So sad...

(Abby, Me, and Melanie)

My dear friend Melanie moved today. I am going to miss her so much! Her family moved here the same time we did and we became instant friends. She moved here while her husband was going to law school. She had two kids and one one the way at the time, and now we both have a family of six. Our kids have grown up together and get along so well. More than anything I am going to miss our girl's nights (the above picture was on one of our overnighter's). Luckily, her husband got a job in NYC and will move back east at the beginning of next year (they'll be living with family until he starts his job). So hopefully it's not "goodbye", just "see you later"! Miss you too, Abby!

The Big 3-0...

Ok, so I know I am jumping the gun...I don't really turn 30 for a couple of more months, but I am already gearing up for the big day. I love a party! Some people dread leaving behind their 20's, but I feel like I've been so blessed within these past years, that I can't wait to see what the 30's bring. I feel like I am so much more comfortable in my skin, that the possibilities are endless, and I want to be the best 30 that I can be!

So that's where YOU come in...

I am letting you hold me accountable. By my birthday, I want to be in great shape(lose the last of my baby weight), be more emotionally balanced, more spiritually connected, and all around awesome! So by letting you all in on the game plan, you can kick me in the pants if I am doing anything counterproductive to my goal. Look out 30, here I come....

Hooray for the YMCA....

The kids are off to summer camp at the YMCA this week. It's Mon-Fri from 8am-5:30pm, so yes, I will have the week to myself (and of course little Aubrey). I am so excited that I've written a list of things to do (yes mom, I am a "list" person) just so I don't end up wasting my time (I tend to get side-tracked easily). I started by putting down things like clean out the closet, organize my paper stash, but then it hit me..."Why spend my time cleaning? When is the next time I'll get an opportunity like this again?!" So I threw that list out the window and started over. Just out of curiousity, what would YOU do?

I couldn't end this post without these pictures. Look who's found her thumb.....

Day at the Park

One of the great things about living here are the parks. It's such a family friendly place. You have to take advantage of all the sunny days you can get...those who live here know what I mean. Aaaaahhhh, the sunshine!!!!

3 Months

I can't believe how quickly Aubrey is growing. She is so bright-eyed and happy. We can't get enough of her. We love our little pea!

Viewers Beware...

Poor little guy, huh! We have had quite the trauma the past couple of months with our boys. Both Max and Chase have broken out into massive hives within weeks of each other. I didn't get pictures of Max though, I wish I had. The pictures of Chase actually look pretty good compared to what he really looked like. These pictures were taken after an epi-pen shot and the hives had really gone down.

Max was the first. I got a call from the school nurse at 9am saying that Max had a stuffy nose and that he just wanted to go back to class. I thought, "She's calling me about a stuffy nose!" Then around 1pm the nurse called again with a little more concern in her voice and said, "Uhhhm, Max has broken into hives and you need to come and pick him up." So I was thinking, "Hives, no big deal." When I arrived the nurse was on the phone with a panicked look on her face, talking to a pediatrician, wondering if she needed to give him an epi-pen or to send him to the ER. I was thinking, "What in the world? Epi-pen, the ER? What a crazy nurse! It's just hives!" (Keep in mind I hadn't seen him yet.). So I turned around and the poor thing was absolutely covered in massive hives from head to toe. His nose, ears, and eyes were swollen, with raised flowered patches literally all over. He was so calm and takin' it like a man. If it were me, I would have broken into sobs thinking I was going to die. Luckily, his breathing wasn't bothered, and we headed over to the pediatrician (with Aubrey and Chase). Right when the doc. saw him she said, "Uhhm, I'll be back. He needs an epi-pen." So by this time school is out and Clint dropped Madison off at the doctors and had to go back to work. So there I was with all four kids...one happy family! We ended up being there for about three hours for observation. His hives started to go down, but he still broke out on and off for about three days.

Then about a week and a half later I checked my phone around 9am and had a message from Max's teacher saying that his eyes were really swollen. Then literally a second later Clint called from work saying that the school nurse had called him saying that she had given Max an epi-pen and called an ambulance to take Max to the ER. By this time I didn't know whether to pop the nurse in the chops for overreacting or to panic because this time it must be really serious. So I pawned Chase off to my dear friend, Jeannette, and off I went to the school. Sure enough there was the ambulance with my puffy-eyed, little guy inside. There was definitely no need for an ambulance, but to follow procedure they had to take him to the ER to be checked. The ER doc basically said he could be allergic to anything under the sun and good luck trying to find out (Hey thanks!). So his regular pediatrician said to follow up with an allergy specialist.

As for my little Chase-ter, he broke into hives the morning of July 3 and I was thinking, "Are you kidding me? What next?" So we didn't panic (unlike a certain school nurse we know), and decided to just treat him with Benadryl. It seemed to work a little bit, but by the next morning his hives had gotten much worse and he had fevered through the night. So I took him to the Urgent Care, because the pediatrician was off for the holiday. Chase was just screaming and crying because it had gotten so bad. Finally, by the third hour we were there, I told the doc just to give him the epi-pen just to control the outbreak, and within minutes it had gone down. We ended up being there a little over four hours. We were sent home with a couple of prescriptions and told to keep an eye on him. He ended up breaking out on and off for about a week, and was also referred to an allergy specialist.

That brings us to today, I finally took the boys to see the specialist. To make a long story short, the doc basically thinks that their outbreak was caused by a viral infection. Max will still go back for further testing only for seasonal allergies, and Chase is good to go. I have to give my little guys a hand, they really handled all of this like a champ! Let's cross our fingers that we have seen the end of those blasted hives, and hopefully the school nurse can take me off speed dial next year! :)

Cake Anyone...

So just this week I have made rice crispy treats, muffins, zucchini bread, and now this cake. I need help!!!!! I am an emotional baker! You must be thinking with all these baked goods that I am an emotional basket case. There's something methodical in mixing the eggs, flour, sugar, etc. Just for those few moments of mixing I can tune out the whining, ignore my messy house, and forget about the fact that I still haven't gotten dressed for the day. In the end I get an instant satisfaction that all my hard work paid off, that by just mixing a few simple ingredients you can get a "masterpiece" as Madison always says. Wouldn't it be nice if raising kids were that way? I just need to realize that all of the hard work that I put into my kids will one day be the best double layered, lemon, berry cake I have ever made...my "masterpiece!"

So in the same breath of saying that I've had an emotional week and tired of whiny kids, I have to say that I am one lucky mom. My sweet, little Max has been surprising me with little bouquets of flowers the past couple of weeks. He'll pick them from our yard and even go to the extent of tying a bow around it. He's going to be quite the heart breaker...look out all you little ladies!

Here are some of my favorite pictures that show just a little of our kids personalities.

Madison has always been our sassy girly-girl, accessories and all. I have always said she is our 30 year old trapped in a 7 year old body. She has an old soul about her and can lighten any room.

Max is our thoughtful, little man. He has always been curious about the world around him. He is always building, collecting, and discovering. He is one of the sweetest, little guys you will ever meet. He gives the best hugs.

Chase is our adventurous spirit. He is such a rambunctious, little guy and has such a funny sense of humor. He is always hamming it up and thinks he's the funniest person in the room. He can always make you smile.

Aubrey has such a calm disposition. She is very content and has a sweetness about her. She was born with the cutest peacock hair that always sticks up and I mean ALWAYS sticks up. We love our little sweet pea!

My man is a kid at heart (My fifth child!). What is there not to love!? :)

So here are my FOUR, beautiful children (Max 5, Madison 7, Aubrey 3months, Chase 3). I can't believe I am a mother of four, but I can honestly say they are the best thing that has ever happened to me next to marrying Clint. This is the best shot we could get of all the kids on Aubrey's blessing day. Poor Chase has the "Clint Syndrome" and always manages to pull a face for the camera.

Here is our little sweet pea. Aubrey was born on April 9 and has been such a wonderful blessing ever since. She has the sweetest temperament and is such a good baby. We just can't get enough of her!

So I am pretty much one of the last people on earth to start a blog, but because I have so many friends and family that I want to keep in touch with....here I am.

I have been hesitant to start a blog, first of all, because I am not the most computer savvy person, and second, I can pretty much talk myself out of anything, hence, the reason why it's taken me so long. (Did I just really say, "hence"?) I usually care way too much what people think and sensor myself, and I thought this would be the perfect way to have an outlet to stretch myself and let others get to know me, as quirky and crazy as I may be. So here we go.......