How can 3 kids feel like 10?

Ahhhhhhh! Yesterday after eating lunch I decided to take the girls to the Galleria to Build-a-Bear so they could spend their gift cards they got for Christmas. My hubby had to get some work done so I, little me, took all three kids to the Galleria by myself. Of course the baby screamed a majority of the way there because he was tired. Once we got there I put him in my sling and started feeding him a bottle while the girls followed me through the parking lot and into the mall like two little ducklings. Build-a-Bear was extremely crowded! Trying to keep track of three kiddos in a busy store is no small task! We survived and then headed to an area with couches and chairs so I could finish feeding my little one. In the meantime AKP drags everything out of her box that her new animal is in and then she begins to pilfer through my purse. I cut the feeding short and headed to Panera to get us a drink and snack for the drive back. Holding three drinks, a baby, my purse, two bags with bagels in them, a baby in a sling, and then helping the girls with their two big boxes from Build-a-Bear was almost comical! People were looking at me like I had three eyes! Oh, I forgot to report that while we were in the seating area I notice that AKP has green puss coming out of her eye so I call our pediatrician. Verdict: Take her to Urgent Care. So, here we go. I decide to have us all checked out because we had all been a little under the weather. No small task either! First off, AAP hates going to the doctor so bad that she cries each time. The minute I mention going to the Dr. she starts worrying. Then the baby is crying because he is hungry...yes he wants to eat again. And, AKP starts crying because she is tired and not feeling well. Fun, Fun, Fun. I had to laugh to keep my cool. I was sweating by the time we left the place! Verdict: AKP has an ear infection, I have conjunctivitis in my eye, and we all have a viral infection. However, by the time we left what I thought was going to be a two hour afternoon turned into a five hour ordeal! Whewww...I was pooped!

Time for an Update!

I hope you and your family had a wonderful and memorable Christmas! We had a wonderful time with those close to us! We are so blessed! We started our Christmas celebration by spending Saturday with my mom's brother and sister and their families. It was so good to see all of my cousins and spend time hanging out with them.

We then headed to St. Charles to see my hubby's side of the family. We look forward to Christmas vacation each year because this means we get to spend time with his Uncle and Aunt who come in town from Florida. We usually only get to see them once a year, so we always anxiously await this time of year. We spent the evening catching up and eating pizza.

Christmas Eve we woke up and exchanged presents with my mom-in-law. It was fun and relaxing. We then headed to Bema and Papa's house where we had fresh baked scones. After hanging out for a while our next stop was to my hubby's cousins' home for a gathering with extended family and friends. Santa even stopped by for a very quick visit to give each of the kids a present and then he was headed on to his next stop.

After fellowship with family and friends we headed back to Bem and Pap's house to exchange presents with them and Unc. and Aunt. We also ate some great food! Then, back in the car and headed back home. The kids fell asleep on the way. We even scored a babysitter so that we could attend the 11:00pm service at church. We then curled up in bed to await the early rising of the children. We actually got to sleep past 8:00am. Then we had a morning with us and the kids and we enjoyed watching them delight in their gifts. We then rushed together again, threw some clothes in a bag, left the house a mess, and headed out the door to my parens' home. We had a great breakfast followed by a morning of presents and playing.

One tradition with my family is to search for the pickle ornament that is hidden on the Christmas tree; so we spent time participating in this activity. Whoever finds the ornament receives an extra gift, which every year is cash taped to a HUGE candy cane. This year there was a new twist to the pickle prize. Finding the pickle ornament was only the first part of the game. We then had three other competitions to see who won the final prize.



The points were broked down:
Find the pickle
Win Christmas Trivia
Flip the coin game
Wii bowling
My lil sis found the pickle and she ended up winning the whole thing as well. It was fun that lasted all day! What a great idea! Christmas evening we had a visitor that we hadn't seen in 10 years. In high school we had a foreign exchange student from Russia, Olga, who lived with us for several months. After ten years she came back to see us during her trip to the US. We stayed up late catching up and having fun.

My hubby, lil sis,her boyfriend, and I all played Pudgie Bunny. A game where you stuff marshmallows in your mouth until the point of almost choking. It was hilarious! FYI: I won!

Needless to say we had a great time this Christmas! It has been one of my favorite Christmas' so far! As I get older I cherish the time spent with those I love more than any present I could open! God coninues to bless me in so many ways!

Binkie update: AKP has successfully given up her binkie and moved onto thumbsucking at night time.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE PICS! I HAVEN'T UPLOADED PICS FROM MY CAMERA YET!

One BIG step for Livi

About a month ago AAP had a great idea that AKP could give her binkies to Santa and then he could take them to the boys and girls who need one. So, we have been preparing AK for this since then. She was up for it and never once thought the idea was not a good plan. I planned on having her leave them out on Christmas Eve and then Santa would take them that night. However, yesterday we visited Santa at the mall and I asked if she wanted to give him her binkie. She didn't hesitate...so I quickly took her up on it. She gave the bink to him, he seemed a little confused, and that was that. Wow! I was so proud! When we got to the car she found another one of hers and said, "Look what I found," and then she threw it up in the front seat. So, I thought...man this is going to be easier than I thought. As soon as we got home she wanted the dang thing back. So, not as easy as I thought! She cried and wanted Santa to bring it back. I was able to distract her and she was fine. Last night I had dinner with friends and my hubby took the girls to the MU wrestling match. When I got home the girls were tucked in and in bed. (Brownie points for the hubby; all moms know when you are out you don't come home until the kids are in bed.) However, AK had her binkie with her. JP said that AAP gave it to her to go to bed with. Two steps backwards...
This morning as soon as she got up I had her take it out and she threw it across the room. She hasn't had it since. She has cried and thrown a few fits because she wanted it, but I didn't give in. Just after lunch she said she wanted her binkie. I reminded her that she gave it to Santa.
"Man!" AK said
"Where does he live?" she asked.
I laughed and asked her if she was wanting to go find him so she could get it and she smiled and said yep! It was cute! She has since been sucking her thumb some (AAP does that) so who knows she may pick up a new habit.
The thing that amazes me about her is the fact that the house is still full of binkies because of her baby brother and somehow she deciphers that those aren't for her. I think we could all learn a lesson from her. What strong discipline that takes! Most of us have an addiction/bad habit/obsessiveness over something. And, I bet if we were to try to quit this very thing we wouldn't be able to very easily if we were still surrounded by it. Asking her to not take one of her brother's binkies that is right in front of her face is like sticking me in a shopping mall and telling me I can't buy something. Cruel and unusual punishment. :) For now, I will help her through this transition with compassion because I can only imagine how hard it must be for her!

AAP's Question of the Morning

"Mommy, does brother wear Huggies diapers?" AAP
"Yes he does." MAP
"Oh, good! Because they just said on the commercial that if you want your baby to be comfortable you should put them in Huggies diapers." AAP

I just had to giggle after this conversation. She seemed so relieved that I was putting him in Huggies diapers. How funny it is that the advertisers were able to reach a five year old! I wonder if I would have said no if she would have tried to convince me to switch brands. The advertisers sure know how to work their audience! What a caring big sister she is!

Indulging

So, I have been tagged by Misti to write about my most recent indulgence. Since Friday evening I have continually indulged myself in cookies and candy. We attended a Christmas party at our friends' home and the food was great...and the chocolate fountain was even better! My choice was the Rice Krispie treat drenched in the melted milk chocolate flowing through the fountain. Indescribable is the word that comes to my mind when thinking of the taste! It was amazing. Then on Sunday we made sugar cookies with the kids. They cut out the shapes and decorated them with icing, sprinkles, smiley faces, and did I mention icing? :)

I have continually indulged myself with the cookies since the time they were made! I just can't make myself stop eating them. Then today on the front porch was the most pleasant surprise. Our neighbor had made a plate full of different Christmas cookies and candies for us to enjoy. I immediately scoured the plate to find what I might like the most and I began to indulge again. But then I stopped myself! This nonsense must end! I decided to take the treat to my husband's office for them to enjoy...and to save myself a pound or two. :)

This fall I took Beth Moore's Bible Study, Daniel. It really spoke to how indulgent our society is and how we as a society feel as though we are entitled to so many different things. Often these things only bring us temporary pleasure which then only leads us to want/need to indulge ourselves again. Being tagged with the question what have you "indulged" in has been yet another reminder to me to always be aware of my actions. While eating the cookies isn't bad...it is the staring at the plate as though I am a starved orphan and scarfing down half the plate that is bad. Not necessarily bad for you, but bad for me. Bad because it leaves me wanting even more!

These Boots are NOT Made for Walking

Yesterday was AAP's Christmas program at school so I decided to dress up a little. Nothing special...just some nice jeans, a button up, and my favorite chocolate brown boots. These boots are those tall knee high boots that zip up with a pointy toe and a very high heel. The boots are not practical for any reason other than looking cute. I slightly realized the mistake in wearing these boots when I first arrived at the school and there was no parking to be found. I ended up parking in the neighborhood close by and trucking up the hill and into the school with JDP, AKP, and my big purse filled with: a diaper, wipes, binkie, wallet, calendar, medicine, digital camera, video camera, video camera charger, and an array of other things that a mother carries on her at all times. Needless to say by the time I got to the front door of the school I was out of breath and told AKP that I had just gotten my workout for the day. Note: feet are starting to ache. During the Christmas program I stood to video tape. Note: feet are starting to really ache. After the program was over we headed to her classroom and did some activities. Then the dreaded hike back to the car. This time I had a little bit of help because my hubby and parents were with me. The girls headed to my parents house with them because I had this brilliant idea that I would finish my Christmas shopping that afternoon. JDP and I head to the mall. I unload the limo size stroller I have and head from Target, where we parked, all the way down to Dillards. Note: my feet are aching badly. While walking through Dillards JDP got fussy and needed to eat. I had a great idea. I knew they had these massaging chairs out on display...you get where I am going? I headed straight there and plopped down to feed him. The feet needed the break for sure and a massage made it even better! Have you ever fed a newborn in the middle of a Department store totally relaxed in a massaging chair? That scene is priceless. I laugh just thinking about myself doing that. What a desperate woman does during motherhood! The sad thing was this was probably the best part of the day. I totally relaxed and forgot the rest of the world was there. Next time you need a free massage head to Dillards! :) Okay, so JDP is done eating and back to shopping it is. I head towards the Sears wing now. Note: my feet are now numb. Then I slowly head back to Target with stops at Gap, Eddie Bauer, Bath and Body Works, and a Jewelry store. Note: by this time with every step I take I almost want to throw up because the pain is so bad. But, I must persevere through the pain...I had shopping to do! As I am wandering through Target trying to remember everything I need I almost begin to cry. Note: I truly thought my feet were going to fall off at this point! I finally had ENOUGH! I now didn't care what I had left to do I HAD to get to the car. Now, if you know me too well it takes a lot to keep me from shopping. So, you can imagine the pain I am in. I throw the stuff in my car and as soon as I sit down I have tears in my eyes and take off the boots. I couldn't move my feet. I think they were stuck in the position from the boots. I slowly began to move them and the pain was almost worse. I drove to my parents' house bare foot. When I got there I had to sit the pain was so bad. At one point I stuck them in the refrigerator to cool them off and get some relief. Bottom line...my feet still hurt tonight! They are still tender when I walk on them. Note to self: NEVER wear those boots to the mall again...lesson learned!

A Toddler Christmas

There is nothing better than hearing a Christmas Carol sung by a child! AKP had her Christmas program at Mother's Morning Out today. She has been practicing her songs for a few weeks now. I just love to hear her sing/yell her rendition of the poem Two Little Snowflakes. Her little voice just melts my heart everytime she sings it. So, needless to say I have requested a performance from her more times than I can count. I don't ever want to forget the sound of her voice singing this song. What a blessing a two year old's voice can be. So many times I am quick to just answer her questions to move on to the next item or to keep her quiet. However, the words of this simple song have made me realize just how sweet the words are that come from her mouth. She won't have this same sweet "toddler" voice for much longer. How quickly it does go and many times we rush through the days without stopping to enjoy the sweet sounds of our children! Let this be a reminder to slow down and truly engage and listen to the little ones in your life!

Because I just LOVE how she sings this song I have attached a link to a video of her singing Two Little Snowflakes in our living room this evening. To view the video click on the link to the right!

Because most people can't understand exactly what it is she is saying, I will include the lyrics so you can follow along with her. It is that much sweeter if you know what it is she is saying!

Two little snowflakes caught my eye
Down to the ground
They fall without a sound
Before very long
Its snowing all around

Let me introduce myself!

Let me introduce myself! My name is Mindi and I am 27 years old. I am married to Jeremy and we have three beautiful children, I am not biased at all. Addisyn is 5 going on 15, Alivia is 2, and Jeremy Daniel is almost 4 months. I stay at home with our children. My husband refers to me as the "Household Executive". What an honor it is when you call yourself that. Watch the difference in reaction you get when you are asked what you do for a living. If you say "I am a stay at home mom" you get a totally different response than if you say "I am a Household Executive." It kind of throws people off a bit! I am proud to be both a stay at home mom and a Household Executive!