Praise the Lord!!!

With Marsha's permission:

OH MY GOSH!

I'm totally jumping up and down in my chair! A true gift has been given and I'm so wanting to yell from the highest mountain top...

Marsha, one of Jamie's cousins is pregnant. She's waited so so long for this day. After 6 years and the adoption of three beautiful children from two different countries, she's just been given amazing news... I can not believe it! Can not believe the news! Praise Jesus!

You can go here to see the BEST Pregnancy announcement ever.

Washington Farms: take two...

Okay, if you haven't gone berry picking you really really should before the season is over! It's so much fun. If you aren't in the area, find a strawberry farm near you. The berries are so good and there is something about picking them yourself! We had a total blast both times. Matthew really enjoyed it and he even picks them well ~ (Thanks to Special Agent Oso, he knew just how to "twist and pull" looking only for the red ones!)

What Mark did while we picked berries...
After berry picking, we went to the park... please note the shoes! It was Mark's second time in the swing but his first day wearing shoes! He looks so cute in the swing. I was telling a friend yesterday that now that he can swing, I'm involved again at the park, instead of just sitting on the benches holding him. Yay!

not a Gator, a Matthew

Matthew just came and told me good night. It goes like this:

Him: I need to tell mommy.
Me: Okay, come tell me.
Him: Okay, goodnight mommy.
Me: Goodnight, darling.
Him: I need to go tell daddy.
Me: Okay, go tell daddy.
Him: Okay, night night, see you later.
Me: (chuckling) Okay, see you later-Gator.
Him: See you later MATTHEW.
Me: Oh. See you later Matthew.
Him: Night Mommy. (and scampers off for daddy.)

Wha??!

So a VERY last minute impromptu "Hey we should all go to the movies tonight" happened with some of the ladies in my Sunday School class... Eight mommas trotted off to the movies at 9pm leaving the daddies at home with the babies. Since I'd already been out this morning for WW meeting and yard sale-ing AND the oil changed, THIS was a big deal for me! I opened the door just now after being dropped off and all is quiet on the western front. ... shhhh.... listen.... (pause) (looking around) Nothing! Jamie is sleeping in our bed, Matthew's door is closed, no noise from the monitor, Mark is (I'm assuming) in the office, since that door is also pulled closed. What shall I do with myself? HA! I'm going to sleep! Night! (I love my husband~!!~ Thank you babe!)

strawberries

Wednesday we went to a strawberry farm and picked a bucket's worth of berries. It was a blast. I'd never been strawberry picking before, and honestly, I wasn't doing all that much of the picking. Matthew really enjoyed picking them. He did really well. We went with friends Emily and birthday girl Morgan and Aunt Kiki. We just had a good time talking, picking and eating the berries. (well, everyone else ate the berries, because you know Matthew didn't eat one. ha.) Here's some shots from our day. The one above is what Mark did while we were there.

all you need is a flower...

Matthew: Momma, what's wrong with your hair?
Me: Nothing baby.
Him: No, why's it like that, that way?
Me: What baby, it's just down.
Him: No it's like that.
Me: Matthew, it's just down today is all.
Him: Ohhhhhh.

(pause)

Him: It just needs a flower.
Me: Huh? A flower?
Him: You just need a flower for your hair and make it better. You be pretty with a flower.

(melt)

happy

So....

My dad said that my blog lately has been depressing. Well... life is just hard sometimes and I love this outlet to really just vent when the need arises.

I do acknowledge that I've been a little more venty lately...and apologize to all my faithful readers.

In really silly Matthew news, here are a couple funnies for you:


1. Yesterday I had left the house before Matthew woke up. The night before J's parents came over after Matthew had gone down for the night. I'm told that Matthew was getting a diaper changed after he'd woken up when his Poppa poked his head in the door. Instead of "HI POPPA!" Matthew responded with "NO POPPA! I'm getting a change!" Ooops. I didn't realize that my near 3 year old needed privacy. LOL

2. Matthew ate a brownie today. Pretty surprising. Not that he needs to be eating sweets but given his normal list of food options, brownie wasn't on them. I tried to get him to take a bite... he wanted to just lick the top. It was so funny to watch him react to the bit of brownie he tasted, like wait a minute, what am I refusing...

I'll try to post more upbeat postings. Sorry for all the negativity.

UGH

SO annoyed.

I took a shower this morning while Mark was crying just because I knew I had to.
I spent ten minutes packing up a bag with cheerios, milk, banana, diapers, crayons, and put the baby in his seat and found Matthew's and my shoes.
I ushered my crying toddler out the door because we turned off the tv before his show was over.
I then spent another 5-10 minutes putting them in the car (Matthew has to climb up himself these days, hold me) and swapping out the single stroller for the double one.
Ten minutes to drive to my meeting.
5-10 minutes to unload us and set up the stroller and load up the stroller and walk inside.
I spent ten minutes of hell there. That was all I could take. Between Matthew "needing" a sticker (name tag) and then sticking it on the cup and it ripping when he tried to pull it off and wanting a new one and being hungry but not wanting his cheerios AND all the while, Mark wasn't content in his seat so I was holding him and he was eating letters, that didn't last 30 seconds and then I was standing up bouncing him trying to get him to sleep. If Matthew would have just SAT there and been STILL (HA!) then I could have gotten Mark to sleep with minimal distraction. But nooooooooo. Everything has to be the end of the flippin world. *sigh* I left for the second time recently in tears. This time I started crying before I even got outside. *sigh* I just can't do this. I keep being told " you did it when Matthew was little " and yes. I did. But seriously... I didn't have a toddler to satisfy all the while. *double sigh* I feel so upset. I am throwing money away by not being able to stay at the meetings and I hate being such a distraction.
Add insult to the fact that on the way to the car Matthew was screaming at me "I can stop the fussing, I can stop the fussingh. Get happy mommy!" Great. Makes me feel so good. *sigh*
5-10 minutes to get us all back into the car, me fighting yet again to fit the stroller in the trunk. (Doing so with your hair blowing in your face and crying are NOT recommended).
Ten minutes to drive back home.

Wow. Wonderful usage of like an hour huh?

OH and... to make the time even more movie-esk, I broke my shoe walking into the meeting. *groan* today is not going to be my day.

Time for Kate?

Whew. Wheeeeeeeeew. What a handful of days we've had.

In just the last four days (and in no particular order)

I've had a cat puke on my pillow THREE nights in a row. Seriously.
I've had a small child screaming at every time to eat.
I've had a bigger small child break out in butt rash. (The worst) (He spent 45 minutes in a bath tonight "just because" and then after we were drying off and he goes: "OH NO! What happened to my fingers?!" hehe
I've had a doctor visit for the smaller child. (always difficult)
(Last week we did a doctor visit for him and a vet visit for the cat.)
More cat puke on the floor. Come on.
Cranky news from a loved one about really awful things at work.
My best friend has piles of upsetting things happening to her all at the same time.
Oh, Saturday I was up a pound (I know that's more than four days past, but oh well) This is of course besides the normal: loads of laundry, dishwasher running every day, my face breaking out, the desire to do something about it and so seriously NO time without something in my hands (okay now I could, since the big one is in bed and the little one asleep in the swing, but my time is limited)... When I sat down here I had just started my 5th load (yes, fifth) of laundry for today. I had two already washed yesterday does that count? and I loaded and started the dishwasher... these things just don't stop or let up at all. I picked up the toys and filled my water bottle, I'm ready to do my work out. The house is mostly quiet (aside from the previously mentioned appliances running). I have a LONG list of things I'd like to do before Saturday morning... paint my toe nails, shave, find something incredible to wear (did I mention I have plans Saturday? I didn't... well, I have plans Saturday! I am going to be out all day with a friend and I'm so pumped about it, but I have no time to get ready for it!) After sending this, I plan on doing my work out and then turning the pages of a book I've been working on for near a month now until Mark wakes up to eat again. At that time I'll pray that we can accomplish the task without one or both of us crying and waking up Matthew. Then it will be bed for us. Where's the time for Kate? Where has it gone? ... ha! It up and left with motherhood that's for sure. Mostly I don't mind it though. I love my boys. I sometimes just miss 'me time.' Yesterday Jamie suggested that I take a bath at one such sleeping interval. I wasted that time and poof! it was gone with no bath.

So far today, for those wondering, Mark has really been better. (I think, I hope!) He hasn't one time all out screamed while eating... CRIED a lot, but not the pain kind of screaming. I'm hoping this means we're on the right path finally. I'm sitting three feet from him currently and he's just so beautiful. I hate knowing that he's been in pain. Each feeding time today was bad, but it wasn't horrific as the past weeks have been. Hopefully tomorrow will go even more smoothly. Please please please.

Okay, off to shred it before anyone wakes up and needs me!

up the meds

We ended up back AT the doctor's office. The doc we saw last week was of course off today and the doc there didn't want to up the dosage without seeing Mark first, so we went. I sent Matthew off to a friend's house (thank you!) and Mark and I went distraction-free to the doc again. She said the same things I've been hearing "He's so sweet, he's so content" Yah. Sure. You come over when it's time to eat and then tell me what you think. She checked him over head to toe and determined she agrees and it is probably reflux or worse, silent reflux. We have a referral to see an ENT doc to get his tongue tie dealt with. It will be on my list to call next week. She also wants him to come back for an assesment and weight check next week. Works out since he had an appt already for the 4 month check up and shots.

ALSO-- SCORE!!!! The called our ins last week and argued with them and got us a credit for the amount paid last week! I was near estatic when the receptionist said we didn't have a copay. I stood there looking stupid I'm sure. haha.

Anyhow, LOTS of screaming today. LOTS of it. But hopefully with the meds kicking in we'll see some improvement tomorrow.

Night.