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Someone please remind me

the next time I plan on making gifts for people that I am a procrastinator by nature. If I do end up finishing a project, it looks good. It's just the starting part that seems to be the biggest hurdle. I have several pieces to a project that I planned to make for my co-workers. BUT, it would require some manual labor that I do not know how to do and I haven't called to see if I can pay someone else to do it. It's not a hard project, just one that I need help with or it will be ruined. I am almost finished with the Christmas stocking that I started to make when Haley was born. She's five now. Alexander's stocking kit arrived in the mail on Saturday and I don't know that I am going to get to it this year. Terrible, I know. I feel bad every time I see it, and I am working on Haley's a little bit every night so that I can finally hang it up for her. Say a little prayer for me, I seem to get myself into a jam every year with this kind of stuff.

JEERS

to the hotel in San Francisco where Ben is staying for the week! Upon check-in he was asked to provide a credit card to cover all incidentals during his stay. He provided them with our personal bank debit/credit card. Unfortunately, hotels and rental car establishments don't consider it a valid form of payment. Of course he could use this method of security, but he had to put down a "deposit" of $100 per day. He's there from the first through the tenth. So, they have placed a "hold" on $1000 in our personal checking account to cover whatever may or may not be charged back to his room. I just want to scream at people when this happens. Why are we being punished for not having credit cards?? Why are we told by our bank that it can be used as a credit card when it isn't recognized as such?? For me, it's not a big deal. I don't travel. BUT, Ben travels A LOT and it makes me see red when I see a hold on our hard earned money. Does internet service really cost that much?? Does he look like the type of person who is going to trash his hotel room while he is staying there for business?? Give me a break. The next time the cleaning lady comes in he should ask her to give him $100 to hold while she's in the room.

New territory

Let me explain. Work has been SUPER busy since this time last year. Today, I was piddling around becuase my work basket was empty. Why didn't I help someone else? We were all pretty much taking our time to finish up the work that we had. You can tell that we're not used to being "caught up". Every few hours one of us would go to the other office..."anything new in your basket, is there anything you need help with?" No and no. Now, I am sure tomorrow will be different. My boss will have had plenty of time to think up some stuff that needs to be done and my day will be crazy once again.

Ben will be home tomorrow night. 20 days gone....I don't recommend it.

You may not have known

I thought that Iwould post something a little different today. Here are some little things that you may not have known about our little family.

• We have enough pink/red/purple clothes to fill 3 loads of laundry every week.
• one bath tub is cluttered with Barbie/Princess toys
• one bath tub is cluttered with boats, ducks, and squirt guns
• we load and unload a FULL dishwasher once every day
• I buy 2 gallons of milk a week
• little kids are in bed by 8, big kids by 9

Happy trails

My days of working at home are at an end. Regular scheduling will resume tomorrow. It was nice being at home. I was able to stay home with Alexander and take care of him while he was sick without stressing out about the work that was piling up on my desk. I took the kids to school in the morning, and I was able to get them dinner before we had to get to their activities in the evening. I know, I know! A lot of you do this every day. I did to; for a while. I guess the thing that I am most thankful for was the option to work or not work while I was here. I snuggled and played with my baby boy. I rubbed his back when he was startled awake during his nap. Those are the things that I miss the most when I go to work.

xoxo

Working from home

This is my second day home from work. Alexander has some sort of little virus that gives him a fever. I was home with him yesterday and when we were at the doctor's office he didn't even have a fever! But, as soon as everyone went to sleep for the night he was burning up again. He had a restless night and woke up really cranky and hot. So, anyway I called in to work again and asked if I could be set up to work from home. I am not sure if I like it or not. I like it because I won't have to try and catch up once I get back into the office. I like it because the connection from home seems faster than the one at work. I like it because I am in my pajamas! I don't like that I don't have all of my information here with me. I don't like that I have to flip back and forth from the image to the worksheet. I wonder if I will be able to work from home part time and go into the office part time. It would definitely save me money on gas and daycare expenses. I just don't know if my boss will go for it or not.

Time to run to the grocery store, lunch, and then get back to work!

Back to normal...for now.

Alexander seems to be back to his normal happy go lucky boy. He has to adjust how he eats since he doesn't have his two big teeth to take a bite. He is slowly moving things over to the side once he realizes that it's a faster way to chew.

Haley is doing well in school. Not too many talking problems. I think he teacher is great! Rebecca is learning the creative writing process and it seems to be harder for her now than it was in Kindergarten. Go figure. Madison has realized that if you stay organized and current with your schoolwork, school is a lot easier.

Ben will be in Atlanta until the 20th. Blech.

I am crazy busy at work. But, I will be at home with the kids during their winter break. Just have to keep my eyes on the prize, and it won't seem so bad.

Wii are going to have a great Christmas! :) Happy Wednesday y'all.

Another first for Alexander

It was about 6:45 this morning. The three little kiddos were ready for the day and all I needed to do was get dressed. I went into my bathroom to change and as soon as I got my pants on and my pj top off I heard a shrill scream. I hurried to put the top back on and as soon as I opened the door to my room, Rebecca was there holding Alexander. The story is that Haley put Alexander into his wagon and when she started to pull him he was jerked back and fell out of the wagon and onto the floor. Face first. Once I got him from Rebecca he had stopped crying and smiled at me. Then, the bloody spit ran down the sides of his mouth. The dentist said that somehow Alexander has managed to vertically fracture his front tooth and that it would need to be taken out. This means that this one tooth managed to take the full force of the fall. If you were to look at the tooth it would look like someone split open a seed and a little kernel was inside. The roof of his mouth was swollen which meant that the nerve was damaged and was causing blood to pool up around the tooth. Also, not a good sign. So, we gave him meds to sedate him and an hour later the dentist had to dig his little tooth out. It was worse than he thought. The tooth broke and was pushed up into the gum. There was a lot of blood, Alexander was screaming, and I got to hold his arms and legs down. Towards the end of it all I started to get sweaty and then the nurse was handing me a soda. I didn't feel woozy but they said that I needed to drink it before I could go. Once the stitches were in and Alexander could move he was fine. No crying and no screaming. I picked him up and he told them all bye bye before he put his head down on my shoulder. He was ready to go! I gave him a little bit of ice cream when we got home and then he went to bed. He's not supposed to suck on his thumb, but I don't know how to keep that from happening. I am supposed to keep an eye on the stitch and make sure that infection doesn't set it and the adjacent teeth don't start to discolor. If either of those start I have to bring him in immediately. So that's our Tuesday, how was yours???

FYI- If you happen to knock out your permanent teeth, you have to put it back into the gum immediately. Don't put it in milk, don't scrub it, just put it back in and go to the dentist right away. There's a good chance that it can be fixed if it is treated within the hour. There's nothing you can do for baby teeth that are knocked out.

His first haircut.

Yes, I cried more than he did.

IT'S HERE!!!

For my birthday, Ben bought a new computer for me to use! I am still learning how to use some of the programs and icons. I guess the computer came with the new Windows Vista, which I have never seen before, but I like that the computer starts up without freezing.

I will be able to faithfully blog again. I will be able to keep up with my friends and family.

I am super excited! I will be able to add pictures to my blog without switching out plugs and you guys will be able to keep up with the kiddos and me. :)

Happy, happy, happy

Hello??

It's OCTOBER! Guess what that means? The Texas State Fair and LOTS of birthdays.

Ben is working in Orlando and will return home on October 9.

Rebecca will be hosting her birthday party at Putt Putt. I am not sure what spurred the idea, but she was adamant to have the party there. The invites are out and she has gotten a couple of gifts in the mail...which she can't open yet!

Madison will be on a weekend camping excursion with her GS troop. They have teamed up with another troop in creating a "Fairy Camp" for Brownie troops to attend. They created a crafts, activity, and meal schedule. She is really excited to see how everything turns out considering all of the planning and time that they have put into this. It's nice to see her whole troop move from little girls to big girls with more responsibility. She's also making all A's on her report card so far. For those of you who keep up with the family, you know that it's been a LONG time coming for her to realize that if she stays organized and up to date on her work she can make good grades with minimal effort. I think I should also mention that if she makes all A's for the entire school year, she gets to start high school equiped with a cell phone. We found something that would motivate her. :)

Haley was home sick yesterday. She started vomiting early in the morning and into the afternoon. Poor girl. She felt much better this morning but was afraid to eat anything. She had some toast and water and was able to keep things down until school started. I think the play doh party at school motivated her recovery efforts.

Alexander is walking and talking like mad. His newest words are "look" and "thank you".

"What's going on with Diana" you ask?? Well, I have started on a new meal plan. It's for people who are pre-diabetic. Now, I have not been diagnosed as pre-diabetic but with it so prevalent in my family history it doesn't hurt to take precautions. So far so good. I feel better, and the emotional eating is WAY down. Keep your fingers crossed!

Happy Friday!

The time of change.

There are a lot of changes going on at work. I hope to slowly bubble to the top.

A lot of changes at home. I am slowly clearing up clutter and piles through out the house. Birthdays are coming up, holidays are coming up. We are storing up for the winter. Got to get back into saving.

Personal changes. I bought an exercise ball so that I can use it intermittently when I can't go to the gym. Every day that I carry this excess weight adds to the unhappiness I have with myself. Another year gone by, another birthday, another anniversary. I need to wake up and make a heartfelt effort to change or everything will unravel. I need to be happy, and confident again. I need to be a good and healthy example to my kids, and especially to the girls. I don't want them to focus and struggle with their weight as much a I do. I want it to be "normal" for them to eat right and to be active.

I am here, really!

I am blogging from work. You heard me, from work. During my lunch break of course. Well, school has started and so have the activities for the kiddos. The two big girls have girls scouts, the two little girls have church choir, and all girls will soon be dancing their hearts out. We all have Sunday school classes before church. Thank goodness they don't have baby groups to go to. Or maybe I should be glad that there aren't baby groups that I know of. :)

It's had for me to believe how fast this year has gone by. The kids are already talking about Halloween parties and costumes! Hopefully, the weather won't get too terribly hot again and we can officially have a fall season. I am looking forward to going to the pumpkin patch with the kids, and sitting outside in the evenings with Ben. I am reading a lot more now, and I am scrapping pages when I get a chance. I am slowly learning how to make time to do some of the little things that I enjoy rather than working, cleaning, or doing something all the time. It's nice not having every minute of your life scheduled for something. I want to get a jump start on Christmas presents this year so that it isn't so much of a strain on our time and our budget in December. I am ordering some stamps so the kids and I can get started on our card making. In the evenings, I am trying to finish up Haley's Christmas stocking that I bought before she was born and get started on the one for Alexander. THEN, everyone will have one made for them. I miss all of my friends. I just don't get a chance to get out and visit with them. Ben will be in and our of town from now until Christmas. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he will not travel as much after the first of the year. Say a little prayer for us. Managing four kids alone is very stressful, and I miss having him home all the time.

xoxo

S.O.S

I am getting some blog time in on Ben's laptop. Our family PC is on it's last leg. I am in a panic to get all of my pictures onto an external hard drive before it completely gives up. Sometimes I have 20 minutes to work on it, sometimes only 5 before it freezes up and restarting won't work. I don't know if we will get another PC or a Mac. At this point, I don't care as long as it works. I feel sort of sad about the death of our computer. We have had this one since we were living in the ghettos of northeast Arlington. (since Rebecca was born almost 10 years ago) I think we have had a good run and it's time for something updated, reliable, and FAST. ;)

When I have more time and access to my pictures I will do a photographic update so that you can see what we have been up to! There will definitely be pictures of Haley's first day of Kindergarten. She is soooo ready to go to schoo on Monday. Happy weekend!

Situation... NORMAL!

I got a call from the nurse today and she says the xrays didn't show a gap. Everything on his arm is back to normal again! My little man is up and moving on his own. He can walk across our living room without stopping and he doesn't let himself fall. If he feels out of balance he will sit down and take a minute before he's up and walking again. I am so proud of him!

On Saturday, I had an appointment at the salon to get my hair cut. So, I did. 8 inches to be exact. It feels like I have no hair now, and it is so much cooler than my long hair was. Don't get me wrong, I will grow it out long again but I am enjoying the shorter length. I will post a picture if I can get it uploaded. Our home computer is dying a slow and painful death. We will definitely have to get another one very soon. Right now, if I make any sudden moves it freezes up and we have to reboot.

Getting ready for school little by little. The next weekend will be clothes and shoes, tax free of course. AND I won tickets to the Rangers game on Saturday. This week will be the calm before the storm. This Friday all the summer interns will be leaving and next week we have two people out for the week on vacation. do you know what that means? It means that I will be doing everything from start to finish. I am not exaggerating. I plan on being there by 7am, working through lunch, and leaving right before 6pm. AND next Friday is my last Friday off on the summer schedule but I will be working it. Nice, huh? Good thing I am not doing it for free. :)

Happy Monday people.

ZUMBA!

Have you heard of it?? I love it. It's a class I took at the health club. Basically, it's salsa dancing with a lot of hip shaking and some basic aerobics exercises built it. I went during my lunch hour and by the time I was finished I was sweaty. I know, not the best way to go back to work but I have to say I really enjoyed it. Tomorrow is regular pilates and I am anxious to give it a try. I took a class a few years ago, but I am sure this will be different. Especially since I have had a kid since then.

Alexander will be going back to the doctor for his x rays on Friday. We will see how his mock pox are doing and see if his shoulder is back to normal. He is moving right along in the walking department. He can take about 8 steps without sitting himself down to crawl.

I will be down to one little kiddo this weekend! Hooray!

Ain't nothin' but a thang

Having been doing much lately, wake up drop kids off go to work pick kids up. I left a little bit early yesterday because I got a call from the sitter saying that Alexander has a rash from head to toe. Literally. He got a chicken pox shot at his last check up and the doctor says that it's a mock rash. He has a rash and it is itchy, but it isn't contagious and it isn't really the chicken pox. Nice, huh? He is a little irritable but fine for the most part. We bought school supplies for Haley and Rebecca, and some basic supplies for Madison. Over the next few weeks we will be sorting through clothes to see who can fit what. We will buy backpacks and shoes on the tax free weekend. With four kids, it is finally worth it for me to get out during that madness. We will start early, and get it over with. Ben is in Mexico City for work. Despite the armed escort, the WHOLE truck carrying their equipment was stolen. The scenario is right out of a movie. Since the Mexican President and a former US president will be speaking at this conference, their is a HUGE investigation under way. Some idiot unknowingly stole from the president. No matter how crooked the police are there, someone is going to get a beat down for it. Anyway, Ben and his crew are safe and sound for now. When I talk to him on the phone I can hear the shots from the gun fights in the street. I would prefer that he NOT go there again. Either way he has been asked to look for blue glass. Evidently, Mexico City is known for it so it shouldn't be too hard to find.

The pictures are done!!!

These pictures were taken by a friend of mine. She is a very creative person, and I just knew that she would be the one to go to for our baby's first birthday pictures. You did a fabulous job, Melibelle. I am so thankful that you were there to capture the little moments of our family and friends who came together to celebrate with us.

www.photographybymelibelle.com

It's almost over!

Yesterday was great! Ben and Haley were on the road by noon, and arrived in Oklahoma at 6pm. After two hours, Haley asked Ben to turn around and take her home because this trip was taking too long. :) She makes me laugh! They should be leaving today at noon. Madison is out with her Aunt Cindy for one last ride and some barn work. Ben and the girls are enjoying home made biscuits and sausage gravy. Yum! Yum!

Yesterday I got all of the laundry washed, dried, and sorted so that the kids could get everything put away next week. I also made a 20 page 8x8 birthday album for Alexander's party pictures. I am so excited, I can barely wait to get my hands on the pictures to put in it. Alexander and I went OUT for breakfast this morning. I am enjoying our time together. He is such a happy and easy going little boy. While he is napping, I am getting our things packed to go to mom's house for a swim. We have some quick little errands to run before we go out there, but it shouldn't take too long. Then, we will be home by 6 to meet Ben and the girls with dinner.

Peace and quiet

Happy Friday!

I am glad that I am able to participate in the extended work week. While I do have to work 45 hours in a week, it means that the next week I can have a three day weekend. Today is the first day of my three days off. Tonight I am heading over to my friend Staci's house for an Uppercase Living demonstration. It's a neat concept, and I am anxious to see what they can do for me since you can customize your order. Other than that, the only other scheduled event is a haircut for my Haley Belle. It won't be a drastic cut, just some layers on the bottom to lighten the load on her little head. She gets sweaty at the drop of a hat and she needs some relief. Plus, she wants to go to the place I go to and I wanted to treat her since she hasn't gotten to do a lot of the things that her big sisters did this summer.

Tomorrow Ben and Haley will drive up to Oklahoma to pick up the two big kiddos. Everyone will be home together on Sunday. Rebecca has been at camp and then straight to Grammie's so she hasn't been home for three weeks. I think she is ready to be back. What will I do while everyone is gone? Whatever I want!! :) I am going to try to sneak some scrap booking in while Alexander naps, and we are definitely going to swim in the pool without anyone bothering us. This boy LOVES to be in the water. I am amazed at how well he gets around the pool. He is in a little ring and as soon as his feet hit the water they are kicking up a storm. He tootles around the shallow end without a care in the world and at the end of the day you don't hear a peep out of him because he is dead tired. Then, it will be time for me to do more scrappin!

A lot of you have asked me about the bank account. Yes, they have given us a credit for all the money that was stolen. We are supposed to go in and talk to our branch manager tomorrow to ask about the investigation and whether or not we need to file a police report. There hasn't been any more money taken out of the account, thank goodness. The grand total was $715 and change. We would have been really screwed if this had happened to us a year ago. Thanks for the emails, it made me feel loved.

On Tuesday Ben called me right as I was heading out of my office for home. He asked if he could take me out for a date that night. I was so surprised! I called mom and she said to drop the kids off and they could have dinner and swim while we were out. We went to see the new Batman movie. It was a late night, but it was so worth it. I was happy to be out with my love, we saw a good movie, and got to talk to each other about something other than budgets,kids, or work.

Still going

$700+ so far, let's see if anything goes through the account tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed that we're done...

Fraud alert

I got a call from the bank this morning wanting to verify that I purchased gas at a station in Duncanville. Ummm....

NO I DIDN'T!


I was on the phone for over an hour with the fraud division going over my bank account. Yesterday I had noticed that there were a lot of debits out of our acount from gas stations, and the amounts were all for $100 even. Who goes anywhere except an ATM and get an even amount due?? I wanted to make sure Ben didn't get money out during the past weekend before I made a claim. It turns out that all of the locations are gas stations along I-67. So, needless to say I am on my third debit card due to theft. It is such a pain having to cancel my card and wait almost two weeks for a new one to be issued. I have so many things on auto pay that I have to cancel, and I have to carry cash until I get the new card. Why can't people use the same amount of energy in finding a job and making their own money instead of stealing other people's money???

His wrist has healed! But...

now the x rays show that he has a gap in is left shoulder. We will have to recheck it in two weeks to see if it has corrected itself. His doctor is concerned that he might have developmental problems down the road. Despite the seperation, he doesn't indicate any discomfort at all, so we are taking a wait and see approach. He weighs 28 pounds , 4 ounces and is happy and healthy. He eats whatever we do, and he is cleared to move to regular milk. We pray that he doesn't have any growth issues with his left arm.

Happy Birthday Alexander!

Friday: if it could go wrong, then it did.

Friday was supposed to be the lazy day. I had spent a little time each day planning and buying supplies so that all that we had to do was pick Rebecca up from camp, pack up, and head out to the ranch for dinner with our family. I left our house at 3pm that afternoon to pick Rebecca up right at 4. Her camp is on Eagle Mtn. Lake, so the drive would be about 45 minutes. Unfortunately, I got caught in the aftermath of a really bad accident that happened on 820. Cement truck + 18 wheeler + mini van = fatalities and road closure. They shut down 1 mile of road, and I was trying to get around it for 2 hours and 45 minutes. I had to stop to call Ben and let him know that I wouldn't be back to the house and that he should get the kids and supplies packed up to meet me in Granbury. Once I got to Rebecca we headed out to the ranch. Everyone got there before I did. I was so bummed. I wanted to be there to welcome the family and show them around. Instead, they had gotten there, looked around, and patiently waited for me to arrive. We unpacked the car and the truck and started on our steak dinner. It was soooo good. Once we finished up it was agreed that we would go to sleep and get an early start in the morning. Some people wanted to fish and I had to start setting up for the party and we all wanted to get it done before the heat of the day.

Saturday: set up, swimming, PARTY

Ben woke up before anyone else and started making a big breakfast. We had coffee, milk, juice, pancakes, eggs, and bacon. It was so yummy and a wonderful way to start the day. Most of the family started arriving around noon to see the place and hang out. Ben took the girls our to swim in the pond before we started cooking for dinner. By the time the party started, we had 27 adults and 9 kiddos running around the grounds. Melibelle was on hand to take pictures so I wouldn't have to. The drinks were cold, the food was good, and everyone had something to do. I will post some pictures as soon as I get them from Melibelle. It was a great party, and we were all worn out by the end of the day.

Sunday: tear down, packing up, hugs and kisses

Loretta, my MIL, lives in Oklahoma. Every year she keeps the older kids for a week during the summer. She drove down to be at the party with us and then to take the two big girls back home with her until the end of the month. They were packed and ready to go by about 11am, and then one by one everyone else started to leave. It took all of by surprise, but it was a sad drove home. We were all together for two days just laughing with eachother, helping eachother, and just being a big family. Ben, Haley, Alexander, and I stayed until 3 that afternoon and then we headed home. It was a great weekend, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

Happy birthday Alexander! I can hardly wait to see the kind of boy and man that you will be.

update

Still
recovering
from
the
party
weekend....

Thursday fun

Today the plan is to shop for party supplies, swim, and scrapbook. Sounds nice, doesn't it?

Day One

~Last night I decided that I was going to make a huge effort to get all of the cleaning done today. I don't want to waste my whole vacation cleaning! SOOO...

• all of the laundry is washed, dried, and put away
• the entire floor is swept, mopped, and vacummed
• there are no dishes in the sink or the dishwasher
• all the kids are fed and cleaned

~Madison is having a friend over tomorrow and we are all going to the local water park to play for the day.

~Party planning is in full swing. I swear that last week we were only expecting to have 15 people out, max. Now that we are in the final week, that number has doubled! I need to readjust the amount of food and drinks that we are going to have out there. Despite all of the changes, I am excited!! I love having all of our friends and family together to hang out and get to know one another. One of the goals that Ben and I have is to start remodeling the backyard so that we can have people over at least once a month, if not more.

So much, and yet so little time.

I am home for the entire week. My vacation started on July 4th and I don't go back until July 14. Color me excited! I have lots of pictures from the holiday, and from Ben's travels. Guess what he brought back for me?? A string of natural pearls. I LOVE them. I wore them to church today and felt like a true lady. Pictures will come online later tomorrow. I have to get a cd made from dad. I took all of the pictures on his camera. It sounds like everyone was with friends and family and stayed safe. What a blessing! If you're home and want to stop by the house I will be here. Give me a call.

pictures of the injured

The diagnosis:

buckle fracture on the distal radius

You heard what I said. He fractured his left wrist and will have to wear a splint for two weeks.

I am still in shock, he's not even a year old and he has already broken something.

I agree!

This is as political as I will get. A lot of people ask me who I am going to vote for, and I honestly don't know. I DO know that I agree with this little rant that I heard on the radio this week. If you decide to vote, PLEASE make sure you know what it is you are voting for. Here's a link if you want to read what I am talking about. Let me know what you think about it.

http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/cms/butt_scratching_and_bass_fishing_10192.htmlc?ictid=sptlt

27 Dresses

Watched this little movie yesterday and I loved it. It is one of those fun happy girlie movies that I would like to have for my very own. :) The music in the movie was really cute too. While Ben is out of town, I load my queue up on girlie movies and I watch them at lightening speed until he comes home. SOO, I mailed it back today and can get one more in before he comes back. Haven't seen it and you're in a rotten mood? Go get it. It will perk you up.

Web Cam

YEP! You read that correctly. Ben and I have a web cam. He set it all up before he left, but I had to go to Fry's, which I never do, and buy a 4 port USB Hub. I don't know much about computers, and wasn't thrilled at the idea of hiking through this electronic wasteland looking for something smaller than my palm. I went on the journey last night after work and now it's all hooked up. I will be able to talk and see Ben in about an hour. The kids are very excited to use the camera that's been sitting on top of our computer. I told them it was my camera and I could watch them when they were on here. :)

I don't have to work today, but you know kids and their sleep schedule. They are up at their regular times ready for the day to start. We are headed out for donuts, and coffee for me. Then, we will rendezvous with daddy on the web cam.

On the horizon.

There's a lot of things moving in the right direction! Work is great, I am learning a lot within my department and about the industry in general. I have quite a bit more responsibility,which is good, but it also means my butt is on the line if something goes wrong. Our AP system is going through an audit for the first time since it was implemented, and there are a lot of questions. I am helping with walk throughs and general information.

We will be focusing on the purchase of a van when Ben gets back from his trip. It doesn't have to be a van and it won't be new, just one vehicle that can seat at least 7 or 8 people. I am so excited to start shopping around.

I am not sure what we are going to do to celebrate the fourth. Ben flies in on the third, so I don't think he will be up for much. I want to check prices for baseball tickets. We went to a game when I was little and the fireworks show was so amazing since we were in the stands rather than on the ground. They were so close I kept ducking down so they wouldn't land on me. :) It would be fun to take the kids to a game so that they could share the experience.

The party planning is under way. I am getting some feedback on what we can and can not do at the ranch. Can't say what they will be, but it is definitely going to be lots of fun. My baby is going to be a one year old in a couple of weeks. It has gone by so quickly, I can't even describe it.

The girls are gearing up for camp and then a couple of weeks away with Grammie, Aunt Sarah, and Great Aunt Cindy. I can barely stand the wait until I get my facial and pedicure at a luxury spa for more than half off!! Woohoo for employee discounts. I am thinking about stocking up on my shampoo and makeup while I am there.

What's up with you?? Let me know.

12 and counting

He was out of town for 24 days. He has been home for 2 days. He leaves first thing tomorrow for another 12 days.

I am thankful that he gets to visit places all over the USA and the world, but I miss him terribly when he's gone. I am thankful that he has a job and that he can provide for our large family. I am thankful that he makes it home happy and healthy every time.

New stuff!!

Here is a picture of the things that I bought for the little kids' room. I love it and they are really happy too!

What else?

I need a new camera, just for me.

Almost there!

We have scrubbed the floors, walls, and baseboards in Haley/Alexander's room. Monday evening, we bought the bed and brought it home. Tonight, we put it together and rearranged their furniture. On Saturday we buy the sheets, blankets, and curtains. I can hardly wait!! Little by little, room by room, the house is coming together. It will be our home, and not just a place where we eat, sleep, and shower. I am totally excited!!

On Sunday morning I saw someone die.

You might have seen the story on the news. It was the story about the cyclists that were hit by a car in Grand Prairie.

I was on my way to pick up the kids from my mom's house. I thought I was driving around a car accident. I was half right. The bicycle was totally torn apart and there was a lady curled up on the road. She had her helmet on, but it couldn't saver her. The left side of her body was scraped up and bleeding. Her hair was bright red with blood. She didn't move at all. It was as if someone picked her up off of the bicycle and placed her on the ground in the same position and then smashed the bicycle to pieces. I didn't stop. Someone was calling 911, and there was a small crowd forming. I stopped at the stop sign and while I was saying a prayer, the police car drove by. I prayed that she would survive, and I prayed for her family. I will never speed through a residential neighborhood again. No matter what time of day, no matter if I am the only one on the street.

Day Three

Last night we were in the ER again. Lex woke up on fire. I took a rectal temp and the thermometer didn't beep until it hit 104.1 degrees. I called Ben to let him know I was headed out and then I called mom to come and sit with the kids. Now we are taking antibiotics 2x day, ear drops, motrin and tylenol every 4 hours. He's been well up until now, but this earache has all but made up for the previous 10 months. Say a little prayer. We've had 3 hours of sleep and a lot of meds.

Home again.

I am at home with Alexander again today. His fever returns about 2 hours after I give him his meds. I am calling the doc today to get some advice. I am sure I just need to give the antibiotics one more day to kick in. I just need to hear the doc say it.

What a weekend!

This is the first weekend of four that I am to be without spousal support. :) Friday started out good, got finished with work and picked up the kids to have a nice evening. Nothing fancy we ate dinner and watched the netflix movies that came in the mail.

Saturday I went in to work with the three big kids while mom, dad, and Alexander went puppy shopping. They found a golden retriever and named him George. He is a very good natured dog, I will post a picture later. He wouldn't sit still so that I could get a good one. It's either a blur or a tail...

Sunday we went back to mom's house to get in some pool time. Alexander loved sitting in the "little pool" and playing with his little people and blocks. Everything ws going well until after dinner. Alexander was playing in the living room when he just started to scream. Screaming that would hurt a dog's ears it was so high pitched. He cried so much he started to throw up, and then hyperventilate. He couldn't catch a breath once the crying was over. It was like he was panting. I tried not to panic, but it wasn't letting up. I took him to prima care, which was closed, and then to the ER. I am checking in a baby that I say is not able to breathe and crying uncontrollably. The lady at the counter sees a baby happy, smiling, and chewing on his thumb. We get back to the triage section and the nurse takes his temperature and it is 103!! The doctor listens to his lungs, which are fine, and then checks his ears. One ear is cleared up and the other is close to the rupturing point. We went home with a RX for a second round of antibiotics and directions for giving ibuprofen instead of tyenol. He had a dose of tylenol before we went on this outing sand it didn't touch the fever, so we have to try this instead. The doc said that it is a better anti inflammatory drug and should relieve some of the pressure on his ear. By the time we got out of there it was close to midnight and I was super tired. He couldn't go to daycare since he had fever, so we chilled out at the house all day today! It was nice to be able to spend some time with just him. We took a nap and watched part of a movie. I think he liked the uninterrupted mommy time. I know I needed it.

Udderly painful

I decided that I would stop nursing Alexander. Today is day five and there has been little relief. I will say that "the girls" are not as tender as the first couple of days, but they still aren't normal yet. I am ready to be back to normal again. More than you wanted to know? Sorry.

What's going on?

Nothing much over here. Just the normal day to day routine. I am missing my Ben, he will be home sometime on Friday. I am happy for the 3 day holiday weekend. We have a whole lotta nuthin planned. Just going to relax and have some fun family time. I am hoping that the weather will cooperate and we can get some pool time in. I love that the weather is warming up, I am totally a summer girl. I need the hot air and the bright sun light. It puts me in a good mood, believe it or not.

We have decided that Alexander's first birthday party will be on July 12. Save the date, because you all are invited. We don't know where it will be but we want to be able to invite everyone we know. Ben and I really enjoy getting all of our friends and family together. It doesn't really need to be for anything specific. Just for talking, laughing, eating, and catching up on some social time.

I plan on taking lots of pictures from now on, so get ready. My new mission is to document my kids from day to day rather than just the big events. The little things are what we remember into adulthood and I want to help them to remember.

Bye bye!

My boy said bye bye tonight AND he was waving when he said it. Who knows, you might even get to see video of it! ;)

Credit card companies are stupid.

Remember when I told you about being debt free? Well, the last payment that I made was to CitiCard. I paid the remaining balance online. I waited for the transaction to clear the bank so that I could call and cancel the account. Once I was on the phone with the csr, they assured me that I would get a statement as usual showing the final payment and a zero balance. Well I haven't! I logged on to check my balance and print out a statement, and guess what I saw!! I had a credit of $52.06 on my closed account. I called again to ask them how I ended up with a credit and no one could tell me. They said that I had overpaid on the account. who does that?? I didn't even type in the payment amount. I just clicked on the tab that said pay in full. Anyway, they are going to mail a check to the house for the amount of the credit. Why didn't they do that anyway? Aren't they happy to assist me? Wasn't I a preferred customer. Whatever. Glad to be done with them.

100%

Alexander went in for his 9 month check up on Monday. He weighs 25 pounds, 13 ounces and is 31 inches long. He is the 100th percentile on height and weight. His doctor came in laughing and said that she shouldn't be so surprised that he's so big since she's seen my other kiddos. :) Here's a picture that we took last week. I love him, he's my boy.

My new favorite song.

Is this a sign??

My friend Staci is venturing into the world of stamping and sent an email out saying that she was having a catalog party. I have been curious about this branch of paper crafting, so I called and asked for a catalog. The makers of the stamps have an online catalog, which is free, but I like to have the catalog to mark up and look through at my convenience so I sucked it up and agreed to roll the price over to my order. This was two weeks ago. I don't know what happened. Is someone else getting my catalog?? I had finally waited long enough and called Staci to see if she could get some answers for me. The first one was sent out on a Thursday, and after a week she has put another one in the mail. I still don't have one let alone the two that have been sent. I am thinking that this was a little nudge from above to be diligent with my saving and not place an order. If I don't get that darn catalog by Thursday, than I will have to just forget it. Can't say that I didn't try. If any of you have a catalog that you would like to share, send me an email or a comment. I am sure Staci would appreciate it. :)

Rain rain go away...

I am keeping my fingers crossed that we don't get too much rain this weekend. I still have lots to do in the backyard!

So many things...

Here are some pictures from our trip to San Antonio.

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We're debt freeeeeee!!!!

Ben and I made our last credit card payment last night. Do you know what this means?? It means that next month we will only be making monthly payments for rent, utilities, and daycare. Reality has started to sink in and I am really excited. (I wasn't feeling so hot when I put all of our account info in for the payment.) If we hadn't heard about this financial person, I don't think we would have been able to do it. If you're having issues with money then I strongly suggest that you check it out. It is simple, makes sense, and it works.

on the web: daveramsey.com

radio: listen live from 1-4 every weekday on klif.com

book: Total Money Makeover

the debtor is slave to the lender (Prov. 22:7)

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On Saturday I am going out of town to scrapbook. Every month I get a SB kit that comes with all of the papers and embellishments to make a complete album. The lady that puts the kits together has a sister that owns a SB store. I am going out there to buy some goodies, meet the ladies that I talk to on the message board, and get some of these kits put together with pictures. I am really excited. It's been a while since I've been to a scrapbook store, let alone a crop.

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I am in the process of coordinating the kids' summer vacation schedule. The two big girls go to Girl Scout camps for a week, stay at their Grammie's house in OK for a couple of weeks, and their Aunt's house for a weekend of fun. Haley will be staying overnight at an Aunt's house to play with her cousin. It's her first year to do anything overnight without sisters, so I am nervous about how she will do. Haley and her cousin are too young to stay over the weekend with their Aunt, so this way they get to have a little fun too.

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Alexander is doing so many things! He's nine months old now. He has 3 bottom teeth, two top teeth with two more cutting in right now. He can sit, crawl, and pull himself up to standing. He is a speed racer when he's in the walker!! Watch out for your heels and toes when he's loose. :) I try to get updated pictures but most of them come out with his giant arm reaching for the camera. I love, love, love this age. He is so sweet, it's amazing to see his reaction to the smallest discovery. He's a happy, smiling, healthy boy. I couldn't have asked for more.

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I hope to see you or at least talk to you all soon. I miss being close to my friends.

xoxo

Monday, April 21

I have lots to post, but I am SUPER tired. Tomorrow there will be a post and pictures. Promise.

Tuesday, April 15

I went to get a pedicure during my lunch break today. Working in downtown has it's advantages.

Monday, April 14

Today was a pretty good day. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, I just had a good day for no good reason. :) We might head out of town on Friday for some weekend fun. Ben flies in on Wednesday and leaves for San Antonio on Thursday. I was thinking about leaving work a little early so that I could be home when the kids got home. Then, we would get on I-35 and head on out to meet him. I don't know if he is the lead guy on this show. If he is than we will most likely stay home. When he is lead, he is the first one there and the last one to leave. It wouldn't make sense for us to go to visit him if he's going to be at work all day and night. I am hoping that we can go, it would be nice to be away for the weekend and splurge a little bit. The kids want to see the Alamo and the riverwalk. Madison and Rebecca were little when we were out there last, and I haven't been out there with Ben since our honeymoon. (and I want to SHOP) Keep your fingers crossed!

Sunday, April 13

I am going to Target to get some springy clothes for the kids. Then, to payless for the BOGO event. I have to get all shopping out of my system now because the IRS check will be in the bank on Friday, and ALL of it goes to the "we NEED a van" fund. At least that's what I have to keep telling myself. :)

Wednesday, April 9

Sorry, I haven't been updating as much as I would have liked. Instead of posting, I have enjoyed the company of my husband. He's leaving for D.C. tomorrow and will pretty much be gone for the rest of April give or take a few days in between flights. He literally will be home for a day before he flies out to his next trip. We will see how I am doing with this traveling business by the time the year is almost over.

This weekend was beautiful! We were outside for most of Saturday and Sunday we went to the park. The yard is mowed, trees and bushes have been pruned, the flowers and veggies have been planted. Thank goodness for the rain, I have a hard time remembering to get out and water after a few days.

I filed my tax returns last night. I was having trouble with one of the sections, and Ben wanted to see how the return would change if we filed separately. In some cases, you can lower your tax bracket by filing separately. It didn't work for us. When we changed the filing status, our refund turned into $5,500 OWED. It was changed back pretty quickly, and all is well. Normally, I wouldn't think of filing tax returns as a romantic night but it turned into a pretty nice trip down memory lane. When you file online you have to give them the information from last years return so that they can verify that you are who you say you are. I had to go to the cabinet where I keep all the important forms and drag it out to the computer. It was fun for Ben and I to look through each year's packet and see just how far we've come. We filed our first joint tax return in 1995. Our adjusted income was a whopping $11,000. How in the world did we pay for and apartment and a new baby on $11,000 a year??? Anyway, we laughed at all the the different places we had lived and all the crummy jobs that we had to have and we decided that we were happy to have gone through all of it. After 14 years we still have each other and we also have four beautiful, happy and healthy children. Who knew that doing taxes together could be so rewarding??

Tuesday, April 1

Somehow I have screwed up the look of my blog. I have to add the date to my posts now. No more title until I find a way to undo whatever I did that makes the date disappear.

My days are so busy. For the most part, I love being at work again. It's my "adult time". I really appreciate having the "extra" money too. :) Lately, I have been missing my family and my home. I can't enjoy them like I used to. It's a rush to get out the door in the morning and it's a rush to get home and in bed on time in the evenings. Do I run around all day and night during the week so that I can have two full fun days with the family? OR do I take it easy in the evenings, and run all weekend long? I can't have both and I can't decide what to do. If Ben had his way I would quit working tomorrow and stay home full time. He knows that I enjoy being back to work so he bites his tongue. The kids would rather have me at home, no questions asked. I want to do the right thing, which leads to nothing at all because of my indecision.

Ben will be home tomorrow! I am very excited to see him. It's been ten days and I am ready for him to be back already!!

I am trying to figure out a way to get to the SB convention in June. Schedule wise it's not looking good, but I am working on it.

I will be in Atlanta for three days someitme in November. Ben has to be there for two back to back shows and his company agreed to keep him there rather than fly him back and forth for those days. So guess what?? I am going out there to meet him and see the sights. I have never been there, so I have been looking around the internet for stuff to see and do. If you've been there and have a suggestion, let me know. I am ready to have some kid free time.

Still have to figure out a way to post some pictures on here. I don't have enough plug in things on the back of the computer to upload them.

Definition

HOME:
1 a: one's place of residence : domicile b: house2: the social unit formed by a family living together3 a: a familiar or usual setting : congenial environment; also : the focus of one's domestic attention

It's where I want to be this weekend.

I can't believe it's already mid week...

This week has flown by for me. Friday to today is a blur, every day had something that needed to be done. Ben is in Chicago right now and will be back next Wednesday. It's the start of his super busy travel schedule. I guess we will see how well I can do as a single mom with four kiddos running around.

I will try to get updated pictures posted tomorrow sometime. For right now, I am headed to bed. It's been a long day.

Fabulous news!

Rebecca was anxiously waiting for me to get home from work today. She had some awesome news to share with me. Earlier this month she took the reading portion of the TAKS test, and she was given her score today during class. She scored a PERFECT 100. 36 questions 36 correct; Commended Performance

Her teacher brought her out to the hallway to tell her the news. As a reward, she doesn't have to do any more reading portions of her homework. We will have to do something special to celebrate!

YAY!

He said " mom mom"!!

Twice!

Good Friday

Ben and I have made it a goal to observe the "rules" of the Lenten season. While we normally wouldn't eat any red meat on Fridays, there are two days that are an exception. These days, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, mark the beginning and the end of Lent. On these days you are to fast for the entire day rather than the no red meat guideline. Of course, they tell you to take age and ilness into consideration. God doesn't expect you to drop dead in observance of Lent. I will be drinking a lot of water today, and I think I will also buy a protein shake so that I don't get shaky. I don't know how/ if my friends observe the Lenten season. I wish I knew more about my friend's spiritual beliefs, but it's such a hard thing to discuss with someone. It's hard for me, anyway. Ben is so much better at talking to people about stuff like that without making it seem like you're an interrogator. Anyway, if you want to know more about what I was talking about here's the link that I found at our church's website. It's just a basic guideline for why I choose to observe Lent, and why I think it's important for the kids to know and understand its importance as well.

http://www.saintalbans.org/

Drumroll please!

Things I didn't do:

1. Many things were discussed, but Ben and I can't decide what to do about the big girl's room. They need a place to put their stuff, basically. I want to pimp out the closet, he wants to buy a new dresser.

2. Same thing goes for the windows. The dog patrols their rooms during the day while we are gone, but he has also pulled both curtain rods out of the wall. We have to figure out a way to get a window covering up so that the dog can see outside without causing severe wall damage.

3. I got lazy about driving up to the container store to buy the laundry sorter.

4. Woke up in a bad mood on Sunday, didn't go to church.

Things I did do:

1. washed, dried, folded, and put away all laundry
2. got the big girls packed and ready to go to my parent's house for the week
3. put my Christmas stuff in the organizers that I ordered
4. bought groceries
5. watched a movie with Ben
6. baked a coffee cake
7. sorted through Alexander's clothes and packed it in a box to send to Sarah

Even though I didn't get through my original list, I did get stuff done around the house. Every weekend, I get closer to total organization and a de-cluttered home.

I have more to blog about, but I will do that tomorrow when I can add pictures. Or maybe I won't. :)

Fun Fridays

That's what we used to call it in school. It was the one friday every six weeks that the school sold candy and you had one fre period to just sit around with your friends and chat.

To do list for the weekend:

- buy a large laundry sorter...must have wheels and a rack for hanging clothes
- mow the yard, it should not be green right now! it definitely shouldn't have a variety of yellow and purple "flowers" aka WEEDS
- measure windows and buy hardware and new curtains for kids' bedrooms windows
- buy new beds with drawers for the big girls or find a solution to storage/organizational problems in their room
- grocery shopping
- get the big girls packed to spend next week with my mom and dad during spring break
- church
- mail pictures and packages that have been sitting in boxes waiting for postage

That should do it, don't you think?

A million things to do!

Since I started working, I have had a running list of odds and ends that need to be addressed. It usually involves a lot of stops for one little thing. By the time I get to Saturdays I don't want to do anything except play with the kids, go OUT to eat, and watch movies with Ben. My itinerary has little to do with cleaning, or other necessary chores. Unfortunately, I have come to a personal breaking point. I am going to have to get this stuff done this weekend. Easter is coming up, Ben will be out of town for what seems like an eternity, and I am not going to have the time or the energy to bring four uninterested children along for that ride.

That being said, I also have to resign myself to spending a little money on organizational/cleaning supplies. It has been a long time since Ben and I have been able to be frivolous with money and now that we have "extra" in the bank I don't want to give it to anyone. Right now we're putting a lot away for our emergency and mini van funds. It's hard for me to buy decorative stuff for the house. It's hard for me to spend $40 on a triple laundry sorter with a hanging rack. But, I have to get these things in order to have an orderly house. The house is not dirty, don't fret. It's just cluttered....everywhere. Cabinets, closets, drawers, pantry, it all needs a good spring cleaning. I want our house to feel like a home rather than just a place we go to after school and work.

First, I have to get through Friday....

A child's night time prayer.

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I die before I wake
I loved the food I ate today.
Amen

This is what Haley said for her prayers tonight. It's the little things, people.

one more hour

I am definitely going to bed earlier tonight. I miss that one hour that was lost.

On the up and up!

Today for lunch, I ordered take out from PF Changs. My fortune cookie read, "You will have all that your heart desires." You can't get a better Friday fortune than that my friends.

I have added a slideshow of pictures that were taken by a friend of mine. They were shot at the Dallas Arboretum in early November of last year. I have also added a link to her photography website. I would highly encourage you to email or call her up if you're wanting family pictures taken. She does a wonderful job.

Speaking of links, if you know of a site that's really neat or interesting than please ket me know. I love going to a random blog and clicking on the links. You never can tell where you will end up in the world wide web. Before anyone gets their feelings hurt, I have decided to only list the links that are public. I know a lot of people on Myspace, but they are all set to private and you can't look at them until you set up a page for yourself. It's annoying to have a link set up only to click on it and not be able to see anything.

Day two!

Today was a short work day, thank goodness. I didn't want to be there, I was dawdling around after lunch. I just get sick of being in the file room staring at a wall. Know what I mean?? I picked up the kids and we were all home by 3:30. The drive through Fort Worth was worse than at home. I don't think that I will be lucky enough to have a Friday snow day. We don't have any more precipitation, and the roads weren't too bad. We will have to see what happens in the morning.

I am planning on adding some pictures, and maybe change colors to spice up the page a bit. It will be slow going, I am trying out a lot of things but they aren't looking great once I preview my page.

Test run

I have decided to start another blog. My goal is to post my own thoughts and feelings without censoring myself too much. I know a lot of people who have two or three blogs because they can't say this on one and that on another because of the people that may or may not be reading. Now, that doesn't mean that I am going to run my mouth without any sort of filter. Everything on here will be as it pertains to me, I am not going to put someone else's business out on the www for people to read. I don't want to step on toes, but I do want you all to know me a little better.