Sunday

ten happy things friday

Did you see this? Perfect!

Going to a baseball game tonight

Pizza bagels

Not getting stung by the many scorpions we keep killing. This morning's latest victim was in the bathtub resting on a child's scrubby sponge thing. I smashed it with Irish Spring. (2nd time we found one there- at least this time there were no children in the bath.)

20 weeks today! Halfway there!

Lavender and vanilla lotion.

Bear hugs from D.

Rare snatches of quiet time during the day.

Gummy prenatal vitamins.

Anyone else read Honest Toddler? Every single post makes me laugh.

Have a glorious weekend everyone!

I can't wait to meet our...

She currently weighs a whopping 11 ounces and impressed the tech and doctor with her good behavior, letting them get clear pictures and measurements.

And at the very end she was caught sucking her thumb... just like her brothers and sister.

While Waiting

Okay, the ultrasound is in about 5 (long) hours and while you wait in suspense for the reveal I figured you would love to know what's going on this morning.

one day shy of 20 weeks bump & biggest brother

I'm waiting for the clothes to dry so I can wash the dishes... why can't I do this at the same time? I live in an old house and it's very finicky about what appliances are operating during the same hour. But, I already know what I'm going to wear (thanks to a very kind friend that has given me a lot of cute maternity clothes), my hair is done, I have my paperwork filled out and a writable CD in my purse (hopefully we can get a video of u/s).

Laughing at myself for totally freaking out when I found our front door half way open (the storm door was still shut) when I took Rose back to her room at 3am. It's not an uncommon occurrence to find the front door ajar, but I panic at just about any strange noise or shadow at night. I woke up Tim and made him walk through the house and we found.... nothing! That won't keep me from making sure the door is locked every time I walk past it from now on. (Sorry in advance for locking you out honey.)

Oh, and I have to share this! We were getting the kids ready for bed and asked them if they knew what to do if there was ever a fire in the house. Ry nodded his head and Tim asked him, "Okay, what is the first thing you would do?" Ry thought for a second and very seriously answered, "Panic."

Goodness I love honest kids! We could barely contain our laughter and eventually were able to explain that before you panic you need to get out of the house.

And... now I am ready to go and will stop blabbering on about random things. I'll try my best to update this evening. 

Not much

Monday I had hyper children and no energy to blog, Tuesday I had a sick kid that mellowed everyone out, urging us to just sit still and cuddle on the couch and today I think we are back to the middle ground. Boys being boys and girls being girls.

Tomorrow I am going in to have the anatomy ultrasound for baby 4. I am equal parts excited and nervous. I can't wait to find out if we're having a boy or girl. The kids made their guesses, D says he wants a sister (I am still surprised at that), Ry wants a brother and Rose just copies whatever the previous person has said. It will be so fun to tell them! I am praying that no matter girl or boy that this baby is healthy. I mean, what more can I ask for?

We have our names picked out already. Or we did. The boy name we agreed on pretty much right away. The girl name keeps changing. I thought we had settled on one, but someone keeps making new suggestions. I guess if we have a girl we can always wait until she's born to choose the name.

Anyhow, I really don't have much to write about and a certain little girl is driving me up the wall because she won't take a nap. I think I need some ice cream.

P.S. Don't forget to make your prediction as to whether this is a girl or boy baby!

19 weeks

We are getting very close to finding out if Baby 4.0 is a boy or girl! My last update (only update) was at 14 weeks. I suppose if anyone is curious about what has changed in five weeks then this is for you.

The all day/spontaneous nausea has pretty much disappeared, occasionally emerging if I am super hungry, extremely hot or happen to smell something gross. As far as what I like to eat... I'm eating normally again. Not really craving anything too much or having aversions. Usually garlic is a big offender while I'm pregnant, but it hasn't been a problem with this one. I am loving dill pickles and Colby cheese. Non pregnant me does not eat bananas except in muffins/bread or shakes, but I have eaten several and enjoyed them lately. I prefer beef over chicken (not really unusual), potatoes any way, sauteed veggies, strawberries, watermelon... sliced avocados with salt and pepper, fried eggs, biscuits with sausage gravy. Um, food. I like it. I haven't been super into Mexican food that I prepare, we had lunch at my favorite Mexican food place and it was perfect and I could probably eat there several times a week, but tacos at home are not really appealing to me. As far as sweets I prefer ice cream (with pretzels) or homemade cinnamon rolls (just made some!).

I had a doctor's visit yesterday and I think I've gained 12-15 pounds so far, which is very much consistent with how I gained for my other three. I am not a light weight (haha) with packing on the pounds; I have always gained about 40.

I'm still tired and I still cry at just about anything (America the Beautiful, Tim bringing home chocolate ice cream, the kids not napping). I think the only time I experienced the "bliss" of 2nd tri was with my first.

I have been feeling little kicks or jabs, but it's still early and I only feel them once or twice a day. My doc says the baby is growing beautifully and is happy with how everything is going. So, if you still want to take a guess at what this baby will be wearing (pink or blue- the poll is at the top right corner) please do! It looks like blue is winning right now.

If you want some sort of comparison with how I felt while pregnant with my boys compared to my girl... not much different. The nausea has been worse with each pregnancy. I craved fried chicken, enchiladas and sweets with my first boy, healthy food and sweets with my second boy, pretty much a combo of both with my girl (and chocolate!). I don't see a whole lot of difference there.

I have to go find something to eat now. Big surprise.

the great outdoors

 Sometimes the contrast of jungle type woods at the very back of our place is startling compared to the cleared pastures. Especially when it rains. After such a long drought I am amazed to see green in the middle of July. And most of all, thankful.

some of today, some of the weekend

I'm glad we had a good weekend because Monday is being... Monday. I just finished eating lunch (scrambled eggs and an english muffin) at 2pm. I'd love to upload some pictures but I'm having technical difficulties. I'll save them for tomorrow. (No, they aren't of my lunch.)

Rose is teething. I forgot two year old's cut molars! She's actually handling it pretty well except her temper is about 90 times worst than usual. She's been more grouchy and I'm trying to keep my patience because, after all, she is two. She had a major meltdown before nap time and when she finally calmed down she asked me to read her three books and then she climbed in her bed and fell asleep. I hope she wakes up in a better mood!

On a brighter note, I managed to swap out my regular clothes for what is left of my maternity wardrobe. The pre preg. clothes are boxed and out of sight so that I am no longer standing in front of a closet crying because I can't wear anything. That has happened too many times to continue (even though half the time I'm wearing workout attire so it doesn't matter).

The weekend was nice. Friday night we went out for pizza (probably because I declared it "leftover night). Saturday afternoon we went to town to find the boys some shoes and Ry was able to lift a Dr. Pepper off a really nice boot salesman (also, they offered Tim a margarita... date night will begin at the boot store after this baby is born- ha! just kidding! but, yes, really). Unfortunately we didn't have our lottery earnings with us to spend on ridiculously expensive boots so I suggested we try the Ross (bargain shoppers unite*) that just opened a few months ago. We walked in as a store employee ran out, did some weird hopping dance, glanced at "traffic" and sprinted across the parking lot (at the time I was put off by this, but now I'm beginning to wonder if she just couldn't handle being in that chaotic place anymore). We passed by some universal auto floor mats randomly placed in the men's clothing section, found the ransacked children's shoe department wall (?) and promptly walked out and vowed never to return. Tim was so impressed with Ross that I heard about it for a good 20 consecutive minutes and then at random times since then.
Sunday we joined our church and had cake and then spent the afternoon relaxing. Basically just your average weekend.

Have a good evening since that's about all that's left of today.

*while heading to ross we listened to this song. click at your own risk.

ten happy things friday

one
Watercolor paints... I had forgotten how much fun they are!

two
Starting to feel tiny kicks from the in utero baby.

three
Dancing

four
Chocolate ice cream and pretzels

five
Finding a great sale on khaki pants and button up shirts for the boys.

six
Listening to Ry and D tell me all about their mornings at vbs.

seven
Driving down back roads on the way home.

eight
Sitting here with D watching the rain and listening to the thunder.

nine
Pickles. (What is up with me eating pickles all the time? I mean, I know I'm pregnant, but this is becoming extreme. I am literally sitting here eating them straight out the jar, except I just reached the point where I can't reach the pickle slices anymore and decided to put them away because maybe I've had enough for today. Or at least this hour.)

ten
My kitchen is a mess and I have no idea what I'm cooking for supper, but it's Friday! Not that it being Friday has anything to do with cooking, but YAY!

the kids

Last night I caught Rose searching through my purse looking for money. (Good luck.) I zipped it up and handed her a receipt instead. Ten minutes later she comes up to me and asks me very seriously, "Can I have twenty dollars, Mama?" I was completely surprised by her question and sent her to ask her Daddy who was also thrown off by her question. She's two... what's next? Asking for the car keys?

Today I was snacking on some frosted mini wheats when the kids came up and each took a few to eat. D looked at one quizzically, took a tiny bite, made a face and said, "It tastes like I'm eating sticks."

And one more.... during lunch Ry was trying to see the "sports people" (Olympians) on the cereal box so he stood up in his chair to reach across the table for the box and ended up spilling my tea (which I had just poured). I had intentionally placed my glass far away from him to prevent that from happening. Before I could even say anything he blamed me for the accident, telling me I shouldn't have put my glass there. Yes, I should know better...

our weekend

One of our friends came out on Saturday and brought lunch. The guys made hamburgers and deer sausage on the grill and I made yummy fried potatoes and peach cobbler. It was delicious and we were all stuffed! That evening we decided to take the kids to the park. It was really nice out, breezy and cool due to some thunderstorms that were close by.

Sunday was church. Afterwards we came home and ate lunch and tried to get the kids to nap so we could go swimming, but that didn't happen. The naps, I mean. We went swimming, although it was still cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. After about an hour Rose started getting into her "I'm really tired so I'm going to be stubborn and crazy" mood. We had spent some time in the big pool (since the kiddie pool was sort of taken over by a bunch of rowdy 6 & 7 year olds), but I had to take Rose to the kiddie pool because she kept trying to get out of my grasp thinking she could touch the bottom of the pool. Eventually she started climbing out of the kiddie pool and trying to run around the edge of it, so I called a time out and went to sit with her at a table. We heard thunder a few moments after that and there was a thirty minute wait to get back in the water... we decided it was time to head home instead of waiting it out. We went back home, made pizza, took showers and fell asleep pretty quickly.

Today the boys went to Vacation Bible School (it's all week) and I tried to get as much done here as possible in the 2 1/2 hours I had with one child. It was really quiet. Rose was pretty upset that her brothers weren't here, she cried when we got home without them. Some cuddles and a couple of graham crackers and she was happily playing with their toys while I cleaned up their room. Dropping the boys off at church for vbs was nerve wracking for me. My stomach was in knots and I was so worried. I knew they would have a good time, but it was the first time they had ever done anything like that. They are always with me or with a family member, so I thought this would be a great thing for them to be involved in. It turns out they had a lot of fun and are excited to go back in the morning!

Story Time with Tim

When I was 17 I was in love. I was in love with a girl I had known since I was 12. She was tall, slender and had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen.

Before I go any further please let me clarify, I am a man, not JD. That's how interweb rumors spread.
My name is Tim (I'm JD's husband). I am taking this opportunity to share with my wife's readership a story about her, that left to her own devices she would never share. There are many stories to choose from, but I am going back to the early days of our relationship. At my family gatherings when I am asked to tell this story I call it "The Pants Beat Down"(RATED PG for brief violence and an intense stare down scene).

Like most 17 year old boys I was lazy. I was exceptional though, because I was too lazy to shop for my own clothes. So with girlfriend JD and my Dad in tow I set out to expand my selection of britches by one pair of Levi's Silvertabs at the mall. My Dad was there mostly because JD's parents felt that it would deter me from getting romantic in the food court at the mall.

The thing about JD back then was, she was shy. Not shy like a librarian or like a teenager in the middle of a Gothic kick. She was more of a stern "no smiling in public" shy. On top of this she is tall for a girl at nearly 6ft. Her eyes are a beautiful greenish blue with gold flecks in them. However, when she drops her brow they literally turn black and all you can hear is puppies and kittens crying for help. She can be a little intimidating.  

JD became irritated within the first 5 minutes of shopping. An irritated JD is a dangerous JD. I went to the dressing room to try on a pair of jeans while she continued on her mission to find a pair that would transform me from a nervous sweaty boy into Clint Eastwood. While she was searching I quietly walked out of the dressing room towards my Dad who was waiting 25 feet or so away. When I reached him I asked where JD was. He pointed her out. She was standing like a statue right next to the dressing room door (that I had just left) with a pair of pants in hand. The problem with this was another guy had entered that dressing room. I was just about to wave to her when it happened. This poor, unsuspecting stranger, who's name is forever lost in the annals of JC Penny's, opened the dressing room door. His only crime was having brown hair and being on the short end of the height chart. Which gave him a passing resemblance to me. JD swung around with the pants on the hanger and drove her denim weapon deep into the stranger's heart. No joke, she hit this guy so hard with a pair of jeans he fell back a step or two. Now this is the part of the story where most girls blush and apologize profusely. Not my gal. She instead, with pants still pressed flatly on the strangers chest, straightened out her spine so that she stood a good 4 inches over her victim and lowered her puppy kitten death stare on him. I can imagine the strangers only thoughts were on getting out of there alive when HE apologized to HER and scurried away. You know in the movies when the Rambo like character watches their enemy, that they let live, go to tell the other shoppers what awaits them if they so much as dare think about trying on that Van Husen button down? She had that look.
When she noticed my Dad and I staring, jaws agape, she stormed over and let us know how it was our fault for not being where she would have liked us to be. We said we were sorry, too.

I can tell you that JD is the sweetest woman you could ever meet and that one conversation with her will change your entire outlook on life for the better. I can also tell you to avoid shopping with her at all costs.


Tim is JD's husband. He buys her ice cream, tells her she's pretty when she's having bad hair days, never complains about the laundry situation, always make coffee on the weekends, downloads songs that he thinks are terrible just because JD likes them and is a wonderful daddy to their three (+ one on the way) children. Occasionally he sports a ridiculously awesome beard, as seen in this picture. He still makes JD laugh every single day and likes to tell stories about her to anyone that will listen. 

(Bio written by JD.) 

on the fourth

 "Mommy, I need those fireworks."

 I came thisclose to being a sparkler after she twirled around me. 

A spectacular show was put on by T and the kids that night. They each got a turn lighting the fuse and then running (and laughing hysterically) back to me to watch.

We had a nice, relaxing day.... hope everyone else did, too.

Love Song Link Up

So, today I read a lot of Love Song Lists on my reader and thought I might as well join in... if anything to give you a look into my music library. Thank you for hosting this Hallie!

The Wallflowers: Closer to You


Foo Fighters: Walking After You


Stevie Ray Vaughn: Lenny (he wrote it for his wife... aw, smiley face)


Bob Schneider: 40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)


Ryan Adams: Desire


Leonard Cohen: Dance Me to the End of Love (my favorite version from his Live From London Concert)


Patty Griffin: Heavenly Day


Bruce Springsteen: Secret Garden


Couldn't find the version I have of Red House Painters: Have You Forgotten

Alright, I could've added several more, but I don't want to overwhelm anyone- ha! Hope you enjoy and possibly find a new song to add to your lovey-dovey playlist.

our weekend & a bit of monday

Saturday involved buying some fireworks for the kids (we were big spenders- sparklers, a fountain and some m-1000s), picking up T's car from his job (clutch issues- thought it was fixed), Mexican food at Maudies and a tow truck. The car was working fine until we wanted to leave Maudies and the clutch wouldn't budge. So... after fiddling with it we decided to call a tow truck (thank goodness for our roadside assistance plan!) and take it back to T's work. The boys loved getting to see the truck and the driver was really nice and honked the horn for them (it sounded like an 18 wheeler). We were a little unhappy about the situation and headed home, but that evening ended up being quite relaxing.

Sunday it rained in the morning so our park and swimming plans were out. We drove around town looking at the houses after church and talking about what we liked. We used to do that a lot before we had kids. To keep the kids somewhat entertained I would spot a lawn ornament and see if they could find it before we passed the house. Then we came home and all the kids took naps (so rare).

And today... I worked out, washed laundry, went for a walk with the kids and took the dogs so they could swim in the stock tanks and restored my computer back to working condition! I have supper in the crock pot (pork for bbq sandwiches) and now I need to put away the laundry and clean up the kitchen. And get Rose to stay in her room so she'll take a nap. I'm mostly concerned with that last thing. More tomorrow.