Complements Help SO Much!

SO, Alex woke up to eat at 6am, and I decided to run get a few groceries since I was out of milk and bread. I RAN thru HyVee and got baby food while I was there too. I get to the register and there is only 1 lane open and I think this should be fast and easy and I can get home. My knee and back were sore from working in the yard the last 2 days and I wanted to put my braces on, I felt gross since I didn't even take time to brush my teeth and I was ready for breakfast. The checker was a guy that works the overnight shift and at first he was quiet and just ran my items thru. Then he asked "So, how olds your baby?" I started talking about Alex and all my kids, and just chatting. He proceeds to tell me I look great after having so many kids so close, and said "I can see why your husband married you, you have a great personality." I was flattered and laughing since he was obviously tired and couldn't see straight since I had only rolled out of bed and put clothes on. No makeup, didn't even look in the mirror at my hair. ;) I KNOW I am beautiful, but no one rolls out of bed looking that great. And to top it all off, a $4 register store coupon popped out for all the baby food I bought! Now THAT really made my day! Flattery rarely gets you anywhere with me, but free money? Works every time! On to a great day! ;)

Leaves, Walnuts and Pizza

The kids and I started cutting down all the plants, weeds and trees that have taken up residence in our yard this summer while my back was so bad yesterday when my hubby called and asked if we wanted to go with him to help at his great grandpas house with leaves. I said sure!!! So we loaded up all our rakes, leave blower, and other tools I had been using and headed over. Keith told the kids if they picked up a 5 gal bucket of walnuts he would give them a special treat. They were so excited they filled the 5 gal bucket in 20 minutes. Then they filled some 1 gal buckets around 5 times, and I filled the 5 gal bucket 4x. So, in all we picked up around 30 gallons of walnuts and only made a small dent. YIKES! I am giving the kids a break from picking them up again today and we will focus on our yard again, but I am thinking we will go back again 1 evening this week and pick up 30 more gallons to try and help out. Oh, and the pizza part? after we had worked for 2 hours Keith's parents bought us pizza to thank us for helping. ;) I would work every night to not have to cook supper! ;)

Bonfire Fun!!!

We had such a fun time at my sis-in-laws bonfire birthday party tonight! The kids played in the dirt so much that Kelly had it from head to toe, including in the diaper. ;) Bath night again! Now on to cleaning for my sister to come for a visit this weekend. Yeah!
Also, went to a few garage sales this morning and was able to buy 4 chairs that were in decent condition for $5 each! God is SOOO good! Our current chairs are OLD and falling apart. The kids have "fun" wiggling and listening to them creak and crack. I have to push a few of them back together before I dare sit down in them, so I am thrilled to have 4 nicer chairs. Am I getting rid of the other chairs? No. All they need is to be stripped, re-glued, re-nailed, stained, varnished and they will be good as new! ;) I should have time to do all that in about 10 years.... My hoarding tendencies will be a topic for another day... :)

What is that sticky spill from???

If any of you know my mom, you know she is an excellent cleaner. She knows what product to use on what spill, stain, dust, etc. I aspire to be like my mother. I am nowhere near there yet. I know I have 4 great and adorable excuses for the way my house is. I know my back has been bad for years. I know toys have overtaken almost everyones houses that have kids. But I don't want a messy house. I don't want toys everywhere, crumbs underfoot no matter how many times I sweep, laundry piling up, and spills discovered every time I turn around. I appreciate my children and would live this way the rest of my life to keep them, but I am talking about changing me. I want to have a cleaning schedule and actually follow it. ;) I am a procrastinator to the extreme. I put things off until tomorrow, next week, next summer... ;) I have been seeing quotes that have been encouraging to me recently and I am trying to adapt to them as I make my lists of "to do".  I have many goals I want to do and not just try, not start, but to complete in the next month. If I can pull my final reasonable, achievable, realistic list I will post it soon. That is, if I don't procrastinate and then give up... JUST KIDDING!! ;)

"The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it."
"Discipline is doing what you know needs to be done, even though you don't want to."
"You can do anything, but not everything."
"if you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done."
"There is no such thing as being too busy. If you really want something, you'll make time for it."

Kids Pictures Made in July.

How could I forget to show off my kids pictures?

 Ruth turned 4 this year. She is such a big girl! We started homeschooling preschool this year and she is learning to read. She also started AWANAS at our church, and will be starting tumbling at our local Rec Center.

 KJ is my big boy. He turned 2 in June, and his vocabulary is building everyday as he gains confidence. He is so loving, as you will see a few pics below.

 Kelly. Oh my little Kelly. She also turned 2 in June, and she NEVER stops talking. ;) She has her Mommies attitude and isn't afraid to show it. She may be strong willed, but she is my little shy, bashful Kelly.

 Alex!!! He is now 8 months old!! He is seriously such a good baby. He only eats once a night now, and sleeps from 7pm to at least 7am. He plays fine on the floor alone and lets mommy get things accomplished during the day. Yay!!!

 Here are my loving twins together. The photographer snapped this unprompted moment just in time. Kelly was crying within seconds. :)

I. LOVE. Fall!!!

Ahh, Fall. Autumn. Harvest Season. I LOVE it! The leaves really turned their bright colors this weekend. I hope to take the kids on a walk and collect the different colored leaves and make a project this week. We even collected the tiny acorns our Pin Oak has been dropping to glue to our project. We will be getting pumpkins to paint as well. Fall inspires me so much more than any other season. I would paint a room the bright red color of the maple leaf if my husband would let me. Another one orange. Another yellow. But, maybe I will settle for a picture of the leaves to hang on the wall and start small. Just in case I change my mind like normal. ;)
I am venturing outside of my comfort zone this fine season to make more friends. Yes, I have friends, but they are more casual than I need. I need more close friends that I can turn to for help and support, and that can and will turn to me to help and support them. I want to really be there for more people. My husband is a HUGE social person and thrives off of interaction with others. I want friends I can invite over for supper and that will stay for hours having a good time. Friends to go on double dates with. To have play dates with each others kids. I am praying God will show me who these new friends (or old friends I am not taking advantage of) will be. And that I will step out of my shell and really get to know people this year. ;)
Ok, enough babble. Hope everyone has a great week!!!

Back to school time is here!!!

WOW! Life got pretty busy and I haven't been on here in forever! When I was a kid, this was my LEAST favorite time of the year. I didn't enjoy school and dreaded the end of August. Now that I am homeschooling Ruth, I am actually looking forward to it!
Ruth had her 4 yr checkup today. she is 44 1/2 inches tall and weighs 52.6 lbs. She grew 4 inches this past year and only gained 2 lbs. Not bad!! We have started preschool at home and she is doing SOOO amazing at learning to read. By Christmas she should be at a 1st grade level. I LOVE this book! I am trying to implement more into her curriculum, so we have been learning numbers more (she has up to 12 down, cant seen to do 13-20) and math (she LOVES to subtract) as well as doing puzzles, coloring/drawing, but I know she can do and is wanting to do more. I REALLY need to get into crafts with her. Even if it we just do 1 a week, because she is more creative than I am. I have been looking online for ideas and there are some really easy ones out there. Maybe I will post some in the next few weeks. Any ideas for her age to do out there? I would LOVE suggestions.

Albert Einstein was a very smart man. I have seen quite a few quotes from him recently that I have LOVED, but I forget to write them down, so I thought I would post this one so I can remember it. I am teaching Ruth to read out of a book called "teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons." it is going great! I am actually really excited about starting her schooling a little early so we can do it slowly and only for 30 minutes a day so far. It will help if she can read before we start an actual curriculum so I am thankful a friend came across this book for me. 

Family Day!!!

Today was SO SO SOOO much fun!! It started with Ruth, Alex and I going to the CF farmers market, hitting a garage sale and picking up a Step 2 slide, then during rest time teaching Ruth lesson 6 of learning to read (and she LOVES it by the way, she even sounded out her first word unprompted, "ME")  and when the twins woke up we took off and drove around, went to see Keith's dad, went to the park and played, and went to supper with my mom/dad in law. We were all so worn out that I don't even want to get off the couch! It was a truly blessed day. Even though Keith had to work part of the day and will be working all evening and into the night, it was still fun to spend what time we had with him.
He and I stayed up talking until midnight last night and the kids were up A LOT due to falling out of bed and colds, but I had such a good evening with Keith that it didn't bother me to get up at 6:30am with the baby. Isn't it funny that when we are enjoying life we have a more positive outlook and things don't get to us as easily? If Keith and I didn't have such a wonderful evening, I am sure I would have woke up grouchy and started my day of little sleep with a poor attitude. I think I need to pray more about remembering to enjoy the small things in life. ;)

Bring on the Rain....

Whew!! That was some storm! Alex LOVED it so much! I sat on the couch in front of the window and he watched with delight as the rain came down, the lightening danced across the sky, and the thunder made me sing "What a Mighty God We Serve..." as Keith and I agreed I would never tell the kids I am afraid of storms. They will figure it out one day, but for now they think its neat since Daddy loves them. Kelly asked, "Mommy, what was that?" every time the thundered cracked. KJ just smiled and mumbled things I couldn't understand. I was SO thankful it ended just as bedtime came. How does someone become afraid of storms? Nothing ever happened to me. No tornados, no anything when I was a child. Nothing ever happened to me personally to make me afraid. To others, YES. I have had friends lose houses, cars, everything in tornados, and even just high winds. So maybe I have a healthy fear due to their fear. Regardless, God is in control and He will keep me safe if it is in His will. So Bring on the Rain......

We are perfect alright.....

Perfectly sick!!! My hubby went to Seattle last week and came home with a head cold. Then, he passed it to the kids (as I wouldn't go near him) and they passed it to me. :) Now, I passed it to our poor baby. Its his first sickness, and he is only 5 1/2 months old. I have missed 2 back treatments this week mainly due to my cold. You know the kind, where you will be sitting there and suddenly drip, drip, drip! You think, "Where did that come from?" Your neck hurts, your head hurts, your eyes are going to swell shut. And worst of all with me, my attitude changes. I get short tempered. I have 0 patience. I just want to close my eyes, not respond to "look mommy!!!" one more time. SO, with sickness comes LOTS of prayers that I don't hurt their feelings or make them think I don't like them or don't want to see what they are so proud of doing. So I will take a deep breath (HA!) and continue my day (hack, hack) and be thankful that nap time is actually happening today. (Reason I didn't blog yesterday) Bedtime is only 5 hours away... :)

Wasting Money

My hubby and I have been discussing ways to cut back to be able to pay more on our mortgage every month. The first time was to not go out to eat as much, which includes Sunday lunches with the family. We spend an average of $20-$30 every Sunday. Thats $80-$120 towards the mortgage. And that is just 4 days a month! The kids and I have a tendency to eat out 1x a week, so about $10 more x4 weeks. Keith goes out at least 2x a week, so $6 each time, or $48. Keith and I tend to get our supper out in the evening at least 1x a week, and its usually Pablos, so $17 x4 weeks $68 per month. Going out to eat is expensive!!! Add up all that Ive mentioned and it equals over $250 we can redirect to the mortgage payment!!!!! INSANE!!!
that being said, the kids and I played outside in the water last night, and I insisted I turn the water off myself. Guess who picked up the yard and forgot to turn the hose off for 12 hours? Think how high the water bill will be this month?

I havent sewn since Ruth was born. An occasional mend or hem, but not a real project. Well, I thought it was high time that changed!

Can you guess what this is?

 How about now?

Is it clicking yet? Its a nursing cover!!! And best of all? it cost all of $2 to make!!! I am SO considering starting a business making these. Normally it would cost more like $10 to make, but I hit a HUGE sale on fabric and was able to do it for less this time. My niece Abby was here and helped me make it. She was in charge of the pins and making sure I didnt sew my hand to it. :) I MAY have sewn my finger, one time....

The Weekend is almost over.

I LOVE the weekend. It means Keith is home, we get to see the family, we get to DO things as a family. We play outside, go to the store, just spend time together. The best thing is I am not the only one in charge. I can say "go ask Daddy" and he can tell them no for once. ;) Daddy can change a few diapers or fill the sippy cups, again. I have a wonderful husband because he is willing to give up his free time to spend time with us. He could be spending time doing a hobby, or relaxing by himself, or anything really. He even took Ruth and the twins to the store so I could have time to myself while the baby slept. He gets up with the kids at 6:30 (yes they are getting earlier) and lets me sleep in. I appreciate and respect him. He truly is the love of my life!!!

Peaceful if only for an hour...

My hubby came home from his week long conference in Seattle. Sick. He has a head cold/sinus issue. But, he is wonderful and took the twins and Ruth with him on an errand he had to run, and since Alex is taking his morning nap, the house is quiet! 1st time in a LONG time. Do I not like noise you may ask? I don't mind it most of the time. I love hearing the kids laugh, play, dance, sing, play the drum, knock over the blocks, things like that. I don't care for the crying, screaming, he hit me, she touched me, but I know that comes with the joys of kids too. I just LOVE having a quiet house when I am all alone and listening to the traffic go by, the birds singing, the fridge kick on, the dryer running. I LOVE to read a good book with a cup of hot tea full of sugar (which I can not have until I am done nursing since Alex reacts to Caffeine as thou I hooked an IV full to his arm). In fact, here I go to enjoy the book I just borrowed from my mother in law. ;)

Its Friday!!!

My hubby comes home today!!! Know what that means? I can put Alex to bed tonight and leave the house if I want to!!! ;) Its the small things in life that make me happy. Will I go anywhere? Probably not. But, I have the option. Then he can listen to them play in bed for 2 hours and I can pretend they went to bed like the little angels that they used to be. I REALLY want a date night with the hubs, but we may have to wait a couple more weeks for our schedules to allow it and my back to be ready. Its ok, at least he will be back home. We kind of miss that guy. ;)
Kelly made a discovery yesterday. She found out that mommy keeps all the snacks in the house in a drawer. One that she can reach and open. She didn't realize that that drawer squeaks when its opened and that mommy has excellent hearing (sometimes) and knows when she opens it. I caught her with a tootsie roll in her mouth last night, still in the wrapper and half chewed up. Hope it doesnt hurt as it passes thru! I could have made her spit it out, but it WAS cute after all and I did clean out the now empty drawer this morning after she opened it and found a full PEZ dispenser....

What one may consider a gloomy morning in July...

I LOVED today's weather!!! very cloudy, low humidity and a cool breeze. The reason? I took the kids to see my nephews last T-ball game of the season. It meant no sunglasses, no sun block, and no sweating on my part. ;) We had such a good time and my back did very well sitting on the bleacher, even when I had to nurse Alex. yeah!!!! A HUGE PTL!! What is wrong with my back you may ask. Well, where to begin. ;)
When I was a freshman in High School, I had bad low back pain. my mom took me to see the Dr, he ordered an MRI and we found out I had a bulged L5-S1 disc and the entire lumbar region of my back didn't bend. I went thru physical therapy and kept living my life with the help of an occasional Aleve. In college I decided to major in Horticulture and LOVED the physical work of the construction side. I tried to keep up with the men I worked with (I failed miserably) and ignored my back pain daily. The November before I got married I got a job working in a mail room of a bank (winter = no job for most landscapers). Well, those bags and boxes of mail are HEAVY. One day I picked a bag up and "pop" went my back. I attempted to keep working for a few months but the pain got too bad. Had another MRI done and confirmed I had a bulged L3-L4 and L4-L5 and a severely herniated L5-S1. I had a steroid shot done and it lasted long enough for me to take a good nap. I suffered for over a year staying in bed a LOT and couldn't work until 1 day I got out of bed and felt another "pop" and had the worst pain of my life for over 2 months. I couldn't lay, stand, sit or move in a good spot. On a scale of 1-10 my pain was 10 at all times. Then I saw a commercial for the DRX-9000 machine.
 Sounds high and mighty doesn't it? I saw commercial after commercial advertising this treatment for a week and finally called about it. I went to stay at my sister Carla's house for over a month and she took me to my daily treatments. I had improvement!!! I felt better enough to get to go back home and heal. Within a year my back felt better than it had in years and we started having children. With Ruth it got even better. Then the twins gave it a good punch, but I bounced back with just some daily pain. Then came our little surprise Alex. The whole pregnancy I had severe sciatic pain to my toes in my left leg. I couldn't stand up straight. I thought it was just due to being pregnant and kept pushing. On my 29th birthday, I rolled over in bed excited to start the day when I felt a big "pop." Oh. No. Not again. I got out of bed in the worst pain of my life. I didn't know what to do. I had 4 children, with one being only 3 months old and I could not move. My husband was leaving town for a week that night for work and couldn't cancel. I cancelled my birthday party and stayed in bed all day. The pain grew and grew. My mother in law took 2 of my kids the next day to help, but by the end of the day I was in the ER getting a shot for the pain, and a prescription for Vicodin. This story could go on and on, but within 2 weeks I found the DRX-9000 machine here in our town and started treatments again. 33 treatments later (2x the normal amount) I am doing better than I have in over a year and am doing rehabilitation 4x a week to attempt to correct the miss-curve in my spine. PTL!!!!!
God is using this experience to draw me closer to Him and teaching me to lean on Him completely to get thru everyday. I couldn't keep a positive attitude or outlook on life without Him. I know He will not give me more than I can handle, and I am also learning to ask for help or accept help when it is offered to me. God is so GOOD!!!

The "Perfect Family"

I get this all the time. oh! You have 2 girls and 2 boys! The Perfect Family. Yeah, I would have to agree, I think its the perfect amount, and I love them completely so I would consider us the perfect family because I think we are done having more kids. (Saying I THINK since I've said this before...) ;) BUT, no family is truly perfect. We all have our flaws, our areas of needed improvement, strange habits, etc. So I choose this name for my blog because I know we are not "perfect," really. But I am happy with us and have a slightly sarcastic sense of humor at times so just go with it. :)

I've always bragged on how well my kids go to bed for naps and bedtime. well, its finally come to bite me in the butt. My strongest willed child, Kelly, has now decided that its fun to get out of bed and get KJ up and jump on Ruth's bed for at least an hour despite Mommy coming in and putting her back in bed multiple times and getting a spanking. (Yes, i spank my kids. If you don't like it then don't read this.) I even called my mother-in-law over last night since my husband is out of town for the week. Kelly seemed to sense this and as Wanda pulled in the driveway Kelly went to sleep. Regardless, I NEED those 2 hours of quiet every night to be a better Mommy the next day. So pray that they return to talking for 20 minutes in their beds soon then drifting off into a deep, all night sleep again, ok? (again, sarcastic humor, I am not really dumb enough to think this is a realistic option. :) ) Ok, rest time is almost over. Bring on the unbearably loud kiddos again!!