sprouting roots

dear self,

2012-02-14T11:19:00.000-08:00

Feel free to daydream today. Take the liberty of going back in time for a moment...

Drink in these blossoms...

Nibble on these madelines...

Do some french kissing...

Ok, the moment's past. Now get back to reality.

**After I wrote this post, I sensed some serious deja-vu. After some investigation, I realized why: apparently Valentine's Day stirs up Parisian memories of the past, and I can't seem to post on any other subject... or choose any other pictures. Ah, love.

great things coming soon to a dining room near you!

2012-02-14T09:56:00.000-08:00

Here's the boat. Or the dock. Call it what you will... I'll call it my interim dining room table.

Until we find the time to start building our new table (or if I just happen to find the exact one I want for an amazing price), this picnic table that we yanked out of the Grandparent's barn will suffice.

It looks pretty weathered (on top), and I love that. Unfortunately, the "weathered" look is more from massive amounts of dirt ingrained into the wood; so sanding and sealing needs to happen before it can be eaten off of. We were attempting to get that done before Tripp arrived- surprise! That didn't happen.

So until it does, the boys will continue to fish off of it...

And everyone who comes to visit will ask what a picnic table is doing in our living room.

Anyone have any ideas on what I should do to it? Leave it natural? Stain it? Paint all of it? Paint the top only/bottom only? I can't decide.

The GREATEST news is that my birthday present is nearing completion! My mother in law has really outdone herself yet again, and I am uber excited to get that enormous hunk of furniture in here! Can't wait to show you when it's all finished!

two weeks in

2012-02-09T19:45:00.000-08:00

New life is beginning to form around here, and as with all new life, it's starting out small and slow. I'm gradually picking up the bits and pieces of life as we knew it before Tripp; at the same time learning how to develop fresh habits that meet multiple needs simultaneously. Meanwhile, I am trying to broaden my patience as we are all still adjusting to life with a newborn.

Here are a few things I've realized thus far:

1. Prolactin- it's the cause of a nursing let-down and also a tears let-down. So it really is a physiological thing happening when you nurse and cry at the same time. Good to know. So the next time you see me with a dark speck under my eye it will be smeared mascara, not a teardrop tattoo.

2. A soft, fuzzy shoulder is perhaps my favorite part on any newborn- I can't get enough!

3. Baths are overrated; showers are not. Tripp has had literally 3 baths since he's been born. Unfortunately, I haven't had too many more. A very necessary thing to keep sanity in check!

4. It is possible for my heart to keep expanding. How is it possible to love so fiercely?

5. Just because I'm a mom to 3 boys doesn't mean I have to be tough. It really is O.K. to bawl my eyes out while a needle digs around in his arm. And sometimes it's O.K. to answer your son's question of "Why do mommies cry all the time?" with "Because.", and leave it at that. The old answer of "Cause Mommy just wants her baby out" doesn't fit anymore...

6. I don't feel guilty pretending to still be nursing just so Jeff will be the one to wipe a bottom or go break up a fight.

7. I completely forgot how great baby's breath smells. (No, not the flower)

8. It's not cool when you stumble to the bathroom in the middle of the night and step on a lego.

9. Watching a baby's facial expressions is cheap entertainment.

10. How grateful I am to be married to a dad who is so active in his kids' lives and takes them everywhere so mom can get a break.

Out for some bird huntin'... don't neglect to notice Finn's gloves

11. I am completely aware of how much better of a recovery I am having this time, and beyond thankful to the Lord for that.

12. It should be mandatory to get weekly massages for a couple months after giving birth. Why is this not the Law yet?

13. My appetite is all messed up. I'm ravenous one minute, then the next I have no desire to eat, and can't decide on anything. It keeps life interesting for Jeff, who has been stocking the fridge and cupboards for me...

14. I love how the boys are able to light me up and make me laugh, even when I feel like a zombie.

15. Door locks are my newest acquaintance. 'Ello, there mates!

wordless wednesday: wait, you're telling me this isn't how books get read over at your house?

2012-02-08T10:50:00.000-08:00

Tripp Coleman: one boy's entrance into the world

2012-02-07T21:42:00.000-08:00

The morning of Wednesday, January 25th, I woke up remembering that I had a prenatal appointment with my midwives at noon. I quickly asked Jeff if he would be able to come home from work to watch the boys for an hour while I went for a quick check-up and to have my belly painted. I was super excited to have my belly painted since I didn't get to during Finn's pregnancy... well, I didn't get to this pregnancy either, and I'm not bitter about it. I guess belly painting just isn't in my cards.

Wondering if I should squeeze in a quick shower before my appointment or not, I decided not to and just threw my hair up in a messy bun, tossed on leggings, a stretchy skirt, my flowered bra under a yellow see-through T-shirt and a cozy gray zip-up hoodie, and shoved my bare feet into some boots. Off. I. Went.

Arriving at the birth center, I chatted with the gals about how I was feeling so great, and was ready for Baby to come, but knew that he shouldn't since just that morning Finn began throwing up, and I knew those boys needed to be cared for. I went and did the urine dipstick test and plopped down on the couch and started talking to the nurse midwife. The apprentice left to go check the dipstick results and came back to take my blood pressure. She shushed us so she could listen, and as she pulled the cuff off my arm she said, "Bad news- your blood pressure is really high, and there was protein in your urine." Ok, well this was nothing new (well, the protein in the urine was new) since I'd had high blood pressure the other two pregnancies. In my mind, I had two options: go home on bedrest with a 24-hr urine sample, or go to the naturopath and get a magnesium IV to lower the blood pressure and then come back and have the midwives break my water to induce labor. Both of those had happened in my past pregnancies, so I was prepared for that. What I wasn't prepared for was the whole gang of midwives consulting about what actions needed to be taken, and then coming in to tell me that at this high level of blood pressure, I couldn't be treated at the birth center. Technically, I needed to go to the hospital immediately, and that I should go via ambulance. Letting all this sink in- the fact that it was a very real possibility that I wasn't going to come back to Bella Vie- but have my baby that day at the hospital- I told them that I was honestly feeling FINE. Unlike the other two pregnancies with hypertension, I wasn't feeling any sort of swelling/tingling in my fingers and toes and I couldn't even feel my blood pressure pumping hard through my veins. It didn't feel like a very big issue, so I was trying to grasp at what they were saying. I declined the ambulance ride, but allowed an apprentice to drive me to the hospital. We checked in and handed them all our paperwork and a few vials of my blood for them to run STAT labs on. We got tucked into a triage room, and after the nurse heard my audible groan when she told me to change into a gown, she let me stay in my clothes and just put the monitors around my belly. Unfortunately, they needed continual access to my arm, so off my hoodie went and nicely exposed was my yellow see-through T-shirt and floral bra. My boots had to come off so they could check my reflexes and legs for any signs of swelling, and by that point my feet were sweaty from stress and being sockless in boots for way longer than anticipated. My apologies go out to the apprentice who sat at the foot of the bed near the smelly things for a few hours.

Jeff met us there and we waited and waited as news came back of my bloodwork being lost in transportation. The on-call doc came in and very matter-of-factly stated that Baby had been in there long enough, and with high blood pressure like this and protein in the urine (just over the "limit") that we should get him out today... so we were going to get checked into a delivery room and have an I.V. started of Pitocin and get labor going. I was instantly frustrated, but calmly tried to tell them that I was there to be monitored and if my blood pressure continued to go down (which it had since we got there) and if all the lab results checked out O.K., it was my desire to be discharged and continue with my birth plan out at the birth center.

And while we waited, contractions began... well, contractions continued. I had been having contractions really frequently for many weeks, but laying on that triage bed at a horrible angle was making my back hurt and the contractions to not let up. They were two minutes apart quite often. I didn't think much of it, and thought that I just needed to get out of that position and they would die down. At around 5pm, I felt a little spill of fluid, and for an instant, debated whether or not to tell anyone. I decided to speak up and said, "Umm... I think my water may have just broke..." You would think I would know what that feels like since it's happened twice already, but it was all too weird being in a place that I didn't want to be, and go into labor not only naturally, but early?! I waddled to the bathroom, and the nurse once again tried to get me to change into a gown, and I declined, telling her to just do the swab test. It instantly turned blue, but 10 minutes later when she returned from the lab, she said the results were inconclusive as to whether or not it was actually amniotic fluid. Having felt a few little gushes since then, I knew what was happening, and refused to lay back down on the bed and get hooked up to the blood pressure cuff again.

I sat on the edge of the bed, knowing that from previous experience, contractions intensify fast after my water breaks, and wanted to get outta there. Jeff and the apprentice were on the phone with the midwives, giving them an update and seeing what their thoughts were. The midwives told Jeff that they needed to pray about it, and told us to do the same. So we hung up and prayed together. I knew that if I stayed, I wouldn't be able to get up off of the bed due to the monitors, and I was not confident in my ability to labor naturally in that position. It was already too painful. And I knew that if they gave me Pitocin, that would only make things worse. And then thoughts of requesting an epidural and then needing a C-section because too much intervention had taken place freaked me out. That and the fact that the doctor was very convincing about "this is what needs to be done" and didn't even give us options and let us decide. I didn't like that. I knew what I wanted. I had a peace. I was confident. I wanted to leave and return to the birth center (if the midwives allowed it). My blood pressure was back down to the allowable range for me to be treated there, and I was very confident that once I got into the birthing tub, the water would help lower it even more. And knowing that my water had already broken, I was certain my body would be able to birth this little dude out quickly. The midwives gave us their O.K., and I'm not quite sure I've gotten a worse look from a medical provider when I told them our decision. Having signed the AMA form (leaving against medical advice), I nearly ripped the monitors off my belly and headed for the elevators. The apprentice waited with me while Jeff put his graceful cheetah-like moves to the test and ran to get the truck. This was his moment. The moment he had waited 3 pregnancies for. The moment where he could drive fast and kinda crazy to get to the birth center. It's pretty lame driving in when you're to be induced, so I let him do his thang (I only yelled at him once).

It felt great to be welcomed back to the birth center, and I quickly found my way into the big jacuzzi tub, where I promptly asked for a razor. Neglecting a shower that morning was proving to be a big mistake, and I wasn't too far along in labor to not care about hairy pits. The apprentice searched for a bit, then apologized for the absence of a razor with the excuse of "we're all kinda hippies 'round here". I laughed and then resigned myself to the fact that Baby would be coming soon, hairy pits or not. I was correct in my thinking that the water would lower my blood pressure. The first reading they took was awesome, and everyone breathed big sighs of relief. I continued to labor in the tub, noting the contractions intensifying yet being aware that my back labor was nothing like it was with my other two births. So at that point, even though I had arrived at 5cm/95% effaced, I wasn't sure if things were progressing as fast as they had previously.

I stayed in there for awhile... maybe an hour and a half or so (time is unsure-to me- since the next part all happened really fast) I was starting to feel a little pressure down low about the time when they needed to listen to Baby's heart rate for a few minutes. They kept listening... and listening. Apparently Baby's heart rate had begun to stay high after contractions, instead of lowering back down. And when a baby's heart rate stays high, there is question as to why it isn't returning to normal- is baby getting enough oxygen? What would cause baby not to have enough oxygen?

Contractions were really intense, and I was trying to focus on relaxing through them, and trying to listen to the midwives talk amongst themselves at the same time. All of a sudden they tell me that we're getting out of the water and up onto the bed. Instantly my mind was saying, "No! I want to birth in the water, not on land! Why do I have to be on the bed?", but all I said was O.K. and then heaved myself out. A contraction instantly hit, and I doubled over onto the side of the tub while a midwife put a ton of pressure on my tailbone. They put a bathrobe on me to help keep me warm as I made my way over to the bed, where they began monitoring again. Out of no where an oxygen mask got put on my face, and I really started wondering what was going on/how bad it was, especially since I honestly felt great (besides the agony of labor). I didn't feel short of breath, or feel like anything was wrong, and I just tried to go with the flow of now being "on land" and having to finish the rest of the delivery like this, all while trying hard to distinguish through the medical whispers. They started pressing on my belly and asking if it hurt anywhere, to which I replied "no", and I realized they were worried about my placenta beginning to detach, which would be causing Baby to not be receiving enough oxygen. Thankfully I felt no abnormal pain! They continued to monitor through each contraction... which were quickly turning in to urges to push. Baby's heart rate still wasn't decreasing after contractions, and then I heard them say "Let's call 911 and have the ambulance standing by". FREAK. ME. OUT. Was it really this bad that I was this close to delivery, feeling fine, a oxygen mask slapped on my face and I was going to be transported back to the hospital? To do what... have a C-section?

At this point one of the midwives explained to us what was happening, and that for safety reasons they believed that since Baby's heart rate wasn't decreasing that we should go back to the hospital. I looked at them (since I usually have my eyes closed), and tried my best (through an oxygen mask) to firmly state that if they put me in that ambulance I would have him in there, on the way to the hospital. The midwife (who had delivered Finn) looked at me with eyes that believed me, and said, "We need to pray- Jeff, will you pray?" So my husband, who was laying across the bed and holding my hand, began to pray for Baby and I as the midwives and apprentices laid hands on me and my shaking body. After the next contraction, Baby's heart rate declined. Jeff has now told me that when they heard his heart rate go down, his eyes met the midwife's and there was huge relief. She instantly said, "Let's get her on the birthing stool" and they quickly helped me up out of bed (where I was already beginning to push) and onto a birthing stool. The birthing stool is the place you go when a baby needs to be born q u i c k l y. She told me to slink forward and tilt my pelvis forward (instead of a squatting position- which I thought felt better). Leaning back like that made me crumple in weakness since at this point I had no energy to hold myself up. Jeff and one of the apprentices immediately got behind me and literally held up my entire weight while I clung to the edges of the stool.

As the midwife manually dilated me the remaining 1 cm, Baby INSTANTLY dropped to the pelvic floor and began crowning. Pushing was all my body was capable of doing, and push it did. Mentally it was very difficult for me to make my mind up to continue pushing so hard and without ceasing, since I had prepped myself this entire pregnancy not to have a delivery like Finn's- where he barreled out of me. I had a very hard recovery with him and I wanted it to be different this time- I wanted to breathe him out. But when there is safety at stake and all you want is for this to be over and your sweet baby in your arms, you push. Push I might and with burning fire and rushing warmth out his head came. "Keep pushing, Mindi! Push! Push hard!" I was pushing with every ounce of strength I had, and he wouldn't budge. His shoulders were stuck. The midwife quickly told someone to lift my left leg up and out to the side and ordered me to push again. With my leg out, his shoulders rotated and he slipped out and up onto my chest where he made it known to the world that he had made his grand entrance. I collapsed back into Jeff's arms, and he held me as I held our baby.

(*I love these pictures and tried to salvage them since they were taken without flash in a dimly lit room)

Four minutes later my sister entered the room with a combined look of terror and relief on her face. She had turned the corner up the road and saw the ambulance lights out front, and hurried to the 3 paramedics waiting out on the front porch. She asked if they were here for me, and all they could tell her was "We think she's ok, we're here 'just in case'". She rushed in, and was greeted with the wails of a newborn.

I don't know how to end my story. Families came, friends came, delicious food was consumed, sleep has been evaded, cries are frequent. But what I've taken from this experience is that God is faithful. He provided me with strength when I was weak. He gave me amazing midwives who were knowledgeable and confident in their decisions; and I in them. I never once questioned their ability to assess the situation and make the right call. God gave me an amazing, supportive husband who advocated on my behalf when I couldn't, and was right where I needed him at every moment. And probably the thing I am most aware of from this situation that I am thankful for is that He gave me the calming peace and confidence in myself to make the right decisions for us. I wasn't fearful that I was making the wrong choice in leaving the hospital. I was confident in knowing my body could handle this birth, and birth this baby well. I was confident that when it came time to either transport or push, I knew I could push. I knew I could get Baby out.

What I also know is that if I had stayed at the hospital and been put on pitocin, had to stay in bed, any number of scenarios would've played out. Even if they hadn't put me on pitocin, and labor had gone just as it did at the birth center, with Baby's heart rate so high, I would've gone in for an emergency C-section (and most likely I would've been given general anesthesia to knock me out quickly since I hadn't had an epidural). And if I hadn't been so convinced that I could push the baby out at the birth center, I would've been transported back to the hospital for a C-section. I understand the safety issues of a baby not receiving enough oxygen and needing to be delivered quickly... I am just so thankful that I trusted myself and the Lord that this was right. I don't feel like I "took a risk". I feel like I would've been taking a bigger risk by staying at the hospital with a staff I didn't feel comfortable with and not knowing what type of intervention would've taken place.

Upon observing my placenta, it looks like there was a tiny little spot where it might possibly have started to detach. High blood pressure can cause that to happen. I think it's amazing how God designed our bodies to know it's time to get the baby out when something like that happens. I believe that's why my water broke... my body knew it was time.

I know that Life begins at conception. But ever since I grabbed hold of my waxy little boy I can't help but think that Life is just now beginning... at least beginning to get good. They say the third baby is the "Wild Card", and I'm beginning to believe it. I am excited to see what my children's entrances into the world say about their personalities or roles in life.

First Boone... then Finn... now Tripp. Oh how I can't wait to see what God has in store for us.

8:14pm
7lbs
11oz
20 1/4 inches

One Blessed Mama.

advice on how to live in the days leading up to a birth

2012-02-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

Births happen... you can't stop them. You just might not know when they're gonna happen. And after a birth your dignity is pretty much non-existent. Here's a few tips so you are able to keep what amount of dignity you may have left... unlike me.

1. Pack your bags early. Don't just toss stuff on top of the dresser and expect your husband to grab everything when you call and tell him to "Get all my stuff and hurry over here!" Cause I can guarantee he's not going to grab the peppermint oil or heating pad since it is in the shape of a pink heart and has the words Pure Romance on it.

2. Most definitely be sure to tell your husband to grab flip flops or your uggs while he's packing his bag. If you don't, you will be wearing stylish knee-high boots and stretchy yoga pants home when you get discharged.

3. Pack your husbands bag. It will save him the embarrassment of grabbing two different styles of flip flop and having to wear them for 3 days straight. At least he grabbed a left and a right. Can you just imagine if he had grabbed two lefts? Best visualization exercise for my humor right there...

4. Shave your pits. Always keep a razor with you at all times, if needed. Or else you will be in the birthing tub begging for a razor in between contractions. And for the next 3 days each time the thermometer gets shoved under your arm you can hear the gal thinking to herself the phrase from Where the Wild Things Are, "And the forest grew... and grew... and grew"

5. Clean out your fridge. Or else your mother or mother-in-law has to, and they'll see all the produce you let go bad, and all the sticky spills that you didn't have the energy to wipe up.

6. Make a list of everyone to put on your texting list to share the good news... you may end up forgetting important people or sending the texts to old numbers. This is not a good thing, especially if it's a family member.

7. Practice keeping your mouth shut. Don't offer up special treats to visitors just because you're in a delirious state of mind and don't understand the gravity of your actions. Grandma does NOT need that scone as much as you...

8. Don't EVER wear a patterned bra under a see-through shirt-- even if you have a hoodie over top. You think you won't need to take the hoodie off but you should know that's not how life works. You will need to take it off and that's where it gets embarrassingly trashy.

9. Have a little chat with your videographer husband about what exactly he wants you to do when leaving the birth center. If you don't, you'll "ruin the shot" by standing awkwardly on the porch, trying to hide behind him... no doubt trying to conceal the hideous yoga pant/knee-high boot combo...

10. Pray. Take God with you everywhere and you will always feel His presence.

wordless wednesday: why a mom can't go into labor

2012-01-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

If her boys look like this, a mom just miight be needed. Look at that uneaten toast- something is dreadfully wrong...

three-nine

2012-01-24T16:13:00.000-08:00

(A little late on finishing up this post- we really only have a matter of days until D day.)

Welp, we've made it this far. Here's where I was at this point with Finn...
here's where I am now:

-Pretty much wasted my entire Saturday afternoon in the hot shower, bawling like a baby

-Feeling emotional and passionate about everything... From major decisions to tiny gestures like witnessing a little boy in church tuck a note into his mom's back pocket that read, "I love you Momy"

-My legs have turrets- literally every time a nerve gets pinched in my groin ligaments up at the top of my legs they flail about, and I look like Michael Flatly.

-My long to-do list is shortening, day by day, yet it still stresses me out that it's not completed.

-I make spur-of-the-moment decisions to paint large pieces of furniture instead of mopping the dirty floors.

-I don't have energy to make myself my own food (especially since my stomach is being squished and not a lot fits in there anymore), so I find myself eating the scraps off my kids' plates. A couple hard toast crusts here, a forgotten egg yolk there...

-Annoyed that I have to have the house spotless every night before bed just because Baby isn't here yet, but then realize that this is the way it's suppose to be all the time: maintenance. Wow- what a concept!

-Wondering why my husband isn't offering to mop my floors for me, or hanging his clothes back up, or lining up his shoes like I showed him. Why can't he be a little OCD for me like I need him to be? Oh wait, this is reality, not a dream.

-Feeling confident that I'm gonna have my awesome days as a mom of 3 boys, and just as many terrible ones. Here's the thing: the awesome days FAR outweigh the terrible ones, I already know that. I just have to remember that!

-Totally feeling like I could rock my labor right now! So where is this labor I speak of?!

baby spaces

2012-01-24T14:04:00.000-08:00

I think my "style" is pretty easy to gauge. Or at least I think so. I'm not hard to please, although I like what I like and don't what I don't. That being said, if you know me, I'm not hard to please. :)

So when it came to getting Baby's room ready, I knew what I wanted: simple, clean, calm, and rustic. Oh, and it had to transition well to whatever room we make this space into after the little guy moves into the frat room with his older brothers... (Oh, the initiations I can imagine they'll scheme up...)

Hard to get good lighting in a dark hallway on a dreary, rainy day

The white linen curtains had been made for our old house. Apparently you are supposed to leave the window treatments when you move, but there was no way I was leaving them. They are my FAVORITE! Sadly, this is the only window in my entire house that they fit, but thankfully, I love them in here and wouldn't want anything else. I just need something to block out the light like a bamboo roman shade or something... haven't gotten around to that one, yet. The curtains hang from a tree branch that I got from my mother in law- natural elements add so much character to a room!

I used all of the same furniture from the original nursery of Baby #1- black crib, with dark wood dresser/changing table, and black shelf with cream baskets (the dark wood bookshelf didn't make the transition to the new room, but stayed put in the boys' space). I thought about painting furniture, but then thought the dark wood ground the room nicely, and I didn't want everything to just disappear into the walls.

I decided not to waste coveted time on new crib bedding either, and am so thankful I originally chose something so basic that I still love. It was from Pottery Barn's organic selection, and has the cutest dots and metlasse quilting.

This old dresser is the perfect changing table height, and I love the functionality of it (meaning, I am not stuck with a "changing table" after our brood is grown. The same minky-dot changing pad cover has made it through all the boys, as well.

This shelf was given to us by my sister in law when Boone was born. I have loved hanging my woven baskets from it (full of diapers, wipes, coconut oil, and whatever else I need handy), and it's fun to hang an outfit from the wooden hanger when I feel like being on-top-of-things. Can't wait to shove his little feet into those soft baby uggs :) The picture frame is awaiting Baby's first photo; until then we get to look at Boone circa 5 months old.

This antique luggage set came from my great grandpa, I believe. Maybe it's my great-great... I'll have to get back to you on that. Anyways, they are cute corner-filler for the time being, and it's nice to know they are safe from little boys who love to climb on top of things and jump off. The quirky metal chairs are from Ikea back in the day- Finn likes to swipe them really fast and try his hand at balancing on them for a nice little self-given time out.

The glider and ottoman are new (to me). There was no way I was keeping the black rocker that just sat and collected dust with the other boys. My sister ever so kindly lent me hers, and allowed me to recover it even! I slapped a drop cloth over the cushions one afternoon/evening and called it good. Definitely not professional, but it works and I am gonna be so thankful for the "glide" and not the squeaky "rock". I threw that pillow on there for texture and thought it was kinda perfect since it was a rounded dot and matched the bedding (which contrasts with the striped walls).

I grabbed this reclaimed stool from another part of the house- looks cute in here, but would look even cuter if it had some little knitted leg-warmers on it, don't you think? Anyone out there wanna knit or crochet me some?

The lamp is from the original nursery of unknown baby gender. I'm not a huge fan of it in here, but it's gonna work just fine until I come across something more neutral. Boone swears there is a "scary guy" in the design... I don't see it.

This wrought-iron bench used to be brown, but I painted her this summer and she looks much better this way! She used to grace the foot of our bed, but after one too many close-calls with the boys, this is a much safer location.

This little basket holds two of my favorite little stuffed animals- a brown linen bear and a quirky cream duck with blue striped feet from PB- and a handful of graphic flashcards.

I like to prop them up next to baby when he's on the floor to let him focus on the black and white designs. Babies can only see black and white for quite awhile, did you know that? These have a white side, and then the exact same picture, only in the negative on the back. Perfect.

Only things missing is the wall art, which Papa is working on currently. The man is talented, seriously. So thankful I have a taxidermist for a dad. He can make my rustic modern dreams come true with a pair of antlers, some bleach, and some reclaimed pallet boards. Yup. Stay tuned. Should tie it all together pretty darn perfectly.

Oh yeah, a baby would be nice too... but in all honesty, Baby won't be spending much time in here. So he can come with or without wall art. He has my permission.

blog hop

2012-01-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

I'm over at Drops of Living Water today! Follow, subscribe, bookmark them- they are fabulous posts to read every day to refresh and revitalize your soul!

what I love about today

2012-01-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

I loved waking up to white. Have I mentioned it's a favorite color of mine?

I loved staying in bed with my men all morning...

I loved realizing the fact that I don't need to have a daughter in order for my American Girl doll to be played with... And that I got to be just as excited as the boys as we dressed her in outfit after outfit today while daddy was sleeping right next to us.

I loved how cleaning up some poopie off the floor is no big thang. So we left his diaper off a little too long- my bad. I loved how he was able to so kindly communicate "Uh-oh! Poopie right dere! On. Fyore. Icky."

I loved layering the boys into snow gear 3 sizes too big and watching them not care as they waddled through the knee-deep powder.

I loved the white trash element of today's activities: sledding in kayaks, being pulled behind tractors, and being hoisted in the tractor's bucket right up into branches so all the snow avalanches on top of you.

I loved the homemade stew and rolls.

I loved witnessing Boone out in the hottub with his cousin with their stocking caps on in the midde of a snow flurry-turning-blizzard.

I loved meeting up with old friends for dinner- what did we ever talk about before 7 kids?

I loved ordering a full rack of ribs and having the waiter stare at my belly and then say "congratulations!" (and I love knowing leftovers are in my fridge)

I loved coming home to a big, oversized sweatshirt of Jeffs... It smells like him and has lots of fuzzies to pick.

I love knowing that today is gone and I am THAT much closer to meeting my little man. I love my family, my God, my life.

update on a baby kidney

2012-01-11T21:36:00.000-08:00

Today we met with the perinatologist about Baby's kidney. But first they had to surprise me with a weight check... And then proceed to take my blood pressure directly after while I was sitting in the most uncomfortable position for any pregnant girl... Which in turn led my blood pressure reading to be so extremely spiked it warranted thoughts about needing to be induced. But after settling down all returned to normal. I relaxed and so did Baby. So much so that the ultrasound technician had a hard time getting him to remove his hand from his "special" areas. Seriously. This kid is gonna fit in great with our boys. Jeff made the exclamation that in fact that is the innate nature of all males... Starting in utero. Either he is a modest little guy or he is just really chill and even decided to fall asleep that way. Such a guy thing.

Back to the perinatologist. The man was awesome. He was so encouraging and told us our baby is perfect. He said that if we had to have an anomaly, then this would be the one to have. He told us to not even think of this as an abnormality, but more of a variation of normal. He said Baby will need a couple follow up ultrasounds after birth to make sure it is resolving on it's own, and we will be referred up to Portland for that. My amniotic fluid levels have doubled since our last ultrasound just a couple weeks ago! He was very surprised to see that so we are thinkin' the Good Lord is watching out for us!

We are so thankful we received good results and they didn't find any other abnormalities during the sonogram (which they say sometimes these things go hand-in-hand). We are pleased with the dignosis and are so grateful for all the prayers going up for this little man! At this point my prenatal care will continue as usual and we don't forsee any issues that would keep me from delivering out at Bella Vie.

God is good!

2012-01-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

Man, long stretches between entries. Not only in my blogosphere, but also in pregnancy! Why, oh why does it take the better part of a year to incubate a human? Don't get me wrong, I am thankful I'm no elephant (pregnant for 2 years), but my goodness, I'm ready for this person to come out! Sunday evening I took off my socks and caught sight of my first signs of edema... I'm gonna blame that on the wedge-booties I had been wearing the last two days, instead of the fact that I just had a birthday and perhaps age catches up with you that quickly. And then yesterday I was busy scurrying about the house (as fast as my waddle will take me), and all of a sudden I got hit with this overwhelming exhaustion. My feet hurt as if they have been carrying excess weight for too long, my sciatic is practically collapsing me throughout the day, and then there is the weird pinches and twangs that baby is causing throughout my abdomen. Nevertheless, I stayed up way too late; cleaning the kitchen, wiping down the crib, starching and pressing the crib skirt (because babies care about that, right?), tying on the crib bumper, and then folding 7 loads of laundry. The last task was done sitting on my bed, feet propped up, watching a movie on the portable dvd player... love that thing!

Somehow the house is still a mess. Must be because I don't really care about the daily chores at this point- it's all the deep cleaning duties that are bothering me. Organization- it is key! If I had my way (and unending amounts of cash), I think I could spend a LOT of time at The Container Store. Unfortunately, I have a surplus of neither, so we make do. But having a "home" for every item is a great feeling! I am giddy with excitement at the prospect of starting another BIG project this spring- our new entryway, hallway, pantry, and family room! They all kinda mesh together as one giant project since they all interact. We definitely can use the floor space for little feet to run, and my mind is going wild with all the possibilities of storage space in the pantry, and it will be nice to feel like we have an authentic front door (instead of sliding doors)! Even the UPS guy asked me where to drop off packages... the back door? The slider? The old front door that is blocked with spiderwebs and a picnic table?

On another note, we have our lengthy appointment with the perinatologist tomorrow. Hopefully I'll find some time to get back on here and give an update soon! Husband is almost done with his Faith in the Field video editing, so that's gonna free him up for all kinds of manly tasks that I need him for! Pretty sure I've never been more excited to go to the dump :)

I sure have missed posting all my amazing may-or-may-nots. Trust me, there have never been more, and they have never been better! We will return to normal-scheduled posting someday!

Wish me luck today- I am attempting the impossible and gonna recover a chair, mop my floors, polish my appliances, and clean bathrooms. Eeyeah, right.

i think someone is ready for a baby brother

2012-01-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

Finn received a new baby boy doll from Grammie and Papa on Christmas, and we are all so thankful! We already have a baby boy doll, but Boone got it right before Finn was born, and has staked his claim on it ever since. Finn loves Boone's baby so much, that he has taken to the snatch-and-run method, hoping that his little legs will carry him fast enough to hide behind mommy before Boone catches him. It has been so sad; really quite pitiful, that Boone gets his baby doll, but Finn is stuck with a stuffed flannel doll the size of a child's fist. So when Finn opened his present and saw his very own baby, his eyes lit up, he grabbed him in a tight hug, smiled and said "Cheese!" for the camera. And then he fell asleep like this with him at nap time.

So now we have two matching babies. The real question is whether or not having two baby dolls will create peace with the boys when OUR baby comes. They can nurse their babies right alongside me... or they can ditch their babies and bicker over the Real Baby.

I think I can already hear them...

PS. Boone is now asking for twins. Lovely.

here's to faith in twenty-twelve

2012-01-03T20:42:00.000-08:00

We went to church on Sunday. After a serious absence approaching 7 weeks, it felt great to return in good health and a longing to meet the Lord. Pastor Randy spoke on having the faith this year that the Lord will get us through whatever trials come our way. It was a fabulous sermon. God has gotten me through some extremely difficulties in the past-- ones that I would never have dreamed I went through, and am still amazed that I am living proof of his mercy, grace and unfailing love and promises.

If this sermon would've been served on any previous Sunday, I would've felt the Lord was telling me to trust him solely for my upcoming labor and delivery. Which He is... which I am. But this Sunday hit me even harder since we received some unexpected news on Friday. Our midwife called to tell us that our ultrasound report came back, and although my placenta looks great (which was the reason for the late-term ultrasound in the first place), Baby's right kidney has issues. He has Renal Pelviectasis with associated Hydronephrosis, which is a fancy name for swelling of the kidney. At this point we're not sure what the exact cause is, since it can range from multiple ureters, back flow of urine, blockage, or kidney failure. We are going to be meeting with a perinatologist this next week to discuss it further, and if I heard right, a second level ultrasound may/will be performed. Thankfully, a lot of times this issue will resolve on its own without need for intervention, and that is what we are praying for. Sometimes draining is needed, other times surgery.

With so many unknowns, we are remaining hopeful and doing our best to not let this stress us out. We are beyond grateful that the little guy has two kidneys (yay for backups!). So far, my amniotic fluid levels are on the low-side of normal, but they're still in the normal range! We will be keeping a close eye on things just to make sure, and taking precautions at every step. Part of me is saying, "Thank you Lord for letting this ultrasound catch the problem", but at the same time I am wondering what would have happened if we would've never needed a late-term ultrasound? Everything would be fine at this point; and if the issue resolves itself on its own, then we never would've known there was an problem.

Faith. We need it. I've never had pregnancy issues related to the baby, so this is a first. It's much different knowing that it's not me with the problem but my innocent baby. Prayers are flying up that my body will continue to be a hospitable environment for the little guy, that all will proceed as normal and we will be delivering out at Bella Vie, and that my sweet babe will be born perfectly whole with no complications.

Trusting in Him alone,

on the raising of sons

2012-01-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

I read this excerpt today on this blog and just had to share for all you mama's out there with sons (and daughters, for that matter!):

Sons run on respect just like their fathers, and it is important that they not only see their fathers respected, but they must receive respect in the home as well. It will look different from the respect that the head of the house receives, but sons need to be praised and admired for their achievements and accomplishments just like Dad.

This means mothers treat their sons with courtesy and sister are taught to treat their brothers the same way. Courtesy excludes scolding, running down, picking on, or criticizing. Mothers should not share their son's weaknesses, failures, or sins any more than they should share their husband's. Rather, they should seek to build them up, encourage them, and praise them for their good work.

--from the chapter Mother and Sons, Build Her House by Nancy Wilson

on the rampage

2011-12-29T21:39:00.000-08:00

Ahh, Christmas is over. I usually can't wait for my favorite holiday to arrive, but this year I was anxious for all the festivities to be over and done with. While I LOVE celebrating my Savior's birth, my body is telling me to prepare for my own little guy's birth. So the day after Christmas the tree came down and everything got packed up. I do still have my green garland and big pinecones up on the mantle, but somehow that looks simple enough to stick around for a little while longer. Probably because I still think of January as "winter", so white and green is O.K.

I have been on a crazy rampage, charging through my house, turning it upside down. I've actually only made it through the boys room and our master bedroom, but that is MAJOR progress, let me tell you!

-Finn is doing great in his big boy bed, and the crib is waiting patiently for some freshly laundered linens in the nursery.

-The boys have new wardrobes, all nicely folded in drawers and hung up on hangers, thanks to the time-consuming task of switching out clothing bins. I literally have 6 FULL tubs that need to go out and join ranks with the others down in the {future} family room. Two big boxes of clothes are needing to be taken to consignment, and another large tote is being donated to the Union Gospel Mission.

-All toys have been designated a certain spot and/or bin. I am excited to get started on re-doing a cupboard to house a lot of them, since I am fed up with them being scattered across the house. It is getting a little difficult to bend over all the time to pick them up, so I may have plucked a few up with my flexible toes a couple times... Jeff is grossed out.

-Every single piece of furniture in the master bedroom has been moved. Walls, windows and moldings have been wiped down, and every carpet fiber has been vacuumed. We rearranged everything into new locations, and it is much more conducive to living and provides ample space for Baby and Boys. Our closet has been cleaned out as well (mainly my sections since Jeff is incredibly hard-headed when it comes to getting rid of anything, but at least I feel simplified).

-Baby's new items are about to get their turn in the front loaders, and then packed into a bag for the birthing center! I cannot wait to snuggle him up in his soft blankie!

-My 8x11 front and back list is slowly getting checked off. I'm not naive in knowing that most likely a lot of things on there won't be completed, but it feels good to be heading somewhere and have a goal. One of my biggest goals, you ask? Why, it's to have Jeff get up on a ladder and swipe away every last one of the 100-or-so spiderwebs under the eaves of our house. With our lifted ceilings and wall of windows, I am 100% positive I will go insane staring at them while I sit idle on the couch, nursing my babe multiple times a day.

-My ever-expanding belly has reached new heights this week, and I am finally uncomfortable. He's changed positions in there, and I've had many sleepless nights (and days) now trying to find relief. Boone walked into the bedroom the other day, as I was sitting on the bed right in front of him. He was eye-level with my potbelly and as he glanced up he stopped short and said, "Oh! Whoa."

-Nervousness has set in, but I can't exactly put my finger on what it is that I'm anxious about. I don't think it's about having 3 kids. I am not quite sure it's about labor and delivery either (although it would probably be the fear of the KNOWN, not the unknown, you know?)... I think it's actually a little bit about the tragedy of sleep deprivation that is to be upon me so soon. Am I capable of doing this all over again? What if he has reflux like Boone, or has horrible gas like Finn? What if my sweet newborn has trouble nursing? What if we contract a cold and my little guy gets sick and can't breathe through his nose?

-I had the craziest question for my husband tonight: Is it possible to master the art of birth? After he deliberated and gave me his thoughts, he shook his head and announced, "I can't believe we're even having this conversation...."

-Ok, it's getting late and I still feel like I have more cleaning to do. I just can't get enough done during daylight hours! On to doing some more work in the nursery, and then heading out into the main living areas-

It's about to get crazy, people.

If this was completely boring and useless information for you, I don't apologize. It was mainly for my benefit. A journal-type entry, if I may... Closing in on 36 weeks and I wanted to remember how I am feeling these days, but don't really have the time to make a nice post about it. Check out how I felt at 34 weeks with Finn here.

christmas card

2011-12-22T11:40:00.000-08:00

Hoping you all find true JOY this Christmas as we celebrate Christ's birth!

no place like home for the holidays

2011-12-22T11:37:00.000-08:00

Here's a peek at our place this year! Unfortunately, going on 5 1/2 weeks of plague (at least for me) has caused neglect in most areas surrounding Christmas. I haven't made Christmas goodies cause I can't taste or smell, I am just now starting to sing along to music (although I cut out every few seconds when my vocal cords give out), I will begin wrapping presents today, and the last of the Christmas cards finally got out to the mailbox just this morning! Decorating for the holidays took a backseat as well, and this year my motto is: Even if I'm not thriving, at least I'm surviving. Which means, that we've adopted a very simple standard of living for the time being. So here's to Living this Christmas!

Yes, one side of the tree has way more lights... little fingers like to hook and drag

A simple, unadorned homemade cedar garland graces the mantle

The back leg of the daddy deer is broken. I don't even care right now...

The gigantic pinecones husband brought home for me awhile ago

Stockings weren't even hung until yesterday since I couldn't find the hooks. Apparently, I was too smart for my own good last year and tucked them into one of the stockings so I wouldn't lose them. I didn't remember that, and turned the house upside down looking for them. Until yesterday. Excited for next year when there will be five little hobo bags up there!

I chucked some logs into a lined basket for a quick fireplace enhancement

Two of these are flanking the upper cupboard doors on either side of my kitchen sink and window

Dining room display- definitely making do until future furniture is completed- oh, and the chalkboard sign reads "Baby, it's cold outside" if you didn't get that... :)

Probably my favorite new addition this year, courtesy of my m-i-l. My three little snowmen with coordinating stocking caps which match their hobo stockings (see what fabric little dude's stocking will be!)

Christmas greenery and flowers make me smile- I placed them in this wooden urn/pot that my m-i-l made and gave to me for Mother's Day this year. I love it!

Tossed some juniper in between the table centerpiece and it's good to go!

Upper cupboards in the kitchen above the back counter- greenery in white vases and pinecone balls is pretty darn easy and festive enough for us this year!

Hope you all have found a way to bring the holidays indoors, no matter what life throws at you!

friday's featured product

2011-12-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

Remember the candy you loved- before you started reading labels?

That is the slogan smeared across the back of this box: Tru Sweets Organic Candy Canes. I {heart} that phrase. And I really, really, really {heart} these candy canes even more!

Hands down, the best candy cane I've ever had. Annnd, to top it off, these have passed taste tests by a major candy conisseur and a big skeptic of anything organic, natural, and out of the ordinary. That's two people- males, none-the-less- who says these are fabulous. That's HUGE people.

These are all-natural, made with no artificial colors or flavorings, and corn syrup free! They have a great vanilla-y, nutty flavor and are seriously so great. I can't say enough. Well, proof is in the fact that we bought them 3 days ago and they are already gone. It's the kids, I tell you, the kids.

We found ours at Lifesource in Salem. But I bet any natural food store would be carrying them!

old fashioned chicken noodle soup

2011-12-14T14:06:00.000-08:00

This was a big hit at the Round Table last night. And by "Round Table" I mean our dining table, not the pizza joint. This is the table that I need to say "so long!" to, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. I really should do a post on the dining room right now. A post on all the wrong things that you can put in your dining room... the table just isn't jiving anymore. Or maybe it's not so much the table, but the other 7 circular objects hanging out in there as well. No joke- 7. Now THAT doesn't jive.

Ok back to the food! So this recipe is really easy, and depending on your time allowance and preferences, it can be changed-up to meet your needs.

Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup

1 store bought rotisserie chicken or 1 1/2 cups already cooked chicken

6 cups water

1-2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chunked

2 tsp chicken boullion granules

1 cup broccoli florets

1 small onion, diced

1 Tbl, plus 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

kosher salt to taste (a good 1 tsp)

50 cent-sized handful of raw spaghetti noodles to add at end

1 large handful of raw spinach leaves

Parmesan and Asiago cheese, optional garnish

Add chicken, water, all veggies except spinach to crockpot. Stir in boullion and vinegar. Add salt to taste. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or until sweet potatoes are tender and onion is transluscent. 15 minutes before serving, put in raw spaghetti noodles and spinach. Cover and flip to high. Garnish with cheeses.

My Notes

Last time I made this, I used the called-for cheeses, and I didn't like it. The cheeses made it smell like vomit to me. Weird, I know. Maybe I was pregnant? Who am I kidding, 3 kids in 3 years- yeah, I was probably pregnant. So this time I just shredded some of our own white cheddar on top and it was great.

The other big change I made is that I didn't want to use chicken boullion, since that stuff isn't so great for you. So prior to throwing all this in the crockpot, I threw a whole chicken in a big stockpot of water, and boiled it for 2 hours (you can do this the day or night before and it makes for really easy prep!). Ended up with a ton of awesome, healthy chicken broth and a whole chicken to shred apart. We used some of the meat on sandwiches and the rest I used for this recipe. So instead of the 6 cups water, I just used 6 cups broth, and left out the boullion granules.

Voila. Easy, healthier, and so good. The boys ate their full bowls, and Jeff went back for seconds- ON SOUP.

Yep- winning.

one fresh batch of hormones comin' right up!

2011-12-13T15:32:00.000-08:00

You know the days when you wake up too early, and just can't rise outta the funk? No matter what you do, you just don't look cute in front of the mirror, and your hair has absolutely no hope. Dreadlocks look better than this.

You realize you have a dr's appt- an appt where he'll be staring at your face. The face that has mass amounts of rogue hairs, cracked lips and a snotty, plugged nose. You take the tweezers to your eyebrows for a quick minute and wonder why you are inflicting pain upon yourself when the doctor is going to be doing the exact same thing, only worse, in a matter of hours. While holding the tweezers, you realize your nails needed to be cut 2 months ago. So you cut them, and know without even glancing at them that your yellowed toenails need desperate help as well. You make a mental note to look into non-toxic nail polish.

Calling it "good enough" on the beautification process, you head out the door 10 minutes late, and get worked up about the fact that you're always rushing, and that it's too hot in the car, and they are playing the same Christmas song WAY too many times on the radio.

Then the Doubt that you've been struggling with the last couple days starts creeping in since you don't have any kids with you to occupy your mind. The deep issues. The stuff that you really fear. Not the petty stuff of daily living. The stuff that Satan loves to torment you with. So you send out a few texts, asking for prayer, and your husband calls you right back. You answer... big mistake. You break down, and hoarsely whisper at him what is really bothering you. You get off the phone and try to pull yourself together. Only problem is all the kleenex and napkins have been used up by YOU, since you've been so sick. So you roll down the window and pray that the frigid air will whip your tears dry and smack you back into shape.

Then the songs that speak right to your heart come on and you lose it again.

So you enter into the doctors office already red-faced and blotchy. And you leave red-faced and blotchy. The only difference is that the treatment given in between gave you reason to let the tears fall. 20+ injections is a surefire way to stir your senses.

You buy a sandwich on the way home, but neglect to get a water with it. So you're trying to gulp a bolus of soft, thick bread down a throat closed up by Laryngitis. Not such an easy task.

You arrive home and boys are still awake- an hour past naptime. You push the annoyed thoughts from you mind, and are thankful that they are still awake and can give you much-needed hugs and smiles that your heart so desperately needs today.

God always delivers: he knew I needed some time alone, a reason to pluck and cut my nails, some cold wind in my face, friends to lean on, a treatment for my sickness, and 3 males to love on me.

Now if only He could tell me this is the last of the hormones...

may or may-not monday

2011-12-12T14:08:00.000-08:00

May or May-Not Monday: where you can divulge the secrets of life's mishaps without feeling like a failure. So go on... own up. I may have...

-I may or may not have been given two whole nights (and a day in between) without my boys. For which I am so thankful for because I was not only able to rest like a good, sick little girl (read: going to bed at 8pm, sleeping in till 9am, leisurely going about my day with no agenda or time frame, and getting some much-needed Christmas shopping taken care of). BUT, I may or may not have kinda missed my boys like crazy. (Pretty sure I haven't been away from Finn that long before.)

-I may or may not have sat on my sleeping child cause I didn't know he was on the couch when I went to pick up the boys from "Crappa" and Grandma's house. I blame it on the large protrusion sticking out the front... or the one out the back...

-I may or may not be just as in love with this guy as the boys are:

Loved him so much we came right home and punched a hole in the wall to hang him up stat. Boone helped paint the nose and eyes and was so proud to tell me about it! I am crossing my fingers that he makes it through many more holidays to come!

-I may or may not have been taken to dinner at... wait for it... Lancaster Mall. Never in my life have I eaten there. Until now. There are so many words to describe the event... but yet there are no words. I guess I'll just leave it at that.

-I may or may not have tried my very first Fro-Yo this weekend. Oh my. I am a fanATIC. Sweet Papaya is supposedly the best in town, so that's where we went. It actually is a decision-maker's nightmare. Or best dream ever. There are SO many options to choose from, that you literally can't make up your mind. But then that's the beauty of it; you don't have to limit yourself. Pile on whatever your heart desires and then pay for it afterwards. Literally, you will. Cause if you stack up $6 worth of sorbet, yogurt and toppings and eat it all, you will be paying for it later that night.

-I may or may not be completely delirious from sifting through boy names. It's to the point where I am liking names that sound like Disney characters and ice cream parlors. what?? I swear this little guy will never have a name. I'm sorry Baby.

-I may or may not have been asked, "How are you doing, today?" four different times by the same lady at GAP. To which I replied, "Great, thanks" four different times to the same lady at GAP.

-I may or may not have thought Eyebrow Threading was a type of facelift. That is, until I saw it being performed in the mall and wondered how they could ever get away with a little "nip and tuck" business right next to the food court. Apparently it's a form of plucking. Now you know.

-I may or may not have snickered when I heard Boone calling from the bathroom, "Mom! I'm done, and you'd better hurry! My poopie stinks!" I found him sitting on the pot, plugging his nose.

-I may or may not be so completely over this hoarse voice. Who can yell at their kids when they sound like a squeaky frog; silently croaking at them while they destroy all the folded laundry that came from this:

Who needs 30+ towels anyways?

Stayin' Merry and Bright 'round here,

timBRRR

2011-12-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's cold. But that didn't stop us from bundling up, forgetting mittens for both boys, explaining to Finn the consequences of taking off his hat, and heading out to the tree farm for our yearly harvest.

Boone was sole guardian of the saw.

Finn was thrilled to spot a pond nearby, and hastily shimmied out of Jeff's arms to go check it out.

Both of 'em enjoyed being plopped on top of a big ole fat bush. This was no tree, let me tell you.

Considering how sick we've been the last few weeks, meltdowns were bound to happen, and it came as no shock when they did.

They. MUST. Be. JUST. Like. DAD.

Ready for a warm truck and mini candy-canes

As of this morning, the boys were ALL about decorating the tree. They prefer to use a method called "Clustering":

Finn's hanging- my favorite

Excited for nap time so I can do a little un-clustering :)

tackle-it tuesday: occupy crib

2011-12-06T11:35:00.000-08:00

Today will be focused on taking everything in here:

And putting back here:

Where it originated from. Occupy Crib has been happening all morning. There is going to be a major protest and upheaval when I decide to tear down camp.

may or may-not monday

2011-12-05T14:24:00.000-08:00

May or May-Not Monday: where you can divulge the secrets of life's mishaps without feeling like a failure. So go on... own up. I may have...

-I may or may not have sat in the Lifesource parking lot in 28 degree weather with the boys and ate sorbet popsicles. That's how bad our throats hurt.

-I may or may not have honest-to-goodness wedged my dear belly in between the checkout stand and the ginormous, loathesome car-cart at Fred Meyers. Once again, I neglected to correctly gauge the opening that I thought I could still fit through.

-I may or may not have accidentally called a baby the one and only name that her mom HATES for her to be called. Whoops. I was just trying to get her attention. Forgive me please! I promise... no more "Harp" comments from me.

-I may or may not have vacuumed the baby's room (with our seriously broken vacuum) so it would have nice vacuum "lines", but then had to go behind it on my hands and knees and pick up everything by hand. Literally, broken.

-I may or may not have been completely O.K. with our first "movie night", even with the boys being sick and needing an early bedtime. They didn't get an early bedtime. Instead, they got a king-size bed, lots of pillows and blankies, a projector that "projected" their new movie up on the wall, loud speakers, pizza, and a tiny bit of rootbeer. And then a bath and bedtime. They LOVED it. And so did we. A new tradition has been formed, I think!

-I may or may not have been too lazy to pick up a pair of my shoes sprawled outside the front door for the last... well, never mind how long. Just know this: one of Jeff's acquaintances has stopped by on 3 different occasions to pick up some videography gear, and on every single occasion, tripped over my shoes. The last time he tripped on them, he actually kicked one of them out of his way. I don't know whether to snicker to be mortified. I know I should be mortified, but all I did was snicker.

-I may or may not currently have only 2 items bought for Christmas. A bit behind, are we?

-I may or may not be kinda freaked out with the "elf on the shelf" idea. I don't really know much about it, so I can't really put in a good thought on the matter. But all the elves I've seen out there are weird looking. We've stuck to the idea that I grew up with as a little girl: every morning until Christmas the "elves" bring a special treat and leave it in a little pail hanging from the tree. Keeps things exciting and fun, but without the disturbing clown figure hanging around.

-I may or may not be just a tad bit resentful of this Sickness we can't shake. It made me have to cancel my last set of sinus injections, and now I have a sinus infection. Oh the irony...

-I may or may not have gone to a photo shoot and instead of returning home right away, I meandered over to my parents house with the excuse to relieve my pregnancy bladder... only to stay a few hours chatting and eating chocolate banana bread (which was SO good considering it gluten free, dairy free, sugar free -besides the chocolate chips). I always think I'm the one winning by getting some time away. But upon arriving home, I'm always greeted with a less-than-stellar household: kids aren't fed, craft paper has been shredded to pieces all over the floor, and a big pile of my nice sea salt has been dumped out of the 5 lb bag. Looks to me like the boys won this one.

-I may or may not be considering the investment into fleece sheets. But honestly, what is there to consider? Just. Do. It.

-I may or may not love singing my old rendition of Walking In a Winter Wonderland... the one where I used to think the line "later on we'll conspire, as we dream by the fire" was actually, "later on we'll perspire, as we dream by the fire". It makes sense... and is a lot more fun, thus I keep at it. {Who wants to know all the other songs that I've butchered the lyrics on?}

thankful

2011-12-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know it's December, but today I am finding thanks in even the trials...

I am Thankful:

-for remembering to say "thank you" to the Great Physician a few weeks ago when I paused to realize we'd all been healthy since early September.

-for being over the flu. That was so last week.

-that I only have a few loads of laundry left to wash. All the rest is piled up on top of the machines and both benches in the mudroom, but hey, it's clean.

-that Finn has a junky cough. It means his barking days are done.

-that Boone is still barking. It means he is still breathing.

-for Boone's dangerously high fever yesterday. It means that I got to spend hours on end right next to him, taking in every little thing about him. Listening to him breathe, watching his movements, memorizing his features, wiping his brow, and holding his hand.

-that Boone's fever broke at 2am this morning. It means I don't have to have a meltdown again on the phone and we are in somewhat working order today.

-for the sleepless night. It gave me the opportunity to sleep next to my little sickie and pray. Pray hard.

-for the Man of the House. He ran out to the stores last night when I needed him to, and he slept next to Boone when I couldn't. And it gave me a chance for some one-on-one time with Finn this morning.

-that the vial of homeopathic tablets broke right in half yesterday, spilling all over the living room. It gave me a laugh that I needed.

-that I only have two children to care for right now. God is giving me the strength to handle the Here and Now... I can't wait to see how much more He'll give me when the little mister arrives.

-for my busted-up knee. It means I still have a leg.

-for spilling my HUGE glass bowl of ice water all over my wood floors yesterday. It kept my perspective in check. It can always get worse... so be thankful.

-for my aching back and torn abdomen muscles. It means I am carrying a life.

-for the messy house, dishes that need to be done, garbage that needs to go out, meals that need to be prepared, and boys and a dad that need love and attention. It gives me purpose.

Thank you Lord,

wordless wednesday: typical morning with the men

2011-11-30T09:24:00.000-08:00

random

2011-11-28T16:23:00.000-08:00

So here are some random thoughts that I've been musing over recently. For no particular reason.

It's been a tough week. Our house came under attack from the flu bug, and we've been in a constant rotation of sleepless nights, changing bedding, changing clothing, rinsing out bowls, cleaning toilets, and sanitizing pretty much everything. Since then, we've had the Croup abiding with us. Thankful for home remedies and praying they'll do the trick. It's empowering to know you don't have to be rendered helpless when sickness hits your house!

Baby's room has sat still and dark all week. I am itching to pull it all together (or at least the main parts!), but something else always comes up. It WILL get worked on this week. I promise you, Baby.

I have 9 weeks left to perfect my waddle. Oh wait, it's already pretty perfect.

Is it taboo to divulge the fact that you've gotten injections? Well, I'm divulging. I've been going in for a series of injections. Sinus injections, that is. For a couple years now I feel like I've lost my sense of smell, can't breathe correctly, feel "blocked" all the time, have had multiple sinus infections recently, and every single morning since the beginning of summer, upon waking I have an allergic reaction in my nose/sinus/eyes. Every morning. So back to the injections: painful. a TON of them. already working. feeling the success.
The only positive (besides the better breathing, lessened allergic reaction (if any), smell enhancement) is the fact that the stuff they use breaks down into a little something that anti-ages me. YAY! I had Jeff look at my skin to see if he sees less fine lines and wrinkles. He raised one eyebrow and said, "Sure?"

I have been thinking that we need to try in Baby's carseat to make sure we can fit 3 across in there. Pretty sure it might be the tightest fit ever. Especially tight when it's a brand new little human being wedged between Boone and Finn. I already know that I would love a minivan. Oh how I want one- so convenient! But you wanna know something? I think I'm annoyed by the fact that everyone has one... especially an Odyssey. I think I'm even more annoyed that it's probably the van I would choose... and in the charcoal or silver color. So I am right there along with everybody else- needing one, wanting one, but just not wanting to join ranks with the millions of other people out there. It's not like we have a unique car, right now, either, so I don't know what the big deal is. Maybe I subconsciously know that I would be forever lost in a parking lot, looking for my own rig.

I keep snickering every time I think back to Black Friday when I read the ad for Pier 1 imports and it said "Cheer 1 Imports". Don't know why but that tickled my funny bone. Another snicker-getter: waiting in line at Target at 2am in the morning, sitting on a cooler that my sister had brought over for us, snacking on crackers and juice from the food section. The best part was when I found a lone basket that was ripe for the picking (or so I thought). Turned out it was attached to the tall metal stand, and was only useful for holding all the other baskets. It didn't matter at that time of night. I grabbed it and dragged it over to our spot in line and we loaded it up. So periodically, we stopped eating, stood up, kicked the cooler forward a few feet, and pulled the cart holder forward like a piece of luggage. Beautiful sight, I'm sure- El prego squatting down on that cooler, munching on her goodies with her trashy makeshift cart with long metal handle next to her.

I think I'm having a hard time acknowledging the fact that my boys are growing up. Finn won't be my baby for much longer and that is hard for me. What's just as hard is looking at Boone and realizing that he definitely isn't a baby, and is overly adamant about growing up big to be like daddy so he can do all sorts of things just like him. I can't fathom that this huge kid used to be so small in my arms. And why is it that Finn looks so big in his bed and when I hold him in the mirror? Their communication skills are beyond impressive and I find myself surprised, overjoyed, and a little sad all at the same time. I am wanting time to stop and just keep my boys as they are, here in this moment, but at the exact same time my heart is craving to fall in love with another little Dunn Boy and my arms are aching to hold him.

I can cry at the drop of a hat... or the drop of an egg, literally.

I can't get my mind off of this honey vinegar sold at Jeff's work. You dip apples in it, and it's literally all I can think about. I need some in a bad way.

I bought some more of my favorite socks from Fred Meyer on Black Friday since I mentioned that one of my old pairs had holes. I should've done a Friday's Featured Product post on them so y'all could've gotten in on the great deal. But then I would've run the risk of fighting you for them at 5am. I'm pretty feisty; it might not have gone down well...

I'm not ready for Christmas. I am, but I'm not. It's weird, and I can't decide. I absolutely LOVE Christmas, but for some reason I'm not quite sure I'm ready to have it be here. I have some fabulous new ornaments and decoration (courtesy of my mil) and can't wait to have them out. But as for everything else... maybe I just need more Christmas music, eggnog, and a tree full of sparkly lights.

This type of indecision is reminding me of labor. I can't decide ANYTHING during labor. Don't count on me to give you a straight answer in any scenario. Music? I don't care. Lights dimmed? I don't care. Too hard of a massage? I don't know. Water too hot/cold? I don't know. Speaking of labor, I need some positive visualization to start taking place. It's getting all to close for comfort.

Must go, I hear a hoarse voice squeaking at me from the back bedroom...

wordless wednesday: can I offer you a 6-12 month onesie or a pair of 12 month shorts?

2011-11-23T19:48:00.000-08:00

I cannot tell you how much I love this expression. Or, the lack thereof...

daddy's bowling lane is no lame game

2011-11-22T14:31:00.000-08:00

This dad always comes up with the best ideas. Sometimes this mom shakes her head at the dangerous adventure, and sometimes she joins in and laughs right along. And then other times she shakes her head at the massive amount of work that the dad puts into a simple game that the boys will tire of quickly (like stringing fishing line to the stuffed animals so when the boys go "hunting" for them, he can pull them over... it's more realistic this way, do you see?). Well, they actually hunted all evening long, so that lasted a good while. And so did the bowling alley.

Place painters tape to show your child where to place the pop bottles (ie "pins"). Have him go in a sequence, working from left to right, top to bottom

Have daddy teach them all the brand names of pop, while you teach them about the health risks and how we need to always brush our teeth after drinking it


You can also place a line of painters tape to mark where they can't cross before rolling the ball down the lane. What is also needed- bowling gloves. You can create your own by cutting off the fingers/tips of an old pair you already own

And then to ensure a good STRIKE, make sure that ALL of the "pins" get knocked over by swiftly kicking in all directions

Don't forget to do it in swimming trunks and a thermal.

may or may-not monday

2011-11-21T21:11:00.000-08:00

May or May-Not Monday: where you can divulge the secrets of life's mishaps without feeling like a failure. So go on... own up. I may have...

This is what my week has looked like. I think it's enough for a post. Myohmy.

-I may or may not have given my husband the excuse "I'm too hot so I can't. I'm coming home" when he asked if I would stop at the store and pick him up a box of Golden Grahams and some of "his milk". I really was hot, but I just neglected to tell him that I was wearing a puffy down coat and doubled-up scarf while driving pregnant. Truth is, I couldn't get out of them without heaving my body out of the car and standing up. Oh the belly...

-I may or may not be in a great position to win the Worst Wife award based on 2 incidents that happened within 30 minutes of each other. Number 1: I may or may not have allowed the neighbors to move their huge satellite dish onto our property so they could get HD. It may have ended up WAY too close to our driveway, and a complete eyesore while looking out our windows. It may or may not have caused Jeff to make a phone call to her the next day, which made her cry, which made her call her husband, which made him come home from work and call the dish guys back out to reposition it. Number 2: While the dish guys were setting up the eyesore, I may or may not have given the tree experts (who were just trimming limbs away from power lines) permission to dump an entire load of bark chips on our property because they assured me "they're great for muddy places". I thought Jeff would have use for them. Uh, no. Pretty sure I am unable to make any decisions in my condition. Actually, that's not true. I held my ground the other week when the traveling steak-guy came calling.

-I may or may not have ran through Costco while holding hands with Boone since we had only 7 minutes left to get our shopping done. We may or may not have deemed it necessary to stop for a sample. I love being young with my boys. Although probably not the smartest thing to do considering just the night before I was having contractions every few minutes. Painful contractions. With back pain. No good. But I guess when you're young sometimes you're not all that bright.

-I may or may not have been the parent last Sunday of one little kid gleefully bolting through the sanctuary with a grammie hurrying after him, while the other kid eyed the pumpkin pie desserts, cocked his head, and swiped at one with his finger. Simultaneous actions by both parties. Did anyone notice? Yes, pretty sure everyone noticed... even had one gal tell me she knew exactly who the little high-tailing kid was based on his looks- "exactly like his mom". Thankful it was only my hometown church, and we don't have to be back for awhile...

wordless wednesday: fishing on a rainy day

2011-11-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

What do you do when your kids tell you they want to go fishing in the winter? Take 'em fishing.

Letting the pole "rest"while a little beast is snagging a few fish and running off with them

Into the net they go!

Sharing a day's catch

mirror gets a facelift

2011-11-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

So I have a hallway. It's narrow and dark- unlike the nice wide hallways of the homes built today. I've had a bench sitting at the end of it for a long time, and I finally couldn't take it any longer. It's become a catch-all for toys, books, clothes, and lone socks. My mother-in-law came up with an idea to build me a couple rows of hooks (on planks) to keep things orderly instead of just piling up. Great idea, but I knew that I wouldn't like it. I don't like clutter (even though it plagues us around here), and I want to continue simplifying spaces. I knew that looking down the hallway and seeing a bunch of jackets, coats, and whatever else wouldn't be soothing to my mind, and I'd always feel like needing to take them down and hang them up in a closed closet. I needed to do-away with the bench and anything else that would provide a place for items to rest outside of their proper "home".

Enter mirror. I've had it for quite a few years now, and redone it once before, in a coral color (I saw a gorgeous, ornate coral mirror in a magazine and loved it). However, mine didn't turn out quite like the magazine, and it never made it's way onto the walls, even in our old house. I knew it would bring light (or at least a reflection) to the hallway, so up it went. But not before it got a makeover.

Before:

After:

I ended up going back over it with stain and antiquing it a bit, because it wasn't quite the color I wanted, and it looked silly just being solid seafoamy/turquoise. But now I am not quite sure if I like the stain; it kinda looks like it just has a bunch of dust caught in all the crevices. Oh well, it has it's glossy topcoat already, and it's staying put as is. At least for now. The color actually looks even better in the hallway, so I'm a happy girl!

may or may-not monday

2011-11-14T10:46:00.000-08:00

May or May-Not Monday: where you can divulge the secrets of life's mishaps without feeling like a failure. So go on... own up. I may have...

-I may or may not have let my kid not only wear sweats to Target, but just merely laughed as he hiked them up all the way to mid-thigh while walking through the parking lot and into the store. Bright blue sweats + bright white little legs = a lot of big-eyed stares.

-I may or may not be secretly hoping that God gives me a 3rd boy with bowed legs and swayed back. I am obsessed.

-I may or may not have made a dozen grain free, egg free, sugar free cookies...only to have them eaten 1/2 hour later. It was a joint effort. So glad I live in a house of men where I can rise up to meet their standards sometimes.

-I may or may not have tried to sneak a BIG box full of old junk out to the garbage without Jeff seeing it... cause I knew he would want to examine the contents just to "make sure" he didn't want anything- specifically two rolls of hideous wrapping paper he bought 2 years ago that I hid in the closet until now. Well he caught me. And whaddya know- those two rolls of wrapping paper were the only things he wanted.

-I may or may not be correcting Boone's vocabulary back to the original version because it sounds cuter. I'm not ready for him to say everything perfectly yet. So until I am, he gets to continue to say "I don't know" as "I've-a-know", and "yesterday" as "lasterday"

-I may or may not have pulled over to the side of the road so I could watch the little stuntman do some serious tricks in utero. I thought it wouldn't be wise to keep my eyes off the road for long periods of time while on the highway. Don't mind the car with it's hazards on for no reason- it's probably me.

-I may or may not have left the car running while I unloaded groceries because I freaked myself out since it was dark, I was all alone, there's a cougar running around these parts, and Jeff had his deer meat hanging in the doorway of the open garage. I may or may not have been talking out loud and even singing a couple words really loud... you know, just in case.

-I may or may not have pulled on my favorite wool socks to go stand and iron in the cold, tiled mudroom. Here's a tip for ya: your feet will still freeze if both socks have matching quarter-sized holes on the bottoms.

-I may or may not have taken the boys to Baskin Robbins as a special treat while dad was away, and let them stand up on chairs to let their eyes feast on all the colors and flavors. Immediately upon receiving their kiddie cones, they both simultaneously tipped them and dumped their scoops on the floor. *Win*

-I may or may not have been jealous of Jeff when he crawled into bed with a zonked-out Boone the other night for some snuggle time. Although, not too jealous, seeing as how the last time I shared a bed with him, the little parallel-to-the-pillows sleeper kept pounding my face with his feet.

-I may or may not have threatened to not feed my kids if they didn't sit patiently and quietly at the table. (No DHS visits are necessary... I was never planning on following through, but that's just what came out my mouth at 5:30pm).

You got anything?

wordless wednesday: say 'yes' when they want to help... even if that involves extra-large gloves, plastic knives, and a dead deer

2011-11-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

nature walks

2011-11-08T12:38:00.000-08:00

It's been rough not having warm, sunny weather lately. We were outside pretty much all day, every day the entire summer. The boys were dirty, but at least it wasn't mud. Now, with the rain here, there's just as many changes of clothes as there was in the summer. Actually, nix that. The boys didn't wear clothes in the summer.

To combat the seemingly never-ending Whine, I forced Boone out of his swim trunks and goggles (read: size 12 month trunks and baby sunglasses), bundled them both up snug and tossed them outside. (Well, I actually don't toss them out alone these days with my cougar alert bordering on the orange-red level.) They were all too-happy to oblige, and couldn't get their boots on fast enough!

I decided to do something new and fun today, so before heading out, I slapped on a loop of duct tape to both their wrists (sticky side out), and we had fun finding treasures to stick to their "bracelet-watches" as Boone called them. He couldn't decide which one he wanted to be wearing, so he chose both. Leaves, flowers, sticks, weeds, rocks- nothing was off limits as long as it stuck. Finn was very careful with his, and held his arm out in front of him while he walked. Boone had decided that this was going to be more of a nature ride, and took off on his bike, letting the wind whip all of his objects right off.

The old man hands need some serious salve. Poor kid.

Once we made it up to the road, the "nature" part was terminated, and the waterworks began.

We ended our time by heading over to check out the skunk and raccoon culverts, and seeing what would happen if Boone rode his bike over all of the neighbors gopher holes. Good times out here; always.

fallish traditions

2011-11-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

Today I'm sending you over to my sister-in-law's blog, A Beautiful Life, to get some delicious recipes to add to your Fall stash. I am trying to think if I have ever tried anything of hers that wasn't worthy of second and third helpings and a recipe request... pretty sure there's not! Thanksgiving is coming up, and I'm already excited to see what yummy goodness she shows up with. I think her secret is that everything is modified; she always tweaks her recipes to end up way better than the original.

Speaking of original, don't you love getting your hands on anything authentic? This morning upon waking, I found four HUGE pinecones sitting outside on my deck. Brought home from my hubs while on a bear hunt, they are naturally frosted to look like they have a light dusting of snow on them. Perfect.

friday's featured product

2011-11-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

Bubbies! Even if you haven't heard of them, you've probably heard my kids talking about Bubbies nonstop. They love them and can't get enough. Ok, neither can I (nor can I get enough of hearing them squeal "bubbies" when they're brought forth for a snack or meal).

Made with no vinegar or preservatives, the CLOUDY BRINE is proof that Bubbies are naturally fermented and cured. Which means, since they're fermented, they will be chocked full of healthy, good bacteria for your gut. They (the good bacteria) are called probiotics, and vital to sustaining overall health. Your gut flora is extremely important and plays a major role in the general functioning of the entire body and mental health. Everyone needs probiotics (including kids!), and if you're not quite up to the task of making your own kefir, homemade sauerkraut, or popping the probiotic pills, these are a great way to get some good bacteria goin'. Switch out your Heintz pickle jar for these, and you'll be good to go with any meal that calls for a tasty pickle!

They have so many different products available: kosher dills, kosher dill relish (which is sugar free), bread and butter chips, old fashioned sauerkraut, mustard, beet and prepared horseradish, and pickled green tomatoes (which we enjoy as well!). All of them are naturally fermented and so tasty!

I buy mine through Azure Standard, but I know on the Bubbies website they have a store locator.
Pick up a jar and let me know what you think!

PS. If you are wanting to try out kefir before buying grains to make your own starter, only buy the Plain flavored kefir. The flavored types have too much added sugar, and the sugar pretty much cancels any probiotic goodness it would do for you. So buy the plain kefir, add berries and bananas, and blend up into a smoothie. Oh, and Nancy's kefir is supposedly the best. That's just from a midwife/naturopath perspective.

my thought for thursday

2011-11-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

via google- closest thing to mine I could find- Jeff has the camera

Can you remember back when you had just been asked to become your man's bride, and your left hand had a bright, shiny sparkler on it? Remember when you couldn't stop looking down at it, holding up your hand (even in the dark), keeping your nails manicured, and taking such pride and care in that beautiful ring? I do.

Being the second photographer for a handful of weddings this summer let me witness firsthand how these new couples treat their symbols of marriage. The bride has had her ring cleaned and polished, and it's waiting in it's box, ready to be photographed in all it's glory. At the reception, she holds her hand out proudly for guests to comment on it, while her new husband subconsciously twirls his on his finger round and round.

Why is it then, that the last time I was examining my ring was only to see how much more dough had been jammed into the crevices, and if the grimy film covering all surfaces could be removed with the "spit and swipe" method? That's not the way it should be! Why is it that once we say "I do", we let the little things slip away. Even though they're little, they're meaningful. Why can't a wife of 5, 25, or 50 years take the same delight in her ring as a new bride? Is it because once we're married we've assumed the role of "I'm a wife now, we're not young and carefree anymore... we've got kids and I don't have time to do something so frivolous and unnecessary"?

After all these years, the covenant is still the same. The commitment has been tested and proven... and it should be celebrated! It's not unnecessary. It IS necessary, to ensure that you continue looking down at it. To make sure that it creates a rainbow prism in the right light. It reflects your marriage, your relationship, your love. Let others see that you are proud of being a wife, proud of your husband, proud of lasting in a world where commitment means squat.

I encourage you to get out there and get your ring cleaned up. I just did (it's called multi-tasking at Fred Meyer while I grocery shopped), and I can't stop staring. The boys keep touching it. I was excited to show Jeff how beautiful it was and thank him for giving it to me. It has once again begun to remind me of when I was a young, raw, naive 19 year old who was in love with a boy and that's all that mattered.

wordless wednesday: oregon coast aquarium

2011-11-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

and the tiger lay down with the giraffe

2011-11-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

Oh wait, that's not how it goes... Well, at any rate, here's my giraffe and tiger. Do you know that real giraffe's don't make an actual noise? Not this giraffe! And tigers are supposed to like their claws, right? Not this tiger! The giraffe offered to wear them instead; how thoughtful of him. How do you explain that giraffe's don't like roaring and swiping at anything within reach?

Even fake giraffe's like to take a whiz out in the jungle, just like the real thing, did you know that?

may or may-not monday

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

May or May-Not Monday: where you can divulge the secrets of life's mishaps without feeling like a failure. So go on... own up. I may have...

-I may or may not have let my kids rip out an entire roll of scotch tape just so I could continue to stand outside their bedroom and listen to them squeal and giggle. Expensive, but so worth it.

-I may or may not have witnessed Jeff picking up crumbs off our flannel sheets with a wad of duck tape. I merely offered up the suggestion that he just wear a shirt to bed and save himself the trouble. Mornings are good bonding time over toast in bed with the boys.

-I may or may not have mistakenly called a bazooka a "kazoo", and had Jeff making fun of me for 20 minutes on the car ride home. That was a full 20 minutes of some serious cackling, mascera running, wheezing, and braxton hicking. (I wish I could find my inhaler.) I suppose it is doubtful that the iffy-looking van has a stash of tiny hand-held musical instruments as their arsenal.

-I may or may not be re-thinking those concrete countertops I lust for, after I see what type of spillage we deal with on a daily basis. A porous material probably isn't the best choice for our boisterous house.

-I may or may not have washed the same batch of laundry 3 times in a row because it sat and soured after each load.

-I may or may not have been listening to the "menu" music from a DVD on repeat for the entire last week... all day, every day. The same 12-15 second clip never gets old. The disturbing part? I walked in the door this last week from a evening-out with Jeff, and my mom rises from the couch, with the same menu-music playing. She was just sitting and listening. I told her she was weird to just let it play on repeat for hours on end.

-I may or may not have tossed a dirty diaper out onto the front porch of a house we were visiting, only to open the door later on to leave, and discover their dog and the messy remains of said diaper smeared all over their decorated porch and welcome mat. "Uh, can I borrow a plastic bag and some disposable gloves? Don't be alarmed, but if Tucker gets sick, I apologize..."

What are you hiding?

third inning

2011-10-30T22:05:00.000-07:00

I've made it. The love-hate relationship with the third trimester has begun. I love it cause I'm just that much closer to welcoming my baby to earthside. But the hate comes from every awkward, uncomfortable, issue-arising detail that the third trimester brings. It's time to up the ante on the magnesium, red raspberry leaf, and probiotics. Time to get started on the nursery (instead of just having it already done in your head), and figure out what new items I need for the third boy. Seeing as how the first boy was giving a bunch of hand-me-downs (which were hand-me-downs in and of themselves), a few items may not be up to par this round. It's time to nail down a name, and stop calling him "this kid". It's time to pop in the good ole Penny Simkins "relax during childbirth" cd and walk myself through the signposts of labor. Time to start visualizing all the positives and lay down all the negatives about delivery. And it's always time to pray that God will continue to bless us with a healthy pregnancy, and thank Him for keeping my blood pressure stable thus far. Maybe I'll be able to go into labor on my own this time! I wonder what that's like...

Things I've been able to check off my list:
~~Make list of things to do~~
~~Check off first thing on list~~
~~New Blankie~~
~~Take-Home Outfit~~

I'm off to a great start...

tuna casserole- my way

2011-10-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

Now when I say "my way", it means My Way. Which means, I-don't-have-anything-planned-for-dinner-and-so-it's-gonna-get-tossed-together-and-gobbled-up-cause-it's-actually-really-good.

*My Way also includes our version of "food"- so edit as needed*

1 box spelt elbow noodles

1 pint home-canned tuna (or equivalent of smaller, store-bought cans)

One batch of homemade Roux (recipe below)

Roux:

1/4 cup pasture butter

1/4 cup flour (whatever I have- whole wheat, almond etc)

1/2 tsp celtic sea salt

2 cups raw goat milk

*I use this roux as a replacement to all the "cream-of" soups out there

Start your noodles cooking. In the meantime, melt butter and add in flour with a whisk. Whisk in the milk and stir until thoroughly mixed. Toss in salt. Cook until thickened, stirring occasionally/often. Once it has thickened, pop open tuna can and drain. Add tuna to roux, break apart with a fork and heat through. Drain noodles, and dump everything into a casserole dish. Season with more sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Spoon into dishes and devour.

Non-existent leftovers,

wordless wednesday: what i subject my children to at a pumpkin patch

2011-10-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

I threaten my boys to stick their heads through the holes and shove my belly through a tight spot... all for a cheesy photo-op. But I don't care... I love their legs.

may or may-not monday

2011-10-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

May or May-Not Monday: where you can divulge the secrets of life's mishaps without feeling like a failure. So go on... own up. I may have...

-I may or may not be embarrassed to take my kids to restaurants if they continue to say stuff like this to male waiters: "Are you a girl? Cause you have earrings..." and "{Gasp!} Mom! That guy is naughty. He drew all over his arms!" I apologize Venti's. We love you, and our kids do too... it's just a little social experiment every time we visit.

-I may or may not have been too engrossed in a word-scramble race against Jeff (from the kid's menu) to look up and acknowledge the waiter. I feel bad, but not that bad... Jeff did look up and it cost him dearly. I won.

-I may or may not have fed my kids a special ice cream treat at the fruit stand and then demand that they wait in line with me for a half hour at the busiest post office in Salem. Never. Again. At least I didn't have 25 pairs of eyes on me as I try to wrangle two boys who are hopped up on sugar. One is trying to take all the flatboard boxes out of their designated slots, and the other is whining to be put down so he can dash over to the glass-enclosed display case and rattle the handle. You know when your kid is trying to rocket themselves downward through your arms like a torpedo, and you are starting to drip sweat and your too-tight sweatshirt is working its way up your belly and your rubber-banded pants are sliding down as you try to do the foot-lift/pickup on the kid who's on the floor? That's just a good day for everybody. But it was a bad day for me to wear an army hat, seeing as the army man in front of me just stood at attention and most likely was wondering why I can't control my kids. Sorry for giving the army a bad rap. I really am thankful for your service! But could you be a dear and help a pregnant lady out by picking up all these knocked-over boxes?

-I may or may not have eaten a cookie JUST so I could have a big glass of ice cold goats milk. Wasn't cravin' the cookie... just the milk.

-I may or may not have seen an 80 year old wearing my same nice, dressy, formal, furry coat. Awesome. I'm not sure if my style is really old or she is just really hip.

-I may or may not have pulled a metal spoon out of a huge stockpot of boiling apples. Umm... thanks Finn. Always a pleasure to have your help.

-I may or may not have perfected my southern drawl due to terrible canker sores on both sides of my tongue. Seriously, it sounds awesome. I'm wondering if I can continue the accent even though the canker sores are gone and the boys are still giving me weird looks when I read them books. What I'm really wondering is who is casting for the Sweet Home Alabama sequel? I'm there.

-I may or may not have gotten hacked and sent out a not-so-innocent email about a little blue pill to all my contacts. Sorry 'bout that.

-I may or may not have purposely brought my big purse to the movies on Date Night because I knew we would end up sneaking something in... sure enough, Take-Out dinner and even a fountain drink made it into the theater. Something about going to the movies brings out the rebel in me. Or maybe it's just because I've been linked to Jeff for 12 years and that's how we roll. Of course, Jeff always rolls back to the concession stand for popcorn and sour patch kids. Now that totally brings me back to high school. Of course, we're too old these days to kiss in the back of the theater...

old navy's active event

2011-10-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, after I attempted to run a 5K while being 6+ months pregnant (read how that ended up here), I took advantage of being childless for the day and headed up to Old Navy in Clackamas to attend their new Active Event! Having seen a couple commercials for the event on TV, I was excited to checkout all the gear and see if I could enhance my wardrobe options (seeing as how earlier that morning proved to be all about wardrobe malfunctions).

Walking in the door, I was greeted kindly and asked if I wanted to spin the Deal Wheel to win some prizes. Of course! We ended up with a bouncy ball for the boys, and a $5 off coupon! There was also a little activity area set up for kids to color, enjoy some healthy snacks, and hoola hoop to their hearts content; which my cousin's little daughter benefited from while her mom checked out at the register.

Upon entering the Active Zone (as I like to call it), I was really surprised by the large selection they had of tops, pants, capris, shorts, sports bras, and jackets! The styles are so cute, and I found myself really excited about the thumb loops in the jackets and the little details such as zippered pockets and gathered material in fun locations on the garments. So not only can you be practical, but stylish as well!

(But let me tell you what's not stylish: ankles after a run that have been shoved into boots)

I haven't had a chance to put the moisture-wicking fabric to the test yet (besides breaking a sweat while sweeping today), but I can tell you that I've been wearing my items non-stop the last few days, and they've been holding up nicely to all my daily duties around here. Not to mention, they've been staying in place pretty well, which is quite the achievement when you have the belly protrusion out front 24/7. The "compression" line is supposed to help support and slim your appearance... that's something I can't overlook, even if I wasn't pregnant!

The Active sales are crazy-good right now- I scored my capri pants for $15! A lot of things seemed to be marked down 40%!

A few other things I found:

Compression pants on sale for $19

Running hoodie on sale for $25- mine is dark grey with a turquoise hood

Sweatshirt for Jeff on sale for $22

And then I couldn't help but search out some stuff for the littles:

These would look adorable on Eileigh!

Finn's treasure. Boone has them in bright blue. Can't wait to see them together!

My good friend, Kari, blogged about ways to save at Old Navy, and I thought I would share that good bit of information with you:

Sign up for their Email list to learn about new promotions and sales and get great coupons.

Check your receipt and see if it has an opportunity to do a survey for a discount on your next purchase.

Watch your paperfor occasional coupons.

Look for clearance items throughout the entire store. Some of the best items I found were items which were marked down, but not even in clearance area.

Ask an employee what their current promotions are. Sometimes it is easy to miss some of them.

Ever since I got home and tore into my bags, Jeff has given my new clothes his stamp of approval, and I'm pretty sure I've received the boys' support as well, judging by the multiple times they've come up to rub the soft material... or maybe it's just the belly. Whichever it is, my belly is feeling mighty fine in my new threads.

8 ways you know you're too pregnant to run a 5K

2011-10-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

When your bladder feels like it's gonna pop after the first half-mile
When your belly starts tightening into braxton hicks and you get some round ligament pain not too long after crossing the starting line
When you realize you're actually thankful for your thick, pregnancy hair for once because it is helping balance out the foward-lean of the belly. One bump is straining forward, the other bump is pulling back
When you lose momentum every 6 seconds because you have to constantly pull down your shirt that keeps riding up over The Bump. Not that it would matter, seeing as how there was pretty much no one behind me at that point...
When your race bib keeps ripping from being stretched over the prominent bulge
When you can't see your ankle bones at the end of the race
When hunched, heaving, huffing grandpa passes you.. it's pretty much the end-all to any future race that may be tempting to run the rest of this pregnancy
When you come strolling into the finish, the race volunteers (who are already taking down their tables), come over to clap and cheer you on "C'mon! You can do it! Just a little ways more! The finish line is right over there! Good job!"

Feeling not so empowered,

wordless wednesday: baby-wearin' boy

2011-10-12T20:52:00.000-07:00

This kid is scrappy. He fashioned a baby sling out of a pair of Jeff's jersey shorts. Genius.

Oh yeah, and that's his bathrobe still tied at the waist...

tackle-it tuesday: storage

2011-10-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

This blog post is brought to you by the word: Embarassing.

Welcome to our ~~junk~~ storage rooms. Previous names for these areas have been theater/media room and garage. When we bought the place, the garage had already been converted, with lights (on a dimmer for those movie nights) and carpet. Let's not forget to mention the massive entertainment center with gigantic surround sound speakers and curved "sound wall" behind the seating. However, we are not huge movie-buffs, and can't really see ourselves using that much space for just a theater room. Our plans are to once again do a conversion; this time into a family room with more space to play for the kids, and also perhaps library-type section for reading. I can see built in bookshelves with a window seat bench... with a sectional facing the TV, with a table somewhere in the back to either do my crafts on or play games.

Since we've been working hard on other sections of the house, these 2 rooms have taken a major backseat. Maybe it's the exposed foundation all the way around the bottom 1/4 of the walls, or the navy blue and maroon wall color, or maybe it's the fact that 2 walls have to come down, 2 new walls and floors have to be built up, stairs built, and front door, foyer, hallway and pantry all somehow need to come into existence... but something is yelling at me "TOO MUCH WORK!" but at the same time screaming and pleading with me "JUST DO IT! I WANT IT! WE NEED IT!" But, we can't do it when it looks like this:

The future "man cave"- full of Jeff's hunting gear, old photo books, and my craft stuff. The boys decided to throw all the gift bags around the room and they were never picked up and then piled upon.

The filing. Which should just all go into a burn bin. We don't need 97% of that stuff, but I don't have a shredder so I've just keep it all. For 7 years.

Baby gear. Three more bins in my bedroom to be moved down here. And it's all gonna be busted back out soon. Yay.

Decor needs to be organized in a big way.

Garage sale pile. I am this close to just taking it all to the Union Gospel Mission. Not a fan of storing it through the winter and having it take up space.

The big paint spill. Don't know who did it. The boys say Grandma did, but I doubt it. Thankfully new carpet is on the to-do list.

Thankfully (for you guys), I didn't take pictures of the paint/project section or the canned goods/empty jars collection. My sister had the brilliant notion to put all the empty jars in the floor-to-ceiling media cabinet (which I think is suppose to hold all the different dvd players, xbox's, dish/satellite boxes, speaker hub etc). It looks like a tall cabinet to put board games in, but for now, it's holding a mass amount of mason jars. Utilizing, that's what we're doin' over here.

It's already lookin' quite organized and fabulous. We can now move freely about the room. The boys are however, quite saddened that they don't get to climb over all the stored furniture (awaiting fabulous re-do's) and pretend they're conquering mountains. I am excited to get started on the BIG project, but until that happens, my nerves will be at rest knowing that it all has it's place for the time being.

Tackling in a big way,

may or may-not monday

2011-10-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

May or May-Not Monday: where you can divulge the secrets of life's mishaps without feeling like a failure. So go on... own up. I may have...

-I may or may not have been unable to wait for dessert to fully cool, so I stood in an open fridge-way with a spoon in hand and dove right in. The fridge alarm may or may not have been going off, but I'm not sure. I couldn't really hear much over the sounds of my What-About-Bob -"mmmmmm..."-ing.

-I may or may not have just been told about a bird's squawk here at our place that reminds Jeff of a friend's laugh. For two years he's laughed to himself about it... but now there is me cackling (much like the bird, unfortunately) about it every single time I hear it. How could he not share something this great with me for two years?! The same bird frightens Finn. Poor kid.

-I may or may not be in the habit of thoroughly enjoying a food item and then feel the need to spit it out instantly for fear of it all coming back up. Pregnancy.

-I may or may not be noticing that Boone is not picking up on my quirky pronunciation of certain words... so I am correcting him when I hear it. Is this wrong? Don't answer that.

-I may or may not want to know what's so magical about the magic eraser. It's saving my white interior. Even though I hate the little lighter-than-air sponges.

-I may or may not get a kick of conversations like this:

Mom, I want some of this durky.

No, you can't have any jerky. It has bad stuff in it.

But it's my favorite. I love this turkey durky, mom!

You've never had any of this jerky, Boone, and MSG and sodium nitrite will hurt your body.

Why do we have it, mom?

Ask your dad.

-I may or may not be 100% serious about buying a pillow pet. Not for the boys... but for me. I just so happened to borrow my niece's lady bug this weekend, and it was the perfect amount of plush cushion for the bump. So the real question is: Do I buy Thomas the train or the furry moose? Oh, how my boys will be jealous...

And yes, it was just last week that I posted about not needing a pillow yet because of the big mattress divot. Well a lot can happen in a week. That bump needs a pillow now. At least i made it 6 months...

-I may or may not have allowed a 19 month old to slam two saladmaster pot lids together like the cymbal dude in a marching band; much to the kids' delight, and daddy's horror. Do you remember how much these cost?! Yes, I do, babe, but look how cute he is!

friday's featured product

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

I refuse to use Purell on our hands. I stumbled upon this stuff at Lifesource probably close to 2 years ago, and have loved it ever since! And it now comes in an Orange Vanilla scent- so yummy! I have them stashed all over: both cars, the house, purse, and diaper bag.

CleanWell is an all natural hand sanitizer that is free of alcohol, triclosan and other such toxic chemicals. It works by naturally killing bacteria and is safe for all ages.

CleanWell Hand Sanitizer is different from most sanitizers in that it is made with Ingenium. Ingenium is not only safe for kids to use but is also made from 99.99% botanically-sourced essential plant oils making it a natural product free of harmful ingredients, particularly triclosan. Currently one of the top eco-friendly products, CleanWell product line is poison free, 100% Green, kills up to 99.99% of harmful germs tackled, and is completely 100% biodegradable.

There are many different products from CleanWell, including hand wipes, but I've only ever bought the spray. I kinda love the fact that I can just turn around in my car and spray at their open hands from a distance. Seriously, get some.

wait, what's a cassette tape?

2011-10-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

My boys found a mixed tape, somewhere, somehow. It's dated October 29, 2000. From me, to Jeff on our 1 year anniversary. Here's how it reads:

I hope you enjoy this; it sure brings a smile to my face

My love entries to my dearest boyfriend...

Plus: special entry with Jeff Dunn (Duet: Your Mom)

Umm... what? Now all I need to is go on a scavenger hunt for my big boom box out in the garage and plug this puppy in. I'm dying to know what this duet is all about...

may or may-not monday

2011-10-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

May or May-Not Monday: where you can divulge the secrets of life's mishaps without feeling like a failure. So go on... own up. I may have...

-I may or may not have heard this phrase from a stranger: "I must have your genes because I am a major sweat-er" (like the sweaty, wet kind) and thought it through like this: "I must have your jeans, cause I am a major sweater" (like the pullover kind)

-I may or may not have been waiting in a crowded line, dropped my ticket, and as I was standing back up rammed my head into the large rear in front of me; who's owner had inevitably dropped something at the same time as me. Gives whole new meaning to the term "Head-Butt"

-I may or may not have gone back for seconds at a wedding reception after eagle-eying that the caterers had left for a moment. Did I mention that I was a photographer at the wedding? Smooth. What I won't mention is my embarrassment when a guy came up to me and asked if it was O.K. to be getting seconds. Are you calling me out on my lack of professionalism, or are you just merely inquiring if it's O.K. for you to get seconds, too?

-I may or may not be listening to too much Wilson Phillips if my son keeps asking for the "Hold the Chains" song...

-I may or may not have purchased a package of double-stuffed oreos unknowingly because tiny hands have perfected the Five-Fingered Discount.

-I may or may not have recently been pleased with the knowledge that I haven't had to use any pillows to prop under my side-belly while sleeping... that is, until I realized I haven't had to use any because of the vast crevice I sleep in. The mattress ditch is more than enough support for the monstrosity that is becoming my belly... well, for the time being, anyways.

Loving life one mishap at a time,

why am i here?

2011-09-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

I read this statement today from a mom to 5 boys(!) in the comment section of one of my favorite blogs:

I now know why God put me on this planet: to smoosh, love on, snuggle, adore, and rear these five wild animal monkey-boys into kind-hearted, intelligent, God-fearing men of God... we are a little husband factory! Eliminating idiot men one child at a time!

My thoughts exactly.

the little dude

2011-09-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

Oh man. So much thought had gone into preparing for Baby #3's big day. I always think of the ultrasound appointment as the "big day", because it gives me my first (and pretty much only) glimpse of my little human in there. And just like the other two pregnancies, we were unsure about whether or not we wanted to know the baby's gender at the ultrasound appointment. With Boone, we decided to wait, and LOVED finding out at his birth. With Finn, I was set on not finding out again, but as the appointment drew near, I found myself nervous that I wasn't bonding with baby as much, and I decided that we wanted to find out. We loved knowing that he was a He, and we were able to name him and let Boone start working on all things "brother and baby" early. It was great. This time round, we once again didn't care if we were blessed with a boy or a girl, and we thought it would be the ultimate surprise if we could hold out and wait. But I found myself just craving to know who the Lord has designed for our family, and I just had to know His good and perfect will.

Here's how it all played out: 3 weeks after I could and should have found out, rescheduled appointments and lots of tears over "just wanting to see my baby!", the big day finally arrived. I drank the 32 oz. of water like a good girl, and we all had a great time at the "heartbeat store" as Boone calls it. Baby looked fabulous and we got to see it moving around and sucking it's thumb. After the appointment, we took the sealed envelope with the ultrasound picture of "the goods" to a gal from our church who has a cake business. I wanted the actual cake to be tinted pink or blue, with matching filling. To keep things simple and clean, I told her I wanted white frosting with polka dots, with a light gray question mark on top.

Baby's ultrasound gender pic in the apothecary jar

Then we had family over for dinner (which no one had appetite for cause we just wanted to tear into the cake!) and shared the awesome experience together:

He has the same nose as all my boys...

Yep. That's definitely a Dunn Boy in there... Ac. Tive.

I am beyond excited to see the next little variation of male to join our family, and I have already begun to think of how potent our family dynamic will be with 3 boys instead of 2. Well, smells will be quite potent, but I'm talking about the statement factor of 3 boys... it's huge, and I love it. And I love him.

may or may-not monday

2011-09-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

May or May-Not Monday: where you can divulge the secrets of life's mishaps without feeling like a failure. So go on... own up. I may have...

-I may or may not have had too much force behind my swing when I swung Boone into bed last night- his head slammed against the wall and I spent the next few minutes majoring in Apologetics. (I know that's not what Apologetics actually is... I just like to make jokes, ok?)

-I may or may not have begged Jeff to take me to the same restaurant twice in one day just to devour their sweet potato fries. Did he? No. Am I still craving them? Yes.

-I may or may not have worn an outfit that made Jeff make comments about all of the following:

John the Baptist

Esau

Jacob pretending to be Esau

Me trying to steal my baby's birthright

-I may or may not have made my brother-in-law almost puke from the wretched smell of a small pile of diapers sitting out on the counter. Wish I could've been there to witness it. Glad I wasn't there to witness my sister tossing the diapers out, and wiping a little trail of brown off the counter. I don't know who should get the "serves you right" label slapped on their forhead: Them for not telling us they were coming over before we left? Or us for leaving the house that way and not being able to do anything about it when people come over?

-I may or may not have exclaimed to Jeff in public to "Watch Finn really closely because 'they' like the little blonde-haired, blue-eyed ones!"

-I may or may not love being able to order my healthy 1/2 sandwich and cup of soup, but still have the luxury of borrowing fried fish and chips from Jeff's plate. It's a win-win... for me.

-I may or may not have had a kid whining for a cheeseburger and fries at the naturopath's office.

-I may or may not have gotten a serious "up and down" look from a young thang in the tightest and shortest skirt ever, at a concert last weekend. Look all you want, hunny. I just did the same to you.

-I may or may not have told my kid there was no more milk for him today to drink, only so I could make myself a nice little chocolate milk concoction out of goats milk and dairy-free chocolate chips during naptime.

You?

may or may-not monday

2011-09-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

May or May-Not Monday: where you can divulge the secrets of life's mishaps without feeling like a failure. So go on... own up. I may have...

-I may or may not have scratched my itching arm with a handful of uncooked spaghetti noodles. You know, while you're waiting for the water to boil, you randomly get to scratching, right?

-I may or may not have sneezed cooked spaghetti and sauce all over my white desk and white computer. Now it's a white with red polka dots table... with tiny little noodle worms all over...

-I may or may not have found the boys in the neighbor's yard, after they tramped through the "jungle" and knocked over the fence that the neighbors put up SPECIFICALLY to keep said boys out.

-I may or may not have found the boys WAY past the "jungle" and over on the other side of the neighbors yard. Finn was actually standing on part of their wood pile. I am praying the neighbors weren't home. I feel exactly like Anne of Green Gables when she sees her cow, Dolly, in the neighbors cabbage patch. I can just see it now: when it gets to really raining around here I'm gonna biff it in the mud, too, trying to "shoo" them out of there... just. like. Anne.

-I may or may not have returned to my gymnastic roots awhile back when camping, by swinging into an upside-down handstand on the rings. Yep, I've still got it. Unfortunately, my muscles don't, and they were screaming at me for days after. Jeff seemed to be impressed, which was my main objective- although, it probably wasn't the brightest idea to hang upside down for quite a few seconds and let all the blood leave my uterus; rendering my baby helpless and without oxygen.

-I may or may not have had a mass amount of q-tips strewn across the bathroom floor for, honestly, a couple weeks. At least they're ~~still~~ were clean. Jeff really enjoys it when I don't pick up the litter and they get stuck between his toes...

-I may or may not be a force to be reckoned with while dining. Just ask my family. Yesterday's Sunday Dinner (lunch) had everyone avoiding eye contact and scrambling to hand food over to me. That's right! I will call you out if I feel you took all the peaches out of the fruit salad, placed too many avocados on your burger, are wasting too much BBQ sauce on your bun, or if I mistake a meat pattie for a brownie- WHERE did Selah get the brownie?! Answer me!

-I may or may not be slightly jealous (but mainly insanely proud) of my dad, who for the last month, diligently stayed on course with his advised diet. Never ONCE did he stray. Not once. I'm telling you, the guy couldn't have dairy, gluten, grains, nightshades, citrus, corn, beef, pork, tuna, shellfish, and/or sugar. That pretty much leaves him with nothing to eat. That is major willpower. I am so impressed. This is coming from the girl who can't even take her prenatal for 30 days in a row. Man, did I get the wrong DNA or what?

-I may or may not have driven the long way to Dallas (up and over the wee-hill) so my boys would fall asleep in the car. Confession: they were already asleep the first time I went over the wee-hill. I turned around and went over it again just for me. Wee! I need to move to Dallas.

What do you have to spill?

wordless wednesday: a series of unfortunate events

2011-09-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

A bear was shot and was rolled down the hill to rest in peace.

Unfortunately, I think Sasquatch was behind it all...

What happens in the woods, stays in the woods-

boys and berries do not mix

2011-09-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

well, actually, they do. they mix very well.

Who needs tattoo ink when you can make your own "sleeve" out of berries?

Probably one of my favorite pictures right there.

PS. The white skivvies got tossed out after Boone decided to sit in the container of mashed berries. Not so cool.

some things I learned this week

2011-09-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

- Don't tell your kids you're going camping unless it's only hours before departure. Not even at bedtime the night before, because then they'll be too riled up to sleep, and you'll end up threatening to cancel the whole trip. Telling them 3 days in advance is a really big mistake.

- Packing for valley weather when you're actually headed to the coast will throw you for a loop. A cold, windy loop.

- I am capable of packing, loading the car, unloading the car, setting up my tent, tearing down my tent, and reloading the car all on my own. No help needed. Just call me Pioneer Woman.

- Driving to the coast and back home 4 days in a row makes you have deja-vu. I should either stay at the coast and not commit to prior engagements, or just go to the coast after said engagement from now on.

- Leaving the grandparents in charge of your kids while camping for a 24 hr period is enough time for them to relinquish all rights as caregivers from here on out. I guess having the kids fall through the screen door and out the trailer, then off the couch, then tripping and knocking some front teeth loose, and directing away from the tempting campfire while on their watch was too much...

- Don't forget the baby rubber band keeping your pants together. You'll end up wishing you'd have broken out the maternity bin already... cause too-tight of pants is so uncomfortable, but leaving them unbuttoned is just too trashy for a pregnant chick riding bikes around the loop with her two kids.

- When it's way past bedtime and you're in the dark tent getting the boys layered up to sleep, you will cry alongside your boys when the one free falls backwards on the mattress and slams his head directly onto the face of the other one. Or maybe you'll cry because you've been the sole parent for a week and you're pregnant. Who knows...

- When your air mattress has a leak in it, it's not a good idea to let side-lying boy start out in the middle of the bed. Because when the little boy decides he's cold and you bring him to join in, there will be no room for you. And because of collapsed mattress, you will wind up sliding off the edge and laying on the hard ground.

- Just when you think you have the sleeping routine figured out (which is to start out in the middle of the mattress so side-lying boy will end up in pike position under the covers and cold little boy will sleep on the other side of you), you will realize that it's still all wrong. You will end up dropping the middle of the deflated mattress to the hard ground, which causes two little boys to tumble into the crevice caused by large pregnant lady and sprawl on top of you... which will make it very hard to switch positions, so your kidneys will kill the entire night, and your bladder and baby bump will not thank you.

may or may-not monday

2011-09-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

May or May-Not Monday: where you can divulge the secrets of life's mishaps without feeling like a failure. So go on... own up. I may have...

-I may or may not have lost my list of may-or-may-nots... and heaven knows there's no way I can retain all those mishaps in my present state.

But what I will do is leave you with a picture of my adorable, pink-obsessed son on a 4-wheeler at the State Fair. As much as he loved the pink ride, all he can talk about is the tiger roller coaster. He definitely got mom and dad's genes in that aspect. Can't wait to go to Six Flags with our kids someday!

"mom, your baby is really big now?"

2011-09-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

"Yeah, bud... I suppose it is really big today in this dress..."

word of warning

2011-08-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

1. If you leave the doors open in your house, even for the safety of listening to your boys, you run the risk of a fly invasion.

2. If you have a fly invasion, you shouldn't let your husband use the fly swatter to create a new camo pattern on a hat. You know, there's the "moth wing" pattern, so why not "fly swatter"?

3. If you are without a fly swatter, definitely make sure you don't hit your already broken (and taped) window with a broom or rolled magazine, if aiming for the two black hornets that have set up residence. They will get angry and come buzzing up at your face.

4. If you invest in the sticky, toxic fly paper/tape, make sure you hang them in locations where you won't hit your head every time you walk around the corner. There will be more strands of hair that have been strung up to die than bug-eyed creatures.

5. If you snag your messy rats-nest so well that it pulls the entire tape and tack out of the door frame, don't yell and wake up a sleepy male. Just bobble your sticky head to the shower, armed with the old tub of crisco that's sat at the back of your cupboard for a year or two. At least it's good for somethin'.

wordless wednesday: an evening out on the pond

2011-08-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

what man can relate to a stay-at-home mom?

2011-08-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hi there. Welcome to my neglected blog. The poor thing has been on the back burner the last few weeks since we have been going and going at about the pace of "Lightening Speed" from Star Wars.

As much as I have wanted to post Boone's birthday, letters to the kids, new recipes, room redo's, may-or-may-not's, recent photo shoots, and just the everyday bits of life here at the zoo it just hasn't happened. We've had lots of appointments, planned and attended a high school reunion, gone on lots of hunting trips (or stayed home while dad did them), canned 100+ pounds of tuna, went to fairs, did 3 days of preschool-prep class, camped (with more to come!), had a couple rounds of birthday, worked on the house, trying to get a jump start on the pregnancy "risks" that have already begun to show sign, fixed many-a-owie, and been dealing with a 3 yr. old attitude that decided to join ranks.

Anyways, it's not really slowing down all that much, but I'm getting a better grip on it I think (after my floors are mopped and bathrooms cleaned it will be MUCH better), and am hoping to return to normal posting soon! I miss it when I don't. It's a nice outlet for me... it's relaxing and I enjoy having the ability to "journal" our life in a creative way.

I read this article from Passionate Homemaking this morning, and it was just what I needed. Thank you Lord for your provision in the midst of my chaos! Enjoy...

I sat down and made a list of all the rigors of wife- and motherhood I could possibly think of. There are…A LOT!

Exhaustion
Feeling alone or isolated from the outside world
The struggle for regular, healthy rest and refreshment
Having too many things to do
Grief over your children’s rebellious hearts toward you and God, sometimes even frustration or anger
Changes in your physical body due to childbirth/care and age
The minute-by-minute flow of daily, constant demands
Loss of a sense of control over your life in general
Worries about the poor character you are passing on to your kids by example
Loss of a sense of usefulness in ways you used to enjoy
Loss of sleep
Loss of mental/emotional rest
Loss of time with husband
Loss of a sense that your husband relates to your experience as a wife/mother, perhaps feeling lonely/isolated even in your own home
Rejected and undervalued by our culture
General despair and frustration
Feeling distant from God because of all these imposed losses!

Whew! I’m ready for that list to be done. Won’t be re-reading that again! Too many of these hover over my head daily like a black Eeyore-cloud, following me everywhere I go.
There are so many days I can’t wait for my kids to nap so the house is quiet, for everybody to go to bed so I can take a break from meeting needs, sometimes…for everybody to grow up and leave!
I used to think the only one who really understood was a fellow mom. And, really, what help is that? A friend with 3 or 4 kids can’t do much but sympathize with my lack of sleep!
About a year ago, as I read through the gospels, I began noticing incidents in Jesus’ everyday life that startled me. Because they were very similar to the incidents that sometimes make my life sticky, as a stay-at-home-mom. So I started a list of all the troubles Jesus endured, all of them eventually culminating on the cross. Here it is:
Jesus was:

Underappreciated
Misunderstood
Exhausted
Physically worn down and destroyed
Rejected
His gifts and abilities were often ignored or discredited, and later totally rejected/wasted by the people who killed him
Cut off from friends, family, and the outside world
Bore the weight of the sins of the world, an impossibly huge demanding burden, on his shoulders, to hell for us.
Lost all rest, well-being, comfort, closeness to God (physically, spiritually, and emotionally)
Was rejected by his culture
Totally lost control of his life and circumstances
Felt total despair
Was totally alone

So, there is a man who understands! Even when I’m in the trenches, poopy diapers a-plenty, lack of time, running on zero sleep, with guests coming over to eat the dinner I haven’t cooked yet. The remarkable thing about Jesus was, he suffered stress, despair, and isolation, but not because he doubted God (like I do) and believed he had no choice but to deal with it alone (like me). He CHOSE to take it all on, so we wouldn’t have to.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us–for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” (Galatians 3:12)

More than before (since I made that list), my mind turns to Jesus when strain, stress, or tiredness creeps up on me. More than before, I don’t mind so much that it’s there. It crept up on Jesus, and he let it. He took it on for me. He understands! He’s is certainly my example for sacrificial motherhood, but oh so much more. His perfect love and life go on record for me. He’s my stand-in….better than a mom-friend!

happy 3rd birdie boone!

2011-08-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon a golf-themed party and thought it would be perfect for Boone's 3rd birthday, for many reasons. One, the kid is good at golf. Two, we have a golf course around our property. Three, the party looked really easy to pull off. So golf party it was. If I would've thought about it, we should've waited until next year, when Boone turns FORE.
I had my friend Megan whip me up this little invite:

Oh the sign... it really was so cute. This picture does it a complete injustice. Thanks to Whit and her cricut skills, I didn't have to cut each letter out by hand. These banners are incredibly easy to make- try it! This one read: Happy Birdie Boone!

Moving on to the food... I love a good play on words, so these were fun to come up with and make the little signs to go along with each item! Of course, Arnold Palmer was served, along with some iced Peppermint "Green" "Tee".

I have Emi to thank for making the cake pops. I was not much help, and even worse at the sprinkling. But they turned out pretty cute just the same...

I utilized the gazillion golf balls we have lying around the house, and filled little galvanized buckets to put in each of the bathrooms for quick decor.

Here's the man of the hour, enjoying his "par-fait". I love his enticing eyes :)

Gnawing on his cake pop. He made sure that everyone sang him 'Happy Birthday' before he ate it.

This is BOONE. He is thfree.

Boone watching the cousins playing a round of golf... and Finn watching Boone eat his cake pop.

What a nice birthday boy- sharing!

Boone is a big fan of his boy cousins. I think it's so cute how Boone sat so close to Andrew here... and how Andrew didn't mind!

Me and my boys. Boone holding up "3", and Finn really happy cause he just held up "1" for everyone to see.

Finn started loving on Curious George the minute he laid eyes on him. Now it is great fun for him to snag him away from Boone every chance he gets.

I'd have to say these were Boone's favorite gift of the night. He took them everywhere; even down the slip 'n' slide and into the pool.

Some of the group...

Family photo out on one of the greens:

Happy Birthday, Boone! I loved having your excitement build this year as your party neared- you are such a joy, and it's a blessing to celebrate your life!

dear boone,

2011-08-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

Hey Bud! I've been reflecting on the last three years recently... well, actually, the last three and a half years. Ever since God placed you in my belly to grow, my life has never been the same. Each moment of your life I have thought, "it couldn't get any better than this" but somehow it does. I thought nothing could beat being pregnant and feeling you move around in there, but then you came and I held you for the first time. And nothing could surpass that. And then you began smiling and giggling... and then rolling and crawling and walking and talking... and now you are a little man with expressive feelings, complete thoughts, and conversations. You can ride a bike (and are so proud of it and show everyone your "balance bike without pedals!") and get dressed by yourself and have been taking quick showers by yourself even. You are such a spirited guy; strong willed as all get out, yet you have a sweet, sensitive heart that shows itself with perfect timing. I love your little voice... how you pronounce your words, and how you can't seem to start a sentence because your mind is already onto the next sentence and thought. I love how you are consumed with the outdoors, yet have a soft spot for pink. I love how you are finding your validation now in all activites, and always want us to watch you. You are very, very fearless. That makes me nervous sometimes, but I smile when I think about the perfect warrior you are becoming. You will be a strong fighter for the Lord someday.
Right now I feel like life can't get any better. For some bittersweet reason, I know it will. But until then, I want to hold on to these moments forever.

I know I gave you life, Boone, but you know what? You really gave me mine.

I love you forever,
Mommy

random thoughts on a random thursday

2011-08-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

-We don't have to worry about the "over or under" toilet paper issue. Ours is an unrolled, crumpled bunch on the floor that we just string up a few squares and hunk it off. The boys make it easy on us, in that aspect.

-Wondering where in the world are all these stinkin' white sprinkle balls hiding?! Every time I sweep a dozen come rolling on out in a never-ending fashion... I only have myself to blame; I was in charge of the sprinkling of the cakepops for Boone's party.

-Questioning my new little book of manners for boys... do boys really need to be this behaved and tame?

-Boone's bike bravery- no fear. Hills, cement, gravel... it's all been done. Oh, and so has copying dad by trying to go down the slip 'n' slide, down the grassy knoll, then off the cliff and into the dry pond waaay down below. He made it down the slip 'n' slide before crashing into a big roll of wire fence. His only complaint was that I wouldn't let him keep going.

-Oh how I would love a central vac. system! Here's a genius thought, which I know Jeff will appreciate: put one of the suction vents in the bathrooms- all my dead hair would be no more!

-Arranging flowers is completely therapeutic, and so edifying for my own creativity but also to the Lord's creation. I could do it all. the. time. I'd like to thank Mrs. R for her amazing green thumb, and for teaching me how to arrange flowers back in 6th grade for 4-H. Who knew that winning the fair's arrangement contest could booster a girl's confidence well into her 20's?

-The irony of the above statement is that I haven't planted one single plant since moving here 2 years ago. All of the bulbs and plants that our neighbors have given us have never been transplanted, cause I don't like the varieties given and I don't have the heart to tell them "no thanks".

-The bump really enjoyed swinging yesterday- butterflies were all up in my grid. Made me want to take a trip down to Six Flags stat. Only problem with that is the "no knocked-up women allowed" rule.

-I wonder if I'm crazy for letting my husband give himself a mohawk tonight before the "once in a lifetime" big horn hunt. "Everybody's doing it!" is his reasoning... I'm just glad our 10 yr. high school reunion was last weekend.

-Pondering on the reunion, I've taken note that I attended the event with day-old hair, hormonal pimples, and leg stubble. Wait, I thought I was out of high school! Good thing no one cares about that stuff anymore...

wordless wednesday: i don't know what i love best about this kid

2011-08-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

tuesday's trivia

2011-08-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

This month will not only mark Boone's 3rd birthday, but also benchmarks Finn at 18 months. Which means, that this month, Boone will be exactly double Finn's age. Never again will he be twice the age of his brother. Kinda crazy... and kinda cool.

a mouthful

2011-08-15T23:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not just talking about the enormous, rigid, shaking-of-the-head-so-they-can-get-their-mouth-around-more-food bites my kids take and then proceed to exclaim "Big Biiite!" I'm talking about the stuff that is coming out of their mouths. While Finn is pretty much innocent with everything that he's saying (besides the repetitive 'oop' everytime he sees the white-topped chicken droppings), Boone is killing me lately! For the most part, he makes me bust my gut constantly, but there are on occasion the moments where I'd like to curl up in a corner and hide from embarrassment. I have been awful and documenting this stuff recently, and I am already regretting it. Here are a few snippets of the ones that have occurred as of late:

-upon hearing me whisper, "Dadgumit!" he immediately repeated, "Dadgumit! Momgumit! Boonegumit! Finngumit! Gumisgood!"

-after Jeff tossed him off of Finn in our bed one Sunday morning, "Daddy! You can't do that to me! I'm the QUEEN!"

-after I told him I was leaving to go spend time with a couple friends, he told me very seriously, "Mom. Remember the rules: no hitting... no pushing... no tackling... and you must share. Ok, mom?"

-"Mommy, watch me eat Goliath!" Goliath? "Yep! This giant pickle!"

-"Mom, I pushed Charlotte." Did you say 'sorry', Boone? "No. No, I didn't. Turn around mom. We need to go back and say sorry."

-"Mommy! I waked up from nap now and I'm a big boy! So I can go up in the attic now like daddy! And I can drive a car and a boat and a truck and a tractor, and I can drink pop and shave my cheeks"

-and then some that are probably a bit inappropriate for the blogosphere and best left for inside the house. But man, does he make Jeff and I snicker... and wonder what kind of kid we've got on our hands...

-and of course there are the loud comments he makes in public that just leave me scrambling for the correct reply, everyone feeling awkward and my neck blotchy from being flushed. Maybe they didn't hear and just think I'm having some weird pregnancy rash goin' on.

wordless wednesday: what i look like when i'm explaining where and how i want you to pose during a photo shoot: please just go with it... even if you look like you're getting electrocuted from an invisible source of electricity.

2011-08-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

speak to me-

2011-08-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I answer the phone with a firm, matter-of-fact: "Speak to me!" Well, today Faith in the Field's blog did just that. I must've been searching for something without knowing it. Here's my favorite, favorite part...

I think many people become paralyzed and fearful of the direction the world is going. Let me assure you that the “world” has always been going in that direction. Christians use the statement that they will “pray about it” or “seek God’s will” and those are always good things but those words have become a cop out statement to do nothing. God’s will is evident in the Word and He has written it on your heart. You only need to seek Him and turn the page to what He has written. It is time to be obedient by loving one person at a time.
-Eric Schoenborn

wordless wednesday: old smokey

2011-08-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

may or may-not monday

2011-08-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

May or May-Not Monday: where you can divulge the secrets of life's mishaps without feeling like a failure. So go on... own up. I may have...

-I may or may have been sitting in the living room (you know, being an adult and watching a documentary on the history channel and none of that reality tv junk...), and started hearing "plink, plink, plink" from somewhere in the kitchen. Yep, it had to be a mouse. And I was not about to go find it. But it had to be scuttling across my pots and pans cause that's exactly what it sounded like. So finally during a commercial from ~~So You Think You Can Dance~~ the WWI film, I snuck in on tiptoes to spot it (and fly-swat it). I jumped about a foot into the air when something fell out of the open cupboard to my right: raisins plunking down from a collapsed package onto some pots laying on the counter; one after another, then a pause, then more plinking. Ahh, the mouse. So glad it wasn't really a mouse. (PS. We don't get the history channel. We don't even have cable)

-I may or may not have licked an envelope seal over and over again, only to realize it had a sticky strip that only needed peeling. Niiice.

-I may or may not have taken a trip to Bend this weekend, shoved in the backseat between two carseats that left me with two choices: to either lean forward the entire trip so my shoulders had room, or dislocate my shoulders and be able to lean back against the seat.

-I may or may not have been changing a diaper (dislocated shoulders and all... I know, I'm talented) in the car on said trip, only to have the kid pee all over me. And not stop until he was empty. The same kid who had been crying incessantly for over an hour. The same kid who needed an nap so badly but just couldn't let go since mom was right next to him... and we all know how much he's attached to mom.

-I may or may not have only packed one pair of shorts for the trip since it was just a quick, overnight thing. So guess who got to walk around with wet shorts all day? Felt like my water broke. But let's wait on that, shall we?

-I may or may not have needed to borrow money after I filled my car and realized the station didn't take cards.

-I may or may not have laughed so hard this week that water came out my nose.

-I may or may not have extended family that after listening to some stories this weekend made me say, "You can't make this stuff up." It's true; you can't.

-I may or may not have put flannel sheets back on my bed last night. They're kinda like Christmas music and how I can listen to it all year. I can sleep on those puppies 365 days a year.

-I may or may not have dumped 5 lbs of raw almonds into some water to "soak", and then thought about the repercussions of such a lazy move. So I dumped 'em out and started over with the correct measurements. I'm glad I did, cause I was WAY off the first time. Don't even get me started on the sea salt ratios...

-I may or may not have grossly underestimated the number of diapers needed for our trip. I guess that's what happens when you let the kid run nekked all day, every day... combine that with his obsession with H2O... it equals out to a drastically reduced number of packed diapers and saggy, saggy bottoms.

Ah, life. I may or may not love it.

date night

2011-07-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

Slurping on an extremely large rainbow sherbet cone from the Gingerbread House and listening to classical music, while my two handsome (yet very dirty) dates are sacked out in the backseat after a long day up at Detroit. The bump and I shared some nice quality time together. I however, did not share my sherbet.

Keepin' it real,

wordless wednesday: somehow a gun and elk call make all things better... even an old pink slinglet of mommy's

2011-07-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

all in a day's work

2011-07-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

Ah, boys. I wonder why they do the things they do:

And I wonder how they become so efficient at digging holes (and doing it right next to the septic tank):

And I wonder what type of thrill comes from laying on a freshly uncovered dirt mound:

Yes, the wheels are always turning... not only in their heads, but in mine, too.

may or may-not monday

2011-07-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

May or May-Not Monday: where you can divulge the secrets of life's mishaps without feeling like a failure. So go on... own up. I may have...

-I may or may not have woke Jeff up last night (in the middle of the night, nonetheless) whispering, "Someone is in the house!" He disbelievingly answered, "No..." but was already on his feet heading for the weapon cabinet. House checked out fine. So did Jeff's investigation skills, thanks to an extensive background in Criminal Minds.

-I may or may not have been a bit embarassed when Jeff crawled back into bed and about 15 seconds later we heard the culprit: rumbling thunder. Yep. Thunder. Sounded just like footsteps and the sliding doors opening. I actually knew it was thunder and was just testing Jeff's reaction time to my intruder story.

-I may or may not have liked playing the wife role and getting to stay in bed while he did the perusing around the property (yeah right... I was right there behind him- not armed with anything but a full bladder and a rats nest in my hair).

-I may or may not have some major distressing done to the little end table I've been working on, thanks to Finn and a chisel. I heard pounding, I came running, I found. Doesn't get more authentic than that, folks.

-I may or may not love putting stuff on Jeff's "tab" at work. Boy, does he have a surprise comin'.

-I may or may not not have wished the coyote to get the rest of the chickens and just be done with it, cause I can't handle the motion detector alarms incessant dinging. Shrill.

-I may or may not be so behind on laundry that I let me kid go without underwear for 2 days straight. It's bad when the kid who loves to be nekked is begging to wear undies.

-I may or may not have had the strength of Samson when I overturned a full kiddie pool after an incident that wasn't going to allow the boys to play in it again. It's the long hair. Or possibly the protective mama-bear instinct. Yes, that must be it.

-I may or may not secretly love having folks stare at me when I take the boys and my nieces to the park. Yes, two sets of twins. Girl, boy; girl, boy. Just wait till I've got a nice belly to join in the fun. That'll really get the whispers going.

-I may or may not have left the boys napping peacefully in their beds, hopped on the bike and pedaled like mad to the BIG garage sale down the way. I wouldn't have felt so guilty if I would've found something completely awesome.

-I may or may not feel like I need to be using toilet seat covers for our bathrooms. Between piddle spills, sandy bottoms, or muddy hand prints it just is impossible for me to not be a hovercraft in my own home.

Well that may or may not sum up the happenings around here. You?

raegan

2011-07-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

raegan is one. raegan is adorable. raegan makes me covet her skin. reagan was the cutest little client and I'm so glad I was able to photograph her! What I loved best about her is the fact that I knew she would be cute either smiling or serious... she just has that look about her. An added bonus to the day: her momma and I went to high school together so it was fun catching up during the shoot!

the little hog

2011-07-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

I found a picture! This was taken 4th of July, I'm thinking either 2002 or 2003. I'd like to blame our hairdos on the tight-fitting helmets, but I'm really not positive that's the only issue goin' on. And those jackets... unflattering? Well, not on the 6'5" basketball player. But dang, we didn't care. We were matching, young and totally loving life; flying free on that metallic thing (which, in the right light, had the paint to change through the rainbow of colors). He spent a whole summer fixing her up (used to be his dad's), which was a big sacrifice since we were both working 7 days a week, sometimes 12-14 hr shifts.

My favorite memory? Sneaking into the Dallas Summerfest Parade on that thing, and riding through, waving to people and driving over to chat with all our friends we saw along the route. I remember the announcer looked at us, paused, looked down at his paper, and then just waved us through with a shaking of his head... he knew what we were: Parade Crashers, and not on the list of parade entertainment. (So yes, add that to the list of "types of crashers"- I posted about a few in this post.) I wonder what gave it away: us still in our pj's (he came down the mountain to pick me up spur-of-the-moment), or the lone balloon we found and strung up the back of the bike?

Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to the beaut after the carburator cracked during Jeff's crash in our first year of marriage. Maybe we'll save that for another post... with more blasted-from-the-past pictures...

wordless wednesday: disturbia

2011-07-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

I honestly can't decide which is more unsettling: the slight smile or the even-more intense stare.

PS. He crashed. And ate dirt. And fabulously let me take a picture. What's new?

camping, unedited

2011-07-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

Over the 4th of July, we went camping down in Southern Oregon with a group of Jeff's hunting buddies. Now when I say group, I mean colony. Seriously, this was an awesome experience- a TON of people all camped in a huge circle in grassy meadow... we all ate together (potluck style) at a big, outdoor kitchen for every meal. In the mornings, "Kenny" made us all the best, most greasiest breakfasts of blueberry pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, and taters. After meals, we were free to roam the 10 riverfront acres and participate in any of the activities that were happening. These included a legit zipline, 50 ft slide into the river, rope swing into the river, 4-wheelers, creek walking/craw-dad catching, boat races down the river, horseshoes, badminton, bocce ball, merry-go-round, swings (of which were homemade out of large logs and were more like a see-saw swing. A person on either side and you do the push-pull motion with your feet and handle bars and end up looking like the Sea Dragon ride at the state fair). We were never bored! Sometimes it was just nice to sit in the sun back at camp... especially during nap time when I didn't have to keep my eyes trained on two little albino's running around in all directions.

So when I mentioned camping, unedited, I meant that not only are the photos not edited cause I don't feel like it, but that I love the raw-ness that comes from camping. I love living with no agenda, no make-up, no shirts, no shoes (ok, those last two weren't applicable to me). I think camping in a large community like this just added to the natural feel to it all (a little frightening since I didn't know 90% of them, and I'm not comfortable letting my kids run with just anybody). Jeff and I came away from it saying, "This is what we want for our property!" Maybe someday we'll get it all fixed up so we can host big camp outs and get togethers here for everyone to enjoy and just "hang". Life unedited.

I didn't have my camera with me for most of it, but here are a few snapshots:

This Great Dane, Toby, was unbelievably gigantic. Just enormous. I can't get over it.

Finn loved him and was in a constant state of squealing whenever he was around

The boys with Taylor, our friend's little girl who just turned 2- Finn is practically her size!

Excited, but a little unsure

He came whizzing by with his head flopped back- completely relaxed

Enjoying a pre-zipline ride from dad

Have you noticed his splotch yet? He crashed a couple days earlier off a tractor-trike onto cement

Clinging for dear life, yet not crying!

Boone would chuck a large stick directly at the dog, and just laugh and laugh when she'd catch it

Not a fan of the cold water, he hung around the shoreline and tossed in rocks... and also the bucket full of mussels and crawdads that all the other kids spent the afternoon collecting

His favorite pastime: the "ing"

baby's blank slate

2011-07-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

Baby's gonna have a real nice set-up in here. One that won't include a slide play structure and tool/workbench.

Although the fur throw might end up staying (as long as it doesn't look like a lifeless beast like it does here)...

Unfortunately, baby doesn't have much say in what his/her diggs are gonna look like.
Don't worry, Baby. I'll treat you real good.

But in my mind... it's not such a blank slate.

Nope, not so blank. Yet blank.

Hmm, slate... I like it.

the hog

2011-07-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I walked out of the bedroom, headed to the car for church. Jeff turned towards me, stopped mid-stride, looked me up and down and announced, "It's raining..." I, having noticed the gloomy weather upon awaking and decided to bundle up in layers, retorted back, "Eyeah..." Wondering why he was telling me that, I quickly reconsidered my outfit but deemed it fit for the day. I look up at him with a question mark in my eyes, and so he replied with the utmost seriousness, "Well, we're not taking the harley to church in this weather!"
I seriously couldn't stop laughing. And snickering, cause I kinda understood his joke.

Here's the way I saw myself: (skinny jeans -which ended up not so skinny, long tee, hoodie, leather jacket, scarf, and sheathed boots)

Here's the way Jeff saw me: (leather jacket, chaps, and helmet)

The best part about all this? I gotta bust out my old helmet from the glory days of riding (before the days of the crash)... it even still has my initials on it: MT. ~~Fortunately~~ Unfortunately, our matching riding jackets have been lost (or donated) and will not be making a reappearance. I'm gonna go scrounge up a picture and post it if I can find one! You're gonna laugh.

look what got put up yesterday

2011-07-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

Ruthie came over yesterday and started hammerin' up my walls! This was my birthday gift from her two years ago, and I am thrilled that it's finally going up! I have had no inspiration for the dining room- mainly because this wall is so extremely large, and all my furniture just doesn't look right against it. But I have a feeling that when this project is complete I won't have a problem makin' it all mine.

This cupboard was a side-of-the-road find, and while I loved it then, I am annoyed with it now. I love the weathered barn boards, but am not a fan of the red color. It doesn't go with anything in my home anymore and I'm just not getting a good vibe. I can, however, see great potential. I think the plan is the cover the red with either a white or the grayish-brown color that has outfitted my lower kitchen cabinets and the mudroom's wall unit. Still wondering whether to close the doors in, or put in chicken wire, since glass is not really an option in this house. Chicken wire would look cute, but the practical side of me says to close them in so I can use it for storage and not "display". Ideas are being tossed around with adding feet to the base of it to give it a more "free-standing" look, and then we're thinking about some type of hutch up above. Whatever it is, it's gotta be large to not get swallowed by the wall. It's gotta make a statement. Good plans, good plans.

Possibly even more exciting? The prospect that after two years I will be getting baseboards! Oh, and don't even get me started on my light fixture! Two years of eating in the dark is gettin' lame. Can't wait to spill the details as soon as it goes in!

wordless wednesday: she thinks my tractor's sexy

2011-07-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, ok, maybe not sexy, but I'm sure a big fan of the 3 things sittin' on there.

choosing to change in 5 days

2011-07-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

Day 1: I went for a walk down a street. I fell into a hole. I didn’t see it. It took me a long time to get out. It’s not my fault.
Day 2: I went for a walk down the same street. I fell in the same hole. It took me a long time to get out. Why did I do that?
Day 3: I went for a walk down the same street. I fell in the same hole. I got out quickly. It is my fault.
Day 4: I went for a walk down the same street. I saw the hole. I walked around it.
Day 5: I went for a walk down a different street. I can’t handle it when I go down that street. Every time I go down that street, I feel something sucking me down that hole! I’m not going down that street anymore! I don’t like what happens on that street. And when I get there, I can’t handle it. I don’t want sin to reign in my body so I’m not going down that street anymore.
Living for God is day by day. Choose it.
(source unknown)

tackle-it tuesday: paint!

2011-07-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Great Debate ever since we bought the house has been "What to do about the exterior?" We've have been all over the board on this one, and are pretty decided on the look that we want to end up with, finally! I mentioned all of that over in this post, so I'm not gonna spew all the facts out again. But now- painting. The possibilities are endless... and it's all quite annoying if you know it's not needing to be permanent, but at the same time you don't know for how long it's gonna be a "temporary fix". It's a rough choice out here: if you go too light, it doesn't fit in with the natural setting, and if you go too dark, you end up with an outdated look.

Here's a few that I found online (all pretty much the same, yet different). See what I mean? Annoying. Originally I thought maybe a dark-dark brown/stain to give a similar look to reclaimed wood siding, but I think if it's just paint it gives off that outdated look without the rustic edge. And if I just go with a straight-up gray, then it doesn't flow well with all the greenery surrounding us. So I'm gonna stick to a greenish/khaki/grayish color.
All from the great Benjamin Moore:

Green Brook

Mediterranean Olive

Mountain Moss

Pine Grove

Sterling Forest

Sterling Forest (more brownish than above)

running

2011-07-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I experienced a MOM moment- one I will remember forever, probably just because I am a mom. All 3 guys were outside putzin' around, so I decided to take advantage of the time, and hit the road for a run. I came out in my runnin' garb (which Boone always notices), said 'goodbye' and Boone quickly told me that he wanted to go with me. I told him that he couldn't come with, but that he could watch me run up our driveway- which is somewhat lengthy. I made sure to turn about halfway up and wave at them both- just two little still bodies at the edge of the yard, staring after me. I hit the pavement up at the top and set a nice pace (well, who am I kidding, it's all uphill so it wasn't the best pace). About halfway up THAT road (which is 1/4 mile long), I hear the most piercing, wailing scream "MOMMY!" I turned to look and see Boone standing resigned, 3 houses down from me. My heart caught in my throat as I uttered, "Boone!" and I started running back towards him. He instantly dashed forward, tears streaming down his dirty, smeared face as he cried "Mommy, don't go! Mommy! Mommy, don't go!" We met almost in the middle and I knelt down and hugged him tight as he clung to me. He told me, "I's chasin' you but you were runnin' too fast..." I whispered to him that I loved him very much, that he makes me so proud, and that someday he could run with me, but right now Finn needs someone to play with. I took his hand and told him that we could run back home together, and he liked that idea. Back past a few houses we went, turning onto our driveway, and I see Finn crying... about 3/4's of the way up the driveway, coming after us. Kisses went to everyone, and then Jeff came and scooped 'em both up. As I set out again, I couldn't help but remember this scene from The Patriot:

To me, it was almost exactly the same, and it melted my heart. Boone, the boy. The boy who is all about his daddy. The boy who is all about his daddy. The boy who is all about his daddy. But this time, that little boy wanted me... his mommy. He wanted me bad enough to chase after me at a pace only cheetahs can beat. The boy loves me... I must be doing something right. I still can't decide on the saddest part: where he realized he couldn't catch up and stops running, only to be discovered when he screamed in surrender; or when we sprinted towards each other in earnest, unable to bear the separation.

My boys always have a special way of teaching me about God. We can chase all we want, but it's only when we resign ourselves and cry out to Him that He answers us. And what does our loving Father do? He runs right to us, scoops us up, dries our tears, holds our hand, and guides us safely back home.

how to live your best life?

2011-07-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

This is beautiful. I've been pouring over this site for a while now, drinking it in. Tears are falling, my heart is being ministered to. I have just copied and pasted some excerpts from this post titled "How to Live Your Best Life?" Click to read the entire thing; I just grabbed the story and statements that touched me right where I needed it to. It was such a strong confirmation to me of my beliefs on what is truly important in life. Finding "happiness" is something everyone these days thinks they need and/or deserve... and they set out to find it no matter what the cost. The truth of the matter is, complete fulfillment will never be found this side of heaven.

Story begins (she is having a phone conversation with her father- he leads):

“Alan Strand called the other day. He was trying to figure out whether to spend the time he’s got left restoring another tractor, buying a new engine for it, or if he should try to track down his daughter. He hasn’t heard from her in ten years. Doesn’t even know where she is.”

Now this seems pretty obvious to me.
“And he decided?”

“The tractor.”

I grope for meaning and the words dribble out. “He intentionally considered the options, voiced them to you… and then decided the tractor?”

“Yep. He knew how to do the tractor. Little risk. The daughter, she was all risk. And you know….”

I shake my head. None of this makes any sense. And yet it does.

“Do we give up what makes us really happy — farming, restoring tractors, writing, study, whatever we are good at it— a lifetime of happiness—for a few days of happiness at the end? Do we sacrifice what makes us really happy day in and day out, for a few days of happiness with the people at the end? And there’s no guarantees with the people.”

I’m stirred. Before I can think, I rush along, finding what I’m looking for, my rock. I say the words more to myself than to him, words leaving my mouth before I can think.

“Jesus said, ‘He who loses his life will gain it.’”

The other end of the line is quiet. Tentatively, I step out a bit further. “Maybe making small sacrifices in personal pursuits – doing less of our own thing in our own spheres …. maybe taking the time to enter into the bubble of the other, in the end we will know a happiness we couldn’t have imagined.”
I circle back, wondering if he’s following.
“Maybe this is one way we live out what Jesus us calls us to.” I say the words again, deliberately, for they seem new to me, richer in ways I hadn’t considered. “He who loses his life will find it.”

Where did I think I really would find happiness?
And I wonder if it’s the fact that relationships don’t bring us paychecks, rarely accolades.
Loving well, stepping over hurt, laying aside self and desires, draws on more of our interior resources than investing in a career, a skill, a personal pursuit. And yet, there are no promotions. No public status. No guarantees.

Relationships grow only in a hot house of of humility, selflessness, open-handedness. Hard things that are inherently risky: for all that, you can’t control the outcome.
Investing in relationships requires courage. It mandates daily fortitude and intentionality to make moment by moment decisions to prioritize relationships while balancing vocational demands.
Do my daily decisions support my belief that relationship is the essence of reality?

How in our dark places, we sacrifice and find faces and light and happiness unexpected.

Check out her book One Thousand Gifts. You will be moved.

may or may-not monday

2011-07-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

May or May-Not Monday: where you can divulge the secrets of life's mishaps without feeling like a failure. So go on... own up. I may have...

-I may or may not have grabbed the conditioner bottle instead of shampoo in the shower last week. (Didn't we establish here that my hair doesn't need help in the grease department? Another reason to jump on the task-list of making some more homemade shampoo/soap- too many bottles in the shower causes confusion)

-I may or may not have stayed up late making {the best} meatballs to take camping for the colony's potluck-style dinner, and ended up eating about 1/4 of them right out of the oven... at 11pm...

-I may or may not have lost Boone while camping. Just once.

-I may or may not have gone down a sweet, legit zip line over the weekend. Yes, while pregnant. I know, danger is my middle name. But c'mon- I was harnessed in, there was no tree to slam into at the end, and the baby is tucked safely inside with plenty o' cushion.

-I may or may not be hacking into netflix as of late, using my friend's password. Loving the documentaries, seriously. Please don't turn me in.

-I may or may not have Manned Up and entered the store where I peed my pants in 8th grade from laughing too hard. Hadn't stepped foot in there in 14 years! Might not have been the smartest idea I've ever had by entering with a bladder on its 3rd pregnancy, but I like to live on the edge. This time the experience proved uneventful... unless you call my hyperventilating due to spotting a gorgeous pair of boots in my size, eventful.

-I may or may not have served my kids hot dogs and cantaloupe in dixie cups for the long haul home this weekend. Hot dogs and cantaloupe, together, in the same dixie cup... with the slightest squirt of ketchup and homemade sauerkraut tossed in. Gross right? Which is grosser: the fact that I didn't care to make them a nutritious lunch, or that they didn't complain? At least my pride was still intact knowing that the hotdogs were uncured and nitrate free, and that they got some probiotics from the sauerkraut.

-I may or may not have used my kids as an excuse to pile two plates sky-high with the most delicious, greasiest breakfast food, for two days in a row. I may or may not have fed my kids a few minutes until they wanted down, and watched them play happily as I licked my plates clean. Camp food is the best. There's something about waking up early, pulling on a smoky sweatshirt, tossing a headband over ratted hair, and scuffling over the dewy grass to the outdoor kitchen and standing in line for some pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and potato hash.

-I may or may not have a kid who is fond of the color pink right now. It's OK though, cause his pink boat won the race down the river. How do you tell a kid that you won't buy him a pair of pink flip-flops, but it's OK to wear his cousin's pink crocs?

-I may or may not be totally taking after my grandpa by devouring watermelon with salt all over it. I love it. I am left-handed like him, so it makes sense. I hope the next trait I get is to be able to whistle 24-7 with the most vibrato ever known to man. Oh that, and using the term "Kraut!" whenever I get upset.