The last 3 Months

A lot has happened in the last three months that I have not mentioned on here. I get so busy that I just forget to post...and I think that everyone who reads my blog knows about this stuff anyways :) Oh well, I will post it all the same.

1) We found out we are having a baby BOY. Yes, a BOY. And no, there is no way it is a girl. I saw the pictures. He would make a bull proud ;)

2) Kev is starting his own catering business. He will be doing other things like working at Home Depot as well, but he is really driven to make this new business work. I for one am very proud of him, and it makes me giddy to see the passion he has. This is how he was when we first met, and over the years stress has made it fade little by little. Now it's back :)

3) Ellie will be going into Kindergarten next year and Emma into preschool. OMG. Where did the time go??? My babies are growing up, and it thrills and scares me all at the same time. Every day I wish I was home with them to enjoy this time in their lives...

4) I am still going to school. For the most part I really like it, and cannot wait until I can start taking more than one class at a time. For the sake of my sanity, though, this will not be happening until October or so :D There are, after all, only so many hours in the day.

Hmmm...I don't know what else to add in here. Someday I hope I will be putting up a post about my winning the lottery or something similar, but until then this will have to do ;)

Why Everyone Should Have A Bugsy!!

I think everyone should have Bugsy (Elana). Not only is she cute and makes you laugh, she will teach you a lot. For example, she will show you exactly what you need to do in order to baby proof a house. If you forget something, like to get a top for the garbage which locks, she will certainly remind you! Having a Bugsy is also a great way to practice staying away from animal attacks. She does hiss and bite, but with repeated exposure you will learn that the hiss comes before the bite...Really, how else to better learn to deal with rattle snakes and the like? Finally, having a Bugsy will keep you in shape. No home gym can compete with having a Bugsy. You will spend all day running, leaping, jumping and diving. It's a constant game of keep away...Keep Bugsy away from the toilet (she will stick her hand in!), keep Bugsy away from the garbage (she will eat it) and keep Bugsy away from the markers (she's very creative).

Yes, I think everyone should have a Bugsy. If you are not lucky enough to have your own, you are more than welcome to borrow mine in order to get some practice in ;)

It's been a while....

Wow, it has really been a while since I posted on here. Well, here are some updates, though most everyone who reads this blog already knows all my news ;)

We are expecting baby #4 on July 4Th of 2011. I am thrilled, though initially I was just shocked. It seems most peoples comment to the news was to ask whether or not we thought we'd have a boy this time....as if it mattered what I thought any of the other times, lol.

I started my graduate program. I am going for mental health counseling and loving it. I got a 100% on my first assignment and feel as though the cobwebs are coming off of my brain again.

Ellie turned 5 on November 4Th and Elana turned 1 on November 6Th. Amazing how the time flies!! My babies are growing up!! :( It's so bittersweet. Everyday I am thankful for my family and how happy those girls make me. Not that it's not crazy here around bedtime, or at 2am when I find them up playing with each other. Ellie is my diva, Emma is the devil in a blue dress and Elana, well, she's just "the bugs."

And of course my dad just turned 60 years young. He's loving every minute of being out here.

My mom came for a visit. It was nice. She and my dad went with us to the Halloween parade...weird, but OK. I guess they had a long talk and seem fine with each other now so that's good. No more trying to keep the peace on my part.

It snowed for the first time today. About 5 inches total. WOOOOWEEE. The girls were excited. Time to get all the gear out.

Other than that things have been the same here. Hectic, a bit crazy, but satisfying. Looking forward to the holiday's :)

September Already? Update

It's September? You have to be kidding me. Really? Nooooo....Yea? Huh, who'd of thought.

Yes, it's September, and here in the lovely state of Minnesota fall has arrived. Unlike summer, which seemed to take forever to get here, fall busted in without even a knock on the door. 98 degrees one weekend, 62 the next. Love it. With weather like this it's no shock that I am sitting at home today sick, Elana has a cold and Emma's allergies are acting up. Luckily Ellie and Kev have no symptoms of anything icky yet, but I'm sure it will happen.

Ellie started her second year of preschool. She just missed the cut off age for Kindergarten, so we are moving her up to 3 days a week at the same school she went to last year. She also had her school readiness assessment, and did fantastic. She needed to score at least a 14 to be deemed ready for school...she got a 24. That's my girl!!

Emma is trying more everyday to be the big girl. She is terrific with Elana...very much the doting big sister. Like most 2 year olds she talks NON STOP...and when she's not talking she's singing...and when she's not singing she's screaming...There seems to be noise coming out of her mouth 24 hours a day. She even talks in her sleep. LOL.

Elana is getting so big...10 months already!! She has a little cold but other than that is doing just fine. She loves to stand on her own now, not holding onto anything. Her 4 or 5 teeth make for a cute little baby grin, which she is never slow to offer up (especially when she's doing something she's not supposed to). Time is going too fast though...Where is my little bugsy? My little itty bitty baby girl?? Makes me so happy to see her grow, and breaks my heart all at the same time.

So...that's it. We had my stepdaughters (10 and 12), mother in law, brother in law and his girlfriend here for a week. Busy. Crazy. Teenage hormones. Too many people under one roof. Lots of fun :) Starting school soon. Trying to plan our move back to MI. And, when possible, catching a few minutes of sleep. LOL

Mommy Vs. Blogger

I fought with my blog tonight for over an hour trying to get it to do what I wanted. Like one of my stubborn little girls it just wouldn't listen to me! Every time I tried to change something it would simply dig its feet in and stand its ground. Eventually, like I do with my girls, I took to yelling....then pleading....then bribing. LOL. After all this we may be close to an understanding, but I can't be sure. So, if you see some random changes over the next few days that look a little funny just remember that it's nothing more than my blog throwing a temper tantrum.

Date Day

Kevin and I went out on a date day yesterday and it was GREAT!! We did a whole lot of nothing, and enjoyed every minute. Things have been crazy around my house lately. Elana is getting more teeth (always fun). The girls are all sleeping in one room at night now so this has taken some major adjusting to. Work has been insane...I've had 5 placements already this month. Plus I'm trying to plan for when Kayla, Samantha, Sue and Troy come to visit later this summer. Anyways, Kev and I figured we needed a day just to ourselves...and guess what? We were right!

We rode the new Northstar Rail down to Minneapolis and got to the city at 11:00 or so. We had lunch right away at this nice little Irish Pub, then walked around the shopping district called Nicolette Mall. Of course Kev wanted to go to the homemade candy store, and I wanted to browse the bookstores. We had coffee, we talked, we laughed...It was PERFECT!! I couldn't have asked for better weather, or better company. Sometimes I think I need days like this to remind myself of how to be a wife. I get so caught up in playing the role of MOMMY and EMPLOYEE that it takes a good metaphorical slap in the face every now and again to bring me back to the reality that I am also a WIFE. LOL. I am hoping that we can do this again soon, when schedules and screaming children allow :D

Doing Alright...

For everyone who reads this blog, I am so sorry that I have not been able to post more lately!! It seems that with Kev gone any free time I have, usually at the end of the night, is spent sleeping or doing laundry. Personally, I prefer the sleeping ;) Anyways, I just wanted to give everyone an update on how our family is doing.

Kev just got home from PA where he built a Men's Warehouse store. He will be home for the Fourth of July and then will be heading out again. I'm not sure where he will be going next, but hopefully we will find that out in a few days. So, my dad is back at it watching the girls. Honestly, I have to admit that it is nice to come home after work and see the toys picked up. My daddy tends to be a bit better about those things than Kev. He is also great at getting the girls so worn out that they actually go to sleep at night! This is a major help when I am trying to do work, laundry and make dinner all after I get home from work.

What I do NOT like is not having anyone to cuddle up to at night, or talk to when I'm stressed out. Having to wait until 8pm to have anytime to go to the bathroom alone is no fun either ;) Still, all in all, we are doing ok.

All of the girls are growing like weeds. Elana will be 8 months on the 6th!! I can't believe how fast time is going! She is a mover and a shaker, going all over the house trying to keep up with her sisters. Ellie is a great help when Kev is gone. She likes to be the big girl, and I cannot believe just how big she is getting. Emma...well, Emma is Emma. I'm not sure what else to say. LOL. She is crazy wild, but is noticing that Kev is gone a lot more than I expected her to. I will tell you this---she looks the cutest right before she attacks ;)

Soooo...that's my update. I will try to do this more than I have been. Kev got me an Android phone so it will be much easier for me to update things :D Thank you again for everyone being so supportive!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!