Spring Break - Day 4

I somehow just erased all of todays pictures from my camera as I was trying to upload them. This does NOT make me happy and is also a clear indicator as to why I should not stay up past 9 pm when pregnant. The very few pictures that I have left from today are from my phone. Bummer.

We woke up this morning to hot weather and swollen ankles. Well not all of us had swollen ankles, I'll let you figure that one out. We went over to the McCarters around 9:30 and my kids stayed and played over there while I went and did errands. By myself. It was somewhat glorious to not have to drag them with me from store to store in the 80 degree heat. I was on a mission to find slippers but I was only semi successful. After I picked up the kids from Megan's we decided to go and get a piece of pizza from Costco for lunch. As I was pulling into the parking lot, Curt pulled in next to me. He had the boys and they were getting lunch also. So much to my kids delight we had a impromptu lunch with all the Crawshaw Boys. I'm sure we looked really funny with 5 kids, 6 and under, and me extremely pregnant.

After lunch I seriously considered being one of those people who goes to the movies on beautiful days, just because it's air conditioned, but I knew I would never hear the end of it form my Dad. (Actually it might have been because there wasn't anything appropriate playing.) So I took the kids to Kmart to look for some water toys. We ended up with 2 water guns and a sprinkler thing.

The kids had a blast playing outside once we got home and I enjoyed using the bucket that was supposed to be for refilling their water guns. 

Tonight I went to Opal for dinner with some friends to celebrate the upcoming birth of baby boy. It was so nice to eat a relaxing meal that none of us had to cook OR clean up. I had a great time and felt very spoiled. I would show you the cute picture I have of all of us there, but it's been erased. So sad. Here is my food though, I know you were dying to see that!

Spring Break - Day 3

Today felt like a normal school day when it started. The kids got up at their normal time, got dressed and ate their cereal. We had the normal amount of 'rushing' around trying to get out of the house, with me reminding them to put their PJ's in the laundry, Tully asking where his glasses were and Tessa telling me she's still hungry right as we walk out the door. I took them over to the Hislops house where Tully was excited to find that Zack and Matthew were laying on the couch watching cartoons. I headed off to my doctors appointment with the promise to be back soon. Ha!! Of course it took forever to be seen today, when normally they run pretty true to schedule. Dr. Nomeland checked me and declared 'Nothing happening' and that everything looks good. I thought about pleading with him to induce me, or break my water or something really dramatic but I decided that since I am only 35 weeks I might want to save my begging and pleading for when it might actually matter. Like if I go past my due date. So I left, still pregnant, and went to pick up my two very happy kids. It was time to hit the zoo.

We met Chrystal and Julie and checked out the animals before we headed over to eat lunch. What much can you say about the zoo? Lot's of people there during spring break, animals, little boys who climb every pole and railing as they wrestle with one another, and little girls who climb in and out of strollers and want to look at every animal. 

Luckily a lot of fun was had by all. 

We rushed home in the afternoon in time to make it to Tully's piano lesson. Tessa wanted to play house while Tully was doing his lesson. I got to 'pretend' I was the Mom. Enough said. 

After a trip to Trader Joes and the Bank we came home again and next thing I knew Tessa had jumped on Tully's bike and was riding around the cul-de-sac. Go figure. Apparently she can ride a two wheeler all by herself now. 

What a big girl!!! I guess all of us can finally ride bikes to Kindergarten together!

I tried out a new recipe tonight for homemade veggie burgers. They were pretty good, I would make them again. Tully was the only one who didn't like them, but then again, he could survive off of oatmeal. 

I forgot to mention that yesterday I accidentally flushed my new, fake wedding ring down the toilet. So a trip to Claire's is on tomorrow agenda.

Baby boy

I've have not been able to find anything I like to hang over the baby's crib. I finally decided to make something that would fit both the baby and Tully. This is what I came up with.

Now the question is how to mount it on the wall. Any ideas?

Spring Break - Day 2

I woke up this morning to Tully saying excitedly "Mommy, I slept in!" I asked him what time it was, expecting to hear something great like eight o'clock. His reply? It's SEVEN TEN!!! Wow, he slept 10 minutes later than he normally does. I had to fake my excitement because he was obviously so proud of himself!
A couple of weeks ago for our Anniversary, Matt's mom sent us a waffle maker. We have never had one and this one is awesome. It makes perfect waffles and it makes 2 at once! We decided to start the morning offvwith waffles, which helped it to feel like vacation even if we were just at home.

Later in the morning we met my friend Sirica at the park. The kids played, and we got to talk recipes, vitamix, kids and all sorts of other things. 

Later after we ran a few errands we finally got down to what Tully had been waiting to do all day - make a volcano. We rolled out our play-doh and decorated our mountain and then we watched it explode over and over (and over and over) again. Lot's of fun!

Other than that we mostly just played around the house all afternoon. Now the kids are cuddled up in their pj's watching a movie and I'm about to start thinking of plans for day 3. 

Spring Break - Day 1

I have been trying to prepare myself all month, with much fear and trembling for spring break. This is the first year that it actually mattered that Matt's spring break was a different week then the kids, and I have been kind of bummed out that he wouldn't be around to help. I knew that I wasn't going to have a lot of energy to keep up with Tully this week and I considered putting him in some sort of soccer camp or something but most of his friends are out of town and I didn't want to send him if he didn't know anyone. So that left a week at home with only me to entertain. Very frightening. Especially since I haven't been in the best of moods lately.
So today was day one. The kids got up at their normal time but they actually let me sleep in until about 7:45. They were distracted by the fact that I actually let them get up and turn on cartoons. When they kept yelling "Mommy, we're really hungry!" I knew I should get up or I might be turned in for neglect.

I had a doctors appointment  and Angela volunteered to come over and watch all the kids. The appointment was short and the good news was that the baby turned. No more breech baby!!! The doctor said he looks really healthy and that my fluid levels are great. We hung out around the house the rest of the morning with Angela, Abby and Aaron until early afternoon. Angela even got Tully to practice piano! Great way to pass time :)

After they left the kids and I decided to do some serious crafting. Abby had made a cute flower earlier in the day and Tessa and I decided to make more with some embellishments. Tully was creating rocket ships and volcanos.

It was a big messy time of using whatever we could find and getting sticky with glue. It was actually lot's of fun and reminded me that I need to sit down more often and actually do stuff, like craft projects with my kids before there is another baby here that needs me. 

We finished off the afternoon at Yo Yum Yum's 

I would say we had a successful first day. Wouldn't you?

Demolition & Goats

The Siecks house is being torn down on Tuesday and in preparation they had a demolition party on Friday night. It was lot's of fun, not exactly safe and probably the only time we will get to destroy a house! 

Tessa also fell in love with the new 

baby goats. She is such an animal lover!!

The comings and goings.

Tully has been talking about leprechauns all month. Tessa on the other hand has been worrying that leprechauns might show up at some point. Last night after they went to bed we set up green footprints around the house and messed up their rooms (because that's what leprechauns do) we also turned the toilet water and the milk green. Tully was thrilled when he woke up this morning. Tessa thought it was funny but has been asking me all morning, with a semi worried look on her face if they are going to come back.

I have been trying to remain positive about being at the point in pregnancy where all you want to do is sleep but then when you get a chance you can't. It's just impossible to feel comfortable and I wake myself up because I am snoring so badly. Last night Matt decided to sleep on the couch. I woke up at midnight to the worst sound, it sounded like  a mix between a baby screaming and cats fighting. I could hear that it was coming from the chicken coop. Turns out a raccoon finally noticed that we have had chickens for the past couple of years. He snatched one right out of the coop and there is little trace of it. The bummer is that he will probably be back for the other 3 unless we get rid of them. So sad!

As for baby news, I have been to the doctor twice this week and everything looks good. My levels have stayed the same the last 3 weeks and the doctor doesn't expect that they would go up very significantly before I deliver. They are starting me on fetal monitoring next week to track the baby's heart rate, fluid levels and my contractions. The doctor I saw yesterday told me to "try to take it easy." Does he not know that I have 2 other kids to entertain, dinner to make, laundry to wash, and spring break activities to plan, etc? I just kind of laughed and said I would try.

I'm kind of obsessed with our house right now. This is my new favorite spot.

And that's what's going on.

Busy Week!

We have had a busy week!
Tessa and I were downtown and she decided that she wanted to get her ears pierced. I told her how much it hurts and that they use a special gun to do each ear but she still wanted to do it. I tried a little more to talk her out of it and made sure she really new how much it would hurt. She was sure of herself though so into Claire's we went. Um, when did getting your ears pierced start to cost SO much? I'm pretty sure it was maybe $10 when I was a kid but it's much more expensive now. But Tessa was already sitting in the chair and had picked out her earrings. The shocked look on her face when the teenager, woman in the store did the first ear almost made me cry but Tessa recovered and the woman did the next ear. She didn't cry or scream at all and she has been very happy with the results.

Matt's Dad and Stepmom came to visit. They helped us move the chicken coop to a new location and I am so much happier with the chickens in a bigger space that is still contained. The next night the Camarillo cousins came up for dinner and at some point when we were saying goodbye Tully realized that he had lost his first tooth!!! We think he swallowed it around dessert time.  He wrote the tooth fairy a letter to explain what happened.

Luckily the tooth fairy understood why there wasn't a tooth under the pillow.
I decided that I couldn't stand another day not being able to see Tullys eyes so we went to get haircuts. Tessa decided she wanted to cut her hair short (apparently she is changing her image this week?) Everyone looks super cute and ready for warm weather!

Matt's Mom and Stepdad came to visit the next day and we they got lots of gardening done. The backyard looks much better and one of the vegetable beds is planted and the other is all ready. I spent my time trying to help and trying not to have a baby to early. Lot's of braxton hicks are happening and I am trying to rest a little more. Easier said than done! We had fun enjoying the warm weather and eating on the deck! Can't wait for more of that this summer.