Some days being a stay-at-home-mom IS worth it

After having a Family Home Evening lesson on LOVE, we all drew each others' names so that we could do something kind for that person this week.



This is what I found in my freshly swept kitchen shortly thereafter.



The attached note says:



Love U Mom
U sweep me off my feet
Love, Michael

I'm Sick Today

...a sore throat turned head cold turned hacking (think smoked 4 packs of cigarettes a day sounding) cough.





So, instead of doing all of the things that I want and need to do, tonight I am going to go here


to get this

and see if it can't help me cry out some of my germs.

Update:
Strike that. Redbox didn't have The Time Traveler's Wife and so I elected to grab this instead.


I guess I will have to laugh the germs away.

Update #2:

While I did enjoy this movie, laughing does not help a bad cough. I was up until 12:30 last night hacking up a lung. Poor Matt didn't get very much sleep either. :(

THIS is why I coupon

Yesterday's grocery run yielded:

20 boxes of instant quaker oatmeal

4 bags of salad mix

1 container of sour cream &

1 bag of tortillas

Total spent.....$1.21 (plus tax)

One of the Joys of Pregnancy

I got to have this for breakfast this morning. Ummmm...yummy???

Then I got to have my blood drawn to check my insulin levels and also to see if I am a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis. I felt this was prudent since my cousin's sweet baby has been diagnosed with the disease.

I am, however, two thirds of the way through this pregnancy and I must say, seven years between babies is a BIG gap for my body to adjust to.

On a personal note of triumph...I only gained 5 pounds during the last 4 weeks and that was with a cruise right in the middle of it. Hooray for me!!!

On other fronts, Philip has the flu...again, I have fun pictures to post of the boys' birthdays, and I can't wait to share all of the details of our relaxing vacation in the Caribbean.

Day of Requests

James at 15 months. May 2002.

This morning my baby boy turned NINE!

That's right...James is nine years old today.

Michael and James...partners in crime. Linda's Wedding, 2002.

We have a one, two punch with birthdays in February and it always leaves me feeling like they are growing soooo fast...which they are, by the way.

To celebrate James' special day, I let him choose what he would like for his birthday dinner and also what type of cake he would prefer. It turns out that Salmon is his dinner of choice and after much deliberation, a yellow cake with chocolate icing will be presented this evening as well.

I am going to pick him up from school today so that we can have a special lunch together at a restaurant of his choice. It is going to be a very fun and happy day...I can feel it!

Happy Birthday James! I am so glad that we have you in our family!!!

First day of 3rd Grade. August 2009

Late Night Surprise

Michael is 12 today and this is what his brother, James, made for him at 10:00 o'clock last night so that he would be surprised this morning. James didn't tell anyone about his intentions and created his message without any promptings.

I can't tell you how much I love seeing my kids love each other.

Happy Birthday Michael! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Aruba, Jamaica, oooo I Wanna Take Ya!

OK, so this year we aren't going to Aruba or Jamaica, but we are going to the Caribbean (Grand Cayman, Roatan, Cozumel, and the Bahamas) and so I thought the title would be fitting. We get a lot of inversion where we live and it just feels plain ol' icky and depressing. I look forward to our couple vacation sooooo much throughout the year and this year has been no different.

Matt and I went on our first cruise in September of 99 and we have been hooked ever since. We go to the Caribbean islands every single time...the water is gorgeous, the snorkeling is fabulous, and the weather is beautiful. Also, a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean is just about the cheapest vacation you can manage. I'm talking $400 a person cheap. Woohoo!!!

I have my packing list (and growing pile of items to go), instructions for my mom (babysitter extraordinaire), and my list of last minute things to do (there is still so much to do!). Unfortunately, I also have a rotten cold and a beautiful accompanying cold sore...on. my. nose.
Oh well, I will not let it deter my excitement.

Until we return, here are a few shots from our previous cruises.

Try to ignore the weight fluctuation. :)

With our friends, Mike and Cassie in 2002.

Plantation in Barbados in 2004.

With our friends, Brian and Anna, in the Bahamas. (2006)

All dressed up for dinner in 2006.

A shot of our cabin in 2008...I know, very glamorous!

Apparently Matt did not get the memo that we were being sexy :) Bonaire, 2009.

Matt, Carol, Mike, Joanne, Anna, and Brian in Old San Juan...2009.

Merry Christmas!

Hope you have a wonderful day!!!

It's a....

BOY!!!

When it came down to it, I just didn't have what it takes to say no to the ultrasound tech when she asked me if I wanted to know the sex of our child. I thought that I would be able to stand firm and wait it out, but knowing that everyone else wanted to find out swayed me a lot and I couldn't resist.

Michael and James were absolutely thrilled to hear the news (with a lot of running around and "woot, woots" going on), but Anne just cried and cried. Not the throwing-a-fit kind of a cry either, the genuine my-heart-just-broke kind of a cry. I reassured her that now she would always be very special in our family because she would be our only girl, to which she responded, "I don't want to be special, I want a sister." :(

My heart aches for her.

On the bright side, the baby now seems much more real to me and I can't wait to decide on a name and decorate his nursery. More to come on that later...

Me at 20 weeks.

How do YOU take a bath?