Strawberries

I am sitting here looking up new recipes (a new hobby of mine) while babies are sleeping and girls are amused in front of "Little Foot." But more importantly, I am thoroughly enjoying my bowl of strawberries and bananas. This is probably one of my most favorite snacks and I am so happy that I get to eat it again! And then that peach/strawberry pie I made up last night out of desperation to not lose either fruit to spoiling was fabulous!!! Going without certainly gives you a great appreciation for things when you get them. :-D

Awww...

During lunch today Ellie was telling us about all the things she wants to be when she grows up. She wants to be a doctor, a nurse, a ballerina, and many other things. Katie got involved, too. But she said, "I want to be just like you, Mommy, when I grow up." Awww....

Seriously?

Okay, so that last post was so happy and upbeat. This one won't start out that way. And it's kinda long. Sorry.

Yesterday was another one of those days where I really questioned why I am allowed to be a mother.

*The kids fought with each other all day. No distraction worked. Separation just made them mad at me. I was frustrated all day!

*I put Ryan and Sarah down for naps, the girls in front of a movie, and decided it was the perfect time to take a shower (I had mowed the lawn earlier). Well, I get out of the shower and hear a terrible story from Ellie. Steve got even better details later as I will explain: Katie apparently didn't hear me tell her I was going up to shower. So, she went looking for me and couldn't find me. She proceeded to go OUTSIDE looking for me. I guess she was crying like crazy and our neighbor across the street noticed her and came to the rescue. She asked Katie if I was home. Katie says "no!" So she came and knocked on the door, which Ellie answered. And Ellie told her I wasn't home!! So now the neighbor is quite concerned, obviously. She told Ellie to search the house for me, which she did and heard the shower going, which made her feel a little better. Well, later she came over with her husband and confronted Steve about it. Not me- Steve. Sheesh. I already felt bad about it and now my neighbors (who are kind of nosy and already think I'm a bad mother because they saw me getting frustrated with the girls one day after a HORRIBLE shopping trip.) think I'm irresponsible. How many times have I told the girls to never go outside without me? Oh, about a zillion. Anyway... lovely.

*I experimented this past weekend with soy formula to see how Ryan would do. I was pumping a little bit to keep up just in case. Well, he was doing so much better and I wondered if maybe it was teeth and it was just coincidence. So yesterday I tried nursing him and he refused. Maybe because my milk wasn't coming in and maybe he likes the bottle better? Either way I felt like a miserable failure.

So after we got everyone to bed I went shopping... hehe. I strolled around Kohl's for about an hour and found some great deals for me as well as some nice clearance items for Ryan. He's such a big boy that he's wearing 12 month clothes and I certainly never thought he'd wear that at 6 months old, so I get to buy new clothes for him. I'm suffering :-D Then I did my grocery shopping at a nice, leisurely pace. Steve got worried when I didn't come home until almost 10pm. But it was nice to get out and escape the house and the stress that had built up all day.

AND... there's great news!!!
Ryan is doing awesome. He slept 6 hours straight last night, his skin has almost completely cleared up and I can eat whatever I want now!!! I am savoring all the flavors of life that I've missed out on the last 6 months. Wonderful things like chocolate and strawberries... aaaahhhhh.... Oh- and I tried on my "skinny" pants this morning and they fit! So I guess things aren't so bad after all.

Much-needed break

I really should be going to bed, seeing as Steve is at a camp-out and I will be up with the kids in the morning and most likely all night with Ryan. He still isn't sleeping more than 2 hours in a row. I hope it's just those stinkin' teeth. I'm testing out formula tonight, too. We shall see...

Anyway... on to my post.

On Tuesday Mom and Dad watched ALL 4 of my kids (they deserve a medal) while Steve and I took the entire day to escape. We left at 5:30 AM and headed down to St. Louis. I was able to sleep most of the way there and enjoyed the silence of the car. We arrived early for the 9am session at the temple. Oh- what a wonderful place to be. I love going through with Steve. We go once a month, which I LOVE, but it's best when we can be there at the same time. It was a great place to clear my head and get the spiritual rejuvenation I was in terrible need of. That is a beautiful temple!

Our next stop was lunch. Since I'm on such a ridiculous diet, my choices are fairly limited. But Steve spoiled me by going to Cheesecake Factory where I got their oh-so-yummy turkey club sandwich. Mmmmm... It's pricey, but I really like their food. We ate, we talked, we had a good time and we left. No screaming children involved!

Next was over to Scott Air Force Base. It's the closest military base to where we live (almost 3 hours away). Steve needed to get an updated DA (department of the Army) photo for his Major's board since he has received an award since the last picture. It took us a very long time to find the right place for this picture. Apparently the Air Force doesn't do things the same as the Army and nobody knew where to send us. Steve made it just in time for his appointment.

We then went to the commissary. That is a place I certainly take for granted when living near an Army post. Man, the prices are so much better! We stocked up on my favorites (only found there) as well as upped our food storage supplies. Again- shopping is so much easier and faster without kids!

And then we went home. It was great just talking to each other and not having to quiet a baby in the back seat. I felt like a million bucks when I got home. We ate dinner as soon as we got in and then I left again with my dad to a reception. By the time we got back the kids were in bed and we played games with my parents until after 10. What an awesome day!!!

Funny Ellie

Here are a couple more funny things Ellie said at dinner tonight:

"Mom, why do you sacrifice for your baby?"

"You know, I've been thinking about this a lot lately..."

"I think I'll be good when I'm 21."

Where does she come up with some of these things, anyway (and how old is she)? :-)

It's that bad

So, this evening Ellie said a couple things that basically summed up how this week went...

During scripture time Steve was talking about how obedient and good Jesus was when he was little.
Ellie: "He must not have had any sisters."

Then in her prayer, "please help mommy to not be so grumpy."

Yeah- not a stellar week for me. Ryan hasn't slept well in over a week (up every 1 1/2 to 3 hours every night), I've not felt well from allergies, the girls haven't gotten along very well and little things have just been tough. Here's hoping for a better week next week. I'm tired of this one.

And then they were gone

Today we found a wonderfully loving home for our two kitties. It's a single lady that has had cats for years and needed some playmates for her current cat. From what she told us, she'll spoil those two rotten, which they will love. No kids to chase them, someone that loves to pet them and feed them yummy food. And no more being called "stinkin' cats" by us :) hehe... I wish we could have made it work with those two. They are the sweetest cats ever and we're going to miss them (Ellie cried when they were taken), but it was too much for us. And I think Ryan is allergic. Hopefully this will help clear up some of his symptoms. Bye-bye Daisy and Camo... :*(