My baby is 7!

Hannah in 2006----Hannah this summer

It is official right now. It is Hannah's birthday. She is seven. I have been very lucky to have the 5th baby be as good as she has been. I joked sometimes saying it took 5 times to get it right. But I wouldn't change any of the girls really. I can't believe she is this old already. I think the toddler/preschool years are my favorite and I am seeing myself at an end. The youngest is in school all day now. Which is OK and sad. I have enjoyed the happiness a Happy Meal can bring, visits to our favorite stores in the mall on weekdays. Going to the library. Shopping in the 4-6x sizes is done. Board books are long passed over due to go away. But in my mourning of this time that has past-and it seems I get to look forward to many years of teenagers yet ahead-hormonal girls, ugh. I still enjoy my little girl in her happiness at Christmas time. The magic she still holds. The happy wave when she sees me still. Not the "ugh mom, your still here." I love the little girl that she still is.

Here is a little Hannah history. She was my 2nd biggest baby at 9obs 11ozs. She was a big girl and it only took me 3 days to be induced with her on time. She was an easy baby which is why she nearly dropped 2 lbs after birth because she was tongue tied. She was nursing but getting next to nothing and didn't complain. She dropped down to my smallest baby at 8lbs 1 oz. We got her back on track but because of that she stayed a newborn size much longer than the first 4. She wore newborn booties for a long time. I remember how hard it was to have a little one while chasing 4 older kids. She was always in the car. Thank goodness she was great at car riding. I had 2 screamers. As she got older she loved to go all the time.

We were going to name her Lillian and call her Lilly. I was pretty sure that was decided almost to the end of my pregnancy. Then I started to doubt that this baby wanted that name. So we were undecided in the hospital as I was trying to go into labor. We started leaning more towards the name Hannah. As I was in the hospital I remember seeing this blonde little girl in my mind with a sweet calm nature and her name was Hannah. Not Lillian. I told Lee Joe what I had seen and felt more confident in that name. So we named her Hannah Lillian. When I had Hannah's pictures taken at 18 months I was floored when I brought the pictures home because what I saw in those pictures was the little girl I saw in my mind.

Hannah has some serious quirks--She hates spaghetti, We have to have "meat" on Sunday-she prefers roast, She will only eat a grilled cheese sandwich-no other sandwich. But she will eat ham just not on bread. She won't eat a thing with the slighest taste of peanut butter. No jelly. She loves pancakes and use to call them pantycakes. All she had to do was ask Lee Joe to make her some pantycakes and he would make them for her everytime. She likes giraffes a lot. She sings very well and has memory with music like her oldest sister. She wanted to learn to play the piano and in particular she wanted to learn how to play music from the Corpse Bride. Amber taught her how to play the top hand notes when she was 5. They would sit together at the piano and Amber would play the bottom hand while she did the top hand and she can still play it sometimes. She plays guitar hero pretty well. She really likes Star Wars. And all things girly too. She is pretty good on the computer but she has had to be on it since she was two because of what is in the next paragraph.

She was born with a piece of iris in her pupil. It is called a persistent pupillary membrane. She has been seeing an eye doctor since she was a newborn. We have had to eye patch her eye, eye drop her eye and now have a thing called a foil over her lens on her glasses to make her weak eye work better for years now. She has had to play on the computer and the game boy was helpful in working her weaker eye. We have found it does interfere with her vision somewhat but the other eye sees extremely well and it is not that much of an issue. Only when we are trying to point something out far away do I notice she has a hard time. But learning is not a problem for her. She amazes us all. Her interest now in building toys is being encouraged much more. A few things she has told us is that she wants to be an engineer and she wants to build roller coasters. The older girls claim she is so smart because I played Mozart for her. I was taking some pretty great vitamins at the time too. So who knows what it was. But she walked the latest of all my girls at around a year-they all started from almost 9 months to 10 months. She was the latest to potty-train. That was convenience for me I think.

Having the 5th child was an incredible challenge for me but I have had more joy with her than I could have imagined. I wouldn't want it any other way. I did remind myself often to slow down so I could enjoy her instead of getting frustrated in having to slow down. And now I keep telling the girls to slow down growing up just a little more. How ironic is that? I enjoy my kids so much and am so blessed and happy to have special days like birthdays to celebrate them.

Labor Day 2008----Christmas 2008

Pictures...Finally!

The fight for the computer

Kelsea shooting a free throw

Tree Decorating and the end result.

Rabbit and Kitty are friends

Hannah's program Autumn in orchestra

Kylee playing trombone Kylee and Autumn singing in choir

Our icicles 5 girls excited to finally open their sister presents on Christmas Eve

Where Santa crashed

Lee Joe's gift to me----My gift to Lee Joe

Kylee's house project

Post Christmas Post

The snow was so pretty Christmas night and sometime during the night it turned into rain and all the pretty new snow was gone. But snowed some more during the day.

We had a nice Christmas. But like at Thanksgiving we are really feeling the absence of my sister and her family. It is just nowhere near the same. My mom came over later Christmas day. We didn't go to her house Christmas eve like we have every year lately to get together. She left soon after coming over because the roads were becoming horrible. So I am kind of sad. But we relaxed all day. I am still fighting something and Kelsea and Lee Joe might have had a little of it too so it took me most of the day to get around to pie making and putting a ham in the oven. We had a small dinner with just us.

But the kids have had their annual day of fun. Everyone was up at 7:30. Kylee woke people up with silly string. We got a couple Wii games. Of course the latest Guitar Hero was one and Kelsea was on that first thing. And we got Wii Music. That one is funny to watch Hannah play. Between gifts from my mom and some Santa's "helpers" we have an enormous pile of new movies to watch. The three little girls got cheap cameras and unfortunately they are a terrible disappointment. My 2 cast off cameras that I let the older girls use are still a much better option. So Kylee and Autumn will inherit those now I guess.

I got 3 necklaces from the little girls and a nice sapphire necklace from Lee Joe. I got some scrapbooking paper and a roll of rolos in one package. That was kind of funny. Kelsea got me a really nice long black soft scarf. Lee Joe's several day and late night project for me was a wooden scrapbook. It is beautiful. I gave him an P-38 handmade wooden plane. We thought the exchange of wooden gifts was funny and he got his yearly airplane book and a DVD of the Olympic opening ceremony that he missed while he was in California this summer. He loved that.

Thanks to Thomas we will be going to a movie sometime during vacation. Thank you!

That was our Christmas.

It's almost time!!

Christmas is here whether I am ready or not. I am not. Kind of, but all the loose ends are still loose. So I hope to get motivated and take care of business. I got hit with a cold/flu thing yesterday. It was bad enough in the evening I couldn't finish baking cookies. Kelsea helped me finish the last rounds of cookies last night. The little girls decorated their sugar cookies they cut out. And MAN there is a mountain of cookies to give away. Lee Joe is going to get lost with the kids today so I can take care of what is left.

We have had some snow finally but that has made some miserable driving. Someone almost ran over the stop sign by my neighbors yard night. They said that the snow was suppose to go around us. So mother nature said HAHA and hit us finally with about 4 inches. Now they say it is suppose to snow today and tomorrow. We will see what Mother nature says about that.

Lee Joe has been making something for me for the past two days. He moved snow a couple of night ago and was gone all night and then he went to a friends house and was gone until really late that night and he was gone until 3 last night but he says he is almost done. Hopefully I will get my software figured out soon to get pictures up again. Oh and I need to get all my stuff that needs to mailed out. I am behind there too.

I had a funny dream this morning that I was working at the school and I asked the gal that I work with if we were really gone two weeks because I couldn't remember any of it of even Christmas and it went by so fast. I was really relieved when I woke up and realized we haven't been through the first week yet. Then I had to laugh once I was relieved.

Hannah was in my room bright and early this morning. She asked at 9 am if she could put cookies on a plate for Santa and then all day she asked to open a present. Once we did she was able to open a 2nd a present and it was opened so fast I missed it. It is so fun to see her so excited but she was about bouncing off the walls. She was making Kool-aid and spilled sugar and the Kool-aid on the floor and didn't stir it in her excitement to wrap presents with her sisters. So funny. We have enjoyed her enthusiasm all day and she was over tired by bedtime.

We finally went to look at Christmas lights. We dropped off some things to a couple of people we know anonymously. It has snowed and snowed. We have been watching it snow this evening. It is so pretty. I brought Kelsea upstairs and had her look out the window and told her about what I did to my mom one Christmas when I was 6 or 7 in Denver. Hannah's age. I looked out the window to see if it was morning. The Sky was glowing like it was daylight. But it snowed a bunch and it was the snow glow. But I didn't know so I tried to wake my mom up and she said she was getting up but couldn't get up. I woke my sister up and we opened everything and I showed my mom everything and she kind of acknowleged it but couldn't wake up. It was really 3 or4 in the morning. My mom missed it and I finally realized somehow that it was still night. We played with our stuff for a bit and then went back to bed. It was a really nice Christmas though, I remember that.

Baking-baking

Apparantly, according to my children as of lately, I only bake during Thanksgiving and Christmas. That could be true. I do bake the occasional batch of cookies, cake or batch of brownies. But I do a much bigger variety this time of year. So I am trying to get in the swing of it today. I have started with my favorite toffee cookies and will be making sugar cookies shortly. I found a recipe on Kraft.com that makes them with cream cheese. They stay soft and are really good sugar cookies. So they are chillin' right now. I made fudge for the kids to give to teachers. Muddy buddies are another favorite. We will see how full of gusto I get on the rest of this.

We were wondering if we would REALLY get up to a foot of snow. I think we got about 3 inches at the most but it rained last night before it snowed so it ruined the beautiful snow it could have been and made it dangerous to drive this morning. Lee Joe was called at midnight for snow removal this morning and got home around 8am. I cancelled a drs appt I had this morning because I didn't want to try the roads. It is sunny and super sloppy out there. I don't know where all this snow is going that they keep saying is going to fall.

Lee Joe took the 3 little girls sledding yesterday for hours and the two oldest are sledding today with their buddies.

What happened?

No snow day. The ground was just barely covered in snow again. It was an early release day but man I was ready for the end of the day. The charmers were working their charm yesterday(translation-the stinkers were being their stinker selves big time)I brought home more yummy stuff and some gift cards to a restaurant and Moxie java. Hmm-I should get some hot chocolate some morning.

It is suppose to snow like crazy tomorrow and the rest of the week. We will have to see what really happens.

I am done Christmas shopping!! It is a lean year. But that's OK. Now I need to start wrapping. I have lost my alone time to get that done though.

I have heard of two familes this week that had their houses broken into and robbed of their Christmas. How sad is that?

I am just super happy I get vacation with the kids too. I get a couple of weeks to stay warm and out of snow gear.

Snow day?

It is really funny when the employees at the school want a snow day. They were worse than the kids in wishing. Some teachers and the secretary were wishing hard and want one for tomorrow. It was suppose to snow like crazy tonight. It was suppose to start at 6 and it hasn't yet. But some teachers said that when we got the snow day we had last year some teachers at another school all slept with spoons under their pillows. And we got a snow day. So a bunch of teacher and staff want one. But some would hate to see the kids miss their Christmas parties. So for those people who wanted one they were encouraged to sleep with a spoon under their pillow and to wear their pajamas inside out.

I am reaping the benefits of working at the school. I brought home banana bread yesterday and some candy. Today I got a loaf of pumpkin bread and a box of chocolate mints and a scratch card and several Christmas cards. The high school sponsored a bunch of families at the school and it was the coolest thing to watch a bunch of high school kids bring in bags and bags of gifts and see an office full of Christmas gifts for families at the school.

I think I might be done shopping. I have a smidgen left. Yay!

I heard the cutest thing ever yesterday. It was at the store and not at the school. A little girl realized the disney princesses on a game were the same as the ones on her boots and then she started singing a song that sounded like "Jingle Bells" but it was "Tinker Bells" I couldn't stop laughing.

Something nice

It was REALLY cold this morning. I know everyone is hearing me hollar. The maybe 2 people out there. Not really- I think there are more that do not have comment capabilities yet or just don't . Anyways. I have no ear muffs anymore and I wanted a pair that is less bulky and go around the back of your head and not the top. I looked at 2 stores and didn't find what I was looking for but I found a great scarf that is like sits on your head kind of like a hat. Then last night Amber's boyfriend brought something over--it was for me. It was the ear muffs I was looking for. My ear got a little nipped yesterday in the cold. I told his mom what I was looking for. I see her almost everyday. She happened to find them. How nice was that? So I used them today. They were fantastic and warm.

The principal was out with us today helping with the kids so all of us that had to be outside could spell each other off. The kids were in first recess but in the early morning I still have to be at the crosswalk and someone has to tell the kids to go in. It is suppose to snow again tomorrow. Yee Haw. I am handling the cold fine really though. Lee Joe is not working much right now so he is not out in it much either. It is too cold for him to work doing what he does anyways. He was suppose to start a job in Pocatello this week but it is too cold and frozen.

I am always tired and have nothing else to say I guess. Oh wait-I have a new e-mail address through the school. But I am not going to post it on my blog, sorry.

Freaking cold

I want you to know that we have NOT seen 0 degree temps in years. And lows below 20 don't happen that often either. Well here it is and I get to spend almost 3 hours out in it everyday just wandering and yelling at kids to stop sliding on the ice, sending them to the nurse when they fall and to stop throwing snow balls at least 100 times every 15 minutes. What a kill joy I am, but there are rules I didn't make that we must follow. And yet you would think that is enough to keep warm? No not really. It snowed and snowed this afternoon. But it was a very pretty snow fall. The 0 degree low is not expected until Saturday but it is still going to be stinking cold all week. I can't believe it is only Monday.

I am not ready for Christmas. I think there may be 5 presents under the tree. I have yet to wrap one myself. It is too close and I don't have enough time!! ugh. I wanted to make some fudge tonight but besides being too tired, I had piles of laundry calling my name. I would like to find clothes a little easier in the morning.

I wish I had time to mess with the computer to show you pictures.

Delayed Snow

It was suppose to snow 3 inches overnight on Friday-Sat. We woke to no snow. It rained really hard. But it came Sat afternoon and overnight. It is still snowing now. Ugh. I know it will still be here tomorrow. Oh man. Oh well.

The girls went to a duct tape themed SND last night. Kelsea brought the dress and her bag. She wore it and won a Symphony bar. She chased Amber and the boyfriend when they were saying goodbye last night and renacted the kissing and then was grossed out about letting Amber use her chapstick. She said it was contaminated now and it was like she was kissing him too now.

I have some sick crap this weekend. Some sort of flu. What's new? Ridiculous. Thanks prednisone.

I survived!!

It is Friday and I am still in one piece. On top of 5 days of work and the Weds I described-I have attended 3 Christmas concerts(Ky &Aut honor choir-Kel orchestra-Han 1st-3 program) and a basketball game. Lee Joe watched the one on Weds. There is another one tomorrow. Next week has one basketball game on Friday and the rest of the week looks much better. There is one more christmas concert during the morning next week

3 inches of snow is expected overnight. They said it would start at midnight. It is 6 almost 7 and it is already trying. They were putting de-icer on the road at 4. So I suspect it is suppose to be a good storm then. I am just glad it is happening tonight and not on some other weekday-when I am outside so much and it is nasty out.

I hope to be able to finish Christmas shopping soon. I can't believe it is that close. With things like this I don't think I will be ready. Having money to shop helps too.

Prednisone is weird stuff. I feel less tired at times because it keeps me up and I wake up a lot on it. But my body is still tired. I was feeling dizzy from how tired I was on Weds and I have a terrible memory and my mind goes blank from being so tired and I keep going by some unknown power. It is weird. I don't like it and it is not really helping my problem much. I guess I am whining again but I just feel strange. I just feel like having more to say with my blank mind.

My house at this very moment is empty of all people but me. I might have this evening to myself for awhile. That is nice since I don't get that time during the day. I need to go talk to Santa about what he is doing for Christmas.....

Blip 2

When I go to my doctor's office and my doctor's nurse sees me-I am referred to as the mother-in-law. That was interesting news I heard yesterday.

YUCK

How do people with several kids and a job do it? Kelsea has basketball until sometime after 6, Autumn needs to be at the church at 5:30 or 6 until 8. Kylee and Amber and Kelsea are suppose to be at a senior center instead of the church at 6:30. I think only Kylee will make it tonight though. Lee Joe has scouts at 6to 7. Hannah could be babysat at the church at 6. Amber has pep band at 7. I should be with Kylee but you know what? I don't want to have to be anywhere. I could send everybody away and have some time to myself. But probably not.

This is one of those weeks where there is stuff every night this week. Of course I am trying to survive my first full week of full-time work. I am half way there!! I like that I have next week and I am off for two though. Today they had a lunch for all the classified staff-me-and it was yummy and I didn't have to go do lunchroom or outside during the lunch time. I love the gal that I work with in the office. I have talked to several people who have been on prednisone and they have the same sleep problems I do so that doesn't help much.

Blip

In case you didn't facebook and find out-the boyfriend is a boyfriend now.

The real thing

I am so tired but I have access to my computer for a few minutes without a fight. I had my first day for the rest of whenever, at my job. The secretary was gone and we had a sub but since I know plenty in the office I got to stay in all day. The reward-endless kids in the nurses office and phone calls all morning. It got a little silly for a bit. Even one of the kids remarked how nonstop the traffic was. I kept trying to rename the kids in the nurses office. I took my headache medicine today. It helped but I was a real air head at times. At 1:30 we had a nurse and everything calmed down. We ended the day with an abandoned kindergartener. I could not reach anyone at the 2 numbers we had for him and I tried to find any other connections I could. At almost 4:30 I got someone. School gets out at 3:15. I am suppose to be off at 4. The principal stayed with him and I left at 4:30. I told myself at one point that I get to be there everyday from now on. OK.

The girls had an honor choir concert. We had a missing shirt. I found it and she got it in time. Now I should go away from this computer because i am terribly boring right now. It is not even 8 yet.

hmm

I was going to post pictures but I have a new glitch in my software and I couldn't get my very useful program to work. Darn it.

Today was not as much fun as I had planned but I was edgy. The screamers on my front brake pads did a great job of screaming at me when I went anywhere and it made me want to scream. Yes I am very testy and grumpy-grr. So I tried to prevent more agitation by staying home later in the day. besides, everyone is shopping today and I don't enjoy crowds. Lee Joe is going to check and maybe fix the screaming brakes in a few hours. yay! I should go to bed.

One more day for me

Friday is my last hurrah day. I just got done working for 3 days. That stupid headache thing afflicted me from Tuesday night on. So when you take 3 ibuprofren, Aleve cold and sinus, Tylenol with codeine, then 4 ibuprofren at once during the course of a day and you still have a headache. Then you take 4 ibuprofren, excedrin migraine and Aleve cold and sinus within an hour the next morning and you still have the stupid thing all day. It is just a bunch of crap. Now somehow it has totally eased up and I don't know why. I have a high tolerance for pain and it was all I could do to stay at the school all day. My eyes were swollen and I look terrible. I did it-stuck it out and survived and I did what I never want to do but I didn't want to wait a weekend either for relief or feel sick on Friday, I hit my doctor up at the school when I saw him for some other prescription pain reliever because I couldn't stand it anymore. Now I have it but I don't need it.

So tomorrow is my last day of freedom without my kids at home and I can go do whatever I want. The sad thing is I have no money. I suppose that is the story for a lot of people these days. At least I have a job I guess. I will still get the kids days off too. So there you go.

Lee Joe got home last night. He tells me today I guess he is going to Pocatello next week for work. But we know how back and forth him leaving can get.

Here is a funny comment for the day and I can't take claim. A teacher was talking to the secretary and I in the office. She was talking about tattoos and how she has seem some ladies, who have not age gracefully, have saggy tattoos. Then she said if she had gotten a rosebud tattoo when she was 120 pounds it would have bloomed by now. That was a good one.

First day??

It was kind of like my first day in my position even though I was "subbing" The gal I am replacing had her last day last week and she is just getting in her last personal and sick days. So many people were so happy I got the job, it was so nice. I was able to go through some papers and get familiar with my new territory at least make it mine. But I was seriously rained on this morning and lunch was obnoxious. All the kids were so noisey--REALLY noisey! On the playground I reminded myself I would be here every day from now on. But it was a quiet day really. The phone barely rang, I kept myself kind of busy. I know the Secretary is so happy because I already know so much and she barely has to tell me anything. I found out I get more money for doing the safety patrol.. WOOHOO! I went to Kelsea's game-they won!! By a lot and Kelsea scored 3 by making free throws. She caused the other team to turn over the ball a lot. The refs were better. But there were a few times things looked dangerous. I am surprised nobody got really badly hurt. Amber is at pep band but I have to make corn bread muffins for Autumn's class for tomorrow. Amber is not too happy with me talking to the boyfriend that is not a boyfriends mom. I can see her everyday almost now. She is PTO president and has a kindergartener this year so she is there a lot. I am always apparantly giving her info she doesn't know and she has filled me in on somethings I didn't know too. I want to post pictures-maybe later.

Playing the single parent game

So I am not a single parent but I will be playing one this week. Lee Joe left this morning. Another one of those weekends where he tries to tell me he is leaving everyday for like 3 days. He is leaving Friday-no-he is leaving after sacrament on Sunday-maybe he will leave later Monday-no Monday morning. He DID go this morning and may be back Wednesday night(?) We will see. I work for the next 3 days. I spent today trying to enjoy the freedom of no kids with transportation. Amber and I are tag teaming the kid wrangling. It will be busy tomorrow. And Wednesday is what it is. Oh well. I have Friday to live it up one more day if I am not hammered. Guess what? It is suppose to rain tomorrow morning. Hooray for me. See me waving a teenie tiny flag with faux enthusiasm. It's all a part of the job. At least we are not in Texas-I am trying to look at the bright side.

Of course, It is winter, the yellow jackets should be in hibernation.. I hate yellow jackets since I was stung by one at Devanie's wedding under the eye and my face was so swollen the next day I had to go to the ER. EWWW-I hate them! There was the biggest queen yellow jacket I have ever seen in my house this morning. It was so loud as it buzzed around the hall light. I think I handled the mouse a little better than the yellow jacket. I went to get some spray-I closed all the doors in the upstairs hallway and hid in Amber's room while I waited and peeked every few minutes to see if the spray was doing it's job. Once it was writhing on the ground I had to squish it several times before it stopped moving. It's body had to be over an inch long. I was not stung and I hope to wake up in the morning tomorrow in a pest free house. I guess I am not the only one having unwelcome visitors. My mom was telling me how my brother Matt found something-some kind of big rodent in their garage that was not a rat. He chased it around and tried to kill it by stomping on it's head. But it didn't die. He started to feel bad for the thing they did not know what it was and put it in a pet carrier and had it out on the back porch. When my mom got up Matt had brought the carrier in the house and turned a space heater on low for it. OK so being a tender hearted animal lover is genetic it doesn't matter how ugly or how much of a nuisance it proves to be. My mom was researching what they thought it might be and they think it could be a blind mole rat. I have never seen one before. I am glad it wasn't at my house this time. I will stop complaining about killing the yellow jacket now. The yellow jacket is a bug and not an animal so I can kill that without remorse.