Air.I.need.AIR

we are alive and well.

Rooms are painted, rearranged and destroyed yet again...

MY FAULT really; my children pick up after themselves! HAHA. Hence Bear's new theme song..."Keam uh, Keam uh" (Clean up, Clean up). They both know the song well and know the motions even better... Mommy on the other hand will sing it while she is ripping the guts out of the closet to "organize" and then remember that the tea is boiling over in the kitchen...

you guessed it... I THEN have TWO projects at hand... well NO 3 really. RUN to the tea, clean up the mess... start another batch... prepare the sweetening process. AND BAM time to feed, change, clothe a baby... then two toddlers! THEN it is time to prepare lunches for everyone. BUT wait... the phone is ringing. I have to ignore the phone in hopes that it is not imoportant and if it is I have to trust that the answering machine will work on an off chance and take a message for me. It's kind of like an un-paid secretary like that. You get what you get. If you beat it it will stop working all together. so we let it take what messages it will.

So there you have it. I still have a gutted closet in someone's room and I have to wait for it to become a hazard before I MAKE time to do something about it. we usually just have a "we're rearranging" story EVERY time a caseworker comes out... (jk for all my DHS peeps reading this... the mess happened that day I promise! ; )

BUT tomorrow I am getting a bit of a break! My MIL is taking all 3 kiddos (and I am sure she will be taking some prescription somehting or other later that night) tomorrow and keeping them over night. TALK ABOUT A BLESSING!!! In the meantime I am going to FIX all rooms that have not been properly gutted and restitched. I have not had a "meaningless" break since I have had Bear (and of course the others)... I mean sure we have gone out a couple (maybe 3) times since he's been here by ourselves. AND we have had someone watch him/them for a night or two like twice... but it was always because we had to do training or a marriage seminar (for training hours) to do. So there has always been a plan (created by someone other than us) that we had to follow through with.

All that to say this is the FIRST time in almost TWO years that we are going to be home ALONE with NO purpose but to have a break AND complete projects that are WAY overdue!!!

I am going to faint! *Breathe... just, breathe* okay...I am good. I am doing some pictures for a friend and her new little fam so I will not be sleeping in still BUT I will be able to do it and HAVE FUN b.c I won't have any children to care for that morning :). YES!!! So that means I get to play with my camera and see friends at the same time. My hubby has taken off so that we can play ALL DAY!!! like go shopping for groceries and stuff... HAHAHA YEAH baby the fun married date without your children!

Really we are going to go out tomorrow night for a fun belated b.day dinner. Just me and J. We are even going to go all out and drive a good 30 min to do this! I know we live on the wild side like that! Watch out for us! We will be painting the town... AT 7 PM!!! hahahaha I am so old!

if you are still along for the ride... THANKS! I love ya man! I still think of you all often... I just can't dig my way out of the closet to get to you!

Now... because I sometimes just can't resist!!!

Isn't she beautiful!!!

Room pics

Okay here are some UPDATED pictures of the kids rooms.

***Important note*** they are by no means finished. They are just in the process and this is what is progressing. I am having so much fun with ideas for these rooms. I am in the process of painting canvases and letters for Miley Bird's room. She is going to be graced with cherry blossom branches and birds. I am going to be making all her bedding soon as well... stay tuned!

(the colors are "cream", "pink", "very dark brown")

My thought is to go around the border with cherry blossom branches as well. We will see what happens. I think it will be BEAUTIFUL and SO FUN! BUT time is another NON-Friend of mine SO again, we will see what ACTUALLY happens... it is my dream to do it though!

The boys room however is much slower b.c they are so different personality wise and to try and figure out how to split the "theme" is kind of tough on the brain! I will eventually figure it out. I personally think that their room is fine as long as we get the chair moulding up. In the picture you will see that the rail is rested up on the pillow and the crib so it is not in the proper placement. just picture it lower covering up the divide in color.



I am also in the market for the bedding (or material to make it) for Bear's "new" bed. We were looking for a twin bed but we already had the full size so why not use what you have. He is doing wonderful staying in his bed. He has gotten two spankings for getting out without being asked and since then he has stayed in. When he was in his crib/toddler bed he would get out countless times... no matter the spankings to come. Hmmmm wonder what the difference is. I am just glad that he is staying in his bed now.

*************************************************************************************

On the potty training front. He is doing WONDERFUL. He still has an accident here and there, but he knows it was an accident and always tells us and helps clean up his mess. It is alwasy urine; for some reason it is harder for him to understand he is about to go pee than with the other. HE ALWAYS KNOWS THAT ONE IS COMING :) "POTTY...POTTY... POTTY.. UCKIE... UCKIE... MOMMY, POTTY, HURRY, HURRY".

He is out of diapers 100% during the day. He wears Pull-ups at night and now at nap time. He always wakes up dry from nap BUT there are no extra sheets for this bed he's in SO no room for err really when it can be avoided! We are so proud of him.

Even Moe is starting to say "Podda" when he has to go. He is doing great with sitting on the big potty too now. No more potty chair or seats for him. I am so proud of both our boys!

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

Marion Wachsmann... You are such a smart cookie!!! Way to think outside the box. If you contact me we can discuss your winnings!!! :)

It is an US picture of Bear when his BM was 3 mos pregnant with him. SO PRECIOUS.

His BM and I correspond through letters and I send her pictures of him to share the excitements of watching him grow. I know and understand that she has made some poor choices in life but nobody deserves to be outcast (unless of course there are severe issues that they NEED no contact for safety reasons... which we feel safe enough to share pictures with her and letters.) I really have a heart for her and pray for her often. I cannot even imagine being raised the way she was. I mean my parents were not perfect by any means but... oh how my heart breaks for her beginning to life! GET a hold of her heart GOD!

She said she has some more recent ones when she was further along as well as a polariod of him the day after he was born that she is going to send me. I cannot tell you how humbled I am before my Father who saw my desire for such a precious memory I would never have had with him had it not been for his BM.

This US picture came to me by mail a couple days ago. I had NO idea I would ever get such a gift! I have plenty of US pictures of our 3 kiddos but it is even more special to see the US picture and then see him standing here today. AMAZING! I have never known this feeling and it has truly blessed me. God saw straight to the details! AND for that I am THANKFUL!