A quiet day...

Duke having a quiet moment.









Sami got some new princess sheet and needed to try them out. She convinced Nick to join her.

A vist to the MOST

So many exciting things to do at the MOST (Museum of Science and Technology). Even Jonathan had fun. Although, he would not tell you. A great experience for the kids. Jonathan was able to see some of the things he has been learning in his science...electricity, magnetism, parts of the body and many other things. There was a giant play area, that even Jason and I could get up into, with a big open area in the middle to play. Nicholas enjoyed the freedom of walking and running around in such a big open area.




Digging for fossils.









In a toddler play area, Nicholas enjoyed playing and climbing around on the mats. He loves mirrors!








One of Nick's favorite things was looking through this fence to the world below. He didn't want to leave!









Jason attempting to play ping pong.

Pregnancy....

I am heading into week 29 of this pregnancy. For the most part, I feel pretty good. It helps not having to go to work and then come home and take care of everyone. Now, I can just try to take care of everyone and everything! Over the last couple days, the baby has moved from laying sideways across my stomach to now being "in position". Not that it matters, because I seem to have babies that don't want to come out. He moves around quite a bit. I am not sure if he is trying to run or use me as a punching bag! But it all feels neat. Feeling the baby move around is the part I like best. In a few weeks, I will start worrying about the needle they will stick in my back. to make me go numb and whether I will be able to feel them cut me open. All of which I know the answer to! At times, the worry will outway the excitement of meeting this new baby. Crazy!

Potty Training

We have been trying to get Samantha potty trained for months now. I think she is the only one in her preschool class that isn't. Well, Monday morning she got up and announced that she was not going to wear diapers anymore. She got her clothes and her underwear. I think I got a little to excited! I thought this would be a great week to try again anyway because she didn't have school. We were off to a good start, I hoped! By today, she just didn't want to do it at all. She fought me everytime I told her to go to the toilet. She has been wearing her underwear to bed, so in the morning I take her right to the toilet, put her on it and tell her it is time to go. Believe it or not, she refuses! She throws a fit and tells me she hates going pee on the potty! To which I say, how does she know, she has never done it! Finally, this afternoon, we had a small success. She has 2 small poopies-then preceded to mess her pants! And one small pee job..which a few minutes later more ended up on the floor! We are thankful for the small successes. Since she has decided not to wear diapers, we will take advantage of it.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Jonathan. Doesn't he look so sweet and innocent?!

Happy Valentine's Day...Belated!

After reading some other friends blogs, I have nothing exciting to report about Valentine's Day. Well, not true...with sick children, it is always exciting! Nicholas has been taking at least 2 loooong naps the last few days, Jonathan has been spending his days on the couch watching movies and Sami, who is better from her bronchitis, has been playing with her dolls. She actually made it to school Thursday and I finally made it to the grocery store. After hearing the total, I wish I had just stayed home! Jason has been working at a job about 2 hours from home. But he brought gifts for the children from his parents--Hungry, Hungry Hippo and a memory game. Jon did manage to get off the couch and beat daddy at the hippo game. I felt bad for Jason-after a long day at work he comes home to leftovers from lunch and a steak-um for dinner! For me, it is okay. There are plenty of other special days throught the year. Ones where the kids aren't sick and we have planned better! Of course, I am just as content staying home. I am exhausted and could fall asleep at 7pm when I put the kids to bed. I have some shows I like to watch in the evening, but end up missing them because I can't stay awake.

So, here we go into another weekend and hoping everyone gets better.

Sickness...does it ever end?!

Once again, we face the ugly sickness. Samantha ended up having bronchitis. Thankfully, she is a good medicine taker and has been successfully taking 2 medications. She is much better now, although it didn't improve her attitude! Jonathan has been sick also, He and Nick have just had colds. Although, Jon has been on the couch for the last 3 days watching movies. Nick has been quite mobile with snot running down his face! So hopefully, we can get everyone healthy and they will stay that way for awhile. In the midst, of that crisis, I received a summons for jury duty at the end of the month. Right! Thankfully, after calling and explaining there was absolutely no way I could get there-besides being 7 months pregnant and having 3 children at home!-the lady graciously said she would take my name out of the pool for at least 2 years. Thank you Lord!

Jonathan is using his wonderful imagination and has made his "work" tote into a boat. He needed the blanket to keep him warm. The waves were splashing him. Nicholas attempted to get into the boat, but usually ended up getting thrown overboard.





Nicholas works on imitating what he sees others doing. One evening, I saw him sitting in my chair trying to work these headphones. Once he got the music going, he was bopping around. He loves music. And if you ask him to dance, he will. He tries to sing and spin around. He is actually quite good-at spinning! Some times he will bring them to me to help him put them on and get the music going. It is funny to watch him. We showed the therapist and she was thrilled!

Here he is practicing his singing with Samantha. They are actually her headphones. It is amazing she let him use them!

....and more snow!

We thought the snow had left us. We were couldn't be more wrong! Jason left Monday morning with hardly any snow on the ground at all. By the time I got around to getting up, we couldn't get out the door! I am not the best shoveller, but I do make an attempt once in a great while. I figured Jason 'would need to
get in the driveway...
Somewhere out there is the road!

My contrubution before Jason got home. I didn't quite make it out the end of the driveway. Jason just plowed right through the snow pile! I went back to shovelling for a few minutes. Trying to make the dog a path as well as one from the house to the garage! Wasn't the greatest, but it was something. I was exhausted! Needless to say, a couple hours later Jason was back out there again.

7 Random Things about me...

1. I really don't have blond hair!
2. I want to go to Banladesh to visit some missionary friends
3. I have always wanted 8 children!
4. My father used to sing to me "Don't make my brown eyes blue..."
5. I would love to pet a wolf or a tiger some day.
6. My dream car was a red chevy S-10 extended cab. Don't know why!
7. My parents were married in July of 1966 and I was married in August of 1996.

How about you???

Reach for the Stars!!

Samantha is doing a reading program for her nursery school. Half the money raised goes to the school for books and half will go to Samantha for books of her choice. The program is called Reach for the Stars sponsored by Usborne Books. You can check out the cunsultant's website at http://www.huggytime.com/. Very interesting. There is also a link to Usborne books. The nursery school is Noah's Ark Nursery School. Her goal is to read 300 minutes in 20 days. If you would like to sponsor her, please let me know.

I hate asking for money! That's partly why I am not doing the Heart Walk this year. But Sami loves to read and they seem to have some good books. Besides, it will help the school-there are only 6 kids in her class! And it will give me time to read with her. Something I don't get to do very often.

The other day Nicholas got into the pantry and found the cereal. I guess he thought it was snack time! So here he is checking to see if anyone is looking. And then, I guess he felt he could act like everyone else and eat in the livingroom! Help yourself!

And here is Sami, she does not take a nap anymore, much to my chagrin! But evey once in awhile she will fall asleep.....

Reflections....

Well, we have made it through the week without any catastrophes. Amazing! Of course, a couple days were spent at the convent for Sister Marie Bernadette's "celebration of life". It was quite the experience and very interesting. Poor Barb, Jason's mom, kept getting confused with all the nuns coming and trying to introduce us to them. At one point she called Jason, Rudy and me, Jason! After awhile I was forgetting who I was! Let's picture it.....as you walk by Aunt Sister's casket and see the beautiful display of flowers, you come to Barb-one her left is Rudy and on her right is myself and then Jason. If Barb, had stood where Rudy was you would not have seen her behind the flowers! And I am not immediate family so to the nuns she would try to introduce Jason first because he is her son. Thus, the confusion. Then to make things more complicated-or funny!- some people could see a "slight resemblence" between myself and Aunt Sister. Again, let's picture....Aunt Sister is about 4 feet tall....I am 5'7"! So, you can see the comedy going on all around us. It was neat to hear how she had touched so many lives and how funny and spunky she was. She had a great sense of humor. I didn't know her that well before she got sick, but from the times I did spend with her...she was always on the go and saying the funniest things!

I have to admit, I did get lost on Thursday trying to get to a nearby town. One that I have been to many, many times. I picked Sami up from school and thought I could take this one road and it would take me all the way to Oswego. Well, I ended up in unfamiliar territory! I just kept going straight figuring the road would end eventually. Thank goodness it did and there was a sign telling me which way I needed to go. As I drove into Oswego, I realized I was on the wrong side of the river from where I thought I was. But it all worked out. Because the building I needed to go to was on this side! Anyway......

As we head into the weekend, I am hoping for it to be uneventful. I have alot of housecleaning to do! Unfortunately, today it was cold and it rained...after it snowed! So the kids don't get outside. Well, I guess we will get their rooms cleaned! And I am not driving anywhere!