$450,000,000,000!!!

Things to NOT Eat

This is the conversation I just overheard Alexis (4) telling Aiden (8 1/2 months)

"You can't eat cheese, you would die (she was eating string cheese and he was begging for it). If you ate a blanket you would die too. If you ate a bucket you would die. If you ate the computer you would die. If you ate a shoe you would die. But, if you eat a Lego then it will come out in the toilet and Mommy will find it and throw it away."

Good thing he has an older, much wiser sister to tell him these important facts in life. Hopefully he will just take his sister's word on the Lego thing and not have to find out for himself in the future.

Tonight's Sunset

At the end of a chaotic day, this is what God painted for me. Thank you God.

TURKEY Cupcakes

Today my cooker girl and I made some Turkey Cupcakes. We had lots of fun but still have a dozen more to do but have run out of steam for now. I think they turned out pretty cute. The only thing they are missing is their eyes. I forgot to get the white frosting to give them eyeballs. Oh well, they won't be around long enough to see anything anyways.

Ingredients: German chocolate cupcakes, oreo cookie, candy corn (feathers and beak), and a whopper cut in half for the head.

Can't Believe My Eyes

Yes, that is $1.99 per gallon in CALIFORNIA!!!!! WOW! My husband found that price on his way home from work today. He drives from here in Redlands to Palm Springs every day (about 60 mins.) This gas station was at Casino Morongo right off the freeway. Was nice to fill up for less then $30 then the $60+ it was this past summer. We are averaging about $2.25 at most stations, better then $4.59 we paid at the height of it all, but $1.99 sounds much better to me. Thank you God for cheaper gas, makes driving that much not as painful as before. Of course when he told me he was filling up for only $1.99/gallon, the blogger in me insisted that he take a picture so I could have proof of it. And he indulged my desires, love him dearly!! (he is secretly addicted to blogging vicariously through me.)

WARNING: Rambling Post about Moving

Consider yourself warned, this is a rambling post in an attempt to get these thoughts out of my head.

Moving Day: We are having to move by Jan 1st. There is so much that goes into this and it is a logistical nightmare. First off, we don't even know yet where we are going though we have narrowed it down to two apartments in our area.

APT #1: Positives: closer to kids' school, full size washer and dryer, direct access from attached garage, accepts 1 pet (we actually have two dogs so this is a negative as well). Negatives: more expensive, A LOT smaller but we can manage, will have upstairs neighbors to contend with, right near a major Univ. (yikes the potential noise on home football game nights), pressure to put down a deposit NOW to hold the apartment. I can't stand that kind of pressure when I am not comfortable with the decision yet.

APT #2 Postives: single story apartments so no upstairs noise, affordable monthly rent and security deposit, accepts up to 2 pets (remember we have 2 dogs). Negatives: farther away from the kids' school that I make three trips to daily, don't know about the garage situation if any yet, we need the garage for storage so we don't have to pay a monthly storage fee which defeats the cheaper rent, stacker washer and dryer hook-ups (we would need to sell what we already have at the house and buy a stacker). If my sister is reading this I know she is just saying she wishes she had any washer and dryer in her place so I know this isn't a HUGE deal but still on the list of pros and cons.

About the whole moving thing. Do I even bother decorating for Christmas when I need to be packing up the entire house on my own while Dale works? Seems kinda pointless to drag out the 8-10 Christmas boxes of decor when they need to be packed and moved days later along with the numerous other boxes I need to pack. (plus with a mobile almost 10 month old at that time amongst the mess... UGH!) I want my kids to have as normal a Christmas as possible, but at what cost of my sanity? This is all so hard on all of us and I know the kids feel the stress even though we try to keep as much of it hidden from them as possible. Talking about adult issues amongst adults only (you all know how I feel about that or can read back in my blog and figure it out). To be honest I am not much in the mood to decorate this year. Ask those that are around me, I am kinda in a funk lately. Normally I decorate my house for each season but just haven't been in the mood for the last 6 months. Normally it is all festive looking all around my house (especially the bathrooms), but lately it has been plain walls. I just don't have the desire to do it anymore and actually sold some of my stuff at my last yard sale because I just don't even want the stuff around anymore. Maybe in the future that desire will come back, but for now it is gone. :(

Packing: I have been asking my husband to bring me home boxes for weeks now, who mind you works for a major grocery story so he has lots of access to boxes. Hoping to get a few boxes tonight. I called and reminded but we will see what happens (I reminded the past 5 days and still nothing.) I have this overwhelming desire to pack at least one box to feel like I am making progress. I know we have to live for the next 6 weeks so I can't pack it all, but I also can't wait till the last minute with three kids and two adults to pack by myself because then I would go psycho trying to do it all as the moving van backs in.

Moving Day: I know some of you are saying, "that is 40 some days away. why you stressing it?" Well, I am the type of person (anal? type A?) that has to have everything planned in advance or I go crazy. The kids will be off for Christmas break when we move which is good and bad. Kids underfoot all day long is not good, but not having to run back and forth to pick up the kids from school will allow me consecutive days to just focus on moving and not accidently leaving them at school when I loose track of time. I will for the most part be doing this by myself since Dale works 6 days/week and has an 11 hour day when you include the commute. He is super helpful and I know he will do everything he can but there is a limit to his available time. So, finding cheap volunteers (pizza anyone?) who can help me move on their New Years weekend, that's gonna be fun.

Emotions about moving: I have lived here since shortly after Dale and I got married in 2003. I have raised my kids here and even gave birth to Aiden in my room. There are lots of emotions attached to this house. In the same breath, it will be nice to move and have a fresh start where we can build new memories for the kids. I finally got my kitchen the way I like it with more cabinets and now we are leaving it for someone else. I like my neighborhood for the most part. In the evenings we all go to the small park that is in the middle of our neighborhood and meet up with all the other kids in the neighborhood. The kids have made great friends here and love meeting up with them multiple times a week. We live right behind the school so I have been able to stay VERY involved in the events going on at school since it is so convenient. Will it be out of sight out of mind when I move farther away and can't hear the principal announcing everything over the loud speaker?

There are so many other thoughts but it hurts to even think about them right now so I guess that is all for the rambling for now. We are going to look at Apt #2 again tonight and crunch some of the numbers. I feel pressure to make a decision soon so that we don't miss out on the ones that are availale (availability is a real concern since so many people are loosing their homes to foreclosure and moving into apartments in CA). Any thoughts or opinions are greatly appreciated though not expected. If you made it this far, thanks for reading my rambling post, it is theraputic to write it all out (though I don't feel the effects of this one yet).

Visit with Uncle Glenn

Today we had the opportunity to have lunch with Dale's Uncle Glenn. He lives in Ohio but was in CA for business. This was his first time seeing Aiden in person and of course Aiden found him very intriguing and wanted to entertain the entire table. Our time with Uncle Glenn was great but was WAY too short. I wish we could go and visit more often. The last time we saw him was June of 2007 for Grandpa Howse's 100th birthday party in Indiana. So much has changed since then. We found out on that trip that we were expecting a baby and have since added Aiden to our family. And, shortly after that trip Aunt Peggy got very ill with what was found to be Leukemia and sadly Aunt Peggy is no longer with us. She is missed very much by us and has always held a special place in my heart since the first time I met her. She had always treated my kiddos like they were her own grandchildren and they love and miss her very much. Thank you Uncle Glenn for wonderful conversation at lunch today!!! You are loved very much by this family.
Going in for the slobbery kiss.All the kiddos with Uncle Glenn.

Snuggling with Grandma during lunch.

Trying to get a hold of Grandpa's glasses.

Their cousin, Candace, was able to join us for lunch as well. The kids LOVE playing with Candace and she does such an awesome job with them.

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Onto a totally different topic: Aiden has started pulling himself onto his knees beside the couch and then waving to show me what he has just accomplished. I don't think I am ready for him to be pulling himself up and getting ready to walk. Why do they have to hurry up and grow up so fast?

Turkey Cookies

Ok before you are grossed out that we are making cookies with turkey as an ingredient, we are not. Instead, we are making cookies that are decorated to look like turkeys. We did this last year and the kids had such a fun time. We are going to attempt to do them again this year. And, when I mentioned them to Alexis' preschool teacher, Ms. Regalado, she said that she would love to do those with the kids this Fri. for their Thanskgiving party. The kids love being able to decorate and 'play' with their food. And they are yummy to eat when you are all done. You can buy premade sugar cookies so you don't have to heat up the house with the oven (being that it is suppose to be 90 degrees today where I live in southern CA that is the option I am going for), you can buy premade dough and just cut it into individual cookies from the tube, or you can be Ms. Suzy Homemaker and make the cookies from scratch. The feet and beak are kinda hard for the kids to do but they can certainly put some frosting down for the feathers and eyes and then stick the candy corn and mini M&Ms down. These did not last long around the house last year and were gobbled up as quickly as they were made.

The Things He Does For Legos

Deal: Eat an atomic fireball with no water breaks and no biting it.

Prize: Mars Mission mini Lego set.

Here is the fireball about to find the mouth.His first taste of the heat. Can he do it?WATER PLEASE!!!
And the prize!! Was it worth it? Of course.

Stick or Tub 'Butter'?

When Alexis was first learning to talk she started calling Andrew, Butter, for brother. He didn't really like the term but accepted it because she couldn't say much more at the time. So tonight we were talking about Aiden and I said, "Remember we have to be quiet, Butter is sleeping." To which Andrew replied, "I thought I was Butter." Guess he likes the term after all. I replied with, "You can both be Butter. You can be 'Stick Butter' and Aiden can be 'Tub Butter'." After all, Andrew is my skinny bean pole and Aiden is my solid tubby boy. Guess we better keep Butter a term used for Andrew only.

6 Week Post-Op Appointment

We had our 6 week post-op appointment for Aiden today with Dr. Martin. Of course a 9:00 appointment means being seen around 10:15 and then done by 10:25. He clipped a few stitches that have not dissolved yet in his nose, checked out the stitch on his lip that was trying to spit through and then told us to expect it to look worse in the coming months. Not much we can do but just keep ointment on it as much as possible. Aiden did not care for the appointment at all, crying for most of it while we held him down for Dr. Martin to look inside his mouth. That gave us a chance to get a really good look at his palate and the new tooth (and where was my camera for this awesome view of the palate? at home!! UGH) We go to see him again in 4 weeks and should get the green light to start gentle lip massage then.

After the appointment we headed over for a surprise visit with Dr. Garcia (his orthodontist). We were the ones in for a surprise. When we got in the office, a family with a bilateral baby were there for their weekly appointment, as well as a new family with a unilateral baby who are hoping to start the whole NAM process. It was awesome to see someone at the starting line, a baby in the process, and then Aiden who has made it to the finish line with great success. I was able to answer some questions for the families and even check out all the pictures that Dr. Garcia and Jose took of Aiden through the NAM process. It still amazes me how different he looks from the start of the NAM at about 10 weeks old till now when he is 8 months old and 6 weeks post-op. It is nice to put a face to a name when we think of Dr. Garcia's current patients, that Aiden paved the way for being the first. So, Catalina (bilateral) and Hunter (unilateral) and their entire families will be in our thoughts and prayers as they go through the ups and downs of dealing with the NAM and as Catalina prepares for her first surgery in 2 weeks. (And where was my camera for this moment? at home!!! UGH!!)

First NAM appointment with Dr. Garcia. Notice the lack of hair in the picture and how little he looks. Well, he was never really little, but much smaller then now. 10 weeks old, May 2008.

Now, Nov 11th, 8 months old with LOTS of crazy hair, no more NAM, and 6 weeks post-op from his surgery. The redness on his scar looks like a zit but it is from where the stitch is trying to spit out.

It was a crazy road but worth it all in the long run. Hopefully both Catalina and Hunter's families will feel the same way when it is all said and done. And hopefully the next time we cross paths I will have my darn camera.

My Cooker Girl

Whenever I head into the kitchen Alexis is never far behind. She LOVES to help me cook and calls herself Mom's Cooker Girl. She grabs her grandma's old wooden chair and pulls it up beside the stove. Yesterday we were making some brownies as a surprise for Dale when he got home from work. He works so hard for our family so I try to make something he loves to show him how much we appreciate all he does for us.
Alexis loves to add all the ingredients and has gotten really good at even cracking eggs.
Then she stirs it all up. Anxiously awaiting her favorite part. Licking the whisk!! Not sure if more got in her mouth then on her face.

She is a good cooker girl and is going to help me make crumb cake tonight for tomorrow's breakfast. Now if only she could make Daddy's favorite French Silk Pie, then again I might be out of a job if she learned how to do that.

Guess Who Got Their 1st Tooth?

Ok, so it isn't Dale, Andrew, Alexis, or myself since we have a whole mouth full already, so it must be Aiden. YEAH for Aiden!!! I have been checking his mouth almost daily but really only running my fingers along his bottom gum, afraid to really mess with the top since his palate/gum line repair 5 1/2 weeks ago. Still nothing on the bottom but then I noticed that one of the Haberman nipples had a hole on the side and was squirting me in the face when I was trying to feed him this morning. Even though he won't let me put the nipple in his mouth while he is eating, he loves to chew on the nipples when I am done feeding him. I braved checking the top since I know he does not like his top gum line touched since the surgery and that is when I felt it. At first I thought maybe it was just a stitch or something else, but then with further investigation and hanging him upside which he loved every moment of (::sarcasm::), I found that it truly was a tooth. It is on his right side and I really don't know which tooth it is. It is farther over then what a front tooth should be, but is that because of the cleft or is it another tooth all together? Who knows. Of course the other kiddos had to come over and check it out while I still had him hanging upside down. He was looking at us all like we were crazy. Then Andrew asks, "Who are you going to call first, Mom?" He knows me all too well. Of course Daddy was first on the list, then my blogging friends, and then I am off to call my Mom and sisters. It's the little things in life that bring us joy each day.

Thankful for Household Chores

If you are keeping up with my thankful month posting on the left of my blog I thought I would explain today's thankful thought. Physically being able to do household chores. Doesn't seem like much to be thankful for, who would be thankful they could do chores? But, as I was starting my third load of laundry today I thought about those that have to wash them by hand and hang dry everything. Then, when I started up the dishwasher with the last of the morning dishes I thought about those that have to wash them by hand and even those who didn't have dirty dishes this morning because they didn't get to eat breakfast. Then, when I went outside to take down the Halloween stuff (yes, I know I am behind on that), and put up the Thanksgiving stuff I realized that I am having a good back day. That is not something I take for granted anymore. Having had two back surgeries and many other set backs along the way I go through each day labeling it as either a good or bad back day. Recently the good have out weighed the bad. :) There were YEARS that I couldn't do the simple things in life like vacuum or even sort the laundry without my son handing me the clothes so I didn't have to bend down. Now, I still don't LIKE doing these things but I am VERY thankful that I have the physical ability to do them when they need to be done.

With all of that said, I should get back to my cleaning. The bathrooms are calling my name, as well as a switch of the laundry loads. Now if only the kids could hear that their bedrooms are calling their names.

I Can Name That Tune in ?? Notes

So the past week or two I have been asking myself if my mother-in-law and father-in-law don't like us. For the record I know they like us but sometimes I wonder. Dale played the coronet when he was in junior high so about a year ago grandma and grandpa decided to pass the coronet down to Andrew. It feels like a form of torture when he practices at times. He was/is super excited about being in the school band and really has a passion for practicing. I want to be as supportive as possible but I have no clue what I am doing. I played the piano when I was a kid so I have a basic understanding of reading notes but don't know what I am doing when it comes to a brass instrument. Dale tries to help him as much as possible when he is home but I think we need more then that.

Can you name this tune??

Well, for those that are still trying to guess, that is Jingle Bells. I know it is only the first week in Nov., but I have heard what is suppose to be Jingle Bells at least 50 times already. By the time we get to the Christmas parade I am afraid I am going to loath that tune. We need an intervention by a specialist since this is out of our league but can't afford it.

I am thankful for Andrew's passion for playing the coronet but just wish I knew better how I could help him achieve his goals. I will have to post a better video as he moves forward in learning the song.

Whatcha' Doin' Mom?

Aiden loves to watch what I am doing on the computer and try and help me out. Here he is drooling all over the screen. Lovely.
Today's Thankful post on the left of my blog is for my friends. I don't know what I would do without my friend, Tammy. We were able to meet for a quick breakfast this morning and talk for a short bit. Our times together are never long enough. Of course I made her pose with Aiden and warned her she would be featured on today's blog post. Thank you Tammy for your awesome friendship. I am blessed because you are a part of my life.

Aiden has started doing this smug smile, with his nose kind of scrunched up. Love the shirt we got with our GAP giftcard, "Get In Line Girls." He is a major flirt so this is very fitting.

Now that he has somewhat gotten the hang of eating rice cereal and we have had no allergic reaction, I decided to move on to veggies and try peas yesterday. He would take a bite happily and then as he swallowed it down he would shutter as if he was disgusted with the taste. Must not have been so bad because he immediately came back with a wide mouth, waiting for more to be spooned in. It was the funniest thing so of course I grabbed my camera.

This video cracks me up. Aiden had the hiccups, so what does every compassionate dad do? He hiccups right back at him to make him laugh harder and swallow down more air to keep the hiccups coming. Aiden LOVES his daddy very much, and daddy can really get him laughing sometimes.

Adult Issues Should Stay Adult Issues

Andrew came home from school yesterday and said that they had an election in his class. He is in FOURTH grade. They didn't do any real talking about the issues, including the presidential race and many of the local propositions. According to him, many of the kids voted for Obama because "they like his name," or because "then history would be made with a black guy in office." Does it not matter what he stands for but what only matters is what color his skin is. If he is the right man for the job it shouldn't matter what skin color he wears each day. And, as far as the propositions go, do you really think 9 and 10 year olds need to be discussing gay marriage? I was SOOO frustrated and feel that kids need to be kids and not worry about adult issues. Thankfully his teacher didn't have them vote on Prop. 4 (abortion rights) but I still felt like she crossed the line with Prop. 8.
So, last night we had a PTO meeting and the principal was there. Before the meeting I talked to her about this 'election' and expressed my concerns. She suggested I talk directly to his teacher, which I knew was what needed to be done, but I don't like to be confrontational. When I saw his teacher this morning I knew that was my opportunity. I expressed my concerns and even suggested an alternative to the 'election.' Why not have the kids write and vote on their own classroom propostions? Should they spend $5,000 on a better playground or an update on the library? Things relevant to them and not issues that should remain adult issues. She said the only reason she did it last minute was because SOOO many kids were talking about the election and would not stop discussing the issues. I understand their interest but I also think it is not her place to get into it with my 9 year old. He was so confused on Prop 8 by the time he got home that he didn't know if a yes meant no to gay marriage or did yes mean yes to gay marriage.
I hope that she got the point and didn't take it personal but yet understood that kids just need to be kids, worried about the lunch time soccer game and not about who gained control in the Senate or if the forclosure rate is going to improve in the next month. UGH UGH UGH!!!!

I Cried Today

I am not talking about when I got my eyebrows waxed today (though I did tear up); I am not talking about the fact that I cracked a tooth last night (OUCH! my checking account can't afford this); I am talking about the fact that my 'little guy' is growing up WAY too fast.

Can you spot the difference in the next two pictures?

Well, Aiden has started to pull himself up in his crib so Daddy had to drop the bed down to the bottom setting so he won't topple out of it. This simple act made me realize just how quickly he is growing up. He is no longer my little baby. :(Hi Mom. Look what I can do!!

He loves to climb up on Daddy and watch what is going on around him.

Peaceful moment on a rare Sat. off for Dale. All the kiddos climbed in his lap and just chilled. Alexis and Aiden were even holding hands. Where was Mommy? Behind the camera and blogging at the same time. :)

Here is Aiden's most recent close-up. Is it just my imagination or is his scar starting to pull up and pink up more, exactly what the plastic surgeon said would happen soon? Didn't know that meant the next day.

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On a total side note: Pray the zit gods don't visit me in the next 24 hours. We are going for our family pictures tomorrow evening and my complexion is suprisingly clear right now. Also, praying for big smiles and cooperative kiddos. You never know what you are going to get with three kids in the picture.

I Am Thankful for....

This month I have joined a challenge to state one thing I am thankful for each day of this month. There are so many things to be thankful for and I think it is great to remind ourselves of the wonderful things we have in our life. Check out my sidebar each day as I update it with the most recent thankful thought. To join me in this thankful month just click on the picture and follow the link.

#1 My husband who I love unconditionally and forever.
#2 My 'A Team': Andrew, Alexis, and Aiden.

Halloween Part 2

Once Dale got home from work we got the kiddos redressed and ready to go out for the night.

Alexis, Aiden, and Andrew on the front porch.

We headed to State St. to visit all the businesses there and stand in line with the HUNDREDS of other kiddos. We missed the costume contest. :(

Aiden was one very sleepy pony.

After State St. we ran by Starbucks to see their cousin Candace, who was dressed as Thing 2.After Starbucks we went to our church to play a few carnival games. My mom (AKA "Super Nana") was there and got a chance to see the kiddos.

Alexis got a bloody nose. Just kidding. She was eating a hotdog and got carried away with the ketchup.Once we got home and had a quick bathroom break, Dale Andrew, and Alexis headed out into the neighborhood. Alexis had SO much fun RUNNING from one house to the next.

Aiden and I stayed at the house and passed out candy. His buddy from down the street, Cameron (AKA "bald little groom"), came by to see him and play with his toys. They are three weeks apart in age.

Of course I couldn't resist the picture of the bride and groom.

Even after all the hoopla and missing naps, Aiden was still smiley at the end of the day. Gotta love the chub cheeks.

We passed out two LARGE bowls of candy to all the kids in the neighborhood, and ended up with two LARGE bowls of candy once the kids got home from trick-or-treating. UGH!!!