tell me if this sounds familiar

So...I really want to post about the gloriousness of my past 14 weeks of pregnancy...but first...I need some validation from you moms out there on a different topic....it's called (menacing piano plays "dundundundun") "shopping with kids".  Ahhhhh!

This is totally something that feels like it takes up my whole day and every ounce of energy I possess! I don't like it! If I can pick and choose the combination of kids I could shop with...it would be Addie and Kaitlyn. My first choice would be to shop alone...second would be to shop with Brandon+kids and third would be any combination of kids besides Addie and Weston! He can't stand being restrained to a cart...and Addie can't stay by me to save her life! Here is what a typical "darn, we're out of toilet paper...I have to go to the store" kind of day would be like for me. First...I have to come to the realization that there is no way out of going to the store...

Then...I mental prep....seriously...I am just going to go to the store, get what I need and leave.

But first...I have to eat breakfast, get the kids to eat breakfast and stick them in front of the TV while I sneak off to take a shower...which can take anywhere from 10 minutes too FOREVER depending on if I can keep child #2 and #3 from joining me. Then I have to find something to wear...check on the kids...get them whatever it is they need or clean up whatever mess they made, OR if they got in the shower...get them dried...dressed and happy. Then I blow dry my hair and if I am really lucky one of the kids will try to help me and make the process take 10 times longer. Then, if I am really feeling impressive...I will straighten my hair and maybe brush on some foundation...but quick trips for toilet paper aren't impressive occasions...so I opt for a pony tail. Then, if I didn't do it already, I have to get the kids looking half way like somebody cares about them...(this means it's okay for Weston to wear sweat pants with cowboy boots)...and then make sure I have everything I need in the diaper bag...then change Weston's diaper that is probably poopy...then make sure Addie uses the bathroom which can take 2-20 minutes...THEN I can corral the kids into the van and restrain them in their seats...and turn on my soothing sounds of Hillary Weeks to calm my nerves only to look at the clock to realize that somehow it's already after 12:30 p.m. and I didn't even feed the kids lunch! (Good thing the grocery store gives out free sample cookies...that otta hold them over). So..the speed limit is 35 here...which is slow no matter where you live...so when I finally make it to the store I have to try to divert the kids attention from the huge double decker 2 seater shopping cart and the one dirty germ infested cart that looks like a rocket ship and takes NASA training to manuver. Then it's: strap one kid into the cart and pray they don't undo the clasp and climb out....but they do and they want to sit in the back of the cart...so I let them...then tell the poor kid 15 thousand times to sit down. {I have seriously had older people tell my kids they need to sit down so they don't fall out. "Seriously! Didn't you just hear me tell them that?! I was only standing right beside you! Time to check that hearing aide battery."...but of course I don't say that...I act like I am so greatful for their concern and kindly try to get my child to cooroperate.Honestly...I have had the same person tell my child they need to sit down more than once!)}  Then, it's Addie's turn. On a good day...she will wander ahead of me or lag behind but she will listen and stay by me when I remind her to. On a bad trip...she will be like a walking circus act! I promise you that if I let her...she could climb under the cart, around the front, over the top, down the back and then under again all while I am pushing it...if I let her...and someday I might...just to see what kind of comments the old people will give me for THAT!

 No wonder I crave chocolate. It's more like my brain is sreaming for relief! But...it's all good. Today, I managed to keep a positive attitude throughout the whole shopping experince (w/o chocolate...even though I did try to give my kids away once..but I did it in a nice voice with no exasperated sigh or rolling of the eyes)...and the kids even earned their fruit snacks. I however still had to come home, unload the groceries...because somehow I ended up with a whole cart full instead of just the toilet paper...and put it all away, get drinks for my kids and OH yeah...maybe some lunch for us...then herd them back out to the van to go get Kaitlyn from school.

...and it's only Monday...

Seriously...tell me this sounds familiar!

Some recent pictures...

...details to follow...

CHD

What is congenital heart disease? Click here for a great explanation!

Today marks one year since the Hodges worst fear came true for their little heart baby Kaiya. Angela's stregnth inspires me everyday. She has a superhuman heart and an amazing drive to endure.

I love this video...it's definately worth your time. Some featured continue to be survivors and some, like Kaiya got to go Home.

picnic and preg testing

I was excited this past Saturday to get to go to our Relief Society Meeting. We were having different classes and things like that...not crafts like I would have LOVED...but still...I was glad to go. It was fun to visit and eat good food. (Doesn't get much better than that right?) I was leaving the meeting and gave Brandon a call. He is so great...he had packed a lunch and took the kids out on the range for a picnic! How sweet is that!? I met them out there and we had fun watching the kids climb around and collect rocks. Then we drove over to the corrals and waited for the guy to come to preg test the 36 cows that were waiting. Everyone involved was glad to hear that all the cows were "closed" (pregnant). I didn't actually stay to watch the whole time. I got lucky. Addie needed to go #2...so I took her and Weston to Brandon's moms to use her bathroom...then they started playing and didn't want to leave...so I stayed there and let them play and visited with Mary Louise until Brandon and Kaitlyn were done. Kaitlyn was happy that she got to have a "job" during the preg testing. Her job was to poke the cows with a stick to get them to move up the shute. Seriously...I am glad I don't get treated like a cow! In fact! On Sunday afternoon...my girls pampered me. They got lotion out and they rubbed my feet and messaged my arms and hands. It was great! :)

Here a a few picture from Saturdays little picnic...and the kids loved exploring and collecting rocks!

                                                                                                           

Can't Sleep?

This is what I found when I went to check on Addie this morning while she was sleeping. I had to snap a couple pictures when she woke up! :)

Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!

(Kaitlyn wanted to make a few color changes to her collage! She wanted rainbow lettering...but settled for this. To enlarge the image, double click.)

November 3rd 2002, I gave my dad the ULTIMATE birthday present...his first grandchild! I missed having Kaitlyn and my dad together on their birthday this year...but we managed! Adelin and I had gone shopping together a couple Saturdays ago and bought Kailtyn's gifts. Addie pretty much told Kaitlyn what we bought...but luckily Kaitlyn was still surprised and happy with her gifts!

For her birthday, we took donuts and milk to her class (per her reguest) and we let her choose where she wanted to go for dinner. She chose to go to Pizza Hut. This girl LOVES pizza! I baked and decorated her cake while she was at school...and even though it was a little lopsided and far from perfect, she loved it. (phew!) She even told me that I make the best cakes. How sweet is that? Really...it's a boxed cake with store bought frosting and cool whip in the middle...no big skills required for that...but I am glad she liked it. Okay...enough about me. So...in our family, we don't throw a big party every year...we just have our immediate family and Grandparents if they are able to come. Kaitlyn wishes that were different. ANYHOW, we did surprise her and had Brandon's mom (who came to dinner with us) bring Taryn, one of Kaitlyn's favorite cousins, with her. Then while we were eating, her friend Emma who she's know since the day she was born (literally...she came with her mom when she was 4 months old and meet Kaitlyn for the first time at the hospital...I think Skye brought McKenna too)....anyhow...Emma called her from Texas and wished her a Happy Birthday and they chit-chatted on the phone for a few mintues. They'd probably talk for hours if we let them! Oh...and my mom called her early in the morning before she even got out of bed and wished her a happy birthday. It was cute to see her all cuddled up in her bed talking to her Grandma.


All in all...we had a fun day...and I am excited for next year when she turns 8! She'll get a big party to celebrate and then she will be baptized! WOW! I am really feeling old!

Halloween 2009

My mom made the kids costumes this year. She took them to the store and let them pick out their pattern and material. The kids LOVED it and they looked adorable! Thanks mom!

Kaitlyn got to have three parties this year...one at school, one at her cousins (Keaton and Hayden's) house and the ward party. I guess Addie did three parties too!...Preschool....cousins and the ward one. Thank goodness none of these parties resulted in too much candy. Weston was just thrilled to be a cowboy and to be able to bring his stick horse to the ward party. Someone commented about Weston that, "He looks like he was born that way." It's true...being a cowboy comes naturaly to Weston. He loves cows and horses and "riding". I am sure that boy is gonna give his mom a heart attack once he's old enough to ride a horse by himself.

So...there you have it! Hope you all had a fun time too!