List - Why the blog has fallen by the wayside

It has and it bugs me. Not that I've ever been a heavy post-er but the last 4 months I'm barely making once or twice a month. And there are reasons:

1. Pregnancy - Nashling #4 has thrown me for a loop. Mostly on the energy scale.
2. School - There's only one Nashling in school and I struggle to keep up, might have something to do with #1.
3. Garrett hit the terrible 2's. The girls really didn't start to be stinkers until age three but the boy is a terror on two legs. A cute one but a terror none the less.
4. Back to zero - This is how I describe my 'job'. My job is to get things back to zero. Laundry, dishes, cleaning have all seemed to take up all the energy that I have, that and reason #3. And frankly I'm not doing a very good job anymore.
5. Pregnancy
6. I fall asleep on the couch every night by 8:45. If I make it to 9:30 Jeremy is shocked...and so am I.
7. Insomnia, pretty sure brought on by reasons #1 and5.
8. Memory loss - yes I know laugh. But its true my already sketchy memory has pretty much turned to a complete lack of knowledge of anything beyond this day, this hour. (See reasons #1 and 5)
9. Pregnancy
10. Pregnancy

Halloween

Halloween. Not my favorite holiday I'll have to admit. The constant, can I have candy can I have candy can I have candy, nearly drives me insane. But kids are cute dressed up as...pretty much anything. We had an Egyptian, a cowboy complete with his own horse, and Rapunzel including her trusty frying pan (That is Emma's actual cast iron frying pan. It didn't last long its pretty heavy. Oh and that's another Rapunzel from our church Halloween party.).

What Halloween wouldn't be complete without a little of Grandma's witches brew?

Maris Farms

Maris Farms was Ah-mazing! Who knew? We paid an admission fee and then they had all these activities for the kids. The cow train, corn room, pedal carts, giants slides, not so giant slides, goats, chickens, and sheep. Of course we did the corn maze and my favorite even though my pregnant self did not get on it was the ground pillow. I had never seen one before but its this 100 foot long blow up thinger they've buried in the ground and the kids jump all over it. Its 10x better than a bounce house (they had one of those too). We will definitely go back next year.

Is This Really Happening?

The stay-at-home mom gig I've got going on causes this question to cross my mind on a regular basis. For example, I'm madly getting ready for church and ready to get everyone's shoes on and walk out the door when Garrett walks out of my room with mascara all over his eyes and teeth. I'm sure he's tried to brush them with my mascara wand. All hopes for getting to church on time have come crashing down around me. Or when Madilyn comes down with the stomach flu while sleep walking and sleep walks all over her room and the living room and doesn't wake up until shes in the bath. In the mean time we've got the...well you can imagine...all over her bedroom and the living room. And I have to stop and ask myself 'Is this really happening?'

I had another such moment this morning when Madilyn spent 20 minutes in the bathroom and another 15 getting dressed only to come out in a short skirt with shorts underneath. At this point she's got 10 minutes before the bus comes. Its 50 degrees outside and I told her to go put on leggings. Well let's just say that's not what happened and in the end I was literally chasing my screaming 7 year old through the house with a pair of leggings making threats about what will happen to her if she misses the bus and I had to stop and ask myself...'Is this really happening?'

Yes, its.

Its moments like this morning that I have to remember the others. The ones like laying under the apple tree with my children eating apples and blackberries finding shapes in the clouds, doing a musical with my daughter, singing around the piano with three little mostly in tune voices, and listening to Madilyn read the scriptures on her own for the first time.

And I have to ask myself - Do I get to be mom to three crazy, wonderful kids? Do I get to spend eternity with my best friend? Do I get smothered in the snuggles of 3 pairs of twiggy arms?

Is this really happening?

Yes, it is.

Happy Birthday Emma!

My little Emmabug turned 5 a couple of weeks ago. She wanted a ladybug cake which I thought was interesting since she's terrified of bugs, unless its a spider on the ceiling at which point she claims its her friend Spidey and I'm not allowed to kill it.

Can I just say this was the hardest birthday shopping I've EVER had? What do you get for a child that is happy with what she has except for a scooter that she's been asking for since Madilyn got one for her birthday. I was online looking for ideas for so long that my carpal tunnel syndrome from college came back!

In honor of her birthday I thought I would share some Emma facts:

• she has 3 body books and one body coloring book


• she loves them


• she knows where the cerebellum is


• and the brain stem


• and stomach


• and liver


• and loves the parts of the inner ear


• she keeps asking me what the adrenal glad does and I have no idea


• she is incredibly sensitive - emotionally (think crying over which breakfast cereal to eat in the morning) and physically (sound, light, smells)


• loving - I get more hugs from her than anyone else


• cuddly - she would be happy being in physical contact with me at all times


• smart - she started sounding out words at 3 and now she does a 1st grade reading and writing book (she starts kindergarten next year)


• she has the most quotes on Notable Quotables from Nashville

Emma is a special girl. We are so blessed to have her in our family.

First Day

First of second grade. Madilyn's growing up, enough that she wasn't entirely sure she was exicted to go. For the first time she wanted me to drive her to school on her first day, that is until she saw all the other kids down at the bus stop in front of our house. We walked her to the bus stop instead.

She pulled her tooth out that morning. She's now missing a front and center and the one next to it (thats not front and center). And the other front one is lose. Poor kid isn't going to have any chompers left in a few weeks.

First day went well. So did the second. She told me that she likes being shy at school because she doesn't get in trouble that way. The teacher never has to talk to her. I'm wondering why she doesn't try that strategy at home?

Goodbye Summer

Dear Summer,

I enjoyed you this year, really I did. We didn't get to see much of you but when we did we were grateful. The fact that it was cold until July turned out ok since Madilyn and I had rehearsals every Saturday anyway. And then because it was rainy, even in July, everything stayed nice and green for a lot longer than usual. At least you warmed up enough for us to enjoy the lake and go boating for a couple of days.

I wouldn't mind if you stayed longer next year. Or perhaps just showed up earlier. I promise I won't complain.

Sincerely,

Stacey

It's Show Time

Broadway Revue is the reason I am behind on blogging. I hadn't planned on participating this year but the director called and asked if I would sing Think of Me from Phantom of the Opera. How could I say no to that? Once we got going they said the girls could participate if they wanted. Madilyn wanted too so it turned out to be a fun thing that her and I could do together. It was a great experience. Good for Madilyn and me time, and good to sing a song that fits my voice type.

This is the only picture I have that you can really see Madilyn. She's the one farthest to the left. The guy in the front is Timon from Lion King, not the real one.

The hardest part about this song had nothing to do with the music. It was the costume! Because it starts out one way and has to be changed in 15 seconds while on stage. It gave me a few sleepless nights because it didn't get figured out until opening night!
And there you go. I looked like I was ready to cry in all the pictures. Not really a crying song soooo, not sure what to think about that. But as you can see we figured out the costume problem.

I Tri'd...again

Saturday, June 18 I completed my second triathlon. Can I just say that I really despised the Northwest on that day. It was 60 degrees and raining.

FYI - The swimming was the WARMEST leg of the race.
I forgot to put on my jacket during the swim to bike transition. I was completely soaked, wetter than I'd been in the lake by far. By the time I got off my bike my body was numb. You know that feeling when you have a cavity and they numb your lip and it feels gigantic and like you can't move it right...that's how my entire body felt heading into the run.

I finished in the exact same time I did last year. Yeah that wasn't so cool. I had hoped to beat my time but I think the weather may have had a hand in it. But I finished and I'm glad I did it.

A Belated Birthday

What a crazy summer. Garrett's birthday was almost a month ago and here I am finally blogging about it. Yikes! Jeremy made the cake for him. Garrett loved it. When we gave him his piece of cake he tried to use his excavator to eat it. Because I only took pictures of the cake on his birthday I just threw in some random pictures of him, which, frankly explains him better than birthday pictures. Garrett is a firecracker with boots on.

This little man literally runs all day long. As soon as I get the blender blades away from him, I have to keep him from swallowing a quarter, or from strangling himself in the blind cords, or from sneaking outside (which has happened), or from sticking the same quarter I just took away from him in the electrical outlet, or from tackling his sisters. He is a ball of pure energy. Everything about him is big, except for his size.

Motorcycle, car, truck, airplane, train, boat, if its got a motor he loves it and will tell you he likes it over and over again. Most of his favorite people are those who own such items. Papa (that's grandpa but Garrett decided he's papa so papa it is), Jeremy, Uncle Chris they all have the stuff he really wants to play with like chainsaws, hammers, boats, Bronco, and lawnmowers.

He says everything at the volume of LOUD. Everything. When we're sitting in church, everyone in the congregation knows that Garrett wants a drink, and to go to nursery, and to go outside, and that the baby in the next pew is crying. He plays big and talks big but he also loves big.

He gives great big hugs as he says, "I wuv you mama." Followed by a great big open mouthed kisses that I dodge so they'll land on a cheek.

I can't really capture all the funny wonderful things about him in this post. He just does funny things. Just a couple of examples - recently we stayed with my parents for a few days. Garrett's porta crib was set up in the walk-in closet in the room Jeremy and I stayed in. Everyday when we laid him down he would say, "This my room. This my bed." And we would agree. The last day that we were there Jeremy went to get him up from a nap. When he leaned over the crib and looked at Garrett, Garrett said, "Hey, this is a closet!" I think he was offended.

Same trip, my mom found Garrett on her bed laying with their dog. Now my parents room was supposed to be a sanctuary for the animals from the children who loved them a little too much. So my mom said, "Garrett get down off the bed and leave Berkley (that's the dog) alone." Garrett climbed under the covers and laid on a pillow and said, "I sleeping." Ahh-choo, ahh-choo. (That's a fake snoring noise for those of you who wondered.) Grandma wasn't fooled.

Goofy, funny, wonderful, make-me-crazy little boy. I don't think I've laughed harder than I have in the last two years since he joined our family.

30 Posts - Post 20 a hobby of mine

Hi my name is Stacey and I sew. It is my hobby. I love it and hate it at the same time.

You may be saying to yourself, that's not a weird hobby. It doesn't require AA. But you must understand that I was an antisewist. There was no way I was EVER going to be a sewist (I have to write sewist because sewer looks like sewer you know where the poo goes). In fact, my lovely sister-in-law tried to convert me but I quite stubbornly resisted. I'm not really sure why I was so anti but there you go.

And then I got pregnant with Garrett. Now I don't know if pregnancy hormones permanently reconfigure your brain but I got a severe nesting urge near the end of my pregnancy and really its only gotten worse from there. I sewed a bean bag chair, valances for two rooms, skirts for my girls and now...well I make all my girls leggings because Madilyn is a bean pole with long legs and nothing fits her and if I'm making them for her I might as well make them for Emma.

The funny thing is when I told my mom about my sewing there was silence on the phone. She was ready to call the police to start looking for the pod person who'd replaced her daughter. Jeremy wants to know what happened to his other wife, you know, the one that refused to sew. And the in-laws try not to giggle when I bore them with tales of my sewing antics because really thats not exciting conversation but I can't help myself.

Anyway, its my newest hobby. I can't wait for my next project. If I ever find my camera I'll post some pictures of my latest sewing projects:)

30 Posts - Post 19 my dream job (if money was no object)

Opera singer. Yup.

My voice naturally leans towards the coloratura soprano stuff and it would be awesome to be paid, even if it wasn't much, to sing.

And I would want to sound like Beverly Sills, a fabulous coloratura soprano. (I'm totally happy with how I sound but you know just sayin'.)

Really you should listen to her here.

30 Posts - Post 18 my dream house

After spending 7 years in a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment my standards for a dream house are much more modest than they once were. At one point it would have definitely included an indoor gym and sound proof music room/library. But now I will admit that my house we live in now is truly quite dreamy. A fabulous yard, a basement/garage for Jeremy, and huge playroom for the kids and a fantastic view of Mt. Rainier. Is it perfect? No. I did not dream about the small closets or the bathroom that is the size of a closet or electrical outlets that are so old they only take two prong plugs BUT I am getting to raise my children how I dreamed that I would.

30 Posts - Post 17 my worst habit

My children have all had cradle cap. I check Garrett's hair like a monkey and try to get the cradle cap out. I try to get it out with a comb. If you ever see me doing it, which I hope you don't, I'm not checking for lice.

Saturday Well Spent

30 Posts - Post 16 a favorite food

Am I from Idaho? Yes. Do I love potatoes? Yes. Am I a potato snob? Yes. Coincidence? I think not.

30 Posts - Post 15 celebrity crush

This is a tough one because in general I don't crush on celebrities. I never had posters of anyone hanging in my room or anything like that. The closes that it comes is Matt Damon I suppose. I mean he's cute right?

30 Posts - Post 14 some place I want to go

This relates back to Post 2, I want to go to Austria and do the Sound of Music tour. Yup, I'm that nerdy.

Boat!

A couple of weekends ago we went out in boats. My brother-in-law lives on Lake Tapps and let us use his canoe and some other kind of boat with a motor. It was fun. Garrett now thinks Chris is the greatest Uncle in the world.

30 Posts - Post 13 a talent of mine

I am going to say singing. Not a big surprise to anyone that knows me now but I think to someone who knew me ten years ago that would be a bit of a surprise.

I've always loved to sing. Always. I used to sing into the gear shift of my dad's pickup when I was a little kid. I could carry a tune but it wasn't anything special. I did musicals but I was always the character actor because really I couldn't sing well enough for anything else.

I took a voice class in college that changed my life. I've taken private lessons since then and discovered I actually had the voice I always wanted it was just hidden away where I had to work for it.

30 Posts - Post 12 something I bought recently

Yes I skipped posts 10 and 11. I have no scanner so no photo from 10 years ago. I have no pictures of me because I'm the one with the camera. AND yes I bought myself a wrestling singlet. No not really. Its a triathlon suit. I'm doing my second one in June.

Funny thing is they are kind of expensive but through a 50% off sale and Jeremy's dividend at REI I got it for $23. Unfortunately its an extra large...soooooo I'm going to have to take it in. Hopefully there will be no wardrobe malfunctions!

30 Posts - Post 9 pet peeves

Oh, there are so many.

People that try to prove their knowledge or expertise to others. If you really are an expert everybody is going to be able to tell without you pointing it out.

It irritates me.

And, tonight especially, I hate losing. A lot. (My basketball team lost tonight so now we're out of the regional tournament.) Is that a peeve? Probably not.

30 Posts - Post 8 something I crave

Cadbury caramel eggs

30 Posts - Post 7 a piece of art

So this isn't a great picture of the painting itself and truly its not that great of a painting. But... awhile ago I tried to make a watercolor of a compilation of Emma's drawings. These are all figures she drew when she was about 2. Its not a masterpiece but it makes me smile and oddly enough I get a little teary when I look at it.

Chrysanthemum Cupcakes or Madilyn's Birthday

Madilyn wanted flower cupcakes for her class. Thanks to Celeste and Sandi for the idea and for helping me make them.

Madilyn posing in her new pinafore. And the men folk putting up the curtains to her new 'stage' up in the play room. I really love that room.

Spring Break: Mesquite!

Since we were in Disneyland we figured we might as well hop in a car and drive over to Mesquite to visit Jer's grandparents. Why not? Good times with family and loved the 80 degree weather.