It's a girl!!

The wait is over...in so many ways, especially for my sister. After four boys, she had a precious girl this evening!! Maggie Elizabeth is my new baby niece :)
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May. 30, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by SmallWorld
I hope that Maggie experiences life as #5, only girl, as I did: wrapped in love and protection.
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Jun. 7, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by jengresak
Welcome to the world Maggie! I had a girl after three boys and it was SHOCKING to say the least -lol. Have a great week!
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Jun. 10, 2007 - Okay, PartyofFive...
Posted by QueenoftheHill
Time for you to do a new blog or we're all going to have to come over there and do an intervention!!! We miss you! Give us a recipe, book report, or some really really good poetry, even.

Baby teeth..

I took Bekah in for her first dentist appointment in March, and figured I may as well get Elisa in too, mainly because one of E's three year old friends had 5 cavities at his first appointment. She has had some white spots I've had the dentist look at, so I figured I would be cautious. I was floored to find out she had many cavities as well. We were referred to a pediadontist and had to wait two months for that appt.
Well, today was the day. I went in there with the expectation they would have to sedate her and work on those teeth. I left with an appointment to have her go into surgery tomorrow. They have to put her under because she has to have crowns put on some of her teeth. This baffles me because I didn't have a cavity until I was 26, and Caleb and Bekah have perfect teeth. The dentist says her teeth weren't formed well and are more prone to cavities. She has five. And so I am anxious, and devastated, no, detroviated with this. I hate the thought handing her over to someone to put her to sleep. I don't even know if Mike will be able to come. We have to be there at 6:45 a.m.
So please pray for my little Elisa girl and for me. I'm thinking this is a good night for margarita night...oh wait. I have church :) Yes, please pray for me!
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May. 23, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by SmallWorld
What a precious picture, and you know I'll be praying...I am a lark of sorts, after all.
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May. 27, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by jennfromtenn
How did it go? We have had ortho issues with Gabe and little Joe begins in July. Several of his baby teeth are ground down because of his bite, so I know he's gonna be in for lots of fun in the teeth department. Call me so we can schedule a play day. Jenn
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May. 28, 2007 - It has floored me twice...
Posted by jenmcintyre
Emily had cavities on her first visit. It is hard to believe when you didn't have problems so young. I hope things went well. Did you have it done at Children's?

What a weekend!

This past week has been a blur. From working and working to get my house in order, to Bekah's preschool graduation, to Danielle coming, I feel like I have lived much in the past week. By the time Danielle got here Thurs. I could barely keep my eyes open. After much anticipation, she made it!!
What a great time we had. We can fall right back into place, even after not having seen each other for almost two years. Our first order of business was to open a pack of cookie dough and eat as much as possible before turning in for the night. We got to Asheville, NC for the weekend. It doesn't take much to amuse us, and so we spent much of the weekend laughing. Had it not been for the 3 packages of cookie dough we consumed, I may have had flat abs after all this. We were questioned by sales people at more than one store about what was so funny. We tried out furniture, hats, dresses, and $3 margaritas that were so small even my kids would have been excited about the lemonade they just had.
But then there was this voice. And, Oh how do you explain it. All I can say is, if you know who Sylvia Brown is, some weird psychic woman, you will know the voice. We were priviledged enough to see a clip of her freak show and decided to mimic her 30 plus years of smoking voice all the was back to TN. Now really, this may not seem funny, but oh my, I had not laughed like that in a long time. I thought Mike was going to throw us out last night. He wasn't as amused.
It's so great to have this different aspect of friendship here. I sometimes wonder what our friendship would look like if Mike and I stayed in WA. I wonder if it would be as great as it is now, with all the hustle of daily life for both of us. So, I will remember and think so fondly and laughingly (if that is a word) on this weekend and look forward to the next time...
photographer: Bekah, age 5
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May. 21, 2007 - So awesome!
Posted by SmallWorld
I'm so glad you had a great time and so sorry I didn't get to meet her!
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May. 22, 2007 - I have two friends like that
Posted by onfire
we've had our ups and downs, for sure, but there is nothing that can replace that kind of familiar love that just rolls with whatever is happening ... AND laughs at all the right places. I only wish I lived near Tennessee, so I could have possibly added to my friends for real Kristina
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May. 22, 2007 - I'm so jealous!
Posted by QueenoftheHill
I don't know that I have anyone to just plain giggle with anymore! How wonderful that you got to spend a whole week with Danielle. What a blessing.
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Jun. 1, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous
Can I just say that I need Becca in my photography class??? She did a GREAT job! LaDonna

Bekah's coming home...

Bekah graduated from pre school last Thursday. And I cried. I can't believe that time goes by so fast. She is so proud of herself and now says she is a big girl and gets to come home and do school with Mommy. We are both excited about that...

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May. 21, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Hutcheson
They grow up too fast! Enjoy your time with them while they're young. God bless, Tammy
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May. 21, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by SmallWorld
Yay for Bekah! Guess that means we'd better hurry and finish the last 25 lessons in Teach Your Child to Read....

Happy Birthday Mike(y)

And so, it is the time of year where Mike catches up to me a little on the age game. We are 16 months apart, so for too many months it sounds like I am 2 years older than him. When we first started dating, I was was20, he was 18.
We barely saw each other, had different lunch plans ( I forgot and volunteered at Bekah's preschool) and had gymnastics and soccer before making it home to a yummy cheesecake made by my friend Maggie. Then off to baths, where I lost my cool with two fighting girls, a present that wasn't wrapped, and the last bit of American Idol. What a life! Happy Birthday, Mike....you are my sweetheart and my best friend.
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May. 9, 2007 - i know that game ...
Posted by onfire
I should say I know both of those games. Meaning, I am 17 months older than Neal, so it was a really funny day (for him) when I turned 30. I have been battling two fighting boys too. Seems they like it better in TN. hmmmm maybe they get that from their mother. Kristina

My little rocker...

Last night I got to go see Sanctus Real in concert, thanks to my husband, who, in a weeks time organized and promoted this with dad2three. Caleb found out that a friend of his was going and asked if he could go to. He hasn't been to a concert yet, and I knew this one would be loud. So, I took him down to the sound check and told him that there would be no " I want to go home, it's too loud, I'm bored, can I get something to eat..." And he promised he wouldn't.
So, Caleb became my date for the night. I did get to help out at the product tabe for a lot of the opening acts, so Caleb and his friend Hunter, rocked with Chris, Hunter's dad. Caleb had a great time. And yes, it was very loud. So loud that I started handing out the extra ear plugs I had to those coming out with their fingers in their ears!
Caleb danced with me, clapped along, sat on my shoulders, and sang along to the parts of the songs he knew. It was a great mother-son night. Afterwards, we got to meet the band. They were so great to sign what we wanted signed and pose for many pictures , mainly with Caleb and Hunter.
I just woke Caleb up. It is 10 am. He is asking for me to hang up his Sanctus Real poster, and as we drive to our last soccer game today, no doubt there will be SR playing in the car...

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May. 5, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by SmallWorld
Great photos! Caleb will treasure that forever!
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May. 5, 2007 - You AND Your Husband ROCK
Posted by Dad2Three
Here are my mental notes from last night: Donna and Caleb gettin' funky to a hoppin' little Need to Breath tune; Donna, Leigh and Sheila (pronounced "Shilla") gettin' jiggy with it during "I'm Not Alright"; Mike starting the mosh pit and 274 kids joining in; Randy swayin' back and forth remembering the Neil Young concert in Dayton (or was it the Dead in Cleveland - can't remember, nor can he); Beccah doin' the pogo during the This Beautiful Republic opening number; Mike break dancing in the parking lot after the final speaker-box was loaded into the van; parents with ear plugs in the back row while kids without ear plugs hugged the speakers; hand towels - lots of embroidered hand-towels (even one that said, "RickY" with little hearts); great big HUGE tremendous fun - let's do it again when our ears stop ringing. R ps - Bring little-E next time, the only thing missing was a little stage-diving !!!!
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May. 7, 2007 - I wasn't break-dancing...
Posted by fyftn
... that was me twitching in agony after throwing out my back loading that last speaker into the truck. Everything else is pretty much how I remember it too. ;)
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May. 8, 2007 - finally back to normal
Posted by onfire
whatever normal really means, that is. Neal is taking the rest of the week off to recover from pneumonia (found out yesterday). Yuck. I just wanted to stop by and tell you how cool the blogger picnic was for us and that we really really wanted to go to the concert. Looking back though, I am not sure either of us could have handled it (we were really tired and had no idea Neal was so sick). I guess the pictures you posted will just have to do kristina

No UTI...

Just potty problems...at least I feel a little better about myslef (that she didn't have an infection....) Now onto other problems to solve..

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May. 13, 2007 - Could it be...
Posted by aiminghigh
...food allergies? My young daughter had a similiar problem with lack of control with urinating. I had never been told that one response to food allergies was an increased inability to control urination. We had her tested for food allergies because of some other issues going on with her; it was at that time the tester mentioned that wetting can be an allergic response...her list of food allergies is very long. We cleaned out her system, adjusted her food intact, and...no more wetting issues! So...just a thought to consider. By the way, a "regular" doctor may look at you crosswise if you mention this; I would go to a naturpath as they tend to be more in tune with food related issues and the body's responses to nutrition.

Not my finest moment...

We had a great afternoon yesterday at the bloggers picnic. I got to meet people I never knew exsisted, and now get to read their blogs, and found out some of my own friends blogged, and I never knew. My girls met two new friends, and Caleb looked like he had fought a war doing who knows what with Duncan.
And then, I had to move over to Caleb's pack meeting at another park. I don't think we were there ten minutes when Bekah runs across the park screaming MOM, MOM, and holding herself. I have to back up and say it has been more and more frequent that she will hold her pee to the last moment and urinate on...my mom's floor, her car seat, her bed...and so I am a bit frustrated...so I knew what was going to happen but I start screaming, "Run Bekah, Run," and she does for a moment and then stops. So, in front of EVERyONE , I pull down her pants for her to pee on the ground and she just starts peeing all over herself. (the underwear never made it all the way down) And so I just walked away.
Her little bare buns still out there for all to see, including the cute birth mark on her bottom, I walked away. Mike was right behind me and took her to the bathroom. Now, granted, I didn't spank her or yell at her, but, as I looked up everyone was looking at me. It was a small break from watching Gideon get his head wrapped after face planting on the sidewalk, I suppose. I went over to about every mom and apologized for how I acted.
The good news is, they are all moms and have been there, tired of cleaning up pee. So Tia tells me about how her daughter has UTI's and maybe this is what is going on with Bekah...I made an appointment to take her in today, and so we shall see.
Last night as I put her to bed, I told her how sorry I was for the way I acted. She told me she forgave me and said "Mom, I just love you too much."
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May. 4, 2007 - how sweet...
Posted by Suzanne
...about her love for you -- NOT about her potty accident. :-) (Is Bekah the younger one?) So,did you have a extra set of clothes in the car/van/SUV/whatever just waiting to be used?
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May. 4, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by partyoffive
Bekah is the older one...no extra clothes. I did have a friend come up to me with a 2T outfit, which was sweet, but Bekah is a 5/6!! she sat on a bench until she said she was tired and fell asleep..
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May. 4, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by SmallWorld
I feel your pain....but I do wish I had been there because you know I would have been CRACKING UP! I know you weren't, but oh my goodness! How hysterical is that? You will never forget that moment, and when she's 40 she can say, "Remember that time I peed in front of the whole pack?"
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May. 7, 2007 - I felt your pain!
Posted by QueenoftheHill
But I will confess that I had to stifle a giggle. I have SOOOOO been there myself. In my case, it was a boy who simply couldn't be stopped from dropping trou and just peeing wherever he was standing in the school playground. Yet another hazard of living a rural lifestyle. :-)

This coming weekend I was supposed to be going to Las Vegas to meet up with my best friend Danielle, who lives in Gig Harbor, WA. We were going to make it a girls weekend, but she found out her husband is out of town on business this weekend....in Las Vegas. So, we set another date, but found that even though airfare wasn't going to be much, hotel, car, food, shopping....that would all add up to too much. And so I was crushed. I haven't seen Danielle in almost 2 years.
And so Danielle came up with the great idea that she would come visit me here!! I don't get out to WA much by myself, and my sister lives there too, so there is the splitting of time, and not much of a weekend getaway, so this is going to be great. The countdown has begun, well, it begun when she told me, but two weeks from today, Danielle will be here.
We met about 9 years ago, both of us new to Western WA, and with few friends. We hit it off immediately when, at bible study, our teaching leader started talking about marriage, and Danielle leaned over, and in her best Princess Bride voice said, "Mawwage. Mawwage is what brings us together today." Instant friendship. Danielle became my first real Christian friend. We were friends for 3 years before we made the big move to TN. And now we have been in TN for almost 6 years, and it has been great to have this friendship even across the country.
So, two weeks from today, we are headed to, I don't know where, but somewhere fun for the weekend. And I know it will be great, full of laughter, singing DC Talk, and Amy Grant at the top of our lungs....and just girl stuff...did I mention she is also a massage therapist?

Danielle and Elisa....3 years ago....

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May. 4, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Suzanne
It was good to meet you. I'm glad our girls got to meet, too. :-) Your friendship (mentioned here) sounds similar to the friendship I have with a gal in Minnesota. Whenever and wherever you go, I hope you "have fun storming the castle." ;-)