Clean Plate Club

Currently at a whopping 31.4 pounds, Finley is determined to get out of her carseat and into a booster. (She must weigh 38 lbs!) So she has been trying to "get bigger". Friday night she joined the Clean Plate Club and was ecstatic!! Booster here we come! :)

Daddy Day Out

Yesterday, Todd took Riley and Bailey back to Paoli to ski. They came home tired by so excited about how they had improved since last weekend!!! They skiied EVERY slope! They also got to pick out new hats...and they brought home Finley one also! I am not a skii-er...have only been skiing once in Lake Tahoe, so it is fun to see the girls enjoy this with their dad. I hope the memories last forever!

Our Goodnight Prayer

A long time ago, I started to say this prayer I made up at night to the kids. I pray it whether they are listening or not. I want to blog it so I never forget it (Don't think I will) and just in case anything happens to me they will always have it. Many times we pray and don't pay attention to what we say...habitually. I think it through EVERY time because I mean it with all my heart.

"Dear Lord, Please watch over my babies. Please keep them safe and happy and healthy on this earth. Please let them all live very long, long, long, long (every long counts for 25 years...hope they live to 100!!) happy, healthy wonderful lives, and PLEASE let them always know how very much I love them. Amen."

More deep thoughts from Finley

Finley normally wakes up cranky and hides under the covers. Today she was smiling when I walked in her room, already awake!

Finley: "Best night ever!!"
Me: "Why Fin?"
Finley: "Lots of sleep!"

Now if I could just get Riley and Bailey to understand that when they complain at bedtime!

Sink...think.think.think.

Picking out all the fixtures for the new house is hard. I thoroughly enjoy it, but it is hard. Not hard like fighting forest fires or mining coal hard, but hard because I want the house to come out PERFECT. Right now I am in faucet and sink mode. The overall feel of the house is a mixture of farmhouse and beach. I am picturing barefeet and laughter...NOTHING stuffy! I have chosen this faucet and sign for the hall guest bath, but am stuck on the sink. I will have a furniture piece for the vanity but am deciding on which of three bowls for the vessel sink.

Here are the sinks in the running...

I am sure no one cares what sink I pick, but I want to remember how I got to some decisions about the house when we are 60 years old and still living there!! Any comments or suggestions would be great!

Don't Feed The Cats...Yes, Dear...just this once...

Guilty. I feed stray cats. When we sold our home on Hancock Trace I had a bunch that would religiously come to the door. With the help of a friend we were able to trap two of the kittens and they now have a loving home. Well, now that we are back on Hancock Trace renting while we build, the same momma cat that I was unable to trap has since producted MORE kittens (FOLKS...moral of story SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS!). They are an adorable group...lovingly named Mirabelle, Cookin' Momma, and Jacob by Finley. And yes, Todd told me NOT to feed them again. Long story short, every night they appear on the porch waiting on me. How can I say no?

Muffins with Mom

Today was Muffins With Mom at preschool with Finley. It was so fun and so sweet! We were first treated to a great speaker that gave us a few tips and reminders. The best advice was that we aren't always perfect in the decisions we make, but we always have our kids best interest at heart...that is most important. Good advice! Us moms can be too hard on ourselves! The best part was enjoying time with just one kid. That doesn't happen enough with four of them, and it gives them so much time to shine. Even the 30 minutes we spent was so memorable! We prayed and sang and danced and hugged! She even made the yummy muffins! So cute...and getting so big! I told another mom at school that I just wanted to freeze Fin at age 4. So sweet, fun and loveable. I laughed at the age she put on the sweet description of me...61!

Bailey

My poor Bailey wondered why she didn't have a picture on the blog yet! Poor second kid! Here she is...snuggling up to our sweet Fella (kill two birds with one stone...now he can't complain either!) on Christmas Eve! One word explains this kid...EASY. She goes with the flow, is organized, kind, funny, athletic and occasionally sneaky...(gets that from her dad LOL)! We love her and she brings such joy to our family! I joke often that she keeps me in line...which is true! Yesterday Todd took her and Riley to Paoli to ski! Such great memories for them with their dad! Unfortunately, no pics to post. They both mastered Walnut, which I was informed was pretty good on their first try! SO proud!

Deep thoughts by Finley

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Finley: "Mom...when you jump off the ottoman, are you real flying?"

Mom: "No dear. Plus, you shouldn't jump off the ottoman anyway."

Captured!

About two months ago, I had bought Entenmann's doughnuts for the kids for a treat! I loved them as a kid, so occasionally I pick them up and the girls love them! I had left the box on the table while I ran upstairs for a second. Upon my return, this is what I found...and the box was shy about one and a half doughnuts! From the look on his face, guess Hogan likes them too!

Ahhh...joy!

11:00pm. Everyone is sleeping and healthy (Thank you Jesus!). It is quiet and I have been trying to fiqure out how to add music to this blog. Alot of people keep asking me how I have time to bog with four kids and a job. I just answer that I am looking at this like a family journal of the year...a scrapbook. I don't care if anyone reads it, but I can look back and remember little things about 2011. I wish I had started a long time ago! Like for instance, I would never remember that we all curled up in the family room tonight to watch "Despicable Me" and have brownies. But now I will. And in remembering, I will remember that Hogan kept climbing all over me, twirling his hair and looking like an adorable sausage stuffed in his footie jammies. And how comforting it is to listen to my husband sleep (rarely makes it through a movie). And how Fella didn't bark at the four stray cats on the porch tonight when I fed them (wonder why they keep coming back?)...instead just stared them down through the front window. It is the simple things that bring joy now and that will return the joy when I look back on this blog.

Special

Came across these pictures my sister posted on Facebook of her with my mom's mom and dad. Nora and CJ Deutschmann are in their nineties and have 14 kids! I can't count grandkids anymore!! Too many of us! These two people are so SPECIAL in my life and represent so many memories of my childhood! Miss you Grandma and Grandpa...St. Louis seems so far away! hoep to see you soon!

DECISION MADE!!! YAHOO!

The above picture is a house that has alot of the same exterior as ours will. Garage will be different and quite a few design elements...but a good example.

Finally! A decision has been made! We are getting ready to break ground on our new house on our land in Simpsonville! It has been a long year of moving (twice), goal setting, designing (2 houses...hated the first), saving and discussing. We cannot wait to get the ball rolling! Above is the actual rendering of the house and the color pictures are some design inspirations for the interior...most of you know homes are my OBSESSION!

Lucky me.

Now Riley has the flu! I am hoping this is the tail-end of sick city. As I complain, I find myself feeling like a jerk. I cannot imagine how a parent of a child that is terminally ill or disabled finds the patience to deal with it all everyday. I give them so much credit and prayers! What a sacrifice parents make in general, but especially parents with very sick or disabled kids. Kids bring so much joy to us, it is all worth it! The worry that keeps you up at night, the fear of losing them and the overwhelming love you have...even when they are whiny and barfing! Tomorrow will be a new day...thanks to a good adjustment and Tamiflu...but for now I will just enjoy some time with them along with lots of Lysol!

Egg-actly what I need in this busy life!

Okay. Call me crazy, but The Fresh Market (my favorite grocery store of all time!) has started carrying pre-boiled and peeled eggs. In the refrigerator section and by the normal eggs! This is a HUGE find for me since I love to use eggs in salads, on bagels, as egg salad...you name it. $2.59 for 6 of them...yes, expensive...but worth it!

Sick. Ick.

I spoke too soon. Just as I said "We are so lucky! The kids have stayed so healthy this year!", we not only get bombarded with the stomach flu (5 out 0f 6 of us!) and then we followed that up with the Flu! Fabulous. As if that wasn't enough cabin fever for any mother, Hogan decides to warrant a trip to the ER. I had wanted a tour of the new Kosair at Brownsboro, but not for the sake of one of my kids. He had had a fever under the arm of 102.6 that wouldn't respond to anything! His breathing was labored, so off we went. Anyone that knows me knows that I don't just run to the doctor for anything. Let's just say, it's a good thing we got him in there. Steroids opened his airways that Croup was causing to swell, and we were able to go home. Maybe we have met our illness quota for 2011. Let's hope!

Welcome!

2011 has begun and I am hoping to keep this blog afloat! Time is limited in this crazy house, but I would like to view this as a scrapbook for the upcoming year! Right now, I am enjoying a few moments of unusual silence! Finley (4) and Hogan (1) are sacked out and Riley (10) and Bailey (8) are at school. It seems that time is flying by and I want to stop and remember the days before all my little munchkins are off at college and I am missing the chaos.