Update

So I did really well getting back into blogging for a week - then I fell off the face of the planet again... oh well.

Updates:
Emmy seems to be doing well in school. She is finishing her 3rd week, likes her teacher, making new friends, everything is going well. Her teacher did mention to me last week briefly that they are looking at getting her help with her speech (which I knew was coming) but so far nothing else has happened with that. She still has trouble pronouncing her L's, K's, and G's.

Pooky is still potty training and doing fabulously. He has been dry now for 2 weeks straight, no accidents. He is wearing his new big boys all the time, except bedtime, and most mornings he wakes up dry as well. We are still working on the poo-poos. We had one success last week, then lots of not-successes. :) Still working on it, but I am very happy with how he is doing!

I am 24 weeks along now! Went in for my glucose test this morning. That orange drink is awful - it made me so nauseous... otherwise everything is great, Baby Gummy is moving and kicking like crazy now, and I still feel pretty good.

Beautiful weather this week... makes me wish fall would hurry up and stay. However, this is S.C. and we still have a few more weeks of the hot weather before it turns nice again.

We have been doing lots of work on our house over the past few weeks. Ray and I repainted our bedroom and bathroom 2 weeks ago, both of which still had the original builders flat paint from 3 years ago - and the rooms look awesome now! So happy to get some color on the walls! I will post some pictures soon... We are also working on the upstairs bonus room, which will soon be Emmy and Pooky's shared bedroom. Hopefully we can get most of that finished this weekend.

After 3 years of having an empty lot next door, we finally have a house being built there. The driveway and sidewalk were poured this morning, and the only reason I am even mentioning this is because Pooky has been so excited to watch the construction over the past several weeks. Then the cement mixer this morning - very exciting for my little boy who loves trucks and tractors!!!

Hooray for football season! Go Buckeyes! :) And hooray for a holiday weekend with no plans.... enjoy it everyone!

Crazy Busy...

Just a quick update - we have been running non-stop for the past week. We have had something going on every day, usually during the day, then we are busy in the evenings too - play groups, birthday parties, t-ball, bible study, dinner with friends, pool party... I am exhausted, and today I declined a play date invitation just because we needed a break!

I am starting to feel a bit better. The nausea is still there, but it doesn't seem to be bothering me all day like it was before. My 12 week OB appointment is next week so I am praying for healthy growth and a strong heartbeat! I feel huge already - I am well into my maternity clothes, even though I have actually lost 4 pounds (having no appetite will do that to you!).

And it is super hot outside - going out there now to fill up our little plastic pool in the driveway for the kids to play!

Finally, a couple of random pictures - the first is our garden which has grown tremendously and we should have fresh veggies very soon! The second one is our pretty backyard and back porch - everything looks so nice and green and my flowers and plants are doing well! Happy summer!

Weekend Randomness

I have been meaning to post all week and my list of random things that have been going on keeps getting longer...

• A tree fell on my house Wednesday night during a storm. Well, I guess it was only 1/2 a tree - No damage, it was just loud and a pain to get off the roof. Our friend Dan came over today and helped Ray get it down. We also lost another tree in the front yard. We lost several trees last Spring from windy thunderstorms and it looks the same thing is happening again this year, which irritates me.

Tree on my roof

• We registered Emmy for Kindergarten on Thursday. Kindergarten. How is that possible that my baby girl will be old enough for Kindergarten?? She is super excited about going, I am super nervous.

• We attended 2 different birthday parties yesterday. Both were fun, the second one had a guy there making balloon things. He made each child a hat (and there were like 25 kids there) and he also made Emmy a balloon mermaid. She loved it!

Emmy's balloon creation

• Our puppy, Ellie, has a urinary tract infection. Just as we finally get her house trained, she starts peeing dribbly blood-tinged urine all over my house. I got to spend 2 hours at the Vet's office with her yesterday to find out and we were given antibiotics. Isn't that fabulous? Just what I needed to worry about this weekend. (She is fine, and I did feel really bad for her because she was so miserable).

• And finally, a new friend with.much.love at Unwrap Life gave me this cute award. Thank you! Like usual, I am supposed to pass it on - I have so many blogs I love to read, and I have "made friends" with so many random bloggy people, if you are reading this, consider yourself awarded! You are all worthy!

Fabulous Weekend

It was a BEAUTIFUL weekend here in lovely S.C. Sunny with temps around 70. Not bad for mid-February, and one of the exact reasons why we moved here from Michigan!
Needless to say, we spent a lot of time outside, enjoying the new swingset! Here is the finished product:













And some more cute photos of the kids playing on it....

















































And finally - I found an awesome deal at my favorite consignment shop this week - this princess scooter for Emmy. She had been wishing for one since last summer, but I wasn't sure how much she would really use it - but then I found this one. It is definitely used, the wheels are dirty from being outside (duh), but for $4.50, you can't go wrong. And, Emmy LOVES it. :)

One Week 'Til Christmas....

And this is what the temperature was outside here today. I am really not complaining, or bragging, since my friends in the north are freezing cold and buried in snow. But... it doesn't feel like Christmas when it is almost 80 degrees (which is way warmer than normal for us), and it has been this way all week.

Although.... given the choice of this or the weather in Michigan right now, I choose this. ;)

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It has been a busy week! I baked a lot of cookies, wrapped a lot of gifts, ran a lot of errands, took the kids to our play group's Christmas party....

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My little elf, aka Emmy, has been stealing scraps of wrapping paper all week. Then I find presents like this under the Christmas tree.
So far, there are about 5 beautifully wrapped Emmy gifts under the tree, with tags that say they are for me or Ray. I peeked at one, and it was a magnet from the fridge. Not sure what the other ones are, and I haven't noticed anything else missing yet, so that should be fun Christmas morning...
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I am looking for a job again. I have not been doing anything at all since about August, when we thought that we were moving to Chicago. Up until that point I was still watching Baby R full time, but her mom had made other arrangements for her since we were going to be leaving. But we didn't end up moving. And now I am really poor and need a job.
I am contemplating finding a new day care client, which I may still do, but I do have a job interview lined up for Monday, so we'll see how that goes. My problem with getting a job is my availability - I can't be there until 5:30 pm during the week, since I have to wait for Ray to get home to watch the kids. So, not sure how the availability will play out at the interview Monday, so I will keep you posted. Cross your fingers for me, because if it works out I will be super excited.
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Also this week, Ray and I celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary. I love you Sweetie! And many more years to come....

Have a great weekend!

I Need Some Sunshine...

Pooky's birthday is on Saturday, and although they keep changing the forecast, the weather is looking to be pretty ugly. Which is very depressing, we did end up getting the bounce house for the kids to play on, which won't be nearly as fun if it is stormy and windy.

So.... cross your fingers, and send some sunshine our way.

Randomness

I am in a random mood today...

It is absolutely gorgeous outside today. About 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Perfect. And the forecast for the next several days shows more of the same - I LOVE this time of year!
Since it was so lovely out, it was a great day for play group. We were at a nearby park and the kids had a great time running around while I got to chat with my friends - good times.
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Our bi-annual neighborhood garage sales are tomorrow and Saturday. Since I just had a big sale this past spring, I really don't have too much stuff, but I will still do the sale. I am getting rid of our changing table and our infant carrier/stroller combo thing. Although we plan on having another baby someday in the near future, I don't really need or have room for the changing table - the floor works just lovely for diaper changes anyway. And since our infant travel system has already been used for 2 kids, I would like to get a newer one for the next baby, even if it is a used one in better shape. Mine looks pretty shabby.
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As I mentioned in the last post, Pooky's 2nd birthday is rapidly approaching - 6 weeks. Although I have never really been into big parties for the kids while they are so young, I am kinda leaning towards a "bigger" party for him. This is because we have several boys in our playgroup and church who we regularly see who are all the same age, and I would love to have everyone over. If everyone came, it would be 9 kids, plus my 2, and a few other adults. Is that too many people for a 2 year old's birthday party?? I have never had a party with more than 5 kids for Emmy. Also, since his birthday is just before Christmas I hate to spoil him with too many gifts.

In addition to having all the kids here, I was contemplating on renting a bounce house, similar to the ones we had at our neighborhood block party last month (one that will NOT tip over!), for something that will definitely keep 10 kids all under the age of 4 busy. Has anyone ever done that?? Not sure if I want to yet, but I like the idea.

Am I crazy obsessive over birthday parties? Yes. I love planning them. I want to know what y'all think I should do.
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Chantelle has tagged me for a meme. It is very similar to one I did a few months back for this post. So, I am declining. But I do have another fun baby meme that I found on a few other blogs that I will probably steal over the next few days for lack of anything better to post. :)
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Finally, I received this cute award from my friend Anna at My Sweetest Dream. Thanks Anna!

Blah Monday

Feeling a bit blah today.

First off, it is cloudy and very humid. It should rain. It needs to rain, and I want it to rain so that I don't have to water my grass today. But it refuses to rain. Maybe later.

Secondly, this weekend flew by, and we didn't even do much fun. Our good friends are moving, so we spent a good chunk of the weekend helping them out. I did get to shop for a couple of hours with my mom, and I got to work in the yard for a short time. But that's it. Blah.

Third, over the past 2 months, I have only been watching Baby R 2-3 times a week, as her mom had gotten a new job with better hours. The past 2 weeks I have not had her at all. Today, I now have her full-time again - good because I need the money, but bad because it was kinda nice NOT having her here - for mostly silly reasons, like I got to sleep in for an extra half hour, it was easier to go out and run errands, etc. Not that she is a bad kid, she just isn't mine, so it is different, you know?

Fourth, my 10 year high school reunion is in 1 month. I realized that if I am going to lose that extra 10 pounds that I have been carrying all year, I had better get on my horse - so no more pizza and Coke for me. :( It is depressing, but needs to be done.

Blah.

This, That, & A Meme

It has been SO hot and dry here, but we finally had a good thunderstorm with lots of rain tonight. Good for the rain, bad because we lost ANOTHER tree in our yard. That makes it 6 trees we have lost due to windy thunderstorms over the past 3 months. This was one of the trees in front though, which makes me sad. :(
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Pooky has discovered his nose. And he won't keep his finger out of it. I tell ya, he is such a BOY.
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We got to swim today! It was lovely. Our new pool is 12 feet across and 3 feet deep - perfect for the kids, and Ray and I can also sit in there comfortably to cool off. I know that pool care can be a hassle, and chemicals are expensive, but with our HOT climate down here, I think that it is definitely worth it.
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Finally, I was tagged by Mandy at Life's About a Dream for this meme. It is like the 8 Random Things Meme, except tweaked to be 8 random things about my kids instead. I think I can do that....

(photo from last Spring. Look how much they have changed!)

1.) Emmy is a big scaredy-cat. She is scared of everything including loud noises, all Disney movies, horses, and her very cool Jeep that she got last summer for her birthday.
2.) Pooky is a body rocker. Every single night, and even at nap time, he rocks his body back and forth, usually hitting his head against his crib for about 5-10 minutes before falling asleep. If he wakes up in the middle of the night, he starts back up. He has done this since he was about 6 months old. I am hoping he grows out of it soon, it is annoying.
3.) Emmy was a very fussy baby. For the first 3 months of her life, I held her with a bottle in her mouth. She didn't usually drink much of the bottle, but she liked to suck on it.
4.) Neither one of my kids would take a pacifier. I tried to get them to, especially fussy Emmy.
5.) Pooky is very attached to us. The one time during the week I leave him is on Sundays at church, and most mornings I end up staying with him in the nursery because he is hysterical. I don't get to hear the sermon very often.
6.) One of Emmy's eyes wanders slightly to the side if she is watching something far away. She sees the pediatric ophthalmologist yearly, starting when she was 2. I forget what the actual term for it was, but right now it isn't getting worse and she seems to have good eye control otherwise, so we'll see what happens as she gets older.
7.) Emmy generally does not like meat. Except hot dogs and bologna, which aren't really meats.
8.) Pooky has a great arm. He can throw toys all the way across the room. This is not exactly a good thing, but he is showing potential to become an awesome baseball player some day.

The Pool

It is still very, very hot outside. This is from yesterday, it was about 104.











But I am excited.......














Because we got a pool....








Almost full! If I don't blog for the rest of the week it is because I am happily basking in my lovely pool.
Or the more likely scenario is that I am busy chasing my rugrats around the pool. Either way, I am a happy gal.


P.S. We did get the A/C fixed, at least for now. It is leaking coolant, so we still have to get the leak fixed, but for the moment it is nice and cool inside.

On Days Like These....

I am really missing Michigan weather!

This was from yesterday. It is supposed to be even hotter today and tomorrow.

Did I mention we are having A/C issues???


Awesome.

Tornado

***I am writing this more for myself then all of you - Saturday was a crazy day, and I wanted to document what happened.... sorry if this is really long****

Well, we have had an eventful few days. Saturday evening, just after 5:00, our small town was hit by an F-2 tornado, with estimated winds of 130 MPH. We are all fine, our home is fine, and everyone I know is fine, but it was a scary day for me. Ray had to work all day, so the kids and I went shopping with my mom for the afternoon. After shopping, we headed back to my parents' house. There were some big storms coming, so my dad and I were watching the weather. Several tornado warnings had been issued all over the state, including one for my county, but the storm was well to the north of my house, so I didn't worry about it. There was another very large storm heading in our direction that was causing tornado warnings to the east, and it was estimated to be in our area in about 45 minutes.

I decided to pack up the kids and head home. It was already almost 5:00, we needed dinner, and I knew that Pooky would be ready for an early bedtime. It was about a 10 minute drive home, so we packed up and left. It had just started to rain a bit, really big drops, and the sky in my rearview mirror was black. I started to feel a bit nervous, thinking maybe I just should have stayed at my parents', but it was too late to turn back, unless I wanted to drive directly into the storm.

I turned onto my street, came around the curve about 4-5 houses away from mine, when a huge gust of wind blew in, and the rain started pouring down. I quickly pulled into the garage, and closed the garage door. As I was getting Emmy unbuckled, I heard a very loud sound of something hitting the aluminum garage door, which freaked me out - turned out to be golf ball sized hail, which fortunately didn't last long. I grabbed the kids and we ran in the house, just as the electricity went out. The storm was pretty bad, but I really didn't think too much about it. I was trying to find batteries for the radio, and couldn't find any. I was totally unprepared.
My cell phone rang, and it was Ray, telling me that he had just gotten a message from my dad wanting to make sure that we were okay. Just after I left their house, they got hit, and there was some minor damage in their area, mostly trees down and a few shingles blown off. I immediately called my dad back, and started lighting a few candles.

As I hung up the phone, I turned around to see Pooky sitting on top of my kitchen table, happily flinging papers onto the floor. As I headed over to get home down, he fell off, landing directly on his face on the linoleum. Of course he screamed, and I took him back to Emmy's room trying to get some light to see if he was okay. His nose was bleeding a bit, and I freaked out - here we are in the middle of a bad storm, Ray is not here, the power is out, and my son has a head injury. I called Ray, then my friend Shawna (Baby R's mom, who is a nurse), but didn't get an answer. Just as I hung up the phone, Shawna's van came flying into my driveway, horn honking. I scooped up Pook and ran to the door where her husband, Greg, was standing there looking frazzled and asked if I was alright.

"No!" I exclaimed, and started going on and on about Pook's fall, then he stopped me and said that they had just gotten home, minutes behind the tornado that went through about a quarter-mile away. I had no idea. Shawna knew that I was home alone with the kids, and she told Greg to come check on me even before they went home.

The kids and I quickly grabbed our stuff and went to their house, just 2 houses away, more because I was freaked out about everything that had just happened, and they were telling me about how bad it was in town, which is really just up the street from us.

After the storm subsided, and Pook's nose was checked out (he was acting totally fine after just a couple of minutes, playing, running, like normal), Greg and I did a quick drive up the street to check out some of the damage, and I was really surprised - trees were snapped in half or uprooted, power lines were lying all over the place, there was damage to several buildings and houses. On the far edge of my neighborhood, there was some bad damage as well, but on our side, it was fine. I later found out that the damage wasn't nearly as bad as it was just outside of town - total devistation along the road that I had just driven home on minutes before the tornado hit. If I had been just 3 minutes later, I would have been in the middle of a tornado, which really scared me. Also the fact that it hit so close to home was scary, and I had no clue what was going on.

Surprisingly, the electricity came back on that night, but our cable has been out until tonight, so this is the first time I have had Internet in 3 days - I was going crazy without it! A bunch of pictures of the damage -



This is just up the street, along the road that I had just driven home on - this used to be a forest of pine trees, which was pretty much leveled.







































































These last 5 pictures were taken by Ray's friend at work, who lives on the street with the other damage I just showed - unbelievable.


I did learn that I should be a bit more cautious - I was really not worried at all about this storm coming, and we took no precautions - if the storm had been just a quarter-mile to the north, these pictures could have been my house, which is very scary. I also need to prepare - I need to buy a ton of batteries and such. We have a weather alert radio, but it is useless when the power goes out and there are no batteries in it (duh).
I am so thankful that we are fine, and we had no damage. Please pray for the families all over South Carolina who did suffer damage - there were several other tornadoes all over the state just like this one.

Black and White Morning

It was rainy and dreary this morning, so I decided to take some pictures of the kiddos. A few of my favorites....



































































I love this last one. I went out to grab the mail and came back to these 2 faces peering through the glass.

By the way, once the rained stopped, we had a beautiful afternoon, sunny with temperatures near 70 degrees.... I am loving this spring weather!

Almost Christmas

Wow! I just realized that Christmas is only a week away - and that we leave for Michigan in 4 days!

Crazy. Thankfully most of my shopping is done, just a few random things to pick up. I still have a ton of things to do getting ready to leave, but so far, so good.

I also think that we might actually see snow while we are up there. I think that I am happy about this - I would love for Emmy to see snow, and have a chance to play in it. And it is nice to have a white Christmas.

I have also realized that I am going to freeze my tail off.

I would regularly make fun of people down here who are bundled in scarves and mittens when it is 50 degrees outside. "Ha!" I would say to myself. "They don't know what cold even is!".

But, I fear that I have become one of them.

It was 40 degrees this morning. I walked outside to take out the trash and holy cow, it was freezing cold! I ran back inside and put on 2 layer of clothing, then planned to stay inside the rest of the day.

I just checked the current weather conditions in Michigan right now. It is 9:00 pm, and it is 17 degrees. The high temperature for tomorrow is 32. I AM GOING TO FREEZE.

Nevertheless, I am looking forward to this trip. I need to start packing soon.

Self-Portrait Day, Plus a Few Other Things....

I have declared today self-portrait day! This is because I wanted Stevie to post a picture of her new haircut, so she had better do one too...... anyone else in???

And a few other things.... we put Pook in the Exersaucer over the weekend - he is still kinda small for it, but he liked it! Emmy is happy because she loves playing with that thing...
Emmy is doing okay with potty training. She still has good days and bad days, and usually still won't go #2 in the potty, but we are working on it...
Ray is out of town all week for work, which sucks. I hate being alone in the evenings. I went over to my parents' house last night for some company. I work tonight, and my friend Jeana and her daughter Wynne are coming over for a play-date tomorrow. Yay!
The weather is gorgeous. We spent most of the afternoon outside today. I got my car washed and vaccuumed. Emmy got bit by a fire ant and cried (beeeee......). Luke has been napping in his stroller most the afternoon, which is lovely, I was able to get a few things done.

A few more pictures....




Pooky in his Exersaucer














me and Pook - hooray for self-portrait day!














All 3 of us!

Playing in the Rain

It is a warm, rainy day today. Emmy wanted to go outside with the umbrella to keep dry. It was warm out, she was still in her pajamas, but who cares? We let her run around for a while in the rain and she had a blast. And she looked pretty cute running around with that giant umbrella!

Happy Friday everyone!

Spring!

The weather here over the past several days has been beautiful! This is our 3rd Spring here in sunny S.C., and it is definitely my favorite time of year. Emmy, Luke, and I have been playing outside just about every day. A few pictures...





Daffodils blooming in my neighbor's yard... I love daffodils! I need to plant some in my yard.












Emmy building sandcastles in the lot next door. Since we still have construction going on all around us in our new neighborhood, our street is like one giant sandbox!
















Out on one of our walks. Emmy doesn't like to stay in the wagon for longer than 10 seconds at a time, so we never seem to make it very far.


Hooray for Spring!
(For my friends in Michigan, don't worry, you will have Spring eventually.)
:)

Ready for Spring!

It has been pretty nice outside the past couple of days. It is cloudy today, but warm - it is about 68 degrees. It feels great to be able to open the windows and enjoy the warm air. I was able to take Emmy and Pook outside for a walk. However, rain is on the way, and it is supposed to be cooler for the rest of the week.
And yes, I am bragging about the weather again to my friends in Michigan, where it is snowing again.
I am definitely ready for Spring...

I'm Cold.....

OK, apparently I have gotten used to living in this warmer climate. For the past several days, we have had below-average temperatures (although it is still warmer than it is in Michigan!), and I am cold. Emmy and I were outside this morning and we were bundled up like it was 20 degrees (when it is actually about 55). Normally, I make fun of people down here who do that but I think... that I have become one of them! :( At least it is sunny!

We received awesome news yesterday - we have an official closing date on the house - November 10th! I am very pleased with that. It is still cutting it close to my due date, but since the first date they gave us was December 1st.... Nov. 10th is fabulous! I have booked a Penske truck to move the rest of our stuff from Michigan that weekend and Ray will be flying up to pack the truck and drive it back here. (And if I go into labor during those 2 days he will be gone I will be seriously upset!) So.... 2 1/2 weeks and we will have our own home again! YAY!
And.... I had my 36 week OB appointment yesterday. Everything is still fine, I am measuring right where I should be and Luke is still bouncing around in there. I am now going to weekly appointments, which means that we really are getting close to the end... only a few weeks left (just as long as he waits until after Ray returns from Michigan!).

Snow - HA!

What is all that white stuff on Michigan's radar? Oh yeah, that's right, SNOW. It is currently snowing in Kalamazoo. On October 12th. HA! And it is 34 degrees.
Every time I start to feel homesick, I need to remember this.

Forecast for Columbia, SC - Sunny, high of 79