"Kids Say the Darnedest Things"

Kids sure keep life interesting. Usually, with my crew, if you want to hear something "profound" it comes from Edana. Not today though. Aidan and Declan were on a role. I know what you are thinking "Declan doesn't talk" Oh but he does! You just have to be around him to know what he's saying.

I had an appointment scheduled for 3:30 today. I missed the call telling me they were closing due to weather, and not wanting to miss my first weekly check, I trudged all the way up there for nothing. When I got home, Aidan asked the same question he askes everytime I go to the doctor. "Did Rileigh Cait come out?" I replied the usual "No, Rileigh Cait didn't come out today. Its not time yet, remember?" (he was standing in a chair helping mom cook) He turned around looked at me and put his hands on each side of my belly. I said "see she still in there." He squeezed tight and said, "that hurts my hands, momma." Then placing my hand where his were he said, "here you push and i'll catch her." What do you say to that?!

Dec had a very long and late nap, so he ended up staying up much later than the other two tonight. He was sitting on my mom's lap and she asked him where pawpaw was. His response? He looked at their bedroom door and growled! It was too funny. He was also "saying" Boomer Sooner tonight. Mom would say it and he would mimic it. It sounded nothing like those words, but it had the right tune. And the Superman theme. He's been humming that all day. I hope this means he'll have an ear for music like his daddy does!

The Race Continues

The race to see what happens first is still going. It looks as though Jeff will win. He got a very good report from his OT yesterday. She thinks he will be out of his splint with limited use by Friday! She told him he could take it off while he was just sitting around the house, but to put it on before he gets up. (I don't know that she realizes that if Jeff is sitting down, there is usually a little one crawling on him.)

Well, tomorrow I go for my first weekly check. We'll have to see what Dr. Hix says. I'm hoping he'll go ahead and schedule and induction date. Then I can plan everything easier. Plus, I'm a little afraid to go into labor naturally. I had Declan so fast! I remember praying my water would break, but I ended up being induced. Dr. Hix broke my water at just before 5 o'clock with the warning that it may take a while, and I had Declan at 6:06.(I hadn't even had any real contractions up to that point) All I could think was, I would have been one of those people on the news whose poor husband had to deliver the baby in the back of the car! I don't want to end up one of those women! (Plus, Shelly would be jealous if Jeff got to deliver a baby before her!)

The house is definitely losing! Its very frustrating. They went a while without doing anything. This week has seen some progress, finally. The septic system was put in on Monday. (they did it all in one day!) Yesterday, the electrician came for half a day. He hooked up the heater, put most of the outlets and light switches in, and hung about half the lights. I can't help but think, if he'd worked a full day, could he have finished. The men came and put the counters in in the kitchen. They should be back in a couple of days to put the vanity tops in the bathroom. Those have to be made at the shop before being put in. Once that happens the plumber can come and finish. That all has to be finished before Dad can put in the floors and paint. Then the whole moving process has to happen. I just don't see it happening before the baby! Anyway, I guess that means I'll have mom to help me when we bring home Rileigh Cait! I just really miss my big king size bed!!

Mom didn't quite get what she thought she was getting with her counters, but they look great! I love the chocolate brown. It will go so well with the red she picked for the walls!

The light in the hall and the fan in the office are installed!Plus all the bathroom lights and the walk in closet light. Maybe he'll finish soon. Doesn't look like it will be today though. Its after ten and he's still not here!

Furniture Fancies!

Everyone has them....you know, that one thing that you'd just keep buying and buying. For some its clothes or shoes, others kitchen appliances...for my uncles its cars (trucks to be exact.) Well, for me, its furniture. I especially love bedroom furniture and antiques. This fascination has passed on to my two oldest as well. Every once in a while, they actually ask to go look at furniture stores. Edana would change bedroom suites every year if we could let her! I have been so excited because getting mom and dad's place meant that I'd have to buy new living room furniture. (We didn't have anything but my beloved rocking chair) These kinds of purchases only get to happen certain times of the year for our ministry budget...tax time. The one time a year we get a lump sum to boost us for the upcoming year. Now, I'm not as money wise as I'd like to be, but with a lot of prayer, I've learned. I am always extremely cautious about the best ways to spend this wonderful tax money that we get because of the kids. Anyway, all of that said. I pick out our couch the first of Dec. It had to be ordered and our furniture store has a lay-a-way option with no interest...much better than financing. I figured this would work great since the house should be finished by the time we get our taxes and can pay it off!

Well, the couch finally came in, and Sat., we went to pick out a chair to go with it. We didn't find what we were looking for, but we did on the lay-z-boy website. John, the owner, told us he'd call us Monday with the final prices. Here is where things get interesting. Remember, I said I got the couch in Dec. Well, when I found it, I thought I got an extremely good deal. Actually, I misread the tag and left off a very important one...it was in front of all the other numbers...that's right. I made a $1,000 mistake. Well, he called again Tuesday and told us that the chair we wanted didn't come in the color it showed it in on the computer. I suppose that is actually a good thing....now I can cancel the order and just get the couch. Its worth the price...I just thought I'd gotten a bargain. It was kind of a let down. The quality is good and should last us until the kids are big enough to get something a little fancier.(more my style than the kids!) Now, I have a good excuse to go flea marketing for a great bargain treasure!! Not that I really need much excuse when it comes to that! My couch is pictured below with weird pillows...we didn't get those.

Well, blog time is up. My one handed husband it attempting to make cookies by himself...maybe I should be a good wife and go help...

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged by Shelly.

Four jobs I've had:

1. Secretary

2. Bank Teller

3. Bookkeeper

4. MOM

Four places I lived:

1. Westville,Oklahoma

2. Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

3. Lowell, Arkansas

4. Pensacola, Florida

Four movies I've watched over and over:

1. G.I. Blues

2. Shagg

3. Oklahoma

4. 7 Brides for 7 Brothers

Four shows I watch:

1. House Hunters

2. Designed to Sell

3. Wasted Spaces

4. DIY to the Rescue

Four places I've been:

1. Chinle, AZ

2. Hawaii

3. American Samoa

4. Costa Rica

Four people who e-mail me regularly:

1. Mom

2. Sheila

3. Tammy

4. Jennifer

Four favorite thing to eat:

1. Sushi!!

2. Mexican

3. Chinese

4. Home cooking

Four places I'd rather be:

1. The Beach (I can agree with Shelly on that one!)

2. Farther South

3. In bed actually sleeping

4. At the hospital having a baby! (I know, I know...5 more weeks)

Four things I look forward to this new year:

1. Rileigh Cait

2. Mom and Dad's house getting finished (I'm getting anxious to have our own space)

3. My new furniture!!

4. Potential changes....

Four people to tag:

1. Jessica

2. Amy

3. Kelly

4. can't think of anyone else

Declan's a big boy!

I know most people wait longer than I do, but we converted Declan's bed into a toddler bed today! I love this bed. It was a really simple process Take the baby rail off. (It just slides right off) Screw in the bottom rail and attach the little toddler bed piece to that.

Put the mattress and pillow back on... Test with Declan. Aidan had to give his approval as well (one day he's going to hate looking at pictures of himself because he never has clothes on) Declan taking a nap in his "big boy bed" He did so well. You can't see in the pictures, but I put pillows down in case he falls. Honestly, I don't see the point in those little bitty rails. They are barely bigger than the pillow. He didn't fall at nap time though, and he went right to bed tonight too. We read a story; I laid him down; sang a song; did prayers; and he stayed in bed until he fell asleep. I'm so proud! We'll see how long until he figures out he can escape!

Check ups all around

In the past week the whole family has had a check up of one kind or another. The kids had WIC check ups.

Declan is as average as can be. He weighed 24 lbs 9.5oz and is 30 inches tall. He is my only average kid. He is going to be built like my dad, I think. Hopefully he'll be as good or better at football. One of his grandkids needs to like playing football.

Edana's growth chart was as it usually is...Tall and Skinny. She weighed 38lbs and is 43 inches tall. She is always in the 75 percentile on height and 25 percentile on weight. She is blessed! Aidan is huge! He is actually slowing down these days. He slowed down enough in the last year to actually be on the chart at the 95 percentile. He weighs 38lbs and is 41 1/4 inches. He'll pass Edana eventually. Every year he gets closer to her and now they weigh the same. She does call him the big brother... Jeff after surgery number two. His splint was so huge, Edana wanted him to put eyes and a mouth on it. It did look like a hand puppet. He went to the physical therapist today. They made him a new splint out of this really cool plastic. They warmed it up and formed it to his hand. She made it right there in front of us in about 45 minutes. She showed him some exercises to do to start getting mobility back in his fingers He isn't allowed to straighten his fingers at all. he can bend his fingers down but his thumb is to stay still. He can use his other hand to move it down some. Honestly, it sounds like a slower process than I thought it would be. Edana said his new splint looks like cheese. Kids have a great imagination! He goes to the pt again on Friday and see Dr. Henley on Tuesday. He should get the stitches out soon. The swelling was down this visit and you could see where his scare will be. It kind of intrigues me! Having been an athletic trainer in school, the fascination comes back being around the physical therapist and what they do. Oh. I went to the doctor as well. Not too much to tell there. I had gain a pound more than I should have. Its actually better than I thought I'd do being the holidays. I go every two weeks now, so next Thursday. I see Dr. Seale next time. I don't think I've ever seen her before. After that, I'll stick with Dr. Hix until the baby comes. Only 7 weeks to go!! Yippee! Oh! I also signed papers for a tubal ligation this time. (I kinda figured Jeff had had enough surgeries for a while) The doctor tried to tell me that we could wait until Jeff was well enough to have surgery. Considering our track record, I'd rather not take any chances. I love my babies, but I don't want to have another pregnancy, EVER!!! Two months and I won't have to do this ever again!

Catching up

Well, its been a little hectic and I haven't had time to post anything, so I thought I'd just get it all done at once. Here goes... Christmas was a lot of fun this year, as usual. A little crazy in places, but that just keeps life interesting. We always start Christmas break off with a "ranch" Christmas party. I don't like to call it a staff party. We're more family than coworkers. (especially us women) We do white elephant/dirty santa, whatever you want to call it, every year. It is always a hoot! Justin(our program director) and his son Zack, looking over wife, Holly's shoulder in anticipation of what she will find. It was a hideous looking horse!

Russell (very middle with the green shirt) was the first to open a gift and it was bald guy head wipes. It wasn't planned at all, but it was so funny!

Edana loves Crystal. She babysat them for a while and Edana thinks she is her sister. Next to Crystal is Gene and Rose, two of the sweetest hardest working people to ever live! Jeff is stealing Apples to Apples from Marty (his supervisor) Its a good thing she has a good sense of humor! That is a great game if you've never tried it. This one was actually a Bible version. We broke it in Sunday night with Brian and Christina and my parents. Great fun!

Pamela got a crazy looking monkey that squeaked and stuck its tongue out. (Jester got a new toy!) Wow! A picture of me and Jeff. Those don't happen often. And look! He has two usable hands! It was a great night and a great beginning to break. Everyone showed up and Steve brought a girl! She seemed super nice...we'll have to see what happens with that. There are a lot more pics, but I'll move on. If you don't know what happened the next day, read the last blog I wrote. Jeff came home from the hospital on Saturday to a house full of Baileys. I didn't really think to take pictures at that one. It was a smaller crowd than usual (i think mom counted 35). Her side of the family is huge. It is nothing for us to have 50 over for a holiday or family dinner. The kids all bring gifts according to their age and gender and exchange them with the younger cousin(3rd or 4th cousins that is) Edana got a new baby doll, Aidan got a transformer car, and Dec didn't get anything. (we'd planned to give the blocks as his present....we didn't figure anyone wanted Jeff's bloody blocks!) The adults do an ornament exchange and gift bags. Its definitely more fun when everyone shows up, but this year, I was glad for the smaller crowd. Jeff refused to go to bed until all the excitement was over and people started leaving, so I was actually glad that we had it earlier in the afternoon than usual. We left the next day for Shelly's. That is my favorite part of Christmas. We all go up there and usually spend a big portion of Christmas break with them. We had to cut it a little short this year to take Jeff to the doctor, but we're planning to go back up there this weekend. Christmas eve Jeff and I open our presents to each other after the kids are in bed and "Santa has come" Its just our little tradition to get a chance to focus on each other. Christmas morning is all about the kids! Boy is it fun. Edana got a Barbie and her dog Tanner that eats and poops. She was very excited about that. She ended up with her horse that eats too, and a ton of my little pony stuff, some puzzles and a vanity and make-up. A great time for any four year old girl! My little hero got plenty of heroes to add to his ever growing collection. He got a green lantern(shown in the picture) and Wasp. Jeff had to tell him who Wasp was, but when he found out it was Captain America's friend, he was sold. He really wanted Cap's sidekick, Bucky, but we didn't find it soon enough to order. He'll get that for Easter. He also got some army guys, a tank, tools, and serveral new vehicles.

We didn't do a lot for Declan this year. He was too busy to notice. This is the only picture I actually have of him setting playing with something. His birthday is in November and with their ages so close, all of the kids toys are in such good condition, it was hard even think of what to get him. Plus, he'd rather have Aidan's cars and trucks than his own age appropriate toys. He did love tearing open the gifts though Jason and Lena and crew came later Christmas night. We draw names every year because their are so many grand kids now. Its always fun to see who you'll get to buy for. This year we had Caleb, Jake, and Alyssa. (they are the easiest, other than Aidan) Except Caleb is getting to that in between stage. It took a little while to think of something for him. We ended up getting him a Louis L'Amour book. I hope he liked it. Jake got trucks. You can't go wrong with trucks, cars, or motocross with Jake! Alyssa got a baby doll complete with bath tub and accessories. She was really excited when she opened it! We made game night baskets for Shelly and Shawn and Jason and Lena. Just a little basket with cards, popcorn, peanuts, and a candle in it. (Alex helped me decide what all to put in that one.) We went shopping Christmas eve, just me and her. It was a lot of fun. She is at the age where we can hang out and talk and have fun on the same level. I think Alex will always seem half sister half niece to me. It was great spending the day with her. She even helped me wrap the gifts when we got home.

Here is a twosome to watch out for! Aidan and Alyssa. Edana had her hands full between the two of them!

The Kennedy's. I think Shelly may have gotten a better one of these. (Aidan just had to get in on the picture taking...little stinker!)

Shelly, Jason, and Mandee. (again, I think Shelly ended up with a better one of these) This one really isn't that good, but hey! Jason is clean shaven and has decent clothes on.

All the grand kids 1-10. From left-Bottom row: Aidan, Alyssa, Alex, Declan, Reagan, Caleb Top Row:Garrett, Jake, Edana, and Bailey.

This is how Aidan spent most of his holiday. The boy will not keep clothes on. Most days I don't fight it, but I did insist that he had to put on his p.j.'s before he could come and see what Santa brought! I didn't want all of his pictures to be of him in his undies! What fun! Christmas is so much fun. I love figuring out gifts for everyone. We got mom and dad a welcome mat for their front door and a boot scrapper for their back door. (one of mom's pet peeves is tracking mud in...maybe these will save her some frustration with dad!) I found Jeff a nice watch on sale. It took most of what I'd budgeted to spend on him, but I decided it was worth it. I stocked up! He had started a drafting table for me before the accident. (maybe that can be an anniversary gift) So he stocked my supplies with colored pencils, sketch pad, and various other things, and he found a punch bowl I've been eyeing since before we were married, and the Beatles One cd. (i asked for that last year, but it sold out. I had kinda given up on it) Needless to say, I felt a little spoiled. he did a fabulous job...and just think he had to come up with that while taking pain meds! What a man!

We took Jeff back to the doctor on Thursday (12/27). They scheduled his surgery to fix the severed nerve in his thumb for Saturday. Turns out, he had cut four nerves; two in his thumb, one in his index finger and one in his ring finger. They were able to find and repair all four with out complication. Praise God!! His splint and wrap is bigger than before. Its seems to bother him...the size. He will go in next week and have a custom splint made for better fit. I've learned how to shave him! There are soo many things you wouldn't think about not being able to do, although, he did pretty well signing left handed. He'll be in the splint for four to six weeks...Rileigh is due in eight. That is cutting it close! They have mentioned therapy for his hand, but I'm not sure what the extent of that will be. He seems to be handling the pain pretty well. Today, he didn't take any of the prescription meds, just ibuprofen. He wouldn't say much if it was hurting anyway. He's definitely stronger than me!

New years kinda slipped in this year. We put the kids to bed and watched a movie. After that we went to bed. Just before falling asleep, Jeff checked the time and told me happy new year. Exciting huh! That's okay. We had our traditional new years meal, complete with black-eyed peas and corn bread tonight! I think that is everything for the last week and a half....