Airplane Loot

So we leave in just a few hours...like 15.... for Texas! So I thought I would share with all my blogging friends how you keep three girls 5 and under entertained on 2 flights totaling about 5 hours. So here is the loot it takes to survive!

Now you can notice....magnadoodles, wedding bubbles, stickers, pens, crayons, notebooks, matchbox cars, silly putty, lip gloss and mirrors, bubble wrap, and that is just a tiny sampling. there also is a TON of food that could feed a family of 4 for about a month! Mind you that some of the food is for the trip home and each child has their own individual sized bag of each snack which makes it look like more. Caroline's loot includes...a mini flashlight, several key rights with keys, change purses, clothes pins to clip on things and take back off, play jewelry, mini dolls, stretchy/sticky insects, spinning tops, slinky, and tons more. Basically she has a lot to play with but the food is her main distraction. I figured that putting all the snacks in individual snack sized baggies would keep Caroline from pigging out on one item. If she sees there is more left int he bag she will yell for it and I could very likely end up feeding her an entire bag of cookies in like 10 minutes.

Each of the girls have their own rolling backpack...you know the ones that have a handle that pulls up and wheels, that they will be taking on the plane. It's full of their snacks, toys, a small pillow, hoodie, and stuffed animal. So hopefully this all runs smoothly!!! I will try to update after we get there but the week is pretty full with events. So, wish us luck and PRAY for safety on the trip and that Mommy's sanity is still intact when we reach El Paso!!!

Gymboree Addict or Not???

Okay, so you know that you shop in Gymboree just a tad bit when.....

1. Your kids come home singing the songs off the little TV program they play at Gymboree to entertain your kids while you shop. They actually came home singing..."Here at Gymboree TV!"

2. The store manager not only knows you and your kids' names but most of your life story and asks you questions like "How's the bows going?" and "How did Maddelyn's Tea Party go?"

3. The store manager actually keeps your hair bow business cards behind the counter and passes them out to mommies looking for hair bows. Mind you Gymboree also sells korker bows but the manager will tell them "Oh hers are so much cuter and much fuller!"

4. When you pull into the mall parking lot your children used to cry for Chuckie Cheese and now they ask if they can go " to the store with the TV in it."

5. You see other people and their children out and think to yourself..."Hmm, that's Gymboree." It doesn't end there though because you can say what line it's from and what season it was released.

6. You belong to a few...cough...cough...several yahoo groups that discuss the latest Gymboree lines, what is coming out next, and when their big sales will be. Okay I joined for info on the new lines coming out so I could make the bows to match and sell but I kinda stick around for more than that!

7. You can tell the sales ladies at Gymboree more about their next upcoming sales than they even know about...yep info from my yahoo groups.

8. You NEVER buy anything full price in Gymboree because you know if you wait long enough it will go on sale and if you are really patient you can end up paying like $4.99 for it instead of the $34.99 they have on the price tag. Last Easter my kids had dresses, pea coats, and matching shoes valued at $120.00 an outfit and I of course paid like $15.00 an outfit! Of course it was the previous year's Easter line but who cares!

Quick Family Update.....

So the weekend is pretty much over since it's so late on Sunday night, so here is a quick update of how our weekend went.

On Saturday my Grandma came oer to help me do some yard work. She was sitting for my cousin Leah so the girls were entertained while we kept busy. We worked our behinds off weeding, transplanting/taking out some hostis plants, planting flowers, and mulching. Yep I was whipped afterwards but the yard sure looks nice. That was definitely a item I wanted checked off my check list before we went to Texas. That night I spent on the couch and the girls and I had a movie night we watched Pollyanna and the original Parent Trap and the girls had their dinner on a blanket in the living room. This was a VERY special treat since they aren't allowed to have food/drinks out of the kitchen. My parents also stopped over for a few minutes to see us while they were in town.

Today I had nursery at church and then a quick lunch and naps....AHHH! Sunday afternoon naps!!! This evening was a relaxed one where the girls played and watched a movie and I worked on hair bows for an upcoming craft show. They were pretty excited going to bed tonight knowing that Daddy would be home from a business trip late tonight. They sure are Daddy's girls!

She's Growing Up...

So my little Dare Devil Caroline is officially a toddler now and not a baby...sniff...sniff! Since I last wrote her new climbing feats have been getting out of her crib and trying to climb into the club house of her grandparents swing set. I'm sure if my mom hadn't caught her in the act and pulled her off the 3rd step of the ladder she would have been up to the top in no time. Oh my! She has has discovered that when she is mad or doesn't get her way she has 2 new options. She can throw her self to the ground and scream or she can stand there and run/kick in place screaming. Both of these of course don't make Mommy very happy with her. Oh where did my little one go? I guess with a new one on the way it is time for Miss Caroline to leave the baby era, but it sure is hard to see them head towards those terrible 2's! Oh my! Just to make Mommy (and a few family members) tear up a bit more here are a few photos to remind me of what a little peanut (okay at 9 pounds a chunky little peanut) she was and how fast she's grown. Okay...when you're pregnant everything makes you tear up so why not enjoy it?

Long Week Already!

So it's only Tuesday and It's already been a L-O-N-G week! Let's just say that before noon yesterday, Emma had peed on the bathroom rug (obviously waiting way too long to head to the potty), spilled juice on their Pottery Barn bed spread (mind you no juice is allowed out of the kitchen) and opened their bedroom window and had the screen 1/2 pushed out! So that just started our day! The entire time we were at Walmart shopping the younger two were fighting and picking at each other. By the time we left Caroline had kicked, pinched, and bit Em, and Emma had poked Caroline in the eyes! I am talking about the 3 stooges kinda poking in the eyes! Oh my! That night I went out with some friends for dinner and when I returned the sitter had Emma sitting in time out in her bed. I guess that she had pushed Caroline of the couch and then as soon as she calmed back down Emma then hit her in the head with a board book. Poor kid looks like she kissed the pavement today and it was just from her sister! See, girls can be rough too!

Tonight I've been busy getting ready for a craft show that my bows will be in over the 4th of July. A friend of mine will be taking them with her items since we will be out of state. This is only my second craft show so I am hoping that I do as well as I did at the show before Christmas.

Oh...and we're headed to El Paso, Texas!!!! Nathan's grandparents are celebrating their 50th Anniversary at the end of this month and the family is having a week long celebration to celebrate. The whole week is planned out down to the detail since there will be like 50 people coming in for the week. I think this is the first time in a very long time that all 6 of their kids and their spouse/children have been home all at one time. So we leave the 28th-6th and Nathan will arrive late in the week because he will be home working. The girls are so excited to not only go to Texas, but they are extremely overjoyed that they will be able to fly in an airplane. the remind us all the time that they have never been on a plane and how much they want to fly. They were really bummed out when Caroline and I went to NJ a few weeks back not so much that they couldn't go but that we were getting on a plane and they weren't. Now if only Mommy were that excited. I will be flying the first leg of the trip, Cleveland to Dallas by myself. Once we get there my in-laws will be waiting with us on the lay over and then taking then they will take the same flight with us into El Paso. Now the tough part is that first flight is not only the first time I've flown by myself with more than one child, but it's THREE HOURS LONG and since there are only 2 seats per row, I have once child across the aisle from us. Oh joy!! I think I can contain the older 2 with new toys/snacks/ and the DVD player, but I have no clue on how to control Caroline. Hmmm? How do you keep an 18 month old on your lap still and entertained for 3 hours???? Any tips from other experiences parents would be wonderful!!!!

Photos.....F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!

So I finally have gotten some of these photos uploaded that I've been promising. No, I still haven't fond the cord to my camera but Nathan was ever so sweet to let me borrow the cord to his blackberry which happens to also work with my camera. What a Sweetie! So here is a glimpse of the past month of our lives!

These are some quick pictures of the projects I made for twelvefridays. The photos really aren't the best and especially since I had to take actual layouts. After all of our laptop problems we had to wipe to compute clean and then reload everything so....I have to re-install my scan-n-stitch program that allows you to scan in a 12x12 page on a regular scanner. So....these photos still need cropped. The fist is of a tin that I will be adding mementos from this Summer to. Basically it will be a journal of all the events from this Summer without having to write anything.

These are photos of my grandparents' 60th wedding celebration. The photo below is of all the family members that we had there that day. Yep...this is just part of my grandparents' descendents.

I love this pictures! We asked my Grandpa to give my Grandma a kiss on the cheek for the photo and he then he leans over and plants one on her lips! The whole time the great grandkids are chanting "kiss...kiss...kiss!" How cute!!!!

These are some photos from when we visited my best friend and her family in NJ. Aren't Emma-Lee and Caroline too cute in their swimsuits on the beach?

The following photos are of Alicia and her family on the coast. Oh how fun it was for this Ohio girl to take her first oceanside photos! :D

Of course I had to add a few photos of the beautiful Victorian homes that fill Cape May!

Are the girls too cute holding hands while in their car seats in the car? Best Friends!

Okay so they wouldn't allow me to take any pictures of them and of course as I get ready to take the picture they both jump up so we get this lovely rear end picture! Cute huh?

It amazes me how much Caroline looks like her daddy in this picture! She has that same squinted eye smile that he does! Awe!!!

We of course scrapped as much as possible the week we spent together. Of course the princesses had to be right there in the middle of everything!

Sick Baby.....

So we are home from my in-laws in PA. The past few days have been kinda crazy so I haven't had time to post anything. We arrived home on Monday afternoon and took Caroline directly into the doctor's office. We left with them not really knowing what she had but they narrowed it down to RSV or bacterial pneumonia. WOW! Poor little thing had a fever, stuffy nose, sore throat, but worst of all she was struggling with each breath. The poor baby was working so hard to breath. We left with a handful of meds and instructions to use our nebulizer as well. The next day we went in for a follow-up appointment and the nurse practitioner said she was surprised to see us? She said she thought for sure we'd be in the hospital. She said that the day before her and the doctor had really been debating on admitting Caroline to the hospital. She said they choose not to since the kids do so much better at home without all the pokes and prodes. I'm glad i didn't know all that when we were yesterday! I would have been much more worried! So each day she has been a bit better. The breathing treatments are really helping a lot though.

We are busy around here getting ready for the weekend. e are planning on going camping with my parents, brother, and nieces/nephew. It will be nice to get away for a few days...haha...like we haven't been gone the majority of the last month! I also have been busy working on my site still. I am hoping that we are getting pretty close, but you know all those loose ends that need tied up. I also will be working on my twelvefriday's kit this week. WOO-HOO! :D I love when that oh so cute kit arrives in the mail. Now I know why kit club members often want to hug the mail man! So here is what came in the mail this month for me.....

So we'll see what I can come up with using these AWESOME papers! If you're interested in seeing what else twelvefriday's has to offer in their amazing kits you can check them out at.... http://www.twelvefridays.com/ and you can see what amazing layouts and projects they have already made up with this kit for their Project Friday on their blog at http://twelvefridays.typepad.com/ . I believe they posted the sneak peak for the July kit as well! Oh my more to hug the mail man over!!!

Summer is Here!

So we're in PA and oh how Summer has arrived. I never realized how hot you feel pregnant even when you're not like 8 months and in mid-august. Or, maybe it's not being pregnant, maybe it's just plum HOT!!! So the temp today was like 90....hot but not like unbearable, but the humidity was insane! Let's just say that it was so miserable that my in-laws newly sealed garage floor was wet. I'm not talking about a tiny bit damp, like you walk across it and it feels like walking in dew soaked grass. Yep, that pure humidity. For our Texas family...that's what you miss living in the desert!

So the baby bump is getting much bigger than a baby bump. I am 11 weeks now and well, beyond showing. It's funny though because when I went to NJ last week I left barely showing (what I had at the beginning I had lost when I lost weight from morning sickness.) Well I left NJ with a pretty good bump and now a week later it's probably doubled in size, no joke! I just keep thinking.....it's the real hot day of the Summer season, and I have to go to Christmas!!!! At this rate I'm not going to be able to get my arms around the front of my stomach by Thanksgiving! Oh my! It's odd looking down and seeing the obvious signs of pregnancy but still not feeling the baby. More than likely it will still be several weeks even though this is #4. I generally feel them (he - speaking in faith!) just before my 20 week ultrasound. We'll see though. Maybe me showing so fast will speed up some of the other things as well, or maybe not. It could just be that I'm going to be HUGE this time around. My grandma said it's just because I am carrying a big, burly boy in there. Maybe Grandma???

Pictures

Okay...I can't find my camera cord that I need to up load photos. I must have found a new home between the 1/2 unpacked and 1/2 repacked suitcases from this week. I've done a lot of unpacking and cleaning in the past 2 days but not near enough to get all of our NJ stuff put away and all of the PA stuff packed up on top of the house freshened up after Daddy and the girls were home alone last week, and dealing with a stomach virus in the house! YUCK! Let's just say Mommy doesn't handle that kinda stuff not pregnant so pregnant was insane playing clean-up crew. Oh how sweet my hubby is for helping me in that area when he's home. He just knows that either he helps clean up the kid or he helps clean up the kid and the mommy if I try! LOL!

So anyways here are a few pictures that I took in NJ on the beach. Thanks Alicia for letting me steal....uh hum...borrow them form your blog! I will put up many, many more once I find the camera cord, which will more than likely be after the PA trip.

Quick Post

So I'm still here! I am just letting all of my blogger friends know that I didn't forget you all, I've just been super busy the past week. We arrived home from NJ late Friday night and then Saturday/Sunday we celebrated my grandparents' 60th anniversary party. Today was spent on the couch sick and cleaning up/weeding during my feeling okay times. I'm not sure if it's a virus, something I ate, or just baby? Either way I just feel plain awful and of course the kids aren't letting me take the day off. Figures! I really needed to keep busy today since we are headed to see my in-laws later in the week for Jeremiah's (my not so little anymore brother-in-laws graduation.) Oh so busy!!! So needless to say I will fill you in on all the wonderful details of my trip as well as tons of photos of the babies and NJ tomorrow. Tonight it just isn't happening! I head my bed calling an it's not even 11 yet.