Run Spot Run

Here's an update on my skin....ha - in case anyone is actually interested.  sounds stupid now that I type it out.  it must feel like reading a dermatology book, right?  The newer picture on the right was taken a few weeks ago... so it looks even better now.  I've read that pregnancy will "treat" it during that time, but that usually after delivery, it will come back with a vengeance.  So I'm mentally preparing myself to look like the left picture again in the near future.  I wasn't able to start any of my herbs that worked 10 years ago because I found out I was pregnant, so pregnancy really does help.  My OB joked that maybe I should stay pregnant - WHAT.EVER.  Looks like I get to enjoy a 'not-too-itchy' pregnancy... thank heavens!  The new skin is stark white so now my arms and back look like the Michael Jackson syndrome (looks like vitiligo but its not).  I can deal with discoloration though.  Long story short = its gone from almost unbearable to tolerable.  Yay!  

And I don't have an update on baby - except its still hanging in there.  I go back next week.  Prayers are appreciated.   God is good!

Surprise!

I have purposely NOT been blogging.  Because the only news to share at the moment is skating on thin ice.  Yes, we are pregnant with baby #3!!!  Due in July.  Thought every thing was going well... was even working alot to get some extra Christmas money.  At 6 weeks, I started bleeding heavily at work.  I never even spotted with the other 2 so this completely shocked me.  Started cramping bad.  Called Matt, called the doctor, then called my boss to tell him I was walking out of the pharmacy.  I have ALWAYS wanted to walk out and close down a pharmacy in the middle of the day - but NOT for this reason.  We were going to wait to tell anyone until Christmas Day...but this little fighter likes attention already.  I cried all the way to the hospital because I KNEW I had miscarried.  Called mom and told her 'not only am i pregnant but now i'm miscarrying.'   Got to the hospital and surprise!!! There's a heartbeat! Praise the Lord.  They told me I had a threatened miscarriage... basically go home and wait to miscarry.  I bled all week and went back the next week.  There's STILL a heartbeat! But this time they see a large hematoma (sub-chorionic hematoma = SCH).  Basically, its an internal bleed/ blood clot of unknown cause.  So I have a high risk of miscarriage and they put me on bedrest.  They just keep watching it and it will either get reabsorbed, pass (hopefully without the baby), or stay for 9 months.  It doesn't usually affect the baby (unless it causes a miscarriage), but doesn't affect the physical development.   I went back today and the hematoma had shrunk 1 cm (originally measured over 5 cm and now its a little over 4 cm).  And the baby had grown.  I still bleed everyday.  You can't really tell what's what in this picture.  But the baby is at the top...and the little black hole is it's brain.  You also can't see the hematoma in this picture but maybe I'll post it later...its interesting.  They think the little round ball at the bottom is a PIECE of the hematoma.   Still on bedrest but I am thanking the good God above for Gigi.  My mom is here helping me.   I'm not allowed to pick up my kids and that's difficult when you have a 21 month old.

Some people are probably wondering why I am announcing it.  First of all, its a miracle.  And honestly, I can't hide this belly much longer.  But seriously, bedrest has changed things.  You can imagine all the questions and praying that goes through my head.  If I still miscarry, then we can discuss that then.  But I am optimistic and pray heavily that this baby makes it healthy and full term!  God has a plan.  I don't understand it but I am okay with whatever He gives me.

.... and I'm predicting a girl.  Could be wrong... but that's just my mother's intuition.  This one likes drama.  And I've been 100% right 50% of the time.  (I thought all of mine were girls).  lol ;)

Merry Christmas to everyone!! We are blessed... x3.

Thankful

I am thankful for so many things.  First my Savior, Jesus Christ.  Without Him, I would be nothing.  I am thankful He died for me when I do not deserve it.  He saves me... every single day.  Then I am thankful for my family.  People say that a lot, but I don't know if a lot of people give the reasons they are thankful for their family.  Matt is my other rock.  He keeps me grounded.  He always gives me a practical and logical answer - which I am thankful is usually the 'non-stressful' answer.  I can see where Mati Claire comes from.  He sees things differently than I do and for that I am so thankful.  And he still makes me laugh.  My kids do too.  I am thankful for them.  They teach me way more than I ever expected.  They have taught me to be more patient.  And to see things through their eyes is absolutely amazing.  I am thankful for every single minute with them.

I am thankful for a roof over my head.  I've had one of those months where I've been praying for a rainy day to stay inside and do nothing.  A day where I didn't have to try to cover these spots up...or pretend I don't itch from head to toe.  God blessed us with rain today! And we stayed in and decorated the Christmas tree.  Tried to ignore my 2 little one's being Scrooges, and forced the Christmas spirit upon them.  I couldn't even get mad at Mattox when he broke ornaments, because I am thankful for the time we had together today.

I am thankful for my parents and sister.  They are still teaching me and helping me.  Whether its a cooking question, or a parenting question, or a 'how-do-i-fix-this' question - they always help me.   And they are always there for me.

The list goes on and on.... but I'll cut it off there.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! My 2 turkeys have slept late every morning this week so they will learn to be thankful for holiday breaks from school eventually.

Diet Schwiet

So out of my recent psoriasis research, I found that ALOT of people respond well to drastic diet changes. This was never even mentioned that I know of 15 years ago or I would have tried it then.  But for the last week I have been sugar free, caffeine free, carb free, gluten and wheat free, dairy and egg free, "nightshade" free, and berry free.   Yes, I cheated twice this week.  I am having the hardest problem with gluten/wheat and cheese products.  When I think of diet, I think of whole-wheat breads, yogurt, portion control, etc... this is on a whole new level baby.  All I eat is fruits (and only certain ones), vegetables, salads, fish, chicken, turkey, and water.  To me it seems close to the raw/vegan diet but adding a little meat.  Even if I buy gluten free, it still has something else in it like sugar or egg.  Ridiculous.

I've been pretty good until today.  Today I could have impersonated Chris Farley well when he screams "I'M STARVING!!"  What have I learned so far?  Food is not your reason for living.  It's there to sustain you.  Period.  It doesn't have to taste good.  And I do feel better.  I noticed I didn't take a snooze on the couch while kids were watching tv.  I have more energy.  I sleep better.   And then when I did cheat, I felt tired and sleepy, and just really guilty.   When I say energy, I woke up at 7:00am Thursday and stayed wide awake through the midnight show of Twilight.... got 4 hours of sleep and was back at Mati Claire's school by 8:30am still going strong.

What were my cheating foods? You'd think it would be chocolate or a real Coke.  No, went to Chick-Fil-A and ordered the grilled chicken breast on a WHEAT bun plain.  Then today, we had Shipley's donuts.  Yes that was worth it.

I haven't managed to bring myself to making a certain named smoothie recipe.  Can you imagine blending romaine lettuce, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, celery, sweet potatoes or yams, squash, parsley, flax oil, onions, unsweetened apple juice, olive oil, unsweetened soy milk, pineapple, banana, pears, grapes, honey, and lemon???  Some people with psoriasis make this first thing in the morning and that's all they eat!!  I bought all the ingredients... and then chickened out.  Individually, yes... all mashed together, no!

The spots on my face and neck are looking better.  Not gone, but better.  I still look dreadful from there down.  They say I can start to add things back to the diet when you figure out what your trigger is.  I honestly don't think food is my trigger, but I will try anything that may help this go away faster.  Another good thing is that my family is eating somewhat healthier because I don't cook anymore.  ha!

And I've reached the "flaky" stage.  So if the wind blows, its me snowing, not the weather. ;)  

Guttate Psoriasis

My name is Carrie.  And I have guttate psoriasis. 

ha!  I have to attempt to crack jokes because there is nothing funny about it.  And I'm sure you've never heard of it, right? 

I'll give you my personal history related to this subject (and I'll try to make it the short version).  The day after my freshman year of college, I came home and decided to sunbathe! I wanted to relax and just enjoy the day basking in the sun! The next morning I woke up with a few small red spots on my leg.  The next day they were the size of quarters.  By the end of the week there were so many spots they all ran together and covered my entire torso and the majority of my arms and legs.  I spent the entire summer wearing long sleeves and pants.  Went as far as to think I was allergic to the sun.  I went to 2 dermatologists and no one could tell me what it was or how to treat it.  No cream worked.  The first biopsy showed "yeast" in the skin. (fyi, there's always yeast on your skin).  So we tried anti-yeast/anti-fungal medications.  Come to find out I'm deathly allergic to antifungals.  Broke out in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome which is a whole other post in itself.  I wrote my senior pharmacy paper on SJS.  Second biopsy finally showed Guttate Psoriasis.  You can Google it or click on the link.  I won't give you a term paper on it. 

So I lived with it for 4 years (it had progressed to chronic plaque psoriasis).  Looking back, it was the darkest days I've ever had.  I was severely depressed.  I thought God was punishing me for everything I deserved..and I deserved much worse than psoriasis.  Was I mad at God?  Absolutely.  I thought I wasn't worth anything because of the way I looked.  I mean really, what freshman girl in college do you know that doesn't put alot of weight on the way you look? What guy would ever look at someone covered in plaque psoriasis?  What person would want to be friends with me if they knew what I looked like underneath it all?  yes...severely depressed.  Cried every night for years.  Rock.Bottom.

God taught me a HUGE lesson through it all.  Obviously I learned a person's worth is not what you look like.  I realized I was one superficial brat (words from my own grandmother-ha!) I was putting so much pressure on myself to look right, act right, etc.  Course you couldn't tell me that while I was in the valley.  I went to pharmacy school due to my allergic reaction curiosity.  My first year I came upon a compounding pharmacist.  He said "when you don't have any other option and you're at the end of your rope...come to me."  Course, he was speaking of compounding medicine.  So I met with him, he researched psoriasis... me, him, and his herbalist came up with a plan that you wouldn't believe if I told you.  I couldn't have made up that story - it was so crazy.  Long story short = I took TONS of vitamins and herbs and it took a month for my psoriasis to go into remission. 

I've been in remission until this week.  10 years free.  It was one of those things I never took for granted.  There wasn't a day I didn't remember those days, but it was also 'out of sight out of mind.'    We went to Disney World and I caught an upper respiratory infection (for all you other psoriasis sufferers you know this is a trigger).  I started taking a few medicines and woke up with a rash.  Thought I was just allergic to something - perhaps laundry detergent?  Maybe my Starbucks latte?  ;)  

So its back.  Guess I just wanted to warn everyone that if you see me covered in long sleeves and jeans for the next few years.  At least its winter now.  I have it in my hair and on my face this time - which is different than before.  Can't cover that up.  Going to try really hard for my kids' sake not to get too down about it...  but I definitely have my moments.  Maybe you're thinking it can't be that bad, right?  No one understands until you've experienced it.  I would post pics but it grosses most people out.  The good news is I won't spend months trying creams that don't work, or weeks trying to find out what it is, or getting my hopes up.  There's 10 years worth of progress in the study of it.  I'm interested in trying the diet for inflammation (lots of fish, no dairy or red meat.)  And I'm always up for trying the new medications approved for psoriasis.  I had a bit of a meltdown this morning.  Matt told me it could be worse.. in the midst of my crying I asked him 'how?'.  He said a friend of his (another doctor) had to tell a 35 year old woman that she had stage 4 metastatic liver cancer yesterday. 

Am I mad at God this time? No.  Do I think He's punishing me? No. He gives us trials to test our faith.  I am reminded that God has His own plan - and it is NOT my plan. I have control over nothing.  I know that it CAN go away on its own.  It might take weeks or years.  But I also have to accept that it may never go away.  My heart goes out to all the sufferers of inflammatory diseases (not just skin related). 

Psalm 55.  "Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. (5)... As for me, I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Evening, morning, and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.  He rescues me unharmed from the battle waged against me...(16-18)  Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken."

Jeremiah 29:11-13  "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." 

Disney World

Where do I begin???  Our itinerary? Our hotel?  The memories?  Recommendations? Guess I'll start from the beginning:

Mati Claire and Mattox's first plane trip! Direct flight on Southwest is awesome! 1 1/2 hr flight! Yes, mattox will kill me one day for forcing him to ride around in a pink stroller.  The blue one was just too big for this trip.  People ask about their clothes - so I'll comment after each outfit pic. Also, either my computer or Blogger is being slow so I'm only posting my absolute favorite pics (out of a million). 

(clothes by Kelly's Kids)

Arrived Monday afternoon too late to go to any park.  We stayed at the Treehouse Villas of Saratoga Springs Resort.  Loved.  BUT would not stay there again.  They failed to mention when I booked it, that you had to catch TWO buses...which can take up to an hour or more altogether.  I felt like we spent more time on buses than we probably should have (had we stayed somewhere else).  But we had total privacy, no neighbors above or below or beside us.  No one to hear Mattox screaming because he had to sleep in a pack-n-play.  2 steps away from the bus stop.  Full size fridge, washer/dryer, dishwasher, you name it.  So totally worth it.

Had dinner at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary.  Found out early that Mattox was not a fan of the celebrities.  ha! bless his heart.  He liked looking at them from a distance...

Tuesday at Magic Kingdom!!!  I would highly recommend making a breakfast reservation at 9:00 (or anytime before 9:15) because they let you into the park EARLY! So while the herds of people are standing at the gate - you get to walk through a gate for special people.  While you are walking to your restaurant, you get to take pictures with NO ONE else around you! Except maybe the 3 other people who also have reservations.  So we got pics of us and the castle with no crowd.  Worth it!  Course MC was overwhelmed.... but loved it. Such a girly girl.  

Cinderella's Royal Castle Character Breakfast.  Princess heaven.  I think we probably could have gone home after this meeting.  She was done.  She met Cinderella and we were done.   Food was ok. 

(Mattox's shortall ordered from: Trendi Tots Boutique then click on Disney tab on left.  MC's dress from Orient Expressed)

Bibbity Bobbity Boutique.  I'm 50/50 on this.  MC got to pick out which hairstyle she wanted, which crown, makeup, face stickers, nail polish, etc... so I'm happy that she's happy.  Personally, I didn't like this look on her and paid $$ for it, but she thought she looked like a princess.  I loved that she loved it. She had the first major meltdown during this.  ha! the first of many to come!

(Bibbity Bobbity Boutique)

      

     

Wednesday at Animal Kingdom!!!  Nobody in my family had ever been here before.  So it was new to all of us.  Again, 9:00 breakfasts are soooo worth it! Got through the gate around 8:30 and spent time checking everything out.  We were a little skeptical --- if you were judging a book by its cover.  But our absolute FAVORITE character meal was Donald's Safari at the Tusker House.  Best food the whole week.  And great variety.   Rode the safari which was a hit with my kids.  Lion King show was awesome! Played around there for most of the day.

(outfits also by Trendi Tots Boutique)

(Animal Kingdom)

                                       

We knew it was going to rain later in the week so we tried to push our "must-do's".  Matt changed up my schedule I had planned.  So we left Animal Kingdom and went to Hollywood Studios for the rest of the day.

Let me tell you that Mattox was asleep the whole trip until we got to TOY STORY mania.  man oh man did he come alive when he saw Woody and Buzz!  For him, it doesn't get any better than that! 

(never seen mattox so happy in his entire life)

Thursday was our day off! sort of.  When we booked this trip a year ago, Matt wanted a day off from everything so it felt more like a relaxing vacation.  In other words he wanted to play golf = get away from the kids.  So we slept late.  Mom and I took them back to Magic Kingdom while the boys played golf.  Both kids were exhausted by this point and we struggled all day.  I caught some upper respiratory bug so I wasn't feeling well (fever, chills, aches, sinus drainage, sore throat).  We were all tired but pressed on!

(again... Trendi Tots Boutique.  love.)

Friday was our last day and it rained! No worries - just wore ponchos.  Made it a little harder to do stuff.  Had breakfast at the Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom.  Then we made our way to Epcot for dinner at the Princess Storybook Dinner at Ackershus (sp?) at Norway.  Only place I would not recommend.  The food was not that good.  But again, MC loved the princesses.  My love is her love.  [Anyone hearing that Whitney Houston song playing in your head now? ha.]

Can't really see their outfits here but gotta love some TrendiTots.

"Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween"... hmmm.... overall I would NOT recommend this to anyone with small children.  Sorry.  Hope I didn't disappoint anyone.  Maybe we got there too late after dinner, but this was not a hit with my kids AT ALL.  They hated every minute of it.  Very cool for adults and older kids; but it was scary for small children.  The castle was lit up in scary colors and had smoke coming from every turret.  Scary music playing overhead.  There was a parade of villains (Ursula, Jafar, Scar, the hyenas, Evil Queen, Stepmother/sisters, etc...)  And every person there was dressed pretty scary/ugly.  There were some funny and cool costumes, but of course my kids only saw the scary ones.  We decided to go hunt down the candy..  Exactly! We had to HUNT for the candy.  Practically beg for it.  Only found 3 places passing out candy in the entire Magic Kingdom! While we were hunting, we went into the Saloon in Frontierland.  To our surprise, Woody and Jessie were dancing inside.  We got to dance with them - very cool.  And it was not crowded at all.  That was the best part of the night.  We moved on and thought they would enjoy the fireworks - WRONG again! Fireworks scare the mess out of little kids.  Thought it was just my kids - but every kid around us was screaming and crying!!!!  Mattox kept his head buried in his stroller.  We paid almost $70/each for those tickets and were only there 1 hour.  And Mati Claire's vision of Cinderella's Castle is seriously disturbed now.  She kept asking what was wrong with Cinderella's castle? was it on fire? was someone attacking it? was Cinderella ok?...

Here is my absolute FAVORITE picture of the whole week though.  Considering how bad he cried when he saw most of the characters, this is priceless.  He finally warmed up to them on the LAST day at breakfast:

(butterfly kisses make me want to cry)

And we left Saturday morning.  So sad.  There are hundreds of more pics with every ride and every character that each have a different story - but these are my faves.  Mati Claire did NOT want to go home.  I'm glad to be home.  Can't wait to take them again (when they are much older)!  and when everyone is potty-trained. ;) 

Put 'em up

I have to admit.  Mati Claire makes my heart skip a beat.  And Mattox just melts it.  How cute are they?? This was the annual Halloween kids party.  For the first time in 5 years, I think every child in the group photo cooperated as well as they could.  They'rrrrre gggrrrrrreat!  Mattox played his part of the cowardly lion well!!  I tease.  He's so bashful.  I can. not. believe. he sat still for this pic.  No meltdowns, no drama, just a fun-filled party!  We are surprising Mati Claire with our trip to DisneyWorld this week.  So I will be posting when we get back.  Can't wait to see her face!!!!!!!! 

(it could happen, right? ;) ) 

'put em up  put em up'

Emotional Much?

Maybe I'm getting old...or maybe I'm just emotional lately. Sorry, I have to get this emotional surge out. Everytime I see my one of my kids' faces, I immediately picture their face when they were just a few months old.  I imagine what her hair used to look like thinking it would NEVER change... and look at it now.  I didn't think he would EVER stop crying... and well, he stops every now and then ;)  She gives me a certain look, and I immediately recognize and remember it staring back at me when I was nursing her: chipmunk cheeks and M&M eyes. They are growing up way too fast.  I can barely hold mati claire anymore.  and mattox went from 7 lbs to 27 lbs in no time. I'm just sad... my baby is well on his way to turning 2... my other baby starts kindegarten next year and keeps talking about how her teeth will fall out when she turns 6.  Neither of them are what I ever expected.. they are way better!!!!

For instance, I never expected [this story for those of you not on FB]:  I decided to deliver our neighbors' mail the other day that we mistakenly received.  Mattox was taking a nap upstairs.  Mati Claire was content sitting in the living room watching MickeyMouse.  I didn't want to walk through the grass, so I sort of took the long way around.  Was about halfway there, when I hear MC yelling 'wait for me, mommy!'  I turn around, and see this 4 year old pig-tailed NAKED little girl running towards me! Can't you just see the hair bouncing and blowing in the breeze? Whatever you are imagining right now, you are correct.  So I scream, "MATI CLAIRE!! You don't have any clothes on!!"  And she looks at me very seriously and pauses....... and says, "... but I have shoes on mom."   And she knew she couldn't go outside without shoes on.  Now, if that had been Mattox, I probably would not have even looked back...much less been absolutely shocked!  Why was she naked? no idea. And no, she was fully clothed when I left.  So to be honest, I'm not sure which one of my kids will get arrested first for streaking or public indecent exposure.  Hopefully the shock wears off by then. 

They are VERY different (more than they are very alike).  The other day we were walking in the door.  There was a ball in the floor that was in our way.  I noticed MC walked around it, and mattox walked over it.  MC likes vegetables, Mattox likes fruit.  MC doesn't care for dirt, Mattox thrives on it. MC is not a touchy-feely person, Mattox wants you to hold him constantly.  MC understands after 1 or 2 times of telling her 'no', Mattox will never understand.  MC doesn't care to read (just likes the attention), but Mattox loves to read.  I can't think of 1 thing MC ever broke, and Mattox, well... just call him the destroyer. 

It's okay though.  All that huggin' and kissin' he gives me makes up for it. ;) 

A Day in the Life

I was going to do another pharmacy rant --- but I digress. Think I'll do a 'mommy needs a break' rant instead.  Here's how my day went... boring but to a stay at home mom - its constant:

7:00am  Shot out of bed (late) to the sounds of both kids screaming through the monitor
7:10am  Pull Mati Claire out of bed whining that she "misses her bed" already. 
7:20am  Drag Mati Claire to the closet to let her choose 1 of 2 or 3 outfits I pre-laid out night before.  She wants none of the above and would like to wear her pajamas to school.  I place her on potty kicking and screaming because after almost 12 hours of sleep - she claims she still does not have to go potty.
I finally get her dressed and teeth brushed to much despair. And hair.  Still haven't gone potty yet.
7:30am Change Mattox's disgusting diaper, fix both kids warm - not cold- milk.  Heaven forbid they drink cold or even room temp milk. Force them to eat Nutrigrain of their choice.  Again, heaven forbid they actually eat any "normal" breakfast food.  Or even food in general... any food would be nice.
7:45am I unexpectedly volunteer to take MC to school with our neighbor, Jack (Carly has been taking MC to school for me the last few weeks - I have such sweet neighbors!)  As I'm proposing to take them to school, I realize I am still in pajamas, glasses, haven't brushed my teeth, and I need to be walking out the door.  No shower, no contacts, managed to get dressed and brush teeth and find a car seat.  Unfortunately Jack had to ride in the pink car seat.  He informs me on the way to school that his "favorite color is NOT pink."  Note to self: unbox the new RED seat for Mattox that is sitting in the garage.
8:15am Drop kids off at school. But I have to be THAT mommy, and tell the teacher that we discovered a recurrent allergy to baby wipes used on her face last Friday.  Ugh...family pictures are in a week for Christmas cards.  Please go away rash please go away rash.
8:30am  Stop and get gas or I won't make it home...back at home, I attempt to put myself together better.  Work on laundry, clean up the kitchen from the night before, talk to Matt for a few minutes before he goes to sleep, catch up on email, work on Bible Study homework, look at my preplanned menu for the week and decide I really don't feel like eating chicken tonight...i feel like tacos.  All of that takes up time until...
11:15am  Mattox falls asleep in the car on the way to pick up sista.  uh-oh.  big mistake. huge.
11:25am  Wait in line... yes it rained... so the pick up line is l.o.n.g.
11:45am Get home, fix lunch for everyone, and SUPRISE! No one wants to eat except me.  Really? where do these people come from? what. is wrong. with eating? you. must. eat. to. survive, my child.  ok. i give up. they can go to bed hungry.  i mentally can't argue anymore with food.
12:15pm  I make Mati Claire take a nap because she has ballet today.  Only took 4 times threatening her to make her stop talking to herself.  Mattox on the other hand who usually still naps pretty good - got a good 15 minutes in the car earlier, so he's good for the rest of the day. No nap for him.  He fussed in the crib for an hour - but that is normally my time to get more stuff done. 
1:30pm  Sweep the crumbs and food off the kitchen floor for the 3rd time today. 
1:35pm  work on another load of laundry...work on another load of dishes...browse internet for coordinating outfits for our upcoming family pic...
2:45pm oh dear heavens...i have to wake mati claire up AGAIN.  so i ddddrrrrrraaaaggggg her out of bed again to get dressed for ballet.  she is prevented from getting dressed because she can't move past the mosquito bites on her leg.  perhaps if she took my advice and actually slept UNDER the sheets, that MIGHT not have happened.  just a thought though.  maybe so. WHY do kids not listen to their parents? Really. Would we steer them wrong? No, we love them too much. But still...
3:15pm  ballet time.  she usually enjoys this so I don't catch too much trouble from her.  mattox on the other hand is bored out of his mind.  I can't wait in the waiting room anymore because it wouldn't still be standing afterwards.  so I say a quick prayer to thank God for car dvd players.  plus he's strapped down to his car seat so he can't do too much damage. 
4:30pm  Start getting dinner ready... clean up after Mattox pulls a glass root beer bottle out of fridge, shakes it, and drops it. It sprays everywhere... clean some more because the floor is sticky.  clean again, because the floor is still sticky.  And I clean it again. meanwhile, he pulls the garbage can over.  give Mati Claire her bath early in an attempt to go to bed early and get a headstart on our evening rituals.  I see her sitting in yellow water...hm... gross, mati claire. drain tub out and start over. Mattox starts to throw every toy he owns into the bathtub as well.  Even books.  I spend more time just drying non-bath-toys.  WHEN will he learn? WHEN I say!!  While I'm doing that, he proceeds to break a beaded toy princess necklace in MC's room...about 50 tiny little beads go EVERYWHERE!  gotta love toddlers.
5:30pm Cook dinner...
6:05pm  Matt appears out of his man cave.  Ahh...a sit down family dinner...even if it is tacos. I see a light at the end of the tunnel.  I sit down to eat, get up because MC wants a fork - not a spoon.  I get up again because I forgot napkins.  I take 1 bite.  Mattox is screaming because he's through with his dinner already.  So I clean him up, pick up the food off the floor, now MC is through with her dinner. So I take 1 more cold bite.  Phone rings.  My family has yet to understand the 1 hour time change after living there for several years.  So I eat while I talk.  Gross I know. Matt makes his way back to the cave to get ready for work.
7:00pm   I give Mattox his bath.  Diaper change, brush teeth, new pajamas, get his bedtime milk, read a book, rock for a few minutes, and put him down to sleep...on a good night.
7:30pm  I clean up the kitchen...for the 1000th time today.  dishes for like the 3rd time today.  Oh and then i get to finish eating my dinner. 
8:00pm  Realized I haven't gone to the bathroom all day... would be nice to go alone. 
8:05pm Start Mati Claire's nighttime ritual.  PJ's, brush teeth, clean up her room, read a book, rock for an extended period of time, say prayers, lay out clothes for next day (which she likes to help), clean out her sink because she's been playing with the toothpaste again, clean the toilet because apparently she's been watching too many boys go tee-tee at school and thought she could tee-tee like them. This is usually about the time of her meltdown. 
8:45pm Exit Mati Claire's room (hopefully for the last time). 
9:46pm  Ahh...maybe I can watch a few minutes of tv.  or watch something I had to record from last week. oh wait, the dryer just buzzed at me...go finish laundry.  and iron her field trip tshirt for tomorrow.  while you're at it, go ahead and iron everything in the laundry room because its been sitting there for a month waiting on "ironing day" that has yet to arrive.
10:00pm  tired of ironing.  watch a few minutes of the news. clinton is on the news AGAIN?? wow - we are 1 popular town lately.  sinkholes. bus drivers. or maybe I should say UN-popular.
10:30pm would like to go to bed, but I never got a shower.  i never read that book.  i never put up the clean folded clothes.  one of the kids is having a nightmare.  i need to go check and make sure all the doors are locked. pick up a few of the dishes out of the kitchen b/c i hate waking up to a dirty kitchen.  
11:00pm hmm..maybe i should blog to vent how tired i am. 
2:30am  mati claire is talking in her sleep.
4:15am  mattox is yelling in his sleep because his teeth hurt.
4:59am  rain and thunder woke me up
5:30am  mati claire asks if the sun is up yet.  she talks herself back to sleep.
7:00am wow - here we go again. 

And this was a "normal" good everyone's been in a pretty decent mood day. boring, huh?  Just curious - how does your day go (to other sahm's)? 

And this pic has nothing to do with this post. But thought I'd share. He got to wear his new boots for the first time to Hayes' birthday party on the farm!  And the next because I NEVER see them holding hands. She wanted to take him by the hand and show him all the animals! One of her sweeter moments. ;)

  

If I can remember September

We had an awesome trip to Nashville over Labor Day weekend! It was our annual visit with our friends, Nell and Shawn, and their twins, Colin and Joceyln. We stayed at the Opryland Hotel and that is a blog post in itself. Amazing. The twins are the same age as MC and maybe one year they will remember each other from the previous. lol. We always have a great time with the Hennons! The only downfall of the weekend was the fact that we had to drive home in tropical storm Lee. If you have to travel with kids and are looking for a weekend getaway - I highly recommend Nashville!

Mattox turned 18 months and got his 2nd haircut. *sniff sniff* and I remembered the camera card this time. I have to post this because I think he is so stinkin' cute sitting in the big chair. He did great again!

and to top off the month of September, Matt and I had a sizzlin' hot date last night. This was for the Young at Heart Gala (given by the Cardiovascular group at St.D. and Baptist). Let me just say that getting dolled up did NOT make me feel young at heart...just reminded me exactly how OLD I am. Matt cleans up well, doesn't he? :)

I can't remember everything we've done this month...school has us very busy. But these are the highlights.  I will do better for October!

Better Late Than Never

I have seen hundreds of "first day of school" pics on FB and blogs. And I have been quite lazy about it this year. Maybe because I felt last year was the first day of preschool, and next year will be the first day of kindergarten. But yes, technically, she started 4 year old preschool at the same place. So here are a few pics for documentary sake. I didn't really get emotional about it - thank goodness. But I'm pretty sure I was saving all my tears for May.

Sporting her MeenyMinyMoe most of the week. Check her out on FB.

MC was nervous on the way to school (don't think I've ever seen her nervous - but she kept telling me she was going to "grow up" = throw up.) She didn't talk in the car - which is strange for her. She misses her previous teacher, Mrs. Courtney, terribly. But she has Mrs. Kacy as her new teacher. How did I forget to take that picture? Probably because I was surrounded by the 15 other 4 year olds in her class. Bless Mrs. Kacy. God, give her strength and patience. We get out of the car, and she sees tons of her friends but she is still stuck my leg (also not like her). "Mommy, is Claire here?" and one of the teachers calls for Claire across the playground... let me just say it was like watching a movie in slow motion. They are running to each other arms outstretched smiling shouting the other's name relief written across their face and they hug each other like there's no tomorrow oh the world is right now. And she took off without even saying goodbye. and that was that.

Claire and Mati Claire

So this is why a giant sandbox has been added to her Christmas List for Santa. I find sand in new places everyday. oh, I think that's Mrs. Kacy leaning over - better pic next time. Hm..I'm starting to wonder if they ever actually go inside. ;) Fun times. MC loves it.

This Little Piggy

My first piggy woke up one morning and asked me if we could make money. So I explained to her that's why mommy and daddy go to work... you have to do something to make money. Little did I know at the time, she meant to actually MAKE i.e. mint, draw, create money. So then I had another conversation about making money vs. EARNING money. The concept definitely caught on. She asked for something to put her money in. I was thinking a piggy bank! She was thinking a new purse! Yes, because the one she has is "old." So I had yet another conversation about why we go to the bank vs. mommy's purse. I showed her how empty my purse was. (sshhh..no one tell her about credit cards yet please). My sister found her this cute piggy bank at Target i think. Every day she asks what she can do. Slow down yall. Yes, I will eventually make her do these things without getting paid = chores, but to start - I thought it was ok to give her the spare change out of my wallet and Matt's fish bowl to seal the concept. What child do you know that begs to go clean her room and her brother's room!!! Then begs to clean the windows (no, not breaking any child labor laws). Her great-grandmother sent her $ for her birthday, and then "uncle" James slipped her some $ behind our backs ;), plus all the change she gets from me...i mean, this piggy is loaded...for a 4 year old. She has more $ in that bank than I do in my purse.

And here's the BEST part.... "mommy? when its full.... i'll give some to God and give the rest to somebody who needs it."

Just For Laughs

I think everyone could use a good laugh today. Remember this one?

Fun with Family

We came to TN to pick up MC and to hang out with my nieces. Kerigan turned 7 and she had her birthday party at the movie theatre! Very cool party and got watch the Smurf movie. They had a party room, so we had DQ ice cream cake. Then everyone gets free refills of popcorn and drink! Doesn't get any better than that!!!

Yesterday we went to the Lost Sea Adventure. Also pretty cool (literally). They said it was 58 degrees underground! I'll take it. Its a 4 acre lake in a cave! Yep, underground lake. I don't suggest wearing Sketchers' ShapeUps Flipflops to trek over a downhill/uphill gravel mile. But it was a lot of fun! Mattox really likes to say cheese for the camera...and pass out sugar. I don't think anyone was more excited to see MC than him. He kissed her 3 times when he saw her. I didn't realize just how much he missed her. He is the sweetest thing!!!!!!! love mister mattox. So glad everyone is feeling better and ready to come home.

Say "cheeeeese"

ps

...and no...i did not leave my sick child at home with a babysitter so i could go to the spa. lol. he was/is feeling much better! and he would probably prefer his "ra-dul" to me anyday. just for those of you questioning my parenting skills. ;)

July Ramblings

this month really needs to slow down. you can see from my lack of blogging that means i've been busy. we survived stomach bug #3 of the year. really. if we get another stomach bug after school, i might die. i caught somewhat of a break since MC was at my mom's the entire time. YES - I am a horrible mother. I shipped her off to her Gigi's SICK! She wanted her mommy she wanted to come home... and I was here with another sick child. Trust me, you don't have to comment on the guilt I feel. mattox is doing some serious teething on top of that. gotta love those molars and eye-teeth. He's been running fever for 1 week today = no sleep. this was supposed to be my "minus 1" week. MC was supposed to be enjoying her time with her cousins, and I was supposed to be enjoying only having 1 child to take care of and spending quality time with mattox playing with cars and trucks. It was anything but that. guess if you count quality lap time. he won't move. he won't stop fussing. he won't eat. he won't sleep.

then yesterday was my Rachel's last day. *sniff sniff* she has babysat for me since MC was born. 4 years. she left us for her real job. left 2 kids for 25 first graders. *sniff sniff* We wish you the best of luck this year! And if you get MC as a student in 2 years, you'll have to overlook her calling you "chachel" instead of Miss McFarland.

So I planned a spa day yesterday. my self-indulgence. I L.O.V.E. the spa. I feel clean, I feel refreshed, I escape. I get facial-ed, wrapped, massaged, waxed, pedicured, and blissed out. But yesterday was also anything but that. I decided to be brave at the facial and try a mini-peel. She said "its going to feel like ants crawling on your skin." And I pay for this??? Yes. I do. ok, it didn't burn that bad. then i get to the massage, and it was not relaxational. it was deep tissue and apparently i have ALOT of knots in my back. i think i even have a bruise today and am sore! it was a painful experience. worse than the bikini wax. nuff said. then my black toenail (remember earlier post in April) FINALLY fell off a few days ago, so i have this teeny-weeny paper-thin new toenail. the pedicurist ignored my comment about leaving that toe alone and decided to pedicure that nail as well. what nail? why don't you just clip that toe right off? there's nothing to paint really. then i absolutely froze during the body wrap. i had never done one of those before. interesting experience. i actually paid someone to give me a bath in this weird looking bed (visualize an egg shaped tanning bed that's actually a flat bathtub). very weird. and what's better - i paid someone to exfoliate my skin raw and then drown me in stinky green goop called seaweed. draped in these soaking wet towels and f.r.e.e.z.i.n.g. what's relaxational about that? do i have soft beautiful breath-taking skin afterwards? not so much. lol just plain ole dry psoriasis-stricken skin. who knew???

So we are going to torture ourselves even more and make the 8 hour drive to pick MC up. torture in the sense that mattox will most definitely scream the entire 8 hours. Can't wait to see my girl though! Happy 7th birthday to my niece, Kerigan!!

MC'isms

• "Why did they only mail half my new big-girl bed? Would it not fit in the mailbox?"


• "I didn't tuck them, mom..... i promise. I didn't ooze the scissors."


• During our nightly bedtime ritual, I told her she could not have her milk until she went potty (she must also go potty so we don't have any accidents during the night). Several minutes passed and then I overheard, "C'mon tee-tee, come out! .....please, I want my milk.... c'mon tee-tee c'mon!"


• (Also in reference to her new bed being delivered) MC gave me a quarter in the car. "Here's some money for my new bed... now you don't have to work anymore. Can you tell them its paid for and to send it to me now?"


• Matt cleaned out the lake house hand-me-downs and brought home a trailer-full to take to the dump. The trailer has been parked in front of our house for a few days until he could get a day off work to take care of it (we're talkin ancient deep freezer, pots, rusted broken un-fixable furniture, busted ski equipment, stuff a junk store wouldn't even take, etc). Every morning, MC comments on this sight. "Mom, we sure are trashy."

Sometimes I wish I could see through their eyes and remember everything being so innocent and simple. Gotta love my girl.

pARTy

Happy Birthday to my darling sweet 4 year old!!! That morning seems like 10 years ago, but I'm shocked its only been 4 years. Does anyone else remember the events leading up to your child's birth as vividly as I do? Matt, Miranda, and I all went to eat at Macaroni Grill on a Saturday night. I ordered the Penne Rustica...Matt wanted to go to the movies, and I kept telling him no - I was really really really tired. He got mad at me because he was trying to squeeze in one more 'date night' in before MC's arrival. We were living at his parents' house because ours was being built. We got home and I went straight to bed - although I never really fell asleep. Didn't feel anything - I just couldn't sleep. And then BAM! 1:00 am! Woke up having HARD contractions about 4 1/2 minutes apart. Called the on-call OB. He was mad at me (why are all these men mad at me when I'm the one in labor?) for waking him up in the middle of the night. I told him I didn't think I could wait an hour because I was hurting so bad. We packed up the car and drove to Flowood...and the rest is history! And an even longer story. But we welcomed our beautiful baby girl 3 hours later!

She is still shocking me and surprising me. She is not at all what I expected her to be. And I mean that in a good way. She surpasses all my expectations and assumptions every single day. She loves to draw, color, write, and paint!!! She is obsessed with paper (apple didn't fall too far from this tree). So, what other kind of party is there but an art party?

Before I post pics (warning, there are alot) I must give my mom and dad a BIG thank you! Couldn't have done any of this without them. Mom saved my video camcorder. Dad drilled holes in metal paint cans. They set up heavy tents for shade and helped watch my kids so I could get stuff done. I love you both! People ask me why I do these kind of parties. Because one day, I want her to know that I did everything I could to let her have a special party. That I put ALOT of effort into making it what she wanted. And one day, she won't want birthday parties - much less mom and dad in her presence. She will be embarrassed of us... she will want to spend it with her friends going out... she will want to spend it with her boyfriend. So I do it while I can. She woke up this morning and looked out the window at the balloons and set up. She said "oh mommy, its beautiful!" That was enough for me.


MC in her MeenyMinyMoe outfit...check her out on FB.


My homemade rigged easels. The wind just about destroyed them.


Rainbow Cupcakes!! And decorating their own! Yes, I made these myself.


She wanted candles in the Rainbow cake! Very pretty, and very worth the 1 hour drive to pick it up.


Craft project: painter's caps.


MC's final product. Again, not sure if anyone actually wore theirs, but they had fun making them nontheless.


Originally planned to use pallettes as their plate, but decided to use them as they were intended. Miss Riley's is by far the neatest.


Let's paint!!!!!!!!


My own princess Picasso!


I thought this turned out adorable! I found giant stamp pads to stamp their "signature"



Group shot: Allie, Brooke, Victoria, Kaytlin, MC, Kendall, Cooper, Sarah, Payton, Riley, and Kyla!


Hello Kitty big girl bike!


Cute party favors: Crayons, markers, chalk, play-dough, and mini paint pallette.
Then End.