What you see.....

My daugter Kaiya having the time of her life in a special grocery cart with a TV in it at Miejers. What you dont see: the 20 minute battle of me trying to "extract" my daughter Kaiya from the cart when it was time to leave, which finally ended in me literally pulling her out by her leg because that was all I could get a hold of after her screams and cries of anguish caught the attention of all the customers and employees and I swear a member of Childrens Services that she had called sometime during the incident. Good times. hee hee




On a bright note - those carts are amazing and keep said toddler very quiet and happy while in use, they cost a dollar to rent, but the dollar goes to CHildren's Hospital :)

Kaiya and the Preston Quints....

3 years ago - Preston and I gave Hannah a gloworm for Christmas, she named it Preston. After a while it landed at Grandma's house. Kaiya discovered it around her 1st birthday and took it home. She had also received one for Christmas per tradition. In the meantime, we lost one, so we replaced it, this happened twice. After we changed the house over for Cassie's arrival, we retreived all 4 that had been purchased or adopted since Kaiya's bday. Then we got Cassie one for Christmas.... And it was adopted into Kaiya's "glo-family". So - we call them the Quints or the Prestons. Her she is with her collection.... but the way - she sleeps with all five of them *sigh*.... who knows how many we will have in another year :P

Cassie is 6 months!!!!

Miss Cass-a-frass had her 6 month appointment today and did great!! She is growing like a weed:) SHe is weighing in at a healthy 19 pounds!!!!! And is 26 1/2 inches tall... she takes after her Daddy! The doc was impressed that she is sitting up well and is so verbal:) We are starting baby food tomorrow - she is excited and does not even know it :P Here is a picture from the other night.... Preston makes Cassie "chase" Kaiya around the house and everyone - especially Cassie gets a kick out of it!!

Work Update....

Well, I knew going back full time would be an adjustment for all of us, but I had no idea how much it would effect me. The first day was the longest day.... All I could do was talk about my girls so I did not feel so far away from them. Slowly but surely, I made it through week one. It felt like that week lastest a year!!!! It also seemed to be affecting the girls, Kaiya was scared when I even left the room and was sobbing at bed time (she never does that) Cass was all of a sudden waking up 2 to 3 times a night and fighting going back to sleep. I was trying so hard not e stressed around them - but children are so smart and pick that up.

Week 2 rolled around and my body decided to get into the stress equation. I normally do have some sort of physical reaction to stress... headaches, neck pain, stomache issues... well, Monday night of week 2 it all came at the same time. I was really not sure if I was sick or .... homesick. Well - I still dont know the answer to that... although I do know I had an ovarian cycst rupture Sunday.... what fun:) I thought I was in labor again!!!!! ANYWAY.... when I was at Sequent, I learned in a short time how driven the environment was, everyone there stayed late, got there early and even worked on weekends - frequently. My only thought at 5 was not what I could do for the company but was how fast can I get on the highway to get home. I tried to get into the swing of things.... but my drive was not there. I realized how much being a Mom had changed me, in ways I had not thought of. I used to work very hard at my job, and feel very fufilled by my accomplishments. I was very driven and committed - now all of that passion is not for work anymore - it is for Cassie and Kaiya and I dont want to miss how little they are and all the new and amazing things they do everyday. I will look for another job, but it will need to be closer to home as well as much more family friendly.

In short - I am currently a full time stay at home Mom. I feel like a bit of a quitter.... but then I see how important I am to my girls and know I did the right thing.

Ok..... done rambling.

BLINK - Cassie New Years 2007 vs. 2008

BLINK - Kaiya New Years 2007 vs. 2008

Our new playroom:)

To my amazement - Preston decided to give up part of his "man lair" AKA the basement... so that the girls (and Hanni and Charlie :P) could have a fun place to play!! And write all over the walls:) Hey that is what paint is for!

Growing up so fast.... I swear I will blink and they will be 21!!!!

I love this stinkin' coat

Thank goodness so does Kaiya - I got it on Ebay for 2 dollars!!!!

2008 Resolutions

I never do this, because I just dont, but for some reason, I feel I need to this year. Following Em's lead - here are my resolutions:

1. Be more prayerful and thankful to God for the amazing gifts in my life and pray more for friends and family

2. Be healthier, my eating habits have gone out the window with two back to back pregnancies and two babies.... so I am going to get that back on track.

3. Be a better friend and be more aggressive about keeping lunchdate, playdates, meet ups, etc.

4. Practice Patience. I am starting work tomorrow and it is a huge life change for me, but I know I can do it - I just have to get back into the flow and I know that will take patience.

5. Dont worry so much about everything, schedules, timing, to-do lists... try to enjoy the ride more, not just getting organized to hit the road.

6. Welcome by new niece or nephew into the world and get to be there when he or she is born and make time to spend with him or her and make time to help my sister in her new role as Mother of 3.

7. SAVE MONEY. It is the ONLY reason I am working.....

I will check back in 2009 to see how I did:P