The way it's just going to be.

So apparently kidney stones are just going to be a fact of life.  I keep thinking that possibly ONE DAY I'll be able to get rid of them.  Why?  Oh, no reason.  There's no medical backup for my thoughts (once you have one they apparently just keep on a-comin!), just that maybe God will have mercy and they'll disappear, oh let's say, FOR GOOD!  

I went to the doc today for my "hey, how's everything going?  Just fine doc.  We'll see you back in four weeks" checkup.  I've been having some trouble with my kidneys/bladder and he confirmed yet another kidney stone was about to rear its head.  Now, don't get me wrong, I can't complain too awful much about it because I'm not having much pain, if any, with them at all.  It's just knowing they're there, the potential for a great deal of pain is there, and living on the edge just waiting for the shoe to drop.  Sometimes I do have problems with bladder spasms when a stone drops into my bladder, and if you've ever had those, you know how fun it can be.  I'd almost rather deal with the intense pain for a little while as a stone passes than deal with the spasms that can last months for me.  Hubby always knows when I've passed a stone...I'm in a great mood because that means I've got at least a few weeks before having to deal with another one.

On the pregnancy front, the new baby/#3 is as active as ever, constantly trying to find a way out of my stomach.  I'm convinced she's going to perform her own c-section via FOOT one of these days.  She feels like she's all wedged from butt to legs in my left side.  Chicken always favored my right.  Seems like Punky may have favored my left as well.  Maybe it's a girl thing.  Who knows, but I know I'm trying very hard to enjoy these last 12 weeks.  Aside from feeling like a great woolly mammoth these days, I'm actually feeling pretty good physically.  I have the typical exhaustion and occasional bout of sciatica, but it's been nothing like with Punky or Chicken.  With Punky, the sciatica was excruciating and almost constant after about 24 weeks.  With Chicken, I could argue over whether or not he bruised my ribs toward the end.  In general I felt bad.  But maybe it was because I ended my pregnancies in the winter and this time summer is allowing me to get outside some instead of sitting on my mammoth butt. 

The bad news?  I'm 4 pounds away from beating my record weight.  *Sigh*  I knew after the cookies, the eating out, the morning South African Tea, and everything BAD I've been eating this pregnancy that it would catch up with me.  I'm going to be working hard after this baby is born for sure.  I still haven't figured out how to exercise with three kids, but I figure as Hubby says I'll be strapping one in a snugli and the other two in the double stroller.  THAT should get me sweating after so many months of inactivity.

Lastly, we've discovered New Baby/#3 has a 'tude.  Hubby often rolls over in the morning and puts his hand on my stomach to feel her moving.  She's definitely getting HER exercise in there (in the form of water aerobics).  It never fails if he presses too hard on my belly that she gets opinionated and gives Hubby a swift kick to let him know he's invading her personal space.  Boy, do I have a thing or two to teach her about personal space!  It's adorable but I do wonder if that means she's going to be more of a challenge than these other two.  Hubby and I have pushed "fate" by having so many kids, especially after the first two turned out to be relatively mild mannered (and I do mean RELATIVELY).  I can just see a little demon girl being born with horns and laughing an evil laugh straight from the womb.  However, I do always say to expect the worst and you won't be disappointed!

Right?  Say I'm right.

Will I ever relax again?

Springtime is here and I'm loving it.  With it bring the incurable urge to write.  Every spring and fall I can't help myself, I just want to sit down with the laptop and write all day.  I've done that since I was a teenager.  My best work usually comes out of these little visits from my muse.  

The urge and actually finding time to write are two different things entirely, however.  With our recent move, potty training, teething, taking the kids outside to play, keeping them occupied, there has been little time...ok, none at all for me to satisfy my itch.  Writing has always been therapeutic for me and when I looked down to see my fingers torn to shreds (compliments of my teeth), I realized I need some writing therapy.  Bad.  I'm apparently stressed about something and I wish I knew what it was.  Wait, I probably do.

I can only guess it's because I'm having pretty frequent contractions and I'm not even in my third trimester yet.

Maybe it's guilt over having to discipline Punky for pooping in her pants (hey, I gave her two weeks and it's time to get tough).

Maybe it's the mounting stress of a bigger house to clean.  I cleaned all day friday, looked around that evening and it looked like I had been sitting on my butt all day.  I sort of feel like I'm drowning.  I haven't mopped my wooden floors yet and today marks 5 weeks in our new house.  I HAVE mopped the kitchen floors but it already needs it again.  And don't get me started on vacuuming with the little dirt devil of an upright we have on the shag carpet.  Ugh.  I could go on and on.  I'm nesting something serious right now and I wish I could take a vacation and come back to a spotless house that cleans itself.  I guess everyone does, though, right?

Maybe it's the fact that Hubby and I CANNOT agree on any names for this new kid of ours.

Or hey, maybe it's all of the above.  My energy levels are zapped.  I feel like a heifer.  I'm the size I was when I delivered Punky and Chicken and I still have over 12 weeks to go.  I seriously canNOT imagine what the rest of this pregnancy is going to be like.  I don't even want to think about the stretch marks, either.  Double UGH.

Well, for now, I'll enjoy the spring weather.  I'll enjoy watching the kiddos play outside (and ignore all the scrapes they get every.single.time.we're.out.).  I'll forget all about the poopy pants and the accidents we're still having every day.  I'm going to clean as much as I can until my body tells me no more and forget the rest.  If it gets bad enough, well, I'll ignore that, too, or hire my friend who cleans houses to come do it.  And yeah, I won't stress that we're going to be calling the new baby "Number Three" or "New Baby" until it's fifteen.  I WILL NOT stress any more.  Hmm...that was easy to type, if only I could make my teeth believe it for my finger's sake!

Today's Ramblings

I got to enjoy lunch with a college friend today (without the kiddos no less!).  I haven't seen her since my wedding day almost 7 years ago.  Sad, but true, we've lived in the same city since I got married and this is the first time we've made a point to get together.  She has two beautiful little girls that I've seen pictures of on myspace.com.  She also hasn't changed a bit since college and is as beautiful as I remember her.  She was always the kind of person that was so well spoken and eloquent.  That hasn't changed either!

We're still doing well with potty training.  Another dear friend of mine that has already gone through this is currently acting as my cheerleader.  I've called her two or three times now with questions and I've never felt better about things.  Thanks Holly-wolly-doodle-all-the-day!

Last night Hubby told me he looked up from the kitchen and saw a little white butt hanging out of the bathroom door in the dark.  Punky was pulling down her panties and about to go potty by herself.  When he got in to see what she was doing, she had pooped in the potty!  WOOHOO!  I think we're on our way but it's still a ways off.  As I type this, Hubby just ushered a bulging pants Punky into the bathroom for cleanup.  One day at a time, right?

And we're getting our old internet service provider back today!  I've been so ready to throw computers and printers and stuff with AT&T DSL.  It stinks.  It stinks worse than stink.  It rots. So mediacom is back!  And we finally get our cable back after a long agonizing month.  I can catch up on my favorite TV shows, WOOHOO!  AND, I get soap net back so I can sleep through my soaps again and still catch up. 

Ahhh...life is getting back to normal...

Taking the plunge: Toddler style

My kids have always been an endless source of amusement for me.  The latest being Punky and Chicken fighting over their toys and while each tugging in their direction, they will squeal like stuck pigs until one or both let go.  I'm waiting for the day they both let go and go sailing across the room.  It's coming and I can only pray I have the video camera.

Then there's Chicken's fear of grass.  Yes, he refuses to step in it and when we put him in it on purpose and he falls, he acts like a girly-man and cries, holding his hands up as if he's been contaminated.  I will say he's getting better about it and actually played for some time in it on Saturday.

Let's not forget Punky's fear of bugs.  She found a miniscule lady bug on the window seal in her playroom not long ago and requested I kill it.  She STILL talks about the stinkin' lady bug.  I tried to force her to help me smoosh it, and I found out the extent of her fear.  She shook, screamed and pulled away from me until I was convinced that she had decided the sprained wrist was well worth getting away from the lady bug who was threatening her well-being.  Of course, I let her go and killed it.

I honestly don't know where my kids get these things from.  I consider myself a very introspective person who is quite objective about my kids.  I don't start anything with them (like telling them bugs are bad) that I think might lead to something bigger.  The only thing I can figure out is Hubby's mom saying "eww" when she was little and saw a bug or something in her books.

This latest fear is one she's come up with all on her own.  Potty training has been going amazingly well.  I've thought for some time she's been ready but with the move and everything else, the timing was all off so I was never able to devote a lot of time to it until this last week.  She took to it like a duck to water!  She's been telling me when she has to go pee pee in the potty almost every time.  We have maybe 1 accident a day and on a bad day 3.  Pooping however, has been an issue.  She will cry and beg me to let her up.  "I can't push out the poo poo Mommy!"  She only tells me afterward, leaving me to clean up "goat poop" out of her panties.  Let me tell you, my fair readers, that's not an easy task.  Those little suckers roll every which way!  I have yet to perfect a technique of cleaning it without risking poo hands and don't relish the task when I see the little bulges staring back at me.

We've talked a lot about putting poo poo in the potty.  In fact, so much so I've been forced to take her along with me during my potty visits.  I would rather suffer the embarrassment than the stinky, gross clean up that comes with her lack of understanding...or stubbornness as I'm beginning to believe.  So today, we were standing at the kitchen counter, shredding chicken (or rather I shredding, Punky playing with refrigerator magnets) and she said, "I need to go poo poo!" And she grabs her hiney.  WOOHOO!  Let's go!  I throw chicken in every direction and off we go.  I pull her panties down and see skid marks instead of goat poop.  Another WOOHOO!  I plop her on the toilet and her face gets red.  Then I hear the blessed sound of poop hitting plastic.  I stand up and do a dance, I praise her, we called Daddy, we sung the potty song and amidst her sweet giggles, I go somewhere no other pregnant woman has gone.

I give her free reign to pick whatever treat she wants from my unhealthy preggo stash.  She can have a cookie, she can have chocolate milk, even a doggone bowl of sugar if she wants, she can have whatever she can find that tickles her fancy.  And what does she choose?  A sucker.  She wants a sucker.  You want a sucker, Punky?  Here, pick one out.  You want two?  FIVE?  Here, have 20.  This is what happens when you go poo poo in the potty!  Take them all.  Yes, they're all yours.

No need to be scared to poo poo in the potty.  Good things happen when you take the plunge and become a big girl!

Warning: Sappiness below

These days have been filled with the moments I always envisioned before I was a mother.  Punky has begun getting out of her toddler bed and coming into our room when she wakes up every morning.  I've never let her sleep in our bed just for the sake of sleeping there, nor do I let her sleep in the mornings when she comes in.  She very sweetly opens our door and comes to my side of the bed.  She'll look at me with those big, pretty blue eyes and whisper, "I had a good nap!"  It's what I always ask her every afternoon when she wakes up.  I guess she thinks nighttime is a nap, too...and she's right in a sense, it's just a very looooong nap!  :oD

I put her in bed with me and we just lay there, talking in her toddler conversation.  She amazes me with how smart she is sometimes as well as her rationalizing capabilities.  She's my baby girl but I know she's not going to be forever.  She's growing up, much quicker than I ever imagined, and while it makes me sad, I'm happy she's developing into such a sweet girl.  She's been grabbing my legs and saying, "I love you, Mommy," a lot lately and also doing that with Chicken.  I can already tell they're going to be best friends and I hope she'll come to see me as a good mother.

These last few mornings have been so special to me.  There's nothing like waking up to those beautiful blue eyes and her innocent, REAL smile.  There's nothing like feeling those sweet, chubby arms around my neck when she hugs me or smelling her  soft, strawberry scented hair when she lays on my chest or pillow while we talk.  These moments are fleeting, I know.  One morning, I'll wake up and she'll be a teenager and never want to get out of bed.  Some day she'll be walking down the aisle and leaving her childhood behind, having her own children to create memories with.  I want to savor every minute I have with her as this little person and make the most of it because it will be gone before I know it.

Until then, I pray I can let go of the days that I have shamed myself as a mother by letting them watch too much TV to get them out of my hair or not playing with them at all or getting too upset with them because of problems elsewhere in my life.  I want to give them memories that I never had as a child and teach them things to make them stronger adults.  God has given me such a precious gift in my children and these days will not be wasted.

That's not chocolate!

So far, Punky seems to be getting the potty training.  We haven't had a pee accident today yet and it's almost noon.  She's just having trouble with the poop.  I found her squatting in the playroom today and it was too late. It wound up being the roly poly kind that we refer to as "goat poop" that went every direction on my bathroom floor when her panties were off.  At least it was easy to clean.

Yesterday, however, I wasn't so lucky.  When she pooped in her pants and I was cleaning it, she said the funniest thing.  I was explaining to her that poop goes in the potty, etc, etc., and I looked at her to make sure she understood and she got a wide-eyed know-it-all look on her face, and said while shaking her head, "That's not chocolate!"

No, my dear daughter, it's certainly not.  

Potty Training

So, I was one of those mom's who foolishly believed I would stick to potty training at an early age.  My goal was to have Punky potty trained by 12 months using the methods outlined in the Baby Whisperer.  Above is a picture of Punky at 10 months old using the potty.  Believe it or not, I think this definitely aided in the process because by 11 or 12 months, she KNEW what she was doing.  She regularly peed and pooped in the potty and identified it.  Not on command mind you, but I watched her signs and took her when I thought she needed to go.  

That was over a year ago.  I'm still buying diapers and I'm still trying to convince her that BIG GIRLS pee pee in the potty.  Today, I've began the "cold turkey" technique and she's been in big girl panties all day.  So far no accidents, but she hasn't gone in over 2 hours so I know it's coming.  If she tells me, it'll be a miracle.  She's been showing signs of being ready...telling me 2 or 3 times a day she needs to go and actually going, trying to take her diaper off after she poops because she's uncomfortable.

Of course, I'm about to have three in diapers if I can't get her potty trained, so I really want to get this done before #3 comes along.  Punky is capable, I know.  She's just lazy like every other 2 year old and would rather play with her toys than waste her time sitting on the potty.  Chicken is 13 months old and been put on the potty ONCE in his entire life.  I have a feeling it's going to be bad when I have to start with him since I hear boys are much harder.  I guess we'll see.

Say a prayer for us.  Potty training isn't as easy as I imagined.  I thought once they were ready, they'd just decide to tell you and that would be that.  I didn't anticipate all the accidents, the stubbornness, or the tears.  I have, however, enlisted the help of gummy bears to keep her interested and so far so good with that.  I'm sure we'll have to change it up occasionally to make sure she maintains interest.  Here's to pee pee and poo poo in the potty!!!

Family Portraits

Here are the latest pictures we had made.  We were disappointed in the quality of them, but there were several good poses we liked.

The whole family

Ahhh, aren't we just precious?

Isn't that the cutest pose?

I love this one.  I can't believe their 2 and 1 already!

One....MILLION DOLLARS! (isn't this face hilarious?)

Old Ghosts

Sometimes I think about what my life would be like if I hadn't walked down the path I did.  Would I be happy?  Would my kids still look the same?  Would I have had all the fertility problems?  Would I have NEVER had children from lack of opportunity?  Would depression have consumed me?

I come from a small town, a broken family, and a screwed up history.  I'm still trying hard to forgive my mother for all the verbal abuse, but now that I have kids, it's harder and harder for me to imagine doing that to my BABIES.  Sure, losing my temper and raising my voice I can comprehend.  Even spanking them out of anger.  But to look at them and tell them they're crazy or their BOYFRIEND deserves better than them?  Wow.  I dwell on those kinds of things much more than I should.  It's in the past.  Getting close to ancient history.  I should find a way to forgive her.

I've even forgiven my father, although I will never UNDERSTAND, why he walked away from me.  Just as I said above, now that I have kids, I have a new perspective.  I've opted to not tell my dad on the rare occasion I talk to him that he's a grandfather.  I second guess my decision a lot, mainly because I wonder if knowing his grandchildren might be the motivation he needs to change.  But for safety reasons, Hubby and I have mutually agreed to not tell him (that's why I don't mention my kiddos names).  I haven't spoken to him since I was pregnant with Punky.  He calls every year on my birthday and since that year three years ago, I've subscribed to caller ID and avoided his phone calls.  Mainly because I don't lie and I know he would ask me when I was going to have children.  But to my father's credit, he just stayed away when I was growing up.  I never had to deal with him and his problems, I never had to wonder why he didn't love me.  In his own way, I know he loves me, although he falls pathetically short of ever earning the title DAD.  Punky recently saw a family picture of us when I was about 8 months old and asked who he was.  Rickey, I told her.  That's all she needs to know.

So, do these things contribute to why I am the way I am?  Yes.  I think a lot about how our influence will make our children who they are.  It scares me to think about that, but I have to admit, I try to take those things and learn from them.  I try not to over compensate and I try hard to make sure my kids will NEVER feel the way I felt growing up.  I never want them to feel as alone as I felt or as burdensome.  Every time I turned around, I felt unwanted or I was yelled at for something stupid.  Then, when I got older and started having a life of my own, my mother started seeing that I was growing up and I didn't need her.  It made living with her so much worse and in turn, I did a lot of stupid things when I was a teenager that I will never be able to take back.  

Some of you say, well, don't all teenagers do stupid stuff?  Isn't that a right of passage?  Isn't that how they FIND themselves?  Not for me it wasn't.  It was rebellion from bad parenting.  It was the only escape I could find in a world filled with no one who REALLY loved me.  I took solace in boyfriends that never meant anything only because I knew they cared for me.  I took advantage of that and to this day I still feel bad.  The few I really cared for wound up trampling my heart and succeeding in hurting me more than my mother ever could.  But that's ancient history, right?

Yes, it is.  I married a good man.  I married a wonderful family whose irritatingly as perfect as any family has the right to be.  I have a mother now in my mother in law whose always there for me.  Not many people can say that about their mother in laws.  She has her flaws, but she's the best woman I know.  Hubby puts up with a LOT from me.  Mainly me dwelling on this stuff too much and not being able to get passed it, my low self esteem, lack of being able to express "happiness", etc.  After almost 7 years, this has all taken its toll on my marriage.  We, like any marriage, have our good days and our bad days, but it makes me wonder WHY he married me.  He knew how I was before we married.  He tells me jokingly that everyone makes mistakes.  But does he regret me?  Does he look at me and wish I were someone else who smiled a little more or felt a little better about herself or would actually pay up on the bet I lost and give him that strip tease?

I think about what it would be like to wake up next to someone else.  I don't wish for it, I couldn't imagine my life without Hubby.  I mainly think about it to make sure I stay humble and remember how wonderful he is to me because I KNOW even during our darkest times, it could have been so much worse.  I could have actually gone through with an elopement to a guy I spent three years with only to have found out later he was a child molester.  Or I could have gone though with my first real engagement and been married to an AWOL army soldier who could only be employed by the local Wal-Mart.  Let's not forget about the crazy EMT who still tries to track me down occasionally - I would probably be locked in his basement by now.  And there was the guy I was actually crazy about who now has no real job, acts like a kid and is still in with the wrong crowd doing the wrong things.  Where would I be then?  I certainly wouldn't have the contentment of financial stability, the pretty house I have, my children and their incredible smiles but most importantly the direction of a wonderful church family and friends that have been my lifeline for so long.  I have grown so much closer to God these years I've been away from home and have been able to see what a real life can be like.

My mother used to tell me (when she was feeling mushy) that she prayed for God to send me a man who would help me get to heaven.  He did.  Hubby and I have had many difficult years but through it all, we've shared our faith and our love for God and gotten through it.  I married Hubby for a lot of reasons, but the main one was because I knew he was a good man who was raised in a good family.  That family is the kind I want for us and our children.  We're getting there and I pray that I will not give Punky or Chicken (or #3) any of the hang ups I have or leave them with bitter memories of their upbringing.

And I pray, for each of them, that they can find a wonderful spouse who will complement them, understand them and aid them in their journey to heaven...

Just like I did.

It's only noon and....

Chicken tried to see if he could fly out of the grocery cart at Wal-Mart today but I caught him just before he managed to take off.  Luckily, he sounded his war cry of "DOW!!!" (down) so he caught my attention while I was studying the fat contents of fake butter.  Punky decided to dissect her cheeseburger on the way home and while I was cleaning up the mess, picked a dandelion from the front yard and inhaled enough pollen to turn her entire nose and upper lip yellow.  Guess Claritin will be needed tonight.  Just a little insight on my day so far. ;oD

On days like these, you have to remember to find the humor in it all.  

Moving Day...The day from HADES

Sooo...it's been two weeks ago today we moved.  My memory is getting fuzzy on all the details and I can assure you, that's a good thing.  Otherwise, we're going to be in this house until the day we die.

The day we moved, I thought I was GOING to die.  We got up at 7 am, got the kids dressed and dropped them off at the in-laws.  My mother in law took two weeks off to spend with her mother, who went on vacation with us and stayed the week after, too.  So thankfully, someone was there to keep the kids.  If they hadn't been...let's just say that an already impossible situation would have been...stink, I don't know.  Even more impossible.

I went to pick up breakfast and some milk for the kids to take back to the in-laws.  Keep in mind, they used to live about 5 minutes away from us.  So I'm on my way back to their house to give them the milk and I get a call from Hubby who had to go to the final inspection at our new house.  The final inspection for the CURRENT house we've not yet moved out of is in an hour.  WHAT?!  It's 9 am.  No one bothered to tell us the final inspection with the buyers was at 10 today or are they pulling another one of their inconvenient stunts and doing everything last minute?  Well, it was me, my father in law, and Hubby loading up a packed to the gills 3 bedroom house with enough toys alone to fill up the smallest u-haul available.  We got the biggest and wound up STILL having to take stuff to our neighbors and had two cars plus my van full of stuff.  It was insane.  Long story short, the stupid realtor walked it with his lip up to his nose, looking like we were scum and said, "Well, I guess since you went on vacation last week you didn't have time to pack."

It was one of those moments I want to go back to and say #1.  What business is it of yours?  And #2.  If you want us moved out quicker, pick up a box and help us yourself, dingbat.  I will forever remember how mad I was at that little comment.  I saw how angry everyone was that we were ready to move.  Closing wasn't until 2 that afternoon, we hadn't got the u-haul until 7 that morning.  When are you supposed to move when you have two kids?  A week before just so your ready for the final inspection?  Ugh.

THEN, we got my mother in law, who left my kids with her mother and my sister-in-law, to come help us.  We upped our "man" power by half.  Between my fat pregnant lard butt and her, we equaled MAYBE one scrawny man.  We did get the smaller stuff out and was able to put it by the u-haul so the men didn't have to waste time going back and forth.  So we were SOME help.  So, for the next 3 hours, we slaved, sweat and pulled muscles to get ready for them to come back at 1.  We pulled it off just as they were arriving.  BUT, we hadn't been able to clean much.  We vacuumed and swept, but that was about it.  The floors were HORRENDOUS because I refused to mop once we had a contract.  So for six weeks, my floors were abused by Punky and Chicken at dinner time.  I fully intended to have time to mop and get things at least MOSTLY presentable.  They again walked in with the lips up to their nose.  Hubby had already informed me after our earlier encounter that he wasn't in the mood for any lip.  Didn't he see it?  Why did he just stand there?

THEN after the final inspection (which left all of 15 minutes to get anything done if they found something wrong), they had the nerve to ask us if we were going to fix the broken nob on the washer.  Um, hello?  do MOST people even leave their washer and dryer?  NOOOOOO.  The nob is yours to fix!  Those appliances are as is!    Some people can be so ugly.

After that as we're sitting in u-haul, Bryan gets THE phone call.  Yes, it's our closing officer telling us we can't close that day.  WHAT?!  What are we going to do?

We stayed with the in-laws that night.  Thank goodness for the in-laws.  I love them dearly.

The next day?  We're supposed to close at 2.  We get a phone call around 1:15 that they still didn't have all the documentation they needed and had to delay closing until 5.  At this point, we had arranged for SEVERAL men from church to come help us unload and they were scheduled to arrive at the new house by 5:30 or 6.  I was about to just lay down and have a conniption.  This was about the time I realized Chicken was running a fever.  No wonder he was so cranky.  And here I was thinking he was doing it just to spite me.  Soooo....thankfully around 2:15 they called us and said they had everything and if we could be there by 3, we could close then.  I doped Chicken up with Motrin and took off, leaving a very sick little boy behind.  I felt like the worst mother ever.

Everything went smoothly and we were homeowners around 3:45.  I took off back to the in-laws to check on Chicken, who seemed to be doing fine after the Motrin kicked in.  We went to the new house to unload the cars and get the stuff from our neighbors.  By the time I got back, everyone was there, ready to unload the u-haul.  I needed to run back to the in-laws and get Hubby's mom and grandmother so they could come see the place.  I also finally had room for chicken and Punky in the car, but Chicken was getting worse by this point so I left him with a sister-in-law, feeling even more guilty that I wasn't there for him.  

When we arrived, Punky was so excited.  Several times since we've been here, she's looked at me and said, "I love my new house."  And, "I love my princess room."  When we moved in, we went cold turkey into a toddler bed so it would all just be one big transition.  The princess room was a hit and she hasn't had any problems with it after the first nap she took in the bed (in which I lost her in this new massive house, only to find her sitting next to the toilet in their new bathroom).  By the time I got back, the U-haul was completely unloaded, too, so with all the manpower we had this time, it was unloaded in less than an hour.  Punky went home with the in-laws again because her room wasn't ready and it was late.  

After everyone left, Hubby and I were looking forward to enjoying a nice evening at home, even though I was still worrying about Chicken.  Around 10, my father-in-law called and said we needed to come and get him.  He was still running a fever and needed his mommy.  Of course, we rushed to get him.  I was tempted to take Punky home, too, but she was already sound asleep, so we left her there and I didn't want any drama because of the new bed.  Chicken was really sick, too.  No symptoms other than a fever.  I took him to the doc the next day and she said to give it a little while and start the prescription of antibiotics if he wasn't better by the next day.  That very night, his fever got up to 104.7.  I almost had a seizure for him.  I called and while a different doctor told me to wait a little longer, he had just gotten off antibiotics about 10 days prior, so I felt like hew as relapsing from his sinus infection.  He ran a much smaller fever for about 36 hours after that, but has been generally fine since then.  Yet another circumstance where I had to trust my gut.

So, what are the pro's to this whole experience?  As I mentioned in another post, the people who bought our previous house switched the utilities in their name too early and we didn't have to pay our last month's utility bill of $130.  The loan officer that we got our mortgage through was very helpful and did everything possible to get us to close on time.  When it didn't happen, he cut us a check for the u-haul bill of $150 and gave us an additional $500 for our trouble.  How many mortgage companies do you know who would do that?!  We now live and are mostly settled in our brand new 2400 square foot house.  The kids love it, I love it and I'm pretty sure Hubby's diggin' it, too (I won't mention the plumbing leak we've already had from our shower to our bedroom carpet just to keep things positive.)  ;oD  I'm also loving my new front loading washer and dryer and new fridge.  

So all in all, everything was worth it.  There was just so much going on in such a short amount of time we had very little down time to regroup.  Hubby and I have sworn off moving for at least 30 years...or at least until we can afford movers to do it all for us.  Now that we're debt free, save the mortgage, that'll probably be a little sooner than 30 years, but you never know.  

I'll end this novel and if you actually read it all, you get kudos.  Just something to document our day.  It was so crazy, it was too good not to!

Part 2 - Easter

So easter was pretty hectic and uneventful. We rushed through it, not taking many pictures of the kiddos to my everlasting shame.  I got a few good ones but realized tonight as I was glancing through them that I didn't really get a GOOD one of Punky in her dress.  I got a few with Chicken in his little dinosaur tie and one of the whole crew, but mostly nothing worthy of mentioning.  Although a friend of mine got an excellent picture of Punky and her little "boyfriend" (not really, at least not until she's 40) about to kiss.  I don't have that one in iphoto yet, but as soon as I do, I'll post it if I remember.

So our day went like this:

We get up around 7 as usual.  Punky and Chicken open their baskets...without clothes on.  Yeah.  Don't ask me what I was thinking cause I KNEW pictures would be taken.  It was just easier in the middle of our packing (we moved the next day) to not worry with interim clothes before the easter ones went on.

For those of you who don't know me well, our family doesn't celebrate Easter or Christmas as religious holidays because the Bible simply doesn't say WHEN those things occurred (as in not Dec. 25th or a certain day in March or April).  We essentially celebrate Easter every Sunday when we partake of the Lord's supper.  So really, it's just an excuse to buy the kiddos a lot of rabbit stuff, candy and get them all doozied up.  Easter bunnies and Santa Claus's don't come to our house either, but the kids still have a lot of fun.  We hunted candy-filled eggs with two other couples from our church.  They all had fun and all but the youngest two, Chicken and the little cherub with the bonnet below were happy just to sit and play with the eggs.  Punky and The Boyfriend in the orange shirt were in a fierce competition, but he had skill and knowledge on his side.  Mainly he was just faster.  At that point, Punky didn't realize candy was inside and I think he did.  The Boyfriend might have lost to a girl if she had been a little wiser to the easter ways.  ;oD  Here's the whole egg-hunting clan:

Here's our happy, growing family.  Hubby is slumping in a very odd manner in this picture, but he still looks so handsome in his suit and bald head.  I LOVE that bald head and sexy grin.  Doesn't he resemble Daughtry?  I tell him that a lot and I think he's figured out I've got a crush on them both.  ;oD
Here's Punky and Chicken with Hubby's parents (Grandma and Papa).  Don't I have the most beautiful mother in law?  First time I saw her, I thought she was Hubby's sister!  And her hair?  Oh that's original color.  Yup.  Not a hair has been dyed on her head and I can tell you from LOOKING that there are VERY few gray hairs in there!  She's also responsible for their outfits.  I let her buy them this year.
Here's Chicken with his handsome little easter suit on.  I love the dinosaur tie.  He has the cutest little sandals on, too.  

So after the quick easter egg hunt, we wound up heading out and finishing out the day packing.  I hate to admit it, but we even skipped church that night so we could get it done.  There was SO much to do and we were so overwhelmed (and BARELY made it to closing from lack of manpower).  But we had an excellent easter and the kids had fun.  Punky's easter candy is in a ziploc bag and is aiding in the rewards of potty training currently.  She's showing interest in wearing her "princess" panties now, so I think it's time I quit stalling and get it done.  

More posting soon.  I have a mountain of laundry that's literally waist high, so I suppose that needs to take priority over blogging.  The problem is actually doing it.  Have I mentioned I HATE laundry?

I'm baaaack! Part I

After two long weeks and an exhausting two weeks at that, I'm back on the internet...for how long I'm not sure.  Our new provider is questionable and about half the speed.  I'm not digging it so far.  It better speed up or I want my old service back!

Soooo, a vacation recap perhaps?  I won't bore you with a novella today of the past two weeks.  I'll just stretch it out over this week in between finishing unpacking.

We went to Gatlinburg, TN two Sundays ago now.  When we woke up the morning after we arrived, this was the view from our balcony:

Pretty huh?  Hubby loved all the photo ops from here and spent many days and nights just taking different photos.  I love going to the mountains but I'm not overly impressed, but this view was quite spectacular.  Since we live (sort of ) in the mountains, I prefer the beach to the mountains any day.  

So anyway, while we were there, we took the kiddos to a small kiddy amusement park where they rode the train and the swings.

Chicken on the train w/the Aunt

Punky on the train

One of the days (it's been too long ago for me to remember now) but we went to Ripley's Aquarium.  Pretty cool!  Hubby and I had gone there before kiddos were involved and enjoyed it.  It was stressful with two little ones.  Punky enjoyed it, but Chicken was bored.  He preferred eating fish...as in goldfish.  That was the only way I could keep his cranky, tired butt from crying the whole time.  Here's Hubby, Punky, and Chicken in an aquarium exhibit where you crawled underneath and could come up and look inside it.  This was Punky's favorite part (and apparently Chicken's, too, judging by his grin!)

As the week wound down, we were all exhausted and needed a vacation...wait... Here's the happy, tired family.  BTW, I'm really into my new hairdo (even though you can't really see it here)!  This was taken at Cades Cove.  It's a neat little village area with a 12 mile drive (or so) of beautiful views of the mountains.  That mill behind us actually ground up corn.  

And by the way, while we were there, we ran into the naked Cowgirl.  She's not as popular as the Naked Cowboy, but she's way cuter.

Here's a better picture of my hair...and my expanding belly.  I'm 22 weeks pregnant here (currently almost 24).  It was taken Easter Sunday.