stellan style not me.

head on over to this site and play along with not me monday, stellan style. saying all the things you didn't do over stellan and mckmama.

i figured i wasn't going to post a regular not me anyways, and post about some thoughts on this whole thing, this is an 'easy' way to do it.

i didn't refresh mckmama's page a thousand and three hundred and fifty eight times last week. i didn't want to find out something, anything on stellan's condition.

i do not keep in constant prayer for stellan, mckmama, and the entire mck family.

i am not blessed that my husband cares to ask about stellan and listens to me talk about it and LISTENS. he usually does not look at me like i'm crazy when i talk about other blogs.

i do not put myself in mckmama's position and pray that if i were i could be the same beautiful witness for christ.

i did not cringe at the 'pissed' post. yet i totally agreed with her. ((i just hate the word))


i sit here and say wow. wow god. what are you doing here? what work are you going to do? what good will come out of this? one thing i know and believe a thousand and three percent, is that god is good. all the time. he doesn't take vacations or breaks. he doesn't turn a blind eye on us. he is good. and he is god.

he is in control. we need to trust in him and know that he is in control.

all of our days are numbered. it says so in the bible. we will die when god says so. not when we say so. i think as a mommy it's the hardest thing to swallow sometimes. that god will take our children back when he wants them. they aren't truly 'ours' but HIS children. IF you can live your life and believe that it makes it a bit easier. i have never had any issues with believing that. i know they are not mine. they are his. and what an awesome gift we have been given to be given these precious little babies.

because, for me, i know i do not deserve my children. i do not deserve to be blessed by having four of them here on earth and one little baby in heaven. i do not deserve to even think about adding MORE to our family.

BUT

GOD.

he chooses to bless me even though i do not deserve ANY of it. at all.

so even though i fail tremendously. he blesses me.

even though i stumble. he blesses me.

even though i'm human. he blesses me.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ((john 3:16))

god HIMSELF gave up his ONLY, his ONLY ONLY ONLIEST son. so I, ME, silly ME?? can live!!??! forever. in heaven.

talk about sacrifice. talk about a father. talk about love.

das not funny friday.

hey all. i did this last week and had a blast. so this week i'm at it again. make sure you click on that picture up there to take you to jessica's site and you can play too!! ((and i must make this quick, my house is clean...now i have the playroom to tackle...so i guess i lied my whole house isn't clean...but the parts that matter are...))

breigh again takes the focus of my 'das not funny' stuff.

breigh was once again involved in diaper changes. i explained to her dustin is a boy and that is why he has 'that'. and then she of course told me how gage has that as well. i said and daddy has that because daddy is a boy too.

oh brother!! breigh insisted daddy was not a boy.

i said, yes daddy is a boy.

don't argue with a two year old, she said "no daddy is not a boy. daddy is daddy!!"

i tried to explain how daddy is daddy and daddy is a boy, with no 'luck'. so for now, daddy is just daddy...because i'm not explaining anything else!!

because of this as well...breigh likes to come in the bathroom by me after i shower. she has seen my tookie. she always makes sure to tell me she likes it. ((thanks breigh)) well then one day before i could grab a towel, to cover up my front, she asks me this: mom, why do you have a chocolate butt?

what?!? are you kidding me?!? i will not explain this. no i won't. i have like twelve years don't i?!?! so i said...breigh, get out of the bathroom!

that was a few weeks ago. this week she comes in the bathroom and just tells me this, mom, i like your chocolate butt. i say...thanks breigh, now get out of the bathroom.

for those of you who are going to suggest a lock. it's broken. and it's a sliding door to the bathroom, so easily opened....

well 'das sure not funny'. :0)

i'm off. to pick up the play room. and rest up my arm for the 'wii-othon' tonight!!

the haircut.

well my house is mostly picked up. but i thought i'd quick post my pics. here's the 'before' of me and my amelya...

and of course here's the after. with breigh. who decided she didn't want her haircut after all. and amelya got quite a bit cut off of her head...but wanted a braid. overall i love my hair! it turned out great. so enjoy! and now i'm off to finish this house!!

thankful thursday.

i needed to get a picture at my mom's house yesterday. i wanted to share it with you. it's another oldie but a goodie. this one is about seven-ish years ago. my first year of college. and i'm getting my haircut today. like it is in the picture. yeppers. a whole lot cut off for me. but i've cut all my hair off lots of times, i get sick of the same thing and then go drastic for a bit.
truthfully though, every time i am at my mom and dad's shaun makes a comment after we leave how he likes my haircut in this picture. and then one of my friends saw it the other day and said, you should get your hair cut like that. so that's the verdict. plus i really like my hair short.

that fantastic looking lady in the middle is my grandma. ain't she the cutest thing ever?!? i never realized til now how much her and my sister and i look alike. my sister moreso i think. but everyone says amy looks just like my mom anyways. my grandma was in the nursing home at this point. i came home from college every weekend to visit her, well and shaun i'll be honest! :0) but i am SO grateful i saw her so much. after she passed away i was so thankful i had all those special memories. she may have not remembered my name or exatcally who i was, but i could see it in her eyes that she knew she 'knew' me. for that i was thankful. the sparkle in her eyes never left even though her memory did. dementia is such a scary and not fun thing. but through all of it god is so good. plus i was able to share with her and know that she accepted jesus. so i rest in the fact that i'll see her again in heaven. whoo hoo. after meeting my savior face to face she is on my top five people to re-unite with or meet. i'm also looking forward to meeting shaun's dad and brother for the first time. how exciting to spend eternity with them!?!?

so okay. i'm totally slacking. my cousins and sister are coming over tomorrow night to play wii. which means 'mii' really has to get her tookie in gear to make my house look presentable. yikes. so i'll be absent from my computer and not commenting much today. and i need you to hold me accountable to that. if i comment any time this afternoon you all better ask if my house is picked up first??! i know you got my back!! so i'm off. and later, if my house is picked up, i'll try to share a picture of the new haircut!! :0) peace out my friends.

who are those people?!?!

lol. i found this old picture in one of my old bibles this weekend. i'm thinking it's at least eight years ago. shaun looks like such a little boy. i look so skinny. ahh the joys of getting old. ;0)

this is really all i have for you today. my heart is heavy for mckmama and her family. i've been in constant prayer.

one thing god spoke to me today. i was talking with him and wondering what he will say to us when we get to heaven and we ask why this or that happens.

his answer.

because i said so.

so i rest in the fact that god says and said so. he is my father in heaven. and i will trust in that. and in him. i live because he gives me my next breath. and i will do my best to not take any of those breaths for granted.

not me ever

wowzers. monday already??!?! where is the weekend? boo. i miss it already. head over to mckmama's for not me monday fun. ((after of course you read mine.))



so i do not miss shaun already today. i do not love waking up with him and cuddling and talking before the rest of the house wakes up. we did not sit and listen to the girlies laughing and playing in their room saturday. they then did not come in our room trying to 'wake us' up. it was not the cutest thing ever.



((((interrupting this so great post for this update:: for those of you who don't know mckmama's little baby boy is in the PICU at the children's hosptial...head over to her blog for the full details and please pray for god's perfect peace and plan, because it is so good))))

so for the rest of my things...

i am still not trying to figure out while people are mean. and feel the need to leave mean comments. i do really not mind comments that disagree. but to accuse me of 'being like a poison'. ohhh that was mean. so because that happened i have now decided to never allow anon comments again...ever.

i do not let the poison comment get to me. nope. not me. that'd be silly. ((who am i kidding? that was so mean and hurtful. i do not understand mean people and why the feel the need to torture others))

i am not so thankful that all my blogging buddies who are 'woman'/'man' enough to leave their names with their comments are so nice!! (did you miss the post? here it is. just please be nice)

i did not wake up before my kiddos this morning and read my friend's post 'you are worth it' and feel totally encouraged. i did not read a few other not me mondays already and totally almost pee my urinal pants laughing at ~stephanie's~. you seriously need to check out both of those posts.

i did not laugh outloud at my hubby when sharing a story about work said this to his co-worker, "well at least i'm not a wooden shoe man born on april fool's day" ((his co-worker was making fun of shaun being german, so shaun made 'fun' of him being dutch...)) i did not ask shaun if i could blog about it. he did not say sure. and then he did not say "make sure you tell them i'm not racist!" ((shaun loves the dutch too! lol. he's sooo funny.))

okay this last one. i can not even BELIEVE i'm sharing. but it was funny. and shaun really laughed at it. plus we all do it...i'm just brave enough to share it, i guess....

...so saturday i did not have a 'bm' issue in the bathroom. amelya did not walk by the door, which was open a smidge and say 'mom what was that noise?' i did not say. 'what?' she did not respond with ' it sounded like a drum!!' (ahh. that was SO embarassing. but it was funny.)

so it sounds as if my kiddos are still asleep!! so i'm off to comment a bit before they wake up. have a great day guys. and remember our god is SO good.

random picture challenge

it's that time again. head over here for more picture fun. this is in my third folder. and something brown. the chair. i think this is one morning after sleeping over at nana's. it's my little caity bug. i can't believe how little she looks!! i'm not sure when this is, only because i know the dating is wrong on the folder. regardless it looks like she's enjoying breakfast at nana's. which usually is pancakes and sprinkles. ((something shaun says they NEVER would've gotten as kids!!)) i'm busy making copies at the printer. so i figured i could multi task and blog too!! we had a busy day today. my mom had a spa party. while i went to that with a friend shaun helped her hubby put up a garage door opener in their garage. we had fun at the party and they had 'fun' working together. after they finished they took us out to eat to 'pay' shaun. which was not necessary at all. but we all had fun together. the girlies like to play with their girlies. and of course the four of us all like to talk to each other. so it all works out.

tomorrow is church. and then shaun's sister is watching the kiddos so we can do some grocery shopping. we're down to pretty much nothing here!! but we had to wait til the pay check came. it makes it easier to shop that way...i can't get too much with my 'good looks'. :0) so have a super sunday and see you monday!!

Das Not Funny!

so i've met tons of great new friends through this crazy blog. one of them is jessica. who gives away super prizes if you ever win her contests by the way. {{i mean socks!! who doesn't need them!?}} she's hosting 'das not funny'. because i think it's funny i'm playing along. plus it's been pretty 'heavy' around here lately. so i'm going for light. just click on the button to play along...of course after you're done reading and commenting here!! :0)

so the one thing i can think of that breigh will probably not think is funny when i tell her is this story::

i was changing dustin's diaper the other day. she was checking it all out. at our house we're all about using the correct terms. {{i'm not typing it here for the only reason that i don't need some perv googling "p" and finding my site}}

so she says, what is that?

i say it's a "p". can you say "p" ((okay okay i know i ASK her to say it. you see lately i've been working on her getting to say certain letters and certain words. she likes to leave out 'l' and 'm' in some words.))

clear as a bell breigh says, "p".

yay. she can't say other words clearly, like 'milk' and 'lotion' (it's Bilk and otion) but she can say "p". then she goes on to tell me 'gage has that.'

i don't know what her infactuation with my friend's sons' "p" is. once before she saw dustin's and just said 'gage has that'. like what is SHE DOING checking THAT out. it's not like she just sits and stares when chantae is changing him. and you all thought i was a stalker!!

so when i go on to tell her this story i'm sure she'll say 'das not funny'. when i SO think it is. next week i have to be sure to write down more funny things. because i know they always say funny stuff, and i say i'll remember. truth is, i don't!! so this will be a fun way to remember.

like the new look? i was bored. well actually i'm not feeling well at all today. my friend decided to visit a week and a half late and has shown up full force. and really has kicked my butt. it's worse than ever before. yucko. i know i know. tmi. but seriously i think all of you are women. so i'm sure it's not THAT big of a deal. besides that i've already talked about 'p' so what's worse. :0) have a super weekend. i'm not sure if i'll be back again this weekend. so if i'm not see you monday.

perfect unperfectness

i've never once claimed to be pefect. in fact it says it up on top. so when i got a comment on my post yesterday (which by the way read first if you haven't, because otherwise this may not make any sorts of sense...i'll wait don't worry) i'll break apart the comment and 'explain' myself a bit.

While I appreciate your passion for such topics, I am a bit concerned that a facebook status sparked a nerve in you.

i never said i was 'mad' at the fb status/comment. i was hurt that i was being accused of letting my child be lonely. i never ever want my children to feel lonely. i also said i had, "had this post forming in my head for quite awhile". basically since i started cloth diapering and totally felt judged by people close to me for it. so i kept forming in my head all the different views and that's where the post came from. so the fb comment didn't 'spark a nerve', it just gave me more inspiration for my post.

You have four beautiful children and while you proclaim to own your blog and you can say what you wish to say, I have some comments.

let me hear 'em.

I want to first say that I believe baby’s are self-soothers, hence attachments to soft blankets, cuddly animals and thumb sucking. However, when a baby is hungry, hurting, or in need of a cuddle, their cries tend to be different than going to bed without a rocking or back rub.

which i totally agree with. and i said i always wait and see if they're really awake and need me or not. with dustin when he wakes up fussy i try and give him his nuk first to see if he's really hungry or just fussing. if he doesn't take the nuk and cries i know he's hungry. usually the first time he wakes up he's just awake and takes his nuk and duck and goes back to sleep. {i've also figured out that by rocking the bassinet a bit helps too...i'll have one super strong forearm pretty soon!!}


Now, although I do not condone what you friend said about “ignoring” her child, I do have to question the context of whish she stated her expressions. Because if you are going merely on stated words, you could be accused of “ignoring” your child as well. For example, this is what you posted in your previous post about spring, “i ignore him as long as i can”. Now, going based on words, you typed the same thing. Now, the context of which you stated those words, and the mindset you expressed those words in was not “harmful” as you are merely trying to figure out his schedule.

i never said the girl said i ignored my child. she never said she doesn't ignore her child. i just said i never 'ignore' them. and 'mary' i don't know if you're a regular reader or just someone who happened by recently. but you have at least read two of my posts. and i'm 'assuming' that you read them each in one sitting to catch my words.

i did type i 'igonore him as long as i can. but it's hard to do when he's in the bassinet next to our bed'. and right before that i said that he isn't fussing, but just awake. i left out the fact that he's talking up a storm. cooing to no end. and it's hard to ignore, because frankly it's too darn cute to listen to. maybe i should've used a different word than ignore. but really i guess that is what i try to do. 'ignore' it and try to get a few more minutes of sleep. ((i also think it is important to read the text before and after that statement i made. you need to take the whole thing in context, not just certain sentances that 'work'))

i could be accused then of ignoring the girls as well. because when they all wake up together and are happy and talking. i always leave them in their room. i sit and listen to their laughs and giggles. so yes i guess i 'ignore' them.

when my kids whine i say this "i'm not going to listen to you whine. talk to be nicely". so then again. i guess i'm 'ignoring' them.

when one of the kids poo and i smell it. i try to see if shaun may smell it first. so i guess then i 'ignore' them. it usually doesn't last too long though because i just get up anyways. it's worth the shot!

so yes. sometimes i may 'ignore' my children. but i NEVER ignore them when they are in need of me. {maybe the poopy diaper is a thing where they 'need' me...but it gets changed within a minute of smelling it}

Therefore, you may feel that it is expressed in a manner which “works” for you, even though you expressed the same words as your friend did. Therefore, I beg for you to be watchful of what you say, because while you are “pointing the finger” in the direction of someone, you could be looking into the mirror as you do it.

as i said, my 'friend' never said ignore. so i guess that doesn't really matter now. i don't feel i was pointing fingers at anyone. if i do ever point fingers it is at myself. so i am always looking in the mirror. like way to go mom your kid is crying because you blew it and yelled at them. way to go mom you overdrafted the checkbook...again. way to go mom your kids watch way too much tv. way to go mom your kids don't eat too healthy. way to go mom your house is never super clean. way to go mom...YOU'RE HUMAN. yep. i am. like i said i'm not perfect. i screw up. i blame myself A LOT! but thankfully god forgives all my mistakes with the blood of my savior jesus.

i just said what works for me. and if some one chooses differently i don't care. so i don't feel how i was pointing fingers anywhere. i was just sharing that we all parent differently. and each way is fine and dandy if it works for you.

i do try and be watchful of what i say. BUT i will not hold back anything about my relationship with christ. and nor will i apologize for it. and like 'mary' said, i proclaim to 'own' my blog. which i do. and i have the right to believe and share what i'd like. right? truthfully if you don't like it. then why are you still reading? when i first started blogging i had like three people reading. that didn't stop me from writing. i don't blog to get more followers or more hits. i blog because i want to sometimes vent, or just be funny{in my own world i guess} or to just ramble.

And as a mother who is trying to “train” her children to be followers of God, maybe their “trainer” should be more conscious of the context in which words are expressed and value a person’s efforts in trying to be the best person they can be with or without the watchful eye of God. Many blessings to you and yours!

this is the only part of the comment that was like hmmm. as my children's 'trainer' i do the best with what i've been given. but like i already admitted i screw up. and i like my children to see that yep, even mom screws up. i just make sure they see it and can learn from it. everything in life is a learning experience. i think i am pretty conscious of the context of my words. sure maybe i used ignore in different ways. but love could be used the same way...do you love to eat as much as you love your husband? no. it's different. waaaaaaaaaay different. or at least it should be. so i'm not going to apologize for how i used the word ignore. and considering the girl never used the word, it really isn't an issue i guess.

i don't think i should have to go back and re-read all my posts before posting a new one. so maybe i say "i ignore him as long as a can" and then the next day i say "i never ignore my children" and both of those statements are true. just like i love to eat jellybeans. and i love shaun. both of those statements mean way different things. but are way true.

because i'm choosing to raise our babies in a christian household they will learn god is always watching them. and that god is watching every single person, whether or not that person believes it. because i also teach them god loves every single person. whether or not that person believes it. if god loves everyone he is also watching everyone.

john 3:16...for god so loved the world...

the world. all of us. god loves us. none of us are good enough for that love. we all fall short. but with jesus...that's what gets us 'in' with god. without the relationship with jesus, we are left separate from god. please click here for more infomation. instead of me just copying and pasting it all...because reallly that's what i'd do.

so i believe that we are all watched by god. no one is left out of that. you can try to be the best person you can be. just remember you're never good enough all on your own. we all fail. we all sin. {even me!} but with the blood of jesus we can and will be saved from that.

and i'll be sure to share with my kids that i fail. and i want to teach them from my failures.
like don't smoke, it tastes gross among other things.(( good thing it took one cig. to figure that one out.)) or have boys as friends but wait to date. wait until you're sure that's the one. kiss your husband and let it be your first kiss. ((i 'dated' a few boys. and hate that i kissed one other boy besides shaun. i know it isn't a humungo deal. but it is to me. and partly because i'm the only girl shaun ever kissed it makes me feel bad that i didn't wait to kiss 'the one'. one thing i will be sure to intsill is to 'wait' for the hubby for 'that'. because to me that is the bestest part of marriage, knowing you waited and knowing he/she is the only one. {{most of the time, i know that some people give their lives to the lord after the fact, but then re-dedicate to wait. for us we are the only ones and waited. but in the same sense, we failed in other areas of that. and for that reason i will be sure to tell my kiddos all about the other temptations of stuff, and let them know i faltered, but god is good and forgave me. and brought it to light soon enough to change it back to how it should be}}

so that's that. off my soapbox for the day. this post is long enough. but before i close. thanks. thanks for listening. for respecting me. and thanks for the kind comments and support.

it works for me.

hmmm. this post may be controversial to some. to me. it is what works. for me.

as a mom (well rather as parents) i think we are faced with tons of choices. and each choice has an opposite. it seems to me that if you choose one half the world agrees, if you choose the other half the world disagrees.

this post has been forming in my mind for awhile i think. last night/today it has come to light. you see on facebook there was some commenting being done a friends status. she tried having her baby 'cry it out'. it brought to light both ends of the spectrum. people like me who have done it, and it worked. and another who said this:

"It really is normal for babies to wake that often...ones that sleep through the night at his age (the baby is a little younger than dustin) (or, gasp, even younger) have been 'trained' to realize that noone is going to tend to their needs and they give up and sleep though the hunger/pain/lonely/etc...no offense...."

so because i'm me. i was totally offended. and hurt. i'll explain my 'cry it out' style. when amelya was about nine-ish months old we were rocking her to sleep every night. shaun worked late hours and that was 'his' time with her. i was already pregnant with breigh and said that we should probably just start putting her to bed by herself, because in a few short months we'd have two babies. so i learned a 'trick' from super nanny. and it worked for us. the trick was this. the first night i layed amelya in her bed awake. she cried. i didn't pick her up. but i said mommy's right here. rubbed her back. and stood by her crib until she was asleep. which was probably in about five minutes. the next night i did the same thing. except i stood a bit further away from her bed. gradually i moved further away each night and would always re-assure her i was there. by the end of the week, five days really, she was laying in her bed and asleep without crying. for me it was 'easy'. i let her cry, but also let her know i was there.

all four of my kids have slept through the night, or at least til five AM at around six weeks. (i have been SO blessed) around three months old i try to get them on a night time schedule. they're usually eating around eight or nine. so after that feeding while they're tired and still awake i layed them in their bassinet and they fell asleep by themselves. none of them have ever cried actually. (well maybe sometimes, but i would always check on them and comfort them until they stopped) at four months dustin goes to bed the same way. sure some nights he is awake for a bit talking and cooing, but he always ends up asleep with in ten minutes or so after being in bed.

during the night if anyone wakes up i usually wait about 30 seconds. to see if they're really awake or just fussing in their sleep. and to see if shaun gets up first!! lol. i never just 'ignore' it. dustin slept great last night, til almost five. i gave him his duck and nuk and he cuddled the duck and went right back to sleep. i never ignore my children. i do let them 'fuss' but never for a super long time. because 'it works for me'.

i choose to cloth diaper. because it works for me. do i judge you because you use disposables? nope. i don't care. i used them. cloth has been working for me, and now i am truly addicted. do i talk too much about them sometimes? mmm. probably. for that i will apologize! but i will not apologize for the choice i've made to do cloth. does my mil pretty much let me know non-verbally how much she disagrees? yep. but i don't let that affect MY choice.

i choose to breastfeed. it works for me. do i judge you for bottle feeding? for not trying to breastfeed? for supplementing? nope. i don't care. i've supplemented. i've bottle fed. i've only nursed my oldest for nine months, and the others less because i was pregnant and exhausted. do i care if you want to breastfeed your two year old? nope. i don't. i do what works for me. you do what works for you.

i choose to vaccinate my kids. it works for me. do i judge you for not vaccinating yours? no. it works for me.

i choose to give birth in a hospital without epidurals. it works for me. do i judge you for being {so brave} to have a home birth? no. with an epidural? never. i considered it with two of my labors. it work(ed) for me.

i choose to raise my babies in a christian household. i choose to share christ with them. it works for me. do i judge you for not? no. do i wonder why not? yes.

i am choosing to homeschool my children. do i judge you for sending yours to school? nope. it {lord willing} will work for me. ((my plan is to homeschool all the way through high school))

i choose to not co-sleep. do i care if you share a bed? no. do i think it may make good birth control for us? maybe. :0) our babies sleep in the bassinet next to our bed until they get too big for it. {{so apparently being in the same room isn't good bc}} and then move on into their rooms. which speaking of dustin's room hasn't even been started! yikes. he's getting to be almost too big for the bassinet already!!

i choose to be sometimes strict with my rules for my kiddos. it works for me. do i judge you for letting your child rule you? no. do i think it's a bit silly? yes. but it's your choice.

we all have choices. all choices have consequences. i think we have to be 'parent' enough to make those choices and take the consequences. good or bad. i think we also have to learn to not judge others. i do my best not to. if your choices don't affect me personally...make them. if your choices are going to affect me...i may have a say in it. only because i need to look out for me.

the bible has a scripture about 'training' your child. it's the way i want to parent.

PROVERBS 22:6::Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.::

if anything at all...i want to train my child in the way he should go. god's way.

maybe you don't agree with my choices. but how about this? let's just agree to diagree. and still be friends. because that my friends is how this place works.

thanks for reading. feel free to share. just be nice. i don't care if you disagree...i do care if you aren't nice.

spring. for today.

ahhh. wisconsin. probably one of the states that can change weather like THAT. today it is 65ish out!! woo hoo. by thursday it will be 40's again. for today i'll take this.

yesterday we signed the papers for the tractor. and took it for a 'test drive'. me. i took it for a test 'ride'. shaun asked if i wanted to drive it..i said. nope. i'd rather wreck something on OUR property. i have driven a tractor before. but it is a big ole machine and kind of scary! so i'll stick to our yard.

the girls have their dance pictures today. because of that there was no class this morning. oh it felt SO good to not have to rush out of the house by 830. that is not an easy feat to do with four kiddos! my mom is on first shift and coming with me or watching the little two while i go. i haven't decided if i want her to come with our just watch dustin and caitlyn. we'll see what later brings. i am currently trying to steam their costumes though. i am running a hot shower in the bathroom. i am hoping they won't be too wrinkly later!! yes. i am a procrastinator. speaking of procrastinating...i'll be mailing out my gifts TOMORROW. because of no dance class today i won't be leaving the house before the post office closes...so sorry gals...tomorrow i promise. :0)

i am also still getting caught up on laundry. shaun did fix it on friday. but saturday was spent washing diapers and sunday we were gone all day. yesterday i did a couple of loads and today the rest. all i have left is diapers and shaun's work clothes. and then i'll be 'caught up' but really i'll just be doing wash again by thursday. that way i'll stay on top of it. unlike last week.

i am trying to figure out dustin's schedule. he seems to enjoy getting up at four thirty am lately. he isn't hungry, just awake. i ignore him as long as i can. which is hard to do when he is sleeping next to the bed in the bassinet!! he stays up until five thirty-ish, which by then he is hungry. and because i just want some solid sleep i feed him. he then sleeps til like seven thirty/eight o clock-ish. i'm thinking about trying to give him an earlier 'evening' nap. he is usually tired around six-ish and wants a nap. well then he sleeps til eight or later. and then we put him to bed with the girls between eight thirty and nine. so i think we'll either keep him up later or give an earlier nap. i'd rather not keep him up later, only because he is already on this 'bed time' schedule. so earlier nap, if possible it is!! i also think his ezcema is bugging him, because he really itches his head a lot while he's up. so i've been sure to slather the lotion all over him. even if it makes his hair all greasy. so lord willing it helps. i've just been spolied for three months and sleeping til five thirty at the earliest.

he is doing SO good on foods though. he eats two times a day, and today i've been considering bumping it up to three. so probably by the end of the week it'll be three. he loves everything. except peaches. he spit up non-stop after eating those. so i'll wait awhile before giving him them again. only because i don't want a bunch of orange stained clothing! i have yet to try squash with him, all three girls hated it. and i can not stand the smell...so when i feel up to it, he'll get it. his favorite has been carrots.

so um...hmmm. i really don't know what else to say. i have to eat lunch yet. my belly is hungry. so that means, i'm leaving you for a can of spaghettios. yes you read that right. i love them. i know they're unhealthy, processed food yuck. but i like them. so i'm off to eat the sodium filled can of yumminess. to me. :0)

way late not me...

so this is the latest i have EVER done a not me. and of course i do not have my posts prepared ahead of time...which is sounding better and better. as always head over to mckmama's for more fun...and extra fun this week because there is a chance to win something!!

so i did not have a stressful week last week. i did not stress over tractors, skid loaders and nothing at all. i am not glad that we finally had a decision and am not signing papers later today for a tractor.

i did not spend about five seconds looking for a comb to comb breigh's hair with and realize i had it in my mouth.

i am not super stoked spring has seemed to arrive. i do not remind myself that it is wisconsin and things can change in a heartbeat.

i did not get slightly 'irked' that i had to BUY MY 18th month old HER OWN TICKET to her sister's dance recital. seriously. 9.25 for a toddler to not even use the seat i am paying for. something about fire codes. whatever.

i am not getting super excited for the said recital in may. :0)

i was not super excited to get a 'ransom' note from a friend last week. thanks michelle. i did not bring it to scrapbooking to show it off and laugh. i was not excited to have scrapping and de-stress a little bit while doing it. it does not ever feel good to de-stress.

i am not excited to send out my pay it forward gifts tomorrow!!

i was not also super excited to get a cute shirt from that same friend in the mail today. thanks again michelle. it was not my favorite 'design'. i am not going to dress caitlyn in it tomorrow. it is not just her size.

i also did not get an email claiming i had won a giveaway. my FIRST EVER on this blog. i do not feel a bit bad that i just copied what other people had guessed as my answer...it was not the right one. shawn is not having another giveaway celebrating her 100th post. i am not telling you to go enter. this does not get me another entry in her giveaway...

so that's that. a busy morning was had here. shaun's sister came over to drop off her money for the recital tickets. so she helped me tremendously to get the kiddos ready. yay. how nice. i am leaving this short because i have to get the kiddos ready to go so we can go sign papers for our new tractor lease. i'll try to be back later. or tomorrow.

when's the vacation.

that is how i feel today. well right now. i am just ready to drive into the sunset. but hey. that's the 'easy way out'. so i won't. because regardless god is still god. and he is still good. but...

let me explain.

yesterday we were all set. no tractor. whew. well then shaun calls the guy. the guy says, IF we return the tractor we'll incur the cost of new tires for the tractor. we'll also incur any costs to fix anything that is wrong with it. because of it being a lease. so that put us back to square one. for those of you who don't know buying tires for a tractor is pretty much like buying a small home. well not quite that bad, but close enough!!

so. what do we do. we decided to buy a skid loader. less cost and it just seemed better on paper. shaun called the guy this morning and told him. the guy in the mean time had also given us 'specs' on a smaller tractor. so he asked no tractor? shaun said nope, not unless you could get the payment down to *** dollars. the guy calls back later. and can get us the tractor for only 45 dollars over that amount. soooooooooooo the tractor it is! yikes. i just am so glad this is over. i think. i've been saying that ALL week.

so with that off my mind i guess i need more things on it. i had to pay a bill today. checked the banking. yep. over draft. by like 12 bucks. seriously?!? 12 dollars. i HATE that. especially when i have 12 bucks, plus a tiny bit more...in my savings. couldn't they just like transfer it and not charge me the 20 dollars to fix it MYSELF. so i fixed it. paid the bill. all is okay. thennnnnn i went to switch my wash. oh don't EVEN get me going. it's broke. AGAIN. what!?! i know. i.am.irritated. lord willing it'll be an easy fix for shaun later.

IF i believed in 'luck' today would be 'the day' to have 'bad luck'. i do not believe in 'luck'. and my friend ~*michelle*~ has an interesting post today all about it. so go check it out. then i don't have to copy her. k? k. btw she picked her winner for the giveaway. it wasn't me. oh well.

one of these days i will win a giveaway. here are two i would love to win.

1. is a 'free' giveaway. meaning i do nothing and have a chance to win. well i guess not nothing. i have to share my 'love story' with shaun. and it's a book all about sex (the prize not the love story. i realized how weird that sounded after re-reading it...good thing i re-read it!). so go check it out. here. and here is our story. and on his birthday i gave him a shout out too. so if you don't know our story. go check it out. :0) i shared it when i first started this blog. and about five people read it. :0)

2. isn't ALL free. for posting a link about it, i get a chance to win. but i also get to buy a ticket and win a camera!! oh yeah. that's what i want. i know that it'll be a long time before i have the money to buy a new slr so i'm praying hard to win one. click on the picture below.

so you must go check that out. it's a great prize for an even greater cause. :0) and even though my checking was over drafted by a bit, my heart still pulls for things like that. plus shaun says it's okay. and isn't quite as skeptical as this girls hubby. seriously...go read that post. it is hilarious! and when i showed/read it to shaun he didn't find it odd. boys. they all must stick together.

so that's that.

scrapping tonight. although i'm going to make some cards instead. i know i'm YEARS behind on scrapping and i'm making cards. well tough beans. i'm making cards for three special people. :0) so they'll get to see them next week sometime. i'm working on those gifts guys. i promise. just be a bit paitent. :0)

alright. i have to admit, i'm feeling loads better guys. thanks for listening. :0) but yes...i'd still take a vacation. spring is almost here. i can feel it.

JumpStart WINNER.

well yesterday was wednesday. so that means...i picked my jumpstart winner. today. because well. i didn't post yesterday. so i used random.org. and you all had a 25% chance to win. and the winner who's 25% chance who won....was the first person to comment on that post. the first person to comment was ~*michelle*~. who is also having her own giveaway. so yay! michelle. please let me know which email address you would like me to give the lady from jumpstart to set you up with your three month trial. here is my 'screen shot', tip courtesy of miss jill who just started a blog with all blog hints. go check it out!!

alright. that's all taken care of!

so i don't know many of you actually look forward to a biggest loser review. but i'll give you one quick. first off. so glad mike lost all that weight. now to the pairs. hmmm. i think tara should've played herself, although in the end it's a good thing she didn't. however. i wish she would've then the blue team would've won. when will they catch a break. i hated how the black team got all happy to win the challenge. i know it is exciting to win, but they didn't seem to care how they made the blue team feel. i also think the blue team would have been way more responsible winning the challenge. going out and getting drunk? and smoking? what!?! i LOVED jillian's response...oh yeah, smoke on biggest loser and you won't get lung cancer. lol. seriously tara's comment was SO DUMB. 'we figured if we're going to do it, this is the place to do it'. whatever.

i felt AWFUL for mandi. just plain awful for gaining two pounds. but it is what it is, and i think she made the right decision to go home. and she looked GREAT. i also felt awful for mike. this poor 18 y/o kid has to hang out with a bunch of drunks. he looked not happy at one point. but i guess he also could've gone back to his room. so whatever.

oh and i cannot review bl without talking about filipe and sione. wowzers. i think that bob should have sent them back to jillian. i think they need to work out their 'issues' with her. now yes i would've been peeved that jillian didn't work out with me. but i think he should've given her a chance to respond and not just walk right out.

so i guess that's that on bl. does anyone watch csi:ny?? is anyone happy that it ended last night the way it did?! i am. i almost teared up. i thought lindsay and danny belonged together from day one. now i don't agree with the fact that they're preggo before being married, but besides that i LOVE that they're getting married. and if you didn't know she's really preggo in real life. (thanks to my sil, danielle, for that detail, she always knows that fun stuff) so now i anxiously await the arrival of the baby.

today is amelya's four year check and caitlyn's 18 month check. my sister is meeting me there to help. yay for that.

ummm. oh the tractor thing. is it bad that we still don't know what do to. shaun and i have been going back and forth about all of this. not fighting, just should we or shouldn't we. we both have valid reasons to and not to. ohhhhh. so i ask for prayer please. it's a humungo decision. and a scary one. we have to go on monday to 'pick it up', but as far as we know we are not bound to the current deal. so that's a relief if we decide to not get it. so 'we'll see'. update:seriously a few minutes after posting, shaun calls. he says. i think we need to not get anything right now. i think that is what is best for our family. so that's the decision. THANKS FOR THE PRAYERS. they worked immediately!! :0) but please keep all of it still in prayer. thanks thanks thanks. god is so so so good.

my parents come home from florida saturday. my mom called the other day 'complaining' how she had to sit on a towel because she was sweating soooo bad. boo hoo. they're missing a fabulous winter week here in wi. so that's good for them i guess.

well caity bug is awake. so i must go get her before she starts climbing out. she hasn't ever yet, but she will probably learn how sooner than later. amelya was the only one who has yet. breigh never did. so we'll see.

have a super duper day.

fun stuff people. (update)

hey!! guess what. a few weeks again heidi had this 'pay it forward' thing on her blog. and i was a fortunate one to comment and get a small gift. i got it in the mail yesterday. ohhh it was so fun. i got some notecards, paper, chocolate bar and three suckers...for my three girlies. or at least that's who got them. BUT in order for me to win these gifts, i had to agree to Pay It Forward. (the following was copied and pasted from Heidi's PIF post, and basically i copied and pasted this from ~stephanie~ too)Be one of the first three bloggers to comment on this post. You then agree to share your snail mail address with me so I can send you a small gift. When you receive your gift, blog about this game & link back to my blog in that post. You ALSO AGREE to "pay it forward" and send a small gift to the 3 people who comment on your blog post..... Remember - only comment if you're willing to send out 3 small gifts to other people!!

HOW FUN IS THAT!?!? soooo i want to send you all something. but i can't. so only the first three. k? k. but feel free to comment after those first three. because i love your comments. and hmmm. maybe this...i have a 'secret' number. so i'll give something to the first three. and any comment after that i have a number in my head already. so if i get that many comments. and YOU'RE that commenter...YOU'LL get something too. and don't worry it isn't some outrageous number. because i am not ms. popular so i don't get like a bagillion comments. so the number is less than a bagillion.

AND AND AND

i've been waiting something like 22 posts for this. (she let me know ahead of time) my sweet new dear friend is hosting a giveaway for her 100th post!! so you MUST go check her out. here. i met her a few months ago. and i love her! she is pretty much hilarious. but has a dose of serious too. her comments always make me laugh. i make sure to not be drinking or eating and sitting down when reading any comments from her. she has her own little business, well two actually, and is giving away something from them. i love her cloth diapering shirts. and well a lot of the others. so i really want to win. and if i don't i may have to break down and use the 20% off 'code' she gave in her post. but i think she thinks i'm pretty cool...so maybe i'll win. :0) and i'm like dedicating an entire paragraph to her on my blog. that's worth something. lol. totally not part of the contest. but it's worth the shot to try. and hey if you're hosting a giveaway make sure to tell me to post about it in advance. and i'll dedicate a super nice post about you too. :0) lol....truly i love all of you guys. ~*michelle*~ just gets her moment of fame from me today. woo hoo. cool right?! so go enter people.

and while you're at it don't forget to Check out my giveaway! :0) i think i said i'd end it soon. so go enter both. k? okay.

so in efforts to be wise i've decided to take some pictures of my kiddos. instead of going to wherever to take them. so i did dustin and amelya yesterday. i need to do caitlyn and breigh, maybe after naps. or tomorrow. i think i need some sunlight. so here are my fav. of them...

i just can not believe how big they are getting!!?!? i have tons more on facebook. are you my friend on fb? no?? why not? lol. seriously though...if you have fb and wanna be my friend, i'd love to be yours. just search my email. amoschel@msn.com okay enough of that.

so i suppose. i have one more thing to say. okay yesterday i mentioned how we have decided to get the new tractor. shaun asked the guy TWICE if we need a down payment. because if that is the case, we aren't doing it. (a down payment on a tractor is pretty much like a down payment on a house! lol) we wanted it set up like the last time. one yearly payment in december. the guy told shaun BOTH times...no payment needed at delivery. well this guy should become a comedian. he called shaun today and said we need a payment. shaun told him nope can't do it. then the guy wanted him to set up a payment plan. shaun said no. i told you in december. the guy said...i'll see what i can do.

dork. seriously??! i'm so irritated because of how he is running this whole show. so we'll see what happens. oh yeah...shaun also said if he can't work anything out...we're bringing our other tractor back and not getting anything. which is fine. we don't care either way. so it'll be interesting to see what mr. beau works out. lol. either way is good for us. i'm just so thankful for the peace about it. i'll be sure to keep you updated. because i'm sure you're all losing sleep over this. he he he...

so update: well first shaun calls and says...it's ours..but the payment will go up because of pushing it back. i say. nope. shaun agrees. shaun calls me back a bit later. telling me 'he' bought the tractor again. apparently mr. beau man (that's what i call him) said the payment will stay the same and in december. i dunno. i don't know how i feel about it all yet. i'm irritated yet. and still trying to figure out what god has for all of this. all i know is that i am so not impressed with how this all 'went down'. and i have a feeling it 'ain't over yet'. so that's that. back to your regular scheduled programming.

so. that's that. remember to leave me a comment. because i want to give you something. and of course i still have anon. comments open. so even if you don't have a blog, but promise to play along...i'll send you something. and i have that special number in my head too...so come on and play along. and don't forget to enter michelle's giveaway.

peace out.

I ♥ Faces

i heart faces is a photography blogsite that hosts weekly photo contests of faces for both kids & adults. this week's contest theme is creative crop. join in the fun & enter just visit their blog here.
i know i just posted this picture in my post below. but i LOVE it of amelya. so i'm posting it again. the color version. {check out the post below this for the b/w version} it was cropped with my camera. i just love my girlie.

Check out my giveaway!

nope sure not me.

well it's monday again. good thing. because then i can tell you all about some things i did not do. head over by ms. mckmama for some more fun if you want.

so we have a van, have had one for quite awhile. so when i went to open the back 'hatch' the other day i wouldn't have gotten hit in the head by it. because you know. i would know it opens 'up'.

on friday i did not rush around making sure our house looked all nice because the guy to sign the tractor lease was coming over. i did not get slightly irritated when shaun called to tell me the guy cancelled. (btw...yep we decided to go with a new tractor lease on a new tractor....made the most sense, and that is where shaun and i both felt led to go)

i did not get super stoked to meet yet another blogging buddy last week. {but ohhh it was so much fun...it's just as addicting as blogging itself}

while at the mom and pop place with the said blogging buddy i did not kind of eavesdrop on another conversation. i never eavesdrop. all four of us did not then have a long conversation all about cloth diapering and give the 'new mommy to be' a big brain overload.

when that new mommy to be came back in looking for her red scarf, that was hanging out of her coat pocket she was wearing, i did not almost tell her..."that'd be a good not me monday". i do not naturally assume EVERYONE knows what that is. i'm not so happy i kept my mouth quiet that time!

and i certainly did not fully enjoy myself and the time spent with my hubby with some adults at the super wonderfully fantastic REVIVE, BRANDON HEATH, and THIRD DAY concert. i did not love worshipping in a jam packed room. i did not totally feel god.

i am not going to remind you either to enter my giveaway for a free three month subscription to jumpstart. okay i will remind you...it's loads of fun. enter it already. :0) please?

so also because of our time change...things are rushed here this am. so i have no time to babble and no time to comment before mom's group. bear with me. i should be back later. well at least to comment. so leave me one...and i'll be sure to leave you one...

Check out my giveaway!

revelation

ohhh my friends. it has been a few days. sorry! i've been enjoying my family. and an awesome concert last night. we saw revive, brandon heath and third day. and i can not pick a favorite out of any of them! they were SO awesome. let me tell you how cool it was to worship with a jam packed room of people. it's like practicing for heaven. i'm loading some pics to facebook now. so when that's done, so will this post. :0) shaun's home. i gotta get more time with him. :0)

the concert last night spoke to my heart so much. the tour is called revelation. and man. it is not based on revelation from the bible, but for a revelation for you. from god. just praying about it. for god to 'reveal' what he needs to. then church this morning. man. god totally spoke to my heart. because even if i feel 'broken-hearted', CHRIST is in the fixin' business. how awesome and how much i need his fixin' lately.

i don't know how to describe my heart. but apparently it comes across in my writing, even if i try to hide it. thanks to my dear friend for noticing. because it made me realize i can't hide behind it. i've been feeling...i dunno. just 'different'. an okay different. only because i know god's working on me. and he is faithful to complete that good work. that's my promise. he won't leave me hanging. he's working on me. and i know that. and brandon heath sang a song about that too. so god totally took me in his arms and just held me. and how good it feels. but then i ask myself...why do i ever leave that?!?! well probably because i'm human. duh! but he takes me/us back everytime. all the time. always. and man...that feels SOOOOOOOOOOOO good.

because my friends. simply. god is good.

my pictures are loaded. i need to stay true to my word. here's the link...go check 'em out and enjoy your day!!



enter my giveaway http://aproudmommyof4.blogspot.com/2009/03/jump-jump-jump.html

happy happy birthday to my amelya

my amelya is FOUR. yep FOUR years old today!! i can't believe it. wanna know her birth story? i shared it way at the beginning of my blogging experience. but i know most of you weren't here then. and i don't know if some of you are as anal as me and go all the way back to read all the posts. i try to do that as much as possible! (stalker? check.)

so here we go.

my pregnancy went well with amelya. we didn't find out what we were having. but the girl did say she twice, but tried to cover it up. i ignored it. and at one point near the end debated if it was a boy. but truthfully from the beginning i thought it was a girl. names were a struggle. i loved amelya from the get go. shaun didn't. my grandma's middle name was amelia. i wanted to name amelya after her. i don't remember much of the other girls' names we had. i'm sure caitlyn was in there somewhere...but she came later. :0) the boy name was easier to get. one day shaun said how about isaac. i said. yeah. except i think isaac looks weird with two a's. so we were going to spell it isac. now i got shaun to agree to amelya only because we were going to call her 'mya'. i was fine with that. until she was born. i HATED it. i made shaun tell anyone who called her that to call her amelya. when i looked at her i saw amelya. not mya. so i purposed it to NEVER say their name is this but we're going to call them that. until after they're born. hence why i'm probably fine with caitlyn being caity somtimes. weird. i know. but i'm so glad amelya is my amelya. (fyi don't call dustin, dusty. i do not like that)

my due date was march 2nd. i was anxious to have her before march 5th. my mom and dad were leaving for mexico that day. i prayed, and cried, and prayed that god would have her be born so my mom could be there. well that wasn't the case. my dr. assumed i may go early because i was measuring big, so my parents purposely planned a different trip. if i didn't have amelya before march 5th i was to be induced. my dr thought the baby was going to be a bigger baby so she didn't want me to go too long after my due date.

the night before we went in i could not sleep. i tossed and turned. and just thought about having a baby! a baby!! what!?!? it was all surreal the next morning getting up and going to the hospital. we had it all planned out for everyone being there. i don't even know how we got it to be but my mom, shaun's mom, my sister, shaun's two sisters and shaun's aunt were going to be there. two of my aunt's were also planning on stopping in.

we got things started. the gel didn't work at all (little did i know how fast it'd work on the next births though!!) my dr. broke my water around ten. then things got started. i remember thinking this isn't so bad. (he he he) contractions got progressively worse. i sat in the whirlpool for a bit. but i hated having to get dressed b/n contractions, and remembered that for the next births. it was semi-weird having all those people in the room staring at me while going through all of it. but i wouldn't have traded it for anything. it helped keep it relaxed and calmer i think. and funny. except i hate hearing my laugh on the video. my mom left me around nine to leave for mexico. her and i both did great and didn't cry. at least not in front of each other. it was all good.

i started to be able to push around two-ish. thinking. oh yay! baby coming SOON. well that was not the case...at all. oh yay...somewhere in there i also took some nubain. that helped me tremendously. it takes the edge off of the contractions. and i could rest a bit. i've never been drunk, but others have told me they hate the nubain because they feel drunk. all i know is i liked it during the labor...but it in no way wants me to be drunk otherwise. back to pushing. so. i was getting exhausted. i actually purposely skipped pushing through contractions. he he he. at one point i remember feeling one. but i was too tired to push. so i just 'let it pass'. my nurse asked me if i felt it. i thought i told her yes. i know i did. well shaun (and everyone there) said i didn't say a thing i just sat there with my eyes closed. (it was proven in the video) oops. but i was so exhausted. well around 415ish maybe my dr came in and told me if i couldn't push the baby out we'd go do a c-section. WHAT!?! all this work and you just want to cut it out of me. no way!

so onwards with pushing. i was so tired. my dr. could see it. because i DID NOT have an epidural she suggested using the vacuum to help me. so then because the room wasn't full enough already we had to have the nicu nurses in with me in case something happened while using the vacuum. it was crazy busy. and i don't remember too much of that. i do remember one nurse saying she thought it was going to be a boy. she was also the nurse who made sure there was a chair behind shaun. he hadn't eaten ALL DAY. and wanted to be sure he fell into a chair instead of the floor if he passed out. lol.

so i pushed. and i remember the nurse telling me. it's just going to burn a little bit. BURN!?! what!?! NO ONE. NO ONE AT ALL. told me about this so call burning. and it did. i make sure to tell everyone i know about the burning, so they aren't surprised like me. but what was i going to do tell them i quit!?!

so i pushed through the burning. and out 'popp'ed. AMELYA FRANCIS. she was NINE POUNDS FOUR OUNCES. 20 3/4 inches long.

i never thought i'd bawl after having a baby. i thought it was just a tv show thing. but i cried. i rejoiced. and i was relieved it was done. i was in shock. immediately after having her the pain was gone. i couldn't even remember the burning. all i could do was stare at my beautiful baby girl.

it was kind of cool because my cousin's fiance was my nurse after having her. it wasn't weird at all. and it isn't weird now after seeing her and knowing she's seen ALL of me. :0) i was glad to have someone i 'knew' to help me out. especially with the nursing thing. amelya only would eat on the left side in the football hold. but after three months of that we got her to eat the 'regular' way.

our first few nights home were 'rough' she was up from midnight to two. but after those two nights i switched around some stuff. and she was sleeping great. by a month she slept through til four AM and by six weeks she slept through the entire night. she was a great baby. after being home with her. i KNEW i could not go back to work. how could i?!? i cried for three weeks. and three weeks before i was supposed to go back. i quit. it was amazing. and scary. but mostly amazing.

i loved being home. i loved having a baby. and then a few months later shaun was 'crushed' under a corn chopper. that was so scary. god totally protected him. completely protected him. all he had was a few broken ribs and two punctured lungs. and a blood clot. he was off of work for a few weeks too...and like i said he wasn't hurt too bad...so along came pregnancy number two...which will be shared on her birthday. in JUNE. lol. that's what breigh keeps telling me today. my birthday's in june. in june. my birthday's in june. too cute.

so happy birthday my amelya. my mini-me. my precious baby girl. i love you. and will always. but always remember that jesus loves you so much more than me. :0) love, your mommy.

Jump Jump Jump...

okay before i start this review post. amelya is drawing a picture. of me. this is what she says: momma i drawed you...with a big belly...a baby in your belly?!?!?!?!? what!? lol. i think she's so used to me being preggo...but never fear...or fear...i'm not. i don't think. no i'm pretty sure. i think she just sees me in my maternity jeans. and gets confused. heck I'M still confused. why doesn't this little muffin top just go away. okay onwards...

i was contacted a little bit ago...a few days, weeks..whatever...by sonia over at jumstart. she asked if i'd review their site. i totally agreed. you see amelya has already been playing their games. she has the pre-k and kindergarten one. she loves them both and begs to play them all the time. so i was excited to see the online version...and i was equally as pleased. here's the 'jumpeez' amelya made (and has changed. she loves being able to change her clothes, hair, shoes etc etc etc)

each child gets to make their own. how fun is that?!?! this is the character they get to use to play and check out the virtual world of jumpstart.

amelya loved everything she did. and i can leave her sit and play and she doesn't need my help on how to do anything. so that's a cool thing too. easy enough to navigate for an (almost) four year old.

the other two girlies stood by and watched her play as well. the loved the music. (i totally turned it before uploading it...just turn your head sideways to see it better. :0) lol)

what's nice about the site is that is also has a parents section. i actually enjoyed an article about homeschooling. and some super cute animals out of pipe cleaners. i'm not sure if you need to be a 'member' to view those. so that's why i did not link them.

wait. what?!? you'd like to be a member?? ohhhhhhh well here's the scoop. i asked miss sonia to explain the difference between the 'free' registration and the paid membership.

~Registration is free. However, you only have access to look at the ‘Neighborhood’ section of Storyland – gameplay that will most likely only occupy your child for a few hours maximum. You do not have access to Town Square, Pet Land, the Beach, or the Jungle. Also, the content you can access in the main Portal, such as the Movie Theater, is very limited compared to what you have with the membership (for example, 5 videos vs. 60 videos).

~Membership is a subscription service for around $7 per month. You have full access to absolutely everything in StoryLand and the lands to come, which should keep your child occupied for many months at a minimum! On the website itself, you also have access to Child Profiles to track your child’s progress. You also have access to all the minigames, like the newly added Buggy Racers

so. wanna try it out??!! miss sonia is letting me giveaway a THREE MONTH MEMBERSHIP. how cool is that?? so leave me a comment and let me know you wanna win. the site is good for kids. and you. :0) all you have to do to win is this. leave me a comment. yep that's it. because if i said if you follow that's an extra comment, you all would follow and then have an equal chance. so yeah. just leave me a comment. i'm even going to allow anonymous comments from those of you 'stalkers' without blogs. just make sure you leave me your name and email address. so i can tell you if you won!! i'll 'close' the contest a week from today. so that's next wednesday. (duh. i do not think you're dumb, i am not trying to insult your smartness...just oh whatever.) oh and if you want to follow me, even if it doesn't get you any extra entries...i don't mind. :0)

..to be continued?!?

yeah. what?!? the biggest loser totally cut me off last night!! although i had an inkling. it was getting too close to nine to have a voting thing yet. so now we wait til next week. it's bound to get interesting though. last night's episode was good as well.

i then watched the bachelor show. hmmm. we'll see how it lasts. and i think molly said a good point...people have to remember we are more than characters on a tv show. that is true. but i think you also have to remember what you signed up for. just like melissa does. i mean sure the guy was a total dork and broke up with her on tv...BUT you are on a TV show. so it's bound to happen. i totally fell asleep the last ten minutes and missed the new bachelorette. but i googled it this morning and found out it was jillian. i'm glad. but i also think jason should've picked her...who knows...maybe he'll show up. lol. poor guy. i think he'll stay away from tv for awhile...or he should at least!!

yesterday was a good day. my mom came with me to dance and everything else. she has off this week...and friday leaves for florida. no fair. again...can you believe she won't take me? well i'm sure she'll take me...it's the paying for me part....

amelya got to go with auntie amy to get a pedicure and hu hot for her birthday. how fun?!!? she'll be FOUR tomorrow. FOUR. i CANNOT believe it. amelya had loads of fun with amy. and even with dealing with the crazy waitress it all was good. i won't share the story because i wasn't with them...but brianna at hu hot...she's missing a few crayons in her box...all i'm saying.

so monday at mom's group we got a 'thirty day challenge' to encourage our husbands. i must say...it's been going well. the first day was to not say anything negative to our husbands...and continue that for the next 29 as well. oh and we couldn't talk negative about him to anyone else either!! and i'm so happy to report god has kept my mouth quiet to him and to others about him. however...he really hasn't done anything to warrent complaining about. i'm excited to see how god will work through this and us. :0) it's fun. and shaun has no idea i'm doing it. our mom's group leader got it from nancy leigh demoss' site here.

oh. and i gave the stuff to the haiti lady yesterday. i opened the back of my van up...she says...ALL of this. i said yep. i totally forgot to take a picture of all of it. oh well. but she said she would take pictures and let me know how it goes. she also asked for prayers for thursday when they leave. apparently customs gives them loads of trouble...and they sometimes have to 'bribe' them to let them take things with...so just pray they don't have to 'bribe' and customs lets them right on through. oh and i suppose you want to know who won the devotional huh? well here it is...~stephanie~. i picked your name. well rather...amelya picked your name. i have pictures to prove it if you need them. however i am too lazy to post them. so i will order your book and have it shipped to your house. but because i'm a mommy and blonde...i totally deleted your address. so please email it to me...so i can get you your book...

i also have to do that game review yet. geesh. good thing the lady told me to let amelya play it as long as i wanted before doing the reivew. i'm hoping to do it soon. i just need the time.

thanks for all your kind comments after my last post as well. you're all so sweet!!

so now i'm off to get ready for the day. and try not to tear up about my amelya turning FOUR tomorrow. yikes.

hmmpf

well. well. well. i don't know if any of you watch that bachelor show!?!! but wow. that's all i got to say about that. because you know...some of you may really wanna see it and may not have yet. so that's that.

today was an okay day. i've been debating lately about going on vacation. like for awhile. i feel really stressed out about just stuff. and it'd be nice to just get away. THEN GOD. he said. hey. don't you ever think I wanna feel like that. just give up on you goofy person? (yes god calls me goofy...)
and i said. woah.
he says. yeah. i don't give up. i won't give up. i love you too much to just give up.
i say...hey thanks god.
he says...no problem man! (yes not only does god call me goofy he calls me man as well...)

so i sat in the van. so thankful. that god doesn't give up on me. even when i'm 'goofy'. so thankful that he spoke to me so quickly. i truly had JUST been praying. and he answered me. so quickly. so clearly. i don't know that i've ever heard him so soon and quick before...i got goosebumps people!

not saying that now my life is easy. i still would love a vacation. now for different reasons. i just want warmth. and summer...news to me. time changes this weekend. ummm good thing the pastor's wife sent out an email today reminding us!! otherwise we'd totally show up at church at the wrong time!?! THAT'D be embarassing.

so now it's bed time. shaun was in the shower. i neglected the wash. oops. :0) so i'm off to help him. and go to bed. nighty night.

you have no proof...

so. monday. head on over to mckmama's for more fun. of course these things never happened to me!

....well the other day after breigh pooped. because of cloth diapering we must put the poo in the toilet. well i absolutely did not get sprayed in the face with toilet water while plooping her poo in it. that'd be disgusting. nothing disgusting ever happens to me.

....i did not have to explain to the speech therapist testing amelya that she had no idea what jelly in a jar was. i only buy it in a squeeze bottle. i did not have to talk amelya through it to get her to say jelly. i was not relieved she knew what it was.

....i was not a super proud momma when amelya tested at age five for her screening.

....i am not in denial that amelya turns FOUR ON THURSDAY!!!!!!!!!!

....i did not enjoy a night out with my hubby....going grocery shopping.

....because we didn't have kids with us grocery shopping i did not linger and look down like every single aisle. just enjoying the time together.

....i was not praising god for answering my prayer and getting shaun to church. he was at work but god totally did not work it out that he could be done and get to church a tad late. (well all of that is completely untrue. i totally almost cried when shaun showed up for church a tad late, but so happy that god worked it all totally out!!)

well there you have it. i do not have time to ramble more and on and on. i'll try and do that later. have a happy monday. and don't forget to let me know you were here. :0)