Just shy of 1 year...I am still alive...I promise!

So last I wrote, Zane was about 9 weeks old. Things were crazy hectic this last year. I had things to write but no time...or I was too stressed and I really didn't want that to come across on here.

So many things have changed. Yes, we had many changes last blog post...the birth of Zane, Caralyn starting school, Josh getting out of the Navy after just shy of 9 years, Josh moving to Oregon while the kids and I stayed in Washington, the stress of traveling back and forth every weekend so we could have some kind of family time together, doing a short sale on our house (that in and of itself is a HUGE stress and headache), dealing with the movers all by myself while dealing with the end of the year craziness, finding a place to stay for a few days between the house being closed on and my last orthodontic appointment to have my braces removed, and continuing finding places to stay when we needed or wanted to go back up for visits (thankfully the family that allowed us to stay after school kept us every time we went back). Then I had to register Caralyn and Alaric for this upcoming school year with their new (public...EEK!) school, find new doctors (still haven't looked into dentists...I need to...or a doctor or dentist for myself!), get old records and start to unpack the tiny 3 bedroom apartment we moved into from a 4 bedroom house. Josh took over bills for me so I didn't stress over that too.

We moved into the apartment on June 1, we still have boxes in a lot of places, but it is feeling a lot more like home. It's nice. I'm hoping we can continue to afford rent here for at least another year or two so we can stay. I really like it here. Of course, we will need to eventually find a bigger place so Cara has her own room. Right now all three kids are in one room and the third room is the office/toy room. The hallway closet is filled with toys appropriate for Zane to play with too so when we get out gates up, he can be in there. Right now, he's confined to the living room with some of his toys and we bring others to him when we think he needs a change.

So...I was thinking I might update starting with October, but then I was thinking...I didn't write since July of last year really so maybe August of last year would be a good time to start. Either way, the older two are in school all day and Zane takes at least one nap a day so I should be able to get some writing done over the next few days/weeks to get myself remembering all the good times of the last year+ and update anyone that wants an update :) So...here's to that!

AUGUST 2014

Alaric's 4th Birthday. He chose to go to the mall play place :) Love that boy!

Fresh from the oven

13 hours old, baptized, with his God Parents

Baptized by our pastor at CtK, so happy his wife could join us again :) She was there for Alaric's too!

You FINALLY came out to meet us! Welcome to our family!

At 5 days old, we went to our favorite place, MoonDogs, Too for Open Mic to meet Harmonica Dave. He had never held a baby this small and it was just amazing to see. This is what he wore to his first introduction of great food and music :)

Jaja and Pipi came out for almost a full month. The kids talked them into an actual tea party. Mommy and Daddy were NOT invited! We still had our own while watching them enjoy their time with my parents. It warmed my heart.

These were the goods they got. My mom had even found actual tea cups in the rental house they were in. How awesome! Most of these were bought, but my mom did make no bake cookies (my favorites!) for them. They're mini!

And that was August. It was a lot of time with my parents. My Godparents were out visiting my Aunt Sue's parents, brother, sister and families so they came to the rental house, had lunch and spent a wonderful afternoon with us all. I was so happy they got to meet Zane before they left for Illinois again. I would love to see them again sometime soon. This last time they were out didn't work out for either of us. Hopefully next year it will work out :)

So the September post will be about the same...mostly pictures with captions. I love pictures. I love using my camera (no matter which camera it is...even my phone...). I love capturing those memories and moments.

Oh...and one more lovely tidbit of information. The day Zane was born, he also "watched" (read slept through) his first movie. The nurses laughed when they found out that just hours after giving birth I was watching The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug with my husband while holding my newborn son all snuggled into the hospital bed...oh and eating Subway (thank you hon!)

Gotta love those little memories that can make me smile at the mere thought of them :)

I'm outta here! Time to go spend some time catching up on TV shows and cuddling with the hubby before bed. Have a great night y'all!

~Stevie~

What do you remember doing after giving birth to your kids?

9 Weeks

Nine weeks have gone by since welcoming my little Boogieloo (now more commonly known as Booga) into this world. I have not written...I have not shared my precious little man with this part of my world.

Why?

Well, after spending 10 days bonding as a family, 2-ish more weeks with my mom and dad here, getting into a routine after they left to have it change just a few days later when my oldest started Kindergarten, and it changing yet again a week after that when my husband moved to Portland, Oregon to start his new job....I'm just getting into a routine again.

So last I wrote, I had 5 more weeks left. Doctors and nurses didn't think I'd make it to 37 weeks, so when I didn't deliver until 38 weeks and 5 days, they were all shocked!

We had a couple more false labors. My prayers were answered with nothing labor related on my middle child's birthday. I was so happy they wouldn't be sharing a birthdate! However the next day I went to the bathroom because I felt odd, I was in there for awhile and when I finished up, I thought I felt Zane's head. Freaked me out to no end! Low and behold, it was not the head. I was only 4cm dilated still.

I was checked 2 times with a normal exam, then they wanted to do an exam with those stupid speculum things to make sure my water hadn't ruptured at all. Well, the first time the speculum was too big, he tried repositioning it, then he had the nurse go get one from a different floor so it was the right size. So then I had one put in me a third time, on top of 3 regular checks, one of which hurt me so bad I started to cry. Then after the last time with the speculum, that doctor swept my membranes and said "Well, with how much has happened to you today, hopefully it will move things along."

Move things along it did. The next morning at 6AM I woke up and went to the bathroom then laid back down. I started feeling a little sick to my stomach and decided to go to the bathroom again and possibly get into the shower. As I rolled over I felt a little trickle. I uttered (a little loudly) "aw sh*t!" and my husband (from our bedroom...I slept on the couch the last 2-3 months of the pregnancy) asked "What?" And as I rolled the rest of the way off the couch I replied "I either just peed a little or my water just broke." (Mind you, he was getting ready for work) When I landed on my knees on the floor, the flood gates opened and I said (again, a little louder than I should've) "Oh sh*t, oh sh*t, oh sh*t....yeah...my water broke...ummmmmm....." and then I hear my daughter "Mommy! Your water balloon broke?!?!?" "Yes hunny, mommy's water balloon broke." "Alaric! Mommy's water balloon broke! Zane is coming to meet us!" Both kids flew out of their bedrooms and I'm still "Ummmmm"-ing and trying to figure out how to get up off the floor without making more of a mess. I have them go get dressed then call my husband to help me get up and get towels so we can start cleaning up the mess.

When everyone was ready and Labor and Delivery was called, we started heading out (I had called and texted two friends to see if we could drop the kids off with them to no avail...Josh called our pastor and his wife and she finally got back to us first). I called our pastor and his wife to let them know our kids would be over soon. I then called my mom and dad who were on their way to Washington (from Michigan) in the car to let them know it was the real deal this time (we had called the day before too and I guess my dad said after I hung up "She's not having him today...it will be tomorrow. Jon and Stevie are 4 years 2 day apart, Alaric and Zane will be too.") Then I texted my friend Diane and let her know that I may need her to meet us at the hospital because we were stuck in traffic and I didn't know if I would even make it to the hospital. I then called her a few minutes later and told her "Yeah, you need to meet us there." 

We arrived at the hospital around 7:15AM, just over an hour after my water broke. I was definitely having contractions (that was a first!) and I felt ready to push. They got me checked out, took the samples they needed to make sure my water broke, they checked me again just 15 minutes later and admitted me. Diane came in to see me while they were doing all this and I was smiling, laughing and talking until a contraction hit but I went right back to normal after it passed. She couldn't believe how I was. Kids were taken to our pastor's house, I was walked over to my delivery room (that was brutal!) around 7:45AM and I was left to labor until the IV had to be put in.

I did have a friend with me at the beginning while being admitted. A lady from our church was working at that point and it was nice to have her there with me. Josh was in the room after Diane took the kids too, but he was helpless because I basically told him to leave me alone. He did as I wished though...he is a good husband. I also had my midwife there...that is something rare in a military hospital. I was just lucky enough that she was on call. She was also my midwife with Caralyn which is why I was so happy to have her there...I've bonded with her through these two pregnancies.

So around 8AM they checked me again. I was at an 8. The pain was unreal, the urge to push just kept getting harder to ignore. I got off the bed and stood for two or three contractions. The first one I had just gotten up and Commander Larson (my midwife) had to practically hold me up. She got my arms around her neck and we rocked together while I cried and whined about needing to push. Then we got me into the shower/tub so I could have the water just splash down toward my legs/feet. That didn't last long because when I had another contraction, I almost dropped because of the pain. I just wanted to be in my bed and pushing.

They got me back to my bed, I had them check me again and I was at a 9, almost a 10. I was whining,  I was crying, all I wanted to do was push. One more contraction and they let me push. I pushed for probably 20 minutes, maybe less...in my mind, it felt like I had pushed for an hour and that was most definitely not the case as from me being checked at 8 to the birth of Zane, it was about 30 minutes.

I forgot how bad the burning is while pushing a baby out of that little hole was. Of course, my baby had a pretty big head (and still does!). The rest of the pain didn't matter (of course the contractions were bad as I couldn't even have a pain killer by the time I got there after my water broke...and that was my birth plan...an IV pain med that would've equaled an extra strength tylenol or two).

At 8:31AM, everything was right with the world again. Zane arrived safely and healthy....blue, but safe and healthy. He was put on my chest, all the goop was suctioned out of his mouth and he started crying. Everything was done on top of me. They didn't want to take him off me at all for at least an hour.

Then the fun started. I started trying to deliver the placenta but it wouldn't budge. After about 45 minutes of this they decided it needed to be manually removed. Zane was taken from me, weighed and measured (8lbs 1.3oz, 20 1/8") and left with Josh to do the first feeding and to watch over everything else that needed to be done. I was carted off to the OR for a spinal and D&C. They decided to stitch me up since I was on the table too (had the placenta delivered naturally there wouldn't have been stitches).

I was told by the anesthesiologist I was a trooper because even after having the woozy medicine given to me in my room, I still sat up and was "the stillest patient I've ever had" while getting my spinal. And...he got it in on the first try. Had I known he was THAT good, I probably could've and would've gotten an epidural. No regrets though. I had asked then changed my mind almost immediately because I knew I was strong enough to do it without meds (I was forced to with Alaric).

So...there you have it...the birth story of Zane, which is totally not what this post was going to be, but that's what it turned into.

And now, I'm almost done!

This past Wednesday, my pregnancy officially became 35 weeks along.

I'm starting to be tired all the time again, but I think it's more from not sleeping the greatest and nothing else.

This pregnancy is still the most different and difficult. I'm going to say it's age more than anything. I have thought throughout almost this whole pregnancy that I was going to have twins, even though the ultrasounds (I've had 2) and fetal heart monitor only shows one. There were too many weird things happening...for instance, before I would be able to feel the baby at both top and bottom (and on opposite sides at that) I could feel movements at the same time...At my anatomy ultrasound (the 20 week one) he wouldn't stop moving and blocking the tech from getting any good pictures. I swore he was hiding his little sister...and the movement...OMGoodness! It's been almost 24 hours a day since about 10-11 weeks! I am glad he doesn't have as much room (though it doesn't stop him part of the day) so he doesn't move as much! It hurts REALLY bad now when he moves!

At the anatomy ultrasound we found out (well, my friend found out and kept it from me for a couple weeks until Josh was home from underway) we were having another boy! I am sooooo excited about this! I would've probably cried if it had been another girl...my girl is a handful enough on her own! That means we will have ourselves a little Zane Donovan running around.

Both kids have now accepted Zaney as their own and can't wait to meet him. Because I'm in so much pain (My abdominals are starting to separate some, I have to watch for hernias now and have been put on a few restrictions because of this) they keep telling him to come out and meet his family. He's slowly listening to them, but it's not fast enough for my liking!

My new restrictions mean I have to rest as much as possible (without being on bedrest), no lifting over 20 lbs (but she'd rather me not lift over 15), no pushing or pulling anything other than a grocery cart with no more weight than 2 gallons of milk (so about 15 lbs total), and nothing that makes me use/contract my belly muscles unless it's necessity. That means...no more Zumba *tear*

I was in Labor and Delivery last Monday and was dehydrated but was having regular, fairly strong, contractions too. They checked me and I was dilated to a 1, 25% effaced and at a -3. I was back in L&D yesterday (for the constant pain that put me in tears the last 3 days) and they ended up checking me again just to be sure. I'm now dilated to a 2, 50% effaced and at a -2. The doctor is hoping I'll make it to 37 weeks but said she wouldn't be surprised if I went into labor any day now. She also said they wouldn't stop it if it did start happening. She said there is pretty much no way I'll make it to 40 weeks and it would be a miracle if I did.

I'm also bigger this time around than with either of my other pregnancies...which was another reason for the twin feeling. It's just weird to me. I knew I would be bigger from the first to the second, but I thoguht if I would be bigger, it would only be slightly bigger than my second since it was just the same memory thing. WRONG! I look like I'm about to deliver any day and I have 5 weeks left technically! People can not believe I have 5 weeks left. It's unimaginable that I would be able to grow anymore belly...and I see their point...and feel it...

Now, I do have to end on a positive note. Zumba. I started around 14 weeks pregnant again (when I could stand to do anything else other than lay on the couch and sleep). With the new restriction, my last week was 2 days before I turned 35 weeks pregnant. I only missed a few weeks in there due to sickness or not having a car to get there. I do have to say, I'm proud of myself. I was hoping to last a couple more weeks, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'm still allowed to stretch and walk (if I can...I've had hip problems this whole pregnancy and it's hard to walk) so I'll still get some exercise. That at least makes me happy. Just hate that I didn't get to say good bye to all my wonderful Zumba friends before having to take my leave for baby. 

That's about it for now. After putting away dishes and starting some laundry, I'm exhausted. I'm going to lay down on the couch and hopefully get a little nap in before the washer is done. Have a wonderful day, week, month, year....who knows when I'll be back!

Well, That took me by surprise!

A lot has happened since November. I had planned on writing about Thanksgiving, how I was doing after my hard days, Christmas, and so many other things since my last post. I had a million posts (okay, so I'm overexagerating a bit...) planned out in my head to write. NONE of them were written, started, or anything else. They aren't even in my head anymore. They've been pushed out by other, more important, things.

You see, in early December I got sick after eating at McDonalds. It kind of threw me that I ate the same thing as my children (chicken nuggets...and they didn't taste the greatest to me), yet they didn't get sick at all...My husband on the other hand, did, but he had something completely different than us...and he had been back on the boat too.

So the next day I still wasn't feeling all that great but my husband wasn't doing too bad. I took a pregnancy test. Low and behold, I was pregnant with bundle of joy number 3!

I did okay over the next few weeks while waiting for Christmas to pass, my husband to leave and my first appointment to finally be here. Before that appointment I went into the ER for extreme nausea. They put me on Zofran and found I had a bladder infection so they also gave me antibiotics. Went to that first boring appointment and got it over with, along with my first blood tests. About two weeks later, I landed myself in the ER again, this time due to spotting at 12 weeks and a pain in my side. Everything was fine with baby and was told to keep an eye on the pain.

This pregnancy has been so COMPLETELY different from my first two pregnancies. I call this my "real" pregnancy. I was on the couch for almost 2 months with severe nausea. I seriously couldn't get up without wanting to run to the bathroom. How I got through without Josh there for the majority of it, I have no clue. We had meals made for us, but we ended up not eating most unfortunately (most people made chicken meals...I can not eat chicken this pregnancy. I try a little about once a week...it just tastes disgusting and if I actually eat a meal made with chicken, I am sick for at least two days...I miss chicken! It looks and sounds soooooo good to me!) I also have zero energy most days. I just want to lay in bed and sleep all day. Now that I'm 14 weeks along, it's getting a little better thankfully. I just have to remember not to push myself too much when I do have energy (something I'm extermely bad at!)

I have started doing Zumba 1-2 times a week. It feels good to be dancing again. I just need to remember to bring snacks for after class so I don't have to rush to get something to eat because I'm nauseous.

I'm also basically eating a vegetarian diet. I'm not sure how I'd do with beef, but I'm wanting some...BAD! I'm too scared to try it though. I do not want to feel sick from eating food. I do, however know I can eat sausage 1-2 times a day depending on what kind and in what. I eat a Sausage burrito from Burger King almost every single morning. If I don't eat that, it's usually a sausage and gravy bowl by Jimmy Dean...it pretty much has to be sausage though. I just found out I can have Zuppa Toscano from Olive Garden in the afternoon also. Soooo nice that I can eat meat more than once a day!

I go through my phases still...that is something that has been the norm for all three pregnancies. I'll go a week or two only wanting a specific menu item from a certain place. I have to eat there almost every day no matter what. Then it's on to something else.

Craving-wise, those Sausage Burritos are a must have all the time. My breakfast cravings usually subside around week 10-12...I don't see this one going away any time soon. I also craved Orange Juice for a couple weeks. It was the only thing I could drink. The last craving is Peanut Butter M&Ms. I keep a BIG party bag in my car and just bought another one for the house. I love peanut butter!

Aversions really are only anything that is sweet. Chocolate, ice cream, candy, frozen yogurt...anything sweet just turns me green. I took the kids to BluBerry Frozen Yogurt yesterday for a special treat and just being in the shop made me a little nauseous.

Chicken and milk make me sick. I was able to drink milk while pregnant with the other two (I was lactose intollerant starting at 17, I've been fine with dairy since having Ric). I'm kind of nervous as to what this means for my dairy habits after this baby is born

Drinks...it has to have some kind of fruit flavoring in it if it's water. I can also drink a cup of tea or two a day, which is a nice change of pace after only being able to drink fruity water for so long. It has to be pretty plain or just barely sweetened with a flavored creamer. I've just been going and buying Earl Grey Latte's from Starbucks right now. It would be a waste for me to buy liquid creamer to make it at home when I don't know if this tea craving will last more than a week or two.

Let's go back to energy. Yes, I'm finally getting some back. Looking at my house, drains it. My house is a disaster. I wasn't able to get off the couch so the kids had the run of the house. They dragged out all their toys from the toy room and all their books from the bins we keep them in. There is garbage from the constant fast food runs we have had to make for lunch and dinner (because I don't have the energy to make anything whatsoever). They have been good about choosing between McDonalds and Burger King. I've been eating Taco Bell...every....day... They have some pretty nice options for vegetarian meals...and you can make almost anything vegegtarian from there. I'm going to try a nacho cheese chalupa pretty soon...see if they can just fill it with beans and veggies for me. It sounds wonderful.

I did make some progress on cleaning my house. My kitchen floor was FULL of garbage (food, recycling stuff, cat food cans, and regular garbage). I sorted and broke down all the recycling and put the garbage into bags to throw out...then actually made the three trips to take the majority of it out. I felt accomplished...and run down and sick from those three trips. Now I just have to get the big garbage bag out from under the sink and brave the hallway bathroom for diaper garbage (daughter didn't tell me it was full and started using the regular garbage in there...it smells horrid...) I should also take out the garbage from my room so it doesn't start stinking.

I'm hoping my mom will be here soon and I will get more cleaning done. I want to get Cara and Ric's rooms ready for toys. I also need to get Ric's room ready for a new bed...we're thinking a bunk bed...and Cara's bed needs to be sold so we can get her a loft or bunk bed also. Her full is just too big for her room. Once Josh is home we will start converting the toy room into the nursery. He just has to buy moldings and paint them/put them up and it's ready for move in (of course, after all the toys are moved out). I need to buy a new crib too. I'm reusing Cara's Under the Sea nursery theme since we still have everything for it and the room is painted for it...and it's gender neutral.

And the kids are now up and begging to be out of my room to play, so I guess this post is done! More later (I hope it doesn't take as long though!)

Hard time of the year

This week has gotten to me again this year. Last year? Nothing. It started quite awhile ago this year actually.

The younger women of my church had a "girls night" at a local restaurant chain. I went because I needed some time away from my kids (Josh was underway and I was going insane!) I was having a great time then suddenly some of the women with tweens and teens started talking about how they "Couldn't believe ________ was _____ years old already!" It hit me then that my first baby, the baby I lost when I was 15, would've been 13 years old that upcoming summer. My heart sank and I became really reserved, trying to hold back tears. I've not been hit that hard by that realization in a REALLY long time! I couldn't say anything since about 99.8% of the people I know (including my parents) had no idea I lost a child. About 95% of the people I know have no idea I had even been raped.

I got over the sadness I felt within a couple weeks, but it was still in my mind...way at the back, but not quite buried like it normally is. Then this week happens and since it was in my mind to begin with, it hit me. Not as hard as my realization earlier in the year...since that came out of nowhere...but it still was on my mind most of the day on November 6. It's still on my mind today, obviously, but it's not as prominent as it was on Wednesday. I'm doing better already with not letting it run me down any and am trying to focus on the positives of my life. I have two amazing children, my husband is in the home stretch of his Navy Career, I'm alive, I have a VERY supportive family (in both my immediate family, my in-laws and my church family)...the list could go on for an extraordinary amount of time.

So why did it hit me this year when it hasn't hit me the last few years? I have no clue. Josh thinks possibly stress since I have been fairly stressed this year about a lot of different things. The kids had me stressed out to the max the whole last underway, I've been stressed out about financials these last few months, I haven't been exercising like I should...that really helped me out...the running, Zumba and Pole Dancing. We can't afford to renew our gym membership and I can't even afford the $20 a week for Zumba and Pole Class that is outside of the gym. I could still run, but I can't afford the clothes that are appropriate for running in the cold/wet weather we are having right now...and I HATE running on treadmills! I found that out when we did have a gym membership. So in the end, I'm just going to chalk all this up to stress with no stress relief from exercise.

On top of the rape playing repeatedly in my head this last week, I was reminded that my friend Adam passed away 2 years ago on Wednesday. That hit me hard too. I knew he had passed, but I didn't remember which day or when. I've been thinking of Adam a lot lately. I've missed him dearly since I graduated high school, but I still ran into him in town on occasion while I was still living there. Once I moved, I think I saw him maybe once before he passed. I've been remembering his hugs, his pep talks, his smile, his blue hair when he changed it once at the end of my senior year, his personality and his loving nature. No one could stay mad at him when he was a jerk because there was always some reason he was being a jerk...ALWAYS...and it never really had anything to do with us. He was a strong man, even when he was really only a boy. He rarely asked for help but was always asking what he could do when one of his friends even looked like they were starting to get down. In my senior year of high school, he got me through the day when I ran into Steve every time I turned around, when someone started harassing me for whatever reason, he was my rock my senior year and he was only a freshman. I feel like I failed him after I left school and I never got to say good bye. He was a much better friend than I and he deserved so much better from me.

This post has gone a much different way than I had planned and that's okay. I think this is where I should end it though. I don't know what else to say or even how to truly end this, so I'm just going to end it here. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Candyman - Top 10

Back to being late. I have no clue why I can never get this done on time! Guess I'll have to start planning a little better.

Yesterday I took the hubby to work, took care of the kids, did some online stuff, talked to my sister in law for a few minutes (if you can, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers, she's going in for a biopsy surgery consult on Monday...it's pretty nerve wracking and worrisome for all), then headed out for an appointment. I left the house at 11AM and didn't return home until about 4PM. No wonder I didn't really want to be on the computer anymore after that. I did a few chores I needed to get done then sat on the couch for the rest of the night. Thankfully the kids asked for PB&J for dinner and I was more than happy to let my husband make that for them. I had chips...then ice cream after the kids went to bed. Yeah....I'm healthy like that.

Anyway....Yesterday's Tuesday Top 10 (which I'm linking up through Poe at Many Waters) was about Candy since Halloween is coming up...TOMORROW! Where has October gone? The end of the year is going by WAY too fast, especially with my husband leaving again for awhile at the beginning of the year. I have less than a month with him left on offcrew. So not looking forward to the upcoming oncrew season...however, this *should* be his last time out before he's out of the Navy.

Now without further ado....

My top 10 favorite candy (in no particular order) is:

1. Hershey bars - sometimes you just want chocolate
2. Peanut Butter M&M's - Soooooo yummy!
3. Andes Mints - I love minty goodness....and chocolate
4. Junior Mints - Just a different kind of mint...I love these at the movies!
5. Snickers - Chocolate, Caramel and peanuts....yum!
6. Kit Kat - They are chocolate covered wafer bars....can I have some in the different flavors too? May have to try some homemade versions!
7. Frozen Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - Yes...they HAVE to be frozen or I don't enjoy them as much...
8. Peanut M&M's - Because sometimes you don't want peanut butter
9. Almond Joy - Love the flavors and the almond cuts a bit of the sweet which is nice
10. Butterfinger - Again with the peanut butter, only it's little sticky crunchy wafer ribbons of it...nom nom!

Speaking of Halloween and Candy...my kids went Trunk or Treating at our church this past week. They were awesome! My husband and I did a trunk two years in a row, but then when Ric got a little bigger I decided I would rather take the kids around as a family instead of taking turns taking them around so we both got to experience Halloween with them. So...this is the second year (maybe third...) we haven't done a trunk. I think we've got about 2 more years before Cara and Ric can go around by themselves in the parking lot and just check in with us often. I can't wait to start doing trunks again though! I really am hoping we will still be in Washington to enjoy these memories with our friends here.

Anyway, here's a couple pictures from the event. Cara was Rapunzel (Tangled) and Ric was a Knight in Shining Armor (thanks to Josh who made the costume! It only cost us about $8 for the extra glue!)

Look at that turn out! And I couldn't even get everyone in it! Unfortunately my camera died right after this shot (forgot to charge up the batteries...ugh!) so I only have iPhone pictures from Josh's phone after that...they didn't turn out well enough for me to post on here.

Hope you all have a great rest of the week and a very fun, safe and Happy Halloween! We haven't figured out if we're going out trick or treating again tomorrow (probably not...) or just staying home to watch a movie (Harry Potter anyone?) but either way, it will be family time for sure!

What are you doing to celebrate Halloween?

EEEK! Almost a week late!

So I've had a fun and busy week which has included a sick child. I thought it was a growth spurt and allergies, it was bronchitis. She's still coughing, but her fever has been completely gone for a little over 24 hours. She seems to feel much better too, but still sleepy and lazy. Hoping that leaves soon! I miss the energy of that firecracker!

So last week's Tuesday Top 10 with Poe was Ten Facts About You. I can tell you a million things about myself and I still feel like it's the same thing every time. I don't really remember what I've said and what I haven't...so let's hope this isn't all just old news stuff to most of you :)

1. I am the youngest child of three and only girl. My brother K is 6 years older than me and my brother J is 4 years 2 days older than me. He used to tell my mom I was his favorite birthday gift...then we started growing up.

2. I love animals! I've had 3 dogs, 2 cats, 3 birds, numerous fish, a leopard frog, a crayfish and a garter snake as pets. I can not wait for my yard to be fenced in and be financially and emotionally ready for another dog! Right now it's our cat, Sparrow and our fish, Barnafin Red.

3. I love photography! I'm not into it for money or anything (which is partially why I don't really care to go to school for it, nor do I bother with photoshop) but I love to take pictures. It's really awesome when something comes out either exactly as I imagined it or even better! I just love having fun with my cameras!

4. Food is a huge weakness of mine. I love eating just about anything. I enjoy what I eat and I eat what I enjoy. Lately it's been hard to figure out what I even want to eat because so much repulses me (no, not pregnant as far as I know). The only thing that always sounds good and actually calms my stomach is chocolate. So weird!

5. I have two amazing children. Cara will be 5 next month, Ric turned 3 in August. I can not believe that much time has gone by since they arrived on this Earth. My husband and I do want one more but we're on a time restraint. If I don't get pregnant by December, we will probably stop trying (we did have an easy time getting pregnant with our other two which is why we've only given it so little time).

6. I danced for 16 years before having to quit due to an ankle injury. I did tap, jazz, ballet, gymnastics, lyrical, acro-jazz, hawaiian, hip hop, modern, Irish step, a ballroom class and as many other kinds as I could. I still love to dance and do Zumba when I can to itch that scratch. I can not wait to be able to afford to go back. The type I never thought I'd do, but enjoy thoroughly (because it's also the most challenging I've ever done) is Pole Dance! A good friend of mine owns a studio out here called Dolphin Dance and the classes are amazing. When I can afford it, I'll be back to Mommy and Me to get my fit on!

7. My husband works in a tin can. He has one more underway and he should be done. He's been in the Navy for a little over 8 years and will be done less than a month before his 9 year mark. We are excited about this yet terrified because we have NO clue what's next!

8. I am a singer. I may not be as good as I used to be, and I was never the greatest at it, but I enjoy it and love it so dearly! Before I had my son I was an alto through and through. Now....I can hit some alto notes, but I am much more comfortable in the tenor range. Right now I sing on a whim for fun and am in my church's choir.

9. Speaking of church...I was raised a Catholic and when I was 18 I started going to church with my (now) husband. He went to a WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) Church. I started taking the Bible Information Class and just after my 19th birthday I became a member. I have been mostly happy ever since. I do not see completely eye to eye on everything but it's mostly when they put their religious views into the government which I think is completely wrong when not everyone believes the same thing.

10. I am not big into debating politics or religion. I try not to talk about them. I don't talk about religion much because I know what I believe and that's good enough for me. I'm still not comfortable enough with the bible to reference or argue anything about it. My true friends and I can talk about it comfortably (since most of my friends are of other religions and we accept that about each other) but with strangers, not so much. I usually feel attacked by strangers when it comes to politics and religion. Not cool.