An Unexpected Change

Something happened today that I really never expected would happen.

In fact I had basically sworn I would never allow it.

A little piece of my heart was ripped out as the process took place, knowing that things would never be the same once this change was completed.

I stayed strong and didn't cry, even though it would have been totally okay and expected.  Although in my fragile emotional state I don't think I could have handled the teasing from Marty if I had allowed the tears to flow freely.

Alas, the photographic evidence of the event:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Yes, due to an unforeseen goof up at the Utah DMV (as in they never sent us our renewal and our stickers expire at the end of this month and when I talked to them they said we'd have to do the renewal through the mail which could take 2 weeks) we decided the easiest route would be to switch to Texas plates. 

The silver lining in this event?  It's only $58 to renew a Texas plate!  Uh, that's a whole lot less than the $130 it normally cost us to renew our Utah one. 

So now instead of being one among MANY with out of state plates here (military personnel don't have to change plates when they move so there are plates from Alaska to Florida and every state in between), we'll be one of the few with out of state plates when we go back to Utah for visits.  I will now be one of those cars that people assume don't know what they're doing because they're from "out of state"...strange. 

At least for now I get to keep my Utah driver's license. 

That is unless the Utah DMV drops the ball on that renewal too!

Sleep...such an issue!

As a novice first time mother we had some sleep issues with Brielle.  (I know, how could a child so beautiful have been such a stinker when it came to sleep?) Mostly getting her to sleep took FOREVER.  It was ridiculous.  I assumed all sleep issues were due to our lack of experience and knowledge.  We were sure that we would never have the problems again, since we had learned so much. 

When Claire came along she slept much better, much easier and we didn't have any of the issues we had dealt with when Brielle was a baby.  We obviously assumed that was because of our expertise.

When Addison arrived we again assumed - because we were so wise and experienced - that sleep would be more like with Claire.  Things would go easier. 

I am here to admit that we were wrong!

Apparently we are still mental and the personality of the child has a whole heck of a lot more to do with anything than the parenting skills do. 

Although there are times I find myself thinking, "Why can't Addison sleep like Claire did?" it's fun to see how different their personalities all can be, even though they all came from the same gene pool.  You can even see the difference in their personalities in pictures.  And as much as I may complain at times (it's hard to see the positive in screaming babies, peeing toddlers and sassy preschoolers sometimes) I wouldn't trade my life for anything.  Enjoy the cute pictures.

It's nice to see them getting along...even if it is short lived.

I got some flower clips and headbands for Addison.  Brielle and Claire wanted to wear them as well.  Of course Claire chose black - because it is "Batman".  Brielle chose yellow, because she's all about fashion and matching.

We are so extremely blessed!

An Actual Update - WITH Pictures!

It seems I've turned in to a bit of a me monster lately and have neglected doing any REAL updates with any REAL pictures of my children.  I'm sure there is a large amount of people that are upset about the lack of pictures (at least the Grandma's) and so this - my dear people - is for you.

On a snowy day like this...

This is how we spend our time:

Addison - keeping toasty and warm in the bouncy chair.  (A NEW bouncy chair thanks to her older sisters using her old one as a diving board and breaking it.)

Brielle and Claire, building a "snow tower" in the water table.

Attempting to get all the kids in one picture.  I said, "Look at the camera and smile!"  This is what I received in return.

Brielle is still WAY in love with Addison and can hardly stand being in the same room with her without kissing, touching or talking to her.

Claire is starting to like Addison more and more and can be found talking to her and whispering to her, "come on super-hero baby, come help me!"   This is Claire's "Batman smile"...whatever.

And one LAST attempt to get all the kids together in one picture.  I was changing the baby in the morning on my bed and the other kids climbed up beside me.  Again, I said, "Look at the camera and smile!"  What is so hard about that request?  :)

So, that is my little picture filled update.  I hope those of you that were wanting some pictures are satisfied and will forgive me for my momentary selfishness.  I can't guarantee it won't happen again however...so enjoy it while it lasts.

30 Day Shred

In my effort to finally lose this darned extra weight I've been carrying around since having Brielle, I have been doing "Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred".  I can't remember exactly when I started it, but I'm pretty sure it's been about 10 days.  So, today I decided to take on the Level 2 workout.  I hadn't mastered the Level 1 workout, but I was feeling stupid strong and confident.  So I decided to at least give it a go.

It was hard...I cheated and didn't do all the moves to the full extent.  I'm considering going back to level 1 tomorrow.  Do people actually ever make it to level 3??  If they do, they're probably lying.

The thing is I'm pretty sure Jillian wants me to die.  In fact, she even said at one point, "I want you to feel like you're dying."  That- to me - pretty much says that she doesn't care for my well being.  When she said that, I wanted to yell, "Well, congratulations, I DO feel like I'm dying!"  However, in my state of near dying-ness I was only able to send her a killer crusty through the TV.  I think she got it though, because she soon added, "You can do this, keep it up."  I still shot her a crusty though, just because I could.

I don't know that I'll survive the 30 days.  But I know one thing for sure, if I don't lose more than 5 pounds in this 30 days I'm going to personally call Jillian and let her know that I'm disappointed in her...while I eat a cupcake carrot for comfort.

Under-qualified for the job

Do you ever wonder if you're actually qualified for your job?  For me there were times when I felt like my job title was below my ability (sandwich maker, envelope stuffer) and times when I felt like it might be a little more than generous (loan processor).  But never in my life have I felt like my job title was SO far above my ability than I do now.

Mom

My goodness, the weight of responsibility associated with this job is suffocating at times.  The deadlines are ruthless, the hours are horrible, the pay is measly, the cleaning company doesn't keep up, the boss is a nut case (me) and the employees require way too much micromanaging and assistance at times.

I don't know what it is about having this third baby, but I feel the enormity of my job title on a daily basis.  Just trying to juggle making dinner with a baby screaming in the swing, a toddler screaming on the potty and a preschooler crying because they're hungry, seems to be too much at times.  I feel like maybe I'll crumble under the pressure at any moment and maybe I should quit the job and move to Hawaii and live on a beach.

But then who would give me infinite amounts of hugs and kisses?  Who would tell me they love me - even after they got in trouble?  Who would hold my hand and snuggle with me while watching "Barbie Island Princess" for the millionth time?  Who would I listen to giggling in the other room?  Who would I watch discover their own hands?  Who would laugh at all my jokes?

So maybe it's the hardest job I've ever had.  But the benefits package seems to be unmatched.  I guess I'll stick it out and hope that at some point I feel a little more qualified....but I'm not holding my breath.

The GREAT storm

Last Thursday morning Marty was let out of school right around 9 a.m. because of threatening weather.  By 11:30 a.m. the entire base was shut down and all personnel were sent home because of the large threat of snow and ice. 

On Friday, the base remained shut down and people were encouraged to stay in their homes.  Those military men and women that live in the barracks weren't allowed to leave, except to go to the dining hall to eat.  All doctors appointments, shopping, driving etc. on the base were cancelled/closed or discouraged.  We were preparing for the worst, including power outages and large snow fall - which is very rare in this part of the country.

At the peak of the storm, this is the worst it got in our back yard:

Miraculously I've survived worse than that.  

I decided to take advantage of Marty being home and go shopping in town despite the "horrible weather". On my way I saw a city bus spun off in a ditch crashed through a fence, three cars off in ditches on the side of the road and people going 20 miles an hour on the freeway.  You would have thought it was the winter of '03 in Utah!

The bonus, however, was that there were only 5 other cars in the parking lot at Target, and I was THE ONLY person at Old Navy when I went to the mall.

I guess growing up in Utah paid off.

To pierce or not to pierce...that is the question

Brielle asked me the other day if she could get her ears pierced.  Okay...she actually asked if she could have earrings like her friend does, she didn't know what that entailed.  I personally think it's super cute when little girls have earrings, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for my little girl to have earrings.  Me and Marty had never discussed this EVER.  I had no idea what his thoughts were on the matter.

My parents were of the ancient (a.k.a. cruel) way of thinking and we were not allowed to get our ears pierced until we were 12.  By then the magic had worn off.  We were too old to have FUN with earrings. I got my ears double pierced (*gasp*) when I was like 15-ish...that only lasted a few months before my ear lobes were protesting from all the holes in them and I was constantly getting infections.  Besides for a few fancy events and for choir in High School, I stopped wearing earrings altogether.

So...when Brielle asked me, I told her to go ask Marty - the classic parenting move. However in hind sight I would have told her that I would talk to daddy about it first. I really was assuming Marty would tell Brielle no, because he seems to be very conservative about his sweet little princesses. 

Imagine my surprise when he said it was fine with him! 

So I did what any good mom would do and began trying to scare Brielle telling her how bad it hurts and that they basically give you a shot in your ear to push an earring through.  She said "Well, I'll just hold your hand and I'll be okay."   I guess she doesn't scare easily when it comes to anything that helps her achieve her princess status more fully.

I go back and forth between thinking we should and thinking we shouldn't.  I know she would love it, but am I ready to have my little girl grow up a little bit?  Am I being too dramatic?  (You don't have to answer that)

I guess for now we'll wait and see if she keeps asking or if she forgets all about it.  

Yes...that sounds like a good plan.