Happy Birthday Sam!

Sam had a birthday last week. We just had a simple celebration with our family. I don't think the little ones really understand what's going on anyway and I'd rather keep things as simple as possible if it makes no difference. The cake was also simple as you can see from the picture. He got a tricycle, tee ball set, fire truck, golf set, garden set, and one package still to come. He's already hit those terrific twos and we're all working on patience around here. He has some of the funniest facial expressions and has been nicknamed "Smiley" by several.

He did it!

Oh how we've waited for this day! Mark passed his test! After several set backs (which are still continuing) three years of sacrifice has a purpose. Mark has already been offered a job at St. Alphonsus which he has accepted. Unfortunately he has to wait to receive his certificate which could take up to 90 days. After waiting so long just to get permission to take the test, we're a little frustrated. He should have been practicing last month and things keep getting delayed. He was also supposed to get two certificates - one as a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, the other as a certified Nurse Specialist. We are still trying to work things out, but it appears the CNS will not be happening unless he wants to put in another 500-800hrs of clinicials. It's not worth it! I'm just excited to have my husband back - no more studying - yeah! Although he keeps bringing up something about a doctorate. Not anytime soon, I say!

Sam has been sick (and of course passing it on). I just thought it was cute how I find him sleeping sometimes.

Taylor gave her first presentation in school on Peacocks. She did a good job. Sorry the picture is so dark.

I'm playing with toys and trying to talk

You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit

Any of you who know me well, know that I try to pinch every penny and am always looking for a good deal. So when I heard about free haircuts, I thought, "how bad could it be?" I decided to take the girls to get a new look. Dani's hair is so thin that we wanted a short, cute layered look and so I found the picture and showed them what I wanted. Her hair is still long and there is no layer. Oh well, it's still decent looking. Taylor wanted to cut her hair short, but wanted to donate her hair to "locks of love." She was told her hair wasn't quite long enough, but if she got a trim this time, in 3 months it would be long enough. When she was younger I decided it couldn't be that hard to trim her hair so I attempted to do it myself. It wasn't easy, she has such thick hair and I wasn't completely satisfied upon finishing. I figured the "professionals" could do a much better job and a lot quicker. We took her to one of those especially for kids places and they really didn't do any better of a job, so from then on I did it myself. Why spend the money for the same product? I decided we might as well give it another shot this time around. For some reason the salon's think the best way to cut hair is to get it wet first, but it's been my experience that once the hair dries the natural wave causes the lengths of each hair to change. This must be what happened Friday. I just could not believe the butchered job Taylor received. She must have cut off at least 4 inches. I took one look once it was dry and decided I could do better myself (and I'm not very good). I ended up cutting off probably another two inches to even it up. So much for the donation any time soon. It's probably hard to see in the pictures, but the first picture is after the salon cut it and the second was my attempt to fix it. Hopefully it looks better to you now, otherwise I suppose I'll have to take her to a real professional (does anyone know one)? Anyway - lesson learned. Sometimes you get out of it, what you put into it. You have to be careful what you try to get for free.

All Dressed up

Boys

Our baseball twins, daddy (because he doesn't get enough pictures on the blog), Gonzaga baby and camo baby.

1st trip to the Emergency Room

We've managed to make it this far, but I suppose it had to happen sooner or later. Last night Dani came crying into our bedroom about 1:00am barely breathing. She was very raspy and coughed like the bark of a dog. She had eaten quite a bit of big chunks of chicken for dinner, so my initial thought was that there was one stuck in her throat. She tried to vomit several times, to no avail. Then we wondered if maybe she had been allergic to something she ate, inflamming her throat. We gave her Benadryl and then decided we had better take her to the ER. Who knew that there was a croup epidemic going around and that there are usually no symptoms leading up to it. Dani was the classic case - no symptoms, wake up in the early morning unable to breathe. I had no idea what croup even was. After a breathing treatment, steroids, and a popsicle she returned home and has been almost good as new. We're just blessed to live close to medical facilities and to have good care around here. Since it's extremely contagious, our next challenge is to keep it from the others kids, especially Joseph.

Homemade giveaway

The first 5 people to respond to this post will get something homemade by me! I know what you are thinking....."do I really want something made by Stacey???" But you might just be surprised what I can do!


Like any good giveaway, there are restrictions and limitations, as follows:


1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. I get to choose, you just get to receive!
2. What I create will be made just for you......one of a kind!
3. It will be done this year.....hopefully sooner, rather than later.
4. The gift may or may not be edible, wearable or recyclable!
5. In order to be a winner, you must repost this on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me you did will receive one FABULOUS homemade gift by me! After I choose the winners, you can send me your mailing address!


Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you receive it!

Welcome Carlie

Mark's sister and brother-in-law were able to adopt a sweet little girl on Friday, so we are excited for them and welcome Carlie into the family.
Sam has found a new hobby. He does pretty well too - as well, if not better, than the girls.

Blessing Day

Luckily we were able to make it back in time from our trip to keep our scheduled blessing day for Joseph. It was a nice day where lots of family were able to attend. I was excited to get pictures of Joseph where he was smiling.

Funeral in Canada

I haven't posted in awhile because we took an unplanned trip to Canada. My grandma who has been fighting cancer for the past couple of years was able to return to her deceased husband and infant daughter. We were saddened by her departure but are grateful she is pain free in a better place. We were fortunate enough to make the trip up and although we were worried about the roads, we didn't run into any major problems. The four day drive up and back did take it's toll on us, however, especially Sam. So did the -16 degree weather (brrr!!). It was good to see our family and say our goodbyes to my grandma, but we're glad to be home.

I must be crazy!

What started out as a controlled mess quickly turned into a disaster. We've painted with pudding before and it was such a success that I thought I would try it again. We were bored while Mark was out of town and Joseph was asleep so I got it out. For some reason, the girls thought they would have a little more fun with it this time and instead of keeping it on the table decided to decorate themselves with it, which wasn't so bad because the idea was to put them in the tub right after anyway. However, somehow instead of keeping the pudding contained on the table they managed to splatter it all over the walls and floor. Needless to say, we won't be trying this again real soon. I suppose I should have specified more rigid rules. Even that wouldn't have been too bad except while the kids were in the tub getting washed off and I was attempting to clean up the mess while it was still wet, Sam dumped a whole bucket of water on the bathroom floor, so then I had a flood to clean up as well. I would have made the kids clean up the mess, but this is one of those messes that would be 10 times worse when they were finished cleaning, so I just went ahead and did it.

For lack of anything to post

Questions and Answers

I got this in an email, but don't want to bombard people with email, so if you're interested, you can find out a little more about me, if not, I'll never know.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
no
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning after having been up all night with the baby.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
cursive, but not print
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
ham
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
yes, 4
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I would like to think so
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
I used to, but I'm learning to stop
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS
yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
It would be thrilling but I don't think that outways the risk
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Captain Crunch
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
sometimes
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Physically - not at all
Emotionally, and spiritually - yes
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
I like most, but to write one down - maybe Pralines & cream
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
confidence
15. RED OR PINK?
red
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
my weaknesses - my inability to make decisions.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST
Mark - yes even when he's at work.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
I'd like to read your answers, but you don't have to do it.
19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
none
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Rice Krispie Treat
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Kids arguing
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Why would I want to be a crayon? My favorite color is yellow if that's what this means.
23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Baking Brownies
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU20TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Tarah
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
absolutely
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Olympics - probably gymnastics
27. HAIR COLOR?
sandy blond
28.20EYE COLOR?
blue
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
yes
30. FAVORITE FOOD???
popcorn, tacos
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
happy endings
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Can't remember - I know we started A Beautiful Mind, but never finished.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Navy
34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer
35. HUGS OR KISSES?
hugs
36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Chocolate or creamy cheese pie
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
none

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND
most
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READI NG NOW?
several, I only read bits and pieces at a time and I've been reading them forever - "How to Listen to your kids, so your kids will talk, and how to talk so your kids will listen" "Prelude to Glory" and others

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Just navy
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
nothing
42. FAVORITE SOUND?
giggling babies
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME???
England
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
All my talents are special - right? Not everyone has them.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Salem, Oregon
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
all of them.

Joseph at 2 weeks

Family Pictures

New beds

Now that Mark is done with school (hallelujah) he has been able to get to several projects that have been put on hold. One of these was to put together beds that have been sitting in our garage for the past year. None of us were thrilled with the idea of bunk beds, but we were just running out of space, so for the time being they will have to do. The girls do enjoy them thankfully. We'll have to figure out where grandma can sleep when she visits though because that futon mattress is very uncomfortable, but don't tell that to Dani. Sam finally got his big boy race car bed. We acquired this for free off of freecycle. He's doing fairly well. He sure gets excited when he walks out to find you because he's no longer trapped inside the crib. We do have to encourage him to actually fall asleep there, however. Before long Joseph will be sleeping through the night (we can only hope) and then the crib will once again be occupied. Now that we've experienced having Mark out of school, it's going to be difficult the next few weeks while he studies for his test. Back to studying. I'm beginning to wonder if it ever ends. I hear him mention something about a doctorate, but so far I've put my foot down. We want our husband and Daddy!

Add on: I'm adding this section on after Sam's second night in his big boy bed. I'm absolutely amazed at the transition. Tonight I told Sam to say good night to Joseph as I was putting the baby to bed. He took the initiative to go and tell everyone else goodnight as well. I then proceeded to put the girls in to bed figuring I would be awhile with Sam. As I was heading to their room, expecting Sam to be right behind me, I couldn't find him anywhere. A quick search led me to his closed door where behind it I found Sam snug in bed with covers on, the light off, and his space heater turned on. That was amazing enough that he put himself to bed, but then he didn't get up even once. I hope this is a good sign that sticks.