And Then What Happened?

Yo!

2009-02-24T12:55:00.005-07:00

Yeah, so it's been awhile. I spend too much time on the darn Facebook site.

Here's a rundown of the last few months:

October: My Mom was in the hospital for the whole month. (She's better now). Anika turned 6 and we had a super fun Halloween/Birthday party for her. Speaking of Halloween, it was sooooo warm out when we went trick or treating.... didn't even need coats.

November: Uneventful month for us, except for the election. That was exciting. For us, anyway.

December: Lots of baking and eating. I worked on Christmas day for four hours. Yay. We had a nice family celebration on New Year's Eve. Mark and I wanted to go to bed around 10, but the kids insisted we stay up. So we did and it was fun. We saw fireworks.

January: Great prime rib dinner on New Year's Day. Feeling claustrophobic most of the month because the sun does not come out for THREE WEEKS! I am not exaggerating either. Mark remembered our "first date" anniversary (19 years). I'm a bad wife and I forgot.

February: I made the best Valentine sugar cookies EVER! Oh, and a really delicious Red Velvet Cake that my kids didn't like.

Yep, there you have it. How's that for boring?

Boise Fire

2008-08-28T09:18:00.007-06:00

So, here we are a few days after the worst fire in Boise's history. I drove down the road Tuesday morning and snapped a few pictures with my zoom lense. This is just devastating. Click on the picture to enlarge it for the full effect (the lines in the picture are power lines). I am still in disbelief.

One woman died. Her husband went out in their backyard to see where the smoke was coming from. The fire raced up the hill so fast he couldn't even make it back inside his house. He had to go around the front of his house. His wife didn't make it out.

Here is a story about our neighborhood.

I have more thoughts I will share............. not enough time right now.

Firestorm

2008-08-26T10:10:00.012-06:00

There was a horrible fire very near to our small subdivision last night. It started as a brush fire and quickly spread up a hill, completely destroying 9 homes and badly damaging 10 others. There were winds of over 50 MPH at the time of the fire. I will write more about our personal experience later. We did have to evacuate for a short time, but we are fine and our neighborhood is still standing. Here is a link to the story (Homestead Rim is our subdivision).

Darn......

2008-08-14T07:55:00.003-06:00

Well, as you can see I figured out how to move the family sticker graphic. However, I will have to play around with it some more I think. I'm not sure I like it where it's at now because it makes the blog column too small. Thanks to Ana for giving me the idea on changing the HTML and offering to help me!

Alright Already

2008-08-13T14:50:00.001-06:00

I'm not getting much done here...... I've been trying to figure out how to get the darn "family sticker" from the bottom of the page to the top of the page. When it is up top, part of it is cut off. Boo hoo! Anyone know how to fix it?

Hmmm....... What to Do?

2008-08-13T13:25:00.002-06:00

Well, the girls are off camping with Grandpa and Zach until Friday. It's so quiet. I miss them. I don't know what to do with myself. I have a few things I want to get done before school starts, but I'm not really sure where to start.

I've been wavering for a few weeks now, but today I was wandering around the house wondering what project I could tackle first.
So, I am going through the closets and getting rid of "stuff" by having a yard sale on Saturday.

I'd also like to shampoo the carpet and clean out all the kitchen cupboards. And vacuum my car out. And then there's my bedroom closet. Some freezer meals would be nice.

Just random thoughts, really.

Happy Birthday Luke!

2008-08-11T06:17:00.005-06:00

We celebrated Luke's 1st Birthday at Catalpa Park. Mark made the best BBQ chicken and my Dad brought some delicious corn on the cob. I made some simple cupcakes with my favorite 'boy' colors: blue frosting with chocolate sprinkles. All the Grandparents were there, including Great Grandma Ellen (Mark's Grandmother). The kids had a great time playing with their cousins who were visiting from out of town.

Luke is such a boy! He is into EVERYTHING! Not that the girls didn't get into everything, but he is more of a busy body I guess you could say. He started walking about two weeks ago. I baby proofed with outlet covers and put locks on the "dangerous" cabinets with the girls, but no door locks or toilet locks. Needless to say, he LOVES water.

He quickly caught on to the fact that he was the center of attention and really cheesed it up for the camera!

Finger lickin' good!

I Feel Old When..........

2008-06-25T14:41:00.002-06:00

We were having a conversation at work the other day about New Kids on the Block, who, for the record, I was never a fan of.

Another nurse came up to the nurse's station and I asked her if she listened to them. She said (with a tone) "New Kids on the Block were way before my time."'

"What? How old ARE you?" I asked.

"I'm 23" she said (with the tone of a 13 year old).

"Oh. You can go now." (I was just kidding, of course).

We (the "older" nurses) had a good laugh.

SUMMER IS HERE!

2008-06-16T16:37:00.009-06:00

After a few chi... chi.... chilly weeks, the weather here FINALLY warmed up! We went camping over Father's Day weekend with my Dad, Jeremy and Michelea. It was fun; not the same without Brandi, Dakota, Brian, Beth, Douglas and Jack, but still tons of fun. The girls had a GREAT time with Grandpa. Luke loves to ride with Grandpa in his motorized wheelchair (he tries to push the "go" switch whenever Grandpa stops).

Good Morning Anika & Luke! Olivia is the late sleeper in our family............

Anika & Michelea enjoying a cold root beer......

Swimming in the hot springs pool......... not too hot, more like a really warm bath.

Not even Grandpa in his motor bike can keep up with these girls........ they are FAST on their bikes!

Olivia was a little upset that I was trying to take her picture..... in fact, she had a big meltdown shortly after this picture was taken!

This afternoon we went to the store and bought a small pool and a bunch of water toys for the girls. It is almost 5 o'clock; they've been out there playing for over two hours - without fighting! It's nice now that they are older and they can entertain themselves! Did I mention they haven't fought in over two hours?!

New Room

2008-06-09T10:52:00.008-06:00

The closet that Mark built. He did a great job!

Pottery Barn knock-off beds; a great deal from JC Penny! These beds should last until the kids go to college (they'd better)!

The kids have been making their beds and keeping their room clean without much reminding from us!

Heather Needs..........

2008-06-09T10:30:00.002-06:00

I find this to be quite hilarious:

At the very top of the list was "Heather needs men... Now!" Thanks, but one is enough for me!

The next two results were other "Heather" bloggers posting their results so I skipped those.

The fourth one down was "Heather needs to grow up." Hmmm........

And then "Heather needs to wear a bra." I just have to laugh at that one.

Other ones down the list: "Heather needs two therapists." Doing OK, thanks.

I continued to get other people's blog results so I skipped around a bit. Here are some more:

"Heather needs to move on, she's made a fool of herself." (This would be Heather Mills-McCartney)

"Heather needs Gatorade."

"Heather needs a good night's sleep." This would be the most accurate result.

"Heather needs to let loose, she is too uptight." Chuckle.

And last, "All Heather needs is cash, love."

Tattoos and Beards or Tattoos of Beards

2008-05-01T17:49:00.008-06:00

I think the pictures speak for themselves.

It washes off quite easily in the bathtub. Oh, and I forgot to say that she said "someone else did it, it wasn't me!"

Luke's Trick

2008-05-01T14:34:00.005-06:00

I don't really know how to explain this other that with a picture. Luke does this thing you see in the picture. In the picture, his head is not quite touching the floor at the moment I took the shot, but he rests his head on the floor while he bounces his legs up and down and then sits back down. He doesn't rock on all fours like the girls did. He does this instead. I keep thinking he is going to do a somersault! Crazy kid!

He started crawling today. I guess I need to put up the baby gates now.

Here's a random pic of Luke in the bathtub............He's always happy, but he is especially happy in the water!

Moving Into a Bigger Room

2008-05-01T13:45:00.007-06:00

We have been SLOWLY working on moving the girls into the bonus room over the garage. It is much bigger than their room now and we figured if they were going to share a room (their choice), it would be nice for them to have a bigger room. Mark built a small walk in closet for them. I just have to say that I am so fortunate to have a husband who can build or fix most anything. His talents have saved us lots of money. It's taken us much longer than we expected, but we should be done this weekend. We just need to install the closet shelving and put up some new baseboard moulding and the closet door and we're done. I found a great deal on the JC Penny website with matching beds, nightstands and a dresser. Unfortunately, their beds and dresser are on backorder and they won't be here for another month. They are really good quality and if the beds are the same quality as the nightstands, they should last into their college years!

Here are the girls painting their section of wall. It was hard for me to let them paint on their own. I am a perfectionist when it comes to do-it-yourself projects. Enough said. They did great. Anika ended up painting the inside of the closet (I stayed out of the room). Olivia was sick or she would have done more. They actually did great!

Painting in progress.......

I love the lamps! They have feather boa trim around them! Looking at this picture enlarged I'm seeing another spot I need to go touch up!

Due the fact that we have textured walls and used two different colors of paint, we probably spent more time on touch ups than we did painting the walls. It was tedious, but it sure was nice hanging out with Mark.

Mark picked out the ceiling fan himself. He was very excited about his find. It's not what I had in mind for their room, but I thought it was so sweet that he would choose this fan for them that I liked it more for the simple reason that Mark chose it than the fact that it didn't fit the "theme" I had in mind.

Finally!

2008-04-20T09:46:00.005-06:00

Olivia's Birthday was on March 17. Due to work schedules we had to have the party a few weeks late in the first place. Then, Olivia came down with a really high fever two days before her party and we had to postpone it for two weeks since I work every other weekend.

Anyway, we went to Maggie Moo's for ice cream cake and then walked across the street to the movie theater. We saw Nim's Island. It's a great girl adventure movie. While we were at Maggie Moo's the kids saw some people on stilts walking around outside. They were walking around urging people to buy locally. They bounced around on their stilts while singing "Happy Birthday" to Olivia. It was fun.

This is a picture of her birthday cake. This is the cake we ate when the family was over on Easter weekend. Another mom from Anika's preschool made the cake for her. It was chocolate with fondant icing. I tasted one at another party and it was really good. I thought Olivia would like it. She liked the look of the cake, but not the taste. I thought it was really good, different, but good.

Kid's Artwork Piling Up? Here's an Idea!

2008-04-16T06:43:00.005-06:00

So, like most parents, I hate to throw away my kids' artwork. They draw and color A LOT at home and at school, therefore, I have a piles of stored artwork. Here's one idea: Scan your favorites and make a photobook. The originals can be tossed when the book is done.

Here's an example of one someone did for their kindergartner:

Click here to view this photo book.

Spring Break Bummer

2008-03-27T11:46:00.001-06:00

Well, the kids are on spring break this week. The weather is cloudy, cold and rainy (it even snowed briefly yesterday). Luke has the fussy baby sniffles and Anika has a fever.

So much for spring break.

JACK AND LUKE

2008-03-21T06:14:00.004-06:00

Here's a few pics from Luke and Jack's photo session last week!

Jack looks so serious, however, he had just woken up from a nap! He has the cutest smile! Maybe next time Jack!

We are all getting together this Saturday to celebrate Brian's and Olivia's birthdays (we had to narrow the celebrations down to a few times a year). It'll be the first time all the grandkids will be together since Luke and Jack were born! Cross your fingers that nobody will be sick! I'll be sure to get lots of pictures!

Common Courtesy

2008-03-20T10:08:00.011-06:00

It's been super busy at work this week - lots of spring babies. I was fortunate enough to have a great group of patients, however, I sometimes start feeling very frustrated at the way some patients and visitors behave. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my job, don't get me wrong, but I had more than a few occasions over the weekend where I found myself rolling my eyes in disbelief.

RULES FOR BEING A PATIENT OR VISITING A PATIENT ON THE POSTPARTUM UNIT:

1. When your nurse (or doctor, for that matter) enters the room and you are talking on the phone, please do not keep talking as if we are not there. We have come into the room for a reason. Please ask whomever your are conversing with to hold while you inquire as to the reason for me being in your room. If I need to do some sort of assessment or vital signs (on your or your baby), politely tell the person on the other end of the phone that you will call them back. I would think if you are seeing someone new in your room and you have a new baby with you, you'd get off that phone real quick. If I need to assess you and you continue talking like I'm not there, expect me to say "I need to do your assessment now" and if you keep talking, expect me to do your assessment. Expect me to interrupt your phone conversation because I will need to ask you questions (about your pain level, about baby, about how much rest you've been able to get, etc).

2. If I offer to help you with something, that means I have time at that moment to do so. Please take advantage of my offers to do something for you when I am in your room. Nurses have to plan their patient care for their shift in advance so when we come into your room to do something, it means we have made time to do what we need to do AT THAT TIME. We have unexpected things happening constantly which may change the plan of care during the course of our shift. I MAY or MAY NOT have time to come back in 15 minutes when you are done visiting your constant stream of visitors. Which leads me to #3.

3. For crying out loud, there does not need to be a huge entourage of people following parents and the baby from the labor room to the postpartum room. GO HOME! And if you do stay, have the common sense to leave the room while the staff get mom and baby settled. There is nothing worse than trying to talk over 4 or 5 + people when you are orienting them to the unit. I shouldn't have to, but I will ask them to wait out in the hall.

4. If you are waiting in the hall for your family member or friend, please keep the noise level down. There is a floor full of moms who just had babies AND THEY ARE TIRED! I understand it is a happy occasion and people are happy; do your best to use quiet voices. AND DON'T LET YOUR KIDS RUN UP AND DOWN THE HALLWAYS!

5. Don't come to visit someone if you stink of cigarette smoke. YOU STINK and we don't want to smell you! Oh, and if you are a parent to a new baby and you go out for a cigarette (a.k.a. "fresh air"), wash your hands and do whatever it is that smokers do to get rid of your cigarette stench before you come back into the nursery to get your baby. Better yet, do whatever you need to do to try your best to stop smoking.

6. With the exception of grandparents, there is no need to stay for more than 20 or 30 minutes. Better yet, why not wait until the parents are home. Parents are tired. They need to rest. You can visit them in the comfort of their own home. Don't forget to bring them some food!

7. Wash your hands or use the hand sanitizer. In this day and age, everyone should know this is standard, especially in the hospital. Don't be offended when you are asked to do so either. Not in the hospital and not when you are visiting a one week old baby.

8. Don't visit ANYONE in the hospital if you are sick. It's selfish. If I happen to realize that you are sick, I will politely, but strongly urge you to leave for the sake of the baby (if no one else).

9. This one is touchy: If you know how to change a diaper and you are able, don't call the nurse in to do it. Our job is to TEACH parents how to change diapers. There are actually people who have never changed a diaper and many who haven't changed a diaper in a long time. I have actually had patients who have been told that they don't have to change their baby's diaper in the hospital. Sorry. There are babies who have breastfeeding problems, there are moms who are vomiting after having a C/S. There are moms who are in pain. I am absolutely more than happy to change diapers for exhausted parents or moms who aren't up and around after giving birth. But don't put your nurse call light on just to ask me to change the baby's diaper. If I suspect you know how to do it (because you gave birth two days ago and I've seen you up and around) and you are just expecting the nurse to do it for you, expect me to say something like "I'll be happy to watch you change the diaper so I know that you can do it yourself before you take your baby home." This usually works.

10. If you are not a parent, don't ask me the what the baby's measurements are as I am doing them. I honestly don't think this is something people think about, but I don't think it is right for me to tell someone other than the parents first. I don't know the relationship the parents have to the person or people hovering over the baby who was just born (grandparent, aunt, friend, etc). I just don't think it is fair for anyone other than the parents to get this information first.

Last one...........

11. Visitors: If a baby seems hungry and mom is breastfeeding, OFFER to step out of the room while she feeds her baby. Don't wait for her to ask because she usually won't. This is especially important right after the baby is born as the first hour after birth is prime time for feeding baby. You can wait until the baby is done. It's not about you. Delaying the first feeding can actually effect how well the baby is breastfeeding in the days after birth. If they feed immediately after birth, when they are awake and alert, there chances for successful breastfeeding are much better.

Can You Guess Who This Is?

2008-03-15T13:39:00.004-06:00

Look closely!

If you guessed Baby Einstein with head lice, you are correct!

I've been checking the girls regularly (3 or 4 times a week) for head lice. In case you haven't had the fortune of having a child with head lice yet, don't worry, chances are if you have a girl, she will have head lice sometime in her elementary school career. Olivia had the privilege of hosting head lice last year (about this same time of year) when she was in kindergarten. I hear the school nurse has been checking the first graders over the last few weeks and that at least one of Olivia's friends has the dreaded buggers right now. There was one kid in Anika's preschool class last week who had it. SO FAR, WE ARE LICE FREE THIS YEAR!

Getting rid of lice is extremely inconvenient. When Olivia had lice last spring, I was pregnant so we didn't want to use any of those horribly harsh shampoo products. Even if I wasn't pregnant, I'm not too keen on using the chemical shampoos. I am happy to say that we did get rid of the lice without the yucky shampoo treatments (unless you count tea tree oil shampoo as yucky. At least it is a natural product, but it sure doesn't smell very good). AND, no one else in our house got lice.

So, since we've been talking about lice again in our house and the girls get checked regularly, Anika drew this lovely picture which she titled "BABY EINSTEIN WITH HEAD LICE." If you look closely, she drew both the nits and the adults in his hair!

P.S. I wouldn't wish the head lice ordeal on anyone (Mark and I actually lost sleep over it, tossing and turning, dreaming of bugs crawling in our hair). I found the website www.headlice.org to be very helpful.

Park Day!

2008-03-10T07:27:00.012-06:00

We went to the park over the weekend. We have had spring like weather lately and the girls were itching to go to the park. Luke had his first ride in the swing.

2008-03-04T16:36:00.001-07:00

You Are Mulan!

Strong and spirited. You're no one's girly girl; actually you are very determined person with a strong sense of self. Never let go of that! The only thing that equals your sense of self is your family, but the traditions of society can always be bent to protect something or someone you love.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

No, the Republicans in My Family Didn't Scare Me Away (see comment in my Obama post)

2008-02-26T13:00:00.006-07:00

I have been busy trying to convince Mark that he doesn't really want Hilary to win the nomination! Ha, if only I had time for THAT!

Here's what I've been up to this month:

-Updating my Macbook- our hard drive crashed a few weeks ago. It was only EIGHT MONTHS OLD! I still love my Macbook though. It pays to have an external hard drive!

-Chairing a new committee at work

-Making cupcakes and cookies for class parties (thanks to Mark for making a batch of cupcakes for me)!

-Feeding Luke, because he NEVER STOPS EATING! This is because HE NEVER STOPS MOVING, except when he is asleep, which is really only at night. He sleeps great at night, but is a terrible napper. He only sleeps for 20-30 minutes at a time, 2-3 times a day.

-Registering families (there are about 50 of them) at Anika's preschool because I am insane and volunteered to be the registrar for the third year in a row.

-Attending preschool meetings. Anika goes to a cooperative preschool and as the registrar, I am part of the "board" so I have to go to the "board" meetings.

-Holding Luke while I unload and reload the dishwasher because he has two new teeth. After that, I feed him again.

-Helping in both the kids' classrooms

-Then there's the usual stuff like working, cleaning, bills, cooking, bathing the kiddos, family activities, driving and picking up the kiddos to/from school.

I might sound like I am complaining, but really, I love this life. I love that I can work part time and still have the benefit of being with my kids during the day before I go to work. I am frequently tired and my house is frequently cluttered with stuff, but I have a happy family!

2008-02-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

Wildlife in My Backyard

2008-01-03T08:01:00.001-07:00

I snapped a few pictures (OK, 30) of this beautiful bird on New Year's Day. There it was, just sitting in our tree. It is a Sharp-shinned hawk. I guess they hang around Boise in the winter.

Well.............

2008-01-01T14:04:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year to everyone! The Bennett family was sacked out by 11:00.

I'm such a loser that I fell asleep on the couch around 10 o'clock or so. My Dad & Debbie were still here. Nice hostess, huh! Then they left as they were also very tired. At this point, the girls were still awake watching High School Musical 2. When everyone left, I went upstairs, changed into my jammies, grabbed some blankets and pillows, and went back downstairs. We each took a couch and laid back down. Mark was still awake. He finally dozed off in the recliner only to awaken a few minutes before midnight. He CLAIMS he tried to wake us up at 11:58, but really I think he was so tired he said our names a few times and when we didn't respond, he fell back asleep! We woke up at 12:45 and carried the kids up to bed. Too funny!

We had a great time hanging out with everyone. It was nice to hang out with Zach too. I am really proud of Zach and everything he has accomplished this year. Keep it up Zach! You can do anything you put your mind to doing!

We have a huge prime rib in the oven right now. It smells sooooo good. Brian's clan is coming over, along with my Dad, Debbie, Zach and his girlfriend, Katrina.

Here's to a fabulous, fun, family & friend filled 2008!

Oh, I Almost Forgot

2007-12-31T21:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not too sure Zach is going to make it until midnight!

New Year's Eve Pictures

2007-12-31T20:53:00.001-07:00

Playing the Boogie game on the Wii:

Party Hats

Luke is even feeling festive!

Party table

Earlier we all made our own mini pizzas and I made raspberry cream Italian sodas for the kiddos!

Happy New Year

2007-12-31T18:20:00.000-07:00

It's been an awesome year for us. Hopefully I won't start off being sick for the first month of 2008 like I did this year (not even pregnant related sickness)! We have a lot to look forward to in '08.

My Dad & Debbie should be here any minute now with the girls and then our New Year's Eve 2007 will be under way!

I'll try to do some pictures later tonight so I can make it to 50!

Some goal I have, huh!

Post 47

2007-12-31T15:10:00.000-07:00

I may not get to 50 posts. We bought a Wii at Targt today.

We're losers.

JACK AND FAMILY

2007-12-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun taking these pictures today!

Whoa! I think he really looks like Brian in this picture!

Here's Jack in his giant Christmas stocking!

Next time I'll get pictures of Luke & Jack together!

What to Do

2007-12-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

So, what do I do when the girls are at Grandpa's and I should be grocery shopping? Or doing laundry?

I enjoy a few pieces of my delicious fudge (Grandma T's recipe) with a tall glass of milk! Shhhhh........!

Hmmmm....................

2007-12-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

I guess I should post something since I'd like to hit 50 posts by Tuesday!

Luke woke up at 2:42 for HIS Thanksgiving dinner (borrowed that from you, Ana). He nursed for 25 minutes. Hello? What happened to 10 minute meals?

Apparently, our dog, Jethro, felt that it would be a good time for him to eat too. I tried to go back to sleep after feeding Luke, but after Jethro's relentless whining, I finally got up at 3:50 to let the crazy dog out. I feel bad for Mark; he had his alarm set for 4 AM because he had to be to work at 5 today (and yesterday). Thanks to the stupid dog, he got to wake up an hour early! I planned to go back to bed, but I never did. I'm nuts.

Now I am going to make a grocery list and then go grocery shopping after Luke wakes up.

LUKE

2007-12-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

Snow Day

2007-12-28T11:28:00.001-07:00

So it's been snowing here all morning. The girls bundled up and headed outside to make a snowman. I bundled Luke up for a quick photo op in the snow.

Anika catching snowflakes

Olivia enjoying the snow

Post #40

2007-12-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

I'd just like to say that this has been a really great year for me. My family is happy. I love my job. I love being a mom. I love my husband (in January it'll be 18 years **EIGHTEEN** since we went on our first date). I'm healthy. It's snowing and the mountains in Boise are beautiful. I'm happy.

Here's to 50 posts!

2007-12-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

I noticed I have a whopping 39 posts since I started blogging. I am going to make it to 50 by the end of this year. You'll see.

New Year's Eve

2007-12-28T06:50:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! Traditionally, we have prime rib with my Dad & Debbie, my siblings and some friends on New Year's Eve. Some of us make it until midnight, others don't. This year, for various reasons, we decided to have our prime rib dinner on New Year's Day instead of New Year's Eve.

So then we wonder "What should we do on New Year's Eve?"

Mark and I thought we'd have an "open house" type party with a game night theme. We've been racking our brains trying to plan it out. We were thinking people could drop by when they wanted to and we'd invite family and friends (friends with kids and friends without kids). It just became too much to think about, really.

Then came Mark's best idea of the year: Let's just have a family New Year's Eve Celebration! It'll be just us and the kids staying up until midnight and ringing in 2008. And we'll have my Dad & Deb over early in the evening for some fun & games too.

Now the wheels are really turning! Oh, the possibilities here are just so exciting! We're talking games and treats and activities and sparkling cider and make your own pizzas and party favors and fancy hot cocoa drinks and dazzling decorations and oh where do I stop?

And as far as the Prime Rib dinner, well, I am really excited about that too. It'll be the best New Year's Day ever!

Jack Morgan Twilegar

2007-12-21T16:02:00.001-07:00

Official Stats:

Born December 19, 2007 at 8:45 P.M.
Weight: 8 lb 3 oz
Length: 19"
Cheeks: chubby

Aren't they beautiful!

He's Here! UPDATED!

2007-12-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

I don't have many details right now (it's been a crazy day), but Jack Morgan Twilegar was born earlier this evening (around 9-ish). Everyone is doing well, just tired! I hear Jack has really cute, chubby cheeks! I will post more tomorrow after I talk to Brian or Beth more; hopefully I can post some pictures.
**********************************************************************************************************************************
OK, I don't have the exact time of birth, but Jack Morgan Twilegar weighed 8 lb 3 oz and is 19 1/2" long. I hear he has big hands and feet and is a very cute! Brian says he thinks he looks most like Douglas, but that he also looks a little like Luke. Brian should be sending me some pictures later today. I still can't believe that my little brother is changing diapers! And I just have to say that our family really loves Beth and Douglas and that we are so happy that they are a part of our family.

I have not been able to meet the little guy in person yet because MY family has been sick with a nasty cold virus. The girls and Mark are mostly over it, but Luke and I are still congested. Luke had to have chest x-rays and get tested for RSV yesterday. Both were negative, but he is having nebulizer treatments every four hours for the lung congestion. FUN TIMES!

Marathon Day of Holiday Baking

2007-12-18T20:31:00.001-07:00

I suspect my right arm will probably be a little sore tomorrow from all the stirring I did today. My dad came over and we made No Bake Cookies, Rice Krispie Treats, Chex Mix and Grandma Twilegar's fudge. I must say, it was the first time I've ever made Grandma T's fudge and it is so much better than the Kraft Fantasy Fudge! After my dad left, I made some delicious toffee. I will be making fairy cookies in the morning. Fairy cookies are a Scandinavian cookie made with lots of butter (clarified butter, in fact) and lots of powdered sugar. They melt in your mouth. Mark's Grandmother, who is Danish, taught me how to make them. They are very labor intensive, but well worth the effort.

In Two Days.......

2007-12-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

In two days, Jack Morgan Twilegar will be here (if not sooner)! We are soooo excited for Brian, Beth and Douglas!

Getting in the holiday spirit!

2007-12-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

My Mom, Brandi, Michelea and I and the girls made gingerbread houses on Saturday (we missed you, Beth)! It was so much fun! I made a great holiday music CD and we sipped Brandi's fabulous apple cider while we put together our gingerbread houses and decorate glittery pine cones.

(If you look closely, Olivia is putting her tongue in the gap where her 4 teeth used to be).

Some new pictures!

2007-11-25T11:25:00.001-07:00

I think we are in trouble! Luke started rolling over on Tuesday!

It's his favorite pacifier!

Ok, not really. It is Mark's favorite though!

Anika and Olivia dressed for Thanksgiving dinner at Grammy Cammy's house

Anika having fun in the few leaves we had this year!

All three in the morning!

Back to Reality

2007-10-12T12:25:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm headed back to work this afternoon. I am actually very excited. I love my job and I am fortunate to work with a great group of people. Mark will do great taking care of all the kiddos while I'm at work.

Mismatched Shoes

2007-10-10T06:03:00.000-06:00

So, I'm pretty sure I wore two different pairs of black shoes when I picked Olivia up from school yesterday. I always park and walk up to the door where she comes out of the building. There are always lots of other people around.

I only realized this when I went to leave for a meeting last night and I put the shoes on which were sitting side by side. They were two different shoes. I went to find the "other pair" and sure enough, there they were. At least they were both black.

Just In Case You Need a Good Cry

2007-10-02T12:30:00.000-06:00

This is a poem I received when I took a *gasp* parenting class!

Before I was a Mom......

I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was Mom
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to lullabies.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom
I had never been puked on
Pooped on
Spit on
Chewed on
Peed on
Or pinched by tiny fingers

Before I was a Mom I had complete control of:
My thoughts
My body
And my mind.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child
so that doctors could do tests or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a Mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so
important.

Before I was a Mom
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
Every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay
I had never known the warmth
The joy
The love
The heartache
The wonder
Or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much -
Before I was a Mom.

Anyone Seen My Vacuum Attachment?

2007-10-01T14:30:00.000-06:00

I really could have used it to vacuum out the car this morning or the stairs last night! I'm also missing one of the extensions that goes with it. Let me know if you see it in the big black hole with my favorite lipstick. Maybe my Dad's hearing aid is there too?

Slacker Mom

2007-09-27T06:09:00.000-06:00

So, we were supposed to go to Anika's preschool potluck at the park last night. The weather was perfect. I even had the store bought tray of cookies ready to go. Did I say they were decorated like lady bugs? Someone would have been impressed, thinking I decorated those beautiful cookies. After all, I do have three kids! Ha ha. I so could have scored some points with the other Mom's.

Gosh, come to think of it, I don't think there is anyone else at our preschool who has three kids.

Back on track. There really wasn't a reason NOT to go, except that Mark and I were both dog tired. How do you explain that to a kid, that you are too tired to do something? Kids will do anything no matter how bleary eyed or cranky they are feeling.

So, I bribed them.

Mom: "Mom is sooo tired, is there ANYTHING else you would like to do besides go the park?"

Blank stares. "No."

Mom: "There is nothing else you would like to do? How about Cold Stone Creamery?"

Kids: "Park!"

Mom: "OK, we'll go to the park."

Olivia: "How about we take a walk across the new bridge?"

Background info: There is a new path from our subdivision leading to a bridge which crosses over a canal. We drive by it everyday. Anika and I took Luke for a stroll last week and walked across the bridge and back so Olivia has been wanting to go ever since.

Mom: "Um, OK, if that is what you would like to do."

Kids: "Yeah, lets go for a walk across the bridge."

AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED?

I let them soak it in for about 10 minutes, went in to where they were at and announced "I'm in the mood for some tasty ice cream! Who wants to go to Cold Stone Creamery with me?"

"So we're not going for a walk? OK, we'll go to Cold Stone Creamery"

I'm such a slacker! My kids want to do something healthy and I feed them ice cream.

It's supposed to be 80 degrees here today. BSU is playing Southern Mississippi (Brett Favre's alma mater) at 5:30. Maybe we can walk during half time?

My New Title

2007-09-26T14:22:00.001-06:00

It's still "a wonderful life" here, however, since writing about having three kids, I have been wanting to change my title.

The phrase, "And then what happened?" is actually a phrase that Mark has used since I can remember. It annoys me and he knows it annoys me and that is why he says it. Over and over. He even annoys the poor kids with it. It is those crazy, annoying quirks he has that I love about him.

I think having kids is like that: day to day annoyances that can really grind my nerves at times, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!

OK, maybe a margarita. Just to take the edge off.

Thoughts on Having Three Children

2007-09-17T14:18:00.000-06:00

I always wanted three kids. Three kids never seemed like a lot of kids to me. When I took water aerobics while I was pregnant, I was the oldest one in my class. The next oldest person in my class was 25 or 26. Several were born in the early 80's. When the instructor asked me "is this your first?" and I replied, "No, this is my third" everyone said "WOW!" like I had a lot of kids. It was just something I didn't expect, the shock in people's voice when you say you are having your third child. Strange.

I asked a few people at work and one friend, all who have three kids, about what it was like. They all pretty much said the same thing: It's hard, but worth it. I just never put that much thought into it. I mean, both Mark and I were raised in a family of three, what's the big deal? We turned out all right.

I also googled "having three kids" while I was pregnant and, much to my surprise, found this great website: www.havingthreekids.com. It makes me laugh and I can appreciated more now that I actually have three kids.

So, it's been five weeks. I think because my kids are 4 (almost 5) and 6 years old, I have it easier than those who have three kids under 3 or 4 years old. So far, the hardest part has been making sure Olivia & Anika are getting enough positive attention. I find that really hard to do when I am sleep deprived. I also think we are extremely lucky that Luke is such a mellow baby. He has been fussier in the evenings the past week, but still, nothing compared to Olivia or Anika. He makes those cute little waking stretching noises when he wakes up at night and he might start to cry by the time I get his diaper changed, but as soon as he is plugged in to the milk machine, he's good. He nurses at night for about 15 minutes, sometimes 10, and then he is back to sleep (and so am I). He is waking up to eat nowdays about every three hours, HOWEVER, last night he slept for 6 1/2 hours straight giving me 5 hours of straight sleep. I'm still tired.

New pictures

2007-09-14T06:12:00.001-06:00

One of Lukes' first smiles captured on camera! He's been smiling a bit more these days. It is one of the best feelings in the world when your baby smiles back at you!

Mark & Luke napping in the recliner. It must be nice to sleep all night and still get to take a nap in between football games! I love you, Mark!

Clearly, Luke does not want his picture taken! He is five weeks old tomorrow and still being smothered by his big sisters! We weighed him on our scale the other day and he is around 11 pounds and measuring 23.5 inches tall.

The girls were restless so we ventured out to Build-A-Bear (I hate that place). They had fun and they entertained themselves the rest of the day with their new bears. I did get Luke a teddy bear, he didn't have one yet. No outfits though, just a plain bear.

I spy a 90 pound dog under all those stuffed animals!

Here is Anika on her first day of preschool this year! She is so excited to be in the "older kid" class this year. She is mostly excited to get to take her own lunch once a week (just like Olivia)!

Update and some pictures

2007-08-25T20:17:00.000-06:00

*So, I started this post awhile back, here it is finally!

Well, Luke was three weeks old as of yesterday! He is such a mellow baby, I still can't believe it. He really does not cry much at all, in fact, I thought there was something wrong with him the first week after he was born. He still eats ALL THE TIME and I am pretty tired ALL THE TIME, but I know it will pass. At his one week appointment (9 days, actually), he was 9 lb 2 oz. He is almost as long as the changing area in his play yard. I think he got the tall genes from both Mark's Mom's side and Dad's side of the family. He has started smiling the past two days, just a few times. It's not gas, either. He was wide awake each time. I will try to get a picture as soon as I can.

Olivia started First Grade last Monday. She is SOOOO excited. She is really tired and really hungry by the time she gets home though. I overheard her telling Anika that a boy at school was "in love" with her, but that she was not "in love" with him. She gave Anika very specific instructions NOT to tell Mom or Dad because she would be "so embarassed." She really likes her teacher and talks about her everyday. She has taken her own lunch everyday because she doesn't like the school food (thankfully). Her favorite lunch item this week was, interestingly, tomato soup.

Big Sisters can't get enough of their baby brother, even after three weeks!

Snuggle Time!

This one is my favorite so far! Luke loves to snuggle up on our chests.

Luke's Grand Entry

2007-08-13T16:05:00.000-06:00

LUKE JACKSON BENNETT
AUGUST 11th, 2007
6:52 AM
8 lb 4 ounces
22 3/4 inches long
14 1/4 inch head

Just when I thought I was going past my due date, I was awakened at 2:45 AM Saturday morning in full fledged labor. In my mind, I was going to "labor" at home for a few hours and head to the hospital when my contractions got to be about 5 minutes apart. Well, they started at 5 minutes apart and by the time we left for the hospital at 3:30, they were 2 minutes apart.

I WAS going to do the "natural childbirth" thing for my last baby, but with contractions one after another, I just couldn't ever get comfortable. It was worse than my pitocin induction with Olivia. On top of the contractions being back to back, I was throwing up and then Luke passed meconium when my water broke and his heart rate on the monitor wasn't looking very good. I had to have an oxygen mask on my face. It was just one thing after another. I was a wreck. I labored like that for about 2 1/2 hours.

And then I got my epidural and things were great. I could relax and talk to Mark, my Mom, and the nurses. I don't regret it on bit!

Unfortunately, due the the meconium, Mark was not able to help with the delivery as the doctor had hoped. He needed suctioning before taking his first breath so he wouldn't inhale the meconium into his lungs.

My nurses and my doctor did a great job of keeping me calm, even though they had to tell me several times to stop watching the monitors and "just be the patient."

I pushed a few times and out he came, looking very blue and floppy. I don't think he was breathing. He looked so bad, I forgot to look right away to see what gender he was. The doctor held him upside down by his ankles so he wouldn't swallow. Mark quickly cut the cord and the doctor carried him to the warmer for the NICU nurses. He didn't cry for the longest time. His one minute Apgar was only 3 out of 10 (the lower the score, the worse the baby is). I could see the nurses resuscitating him. I knew exactly what they were doing. It's is amazing how well he responded. His Apgar score at 5 minutes was 9. As you can see in the picture at the top, he is nice and pink!

Need help with a middle name

2007-08-07T06:33:00.000-06:00

OK, so we have had our boy name picked out forever: Luke Jackson Bennett.

We have chosen a first name for a girl: Tess. However, we can't find a middle name that we love. I think the more syllables, the better it will flow, as in Tess Elizabeth (which I've ruled out).

Any suggestions? Cindy-maybe there is a family name down the line somewhere that would fit?

I am now OVER 39 weeks, which means this is the longest I've ever been pregnant. Olivia & Anika were born at exactly 38 and 39 weeks, respectively. I think I've been having what is called "prodromal" labor since the doc stripped my membranes last week. Lots of contractions, but they never get regular or increase in intensity. This is something new for me and I am finding it really annoying! I'm really not THAT uncomfortable, just impatient.

Who knows, maybe the fact that Mark has a tee time with his boss for 18 holes of golf this afternoon with his new set of clubs will be enough to send me to the hospital? He's the one that brought it up anyway!

Brian & Beth will be finding out next week if they are having a boy or a girl! I can't wait. Having all these new babies is so fun!

So.........Any Day Now...........We're Ready

2007-08-01T06:32:00.000-06:00

I was kind of hoping for a July baby and yesterday afternoon I actually thought it was going to happen. I was having contractions 10 minutes apart all afternoon and then they stopped. Of course, my doctor didn't help much when he said "Hopefully I'll see you tonight or tomorrow" after he stripped my membranes. He did ask Mark if he was going to help deliver the baby. I had forgotten until then that my doc is known for letting the fathers help with the delivery. He described to Mark how he'll do it, and much to my surprise, Mark sounds like he is going to do it and he actually sounds kinds of excited about it. Mark doesn't get excited about much, that's just the way he is.

We painted the baby's room over the weekend. I am so happy with it, it turned out very nice. I will post a picture later.

I worked my last day on Monday. My coworkers had a nice potluck for me. Lots of good food. There are 7 women on my floor who are pregnant right now, with 6 us of being due between now (me) and November.

I just have a few things here and there to get done, otherwise, we are ready!

Lemonade for Sale! Come and get your lemonade!

2007-07-24T06:53:00.000-06:00

So, a few weeks ago, Olivia started asking about setting up a lemonade stand. Yeah, just what I want to do at nine months pregnant in the 100 degree heat: set up a lemonade stand in front of our West facing front yard! I put it off for as long as I could, but they had there little hearts set on it so they could "make some money."

It finally got the point where Olivia said, "Mom, you keep promising that we can do our lemonade stand and you never let us!"

I'm such a bad mother!

Well, I PROMISED Monday would be the day, no matter what.

The girls and I had already made a list with them of things we needed such as cups, lemonade, signs, etc. Everything was very well planned.

The girls wanted both pink lemonade and regular lemonade. I also suggested selling some cookies, which they did.

We went to REI and bought a new canopy (we needed one anyway) after Mark got off work. We then came home and set up their lemonade stand. As it turned out, the weather was overcast and only 97 degrees instead of the forecasted 103 degrees.

I have to say, Mark and I were worried no one would buy their lemonade and cookies. I remember doing a lemonade stand as a kid and didn't make squat! And, after all, I have never stopped at anyone's lemonade stand. However, we did not let the kids in on our doubting ways. We actually expressed a fair amount of enthusiasum when it came to setting things up for them. I guess we live in the right spot. Everyone in our neighborhood has to drive by our house to get in and out of the subdivision. Location, location, location.

As you can see by the sign, they were charging 50 cents each for lemonade and cookies. I instructed them to sell 2 cookies for 50 cents instead of just one cookie for 50 cents. Well, people assumed they got one cookie for 50 cents and that is what they started off paying, so I didn't correct anybody.

The whole thing was truly amazing if you ask me. People from down the street came out of their houses and walked down to our house to buy lemonade! We've never met so many of our neighbors. And who knew there were so many families with kids our kids' age? People pulled up in their cars, some got out, some didn't.

People would be walking toward the house and Anika would shout, "Lemonade, come and get your lemonade!" I think she has some sort of natural born sales instinct like her Uncle Brian. Of course, it probably helped that they waved to everyone driving by as well.

In approximately 1 1/2 hours, they raked in a whopping $25 even. I still can't believe it. Anika says they'll be open again today. At that rate, they could buy their own school clothes this year! Ha ha! They'll be taking it to the bank to deposit in their savings.

Oh, Olivia did say when I split up their money that "We can buy lots of expensive things with our money." I think it's time to teach the real meaning of profit.

Oh, to be a kid again..................

P.S. THANKS GRANDPA AND ZACH FOR DRIVING ALL THE WAY OUT TO BUY LEMONADE AND COOKIES! THEY LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

What I've Been up to for the Last Month

2007-07-20T06:11:00.000-06:00

We went camping over Father's Day weekend. That was fun and I wish I was able to do more camping this summer. We took the girls up a few days early to hang w/ Grandpa. It was funny because Olivia was NOT going to stay (said she'd miss Mom & Dad too much). We knew better and packed her bags "just in case." Well, we got up there and she changed her mind (said she didn't want to go on the ride home-too long). They didn't seem to mind at all when it was time to go, we had to ask for hugs and kisses because they were too distracted getting ready for swimming!

We got a new tent, it's bigger and better than our last one. It will fit all 5 of us AND the dog next summer. I can't wait!

Let's see..........what else?

Olivia lost her second top tooth and she now has a sweet gap she likes to whistle through. Anika has been taking swim lessons this week. She is quite the little fish in the water. She has always loved water. Olivia is the cautious one in the family.

Oh yeah, about the time we went camping, we had a robin make a nest in one of my beautiful hanging baskets Mark got me form Mother's Day. The basket hangs right on the front porch. In the days after the girls left for camping, she laid some eggs. She sat on them and about two weeks later, they hatched! Four baby robins! We watched the "Mom & Dad" robins bring their babies worms. The girls LOVED it! And we could watch them from inside the house without disturbing them! They grew so fast. Then one day we came home from the pool and there were only 2 left. The next morning, I went out to get our milk & eggs (we have them delivered) and there was one left. Olivia stayed on the porch while I took the milk inside. As soon as I got inside, I heard Olivia say "Mom, the baby just jumped out and plopped onto the lawn!" Sure enough, there he/she was with Mom nearby. The whole experience was really neat for all of us.

I worked lots of extra "on call" shifts. I only work 40 hr every two weeks, well, it works out to be 40 hr in 6 days and then I have a stretch of 8 days off. So, I am able to pick up extra 4 hr on call shifts, if I so desire. It's completely voluntary, but it is time and a half (if I get called in to work) plus an extra $3 an hour just for being on call. Fortunately, my on call hours are DONE! No more until after I return from maternity leave.

Speaking of maternity leave, I only have 5 more 4 hour shifts left until I am officially on leave. These were originally 8 hr shifts, but I was on bedrest last weekend due to swelling and increased blood pressure. My swelling and BP went down so nicely, my doctor said it would be OK for me to work just 4 hr shifts. THANK YOU! My doctor is great, he even called to check on me Friday night.

The girls went camping with Grandpa and Grandma Deb last weekend, they had a blast. Both of the girls have a great relationship with my Dad, but Anika has especially bonded with him. She is already threatening to move to his house when she gets upset with Mark or me. Can't wait for those teenage years!

First Tooth Fairy Visit and Posing for the Camera

2007-06-14T17:06:00.000-06:00

Olivia lost her first tooth last Saturday. She pulled it herself. She talked about it for at least an hour afterwards! She is very proud of herself - and she should be! Here is a picture of her right after she pulled it.

Not to be left out, here is Anika posing for the camera. I think she's been watching too much of "America's Top Model" or whatever it's called.

Funnies by Anika

2007-06-04T14:09:00.000-06:00

Two recent funny, well we found them hysterically funny, conversations at the Bennett house. Keep in mind, the kids have a mother and three grandparents, both Mark's parents and my mom, who are nurses! My kids are subjected to lots of medical mumbo jumbo!

#1 Picture our family at the dinner table.

Anika: "I figured out that the baby is going to be a boy!

Me: "Wow, Anika, how did you figure that out?"

Anika: "I could feel his p_ _ _ _ through your belly?" (Baby is now big enough to feel body parts and we have been talking about feeling feet/knees/butt)

Olivia: "I don't even know what a p _ _ _ _ is!" (Denial)

Anika: "You know, it's that thing that hangs down from your bunkie (Mark's family nickname for bum) and when you're a boy, you go pee with it."

I am really surprised Mark and I didn't choke on our food, we were laughing so hard!

#2 Prologue: At my last OB app't, two weeks ago, my blood pressure was 130/96 (I'm fine), my legs were swollen (they still are), and I had protein in my urine (I know, more than you wanted to know, but these are all signs of pre eclampsia). Because of this, I had to collect my urine for 24 hours and deliver it to the hospital lab. I couldn't really hide it from the kids because I had to keep the container in the fridge. So, when they asked, I just told them the truth about what was in the container. Life went on and everything was A-OK (and still is, my blood pressure is down now).

Anika woke up just after 7 a.m. yesterday. We could hear here walking around upstairs for awhile before she actually came downstairs.

Mom and Dad: "Good morning, sweety. What were you doing upstairs?"

Anika: "If I tell you something, do you promise not to get mad?"

Mom: "Nope, I won't get mad. What is it?"

Anika: "I'm collecting my pee for my collection." (She likes to collect various things, but pee is a new one)

Mom and Dad (trading glances at each other): "Oh, really? What are you collecting your pee in?" (knowing I had an extra container in my bathroom cupboard)

Anika: "The bathroom"

Mom: "Yes, but what kind of container? What did you pee in?"

Mark is sitting next to me trying to control his laughter, as am I, but I want more information.

Anika: "You know that Target bag that you put Adam's (baby cousin) present in?"
Mom: "You peed in a bag? Where is the bag now?"

Anika: "It's on the floor in the bathroom. It only has one little hole in it."

Then I kindly asked her to go move the bag into the bathtub. The rest is kind of a blur since I started laughing so hard.

Then I went up to the bathroom and there was the bag. It was no joke. Olivia reported when she woke up that Anika actually made her first 'deposit' the night before when getting ready for bed. That makes 2x she collected!

Shrek the Third

2007-05-24T16:55:00.000-06:00

We went to Shrek the Third yesterday. It was great. What was not great was the money we spent on popcorn and soda. I can't even bring myself to say how much we spent. We even snuck in our own candy! It was a good thing we had 2 free tickets for the movie itself.

School Years

2007-05-24T16:35:00.001-06:00

Well, Anika's last day of her first year in preschool was today. Everybody met at the park and we had a few hours of play and socializing interspersed with eating the snacks we packed! I am glad it's over. Next year won't be so easy.

Olivia had her music program last Friday before we left to go camping. I only cried once when they sang "What a Wonderful World." Not bad for a hormonal pregnant lady! After the music, they had a short graduation ceremony, complete with caps and "diplomas." I got the cutest picture of her walking down the aisle with her cap on, wiggling her loose tooth (I may post it someday, I have to download it first)!

Two more weeks and Olivia will be done with kindergarten. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. This summer, we plan to sleep in, well, Olivia and I hope to sleep in anyway. Anika is an early riser. She'll climb into bed w/ me and look at books while I doze a little while longer. We'll go to the library once a week and will frequent the local swimming pool a few times a week. We'll have park days w/ Anika's preschool classmates once a week, too. I think we'll stay plenty busy.

So It's Been Awhile.............

2007-05-15T06:16:00.000-06:00

I guess it's been awhile since I posted! Nothing too exciting since last post. I am feeling really, really good these days. Wish it was going to last, but I know it's not. Olivia now has 4 loose teeth, she should be losing that first one any day now. It will probably happen while we are camping this weekend! Anika has been keeping us laughing with her witty sayings. School is out in a few weeks and I couldn't be more relieved! We are planning on hanging out at the pool and the library this summer, maybe a few "field trips" to different places.

We are going on our first of two camping trips this weekend and everyone is VERY excited! I don't know who is more excited, the kids or Grandpa! Olivia is disappointed thought that we only get to stay for 2 nights. The weather should be great; it's looking like it'll be in the upper 70's!

I am looking forward to seeing Shrek the Third, as is Mark (and the kids). We will probably go see it next week.

Oh, I almost forgot! We had 4 (maybe 5) bull snakes (aka gopher snakes) in our back yard last Thursday. At the same time. Two of them were rather long at 4-5 feet each. The sprinklers had been on and I think they came for the water. They must live on the other side of our fence. It is nice to know they are there. I guess they like to eat rattlesnakes, which have also been seen in the field behind our house, as well as our front yard!!!!!!!

Snack Time

2007-04-19T14:36:00.000-06:00

Anika found a recipe for Applesauce Muffins on the Nick Jr website she printed off and requested that we make today. They are just about done baking and are smelling rather delicious!

Here's the recipe:

2 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 lg egg, lightly beaten
1 c unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease of line 12 cup muffin pan.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Whisk to blend.
3. Add egg, applesauce and melted butter. Stir until just blended. Spoon into prepared pan.
4. Bake until puffed and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes. Invert and cool completely.

Ok, so they are done and they are really tasty. Anika talked me into putting frosting on hers saying that, because they are in liners, they are cupcakes and they have to have frosting. Oh, and because she is wearing a shirt with a great big cupcake on the front, she also needs frosting on her muffin so it will match the cupcake on her shirt.

It's been a fun afternoon. Olivia put up a sign in our front window that says "The Yummy Shop." I'm on call until 7 PM tonight at work, but it doesn't look like I'll have to go in - KNOCK ON WOOD! Now it is time to get ready for dance class!

The Answer to "What's for Lunch?"

2007-04-19T13:26:00.000-06:00

Olivia says to me, "Mom, you're not going to fix us lunch today. WE are going to fix YOU lunch!" Right on!

Olivia prepared a bowl of vanilla yogurt with a side of red grapes and a glass of cold Chai tea.

Anika put butter, plums, milk, Pepsi, and some grapes into a pan. Then I helped her warm it up on the stove. She was very excited about her conconction. Olivia whipspered to me a few times "Mom, I don't think that will taste very good."

We warmed it up a bit and melted the butter. We tasted it, well, Anika and I tasted it. It was kind of like sweet, fruity butter. I thought it would taste worse than it did, but Anika decided it wasn't worthy of eating (or drinking). I took pictures I will try to post later.

Taxes

2007-04-15T12:32:00.000-06:00

Well, this is the first time we have waited this long to do our taxes. Usually, I have them done in mid February. They are finally done and, once again, we get a refund from Federal which we have to use to pay the State! I'm so disgusted!

Dang! Two Great Concerts Two Nights Apart!!

2007-04-09T19:19:00.000-06:00

It was announced a few days ago that Harry Connick, Jr will be playing here on June 5. Sounds like fun, I love Harry Connick, Jr. Then, today, just in the last few hours, it was announced that John Mayer will be playing at the same venue on June 3! If they were six months apart, I could go to both, but since they are TWO DAYS apart, I guess we can only go to one and it'll have to be John Mayer. I got Mark the "Continuum" CD for Christmas; it is really good! Olivia is asking to go, she likes his music too. I don't know how that will go over when we tell her that her and Anika can't go! :(

Maybe she'll like a shirt? Then again, their tickets would be about as much as two stinkin' shirts. We'll have to think about this one a bit more.

Another Milestone

2007-04-07T09:13:00.000-06:00

Olivia was eating a slice of pizza yesterday when she noticed her front tooth hurt when she took a bite. She thought it might be loose so she wiggled it and, sure enough, it's LOOSE! She is now obsessed with wiggling it and reports that it is loose enough this morning to wiggle with her tongue. I'm not sure how long it will be before it falls out, but I'll post a picture as soon as it does!

I can't mention Olivia without mentioning Anika. She says the funniest things. The other night at dinner I told her she had to finish her milk because she poured it herself. She whispered in my ear "Mommy, sometimes you're pretty and sometimes you are a dirt bag. And sometimes you are a pretty dirt bag." Anika says she heard the word "dirt bag" on the movie "Over the Hedge," but Mark and I both know where she REALLY heard it: Grandpa. I told my Dad and he knew right away where she heard it. I told him Anika didn't give him up, but that Mark and I knew better!

Ultrasound Picture

2007-03-29T11:04:00.000-06:00

I added a picture of Baby Bennett's face from the ultrasound. The baby kind of looks like a creature from out space, don't you think? The left to right with the chin on the right. You can see the mouth right above the chin; the dark area on the left is the brain.

About My Day Yesterday

2007-03-28T07:22:00.000-06:00

Well, it was the day of my 20 week ultrasound. The kids are on Spring Break so I thought it would be fun for them to go to the ultrasound and doctor appointment with Mark and me. My doctor is really great and I was excited for the girls to meet him. It didn't really turn out like I envisioned.

The kids were bored at the ultrasound and the doctor was doing a C-Section so we didn't even get to see him. The ultrasound tech was not the friendliest person and seemed kind of bored herself. I brought a VHS tape to record the ultrasound as I did with the girls. She offered to burn me a CD instead. When I got home and watched it, I discovered about 60 seconds, if that, worth of the 10-15 minute ultrasound. Luckily, I called her and explained that I didn't get what I thought I was getting (as in a video of the whole ultrasound). She offered to have me come back in and video tape another u/s for me. NICE! Then I was on hold for 19 minutes waiting to schedule the appointment. I know it was 19 minutes because I have a timer on my phone. I finally asked that someone call me back to schedule, but they never did. Frustrating! I know they are busy, but COME ON!

Other than the kids being bored, the ultrasound was great! The baby is measuring right where he/she is supposed to be and we saw everything we were supposed to see as in a 4 chamber heart, 3 vessel cord, stomach, brain, no cleft lip or palate, etc. And we didn't see what we didn't want to see as in boy or girl parts. We will truly be surprised at the birth. I was worried about "accidentally" seeing something, but we didn't!

Another reason I was bummed about not seeing the doctor is because I've been having horrible pain in my pelvic bones and I can hardly walk at times. The nurse says my hormones have caused my pelvic ligaments and bones to relax and thus are separating making it painful to walk. So, physical therapy it is for me. I did some further research on the net, of course. Symphysis pubis dysfunction is the name for it, I guess. I am really hoping it just goes away. I invested in a lovely maternity belt and will be getting some support hose to wear to work so my circulation doesn't suffer when I am standing for 8 hours! How old am I? I certainly don't feel 34 right now! More like 74.

I did have a proud moment at the mall yesterday when I went out to purchase my stylin' maternity belt. I drove around the parking lot for several minutes looking for a spot that wasn't on the other side of town. I really didn't want to walk too far because I am in pain and it is far enough inside the mall to the Motherhood store. Finally , I get to a spot that isn't particularly close, but it'll do. Someone is ready to back out and I will take their spot. But wait, here comes someone behind me as I am backing up to let the other person out. I stop, she doesn't. I motion for her to back up and point to the spot where the car is leaving. She stares at me and doesn't budge. Now the person backing up can't get out. If I drive away, I lose the spot and the lady behind be gets it. I motion again. Stone cold stare. OK lady, you are NOT going to get my spot. I do some fancy maneuvering and am able to get my spot! Ha Ha!

I have been wanting to get a pedestal for my front loading washer and my dryer so I don't have to sit on the floor when I load and unload laundry. However, it seems that I have to special order it now because they "deleted" the pedestal for my set as they are 4 1/2 years old. HUH?
I waited on hold for 10 minutes for them to tell me they would have to call me back with "availability and pricing" information. It's a good thing I am a very patient person (except when I want a good parking spot)!

Today should be better. The sun is out. I am doing laundry and grocery shopping. Maybe I'll get good news about my laundry pedestal. Honestly, it would make my day!

Growing Up and Other Things

2007-03-26T14:52:00.000-06:00

Olivia turned six years old on March 17. I thought I had a hard time when she started kindergarten, but I think it will be just as hard, if not harder, when she starts first grade. The last few weeks she has been singing a song she is learning for her Spring music program.

(To the tune of "New York, New York"):

Start spreadin' the news, I'm leavin' today..... I want to be a part of it, First Grade, First Grade.........We've worked very hard, our teacher is proud......So open up those doors to First Grade, First Grade...............

When she started singing it the first time, I expected to hear New York, New York. Then she said "First Grade, First Grade" and my eyes welled up with tears!

FUNNY THINGS MY KIDS HAVE SAID RECENTLY:

Olivia says to me last week "I think you are having a girl because girls are all you know how to make!"

Anika came outside to tattle on Olivia for something. We told her to go back inside and work it out with Olivia. Silence. Then she says "What? You want me to hit her with a ballon? OK." She turned around and closed the door and went back inside.

OTHER HAPPENINGS:

My 20 wk ultrasound is tomorrow. The kiddos are going with us. We hope not to see any gender parts. That reminds me, I need to get a video tape!

I went shopping for maternity clothes today. It wasn't as fun as I hoped it would be. Old Navy's (Anika calls it Old Lady) selection is very small. Target's selection is even smaller. I found a few shirts at one of the consignment stores. The only clothes I REALLY liked were the new nursing uniforms I bought. Sad. Can't wait to go to work!

Olivia learned how to tie her shoes last week and Anika wrote Olivia's name without having to ask how to spell it.

I think I've changed my mind on the name "Irene." Yes, already. That didn't last long, did it?

I am going to try some "Once a Month Cooking" in April. Well, I don't actually forsee myself doing it "Once a Month" or even "Twice a Month" at first, but ultimately I want to cook and freeze 3-4 weeks worth of meals in one or two sessions. I'll start by doubling or tripling a dinner recipe and then move to a half-day session and then a full day. I've been wanting to do this for awhile now. What better time than now to start!

Jethro

2007-03-15T05:33:00.000-06:00

Since my blog address is mark3kidsandadog, I thought I'd do a post about our dog. Shortly after Anika was born, we put our dog, Daisy, a Redbone Hound, to sleep because she had a large tumor under her armpit which turned out to be a cancerous tumor of her blood vessels. It was very sad. She was in a lot of pain and well, the rest of the story is history. Well, we decided not to get another dog for awhile. With two young kid- and a brand new house, it just wasn't the right time. We figured someday down the road, we would get another dog. After my Dad got Sadie a few years ago, we started thinking more about it. Sadie is SUCH a good dog and the kiddos just love her.

So last October, Mark was browsing through the local paper and he came across an ad for Redbone Hound puppies. We had always said we would get a Boxer or another Redbone Hound (I was partial to Boxers since Daisy was not a very intelligent dog, in fact, she probably could have used some antianxiety medication). There were only 2 puppies left, but we decided to look anyway. We were skeptical. Redbone Hound dogs are used for hunting large animals, and well, we live in Idaho so who knows what kind of a person we would be dealing with. What kind of conditions would we find this dog to be living in? What were the parents like?

We were happy to discover the owner was a very pleasant fellow who lived in a clean house and obviously took good care of all the dogs. Whew! There were 2 puppies left, but he wanted to keep one as she was receiving medication. So, there he was, the one male puppy. He was a bit bigger than the female. We let him out of his little play area and interacted with him a bit. He walked around and sniffed everything around him. He seemed playful, but not crazy. When we asked the owner if he had been calling him anything, he said "Well, he was the biggest of the litter so I've been calling him Grande." We should have known.

We named him Jethro on the way home. Mark came up with that name and the girls liked it. After we got home, I thought of the name Luther. It's a Southern sounding name, right? We all liked it except for Olivia. NO WAY were we going to change his name now!

We brought him home the first Friday in November. His first trip to the vet, he weighed 21 lb. His second trip to the vet, three weeks later, he weighed 31 lb. I thought that was a lot to grow in three weeks. Well, three weeks after that, at just under 4 months of age, he weighed 45 lb. Holy Cow, Wow! At 5 months he weighe 62 lb. We weighed him about 2 weeks ago at the six month mark and he was 67 lb. Our vet said large breed dogs are usually about half of their full grown weight when they are 4 months old. So, I guess that means he'll be about 90 lb!

The kid- just love him to death. So far, he seems to be very intelligent. He does great on a leash and loves to play fetch. He has a few bad habits we are working on, but they are manageable for now. He has a VERY loud bark so I feel safer with Jethro here when Mark isn't home. One of his favorite things to do is to go upstairs to our bedroom, plant himself at the window and watch for people walking on the trail behind our house (it's about 100 yards away) and bark as loud as he can. Yeah, I feel safe, but we have to work on the barking. Afterall, we do want to take him camping with us!

The Week in Review

2007-03-12T13:13:00.000-06:00

It's been a great week! I am feeling so good nowdays! Could it be because it was 70 degrees yesterday?

Both the kids had the stomach flu the weekend before last. They started getting sick within 2 hours of each other. There's nothing more fun than having 2 kids throwing up one after another for hours after only having 3 hours of sleep myself! The nice thing about it was they were both 100% better 24 hours later! I am just thankful Mark and I didn't get sick!

The comments are starting to come in about how big my belly is already. I remember these comments when I was pregnant with Anika-she only weighed 7 lb 2 oz. Come on already! Yes, my dates are correct and no I am not having twins (and yes, I am sure of it because I've had 2 ultrasounds, but if you want, I can check again when I have another ultrasound in 2 weeks)!

I got to have a short ultrasound last Thursday. I was having lots of contractions at work so the doctor wanted to make sure everything was OK. It was. The baby did 2 somersaults right away and did not stop moving! I didn't feel any of it (the movement, that is)!

So, our boy name is Luke Jackson Bennett (after my Dad and my Grandpa). I am liking Irene for a girl- I think.

The girls spent the night at Grandpa's house last Friday. We were going to go to Brian and Beth's for a get-together, but Mark and I were just beat. So we watched a movie at home instead. We both fell asleep by 9:30pm, I in the recliner w/ my extra large body pillow and Mark on the couch with the dog. Ahhh, life in your 30's.

Nothing New but Bizarre Dreams

2007-02-28T06:13:00.000-07:00

Nothing too exciting going on at the Bennett house! We never made Valentine cookies because Mom had a very tired week that week. I got the BEST gift ever from Mark for V-day: an absolutely fabulous pregnancy pillow! I'm only 16 weeks, but it has made my night's much more comfortable. It is so much better than the regular body pillows I used with the last 2 pregnancies. I've even used it in the evenings occasionally when I am lounging on the couch. It is a little spendy, but so worth the money for my comfort. Here's the link (this is for you, Ana):

http://www.babyage.com/products/13594_leachco_back_n_belly_contoured_body_pillow.htm

So, I've been having the most bizarre dreams the last few nights. It started with a very vivid dream of giving birth to a boy. Thing was, I didn't know the other people in my dream, like Mark wasn't there-it was a different husband, and the doctor was also a stranger. But, it was definitely a boy as he peed on me! Then 2 nights ago, I dreamed we left the kiddos home alone while I was in labor and I couldn't get anyone to pick them up for us. They were OK though, they watched a movie while we were gone. Last night I dreamed there were monsters after us. We hid in our attic space for a few days while they were looking for us and woke up when they found us. There were lots of shorter, yet vivid, nonsense dreams in between too.

The two most common questions about this pregnancy: Are you finding out the gender and are you trying for a boy? The answers are "no" and "NO!" I find the second question to be insulting, maybe it's because SO MANY people at work have asked me that one.

Olivia and Anika can't wait to go camping. Olivia talks about it everyday. She wants to go NOW and does not care if there is snow on the ground. I love her enthusiasum! They are going to have a "campout" at Grandpa's this weekend so hopefully that will satisfy the camping blues for a few weeks anyway. I, too, am looking forward to camping this year. We will have our first trip in May. We will probably go again in June and that will be it for me! Here is a picture of the entrance to our favorite campground, Baumgartner, taken on our last camping trip last fall.

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The campground hosts, Greg and his wife, Linda, are great people. Since we went about everyother weekend last summer, we got to be friendly with them. Linda would bring the kiddos little goodies like Smokey the Bear kits, necklaces and stuffed bears. They tell great stories and they take great care of the campground. Mark and I are thankful for the memories that are made on our camping adventures. I believe my kiddos are as well, they just don't know it yet. I know they will look back on day and have happy thoughts of their young camping days when they were sitting next to the fire drinking Grandpa's hot cocoa, waiting to eat his sourdough pancakes.

Let the countdown begin!

So I've Been Tagged

2007-02-13T07:14:00.000-07:00

Soooo.............Day 1 of my Blog and I've been tagged! Hmmmmm..........

Here's how it works: "Each player of this game starts with '6 Weird Things about You'. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly.

Ummmm, I don't know 6 other people to tag, but I will give you 6 weird things about me:

1. I love to eat peanut butter straight out of the jar (I never double dip).
2. My second toe is longer than my big toe. I personally don't think this is THAT weird, but Mark sure thinks it is strange. I am betting this is a Twilegar trait!
3. Because my second toe is longer than my first, I can pick up all kinds of things with my 1st and 2nd toes!
4. When I was a kid, I could burp REALLY loud. When I would answer the phone and get those automated surveys (you know, they ask a question and wait for you to respond) I would burp loud and long for my answer while trying not to laugh. Ask my Dad!
5. I crave pickles smothered in cream cheese when I am pregnant, well, 2 out of 3 times anyway.
6.

Check back later for #6. I have to think of something.

My First Blog

2007-02-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

Here it goes, my first blog! Cindy and Ana Christine make it look so fun! I chose www.mark3kidsandadog.blogspot.com for my web address because 'pregnantlady' and 'bunintheoven' were already taken! Ha Ha!

I think we are all on our way to being over this horrible cold we've had for nearly a month now (all except Mark, that is). And now that I am into my second trimester I am not feeling so pukey and exhausted 24/7! And Spring is right around the corner! Things couldn't be looking better right now!

The girls and I will be making Valentine's Day goodies today or tomorrow. I love making big, fat heart-shaped cut out cookies with lots of delicious frosting. Then we will deliver to our favorite Valentine's!