dodge this

I wish...

2011-01-04T23:12:00.002-05:00

I wish I could talk with someone without being made to feel bad.
I wish I could get so many things off my chest, but I just can't.
I wish I could just scream and release everything that is building up within me.

I am content with the life I have chosen, but some things just nag at you, you know?! I guess this all comes with being an adult. Life is........

My Little Kindergartener!

2007-09-04T09:45:00.000-04:00

This is my oldest sitting at his new school space...he just loves learning!

Wedding Pic

2007-07-18T11:15:00.000-04:00

My younger sister got married last Saturday...and it wore my little one out! :-)

First...

2007-06-07T15:45:00.000-04:00

bug ride...

trip to the park...

time in a high chair...

campout...

time fishing...

pool trip for the baby...

ride in a big boy car seat...

and finally, first haircut:
before

during

after

I Love My Boys!

2007-05-03T10:15:00.000-04:00

And I love these smiles!

My oldest loves holding his little bro!

Cute Boys!

2007-04-02T10:45:00.000-04:00

My Boys

2007-02-15T06:45:00.000-05:00

Lil' cowboy:

Happy baby:

Baby Boy

2007-01-30T15:45:00.000-05:00

So Long, Farewell

2007-01-05T08:30:00.000-05:00

After several weeks of not posting, I've decided to temporary give up blogging. It took me a long time to make this decision, but I think it's the best thing to do. Between getting ready to homeschool my son this fall and taking care of a new little one, I just don't have the time for any blogging right now...and I can't believe I actually have time to type this up!

I will definitely miss you all!!! You have been a wonderful support for me and I will never forget how you all gave me such great advice and guidance. I will miss the blogging community, but I need to put all my attention in my home community. I would have loved to get up to 1000 posts, but I'll settle with 910 since starting this on September 12, 2004. I'm hoping to start back up again when my youngest is a bit older, but I guess only time will tell.

Again, I will miss reading all of your wonderful posts, but I need to focus all my time on my family right now. I hope you all will understand!

With my final post (for now), I leave you will a pic of the new little one...yes, that is his tongue sticking out! How cute!!!

Dodge this.

Busy Weekend

2006-12-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

We had one busy weekend! Friday night I did a little Christmas shopping and finished a few people. And I'm hoping to be completely done by the end of this week. I still need to get a few gift cards for my cousins and I need to think of something to get my mom. I thought about getting her one of these, but I'm still not sure. I could also get her a grandma charm for her necklace or even a movie. Any ideas?

On Saturday, my hubby and I did more C-mas shopping and then I watched the red head's that evening so their parents could go to a work holiday party. While we had them, we decided to start getting the C-mas decorations out. I have so much that I can get out, but I really don't want to. Honestly, I didn't even want to get out the tree or it's decorations. It's about a third of the way done, but I have no motivation to finish it. For some reason, I'm just not in the mood to decorate my home this year...what's wrong with me???

After church on Sunday, we headed over to the oldest red head's bday party. We had some great pizza while my son got to hang out with a couple of boy's his age. Then after the party, we got together at my mom's house to make a ton of Cmas treats. We made chocolate crinkles, peanut butter, mint chocolate, and coffee blossoms, peanut butter fudge, no-bakes, chocolate and peanut butter bark, chocolate covered pretzels, 7-layers, and Cmas M&M cookies. It all tastes sooooo delicious! I can't wait to share them with everyone at our holiday gatherings.

Have you finished shopping yet?

Baby Pictures

2006-12-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Since I got a free portrait package from the hospital, we took the baby to get his pictures taken last night. This time went much better compared to our family pictures that we had taken last Saturday. The photographer, a lovely lady my age, but missing her front four teeth, was only running 10 minutes behind. Because the baby was well rested, she got some great pics of my wide-eyed 6 week old. The baby really did well and I'm very happy with the photos! I ended up getting more than the free package since I never sent out an announcement card. So family and friends will be getting a Christmas/announcement card instead!

Oh, while we were there, one of the next customers got upset with our photographer. Apparently the costumer was upset with her since she was running a little behind (not an hour and an half like this other studio was-but just 15 minutes behind). I mean, the lady was only working by herself, doing quality work, during the Christmas rush! You know you have to wait a little longer in traffic and in store lines during the holidays, so why would you think that it would be any different with photo studios? In fact, there has never been a time where I've gone to get pictures taken and the photographer was waiting on me...they are always busy! But here was this customers yelling and complaining-she was so rude I almost gave her a piece of my mind...and she wasn't even talking to me!

So much for peace on earth, good will toward men...and photographers! :-)

Update

2006-11-27T10:30:00.000-05:00

It's been pretty busy over here in our household. We just got through Thanksgiving, where I brined a turkey for the first time, and we are starting to get ready for Christmas. My hubby was out early on Black Friday to get a few deals. He was up at 3am and he meet my brother at a local store were the line ended up around the parking lot and building. They ended up getting half of what they were after, but I'm happy since they were able to find my Cmas gift there!

We got our family Christmas picture taken on Saturday...and the studio was only running an hour behind! So my hubby had to walk around our nicely dressed son so he wouldn't get bored and I had to hope that the baby would continue sleeping so he wouldn't wake up and want to eat. When it was finally our turn, my son was in a goofy mood and wouldn't sit still. We ended up getting several poses taken, but I'm really not happy with most of them. Of course, I hate how I look in the family picture and the baby pictures look like a child took them...so I won't be buying the proofs when they come in.

I need to get out and finish up my Cmas shopping (I only have a few people left), but we don't have any extra money right now...if only the bills would stop coming! We should really put up our decorations, we neither my hubby or I are in the mood. We just have too much going on and I don't feel like chasing the kids and the cat away from all our hard work. We are hosting a family Cmas here, so I guess we will get the tree out a few days before the 25th. :-)

So Tired

2006-11-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

I don't have much energy as I write this...I'm so tired right now! It wouldn't be so bad if I only had to take care of my boys, but watching the red heads is really taking it out of me. They are dropped off at 7:15, so it's hard to start getting ready at 6:45 when the baby doesn't go to sleep till 1:30am. I would love to have a nap time (when the reds are napping), like I did when I was prego, but that's when the baby is awake and wants to eat.

I love caring for my two boys, but I wish I didn't have the watch the other two. If my hubby and I didn't depend so much on the money, I would quit watching them. To put it nicely, I don't enjoy their company right now. :-) They are both sick and I'm tired of hearing them cough around my newborn (among many other reasons why I could use a break from watching them). Don't get me wrong, I love the reds, but they are driving me a bit crazy right now!

On a side note, last night my hubby and I passed the neighborhood where Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is building a new home. Since it was about 10pm, we saw the big spot lights set up, but the streets were closed around the house. We did see part of the home and we passed a parking lot where all the equipment and building materials were parked/stored. My parents church is one of the host churches for the show, so a lot of their members are volunteers for the week. My mom's co-worker is supposed to work over there today and get a free t-shirt out of it! I could of helped out, but I'm just a little bit busy this week. :-) I'm looking forward to the show which should be airing some time in February.

Have a great hump day everyone!

(Btw, I'm sorry to say that our blogging friend, Princess Jemmers, has currently decided to call it quits. She has deleted her blog (and now can't view anyone else's blog/site), but is hoping to possibly start up again if she ever gets an internet connection at her home. We will miss you PJ!!!)

I'm Back???

2006-11-07T10:45:00.000-05:00

I really don't know if I'm back or not, but since I'm back at work today (watching the still sick red heads), I actually have time to blog-imagine that! Since I have the extra children that means that I have to put my little newborn down for his naps instead of holding him. :-( But, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed spending that alone time with my boys. I wanted to do nothing else...laundry was forgotten, dishes were left in the sink, emails were ignored, the house was a disaster area...but it all didn't matter since I wanted to spend all my waking time hanging out and holding my sons.

It's def taken me a little bit longer to recover this time around. With my first son, we had a ranch, so it was easier to get around. But now we have a two story with the laundry in the basement, so I really had to be careful to not overdo it. Plus, I caught the red's cold right before going into the hospital, so that didn't help things. Do you know how much it hurts to cough when you are stapled together?!

But, the birth went so much better with my second son! The spinal attempt was successful the first time around, so I didn't have a huge bruise on my back like I did with my first. And there was not as much pressure/pain with the birth. However, it did take three ladies to get my son out. My doctor tried to use a vacuum to get him out, but it wouldn't work since he has so much hair. So, she and the nurse had to pull on him as the anethesialogist was pushing on my belly. After a few minutes, my son finally popped out...and my hubby actually watched!

This time around, even though I was in more pain, I was sooo ready to leave the hospital as soon as they would let me. I just wanted to get home and spend as much family time as possible before my hubby had to go back to work. We ended up leaving the hospital on a Thursday, so I only had three days with my entire family at home. I wish it could have been more, but I'm very blessed to have my hubby work so close to home.

Like I said, I'm still not sure if I'm back for good yet. I'll have to make a new schedule for my boys this week, but I have def missed visiting you all!!!

New Babe

2006-10-29T12:45:00.000-05:00

After 4 long days in the hospital, we finally were able to head home on Thursday! I wanted to get online and update everyone as soon as possible, but I just haven't had the time...imagine that! :-) Life is so much busier now. Whatever free time I had before is now replaced with newborn time. He takes so much attention and time I'm surprised I even have time to write up this post...but I had to share a few pics!

Here is the little one just about an hour after he was born...look at all that gorgeous hair!

The proud big brother at the hospital:

My boys:

Ready to go home...and yes, that is an OSU hat on his head!

I hope to back online sometime later this week with the birth details!

He Is Here

2006-10-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is a guru guest post.

Trin e-mailed me yesterday and asked me to post for her today and let you guys know how yesterday went down.

Mom and baby are healthy. He was born at 17:12, weighed 6lb 13.5oz, and was 18.5" long.

Please join me in wishing Trin and her husband G the greatest of congratulations!

Congratulations, guys!!!

We Are Off!

2006-10-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Well, everything seems in order here at the house, so I think we are just about ready to go! I was up at 4:30am to have a small feast since I'm supposed to fast the rest of the day...which means not only am I not allowed to eat anything, I'm also not supposed to drink anything or even chew gum!!!

Anywho, we are off to my mom's hair salon so that I can get my hair and nails done before I have to be at the hospital at 2:30. My operation is scheduled for 4:30, so please keep us in your prayers!!! It would be much appreciated!

Have a great week everyone...and I hope to have a baby picture up on Friday!

Snot, Snot, Everywhere!

2006-10-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

I hate hate hate snotty noses!!! I hate them! Both the red's have snotty noses and it's driving me nuts! Every 5 minutes, the baby will have a stream of green snot running down his face...it's so disgusting! I can usually handle my son's nose muck, but I don't do so well with the snot from the boys I watch. It just grosses me out big time!! But I need to get used to it since the reds are usually sick all winter. They are never both well at the same time!

Anywho, we will probably have a busy weekend here at my house. I want to change all the bed sheets and clean all the floors so the house is more inviting for the baby and I on Thursday. I also need to wash the baby's take home outfit and my son's new "I'm the big brother" shirt. I need to pack up my hospital bag and make sure that we have enough batteries for our camera. We also need to take our four year old to the store for him to find a gift for his little bro...and we need to find something for the baby to give to his big brother (thanks for the idea Jennboree!).

After all of that, my hubby and I are having some alone time on Sunday. Grammie is watching the boy so that we can have one more date before the baby comes. We plan on seeing a movie before having a relaxing dinner together. And I hope that we can settle one a baby name during our time together! :-)

So, have a great weekend everyone...I know I will!

Annoying

2006-10-18T11:45:00.000-04:00

Do you know how annoying it is to not have your child's full name picked out yet?! He will be here on Monday, yet my hubby and I still don't have a middle name for him.

We had one a few months ago. We both loved it and it was even a family name on my hubby's side. But, when we told his dad what it was, instead of making the family connection, he talked about the President (and even did a little impression). I def don't want people thinking we named our son's middle name after a president, so the name had to go!

We had another name picked out, also from my hubby's side of the family, but he really doesn't care much for it now. I still love it, but I want us to be able to agree on a middle name.

Now we are stuck. Because my hubby and I are planners, it's weird not to have our son named yet. We love biblical names, but the baby's first name is from the Bible. I like switching it up a little when it comes to the middle name, but I have no clue where to even begin to try to find name ideas.

So, we need some help...what do you think? Any suggestions?

Freak Out Time

2006-10-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

Sorry that most of my posts recently have been about the coming baby, but it's all that's on my mind. I just can't get his up and coming birth out of my head. It's going to be another life changing event...and I'm starting to freak out just a little. I just have a ton of questions that keep going through my mind.

-Will I be able to handle another one?
-Will my four year old be able to cope with having a little sibling?
-Is two weeks really enough time to be off from watching the red heads?
-Will I be okay when my husband goes back to work?
-What will the baby's middle name be???
-How do I keep the cat out of the bassinet?
-What can I do know to keep from having postpartum depression?
-Do I really want my son with us every day (and all day) while we are in the hospital?
-Should I ask to have a mirror up so I can see my c-sec. being performed?
-Will I be able to handle not being pregnant after next Monday (cause I honestly adore being prego!)?
-Will I recover as fast after this operation?
-How will I be able to go without eating all day next Monday (I'm allowed no food after 5am)?
-We just finished paying off the doctor's $1000 deductible, but how we be able to pay of the hospital's $1000 deductible?
-Will my hubby be okay in the operating room (he doesn't do well with blood or me being in pain)?
-Will my siblings respect our wishes and not visit us till the day after the baby is born?
-Why does my hubby want two more children after this one?
-What if the next one isn't a girl? Will I be able to handle it?
-Do I really want to go back to work for the autistic boy when my little one is old enough to not be around his mommy as much?
-How am I going to finish my Christmas shopping with a new little one?
-Why have I been eating so much recently?
-Will this next week drag on or fly by?

Hospital Update-10 Days To Go!

2006-10-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday's post, Oh Great One asked about having my mom in the delivery room...which reminded me that I totally forgot to update you guys!

Recently, my hubby and I found out that the hospital has changed some of their policies. When I had my son four years ago, I was allowed to have two people with me. But because of the changes, I am now only allowed to have one person with me in the operating room. So all those fights...errrr, discussions with my hubby were all in vain. I was really disappointed after hearing about the new change, but there has been a change for the better. We are now allowed to take pictures of the baby right after he is born. Before, we weren't even allowed a camera in the operating room. I saw my son for maybe 20 seconds right after he was born. So I really don't know what he looked like right after birth. And now we can actually take pictures of our second born as soon as my doctor passes him on to a nurse! I'm so excited to have pictures of my baby before he is all cleaned off!!!

Anyway, it was really hard telling my mom about the new policy, but I offered her a consolation prize. I found out the visiting hours for grandparents is over at 10pm, so my hubby and I have invited our parents to the hospital to see their new grandson on his birthday. They will have about two hours to get to know the new little one and then my parents will take home my four year old. Since normal visiting hours are over at 8, we thought it would be a special treat for Papaw, Grandfather, and Grammie to be able to visit till 10!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Sleepy

2006-10-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

Man, I have been so tired recently. All I want to do is rest...which is just fine with me! I've got just about everything baby ready. My hubby and I did some fall cleaning last weekend (to make the place look nice for our cell group's OSU party we had over here) and I finished organizing the basement. I also went through the boy's room and it's also ready to the new little one. Really, the only thing left to do is pack for the hospital and I've got 12 days to get that done! :-)

So, instead of getting online, I've been napping. In fact, I'm actually yawning as I type this. I did a lot of nesting last week, so this week it's time for me to take it easy for once. And the good Lord knows that I wouldn't be getting any extra rest once the little one is here!

Another Busy Weekend Ahead

2006-10-06T08:45:00.000-04:00

It seems like my hubby and I are always doing something. Last night I had a bridal shower and he had a side job. This weekend we need to get my parent's lawn mowed and we also need to get over to my mom's hair shop to clean (I love that extra money!). Tomorrow we have a sibling tour scheduled at the hospital. It's for small children and my son is supposed to take a small stuffed animal with him. He will have a short class and then he will get to see a recovery room as well as the baby nursery. I just want him to know that just because mommy is in the hospital, she is not sick. With the tour, I hope that he will better understand what mommy and the new baby will be doing at the hospital.

After the tour, my hubby and I need to do some last minute house cleaning since our church cell group is coming over for the OSU game. I'll be making mexican dip as well as candy Cheerios and buckeyes! I can't wait to taste it all!!! And while the game is going on, I hope to continue to work on my hubby's buckeye blanket. I really need to get it done in the next two weeks.

Then on Sunday, our church is having an OSU service. We are having a ton of past and present OSU players coming in for our second service as well as local football teams! There will be pizza and fellowship after the service, so I won't have to make lunch that day!

Also this weekend I'm hoping to get a pumpkin and carve it. We found these really cool OSU pumpkin patterns that I want to try out. We also need to stop by the grandparents house to see some visiting relatives. They don't come to town often and it would be great to see them again! And, my hubby will be working on the baby's crib. He is in the process of finding/ordering a part we need to finish putting it together. Oh, and I still need to get to the local baby store to get a few last minute things (like an ear thermometer) for the new little.

Well, that's my weekend...how about yours? Anything cool planned?

Change Can Be Nice

2006-10-04T11:45:00.000-04:00

I'm loving my new work schedule. The oldest red head is now going to preschool two days a week-and the school has before and after child care! It's a little less money a week for me, but I'm really enjoying the relaxed days. It's just so much quieter with just my son and the one year old red head. They don't fight, whine, or scream when they play together. It just makes my Tuesdays and Thursdays less stressful. I love having a quiet home and it will make those days much easier when the baby comes since I'll only have three to watch.

Ahhh, looking forward to tomorrow...less kids!

Busy Weekend

2006-10-02T08:45:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was pretty great! It started off with a Third Day concert on Friday night!!! Since my dad knows what a huge TD fan I am, he decided to take my hubby, mom, and I to the concert! What a treat!!! We had floor seats, but since my mom and I couldn't see over a few people's heads, we decided to move up. We ended up finding some excellent seats that had one of the best views in the place...and no one was in front of us! And yes, being preggers and in the presence of my all time favorite band, I might have teared up/cried during one or two of the songs. :-)

On Saturday my father in law came over and we headed out of town to do some shopping. He got himself an OSU jacket for $8 and then we had an excellent late lunch together before the long drive home. Then later that night we all were able to watch the OSU victory!!! What a great game!

On Sunday we had lunch with my dad's side of the family since we were celebrating my grandpa's 70th birthday. Then that evening we headed to our church's Fall Festival. We had some really cheap food and then my son painted a pumpkin, played in a hay maze, had fun in a big jumpy, and got some candy from a clown. He wasn't interested in the face or hair painting since he hates getting dirty, but I still think he had an excellent time!

How was your weekend?

Crazy Prego Lady

2006-09-28T08:45:00.000-04:00

Thirteen things that are driving Trinity13 nuts.

1. Being hormonal-I've been really good the past 8 months, but with a month to go, I'm now a crazy person.
2. The boys-My son and the oldest red head wouldn't stop fighting yesterday. They were have a blast doing so...but continuing to tackle each other, after I told them repeatedly to stop, was making me insane.
3. The planner in me-I'm already starting to plan out the hospital trip and all that it will entail. On the other hand, my hubby thought that we would just do it the same way we did four years again when my son was born. But things are def different now with this one being our second born. I've now know what I would like to do differently, and I need to make sure that our first born is well taken care of.
4. Not being ready-Why can't this little one stay in me till he's at least 4? I'm not ready for him to be here yet...but I went through this with my son as well. I wasn't ready for him to come out-he should have baked a little longer! :-)
5. Hospital visitors-I don't want to offend any family members, but I don't think that my hubby and I want any visitors (besides our son) the first day in the hospital. With the little one arriving around 5pm, we want some alone time before anyone comes over. Visiting hours are over at 8, so there really isn't time to have a ton of family seeing the baby for about less than an hour that day. But again, I don't want to insult anyone by telling them to wait till the day after to see the new baby.
6. My mom in the delivery room-My hubby still doesn't want to share the operation room with anyone. This is really starting to upset me...I just don't understand what the problem is!!!
7. Making it to my operation date-I don't want to start into labor any time the week before my operation date since my doctor will be on vacation. Hey, I paid a lot of money for her to deliver my son! :-) Plus, I have a manicure, pedicure, and a hair appointment scheduled a few hours before my operation time, so I need to make it to the 23rd!
8. Freaking out-I'm so not ready to have another one! I'm just not ready!!!
9. Freaking out-Why can't the baby already be here?! Why do I have to wait another 4 weeks to see him?!
10. Being ungrateful-I love it that I'm having another little boy, but I'm also upset that I'm not having a girl this time. I know I'm being selfish, but I would be done if I was having a girl. It just stresses me out thinking that I could have up to 3-4 children. I want to be the best possible mother to them, but the more children I have, the less time and energy I'll be able to give each one, right?!
11. My sis-She keeps assuming that she'll get to see the new little one on his birthday and that she'll be with us in the operating room with the birth of our third child...both of which will prob not happen. I love her, but it's just not right for her to start planning on both!
12. Crying-I hate it that I'm so near crying...ALL THE TIME!!! I'm usually so good at keeping my tears in, but not right now! It's just driving me nuts that I can't control my emotions anymore.
13. My hubby-I love him to death, but he just doesn't seem to be able to handle me right now. I've gone into countdown mode and he can't take it. I admit that I'm a completely different person now that I'm in my ninth month, and this has caught him waaaaay off guard. But he should have been expecting a little of this, right? Oh well.

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Baby News

2006-09-26T08:30:00.000-04:00

I can def tell that I don't have much time left with this pregnancy. I've gotten a little hormonal recently...and I only cried like 6 times over the weekend! This is sooo unusual for me. First off, I don't cry easily. Second off, when I do, it's never for more than a minute. But this past weekend, I totally lost control over my emotions and found myself having a good, hard cry for most of Sunday. I was a mess!

I had another doctor's appointment yesterday. Since I have about 4 weeks left, she has started the nasty up close and personal exams...if you know what I mean. We talked about my thoughts on how I wanted to deliver the baby this time around. She gave me the option of having a vbac (which I would have to sign a release for), but she said that she wouldn't recommend it. Because my pelvic bone is twisted down and my cervix is very high and small, the chances of me having a non c-sec delivery are very minimal. I would be one of those women who would go through 24-36 hours of labor just to be told that the baby wasn't coming down and that I would need an emergency c-sec. So, with my first one and now with this little one, I decided to just skip the labor. My doctor just wanted to let me know that she doesn't take the scheduled c-sec lightly. I'm still the only patient of hers that has had a scheduled c-sec because of the way my body is shaped.

So, I've now got the new little one's birth date. I originally wanted him to be born on 10-20, but my doctor will be on vacation all that week. So, I'm scheduled in for her first day back...Monday, October 23rd. I have to be at the hospital at 2:30pm and then I will be preped for about 2 hours. The operation is to be at 4:30 that afternoon (with the baby appearing around 5), but I'm not supposed to eat anything after 5am that day!!! Believe me, I'll be getting up at 4am to eat something!

Slowing Down

2006-09-22T08:30:00.000-04:00

I used to feel guilty when I missed a day of blogging. Two years ago, when I first started this blog, I would post twice a day, 7 days a week. Now, I'm lucky to get in 5 posts a week. I just don't have the time, energy, and/or desire to worry about trying to get in a daily update. And I now my life is just going to get busier when the little comes in about a month.

So what I'm saying is that my posting will def start to be less frequent until I can get a new routine with the baby. And even before he comes, I'll be busy preparing the home for him. I still need to go through my basement to look for a crib part. If I can't find it, it will need to be special ordered. I also need to go through my son's playroom. It's clean, but he doesn't play with half the toys (so they can be donated or sold) and I need to go through the baby toys in there as well. I forget half the toys my son used to play with when he was an infant, so I could donate a few of those as well.

I will def miss visiting all of you on a daily basis, but I will soon need to put my blog on the back burner for a while. I hope you will all understand and not hate me! :-)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Getting Ready For Christmas

2006-09-20T09:45:00.000-04:00

I would love to once again have my Cmas shopping done early. I am already thinking about what I should get/make for all the grandparents (we have 12 that we need to buy for). Because my hubby and I buy for almost 40 people every year, we really have to watch how much we spend. Plus, with a new bike and a new baby coming, we really don't have a lot of extra money. So, I have been trying to think of neat little inexpensive gifts that I can buy or make for all the grandparents.

I know that we will be getting our annual family portrait done (we get the $12 Cmas package at Walmart), so I've thought about making a decorative frame for some of the family members. I could also make some of the grandparents an afghan...but yarn can be expensive and it could take too much time-and I'm not going to have much time to work on a blanket after a little one comes.

I could do a photo collage or a small scrap book, but that could be pricey and time consuming as well. I could also make them all some jam or jelly, but they really don't need all that extra sugar. So, I feel a little stuck right now. Do you have any neat little craft ideas I could use? What do you usually buy your grandparents? Have you even started your Cmas shopping yet? :-)

Huge Decision

2006-09-19T11:45:00.000-04:00

It took a lot for me to finally decide to get my hubby a motorcycle. I had a lot of things to think about...most of all, the money for the bike. We don't have a lot of extra right now, especially with a little coming next month, but I felt like getting it was the right thing to do. I prayed long and hard over this decision, and decided to go with my dad and check out my options at a nearby dealership. I didn't even think I would get approved for a credit line since I'm a stay at home mom who doesn't make much per month...but to my surprise, they approved me!!! Then, I really had a decision to make since I didn't think I'd be approved in the first place. I talked to several people and all of them we for me getting the bike. I had no one to talk me out of it, and even my mom was all about me getting it for my hubby.

To me, getting the bike was kind of like making the decision to have a child...if you wait till you can afford one, you'll never get one.

Ever since I've known my husband, he has wanted a bike. I promised him years ago that he would have one by the time he was 30. Man, times flies by fast!!! We had considered getting the bike earlier this year, but it just didn't happen. So, when I had the opportunity to surprise my hubby for his b-day, I went for it! I can't believe the penny pincher in me decided to sign the papers for a brand new bike. It took a lot on my part to keep everything a surprise, but it was so worth it to see his face.

Surprise!

My hubby G, Oz, and my bro.

On the road!

Great Weekend

2006-09-18T11:45:00.000-04:00

We had such a busy weekend! My hubby and I had over our nieces and nephew Friday night into Saturday morning. They were a great help when we had to pass our notices around the complex. The girls loved running around to all the different addresses and putting the letters into doors.

Early that day I maybe, might have, possibly gone to a motorcycle dealership to sign papers on a new motorcycle for my hubby (tomorrow I'll blog about the reasons why I did this for him). So that evening I was a little stressed out that we wouldn't have the bike that night to surprise the hubby with it on Saturday morning. You see, that dealership had to have the factory build the bike since they didn't have one within three states. Once it was built, it had to be transported to the dealership before they could get it to me. At one point Friday night they called to say that it wasn't going to be possible...but about an hour later, they called again saying that the bike had finally arrived and it was ready to be picked up! My dad headed over and rode the bike back to his house.

On Saturday, my hubby had planned to borrow my dad's motorcycle to ride for a few hours that day. So when he opened the garage door, at 8:30am, to get the bike, he saw birthday balloons, 10 of his family members, and his brand new motorcycle instead of my dad's bike!!! He also got a new helmet from my parents. We got a few pictures before my hubby sped away on his new toy (I didn't see him again till almost 7 that night...he even skipped the OSU game to continue riding)!

Sunday was spent with family as we had a celebration lunch before heading to a local bowling alley for my hubby's 30th bday party. We had some delicious cake and my hubby received some fantastic gifts that day! Then after the party, my hubby was off again on the motorcycle. Hmmm, I wonder if he likes really likes his new bike?? :-)

How did your weekend go?

Hubby's B-day

2006-09-15T08:45:00.000-04:00

Since my mom wanted to watch our son last night, my hubby and I were able to go out for his 30th bday. We ended up going over to Easton to eat at Max & Erma's before seeing The Illusionist. The movie was really good! It was a just a little bit slow at times, but it was def worth seeing. I would love to know how some of the tricks were done since some only look like they could have been done with Hollywood magic...esp considering the time period of the movie.

This weekend we are having a bowling party to celebrate my hubby's special day. He will get my gift then, but he did get to open my son's gift to him yesterday-the boy got his daddy his own motorcycle! My hubby has been asking for one for years now and I promised that he would have one by the time he was thirty...so it's prefect! And he can take it anywhere since it's only a few inches tall!!! :-)

Anywho, I have a lot to do before my hubby's party. I got the cake ordered, but I have to find the time to pick it up before the party on Sunday. We are going to lunch right after church, and the party is at 2:30, so I might have to leave lunch early to get to the bowling alley on time. I just hope everything comes together in time!

Have a great weekend everyone! Have anything special planned?

Kiawah Pictures

2006-09-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Thirteen pictures from Trinity13's family vaca.

1. This is the pier we used all week to get to the beach

2. Boy and daddy in the water

3. The boy noticing the birds

4. Mommy and boy

5. The boy enjoying the nearby park

6. Sandcastle time!

7. Me in front of The Lady & Sons

8. Watch out...prego lady on cobble stone!

9. The boy with our friend's son...it's hole digging time!

10. The family at the beach

11. Last night together at the beach

12. Sleeping in the car...the boy did so well in the car-never fussed once!

13. The boy with his cousins-we stayed overnight at their home on Saturday to break up the trip a little. Plus, we don't see them very often, so it was great to catch up!

Btw, today my hubby turns 30 years young!!!!! Happy birthday baby!!!

Other 13ers

Savannah

2006-09-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

Whenever my hubby and I go away on a trip, we always have to visit the local mall. On the way back from shopping, we saw signs for Savannah, Georgia...it was only 93 miles away! So on a whim, we decided to head to the neighboring state. We stopped at the visitors center to get a few maps and that's when I remembered that The Lady & Sons restaurant was in Savannah! This restaurant is owned by Miss Paula Deen-my favorite cook on the Food Network channel.

(Pic my hubby took of the outside of the restaurant)

The three of us originally decided to just go in for dessert since I knew that the food was probably going to be expensive. So, we put our name in and were told to come back in about an hour. While waiting, we walked the streets of downtown Savannah looking for someplace to have dinner. We ended up getting some great pictures of the harbor while my hubby helped me walk on the cobble stone streets...which was very difficult while prego and in flip-flops! :-)

After our hour wait, we still had not eaten dinner (it was about 8pm by this time), so when our name was called at The Lady, we decided to go ahead and have dinner there. The hostess gave up a little card that we needed to take to the front entrance. Once there, we were told to take the elevator to the third floor where we were to be seated. We had an excellent table near the buffet and we also had the sweetest waitress. She had the thickest accent and she called all three of us hun...I loved it!

The three of us opted for the buffet even though there was not much selection on it. At $17 a person, it was the cheapest thing on the menu...but boy was I surprised!!! I had the best dinner (not cooked by my mom) that I have ever had in my life! The sweet potato casserole was to die for! They were cooked with their skins on in this sweet caramel/sugar and nut sauce. I have never had such delicious sweet potatoes! I also had mashed potatoes that didn't need any salt, fried chicken with fantastically crispy skin, and macaroni and cheese melted in my mouth. It was all so delicious...and none of it needed any salt, ketchup, pepper, or any other seasonings. I even tried some of my hubby's lima beans. Even though I hate lima beans, I fell in love with these! They didn't need any salt and they were so creamy! I wish I could have eaten more!!!

My hubby loved the cheese biscuit and the potato cake that was served with our drinks. He even cut up the cake and poured on some real maple syrup...he was in food heaven! He and I both skipped the salad bar to head to the "real food" bar and we ended up eating until food came out of our eyes and ears (I don't know how we managed to eat our desserts after all that)! We needed to be rolled out of the restaurant!

The bill really wasn't that bad considering all the fantastic food we had! And the waitress didn't charge us the $9 buffet price for our boy (three and under is free, but since she thought our four year old wouldn't eat much, she didn't charge us)...she got a really nice tip for that!

If you are even near Savannah, I would highly suggest this place!!! Def go for the buffet and you will not be disappointed. Just remember that you will prob have to wait about an hour for a table (since the place is so popular), but it is sooooo worth it!

Vacation

2006-09-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

We had a fantastic time on Kiawah Island! For $100 a couple, we spent a week in a comfortable beach house that was a 10 minute walk to the ocean. It was so worth the 12 hour drive (that includes rest stops/lunch/gassing up) to get there from Columbus.

We made sure to get out to the beach at least every other day. My son loved jumping in the waves and playing in the sand. He and his daddy built a little sand castle that eventually was destroyed by high tide. We found a ton of shells (which still need cleaned-any tips?) and I even bagged up some sand to make a keepsake. We got some great pictures, which I should be posting some time this week, and we even have some pics from our late night walk on the beach (including one of some weird guy with his shirt off!!!).

We had a ton a great food, with a lot of leftovers. We all made a big grocery trip on Sunday and we were set for the week. Almost all of our meals were cooked at our little beach home. We made everything from waffles, to burgers, to mexican dip, to spaghetti. Our family ate out only twice during the week.

My hubby and I had a wonderful time together. We shared a full size bed (we have a king size here at our house), but it allowed for plenty of snuggle time! :-) We played cards on the back porch, shared a peach and mango smoothie, watched our son play in the sand, explored Savannah, Georgia (that's another post), bought some peach cider, walked around shops looking for souvenirs, and genuinely enjoyed being in each other's company. Again, it was wonderful!

Life is grand!

Btw, happy anniversary Guru and Lo!!! They are celebrating 8 years today!

Lt. Michael K. Healey

2006-09-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

Lieutenant Michael K. Healey was only 42 when he was pronounced missing after the attacks on the World Trade Center. He is one of six in the Bronx's Fire Squad 41 who haven't been seen since September 11th. Teresa, his wife of almost 20 years, knows that "he wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else". His family of five lived in East Patchogue, NY, and Michael had been fighting fires for 18 years.

According to his wife, Michael did everything from grocery shopping to cleaning the house, to helping his son with the car. He also loved to clean while on the job since it was a time for him to bond with his co-workers. He reluctantly gave up the cleaning to focus on the paperwork needed to be done by being a lieutenant.

It meant a lot to me to have a tribute for a firefighter. I know that if my uncle, a firefighter, and my father, a police officer, had been in New York during the attacks, they would have done with Michael did...step into those buildings to help others out. His story means that much more to me knowing that he didn't have to go in that day, but he put others before himself. He sacrificed his own life to possibly save the lives of others.

Guest book for Michael

Time To Go

2006-09-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

Well, we should be getting ready to go by now. Our vacation is almost up, so I hope we took a ton a pics! I know that my son enjoyed himself since he loves the beach. He was only 16 months old the first time he went with us to Kiawah, so I hope we actually remembers the trip this time.

Please remember to keep us in your prayers tomorrow as we take the looooong trip home. We are going to try to get back for the OSU game, but I'm not pressing my luck. I just hope we get back by midnight!

Have a great weekend everyone...see ya on Monday!!!

(Btw, thanks again Guru for publishing my posts!)

Kiawah Picture

2006-09-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

I hope to have lots of pics to share when we get back!!!

Kiawah Island

2006-09-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

While in South Carolina, we are staying on the beautiful Kiawah Island! My hubby's great uncle owns the beach house there where we will be staying for the week. And all we have to pay for is the utilities and the cleaning bill, which is a small fee for such a great time!

We plan on visiting the beach a few times during the week if the weather cooperates. A hurricane just went through, so we were told the waves are 3-4 feet higher...sweet!!! We also want to check out Charleston. It's not too far from the island, and it's a great place to get some shopping done.

Have a great Monday everyone!!!

Getting Ready

2006-09-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

I have so much to do today before our South Carolina trip! I need to wash up some clothes, pack up our bags, change the sheets on the bed, clean the kitchen, load up the car, get the cameras ready, buy a few toiletries from the store, write out instructions for our house sitter-my sis, and get in bed by 9 at the very latest. And I have to do all this while watching three little boys! I know I'll get it all done, and this is just the calm before the storm, but it's def all worth it to be able to relax at the beach for a week!!!

So by 3:30 tomorrow morning, we will be heading South for at least 11 hours. We'll be stopping every two hours so that we can switch drivers, take a potty break, and allow my prego butt to walk around for a little bit...I def don't want to get all swollen on the way!

I'll have a few posts up next week (thanks to my blogger friend Guru!), but I won't be here to respond to any of your great comments, or visit any of your blogs. But I'll be back online on Monday, September 11th with my tribute post.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Last Family Vaca Before Baby

2006-08-31T09:15:00.000-04:00

Thirteen things that still need to be done before Trinity13's family leaves for a beach house, in South Carolina, on Saturday.

1. Get an oil change in my car since we are driving to South Carolina
2. Find another huge beach umbrella
3. Pick up the trip tik that AAA made us
4. Get together with the family we are going with to discuss plans for our week away
5. Get all the beach toys out of our swimming container that's in the basement
6. Make a list of things for my sister, our house sitter, to do while we are gone
7. Buy more sunscreen
8. Make sure the video camera is ready to go
9. Possibly write up a few posts to be published while I'm gone since the laptop is staying here at the house
10. Charge up my son's Leapster for the long drive
11. Pick out several board games and dvds for the week away...and buy another cheap Sudoku book for me to work on while we are driving
12. Do about two more loads of laundry so that everything is washed-gotta have lots of packing options!
13. Make sure the kitchen sink, and everything else, is packed up and ready to go by 3am on Saturday!!!

Other 13ers

Doctor's Visit

2006-08-30T08:45:00.000-04:00

I had a really good doctor's appointment yesterday. Every time I go in I'm told that I have perfect blood pressure, and it was no different yesterday. The doctor found the baby's heartbeat immediately even though most of the time it takes her a good 30 seconds to find him. And for once, nothing was said about my weight! With all the extra protein I've been told to eat, I gained 4 pounds in a little less than 2 weeks. I hate having such a huge weight gain, but it's what my doctor wanted since I hadn't gained anything for a few months. I just hope I don't gain more than 8 pounds with the 7 weeks I have left since I'd like to keep my weight gain at a total of 20 pounds.

Then after the baby is born on October, I will kick the healthy eating into high gear! I want to lose about 60 pounds and get back into my size 8's. I def know this is possible since I lost 45 pounds by May of last year. I know I'll be much happier if I can fight back into my "skinny" pants asap!

Just Visiting

2006-08-29T08:15:00.000-04:00

My hubby's grandparents visited our church last Sunday to hear my honey sing a special. I was a little worried that they would hate the music since they only have a piano at their church. However, I did warn them that our music was very upbeat and that the drummer and electric guitar player really get into the worship.

But I could almost feel them cringing when we started singing the first song. It was one of those songs that gets you excited for worship time. People were clapping their hands, raising their arms, and/or swaying to the music. It was an incredible worship time, but I knew the grandparents wouldn't get into it. They both ended up sitting down (which is understandable since we sing for over 20 minutes), but I hope they didn't regret their decision to visit our church.

Afterward, they said that they loved my hubby's song and that they loved hearing our pastor's message. But I know they really didn't care for the worship. It just makes me think about how times have changed. Even 15 years ago, my church at the time wouldn't let my mom sing a special song cause they said there was too much devil's beat in the accompaniment track. Now churches, like my parents, have a full band (drums, saxophones, flutes, guitars, etc.) for worship time.

I see all these new instruments in the church, but maybe times haven't really changed all that much. After all, the grandparents church still just uses a piano. But I guess it doesn't matter how many instruments you worship with, just as long as you are worshiping, right?!

Baby Birth, Part 2

2006-08-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

Since I got so many great comments from my Friday's post, I thought I would address some here instead of in the comments section. (Warning: long post)

Loelsh: Thank you so much for being so supportive! I would have loved to of had your mom (my mil) in with me for a third baby birth. I just think that it a great way for mom's to bond with their daughters. There is nothing like it! I know my mom has experienced the birth of her own children, but she has never seen someone else birth a child...let alone her first born. I know my hubby G will be very supportive, but because my mom raised me, she offers a different kind of support. She has seen 26 years of ups and downs and sometimes knows me better than I know myself. So she would bring something new to the operating room.

Jennboree: I def want to discuss this further with my hubby. I think I'll start a pros and cons list with him so that we can get all our feelings out without a fight. I def don't want him dreading (even if in a small way) the birth of our second one just because his mil is there.

Also, with any baby deliver, there can be complications. If something did go wrong, I think my mom would be less of a mess than my hubby would be. She is also my prayer warrior. My hubby could concentrate on just me while my mom would be calling everyone to ask for prayer. So I think it would actually be a good thing for my mom to be there just in case something did go wrong.

And I love the fact that C-sections don't take a lot of time to perform. I think it's so much better for my mom to experience that than to have her in a delivery room for who knows how many hours of labor (I was told with my first one that I would prob go through at least 24-36 hours of labor and then still have a very high chance of still needing a C-sec). Plus, with the operation, she doesn't have to see me in pain. So, on that note, I'm glad my hubby and possibly my mom don't have to experience a birth other than the wonderful C-sec!

My hubby G: Thank you for your extra long comment! I appreciate knowing more about how you feel about this subject. But it's true, only my belly will be exposed. By the time you are allowed in, all my other parts are covered up to keep it more sanitary in the operating room. My mom wants to see everything, unlike you, so she will see the doctor open my C-sec scar, as well as some of my inner parts. She def handles blood better than you, so she can tell me exactly what is going on. She might even make me brave enough to request the mirror (which I denied the first time) so I can watch as well!

I think my mother contributed to our child's conception by conceiving me in the first place! Without her, I wouldn't be here baby. And because this is such a special moment in our life, I think it would be fantastic to be able to share it with not only my wonderful hubby, but with someone who I also love very much. I def want to take advantage of the fact that I can have two people in the room with me to support me and to see the miracle of birth.

I know we are both planners, so maybe I should have brought this up earlier. But I knew you wouldn't like it G, no matter when I wanted to talk about it. It just took me a couple of months to build up my courage to ask you. And now we have two long months to discuss it further. I don't want to hurt your feelings or argue with you about this subject, so if you really, really don't want my mom with us, than fine. I am the one having the baby, but you are the daddy and your opinion means a lot to me. But I just want you to think about it for a while. Since I have put a few years thought into this, you deserve time to think about it as well...even if only for two months. Please don't keep saying no until truly considering the idea.

Captain Picard: I def know my mom can handle seeing everything that will take place in the operating room. She is one of the strongest people I know. She is okay with seeing blood and I have never heard of her passing out before. I have discussed with her about her being there with me, and she is most definitely looking forward to seeing everything...that is, if she is allowed to be there! :-)

Shannon: My hubby and I are very modest people (him more so with me). With my first child, I only wanted female doctors in the operating room with me. But by the time I was on the table, I didn't care who was with me. All I cared about was my unborn son and getting him out of me safe and sound. Having my son def brought me out. Because I boob-feed, I became used to having parts semi-exposed in front of family. I was so modest, before the birth of my son, that I refused to where tank-tops cause they showed too much skin. But my boy changed all that, so I would love to have my mom see all she cares to see (which, according to her, is everything!) with us in the operating room. Plus, my hubby and I had that special alone time in the operating room with our first, but now I want to do something a little different with this one.

---------------------------------

This is just something that my hubby and I need to discuss further. I know I would love to have that bonding time with my mom and to see her excited face the first time she sees her new grandson, but it's a decision that my hubby needs to be comfortable with. I know I'm the one having the baby, but my hubby did help make him after all, so his opinion means the world to me. I just hope we don't wait till the day before the operation to make a decision! :-)

Baby Birth

2006-08-25T08:45:00.000-04:00

Just this week I finally let my hubby know that I want my mom with us in the operating room when our little it born. I have wanted to tell him for months now, but I knew I wouldn't like his reaction. So I waited it out till the right time, but he still isn't up for it. I explained to him that it would be a special bonding time for my mom and I. She has never seen a C-section performed before, and she would love to be with me for this one. It would also allow her to see her new grandson fresh from the womb. She is also curious in how the times of changed since she had her last child, my bro, in '86. It would just be a neat experience for her and I want to be able to share this very special event with one of my best friends.

However, my hubby doesn't want her there with us. He wants it to be exactly the same way as when our first one was born. (And he doesn't want my mom to see all my inside and outside parts exposed.) For the operation, he was my only support buddy. Then we spent the next few hours alone with our newborn before inviting all of our family and friends to the hospital. It was a special bonding time that we had to get to know our new little son.

But I still want that with this child as well. I want my mom there for the operation, but then I still want my hubby/baby alone time afterward. She knows this and understands why this means so much to our family. So after getting a ton of pictures of her new grandson, she will leave the hospital before the baby is brought into the room with me. She will then be in charge of bringing over our first born so that he too can get a little alone time with his new sibling. After that, any and all can visit us!

I know my hubby doesn't like the idea of sharing the operating room with his mother-in-law, but who is the one having the baby?! :-) Since I can have two people there with me, I want to be able to share the miracle with my mom. I just want my hubby to understand why I want her there with me. I'm not asking for his permission to have her there, but I need him to be okay with my decision.

So, should I make my hubby happy and have him be my only support person? Or do I go with what I want and have my mom there?

Cereal

2006-08-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

Thirteen different cereals that can be found in Trinity13's pantry.

1. Cocoa Pebbles-One of my all time favs! It's also my dad's favorite, so it's his fault that I like it so much!
2. Off brand Lucky Charms-My son picked this out.
3. Boo Berry-This cereal has been out for a long time, and since used to be hubby's favorite cereal, I got a box recently.
4. Off brand Cocoa Puffs-My son's favorite cereal!
5. Frosted-Mini Wheats-The mullet of cereals...business on the top, party on the bottom.
6. Strawberry Delight Mini-Wheats-They looked really good, but they don't taste all that great. The strawberry flavor is way too sweet and it just doesn't seem to go with the mini wheats.
7. Off brand Honey Nut Cheerios-Cause who would eat regular Cheerios? :-) Actually, this is my favorite cereal to eat late at night.
8. Chex cereal-A spoonful of sugar helps this cereal go down!
9. Off brand Honeycomb Cereal-It comes in a huge bag instead of a box.
10. Regular Captain Crunch-Only when it's on sale.
11. Off brand Peanut Butter Captain Crunch-I'm loving this stuff right now since I'm on a pb kick.
12. Corn Flakes-I got this when I used to put bananas on my cereal all the time. Now it just sits in the back of the pantry.
13. Off brand Raisin Bran-Needs sugar, but I also enjoy this cereal with bananas.

I usually have more cereal than this, but I haven't had the chance to buy anymore recently. My son and I eat some everyday, so we like a lot of variety!

What is your favorite kind of cereal?

Other 13ers

Signed!

2006-08-23T10:30:00.000-04:00

When my hubby and I decided that he should take the resident manager job where we live now, we had to sell our previous home very quickly. We knew that God wanted us to move, but we weren't sure how He was going to get us out of our home in a month's time. We checked with a realtor friend and he said that it would probably take about 3 months to sell our home, so that was not the way to go. My hubby and I weren't sure what to look into next until my mom hooked up us with a couple who buys run down homes, fixes them up, and resells them. They were very interested in our home since it was on the small side and it would be their first "pretty house" to flip. It wouldn't take them much work (or money) to paint it and put in new carpet. So we decided to work with them to get out of our home. In order to do this, we had to keep the home in our name. However, we did sign several contracts stating that this particular couple was now in charge of the payments. After finding a buyer, we would then sign papers to get the home out of our name.

So, we find out about the resident manager job in October, and by November, we were moved. It was such a blessing to find out about this couple in time. But, I felt really bad when they had a hard time selling our previous home. They had it fixed up and on the market at the beginning of this year, but they still didn't have an offer on it by this summer. On top of that, our credit rating went down since my hubby and I had both a home and a townhome in our names. We couldn't get a loan even if we wanted to.

But, just this month, the couple finally found someone who was interested in the home! This person only wants to rent it for now, so the couple decided to just go ahead and buy our home from us and rent it out! As of last week, after signing a single piece of paper, our old home is finally out of our name!!! I feel so free! I can let go of that home finally...it is taken care of!

Now, how to celebrate?! :-)

Kid's Cell Phones

2006-08-22T08:30:00.000-04:00

Have any of you seen those new commercials for the Disney cell phone that is for 10-15 year olds (here is the website)? When I did, I was a little shocked. I was thinking, why would a 10 year old need a cell phone??? Why let them have something to call all their friends when the house phone is available...and cheaper? I understand that you can use the phone to track your kids and you can limit when they are allowed to call as well as determine how many minutes they are allowed to use, but again, why would a 10 year old need a cell phone? And one that starts at $60 a month??!!

Am I just behind on the times? Should kids have cell phones today? Are we, as parents, having that much trouble keeping track of our children? Or is it okay for kids have a phone just for emergencies (cause they wouldn't abuse the luxury, right?!)?

After getting my drivers license, as well as a job, my parents gave me a pager. I was the only one at my school or at my work to have one, but my dad got them free through his job. So when my parents needed/worried about me around my scheduled work time, all they had to do was send me a page. I would immediately call them to let them know what I was up to at the time. They would also send messages by using certain numbers that when turned up side down made letters...remember doing that? (For example: 17-31707-1=I love U)

Now I can understand giving a driving 16 year old a cell phone. If we can afford it, my hubby and I plan on doing this with our children...after they get a job of course. We want to be able to get a hold of them whenever we need them. And I also want them to have a phone in case of emergencies on the road. But the phone will be a luxury, and again, only something our kids will have after getting themselves a job.

What do you think? Are you all for letting 10-15 year olds have their own cell phones? When are you too young to need/have your own phone? Am I behind the times in thinking that any child 15 and under is too young to have a phone?

Surprise

2006-08-21T08:15:00.000-04:00

Last week I had a great time surprising my hubby! On Wednesday I happened to win an ebay auction for a Browns pre-season game. I got two tickets for $1.04!!! I couldn't believe it! I paid a lot more for shipping, of course, to get them here in time for game night last Friday. I decided to keep this a secret from my hubby, so I talked to a buddy of his into taking him...the friend was more than willing!! So for two days I had to keep this to myself. It was def not easy since I was so exciting about it! I told my honey to get off early on Friday since I had something planned for him. I packed them up a dinner, got directions, received the tickets in time, packed a poncho, got the digital camera ready, bought two cheap shirts (one brown, one orange-since the seats were in the Dawg Pound), found my hubby's stadium chair, and saved some money for the downtown parking...all to make sure the guys were well taken care of.

As you can read here, the guys had a great time! They had quite an eventful drive to the stadium, and then a long walk from the parking garage to the stadium. But, at least it stopped raining for the game. My honey came home a very happy man (at 2am) who had no clue that I would surprise him with NFL tickets to a game almost 3 hours away! It was so much fun for me!

How was your weekend?

Ouch!

2006-08-18T08:45:00.000-04:00

Last night I had my first, and hopefully last, pregnancy fall. I didn't take even one tumble with my first, but maybe it's different with the second one. Anyway, I was out walking last night when I caught my foot on the pavement as I was getting off a grassy area. Thankfully, just my right side hit the pavement. I scratched up my elbow and knee, but my shoulder is killing me today. My right side also hurts a little, but I'm just glad I didn't go down baby first.

But any worries I had about the baby were put to rest today since this morning I had a doctor's appointment. She said falls were typical at this stage in pregnancy, but I immediately felt at ease when she found the baby's heartbeat...and he is just fine!

However, she was concerned that I wasn't gaining any weight. I'm still only up 8 pounds, so she actually told me she wants to see a weight gain the next time I'm in to see her. (I have never in my life been told to gain weight!) I was also told to eat more protein with my carbs. The nurse said that my glucose test came back with low blood sugar results. That could cause the baby to come too early, so both the nurse and the doctor just want me to eat more...I'll have to mark this down-I don't think I'll ever be told again to eat more and to gain weight!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Aggravation

2006-08-17T10:45:00.000-04:00

Thirteen things that aggravate the prego Trinity13.

1. Having either a three or four year old run around the house screaming
2. A one year old poop in his diaper three times before lunch
3. Waking me up early from my much needed nap
4. A bad hair day...so much of my mood depends on how my hair looks-crazy, I know
5. Discovering a new pimple
6. Taking a laptop on a vacation when you are supposed to be getting away (this might of happened with a certain Michigan trip)
7. Getting in unexpected bite from Miss Kitty
8. Prego pants that are getting tighter
9. Not sleeping through the night...I'm up just about every hour
10. The boys not listening to me
11. A sudoku puzzle taking more than 10 minutes to solve
12. Being hungry when nothing looks good to eat
13. Knowing that very soon the baby is going to come out...why can't he just stay in my belly forever, or at least till he's 18???

Other 13ers

WTC

2006-08-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

While in Michigan, my hubby and I decided to check out a local theatre. There were a ton of movie choices, but only a few looked worth the ticket price. Since my mom spoke so highly of World Trade Center (the true story about the search and rescue of two Police officers who were trapped inside the first fallen tower), we decided to check it out. Ever since I saw a preview of this movie, I didn't think I wanted to see it. I thought it was too soon to have a movie like this out, but after talking with my mom, I was intrigued. I had never heard my mom speak so positively about a movie before. And she actually plans on seeing it again while it's still in theatres...that would be a first for her. So the only reason I decided to go ahead and see it was because of her recommendation.

Immediately I was sucked into the movie and the 125 minutes went by so quickly! I was surprised to find out that the police officers really didn't know what was going on. The volunteers who went into the tower didn't have a clue what was happening with the second tower. They just knew that they needed to help the people get out.

My favorite character from the movie was the ex-marine (his story can be found here). He immediately dropped what he was doing to help out at the towers. He know he had a job to do and he also knew that we would soon be at war because of what happened. He and another ex-marine ignored the warnings of others and searched the towers for survivors. They didn't care that it was getting dark or that walking on the unstable, collapsed buildings would be difficult...they just wanted to help.

This movie didn't show much of the outside of the buildings before they collapsed and I'm glad for it. It helped me as a movie watcher stay focused on the teamwork needed to rescue the trapped people. The movie was more about the American spirit than about the tragedy. The movie also helped remind me why we have our men and women across seas.

WTC def touched me and I spent a lot of the movie tearing up or crying. At one point I almost started sobbing...I was that emotional invested in it! But I would highly recommend this movie. I now think it's not too soon to see a movie on the NY attacks. In fact, it's a great reminder of what happened to our country and what it did to our lives.

Michigan Trip

2006-08-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

My hubby and I had a great trip away! After picking up our new glasses and dropping off our son, we headed towards Michigan at about 12:30pm. Almost four hours later, we made it to our hotel to check in before heading to the Jars of Clay/Third Day/Michael W. Smith concert. We had an awesome time!!! Jars rocked! My hubby and I knew most of their songs and it was great when they sang an old hymn. We def plan on buying their new album when it comes out.

Third Day was incredible as well! They had a great entrance, but the lead singer, Mac Powell, was sure to let us know that we were there to praise God together through worship. They also sang a few old hymns (rocked out of course!), and they had the arena on our feet. For one of the songs, Mac asked us all to get out of cell phones and wave them around (instead of lighters). It was really cool to see all the little blue lights out in the audience-it looked like a ton of fireflies! I def missed my Third Day buddy, PJ...she and I have been to a few concerts together, so I really missed her for this one!

Michael W was pretty boring compared to the other two bands. He just didn't have the energy of the younger guys. He had a great band, but he played his piano (without the band) for half of the songs. A lot of people left while he was still singing and we sat down for most of his performance. We ended up leaving when he started up his last song to get ahead of the traffic. But, overall, it was a great concert!

On Saturday, my hubby and I did some sightseeing around where our hotel was located. We went to a few malls and saw a must see movie (I'll post about it tomorrow). While driving around, we couldn't believe how many Coney places we saw. There was a different one on each street corner...they were everywhere! We did eat at one where I got the most delicious hamburger pita!

After a long day of Christmas shopping, we headed back to the hotel to swim in the indoor pool for a little bit. I was sure to get up early the next day to snag a few doughnuts from the continental breakfast eating area (we got there too late the day before to get any). After checking out, my hubby and I headed to the Hard Rock Cafe in Detroit (where I had one of the best salads I've ever had). It's kind of a tradition for us. Whenever we vacation anywhere near a Hark Rock, my hubby and I eat there. We've been to the Phoenix, Niagra Falls, Orlando, and Cleveland locations for name a few.

Then we got on a People Mover to see some really cool parts of the city. We had a great view of the water and Windsor, Ontario as well as a ton a neat parks throughout Detroit.

FYI, the state up North has def got some crazy ways! They have special u-turns spots in the road which was so weird since u-turns are illegal in Ohio. But I loved having the maximum freeway speed of 70mph. At some points, we were going 80 just to keep up with the flow of the traffic...it was fantastic!!!

I don't think my hubby and I plan on going back to Michigan anytime soon, although we really enjoyed our visit. And I love the fact that I found myself an OSU jersey while we were there! How great is that?!!!

(Btw, thanks Guru and Lo for watching the boy for us!!!)

Trip Away

2006-08-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

My hubby and I are getting ready for our trip to Michigan! We are leaving right after breakfast to drop off our son at grandma's before hittin the road. It should only take about 4 hours to get there and I'm hoping to stop at least twice to stretch my legs so they don't get swollen. We are staying a cheap hotel (that has continental breakfast and an indoor pool of course!!!) right outside of Detroit.

Tomorrow night we will be attending a Michael W. Smith/Third Day/Jars of Clay concert. I got the tickets for a great price off of ebay...and the seats are great as well! I can't wait to hear my Third Day live...they are fantastic!

Then on Saturday and Sunday my hubby and I will be sight seeing throughout the cities near Detroit. We even might go to Canada for a little bit since it's only about 5 minutes away from downtown Detroit.

I know that whatever we do, my hubby and I are really going to enjoy ourselves. This will be our last getaway, just the two of us, before the baby comes. I will def be taking advantage of this time with my spouse!

See you on Monday!

13 Movies

2006-08-10T09:30:00.000-04:00

Thirteen movies Trinity13 and her hubby could possibly see this weekend.

1. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby-My hubby would love to see this one cause it looks retarded.
2. World Trade Center-I'm not sure if I'm ready to see a 9/11 movie yet, but I'd rather see this than #1!!!
3. You, Me and Dupree-I haven't seen a comedy in a while.
4. Superman Returns-Even though I've seen this twice already, I'd love to see it one more time while it's in theatres.
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest-My hubby and I have yet to see this movie. We didn't watch the first one till it was out on dvd, so we might just do the same with this one.
6. Click-Looks like another great comedy...and I love Adam Sandler.
7. John Tucker Must Die-Hmmm, I'd rather see Talladega Nights before this one.
8. A Scanner Darkly-Keanu Reeves as a cartoon...very cool! Plus, it was originally a book that Philip K. Dick wrote (he also wrote Minority Report-a fantastic movie!!).
9. My Super Ex-Girlfriend-I love Uma, but this looks like a stressful movie to me (just like all Ben Stiller movies)...but ya gotta love a love-sick superwoman!
10. The Break-up-I like happy endings, so I'd better not see this one.
11. The Night Listener-We could go see this movie for a Grey's Anatomy/Sandra Oh fix!
12. Miami Vice-My hubby has already seen it, so I don't have to waste my time on this one.
13. The Lake House-I would really love to see this love story with Keanu and Sandy!

Of all these movies, which one would you suggest that my hubby and I see this weekend on our trip away?

Other 13ers

The Big Brother

2006-08-09T08:30:00.000-04:00

For the past week or two my four year old son has been acting weird. He has been taking afternoon naps with me and he has become quite lovely towards me. He has really turned into a momma's boy recently. He is scared unless he is with me and I can't leave his sight. He won't even stay with his dad for 10 seconds without asking for me.

His aunt picked him up to take him to the pool yesterday since he loves to go swimming. They have been swimming together without me before, but he didn't like it for some reason yesterday. After about 20 minutes, he wanted to get out of the pool and he was asking for me. This kid is half fish and loves the water, but it was weird that he was done swimming cause I wasn't there with him.

My hubby and I think his recent change in behavior might be because he will be a big brother soon. Maybe he realizes that he will have to share my attention with his little brother starting in October. I just can't think of any other reason why he has become clingy around me besides him thinking I won't give him as much attention here in a few months.

I just hope that my boy will be okay without him momma this weekend. I know he will have a ton of fun with everyone, but I hope he doesn't throw any fits cause he misses me. He just needs to get used to the fact that he won't be an only child anymore...as does his mom!

Anniversary Day

2006-08-08T08:30:00.000-04:00

Today my hubby and I are celebrating our anniversary. We were married on 8-8-98, so I think it's cool we have been married 8 years today! Our trip to Michigan this weekend is our gift to each other. Last year we went to a cabin in the woods here in Ohio, but we wanted to do something out of state this year. We love going away for our anniversary instead of buying gifts for each other. It's time for just the two of us to spend a few days away from our busy lives. It's also a time for us to make memories and to actually bring out the camera...if we are feeling brave! :-P

So, happy anniversary baby! I hope and pray God blesses us with many more years!!!

Where Did The Weekend Go?

2006-08-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

My family had a pretty good weekend. I got to watch my nieces and nephew overnight on Friday. The girls had a great time in my son's new bunkbed (which, praise God, was completely donated to us-including the mattresses!!). Even my little two year old nephew was climbing up the bed's ladder to get on top with his sisters! It was too cute...and so brave of him!!!

After breakfast with the grandparents and papaw on Saturday, I took a nap before heading to PJ's house to scrapbook. We didn't get much accomplished, but I had a wonderful time with her! It's so nice to get together with a great friend to talk and eat chocolate chip cookies...hmmmm!!!

Then, I met my mom, sis, and bro at a BBQ. With the outfit I was wearing, my mom said I looked 9 months prego...and everyone at the party agreed with her. What's up with that? Yet another person thinks I'm ready to pop. But I've come to accept that...and be proud of it. I love seeing my expanding prego belly, as does my hubby, so I'm happy that people are noticing my growing baby as well. I just hope that the growth sticks with my belly and doesn't end up anywhere else...like my chin or butt! :-)

Eye Exam

2006-08-04T10:30:00.000-04:00

Last night my hubby and I went to get our vision exams. The people in the office were delayed since some of the power was out in the building. So, my hubby was seen about an hour past his original scheduled time and I was seen about 10 minutes after him. But, the doctor more than made up for it! I don't think I have ever had a faster eye exam!!! I probably wasn't with the doctor for more than 5 minutes. I know it had something to do with my non-changing prescription, but still, a 5 minutes examination for $40?! I def picked the wrong job field! :-) Fortunately though, I don't have to go back for another 3 years. Since my prescription hasn't changed in two years, and didn't change much from 4 years ago, I can wait a bit longer before paying someone $40 to look at my unchanging eyes.

Btw, even though he was only with me 5 minutes, the doctor found a freckle on my eye. Weird, huh? I have freckles all over my body, and now I have one in my eye! Craziness!!!

So anyway, my hubby and I took like 600 hours picking out our new frames after the doc saw us. It's a very important decision ya know! These new glasses are going to have to be worn for the next 2-3 years! That's a lifetime if you don't like them!!! But I got myself some flexible frames for the first time. I thought that since we are having a new little one in the house, that it was about time for me to prepare for little grabby hands.

Then, as we were getting ready to head towards the register, an eye tech asked when I was due. When I said October, she looked surprised. She told me that that I looked like I was ready to have a baby within a week or two! A week or two!!! What the....???!! Is she serious? Those who know me outside of blogland, do I really look that big?? I've only gained 8 pounds so far (according to my doctor), but do I really look 9 months prego??

But, why would someone say that anyway?? The eye tech knew I was due in October, so why tell me that I look that far along? I not really taking it as in insult, but why say something like that? I feel like I should be more offended, but should I take it as a compliment? Someone noticed I was very prego instead of very fat...so that's good, right?! It just struck me as weird.

Oh well, have a great weekend everyone!!!

Go Back To Work?

2006-08-03T10:30:00.000-04:00

Thirteen things Trinity13 has been thinking of concerning going back to work for the autistic boy's family.

1. First off, it's really good money! I would be able to take care of my large car payment if I watched the autistic boy two days a week for two hours each day.
2. But I would have to rearrange my schedule for those two days. It would just go back to the way it was last spring when I watched him last.
3. The autistic boy has wonderful parents!
4. But since his mom just had her baby not too long ago, she is now a stay-at-home and her hubby is on paternity leave. So, what's the point of me working when they are both home?
5. When the dad goes back to work, I can see where the mom could need me. She now has her hands full with an infant.
6. But, they have the schedule covered if I don't want to go back to work for them. They would love for me to come back, cause they love me :-), but it's not necessary at this time.
7. The autistic boy doesn't do well with change, so if I never go back, I hope he would be able to adapt with the new schedule.
8. Since I'm in my third trimester, my hubby doesn't want me working for them. The job can be demanding at times, and the boy can be violent, so my hubby doesn't want to risk my safety.
9. The autistic boy was hospitalized just last week because of his crazy and violent behaviors, so right now wouldn't be the best time for me to go back to work for him.
10. But, he is now on 4 different types of new medications, so he should be calming down soon.
11. I've thought about just going back once a week to get a little bit of extra income. And if I only went once a week, I think the boy would be better behaved for me.
12. Even if I decide not to go back when I'm pregnant, should I go back after the baby is born? Or wait till the new year? I just don't know if I should watch the autistic boy anymore.
13. It's has been wonderful helping this great family while getting paid, but I'm not sure if it is for me anymore. Even though my hubby loves the extra income, he doesn't want me to work for them anymore. I just don't know if I should talk him out of it.

What do you think?

Other 13ers

Doctor's Appointment

2006-08-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

Today I'm off to another doctor's appointment. That means that I have to load up all three boys and take them over to my mom's for her to watch them for at least an hour. I hate inconveniencing her like that, but right now I really have no other option...and I'm just glad she is willing to help out!

But starting this month, I have to start going to the doc every other week. By the end of September, I will be going every week. So, I really need to find another way for someone to watch the boys. I just don't want to bother my mom with watching them every week. I know she won't have a problem with it, but I would. I'm the one getting paid to watch them, so I don't like anyone else having to watch them for me. I guess I just need to start scheduling my appointments (if I can) during my hubby's lunch hour. But then again, that's his only break during the work day and I would hate to inconvenience him with watching the boys. I'll have to think of something.

Btw, I have been getting slightly stressed out about gaining weight. I don't want to go in today and the nurse tell me that I have gained 5 or more pounds. I really want to keep my weight gain at a minimum this time. I gained too much with my first little boy, and I would love to keep my weight gain under 20 pounds this time. Well, a girl can dream, right?!

Fireworks

2006-08-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

I forgot to mention that my family enjoyed some fireworks on Friday night. A nearby community postponed their July 4th celebrations since it rained a lot that day. So last Friday we were able to catch their fantastic firework display. We parked in a church parking lot and got out our lawn chairs and snack foods for the show. My son absolutely loved every minute of it! We missed some of the low fireworks cause of the trees, but what we saw was amazing! It was really weird to see fireworks at the end of the month instead of the beginning, but it is was well worth the trip.

Btw, the youngest red-head is sick today, so I get to take the two older boys to the pool! There is no way that I was going to take three boys, four and under, to the pool by myself...but I'll be able to take the two today! They will love it!!!

How are you going to beat the heat today?

Great Weekend

2006-07-31T10:00:00.000-04:00

My family had a great weekend! On Friday I ended up taking my son to Chuck E. Cheese's for a little bit. I love it that all the games are only one token to play. I simply got $5 worth, but it lasted a quite a while! My son earned about 90 tickets from all the games he played, so he got to pick out some really cheap toys before we left.

We had a wonderful family day on Saturday! My hubby and son swam in the pool with papaw for a little bit in the morning. Then we went on a few relaxing errands to look for supplies for our beach trip in September.

My hubby was on praise team yesterday, so he was up early. But my son and I were able to sleep in and met him at church for second service. My hubby did an excellent job, as usual, and he was the best dressed one on stage!!!

Then last night he and his buddy went to a free concert while my son and I hung out at the house watching the boob-tube. It was a great, and relaxing, way to end the day!

What did you do over the weekend?

We're Off!

2006-07-28T11:30:00.000-04:00

My son and I are on our way out the door to get an early start to our weekend! Later all!!!

No Time For The Internet

2006-07-27T11:00:00.000-04:00

Thirteen things Trinity13 would rather be doing right now.

1. Napping
2. Eating a snack
3. Playing Sudoku
4. Watching the rain outside my window
5. Reading a really good book
6. Crocheting on my hubby's OSU blanket
7. Changing a poopy diaper...only cause it really stinks!
8. Watching a movie in "The Cave"
9. Celebrating my mom's b-day (which is today)
10. Wrapping her gifts
11. Making hotel reservations for our Michigan trip
12. Looking up things to do/see on our anniversary weekend away
13. Planning for my day with just my son tomorrow

Do you have any ideas as to what the boy and I should do on our day off?

Other 13ers

What To Do....Hmmmmm....

2006-07-26T11:30:00.000-04:00

I would love to go see my fav all time band, Third Day, when they come to Columbus (in September), but the tickets are soooo expensive. I'm a part of their fan club, so I can buy tickets for the concert today instead of waiting till Friday when they actually go on sale. I've got third row tickets on hold, but it will cost almost $100 for two tickets after fees and shipping. That is just more money than I wanted to spend. I could wait till closer to the event and get on ebay for my tickets. It could cost less, but who knows where the tickets would be seated.

However, on ebay, I found tickets for a Third Day show in Michigan that includes one of my hubby's fav bands, Jars of Clay. The concert is next month, so my hubby and I could make a weekend trip out of it to celebrate our anniversary (which is 3 days before the concert). We would have a 6 hour drive to get there, but both of us have never been to Michigan before and we could do some sight seeing once there.

I just don't know what to do. $100 is a lot to me, but it would be third row seats for a Third Day concert...heehee! It would be an anniversary gift for my hubby and I, but I'm the one who is the band's fan. The hubby really enjoys the group, but for him to do this for our anniversary would make me feel really guilty. I want to do something/buy something that we would both equally enjoy. He wants to go ahead and buy the tickets cause he knows I'm a huge Third Day fan, but I am a big time penny pincher and I don't feel right about it.

What would you do?

Ready For The Day

2006-07-25T08:15:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh, I feel so much better today. Yesterday I just felt like poop, so I rested while the boys played right in front of me. It on those types of days I realize just how well behaved the boys are...they are the best!

I just didn't feel like doing anything yesterday. I had a really bad sore throat, a little cough, and I felt sick. I pray that it's not the start to some big nasty summer cold-I hate those!!! But like I said, I'm feeling much better today. I got a decent night's sleep for once and I think I can make it to 3pm for my afternoon nap (instead of 7:30am like yesterday).

Btw, I happened to love Lady in the Water, but then again, I knew I would. M. Night has yet to put out a movie that I don't like. My hubby actually enjoyed it as well. He really sympathized with the main character, Cleveland Heep-both are in apartment maintenance. (We laughed several times just because Heep was doing something the exact same way my hubby would-like straightening up the pool just so.)

I know that this movie, just like The Village, got terrible reviews. But that's because I think the movie critics compare all of M.'s movies to The Sixth Sense. I won't do that here. Instead I will compare Lady in the Water to Signs. :-) Just like in Signs, you have to believe in things outside our world. Plus, in both movies, there really is no twist. Both don't have a lot of major action scenes, but Lady in the Water kept my attention the entire time. I loved all the unique characters in the film and the role they played in helping out the water nymph. The film critic tenant was a nice touch as well.

This movie is like a bedtime story for adults. If you don't want to be told a story/fairy tale, simply don't see the movie-it won't be for you. However, if you are a fan of M. Night's movie, Signs, I think you would enjoy this movie. It's def not my fav of all his movies, but I loved it no the less and I plan on buying it when it comes out.

Lady In The Water

2006-07-21T10:00:00.000-04:00

Man, I can't wait to see this movie tonight! I've been looking forward to this most recent M. Night movie now for months!!! I love all his movies, so when I heard this one was coming out, I knew I had to see it asap! But I guess he is one of those directors that you either love or hate. And most people say that his only good movie was The Sixth Sense, but I love them all...with The Village being my all time fav!

So, I've got a sitter for my son so my hubby and I can go to the theatre. And I can't believe my hubby is actually willing to go see it. He doesn't like these kinds of movies...he's a comedy kind of guy. But, he is going with me just because I'm so excited to see this movie. I'll just have to return to favor by seeing that crazy looking Talladega Nights. :-)

Do you have any special plans for this weekend?

Baby List

2006-07-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

Thirteen things Trinity13 needs to be before the baby comes in October.

1. My hubby and I need to get the baby crib out of storage and set it up in our son's room. We do have a 3 bedroom home, but one room is a play room and I don't have the heart to make it anything but a play room...so my son is getting a roommate.
2. I need to clear a space for a pack-n-play in the playroom. It's currently in my son's room, but it needs to be moved so the crib can go in there.
3. I need to find the inserts for both my pack-n-plays. I haven't see them since we moved, but they would be great to have so that I don't have to bend over as much to lay the baby down.
4. I need to go through my son's two sets of dresser drawers and clear out some space for the new little one's things.
5. There are about 5 storage tubs of my son's old clothes that I need to go through to find all the newborn items.
6. I need to see if I will have the appropriate sizes for the season for the baby since my first one was born in March and this one will be here in October.
7. I would love to buy just a few new items for the baby since really I don't need a baby shower...I saved everything from our first baby. I'd like to get a new thermometer and a pacifier medicine dispenser.
8. I'd also like to get some "I'm the little brother" things...like a few bibs and a shirt or two.
9. I need to stock up on diapers. I haven't bought any little itty-bitty diapers in four years.
10. I would love to have some diapering stations set up throughout the house. With our first son, we had a ranch (with no basement), so all we had to do to change a diaper was to take him into the next room. But now that we have a two story, with a finished basement, I'd love to have a changing station on every floor.
11. I need to wash out the baby car seat and swing. I'm assuming they are full of dust from the lack of use for several years.
12. I need to get a new one of these.
13. And lastly, I need to prepare myself for having a tiny one in my house again...one I can't send home unlike the other boys I babysit for...one that could keep me up in the middle of the night...but one that will multiply the love in our home!

Other 13ers

Such A Big Boy!

2006-07-19T08:15:00.000-04:00

Man, I feel so well rested today! The family spent about 90 minutes in the pool last night and it really wore me out. I should do that every night to make sure I get a good night's sleep.

My four year old has really turned into quite a little fish! He has always loved the water, but he is getting braver every time we go swimming. He can now swim with only using his arm floaties and he doesn't even have to plug his nose to go under (which is a big deal to me since both his dad and myself need to plug). When we got a face mask to finally fit his head, my son spent more time with his head underwater than above the water! It was too cute!!!

My son is just growing up too fast. This weekend we plan on getting a futon mattress for a bed that we got from my brother. The bunk bed is for my boy since he has grown out of his little toddler bed. Plus, we need the bed's mattress for the crib we will be setting up soon. I just hope my son will be able to adjust to the new mattress since he has slept on the same one since he was a newborn.

Where does the time go?

Pool Pity Party

2006-07-18T09:45:00.000-04:00

With my husband being a resident manager, it's our responsibility to close the pool every night. Since I love the exercise and the fresh air, I like to go and take care of the pool myself. After I help my hubby put our son down for bed, I head out. The pool is supposed to be closed at 10pm, but most nights I get there about 10:30. I like getting there a little late so that, hopefully, there won't be any more residents in the pool area...it will give them just a little bit more time to gather their things and get out.

Well, the past few times I've closed the pool, I've had to kick out residents. Last week I had to throw out about 6 guys, three nights ago it was a family of three, and last night it was about a dozen residents. Most of them didn't realize the pool was closed, or that the pool even closed at all. After I told one of the guys last night that I was closing the pool, he asked me if the pool was supposed to be open 24/7. If only he looked at the big sign, posted at the pool entrance, before he came in...he would then know that the pool is open from 10am-10pm (and that alcohol is not allowed in the pool area and that you need to wear swimsuits in the pool and not street clothes).

Not only do people not understand the pool rules, but they misuse pool life saving devices. I can't tell you how many times I've had to get the ring buoy out of the pool since some kid was using it.

And the rescue hook is broken from people throwing it around.

Also, I've caught a couple of guys using the spinal board as a diving board.

These items need to be accessible in the pool area (in case of an emergency), but people are constantly taking them and misusing them. I find them in the pool and sometimes stuck in the mulch or bushes. But that's not the only things the residents mess up. Every night my hubby and I have to straighten up the chairs and tables, but it can be hard some nights since occasionally they are at the bottom of the pool. And then there are the times that we know a group of people have climbed the locked fence after the pool is closed. When you straighten up chairs before closing the pool, and they are messed up at 10am when you open, you know someone has been inside.

We have told all of this to the people in the office, but nothing has been done yet. I would love to have a flyer made up about being the proper treatment in and around the pool...but I don't know if it will do any good. I could go and check out the pool a couple of times during the day, but why should I have to? Why can't people just respect pool property? And I wish that we could possibly just close the pool when it's misused, but I don't want to punish the people who actually take care of it or who use the pool rules.

What do you think should be done?

Jammin!

2006-07-17T09:15:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, instead of our worship band leading music, we had a special guest band (you can hear some of their songs if you click on the link) come in and play for us! They have lead worship for our church in the past, and were so well liked that they came back.

It was cool hearing their acoustic drums since my church uses an electric set. And you could hear the bass from outside the church! They really rocked yesterday! It was loud in the sanctuary, but everyone was lovin it! With arms raised and hips swaying, the congregation praised God with this fantastic rock band!!!

Tonight I get to hear another great rock band...and in my own home! My hubby's band is practicing in our basement, but I can't wait to see what God has in store for them. They were excellent at my parent's church when they performed for our prison group, so I'm looking forward to their next gig. I know they are working on something for September, but I think they are setting up a gig for next month as well. I love it that they want to perform for an audience (no matter what the size) every month to stay on top of their game.

Have a great Monday everyone!

2996 Tribute

2006-07-14T08:15:00.000-04:00

The 2,996 Project: The idea is simple, but powerful: have a special tribute for each victim of 9/11, with each tribute being created by a different blogger. We started 2,996 Project to coordinate the creation of the tributes, and that's what this site is all about. Here you can sign up to make a tribute yourself, on your blog (we'll randomly assign a victim to you). You can also browse or search through either the victims that have already been assigned, or those that have not -- and you can get pointers to more information on all of them. (Taken from this site.)

I would encourage you all to be a part of this wonderful tribute! As of July 13, 846 bloggers have signed up. So of the 2996 victims, 28.2% have been assigned to someone. As you can see, we need more people to sign up! I would love to see everyone on my blog links to sign up for a tribute. Please think about it.

For more information, you can visit the man who started it all. Here is his tribute blog. If you would like to sign up, click here...thanks!

Trinity will remember
Lt. Michael K. Healey
World Trade Center

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

80 Things

2006-07-13T08:15:00.000-04:00

Thirteen things on Trinity13's 80 list.

We are celebrating my grandma's 80th birthday this weekend and it's my job to think of 80 of the same thing to give to her. She is getting 80 new one dollar bills from her kids, but we grandkids need 80 of something as well. Here are my ideas so far.
1. 80 roses made out of kisses

2. 80 family pictures made into a photo collage
3. 80 real flowers with each grandchild in charge of one certain color
4. 80 money flowers

5. 80 fake flowers made into a nice arrangement
6. 80 pearls
7. 80 page magazine from the year she was born
8. 80 letter pages with 80 envelopes
9. 80 pieces of assorted candy
10. 80 flower petals in a potourri jar
11. 80 special Bible verses in a small homemade journal
12. 80 seeds of different types of flowers and vegetables
13. 80 facts, about grandma's life, written in a scrapbook

Do you have any ideas as well? Any help would be much appreciated!!!

Other 13ers

Our Vehicles

2006-07-12T08:45:00.000-04:00

We should (I hope...crossing my fingers) be getting my hubby's truck back from the mechanic tonight, or at the latest, tomorrow. It's been in the shop for over a week now. We had to take it in since the engine was smoking and it wasn't running right. So $1200 and a week later, we should have our vehicle back. And it's about time too...I've missed my car! My hubby has been using it for the past few days and it's kind of driving me nuts!! It's not like I need to use the car, it's just that it's not in the garage in case I do need to use it. I'm crazy, I know. I would feel so much better knowing that my car was at my disposal for whenever I need it. But, it too needs to go into the shop. Someone hit my passenger side mirror and I need a new one. It was at the mechanics to be fixed, but when my hubby's trucks started having problems (and became undrivable), we switched out vehicles. We should be getting my car back in to the mechanic sometime soon...once we have paid off the trucks repairs and we have the money for a new mirror. So, it might be a while! :-)

Rested

2006-07-11T09:45:00.000-04:00

I think I have finally caught up on my sleep. I got a full nap in on Sunday afternoon as well as yesterday afternoon. Having a weekend like I did def takes it out of you! It drains you physically, as well as mentally. But I would love to do it again sometime! It was awesome to be able to go into the prisons and help lead the inmates to Christ. Unfortunately, the next weekend for here in Ohio isn't until October...and I'll be a little bit busy with a newborn by then! :-)

This week I get to take it easy since I'm down one boy. The oldest red-head is staying with his grandma all week, so I just have the young red-head and my son. And it's not like we can do much anyway. Since my hubby's truck is in the shop, he has been driving around my car. So, we are stuck here at the house...but I don't mind since I'm a major homebody!

They Let Me Out!

2006-07-10T08:45:00.000-04:00

We had a fantastic time at prison this past weekend! It was a lot of work, but it def paid off by having about 670 decisions for salvation!! There was also over 1700 decisions for rededication!!!

I started working on Thursday afternoon. There were quite a few platform guests coming in from around the US, so my sis and I got them from the airport to the hotel. We made several trips and then we loaded up our car, with people, to head to the church. We had several training sessions at the church before spiritual enrichment(a time to prepare your heart for the weekend) started. My hubby's band lead worship and my powerpoint went off without a hitch! After that, we meet with our prison coordinator to see what the prison rules were for the weekend. I went to my drivers meeting because I was scheduled to transport two platform guests (one a jazz singer/harmonica player, the other a very powerful speaker who was into drugs and prostitution before giving her heart to Christ) into at least 4 different prisons that weekend. At about 11:30, we finally called it a night and four of us (me, my mom, my sis, and PJ) shared a hotel room.

I was up bright and early on Friday since my platform guests and I had to leave the hotel by 6:15. We headed to a huge prison in Chillicothe(about an hour South of Columbus) where they have three prison yards. We were able to visit two of them and we had a wonderful response from the men inmates. About 50 raised their hands wanting to know more information about our Lord...it was so wonderful!

Then we stopped by the hotel for lunch before heading out to two prisons near downtown Columbus. One was a woman's prison and the other was a medical prison. The inmates in both prisons were so happy to see and hear my platform guests...and quite a few responded to the call to know more about Christ.

We got back to the hotel in time for me to get in a short nap before heading to church for the Friday night banquet. We had some very yummy food before seeing several of the platform guests do their thing...like juggle bowling balls! We had some awesome worship time before heading back to the hotel for a swim.

I slept much better that night (prob cause I was so tired from the day's activities), and was up by 6am to get my platforms guests to a prison in Lancaster(about 50 minutes Southeast of Columbus). Since we were there so early in the morning, not all the inmates were up to hear the musician and speaker, so we didn't get much of a response from them...about 30 showed an interest in getting more information. But even if only one person showed an interest, it would have been worth it!!!

After lunch, we headed to Marysville, Ohio (about 55 minutes North of Columbus) to another woman's prison. This prison has over 1900 inmates and they were very happy to see the entertainers I was transporting! We had a huge response from the ladies and I even got to talk to an inmate for 30 minutes...she was so happy that our prison group came in to see her!

It was a very long weekend, but like I said, it was well worth it. It was incredible seeing all the inmates wanting more information about our God!!! I never expected to see such a response from them! I def want to be a part of another prison weekend since this was def a life changing event for me!

I'm Going To Prison!

2006-07-06T10:45:00.000-04:00

Thirteen things about Trinity13's prison weekend.

1. That's right, I'm heading to prison this weekend.
2. Several hundred of us are heading in 13 different prisons throughout central Ohio.
3. I'll be picking up several prison platform guests today from the airport. Among the guests will be a from Dallas Cowboy cheerleader, a bowling ball juggler, WWF wrestler, a magician, several retired NBA and NFL players, singers, high-wire walker, etc.
4. The platform guests/entertainers will perform in the prison yard while sharing their testimony with the inmates.
5. I'll be heading to 8 different prisons since I'm a driver for two of the platform guests.
6. Then teammates (that's what I'm called) will also share with the inmates...we have a special track that really helps the inmates understand God more.
7. This is a no pressure opportunity for the prison inmates to finally have a relationship with our Lord.
8. Two years ago, this prison ministry had 54,000 inmate decisions for Christ!
9. This weekend, with all the prisons we are going into, we will be able to share God's love with over 12,000 inmates!!!
10. The chaplains and wardens love seeing us in the prisons since it reduces the rate of repeat offenders.
11. This will be my mom's 25th prison weekend, but she plans on attending hundreds more! She loves it!!! She originally thought that she was going in to help change the lives of others, but really she found out how much this ministry has changed her life.
12. This will be my first weekend (and PJ's as well!!), and I'm very excited!!!
13. I'm outta here for most of today, and all tomorrow and Saturday...so have a great weekend everyone. I know I will!!!
(Btw, thanks Lo for watching the boy for us tomorrow!)

Other 13ers

No Time To Post

2006-07-05T11:45:00.000-04:00

We have been so busy around here! I just can't seem to find the time to post anything...and tomorrow's post will be the last one of the week. But after this week, my hubby and I will finally be able to take it easy for a little bit...until our vacations comes in September and we will be busy preparing for that!

Btw, our 4th was just okay this year (the rain kind of brought me down). I got my hair done and I colored my mom's hair, my family shopped for a little bit (and got 5 pieces of clothing for my son for a total of $10...I love those kinds of deals!), and then we crashed at home for a short time before driving around to see some fireworks. We had planed to see them at my parent's church, but the firework site was underwater, so they got moved to some time next week. So, we drove around in a neighboring city, in the rain, till we found a great spot. We got there just in time for the fireworks to start! Then my hubby got a call (he was on-call all day yesterday), so we were off to help out some apartment residents 30 minutes away from us. But it's all good since he got holiday pay and time and a half for all the calls he had...so he should have 14 extra hours of pay on his next check! Sweetness!!!

Hope you all had a great 4th!

Superman Returns Baby!!!

2006-07-03T10:00:00.000-04:00

My hubby and I finally got to see Superman Returns this past Saturday. We decided to splurge and we upgraded to see the movie in the IMAX theatre...and boy were we happy that we did! Throughout the movie (for about 20 minutes worth), we put on our special glasses to see Superman in all his 3-D glory! Excuse my french, but it was freakin sweet!!! And I just don't see how anybody could not like this movie!

Brandon Routh did an excellent job portraying Superman. He even had some of the same facial expressions as Christopher Reeve did while playing Clark. I think Routh could have been more bumbling, but he still did a great job trying to fill someone else's shoes. (And btw, there is no way my man Tom Welling, who plays Clark on Smallville, could have played this part. He did audition for the part, but I'm so glad they gave it to a newbie.)

I think they did an incredible job on the story line...I couldn't have been happier! I love Lex Luthor's evil plot and the movie is ready to go for a sequel. I'm already looking forward to the next one, but I might just have to go see Superman Returns another time while it's in the theatre. There is just nothing like seeing the man in tights on the big screen! :-)

Here are a few cool facts that I found out about the movie:
-The last line of the fourth Superman movie (the one before "Returns") is Superman saying to Luthor, "See you in twenty." That scene was filmed in 1986. Eerily enough, twenty years later, in 2006, the next Superman movie was released.

-When Singer became interested in possibly hiring Routh, he arranged for them to meet in a coffee shop. When they met at their table, Routh stumbled and spilled hot coffee all over the table. Although he panicked, thinking he had just lost the part, Singer laughed and said it actually helped him get the part. The incident convinced Singer that Routh could pull off the clumsy, bumbling Clark Kent.

This And That

2006-06-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

-My brother tried to get a flight home yesterday from JFK. Since he works for an airline here in Columbus, he gets to fly for free...if a flight is not yet booked. So, he got on a flight yesterday just for it to be delayed several times and then finally canceled. There was nothing else going to Ohio, so he decided to take a bus. When he called last night, he told us that he and the other bus passengers had been waiting a while since the bus had a flat tire! Poor kid, he just wanted to get home!

-I didn't sleep very much last night. I have no idea why! Recently I have been sleeping a solid 7 hours, but I was awake every hour last night. I would love to know why.

-My hubby and I plan on seeing Superman this weekend...and I can't wait since I'm a huge Superman fan! I have the box set of the four S-man movies as well as The New Adventures of Lois and Clark on dvd. I also love Smallville, but I'm not sure yet if I'm going to get the series on dvd.

-I'm loving our nightly family walks. We leave the house at about 10pm to close the pools and it gives us a chance to catch up on our day while getting some much needed exercise. (I didn't get my walk last night, so maybe that's why I didn't sleep...hmmm.)

-I was able to take the boys on a walk yesterday. I usually don't like leaving the house with all three of them, but I think they really enjoyed it. I got them all loaded up in the wagon and we walked down to the pool. Once there, I took off their shoes so they could dip their feet in the cool water. They loved it!

-I'm not sure if I'll have the reds at all next week...how wonderful is that?! I'll find out tonight for sure!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Chaotic

2006-06-29T08:30:00.000-04:00

Thirteen things Trinity13's family is doing for the next 10 days.

1. I have yet another church meeting tonight.
2. I had one yesterday as well...from 7-10:30pm.
3. Tomorrow I have to send out a ton of emails to different church people as well as type up the notes from tonight's meeting.
4. Sunday my hubby is on praise team again, so he will be at the church from 7-12:30pm.
5. Then he has band practice that night here at our house...so 8 people will be jamming in 'The Cave' that night.
6. Monday is another band practice, but this one will be at my parent's church (where they will be performing on Thursday).
7. I'll have to go with my hubby to the practice since I'm running their power-point.
8. Tuesday my hubby is on call (for 7 properties), so I hope he doesn't have to leave our Fourth of July celebration to go perform maintenance somewhere.
9. Wednesday of next week I have to help my mom prepare dinner for 50 people that will be meeting at her church...and then have another meeting.
10. That same night the band is practicing and I'm running their power-point again.
11. Thursday I will be running around town transporting people for the big church event on Friday and Saturday (the event I've been attending all the meetings for...I'll post more about it later). My hubby's band will be leading worship for another meeting I will be attending that night.
12. Friday and Saturday will be spent at the church event...with a banquet that Friday night that I have to help with. I also have to man a merchandise table Thursday and Friday night for the event.
13. Saturday evening I will be resting and catching my breath for the first time in a week.

Other 13ers

Tagged???!!

2006-06-28T09:30:00.000-04:00

I haven't been tagged in forever!!! But I decided to change it up a little...make it my own if you will. Feel free to steal if you would like!

Five Expired Things In My Fridge:
Bread
Ranch dressing
Yogurt
Salsa
Mayo

Five Things In My Closet that I need to get rid of:
Pair of shoes I've had since junior high
A one piece skort outfit
A skirt that is 8 sizes too small (but it's really cute!)
An outfit my mom was tired of that was given it to me
Old baseball hats I've never even worn

Five Things In My Purse that need to be thrown out:
Old receipts
Half eaten candy
Keys that I have no idea where they go to
Expired coupons
Old lipstick

Five Things In My Car that need to see the trash pile:
Old toys that are missing pieces
Used napkins
Candy wrappers
Rock hard burgers that collect on the side of my son's seat
All the little black pieces of a steering wheel cover that I tore to shreds

Btw, my brother came home from stunt school this past Sunday! I got to see all his fantastic photos of him doing some crazy things...like high-wire work and catching himself of fire! But now my bro should be in L.A. He left yesterday to stay with a friend and to get his resume out. I can't wait to see where this takes him!!!

Little Movements

2006-06-27T08:45:00.000-04:00

Last night was the first night that my hubby could feel our little one move! I've been feeling him for about two weeks now, but you couldn't feel anything by touching my belly. So at about 12 am this morning (cause we love to stay up for headlines), I could finally feel the boy on the outside of my belly!!! I quickly called my hubby over so he could feel the baby kicking as well...and after about 2 minutes of patiently waiting, he got a good kick to his hand! He kept his hand on my belly for a while and every time our little moved, my hubby would giggle! It was soooo cute!!!

But, this doesn't mean that everyone can start touching my belly now!!! :-)

Emotional

2006-06-26T08:45:00.000-04:00

Well, my hubby sounded absolutely wonderful when he was singing on praise team! And when he sang a solo during a song, I had to turn my eyes away from him to stop crying my eyes out (ahhh, the joys of pregnancy). He just made me feel so proud!!! Oh, and other people were enjoying his singing as well. I had several people come up to me after the service telling me how great it was to see my hubby up on stage and also how wonderful he sounded. I can't wait till he's up there again!!!

Last night I was able to hear my hubby's band practice at my parent's huge church (btw, any church is huge to me when they have 3 weekend services). The band will be leading worship for an event the church is hosting the first week in July. I don't think they have ever played/sang in a church that big...and it was a little overwhelming to some of them. But after practicing for a few hours, they were def getting comfortable to their surroundings. They should def be ready for performing in two weeks time! And I'll be running their power-point...I feel so honored! :-)

So, our weekend was full of music...how was your weekend?

Praise Team

2006-06-23T09:45:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited...I finally get to hear my hubby sing in the praise team this Sunday!!! He had to go through a long process to get up there, but it's def worth it! You see, my church loves it when people make a joyful noise unto to Lord, but you have to have the right qualities to make that joyful noise up in front of an audience. :-)

A few months ago I kept bugging my hubby during worship time...I wanted him to be up on stage singing! (I love love love his voice!) So he thought about it and prayed about it and finally looked into what he needed to do to be a part of the praise team. He started attending the Wednesday night practices and the other members invited him back every week. Then he was sent a three page worship team application that he needed to fill out. Once he was done with that, they recorded his voice during practice and then sent it to him. They wanted him to listen to his voice, and pray again about joining the team. (In the past, people have listened to their voice and decided that they didn't have what it takes to be a part of the praise team.) Normally, after completing an application, they make you audition, but it was not so with my hubby! The team was also sent his voice track and they loved him so much, that they asked him to join without auditioning! So, this week is the first time he will up on stage singing during our worship time...and he even has a solo!!! I can't wait!!

Btw, I love the process you have to go through to be a part of the worship team. My church doesn't just let anyone be a part of the team just because they have the desire to sing or think that they are being called by God to sing. If the team doesn't accept you, then it just helps people realize that if they are being called by God to sing, then maybe they are being called to sing right there in their seat...or maybe they are being called to sing and help lead with the children's choir. Either way, I think it's a fantastic process and maybe more churches should have it as well.

Have a great weekend everyone...I know I will!

Blog Design

2006-06-22T09:15:00.000-04:00

Thirteen reasons why Trinity13 won't change her blog skin/design.

1. First off, I don't do well with change.
2. I love my blog design just as it is.
3. I love the colors.
4. I can't find a new design that I like well enough to change what I already have.
5. I don't do well with change.
6. I would go for a Matrix design, but all the ones I've seen have too much black on them.
7. I would go for a trinity (symbol) blog skin, but I have yet to find one.
8. I could have one of my computer tech friends make me a new one, but because I already like what I have, it's hard to think of what I would want in a new design.
9. I don't do well with change.
10. I've had this one for almost two years, so why even bother will a new template?
11. I have a tiny heart spasm when one of my online friends changes their blog (remember, I don't do so well with change), so I wouldn't want to do that to them if I change mine. :-)
12. Do I really have to change the design to something besides a simple blogger template? Do I seem stuck in the '04s since I have keep the same template since the beginning of this blog?
13. Have I mentioned that I don't do so well with change??!

Have you ever changed your site's template? If so, how many times have you changed it?

Other 13ers

Out Of Debt!

2006-06-21T10:00:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful meeting the finance guy last night. He told us that we could be out of debt in 2.3 years without changing our budget and without making any more money!!! He shared with my hubby and I how the plan worked and we are already making the first steps. We will be getting new checking account at a bank that we currently don't do business with and my hubby is changing how much tax money will be taken out of his paycheck. The extra money from his paycheck will be put into the new account. We will also be putting in the money that we normally use to round up our credit card and vehicles payments into the account. So each month we will be depositing about $500 dollars into this new bank account. We are allowed to write one check a month using the new account...and for the first few months it will go toward my hubby's truck payment (it will be added into his normal monthly truck bill). We will also be transferring our two credit cards into a 0% finance charge credit card that we shouldn't have to pay on for at least 6 months. The money that we would normally be paying on our credit cards will also now go into the new account. So, with all that extra money being put into the new account (about $700 total a month), we will be able to pay off the truck in 7 months. Then we will work on paying off my car...which should take another 10 months. We will be putting the truck and car monthly payment amounts into the new account after paying each one off. It will just add to our new monthly account total that will be used to pay off the credit card and school loan (they will be paid off about 11 months after my car since over $1000 will be deposited in the new account each month).

Make sense?

The finance guy told us that when you get a raise, that it turns into the money you rely on instead of it being extra money a month. So now when my hubby gets a raise or a bonus, the money will be put into the new account. Also any extra money we get a month will be put into this account as well...like tax returns, overtime pay, and side job earnings.

It's kind of hard to explain, but my hubby and I are very excited about being debt free in a few years!

Faith-full Family Finances

2006-06-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

Tonight we have a meeting with a Faith-full Family Finance guy. When he was at our church two weeks ago, he shared with the members how we could all get out of debt (including mortgage) in about 7 years! So tonight we have a free consultation with him. He already has some of our credit payment info and he will be sharing with us how we can start getting our vehicles and credit cards paid off. My hubby and I only have two credit cards, but it would be nice to pay them off and then possibly get rid of them! Also, we have been thinking about buying our townhome, but we can't afford it right now. But if our most of our current debt was paid off, we could def have enough money to buy this place!

I'm very excited about meeting this guy! It would feel so wonderful to be out of debt in such a short amount of time. I just hope we can stick to his plan!!!

Another Day Off!

2006-06-19T11:00:00.000-04:00

Wow, this is my third day (fifth if you include the weekend) off in a row! That means I won't be getting a big paycheck, but it's worth it to be spending this much time with my boy! Unfortunately on Friday, we weren't able to do much. I was put on a muscle relaxer to help ease the rib pain I've been having. At one point last week, it hurt even to breath. But the meds helped ease the pain a bit, but they put me to sleep. So since I'm done with the meds, my son and I can actually get out and do some things today!

Have a great Monday everyone!!!

We're Off!

2006-06-16T10:30:00.000-04:00

I have the day off today, so my son and I are headed out!!!

Have a great weekend and a wonderful Father's Day!

Father's Day 13

2006-06-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

Thirteen things I love about my hubby.

1. I love how he takes care of my son and I...and the little he has yet to see.
2. I love how he kisses my belly roomy good-bye in the morning before work, and greets him and our son when he gets home.
3. I also love it when he says good night to the boys after praying for/with them in the evening.
4. I love it that he has private covnos with my belly roomy...it's guy talk ya know!
5. I love it that he has picked up the slack around the home now that I'm prego.
6. I love not having to remind him to take out the trash or do the dishes.
7. I love it that he has taken over the litter box responsibilities without me even asking.
8. I love how concerned he gets about me...so much so that I'm not even allowed to carry the laundry baskets up and down the stairs!
9. I love his patience for me.
10. I love it that he loves me even though I've put him through a LOT of crap over the years.
11. I love how he has stood by me and supported me through the good times, and the bad.
12. I love the way he tries every day to be a better husband and father.
13. I love you honey-G!!! Happy (early) Father's Day!

Other 13ers

Overtime

2006-06-14T07:45:00.000-04:00

With the red head's mom being out of town this past week, I've had the boys longer. Their dad drops them off at 7am (15 minutes earlier than their mom does) and doesn't get back over here to pick them up till about 6:30. Last Friday he didn't get here till 7:15...so I had the boys in my home for over 12 hours!!! Now I understand that his schedule is different and that he works more hours, but I don't see any more compensation for keeping the boys longer.

Don't get me wrong, I think they pay me plenty, but my hubby is constantly telling me to ask for a raise. He thinks that I'm not getting paid for what I'm worth...and would love for me to be making at least $10 more a day. But I don't watch them for a large paycheck. I do it to be able to make a little money while staying home while helping our another family with their childcare needs.

But I'm starting to think that when I'm required to keep them an additional 1-2 hours during the day, that I should ask for some extra compensation. Keeping them longer cuts into our family time and our dinner, so do you think it would be wrong of me to ask for overtime pay? I don't want to appear selfish, but having them 12 hours is a long time! I love the boys very much, but I love my free and family time as well.

I'm think that if I have the boys more than 45 hours a week (or more than 11 hours a day) that I should get a little bit of overtime pay...do you agree or disagree? Am I asking too much? If you were their parents and I asked for a little more pay, would you think I was being selfish?

More Kids???

2006-06-13T09:15:00.000-04:00

As most of you know, if we were having a girl this time, I would have been done. An even amount of children would have been great and only having two would of allowed my hubby and I to give more attention to them. Vacations would have been cheaper and it would have been easier to get a sitter for only two kids. We don't have a lot of extra money as it is, so only having two kids wouldn't put us in the poor house! :-)

But, while talking to my hubby this past weekend, I found out that he still wants four children!!! This is the amount we agreed on before we even started having kids. Now that I have one, I know better...heehee! I love only having one right now cause I can give him so much attention and it's easy to just pick up and go anywhere we want. It's going to be a bit harder when we have this second one, but then to add two more?! I don't know what my hubby is thinking!!!

If I knew that kids 3 and 4 would be guaranteed girls, I might be more open to having two more. But I don't know if I want to take the risk...not that there is anything wrong with having four boys-it's just not for me!!! If we end up having a third boy, we will def be adopting! I just want a little girl...please?!

I'm just so worried that we won't be able to afford four children, or that I won't have the patience with them. I would want to give them as much attention as possible, so I know I would def be wearing myself out having four (esp if I decide to homeschool). Plus, have four C-sections is not good for a body...that's why I want to be done if our third little one is a girl.

I just thought my hubby and I were on the same page. But he doesn't have to carry them for 9 months, or care for them during the day, so what would it matter to him...right?! :-) But in all fairness, he has always wanted a big family (with no middle child). He looks forward to the future in how much bigger our family will be after our children marry and have kids of their own. Already, he can't wait to be a grandfather to many, many grandchildren! I gotta love him for that, but I'm just not prepared yet to have four kids.

Do you think four kids is that much harder to care for than three?

Sick Day

2006-06-12T08:45:00.000-04:00

I wish I could take a sick day today...but being a sahm, I have no such luck. I hate complaining , but I have been in a lot of pain for the past two days. My back has been killing me and I have had weird twitches in my abdominal area. I think it's just the baby getting bigger, but he must have a foot in my ribs as well as against my spine. I have been feeling him a lot more, and have even felt a little kick (unless that was gas!), but I just feel so uncomfortable right now. I think I had better go lie down.

Btw, the wedding was beautiful! I have never been to a wedding where they have the ceremony and the reception in the same room. Instead of rows of chairs, there were about 30 tables set up. We had an assigned table that we sat at the entire time. It was different, but really neat!

Have a great Monday!!!

I Love Fridays!

2006-06-09T09:45:00.000-04:00

I had one busy day yesterday! I watched the autistic boy from 6:30-8:15, then I headed home, and had just enough time to blog something. At about 9, my son and I headed to the red's house. The boys and their mom loaded up in my car and I dropped off their mom at the airport (she will be sending 11 days on a missions trip in Brazil). By then I was starving since I didn't get to eat my second breakfast. So I took the boys to a local McDonalds to eat some yucky food and to enjoy the McD's playplace. I kept the one year old with me, but my four year old and the red-headed three year old had a great time climbing around in the tubes. They both ended up getting stuck, but luckily there were some kids (what a God-send!!) there to help them down! So we'll see how long it will be before I take them there again!!!

After McD's, the four of us went to Meijer so I could get some milk. $60 later we left (I can't resist great food sales...so we are set for a few weeks!!!). We finally got home around 1pm and I put the red's down for their naps. For the next few hours, I worked on some church material and sent out a ton of emails for this church event I am involved in.

Afterwards, I grabbed a quick bite to eat, feed the reds their dinner, and met up with their dad to hand them off. Then I was off to a church meeting...but it ended up only being an hour long (usually they last about 2 and a half hours). Of course, since I got out so early, I had to stop by Babies R Us on the way home! I have a short list of items that I want to get before October...like an "I'm the little brother" bib and shirt! They're sooooo cute!!!

Any-who, my hubby and I have somewhat of a busy weekend ahead of us. We have a wedding to go to tomorrow, a church meeting at Sunday service, and a graduation on Sunday night. Do you have any weekend plans??

Btw, today is my oldest nieces b-day! Happy birthday kiddo!!!

Why I Like Sentences Split Into 13 Parts

2006-06-08T08:45:00.000-04:00

This post is in honor of Dirk (he should know why)...and it's just in good fun!

Thirteen things about Trinity13's Thursday Thirteen.

1. I love splitting up my sentences for Thurs 13's.
2. It makes for easy reading,
3. And it makes for a short post.
4. Plus, I have a hard time thinking up say 13 cds I like or 13 of my favorite movies.
5. It would be hard for me to have 13 favorites...just as it would be hard having 13 best friends.
6. I've thought about having 13 paragraphs (my first few 13's were that way),
7. But that is just way too much writing for me,
8. And too much reading for others.
9. So when I have a few paragraphs spilt into 13 lines,
10. I have my readers in mind! :-)
11. But next week I'll do an actual list just for kicks!
12. Now, to think of what I'll write about...hmmmm...
13. Any Thursday 13 post ideas for next week?

Other 13ers

The Little One

2006-06-07T09:45:00.000-04:00

Okay, let's get the important stuff said first...our little one is very healthy!! The baby is right on track and weighs 11 ounces. My blood work results were fantastic and I haven't gained any weight yet (I'm so proud of myself-I've been eating better and I take a nightly walk). I'm measuring exactly where I should be and my due date is still October 25th...of course, they will prob take me about a week early since I'm a repeat C-sec.

The ultrasound was pretty long. We were with the u/s tech for over 20 minutes! After doing her measurements, she let me take a look at her screen. It was so reassuring to see my little one moving about. Because I haven't had much sickness recently, and since I haven't felt any kicks yet, I needed to make sure that I was still pregnant...as crazy as that seems! I know I have a prego belly now, but I just had to see my little alive and well.

My son was scared at first to see the u/s tech mess with my belly, but he eventually loved looking his sibling on the computer screen. When he found out the baby's gender, he actually started crying...he was soooo upset! On the other hand, my hubby was thrilled!!! He had to reassure our son that next time around we would try for the sibling gender he wanted.

No denying it, we are def sure of the baby's gender. Our little one made sure we could see their little parts! The results:

Big Day!!!

2006-06-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

We are getting ready for the big, half way through u/s today!!! I can't wait!!! My hubby and I decided to take the whole day off to have a long family day...so we have to figure out what we are going to do after my doctor's appointment. We might go to the zoo, or to the movies, or maybe just go bowling!

I'm hoping to have some big news (and maybe some baby pics!!) for you all tomorrow!!! Later all!

Party On Dudes!

2006-06-05T09:15:00.000-04:00

Even though I wanted to get through this weekend as soon as possible (to be closer to my ultrasound date), I really had a good time. Saturday my son and I hung out while my hubby had a mandatory work day...but he got some nice overtime pay!! Then that night we went over to my parent's house to attend my brother's good-bye party. He left on Sunday for a three week trip at a stunt school in Washington State. While there he will be learning precision driving, wire work, martial arts, rappelling, harness work, and how to catch himself on fire (just to name a few). My mom is already missing him since now she has an empty little nest. But my brother will do sooo well...and he is even paying for the trip with his own money! I'm so proud of him!!!

After Sunday service, we have a BBQ and Baptism party at the church. They had a ton of food and a couple of those inflatable jumpy things for the kids. They also had a football game set up that was run by an ex-OSU football player who is attending my church and a dunk tank where every one of my pastors took a turn in! It ended up raining for about 15 minutes during the party, but we just took shelter in one of the food tents, so it was all good!

Even though the church has two ponds, they brought in a portable hot tub to do the baptisms (cause not a lot of people want to get dunked in a dirty pond!). At my church, you don't have to be a pastor to baptize someone. If you are getting dunked, you can have any influential Christian in your life baptize you...so it was neat seeing a girl get baptized my her dad!

Oh, my old boss, who I posted about here, and his wife were baptized on Sunday as well. Seeing that really helped me let go of all the resentment I had toward him. I was actually moved to tears seeing him perform this wonderful act of service!

Btw, I'm happy to say that I've won my first gold medal in the Blog Olympics! It was for a training camp, but I'm very excited anyway!!!