CRAZY summer approaching...

I started school this month, and it's kickin' my butt! I have 4 more sessions (each sess. 8wks) to finish up my Bachelor's. It only took me 17yrs to complete...ha! I'll start the Master's program next May, which will REALLY kick my butt!!

Jorden starts high school in August and has cheer practice all summer. She just got back from her 1st girl's camp (Tempe ward) and has cheer camp early July, then 2nd girl's camp (Maricopa ward) late July. Busy, busy bee!! Oh yah, she also turns 14 this summer. Holy cow!! It seems like just yesterday when I was pregnant with her (in the dead heat of the summer, I might add :) I just can't believe it!

Bella starts swim lessons June 1st, twice a week. If lessons are successful, she'll start beginner's tumbling in July.

Boys will do swim as well, but just on Saturday mornings, for four weeks. They will probably need a second round in July, but we'll play it by ear. Bitty T-ball starts for them in Sept, when they turn two. Mike and I are super excited!

Mike took Floyd to vet this morning, his annual allergies have lasted about a month longer than normal, so we figured we better take him in before he has NO skin left on his stomach! poor guy! :( So $117 later, he got a steroid shot, 2wks worth of meds and a special medicated shampoo, to use 2-3 times a week, til rash subsides. As IF I have time to add that to my plate!! Oh yah, Jorden is home for the summer...score!! J/K, Jordie!

My sister found out she's having another girl...yippee!! So my days are consumed with picking out names for her (or so I think). My older bro leaves this weekend, he's moving to Kansas. We had a going away party last weekend for him and my nephew...bittersweet. While one person leaves me, another arrives. Celeste moves back 'tentatively' late June. I am so stoked and am in "homecoming party planning" mode. I can't help it, Jordie didn't let me have a big shindig for her 8th grade graduation, so I had to settle on a small dinner party. So I'll get my fix with the homecoming party, and then start planning the boys' 2nd bday and Bella's 4th, triple holy cow!!

Never a dull moment....

8:30p- kids in bed
9:00p- bella wakes up puking
9:15p- give her shower
9:30p- new pj's, put her in our bed
10:00p- bella throws up again (luckily on blanket, so didn't have to change sheets)
10:15p- clean her up again, give her crackers and water
10:30p- she finally falls asleep
2:00a- cooper wakes up puking
2:05a- wipe down crib and change sheets
2:15a- both boys get bath (crew didn't puke, but played in cooper's puke)
2:30a- cooper pukes again
2:40a- get cooper cleaned up, new pj's and give boys goldfish and water
3:30a- boys finally fall asleep
3:45a- dad falls asleep
4:00a- mom falls asleep

**don't ask me what time i got up this morning**

Sunday night scare!!

Just when I was about to fall asleep on Sunday night, I hear a scream coming from down the hall. I knew it was a girlish scream so my initial thought is it's Bella...nope! I look over and Bella is in our bed, so I look at Mike just as his eyes open, wondering if he'd dreamt the noise. As soon as he saw me looking at him, he knew I'd heard it, too! So just as we get up and head to Jorden's room, she's already at the edge of our bed saying "someone just crashed my window in!" Mike doesn't even hesitate, runs to the alarm key pad and hits the panic button. This signals the police that we are in distress, without setting off the alarm, and waking the remaining sleeping children...or the neighbors!

We are grilling Jorden on exactly what happened, before the police arrive. She swears she DIDN'T dream it!! My guess at this point is she did, because #1 no crash in window, #2 dogs sound asleep on bottom bunk, and they'd certainly be going nuts if someone was in the backyard, let alone, near the window. Police show up, poke around, come up with nothing! As soon as the officer walks in, I recognize that he is the same cop that came out last year, when had our first attempted break-in, causing us to purchase the alarm!

So all was well, we thanked the officers for coming out, and Jorden kept insisting she didn't dream the noise. We reassured her that it's better to be safe than sorry, and not to worry about it. She may have heard a garbage can tipping over, or someone breaking a beer bottle next door, anything. You just never know. I gave her a future tip though **if the dogs aren't barking next time she wakes up (they sleep in her room), don't be so quick to jump off the top bunk and run for the door** most likely, there's nobody there, and it was possibly in her dream :)

Mike and I finally get back to bed around 2am. Well, Jorden and I really never got back to sleep. Mike asked her if she wanted one of us to sleep on the bottom bunk, but she said she was fine. Mike comes back in the room laughing because she lifted Frankie up on the top bunk to sleep with her...ha! She's not playing around!!

Still amazed that the younger three stayed asleep through it all...go figure!!

Otter Pops save the day

So I was down for a whole week with the flu, sinus infection, you name it! Whatever's been going around for months now, back and forth between my kids and my hubby, finally got me!! I was in bed for five straight days, no food, trying my hardest just to keep down fluids. I was was so worn out and felt so unbelievably DRY! I had a fever so I was hot, and my nose was so raw from constant blowings, that my face just felt so desiccated. We always keep Otter Pops in our outside freezer, for the kids (Mike is a huge fan as well). I used to like them as a kid, but don't usually go for the occasional popsicle. So one of the nights I was laying in bed, and I yelled for Mike to bring me four Otter Pops, not one, not two, but FOUR!! I very insistently told him to mix up the flavors (as if I could taste anything) and to melt them down a bit so that I could drink the juice!! I've never felt so relieved in my life!!

My BFF came over one of the days to help with the kids, and Mike stayed home from work a few days. You know it's bad when Mike misses work! What an awesome hubby I have! AND my house was clean every morning that I was actually able to get out of bed, stumble to the kitchen and get some water!

I still can't breathe entirely well out of one side of my nose, but we're making progress and I'm starting to feel normal again. :)

P.S. Totally off the subject, Jorden made the cheer team...go J!!

I'm annoyed!

The boys both have double ear infections! Well, i guess that'd be quadruple ear infections, huh? :) We took them to their well check and much to our surprise, this is what the doc told us. They didn't have any signs or symptoms, very strange! Which is a blessing in disguise, I suppose, because we would've been back in 3 days when they WERE showing signs, and by then it'd be two cranky kids and another $50 later! So they're on Amox. and ear drops for the next 10days...what a treat THAT has been!

Looking forward to a better weekend ahead. Going to bday party on Sat. and hopefully taking Bella to see Monsters vs. Aliens on Sunday, we'll see how the boys feel.

Jorden's aunt is visiting from Boston and she's at her dad's, so we probably won't see her for the next few days. :(

Mike is behind at work (which we are grateful for, I guess). So he's been working late every night and going in half day on Sat. Kind of a bummer!

Back to dishes and laundry....blah!

the thanks we get....

we struggle with morning sickness, sleepless nights, labor pains, work for what they need, feed them, change them, teach them, support them, comfort them, help them any way we can...for what? so they can throw it all in your face when they turn 13!!!!

somebody shoot me now!!

more of the same old stuff!

kids are running around like mad men right now and i'm catching up on some emails (and just a bit of blogging ;) i'm babysitting my niece again today, long day ahead! jordie is at her dad's for break. my house is clean, laundry is done, dare it say it...i'm a little BORED! i'm gonna regret that, aren't i? i may give mike a call and see if he's got any tedious work for me to do, or maybe i'll catch up on some reading. eh, we'll see how the day goes. as it is right now, i can hear fighting in the other room. most likely it's cooper and bella. gotta go!! :)