Straight Lines

I'm very particular about my lines... when I fold a paper, I want the corners to match perfectly.  When I cut something (especially a picture), it's gotta be a perfect straight line.  This summer when my sister was home and we were shopping in Huntingburg, I ran across a used paper cutter.  It was from Staples and the shop was asking $9 for it.  I know paper cutters are $25-$100, which is why I never bought one, so I jumped on it!  I hadn't had the opportunity to use it until Krissy's newborn pictures were delivered. 

The paper cutter was a great buy!  It works great and it gave me the perfect straight line I was looking for!  Ask Santa for one this year if you don't have one already :)  It will come in handy

It's a.......

I forgot to update the blog, but many of you have asked.... and Amy had a BOY - Cade Allen Foster!  I was there for the delivery and it was so exciting - maybe even more than when I gave birth!  She told me all along she knew the baby was a boy, but I thought for sure it was a girl (because I thought our bellies looked a lot alike).  He is a handsome little baby!  Congrats Foster family!!!

WWYD?

I saw this and it got me wondering..... what would I do?  Here are some things that just popped in my head...

1. Ride a roller coaster (I don't like the drops)
2. Sky dive
3. Take a hot air balloon ride
4. Travel out of the US

What would you do?

P.S. I was trying to make some adjustments to my comments on the blog to block some of the spam, and my sis informed me that it wasn't letting anyone leave comments... so I made some more adjustments and I think I got it worked out :)  Feel free to start/keep commenting!

Mayse Outing

Kevin and I decided to take the kids to Mayse this year.  We knew they had extra actives on the weekends, so we made plans to go this past Saturday.  We learned that next year, we need to plan a couple hours for this outing!  We figured it would take about 30 mins.... and we were there about 90 minutes and we didn't get to do everything we could (like the corn maze and the tractor ride to the pumpkin patch).

 

 This little girl was in hog heaven riding that pony!

 After the real ride, Hayden was still waiting to ride the big horse, so Allie rode the blow up horses!

 Hayden riding the big horse!  Allie wanted to ride it too!

 A little maze....

We got pumpkins right at the very end, but I was in the car feeding Krissy, so no pics!  Whoops!  We had an absolute blast and we are already looking forward to going back next year! 

Sunday's Snapshot

Krissy turned 1 month old yesterday!  I don't know where the time goes.  I thought I'd attempt to take her newborn pictures, but decided against it for several reasons... so yesterday I decided that I'd take some 1 month pictures of her.  I still haven't bought an editing program (I really think I need to go to a class to learn how to use one), so I'm hoping one day, in the near future, to put professional touches on all the pictures I took!

Here's my favorite... I'm thinking about sending it out as a birth announcement... (I know that should have been done like 3 weeks ago!)

Asian Carp

Kevin had me watching some crazy show this weekend and the show mentioned Asian Carp, which is a type of fish.  I had never heard of them, and Kevin started telling me about them.  He was saying that they jump out of the water when your boat motor is running and how they reproduce so fast that they can take over a lake quickly.  He told me to youtube a video of them, and I was intrigued, so I did.  They are CRAZY!  Take a minute to watch this video!  You'll be entertained!

Speaking of my hubby, he put a lift and bigger tires and rims on his jeep about a week ago.  It looks more beefy... he's happy, so I'm happy!

October's Mid Month Update

Outside my window . . . It's a crisp and sunny fall morning!

I am thinking . . . I need to blog more often.  It's definitely not a matter of having nothing to post, just a matter of having no time!

I am thankful for . . . healthy kids.  I mean they all three have mild colds now, but looking at Lane Goodwin's (13 yr old that has terminal cancer and has been fighting for 3 years) facebook updates daily make me realize how lucky I am!

In the kitchen . . . I have lots of little piles taking over my counter.  My sour dough starter is out so I can make cinnamon rolls for tomorrow, I have butter getting to room temp for the cake I'm making tonight, bottles need put away, and medicine that needs organized and put away!

I am wearing . . .the biggest clothes I own and they are still don't fit.  I'm so ready to lose this pregnancy weight...which requires me exercising and I just don't have it in me right now.

I am creating . . . a list of Christmas gifts I need to buy/make.  I know it's going to be here soon!

I am going . . . to pick up Hayden from church in a bit.  I've missed him!

I am wondering . . . when Amy is going to have her baby!  She has never carried a baby this long and I'm so anxious to see what she is having!!! 

I am reading . . . Sacred Marriage (for DOK)

I am hoping . . .Romney wins this election.  There, I said it.  No more politics on my blog :)

I am looking forward to . . . getting TJ moved to the back yard.  Right now he can go all over the yard, but we're having his fence moved.  This will give the kids a space to play dog-free, we won't have to worry about him eating packages left on our porch, and he can't eat things off Kevin's jeep this way! (All of those things have happened btw).

I am hearing . . .KLOVE.  I have it playing on my computer :)

Around the house . . . my floors need cleaned.  I seriously thought about getting one of those vacuums that you just turn on and it cleans your floors for you.  I really could vacuum 3 times a day!

One of my favorite things . . . is sleeping.  I know they say "you'll miss these days" but I don't think I'll ever miss the sleep deprivation!

A few plans for the rest of the week . . . We are planning on getting pumpkins this week for the kids and maybe carving them too :)  I'd like to make some fall desserts too... and hopefully I'll be going to the hospital to visit Amy and her new baby!

1st Campfire

We had our first campfire/cookout of the season last week!  The temps have been in the 40s in the evenings which is perfect fall weather! 

Mimi played with the "big" kids...

Jim and Papaw held the babies.

Kevin & Tyler broke out the pellet gun.

Harry was being a bad cat lounging on the counter!

Recap of the last few days...

Recap of the last few days.....

1. Being a mom carries many titles - and nurse is one I usually handle pretty well.  Allie likes to make sure I get to use that title almost daily... Thursday it was touching the hot stove, Friday it was scratching her ear until it bled (I was worried she may have an ear infection, but she didnt), and yesterday she decided to "play" with Kevin's razor.  It was by far the worst and bloodiest boo boo I've ever had to deal with.  I have pictures if anyone wants to be totally grossed out, but since it makes me a little sick to my stomach, I figured most people probably wouldn't want to see her bloody finger.
2. Thursday morning I was getting ready to take Hayden to church and my mom texted me to say she had taken the day off and wondered if it was ok if she stopped by.  I said that was fine, but in the back of my mind I was wondering why she took the day off.  She asked what time I left to take Hayden to church, so I figured she was planning on stopping by before.  She got to the house about 8:40am and told Hayden and Allie they needed to sit on the couch because she had a surprise for them.  She walked back outside and as she was walking back in, she wasn't carrying anything, so I thought, "What's the surprise?".  As soon as I finished that thought I saw my sister walking behind my mom!  Surprised is an understatement.  She and Kevin got tickets for a ND game and she came home a day early.  We got to spend a day and a half with her and it was so much fun!
3. Last night I fed Krissy at 10:30pm, put her to bed at 11:30pm and when I woke up at 6:45 this morning she was still snoozing!  She slept the whole night!  I woke her up at 7:30 this morning to eat!  I know it was just a fluke and she's not going to be sleeping through the night every night, but it sure was a nice treat! 

Sunday Snapshot

Snuggling on the couch.

We had our first real tummy time this past week.  Krissy was very intrigued by it and quickly figured out how to move her head from side to side.  

BIG eyes!

Sunday's Snapshots

I'm going to attempt to post some of my favorite snapshots every Sunday... give me a break if a miss a week or two over the next couple months! :)

 Two blue-eyed girls... wonder if Krissy's eyes will change...

Hayden is the best big bro - so gentle and loving with Krissy!  He has had some behavior issues since bringing home the baby (doing things to get our attention, acting like a baby), and I wouldn't have ever predicted that!  I expected that from Allie, and she's adjusted perfectly. 

Finding a New Routine

Let me start by saying that I really had no transition from 1 child to 2.  It was cake for me.  When we brought Krissy home, I definitely had a transition, and I'm still working through it!  On that note, today is the first day that I feel normal!  Ive gotten two great nights of sleep, thanks to hubby that hasn't signed up for OT so I could get a couple "nights off".  I also braved Walmart for the first time today, by myself, with all 3 kids.  It actually went so smooth!  I didn't have to hand out any spankings when we got home!  After the store, I let Hayden and Allie play outside for a bit while I sat on the porch and fed Krissy. 

The first 3 days home with Krissy were the hardest first three days that I've ever had with a newborn.  Our first night wasn't that bad, but things went downhill fast.  We had major issues with the Newborn Enfamil that I started her out on.  She was having horrible diarrhea - we are talking 20 some dirty diapers a day.  Our second (and third) night home, Krissy screamed and cried for hours.  We kept changing poopy diapers, would keep her fed, but we had no idea why she was screaming.. until the morning... and we realized her little bum was so bright red and raw from all the dirty diapers.  After talking to her pediatrician, he recommended we switch her to Gentlease and stopped using wet wipes and switch to wet cotton balls until her little bum healed. 

The day we switched her to Gentlease, she also seemed to be coming down with a cold (she was very congested and snotty).  I knew she had been exposed to germs, but I just kept praying she didn't catch anything.  This was also the day my milk supply started coming in.  I had said all along if she had a problem with the formula, I'd give breast feeding and/or pumping a try.  I regretted not doing that with Allie when she had issues with her formula.  My friend Sarah loaned me her pump, and I gave it a try for about a week.  It was a little uncomfortable, but I ended up stopping because Hayden and Allie always seemed to find their way into/onto things when I wasn't able to stop what I was doing.  (Picture Allie standing on my counter, eating sweets and getting into the knives - because that's what was happening!)

Krissy has been on the Gentlease for almost a full week now and is doing really good.  No more belly issues, and she's growing just as she is supposed to.  She is a wonderful sleeper.  The first two weeks, we were waking her up after 6 hours to feed her.  Now, our routine is feeding her around 10/11pm, she will sleep till 3ish, we'll feed her again, then she will sleep till 7 or 8am.  I'm sure this will change from week to week, but I'm ok with where we are at now :)

I've also decided Krissy will be the toughest one yet.  She can already sleep through the shenanigans that Hayden and Allie put her through every day, and she really only fusses when she is hungry or cold.  This week I'm hoping to find a new routine, which includes:  figuring out when I can get dishes done, when I can do laundry, which is the best time to get the house picked up, and dinner cooked. Maybe I will even start finding some time to walk off the extra pounds. 

Misinformed....

If you saw my last post about price matching, PLEASE read this one...

The cashier that gave me all that wonderful information was a little misinformed about the price matching... I went today to Walmart and bought Prairie Farms milk.  When I went to check out I told them I wanted it price matched to $1.49 (Aldi and Sams are selling it for that price).  The cashier explained that they only price match their store brand (Great Value) to Aldi's/Sams brand.  That makes sense to me, but that's not what I was originally told.  I was a little annoyed, but happy to know how it really works..

So if you did what I did because you read my post earlier, I'm sorry! 

Price Match

*Please read my update here*

This may be old news for some of you reading this.  I know Walmart price matches.  I have never taken them up on this offer, mainly because I didn't know how it worked.  I did some grocery shopping last week and had a Walmart employee fill me in.  I could have been saving so much money so I wanted to pass along the info.

When it comes to electronics, or things for your home, or make up, you need to have the ad with the advertised lower price.  The cashier will then over ride the price and match the lower one.  When it comes to food, you don't need an ad.  You just tell them, "I want to price match the milk.  Aldi has it for $1.49 (or $1.99, whatever it is)," and they just over ride that price!  I thought the brands had to be the same, but they don't!  You can get a Prarie Farms milk or Deans milk for that $1.49! The only milk that won't work with is the organic milk.  I can't believe they just take your word on it, but they do!

You better believe this week I'm going to Aldi and making a list of the price of cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheese, butter, canned goods, frozen veggies, etc and from now on I'll be having Walmart price match!  Hello one stop shopping!