The ones that made me a mom.....

I am very blessed to have the wonderful kids that I do!!! So proud to be their Mom!!!!

This is the one that started it all!! Oh Conner, I never guessed you would be the bright, witty, athletic young man that you are now.... It has been a joy (most days) to be your mom!!

1994 and 2010 (in his high school baseball uniform)


And then came #2. My little boy with the biggest heart that anyone could have. Ave is smart, athletic and loves to make people laugh!

1997 and 2010 (in his middle school lacrosse uniform)


ahhh and just when I thought I was not going to have any more kids... along came Kennedi. She has added so much to the household! She is such a sweet little "Daddy's girl"!!

pictures taken in 2008 and 2010


and the final (yes, I am sure) addition to the bunch! Arriving soon at a hospital near us....
photo taken 2010



In 2007, I got a package deal... When Chris and I got married I also got Dakota...
Here is a picture off all the crew (well all of them as of 12/2009)


THANK YOU FOR BEING THE BEST KIDS IN THE WORLD!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

...and this is what I get for trying to make a cute Mother's Day video for Grandma since she is at the beach relaxing on this beautiful Mother's Day.

I wonder if my kids can ever be serious?!?!

Spring concert..... school is almost over!!

It's May, we have 15 more days of school until summer break and it can't come quick enough!!! I love the end of the school year and I think I love it more than the kids do!!

Last night we had Avery's spring concert for his strings class at school. He is now in his 2nd year playing guitar and he seems to like it. I really would like to do some outside lessons so he can really learn how to play. It has got to me hard to teach a classroom full of kids how to play different stringed instruments.

Here is a video from the other nights performance.....
Avery is in the back row, 2nd person in. Keep watching him... its kinda funny.

Disclaimer on the quality... I was watching Kennedi to my left while trying to record Avery so I did not get the best video.

Here we go again.....

Yup... it's May and that usually means that Grandma and Papa (my parents) are out of town for awhile. They have been gone for like a week and I have already gotten an email from my dad saying that I am not updating the blog enough. So Dad, this one is for you......

A few months back, in February actually, one of our two dogs left us to go to doggie heaven. It was a little rough on our other dog, Midnight, but she got lots of attention and perked up soon after. About a week or so after we lost Maverick we took Midnight to the vet for her annual exam and shots. She seemed to do well after this but a few days later we got a call from the vet telling us she had heart worms. Ok Lesson here.... DO NOT EVER, I mean NEVER let your dogs monthly heart worm pill lapse!!! I mean not even for a few months.... because a few months (maybe a year) is all it took!!! I know these can be deadly for a dog and we just lost one dog. There is no way we can lose another (is what I was thinking when talking to the vet).

So.... I listened to the vets plan and well... We followed it. Yup, that has meant keeping her in and still for the past month, taking her to the vets for some overnight visits with shots, and lots of medicines.

This week we took Midnight back for her last treatment!!! OK, so she only needed two separate treatments because she was not that far advanced, but it seems like we have been treating her forever.

She came home yesterday with her medicine that she will take for the next 5 days and she is just hanging out in her spot, behind the couch but she seems to be doing well. We have to keep her calm for at least 2 more weeks and then she is good to go and allowed to go out and chase the bunnies, squirrels and deer through the back yard.

I will have to take a few pictures to post of her in her pink bandanna with polka dots that she got from the groomer since she was also groomed while staying with the vet. Now.... we go back in 4-6 months for a retest to be sure they are all gone.

Thankfully, once again, we have a healthy, happy mutt that we love very much!!

Pregnancy update

I guess I will take a few minutes to update on the pregnancy as of the 29 week mark. Monday of last week I was at the doctors office for my routine 28 week appointment. You know the one where you get to drink the lovely tasting liquid and sit around for an hour waiting for them to draw blood for the glucose tolerance test (I wrote about this a few days ago)...

Well, I failed!!

On Wednesday I was back at the doctor's office drinking even more of the great tasting (sense the sarcasm?) liquid but this time I got to sit around for 3 hours while they drew blood four times. Lucky Chris was not able to go with me since he had to work. He does not like missing my doctors appointments but he did not seem too upset about not being able to sit around for 3 hours with me waiting.

Well, test results came back yesterday and once again... I failed!

This time only 2 out of the 4 tests were elevated but if two or more are raised they treat you as having gestational diabetes. Oh wonderful... bye bye Starbucks, bye bye ice cream, bye bye cookies.... at least for the next 11 weeks.

Maybe she will come early and I will only have to do this for the next 8 weeks or so... wouldn't that be great?!?!

Today I went to the diabetes counseling at the hospital and learned all about gestational diabetes. I also learned that this new way of eating is not going to be too bad. I would not want to do it forever but 11 weeks is nothing!!

So... I have followed the meal plans and eaten when I am supposed to and so far so good. I have to test two hours after every meal and the two times I have had to test I have been in range. Lets hope that continues.

I guess for now every time I want that cookie or that ice cream I will just think about how I birth almost 9 lb babies with out having gestational diabetes and will remember that if its not controlled this baby could be even bigger. That should put and end quickly to me wanting those sweets!!