, baby is getting very big. I seriously can barely walk. I'm waddling everywhere at this point. ;o) We are counting down to "D" day now!!! 6 weeks from tomorrow! YEAH!!! we cannot wait to meet this little girl!! It will be so different for us, and we are very excited for that. Plus, I can put all these cute clothes I have to good use! ;o) I've gone a little crazy with the clothes to say the least. Oh well, they are only little once! And this is probably my one and only chance to have a little girl! ;o)

My mom is doing well. I spoke with her 2 days ago when we got home. She has finished her 5th round of chemo, and is only supposed to have 1 more, but that doesn't always happen, sometimes they need an extra round or two. We are hoping and praying for the best though. Whatever it takes to get rid of it, that's all we care about!!!! ;o)

Well, I am still doing laundry from the trip, so I better finish that up! I'm also starting to get the "nesting" instinct a little bit and starting to get things ready for our baby girl's arrival!! So, I'm off!!

Later!

No Posts...

2008-03-26T15:22:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to say, ta ta for now. I will be gone for a week and right now I am preparing for the trip, so I am very busy.

All is well with my mom right now. She is having her radiation therapy and will have her next round of chemo next week. I am doing well too with this big huge baby growing in my belly! ;o)

I will post when I return and then the countdown will be on for the arrival of our little princess!! I will post Disney Pics when I get back.

see you in a week and a half!!

"She's gonna be big"

2008-03-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

So, I went to my 2 week check-up with the doc yesterday and after he measured me, he said, "well, you are still measuring big." Up until this point, he hasn't told me how big my uterus was measuring. I asked him "how big" and he said 34cm. I'm only 30 weeks, so should only be measuring at 30cm, give or take a cm. I couldn't believe it. I asked him if he had a guess as to how big she was at this point, and he said probably around 5 lbs. My jaw dropped. I still have 8 1/2 weeks before this baby is born. No wonder I'm so uncomfortable already! So much for my "little" baby girl!! ;o) She may actually be bigger than the other 3!!! Even though she is big, so far she looks great and I'm doing very well. The doc was very happy with how we are both doing, so that's all that really matters anyway. Good thing I'm having a c-section I guess! ;o)

well, that's all for now! We leave on vacation in a week! We can't wait!

Ta Ta!!

Nothing exciting...

2008-03-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I went up to be with my mom for her 4th round of chemo on Friday. She is doing very well, and looks great. She is much thinner and has a lot less hair, but she is still smiling and happy and has a great attitude, so that makes a world of difference. It was a very long day though as it started out with Radiation at 8:30, then chemo at 9:15. However, they had forgotten to run an important test when she had her blood drawn 2 days before, so we had to wait about 3 hours for her chemo to get going. We went to the mall while we waited for the test results. So, we ended up not getting done with chemo until 5:30. Wow!! It sure takes a long time! There were 3 other ladies in there getting their chemo too. They all pretty much sleep through it all. I have no idea how she is tollerating this round yet. I told her I wouldn't call until the end of this week because last round, she got VERY sick. I don't want to bother her if she is so sick again.

Nothing much else going on. Baby is getting very big (as you can see in my pic). I'm getting very uncomfortable at this point. Glad we will be getting me a wheelchair at Disney World! I am definitely going to need it.

Well, ta ta for now!

Hello

2008-03-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

Well, still really no news to report. I talked with my mom last night and she is doing much better. she was so sick this time after her chemo. I will be going up there for her next round, so I'm really looking forward to spending the day with her. I know she will be pretty groggy, but at least I will be there with her. That's about all any of us can do is just be with her. She's half way done with her chemo. She is going to meet up with a Radiological Oncologist tomorrow to see if they still want to do radiation on her new spot that showed up. I really hope they don't have to, but I guess if that is what's going to get rid of it, that's what they have to do.

We are all getting excited around here to head to Florida! we are so sick of the snow!!! We will be visiting Mickey Mouse for 5 days!! We can't wait! I need to just get away and think about nothing for a few days. That will be so nice! Hubby does too. He works so many hours right now he really needs a break. Then...5 weeks after we return....baby is here!!! We can hardly stand it!! We are so excited to meet her and hold her for the first time! Our youngest is very excited to be a big brother too. I'm so glad I have things to keep my mind preoccupied and I'm not sitting here worrying about my mom all day. She has told me she doesn't want me to do that, so I am trying really hard not to. She doesn't like to worry about things and doesn't want me to either. That's much easier said than done! but, with all the excitement I have coming up, that will definitely help me to keep my mind off of worrying about her every minute.

Well, I hope you all are doing well. I will post again soon!

Still here...

2008-02-27T10:34:00.000-08:00

Well, really no news to report. I talked to my mom yesterday and she is very tired from her chemo this past friday. Hopefully she will be feeling a little better in a couple of days.

Baby and i are doing very well. She is so active! I can just sit here and watch my tummy move all day. She apparently requires very little sleep because she is awake a lot! ;o) I might be in for it this time! Our boys were so good when they were babies. Speeking of tummy though, I will have some belly shots on here soon. We just bought a new video camera/digital camera last night, so i will be able to get some pics on here finally. Our digital camera was broken, so I had to rely on my exchange students for any pics. Well, I will get it on here soon, I promise.

Hope you all have a blessed day!

Good News...

2008-02-20T05:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I saw my parents on Saturday and that was really nice. We had lunch together and then we all headed back home. It was a short visit, but nice to see them and talk with them. So, the docs were thinking of putting her through radiation for this new spot that has started on her bone. Well, they actually were kind of skeptical about doing that, and because of her developing this new spot, she was dropped from the research program she was in that had the really good drug for her. So, since her doc really didn't want to put her into radiation (due to where her other tumors are), he decided to check with the insurance and see if they would cover this research drug so that she could just get it w/out being in the study. This med is around $18,000/month, or some crazy number like that. Unbelievably, the insurance has approved it!!! so, she will now be getting this awesome drug for sure. We hope and pray that it works! That's all I know for now other than that she is having her 3rd round of chemo (finally) this Friday. Please keep her in your prayers. Also, there is another blogger that is going through what my mom is going through and really needs your prayers as well. They found something new and they aren't sure what it is yet. She is through her chemo already, and was just waiting to get the "all clear" from the doc, and that has not happened yet. she is now awaiting results as to what this new mass could be, hoping it is not more cancer. Please remember her as well.

Thanks!! I will update as I know more.

Looks Good!

2008-02-12T16:30:00.000-08:00

Well, I had my ultrasound and all looks well! And yes...It's still a girl!! Yeah!! It's most definitely a gir! We got a good look today. I probably won't have a chance to put pics on today or tomorrow, but I will get them ASAP. She was wide awake and moving all over. She kept putting her hands in her mouth, it was so cute! she is almost 2 lbs and looks great. I can't wait to meet her!!!

Well, that's all for now! I'm already at 3 week appointments, I can't believe it! Time sure flies when you're having fun! ;o)

Update!!! Finally!

2008-02-11T05:34:00.001-08:00

Ok - I spoke with my mom last night.

She is actually doing great! She sounded wonderful! She recieved the results of her cat-scan and it looks as if her tumors are shrinking! Praise God! However, they have found a spot on another bone that has to be biopsied tomorrow. Please pray for her as they find out what this may be, and that it is hopefully nothing, or part of the same issue and not something different. She is feeling fine though. We are hoping that she can have her chemo this week since it was canceled last week. The problem is because of the research drug. It is very important that her blood counts stay up for it because it can really bring the immune system down. So, if her counts are down at all, she can't have any treatments. We are hoping she can have it this week though. some great news is that they want to meet up with us this Saturday to do some birthday celebrations. They are going to meet us somewhere and take us to lunch. 2 of my sons have had their birthdays this year and mine is actually on Saturday, so that will be really cool to see them that day. As long as we are all healthy and my mom is feeling up to it, we are going to see them!

I am feeling pretty good, very tired and my back is killing me though. Baby is causing siatic nerve pain. Not fun! I still have 3 months to go! I'm huge too! 2 times yesterday someone asked if I was ready to pop any day. You should have seen the looks on their faces when I told them I still have 3 months left! ;o) Baby is very active and I love feeling her move all around. That is such a cool feeling! i go in tomorrow for my ultrasound, so remember me in prayer as well as my mom. I always worry they are going to find something wrong with the baby. So far so good, but you never know I guess.

Well, I know many have been waiting so I wanted to let you know what I found out. i will post tomorrow after the ultrasound and maybe I can finally get some pics of her on here.

Sorry...

2008-02-08T04:57:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post an update saying that we still know nothing. She was supposed to get her results when she went in for her chemo yesterday, but her blood counts were too low on Wednesday when they checked so she couldn't have her treatment yesterday. SO, we still are waiting. That's not really something the doc will call and tell you over the phone, so she hopefully will find out soon, but I don't know when. As soon as I know I will post.

I hope all is well! I will be going in for my 2nd ultrasound on Tuesday. I can't wait! Hopefullly it's still a girl. ;o)

Later!

No results yet...

2008-02-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

My mom does not have results yet, and she said she probably won't until her next treatment when she sees the doctor which is next Thursday. So, nothing to report yet.

Have a great weekend!

No update yet...

2008-02-01T05:50:00.001-08:00

I don't know how my mom's catscan went yet. I'm kind of nervous to call her, but I will call somtime today. I hope it's good news!!!

Well, the doc put me on a nebulizer this week and I can finally talk!! Thank God! I am still not 100%, but it gets better every day. Hopefully I will be back to normal real soon.

We also might be one less kid this weekend. Our Chinese girl is moving. We just aren't getting a long very well, especially her and our boys, so we all decided she should move (I believe I posted that in an earlier post), and the organization she comes from is looking hard for a new home. they may have found one, but we have not heard a definite yes or no yet.

Will update as soon as I know anything.

Doing ok ....

2008-01-29T07:59:00.001-08:00

well, I was able to speak for a brief time on Saturday, so I took that opportunity to call my mom. She is doing pretty well. Did not get anemic with this last treatment, which is great. She has much more energy then after her first one. She still has pain in her leg, but that has gotten a little better to the point that she can walk without her "walking stick" for a little bit at a time. She is still on 2 heavy narcotics for that pain though. She is going in tomorrow for a Cat-Scan of her body. Please be praying that the chemo is working and the tumors are getting smaller. She has 4 treatments left, we are all counting down!!

I still have this crud in my chest, so I can't talk much yet. It really stinks. The thing that is the hardest part about it is that I can't sing. I have had to miss 2 Sunday's now where I was supposed to lead Worship and I had to cancel. Besides God and my family, music is the most important thing in my life so this is really hard to lose my voice. Besides the fact that I can't even talk to anyone at home, or call anyone on the phone. I have so many calls to make, and I can't! It's really getting old. I'm going back to the doc today to see if there is anything else they can do. The problem now is that all this stuff in my chest is not moving, so it's just sitting there clogging my throat and I can't clear it out. I am taking Mucinex and drinking hot tea, I even tried several home remedies and it's just not working. It actually did start to losen up a little yesterday, so maybe that is a good sign. It's just so frustrating to have had this for over a week now. All I can do is whisper. Not fun.

Anyway, please remember my mom tomorrow as she has her scan.

Ta Ta for now!!

Not a clue...

2008-01-25T05:17:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't updated about my mom in a few days, I truly know nothing and that is because I cannot talk at all. I have a SEVERE case of Laryngitis. It's rediculous! All I can do is whisper. It came back a little bit yesterday and this morning it's gone again. I'm on antibiotics for a sinus infection that I guess caused this in the first place. Hopefully it will be back soon! This is driving me nuts! Try yelling at 3 children all 3 and under all day long with no voice. It's amazing how many things you can find to bang together or knock on! ;o) Clapping works great too, and it's a good thing I can whistle.

As soon as I can talk, I will find out how she is. I had my aunt call her on Tuesday to let her know I couldn't call. She was doing just fine that day, so hopefully she still is.

I'm pretty sure I told most of you that we are hosting 2 exchange students right now. Well, one of them has decided to leave us. We actually agree that that is the best decision for all of us. It just did not work. She is an only child, and a girl. We have 3 boys, plus another boy exchange student, and she just isn't getting along with the boys. They have absolutely nothing in common and are constantly arguing. We are all relieved, and she has been much happier since we made this decision. Hopefully the organization will find a new host family for her soon.

Well, that's all I have for now. I will post more when I know more!

Have a great weekend!

Unbelieveably cute!!!

2008-01-20T11:03:00.000-08:00

Ok - so yesterday I went shopping in another town about an hour away with my aunt (mom's twin) and my exchange daughter and one of my sons. Almost everything I bought ended up being for our new little girl! Girl's clothes are SO adorable! I can't believe what i have been missing!! I bought the cutest stuff!! I will probably change her clothes about 3 times a day. She will be like a real baby doll that I get to dress up everyday. ;o) This is going to be so much fun!

My mom had her second round or chemo on Thursday. Her sister was with her, and said that she did great and was feeling great the next day. It usually takes a couple of days for the side effects to kick in, so we will see how she is doing in a day or so. we just hope she does not get anemic like the last time. So far, she is feeling good. Only 4 rounds to go and we will see if the chemo is working!! Please continue to pray for her. It seriously is a "one day at a time" thing. We are getting through day by day, with the Lord's help.

Well, today is son number 2's birthday. He is 10 years old! Crazy how fast they grown up! We will be going to dinner later this afternoon and he is having a couple of friends over later. They have the day off from school tomorrow, so they are going to spend the night.

I am trying to post my ultrasound pics, but, they have my full name on the pictures, so I need to mess around and try to get that off of there. It also has the name of my OBGYN as well. I need to take that off somehow before I can post them. I can't wait to share them with you all!

Have a great rest of the weekend and I will post again soon!

And the winner is......

2008-01-15T17:54:00.000-08:00

Well, we had our ultrasound today!!! We went in there not sure it there was more than one baby in there, but there is only one!! At first this little bundle was all curled up nicely taking a nap and was not cooperating one bit! But, by the end of the ultrasound we had cooperation from our precious little one and we found out the we are in fact having......a little baby girl!!!!!!!!!!!! Most of you know that I already have 3 beautiful boys, so I was ECSTATIC to say the least!! I went right out this evening and bought her an outfit and some pacifiers. Girl stuff is SO cute!!! I almost started crying when I picked up the first pair of girly pants. I couldn't believe that I was actually buying this stuff for MY daughter! It is so crazy to know that I am finally have a girl! It's so cool!! I had a feeling all along this was a girl because this pregnancy was SO different then my boys. I was so afraid that it was just wishful thinking though and it made me second guess myself. But, I guess I should have trusted my instincts. What's really funny is that almost all the wives tales were true!!! 90% of my symptoms pointed to girl! Pretty funny!!!

Well, that is my exciting news for today!!!! Talk soon!

One More Day.....

2008-01-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the day we have our ultrasound!!! Yeah!!! I am counting the hours now! I just pray that the baby is healthy and it cooperates with us and shows us it's "parts". ;o) I will post when I know anything.

On another good note...I spoke with my mom this evening and she sounded great! She hasn't been able to breathe well for quite some time due to some issues, so she has been very short winded and not able to talk well at all. She sounded 100% like herself and except for the pain in her leg, she is feeling fine. Her next round of chemo is on Thursday this week. Her hair has begun to fall out already, but she is dealing with that just fine. She already bought some really cute hats and scarves made for cancer patients, and is ready for the inevitable.....baldness. Please continue to pray for her and her battle with cancer, as well as my dad and I as we go through this with her. It's hard watching someone have to deal with this. She is a trooper though, and I have to believe that she will fight with all she has.

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers, I will post the baby news tomorrow!

Too cute.....

2008-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

I just have to post something a little on the lighter side than I have been posting. Don't want this to be a depressing blog all the time! ;o)

So, last night my youngest son, he is almost 4, asked me where God lives. To keep it simple, I simply said "God lives in Heaven". So he says, "Well, I'm going to build us a button that we can push so that we can go in and see Him." I then said, "Well, God also lives in your heart". This is when my little "ladies man" says....."My heart? Sorry, but my heart is for my girlfriend".

I couldn't resist posting that one! ;o)

Also, as a lighter note....my utrasound is on Tuesday and I can hardly wait! I just ask for prayers that this baby would be healthy. With everything happening with my family, it just scares me. We will also be finding out what it is as well! I'm very excited about that! I will post it as soon as I can!

My grandma also was supposed to be going home yesterday, so hopefully she is doing well. She is not able to have her operation right now (if at all) due to her health, so we really don't know what is going to happen at this point. first of all, she needs to gain weight. That's all I know for now about her. My mom was doing really well on Tuesday after she had her transfusion. She was very anemic, so she had zero energy. I haven't talked to them in a couple of days though due to the fact that I have a case of larangitis. (spelling?) I can hardly talk above a whisper. Hopefully they are coming down tomorrow and I can find out how she is.

well, that's all I have for now. Have a great weekend, and I will post on Tuesday when I know what the baby is!

Update....finally...;o)

2008-01-08T05:33:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long time between updates.
We traveled home this past weekend to visit our families. I spent most of Saturday with my parents. My mom slept most of the time I was there. Last week she started having this horrible pain in her leg. The doctor's have not tried to figure out why she is having such pain. They say it is probably due to the fact that he had to dig around her hip during the initial surgery to remove the tumor. But, it's just now starting to hurt really bad. She is on 2 different narcotics for this pain because it's so bad, and she can hardly walk. So, she just lays in the chair all day. She is very thin, pail, and tired looking. On Sunday, we were supposed to go over there to do presents with my parents, but they decided they should be a little more careful with it being flu season and thought it was better to not have all the kids over. They felt really bad, but we totally understood. So, the hubby and I went by to pick up the presents and ended up staying to chat with my parents for 2 hours! this never happens. It was so nice to just sit and talk to them, and my mom was actually feeling pretty good. She had gotten up to get dressed in preperation for us coming over and so she was up and moving. Still not walking well, but she had at least gotten up a few times that day. That makes such a huge difference! They actually might come and see us this weekend so that my dad can help dh wire the basement for the boys' room down there. My dad really wants my mom to get out of the house for a while. We all know it will do her some good. We just have to wait and see how her white cell count is on Friday after her blood draw. We really hope they can come, it would be so nice. During my stay on Saturday, my dad and I discussed the possibility of checking out some other cancer centers in the state. We want to make sure she is getting the best possible care. They have found a couple more tumors during this whole process and it really makes us worried. We also have not been told what stage she is in, and that really bothers me. My parents may have just not heard what he said because that is a lot of info to take in all at once. I have been doing some research on ovarian cancer to learn and little more about it, and hopefully I can help my dad to make some important decisions. We just want what is best for my mom. This is a road that none of us have ever been down before and it is very scary. We are trying to just take it one step at a time and deal with the new things thrown at us when they come. With God's help, we WILL get through this...no matter what happens.

As for my grandma.....I visited her on Sunday right before we headed home and she is doing ok. She ended up with Pneumonia, and is now recovering from that. The problem is, since her lungs are so damaged from years of smoking, they don't think she could withstand the surgery. So, we are not sure what is going to happen with her at this point. She NEEDS to have that surgery, but the doctors can't do it when she is in such poor health. She only weighs 90 pounds (barely), and refuses to eat the food they are giving her because the salt isn't right or she doesn't like what they brought her. She is a typical grouchy old lady. ;o) I will hopefully know more about her this week. It's kind of up in the air right now. they had to wait until the Pneumonia cleared up before they could make a final decision on her lungs.

Thanks for all the prayers for my family. Oh, one more....my grandma's nephew is also in the hospital just down the hall w/ congestive heart failure. They removed 50 pounds of fluid from around his heart. can you even imagine?? So, it's like a family reunion at the hospital right now. He went in last thursday. please remember all of us in your prayers, this has been quite a start to the new year.

I will update soon!

Here we go again!

2007-12-29T06:41:00.001-08:00

Well, yesterday I got a call from my family telling me that my Grandma had a heart-attack, and she now needs a quintuple bi-pass. I grew up living next to my grandma so I have always been very close to her. This is my dad's mother. She is 77 years old and right now only weighs 87 pounds. Because her arteries were so blocked, her body has not been getting any nourishment for quite some time. Therefore, they cannot perform any surgery until her body is up for it. She will be in the hospital for quite a while until she has the surgery. The doctors don't want her to leave before she has it. So, they will be feeding her lots of protein and healthy foods to build her body up. She is a very stubborn lady, so I feel sorry for those nurses. ;o) We will be going up there next weekend to visit my family and check on everyone. My mom had her first chemo treatment yesterday, and also has to go in for outpatient surgery on her kidneys on Monday. There is a blockage causing problems, and they don't know yet if it is a tumor or a blood clot. Last week, they also found tumors on her lungs. They have not told us yet what that means for her prognosis.

I know that some of you may wonder how in the world I can deal with all of this along with my own family as well as being pregnant, and I just have one word....God. He seriously is the only reason I am not curled up in a ball on the floor. Believe me, I have had my moments, but they are few and far between and very mild. Every time I feel scared, I just pray. I ask God to give me strength to get through each moment and each day, and I cannot tell you how much it has helped me through all of this. I know whatever happens is God's will and He knows what is best for us..even though we may not agree or be asking "why".

I hope that you all have a great New Year!! I will keep you posted on my families progress. Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers!

Ta Ta for Now!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-21T17:56:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas! I'm sure I won't get a chance to post much in the next few days.

My mom called today. She is doing ok. She has had a lot of tests done this week in preparation for her first round of chemo next Friday. She is very tired and gets worn out easily, since she is still recovering from her surgery. I have faith that she is going to come through this just fine though. I can't have negative thoughts or I will drive myself crazy. We will just take this one step at a time.

I just about have all my shopping done, which is so weird! I am usually one out on Christmas eve getting the bulk of my shopping done and then wrapping it all that same night. Everything I have is already wrapped too! I'm so happy about that!! I won't be rushing around on Christmas Eve; I can just relax.

I hope you all have a blessed Christmas!!!

The results are in...

2007-12-14T10:07:00.000-08:00

My mom has been diagnosed with Ovarian cancer. The doctor sounds very confident that he can get rid of it completely; so, we are all trying to stay very positive. He wants to start on chemo right away so that it does not spread any farther. Now we move on to the next step and deal with whatever side effects may or may not come from the treatments. We hope she will tolerate it well. Please keep her in your prayers, that she may do well in the treatments and if it is the Lord's will, that she would be healed. Thank you all for your concern. I greatly appreciate it.

No News Yet

2007-12-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

We are still waiting for the pathology reports to come in, which was expected. They told us it would be a few days before we had any answers. My mom was just released from the hospital yesterday and my dad took her home. She is in horrible pain from the surgery. She has a vertical incision (like a vertical c-section) along her torso. It will be several days before she is able to get around with minimal pain. I have had 2 c-sections and one upcoming in May, so I can totally feel her pain. Of course, mine is a bikini cut, not vertical, so that's not quite as bad, but still very similar. Not fun. We are praying diligently that the Lord's will be done in this. (I am also praying selfishly that my mom would be ok.) :O) I just wanted to give an update to say that we are still waiting. Thank you for the continued prayers.

Prayers Needed

2007-12-06T05:03:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe that I am someone that has to post a prayer request like this....however, we just found out on Tuesday that my mom has cancer. You never truly think that it will happen to someone that you know, let alone your own mother. She was having a routine surgery to remove what they thought was a fibroid tumor that actually are very common in women and are non-cancerous. But, once they got in there, they realized it indeed was cancer and it had spread to several areas. Everyone I could contact at the time began to pray and during the surgery the doctor was able to remove 90% of this tumor. I don't know how he did it, other than with God's help, because it was attached to several things. Now we wait. We have to wait until sometime next week to find out what type of cancer she has, so that the doctors will know the best route to treat what is left, and make sure it is completely out of her system. They are pretty sure it will be chemo, but they can't be sure until they have answers. Right now she is recovering from MAJOR surgery, and for someone that has never been in the hospital in her entire life (accept when she was born), this is a whole new world for her. She doesn't know what to expect. Considering what she has just been through, and what she is about to face, she is doing remarkably well. She is very strong in her faith, so I know she is clinging to God right now and has faith that His will will be done. The good thing is that the doctors are very positive right now, so we are very hopeful that she is going to beat this, and come out "good as new". I appreciate any prayers that you can send up for her, and will update as I know anything new.

Thanks for reading and for the prayers.

Strong and Steady!!

2007-11-27T05:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I had the pleasure of hearing our baby's heartbeat for the first time yesterday!! That is the best sound in the world, when you hear it for the first time. It puts a lot of worries to rest. It was beating at 153 beats per minute. Very strong and fast!! It was perfect! My ultrasound has been scheduled for 7 weeks from now. I cannot wait for that!!! Hopefully the baby will cooperate and we will find out what it is!! No confirmation on whether or not we are having twins yet. We will find out at the ultrasound I guess. We only heard 1 heartbeat, but that doesn't really mean anything. The nurse wasn't looking for two anyway. It was a different nurse & doctor than I normally have. I'm sure it's just one, but it would be nice to know for sure!!

Thanksgiving was very nice around here. The exchange students really enjoyed it!! The food was great!! Hubby had to work, but people brought in food for them to enjoy some kind of thanksgiving.

Now, it's on to Christmas!! I have part of my shopping done, but not nearly all. Having anything done this early is not normal for me! It's so nice though!!

Well, better run! Just wanted to give an update! My next doc appointment is on Christmas Eve!!

Later!!

I'm still here....

2007-11-12T09:28:00.001-08:00

Hello! Long time no post, I know! I've been so busy, it's ridiculous. My sister-in-law's wedding is over, so that's good. Don't have to think about that anymore. This past weekend we painted our kitchen. It looks so awesome! We painted it yellow and in our mud-room, which is connected to the kitchen, we put up wains coating (not sure how to spell that) and a chair rail. It looks so nice! We are going to paint the rest of the house as well. The main part anyway. I can't wait to get it done!

We also got rid of our newest dog, Molly. She was just a horrible dog. I couldn't deal with her anymore. we got her in March if you recall. She started peeing in her cage again and peeing on our carpet (that since we got her has to be replaced already) again. Also, my allergies were getting REALLY bad and I was having to use my inhaler at least 2x/day and that's not good. If I'm not getting oxygen, then the baby is not getting oxygen, so my doctor said she had to go. Scout doesn't bother me so much, so that's good because I love him to death. We found her a great home and someone will have a nice dog if they have time to work with her. That's the last thing I have time for.

Not much else going on around here. Just getting ready for the holidays!!! Hope you all have great ones as well! I will post again soon. My next appt with the OB is in 2 weeks. I can't wait!! We will hear the heartbeat for the first time!!! Yeah!!!

Ta Ta For Now!

2nd Appt....

2007-11-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

Well, Monday was my appt with the doctor and it was utterly boring. All he did was a pap smear. Whoo hoo!! Next appt we will hear the heartbeat and schedule my ultrasound. I'm now 10 weeks along. I'm doing great so far, mostly just tired. I'm fully in maternity clothes though, which is typical for me; I always show early.

We are heading up north for my sister-in-law's wedding this weekend. We are all in it, so it's going to cost us a fortune. Hopefully all will go well.

Well, I hope you all have a great weekend! Sorry I haven't posted much. Just so busy lately, and tired.

Later dudes!

1st Appt....

2007-10-16T05:23:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday I had my first appt with the Nurse Practitioner. It was basically all paperwork and her going over a few things. My due date is May 29, and I will be 8 weeks tomorrow. I see the doctor in two weeks and I cannot wait for that appt. We will hopefully hear the heartbeat by then since I will be almost 10 weeks at that point.

I'm still extremely tired and I don't see that changing anytime soon. The nausea is getting worse. Nothing sounds good to eat. I was extremely hungry all the time and that is still there somewhat, but, more nausea now. I'm popping out already too. I seriously look like I'm 5 months pregnant. But, that's typical for me. I get really big, really fast...and with every new pregnancy it's sooner and bigger.

Well, my DH and I made a major decision regarding me returning to school after this break. The decision....I'm not going back. At least for now. I have a lot on my plate and something had to give. So, as of yesterday I am no longer enrolled at Ashford. I will return in the future however because I really want to become a counselor. It's just going to take me a little bit longer to get through it......and that's o.k. I'm glad I went back because I proved to myself that I can actually do it. When I'm ready again, I won't be so scared to take the plunge.

well, that's about it from here.....I will update soon!

All is well...

2007-10-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

Well, so far I'm feeling pretty good. My main problem is that I am SOOOOOOO tired. I just want to sleep all day long, and with my busy life, that is next to impossible. I am able to take a nap during the kid's nap time which is so nice. I haven't had too much morning sickness and that's mainly because I learned during my last pregnancy that if I just eat little bits all day long, it really helps to keep the morning sickness at bay. My first doc appt is on Monday, and I can't wait to go! I always love going to my appointments during pregnancy, especially when you get to start hearing the heartbeat, that is the most special sound in the whole world.

I will keep you all posted as to how the appointment goes. Please keep me in your prayers that this baby is healthy and we do not have any problems.

Ta ta for now!

God had other plans......

2007-10-09T05:39:00.000-07:00

So, as I stated in my last posting, I started attending weight watchers. I love their program. Well, as you all also know, we have been trying to have a baby for quite some time. We were going through infertility treatments since March. Well, when my monthly friend showed up again in August, I decided I needed a break from all of the emotional stress that comes with infertility. I prayed about it that day, and asked God to be in complete control, and if He wanted us to have a baby, then I knew He would make it happen. Apparently I should have done this from the beginning, because that's all it took!! We found out yesterday that we are 7 weeks pregnant with our 4th child. We could not be happier!! We are both so excited, and our kids (including the exchange students) are extremely excited. We of course are hoping for a girl, but, truly we just want a healthy baby. We give God all the glory for this little miracle growing inside of me and cannot wait until we get to hold him/her. We will find out what we are having as soon as it is possible. I will keep you posted on our progress and let you know how we (baby and me) are doing.

I hope you all are doing well and would love to hear from you!

Trying something new!

2007-09-25T08:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided I'm going to try the one thing I haven't tried for weight loss and I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting last night. I really enjoyed it, and everyone is so positive and supportive. It was great! It was so nice to be in a room full of people that understand how I feel (about food), and I don't feel like they are judging me. There were even a couple of guys there. I'm very excited about it and hope that it works!!! We are taking our family and the exchange students to Disney in March, so I really would like to be much thinner by then. I also have to sing at my sister-in-law's wedding in 5 weeks and would like to lose some before then too. So, I'm focusing on my first 10% loss. It's amazing how much of a difference just losing 10% can do. That's how much I lost a year ago, and it was a HUGE difference. I can't wait to hit that first 10%.

I will keep you posted!!!

Yep, got my car back!!!

2007-09-21T04:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the non-posting day yesterday, as some have already guess, I had my phone and my car back!! ;o)

Yesterday was the first day for the Fall Women's Bible Study at church an it starts at 8:45 am. So, the daycare kids, jack, and I went yesterday morning. It was so awesome! I am in the study "The Excellent Wife". If you can ever pick up this book, it's great. My hubby told me I didn't need to choose that one because I already am an "Excellent Wife", but, I told him I'm sure there is always room for improvement. ;o) It is a great study, and I'm glad I chose it. It actually was written by a Marriage and Family Counselor which is what I want to be when I'm all done with school. The material is something she uses in some of her sessions, so it's a great tool for me that I may use once I am a counselor.

We started cleaning and organizing the basement last night to begin working on a room for our oldest 2 boys, and then our youngest 2 boys will share a room together. That will be so nice when that is done!!!

Not much else to report!! I'm so glad to have my car back!!! And especially, my phone!!!!

I feel trapped!!!

2007-09-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

I hate not having a car. My hubby has to drive mine until his is done in the shop, and it's driving me nuts!! To top it off, today he was home for a while this morning, so we took the kids and went to the grocery store. Right after we got back home, he had to head into work. So, about 20 minutes after he leaves, I realize I left my purse in my truck, with my cell phone in it!!!! I am LOST w/out that phone! Especially since we don't have a land line, just our cell phones!! So, I am phone-less! Cut off from the world!! ;o) I can't go anywhere because I have no car, and I can't call anybody because I have no phone!!! I know....poor baby!!!! I must sound like a spoiled little brat right now, but, Too bad! ;o) I just hate not having my phone. I can deal with no car, but no phone, come on!! Oh well, he will be home around 7pm and hopefully his car will be ready for us to pick it up. I figured I would put this on my blog since I can't call anyone to complain about it! ;o) Hope you are having a great day!!!

Ok - I'm back

2007-09-18T05:27:00.001-07:00

At least for today anyway.......

I have been so unbelievably busy, and it is all my own doing really. ;o) I am one of those people that cannot function without complete chaos in my life. So, here is the latest.....

Since I last posted, we decided to host an exchange student! So, around the middle of August, we picked up our new daughter from China. We decided to do this at the last minute, so we were frantically trying to prepare a room for her, but got it done the night before her arrival. One week after her arrival, we received another e-mail from the organization we used for our "daughter" and they said they had 3 boys that were still needing homes. One boy from Germany had a home, and the family backed out at the last minute. At this point, it's less than a week before school starts. So, we agreed to be an "arrival" family for this boy, which meant he would only be with us for a few weeks until they found him a home. We are very tight on room until we finish our basement, so we really don't have room for any more kids. Jack sleeps in our room already. ;o) BUT......the second I met him, I knew I could not give him up. He fit in so well right away with our family and felt like one of my own boys. So...I told the organization that we would keep him for the entire school year, along with the daughter we already had. Needless to say, it has been quite an interesting month!! It has been such an awesome experience, I can't even begin to explain it. We are learning about both the Chinese and German cultures, and we are teaching them about America. We are all going to take a trip to Disney World together in April and we are very excited about that. Our boys love having a new brother and sister, and I enjoy the extra help! All in all, it has been a great experience and I know I am going to be a complete wreck when they have to go back home. ;o(

In other news...

My hubby was just offered another job as the Medical Director of a Plasma clinic. This is such an answer to prayer. He has been working extra shifts at the hospital for extra income, but, the shifts are 24 hours long and if it's not on a weekend, he has to stay through his entire shift the next day, so he's up for 2 days without sleep. Plus, he is gone from us more than we like. At this new position, he only has to go in for 2 hours a day (not even every day) and he will make more money then those extra shifts! We cannot believe how this was dropped in our laps. We give God all the glory for that one. He just signed his contract yesterday, and he starts tomorrow!

As far as I am concerned....I am taking a break from school as well as trying to get prego. With all that was happening with the exchange students, and needing to help them get adjusted, I figured it was time for me to take a break. So, I'm on a 6 week break from school, and I think probably a year break from the fertility specialist. We are not going to prevent anything, so who knows, we may get pregnant on our own, but I'm not holding my breath. The break from school was much needed. I have been working at it since February without a single break. It just goes from one class to the next. My grades are still really good. This last class I didn't like, so I only got a B in it which brought my GPA to 3.83. I was a little bummed about that because until that one (Cultural Anthropology), I was still carrying a 4.0. But, I guess I can't complain about a B, that's still really good. I return to class on November 1st, or sometime around there anyway. It's nice to not have to worry about school for a few weeks.

Well, that's about all I can think of from here. I will try to stay on top of this a little more. I can't promise anything though. ;o)

I know, I know...

2007-07-19T05:23:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since I posted. Sorry, I have just been so busy. Summer is a crazy time around here.

There really isn't much to report either. Not pregnant. I may have to have a sample of my endometrial lining taken and see if there is a problem with that. Fun fun!! Not! I'm getting real tired of all this crap. If we didn't want a baby so bad, I would just say screw it.

Our oldest son is at church camp this week. I'm sure he is having a great time! We pick him up on Saturday.

Hubby is Chief Resident now, which means much more responsibility. He is doing a lot of teaching with Students and Interns. He loves teaching, so it works out great. We still don't know what he is going to specialize in. I'm really pushing for us to stay here as long as possible, if not indefinitely. I love it here. Anyone that knows me well, knows how much I love my hometown and have always planned on going back...so I must really like it here. ;o) Mostly, I'm sick of the family politics that goes along with living near family. It's so much easier to live far away! ;o) But, I really do like living here.

I am leading worship this week at church! I'm very excited about it. I'm actually thinking of doing a studio recording with this band. They recorded one of our songs last night, and it sounded so awesome. It's something I have dreamed about for years, but never had a band, or connections to a studio. Now I have both. I'll keep you posted on that issue.

Well, hope you all are well. Please drop me a note!!

Back from Vacation!!

2007-06-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

We are back! We had a great time visiting family and camping. We actually had the most fun when we were camping at the National Park we stayed at. It was so nice! We just did whatever and had a great time. Visiting family is always nice, but so exhausting.

Well, once again, we are not pregnant. We start the next round tomorrow. Back on the clomid, in for an ultrasound and shot of HCG mid-cycle, and hopefully get prego this time!

Haven't heard from anyone in a while. You need to leave a comment once in a while ya know!

I will write more later -

New Car!!!!

2007-06-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited...I got a new car yesterday! Well, not brand new, but new to me!!! It's a Ford Expedition. I was driving a Kia Sorento, and I really love that car, but the boys were just getting too big to be cramped in the back seat all in a row all the time. It was pretty small back there. That car we bought brand new 2 years ago, and my new truck is 2 years older than that, and has less miles on it than my Kia. I do a lot of driving! This thing is HUGE! I love all the room. I'm not going to like filling up the gas tank, but, there isn't much I can do about that. Whatever we got was bound to be a gas guzzler, so we will just have to deal with it. So, DH now has my Kia, and I get the kid hauler!! I love it!

Just wanted to share my exciting news!! Hopefully we will be filling up another seat in our new car within the next year!!!

I know...I'm late!!

2007-06-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

Better late than never i guess!

Hope everyone had a good weekend! ours was busy of course! Friday I went in for my mid-cycle ultrasound and they found 2 eggs that looked really good, so they gave me a shot of HCG, and sent me home to "have relations". Those were the Doctors words! Isn't that hilarious?? He's probably in his 60's. He's been doing this a very long time and is probably the best in the city. we are pleased so far! We hope this works!

sang at church today! I am leading a lot more and i love it! It makes my week when I am on.

Kids are good. jack hurt his toe last week. Got his foot stuck under a door and ripped his toenail back completely. that was fun! He's a trooper though, and is doing very well considering his toenail is going to fall off.

We are heading up north on vacation in a week and a half! can't wait! We are going camping and canoeing for a couple of the days, and will just hang with family the rest of the time. should be fun!

well, gotta run. oh, I received my final grade for my Intro to Psych class.....4.0!! Yeah!! I'm in my computer class now and really like it! It's actually a nice 'intelectual' break!

Later!

TGIF!!

2007-05-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Yeah! It's Friday! I have been very busy this week! I actually had NO internet for 2 whole days! I thought I would die!!! Luckily they got us back up and running in time for me to post my assignments for class! That would have sucked!

So, I'm almost done with my 3rd class! Cannot believe it!! I start my computer class next Tuesday, and it looks like it will be a really fun class! Hopefully I can do well in it! I love anything to do with computers, so I am anxious to learn some new techniques!

The boys are almost done with school for the year. Yiipppee!!! NOT! I love them dearly, but I know the first day they are home, all I will here is...."I'm bored"! "There's nothing to do!" "He's being mean to me!" "He won't play with me"! ......... Can't wait!!!!! Luckily we are going on vacation in June for a few days and we will be heading up north to see family, so that will keep them busy. our oldest also goes to church camp in July, so that will help the time pass too. I can't wait for September to get here! And it's only May! ;o)

We are going to see Spiderman this weekend! I can't wait! We have been anxiously awaiting for the crowds to die down a little before we go. Now that "Pirates" is out, that should help the crowd level. Our 3 year old is so excited to see it! He LOVES Spiderman!

Well, better run. Time to get the kiddos down for nappy!!

Later dudes!

Hello, Hello!!

2007-05-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

Ok - so I haven't been posting much. This is mostly due to the weather. Since it has been so nice out, we have been working on the lawn and keeps me even more busy. So, for the summer, I will probably just post once a week, and after this week, I'm going to shoot for every Friday. It will be a TGIF posting!! Just for now, and then I will get back to posting more once the busy-ness of summer is over.

So, as for what has been happening in my little world......

School is still going great!! I am currently getting a 4.0 in this class I am in. I haven't turned in my final paper yet, nor have I received a grade for my short paper I had to write, so these may change my grade some. I don't know though. I hope not!! It is going well though, and I'm in my 4th week of my third class already!! I can't even believe it! I start my computer class in 2 weeks!! Yeah!! That reminds me, I need to order my book for that class! Good thing I said something!

On the baby front....we saw a fertility specialist this past Friday. He is going to put me back on Clomid, but he uses it more aggressively. Once I'm into my cylce, I take the clomid, then mid-cycle I go in for an ultrasound, they check for "follicles" and see if there are eggs present, if there are, then they give me a shot of HCG hormone which helps the eggs to release. He is pretty opptimistic that this will work. I'm praying that it does!! I really don't want to get too invasive with this whole thing. We are only going to try this for 2 cycles and then move onto something else. Let's hope it it taken care of this time!!!

Church is going well, worship team is awesome of course! I have practice tonight as a matter of fact. They have me leading at least one song this week, so I'm very excited! I will lead more and more every time, so that's pretty cool.

Well, that's about all from this end of the world. Hope you all are doing well! Leave me a comment, even just to say hi!!

Later dudes!

What's up?

2007-05-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

So - how is everyone? We have been busy as usual. nothing really new around here. I received my grades for week 1 of my class and they were all A's. Hopefully I will get another A in this class. I have almost all my work completed for week 2, I just have to write a 3 page paper by Monday, on the Basic Elements of Behavior. Exciting stuff huh??

I have been singing quite a bit at church lately and they asked me last week if I would be willing to be one of the worship leaders. Right now I sing the harmony mostly for whoever is leading, and so this would put me in the lead position. I will also have to speak during the worship time. Should be pretty cool! I have done it before, but not at a church of this size. Between the 2 services, we have an average of about 700 - 800 people. Sometimes more. It's been more lately, which is awesome!! So, this would be a great experience for me! I absolutely love this church. I'm so glad we found it. I grew up in church and have experience several different ones. I have never in my life enjoyed church as much as I do now, and I have really liked the churches we have been to in the past. It's so nice to find a church that you can really feel God is a part of. It's a wonderful feeling! We get a lot out of the sermons which makes it fun to go every week. I hate missing a week. I think since we moved here, I have missed 3 Sundays at the MOST. We have lived here for 10 months. It's just awesome! Ok - I will stop going on and on. ;o)

Hopefully I will have time to post again in a couple days. Oh, we are supposed to see a fertility specialist next Friday. So, I hope they can figure out what the heck is the holdup!!

Later!

Monday, Monday...!

2007-04-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!! Hope you all had a great weekend! Mine was good, but busy of course. We had soccer on saturday. We won 12-0!! DS was awesome in goal as usual. That kid doesn't let anything get past him! He loves it!!

I had to sing at church yesterday which was wonderful as usual. I enjoy singing with them so much! They asked yesterday if I would like to lead worship sometime soon. I have done this in the past, but not at this big of a church, so I think it would be a great experience for me. Should be cool!

I have a doctor appointment today. I will see what the results of my last blood test were and see if they have figured out why we are not getting pregnant. Hopefully I will have something to work with after today. If not, we are finding a new doctor. We have had enough messing around.

Still plugging away at school. 1 week down already on my 3rd class! It's crazy how fast it goes! I am actually learning quite a bit! My next class is a computer class, so I'm really excited to do something different for a few weeks. Something other than this intense study. I will probably see some of my original classmates in that class as well.

Well, I hope your Monday is going well!! Talk to you soon!

New Class

2007-04-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Well, this has been a busy week as well! I started my 3rd class on Tuesday. I just finished posting all my assignments about 5 minutes ago. Wow - my brain is fried! I also recieved my final gradel for my last class and it was another 4.0! I can't believe it! I hope I can pull that off in this new class. I don't know, it's pretty tough. I will give it my best shot though.

In other news, I'm finally starting to lose some weight. Yeah! I would hope so since I'm working out about 5 - 6 days a week and have really been watching what I eat. I have lost about 3 pounds so far. I hope it keeps coming off. I hate that it is so slow, but I know this is the right way to go about it. My exercise regimine consists of Jazzercise on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and walking for 1/2 an hour on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday. I LOVE jazzercise. It is so fun! And walking for only a 1/2 an hour on the other 4 days is so quick and easy, yet makes such a big difference. I have Friday's off which is great. I actually take that day off from school every week too, so it works out great. Friday is my free day!!!

Well, I hope you all have a great weekend! TGIF!!!!

We have a new family member!!!!

2007-04-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

I will try to post pictures of her later, but for now I will just tell you. We got a puppy! She is 4 months old today. She is a pure bread black lab, which matches the one we alreaday have. So, we now have a male and female. She is adorable, and we named her Molly. My DH went to a horse auction today, and called to see if I wanted another dog. I said no right away, and he was just kidding anyway. So, later he calls me and said the woman was willing to sell her for pretty cheap because they only had 2 left. If DH didn't take her, she actually was going to start showing her in dog shows, that's how great this dog is. So, he asked if I would consider it, and I couldn't say now. Especially after I found out it was a SHE!! I am outnumbered in this house 4 to 1. Well, Sophie (my cat) is a girl. And now I have Molly. I went out and got her a pink collar and leash. That was so fun! Anyway, I will try to get some pics of her and post them soon.

Have a great weekend!

Movie Hint....

2007-04-20T16:24:00.000-07:00

Ok - this movie is about 2 years old I believe, maybe 3. The biggest hint I can possible give is "Vote for Pedro". Now, if NO ONE gets this, you all need to get out more!! ;o) Just kidding. This truly was probably the stupidist movie I have ever seen, but it is also the funniest. It took me 3 times before I TRULY understood it and could laugh at it. Come on - guess!

Goodness!

2007-04-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

Well, this week has been a crazy one! Not really even with school. Many appointments and this, that, and the other thing! I had a Doctor appt on Monday. Still don't know why we aren't prego yet. He is running more tests to figure it out. If it shows nothing, we will have to see a fertility specialist. One possibility is that I am in Pre-menopausal stages. Great!!! Not a huge surprise because my grandma went into menopause in her 30's. So, this could be it!! we may be looking into adoption! ;o) I will know more in the weeks ahead.

Then I had a dentist appt. I have to have a root canal done! Yippy!! The fun just never ends!! I actually need about 4 or 5 of them done, but this one is of an urgent nature. Those things are NOT cheap. That's why I haven't had the others done yet. Well, I THOUGHT I had one done already, but, apparently I didn't. Long story short.....we were going to this other dentist place. The insuranc was through DH's work, and if we went to this certain dentist office, EVERYTHING was free. We didn't have to pay a penny! well, let's jut put it this way....I think every dentist in this office BARELY passed dental school, so this is where they end up. They seriously went in a did a bunch of stuff on my tooth, told me they did the root canal......but the x-rays my new dentist (a real dentist) showed me yesterday shows NO signs of having a root canal done there. Those people are serious quacks! So, we are now at a regular dentist because the hospital actually dropped that other dental place from their coverage. They must have heard how bad it was. The new insurance will pay for 50% of my root canal. That is still a lot of money! And you all know how cheap I am! That's going to put me into a cold sweat for days! ;o)

Well, this class is almost done! Can you believe it! We made it through another one!!! "Intro to Psychology" starts on Tuesday. My 3rd class already! I'm a little nervous because I will be with a different group of people this time. We had pretty much the same group of students for the last 2 classes, but they are all going into an "English Comp I" class, and I already took that previously so it transferred. That puts me into the first class for my major. Most likely the people in this class have been at this school for at least a year! I hope I can keep up! After this one though, I may be back with some of my original classmates since I will be into the pre-requisite classes again. I'm bummed because I have become really good friends with one of the students and we won't be together this next time. But, it's not like we can't keep in touch. It's just nice having someone to chat with about the class. I am excited to take this class though to see what I think about Psychology!

well, gotta run. DS just woke up!

wow !!

2007-04-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

Ok - I'm back!! Should be able to post regularly again. I hope anyway! This has been a crazy class, that is for sure. This week we had many readings, 2 postings, continue working on our paper, and go through this LEEENNNGGGTTTHHHYYY Plagiarism tutorial. They want to make sure we know what constitues plagiarism, and rightfully so, but good grief! I didn't realize how many different types of plagiarism and how many different ways if citing references there were! I had to have that completed before I could post one of my assignments by this past thursday. Luckily I made it and turned in all my assignments on time. I still have a few things left to do, but nothing major. Tuesday starts the LAST week of this class already! Unbelieveable!

One thing that was cool was that one of my classmates called me on the phone this week! It was so nice to actually talk to a LIVE person! These other people actually are real! ;o) She was so nice and it was great to talk to her.

My nine year old son started his soccer season again too, so we have our first game tomorrow! I can't wait! I love going and cheering them on! It's so fun! I'm pretty hardcore when it comes to yelling. My DH gets really embarrassed when he is there with us. That just makes it that much more fun!

So - any guesses on the movie trivia? This is a newer movie, so it may be hard for some. It's about 2 years old maybe. Good luck!!

Well, I have to do some schoolwork. It's nap time!! YEAHHHH!!!!

Have a good weekend everyone!

I'll Be Back...

2007-04-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I have been really busy. I WILL be posting an update either today or tomorrow, so stay tuned!!!

Crazy Busy!!!

2007-04-06T05:44:00.000-07:00

Man this has been a busy week. I can't wait to get through this week with school because the last two are not nearly as crazy. At least from the looks of it anyway. I will be working on school work all weekend, I can see that already. I have to write my first draft of my paper, complete a plagiarism tutorial, finish reading a chapter and take my weekly exam, and get started on an English proficiency exam. I have already been busy all week with the rest of my stuff. Crazy!!! Plus this is the week that I'm singing two specials at church. But that truly is the only way I get to relax. That is my outlet. I'm hoping to get a bunch of work done throughout the day today though because my youngest and one of my daycare kids both have a really bad cold, and they are both just laying on the couches watching spider man. Neither one wants to get up and do anything. This may work to my advantage!!

I did recieve my second week grades and they were great. I'm still in the running for a 4.0! I can't believe it! I hope I make it through this class like that! That would be two classes in a row, which would be unbelievable to me! I guess there is a first time for everything!

Is everyone ready for Easter? I still have to get some stuff. I bought eggs last night for coloring. We always do an egg hunt in the house for the kids, and this year they have eggs with candy already in them! I'm very excited about that! Much easier for mom! ;o)

Well, hope you all have a good weekend if I don't get a chance to write again. Have a Happy Easter!!!!

Sorry

2007-04-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted since Monday. I will try to post later tonight. I have been very busy with school and stuff and I have practice at church tonight. I will post soon, I promise!!!

Ta ta for now!

One more thing..........

2007-04-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

to all you "lurkers" out there ( you know who you are), come on now, leave some comments for crying out loud!!! ;o) I have "site meter" I can see who, when, and how long people are on my blog. You can't hide!!! I have one dedicated reader who always posts, and I love her for it!!! Don't be shy! "speak" up!!

Later!

Week 2 is over!!!

2007-04-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it through week 2 of this class, and I'm still alive. These next 3 weeks are busy, but not QUITE as intense as the last two as far as the assignment topics and in depth thinking. Thank goodness!!!! My brain is fried!!! I have to start writing my paper, but, I will enjoy that. It's actually my life story, so it should be a fun paper to write.

Well, I went to "jazzercise" tonight!!! I really like going to this class. It is a great workout, and makes me feel so good after I'm done. I signed up for 15 classes tonight, so I'm committed now! I had to pay up front, so I'm going to stick to it, and see how I've done after the 15 are up. Hopefully I will have lost weight at the very least anyway! ;o)

The vegitarian thing is going very well! I have not had an ounce of meat in a week. And honestly, I didn't even miss it. I even went to Taco Bell today, and got a bean burrito. It wasn't that bad! I was shocked! I truly have felt so much better too and I am not craving junk at all. Not to say that I haven't had an ice cream cone, but instead of a medium, I got a small and it was PLENTY. I did lose about 3 pounds this week too which is great. so far so good I guess!

Does anyone watch The Bachelor???? I love that show and the Season Premier started tonight! I didn't even know it was starting over because I hardly watch TV anymore. There are only a select few shows that I watch, and most of them are reality shows. I just happened to catch it right after it started! If anyone watches let me know and I will chat about it on here.

Well, have a good evening everyone! be back soon!!

New Elements!!

2007-03-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

I added a couple new elements over to the right - check them out. What do you think? Nothing major, but, I'm getting there!

Unbelievable!!!

2007-03-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

I have almost all my weekly assignments done already!! I can't even believe it myself! I took my weekly exam and only missed one question. Of course I was ticked at myself for missing that ONE!! My hubby just laughed at me when I told him. I'm fine with it now though, I am just a perfectionist. ;o) My degree audit was updated today and showed my cumulative GPA as a 4.0!! I seriously have never had a 4.0 in my life! High school I was pretty close since I graduated with a 3.7, and my first year in collage I think I had a 3.2 or something. After that first year, it was ALL downhill. I had really bad grades. But, it's because I didn't want to be there. I'm sure all my classes won't be 4 points, but it was nice to at least see it once!! ;o) I'm gonna try though! I just keep telling myself to just do my best, that's all anyone can ask, and it seems to serve me well. When I first started this second class I was afraid I was really going to struggle with it, but, so far, I'm doing just fine. I'm on track for another 4 point in this class as well, but, we will see as we continue on. ;o) Anyway, I just have a couple little things to do for this 2nd week and I'm done! YEAH!! That is awesome since I will be busy ALL day tomorrow and probably won't even have a chance to turn on the computer, and Sunday I am going to want to spend it with my hubby since he has been gone all week. This is a good end to a rather hectic week (especially w/ being sick).

I'm so excited to get out of the house tomorrow. I seriously haven't been out much all week. We live out in the country and it's far for us to drive anywhere, so if I don't HAVE to make the trip, I don't. We have enough in our little town to get us by, so unless I need Target or Wal-mart, I just stick close to home. I will be going into the city tomorrow, so I'm excited. I get to see my Aunt (my mom's twin who lives about an hour away) in the morning and go shopping with her for a bit and then my Grandma and another Aunt are going to be in another big city about an hour from us and I'm going to meet them over there for a little afternoon shopping and dinner. Should be a fun day out!!!! I need some new sandles too, so that will be my quest of the day! ;o) I am a sandle girl. Love them!!! I can't wait to see what's out this season. I'm such a priss! ;o)

Well, I suppose I should get back to my laundry! Good times!

I will tell you all about my adventures as soon as I can! have a great weekend!

Exercise

2007-03-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

I just did one of the Calorie Programs on my treadmill. WOW!!! Very intense. Lots of running. I made it through, but had to slow down every little bit. I was surprised how well I did though. I can't wait until the day that I can make it through without feeling like I'm going to drop dead right there on the machine and roll back onto the floor! ;o) I have been very good with my eating (especially since I had the flu and didn't eat much for a day and a half). I actually lost 4 pounds that day I was sick. I think I gained back 1 pound, but I'm trying to not gain anymore back and keep losing instead. I want to look half way decent this summer. I want to be able to wear shorts and a t-shirt and not feel like a freak. All the people I hang out with are really thin, so it just makes me look that much fatter. I can't stand it! I am determined to lose this weight.

Well, I have a busy next couple of days, so I will try to post, but can't make any promises. Until then, have a blessed day!

Week #2!!

2007-03-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

Holy cow! This has been a crazy week that is for sure, from DH being out of town to getting the flu, to getting my assignments turned in on time. I just completed a very hard assignment and my brain is fried!!! I still have a lot more work to do, but luckily, I don't have anything else actually DUE until Monday now. So, that gives me time to work on it. I'm busy ALL day saturday, so I'm going to work on it tonight and tomorrow a lot. Hopefully I won't have anything left by the time Monday gets here, but I have that cushion if I need it.

I had music practice at the church last night and it went very well. On Easter Sunday I will be singing the lead vocals on "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts and also singing back up for "Does Anybody Hear Her" by Casting Crowns. I am very excited to do these!! Most of you know I love to sing and this just makes my day! The church we go to is so awesome! It's huge. There are about 900 people that attend. We have 2 services, so it's about split in half at each service. The music is amazing! We have a full band behind us that absolutely rock the house!!! I will try to get a sampling of our music on here sometime.

well, I have a daycare parent that will be here soon and naptime is just about over. I may post again today, but who knows!!! It's amazing I have kept up with it for this long!! I finally got into the groove and really enjoy it now.

Ta ta!

Last but not least!!

2007-03-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

Guess who finally got sick with this stomach bug we had here? Yep, that would be me!! Right when DH goes out of town. That was peachy! I had it most of the day yesterday. I'm still really weak and tired. I closed the daycare today, so I'm just resting and will work on school work. Fun fun!!

Short blog today. One thing I am going to add onto my blog though is movie line trivia. I will post a quote every week and you tell me what movie it's from! I'm a movie freak, pretty corny, but, thought it would be something fun.

bye for now.

Monday, Monday

2007-03-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

Hello! Well, it has been a very busy day. I have barely even touched school today. My DH left today for a trip to Iowa with his parents to go to a horse auction. So, I'm single mom for a few days.

So, tonight I started going to a local "Jazzercise" class. Kicked my butt!!! There were 70 year old ladies that were doing better then me! ;o) That just tells me I need to keep going! I went with one of my daycare mom's. It's 3 days a week. This week, I am not able to go the other 2 days, so I will have to start next week. I have been doing the treadmill also, and to top it all off....I have gone vegitarian. When I had my last child, I had Gestational Diabetes, so, that puts me at a higher risk of becoming an actual diabetic. They have recently found that a vegitarian diet is really good for diabetics. So, in order to combat the disease and hopefully ward it off, I am starting right now. I need to lose weight, and this will help. I actually don't eat much red meat anyway, but, enjoy a good hamburger from McDonald's and a good old fashioned steak now and then. Chicken is my absolute favorite. Even though chicken is actually fairly healthy, it still has it's disadvantages. Red meat is linked to cancer, but then again, what isn't these days. So, I started today, and I did great. I actually felt really good. I don't think it will be too hard to keep up on. DH is going to try and do it too. I found a great website if anyone wants to check it out. It has a lot of great info.

www.pcrm.org/health

I have opted to leave out eggs as much as possible too because of the cholesterol. My family is prone to high cholesterol, so I'm going to watch that too. I still have kept dairy in. I can't get rid of my cheese and milk. I have switched to Soy milk though. That is intersting. Not too bad! Anyway, I'll keep you posted on my progress and how my weightloss goes. So basically, I'm working out 5 days a week. Hopefully that will do something!

Tomorrow starts my second week of this class. I haven't died yet. ;o) It actually hasn't been too bad now that I'm into it. This week is going to be busy though, so we will see how it goes!!!! I have a lot going on, on top of my class load and DH is gone, so this should be interesting!! Stay tuned!!!

All's Well that Ends Well!!

2007-03-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

Well, as usual, my kids throw up a time or two and are completely fine after that. After I ended my last posting, they both had another episode and that was the end of it. Never heard another thing. Of course mommy still had a hard time falling asleep, but eventually I did. I'm exhausted now though. Hopefully we won't have anything tonight!

Just wanted to let you know that kids are fine! we actually haven't had anything like that go through the house in a long time, so I guess I should thank my stars it was as quick as it was. My kids always are like that though. Now if DH or I were to get it, we would be down for days. DH actually has been feeling ill too, but nothing has come of it. He is really achy now though. Watch, I'll be next!!

Oh, so far so good this week in class! I scored a 100% on my weekly quiz! I will post more about school on Monday which is the end of the first week.

Later!

Here I sit....at 4 am....

2007-03-24T01:04:00.000-07:00

It is 4 o'clock in the morning and I am here. My kids have some kind of stomach bug. DH may have it too. My youngest son came into bed with us at 1:30 this morning and not 10 minutes later "got sick" in our bed. FUN!! He's 3, so that makes it even more fun! DH was complaining of his stomach bothering him all evening, our neighbor called earlier this evening and told us their 3 year old is sick, and our middle son came in about an hour ago complaining. So, I can't sleep. I'm too worried about the boys. Especially the youngest getting sick while laying down. I'm sure this isn't what you would like to read about, so let's change the subject shall we??!!

On to another subject...how about baby news. Well, there is none to report really. I'm pretty sure this month was a bust too. I just have a feeling. I was starting to think maybe because I had a few symptoms, but they seem to be fading fast. I go in for a blood test a week from Monday. As I said in a previous post, I will NOT be taking Clomid anymore. So, we will be on our own after this. It will just have to be in God's timing.

I have to go....kids....maybe I'll be back.

1st week is a doozy!

2007-03-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

Well, so far this week has been full of information!!! This class is very intense. Adult Development is very complex. I really had to dig deep in order to write my two assignments that were due today. I still have a quiz and another chapter to read by Monday. Plus reply to 4 of my classmates. Next week we have about the same work load on top of starting our paper. Even though I am overloaded with information, I am still enjoying myself. I was a little scared about writing my 2 assignments because this new girl in our class writes very intellectual postings. I do not, nor will I ever think of myself as intellectual. So, I wasn't sure I could live up to the expectations. Then I realized, I need to just do these assignments the way I would do them and not worry about how this other girl does hers. The more I read hers, the more it just looks like a bunch of "flowery" words trying to make herself sound smart. I'm sure she is very smart, but, I seriously can barely understand what the heck she is trying to say! ;o) What's really funny, is that I have had to help this girl figure out how to do everything. If she is so smart, you would think she would read the directions! ;o) Anyway, I did my best, and that's all I can ask of myself. I just hope it's good enough.

This is class is so intense however that it looks like we have already lost quite a few people. There were several from my last class that were supposed to be in this one that I haven't see at all yet, which is not a good sign. I was afraid of that though. This stuff is really hard, and a lot of the people in the last class barely passed. That class was a cakewalk compared to this! Seriously! I hope they are just late in posting their info, but, I'm afraid that's not the case. I'll let you know how any we actually lose.

I received my grades for my last class and it was a 4.0! Yeah!! I have no idea what I will get in this class. I'm just going to do the best I can. I actually HAVE to get at least a 2.0 in my first 4 classes because I am on probation due to my poor grades in my previous college days. What happened then was I ended up drop/failing 2 classes because they were affecting the rest of my classes. It was after that year that I decided to quit and just let DH go to school. So, now I pay for my past mistakes! But, that's ok because it forces me to do better.

Well, I hope you all are doing well! I will post again in a day or so!

Silly me...

2007-03-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

This is so stupid to be mad at myself about, but I am. Ok - so on our first day of class, we are to post an introduction of our self. We can do so a day or two ahead if we feel like. I always do, since I'm so antsy to get started. What I do is type it up in Word first and print it out and retype onto Blackboard. That way I can work with it and make any changes I want and don't risk posting something I don't want to on accident. Why don't I just copy and paste you ask? I actually did that once, and it loses something in the translation between word and blackboard. The format looks all weird and it won't allow you to fix it. So, I retype. Which I actually don't mind doing. Anyway, yesterday I post my introduction, and before checking for typos......I hit submit. CRAP!! I went through it and sure enough, there were a few errors. Not many, but enough that it bothered me. So, I hit the back button to see if i could just go back, correct and it would just repost it. Well, it reposted it, but, now I have one posted with typos and one with the corrections. What a first impression huh?? There is no way to delete the additional post. I have posted a question to my prof to see if he has the ability to delete one. I felt like such a "schmuck" (any American Idol fans out there will understand this). So, to top it all off, today I needed to post something to my writing mentor about my strengths and weaknesses in writing. I had a couple of free minutes and I had already typed it up, just needed to retype. while I'm typing, and I'm almost done, DS comes in demanding a "bubby" as he calls them (sippy cups to the rest of the world). I told him I was almost done and I would get it in just a sec. well, long story short, he ends up throwing a huge fit, I am extremely angry, and due to my frustration guess what I do.......post without checking for typos!!!!!! I was so mad at myself! There were only about 2, but it still really bothers me when I'm posting to my teachers. I can laugh about it now, but I feel like such a dork. Most likely no one will even notice, but I know, and it drives me nuts. Guess you guys never knew how anal I was did ya??

WOW!

2007-03-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

That is all I can say about this next class that starts on Tuesday. The class is Adult Development. My professor is very hardcore. He's actually a Doctor of Psychology (which I am actually considering for myself, but we will see). Before class has even started, he has posted 7 pages of notes about the class. I have already started reading our first chapter, and in the 15 pages that I have read, I think I have an equal amount of notes that I wrote. I have to read 2 chapters of this book, 1 of another and post a response about them by Thursday. This Prof. likes VERY thorough answers as well. Luckily, I had already been doing that in the last class. A lot of students didn't. I'm so glad that I am already used to writing a very thorough posting on the topic we are discussing. I am praying that I can live up to his expectations for his students. It is my goal to get an "A" in every class. From the sounds of it, no one gets a 4 point from him. so, just as long as I get the highest I can, I will be happy. It's going to be hard for me to not see that 4 point, but, I will deal with it. He says the reason we should not expect perfect scores, is because no one is perfect. Which is true, so I guess I can live with that.

I am a little ticked off about one of my books I ordered though. I had ordered it through the website www.textbookx.com (this is a correction to my original posting). Never again will I order from them. I ordered it last Monday. I'm sure you can guess WHY I ordered it from somewhere other than the school. Any guesses???? You got it!! I'm cheap! I was saving 12.00 on it including shipping. I just receieved an e-mail TODAY (2 days before class starts) that they have canceled my order due to the book being out of stock. Meanwhile, I ordered my other book I needed, through the school. I ordered it the same day and it was here by Wednesday. I guess sometimes you have to just bite the bullet and pay full price. ;o) Lesson learned!

Well, wish me luck in this class! I'm going to need it!!!

I'll keep you all posted on my progress!

I did it!!!

2007-03-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

Ok - I did it! I bought the treadmill!! I don't think anyone realizes how cheap I am. It is so hard for me to spend a large sum of money at one time. But I did it. And you will probably laugh when you hear how much it was. $337. To most people, that is no big deal, but to me that is HUGE! I seriously was about to have a corinary right there in the Wal-Mart Sporting Goods department!! And we actually saved some on it because my DH asked, for sake of my sanity, if we could get the floor model at a discounted price. So, we got a 400.00 treadmill for 337.00. It was already a "rollback" price of $375. I am still sick to my stomach about it, but it is getting easier to take. The problem is that I'm so used to not having any money, that I just want to hord anything that comes in. ;o) Slowly but surely, I will get over the fear that someone is going to come along and take all our money. I guess it's kind of a good thing. That way we have some in savings if the need arises. We are not rich by any stretch of the imagination (financially anyway). That is still several years away. My kids always ask if we are rich, and I say "not with money, but with love." They always start gagging. ;o)

Now, I need to share with you a conversation that went on last night between my DH and our 3 year old son (DS). Just so you all can understand this, DS likes to pretend he is Superman.

DS: (Pretending to rip off his glasses and his shirt open) "You want a piece of me?"
DH: "come on over here and try it"
DS: "Bring it on old man!!"
(at this point I am about to wet myself)
DH: (Showing his "muscles") "You want some of these guns?"
DS: "You want a piece of me?" It actually sounded like "You want a piece of meat?"
DH: "I'll give you a piece of meat!" "How about some turkey?"
DS: "I don't like turkey!!" I like, Bananas, and balogna, and cheese, and hot dogs......and mac and cheese!!!!!"

I am not making any of this up. I seriously couldn't breath I was laughing so hard. I don't know where this kid comes up with this stuff, but, he cracks us up daily!!

Hope you all have a blessed day!

Losing Weight

2007-03-14T05:39:00.000-07:00

So - I guess I can throw a little bit of my weightloss issues into the mix here.

I started a week ago this past Monday, again. I just started out with changing my eating habits and doing a mini detox. Basically just cutting all the crap out of my diet. It worked. I lost about 3 pounds. I walked outside once last week. It's been so dang cold. Yesterday it was 75, so I was able to get out and walk then too. We are planning on buying a treadmill very soon, I'm just too cheap to spend the money right now. The treadmill is the only thing has ever worked for me because it is something that I love to do, so I will stick to it. Consistency is definitely the key. So, until we get one, I will walk outside as much as possible and eat right. Not always easy to do either one, that's for sure. But, I am really trying.

No baby news yet. We are in the middle of trying right now for this cycle. Hopefully I will have some good news in a couple weeks or so.

School is still going good! I'm done with my first class this coming Monday!

Hope all is well in your world!

One down........many more to go!

2007-03-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that this Tuesday starts the last week of my first course! It has gone by so fast. I have learned so much about myself and taken away a lot from this class. I was so nervous about returning to school too, and now I'm actually enjoying myself. I requested info from this university back in September of last year. The Admissions Advisor kept calling me and calling me to encourage me to sign up and I just kept coming up with more and more excuses. She never pushed though, which was great, and I told her not to give up on me. I'm glad she didn't and she was finally able to get through to me!

I'm very nervous about my next class, but also very excited. It's a Psychology class, so I know it will be very interesting to me. I have had a sneak peak at the work that is to come, and it's very involved, but that was to be expected. I'm still anxious to get it started.

SO - is anyone else as tired as I am from this stupid time change? I hate daylight savings time, only for the simple reason of losing an hour!! I had to sing at church this morning, and when I do, I have to be there at 7:45 am. So, this morning it felt like 6:45!! Not easy to get up, let me tell you!! But, so worth it!! I love singing with our praise team. They are so awesome!!! I will try to get a sample of our music from one of our services posted on here sometime. It's awesome!! The band Rocks!!!!

Well, I better hit the hay!!! I'll be back soon!!!

Crazy Week

2007-03-09T07:38:00.000-08:00

Well, this has been a busy week. I had a lot of assignments this week. Our weeks start on Tuesday and go through Monday. This week, we had to read 3 chapters by Thursday, and write a comment about each one. By comment I mean 1 to 2 paragraph short paper. I'm so long winded that I always end up with 2 paragraphs. I always try to stay ahead and read the following week's chapters if I can. Last week I wasn't able to because we were working on our rough draft of our paper as well as our regular assignments. Then every week, we have to post a comment to at least 2 of our classmates postings about each chapter. Luckily, I don't have to have that completed until the last day of our week which is Monday. I also had a quiz in the middle of all this and continue to complete my paper. I am not behind on anything, which is amazing, and I'm not stressed at all! It's unreal! And I'm being completely honest. I am having a great time with this. I am really looking forward to my next class. I know it's going to get a lot more intense with that one, but I feel like I'm ready for it. I am still on track to recieve a 4 point for this class, and that is my goal for every class. I'm a little nervous about being able to do that because of the difficulty of the classes I have coming up. Not that this one wasn't difficult, but, it's not quite as intense as the upcoming classes. My next two are Psych classes, so I really need to do well in them since they pertain to my major. I know if I just stay committed, I will do fine.

I'm rewarding myself with a day off today since I completed SEVERAL assignments over the last 3 days. It is so nice to feel like I actually accomplished something that has some meaning. I haven't felt that way in a long time. Not that being a mother isn't rewarding, that's not it at all; this is just something that I am doing for myself and that has given me a positive attitude toward everything. I'm sure I will have my stressful times through this, but I know it will be worth it.

Another week down!

2007-03-05T14:15:00.000-08:00

Well, tomorrow starts my fourth week of my five week class! I just uploaded my rough draft for our paper. This week I have 3 chapters to read and provide feedback on for each, take a quiz, and continue working on my paper. Should be a busy week! That's ok - keeps things interstesting around here!!

On to another topic today.......Some of you know we are trying to get pregnant. Well, so far we have been unsuccessful, and we have been using a fertlity drug called Clomid. Every time the doc gives me a higher dose of it, I turn into the Wicked Witch of the West! I have decided I am done using this drug. Yesterday at church, a lady and her husband were baptised, and during their testimony they both shared about their battle with infertility and that after all the treatments nothing happened.......that is, until they left it up to God. One month after they stopped treatments, they were pregnant. My hubby and I have decided that this is the road we are going to take from here on out. We know that we CAN get pregnant, we have 3 children! We need to let God decide when the time is right for us to have another child, if He chooses to bless us with one. It is so hard for me to let go of this and let God handle it, but, I know it's what I have to do. For the last month I actually starting thinking maybe we should be done, maybe I don't want anymore kids. I'm focused on school now, my kids are becoming more independent and don't need my attention every second anymore, and that is nice. After hearing this couple at church, I cried through most of the service after that. I knew right then that I was NOT ready to be done, and I do in fact want another baby. My hubby agrees. For this month, I am actually still on the Clomid. I had already taken my dose of it before we decided to stop. So, who knows, we may conceive this month, but if we don't, we will just leave it to God and let Him take care of it.

Well, enough of that!!! I will be posting again soon!

So Far So Good!!

2007-03-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

Well, I have recieved my grades for the past 2 weeks assignments and so far I am getting a 4 point. This first class is a requirement of every new student that attends Ashford University. It's basically helping us to learn how to return to school. Most people have either never been in college, have had some college (like myself), or are continuing their education after a long period away. I have learned SO much in the last 2 weeks it's unbelievable. They definitely have their act together. They even pay for us to have a writing mentor from a company called "Language On-line" for our first course to help us with the paper we have to write. It helps to ease us into writing again. For me it's been 11 years. I was scared to death to go back to school. I didn't think I could hack it. Once I finally got up the courage to sign up, I was extremely excited about my decision. Now, I thought this first class would be a complete blow off class. Not the case. We have weekly assignments, quizzes, and have to write a 5 page paper. Little did I know how much I would enjoy every second of it. I know the classes are just going to get harder and harder from here on out, but my DH (who has had plenty of experience in school) told me if I continue to put this much effort into all of my classes, I am not going to have any problems. That was really nice to hear coming from him. I think he has been surprised at how dedicated I have been to this and he is so happy for me. The fact that this is something I WANT to do, and I don't HAVE to do really makes it fun. I want to be a counselor, and this is the path I need to take to get there. We have discussed the possibility of me going for my doctorate, but, I told him I need to just focus on getting my Bachelor's for now. ;o)
Each class is 5 weeks long. We take 1 class at a time, which is perfect for me. We are now in our 3rd week. They run from Tuesday through Monday. My next class will start on March 20th. This is actually a Psychology class, so I am very excited about it. My next 2 classes are psych classes actually, and then there are a few pre-req classes that I have. One of the strategies for writing that I have learned in this first class is that keeping a journal is a great way to keep up your writing skills, so I will be using this blog for that purpose. I won't be talking about school all the time, don't worry, but I'm sure it will be the subject of many of my posts.

Well, I guess I have blabbed enough for one day.
I'll be back soon!!

Yep - I'm back in school!

2007-02-28T11:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I made a big decision last month and have officially returned to college. I am attending Ashford University in Iowa. All classes are done completely on-line. They actually have a campus and the school has been around since 1918. I researched it fully before signing up. So, I signed up on the first week in February, and started February 13th! I am into my 3rd week now, and really enjoying it. So far so good! What am I majoring in, you might ask? Are you ready for this? Psychology! My intentions are to receive my BA in Psychology, then go on to receive my Master's in order to become a Marriage and Family counselor. It's something I have considered doing for the past few years, but was too scared to do it. I know it's not going to be easy, but, it will be worth it. The thing that is such a draw for me is the fact that I don't HAVE to do this. As most of you know, my hubby is a Doctor. So, it's not like I have to do this for financial reasons. This is something that I WANT to do. I want to be a Psychologist. When I attended college before, it was mostly because my family wanted me to. Not because I wanted to. This time is different, and that makes learning all the more fun.

Things with the family are pretty much the same. I'm still not pregnant, but we are still trying! The boys are as big as ever. My oldest is really starting to look older, and his voice is starting to change! It cracks all the time, which in turn "cracks" me up! My 9 year old is doing very well in school, and is anxious to start the new soccer season this spring. Me too! I love going and yelling at the games!! And then there is the 3 year old of the house. He keeps me busy, that is for sure! He makes us laugh all the time!

Still doing daycare, and really enjoying it. It's a nice way to stay home with my own kids and still bring in some money to contribute to the family. Not much, but, it helps.

well, I hope you will follow me on this journey I have just embarked on!!! I am going to do my best at blogging weekly at the least. It may be daily, but I'm not making any promises! ;o)

New Year!!

2007-01-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm back. Don't know how often I will Blog, I don't have a lot of extra time, but I would like to post as much as possible.

Well, last year was a crazy one, and now we are on to a new one!!

I'm still not pregnant yet. We have gone through two cycles, and have been unsuccessful both times. I'm bummed, but we are just getting started. It can take a while, and I know that. I'm just very impatient. ;o) We will just keep trying until we get it right I guess!! ;o)

I was sick over Christmas break which was a bummer. I actually didn't get sick until the 28th, but, we were on vacation, and had to cut it short and come home. I had Strep Throat. The only good thing was that I lost 5 pounds in 2 days! I only gained back about a pound of it too, so that gave me a jump start on my new years resolution of losing weight. Actually, just getting healthy. I always eat healthy while I'm pregnant, so I might as well just start now!! My family needs to eat better too, so we are all working on it. It will be a slow process, but, it will be worth it in the end!

Well, hope you all had a good new year, and hope to hear from you!

Later!

Sorry I've been quiet...

2006-11-09T16:40:00.000-08:00

Hey - sorry I haven't posted in a while. My internet is just so darn slow, i can't stand waiting for it. I'm working on getting us some high speed internet. Hopefully soon!! I have been busy as well. I was gone this past weekend shopping with my aunt, and have just been busy with daily stuff.

Baby making is going well, at least I hope so! No news to report yet, we are still working on it. Shouldn't have any news for another couple weeks. I'm praying and praying that this is the month it happens.

DH has been working a crazy shift this week. He has to go in from 5 in the evening, and gets out at 3am. So, I'm not sleeping well because I'm so worried about him driving home that late. He calls me when he's leaving the hospital and let's me know if he's too tired to drive or not. So far he has been fine, but, I just worry so much since he has about a 25 minute drive. The last day for that shift is tomorrow. Thank goodness!

Well, I will weigh in tomorrow. I don't think I have lost any weight these last two weeks. One of the side affects of Clomid is weight gain unfortuneatly. I have pretty much just stayed the same. we will see in the morning though.

Ta Ta For Now!!

New weigh in day...

2006-10-31T10:44:00.000-08:00

Well, I have decided that I really want to weigh in on Fridays. I hope that's ok. that's how I always did it before, and it worked better for me. I don't know why, but, since I'm so used to weighing in on Friday's, I think I'm going back to that.

I did my Pilates yesterday, and a short walk. I have been eating junk though, and it's driving me nuts. I ALWAYS do though during my monthly visitor. I wish I could knock it off!! Oh well, I know I will stop soon.

I'm on my 3rd day of Clomid. Kind of makes me nauseous, and gives me a headache. I only have to take it for 2 more days. Thank goodness! Hopefully it works!! I am so anxious to be pregnant and have a new baby around here. I'm praying that this is the month!!

Hope you all are doing well!