Goosey Lucy, Turkey Lurkey & Chicken Little

2011-06-26T22:02:00.000-05:00

Well, despite grandpa requiring emergency surgery on Saturday the BBQ went on as planned on Sunday. Grandpa even got to come home from the hospital Sunday morning in time for the BBQ. I think everyone had a great time and it was wonderful being able to see so many family members that we might not have been able to see. It was also wonderful for the trio to be able to hang out with their cousins a little more. They sure do love them and really had a great time playing with them.

Apparently I have a budding photographer. Markas took this picture of me.

Grandpa looks pretty good for having surgery less than 24 hours before this picture was taken.

Playing ladder golf. All the kids had a blast "playing" it.

Uncle Maury Chapin, Daddy, and trio

Uncles Dave and Maury Chapin, daddy, and trio

Daddy, Grandpa, Grandpa's twin brother, Dean, and cousin Juli(Dean's daughter) and her hubby Bruce.

Cousins!!! Uncle Mike's girls(2 of them anyway, the 3rd was off on her honeymoon). Katie, Grace and Lucy

More cousins! Back: John, Josh, Taylor, Luke, and Markas
Front: Grace, Lucy, and Katie
It would be quite a site to actually have all the cousins in one picture.

Uncle Mike, Aunt Cindi, and Daddy

Daddy and Markas

Not What We Had Planned.........

2011-06-25T15:35:00.000-05:00

My father in law woke up yesterday morning sick. Our van had been making a funny noise so Thursday he had called the Chrysler dealer in a near by town to make a service appt. for us. He and hubs took the van over yesterday morning and got it taken care of. No biggie and didn't cost us much. He continued to complain all day that he didn't feel well and spent much of the day in and out of bed. Sometime around 4 or 5 this morning he was up throwing up again.......a lot. My mother in law said that's it and took him to the ER. The hospital is in another town but only about 20 min. from where they live. Well, my poor dear father in law ended up in emergency surgery around 1pm this after noon. He had a small bowel obstruction. My mother in law called a little while ago and said they were able to repair iin laproscopically and all went well. He may even get to come home tomorrow. Unfortunately, this means they won't be able to join us on the Island on Monday. Oh, and tomorrow there is a big party planned here at the house. They are both insisting that it go on, with or without him. My mother had surgery yesterday but she is home and doing well. At least my sister in law is there to keep an eye on her.

Hubs and I took the trio to the city park this morning so they could run and play and blow off some energy. We have been pretty couped up since we got here because of all the rain. Today is a beautiful sun shiney day. They had soooo much fun. I sure do envy the weather they have up here.

So.............just a couple of pics from the last 2 days. There are more pics and a little bit better ones but I can't get them off the camera they are on until we get home.

Vacations

2011-06-24T10:33:00.000-05:00

We took a day trip vacation to the beach the weekend that Caitlin graduated. We had lots of fun playing on the beach for the day. The trio learned how to boogie board, the babies were completely fearless. They ran right into the water. They laughed when they were knocked down by the waves. I think we all had a blast. Pics will eventually be put up but in the mean time, the collage is a few of the pics that I took while we were down there.

Now, the hubs and I are on vacation with the trio. We drove 1500 miles, well 1534 to be exact, to get to Michigan to visit the hubs' family. It was a very, very, very long drive. Overall the trio was good but they definetly had their moments after being cooped up in the car for 12 hours a day. I taught the boys to pee in a bottle because every 30 min. they were asking to stop to go potty. Lucy did great. She would go when we would stop and for the most part not ask to stop but would just go again when we would stop for something. We haven't done much getting here. We have just taken it easy so far. We did drive over to the town the hubs was born in to place flowers on his mom's grave and then we drove over to the town he grew up in to see his brother and sister. His brothers boys were supposed to have a baseball game but it got rained out. So, we went out for pizza and then just hung out at his brothers house. The trio had a blast playing with 2 of their cousins. John and Luke are 9 and 11. They are just about the only ones that are anywhere close to their age. They all had fun and left me wishing we lived closer so they could have more time like that. I also always feel bad that my hubs doesn't get to spend the time with his family that he would like and we live next to mine.

The boys have followed grandpa around and been driving him crazy. Grandpa is making an ark plaything for his church's playground. The boys have been thrilled watching him work on that.

Sunday most of the family that is scattered across the state is coming over for a bbq. Then Monday morning his sister, her husband, her daughter and her husband and their baby, and his dad and his wife are driving with us up to Mackinaw City. We are going to spend the day on Mackinac Island. I just love the island and can't wait to show the kids Fort Mackinac. I think they will have a blast.

My Girl Did It!!!!

2011-06-06T16:34:00.000-05:00

This past Friday we got to watch Caitlin walk the stage. She is officially a high school graduate! I am soooo proud of her. I always knew she could it but had doubt that she would. She had so many obstacles in her way. Her biggest being herself. She has always been pretty lazy when it came to doing school work. She has an IQ of over 120 so the problem was pretty obvious. Then, she got pregnant and had Devin. I know what that is like. I dropped out of high school half way through my senior year because of babies. I was afraid she was going to follow in dear old mom's footsteps and just get her GED. Thank God she decided to prove the world wrong and finished. She may not have finished as well as she could have but that doesn't matter to me. Just the fact that she finished is the important part. She still has many rough and challenging years ahead of her but I know that she can do whatever she wants, as long as she is willing to work and sacrafice.

She spent this past weekend just hanging with the family. At her request we spent the day at the beach yesterday. It was a lot of fun and a nice break. I am so increadibly proud of my baby girl. She did it!!!!!

I am proud of all of my kids but she accomplished something that hasn't happened in years in our family. Almost 30 to be exact. My oldest nephew dropped out, my son dropped out and got his GED, and like I said, for a while things weren't looking promising for her either, but she did it!!!! Funny how our hopes and dreams for our kids change so much as they get older. I guess they don't change really, just take on a different form and alter just a bit.

OH My Wow! I did it again...........

2011-06-06T16:01:00.000-05:00

So much has happened.

Lucy had her surgery and things went well. The doctor said that her adenoids were 100% blocking her nasal passages. So, hopefully she will sleep better now. She was pretty whiny the first few days but day 7 she seemed to just all of a sudden get better. She is only needing tylenol twice a day now and is eating more.

Jayden had his 1st birthday and so did Devin. I made both of their cakes. Jayden got a monster and Devin got a monkey. Their cakes had to match thier themes. Jayden was a lot more into the cake than Devin was but they both managed to make a mess.

Things have been crazy busy and for some reason it is so much harder to blog now that the kids are older. I am really hoping that I can start finding(err..making) the time to blog on a more regular basis. So much is happening and we seem to be on the run constantly.

More pictures to come soon. I hope........

Wow!

2011-05-12T09:18:00.000-05:00

I have been a horrible blogger! I am going to make more of an effort to blog at least once a week. I love doing it but I have let life get in the way.

Josh saw the ENT again, after the hearing test. All was well and he thinks we have gotten a better handle on his allergies and shouldn't really have anymore issues.

Lucy had a sleep study done. She has obstructive sleep apnea. They said she "wakes" on average 11 times an hour. She is having her tonsils and adenoids removed on the 26th of this month. The ENT said that cures 90% of kids of their apnea. I don't know if he will want to do another sleep study a couple months after or not. We have her preop appt. on the 16th.

Markas is doing well. Still doing speech therapy. Josh is still doing ocupational therapy and daddy is doing physical therapy 2 x a week for a partially torn rotator cuff.

We have all started martial arts. The kids love it and so do I. Not sure how dad feels about it. We are doing Krav Maga, Karate, Kickboxing (Thai and American), and a little Jujitsu(sp?). I wish I had known how much fun it is sooner so I could have started sooner. The kids are pretty good and they can all hit pretty hard.

I think we finally have EVERYONE potty trained. It has been a long time coming and I can only imagine the way people have judged us for it but it certainly wasn't from a lack of trying. Josh has had it for a long time, Markas for a quite awhile. In fact, the day he decided he was potty trained he was completely trained. Night time and all. Lucy finally, over the last week or so, has gotten it. She still wears a pull up at night but we are good during the day now. Yay!!!!

I have been on a baking frenzy. Not sampling my own wares though, that would be bad for the waistline that I am trying desperatly to shrink. Jayden had his 1st birthday on Easter Sunday. We had a party for him the day before. I made him a monster cake. I will post pics soon. I have also made cake balls. I am trying to find my groove with them and what works so I can hopefully make some really cool ones for my graduate. Devin's 1st birthday party is in a little over a week. I am making him a monkey cake. I will be sure to post pics of that too.

Caitlin is finally graduating on the 3rd of June. We are sooo proud of her. We had doubts that it would happen since she fell so far behind after having Devin but she did it. I knew she could if she put effort into it. She was just lacking that effort there for a while.

I will try to get new pics up tonight. No promises though. It will be soon if not tonight.

Another update

2011-03-03T12:58:00.002-06:00

We just got home from another trip to the ENT, this time for Josh. He has had a recurrent ear infection since the last post. The ENT wants to try and get his allergies under better control and see if that helps. Josh has an appt. on the 23rd to have his hearing tested and we will see the ENT again next month to see how he is doing. He also said it is possible that his adenoids have grown back. I guess we will see.

I have an appt. next Tuesday for Lucy's sleep study. I guess it is the initial, this is what we do, what you need to know, how to need to prepare, kind of appt.

Other than all this, everyone has nasty coughs. Devin has RSV and Jayden is, so far, doing well. One of these days I will get some pictures and put them on here.

Life has been crazy between all the doctor appointments, therapy appointments, my work schedule and my school schedule. I am determined to find a time to just really enjoy doing nothing with the kids on a picnic in the woods and have fun with my camera.

I spent a week in Lafayette, Louisiana a couple weeks ago. My company is based there and I went for a week long class. I was also just asked to be a preceptor. They are making it difficult for me to go part time. I guess the good Lord is hitting me upside the head and trying to tell me something. So, we will just keep on keepin' on and maybe one day soon we can afford for the 5 of us to vacation in Hawaii. Or maybe we will have the money to take the whole family on an Alaskan cruise. Or, maybe, we will just take the kids to Disney World next year.

Updates

2011-02-08T13:22:00.002-06:00

The boys were referred to OT. They thought Markas was fine, maybe a little delayed but not enough to be concerned with. So, he is still just getting his ST.

Joshua is now recieving OT. They said his skills were very scattered. They don't think he will need it for too long though. He is doing great and loves his therapist.
He woke up a couple weeks ago screaming about his ear. I took him in the next day and he had a horrible ear infection. It was so bad the Dr. was really concerned his ear drum would rupture. No worries though. Antibiotics did the trick and nothing happened to the ear drum. We are so blessed. Between the 3 of them they have had less than 8 ear infections in the last 4 years.

Lucy and Markas both saw the ENT. They decided not to scope Markas again and just keep up with what we are doing with the ST and the Prevacid.

Lucy on the other hand needs a sleep study done. He thinks she has obstructive sleep apnea. After the study is done we will go back and discuss surgery or whatever else he wants to discuss. I am a little nervous about the sleep study being done. She sleeps like crap anyway and doesn't sleep well at all away from home. I guess we will see how that goes.

Otherwise they are all doing well. Played in the tiny bit of snow we got a couple days ago and loved it. Unfortunately it wasn't the packing kind of snow so we couldn't do anything with it. Of course, they don't have a clue one way or the other so it didn't matter to them.

4 year old check ups

2010-12-10T18:21:00.002-06:00

Boy are we getting big! Some a little too big.

Lucy- 44inches and 57lbs. Got a referral to the ENT. We have been following her weight for some time and don't know why she is gaining like she is. She seems to have plateaued for the moment. She has been 57lbs for about 6 months. Still a beautiful little girl and just as sweet as can be. She loves her brothers dearly and she loves her nephews as well. Her favorite color is still pink. She loves anything princess. She is bossy, sassy, and loving.

Joshua- 43inches and 48lbs. He will be starting OT due to delayed fine motor skills. He is a chunk but not quite like his sister. He is as cute as ever. Still very much a daddy boy. Favorite color is still green. He loves anything Toy Story, mainly Buzz, Spiderman, Superman, Transformers. He is sweet, loving, and can be down right mean at times.

Markas- 41.5inches and 38lbs. Still recieving ST. Was evaluated for OT and was delayed but not really enough to recieve services. We can work on stuff at home and I am sure he will be fine. Still a handsome mama's boy. Sweet, loving, and extremely mischevious. He is the brains behind all wrong doing in the house. Favorite color is still blue. He loves all things Toy Story, mainly Woody, Superman, Spiderman, etc. I think we are big trouble come the teenage years if the evil little ways don't stop.

Happy 4th Birthday

2010-11-16T17:43:00.000-06:00

We had a nice relatively quiet celebration at home. We have very few friends our age and poor Lucy really doesn't have a girl friends. So, no big birthday parties for us. A couple of good friends and thier kids and the family we have here. We did a jungle theme this year and my best friend, Lynne, assisted me in making two cakes for their birthday. I thought they came out cute and am working on what we will do next year.

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-11-01T23:39:00.007-05:00

We went to the pumpkin patch again this year, only we found a new one to go to. It is the same place we go to pick strawberries and blackberries. We didn't get to go at all last year. We had fun. We got some decent pumpkins and gourds for decorating with. We made 2 scarecrows. We ate pumpkin ice cream. There was a lot more to do but we were tired after making the scarecrows. Do you know how long it takes to stuff them? Well, for 1st timers anyway, it takes a while.

Trip To Kansas

2010-09-16T17:34:00.006-05:00

This last weekend I took all 5 kids, plus 1, and both grandsons to Kansas. My dad lives in Wichita and I hadn't seen him in 11 years. Therefore, he had never met his youngest grandkids and of course he hadn't yet met his 2 great-grandsons. It was a very long drive but I think all the kids did well. The little ones anyway. Our trip was much to short but none the less I am glad we made it. I got off work Friday morning and we headed out. We didn't get started when I would have liked so by the time we reached Oklahoma City it was 1030 at night and I was done! We spent the night just outside of OKC. From there it was a short 2 hour drive to my dads. We stayed at a Comfort Suites. I love Comfort Suites. The rooms are spacious and there is a fridge and microwave in the room. The free breakfast in the mornings makes the stay that much better. We all stayed with my dad and my step-mom. Saturday evening, Matthew, Jessica, Jayden and I went to the commissary on base to pick up a couple of things. When we got out we discovered that Matthew had locked the keys in the car. We had taken his car and mine because he was going to get gas while on base and the boys were with me, so there wasn't enough room in his car for all of us. Jessi called her insurance company and they sent someone out to pop the lock. Only, the first guy that was sent wasn't real bright. He was of middle eastern decent, on Sept. 11, and he blew the gate! Not smart. The SP's were gonna let it slide and allow him to continue on except, his vehicle had no registration. So, she called the insurance company back and they sent someone else out. So, we spent 2 hours in the parking lot with 3 small kids. Oh, and the diaper bag was locked in their car. And. Jayden was starving. It was fun. Really.

We got a late start out on Sunday but it was worth it. We didn't leave until 1230. I do wish we could have stayed longer. We got home about 1230am. 12 hours on the road. We did stop at the first rest stop in TX and I got some cute pictures of the kids. They ran off a little steam and we hit the road again.

Just a few new pics and Ms. Lucy's first real hair cut

2010-09-16T13:44:00.005-05:00

Chicago

2010-09-16T13:01:00.007-05:00

In July I had the chance to go to Chicago for the Pampered Chef Conference. I had a blast! I missed my family a ton but it was a wonderful trip. I got to go with my BFF and got to do a little site seeing while I was at it. I am so hoping that I get to go back for next years conference. There was a ton of great info. and it was nice having 4 days of me time. It is the first time in a very, very, very long time that I have had that. I have always been a huge Cubs fan so it was thrilling for me to be able to see Wrigley Field! It would have been better had I been able to go to a game but as my luck would have it they weren't even in town while I was there. I also saw the Biograph theater where Dillinger was killed. I absolutely love Grant Park! Every bit of it. It was so neat to see the butterflies, rabbits, trees, flowers and all that in the middle of skyscrapers and concrete. I love Chicago. Not enough to ever live there but certainly to visit over and over again.

Potty Dance!!!!

2010-08-13T21:09:00.000-05:00

We are doing the potty dance(finally) here at the house. Everyone has been peeing in the potty for a while but today something new happened!

Joshua got up this morning and told me he was soaked. I told him to go to the bathroom and start changing and I would be there in a minute. I came out of my bathroom and was met by Lucy. She, very excitedly, told me that Joshua was pooping on the potty. Sure enough.......he was. He did it again tonight before going to bed. I really did think I would be sending them to school in diapers or pull-ups or something. However, I think there was a switch that went on today with him. Hopefully the other two will soon follow.

I also watched my boys pee standing up for the first time today. I am so very proud of them! They are really growing up!

Super heros and the Princess

2010-07-05T10:43:00.004-05:00

I live with 2 super heros and a princess. Sometimes, they are Power Rangers, sometimes Superman, sometimes Spiderman. Lucy is a princess Power Ranger or just a princess. It all depends on the day. They are super silly all the time!

Just Bein' Silly

2010-06-18T22:41:00.000-05:00

Gifts and Goodbyes

2010-06-17T22:20:00.001-05:00

Grandpa bought the boys tool sets and then decided while he was here that he needed to make them tool boxes to hold all their tools. They LOVED them! Lucy ended up getting a tool box made by grandpa and a tool set that Aunt Cindi bought.
Grandpa and Grandma brought mommy and daddy a China cabinet and a table that seats 8! Mommy was super, uber excited!

Aunt Cindi bought us puppets while we were downtown at Market Square. We put on a puppet show when mommy came home from work.

Another failed attempt at a family picture. We just can't get everyone to be still!

Visitors from Michigan and Mission Espada

2010-06-13T10:27:00.000-05:00

Only my husband would wear fishing waders to mow the lawn in South Texas......in the summer time.
Baby Devin.....isn't he just the cutest?
Grandpa arrived from Michigan!!!

Brother Jerome at Mission Espada. He gave us a personal tour and history lesson for the family on the missions. He is quite the comedian!

We had a great visit with Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt Cindi. It was way too short and we can't wait to see them all again!!

T-Birds and Pink Lady in the Making?

2010-06-05T10:09:00.000-05:00

Daddy is selling his motorcycle. He hasn't been on it much since the trio came along. I am kind of glad it is going away. While I enjoyed riding with him, I haven't been on it since I got pregnant with the trio. I know how people totally don't pay attention to motorcycles and that always had me worried. So, in getting it ready and cleaned up to sell, the trio had a good time playing on it and trying on our helmets.

Memorial Day BBQ

2010-05-30T11:21:00.000-05:00

We had a great day BBQing at grandma's. Bubba Matthew was there and had all his fire stuff with him. We had a blast trying it on for size. There just might be another firefighter or two in the family. Gotta keep up with Mommy and Bubba Matthew. :)

Silly Girl

2010-05-27T11:14:00.002-05:00

This little girl(well, truth be told she isn't so little) is quite silly. She loves to sing and dance. Her favorite song is Jesus Loves Me. She sings it all day long every day. One of these days I will get it recorded. It is quite cute. She loves her brothers and her nephews a ton!

Baby Devin at Home

2010-05-20T10:21:00.001-05:00

Helllllooooo Baaabyyyy!!

2010-05-18T14:45:00.000-05:00

Caitlin went to the hospital on Monday night because she had some bleeding. Mommy left work and met her at the hospital. They were going to send her home and mommy was going to go back to work. The doctor came in and said, "umm, we don't want you pregnant anymore." Mommy asked her why and she said that Caitlin's blood work had come back and her white count was extremely high, so, she had an infection somewhere and they didn't want her pregnant anymore. The doctor said they were going to admit her and induce. They got Caitlin settled in her room and let her take a shower. When she got out of the shower they hooked her up to the toco and discovered she was suddenly in active labor. Her contractions were coming anywhere from 1.5-5 min apart and were lasting 60-120 seconds. She was only in labor for about 8 hours. She pushed for almost 3 though. Devin Alexander entered the world at 1134am, weighing in at 8lbs 9oz and 20 3/4 inches long.

Our favorite!!!

2010-05-12T14:34:00.000-05:00

We LOVE pizza! Mommy doesn't let us have it very often and mommy never lets us eat anywhere but the table. However, this night, mommy let us eat in the living room! It was lots of fun. We really liked it but we haven't been able to do it since. Maybe one day soon mommy will let us do it again.

Almost ready for another one

2010-05-02T08:10:00.000-05:00

Mommy had a baby shower for Caico and her baby. There were a lot of people that came over. I think we heard mommy say there were about 40 people. There were other littles for us to play with and there were a couple of guys for daddy to talk to. Caico got a lot of stuff for her baby. We sure can't wait to meet him!!!

Mommy worked really hard to make it nice for Caico. Daddy took us and we all spent the night with our big sister Jessica at her house. Daddy said mommy didn't need to be bothered with us because she had so much to do. We heard she spent most of the night up cooking and cleaning and making the cake. We don't think making the cake took that long but it was probably decorating it that did. Mommy likes to make and decorate cakes for special occassions but it takes forever!

Horses!

2010-04-26T07:59:00.000-05:00

We went horseback riding for the first time ever. It was a lot of fun. We are hoping we get to go again sometime very soon. Mommy wasn't there so the pictures aren't all that great, which is another reason we are hoping to go again very soon. Daddy and big sister, Caico, took us to her friends house so mommy could sleep. Mommy works nights and daddy will try to keep us out of the house we don't bother mommy.

Hello Baby!!!

2010-04-25T22:25:00.000-05:00

We would like to introduce our 1st nephew, Jayden Gage Mills, born on 4/24(his due date by the way) at 810pm. 7lbs 9oz and 21 inches. We are very proud of the parents, Matthew and Jessica(not sister Jessica).

Strawberries!!!!!

2010-04-13T16:11:00.000-05:00

We went to Sweetberry Farms to pick strawberries. We had such a great time that we picked 27lbs of strawberries!!! No joke. We had strawberries coming out of our ears. It was a great day but mom neglected to get a picture of our 27lbs of strawberries. We were hoping to make another trip to pick blackberries but we don't know if we will be able to. Mom is finding it a little more challenging these days to get decent pictures of us. Maybe someday soon we will start cooperating for her. :P

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T11:18:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter! A great church service in the morning followed by a wonderful time with family in the afternoon. Aunt Katie brough cascarones and we had a ton of fun with those. A dozen of those don't last long with us that is for sure!

My Carpenters

2010-03-31T08:04:00.004-05:00

We had several empty pallets from the grass we had delivered last year. Daddy decided that the kids needed to have a club house. So, the 4 of them set out to build it out of these pallets that were just lying around. They had a great time and I think the boys would pay close attention to grandpa if they were given the chance. Unlike their dad and uncles. :)
A couple of days ago dad was replacing the weather stripping at the bottom of the back door. He was replacing it with this molded plastic piece that slides on and then has to be screwed in place. He had the trio helping him. Unfortunately, I didn't think to get pictures. Markas drilled him in the shoulder. Joshua was standing over him with the hammer in his hand like he was ready to strike at any moment and Lucy kept losing all the screws she had been placed in charge of. It was quite a site.

Palmetto State Park

2010-03-13T19:40:00.010-06:00

Today we went to a nearby state park for the day to do some hiking, picnicking and just playing outside. It is a park I just discovered but I really can't wait to go back. Although, I think sometime this next week we will go to another nearby state park and check that one out. We had a lot of fun and I think I am more worn out than the kids are.

Recent Pics

2010-03-08T23:19:00.005-06:00

The weather was beautiful a few days ago so we took advantage of it and played outside, which meant mom got to use her camera. Here are a few pics from that day. Of course, since that day it has been rainy and dreary.

Chchchanges

2010-02-23T08:18:00.002-06:00

So much has happened since my last post and while it has been a little while it hasn't been that long!

First, I promise to post new pictures sometime soon.

OK, I started my new job last week. It was tough for me because I had been with my previous company for 13 years. I literally grew up with my previous employer. I was just 21 when I started working there and an EMT-Basic. I grew up and moved up and finally got my EMT-Paramedic 11 years ago. Since making the move, I am glad that I did but it was a very tough choice. I spent all of last week living in a hotel in Austin going through orientation with my new employer. I got home around 6pm Friday night. I was so tired that I went to bed early(about 10pm). Good thing I did. At 230am my phone rang. It was mother calling to tell me that my 19 year old, Matthew, had been in a car accident and was in the hospital. I got up there as quickly as I could. On my way she called back and said that he several fractures in his right leg. I walked into the hospital as they were splinting his right leg. He had 2 fractures in the tibia and 3 in the fibula. All of them right around his ankle. He was admitted and they finally gave him a PCA pump to help with his pain. He was finally able to get it under control and rest a little. The first ortho surgeon that saw him told us it was to complex and he couldn't handle it so he was calling someone else. The surgeon he called is great at what he does and doesn't have much of a bedside manner. Oh well, as long as he fixed my kid right, that is all that really matters. He had surgery on the following Monday. It took 3 1/2 hours. He was able to come home the next day. I took him back to the ER this past Saturday because he lost sensation in his toes and couldn't move them. They took the splint off that he had on since surgery and put a new one on. I took him back to see the surgeon yesterday. He told us that Matthew can take the splint off a couple of times a day and start working flexing his foot and stretching the achille's tendon back out. He said he will go from the splint to a walking boot. No real cast! He goes back next week to have the staples removed. The surgeon said it was a devestating injury but Matthew has great bones. I guess that is a good thing.

Caitlin is doing well. She is having some issues with reflux as Devin gets bigger but that is all. Her doctor said he is going to make her a homebound student when she gets a little further along. She will still be able to walk the stage in June though.

The trio, are, well, 3. The drive me nuts and make me laugh all at the same time. They can be so sweet and the next second a total brat. We were with Matthew yesterday and Lucy went over and very gently lowered her head and kissed her big brothers big booboo. I came home last night and Markas was awake and in my room. He came running out. Gave me a hug and then ran to his room and yelled,"Ucy ake up! Mommy home! Ucy ake up! Mommy home!" Guess what? Lucy woke up. I spent the next hour trying to get her back to sleep and while I did that Mr. Markas decided to clean. My 3 year old was cleaning at midnight. I think he does the most cleaning in this house, especially as of late.

Wannabe Cop

2010-02-09T22:42:00.002-06:00

Daddy came home to get something one day recently and this kid had a blast playing in the front of his car!

mm...mm....Good

2010-02-06T01:08:00.002-06:00

I think she enjoyed her spaghetti a little too much!
Today at the store she spotted a bag of gummy worms. I told her no, we weren't getting any. Her response:"awww, mommy they are yummy in my tummy, member?
She really does enjoy her food a little too much.

Cowboys and Cowgirl

2010-01-29T23:46:00.004-06:00

Recently my littles found their big sisters hats and eventually her boots as well. They claimed them as their own and had a blast playing cowboys and cowgirl. They would take the hats off and yell "yeehaw". They were way to cute doing it.
And in case you saw the Christmas tree in the background, yes, it is still up. It might be taken down by Easter but no promises at this point.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-17T03:29:00.002-06:00

Now that we are half way through the first month..........Happy New Year!! I have so much to update and just haven't had time. I have a ton of pictures that I want to put on here. I noticed that the last real post I did was their bday and I didn't even include all of the pictures. I have finally downloaded most of the pictures so I guess I will start writing some real posts. I will probably back date them so if there is anyone still reading this poor, sad, neglected blog, make sure you look for the new posts. :)

I can say that everyone is doing fine. Markas has finally started speech therapy twice a week. Lucy is doing fine and likes to show off her new belly button. She is healing nicely from the surgery and her bout with pneumonia. Josh is doing fairly well, although he has been running a fever for a couple of days and I don't know why.
Caitlin is having a boy. His name is Devin Alexander. He wasn't very co-operative the day of the ultrasound but he did co-operate long enough for us to clearly see that he is, in fact, a he. She goes back later this week for another ultrasound so hopefully he will be more co-operative. He just stayed curled up in a little ball last time except for the brief period that he stretched out so we could see the little boy parts. We know that he has 4 chambers to his heart, 2 kidneys, 10 fingers and toes but that is about it. They weren't able to measure the blood flow or any of the other stuff they measure. It was so bad we didn't even get a picture the last time around.
Daddy is having surgery on Wednesday. He is having a toe amputated. Before Thanksgiving I discovered a pressure ulcer on one of his toes. It was bad enough that I made him go to the ER. Thanfully the infection wasn't in the bone but here we are more than 2 months later and it still isn't healed. So, they are just going to remove it. I am thankful that it isn't any worse because I know it could be.

I am looking for full time employment. I am really hoping that I can get on with a municipality so that I have a real retirement. There are a couple of cities hiring. One is right down the street from where we used to live and the other is about 60 miles from where we are now. Since I would be back on a 24/48 schedule the drive wouldn't be too bad. On that schedule I would only work 9 or 10 days a month. I have enjoyed my time at home with my kids and I wish it could continue but it just can't. We used to be debt free but I can no longer say that. Luckily the hole we are in isn't so bad that I won't be able to get us out of it. Of course, I can't do that until I have full time employment again.

I am Tired of Hospitals!!!!

2009-12-18T22:55:00.003-06:00

I am tired of being in hospitals. Since last Sunday morning I have been to the hospital:

Sunday- with Markas because he threw up 26 times in 4 hours and was dehydrated and keeping nothing down. Zofran fixed him right and we were able to rehydrate him and come home.

Monday- Caitlin's OB appt at BAMC. Lucy pre-admission at WHMC. Markas to Randolph for ER follow up with PCM. Back to WHMC with Lucy for pre-anesthesia appointment.

Tuesday- Lucy's surgery at WHMC

Wednesday- Markas to WHMC for ENT appointment and get scoped. Found out he had long term damage from untreated/undiagnosed reflux. Guess they should have left him on his meds when he came home from the NICU.

Thursday- woohoo.........it was a free day!!!!

Friday- yep, that would be today. Had to take Lucy to the ER. She started coughing yesterday. Called her PCM today about it. She hadn't had any fevers. They couldn't see her but said if she started running a fever, no matter what it was, she was to go the ER being post-op and all. Guess what?!?!? She woke up from her nap with fever of 101. Thankfully this trip to the ER was the fastest I have ever had. We were in and out in an hour with antibiotics for..........................right upper lobe pneumonia. Back to her PCM on Monday for follow up.

Saturday and Sunday- I will be working so I will be in and out of a ton of hospitals all weekend!

I am tired!!!!! I want some sleep. Just once. A solid 8 hours. Uninterrupted. That's all I want for Christmas. Really it is.

Oh, and you can do the math on the number of times I have been to the hospital because I am way to tired to count!

Lucy's Surgery

2009-12-15T21:09:00.003-06:00

Lucy's surgery went well. We had a show time of 0815. We got there and had to wait a little while but she did surprisingly well for having had nothing to eat or drink since the night before. We sat in pre-op and played with masks they gave us and she wore her "hat" for a little while before she was tired of it. They let me walk her to the doors and then the anesthesiologist took her from me. She of course cried but he told me afterwards that about half way down the hall she was fine. He said she got a little anxious once they were in the OR but put the mask on and tried to "blow up balloons". She was out in no time. They started her IV, gave her meds and intubated her. The surgery only took about an hour. The surgeon told us after that the defect in the abdominal wall was smaller than anticipated. She attempted to reduce the hernia after she was asleep and couldn't. So, it is a good thing we had it fixed before it became an emergency. She woke up crying that her tummy hurt. They gave her Tylenol #3 and that did the trick. When we finally made it over to the same day surgery rooms she slept most of the time. She did eat some jello and drink some juice when we first got over there. We spent the majority of the time over there waiting for her to tinkle. She was so sleepy that we were having a hard time re hydrating her enough to go tinkle. She finally did about 5pm. It was a big celebration for dad and I. While I signed all discharge papers dad went to bring the car up front. We got ready to leave and Lucy said she wanted to walk. She was walking very slowly and very gingerly. The nurse wanted to get her a wheelchair but she would have none of that. She said she wanted to walk. We walked all the way to the elevator and then all the way out the front of the hospital to the pick up area. I was very proud of her. It was a little tricky getting her in and out of her car seat but she handled it well. She even walked into the house when we got home. She did ask for help getting up onto the couch and she hasn't moved since laying down there but I think she is going to bounce back just fine. I plan to give her her pain meds around the clock for the next day or so and then start backing off on them. I don't want her pain to get out of control and me not be able to get back on top of it. I know what that is like, as I did it to myself after they were born.

In other news, about a month ago I discovered an ulcer on one of daddy's toes. He is diabetic and it has caused severe hammer toe in one foot. It looked so bad I made him go to the ER. Luckily the infection wasn't in the bone, yet. They put him on an antibiotic and sent him to the wound care clinic. He finally got in to see his podiatrist yesterday. The wound still isn't completely healed. He is giving him 2 more weeks with a stronger antibiotic and if it isn't better he is going to amputate. I actually took the news a little better than I thought I would. Of course, he will be just fine with one less toe. At least it isn't his foot or leg or something equally as life altering. One less toe just means he can't count to 20 any more.

Lucy's Visit With Surgeon

2009-12-07T21:24:00.004-06:00

We took Lucy to see the surgeon today. The pedi wanted her evaluated because she didn't like the way her hernia felt. The surgeon didn't like the way it felt either. She said she wasn't able to completely reduce it either and she isn't convinced that it really is an umbilical hernia. She thinks it may be more of a ventricle hernia that is just close to the umbilicus. She said they normally wait until they are a year or two older to do the repair but she is concerned that the defect is just small enough that it poses a greater risk of becoming incarcerated. So, they are operating next Tuesday, the 15th. It should be an out patient surgery. She promised they would give us good drugs for her when she comes home.

Joshua's Visit to Orthosurgeon

2009-12-05T18:01:00.003-06:00

We took Joshua to the orthopedic surgeon on Monday. He looked at his finger and told us that after looking at the x-rays and sonogram stuff he had a space between the joint in the little finger that really shouldn't be there. Since it is there is allowing the lubricating fluid from the tendons to collect and form a cyst. He told us he had never seen that kind of cyst on someone so young and he had also never seen one that big. He asked us if we could come back on Tuesday. He wanted to drain it but wanted to do it under sedation. So, we spent 4 hours getting him pre-admitted. We came back the next day and spent another 4 hours for a 5 minute procedure but it was worth it since he went to sleep a happy boy and woke up with no pain and not having a clue what had happened.

3 Year Check-up

2009-11-30T19:40:00.006-06:00

We had our 3 year check up last Monday. Thankfully everyone is healthy but we do have some referrals with specialist.
This precious little girl weighs what a 6 1/2 year old should weigh so we are on a diet of sorts. She weighed 44 pounds and was 42 inches tall. She sees the surgeon on the 7th for her hernia.

This is little man is good. He is still high tone but that won't change. He has an appt. tomorrow with an Orthopedic surgeon for a cyst that just popped up on his finger. He weighs 38 pounds and 39 inches tall.

This little man of mine was a whopping 34 pounds and 38 1/2 inches tall. He has this very raspy, hoarse sounding voice. I asked the doc about it and he won himself a referral to ENT to be scoped. She is treating him for reflux thinking that might be the issue but wants him scoped so that if it is a congenital paralysis of his vocal cords then we can stop the Prevacid that he is on. She is also referring him to Speech Therapy. We have all these appts in the next 2 weeks.

We also had our 3 year pictures taken recently. I can't wait to see what they look like.

Birthday Pics

2009-11-19T00:09:00.005-06:00

We had a small family only party. That is just our style, at least for now. The trio got new bikes and helmets and some much needed clothing. All in all it was a good day. I made their cake and it took me forever. If I had not had 3 little helpers I have no doubt that it would have gotten done much faster. I love Wilton cake pans. I love decorating cakes. I love making homemade icing. These little things make me feel good.

Happy Birthday

2009-11-16T23:05:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday my beautiful babies. You are no longer babies. It has been a wonderful 3 years and we have all grown and changed so much. You are 3 of the best things in my life and I can't imagine life without a single one of you. I scarcely remember what life was like before you. The one thing I will never forget is the longing I had and thought would never be fulfilled. Boy was I wrong. I was blessed with not one but 3 beautiful babies.

Today was a little tougher for me than the previous 2 birthdays. I was at work and standing in a NICU at precisely the times you were born. I had to take that baby to his mama so she could see him and touch him before we left to take him to the same NICU that you were moved to. That was a tough one for me. I remember very well the nurses and my fellow co-workers bringing you in so I could get a brief glimpse of you before you were whisked away. I barely knew what you looked like. It was so hard to see through all of the tubes. I knew though, that you were absolutely beautiful.

I think I allowed myself to realize for the first time today how close I came to not seeing you at all. That realization was a hard one for me. I think I also, for the first time, grieved for the fact that you all were almost a week old before I ever got to hold you for the first time. You were days old before I even got really see you and count each tiny finger and each tiny toe. You were small but you were perfect.

You have grown so much! As I was rocking each of you at bedtime tonight I remembered very clearly how each of you just about fit in the palm of your daddy's hand.

Lucy, you are so big now I almost can't rock you. If I remember correctly from the last time we measured you, you are about 42 inches tall. That's a lot of growing from the mere 17 inches you were when you were born.

Joshua, you are just a couple of inches shorter than your big sister. Still a lot of growing from your same mere 17 inches.

Markas, my baby boy, you have gone from being the longest on your birthday to being the shortest. You were 18 inches and now you are about 38 inches. That is still a lot of growing kiddo!

Lucy, you are the caretaker, ring leader, instigator of the group. You love to start trouble and you always blame one of your brothers for something done wrong. You are also the first to try and make things better when they are hurt or upset. You have yelled at me several times when I have popped one of the boys on the behind. You tell me, "you no hit my bubba!" Then you run off to find their blankie or animal or whatever to make them feel better. You don't like it at all when they get into trouble. You are so stubborn. You are also little miss independent. We hear frequently "no, I do it self". If you can't do it, you then ask us to help you. Your hugs and kisses are free flowing. It melts my heart when you just randomly walk up and wrap your little arms around my legs, look up, and say "I love you mama".
You are such a beautiful little girl with a beautiful little spirit. I think your daddy and I are in big trouble in about 13 years.

Joshua, you are still your daddy's boy. You only want mama when you are sick, hurt, or mad at daddy. You are still my shy boy and you are not as quick to find mischief. You are a little more reluctant to do the things you know you shouldn't be doing but once your brother and sister start in you are right in the mix with them. You are a total klutz. You are always falling and hitting your head. I don't think a day goes by that there isn't a bruise somewhere on your head or face. How we have escaped serious injury up til now is a miracle I think. Your angels really watch over you baby.
Your kisses and hugs aren't quite as free flowing as your sisters but they are definitely just as sweet. At least once a day you tell me you love me and it just melts my heart when you do. You are such a silly heart. You love to wrestle with daddy. Poor daddy isn't in the door 5 minutes from work and you are climbing on him and trying to get him to wrestle with you. I love to watch you 2 play. You are so happy when you are playing with your daddy.

Markas, my baby boy, you are still your mama's boy. You are so sweet, quiet, sensitive, and a down right trouble maker. I think you are the mastermind to all the mischief but not quite brave enough to actually start it. You can dish it out my little man but you usually can't take it. You are usually very thoughtful. If you bring me your cup for more to drink, you bring your brothers or sisters cup with you as well. Then you will take it to them after it has been filled. You love to help me cook and clean. You have gotten quite good at putting the silverware away after it has been washed. You usually only need a little direction as to where things go. Even though you hardly ever eat, you are the first to round everyone up for meal time.
Your hugs and kisses are free flowing as well but usually only for mama. I get tons of kisses from you every day and lots of I love yous too. Those I love yous melt my heart just like they do from your brother and sister. We have to be careful with kisses. You don't like it when kisses come with noise and you tell me "no noise mommy". You don't like loud noises at all, period. If they are really loud noises you cover and little ears and shake and cry.

You all love M&M's. You ask for them all the time, thanks to daddy. You know mommy doesn't like you eating a lot of candy but you still try it anyway.
You all love Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go, Wow Wow Wubbzy and Wonder Pets. You would watch Nick Jr. all day long if we would let you. You are finally starting to count and say your ABC's. I admit it, mommy has slacked big time in teaching you those things. Your colors and shapes are no problem though.

Joshua still comes to mommy and daddy's bed every night. Some nights Lucy and Markas follow. While I miss having my bed all to myself and being able to cuddle with daddy, I love cuddling with you guys. I love you three with all of my heart and soul! I am so blessed to be your mommy and I am looking forward to a lifetime more of memories with you.

Before you were conceived I wanted you
Before you were born I loved you
Before you were here an hour I would die for you
This is the miracle of life.
-Maureen Hawkins

Love,
Mommy

PS. Pictures of birthday to come tomorrow.

Halloween 09

2009-11-15T00:11:00.004-06:00

See, this is further proof of how far behind I am. Geez, I am terrible. If you know me at all, you know that I have a BAD habit of waiting until the last minute to do things. I admit it. I PROCRASTINATE!!! In a terrble way. That being said, not much thought goes into the costume thing.

We usually go to the church and participate in the annual Fall Family Festival. This year we did something different. We went trick-or-treating for the very first time. The kids did well up until the scary house. At that point they were done and wanted to go home. There is one house that always goes all out in decor for holidays. They had a thing that looked like a person sitting in a chair on their front porch. It rocked back and forth and occassionally the head would raise and the eyes would light up red. Lucy completely wigged out and ran back to the van. Oh yeah, we discoverd we are in different world out here in the country. Most people load trailers up with hay and take kids around being pulled by tractors. There is just too much space between houses to walk it. Well, you could but chances are good that you would only hit 2 or 3 houses before you were too tired to walk anymore.
Ok, back to the story. We came home, got baths, and then off to bed. By midnight Lucy was up crying and talking about the scary red eyes. Poor baby. We took her to bed with us. One of the curtains was open and she kept pointing outside and saying "red eyes". She finally went to back to sleep about 2 and only after closing the curtains. She still talks about the red eyes on occassion. Like tonight, we were watching the Wizard of Oz and the first scene where the WWofW appears she immediately started talking about the red eyes. Poor kid. I hope she is over it by next halloween. Oh, and they didn't get any candy from that house. JERKS!!!!

Family(and friends like family) Picnic

2009-11-14T00:34:00.005-06:00

I am so behind on blogging that these are from the beginning of Oct I think, maybe the end of Sept. It has been awhile to say the least. My step-daughter Jessi works for USAA. She reserved one of the many pavilions on the campus one Sunday afternoon. So, after church we headed over for a family picnic with some very good friends. The weather was just about perfect and well, the USAA campus is just gorgeous! We had a great time and some great food.

Catastrophe!

2009-11-12T22:46:00.003-06:00

Well, almost. Just after the trio came home from the hospital my hubby was at Wallyworld and found some material that he just had to have. It was fleece and he had a yard or so of it cut and gave one to each of the trio for Christmas. Joshua has Dallas Cowboys, Lucy has Winnie the Pooh, and Markas has Superman. Cowboys because that is daddy's favorite football team. Pooh because all the years that we thought we would never have a baby we said we would do Pooh if we did. Superman for Markas because he was our little Superman the day they were born. He was doing so well. He never had to be intubated. He moved to the step-down NICU first, etc.
Well, 3 days ago we lost the superman blankie! OH MY GOSH!!! The first night I managed to fake it and get to sleep. The 2nd day, well, it was melt-down city all day long. I finally ran out that night in search of more superman material. Guess what? NO ONE........I mean NO ONE, carries it. So, I bought three yards of Wow Wow Wubbzy. I couldn't just buy it for Markas, the other two would have had a fit. It worked, for that night. He was still searching the house high and low the next day looking for his blankie. He asked for it at nap time and bed time but Wubbzy was still doing the trick.

Well......................we have 3 potty chairs that we don't use but they are out. I was moving them tonight and the lid came up on one of them. Guess what? I found the blankie!! Markas was so thrilled and so was I! Yes, the potty chair was clean.

Random Kid Shots

2009-11-03T22:32:00.002-06:00

Just a few random pictures of my baby boy who will soon be a daddy and his baby brothers and sister. They really love their big bubba Matthew. He is really good with them and I think he just might make a pretty darn good daddy himself.

Introducing............

2009-11-02T22:31:00.002-06:00

Mr. Joe Cool

Future Ballerina?

2009-10-20T16:00:00.000-05:00

I'm Ready To Go Mom!

2009-10-19T15:56:00.001-05:00

We took a weekend trip to a friends ranch recently and Markas was eager to go! So eager, he helped load the car.

Dare Devils

2009-09-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

More Fun With Water

2009-09-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

Fun With Water

2009-09-27T00:02:00.003-05:00

This summer was a crazy hot one. Most of the summer and late spring we spent with 100+ degree temperatures. It was so hot even at 9 or 10 in the morning that we couldn't even play outside. We did find a few ways to beat the heat though. Popsicles have been a staple in our house and the kids had a few fun days with the sprinkler.

So Behind.......

2009-09-25T11:49:00.003-05:00

That seems to be the story of my life these days. I haven't quite figured out why since I am home more. I do know one thing, keeping up with these kids 24/7 is soooo tiring! There have been lots of changes and lots more to come. We found out a week ago that Caitlin is pregnant. Matthew and Jessica's baby is due April 24, 2010 and Caitlin and Colton's baby is due somewhere around May 7, 2010. She has her first appt. next Monday so we will have a better date at that time. She and Colton are going to get married after the baby is born. He is going to go to college and work for his grandfather. I guess they will be living with his mother until they are able to get on their feet.

Joshua had an appt. at the school on Tuesday with the speech therapist. About half way through his testing she asked me if I wanted her to test Lucy too. I don't really know the results yet but she did tell me that Lucy had more mistakes than Josh. They will call me in October and let me know what the results say and then we will meet on Nov 4th to officially go over those. If they tell me in Oct. that they both qualify then I will ask them to test Markas too because Lucy talks waaaay better than either one of the boys, in my opinion.

The trio are changing and doing and saying so many things now. They keep me laughing, most of the time. They are adventurous and like to try and escape the fenced in part of the back yard. We have been playing outside a lot more lately since the temperatures have finally come down some. We had a "cold" front come in that kept us locked in for a couple of days because of the rain but I really wasn't complaining. I spent a couple of evenings after they went to bed on the back porch with a fire going in the fire place. I love having 2 fire places, one being outside. It isn't quite cold enough for a fire inside and just chilly enough to enjoy a fire outside. There were plenty of other things I could have been doing but chose not to. That right there is probably part of my problem. Like right now, I should be cleaning or something but instead I am sitting on the back porch with my computer while the trio are napping.

The other day while playing outside, Markas wasn't able to get in one of the swings. He called for help. Lucy went over, picked him up, and put him in the swing. It was too funny. Yesterday, the boys were screaming and acting silly. Lucy walked into the room, put her hands on her hips, and said, "boys, boys, boys! Shhh!"

We have only half heartedly started potty training. I really should because we could use the money we waste on diapers but I have decided that I too overwhelmed at the prospect of training three on my own so they are just going to have to potty train themselves. I would love to do one at a time but they just won't let me. What one does, they all have to do. Sometimes that is very frustrating.

I am amazed on a daily basis at the love and bond they have with each other. I feel so blessed to be able to watch it grow. They still fight like crazy sometimes but there are those increadibly special moments that I am sure only multiples have. It is so cool to be able to witness it and have that little window into something so private between them.

OK, I am sure there is plenty more to write about but I can't think of it at the moment so I will just start adding a few pictures and hopefully it won't take quite so long to update again.

South Padre Island

2009-09-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

We took a mini vacation to South Padre Island. None of us had ever been there and we wanted to see what all the hoopla was about. Well, now we know. It is a 6 hour drive as opposed to a 2 hour drive but soooooo worth it! The beaches are clean and sea weed free. The water is actually clear and not murky and it really looks blue! When it gets dark there are no oil platforms to be seen in the distance. It is just beautiful. Hubs says it reminds him of Hawaii only no mountains on one side of the island. Things are a bit more expensive than they are in the Port Aransas area but again, worth it. It really is an easy drive even if it is a long one. We drove down on Friday and hit the beach for a while after checking into the condo. Saturday morning we ventured into Port Isabel with the plan of going to the top of the light house. We went to the Dolphin Research and Sea Life Nature Center. It was a little disappointing as it appears bigger on line but it was cheap, just a 3 dollar donation per person. That price beats the aquarium in Corpus any day. Caitlin said she wasn't feeling well and went out to sit on a bench. We came out and she just didn't look good. We decided to just go back to the condo rather than wait for the light house to open. On the way back to the car she started throwing up. She spent the entire rest of the day in bed. Poor kid. It wasn't much of a vacation for her. We drove around the island for awhile just getting to know the area and, mainly, so the kids would nap. After they woke up we went back, fed them lunch and then hit the beach. We had a great time. We also ended up dropping our stuff right next to a detective from BCSO. We didn't know it until she came out of the water though. I thought it was hilarious. I mean really, what are the odds that we would be on the exact same stretch of beach as another officer that the hubs knows over 300 miles from home? It was also the first time she had ever been to SPI.
After the beach we hit the pool. Some of us literally hit the pool, or at least the side. Not once but 3 times. Poor Markas was having rough time of it. He was trying to climb out, using the stairs, and slipped and bumped his lip. He got over that and was back in the water with me holding him and him holding onto the side. He bumped his head, twice, in two different spots. Shortly there after I decided maybe we should just go back to the condo so I could start dinner. Markas is a strange child. He freaked out getting on the elevator because there was water on the floor. He doesn't like to have sand on him. He doesn't really like to get in the water at the beach.
Lucy is completely fearless. She would run headlong into the surf and not think twice about it. Joshua isn't much different. Several times I had to chase them down the beach because they were chasing birds and not once ever looked back to see where mom or dad were. I think I will have 2 little fishies on my hands. They love going to the "big water" and even going to the "baby water". Markas does too, until we are actually there.
We all went out that night for ice cream and then headed back home Sunday morning. They were really good on the car ride down and back. Schedules got a little screwy since they didn't go to bed until well after 9 the two nights we were there but we are finally getting back into the swing of things at home. Funny how just a couple of days of a screwy schedule can take twice as long to get back to the usual schedule.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

So Much to Blog About, So Little Time

2009-09-01T22:16:00.006-05:00

First, see this really cute couple? This is my oldest son, Matthew, and his fiancee, Jessica. Well, apparently they decided that there weren't enough little ones around. Some time next March/April they are making me a grandma. It's a good thing I still have ALL my baby stuff. They also just moved back from Arizona so they are living with us until they get on their feet. They are both working and trying to save money for all the deposits on their own place. It has been nice having them here. I have missed having my baby boy so close. The nicest thing has been some of the changes I have seen in him. I think he might actually be growing up. Lord I hope so since he is gonna be a daddy.

This spunky, sassy, full of attitude teenager is a senior in high school. Since she spent so much time goofing off and got behind she is trying to play catch up. There is a possibility she will be a senior again next year but she is really trying. Even if she does pull it off she won't be walking the stage because she will have 1 credit to get during summer school. She told me the other day that while she would like to walk the stage that isn't what is important. Maybe there is hope after all. :)

These three, well, they are almost 3.
Lucy is actually 2 going on 16. This girl can have attitude! She gets mad, she storms off to her room, slams and locks the door. I tell her it is time to do something and her come back is "2 more minutes mom" or "5 more minutes mom" and occasionally, "10 more minutes mom". Where does she get this stuff?!? She can also be the sweetest and most loving little girl in the world. If one of the boys is crying she is always very concerned about why and she will try to kiss their booboos for them or get them their blankie or whatever she thinks will make them feel better. She loves to give to kisses and hugs and is a great cuddler. She loves her big sister, her big brother and her soon to be sister in law. Of course, she has something special with her brothers that none of us can get close to. She is talking up a storm and repeating just about everything.

Joshua has had quite a language explosion since his surgery. He is still a daddy's boy. He is also still all boy. Loves anything that a typical boy loves, bugs, animals, being adventurous, etc. He is still waking up every single night. Now I am sure it is out of habit alone but I can't seem to break it. The nice thing is that when he gets up instead of wanting daddy he wants mommy. That is the only time he is really interested in me. He is occasionally willing to give hugs and kisses to his brother and sister. We have an appointment tomorrow for a follow up after is surgery.

Markas is still very much a mommy's boy. He is so sweet and can be a little too sensitive at times. He loves his brother and sister to death and usually plays very well with them. Up to the point that they start antagonizing him, then the fight is on with lots of crying and whining on every one's part, mom included. He is usually a pretty good boy but every now and again he decides to push the limits. He is my cuddle bug and freely gives hugs and kisses to everyone. He can have a mean streak and poor Caitlin seems to get the brunt of that. He will tell her to go away, refuse to give her kisses, and that kind of thing. I think he just likes to pick on her. It never lasts long before he is showering her with kisses and hugs.

I still have a million pictures to post from our trip and just other random pictures. I will get that done eventually.

For Grandma

2009-08-24T22:38:00.000-05:00

Ghostbusters

2009-08-16T11:00:00.003-05:00

Daddy has gotten these kids hooked on Ghostbusters. They would watch it multiple times everyday if we would let them. They ask to watch it every single day. When I bought the movie I found both 1 and 2 in a set. They came with a book. Markas has claimed the book as his own. He does share it but he is always in control of it and Lord help us all if someone takes it from him. I have to say, the other 2 are pretty good about giving it back to him if they pick it up of off the ground. It is really very cute. I thought the pictures were priceless. Markas was looking at the book when Lucy climbed up next to him and they looked together. Later he was laying on the couch looking at it and she laid next to him and again they "read" it together.

Josh B'Gosh

2009-08-15T11:00:00.001-05:00

Mom's Night Out

2009-08-14T11:00:00.002-05:00

I had a chance to get out by myself a while back. I had dinner with some old friends from work. 2 of them I hadn't seen in about 10 years. It was a great night but I had to cut it short. We were going to leave the restraunt and go to a club for a drink and when I stood up..........my shoe had broken! It was already late enough that there was no way I was going to get a new pair of shoes. I have huge feet and finding size 11 shoes at Walmart........well, that can be next to impossible most of the time. So, they went on to the club and I went on home, where I glued my shoes back together. I really like those shoes!

2009-08-13T11:00:00.000-05:00

Since I am always the one behind the camera and I don't think anyone else in my house even knows how to use a camera.........I had to take a few pictures my self with my kiddos. That being said, keep in mind they are horrible pictures of me but the kids look cute.

Markas

2009-08-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

I am not real sure when he started sitting like this but I think it is increadibly cute. He sits like this ALL the time.

Fun at Mrs. D's

2009-08-11T11:00:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago after church we went to our friends house for lunch. We had a wonderful afternoon and went swimming. We love spending time with them. I am totally bummed because they are moving to Austin soon. I am very happy for them because E has been commuting to and from for several years now. They finally have the chance to move closer and for that I am happy for them. Plus they are getting the chance to buy a brand new house. I am bummed for me because they won't be so close anymore. :(

My Goofy Girl

2009-08-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

We Love Blocks

2009-08-09T22:15:00.002-05:00

We love all kinds of things but lately, one of our favorites has been blocks. We love to see how big our tower can get before it falls over. I think Joshua is in the lead with the tallest. Oh, and the Lucy face........that is her saying "cheese". Too funny.

Too Hot........

2009-08-07T20:08:00.003-05:00

It has been waaaay to hot to play outside, especially in the afternoons. For that reason I have been a little more lienent when it comes to their escapades in doors. For some reason they are totally enthralled by my kitchen chairs. They also love the window in the dining room. We did attempt the park the other day but even at 930 in the morning it was HOT and we only lasted about 20 minutes before we were all ready to pack it up and go back home. We seriously need to find a splash park somewhere close by.

Joshua's Surgery

2009-08-03T20:33:00.003-05:00

*Edited to add pictures from before surgery.*
Joshua had his adenoids removed today. The surgery went well other than they scraped one of his eustachian tubes and had a little extra bleeding. We spent about 5 hours at the hospital and then came home. He has slept a lot today and Tylenol seems to be doing the trick in controlling his pain. He was such a trooper. He did wake up one very upset little boy but nothing mommy couldn't handle. He cried for about 30 minutes and then fell asleep. When they moved him from recovery they told me I had to put him back on the bed. Yeah, right! He woke up, again was very unhappy and refused to even sit on the bed. They finally decided they could take us over in a wheelchair with me holding him. Duh!! Don't you do these surgeries on kids all the time? Is my child really the only one that has ever done this? I think not. Popsicles and ice cream are the foods for the day, although, he wants other stuff, like crackers! Stubborn kid. I can't imagine where he gets that from. I am so looking forward to better sleep on all our parts and hopefully easier breathing for him. The doctor said his adenoids were more that 90% blocking his airway. No wonder he snored no matter what position he was in. Poor kid.

Have I Mentioned Lately.............

2009-07-27T23:01:00.002-05:00

How utterly crazy these kids can get?

2009-07-23T20:27:00.003-05:00

I took Joshua this morning to get all the pre-op stuff done. It ended up being an all day event. His appt. with the ENT was at 9 this morning. We finally got home at 345 this afternoon. It was a very long day. After talking to the ENT it sounds like they are going to be taking his tonsils too, only they will only take most of the tonsil on each side. He said that the pain isn't as bad, the recovery is quicker and not as likely to have post-op bleeding. There is a chance they could grow back and in 6-8 years he would have to have them removed again but it is a slight chance. After we finished with the ENT we went and got him pre-registered. We had an appt. with the anesthesiologist at 230. We were done with everything else by 1115. So, we left and went to McDonald's for lunch. I never buy the Happy Meals because they are too expensive. I usually just buy a 10 piece nugget, a large order of fries, and I get the dollar cheeseburger for me. Since it was just the two of us we splurged. I let him get the Happy Meal. He ate just about every bit of it and drank his milk like a big boy without a straw or anything. It was really cool hanging out with just him all day long. I got to see a part of his personality that I don't usually get to see because it gets lost or trampled on by the other two. I am sure there is things about all 3 of them that I don't usually get to see. He was a really good boy the entire day. We played for awhile on the play scape but it was just too hot again to play for any length of time. We went back to the hospital and wandered the halls. He fought sleep and I knew he was exhausted. He finally fell asleep about a quarter to 2. He slept through the anesthesiology appt. He roused a little when I moved him from the stroller to the car but went right back to sleep.
Funny thing is I realized this morning how much they really remember. As I got to the base this morning and went through the gate he started crying, saying "no docor mommy, wanna go home". He said it over and over again until I was finally able to calm him down. I don't know where his fear of the doctor has come from. It started 6-8 months ago out of the blue. I don't recall any traumatizing events with the doctor.
Anyway, with any luck after this surgery he will be able to breath through his nose for the first time in just about his entire life, sleep through the night, and not snore!

2009-07-20T22:33:00.002-05:00

I had some errands to run today and planned on taking one of the kids with me. As it got close to the time I was going to be leaving it was decided that Markas would go with me. Caitlin was going too. Just before we left Joshua announced that he wanted to go bye bye. So, we took him with us as well, leaving Lucy at home with daddy.
15 minutes into our trip Joshua asks where sissy is. We explained to him that Lucy stayed home with daddy. Joshua said "Oh OK, I wan go home now". I called daddy to tell him this cute little story and about 10 minutes later he calls me back. He tells me that Lucy walked up and asked him where her bubbas were. He explained to her that they had gone bye bye with mommy but would be back soon. She said "oh ok, I wan see Shosh daddy". I guess great minds think alike.

We also found today that Joshua will have his surgery on the 3rd of Aug. but I don't know yet what time. I have to take him this Thursday for all of the pre-op stuff and we will find out then what time. Even though I know it is routine I am now starting to get a little nervous. I suppose that is normal though. None of my kids have ever had surgery so this is all new to me.

We will............

2009-07-19T18:18:00.002-05:00

teach this girl how to do the Cha Cha Slide

Look What I Can Do!

2009-07-18T15:46:00.002-05:00

This is what you see when Markas is really concentrating on something. Now that he has discovered he can roll his tongue he does it a lot. It is really funny to watch him concentrating on something because before long out comes the rolled tongue. I don't think he even realizes he is doing it.

The Many Faces Of...........

2009-07-17T11:56:00.002-05:00

Dancing

2009-07-14T09:29:00.002-05:00

Daddy Needs A New Chair.

2009-07-13T17:12:00.003-05:00

After much abuse at the hands of the triplets and many years of us owning it...........daddy's chair finally bit the dust. I am just grateful that it waited to die until after the trio were born. That chair was my saving grace on those months on bedrest. Good bye big and comfy chair. You tolerated us well and for that I thank you.

Changes........

2009-07-08T19:05:00.002-05:00

Daddy and I have had to make some pretty major life decisions in the last 24 hours. I have to say, as tough as they were to make, we feel really good about them. Totally at peace.
We lost our sitter(which really was a pretty tough choice for her)and we have decided that I am going to go part time. I am also going to try and go back to school this fall. I will be taking it slow at first, probably only 2 classes a semester until the trio starts school. It will take a long time to get my degree but that is OK. It is time to be a full time mom and a part time paramedic, instead of vise versa like it has been for the last 2 years. I have faith that we will be just fine and the Lord will provide what we need when we need it.

I have a few new pictures to post but I will do that tomorrow. I haven't downloaded them yet.

Updates

2009-07-02T20:44:00.002-05:00

I don't know where the time is going that I can never seem to post on a regular basis anymore.

Joshua saw the ENT again today. He decided he is going to take out his adenoids. We won't know until the day of surgery if he is going to take the tonsils too or not. The surgery won't be until sometime in August.
Josh is also sitting on the potty on a regular basis and he has even peed once. I am so not pushing this potty training thing. Not yet.

Markas asked to go potty tonight while we were getting ready for bed. He was sitting there and I was talking to Joshua. I heard something and *assumed* he had peed. He kept telling me "caca mommy, caca". I said, "ok, so go". He then hiked up a leg and reached his hand to his butt and pulled up a "caca" covered hand! He had gone all right and I guess decided he needed to show me since I wasn't listening.

Lucy has decided it is up to her when people get to watch tv. She usually says it is her turn but occassionally she will tell me it is daddy's turn. She is becoming a couch potato but it has been so blasted hot. I think we are on like 16 of 100+ temps.

OK, gotta run. I am sure there is a ton more to tell about the kids but I can't think at the moment and I have so much to do to get ready for work this weekend. Oh, and I still need to clean the house.

The Final Beach Pics

2009-06-24T16:20:00.002-05:00

Here are the final beach pics. I must apologize to all my fellow bloggy friends. I have been horrible at following everyone's blogs and even worse about commenting to let you all know I have been there. I feel like I have been super crazy busy but the thing is, I can't figure out what I have been super crazy busy doing.
Some recent Lucy phrases:
"I come mommy"
"I right back"
After peeing on me:"Mommy need diaper"
"my mommy", "my daddy"
"Boys, nap!"
Some recent Markas pharases:
"Shua bad! Shua bite!"(we actually hear this way too often)
"Mommy hep. No daddy hep"
"My mommy"
Some recent Joshua phrases:
"Big water!"(as heard at the beach)
"mommy me cook"(while I am trying to make dinner)
"I done mommy/daddy"(as heard when getting tickled, nose suctioned, or just anything he doesn't really like)
They actually are talking to each other a lot more but they still have their own language and we have yet to break the code. Lucy is by far the best talker and she does it almost constantly. It is not unusual to hear her singing to herself, talking to her babies or even dancing. She loves to sing and dance. Caitlin and I are working on teaching her the Cha-Cha Slide.

And Still More Beach Pics......

2009-06-20T17:46:00.002-05:00

And today........Caitlin put the trio down for their nap. When Markas got up he was no longer wearing the clothes I had dressed him before I left for work. He was wearing jammies! He has gotten really good at not only dressing himself but changing clothes at random.

More Beach Pics

2009-06-19T20:06:00.003-05:00

This kid doesn't like the water too much. He also refused to get down in the sand. He played in it but wouldn't sit in it and as soon as we were able to clean his feet off he was HAPPY!

My center-fold model in training! She loves the water.

They had fun and there are still more pictures to come.
They are really starting to talk a lot. Lucy has taken to calling me honey instead of mommy or mama. Markas called his daddy a geek the other night when he was mad at him. Daddy will call them little geeks when he gets upset with them about something.
I was changing Joshua the other day and he tooted. I said, "did you toot?" He giggled and told me "no, I fart".
I think I need to have a talk with their father.

Mustang Island S.P.

2009-06-16T17:12:00.006-05:00

Sweet Berry Farms.

2009-06-15T15:38:00.007-05:00

A ton of pictures because I couldn't ever get the slide show to load. Sorry. We had a great time last week at Sweet Berry Farms. We picked, itty bitty, but good strawberries and nice fat blackberries. The trio had a great time. We showed Joshua which berries he needed to be looking for and those were the only ones he picked. Markas and Lucy didn't care. They just pulled berries off the bushes. Although, towards the end they started getting the hang of it. We had a nice picnic next to the river afterwards. Then we took a driving tour of my BFF's old hood in Austin. We decided we needed to stop and stretch our legs so we took them to the "zoo", also known as Cabela's. They loved all the animals and the fish, especially the BIG fish in the aquarium.
Coming soon........pictures from our trip to the beach this weekend.

My First TRUE Love

2009-06-10T20:22:00.003-05:00

My baby boy has moved to Arizona. He left on Monday. Despite the fact that he hasn't lived at home in 2 years, I cried for almost 2 hours after telling him goodbye. I pray that he makes good decisions, chooses his friends carefully, works hard, and takes great care of Jessica. He has grown up so much in the last two years but still has a way to go. He has plans of starting college in the fall. I hope he is able to do so and works hard to get his degree.

Sometimes They Get Along..............Sometimes

2009-06-06T20:00:00.002-05:00

Lucy was being especially whiny the other night. She wasn't feeling good and running a little bit of a fever. I was letting her watch a little Noggin before really getting ready for bed. Her brothers decided to join her and............................

there was NO fighting. They had been perfectly lined up sitting side by side. Then Joshua spotted the camera in my hand and moved. Little turkey!

Lots of Updates

2009-06-01T15:04:00.010-05:00

Man, I don't know how I let so much time slip past without really updating. There has been lots happening the last month or so. I guess the easiest way to do this is just go person by person. Sorry, it might end up being a long post.

I am pretty sure I mentioned Steve going to Michigan the beginning of May. He did and it was a good trip. He got to spend some much needed time with his dad. He got to see his brothers and one of his sisters. All in all it was a good trip for him. He has once again managed to get a nice Poison Ivy rash but it is almost gone. I am sure we will be dealing with it again sometime later this summer. He just can't seem to go without getting it at least twice in one summer.

Steve's baby brother, his dad, and nephew
Steve's baby brother, Steve, nephew
Steve's little sister

I am doing well. Finally getting my Pampered Chef business off the ground a bit. Hopefully things will continue to improve. I bought a treadmill last week from one of the firefighters that I work with. It is a gym quality treadmill and I got it for a steal. I have been using it faithfully for the last week along with using our Total Gym. I think I have gained weight though. :(
I have managed to cut a minute thirty off my mile in the last week. As of last night I did a mile in 17:16 and I started at 18:45. It is no longer taking me forever and a day to recover when I get off too. I have decided when I lose 60 pounds I am going to go and get a short and sassy hair cut. Now, lets just see if I actually follow through on that one.

Jessica had a great time in Italy and on her cruise. I think I have mentioned that before. She is doing great at work and loves her job more every day I think. She is looking great and has lost a ton of weight herself in the last 8 months or so.

Matthew and his girlfriend, excuse me, fiancee, are moving to Suprise, Arizona in a week. They have a very nice apartment. Matthew already has a job at a water park in Phoenix. They are excited about moving. They are both planning on taking classes starting this fall. I am very proud of Matthew! He dropped out of school over a year ago. The other day he received his GED in the mail. I would have rather had him actually graduate but at least he did this. It seems kind of rediculous, but I cried when he called me and told me had past the last test. He wants to major in fire science. I am hoping and praying that things work out well for these two kids. I am also really hoping and praying that at least one of them gets through college before I get a phone call about being a grandmother. We had a birthday/congrats/going away party for the two of them yesterday. It was a nice day with lots of good food. Matthew's birthday is the 29th of June and since he won't be here we just rolled everything into one party.

Caitlin chopped off all her hair. She looks cute with it cut the way it is. She has also started volunteering at our local fire dept. She will be doing summer school trying to catch up so that she can graduate on time. Hopefully she is able to pull it off but I am not holding my breath. She is certainly smart enough to do the work, she just has motivational issues. If someone can please tell me how to really get through to her I would appreciate it. We have done everything we know. She is starting to get it but I don't think she truly gets it. Oh, and the poor girl has been fighting a UTI for over a month. She got sick on a Sunday 4 weeks ago. I took her to the doctor the following Wed. We were told it was a stomach bug. The following Sunday we spent the night in the ER. They treated her for severe dehydration and told me she had a UTI. They put her on antibiotics. I took her back a week a half later for a follow up. They did a urine culture and told her if she was still feeling bad to come back in. I took her back this last Friday. They got the results of the culture back that day. She has an unusual UTI that the last antibiotic didn't work on, so, now she is on a second antibiotic with a follow up at the end of the week. Hopefully this antibiotic will do the trick.

Lucy is talking up a storm. We can almost have a conversation with her now. When you call her she yells back, "I come mommy". If she wants me she says "mommy come". She is too funny. Her dolls go everywhere with her. Last night as we were trying to wind down for bedtime, she crawled up into my lap and told me that her baby eat. She had been playing with her baby and a little plate and fork that she has from her tea set. I said "oh, did you feed your baby dinner?". She responded with "yes, baby eat". I told her she better go clean her up and get her ready for bed. She got down and wiped the baby's face and took her to her bedroom. She closed the door and came out a couple of minutes later without the baby. When we went in for bed I found the baby in her bed covered with a blanket. I asked her if she had put her baby to bed. She told me,"sshhh, baby seeping". She cracks me up! She can be a couch potato if you let her. She loves Pinky Dinky Doo, Toot and Puddle, Wow Wow Wubbzy, and Yo Gabba Gabba. She also loves to say "I hep". The other favorite phrase is, "no do it daddy, mommy hep".

Joshua saw the ENT last month. He put him on Flonase to see if that would shrink his adenoids. We go back the 2nd of July for a follow up. He is such a silly heart. He loves Yo Gabba Gabba and Wow Wow Wubbzy. He can be a real pest to his brother and sister. He loves to help and like his sister he loves to say, no do it daddy, mommy hep. Mommy has to "hep" with everything. Noone else can do anything for these kids without them throwing a major fit. It is starting to get a little old. He still loves animals and loves to play with them. He doesn't care if he knows them or not so we really have to watch him.

Markas is still my little man. He loves to cuddle with mama. He is the one that is really most insistant that mommy hep and no one else. He is talking quite a bit as well. Today he took his bear and put his shoes on his bear. Then he took the bear to daddy and made daddy help him wrap his bear up in a blanket. He loves to instigate things, especially with his brother. He is the first to hold hands and he is the one who no longer wants us to pray seperately with them. We use to give them their plates, say the prayer, let them start eating while we got our plates. Now, he wants us to hold hands with them like we do with each other and say the prayer. He is even been heard mumbling while daddy says the prayer and they all say amen when we are done. Way too cute!

All three of them saw the opthomologist last week. The appointment was just for Markas but when he found out that I would be back this week with Joshua he had his assistant sign them in as walk-ins and saw all three of them. Thank you a ton Dr. V!! I told him I was concerned about Lucy's left eye because it seemed to me that it turned inward. OK, not just me, a ton of people have seen it and commented on it. He took one look at her and said, "yep, it sure does". After dilating thier eyes and getting a nice thurough exam, he told me to just keep an eye on it. Right now it really isn't a big deal but if it starts happening more than 50% of the day then we need to do something about it. He did all his special tests and said that so far all of the nueropathways have developed properly so no biggie. The boys looked great he said. Then he said he would see us again in 9 months. Yippee!!

Poor Goats!

2009-05-23T17:21:00.003-05:00