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