favorite time of day

bedtime at our house is a tad crazy

the short version is that at least 1 kid ends up sleeping in our bed

so before we go to bed, we have at least 1 kid to transfer back to their room

that's my favorite time of day {or should i say night}
before we move the kids, i crawl in bed next to them
they are so warm and cuddly
they look so sweet
and they are so quiet!!!
i forget about all the craziness {i mean naughtiness} they accomplished during the day

i love having those little moments to regain my sanity and remember why i like being a mom :)

now if only they would all agree to take afternoon naps...
talk about regaining my sanity!!

wanna hear a story?

just a little background... ryan is not a huge talker. he can say lots of words, but he prefers to let olivia & garrett talk for him. when he does talk, it's just little words here & there - not really any sentences.

yesterday while taking olivia into school, both boys fell on the only patch of ice in the parking lot. garrett fell first, then ryan proceeded to fall on purpose. classic ryan.

as i was buckling ryan back up in the car i jokingly asked him what happened on the ice. he looked right at me and immediately said in a very serious voice, "mom, a car hit me."

apparently my non-talker can talk in full sentences...and make up stories as well!

at a loss for words - garrett style

garrett: mom put your grossies away.

me: what? what are you talking about?

garrett: mom, you're gross. you stink. {with a total smirk on his face}

me: that is not a nice way to talk to me. why did you say that?

garrett: well... i just didn't know what i should talk about.

tis the season

10 months!!

that's right!

i'm 10 months!!
and i can almost sit up :)
life is getting lots more interesting!!

thankful

i was going to make a list of all the thing i am thankful for in 2008. it was going to include stuff like tivo, dark chocolate, new running shoes, etc. but then i realized what i am really thankful for from this past year revolves around a chubby little girl named josie.

• i am thankful for the car accident that sent me to my doctor's office
• i am thankful for the doctors that realized something looked "off"
• i am thankful that they decided to take my baby early, even though they weren't sure what was wrong
  

• i am thankful for the nicu team that cared for josie - they were awesome!
• i am thankful for the experience of having a baby in the hospital for an extended period of time - the things i saw made me VERY VERY thankful for the kids & family i have

• i am thankful for everyone who's prayed for josie this past year
• i am thankful for new blogging friends who check in and see how's she doing
• i am thankful for family & friends who have helped out so much these past 10 months... from bring us food, visiting us in the hospital, taking my kids to school, babysitting my kids, the list could go on & on - we couldn't have done it without you!

but most of all, i am thankful that God was with us every step of the way. had i not had my minor car accident {why didn't the repair bill seem so minor?} josie would probably not be with us today. that's truly a miracle. so on this thankgiving weekend, i'm thankful for lots of things...but i am most thankful for God and the miracle he worked for our family.

the miracle of josie is easy to see. there are countless other things God does in our lives that don't make sense or we don't even notice them. i hope that in this next year, i can take time to see and appreciate more of those miracles whether they are big or little :)

what's cool about the 21 century?

the fact that i can order dominoes pizza with my tivo remote.

now that is progress!!!


{granted it might help if there was a dominoes near me...but the fact that i have the ability to order makes me laugh}

should i tell her?

olivia is our logical child.

our logical child has learned about real & make-believe at school. well, at least i think she has because it's been the topic of conversation all fall whenever we read a story or see something on tv.

and our logical child just talked to santa at the mall yesterday.


so from the backseat today, as her brothers sit innocently in the "way back"...

olivia: {in a know-it-all 6yr old voice} mom, i KNOW that santa is NOT real.

me: why? who told you that?

olivia: {even more know-it-all-ish} i just KNOW. he's just a guy who wears a costume.

do i tell her??? do i want her to blab it to her brothers & unsuspecting friends?

me: well then who brings your presents?

olivia: {totally annoyed at the prospect of being wrong} ugh. ok. ugh. {huge sigh}

sorry olivia.
i know you hate being wrong...and actually you aren't wrong about santa.
but you are only 6.
slow down... don't grow up so fast!

chef garrett

when the kids came in from playing outside this morning, i asked if they wanted some hot cocoa.

garrett's response..."nah, how about some warm ice cream or warm candy."

let's hope garrett never becomes a chef!

our big girl!

at nearly 10 months, josie has finally graduated to the high chair. up until now she's been chillin' on our counter in the bumbo. but now she's a big girl! and just like her brothers before her, she's discovered she can gnaw on the edge of the nice wood tray :) yum yum!

lately josie's had lots & lots of doctor visits...

• so far her eyes are looking good - no preemie relate problems (yet).

• developmentally she's getting close to what 7 month olds (her adjusted age) should be doing like sitting up. she needs to work on "talking" more and i am supposed to listen for consonant sounds (as opposed to just cooing). so if ryan would ever stop yelling about hi-5 and playing his guitar with murray i might just hear something.
  

• in terms of size, josie has caught up to other 9 month old babies. she's almost 18#. i don't know exactly how big my other kids were at 9 months, but i remember that both olivia & garrett were not even 20# at their 1st birthday. so i think she'll have them beat. not to shabby for a 2lb 14 ouncer!
  

• the only health concern we're still working on is josie's lungs. ever since she had pneumonia in may she's had noisy breathing and she has a very hard time when she gets a cold from the kids. lots & lots of neubulizing going on here! so far they've ruled out cystic fibrosis, her trachea looks good and today they scoped her vocal cords and they look good too. so we're still investigating...and are very thankful we have insurance :) the doctor today told me there's probably a good chance that she'll end up with asthma, they just don't diagnosis it in kids this young. but preemies are at a higher risk for it. asthma is totally manageable, so if that's the worst "side effect" she has of being a preemie, well then i think we're pretty lucky!

overall, she's one happy camper. so happy, that i didn't even notice she had an ear infection. now if i could just get her to smile in a picture for our christmas card. {i also need a warm sunny day for said picture. maybe i'm asking for too much!}