Hiding...

Whatcha got in your pocket Zander??


It's ELMO! And Cookie Monster!

Sunday Laugh....

A little boy goes to his father and asks: "Daddy, how was I born?" The Father answers: "Well, son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway. You're Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a Cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, I upgraded my floppy to a Stiffy and then your Mom agreed to do a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button,
Nine months later a blessed little Pop-up appeared and said: "You've Got Male!"

Remember this?

Back in January he fit pretty good in it! He's too big for the doll stroller now!

Giving the boys a ride!

Zachary is learning how to sit up!

Check out the tatoo!

Trying out his new trike....

Lexi with her good friend Nolan.

I'm sure Phil wants me to post this because why else would he have taken a picture of it?!? I came home the other day as he was cleaning out the garage & he says "guess what I found under the step (in the garage to get to the house). I said I don't want to know.....well guess he says. Ok, a DEAD MOUSE? Nope...A dead SNAKE? Nope. Well this is what he found. Remember the mouse problem we had this past fall & a year ago?? I guess they were stockpiling Kirby's dog food. They would take a piece from his bag & drag it UNDER the step. How long do you think this took them little creatures?!?!? He caulked up some holes in the garage so we don't have to deal with this in the fall again. I guess this is how they got in....through the garage & then would run down the hall to the kitchen & somehow get way up on top of the cupboards. Still don't know how they did it, but really need to STOP thinking about it now. I'll have nightmares again I'm sure.

The World's Shortest Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, a girl asked a guy "Will you marry me?" The guy said,
"No"and the girl lived happily ever after and went shopping, dancing,
drank martinis, always had a clean house, never had to cook, stayed skinny
and farted whenever she wanted.

The end.

6 Things About Me

I've been tagged by Cheri to list 6 random things about myself and then choose 6 more people to tag to do the same thing.

1.) I have HUGE feet...size 11 & I think they grew with this last pregnancy. I had to throw my walking shoes out, they were too small.

2.) I have NEVER colored or highlighted my hair....

3.) I have never learned how to ice skate......and I live in Minnesota where it's cold 6 months of the year!

4.) I hate steak...give me a hamburger instead.

5.) Dr. Pepper makes me burp......a LOT......

6.) I am the YOUNGEST grandchild on my dad's side....I am number 56. Yep my grandparents have 56 grandchildren. And I'm in the middle on my mom's side. There are 32 grandchildren on that side! Big families! Guess I had to try to keep up with that with having four of my own!

Now that I have completed this post, I get to tag someone else.

Here are the rules:

1--If you are tagged, you have to post six things about yourself on your site.
2--Then you should leave a comment on my site to let me know that you have posted.
3--You can then tag at least 6 more people. To tag, just leave them a comment to let them know they are IT!

My tags...

Jennie
Shannon
Melinda
Kristine
Hot Momma
Troy

Closet or Zantac?!?

Zachary SLEPT through the night last night!!!! Very first time in 5+ months!! Hoping/Praying it wasn't a fluke!

I have been trying a few different things with him and maybe just the combination of them all have finally worked.

I put him on Zantac & that was his 4th full day on it. Could that have finally kicked in? I think I have read that it takes a few days to get into the system to help.

He napped well yesterday too. I put him down after being awake for 2 hours or so & that worked great. I've tried that before but he didn't always cooperate!

My actual plan last night was to put Z1 (Big Z for Jennie) in the pack & play in my bedroom closet & let Z2 (Little Z) CIO. Well I forgot to put Z1 in my room so just put him in his crib like normal & then put Z2 in the pack n play in the closet. I figured I'd hear him & it'd be easier to get him this way too since his room is on a different level. And since I suck at CIO, I probably wouldn't have lasted long anyhow.

So Z2 went down at 9 pm last night & slept until 6:30 this morning!!! That is NINE and 1/2 HOURS of straight sleep for him. That is the most he has ever slept in a row! I of course kept waking up listening for him & worrying & wondering why in the hell isn't he waking up!? It's been 3 hours......it's been 6 hours....ok, I better get to sleep!

So either he liked it in the dark closet, he didn't hear any Zander noises, or the Zantac kicked in. Whatever it was, I LIKED it.

Zander's Speech Assessment

We just got finished with Zander's speech assessment. She has to score the test yet & will let me know if he qualifies for therapy or not. She said that he could be in the 4% & still not qualify. Meaning, 96 kids his age are talking & 4 aren't but he has to be in the lower 1/3 or something. If he does qualify, we'll probably have to take him to school once/week for an hour for some help. Once school is out, then it's twice/month over the summer.

His comprehension was way up there, he just doesn't say any words. There was one test she didn't even do because we/I knew he wasn't gonna do it. She would point to pictures & he would have to say what it was. Ya right! So she didn't even bother. I told her he only says words when you say "Zander, SAY mama" He never volunteers any words on his own. Or once in a great moon he will.

She'll get back to me this week & we may start services next week already if he qualfies!

Happy Easter!

It sure turned out to be a beautiful day today! We woke up to rain & when we left at noon for my aunt & uncle's house it was still raining & we thought we were in for a crummy day. The closer we got to their house, the nicer it got outside! The sun came out & it was just a perfect day to be at the lake! They sure have a really nice place & being at the lake today gets us itching to get to our lake! Here are a few pictures from today.

No one is looking at the camera, but it's a shot of Phil & his crew!!

PUSH HIM IN LEXI!!!

What Lack of Sleep Does to You

Today my aunt & my cousin mentioned something they had read on here & I was totally lost as to what they were talking about. Well in going back a few posts I found it & just wanted to clarify that Phil WAS home. You two know what I'm talking about!!

Let's just say I'm probably losing my mind and not getting much sleep isn't helping!

New Wheels

We got this 2004 Chrylser Town & Country Touring van about 3 weeks ago. I am really enjoying it!! I finally had a chance to read the owner's manual yesterday & discovered some more features! It's loaded with options, has middle row bucket seats (new to us) & leather interior (also new to us). The kids (especially Lexi) LOVE the DVD player. She is always asking "can we watch a movie?" no matter how short the drive is! I still haven't been able to get the garage door opener programmed in yet. Waiting for Phil to see if he can figure it out. I tried a couple of times & then gave up!

Easter Egg Hunt 2006! Went to the park this morning & boy was there a crowd!! They had prepared 200 bags for the 2 & 3 yr old & 200 for the 4 & 5 yr olds. They ran out!! Can you find Zander & Grandma?!?! Grandma said Zander didn't want to pick up the candy from the ground!

Zander showing off his basket of candy. He got a few pieces!

Lexi waiting for her turn to find an egg & some candy!

Lexi & Zander with their baskets.

Nick checking out what kind of pop he got. Later he asked Grandma if he would *trade* it for one of her Root Beer's. He didn't like the Hy Vee Cola!!

Will it help!?!?

I took Zachary to the doctor today. Finally have had enough with him. (BTW, he was over 19 pounds!!! Only 3 pounds to go to weigh as much as his 2 yr old cousin Livi!!! LOL An Ebay friend of mine has a daughter that was born the day after Zach. She weighs a whopping 11 pounds!!) He has gained 2 pounds in the last month and if he keeps this up, he'll be 32 pounds by his first birthday! I'm really not surprised by his weight because he eats ALL NIGHT long you know!

As you know he's been a fussy baby pretty much from the beginning. He hasn't been sleeping well either for the last couple of months. At 5 months old he should be sleeping all night or most of it. Not 3 or 4 hours at a time. So my doctor gave us a prescription for Zantac. He said "a little Zantac for Zander" And I said "except this is Zachary" Oops! I said don't worry, I call him that alot too!!

So hopefully in a few days it will kick in & we can all get a little more sleep, And if it doesn't help...well we'll be in the same spot we are in now. We have nothing to lose at this point!!

This was taken yesterday.

I found some cloth diapers for the boys. Thought we'd try them out & if it's too much work, forget it! Lexi calls them underwear! We told Zander he could wear underwear to bed but he had to stay dry all night. This morning he woke up dry!! So I put him on the pot & waited..and waited....nothing. Put a disposable diaper on him & in less than 5 minutes he fills it up!! He was able to hold it all night though!

I used them on Zach today & aren't they cute on him?!!? I need to find some more of the cute Diaper Covers.

Why does he always have to lay on him!?!? He is always snuggling up to his baby brother!

Does he look big or what?!

Cutie Pie!

Mall trip!

Went to Mankato today & picked Ashley up & walked around the mall a little. The new Scheels is open so we checked that out. The kids LOVED the escalator!

We then went on the carousel. I had Ashley go on it with them cause I get sick from those things!! I sat with Zach!




Lexi is still coughing but was somewhat better. Zander still has a sore bottom but I didn't change 10 diapers on him today so that was an improvement! Was good seeing you today Ashley! And I can't believe you only have a month left here!! August will be here before you know it & you'll be a SOPHMORE! Hopefully you won't have to retake your Nutrition class!! Hit those books harder girl!!

When Will It End?!?!

We still have a sick household here. Zander woke up and when I changed his diaper I thought we were past it. His bottom was looking so much better than last night. But after him being up for just an hour & 1/2 I had already changed two messy diapers & he was starting to get sore. I think I changed 8 of them today on him. He was so sore tonight that I couldn't even get him in the tub. He sat for about 10 seconds & was out of there. Poor guy.

Lexi woke up with the croup cough but felt good enough to go to school. So she went & was alright when I picked her up. She watched TV for awhile & then this afternoon I said to her to either take a nap or go play in her room. She said she wanted to take a nap. HUH? Ok, THAT tells me she's not feeling well! So she went to her room & slept for a couple of hours. I went out for a walk while she was napping & when I came home she was outside playing. Nick was over at the neighbors & I thought it was odd that Lexi wasn't over there too. She just wasn't feeling well. We dropped Nick off at swimming lessons & I said I'd take the other kids to the park. She played around for a little bit but then was done. Came home & took her temp & it was over 102. Gave her a bath, medicine & to bed for her.

It's a good thing there is some alcohol in the house!! I've been dealing with these sick kids since Sunday night. The house is a mess & I have clean laundry still sitting in the basket waiting to get folded & put away! And about another 4 loads that I need to do!

Pray that they wake up feeling better!!

Rough Night

It was bound to happen one of these times when Phil is on midnight shift! He had overtime as well so went in at 7pm until 7 this morning. I went to bed about 11 last night & Zach woke up just after midnight. I was so out of it for that feeding! Got back to bed by 12:30 & sometime after that Lexi came in my room. NEVER heard her at all! Zach woke up just after 4 so I went up & got him. Zander heard me & I heard him roll over. Brought Zach back to bed with me (& Lexi!) and then Zander started crying. I had to let him cry until Zach was done. Went back upstairs & Zander had stopped...so I thought well I don't want to put Zach in there now & have Zander wake up. SO I waited a minute & then Zander started in again. So I put Zach down & got Zander up. Thought maybe he had a bad diaper but instead he was just wet. And I thought LUVS weren't suppose to leak?!?!?

So I got him changed & took him into bed with me (& LEXI!). It was now 4:30 & by 5:00 he was still awake so I took him back to his bed. I went back to my bed (w/ Lexi snoring...) and then gotten woken up by Zach again around 6:15.

So I got my usual 4+ hours of sleep again. Mom & Dad get home on Friday (well late Thurs night) & Phil said "did you tell them we'll be waiting with the kids!?" I don't think it'd be too nice to dump all four of them on her right away!! Although Lexi is ready to stay for sure, she's been talking about it for awhile now! She really misses you mom!

On a good note, it's beautiful out already so I'm anxious to get outside walking again today. I hope I can get an hour to myself again. We got Nick's swimming lessons tonight. Test night! And then Friday night is his last one. Anxious to see if he passes Level 2!

SHOCK!

I got a little shock today....Nicholas actually tried/ate the supper I made!! I made a chicken/rice/broccoli dish tonight. Knowing the kids wouldn't eat it, I fried up one chicken breast for them to share. They came in from playing outside & asked "what's for supper?" So I showed Nick the chicken...and he said or what else? I said it's in the oven & you probably won't like it so the chicken is what you get. He said well let me see....so I pulled it out & he said he wanted it! What the heck?!!? Who is this kid & who took my Nick?!? I gave him a small serving figuring he wouldn't like it but he surprised me and ate it ALL! I asked him if he wanted more & he said no, that filled up his tummy ! LOL

Lexi came in and is losing her voice & has the croupy cough. Hoping she wakes up alright. She already missed school on Monday, would hate for her to miss another day!

Zander has had the diarrhea pretty bad today. I don't even know HOW many diapers I changed. His bottom is so sore. The poor guy. Hoping he wakes up better too.

It was so nice here today. I was able to get out and walk. I did the hill by our house. Didn't quite hit it like last year, not in shape for that yet! As I was walking up the hill another lady was going down. We said Hi & I'm guessing she's new to the neighborhood. I was thinking maybe I found another walking partner. Well then on my way down, she was coming up & says to me "AGAIN?" I said yep, I usually do it 6 times. She says oh my, I give you credit. ONCE is enough for me...and she's panting on her way up! I guess she won't be my walking partner after all! I was able to do the hill 4 times today. Felt so good to get out walking again. And I managed to pass off the ice cream craving I had while sitting here!!

I was able to rock my boys tonight for awhile. Shocked that Z2 sat so nice & Z1 wasn't totally attacking him like he usually does!

This shows what I really look like most days....bad hair, no make-up, & very TIRED looking!! It looks like I haven't slept in oh...let's say almost FIVE months now!!

My two thumb/hand suckers!!

Fools Five....

Unfortunately I don't have any marathon pictures to post. Phil was suppose to run in a 8k race today. His first one ever & it was just too cold/wet/windy/rainy to run. He was pretty bummed out about it. Oh well. Here are a few pictures from the weekend!

Jackson was so nice in letting Nick play with his gameboy! The boys are sure growing up!

Lexi & Savannah always have so much fun together! Here they were helping Nana making some Banana bites. Lexi got wore out from the weekend. She didn't sleep on the drive home but after being home awhile she ended up falling asleep. She then woke up with a fever ;-( Hoping she wakes up feeling better in the morning!

Olivia got to hold her new cousin Zachary!

The girls (and Zander!) playing Barbies together!