Gettin' Gymmie with It.....

To make it through the end of the winter months I broke down and signed Porter up for gymnastics. I had to cancel our cable in order to pay for this but it has been so worth it. Less time in front of the t.v. and more time being productive. Porter loves gymnastics!! He is so strong and loves to do all of the different obstacles all over the gym. I don't have as many pictures as I would like because the parents have to stay behind the glass window, but that does not stop me from trying.

Another Farewell....

This time it is to Dave, Anne, Ellie, and Hank, they are off to a new job in Boston. Luckily we got to spend some time with them before they left and they had a sleepover here the night before (which was a little crazy thanks to Carlee and Ellie.) We are sad to see more friends moving but we know we will see them again. We are so used to being the ones leaving so this is all new for us. Thanks guys for being so much fun, spontaneous, and having awesome kids. We will miss you.

It is all something I never imagined....

Starting with the fact that I am 19 weeks pregnant, something I never imagined at this point in my life. (And for those who did not know or have not caught on, I am pregnant with baby number 4, due in August.) I am not saying that a fourth child was out of the picture, but maybe just not until Andy was done with residency. Obviously I am still coping with the thought of bringing another baby into our crazy life. There are times when I think "how did this happen" when clearly I know how it happened, but I am still in shock!

The next thing I never imagined is that we would have one boy and three girls!!! Yes, we are having another girl. We had our ultrasound yesterday and things were very clear, there is nothing between the legs. I was immediately very disappointed that I am not able to give Porter the baby brother that he so badly wanted, but I know that we are getting another girl for a reason. It makes me think even more about the amazing boy that Porter is, he has the most amazing personality, I am so lucky to have him. And adding another girl to go along with Carlee and Tessa's personalities will be interesting, but I like interesting. Andy's response to the girl thing was "great, now we have to come up with another girl name."

The ultrasound went great, baby is healthy, has all four limbs, fingers, toes, a mouth that was open and moving most of the scan, a four chamber heart, a spine that looks amazing, the whole thing is amazing.



So until August, I will be re-arraning the kids rooms, trying to find the baby clothes, figuring out a way to change my e-mail address and our blog address, and thinking of a name.

Ballet and a walk....

Carlee has started a ballet class at the local recreation center with a couple of her little friends. It is so cute and she loves getting dressed up in her "ballerina outfit" and having a bun. It is so neat because it is the first thing that she has been officially signed up for. She is getting so big!!


Carlee, Ellie, and Piper


Carlee showing her stuff.


At the end of class they get to color and princess picture.

The weather has been wonderful this week, although we were stuck inside the first three days due to Porter's extreme case of croup. We hit the streets and went for a walk which was so wonderful to be outside and become one with the fresh air (just kidding). No, but really it was so nice to be out and feel the wind and too see the blue sky, it is making me so excited for the spring and summer. Bring it on!!!!!


Tessa says "cheese" but is not associating that with a smile....clearly.


Carlee needed a picture of her new braclet from Crazy 8 that I got for one dollar.
(D, you need to shop there, you would die)


Tessa loved bringing me rocks and sticks, she is going to have a great summer.

A couple of non-emergent emergencies....

First I will start with Porter. It began with him being excited to go to school and the whole getting ready process. He was doing kicks and flips off of the furniture like a mad man, you know, where I have to say "Porter" about 10 times but he knows he is not in trouble and I am laughing. That ended with him landing a little too hard on his finger. He was rolling on the ground, making faces, saying ooohhh and awwwww, I knew he was not hurt, he was just playing out the whole thing. Meanwhile, Carlee walks in and here is how the conversation panned out:

Carlee: Porter what is wrong?
Porter: I hurt my finger when I jumped down.
Carlee: Which finger is it?
Porter: It is my index finger.
Porter again: Oh no, this is an emergency!!!!
Carlee: Why?
Porter: My index finger is the finger I use to pick my nose, now I will have to use a tissue and blow my boogers out!!
Carlee: laughing........



Next is Carlee's story. yesterday the kids were outside playing in the snow for about 5 minutes when I heard crying. In come the kids and Porter immediatley says "I said sorry, it was an accident." I look at Carlee who is totally crying and bleeding from the bridge on her nose. I asked Porter what happened and he said that they were shoveling and his shovel hit her in the nose. Of course it would happen to Carlee, that girl cannot catch a break. So I got her ice and a towel and wipped the blood away. The cut is not large at all, but it is on her face and was pulling apart a bit. So after 5 calls to Andy and 2 pages, I decided to just go to the hospital and find Andy to see what he said. (Thanks Aubrey for answering your phone and listening.) He was getting off when I got there and came out to the car, looked at the small lac, went back into the ER for about 2 minutes, then returned with gauze, a bottle of saline, and some glue. He began to take care of things in the car, when I suggested that we just go home, he was just so excited to do something that was not Internal Medicine or ICU. We got home and he cleaned her up and fixed her little cut without having to use the Dermabond. Carlee was so tough while Andy was wiping, etc. on her forehead, she said it would be silly if she cried so she wasn't going to, that girl is tough.





So there it is, a few of our crazy moments that make our family what it is. At times I feel like a crazy person and a little exhausted at the end of the day, but it is life and ours sure is exciting at times.

It's official, I'm a wanna be Cowgirl, and other things

Recently I was so grateful to receive a package in the mail from a long time friend who lives in Texas. In the package was something that I have wanted for a while, but would never buy for myself, a little book called the Pioneer Woman Cooks . I have read this woman's blog for a while, I came across it accidentally and have loved it. I love looking at her photos and hearing her take on living the simple life that is really not all that simple. (Thank you so much Stacey for the box, the kids loved their clothes and I the cookbook, we miss you guys.)

For those who know us well, know that Andy is a wanna be cowboy (today he left the house wearing a suit, cowboy hat, and cowboy boots to celebrate his last weekend on Internal Medicine). I have always teased him for his dreams of wanting a ranch, horses, a pond, his own creek for fishing, cows, ducks for Carlee and Tessa, a little dog named Scurvy for Porter, four wheelers, belt buckles, and Wranglers, but in all reality I have always admired this dream and love him more for having it.

So after reading the Pioneer Woman blog/website, and now reading her cookbook, seeing movies like a River Runs through it and The Horse Whisperer I am making it official that I too am a wanna be cowgirl, and maybe one day I too can be an accidental country girl.

Moving on to the next thing I want to share, it is a little something called the Buried Life. This is a show on MTV unlike any others. It is a little something like The Bucket List, four guys fresh out of college are traveling the country crossing off things from their 'before I die list", and helping other people accomplish their own bucket list items. Andy and I have been watching for a few episodes and love it, I never thought a show on MTV could be touching, but I have been touched in watching this show. It is fun, funny, exciting, and motivating. Click here to see/read more about what the show is and if you have 20 minutes, watch an episode, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Greenhouse Reunion....

This morning we went to the Cleveland Greenhouse to do pictures of the kids. Thank you to Porter who reminded me that the pictures on the wall were old and needed to be updated. It was fun to be there again, it is a very beautiful place, although my heart was aching for the friends who showed us such a great place. Here is the outcome....