Stockings!

This is what I have been up to lately. A few years ago I decided to make the kids Christmas stockings. I was shown by a friend these adorable patterns and just loved them. The stockings are made of flannel and the black front and pieces are done in wool. That year I made the Santa and the snowman for Keaton and Sam. At the time I had just found out that I was pregnant with a girl, so I bought the angel pattern as well, and then thinking that most likely I will have a fourth baby, I went ahead and bought the baby Jesus. Well, a couple of years have flown by and I still hadn't made Emmi's. She asked for hers when we got out the Christmas decorations and so I knew that I needed to make hers this year. Since I am expecting our fourth and I was already making Emmi's I went ahead and made the new baby one too. I am so pleased at how they turned out, with only having taken sewing once in junior high and because everything was done by hand. Now if only I had the energy to make 2 more for Chad and I .... well, that might have to wait a year or two. :)

Carnage!

This is Keaton, waiting with me at the Dr.'s office at about 8:00 last night and this is what happened.... After dinner, the 3 kids ran off to the boys' room and were playing together. They were being loud, as usual, when I heard a cry from Keek. This is usual as well, so I just waited to hear what had happened this time. Then out comes Keek with blood dripping down his forehead, past his mouth and his nose. Oh it was bad!! I ran and cleaned him up to find a huge gash and a second little scratch. I guess Sam threw a plastic Nerf gun at him. I can't believe a plastic gun would do that much damage!

Luckily for me our pediatrician now has "after hours" and is open until 9 on weekdays. They numbed it up with some gel and put 3 stitches in the right one. The left one didn't need any. He was a trooper and didn't cry at all at the doctor's office. While we were waiting we got to watch "Up," which I could tell made Keek more relaxed. When we got home, the first thing Keek said to Chad was "Did Sammers have a time-out?" I don't know if Chad really gave him one or not, but he sure deserved one. Then as I was tucking Keek in bed he said, "Tomorrow we can pray for my head, that it will feel better and that Sammers won't be mean." It was very cute how he realized without any prompting from me that we need to pray that his cut will get better. I guess he is listening when as a family we pray for our friends and family that are hurt and sick.

Today he is doing just fine and wanted to go to school. Oh, I tried to get some after the stitches shots, but the lighting was really bad by that hour. He does look much better now.

My Little Goblins

We have Darth Maul, (who doesn't have his mask on because I couldn't get Emmi to stand next to him with it on), Snow White, and Indiana Jones. I got to take them out this year and we had a blast trick or treating. I hope you all had a happy Halloween too! Trick or treat!

Just Wait.

As you all are now aware, I am expecting my 4th child. That in itself is not terribly amazing, but how it all happened is a testimony to me of my Heavenly Father's love and concern. As some of you already know, having children or better yet, conceiving, hasn't come easy to me. On my own it took a year to get pregnant with Keaton. I wasn't willing to put that many years between my kids and took Clomid (a fertility drug) with both Sam and Emmi and it worked the very first month with each. I thought I had it all figured out. I could get pregnant when I wanted to and wouldn't when I didn't. I guess I had forgotten who is really in charge when it comes to babies.

We started trying for another child a few months after Emmi turned 1 and to no avail. This past year I have been on and off Clomid, with even a double dose one month. Still nothing. Frustrated and very tired of getting my hopes up each month Chad and I started to think that maybe this was our answer. We should be done. There are no more. We started talking about birth control, and how nice it would be to be out of the baby stage, but it still didn't seem right. In my prayers I kept hearing "Just wait," but I wondered for how long, and what that exactly meant. Was a baby really coming? Or was I waiting for a confirmation that our family was complete? I really didn't know. Chad didn't know, and of course thought that I should know.

So I stepped back and waited like the prompting said. No Clomid, or preventative measures, just waited to get an answer either way. I think both Chad and I had put babies out of our heads for awhile. And the more time went on the more I started to really like the idea of being done. I liked the idea of being done with diapers, nursing and of course pregnancy. The next thing I knew I was sold on the birth control and called up my OB-GYN to send me in some birth control. He said I had to wait until my period started, which I hadn't seen since that last failed dose of Clomid. So there was my birth control, waiting at the pharmacy and me, waiting for my period.

Well, the 2 month mark came and went, (which is normal for me) and I told myself to give it 1 more week and then take a test. By this point I was starting to feel the twinges of nausea and my suspicions were high, although I really tried to not get my hopes up. That week and even another went by before I got the courage to take the test, which was immediately positive.

This is what humbles me. With my last 2 babies Clomid helped me get pregnant on the very first try. This last year after 3 single doses and 1 double dose, nothing, and the month that I don't use anything I get pregnant. This tells me that the magic isn't in the Clomid, it is in my loving Heavenly Father. Without his help, I would not have babies. For some reason that I cannot see, I was supposed to get pregnant that month and Heavenly Father knew it. I am so grateful he watches out for me and my family, and that he told me that I should just wait. I am also very excited to meet this little one and see just why it was important for (her/him) to join our family.

What's new at our house

I'll just let Sam tell you...

Goodbye Snowies...

...hello Fall. I think it is official sitting here listen to my sick husband cough away, that summer is over and fall is here. Until our house got hit with the bug, I was really starting to enjoy the cold weather and everything that goes with it. Now that I think about it there are some definite plus and minuses to this season.

The Minuses (-) :
1. The closing of the snow shack. Already me and kids are looking longingly at the spot where the local snow shack stands in the summer.
2. No more sleeping in. School has started and that means I have drag myself up earlier than I would like to in order to make sure Keaton gets on the bus. Booo!
3. My beautiful flowers and vegetable garden die. Once again I have a bare yard with no color or variety and my lovely garden that was just really starting to produce vegetables didn't survive that first frost.
4. The sicknesses. I am not a mom who likes to get up in the middle of the night and it seems I have to much more during this wonderful season. I worry about the kids and feel helpless when they are hurting.
5. The cold temperatures. When it gets cold outside it also gets cold in my unfinished basement which means the kids are confined and running wild in my family room all day long. We all seem to go a little stir crazy.


The Pluses (+) :
1. School is in. I do not enjoy waking up early, but I am very much enjoying the time when the boys are in school and I have some one-on-one time with my baby girl.
2. The fall smells and sights. Who doesn't love the warm fall aromas and the beauty of the changing leaves? We have been enjoying the apple and spice scents for a few weeks now.
3. Football. I have to admit that I was really looking forward to this one this year. I couldn't wait to be there at the games with Chad and his family and cheer on the Cougars. There is nothing like going to a football game.
4. No yard maintenance. Although I am sad that my flowers have been all cut down and my garden cleared, I am even more glad that the day is fast approaching when the water will be turned off and weeding will not be a weekly chore of mine.
5. The holidays. Every year I get a kick out of dressing up the kids for trick-or-treating and seeing the excitement in their faces. I am also a sucker for the big turkey dinner and seeing my extended family.

Taking everything into consideration, Fall is fast becoming one of my favorite seasons. What (+) or (-) would you add to the list?

RaNdOm UpDaTeS....

For those of you who are not also on Facebook and haven't read my posts about Po, my dog, yes I sold him. All it took was him to poop on my bed one more time for Chad finally to say that he wouldn't mind if I got rid of him. The kids were mostly all on board too. Keaton said, "Yeah, take him back to his Mom and Dad" without any sadness in his voice whatsoever. Emmi didn't even notice he was gone. Sam was the only one who put up a fight. He told me that I couldn't play the Wii If I got rid of him, (the same threat I give him when he is naughty).

One week after a frustrating woman gave him back to me after only a 1-hour trial (not long enough for a proper trial in my opinion), I found another woman who took him home. Now it has been over 3 weeks, and I am still very much happy with my decision. The kids have all but completely forgotten about him and I am so glad that I don't have to worry about him anymore. Hooray!Last week I took Sam to get his first cavity filled. I have to admit that I was sooo nervous that he was going to be a nightmare and wouldn't let the dentist do his job. Well, I was totally wrong. The cute dental assistant told him he was going to wear a funny elephant nose (laughing gas) which he wore proudly, and it was smooth sailing from there on out. He didn't get a shot to numb the tooth, just the laughing gas. The cavity was done in no time and with no sign of tears. I was very proud of Sam that day, but I am still hoping that we don't have many of these visits in the future.