30 Weeks

At this point with Ayla I only had 6 more weeks to go. Look at that belly. I don't know if I can carry it around another 10 weeks although I don't want the baby to come quite as early as Ayla did. At any rate, it feels like it won't be long now. It's time to get serious about names & maybe try to find my bins of infant clothes.

Playing Tag

I've been tagged a couple of times, so I guess I'll do this, but I'm not gonna pass it on either. I'm sure everyone has been tagged by now.

1. I just got suckered into buying a Big Deal Card. I really think I will save money on eating out with it though! It's not hard to sell me something. I usually have to say no & hang up right away on telemarketers or pretend I'm not home if someone comes to the house.

2. I secretly wish I was having twins. I know, that's nuts!

3. I don't like to sweat when I work out.

4. I think I will be really disappointed if this baby doesn't have dark and/or curly hair.

5. My kids haven't seen their only cousins for over a year & I think that is really wrong.

6. I hate it that people have elective c-sections.

7. My life changed for the better when I got a digital camera & started this blog. I feel like a real, live, creative person again & not just a mom.

Today I.......

At my high school reunion last week I didn't talk to any other stay-at-home mothers. True, only 20 of my classmates showed up, but I was a little surprised. I was talking to this one guy & we were just asking general questions like where do you live, what do you do, etc. Anyway, after he asked what Craig did he asked what I did. All I said was, "I stay home & take care of my kids." He looked a little shocked by that response. I don't know why. It got me to thinking though. What do people think at home mothers do all day? This may be boring to some readers, but I thought it would be fun to make a list of a typical day for me. So, here goes.

- Made coffee & read my bible
- Got the kids breakfast
- Ate a piece of toast with homemade cherry jam
- Checked my email
- Put away laundry
- Fixed Ayla's hair
- Loaded the dishwasher
- Helped Micah search for a lost arrow, wiped Ayla's butt, put bug spray on the kids
- Made my bed
- Took my vitamins & cleaned up the kids' breakfast mess
- Tried to scrub one of two scorched pots. I've had these pans for years & in one month I scorched two of them. I'm fully blaming pregnancy brain for this.
- Finally got dressed, brushed my teeth & fixed my own hair
- Cleaned the main bathroom
- Put chicken tenders in the fridge to thaw for supper
- Did some online banking
- Sat on the porch & talked on the phone
- Folded & put away towels
- Finished unpacking from our trip to Iowa (hey it's only been 5 days!)
- Shared a clementine with Ayla while checking the news online. I can't believe Brittany Spears is giving up custody of her kids. To me that would be like voluntarily cutting off my arms.
- Marjan arrived with 3 of her kids & her daycare kid
- Melanie arrived with Traleigh (my daycare kid)
- We got the kids lunch, fed the babies, got them down for naps & then ate our own lunch
- We sat on the porch & pitted 20 pounds of cherries
- Throughout this time period we consoled crying children, put kids in time out, got various kids drinks of water, changed a couple of diapers, answered our phones & tried to carry on adult conversation (and to think that our husbands sometimes seem envious of this time we spend together while they are off working!)
- Cleaned up the lunch & cherry pitting messes & said goodbye to our friends
- Read a Batman comic to the kids
- Sorted through our towering pile of mail & filed paperwork for 15 minutes
- Cleaned out our van
- Changed Traleigh's diaper & fed her supper
- Made our supper & ate
- Cleaned up the dining room & kitchen including sweeping the floors & unloading & re-loading the dishwasher
- Cleaned up Traleigh & the high chair & gathered up all her stuff for her pick-up time

Now it's 7:30 & I could easily crawl into bed. Instead I need to help Ayla wash her hair. Do you think I can convince Craig to take us out to DQ & then have him put the kids to bed? That's my plan for the rest of the day. I'm sure your day was as busy as mine, hope you enjoyed it. Happy Friday!

Who Needs A Trampoline?

Or clothes for that matter.

Hey, as long as they are getting along I don't really care how they entertain themselves!

Time With Family And Friends

Uncle Seth paid the kids to give him foot massages.

Mom weeded my garden.

In Iowa we spent one day at the pool. The kids had so much fun with Ethan, Dillon & baby Zach. Of course Amy & I enjoyed catching up with each other as well.

We had ice-cream at Whitey's, Grandpa Mike's treat.

Only one-third of my classmates showed up for our 15 year reunion.

There have been some belly shot requests, so here we are at 28 weeks.

Oh, To Have Young Muscles Again

Can you imagine how sore you'd be after sleeping like this? It makes me shudder to just look at it. This pregnancy I have a very sore coccyx (a.k.a. tail-bone). It disturbs me when I'm trying to sleep, trying to walk & even when I'm sitting unless I'm completely upright & leaning forward a bit. Sigh.....only 12 more weeks to go! I deserve a massage don't ya think?

In The Summer There's Time For......

Vegetable Kebabs

Sparklers

And Friends

Random

I'm jumping on the random photo bandwagon. Here's what I randomly pulled up from July of last year. Do you think I should say random one more time?