Merry Christmas!

Now here is day two of Christmas for us.  These are at Nathan's parents' house.  Click below to view!

Christmas at the Wolek's

Okay, we've now had Christmas at Amy's parents.  Below is a link to those pictures!

Christmas at the Friend's

We're all done here at our house.  We had a good morning.  Here's a link to some pics.  I'll add more over the next couple of days.

Christmas morning

Track Santa in Real Time

This is pretty cool. Norad + Google = Real Time Santa Maps. Download it and share the fun with your kids.

Merry Christmas!

the week from h-e-double hockey sticks

For those of you that I have not had a chance to talk to this week, I've been stuck in bed with 3 kidney stones, the largest of which is 6 mm.  My dear hubby took me to the ER Monday afternoon after I experienced some stabbing pains in my left side along with dizziness and nausea while driving home from Orlando that morning.  They gave me fluids, drugs, a CT scan and an X-Ray.  They gave me the bad news and then sent me home to lie in bed.  Well I was over that after a couple of days.  

As many of you know, I'm not one to be still for very long.  Fortunately (in a sick way), the pain was so bad that I had to take the Percoset they gave me which pretty much left me no choice but to stay in the bed.  

I was drinking so much water that both of my kidneys started to feel funny; I guess just from system overload.  The dizziness and nausea came back.  Then I got sick - literally.  I cut back a bit on the water so all of that went away.  Between the drugs and the pain I basically had no appetite and then my whole system just got screwy.  I went off of the Percoset yesterday since the pain was practically gone and I just couldn't take it anymore anyway.  How anyone can want to feel like that on purpose, I'll never understand.

The pain has subsided now and I saw a urologist this morning.  He basically said all I can do is wait.  Fun.  There are procedures that I could go under to remove it/break it up but that they would *love* for me to pass it on my own.  I'm all set with some Flomax (yes, the prostate drug - apparently some recent studies have shown that it also helps kidney stones move down more quickly and easily) and some Percoset, in case the crazy pain returns.

Thank you to everyone who called to check on me and sent good wishes and prayers our way.  Nathan was a trooper with the girls this week.  He even got some laundry done!

So it could still be a couple of months before I'm out of this.  And I'll have to cut back on that Chick-Fil-A tea!  Darn!

One Year

I write a lot less than I used to.  

Tomorrow, Penny will be one.  I can't believe it.  Where did the time go?

I remember thinking it took forever for Bethany to turn one.  But I feel like only six months have passed since Penny joined us.

My baby is one and yes, I'm a little sad.  How fast will the second year go?

Let's lift the mood, shall we?

Here are some things that I never got around to blogging about.  These are things that Penny does that are just too cute (in my mind, anyway!):

When she is sitting, she'll turn herself around in a circle.

When she is standing up and decides (again) not to try walking, she gets back to crawling by very slowly squatting down and putting her hands down in front of her.  She then takes off crawling at lightning speed!

Playing peek-a-boo with her burp cloth (yes, still using them, though more for lovies than spit-up)

She loves cars and trucks and pushes them all over the house

When we are getting ready to eat dinner, she folds her hands; I'm assuming that's because she knows it's time to pray

She would much rather play with ordinary objects than most toys we have

She loves going into her sister's room to play

She loves her sister

Happy Birthday, Penny!  We love you!

Wishlists *Update*

Okay, so I have moved everything from our TTIW wishlists to the Amazon wishlists.  It is definitely more user-friendly, and the function for "reserving" is much better.  Reserving is a way to put a claim on something that you are going to buy - regardless of whether you buy it online or in the store.  In other words, you don't have to buy something on the website to show that it has been purchased.  And, I can still manage all of our lists (except I still need to get Nathan's connected somehow) from one place.

I'll have to update our links, but here they are for now (you should be able to get to all the lists from any page using the links on the left side of the page):

Amy

Bethany

Penny

wishlists

Some of you remember my frustration a couple of years ago trying to make a Christmas wishlist for Bethany.  My friend told me about a site called The Things I Want.  You put this button on your browser's bookmark bar so you can add things from any website to a single wish list.  It's been great, but not exactly the most user-friendly.  Some things are still a little confusing.  This afternoon I was surfing amazon and saw that they now have a "universal wishlist".  You can add items from any website to your amazon list.  They also now have a function similar to The Things I Want where one person can manage several lists without separate accounts and logins.  This is great for parents with kids, or even spouses who would like to have wishlists in one place. 

So I'm thinking about putting in some more time to explore the amazon version.  I need to compare the two options and also decide if it's worth the time to put all the stuff from each of our lists into a new list!

new pics

We went to the pumpkin patch today.  The girls had fun.  Take a look at the pictures and tell me, honestly, are there two cuter girls in the whole world?  :)

Go here.

random thoughts

There is so much going on in the world right now.  I have so many thoughts about everything but I don't even know where to begin.  The financial "crisis", the election, voter fraud, ACORN, corruption in business and Washington, government education, non-existent personal responsibility...

My father-in-law had an interesting idea: don't vote for any incumbents.  I pondered this for a few days: that would mean fewer Republicans in office - though a lot of them are just as corrupt as some Democrats; it could possibly give the Democrats the super majority they need in the Senate; some of those people have been there for 30+ years!; fresh blood could be good - no matter what party they are in.  

So what have I decided?  I think I will definitely give my vote to non-incumbent candidates.  As for the presidential race, I know I don't want to vote for Obama/Biden.  Quite frankly, their health care, tax and foreign policies scare me a little - okay, a lot.  I wasn't even sure I would vote for McCain until he announced Palin as his running mate.  But I'm not so sure I want to vote for someone just because of the VP candidate.  I do appreciate, however, that they don't agree on everything.  Of course, the media likes to use that for "news".  But really, is there any candidate that anyone agrees with on EVERYTHING?  I think that's one of the most honest parts of their campaign.  Anyways, I'm digressing a bit... I'm considering doing some research on the other THIRTEEN candidates on the ballot in Florida and voting for whoever is in favor of the FairTax.  Either that, or write in Mike Huckabee, who I voted for in the primary.

Our pastor has been teaching out of Revelation since April (a few breaks here and there).  It's been difficult and our pastor assures us it will only get more difficult!  But it's been really, really GOOD.  Some things he has said have made me really think - especially with what's been going on.  I can tell before I share them here that they are not going to sound right out of context.  But you can listen to all of the sermons here.  This past Sunday (10/19) we were in Revelation 5:5-6.  Mike was talking about the church's ministry in and to the world and the church's resemblance to Christ.  The way God's kingdom must expand between Christ's first and second coming is through suffering - this was the foundation of the church, so why should we expect its growth to be any different?  The situations around us today should cause us to look higher: we can't put our trust for our well-being in any candidate.  Our security for our future is in Christ.  We live in a hard time right now and we need to learn to thank God for that, because it causes us to look to Christ.  

I think my favorite sermon from this series so far, though, is the one on Revelation 4.  What an amazing picture of God, heaven, His throne, worship and how HE is the center of all things, including earth.  Nothing I say can do it justice.  You really should listen to them.  It will change you if you do.  

My prayer is that you would all look to Christ for security for your future.  No one else can come close to giving you the same.  God, in his amazing kindness and mercy, sent Christ to be the ultimate sacrifice ONCE FOR ALL.  Our hope is in Him; not in any political party or candidate, not in the U.N., not in any financial institution.  Where do you turn to for hope in your future? Can anyone guarantee your future better than Christ?

Rev. 4:11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

Penny, our Kazoo Prodigy

I wonder if there's a teacher in the area...

sick and fall

Sickness, it just goes in circles, doesn't it?  First Bethany, then Penny (who got it REAL bad) and now me.  I'm finally getting past it, but I still can't hear anything in my right ear.

On a happier note, I'm glad it feels like fall outside.  The breeze feels so wonderful and I love not running the A/C in my car.  Once I clean the windows on my house, I'll quit running the A/C in here, too!

My second trip through Weight Watchers is going pretty well so far.  Last week I was up a pound (ugh!) but this week I was down 3.2!  Woo-hoo!  That's a total of 7.8 pounds so far.  Here's hoping it keeps falling off!

Penny jumps

My little jumper.

Penny

At her 9-month check-up yesterday, Penny was 18 lbs, 5 oz and 27 1/4 in long.  Just below 50th percentile.  She is crawling around like crazy and pulling up and trying to cruise (though our house set-up isn't really conducive to cruising).  She likes to get into EVERYTHING.  She's going to be a handful (as if she wasn't already!).  Still only 2 teeth but the drool has just been disgusting.  A lot of times she is very disinterested in toys, but loves trying to eat cat food and the cat scratcher.   Now she is interested in typing.  More later!

Bethany in Spanish

Bethany surprised me with this little diddy the other day:

I Hate Fay

Tuesday morning we had to break the news that she would not be going to school because of Fay. We told her that the school wanted kids to stay home with their mommies and daddies to be safe because a storm was coming. We also knew at that point that school would be closed on Wednesday, too.  So we just had to get through those two days.  I also came down with a wicked cold Tuesday, and now Nathan has it, too.  Thankfully, my mom was able to come up Tuesday to help wrangle the girls.  

Anyway, tonight at dinner I told Bethany that she was going to be able to go to school tomorrow. Her response? "But, when is the storm coming?"  Yeah, I'd like the answer to that question myself.  No offense to those living in Brevard county.  I feel terrible for those people. But all it has done here for two days is a moderate rain.  Usually when we get a heavy rain we get a good size little lake at the end of our driveway.  After two days of rain, nothing.  

So about 9:00 tonight we find out that Volusia County schools are closed AGAIN tomorrow!  I don't want to jinx ourselves but it better be good tomorrow or I'm going to be really upset! And I have to break the news to Bethany when she's all set and excited about going back to school tomorrow.  What a tease.  One half-day of school.  I almost feel like if they're going to be closed tomorrow then they should just close Friday and start all over again on Monday.  

So, whatcha gonna do, Fay?

First Day of School

Well, I think I heard more about school today than I did the entire year last year!  It was only a half-day worth of school but Bethany talked about it almost the entire ride home!  When we walked in, the room was so quiet and Bethany went right in.  What a great fit for her.  

For those of you who haven't been here in awhile, because of some last-minute "shake-ups" at her school last year, they ended up with one class of 3-year-olds with two teacher's assistants and 30+ kids!  We really wanted her to be in school last year for some socialization (she just went 3 mornings a week) and this is a good school (also one of the cheapest) so we stuck with it.  The kids were only all together for a few activities (the pledges, snack and playground) but the rest of the time they split them into smaller groups (since there were a few extra rooms in their part of the building).  But it was always a chore to get B into the classroom.  It was so noisy and she always had to take about 10 minutes to assess the situation before choosing something to do.  By the time I picked her up she was fine, but didn't talk about what happened that day much.  

So this year (upon recommendation of her 3-year-old teacher and her current teacher) we put her in the 4-year-old enrichment class.  The basic idea is that everything they learn is "enriched" by deeper study, field trips, projects, etc.  We thought that for her quiet (most of the time!) and thoughtful personality she would really benefit from this class.  When we walked in this morning, she said hi to the teacher's assistant, we found her backpack hook, said hi to the teacher and then her teacher showed B her cubby with her pencil box.  She showed B to her seat and got her a coloring sheet, introduced her to the other kids at the table and B said hi to them, too!  Then Mrs. H started showing B how to color the sheet (based on the color the objects are outlined with) and B said sweetly, "I know how to color a giraffe!"  So she really got off to a good start today.  

B told me what she is to do when she comes in in the morning and what they had for snack (I never could get her to tell me what snack was last year!) and basically gave me the whole rundown of the day.  What a difference!  I'm really looking forward to hearing about school this year!

I...am...exhausted

Nathan has been gone (to Arizona) since early Saturday morning.  He'll be home this Saturday evening.  Chasing after two little ones in itself is exhausting.  But I think what wears me down the most is Bethany's incessant talking!  She just never stops.  Don't get me wrong, I love her dearly and a lot of times I love listening to the crazy things she talks about.  But it is difficult to listen to when I'm so tired.  And the questions, OH the questions.  Why, this; Why, that?  And, even when I make a statement that includes a reason, she STILL asks, "Why...?"  Ugh.  

I need a spa day.

Maybe a week.

I win!!!!!!!!

I apologize for the crappy video, but I had to be in another room for her to do it. You will hear me say it, and Bethany some, too, but try to focus on the crying Penny in the distance. It's pretty clear, I think!

busy little artist

Bethany has been busy all summer making creations with Daddy. It all started one day when she colored and cut out a piece of paper that she thought looked like a "tail" so Daddy helped her finish off Ariel (seen above). Then, after reading Charlotte's Web, she had to make all of the characters. You'll see we have Fern but not Avery. Bethany decided to give Avery to her friend, Michael J. She also had made Charlotte but, after reading the end of the book, decided that her Charlotte had to die, too. I'm sure you'll also be able to tell those done with Daddy's help and those done all on her own! Here they are!

Mice

So, last night after reading Stuart Little, Bethany asked us if we could get a pet mouse. We told her that Oscar wouldn't like that very much. Today she says to me, "Mommy, when Oscar dies, THEN can we get a pet mouse?"

4 years old

I still can't believe that Bethany is 4 years old! She had her annual check up on Tuesday, including 4 shots! Poor girl. She didn't really cry during the shots, but after the first two (in one arm) she FOUGHT to not get the other two (in the other arm). She was a trooper, though. She got her Snoopy band-aids and not one, but TWO stickers when we left.

Well, Bethany is 39 inches tall and weighs 32 little pounds! She is starting to become aware of her stature. She knows that even though some kids are younger than her they are "bigger". Bethany has a friend who turned 4 a couple of weeks after her. After Bethany's birthday she kept saying, "Betsy is still 3, but she's bigger than me". I hope she doesn't develop a complex.

The preschool class she'll be in next year is an enrichment class. She'll already be probably the youngest one in there, but from what I've heard, some parents put their 5-year-olds who aren't quite ready for kindergarten in this class. So she has the potential to be a very small child in that class! We'll see what happens.

Some of you know that Nathan started reading "chapter" books to Bethany at bedtime. He was getting board with the other usual night time books and she was starting to tune out, too. They started with Charlotte's Web and they just finished James and the Giant Peach. I started Stuart Little with her last night (Nathan's going to Arizona this coming week). She really loves reading these books. It's fun to listen to her tell you what happened in each chapter. I'm looking forward to Stuart Little. She already thinks (after one chapter) that Stuart's family is human.

Well, only a little more than 2 weeks and it will be time for school! Bethany is excited to pick out a lunch box (back, sack, what do they call those things now? Because I haven't seen hardly any actually lunch BOXES, they are all fancy insulated bags and stuff) since she'll be eating lunch at school this year. That should be interesting. She takes anywhere from 30-90 minutes to eat lunch normally. I feel bad for her little friends when we meet for lunch at Chick-Fil-A or something. They try to wait for her to finish, but they end up playing alone until B finally finishes everything! I bet for several weeks she will be so distracted eating with other people that she won't eat anything! Hopefully that won't last long, though, and she'll figure out that she needs to eat to make it through the rest of the day!

We'll keep you posted on how she does in school this year. By the way, I have a TON of pictures of things she has made this summer (most with Daddy's help but some completely on her own) and I'll get them up as soon as I can!