Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Sale Pending...


So, we just signed a contract for our house and I am soooo relieved!!  I think what I am most relieved about is that I don't have to keep the house spotless anymore!  Now I can start stressing out about the contract falling through :-)  I really do think it will be okay, though.  We are set to close on June 2.  Ray is leaving at the beginning of May to start his job.  I was planning on staying here until our house sold and we have been praying that we would have an offer before he left.  So now, if all goes as planned, we will only be apart for a few weeks.  We feel so blessed to have sold our house so fast, especially the way the housing market has been going.  Now I need to come up with a new name for our blog.  Any suggestions? 

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Happy Birthday Grace!!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Grace!!  5 years old...I can hardly believe it!  Happy Birthday!  We love you and are so happy you are part of our family!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Back on the Wagon...


So, anyone who knows me from my pre-Oklahoma days knows that I used to exercise compulsively. Ever since I was in high school.  I loved it.  I loved that part of myself that was so driven and dedicated to staying in shape.  I think that without it I kind of am an Eyore.  Exercise makes life sunnier, at least that is always how I have felt about it.  However, I have not been able to get it together since Maggie was born.  I just lost my drive.  I have been ho-humming over this for the last year.  Part of it is just finding the time.  I do not want to take my kids to a gym daycare.  I took Elliot to the daycare at the gym from the time he was 6 weeks old and he was always sick.  (Grace somehow avoided that, she has a much stronger immune system).  Having a sick child takes on a whole new meaning when you have 3 children.  That sickness makes the rounds for a month or 2!!  So, that leaves waking up really early or exercising at night.  I started working at night when Maggie was 2 months old, so that was out.  That left getting up early (like 5:30)-not going to happen, especially when I was nursing Maggie in the middle of the night (she started sleeping all night after about 6 months).   So here I am, a year later still needing to lose 15-20 pounds.  With Grace and Elliot I had lost all of my weight by the time they were 1.  I am not the type of person that can lose weight and stay that way without exercise.  

So, 2 weeks ago (on Maggie's birthday) I dedicated myself to running again.  It is getting light enough in the morning that I can get up and run at 6:30.  I went 4 days last week and I am on my 3rd day this week.  I am up to a little over 3 miles.  I am beginning to feel that drive come back.  I feel better mentally and emotionally, but my body hurts.  I have never been this old and out of shape.  I have some sort of injury in my left arch, right in the middle, that my dad tells me is very difficult to treat and really can only be helped by sticking a big shot of cortisone into my arch-no thank you.  So I just take ibuprofen every day before I run and always have my orthotics in my shoes.  Today the inside of both my knees hurt really bad for the first 10 minutes.  It's probably because I spent a lot of time on my knees yesterday scrubbing toilets, showers and bathtubs.  (I'm old, remember?!)  But, I love the way I feel when I am done.  I just have to keep telling myself that.  Pretty soon it won't be so hard and my body will get stronger.  It will only make me a better mommy and more pleasant person to be around.  I can't just give this part of myself up, and I won't.  I was just on an extended break!!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Just for the Record...

I got this link to this blog post from my friend Angie's blog.  It is the best blog post I've read in a while.  Check it out...

http://thegabblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/just-for-record.html
(you have to cut and paste, didn't have time to figure out how to do a link!!)

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Frazzled Mom



Maggie has decided that she is only going to take one nap a day...which is terrible news for me.  I was in denial for a week or so, telling myself that it was only a phase she was going through.  Surely she still needs 2 naps a day!!  But, I'm afraid that this is just how it is going to be now.  She has been taking a really long time to fall asleep for her morning nap, and she just flat out will not go to sleep in the afternoon.  If she sleeps in the morning it has to be between 9:15 and 11:15  because I take Grace to school and 9 and pick her up at 11:30.  Maggie is not accommodating  my schedule at all.  Believe me, I do not have a problem with letting my children cry it out (I firmly believe that is why they sleep so well, in their own beds, at night!!).  But when Maggie is done crying she just plays in her crib until I finally go in and get her after about an hour and a half.  WHY ME!?  Grace took 2 naps a day until a little past her 2nd birthday, Elliot took 2 naps a day until he was about 18 months.  I guess it gets shorter with each child?!  I just have to watch Maggie like a hawk because she loves to go up the stairs.  I am reluctant to put up a gate at the bottom of the stairs because it would require attaching a gate to the railing and wall, and we are trying to sell our house.  She knows how to go down, I have taught her, but it still makes me very nervous.  I guess I just need to push her nap back until after lunch.  However, she has been going to bed at 6:45 or 7 every night since this began, that is nice.  Every cloud has a silver lining, right?

This is where Maggie now goes in the morning when I am getting ready.  She used to be asleep at this time!!  At least the bath tub is getting used, it's not like I ever have time to take a bath in it!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Growing up too fast...

Maggie started walking recenlty, I can't believe how old she already is, that she is actually old enough to walk!!  It is certainly bittersweet.  She is such a special girl.

Another reason I'm not too sad about leaving Oklahoma...


So, Spring is normally one of my favorite times of the year.  I love the rebirth of all the trees, flowers and plants.  However, spring in Oklahoma is another story.  Spring in Oklahoma is tornado season and the wind is blowing CONSTANTLY!!  Last night we were up for about 2 hours when the tornado sirens started going off at about 2:30am.  They went off and on about 3 times, and there was this unbelievable, house-shaking storm.  There was constant lightning and thunder.  Max was going completely bonkers.  We had to get the kids up and sit in the closet under the stairs with them until the sirens stopped.  It was interesting trying to get them to go back to sleep after that.  It was a seriously scary storm.   In the end, a tornado never even touched down.  I can't imagine what the storm would be like if it did.  The weather here is actually pretty fascinating,  I would just like to observe it from afar, which we will be doing soon if we could just get our house sold!!

Thursday, April 3, 2008

The Cake

We had a little birthday party for Maggie last night.  She was definitely the most messy of all my children with her 1st birthday cake!!  It took me about an hour to get all the cake cleaned up, and get her high chair cleaned off (it actually needed a good cleaning!).  I don't know what I was thinking with the red frosting, I'll blame Grace, she helped me pick it out!!

You can all be witness to my mad cake baking/decorating skills :) (I like Grace's finger, she could hardly keep her hands off!  She even ate dinner because she knew she wouldn't get any cake if she didn't!)

Happy Birthday to you!

Getting a little messy...

Messier...

And messiest!!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Happy Birthday Maggie Rae!!


Happy Birthday to our sweet baby girl!  We love you so much!!