New Year, New Look

It's only taken me 2 months to figure out what to change my blog title to.  Like I've said before, since I make each year of blogging into a book I like to change my title each year too.  My problem this year is my mind was blank.  So hopefully what I came up with I will keep and not feel the need to re-do it.  I'm sure I won't.  But if I do it won't be for a couple more months looking at my track record!

Finishing Up February

I'm always behind these days.  Always playing catch up.  And I don't see the trend changing any time soon.  But this blog is an important part of my scrapbook/journal so better late than never, I guess.

Eliza was having a rough night so Nate held her while he did some office work.  She didn't appreciate mom's camera bugging her.

Since it was getting slightly warmer we decided to have a fire one night.  Our backsides were cold, but our fronts were toasty!

Haley and Eliza being.... take a guess.... Naughty!  Haley climbed into Eliza's crib with a bottle of baby lotion and they slathered up.  I had an OB appointment  soon after and they smelled soooo nice for the doctor. :)

Tye and Kaden have come home more than once from exploring the empty lot next to us with countless burs all over them.  I can't be too mad because it reminds me of being in Idaho playing with my cousins and having the time of my life.  I hope they are having a great time too.... although I really could do without the burs.

Eliza loves to follow Haley around and one day came home from the neighbor's house sad as could be.  She wasn't too keen on getting muddy.  I think she did a pretty good job of keeping the rest of herself clean.  I could just imagine her coming back looking like they do in the movies when someone falls face first into mud.

SNOW!!  It was a miracle.  We actually got some snow that the kids could play in for a couple hours.  Of course, I had put all the snow attire away.... which is usually why it snows the next day!  I guess I should have put it away back in December.

Kaden and Tye made beards and mustaches after pack meeting one night.  Tye is rubbing his chin like an intellectual or something.  Cute, fun boys.  I love them!

Oh my Haley girl, why must you do such silly things?  She decided she wanted a bath, but not in the bathtub.  I'm wondering what trouble she's going to conjure up when baby boy arrives???

Flood of 2012

Oh the joys of flooding basements!  Truthfully, it's completely mine and Nate's fault so it is a bit maddening to know it could have been and should have been prevented.  Grrrr!  Live and learn.  We left the dang hoses attached and the backyard pipe decided to fail us.  I told Nate a couple times to get the hoses put away, but it never happened and it just so happens that I didn't take the initiative to do it myself either.  The kids evenutally turned the water on a few weeks ago and it took a few days for it to seep its way across our whole office and part way into the family room.  Who knows exactly when it froze and burst... I'm thinking it was actually a while ago, but the water never got turned on again until now.  It was Monday, February 13, I got the kids off to school and went down stairs to get something in the office and my foot stepped in a sloppy mess of carpet.  Great.  Nate was on a flight to California, my dad was with him as well, so my next option was my dear brother-in-law, Scott.  He was kind enough to come over and start ripping things up to find the source.  We decided to go the homeowners insurance route and had a company come in and help clean up the mess and tear out all the cabinets and flooring in the office.  Lucky me got to deal with all of that while Nate was away.  Happy Valentine's Day to me!

It's just a big mess.  It will force me to organize all my stuff I've collected over the years and get rid of a lot too.  10 weeks before our baby should arrive and my plans were definitely NOT redoing and organizing our office.  We had actually started getting ready to paint the nursery and get things set up in there.  Now it is the make shift office which we like to call the "command center".  Everything is on folding tables and in piles.  Oh well.  Glad we had a little spot to put it all, I guess.

The kids who normally sleep in the basement had to sleep upstairs since the fans were so loud.  I don't think they minded a bit to be having a "sleep over" on a couple school nights.

We're hoping to have it all put back together in two weeks.  Wish us luck!

Valentine's Day

I started the celebration of Valentine's day on February 1st by giving Nate a little gift each day until February 14th.... "14 Days of Valentines" (click here to see where I got the idea).  It was really fun for me to pull a gift out each day or pack it in his suitcase for him to find while he's away on business.  Cheesy?  Maybe a bit, but it was still really fun.

I don't normally make a big deal out of the day.  Yes, Nate and I try to go on a special date sometime around the 14th and occasionally we will get each other a gift.  I know Valentine's Day is one of those holidays that a lot of people loath even if they have someone they love.  They don't like someone or something "making" them spend money or do something on a specific day.  I get it.  I am one who doesn't necessarily like to be a "follower", if you will.  Trends, especially "over-the-top everyone is doing it trends" tend to make me squirm and resist.  My take on the holiday of love-- For one, it's been around for a long time.  It's not this new thing that all of a sudden everyone is doing and two, why not have a little more fun by doing something you don't necessarily do just one day out of the year?  I think I show my love for Nate and my kids year round, but do I get all creative ever?  Not really.  It's a fun excuse to do something different from the everyday show of love.  Does that make sense?  So, whether you love Valentine's Day or hate it, I hope you had a good one in your own way.

For the kids I only bought mini cupcakes and put a Valentine on top.  (We had a little house drama... flood... on the 13th and I was in the middle of dealing with that and just didn't have the time to put more effort into it, especially with Nate being out-of-town.  More about the flood in a different post.)

They got to eat them as soon as they finished their breakfast.  It was a hit.  Who doesn't love a little chocolate cake to start their day?!  That's all I did, but it was something different than the everyday so it worked and they felt a little extra love that day.

Nate gave me tulips (my favorite) and an end table for my family room.  I needed an end table and was eventually going to get one, but how great is it that he remembered one I had seen at Christmas time and liked?  It's the little things that mean the most.  Yes, it's great to have the table, but knowing that he remembered something from two months ago (since he doesn't remember a lot of other things) just made my day.

We made cookies a few days before Valentine's Day with some cousins we had over for dinner.  Good times!

I helped with Tye's class party.  A bean bag toss was what he wanted to do.  That's easy enough.  I luckily found a box I had tucked away since Christmas around 10:00 p.m. the night before Valentine's Day and SLAVED away making a bean bag toss game.  His classmates all loved it.  Phew!  Sometimes you just never know what kids will like these days.

And the Tooth Fairy got a Valentine of her own a few days before the big day.

Poor Rachel has had some stomach issues.  We think mostly from her anti-seizure medication so we are working with the doctor to try to remedy it.  She sometimes sleeps with a couple pillows to prop herself up.  She was afraid the Tooth Fairy wouldn't know which pillow to look under.  So sweet.

Business as Usual

So what is it about business that makes people throw their ethics and morals out the window? Do people think since it's not "personal" it doesn't matter what they say or do? You see it everywhere it seems these days. Being the wife of a small business owner I get to hear of the ups and downs of it all. For the most part it's fun and exciting, but every so often there is an incident that just ruffles my feathers. It's nearly the same every time. Maybe the only difference is the offender. Why can't people sell themselves? That sounds a bit funny, but seriously, sell your own company. Don't slander ours. I know my husband and his partners pride themselves with selling THEIR own company. There's no need to bring any other company into it. They are confident in themselves, their products and their ability to do exceptional work. "Here's what WE offer. This is OUR guarantee." We not they. It seems like the only way some of our competitors sell a job is if they say "They (meaning my husband's company) don't do this or they do that sub par." But it's lies. Luckily some customers see right through it, but there are others who don't and will idly sit by and believe the nonsense.  I feel sorry for them that they choose to do business with people who have no integrity.  There is plenty of work out there for all of us.  Trust me.  It's a shame it comes down to lies by some to get a job.  I won't even go into the whole copy catting of EVERYTHING my husband's company offers.  If we are so horrible at what we do why are you mimicking our every move?  Those are just different feathers being ruffled, but by the same people.  I guess in some way it should be flattering, but it's mostly frustrating.  I'm sure they have justifications for their actions, but in the end it's still the same old lies and deceit.  My advice to them;  Be creative.  Be your own self.  Sell your own company with your own positives.  You have some, right?

28 Weeks

I haven't had very many pictures taken of myself and this pregnancy like I've tried to do with the others, but here I am at 28 weeks.

Don't say it.  I know what you're thinking.  Leave me be.  I might LOOK small to you, but I don't feel it and truthfully this pregnancy is no picnic.  My hips hurt, I have to sleep half the night practically sitting up, my ribs I think are ripping apart, and I get lots of contractions if I clean.... don't show up unexpectedly at my house please.  It's true that the older you get the harder it is.  It probably doesn't help that it's my 6th child.  But on the bright side he's growing well, he's an active little guy and I am not bed ridden so it really isn't so bad.  {I think my booty was feeling left out so it has decided to try to stick out just as far! ;)}

Feeling the baby kick on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

"The Spa"

Rachel decided to have a "spa" night so I graciously volunteered to be her client.  She rubbed my feet and soaked them in warm water.  She gave me a head and back massage.  Then she styled my hair to finish things up.  I have to admit it was really nice.  I paid her a couple dollars and now she asks if she can do it again, but she wants $10!  Ummm... not happening, unless I get really desperate for some pampering.  I thought a couple bucks was pretty good, especially for something she never intended to get paid for.