Santa picture

Tree in the middle of Main Street downtown Fort Worth.
Santa beneath the tree in downtown Fort Worth.

I'm alive

Sorry I haven't posted in so long. I have been adjusting to watching McKenzie (my neighbors 22 month old)EVERYDAY. I have also just not felt like blogging, so much sadness. It hardly feels like Christmas time(it was 78 yesterday!!!). Anyway, I thought I would just post a few pictures. I guess I won't. Bloggers picture thing is down right now. I will try again later.

Pray for health and new friends

Only time for two quick notes. One...never let your 13 month old play with the phone. Sunday, Caleb called 911 and then I hung the phone up. Less then five minutes later there were two police men at our door. What a way to start off the day. They were very nice and just said they had a 911 hang up from our address and came to check it out. It is nice to know they would be here so quick if we really needed them.
Two...it is wonderful to have four kids throwing up at the same time. Kirk is swamped at work and can't come home. Caleb and Kylie started throwing up last night and the early morning hours. Cara started around nine and Karissa came home from school about ten. I don't know what is going on. We all just had this a week or two ago. Kylie and Caleb seem fine now but Karissa and Cara can't keep anything down. Pray for us all.
I lied there are three things. For those of you who don't know, my neighbor Celeste, is moving back to California on Thanksgiving day. Please pray for me and the kids. There aren't other kids or moms home during the day and we are going to be at a loss as to what to do for awhile. Also Kirk and I are supposed to leave for Green Bay Saturday.

Update on the kitchen

Just a quick note. This past week three of Karissa's friends moved back to Ohio. They were triplets and she has had one of them in her class every year. Their move was very quick and their mom didn't have a lot of room or time. So to make a long story short...the kitchen I found on the curb was theirs. Their mom couldn't find anyone to take it and was very sad to just throw it away. She was attached to it but her girls had kind of outgrown it. How cool is that!! Now Karissa has something to remember them by and their mom knows it will get lots of use.

Limo's and Trash Treasures

So I guess everyone didn't appreciate my all picture post.(no comments, again) We have had a busy week. Karissa won(PTA fundraiser) a limo ride to lunch on Wednesday and I did my first official PTA thing. It was a very long day and very hard for someone like me to be involved with something so disorganized. The kids had fun! I got to ride with Karissa's group, that was really cool. My mom came up for the day so I could be at the school all day. I was wiped out when the day was over. Karissa was pretty wiped out, too. She also got a hour long Thunderbash party(bounce house). Friday, Kirk and I both woke up throwing up. I can't recall another time that we have both been too sick to take care of our kids. Celeste (our neighbor) took the younger three until nap time. Thankfully, we weren't throwing up anymore by then, just tired and sore. Linda (Kirk's aunt) took the middle too Friday evening until bedtime. We feel better today but still weak and a little nauseous. This afternoon, Karissa and I went to fill her Christmas shoebox and on the way home we found a treasure. Someone had left this beautiful(after I cleaned it) kids kitchen on the curb for the trash men. I decided we needed it. When we got home Caleb was more excited(much to Kirk's dismay) about the kitchen than the girls. After I cleaned it up and put it in the girls room they loved it. Yeah for trash days!!! By the way, only 14 days til we leave for Green Bay.

Halloween: A Pictures Worth a Thousand Words

Such cute sisters (they really do love each other)
Our little angel (yeah right...only asleep)
There's not much to cheer about but we are looking to the future...Romo?
Our Little Cheesehead (he has no choice)
Karissa the good witch
Uniqua on her way to her first Halloween party at school
Our friendly jack o lantern

The crew Karissa, Kirk, Caleb, Edward (our neighborhood terror), Cara, Kylie, J.T.(our across the street neighbor)

Aren't They Sweet!!

We visited the pumpkin patch today. Caleb was tired and did not like the hay or pumpkins. They have a bounce house and hay maze set up for the kiddos. I took my four kids plus two others. It was very crazy. I got a great picture of all four kids and a great one of Karissa. I am going to try again with the other three.

Homecoming

The beginning of the homecoming game.
The middle of the second quarter. We moved down to the grass, but Caleb kept running away.

We have been busy lately. Two weeks ago we decided it would be fun to go to the homecoming game for the Boswell Pioneers. We paid $21 plus snacks, found a seat and prepared to enjoy the game. There is nothing better than a high school football game in the fall!! Unfortunately, our kids did not agree with that. Halfway through the first quarter, the score was 21-0 and the kids were done. Kirk and Karissa stayed until the end 55-15 (us). Interesting side note...in the school parking lot thay had a car totalled by a drunk driver. I think that is a very effective reminder of what can happen. I took the three younger ones home and put them to bed and watched Bruce Almighty. Great movie with a good message.

Last weekend, we had a Saturday garage sale. We did pretty good. Kylie came back from an overnight visit with an asthma attack. It took us a long while to get her straightened out. She seems to be ok now with just a cough and congestion. All the kids have a cough and congestion. I hope this cold front coming in will blow all the yuck out of the air.

I have been helping out with Awanas, lately. It is so fun to see the kids excited to memorize scripture. I am a floater. Last week, I was a teacher but usually I am a listener or asst to the secratary. They only have one sec for all three levals. She is way stressed out. I think it is fun!!

Sunday, we went back to EVC and loved it again. Then we had lunch with our new friends and they came over. Kirk and Justin had a jam\recording session and Misty and I just chatted. Before we knew it, it was time for dinner. We grilled chicken and spent the evening together. Kirk and I are so excited to have christian friends to hang out with.

Monday I had MOMS group, Tuesday was the big Ortiz\Shamrock UFC fight plus Cara and I had a date and tonight was Awanas. Tomorrow is PTA and Friday is some party a girl at Kirk's work is having. What a week.

No more paci

If you've read Kirk's blog you know we visited a new church Sunday. I am very hopeful and excited that this might be the church for us. We like Christ Chapel but it is no Grace Church. I think this church will be much easier to get plugged into and maybe even start some new stuff in. I am taking the kids to Awanas at another church on Wednesday nights. It makes for a late night but I am hoping the kiddos will adjust because I love the scripture memory emphasis in Awanas. Please pray for us to know if this new church is the right place for us. If you want to know more you can read Kirk's blog.

In other news, Kylie no longer has a paci. Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!! We lost her last one the other night and she fell asleep without it. After that we just kept it lost and now she is on day four. Now if only the potty training would go so well. I think tat's about all for now.

Just a Quickie

Karissa's baby egg Katherina(she had to keep it 24 hours and journal about it)
Caleb's favorite spot in the house (garage) If he can get here ...he will.


I forgot when I wrote before to tell you about the shots. I took Cara for her five year old check up at the same time I took Caleb for his 1 year old check up. They gave Cara 5 shots and wanted to draw blood, too. Can you believe that?? Then Caleb had to get 3! I had Kylie along with me on the off chance they would check out what was going on in her mouth. By the time the doctor got to her she was terrified.

My baby is 1!

Caleb had a fun birthday. He wasn't really into unwrapping the presents or the cake. He did like all the cars he got and the tool set. He has been "fixing" everything in sight. Kirk was putting together part of Kariss'a bed and Caleb watched intently and then started banging away with his hammer.

Birthday Blues

Kirk was such a fun Dad. I went to bed and he stayed up with the girls.
Twister is such a timeless game.
This is part of Karissa's new room. I will post more pis later.
Bathing beauties
I can't believe it has been so long since I have blogged. For awhile, I had nothing to blog about and then I had too much to blog about. Quick run down... Cara ear infection, Caleb cutting teeth (he has four now), ear infection, allergies, Karissa being Karissa(can you believe she is 8?), Kylie viral infection in mouth and throat (no eating...lots of crying). Then, following that Karissa's swim\slumber party, followed by(the next day) Caleb's first birthday, followed by Karissa's friends birthday. Karissa also walked up to Kirk yesterday and said"Dad will you pull my tooth?" So he did and that was that. She is so unpredictable. Anyway, I hope we are all well now and can get back to our fall routine. I have only made it to 1 Women in the Word. I can't wait for Thursday to get here. Here are a few birthday pictures. By the way, did you know 8 yr old know whwt spin the bottle and truth or dare are? I had to tell them they couldn't play them at Kariss'a party. I don't think we wil have boy\girl parties again for a few yrs(like 20).

First Day of School

Today was Cara's first day of preschool. She was so excited. She was ready an hour early and kept asking me "is it time yet?" When I dropped her off she sat in her chair and hardly even said goodbye. She had fun, I think. She said her teacher was mostly nice but not really like a teacher because she had white hair.

I tried to start potty training Kylie, again. She went 0 for 3 today. She didn't pee until 2:30 this afternoon and then she did like three times in two hours. I think she freezes up on the potty. I even got the little potty out and let her sit on it in front of the tv. She did that several times with no sucess. She took a nap and woke up dry. Then she peed outside but said she wasn't finished so I brought her in and put her on the potty...no go. I put dry clothes on her and went back outside and she peed again. I don't think she gets it and I know she doesn't reallly care if she is wet or not.

Caleb is still clingy and fussy. I gave him real spaghetti on his tray tonight. By the time he was finnished his left ear was covered in sauce. I can't tell if he still has an ear infection or what. I think I may try to take him back to the doctor.After this weekend, I don't think we will be traveling with Caleb for quite some time. He didn't sleep and he cried the last 30-40 minutes in the car, both ways.

Karissa is going through adolescents now. She wants to "live anywhere but here" and we are"the meanest parents in the world." She is learning she can't talk her way out of things at school and there are consequences to being tardy. Pray for us. She has a mouth on her and unfortunately she got it from me.

Kirk and I are excitedly awaiting the begining of football season. He has his last draft tomorrow night and then Thursday is the first game. My life seems very chaotic and I am ready for the fall routine to settle into place. My womens bible study begins Thursday. Hopefully, that will kick start the routine.

Bummer

So, two weeks ago Kirk walks out of our room looking all worried and says"I won something on ebay. I just put a bid and I won." So I am thinking some game or electronic thing we don't need. Instead he says"I won four pre-season Dallas Cowboy tickets for the $20. I'm thinking OK that's not so bad. We decided Karissa, Kirk, my dad and I would go. We have all been looking forward to it. My mom was going to come down and watch the kids. So, last night Kirk says"have you seen the tickets?" "What???" Kirk never loses anything and usually knows where everything I lose is. So you guessed it...the tickets are lost. We searched our house, the cars, Kirk's office. I bet they got thrown away. Anyway, no game for us.

Mommy moments: Kylie is following JT on her tricycle and I hear her yell at him"Dude?...I'm a girl...you can't call me dude." Then this morning she says"I'm going to marry him." We may have a fight over JT because last time I heard Cara was going to marry him and they were going to have water and carrot cake at their wedding. Karissa walked in our room yesterday morning and said "Dad can you turn my expander?" Talk about a turn around from last week when we practically had to hold her down to do it.

Caleb has an ear infection and is teething and has a virus. Hopefully, the antibiotic will kick in soon. He is a pretty miserable little guy. He still has a smile for his little big sister Kylie, though.

Power Out

Thanks for all the advice on Karissa's room. Unfortunately, Alyssa, I love your idea, but all our trim and doors are a light khaki. So, if we wanted to do wainscoating(sp?) we would have to paint the doors and molding, too. Then, that one room would be white and all the rest khaki.

So, yesterday it rained. Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The temp dropped like 20 degrees. It was wonderful UNTIL the power went out. It only rained about an hour and then we have no power. Across the street had power, but not us. New houses shouldn't be built connected to old grids. Anyway, it was out until 2:30 this morning. Talk about a long day and night. We played outside then had candle light baths. Then, we went to Taco Casa for dinner, all the while hoping the electricity would come back on. Txu kept changing the guesstimated time it would be fixed. So, we put the kids to bed and realized it was just going to be too hot and stuffy in the house. We moved all the kids to Celests's house (our neighbor across the street). Caleb woke up and thought it was play time. Then Kylie got up and couldn't sleep. Finally, aound 10:30 I put Caleb back to bed at our house, took a cool candlelight shower and tried to go to sleep. Didn't happen. So, I get Caleb and go back across the street. He stays asleep this time BUT Karissa and Cara get woke up by the second round of storms coming through. So, we are finally all settled in Celest's living room around 1am. I hear Caleb around 2:30 and happen to notice the lights from our house are blaring across the street. So, since I haven't been asleep yet I wake Kirk and say let's go sleep in our own bed. Then we carried all the kids home (in the rain) and fell into bed. Kirk decided he needed a shower. So around 3:30ish we finally were all settled. The alarm went off at 7 and Karissa just couldn't wake up. So, I decide to be nice and let her sleep in and take her to school late. As soon as I say she can sleep in, she says (wide awake) I'm hungry...I want some breakfast. So by 7:45 all my kids are awake and hungry. I tell Karissa she can't stay home if she isn't going to sleep so I take her to school. I think it is going to be a long day.

Just an update on Karissa's expander. It is doing great. The first 2-3 days everytime we had to turn the screw she had a fit and we thought we were killing her. We called the orthodontist and they said hang in there it gets easier. By the 4th day she doesn't even know we are turning it. Thank goodness. Do you know how hard it is to inflict pain on your child on purpose??? I was in tears and Kirk was sick to his stomach. Thank goodness that part is over. Have a great week.

Spaghetti Anyone?

er

Living Room Pics

Help

Ok all you decoraters out there. Karissa's birthday is coming up and we (she and I) decided we would redo her room. She chose this comforter and prefers the side on the left. Her room is already pink but there is too much pink. I need to tone down the pink but am unsure of what colors to use. The side of the comforter she likes has only pink and a redish color on it. The wallies I bought to go with it have pink, purple, light lime green*, turquoise, orange, yellow.(*denotes my choice of second color in the room). So my questions are what color and how do I put the two colors up(ex.1/2 wall one color, 2 walls one colorand 2 the other). There is also a border available if I choose. For a picture of Karissa's room now, go to archives January 27th. THe dots have to go and we are hoping to get a new bed with drawers and a bookshelf headboard.

Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you who have been waiting on pins and needles...Karissa had her appointment yesterday. She did cooperate, with much encouragement, and is now the proud owner of an expander. Last night, Kirk had to twist the screw for the first time and we were both ready to quit. But how can we when she has already gone through so much? This mornings twist wasn't much better and she had to do it before school. Only 25 more twists!!!(two times a day) I took her lunch with a milk shake because her mouth is sore and she is having to learn to eat and talk with something on the roof of her mouth. She was feeling fine. She even refused the tylenol. At least, we don't have to go back to the orthodontist until November.

Caleb's Haircut

before and after

First Day of School

So, last week I was so jealous of all of you who got to post first day of school pics. Today is the day for us (finally). Karissa has Ms. Winters and Nathan and Raven are in her class. She was so excited this morning. She came and woke me up and she was dressed and her bed was made!!! Other big news...Caleb got his first tooth and his first haircut. I cut his hair and he looks so old. It is a little shorter than I think I want on top but the rest is great. Who knew boys were so easy. Karissa has one more ortho appointment, tomorrow. Last week didn't go so great the first try but she was perfect the next day. I also just wanted to say God is a great provider. We have been a little concerned about some upcoming expenses(Cara's school, Karissa's teeth, Green Bay, jeep, huge electric and water bills) fitting into our budget. Then last night there was a knock at our door. It was Robin, a policewoman, who lives in our neighborhood. She was wondering if I could pick her son up after school and keep him til 4pm. Her son is in 2nd grade just like Karissa. So, of course, I said no problem. So between picking up Tyler and watching Mackie(the neighbors little girl) two days a week, God has supplemented our income. Yeah!!!! I was going to post pics of my living room but they are pretty dark. I just finished painting it last week.

Odds and Ends

Just a quick note...Karissa had her first ortho appointment and she did pretty well. There were some tears and some I'm not going to do its but overall she didn't get hysterical. I was very proud of her. They took xrays, pictures of her teeth and face and made molds of her top and bottom teeth and put the spacers on the top. It is really a lot for one appointment. We go back Tuesday for the next step. I am so thankful Kirk's parents were able to come down and watch the other kiddos. They even took Kylie home with them for two days. Then, Cara went to spend the night with Aunt Linda. It was really quiet around here with only Caleb and Karissa. It was nice to spend some quality time with them. Karissa got a really cool new computer game. It is kind of like sims but she gets to be a vet and build up her practice. She hasn't wanted to get off the computer. Caleb reverted in his sleeping through the night. For about 3 nights he woke up at 10 and seemed awake for a LOOOOOOOONG time. He woke up at 10 tonight but went right back to sleep so hopefully we are back on track. I painted my living room this week. I just finished tonigt. I will post some pictures tomorrow. I guess that's all for now.

Caleb Sleeps (and so does mommy)

I am getting really old. I just pulled up the screen to create a new entry and then had to sit here for 3-4 minutes to remember what I was going to blog about.

I thought I would give an update on Caleb's sleeping. He sleeps ALL night in his bed and has even started going to sleep without screaming. He goes in his bed at nap time and falls asleep. I was worried when he got sick last week, but he did great. It is amazing!!! I am so sad he is almost 1. I love all the milestones but he is my last baby.

We tried to pull Karissa's two loose teeth tonight but it didn't work. Those little suckers are stuck. Kirk tried and then I tried but they are so tiny and Karissa gets really freaked. The orthodontists said they are ready to come out. I think we have decided to go ahead with phase one for Karissa's teeth. One of my biggest fears is the scene she is going to make at the orthodontists office. She really throws a fit. We have tried bribing, talking and punishment. Fear overcomes all her senses. Pray for us the next three Tuesdays. She is very scared and worried about what she will look like. I think she is excited for school to start. She wants to go to WF the first week of school and visit Mrs. Parker. She doesn't start until the 21st.

Cara has become a little fish. She is diving to the bottom of the pool to retrieve things. She looks like she is drowning on top of the water but swims great under water. She is also very moody and reclusive (so not like her). Can puberty hit at 4?? I am hoping to put her in school on Tuesdays and then take her to Thursday bible study Wee School. If it works out I will only have two kids for 5 hours on Tuesdays...whatever will I do??

Kylie is finally starting to gain weight. She is Caleb's constant playmate. She has become a little clown lately and has the greatest laugh. She has also found her stubborn streak. She told me yesterday "I'm not doin it!" Then when I told her she was she threw her barbies one at a time and proceeded to scream at the top of her lungs. Yeah (can't I have one compliant one?) She is also coming right along in the water. She sticks her face in and swims oin top of the water(she has a floatie suit that won't let go under).

I started scrapbooking today. I think it is the first time since we moved. I had so much fun but the kids were a real distraction. I need to find some away crops or weekend retreats. My books are all so behind. I can't even remember how old the kids are in some of their pictures (there's that memory thing, again). I guess that is all for now. Kirk is good. Work has been stressful, mainly due to office drama. He is so excited about the Greenbay trip. Just read his blog!!!

Caleb Walks

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So I finally captured Caleb walking on video, today.(sorry, there isn't any sound.) He kind of relapsed when he was sick but he is back at it now. I took Karissa to a orthodontic evaluation, yesterday. Yikes!!! Who knew being a parent would be so hard. They want to start right away. They want to put an expander on the roof of her mouth to slowly expand the width of her mouth. Is it painfull???Yes. Can other kids see it?? Yes. It looks like a torture device and we have to adjust the screw in it daily until it is as wide as the dentist wants it. How do we know if she needs it right now? She is terrified of the dentist as it is and now they want to put hardware in her mouth. Oh and that is only the beginning(to the tune of $3300, then they want to put a space holder on the bottom and in about 18 mo we will talk about Phase 2 and the real braces. We went online to look up the expander and google pulled up a blog of a guy who just got one. He said it was (hell) and if he knew how bad it was going to be he never would have gotten it. This is from an adult and they want to put one on our 7 year old. What to do???

Pictures of the week

Cara in mid air
Karissa and Sheridan
Kylie and Caleb
Caleb pushing his poper car(toddler toy from McDonald's...Kelly, you need one for Owen)

Picture of the week

WELCOME BACK!!!!

I am so glad all of you weary travelers are back where you belong. I know my blog is mundane mommy stuff, but I need your blogs to stay in touch with the outside world. You guys are the only media I get. I want to say a big thanks to :
Josh...for your politics and legal insight
Jeff...for your sports and television updates(with moments of heart mixed in)
Kelly...for your decorating tips and working/new mom stories(and fashion, too)
Alyssa...for your blondness and fashion insights
Amy...for your conservation tips and healthy living(as well as great kid stories)
Amanda...crazy animal and kid stories plus a little insight to you
Kirk...for the insight into you I would never get just being your WIFE
Ellen...for your religious, moral and psychological endeavers
Laura...for your insight into foreign culture
Alicia...for your quiet prescence ( I miss talking to you)
All the family...for your support and just knowing if no one else cares or is reading...you ARE

Sorry to anyone I missed...you must be a blog voyeur

Again, I am so glad you are all finished traveling and can get back to the important things in life. Like Blogging

Sick Again

Just a quick update. Caleb is sick. They think maybe a bladder or kidney infection. I had to take him to Cook's to have a cautherized urine sample. It wasn't pleasant to watch so I am sure it was unpleasant for him!! Karissa and Cara are in W.F. visiting grandparents. It is awfully quite around here. Pray that Kylie doesn't get whatever Caleb has. She can't withstand another illness so soon.

Little Man

Caleb is walking!!!! He walked across the kitchen and Karissa's room today.

Super Boy

Just a quick mommy moment...yesterday, Caleb was pushing a car around on the floor and making car sounds. He is such a BOY. It must be inborn for them to make car sounds. He is also loving table food. He is pretty much done with mushy baby food. He has 0 teeth but he manages to chew food anyway.

Pictures

My "party." Kylie was not in the mood to be in the picture.

Caleb enjoying watermelon
Caleb eating cake!!

I forgot to mention I also got to pick out two new outfits for my birthday and got two new CD's. I think I need to turn 32 again. I haven't had such a great birthday in a long time.

Birthdays?

So the sleep thing isn't going great. Thursday night was about like night two. Last night I shut my door turned music on and let Kirk sleep in the living room. Worked for me!!! Caleb cried from 12-1 then whimpered every 10 minutes til 2:30n then slept til 7. Naptime today he cried about 10 minutes and bedtime the same. I guess we are getting there. The guilt is what gets me. Guilt over making him learn to go to sleep on his own and sleep by himself at such a late age. He only knows what I have taught him. He likes to be comforted, sleep next to someone and be lulled to sleep!!

So on to Birthdays? I was just thinking how different people view and celebrate their birthdays. Last year, I totally screwed up on Kirk's birthday and learned something new about my husband, after 10n years of marriage. He likes to receive gifts and he needs to celebrate his birthday ON his birthday. We had a party with his cousin for their birthdays on a Saturday and then I didn't plan anything ON his birthday and he was really mopey. So I asked him what was up and he said "you didn't even have the girls make me a card or anything." So we had a un-birthday party for him with cake and balloons and everything. That seemed to smooth things over and now I know how he feels. Also, if we have a party for the girls on a different date then their birthday Kirk feels like we also need to have a mini party on their birthday.

I ,on the other hand, don't think that is necessary, especially while they are young. Last Saturday, Kirk's brother and parents came down to visit and we did the birthday thing for me and Kevin. My actual birthday was Thursday and we didn't "celebrate" it so much but that was OK. What made me sad was not receiving cards in the mail or phone calls. Every year on my birthday I think I am going to do a better job of calling or sending cards to others because that is what I like and every year I fail miserably. (Just so no one thinks I want you to feel sorry for me, let me explain. I grew up away from my family, as my dad was in the Air Force, so I always got lots of mail and calls on my birthday. )

Now, Kirk is big into celebrating birthdays ON the birthday. We went out to dinner on my birthday and tried to go shopping but that was asking a little much of our four children. My neighbor and I got pedicures together this morning. Then Kirk and the girls made a cake for me today and we cooked out with our neighbors tonight. It was great. I got new dishes from my parents and my ears pierced. I had a wonderful birthday week!! So I guess birthdays and how we celebrate them or expect them to be celebrated are different for everyone. I don't think any of that makes since but it has been on my mind for awhile. I just wondered if everyone else has their own expectations for birthdays??

Just a side note...I am so excited for Caleb's first birthday after watching him today. We sat him on the table and he reached right into the cake. Then my mom was sharing her cake with him and he watched every bite that she took. She could take one for herself and then he was making noises for his. He was so cute. OK, so I tried to post some birthday pictures but it didn't work. I will try again later.

Day 2

So Caleb slept an hour and a half at naptime. Then we went to Target last night to shop for my birthday present. Not a good idea with four kiddos at 8pm. Anyway he fell asleep on the way there and on the way home. When we got home I nursed him and put him in bed and he stayed asleep. Then he woke up at 9:45, so I nursed him on the other side and put him back in his bed. He slept until 3:30. I went in and nursed him but he would not go back in his bed without screaming bloody murder. He woke Cara and Karissa which means they would end up in our room, too. Soooooooooooooo I put him in my bed....I know I know so shoot me. I was tired and am getting sick so I didn't stick to my guns. Just as I thought we woke up with the girls on the floor in our room and Caleb in our bed. He slept til 8:20ish. I just put him down for his nap and he cried for about 25 minutes. Hopefully he will sleep for awhile:) I am sure most of you don't care about the day to day struggle of teaching Caleb to sleep but it helps me to vent.

Our Sleep Journey Day 1

So last night we decided was THE night. Caleb was going to learn to go to sleep. I took him swimming to try and wear him out. Then I nursed him and rocked him and he was almost asleep. I thought"this was easy maybe he'll just drift off." Yeah right. He cried for an hour and 15 minutes. Kirk checked on him a few times and I hid out in our bedroom reading with itunes turned on. Then he slept til 2:30am! I got up and nursed him and he went back to sleep IN HIS BED until 7am. I got up and nursed him again and he fell back asleep until 9:20. Who knew he could sleep that much!!! So I just put him down for his nap and he cried for about 5 minutes. I know tonight will be bad again but at least we are on the road to recovery:) Thanks for all your advice and support. Sometimes it is hard to hear what you already know especially about your kids. I knew he was spoiled but I couldn't seem to stop it. Kirk being wise just waited til I had had enough and then jumped in to support me. Thanks Honey.

Odds and Ends

Cara and Kenna
Karissa and her perch(she refused to hold the line).
Kiddos eating watermelon on the back porch
Caleb after spaghetti and watermelon.

We are well for the most part. Kylie is still weak and doesn't want to eat. Any ideas on how to gain weight fast??? She is so small that throwing up for three days just wiped her out. Caleb had real spaghetti tonight and loved it. He also had watermelon, which we discovered he also loves. I was going to blog about our fourth of July but Kirk beat me to it. Except for the getting sick part, it was a wonderful, adventursome trip. It is great to be a grown up at the lake and not have to wait on the grown ups to take the boat out. I even relived my younger days and tubed. Karissa had fun fishing and caught 3 fish. My brother, Doug caught enough for us to have a fish fry on the 4th. I don't even like fish but it was yummy. Unfortunately I had to watch him clean the fish the night before, not so yummy. Cara met a little friend, Kenna,next door and they became best buds for the weekend. When we got home our neighbors were cooking out grilled quesadillas(sp?). They were scrumptious. Then Cara began throwing up and the next four days run all together. I hope all of you traveling bloggers are having a good time and safe travel.

Sick House

Well, I won't be sleep training anytime this week but I really appreciate all your comments. It's kind've funny that I have four kids and I still need advice. We had a great time at Lake Palestine over the fourth and I will blog about it later. For now, I just wanted to let everyone know how much fun I am having. Yesterday, Caleb woke up throwing up and since then Cara, Kylie, Karissa and Kirk have joined him. Yahoo for me. I have been doing laundry all day and wiping heads and bottoms and fixing drinks. My brother and nephew got sick while we were at the lake and now we all have it. So far it is only vomitting except for Caleb. He has a bit of the other end going on, too. Hopefully, he is the only one. Pray for immunity and endurance for me.