Monday Madness Through Maybe a Fearless Friday

Monday Madness ,Tiring Tuesday, Weary Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday…& Maybe Fearless Friday

The kids rooms are being completed today! How excited are we? Very much so! They have not had their bedrooms in a normal fashion since February 4, 2011 due to the house flooding! It will be so nice to see our garage return to normal and not storage for everything as well as a playroom! Hmmmm…. Maybe I can even park in there again! I wonder if that is high hopes?!?! Lol. As most of you know a few weeks ago we had Servpro in and they set up dehumidifiers and fans all throughout our house for a 48 hour period. We had to keep doors and windows closed during this time and keep all equipment running. Our house reached 89 degrees without the heat ever turning on! It was ridiculous!  So glad that is part of the past on this excitement that we have going on! Have you ever noticed that there never seems to be a dull moment in this household?

Currently the house is undergoing a mad “makeover”. We are having to endure new flooring being put down as well as walls downstairs being painted. 

*** The above is where I stopped on Tuesday! I could not even finish what I had started due the madness going on in our house this week! Hence the title of this post.***

Since Tuesday the downstairs walls have all been painted, the flooring is all in place, all baseboards in tact... and everything looks GREAT!!! I will post pictures this weekend....I hope. I won't promise, but I will certainly try. Kevin and I are very pleased with the turn out of everything. The house looks so much better with new flooring. Brighter and more open seem to be my choice of words lately. The wood blends very nicely with the tile and of course it is more kid friendly over carpet. Maybe the flood was a blessing in disguise! We spent all week with out living room in the garage, so of course it left us all in total turmoil trying to find odds and ends that we needed. The kids had to eat in the girls room a few time. A total bonus to them, not so much to us. In no way was there any excitement coming from the parents of the house.  On Tuesday morning I realized I had no room to cook breakfast because my pantry was taking over the counter tops, so I headed to the garage to grab the toaster and toaster pastry things; totally not remembering that we could not even get to our freezer out there because of the furniture stacked against it. Needless to say, the kids had pizza and pizza rolls for breakfast. Give me a break.... it covers the basic food groups! I should have won a "Cool Mom of the Day" award or something for pulling this one off!

The real fun begins tomorrow... the downstairs bathroom is showing signs of mold. With that being said, the bathtub has to come out and treatment behind it has to be done. The problem... The entire bathroom now has to come out! It is not large enough to move the tub out without removing everything else. This will make for an interesting week next week. For over two weeks now we have all been confined to one shower (upstairs), but we have had both toilets in working condition. This will not be the case after Monday until further notice. On a brighter note, it will not even come close to the eight weeks in Germany when we were without a kitchen due to renovations! At least we can manage and make do! 

On a sad note, the kids have been out of school all week for spring break and it has revolved around house repairs... I feel terrible for them this week! I know it has not been any fun, but they have been champs about it for the most part. The girls have really stepped up and helped me out a lot with keeping the house as picked up as we have been able to. I am hoping to get out tomorrow and either head to the park or maybe the free petting zoo with them. On Saturday we are planning on heading to Fort Bliss for a day at Old Fort Bliss to check out the vendor's and kids activities. Kev has to pull CQ (24 hr duty) that day, so we may as well take a much needed break from being cooped up.

Something to leave you with... My sweet, little man was sick on Sunday, so he crashed out on the couch. He's feeling totally normal now! I couldn't resist this innocent picture...

I will post pictures soon! Probably either tomorrow or Saturday! 

Happy 4th Birthday to the Little Man of the House

Today was spent celebrating a special little man’s upcoming birthday! It is so difficult to believe that soon Nicholas will be four years old! This is the first year that Nicholas has truly understood the meaning of his birthday and showed pure excitement over it. It has brought smiles to my heart to see him so full of happiness. For the past few weeks the two of us have been out on the hunt for Spiderman Birthday items on a budget. We managed to succeed at this and to put it all together pretty nicely. Nic and I spent Friday cooking and prepping for today. We made almost all the food and baked all of the 50 cupcakes for today! The cupcakes were Nic’s favorite part of the whole ordeal. He especially loved the part that left us dying icing red and blue to fall into his Spiderman theme.

The girls and I waited until last night to wrap his gifts. We did this in order to leave Nic with no temptations of unwrapping presents! When he woke up this morning and discovered the gifts wrapped in the wrapping paper he picked out he ended up becoming overly excited, screaming that it was his birthday. It was so adorable to see this excitement. See, I took Nic a few weeks ago and let him pick out the wrapping paper for his presents. When he saw gifts wrapped up in it he knew that today was his special day!

Around this time the jumping balloon also arrived. Yes, it was Spiderman as well. He thought it was the coolest thing ever! Even though we still have a little over a week before he is four, he will tell you now that his age is four when asked. He says either “I four” or “I Nic and I four”.

Nic ended up with all kinds of clothing, trucks, spiderman toys, a robot, a truck flashlight, tools, a tool bench and more! He was very pleased with his gifts and the thoughtfulness behind them. He played hard outside after opening his gifts and ended up taking his robot everywhere with him. The robot and one of his trucks are right beside his bed at this moment while he sleeps in his new pajamas. I am so in love with this little man! When I tucked him in tonight he kept hugging me and telling me he loved me. I asked him if he had fun today and he told me “so much fun mommy. Thank you.” Then again he told me that he loved me. Nothing can melt a mom’s heart more than hearing her little ones express their love and gratitude. Not to mention there is just something extra special about a mama’s boy…. I now understand it all.

The girls were all mad at us because they got in trouble for fighting!

Thank you so much to the ones that came out today. And an even bigger thanks to Debbie for all the help with things today! I appreciate it so much!  Nicholas has truly had a wonderful day and is very blessed to have the ones in his life that he does! We all are!

Happy 4^th (almost) Birthday to the best little man that I could have been blessed with!

This is my favorite picture of Nic! So cute! 

March of Dimes: Team Scarlette

Being a mother to premature babies (2 of my 3) I can understand and relate to Kayla and Jeff with their little girl, Scarlette, in many ways.... yet, there are still many, many ways that I cannot... I have shared my sincere thoughts to many of your before and even posted on here asking for each of you to just pray. Thank you to the ones that have prayed. Prayers go such a long way and I do believe they have played a part in Scarlette and her journey. She still has a long road ahead of her, but she is here. Please check out Kayla's story with her babygirl, Scarlette at www.kaylaaimee.typepad.com. Kayla has opened her heart up on this site, always leaving each of us with many updates on precious Scarlette. 

As most of you know, Kevin and I were overcome with joy and anticipation with Breanna. Our first child, who ended up being a preemie. Bre was born with premature lungs and over the past nine years we have faced battle after battle. She has overcome so much and been through so much. Everyday I pray and I thank God for keeping her here. It still amazes us that I was able to go as long as I did through my high risk pregnancy and bedrest. It amazes us even more that after all the medical attention, testing, the apnea machine for a year, and more that she is here and healthy. Breanna taught me to never lose hope or faith. She has taught me to keep pushing, even when I think I can push no more. So to hear that someone I know has had to go through something as trying and rough as Kayla has, it just brings me to tears. I wish there was something I could do to just take away her pain and make everything okay. Scarlette is now four months old... however, she should only be a couple weeks old. She was 25 weeks early and I am going to share Kayla's story with you. To me, Kayla, is one of the strongest women I have been blessed to know. I remember when I was 17/18 and going through my high risk pregnancy and labor with Breanna I felt lost. To this day even talking about our close calls with her brings me to tears. 


Scarlette is such a strong and amazing little girl who fights harder than so many others.... When Kayla shares her stories of progression or her fall backs, we all cry with Ka. We all feel her happiness and her pain. We all pray for Scarlette to keep pushing through this and to make it home, to her home, with her mommy and daddy. Soon... This little girl has already stolen the hearts of many and we have all fallen in love with her.... **Thanks Ka for allowing each of us into your daughter's life...**

You can make a difference. I know times are tough for many of us, but please, donate to the March of Dimes...Team Scarlette. This money goes to great things and it is one of the reasons that Scarlette has had the chance at life! So much has changed over the years and medical technology is so far advanced.

Below is Kayla's story with precious baby Scarlette:

This is my birth story. It is atypical, long and painful and will forever be a heart wrenching memory for me. I believe our ending is the stuff of fairy tales, a happily-ever-after in which, after years of infertility, we meet our daughter, born 15 weeks premature weighing just 1lb 9oz, and she steals our hearts.

I am sharing here in support of March For Babies 2011. Please consider supporting Team Scarlette as we walk in honor of the thousands of babies born too soon.

It was a Wednesday. Three Wednesdays prior I left an ultrasound appointment with a blurry photo of a baby girl in my hand, which Tiffani and I promptly took to the mall and exclaimed over as we bought tiny skirts and tights and future Christmas dresses.

On this particular ordinary Wednesday, I drove to my best friend's house for our weekly girl time and we spent the day watching the baby kick in my belly. I nudged her back as she pushed against my hand. Tiffani and I asked her what she wanted her name to be. I furrowed my brow. "Tiff, I mentioned casually, I keep randomly feeling like someone is pricking the skin on my stomach with a straight pin. It doesn't hurt, it just feels like a quick pin prick. That's not what Braxton Hicks feels like is it?" We watched my belly, determined I was not having Braxton Hicks and continued about our day. I told her about Maelani, showing her pictures of a baby born too soon, unknowingly foreshadowing our story.

It was that afternoon as I drove to pick up Jeff from work that the feeling intensified. Nothing hurt. My stomach didn't tighten. I just felt off, different, and the pin-prick feeling was back. My OB-GYN's office was near Jeff's work and it was fifteen minutes until closing time. I thought I was being anxious. Then I thought about Maelani. "I'm just going to run in for peace of mind" I told him. We thought they'd tell me I was being anxious and send me home.

Dr. B smiled at me as he pulled on his exam gloves. He was quite used to my anxiety and I was grateful he was indulging my worry. We had a routine, me and Dr. B. I'd tell him what I was worried about and he was quick to reassure me during my exam. Only this time, this time he was silent. I saw him motion to my nurse, the one who held my hand through each ultrasound when we thought the baby was ectopic, and again when I suffered a subchorionic hemmorage. Then I saw her turn from me with tears in her eyes. "I'm dialated, aren't I?"I asked. Dr. B squeezed my leg and confirmed, ordering me to go straight to the hospital. "I'll meet you there in 10 minutes, he told me, this is serious."

I'm not sure what my face did to Jeff's heart as I walked into the waiting room. I called Tiffani, sobbing. "But you were fine. You were fine" she kept saying. "It's okay, I remember telling everyone, at least I'm not having contractions."

That false sense of security subsided as apparently, you can have contractions without feeling them. This is quite contrary to everything I had ever known about labor. But a machine strapped to my stomach didn't lie. I was contracting every few minutes. They began talking about labor. "But I don't know how to give birth, I told them, I haven't gotten that far in my baby book yet."One day that will be funny. One day.

In a flurry of activity, they began ordering medicines to stop labor and a neonatal expert came down from the NICU to talk us about the odds of survival for our daughter. I remember hearing her say statistics. I failed statistics but I knew the numbers swirling in my head were bad. And then she kept going, naming things I'd never thought of in conjuction with the tiny baby growing inside me; things like blindness, brain bleeds, ventilators. At the same time, another ultrasound, and we learned that I wasn't as far a long in the pregnancy as we we'd thought, gaining more knowledge that our baby was in serious danger. I felt so helpless, all the while growing unbearably hot, as they administered magnesium and something else and then something else and tried to calm me down as I fought against thoughts of losing my daughter, my only daughter. I begged Jeff to give her a name before we lost her and then I fell into a darkness of pain and hallucinations.

Everything from that moment on is faded, like a perfectly aged photograph, memories clouded by pain and suffering. They tell me Tiffani and Natalie came to see me, but I don't remember that. They tell me I did nothing but ask about how my baby was, but I don't remember that either. I just remember flashes of things too graphic to write about.

I remember Dr. K telling me I had dialated more, that she could feel the baby's feet and my bag of waters. I remember them turning me upside down in the bed, trying to get gravity to work for me instead of against me. I remember grasping Dr. K's hand and softly asking her to tell me the truth, if I was going to be able to keep the baby in and her quietly shaking her head and telling me no. "Just get this baby to 25 weeks," she told me gently. I remember a nurse telling me that all of my crying was bad for the baby, and then I remember going numb and not letting a single tear escape my eyes.

I woke up Saturday afternoon in another room, sunlight streaming across my husband's face as he slept, hand in mine. Things had slowed down, maybe we could keep the baby in longer after all. I slept on as Saturday turned to Sunday. Sunday. I had made it to 25 weeks. Someone bathed me, doctors visited me, Jeff went home for a shower and change of clothes. We made plans to stay in the hospital indefinitely and then I felt it.

My parents and Jeff exchanged silent looks, worry creasing their faces as they watched the monitor begin peaking, high sharp peaks every two minutes. "I'm having contractions. I can feel these. I can feel these!"I said, panicked. My mother slipped out to get the nurse. My dad and Jeff bit their lips. "These hurt. These really hurt." I find it funny, looking back, that they all tried to keep it a secret from me that I was having contractions, as though I couldn't feel those.

6 centimeters dialated and the baby was breech. They hooked up the IV, started the drugs and I knew they weren't working. Someone was rushing my bed down the hall. Examining me again, even more dialated. Someone else told me I was going to have a c-section. "We're taking the baby." Something about something about fluid on my lungs. Something about something about how the baby was so fragile, she could break during delivery. I remember Jeff's face. I remember hearing a conversation take place and Jeff's voice telling them to put me first. "No, save my baby, save my baby" I gasped, gripping the nurses jacket.

I remember them remarking on how well I was doing with contractions. I also remember telling them that my physical pain was nothing, nothing compared to the pain I was having at the thought of them cutting my baby from me 15 weeks too early. I knew they had to take her to save her and I slipped deep into myself, spending what I thought were my last moments with my daughter. I thought if she died, I'd never return from that place.

Strong arms gripped me as an anethesiologist administered a spinal block. He had nice eyes, kind eyes, I thought as he hovered over me. They let Jeff in and he stroked my hair and wiped silent tears from my face as they drew a scalpel across my stomach and uttered medical terms that had no meaning to me. "The suction quit working" someone said. Suction seemed important. "Is the baby intact?" someone asked. I broke somewhere in my heart at those words. The anesthesiologist gave me something to calm me down, as though drugs were going to touch me.

She sounded like a kitten, her cry. Faint and small, it carried over the curtain. "Is that my baby?" I asked in wonderment. They had told me she wouldn't breathe, they had told me I wouldn't hear her. "That's your baby, mommy, Dr. K said, she came out kicking and screaming."

They let Jeff see her as they worked on her and I watched his heart move from being just mine to being hers. He stood between us, torn. "Can I go to her again? Are you okay?" he asked me. I wanted him to be with her, I didn't want her to be alone. I couldn't bear the thought of her being alone.

They positioned the scale where I could see it as they weighed her. One pound eight point six ounces. She was so perfect, so tiny and miniature.

Then they brought her to me. They had told me I couldn't see her, that they would take her straight to the NICU. In the most perfect moment of my life, they brought her too me and her tiny fingers wrapped around mine. Her entire hand was smaller than my knuckle and I stared into her face, her eyes not yet open "Oh my love, oh my love" I whispered again and again. And then they whisked her away.

And that is where Scarlette's Story begins.

"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, "Do not fear; I will help you." -Isaiah 41:13

Also check this link out. This is the direct link to Kayla's March of Dimes page.
http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=3625036&ct=4&w=4613316&u=kaylaaimee

I Like You a Lot

As Kevin spends another night sitting on CQ, I figured I would take this opportunity to update our blog… However, there have not been too many changes or updates lately! There will be many in the near future, as you all know we have many upcoming changes to look forward to! More to come!

Last Saturday Caitlin and Nicholas spent the morning out with me. We picked up a few Easter crafts at Michael’s and had breakfast at Krispe Kreme! Which, by the way, these two kids fell in LOVE with. I became the “cool” mom that day. I am pretty sure that was Nic’s first time going there. They were so excited to see the doughnuts actually being made. I enjoyed sitting there watching the two of them enjoy themselves. Of course, we remembered to take some home for Kevin and Breanna! 

Past that I spent the rest of the weekend cramming for my exam that was due midnight Monday. Talk about being exhausted!!! It has been quite some time since I have found myself that tired. I am serious when I say I am still trying to get past the weekend. I have come to the realization…wait for it… I am just not as young as I use to be! Lol. Do many of you even know how hard that was to admit? Haha.  In the end of my hard work and Kev’s all play weekend, I passed my course! Kevin and the kids spend the rest of the weekend playing video games and playing outside.

Oh, and I also added the center piece that we have had hanging up in a bag in the closet to our table! It definitely made the table look a lot better. (Not the basket on the table, the piece under it. We absolutely love the colors in it!)

While David was in town a little more than a week ago we headed to the Verizon store in order for him to check some things out. While we were there, I noticed Nicholas and Kevin playing on the display IPhone 4's they had sitting out. Of course, I could not resist the urge to take a picture. The two main men in my life just make my heart melt!!!

We were so blessed to be able to see David off and on over a four week period. He was in and out of El Paso helping a company out here that was short drivers. Seeing him was something that was much needed by each and every one of us! Thank you David for everything! We all miss you and can't wait to see you again! *** Happy Birthday this weekend***

About two weeks ago we had some friends over for dinner. It was nice to see everyone that showed. We threw some chicken on the grill and had a few sides to chose from. Kevin and Glenn started the grill outside in our backyard, needless to say, with the wind, they had to move the grill into the garage. What they neglected to do was take it through the yard and around the house... I will leave the rest to your imagination.... All the kids had a blast playing through the house and the backyard. Caitlin found herself spending the vast majority of her time sitting on the couch, holding Jada. Joe and Tasha's little girl is a few months old and as sweet as can be! Caitlin did amazing holding her! (Sorry for the blurry picture. I will post one that is more clear soon!)

Past all of this, there have not been any changes in things that we have going on in our lives. At least nothing worth updating at this point.

Although, I will share with you Nic's newest saying... Nicholas now likes to inform us that he likes us. Lol. Yes, he will look at me or Kev and say "Mommy/Daddy, I like you, I really do." It is truthfully one of the cutest things I have heard in such a long time! I asked him today if he still loves me. He told me "Yes, I love you mommy. But, I like you so much". How cute is he? Then, he followed that with a huge hug and kiss. Oh, how he makes my heart just melt!

Continuing to Pray for Scarlette

   I am writing tonight to ask everyone to say a prayer for a friend of mines baby. Kayla and I attended high school together, and though we were never close in school, I follow her blog daily. She is an amazing and strong woman with a lot of motivation and faith behind her. She is happily married with a baby that she delivered over 100 days ago. If I have not yet told you about Kayla and Jeff’s baby, you may find it funny that I mention the days. See, Scarlette was born as a micro-preemie. She was over 100 days early. During this week, Kayla will pass by her actual due date. The only problem…. Scarlette is still in NICU. She was born weighing a little over one pound. As of right now, this precious baby weighs over 4.2 lbs! Can we say absolutely amazing! She has the strength of her mother and surprises us daily. Though none of us have had the privilege of meeting this miracle, she has stolen and captured the hearts of many. When Kayla posts daily, whether it be on her progress or days of hardships, I cry. I cry for the good news and I shed many tears over the worrisome news. I pray daily and frequently. This fighter that Kayla has had the pleasure of bringing into the world and knowing deserves so much more in life and I have no doubts, she will get it. Scarlette is here for a reason. Kayla has been by her side throughout it all and loving her with every passing moment. When Kayla hurts, we all hurt. When she is overfilled with joy, we are on the outside rejoicing with her. Scarlette is currently having more issues within the intestinal area. She is up for another GI appointment and a possible transfer to a Children’s Hospital in Atlanta for another surgery. Please everyone, pray! This little girl and her family need it. To hear more of Scarlett’s adventures and Kayla’s thoughts, please check out her blog. On the right hand side of my blog, you will find a list of the blogs we follow. Click on the link that is titled Kayla Aimee: Only Slightly Neurotic. On her main page you will be able to read her thoughts, fears, and joys throughout this experience. In the upper left hand area you will see a link that reads Daily Scarlette. If you click on that, it will lead you to her daily updates. Read this and you will be able to take it all in from her point of view.

I know as a mother to two preemies, I cannot even begin to fathom what she is going through. My heart aches for her to see her baby going through this. Breanna was our preemie that went through so much, which we are blessed to have. After all, she is our little miracle. Not everyone knows the story on Breanna. Long story short, we had to fight to get Bre here, and even after my emergency c-section, it was a roller coaster with her. I went into labor at 20 weeks and for almost 15 weeks I spent more time admitted in the hospital than I did at home. The hospital had become my new, temporary home during this time. I was on full bed rest and pumped full of medication to stop and control the labor. It was so rough. At 22 weeks I was told the goal was to make it to 27 weeks in order for my daughter to survive. At 34 weeks I was rushed to L&D because my daughter’s heart had stopped beating. They pushed sugar cubes and juice through me trying to make her move and start pumping again. An amniocentesis was performed the following morning so that NICU could be on standby and better prepared for her. The doctors had already informed us that within 24 hours our baby would be here. None of us knew what to expect. I was overcome with worry and fear unlike any other time in my life. They tried to induce me, but my body went into full blown labor too quickly. This and everything else forced Breanna’s heart to stop again as it has multiple times over a 24 hour period. This time around we had no choice other than the c-section be performed immediately. When Bre was born it took more time than usual for her to breathe and start crying on her own. Kevin held her briefly, and then she was taken from us and placed in NICU. Luckily, the next day she was able to be in my room for short intervals at a time before they took her again. She had problems maintaining her body temperature.  Breanna was born at 5 lbs even and we took her home at 4.7 lbs. It took my daughter about two months before she even looked like a newborn. Preemie clothes and diapers swallowed her tiny little body! At a couple months old, the trouble began. She quit breathing and we spent over a week at Egleston. It is a children’s hospital outside of Atlanta. She had to undergo more testing than a child should ever face. They had IV’s coming out of her feet and head. I could barely pick her up when she cried because of the wires, IV’s and everything that was wrapped around her. My daughter was diagnosed with acid reflux and apnea. The reflux would burn so bad that as a baby, she didn’t know what to do. So, she would just quit breathing. In return this led to apnea. She was placed on an apnea monitor for months. I can’t even begin to recall the countless nights the machine would go off and I would sit on pillows and blankets, on top of this machine, trying to just make it stop. I would cry nonstop and I would question “why me?” “Why my baby?” I was 18 at this time and terrified. The first few years, and even moments today, have been critical with close calls for Breanna. After being told my daughter would never make it, she is an honor roll student (straight A’s as of today’s date), active child, who suffers with Severe/Chronic asthma. I always carry inhalers, when we travel her nebulizer goes with us, she is on medications to help maintain and stabilize her lungs and breathing. But, she is here and more than the doctors expected her to be. The reason I am sharing is not because I know what Kayla is going through. Because I don’t. My story is different from hers. I am sharing because there is a reason to never lose hope and faith. There is a reason to always pray and to pray with your whole heart.

To the moms and dads that are blessed and lucky enough to have healthy pregnancies, babies, and kids; quit taking advantage of that. Cherish every moment. We never know what is in store for tomorrow. I don’t think I have had a peaceful night’s sleep since I became pregnant with Breanna and had so many life threatening issues. When she coughs wrong, I worry. Hold your kids tight and let them know you love them. Reach out to someone that may just need that shoulder or the simple “I am praying…”  As the days go by, please keep Kayla, Jeff, and baby Scarlette in your thoughts and prayers. I know I do and I will continue to everyday. I look forward to the day when I hear they are bringing that sweet baby home! It will come. Kayla’s attitude towards everything can really open your eyes. She isn’t worried about a date or even an idea of when as long as eventually she can bring her baby home. Hold on to your faith Kayla! I know I am!

Things Come in 3's

They say things come in three’s….Well, we hit our mark of three over the weekend… Our house flooding and everything that comes along with that is of course taking “bad” issue number one. I am so ready for our house to be back to normal! Soon! I would rather them take their time and do it right the first go around other than any mold issues or anything else arising because it was a half done job. I just happen to have a family that has limited patience! More to update on this later. Now, for number two; on Thursday morning the girls ran inside to tell me that my truck had a flat tire. Really? Could this not have waited just a little while? So, Thursday evening Kevin and his dad (yep, his dad was in town for the night and as always we had a great time full of wonderful conversations! We even celebrated his birthday….a little early!) ran out to Pep Boys to have them put a new tire on my truck. At this point, Kevin made the comment that things come in 3’s….as we all know, they often do. Well, thank you Kevin! Lol, we hit our number three over the weekend and ended up having to yet again, buy another new tire!!!! Can we not catch a break on tires? The amount we have had to buy over the past year is just unreal! His car blew another tire. Sunday was spent with Servpro in our house drilling holes, going through their mold protection thing, and Kevin out replacing his tire. Now that we have had our luck of the 3’s… can we please catch a break? We really need some good news to come our way! Lol.

Once Kevin returned home with his new tire, the kids and him all changed it together!  I loved watching them and taking pictures of my four crazies! The kids thought this was one of the most awesome things!

A Typical Biddle Weekend

You know when you have one of those days that you just HAVE to get out of the house? Well, that was our day on Saturday. After a week of miserable, cold, stay inside the house, weather that we were hit with for a week; then a week of “repairs” from the broken pipe flood, we needed to break from it all. We ended up spending the day out and about in El Paso. We went by Saddleblanket (a pretty cool store out here) and walked around. We didn’t get to check everything out. Maybe next weekend. The store is pretty big! It has everything from things you need for horses and farms to the way neat Mexican looking items/décor; and so much more!  I was amazed with it all. While we were looking around, one of the employees asked the kids if they wanted to get on his horse. Of course, I had to take pictures of this. The kids thought the saddled up horse statue was the coolest thing ever! Bre climbed up like she knew what she was doing. Hmmm…. Maybe the time has come to take her riding! She’s been asking. She seemed natural climbing up in the saddle. Yes, I do realize that this saddle was on a statue. Caitlin and Nic on the other hand…. I will just leave it at neither were steady or graceful. Nic is still too young. Caitlin had a fear of it. This is just another one of the differences with her and Breanna. Caitlin is very girly and enjoys the things that fall within that. Bre isn’t. Overall, the kids had a blast around this store and even they want to go back!

Over the course of the weekend, Nicholas decided he wanted to be mean to Caitlin and of course that led to a war. Nic isn’t a small three year old by any means. He is solid and pretty tall. However, he is still smaller than the girls. Whenever he and Caitlin go head to head, one of them always ends up hurt! This time just happened to be Caitlin’s turn for the pain. Of course, we made him walk over and apologize to Caitlin before we punished him. I happened to take a picture of Kevin handling the situation.

I know I mentioned to some of you before that we have had to convert my parking area in the garage into Nic’s play area. I thought I would share with you all what his little area looks like…. Needless to say, he really likes playing out there. Luckily, the garage door is in the living room area, so Nic is always close by….

As we were driving, there was something about the clouds that I thought looked pretty cool. I love the fact that my iphone takes such amazing pictures! I never have my camera on me when I need it. This picture was taken very close to our house.