This Day's Events...

So, the boys are gone...for now. They have gone over to Jeanette's to play til four and then I will get them back for a couple of hours. . .
The boys were good while I had all three of them. They only had to be asked to keep it down one time and that was only because I had laid Sadie down for a nap...

I have layed Sadie and Steff down for a nap. It's just me and the tv for now. I like this time of day. It's a nice breather from the business that is my life.
I have learned that a person caaan...have too much coffee. I feel so wired. I haven't felt this way from coffee in ages...Or, it's the cough syrup that I'm on, or both. I don't know but I do know that this feeling isn't too fun...I just feel like I need to mellow out. My hands are shaking so bad that I tried to write a thank you card and my handwritting was so scratchy and shaken looking that I decided to just finish it and not critique it before I sent it...It was everything I had to not shred it and wait til I chill out.

The girls have had a good day, in spite of neither of them not feeling well.

Up at Five

Today I volunteered to watch Kieran's friend and his little brother while their mom goes to school. I figured Braxton was already going to be at my house to play so why not have his younger brother over too. That would save her from having to get her step-son to watch them besides, what's one more kid to the mix...?

I of course cannot sleep becuase I have this disfunction that doesn't allow me to when things are going to be different...It's like I'm too excited for something new.

I'm listening to the news and drinking ice water all the while listening to Ryan and I's song...Oh...the memories that our song conjures up.
I've started the coffee and should be amped and ready to go when the kids get here...That isn't for 3 and half hours though.

I would try to go back to sleep but this cough is keeping me awake. It's actually starting to produce something. As gross as that is I'm excited I'm not just hacking up my lungs with zero results.

Here's a trivia question...Name two holidays that America celebrates that no other country does?
Email for the answer if you don't know... tkelstrom@comcast.net It's not hard but something that I didn't really think about.

I've begun to ramble so I'm gonna go watch the news....

Tongues, Lost Friends, Leasons Learned, and...

I have come to the conclusion that Christmas cards are evil...but not as evil as the days when we had to lick stamps...Actually, I never had to lick stamps for Christmas cards that was before I cared to send them. But, I did still stick my tongue out of my mouth for better concentration while I stuck them to each of the 50 envelopes that I had to stick stamps, return labels and address labels to...My poor tongue was clueless and I couldn't do it without my tongue sticking out I wasn't steady enough and I just didn't feel right....Once I tried it without my tongue out they went all crooked...



I was thinking about Kieran's dad today. It's been over a year since his death and it still feels like a new wound at times. I don't know how Sean's parents can handle losing a child. I lost a friend and it hurts severely...Then there's Kieran...how does he handle losing his daddy. I say daddy because Sean wasn't his father or his dad, he was his daddy. He did everything, including live for our son.
I miss my friend...



I went to the doctor again...Yeah, I see the doc a lot but it's a good thing I went this time because I was on the wrong antibiotic and my white blood count was through the roof. He changed my antibiotic and said to get back in to him in 72 hours if I wasn't feeling better.
You know what Ryan said? "So, you weren't faking it." I had to laugh...Of course, I wasn't faking it. Why would I want to lay around and do nothing for 3 days?
Don't answer that...



Kieran learned not to fart in my jeep tonight...I taught him a little lesson...He told me on the way out to the jeep that he had something for me and I being older and wiser let him know that my auto door locks unlock the drivers side first...I proceeded to jump into the jeep and he was pulling on the handle with this sneaky grin on his face...I proceeded to start the jeep. At that point he no longer thought it was funny so he started jumping up and down and screaming. We were in the Walmart parking lot...So, I took to his please and opened the door. I didn't want to get put in jail for some kind of strange child abuse charge. At this point I asked if he understood that I don't like him farting in my jeep. He got the point and quickly rolled his window down to air the joint out...Lesson learned....Mom wins again....
PS-I never would have left him. I didn't even have my seat belt on or the jeep in reverse. I was still in park and had my hand on the door to unlock it...


Ryan seems to be out of his funk and feeling much better. When I talked to him at lunch he was doing well. He was all hyped up and acting fun. That was a nice surprise. Even if he did have another address for me to send a Christmas card to...

The girls are in bed and the house is somewhat quiet...The evening news is on and it's time for me to call it a day...

Word of wisdom for the day...If your actions are hurting the one you love then your actions are wrong...

Funny Morning...

My father in-law just cracked me up. He apparently read the blog and saw that his son was doing his part at resting on the Sabbath Day. He made a great comment that keeping the Sabbath Holy is more than just resting. Guess you had to read the email to get it but thanks for the laugh Sherm...
This morning has been uneventful. Sadie is the only one up and she's so mellow you could forget that she was even around. She just crawls around and plays with things. Of course, she did get into the garbage this morning and eat some popcorn that was on top...I had to laugh...She was just sitting there taking bites of the popcorn when I discovered her.
Now that I think of it, it's been an entertaining morning...


I have been working on Christmas cards-again and boy is it getting mundane. I figured we spend about $25 on sending these. That's cheep considering the letter I write comes straight off my printer and I create the thing on my own software instead of buying fancy paper, the cards are purchased at the local dollar stores and the stamps are bought online so I don't even spend money on gas getting to the post office...and the most ironic part is that of the 50 cards I send out; 3-5 come back with wrong addresses, and we get maybe 10 cards in return.

I think my daughters are getting this funk that I have. Steff has been coughing for two days and Sadie started this morning. I feel really bad when I give my kids any illness so if anyone has figured out how to avoid getting your own kids sick, please share your secret.

Steff has a new trick, okay, so it's been around for about 2 weeks but I just realized I could blog about it...You see, she has figured out what a light switch is for and that every room has at least one....Do you see where this is going..? She turns on and off all the light switches but she prefers to turn them on. I feel like I'm crazy because I leave a room and shut the light off and loo and behold, it's back on and I'm turning it off again. This happens over and over until it clicks in my feeble brain that it's my daughter that's turning them on and I'm not losing it after all. Oh, what a relief that is...

Steff woke up...

Diarrhea seems to be the word of the day....Steff has had it for 2 days, my mom has been running the fart fan downstairs non-stop and I have been taking an antibiotic for my sinus infection and ear infection. So...of course, I get diarrhea every time I take any antibiotics.

There are other lovely side effects of antibiotics - ladies you know what I'm talkin' about...

Cookie Monster is a baaad influence on a two year old at 9 in the morning. Steff hasn't even had breakfast yet but good ole Cookie Monster has had his share of "Me see cookie, me eat cookie" and now Steff wants a dog-on cookie. I don't want to give her a cookie, the only cookies we have have fudge coated on the underside of them and they melt in her tiny little fingers and she leaves fudgie hand prints every...where.

Wee, woo...the cough medicine is working...It's not stopping the cough but it's got my head spinning...
I better go get something done...

Just another day in our lives

It has been a lazy day. Zero in depth cleaning was accomplished...I did however manage to get a couple loads of laundry done. I also have a wonderful husband that picked up all the toys and vacuumed the house. So, a little cleaning got done but nothing like last weekend.

Ryan is in some sort of low funk. He layed on the couch and snoozed for four hours. I love my husband and I have to admit he made me nervous with the lack of energy he had. I wish I could help him feel happier and more upbeat. I guess the best thing to do about it is to pray...

Steff had a rough day. Daddy didn't let her get away with doing the normal routine of whining for things that were out of her reach. He made her get up and get what she wanted. It was nice to see him do a little enforcement.

Sadie was a cutie today...She just did her normal stuff....playing, crawling around and the occasional wanting to be held.

I had a busy day. I made labels and letters for Christmas. I have almost completed half. I am proud of myself and now I'm going to bed...

Today's Events...

I have almost run out of things to say...Nah, I'm just kidding. I actually have a couple things to make comments on.
Steff can now climb into her high chair all by herself...the real kicker is that she cannot get out of it all by herself...It's all actually quite annoying. Can you imagine what's it's like to have to get her everything she wants while she sits in her chair a cries for this, that, or the other thing? She's doing in it right now. First she wanted her blankie, then she wanted her bunny and then she dropped the blankie and had to have it back. But, no sooner did Ryan get her the blanket she wanted to get down. And, when she wants something, she wants it right now. Not in a second, now!!!

Sadie did the cutest thing...she layed her little head down on a couch pillow that was on the floor and fell asleep. It was sweet. Ryan and I had gone outside for less than five minutes and when I came in she was out. I took a couple pictures and then went and layed her in her crib. She barely moved or made a peep when I moved her.

Ryan is being kinda ornery today. I don't know why though because he got 10 hours of sleep. You'd think he'd be in a great mood since that's the most sleep he's gotten in a long time.

I just asked him what his problem is and he said he doesn't feel good. He said he has the body aches. I completely understand because I have felt that way for days and days. I actually went and saw the doctor yesterday. I found out that I have a sinus infection which I kinda figured that but the real kicker is that I have an ear infection. I haven't had an ear infection since I was a baby.

Kieran is getting excited for Halloween. I guess they get to dress up on Wednesday at school and he of course, is excited to be able to go Trick or Treating. I guess we are getting together with Ryan's sister and her husband and going from house to house in our neighborhood. Ryan even took the night off work. It should be fun...

Steff's Clean Bill of Health

Today was a great day in our lives. In spite of the fact that we had to reschedule Steffanie's cardiology appointment so she could be sedated, we learned that her heart has completely healed itself. She no longer has any health restrictions and she does not have to go down to see the cardiologist again. We have said many prayers of thanks to the Lord and we hope you share in our excitement.
To tell you of today's events I have to start at the very beginning and tell you that I got up at 6:30 and then I woke up the rest of the family at 7 am and we all left our house by 7:20am. I think it's a new world record for getting a family of five ready and out the door in 20 minutes.
We had Anne watch Kieran and Sadie for us so that we could just concentrate on Steff and her needs.
I know we are both thankful that she offered to watch them for us.
So, we had them dropped off by 7:30 and somehow we were able to stop at Starbucks for coffee, stop in Farmington so I could tinkle and we got to PCMC(Primary Children's Medical Center) by 8:40. We were ten minutes late but we weren't extremely late. I was shocked because traffic could have been really bad and it wasn't.
We spent almost 4 hours at PCMC...That's a long time to spend inside of a hospital. I don't know how those parents that have children there for indefinite amounts of time do it. I thank the Lord that I haven't had to live in a children's hospital with any of my children.
When we got there we found out we were the first appointment to be sedated. Steff screamed her head off while they put in the IV and kept on going until the medicine started working.
It was a long echocardiogram because the technician knew what she was to look at but Ryan and I both asked the nurses that were in charge of her sedation how much medicine she needed in comparison to other children. The funny part was that she needed more than most but she still could have had a little more by the time the test was done. That goes to say something about what a spit fire she is. Even heavy sedatives couldn't keep her completely still for very long. She wiggled and talked off and on through the whole procedure. I had to laugh.
The good thing about being a spitfire is that she came to really easy and was ready to continue with her day as normal after only about 1/2 hour....We of course had to wait for 45 minutes to have the doctor come in and tell us that she was completely healed. All in all is was a good day...

Cold Going Around

There is this nasty cold going around and it hits you like a ton of bricks...This is what I mean...,Last night my nose didn't feel quite right and when I woke up at 4 am to get Sadie a bottle my throat hurt a little but not too bad. Nothing more or less happened for the rest of the day. Until...I layed down to take a short nap when the girls took their naps, when I woke up- BAM!!! My chest was tight, my throat really hurt, my ears feel full, I have a cough that is progressing quickly and I have the aches. So just like that it showed up. Over a little over an hour I went from feeling pretty much fine to feeling like I want to go to the doctor and get some medicine.
I had heard there was a cold going around. Some of my fellow bloggers around the world have seen this same thing but I didn't think it could go from nothing to something in a matter of minutes. I bet I could have watched the clock and told you what time I got the thing at.
Of course, I have yet to mention the worst detail of the whole thing...My kids are gonna get this damn thing too. I am gonna have to watch as my children suffer because there has been a recall on all over the counter cough, cold and allergy medicine for children under 6...Then to boot we're all gonna have to go to the doctor because we've all been exposed to strep throat...
Oh, well...I guess I'll be living on my knees in prayer that this all passes soon...


Steff is on one of those "go outside when I please" kicks. I hate it when she does this cuz then I have to lock my house up like Fort Knox...and the funny part is that she was half dressed until I took a bath (in hopes of feeling better) and she got wet so I took her down to her diaper. So, she is wearing nothing but a diaper and running out into the brisk Fall weather. Crazy kid...


Steff was just laughing her hide off at Sadie. She was driving around this little Barbie jeep and Sadie was crawling after her really fast. Steff thought it was hilarious...I have to admit it was quite cute. I like it when they play well together.

It looks like on Tuesday I will be keeping an eye on Kieran's friend and his younger brother while Jeanette goes to school...As I mentioned in a previous blog she's my kind of people. If not for any other reason for the reason that she's a coffee drinker. I told her that I didn't mind keeping an eye on her kids if we could do coffee sometime...
She does this really pretty writing and I think I'm gonna ask her how much she'd charge us to write our name on our mailbox. I saw their mailbox and it looked good...

I think I'm gonna go rest while I have a minute and Sadie's in bed taking a nap...Besides Steff is hungry and I need to feed her.

Another Day, Another Moment or Two

I am not quite awake yet and the demands have started....Steff wants her bottle(yes, we are lazy parents), then her blankie, then her pillow(or as she puts it, "pee-yo") and the demands have kept coming. She's usually docile in the morning but she is being a little more needy today. I hope she gets this out of her system and she doesn't just get worse...
Sadie woke up during the composition of the last paragraph and she is in a great mood.

Kieran really enjoyed playing at Braxton's house last night and I think I've found a new coffee buddy. I like this idea. It would be nice to spend time away from my kids with someone else who has kids. Braxton's mom seems like my kind of people...
Kieran went to Braxton's scout meeting and he came home saying he wants to join scouts...I think that would be a good idea...I know Ryan learned a lot of survival techniques during all the years he was in scouts...
Kieran and Braxton are working on playing again-soon. They were talking about doing it as soon as tomorrow but his mom and I said that we'd have to work something out for next week. It so funny the way kids want to do things immediately.
I'm happy Kieran has another friend (besides the little monster across the street) and he seems like he comes from a good family, one with values and standards....

So both of my daughters have taken their first poop of the day and my house smells very icky...
Oh well, at least we have round one out of the way. The stench will eventually dissipate.

Kieran argued this morning about taking a shower so I told him that if he wasn't going to do what I wanted him to do then he wasn't going to be able to do what he wanted the next time he asked me. It worked...he's in the shower and hopefully washing his body and hair like he is supposed to. That was part of the argument. He said that he was just going to get in and rinse off and then get out. I remained calm when I told him he was going to wash his hair and body or he wasn't going to be able to do what he wanted. . .

My mom is at it again...Her headache's gone though, at least for now.
She has been seeing this married man for 10 or so years and his wife called her the other day and told her to leave him alone. Well, when the wife called she also informed my mom that he'd been in a car accident. So, what does my mom do? She turns her cell phone off. She doesn't even care if he's okay. But she's also mad at him for not getting her car registered so she can legally drive it. The guy has done more about her car than she has and she is mad at him for not getting it done fast enough. I have to admit I think she's being a b*?#@& about the whole thing... She constantly tells this guy he's a liar and doesn't do anything for her but she doesn't do anything for him either. I think she needs to quit trying to use him and end the whole thing.
I don't know if I can handle hearing what a horrible person he is and that as soon as he does this or that for her she's going to end it. She is just hanging on to see what she can get out of him...She makes me sick.
You must understand something about my mom...She's damn near 50 and she has nothing to show for her life. Her car doesn't run(it sits in our drive way collecting cobwebs), she has no retirement set up, she doesn't own anything worth any value and she spends all her money before Monday rolls around then she uses me and Ryan as lines of credit to buy the things she needs. I get so sick of taking care of my mother. I am raising her...How do you tell a grown woman with very sensitive feelings that she needs to grow up?
She has been seeing this new guy and part of me feels bad for him. He has no idea what kind of person she is and when he finds out he's also gonna find out he wasted a lot of time on her. Don't get me wrong I love my mom, she is my mom after all, but I really don't like her actions and I think her values are messed up. I do a lot a praying for her cuz she really needs God's guidance. I just don't know what to do.
Just this morning she told me she was going to ask Danny(the new guy) if he will insure her car for her...What kind a person asks someone they have only been seeing for a couple of weeks to do something like that. She wants him to insure it because she has to carry an SR22 because she let her insurance lapse and got pulled over and then to make matters worse she let the ticket turn in to a warrant so she ended up in jail. I of course, bailed her out that time. But she has to carry this SR22 for two years and they cost a lot of money. So, instead of facing her responsibilities she is looking for a way out of them....
That's enough of her, she drives me crazy. Boy, it's gonna suck for her when she has to move out of our house and she has to support herself....

My daughters are being pretty decent this morning. Which is code for now they are going to be sh*ts because I commented on how good they are being.

I am waiting for a call from that lady at PCMC to see if we can work this whole sedation thing out. If they won't do it then I will take her somewhere where they will sedate her...Or at least give her something to calm her down.

I saw my mother in-law yesterday and we talked for about a half an hour. I really like my mother in-law. I got lucky to have such a neat person be a part of my life. I thank the Lord for her all the time. She's the kind of person you can talk to about anything. She's a therapist so she has heard it all.

I'm feeling tired still....I think I'm gonna go lay on the couch and watch my daughters do their thing for a while.

I'm back at it again...It's 10 am now. While I was being lazy I received a message from the cardiology department at PCMC and they said that the reason Dr. Mart didn't want to sedate Stef is because the defect they are looking at is so small that he didn't see a need for her to be sedated and that they could just look at it without sedation. She then went on to say they rescheduled her for sedation and to show up at 8:30 and that the nurse would call later with instructions for her diet...I'm glad they decided to see it my way.

I have been trying to get Ryan up and he's not cooperating. He even layed in bed and listened to Sadie scream for 30 minutes...That's how bad he hates to get out of bed. He would rather try to sleep through a crying baby than just get up...I just went in and tried to get him up again. I'm sure it won't be the last time...
I went in again but that is the last time. If he thinks he needs sleep that bad then I'll let him have it....
Holy Smokes!!! Ryan actually got out of bed. You could have pushed me over with a feather. If I had to name one thing I don't like about my husband his sleeping habits would be it. I hate how he sleeps and sleeps and sleeps. He says he can't help it but I think it's a cop out and that if he wanted to change his behavior he could...I used to drink like a fish but I quit. It wasn't easy but I did it.

Ryan has left for work, Steff is watching Vegetales, and Sadie just woke up from her nap and is sitting on my lap jumping....The girls are still being good. I think Steff even feels better today than she did yesterday and the day before...
I sure love my little family. They are the greatest joys of my life. I don't know what I'd do without any one of them. Praise to the Lord for all he has blessed me with.......

Today's Events...

Things are going pretty well...Steff didn't get out of bed until 11:30 am...That is the latest she has ever slept in. I was actually starting to worry about her so I went in to check on her and she was laying in her bed with her eyes wide open...

I just filed my artificial nails off and let me just tell you typing is not very easy anymore. You would think that having nails would make it harder but I've had nails on since I was 12 years old and I'm 29 so I almost feel disabled...

Things are kinda quiet right now. It's 5pm and Sadie is laying down for a nap, Steff is sitting with my mom, and Kieran is at Braxton's house playing until 6pm. I'm actually kinda bored. It's weird when it's quiet around here. I almost don't know what to do with myself. I of course figured out that blogging was a good idea.

I have come to the conclusion that I really have a hard time trying to get Steff to listen and follow directions. If anyone has any ideas of what I can do to get her to cooperate that would be wonderful of you to share with me. I have tried being really nice, time out, raising my voice and bargaining and she just won't do things unless she wants to.
She is so funny cuz she pretty much runs the show but she has excellent manners. She says please, thank you, you're welcome and all the like but she does as she pleases. . .
I also would like it if you have any ideas of how I can get her to eat. . .She only eats a few little things a day and there is nothing besides pickles that she will always eat. . .
I worry about her. She has pretty much maintained her weight but she hasn't gotten any heavier in spite of the fact that she has gotten taller. It kinda worries me that she may also be malnutritioned. We give her a multivitamin each day in hopes that that will make up for some of the nutrients that she is not getting through food sources. Any ideas???

My mom has yet another headache...Are you surprised? Me neither...I don't know what to do sometimes. She is such a helpful person in so many ways but she always has something wrong. I don't know if she is looking for sympathy or if she really is that messed up that something is always wrong. I tell her to go to the doctor but she says she's fine. Kinda makes me think it's all in head or an excuse to not help me. I mean crap, all she has to do is say that she's not in the mood to help me or that she's tired from her day at work and I'd let her go downstairs and just relax for the night but no....instead she tries to play on my sympathy bone and get her way that way....Grrrr....I know that sometimes I wish she'd just move out so that we can have our entire house to ourselves. She is getting to the point where she is less and less helpful. I could have her come over if I needed her help if she moved out....
She's dating a new guy and I'm hoping things work out and she moves in with him. That would be a dream come true...I know I shouldn't feel so negative towards her but her constant illnesses get me down and I get sick of babying her....

So, I just talked to my sister in-law and my nephew doesn't have the chicken pox he has strep throat! I'm so glad she called to let me know. I guess the next step is to make all three of my kids appointments to get throat cultures done. . .

I just received the most irritating voice message from some lady name Marie at PCMC(Primary Children's Medical Center) stating they are not going to sedate Steff for her Echo...I called and left her message letting her know that the whole reason we were going to have her sedated was because we tried to do the Echo once already and all Steff did the whole time was scream. The doctor apparently doesn't want to sedate her but he's the one who said to reschedule her with sedation. I guess we're just a number after all and he doesn't recall being the one to order sedation. I am so irritated...
I called and left this Marie lady a message stating the whole reason she was to have it done with sedation in the first place...I suggested she call me back so that we could talk this out. I'm sure I'll have more information on this topic later.

Wow, I just feel like doing something...I'm sick of staying home. Today has been a long day. Ryan went in to work early so I didn't have his company today...

I just got off the phone with the pediatrician's office and apparently Steff could still be reacting to the flu shot. So, her runny nose and fever could be the flu shot. And, it takes 5-7 days before a test will show up positive for strep....I'm sure you'll hear more about this too.

Up at Four AM Again...

Ryan came home and let our two year old out of her room. So, here I sit waiting patiently while Sesame Street finishes up so I can send her back to bed. And, then go back to bed myself. This wouldn't have been so irritating if he hadn't gotten her up then went to bed. But he did. Mind you it was 3:30 in the morning

Well it's now 8 am and Steff went to bed nice and easy. Neither of the girls are up-yet. I'm sure they will be up before I finish this round of blogging. It's kinda nice to be sitting here in the quiet and I'll cherish every second of it.
I'm thinking positive that today will be different than yesterday. I don't know if I can handle another day of two whiny children. I know they aren't feeling well so I have been trying not to get mad at them. I will admit it's hard though.

Today I am going over to my mother in-laws to check on my little brother in-law. He had surgery on his hand and his recovery was rough. He said he was crying in pain and they had given him all the morphine they could. He was so scared and it was as rough as he feared. He says he's grateful that it's over and he doesn't have to do it again. I cannot express how much I love this kid (he's 19) I think the world of him and of all my in-laws. They have all treated me pretty well.

I'm feeling pretty happy right now but it's probably because I'm all alone and it's late for the girls to be sleeping. I must go relax before my kids get up...

Pics of Kids

Here are just a couple pics of my kids I wanted to share...

Blogging For Sanity

I have decided this is where I come for sanity purposes. I come to blog so that I can express my feelings and just plain cope with this crazy family of mine. Today has been a rough day. Steff has been whining the whole day. Over simple things but mostly that she wants her blanket or that her nose is running....again....

It's official, they have successfully given me a headache. I have this headache that sits right above my eyebrows so I know it's a stress headache.

My new comforter came in the mail today. I think I like it but I cannot be sure. It's shades of brown and gold and cream colored stripes.

It's much later than it was when I started this blog and a couple things have changed but I still have my headache....I talked to Kieran's friend's mom about Kieran going over there to play after school tomorrow. I think I like that idea...the one of him having other friends to play with. He only plays with the kid across the street and he's a little stinker to put in nicely.

I just called my sister and brother in-law to let them know that Steff has been sick. I don't think it's from the flu shot cuz Ryan has said everyone has been sick at work and she got her immunization on Friday so I think it's too late for it to be a reaction. Ryan may be carrying something around and not even be feeling sick-yet...
So, here I am think that I'm telling them bad news that Maxton may get sick and she turns around and tells me that Max may have the chicken pox. I told her I didn't feel so bad calling after all. But hey, all kids should experience the chicken pox...
There are certain things that all humans should experience while they are growing up...the chicken pox being one, a crush on someone, a first love and hence the breakup...there's a whole list of things that we all need to have great and fond memories of, even if it's painful to deal with at the time.
Child birth is painful but us silly women let it happen over and over...I've done it three times over.

Kieran keeps bugging me to get on the computer and do this, that, or the other thing. He says he just wants to play games. I know he gets online to a lot of these kids websites and plays their demo type games and that's fine. I just don't look forward to the day when he wants to get on the computer to chat. There's too many sexual preditors out there.

Still have my headache-just a short update...It's in my neck now though...

Kieran and Steff are playing together. All the while Steff's nose is running....and Sadie is watching with this look like she wants to play but she doesn't know how...

My mom is downstairs again...she has another headache. She always has a headache and they are always debilitating. She acts like she's dying so I always tell her to go downstairs and relax. I wish she could understand that the more she shows me I don't need her the shorter the time she will live in my house is...The whole reason she lives here is to help me out. We had her move in so I would have help with my kids. But, if she is going to make herself useless then she will be just that to me...Can you tell this is a sore subject? I get sick of her being too sick to do anything. She lives in our basement and pays very little rent and eats whatever she wants and she can't even help me out half the time because she is just exhausted from work or she has another headache...Grrrr....she irritates me.

It's a Whiny Morning

I added some things to my blog...As you can see I added a picture of Ryan and I in Las Vegas on our honeymoon. Notice my hair is blond...that was the good ole days when we didn't have any whiny children and the wonderful life that we have now.

I also added "our song" from You Tube. I was inspired by my brother in-law and sister in-laws blog to add it. I also have been wanting to hear our song so I've listened to it a dozen or so times. It was never a popular song but we listened to it and both fell in love with it on our second date. So, it stuck. We also listened to it and memorized it on our trip to Arizona when we went to see the Raiders play the Cardinals.

Oh...the wonderful memories we created before we had any kids. I can't believe we've only been married 3 and half years.



Oh...and the reminiscing is ruined by the tears of a two year old...Her foot hurts...She must of stubbed her toe on a toy. The worst part of her crying is that each time she does so does Sadie.



Sadie just crawled in the living room without her pants on. Little Houdini got them off.



I'm gonna be living on my knees in prayer today. It's bound to be a long day...we also have grocery shopping and Kieran gets out of school early today.

I have had a pot and a half of coffee and I still feel tired. My mind is racing and my children are screaming. Oh, boy...I wonder if my brother in-law has his baby hungry wife read this to see what it's really like to have kids...? Of course, if they have a kids and it's a boy I'm off the hook for more. So, part of me understands his hesitance and desire to wait but part of me wants them to get on with it so I can know if I'm having more kids or not.



Sadie keeps screatching...ugh...I'm sick of this day and it's only 9:30 am...If anyone is taking any requests then I need prayers or I'm gonna lose it today. I already feel very over-whelmed. I know Ryan won't be allowed to sleep in today. I'm gonna be knocking the door down in an hour and he's gonna get my wrath if he thinks he's gonna take his sweet time getting out of bed. I love to let him sleep in cuz he's always appreciative of it but we all have to make sacrifices because we have kids.



Steff has learned a new thing...she tattles on Sadie. Whenever Sadie does something she's not supposed to do-like touching the television-Steff tells me about it. I know this is going to be a problem down the road but it's nice to have her little eyes for now.



We're on round two of Cinderella II...Oh...I feel so frustrated with Steff's whining. Part of me wonders if she is still feeling icky cuz she's being more whiny than normal.



We have a possessed toy...the darn thing keeps singing when no one is anywhere near it. I had to get up at 4 this morning and turn it off. Then this morning Steff wanted it back on and neither one of us could get it to work. But, then it just started going on all by itself. Makes you wonder if there really are ghosts...?



Well, Steff has done her daily poop, I've gotten her dressed and she's still whining.
Sadie is in bed for her nap cuz she just kept crying and crying and normally she doesn't do that. I honestly didn't think she'd take a nap but she did. I am feeling tired myself cuz I didn't sleep too well last night. I have gotten back into the habit of sleeping in our bed but for some silly reason last night I tried to sleep in the living room on the couch and I did two things to myself; 1. I slept like crap so I feel tired today and 2. I ended up hurting my right hip. I'm thinking that was a bad idea. I wish I had gone to our bed when I woke up at two am...



Oh...the time is flying...it's only 20 minutes until Ryan gets woke up. Notice I didn't say "out of bed" cuz lets face reality he doesn't get up out of bed right away. Well, accept for when it's to go fishing, golfing or camping. I could let this hurt my feelings but why? I have matured enough to know better.



It's now 10:30 and Steff has fallen asleep so I'm not waking Ryan up until one of the girls wakes up. I'm not crazy. They have been so needy and I don' t need three whiny babies driving me nuts...

Another Update...

I was gonna blog last night but I couldn't get my computer to connect to the internet. That was frustrating. I tried unplugging it and replugging it back in but that didn't even work. It eventually worked or I wouldn't be here blogging....
Yesterday was a piece of cake but today is proving to be a challenge...Yesterday Steff didn't feel very good so she pretty much just layed on the couch and watched television all evening. She was running a fever again and had a runny nose. I can't be sure if she has a cold or if she is just reacting to the flu shot they got on Friday....
There are a couple things I want to blog about but I don't know if I'm in the mood to do this...
I'll tell ya what I am in the mood for...Steff to quit whining...Oh she is driving me crazy. She's only been up an hour and half and I'm ready for nap time. She is being so needed. She keeps telling me to do the things she can do...Anyone want an extra toddler?

So as I said, yesterday was easy but it was also quiet and strange too. Strange in the sense that my girls took late naps-think 6pm-ish and still went to bed at a decent hour...They both acted lethargic and didn't want to do much. But they weren't whiny like they are today.

Kieran did his homework without having to be asked...I was proud of him. When I woke up from my late nap he was sitting on the floor doing it. I couldn't have been more proud to be his mother.
He has been quite the sweetheart lately. I love it when he is cooperative and takes initiative to get things done.

My sister in-law now works at the school Kieran goes to. He was mighty surprised to see her yesterday. We had told him he would get a surprise on Monday and it drove him crazy all weekend. Now I have eyes and ears on the play ground.
Anne(sister in-law) said that Kieran is very athletic...She said he has great abilities...She said she watched him on the play ground yesterday.
That made me a happy mom...boy he has just been makin' me proud.

Well, I better go, I have whining daughters that need to be fed...

Maxton, The Girl's Fevers, Stitches Removed

Here I sit with my nephew on my lap...He's playing with everything on my computer desk and doing the cutest babbling. He can say a few words and he can walk. All in all he's the cutest little boy I have in my life. I am truly blessed to be an aunt to this little angel. I never thought I could love my nephew so much...
I took Steff to see Dr. Silas and to have her stitches removed. She also had to have a couple x-rays of her finger. Which we found that the bone is still disconnected. Doc wants to see her in three weeks to see if has healed. He said that there really is nothing else we can do. He said they could put a pin in it but it really wouldn't be worth it...
She screamed bloody murder while the nurse took her stitches out and I had to hold her down...boy that was the longest ten minutes of my life...
Both of my daughters have ran fevers today. Steff is on round two. Sadie is finally down for a nap and Steff is laying on the couch burning up yet saying she's cold. I have already given her some ibuprofen so I can't give her anymore for a good 3 hours. I could give her tylenol if we had any but of course we don't...

Nice And Quiet

It's nice and quiet in my house right now. My children are still in bed. I love it when I get to be up all by myself.
Yesterday was a good day, the kids were civil and my house is still clean. I even broke out the vacuum last night and gave it a quick once over. I am very proud of myself for that.

I have been up for an hour now. I thought Sadie was going to be getting up but she just wanted more bottle and more sleep. Of course, she was up after a few hours of sleep-last night.
Steff even woke and thought it was play time at about midnight. Ryan loves that she wakes up like this. He thinks it's time to sit with her and be social. I guess I understand his lure with it though because she's docile. She just sits and watches television and she of course talks to you.
I don't get why my kids keep waking at these unholy hours but unless Ryan is home this is going to suck for me.
He comes home around three am and can't always go right to sleep so having one of the girls up for a little while would give him something to do til he gets tired but what happens when they think it's time to wake up and I'm the only one home.
I'll tell ya what happens...I have to sit up with them. I will be half asleep and probably fall asleep on them but what do ya do? That's a retorical question...

Kieran came home from his grams yesterday with prizes for everyone. He brought dad some caramels(his favorite candy), the girls a movie and me, he brought me a Walmart advertisement. Not sure of the message but it was sweet that he was thinking of me.

So my pain has been bad...I am out of pain killers(I only get a few anyway) and as much as I wish it worked, the ibuprofen isn't doing much. It used to take the edge off.
I of course, threw my back out last night while I was getting the kids ready for bed. All that bending over the tub wasn't good on my somatic region...Oh well, I'll live...right?
I'm waiting and hoping the glucosamine and fish oil helps. I won't know for quite some time but I'm giving it a shot. I don't like having to take pain killers to deal with this annoying(read "damn") pain.

My mom is up and getting ready for work, right now she's in the kitchen making all sorts of noise. I'm sure she's going to wake Steff up...Oh, I will be mad as a wet hen. Oh, she is being so loud!!!

My mom left and now I'm waiting for Kieran to get up and get ready for school. He's very quiet though. I think I've threatened his life enough times he knows better than to be even as loud as a mouse.

I'm am just a hurtin...I can hardly stand sitting here and typing. I think I need to go lay down. Ohh today is going to be a long day. I'm sure I'll be back...

Pics of Sadie's Day

Here are some pictures of Sadie's Party...You can tell she wasn't too happy...

All Things Kids...

I forgot to blog about the school carnival that all the kids went to on Friday. You see, I had to donate some time for the PTA at Kieran's school and I convinced Ryan it would be good for Steff to go and experience all the kids and fun.
I was right, she had a great time. Ryan did a balloon race and won her a balloon which is her new favorite toy-well that, and everything Sadie got for her birthday. So she was carrying around a green balloon when my shift ended and I met up with Ryan again.
We then went and found Mady, Kieran and Sadie in the cafeteria. They were eating yummy Halloween type vittles.
We then went home and got ready for bed. It was a fun time and Ryan was happy that he had conceded to my request and went with. He said it was good for Steff to be around all the kids and fun.

I already blogged about the slow going of getting my house clean but I didn't mention my house hasn't been that clean since the last party we had. So I figure it will get clean about every six months, since Steff's birthday is in March and Sadie's is in October. I can handle a deep cleaning at Spring time and Fall time.

The party went well but we realized how small our house really is. We had close to 30 people crammed into our house. It was a tight fit but it forced everyone to be social with each other. Not that our families have ever had a hard time. They have always gotten along well. The only thing we did notice was Ryan's family was in the living room and my family was in the dinning room. That was completely unavoidable though since our house is built long and not wide. The two rooms connect so it wasn't like they were in two different parts of the house.
Sadie broke out in a fever during her party. She did okay but she wasn't happy. Poor girl. Lesson learned though; get immunizations after the big event and not before. We think it was the flu shot that sent her into a fever and feeling icky since she's had all the others before and she didn't react to them before. The flu shot was the only new thing. She didn't even want to eat her cake, she just wanted to be held.

I can't stress how nice it was to have my sister here over the weekend. She is welcome any time she wants to come. She has a girl friend that lives in the city we live so I wouldn't even mind if her friend came over to hang out while she was here.
She spent a lot of time on my computer but since it's so dangerous to let kids on these things without supervision I stayed right there and checked in on what she was doing. Not to mention Kieran was right there watching You Tube with her.

Kieran and Madysun both worked on their Christmas lists. I can't wait to see how Kieran's has evolved after being around a pre-teen...I'm sure his choices will be in a much more mature fashion.

Getting Things Done

Okay, my house just needs the finishing touches...vacuuming, dusting, bathroom, things put away...sounds like a lot but it's only about 45 minutes of work. My mom went to take a nap and then she said she'd come upstairs and clean my house.
Hopefully everyone has figured out that my mother lives with us. She dwells in the basement most of the weekend and comes up in the evenings during the week to help me out. I could do it without her but I also appreciate all her help. It's nice to have adult interaction.

It's been a while since I started this section of blog and a lot has changed....I have finished my house all but the bathroom, made all the food and dilly dallied around.
Wow am I feeling tired. I just want to lay down and take a nap. All this cleaning is wearing me out not to mention it's really bad for my health.

Just Stuff...

There is so much to say and so little time to say it this morning. I should be getting my house in order for Sadie's birthday party but alas here I sit, blogging...Maybe I'm addicted or maybe I just want to let the world of people that read my blog know that they aren't alone in all the craziness of raising a family. You know who you are...

Here are the latest events...
Sadie's appointment went well. She ended up getting four shots-poor baby girl. Gotta keep her from getting those childhood diseases though. She weighed in at a whopping 19 pounds 7 ounces. For all my friends around the world that don't use the system good ole America uses...that means she weighed about right on target for one year old. (I think she's about 8.3 kilograms but let me know if that sounds right...) She has grown a little since her last appointment...she is in the 20th percentile for her height and weight. She's into a size 9 months now. Hehehe, she's so little.
She can now have whole milk-hooray!!! No more formula...
Oh...and Ryan's back to having no more kids so if that sticks(don't hold your breath, he really hates the idea of losing the 'Kelstrom' name) then we don't ever have to buy any more ever...
This appointment was the big appointment that you wait for all year. The one where they no longer sit in a carrier type car seat and they don't drink formula any longer. I love that first year appointment..
My sister stayed with us last night to help me out. She loves little kids and she knows how to handle them well so it has been a breeze. I don't want to give her back to my parents. I like having a 12 year old to help me out.
My son has enjoyed having her here but, he was a wee bit disappointed this morning when she told him she would be helping me and not playing with him most of the day.
They both slept in the living room. Kieran on the floor(such a gentleman) and Mady on the couch.
Steff is being pretty good today. I ain't holding my breath though cuz she's not going to get a nap. Hang on for later cuz I'm sure I'll have a horror story...
I better go so I can get my home in order...

This Morning's Events

It's been an eventful morning and we've only been up 45 minutes. Just long enough for me to go out into the freezing cold and smoke a cigarette, take Kieran to school, wash my hair and check my email.
It's all the fun stuff that's happened in between these 5 events that may have you changing your mind about having more children...or having kids at all.
I have often said that my children are a form of birth control and this morning they are proving me correct.
You see, I have to run Kieran to school each morning and each morning I leave my toddlers alone with our bedroom door open so daddy can hear what's going on without actually getting out of bed.
Let me tell you how effective this is...In the 5 or so minutes it took me today, Steff successfully dumped an entire picture of coffee(my precious drink) onto the playroom floor. Mind you the carpet is a light color.
I came home to both girls looking cute but in my mind I'm wondering what they've been up to.

I discover some kind of crumbs in my hair when I was taking Kieran to school so I treated myself to a hair washing. I actually don't know what was in my hair and I'm still trying to figure it out. It felt almost sandy-hence the need to wash it.

While washing my hair Steff pulled my purse off the counter top and got my wallet out and snatched all the singles from it. So, I of course had to let her put them into her piggy bank or there would have been hell to pay.

I'm out of milk and Steff drinks about 16 ounces each morning.

Steff just came up to me with something "ucky" on her finger and come to find out it was poop again. She has this bad habit of checking her oil once she has gone to the bathroom in her diaper. I only discovered what it was when I touched it and smelled it. Gross, I had to wash my hands but never fear they are clean and smell like pumpkin spice now.

All is calm for a second....The girls are playing with each other in a pretty humane way.

Sadie got to open 2 of her gifts last night...One while daddy was home and one when Kieran got home from school. Daddy and mommy gave her clothes and Kieran gave her a See 'n' Say which Steff has taken over and believes it is her own....

It's another dreary day. It's looking like it's gonna rain and the wind is blowing up a storm-no pun intended.

I'm back again, I went and blew my hair dry...

The girls have been playing in the kitchen and I just figured out why...Steff carried in one of the toy baskets and dumped it out in there. I guess I should just be happy they are playing.
Ya know it's not Sadie I have to worry about, it's Steff. She is so mischievous...
I can't wait for the "terrible twos" to end.
After watching Jenn's twins I saw that I had something to look forward to. The days when she isn't as curious as she is now.

It's 9:30 now and I have done my hair, complete with curls and the whole nine yards. It always feels so good to have it done. I never wear makeup and thus doing my hair makes me feel pretty.

This morning Steff keeps taking her diaper off. I have changed her diaper 4 times in the last hour.

Today Sadie has her one year well-baby visist with Dr. Silas so I will be back to update you on what he has to say. I'm pretty sure he's gonna tell us that she can be on cows milk and that she can sit in a forward facing car seat. Those are the usual milestone for a one year old.

A Moment of Peace

Here's a couple pics from Sadie's special day....

It's all quiet in my house. I have put all three kids to bed. Only after we went out to visit Ryan. I cannot express how great this feels to have them all in bed. Now I can prepare myself for bed and hopefully catch some ZZZ's.

Today wasn't a bad day, Steff was pretty good, Sadie was in a good mood and Kieran was at school then he played with his friend across the street most of the night.

I thought Kieran was sweet, he wanted to go see Ryan at work. Now, everyone hopefully understands that Ryan is his step-father so for him to desire to see, "Dad" is a great accomplishment for our family unit. It's been nice having him call Ryan, "Dad." I find it much easier to refer to him as dad for all three kids.

My back feels great and I cannot say enough about Ultram. This stuff is wonderful, it's non-narcotic so you don't get those side effects and it's not as addictive. Don't get me wrong, it's still possible to get addicted to it but from what I've read it's less likely.
The best way to tell you how this stuff helps is that I can still feel the pain it just doesn't hurt. If that makes any sense.
I started taking glucosamine and fish oil but I've read it's not a quick fix and can take about two months to before you start feeling the benefits. I can handle that, I'll just take the Ultram for a couple months and then I will just take the glucosamine and fish oil. I think that sounds like a good idea.

Steff is still awake and because my mom is in the kitchen cooking she is being a chatter box to her. She should be done soon though and then Steff will get bored and go lay down and catch her own set of ZZZ's.

For the record I think I'm feeling a little blue. I need to talk to Dr. E about it because I got the depo shot and the last time I had it I suffered from a serious case of depression. I mean to the point were I would just lay around and cry. I haven't gotten to that point yet but I have started spending money that I should be saving. I also live in fear that Ryan is going to be mad at me...

I know that the Lord will help me through it all and that I just need to have faith in Him and His divine plan for my life.

Sadie had a good day. I wish she could remember what it was like to experience her first birthday cuz I'm sure she'd feel special and loved.

Well the Ambien is starting to make me slow so I'm gonna go for now but I'll be back with more excitement tomorrow. God Bless....

Low on Gas

I'm feeling a little low on gas. I have had my usual pot of coffee but the weather is still drab and it's affecting me. I know I'm worrying about things too and that just makes me want to sleep. I think maybe I need a different medication-one to give that boost to get things done and not feel so down.

I really missed Ryan last night and wanted him to come home. I know he can't cuz money's really tight and he needs to get as much over time as possible. He really is an excellent provider.

My girls are being really good. I think it's because Steff is watching the whiny four year old show and Sadie always plays well by herself. I'm really happy they're being good since I just tried to wake Ryan up and apparently he was up til five this morning with Steff. Which I find odd since she got me out of bed at 5:45. I simply told her it was still nite nite time and she went back to sleep till about 9 this morning.

My step mom called me the other day just out of the blue to tell me she loves me. She said she wanted me to know that she does care about me she just isn't a big writer.
You have to understand that I really enjoy sending cards and letters to people that I care about. We all need to know that someone loves us and is thinking about us.

Sadie

My step -mom came over this morning and brought Sadie's first birthday cake...As you can see she figured out how to make a mess quite quickly...

Happy Birthday Sadie!!!

Today is the big day for our little peanut, she made it to one-hooray!!!

She has been wished happy birthday by everyone that has seen her...I am so excited that she's getting older. I know it all goes by fast but I have an easier time with bigger kids than little ones. Not sure why but they just seem a little easier when they are more independent.

Not Crazy After All

I got some feed back on my blog for last night and I was informed I don't sound as crazy as I fee. This is good news. But if you'll notice the time on this post maybe you will change you mind and believe I am crazy...You see, it's 2:30am and I can't sleep again. I get really sick of being bright eyed and bushy tailed at such ungodly hours of the night.
I know one of the reasons I'm wide awake is that I'm waiting for Ryan to get home so I know what time to get him up in the morning.
Sometimes I wonder if taking the Ambien is worth it. It seems that I sleep great for a few hours but then I wake up and I'm wide awake. I usually will take 1/2 of one to go back to sleep but that didn't work out so well yesterday so I had to find something different for tonight.
Well, Ryan just go home so I can get off this blog and start the saga of trying to sleep...Wish me luck.

Screaming and Teasing...

Wow!!! I said this night was going smooth and I was wrong...Steff keeps screaming and Kieran keeps teasing her....Grrrr...
I am so fet up with Steff's screaming. I don't know why she does it so much. I know we are in general loud people but whew, this is rediculous.

I am so tired and I'm ready for it to be 9pm...That's when Steff and Kieran go to bed. I am hoping and praying for peace from now (8:25) til then. It can be done because it has happened before.

My brother in-law has been reading our blog and he says he's starting to know what it's like to be me. I wonder what my life looks like from someone else's perspective? I probably look cracked out and crazy. Which I do feel crazy and it's a good thing I'm on good meds.
I just thought about it...my thoughts are pretty random and their is always something going on with my children(especially Steffanie).

I need to go into the kitchen and be inspired to make a cheese cake. I told Ryan I would probably make it for him since he loves goodies and we are running low on them. Grocery shopping isn't until Tuesday and we didn't do so good with the vittals. It seems like we are running short on food or maybe I'm just too lazy to get up and cook.
My poor kids eat a lot of frozen foods and canned foods. I'm not much of cooker and it's not because I don't like to cook, because I really do like it...it's the cleaning that I can't stand. I hate to do dishes more than once a day.

I can tell it's getting late. I'm starting to really hurt and the muscle relaxers and ibuprofen aren't doing their job. I'm sure anyone with some kind of chronic pain knows what it's like to go on through the day. I wake up feeling a little stiff and then I loosen up until it's gets close to bed time...then I'm back to being stiff.

New This Evening

I put this outfit on Sadie today and if you'll notice her little hands are stuck inside the sleeves...Poor girl is trying to eat some toast but she can't pick of the little pieces with her hands inside of those large sleeves. I can't tell you how many times I have rolled the sleeves up today...

This day has cruised right by, and my children have been somewhat nice to me.

We just got back from the dollar store. I can't be sure why people think their gettin a deal at these places because I went in for a few things for Sadie's party and I came out $63 poorer...
Ryan's gonna have a fit and I guess I will handle it when it arrives...
The girls weren't too bad in the store, Steff did a lot of yelling...Sadie got fussy toward the end and Kieran kept telling me he wanted to spend five dollars instead of the 3 I told him he could have...

Our finances aren't looking so great. But, I'm thinking positive about it. I figure to worry about it is an insult to God. He is the Master and has all things under control we just have to have faith....

My mom is eating and my daughters are begging like puppies. It's funny cuz it's like they think if Nana is eating it it must be good.

I tried to buy a new pair of jeans today. I splurged at Walmart...The sad part is they didn't fit and they were a size 11!!! I seriously want to cry...I have to buy a bigger size than anything I've ever bought before or I have the dreaded muffin top....Gross....As Ryan saidm "Tubbay..."

I got to wash my hair today...I didn't actually fix it but I have clean hair. To top it off I got to take a nice warm bath...(I washed my hair and then took a bath) of course I had the girls in the bathroom with me...No diggnity...

Steff has been pestering her sister again. She's smacking her in the head with a gift bag...Earlier I came into the living room and Sadie was screaming and laying on her back. Not sure what Steff did but she admitted to pushing her over. She told me, "I push over." Or something like that...I don't know for sure.

Now Kieran is chasing Steff with a balloon and smacking her with it. You should hear the volume level in this house. Job would lose his patience at this...

The Happenings of This Morning

Do you see how much of the couch this little girl is taking up? That's my mom attempting to lay on the couch with her but she thinks she needs 2/3 of the blasted thing.
She's so funny. Each time my mother closes her eyes Steff tells her to "wake up." You can really mess with her by simpling closing your eyes.

SO, I went back to sleep for that hour but Steff got up at 6:45 and interrupted my beautiful sleep. I just want to go back to sleep. I'm thinking taking that half of an Ambien was not such a good idea. It usual works out. I guess I asked for it...

I had a hard time going to sleep cuz my back is hurting. I got an email from a fellow blogger and she said her husband has hip and back problems too. He takes glucosamine and fish oil. I'm willing to try anything to get some relief.

I have thought about glucosamine before but that stuff is expensive...I have been taking a multivitamin and I think it's helping somehow but how can you be sure? I mean I feel a little more healthy and not so drab but it's not magical by any means.

So I love my new camera...It's fun to take pictures again. It's got a memory card that holds 1904 pictures. I wouldn't even use that many pictures on a two week vacation to somewhere, anywhere. At least I don't have to worry about filling my memory card up-right?

What a miserable morning this has started out as...I'm feeling pooped, my feet are cold, my nose is stuffy and my back is on fire. There's nothing quite like trying to figure out how to make yourself feel better. No fear though, I took my vitamin, a couple muscle relaxers(not that they work), an ibuprofen, and an Allegra. I am praying for relief from this bodie's hell.

It's official...I'm on a diet. I would love to loose 15 pounds but would be happy with 10. That would take me down to 140 which is a little chunky but not like I am now. Ryan calls me "tubby." It's a good thing I don't take that stuff personal or I could feel really bad about it.

I know his intentions are good, he knows that I'm miserable at this weight so he's just trying to shed some light on it.

I sure love Ryan. I am feeling really in love with him lately and it's wonderful. He came home from work and hung out with me for a few minutes while we watched the news. He's sweet and I know that he accepts my faults and loves me for who I am.

He's always loved me, for 11 years he has wanted me. Do you know how good that makes me feel that I was the one he waited for?

Steff keeps pulling the cotton out of her blanket and stuffing it up her nose. Every time I turn around I have to get the tweezers, pin her down and pull cotton out of the bridge of her tiny nose. I should laugh and one day I will but for now it's just one of those frustrating things mothers deal with.

Everyone is all stuffed up. Kieran was telling me on the way to school that he couldn't breath through his nose, Steff sounds very nasally and she keeps telling me her nose hurts, and my mom said her nose is all stuffed up to. I already said I have a stuffy nose. I wonder what is causing it? I'm thinking the heater's filter needs to be changed again. Guess I better go check it out. Na...I'll have Ryan do it when he gets up. He's really good at doing things like that.

I think the caffeine is starting to kick in. I'm already on pot number two of coffee. Of course, I've had help drinking it.

What a drab morning this is...it's raining cats and dogs and there seems to be no hope for sun either. It's warmer now than it's supposed to be all day. I hope my friends in Australia have a great day since they are going into the better part of the year-Summer. I miss summer already. I thought I was ready for some reprieve from the heat but I'm thinking I was wrong. My next door neighbors have the right idea-head South for the winter. They leave each October and live in St. George til April or May sometime.

I just scheduled Kieran, Steff and Sadie's flu shots. I was lucky enough to get them all on the same day at the same time. Yeah.

Next week is a busy week: Monday Steff gets her stitches out, Nothing on Tuesday so far, Wednesday Ryan has an appt with Dr. E, Thursday I take all three in for their flu shots(oh...boy)which means I'm gonna need Ryan's help to hold Steff down, and Friday is the dreaded cardiology appointment for Steff.

I'm not looking forward to Friday, the rest of the appointments are not big deal but Friday we have to drive to SLC and deal with that hospital that wasn't smart enough to let us know we could sedate Steff in the first place. That goes without saying we have to starve the poor girl so she can be sedated. How in-humane is that? Starving a two year old. She can't have so much as any clear liquids after 7 am. I think it's torture to her and to her parents.

Well, I think I'm gonna jet for now. I'm sure I'll be back when I have more thoughts to share. I know I blog a lot but my house doesn't look bad and my kids are fed, changed and clean. So, I figure it's a healthy outlet. See you soon...

You Will Be Seing Ads

Okay so to sleep you need to lay down but I wanted to let everyone know that I just made it so Google can add ads to my blog....So if you see them you'll know why. I might actually get paid to do this. We'll see...

Sleep Deprived Days

Yes, I'm up at 4 am again. The sad part is that I took half an Ambien and then Sadie decided it was time for her to get up. She's been up for an hour and I just layed her back down to bed. I know this all means that Ryan will need to sleep later because she's gonna cry to get back up.

The good thing is that she does give up and will eventually go to sleep.

Which is where I need to be and I'm feeling this Ambien take effect. Wew, am I gettin slow...

Last night was Kieran's last football game because unfortunately but thank God...they lost and it was single elimination. I hate to say I'm glad it's over cuz he loved it so much but it was cold and dark by the end of the game.

I was talking to another parent that feels the same way. You want them to play more but for your own sake you hope they lose.

After we got home from the game Steff decided she wanted to be a screamer. She didn't talk about anything, she screamed about it. My ears and my head had had enough by bedtime.

Sadie was her normal self, sweet and playful. I put her in her jumper to see if I could feed her but she wanted to jump.

Well, I'm gonna go lounge on my couch and hopefully catch an hour of ZZZ's.

Nap Time

It's all quiet here except for the hum of my puter...UMMMMM...I'm meditating in the silence. I feel so good right now. I have no back or hip pain.
I finally got to take a nice hot-peaceful bath. The sad part is I should have done more cleaning of this body while I had the chance.
I've had to make myself dread showers because I love them so much. Maybe that doesn't make an ounce of sense but you could look at like an alcoholic loves his liqueur but it's bad for him so he has to stay away from it. Not that having a clean body isn't good but there was a time when I all but resented my children because I couldn't have my daily shower and do my hair and makeup.
Now, I rarely do my hair and I do my makeup even less often. Ryan swears I don't need makeup but I say love is definitely blind.
I'm still reading "The Secret" and so far it's the same thing over and over again. Positive thinking. What you think and meditated on becomes reality. I am giving it a shot though and I'll let you know if I have any good results. The secret will work, the secret will work, the secret will work...
Kieran is the only child I have awake at the moment but for the most part he's the easiest. Don't get me wrong he has his days of being a turd too but he's at least self-sufficient and can do things for himself.
I think I may be working on a headache. I could be wrong and the Secret says I need to imagine myself healthy and well and I will be just that. I'll try anything to get rid of a headache, especially before it goes full migraine.
I got a new camera today. It's a newer version of the one I had and I love it. I haven't taken many pictures with it yet but Kieran has a game tonight so I can take it for an official test drive.
I think Kieran just woke Sadie up...Not too happy about that. He's downstairs in his room but it's right below mine and while he and Nick(his little snotty buddy from across the street) play PlayStation they are quite loud...I've already reminded him once that I could hear him all the way to my computer desk and that his sister is asleep.
I wonder how long I should let Steff nap for today. She only had 45 minutes yesterday and bed time wasn't a nightmare so I'm thinking maybe an hour or so. I'd love to let her take a 3 hour one but that would mean I would have to be up til past eleven tonight and I'm not having that.
So, when I went to the doc yesterday I learned that I need to go on a diet. I may not be obese but I weighed in at 150 pounds. That's the largest I've ever been except for while I was pregnant and even then the highest I got was 163.
I wasn't told by Dr. E that I need to diet but one knows when they are just too big-right?

And there goes Kieran again. If he doesn't stop I'm gonna have to ask him to go play outside til his sisters wake up...

I gave him a warning.

I have all of Sadie's birthday present wrapped, all 8 of them. With each child's birthday we always say we'll only get them a couple of gifts and I always go get more. Ryan hates it but we budgeted quite a bit of money for her birthday and it is her first one so it's got to be good

Steff is screaming for daddy. I'll be back

Not sure what that was all about but she's okay. She cried for a minute and then rolled over. She's still making noise but I can't figure out what she needs.

Flag Football Pic

So, here's the latest pic of Kieran...It turned out great and he played great...
They are in the playoffs now so I will be blogging some more about his triumphs...
Triumph: Try with "Umph."

So Far Civilized

So this day has started out pretty civilized. Steff woke up sometime after 8 and was surprisingly happy. She has however taken her first poop of the day. She's so stinky, she gets if from her dad I smell like roses.
Right now the girls are playing with Steff's blanket and as I hear Sadie screaming I take a glance and there is Steff doing some kind of wrestling move on her that has her pinned to the ground. Then she takes her blanket and tries to smother the poor girl. Needless to say, I had to rescue Sadie from the clutches of "Destructor."
For those of you who don't know, destructor was a nickname Steff dawned while she was still small because both then and now she can destroy anything. I do mean anything. We have to check the stability of toys and items that we buy because there isn't a single thing that she hasn't figured out how to break. You think I'm joking about that but I couldn't be more serious. We buy epoxy almost ever month to glue the toys she breaks back together.
I'm proud of myself today...I successfully dressed Sadie and have attempted dressing Steff. I say attempted because she's a big girl and if she doesn't want to cooperate there is nothing I can do for the time being. It always has to be her idea.

Steff just pooped again!!! She came over to me showing me her fingers and telling me they were "ucky," I thought it was a booger....WRONG!!! Yep, she stuck her fingers into her shitty diaper! There is neverrrrrr a dull moment. The only good to come of the latest poop is that I successfully got her dressed.

Looks like Christmas is coming early for Tricia...Sadie's 1st b-day party is in 4 days and my camera took a crap so Ryan conceded that I need a new one before Saturday. I'm so excited and I checked the RC Willey add and found a camera that is almost exactly what we talked about getting...for the wonderful price of $100. It's a steal but we'll see what Ryan thinks when he gets up.

So, my doctors appointment went excellent. Yeah, I know, what woman says that her yearly doctor's appointment went excellent? ME! That's who, for one simple reason...I had a pregnancy test so I could get the depo shot and it was negative. This is great news since Sadie's first birthday is lurking close and the last time we had a first birthday party we announced that I was pregnant again. I have to admit that I was quite certain that it would be negative but there was a little doubt in my mind.

I have been reading, "The Secret" lately and have learned the secret to life....Are ya ready? It's all quite easy...Positive thinking....That's pretty much the gist of it. I wanted to die when that was all there was to it. Here I am thinking I'm going to have to adjust my life immensely and lo it's as easy as that. I couldn't have been more happy. I can go on living with positive thoughts and have it all...Yeah, right. I think I'll just keep my faith in the Lord. It was a nice book but my pessimistic self says that always thinking positive would sure set me up for some serious disappointment. Don't get me wrong I will try it. I'm willing to try anything to make my life better. Okay anything but denying God. I'd die for that cause and if Revelation is any bit correct I will be dying for that cause.

I am thinking positive that today is going to be a nice, mellow, clean house filled day. I don't mean I'm doing the cleaning because I learned this morning that cleaning is bad for your health. Sure, I'd love to have one of those immaculate homes but my health is important-right. http://frogpondsrock.blogspot.com/2007/10/cleaning-is-bad-for-you.html You don't believe me? Check this out.

Having Zero Dignity

I have no dignity. It all left and I can't be sure with which child it said "bye" with. I was just trying to take a nice warm bath to relax from the day and quite honestly to see if I could get rid of this gas I have trapped in my stomach. Well, I asked my mom to watch my kids for me but while I was using the toilet before the big event the girls came into the bathroom and stood at the tub. My bath went something like stepping over my daughters to get in, getting splashed in the face by Steff and being inspired to get out. I was in the tub long enough to turn the water off, hand Sadie her bath toy a few times(their slippery when wet) and get back out. The funniest part, when I stated how inspired I was to get out Steff went into the living room and told my mom I was "inspired to get out." I get zero peace from them the entire time til the moment I get out. Oh...too funny.

Kieran is in a great mood. I can't be sure why. Maybe he had a great day at school or maybe it's because he's had a good night at home. Or, maybe both...
Steff is being pretty good considering she has only had about a 45 minute nap.
Sadie is in bed...Yeah, one down, 2 to go. And, the night time routine is on the upswing.

I have pictures to send out of Kieran's football picture so I'm sure I'll chat in the morning or at least tomorrow some time.

A Good Weekend

The weather was nice on Sunday but because I have had Ryan home to spend time with it has been wonderful. Kieran also came home from his grams nice and early so we had him home to spend time with. The girls enjoyed having their dad and brother home at the same time.

Kieran and I took a jaunt to Walmart to get a few prescriptions and while we were there we picked up a couple of birthday gifts for Miss Sadie. Kieran picked out a See 'n' Say, and this little cat critter that shakes and meows when you pull its string. He's going to be giving her the See 'n' Say and he picked out the cat critter for Steff to give her. He also purchased a $10 gift card for her-all on his own. He took the money out of his savings account and he picked out the card design. He's so excited to give her something that he came up with on his own. You could just tell he was pleased with himself and proud to be using his money for someone else. I think he's a total sweet heart and this moment reminded me that his dad and I haven't done such a bad job.

Lately Steff has been saying, "I can't" when she runs into something that she finds hard to do. I'm still trying to figure out if she picked it up from one of us or from show on Sprout. I think she got it from this show with a four year whiny little boy. I don't particularly like this particular program because of the stuff she has picked up in the past. The other thing that she has been saying is, "why." Again, I think she got it from the whinny four year old. Both are kind of cute but I wonder if she knows what she is saying or if she simply believes that the situation warrants these expressions?


Sadie is doing okay, the relief from bruises didn't last long because she has one on her left cheek. She is so accident prone or she's so fair skinned that each and every bruise is like a badge of honor or a red flag. She was very happy when she woke up Sunday morning but by afternoon she was doing that crawling around and crying while playing thing she does. It's sad but it's so funny, she literally will be crying while crawling around and playing with this or that...It's as if she's trying to get herself into a good mood.
One of her latest cute things is that she notices when you have food and she turns into a begging little puppy. She crawls over, stands up and tries to grab your plate or bowl. So, when you eat anything you have to know you will be sharing with Sadie. And, there isn't anything she won't eat.


Ryan and I are doing well. Yesterday(Sunday), I was full of piss and vinegar. I kept teasing him and he thought I was being serious...at least, until he saw the smile on my face.
This weekend we were able to spend time together as a family and as a couple we got to go birthday shopping for Sadie. My mom came upstairs and watched the kids for us so we could go. I thought that was nice of her to let us have an hour of alone time.
I remember the first time we got out as a couple without any kids after Sadie had been born. We just ran to Walmart for a few things and Ryan was running around and jumping like a marsupial all over the store. I remember asking him what was going on and he said something about it being the first time we'd gotten out of the house together since Sadie was born and he was excited. He hasn't acted that way since...

Wow, today the girls slept in. Sadie got up about 8:30 and Steff got up about 15 minutes later. It was nice to have a few moments to myself before they both woke up and started their daily antics. Sadie woke up in an excellent mood and Steff woke up in a less docile mood than usual. She kept asking to watch cartoons, then it was Sesame Street and while it was on she told me she wanted "Sesame Street." I tried to reason with her that that was what she was watching but until they showed something she was familiar with she could not be reasoned with.

I am hoping my doctor's appointment goes well today. It's that time of year again-girls, if you know what I mean...? I hate these appointments as much as the next but they are part of life. I also get a back adjustment. Dr. E will crack my back and put my neck back into place. Oh...it hurts so good. I love this doctor...he can do everything...no need to have a Chiropractor or a Psychiatrist or an OB, cuz he does it all. He even wrote a book about depression. The book helped Ryan see that depression is something you cannot change but it has medications to help you. He even learned that he suffers from a mild form of it himself. It was really nice to have him understand what I go through.

Steff just got into the raspberries in the jello-again.......She has been into using my utensils and pots and pans and bowls and "making dinner." I guess she really wanted to use some real food to cook with. And, you'd think I would learn and put a lid on it. No...that would take to much effort and brains.

Sadie is being cute as a button this morning. She has been playing with this Build-A-Bear monkey that my mother in-law got for Steff when she got her finger hurt. Steff likes the monkey too but Sadie loves it...Every time she sees it she quickly crawls to it and plops her face on it and makes some of the cutest noises. Ryan and I also have fun playing with it. It records things and plays them back for you. Ryan has a great monkey impression he does so he is usually seen making ape noises into it and playing them back. He does these ape noises perfectly too.

I just looked at the clock and realized I need to leave in just over an hour so maybe I'll be back with more stories...?
Have a great day and a wonderful week...until next time...