My husband, hilarious

a couple of weeks ago I was at the gym. I have only been sporadically in the last 6 months, and I have only done the elipticals and a little yoga. I haven't been going at my regular pre pregnancy pre surgery time. So as I was going in I ran into one of my gym friends going out. She hadn't seen me for months,and didn't know I was pregnant. She came up to me and put her hand on my belly and said, "hey, congratulations! How many is this for you?"

This made me feel good. Can you guess why? I'll tell you. I started out a lot bigger with this pregnancy, and I feel like it is hard to tell that this is a baby bump when the rest of me is so bumpy as well. I would never ever assume someone was pregnant unless it was obvious. So, I was glad that she could tell I was pregnant, and not just getting fatter and fatter.

That night when I was telling Wendell about it, this is what he said, "now Sherry, think back. Were you wearing the shirt that says 'baby' across the chest and has an arrow pointing down?"

Very funny.;)

Terrible twos? I don't think so...

There is something so fabulous about a toddler. Sometimes I think I may never laugh if this little girl weren't around. No matter how you feel she can do or say something silly and just crack you up. There is nothing like it.

Things I love about toddlers:

1. They can talk. You don't have to guess why they are crying, or try to figure out what they need.



2. They can talk. Have you heard a toddler talk lately? If you haven't, go and find one right now. There is just no sweeter sound then a two year old telling you a story. Or frankly, just telling you what kind of drink they want in their sipper cup. They just sound so cute, dang it.

3. They break out into song spontaneously. It's like watching a musical. Have you ever watched Grease or some other musical and thought incredulously ,"yeah right, and then they all decided to sing about it." Well, if they were toddlers, they would. They simply don't need a reason to sing. It just comes naturally.




4. They break into dance spontaneously. They just don't need a reason to dance. They either hear music and break it down, or they imagine music with the same result. Either way it is hilarious. No one has taught the child to dance. They just move the way they feel like. Brenley's bootie dance (in which she moves everything BUT her bootie in an effort to shake it)is a classic. She has also been known to strike a yoga pose out of the blue. Her form is flawless;)




5. They have a fabulous little budding sense of humor. And when they do or say something funny and they know it, they are the ones who laugh loudest.

6. Their laughter. You have to love the laugh of a two year old. They don't even know what it means to be self conscious. So they laugh however they feel like it. They don't worry about snorting. They don't worry about laughing too loud. They don't worry about anything coming out of their noses. They laugh unabashedly. Completely without reserve. It is priceless.




7. Toddlers don't stink. They don't get B.O and they don't get greasy. Sometimes they smell like their last meal, but who minds smelling syrup or apples? You can pick them up and smooch them whenever you want and not have to worry about whether they have been running around outside or not. This may seem a little silly, but I have such a sensitive nose while I am pregnant, and little kids tend to have a little kid stink. A toddler does not. They are almost always sweet smelling.




8. They don't let you down because you expect almost nothing from them. Did they forget to unload the dishwasher? No, because of course you didn't ask her to. Is her room a mess? If it is you are likely to blame yourself. Did she turn her homework in late or lose a library book? Um...no.

9. They point out your flaws without meaning to. The other day Bren was cranky in church, and I pointed out that she got to go to nursery soon. She said, "no, no, stupid nursery." What? I couldn't believe it. We don't say that word at our house. Was she really saying, "stupid nursery?" Yes, indeed, she was. Apparently, in my opinion, the word "stupid" is not appropriate for people or things. But it is appropriate for dogs. I've been frustrated with the dog lately and have been heard to say,"stupid dog" without even realizing it. Yes, these are the things that toddlers pick up and point out. Point taken.


The list could go on and on. The toddler phase is my very favorite. Oh, everyone likes a tiny sweet little baby every once in a while, and it is exciting to watch a child grow and learn new things. I love all phases of a child's life. But no one can make me laugh as often when I am feeling gross then a toddler.

So who came up with the phrase "terrible twos"? I have never understood it, have you?

This sums it up

I found this on my cousin's blog and thought it was the perfect quote for a blog. Poor Lauri- pilfered again!



Dr. Seuss

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

I think I will put it on my side bar as a kind of disclaimer;)

Rain!

I LOVE the rain! Ever since I was a child there has been something magical about rain that can put me in a good mood no matter what is going on. Right now I have all of the doors and windows open so I can see, smell, listen to it wherever I am in the house.

I assume this has something to do with growing up in the desert;) I am pretty sure most of my friends, siblings, and children feel the same way. So here in AZ, on rainy days, everyone you run into is in a good mood. Unless you are here for 3 days only visiting from Seattle;) Of course this is just my very broad assumption. Am I right?





Mitchell has water day at school today. I am pretty sure they weren't expecting this much water! I love his school and their big water day production. When the girls went there I always volunteered for water day and everyone had a blast. Just two days ago I was feeling sorry for the kids and adult volunteers at water day because it would be so stinkin' hot! Who knew how wrong I would be? Well, other than all of the weather forecasters and everyone who paid attention to them;)



( I wish I could work my scanner. I have some really cute pics of me and my sisters playing in the rain as kids:)

Knott's Berry Farm

(Yes, I found my camera. Well, Wendell found it;)

I haven't been to Knott's Berry Farm since I was a kid. Last year we bought year long passes to Sea World and were able to go in May from the beach house, July from our yearly vacation on the beach, and October just for fun. This year we couldn't find the same kind of deal for any of the other amusement parks, and we didn't want to do Sea World again so soon. I started shopping around for the cheapest deal we could find so we could go somewhere from the beach house again this year. KBF was the clear winner. When I called about a group rate they told me that the local Burger Kings had coupons that made the price cheaper than the group rates. Anyhow, it was a great deal.


(Hot air balloons and snoopy skate. Mitchell's favorite ride. One word....whiplash;)


O.K , KBF is kind of like a ghetto Disneyland. But the rides were pretty fabulous. Camp Snoopy was great for the toddlers. I was impressed by all of the fun rides they had that were appropriate for the littles.




Brenley was fearless! The bigger and scarier the better. She was right at the height limit for many of the rides. Most of the employees read the line in her favor. Everyone except the keeper of the tea cups (sombreros) super dangerous! She got really bugged that she couldn't go on all of the rides that the big kids went on. This is just another example of how Bren is not like my other kids. Sometimes I think she must have been switched at birth. She and the other toddlers loved the the carousel the best, though. It turned out to be too much for my delicate condition, and Rachael was recruited to go on as many time as miss B wanted.




Some of the bigger kids were super fearless and went on really scary rides with the grown ups( I'm not ashamed to admit that one of them actually made me pee my pants;) I'm pregnant, people!) There were plenty of moderate rides that were really fun for the kids that were not quite as fearless.


All of the kids took pictures with Snoopy, but I am not sure any of them even knew who he was! Generation gap? When I was going to ASU I waited tables out in Scottsdale. One day I waited on Charles Schultz(creator of Charlie Brown/Snoopy) and didn't even realize it. One of my coworkers pointed him out, and when he signed his credit card bill it was obvious! Who wouldn't be able to recognize that signature after all of those years fighting over the Sunday comics. I think I kept it;)

MItchell's award ceremony

Yes, this is the ceremony that I had to miss, but luckily my friend Tiffany was there and was able to calm the boy down, pay attention to his accomplishments, and even take pictures. That is why I have chosen this as the first of many posts I need to do to catch up. My camera is still missing, so this is the only thing I have pictures of at the moment! So many end of the year accomplishments...





Mitchell said he and one other boy received the most awards, thanks to me. He got every award available to the students, and I got two awards as the Art Masterpiece instructor. I LOVE Art Masterpiece, and I will probably have to do a post just on that one day. This particular class was so cooperative, enjoyable, and appreciative. They always showed just how much they loved it when I came to teach them something new. All of the kids made me a card , and I got a lovely certificate, and an even more lovely gift card!




Mitchell won everything he wanted to win. He is a very dedicated hard worker. Because he is a first grader in a first, second, and third grade classroom, he has had some great opportunities this year. He has been able to be in the second and third grade groups for reading, writing, and math. This has allowed him to move at his own pace, which I love. He is a very competitive little guy, so having him in a class with older children just seems to give him more of a drive to excel. This was the case with our girls as well, which is why we love Montessori so much for early elementary. A love of learning is such a great thing to develop at this young age. We have always hoped the kids would be able to keep this love through the rest of their school years. It provides a great foundation. And that is the end of my unsolicited opinion on education;)

*update # 2*

The baby is just fine. I have been having a lot of contractions lately (normal for me, didn't even really notice) and that has made it hard to feel the little guy. And in the ultrasound it wasn't moving at all. But the heart beat was strong, and all looks well.

The cramping is compliments of a lovely large cyst on my ovary. I felt like it might be that because it was really on my left side. We are hoping it will rupture on it's own like the last one did. I should feel much better when that happens.

We weren't able to tell what the darn thing is. I get to call him/her "it" for the next four weeks. Love that. I thought I saw something, but I asked her and she said no. When she looked for it, the baby just wouldn't move and give us a clear shot. Modest little thing;)

*update*

*update- ultrasound today at 4! I'll let you know what they see. I wonder if I can talk them into taking a look between it's legs. I guess it depends on 1. whether or not the baby is O.K 2. If the US tech has had a good or bad day. 3. The baby is cooperative.

I had an appointment to get my hair done today at one. (very therapeutic when you feel cruddy. I am sure you all know what I mean) But Callie called today and said she would come over to my house and do it for me at 10:30 because I am not that far away, and I am not really supposed to go anywhere. I know it is hard for her to bring all of her stuff over here to do my cut and color instead of doing it at the salon where everything is at her fingertips. And I get my hair done that much sooner! Thanks, Callie!(give her a call at Tantrum 833-7700 to get your hair done. She's fab!)

My grandma comes over on Mondays at naptime so I can run errands. She also ends up folding the loads of laundry on the couch that I so lovingly leave her;) Since I don't have to leave to get my hair done, I can't really go anywhere. But the Ginge is coming over anyway to do my laundry. Thanks Mama Ginger!

Boy I am really feeling so much better about things. I am so blessed to have such great friends and family. Thanks guys!

Thank you

Thank You Glitter Graphics



My husband doesn't like me to complain on my blog, but I did anyway. And I wanted to say thanks for all of the support I got. Thank You!

I called my sister Jannalee on Friday morning after I started bleeding Thursday night and she took Brenley for me all morning until naptime. And then my friend Tiffany brought me over dinner and movies Friday night.

Saturday I got an e mail from my scrapbooking friends saying they were sending over dinner from one of my favorite Italian food joints, Vitos. They are having it delivered on Monday. I think they are having it delivered to spare me the further embarrassment of having my messy house seen. My scrapping girls are very good friends. Thanks Nicole.

Saturday night I got a call from my cousin Lori saying she was going to bring me dinner on Sunday. Lori's family and my family used to hang out a lot as kids. They grew up in Southern California, so we mostly got to see them in the summer when we stayed at the beach. We had a blast! But I haven't seen Lori in a good 10-12 years. Her whole family lives in different states, so we haven't gotten a chance to see them. We did get to see my aunt and uncle for a little bit at my dad's funeral a couple of years ago, but for the rest it has been a long time. Lori recently moved to AZ from Colorado, and we are excited to get to see more of their family! Sorry about this heat, Lori! You'll get used to it;)

Dinner was fabulous, even all of my kids ate it. It even included Mississippi mud pie, which is an old family favorite. I don't think I have had it since I was a kid. We used to beg my mom to make it for our birthdays. It was a delicious blast from the past, just like I remembered it. And yes, I did eat the leftovers for breakfast this morning;)

She also has two little girls around Brenley's age, and is picking up Brenley this morning to play. What a blessing. Poor Brenley is so sick of hanging out at home. She likes to try shoving me out of bed and says, "I ready a go mom! get dressed! get dressed!" She will have fun hanging out somewhere other than here.

I also got an anonymous loaf of lemon bread on my porch last night. Yum!

Thanks to the rest of you for all your kind words and well wishes. I appreciate your support!

I am still spotting a little and still can't feel the baby . But I keep waking up in the middle of the night because I have dreamt that I feel it. I am hopeful that that means the little bugger is moving all over the place while I sleep;) I am just going to have to take it easy until my appointment on Wednesday (I have insurance again! woo hoo!)


I will post more interesting things when I find my camera! There are so many things I need to post, but they all involve pictures, and my camera is AWOL. Hopefully it will show up soon!

Rant- Will things ever be normal again?

I think I will take a page out of Julie's book and just plain rant for a minute. I am told that blogs that always sound like life is nothing but rosey are unreal and boring, so here is a dose of my reality-

Warning- TMI

I am cramping and bleeding and haven't been able to feel the baby move in the last few days. I haven't had insurance since May 1st because of changes in life and employment, so I am reluctant to go to Urgent Care or the E.R. At only 16 weeks, if something is wrong there is pretty much nothing they can do about it anyway. All they could do is give me an ultrasound and tell me one way or another. Expensive assurance. My insurance should kick in by Monday, but I am hoping I will feel the darn thing kick before then. It is not very big, so I may not feel it move every day anyway. I am hoping the pain and bleeding is just being caused by a pesky growing cyst on my one remaining ovary, and has nothing to do with the baby. Right now it is quite painful, and kind of stressing me out.

My daughter told me I was horrible and selfish for getting pregnant and I am ruining her life. Two years of her life have been ruined by my pregnancies (Brenley, preeclampsia, this one, cramping and severe nausea) a willing sacrifice to bring another child into this world? Or just another way to ruin my children's lives. Why this little rant? I wasn't able to go to a concert last night, and was unable to go rent a movie tonight for "girl's night in" (tradition we have during Father's and Son's camp out weekend.) I did get a friend to bring over about five movies of theirs that we don't own for the girls to choose from, and promised I would rent a movie on another night that I wasn't so bed ridden. But apparently that wasn't good enough. Not even close. My poor kids are suffering and suffering because I was selfish enough to get pregnant. But it has been so much fun for me!;)

My son called me from school and asked if I could come to his little classroom awards ceremony. As I was hemorrhaging and hadn't heard a word about it until that moment, I felt I better not. So I get to hang up on my crying 7 year old. Mother of the Year.

My friend Tiffany brought me dinner tonight and the house was a flipping disaster. It was so dang embarrassing. Why can't my husband and kids pick up around here when I can't? Maybe they are just used to living in chaos right now. Another check for bad parenting for me.

I haven't really been posting much, because I have been feeling crappier then usual. Here is my first real post in a while. I should be posting about Brenley's swim lessons, Mitchell Mother's Day Brunch, and Kindyl's 3rd grade concert that she got to sing a duet in. I will get to those I promise. Hopefully.


Will things ever go back to normal? Or maybe things were never really normal to begin with....

Happy Mother's Day!

A mother’s nurturing love arouses in children, from their earliest days on earth, an awakening of the memories of love and goodness they experienced in their premortal existence. Because our mothers love us, we learn, or more accurately remember, that God also loves us.


-M. Russell Ballard


Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers!

For All Mothers~~This is for all the mothers who froze their buns off on metal bleachers at soccer games instead of watching from cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see my goal?" They could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.This is for all the mothers who have sat up all night with sick children in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Meyer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's OK honey, Mommy's here."This is for all the mothers of Kosovo who fled in the night and can't find their children. This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see and for the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes and for all the mothers who don't.What makes a good mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?The jolt that takes you from sleeping to dread, from bed to crib at 2 a.m. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby?Is it the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a school shooting, a fire, a car accident, a baby dying?I think so.So this is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to but just couldn't.This is for reading "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then reading it again, "Just one more time".This is for all the mothers who mess up. Who yell at their kids in grocery store and swat them in despair and stomp their feet like a tired two year old who wants ice cream before dinner.This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started to school and for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead. For all the mothers who bite their lips (sometimes until they bleed) when their 14 year olds dyed their hair green.This is for all the mothers who lock themselves in the bathroom when babies keep crying and won't stop.This is for all mothers who show at work with spit-up in their hair and milkstains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.This is for mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.This is for all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home or are grown.This is for mothers who put pinwheels and teddy bears on their children's graves.This is for all the mothers whose children have gone astray and who can't find words to reach them.This is for all the mothers who sent their child to school with a stomach ache, assuring that they would be just FINE once they got there, only to get a call from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up right away.This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation. And mature mothers learning to let go.For working moms and stay-at-home moms. Single mothers and married mothers.Mothers with money and mothers without.This is for you, so hang in there. The world would be a terrible place without the love of mothers everywhere. You make it a more civil, caring and safe place for the precious children in our world....Author Unknown

Disclaimer- I am a total plagiarist. I copied practically this whole post from my cousin Lori's blog. Both quotes were just perfect, and really summed things up for me. I am struggling with not being a perfect (or even a very good ) mom right now. So both of these quotes were kind of uplifting for me and show how I am feeling.

I am a copy cat. I've done it before and I will probably do it again. So if I read your blog, beware!;)

Awesome picture- contest

What mother, or anyone else for that matter, wouldn't love to have this picture? I am entering a contest to win it given by the custom framing store Matage. The store is owned and run by some good friends of my friend Crystal. They did all of the framing of the photos in the "Reflections of Christ" series. I am sure all of you who were able to see that display were as impressed as I was. Check at the contest at: http://www.matageframing.blogspot.com/

Back from the Beach House

Yes, it was fabulous. The weather was perfect. Love the beach. Wish I took more pictures. Can't wait to go back.

Now I need a vacation from my children. Missed my husband.

Will write more later. Have to unpack.