So if you had any effect from post holiday blues, what did you do to shake the funk??

Because he missed Thanksgiving because he was traveling, I made him a complete turkey dinner with all the fixings. We also had a great Christmas and got our very first live tree, and went to a tree farm to get it. Then, for new years, my sisters and I all went to my moms house and had an incredible weekend together. The kids did an ornament exchange and my mom made a huge, wonderful, dinner for the 22 of us. Today, the fun was all over. The kids went back to school. Bobby boarded a plane back to Afghanistan (via Paris and Dubai). Thankfully I was so busy with driving to Seattle, and first of the month errands that reality has not yet set in. I am sure as we transition back into our old routine, that will change and we will all struggle in our own ways, until once again we get back into routine and it will get easy again. Until then, I will continue to hug my kids extra close, and remind them how special and loved they are.

We started the day by distracting the kids with box-forts we helped them make. When I got my new washer and dryer, we asked them to leave the appliance boxes for the kids.



Bobby cut doors and windows in the boxes for the kids (while Austin posed for photo-ops) and then we let them decorate them or continue to cut them how the pleased. They ended up creating a tunnel and joining the two boxes.

While they were playing with the boxes, I wrote directions on sticky notes at each child’s level. For Austin and Chris I had a list of small chores that had a new hint at the end of it.

Christopher found his video game in the freezer when his last note asked him to see how much bread we had in the freezer, where Austin’s Blu-Ray was found in the dishwasher after the final clue told him to see if the dishes in the dishwasher needed started.

Matthew’s last clue simply said “tub” and Sophia’s only clue had a picture of a cat and she found her gifts in the scratching post.

For dinner we had dessert first, ice cream cake, and Sophie made a big mess.

She was so messy in fact, a bath was the only solution.

We also sold Bobby’s VW bug today too, so that was great news, since we can’t take it to WA with us, and the person who sold it will take good care of it I am sure.

We were able to gain so much in a time of financial hardship; the lessons we have learned from our mistakes will forever change our lives, for the better. I feel we have matured so much from it and been able to reevaluate the way we were living our lives and cut back on spending, while improving our lifestyle (money is more fun to spend when you know where it is going and what you have to show for it).

I made new friends, rediscovered one from a long time ago, and lost an old one only by distance, not in closeness.

I was also humbled by the power of prayer when my dad recovered from a major illness that could have easily taken from us at a young age. So I am a little sad to see the end of 2008, but I know if life is what you make of it, 2009 can only be better!

Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful 2009, and that the new year brings you endless blessings.

On the 22nd I took Sophie to Children’s Hospital in Aurora to meet with one of the best pediatric rheumotologists in the state, he was amazing and super sweet. He told me that Sophie is healing well from her reaction to my antibodies and she should outgrow her neonatal lupus really soon. He did tell me new studies suggest that she is at a higher risk of having Lupus sometime in her lifetime (10% chance) and that will become a 20% chance if I am diagnosed with Lupus myself.

Last week, Matthew reminded us that Bobby and I are setting a bad example in our play talk. He was wanting some cereal and Bobby was finishing up something and I was busy with the baby and so it took him a couple minutes to get Matthew is cereal. When Bobby got into the kitchen, Matthew responded “thanks for getting your ass up to get me some cereal” in the sweetest and most chipper tone. We had him repeat it because we thought we must have misheard. Once it was clear he was using trucker talk (and apparently mommy & daddy talk) we told him that was a naughty word and not to use it again. We then proceeded to bust a gut as soon as he was in bed for the night.

Christmas went well, the kids not only did not seem to notice the scaled back amount of gifts, the also did not care and seemed to enjoy their gifts even more this year than normal!! Cash Christmas all the way from here on out!! We got some lovely family gifts that will allow us to have a great “staycation” when we go visit a nearby aquarium and zoo in a neighboring city as a family. It will also afford us a membership to the local zoo. We also get to go pick out a new game for the family and my sister made us an incredible photo album from my visit up north this summer. I have a very thoughtful family!!

Bobby’s passport came without incident even though we did not expedite it. I give them props, they were SUPER fast! Now all that is left is an updated drivers license, and some legal paperwork.

Sophie got her first babydoll today (well, technically yesterday), it’s a darling little plus baby in a pea pod. She ADORES it. She also got to ride in the cart at the grocery store sitting all by herself and balanced very well. She loves to babble and her favorite sound right now is “da-da”. It melts our hearts.

We had our annual New Year’s gluttony feast too this year. Apparently my children think “get any kind of junk food you want, this is the one day of the year you can eat junk food” translates into getting a fruit salad platter and a cheese tray. Don’t get me wrong, they did get fried chicken, and doughnuts, but overall I was very impressed with their choices when allowed to have “anything in the store”. I am just glad this is once a year, my poor grocery budget for the next two weeks almost DOUBLED! YIKES! Junk food is expensive!

So Gina’s told me that this year they plan to get “Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read”. I have taken it a step farther, I am striving for a 75%+ rate of used gifts. Either from eBay, thrift stores, or regifting. We are also doing one big gift, which will cost us nothing because daddy is giving the kids his old xbox that has been in our room. Bobby and I are exchanging time instead of gifts, since that is what I need most of all.

Best of all, I have presented this idea to the kids and they LOVE it, they had so much fun making their gift lists because they really had to think about what they wanted or needed most of all.

Check out this neat vid my friend Terri shared with me:

What a neat reminder of how little it takes to make a big impact. What if you take only 10% of your Christmas budget and give it to someone in need? That is such a small percent to you, but it could make a huge difference. What if everyone gave 10%, can you imagine how we could change the world? One tiny drop in the bucket multiplied by millions of other drops can flood the buckets and alter the world like we know it.

So what are you doing this year to make a difference??

Here is my pecan pie, first time I made the crust myself and I cannot wait to try it… YUM!

I hope you all are doing better than you deserve this year, I know I for one feel like I have truly been blessed this year and I feel like one day of thanks just is not enough.

I have an appointment with my primary care provider on Tuesday to discuss my own labs and see if she feels I need a referral for more testing.

Then on Thursday I needed to go back to my GYNs office… my IUD was coming out after only two weeks…my body was rejecting it. Crap, so much for 10 year birth control. She put another one in, but I already feel like it too is being rejected… if that happens I don’t know WHAT we will do since any other method that I tolerate is contraindicated with breastfeeding. Please oh PLEASE let my little copper friend stick around this time!

Also on Friday I asked Bobby to look up his tracking for his books that showed they were out for delivery here in town for the last 3 days. Turns out the books decided to take an unscheduled visit to Tennessee. Last reports say it is back here in the state and will hopefully arrive Monday or Tuesday so Bobby can have them for the classes that started last week.

Trick or treating was fun, I wish I had taken pictures, but the “shop from home” ToT challenge was a success. Matthew wore a Hawaiian shirt, floppy hat, sunglasses and a camera and was the cutest “tourist” ever, he got so much candy. Christopher was Harry Potter, and looked so cute, Austin was a reaper, and Sophie was a little pink bear thanks to a little snowsuit Aunt Angie sent her.

Christopher turned 11 yesterday too, I can’t believe 11 years ago I was a mama for the first time… He was such a good baby, he rarely complained about anything.

Miss Sophie was up until 3am last night, I am so tired!

• 3 weeks away from home
• 4 kids- ages 12, 10, 3, and 1 month
• Just me, Bobby did not come
• 3400 miles driven total
• Four 12 hour days of driving

Every year I try to send Austin & Christopher to see my parents, either by flying them up to Washington alone, or by flying or driving with them. Last year we flew them up first, then Bobby, Matthew and I drove up together and then the five of us drove back together. The trip from Colorado to Washington is about 1200 miles each way.

This year Bobby did not have enough vacation time and it was even more important for me to go because my dad is having some health issues and because I wanted my family to meet Sophia. I knew it would not be easy to drive that far with a 4 week old and a 3 year old, but they were actually very good. My van has a DVD player in the back and all the jacks necessary to hook up a game system, so the three boys brought their Gamecube and kept themselves entertained while the baby slept through most of the drive. We made a point to stop once or twice a day at parks along the way to get the kids out of the car. In Billings the hotel we stayed at had a pool with a water slide and the five of us unwound in the pool, which was heavenly after the long drive.

My dad looked amazing, we don’t know what is causing his health problems, but he has to be on oxygen and we are all pretty bummed about that because my dad leads such an active lifestyle and the oxygen pretty much keeps him tied down. My dad is a non-smoker, and the doctors had no answers to why he is having breathing problems, despite spending a week in the ICU.

While we were there we visited with Bobby’s nieces and nephew who we met last year for the first time. To make a long story short, Bobby and his brother had a falling out. We have always liked ex-SIL, but lost contact with her when we moved away. I met her back in 1997 when she introduced us to her oldest daughter, R., despite her husband’s (Bobby’s brother) wishes. I found BIL on myspace, contacted his girlfriend who gave me his ex-wife’s number, and we have been in frequent contact since.

Here is a picture of her youngest daughter with my youngest daughter. Click to see a larger image.

And here is a picture of her three and my four.

From Left to right is Austin -12, B. – 9, and Matthew – 3
Christopher – 10, A. – 6, R. – 11, and Sophie – 5 weeks.

In addition to spending time with my parents and his family, we also got to go to Faragut National Park in Idaho for a family reunion. My mom and her sisters and their families get together once a year for a long weekend campout. Since my dad could not stay the night and I did not want to camp with a baby, we drove back and forth each day (1 hour drive each way). My sister kept Austin and Christopher with her so they were able to stay the night. Matthew loved playing in the dirt as you can see.

It was so nice to spend the weekend with my sisters, Aunts and uncles, cousins, and all their kids. My oldest sister made me the nicest gifts ever, she is so talented. She scrapbooked a little brag book, and hand painted Sophia’s name on wooden letters, she also got her the most darling little outfit. All three were in Sophie’s colors, pink and brown, which I did not know were also my sister’s colors. I need to take and share some pictures, the scrapbook has got to be about the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen, I wish I had an ounce of her talent.

We also spent a lot of time up at their cabin in Priest Lake Idaho. The older boys stayed a little over a week up there with my parents, where the little ones and I drove back and forth a couple times (2 hour drive) since the cabin is unsafe with exposed electrical and a loft without rails. They are building it themselves, so they are waiting for inspections and such, and with my dad’s health issues, they did not expect the process to take so long. Since they are only a couple miles from the lake, we spent almost all our time at the lake. Click on the pictures below to see larger images.

Time flew by so fast, I only got to spend a couple hours with my best friend of 28 years, and my best friend of 14 years.

My mom started the potty for penny campaign with Matthew, and now he is almost potty trained, I am so proud! He is now peeing in the potty with maybe one or two accidents a day, and rarely needs reminding. Even more shocking is that he is pooping in the potty, something we could not get him to do when we almost had him trained a few months ago!

Leaving was bittersweet, I was so homesick and missed Bobby so much, but I did not want to leave either. I had such a wonderful time with my parents, and the boys were ready to leave me forever and live with their grandparents forever. My 11 year anniversary is tomorrow, and school starts in 2 weeks, so it was necessary to return. On the drive home, I did get some amazing pictures of Sophie, you can’t tell in the pictures, but her eyes almost looked violet in the light.

She was so good in the car, she only cried when she wanted to nurse. The rest of the time she either slept or just looked around contently, or smiling at her brothers.

So today DH painted the wall around our fireplace and finished painting the kitchen so now 100% of my two main floors are finished.

Austin and Christopher scrubbed doors, counters, and trim.

I vacuumed, shampooed carpets, shampooed my dining room chairs and living-room furniture, fixed a hole in the back of a sofa cushion and puttied a hole in my window from where Isis ripped down the blinds.

When DH was done painting he made a super yummy dinner for Austin’s birthday of BBQ steak, pasta salad, corn on the cob and mashed potatoes. I also made him the cake he picked out. OH YUM!

We got SO much done, I am exhausted and we are going to go lay in bed and watch movies, if we can stay awake.

Happy Mother’s day to all the mothers!

He was slightly blue, and a very long cone head, and was easily the most beautiful little boy I had laid eyes on.

It’s hard to believe that this darling little 5 year old has grown up into my darling little ten year old.

This picture I love, because it shows the initiative of a cleaver little pre-schooler to label the dishes for his cat.

What a cute smile he has.

And here he is today, a charming, smart, funny and compassionate 10 year old. It seems like just yesterday he took my breath away when I held him for the very first time.

I love you baby boy.

I had a nice day, I asked for the gift of time so we painted our living room, it looks really nice. I am not quite done so I have no pictures to share yet, but once we pick a color for my fireplace mantle I will post some pictures.

I hope all you mothers got what you wanted and had more of a relaxing day than I did.

He had a nice day, after school he went to Taekwondo; their Master likes kids to come on their birthday, he gives them birthday spankings with the kicking paddles. As he was walking in the door he got a call from Grandpa (my dad) to wish him a happy birthday, then from his grandma (Bobby’s mother). After TWD we went out to the restaurant he chose, Red Lobster, where we all enjoyed a family meal. Austin got crab legs, Christopher got chicken fingers, Matthew got macaroni & cheese, and Bobby and I got crab, lobster & shrimp plates. Austin and Chris got smoothies too, so they will thrilled.

During dinner the phone rang, and Bobby almost did not answer it because we were eating, but he did not recognize the area code, so he stepped out to answer and it was Austin’s birth mother. She wanted to let Bobby know that she was late mailing Austin’s birthday card and asked if she could wish him a happy birthday. Bobby agreed and gave Austin the phone. Here is what I heard:

“Good”
“Thank you”
“Good, I am a green belt now”
“Eating dinner”
“Love you too, bye”

And that was that, maybe 60 seconds total. She then spoke with me for a few minutes about some pictures I asked if she could take to get scanned for me to have copies since I have almost no pictures of Austin as a baby. She stated it would a few weeks before she could get them because she needed her husband to go with her and she won’t have a babysitter for a few weeks.

When we got home he opened his presents; he is really into Star Wars, so we got him a new light saber, a nice Anakin Skywalker figurine for his dresser (the boys got new dressers over the weekend that were delivered this weekend, real wood), a Pirates of the Carribean chess set, some Yu-Gi-Oh cards, some cars, etc. We are also giving him his favorite gift, cash, to spend this weekend.

After gifts, Grandma (my mom) called to wish him a happy birthday and they got to talk for a while even though his attention was probably on the light saber. The kids all finally went to bed around 10:30; I could not believe how late they stayed up!

I know in time it will all get better, but for right now I am just sick of everything I want a break. Of course I also know that it is how we handle adversities that make us strong, so I keep reminding myself that next week this will all make us better people.

When it rang again, I got dressed to see who it was. I had a note on the door from the shipping company telling me that they had hidden a box they delivered for me, it was my shoes!! All but one pair fit, so I will need to send them back, but I was so thrilled. The boys were nowhere to be found, and the car was gone, so I figured Bobby took the kids out for the morning so I could sleep without interruption. I thought about going to get my hair done and get a pedicure (for the new sandals of course), but my capri pants were dirty so I washed them thinking I would go after they were clean and dry. Before they had a chance to dry, the boys came back bearing gifts, and sent me back to bed so they could set up. Bobby had a cake made for me, and they each had three well thought out gifts… three cute little cat nick nacks that can hold pictures with their tails, a basket/candle holder with my favorite scent for candles (cucumber melon) and a very nice rustic birdhouse for my birdhouse collection.

I had some asparagus I wanted to cook up and some chicken that needed to be used up, so Bobby grilled the breasts on the grill and I steamed the asparagus and we had a really nice lunch together, all three boys gobbled it up; all except Matthew who asked for a napkin to hide his asparagus in. He is only two, I cannot believe he has figured out the napkin trick, but I am not surprised he has not figured out it does not work. For the rest of the afternoon I played with the kids, did some more laundry, talked to my mom and my mother in law, and basically piddle-dinked the afternoon away.

Around 6 I finally realized I needed to shower if we were ever going to get to the restaurant so I went up to get ready and noticed we had no hot water. Bobby tried to re-light it, but the pilot light would not spread to the burner. We decided just to turn off the gas and mess with it later, and boiled some water so I could take a bath. Dinner was lovely, I love Korean food but Bobby really doesn’t; since it was my birthday I chose to celebrate it at San Chang, the best Korean restaurant in town. We got some really good bul go ki, teriyaki chicken and some beef ribs; the food was fantastic. After dinner we went home to watch Clerks, since I had never seen it before and Bobby wanted to see Clerks 2 (we watched that the next day, it was too late).

So despite not having hot water, I still had a really great birthday.. and 28 feels great.