Time to see Santa Clause

I hate to say that I'm "cheap" when it comes to Christmas, but I when I have the option of getting a good deal, I go for it.  So when Greg mentioned that we should go to Bass Pro Shops to go see Santa, at first I was like, why there?  But then he mentioned that we get a FREE picture with Santa, I was sooo there!  I'm always up for something free.  Plus they were having other FREE things to partake in there as well.  So off we went.


We got there early, and it was a good thing we did.  Because in order to see Santa you had to have a pass, and they only handed out so many passes at a time and if you didn't get one, you had to wait for another half hour to get a pass.  Whew, conflict diverted!  While we waited, we looked around....

We colored pictures....

And then it was time to stand in line, with our green "pass" in hand and wait our turn to see Santa.  We had a mini-meltdown....and who started it?  That's right, my 5 year old.  She started bawling in line, in front of everyone else who were calmly and quietly waiting for Santa, saying that she didn't want to see him any more.  And as soon as she started crying, Konner got scared.  So he hid behind a sign.  Oh the joy.  To say I wasn't upset would be a lie.  I haven't gotten a picture of any of them with Santa since they were babies.  In other words, they haven't taken a picture with Santa except when they were too young to know any better about the jolly fat, bearded man in a soft, red suit.  And I desperately wanted a picture.  To this day, I have no idea why they are so scared of him.  Children half their age were excited to run up to him and give him a hug....my child didn't even want to walk in front of him.  Even the, "Santa can't bring you presents unless you tell him what you want," or the "he's giving our candy canes if you go see him," didn't work, they could have cared less.  What kids don't want presents and candy?!  Oh that's right, MINE!  We waited in line anyway.  They decided they would go up to him if daddy and I went with them.  O.k., I can deal with that.  And what do you know, Natalli actually sat on his lap.  Afterwards she actually told me that he wasn't as scary as she thought he was.  Go figure.

Too bad we didn't have this picture before I made Xmas cards!

After our picture with Santa, for which we got our free picture and each kid got a free snowman silly band (score!), we colored reindeer Christmas ornaments (also free)!  Well, I should say Natalli colored hers.  The boys more scribbled on theirs, Heath because of his age, Konner because he hates art and I made him make me one.  :-)  After that, we went and looked around the store a little.  And here is what we found:

My little cowboys!

And of course, my cowgirl, decked out in pink

Killin' me some grub

He threw a fit that we didn't buy that hat

After walking around, looking at things that interested everyone but me, and having to explain to Natalli what it means to stuff a dead animal and why some animals heads were no longer connected to their bodies, we went and had dinner at Uncle Buck's inside of Bass Pro and it was delicious.  The kids got a free kids meal with the Santa picture.  That's right, it was also FREE.  SCORE!  

We had a great time, in fact, poor little Konner didn't want to go home.  Sad.  We will definitely be going back there to see Santa next year.  Because FREE = FANTASTIC!

Feeling more like winter....

Well, it's finally starting to feel like winter and I'm not sure how I feel about it.  I should be overly thrilled that it's stayed long for so long, and I am, but I think it's kind of spoiled me a little bit.  The 70s are great in Iowa and I wish they could last all winter long!


But winter decided to come anyway and now I'm not so ready for it to be here.  For the past week or so it's been cloudy, no sun at all.  The kind of sky that looks like it could snow just any minute, but it's still a little too warm for snow.  The highs have been in the 40s, which is cold to begin with, but then add strong winds and it is down-right freezing outside!  We have broken out the winter coats and hats/mittens.  I have even broken out my imitation Uggs for the cold mornings when I have to take Natalli to school.  It's even cold in the house, but I refuse to let the heat come on any more than it already is, after all, it's not that cold yet!  


But the cold weather has really gotten me in the Christmas spirit this year.  Usually I am beyond annoyed that everyone seems to jump right over poor Thanksgiving without even a passing glance.  But this year I don't seem to be bothered by the Christmas decorations already lining the hallways of stores and the endless Christmas songs being played over the store speakers.  In fact, I somewhat welcome it.  Greg and I have already started our Christmas shopping and I'm eager to get my tree out of the basement and start decorating it!  (I'm making sure though that the tree doesn't come up before Thanksgiving...plus we might be getting a new one, so I'll have to wait and see about that first).  I've even decided that I am doing Black Friday shopping this year.  I've never gone before, so it should be interesting.  Greg and I decided we are going to be nerds about it and write down what we want to get and what store it's at so we just aren't walking around the stores aimlessly.


And over the weekend, it was nice outside (and by nice I mean it wasn't in negative temps and there was no snow), so we decided to be eager beavers and put up our Christmas lights.  I'm pretty sure we are one of the first houses in our town to have done so and I can almost guarantee that we are the first house to actually have them lit at night.  We bought new lights this year since we have a new house, we wanted a new look.  Besides the fact that Greg had to go up on the roof and take down a strand and put a new strand up (because he forgot to check to see if they worked before he put them up there), they turned out spectacular!

What do you think?

Now if we could just have winter without the snow-covered streets and the crazy drivers, I'd be good.  Bring on Christmas!  I'm so excited, I don't think I can stand it!  Sorry Thanksgiving, but I've decided I'm skipping you this year.  ....Might as well join on the bandwagon, right!?

Mommy's Day

Today was a fun day.  It was Mommy Day at Konner's preschool.  I had already gone through this twice when Natalli was in preschool, but it's totally different with Konner.  He's just a totally different person, obviously, but just is completely different at preschool than she was.


We started off the morning with free playtime.  And of course, he went directly to the toy cars and action figures.  And just HAD to show me the Woody doll they had, to which he ended up playing with for most of free time (having in drive around in a red, convertible Barbie car of course)!  Next he moved onto the kitchen and finished off free playtime with the sensory table.  It's always a favorite thing to play with in preschool, this week's ingredients: oatmeal, glitter and little sparkly objects.

Then he decided to show me where they have circle time and proceeded to lay out the pillows and lay on them. 

He wanted me to join in with him, but as soon as he asked, the bell-ringer rang the bell and it was time to clean up the toys for circle time.

After everything was cleaned up, we boarded the circle time train while the "spots" were being set out.  Konner's spot is a zebra and he got to sit on my lap this circle time.  During circle time they sang their good morning song, talked about the day of the week, the number of the week, the color and letter of the week, the weather outside and each child shared a questionnaire they had done about their mommies.  My favorite thing to do apparently is cook dinner and I'm 11 years old and weigh "high" pounds.  And yes, that is exactly the word he said....not sure what that's supposed to mean, but it doesn't sound good!


After circle time was over it was time for crafts.  Each child has a specific seat they go to for arts and crafts, so that no one fights over a seat, so I walked quietly behind Konner as he found his spot.  Today we decorated shoes.  The boys got "boots" and the girls got "high heels."  They got to glue on little sparkly things and use different colors of glitter glue.  Now, Konner is not that big of a fan of crafts, he never has been, so most of his art projects so far this year have been fast and hurried.  He also doesn't like to get dirty, I know, weird for a boy, but he's always been like that.  So those two things don't make a great combination for making arts and crafts for mommy.  But I think he took a little more time this time since I was there with him.

After crafts it was time to go potty and wash hands so that we were ready for snack time.  Konner was lucky enough to be picked as the line leader for the day, so he got to lead everyone in class to the big room for snack time.  It was juice and muffin day and I volunteered to make a dozen muffins so that I knew Konner could eat one.  They were coffee cake muffins with pumpkin spice instead of ginger.  They turned out pretty well and must have been popular, because there weren't any left-overs.  After snack time they sang their goodbye song and we got to go outside and play for a little bit.  We didn't play for long because it was down-right cold outside with no sun!  


It was a fantastic morning.  I love seeing him interact with the other little kids and his teachers and see what a morning is like for him in preschool.  I can't wait until I get to do it again next year.  Up next for little Konner....daddy's day!!

Trick-or-Treat, Smell My Feet

Another Halloween has come and gone, and unfortunately for me, I wasn't quite in the Halloween mood this year.  Which for those who know me, is a HUGE surprise because Halloween is my favorite holiday.  Yes, even over Christmas.  I know, I'm a scrooge.  But this year, the totes and boxes of Halloween decorations in the basement were not calling my name like they usually do.  I'm one of those people that has to have all Halloween decorations up by October 1st!  But this year the first came and went and nothing.  I thinks it's because I don't quite feel like this home is "home" yet, I don't feel settled and comfortable yet.  So the idea of unpacking boxes upon boxes for decorations for 30 days just to pack everything up again didn't seem to agree with my psyche.  And by the time I did kind of feel in the mood for decorations, it was way to late to put anything up without looking like a complete moron.  So our house was bare and spookless.

However, the kids and I did enjoy the Halloween spirit, even if it was a little unconventional this year.  First we went to Earle May during their "pumpkin party" and we went through a maze, decorated sugar cookies, ate popcorn, and picked out and painted our pumpkins.  What little artists I have!

I was positive that Konner would want to be Lightning McQueen again this year, as he was last year, and I was pretty excited about it since that would mean I didn't have to buy a new costume...but I was wrong.  Ever since Toy Story 3 has come out, he has been over the moon with Woody, so when we walked down the aisle full of costumes, he immediately picked out the Woody costume.  I suppose it was a good purchase of $19 seeing as he has now worn the costume for almost 7 days straight!

And I was almost positive that Natalli would want to be a princess again this year.  The last three years she's been Belle, Snow White and Tinker Belle.  But imagine my surprise when we went down the costume aisle and of all things, picked out Jessie the Cowgirl as her costume.  She has also been in love with her since Toy Story 3, so I suppose it shouldn't surprise me, but I thought for sure she'd want to dawn a pretty dress and some high heels, since she is my little diva of a princess.

And well, Heath is still too young to pick his costume.  And honestly, I wasn't going to go for a "theme" Halloween, but since Woody and Jessie were already picked out, I thought, "how cute would it be if Heath was Buzz Lightyear?"  So I searched and searched and hidden underneath a bunch of Superman and Iron Man costumes was the very last Buzz costume in a size 2T, perfect for my little Heath.  So Buzz he was.  And he was quite happy about it too seeing as he loves Buzz and can actually say his name.  And he even left the hood on, what a cooperative little boy he is!

The weekend before Halloween we did our annual trip to Night Eyes at the zoo.  There's not a whole lot of trick-or-treating and I can see where it would be boring for older kids, but my kids are at the perfect age to enjoy it to its fullest.  Not all the animals are out and about, but the ones that are are eager for viewers.  The paths were decorated with lights, painted murals and tents filled with people anxious to hand out candy to little hands.  This year we were lucky enough to take my niece and nephew with us, as they were in town and I was in charge of watching them.  That's right, I took 5 kids to the zoo to trick-or-treat by myself!  *please enter applause here*

Natalli and Sadie even got their faces painted.  Natalli was so upset that she smeared hers by the end of the trip, but the lady was so nice she repainted the whole thing for no charge for her. 

Then came Halloween.  We were supposed to go up north for my nephew's birthday party and then trick-or-treating Algona-style.  But what do you know, the boys were up all night pucking the night before and I woke up feeling like the absolute worst.  It was like my body was rejecting the idea of Halloween altogether...bummer.  So my in-laws took Natalli up north for the party and trick-or-treating, while Greg and I stayed home with the boys.  To say that I was upset was a little bit of an understatement.  My boys are finally into the whole getting candy thing and they were going to miss it!  BUT....there was a light at the end of the tunnel!  Greg had gone out to get groceries and when he came back informed me that trick-or-treating was happening (I thought it was the night before, so I thought we had missed it).  The boys hadn't puked all day, so I pulled my "not feeling well" butt off the couch, got the boys dressed and went trick-or-treating.  It was so cute to see them jump out of the wagon when we stopped at a new house, run up to the door and say "thank-you" after grabbing a piece of candy (or in Heath's case, a whole handful because he didn't really get the concept of "one piece"), then run back to the wagon, hop inside and get ready for the next house.  It was so nice outside that most of the parents were sitting outside handing out the candy and there were soooo many houses handing out candy, kind of surprised me for being such a small town.  But seeing as we are surrounded by a lot of little kids, I guess it makes sense.  We didn't even visit that many houses and they got so much candy....we might have candy until next Halloween!  Natalli said she had a great time trick-or-treating up north....too bad I didn't get any pictures of her!

We even got home in enough time to hand out some candy from our house.  Konner really enjoyed holding the bowl as the eager kids threw their hands into it looking for some goodies. 

Oh well, there's always next year.  And next year I will be in the spirit, even if I have to force myself!  And we will have more than just our pumpkins lining our front porch as decorations!  ....I wonder what the kids will want to be next year....

My new hobby

I've like to do crafty things for as long as I can remember.  From the time I was in second grade to eleventh grade, I was in Camp Fire and I've won two blue and two red ribbons at the Iowa State fair.  It's always been something that I enjoy doing.  I love sitting down, by myself, and having something that I can take pride in, knowing that I made it with my own two hands.  Over the years I have made some pretty cool things, if I do say so myself, and I've also produced some disasters, who hasn't?!  I had been working on my kids' scrapbooks for the past few years.  I love being able to look through old pictures of when they were babies and decorating pages of their "firsts."  But life has gotten in the way and with my kids no longer taking naps, working on them is hard work.  I'm to the point where I'm over 2 years behind and it's so daunting that I don't even want to start working on them right now.

So my good friend Danielle was telling me about her adventures in starting to crochet over the summer.  She likes to do crafty things like I do, so the thought entered my mind that it could be something I could do too.  But I didn't have anyone to teach me how to do it.  One day at Walmart I happened to walk by the crafty aisle and noticed a bunch of brightly colored yarns.  I took a stroll down the aisle and there it was....a book entitled, I Taught Myself How To Crochet.  It came with everything a beginner needed: needles, yarn markers, patterns, how-to book and a dvd, all for only $10!  The only thing I needed was yarn.  So I picked it up and picked out so beautiful yarn to start my creations. 

The first thing I made was a cell phone carrier for Natalli's play cell phone.  The instructions were kind of hard to get used to, but once I got the hang of it, it finished itself in no time!

After I was done with that, I decided to make a scarf for myself.  I started with an easier scarf, since I had only made one thing so far.  It's more of a "decoration" scarf, than a "keep warm" scarf.

After I finished my scarf, I was going to make one for Natalli.  Hers was going to be an actual "keep warm" scarf, but she informed me that she wanted one "just like mommy's."  So I made her a smaller version of mine, only with different colored yarn.  She LOVES it!

And then I decided that I would make hats for the boys.  I was looking through free patterns online and came across a couple of hats that were just TOO cute!  I let Konner choose which one he wanted, he choose the dragon/dinosaur one, which was no big surprise to me.  It was a little time consuming, but considering I've never made a hat in my life, I think it turned out pretty good.  Most important thing is that he liked it, that's all that matters to me!

Next on my list....a monkey hat for Heath, which I think will be ADORABLE on him, and no I'm not biased in the least!  And if I get real ambitious, I'm making the "sock" monkey that goes along with it! 

One day really soon I'll get out all my scrapbooking pictures, paper and stickers and get to work on the past 2 1/2 years I've missed.  Hopefully I'll be able to skype with Danielle while I do it.  But in the meantime, I'll keep practicing on my new hobby, which I am pretty sure I.am.in.love.with!  Who knows what I'll be able to make next!

Finally a real fall!

Fall is finally here!  It is probably my favorite time of the year!  Unfortunately for us here in Iowa, we don't usually get a "fall."  It always seems to go straight from hot and humid to freezing in the blink of an eye.  The 70s, and even 60s, never seem to last very long.  Which is really such a bummer because those are the best temps ever!  This fall though things seem to be a little different.  We seem to actually be blessed with a FALL!  We've had lots of 60s and 70s and I've been thoroughly enjoying every minute of it! 

There are so many things to love about fall, I just can't even begin to express my love for it!  Granted, every season has their good things about them.  Spring has flowers, winter has Christmas and snow and summer has heat and no school.  But fall is just......fall!  The leaves are changing colors and they are a beautiful sight to behold.  The sound of the leaves crunching underneath your feet as you walk.  The crisp, cool air.  The kind of weather where you might need jeans and maybe even a light jacket, but the suns rays keep you warm.  The sound of combines and grain carts as they harvest the year's corn and beans.  The smell in the air that is almost hard to describe.  It just smells like "fall."  Almost like a campfire, but not quite that strong.  The anticipation that Halloween is soon upon us.... 

Most people's favorite holiday is Christmas, and while I do love that holiday too, there is just something about Halloween that I adore!  I've remembered it being my favorite holiday for as long as I  can remember.  ....And I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I have the biggest sweet tooth in the entire world!  And I think I enjoy Halloween even more now that I have my own kids.  I can "relive" all the excitement, of picking out a costume and getting dressed up to get candy, through them.  The look on their faces as they ring the doorbell and wait to pick out their treat is so exciting them.

And then there are the pumpkins.  Nothing is more fun than going to a pumpkin patch and picking out that perfect pumpkin.  Seeing all the other little kids picking out their own pumpkins.  The hay rides and the pony rides are always an enjoyment to behold.  We haven't carved our pumpkins yet.  It was something  I remember loving to do when I was little, but we haven't started doing it with our own kids yet.  Instead we enjoy painting our pumpkins.  They seem to last a lot longer since they aren't butchered and scooped out.  Last year they lasted almost to December!!  When the kids were really little I painted them for them.  Then last year I made patterns and they painted within the lines.  This year I let them go all out and paint whatever they wanted on it, they turned out adorable and are lining the front steps to our first fall in our house!

I wish fall could last longer than it does, but I suppose I should be thankful that it is almost the middle of October and it hasn't snowed yet.  Not only that, but it was just in the 80s last week!  Maybe someone finally got the hint that when fall comes we should have it for more than a week and a half!  Whatever the reason, this fall is extra special as we start the first of our many celebrations/holidays in our new town and our new house.  That is always something extra special to look forward to.  And after fall finally decides to leave and everything is harvested, after the candy is collected and Halloween is over for another year, winter will be upon us, and with winter, the excitement of Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas presents and then the start of a brand new year!

Just so you know....

One of my besties, who happens to also be my cousin-in-law (fancy that) just moved to Arizona a little over a week and a half ago.  I was not feeling the greatest when she had her moving party, but I showed up anyway because I could not let her leave without at least saying good-bye in person.  Hope I didn't get anyone sick!  On our way over to her party I started bawling like a baby knowing that I was going to have to say good-bye to her.  I bawled like a baby when I wrote inside her card (which also made me bawl).  I wiped my tears and made my way inside with everyone, just in enough time to see her little boy and little girl one last time.  I managed not to cry while I admired all the friends and family she had there and I held it together to hold a conversation with her.  We couldn't stay very long because the kids were with us and I was sick.  When I realized I had to leave and actually say my goodbyes, I started bawling before I even said anything to her.  (Hell, I'm crying just typing this).  We held each other in a hug which to other people in the room probably thought we were over-doing it.  We were crying on each other's shoulders and I unfortunately got her hairspray hair in my mouth, which I didn't want to move because then I'd have to let go of the hug.  :-)  After saying our goodbyes and my "ugly crying" we left.  All the way home I bawled, literally for like 40 minutes straight.

The past week and a half have seemed like months already.  I miss our Friday night family get-togethers and watching The Hangover for the thousand and one time.  I miss our morning play dates and outing adventures.  There was still so much I wanted to do with her before she left that I didn't get a chance to do.  I have been able to read her blog updates to see how the move and getting settled in went, which has both been fun and sad at the same time.  And then after writing her a lengthy email I realized, I am not being the greatest friend.



I love this girl!




My kids would rather take a wonderful picture with Danielle than with me!




Konner and Caden are the best of friends!!



One of my greatest memories!

I'm sure she had plenty of people doubting why they would make such a huge move across the country and people doubting that they would enjoy it down there.  And instead of being the friend who understood and was happy for her, I came off as the friend making her feel guilty for going.  Because staying here with me, I thought, was more important than what she needed to do for her family.

So I am on here, to let her and everyone else know, I'm soooo happy for you!  I couldn't be more excited for you and your family!  The pictures already look amazing and I am eager to see more of AZ and the outings you guys take as the year goes on.  I'm sorry that I have been so selfish in your leaving!  I just knew that I would miss you immensely and it's not like I can just come visit you on a whim some weekend.  A friend like you only comes around once in a lifetime and I'm grateful every day that you and your family came into my life.  You have made the last year and a half a joyous one, that's for sure.  I'll never forget our front yard water fight, our Friday night family gatherings, our trying on the same coat at the same time, or our endless quoting of The Hangover.  ....Seriously Carlos, not at the table!  You have made me smile and laugh when no one else could and when I was really down.  Your kids made my kids' lives happier and richer just knowing them, especially Caden.  I don't think Konner could have asked for a better first friend than him!  I should have been a friend you could lean on when you were apprehensive or scared.  I should never have been the person who made you feel bad or guilty about leaving.  I was selfish, and for that I deeply apologize.  

And I'm sorry for acting like you guys were dying, because although AZ feels like a million miles away, it's not like I've said good-bye to you forever.  You'll be back to visit and I hope sometime I can come down to visit you.  There's always email, blogging, facebook, and skype.  As long as you'll still have me, there is no getting rid of me!  Just because you are living far away, doesn't mean our friendship is ending.  You will not get rid of me!  Although it'll be sad that I won't be able to see your kids grow up in person, get to hold any new babies you have or have anymore play dates and get-togethers on a whim, I'll still be happy that you are in my life!  You mean the world to me, and despite my rather sad attempts at trying to convince you to change your mind and move in next door to us, I hope you know that!  I am VERY happy for you and your family and I'm excited for your new journey!  There's a small hole in my heart for your leaving and my missing you, but all tears aside, there is a bigger spot in my heart for you, your friendship and my happiness that you are happy!  'Cause as a friend, that's all I want in life for you (besides love of course).  

I miss you tons, and I LOVE YOU!!

A new job = more opportunities!

I have been a "farmer's wife" for quite some time now, but I have never gotten used to the lifestyle.  I knew what I was getting myself into when I married Greg, don't get me wrong, but it's never quite as you imagine it will be.  I suppose I'm lucky in the fact that he doesn't farm for himself, that lifestyle would be much more worse I believe. 

I grew up in a relatively big suburb, my graduating class was 310 people.  In a lot of states that might seem small, but for Iowa, that's actually pretty big, at least in the time period in which I graduated.  I had never been on a farm in my life before I met Greg.  I knew the experience was going to much different than I ever imagined.  And after Greg and I started dating I knew that farming, in one way or another, would become part of my life as well because I knew it was way too important for Greg to give up.  And I was o.k. with this....at the time.  Then Greg and I got married, and although he didn't own his own farmland and didn't farm his own ground, what I had gotten myself into was almost just as worse. 

Greg started out our married life together as an applicator.  In the easiest way to explain that is he was the guy that got in a big machine and sprayed chemicals and whatever else onto farm ground and crops.  This meant many lonely nights alone as he was out well to midnight trying to finish up the day's spraying orders.  I didn't really like this one bit, as it would go on for weeks at a time.  Not to mention that he was gone a lot of weekends working as well, which got to be quite a downer when you spend the whole weekend by yourself.  But I knew he was making money for us, so I dealt with it.  However, then came along our first child, and I suddenly became a "single mom" a lot of the time.  This was hard to deal with, living in a small town, with no one you know, by yourself with your brand new infant.  I really did not like that one bit. 

However, he eventually moved his way up into Ag Sales.  Which I was very excited about!  Not only was it more money, but I was under the impression that he would be around a lot more.  Which was nice seeing as now I had two children to deal with and I didn't enjoy being a "single mom" with both of them.  He did seem to be around a lot more than when he was an applicator, but still not to the extent that I was hoping for.  He still had to work late nights when the farmers needed a tank filled, deliver seed or a bar fixed.  He still had to work weekends for the same reasons, although usually not Sunday because farmers were a little more respectful of that day.  He also still got stuck in an applicator quite a bit because he was one of the only guys at work that could run a machine and run it well, so he often became the scapegoat to do the dirty work for other people, which pissed me off to no end.

Then came along a job with another company, same Ag Sales position, but a different company.  And with this company came the promise that he would be a salesman and nothing but a salesman.  Which gave me high hopes that his working weekends and late nights would end.  And to an extent they did, but not as much as I was hoping.  He no longer became the guy that had to go applicate because they were short-handed, but he was still the guy that had to fill anhydrous tanks and fix toolbars because they didn't have enough man power to be able to do it for him.  He was in a somewhat new territory and it was HUGE!  The driving distance from one end of his territory to the other was about an hour.  May not seem like a big deal, but a huge deal when two different customers from opposite ends of the territory want you at the same time.  It was stressful and tiring and still had him working late and some Saturdays, and me, by myself, a "single mom," now with 3 kids to deal with.  We at least moved from our acreage out in the middle of nowhere to a house in a town, so I didn't feel so secluded and I was closer to things to do, but it was still lonely.  But this is what I had signed on for when I got married to him, I knew what I was getting myself into...for the most part.

But as of today I'm happy to say that Greg has a new job!  He will still somewhat be working with the same company, but he is technically hired by a new company.  He no longer is doing Ag Sales, which I'm happy about  purely just for his sanity.  He loved selling and meeting new people, but didn't appreciate the farmers who thought everything was about them, no matter the time of day or what you had going on.  And the farmers who thought it was not big deal to call you up to tell you to go "fuck yourself" because they weren't happy with the business, when it was something that was completely out of his control and couldn't help on his end of things.  Now his job is Precision Ag something-or-other.  I have to admit, I don't know much about it.  All I know is that he mentioned a couple years ago that if a position came open, that's really what he wanted to do.  He's still going to be Ag oriented and he's still going to feel like he's part of the "farming" industry.  Now, though, he gets to sit in a nice little office, with pictures of the kids and their artwork framing the walls.  He gets to wear nice clothes work and not worry about them getting sprayed with chemicals and oil and ruined.  He doesn't have to drive around ALL day long to try to talk to farmers who seem to have sticks up their arses.  And work is only about 15 minutes away now, no more computing an hour to work every morning!  And it's working with computers and computer programs, which he's always enjoyed and had a small passion for.  Plus he knows the other guy he's going to be working with, they are about the same age, and he really likes him, so that's awesome for him as well!

Plus, there are major perks for me as well!  No more feeling like a "single mom" anymore.  There will be no more working weekends, there will be no more working late at night because it's planting or harvesting season.  If I need him to come home because someone is sick, he can leave whenever he wants.  If I need him to come to a doctor's appointment with me or watch the kids while I go to one, he can do that too.  There are times when he'll be able to work from home or take random days off if he wants to.  His schedule is going to be a lot more flexible, which will be sooo different, but sooo nice and a very welcome change!  Not only that, but we hear our benefits are amazing! 

I cannot wait!  He is going to be much happy with this new job, I can tell already.  And I'm so happy he finally found out, a month is a long time to wait to see if you are going to get hired or not.  I can't wait to see what this new job has in store for him and our family.  We are excited to have more free time together and to get the opportunity to do a lot more family-oriented things.  Especially when we decide to add to our family.  Congratulations Hunny, I am so excited for you and so proud of you!  Way to go! 

Sunshine through the frustrations

Days like today frustrate me to no end, but they are the days when I need to remember my blessings the most.  The day started out like any other day, woke up feeling tired, irritable and the kids were crabby.  Most days start out like this, I don't ever get enough sleep.  But the older two kids at least somewhat listen to me and do what I say, and if they don't, time-out is where they go.  My youngest, however, is a whole other story. 

He is the typical 18-month old and a boy, those two things do not go well together.  And today he was pushing the limits with me.  He doesn't listen at all, or pretends like he can't hear me, I haven't decided which one yet.  He climbs on the couches and chairs.  He jumps off the little play table and stands on the dining room table and plays with the chandelier.  He messes with the blinds and changes the channel on the TV with the remote.  He screams, bites his brother and sister, as well as pinches and hits.  This makes him sound like a horrible child, which he isn't.  He is also really loving.  He's just a boy and loves to push the boundaries and just generally loves being a little shit a lot of the time.  I can't really blame him sometimes, a lot of the stuff he does he has learned from his older siblings.  He is a VERY big mama's boy and sometimes I wonder if he pushes my buttons just to try to get my attention.  But because of his age, he does not quite understand the whole "time-out" situation yet.  We've tried a couple of times, but he just smiles and laughs. 

Today though, wow, he knew just how to push my buttons and I was getting BEYOND frustrated with him!  But I reminded myself, no matter how rotten he is, or how much he doesn't listen to me, that I am blessed to have him in my life!  Not a lot of people know this bit of information, because well, I don't really share it with people, but I could have lost him before he was born.  Heath was born 8 days early, thank goodness, and when he was born, he was born with what the medical people call a "true knot" in his umbilical cord.  Sometime while he was cooking he got him umbilical cord in a complete knot and tightened it.  It only happens in about 1% of all births, and it can be very dangerous.  It usually happens when they are either so little that it's easy for them to twist and turn to get themselves inside the knot loop or it happens when they are coming out of the birth canal.  It's hard to tell when it actually occurs in a particular pregnancy.  But if it happens well before birth, the baby runs the risk of tightening the knot with every move they make.  The tighter the knot, the less oxygen the baby receives.  If the baby is cut off from oxygen serious side effects can occur, worst of all would be death.  And if the knot occurs during birth, if birth takes too long the sames results could happen.  Our midwife told us we were very lucky, his knot appeared to be loose and he didn't show any signs of having oxygen loss.  ....We did, however, get a picture of the knot, just for remembering purposes.  We were blessed with a very healthy, and big, baby, but it scares me to think of the "what-ifs."  We were lucky!

So on days like today I try to remember that no matter how much he is pushing my buttons or getting on my nerves or making me mad because he's not listening to me, that he could have not been here at all.  Not matter how "bad" he is, I will always remember how lucky we are to have him in our lives and how grateful we are that his "situation" didn't turn out the other way around.  Because his smile lights up my life.  His hugs and kisses are the sweetest.  The way he signs for milk is adorable.  And the way he cuddles on my shoulder when he is tired makes my heart sing.  He has the sweetest blue eyes and the cutest blond, curly hair.  And I can't imagine not having any of that in my life.  Every frustrating moment with him is covered up by 50 happy moments with him and that's what I have to remember.  I have to put my frustration aside and remember that he is just learning how to navigate this life and he will tests my buttons, not just now, but when he's older too.  But I wouldn't trade that for anything, because I am lucky to have him in my life.  And lucky means a whole new thing for me now.  I am truly LUCKY to have him here, because things could have turned out differently.  He is my special boy, my sweetness.  And when I have more days like this in the future, because I know I will, I will continue to remind myself how blessed I am to have him in the first place; a happy, healthy and sweet little boy!

Konner meets the Binky Fairy

A couple of weeks ago I had had it, it was time for Konner's binkies to go!  I don't really remember what made me decide that; something to do with the fact that he was hiding them around the house and whenever I told him to keep it out of his mouth, he'd go find one that he had hidden.  Just hit my button just right that day I guess.  So I called Greg and said that I had had enough, the binkies were leaving with the Binky Fairy.  Greg was a little hesitant about this decision.  Not that he didn't think that Konner was old enough to get rid of the binky, but that his older sister still got to use her thumb for comfort, that wasn't fair.  Which I agree, it isn't quite fair that Natalli could still suck on her thumb, but we can't cut her thumb off!  ....But that's a story for another day.

Konner has always been attached to his binky, which fairly surprised me because his older sister absolutely refused one!  When we were in the hospital the nurses gave him one during his little "procedure" and he fell in love with it.  I could never get it away from him.  There are hundreds of pictures I have of him with the binky stuck firmly in his mouth.  I always said that he would never have the binky past age 2, because something about an older child with a binky hanging out of their mouth always bugged me a little bit.  ....And then I became a mom of a child who was in love with their binky, and everything changed.  He never was attached to a blanket and he was never attached to a stuffed animal, so the binky was the only thing that gave him comfort.  It helped him to fall asleep and it helped him feel better when he was hurt or upset.  There was nothing he wanted more than his binky. 

There was one point when he was around 2 1/2 that I decided the daytime binky needed to go.  He was allowed to have it at nap time and bedtime, but during the day I didn't want him to have it.  Granted, his big, brown, puppy dog eyes sometimes got to me and if we were at home, I gave in, but for the most part, he only got it when he was going to sleep.  However, this little boy is a very smart little boy and would tell me that he was tired and wanted to take a nap so that he could have his binky after I told him he couldn't have it.  It always made me smile, that he would think of something like that just to get his binky. 

But the day came, he wouldn't keep it out of his mouth, even after repeatedly telling him to.  And I knew that he could go to sleep without it, because there were times where he fell asleep before he put it in his mouth.  So I knew it was time.  That and the fact that he is almost 3 1/2, it needed to go.  I was a little nervous about actually following through with it, as I had seen on Super Nanny, taking away the binky is not a fun thing to deal with.  Kids cry and scream and throw giant fits for days afterwards.  I was NOT looking forward to having to watch my little guy go through this.  But I knew that if I didn't do it he would be going to kindergarten with a binky, which I did not want! 

So Greg and I decided that we would use the "Binky Fairy" to come take his binkies.  This way mommy and daddy didn't seem like the "meanies taking his binkies."  In exchange for his binkies, the Binky Fairy would bring him a surprise.  We asked him one night before bed if the Binky Fairy should come and take his binkies.  He surprisingly said yes, although I don't think he was sure exactly what he was saying yes to.  We told him that she would come and take his binkies and give them to new baby boys that needed them and in return would  bring him a present.  He seemed o.k. with this idea, I mean, who doesn't like presents?  He had been in love with the new Mater Tale on TV, Monster Truck Mater, so we found a play set at Target that came with Frightening McMean, it was perfect.  So the next night, we got all his binkies, put them in a bag and left them for the Binky Fairy.  He was a little upset about this because he didn't realize that meant he couldn't actually have one that night.  So daddy had to lay with him for awhile, which is o.k., daddy secretly likes it.  :-)

The next morning he woke up and I asked him if he wanted to see what the Binky Fairy brought him.  He got this huge smile on his face as he remembered there was a present waiting for him.  He was more than ecstatic!  He LOVED it!  Of course I had to immediately take it out of the box and put it together.  He started playing with it right away and wanted to watch Monster Truck Mater while he played with it.  It was very cute and I was very happy that things seemed to be working out alright, he must have been ready to give up the binky....and then nap time came.....and along with nap time came the fit!




Inspecting his loot




Overwhelmed a little by the fact that the Binky Fairy actually came!


We actually got off pretty easy I think.  He did cry the first 3 days or so, but only at nap time or bedtime.  He always asked for his binky, to which we had to remind him that the Binky Fairy came and picked them up to give to the new little baby boys.  He would always respond with pouty eyes and crocodile tears.  Nothing makes a mommy feel worse than her little boy crying because of something she did.  It was my fault that he was so upset and there were times I wanted to give in and give them back to him, it didn't help that Greg didn't think it was time to do this to him so I had no one on my side, but I held my ground.  And to my surprise, after about 3 or 4 days, he stopped asking for it and to this day he hasn't asked for it once.  I think it helps that his little brother also doesn't take a binky, so I don't have to worry about him trying to steal his.  

A few days after we quite the binky habit, just by coincidence, we got him his Build-A-Bear, which is a wolf we named Wolfie.  And he has become his new comfort object, taking the place of his binky.  When he's sad or upset, he wants Wolfie.  When he goes to sleep, he has to cuddle with Wolfie.  Wolfie goes pretty much anywhere that he goes, he might even have to go to preschool with him!  So the binkies are out and the wolf is in!  Giving up the binky habit wasn't quite as hard as I thought it would be, I honestly thought he would put up more of a fight, but he didn't, and that makes me feel soooo much better and happy.  The Binky Fairy came, left him a present and we are now binky-free!  I still somewhat miss my little boy who cuddles on my lap with the binky in his mouth or seeing him smile behind his binky.  He seems so much older now that he doesn't use it...and of course I hate the fact that he is growing up so fast!  But it is all for the better and he seems happy and healthy without it.  Thank goodness it was easier than I thought it would be and thank goodness for the Super Nanny for giving me the Binky Fairy idea!  Oh, Binky Fairy, how I love thee!  What would we have done without you?!

It's official....

It's official, I now have a kindergartner.  My oldest and only little girl now goes to school 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, for approximately 9 1/2 months.  How on Earth did that happen?  It seems like just yesterday she was my only child, my baby and I was rocking her to sleep.  Now she is learning how to be a person in this giant world of ours.  Amazing!

The first official day of school was yesterday and things didn't go exactly how I imagined or how we planned.  Everything seemed o.k. at first.  Greg and I both took her to school, just the three of us.  We both wanted to see her off on her very first day of all-day school, since this was something that was only going to happen once in her life.  After taking our first day of school pictures, with her dressed up in her "iCarly"-like outfit, we were ready to head out.  We left about 30 minutes early, even though it only takes us about 10 minutes to get to her school.  And boy was it a good thing we did.  When we got into town there was traffic backed up from every direction, it took us a good 15 minutes just to get through all of the crowds of cars and people.  I've never seen anything like it before!  I mean, I know it was the first day of school, but my goodness!  It was chaotic!  After we finally found a parking space, in what seemed like 5 miles from the school, we got out, got on her backpack and headed toward the kindergarten wing.  ...Oh, did I happen to mention yet that it was raining on her first day of school?  No?  Well, it was raining and enough to need an umbrella, so luckily for Nat, she has a nice princess one that did the job!

We get inside the building and find her coat hook by her teacher's name.  She was lucky enough to be graced with her own coat hook, no sharing for her!  We hang up her new iCarly backpack, her umbrella and put her new iCarly lunchbox on the shelf by her name.  She then goes to the bathroom and we head to her room.  So far so good, she seems nervous, but excited, as are we.  We get to her room, her teacher greets her and she goes to her spot and finds her name tag.  Nat puts on her name tag and I take one last picture of her in her new room.  Greg and I kiss her good-bye, give her hugs and say our good-byes.  We turn around to leave and just as we are about ready to walk down the hallway, it happens.  She was about to head to a group of girls playing on the floor, stops dead in her tracks and turns around, tears streaming down her face.  She comes running to us and gives me a big hug and through her sobs say, "I'm going to miss you mommy!" 

Natalli at her coat hook



Natalli in class, right before the tears started



The six dreaded words I was afraid I was going to hear.  I thought we were getting off lucky, everything seemed to be going fine, but I guess I just needed to wait a few more seconds.  I take her back into her class, where her teacher was surprised to see that she had "escaped."  There is a girl from her dance class last year who is in her class, so I attempted to get them to talk before I gave her one last hug and told her I had to go.  I wanted to stay and wipe away her tears and tell her that everything would be alright, but I knew that if I did that it would only make things worse.  So I turned around, and Greg and I left, the sound of her sobbing ringing in my ears.  I've never felt so bad!

The day went by relatively fast, at least for me and it was soon time to pick her up.  Greg went with me again, he wanted to be in the car when she got out of school and he stayed behind in the car to watch the kids while I went in to go get her.  When I got to her room she already had her backpack and lunchbox and was ready to go.  She came running at me with big smiles.  She was proud to show me what she had done that day, what she all ate in her lunch and the things she did in class.  She even learned a new song that she sang to us at dinner.  She got to enjoy p.e. and saw one of her other dance class friends in the cafeteria at lunch time.  She sounded happy and excited about the day she had.  Which I have to admit, made me feel a lot better!

And on to today, the second day of school.  She was a little upset this morning because she complained that the day at school took a long time to get over and that she missed me, but she seemed excited to go back again.  It was just me who dropped her off this morning, along with Konner, Heath and Ady.  We dropped off her stuff at her hook, she went to the bathroom and we headed down to her room.  The teacher greeted her at the door, I gave her a kiss and a hug, told her I loved her.  She then preceded to tell me that I needed to kiss her on the hand like the book they read in class yesterday, The Kissing Hand.  So I did and I turned around and left.  There were no tears, no running after me, no telling me that she was going to miss me.  The day is now half-over and I'm hoping that she is having fun in class.  Maybe it was just a minor speed bump in the road, I hope so.  I still can't believe she is old enough for kindergarten, but I hope that she has a fantastic, happy and well-rounded adventure!