Welcome to the Soto Family

Haloween 2009

2009-11-11T13:32:00.000-08:00

This is the ever anticipating day for our family. We just love watching the kids get all dressed up and trick or treating. It is so much fun every year and the kids think it is SO cool that people actually give them candy! The weather did NOT permit us to go outside very long. A windy night and a temperature in the 40s kept us outside for as minimal as possible and heading to the mall for all the fun! Sam decided she wanted to be a princess! We kept her very warm, there was no way she was going outside in a sleeveless gown! She was all smiles and absolutely loved picking out tootsie rolls from everyone. Boston & Aidan were the Hulk. It was hilarious to watch them in there costumes and act mad. Here are some pictures from this Haloween! Aidan is almost 6, Samantha is almost 3 and Boston is 17 months old!

Where has the year gone?

2009-10-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

Another year went by, really? I cannot believe I haven't been on here in a solid year. I guess you could say the 3rd child through me for a loop. Life has been unbelievably busy. My soon-to-be-husband (YES, we are finally tieing the knot REALLY soon) has 2 older boys which keep us plenty occupied with Soccer, Cross Country, Basketball and Football.

Our past year has been filled with so many exciting and precious moments. Boston has grown up so much. He now says "Hi" and "Bye" to everyone, feeds himself in his high chair, follows his younger sister around and copies everything she says and does. It's not always the best but for the most part it is adorable to watch him be a little "Sam follower."

Miss Samantha has grown up so much. She was fully pott trained just shy of 21/2 years old. She has been a big girl wanting no help. The past year she has gone from 20lbs to 27lbs. Nearly every day she asks for Pizza. She absolutely loves pizza!!! Along with playing with her babies, cooking in her grocery store and playing with legos, she has grown into a delightful little human being and I am looking forward to the many more adventures that come.

Aidan started Kindergarten this year and he is such a big boy now! Aidan learned how to ride his bike this summer and he loves to run. He loves to write and is learning to read. He absolutely loves his sister and brother and doesn't leave for school until he hugs and kisses both. He has really set a great example for his little brother and sister. We are so proud of him. This past year we made many short trips to Games, Zoos, the mall, Kansas City, Omaha, Virginia, Amusement parks and all of the other typical toddler trips.

We recently found a church that we really like and are starting fresh there. Our kids will be in Awana and we're very excited for them! Life is good! I hope this catches you up! As for me, I'm just another year older and dreading the big 30! Other than that, I couldn't be happier. I'm so lucky to have my family.

Here are some pictures from the past year since I have neglected my blog!

Our Cruise Vacation this year!

2008-11-12T20:00:00.000-08:00

We got the chance, again, 2 years in a row, to sail across the SEA and head to Cozumel & The Grand Cayman Islands on a Royal Caribbean Cruise! It was amazing, as should be expected. We ate, drank Pina Coladas & read many books! As many of you know, I am NOT a reader! My neighbors introduced me to "Twilight" By: Stephanie Meyers. I didn't know I enjoyed reading until I had the chance to read with no pressure to be anywhere. It was amazingly relaxing and I would highly recommend this to all moms. The Twilight Series has been completely unreal to read and overwhelmingly exciting. If I were to describe what it is about, you would MOCK, LAUGH & possibly make fun of me. I've never EVER been able to read a book and have an extremely hard time putting it down. In the world of "Twilight" I completely put myself in the book and imagined what it would be like! Don't knock it until you read it.

Aside from reading, we got to bask in th sun on these beautiful islands, shop the boutiques, ride an RZR through the jungle of Cozumel (the beach & road too). It was might scary being a passenger and thank god I had this HOT looking helmet on (oh you know it!).

Iron Man saves the Bumble Bee copyright 2008

2008-11-10T20:56:00.000-08:00

The dumb computer won't rotate my pics!!! argh!

This year was amazingly more fun for the big 31st of October than any other year. I was able to enjoy double the fun with the kiddies. Mr. Aidan, who now will only be referred to as "Ironman", was eagerly awaiting this day to come. As a matter of fact, he wore this costume every day up until this big day. The little bumble bee refused to put her costume on until she peeked outside and saw that EVERY other kid on our block was dressed and had candy. Needless to say, it didn't take much time to get her ready. She saw candy, kids and costumes and that was what she wanted too!

Here are some pics from this amazingly fun day for us!

My monsters!

2008-10-23T21:31:00.001-07:00

I purchased these adorable tops that I saw on TV. I just wanted to share with you guys in case you thought they were as adorable as I did. They are great material made from the company "American Apparel." My logo is of my 3 monsters!

Here is the link: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=36690

Your world will be turned completely upside down, around, and back once you have found this ridiculously awesome website! www.etsy.com

It's the most amazing site for women!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin patch here we come

2008-10-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

We decided to take the kids last weekend to the pumpkin patch. There is something about the colored leaves and hot apple cider that just puts me in an instant wonderful good mood. I love fall. It's my absolute favorite season. I love to see the trees, leaves, feel the breeze, go pumpkin picking, eat all that horrible bad & wonderful food that I shouldn't be eating. Nothing tops off the pumpkin patch like Kettle Corn. Oh my goodness-it is so stinkin good. I think I could eat the XL bag myself. It is that delicious! Enough about the corn. I promise, there is more to iowa then good ole corn. It just doesn't look like it at times!

We took the kids through the patch, had them pick out pumpkins. We stopped and had sno-cones. Little Samantha had to sit there and have every last drop of that sno-cone. It took us a good 20 minutes just to make that sno-cone disappear. We got to see the goats, pigs, go through a hay maze, ride crazy little cars and much much more.

Here are some pictures:

Look alikes?

2008-10-17T21:34:00.001-07:00

Everyone is always telling me how much Aidan and I look alike. We started to take pictures so we could see how much alike we really look.

Take a peek!

Bonfire in Iowa FALL

2008-10-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we headed over to Brooklyn, IA (yes there is a town called Brooklyn in iowa) filled with nearly 1,000 people. Small town...Joe's sister & Family live in the Boondox there. We had a day of playing sacks, Kan Jam & making the largest bonfire I've ever seen in my entire life. I even got to roast marshmallows and boy did the kids get a kick out of eating smores. Here are some pictures!

It has been an interesting 3 weeks to say the least. All 3 kids have had bad colds, running noses and barking coughs. Boston is now getting over croup which is dreadful to hear. Aidan has been dressing up in costumes nearly every day. A couple weeks ago he says to Joe & I.."My name isn't Aidan anymore. My name is Ironman." Ummmm, ok, Ironman! I thought he was joking around but everyday he reminds me that his name is NOT Aidan. If you think 2 is great, 3 is better and yet hilarious. 4 is amazingly funny as well. It just gets better and better.

Samantha is 21 months old and we've introduced her to the potty all summer long. Today she peed in the potty all on her own. It took a whopping 20 minutes of her sitting on the potty and chatting about LORD knows what. She peed, smiled, almost clapped, wiped and flushed. Amazing. I didn't even show Aidan a potty until 2. However since Samantha turn 18 months old, she has been saying, pee, diaper, potty, poo poo and understands nearly everything we say. I sure hope it is true, that girls are easier to potty train then boys. Or at least that they are quicker and get it!

We are getting ready to go on a Royal Caribbean Cruise on November 1st. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. However, my poor little Boston!! I'm going to miss this little guy to pieces. Every single day I look forward to seeing his smile. I mean, I enjoy S & A's smiles and chit chats too but Boston has this sweet little personality which I adore.

Off to posting about our pumpkin patch fun!

Saturday Shmaturday

2008-09-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty excited when saturday arrives. I know I have Joe's undivided attention and he is game for whatever I can whip up. We had absolutely planned today. What do you do on a day that you have absolutely nothing planned? Um, you do everything and anything.

We had a fun saturday playing at the mall. Eating lots of candy and loading our kids up with so much sugar they were bouncing in there car seats. Yeah-that was a blast.

On another note, Samantha is now saying, "Please", "Thank you", & "Sorry."

Oh thank the dear lord for absorbing those wonderful good manners we have taught Aidan. Way to go A.

So today, we were a little bored in the morning and decided to take some pictures of the kids in the living room.

Craigslist laughter

2008-09-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Many of you know I'm an avid seller/buyer for Craigslist.org & Ebay. It's a wild addiction that I love to do.

From time to time or whenever I'm bored (watching David Blaine's dive of death), I read the "Free" ads on CL. Tonight I nearly peed in my pants from reading this ad:

I have two large oak trees in my yard that have dropped an abundance of acorns. These become dangerous flying objects when I mow and I would like to get rid of as many as I can. These would be good for feeding wildlife. All the squirrels in my neighborhood are fat and lazy. Please come take as many as you can. Email me for directions.

I hope you got a kick out of it like I did.

Our Block party

2008-09-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Our block on T-wood is the coolest! We have approximately 44 kids on the block with more potential births. There isn't a mother over the age of 37 and I'm the youngest mom at 28. You will think this is crazy but our block has 8 duplicate names. Both my kids have there matches on the block-but not Boston. To be honest, I think it will be a long time before I meet another Boston. However I seem to be meeting Red Sox fans left and right once they here our latest arrivals name.

Once May hits, our block has a flamingo night every friday. Whoever has the flamingo by there mailbox, (in there lawn) is hosting the Flamingo party. It's every friday beginning from 6-7pm. Usually this consists of 5-10 power wheels, games and complete fun chaos. This goes on until the wee hours should you choose to hang out. It is a lot of fun and we have a wonderful block full of interesting people.

Our block party this year was very cool for the kids as usual. We had a fire truck come and allow the kids to play on it for awhile. Here are some pictures posted of the kids having fun.

The first picture is of Sam attempting to help me make my well-needed latte in the morning. If you are a starbucks fan, the cuisinart latte maker is a must. I purchased this months ago and it has been worth every penny. It is very easy to make all kinds of lattes. Add some whip cream and your coffee is BETTER than Starbucks! :)

Our weekend away without the little people

2008-09-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to take a back seat and enjoy a business trip with Joe. Joe's lovely older sister watched our Aidan & Samantha. They had an absolute blast in Brooklyn, Iowa for the weekend. One of the best benefits to living in the middle of nowhere is that your kids cannot run very far and disappear on you!! Here are some pics of the kids having a blast with there aunt and uncle.

It's been a solid month since I have blogged so let me catch you up on the last month. Aidan started preschool. He goes everyday to a Christian private preschool which he loves. He is learning so much and he never seizes to amaze me on the words he spits out here and there. For instance, on our way into Sports Authority, Aidan mentioned that God loves us all and he is watching over all of us. He said "God sees everything we are doing mom, everything." It is so great and so funny to hear these words out of your 4 year old.

Summer is completely over! Where did the time go? I feel like we were just starting to really enjoy it and get it in our summer pattern of lounging outside when all of a sudden-BOOM- it hit 60 degrees! That is Iowa for you.

I'm considering starting Sam in dance classes at 2. Have any of you guys tried this with your little girls?

We have a fun weekend planned ahead so I will be blogging about it. We are having a huge block party on saturday which the kids are excited for and we are also going to see Lavelle from Last Comic Standing on sunday night. I cannot wait!!!

If there is one last thing you have to do on earth-It's to go to the IOWA STATE FAIR

2008-08-18T09:19:00.001-07:00

Every year (since I've moved here) we look forward to the Iowa State Fair. It is the largest Fair in the country. Over 200,000 people go daily to come see it, people camp out for the full 10 days. When you go to park to hit up the fair, the EAST siders (of the DSM town area) open up there lawns for a $5 parking fee. You have NEVER EVER witnessed anything like this unless you come. Imagine yard after yard filled with cars. These people wait all year long looking forward to there 3-5k profit off parking in there lawns and driveways. They also whip out there BBQ grills and cook up some food for a discounted price before you enter the fair. Completely bizarre! The most amazing food is here!!

Here is what the Soto clan ate:

Pork Chop on a stick (to die for-so delicious and tender)

Cheese curds (YOU EAST folks people need to try these-they are amazing)

Gyro

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade (about 5 cups full)

Hot chocolate chip cookies (I have no idea what they put in these cookies but it has some sort of magic touch in it-they are amazing)

Soft sugary donuts (These melt in your mouth)

Nachos (ok-not the greatest--but we are spanish and tend to be snobby about our chips, queso and salsa)

Fresh slushy/shaved ice

The list goes on believe it or not.....They even have fried twinkies and ho hos.

On another note, we have a cow completely molded in BUTTER. We also had the olympian winner Shawn Johnson molded in butter who is from Iowa.

We took the kids to the petting Zoo. Samantha was in awe over every animal. Aidan is absolutely obsessed with making sure all of the animals get the same treatment and food from him. He had to pet each and every one...and on top of it he gave each one the same amount of food. It was adorable to watch.

We also took the kids for an Elephant Ride. It was the most uncomfortable 4 minutes ever. The tailbone of the elephant--well--you felt it all right in your *area*....

We took the kids to see the the largest pig which weighed in at a whopping 1,259lbs. Yes, it was completely gross and couldn't move. The 2nd place pig came in 30lbs behind it. We also saw the largest lamb which weighed in at 423lbs. It is the largest lamb you have ever seen in your life....

Life is so precious and short

2008-07-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

So Joe has been out of town lately a lot. He has had 2 business trips to mexico and he is in california right now. Although I'm pretty busy all day and night with 3 kids on my own, YES, I still have time to be alone and have my quiet moments...

So, my grandfather passed away 3 weeks ago. I'm still in shock mode over it. He was in his early 70's and was taken off his chemo, diabetes medicines. Hospice came to his house, took over and took him off all meds, food and water. He died 7 days after they began the process. Although I know he was in a great amount of pain and suffered, I am happy he has gone to see the big daddy upstairs.

I really enjoyed my grandpa on earth. He is what you describe every grandfather to be plus more. He had an extremely gentle heart. He always listened to whatever anyone had to say without making a judgement. I, myself, struggle at times not to judge or take sides. My grandfather was never the monkey in the middle, he stayed clear of all gossip and drama. He always had his quotes from the bible to compare a life lesson to. He was an entrepeneur and always encouraged me to continue in life with my goals and dreams. My grandfather was everything I could ever ask for. It breaks my heart to know that I can't just call him and talk to him. Although I only called him once a month, it meant so much to me when I use to live in NYC to visit him. I have some of the best memories of my grandfather and he has left such a huge plate to fill for my father. I only wish that my children get to have the same wonderful experience I had as a grandchild.

I'm ok because I know that God has his reasons for everything and I know my grandfather is out of all pain. What is beyond bizarre, is that my grandfather and I used to joke around all the time. I used to tell him.."Grandpa, when you pass away send me butterflies." He always cracked up laughing because we both knew how bizarre of an idea that was.

Since my grandpa's death, we have had the same yellow and black butterfly lingering around our home and I just saw a new one today. Although, I do not believe in that kind of stuff, it's nice to be reminded of him in such a beautiful way. I can only hope that when I pass away, I have touched as many peoples lives and left a legacy behind me as well.

Conversations today with Aidan--RATED R!!!

2008-07-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

Our oldest son Aidan is 41/2 and boy do we forget at times that he is still just a little boy. Today, Aidan and I were talking after I had laid Samantha to bed. I walked in my living room to find Aidan laying on the couch with his hand in a certain area. I asked him why on earth he had his hand there and he chuckled. Funny-but not so funny if I had company over! :) So after him chuckling, he said "My daddy has a giant penis." I almost died laughing and my response was immediate with "What makes you think that?"...his response was "Because he eats lots of food."

The way I get Aidan to get excited about school, sports and getting bigger like his older brothers is to tell him that he needs to eat his vegetables and meats. Toddlers are so funny.

Another funny story today:

I've always called Aidan "monkey"....I don't know why-yet it's just something I have always called him. So today I called him monkey...and then I proceeded to ask him if he liked to be called monkey. He then replied..no! ...

My reply was...Do you know what daddy calls me?
Aidans reply: No...
My reply: slicky pants

(You see, joe saw me go workout one day and I was wearing spandex (apparently slickypants) and since then I have inherited that god aweful nickname)

Aidan chuckled and said...do you know what I call daddy?
My reply: No! What do you call him?
Aidan: stinky butt.

So funny, just then I died laughing. I'm very careful as for what words I say in our home and that is a word I would never say or use. I just absolutely died and then realized perhaps Aidan has been watching too much of Alvin & the chipmunks!

Date night out

2008-07-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

The only thing that keeps me motivated and in sane is having my scheduled date night every sunday night. We love our babysitters!! So our typical date is sunday night. Usually it's a choice between Crab Legs OR PFCHANGS (oh so good). But since I have gotten a bit older I absolutely love sushi. So for the past 2 weeks we've gone to a japanese sushi restaurant which is amazingly delicious and it's a really cool intimate setting to get your mind completely off of the kids...I'm able to completely relax and not worry. It's great.

So we went on a date night a few weeks ago. Usually it's dinner and a movie. I hate scary movies!! I hate them. I get aweful dreams, nightmares and I don't understand the purpose of them. They are not fun for me at all--and joe doesn't understand that when he leaves me for business trips in mexico, that i'm the frantic mother who looks out the window obsessively to make sure nothing crazy is going on. I lock all of my doors and keep my cell phone right by my side. I hate scary movies!!!

So we went to see "The happening." I had no idea what this movie was about--I just knew that mark Wahlberg was in it and if he's in a movie-usually it is good. OK, what the heck happened in the happening? Seriously, I don't get that. People were killing themselves because of bad energy in the air??? So silly, stupid, bad and a waste of my time. I hate seeing bad movies. I highly recommend not to see this movie if you are anything like me.

On a happier note, I absolutely loved the movie "Definitely Maybe." Probably the best movie I have seen this year. What a great movie. It's up there next to "August Rush." 2 great movies, whenever you have spare time (and i know when you have some, youjust want to relax) rent these movies.

Wow-I actually have a spare 10 minutes

2008-07-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's already been 7 weeks. Unreal!!

These days are absolutely nuts. For those of you out there that think 3 is too much, you are wrong. Going from 1 kid to 2, was a complete time makeover. I was late to everything for the first 3 months and then I kind of got the hang of things and got everywhere early. Having Boston has just adding icing to the package. I'm so glad we have him, he has made me realize that I need to do FAR more fun stuff with the kids. He allows me to relax when I'm nursing and enjoy the smiley faces on my kids rather then rushing around like a mad momma all day.

I'm still doing eBay. Although I've done it for fun, it is wildly addicting and I'm learning to give myself breaks from it. This past week I've really gotten to enjoy time outside in the pool, play with the neighbors kids (48 on our block alone) and enjoy movies and popcorn.

Samantha has well adapted to having the baby. Both her and Aidan still kiss him obsessively. They'll even go as far as stopping the swing to kiss him 4 or 5 times then they give it a good old push.

Boston is still sleeping a lot these days. He is awake all morning though and the kids just love to talk to him, hold him and kiss him. He sleeps all night and I cannot complain.

Samantha's personality is completely developing and she is stunningly adorable. She copies everything her older brother does. She wants to play with him at all times, ride in his power vehicle all the time. She'll even sit in the passengers seat for a long time until he comes over to take her for a ride. It is adorable. They have a love/hate relationship. When they are not loving eachother, they are picking on eachother. 2 seconds later they are kissing... :)

So far 3 kids really doesn't make a difference. It's just another hiney to wipe or mouth to feed and I'm ok with that.

Life has been crazy, the summer has been very hot and we are just having a lot of fun.

I will be posting some new pics pretty soon...

Joe is off to mexico (again) on thursday so I will have a lonely weekend on my own with the kids. My niece is coming in town to visit with her boyfriend so that company will be nice. Any company is nice when you live out in iowa... :)

We survived jaundice!!

2008-06-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

Well, our little guy finally got off the light pad yesterday. Yes that was a LOOONNNGG 6 days of being on lights and nursing every 2 hours. I will say, I only have 7 lbs to lose due to nursing like a maniac. :)

Aidan has been exceptional still while Samantha wants to be held too. She has never taken a pacifier and now (all of a sudden-yes at 16 months old) she wants a pacifier!!! She wants to be just like her baby brother. Not cute at all-or at least for me --not cute.

It's rained here in iowa since the baby has been born every day. It's gotten really old so we haven't had the chance to do much outside.

Our typical days consist of playing inside until lunchtime. Everyone naps after lunch and then we are outside for the remainder of the evening until I start cooking supper. I know-kinda boring. Before I would go out shopping, grocery shopping, go for a wagon ride, etc. While I feel great and almost fully recovered from delivering Boston-I'm a wee bit tired and it's not from the baby. It's from chasing my 16 month old all day. It's extremely exhausting and I'm not looking like barbie in a couple of months I will not be too happy. I think I eat about every hour because of chasing the kids or trying to keep up playing with them. Samantha loves to take out all my pots and pans, loves to take all the q-tips out and put them all over my floor. She does love to throw dirty diapers away -which is FANTASTIC!! There are so many benefits and more non-but we love her anyways..even though she keeps me on my toes. I guess it's god's way of keeping me from becoming overweight??

Anyhow, I just wanted to let everyone know we are jaundice free and life is great. Boston sleeps from 11:30-8:30am. It's super...and he actually goes to bed around 9pm ish...but wakes up for that feeding at 11:30...I cannot complain. I pray it stays this way..

OK, so I saw PS. I love you this past week...I don't know if it's because I just had a baby or I'm just a pathetic romance lover but I seriously cried for like 2 hours straight. If you haven't seen it-see it. But be prepared. Bring something good to munch on and a HUGE box of tissues.

Here are some pics of Boston today. He had such a great hair day--check it out..

Mom of 3

2008-05-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

So, I went for my last DR appt on May 21st to get checked. I was still 2cm and my DR informed me that if I don't have the baby by Tuesday that I will not get him to deliver my baby. He delivered Sam and was AMAZING so I only wanted him again. I never thought I would be so bummed over a 50+ man delivering my baby but this man is truly blessed and has a way on the delivery table of keeping me intact and focused. Joe does an amazing job too. I'm so proud of him for being such a great support for me. He truly is my backbone and when I want to crash and pass out, he's always there...

So, I went home and tried another trick. I drank 2 tablespoons of castor oil in apple cherry juice. Repulsive-I know. I took that at 6:30pm and my pain began at midnight. I laid down for 3 hours and couldn't handle the pain anymore. By the time I got to the hospital I was 4cm. The DR's wanted to see my dialate so I walked the hospital and took a nice hot bath. That progressed me to 5-6 cm and then I requested my epi! That came 10 short minutes before baby Boston was born. While my pain was barely any and I truly think I could have done this labor without it, I have the fear of god put in me that I cannot handle that pain again after Samantha. I took the epi, pushed the baby out 10 min later and baby Boston was there. It was so awesome to have him put right on me and watch Joe cut the cord. Last time I was in so much pain from feeling the whole labor that I can barely tell you anything about the experience. This was just awesome.

Aidan and Samantha were in there own "heaven"....Aidan is amazing with his brother. He watches him every second nd loves to protect him from EVERYONE. It's adorable and cute. He loves holding the baby and loves changing his diapers. It is great to have a toddler that understands everything...to all you moms out there-take note! Samantha loves to kiss him and then cry for my attention.

Samantha has been sleeping exceptionally all night in her bed since we brought Boston home. That has been great!! Boston slept through the night 3 nights in a row which brings me to how it has effected him. He now has jaundice at a 19.5 level. The max is 22 where babies are at the absolute worst. He is under a lights at home and we have to keep him on the pad and wake him up every 2-3 hours to eat. He is amazing and I know he is super strong so I know we are going to fight our first little battle. Just please keep him in your prayers. I know God really listens to these prayers for all of our babies as I have been through the most difficult situations.

I love being a mom of 3 and while I find it a challenge to keep our home perfectly organized I'm trying to enjoy my children, the weather and Joe all at the same time. I'm so lucky that joe works from home and gets to eat all 3 meals with us and be such a huge help. I things could be so much worse and for that I am so thankful.

My birthday was monday and it was just completely awesome to be so stoked about Boston and not care at all about anything else. I even got to sleep in until 10am which was incredible.

I'll be back on here to post pics of my rat-pack. In the meantime, for fun times...check out...www.youtube.com/java8282

Joe loves my flip video he gave me for momma's day and we've been using it like crazy!!

Love you all, thanks for listening and being such great friends!

Lenee

Wow-it's been a long time!

2008-05-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

I don't know how you ladies keep up with this blog. I guess if I need to take 10 minutes to sit down and do this...

Life has been so busy. We are still dealing with Samantha sleeping in her big girl bed. Aidan has been amazing and we are so spoiled and lucky to have him as the big brother. He is so proud and does love his sister so much!

Lately I've been spending my last pregnancy days doing sidewalk chalk. I just think it is so much fun.....The kids have really been great this past month in my last month of pregnancy. I'm dialated 2 cm and I've tried about everything to go into labor and nothing has worked. Total bummer! :(

I'm going to upload some really funny and cool pics...perhaps tomorrow.

I've enjoyed catching up on your blogs. Your stories enlighten me and remind me of what's very important.

Thank you girls!!!

Crib to big girl bed...what's your advice??

2008-04-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

OK, so we are prepared for baby #3's arrival with the exception that we are converting Sam from her crib which she hates and refuses to sleep in!! We bought her a big girls bed and have allowed her to get comfortable playing on it, laying on it and with her room. She loves it and knows it is hers. Now, for some reason, I cannot recall how I got my 4yr old to sleep in his big boy bed. He was a little older (2) and it seemed to be easier.

Any advice is appreciated.

Things have been going great other then our little sleep issue with Samantha. She has been very happy and that makes me very happy!! :)

Aidan started flag football last week and had his 2nd practice this weekend. I don't think people know how cold it is here in Iowa. It was 35 degrees with the coldest windchill. All of the little kids froze and half didn't even show up. I pray for warm weather like you EAST coasters are getting. You can't appreciate your weather until you live in the Midwest.

I'm feeling pretty good these days. I lost my plug last week and have had a lot of pressure. I just pray that everything goes as great as it did the 2nd time around and that we have a healthy baby.

Does anyone know of any good playgroups for 15 month olds??

Attn: Anynomous

2008-04-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

Why are anynomous people so interested in commenting in other peoples pages? Can I block these people? Do people really have that much "time" on there hands to consume themselves in others lives and situations?

For your information Anynomous...that article was based on a newborn crying themself to sleep. I, too, do not believe in letting any newborn cry themselves to sleep. All of the studies, books and recommendations state that at 6 months, your baby knows when it is night time.

Perhaps you should read the article before passing it on.

Crying it out?

2008-04-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

To all my friends:

Please read my blog and let me know your opinion. Read the "anynomous" comment and please comment back to me.

I need your support.

Lenee

Frustrated with so much

2008-04-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't been on here because I feel like everything I've worked so hard for is just crumbling down. I'm so beat from so much I do not not even know where to begin.

First, my daughter has her gazillionth ear infection. She went to the 2nd ENT which told us it was the season of sickness and infection. Needless to say, she's going to be ok and hopefully no more infections. Samantha started throwing tantrum/fits and I have no idea how to respond to it. i spank her tush but she seems to enjoy that because she keeps throwing fits. She thew one in the middle of the night last night and I didn't even know how to respond. I had samantha down to a T on a routine. She was napping at 11am and 3:3opm every day for an hour and then bedtime at 8pm sharp. Since we got back to iowa, she's been spoiled. Joe feels bad for her at night sometimes when she cries--especially when she was sick. When she was sick, joe would hold her and rock her to sleep. She now will not go to sleep on her own nor will she nap on her own without being rocked or patted. I can't stand that!! I'm not a mom of spoiling my kids at all and I am so frustrated with this situation. Some days i dread because I know I have to fight this battle!!! I know my way is the right way, a few days of crying has never killed a child. Especially when it's 10-15 minutes. By the 2-3rd night she's out cold every time!! I'm starting my routine tomorrow-wish me luck. We also got Samantha a big girl bed and i need to convert her before this baby is born next month so that i'm not dealing with a newborn plus my 14 month old!!

Any advice and support you can give me as a friend is much appreciated.

I lost my plug last night and had contractions. I'm so glad the contractions vanished because I'm overwhelmed with the whole situation with Samantha. I'm so sick of being pregnant!!! So sick of it. I've been obsessed with my Big Brother shows at night and Biggest Loser so that has taken priority over getting on here and reading you ladies BLOGS. :(

Anyhow, enough venting today.....looking forward to hearing any adivce you can give.

Hearburn

2008-03-24T21:01:00.001-07:00

Goodness-i always thought heartburn was for old people. I remember being a child and my dad complaining about heartburn and i always thought he was just a little bit sick. LOL--No matter what i eat-i get it. It hurts and yet the second the baby comes out the heartburn vanishes. So strange--and they say it's all because of the babies hair?! That sounds absolutely crazy..

Samantha slept through the night last night-praise GOD almighty!!! She actually was pleasant today and let me get a lot of stuff done. She just loves to go sit in my sock pile or knock a big pile of folded laundry down--that has to be my favorite. I felt like i achieved so much now that my 5 loads (yes ladies-haven't done it in 3 days) was folded and put away. I felt like i needed to be rewarded with a massage.

My son Aidan is so funny. He just comes up with the craziest talks. This should make you laugh. He's sitting on his dads lap last week and out of no where he asks Daddy 'Why do we poop?' So Joe explained that our food turns to poop. Our drinks turn to pee. Keep in mind-i'm not in the room and i have no idea what they are doing/talking about. I enter the living room and my son says to me--Mom, did you know that our food turns to poop? And the poop comes out of our butts. He then proceeds to tell me that our drinks turn into pee and the pee comes out of our penises....and that i do it, daddy does it, samantha, grandma/etc the list goes on.

I about died laughing but he has felt the need to tell our whole family/friends--EVERYONE the process of poop! I couldn't help but share with you guys that. What a week/day.

11:15pm at night

2008-03-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

OK, that picture was tonight after an exhausting day to show you my belly ladies. yeah-i know total buddha belly---belly button and all. That sucker popped out at 3 months...what's up with that?! goodnight ladies.

Saturday-my week of being super mom...lol

2008-03-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

Ahhh!! Just when things start to cool down things get out of control crazy. I think this week was the craziest week of my life. We decided to sell our guest bedroom set and get the room ready for samantha's big girl bed set. We found the coolest (or so i think) bedroom set. It's a pink leather twin bed, pink end table, pink mirror, pink leather dresser and trunk. OK-let's get something straight-i hate the color pink on me. I look retarded. Joe absolutely hates pastel pink. The second my daughter came out she looked cute in everything and suddenly pink grew on me tremendously. We saw this set last weekend and i thought my heart was going to stop while furniture shopping. I couldn't even hold the excitement in. All i could think about was how bad i wanted a cool bedroom set when i was kid. My dad did what he could do to get us by and i appreciate that but samantha is definitely the queen of urbandale. No girl has this palace. You want to know what the cutest thing is? We went shopping for the bedding set and her dad picked it out. I was touched that he picked out a set that was girly with dragon flys. It was adorable and may not have been my first preference but it touched my heart in such a way that the set is perfect. I will post pictures soon so you guys can see and gush like i do--hopefully. LOL

We got aidan bunk beds. He is in bunk bed heaven. He absolutely loves his room and let me tell you how much i hate the daggon latter. Samantha climbs up that thing so fast i might put myself into labor just watching her. Dear god in heaven it's so exhausting.

So this week we cleared out 2 bedroom sets and got the kids what they needed. The new baby is taking over samantha's old room. Oh, did i mention joe and i came to a CRAZY agreement?! He gets to name the baby boy, i get to name the next baby!!! Does anyone know how to try fora girl? Not that i'm considering trying yet but i would like to know!!! I want to be done with our last baby by the time i'm 30. Yes, i'm 28 in may so this next baby will come soon after and my life will be crazy until i'm 30 but i don't care. It's going to be 2 years of madness!!! And no i'm not close to 30 yet. I like to think that i'm pushing 28, not 30. That is 2 years and 2 months away. Gosh, i hate getting older, the thought makes me mad. I was just 17 the other day and graduated HS...and i still think that was a few years ago but it was 11 years ago. Dear lord-where does time go. I absolutely loved being 20-25. It's gone too fast and makes me mad. GRRR. Oh...what do you ladies think of these names. These are joe's top names he picks: Boston, Van, Colsen....
ok i'm not cool with any of those names. I like the name Ryder. It was set in my head and this poor baby thinks his name is ryder. He's going to be so confused. Joe originally wanted rocky..what do you think of that?! be honest....i'm beginning to think i should name this one and he can name the next....

Anyways, this week. I sold a lot of stuff on craigslist and got it out of my house. Youguys should try that. I'm WAY obsessed with ebay and that thing. It's so much fun plus i absolutely love to shop. What girl doesn't?! ..... Samantha is on her 6th day of antibiotics. She has a double ear infection and thrush. It's been a rough week of me holding her nonstop with her wining constantly. Besides that she had 2 more teeth break through gums this week. I'm glad the hell is all in one week and not over the course of the next month. Maybe god is doing this so she is sleeping through the night before this new baby comes. It's been rough...my arm had a rash from holding her so much. On top of that i have the most sensitive skin ever. Noone really knows how bad i have it. The water in iowa makes my skin flake and fall off. Most detergents i've been allergic too andmy skin is peeling off of my arms from folding laundry/etc. I was so focused this week on having the bedrooms perfect and organized that i have 4 loads of laundry to fold upstairs (i'm sorry-5 because one is in the dryer) and i'm sitting here blogging. LOL My priorities...i guess....

I pray this week goes better.

Oh, best part of my week besides the bedroom sets. We got the 2008 chrysler town and country totally decked out. The kids have dual dvd players, swivel seats, a table pops out of the floor, navigation, heated, you name it, we have it. For those of you know that me well, i'm pretty frugal. My first car i had for 7 years and yes my sister is still driving that lovely maroon honda civic. Then i bought that used jeep cherokee and have had that for 5 years and now i finally get my new car!! We are so excited, its the best family purchase we made besides our beautifulhome. Oh, we got our wooden blinds up today and it looks amazing..I can't wait to post some pics....

ok, off to play cards....i'll post sooner then later...let you know how sam is doing.....and catch up...hope someone out there gets excited over the little retarded things like i do.

Sunday-date night

2008-03-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

Sunday was our date night before living in california for the past 5 weeks. Joe was there just under 6 months. Thank god that journey is over. I loved california but no place compares to home sweet home. It's 18 degrees here and that bites bad. We celebrated collin's bday today-he is 15. Aidan absolutely loves his older brothers. It was a fun day. A sinus infection feels so much worse with kids. My eyeballs have felt like they've been floating all day and the pressure around my face---and not to mention my nose running--plus sams nose running all day. I think i'm going to go on probiotics. Any mom's out there on these? My sister in law swears by it. I'm so sick of being sick and when my kids are sick too i'm nearly miserable.

We had date night tonight. We saw 10000 bc which was really good. I had no idea what was even playing because i'm so used to a kid movie playing now but it was really good. Go see it if you can.

Kids are starting to finally do better. I just pray they get better before i do. If samantha has any near the pain i do, my heart goes out to her. She is just the most precious little girl on the face of this earth. She has the best smile and personality--even when she is sick she is lovey dovey. I couldn't ask for anything more. She is just so joyful to be around. Aidan has been a complete sweetheart with her excluding the times he finds the need to parent her or discovers his toy in her hands. Other then that, they are great.

I'm exhausted and now have so much stuff to list on ebay it's ridiculous. I need to make room in my house for baby #3.

My life as a Mom

2008-03-07T21:41:00.000-08:00

You know, it's kinda funny. All of my friends have been blogging. I read there daily lives and what they go through and i realize a blog is exactly what i need...even if it's to say it to this silly computer because Joe isn't around or it's to understand your children better. I realize by writing these things down and reading my friends blogs i can learn from what we are all doing as parents. Thanks Megan and Keri. You have totally encouraged me without knowing to do this.

Being a mom is so hard. Sleepless nights are tough. For some reason god blessed me with beautiful kids that do not like to sleep through the night from 0-12 months. Samantha just started sleeping through the night at 12 months and then the molers came. That was pretty brutal and nearly knocked me out cold for a week. I could barely get up in the mornings and barely keep my eyes open at 8pm. Joe had us move to california until his contract ended with his job. It was easy to adjust to pacific time yet coming back has been BRUTAL! My kids are going to bed at 9:45pm and waking up at 10am. Dear lord. The morning is great, by night time i'm beat and all i can think about is how bad my back really hurts from being preggo. I love my kids, they are my joy. Every day i can't believe how lucky i am to have the sweetest little girl in the entire universe and to have such a loveable boy who just loves to be loved. I absolutely love my life and wouldn't trade it for any of you other mommy's. I'm sure you all feel the same.

I'm really enjoying this 13 month old little girl. She exhausted me the first year but she has an amazing personality that you just cannot resist. She really does talk to me and conversate yet i have no idea what she is saying. She keeps smiles on everyone's faces here.

Anyhow, it's about my bedtime 11:45pm and i'm ebayed out. I hope my blog keeps you entertained as you will see my life with 3 under the age of 4. Yes, i think i'm crazy at times but i can't wait to be 30 years old, have 4 kids and be done. God, i cannot wait---i can wait on the age of 30 though. That can take it's time.