Happy Thanksgiving!

So many things to be thankful for. First I do want to thank all of my readers for your love and support. As much as we have been through in my starting this blog, I have been fortunate to feel close to people all over the country and I truly feel in some way, that you guys are close friends. So I am thankful for you.

Above all, of course I am thankful for my beautiful children, my wonderful husband, an extended family that will never get enough credit for all that they do. The people in my life certainly sweeten the deal here. I am so blessed to have them. Of course, a person that we will forever be indebted to is our nanny Katie. Without her, I am not sure how we would get through outings and even every day life. From the beginning of this journey in expanding our family, she has truly been our saving grace. I feel like she is not only a part of my family, but a friend as well. I am so proud to have her as a part of our lives.

Other things that come to mind:

A new job where I actually enjoy going each day

My phone, as silly as it sounds and as much trouble as I have had with it, my LIFE is stored in there.

Our Dogs

Mr Clean magic eraser...I don't know how a mom of toddlers does without it

Rachael Ray...not only have I improved my cooking skills, it has made me really love cooking, a great hobby to have

Bamboo yarn...another hobby, so soft for blankets, scarves, sweaters...heck, anything that you want to be soft

Wine (duh)

Modern Family...Ken and I looooooove this show. Hilarious!

Fantasy Football...another thing that has brought Ken and I together. As much as I kind of hated it last season, I am addicted now, and it is fun to share that with him.

A new house, a new place to explore, and the beautiful scenery that surrounds us. Truly awe inspiring.

Moroccan Oil hair serum. Smells wonderful, makes my hair extremely shiny.

Crest White Strips, they really do work :D

So much more I am sure, but now I must go back to writing my paper, and preparing for family to arrive tomorrow for a Thanksgiving in Boulder. Have a wonderful holiday.

sdg

Keeping up with the....

Kids. Watching reruns of Keeping up with the Kardashians, hence the title. (embarrassed to admit it, but this show is kind of my celebrity "smut" fix. But seriously...

Holy crap it has been a crazy crazy day. Keeping up is truly exactly what I did. My helpers are both completely sick, Katie and Ken have been in bed all day, leaving me with all the kiddos to chase around. I have quarantined the two of them to the guest house so that the rest of us might be spared. I didn't have a clue how fortunate I was in having people to help me with the brood. Gia was in a horrible mood all day today, and has taken to hitting her brothers and sister if the mood strikes her. I d

on't know how many times I said "We don't hit people we love" today. We spent a lot of time in timeout today. So aggravating, especially because spending the time dragging her back and forth to timeout (when she refused to stay there) was keeping me from keeping an eye on the other three. In the meantime, Jackson got stuck behind the couch...we need some more babyproofing I think, because by the time I was able to get him out he was gasping because he was crying so hard. He panicked...absolutely panicked. Poor kid. It took me a long time to get him completely calmed down. Noah and Violet were so worried, they both started getting upset...it was like a domino effect.

Yesterday we took a trip into the mountains and drove around Rocky Mountain National Park. We saw a ton of wildlife and had to wait for a moose to get out of the road to pass. It was huge and a little scary too. See the pictures above. Incredible. The kids slept through the second half of the trip, but Ken and I had so much fun...it was so peaceful and eerily quiet when you are used to 4 little voices interrupting your every thought. We didn't even have the radio on at all. We got high enough in the mountains that we saw a little snow. Gia loved that. She kept pointing at it and wanting us to take her over to it. I just can't imagine how everything is going to be when we get 12 inches or more.

I need to quit procrastinating and get some work done. Working on a presentation for a big client for Wednesday when all I want to be doing is planning our Thanksgiving. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

M.I.A.

We have been missing IN ACTION. So sorry guys. I have received your emails, just haven't mad any time to get on the computer until now. I capitalize IN ACTION because we have been so incredibly busy. We went back to Ohio and Kentucky the last two weeks to visit family. Ken, Jackson and Gia stayed behind to get quality time with mamaw and popop Smith. I had to come back for work, and brought the twins with me because they had doctors appointments with our new pediatrician.

So the trip recap. Ohio for a week and then Kentucky for a week. It was a whirlwind and we didn't fit everything in, at all. But it was a good visit. Ohio started with a huge family weekend on the lake, some fishing...so much fun. The kiddos loved the boat... I was a nervous wreck, even with everyone in life jackets...I needed a big glass of wine after that, but it was great to watch Gia "drive" the boat...that was her favorite part. After the boat, we went back to the house and ate...and ate....and ate....food comas then ensued and I actually got a relatively good nights rest (first in 3 years it seems like!) because not only were we stuffed and lethargic, but the day in the sun on the boat took a lot out of us all.

Ken and I went to a Halloween party the next night with old friends. It was wonderful to see everyone. It is one of those things that you can count on every year. Same place, 2nd weekend of October...bring a costume and finger food. Picture below. :)

Dorothy and the scarecrow. Ken's "makeup" lasted all of 10 minutes and then he washed it off. We had a great time, nice to get away. I took a picture of my shoes later that night...only because I knew that pictures wouldn't show them. They were a great find....8 dollars in the Walmart kids department. :)

4 years ago this same party lasted until 4am. This year? Midnight. We are all getting old with kids that wear us out...big time. No longer drinking games or jello shots...we share pictures of our kids and drink tea. Boring? Not one bit. Just different. The kids stayed with the grandparents for the night.

Kentucky brought more of the same...eating...friends...family. We went to Mammoth Cave and went to the Science center to see the Pirate exhibit with Gia and then Ken and I saw a movie at the IMAX. It always makes me feel a little dizzy watching movies there. We only had 3 days in Kentucky, so it was sad for the twins and I to have to go, but its great that Ken gets to have a week with his family and Gia and Jackson get a chance to hang out with his side of the family.

Yesterday being a lazy Sunday off, the kids and I went to the park. We had to bundle up because it was a little chilly for them. They had a blast! I have been trying to take more pictures of outings and every day life...maybe going to start a flickr...it might be easier to keep up with than a blog. We shall see. Below is one of my favorites. :)

They love each other. All of you other twin mommies...do you feel like they have a different kind of bond with each other? It has been more and more apparent to me as the kids play all together. It's like they have a constant inside joke together or something.

Enough for tonight. I have work to do for a new account that I could be closing on this week. Cross your fingers for me...this could mean a big time promotion, but at least some good money. Have a wonderful evening ladies. :)

sdg

Moving on in...

Well well well...so here we are. New house, new city, new start! We are out in Boulder. Yes, we have moved again. We have been very very busy between new jobs and a new house. Ken is doing the Mr Mom thing for right now and I am back to work. I found a great marketing position at a firm in Denver that has offices around the world. It fit me exactly and after many different things in recent months, it was time for a fresh start. So why Colorado? Why not!

But seriously, we decided that we needed to make a city our own instead of being known for the family. The job was a tipping point, but we have been looking out here for a while. We still have both houses in Louisville...the original is still for sale with three price drops. It is definitely not a sellers market. Not with our luck anyway.

By the way, the picture above is the new house. 7 much needed bedrooms. Katie is still in Louisville finishing up her degree. She has applied out here for grad school and will be out here in a couple of weeks to join us. I am soooooooo grateful for her! How wonderful to find someone so committed to our family. She is excited from what I can see and I think she seems to be excited for the adventure. I have double and triple checked with her that this was going to be ok, because as much as I would love to have her a part of our family as our nanny (if you can even call her that anymore) forever, I have to face the reality that she is pursuing a graduate degree for a reason, not just to be able to be our nanny for the next 10 years. Although we would love that too. I feel like she is one of our kids and I consistently feel so proud of her and what she has accomplished and her aspirations for the future.

Ken and I are doing well. A breath of fresh mountain air has given a new life to the work that we are doing on our marriage. We have family out here, but we are essentially on our own out here so we are really having to rely on each other. Being that he is home with the kiddos for right now, he has a new found respect for what I was doing when he was working....which I think has been helpful as well. I REEEEEEALLY want to do the whole "told you so" routine with him talking about how hard it is with the brood. But I won't... I say it in my head though on a regular basis though.

Gia is become quite the photog now. After coming along with me to shoots, she thinks that she is a model or will say "mommy picture, picture mommy" everywhere we go. She turned two soon after we got out here, so we are officially in the terrible twos! And that is a serious understatement. It's almost terrifying to see how spoiled she thinks she is now. Absolute fits when she doesn't get what she wants. I think a lot of it is being in a big family and having to compete for attention. We try for that to not be the case, but with four, it is just not possible to be everywhere all at once. She also has had tubes put in since the last time I wrote. NO MORE EAR INFECTIONS!!

Jackson absolutely loves the new house. It is kind of a big circle in the downstairs, so its a race track for him to "run" around. He loves to chase the dogs around the track too.

Noah has gone completely mute. He was a chatterbox and then about a week before we moved, we get NOTHING. I called one of my sorority sisters because she is a speech therapist and she said not to worry because it is probably just in reaction to the move. Violet has made up the difference though. I don't know if it is the twin connection, or if it is just her playing "mom" but she talks FOR him, pretty much what he would tell us anyway. I am worried, but she assured me that its okay.

I need to get to bed. Even with the day off tomorrow, I have a ton to do! Hope everyone is doing well. I am exhausted!

Can't sleep. I haven't been able to in days. We lost the baby. Most of the family knows (or at least the ones that keep up on our blog) I really wish I didn't have such a feeling of relief that was underlying this extreme sadness. There isn't even much to write about other than that.

Ugh.

I got a new phone yesterday. I finally broke my Blackberry addiction and decided to try a Droid. So far I am really impressed but I miss my blackberry messenger. I found an app that lists all the places that "kids eat free" so that when we go out to eat we aren't spending a fortune and an app that Gia can play with that has bubbles floating around on the screen and when she touches them, they pop. She loves it, and it is bubbles without the mess! But just like everything, it will get old and she will need something else to fascinate her.

I think I should probably just break down and take something to get some sleep. At least try. Goodnight all. I hope this finds everyone well. Keep in touch.

Beef, Bedtime and Bath

Today has been one of "those days" in the early days of pregnancy. Tonight, I felt awful. Ken got home and literally found me on the kitchen floor sobbing. I didn't have morning sickness this bad in either of my other two pregnancies. Not even close. I have broken blood vessels around my eyes. I finally broke down and called the doctor this evening for some nausea pills. They make me feel better, but also make me a little hazy. I don't feel like I am able to be sick or hazy for that matter around here anymore. Katie has come back full time and Ken has requested a couple of days of vacation to give me a break. Makes me feel like a failure. I know I am just being hormonal, but I just hate that right now I need help with everything and I haven't even begun to show.

So tonight, I was going to make a roast. It has been cooking most of the day, and it hasn't bothered me at all. About 6:15 I went in to check on it before Ken got home and I opened the oven and the smells wafted into my face and it absolutely turned my stomach over. I threw up in the oven. In the oven. I didn't even have time to turn to the side to the sink. So that would be when Ken found me on the floor. So we ordered pizza. Even worse is the fact that Ken had to clean up after me. :(

Bedtime has been a nightmare lately. We have had the kids on a pretty tight schedule since the beginning. It has been the only to survive sometimes. That has completely gone out the window. Gia is still awake. She is doing the exhausted whimpering, but she will not just give up. I sat with her from 8:00 to almost 9:30. Ken has been in there since, rocking her. We have an appointment with an ENT to check into getting tubes put in. They are worried about her speech and sound development because she has had so many ear infections. She seems miserable, but there is no infection. The doctor has checked everything out. And as a result, everyone is thrown off. Noah wakes up almost every three hours like clockwork. And we have had to move Violet and Jackson into the same room because that is the only way we can get anyone under the age of 2 to sleep.

Even more awesome than all of that. Our bathtub that we had installed before we moved to this house has a leak. And unfortunately, it is in a bathroom that we don't use all that often. We didn't notice the extra water until it was soaking through the ceiling in Noah and Violets room. Ugh, so to add to the bedtime confusion, we have enormous fans running to dry everything out. Not exactly quiet either.

On the bright side... we accepted an offer on the old house. Much lower than what we wanted, but we are trying to avoid paying taxes and insurance and everything else involved on two separate houses. So that is a relief.

Gia is crying and my nausea meds have suddenly worn off. Back to reality. Goodnight...hopefully will be saying that soon.

SDG

Big surprise

Well, most of the family has been informed, so its an all clear to post.

We are expecting baby number 5, due February 23rd. Surprise!

After taking 7 tests, I have finally gave in to the idea and made an appointment with the doctor. We prayed for the blessing of children. And almost 3 years, and 4 kids later, here we are again. Be careful what you pray for, huh? I am terrified, very grateful, but terrified because we were supposed to be done. I have been back on the pill, we have taken every precaution. And as a mom, I feel guilty. I feel like my pit of my stomach feeling about this is wrong, is terrible...because even though we are excited, it is still one of those things where I just want to look up at God and be like "Seriously?" And I can't really figure out what that feeling is (other than the morning sickness). I hate that it makes me scared and sad. I don't want to use the word regret, but that lump in my throat and the tears that are streaming from my face right now certainly feel a little like it. I feel a little panicked, Ken and I are having this silence between us, because I think both of us are avoiding saying anything wrong, saying anything that wouldn't be kosher to say.

All the same, we are very happy. Ken and I are doing really well and I have finally started to feel like we are getting back to the way things were between us B.K. (before kids). I am scared that our marriage can't take it though. We are finally getting back on our feet.

I do want to say that I have never been one to consider terminating a pregnancy. I hope that in reading this, it is not seen as though I am thinking this.

I am exhausted and should try to get some sleep. Just keeping you all up to date.

sdg