The Brewster Bunch!

2010-05-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

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Mom of the Year?

2010-04-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get that feeling, "Hey, I'm not a mom of the year?"? I have had this feeling all week. As I look at my sons, one running around in his diaper with some questionable dirt on his face and the other one prancing around in a tshirt and boxer briefs, I think, "Do all moms dress their kids first thing in the morning?". I wonder if my ways of raising my four young-uns is very different. I guess my kids are average/normal and our family is your typical American family. I have many flaws as a mom though. Yes, it's hard to believe with all my mad domestic skills that I struggle with mommyhood. Sad, but true!! I really thought it would be easy to raise kids, I mean how hard could it really be? These little people need EVERYTHING!!! My days are non-stop. Running here, going there, honestly it's exhausting. I loose my temper so easily that I think, "Gosh, I would hate that person who yelled at me on a daily basis.". I sometimes tune my kids out, I know they are talking to me but I pretend that I hear nothing. I don't always pay attention and miss mess-ups that could have easily been avoided. Like when you see your youngest eating something and you know that breakfast was 2 hours ago and lunch has not been made yet. You ask, "What are you eating?". He replies, "Eggs, from the trash.". Pure delight in his voice because he has successfully made his own lunch. These are my flaws!! I feel like sometimes this is all anyone can see of me. Like a wear a sign listing them all. But then, there are the ones who truly matter, my children. They look at me and see love, they look past all my mess-ups and love me unconditionally. In their eyes I am Mom of the Year. Isn't that all that matters? Yes, it is.

7 years

2010-04-08T08:03:00.000-07:00

7 years can seem like such a long time to some, but to me, it's been so short. I can't believe, first off, that I am old enough to have 4 kids; and second, that my second is 7!! Zaynah Elizabeth, born April 8th 2003 at 4:36 am. Her labor and delivery were very quick!! She was here the day before she was due and the only one of my kids that I had no doctor assistance in going into labor. She is quite a unique kid! Very particular and very sensitive. She still loves baby dolls and playing dress-up. I love Zaynah's spirit, she is very energetic and full of life!! Zaynah has very different features than the rest of us. She stands out in our family. She has the darker skin, her hair is black, and she is the only one in our family with brown eyes. From the moment she was born, the nurses were all telling me just how naturally beautiful she was. A perfect, beautiful baby. Zaynah is Arabic for "beautiful", so that fits her.

So today is her day!! Her birthday is actually being split into 2 days. Today being her actual birthday, she is celebrating at school. She woke up to a new outfit and hair clips from mommy and daddy. For lunch daddy is taking Sonic to her school for her and Aliya, and he will eat lunch with them. At 1:30 her brothers and I are taking cupcakes to her class. After school she thinks we are going to the park, but my mom and dad are picking her up and taking only her to Build a Bear. They will stay for Zaynah's dinner and cake! Saturday is also her day. Nate and I are taking her to The American Girl store, she is picking out a doll, then we are meeting up with my family for lunch. She has an exciting couple of days!

I am so proud of the little girl she has become. It makes me teary to think that just 7 years ago I was holding her in my arms and now she is finishing up her 1st grade year. Where in the world did the time go?

Happy 7th Birthday Zaynah!!!!

Oh the things that shock me!!

2010-02-15T14:11:00.000-08:00

My little boy Joshua is always doing or saying something to make my mouth drop. Today was no exception. I had just laid Wyatt down for a nap and decided that I would check my facebook. I hear Josh talking to me so I looked over to see him standing in the kitchen, hands on his hips, and Spongebob underwear around his ankles. He says, "Mom, (sighs) I just pooped on the floor." My jaw dropped, I asked in surprise, "What? What did you just say?" He says, "I'm really sorry to tell you this, but I just pooped on the bathroom floor." He is very monotone, no shock or surprise in his voice at what he just did, he's very calm. He then says, "Come with me; I'll show you." I stand up, still kind of like, surely he just pooped a little bit and it's no big deal. Josh is hopping down the hall with spongebob still around his ankles. I didn't even think to tell him to pull his pants up, I was just kind if preparing myself for what I was about to see. I walked in the bathroom and just couldn't believe my eyes. My son, who has been potty trained for two whole years now, fully went to the bathroom on the floor!!! He stood there beside me and says, "Mom, I'm really sorry about this." I just told him to go in the living room, I had to figure out how I was going to do this without throwing up. He says, "Mom, I really need to wipe myself." I motioned to the toilet paper and he proceeds to take about half the roll. That was the least of my problems. I grabbed a towel and covered my face and cleaned it up. Josh and his kind self pointed out all the spots I missed. I couldn't figure out why he would have done that. I mean, what made him think that was a good idea? After about 30 minutes I asked him, "Why in the world did you do that?" He says, "I guess I got too busy playing and I couldn't hold it any longer." Totally not cool!!!

So Excited, I Can Hardly Contain Myself!!!

2010-02-06T08:52:00.000-08:00

I am about to do something that I have never done before in my life. I am, in one month, going to take a road trip with just Wyatt and myself. While Nate and the 3 older kids go to Florida over Spring Break, Wyatt and I will be driving to Alabama to see Steve, Jackie, and the kiddos. This trip is being so well planned that even I can't screw it up. It's a nine hour drive, so I will be breaking it up into a two day trip. If it were up to me, I would drive all the way through, but I have a 2 year old to think about so we will be stopping half way and staying in a hotel. This is super exciting too!!! I feel so grown up! Nate and I have planned each day, hour by hour, and since we have made this trip several times before, I know all the good "safe" places to stop. Plus, since Wyatt "still" wears a diaper and I can hold my bladder for an infinite amount of time, pee pee breaks will be very minimal. Everyday my excitement grows and grows!!! Not only do I get to spend time with my sister in law and brother in law, who I miss dearly, but I get to see my precious Brewster babies!!! So, I am so thrilled. It's gonna be long, but it's gonna be so worth it!!!

No Power = Long Night

2010-01-29T06:45:00.000-08:00

The evening yesterday had a lot of surprises for us. It had been raining all day and gradually the temperature was dropping. I work part time, in the evenings, at Bath and Boy Works, so I was scheduled to go in at 5:30. Nate and I usually say hi to eachother in passing when he gets home from work, but it is only a couple of times a week. So, anyway, I get to work with a light drizzle out, nothing spectacular. The store is DEAD!! Like a ghost town, I figured it would be an easy evening. I had to do some stocking so I went in the back room to grab boxes. The back room is kind of creepy even without a power outage, but as I am back there the lights start to flicker. Then, the lights go out. One emergency light is all there was to illuminate the back room. I froze. I'm not gonna lie, I was a little nervous. Amy, the girl I was working with, came back and then we went to the front. The whole shopping center was out. All of the restaurants were out; it was pitch black outside. A little scary. I get a call from Nate, and of course, our power at home was out too. Like I said earlier, the temp was dropping, so no electricity means no heat. I was fine at work, but my worries were at home. After about an hour at work our power came back on, but none at home. When my shift was done and we closed up I headed to get firewood. Got home and all the kids were asleep in the living room bundled up. Looked like a shelter in this house. Nate got a fire going and I got ready for bed...in the dark. The girls woke up and we just tried to make the best out of the situation. Talking and laughing, my girls can not laugh quietly so that was short lived. At about 11 everyone settled in and fell asleep...all except me. My family was snoring in harmony and I can't sleep with all that business going on. So I grabbed my pillows, put 5 blankets on my bed, and snuggled right in the center. At about 3 am all the lights in the house came on. I rolled out of bed, half asleep, and turned out all the lights. Don't know the reason for the power outage, but it made for a very long and cold evening.

Creating A Routine- That Even I Can Stick To

2010-01-28T06:37:00.000-08:00

Being a mom is not an easy task. Being a stay at home mom is a little harder. All the things that come with this: taking care of kids, cleaning, laundry, cooking, making time for your family, and still keeping yourself together. Making mommyhood look like a breeze is the task. Finding time for yourself is sometimes impossible. You can easily loose yourself in your everyday activities and then it snowballs; you may think, "Look at me, what happend?" or "I know I've carried babies, but did my body stretch this much?" I look at my husband and he has pretty much remained the same throughout our marriage, however, I can not say the same for myself. Many times I have tried to create a good routine for loosing weight. Sadly, I never stick to it. I make excuses and just fall into being lazy. My problem is, I am not a fitness guru. I have no idea what to do in a gym. What areas to target? How many calories I need to burn in a day? So now, I think I have found it!! I knew that I needed to change gyms and find a place where I wasn't embarrassed and most importantly, I needed a buddy!! Someone to be accountable to. Well, the Lord has sent me 2 workout buddies!! So I never have an excuse not to go. If one girl can't go then the other can. So it works out!! Also, I have been taking as many classes that I possibly can. I may look ridiculous, but gosh darnit I have to start somewhere, right? For the past three weeks I have maintained a routine of going to the gym 3 to 4 times a week. Last night was a huge milestone, I spent 2 hours there and did 2 different classes. Chi Ball, freakin' made me sweat like a grown man! Then, Yoga; good for stretching and balance. I totally needed that after the chi ball class. So I am proud of myself!! I feel good that I have set an attainable goal for myself. I feel like Carrie again and not just a mom and wife. It really feels amazing!!

Coming Back To The Blogging World!!

2010-01-27T07:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have decided that I am going to start blogging again. Why? Well, I was bored the other day so I thought that I would start re-reading all my past blogs. I was laughing so hard that tears streamed down my face. Some I couldn't even finish until the laughter stopped. So why would I want to deprive all you people from the joy of laughing too at my crazy family. I never have words of wisdom or something strong and profound to say. Usually the things I come up with are sometimes crude or even a little TMI. My kids, however, are what make my blogs funny. Aliya, my 8 year old, is a total and complete drama queen. Everything she does has to be done with passion. That girl can turn on the waterworks faster than you would believe, and then turn them off even faster. Zaynah, my 6 year old, is helpless. She has to be told, in detail, to do things. For example, "Zaynah, go into the bathroom, take your toothbrush and toothpaste out of the drawer, unscrew the toothpaste cap, squeeze a little toothpaste on your toothbrush, put the toothbrush in your mouth and move back, forth, and in a circle, take your toothbrush out, spit, clean the sink, put the cap back on the toothpaste, and then put it all away". No lie!!! Then you hear her crying because she can't remember everything you said. Joshua is 4, he too can be dramatic, but in a very different way. Joshua is, by far, the most entertaining of the 4. I mean you could really be moved by Aliya's performances, but Josh has developed his skills into an art form. He was playing a game on the computer and Nate told him that he couldn't move a certain move and Josh replies, "Just believe dad, just believe!". He picks up everything he hears and uses it in everyday conversation. Wyatt, my 2 year old and the baby, this kid is going through the terrible twos and it really is testing my patience. He is a mess and a half. We are attempting to potty train. He has been taking off his diapers today saying, "No more diapers", but then pee's in his underwear. He fully understands the concept, but is just being lazy. He plays the baby role very well with no signs of growing out of that. So most of the time you will hear about these four. There is always a story to tell. If anything, you will at least get a good laugh!!!

Why Joshua, why??

2009-10-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

Joshua, my four year old, can really test my patience sometimes. He is ALL boy. Into everything and making mess along the way. He is very clever though. So clever that sometimes it is hard for me to believe he is only four. The things that he does and the things that he says, really surprises me. I haven't blogged about his antics in awhile, so I thought today would be a good day.

Story #1:

We were waiting in the car to get Aliya and Zaynah from school, when low and behold, Josh has to pee. No surprise there, as he needs to pee anywhere and everywhere we go. I usually make him go before we leave the house, but at this particular time we were running late. I tell him we are no where near a bathroom, so he's just gonna have to hold it and wait until we get home. Seriously guys 15 minutes tops!! Anyway, he continues to whine at how bad he has to go and how he can't hold it, how, in his words, "I'm going to burst!!!"(Josh is an over-actor). I'm not a bad mother, I know this child all too well; he was not going to burst, he just wanted to find the nearest bathroom so he could inspect every inch of it. I listened to his ranting for about 5 min when I heard something new. It started out as a drip, drip; moved on to a tinkle, tinkle; and then to a full down pour. I flew out of the drivers seat, turned around just as Josh was coming from behind the middle row of seats. Pants around his ankles and a play dough cup full of pee. "See mom, I told you I had to pee!!!"

Story #2:

I was lying on the couch watching a movie while Wyatt had his afternoon nap. Josh was playing on the computer and then moved over to me, I guess to annoy me. Jumping on me, climbing on me, whatever he could do to distract me from my movie and move my attention to him. He then gets this look on his face like he is thinking about something, then with all seriousness looks to me and says, "Mom, I wish I were a girl". What in the world!!!! Okay, I had to respond to this without the shock in my voice as I was feeling in my gut. "Josh, why do you want to be a girl? You're such an awesome boy!! Daddy's a boy, Papa's a boy, Jeddo's a boy. Boys play baseball and football." I was trying to think of everything to say to him, but he had such a serious face on him. "You don't want to be a girl, girls are boring! What can girls do that would make you want to be one?" He looked me dead on and said, "Girls can drink coffee".

He makes me laugh!!!

32 years...what a journey!!

2009-09-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

So I thought that I would take back up to blogging. It seems, I have fans who would like to read my stories. So to start off again, I would like to tell you about the last, oh, 32 years or so :)

I was born in Irving Texas on September 23, 1977 at 10:20 am. I am the oldest of 4, 2 brothers and 1 sister. I grew up in Grand Prairie, Lancaster, Red Oak, Arlington, and 2 years in Damascus Syria. I graduated high school in 1996 and started college in 1997. I attended Southwestern Christian University in Oklahoma City. I have had various jobs in my teenage years. I worked for 2 years at Six Flags over Texas, I was a secretary for a computer repair store, worked at The Black-Eyed Pea and Applebees. I had pretty typical dating experiences, nothing too shocking. I had great dates and I had bad dates. The one date that was truly memorable was April 9, 1998 to a Nate Brewster. This started our 2 year dating relationship and our 10 year marital relationship. I was engaged in September of 1998. I graduated college with an Associates in May of 1999. December 18, 1999 I married my best friend and lived in Oklahoma City. I worked as a bank teller for First Fidelity Bank. We welcomed our first of four children, Aliya Madison, on September 7, 2001. Our second child, Zaynah Elizabeth, came 19 months later on April 8, 2003. We moved from Oklahoma to Florida. Lived there for a year and then moved to Texas. 11 months later, Joshua Palmer was born on August 29, 2005. Bought our first home in Keller Texas in March of 2006. After living in our house for a year, I discovered that I was carrying our final child, Wyatt Zachary, born on September 27, 2007. I have seen so much already in my 32 years of life. I have seen life, death, friends come and go, history and so much more. I have some regrets, but nothing that I would change. I have lived a great life up to this point and look forward to another 32 years.

Wyatt and his talent

2009-07-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

I've got the fever!

2009-01-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

The baby fever that is. Man, I wish I didn't. There is not one thing that I can do about it this time. I don't think that it is really the desire to have another baby, but maybe just to hold another baby. My little guy is getting so big now. I held my arms out for him tonight and he shook his head no. Ouch!! Like a knife right to my heart. I thought that after my tubal and the growing of my "stash" that the baby desire would cease. Not so much!! If I can hold out until March, I will have 2 babies to hold. Man, the desire is really strong tonight. As if I could pop a kid out now, then it would all be better. I mean really, I don't need another baby. I guess I just miss that newborn stage and the fact that my one year old turned his back on me, packed his bags, and moved out...pretty much. That's what shaking his head no really meant. Well, I guess there is nothing else to say. I need to take something for this "fever", like a shot of vodka, and got to bed. I don't have any vodka though, so we will just go to bed; me, my tubal ligation, and my moustache. Night!!

Good-bye 2008, Hello 2009!!

2009-01-18T20:35:00.001-08:00

It's been awhile since I've blogged. I guess being a mommy has kept me pretty busy. My gosh, so much has gone on over the past few months. Christmas, New Years, December, January. A lot!! Well, I guess I can fill in the months happenings. December was fun!! The kids were only in school for 2 weeks and then it was Christmas break. It really seemed that the holidays came so quick this time. When you are little it seems that Christmas could not get here fast enough, but once you acquire bills then each Christmas is here in a matter of days. The kids had a blast!! This Christmas was the best by far. I love seeing my kids' faces when they see what they asked Santa for right under the tree. It's glorious. Forgive our excuse for a tree, but when you have a 1 year old and dog then ornaments can only be put half way up the tree. Anyway, Santa brought the girls a Wii, Josh a Thomas the Train bike, and Wyatt a little boy tee ball thing (it makes noise, that's all he cared about). I thought Aliya was going to come out of her skin when she saw the Wii. She was so worried that Santa would forget. Seeing all four of my kids enjoy Christmas, was a perfect ending to 2008.

New Year's was a good time!! We had dinner at my parents house with all the family, including some college friends. My girls spent the night with my Granny, so all Nate and I had were the boys. We all stayed up to bring in the New Year and I made a toast, well actually a declaration. It went, "In the words of the prostitute on Forrest Gump, 'It's a New Year, we can start all over.'". My mom was not too thrilled with my "toast". We all crashed after that. 2009 will be a good year. This is actually a year that I should have another baby. I have had a child in every odd year since 2001. So in honor of this odd year, instead of getting round and pregnant, I am going to get thin and not pregnant. So by the end of this year I will hit a milestone by not "birthing no babies". This year Zaynah turns 6, Josh turns 4 (watch out world!!), Aliya turns 8 (very hard for me to type that), and my little baby boy Wyatt turns 2. This is the year that I have been married to my love for 10 years. This is the year that I hold my twin nieces for the first time. This is the year that I go on a family vacation with my whole family (the Sacys). This is the year that I loose 20 pounds (again). This is the year that Aliya and Zaynah will be in all day school. This is the year that I turn 32 and not look back. This is OUR year!!!

What a great ending to 2008 and a beautiful beginning to 2009. It's gonna be a good one!!!

My newest adventure

2008-11-25T08:53:00.000-08:00

It was bound to happen sooner or later, but it is time that I share with everyone my newest adventure. I have been looking for something that I could do that would provide 2 things for me. 1. something for me, something that I can do that separates me from my mommy duties and 2. something that would provide an income, cause Lord knows we need it!! I have been introduced to Arbonne International Health and Wellness. A woman who's son went to kindergarten with Aliya hit me up last year after the birth of Wyatt. Of course I was like heck no, I just had a baby!! She left me alone until just recently, we talked at a book fair at the school and then she called me. I agreed to meet with her while she told me the "Arbonne Story". Needless to say, I was curious and really interested. A way I could earn money plus be a stay at home mom. I agreed to meet again for the followup consultation. At that point I decided that this is what I had been looking for. It's been about a month and I am really loving it!! The products are amazing!! They have something for everyone, from Grandparents to babies. I want to share these products with everyone. They have great ideas for Christmas presents!! I would love to put in orders for anyone who wishes to. You can contact me at ncbrewster@yahoo.com if you would like some info on the products. Trust me, these products are changing my life!!!

The day finally came!!!

2008-11-24T14:24:00.000-08:00

I went to see the movie Twilight at midnight on the 20th. It was so worth it. I have to say though, that the book was better, but I still enjoyed the movie. The characters were played perfectly, it made it seem that much more exciting. They left out one of my favorite parts in the book which disappointed me a bit, but I would totally see it again. I really do wish the movie was longer, I think that they could have put more time into certain parts and really focused on other parts. You can see I'm trying not to give away anything, I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has not seen it. I am going to re-read the book, just because I loved it so much. This time maybe I won't neglect my other responsibilities, since I already know what happens :) I heard yesterday that they are going ahead with the making of the next movie, saying I am thrilled is an understatement. I am so curious at how they are going to do certain things with certain people. I guess I'll have to re-read New Moon again too, oh well. So, thanks to Jenny for being as crazy as I am and going at midnight with me. Thanks to Courtney and her pals for asking us to sit with them. It is so much more fun to go with a big group and talk about something as fun as Twilight!! Can't wait for New Moon!!!

It's about that time...

2008-11-15T21:10:00.000-08:00

My children are growing so rapidly that I thought that I would give a few updates on each one. Everyday is full of its ups and downs. I am entitled to, at least, one emotional break-down. The good always out weighs the bad!! My kids are my greatest joy. There are days, though, that if you peeked in my window you would not think of me as a top notch mom. Still, my kids love me in spite of all that. I am so proud of Aliya, Zaynah, Josh, and Wyatt. They have shown me that life can be fun and that it's okay to just sit back and watch SpongeBob. Here's what's up with my munchkins.

Aliya ~ Can not keep the child in clothes!!! Her growth spurts have growth spurts. She is getting so tall and she is really coming into her own. She definitely has older child syndrom. She is very bossy and nosey. Thinks that she has to be in every adult conversation that I have. She is too smart for her own good. Her school is getting ready to test her for the Gifted and Talented classes. She is the only kid in her 1st grade class that reads to the entire class. Her teacher is afraid that she gets bored. That's what the GT classes are for, just to up her game a bit. Her reading has completely exceeded my expectations. She always has a book in her hand, whether she is reading it herself or reading to her brothers and sister. She is such a big help to me. She is quite the young lady. Aliya is in Brownies now and loving every minute of it. I was looking at her just the other day and I could not believe that just a short seven years ago she was so tiny and helpless. Now, sometimes, I don't even think that she needs me anymore. Then she will surprise me and work her way into my arms and whisper, I love you!! I get very emotional with Aliya the most. She is my first and there is a bond between us. I love all my kids, but I find myself wishing that I could have her as a newborn just one more day. She is the only one that I can't remember much about her infancy stage. Aliya makes me so proud to be a mommy, she fills my heart with such awe and wonder. I amazed by her!!

Zaynah ~ Not so much OCD anymore. Still a little whiny, but is working it out. She is loving kindergarten!! She has completely come out of her shell and is Miss Personality now. She still fights for her place here at home, or should I say kicks, pushes, throws down the hall. Whatever she has to do to survive. She is still very sensetive, but I think that's just in her make. She wants to be reminded daily that she is MY baby girl. Zaynah will do things out of the blue, like make her bed, clean the bathroom, without being asked. She is really trying to come out of her baby stage, she even lost her first tooth. She is starting to read and really doing well. Zaynah will always need me, she is a homebody. She is the most precious little girl. We get told regularly how genuinly beautiful Zaynah is. Zaynah captured my heart from the moment she was born, I was so taken by her beauty. She will always hold a special place in my heart.

Joshua ~ I don't know where to begin. Josh is pretty much still the same. Very mischevious and getting into everything. He surprises me everyday with what he can make into messes. I believe it is an art form that he has pefected. Josh has a very tender side that makes you forget what mischief he has caused a few seconds earlier. It is HIS antics that makes our family laugh an uncontrolable laugh. He says the funniest things, but from him it's real. He is not just saying it for attention, he really means it. When he misbehaves he is that kid that is truly sorry for his actions, not because he wants off the hook, but because he has true remorse. He is a cuddler and he loves his mommy :) He is exactly what I prayed for almost 4 years ago, he IS my answer to a prayer. I am so lucky to have Josh in my life. His love is so pure and unconditional, he is such a blessing. He is the love of my life!!

Wyatt ~ my angel baby boy!!! He is my unexpected blessing. God truly knew that I needed him. He feels me with joy every moment of everyday. Ask anyone that knows him and they will tell you that Wyatt is the most calm, laid back, go with the flow baby. His smile is contagious. He is starting to say a couple of words now. About a few months ago he muttered words that sounded like "karate" and "Jesus", but we have not heard those since. He says the usual: mama, dada, hi, hi(bye), baba, and bite. Today he said "ta too" which we all know was thank you. Wyatt can cut a rug, he shakes his groove thing daily. He has started his dare-devil stage. He is testing his boundries. He has tasted the wrath of mommy and oh was it bitter. This year with Wyatt was a blink of an eye. Very bittersweet for me, but a wonderful end to such an amazing journey.

So that's it. My four kiddos, in all their glory. Nate and I are so unbelieveably blessed. I thank God every day for choosing me to be their mommy. What a privilage and honor. They are four amazing kids!!

Halloween...check!

2008-11-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

Well we survived Halloween in one piece. The kids really pulled in a ton of candy, and yes I am one of those moms that lets my kids eat candy in the mornings, before dinner, and before bed. Judge if you must, but I know you do it too. The costumes were absolutely spectacular!!! I worked so hard on the "Tin-Girl" costume and the "Cowardly Lion" costume. The other two I just bought and pieced together. Time was not on my side, so a lot was improvised. The kids loved them and that's what was important. We had a lot of compliments, so of course that pumped me up for next year. I have 2 ideas, 1) Harry Potter or 2) Scooby Doo. My kids are so good to let mommy be so crafty. I was not allowed to trick or treat when I was little, so I guess I am living vicariously through my kids. It is loads of fun!!The kids crashed last night and so did Nate and I. I knew they were pooped because no one asked for candy. This morning they made up for it, that's all they could ask for. So now it's over. One more Halloween for the books.

*I saw my new nieces on video chat today. They are so precious. I think that Hope really wanted me to hold her because she kept eye-balling me. Soon enough dear Hope and Grace, soon enough.

**We have a mouse outside...ewwww!!!

Just a few more weeks

2008-10-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

I can hardly wait!!! Twilight the movie is coming to theaters November 21st, but I will be going with my sister and my friend at midnight the 20th. I will be making us "Team Edward" baseball tees just to give our total and full support. I am so acting like a geeky teenager, but I can't help it. I told my husband tonight that I have never anticipated a movie so much, like I am this one. So now here is my challenge, for those of you who have not read the series yet...GO GET IT!!! From someone who is not a reader, it will have you blowing off all your responsibilities just to see what happens next. If you are not readers, the book sizes are a bit scary. For me it was, but as I got involved, they were way too short. I am sad that I have finished the books, but I do still skim them every now and then. For those of you who have read the books, tell me your favorite book. Not parts because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. My favorite's in this order are 1) Breaking Dawn, 2) Twilight, 3) Eclipse 4) New Moon. I cried in all 4 and still cry when I re-read. Okay so now I'm a dork, but this dork is so glad that I was introduced to these books. Now, go read!!!

Muffin top free!!

2008-10-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that after weeks of watching what I eat and breaking a sweat everyday, my muffin top has left me. It all happened so fast, I can't believe it. I would like to thank all the people that supported me on my journey to be muffin top free. I feel that if I can do this than anything is possible. The skies the limit!!! I feel the need to up my game to loose the little bit of baby belly I have left, four kids later. My thighs are laughing at me because they know they will probably be the last to go, but even my rear-end has waved the white flag, because it too is slimming down. It's looking good for me and I am excited.

Bob Villa, I am not

2008-10-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

Why do I do the things I do? I think that just because I have an idea that I can flawlessly pull it off and it will be perfectly done with no mistakes. Yeah, right!! The other day the toilet in mine and Nate's bathroom overflowed, not once, but twice. There is carpet in our bathroom and for the life of me, I can't understand why someone would put carpet in a bathroom. It makes no sense whatsoever. So you probably guessed that the carpet was soaked twice with toilet water. Luckily there were not surprises to speak of, just water, maybe some pee, who knows. Anyway, I tried to suck up as much water with the carpet cleaner, but the smell was sickening. After a few days it just got worse and there was no way that I was getting all the water. There was only one thing to do, pull the carpet up. This is where I obviously think that I am Bob Villa. I pulled the carpet up just fine, but the pad underneath was AWFUL!!! Gross, nasty, and soaked. So all my efforts to suck the water up with the cleaner was done for nothing. The smell that came from there was undescribable. I removed the pad and then proceeded to pull up the tack bars that held the carpet in place. There was swearing involved. If I were Bob Villa, which I'm not, I would have known that nails held the bars in place that where firmly inbedded into the concrete beneath, which I didn't. So now my bathroom walls are colored with profanities. I took no prisoners, I got the blasted tack bars up. Underneath the padding was the once new flooring that was there when the house was new, now it was all molded and scummy. This is where the old urine smell came into play. Being lightheaded and swoony was not an option, I fought through it an pressed on. We are at the concrete now and it is all clean and swept, ready for the laminate flooring. I have bitten off more than I can chew with this project. When will I learn? If it's not the dog taking the house down brick by brick, it's me!!!

What a Monday!

2008-10-14T09:28:00.001-07:00

We had a great day at the fair. It was crowded as all get out, but still fun. Not too hot, which was nice. The kids had a blast too, they loved every minute of it. My mom has the pictures on her camera so I will have to get those from her and post them. The girls got to see Jordan Pruitt, a Disney singer, preform at the main stage. Josh ran and played, cried and fussed a little, but still had a fun time. Poor Wyatt had a rough start. He got really car sick on the way out there and yaked in the car. It was pretty gross, but he felt so much better after that. He sat in his stroller the whole time and we hardly heard a peep out of him. He loves being outside, so he just took in the sights and people and enjoyed his day. He got sunburned across his face, but not too bad. I can not report that I ate anything that was fried, well, I did have a bite of a turkey leg. I just don't like a lot of fried things, I know it's the fair and that's what you are supposed to eat. Honestly, just the sound of it really made my stomach hurt. I did like the idea of a fried banana split, but I didn't get around to trying it.

Besides going to the fair yesterday, something huge was happening in our Brewster family. My brother in law and sister in law welcomed their twin little girls. At 12:28 pm and 12:29 pm Hope Jenna and Hannah Grace were born. I have to say, in a totally unbiased opinion, that those little girls are the cutest little ones I have seen. When I say little, I mean little!! Hope weighed the smallest at 3 lbs 12 oz, i'm not sure of the length, and Grace weighed 4 lbs. 7 oz., and again not sure of the length. Both girls and mommy are doing great. Grace is having to have oxygen, but she is good. I am so eager to get my hands on those little girls, but unfortunately I won't be able to for awhile. Nate and I are looking into going to Alabama at the end of November, so the girls will be around 6 weeks old. The Brewster family grew by two more, Hope and Grace welcome to the family, you are so loved!!

The "Movie"

2008-10-11T20:20:00.001-07:00

There are many movies that I like, but there are very few that just love. There is one, though, that I can only watch every six months or so. One that makes me cry so hard that I have to pause it so that I can compose myself. It has been awhile since I've seen it, so tonight I thought that I would give it a shot, thinking that this time it would be different. It never is different, I always end up a blubbering fool. A Walk to Remember is the movie. Crazy, I know, but I can't help it. This movie is so emotional, I don't know what it is. I won't stop watching this movie, no not at all. I just have to have breaks from it. It's a great love story and I love movies that make you love the characters. If you are looking for a good tear-jerking, love story, watch this. My eyes are puffy and my nose is stopped up, but it was worth it. Now, I have to put it away for another six months.

Weekend and Girl Scout Fun

2008-10-11T17:59:00.001-07:00

Today, Aliya and I, went hiking with her girl scout troop. It was a totally awesome day, the weather was nice and cool. It really couldn't have been better. I actually felt really good being outdoors, I think that girl scouts really agrees with me. When I was younger my family went camping a couple of times, from what I can remember, it was fun. So now as an adult I get to experience camping with my kids. We are going on a family campout, with the troop, in a couple of weeks. I am so looking forward to it. I feel so blessed that we found this troop, they are really a great bunch of girls. I have formed some amazing relationships with all the mothers, plus they are all around my age so that makes things mesh well. I think that I get more excited than Aliya when it comes time for camping and outings. I felt like a pro out there today, in nature. I even touched a bug, a little creepy, but not too bad. I was a little sweaty, and didn't even mind so much. At one point a wasp landed on my arm and I didn't freak out. I am growing by leaps and bounds people!!! Oh yeah, Aliya did awesome too. I don't have any pictures, my camera does not have batteries. Unfortunate, I know. I really need a picture to show how outdoorsy I was. I'll have it on our camping adventure, that should hold enough brave moments. Anyway, my body is really aching now that I have had time to rest, plus I am really tired now too. The weekend is not over yet, though.

We are going to the fair Monday with my parents. It is going to be so much fun!! I love the state fair. One of the girls favorite Disney singers is going to be out there, so we will have to go and hear her sing. They are super excited.

More blog after the fair.

Nate's Mutt!!!

2008-10-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

That's what he is now, I wash my hands of that dog!! He is trouble for me, a newborn baby is not this much work. I have realized now, that I am not a pet person; dog, cat, bird, fish, whatever!! I would love nothing more than for Marley to get a wild hair and run away. I know that's harsh, but for real, I am tired of taking care of this animal. I almost had him gone, a couple of weeks ago I noticed that he chewed a hole in the hallway wall. It was at a corner, so it is very noticable. I was livid, to say the least. I think he spent the rest of the day in his cage. I called Nate and told him that the dog has to go, he was eating the house from underneath us. Nate came home and said something about, he's a puppy, yada, yada, yada. I don't care what he is, there is a piece of my wall missing. So then, to me, it seemed that Nate really didn't care about the house, but he assures me that's not the case. So since then, I have noticed another corner chewed off, in the kitchen this time. That is where I was told to keep "the thorn in my side". We have gates blocking the entries to the kitchen to corral "the spawn of Satan". I mean at the rate he is chewing this house, we could be homeless by next week, but at least we would still have the dog. Wyatt has taken a liking to Marley's food now, as well. With four kids in this house you never know who opens the gates and then Wyatt gets in and, well, dines in the dogs bowl. So then it is my duty to clean out the dog food from his teeth, seriously gross!! I have set up a little play area in the garage for the kids. It has been so nice outside that it stays pretty cool out there, plus I get a few minutes to myself. Well, today Marley was out there with the kids, Josh comes running in and tells me that the dog pooped in the garage. I had to rope off the area and threaten children if they went near it. You have to know that I HATE cleaning dog poop. I had a mask on my face and a whole roll of paper towels in my hand. Then the dry heaves broke out, but this time vomit followed. So I am done with this dog. It's either him or me!!

I have a Halloween idea!!

2008-10-09T14:01:00.001-07:00

I am always looking for fun things to dress my kids up as. This year I have decided to dress them as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin-girl(will be explained in a minute), and the Cowardly Lion. I guess secretly I have always wanted 4 kids for this reason. This is going to be the best fun. I am going to make their costumes from my own imagination. So they may not look exactly like the characters, they will have my own twist to it. Now who is who? This one was hard, I have two girls and they both wanted to be Dorothy. So we compromised. Zaynah will be Dorothy, she has the darker hair so it only seemed fitting. Aliya will be the Tin-girl, I had to promise to do certain things to her costume to give it the "Aliya" flair. Josh will be the Scarecrow. Wyatt will be the Cowardly Lion. I can NOT wait!!! I love new projects!! Halloween and Christmas are always good times for me. So now you all have to wait for the pictures. I have 2 weeks. What more fun could I possibly ask for???

Poor little Wyatt

2008-10-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

I am serious, Wyatt has not had a great start. He was my first to be admitted into a hospital other than birth. He still has his little heart murmur. Now, the kid can not stay away from the fireplace. He busted his head on the fireplace a couple of weeks ago and now there is a little scar in his eyebrow. Last night he fell again, but this time it was his mouth that met with the brick. He really boogered up his upper gum and lip. There was so much blood, I didn't think that I was going to make it. The room started spinning and I felt clammy. After my episode passed we successfully stopped the bleeding, but his little lip was so swollen. Very heartbreaking!! He wouldn't drink or take his binky. Anytime he would rub his nose and lip, the bleeding would start up again. FINALLY, at about 2:30 am he fell into a sound sleep and stayed there until 7am. Daddy and I are pooped!! He woke this morning taking his binky and bottle, and then ate something. His well visit was today and the doc looked at it. She said it would heal quickly so not to worry. I felt so helpless, it is so hard to not be able to protect your babies from things that could hurt them. It was a long night and day today. He is sleeping soundly now and we are headed that way. 1 catastrophe down, many more to come!!

Wyatt's beginning-a day late

2008-09-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I was busy yesterday reading the only 12 chapters released from Stephenie Meyer's book Midnight Sun, you people have no idea what kind of obsession I have got myself into. It is truly sick!! Anyway, I didn't get the chance to write Wyatt's birthday blog. So now out of the shame I have for myself, by putting a book before my child, I am going to try and redeem myself. Here is Wyatt's story.

The Discovery:

I had decided in January 2007 that I had to loose some much needed weight. So I put myself on a strict diet and did yoga every night. By February, I had lost a total of 20 pounds. I was thrilled!! Having decided that we were not going to have anymore children, that three were enough, I was very happy at the place that I have found myself. Things started to happen though, I was feeling sick and tired. I just figured that all the exercise and dieting were the cause. Something prompted me on February 15th to take a pregnancy test, paranoia more than likely. You see, I had a false positive result in November 2006. I didn't want anymore kids, so going to the store to get this test was, in my mind, a waste of money. I already knew what it would say and couldn't figure out why I was putting myself through this. Reluctantly, I pee'd on the stick, closed the cap and laid it down. By the time I laid the stick down, the stupid thing was positive. I immediately took the other test in the box...positive again!! Freakin A, I was knocked up...AGAIN!!! I fell to my knees and sobbed!!Why was this happening? Why was I so appealing to my husband? I could not understand. Joshua was one of the hardest babies I had ever had and I did not want to go through that again. I pulled myself together and called my sister-in-law. I didn't want to share the news with Nate yet, for fear that he would keel over. My sister-in-law was shocked but not surprised. We talked for a bit and she made me feel a little better. She really encouraged me to tell Nate, as nervous as I was, I agreed. Nate laughed!! Not the response that I was looking for, but he wasn't dead!! We told the rest of the family, everyone was surprised and excited. Everyone but me. My mom caught on to that and told me, I had no idea what kind of calling was on this baby. That this baby was a blessing! I know I was bad, but I was not convinced. I was pretty upset, and in no mood to look at the positive. The next week we found out we were to expect the baby between October 10th or 15th. I would need that much time to accept this.

The Sonogram:

I'm sure you could have guessed, that by 5 months, I was enjoying my pregnancy. Over that time, I felt the baby move and saw and heard it's little heartbeat. I started to feel excited. I was eager to see what this one was. So, in May we found out we would be adding a little boy to our family. This was the last!!! For real!!! I had a tubal ligation scheduled the day after I had him. No fuss, no muss!! This pregnancy was moving along great, just as the others did.

September 26,2007:

I am rushing a bit...back at about 7 months I was diagnosed with polyhydramnios (or elevated fluid in the womb). I was measuring 2 weeks early. Now, back to the 26th. I went in for a appointment, ready to explode. My doctor decided that she would strip my membranes, I was 38 weeks along. I had no expectations, although I was sure hoping this worked. She seemed to think that it would, I was 4 cm and 50% effaced. Nate decided to take the rest of the day off work, I was having steady contractions, but they were not painful. We made it home and I relaxed, trying to save energy just in case. We ate dinner and went for a walk. At around 7-ish, I started to "feel" the contactions. Not too bad, just uncomfortable. I decided to take a bath to ease some of the discomfort, Nate put the kids in bed. After my bath the contactions picked up and came at a regular pace. I told Nate that I thought we should start timing them. My mom was calling and then decided that she should come over. I waddled into the room in pain and told her to meet us at the hospital. It was time!!! So at 1 am we woke the kids up and moved them to the car. My family was going to meet us at the hospital.

September 27, 2007 - The Birth!!

They wheeled me into the hospital and then to my room. I changed quickly all the while breathing through contractions. They were coming feircely, and I felt like I had no time in between. The nurse hooked me up and checked me, I was 5cm 100% effaced. I was asking for my epidural now. It felt like a stinkin' eternity before the drug lady came in. I was so glad to see her, I had felt enough contactions to know that I wanted the epidural. That needle prick was a welcomed sting. I soon found out that the sting was all of the epidural that I was going to get. After about 10 minutes, I could still feel my legs. This was not good. My mom looked at me and said that I could do this; I was terrified. It was so fast after that, before I knew it the doctor came in, broke my water, and set me up. I could feel my body pushing and I wasn't doing anything. My mind completely shut down, my body took over. I felt every part of the baby coming out. It was over, my little boy was here. Wyatt Zachary Brewster came into this world at 4:36 am weighing in at 7 lbs even, 18 inches long. He was so precious, I could not believe my eyes. I was stunned through and after the birth. I did not feel completely bonded to him yet. That night I had my family at the hospital, Wyatt was laying in his hospital crib. I looked over at him and he was staring at me. Our eyes locked and that was all I needed. In the beginning, being so upset, wondering why I was having another baby. It was that moment, that erased all the doubt and anger. He was mine, I needed him.

Now:

Here we are. 1 year later. Wyatt has completed our family. He has been such a joy!! He is the perfect ending to such a wonderful time in my life. He is a brilliant baby, I am amazed at how smart he is. He holds his own with his sisters and brother, he's a trooper. I love this little guy, I could not imagine one day without him My baby is 1!!! I am getting old!!

This time last year...

2008-09-26T11:09:00.001-07:00

I was sitting at home waiting for labor to hit! Yes, that's right, my little rugrat will be 1 tomorrow. Oh how a year has just flown by. I seriously can't believe how big he is now. I can remember the whole day like it was yesterday. What a birth, I tell you. One that I will never forget. Wyatt has been such a joy, such delight! He has been my dream baby. He has exceeded all my expectations and I am so honored to be his mommy. I will post a short story of that days events tomorrow. I did want to share a moment of September 26, 2007. I had just had my membranes stripped and I was sitting at home wondering if it was going to work. I was mentally preparing myself for labor and delivery, trying to remember what it felt like. About 7pm labor picked up and I knew at that moment it would not be long before I held the last baby that I would carry. Such a bitter-sweet moment, but very memorable. So tomorrow, the story, the birth of Wyatt Zachary Brewster. He's a sweet boy!!

Wyatt is a genius!!!

2008-09-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

Wyatt said 2 new words this morning and they are not your basic baby new words. We were sitting at breakfast and he was eating and he said "karate", or something that sounded like it. I was so impressed. Why would he be saying karate, I don't know, but he did. Brilliant child!! Then we were in his room, he was playing with a little toy phone and I was cleaning the room up. I looked down at him and asked who he was talking to, and he said "Jesus", or something very similar. My child is a prodigy, we are so lucky!!!

Complete and total update!!

2008-09-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

Well this has been a busy weekend. So much has gone on. My in-laws were in from Florida and we celebrated Aliya and Wyatt's birthday. No pictures yet, my sister was in charge of that. So
I will post a little something later concerning the parties. Now, on to the base of this blog. I FINISHED the Twilight series. OH MY GOSH!!! I don't think that I have ever been so in love with a book series before, ever actually. The final book was the goodness of all the other three books in one. I laughed, I cried, I was tense, I was relaxed, it was so amazing. I am craving other books like this. I want to read and spill my guts about the characters and their stories. I am so sad it is over now, but I will find another book that gets my thoughts and imagination flowing as this did.

Well, I also turned the big 3-1 this week. On the 23rd, in fact. So now I am definitly in my 30's, but that's okay, I am embracing it. Nate took me to dinner and then to a movie. We saw Tropic Thunder. Ben Stiller is my all time favorite, but the movie was just okay. So I was a little bummed, but Stiller made me laugh which was important. I do pray that I never see Tom Cruise in a roll like that ever again!!!

This is a short one today, I could rambe on and on all day about Twilight, but my boys are making me crazy!! Wyatt will be one this weekend, but is already showing signs of his twos, go figure. Later peeps!!

Update on my current obsession

2008-09-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

Well I finished the 2nd book New Moon in a 24 hour time span as well. I am now in chapter 11 of the 3rd book, Eclipse. I am not kidding when I tell you, that the main character, Edward, is so unbelievebly amazing. She has introuced a few new characters that I am not sure about, none like Edward though. This whole thing is so weird for me, and the reason is, I have never been so into a book series like this before. In the second book, I experienced such emotion. Like I was actually the character Bella. My heart broke when hers did and I would seriously sit there and boo hoo, like it was actually happening in real life. At one point I had to put the book down and sob into my hands. I think I need to be committed!! I am trying to take my time with this book because I don't want this to be over. Although I do have the movie to look forward to (coming out December 12, in theaters everywhere!!). I usually try to read when Wyatt is own for his naps. So today I had the boys in the bath and I thought I will read a chapter while they are in there. Well, one chapter turned into five. People this is serious!! It's like an addicting drug, I seriously need help!!

I have a deep, bad obsession, I mean it's baaaad!!

2008-09-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

I was reading the book Twilight by Stephanie Meyer and please understand that I am in no way shape or form a reader. But this book has opened my eyes to a new found love and his name is Edward. I feel faint evertime he talks. I started the book at 8:30 p.m. last night and I read until 1:30 a.m. I woke up at 6 am and read another chapter. The book was finished by 4 pm today. I started the second book New Moon this evening and now I am mad!! I feel as though Edward has betrayed me... I mean Bella :) I am only on the 4th chapter and I am not sure that I want to go on, but I will...for Edward, I will press on. I seriously could not put that book down, I was cooking and reading, cleaning and reading, changing diapers and reading and every other chore you can think of...and reading. I even dreamed of the book last night, I feel this a dark obsession, but I can not resist. So it is about 8:30 now and I am off to continue New Moon, this one better be as good as the first, I mean it!!

How lucky we, as women, are!!

2008-09-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

As I was doing my morning routine today, brushing teeth, washing face, etc..., I was thinking about my sister-in-law. She is coming into her 30th week carrying twins. Then I started thinking about me and other mothers. I couldn't help but smile because we are so very lucky to carry life in our bodies. Sometimes I don't think that we realize this. We get so caught up in our everyday lives, housecleaning, children, and so on, that we miss this quite often. I think about how some couples struggle to have children and then when they least expect it, the Lord generously gives them a child or two :)!! What an amazing thing, we as mothers, get to experience as we feel every move, jab, nudge, kick, and even hiccup. We go from our flat tummies to these enormous bellies that we can't even get around let alone shave our legs. We get to a point in the last few weeks that we wish it was all over and that we could see our feet again. It comes and then, as quickly as it came, it goes. Then there is this wonderful, beautiful baby who depends fully on you to take care of them and love them. What a precious gift!! Even though you may not be expecting to get pregnant or even if it was planned, there is nothing in this world that you could not be more proud of, than being a mother. I want to encourage all mommies with young children. Before you know it, it's over. You will never have them as babies again, so hug them, kiss them, pray over them, play with them, listen to their long drawn out stories and make them feel as though that was the most exciting thing you've heard all day. They will remember and that is what they carry with them. To all the expecting mommies, feel blessed!! Enjoy these nine months, even in the uncomfortable stages. It does not last forever. There will be days when you wish they were back in your tummy, trust me!! But then there are days when you could stare at them forever. No matter what anyone says, hold your baby, cuddle them, rock them to sleep. They will ask, when they are older, if you ever did that. As I look at my four children 7, 5, 3, and almost 1; tears feel my eyes, cause it wasn't that long ago they were my little newborn. We are at a whole new stage in our life now and it is fun. Then there are days like today when I remember back and think how lucky I am, I am so blessed!!

My house is a zoo!

2008-09-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

This week I am living in a zoo. Not only do I have the children and our crazy dog, but I have my brothers Lab. My family is on vacation and my brother asked if we would watch his dog Duke. He is a super sweet dog, but he is acting nervous around our hyper dog. Marley is acting insane!! He acts like a female dog in heat, seriously. Last night it was really uncomfortable in my living room. There was a bit of gay-dog porn, it was quite disgusting. After the "session" was finished, Marley went to his cage showing us it was bedtime. Both our boys are nice and congested so we knew that it was going to be a long night. We were in our room getting our bed ready, when we smelled something so vile. It was nauseating. We were searching in our room, smelling everything. It was deifinitly urine, but we could not find it. Finally after about 15 minutes Nate came across it and about threw up. Duke was marking his territory and pee'd on my nice pillow shams. I was so tired that I couldn't even throw a fit properly. They are in the laundry, hopefully they won't smell of dog urine forever. Duke paced all night long, probably because he missed Matt. It was wearing on my nerves severly by 1 in the morning. So between him and Josh, I am exhausted!! Nate slept with Wyatt, when he is stuffy he does not sleep well in his bed. So he slept on Nate. So after that long night I woke up to get Aliya ready for school. When I came home from taking her in, my house smelled like a barn. That is where I am at this point. My kids are still in their pj's, toys are all over the living room and hall, the dogs are seperated (I don't want any repeats of last nights events) and wimpering, and my house smells like foot, tail, and urine. I know I have had better days!!

The whole story of Aliya

2008-09-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

December 27, 2000~

Christmas had just past and we were home in Oklahoma City from spending the holidays with my family in Texas. I was opening the bank where I worked talking with a friend. My husband Nate and I had discussed starting a family, so on Thanksgiving I decided to go off my birth control. I was telling my friend that I got this great skirt for Christmas, but when I was trying it on, the stupid thing would not zip up. She started laughing and suggested that I might be pregnant. She knew we were interested in a family, so jokingly made the comment. I wondered though, could I really be??? I started asking her the signs of pregnancy, she began on a huge list. I had a couple of the signs, but I just figured it was all from the holidays. She talked me into getting a pregnancy test, just to set my mind to ease. I quickly ran to the store. I took it into the bathroom at the bank, read the directions carefully, and then followed through. I watched as the one line appeared and waited for the other line, but nothing. Sadly, I laid down the test, pulled my pants up, grabbed the test box and wrappings, and then grabbed the test. Before throwing it all away I glanced at the test once more and there it was...the second line!! Pure elation swept over my body, my heart was racing a mile a minute, I could not believe this was happening. I wrapped my arms around my stomach and quietly said to the new little life, "I promise to love you with everything in me.". I ran out and showed my friend, she hugged me and then we laughed. I called Nate and told him, I know not very personal, but I was so excited I could not wait. He was shocked!! I think that he could not believe it happened so fast, but there we were, going to be parents. We told our families, everyone was thrilled. The first grandchild on both sides was on it's way!!

April 23, 2001~

After making it through morning sickness, hearing the heartbeat, feeling the baby move, having my body stretch in places I didn't think were possible, and finding out our precious baby was coming in September, it was time to find out what was actually in there. I think that everyone was saying girl, especially my MIL who had all boys. My sister and MIL were there with us when the sono technician said we were to decorate in pink!! What emotion, to see and now know what was inside my belly. She had the cutest little profile. I was so happy!!!! Naming her was easy. I had Madison picked out since the beginning, I just needed a middle name. My sister and I were looking at Arabic names. That is when we saw Aliya. It was perfect, Madison Aliya would be her name. We told our families and they loved it. Being that my family's background is Arabic, my dad started calling her Aliya. After thinking about it, we decided to switch the names to Aliya Madison. Now, that was perfect!!

September 1-4, 2001~

I was due on the 3rd, Labor Day, ironic, right? Well that day came and went. We had a family cookout. My family came up from Texas and Nate's brother and his wife came in from Tennessee. We all gathered at Nate's parents house and I was the topic of conversation. Everyone watched me, when I flinched they all gasped, if I grunted or moaned they all grew silent and watched. It was a little nerve-wracking. That evening I was walking with my SIL and MIL, I guess to start labor. My legs were cramping so we decided to go inside. I sat down in a recliner to rest, as I stood back up I felt leaking. I called for Nate and then felt more leaking. We called the hospital and then were on our way. After checking me they told me that I pee'd myself. The holiday was over and life returned to somewhat normal. At my appointment on the 4th we talked about induction on the 6th, I was ready to meet my little girl, I was over being pregnant.

September 6-7, 2001~

I woke up extremely nervous, not really knowing what to expect. My mom and brother were on their way up from Texas and my dad and sister would be up after a half day of work. Meeting us at the hospital was Nate's mom and his dad would be up later that day. We got to the hospital at 7 am and they started the induction at 8 am. By the time they started my mom and brother had arrived. The induction consisted of a strip placed on my cervic to soften it to dialate. I was only a fingertip dialated at the time. Little did I know, I was about to enter the worse pain I have ever experienced in my entire life!! It did not take long for the strip to work. I could not even breath, I need pain meds right away. I was told I could not have my epidural because I was only 2 cm, and I had to be at a 4. They gave me some Demoral (sp?) in my IV. Horrible decision!!! I still had tremendous pain, but I was so loopy. I had no idea what was going on. This went on for a couple more hours. It was really an emotional time. My family saw me in so much pain and there was nothing anyone could do. Finally, finally, I had reached 4 cm. I didn't care how big the needle was, all I knew was I wanted it in my back feeding me drugs. Awwwww....relief!!! It was fabulous!! I felt nothing, I was able to enjoy the rest of labor with a smile. At about 9 pm-ish I was still at 6 cm and not progressing. They started talking c-section, but my nurse wouldn't let that happen. She flipped me to my other side and things started to pick up again. I was so ready to meet my little girl, I could not wait any longer. At around midnight I was fully dialated and ready to push. My girlfriend Mandy had just arrived with her husband, so her, my mom, my sister, my MIL, and Nate all were in the room. After the room was transformed it was about 12:30 am. With some serious grunting and pushing, I birthed my first daughter. I could not believe that I did it, I had a baby. It was such a moment, one that I will never forget. My little princess came into this world on September 7, 2001 at 1:07 am. She weighed 7 lbs 8 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches.

September 7, 2008~

I can't believe how time has passed by. I was reading her baby book the other day and I just cried. What I would give for one more day with her as a newborn, to smell her, hold her, cuddle her. She is so big now. She has already gone through such a transformation. From little girl to young lady. She is so brilliant. She is the only student in her 1st grade class that reads to the class. She has such a tender heart, she loves all people. I am so proud of her. Her passion for learning is so unbelieveable. So Happy Birthday Aliya, may this year be better than your last!! No matter how big you get, you will always be my baby girl!!

Day 2 - Completion of cake and party

2008-09-01T06:54:00.001-07:00

Well, it was harder than I thought it would be. There were even quite a few profanities and fonant flying through the air. But after it was all said and done, the cake was finished. It was not done as well as I would have liked, but like my husband said, Josh is the only one it should matter to, and he was right. Josh who told me, "My Thomas is so cool and neat!!". His eyes lit up when he saw it all finished and that was more important than all the imperfections that I found. It was my first time with marshmallow fondant, so I figure the more I use it the better it will be. I have two more birthdays this month, my daugher Aliyas and my other son Wyatts. It should be fun, as long as long as I keep the swearing and fondant throwing to a minimum.

The Party:

Was so much fun!!! Josh was thrilled with everthing he got. I have to say one thing about him, the stuff that he likes, he genuinelly likes. Nate and I never had to persuade him to like these things. So the excitement on his face was very real!!! We called Nate's parents via the web cam. They were in Florida and could not be here with us, but wanted to see Josh do his candles and open presents. They got him the weed whacker so they wanted to see his face. First we started with happy birthday and blowing candles. He got so close to the flame, it was scary. So like a good mommy I helped him blow it out. Then we decided to start the presents. Aunt Charity and Samual were first. They got him a Thomas the Train whistle, a Thomas T-shirt, and a bunch of candy. He would not put that whistle down the whole time. Next, was Uncle Nick and Aunt Shayla, Anna, and Oliver. They got him three bathtub Thomas squirters. Him and Wyatt will have a blast playing with those. Jeddo and Sitta(my mom and dad) were next. They got him a stuffed elephant, which he adores. He carries around everywhere. He even ate dinner with it at his side. One hand around the elephant and the other hand around a hot dog. They also got him a Thomas the train movie, a Thomas the Train track and a motorized Gordan train to go with it. Uncle Steve, Auntie Jackie, Isaish, and Ashlyn got him this Veggie Tales dance mat. It is really cool and the reason I know this is after the party Samual and Charity stayed and us four all played it. Now that is a workout!!! Our legs and thighs were hurting, but it was soooo fun!! My grandparents got him some clothes which were needed desperately. Nate's grandma sent money so we got him some Thomas the train sheets to go with the Thomas bespread that Nate and I got him. So now his room is decked out in Thomas the Train and an elephant. Lastly was the gift we all searched and searched for, but was finally found in Daytona Beach Florida. Papa and Nana really came through. He got his weed whacker!! He was so excited, he could not wait to try it out. He had such an awesome time. He loved everything he got. I think that it's gonna be awhile before this birthday is topped!!

Day 1 - the making of a Thomas the Train cake

2008-08-30T12:31:00.001-07:00

This is the mission. To make a cake that resembles as closely as possible to this toy train. My work is definitly cut out for me, this is going to be the most difficult cake I have ever attempted to make. It is going to take me two days, but hopefully, the end results will be worth it.

Day 1:

The base of the cake is a large 12x18 inch cake, cut into 3 equal pieces. They are stacked one on top of the other. It is a three layered rectangle. I made my own buttercream frosting to go in between each layer and to cover the entire cake when I am finished shaping the cake. I also made my own rolled marshmallow fondant which will cover the entire cake.

Okay, making the cake took 4 cake mixes. I used Betty Crocker Golden Vanilla, yummy!! 3 boxes for the rectangle layers and one for the top of the cake and hump. Buttercream icing was the glue. I put it all in the freezer to set, it will be easier to shape when all the crumbs are frozen enough to stay put. After all that, I started the marshmallow fondant.

This is sticky process, but loads of fun!! I started out melting mini marshmallows in microwave. I greased my hands and counter top generously with Crisco. I put a little powdered sugar with the melted marshmallows and then poured it out on the countertop. After keeping it all in one place I began, with my hands, kneeding and mixing all the sugar in the marshmallows. This was kind of hot, but got cooler the more I worked with it. Gradually I kept adding powdered sugar. Because it was so sticky, I needed Nate's hands to help. Finally it started to form just how I wanted it to. I did have to keep greasing up the counter and my hands because this stuff seriously sticks. This was a very messy task, everything was covered in powdered sugar. After kneeding all the sugar and marshmallow I seperated it in half, covered it in a layer of crisco, then put each piece in it own ziploc bag. You have to let all the air out and then close. Then I put each one in another ziploc bag, released the air and closed it. Both fondants were put in the fridge overnight. Tomorrow starts the decorating, I am so looking forward to the outcome!!

This is the kneeding of the fondant

This is fondant perfectly kneeded and ready to seperate

And this is the fondant ready to go into the fridge.

You have no idea how excited I am that this is all working out. The real test will be tomorrow though.

The life of Joshua, as told by his mother!!

2008-08-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

Oh, how it seems like a lifetime ago!! My first little boy; I wanted one soooo bad!! I remember telling my Brewster family that I wanted a little boy, one who was ALL boy. I prayed and prayed for a son and I had the perfect time that I wanted to get pregnant. However, someone else had other plans.

October 2004 is when it all began. We were living in Florida when Nate got a job out here in Ft. Worth. I knew how lucky I was because my family lived in Arlington. Before packing up and leaving our Brewster family, I told them that I wanted to have another baby and get pregnant in February/March 2005. I don't think that I had informed Nate, but he would have caught on eventually. Here's the thing, my husband can walk pass me and bump my arm and *boom*, I'm pregnant. It's that fast and unexpected. My sister in law knew that and she said it would be sooner. We moved October 26th-ish 2004, and I found out I was pregnant in the middle of December2004. Nate's insurance had not kicked in quite yet, so this was a HUGE suprise!!

The Pregnancy:

I knew from day one that I was having a boy. I can't explain it, I just knew. I had my doubts at the sonogram, but when she said boy tears streamed down my face. My 2 girls were thrilled, but no one was more excited than Nate. He was finally getting his son! My pregnancy was great! I felt good, had very minimal weight gain, and carried him all out front. Like my other 2 pregnancies, it was perfect!! I got my mind into boy mode. I started planning his room theme and type of clothing. I bought so many blue things, It was ridiculous. Then came picking names. We knew we wanted to name him after Nate's grandad, who only had daughters. We wanted to carry on the "Palmer" name. So that was his middle name. I had always loved the name Jacob and Noah. So that is what I brought before Nate. We finally decided on Joshua, not one of our names, but one that went really well with Palmer. So Joshua Palmer it was, now we just needed the baby.

My due date was August 28th. My in-laws came in town for the delivery so they were staying with us. It was nice to have the extra pair of hands with the girls. During the first weekly appointment, we discovered that I was already 3 cm dialated. Elation swept over me. Could I really go into labor early? I heard for the next four weeks, "It could be anyday now!". Yeah right, I was 3 cm until they broke my water on August 29, 2005. This is the fun part!!

The Birth:

I was induced at 8:00 am. They broke my water and started pitocin. Since I was barely 4 cm they called in the anesthesiologist and gave me my epidural. That's right, I felt no labor pains!! I was progressing nicely, had a moment when my BP dropped severly, but Josh was just in an awkward position. They just flipped me and all was right again. It was rolling onto lunch, so my family and the Brewster's (including Nate) decided to go to the cafeteria and get something to eat. I was only sitting at 7 cm, feeling no pressure just really relaxed. My sister, Charity, stayed to keep me company. They were all gone for about 15 minutes when I looked at my sister and told her I was feeling a huge amount of pressure. The nurse came in and I told her too. She had just checked me and I was at 7, but to satisfy me she would check again. She closed the sheet so quickly and told me not to push. I was complete and his head was right there. Charity hurried and called Nate. The next thing I knew, my mom burst in the room followed by Nate and my mother in law, holding in Zaynah. Everything happend so fast. The room was ready and I gave one push, his head came out. They cleaned and suctioned him. Second push, out came the rest. He was here!!! August 29th 2005 at 12:39 pm I met my son, all 7lbs and 9ozs!! Such an amazing feeling, I held my daughters right when they were born and now my son. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I felt so blessed. As for Zaynah, she witnessed the whole thing, well as much as a 2 year olds mind could comprehend. Although, she had no problem telling everyone that Josh came out of my bobo!! I could not have planned at better birth and the outcome was simply blissful.

Now, here we are 3 years later. Joshua has been such a delight and joy to our family. He is such a comedian. He makes us laugh on a regular basis. Him and I have such a sweet bond, it's true what they say about a mother and son. He could spend hours watching the sanition workers empty our garbage cans, or the lawn guys mow and weed whack. He loves trains, planes, and automobiles. And sometimes I even catch him in my high heels!! I got what I asked for almost 4 years ago, a boy...who's All boy. Happy Birthday Joshua, mommy loves you dearly!!

*his birthday party is on Sunday so I will post something about that then, with pictures!! Tonight we just had pancakes, he got to blow out candles on a cake...a pan-cake... :)

There are no classes to prepare you for this!!!

2008-08-27T18:14:00.001-07:00

I had just walked in from picking the girls up from school and headed to the kitchen to get snacks for the kids. They all piled in and scarffed their food. Josh, doing what he normally does, his "job", let the dog out to pee. He followed him outside, I guess to make sure he goes. I thought nothing of it seeing as he does this every single day. Well, we have a little shed/house out there that we keep all the kids toys in. Josh considers this his "jungle gym". He got in big time trouble yesterday for climbing on top and watching the back neighbor mow his lawn, he could have totally fell off and broke a bone. So anyway, the door was shut and I hear a faint cry/scream. I told the girls to open the door and it's Josh screaming and crying. I thought, "Oh, God, he fell off and broke something!!". Nope, he was on top of the roof and couldn't get down and his feet were burning!! The sun had been beating down on that black plastic roof all afternoon so it was burning hot. He, as usual, went out with no shoes on and completely did what he got in trouble for yesterday and climbed that house. He could not get down so his feet kept burning. I grabbed him and ran inside so I could see how bad it was. His feet had already started to blister. He was completely freaked out and crying, it was so heartbreaking. I quickly wrapped them with wet cool towels and then submerged them in a cool bath for about 10 minutes. I was completely in a panic!! I called Nate and my mom in tears, I did not know what to do. After realizing this was bigger than me, I called the doctor and got him in at 4:45 pm. Poor Josh was still crying; I picked him up and loaded him in the car along with the other kids. Nate was on his way home from work and told me that he would meet me at the doctors. After a short wait we were in talking with the doctor. Josh had calmed down and told her what happend, it was cute. She examined his feet and told me that it was second degree burns, but seeing as they were on the bottom of his feet (where the skin is tougher) it's not as bad as it could have been. She washed his feet, gently rubbed burn cream on them, and then wrapped them in gauze. She said that he is not to walk for a few days just to let the burns heal. He was so good, I was so proud. He has been a little frustrated since we've been home, just because he can't walk. I have to change the gauze and re-apply the cream twice a day, so that is something I need to add to my long list of things to do. His birthday is on Friday and his party is on Sunday, but the doctor said that he should be fine by then. I guess I should have taken that "class" on burns before I had children :)

My BFF is trying to kill me!!!

2008-08-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Not really, but the workout she sent should definitly require an oxygen tank. My best pal, Elisabeth sent me this Taebo DVD and this weight workout routine. I was so excited to start. So after the girls were both at school (so no one could laugh at me) and the boys were down for naps I decided to pop that DVD in. Everything started out rythmically well, but then Billy kicked it up a notch. With the front kicks, back kicks, jabs, steps, keep your leg equal with your hips, "cardio", it was definitly a workout. I kept the pace fairly well being my first time with it, but it really showed how completely out of shape I am. This is a good thing for me though, the more I continue to do this, the better I will get at it. I refuse to let anyone see me do it though, it's pure comedy!! I have not done the weight workout yet, but I will try it out tomorrow. Elisabeth, you rock my fitness world!! You heard my gripes and complaints about finding the time to workout and what kind of routine to do, and totally came through. If you weren't states away from me, I'd give you a huge hug!! I love you girl, thanks again!!!

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday...phew!!

2008-08-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

Friday:

Started out normally, got up, remembered I didn't have any creamer so I passed on the coffee-blah, got the kids their breakfast, and thought that this might be an okay day. Friday is the one day of the week that I despise, for one reason: Nate works an extra hour which feels like an extra day. So we finished breakfast and I reluctantly began my morning chores. The baby was extra cranky today and I had no idea why, so I just laid him down for a nap. He obviously needed it cause he fell right to sleep. After that is when my day turned for the worse. My children began to behave so badly; arguing, fighting, biting, hitting, shoving, tattling, anything and everything. This went on all day, even when the boys laid down for a nap, well, Wyatt laid down for a nap. Josh was too busy pooping in the bathroom sink!!! After my head spun a few times, I went in the bathroom, grabbed Josh, cleaned both his pooped stained legs, cleaned the sink(dry-heaving of course), and put his little tush to bed. Now keep in mind that my girls were arguing the entire time I was dealing with the "mess" in the back. It was 1 o'clock and I was already contemplating my escape. What happened? Where did I loose control of my day? It was six hours before Nate got home and I was so ready to sell my kids. From about 1:30 until Nate walked in the door was a blur, I remember a lot of yelling, time-outs, and spankings for Josh. He didn't do anything too shocking as before, but there were a lot of temper tantrums. So that was Friday, and I have not looked back. Friday was the day from hell!!

Saturday:

Started early, we had pictures that day. Family ones!! We went to the Botanical Gardens and my sister took some great shots of us. Naturally, Josh continued to mis-behave, so Nate pulled him aside. I couldn't hear what was happening, but Josh came back and was fully cooperative. Miracles do happen!! I can't post any because they are for a Christmas project and it is a suprise. After that my parents, brother, sister, and us all went out for lunch. We all had a nice time laughing and talking, it was really enjoyable. We made it home in time for nap time. The boys had a fanstastic nap and the rest of us just relaxed. I made dinner and we all watched tv. Bedtime came and all the kids crashed. I was like Friday never happend, it must have been a full moon that night or some other crazy weird thing. Saturday was a good day.

Sunday:

We played hookie from church. I needed one more day to relax before my week started and school started. Nate was okay with that, he was tired too. We stayed home all day. The kids were all in good spirits, two out of three days is not bad at all. Nate mowed the backyard and made Josh's day complete. We picked out first day of school outfits, had showers, read stories, and put to bed. The girls were so excited about the next day, but still went to sleep really well. I was excited for them, the day they were waiting for all summer was almost here. Sunday was a great day!!

Monday:

Another early start. Aliya had to get ready first, she had to be there at 10 minutes to 8. We did the morning routine, took a few pictures, and then off to school. I havn't figured out how to put pictures throughout my blogs, so I can't post any. She walked in like she owned the place, very confident. She took her seat next to a little boy named Steven. She started talking to him, "Hi remember me? You were in Mrs. Painters class last year and I was in Ms. Crows, my name is Aliya". The little boy kept his head down and mumbled something like, "yeah, I remember you".
Aliya just kept talking and stopped to give me a kiss and them kept on. That poor little boy. So I left with a heavy heart. I got to the car and broke down, I just needed a good cry. I got home and finished some stuff before taking Zaynah to school. In Keller we have half day kindergarten, so Zayn was in the pm. Before too long is was already 11:30 and time to get her to her first day. She looked so adorable. She was so big and didn't even look nervous. We got to her class and she found her seat. There were already two little girls at her table, so she sat and began chatting. Nate and I knew we couldn't stay forever so we headed out, we gave hugs and kisses. Josh had a hard time, he couldn't understand why his sisters were staying there and he couldn't. I was overcomed with emotion. What a day!! They had a blast! This is going to be a great school year. Monday was an awesome day!!

There it is...my weekend. I am exhausted but overjoyed. Friday was rough, but Saturday, Sunday, and Monday made up for it.

Meet the Teacher

2008-08-21T20:03:00.001-07:00

Tonight I took the girls to meet their new teachers and see their classrooms. Naturally, Aliya blended in well and Zaynah looked scared to death. First was Aliya's class. Her teacher, Mrs. Brinson, seems very nice. I spoke with her for a few minutes and I think that she will be great with Aliya. Three of Aliya's kindergarten classmates are in her class, including her best friend Riley. Saying she was thrilled when we walked in the classroom is an understatement. She saw Riley and they embraced like they haven't seen eachother in years. It was really cute. Then after the reunion we headed down to Zaynah's end of the hall. She had a death grip on my hand and would not let go. We walked in and there were so many people. Very overwhelming!! Poor Zayn. We found her school supplies and her teacher, Miss Harp. She really settled Zaynah by talking about her dress and asking if it spun around. She let go of my hand and then a lump developed in my throat. She let go of my hand, like she didn't need me. After that she was miss personality. Miss Harp is going to be great with Zaynah. Anyone that makes her that comfortable within minutes gets a check in my book. Four more days and that's it, the summer will be over and school begins. I look forward to see how my girls change and grow, it will be exciting!!

My day with my boys

2008-08-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

My grandma called me last night and asked if Aliya and Zaynah could spend the night tonight. They love to stay over there so of course it was okay with me. I have cousins that are the same age as my girls and they were over there staying too. So before school started they needed on last summer thing. So that gave me a whole day with my boys. We went to Target and Michaels, jsut hung out together. They had a nap and I just sat in the silence. Having four kids I get so caught up in taking care of them, that I think I miss out on the one on one time with them. Joshua talks like a grown up, it is something. I can carry on a conversation with him without breaking down the words. He is growing so big, so fast. I was sitting at dinner last night with all the kids and Nate. My mind was somewhere else, but I was thinking at how wonderful it would be to have just more day of them being newborns, to craddle them, smell them, nurse them. Oh how fast it goes by!! Wyatt has cut four more teeth at once, he claps his hands, and waves bye-bye. When did this happen??? I go back regularly and read the blog of his birth, just to live in that moment again. All of it seems like a lifetime ago. Well, enough of the emotional mumbo-jumbo.

**One more thing about babies...my sister-in-law looks FABULOUS carrying twins. Her pregnancy totally agrees with her. Love you Jackie!!

Okay, anyway, back to the day with the boys. Nate and I decided to take them to McDonalds tonight, it was so fun. Josh was a clown the whole time. He loves to meet new kids and show them his stunts. Then it was home to mow the lawn, Josh's favorite thing in the world. He got dirty enough for a bath with Wyatt. After his bath I wrapped a towel around him and bundled Wyatt in a towel and we went in the garage with Nate. Josh dropped his towel and streaked in the front yard. That boy has no shame, he thought he was funny. Before long him and Wyatt were in bed. The day may seem pretty dull and boring, but it was such a special time for me. Now to prepare myself for my girls to leave me and start school. I have already been down this road with Aliya, but Zaynah is such a homebody. She told me yesterday that she thinks that she can walk in school alone, without me. That made me so sad, but I need to encourage her and assure her that she can. So that was my day, with a few sidenotes.

2 weeks

2008-08-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

Since changing my eating habits in the past two weeks, I am proud to say that I have noticed a drop in my weight!! I'm no super model, yet, but I can definitely tell a difference. I have only been exercising in the past week, but I can only imagine how things will change the longer I keep at it. I am so excited to see what the future holds for me and my body!! I've decided I am not going to weigh myself until I feel that I am really ready for reality. Baby steps!! I am going to the gym tonight because there are no workouts on FitTv condusive to my time scheduleing, but I am bound and determined.

So, 1 more week and school starts. The girls are so excited!! They are counting down the days now. We go this week to "Meet the Teacher" and see where their classes are. They have already picked out their "first day of school" outfit. I am a little jealous of their excitement. It is always fun to have something to look forward to. When I was pregnant, I was always excited, there was always so much to look forward to. Or when I was a kid and knew that Christmas was coming, the anticipation was unreal. That is the feeling I miss. I am excited for my girls, they are starting a new adventure and who knows what is in store for them. So it's just me and my boys in the afternoon. Two kids, what in the world am I going to do with myself??? When I was pregnant with Zaynah people would tell me, "oh, just wait until you have two! You won't have time for anything.". Boy were they wrong. When I had Aliya, I was a new mom, things were scary and exhausting. When I had Zayn, it all came naturally. I eased right into having two kids. So having just two is a breeze for me. Having a third was a different story and having four even more different than that. Each came with it's own challanges, but you adjust. Having two, though, by far, has been the easiest for me. So I am welcoming the change, but I will miss my girls and I look forward to their stories from school.

I have so much to do this week to get prepared. Getting my house straighned up is one, but I will get to it when I can. I have a birthday party to get ready for on the 31st. Joshua will be 3 and he wants a Thomas the Train cake. So I will be doing my first rolled fondant cake, I am excited for the challange. I, of course, will post a picture if it turns out resembling Thomas. If not, then you can just hear the tales. I made the girls some new hair clips that are too adorable. I got the idea from a website that sells them $6 for two, but I made 12 pair for $4. Pretty cute, huh?

Well, that's enough of my jibber jabber. Off to be a mommy!!

Sooooo tired!!!

2008-08-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

It all started last night. I headed toward bed at about 10:30. Nate fell asleep on the couch so I did what any good loving wife would do, I covered him up and tip-toed quietly out of the living room thinking about how wonderful it was going to be to have my bed all to myself. I washed my face and brushed my teeth, really quickly looked to see if my moustache was growing back, then headed to bed. The lights were all out, I could not even see my hand in front of my face. As I climbed into bed I was startled by this mound resembling a child. Which one though? It was Zaynah, naturally. Too tired to move her to her own bed, I just shoved her over and got in. Some other time getting my bed to myself...some other time. I crashed as soon as my head hit the pillow, but my sleep was soon interrupted. Joshua made his way into my bed, putting me in between him and Zayn. Josh likes to cuddle and sleep with my arm around him, this was not a good night to be cuddling as I was so exhausted!! A few more blinks and it was morning. I could not feel my left arm because, I guess, Josh had slept on it all night. I dragged myself out of bed to let the newly de-balled Marley out of his cage. He was rattling the cage with his new lampshade neckwear and it woke me up. I woke Nate up because he had to get ready for work, yes...work on Saturday. I laid on the chair and ottoman and dozed for a bit. The kids started to wake up and give me their orders for breakfast. I think I grunted and mumbled something about getting my morning coffee before any freakin breakfast was made, I can't remember word for word. Coffee was made, breakfast was eaten, the kids started arguing and fighting, and I ignored them. On the agenda for today was: attempt a work-out, get kids ready to go to my grandparents for a visit, clean house and do laundry (sadly neither was done), go to my parents after my grandparents and eat dinner, come home put kids to bed and rest. Work-out was good, nothing too shocking. Wyatt was amused though!! Getting the kids ready, pretty typical for a mom doing it alone; yelling, throwing clothes and A LOT of drama. House and laundry...no. I did have a nice visit with the grandparents, today my grandpa turned 78 years. So we celebrated with him today. Good times! Dinner with my mom, dad, and other grandparents was really good. Still all the while all I could think about was getting home to bed. Now, I am home and sleep is near. It was a very long and busy Saturday, but it was fun...only after my coffee kicked in.

My kids make fun of me

2008-08-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

I was looking through my FitTV guide this morning, searching for what exercise I was going to pursue today. At 12:30 there was a workout for thighs, hips, and buttock. Hooray!!! My touble areas, I was going to try it out. The only thing was, it was Gilad's Total Workout. He is really fast and I can hardly keep up with him, but I was set to do my best. So about 11:30 I prepared lunch for the kids and myself. Aliya was asking what workout I was going to do today, all grown up like. I told her it was no big deal and reminded her that I needed her to play with Wyatt while I did my thing. So here is the rest of the conversation:

Aliya: "Please tell me, I want to know."

Me: "Alright, it's Gilad's Total Workout."

Aliya: "Oh, I totally did Gilad's Body Sculpting last night!"

Me: "Oh, really?"

Aliya: "Yep, I really think that I can feel my abs." (touching her rib cage)

Me: " Really?"

Aliya: "Where are your abs anyway?"

Me: "Around your tummy"

Aliya: "What are these bones here?" (touching her ribs again)

Me: "That's your rib cage."

Aliya: "Oh...do you think I look skinnier?"

Give me a break!! She is too big for own good!!! Why can't she just be a kid instead of trying to be soooo grown up? So anyway after that conversation, I cleaned up the dishes, picked up the living room, and prepared myself for a serious butt kicking. After moving the coffee table out of the way I tuned into Gilad. He started off with thighs and buttock. I kept up as best as I could, but faintly I could hear giggles and snickers. I ignored it and continued, mildly perspiring. I made it through the first 10 minutes with a bit more confidence. Back from commercial we quickly went into aerobics, surprisingly I did well. However, the giggles turned to mild laughter. What the heck were they laughing at? After the final break, my crevices were sweating profusely, but my hopes were still high. Moving into abs and inner thighs I soon realized that my girls were laughing at me!! I came to terms that I had no idea what I was doing, I looked like a fish flopping on a pier. No matter how ridiculous I looked and no matter how hard my girls laughed I was going to finish that stupid workout. Finally, I was done, sweat circles all over my clothing. I did discover that during the jumping jacks portion, evertime I jumped I pee'd a little. I swear, I'm not 80 for cryin' out loud! After changing my clothes and unmentionables my girls came clean. They told me I looked funny breathing heavy and jumping. So mean!!!

Making good use of my time

2008-08-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

There are just not enough hours in the day it seems or I am just not making good use of my time. I believe it's the latter!! I seriously don't think I am dividing my time well. I know that I need to take care of my kids, house, meals. laundry (hate this!!), etc. I need to be mommy, wife, doctor, playmate (and not bunny...I wish), chef, drill sergeant, tickle monster, housekeeper, role model, the list goes on and on and on. As mommies, we wear many hats and working mothers wear more (may God be with you). By the end of my day, after I put the kiddos to bed, I am up until 11 pm or even midnight. Then my day starts up between 6 am or 6:30 am. I don't think I am getting enough sleep! But I need a few hours after the kids go to bed to collect myself (i.e. watching all my stories) and regroup before the next day starts. I know I need to squeeze in some exercise time because that is something that is truly important to me. So now to manage my time wisely. I want no regrets when my kids are older, that I never spent enough time with them. I never want to regret not having enough time to take care of myself because really, I don't want to be a flabby mommy. I love having a clean house and all the laundry done, but am I putting that before my kids and myself? I think so!! My kids are more important to me than old food cemented to my floor or mounds and mounds of laundry screaming to be washed. My well being is more important than dirty dishes in the sink or a toilet that has not been cleaned in God knows how long. In the blink of an eye, they are going to be grown and I will be lost. Life is too short to waste it on housecleaning, these are just things. My kids are my life, too precious for words. I can still have time to do housework, but that should come last. Making sure I put what's important first is what really matters.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" Matthew 6:21

Just another day!!

2008-08-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

So many different things are going down in my house these days. My girls are getting ready to start school and then I will only have two in the house. It's gonna feel like a vacation for me! So much to prepare for, so little time. Aliya I know will be great, but Zaynah I worry about. I wonder, sometimes, if I have prepared her enough for what she is about to do. She has always been my little home body, never really wanting to go anywhere. Always wanting to be with me or Nate. Aliya has always been footloose and fancy free from the moment she was born. I guess I need to just trust that she will make it on her own and that what I have taught her will see her through. I know it is only kindergarten, but still.

That leaves me with Joshua and Wyatt. We are in the middle of a crisis with Josh. He still needs Nate or me to lie down with him to fall asleep. Such a stinkin headache and more drama than I need. So the past few nights Nate has been telling him that he will be lying down alone to sleep, that he is a big boy and it is time for him to go to bed on his own. Well, Joshua, is not taking that very well. He tells us, " I am not a big boy, I a baby. I don't like to lay down by myself.". All my kids, with the exception of Josh, are great sleepers. I don't know what went wrong with him. He will learn, then it won't be so bad anymore.

Okay, for real this time, I am going to concentrate on loosing my baby weight from Wyatt. My best pal, Elisabeth, is giving me some tips and really encouraging me. She is a yoga instructor and mommy of 2. She is really an inspiration to me and it is good to know she is there for me. It's not too bad, I'm not really overweight, I could just stand to loose a few pounds. I really would like to be aware of my food intake and not be so in love with food that I just ignore the mounds of food on my plate. I seriously love to eat and I could throw down with BBQ or some really good Mexican food. I can still love all that, but moderation is key.

Well, I'm watching the Olympics so I am going to end this. This has been really exciting, a lot of nail biting moments.

Good night all!!

So this is it....

2008-08-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

I am off starting my own blog. I have so many things to share and my hopes are that mommys will read this and think, she is going through exactly what I go through. There will be funny stories but also serious issues that all mommys go through. This is just me, being real!! I make mistakes, I am not a perfect mother. I loose it and I want to pull my hair out, but then turn around and my kids do something to surprise me. This is an everyday life journal of me. So here it is folks, my first post, on my very own blog. Not real inspiring, but a start.