A month in review:

Some of you have been sniffing for a new post, so here it is. It's been on my To Do List for a long time anyway.

Finances are tight, spirits have been low, mommy is medicated (tee-hee-hee, and much happier!), we've had the flu, we've re-arranged our long term plans, and we have cabin fever so badly that even Isabelle runs for the door every time she hears it open.

After getting our W2's, we realized why we've been feeling so strapped for money lately: Jer make $30,000 LESS this year than he did the year before working for Ashley. If you dont remember, Jer took a new job working locally when Isabelle was born. He was working out of town all week, and home on the weekends. Once Isabelle came along I couldnt do it alone, and he took a different job. We knew there would be a pay cut, but being a truck driver, it's hard to calculate since they are paid per mile, per load, per back-haul, per this, per that, etc.

Soooooo.....we are thinking of selling the house and renting for a while to replenish our savings, and to have some spending money again. This decision was made after MUCH emotional pain and suffering. Believe me, we didnt want to do it, but feel that it is better than sacrificing our time together to send daddy out on the road again.

So, hopefully our house will be sold in the next year or two. Considering the market, we realize this will be no quick fix.

This winter has been long, cold and rough. We are begging mother nature to shower us with sunshine and 40 degrees. Thats all we ask.....forty frickin degrees!!!!!!! Is that so much?! Its March for Pete's sake!!!! Lets get goin people!!!!!!!!!!

My latest brain teasers are finding eye-opening opportunities for myself (I've registered for parenting workshops), and trying to get Carter involved in some new activities. We did go to the library last Monday. Taking a 2&1/2 year old to a library is no QUIET matter. I had to accept the fact that we would be the loudest ones there, and ignore the looks and glares of college students who were studying. It didnt matter so much in the childrens area, but as I was searching for a particular book for myself, Carter was no help at all.

Easter was celebrated at Grandma Diane's house. Carter had his very own Easter egg hunt in the snow. It was his first. He quickly cought on the the idea of finding the eggs. Since my kids rarely eat candy, we put grapes and teddy grahams in the eggs.

I can't believe I spent and hour and a half scooping a winter's worth of dog poop from my back yard yesterday.

Calling Children of All Ages!!!!!!

Don't miss Susie Lampert, Adam Bernstein and Laurie Berkner performing live on ABC-TV's "The View" this Monday, February 18th! Check your local listings for time.The band will perform a medley of songs (Victor Vito, I'm Gonna Catch You and We are the Dinosaurs!)
Tune in and support the band!

We LOVE the Laurie Berkner Band! They are energetic and full of life! If you have kids, this is a MUST!Check it out if you can!!!!!
Click to view this email in a browser

Happy Birthday Bibs

Dearest Isabelle in her Happy Birthday Bibs from Grandma Diane.

Do you have teeth?

Belle says, "I have no teeth, and I don't need braces. See, LOOK! Bummer for my Auntie Lynn. She has LOTS of BIG teeth and needs metal in her mouth!!!!"

Sorry, Auntie Lynn. In 8 months you'll be a new woman!!

My dad had surgery today, and is doing good. he lost a lot of blood, and his blood pressure was down quite a bit, but that cured itself over time. his blood pressure is still running low, but not dangerously low.

so i saw an opportunity to take advantage of him and pretty much tortured him while he lay helpless in the bed. more ice chips? sure....how about 10. here ya go. open WIDE!!! oops, did i drop them down your gown? so sorry. here, let me take your picture....say cheese!!!! oh rats, you look like crap in that one. now open your eyes like your actually awake and smile like you mean it! whats wrong with you!?! oooh, a button? let me push it...oh, it raises your bed. how high do you think it will go? okay dad, now reach up and touch the ceiling and dont look down. te, he he he. he was glad to see me leave. :) he'll recover in no time.

he already called his job to ask if they had a load ready for him to take out. when i left he had his glasses on, his eyes were open, and he was watching t.v. he turned on his cell phone and is ready to take his calls. tonight, they will make him get up and walk. he'll hopefully go home wednesday.

They got their turn, too.

I spoke too soon. Carter got the stomach flu Friday night, and Grandpa Greg has a sinus infection. Auntie Lynn has an ear infection. So now we can say we have all offically been sick except for Jer. Like I said, he has boundless energy and never gets sick. I hope winter will be over soon.

Fun Pics

Birthday Party

Isabelle had her 1st birthday party. We had a few guests, some gifts, some cupcakes and a whole lotta fun. Isabelle very much enjoys her new toys, and so does Carter. Infact, I think that Carter thinks the train from Grandpa Shay was meant to be for him....

Hey look! It's Spiderman!

Is that Spiderman eating cereal at my kitchen table??????

And then one day it happened

It's a miracle! She can crawl!

Happy Birthday

Happy 1st Birthday Isabelle!

My darling little daughter, how sweet you truely are.

The Little Boy and His Bed

I once wrote a post about a little boy and his 'big-boy bed'. I went on about how wonderful the bed was working out, and that the little boy loved it so much that he never got out of it at night.

WHAT A CROCK!!!!!

Today, that same little boy who looooved his big-boy bed won't stay in the damned thing to save my soul!

Thank God we watched Super Nanny enough to know what to do with little boys and girls who won't stay in their beds. It has cut our bedtime routine from a few hours down to about 60 minutes.

Carter is smarter than I ever thought a 2 year old could be....

Rich with Love

Christmas was here and gone. We are all blessed with our family and friends, and of course, Santa.

Our health, on the other hand, needs some prayers.

Carter and Isabelle suffered fevers, runny noses, and coughs over the holidays, and recovered after about a week. Next, was grandma (my mother), who must have gotten a worse version of the same thing. Her cold has lasted 7 days and is still going strong. My father now has prostate cancer and will undergo surgery in the very near future. My grandmother (my fathers mother) has a horrible cough, which we all know is not good for chicks her age. She is under close eye. I developed a horrible sore throat Saturday, and went to urgent care Sunday. Isabelle spiked a fever Sunday night, and Monday morning I got a call that I had strep throat.

Auntie Lynn refuses to get sick as she is running a marathon in Arizona this weekend.

Jer is like an ox. Never gets sick and has boundless strength and energy......

Carter is fine for now, as is Grandpa Greg (my step-dad).

Though I shouldn't complain, as we are rich with love and family. And so we live on...

Just another Nutshell

we are in the middle of a snowstorm as i type.

carter is sick with a fever, a nose that runs like a faucet, and a horrible cough.

we set up his 'big-boy-bed' earlier this week, and he hasn't gotten out of it at bedtime yet. *knock on wood*

he thinks its pretty cool.

isabelle is about to turn 1, and i just cant believe it. soon, i wont have a baby anymore!!

she has 3 teeth on the bottom, and a top one just pokin through.

she doesn't crawl, rather, she scoots and rolls....fast.

she rolls twice over to get to where she's goin without even stoppin.

many kids are walking by 11 & 1/2 months, but isabelle doesn't even crawl.........my children have always been late bloomers....early out of the womb, and late to get hair, teeth, to roll over, sit, pull up, crawl and walk.

isabelle is just such a little darling.

carter is the one that makes me pull my hair out......

10 year tongue ring

My latest sacrifice to mommyhood...

The.tongue.ring.is.gone.

OKAY!?!?

I'm sure so many of you are so pleased.

It's okay.

I'm not upset.

I even told the dentist he could keep it.

I took a moment, and moved on.

I offically lay the 10-year-tongue-ring to rest.

Although, I'm not sure how long the indent stays in my tongue...

Odds n Ends

Play-doh is fun...

Two jail birds...

Two couch potatoes,

Ever tried ramen noodles???

Isabell's #1 fan...Grandma Violet.

We're So Big!

Around here everyone is

So-O-O-O-O-O-O BIG!!!

Speeding

Carter, Daddy and Bell-Bell all played Ring-around-the-rosie and got dizzy.

Carter wanted to get dizzier.

Then he had a wreck in his car.

He's okay.

He was wearing his safety belt.

That should bring everyone back up to speed. Now we're all caught up.

Back to the basics

Our bathroom is COMPLETELY finished.

FINITO! YAY!!!

And they lived happily ever after.....

A Post Out Of Guilt

Oh my, how times does fly. I create this post only in guilt that I haven't posted anything in quite some time.
Here is your short and sweet update:
Jer has finished the upstairs bathroom. I took my first shower in the new tub surround with all new plumbing and tile, complete with a new faucet and shower head this morning. My oh my, it's been a long time coming.

Six plus months, to be exact.

Isabelle has a tooth that broke through today. Yes, this is her very first tooth!

And Carter has gone pee-pee on his new potty. What a party that was!

My fathers birthday was Oct. 31st.
My husbands birthday is in less than 2 weeks, and my grandmothers birthday is one day after that.

And Simon got a haircut.

October Festivities

This past weekend, Jer was on-call, and to our delight, he didn't get called in once. Which, means no money, BUT, it did mean that we had the most fabulous weekend of the year. In fact, it has been the ONLY weekend of the year that we were all home together. Jer and I are still saying to each other how wonderful it was.

First, Saturday morning we went VERY SHORT NOTICE to the pumpkin patch with the kids. There was a wagon ride, great weather, lots of kids, pumpkins and smiles all around.

Then home for naps.

Next, we went outside to rake leaves, play in them, and then go for a walk.

Auntie Lynn came over for a yummy dinner that I ACTUALLY MADE, and offered to stay to babysit so Jer and I could go to the local Haunted House. After waiting in line for over an hour, we went in. I went first, and screamed my little toosh off and almost pooped my pants. It was hysterical!

Sunday, we planned a Pumpkin carving party.

All kinds of friends and family came over to carve the pumpkins we had picked up at the pumpkin patch. We ordered pizzas, and then lit the pumpkins at sunset.

We all had such a great time. Spending time together as a family is something that we definitely DO NOT take for granted, since we have so little of it.