Like Hell I'm not....

So I NEVER post pics of my kids but this was too funny not to share, especially since it's Christmas time. We went to our little boys Christmas school program and our little 2yo thought she was part of the program too even though we continually told her all the way to the school it was just her brother that was going to sing for the family, not her. When we got there the teachers asked for all the students to come get their jingle bells and to stand in their spot to start the program and that is when the 2yo got up and no matter how loudly we whispered her name, she was not about to turn around. She was bound and determined to get some jingle bells and sing with the other kids. It was a tight space so getting up to go grab her would have meant we had to climb across all the other parents laps and I don't think they would have liked that too much. So, the best we could do is smile and take pictures.....

Sad tree (tear rolls down)

I chuckled at my friend Liz's tree issues so I figured I'd post what our sad tree has had to succumb to with a 5 year old and a 2 yo.....

As you can see, the ENTIRE bottom half of the tree is missing it's ornaments. We also had a much better looking Thomas city set up but the kiddos have decided these Christmas decorations are new toys!! YEAH!!!! I continually said "don't touch the ornaments!!" but finally had to give up. I moved my better ones higher but all the stupid ones are just lying around the house or have set up camp in our sons room as part of his new city he is establishing.

Stocking "Stuff"-ers.

So, since having a baby right at the holidays, it puts a bit of a damper on how much I can go out and do Christmas shopping. Although I was able to get the bulk of my kids done before our new little girl came, my hubby is another story and this is where I need some help people. Now, I don't want you to be embarrassed because we all do it, but if you are a blog snooper and are reading this right now, please help....What type of gifts should I fill my hubby's stocking with? I'm at a loss this year and can't think of a single smaller item that would be a great gift inside his stocking. I don't mind if you have never commented on my blog before, I love readers, heck, leave me your blog address and we can become great blogging buddies, you can never have too many of those right? So, what are some ideas for great stocking stuff?????

GRATITUDE {isn't a large enough word}

You know, when my world actually has some silence to it I often find myself thinking about the world I live in, my family, my life. I have so much to be grateful for so here (in no order) is what I constantly need to remember in my head and my heart....

1: A hubby who loves me no matter what, literally. And, works really hard to give our family what we not only need but wants too.

2: A child with special needs that even when I let my frustrations with him get the best of me he still loves me and still tries so hard in a world that isn't built for someone like him. He is a constant teacher and a light that if you are lucky enough to have a child like him, you'd know.

3: A world that even in all it's turmoil I can't help but see other cultures living the way they do and it's a beautiful thing.

4: Two beautiful little girls that keep smiles on my face and when I don't have one, my 2yo always points to me and says, "mom, you happy with me". Which means, "mom, you be happy like me". I always try.

5: The fact that my body works the way it should to be able to have a family of my own when I know so many other woman who struggle for years to never be able to conceive.

6: A home that is big enough for us to grow into, not out of.

7: A car, although not my fave, it takes me away from irritations when needed.

8: Schooling and the opportunity I had to go to LA and study design with some of the best artists around.

9: Animals, in their natural element it is awesome to see them surviving.

10: Music and the emotions it can bring out of you. Whether it's a techno beat that reminds me of my good ol' clubbin' days or a song sung in another language that I don't understand but the melody brings something out of me in a good way.

11: Friends and even acquaintances. You can never know too many people in this world, you may miss out on an opportunity to meet someone who just may be a real life angel.

I don't always LIKE my life with daily humdrums but overall, I do LOVE my life and am a very lucky girl to live in freedom with a family that is perfect despite our daily challenges.

WONDER WOMAN!!!!!!!!!!!

For the record, my hubby thinks Wonder Woman is HOT!!! Do any of your hubbies think so too? Anyway, I have now deemed myself as Wonder Woman!! We finally were able to welcome our last little bundle, let me correct myself....our last BIG bundle of joy on Monday afternoon into the world. If you ever want to be scared away from actually having to go through labor, let me give you a briefing of my lovely birth story on this big baby.....

I was scheduled for inducement at an unhappy hour of 5:30am on Monday, which made me a very tired woman when it came to dealing with all the hoopla of nurses and docs messing with me all day long. When I wasn't really progressing much with the pitocin my doc came in to break my water, well, he did, but the baby's head was so huge that basically he had to put what I say was his entire fist up my vajayjay to break the water above baby, NOT PLEASANT!! Then, to make a lengthy day story shorter....the epidural decided to stop working after it only numbed my entire left side beyond the point of just "buzzing" and I maxed out the epidural button they gave me so the dang machine just sat and beeped at me to tell me I get no more medicine. That is when they called the hot epidural man back in and he wanted to take the stupid thing out and reposition it. All of you who have had epidurals know that they are painful to put in, but once working, they are a wonderful thing. However, when I sat up in all my agony of contractions I suddenly felt "something" down there so in mid contraction (PAINFUL!!!) they swirl me around and sure enough, it's pushing time so I didn't get to use the epidural for the worst part of it all, which sucked! After pushing a few times, all the sudden the nurse throws my hubby to the side as two nurses begin SHOVING their fists into my stomach to help BIG baby out. All their fancy fist work helped but I have been tender ever since in my gut. My doctor guessed she'd weigh #9.15 but when the nurse yelled out, "nope, #10.7!" the whole room gasped and I have not heard the end now of "you did that with avoiding a c-section?!?!?" and I can say, "WONDER WOMAN!!!! Yes I did!"

She is a darling baby when she is content, but her temperment is another story...... Oh, and for the record, the pediatrician who saw her said she showed all classic signs of a baby born at 42 weeks. The docs here in TX wanted to up my due date but in the end just decided to agree with my MN doc. Man, glad it's over but now dealing with a newborn all over again is certainly an adjustment!

LOVE the Kalencom!

I am always amazed at how many people stop me to ask where I get my diaper bags so in case anyone else wanted to know I am sharing this deep dark secret.....it is called, "the Internet." No, seriously, some of you may remember the pink and brown paisley print one I was sporting after having R and I loved it so much it was falling apart so I recently replaced it with the one pictured above. I have been slowly going more "green" in my way of living mainly for my sons sake and these bags are not only lighter than air (ladies, you know if the diaper bag is already heavy when it's empty, adding another 20lbs to that is going to cause you to be best friends with your chiropractor, am I right?) but they are also chemical and toxin free "AZO free. We use no Phthalates/DEHP, DBP, or BOP in our PVC. " and because they are covered in a PVC plastic, you can disinfect them so easily!!!!! I technically got my first Kalencom at the General Store in Minnetonka (the pink and brown paisley print) but after that one had seen it's day I turned to the internet and although you can purchase directly from Kalencom.com I chose to search for a site that sold the bags cheaper and that is when I ran into chitchatbaby.com who sells them for approx. $60 and they ALWAYS do free shipping! It came super fast and I LOVE my new Kalencom!! Also, FYI...chitchatbaby always has the best giveaways every month, this month is the Combi Helio Stroller, so go register!!!!!

Am I a mean mommy?

OK, so as a previous post stated I absolutely can not stand Dora the Explorer. I do allow my darling ladybug to watch this show but I use that opportunity to come check my email or return phone calls etc... so I don't have to hear Dora's voice. Well, my daughter is in serious need of new "everyday" shoes so we ran over to Kohl's this morning after dropping her brother off at school and naturally I pick out a cute pair of Nike's and R picks out the dreaded themed Dora shoes that have flashing lights as she walks. Totally ugly!!! I sat her on the floor and put the cute Nike's I found on her and they looked stinkin' cute but she insisted on trying the UG Dora shoes on. To humor her I did put them on her and she told me how cute they were as I just said "OK" to let her know I acknowledged her comment. In the end, she picked up her box of Dora shoes and I picked up the Nike's. She handed me the box saying, "here mommy" so pleased and when she turned around I ditched the box. She still doesn't know we didn't come home with them because I pulled the sly move of tossing the box before she noticed. I always vowed I'd NEVER buy themed shoes cause I just think they are so hokey and ugly and fortunately my little boy really never HAD to have certain character shoes but my little girl is becoming another story. I like her to look nice, not a mismatched hokey looking little girl. So, am I a mean mommy for ditching the Dora shoes and buying what I wanted instead?

Bitter day...

So I am having one of those days where everyone it seems I think about I am bitter towards for one reason or another. I'm bitter towards people who I assumed were good friends and come to find out they are not, I'm bitter towards family members who really just don't understand the life I have to live (which isn't by choice), I'm bitter at my new ward for not stepping up to the plate regarding two very obvious issues, I'm bitter towards pediatricians who refuse to look "outside" the box they were brainwashed into during medical school, I'm bitter towards Texans and their nasty habit of tailgating which causes accidents EVERY DAY and it makes my hubby late EVERY DAY, I'm bitter towards all the construction by my house which makes venturing out a pain. I'm bitter towards my OB who won't induce me 8 days early because of their 7 day inducing schedule that they stick to with no exceptions, and I'm bitter at people who lie to me even though I know the truth, I'm bitter at the school district that can't seem to do anything in a timely manner because I'm still waiting for morning transportation to kick in!!!! I'm bitter towards Barack Obama who if he wins will raise my taxes and health care will not be in our favor with a child of special needs. I'm bitter towards all the paperwork that doesn't seem to slow down when you move to a new state with a child of special needs and finally, I'm bitter that Babies R'Us won't do an even exchange on an item I bought and lost the receipt. Today is a bitter day.

See, I'm in a funk today, maybe it's cause I'm VERY preggers or maybe I have too much time to wallow in my sad tales of woe is me. At least I have Dancing with the Stars to look forward to tonight after my kiddos go to bed and at least I'm not bitter towards my hubby or kids, they have been great so being home is a good thing for me today I guess.

Thank you!

I just wanted to say, "thank you" to those who were so kind to personally email me lists of names for our new little one. Some really great names came through but we are still undecided (well, more me than my hubby). Danny has settled on a name if she is dark haired but I don't care for the name, especially when you think about a grown woman having the name, it sounds to cutesy. We are still on the hunt if this child has dark hair so if any stray names pop into your head, please let me know!!

Help us please???

OK, so this new kid of ours seriously still has no name, not even a thought of one. We already know this little one has a lot of hair because of 2nd stage ultrasounds I've had due to the babies kidneys (same as R, not too worried cause we've been through this before). We need opinions on names that would go with a girl who is blonde or brown haired with curls seeing as that is what we breed. Help, anyone? What should her name be???? We are basically giving the winner "baby naming rights" if we pick your name!! Now doesn't that sound enticing?

Happy Birthday to me,Happy Birthday to me....

It was my birthday yesterday and my dear hubby despite his horribly busy schedule at work took the day off to be with me. He got up early (even though technically he didn't have to) to shower and then fight our son to get out of bed and get ready for school. Of course, G was super excited that dad was home so Danny didn't get the same fight I get every morning but it was still nice to have someone else get up with him and get him dressed/fed. Then, he did carpool and took G to school. It was awesome not having to do my "mom" duties for a day even though of course I still jumped in to keep the routine of the day flowing cause that is what moms do right? I had a wonderful day of being spoiled with another Edible Bouquet which really are so much better than flowers in my opinion and dinner with my cute family followed by of course gifts and a cake. Then, after the kids were in bed we got to watch Survivor and The Office to top off my night snuggled next to my hubby. It was a great way to end a great day. Thank you Danny for staying home with me on my birthday, it's always a better day when I have you home:).

UPDATE..........

Real quick, my hubby read my blog posting and said I was seriously lacking in my memory of the events I talked about regarding our engagement. He said when he kept looking around while at the symphony he was looking for Jayne to pop her head in the windows above to give him a "thumbs up" meaning the ring made it. Then he recalls our conversation when I asked him what he was thinking after he proposed, he says "I never had feelings of any regrets, I was completely satisfied with proposing". So, since I remembered things a hair different, my hubby deserves to be heard as well. Still love you honey!!

Did I really just say YES!!!????

Wow, 10/14/2000 is the date Danny proposed to me. That seems SO LONG AGO!!! It was my birthday weekend and he took me to downtown SLC to go on a mini shopping spree at Crossroads Plaza (does that place still exist??) all the while he was in phone conversations with my best friend Jayne who was trying to get a hold of my ring from the jewler so it could get to Danny's hand by that night. Poor Jayne was running ragged between Provo, SLC, flower shop, restaurants etc.... When we got back to our hotel room there was a catered meal with a huge vase of roses on the table and the view from our window overlooked Symphony Hall. While eating Danny apologized to me because a professional chef was supposed to be in the room to cook the meal in front of us but last minute issues came up so poor Jayne had to grab our dinner from elsewhere, it was still yummy though but the professional chef thing would have been cool had it worked out. THEN, Danny surprised me with tickets to the symphony so we got ready (I LOVE dressing up!!!!) and walked across the street and I found it strange that Danny kept looking around the room so I finally asked him who he was looking for and he replied, "no one." The night went on and still no one did pop out to surprise us, maybe Danny was getting nervous, I don't know. Anyway, we were walking back to our hotel and as I was about to walk in Danny said, "wait" while he looked in and then he allowed me in to find MORE roses and a big box with a BIG shiny bow (gotta love shiny!!!) and he said, "Happy Birthday" so when I opened it, there was a ring box so that is when he got down on one knee and proposed and of course I said, Yes!

UPDATE: I asked Danny a while ago what he was thinking after he proposed and he said he did have a little bit of "hmm, what did I just do?" type of feeling but it passed quickly and we've never looked back after being married for 7 years!! Love you, Danny!!

Bills, Bills and MORE Bills...YEA!!!!

So once again, my darling 2yo had something so funny to say I had to share...

"ding dong"

R: Mommy, mommy the door, the door!

Me: I hear it, let's see who wants to talk with us.

We open the door together to see our mail lady with a too big of box to fit in the mailbox and all our mail. I politely say thank you followed by the 3 foot echo down below screaming, "thank you mommy!!"

Me: Well let's see what we got.

R: (In a VERY excited voice all the while jumping up and down) "More bills, mommy! More bills, yea!!!"

Funny that these little beings are as observant as they are, I guess my hubby needs to stop going through the mail calling out, "bill, bill, bill" as he flips through it all. Bills suck!

BAD, BAD day turned to YUM!!!!

As some of you know my little boy was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at the age of 3 and just recently was bumped up to a classic Autism diagnosis. Life in my house definitely has it's challenges and this afternoon was one of those days that I wouldn't wish on anyone. My little boy had his first full-day of school today (8-3) followed with a bus ride home instead of me coming to get him. He road home with the typical kids but with an aid sitting next to him. This day sent him over the edge and when I walked outside to get him off the bus the shit hit the fan. I won't go into details but after a complete breakdown by him, me and his little sister (obviously out of fear of what was happening) a very welcomed visitor showed up at my door. I hesitated even getting the door but pulled myself together in 5 seconds, took a deep breath and opened the door to the biggest smile peeking through my biggest craving these days...fruit! It sounds lame but I was trying so hard to fight back the tears as this woman handed me an Edible Arrangements bouquet. I thanked her so much and the smell of all the sweet fruit covered in chocolate brought my spirits way high. We exchanged some idle chit-chat and then she wished me "a sweet day". My dear hubby sent me this yummy treat, for no reason....couldn't have been a better gift for me at that moment, I can't help but feel someone was looking over me and knew this would make a BAD BAD day into a day of YUM!!!!!.... And in case you wanted to know, yes, my day has become sweeter as my little boy has calmed down and is running around in his Spiderman costume right now taking joy out of "eating" my arm. I love my hubby, he's so good to me.

It's a Love/Hate relationship...

HATE: Let me tell you something, I absolutely can not stand Dora the Explorer. She yells through the entire episode, she can't talk in a normal tone and just hearing the opening song makes me cringe.

Now for the LOVE part....I always steered my kids away from Dora because I just hate her that much until one day my little girl was getting her haircut at Kid's Hair when the station she was at had Dora on the TV. Well, forever more she has fallen in love with this character (I dare say even more than the Disney Princesses). I vowed I would NEVER buy anything Dora but alas, I had to give in yesterday when my child caught the gleaming box of Dora the Explorer cereal at the grocery store. I SO did not want to buy this but as I reluctantly handed it to her she said, "i love you mommy" which obviously made me then HAVE to buy this box. My toddler is sitting behind me at this moment munching on the cereal and just made the comment, "mmm....I want more mommy". So help me if I give in to the toy aisle as Christmas is fastly approaching. Why can't she love Star Wars like her brother? I enjoy the Star Wars aisle at Target a lot more than the Dora/Diego section. What am I going to do???????

I {heart} cankles!!

So, I'm nearing the end now, approximately 9 more weeks left (well, unless my doctor here decides he doesn't agree with my original due date then I could be done in 7 weeks but that is another story). The weather here in TX will not cool down enough for me to get comfortable. I don't enjoy going outside because of the 90 degree heat that causes me to bloat up like a fat cow and then the cankles start in. Then, when I get the cankles I feel like my feet and legs won't bend so all I can do is sit down and put my feet up. That may sound nice except I have two other kids who need attention so telling them that mommy has cankles doesn't really get much sympathy out of them. So, for now I guess I'll just heart my cankles.

Schoolhouse Rocks!

Do any of you remember that show on Saturday mornings? Anyway, G started back to school today here in TX. School here starts at 8am which is earlier than I'm used to getting him up and fed to get out the door. The last two years pre-school started at 9am and it wasn't an issue getting him up in time to go. This morning was a little rough for us both to get up and out the door before 8am but we did it with just one minute to spare, phew!

When I went to pick G up his new teacher told me "he's so smart, when the teacher was leading circle time about the weather and days of the week, he was the only one who spoke up and got the answers right." I did have to tell her that every thing significant that has been going on the last few weeks just happens to land on Thursday for some reason so that day is carved in his brain. He still is a super smart kid, just needs a lot of help in other areas but we'll get him there sooner or later.

I really hope this is G's year to really flourish in school though. He is definitely a gifted smart kid and has an AMAZING memory which is a great strong point of his but I'd love to see his social skills really kick in. A little boy named Grayson already adopted G as his new friend in class so I hope G will take to Grayson also and maybe we'll have a new playmate at our house real soon.

Have a great school year everyone and I'll see you in the carpool lane!

Weekend Update

So we have officially been living in TX now for 10 days and so far are annoyed at these things:

1: Texans are A LOT more laid back then the Minnesotans. EVERY single person/company that had an appointment for one thing or the other (Internet, phone, TV, lawn, blinds etc.. etc... etc..) has been late, not a little A LOT late!!! Do you know how annoying that is? My favorite is the company that called to confirm a date and time and when that appointment rolled around they didn't show. We called and they said, "No, we have you scheduled for tomorrow in the afternoon". Why did they call to confirm then a time they apparently never had???? Then another time, the company who came to install our theater system was not only late, but when I asked the owner who came to supervise he didn't offer up an apology, he just said, "oh, it's been one of those days." I don't care!! Don't keep calling and saying "Oh, we'll be there in 30 min" then no show then an hour later we get a call from them again saying "we are about 40 minutes out" then 40 minutes passes and no one shows so we call and we are told they are about 5 minutes from our house. It took them 3 FULL HOURS to finally arrive!!! Seriously, Texas isn't on my faves list right now.

2: Toll roads. We never know when all the sudden we are going to happen upon a toll! You'll be driving along the freeway and BAM! another toll. I'm sure we'll figure it out but for now, man, it is annoying to say the least.

3: The carpool lane doesn't have regular in/outs. If you get into the HOV lane, plan on staying there for a long time!!!

4: The rain. It has rained every single day for the last 7 days! Because of Ike, our lawn is flooded from it raining for 14 hours straight. When the sun does come out, the lawn is such a cesspool of mud and grime that I still can't let the kids out to go play! We are all going stir crazy.

5: The construction. We just lived the last 3 years in MN waiting for the new freeway to come out to our house and I kid you not, the last day we were in MN we FINALLY got to drive the new freeway from our actual exit and had to hop on the 35W to come here. We are once again in freeway building land. Man, can't we get a break?????

So those are my complaints so far. I know it will get better, I just need to give it time. I do like change in my life, this one was huge and it came around way too quickly for me to feel like I even blinked but I really don't want to move again. Since marrying my hubby I have moved a total of 7 times in the 7 years we have been married. It's sad when I move into new homes and I constantly have in the back of my head why I shouldn't start hanging pictures because those holes will need to be patched up before we can show the house. Or, I don't unpack odds an ends because whats the point? I never have felt like I can truly move into a home yet, it'll be weird if we live in this house for like 5 years! Well, now my thoughts are starting to ramble on and on, I'm real annoying like that so I'll give you all a breather and write more later about my random life.

Quick side note

It is pronounced, "Target" NOT "Tarzhay". Enough said.

I'm Back Baby!!!!!!!!!

Wow!!! I can't tell you how good it feels to have internet access again and a phone!! We finally made it to TX and were able to avoid all Toll Roads thanks to our trusty TomTom GPS system. I will have to write more later on some of the sights we saw along the way but I have a GAZILLION emails I need to respond to first. I'm back though and will get back in the groove of blogging again, stay tuned....

Time to move on

Well, the week is finally here. The movers are coming and we will be on our way to Texas. I feel a bit sad to leave MN even though there are aspects about this state I can't stand (we'll post those another time). We've had great memories here and are fortunate to have sold our home so quickly so I'm not stuck by myself trying to sell a home and be prego's at the same time. I'll be taking a little bit of a blogging break as we begin this transition and try to get settled very quickly as G needs to get into school and we begin the FINAL countdown of FINAL baby #3. Goodbye to all our friends we've made, don't forget about us, please keep in touch and we will do the same. We'll let you all know our new house info as soon as we get there and yes, we will send pics of new baby this holiday season so you won't miss out on that new arrival. It's Texas or Bust from this point on.....

Minnehaha Falls

I have lived here 6 years now and finally visited the Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis. We always knew they were there but just never took the time to drive the 30 minutes to go see this place. It was a very relaxing place to visit and the sounds of water falling really set the mood. However, not the most stroller friendly place because to get to the bottom of the falls it's a lot of stairs down and to go stand on the bridge over the top of the falls...well, again,...a lot of stairs. I'm sure there are other ways to get down there but definitely not a direct route and being prego just the thought of having to hike all....the...way...around didn't seem to appealing to me. I stayed near the side of the falls where there were plenty of shaded park benches to park my big butt and watch the passerbys. Also, there was a cute little eatery called "Sea Salt Factory" but they only served sea food so I opted to skip the place even though the line was out the door to order which I could only take as a good sign that the food must be good.

They also have what I call, "boardwalk" bikes. My dear hubby said he'd rent one and let me sit in the back while he did all the peddaling up front. We didn't do that but the thought was what counted on that, thanks honey. At least now I can say I have been and would recommend it.

BIG 'UNS (for all you Al fans out there)

I was trying to find the two Disney Princess books my little girl has online to show you all a picture of what I have realized but couldn't so I'll have to describe to you what is going on....

Last night as we were reading bedtime stories I started to notice something...these Princesses are STACKED!! Is it only men drawing these photos because last I remembered, Snow White did not have a full C cup and I think Sleeping Beauty surpasses all of the ladies with her knockers. I then thought back a few years ago when Barbie got her "new shape" because it wasn't humanly possible to have the measurements she did. Do you think Disney should maybe take a gander at how their artists are drawing these beloved ladies? I just find it a little amusing seeing as the older princesses (Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty even Alice in Wonderland) didn't have the svelte shapes way back when I was a kid as they now have today. Funny how artists renditions change over the years isn't it?

Meet my new best website friend...

So in all my frantic research in trying to find new doctors, clinics, salons, supertargets, post offices etc... to prepare for our move, I ran into a source appropriately called MamaSource.com. This is my new best friend of a website! You are only allowed to post 2 requests within 24 hours but it's amazing how many people read the requests and give you advice or steer you towards the direction you are needing. I highly recommend this website to find requests and recommendations on every topic under the sun along with groups that meet in your local area. Happy messaging and maybe I'll see you on mamasource (if you live in TX of course:)).

Life in the Fast Lane....

Well, we made it to Texas and back completely exhausted but MISSION COMPLETION!! We found a house in a good area that I think we'll be pleased with in the long run. We are having the builder tweak some things and add some more amenities to make it more "our style" which they say will take approx. 3 weeks to complete. Things are moving really quick but hopefully we can get there with no issues and time it in such a way that the movers will be there waiting for us to move our stuff right in vs. us living life in a hotel/rental car waiting on them. Make sense? I learned a lot about the Dallas area with only 3 days being there like:


1: Main religion is Baptist but the non-denominational "arenas" are HUGE!!
2: Basements don't exist because of the poor quality of dirt that shifts too much.
3: Home prices aren't based on location (it's all flat with no views) they are based on school districts.
4: Dallas area LOVES their toll ways, every road we went on was a tollway.
5: Shopping is a BIG DEAL, it's a mecca for those who love to shop, shop, shop.
6: They really do know how to make mexican food.
7: They have a don't ask/don't tell mentality when it comes to the illegal immigrants that work in the manual labor area.
8: Because manual labor is so cheap EVERYONE has a maid and grounds keeper.
9: Dallas does have ice storms that according to the locals "it can get so bad that they shut the schools down"...(we'll have to see how "bad" they think it is on this one).
10: Your money definitely goes a lot further when it comes to buying a house.

I hope we can get settled quickly and back into a routine, wish us luck!!

Texas or Bust...in 30 days or less

SURPRISE!! To all my friends whom I don't get to talk to as often we have decided to take a job in Texas. This has all happened VERY VERY fast so I apologize for not speaking up sooner, well, because there was no sooner it's just a now thing. We have already sold our home and will be flying to Dallas this weekend to find a new home. My sister is coming to watch our kiddos so we can bust it out and get all things accomplished like finding a new house, therapy clinics, doctors, hospital etc... And a big THANKS! goes out to Amy's family who is letting her come to MN on such short notice!! We'll keep you all posted on how this all develops.

Sorry senior citz...you're a cowboy!!

I have the funniest, clever, spunky two year old on the planet, I'm convinced of it (yes, I know, it's because I'm her MOMMY!!! She'll never say it in a normal tone.) But I had to post our conversation we had as I was buckling her into her carseat after leaving the post office....

R: Mommy, look, a cowboy!

Me : Hmm, ok.

R: MOMMY! LOOK!

Me: As I look over my shoulder I notice an elderly woman in her straw sun hat getting into her car. I said "She isn't a cowboy, she's dressed for the sun".

R: No, mommy, she a cowboy.

Me: Why is she a cowboy?

R: She has a hat.

Me: So all people who wear a hat are cowboys?

R: Yes mommy, she rides a horse too.

Me: But she is getting into a car, where's her horse?

R: At home. Mommy?

Me: Yes?

R: Do you ride a horse?

Me: Nope, I drive a car.

R: Your a policeman?

Me: Nope.

R: Your a daddy?

Me: Nope, I'm a mommy.

R: Me too (as she holds up her new June dolly daddy bought her)

Me: You're silly R.

R: No, I'm an angel.

Sugar and Spice and everything BETTER be nice.....

So, the u-sound proved to be 90% chance it's another ladybug for us. I am shocked to say the least because I thought my gut was right in thinking it would be another boy. Don't you absolutely love the little RL dress I have now fallen in love with??? This will be a fall baby so I will definitely be picking this little number up if my next u-sound still shows to be another ladybug seeing as we have a 10% chance that things could be different (the u-cord was in the way but the NP believes she got a clear enough shot).

As long as I see palm trees honey...

Since having kiddos (whom I do adore and obsess over) I feel like a very boring person. My dear hubby told me that for our 10 year anniversary he'd take me anywhere in the world I wanted to go. I've been thinking but can't seem to decide so I thought, as long as I see palm trees I will be in happy Heather land. Anyone who knows me knows how I love the tropical scene. I love the clear blue water, white sand beaches and the sereneness that the birds of paradise flowers and palm trees bring to my inner soul. The fresh sea breeze that always feels so amazing on your skin and the smell of the oasis just brings so much calm to my busy world. Can you tell I'm daydreaming of this trip? Not to mention all my favorite fruits are the tropical ones, pineapple, kiwi, mango...yum-O (we love 30 minute meals Rachael Ray!). I have started looking at the French Riviera as my destination but a friend told me to look into Bora-Bora instead. The insanity of choices, how will I ever decide???!!!??? Good thing I have 3 years to narrow this down:)

Hmm...What do you bet it's a boy??

We find out tomorrow what we are having. Both my hubby and me are thinking it's a boy but hubby told me last night that his work has a poll/bet going that it's a girl. We'd obviously be happy with whatever we got since we have one of each now but there is a strong inkling it's a boy at our house. We'll let you know tomorrow after the appointment....

T-Minus 20...19...

Wow, I just realized I have officially hit the 20 week mark in my preggers status. YEAH!! Half way done, half way to go.

Was that a chicken??

For any of you who live in the Twin Cities or are ever planning a trip here you need to go to this little hole in the wall of a book store called "Wild Rumpus". I have heard about this place for awhile but just never felt like driving the distance from my house to that part of SW Minneapolis. Well, today I did and my kids loved it. Let me give you a short rundown of this little book nook. The front door is two sizes, there is a smaller door within the normal size door which my kids thought was awesome because it was just their size to open and walk through. And the funniest part of this bookstore is, are you ready?... the live animals wandering the store as well as many more in cages and in the floor covered by plexiglass that my daughter spent a good 15 minutes on her knees watching the rat below. The rat was placed in the "scary" book section while you'll find a dove named Mo by books about birds etc... There was about 4 cats that wandered the store which my kids enjoyed petting as well as a ferret, a couple of chicken type birds (no, I'm not up on my bird species but they looked like black miniature chickens) a dog and a chinchilla that was quite shy and only hung out behind the registers. It's worth seeing and picking up a couple of books from my childhood that I didn't know were still being published. Great little outing but keep in mind, the store is not stroller friendly so leave it in the car.

What's in a name?

What a funny chuckle I got today. My little 2 year old asked me to draw her daddy and after she saw the amazing rendition of her daddy I drew she decided I could draw the rest of the family too. As I got to the end of the family I told her we still had "new baby" to draw but they didn't have a name yet so I asked her what we should name "new baby" and her 5 year old brother pipes in first with, "R". R? You think we should name the baby the letter, R? Well, that response got the little 2 year old a laughing that she responded with the baby should be named, "X". So, needless to say, they are both out when it comes to names for "new baby".

AMERICANA!!

Happy 4th of July! Every year I get the same memory that comes back to me and that is the memory of the ol' crank-o-roo ice-cream maker we had growing up as a kid. We would sit outside on the driveway and take turns cranking the ice-cream around and around. I don't recall making any other flavors besides strawberry or peach but maybe that was because I only would eat those flavors. Anyway, gone are the days of the "kill my arm for ice-cream" because of this funny invention called "electric ice-cream maker" but I still look forward to good ol' fashion ice-cream on a hot sunny July day!

10 Things I have NEVER done!!

1: I have never ridden a horse (I have ridden an elephant though, that is way cooler than a horse)
2: I have never eaten caviar
3: I have never slept on the beach
4: I have never used the word, "litotes" in a conversation
5: I have never personally used a BBQ grill
6: I have never owned a cat
7: I have never watched a soap opera
8: I have never swam with dolphins
9: I have never asked a person I am with if the sunglasses I am wearing make me look fat.
10: I have never used a passport

You pinky swear?

My hubby and I were coming home the other day and had a conversation about what is the one thing the other would do in our married lives that would put the other one out of their comfort zone. I vowed to my hubby that I would go camping, full throttle however he wanted me to do it. He is my polar opposite when it comes to this activity seeing as I LOATHE the great outdoors. All the bugs, the animals that dooky anywhere they please, the dampness that never goes away, having to pack up your whole house to move it outside just to pack it all up again and bring it back home...as you can see, it just isn't appealing to me in the slightest. However, I will be a good sport and won't complain when the time comes for me to have to go endure this little hell.

Now, my hubby VOWED mind you, he would go to a day at the spa with me. He would endure all the people rubbing him down, painting mud's and exfoliants all over him, sitting under warm mist during a facial, having a MANicure (no color, just buffed and cleaned up), eating a yummy lunch while sitting next to a cozy fire in a super soft robe and amazingly plush slippers. I get giddy just thinking about it.

You see, his indulgence is roughing it, my indulgence is letting someone pamper me. I think he'll be sold even though he won't admit to it. I can't wait!!!! (except this adventure may take a few years for us both to get worked up to actually go through with these activities.)

Myself Belts(.com)

If you have never heard of Myself Belts you need to check them out. These belts are so cute and SO SO easy for kids to use all on their own. I bought my little boy two of them as he has been learning to dress himself as well as potty train. He is a slim little guy and ALWAYS needs belts for his pants if they don't have the adjustable waistband. They actually snap around the first loop and then velcro over to close. They always provide free shipping and the belts are always great quality!! I just ordered my little girl two of them as we are beginning the dressing of herself and potty training extravaganza. Perfect for kids with special needs as well as the kid who just can't manipulate fastners yet. Check them out!!

Preggers for the last time!!

So, we are preggers again, for the last time. People keep asking me if it's a bitter-sweet feeling seeing as we have already decided we'd have no more kids after this one. The answer is "NO!". I am excited to start getting on with my life instead of always feeling like I have to take steps back to care for a newborn and not give my other children as much attention as they deserve. My hubby also keeps telling me that there is no reason to buy new maternity clothes since I've done this twice before but I can't help myself. I have always liked to be in style with the latest fashions as much as possible pregnant or not. Have I secretively bought items without hubbies knowledge?... guilty. However, I justify this by trying to stick to the sale racks only at places such as Gap and Macy's maternity dept. I HATE Motherhood Maternity for all their ugly tie back shirts and dresses that only enhance how large my ass is getting and their return policy...uh, they have none. However, Macy's dept. store does sell some of Motherhood Maternity items and if you buy them at Macy's you have a 180 day return on those items (just a little note to get around Motherhood Maternity 's lack of helping out a worn out pregnant woman!).