I think I have ADD...hmm??

So, is it just me, or is it 'normal' to start one task, think of something else while you're doing that task, begin another task -eventually getting back to the first task at hand....but possibly not finishing either one?  I haven't been my 'good 'ol self' in a while...who is that you say?  The "finisher" Cami, the one who made a list, checked it twice and felt accomplished at the end of the day....what has changed since then?  I've become a mother :)  Now my list is sooo much longer due to so many more clothes, so many more appointments, so many reasons not to even leave the house to DO the errands! (naps are a big one -- don't want to mess with those!)  Plus lack of sleep on my part makes getting motivated hard...I still have bare walls and pictures in boxes...and don't even ask if there are baby pictures up yet...I don't even think Jake's are in frames!  I am just now getting around to getting Will's birth announcements sent out -- I was much more on top of the other's kids...but I guess you can say that my standards have relaxed a little...hopefully not for good, just for the time that I am am ONE person with my TWO hands full with THREE beautiful kiddos FOUR and under! I will regain my totally obsessed with 'everything has it's place' self -- right now, everything's place is wherever it got left last -- good luck finding it!

Thank God for electricity!

We had a power outage last night that lasted for about 6 hours!! This just made the house dark, the AC had already gone out on Monday -- so it was already hot & humid in the house, but now we couldn't use the fans either so it got down right balmy.  The storm that rolled in whipped around the large trees in our yard like cattails -- I knew this wasn't a good sign...then boom, some lightening & thunder and a large crash...out went the lights...and the water for that matter because our house is supplied by a well.  At about 4 am the fans & all the lights that were on when the outage happened turned on -- thank you LORD!! I wasn't sure how I'd face the day with a hot & humid house and NO water either, but the Lord saved me from the gloom of 1/3 of those concerns and for that I'm thankful!!  When day broke we saw that one of the neighbors large cottonwood trees had fallen onto some power lines, not sure if that's what caused the outage, but maybe it will give us some good firewood for the winter :)
Cassidy enjoyed another night at VBS last night...after she had a complete meltdown as I was trying to leave.  She didn't take a nap yesterday and I asked her if that is why she was so emotional and she agreed.  At least if she is just like me in personality, she has one up on me, and that is that she can admit her faults!  After some coaching, she decided to stay...and at the end of the night she said she had "so much fun".  But the weird thing is, when we asked what she did, what she'd learned...."I don't want to tell you, I don't want to tell anyone" -- what?? I wanted her to rush home and share what new songs she'd learned, dances, crafts...she wanted to just keep all of that joy to herself.  I told her that maybe one day she would want to share it with us, and it was okay that she didn't want to right now.  I know that the Lord is working in her heart -- as we were driving home she said, "Mom, God made those lights and the everything else in the world too".  I love that she's having a good time at VBS although the fact that it's 6:15 - 9 pm is not so great...I have been trying to run around to get dinner cooked on time and then when she comes home she is soooo riled up that she doesn't settle into bed without some stern words and on one occasion a total meltdown with red, swollen, puffy eyes...she is great at fighting sleep.  Only two more nights left, so hopefully we can swing back into bedtime routine starting this weekend.
Jake decided that he likes the tricycle now - we have one that has a parent handle.  He can reach one pedal but not both, and he used to kick & scream when we'd try to put him on it, now he just squeals because he needs a little help getting on it!  Cassidy on the other hand has ridden her new "big girl bike" a handfull of times...I threaten to give it away...maybe she'll decide that she can ride her big bike since Jake can almost ride his big boy trike :)  She's all about not being "little" -- we'll see!
Will, well, he's sleeping through most of the night already!  Can't believe that it's been six weeks since his arrival.  He is becoming quite a chunky monkey -- but with all of this heat & humidity, his skin looks terrible!  He is such a good baby - with the exception of a few puking episodes that have required complete clothing changes for both of us - he is pretty easy! Did I just say that???
Well, I'd better get on with our day -- before it starts to slip away!

'Just another Manic Monday'!

Well, I tossed and turned after doing the baby's 4:30 feed, so I got up and got started with my day.  Of course, I had to pump first, since the baby sleeps so well at night I get super full on one side -- of course I have too much milk for this baby...unlike with the previous two, I don't have a stressful job to diminish my supply!  So maybe I'll be able to keep him on breastmilk for a while after he's weaned...but we'll be needing a deep freezer soon otherwise, the whole family's gonna be having breastmilk! LOL!  Anyway, after pumping, I called my soon-to-be former boss, left her a 2nd message to call me so that I could quit!  I then began writing my resignation letter -- I got my labels for the birth announcements shored up; gave Jake some cuddle time after he woke up, made chocolate milk, got Jake dressed, unloaded the dishwasher, loaded the dishwasher, Cassidy woke up -- she's into picking out her clothes the night before so that she can dress herself in the morning -- (awesome!) I of course got caught up on emails & Facebook -- the vortex that is the black hole in my life!  Then got the baby fed & dressed...fed myself & Jake some cereal, Cassidy refuses breakfast usually, so I let her finish off her snack from Vacation Bible School last night...pretzels, cereal and M&Ms...then off to aerobics @ the YMCA (or the MCYA, MCMA, CMYA--those are the things Cassidy calls it!)  I managed to get all 3 kids there on time, check them in and get to class -- worked out, all 3 did great in the childcare room!! came home fixed lunch while I fed the baby -- I do entirely too much while nursing -- could explain some of the soreness I get from time to time :)  Now all are down for a nap...time for Mommy to catch up on some stuff...been searching for a photo website to archive photos and print off for the grandmothers...don't think I've sent them actual photos since Cassidy was a baby!  But they always ask..oh, I do send them professional photos..just not actual day-to-day photos.  Oh, I ate lunch too...now, trying to plan a trip to the Library, figure out when to take the stale bread to feed the ducks/geese...but really should be stuffing the birth announcements and getting those ready for the mail...did I mention it's 1:37p.m. I've been up since 4:30 a.m. and I had my first cup of coffee in a really LONG time (I usually have a diet coke or coke zero as my a.m. pick me up) but I've been trying to wean myself off of the soda...I think it's making me retain the fluff around my midsection - I know I just had a baby...but I actually WANT to workout for a change!  Really, I just want to eat what I want to and not see it show up on my thunder thighs!  And I'm not one of those nursing moms who just spontaneously drops weight like a fly...but I've been pregnant or nursing for the last 4 years with little break in between...so who knows, maybe I will get back into that college size!  Cassidy has VBS tonight and we might head up to Ritters (a wonderful custard shack) to meet up with some friends tonight..maybe I can justify the custard if we walk there and walk back (about a 2 mile walk with hills!)...it's 1:41...did I mention I drank coffee??!??

Can't quite decide if blogging is my thing??

Let it be said...I'm terrible at blogging.  Of course, I did just add a wonderful little guy to our household, making 'free time' a bit difficult.  Additionally, Cassidy is now staying home and I've become a stay-at-home Momma!! WOW! Things have changed a ton since my last post!  Let's see...we had a baby - it's a boy! *remember that old long distance commercial??*, co-hosted a baby shower for a good friend, we celebrated Mother's Day...truly blessed! then Cassidy's 4th Birthday -my where did the time go?? then Michael's lasik eye surgery, Cassidy's birthday party...Jake's first haircut, Will's umbilical stump finally falling off after his 2 weeks appt!! Will growing out of newborn diapers...then newborn clothes, but not fitting in 3 months clothes...oh, what to wear...Will turning 1 month old...5 weeks old...3 month clothes fit...and here we are, almost at 6 weeks and we are getting a few coo's and at least one gummy grin a day! Life has really gotten so much more hectic & definitely more challenging with our newest addition...but I wouldn't have it any other way! Now... I just need to inform my boss that I'm not coming back to work *sorry* and make all of our "well" visit appointments to the pediatrician...Cassidy's 4 year old, Jake's 18 month old, and Will's 2 month old...my where DOES the time go??  So, my goal is to become a better blogger, for my kid's sake...so that I can print this stuff off and remind them that I did notice the small things...AND the BIG things when they were little...and that I do care, so much...

Hopefully my last shopping hoorah before the baby comes...

I went to a Mom's sale at a huge church here in Beavercreek today...it was INSANE! I was probably one of the first 25 people in the door at 0830 and there were already "HOLD" signs on many items...probably from the presales *if you're a seller you can shop before anyone else*.  I really went hoping to buy a cozy coupe car for Jake..there was only 1 there...and it was already taken! BOO!  BUT, I did manage to find a Littlest Pet Shop (LPS) playarea thingy for Cassidy...LPS is her new thing...for $7...whoo hoo!! They are usually at least $30 new, so that was a great deal!  Then I got Mister Will a jumperoo...saw my friend's baby in one last week and she was having sooo much fun; I had contemplated getting one when Jake was smaller, but went with a walker that had a jumping function...didn't really work to his liking either way, he usually just cried in the thing anyway :)  I got a new backpack hoping to replace the one that I paid WAY too much for that both kids (Cassidy & Jake) have screamed & kicked to get out of...must be a really comfy one! Ha!  So maybe since we'll be outnumbered soon, this backpack can be a little more useful.  And a few other toys for the kids round out my purchases...no clothes...there was no way I could go back in for clothes...it was a madhouse!  On top of it all...I forgot to eat my protein bar that I stuck in my purse, so as I was standing in the tremendous check out line and starting to feel woozy...I realized, I hadn't eaten in over 12 hours...not good for a lady in my situation -- I devoured that bar in like 1 minute! Ha - I have no brain left!

Loving the baby I have, but wanting the other to come on out!!

I have found that in the last few weeks, while Jake has been taking large strides into toddlerhood, I have throroughly been enjoying him.  He IS still my baby...at least until Mister Will decides he wants to meet us all!  Jake has really stole my heart...just his cute little expressions, his little voice, his mass of curls...*sigh*.  I will miss these days for sure, when it was just the two kiddos -- one parent to one kid -- but I know that Will is truly God's will...so I am more than happy to have him in our family...if he ever decides to come!  I don't know why I've become so impatient with this pregnancy --probably because I don't have full time work to distract me...and I've known that I was pregnant since 4 weeks...so I'm ready to cuddle my little guy already!! Until then, I'll keep making tickle sessions, sand box messes and toddler wrangling my passion :)

Okay...so I'm really bad at blogging

I know that you're supposed to up-date frequently, write things about what the kids are doing, how the pregnancy is going..but really it's all been going "just fine" -- nothing special to write about.  But then reflecting, I think there is a ton to write about.  As we get days closer to welcoming the final installment to the family, Baby Will, I need to cherish the baby that we still have in the house, Jake.  But really, he has started taking great strides at becoming a "big boy".  The first week that Michael was in Alabama, I discovered that Jake's grumpiness was due to cutting FOUR molars at the same time! Poor guy -- but that's his normal fashion...one tooth is for sissies...he always cuts 2-4 at a time.  He has become so much more verbal, using his signs and using "please" & "thank you" a lot :)  He makes me giggle because he likes to use my belly button as a proding place and then blow raspberries on my tummy...the baby just wiggles in every which way!  Jake is also a very loving brother with his "Sissy" -- he can actually enunciate all 3 syllables of "Cas-a-dee" -- each morning he is thrilled with hugs from Cass and looks for Ty, our dog.  He LOVES Ty, not sure that Ty enjoys all of the love, but Jake is very fond of our 90 lb lab.  I think one of the cutest things that Jake started late last week is "motoring" his cars...pushing them along the floor with a distinct "bbbrrrr" - ADORABLE!  And he started riding the small ride-on toys...boy, he really IS trying to make room for baby!

Cassidy, meanwhile, just continues to be a loving big sister.  She has already considered Will apart of the family - "Mom, there are 4 boys and only 2 girls" (4 boys=Daddy, Jake, Will, & Ty-the dog!)  When asked how many brothers & sisters she would like to have she stated "2 brothers and 3 sisters" -- so I kindly explained that those "3 sisters" would have to be good friends that she makes!  I think she will relish the idea of being an only daughter/sister.  Especially as she gets older and she won't have to share her clothes or "Girly" things with the boys -- at least that is my hope :) -- in more ways that one!  She has been going so long with a dry pull-up at night that I decided it was time to try sleeping without a pull-up -- so far, so good!  My little girl is really growing up!

Well, the squeals of a busy toddler are calling -- I finally have the laptop back, it's easier to blog with this little contraption that being sucked down to the basement behind the desktop -- plus, Jake doesn't try to "help" me out so much when I'm on the laptop :)