Wow, I'm awful at journeling online and by hand.

It's been almost a month since I have posted new information... so I thought I better get back on the ball. No need to wait for New Year's to start doing things right...

Carley recently got her first tooth and has been enjoying some real food... homemade chicken pot pie, spaghetti and meatballs, muffins, pancakes with bananas and many others. She loves to feed herself. She has been standing for forever and recently figured out how to walk behind a push toy. You can tell she's really proud of herself. Her newest talent is fishy face...fun!

Billy hasn't been doing much that's new, except asking questions. He's adding many new words to his vocabulary every day... I can hear it growing. He also thinks that na-nee-na-nee-na-naa is fun to say and sticking his tongue out is funny. Great.... I have been enjoying playing school with him when school is cancelled due to inclement weather. He has a Christmas program Thursday.

Ian is learning to use the potty- in his own time. He also has been loving pretending to be Super Why and WonderRed, from his new favorite show (Super Why). He always wants to be a hero, any kind. Which contrasts well with Billy's bad guy complex. Ian is such a sweetheart with the most darling smile and giggle. I'm sure God gave him those attributes so I wouldn't kill him when he screams NO and NEVER.

Skittles has recently been hanging out with us more. He's usually within a couple of feet from me. He still doesn't want to join me on the couch yet. But he has learned that snow and ice are freaking cold... when I send him out he does his business and is ready to come back in. Almost no accidents now.

Carl has a recent corporate visit and that went very well. He is fighting a cold with aches and pains- could be the flu. Oh, and by the way, he dropped a bunk bed on his head when unloading a truck at work... no surprise, he's fine. I always knew he had a hard head.

As for me, I've been struggling with getting enough time to sleep. When I have free time I choose to read or sew and then don't get to sleep. Then, when I'm ready to go to bed, my mind isn't. But I have been reading a lot.

Well, more soon.

Autumn in Iowa

The leaves are down. The trees in the yard were beautiful for about 1 week. We've already had our first snow, though no accumulation. Here are some pictures of our little ones playing in the leaves while Dad and cousin Justin were picking them up to take to the dump. I'll write more... eventually.

Friday & Saturday, 10/26 & 10/27

The kids in costume... more pictures after Halloween, no doubt!
A haunted house cake for the youth at church.
Carley... pretty in pink- from head to toe.

Hooray! Today I finished sewing snaps and pom poms on the kids' costumes. They are officially clowns. Ian has been giving me a real fight on wearing his costume, so I didn't know if I'd ever actually see him in it. Fortunately, when I had Billy try his costume on, Ian said he wanted to be Halloween too. So, for the afternoon the kids, clad in costume, visited dad at work and accompanied me to the library for a Parents As Teachers meeting. It was fun. The kids look supercute!

Lately, I have been bogged down in politics. I usually try to stay out of things that cause my brain to hurt, but our book club is talking about the book, A Mormon in the White House, and I am in charge of the night. Also, Election Day is right around the corner for local leaders too. So, I have been researching. BLAH!

Besides clowns and politics, I have been focusing on creating a house of order. Room by room I've been trying to straighten up and clean. The boys room shaped up very well tonight. All laundry is caught up and put away. I'd like to focus on the kitchen Monday. Tomorrow, of course, is supposed to be a day of rest. No politics, clowns or cleaning- yea!

Sunday to Thursday

Wow, I'm I slacking or what! I haven't written since Saturday. Well, Carley had her MRI today. She did so well, considering that she hadn't had anything to eat since dinner last night. Her MRI was at 11 a.m. and she didn't eat until 1 p.m. She came out of the anesthesia just fine. The nurses oohed and aahed over her all through the hospital. We'll be back for the surgery soon- exactly when we should find out tomorrow.
I have really been overdoing it this week and it has lead to total exhaustion. Getting Ian well with medicene and treatments, playgroups, storytimes, halloween cakes, laundry, shopping, etc., etc. have been just too much. So, I am committing to doing absolutely nothing productive for the next two days. Carl's parents have been here today to help with the boys during Carley's appointment. He stayed up playing cards. Carl's off tomorrow. And Friday I have no committments. Well, I'm tired and I need some rest. Goodnight.

Back from the hospital

Well, after a full day at the hospital, we are all home. Ian is feeling (and breathing) much better, though he's not 100% yet. We have to continue breathing treatments every 3-4 hours and he's on a steriod 2x a day. Carl had to work today, so I took Billy and Carley and spent the day with Ian at the hospital. We were there from 8:30 - 6:00. What a long day. I brought lots of movies, toys and activities. The kids did pretty good. They had their moments of course, but all in all I can't complain too loudly. But I must say, I'm done for the day- though Carley isn't. She's been having trouble getting to bed tonight. I just am out of patience and compassion tonight. Looks like I'm in for a long one.

Catching up...again

Ian is in the hospital this evening and I am planning catch up in all aspects tonight. My house needs cleaning, my blog updating and my laundry desperately needs catching up.
Last night we put Ian to bed, with just a runny nose, and he woke up a couple of hours later with a terrible cough. He was gasping for air and had labored breathing. We treated him with albuterol in the nebulizer and he seemed to be doing better, but not great. We kept it up through the night and morning. I called the doctor in the morning and he approved of the nebulizer treatments and told me to bring him in Saturday morning if he wasn't better or sooner if things changed. I thought he was turning it around and we went to a garage sale, the 25 cent kid sale I go to 2 or 3x a year. The kids watched a movie in the car, with dad's supervision while I shopped to my heart's content. Then, when we went home for lunch, Ian wouldn't eat. He wasn't even drinking well. And to top it off his breathing was getting worse. So, I called the doctor and we rushed in. The doctor saw Ian, gave him another albuterol treatment and then surprised us when he said Ian needed to be admitted. So, there he is, with dad, in the hospital. His breathing is still rotten, very labored. His heart rate is way up. So, this is where I drop off. I need to clean up. Pray for him.

Tuesday- the week's looking up

Today was about as good as it gets when you're talking ordinary days... Ian and I had our session at Storytime- and Carley had to come too (but she was very good and didn't make a peep until the very end). Then after we signed up for the next string of sessions for winter we checked out lots of new books. Ian even helped out choosing and checking out. After we had enjoyed our pleasant outing at the library we went home and put Skittles on the leash to join us at the park. We went to swing and play. It was a little damp, but not awful. But the wind was picking up. After just 25 minutes or so, I was ready to call it quits. The slides were too wet to ride and the dog kept pulling on the leash. So, we loaded up in the van and I turned on one of the DVDs from the library (Veggietales- Little Joe). That kept Ian entertained while we just drove around. It seemed silly to come all the way home when we would have to pick up Billy from preschool within 1/2 an hour. So, we drove around and watched the show. After we picked up Billy we headed home, had lunch and then Ms. Tammy came over. Ms. Tammy is a childhood educator from a group called Parents as Teachers. She helps me stay on track with teaching the kids at their own levels. Our visit was fun- the boys made bird puppets- with feathers. I'm a volunteer leader with the program and our first meeting is Saturday.
After Ms. Tammy left, the boys and I played a little in the toy room and then laid down in the living room to rest with a movie. Then Carley woke up and I made dinner. After we ate, the kids did an awesome job helping to clean up the house. They were very helpful. We took care of baths and jammies. Then we brushed teeth, read books, sang songs, read scriptures, prayed and even did Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear. They were all comfy in their beds by 8 p.m. Half an hour later than normal- but it was a great day for us. The kids were pretty good. Ian had a few timeouts for not listening today, but that's not bad. He went pee again in the potty after his bath- he does this every night now for several weeks. If only we could get him to do it throughout the day. He still is showing very little interest. I'm thinking about moving forward and just pushing him in... but I worry that the progress won't come easy that way. Well, we had a great day today. I even got the laundry and dishes done. I haven't ran the vacuum yet, but there's still time. Goodnight.

Sunday, Monday....

It appears I have been slacking in posting to my blog. It's been quite uneventful in the last two days. Sunday was Stake Conference- which simply means our church met collectively with other congregations in our region to hear a message from our local leadership.
Today I have been a little down. Some of my friends are having trouble and I feel like I can do little for them. Other than a small fall down the back steps, I'm doing fine. Carl just rattled off a hello and goodbye- he got home from a hard day and is going out to rent a funny movie. And now Carley's crying. Sorry for the short write. There really wasn't much to share anyway.

Friday & Saturday, 10/12 & 10/13

Our Friday was so crazy I forgot to post a new message to my blog.

We came home from Carl's parents place Friday morning and went straight to Kathy's Pumpkin Patch to meet friends. Jodi & Ben (and kids) and Brennan and Todd met us there and we did a hayrack ride, picked pumpkins from the patch, walked a bean maze, played in a corn pool and lots of other seasonal, fun things. It was a nice afternoon. Once we got home we unpacked from our trip to Carl's parents on Thursday and took a rest. Then we fed and bathed the kids and got ready for a temple trip. It was date night and it happened to be ward temple night, so we went to the temple together. We got caught on the bridge by a barge- and even though we were late, they still let us into the session. We were relieved! It was such a spiritual trip. I really felt enlightened and at peace. I learn something more everytime I attend the temple. On the way home we hit a barge on the bridge again-two in fact! We didn't pick up our kids until 10:30.

Today was a normal Saturday... laundry and cleaning. I also painted with the kids. We used Q-Tips and mixed colors. The idea of painting came after Billy asked for purple milk! I poured the milk and had Billy drop in red and blue food coloring and then we stirred it. Voila- purple milk. So, I showed the boys how to mix colors while Carley napped. It's been a pretty uneventful day. And for that, I'm so grateful. I really could have used a quiet day- and it gave me a chance to unwind. I only wish I would have got some reading done. But I spent lots of time with my little ones and the dog- who has been hanging out with us in the same room often and through the day.

Mom & Dad's Anniversary

Tuesday was Carl's parents' 36th wedding anniversary. They went to Dubuque and took a dinner cruise. Today we drove in to have dinner with them and take pictures in jeans and t-shirts. It's been a crazy and fun day. Here's a picture of our immediate and extended families from today. Tomorrow we're planning on date night

and visiting the pumpkin patch.

Mom's Doctor Visit & CARLEY CLAPS

First thing this morning I went into the doctor. My visit with her was short, but I hope productive. She ordered some blood tests and suggested an ultrasound of my gall bladder. She suspects gallstones. I'm supposed to call first thing tomorrow and get the blood results. She said it could be a number of things, so the blood work is the first step.

We signed the paperwork for our home equity loan today. Although, we're not sure the roofer will be able to get to our job before the winter hits. We're looking into finding another roofer. We want to get a good deal since we're paying cash. In January the heating/cooling guy is going to complete his job getting the laundry room and guest room on the central heating system. Unfortunately, he's helping his son build a house, so he's booked until the second week in January.

I got some pictures developed for my scrapbooking. I have got to get moving on that. I haven't done anything since I finished Carley's birth pages. My goal before the end of the year is getting Billy's preschool pages done and then Christmas last year. I love to scrapbook, but it takes a lot of time and isn't easy to do with little ones around.

On to the great news of the day... After Carley finished her dinner and began to get fussy I picked her up and set her on my lap while I was working on something else. She caught my eye when I realized how entranced she was. Her eyes couldn't leave her hands. She brought them together excitedly and then over and over again. She clapped and it thrilled her. The boys and I clapped for her. We were all so excited. Having 3 little ones, we all do a lot of clapping here. I'm glad she picked it up on her own, but sorry I can't say I tried to teach it to her. Carl has been playing pat-a-cake with her recently.

Tomorrow is Carl's day off. After Billy finishes up at school and we have some lunch, we are going to his parents to celebrate their anniversary with them. We've been asked to wear white shirts and jeans for photo opportunities. All my guys are wearing their dress shirts and Carley has a white onesie with a cute collar. I'm out of luck- I only have an old turtleneck and a maternity shirt- neither fit. Gotta go make the cake for tomorrow.

Sigh - 10/9

This morning when I woke up and let the dog out to go potty, I found that he pooped in his crate- which he has only done once since we brought him home. So, I cleaned his crate, toys, dishes and him- all at 6 in the morning. Then I got the kids to the van- early- to take Billy to school and the van had a flat (which had been looking low). So, I filled the tire with air- with the pump on the car and took Billy to school. It was lucky I had that pump. Then I rushed over to the dealership to get the car in. They said it would be just 20-30 minutes. Luckily, I refused to believe them and had them take me, Ian and Carley to the library- where we were just in time for story time. (Ian did not like the ride in the courtesy van). Carley was smiley and intrigued by all that was happening at story time. Ian, however, was only interested in doing puzzles. We did, however, win a drawing for a free Domino's pizza. :) My friend Jodi encouraged me not to wait at the library for the courtesy van, so we all joined her and her toddler in a trip to Target. While at Target she let me in on the reason for her need to break at the snack bar- she's pregnant (over 4 months). I had my ideas- but to hear it confirmed was such a surprise and a great blessing. She and I share so many similarities. It really helped to make my day happier. We picked up the van and then our preschool boys and we parted.
I took the kids to dad's work and we took him out to Burger King. The kids really enjoyed this move from the ordinary. And Carl was in for a long day, so I felt it was absolutely necessary to steal him away. When we got home I put Carley down for her nap and then laid down myself on the couch while the boys watched Veggietales. I felt very fatigued, feverish and achy. My neck has been hurting for 2 days and after every meal I feel sick to my stomach. The rest of my day was icky. I just haven't felt well at all. I made an appointment for 8:45 tomorrow to get checked out. I had to skip on the dinner at church tonight- couldn't go feeling like this. My fever has subsided and I haven't eaten much to be nauseous about. My neck still feels awful though. So, I'm going to turn in so I can get some rest. Goodnight.

Monday, Monday

Today was your average Monday, the kind everyone dreads the arrival of. I did laundry and scrubbed toilets and washed walls and pick up toys and many other chores. It was my day to play catch up and clean up. Nothing much else happened all day.
Well, I guess that's not entirely true. Carley tried to pull herself to standing on a bar stool and it fell over and she got a terrible bruise on the side of her forehead. I got the PlayDoh out with Billy and Ian during Carley's 2nd nap of the day. We played for quite awhile. I could tell the boys had a great time. Ian loved cutting his lump with a plastic knife and Billy was using cookie cutters and molds and potato-head like pieces.
All in all it was a good day. I got a lot accomplished. Tomorrow is storytime for Ian and I at the library. I also have a dinner at church to attend. Hopefully, there will be a nursery.

General Conference Sunday

Today I listened to the two remaining sessions of General Conference and once again all of the questions I wrote prior to the conference sessions were answered. They are personal, so I have journaled them at home. But I testify to the revelation I received and that I know the prophet and apostles are God's mouthpieces here on the Earth. They have answered my questions many times since I was a teenager. Even if my questions have seemed relatively unimportant or even silly I have always had an answer provided for me. My two favorite talks today were Eyring's and Beck's. Elder Eyring spoke about writing down our experiences where the Hand of God was seen in the lives of our immediate family so our children can have that written record. And Sister Beck spoke of righteous mothers and their important role. She also said that the best thing we can do, as mothers, is to cultivate a house of order to encourage spiritual growth. A house of order- oh how I wish I could say I live in one. I do try though, and it has gotten better this year. Also, a talk I enjoyed was Douglas Callister's. He said that the only witness of Christ that was important was our own. When we realize our testimony, our belief in Christ becomes more than belief, it is knowledge. And Dallin H. Oaks counseled that there are good things we can do in this life, but there is also the better and best. He spoke mainly about managing our time and efforts. General Conference is such a wonderful opportunity (2x/year) to assess where I am spiritually and make new goals.
My new goals for the next 6 months are to hold regular and meaningful family home evenings (FHE), where Carl and I teach the children Gospel truths. I also want to add personal scripture study to the family study we already conduct daily. And I want to focus on serving more. There are always opportunities for service and I often let them pass because I am too busy. I vow to give small acts of service more frequently to those in my family, church, neighborhood and community. So, here are my goals written on paper, because I know it is the only way I will take them seriously. 1. Hold FHE 2. Personal scripture study 3. Serve daily
As for the children, they enjoyed delivering tomatoes to the neighbors with me, they were grateful to get out of the house. We had 12- too many for our use and too few to bother canning. Ian's eyebrow looks disgusting, but it doesn't seem to be bothering him. Carley is cruising around the dining room chairs and coffee table better. And Billy just wants to go to school. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are a nuisance to him. He misses school on those days. Although last night when Ian was at the doctor, Billy missed Ian terribly. He drew him his heart on paper and wrote Ian's name at the top. He instructed me to give it to Ian when he came home. I love it when my children love each other.
No plans tomorrow. I hope to get some laundry done and work on making my house a house of order. At least the toyroom has stayed picked up and organized through the weekend. It's a start.

Friday & Saturday, 10/5 & 10/6

Wow, it seems like many more than 2 days since I've written. Tonight was scary. After dinner we were cleaning up toys while sleepy Carley screamed at the top of her lungs protesting for an early bedtime. Then, Ian started running towards me in the kitchen crying and looking frantic. I figured he was protesting cleaning up- again. But the blood quickly alerted me otherwise. I scooped him up and saw that it was a pretty deep cut in his eyebrow, so I set him on the kitchen island and made an ice bag, wrapped it in a towel and called Carl. I told him it looked pretty bad and that Ian needed to go to the hospital. In less than 5 minutes Carl was home to take him. In less than 10 since the incident, Ian was in the car and off to the E.R. The doctor did not think it was deep enough for stitches but used some kind of glue to close to wound. He said it would flake off within a week or two. He'll probably have a scar. So, that was my crazy evening.

The day started off slow. We went to 2 garage sales- one at Billy's school (a church) and another on the way home. I spent all my money. I got Carley two cute dresses and a me a tabletop ironing board for my sewing. The boys found lots of books. Just odds and ends outside of those.

We came home, had lunch, I put Carley down and I tuned in for conference. General Conference happens twice a year (Apr. and Oct.). It is when the general authorities (prophet, apostles and other leaders) address the members of the church with timely messages. There are four general sessions- 2 hours each. There were 2 today. I love that I can watch it from home now. My old computer or internet or something wasn't quite fast enough to watch it live. But the new computer is great for audio and visual. It is always uplifting to hear the words of conference. It seemed to be pointed a little more towards non-members and new members today. But, hey, it never hurts to hear basic counsel again. We'll have two more sessions tomorrow.

As for Friday it was a lot of fun. We decorated the front of the house and yard for Halloween. We hung skeletons on the porch and stuffed a large spider with leaves and ghosts for the bushes and pumpkins for the walk. The kids really had a good time. Then we spent the rest of the day cleaning. That night we babysat for some friends of ours for date night. It's our turn next Friday. I'm really excited about this arrangement. It means we'll get to have two dates every month without babysitting charges. We also had the missionaries over for dinner along with the 2 and 4 year olds of our friends'. It was crazy, but fun. The boys (all 4) really seemed to enjoy themselves- as they always do when they're together. Well, I'll report on the rest of general conference tomorrow. It airs at 11-1 and 3-5 tomorrow on lds.org. I use the tv station's link from that webpage.

Thursday 10-4- good buddies

Another trip to the grocery store- everything's going up in price. We have to shop at 3 stores just to get the best deals and be able to buy a month's worth of food at a time. We didn't do much else today. As a family we played Hungry Hungry Hippos. That was fun. We missed a homecoming parade just a few blocks from our house. That would have been nice to catch. The dog's been throwing up tonight. If he's still sick tomorrow it'll be another trip to the vet for us. I'm starting to become discouraged in being a dog owner. There's always something wrong. He always needs a bath or a brush. He still isn't really great at going outside to potty. And while he is trying to like us- he still isn't coming to us or being really friendly. Maybe I'm just feeling negative tonight and taking it out on him- since I keep having to clean up his puke. Can't say this is a day to hold onto.
Tomorrow Billy has a follow up asthma appointment (meaning full-price because he's well). We're also feeding the missionaries and watching our friends boys for date night. We'll get our chance next Friday. So, we'll probably spend the day cleaning up and running errands, as usual.
Sometimes I just wish we could do something fun and unexpected. I wish I could be so together in things like daily cleaning and cooking that I didn't feel guilty pulling out all of the stops and having a fun and messy activity that wasn't planned. It seems like when I do that, everything else falls apart- but the kids are happy. I just want to be great at it all- cleaning the house, keeping the kids engaged in fun activities and being a heartfelt and sincere wife. I usually feel like I'm doing well in one or two of those areas, but never all three at the same time.
Well, better luck tomorrow.

Wednesday yada yada yada

Not much going on today. We worked on the clown shirts for the boys. I'm almost done really. My friend Jane has taught me sooo much about sewing. I'm a little more fanatical about cutting things just so and sewing them exactly right, but her knowledge has really made the difference. Not much happened today. Pretty boring day actually. Just cleaning, brushing the dog, reading, sewing, sidewalk chalk, cooking, etc. Tomorrow Carl has off so I am hoping our day is really great! It's always more fun when he's around. Later.

Toddler Storytime & Book Club

These are older pictures of Billy with his friends at the park. Eden is the only girl. The boy in blue is Hayden, Gabe has a yellow shirt and the boy in red was a one-time visitor at playgroup. The pictures are just to give you a visual in to Billy's secret involving Eden.


Tuesdays are always a pleaser and this one was no different. This morning after dropping off Billy, we went to the library for Ian's toddler storytime session. It was about bears. My friend Meghan (Eden's mom) pushed Carley in her stroller while she cried during most of our 25 minute session. Ian did okay. He was reluctant to join in, but eventually did well. After he got his bear stamp on his hand and I relieved Meghan from Carley, we went to Walgreens and picked up some perscriptions we filled for our storage. Then with Ian's help we cleaned out the van. After picking up Billy and having lunch we made a paper chain to count down to Halloween. Billy's really excited about it. And I had them count the 30 links. Billy did pretty well. We lost Ian after 12.
We finished our day off and got in our jammies and the kids went with me to Book Club. Carl couldn't get the time off and I couldn't find a sitter. Billy and Ian went down to the toyroom in our friend's basement with Eden (Megan's daughter). I tried to lay Carley down in a pack n play, but she wasn't havin' it. So, she joined us for chocolate fondue and book discussion about Mark Twain's Puddin' Head Wilson. It was such a fun time. On the drive home I was asking the boys about their playtime and it was obvious they had a blast. Ian didn't leave the toyroom for the whole hour. Billy came up twice.
I asked Billy if he had fun with Eden. He said that he wanted her to play bad guys, but she didn't want to. They played kitchen and then pirates. Then he told me the cutest thing. He said mommy I put my hands on her face. And I said did you put your hands on her cheeks. He said yes. I asked if he put them there softly or if he squished them. He said he squished them (it's something we do with Carley and mommy does to all babies). I asked him if he liked Eden and he said yes, she's really nice. Then he said I like to kiss girls mommy, but just you. Then I asked if I could tell Grandma Darlene about him touching her cheeks and he said, no, that it was a secret and we couldn't tell anybody. He said we have to keep it in our hearts. We can only tell if someone kisses our hand. YIKES! Isn't that just too cute.
It was a fun day. Although, book club and storytime always make for a marvelous day for me. Tomorrow is Wednesday and nothing much happens on Wednesdays for us. I sometimes walk with a friend with the little ones in a stroller, but after the rain we've been having all day and night, it might be to soggy. We'll see. I might get close to finishing the costumes tomorrow night because my friend Jane's coming over. That might mean more pictures. 'Til then.

10/1

What a crappy day. I usually have a much better mood than this, but I can't fix it today. I have cleaned up dog messes and kid messes all day. And to be honest, the house doesn't even look very clean, even though I deep cleaned on Saturday. I've done laundry all day also, but still didn't manage to wash my daughter's crib set. I finished sewing Ian's bowtie, complete with elastic and snaps and he won't wear it. But on the lighter side, the kids are in bed and the dog is outside. So, at least me and my headache- which is already feeling better- get to be alone for awhile.
After I dropped Billy off at Preschool I went to the mall because JCPenny is having another sale. Unfortunately, they don't open until 9, so I went across the street to Target. I found a shirt for me, underwear for Billy and a pajama outfit for Carley, all clearance ($10.10 for everything). Ian and Carley were very well behaved in Target. Then, we went across the street again and while Penny's was open, I had a stinky boy and a tired girl by then, so I missed out on the sales there today.
Tomorrow the plan is to take Ian to Storytime at the Library and hope someone will be there to push Carley around in the stroller. I asked my friend Jane to be available for this weekly and the only two times we've had Storytime she hasn't been able to help. The first time I took her in and the second I asked another friend. I also don't have anyone to watch the kids tomorrow for Book Club. Carl was supposed to have the day off- he usually requests the first Tuesday of each month off (or at least the 2nd half of that day) so I can go to Book Club. My friend Jodi is leading it and she said to bring the kids. I hope I don't have to, what a nightmare. But I'd hate to skip it. Oh well, I need to make a few phone calls to see if I can make my tomorrow any easier than today has been. Then, I am taking a shower and getting to bed early.
I think that's part of my problem today. Lack of sleep always makes me a terrible mother. I found myself yelling at Billy today and getting mad at Ian when he accidently spilled his milk. I also was getting very annoyed at Carley's whining. Must be me, because they were pretty normal today. I usually just take a deep breath and take it in stride. They're only kids and they're doing the best they can. So, tomorrow will be a better day.

Sunday- the 30th

Well, it's been a week since I began journeling through my blog... and while I know I can do better, I think I've done okay. I do like the way I can share my daily events and the pictures so easily. And if it's not important to the readers, they can just skip it and see cute pictures. It's nice for me to reflect anyway.

Today was Fast Sunday at church. I bore my testimony in the Sacrament meeting as I do from time to time. I know that God loves me and that he has a plan for my life here on the earth. He is always guiding me. I also shared my feelings that even little children can convey the love of Christ and the happiness his Gospel can bring. It is always good for me to partake of the Spirit of those meetings. Carley fell asleep just 10 minutes before church was over. I got her to the car and soon after arriving at the house, she woke up.

Carl and I talked to the kids about the prophet and apostles and their job here. We tried to help Billy and Ian understand that their job is to encourage and counsel the members of the church to be about God's business. We explained that the prophet and his counselors speak to God and He tells them what we need to know and focus on. General Conference is coming up again and this happens twice a year. It is truly our opportunity to hear the words our Heavenly Father has for his people. I look forward to it more and more each year. Before I sit down to hear the talks, I write down questions I feel I need answers to, and I get them answered everytime.

Well, on the homefront, Carley is learning how to crawl up the stairs. She is also getting better and better at pulling herself up to standing. We had to drop her mattress a few more inches so that she can't climb out of her crib. Billy is the leader in school tomorrow and he is supposed to bring snack and (for this week) a baby picture and family picture. So, I packed his bag with the pictures and 48 mini-muffins I baked in Halloween muffin cups. Another check for me. CCarl and I watched our show together- Extreme Homemaker. It, as always, was uplifting. Tomorrow Carl has a truck, so I am on mini-van duty- getting Billy to and from school. Ian and I are going to work on colors tomorrow and do some painting.

As for me, I've almost finished Ian's bow tie for his clown costume. Tomorrow I hope to finish Billy's pants and both boys' suspenders. I finished Puddin' Head Wilson by Mark Twain yesterday. What a great story. It has some very deep moments and thought-provoking situations. I really enjoyed it. Book Club is Tuesday- if I can find a sitter. Well, I'm sure I'll be sharing more later.

I hope you all can feel a little closer to me as I share my thoughts here.

Clown costume pieces

If I would have taken photos yesterday and been less tired last night, these are the pix I would have posted. These are pieces of their clown costumes I've completed. Billy's necktie, Carley's hat and Ian's pants. I've got a long way to go. But it has been a lot of fun so far.

Friday

First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Andrew *yesterday* and Mike!
Quickly, because it's late and I'm tired, here's my day.
I've been working on the boys' clown costumes for Halloween. The pieces are all cut out and I've sewn Ian's pants and Billy's necktie. Carl got the ceiling in the closet and installed the light! Slowly, but surely, it will get done. I donated blood this morning. My arm is sore.
Carl and I spent the evening over at Ben & Jodi's. It was nice to spend some times with friends. We've learned that Ben has some unthinkable talents (spoon up his nose-gross). And that he also doesn't believe that the U.S. has ever made it to the moon. We compared hospital stories which were disgusting and appalling. They are such a quirky and fun couple. The kids (all 5, between us) were pretty good and played in the toyroom mostly. Well, I'm exhausted. Tomorrow is house cleaning day. Joy.

Thursday

Today started out pretty normal. Billy went to school, Carl took Ian to the park and Carley and I spent some time alone. Then, after lunch, Carl asked me to come up to the guest room. He asked me if I thought we should take a look at the chimney behind the wall. Sure, why not. Well, 2 hours later, there was no chimney. The worst part was when Carl went up into the roof to sweep the insulation (blow-in) out of the way of the ceiling area we'd be working in. He came out barely breathing and hacking. After that everything went very smoothly. The bricks just pulled right out. No hammering, chiseling, prybarring, nothing. Then, we threw them out the window to the backyard. So, Carley's closet is underway. Ceiling and walls will come next, the floor won't come until after the heating and air guy let's us know what he needs. Carl's days off always seem to be productive.

Billy said the cutest thing tonight-over Domino's pizza. He said he didn't want to go to "garden school" (kindergarten) because he would me miss too much. He told me he wasn't going to go, he would stay home with me. AWE, how cute!

So, that's my Thursday.

Wednesday

The pictures are from early in the week. Two are at the park on Thursday, the 20th and the carrot/potato picking happened on Friday, the 21st.

As for today, Billy got all dressed up for picture day. He wore jeans and a red sweater with a striped dress shirt underneath. Ian and I worked on colors while Carley took a very short nap. Then the kids played while I read from Mark Twain's Puddin'head Wilson. So far it is a very interesting read. I picked Billy up and we had lunch. Then daddy came home early and we ran errands. Nothing exciting or anything. It's been a pretty ho-hum day. The dog discovered we have a front door (he was never brave enough to venture that far). He was running through the living room excitedly after that. He even went upstairs on his own. I can't think of anything really great to share. The kids we're getting rowdy and unruly by 4 p.m. and we had them in bed by 6:30.

We're getting prices on the roof. Hopefully we can get it finished before the winter hits. We're also looking at getting a doggy door, but we can't find one we really like. Also, we're trying to decide how to do Christmas this year. We're going to Carl's mom's, but usually we spend the morning as a family. Unfortunately, neither of us want to spend 3 hours of Christmas Day in the car, so we are trying to figure out if we should spend the night at her place or a hotel or just give it up and drive. Well, I guess that's a discussion for another time.

Hope tomorrow is full of fun things to share.

Tuesday

What a crazy and fun day...
This morning Ian and I enjoyed a special toddler storytime at the library. It's always nice to have time for just us two. He seemed very happy to have me all to himself. A friend of mine met me there and took care of Carley for the 20-30 minutes we were in storytime. Ian really enjoyed the songs, stories and fingerplays. It was wonderful for him to have all the attention for once. And when we came home it was like we had an inside joke with one of the songs we learned- Wally-atcha.
This afternoon our friend Ben brought Billy home from preschool and dropped off his son, Reid to hang out for awhile. Little brothers Ian and Oliver (whom mom dropped off) were thrilled to have their big brothers all here to play. We all had lunch- corn dog, chex mix, apples and apple juice. Then, we made chocolate chip cookies. It was really a blast. It was a dreary, rainy day outside, but inside was totally sunny.
This evening I had a church activity to learn about canning, freezing and dehydrating. My job is to plan the activities and find teachers. I learned a lot, enjoyed the time out, and the kids played pretty quietly in the gym with some others that had to come too. A mentally-handicapped lady, who loves Carley, was there and kept me busy making sure she was being careful with her. But you could see how she adored Carley.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Carl has a half day at work and it's Billy's first picture day ever. So, until then, bye.

Monday

Last night Carley had another difficult night. She has been teething on and off for about a month or so. After getting up with her a few times I was not ready for the day to begin. But it did. I packed up the kids and got Billy off to preschool (truck day for Carl meant he couldn't drop off). When I got home from dropping Billy off, I put Carley back in bed and I frantically washed, blow-dried and combed the dog. Skittles got to go to Billy's school today because a vet was coming to explain his job and Skit was his patient- for show purposes. The kids really enjoyed petting him. While this was going on- I had a friend watch Carley and Ian at home. Carley cried almost the whole time I was gone. I felt rotten for my friend Barbara. That was about it today. I did some shopping with my munchkins- they were really good for our store trip. Then we came home and made homemade pizza.

The mosquitos are taking over our house and it driving me crazy. When I let the dog out... they come in. And they eat my children and feast on me too. It's awful. I need to get some citronella candles or a doggie door-quick. Tonight I have just been planning Billy's picture day outfit for Wednesday and a church activing on canning for tomorrow. I also have storytime with Ian at the library in the morning and my other friend Barb is going to take Carley and push her in the stroller while I'm in having storytime with my little boy. Crazy as always. Well, I'd like to finish my 2nd Harry Potter book tonight, so I'm out for now.

First Blog Entry Ever

Well, I've never had a blog before... but I've been wanting to get back into journeling, so this is my monumental effort. I'll start with a name poem- which I have been chained into through a friend's blog request. It asks for middle name, but I think I'll start with my first.

C Caring, sometimes I care just a little too much

H Happy, most of the time... I have a pretty nice life

A Affable, very easy to talk to- at least I hope I am

R Ready, for a vacation- without children please

I Intelligent, if I want to know more about something, I seek it out

T Teacher, aren't all moms

Y Yielding, I let others make choices for me, sometimes to my detriment

M Mother, truly the most fun job I've ever had

I Involved, with church in planning activities

C Cake Decorator, it's one of my hobbies that sometimes pays

H Harried, no not harry... harried, many annoyed with petty things frequently

E Euphoric, I can't believe- 3 beautiful children, a sweet hubby and great house

L Lively, bustling with activity- okay I'm starting to sound like a dictionary

L Loving, I try to be very loving with my little ones, they crave affection

E Earnest, in mothering, I think it's the most important job out there.

Well, I have a seriously long name.

As for current events...

I got my haircut Friday. My friend Bethany did it. It looks great and is easy to work with. I'm not brave enough to have chosen the style, but she helped me choose it.

Carl has been working nonstop. His assistant is on vacation, meaning no days off. But he's having a great sales week anyway. Although, he's been feeling sick also.

Billy, today at church during his class, showed everyone how he can shake his bum! Great. He's loving preschool and we're working on finding a good maintenance medicene for his asthma.

Ian is being 2. He doesn't want to do anything he is asked by mom and dad, but follows Billy like a puppy dog. His vocabulary is huge now.

Carley is pulling herself to standing. Her latest doctor's appointment is leading us off to an MRI to get a better view of the cartilege in her arm- it was broken and healed wrong.

That's it for us for now. Keep checking for updates.