The house is officially on the market..

So last Friday was a major workday here. My parents and Shane and Jessica came over to help, clean, paint and hang sheetrock. Alot got done-a big shout-out to all of the help we got. Nancy came over at 2 to take pictures to post online. The pix turned out pretty good, considering the dust in the air here. So now, Jerod has a ton more work to do upstairs, but my job is to keep the house in presentable shape. That is a round-the-clock job. We won't be able to show the house until after the 19th to give Jerod enough time to get the upstairs done, paint and all. It pains me that finally the upstairs will be really nice and we won't get to enjoy it. SIGH..whatever. At least my family is happy, healthy and Jerod and I are doing well together. That is all that matters, right? A house is just a house....

We had to bite the bullet

So at the beginning of this year I made a wish list. One of the first things I mentioned was not having to lose our house due to Jerod not having work. Well, such is not to be. After a conversation with our bank, we've been advised to try to sell our house before foreclosure proceedings start at the end of May. So we met with a couple realtors last Friday with the goal of getting our house listed by the end of this week.

So now my husband has to work like a mad-man to get the upstairs re-rocked and finished. As I type he is up there knocking off the lathe and plaster and carting it out of the house via 5 gallon buckets. It is a huge mess. Sigh....But it has to be done in order to get the house sellable. In fact, there are quite a few smaller projects that will have to be completed prior to selling, just things that I'm quite happy to overlook in living here, but a potential buyer may take issue with. For example, the grout in both bathrooms needs to be touched up and we don't have the right color grout to redo it. So then we will have to try to scrub out the current grout in order to fix it with new grout. Yuck... A couple of light switches/outlets need to have the plates re-screwed on. That is not a big deal.

Now to try to find another place to live....that just makes my head hurt. To find an affordable 3 bdrm place to rent is like striking oil in your back yard-impossible. I can only hope that a job will crop up for Jerod and we can avoid all of this moving hassle. I pray all the time for it. Maybe if a few of you who read this,,,does anyone even read this besides my dad and mom?,,,,can pray for us too, something may come our way.

I can now officially say that I have become a statistic..

OK, so every winter you hear of the influenza outbreak state by state, and how there is x number of cases of people diagnosed with the flu. I always took a small amount of pride knowing that I was not one of those numbers. "Flu shot? Bah, that is for wussies" I'd think.

Well, guess who has now joined the ranks of the thousands who've contracted the flu? You guessed it, me. No, no, no, not the stomach, puke-your-guts-out flu. Everybody gets that. This is the light-headed, cold sweats, fever shakes, coughing until your sides hurt and you see points of light at the edges of your eyes, head pounding and body aching so badly that it hurts to blink kind of flu. I can assure you that I have never had this extreme of flu before. I would've remembered.

Between the boys and I, we came home with an impressive array of prescriptions from the doctor yesterday. I have some pill for the flu symptoms, a very powerful and slightly scary cough medicine. By scary, I mean, the "extra" stuff in the cough medicine to help me sleep put me into a daze 20 minutes after I took it. I also was given an Albuterol inhaler to help with the coughing fits. Thank goodness. I haven't coughed too much today. I'm greatful for that. Cayden came home with some anti-fungal cream to treat a ringworm rash that will not go away and Kieran has his own version of cough medicine laced with codeine to help him sleep, since his cough is much worse than mine.

We have beeen sleeping well, so far, at least. We'll see about tonight. I've been spraying Lysol disinfectant like crazy on my pillows and on various surfaces around the house to try to to stop the spread of the germs that I have. God forbid my kids catch what I have. I can't even imagine how sick they'd be. I'd feel so sorry for them, that I'd probably have them on my lap for 2 days straight.

So, I hope by my next post, we'll all be much better. I can only hope and pray.

These boys are soooo handsome!

This pic is just so precious

Our buried yard...

We won't be doing much swinging on these swings for quite some time...
We don't need a ladder to get up into the clubhouse.

We are kinda running out of room for where to put the snow. And with another 5-10 coming in on Sunday the 17th. It makes my brain hurt.

Star Student week!

In first grade, each child chooses a week where they get to be "Star Student" This involves being line leader every day, bringing a show and tell item every day, and bringing snacks and such. The star student also gets to bring in special pictures of themselves and family and friends. So Cayden and I put together a big tag board with lots of pictures. Jerod ate lunch with him on Monday, my mom and dad ate lunch with him on Tuesday, which worked out well, since Wednesday we had the biggest snowstorm of the season-11"! Thursday I read a Skippy Jon Jones book to his class, brought his teacher flowers and brought Cayden a happy meal to eat. I hoped to make him feel like it was a special week for him. he was bummed since he missed out on Wednesday and most of Thursday morning due to the weather. (how much snow is enough?) Obviously not the 80+" we've had so far.

Here are some pix of my time with Cayden at school..

Proud Big Sister!

The morning after Oliver was born, I had a rummage sale at the local elementary school. There were about 30 other booths as well. Anyways, the booth across from mine had a ton of little girl clothes. We all know how fanatic Ava is with her fancy, party dresses, so when I spotted this dress, I knew I had to get it for her. I ended up with this one and another peach frilly thing that she has been wearing regularly. So I took the dresses up to the hospital that afternoon and she immediately had to put it on. Then she and the boys were running around in the hallways. The nurses got a huge kick from watching her wrestle the boys in her pretty dress. She is definitely one-of-a-kind. We all love her so much. We also hope that she can adjust to a new baby brother in the house.

Introducing Oliver Jack!

This is my little peanut nephew. He melts my heart every time I see him. I am looking forward to playing a big part in his life, babysitting and such. It's good to have him around, it helps with the baby urges I was starting to have.

I had forgotten the precautions needed to do when changing a little baby boy's diaper. Yikes! Ol' Faithful has nothing on this little guy. He soaked everything, including himself. Ha!

Jess and Shane are still adjusting, and both sound exhausted when I talk with them. I have ordered the BabyWise books for them to read and hopefully get some help from. Some friends of ours have used it on their 3 kids and all of them are awesome sleepers, so I hope that this will get them some relief. Even Ava could stand to benefit from some of the pointers in there, I'm sure.

Some wackiness in the waiting room

So these are the boys passing time in the hospital waiting room. What goofy guys!

We were all waiting for little Oliver to make his entrance into this cold, cold, snowy world. We didn't have to wait long. 8:01 pm; 8 lbs 10 ounces; 21 inches long and a full head of black hair. He is absolutely wonderful!

So all of us cheeseheads are in mourning...

Yes, our Packers came up short yesterday. SIGH! I actually had to remove myself from the game after witnessing all of the STUPID PENALTIES the Packers were given. STUPID mistakes, mental mistakes. I realize that they were playing in a consistent windchill of -25*, yikes! but still some of those mess-ups were unbelievable!

And what was up with Al "Hairy Dreadlocks" Harris and that Plexiglass Burress pairing? The coaching staff should've seen that "Hairy" Harris was simply NOT GOOD ENOUGH to guard him on his own. So did we see Plexiglass double-teamed? NOPE- ....UGH. (yes I know his name is not Plexiglass, it's just what I decided to call him, since I decided not to like him)

So we carry on this day in a disappointed demeanor. Brett only has so much time before he's got to be done, the guy is 38 for crying out loud. It would've been nice to see him in the Big Game one more time, but such is not to be....

One side note: I sure hope the Giants' Head Coach had someone in the medical profession look at his face after the game. If he didn't have the worst degree of frostbite on his cheeks and neck, I'll be shocked! He looked terrible! What a dork to not have anything protecting his skin in that kind of weather!!!!

................................ok, I feel much better now that I got that off my chest........PHEW!

GO PACK GO!!

Just had to put that in before the game starts. It is a whopping -2* up there. Glad to be home in my comfy, warm house to watch the game.
Go Brett!!!!

Happy Anniversary to ME!

Yesterday marked the 7th anniversary of my becoming a mother. We welcomed Cayden Jerod into our lives 7 years ago on January 13th. And since we don't make a big deal of birthdays, this is a nice way to recognize the day for what it is-a very special day. A day I will never forget for as long as I live. It gives me a chance to reflect on how my life has changed since then. It's crazy to think that so much time has passed and for me to think of him as a squawking, pink, scrunched up little cutie newborn, it seems like yesterday. Wow, it does bring tears to my eyes. Now he is reading, learning new things every day, reasoning on things like a little adult, asking such grown-up questions, can he really be 7?

I remember when he was about 1 1/2 - 2 and we were having such horrible sleeping issues with him; and the night terrors-goodness-I never want to go back to that phase. At the time, other moms would offer advice and assure me that he would grow out of it soon. To me, "soon" could never come soon enough; lack of sleep makes a mommy cranky.

But you know what? "Soon" did come and now that whole thing is a distant memory. And now I have a kind, loving, adorable,creative, bright, sensitive, funny young man who makes my heart swell just thinking about him. And you know what? When I look back at Cayden's baby pictures, I don't think about the many, many sleepless nights we had with him, I think about how so stinkin' cute he was and the funny things he did to make me laugh. That's what being a parent is all about now, isn't it? Otherwise, no one would have more than one kid.

So, happy anniversary to me....I take a little bit of pride in knowing that I have brought a great little boy into this world....

The Sun Has Died!!! (or gone south for the winter)

OK, enough is enough. Fog, fog and more fog. Not just regular fog, but the pea soup, so thick you can cut it with a knife fog. I'm sick of all of the grey yucky days we have had this winter. Where is the light? Those of us who suffer from seasonal disorder are really at the end of our ropes here. I know I don't have it as bad as some do, but I'm in such a depressed funk right now and I know that it can be blamed on the lack of the sunlight that we so desperately need. So please God, if you can make a break in the clouds for the next, oh, say 3 months, so many of us would be eternally greatful!

Wishes for MY new year..

I've compiled a list of wishes and wants that I hope for me and my family for 2008:

1) A reliable, paying job for my husband. In the last 14 months, he has only worked 4 of them. The Unemployment check is NOT meant to live off of.

2) That we do not have to look for a cheaper place to live because of #1 not being granted.

3) To establish some better ground rules for the boys regards the playing of video games and watching TV. Well, actually, we can establish all the ground rules we want, I should revise my wish to wanting the boys to cooperate with these rules without a huge whiney, crying tantrum.

4) To get rid of the baby fat I still lug around. But since my "baby" is going to be 5 in a few weeks, can I still call it baby fat? Even if I shouldn't, I'm going to, since it sounds so much better than calling it lazy mommy fat. HA!

5) I wish to help the boys realize that helping mom around the house isn't a reason to erupt into a tirade that "I haven't had enough time to play right now!"

6) I wish to have Kieran trained to fall asleep on his own after his bedtime stories and prayers. Some nights it takes 45 minutes for him to fall asleep deeply enough for me/jerod to sneak out.

7) To be able to babysit for my brother and Jess so they can do some romantic date stuff after the new baby comes in January. I can't wait to hold a new baby!!

8) To become a more health conscious chef for my family. (that means not serving frozen pizza every other night)

9) In order for #8 to be more appealing to me, I wish Kieran would realize that there is much more food in the world besides shredded cheese, drinkable yogurt, chocolate milk, fish sticks and chocolate chip granola bars. On occasion, he'll decide that golden grahams cereal or pancakes are OK.

10) I wish for more patience as I try to be a good mother.

11) I wish for the ability to be more long-suffering and peaceful when dealing with my boys in the middle of arguments. Let's add self-control to that list of qualities I need to cultivate better.

12) I need to have more patience with my husband when he doesn't seem to do things as I would have done them.

13) I wish that my grandmas would be nicer to my mom. I see the stress it puts upon her and I don't know how she can deal with it.

14) I wish Josh could find a girl so I wouldn't have to hear his comments about how much he needs a woman in his life.

I could wish for all sorts of material things, like a new 2008 Town and Country Van, and new truck for my hubby, but all that seems silly if the income isn't there. Oh heck, I'm gonna make a list anyways!:

-I'd like my bedroom redone-new walls and carpet and new paint and a new bedroom furniture set. Maybe a room that actually coordinates!!
-I'd like my dining room table re-finished to get rid of the 7 years of hot wheels dings and permanant marker scribbles (see what I made for you mommy!)
-I'd like a front load washer and dryer
-I'd like a few more pieces of Lia Sophia jewelry
-I'd like to get a wedding band for Jerod to wear when we go out and about. His not having one still bugs me and he wouldn't have to worry about taking it off for work.
-I'd like to have Jerod be able to set up a wood-working shop to make custom furniture pieces. Something that is heated and big enough for all of his equipment.
-How about a fridge with water and ice in the door?
-How about having the roads repaired and taken care of that need it here in Dodgeville? (the potholes and snowbanks are horrible)
-While I'm at it, I wish for world peace, the end of global warming and a fat-free Big Mac!

There you go! I dont' ask for much.......

In case you haven't seen enough snow pictures...

If you compare these pictures to the snow photos I included in my post from last week, you'll see how much more snow we've gotten in the last two weeks. Shane's trailer is completed buried, and here Jerod is digging it out via the snowblower.
When I went out to check on Cayden, here I found him and his dad busy at enclosing the bottom of the swing set in snow walls to make a fort. Jerod used the snowblower to blow snow from under the swings and then dug up chunks of snow to stack on top of each other. Pretty cool! Cayden told me that his fingers were numb when he came in. I guess being out in the snow for 1 1/2 hours is too much for even the toughest gloves! When Jerod came in, he had a big grin on his face. He said he had a blast building this fort with Cayden. Glad to see the kid inside is still alive and kicking

Yet, even more snow...

Just a reminder to our family waaaaayyyyy south what the thermometer looks like in the frigid zone..
Today was a good day to play outdoors. It was pretty cold, around 18*, but the boys perservered. This is the snow fort that Dad used his chainsaw to cut the blocks. The boys have started to dig a tunnel underneath it, although they have a ways to go before they make it big enough to crawl all the way through. It is only December, so I think they will have a while in order to finish it.
A big thumbs up from Kieran!!
It's always good to get a running start if you want to go fast.
Who IS that masked kid?

Happy Baby shower Jessica!!

The Nanas and Aunties...
The Girls...

Thanks to Casey for hostessing the shower. Food was yummy, friends were fun.

Snow Lovers rejoice!

A million thanks for the snowblower Chad!!!!
The boys were a big help..

Any what snow play day would be complete without hot cocoa!

How we are faring this winter.....

Holy cow do we have snow! I'll make sure to post pictures when I get a chance, I just don't have my camera with me right now. So Saturday we got a good 4 inches of wet, heavy snow. That wouldn't have been so bad, but on top of that it rained and sleeted to the tune of about 1/4"- 1/2". Those who didn't get their sidewalks/ driveways cleaned up by dark on Saturday woke up to a frozen solid mess on Sunday. The rain had frozen on top of the snow, creating a crust that shovels couldn't break through. Heck, even snowblowers and big plow trucks couldn't move the snow. It has caused huge problems in snow removal. If we would get a day above freezing, it may help melt it some so that it could be moved, but the warmest day in our short-term forecast is Saturday at 33* with a good chance of....you guessed it...more snow / sleet / freezing rain. Yikes!

We got another 4 inches yesterday and last night. No school for the boys today, so they are home with Dad. Tomorrow we are forecast to get another 1"-3" of the white stuff. Yeesh! Snowmobilers are rejoicing, that's for sure.

You gotta see what Jerod built for the boys. He took out his chainsaw and cut blocks of snow to make an igloo. I have a picture I will put on here. But that gives you an idea how solid the snow is-it took a chainsaw to cut through it. Old folks are saying that they've never seen snow this impossible. I find it rather intriguing, you all know how weird I am about weather phenomonon.

Speaking of which, pray for our poor brothers in Washington and Oregon. They have been hit with the equivalent of a 2 day hurricane in that region. 10 feet of water washing out interstate 5 along the coast and tens of thousands left homeless from the flooding and hurricane force winds of 120 mph. The photos took my breath away. If nothing else would convince me, just noting the weather craziness would be enough to confirm to me that we are indeed living in the last days.

This weekend is Jessica's baby shower. I'm very excited for her. She has 7 weeks left. I think she looks good, but she says alot of people can't believe she has that much time left to go. It's just because she is short and carries the baby all in the front. I know she doesn't think so, but I think she makes a cute pregnant mom!

Cayden has been home the last 2 days from school with Strep Throat. Poor guy! Even though he's been pretty wiped out, he still has mustered up energy to go outside a couple times to play in the snow. Big surprise there! We have reached the point (FINALLY) where the boys can dress themselves to go out. Well, we still need to help with the gloves, but man, what a relief! Undressing is still a bit of an issue for Kieran; he can't get the concept of taking off the wet boots BEFORE trying to take off the snow pants. He'll get it, eventually.

I do have more to type, but it'll have to wait for another post.

Our assembly weekend..

My familia....Nana and her "kids"
Tiffany's interview.

Just some pictures to share of our weekend. We were in Janesville for our 2 day circuit assembly. Had a nice time visiting with old friends. Heard some good counsel and suggestions. There are now 6.9 million Jehovah's Witnesses around the world in more than 101,000 congregations. How cool is that? The organization is growing by leaps and bounds. "The little one will become a 1000 and the small one a mighty nation" Isaiah's words are being fulfilled more than ever in our day.