This is for the moms out there.

Happy Holidays. This will be my Christmas Card this year...you can probably figure out why. I'll plan on sending out a we've moved card when we finally get our new house. For now, sit back and enjoy the story.

Here's a little background for you before the story I believe it will help you feel sorry for me so I want you to know before the story begins. Yesterday Lauren had a doctor appointment for her ears at 4pm in Vancouver near our old house. Now I've been to this doctor several times, so I knew that when the appointment was at 4, that really meant more like 4:30pm if we were lucky. It's two parts; hearing test and then see the doctor to discuss results. I had worked all day. (yes it's Christmas break...teachers still work because we have too much to do!) The kids had been at daycare, and it was a decent day. Did I mention I live in Gresham with my in-laws? That will be important for the story.

When I picked Andrew up I could tell he was tired, it was 3:40pm and he had no nap. Lauren had just had a big poopie diaper according to our daycare provider and was ready to go. I'm thinking okay we're set. As I was putting Lauren in the car he was playing in the side gravel drive (he's never done that before). When it was time for him to get in the car he came running and I thought no big deal. We headed off. Things were going well, we were on time and all was good.

About 7 minutes before getting to the doctor Andrew informs me he has poop on his hand and his shoe...hmmm how is this possible? I was driving on the highway so as he's FREAKING out I say, we'll take care of it when we get to the doctor, just hang on. We sing a few songs and he manages to calm down. When we get to the doctor I pull a wipe out and sure enough there's poop on Andrew's hand and ALL over the bottom of his shoe. Awesome. I calmly clean it up and tell him not to touch anything until I say it's okay. We get Lauren out and head into the doctor.

After we check in we promptly go into the bathroom where I make Andrew scrub his hands for 5 minutes. At this point I'm thinking okay, this isn't the end of the world. I'm just sweating a little...I'm handling it. I pick up Lauren and carry her back to the waiting room and as I do I feel her do a big pooh in her diaper. Okay. I can handle it.
She's been having a little trouble lately so I give her about 10 more minutes to make sure she's done. Sure enough she has a few more moments to fill her diaper. I think okay, I'll wait to change it when we get back to our private room.

I grab the diaper bag and go through it to find a diaper and the wipes. And then I realize...NO DIAPERS. That's right, none. Fantastic. I'm now sweating copious amounts. I have no diapers, it's 4:15pm and we haven't even been seen by the hearing test doctor, and we live in GRESHAM. Did I mention that? That means that it's going to take me about 40 minutes to get home. Okay what am I going to do? I'm beginning to smell Lauren in the waiting room as I'm sure everyone else is.

Quickly I think I'll call Krathbu because her mom's in town and I know she has diapers. So I give her a call, her mom is out running errands. Of course she is. However...Krathbu told me she had been gone awhile so she expected her soon. She told me she would call as soon as she got home. Okay, I tell the receptionist that a friend will be bringing me a diaper and could she please bring it to me ASAP if I'm back with the doctor. She smiles and says sure...I'm sure she was thinking good grief lady what is wrong with you?

We get called back for the hearing test. As we're getting ready for it, my phone rings. There's krathbu. We do the test, and I go back out to the waiting room call katie and she's on her way. Thank you Lord! Seriously. Luckily she came while I was still waiting to see the doctor. So then I was able to change Lolo as soon as we got back to our private room. She only had to sit in it for about 40 minutes. Nice.

During the visit with the doctor the kids were eating gold fish because it's 5pm and they haven't had a snack since lunch. I'm eating them as well. :) The bad news about 3 fell on the ground. One which Andrew ate off the ground after I told him not to in front of the doctor. The other two made it into the trash, where my daughter proceeded to take one out of the garbage and eat it as I'm trying to talk to the doctor. Seriously. Seriously. The man probably thought oh lady good luck to you.

That's about where the evening ended. To be totally honest I stayed very calm, did not get angry, did not yell, did not cry, did not freak out. Pretty good for me I would say. I owe a HUGE thanks to Katie for rescuing me and bringing me diapers in the mist of your own chaos. Oh my. Good times. Happy Holidays to you all. Love ya!

Changes are here

It's been awhile. I check my blog everyday to see if people have posted. I realized that the toilet is probably getting old to look at. I thought it might be time for an update. I don't have pictures to post...need to get better at that. If you're interested in what's new with us, keep reading. If not well...pics to come soon...for now enjoy.
Well we're moving...in with my in-laws. Our house has sold and we have to be out by the end of the month. Today we began the momentous task of packing. I can't say we got to far, considering we got about 2 boxes done. We did some really good talking about it though. I think somewhere down the road we'll be close to putting this whole thing into action.
We've got an offer on a house but it's a short sale. If you're familiar with this you'll know that it can be quite a long process. We're not exactly sure what to expect, but we're hoping that we'll know some answers sooner rather than later. The house is down the street from where we live now. It would be really great to get the extra space. It needs new flooring throughout and paint. I would love to do the counter tops, landscape, and built in bookshelves all at the same time-but we're not made of money. And it doesn't grow on trees.
The kids are doing great. Andrew is in Montessori school here in Vancouver, and it's so wonderful. We went to a parent night last week and learned about his day, and the philosophy behind the education. We are so happy with his teacher and he seems to be adapting to his new surroundings. He still cries everyday that I drop him off, but his teacher has assured me he stops crying quickly. He's been invited to a birthday for a boy in his class next week and he's quite excited about going.
When asked what he wants to be for Halloween he's decided Sammy Stroughter. For those of you who don't know anything about this-my son thinks he is Sammy Stroughter. Sammy is currently in his first season as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. He graduated from Oregon State last year. So we're in the market for a football helmet. He pretty much has the other gear necessary. His papa has supplied him with quite a few OSU football jerseys.
Lauren is getting quite big. She's grown up so much it makes me sad. She loves to sing Baa Baa Black Sheep and Itsy Bitsy Spider. She'll tell you which one she wants and if you sing the wrong one she yells at you until you stop. She's a complete reader. She'll read alone or with you, I don't really think she has a preference. The other day we noticed she shut herself in her bedroom. We finally opened the door about 15 minutes later and we found her in her tent, with her head on her pillow reading a book quietly to herself. She's quite independent like that. (And I love her for it.) As I'm typing now she's thumbing through a dinosaur book (and Andrew is playing football of course).
Lauren has her doctor appointment for her 18 month check next week. It's late due to some miscommunication between me and the Dr. office ( I blame them). She is very sure of what she wants. She will tell you with her words if she can. She's trying very hard to talk with us...but many things sound alike. She loves to sing her ABCs. Not too many of the letters sound right, but she has the rthym and tone correct for the whole song. Our daycare provider likes to call her Bossy Bessy (in the most loving way), Lolo likes to have control over things and people everywhere she goes. I blame Nick.
I'm excited fall is here, but a little sad because I can't decorate my house the way I usually do. I'm also feeling a little sad because I don't know if I'll have Thanksgiving and Christmas in my own house...but I feel very lucky that we have a place to live and that we'll hopefully be getting into a great home.
I hope to post some pictures soon. For now that is the latest and greatest. I hope you all enjoy the season with your family and loved ones.

Two posts in one

AWESOME! This is what I found when I walked into my bathroom last night before bed.


After showing Nick this lovely present, we could only deduce that our precious little GIRL had been having some fun earlier in the day.


Apparently while on daddy duty Lauren was left unattended in the back of our house, near our bathroom. This is what we've learned from leaving her unattended. I think next time daddy duty rolls around he'll make sure and close the bathroom doors, because it wasn't a tone of fun for him to clean up.

Side note: Andrew did not ever do anything like this...hmmm...not sure what to think of our little girl.

Two posts in one

They are the cutest. This was them this morning playing in the garage by themselves before church. When I walked in Andrew told me, "We're taking care of the baby right now. Can we have one more minute?" What's a mommy to say? Of course you can! They really are starting to become good friends. Except for when Andrew pushes her down and Lolo tries to bite him. :)

Update with a few pics

Typical Saturday morning. Lots of playing. Andrew dressed up as someone. Lolo being proud of herself that she can get up on the bed and back down. Good times.
Lots of things to post about but feeling quite tired. I'll do something worth reading in awhile. Summer is winding down and I'm not sure how I feel about it. More on that later.

Summer fun!

Here is Andrew riding on his bike. He's gotten pretty darn good. I want you all to notice that in the pic below he's scratching his bottom. Yes, yes he is.




























Here's Lolo and Andrew at the annual Fireman's picnic for 4th of July in Sunriver. Lots of fun, and no loud fireworks! It's my kind of fourth. Later on in the evening Lauren was complimented by a complete stranger that said, "Best 4th of July dress I've seen all day." That's right, she was super cute. Sorry Andrew, you didn't have any cute duds. I'll work on that for next year.

And of course I had to get the shot of daddy reading to the kiddos on our vacation in Sunriver. Super cute. They LOVE their daddy, and think he's just about the greatest. We had such a great time. I want to go again, right now in fact!

Hey mom look at this...

That's what Andrew said to me on Tuesday morning as I was dropping him off to daycare. So of course I turn and look and what do I see? My 3 year old son flipping me off. Yes folks that's right. Here's how mommy handled this one...
A: Look I can do 1 like this.
L: You know that's not a very nice way of saying number one. Let's just do it the normal way.
A: Yeah, I'll just do it like this when we're at home.
L: Good, no problem.
Thinking in my head, please don't flip everyone off at daycare and teach your other 3 year old friends how to do it.
Well, not even 3 hours later I go to get him, and what do you know, he's shown everyone! SUPER!
The best part is, (Sarah you'll love this) my daycare provider asked him who showed him how to do it and he said, my mom's friend Sarah showed my mom and then she showed me. Yes, that's right. Sarah you get the blame. You can pay for my therapy now.

PS-I would love to post a picture of this (because he is so proud) however I'm really trying not to encourage it. Sorry folks you'll just have to use your imagination.

Beautiful!

I had to post this picture of Lauren Elizabeth. So beautiful.

SUMMER IS HERE!!!

Yeah summer is finally here. This is how I love to wake up in the morning. I know the pics a bit old, but it hasn't really changed too much. Lolo in her sleep sack and Bobo crawling in her crib every morning. Man I love these two.
In following with tradition I say that everyone who reads/follows my blogs makes a what are you doing this summer list. Here's mine so far:

Sunriver: Yeah!
Weddings: Seriously so many people are getting married this summer, it's CRaZy!
Relax: Not sure how this one will happen with two kiddos around :)
Read: My book club is in the middle of choosing a new book, any suggestions? And of course professional reading. I don't really want to do it, but I know I should.
Anniversary: It will be 5 years for Nicholas and I this summer. Let's hope he's planning something fabulous, it's his year to make it happen.
Swim lessons for the kiddos: Andrew is old enough now to go in alone, I have to be with Lolo. I can't say I'm really looking forward to getting in the pool in my suit and all. Good times.
Picnics/Hikes: I'm hoping for a few low key weekends where we can hang out as a family. Do some hiking, eating, chillin', you know the good stuff.
Sleeping in: Again, not sure when this one will happen with the kiddos around.
Baking/Cooking: I love to bake and cook and try new things. The bad part is I always like to eat all of it as well. I guess I should add one more idea to my list. :(
Working out: Need I say more?

I'm sure there's more to think of. However I should probably get back to playing with Andrew...I've been on the computer for awhile now. Looking forward to reading reading all of your lists for summer...maybe they will give me some ideas.

PS-I've just been talked into getting the Easter candy bag down from the top of the fridge to pick something out to eat after dinner...hmmm...why is this bag still in my house? How did I get talked into this? Oh my oh my.

Picture update

This would be what Lauren does when anyone says "No" to her, or really anything else that she doesn't want to hear. What's missing is the loud cry/screams she gives off during this tantrum as well. Interestingly enough she wasn't having a meltdown during this photo...she just went into this position...not sure what to make of that.
This picture would be Lolo trying to carry her diaper bag like a purse. She tried for several minutes to make this happen, but eventually gave up. Maybe that's why she went into her position (as shown above). This girl is always keeping me guessing. So darn cute, and yet quite a diva.
This picture is from the infamous Dozer Days. Many out there know what I'm referring to. It's a day for kiddos to get their kicks driving and playing around huge equipment. Andrew has been the last 3 years of his life and he LOVES it. This was Lolo's first year...I'm not sure if she's going to be such a big fan. In case you can't tell she's screaming! I love it. How hilarious is that?


Does it get any cuter than this? Seriously. This is Andrew in his soccer "uniform". He is not aware that he's not actually on a team, but I don't want to burst his bubble just yet. He's asked to wear this outfit 3 days in a row. Super cute.
I must say I think he grew about 5 years over the long Memorial weekend. He looks bigger, talks like he's bigger, and acts bigger. Oh man, I'm not ready for that!

Update

Carter and Andrew at the zoo. Such a fun day! Everyone loved the animals. They were also easy to spot in their matching red tops. :)
Lauren pushing her stroller around in her new dress from Papa. It's about the cutest thing I've ever seen. She will spend hours and hours playing with dolls and strollers.
Andrew riding his new bike for his birthday. He's getting better each time. What a big boy!
Andrew using the vacuum hose as his blower...kind of looks like he's shooting Lauren up...hmmm...Lauren loves to show how she is a big girl now and climb in and out of her chair. Seriously, I love these two.

Many things have happened since I last blogged. To be quite honest I'm not even sure I remember them all. I wanted to do a quick post though, because it has been quite a long time. The kids are growing up so quickly. It's been really fun to watch them together. Lolo wants to be where her brother is, ALL THE TIME. And Andrew REALLY likes to go into her crib in the morning when she first wakes up. He cries if she wakes up before him, because he likes it that much.

Nick and I have been busy at work and with bible studies. Nick only has 3 more weeks of Bible Study Fellowship and then he's done for the summer. Yeah for sleeping in Saturday mornings (but I know he won't sleep in). Our CARE group (bible study from church) is just finishing the book The Five Love Languages. I recommend this book to anyone married or in a relationship. It really helps you understand yourself and how you feel loved, as well as your spouse. It's been great for us. We've also been running a ton getting ready for Pacific Crest at the end of June...we're both not sure which race we'll sign up for, that is yet to be determined!

The kids and I have been enjoying the weather outside. Finally, Andrew can go out and play. He wants to constantly be outside. It's great. Our neighbor hooked us up with some pretty cool outside toys and Andrew is enjoying himself. Of course Lo wants to be out there with him...she's not quite ready for it all by herself. She's doing great at walking around, but she takes a seat/fall every now and again.

New things for Andrew: He's 3, so he's big now. As he likes to tell me, he's growing up. It makes me a little sad. He looked bigger the day after his birthday. He loves the following: lawn mowing, blowing, anything outside in general, dinosaurs (we've got almost every book published about them), and his sister of course.

New things for Lauren: She's walking everywhere...whether or not we like it or not. She doesn't like to be told no, or be careful, or anything where you're basically telling her what to do. She cries. She literally throws herself down on the floor and cries. She LOVES to eat...I'm not sure where she got that from??? She's a big girl and drinks milk from a cup now. No more bottles (yeah!) She can say; mama, dada, doll, dog, and num num. She also signs more for food.

Enjoy the pics! Hope all is well.

We did it!

Nick, Mark, and I completed the Beaver Freezer Triathlon on Saturday April 4th. It was about 28 degrees when we started out...slightly chilly. Mark and I finally made it out of the pool, and headed out to bike. He of course flew by me on the bike, and I thought to myself that it may never end...but eventually I made it to the run. That was the best part for me.
I ended up feeling pretty good when it was done. Nick did great. Mark did great. It was pretty fun really. The best part was eating a nice breakfast afterward. :)
Hope you enjoy the picks. The one where you can't tell what it is, is actually me swimming in the pool.

Lolo's first birthday!

Grammy and Grandpa with their birthday hats on.
Moggy and Papa showing the birthday spirit.
Nana, Papa and the two little ones sporting the princess birthday hats.
The freakin' cutest one year old out there. Love that girl.

Moggy and Lolo with her new stroller and dolly. She LOVES it!
The cake. It's a hopscotch polka dot cake. Andrew helping "make" the cake. Really he just did a good job of licking the frosting. :)

What a fabulous Saturday

It's been a great day so far.
Lolo is better, much better.
Andrew is at the in-laws.
I had a good run-walk this morning.
The sun is shining.
I couldn't ask for more.

Just another day of being a mommy...

So another crazy day.
I noticed Lauren's bottom looked a little red this weekend, and she was having trouble going poo. So we tried a few different approaches and nothing worked. Today I called the Dr. because her bottom was bleeding when I wiped it (externally). So anyhow, the Dr. wanted to see her today.
I made an appointment for her close to when I had to be at work because that's the only thing they had open. Of course they were running behind, and didn't see me until 25 minutes later...by this time you could basically say I was FREAKING OUT!
The doctor looked at her and told me that she had a "fishers" which is basically torn skin because her stool was too hard. So he prescribed some stool softener of some sort. Just as I was diapering her up...he noticed that she looked a little too red down there. He took a rectal swap and sure enough she has strep! Yes. That's right folks. Great news for the mom who's already late to work (with no sub) and can't take her daughter to daycare with strep.
So, I call my principal crying because at this point I have no idea what to do. She tells me don't worry (which of course I am). She said she would take care of it. With that in mind, I go home. Fill her prescription and attempt to unwind my very stressful body out of all of it's knots.
Seriously.
Just another day of being a mommy, right?

A tribute to Grandma Velma

Well for those of you that don't know my grandmother Velma past away on January 6, 2009. She was 94 years young and I couldn't have asked for a better grandma. I thought I would write a little tribute in her honor on my blog. I miss her and want to remember her.

Growing up Grandma and I spent a lot of time together. She and Gideon would play games with me for hours. We would play canasta, 7's, and King's corner. I owe all my card skills to my grandma. She often said that I should move to Vegas because I am that good!

While she visited at our house she often would rearrange my mother's pantry. She drove me to school in her big (and I really mean the biggest damn car I've ever seen big) green car. She would tell me to pull my hair out of my face. She slept in my room because we didn't have an extra bedroom. She would babysit me while my mom went out with friends. That's when we would play cards.

Gideon was always with grandma, he was basically my grandfather growing up. She would always say, "Oh Gideon." I can hear her now. They used to go to the Senior Center in Salem and dance and play cards. They went out to dinner. They loved each other very much.

When we would visit grandma she would let me play with her things. I can remember playing a lot of restaurant in her family room. I also played with the fun things in her junk drawer. I swear she saved stuff just for me to play with. She would take me peach picking in the summer. Again, we would roll around in the green car. I remember the white bunny my grandma had for Easter. It's head came off (to put candy inside). My grandma would tell me that the Easter bunny came and filled it up...years later I found the bunny in my grandma's extra room closet.

She also had a basement with a ping pong table. My cousin Gina played with me every holiday. I was always trying to find someone to play with me...I think I coaxed everyone in my family into playing at least once with me. I also remember her candy jars. She had one in every room, and it was always full of some kind of goody when we came to visit. Last Christmas (2007) she gave each of us one to have. I think that's the most special gift she ever gave me.

I will miss my grandma very much. I remember the last time we saw her. It was 4 days before she passed away. Nick and I took the kids to see her. She was so excited. She told me my hair looked pretty. She was really excited about seeing Lauren, and how big she was. Andrew was just running around and I think she was overwhelmed by how busy he was. I'm so thankful for that visit. I know my grandma is in heaven and I will see her someday. I'm so thankful for her love and all the things she taught me. I love you grandma Velma. :)

Sickies

Our house if officially filled with sick children. ARGH! I took Lolo to the doctor today and she has viral pneumonia, basically a bad cold with a cough. It's nothing to be freaking out over, but we have to watch her pretty closely and she looks and feels miserable. It's so sad.

Today we took our suburban in to get serviced. I was sitting waiting for Nick with a sick Lauren, and Andrew who had to go to the bathroom, and all I wanted to do was go crawl in a bed somewhere and sleep. It's hard to be a mom sometimes.

That's about it for us right now. We are just trying to get better, and not go crazy.

Top Ten of 2008

SO...I said I would do my top ten like a week ago...and I'm going to give it an attempt. This is off the cuff so I'm probably going to forget something very important, but I'll give it a go. Otherwise, it would probably be 2010 before I get to it.

10. We put our house up on the market, then the stock market crashed, and no one bought our house...so we still live here.

9. I got to enjoy another year of being part time at work. Most days I'm so thankful that I'm able to stay at home and be with my kids. It's so wonderful to wake up, have breakfast, play, read, go on play dates. I am truly thankful.

8. Nick did his first triathlon. Go Nick!

7. Andrew was potty trained this summer. Not to toot my horn here, but it was pretty much a breeze. Apparently, I should have started sooner. What a champ.

6. Lolo began to crawl and say mama over Christmas break and I was home to witness both things. I will always remember that!

5. We took several family trips to Sunriver and had a wonderful time with family and friends.

4. I started a blog and now get to see and read about all my friends and their lives. I absolutely love reading all your posts and seeing all your pictures. It's my vice that I need when I'm ready to lose my mind. I love it!

3. Several of my close friends had babies. So great!

2. Nick and friends threw a surprise 30th birthday party for me and I was truly surprised! I kind of like that I'm 30...is that weird?

1.Lauren Elizabeth Kralj was born on March 14th and she is such an amazing gift to our family. Words cannot express how thankful we are for her.

Happy New Year

Things have been busy for the last few weeks. I am thinking of my next blog post. I'm going to try and do a top ten. I think others should do it as well. Once I get the highlights from 2008 I'll do another post!