Counting my blessings!

So I realize I get on here and talk about how stressful things are here. That is true, but I think I do that to vent...like a journal. I need to get on here when things are good too! So the good news! The thing I am really greatful for is being able to get back in shape and lose the weight after having Jack. He is 3mos old tomorrow and I have already lost almost 40lbs. I still have 30lbs to go. I didn't gain all of that with Jack I had 20lbs left over from Brett. I lost it all after Isaak! And no it doesn't just fall off! I get very strick about what I eat and I have joined a gym after every baby. I work out 4 days a week at the gym and then walk or ride my bike on the other days of the week. But it really gets my mood up to exercise! I love it!

Good thing #2...is that I have been able to get a lot of things organized and put away this summer! I am one of those people that hate clutter. I only say that cause I have a couple of sister's that can't throw anything away! Lacy keeps every gift bag she ever recieves and Elizabeth has everything she's ever owned since she was born! LOL! I love them! I have taken some things to a consignment store and some I have donated.

One more good thing! School starts soon! This isn't just for me. My boys love going to their preschool! Isaak has been looking forward to it since last year. Also, Brett wants to be a big boy like Isaak. Jack is really a great baby and we will spend our free days at the gym and running errands. He loves being in the car. Well, he does now...he had to warm up to it! I really am blessed with a great family and I know I have more than most people in the world...as Jennie reminded me. And I'm grateful!

My crazy, Happy, Sad, Stressful, Exciting LIFE!

I now understand why most people these days stop after three kids! My day is so full and overloaded that I literally go to bed with more to do than when I woke up! NO LIE! Here's a peak at just today. I get out of bed at 6:30am. I am woken up at 4:30am by Jack who is understandably ready to eat. I feed him at 10pm and he sleeps til then! Awesome, I know! First baby of mine to do this. But before I have the chance to fall back asleep I am greeted by my 2year old at 5am( and yes this is EVERY morning)! Just a side note locking the door does not deter him one bit. By 6am Isaak is up and every five minutes bugging me about breakfast and/or drink! So finally after continually telling them to be quiet so Jack can continue to sleep, and them coming in to bother me some more, I give in and get up. Extremely exhausted!
So I give in at 7am and get them breakfast. By the time they have finished I have put the dog out. Cleaned up whatever they did while they were awake and I was still in bed. After that Jack is usually back up and getting close to wanting to eat again. So before he starts screaming at me I shovel something in my mouth (nothing with milk in it) and go to nurse him. During the nursing I have to put underwear on Brett and usually stop wrestling matches that go too far. At 8am I send them to their rooms to do whatever they want for an hour while I watch Golden Girls and clean up the kitchen...yes, I love that show and I don't care what anyone else thinks!
By 9am I am being begged for a snack and juice. Little things like this go on all day. Well, add to it today that Brett didn't get a nap and is having some serious terrible two issues made our day super stressful. He went from one thing to another all day breaking it or playing in things that would make him sick. After dinner he managed to do both at the same time and he was lucky to survive his Dads anger. He can only muster so much patience. So what did he do? Well, you all read my toilet store from a week ago. Brett tried again to get a plumber out to our house. We kept hearing the toilet lid go up and down while Brett was suppose to be using the potty! Well, Danny went to check on him and found the toilet over flowing and the bathroom flooded! I heard the spanking in the kitchen! He had unsuccessfully tried to flush a whole roll of toilet paper down the toilet. He had also taken the time to unroll it off the roll before hand...he had done that the day before.

Needless to say by the time I get in bed at night (10pm or later) I'm exhausted. Danny has already been in bed an hour before that. Today I was extra tired getting everything ready for our yard sale tomorrow. I need a vacation! Love to all...I know there are other moms who know how I feel!

A Sad day!

I don't know how many of you know but Brett was born with a lot of dark hair like Jack. After a few months we notices Brett's hair was growing in blond. A few months after that we had to shave his hair off cause it looked so horrible growing in blond with black tips. And he was being mistaken more and more for a girl. Well, after bathing Jack last night I was messing with his hair and my worse fear was realized. He too is turning blond! I almost cried! I was so hoping his hair would stay dark and I wouldn't have to cut it. I was so sad when I had to get rid of all of Brett's hair. Isaak, the one dark haired boy I have was born bald and was bald until he we almost two. Anyway, I know it's silly but I have been pretty sad today, and hoping I don't have to shave another child's head at 4mos old. I love their hair! Oh, well, such is life.

Brett the day he was born!

Brett at 6mos

Jack the day he was born...with Brett!

OH, my aching TOILET!

If I have learned one thing from having kids it's that you can't be upset with them about everything...they are going to experiment. Just make sure they know the consequences to their actions. For instance, wipes don't dissolve in the toilet. The consequence they can't go potty inside until the plumber comes to remove the clog. We all live and learn! But the upside is that I do have boys so there is no toilet paper unless they need to do #2. So it hasn't been too bad waiting.


On a more upbeat note...these are my new pictures of Jack. A friend of mine from church took them for me on her camera. This has a story too! She so kindly came over to my house one morning and spent like an hour here working with Jack and getting some great pictures. She even gets the CD to me that day! She was so great about it all. Then I download the pictures I want to my computer then to the Sam's club photo center. I ordered the sizes and number of prints I wanted and set it up to pick them up from the store here in town. Well, about an hour later I get a call from Sam's club. The girl on the other end says in order to get my pictures I have to have a release form signed from the place I had them taken. I explained that they were not professionally done so I wasn't sure how to get a form. They didn't believe me so I had to call my girl friend and get her to call them and then go to the store to sign a piece of paper allowing me to pick up the pictures. It was ridiculous and I apologized to her for the trouble. But, I got the pictures and here are the rest of them.