The Sanders Family

July 4th

2010-07-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

As I was tucking Ben into bed last night, he said it was the best Fourth of July and I have to agree with him! After attending Mass, we came home and had a family lunch before Ben and Caroline went down for naps. Ben had to be bribed with, "You can stay up later if you nap now" and it worked. Jack and I took a nature hike and then started to decorate his bike for the parade. Nate and I made signs for a wagon we used to pull Caroline in and Ben decorated his scooter when he woke up. The parade was super fun and the kids had a blast riding their decorated rides. I was really nervous that we were going to have to cut our night short because Caroline did not smile the entire parade. After a hot dog and the band started playing, she caught her second wind! When we got back to the house, we did sparklers and were just about to go to bed when multiple firework shows started going off in the neighborhood. The kids just sat in the cul-de-sac and were able to enjoy the show without us leaving our neighborhood.

New Camera!!

2010-06-27T18:25:00.000-07:00

I am in love with this camera. I will work on posts about what we have been up to (hint- it starts with the letter b and rhymes with maseball). But in the meantime, here are some pictures from the weekend.

So long, farewell...

2010-02-16T18:48:00.000-08:00

I am giving up the non-work related Internet for Lent this year. So no Yahoo emails, facebook, or blog. I have asked Nate to update the blog so we will see how that goes. I haven't done the best job this year! Project 365 anyone?
See you back on April 4th!

Bear Bear is 15 months old!

2010-01-28T16:37:00.001-08:00

Since we hit the year mark in October, I am going to do these pictures when she has doctor's appointments--15 months, 18 months, 24 months, and then yearly. We decided to celebrate 15 months of life by coming down with another upper respitory infection! We ran a high fever, didn't sleep or eat. But after some fun one on one time with Mommy and some antibiotics and steroids we seem to be back to normal. I hope she will start to grow out of these illnesses or at least build up a better immune system.
We had Caroline's well visit today. She is growing like a weed and hitting all of her milestones. She weighs 24 pounds and 10 ounces (75th percentile) and is 31 inches tall (70th percentile).
In case you were ever curious, it is totally true what they say about girls maturing faster than boys. I am blown away at all of the things Caroline understands at this age. She will nod yes or shake her head no if you ask her a question. She tells me when she is stinky, throws her diapers away, brings me shoes when I say "time to go outside", and lays down where I change her when I say it is time to change your diaper. A true sign of the times is the other day when I was giving the boys hand sanitizer she came up and stuck her hands out. I gave her a teeeny tiny bit expecting her to put it in her mouth. Instead she rubbed her hands together and was on her merry way.
The Bear has always been my musical child. Every night we listen to Baby Tad ("six minutes til nite nite") and I rock her and hum. The other night I didn't hum so she started doing it for me. It was the most precious sound! She also likes to "read". She will pull some of her books out and start babbling while flipping the pages.
Before we eat any meal, we always say grace (The Blessing!). Since we are Catholic, we start and end with the sign of the cross. Usually Caroline is chowing down while this goes on. Tonight she did her own little sign of the cross, folded her hands and nodded along when the boys prayed. The boys did not pick up on that until they were at least two.
And just like her brothers, and every kid on our street, she LOVES being outside. She will stand by the door in the afternoon because she wants to be outside with the big kids. Her second favorite thing is playinng Mommy. She gets her sunglasses on, grabs her purse and takes her babies for a walk. She has started putting them in their crib, kissing them and covering them with a blanket. It makes my baby loving heart so happy!

I have lost my mind...

2010-01-19T17:19:00.000-08:00

I am not a runner. Period. I had to train for a 5K. So what does one do when they are not a runner? Oh they sign up for a half MARATHON. THIRTEEN POINT ONE MILES. I think my commute to work is shorter than that, but I am honestly afraid to check. Come April 24th I will be running the Nashville Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon with my some of my best friends from college. Now I can only speak for myself, but the reason I am running has less to do with the whole "sense of accomplishment" thing and more to do with the fact my friend Katie (who just ran her first half in Novemeber) is teeny tiny. So my thinking is that I get a fun weekend with my girls, plus I will be all set for bathing suit season. We start the official training on February 22nd, but since I have not run in so long I have started running regularly again as to not embarass myself when we all get together for our weekly long runs. I have already made peace with the fact that I am going to finish last out of my friends. But I will finish because let's face it--I have now announced it to the Facebook and Blog World-- I kindof have to. Wish me luck! More importantly ask me how my training is going.

Stafford Sanders

2010-01-17T18:05:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful addition to our family! Nate and I were both very weary about adding a four legged creature to the brood. We have not had the best luck with pets in the past. First there was Porter a mutt puppy we adopted from the pound. He was a sweet enough puppy. After awhile we thought that maybe some time on Nate's parents farm would be good for Porter. He needed a lot of exercise and no matter how many walks Nate and I took him on, he was always hyper. Porter loved the wide open spaces a little too much and found another home. Then we had Grady the cat who also decided domestic living was not for her. She ran away from home shortly after we moved to our new house. So we basically swore off pets at this point. Then Jack got to be a certain age and really pushing for a dog. We just found out we were pregnant with Caroline and I told him it was going to be awhile. He continued to make mention of a dog and then got Ben to chime in too. In the past year Nate's traveling has really picked up and I was getting lonely at night and not sleeping well. So I started looking at breeds on the Internet. I knew the typical family dogs were out of the question. I wanted a pet the boys could take for walks themselves, so no labs or golden retrievers. It had to be a small dog that wouldn't shed. Our neighbors have a Bichon so we borrowed her one day. She was such a sweet dog and really good with Caroline. So after many, many conversations Nate and I agreed it was time to get a dog. So we told our elf Nick if Santa thought the kids deserved a dog, then we would be ok with it. Christmas morning came and our little white furball was under the tree. The kids LOVE him. We named him Stafford after the great Georgia quarterback. He is such a good dog. He is almost fully housebroken (For the record I potty trained the boys faster than this dog!). Bichons like to be with their owners as much as possible so after trying the crate one night, Stafford now sleeps with us. He sits at our feet while we eat and watch tv. Even when we play in the playroom, he is right there. He is such a sweet dog and we are so excited he is part of our family.

Tubes: Take Two

2010-01-17T17:07:00.000-08:00

So 15% of children who get tubes have to get a second set. Guess who is in that 15%? The Bear! We went in on December 28th--shockingly we had already met our deductable for 2009. ;)Caroline has been to the doctor and ENT enough to know that when someone with brightly colored clothes and a clipboard in their hand calls your name, nothing good is going to happen. She cried as soon as they took us to her pre-op room. And she didn't stop until they bumped our surgery up(Probably at the request of the other patients). Since she was so upset, they asked me to come back while they put her under. ALL PARENTS TAKE NOTE--NEVER, EVER, EVER GO BACK WHEN THEY PUT YOUR CHILD UNDER. EVER. It was horrible. I walked into the OR and lost it. Her ENT looked at me and said, "Really not helping much Mom." Hopefully I will never have to do that again.

Let it Snow!

2010-01-17T16:58:00.001-08:00

Just when we got back into our school routine, winter arrived in Georgia! On Thursday afternoon snow started to fall. It really wasn't sticking that much, but the kids had fun playing outside. Caroline did not know what to think. She just kept looking around trying to understand what was happening! Thursday night the temperature dipped down to single digits and the snow was covered in a sheet of ice. The kids went outside for a minute until they realized how cold 2 degrees actually is. Thankfully the ice melted enough so I could make it to Bunko in the neighborhood that night.

Best. Christmas. Ever.

2010-01-17T12:03:00.000-08:00

Hands down, no questions asked. Not only was Christmas morning wonderful, but the whole season was spectacular! We did an activity from our Advent Calendar each day leading up to Christmas. At night we read from a book we got at church to remind the kids the reason for the season. Last year, Jack was going to ask Santa for a puppy. Nate and I sat him down and explained that Santa wasn't going to bring a puppy to the Sanders house this year because we just brought Caroline home two months earlier. Jack understood, but mentioned wanting a dog once a week for a year. This year he is also playing basketball so he wanted a goal to practice on. Ben wanted his own DS so he wouldn't have to keep asking Jack for his. Caroline loved Christmas! And just when you thought I could not get any dorkier, I got pajammas to match the kids. They got a kick out of it. Jack is already starting to make comments when I dress them all alike so I figured this was my only chance! We had Christmas lunch at my Mom's, then headed to Children's Church. We got home and had dinner with the Robbins and then read the Night Before Christmas. I didn't take a ton of pictures, I just enjoyed the moment. Their expressions on Christmas morning is something I will never forget.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

2010-01-17T11:31:00.000-08:00

Normally I don't devote an entire post to a tree, but the picture above is too cute not to share! We decorated the tree once Caroline went to bed this year. I felt bad she missed out on the tradition but I thought it was mean to get out all of these toys (ornaments) and then tell her she couldn't touch them.
(PS Nate does not have a major pit stain, it is a shadow. I hope. ;))

Breakfast with Santa and Neighborhood Party

2010-01-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

Our church, St. Peter Chanel in Roswell puts on an AWESOME Breakfast with Santa. The food is great and they have a ton of fun activities for the kids. When it was time for the picture with Santa, I was nervous. When Jack and Ben were Caroline's age, they screamed in their Santa picture. It is adorable. Caroline loves everyone, so I was worried she was just going to sit and smile. WRONG! She wailed her head off just like her brothers. When I was decorating this year, I put all three of the crying baby pictures on one table. It is amazing how much they look alike when they are crying!
Our neighborhood put on a fun Christmas Party later on that day. The kids made Reindeer Food and got to decorate a cookie. It was a great day that really got everyone in the Christmas Spirit!

May the Force Be With You

2010-01-17T11:12:00.000-08:00

In keeping with my tradition of theme Halloweens, the kids were characters from Star Wars this year. We had Caroline's party the morning of Halloween, then we had people over for Georgia/Florida, and then it was a cold, rainy mess for Halloween. I could not get a good picture of the kids for the life of me!

My Benzie is FIVE!?!?!

2010-01-17T10:53:00.000-08:00

Benjamin turned FIVE on November 13th! The past five years have been an adventure with Ben. He was not the world's easiest baby, but he has really come into his own. He has the best imagination and loves to play. He still idolizes Jack and sometimes thinks he is 8 too. At his conference at school this year his teachers said he is a joy to have in class. He is a leader and very helpful. On his actual birthday Grams and Rab came over to give Ben his scooter and take us to dinner at Taco Mac.
To celebrate his big day,we had his birthday party at PLAY in Roswell. Ben invited all of his neighborhood friends and friends from his class. PLAY has a foam pit, trampoline, and a fun obsticle course. The kids had a blast. Grandma made Ben a dinosaur cake which he loved!

Bear's First Birthday Party

2010-01-17T10:27:00.000-08:00

We had a Ladybug Brunch for Caroline's first birthday party. Caroline is very blessed to have so many people come and celebrate her special day! We had her baby friends Hannah, Blake and Ella. All of the cul-de-sac kids were here and both sets of Grandparents. Uncle Michael was the only Arndt sibling not at Georgia-Florida, so made the early (for him) morning trip to Holly Springs. We had yummy food to eat and fun crafts for the big kids. By the time we sang "Happy Birthday" to Caroline, she was ready for a nap. She got so many wonderful gifts! We are loving all of the girl toys in the house these days!

I am going to miss this

2010-01-15T07:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was rough, R-O-U-G-H! Blinking back tears at 6 o'clock rough. Kids in bed before 7 rough. Get the picture? (I am sure it goes without mentioning that Nate is in LA this week for work so I am doing the single mom thing). Then I stumbled upon this blog. When Caroline was a newborn, Nate and I really didn't mind getting up with her because we knew it wouldn't last forever. At some point between then and yesterday, I forgot how much I am going to miss this. The blog post below was a nice reminder.
I’m gonna miss this“
How do you do it? How do you stay so calm with four young children?”

Part of it is just how God made me, I think. I am pretty calm with my children. And, honestly, often I stay calm even in the midst of chaos because, frankly, it’s better than the alternative. A shrieking, freaking out mama is not going to make an already stressful situation any better. So, for the most part, I stay calm and try to be in the moment with my children.

But how do I do it?

There is one little bit of inspiration that literally descended upon me almost two years ago, while I was holding Nuggey in the bathroom, that has completely revolutionized my parenting. When I keep this truth in mind, I find it as easy as apple pie to stay calm in the midst of toddler chaos.

I remember that I’m gonna miss this.

It was dark, during the end of bathtime, and Prince Charming was gone. I was doing dinner, baths and bedtime myself those days, as my husband worked late. It had been, undoubtedly, a long day with the kids. Big Mac was three, Nuggey was one and a half and Small Fry was a baby. It is as clear as day still, this memory.

I was sitting on the toilet, drying MckNugget off after his bath. Small Fry, unable to roll, was sprawled on the floor of the bathroom on some towels, wearing nothing but a diaper and a grimace. Big Mac was still in the tub. He was squawking to get out and Small Fry was bellyaching for attention. But I slowly wrapped Nuggey up in his towel, determined to stay calm, and cuddled him in terrycloth. I slowly rocked him back and forth in my arms and sang Rock-a-bye Baby to my second born.

As I wrapped up the song, I prepared to sit Nuggey up and attend to the chaos that was the other children. After all, there were baths to finish, teeth to brush, diapers to put on, jammies to find and beds to tuck children into. But as he sensed me about to right him, Nuggey tossed his wet head back in my arms and looked up at me. “Uh-gain!”

So I sang Rock-a-bye Baby one more time, but I told him it would be the last. Yet when I finished, he begged again for more.

I didn’t want to do more. I didn’t want to sing to him one more time. I was tired. Tired of children, tired of singing, tired of the day. I just wanted it to be over. But then suddenly, as if fairy dust was sprinkled from the heavens right onto my tired head, the entire reality of my future set in.

I’m gonna miss this.

I looked down at little Nuggey, his damp eyelashes long and dark batting at me, his tiny bottom cradled in my hand, his soft, chubby legs thrown over my arm, his body entirely dependent on mine as I held him in my lap, and I could see the future. Nuggey, a grown boy, sporting a football jersey and facial hair, walked out of the bathroom. It was going to happen, and soon. And while I knew there would be joys with that time in my life, when our young children are teenagers and beyond, it struck me like a ton of bricks.

When that time comes, I’m gonna miss this.

When Nuggey comes home from college, barely speaks a word to me and hibernates in his bedroom all summer, I’m gonna miss this. As my mind fast forwarded to the future, I knew that at that moment, I would give anything for 20 year old Nuggey to be a toddler again, just for one more hour, so I could rock him and sing while I stroked his wet head.

And here, years earlier, I was being given my wish. I was able to rock Nuggey, a nearly helpless babe in arms, one more time.

Given a new perspective from which to see, I sang Rock-a-bye Baby as many times as Nuggey would let me that night. Eventually Small Fry found her hands and started admiring them, and Big Mac grabbed a new tub toy. And I relished that time with my son in my arms, knowing that soon enough he would be all grown, and my arms would ache to hold him like a baby again.

I’m gonna miss this.

My mind cannot help but wander to those parents who have lost children. What on earth would they not give to hold their children again, even for a moment. I bet they would not complain about having to sing Rock-a-bye Baby one more time. Rather, they would probably give their right arm to sing it ten million times until their voice was hoarse and their eyelids closed in slumber.

And women with empty wombs who long and pray and ache for children? What honor am I doing them if I take for granted the fact that I have children, young children who are begging me to cuddle them, sing to them. I will love those women who long for a baby by loving my babies and not taking them for granted.

So, I determined right there and then in the bathroom to try to be ever thankful for the moments I do have with my children. I will not wish away their young years, always hoping to get more laundry done or other children dried off. I will relish each kiss, hug and song. I will leave their childhood behind with no regrets, no “I love you” unsaid, no cheek unkissed, no request to “Cuddle wif’ me!” turned down. Even as the macaroni flies and the Sharpie stains my table, even when there are midnight wailers and globs of Desitin under my fingernails, I know…

…I know I’m gonna miss this.

So, this is going well...

2010-01-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

I have just returned from the brink of death. Seriously. I came down with the stomach flu New Year's Eve and have not felt right until today. I promise gobs of pictures and witty posts once we get back to normal around here. Nate did great taking care of the banshees and Stafford. Funny story to hold you over until I resume posting: The boys forgot to put the liner in the tub when they took a shower on January 1st so they "made it rain" in the kitchen.
Love you, mean it,
Lisa
PS I promise to change the background as well. Or maybe I will just wait until fall rolls around again....

Project 365

2009-12-29T17:49:00.000-08:00

I have had such a hard time keeping up with the blog since I went back to work. So for 2010 my resolution is to post one picture everyday. This way it won't become too overwhelming and will help me focus on taking pictures of our day to day life. I will upload Christmas pictures soon, including ones with the newest memeber of the Sanders clan--sweet 11 week old puppy named Stafford!

Good Times Never Been So Good...

2009-10-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

Our Sweet Caroline is ONE!! I absolutely can't believe it. It feels like yesterday I was in Northside waiting for her to make her arrival. Now she is one! We had a great day with Caroline celebrating her special day. The boys woke her up singing "Happy Birthday" this morning. Then chocolate chip muffins for breakfast and a present from Jack and Ben. They wanted to make her a bear that had their voices wishing her a happy birthday. We went to Build A Bear last night and they were so excited to give it to her this morning. They were really cute building the bear because the lady was getting so into it and the boys were trying to be good sports but when she told them to kiss the hearts, Jack looked at me like "Seriously? I'm 8". After we sent the boys off to school, Nate and the bear played downstairs while Mommy worked from home. I couldn't imagine not spending today with her so my awesome boss let me work from home. We opened the fun presents my Aunt Nancy got Caroline. She loves the "My First Purse". Right before lunch time we got Caroline dressed and let her open her present from my parents. My Mom ordered her Bitty Baby months ago because we Arndt girls LOVE American Girl. I played with Samantha when I was younger, and she is sitting in Caroline's room waiting for her to be old enough to play with her! When I first found out I was having a girl, American Girl is one of the first things I thought of. (along with lunch at Cinderella's Castle, Prom, Wedding Dress Shopping and Getting Pedicures). Caroline's reaction didn't disappoint! She said hi to the baby as soon as she opened the package. Bitty Baby has gone everywhere with her today. I love it!
We made Caroline's cake this afternoon and had breakfast for dinner as her special birthday dinner. A couple of months ago I picked out a silver pattern for Caroline. Every year for her birthday or Christmas, we will add to her collection so that when she gets married, she will have a full set. With the help of my facebook friends, I choose Reed and Barton Francis I. We ordered the cake knife and used it to cut her cake. We will use the same knife for all of her birthday cakes and when she gets married she can use it to cut her wedding cake. (I wish I could take credit for this idea but, I totally stole this from a blog I read while on bedrest. :)) AFter the bear enjoyed her cake it was bath, night time story and straight to bed. Our first night without a bottle went fantastically! Here are a couple of pictures from her day!

Because I am a dork...

2009-10-27T16:26:00.000-07:00

When we got dressed to go to the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago, I wore the same shirt I wore when we went last year. Turns out, it was the same weekend! What a difference a year makes! This was the last picture I have with the boys before Caroline was born!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

We headed to Berry Patch Farms this afternoon to pick out the Sanders' Family Pumpkin. We went to the same pumpkin patch a year ago today. I remember riding on the hayride thinking that this time next year I will have my daughter with me! We had such a great time. I love traditions like this that the boys are remembering. They definitely take after me and like things to stay the same. I couldn't imagine going anywhere else to pick pumpkins!

"I love this Harbor and it means so much to me...."

2009-09-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite memories of going to Hilton Head when I younger was going to listen to Gregg Russell sing in Harbor Town. This year was neat because as I sat on the same bench I sat on last year I remember thinking, "This time next year I will be here with a nine month old!" We had a great time playing on the playground, eating ice cream and listening to Gregg Russell sing. The show is still the same from when I was younger, and I still love it. A very special shout out to Katie Tucker for suppling Caroline with the most absolute perfect dress for the occasion. The lighthouse on Caroline's dress is just like the one in Harbor Town. We got stopped by at least a dozen people asking where we got her dress. Thanks Katie!

Hilton Head 2009

2009-09-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

A little late posting these! We had the absolute best time in Hilton Head this year! All of my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins from my Mom's side were down at the same time. It was so nice to have help at the beach, especially with Miss "I want to crawl everywhere, eat sand, and refuse to sit still". We got so many great pictures of the kids I am going to break up the Hilton Head pictures into a couple separate posts. In the pictures you will notice we had a Sanders family theme for most of them. The kids wore matching swim suits, coordinating outfits, and Nate and I joined in on the fun as well.

A little late posting these! We had the absolute best time in Hilton Head this year! All of my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins from my Mom's side were down at the same time. It was so nice to have help at the beach, especially with Miss "I want to crawl everywhere, eat sand, and refuse to sit still". We got so many great pictures of the kids I am going to break up the Hilton Head pictures into a couple separate posts. In the pictures you will notice we had a Sanders family theme for most of them. The kids wore matching swim suits, coordinating outfits, and Nate and I joined in on the fun as well.

In lieu of a card....

2009-08-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Jack,
This is your very own Happy Birthday Jack blog post! I can't believe you are already EIGHT years old! EIGHT!! It seems like yesterday we were in the hospital, my "little" 35 weeker. You are the one who taught me how to be a Mom. We definitely grew up together those first couple of years. Thankfully, God blessed me with an easy baby the first time around. :)This is going to be an exciting year for you. You had your first spend the night birthday party, travel ball and you will receive your First Holy Communion. You have the absolute best personality and I hope you will always stay this sweet. Ben idolizes you and I know you will always look out for Caroline. If these next eight years go by as quick as the first eight, you will be driving before I know it. AHHHHHH!
Love you, mean it. Mom

Tagged!

2009-06-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

I love fun stuff like this. Jackie from In Full Blum tagged me. Here are the rules:

1. List Six UNIMPORTANT Things That Make You Happy.
2. Mention and link to the person who tagged you
3. Tag six of your favorite bloggers to play along, and comment on their blog to let them know they've been tagged.

My six UNIMPORTANT things that make me happy are:
1. Laying out and getting tan (you said unimportant, right? ;)
2. When the kids sleep in past 6:30
3. The entire Real Housewives genre of shows on Bravo
4. Thursday night date nights watching The Office
5. Girls Beach Trip
6. TEA parties

I tagged the ladies from six of my favorite blogs:
1. Eisha at Notes from the White House
2. Michelle at The Robbins Nest
3. Erin at The Harrison Family
4. Katie at The Gordon Family
5. Kelly at The Waldrop Family
6. Jennifer at the Mautz Family

Soooo, May was a little busy... ;)

2009-06-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

Ten posts later, and I think I am finally caught up. Kids are so worn out from the farm this weekend and Nate is still in Toronto, so I thought I would knock out some posts. We had a super fun May as you can tell. Please forgive all spelling and gramatical errors. Ten posts in one night is rough. ;)

Eh? (they really do use that word. A lot.)

2009-06-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my fun weekend in Canada with Nate. Nate is speaking at a conference in Toronto this week, so we decided to fly up a little early and have a fun weekend away. For the sake of full disclosure, my part of the trip was actually supposed to be through Tuesday but since I do SO well being away from my kids, I headed home a day early. A HUGE THANKS to Nate's parents for watching the kids while we were gone. They came up for Jack's game on Friday and then were brave enough to take 3 kids 3 hours in the car to their house. The kids had a blast! My super sweet brother and sister in law came and took them to the movies and out to lunch as well. They are so lucky to have so much family so close!
Toronto was a blast. We ate at great resturants, had a room with a great view and froze our tails off. The high didn't break 60 one day! Thankfully I looked at weather.com before we left so we were ok. We were able to score really great (free) tickets to the Blue Jays game on Sunday. That night we had a romantic dinner overlooking downtown Toronto and Lake Ontario. As an added bonus, Mr. Geography was our cab driver on the way back to the hotel. He has been on Leno and was in the Guiness Book of World Records. It was a great weekend! It was nice to spend some time with Nate since he has been traveling so much recently. I forgot how much fun we have together! I think we are going to make me tagging along to this conference a yearly traditon!

We are the champions my friends...

2009-06-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

Another season of sports, another championship trophy. This one however, was not won without a fight. Jack's team was the number one seed going into the double elimination tournament. His team won out so they scheduled the Championship Game Friday night with a double header if needed. The first game was ugly. The Cardinals always take an inning or two to warm up, but this got out of hand quick. The next thing I know, I look up and the first game is over and Jack's team lost 25 to 10. So his AWESOME coaches decided the kids didn't need to be yelled at. Instead they needed to loosen up a litttle bit. So they called the boys into the dugout and attacked them with silly string. The second game went much better than the first, with the Cardinals pulling out a 11 to 10 victory!! The coaches promised the kids that if they won, every kid on the team could throw a pie at one of the coaches. It was so much fun! Jack was extremely blessed to have such wonderful coaches. They understood the game and could explain it to the kids.

School's out for summer!

2009-06-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

Jack's last day of school was Friday. He had such a great year. We could not have asked for a better teacher. Jack will definitely miss Ms. Williams next year! On the last day of school he also brought home his CRCT test scores and he did AWESOME!! Nate and I are blown away by how great he is doing at school. We are going to join the summer reading club at the library so that he is doing something with his brain this summer. Here are a couple of pictures from the last day of 1st grade as well as the first day of 1st grade. The year went by FAST!

SEVEN?!?

2009-06-01T18:59:00.001-07:00

Sweet Caroline is already 7 months old?!? I know I say it every month, but how did this happen? She has officially entered into the "busy" and "oral" developmental phases. Everytime I put her down she manages to get across the room in no time. We are doing a variation of crawling that looks like it requires way more effort than actual crawling. She is also doing bows and toes as well as downward facing dog. A total fitness nut at 7 months. ;) We have been doing great with all of our real meal baby foods and we love the food strainer. You can put fruit or veggies in this little mesh bag that has a handle. Caroline can gnaw on it and get all of the benefits of fruits without any of the choking hazards. Her personality has come out a lot more this month as well. We definitely say "hey" to everyone who says hi to us. She is working on waving and is becoming more and more adament about being outdoors. She literally cries if we walk by the front door and don't go out it. I can't wait to see what month 7 has in store for us!

Pool's Open!

2009-06-01T18:50:00.000-07:00

Since we have moved to Harmony, we have complained every year about how late the pool opens. So this year the HOA decided to open it the first weekend of May. Guess what? It rained or was cold everyday of May besides last week! They will probably go back to opening the pool Memorial Day weekend again next year. We went on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend and the kids froze. I would only let Caroline dip her toes in because we are still recovering from an ear infection. (Yes the same one since April. UGH!). I love the one of Nate and Caroline in their hats. You will notice we were the only crazy people brave (or stupid?) enough to venture in when the water was 50 degrees.

You're a grand ole flag...

2009-06-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

Well we had the best plans for Memorial Day Weekend. Visions of lazy days spent at the pool, a fun low country boil with friends, a concert on the great lawn all danced in our heads. Unfortunately nothing went as planned. It was entirely too cold for the pool (see above post). The low country boil was delicious as always but got cut short due to rain. We made it for about 30 minutes of the concert before the thunder and lightening started. However I did manage to take some fun pictures. My personal favorite is the one where Ben is giving Caroline bunny ears. Apparently you are never too young for your older brother to start teasing you!

On your mark...

2009-06-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

Jack has always been really into sports. At school, he found out about a race that was being held at the park by school Memorial Day weekend. He wanted to do the fun run. So we "trained" a couple of times a week for the entire month of May. When race day came, Ben decided he wanted to do it as well. They both did so good and Nate and I were so proud. Jack came in third in his age group and Ben ran the entire thing. He had to leave straight from the race to head to his baseball game.

American Adventures!

2009-06-01T18:13:00.000-07:00

Ally and Kelsey had their birthday party at American Adventures this year! The weather held off and the kids had a blast. The boys rode everything that was open and had the most fun on the scrambler and tilt a whirl. They also had a chance to play putt putt. I forgot to take a ton of pictures, but here are a few.

Last Day of Preschool

2009-06-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

en's last day of preschool was this month. He had such a great year! His teachers were so nice and I am amazed at everything he learned this year. At the class party, the teachers handed out awards for each of the students. Ben won the Leadership Award. Ms. Jennifer and Ms. Elisa said that he was the leader in the class and a positive influence on everyone. Yeah Ben!

B

Watch out Ansel Adams...

2009-06-01T18:01:00.000-07:00

Ben has picked up a new hobby. He loves taking pictures. He asked the other day, where his pictures were on the computer (the blog). Here you go Ben! You do great work!

Happy Mother's Day to ME!

2009-05-10T17:17:00.000-07:00

I had such a great Mother's Day weekend! Friday night we hung out with the kids in the cul-de-sac. On Saturday, we had to wake up bright and early for Ben's game. Since Nate is an assistant coach on Jack's team this year, I get to help out with Ben's game. He did great! It was time for Caroline's nap when we got home and the boys had some errands to run, so I got to nap with Caroline. Heavenly!! Jack played at 4 and I think it was one of his best games yet. He made a double play, caught two pop ups and had an inside the park home run!! He got the game ball. Afterwards we celebrated with the team at Dairy Queen and then we went to eat Mexican. On Sunday I got to sleep in and woke up to breakfast in bed. The boys picked out their own cards this year and they were great. Ben's played Snoopy music and Jack's made me cry. When you open the card, it has them both saying "Hi Mom, we love you. Happy Mother's Day". The boys also picked out a new charm for my Pandora bracelet. It is a beautiful heart. Nate got me a gift card to go shopping with. The only rule is that I have to get things for me (not more clothes for Caroline ;)). We went to Mass and then had a great lunch at my Mom and Dad's. Patrick and Bridget were there as well. Here are a couple pictures from the weekend. Please ignore how horrible I look in the one in bed, I just loved that moment with my kids climbing all over me that I had to document it. Look who is sitting up like a big girl! (And drooling all over the place!)

First Spend the Night Party

2009-05-10T16:02:00.001-07:00

Earlier this month, the boys went to their first spend the night party. It was Logan's birthday and he decided to have a spend the night party. I told Ben that he could come home at any time if he didn't want to spend the whole night. But he stayed and hung out with the big kids. Darby set up fun stations in the basement for them-- a wii station, a golf station, a tv/movie stattion and (Ben's favorite) a food station. At the beginning of the party Ben came upstairs and asked if he could have a cupcake from the food station. Darby told him that the food was for the party and that he didn't have to ask, he could have whatever he wanted. When she went down to check on him, he gave her a huge grin and said that he had 10 mini cupcakes! Sadly, during the party one of their fish died so the kids had a fish funeral. As you can tell from the picture the kids are really torn up about it. ;) They ended up staying up until midnight. Thankfully they both napped the next day. I didn't like the empty house, but it was nice to know they were next door. While they were gone Nate took Caroline and I out for sushi. It is so much easier to go out to eat with one versus three!

Carabeara Kane is SIX months old!!!!

2009-04-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

When did this happen? This was a big month for you bear! Your first two teeth cut at the same time (overachiever!)and you are eating so much better! Still not a fan of the green veggies (you get that from me), but you are diggin the orange veggies and the fruits. You are rolling all over the place and have even started to scoot backwards. You can sit for about 30 seconds without toppling over. And just like your brothers, you love to be outside. The other day I went to head outside and made it to the door before I realized I forgot my shades. I went inside and you yelped out! As soon as we were back out the door, you were happy as a clam. On a not so positive note, you had not one but TWO ear infections this month. The last ear infection had a sinus infection to go along with it. You aren't letting it slow you down though. The Doctor said that you were the happiest baby she had ever seen. I think you have allergies which is causing your congestion which caused your ear infections. We will ask the doctor at your well check next week. You were weighed yesterday day at urgent care and the doctor said you are 17 pounds and some change. Also your Daddy and I think you can talk. Gifted! I thought I heard you repeat "ok" after me the other day but I thought I was crazy. Then Daddy said that he thought you said it to him so I told him my story as well. :) We love you Caroline!

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter this year. On Wednesday night, we did a Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt for all of the kids in the cul-de-sac. We did the little kids in Burt and Angie's backyard and the big kids in the Robbins and Jacksons backyard. We grilled out beforehand and it was a really fun night. We are definitely going to make it a yearly tradition! Easter morning we got up and searched for eggs. Then we gathered at the gazebo for our yearly Easter picture with the kids. This year the adults got in on the fun and we got a great group shot. One of the many perks of having a professional photographer as your neighbor. :) After pictures we came home and had a big Easter breakfast before heading off to church. It has been so nice at Mass recently. All three of the kids have been rockstars, so we get to stay in the big church for the entire Mass and are not stuck in the cryroom. After Mass we headed to my parents for Easter lunch. It was fantastic! Sorry for the bazillion pictures!

GOOOOO Dawgs!

2009-04-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

Since we had a weekend off baseball, we decided to head up to Athens for G-Day. G-Day is the scrimage game Georgia plays each spring. We left early Saturday morning and headed up to Athens. We drove around for awhile and showed the kids where we got married, where we used to live and where Jack was born. Nate and I got lunch from our favorite place in college and then headed to North Campus to tailgate. The boys had a blast playing in the magnolia trees and throwing the football. Carebear chilled in her stroller and was an absolute angel. She even fell asleep on me in the stadium. It was one of my favorite days as a family.

Lots of Posts Today

2009-04-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

I went back to work on the 16th and have totally neglected the blog! I went back to work at my old company and love it. I am doing sales now and am really enjoying what I do. I work part time Monday through Friday and am able to get Jack off the bus everyday at 2:30. Ben and Caroline go to Bonnie's. Ben gets picked up T, W, TH by a girl in his preschool class. It is such an ideal situation and I am so lucky that it has turned out this way. After two days (no joke) at Bonnie Bootcamp, Caroline is on a fantastic schedule! She sleeps the majority of the time she is there so she is happy and well-rested and ready to play when I come and get her in the afternoons. When I get her out of the pack 'n' play at Bonnie's she always has the biggest smile which makes my day. Hope you enjoy the marathon post below. When I re-read over the posts I always feel like they sound so cheesy, so I tried to type less and post more pictures!

Fun Spring Weekend

2009-04-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

The weather in the Atlanta area has been miserable the past couple of weeks. I feel like we live in Seattle. Since the weather was nice this weekend, we tried to remain outdoors as much as possible. On Saturday both of the boys had games. Ben played at 9 and Jack's team pulled out a W in the last inning. In between games I had to work the concession stand so Nate took all three of them to the neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt by himself. (He also let them dress themselves ;)). They had a blast. On Sunday, we went to church and then to the park. The kids were rockstars at Mass. For you Catholics--we sat in the pew (no cryroom) for the entire reading of the Passion! We are trying to get Caroline used to hats. As you can tell, they are not her favorite things.

Play Ball!

2009-04-05T16:58:00.000-07:00

The boys are playing baseball again this year. Even though it makes our lives even busier that before, Nate and I love it! This year Nate is an Assistant Coach for both of the boys teams. Nate played all sorts of sports growing up and you can tell he feels at home on the field. So far the kids are enjoying having him out there. ;)To kick off the season this year, they had a parade on Friday night. Each team decorated a vehicle and they closed down downtown Canton. Caroline chilled on a blanket the whole time. On Saturday, since it was the first game of the season, the kids lined up along the baseline while their names were announced over the loudspeaker. They also read the Dizzy Dean Prayer(we so live in the country) and played the National Anthem. Jack's game was supposed to start at 8, but since all of the games were running late his game did not start until 9:45! PM! Of course it went into extra innings and they didn't get home until almost midnight. My parents came so that my Mom could stay home with Ben and Caroline and my Dad and I went to the game. We stayed for a couple of innings, but left a little early so that my parents wouldn't have to drive an hour home in the middle of the night. We have had a lot of games that have been rained out so we will probably be playing make up games until JULY!!!

Carebear is FIVE Months Old?!?!

2009-04-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

Time is just flying by with Caroline! Thankfully she is changing sizes with the seasons. As Spring arrives, we are moving out of our 3 to 6 month winter clothes and into our 6 to 12 month spring clothes. She has such a great personality and loves being the center of attention. We started solids right before she turned 5 months and she is not the biggest fan! We are probably going to hold off until 6 months when she seems more interested. I was in such a hurry with the boys, but with her I am trying to keep her baby for as long as possible! Caroline loves to roll all over the place and is constantly sticking whatever she can reach in her mouth. However we still don't have teeth yet! Bathtime is still her favorite part of the day. She is trying to hold her bottles by herself (which I am refusing to let her do ;)) and is loving her exersaucer, bumbo, and johnny jumper. A couple of days ago, I was giving her big exaggerated kisses while making the "mwah" sound. The next thing I know she is grabing my cheeks to pull me in for a kiss and she makes the same "mwah" sound back at me. What a smart baby! The boys are still facinated with her and continue to be great brothers. Here are some fun pictures of the last month.

Happy Anniversary Babe!!

2009-03-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks for eight great years and three beautiful children. You are such a great Dad and Husband. Not too bad on the eyes either. Love you, mean it!

Catching Up

2009-03-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

Caroline's blood cultures came back clear, so we were able to stop the antibiotics. We had to move her 4 month well check to today so she will be able to get her vaccines. Here are a couple of pictures of what we have been up to recently. "Snow" day,a bowling party, a trip to McDonald's (I took 4 kids under 4 to McDonalds last week. Not sure how Mom ever left the house with all 5 of us!), walk on the nature trail, and a playdate with the babies.

Poor Caroline!!

2009-03-04T07:52:00.000-08:00

I was watching my friend's little boy on Monday since Bonnie is recovering from having Andrew on Sunday (yeah!!). When Dana came to pick Asher up, Caroline was playing in her jumperoo and all the sudden screamed out. I picked her up and she felt a little warm. I chalked it up to her "exercising" in the jumperoo and the sweater outfit I had her in. She was really whiny, which she never does. Dana even mentioned she had never seen Caroline act like that. So I took her temp and it was 102.4. So I striped her down to her onesie and waited 30 minutes. It was 102. So I called the doctor's and they said due to her age I needed to bring her in. I get to Children's and they take her temperature and it is 102.8. So she gets some tylenol and we see the doctor. He examines her and everything looks good--ears clear, nose clear, and her throat was fine. She was eating normally as well. You would think this would be a good thing right? WRONG!! When little babies develop high fevers for no reason, with no other symptoms they have to figure out why. Her fever had not come down with the normal Tylenol dose, so they had to give her additional Tylenol. Then they had to catheterize her to check her urine and draw her blood. Hands down one of the worst experiences of my life. She kept looking at me like "Why are you letting them do this to me?" She cried real tears. It was absolutely heart breaking. One of the nurses teared up when she saw how upset Caroline was. Pitiful is the only word to describe her at that point. So the test results come back and her white blood cell count is high and some other count was high as well. So they felt like it was a bacterial infection so they had to give her a shot of antibiotics. The nurse warned me that the shot would burn going in. Awesome. Three hours after arrival, we were headed home. She was up on and off all night. Her fever finally broke yesterday right before her follow up appointment with her doctor. They put her on oral antibiotics until the cultures come back clear. She is not doing well on the antibiotics. She fights us when we try to give them to her and she is having major tummy issues with them. I canceled her well check for this week. I feel like she has been through enough for one week. However she is 15 pounds 2 ounces. I don't have her height yet. Please say a prayer that the blood cultures come back negative and we don't have to keep her on the antibiotics for the full 10 days.

Caroleena Ballerina is Four Months Old!!

2009-02-27T10:35:00.000-08:00

Time continues to fly by! I can't believe she is already four months old. Caroline is becoming very interactive. She is rolling over all the time these days. When I go get her in the morning, she is on her back smiling at me. She is also enjoying her toys more. However her favorite thing is when one of us makes faces at her. She has become a great napper and doing great at night. Once or twice a week we will have to go in to put a paci in, but for the most part she is sleeping from 7:15 to 6. Caroline found her voice this month. She doesn't sleep in the car much, but she does "talk" to that other baby (her reflection in her mirror). I tried to get a picture of her smiling and looking at the camera, but Ben was distracting her so we only got a side shot. We went back to Snellville to see Aunt Bridget this weekend and there are some pictures from that as well.

King Cake!!!

2009-02-19T16:01:00.000-08:00

Uncle Joe sent an authentic King Cake from New Orleans for the kids today. Since they ate their dinner we had it for dessert. I was lucky enough to find the baby. So you may refer to me as King Lisa for the next 24 hours. :)

Game Day!!

2009-02-19T15:51:00.000-08:00

Since the boys are out of school this week for Winter Break, we decided to invite the neighborhood kids over for game day. The boys made up the invitations and we set up stations around the house based on age. Ben, Asher, Hayden and Kelsey were at the kitchen table with Crocodile Dentist, Pop Up Pirate and the crowd favorite Hungry Hippos. Jack and Logan were in the dining room playing Operation and Battleship. The girls played CandyLand in the family room. We had a quick snack and then the whole group played boys versus girls in Disney Scene It. It was fun for me to watch, since I had played Friends Scene It and ESPN Scene It with these kids parents a couple of nights previous. I definitely heard some of the same comments from that night. Let's just say the apples didn't fall far from the trees at all. :)

Nate is 30!!!

2009-02-16T08:17:00.000-08:00

I started thinking about Nate's birthday around the same time I went on bedrest with Caroline. He is definitely not the huge blow-out party type. After Thanksgiving, Nate took Jack to the Georgia-Georgia Tech game. He called me on his way home and talked about how much he misses Athens, the good times we had there, etc... So I decided to surprise him with a night out in Athens for his birthday. Now since I was not working at the time, it was going to be tricky to find a way to pay for said night out in Athens without him knowing about it. So for the past several months, every week I went to the grocery store I would get cash back. I stuck the money in an evelope under the bed! Since Nate's birthday was Friday and our reservations were for Saturday, I had to think of something fun to do for his actual birthday. Ben, Caroline, and I met him for lunch. After the kids went to bed, we had game night with the neighbors. I made his favorite cake and got some beer and we played Scene It ESPN and Friends. It was a great time. On Saturday we woke up and I gave Nate his card for Valentine's Day. I told him about our night on the town in the card. He was super surprised! We headed down to Athens and it was so nice to have a conversation without being interrupted. We didn't turn the radio on once! When we checked in at the Foundry, the guy said he upgraded our room. We get to our room and realize it is the Presidential Suite. It was HUGE! The website said 1400 square feet! We got dressed and then headed to Bissets to have a drink before dinner. Nate's best friend from college met us there and the three of us laughed and caught up. It was so great to see Russell. Our dinner was fantastic! As we were waiting for the shuttle to take us back to the Foundry(at 9:45) I had such deja'vu. We were on the same corner where we used to wait for cabs in college. We had breakfast delivered to the room the next morning. It was such a perfect weekend.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

We had a great Valentine's Day. Nate and I got the boys some Pokemon cards and Bacugan (don't ask). Nate always brings me flowers on Valentine's Day and this year he brought home a flower for Caroline as well. She stared at it forever. Hope you all had a Happy Valentine's Day!

They are much easier on the inside...

2009-02-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

I love getting together with my college friends and their kids. I should probably remember to take pictures as soon as we get there as opposed to when we are leaving...

I LOVE my Exersaucer!!!

2009-02-11T11:05:00.001-08:00

AGHHHHHHHH!!!

2009-02-02T08:25:00.001-08:00

Every child has their own unique personality. I have really enjoyed watching Caroline become more alert during the day and interact more. She loves when you make eye contact and talk to her. It is adorable! However she is the biggest scardy cat! I first noticed it when she would cry every time the giraffe from her mobile would come into view. Well the other day she woke up from nap. I was finishing up an email and heard her start to make some noise. Not really crying, just kind of yelping as if to say "hey! I am awake! Come get me so we can play!" All the sudden the yelping turned into a scream like I have never heard before. So I go tearing into her room, expecting to see her caught in the spindles, etc... Instead I find her on her back! She rolled! Not only did she roll, she scared the living daylights out of herself. (The wet spot is the drool from when she puts her hand in her mouth. Not thumb or finger, her hand.)

Three Months!

2009-01-27T16:19:00.000-08:00

The Carebear is already three months old! She is finally in 3 to 6 month clothing. When I found out we were having a girl, I went a little crazy at Gymboree one day. Everything I bought was 3 to 6 months so it has been so fun dressing her every morning! She is becoming more alert and follows the sound of our voice. Her absolute favorite thing in the world to do is to lay on a blanket and have someone talk to her. She will now "talk" back as well. She is sleeping through the night--Nate and I are not. She goes down around 8 and will go the whole night in her crib without needing to eat. However if she wakes up a little and her paci is not in her mouth, she will cry until it gets put back in. I can't complain, she has been such a great sleeper since the beginning. Caroline is getting better about being in the car. It is still not her favorite thing in the world, but at least we are not screaming bloody murder anymore. ;)

Fun Pictures

2009-01-24T07:11:00.000-08:00

When I was younger, I found a box in my parent's closet where my Dad had saved the newspapers from significant days in history. I have started doing that with my kids. So on Tuesday I got the paper and took their picture. What I find most facinating is that Jack had no idea what a big deal it was to see an African American being sworn in as President of the United States. In his mind, everyone truly is equal regardless of the color of their skin.

Caroline found her foot!

Brothers!

We sit Caroline in her high chair when we eat so she feels like part of the family. She was super happy this morning.

Caroline's Crib

2009-01-24T06:46:00.000-08:00

At the request of my Aunt and Katie, here are some pictures of Caroline's nursery. I looked forever to find bedding I liked for her. With girl's bedding I feel like it is either super cheesy or super expensive. Luckily we found this at Babies R Us when the line was being discontinued. Wendy Bellissimo makes it and she does a lot of celebrity nurseries. I guess BRU brought her on to do an affordable line at their stores. I took the pictures with Caroine on my hip, so they are not the greatest.

I found this at the Pottery Barn Outlet after months of searching.

Instead of doing a separate changing table and dresser, I just put the changing pad on top. We have natural wood baby furniture, but I needed white for the bedding. Luckily our neighbors let us borrow their white crib!

Nate's parents got Caroline this chair for her nursery. Nate was slightly nervous when I said we were getting a pink chenile chair, but I think it looks great! The dresses are my family's baptismal gown and the dress I came home from the hospital in. She wore it in her birth announcement. My friend Bonnie made her the piggy bank and the 2 baby dolls were mine. The one on the left is Victoria and the one on the right is Samantha

On her message board I put her ultrasound pictures, birth announcements from her friends, family pictures, and Nate's flight information from the day she was born.

Since I did the letters in Ben's room, I wanted to do something different in Caroline's. My neighor Bonnie (www.sweetnsassydesigns.googlepages.com) does lettering that looks just like paint. She can have it say whatever you want, so I did her monogram over the crib. It really pops out against the pink, but it is hard to see in the picture because of the flash.

Caroline is two months old!

2009-01-06T11:22:00.001-08:00

Caroline had another perfect well check at the doctor this month. At 9 weeks 5 days, she weighed in at 12 pounds and 2 ounces and is now 23 inches long. She is in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. The doctor was so impressed when Caroline would respond to her name and would follow her voice. She is right on track for hitting her milestones and did fabulous even when it came time for shots. She had to get 4 in her legs and one orally. Thankfully Nate was home so I was able to take her to the appointment myself. She has continued to do awesome at night, the past couple of nights we have gone from 8:30 until 6ish. However she is definitely our princess when it comes to getting ready for bed. She gets a bath nightly which she absolutely loves. (When she is fussy, we will run water and the sound calms her down). Then it is lotion time, nose drops (she gets congested when she sleeps), her bottle that has to be warmed, and gas drops. Then she has to be swaddled, placed on her side in the sleep positioner, in her crib which is evelated on one side. It's crazy but it is working! She did so fantastic over the holidays. Now we are trying to work on a schedule for her daytime naps. She has discovered her love for the swing in the last couple of weeks. Here are a couple of fun pictures I took in the past couple of days.

CHRISTMAS!!

2009-01-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

We had a fantastic Christmas this year! We went to my parent's house on Christmas Eve and had a fantastic dinner. The boys were super excited because they each got a Georgia Bulldawg jersey from my parents. Every year since Jack was born, I have gotten either Christmas or some sort of cute pajammas for the kids to wear on Christmas morning so that they would look cute in all of the pictures. This year I just ran out of time so when the boys asked if they could sleep in their jersies I said sure. So here they are Christmas morning:

My personal favorite is the socks! The boys had so much fun Christmas morning. Santa was very good to them this year. I do however have a bone to pick with Santa. He was awfully loud putting together the trampoline. He woke me up several times. I went to check on all the noise and found Santa and his elf (we'll call him Brian) jumping on the boys new trampoline! Unfortunately you can't take pictures of Santa, so I have no proof. :) The boys also got to open their presents from my very sweet Aunts that have been taunting them since their arrival in mid-December. My Aunts always do such a fantastic job of picking out presents for them and this year was no exception!
Here are some pictures from Christmas morning around 6:30 when the kids woke up:

After a big Christmas morning breakfast, we headed down to South Georgia to celebrate with Nate's side of the family. Unfortunately with all of the excitement, I forgot to take pictures. The kids had a blast fishing, riding on Grandpa's golf cart, climbing trees and doing other fun "farm stuff".
This was definitely my favorite Christmas yet. The boys had such a great time and I got the best Christmas present on October 27th. Nate also surprised me this year. With everything we had going on we decided not to exchange presents this year. Well, I went to look in my stocking and he had gotten me the Pandora bracelet that I have been wanting for forever! He also got three charms to go on it-- a little girl and two boys. I love it!! It was such a wonderful surprise!

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

2009-01-06T10:49:00.001-08:00

I think this was our busiest holiday season yet!
We had Ben's Christmas Pagent:

We had a party at the clubhouse in the neighborhood:

Jack had a class party where they decorated gingerbread houses:

We decorated gingerbread houses at home:

Decorated the tree:

Grown Ups Night Out

2009-01-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

Since Nate's parents were in town for Caroline's baptism, we took full advantage and headed out for a fun night of Japanese food with our neighbors. It was such a great time! I throughly enjoyed eating my spicy tuna roll which I had missed so much while pregnant. It was also Derek's birthday so we got to sing happy birthday as well!

Magical Night of Lights 2008

2009-01-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

Since we had such a great time last year, we decided to visit Lake Lanier for the Magical Night of Lights again this year. Just like last year, Nate and I loved the lights and the kids loved the rides at the carnival.

Neighborhood Christmas Party

2009-01-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

We got together again at the beginning of December for our annual Christmas Party with the neighbors. This year was the best year yet! The kids played so well together, the food was great, and there was great football on TV. Here's a shot of all of the kids being themselves. I am over trying to get the "perfect picture" and am really trying to get ones that show each kids personality at that time. I abolutely love how hard my boys are laughing in response to Hayden's booty dance!

Caroline got rid of her original sin!

2008-12-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

Since I felt like there wasn't enough going on this holiday season, I decided that last Sunday would be the perfect day to have Caroline baptized.:) She did great throughout the service...until they poured water on her head. Caroline loves baths and getting her hair washed so I was not nervous about this part. I should have been. The water was a lot cooler than Caroline was used to so she woke up with a vengance. So I am trying everything to calm her down, since 2 other babies are getting baptized as well. I was literally sweating by the time it was over. My wonderful neighbor Darby (www.darbyrosephotography.com) came to the service and took some fantastic pictures. Caroline was able to wear the dress that all of the girls on my Mom's side of the family wore.

This is What happens when Mommy is late with the bottle...

2008-12-17T11:18:00.001-08:00

She has never cried like this in her life! I was shaking her bottle before I gave it to her and out of nowhere this started. So being the good Mom that I am, grab my cell phone to take a picture. It's good to remember the not-so-good times too!

TAGGED!

2008-12-12T16:36:00.000-08:00

Erin tagged me forever ago and I am just now getting a chance to participate. I am supposed to post the fourth picture from my fourth folder. So here you go!

Not the best picture, but it is of the boys making gingerbread houses last year. I get to tag four people so Bonnie, Eisha, Jackie, and Michelle let's see what your fourth picture from your fourth folder looks like!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-12-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with so many things to be thankful for this year. Nate ran his first half marathon on Thanksgiving morning. He did really well, but claims it will also be his last half marathon. We headed over to my Mom's house for dinner. All of my brothers were there, except for Michael. He is still in South Dakota. As you can tell from the picture he was definitely missed. Caroline enjoyed seeing her Uncle Joe for the first time and was really alert for Thanksgiving Dinner. Aunt Bridget came home with us on Thanksgiving night so that Nate, Caroline and I could get out early on Friday morning. I always do the majority of my Christmas shopping on Black Friday and this year it was nice to have the company. Nate and Caroline got in line while I shopped so I was able to get done much quicker. We spent the night at my parents on Friday so that Jack and Nate could be a little closer to Athens for the big game. Jack was such a trooper. He stayed in the cold and rain until the end of the game. What a true Bulldawg fan! Unfortunately Nate forgot the camera so I don't have any pictures of the game.

CareBear is four weeks old!

2008-11-24T05:52:00.000-08:00

Caroline, I can't believe you are already 4 weeks old. Time is going by much too fast. Before I forget, I wanted to write your birth story down. A couple of things for you to remember. First, two weeks before you were born Mommy thought she was in labor. I was not. I had to do the walk of shame out of Northside and tell everyone that even though you were my third baby, I could not distinguish between real and false labor. Daddy flew down to Orlando on October 20th (Mommy was 37 weeks pregnant) and was scheduled to fly down again on October 27th. He needed to be down there for a huge project. Here we go........

On Friday October 24th Nate calls home to tell me he has to fly to Orlando on Monday again. When he went on the previous Monday I knew that we would be fine and I encouraged him to go. This time I wasn't so sure. On Saturday we had a fun day hanging out with friends watching football. My contractions really started to pick up and get painful on Saturday night, so I went to bed early in the hopes they would either break my water or go away. I woke up Sunday feeling pretty bad, but I tried to ignore it. We went to Target to get snack for Ben's class for the week (he was Star Student) and then came home and I went straight to bed. Around 4 o'clock I looked in my "What to Expect When You are Expecting" book and realized I had every symptom of the first stage of labor. I knew how important this trip was to Nate so I attempted to downplay everything. I couldn't eat dinner because I felt so naseous. I went to bed early but was up every hour or so with contractions. Around 4 am I woke up to go to the bathroom and then laid down. I knew Nate had to be up at 5 so after what I thought was an hour, I woke him up and asked him to rub my back before his alarm went off. He asked about my contractions and I told him I woke up at 4 and probably have had 7 in the last hour. He looked at the clock and said "Lis it is not even 4:30 yet, if you have already had 7 then they are coming every 4 minutes." I was still embarassed from the false alarm from two weeks ago and I really wanted him to be able to get to Orlando so I told Nate I was fine. He didn't believe me and told me to not look at the clock, just text him everytime I had a contraction. He got in the shower and my contractions continued to be four minutes apart. I still thought that I could hold out until he got back that night. Nate disagreed and told me to call the doctor. Dr. Urlich was on call and called me back promptly. Here is how our conversation went:
Dr.: So you think you are in labor? What is going on?
Me: Well I am having some contrac *pause because I can't talk through the contraction* some contractions.
Dr: How close together are they?
Me: Well about every four minutes.
Dr.: Have you dialated at all?
Me: I was 3 cm dialated at my appointment on Thursday.
Dr.: Is this your first child?
Me: Um, no it's my third.
Dr: Um, yeah I need you to get to Northside as soon as possible.
Me: Ok, I need to get my kids ready and we should be there in two hours.
Dr.: Mrs. Sanders you are in active labor, you need to get here as soon as possible.
Me: Gotcha. We will leave ASAP.
As soon as I hung up, I called Bonnie to come and watch the kids. She had a smartaleck comment along the lines of "Are you sure this time Sanders?". Nate and I headed to Northside. We told no one. I wanted to make sure this was the real deal. We got to Northside right before shift change, around 6:30. They hooked me up to the monitors and started to fill out the paperwork. I was having a particularly painful contraction and had my eyes shut when all of the sudden I hear what I think is singing. I opened one eye and looked at Nate and asked, "Is she singing to me?" She was not. She was just reading the list of belongings I brought to the hospital. Everyone got a good laugh at that. She checked me and I was 5 cm dialated and my contractions were every four minutes lasting a minute. She went to call Ginny and when she came back she said I could get the epidural and Ginny was on her way in to break my water. YEAH! I called my parents, emailed the neighbors, texted friends, and changed my facebook status. My blackberry was fantastic to have during labor. I was able to update everyone at the same time and it really took my mind off the contractions. The epi guy was fantastic. He had a great bedside mannor and made me laugh which was not an easy task. However the epi didn't work. It took forever to take and when it did I still had a hot spot. He was very apologetic and offered to take it out and redo it, but since I was already at 8 cm I opted to just wait it out. It was tough, but luckily things were progressing quickly. Nate kept looking at the monitor and said that there was no break between contractions anymore. I politely informed him that I was aware of that. Since they had maxed out my epidural I could not feel my legs at all. When it was time to push, there was nothing I could do since I could not feel a darn thing from the waist down. Luckily she had a small head and my contractions were strong enough to kind of just push her out on her own. She was born at 11:39 am. She entered the world sunny side up looking at me which was amazing. She came out so alert with her eyes wide open. The first thing I said was, "She's so tiny". I was honestly expecting at least a 9 pound baby based on how big Jack and Ben were. My midwife also pointed out that she did not look to be 12 pounds like I had predicted in her office on Thursday. She ended up being 7 pounds 12 ounces. She scored 9 and 9 on her APGARs and nursed for 30 minutes after her bath.

And that is the story of your birth Caroline. You are such a wonderful baby. You sleep from 10:30 until 4 already. You love to snuggle with Mommy and Daddy. You still sleep with us at night, but you are getting really good at taking naps in your room. Your favorite toy is the mobile. Your brothers think you are the coolest and are so happy that you are more alert during the day. For only being 4 weeks old, you have already seen so much. You have been to football games, a Georgia Florida party, trick or treating, the park, Gymboree, Kroger, birthday party, and a Thanksgiving feast at preschool! We love you!

Updates from this week

2008-11-21T05:14:00.000-08:00

We have been super busy around here, but I wanted to post some funny happenings before I forget!
*Ben and I were in the car and he was telling me about the planets. He was describing how the green planet was the closest to God. (Not sure which planet he was refering to or where he got his information but I was going with it)Then he busts out, "So we have to take care of the green planet and God or else we are going to have to deal with the Holy Spirit" I almost drove off the road.

* Jack lost a tooth and his lame-o parents forgot the tooth fairy. Nightmare. As you all know, I am going to be absolutely devastated the day my kids stop believing in tooth fairy, Santa, Easter Bunny, etc... So I enlisted the help of my awesome neighbors. Jackie put together a very authentic news story and emailed it to me. Also my neighbor Michelle passed along a power point presentation from the tooth fairy apologizing for not getting to all of the houses last night. Fingers crossed he bought it.

* Knock on wood, Caroline has been sleeping awesome this week. I nurse her around 8 or 9 and then Nate gives her a formula bottle before he goes to bed and she sleeps until about 4. This also means that she is awake more during the day, which the boys love.

* So far she is a really good baby. She hardly ever fusses, so when she does Ben gets very concerned. The other night Nate was giving her a bath and she started to cry. Ben got out of the tub and said, "Mommy come get Caroline, she is fussy." Then he looks at Nate and says, "Maybe she doesn't like you?".

* Jack's football season ended last weekend, so this is the first week since July that we have had family dinner every night. Nate and I have loved it. The kids however are ready to go back to mac'n'cheese and spaghetti-os.

* We went for ice cream afterschool yesterday because the boys both brought home AWESOME progress reports this week.

* Apparently the playmats are becoming popular with older brothers these days. (See the Harrison Family blog). This is how I found Ben the other morning:

* Bath time has been an adventure recently! But the end result is so worth it:

Ben's Pirate Birthday Bash!

2008-11-15T04:56:00.000-08:00

Ben had a great two day birthday celebration. He woke up bright and early on November 13th(his actual birthday). Since Mommy and Caroline were already up, we let Ben open one of his presents from Grams and Rab. He got a Spiderman scooter and was so excited. Ben has preschool on Thursdays, so Caroline and I brought cake and celebrated with his friends at school. His class is hilarious and full of personality. There is one girl Grace who Ben talks about all of the time. As we were leaving she said, "Ben you are my best friend. Come here and let me give you your birthday hug." It was too cute. Grandma and Grandpa came up for dinner and more cake. Friday morning started early with Ben in our room before 6. He was ready for his party! We had the party at Pirates Cove and the kids had a blast. It is similar to Monkey Joe's, but in addition to inflatables it has a ginormous pirate ship in the middle of the room and a huge sandbox. Ben told me it was the "most awesomest place he has ever seen!"

Happy Birthday Bens!

2008-11-13T14:25:00.000-08:00

Four years ago you entered the world wailing! I still remember lying in the hospital and the nurse bringing you to me in the middle of the night because you wouldn't stop crying. As soon as I held you, you immediately stopped and just stared at me. The nurse told me that I had " a baby who needs his Mommy". You are the most strong willed child who has a heart of gold. You make me laugh everyday. I love you bunches! Happy Fourth Birthday!
(Pictures will follow tomorrow after his party)

Jack's first book report

2008-11-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

Jack has to turn in hs first ever book report this week. Since it will be my first week alone with the kids during the day, I wanted to finish the report this weekend. In the directions it mentions several times how important it is for the children to complete the project independently with as little help as possible from the parents. You had three different choices of projects and you could pick your own book. The goal of the project is to teach the kids about settings of stories. Jack wanted to do a diorama on the setting of The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. My Mom and I both tried to steer him in different directions, but he really had his heart set on that book. So we sat down to put the project together today and I was so amazed at how well he did. He wanted to use cotton balls for the snow and then he drew the characters. He came up with the idea to use q-tips to prop the characters in the snow. As you can tell from the picture, he is very proud of his work!

"Don't leave me with the babies!"

2008-11-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

Happy due date Caroline! We are so glad you made your appearance early. (knock on wood)She is the best baby. She slept last night from 10 to 1, got up to eat, and then went right back to bed and slept until 6. We are really hoping that was not a fluke. (knock on wood). I don't know if it is a gender thing or if the boys were just similar, but things are different with her. She truly is a little bean. She lost a pound from her birth weight to her 48 hour check, so we had to go back to the doctor on Monday. She gained 3 ounces so we are moving in the right direction, but we still have to go back in a couple of days to see if she has gotten back up to her birth weight. Since she is so alert and laid back, the doctor just thinks she is going to be petite. For those of you who remember Jack and Ben as babies, petite would not be a word you would use to describe them . :)

My Mom was here all this week which was absolutely heavenly. She did laundry, made dinner, played basketball with the kids, and the list goes on. I was able to run some errands and get things ready for Ben's birthday party next week which was great. We are going to miss her so much! Thankfully she is only an hour away.

Trick or Treat 2008

2008-11-02T01:47:00.000-07:00

I am so glad I was able to be home for Halloween. When we set my induction date, that was my biggest concern that I would miss seeing the boys all dressed up. This year our theme was "Old School Halloween". Jack was a skeleton, Ben was a bat and Caroline was a pumpkin (under all of her blankets :)). We ate dinner with the cul-de-sac crew and then the kids were off. If you notice in the pictures, we had to explain to Ben that even though it is faster, it is not nice to cut through people's yards. Jack had really talked Halloween up to Ben this year so it was difficult to get a picture of them looking at the camera. Please excuse the bags under my eyes. ;)

Ben's Halloween Party

2008-11-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

Nate took off work last week and his Mom was in town as well, so I got to go to Ben's Halloween Party at his preschool. He has done great with Caroline, but you could tell it made his whole day to have me to himself for an hour. Nate and his Mom dropped me off at the party and then ran up the street to grab some lunch for us. His class is adorable and the room moms did a great job with the party. Ben was a bat for Halloween this year.

Miss Caroline Kane Sanders

2008-10-31T04:04:00.000-07:00

She entered the world sunny side up and screaming at 11:39am on Monday October 27th weighing 7 pounds 12 ounces with a full head of hair. Her APGARs were 9 and 9. The extra two weeks in utero really made a difference in terms of how alert she is. The first few hours of her life were spent staring at Mommy and Daddy. She is an absolute angel who is doing so well at home. The boys are absolutely in love and I think I may have been replaced as the favorite female in their life. More to come later, but here are some pictures from her first couple of days.

"How's your footwork? It is all zone all of the time" --Nate Sanders

2008-10-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

So I went ahead and scheduled my induction for November 3rd. Hopefully the little bean will cooperate and hold out until that date and not come anywhere close to Halloween. I sent Nate a text tonight while he was a football practice saying that I could not believe we get to meet this baby within the next 11 days. His response is the quote I used as the title of this post. We are so excited and can't wait to meet this baby!

Decisions, Decisions

2008-10-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

I had my 38 week appointment this morning and we discussed induction dates. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would ever have to schedule an induction! I am torn between what to do. I am 38 weeks today, 3 cm dialated and thinned out. I have been having labor signs for the past two weeks that have not really amounted to anything. So my midwife wants to schedule my induction for November 3rd when I will be 39 weeks 3 days. Normally that would be great except for the fact that Halloween is October 31st. I really don't want to miss Halloween. The boys are so excited, this is their favorite holiday next to Christmas. If I had a choice I would like to be induced this Tuesday or Wednesday. I would be 38 weeks 4/5 days and that way I can come home in time for trick or treating on Friday. The problem is that my midwife is not on call those days. So do I schedule it for Tuesday or Wednesday with a doctor that I have never met? Or do I just wait until Monday so that my midwife can induce me and just hope and pray this baby doesn't come on Halloween? I left my appointment with nothing scheduled, so I have to call back later today.

37 Week Appointment--never been to one of those before!

2008-10-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

We had a great appointment today! Friends of ours were talking about getting a 4D ultrasound done and Nate was curious what the fourth dimenson was so he asked Sandra the ultrasound tech today. She said it was movement. Well she started my sizing ultrasound and said that the baby was in perfect position. So she switched over to 4D for us. She is awesome. I have never met anyone who truly loves their job as much as she does. The 4D was so amazing. The baby looks just like Ben and Jack did when they were born, chubby cheeks and the sweetest face. We got a couple of pictures and it will be neat to compare them to pictures after the baby is born. The baby measured 6 pounds 2 ounces. I am not sure I believe that since the boys were so much bigger, but we will see.
I met with my midwife and it was pretty uneventful. I opted not to get checked since it doesn't really matter at this point. Even if I had dialated more since Tuesday, there is nothing they can do if I am not in active labor. So we are still playing the waiting game. It is very exciting to know that this baby will be full term! I am really worried about the size, but am choosing to have faith in the ultrasound measurements. I think I am going to meet with the doctor in the practice for my next appointment just for a second opinion on things. Other than that we have a fun weekend planned of football and pumpkin patch visits.

Things I will miss about being pregnant

2008-10-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

* Having strangers smile at me. Anytime I go anywhere I always encounter at least one person who makes a point to make eye contact and smile. I feel like the number increases when I have one of the boys with me. When someone smiles at you, you can't help but smile back which puts me in a good mood.
* "You look great" When else in your life do people come up and tell you that you look great when you are in jeans and a t-shirt. I have made a mental note to myself to make sure to tell the pregnant people I see how wonderful they look and hopefully it will make their day as much as it made mine.
* Seeing the boys talk to my tummy. Every night when they go to bed, they will come and say goodnight to me and then good night to the baby. They give my "big ole belly" (Ben's words, not mine) a hug and a kiss. Ben will also tell the baby what he did when he gets home from school and if we go somewhere fun. "Baby, we are going to the park today!"
* The anticipation! There is nothing more exciting then waking up thinking that by the end of the day I may be a mom of THREE!
* I know this is the most cliched answer, but feeling the baby move is the most amazing feeling in the world. Hands down this is what I will miss the most.

Today has been much better than yesterday. Nate and I went to bed at 9 last night and I think a good night sleep is what I needed the most. I got up, showered, put one of my favorite maternity tops on and have been in a much better mood then yesterday. The really painful contractions have stopped which has been awesome. I go to the midwife tomorrow and get to have my last ultrasound. If I can't meet the baby in person, this is the next best thing. Hopefully things are not too squished and we can get some good pictures. The absolute best part is that I will be considered full term tomorrow. Yeah for me!

Lisa's Trip to Labor and Delivery as told by Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers of Weekend Update

2008-10-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

Amy: So Lisa had to go to Labor and Delivery last night...again.
Seth: Really?
Amy: You think by her third child she could figure out real labor vs. false labor. Really.
Seth: Seriously. Why did she go in this time?
Amy: Contractions.
Seth: Seriously? Hey um Lisa, you have been contracting since 15 weeks. Wow, really?
Amy: Really, I mean they are obviously not doing anything.
Seth: Seriously. Well at least they sent her home quickly.
Amy: Really? Have you been to Northside? Even though they determined she was not in active labor and due to the fact she is still considered preterm (full term is in 48 hours) they wouldn't allow her to eat or be off the monitors, nor would they give her anything to make her contractions more effective. Seriously.

Laughter is the only way I am going to make it through today and tomorrow. (If you have never seen the "Really" segment on Saturday Night Live I encourage you to visit this link http://video.aol.com/partner/hulu/saturday-night-live-weekend-update-michael-vick-really/JzH90-FkjpfQasz3uAF2-ZAC6RTvCwmV. It makes my above skit a lot more funny) I was having contractions every 4 minutes lasting a minute and I had to breathe through them. I tried everything besides medicine to get them to stop to be sure they were the real thing. After several hours, I called my midwife who told me to go to Northside. However after 5 hours there I had only dialated a centimeter from when I came in. Since they can not give me anything to make the contractions more effective they gave me the option of staying until I went into full blown labor or going home. Hmmm, staying in bed hooked up to machines where they won't let me eat or going home to my bed and eating Chic-fil-a? I am still having bouts of painful contractions, but it is nowhere near as bad as last night. I just got off the phone with Erin and I didn't have any super painful ones when I was talking to her which was super nice. Hopefully the painful contractions will either go away or break my water. I want to enjoy this last part of pregnancy but having tons of painful contractions makes it difficult.
I go to the doctor on Thursday (37 weeks! Full term!. I will keep you posted.

Ben the Bike Rider

2008-10-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post these pictures for awhile. Ben is now a bike rider...as long as the surface is flat and he doesn't have to steer much. On the weekends or after dinner Nate has been taking him at Jack to the bank at the front of the neighborhood to ride bikes. I think Ben likes the male comraderie and getting a new helmet more than actually riding the bike. I have also included a picture of my biggest child on Jack's bike. Apparently Daddy gets bored watching for too long.

36 weeks and still pregnant!

2008-10-09T07:26:00.000-07:00

How wonderful is it that I can sit here and type that title! I have been feeling fantastic since they took me off the medicine last week. We had a close call on Saturday so I ended up taking the terbutaline but other than that it has been smooth sailing. My midwife said if I went into labor anytime past today they would not try to stop it. I have told the little bean that as soon as its lungs are developed we would really like to meet him/her. I have several people who have requested this weekend, so we shall see what happens. Right now I am just enjoying my freedom and the last couple of weeks (days?) of pregnancy.

"Model Patient"

2008-10-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

The bean and I had a fantastic appointment today! Reason #9992092 I love my midwife: She came in to the room today and told me that I kept up my end of the deal by making it to 35 weeks and asked me what I wanted to do. I told her I felt like after 6 weeks my body had adjusted to the medicine and I was contracting through it all of the time. She said that it was definitely a possibility so I am now off bedrest and medicine! She said I could still take some at night or in the morning if the contractions were painful. I gained another 2 pounds in the last two weeks. And for the absolute best part...the bean flipped!!! Yeah Little Bean! I was measuring really far behind as of my last appointment, but after the bean flipped I am measuring right on target. She checked me and said I had thined out and was slightly dialated which is where most people are at 35 weeks. So as of right now they would not do anything to stop labor. I have an appointment in two weeks if I don't go into labor before then. At the end of my appointment she told me that I was a model patient!
The boys are getting really excited for the baby to get here. We got all of the baby gear out of the basement this weekend, which I think made it very really for Ben. He has been a little more clingy than normal. We are playing up the big brother thing which is working. Jack has been awesome about telling him how much fun it is to be a big kid and not the baby of the family anymore.

Want to be the first to know if Little Bean is a boy or a girl?

2008-09-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

Since we are nearing the home stretch, I thought it would be fun to do one of those predict the gender, size, and when the baby is going to come. Since we don't know the gender and my due date doesn't exactly help, I figure these answers should be all over the place. Now here is the best part! Whoever guesses correctly will be the first to know (besides Jack and Ben) the gender of the baby. We will personally call you from Northside with the good news. Here is some information that may help you out. Let me know if I am leaving anything out!
Jack was born 5 weeks early after being on and off bedrest since 27 weeks. He weighed 7 pounds and 14 ounces.
Ben was born 4 weeks early and weighed 8 pounds and 15 ounces. I was on bedrest and meds until November 2nd. Ben came 11 days later.
Little Bean: I will go off my meds October 2nd. At 32 weeks the bean measured 4 pounds and 4 ounces. (I did not have sizing ultrasounds with either of the boys).

Good Luck!

BLACKOUT and an update.

2008-09-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

Since the Dawgs will be blacking out Sanford Staduim this weekend and we can't be there in person, I have decided to black out the blog for this week!
We had an awesome fall break. I am not sure what Nate said to the kids, but they were angels. We went to The Bounce House (where I sat), had a picnic and played at the park (where I sat), and had a great time watching football with the neighbors (again sitting). I did venture to the outlets on Saturday. We were there for an hour and Nate personally drove me to the three stores I was allowed to go. I was fine, just a reminder for what I am in store for once I go off the meds. I am still trying to take it very easy and enjoy the last couple (fingers crossed for several) weeks of pregnancy. I will post later on this week with pictures of the kids. We are still trying to figure out what to dress them up as for Halloween. Each year since Ben has been born, there has been a theme. First they were a fireman and dalmation. Then they were Buzz Lightyear and Woody. Last year they were Power Rangers. I am running out of ideas that appeal to both of them.
Also wanted to give a shout out to my friend Katie who hit the third trimester today! Woo-Hoo Baby Gordon!

Negative!

2008-09-16T06:14:00.000-07:00

My midwife just called and told me my preterm labor test came back negative this time! In the same breath she told me this is not my get out of jail free card. The reason it came back negative is that my contractions have decreased majorly since bedrest and that I am not putting any pressure on my cervix. So I can venture out a little more, but no standing for extended periods of time. She said I just need to make it two and a half more weeks and then I can run a marathon if I choose. ;) I am still on the medicine, and it is not as bad this time around.
The boys are on fall break this week so I promise I will post pictures of them very soon. Jack has been doing great with football. His name was announced twice over the loud speaker last weekend and he was on cloud nine. Ben is now riding his big boy bike with training wheels. He looks so big!
Also wanted to give a shout out to Hannah Paige (Matt and Erin Harrison's baby) who entered the world yesterday. Erin and I see the same midwife and when she called to give me my test results this morning she told me how awesome Erin did yesterday!

32 weeks!

2008-09-13T04:48:00.001-07:00

I had my 32 week appointment yesterday. When I was hospitalized 3 weeks ago, my goal was to make it to 32 weeks. Well that came and went on Thursday and the baby looks great. First of all, I gained THREE pounds in 8 days which is awesome. The nurse who weighed me said she had never seen anyone so excited about gaining weight. I figure the only thing I have any control over is my caloric intake, so I am going to do my best to fatten this baby up. Since I was measuring really small last week, I got to see the little bean this time. The baby is measuring 4 pounds 4 ounces and has hair! My cervix (it wouldn't be a blog post these days without talking about my cervix) is still closed and measuring 4.5cm. We had to increase my dosage on Wednesday since my contractions were picking up in both frequency and intensity, but obviously we caught it early enough that it didn't do anything to my cervix. Also little bean is still breech.
I talked to my midwife (have I mentioned how much I love her) about where to go from here. She thinks since it is still early, I need to keep taking my meds and stay on bedrest. I can do a little more than last week, but the biggest thing is to not be standing up for any length of time. The kids were awesome last week, so I agreed with her. At this point, there is no need to risk it so that I can grocery shop. Nate is slowly coming around to the idea that I can do more things. He always thinks I am overdoing it.
Also a big shout-out to everyone that went out of their way to make my birthday awesome. Thanks for the cards, emails, texts, facebook messages, etc... My parents brought me dinner on Thursday since Nate and Jack were at football practice. Nate and I celebrated last night with sushi take out and a movie. I broke the rules on Wednesday and went to dinner with my friends from college. For my sanity, I needed to see the outside of my house and people other than my family. It was great to see everyone and catch up. Also I know a lot of you who read my blog, also read Katie's. Her internet is down, but she had a great appointment yesterday. Hopefully she will be able to post about it soon.

31 Week Update

2008-09-05T03:36:00.000-07:00

I had a good appointment yesterday. Since the medicine seems to have my contractions under control, we decided not to check me this week. Next week I go in for my 32 week appointment, an ultrasound, and we are going to redo the preterm labor test. The ultrasound is to measure both my cervix and to double check the bean's size. I am measuring on the small side, so we want to make sure bean is growing. Neither my midwife or I am really concerned since I just had an ultrasound at the hospital two weeks ago and the baby was measuring on the bigger side. But it will be nice to see the bean again. ;)Right now I am on moderate bedrest. I am allowed to go up and down stairs once a day and whatever time I spend up I have to spend double down. So if it takes me 45 minutes to get ready in the morning I need to spend an hour and a half down. This only applies to neccessities, she really wants me to take it easy for the next week. We are also going to repeat the preterm labor test at my 32 week appointment. Hopefully if that comes back negative this time, then I will really be able to get out and move about. Thanks for all your well wishes! Also, I am absolutely shocked at the preliminary poll results! Perhaps I need to buy a little pink just in case....

A Fun Game

2008-09-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

While on bedrest, I have started reading blogs much more frequently. I came accross one of a girl who was on bedrest for SEVENTEEN WEEKS. She was having contractions that were changing her cervix around 20 weeks. She was on bedrest until they took her off at 37 weeks. The baby decided to stick around for another 2 weeks until her water broke at 39 weeks. Anyways, before she found out the gender she did a poll on her blog to see what people thought her baby was going to be. She complied a list of Old Wives Tales and answered them to help her friends and family guess what she was having. So I added a poll to my blog and here are my answers to the Old Wives Tales (minus the ones that talk about boobs. My Dad and brothers read this thing.) Also I would like to disclose that if you have 2 of one gender the chance that your third will be that same gender, is about 75%. On the other hand, Dino (Matt Harrison's Grandmom) has accurately predicted the gender of all four of her grandbabies correctly. She thinks I am having a girl.

OLD WIVES TALES:
1) If you carry high, it’s a girl. Low, it’s a boy. I feel like I am carrying higher this time so we will say GIRL
2) If the heartbeat is under 140 bpm, it’s a boy. If it is over 140 bpm, it’s a girl. GIRL (for the sake of full disclosure, both the boys were higher than 140)
3) Tie your wedding ring to a string and dangle it over your belly. If it swings back and forth, it’s a boy. If it goes in circles, it’s a girl. You can also do this holding the string over your open palm. BOY
4) Chinese Gender Chart (http://parenting.ivillage.com/ttc/ttcsigns/0,,j736,00.html ) Some say this is correct 90% of the time. Girl
5) If you have acne during pregnancy, it’s a girl. If you don’t, it’s a boy. No pimples here, BOY
6) If you have morning sickness, you’re having a girl. If you don’t, you’re having a boy. I had all day sickness the entire first trimester, so GIRL. (I was sick with Ben the entire first trimester as well)
9) If your urine is neon yellow, it’s a boy. If it’s a dull yellow, it’s a girl. Um, BOY. And I don’t like talking about my urine.
10) If you’re hair on your legs grows faster, it’s a girl. I haven’t noticed any kind of sudden overgrowth on my legs. BOY.
11) If the dad to be is gaining weight with you, it’s a boy. If he stays the same, it’s a girl. I should check with Nate to be sure, but I’m going to say GIRL.
12) If you have headaches, you’re having a boy. If you don’t, it’s a girl. Boy (although I am not sure how many of those headaches are due to lack of caffeine)
13) Girls steal your beauty. If you look better than before, it’s a boy. If you don’t, it’s a girl. I am going with my pre-bedrest look since I am currently rocking the messy pony, pjs and no make-up. I received several complements from people who know me and random strangers about how good I look so I will say BOY.
14) If your feet are colder than usual, it’s a boy. If they’re the same, it’s a girl. GIRL? (They are actually hotter than normal)

You have got to be kidding me....

2008-08-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, my appointment today was great. My cervix is still measuring 4cm and the medicine seems to have my contractions under control for the most part. I am still on super strict bedrest until next week. If everything remains the same then I can tone down the bedrest slightly. Currently I can only get up to shower and go to the bathroom, so it will be nice to see outside my bedroom on a regular basis. And now for the intersting part---Little Bean is BREECH!!!! So if I go into labor soon not only is it way too early, I will also end up with an emergency c-section. Awesome. My midwife sent me home with some instructions on different positions I can lay in to try and turn the baby. I go in next week for another ultrasound, so hopefully the bean will have flipped by then.
On the home front, everyone seems to be adjusting to Mommy on bedrest. We did have one instance that involved Nate, the dryer, and one of my favorite dry clean only shirts but overall things have been going well. Nate's Mom is here to help with the boys (and by help, I mean totally take care of them) through the weekend. The boys are so excited she is here. Jack doesn't seem to be permanently scarred that I will not be attending his party on Friday night. That makes one of us. ;)
Thanks for all of the emails, phone calls, etc... over the last couple of days. It really helps the time go by faster.

Jack is 7!!!

2008-08-26T15:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Jack's birthday. The one good thing about his bus coming obscenely early(6:55!!!) is that he was awake at exactly 6:33 am, which was the exact time he entered this world. I can't believe he is already 7. Time has flown by so fast with him. My parents came over Sunday night for birthday pizza and brownies. Nate was working from home yesterday, so he and Ben went to school to have lunch with Jack and take his class cupcakes. As you can see from the pictures, he and Ben enjoyed making the cupcakes! His party is scheduled for Friday. It is supposed to be at the pool, so hopefully we can get rid of all of this rain before then! Jack has already racked up with fun presents! He has been enjoying waking up to his brand new Bulldawg alarm clock, sleeping with his new Incredible Hulk blanket, playing Mario Cart, and playing with all of his fun new toys.

Greetings from Northside :(

2008-08-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

Well apparently I spoke too soon on Wednesday. My test that diagnoses preterm labor came back positive on Friday. Essentially this means I have an increased risk of going into labor in the next two weeks. I was 29 weeks on Thursday so this baby definitely needs to stay in much longer than two weeks. We checked into Northside on Friday night and the first thing they did was measure my cervix which is thankfully still long. The baby looked perfect and is measuring at 3 pounds and 3 ounces. I received a steroid shot for the baby's lungs and they began to monitor my contractions. I made it a whole 30 minutes on the monitor before the nurse came in with the brethine. For those of you who were around with my previous pregnancies,I lovingly refer to bretine as "crack pills" because it literally makes me shaky and feel like my heart is coming out of my chest. However, it works. My contractions have slowed dramatically. I get to go home tonight after receiving my final steroid shot to mature the baby's lungs. I am on strict bedrest for the remainder of the next two weeks. WHEN I make it past those two weeks it will be a week by week thing to determine my activity level.
I had my major freak out on Friday but have been ok since I got to the hospital. It is such a weight off my shoulders to have someone else determine what contractions I should be worrying about, what I can/can't do, etc... I am sure these next two weeks are going to be hard and I am going to have to resist the urge to call the doctor with every twinge. Please keep not only little bean and I in your prayers, but Nate and the boys as well. Jack turns 7 on Monday and I won't be able to bring cupcakes to his class or attend his party, which is making me cry even thinking about. Nate as been awesome, but I think it will be an adjustment for Ben.
I wanted to thank everyone for their emails, text messages, facebook messages and phone calls. It means the world to me knowing that so many people are thinking about and praying for us. I will keep you posted as much as possible.

An Eventful 29 Week Appointment

2008-08-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

I would like to first say how much I LOVE my midwife. Yesterday I decided to re-organize our closet while Ben was at preschool. Since we are not doing a nursery until the little bean gets here, I need to find something to occupy my nesting urges. It was a big project, so I knew I would probably have a couple more contractions than normal that night. (I have been contracting since 18 weeks. Super Fun). Well I had about 15 in a two and a half hour span. Against Nate's wishes, I decided not to call since my appointment was at 9 this morning. When the nurse came in to give me the horrible glucose drink for my diabetes test, I told her about the activities from the night before. That in combination with the fact I had preterm labor with both the boys, earned me a trip across the hall to monitor my contractions. I only had one in the thirty minutes they monitored me which was fantastic. She checked me and said that I was not dialated at all, but she wanted me to have an ultrasound to check my cervix length to make sure it was not shortening/funneling. After getting those results her response was, "You have the longest cervix ever." She wanted it to be in the 3 to 4 cm range. Mine was 5.8! Yeah me! She told me I need to make sure I am resting for at least an hour in the afternoon and drinking lots of water. But (and this is the best part) NO BEDREST yet. My weight gain was perfect, bringing my total to 18 pounds so far this pregnancy. I get the results from my iron, diabetes, and preterm labor tests this week so hopefully they will come back normal. I went in very nervous, but left feeling so relieved!

Ben's First Day of School

2008-08-18T04:17:00.000-07:00

Ben started preschool last week. You know how for the first time ever, I did not cry on Jack's first day this year? Yeah, not so true for Ben's. ;) He did awesome. He was so excited, especially to wear his "school shoes". He was up in time to walk Jack to the bus stop at 7, so we made a breakfast stop at Waffle House on the way to school to kill some time. We pulled up to the carpool line and he hopped right out. I cried the entire way to Wal-Mart. I just don't like them getting older. I am sure the pregnancy hormones had nothing to do with it! ;) He had a great first week last week. His favorite "class" is music and movement. His music and movement teacher Ms. Kerri remembered Ben from carpool days when she used to have to get Jack out of the car. Ben wasn't the biggest fan of the car ;).

My Buddy

2008-08-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

With Jack at school last week, Ben and I had a lot of quality Mommy-Ben time. Even though I stopped working in June, I have always had a problem being a "stay-at-home" Mom (much to the displeasure of Nate, my Mom, and my Doctor ;)). Ben and I do much better if we have places to go, people to see, and things to do. So last week we went grocery shopping, to Old Navy, to Target, the park, and Home Depot. On Friday we went to Ben's preschool and got to meet his teachers Miss Jennifer and Miss Elisa. Afterwards we went to McDonald's for lunch. He is really excited about school, especially after he got to see the music room with all of the fun instruments. He will go Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I am not sure what I am going to do those days! I will post pictures of his first day tomorrow.
My neighbor Darby of Darby Rose Photography (see sidebar) took the picture above. Isn't she talented!

"How do you zoom out on this thing?" --Kelly Hilands

2008-08-11T05:37:00.000-07:00

We had a super fun birthday dinner for Erin/meet Ella Grace party last night at my friend Karley's. Ella was such an angel and it was so great to see her nursery in person. Karley is the first out of my four college friends that I was pregnant with this time to have her baby. Erin is due in 5 weeks and then it will be my turn!! Some days I want October to hurry up and get here. Other days (those days when I am chasing Jack and Ben around) I realize this baby is a lot easier to keep track of on the inside. ;)

Jack's in FIRST GRADE?!?!

2008-08-04T05:09:00.000-07:00

Jack started school today. I cannot believe he is in first grade. He was so excited this morning. He really enjoys school. We met his teacher, Ms. Williams, on Friday and she seems super nice. He has two really good friends from his kindergarten class in his class this year so that will be nice to see a couple of familiar faces. I did really well this year, no tears for the first time since preschool. I did however tear up a little during school supply shopping. I blame the pregnancy hormones.:) The crowd at the bus stop grew this year with the addition of our new neighbors Lane and Olivia. Plus Hannah and Ally started school this year as well. Ben has been walking around for the last hour asking where Jack is. This is the first time Ben has been without a playmate for two years. When I was at work, he always went to a neighbors house and played with his friends until Jack got home from school. Ben starts preschool next Tuesday.

Braves Game

2008-08-04T04:58:00.001-07:00

We wanted to do something fun before Jack went back to school today, so we decided to go to the Braves game. We loaded up the cooler with as much water as it could possibly hold and then headed downtown. First there was a stop off at The Varsity, an Atlanta landmark. The kids enjoyed their lunch, complete with Frosted Orange. We headed down to Turner Field and were able to get the best parking spot right across the street from the entrance. Our seats were down the first base line and temporarily in the shade. Ben was more interested in the binoculars than anything else. We also found the Cartoon Network area and spent a lot of time there. We made it to the 7th inning, which is pretty impressive for a three year old and a pregnant chick. We got home and Nate took the kids to the pool to cool off while I got everything ready for Jack's first day.