We Need a Little Christmas!!

Okay, so I've had a really hard time getting into the Christmas spirit, this year. I have no reason to not be excited! Danny worked his tail off so we'd have enough money to buy presents. But, still. I've not really "felt" it this year. I really want Christmas to be about Jesus' birthday, not about presents. I'm trying to teach the kids that it's not all about Santa, reindeer, and presents. I told them that if it weren't for the birth of Jesus, there would be no reason to celebrate. There'd be no Santa or presents. I guess it frustrates me. I do get it, though. When I was little it was all about presents, and who got what, and more, ect.. I love the imagination of little kids. I wish I could go back to the time when I believed in Santa, leprechauns, the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and so on. I love to see the excitement in their eyes. Especially on Christmas morning when they see all the presents for the first time. It does bring joy to my heart, but it's just so much. I know there will be a time when they get the true meaning of Christmas, and that it's not because of Santa and presents. Christmas is just such a selfish holiday. it's all about the "I wants". I get a list of "I want" all year round. I want this, I want that. Mom, can I get that for Christmas? I know it'll possibly be this way their entire lives. The truth is, is we already have so much. So much to be thankful for. It seems like that is never enough. We cant be thankful for the toys we have,. The toy that have been sitting in the bottom of our toy box's for the past year. We don't care that we've lost interest in them. We want more, because it's never enough. I'm not wanting to be a "lame" mom who doesn't get her kids presents to teach them a lesson. I just don't want to give them everything they want. I do want them to learn. I do want them to be humble, and thankful. Someday they will see, I'm sure. There's more to life than presents.

Halloween (and everything leading up to it)

My sick baby girl :(

Not the best pic,but the best one I had..

Alex at the pumpkin patch. I think that's his friend Jacob?

Elyse's first Halloween

First, the entire first grade class got to walk to the pumpkin patch last week on one of the days they actually had school (they only had shcool Monday and Wednesday). On Tuesday I had a parent teacher conference with Mrs. Barlow, Alex's teacher. She told me how much she loved Alex and how she thinks he's the greatest! She told nme how smart he was and how she felt that he was going to grow up to be some kind of prodigy and she'd be so proud because she taught him in the first grade. He is a very smart boy!! He loves Mrs. Barlow and I'm so happy she loves him, too. I always get nervous, because I never know how people are going to react to Alex. He has SO much energy!!

On Wednesday they went to the pumpkin patch. Alex brought home an awesome pumpkin!

Friday was the annual Bradford Halloween party. Elyse had woken up not feeling so well. Me, being an awesome mommy figured it was teething :/   . She was super fussy, needy, slightly boogery, diarrhea. I just didn't think a whole lot of it. Go me!! We went to the Halloween party. I was dressed as a witch. Cam and Alex zombies. Jonathon a monkey (the same one Cam has been the past two years) and Elyse was my little black cat. We had Jumbalaya, which is one of my favorites! Lots of treets, which is always amazing, and the kids got to play with cousins and friends. We went home Elyse hardly slept. Woke me up often.  Saturday, she was the same. Super fussy. We all stayed home and lounged around the house all day. Sunday, Elyse was still pretty fussy. We all went to church and Danny came home after sacrament meeting with Elyse and Jonathon so they could take a nap. Elyse slept, Jonathon did not!  When Danny picked Alex, Cam and I up from church I noticed Elyse was running a fever. I took her temp and it was 100.1. Being very low, I didn't think anything about it. I noticed that I couldn't see any teeth under her gums trying to poke through. Ive had three different kids teeth. I know all kids are different, but none of them ever ran a fever before the teeth were just about to poke through. Ruling out teething, I just thought she had a mild infection her body was trying to fight off. We go to Grandma and Papa Bradford's house for dinner. Elyse, still cranky and slightly feverish. We go home, I give her motrin becuase fevers spike at night and I put her to bed. She again didn't sleep much. Monday came. After having so many days off of school and Elyse not sleeping, I had a hard time waking up! I got Alex off to school, the bus was 10 min early, so we'd made it just in time. I did laundry all day, while Elyse slept most of the day. Her fever was gone all day, but came back after I put her to bed. The same thing Tues. I had a refill on one of her antibiotics, so I decided to start giving that to her on Wednesday, because when she'd woken up her fever was back. The last time she had a fever for three days, we ended up in the hospital for an entire week! It was horrible. Thursday, Halloween. I got Alex ready for school. Putting his Halloween costume in his back pack and sending him off to school. It was the first day Elyse woke up with out a fever. I noticed a bit of a rash on her forehead. It wasn't a rash i'd ever seen before, but wasn't super worried. I figured it could be a fever rash. She had a blow out later in the afternoon, so I stripped her down and noticed that the rash was on her back, too. I texted my mom the pic, and she said "that looks like strep.". I of course felt horrible. It totally explains her behavior in the past week. Cam went to his preschool Halloween party. When I picked him and Christopher up they told me it was the best day EVER! They had capri suns instead of water to drink, with lots of treats! They were so cute! Doodles, Elyse, Jonny, and I came home. ELyse went to sleep, Cam and Jonny played outside while I cleaned the house. Alex got home from school. I threatened the kids that if they made a mess in my freshly cleaned house, there would be NO trick or treating. Needless to say, they kept the house clean! While I was sweeping my always dirty, no hope that they'll stay clean for longer than five minute floors, I saw a penny on the floor. Don't have any idea why, but this inspired me that we should go visit Aunt Alene. Completely out of the blue thought. I texted mom, Lara, and Nadja that I was going to take my kids over to see her and that they should come, too. She LOVES when we bring our kids over to her house. We have A LOT of kids between just the three of us! My four, Lara's five, Nadja's three. It's a lot of kids. Brenda got our pics, the kids got candy and then we left to meet Danny at his Parent's house to start the trick or treeting extravaganza! We did that neighborhood then wen't to Collette's neighborhood, because we wanted a coke, lol. We got home about 8:00. Danny went to bed, Elyse took her medicine then went to bed. Jonathon fell asleep in the car, so I put him in his bed. Alex and Cam played for a llittle while, then they too, wen't to bed. I watched "The Conjuring" by myself. Not the smartest move. It was just as scary the sceond time. Elyse has scarletina. A form of scarlet fever, go me!! She is on her third day of antibiotics, because I had some in the pharmacy, so I started giving them to her.  My kids are eating their Halloween candy and all is good in the world again! 

Unce Lynn

Two weeks ago, on Saturday, our sweet Uncle Lynn made his way up to heaven. When Grandpa Bowler passed away, Uncle Lynn took over the roll as Grandpa. My kids call him Grandpa Uncle Lynn and Alene, Grandma Aunt Alene. As of my last post, he was in the hospital. He was there for three weeks then just a couple days before he passed on he was moved to Nathan Addleson Hospice, a hospice facility to care for terminally ill patients. They basically just keep them comfortable until they pass away. I did not get to visit him before he passed. The day my mom and sister went, Danny said he had to work. Though it saddend me, I wasn't dragging four kids to a hospital. I was so bummed, because my mom called while they were on their way, and Danny said he had to work, so I dropped it. 20 minutes later I go into our bedroom to put Elyse down for her nap and Danny was like "(sigh), when are they going?" they were already long gone, so I could've gone after all, but I didn't want to drive in by myself. I wish I could've seen him before he was gone, but I'll just have to wait longer. 

The morning I heard of his passing, tho I knew it was going to be soon, still broke my heart. He'd passed away late Saturday night, so my mom just sent out a text because she didn't want to wake us up. I woke up the Sunday morning my kids had their primary program, and saw I had a text message. Once I read it, tears started flowing down my cheeks. I cried and cried. I didn't want to upset the boys, so I tried to keep it under wraps, tho I was unsuccessful. I told them that Grandpa Uncle Lynn had died and was in heaven now with Heavenly Father and all of the angels. They were just like "ok?". The kids have never had anybody die who's really close to them before, so they don't entirely get it. They get that his spirit left his body, and his body is burried, but they don't understand why that is sad. I guess, in a way, it's not. He is no longer suffering or in pain, but we'll miss him so much. So, after crying what felt like forever! I decided it was now time to get ready for church, though it was still about four hours away, getting four children, and husband, and myself ready ready for church takes me all day! I don't know what I'll do when we change to 9:00 a.m. this winter. I'll have to wake up at 5:00, lol! We invited both Grandma and Grandpa Bradford and Grandma Markosek to watch the kids NOT sing. I told Alex he was sitting next to the president of the church (Bishop) so he had to be extra good. And he was. Cam went up there and was almost there though the entire program. He got scared and came down just before the last song. I was proud of them. They did good, even though they didn't want to sing. We had a bit over a week before the funeral. The funeral was the best I've evewr been to. It wasn't sad at all, which I loved! The speakers were all AMAZING!! All their stories had me laughing so hard! First Fara, his daughter, (my cousin) spoke. She did so well! Then Ezekiel "Zek". I don't think I've ever met him before, but he was my favorite. I don't know what it was about him, but he stuck out to me. He was so funny!! He was talking about how he'd been called as Bishop two or three times then he decided he was going to grow out his hair and start drinking coke so they wouldn't call him anymore, lol! He just made me laugh with his stories. Somewhat elaborate stories. He said he lived in Lynn and Alene's basement and there was only one lightbulb with water seeping in through the walls. This made me laugh. Then Dr. Moses followed by Batch. They were all such fun/good speakers. The graveside service was very sweet. They did a military tribute (they'd done one during the funeral, too) because Lynn was a verteran. A few of his indian family sang a warrior song and a happy song? I think that's what she said they were... After the graveside service it was back to the church where I completely stuffed myself! Gotta love luncheons :) 

I sure will miss Uncle Lynn. I really feel so bad that I didn't visit him more often. In the next life, I'll drive him nuts with my visits, because I cant fix it now!  I would go to his house every few months. Not enough when they lived so close! He is my favorite ;) Every time we went over, my kids would climb on top Alene and Lynn. GIve them hugs, eat all their food, play with all their dog toys, because they have dogs, not young children. Climb in and out of their doggy door. Follow Terry around the house, because he's usually walking around getting ready for work. And Lynn would always offer to by the kids ice cream at Inside Scoop, but usually when it was time for us to go, it was because my kids were tired and ready for a nap. The last time we were over, tho, we got to go to the Scoop. It was a lot of fun! 

I remember when mom broke her leg. She was talking about how she wanted to go visit Lynn and Alene, but she was unable to drive and she couldn't climb the stairs to get into their house. So, I messaged Alene on facebook asking her if she and Lynn could come outside for a couple hours, until it got hot, so mom could visit. She said they could, so we went over there bright and early on an Aug. morning. Cam who was a year and a half, and Alex who was three and a half had a blast running in the yard. We stayed until it got hot, then we left. It was so fun for the kids and the adults to get out of the house even though it as only on the front lawn. It was fun though! 

When I was younger I'd occasionally clean their basement because they were unable to walk up and down the stairs. I wasn't allowed to throw anything away, though, lol. I will always remember and cherish our visits. I'll continue to visit Aunt Alene until she is reunited with her husband.   

Not Much Going On

The other day was back to school night. Danny was able to go with me this year, which was nice! We went to Alex's class room and sat at his desk. Mrs. Barlow gave her little speech about what they've been doing so far this year. When she was done she talked to all the parents who were in the classroom at the time, about their children, individually. She came to Danny and I and was talking about how Alex was well behaved, really smart, and how he was a hoot! She said one day she was talking to the class when Alex got up to get a drink of water. She informed him that we don't get up to get a drink of water when the teacher is talking and what he said, made me laugh..."but, we do if we're thirsty." Is what he said. She said she had to try not to laugh. She's never seen such a logical six year old. Alex is very logical. It can drive me crazy sometimes. She enjoys having him in her classroom. That's important. He loves her so much, too.

On Sunday I told the kids we were going to church and what Alex said was classical! What he said was, "mom, did you know we were Americans?" I simply replied, "yes, why?" Alex then says,"did you know that since we are Americans we can choose if we want to go to church or not?" I of course rolled my eyes and told him that he had to go to church "because I said so" and he replied, "but, we're Americans!" It made my day and completely made me laugh my butt off!  The things he comes up with! 

Cam started preschool last week. His first day was rough... He told me he cried and whined the whole time. When I asked why he said " they were rude.". I don't know why he thought that, but I told him to not play with the "rude" kids next time. His second day was much better! Tomorrow is his third day. Hopefully it goes smoothly. He goes with his cousin/BFF Kissy (Christopher). I can't believe I'll have two kids in school next year! 

We've all been fighting a cold/cough for the last two weeks. All of us "older ones" have seemed to be getting over it, but Jonny and Elyse. Jonathon has had a really stinky smell coming out of his nose. It smelled like an extremely stinky, wet dog. He reeked! I take the babies to the dr. Elyse is just having a hard time getting over her crud. Jonathon had something stuck up his nose. I had no Idea... All I knew was that he smelled so bad. Dr. Mendoza told me he'd try to pull what ever was in his nose out, but if he couldn't we'd have to go to the ENT. So, they strap Jonny to a board, not before Mendoza called all the medical students he's mentoring in to "come smell this little boy and watch me pull something out of his nose". So, there was three students, Dr. Mendoza, me, and a nurse. All in a small exam room. I looked away as Mendoza dug in Johnny's nose with some tweezers. With in a few seconds he said " I got it!". "It" was a dime sized piece of sponge!! It was lodged up in his nose for probably two weeks.. So, they asked me if I wanted to keep so said sponge, and I said "that's disgusting.. No thank you" and it was done. He has a pretty severe sinus infection, due to the sponge, so he has to be on antibiotics. Of course Lin's pharmacy did not have the antibiotic he needs and had to order it. It makes me nervous knowing how bad his infection is, knowing he's without medicine until tomorrow afternoon, but there's nothing I can do.

Last but definitely not least. Uncle Lynn was life flighted into the hospital two Friday's ago.He had sepsis caused by his gal bladder. That Saturday my mom got a call from my cousin Fara saying that he'd taken a turn for the worst and wasn't expected to make it through the night. So, Lara, my mom, and I went to Vegas to say goodbye. He was in the icu and it was after visiting hours, so Lara and I didn't get to see him. They were only allowing people in one at a time, and by the time his siblings and children got to see him he was very unstable. I was bummed I didn't get to see him but so happy I was able to go to the hospital to see a lot of my family that I very rarely see. As far as uncle Lynn's health. He's still in the icu. He's off the ventilator, but is still very critical. He had a heart attack that Saturday, which was why he was moved to the icu. They are unable to move the infected gal bladder due to his poor health. He's in a lot of pain and they aren't 100% sure why. It makes me sad. Uncle Lynn is an amazing man! Hopefully there will be some resolution to all his "health issues" soon. I hate to see anybody I love and care about suffer so much. That, as of now, is life, my friends!

The First Day of School is The Best Day of School (unless it was a bad day..)

Yesterday was Alex's first day of school. It started off a little rough.. I got Alex on the bus. First thing, was, I was told by the school his stop was at Lyman/ Mesa View, which is literally right outside my door. The bus driver told me it was not, but was down the street. Though inconvenient for me, because I don't feel comfortable with sending Alex off to the bus stop by himself, I said ok. I could use a little bit of exercise first thing in the morning. I did not get a single picture of Alex, or Alex getting onto the bus. We load up the kids in the car and head off to the school. The bus beat us there and as we were walking I heard the first bell wring. Afraid I wasn't going to make it in time to see him and get a picture of him lining up for the first time, I start walking really fast!! I start looking for his orange shirt, but cant see it. I see his teacher and class all lined up and he wasn't there! I start panicking just a bit,"where could he be?!". I then spot him standing by himself, by the drinking fountain. His lip was quivering and I could see him fighting back his tears! It broke my heart! I called him to me and gave him a big hug and apologized for not being there. I started taking him to his teacher and the "helper" came and was dumb. I told her he was in Mrs. Barlow's class and she was like "There's no Zachary on this list." I was like "There wouldn't be because his name is Henry..." She was like, "Oh! I thought he said his name was Zachary and he wouldn't tell me his last name.". So, she kept talking and Mrs. Barlow started taking her class back, probably being rude, I left the "helper" lady to stop Mrs. Barlow so I could introduce her to Alex. I didn't want him to feel any more scared or lost! I think he growled at Mrs. Barlow, which is a normal "Alex reaction" to meeting new people. He's quite shy in someways, and super outgoing in others. I left him feeling terrible! Then we go to leave and Cam is missing! I start looking for his blue monkey shirt in the play yard, and he's not there. I then see him crying in a crowd of women. One of them knowing who he was, was pointing him to me. I go get him, then we leave. We head home and I'm so worried that his day is just going to get worse. When his bus came in the afternoon, he doesn't jump off right away, it was like a minute and I almost was at the door when he finally popped off. His bus driver, was like,"does he get off here?" I told him "yes, he does". I almost had a heart attack thinking he'd missed his bus, or gotten onto the wrong one when he didn't get off right away. He was all smiles and covered in paint! He said his day was "AWESOME!" ! I cleaned out his back pack and opened his lunch to see that all he ate was his cheese stick!! The ONLY thing he ate! So, he ate his lunch when he got home. He was a hungry boy... He got to borrow two books from the school library, which he thought was the best! We wen't to Grandma Trudy's and Papa Henry's for dinner, came home and then the kids went to bed. I'm so glad his first day is over and done with! It started rough, but ended great! Now, I'm ready for Cam to start preschool! He and Alex are really good buddies, so Cam drove me nuts most of the day! He's completely lost without his Alex! It'll be good for him to go to "school", though he told me school is "lame". He'll love it, though! There you have it! Alex's first day and Cam's first day without Alex, and my first day with a big, all day school goer (is that even a word??), first grader!

My Life Is So Excititng! No, Really. It Is!

Next Monday, Alex starts first grade. Though, I'm excited about school starting again, I'm not so excited about him being gone all day! Even though I love having occasional breaks from my kids, I genuinely like being around them. They make me laugh, and cry, and at least once a day, make me really mad. That's what family is all about, right? Lol! But, seriously, I would love to keep them all little and at home for ever. 

Elyse went to the dr the other day for two month immunizations. She's a few months behind, but it's all good! She weighed 16 lbs, in the 50%, was 23 3/4 inches long 17-20% and her head was in the 25%.  She's short and kind of chubby. She is growing so much! She is getting to the age where she wants to stand all the time. I'll try to cuddle her, and all she wants to do is stand. I told her to stop growing up, and that she didn't have to get big. She could stay a baby forever if she really wanted to. She gave me one of Danny's "you're stupid" looks. My children have all been born giving that look. I think it's genetic! She is such a sweet baby girl and we are so lucky to have been chosen to raise her. She is such a good little baby. She's not really fussy, which is awesome!

Cam is going to start pre-school. Assuming I can get him into one. I'm excited for him to go to school. I think he'll really enjoy it! I can handle a couple hours a day, two days a week. The perfect amount of time for my kids to be gone! I can't believe he'll start kindergarten next year! I'll have two in school. This makes me sad...

Jonny, dear sweet, Jonny. He is such a momma's boy! Alex and Cam are mean to him. They yell at him all day. He wants to play with them and do what they are doing.They are older and he looks up to them. I keep telling them that, but they just see him as an annoying little brother. It breaks my heart.. Elyse and I play with him, but he just wants to be a big boy like Alex and Cam.  There will be a day when they will see what an awesome little man he really is. It'll take a while, but they'll see. He has the sweetest little spirit I've ever seen. He wakes up with a smile on his face and runs out of his room just to throw his arms around my legs, giving the best hugs! He can throw a temper tantrum like no other. Throwing himself on the ground, and throwing his head into the floor. He always has bruises on his forehead because of this, but he'll grow out of it some day. Being a two year old is hard! Even his temper tantrums end with his big smile or a giggle. 

I sure do love my sweet little kids.   I feel like we won the jackpot with these four cuties! Though they can be really bad at times, I wouldn't trade them for anything!

Solids!!

The other day Elyse was sitting on my lap while I was eating some lunch. Though she doesn't have full control over her hand's yet, she was able to grab onto my food! She had a death grip on it and was not letting go! She'd only had rice at this point, so I decided it was time for her to try some other foods. Foods that tastes good! Later that day we went to the store to get some green beans and carrots so I could make her some baby food. Making food for the baby was a new experience for me. I always just bought the food for the boys, but Danny and I decided it would save us a little money if we made our own! I was a bit worried, that it would be hard and take forever. First foods are pretty easy, though. It's all single ingredients. Just steam, puree, and freeze! Very easy!  She absolutely LOVES green beans! I tried giving her a banana and you would've thought I was trying to feed her poison! She gagged, spit, and threw up! She is NOT a fan! I then decided to try carrots. Maybe she is like her mommy and just prefers veggies over fruits?? She doesn't love carrots, but she will eat them.  I'm cool with that!! Next she gets to try sweet potatoes! I think she'll love those!

Right now she doesn't do any tricks. She loves to "talk" through movies and t.v. shows. No rolling around yet. She doesn't even try! When Jonathon was her age, he was the same way. When I told the pediatrician he said heavier babies tend to roll over later. Elyse and Jonny were/are fat babies. They're adorable!! Elyse, like her brothers, is extremely spoiled!!  There is one thing I let her do that I never let the boys and that is because I've become lazy! When she wakes up to eat at 6:30-7:00, I put her in bed with me so I can get a couple more hours of sleep. Completely shallow, I know! She loves it and so do I! Sleep is my favorite :) I'm most likely creating a monster, though... When school starts next month, we'll get on a routine! This Summer has just been hard on routine!                       

My Bucket List

These are a few things I'd like to do before I die, in no particular order, of course...

1- See New England in the Fall. I've never been (ever) and I hear Fall is breath taking with beautiful colors and smells (nature). Living in Nevada, season's are pretty underwhelming.

2-Spend a week somewhere tropical. I'd LOVE to go to the Bahamas..

3-Go on a paranormal investigation.  I grew up in a house that was quite frightening. There was a spirit in that house that seemed to try to scare us. I remember being afraid of coming home after school, so I'd drop off my back pack on the driveway and leave. I'd love to help, at least one family feel at ease.. The only problem, I'm startled easily, and when I get startled I grab onto the nearest person, and I get the giggles, lol. But, I think 90% of "hauntings" can be explained to something environmental, not a ghost.

4-I'd like to renovate an old, rundown house. One built in the late 1800's, early 1900's. I LOVE old homes!! I love the character they have.

5-Take my family to England. I've always wanted to visit!

6-Own my own children's and woman's clothing store. Who doesn't love clothes??

7-Buy a boat. Boating is just fun...

8-Design some clothes.

9-Adopt a child (If only the hubby would agree, lol)

10-Become the crazy old lady at the end of the street "with all those cats". I know, kind of silly, right? I'm going to be wearing hot pink jeans, big grey hair, hightop sneakers. It'll be AMAZEBALLS!

Oh, and I'll drive around a  classic powder blue convertible. 

11- I want to deliver a baby or assist in delivering a baby. I just think it's amazing...

12-Visit all 50 states.

13-Go on a ghost tour in all 50 states. Ghosts are a part of History and their "homes" have some of the coolest stories.

14-I'd like to create my own nail polish.

15-Get a tattoo

16-Get my eyeliner re-done (permanent makeup) and get my lips and eyebrows done, also.

18-Go skydiving (probably just in door because I know I couldn't actually jump out of a plane.)

19-Own a second (or more) home somewhere. 

20-Own a big ol' shoe closet, chuck full of shoes!!! Love it!!!

There you have it, lol! It's not much, but i'd like to do these things before I die :)

Baltic Amber Teething Necklace

Has anybody ever tried these? I ordered one for Elyse today. What it is?  It is Baltic Amber. Uses- relieves pain due to teething. I've read all types of reviews and people seem to think it really helps. Elyse seems like she might be teething. She chews on everything, even bites down really hard on her gums. Plus she seems a little fussy, too. She's not typically a fussy baby, and she's not running a fever, so I'm assuming her teeth are moving up. I'll let you all know what I think of them after they get here and we try it out!

Happy Independence Day

This year I decided to take the kids to the fair grounds for water games. The  sad thing is, is there weren't any... All they had was the fire trucks, which is pretty lame!! They usually have a lot to do! Alex and Jonathon loved it!! Cam was too scared, and Elyse is just a baby. She didn't appreciate getting sprayed with the cold water (they kept spraying us..). While Jonathon was running through the water, one of the firemen decided he was going to walk across the grass to spray some people who were standing on the outside of the water being sprayed. What he didn't notice was Jonathon standing behind him, and he proceeded to walk, running Jonathon over with the big, heavy fire hose!!  He'd stopped walking, but Jonathon was pinned, by his neck, under the hose!! I was rushing over to free him when his cousin Davis ran over to him and pulled the hose off of him. He was scared and so was I. Thank heavens Davis and I were paying attention because the fireman was NOT! Jonathon was unable to remove the hose himself. It really could've been bad. 

Danny is working tonight, so the older boys get to go to the fireworks with Grandma Markosek. They are so excited!! I'm going to stay home with the little ones so they can sleep. I wish I could go, but to save my sanity, I'm staying home. Jonathon get's super fussy around 7:30. I couldn't imagine keeping up until 9:30, 10:00!! Maybe next year we'll all be able to celebrate together! (We can only hope..)

My Funny Kids.

My mother in law just told me I should start keeping a little journal of the things my kids says. The truth is, they are honest, smart, and hilarious! Alex can keep me in stitches all day! One day we were over at Aunt Lara's house talking about girl stuff, like periods, manicures, pedicures, and Alex was just in a crappy mood!! I finally asked him, "Dude! Why are you so cranky?!" and his answer... "Because I haven't had a period, a manny, or a peddy!!" I laughed so hard I cried! He just didn't understand why this was so funny. He was dead serious! More recently, I was in my bikini. I'm not going to lie.. I just had a baby and still have my post baby body. It's not pretty.. But, we were going to go swimming in our pool. I'm allowed to let my fat hang out in my own back yard. He looks at me and says, "mom, you need to work out more." Me, "I know, Alex." Alex, "you're getting fat." Me, "Geese, Alex! Thanks!" Alex,  "no, really, Mom, you are!" Me, "no really, Alex thankyou! Now go away...". I'd be completely offended if it were to come from anybody else. My kids blame the bad the things they do on a "ghost". Our house tends to become full of paranormal activity when the boys are bad. There are ghosts EVERYWHERE!! They even push the boys down, they hit, and they steal toys (gasp!). They steal food out of the pantry and give it to the boys. It's horrifying, lol! Cam calls Delilah "Diarrhea" and he has "itchy palmades" I have no idea what that is, but it's a very serious disease! He wants to eat "eagers" for breakfast, which Alex just translated into "anchors". Yesterday, I was just watching some t.v. with Danny and Cam comes up to me and asks, "mom, can I have some coffee? I'm sleepy..." I don't drink coffee. Danny does when it's cold outside. He prefers it over hot chocolate. It made me laugh! I wish I could remember all the funny stuff that they've said. I'm going to do what Grandma Trudy told me and write this stuff down. They're funny little boys!

Girls Shopping Day :)

Since Father's Day is Sunday, I decided I would go to walmart to get Danny a present. I left the boys with Grandma then Elyse and I went to Mesquite. While there we got Elyse's ears pierced. I was a little nervous... I have my ears pierced, but it's been so long that I have no idea what it felt like. It has been 20 years!! (I feel so old when I can say something happened 20 or more years ago!). I then thought of immunizations! No way getting her ears pierced would be as painful or stressful as those are!  She did good! She sat on my lap while two ladies pierced both ears at the same time. She was upset for a minute or so, then she was perfectly fine! I gotta say, she looks adorable! I don't dress her in a whole lot of pink, I'm not a huge pink fan, so I get asked a lot if she's a boy or a girl. Even though she looks like a girl. I don't dress her in boy clothes, all of her clothes are girly, but she wears a lot of blue and yellow. So, of course that makes her a boy, right?! GGRRRRR.... Anyhoo..  She looks so cute with her little 14 KT gold pink heart CZ earrings :) . It was so not a big deal! After getting her ears pierced, we got her some new onesies. It's too hot for any actual clothing this time of the year! Got Danny's present, which is a pool! I can't wait to lounge around in it for the rest of the Summer, even though my body is so NOT swim suit ready right now. I don't care.... I'm going to let the flabby flab all hang out so I can get a tan. Then, we got some hot and ready's and came home. I gotta say... I LOVE SHOPPING! I spent all my spending money for the next two months on our pool, but it'll be worth it when I'm tan and the kids are happy!

How Can Somebody Be So Evil?

  I don't know if you've heard of the Jodi Arias trial, or not. I've been completely sucked into it!!  I'm going to share my thoughts and what my theory is what happened that evening and what she says happened. 

First of all. She is so full of crap! She wouldn't know the truth if it slapped her in the face! What she said when she was brought in for questioning about his death. "I haven't been to Mesa (AZ) since April. I wasn't any where near there."  Interrogator "What if I told you I had photographic and DNA evidence that you were there?" Arias, "Are you sure it was me? I was no where near Mesa at that time, I hadn't been there since April.". Interrogator-" Yes you were your DNA was mixed in with his.". Interrogator leaves, Arias starts singing and does a handstand on the carpet.

Next story, because she was there. She was heading to Utah to meet up with a guy. When she told Travis he told her to come To Mesa first, so she did. When she got there, there were two Caucasian people there in ski masks. Travis was on the floor screaming, there was blood everywhere and one of them held a gun to her head and pulled the trigger and the gun misfired. So she took off running down the stairs and out of the house, where she left Travis to die. She stuck with this story for a couple of years.

Next story. What she said "really" happened. Like I said there was photographic evidence of her being there. So, she was there, Travis invited her. They had sex took a bunch of risky pics of each other, he gets in the shower and she starts taking pics of him. They were trying different poses for her portfolio. He then got mad, lunged after her, she ran into his closet, got a gun and shot him. First of all, he didn't own a gun. Secondly, the same caliber gun that she used to shoot him was the same caliber gun that was "stolen" from her grandparents house one week prior. (will get into that story when I go into my theory of what really happened.) She didn't remember stabbing him 29 times or slitting his throat and nearly decapitating him. she "was in a fog". And- autopsy report said that  he was already dead by the time he was shot. in his head....

 My theory. About two weeks prior to his murder he and Jodi had gotten into a huge fight. He told her she was evil and the worst thing that ever happened to him (was he wrong? no!). Nobody knows what she'd done, but him and her. One week later, a her grandparents home was "broken" into where a few items were stolen including a .25 caliber hand gun. She makes plans to head to Mesa before she heads to Utah. He doesn't know she's coming and she goes right before so she somewhat has an alibi. She was out traveling on her way to Utah and got lost and drove over 100 miles out of her way (she left messages on his cell phone after she killed him and this was one of the messages she left). She'd rented a car, dyed her hair brown when it was dyed blonde before and on her rental car she'd turned the license plates upside down. She did these things so she wouldn't be recognized. She had filled five-five gallon gas tanks up with gas so she wouldn't have to stop for gas on her way to AZ. She drives all night and gets there about 4:00 in the morning he's awake, in his office watching youtube videos. I think she was hoping he'd be in his bed asleep where she could just kill him and head out. But, he was awake. She stood in the office door way watching him for 30-60 seconds before she said anything to him.According to her they had sex in the office and went to bed, woke up at about 1:00 p.m. had sex again and I'm assuming they ate lunch and whatnot. He goes and takes a shower, I think that she'd pretended to leave and he thought she'd done so. He's in the shower she comes in and starts taking pictures (which does not know. The flash is not on in these photos) then he realizes she is taking pictures of him. In the picture he looks completely surprised, like "you're still here? and what are you doing?" It was two minutes later that the camera snapped a picture of her shoe and the bottom of her pant leg standing over his profusely bleeding body. Another picture seconds later of his body being dragged across the floor. He fought like crazy for his own life. His hands and arms covered in defensive wounds. He tried to run... Now, if what she said was true, he was attacking her, she would've had to run out of his bathroom, through the bedroom, down the hallway, down the stairs, into the kitchen, where she got the knife and then back up the stairs, down the hall way, through the bedroom, into the bathroom, where he still was? If her life was in danger like she said it was, don't you think that he would've been chasing right behind her? I'm assuming he was a faster runner, he was bigger than her, and stronger. Don't you think that this would've had a completely different ending if that were true? And if he was, wouldn't you have just kept running out the front door? It was 5:30 p.m.. People are just getting home from work at this time. You could find help! I think that she had the knife somewhere on her while she was taking pics of him. Either tucked in her pants, or tucked in her bra. She took pics because in her sick twisted mind she wanted to be the last person he saw before he died and she wanted it to be evidence of the last time she saw him before he died. The first place she stabs him was in the heart. He comes out of the shower coughing up blood all over the bathroom sink. He starts running down through the bathroom hallway where I think he collapsed, she slit his throat, drags him back to the shower, just tossing him in there. naked, just, yeah. Shoots him in the head with her .25 caliber, deletes all the photos off the camera, sticks it plus bloody sheets and towels into the washing machine. Starts it. Washes the knife she used in the dishwasher and leaves.

Now, what do you think happened? I think she was a psycho, cold hearted woman! and that's putting it nicely...

Why Do I Get Myself Worked Up So Much?

Today we went to the specialist. I've been dreading this day since we left the hospital! I went in thinking the very worst! I relived our hospital experience and wanted to cry! I thought they would start poking Elyse with needles, prodding her and just doing all these horrible things, that they need to do, as doctors, but horrible for everybody involved. I made my very sleep deprived husband go with me, because I had to do the hospital thing by myself. No way I was doing it again, by my self. I also feared i wouldn't like her doctor. I'm picky about doctors. I've switched pediatricians three times, and OBGYN's once. I don't go to the doctor until I feel like I might die! I think doctors should all be people persons and pediatricians SHOULD be kid and baby people! That's just the way it's supposed to be!! Back to the specialist.... I really liked him! He talked to us like we were people, not stupid people, just people. He further explained the diagnosis. He told us they'd do an ultra sound in three months and the dye (can't remember the technical name for this) when she's one year old. She has to stay on antibiotics until she's one. They'll up her dosage with growth, then hopefully in a year, everything will be all good! No more reflux is what I'm hoping for!!

Here is Elyse being born. The cool thing about a c-section is you can take a pic of it!! I remember when I was in labor with Cam, it was only Danny and I in the hospital and my nurse was taking the pics and asked if I wanted any of him coming out. "No!" is basically what I said. Could you imagine that picture? YUCK! I didn't want to scar anybody for life, lol! C-sections, unless an open belly bothers you, it's kind of cool.  

Below is Jonny and Elsye. When she's on the floor playing he's not ever very far away. He loves her so much! He cant wait until she is big enough to play with him!

One Scary Day

Last week Elyse came down with a mysterious fever. All of the boys had had the same thing happen. They ran a fever for a short amount of time, then it went away and they got better within a day. When the same thing happened to Elyse I thought it was just the bug the boys had all had. Her fever would come and go and did this for three days when I decided to call her doctor. Her fever was never really high, but I just wanted to check things out because she is so young.  We go into the dr the next day, on Friday. I had the a/c on in the back of my car, so there was no explanation other than fever as to why she was so warm. I took her out of her car seat to go up to the office because she's getting heavy in that thing!! She felt extremely warm to the touch and her face was red.  She hadn't been crying or anything, she was asleep. We get called back by the nurse and she weighs Elyse, and she was 9 lbs 9 oz. She took her temp and it was 104!!! Her Dr. was standing right there and said you need to get her to Summerlin Hospital immediately!! We went into the examining room, and I was crying my eyes out! Dr. Mendoza checked her out quickly to see if it was her ears or throat causing the fever, but they were fine. We left as he called the hospital to let us know we were on our way. I called my family to let them know that Elyse was sick and we were on our way to the hospital. I cried the whole drive, sometimes having difficulty seeing through my tears!! We get to the hospital and were taken back to the pediatric E.R. immediately where they started testing as soon as we got in. They gave her a big dose of tylenol, drew her blood, started an I.V., put a catheder in and got some urine (it was cloudy), then, worst of all, they did a spinal tap! They did a quick urine test and determined that it was a UTI and informed me that she had to be on IV antibiotics for seven days. SEVEN DAYS in the hospital!! They started antibiotics and she was admitted. I cried so hard that day!! Her uncle Chris and uncle Nathan gave her a wonderful blessing that I cried through. I cried so much that my head throbbed! We spent the next seven days in the pediatric unit. Our first night, Elyse didn't sleep a wink and she pulled out her first IV. They replaced her IV and she slept for an hour, in bed with me... I hate sleeping with infants! I was so scared I was going to smother her... Our time there was pretty uneventful. Just IV antibiotics, a lot of napping, and sitting around. I did go to target on our third day. I had one pair of jeans that Elyse had pooped on. I was gone an hour...  On the day we were getting released the pediatrician came in and said they were going to inject dye into her bladder to see if they were backing into her kidneys because an earlier ultrasound showed that her kidneys were swollen. We got wheeled down to radiology where they did the test. It came back that her bladder was backing up into her kidneys. On a scale of 1-4 of severity she was at a 2. So, she is on antibiotics, once a day to prevent infections. We have to go see a kidney specialist. Should be fun.... My hopes are that it will just correct itself with time, but if not, we're looking at surgery. Thank heavens we know what's going on and can be proactive. It breaks my heart to have my eight week old go through this crap, but luckily, she wont

remember any of it.

A Post All About Me!!!

It's all in the title. This post is all about me. Likes and dislikes. Hopes and dreams exedra exedra.... Where should I start?? How about dislikes, in no particular order, of course!!
How do I put this gently without sounding like a horrible person? I don't really like children! I know that's weird coming from somebody who has four of her own, but I just don't. I love my children including nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends children, but I often find myself wanting to smack other people's children. Maybe if these children's parents would occasionally spank their children, I wouldn't want to... My children are far from perfect (and yes I do believe in the occasional spanking), but these big attitudes get to me!! I hope I can teach my kids to be respectful, but to be honest, somedays they are anything but! I give permission to anybody to smack my kid if they are rude or disrespectful. Sometimes I wish Alex or any child still got spanked at school. Children were so much better behaved when there were sore tushies at steak! No, I don't believe in beating a child. There is a huge difference, so get off your high horse! I just believe in discipline, that's all.
I hate my neighbors! I see the cops over there way to often! They scream at each other outside and use very foul language, language that I don't want my children to pick up on. To be honest, i'd like to see them all carried away in handcuffs!!
I don't love our house. As a matter of fact, I don't really like it. We've fixed it up so it's nice enough. But, it is what it is.. So not our dream house, but it is a roof over our heads!
I hate cooking! I do it because I feel it's my duty as a wife and mother. I'm not that good at it, but the fam will eat it, so that's all that matters.
I swear I'm not a horrible person... Oh, one more dislike.. I hate my body!! I need to magically tighten my deflated belly and boobies! Cellulite, stretch marks, wrinkles, dimples, bumps.....Bla!! I'd change my smile, too, if I could...
Time for some redemption!
I love my family. I think I got pretty lucky in the whole family department. Yes we all drive each other crazy at times, but we go together well!!
I like to clean, even though you'd never tell by walking into my house! My kids have my house destroyed so fast, you'd think that I never ever cleaned. But, I do. I do everyday! It frustrates me that it doesn't stay that way more than five minutes, tops (think I'm kidding?). These days I'd rather snuggle Elyse than clean, though... I can't seam to put her down! I love cuddling with my newborns, because you blink and it's gone! They aren't newborns very long..
I love babies. Even strangers babies. They are all so sweet and innocent. No I don't go around stealing babies, though. I admire them from afar.
I LOVE, LOVE junk food!!! My ideal meal would consist of ice cream and chocolate bars. Probably why I hate my body so much, haha!
I love the smell of clean laundry, though I don't like washing it.
My hopes for my children is that they would grow up to be outstanding young adults/adults. I hope they grow up to be obedient, respectful, kind, loving, and amazing people. Let's hope we as parents don't screw them up!! I take parenting very seriously. Most days my children might drive me to drink, and then bedtime comes. Everyday we start fresh. Everything from the day before is in the past and we get through everyday, one day at a time. Being a stay at home mom is a hard job. Being a parent is hard. I try. That's all I can do. My children are not easy going, calm, or laid back. They are strong willed, stubborn, and have tempers. They can be exhausting. But, they are awesome!! With that being said.. Alex will be home soon, so I have to go outside to wait for his bus. Until next time :)

Due Date

Today is my due date with little miss. She will be three weeks old tomorrow!! I don't really know why, but it's just crazy to me! I had a scheduled c-section for last monday, the 25th.
i'm just so very thankful that she is here and healthy! She has been growing like crazy since she's been born!! She weighed 5lbs 2oz at birth. She only lost a couple oz before we left the hospital. At eight days old she weighed 5lbs 9oz.At 15 days old she weighed 6lbs 8oz, which was Cam's birth weight. It's amazing to me... She just had to be born so she could grow!! I'm guessing she's 7-7 1/2 lbs now. The girl can eat!!!
Some feelings I've been feeling since she's been born (not all are based around her.)

Complete. I feel so blessed to complete our little family with such a sweet little spirit.
Overwhelmed!! Danny has been working nights and sleeping during the day. I've had some rough days...
More in love with my little family!! I don't know if it's possible, but I feel so blessed to have a healthy beautiful family.
Sad... There have been some lonely days where I just sit here with my angry Jonathon, misbehaving Alex and Cam, and extremely spoiled newborn. It can get overwhelming to where I just don't know what to do. Thank goodness it's not an everyday thing.
As miserable as being pregnant is, I totally miss it!! I miss feeling and watching my belly move around. I miss a little game I played with myself called "name that body part".
It's completely weird, but putting away my maternity clothes made me a little sad. It usually does after I've had a baby.
I always get "baby blues" and after Cam was born I got ppd. It sucks...
The past couple days I've been wondering why I chose the repeat cesarean. I had two babies naturally, I could've done the VBAC. My dr was willing, but at the time I didn't want to. I was scared of being in another emergency situation. I probably would've been fine. Elyse probably would've been fine. I was happy with my decision to do the section up until about two days ago.. My belly is still tender and all I can think about is working out and getting skinny again. It was completely my decision, so I need to get over it.
I have a fear of my tubal not working (don't need to worry yet..). My dr told me that it was a 1 in 300 chance (if i remember correctly) of it not working. I told him that if it were to not work on somebody, it'd be me!! He told me that him and Martin take a little more tube out than necessary to make sure it's a little more successful. So I probably shouldn't worry so much about it. But I do.
I worry so much. Not just about Elyse, but all my newborns! I have a fear of them dying of SIDS! I wake up so many times during the night to make sure they're still alive! This is why my babies sleep in my room right next to my bed either in a swing or bassinet. Because I don't want to actually have to get up. I hate worrying so much, but I do!!
Elyse has dimples!! I'm a huge sucker for dimples... I love dimples :) Her left dimple is deeper than her right. Right now you can only see them when she cries, because her smiles are mostly gassy smiles right now. She does have a little smirk, though. She gets that from her aunt Noni :). I just love the dimples, haha!!
These are my completely random thoughts as of late. Not that exciting....

Life As Of Late

It's crazy how much life changes every time you bring a new baby home. The first baby is the easiest. You sleep when they do, you clean, get ready for the day, and eat when they sleep. With every kid you bring in to the home it gets harder and harder. When Elyse sleeps I take care of the other kids and by the time I'm done. she wakes up and wants to eat again. I've tried to keep up on everything, but i've failed. My house looks like a huge A-bomb went off. I look like I haven't slept in days (and I have) and my kids are always filthy! I bathe them and within minutes they are covered in dirt again! It's frustrating because I hate bath night! They fight with me the whole time, then when they're done, they're dirty again. It's always such a huge adjustment. Jonathon hated me for about two weeks and now he's past the hatred and onto the fit throwing and "fighting for attention". I try really hard to give all the kids the same amount of attention but right now, Elyse has been getting most of my attention. I feel so bad and have ended up in tears a couple times because I feel so bad. Newborns are helpless, they cant do anything for them selves, so it's easy to give them so much attention. Alex and Cam have had major attitudes lately. They've been really sneaky, getting into everything. They sneak stuff they know they aren't supposed to have into their room. Danny has been working nights the past couple weeks. He leaves about 3 p.m. and gets home about 5 a.m.. It has been so hard being here completely by myself with all four kids. I just can't get anything done! I love being home with the kids, but I need a vaca! Dr. Swainston, is my suite done yet? LOL!! Swainston told me that I was a mother that if he had the space, he'd build a mothers suite/spa in his office. Oh, wouldn't it be nice?? I'm really trying to cherish these times with my kids because they grow up so fast! The past six years with Alex went by so fast, it makes me sad. It hasn't slowed down with any of the kids. With Elyse being our last baby, I do admit that I have a hard time putting her down. I could sit and hold her all day, every day! She has become quite accustomed to this! She is so spoiled! She is a very good little baby. Quite the little princess :) Life will get easier once we all get into a routine, but not really having a routine has really just messed us all up! That's it for now. Hopefully I can just get my kids to bed on time, lol!

Elyse Afton Bradford

Dr. Swainston, you're my hero...

Okay, so last Monday I went into the dr just for my regular check up. When Swainston measured my belly it only measured at 30 week and I was 37 weeks. Swainston calmly panicked a little and did a quick ultrasound. The baby looked small but was moving around really well and my amniotic fluids were okay. He stated that he was really worried about her growth and that I needed to come in later in the week for an ultrasound with the technician. So I did a non stress test and the baby looked fabulous then I made my appointment for my u/s on Wed the 13. Wednesday came along and I went into the dr's office for my u/s. She measuered the baby who measured a little over five lbs and small for gestational age. My amniotic fluid was at a 6 and was supposed to be at a 10. The u/s tech talked to the nurse practioner about my fluids being low and they decided to do another NST.  It had been a while since I'd eaten (like three hrs) so the baby didn't move enough. They gave me juice and the baby woke up and did her moving around. When I was getting off the monitor Dr. Reynolds (another dr in the office) went over my u/s resultts. When she saw my fluid was at a six she told me to stick around because she was going to call Dr. Swainston and that he'll probably wanna move up my c-section date. So I waited for about 20 min and she told me to leave and call in a couple hrs if I hadn't heard back from them. Swainston is in the O.R. all day on Wednesdays. That's his "opperating day". So, I drive home start "getting ready" then I called Swainston's office thinking they'd tell me I had to deliver the baby sooner, but I didn't think that they'd tell me that He wanted to deliver me that night!! So, I had to find somebody to watch the kids, we waited until Alex got home from school, dropped them off at Grandma and Grandpa Bradford's house then we headed to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital about 5:30 and waited in the E.R. for 45 min before the nurse took me up to L.D. I got there filled out paperwork got in my fancy gown and socks and at about 7 a nurse came in and said Dr. Martin and Dr. Swainston were already there and wanted to do my section at 7:30. I barely got checked in before they wheeled me back to the OR. I was so nervous,  but Swainston and Martin are hillarious!! They made me feel at ease. They were singing and dancing, talking about who was more ghetto and what Swainston was going to name the placenta (Skyler). LOL They kept my mind off of what was going on. Swainston was playing with my stomach muscles (after they sliced into them.) He asked me what I was doing with my muscles. IDK, it was funny at the time because I was totally confused! As soon as they pulled Elyse out she started crying! I was so happy! Then when Swainston held her up for me to see i started crying. I'd never seen such a little baby and she was so tiny and beautiful! I just couldn't help but cry! They got her weighed and wrapped up. She was 5 pounds 2 ounces and 17 1/2 inches long. They let Danny hold her and bring her over by my head so I could see her. At first site she looked like all three of our boys wrapped into one!! She was so tiny and perfect! I got to stare at her and Danny for a few min and then they left to go into my L.D. room and then I got my tubes tied and got all glued and stitched together. When they were done I got wheeled back to my room and Elyse was laying under the warming lights just crying!! She was starving and I couldn't do anything about it! I wanted to pick her up and feed her! Then I had an awkward moment with the baby nurse.... She brounght the baby over, unbuttoned my gown, grabbed my nipple and shoved it into Elyse's mouth.. She didnt ask if I was breast feeding, she just did it, lol! It was awkward.. Elyse was starving and never latched on and she just cried harder and harder with every attemp to to her latched. I finally just said, she's starving and frustrated. GIVE ME A BOTTLE! I told her I didn't care how the baby was fed, it just needed to be done. My nurse then told me that she prefered she were nursed. I just looked at her like "really?" She did give me a bottle... I fed Elyse and she was happy! We went into recovery and there were no more awkward moments! I layed in bed for two days... Fun! When Dr. Swainston discharged me from the hospital he told me that Elyse would've died if he would've left her "on the vine" for very much longer. I almost started crying. It made me so sad to think about it but so happy that she was here and completely safe and healthy. He's literally saved the lives of my last two children and for that i'm so, so thankful!! I'm just happy to be done having kids!! Every pregnancy just gets harder and harder with more and more complications! We're so thankful for mommy's good Dr and healthy babies! I just don't think that I can emotionally deal with any more hard pregnancies! I'm thankful for the kids I have and my ability to easily get pregnant,  but I'm done. 

(p.s. if this doesn't make sense, sorry. I'm on pain killers :))

Baby Day

I went to the dr on Monday. I have decided to do a repeat c-section. I've never gone into labor on my own and being induced for a VBAC sounded way too scary and risky. I have a few complications. One being gestational diabetes. It's only a big deal if not dealt with. I've been rocking it and blood sugars have been completely normal. I also have thrombophelia. It is a blood clotting disorder that makes your blood clot faster than it should, which obviously could be dangerous. One more minor disorder is I am rh negative and Danny is rh positive. I have to get rogham shots at 32 weeks of pregnancy and then again at the birth (since all my babies have taken after their daddy and have positive blood type. It's not a major complication, but it can be. The baby having a different blood type, your body can make antibodies against the baby which can cause miscarriage in early pregnancy or, worse case scenario death to the baby, but I think that's pretty rare. That's why they do bloodwork on patients and their husbands if they don't know their blood type. With that being said. I have set my section date! This baby is coming the 25th of March! I am excited and so ready to be done being pregnant FOREVER!! Pregnancy is so not glamorous. It's uncomfortable, and mostly not so much fun. There are things I will miss. I love watching and feeling the baby moving around, but that's about where it ends. I am getting anxious now that I see an end. It has gone by pretty fast and now I question my ability to raise four children it's a little late to think about these things now, but, oh well. Anyway!! We can't wait for little baby girl to get here!

Christmas and Alex's Mini Christmas Concert

The week before Christmas was a busy one this year. It was "Christmas Spirit Week" where the kids dressed up everyday. Alex was sick and stayed home on Wednesday and unfortunately missed the riegndeer run. He was feeling better on Thursday, so he got to go sing with his class. He was so cute! He knew i was going to come, but when he walked in the classroom and saw me sitting there he got so excited!! He never took his eyes off me. It was sweet and so cute how excited he was to see mommy, grandma, Mattingly, Cam, and Jonathon. After the performance he introduced me to his friends. Most of them were girls! Yeah, it's starting already *aaahhhhh!!!***. Then on Friday Alex got to wear his pajamas to school. He thought it was awesome and he passed his site word reading test. He's on list #3 now (go Alex)! Saturday we went to Lara's for a family Christmas party. Santa came and the kids all thought it was amazing! Sunday Cam was really sick, so we stayed home and rested. Monday we went to the Bradford's and did a nativity scene. Alex was a shepard. We sang and i ate until i felt like my belly was going to burst! After coming home we put the kids to bed then we wrapped presents. We were up until 1 a.m.. The kids woke up about 7 Christmas morning. We opened all our gifts then went to Nadja and Nathan's for Christmas breakfast. Oh, and Jonathon woke up really sick Christmas morning. So not fun :(. Anyhoo! That was our exciting Christmas week!  Will post pics soon!

Elementary School Tragety

Can I say that i'm terrified to send Alex to school now? The shooting in Connecticut, killing 20 five to seven year olds has just broken my faith in humanity (not that i had much before..). I can say that i've never cried so much about people i dont know dying. My heart is broken for those parents/siblings of those who were shot and killed. Did I mention that the majority of those children killed were kindergarteners??!! Alex's age! The last thing you think about when sending your young child to school is that they will be shot and killed by some monster only 12 days before Christmas! Ir's terrifying and devistating! I can't imagine going through that and i pray for those families.   I feel like a piece of me died that day. No i didn't know any of those families, but i feel i can relate. Babies shouldn't die. They were just babies... So, so sad