Mini Van diaries

So, this is the freakiest thing that has happened. I put two of my kids in the van. I turn around to get the other two, I here something EXPLODE! Not kidding. Hello! what just happened. I look at Rae and Nathan to make sure they are okay. Thank you Lord, no one was hurt. Glass was everywhere. In the van, the house, all over the garage.

Apparently, this can happen for no reason. A few other mom's told me about how they have seen it happen to other peps cars.

Here are the pics.

BTW: $400 to replace!

Plus my husbands speeding ticket this week $140

Grand total of unexpected expenses(just this week) $540 bucks!!

As you know, last week it was the tire. Things come in three. Stay posted to the third! (hoping not!)

Nathan's Birthday

Nathan's birthday was last week. I have been so busy with school and being a Mom Taxi, that I haven't had a chance to blog about his birth or birthday. As some of you know Naty boy is our 4th and last child. Nathan was born at home. My midwife could not attend his birth, so we had a unattended home birth. Being we had already had previous home births, we felt very safe and confident in having him at home. Nathan was my only child born on his exact due date. R was 6 days early, Syd was two wks early, Ashy was two week late!

Weeks following Nathan's birth, every week when the moon would change phases I would have hours of "thinking I was in labor" but I knew it wasn't time. My Mom had come here a few days before. I was especially nervous about Nathan's birth for the fact that my oldest daughter was going to start Kindergarten on the 18th. I wanted him to come on his due date or wait until after the 18th, which was a Thur. I didn't want it to affect Raegan. Yeah right. once he was born she didn't want to leave him!

We ate dinner and got everyone off to bed. Mom and I stayed up for a while wondering if this would be the night. I thought it was so I called my friend Melanie, who is a doula and a best friend. By the time she got to my house I was having steady contractions and knew it was for real. She massaged my feet to help me relax, while Lonnie got the birth pool all filled up ( with warm water of course). This was around 11 O'clock at night. I labored for a few hours and was beginning to have doubts and wanted to give up. Then I remembered, with all my births, that when I get to that point it is time. It was transition time. Knowing this gave me back my confidence. Melanie and Lonnie didn't have a clue. (for those of you who know me, I am the exact opposite of my personality in labor, CALM!!!) I know, I know, surprising isn't it!! I remembered one big thing in giving birth was to make sure the cord did not prolapsed. I checked and I felt something weird, it was his EAR. Great! I could continue. I do remember at this point that everyone in the house was awake. Raegan wanted to be in there, but she didn't get up the stairs in time.( she wouldn't have seen a lot) I know this sounds really weird to you, but water births are not as gross looking as other births. It is a clean birth. I've had two reg births and two water births and I prefer the water birth.

He was born at 4:44 am on the 14th and was 8lbs 4 oz 21 inches. So cute, looked just like the rest. Tid bit: My girls were exactly one lb and one inch apart and so were the boys.(Ashy was 9.4, 22ins)

Nathan turned two this year. He so the 4th child. He doesn't need to talk, because everyone does it for him. He is very sweet and loving. He loves to be cuddled. He is absolutely fascinated with trucks, trains, tractors, planes,etc. He gets soooo excited when seeing them. It is very cute. He is also a very super sensitive child. He is not like the others in the way that he does not have a very big appetite and he is smaller than what my other children were at this age. He has thrown us for a loop. They have all been very similar and he has challenged us in different ways.

Here is a pic of one of his birthday gifts. (Ps I scored big time on this, we got it for $7.48 at Target!)

Natey boy, Mommy loves you tons!

First week of school

Raegan is loving school. She loves her teacher! She is making new friends.

Sydney is not so sure about school, but I know in a few months she will love it. Unlike our social Raegan, Sydney is shy and reserved.

We have all survived the first week of school and soccer practices.

Now, Mommy can't wait for Ashy to start in two weeks!

On another note: Did I tell you that Nathan tried to break my toe!!(just kidding) He dropped one of my metal mixing bowls on my foot/toe. The lip of the bowl hit it just right. The pain was so intense, I thought I was going to die!! Here's a quick pic. (ignore the worn polish :) )

Later

G

Great Friends!

I would say that today was one of the worst days of my life, but no one died!! So, here goes. As all of you know I have been working on "Spirit Wear" all summer. Tonight was the Ice Cream Social, the first big event at school. This is the first opportunity for PTA to sell Spirit Wear. The last of my product was ready for pick up this morning. Getting the three children I have ready and a donut in hand, we head 31 miles west. Timing this just perfect to drive there, pickup the product, and get back just in time to beat the after school pickup rush @ 12:30 to pick up Raegan. I get there just great, kids are happy. I come home, kids are not happy. I hear a funny noise coming from the back. So I ask Ashton, "What was that noise?" "Did you throw something?" He just looks at me with a dazed and confused look. So from this I know he did nothing. He does not have a good poker face! So then I wonder, "what was that". I knew in about 3 seconds, when my tire went FLAT!! WHAT? It was the back right tire. I am thinking what happened. So I manage to get across two lanes of traffic and pull over. Terrified to get out, cars are zipping by at about 90 mph!! I look at the tire. There is a hole in the side. So I wonder if I hit something, I still do not know. What time was it?: 12:12. Where was I?: about 15 miles from home. Half way there. What time do I need to get Raegan?: in 18 mins!!, Yeah, don't think I'm gonna make it. So the first person I call is my friend "A" and have her pick up Rae!! Great, got that covered! Next I call Lonnie's office, get him on the phone as I almost hyperventilate b/c I am terrified I am going to get hit by one of the flyin' cars! He get's me calmed down to the point where I can tell him what has happened. So he thinks he is going to come and get me, yeah right! I totally knew that wasn't going to happen. This is when I threw a big fit about having triple A. (excuse me, NOT having triple A!!!) I have him call Kansas HWY PTRL. It takes them about 30 minutes to get there. In this time, Lonnie has me get the jack and spare ready, or we thought!! I try and try to get the bolt loose the holds the spare under the van. Those of you with MINI's understand this, right? oh no wait you don't, cuz all of you HAVE TRIPLE A and they do it for you!!! Only my husband is the tight wad! ( I am not a bit upset). So, sorry I got off track, the Hwy assistance guy gets there, and I just knew it was going to be a super weird pervert freak!! and........it wasn't!! He was a nice middle aged man who was the nicest person ever!( So thank you Mr. Nice guy for not being a pervert and hitting on me or being mean to my kids) He couldn't get the spare down either! Calls for back up, nope they couldn't do it. So what DO we do? Leave the van in the ditch and hitch a ride with the hwy assistance guy. Get all the kids loaded, make sure I have my product and come home. Then half way home I realize, I left Nathan's car seat in the van, b/c he already had one in his truck. When I get home, I have to call all my friends to search their basements, garages and attics for a spare car seat! Friend "J" was so generous to give me the one she uses for her son. I didn't want to take his, so I call my friend "K" who doesn't need that size anymore, hoping she would have one. She did!!! YEA!!!! She cleans it up and brings it right over. Then I go to load all of my boxes of Spirit Wear. Not going to fit in and Honda Accord!!! Well I could have made my kids ride on the roof!! But I was nice. So then I call in my friend "J" again and she came by and helped me take it all to the school and even used her "woman" power to help carry the boxes. So this is where the "Great Friends" comes in. I seriously would loose any ounce of sanity that I have if is weren't for friends like A, J and K!! So thanks a million girls!! You know who you are!! I love you! I love you!......................... Thanks for being sooooo G R E A T !!

PS. I did get everyone to the Ice cream Social in one piece!!
And to "A's" husband who is going take Lonnie to get the van tomorrow(Well if we can get the freakin' tire off)
I need a spa weekend vacation!! Anyone?????

It's a "Bugs" life !

The Flu BUG in both kinds has made it's way around all of my children. Stomach/Head cold FLU. Some have had both. It started with #2 then #3, #4 and now #1!! Dad and I have avoided it so far! We are countdown to three days before school starts! We had plans to party hard this week, but NO! We are home bound for two reasons: The HEAT and now the BUG! Hoping that they all get better before Thurs. We have school and socials to attend! Plus, tomorrow we have a birthday to celebrate!! (tune in later)

I totally wish HSM2 was on today !! LOL We are out of movies to watch, we need something new. I will be forced to deal with the Mt. Everest Laundry!!

Stir Crazy

Yes, we have all been stir crazy around here. It is seriously too hot to take the kids swimming. So it is officially "movie" week. As if they haven't watched enough TV this summer. They have been glued to The Disney Channel. Raegan and Syd are anxiously awaiting the premiere of "High School Musical 2".

Anyway, it is excessive heat this week with HD up to 115. I am sure some of you out there have had it worse, but here in the mid west, we have a thing called humidity! It's sticky.

I have been working on the school "spirit" wear. Here is what I have been working on. I got everything ordered last week. I cannot wait for it to all come in. It is going to be sooooo cool!

This is for the coolest PTA Mom's ever! and the female student body!

This is one is for the rest of the cool kids and Dads. The eye is a softened a little. (I couldn't find my final draft)

My apologies for being MIA. My kids have little tolerance for me being on the computer. I have been Mommy the Maid, Taxi driver, boxing referee.

They are ready for a change. It will be good for all of them to get back in school and have some structure and their friends!

Til next time.

G