Doctors Galore!

On Friday, I got a call from the Carthage Middle School from Tristan.  He had a severe ear ache in both ears and wanted to come home.  I had to quickly get Eden and myself bundled up and out to the car.  We walked into the office and he was very upset and in a lot of pain.  I took him home and called Dr. Smith who told me that I should take him to the emergency room. Poor Tristan was just screaming in pain.  I remember having an ear ache like that once and I thought I was gonna die.  That was before I had experience natural childbirth, lol!  Anyway, the E.R. got us right in and they started doing tests on him.  Eden was not doing well in the hospital environment so luckily Jeremy came to get her pretty quick.  The tests all came back as inconclusive.  They said he could have strep or he couldn't so they were going to treat it like he did.  They gave him two prescriptions for pain pills and a z-pack.  As soon as he got those pain meds in him, he felt a million times better.  That night we also had Asher's Christmas program so Jeremy ended up staying home with most of them and I took Asher and Cullen.  Asher did great but, I will blog about that later.

I took Eden to her three year check up with Dr. Smith last week too.  He wanted to refer her to a pediatrician because of a few different things.  She seems to have sensory issues, her speech isn't where it needs to be, she missed a couple of milestones, and her staring episodes which could be seizures.  So I had to be to Dr. Talbot in Quincy this morning at 9am with Eden.  I really, really liked the new doc.  She was very patient with Eden and listened to everything I had to say.  Then she told me that things were going to get even busier for me! lol!  I would be waiting on four phone calls from four different doctors to check everything out with Eden.  One is a pediatric neurologist to run an EEG on her to see if she is having seizures or any other abnormalities with her brain.  Two, a childhood developmental/behavioral doctor.  Three, an audiologist to do all kinds of checks on her ears to see if her ears are working correctly.   And fourth, a speech therapist to start asap to work with her on her speech.  GAh!  This is slightly overwhelming and scary and all kinds of things.  But, we are going to work it all out.  One step at a time.

Then Eden and I went to Kmart to pick an online order up.  Then to Hobby Lobby for the world's beat wrapping paper.  And finally to McDonald's for fra-fries!  Now I am home for an hour before I have to head to Nauvoo to take Asher to scouts.  He has to bring snacks today.  I totally meant to make something but forgot last night and then couldn't this morning so, store bought snacks it is.  I guess Cullen and Eden and I will drive around for a couple of hours until Asher gets done.  I wish it weren't so darn cold and snowy, then we could go to the park.

Oh My!

I am seriously addicted to Zulily.com.  Everything I have ever bought there is always way better than I expected and at such a great price!!  Every morning I can't hardly wait until after 8:00am when my email comes with the new sales for the day!  The ONLY downside is that it does take a little longer than most places to get to me but, for the price and quality, I can sacrifice quick shipping, I guess!

Huge Belly

Well, my stomach is getting huge.  Like really huge.  I will be 17 weeks in two days. I guess I should take a picture.  I feel this baby moving all the time now.  Still having headaches pretty much nonstop.  I'm starting to freak out that I am running out of time.  We don't have room for another kid.  I guess we are going to remodel after the new year.  I don't know if we can get someone to do it in January/February or if we will have to wait until Spring or what.  But, something has to happen.  We are thinking that it will also add value to our house for when we sell it.  It will be a 5 bedroom/2 bath then.  And my laundry room won't be in my living room which also means that my living room will be bigger!  That is a plus.  Mostly, I need a second bathroom before I lose it one of these days.  There is always a line or if your in the shower, there is usually someone taking a crap while your showering.  It's really nice.  And if we all get sick again at the same time like that......I don't even want to talk about it. 
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Sick and Tired

Yes, we all look sick and tired here because we were!!  haha!  But, snuggling is one of the best remedies there is.  I had also just finished reading Allegiant and cried my brains out.  The kids thought I was nuts.  Cedric is reading it now, so I think he will soon get why I was crying.  I am excited for Divergent to come out in theaters and hope they do the book series justice. 

Thanksgiving Day

 Well, with all the sickies in our house for Thanksgiving, I didn't know what kind of meal I could actually pull off all by myself.  But, I really surprised myself!  The day before, in between taking care of people, I made a custard and a pecan pie.  I also tried a new cranberry salad recipe out that I hoped everyone liked because it made a TON!  

We woke up Thanksgiving morning and I put the turkey in the oven.  I had bought a oven-ready turkey that cooked in a bag to save any extra hassle for myself.  Then I started peeling potatoes and all that fun prep work.  

One of my favorite childhood memories was my Dad calling all of us kids from around the house to come watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on television.  My dad was big into musicals and they always feature all kind of broadway musicals as the parade goes on.  So, Jeremy and I made a tray of cheese, crackers, and summer sausage to snack on and egg nog to drink and called all the kids to watch.  All the kids love that kind of snack food. Some of them were not interested which was irritating but, what can you do.....mostly it was Tristan.  Cullen was enthralled the entire time!! Santa brings up the end of the parade and Matt Lauer kept saying that Santa was coming....Cullen was SO excited!  I LOVE his age right now!  I always think this is the best age for the "magic" of Christmas. 

 My messy little lady watched quite a bit of it too and always tried to sing along to every song!  I LOVE that she does that! 

 A little after noon, I had the dinner done.  It was A LOT of work but, everyone seemed to really enjoy it.  We had turkey, mashed potatoes/gravy, corn, noodles, cranberry salad, sweet potatoes, stuffing, rolls, egg nog, punch, and ginger ale. It turns out that the cranberry salad is a new family tradition!! It was the hit of the day and everyone ate the heck out of it.  Cedric snacked on it for a couple of days after too! The ones who had been sick ate kinda sparingly at our first go around.  But, at supper time we ate it all again and everyone got their fill!  

 We lounged, napped, played games, and watched movies all day.  It was AMAZING!  Everyone was very mellow and happy.  

 Midafternoon I had to turn on the Sound of Music.  One, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE musicals and this one is a classic.  Two, again it reminds me of holidays growing up with my family and my Dad.  Three, it really is the story of my ancestors, The Von Trapp family from Austria.  It is such a compelling and fascinating story.  The kids all seemed to enjoy it too!  

Side note:  I am freaking STOKED about the live version being done on t.v. tonight with Carrie Underwood and Stephen Moyer (True Blood)!!! I will have to record it because tonight is also Asher's Christmas program but, I cannot wait!!!  I was worried when the announced that Carrie Underwood would be playing Maria because of her country twang.  But, I watched an interview with her and she said the first thing she had to do when she started rehearsals was have a vocal coach come in to help her get rid of her twang! Sweet!  And the second I heard Stephen Moyer was going to be Captain Von Trapp, I knew he would be brilliant.  Anyway, end aside. 

Cullen wanted to snack on cereal and poured himself a bowl of Lucky Charms...without milk to sit and snack on.  Well, it was the last of it so he poured all the dust at the bottom out too and was shoveling it into his mouth!  haha!  He made a big mess but, we didn't care.  It was Thanksgiving after all!  

We ended up having one of the BEST holidays that we have had in long time.  And we loved just staying home with our family.  It was so special.  We may have to do this more often.  And skip out on all the extra traveling and extended family parties.

Pest Problem Solved

After finding the mouse and what not we called Reliable Pest Solutions out of Macomb.  They were here within 24 hours to check out the house and give us an estimate.  The guy that came over was super professional and very friendly.  He was NOT a high pressure salesman which I really appreciate in a sales person!  But, we decided to do the initial mouse treatment which treats both the outside and inside of the house, plus two follow ups.  Their work is guaranteed so if it doesn't solve the problem they come back free of charge.  But, we went ahead and signed up for their Home Solution Plus (or something like that) program where your entire house is treated for every creepy crawlie known to mankind every 84 days.  So, it will pretty much make sure that I won't see any varmits around here ever again!  haha! I can sleep SO much easier now!  Well worth the money in my book.

Our Advent Calendar

 Mark and Karina got us this advent calendar one year for Christmas.  The kids have been obsessed with it ever since.  It's another fun tradition we have here at our house.  Each day after school a different person gets to open the door that corresponds with the day.  There is a little note saying what cool things we will be doing that day!  

The first day it said "We are going to decorate our Christmas tree!" but, I didn't get a picture of that one.  The second day was Hang lights up in their bedrooms! They were really excited about it!  We were only able to get Liam and Cedric's lights up though because Asher got in trouble and Cullen fell asleep.  We did something else tonight so we didn't get them up tonight either but, will will tomorrow for sure!  

Rufio Tater is Back!

 Our Elf on the Shelf arrived at our house on December 1st again this year!!  

We had the youngest four in the car and told them that we had a visitor waiting at home.  Liam said "Oh, I know who it is.  It is that elf.  He is creepy!"  Jeremy and I laughed and said "Yep!"  Asher added: "He is so creepy, I'm going to punch him in the face!"  Bahahahaha!  We all laughed so hard!!  The elf itself isn't the cutest thing in the world, they definitely could have done a better job with it but, the funny things he does and the fun little treats or gifts he leaves makes up for it with the kids.  They all love to be the first to find him each morning!  So, he arrived this year with Powdered donuts and Donut holes!  The kids loved that!  We ate the treats and read the stories.  There is a page in the book that you are supposed to fill out with his name and when the tradition started and what not but, for some reason we didn't get that filled out last year.  So, none of us could remember his name.  Luckily, I have  blog, and type this kind of stuff down!! haha!

The next morning Cullen found him clinging to the Syrup....it is one of the elf's food groups after all!!  Let the good times begin!!

Sarah's Baby Shower

 

Way back at the beginning of November, Vicki and I threw a shower for Sarah at the Ivy Bake Shoppe in Ft. Madison.   When Sarah told us she was pregnant, I said that I called throwing the shower!! LOL!  But, what I didn't know then was that I would be in the early stages of pregnancy myself when throwing the shower.  My whole attitude and ambition faded and sickness, headaches, and moodiness took their place, haha!  I still had a TON fun doing it but, I went a much more low-key route than I would have went if I was feeling full of energy and not sick.  Oh well,  I think it ended up going awesome and it was cute, quaint, and went very smoothly.  

Above is the invite that I had done on Etsy.  Sarah doesn't know if it was a girl or a boy so I went with yellow and bumblebees to be neutral.  It was super cute, I think!

The Ivy catered it all (except the bumblebee cupcakes which Vicki and Joanne did....and were perfect as usual!) and we ate veggie quiche, twice baked potatoes, fresh fruit, muffins, pastries and of course, The Ivy's signature desert trays!  Yummy!  And we got a whole room to ourselves as well. 

I made a few centerpieces for the tables but, somehow I had five or six balloon bouquets and only ended up with a picture of one or two....where the heck did I put the other ones!?!? LOL!  They were on the other side tables and I didn't take pics there I guess.

  Sarah arrive dressed to match the theme and didn't even know it!  Doesn't she look cute with preggo belly??  

 Some of the centerpieces. 

 The cupcakes. 

 My "games" were rather low-key as well.  I ordered two Baby Shower games from another seller on Etsy that were more memories for Sarah and Matt than actual games.  One was a card that had Baby Mad Libs on it that I am going to laminate and put in a book for Sarah and Matt to read while she is in labor....you know, to keep her laughing!?  haha!! I read through a couple of them and they are pretty funny!!  And speaking of which, I actually need to get it done because before long she will be having the baby!  :) 

The other "game" was a Wishes for Baby Card.  This one I am also going to laminate and put in a book for them.  Probably the same book as the Mad Libs.  Anyway, I thought it would be something she could look back on and have memories rather than a silly game!  And it was all my poor pregnant brain could do right then! 

 She got lots of cute stuff for the baby and there were quite a few laughs,

 smiles, and sweet moments. 

 Vicki had been working on these quilt squares for over 20 years!!!  But, just never actually got a quilt put together.  Well, now she found the perfect thing to finish it for...her new grandbaby!!  She made her an adorable baby quilt and a quilted bag to go with it!  

 Isn't it pretty??

 Cheryl Tripp got Vicki a Grandma Gift...a firetruck duck to cover the bath faucet with!! 

 One without me.....

One with me.  I hope Sarah really liked it!! I woke up with a terrible headache that day and it just wouldn't stop.  Vicki, Joanne, and Sarah's other Grandma, Bobbie, met me at the Bake Shoppe to help set up. We finished blowing balloons up and making centerpieces and got the tables and banner ready. Thank goodness they helped out, I felt flustered and my head wasn't working properly!  I had a great time but when I got home about 2pm or so, I fell asleep on the couch until about 7pm! 

Well, she is due January 15th!  She could go on January 14th and have it on my Dad's birthday!! That would be so cool! 

I got her a Boppy and a Boppy cover.  I gave my breastfeeding schpeel!  lol!  She is definitely breastfeeding so that is awesome!! What a good Mama!!

Happy Thanksgiving????

I am so, so bummed.  I LOVE Thanksgiving and this year is looking to be epic....only not in a good way.  We have been experiencing the worst round of the stomach flu that I have ever seen.  It started with Asher on Sunday evening.  He was up the entire night and the next morning/afternoon puking his poor little guts out.  High fever, body aches, diarrhea, etc.  He stayed home from school.  I spent most of the day washing bedding, carpet, floors, toilets, clothes, etc. I thought it would end there but, that proved to be wishful thinking.  Tuesday, mid-morning, the school called and said Cullen was running a 101.7 temp and needed to be picked up.  Luckily, my mother saved the day and was able to pick him up and bring him home to me.  However, when she picked him up, he vomited all over the nurse's office, his coat, backpack, floor, etc.  They gave him a coat to borrow and sent him home.  He got here and continued to puke.  I can't keep tylenol or ibuprophen in then because the keep throwing it back up.  Nothing can be kept down.  Nothing.
 Later that day Eden started in too.  That poor girl didn't know what was happening to her and was so confused.  None of the vomit made it in the toilet.  While all this is going on, I have to go to the bathroom, bad.  Everytime I get in the bathroom someone needs to puke and we end up with big messes in the living room.  A couple of hours after Eden started, Liam started too and his was projectile!  He managed to get it E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E.!!!  It was all over the living room, that we had just finished cleaning up, then over the entire bathroom....walls, floors, shower curtain, shower, toilet, sink. I never did get to go to the bathroom until about an hour later. If it would have happened in a movie, I'm sure people would have been laughing but, it was the most disgusting, exhausting thing ever.
 I parked Liam and Cullen on the couch with garbage cans.  Asher in his bed, not puking anymore but, fever and body aches.  The big boys in their beds away from everyone else.  Eden then threw up all over her bed and we had to change everything there.  Liam and Cullen threw up the ENTIRE night.  I layed on one of the couches so I could be close to help them.  I slept from 11-12am, then not at all again until about 6am-7:30am.  Jeremy was helping out until he got it too about midnight.  He threw up about a million times.  I scrubbed the toilet and sink about a million times too.  Everyone is very lethargic and hot today.  I am hoping they all sleep tonight and that I don't get sick so I can cook a small Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.  I am so bummed to not spend it with more family and a HUGE meal.  What can you do though?  It's not their fault they are sick.  I feel so bad for them all.  And I feel bad for myself too because I can't keep up enough.  We ran out of paper towels, hand towels, wash clothes, big towels, clothes, blankets, pillow cases, etc.  Everyone was just using them way to fast.  I had to cover Cullen up with my bathrobe at one point, lol!  My house reeks of vomit and Lysol.  It is very festive, indeed.  Oh well, this shall pass.  I am just bummed that it had to happen on Thanksgiving.  We haven't slept in days.  I figure, that I can sleep when I am dead! 
I have been to Dollar General twice now to the tune of about $50 in 7-up, ginger ale, chicken noodle soup, tylenol, lysol, jello, gatorade, etc.  I am doing my best to keep them all hydrated but, boy oh boy, is it hard!
I did tell Jeremy though, that as soon as the holidays are over, we are finishing our garage off into a new dining room, laundry room, pantry./storage, and BATHROOM.  We cannot have nine people living here with only one bathroom.  It's impossible.  No one can say that we didn't try, haha! 
Right now, we are doing a movie marathon.  We are watching Cheaper By the Dozen and I am realizing that this is exactly the life I wanted.  Crazy, happy, chaos!! As horrible as it all sounds, these are the things that make us family and make us closer.  I wouldn't trade my huge family for anything in the whole world.  No job, house, vacations, money, anything.  THIS is what life is about and I am going to embrace it, even the bad, pukey parts, LOL! 

Jim Gaffigan: Mr. Universe - 4 KIDS

Okay, this is Jeremy and I's favorite comedian.  And he has four kids....this bit he does is HILARIOUS!!!  Now, imagine it with SIX....and one on the way!!! lol!!! good times!!

What's Happening Today

Today, I have got my cooking bone back!! I am in the mood for food and lots of it!!  I went to the doc again today and I have lost weight again.  Only a couple of pounds but, lost still.  Which is still really weird to me because I feel like I am eating a lot...or if not a lot, at least I am not paying too much attention to if it is fattening or not.  Weird. Dr. Jones was able to get the baby's heart rate today easy peasy, which is always a huge relief.  So, anyway, on the menu today is Chicken and stuffing in the crockpot, Cheesy Veggie Soup, and 7-Up Biscuits!  I may even make some dirt pudding for the kids since they love it!
Eden has been stuck on The Polar Express!  She is so cute when she watches it and repeats it all and even does the different voices!! lol!  And the songs and dances!  I think we may have to get the dance pad and game for the Wii so that she can dance her little brain out!! She is so much fun!! I'm trying to have a good positive day since people everywhere have pretty much been doing all they can do drive me bonkers for awhile now. 

The Mouse Trap

Oh my goodness!! Freaking out!!  We have been thinking that we had a mouse (or more) in the house because we heard it scratching around late at night and I heard little squeaks in one of the vents one day.  So, I was going to call Reliable pest solutions.  Then we thought we would try to catch one first to make sure that is what it really was and not a bird or something scratching around in the attic. We bought a few of those glue traps that also snaps down on the mouse.  The front of the packages says"Can kill instantly" because we don't want them to suffer, we just want them gone.  Well, I went upstairs to gather laundry from the bedrooms and just happened to think about checking one we had put behind our dresser.  I picked it up and it didn't feel any heavier but, the little notch thing said it had been sprung.  I tried looking in both ends but couldn't see anything, and the spring thing was flat so it had been sprung.  But, then.....THE DANG THING SQUEAKED IN MY HANDS!!! GAH!!!!!! I dropped it and ran downstairs to call Jeremy!!! I called him and he told me to throw it away but, I picked it up again and it SQUEAKED AGAIN!!!    BLEH!!  I don't know what to do!?!?!?  I still don't know if it is a mouse...although I assume.  I cannot see any part of the creature at all.  YUCK!  Just yuck.  I guess we need to call someone now.  This is fun stuff. 

The Dishwasher

Jeremy got our new dishwasher installed.  It works great!! The dishes are clean and shiny!  But, I guess since it is a high efficiency washer that means that each wash cycle takes three freaking hours!! What the what!?!?  For a family of eight, that is not high efficiency.  That is a huge waste of time!  I need it at least three time a day...fully loaded.  Yep, you heard me right.  Three times a day, at least.  Ugh.  Can't win.  Oh well, I guess I will still be doing dishes by hand sometimes it looks like. I am thankful to have it though.  It does take some of the load of hand washing off anyway.  And Jeremy was able to install it! woot!  Woot!  WE didn't have to call someone after all.  I can't wait to move to my new home and get a huge commercial dishwasher!  Ahhh, that will be wonderful.  But, I will wait patiently.  We are well on our way and I need to not rush things! 

Super Sunday

I have had the best day today with my family.  I wanted to see the everyone last night but, only Asher waited up for me. Jeremy had cleaned and reorganized our bedroom and had the whole house picked up (not easy when all the kids are actually in it!) and he had made M&M/chocolate chip cookies too!!  Smiles, snuggles, hugs, and kisses all around!  Eden must have grown up while I was away shopping and is talking up a storm and playing with her Cabbage Patch dolls so cutely!1 She is even putting diapers on them that are WAY too huge!! Baahahah!  Liam and Asher have been playing Minecraft with each other most of the day linked on two separate computers!  They have been working together and getting along SO GOOD!  Jeremy and I got to sit and watch a movie on the couch.  Now, he is shopping with the bigs to get groceries and to remind them to "keep the magic alive" with the littles this Christmas!  We had a small scare when my mom went to church and left Cedric at her house for us to pick him up.  We hadn't checked the weather and right after Jeremy left to go get him, I saw the weather flash on the screen and there was a BAD storm heading straight for them both!  I couldn't find my phone and Jeremy wasn't answering my facebook texts!  gah!  Finally found my phone, got ahold of Ced, and told him to go the basement.  Jeremy got to my mom's house shortly after that and they hunkered down there until it blew past.  And boy did it blow past!! So fast too! Whew!  Now, I'm going to make my favorite veggie lasagna for supper to have when Jeremy and the bigs get home.  And tonight is The Walking Dead!! YES! Sundays with my family are my absolute favorite!!! 

Gettin' Ready!

Yesterday, my husband made my day!!  He took me all the way to Peoria to have an elective early gender reveal ultrasound so that I would at least have a good idea what to look for when Christmas shopping with the girls!  LOL!  I know, I am a huge dork but, I can't help it!! I was made this way!!  We went to a place called Mommy Vision.  It was really great place.  It was very nice and the staff there was amazing!  And it was VERY reasonably priced! The ultrasound tech went ahead and called it and says that it is a girl!! woo-hoo!  I will be happy if this is true for Eden's sake!  Either way I am fine but, I have to say that it looked very similar to the way Eden looked at her very first ultrasound in Chicago. 
Today is uber busy getting ready for the big Kelley girl shopping trip!  There is so much to do!!  I am cleaning the house like a mad woman!  I am making a crock pot meal for Jeremy and the kids for this evening.  I have errands to run around town to the bank, post office, etc.  My Nauvoo kids get out of school early so I gotta run and get them and hopefully not let Eden nap on the way there....or the way back.  We have appointments for both vehicles are Carson's today too.  Pack, organize, make lists, etc!  I think I will pop some cookies in the oven for the fam while I am gone too. Also, supposed to go to Joanne's house to help her get her baby girl room ready for a few hours.  I went ot the car this morning and it won't start of course!! Jeremy is uber busy today since he took half the day off yesterday and can't come look at it.  We know it is the starter, we have one ordered.
Anyway, I am SO excited for our big shopping trip though!  We always have so much fun!  This year we are going to Peoria tonight and staying in a hotel so we can wake up early and shop, shop, shop!

In Everything Give Thanks #12

Now for #12-
I am thankful for my family, both immediate and extended.  In case you have noticed I am feeling emotional and loving today, lol!  But, for reals.  In all seriousness, my "little" family and my family on my side and Jeremy's side all mean the world to me.  I am not usually very good at showing or expressing certain emotions and I am certainly not good at putting things into words but, I will try.  Those around me accept me for who I am, flaws and all.  I mess up all the time.  I say stupid things and forget things and can't figure out which way is up sometimes but, through it all I get nothing but, love!  I need to apologize if have ever offended, hurt, judged, anyone.  I love you all and I can't imagine my life without any of you in it!  And you all know who you are......My mom and dad, all 11 of my brothers and sisters, my mother and father in law, my brother and sister in laws, and my million nieces and nephews!!!  What a lucky girl I am!! 

Asher's Lego Projects

 Still WAY behind on blog posts but it will all come in time!  It's how I operate apparently.  Asher got a couple of new sets of legos for his birthday (in August) and he and Cedric built them together.  He was pretty proud when he was done!  

In Everything Give Thanks #8,9,10,and 11

Well, I am way behind in my In Everything Give Thanks Posts so I think I may just stop them or combine them all.  Today and everyday I am thankful for my husband.  I know I have said it a million times and I will say it a million more that he is THE BEST husband in the world!!  My heart has been heavy the last few weeks with all kinds of terrible things that are happening to those I love.  It makes my heart hurt when people around me are hurting or suffering and there isn't much I can do to help.  It does however put my own problems into perspective....and that is why I am talking about my hubby!  I have friends who have husbands that are gone a lot for work.  It is what they have to do and they all understand that.  My one friend has her hubby gone for weeks and months at a time with the military.  And she is home with their little ones.  He misses a lot of big milestones.  But, it works for them on some level and not on other levels.  Jeremy and I were THIS CLOSE (imagine my fingers really, really close together) to him joining the military as an officer/pharmacist.  There were many perks but so many non-perks. At the time we felt pressured with financial problems to do it because it seemed our only way out.  Thank goodness we chose to open our own business instead....even though it has been one of the toughest things we have ever done!! lol!  I was talking to my friend the other day about it and she was saying that her husband will be able to retire in fifteen years but, doesn't know if he will or not but, that the time away now was worth it to know that they would have so much time together later.  I told her that I looked at completely differently.  WE ARE NOT GUARANTEED ANY TIME HERE ON EARTH.  I want my husband home while the kids are little.  I want him to experience their growing, learning, etc. WITH me.  Not twenty years from now when we both are old (if we live that long, that is) and our kids are gone with families of their own.
On another note I was at a Pampered Chef party the other night where the consultant there was talking about how when her husband retired from the railroad she thought she was going to kill him at first because he nearly drove her nuts, lol!  It was funny but, I didn't understand it.  They had been apart so much while he worked that they got used to not being together or didn't know what to do with themselves when they were together so much!?!? I don't know exactly what she meant as I am not her but, I do know that Jeremy and I seem to have a unique relationship amongst the married world.  Every day we get to see each other multiple times a day.  We have breakfast, lunch, and dinner together every day.  We know literally EVERYTHING about each other.  And when he leaves for work, he doesn't want to go and I beg him to stay, lol!!  And the thing is, I wouldn't have it any other way!  I LOVE being around him!!  We are soul mates and we will be together long after our kids are grown and have families of their own. 
I know this wouldn't work for many people.  It works for us though and keeps us happy and unified.  I remember when I was little my Dad worked for a trucking company.  He was not a trucker, he was the Director of Commerce, which meant he had to be on business trips A LOT.  I remember missing him terribly and then when he would get home after a week, I would run to the door when he came in screaming "DADDDDDYYYY" and I would attach myself to his leg!! BAhahaha!  He would always bring me a present too which was awesome!  But, what was even more awesome was when as a pre-teen, he retired from that job and started his own in-home business!  I loved having both my parents home all the time and available for my every whim!! :)  It was that type of home that I wanted for our kids when Jeremy and I got married.  And Jeremy, being the great man that he is, is doing his very best to make that happen.  He spoils me rotten and I love him for it!  I like to think that I spoil him too but, I will leave that for him to decide!! I love you Jeremy and I am thankful for all your love, hard work, dad skills, and every single breath you take!! MUAH!

Shutterfly Can Suck It

I am really, really annoyed.  I bought a Shutterfly photo print package on July 22, of this year, with the intent to buy prints of our family pictures we had done. The package I ordered was $60 some odd dollars and good until July 22 of 2015.  Everytime I would go to the site, I had a hell of a time figuring the whole thing out, would get annoyed, and just forget about it.  *side note* I had made photo books at Shutterfly before and was fairly confident that ordering prints would be easier and great quality.*  Well, last night I had Jeremy sit down with me to help pick out and order pictures....FINALLY.  It was so stupid.  One, I am annoyed that the person who took our pics left HUGE freaking copyrights (the name of her photography business) plastered all over my pictures.  She gave me a piece of paper with the rights to print or whatever so why did she feel the need to make the logos so damn big and in the way!?!?!?  I mean, I understand if you have a simple understated logo in the very corner but, the right in the middle covering half the picture!?!?  And two, stupid Shutterfly crops every single picture I have so that it looks completely dumb.  And when they are cropped the stupid logo is cut off in weird spots too which just add to the dumbness of it all.  I guess all the money I spent getting pics done and all the money I spent on the package is a complete waste.  I am super, super annoyed.  GAH!

On another note, I will be doing a senior pic session in 20 degree weather today.  I might freeze to death so wish me luck!!