Condoms Prevent Mini Vans...

Well, we have officially moved up in the world…a couple inches up to be exact…in a mini van.

It was never a want, but a need and now it's become a really great asset!  Ryan and I have been saving and researching for the right vehicle that would fit 3 car seats, 2 adults, a large dog and luggage and a mini van was the only thing that fit all of our needs.


It really is quite the upgrade from the '96 Oldsmobile that I was driving, this truly is a mommy-mobile, they thought of everything to make it convenient and safe.

If you notice in the background Riley is in the show room watching TV

We finally pried Riley away from Dora so we could leave

The boys love all the leg room, normally they have to sit indian-style when sitting behind Ryan

Look at that chrome shine *BING*

 -Touch screen and voice activated

Riley watching Cars 2, I was sold on the pull down DVD player

Yes, Ryan put towels down to protect the seats, he also cursed out every bug we hit on the way home.

Our first car purchase together (and my first car purchase ever!)

Now we are big pimpin' in our 2012 Chrysler Town and Country in Charcoal…Holla! (that is for you Jamie)

                                                                           
                                                                     

Obsessively Compulsively Neurotically Anxious…

So incase you haven't noticed…I have been blogging a lot lately.  Lately I have been feeling a little wound up…yesterday I was so upset about wanting buffalo chicken, I almost cried when Ryan said he would go get me some…but I didn't want it anymore by the time he got ready to go get it, so I told him to get me m&ms :)  
-You can only imagine Ryan's response to both …"are you going to cry? about chicken?"  and "are you *bleeping* kidding me?"-

I also can't seem to sit still or "not do anything" very long…you might say I have Phil Kennedy syndrome.  Which is why I have been blogging a lot lately.  I have about a million thoughts going through my head and it makes me feel better to get them out!  So hopefully my Obsessive Compulsive Neurotic Anxious blogging is entertaining you.

I figure with 3 kids, I will really have to stay organized, so I found a cleaning calendar online that I thought was great!  I tend to by pass the bathrooms and places that don't get seen often, so hopefully this will keep me on track.

Riley...

"Mom, look and see with your eyes what I did!"

"Mom, you don't watch me for a little bit…okay?"

"Dad, you be nice to mom, she's your girlfriend!"

"Today I am going to poop a apple and chicken nuggets"

"Pee Eww, Tater the Tater, you stink!"

"Hey Bear…you wanna fight!"

"I don't like that man…he's weird"

"There's Ava!  She's my girlfriend!"

"sooooo, I just ordered my boat….on my phone."

"OOOO look, the neighbors gots a pool…their my friends?"

"UUUGGGHHH! Tater made this mess…now I have to clean it up!"

"Captain America is a good guys?  Iron Man is a good guys?  Thor is a good guys?  Hulk is a good guys?    That guys is a bad guys?  I'm gunna fight those guys!"

A Litte Gnome Fact...

Little Gnome Facts About Babes:

1. A baby's heart first beats at 18 days after conception and brain function has been measured as early as 40 days.

2. Finger prints are present at 2 months after conception, finger nails, hair color and eye color all in tact around 7 months ac.

3.  The fetus often awakens and sleeps with the mother and responds to her voice. 

4. At 28 weeks (what we are now) baby weighs 2 1/4 lbs and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. 

5. Just over 4 billion babies are born in the US every year (YOWZA!)

6. That soft spot has a purpose…it helps the baby's head move and form during birth, making delivering the baby easier (yeah right!)

7. Newborns don't have knee caps or the bridge to their nose, which gives them that cute button look

8. Four out of ten babies are born with at least one birthmark.

9. Babies have a strongly developed sense of smell. By the time he is one week old a baby can identify his mother by her smell

10. Contrary to the old wives' tale, babies are not color blind. They prefer strong primary colors - particularly red and blue

11. Newborn babies spend between 15 and 20 hours a day sleeping

12. Babies respond to touch - which stimulates the production of growth-promoting hormones and helps the body become more responsive to these hormones. In one survey it was shown that premature babies who were touched regularly showed 47% more weight gain.

13. Nurses put hats on newborns to keep the heat in the body…full term babies don't need these hats for long…But aren't they too cute with them. 

 Below is the hat I ordered for Blakely in the hospital a little gnome bonnet

28 Weeks

……the third trimester has started and the evil pregnant woman in me has emerged!  I am so -OVER- being pregnant, but I am trying to soak in the moments of this pregnancy, because I know I will regret it later.  Plus it's much easier to take care of a baby pre-delivery rather than post delivery, especially with two other kids already here.

This little girl is active all day and early in the morning.  I have lost most of my cravings, just whatever sounds good {my diet of buffalo chicken and bleu cheese is over}

My doctor's appointment went ok…my BP was 146/90.  The doc said she just wants me to get to full term…if they were to induce me at 38 weeks, that would be July 6th.  She told me to start doing things slower and to not push too hard exercising.  MY glucose screening went good  and baby's heart beat was 134.

Negative Nancy: {Brace yourself} I officially have to spread my legs as wide as they can go to bend over and put my shoes on.   I have to "assume the position" (which is stand and cross my legs) when I sneeze.  I don't sleep well at night.  My back hurts, I get contractions when I do too much, I have to pee in the middle of the night and I sound asthmatic when I climb stairs.  

Positive Polly: We are in the home stretch only 10-12 weeks left! 

Waistline:  starting to fee like a cow, I am in maternity clothes now.  She sits really low in me and it's uncomfortable to wear regular jeans and some shirts don't cover my lower belly.  

Cravings: I crave pepsi…but I know better than to drink it all the time.  

What I miss: I miss feeling comfortable and having energy

What I am looking foreword to: the birth day

Ryan: He is currently going with the flow, trying to keep me happy.  Working hard to find us a new vehicle.  

Riley and Tate- Riley likes to feel the baby kick and pick out girl clothes.  Tate uses my belly as a drum 

Smack Down!

In our house there is one belt…

for one champion…

Who will be the next to win... 

THE SMACK DOWN!

***disclaimer***

 No dogs, babies, children or daddies were actually hit or injured in the making of this blog, these are highly trained individuals in pretend wrestling.  

Dad goes in for the first slap to the returning champions face!

Then a punch to the right arm…ooo that had to hurt!

But wait!  the Champ takes dad down in a single swipe

And then a left hook to the eye…Dad won't be able to see for a week after that hit!

And the tag team!  Baby Tate, shirtless as usual, taps in to get a piece of the action

Dad really doesn't have a chance now...

Looks like the Riley will remain the gold belted champ!

Ever Wonder…?

Blowing Bubbles...

Tate is 13 months today…not really as significant as 12 months, but a lot has happened in one month.  His hair is really growing and he has kind of a skullet going on :)  He is a pro at walking and is starting to R-U-N into things  He loves to walk the neighborhood and thinks kids on bikes are hilarious.  He walks in shoes (downhill and uphill) Started using a spoon to eat, but still prefers to makes a mess with his hands.  He drinks from a straw sippy.  Dances and sings.  Doesn't say any distinct words, but he enthusiastically nods or shakes his head to answer a question.  He eats whatever we are eating for supper and isn't picky.  Loves to throw (and is pretty good at it) Likes to sit on laps and doesn't like to be alone.  Takes a 2 hour morning nap and a 2-3 hour afternoon nap.  The transition of sharing a room with has gone so good.  Tate goes to bed at 7pm, and Riley follows at 8pm…sometimes Tate is asleep before Riley gets in there and sometimes not…so they laugh for a while and then about 30 minutes later… silence, until 7am.  Tate sleeps in the crib and Riley on the top bunk.  Right now Tate is fighting a cold or really bad allergies…no fever, no cough…just a really, really, really runny nose.  All day long it's me vs. the snot bubble.   We have wiped his nose so much this last week, the bridge between his nostrils is raw broken skin.  But he is still in good spirits and who can't laugh at a good ole snot bubble!

Shake your Money Maker

If you haven't noticed, I monetized the blog…I figure as much time as I spend entertaining people with our life, I might as well make money doing it…so click on all the ads you want!  Cuz when you do I make like a penny!  :)

Here's a little entertainment for you…Tate has recently mastered walking in shoes, we are still working on the baseball cap.

Easter.

Normally something bad happens to us on Easter.  Our first Easter together, we got all jazzed up in our sunday best to go to church and they had posted the service time wrong, so we missed Easter service.  Our Second Easter together, Turkey went MIA for 36 hours, our 3rd Easter together there was an emergency room trip….you get the picture.  But this Easter went pretty smoothly.  The morning started with an easter egg hunt and goodie baskets.  Followed by a breakfast.  We decided to try a new church (Lutheran Church of Hope) We heard, all the "who's who"  of the Des Moines area goes to this monster church.  I mean seriously, there was a traffic jam trying to get to the Church.  I'm talkin' Range Rovers, BMWs, Cadillacs….and ONE 1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass.  We parked clear in the back, we just assumed that was where the poor people parked.  As we walked into the this super church, Ryan and I both felt like we were walking into a convention center for a self-help seminar. There was loud music and flat screen tvs everywhere.  There was a starbucks coffee and a gift shop…yes that was not a typo…a Jesus gift shop.  Ryan laughed the whole way in, people probably thought he had just absorbed the holy spirit :)  People were everywhere and when we finally found where the service would be, it was stadium seating with movie theater chairs, cup holders and all.  We settled toward the back on the ground level, for an easy exit.  We really didn't know what to expect at this point, I mean, for all we knew, Jesus might pop out of center stage through a smoke machine…but he didn't…but Simon Estes did sing…I had never heard of him, but Ryan said he was a pretty big deal.  Riley loved the music and responded to the "HE IS RISEN!" with a "HE HAS RISEN INDEEED!" 5 minutes too late.  Tate did not like sitting still and the lady ahead of us did not like Tate not sitting still.  So I chased his around the Giant church…he had fun meeting all the other children who couldn't sit still either.

It was quite an experience, I don't think we will go back…but I always like to try new things and it ended up being fun and they had a really good message about Job and how he never turned his faith even though he had everything taken from him and was tempted by the devil.  By keeping his faith he was rewarded in the end.  In short, don't blame God for your problems.

Below you will see the eater baskets.

For Tate I tossed some colorful eggs in the middle of the room and he picked them up and put them back in the basket.  Each egg was fill with gold fish crackers.  He also got little footballs, basketballs and baseballs, a tiger juice and a cadbury easter bunny.

For Riley, I hid football and spiderman eggs around the house, filled with peanut butter cups and jelly beans.  His basket included, spiderman undies, spiderman cup, spiderman juice and a spiderman toothbrush.  he likes spiderman.

My standards for pictures are not what they used to be….

It wouldn't be Easter without Shannon Shorts ®