Happy Halloween!

The boys on the move with their costumes on. The dragon was carrying around icons of Christ and Mary and kissing them.


Double Spiderman in our house this year....and a little Bumblebee.


Getting everyone to hold still...not so easy:)

We started the day with Mr. P's soccer game. Cam gathered his strength and came with us to the game. Because of his work schedule this quarter he could only make 3 of the games...so he really wanted to be there. After the game we came home for naps/quiet time. Cam and I got to lay in the livingroom and snuggle and read. Wow, it was so nice...and doesn't happen very often. After naps I took Mr. P and Busy Guy to Target to pick out a movie. We usually go to the kids' godparents' house for Halloween but since everyone has been sick it was cancelled. While at Target I got the brilliant idea to bring home Subway for dinner. Yeah! We had a nice yummy dinner and then got the kids in their costumes. I took Mr. P, Busy Guy and Sis to the local mall for trick-or-treating. Cam was too tired and still not feeling so great so he stayed home with the other boys. Since it was pouring down rain the mall was super crowded. We spent about an hour going around the mall getting candy. It was fun to see so many costumes. The bad part was all the candy was the same!!! The kids didn't mind but I do;) I want my annual butterfinger, snickers, almond joy fix! All we have is tootsie roll (that's the kind of lame candy that never tempts me...you know...the one that is the last resort when you need a sugar fix and everything else is gone...even the chocolate chips), dum-dums, gum balls....nothing to make me happy!!! When we got home we put on the movie...Ice Age 3. What a hoot. We really liked it. We snuggled up, ate popcorn, and candy...okay, even I ate some of the less than standard candy. The kids went to be happy. What a fun Halloween.

Oh, NO!

Here's a nice pic of Cam and Tuba when they are well. Nobody wants to see what they look like with this nasty germ! Eeeks...let's just say Cam won't need a Halloween costume. He's going as a Zombie...a crabby one!

The H1N1 flu has hit our house. Cam is very sick with both the flu AND strep throat! Sheeeesh! He has had a high fever and terrible aches since Tues. night. The hospital that he works for has NOT immunized their nurses for H1N1. I'm really mad at them....and do not really understand the reasons behind that decision. Cam was at work treating critically ill patients with H1N1. All other hospitals/doctor offices and even our local fire dept. have been inoculated. If I had two seconds to spare I'd call the CDC and find out why this huge medical center that my hubby works for did not have the vaccine???


Connor is also on antibiotics for strep. The three youngest kids had the vaccine last Sat. and the other two kids are going to get it tomorrow. There was a cutoff of age 4 last week for those allowed to be vaccinated. They won't vaccinate me until sometime in January...I'm not in a risk group. Tell that to the germs in this house:)


I am holding down the fort and hoping and praying to not get sick...or at least to get sick once Cam is well but not on a day when he has to work;) I'm sure God understands why my prayer is so specific. You know how the saying goes....Mom's can't get sick. Well, it's true especially in a house with lots of little ones that want their mama all the time.


Say some prayers for Cam and for the rest of us too.

Sister

Check out the hairdo! Snazzy;)

My sweet little girl is OBSESSED with shoes. I know it's a cliche to say that...but it's true. We don't wear shoes in our house...except that Sis will not follow this rule. She is constantly raiding the shoes rack and putting on shoes. She clops around in all her brothers shoes. She can't manage to walk well in Cam or my shoes. But, she did pee in Cam's sandal this week:) It was bound to happen since she loves to be naked AND wear shoes. Her very favorite shoe is this adorable snow boot. No, we haven't had any snow but Sis doesn't care. She asks for "boots" any time we leave the house. She can get all her shoes on herself...even on the right feet. Spooky. I'm thinking for Christmas this little girl needs some slippers...and maybe some dress-up shoes!

She is growing so fast. She's going to be 2 at the end of the year. Talking, singing, counting...all day long. She counts to 10 and then yells, "ready NOT, here COME!". She is right in the mix with her brothers but also is starting to love playing with her babies. She puts the binky in the baby's mouth and covers it with a blanket. She and Baby George are a hoot. They are so much like twins sometimes. They will hit each other on the head or pull each other's hair and then when the injured one cries they pucker up and kiss. So precious! First thing in the morning when Sis wakes up she calls for me. The second thing she does is YELL her brother's name until he wakes up too and can join her in yelling my name. They are in separate cribs in the same room. Double trouble.

Crazy

This week is conference week which means early release days all week. I've made it through one day and I'm already DONE with it! Here's the schedule:

7:00-Tuba on bus

11:10 pick up Tuba at school

11:25 drop Mr. P off at school

wait in preschool lobby with kids

12:15 drop Busy Guy off at school

drive around and have snack in car

12:55 pick up Mr. P at school. Yes, that was a whole 1.5 hours of school!

go home and have lunch, regroup

2:45 pick up Busy Guy at school

come home, put on pj's, deal with cranky kids who've had to be woken up from their nap...

The good part is I will get to go to Mr. P's conference on Thurs. I can't wait to hear how he is doing;)

The weekend was great. Cam was off both days. Tuba got sick but seems to be better now...just a little lethargic still. Probably since he didn't really eat anything. The kids are counting down the minutes until Halloween!!! And...we have once again found some great property in the country that we LOVE! Now, we have to see if we can swing it, if we can build a house on it, etc. More on that to come.

Back in the Classroom

I got to volunteer today in Mr. P's Kindergarten classroom. So fun!!! I love school and I love to spend time in a classroom. Especially one of my kids' classes. It reminded me how much I love teaching and why I got my degree in education. I haven't taught in a school in a long time but I do still love it. The kids were all adorable and sweet. It's very fun to listen to them chat and work on their projects. I was at a station where the kids made Oreo spiders...Yum! I came home smelling like frosting:) I'll be spending time in his class every other week. Thanks to my awesome MIL who is watching the youngest 3 for me!!!

Baby George

I love this photo...you can see in the edges of it that BG is surrounded by all his siblings. He's happy to be right in the middle of all the fun. He's holding a giant screw that he found in my desk drawer. Sis is to his left...naked except for her snow boots:) I'd like to share that photo but don't want to put any nuddy ones on the net.

I call my youngest two The Babies...but really they are now The Toddlers. Baby George had his 15 month well child visit this morning. He is getting so big...23 lbs. 8 oz. and is 32 " tall. He is still not as tall as his big Sis but he does now outweigh her by almost 2 lbs. BG is talking more and more each day. He is very polite and says "thank you" when you give him food or help him. He now says and signs "more" when he wants food...much better than the high pitched scream he was doing. He has joined the ranks of the other superheroes in this house. He yells out "Batman" at the end of the theme song.

BG puckers up and makes kissy smacks at anyone who is crying...even if the one crying is in time-out for an offense against him. He loves Cam and yells "Dada" when he hears the garage door open. He snuggles up on Cam's chest all the time. BG is still nursing...and getting rather demanding about it. He pulls my shirt and makes a big fuss when I say no. I'm trying to wean him off...just nursing before bedtime but BG has other plans;) He is sleeping through the night now too...Yeah! It took me forever to try some tough love on him. He cried for about 5 minutes a couple of times and that was it. Silly me for waiting so long.

This little boy is a real joy and treasure to our family. He's growing so fast but he's still the baby.

The Good and the Bad

Mr. P made this adorable caterpillar a couple of years ago at pre-school. It gives me such joy to look at. It was during his green faze. He would bring home art project after art project and they would all be green.

Well, I'd say I usually blog about the fun, happy and charming sides of my family life. BUT, this is a very hard year and I'm having a VERY hard week. I debated whether to say anything here in blog land...as it is here for anyone and everyone to read. But, this is me, the good and the bad. I'm an honest person and I wear my heart on my sleeve. I do not have a good poker face at all so why have a poker face here on my blog too?


As you know my hubby Cam is in grad school. He has one year left....one long and hard year! UGH! Right now, this week, today, this minute that sounds like FOREVER. It sounds un-doable, it sounds downright rotten. I feel like throwing in the towel. I feel cranky, overworked and under appreciated. I feel lonely, yet I'm never alone. I feel stressed. I feel tired even though I'm finally getting some sleep at night. I feel tense and I'm snappy. I cried at the gym yesterday for the whole hour I was on the treadmill. I cried when the babies threw all their dinner on the carpet. I've yelled at the kids...more than once. I really miss my hubby. He is working so hard at both school and work. He sees the kids for a couple of nights (2 hours) a week and maybe one day a week. It's not enough for any of us. This quarter consists of 2 full days of clinical, 2 full days of classes, and 2-12 hour work shifts. When you add in studying that doesn't leave much time for anything else. On top of the craziness we have colds and Baby George is teething his eye teeth...yes, the dreaded eye teeth. He is cranky and clinging. I have little bruises all over my body from him biting me. By the end of the day I feel like I've been slowly pecked to death by chickens. My house is a disaster....I know what everyone will say...having a clean house isn't important but it helps me function better. I'm not talking sparkling clean but maintained and organized. Probably should get off here and start cleaning:)


I know this too shall pass and I'm going to put my head down and push forward...and do my best. Little things are helping me get through this. The highlights of the week were; coming home from the gym and finding Cam had cleaned the kitchen and dressed the kids...yeah:), a friend offered to bring Mr. P home from school on Friday so I didn't have to load the kids up and venture out into the pouring rain....yeah:), an email and phone call from a friend and her offer to help us out in any way, plus her encouragement....yeah:), my MIL watched the babies so I could go on a field trip with Busy Guy...yeah:). I feel better today than I did on Thurs. so these little things are helping. Cam and I working together and are giving it an extra effort to be kind to each other and be aware of the other's needs. I will pray more and read the Psalms. I always find comfort and encouragement in the Psalms. Pray for me. I could use the extra prayers.

Pumpkin Patch

We took our 5 little pumpkins to the pumpkin patch yesterday. What a fun time we had!

From left: Mr. P-6, Baby George-15 mos., Sis-21 mos., Busy Guy-3, Tuba-13

We are off to find some pumpkins in the patch. Love those boys in their twin coats! They both picked orange for their coat this school year.

Smiley Tuba enjoying the time together.

Sis found her perfect pumpkin.

Tuba found a good one too.

Busy Guy claims his pumpkin.

Mr. P carries his back to the wheel barrow.

I'm teaching Mr. P to use my camera. He took this great shot of Papa and I.

Sis was cracking me up. She kept trying to put her brother's hood up...such a little mommy. However, it was NOT appreciated by her brother;)

Baby George playing peek-a-boo on the pirate ship.

Tractor driving time.

We even got to ride in a speed boat.

A good time was had by all. And we went home with fresh pressed cider and a huge bag of kettle corn. YUMMY! Pumpkin carving night is tomorrow at the preschool. Cam has requested his pumpkin be turned into pie!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I have had breast cancer on my mind a lot lately. I have two young beautiful cousins fighting the disease. My cousin K is 42 and just underwent a mastectomy. She was diagnosed 2 years ago, had treatment and is now cancer free. K's sister S is 40 and is currently being treated. She is doing well but still has a fight ahead of her. K, her 19 year old daughter, S and their little sister A are all BRCA2 positive. K's daughter and A are being monitored at this point. My sisters and I were lucky that our dad is not a carrier of this genetically passed gene. My dad's brother is a carrier.
I'm praying for a cure for my cousins as well as a complete cure for all women affected by breast cancer. As a reminder to all women...do your checks, get your mammograms, listen to your inner voice and talk with your Doctor when needed.

Says it all..

The shirt says it all! Our kids love their Daddy! They all yell his name...Papa, Dada, Daddy, and run for the door when they hear him come home. Love you miss you!!!

Holy God...

Tuba loves God. He loves church more than ANY place on Earth. He could stay all day...or multiple days:) He loves the choir music and loves to watch the priest. He knows all the priest's next moves and often calls them out ahead of time. He has been singing Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, Have Mercy On Us. We first heard him singing it while he was lying in bed at night. So precious! It makes my heart so happy to hear him sing. Tuba doesn't have a ton of language but he does say enough things that we (his family) know what he is saying. He continues to add words and phrases all the time. He loves to sing! Here he is singing for you. Baby George is in the background talking too...sorry...it's hard to get just a single kid on the video at once;)

It's A Beautiful Day

All is well!

I'm happy to report that Sunday at church went so well! It was a nice normal day with the kids. Of course the babies had to come in and out when they were noisy but we actually spent time in the service worshipping:)

The weather has been beautiful...gorgeous! I love Fall, especially when it looks like this. Sunny and clear with a chill in the air. Love it!

The babies and Busy Guy have been sleeping MUCH better! Last night I slept 10 hours...and never got out of my bed. That is some kind of miracle!!! I woke up once at 3:00 when Baby George was crying but I resisted the urge to get him and he quickly fell back asleep. Heavenly. I have been so sleep deprived (at my own fault of creating terrible sleepers) that I wouldn't drive on the freeway because it made me get sleepy....SCARY!

The school routine is going super. I am beat by Friday...this is the first time I've really "gotten" the whole TGIF thing. We have gone out for pizza the last two weeks. It was nice to eat and come home to a clean kitchen and put everyone to bed:) We can't afford to keep that up but maybe delivery??? It is cheaper since we could make salad at home and I don't think they deliver beer/wine either:)

Cam is busy, busy with school. He has started clinicals this quarter. He has class 2 days, clinicals 2 days and works 2-12 hours shifts. So, we see him at dinner and maybe a bit on one day of the week. We miss him! One more year...that seems long right now but I know it will go by fast...just as the last year did.

My Turn, MY Turn!

Last Sunday after our very hard day at church we headed outdoors to the local school field to try out the new rocket that Papa bought. It was Cam's pick at the toy store last week:) The boys had allowance money to spend and Cam found this great rocket propelled by water and air.
Showing the boys how to fill it up.

Watching it GO! I could never get a shot of it because it was so fast and went so high!

Mr. P's turn to launch it.

Busy Guy checking to see where it would come down.

Mama and Baby George dancing around.

Tuba enjoying the show.

Sis in a brief moment of standing still. She must have run about 2 miles in the grass.

Not only did everyone jockey for a turn launching the rocket but everyone wanted to drink the rocket fuel:)

Nice Look

Sis has a new look! Every day after I get her dressed she runs and gets one of the boys' undies! Nice look...don't ya think?! She's got keys too so I guess she is ready to go:)