Drum Roll Please...

The winner of our Christmas Quiz is...Nessa! It was very close between the TWO lonely participants with question number 33 defining the winner. The answers are as follows...

CHRISTMAS SONG
QUIZ II
ANSWERS

1) Nutcracker Suite
2) Little Drummer Boy
3) Deck The Halls
4) Silent Night
5) Noel
6) All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
7) It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
8) Joy to the World
9) 12 Days of Christmas
10) Do You Hear What I Hear?
11) Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
12) Up On The House Top
13) Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer
14) Away In A Manger
15) Go Tell It On The Mountain
16) Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
17) I Saw 3 Ships
18) Hark The Herald Angels Sing
19) Carol of the Bells
20) As Shepherd's Watch Their Flocks At Night
21) Let It Snow
22) We Three Kings
23) Oh, Holy Night
24) Jingle Bell Rock
25) Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
26) All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth
27) We Three Kings
28) Silver Bells
29) O Little Town of Bethlehem
30) We Wish You A Merry Christmas
31) I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
32) God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
33) I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
34) Frosty the Snowman
35) Peace on Earth
36) Oh Come, All Ye Faithful

***Thanks to both of you for playing along and BTW Chad/Janet I'll have a little "something" for you too when we see you here shortly :)
***Nessa, I'm not 100% sure that the most current address I have for you is correct so I will email you with the one I have and please let me know if it's changed. Thanks again. Love ya both:)

LET THE GAMES COMMENCE!!!

OK, so I know there are many family, friends, and bloggers out there who visit our site frequently and we would like to hear from you!!! So what we have here people...is a CONTEST!!! To help get everyone in the Christmas spirit I've posted a little game and I'm requesting your participation. All you have to do is read through the phrases below, figure out which Christmas Carol they are referring to and post your answers under the comment section below. Be sure and leave your email address or some way for me to get in touch with you should you be the winner ;) That's all...easy enough, hugh? Oh, and what would a contest be without a prize to the winner??? So yes, there will be a prize awarded to the individual who has the most correct responses. A Barnes and Noble Gift Card for you to enjoy! In the words of Jeff Probst from Survivor..."Worth playing for?"

The contest begins now and will end on Saturday, December 22, 2007 at 08:00 AM. At that time I will figure out who will be off to enjoy a relaxing cup of Starbuck's coffee while reading their favorite book at B&N...GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY!!!



1. The apartment of 2 psychiatrists.
2. The lad is a diminutive percussionist.
3. Decorate the entry-ways .
4. Sir Lancelot with laryngitis.
5. A B C D E F G H I J K M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z.
6. Present me naught but dual incisors for this festive Yuletide.
7. The smog-less bewitching hour arrived.
8. Exuberation to this orb.
9. 288 Yuletide hours.
10. Do you perceive the same longitudinal pressure which stimulates my auditory sense organs. 11. The red-suited pa is due in this burg.
12. Stepping on the pad cover.
13. Uncouth dolt has his beezer in the booze and thinks he is a Dark Cloud's boyfriend.
14. Far back in a hay bin.
15. Leave and do an elevated broadcast.
16. That exiguous hamlet south of the holy city.
17. Behold! I envisioned a trio of nautical vessels.
18. Listen, the winged heavenly messengers are proclaiming tunefully.
19. A joyful song relative to hollow metallic vessels which vibrate and bring forth a ringing sound when struck.
20. As the guardians of little woolly animal's protected their charges in the shadows of the earth. 21. Frozen precipitation commence
22. Monarchial triad
23. Oh, member of the round table with missing areas
24. Boulder of the tinkling metal spheres
25. Vehicular homicide was committed on Dad's mom by a precipitous darling
26. Wanted in December: top forward incisors
27. We are Kong, Lear, and Nat Cole
28. Cup-shaped instruments fashioned of a whitish metallic element
29. Oh small Israel urban center
30. Our fervent hope is that you thoroughly enjoy your yuletide season
31. Parent was observed osculating a red-coated unshaven teamster
32. May the Deity bestow an absence of fatigue to mild male humans
33. Natal celebration devoid of color, rather albino, as a hallucinatory phenomenon for me.
34. Obese personification fabricated of compressed mounds of minute crystals.
35. Tranquiltiy upon the terrestrial sphere.
36. Have hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.

CHOCOLATE!!!!!

Ok, so I know how much I love my chocolate and I have to think everyone else loves it just as much so I wanted to pass this along for all to enjoy. Please take a moment to visit http://www.bakingdelights.com/2007/11/28/christmas-give-away-announcement/ to see what she is offering all the chocolate lovers out there. You must visit to have a chance to win. GOOD LUCK!!!

UPDATE ON MY SWEET BABIES

Well, on Wednesday the kiddos and I had a very busy day as first thing in the morning we went to have their 18 month (despite them almost being 19 months!)/Christmas pictures taken. The kids looked absolutely adorable and I can't wait to post some pictures once I receive them! Once we were finished with their pictures we rushed on to our next stop...the Pediatrician's office for 18 month check ups. Their Pediatrician was thrilled with how well they are doing and states they are right on target with what they should be doing developmentally for 18/19 month olds. Their heights and weights are as follows: Logan weighs 22# 12 oz = 10th% and is 32 inches tall = 30th%. He's our little guy. Brooke weighs 19# 5 oz = <3rd% tall ="">I discussed Brooke's weight with the doctor and he said that usually premies "catch up" with where they are supposed to be by approximately one year of age or shortly after so the fact that she is so tiny is most likely a result of genetics. Doug and I were both small framed kiddos ourselves. He is NOT concerned with her weight at all as Brooke's growth curve is following a normal curve and she has not dropping off at all. He states she will likely just be small framed. Chase weighs 24# 11 oz = 25-50th% and is 34 inches tall = 85th%. He is our tall little man:)





They all three received three vaccines at this visit which is NEVER any fun but on a good note...these should be their last vaccines until they enter kindergarten. Brooke and Chase's little legs are really red and inflamed at the injection site...ouch! Last night they were incredibly fussy...probably the most they have ever been quite honestly and I could tell they just did not feel very good. I think we can thank getting vaccines for that. Following this appointment they are scheduled for their two year check up and then they start going in for annual exams. I don't know what it will be like not to go the the Ped's office every couple 2-3 months as I have over the past year and a half. I'm just SOOO incredibly thankful that my babies are so healthy and this is possible. God has truly blessed us!!!





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Now for an update on what's in store for us here in the midwest...I hope everyone has a good pair of snowboots handy!!!

Snow this morning, freezing rain and sleet in the afternoon, and snow again Sunday will make streets and highways dangerous.
The snow might accumulate to as much as 8 inches deep in the state, according to the National Weather Service.
“This is going to be a significant storm over all of Indiana,” said Dave Tucek, National Weather Service forecaster in Indianapolis, on Friday.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for most of the state.Strong winds could add to driving and walking woes by causing drifting on streets and sidewalks.



Please pray that everyone remains safe during this snow storm!

MOM'S LETTER TO SANTA

This is an email I received today that I thought I'd share as it is really cute...enjoy!

Dear Santa,
I've been a good Mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.
Here are my Christmas wishes:
I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy. If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone. On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog. If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container. If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family. Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.
Yours Always,
MOM
P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa for many years to come.

PICTURES!!!

So...it was a very busy weekend around here. The plumbing is roughed in. Electrical is still in process but they have made great strides. Heating and air are finished. They started to put our roof on but thanks to mother nature we had to put a halt on that as the roofer nearly fell off TWICE. The weather was quite crumby this weekend including average temps in the 30's with high winds, rain and sleet. I'm painting quite a pretty picture, hugh??? Anyways, they installed most of the alarm system and fire alarms~not the actual alarms yet just running all the necessary wiring for them. The septic system is installed. And most importantly, I think Doug was able to catch up on a little of the sleep that he has been lacking as a result of all his heart and soul being poured into getting our home ready sooner rather than later. Also, tonight we were able to sit down for a nice home cooked meal together as a family. As a result of the many full working days back at the house, Doug hasn't been home to eat dinner with us so that was very nice. I know the kiddos have been missing out on a lot of their "daddy time" here recently with everything that is going on so it was nice to have him around for a while with us today. I know he is doing what he needs to be doing and he is DOING IT FOR US so I completely understand but it doesn't make it any easier sometimes. I'm just happy and so thankful that I have such a loving and dedicated husband who does his very best to provide for his family.

Quick update on building progress :)

We are still staying quite busy trying to keep up with the rapid progress of the build. On Tuesday, Doug, myself and our little ones headed out to finalize some decisions for our home. Our first stop was to the cabinet store. There, we quickly agreed on Kraft Maid Maple cabinets with a chestnut finish. They are so pretty! Doug left the decision for the counter tops up to me so in our kitchen the cabinet counter tops will be a Venetian Gold Granite Laminate and the island counter top will be a Butterum Granite Laminate. I have received mixed opinions regarding having two different color counter tops in the same room but I think it will look very nice as the two colors compliment each other nicely. If you have an opinion regarding this issue please leave it in the comment section below. I'd love to hear what you think. We will have the same cabinets throughout the entire house (kitchen, our master bath, the kids full bath, and the half bath). I have decided to put the Venitian Gold Granite countertops on the kids full bath cabinet and also in the half bath. Our master bathroom cabinet will have the Butterum Granite countertop.

Once we got the cabinets ordered we headed down the street to our next stop...flooring. There we decided that the foyer, the dining room, our kitchen and the hallway leading to the laundry room will be "wood". We decided against true hard wood floors due to having small children and we are realistic in acknowledging that hard wood floors likely would not go unscuffed, scratched, dented, on so on and so forth so we found a very nice alternative. All of the bedrooms, the hearth room and also the great room are going to be carpeted. It didn't take long to decide on a frizze style and we both agreed that we need one that will mask stains so it will likely have very faint flecks of color throughout it but the actual color of the carpet will be along the lines of a cream/fawn color. The laundry room, and the bathrooms are going to be vinyl/laminate...I think. We have picked out two different ones, a light one for the kids bath, the half bath and laundry and a darker one for our master bathroom. It felt great getting those things done. I know it seems like such an easy task but you walk into those stores and there are SO MANY OPTIONS it becomes difficult to narrow them down. There are times I wish someone would hold out three things and say "choose one". That would make it so much easier but I know all this decision making will be worth it!

I'll share a cute story with everyone. While we were in the cabinet store, the sales woman was very nice and she has five children of her own (all of them are teenagers now aside from her four year old) so she wasn't at all bothered with our little ones running around "assisting us":) But our little ones enjoyed it so much. They were opening up the cabinet doors and they found some that didn't have anything in them ie. samples so they would get in the cabinets and play. Chase would actually shut himself in the cabinets and I would say "where's my Chaser?". About that time you'd hear a little giggle from inside the cabinet and I'd peek inside and he'd just be sitting back in the cabinet with the biggest grin on his face. It was too cute. Once his bubby and sissy saw he was having so much fun of course we had to find them some empty cabinets to climb into as well.

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Today was a very busy day as well. Doug and Josh continued to work on roughing in the electric. The flooring store sent a representative out to do measurements. The guy who is going to be roofing our home came by. He is in the process of completing another job so he is unable to start ours until some time next week:( The insulating people came out to look at the house. Our fireplace arrived today. It took four men to offload it and get it into the house. I haven't seen it yet but I hear it is massive. For those who don't know, it is double sided so it can be enjoyed from the Hearth room and also the Great room.

Tonight, the rough in for the electric and also the heating and air continue. We're hoping to have them finished by this weekend so our plumber can finish this weekend. The plan is after all of those are finished we have an inspection and then they start on the insulation, bricking the outside and the roof. WOW, it's coming along!!!

Playtime with Uncle Jay :)

My little ones are very blessed to have three special Uncle's and two wonderful Aunt's in their lives. Here are a few pictures I took the other day as my brother Jay (AKA~Proud Uncle Jay Bo) spent a VERY LONG TIME playing with the kiddos and their rocking horses. They now have three different style of rocking/bounce horses that they absolutely love, one of which actually belonged to Doug when he was a child!!! As a mother, I have to admit I am overwhelmed with joy to see our families loving and enjoying our sweet babies so much! It truly warms my heart:)

This is for all the Mom's out there!

Take just a few minutes...3 exactly and watch this. It's quite funny:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM

COUNT YOUR MANY BLESSINGS!!!!

As Thanksgiving Day is upon us, I thought I'd take a few minutes to reflect a bit about the many blessings in my life...

1) I'm thankful for such a wonderful God above who has provided me with the many blessings in my life. There are times I feel I'm not deserving of all the wonderful things he's given me but I am eternally grateful!!!

2) I'm thankful for a wonderful husband who has proven to be very loyal and devoted to our marriage/family, a wonderful father to our children, very hard working, genuine, sincere, considerate, and affectionate. He is my very best friend and my perfect someone to share the rest of my life with!

3) I am FOREVER THANKFUL for my precious children! Doug and I prayed, hoped and dreamed for a very long time to be given the chance to have a family. We weren't sure we would ever have the opportunity to have even one child and then to be blessed with these three little miracles I am forever grateful!!! They have enriched our lives so much and absolutely filled the void we once knew. Our home is so warm and filled with love and I absolutely could not imagine my life without them!

4) I am thankful that my precious children arrived safely and they are all very HEALTHY! I am thankful that I was able to keep my little ones safe for 32+0 weeks while allowing them the chance to grow and mature prior to their delivery even after going on bedrest at 22+0 weeks and being admitted to the hospital at 24+0 weeks for the duration of my pregnancy due to preterm labor. There were MANY uncertain days that I thought "this is it, they're not going to be able to stop these contractions" but thankfully we were able to hold on until 32 weeks which for so long seemed SO FAR AWAY and absolutely unobtainable! Thank God for wathcing over us all!

5) I am thankful for such a loving, caring and supportive family! I not only have my family that I was blessed with but I married in to a wonderful family as well! Special THANK YOU to my Mom and Dad for allowing us to stay here until our home is finished and also a HUGE THANK YOU to my Mom whom I could not do without! She has been so involved with our little ones from the beginning of our pregnancy and still continues to be so supportive and helpful! I'd also like to take a moment to give a special THANK YOU to my mother in law, Joann, who despite living 2 1/2 hours away continues to be very supportive and helpful as well! She, in addition to working full time, cleaning houses on the side, tending to her church duties, and keeping the farm running somehow manages to find some time to come up and stay with the little ones occasionally so I am able to work more...what a loving Grandma!

6) I am thankful for all of our many, wonderful friends! We have been very blessed with great friendships over the years and fortunately despite the many miles between some of us now, we still find a way to stay in contact! I know that should I need them they are ALWAYS here for us, they are loyal and very caring and I just want to Thank them all!

7) I am thankful for our nieces, Baylie and Jessica, both of which arrived safe and healthy this past summer. We are very blessed to have them in our lives:)

8) I am thankful for the opportunity to build our dream home and provide a safe, loving environment for our children to grow up in! Many THANKS to my dear husband for making it a reality for us!!!!!

9) I am thankful for good health among my family and myself. We have dealt with our fair share of being "sick" here recently with the change of season but we are fortunate that there are no long term illnesses or chronic conditions within the family. Thank God for taking such good care of us!

10) I am thankful that Joy and Aaron Larkin were able to safely welcome their precious triplet daughters into this world yesterday at 33+6 weeks. Thankfully all three little ones are doing great and Joy is off to a great start in her recovery following her c-sect.

I could go on and on but I will stop here...for now. So...have you stopped to think today about the many blessing in your life? Please sign in and leave a comment to share what you are most thankful for. HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you all!!!!!

Hoosiers Win Back The Old Oaken Bucket In 27-24 Thriller

On Saturday, November 17, Doug and I traveled to Bloomington, In. along with our great friends Jeff and Molly to watch the Indiana Hoosiers BEAT :) the Purdue Boilmakers!!! GO HOOSIERS...sorry all you Purdue fans out there!!! The drive down was exhausting as we all sat in miles and miles of bumper to bumper traffic traveling to Memorial Stadium for the game. I believe this was the first sold out game they have had in quite some time so I'm not sure the police were really prepared for the amount of people they would be filing in. Aside from that we had a blast! It was very relaxing to hang out with good friends, tailgate for a while, eat some tasty food:), have a few drinks and not have to be "responsible parents" for just a short while (though I must admit I always miss my little munchkins when I'm away from them!).

There was a family sitting in front of us with their two daughters who were decked out in their IU gear. They were absolutely adorable and it made me think on more than one occasion just how much fun it will be to take our trio with us to the games when they get a little older. We met a lot of very nice people sitting around us in the bleachers and also while tailgating. We were reminded of what a small world we live in as we started talking with this couple who ended up living in the same town Doug works in?!? They were very nice despite the fact they were there supporting Purdue:)

Once the game was over Jeff and Molly headed home to pick up their 3 mo. old little man from the sitter's house. This was the first time they had ever left him with anyone so I was surprised Molly did so well... Doug and I on the other hand took full advantage of the fact that we had some time alone and we went to Cheeseburger in Paradise for some dinner, drinks and listened to the "one man band" entertaining everyone who was actually pretty good. I was really hoping to take Doug to Macri's Deli as they used to serve his FAVORITE cheesecake when he lived down there but we were disappointed to find out they have gone out of business:( There were more than a few things that have changed in the eleven years since Doug was in college there.

FROM THEN TO NOW...

Here's a little reminder what our property started out looking like just a short month and a half ago...

Well, a few things have changed since then...to say the least! Our tentative move in date was first thought to be mid February...let's just say if progress continues as it has we should be in our new home early to mid January. That is unbelievable to me!?! I guess after thinking and dreaming about this for so long it just seems surreal to me that it is actually happening and so quickly! Here are some recent pics to catch everyone up to speed!

This weekend our plumber was out here hard at work running all the pipes and installing bath/shower units. Both of my brothers will be hard at work for us soon as my brother Josh is our electrician and my brother Jay is doing all of our heating and air. It's nice having so many different professions within the family but I really do want to take a moment and THANK THEM BOTH for offering their services and always being available to help! Love you guys!!! Once the plumbing, heating/air and electrical stuff is finished here in the next couple of days they will be putting on the roof and bricking the outside of our home! WOW!!! I cannot wait...I am so excited if you can't tell?!? Sorry that some of these posts are so much of me rambling on about the house but I just want all of our family and friends to see how it's coming along. Check back soon as I have several posts I need to do!

P.S. There are approx. 17 pics in the slideshow but it stops playing midway so you have to push the play button that will pop up in the bottom left corner and it will continue.

UPDATE ON HOUSE PROGRESS!

There have been so many changes and I am so far behind in posting updates and for that I am sorry but rest assured you will see pics. The basement is completely finished as of last week...Monday to be exact when they completed the "back fill" and poured the floors. On Tuesday, the lumber company delivered it's first load of lumber so the framers could start on Wednesday. Bright and Early Wednesday morning the framers started arriving and it was absolutely amazing how much they were able to get done that first day. By the end of one full work day they had the main support beams in place and the garage and basement walls framed. That was with a crew of approximately six guys. It was very exciting for me to be able to see a "construction site" from the main HWY that runs in front of our home. By the end of the second day (Thursday) they had all of the floor joist's down, the floor decking was down and 70% of the first floor walls were framed. The framers are usually on site and you can hear them hard at work by 7:00-7:30 A.M. and this second day there were probably twelve guys working. These guys are on it and are not messing around! They initailly told us that it would take them two weeks to complete this but at the rate they are going it may not even take a week!!! Friday, the end of the third day, they had almost all of the first floor walls framed and about 1/2 of the ceiling joist's framed. You can now walk through and tell what the internal of our house looks like and where all of the rooms are located. As I walk through, I can already envision what our house will look like. I can picture the kids room decorated cute for them...likely with the Backyardigans as my children are ADDICTED! I can picture their cribs in their room. I can imagine our bedroom, the living rooms, our fireplace, the toy room, "MY" kitchen, our dining room where we will be able to share our family meals...I could go on and on but needless to say I/we are getting SO excited! We've waited a very long time to turn this dream into a reality! I'm just so happy Doug and I are able to make it happen now not only for ourselves but also for our precious little ones! OK, this has gone on long enough...now for some pictures! You'll get some now and more very soon as there are so many and as I mentioned before...I'm behind:)

MY CUTE LIL' FOREST CREATURES!!!

Sorry for the delay....here are the much awaited ADORABLE Halloween pics I promised! Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween to everyone! I hope you all had a great night and were able to enjoy some fun, quality time with your little sweeties (if you have little ones!). We had a great night. Unfortunately Doug had to work tonight so we went to town and met him while he was on duty so he could see the little ones all dressed up in their costumes. They looked absolutely adorable! Brooke was a pretty, pink butterfly; Chase was an adorable, green turtle with a detachable shell on his back that he lost on several occasions (definitely the "fastest" turtle I have ever seen!); and Logan was a "stinkin" cute little skunk! They did not mind being in their costumes, in fact I think they rather liked them except for the hats that went with them. While we were in town, we met my Aunt Claudia and Uncle Marvin at Sunshine Cafe for some dinner. The kids proved to be little "show stoppers" as nearly everyone in the place had to stop and marvel them if not come by to talk and see them. They didn't seem to mind it though as they were constantly waving at people randomly throughout their meal. I can honestly say that my children are NOT shy! After dinner, we headed to my Aunt Patsy and Uncle Tom's house. My cousin Cody and her family were there too which was nice as I got to see the kids dressed up in their costumes. My trio were happy to see her son Rylan, who is 2 1/2 months older than they are, as they always have a great time playing together. He was dressed as a cute, little, blue M&M with punked up, spikey, blue hair. It really was cute! The funny part was when we first arrived all four of the kids were so excited that they just ran around making noises and screaming out in excitement. One would start it then the others would chime right in. It was hilarious! They even found it funny because they'd laugh at one another which as everyone knows only instigated more silly behavior so needless to say we did NOT go without laughs tonigh! Then you'd find them studing one another as if they were thinking to themselves "why in the world is he/she wearing that?". I don't think they fully understood but again...it was funny. We did get a lot of cute pictures but I haven't had a chance to download them so as soon as I can I will post them. Check back soon!

SPLISH SPLASH WE ARE TAKING OUR BATH!

I thought I would invite you all in for dinner with us...is there any wonder we do baths every night?!? Food ends up in the oddest places...even the dogs get messy...but they do LOVE to see the little ones sitting down in their booster seats! I have to admit though, I think I enjoy the kids bathtime almost as much as they do. I love watching them smile, laugh, splash around and have such a great time...IT'S PRICELESS!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

On Thursday, October, 24, 2007, Doug and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary...Happy Anniversary Sweetie! We went out for a "date night" as my Mother stayed at home and tended to the little ones for us. Our first stop for the evening was at a local spa where we received a one hour couple's Swedish massage. I cannot even begin to tell you how great that felt! Following our massages, we went to dinner at the Melting Pot. This was the first time that either of us had gone to the Melting Pot and it was incredible! We absolutely loved the atmosphere. It's very nicely decorated, quiet, private, romantic and overall just a very neat establishment to dine in. I would strongly recommend everyone try it at least once! Midway through dinner, I was beyond "full" but somehow I continued to eat forcing myself mostly because I wanted to try a little of everything! When they brought out the chocolate turtle fondue all bets were off...I somehow managed to make a lot of room for yummy strawberries, bananas, brownies and cheesecake! It was delicious! Following dinner, I had initially planned on going a short distance from Melting Pot to a Martini Bar that I've heard nothing but great revues about but following our dinner, I had NO ROOM LEFT...so we headed home.

One of the gifts that I purchased for Doug included IU vs. Purdue football tickets for next months game so when we head to IU/Bloomington we will likely stay overnight and hit some of the old "hot spots" as IU is Doug's Alma Mater. Two of our best friends, Jeff and Molly Hoehn, will be attending the game with us as well so we should have a great time. Doug and Jeff were Fraternity Brothers (Alpha Tau Omega) at IU.

OK, it's about to get a little "sappy" so grab your tissues...heehee. Seriously though, I just want to say that I am forever thankful to have such a wonderful, loving, caring, dedicated, hard-working husband who does so much for his family. I really do appreciate all he does for us but I fear I do take it for granted occasionally. He is 100% trustworthy and reliable and he is my very best friend whom I share everything with. I cannot even believe that it has been four years since we've said our sweet vows and I really have a hard time believing that we've been together for nearly nine years...nine...and I love you more and more each and every day! Thank you sweetie for all you do to love and provided for your family and may we celebrate MANY, MANY more anniversaries over the years to come! I LOVE YOU NOW AND FOREVER!

Sorry for the delay...

I apologize for being "MIA" recently! Things have been INTERESTING around here to say the least. We have been trying to recover from a dreaded GI virus...that is taking it's time to work it's way through each and every person in this house!!! It started last Thursday when Brooke started vomiting with every attempt to eat or drink anything. She never ran a fever but the virus lasted for approximately 24 hours for her and on Friday she also had some diarrhea...POOR BABY! I thought we were in the clear as no one else appeared to have been affected by it but then... Saturday afternoon I took the little ones to town with me to do some shopping. As we were checking out Chase vomited. They had been munching on apple wedges throughout the store so I did not put too much thought into it as I assumed he had got a little choked up and it made him get sick. Later that night, we headed over to my Aunt and Uncle's house for a cookout and while I was feeding my little ones their dinner Chase vomited everywhere. Not to be too graphic but this was not an insignificant amount of vomit people...I had no idea his tiny tummy could hold so much! To make a long story short...this is how the night continued with many bouts of this! To make things even more interesting, at 3:30 am Logan woke up with an "I need my MOM now" cry. When I got to his crib seconds later he clung to me as if to say "Thank goodness you are here!" I carried him out of their room and as we were walking down the hallway he let out a little belch...which was immediately followed by his puking marathon. Needless to say, I did NOT get any sleep that night and I can honestly say I have never been puked on so much in my life! I felt horrible for my little guys as they were so confused and scared when all of that was going on but they really handled it well.

Now as if that was not bad enough...Sunday did not get any better! My dad ended up getting sick and we actually had to call 911 and have him transported to the ER following him passing out (twice), sweating profusely, lips were nearly blue, with a blood pressure of 64/42 when it could finally get one! Thankfully, he was fine...we didn't find out exactly what caused these episodes but he was fine. He is to follow up with his primary care doc for further testing. Now I'm not exaggerating when I say, the minute that my brothers and Dad pulled in the driveway following the ER workup, I looked outside to find that... our field was on fire! Fortunately, they were able to put the fire out within a reasonable time and no damage was done but "WHAT A DAY"!

Today (Tuesday) all is well, aside from the fact that I now am taking my turn with the GI bug...NO FUN AT ALL! And it really makes caring for three babies quite challenging not to mention the fact that I have to take Logan to his ENT MD appt today to follow up from his tube placements. I'm just hoping the appt goes quick! So bear with me as I will put a "fun" post up soon! PLEASE Pray we all get well soon!!!

We Recycle

You know, it never ceases to amaze me that among the multitude of toys my children own, they absolutely love playing with the simple things. What could be more fun for three, inquisitive seventeen month olds than a couple of empty Luv's diaper boxes set up as their own personal movie theatres. At times, these boxes could even become cars that they could push around the room while loading them up with their favorite little toys. Believe it or not this along with their beloved "Diego" entertained them for approximately thirty-five minutes...now that's impressive!!! Mom stayed quite amuses during that time as well! It was a win-win situation all the way around:)

New Pictures!!!

Here are some recent pictures from the day that Doug and I took the little ones to the property to "dig" our first hole as a family prior to the official construction taking place. Also included are the exciting pictures of the land and the progress made thus far...more to come in the near future! Hope you enjoy them. Take note of the outfits...bet you can't tell what day we did this on...GO COLTS!!! If you find time to leave a comment I would appreciate it just to let me know who all is peeking in on us:) Thanks!

I also wanted to share with you some very touching moments that I witnessed from my little sweethearts today. These are the moments that tug on my heart strings and remind me of how very fortunate and blessed we truly are!!! Logan fell down while playing earlier and he started to cry. Well, Brooke did not like that he was upset and she wanted to make him feel better so she took the little ducky toy that she was playing with, walked it over to Logan, offered it to him and when he did not take it from her she reached down for his hand and placed the ducky in it. He looked at her and smiled and immediately stopped crying. How sweet is that?!? Of course I praised her for being such a little sweetie but it gets even better. Before bed tonight all three of my little ones were in very loving moods (I love those times). I wish I had a camera (as I often wish I did!) because Brooke walked over to Chase and gave him a hug. In return he turned to her and gave her a sweet little kiss which she had puckered up for. It must have tickled Chase because it made him laugh. Logan was only a few steps away so Brooke did not stop with Chase. She made her way over to "Bubby" and he got a sweet little kiss too. It brought tears to my eyes...I know I'm a softy but can you think of a better way to end such a beautiful day than to witness such sweetness?

WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY!!!

Today has really just been a fabulous day. First things first...they FINALLY started on our house! At 10:30 this morning I looked outside to find a dump truck hauling a back hoe (I think that's right) driving down our driveway back onto our property. They immediately unloaded and got to work and now there is a large hole...a huge mound of dirt...on our land where our basement will be...VERY SOON...YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe it?!? We are so thrilled. It is very exciting to actually see things happening. They've been telling me that everything will happen quickly once getting started so I have a feeling things are about to get CRAZY! Let the fun begin!

OK, now for some very, very long awaited news...Doug got his promotion!!!!!!!!! He is now a Corporal for his Police Department with a strong possibility of becoming a Sergeant within a year! Doug has deserved this for a long time now and I could not be more proud of him! Way to go Sweetie!

WE WELCOME FALL!

Fall is absolutely my favorite time of the year and this past weekend we were able to get outdoors and enjoy the weather. On Friday evenings, Doug and I are playing on a coed softball league and this past Friday kicked off the fall season. We play two games a week for five consecutive weeks. Of course we had to fill the bleachers (pack-n-plays really!) with the three most adorable fans you will ever see! They love to cheer on Mom and Dad and say "ball, ball, ball" while eating yummy, buttery popcorn...they are their mother's children! They had a blast. Of course the ball field is nothing new to them. Doug plays on a men's league spring and summer season and I play on a women's league during the summer so they have grown quite accustomed to being at the ball field. They were all three sporting their new heavy jackets for the fall...very cute from the Children's Place along with their reds and pink IU sock hats and mittens.

On Saturday, the little ones and I loaded up and went to the football field to support Devin (my cousin's son). He impressed me with how well he did for being 9 years old. They played two games that day too and won both of them! Great Job Devin.

Following the game, I met Jenny (one of my best friends for MANY years now!) and we took our children to the apple orchard. We had a great time. We bought some baby pumpkins for each of the kids and a big bag of apples which we had to sample right away. By the time we left though my three only had two pumpkins left. Logan decided somewhere along the way that he no longer wanted his "ball" so he threw it out of the wagon. Oh well. The orchard had a corn maze there that we went through. Keirstin and Mason (Jenny's little ones) had a blast directing us on the route to take through the maze. They have grown up so much all of a sudden!!!

As promised from a couple of days ago. Here are some pics from our outing to "the office". Enjoy!

ARE WE 2 CUTE OR WHAT?...

I just wanted to post a few recent pictures. My Mom and I took these one morning and I absolutely find them adorable. It's truly never a dull moment around here and we share many laughs and cuddles throughout our day! Oh, and by the way... for those of you who do not know, the baby I am holding is my niece, Baylie Marae. She's a sweetie!