Too many thoughts...

...have been running thru my head. When I wake up at 3am every morning to feed Bubba, I think of odd things or thoughts.

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1) Why is Bubba still waking up during the middle of the night to eat? He's 9 months old!

2) Why does Sissy refuse to be potty trained? She's 2.5!

3) What do I really want for Mother's Day (May 10) and then my birthday(May 20)? I was thinking a mother's ring and dinner for Mother's Day, then I really want an iPod clock for my bedroom for my bday.

4) When is Hubby going to get time off?? I kinda miss him...a little bit.

5) Is there anything I can do to help with the clean-up around town...with a 2.5 year and a 9 month old?

6) Even though I am done, finally, with the Twilight Saga books, what happens next???

7) What theme are we going to do Bubba's 1st Birthday party in? Sports, Trucks, Animals, Superman...

8) Where in the world are we going to have the party at? It has to hold about 60 people, our house doesn't, and close to town.

9) What do I need to be doing in the church? I don't feel like I am doing enough.

10) What am I going to do when Hubby has to work overnights???

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I can't believe that I have so much running thru my head at the time of the morning, but I do. EVERY NIGHT! I wish that I could take some Tylenol PM at least one night and get some good restful sleep, but with Bub still waking up in the middle of the night, it wouldn't be so good.

Ehhh....

Have I waken up yet??

I am having a had time getting my life back on track! After this past week with my grandma passing and then burying her and having a tornado rip thru my town in the same day, and then Easter Sunday...I'm a little beat.

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Hubby has worked the past week just about non-stop. He has worked 12 hour days every day since last Tuesday, with the exception of Thursday when we had the funeral. Of course we did go to the store after the tornado hit, and worked for about 6 hours...so he really didn't get a day off.
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Easter was so serene, except for the rain that we endured. The kids and I went to early morning service at church, Hubby had to work-of course. It was a beautiful service. Wonderful song worship and then a beautiful sermon. I heard of the Crucifixion and death of Jesus, like I never had before! It was amazing!!
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After church, we went down to my grandpa's house and celebrated with a big Easter dinner. In between rain showers, the kids hunted eggs. Sissy found so many that we had to transfer hers from her basket into a Wal-Mart sack...twice! We had so much fun, it was nice after the past week...
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I was going to take lots of pics of the kids, being as it was Bubba's first Easter, but some dunce grabbed the camera and forgot to grab the battery to it that was charging....yeah, that was me! Thankfully my aunt and cousin had their cameras and got some of he kiddos, but I haven't seen them yet. The only ones I got of Bubba was when we got home and he was exhausted, and cranky!

(I finally got a little smile out of him)

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I just have to share this picture of Sissy that I took the other night. She was sooo posing!

(Isn't she the cutest?!?!)
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Hopefully the rest of my week will be pretty uneventful. Hubby has to work late again tonight, but then has tomorrow off. The only he has to do is attend the funeral for one of the victims of the tornado. (The gentleman worked for the store). We have missed Hubby so much so it will be nice to get to see him for more than a couple hours either before bed or work!
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Hope everyone else is blessed this week!

Tornado Hits My Town ~ Complete Devastation

April 9, 2009 will forever be engraved into my head and heart.

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Yesterday morning we buried my grandmother. The weather was rainy and nasty looking all day, and was supposed to get worse during the evening hours. After the funeral, burial, and visting with family was over I went home and started watching The Weather Channel. They, along with our local news, were tracking a storm just north of us, and one just south of us. They said that both of them were going to miss my town. Relief!

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Then all of a sudden the sirens started going off for a fourth time that night. I switched the channel to TWC and it was saying that there was a storm with some rotation that was headed directly for us! I freaked out!!!!

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Right then, the power went out. Hubby went outside to see if he could see anything, when it started pouring down rain, wind blowing in every which direction, and hailing dime size hail. We got the kids into a small closet that is in our master bathroom and hunkered down. Hubby is normally one to stand out and watch it, but the fact that he was taking over with us, put me on edge.

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When everything had quit, we walked outside and noticed stars. Yep, clear skies! Ridiculous!!! Not having any contact with people other than in our neighborhood, mobile phones were not working, we didn't know the extint of the damage.

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Our next door neighbor works with Hubby and walked over and asked if he knew about the store. We told him no and that's when he said it got hit. We hopped in the car and drove over to make sure that everyone was okay and see if there was anything we could do to help.

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I went to check on my sister and her family, who seemed to be in the path of destruction, and they were all okay...so relieved! Unfortunately, not everyone was so fortunate. Last count said that there were over 30 injuries and 3 fatalities here. I have included pictures that I was able to take, though I was not able to get to the worst part of it due to police and guard having it blocked off, and some that others including friends have taken.

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Please pray for our little town as it is completely devastating!!

(The roof of a local bank)

(Debris wrapped around a parts store)

(An uprooted tree behind the parts store)

(Local insurance company)

(Tire place)

Tornado Damage

Motherhood...to work or not to work

So off the sad stuff for right now, (I have cried way too much for now) I wanted to write something that came to my mind while watching Oprah today.

It was about "motherhood". One of the topics was the debate between working moms and staying at home moms.

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I have always been a working woman. Never thought about doing it any other way. When our DD was born, I went back to work 2 months later. It was tough trying to find people we trusted enough with our baby, we refused to put her in daycare.

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When unexpectedly we found out we were pregnant, again. Hubby and I kinda thru around ideas about what to do when baby got here. We never really decided until it was time for me to return to work though. We decided that as hard as it was to find people to keep Sissy, it was going to be even harder to find someone to keep both of them.

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People ask me if I am still working or not all the time. When I reply that I stay at home with the kids, it always gets followed by this reply, "Oh that's good....if you 'can' do it, do it."

To which I ALWAYS want to reply, "We make due."

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There are more times than not that I wish I was a working mom. It's hard financially on us. We struggle so much sometimes that we have to choose between paying a bill or buying some food. We have been blessed here lately, that it hasn't been an issue. But I am just waiting for when it gets hard again. Yes I am a pessimist!

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Not only is it hard financially, but stress wise, and emotionally, it's tough. There are days that I wish I had a "paying job" to where I could escape from the havocs of motherhood. Adult conversation, better pay, lunch breaks, better pay, the excitement of coming home to my wonderful family, better pay.

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Now, for the upside of being a SAHM. I love being able to keep my house clean, most days. I love watching my kids grow up, seeing Bubba start crawling and pull up for the first time will forever be embedded in my memories. I missed that with Sissy...I was working. Being able to take naps with them....ahhhh!!!

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Anyways, one woman said it best on the show..."You do what works best for you and your family." Yes it's tough on us sometimes. Yes, sometimes I wish things were different. But I wouldn't change it for anything! I am truly blessed that God has made it possible for me to stay home. It's not "able" to do it, it's "allowed" to do it.

She's gone

Just recieved the phone call...Granny passed away....I won't be around for a while!

A Very Emotional Post

Today my niece was baptized. The kids and I went and planned on staying thru service. Towards the end, Bubba started getting tired and cranky so we high-tailed it out of there. Something was telling me to go to the nursing home to see my grandmother.
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Unfortunately Granny isn't getting any better. In fact she is getting worse. She has been in a nursing home here in town since she's been out of the hospital, which has been about a month or so. Her kidney's have shut down. She is in so much pain that yesterday she asked for family. Most all of us went up there to see her (there were some family members that live out of town and didn't make it in until today).
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When we went today, she was basically telling us everything but Good-bye. One of my aunts asked if she was ready and she said yes and for us to just let her go. All her kids were there and sitting with her, along with my grandpa. I went in to see her and tell her I loved her. She looked at me and said, "Just keep the family going."
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It's so hard because I know that she is ready to go because she's in so much pain. And I know that is just tired of it all. But I also know that she is worried about our family. She is the matriarch of the family and she knows it!!
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I just talked to one of my cousins and she told me that they had put her on a morphine drip because she is in so much pain. The doctors told the kids 24 hours at the most....
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I have already made plans on what to do with the kiddos if when something so that's one thing I don't have to stress about. Trying to corral a 2 1/2 year old and a 9 month old during this time is not a good idea.
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Anyways, thanks for listening to me. If you know me personally, you know that I am an extremely emotional person and that writing about my feelings are so much easier than actually talking about them. So thanks for letting me us this as an outlet!

Can't win for losing pt2 (The Saga continues..)

So if I would have written this post yesterday, it would be a stressed out post! Today, not so much. The last thing I said in my last post was that I was waiting on Bubba to catch the sneezing, coughing, and runny nose from Sissy. Yep, you guessed it...he did.

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Saturday, he was a little sick. He didn't really sleep much Saturday night because of it. He has this thing were when he is sick, he doesn't sleep good in his crib. Yet he sleeps fine with me..imagine that! We only slept about 4 hours that night!!

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So of course, Sunday morning, he wakes up with his sickness full blown. I had to fill in as a nursery worker at church so we went ahead and went to morning service. That afternoon, I started getting sick and Bubba wasn't feeling much better.

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Now him and Sissy for some reason this past week or so has gotten in to the habit of not falling asleep until midnight or after...yes after! It has been very frustrating for me and making me very cranky. I have tried to lay them down around 830-9pm but they would just play or cry, anything to keep themselves awake until..yep, midnight!

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Hubby didn't have to be at work until noon Monday night, so he got tired of listening to me gripe being the wonderful husband he is, tried to help by getting Bubba to sleep for me Sunday night. It didn't work. Finally about midnight, he fell asleep...with me, again.

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I woke up Monday morning...sick!! I have been sneezing and have had a runny, stopped up nose (you know the kind I am talking about) and still have to take care of sick kids! UGH!!

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So okay, the first part of my post was a little "stressed out" I admit. But last night, was soooo much better! Yesterday, I decided that the only way to keep Bubba from staying up until midnight or after, was to keep him up more during the day. He normally takes 3-4 naps during the day, his last one at about 6pm and waking up around 830p. So yesterday, when he woke up at 5pm from his 2nd nap, I kept him up.

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He was so tired, but I knew it was going to be for the best. Plus Hubby, didn't get home from work until after 10pm, so I made sure to have Bubba stay up until then, at least, so that Daddy could see him. At 11p, he crashed, and crashed hard!!

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He fell asleep in HIS.OWN.BED. and slept until 11 the next morning! WHOO-HOO! He only woke up twice to eat, then went right back to sleep. It was so nice to sleep better, not great, but better, in a long time! I hope he does that good again tonight. We will see...

Can't win for losing!!

I mentioned before that on Saturday evening, Sissy started getting sick. Running fever, stomach ache, loss of appetite. This lasted all Saturday night, all day Sunday, and most of Sunday night. Monday morning she woke up fine and normal.

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Tuesday evening, Bubba started acting like he didn't feel good. He woke up in the middle of the night, Monday night, crying with a fever. Poor boy was burning up! I tried to get him to drink a bottle, but he wouldn't have it. I finally laid him in bed with me and he fell asleep.

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Wednesday morning, when he woke up, he was still sick with fever, stomach ache, and loss of appetite. (Yes I can tell when he has a stomach ache) He did not get off my lap ALL.DAY.LONG. I would try and sit him on the floor to just go to the bathroom or grab a drink and he would scream as if I placed him on a bed of needles! Poor boy!! He would only take a short 30 minute nap and he had to be laying on top of me to do it.

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After finally taking an hour long nap, while laying on my chest, he woke up feeling better. He wanted on the floor to play and chase after Sissy. He felt better!! YAH!!

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Wednesday night, Sissy wakes up coughing and crying. I gave her some Tylenol Meltaways and some Benadryl. She finally went back to sleep. Thursday morning, we wake up, and yep...Sissy is full blown sick....AGAIN! This time, it is coughing, sneezing, runny nose. UGH...

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This morning, Friday, Sissy is still sick, but not near as bad. She is not coughing her head of this time. Bubba is better...for now. I'm just waiting on him to get the 2nd round!!!

It's too dang quiet...

Today was awfully quiet around my house for the first time in weeks.

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Hubby started his vacation on Saturday, March 7. As I had stated in a previous post, his Aunt L and cousin C came in the weekend of the 14th. L had to go back to work while C was on Spring Break, so she stayed the week with us. Hubby returned to work on Monday, March 16. Aunt L drove back up on Friday, March 20 and stayed until Sunday afternoon, March 22.

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Today we woke up, and it was quiet...scarily quiet. Sissy started asking where C was. I told her she went home. She looked at me like was talking in a language she has never heard before and calmly said, "No, Mom 'CC' is sleep." I had to take her into the guest room/Hubby's room and show her that C had really gone home.

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Thankfully she said, " 'CC' go home," and went about her business. Which, Praise God, she is feeling better and able to be herself again. She was been running around the house, playing, being a normal 2 1/2 year old!!

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Hubby came home for lunch this past Saturday and asked me if I wanted the movie Twilight. I told him the truth...it didn't matter to me either way. I wanted to see it, but it wasn't something that I cared to buy like some movies. (I had been teasing him and telling him that I wanted to get some "Team Jacob" stuff.) He told me to go ahead and buy the movie, which I did. We watched it during supper that night. Which I have to tell you was A.W.E.S.O.M.E! He grilled steaks, hamburgers, and hot dogs...I love when he grills. He's so stinking good at it!!

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Anyways, back to the movie. I absolutely loved it!! I am so looking forward to seeing the rest of the series. It surprised me at how much I liked it. I was even more surprised that Hubby watched it with us. All of it. I always thought of it as being a young adult/teenage girl flick. It kind of is, but I have to admit, I like those type of movies/shows. (One of my favorite shows is 'One Tree Hill'. )

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So, if you haven't watched Twilight...do it!

My Sick Monkey

My little girl is sick!!

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She started getting a fever last night before bedtime. We knew she was tired, she hadn't had a nap all day yesterday, but she fell asleep on Daddy at about 730 last night while watching Twilight. Which, btw, is an awesome movie!!

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She woke up crying this morning at about 645. I felt her and she was burning up. I took her temperature and in her left ear it was 103+. In her right ear, 101, which was odd, but her head felt like it was 101, and her body felt like 103.

I gave her some Tylenol, then she fell back asleep, and thankfully her fever broke. But when she woke up at 1015am, she was funning a fever of 101+ in both ears.

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We went to Wal-Mart to get some groceries, Pedialyte, Children's Tylenol, and a movie for the sick Monkey! She bought Harry and the Anderson's!! LOL

So we Jacob cooked lunch and we ate while watching the movie.

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Poor little girl, is so sick that she has just been laying on the couch watching the movie. When her fever does break, you can tell though...she starts jumping and playing around like a normal girl. As soon as it starts up again....back to laying around, whining!

Man, I hope she gets to feeling better soon! I feel so sorry for her....and the rest of us!!