Happy Memorial**Nothin happy about it really**

Today is Memorial day and really this day stinks:( It's been THUNDERSTORMING all day and we have been without power ALL DAY LONG!!!


The power has finally come back and the fish are soooo happy to once again have oxygen and I'm so happy to have my freezer once again freezing. The forecast does say that we arn't out of the woods yet, more big ol storms are a coming and that does make me sad:(

But yesterday........................was a beautiful and glorious day. We fancied up and went to a graduation open house and THEN dropped off all 3 kiddos for a night to ourselves!! WOO HOO.... We ended up going to a movie, we were looking smoking hot and had to go out and share our hotness with those around us, not just each other;) and then took the dogs TOGETHER for a walk in the dark(one thing that we both love to do and can't/haven't in forever)!!!!! Then we woke up to this crap!

A few pic's of some of cutest kiddos you've ever seen(I'm sure of it)

Field Day Fun, well just some of it anyway

3

Norah's party day

Saturday dawned bright and sunny, what a change for us for soccer Saturdays:) Her "day" started with a little of this


Then we started her party with a little of this

Look at those faces.....

Then we had some gift opening and she received one of these, she LOVES gazing balls and has always wanted one

we did some of this, everyone got a turn and the last one(the great big 12yr old) broke it:)

and we did some of this

and we finished off the afternoon with some homemade pizza for dinner and a movie:-)

Birth Story

It was Friday the 13th. I was 40weeks and 2days pregnant. Isaac had stayed the the night with the grandparents

4am, I woke up to a Thunderstorm and contractions......stayed in bed for a few of them to see, yup this is it I think................
4:30 went downstairs got in the shower...............................
about 5am sat in her room in the glider rocker
5:30 called my best friend(knew she'd be awake) Think today is the day I tell her:)
back into glider...................................
6-6:30 wake up Chris "Honey, I think you need to go to work now and do what you gotta get done cuz I'm in labor"
He leaves and I go downstairs and watch some tv
7:30 call the Dr.s office and tell them I've been in labor since about 4am, they want me to come in and get checked at 9 if things stay the same. OK
Chris calls shortly after and I tell him what they say.
Chris shows up about 8-8:30. I can tell he's quietly freaking out but trying not to show it......
I get up and start to pack a bag and get ready to go........................
WOW the more I'm walking around the harder they seem to be getting..... starting to take my breath away a little but try not to tell Chris(I can see a little panic in his eyes:))
By the time we leave the house I must stop and bend over with each one..hmmmmm starting to get REAL familiar.........
Get to the Dr.s office and me being me try to keep them from coming so people can't see the amount of pain I'm in........
Nurse I've NEVER seen calls me back and wants to check my weight! SERIOUSLY!! I don't let her and then MY nurse see's me and KNOWS and comes right over, Janet get in the room, how long you been like this she asks me, well just a bit now...... Go figure there is no doctor in as of yet, I was early.
She looks at me, do I need to prep the room for a delivery??? I just look at her.....
Dr shows up and checks............Well Janet off you go to the hospital your at a good 6, I'll let them know your coming..............

Chris is now officially freaking but still quiet and we get on the highway going in THE WRONG DIRECTION away from the hospital.....honey, you gotta turn around, keep in mind that it's POURING rain outside.............

He gets off and back on a few minutes later and lets just say I can no longer keep quiet or in my seat correctly, I'm on my knees on the floor of the front seat PRAYING that she stays put.........He can't handle this, I kept telling god, he just can't, he's freaking out....

We get to the hospital, Chris pulls in the WRONG way. Looks at me "I gotta turn around" he tells me. NOT with me in the car I tell him.......... I wander, in a barely able to see daze, into the hospital and spy a wheelchair and a person in scrubs holding onto it....

I sit and tell her to get me up to floor 9!! She looks at the front desk, can I do that she asks? I tell her YES YOU CAN THEY KNOW I'M COMING!!!!
She tell me in the elevator that this is a first for her she just usually wheels patients out to their car...............

I QUIETLY(hehe) announce my arrival as the doors open and they get me in a room. I immediately take off my cloths and get into bed while the nurse is just looking at me and trying to check me in, I tell her she doesn't have time.................

They check me and say she's past 8 bulging bag o waters....... and then they leave me to go get a Dr.

No Dr. yet but nurse comes back(Chris got off elevator and just followed my yelling he tells me) I look at nurse and tell her she's coming now!

Nurse says no not yet, so I look ever so nicely back at nurse and say "IT FEELS LIKE I'M GOING TO POOP"!(thanks to big sister for telling me that so i could get them on the move) That nurse ran.........................

Dr. walks in and tells me to wait while he gets gown on, I tell Dr. why don't you try and there she is..........................
9:57am Norah (minus the middle) Carpenter 7lb 2oz and I think 20in long, perfect and beautiful in every way..............

THEN I get a call over the speaker,(literally 5min later) the patients mom is here and would like to come in they tell me...........
Um you have the wrong room, No one knows I'm here yet..........
THEN I hear her, you tell my child I'm here (yup, my mother alright) but how in the heck, I called no one but the best friend?????????????????????

Oh she was driving by the hospital and her gut clenched and she just knew!!
F-R-E-A-K-Y

It's official. The week of no naps for the miss is over. While it may work WONDERFULLY for her going to bed and staying in bed RIGHT FROM THE START, it doesn't always work well for her for the later afternoon... That said this is what is going to happen from this point on........I require a 1hr quiet time, I always have and as long as I have a child who does nap(Ari) I will. This goes for every child, always has. So every day after lunch she gets to pick out a few (2) things to take to her room for quiet time and if she CHOOSES to take a cat nap that's fine but otherwise as long as she's quiet and doesn't wake Ari the quiet time is all I ask. Now because napping has become a choice I've been finding her asleep more and more after that hour is up :) I am also waking her after that hour is up because, well, her going to bed properly and the first time is golden for us.......................

barking???

I have often wondered if in the past one of my bigger kids have had the croup. They start with a cough that's different than all you've heard from them before, maybe that's it you say to yourself..........I promise once you've heard it you WILL KNOW that that's what it sounds like. It's just one of those things, unlike anything I've ever heard............
Lets just say this past weekend had me as a mother of 3, freaked out(just a little) I did my best to not show it but none-the-less FREAKED out!! The little man has has this cold and after a few days he started with this cute sick little kid voice and then WHAM Saturday=no voice!! Seriously if he was hurt the only way you would know it was if you were looking at him, the "cry" was silent:(

and then last night(I went ahead and used his sisters inhaler on him both in the morning and evening thinking that if anything it would help break junk up so when he tried to cough it would be productive and the fact that he was having a harder time breathing)but I'm opening the kids doors like I do every night when I'm on my way to bed(gotta check on them) and I hear this sound WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT!! That my friends was croup and the "bark" that accompanies it.. Doctor confirmed it and added a side dose of Stridor to boot. We are going to continue the inhaler because of the breathing trouble and he's starting to get his voice back and is able to cough with a little production to it :)

Stuff

I neglected to share that soccer games Saturday was in fact raining and freezing,(at least for Norah's game) maybe one of these weeks the weather will cooperate!

Have I mentioned how very excited I am for her birthday?!?! No well let me tell ya, Norah has never had a birthday PARTY. In our house we celebrate with a party for 1,5,10 and so on. The years in between we have fancy cakes but don't invite all sorts of friends and family.
ANYWAY the miss has NEVER had one. Her first was canceled due to life changing events in the house and then..................... This year she is 5, I can't believe she's already to 5!!!!!!!
For the past year she has wanted to go to "chuck-e-cheese" :( Well I had this brilliant idea and with the correct enthusiasm I have her convinced that an at home party with a few friends and grandparents would be best.

We are going to decorate canvas bags and then paint some little wooden birdhouses and I purchased some polyurethane to make them h2o proof and then I have some cute goodies to go in the bag. The big surprise for her is going to be a pinata in the backyard:)
I CAN'T WAIT!!!and yet I'd like to wait forever.........................

Today she is going with her friend "Norah" from school (who can't be at the party) to McD's for a happy meal and then to play at the park, she is so excited:)

This week also marks week one of the miss having no naps!! I have a friend(of the internet variety) who has done this with wonderful go to bed at nighttime success. This I am hoping will get her to GO TO BED AND STAY THERE!!! I have promised to give it a week to adjust and we'll re-evaluate after that.....

I'll leave you with some pictures of a chicka who was pretty darn peek-ed but still wanted to play in her soccer game..................