Picture Update

Blogger won't let me post the traditional way so I am posting pictures from Picasa. Our big pumpkin!
Our little Pumpkin!
Going to church EKG sleeping in her own bed! Yes, we have a thumb sucker!

The mighty, mighty Tigers!

Happy Girl!

Our little Brownie!

The sun will come out Toe-morrow

When I was very young I had a major kidney operation. You would think that my first memory of pain would be from all my kidney issues. The first time I remember feeling excruciating pain should have been from one of my numerous hospital stays. It could have been one of those awful antibiotic shots that went in so slow and deep into the muscle tissue of my three or four year old leg that I walked with a limp for the rest of the day. Nope. My first memory of real pain is from an everyday incident that happened in the hall of the house I grew up in when my Mom accidentally side swiped my pinky toe with a huge Hoover vacuum cleaner. I remember a flap of skin, blood, great pain and lots of tears...both mine and my Mom's! I think my toe nail even came off. Thirty six years later and I don't think either of the nails on my pinky toes have had a chance to grow back properly!

I'm not sure why God gave me pinky toes because it seems life has been trying to knock them off of me ever since. I am a toe murderer. Just my own toes though. I frequently run my toes into to the corners of walls or the legs of chairs. I stump them on curbs, bumps in the sidewalk, or anything I can. Lately the legs of the baby swing and high chair have reeked havoc on my littlest digits. However, Saturday was a red letter day in the history of my toe torture. As proof of this I am sitting here days later with a throbbing, very purple, perhaps broken pinkie toe.

It all started Saturday when I somehow caught my left pinkie toe on the blue wire like legs of the baby bouncy while cruising through the living room on my way to answer natures call. It hurt so badly that nature decided to leave me a little message right then. (I know TMI>>>But this is my blog) An hour or so later after the first bruise was forming and the pain had yet to subside, I limped by the highchair and somehow rammed the same little toe into it's gangly leg . Now I understand the highchair legs need to sprawl out to insure stability...but seriously! I think there is high chair designer out there somewhere calculating how many toes his design will mutilate!!!

If that were not enough for one day, a few minutes later I stumped the same little toe on the legs of the portable swing... That cute little swing is two feet tall and my kids love to move it around. However when you are rushing around with a baby in tow, it's easy to miss! Three times, one day, one toe and, judging from my inability to move it and it's deep shade of plum, I'm guessing multiple fractures! OUCH!!!

So I'm hobbling around with my littlest left toe taped to its neighbor. No shoes fit, not even flip flops. And did I mention I had just started walking a few miles with a friend every night last week? That's out for a few nights. I'm really bummed!

However, since I don't feel like running around town in my house shoes, I get to stay home all day and get about a dozen things done I have had on my to do list for week or so now...including write this post! Ahhh the feeling of marking something off my list! Off to write thank you notes and finish up a few loads of laundry .... Happy Monday blog world! Be sure to appreciate your toes today!

For Susan

As requested here are a few pictures "at least!" and an update on us.
Ella Kate is now 11 weeks old and full of smiles! She is especially happy when she sees the baby in the mirror! Our little Ella Bella Katie slept through the night two nights in a row this week and (big breath) even moved to the crib in her room!!! She is holding her head up unaided for long periods of time and seems to recognize us all when she hears our voices. At her two month check-up she weighed 12 pounds and is almost 23 inches long! That is a lot of growing in just two months! Ella Kate is cooing so much and loves to just sit and "visit". We are all blown away with how verbal she is. Kolby says she is musical because it sounds like she is singing all the time. EK has become accustomed to her carseat as she spend lots of time in it. She is just a joy!


Rhett and Kolby are both doing great and keeping us on our toes! We are in a good place in life with these two, even though I have begun to feel more like a taxi cab driver than a Mom! Kolby started back to dance this year and loves it...Though it isn't as easy as she remembered. She also joined a Girl Scout Troop and feels like she has discovered a new world! She really enjoys every aspect of scouting so far. Kolby loves her teacher at school and is happy to go to her tutor at Baylor twice a week. My Mom and Kolby came up with a checklist for chores etc. Every day and it is really making things run smoother. Kolby continues amaze me with her creativity and her strong spirit. She is a very sweet girl.

Rhett is doing great in his pre-school class. He is becoming such a little man! He is up, dressed, and ready to go every morning before the rest of us are up. He has already started talking about next year when he gets to leave with Rob and Kolby every morning. Rhett is playing soccer with his best buds and loves it. He has issues, but overall, he is a happy, fun loving boys boy. He cracks me up several times everyday with little Rhett-isms. I love that little boy!

More to come...blogger is being a bit honoree this morning!

REVISED OK You want to know why I don't blog often....blogger won't let me! I could not get blogger too post pictures any other way so scroll down to see the rest! :)

Singing to mommy.

With cousin Drake

 

 

Happy Birthday Rhett!

My baby boy is five today, though he would argue that "baby" Boy title! I can't believe it. Tonight we will celebrate with a Cars birthday party at Burger King. I love Burger King birthday parties because all you have to do is show up with a cake and a checkbook and the kids LOVE it! We needed an easy birthday this year. Really.

Today Kolby starts back to Baylor. I had hoped to drop Baylor after Camp Success but I don't think she is read y for that yet. Kolby also starts back to ballet and tap today after a two year lull. Busy girl that Kolby!

Ella Kate is two months old today. That baby just melts my heart! We had a very rough night last night. She is congested and gets all choked up and gags on flem. It scares me so I'm taking her to the doctor today. Say a prayer that it's nothing. I hate for little babies to be sick!

Busy busy day today! AND IT RAINED LAST NIGHT!!!!!! It is actually cool today!!!! YEAH!!!!! I love it when it finally starts to cool off after a very long hot summer! Hopefully we are done with the triple digit weather.

Must run!

Halloween

Yes it is September 1, but it is not too early to think about Halloween. Everyone knows this is my favorite time of the year because the weather, the colors, and THE COSTUMES!!! I just ordered our costumes from www.buycostumes.com and am so excited! The kids are going to be super heros this year...well sorta. Anyway, if any of you want to order from buycostumes leave me a comment or e-mail me and I will give you a code for free shipping. I can give it to up to ten people.

Ok must run... Happy Labor Day Weekend bloggies!

I'm a bad blogger!

I could write a whole blog on why I haven't been blogging...But that would bore us both ( me and the other person who might check this blog) to tears. I can't believe I have only posted three times this month! Sorry friends!

Today Ella Kate is 8 weeks old! So hard to believe! For those wondering, NO, I still don't have this Mom of three thing mastered. We're all fine but there are no free hours, or even minutes in my day... And when I do make time for something, it's a baby or a child. Blogging just hasn't made the cut. BUT I miss you guys all so much and hope to at least read your blogs when I can't write my own.

Seems like the blog family is thinning out. First Clarissa left us, now Mereidith and Kelly have gone MIA! Do you find it harder to blog these days? I had a baby, so that's my excuse. Why do you think so many are quitting "the blog" or posting much less frequently... Hum .. Could we all be so busy?

Hope to post more soon. Just wanted to say we are still alive and kicking!

Long time, No blog

Revised with pitures 8-19
Wow it has been 14 whole days since I actually posted something on this blog. That has to be a record for me. This time it had nothing to do with computer problems and the like. It's just been a bit hectic around here. I actually sat down many times to blog but never could finish...here's hoping the baby sleeps long enough for me to finish this post!

Today is a big day for us...
K under the big birthday cake we made for her school!

Kolby started back to school this morning. THIRD GRADE! Wow! She was thrilled to be back and bebopped down the halls. I only went with her to snap the traditional "first day of school picture with the teacher" then was out of there. No tears. That's a first for me. Kolby never cries over going to school. She is so happy to be back with her "people" that tears are the last thing on her mind! I don't know a more social child than my little Kolby!:) I however, have always shed a tear dropping her off on the big first day, until today. This year, for the first time ever, I can actually say I am glad that school has started! I have secretly been counting down the days. Never thought I would be "that kind" of Mom. But honestly, it's been a little hard juggling the needs of an 8 year old, almost 5 year old, and a newborn for the last few weeks. With Kolby at school, the needs and ages differences are a bit easier to handle.

A bit of a brag on Ms Kolby. Two Saturdays ago my Miss Independent decided she wanted a different hair do. Knowing I was way too busy to get her to Ms. Debbie that day, she thought she would just do it herself. She thinks she can do anything, so cutting hair seemed like no big. Well she chopped off some bangs, decided she didn't like them, so she just cut the hair off close to the root "so it wouldn't show!" !!! She went about her day like nothing happened. Ten minutes later, I saw her hair and almost had a coronary. I was beside myself! My little girl had buzzed her hair off resulting in a one inch by two inch triangular patch of spikes RIGHT IN THE FRONT OF HER HEAD!!!!

I cried, screamed, and really had a fit... Kolby was upset because I was. She felt terrible and I made it worse. In the midst of my tirade asking her why on earth she would do that and "What in the world did she think people would say and think when they saw that an 8 year old, who knew better, had butchered her hair" Kolby looked at me and through tears said, "No matter what my hair looks like I am still a good person on the inside and that is what counts." OUCH! I regained my perspective pretty fast after that. When I cooled off, she asked what her punishment was. Rob and I decided there was nothing we could do to punish her that she hadn't just done to herself. She would just have to live with the consequences of her actions and that was bad enough.

We made an "emergency" trip to the beauty shop that afternoon and figured out a way to sort of plaster the spikes down and comb hair over them to cover it up. We came home, and life went on. It isn't that bad, if the hair plastering goop holds. Still, if I were Kolby I would stay home, only to leave the house with a hat on my head. Kolby however doesn't even give it a second thought. I think her attitude is much healthier than mine. Happy to be herself!

This morning I spent a good ten minutes trying to get her hair just right. I didn't want kids to make fun of her. I thought she might be a bit self conscience over it, but she never mentioned it. As we walked towards the third grade hall this morning I was mentally saying a prayer that Kolby would have a great day and no one would notice her hair and make fun of her. About that time I realized Kolby had stopped a few steps behind me. She was crouched down talking to a little girl who was sitting against the wall. I turned to call Kolby to "come on" when I realized the girl looked like a terrified little animal.

This was a girl from Kolby's class last year who transferred in just as school was ending. She was very shy and Kolby told me the year before she didn't talk much. Before I knew it, Kolby had asked her what class she was in and then scanned the hall for someone else she knew in that class. Kolby then called another little girl over and introduced her shy friend to this little girl. She then helped her shy friend up and walked her to her room with the other little girl and told her she would find her at recess. Kolby with friends at Blast off!
The whole thing took less than three minutes. Here I was worrying about Kolby's hair while Kolby was too busy caring about her friend to think about her hair. I think Kolby will be just fine this year! I'm still not to happy about her hair, but I am so proud that she hasn't let it change who she is or how she acts.

Today is also big because Ella Kate is six weeks old today!



SIX WEEKS OLD!!! The newborn diapers officially became too small yesterday. She is now in size 1's. The 0-3 month clothes that swallowed her two weeks ago are starting to look like they fit. She is sleeping 6 hours at a time some nights. She coos and girgles all the time. Just yesterday EK gave me the first really big smile and almost laughed at me! She is starting to not look like a newborn! She has a bit of baby acne on her right cheek and is loosing a bit if her newborn hair. She is also starting to hold her head up really well! It is going too fast! I don't even have birth announcements out yet! How can she be SIX WEEKS OLD??? I think I will stop thinking about it as I might cry. In a nutshell our little EKG is doing very well, it's just going way too fast!!!

The third reason that today is a good day for us is that Rob found out this morning that he is getting a hotel paper route which means no throwing...which means I can actually do this one all by myself need be. I could write a whole blog about the ups and downs of the paper route.. but it would be Rob's blog because I haven't set foot in the old Waco Trib distribution center since I became pregnant with Ella Kate!

The paper route was supposed to be the job I was getting to help make ends meet while still staying home full time. There were three main problems with me having a paper route though...
1) I am not a morning person. (Is 3AM actually considered morning?)
2) I throw like a girl... and a wimpy girl at that. My papers landed in all the wrong places...I still feel bad about that windsheild! Joking! :)
3) I get extremely carsick if I have to read and drive. Reading and driving in the dark while starting and stopping and trying to read house numbers and actually throw papers out the window so that they land in a targeted spot takes me way beyond the normal carsick. Rob finally took me home one morning after we had to stop three different times for me to puke in the street.
(Didn't want to leave Rhett out!)
So my little job became Rob's paper route and he has done it 365 days a year for 2.75 years come rain, snow, fog or blistering heat. I am excited that this hotel route has Sundays off! Maybe our entire family will make it to Sunday School! :)

Well the babe is stirring in her crib and this post has to be long enough for a weeks worth of blogging! I guess I'll stop. Hope this is a great day for all of you in blog land!
My babies!
I'll try to add pictures later!

It begins

The baby is four weeks old today. It doesn't seem possible that she has been here that long, but then again I can't imagine not having her! Life with three kids so far is about like I thought. More laundry, less time, but oh so much more love! My favorite thing to do these days is just to sit and look at the baby! She looks a little different every time I see her. It feels like my EK viewing hours are numbered though...

With school starting two weeks from today (OUCH!) IT begins! IT being that hectic paced life that has us living event to event, barely having time to come up for air. Tis the season! Yes, it has already started. I am working on a pretty big project at church and there are some things I need to do for school/PTA this week.

As I type I am preparing to paint a ten foot birthday cake to hang in the cafeteria! It's our little elementary school's twentith annivesary. I talked everyone into a big 20th year celebration last year for this year. Now I feel very compelled to help throw this big party, since it was sort of my idea. I bring these things on myself, I know! But I love this kind of thing! It is taking all my self control not to do more than paint the birthday cake! Well, self control and the fact that it is harder to "get things done" these days. This is my third baby, you would think I would not be surprised by that!

In addition to IT starting, Kolby has outgrown all of her clothes and shoes. SERIOUSLY, EVERYTHING! Even her shorts are now too short for school. Kolby didn't grow all that much from age 5 to age 8...but since February the girl has been growing like a weed! We have skipped entire shoe sizes and skimmed through some dresses sizes so fast that she might as well have skipped them. Kolby has been really upset that so many of her favorite clothes don't fit anymore. She has just gotten by this summer, but we won't be able to make dress code with 95% of what is in her closet. It's times like this that I really wish we went to a school that had mandatory uniforms! Bottom line, I need to do some serious shopping for my growing girl...and who knows how Ella Kate will fair with shopping. Everyday is a new adventure.

That's all the time I have for now. Just wanted to check in! : )

Questions of the week

Why do babies sleep so well AFTER the sun comes up?

How can someone so small produce so much laundry?

Why do breasts not come with oz markers?

Will that brown line ever disappear?

And this, my least favorite from Rhett... "Mommy when are you going to stop looking pregnant?"

EKG Week 2 ~ Photo Blog

I discovered many things about my world during week two! I love this cat who sings to me as I get my diaper changed! This is one of Mommy's favorite pictures!

While I have been hanging at home, my siblings have kept on the go. This is my big sister dressed for Cowboy day at Camp last week.
Rhett and Justin on their way out to the water park!

My big brother really digs me now! He loves to hold me.

At my two week check I was still a bit jaundiced so I have been catching some rays to break down those billy rubins! I weigh 8 lbs and 3 oz and have grown 3/4 on an inch!

Very interesting! Every time I open my eyes, she takes my picture!

This was my first big family dinner with lots of cousins and big people to hold me! I slept most of the time but loved the attention!
My Daddy and his kids...chilling and watching a movie before bedtime.

My brother, sister and me in our PJs.

Look! I wore something not pink! I wore blue one day too, but spit up before Mommy could get a picture.
Next week when this yucky cord falls off I can take a real bath in my cute duck tub...Until then I will tolerate these spounge baths.
This swing is cool for about 20 minutes...Then I like to be held or sleep in my basket again.

More to come!

Wanted: a (working) mouse in my house

I am blogging from my parents because my computer mouse won't move! It has been frozen in one spot on my computer screen for three days. I can't point and click. I can't open anything. My computer will start up and be just fine but I can't do a thing with it without that silly little mouse! Funny how dependent I have become on that little moving arrow on my computer screen! All my addresses, all my pictures, all my favorite sights are out of reach as long as I can't click.... And birth announcements are a bit hard to do with out a computer to print them on!

Hopefully it's just the mouse. As sooon as I get out and about I hope I can pick up a cheap mouse and be back in business... But our computer is a dinosaur as far as computers go, so each time there is a problem I am afraid that it is the end! I need to get something to back up my old harddrive! I would lit6erally go into mourning if I lost everything on that computer! Any ideas?

Must run for now! Hope to be back to blogging soon...Amoung 100 other things I want to do on my computer, I have two week old pictures that I am aching to upload and post! Wish me luck!

Still on the honeymoon

Today is my due date. For months July 17th was the focal point of my life. But then Ella Kate and my body had other ideas! Now July 17th will be forgotten and July 5th is the big day. It was noon before I realized today's date. Funny how a date can seem so important then suddenly be "just a day" again.

Rob went back to work today. Laundry had to be done. Kolby needed someone to pick her up from Camp Success. Rhett needed breakfast. The baby vacation is officially over. The real world is starting to creep back into my days. No more napping at will and staying cool and cozy at home 24/7. We are all still very much in the "honeymoon " stage with sweet baby Katie though! I could sit and watch her sleep for hours...And I still will do that as much as possible, vacation or not.

Ella Kate has already grown and changed quite a bit in the last 12 days. The tabs on the newborn diapers don't overlap like they did at first. She stretches out a lot more now instead of sleeping in a little ball. She made the jump from eating at will/whenever to eating every four or so hours. She seems to recognize our voices and she is awake a little bit more than she was at first...But not much more. Though it breaks my heart, I think she is starting to loose some of that sweet newborn hair. No matter how hard it can be to have a newborn, these are the most precious of days! I wouldn't wish them away for any amount of sleep, energy or any other "mommy of a newborn" scarcities!

Honestly, I still can't believe she is here! I still just want to sit and hold her. I want to hold on to each moment and not forget how she looks, sounds, and even smells today. I don't want my baby to grow too fast. I don't want to forget the feeling of that sweet little newborn balled up and sleeping soundly on my chest. I pray that I will be able to remember this forever... Yeah we are still in the honeymoon stage.

And you know that saying about "the third time being the charm"... For me that has been true. It's more than just her ideal birth and hospital stay. In fact it has more to do with me than with the baby. It could be because I know that this is my last baby. They say with age comes wisdom...I'm not sure about that, but this time around the little things don't freak me out so much. I don't feel like I have to have my birth announcements out right away. I don't freak out after not sleeping for three nights. I know it will be hard to get out with all three kids at first and that all this is just a phase... A short precious phase that in ways will be over way too soon. I am letting, or perhaps even making myself stop and enjoy Ella Kate being a newborn. Maybe other people get that with the first or second baby...For me it took the third!

Completely off the subject, I have wanted to say something to those in the blog family who regularly read this (Yes, all five or six of you...who else would have read this far in this rambling post?)....

I can not thank you enough for your prayers and words of encouragement over the last weeks! The morning we left for the hospital to have Ella Kate, I was so nervous. As we drove across town I remembered all the comments from sweet blog friends who said they were praying for me. I really felt your prayers. It was such a comfort! AND I believe God answered prayers with the ease of Ella Kate's birth.

I feel very blessed by your prayers and the hand of our Heavenly Father. I felt his hand through out my pregnancy. I am so grateful and thankful for all of you who petitioned him on my behalf and provided "prayer cover" for my family. Though I have not met some of you face to face, you are my sweet Christian brothers and sisters and I feel very close to you! Thank you so much for blessing me and my family with your prayers and support! You are the best!

Back to the honeymoon... If I don't blog to regularly for the next few weeks, rest assured I'm just too busy enjoying this sweet baby and the family God has blessed me with! Love to all!

One Week Old Today! ~ A Picture Blog

It's hard to believe that our baby girl is one week old today! It has gone by fast, yet at the same time, it's hard to think of our lives with out her! Here are some pictures of Ella Kate's first week. All is going well. I will update this post and type more later.

Hanging with my family the first night home.

Doing time in the billy bed. I was glad to see that thing go!

My first trip was back to the hospital for a billy rubin check. My second trip was to see Dr K for a newborn check on Monday.

Sun bathing to get those billys down.

Watchng the All Stars with the guys.

My sister loves me so much!
I'm going to have "flash" burn if they keep taking pictures of me!
I have more hair than my brother or sister did at this age...and of course Mommy had to take a picture to document this!

We love our sweet one week old baby girl!