Halloween Parties

Kelson had his first class party. I was so excited to go and surprise him. We got there and Kelson didn't even notice we had come in the classroom. Analise and I sat there for a few minutes and still... Kelson didn't see us. He was sitting at his table so I told Analise to go give him a hug. She did a great job sneaking up behind him and then gave him a hug AND a kiss on his cheek. He turned around and went BRIGHT RED!!! He started jumping up and down and hugged her back. His teacher said she had never seen that side of Kelson before. He went and got Analise a little chair and had her sit by him. They made Tootsie Pop spiders together. Kelson was so proud to have his lil' sis with him. He had her sit by him on the floor for the Halloween games. It was so sweet. Kelson thanked me and thanked me for going to see him.


PS... for all those concerned about me not lying around the house all day. :) They said rest AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE! I can't help that the only time I get to rest is after the kids go to bed. :) Well, I have been RESTING and DRINKING like a mad woman at least a couple hours of each day. It's just usually after the kids get home from school. The next few weeks shouldn't be as crazy. I have a field trip to go on with Kelson and some more dr. appointments but not so much running around. Hopefully!

Surgery and Field Trips

We had our day full. It took some creative planning to get everyone where they needed to be. Yesterday, I got the call from the hospital telling me that Kelson's surgery was scheduled for 11am. We thought it would be much earlier. Cade had a field trip to Old Salem which is only a couple of exits before the hospital. I was going to get Kelson through surgery and then go with Cade. However, I think in the end it almost worked out better this way. I left at 8:15am to be over there for the field trip by 9ish. Lettie picked Sassy up by 9ish and Cheeto was bringing Kelson to the hospital. Cade's class stopped for lunch just as Cheeto text me saying that Kelson was just taken in for surgery. I left Old Salem and seriously sat down for less than 2 minutes in the waiting room before they called us back to see Kelson. A part of me was sad that I missed the pre-surgery part. As a mother, and this being our first child to ever have to go through something like this, I really wanted to be there for Kelson- 100%. Cheeto kept saying, "It's no big deal. He was fine." I know he was fine. I wasn't though! I wanted to be there to comfort my baby if not for him,for me. I wanted to hold his hand and to give him that last hug. I know Cade needed me too. I just don't think he really wanted me though. I wanted to go with Cade because I don't know that I'll get to go on many field trips this year with a new baby. Oh well... what's done is done. We made it through fine. Even though I couldn't be in two places at once.

Old Salem Trip
I'm not sure what I thought this place would be like. It was much nicer than I thought. I also thought that the people telling you about the places would be in character like they are in Williamsburg. They were dressed in character though which the kids thought was cool. These houses, stores, and churches have been around for more than 200 years. They divided us up into groups of 7 children and 1 chaperon. I had 7 boys. PHEW.... I thought I was in for it with all boys. However, they were actually very well behaved. I didn't have any wanderers or disrespectful boys. Cade really liked the bakery and the doctor's house. The bakery gave the kids some sample ginger cookies. I didn't think Cade would even try them but he did. He loved them and asked if I could get the recipe. I sent Cade home on the bus, which I usually don't do, just in case we got hung up at the hospital. I didn't want to have Cade sitting around being bored.

Kelson's Surgery
We were instructed to not let Kelson eat or drink anything after 7am. So we thought to be on the safe side we would wake him up and feed him something midway through the night. I took some medicine and fell asleep. So Cheeto woke Kelson up to do so. What I didnt' know was that Cheeto was going to take Kelson to Bojangles. Well, that's where they wanted to go. They found out that it closes at 11pm, after driving to a couple of different locations. They had to settle on McDonalds. As soon as Kelson woke up he had to tell Cade of his midnight adventure with Daddy. I woke up to hear Cade yelling, "IT'S NOT FAIR!" Oh well, you can't make everyone happy. This adventure really made Kelson's day! Thanks Daddy! You are awesome!
Cheeto said they gave Kelson some medicine to make him relax but instead it made him a bit loony. Cheeto used the word "drunk." He said would be a happy drunk though. After about 5 minutes he just fell back and hit his head on the wall, that's when the nurse came and put the bed rails up on the bed. He then kept saying he wanted to get up and play. Cheeto said he needed to sit down but instead he stood on the bed and started using the face mask they gave him and yelling, "da-do-da-doo" (like blowing a trumpet- not sure how to spell that out). Cheeto said he was pretty funny! The entire procedure took less than 10 minutes. The doctor said the tumor was about the size of a pea. They, of course, sent it off for a bioposy. They said it is very rare anything comes of it. Kelson was still chattering away when I got to see him. He kept rubbing his cheek where they put the stitches. I told him not to pick at it or it would make it worse. He came back and said, "I'm not touching my cheek. My nose itches!" He wasn't even close to scratching his nose. Once I got him dressed we met daddy in the waiting room and then started home. Because we had two cars there, I decided it might be a better idea to take him in Cheeto's care because it has leather seats and would be easier to clean up if Kelson happened to get sick and throw up on the way. Good thing... he did throw up 2-3 times on the way home. Thankfully we don't have a car to clean. Also, good thing I was with him and not Cheeto. Cheeto doesn't do well with the sounds or smells of throwing up. We pulled over one time but then decided to just push through the next 20 minutes to get him home. He is doing fine now. He has perked right up and is acting more like himself. Cade just got home and started causing a ruckus so Cheeto came and took him to the office with him. Cheeto was my support today for sure! I wouldn't have made it without him. He saved me many times!



Kelson coming out of anesthesia.

Office Halloween Party

Last night Cheeto's Kernersville office had a Halloween dinner and trick or treat around to all the offices. Analise wasn't quite sure what to do at first but following her brothers it didn't take her long to figure out saying, "trick or treat" meant you actually got a treat. Analise loves her sweets. When we were getting dressed up, I got out my make up bag to put some whiskers on her and she freaked out, "daddy says me no use that! Daddy says no makeup!!" I sometimes let her play with my blush brush while I'm getting ready and Cheeto often says- "you can't wear make up yet Analise." Funny that she was so aware of what I was doing. She thought her face was pretty funny when I done though. This has been in the first Halloween that I just don't care what the kids dress up like. I just haven't had the time to actually make costumes, money has been tight to buy them, and the kids are content with making up super-heroes of their own and to dress up like them.



A friend let Kelson borrow a batman costume which he loved. Cade is using the jedi-robe that I made him for Christmas last year. And Analise is wearing a leopord costume I had made for Cade when he was 1 year old. She loves her tail!

Phew- we made it another day....

Today was very busy. Not much resting going on for the pregnant woman. However, we did have a lazy weekend so it all works out... RIGHT? We spent Saturday cleaning and cutting hair and then Cheeto stayed home so I could take my sleepy medicine for my cough. Sunday, I was still hacking up lungs so I stayed home and took more sleepy medicine. I'm feeling quite a bit better today. Still not 100% but a step in the right direction anyway! Cheeto is coming down with something now... hopefully his immune system is stronger than mine and will fight it off faster. Anywho... I have a had a bunch of phone calls for my business in the last week. I had two big orders to complete today. In the end, I did about 10 hands, but have 3 on the back burner waiting to be finished. I went and voted- which took about 1 hour and 15 minutes to wait. The kids were home from school which complicated things a bit. Thankfully G'ma came and took them to buy pumpkins and then to her house for the afternoon. We carved pumpkins for FHE and went for Halloween Krispy Kreme donuts afterwards. It was an ok evening. Cade was bugged by something all day. Who knows what? This made the day a bit more stressful. We did get the "berry" out of Sassy's nose on Friday for all those who keep asking what ended up happening. They had to numb the inside of her nose to get it out but they found it and removed it successfully. I hope she has learned her lesson on that one. I guess we will find out sooner or later.







Thanks to all the family members for the extra elbow grease in working on those darn pumpkins. Harris Teeter had carving pumpkins on sale for $3.99. The pumpkin patch where we have gotten them in the past were $3.99 for a pumpkin the size of your fist. I thought this was a deal to get a HUGE pumpkin at Harris Teeter for the same price as a teeny tiny one at the patch. Well, in the end, I think the pricer ones were easier to carve. These pumpkins were awful! The adults could barely cut them with the fabulous CUTCO knives. I have a blister from doing just one pumpkins. I was glad when backup walked through the door! Thanks G'ma, Tia, and Kris for the help! I wouldn't have been able to help all 3 kids! It was definitely a team effort.

It has to get better soon.... right?

Where to begin...

Yesterday I had an ultrasound and OB check for baby at 8:30am. It made an early morning for us to get out the door. To complicate matters, the bus doesn't show up. Cheeto had a GMA meeting he was suppose to be to at 7:30am but was late because he had to take the boys to school. I recall the bus did show up just 45 minutes late.
After the first ultrasound, I waited for the doctor only to have a nurse come in and say they put in me in the wrong exam room. I had to pack up and move rooms and wait again. Finally, I meet with the doctor. He is concerned about the amniotic fluid levels and requests a second ultrasound to check blood flow and such. More waiting. It's about 10am by this time. After the second ultrasound, I get placed in another waiting room and then to the doctors private office... only to wait again. Before the second ultrasound, he implied that I was going to have to put on semi-bed rest to try to get fluid levels up, but after the second ultrasound he decided that we wouldn't have to take it that far. As long as I take it REALLY easy, drink like crazy, and lie on my side AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!!!! Basically I have to really pick and chose what I do, which errands are essential for me to do and which ones I can deligate. He did give me some cough medicine so I could sleep. He warned me it would make me REALLY sleepy so I have to make sure another adult is present before taking it, which means pretty much only at night. It worked pretty well last night. So well in fact that we slept in until 7am. The same time the bus comes. Cade and Kelson thought they scored and didn't have to go school again. WRONG!! We made a mad dash to get them ready and Cheeto took them again today.
Craziness that happened last night. So I spent all morning at the OB's office (3 hours). At 5:30pm last night, we were outside playing for a bit before dinner. My neighbor was over with her little girl playing with Sassy. I see them playing with the little berry-like things that grow on Monkey Grass. Next thing I know, Sassy is telling me she stuck one up her nose.
Sure enough- I could see it. I went to get one of those mucus sucking bulbs. Nope- doesn't work. I tried to get her to blow her nose- Nope doesn't work... she sniffs hard instead of blows. It just got sucked up there further. My neighbor works for the hospital and has a friend that works in endoscopy. We call her and she advises us to take her to the urgent care. I call Cheeto and he comes home to watch the boys while I take Analise to the urgent care. We have one right around the corner but when we get there they tell us we really need to go to the one by the hospital. So towards the hospital we go. About 3 hours later, we are on our way home. They tried multiple ideas to try to get it out but were just unsuccessful. They advise us to see an Ear Nose and Throat doctor today. So after 6+ hours waiting in dr.'s offices yesterday I get to go today and wait some more. That makes 4 out of 5 days this week I have spent in dr.'s offices! Really- it's getting OLD!!!!

What the Monkey Grass looks like.

This is the size of the berry Analise stuck up her nose. Poison Control says it's non-toxic so it wasn't a huge rush to take it out last night. We just have to see someone about it today!


PS. Cade has been on Predizone (not sure how to spell it) for 3 days now and the rash is still spreading! ARGH! I can't believe this thing! WHAT IS IT?!?!?!?!

Medical Updates

Took Kelson to see the oral surgeon this afternoon. Yep- he has to get the two extra teeth he has surgically taken out. Seriously... how much should a 5 year old have to endure in a month? October started out with one dentist visit and has since turned into multiple visits to Wake Forest Medical for his pilomatricoma on his cheek and resulting in surgery next week. It's an out patient thing but still has his mother concerned. They are putting him under and giving him stitches. Why wouldn't this concern me? He had a cavity filled yesterday. Xrays of his teeth today and now having surgery in a couple of weeks to remove those teeth. MAN! And after that we are due to have a baby pretty much anytime. Phew... are we going to make it to Christmas? Some days I wonder. I have been sick today! The worse day in last 3. Hopefully tomorrow will turn around. Analise loved that I sat on the couch and watched her shows. I, on the other hand, feel like my day was a complete waste. My kitchen is a wreck, dishes are piled in the sink, and never even made my bed. I was blessed however, to have G'ma and Papa take the kids to McDonalds night at school. The kids loved this! Thanks G'ma and Papa! I wish I could have slept for that hour. I haven't really slept in 2 nights. Not that I REALLY slept much in the last few weeks. I think I would welcome just the back aches, leg cramps, and shortness of breath vs. the MY HEAD IS GOING TO EXPLODE and COUGHING MY HEAD OFF! Sick and pregnant are two things that do not and should not go together. I want the hard drugs to knock out some of these symptoms. I did get the ok to take some tylenol PM tonight so- perhaps some sleep is in store for us tonight. I pretty much keep Cheeto up too.

Funny Kid Quote of the Day
This really isn't a quote for the day rather just something funny that happened to Cade. I had to pick them early today for Kelson's dr. appt. Cade got to the office first and sat down by me to wait for Kelson. A lady walked in right behind him and tapped him on the shoulder and said, "You don't know that man! You look at me when I'm talking to you!" I looked at Cade and he was white as a ghost. I wasn't sure what Cade had done- was he talking to someone he shouldn't have in the hall or what? I told Cade to look at her. He scowled and barely took his eyes off me. She then said, "Hey- you see- I saw him play in the Superbowl. You probably didn't even know they went to the Superbowl." Then it made sense. Cade had on his Jerome Bettis jersey- for those of you who don't know, he played for the Steelers and retired. Cade loves his Bettis jersey. Cade came back and said, "I saw him play in the Superbowl too. It was the same year my little sister was born." I think this shocked her. I then told her that this 8 year old knows more about football than some men. Cade really does know a lot about the game and watches every Sunday with his father. The lady then apologized for scaring Cade and said she really was just a Steelers fan first and Panthers second. Then Kelson walks in with his Panthers backpack. She got all excited and told them they could be great friends. Kelson said- "You should see my mommy's van!" We have Steelers and Panthers decals on the back for all the "boys" in our family. What we don't do for them! :)

Cheeto for Vice President (and Ed "The Crack" Plummer for President)

I know it has been a while since you, "My people" have heard from me.

I appreciate your patience. I have only one thing to share with you now:

I am running for Vice President of the United States on the Plummer/Arellano '08 ticket. (click here for details...no really, CLICK here...aren't you listening to me? CLICK HERE, man!)

I'm tired of this mess, and so I'm getting in the middle of it myself.

Yours in Victory,
Cheeto

Golf is over!

Thank heaven for Cheeto! Cheeto saved me yesterday. A month ago Kelson got sick and Cheeto had to take Cade golfing. Kelson remembered this and asked when it was his turn for Daddy to take him. Last night was their final tournament so Cheeto took off work early and took them. We had decided this Saturday, which in the end was perfect because I got sick Saturday night. I thought I felt like crap yesterday, I think today is going to be worst one yet. Anywho... Kelson was so excited. The picture is blurry because I was standing so far away and had to zoom in to see them.

Grandma, Sassy and I went out later for the final cookout and awards ceremony. Sassy found a friend her age to play dolls with. They became good lil' friends!

Kelson's team took runner-up in the tournament and League Champions; therefore, giving Kelson a trophy and a medal. He lucked out and got on the team that had the number one player on it. The boy in the blue striped shirt is an excellent golfer. Par is 27 and he usually shot a 29 or 30. Incredible for a 10 year old! Poor Cade took it like a good sport until we got home anyway. Of course, he always shot a bit better than Kelson, so he didn't think it was fair that Kelson is the one that got the awards. However, Cade did a few rounds that he would just get upset and quit trying. Kelson did as well at times. I told them then that when they didn't get an award it was because they didn't try their best and wouldn't put the time in to better themselves. I have mixed feelings about giving awards like this. One side of me thinks that kids at this age should all be awarded for their efforts. But the other side of me thinks that kids have to learn that you don't win everything in life especially when you don't work hard for it. This is one of those times, I guess. It still broke my heart to see Cade's sad little face, he did take it pretty well considering....

Cade's medical update:
Cade is still fighting off this rash- whatever it is. It has since spread to his cheeks, jaw, stomach, and much worse behind both knees. When is it going to get better. He has been on the medicine for 6 days. It looks awful. I hate being a over paranoid mother at the doctors office- but don't you think it should have been looking better by now? How long would y'all wait it out?

Dentist Appointments

Yesterday was Sassy's first visit to the dentist and Kelson had a very minor surface cavity to be fixed. We got there at 10:30am and were in the car on the way home by 11am.
Seriously the shortest visit ever!

Sassy did great. She allowed them to do everything to her that they did to the older kids. She wasn't crazy about the taste of the fluoride treatment but took it like a trooper.

"All clean Mommy- show Daddy!" was all she would say walking out to the car!

Kelson's Numb Smile!

They don't really allow parents to go back when they are fixing cavities and such. I'm sure if a parent had a HUGE problem with it then they might change but I thought Kelson would be fine. When he came back he was all smiles. I can't believe what this dentist can accomplish with children! I was so pleased that he left his numb cheek alone for the couple of hours it took for it wear off. Cade always chews his cheek until its a huge canker sore. Kelson liked the way his cheek and chin felt when it was numb. He would sit and rub it and say, "Mommy, it's so soft!" He was actually kind of mad when it got all the feeling back. Weird kid!

Derby Cars- Race Day!

Our ward party was a chili cook off with a pinewood derby race. The kids could hardly stand waiting until Saturday night for the big race. We explained to the boys before hand that they might not win and they needed to be good sports about the whole thing. Kelson won his first race. Analise was beat out by a friend of ours. She didn't care. She was so excited just see her car race and have everyone cheer for her. Cade made it to the final four. He was so excited! It was a great night.

Derby Cars - Phase 3

Cheeto promised the kids to finish their cars Saturday. After our morning Costco run, Cheeto and the boys made a trip to buy the finishing touches for their cars. We spent the afternoon drilling holes and fixing tires for the big race. It was a great day with Dad!

Sassy was so patient!

Party at Tia's

Friday night the kids spent the night with their Tia. I have had this T-shirt project ready for weeks. This is one of my cheaper ideas. I used one of Cade undershirts for Kelson, one of Kelson's undershirts for Analise and used a 50% coupon at AC Moore to buy Cade's shirt. His shirt was $2 and I got the dye for $1.50. Not a bad project for $3.50! We have just been waiting for the right time to do them. Cheeto was studying late and I didn't want to sit at home alone on a Friday night so I invited myself over and enlisted Tia's help in dying shirts. Kelson, of course, is the only child of mine that is ever interested in my craft projects. He colored in all his pumpkin faces on his shirt. We had fun making them. Tia and I were wondering why I didn't think and make us some shirts. DUH!

The finished product!
(Kelson was freezing so he said he wasn't going to smile for me!)

I left Tia's at 9pm and the kids were still going strong. Their normal bedtime is 7:30pm so you can imagine how tired they were on Saturday. This is the kid's hangover from Tia's party!

Peppermint Ice Cream

This has to be my favoritest treat ever! Well- right up there anyway. (It has to be Edy's Slow Churned though!) I was so excited when I found some at Harris Teeter this early in the year. It's normally a Christmas thing and one can only buy it between Thanksgiving and New Year's. So you can imagine how excited I was when I found them on sale for BOGO. I really stocked up but now my stock is gone. I shared with the kids thinking they would have it again... nope. I was told it must have been a fluke thing. I shouldn't have been so giving. :) Just kidding! Tell me this though... why is it that when you get to the end of the carton you either have to eat extra or just leave a little bit in the bottom? It's a waste to put a few tablespoons back in the freezer. Isn't it? Yep- I just finished off the carton. Yes it was yummy! Yes- it doesn't have the calories that regular ice cream has. And Yes- it was a bit more than I wanted. BUT... it was just so good but now I feel guilty because it's all GONE! Someone get the pregnant lady some Peppermint Ice Cream!!!

another doctor visit...

Our sad lil' Cade! A picture just doesn't show how puffy and red his eyes are. Poor Kid!

One would think we couldn't get more doctor visits in one month. October has been FULL of doctor visits and we have 6 more to go. I wish I could get paid for sitting waiting rooms! Cade came home Tuesday rubbing his eyes. I thought he must be tired or something. Wednesday he came home and he had a rash covering above and below his eyes. I then noticed he had a rash behind both knees and his stomach, by evening he mentioned his ears were hurting too- yep rash there too. Kelson has had a nagging cough for more than 2 weeks. SO... we kept them home this morning and took both of them to the doctor. Cade has had an allergic reaction to something. We have no idea what. He eats such a bland diet and hates lotions and such that we just can't figure it out. Kelson simply has a viral cough but because he has a surgery coming up they gave him something that will hopefully clear it up faster. While we were there we were offered to get the entire family minus Cheeto flu shots. This sent Cade into a rage. Kelson was great. He got on the table, rested his head on his hands and simply yelled, "OUCH!" Not even a tear of flinch. I went next- I sucked it up and took one for the team. :) Cade- my sweet Cade! He SCREAMED and SCREAMED!!!! It took 5 adults to hold him down after pinching and biting me. Analise went next- she cried a few tears and then wiped them dry. We all went to Target to Kelson's prescription and then I took them to the Dollar Tree for a prize for getting shots. I have spent the rest of the day chillin' on the couch trying to recover from this morning. I'm one lazy pregnant mommy sometimes. I need to get my tail in gear to get all this done before baby.

I've been Picture Tagged...

I don't want the person that tagged me to hate me for not following the rules. So here you go...


What you have to do is take your picture file and use the fourth file and the fourth picture. This is what mine was a picture of the desk I refinished early last spring. I found this at the UNCG consignment sale. I promised myself when I went that I wouldn't spend more than $20- because that was all the cash I had on me. Well, I bought the desk for $3 and refinished it for only $5 more dollars- which was the cost of sandpaper. I already had stain. I must say for $8 and a lot of elbow grease I got a nice desk for my kitchen corner. Mission accomplished!

Here is the post with the finished desk product.

Why couldn't my picture be a cute one of the kids or something.

Funny Kid Quote of the Day
I have to tell a funny story. Saturday I went to a baby shower and won a bunch of chocolate. As you know I don't eat much of it lately. One of the things I won was a bag of Hersey Kisses. Analise wanted one so bad but I was trying to make her give me a kiss before getting the chocolate one. I would ask her, "What do you have to do to get one?" I went to Cade because he knew what to do to get one but he wasn't interested in getting one so he didn't cooperate. So... I went to Cheeto. He, of course, went overkill and grabbed me and "REALLY" kissed me. It kind of caught me off guard. So then I went back to Analise- she then grabbed my head and pulled me towards her and open mouth kissed me! Cheeto was laughing pretty good at this one. Thanks honey for teaching our daughter how to get a Hersey kiss!

Daddy Withdrawal

Analise goes through moments during the day where she just cries for her Daddy. For example, EVERY time she gets hurt, when I tell her no and she think that if she calls dad that he'll tell her yes, right after nap time, and whenever she has to go to bed. I have got into a habit of soaking in a hot bath each night before I go to bed. I put them all to bed and then I get in the bath. Last night Analise scared me to death by sneaking in the bathroom. I told her it was late and she HAD to get in bed. She then brought me my phone (which scared me too- thought she might get mad and throw it in the tub) because she NEEDED to talk to Daddy. I told her no that we weren't going to play that game. She put my phone on the floor and quietly walked out of the bathroom. When I was finished, I walked into our bedroom and found her lying on our bed asleep. Cheeto always puts his shorts/tshirt that he wears before bed that day under his pillow. It took me a minute to realize that Analise had found his shorts and actually put them on and then cuddled up with his tshirt. I left her there so Cheeto might see her when he got home. However, she ended up falling off the bed before he could. I tried to get the shorts off her but she grabbed onto them and said, "NO, NO- I want my daddy!" I just put her to bed after calming her down with the shorts still on.

Derby cars - phase 2

Last night we finally had a chance to make some progress on them. Phase 2 was PAINT! They all were excited to start this part and they all had their ideas. Cade just wanted yellow with black writing. Kelson wanted his metalic blue, black writing, then he proceeded to color in some spots with crayon. :) Analise wanted pink and pink. Half way through she wanted to make it a princess car. So we will decopage some Cinderella stickers on it. Just as I was finishing she kept yelling, "I want stars on it." I finally figured out that she had found a bottle of paint that was glitter. So we painted the whole car with glitter. "Me loves it," she says. We will wait for Daddy to finish the wheels on Saturday.

Thought this was funny!

Halloween is going to suck this year!

A day hiking at Hanging Rock

WOW! Did we have a fun day! The kids were great! We were working hard to get some of Cade's scouting requirements done. We took his book with us and did as many things that applied. We left about 10am and got up there about 11:15am. We took a short trail up to see the Upper Cascade Waterfalls before lunch. There were some steps built to take you part way down but then you had to climb the rest of the way. The boys loved the climbing stuff. Kelson is fearless. Cade would try to call him back and get him to slow down all day. We played around the falls for a bit but then it started to get really crowded so we decided to hike back up and eat our lunch. Thankfully Cheeto ran ahead and found us a picnic table.
Cade made and packed our lunch for a scouting requirement. He did a great job. We had plenty. He even made us chocolate chip cookies. After lunch we sat and braided hemp bracelets for each of the kids. I have decided that Kelson has the greatest attention span out of all our kids. He sat there with Cheeto and helped until his was finished. Cade complained that it was taking too long, Papa made most of his. And I pretty much made all of Analise's. They liked them once they were done.
After lunch the boys hiked the Hanging Rock trail. Cheeto thought it was best that I stayed to wait with Analise. Analise was going to get too tired and the trail was considered a moderate level. As you all know, my back and stomach muscles aren't great so it was obvious that if I didn't want to suffer later, that I should stay behind as well. Cheeto said it would only take them 45 minutes or so. WRONG! It took them 2 hours. Analise and I found things to do though. We went and found a animal presentation in the Rangers Station, had lots of bathroom breaks, and read books in the car. It really wasn't that bad to wait for them. Kelson was exhausted by the time we saw him again. Cade was a little trooper. Dad's back was killing him and Cheeto's as well. Sucks to get old! The weather was gorgeous. No clouds, cool in the shade, warm in the sun- perfect hiking weather. I think the temperature was 70. We couldn't have asked for a better day. We are definitely going camping there next spring!

Derby cars- Part 1

Our ward is having a Pinewood Derby Race next weekend. The kids were really good at the dentist so as a surprise Cheeto bought them all derby car race kits from the scouting office. They have been nagging for a week now to work on them. Cheeto and I don't have the tools to get them cut down so I friend of ours that also cuts all the wood for my business agreed to help us. We scheduled a time in his busy schedule last night to start the process. The boys were on cloud 9!

Twilight.... again?

So... I'm sure so many of you know this movie is coming out in a month. I read the first three in less than a week this past spring and of course the fourth came out in August. I really wanted to re-read Twilight again before watching the movie. I have been reading some Nicholas Sparks books the past few months. His books are less than 300 pages and it still took me almost 10 days to read them. I have never read a book twice and loved it as much the second time as I did Twilight. Weird- I read Twilight, leisurely again in less than 2 days. It's addicting! I gave a copy to a really close friend and she calls every week asking for the next book. She is definitely coming to the Arellano movie party with us! I pretty much have to see it either the day it opens or the next because I'll be occupied having a baby right after. Hopefully, I can make it until after the movie release!

Funny Kid Quote of the Day
Kelson saw that I was reading it again and said, "Mommy- NOT AGAIN!" I promised I would only read this one book and then wait to read the others. I guess my kids feel neglected with my Twilight series reading habit. I watched the latest trailer this morning and the boys were watching it over my shoulder. Cade asked, "Is this what you've been reading?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Mommy- you have been reading about superheros that can run super fast and crush people? That is awesome!" (See Chief- I think you would be able to watch the movie- even Cade thinks it's cool!" :) )


Twilight HD Exclusive Trailer



Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

You are thoughtful and care very deeply for your family. A loving home is of great
importance to you and you always try to make people feel welcome. Although you have a great capacity to love, you also have a great capacity to hurt, so at times you can be
sensitive. You're firm when you need to be, but people trust your judgment and
appreciate the kind way you always handle things.

Chocolate is the ENEMY!!!!

OK... so I'm swearing of chocolate - at least for the next few months, we'll see if we can be friends again then or maybe not. Who knows! Cheeto has had such a rough week so the kids and I decided to make him his favorite - chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. It was after dinner before it was done so I didn't even want to taste it that night because of going to bed soon and the heartburn would be worse. I thought if I had my taste mid afternoon it would be fine. NOPE! The heartburn was just as bad and I got so sick and nauseated for the next 6+ hours. I went to bed last night feeling so nasty. Chocolate you are not worth it! RIDICULOUS!

A Kelson Milestone

I'm so proud of our Kelson! He came home from school yesterday so excited that he had learned to tie his shoes! Even Cade said that was great because it took Cade until the end of 1st grade to do it all by himself. Kelson's teacher taught him a different way than we taught Cade- but who cares- the kid can tie his shoes! To me... shoes are IN A WAY- not completely- the same as changing diapers. Something mothers get tired of doing. Seriously... how many shoes have we had to tie for our lil' ones everyday for how many years? It gets old!

Visiting Kristi

One of our dear family friends had their baby yesterday. Kristi and Christpher Malcolm have held a special place in our kids hearts, especially since they moved a few years ago to just a few streets from us. Our kids love that they have a wonderful park directly across the street from their house. They are great to help us with babysitting too. Analise loves to sit with them and "Bobby" on Sundays. Well, Analise knew their baby was coming soon so when I told her that she had finally arrived she was so excited to go see her. I was grateful they allowed us to visit them in the hospital. This gave me the chance to take Analise to see where mommy and Daddy would bring them to visit our baby for the first time. I was curious to see how she would do in the hospital setting. She was unsure walking in but once she saw Christopher she walked right in the room and wanted to see the baby. I think she'll be fine. Analise asked a nurse if she could take our baby out. She told her that our baby needed to bake a bit longer. I have to admit walking in got me a bit anxious to get this over with. Kristi let her sit on the bed and touch the baby. Here are a few pictures... mostly for the Jensen girls.

Abigail Katherine Malcolm was born 2:15pm October 8, 2008. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 9 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long. She obviously has a head full of black hair. Analise loved that part.

I had a doctor's appointment before going to see Baby Abigail. Analise had to wait patiently. I found out that I have to have an ultrasound in 2 weeks. I have never had to have an ultrasound other than the 20 week check. The doctor was concern about how small I was. My last visit I had only gained a couple of ounces and this week only gained a bit more than 1.5 lbs. I think I'm suppose to gaining about 1 lb a week. My tummy isn't measuring as big as my other 3 kids so they are also wanting to check the fluid levels and such. I can't say that I'm freaked out or anything, but I would lying if Cheeto and I weren't a bit concerned. We will have to wait and see. When I was visiting Kristi a nurse was in the room helping with feeding and such. Kristi asked Analise when our baby was coming. I mentioned about 7 weeks. A couple of minutes later was talking to Analise and said,"I guess we'll be seeing in in 6 months or so." I said, "OH-NO... just 7 more weeks." She had misunderstood and thought that this being my fourth that I was only 4 months along. She said that I did look really small, but if they were worried about fluids then I should really increase my fluid intake, ie. drinking lots more water. I still drink a lot of water, but I get so tired of peeing every 30 minutes anyway that I had been cutting back some- especially the hours before bed time. So, I guess I'll be drinking more and making visiting the bathroom more frequently! Everyone say a prayer that all will be ok! Thanks!

Working hard or hardly working

Cade has been asking for so much "stuff" lately. I have been telling him that Christmas in around the corner and that I wasn't going to buy anything. The school book fair was this week and I told them if they wanted to find a way to earn some money then they could buy a book. Dad has been working hard at getting his lawn lush and green. He pretty much killed the entire yard with round up. He irrarated yesterday morning and had some major planting and spreading of straw to do in the afternoon. The boys were more than willing to go "help" him for a price that is. Papa said he would pay them a little bit for helping. They worked hard for a couple of hours and then we headed to family night at the book fair. They were all excited to pick out a book. Cade got a Spiderman Comic book. Kelson got a book about snakes- gross! And Analise got one all about Fairies. Thank you Papa for letting them "help" you! They love to spend time outside with their Papa!

I know they don't look Mexican, but doesn't get more Mexican than snacking on G'ma's tortillas!

Waiting for Papa to get done spreading seed so they could help with the straw.

Getting the straw out of the truck

The dead yard