It's a girl and more...

Let me just say, it has been an emotional day. I don't know if I want to sit here and cry with relief or jump up and down for joy or both actually! Today is a good day!

Before I get too deep... I am excited to announce that on Saturday Dustin and I had our 2nd sonogram for Peanut Fluke and she is confirmed to be a girl. Yes, that is #4 for our family. Yes, Dustin will forever be out numbered and forever be waiting for a bathroom to open up. And Yes, she will get new stuff just as the others did when we had them. We have heard it all...

Here I am waiting for the appointment. We went to KC to get a 2D sono and DVD. This gal is awesome. She is so welcoming, affordable, and has the coolest equipment.

20 weeks and 2 days along...

Dustin is signing an "official" contract tomorrow for his job! He called me today and everything is confirmed and ready for his meeting with HR. This is a HUGE blessing in so many ways I can not even begin to explain without tearing up. The biggest and most of a stress relief is that it will bring medical coverage for me when we thought I couldn't get covered due to being pregnant before he accepted the job.

Looking back this has to be the 2nd hardest year of my life, the first one being the year my mom had her stroke. We have had many challenges and decisions that have had to be made but not just for Dustin and I but for our children.

I openly give praise to God who knew the future of our family.

So, here we are with so much on our plate as a family and the greatest thing as knowing we have a healthy growing baby girl growing and a job that provides.

finger painting with pudding

love using things you can eat for crafts...

It makes us happy....

And clean up is real easy!!!

Letter F and Community Helpers!

This was week 2 of exploring our Community Helper theme. Each day we discussed a different person who helps us. Monday we talked about doctors and nurses. We made a collage using medical supplies like band aids, gauze, and cotton balls. Tuesday we discussed constrution workers. We had fun building with blocks, using tools on our toy toy bunch, and "fixing" stuff! Wednesday we talked about teachers. We used a lot of fine motor/pincer grasping to peel "teacher" stickers off and decorate our paper. Sounds easy but for 2-4 year olds, it can prove to be a challenge. We also talked about clerks and people that work at the food stores. The kids looked though cooking magazines and put together a collage of food items. To end our week, we talked about chefs. We finger painted on chefs hats and decorated them with sprinkles.

Whew! What a fun week we have had talking about people that help us! We also came up with ideas on how we can be community helpers and help others too!!! Enjoy some pictures from the week!

our teacher sticker collage

while making our chef puppets, my older group worked on cutting them out... they are doing an awesome job

Our finished product... chef puppets

our letter of the week... F is for flowers
(Sorry mom about the pudding face)
We also hopped like Frogs, pretended to Fly, and ate French Fries...um...all F things!!!

Wednesday night madness...

at our house is now a weekly thing. Our church home, has started an awesome program Awana's. Until this year, I was in the dark as to what this program was. I thought it would be a fun time for the girls, a free night for me, and a chance to read some bible verses.
Ahem... I was wrong. This program is so much more then that and I am so excited to be a part of it! So, because of the awesomeness of the program, it makes our crazy, meltdown, past bed time, rushing around night all worth it!

Here is Gaby... she is in the Sparks program. They had to memorize a bible verse in order to earn their vest and hand book.

Remember I said I thought it would be a free night for me...??? Well, because a dear friend from our small group talked to me about the program and of course she was a group leader, I had mom guilt and signed up as well! And, even though the day makes for a long one, I LOVE doing it! It is awesome it is to see how God works through these kids even at such an early age!!!

So, here I am in my cubbie shirt and gear with my favorite Sparks girl.

And here is my cutest cubbie... Kadyn and I are in the same red cubbie group. She had to memorize an A verse and C verse to get her vest. I was able to see her tell another leader her verses tonight in order to get her vest! She was so excited!!! And, I was proud!

Another picture in the blueberry shirt! This would be my second one as the first one was too short and too tight. Wearing this shirt every Wednesday night would be the only draw back I have... they are itchy! But, I get it and I am proud to wear it even if I do look like a blueberry.

I am up for the challenge of having dinner ready at 5:00 so we can leave by 5:30, I am okay with getting kids ready for club and my mom out the door for bible study, and I am most certainly ready for the motivation, education, and family time this program will bring to our girls and family!

just waiting....

I am waiting for the day I can capture a good picture of all of my daughters
I am waiting to hear on a bid that can change our life
I am waiting until the brownies come out of the oven
I am waiting 20 more weeks to meet our newest member of our family
I am waiting for a new start
I am waiting for Mia and Kadyn's hair bows to come in the mail
I am waiting for our fall trip to Worlds of Fun
I am waiting for Awana's to see how many 3-5 year old say their memory verses again
I am waiting for a contract to be signed that lets go of a lot of stress
I am waiting for Ugly Betty to start back up
I am waiting until 5:00 when Dustin comes home
I am waiting to mend a relationship
I am waiting for picture day tomorrow
I am waiting for a day without a meltdown due to peanut's hormones
I am waiting for Gaby to go to school to see if she has a better week
I am waiting on a night that Kadyn will put her PJ's in the Dora hamper
I am waiting for my scrapbook weekend in October
I am waiting for my hair to do something cool, trendy, and cute
I am waiting to learn patience
I am waiting to get off Facebook and do something with my nap time
I am waiting to see how many comment on the first day of fall
I am waiting to be a better wife, mother, and daughter
I am waiting for the day I think before I react
I am waiting for the day I can type out the word "daughter" and not have to auto correct the spelling-never can get that right
I am waiting to have a closer walk with God
I am waiting on the parent book that tells me how to raise the perfect child
I am waiting for a bubble bath tonight and hoping there is hot water left
I am waiting for the laundry to fold itself
I am waiting for Mia to take her first steps

And I wait.... so, what are you waiting for???

people that help us week 2....

We are continuing our community helper theme this week. Today the occupation was discussed today was doctors. We read some fun books that explained what doctors do and how they help us. After circle time we made a "medical collage" out of supplies you would find at a nurse or doctors office!

And because you can't talk about doctors with out dress up... we had pretend play!!!
Oh, to hear the topic that came up this morning!!!

We all had masks and some stayed on longer then others.

Here is Dr. Gaby

Dr. P and patient F... luckily for us, she only had a fever! Whew!

Dr. J told me, "I save your life today".

Even my little ones had fun dressing up... Little A kept saying, "no sick, no sick". I don't think she understood the pretend play part of it yet!!! =)
I was focusing in on the little ones in front but if you see the bigger kids in back... there is some serious doctor playing going on!

And here K is ready the results of a test to her daycare friend... she was coming up with some funny diagnoses.

To finish our morning, we had some apple slices and learned the saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away".

things that make me smile...

after coming home from a long night... seeing our 3 little blessings...

being delivered my first birthday present of the day from Gaby... she actually took 5.00 from her piggy bank to give to me for my special day. She said, " It is 5 one dollars so you can do something for you".

making brownies with my daycare kids this morning so when nap time is over we can have a special b-day treat...

watching Gaby enjoy Shark Boy and Lava girl 3D...

having this little girls face to look at everyday...

and watching Kadyn do her favorite thing in the entire world... eat 3 crunchy tacos from tico taco in the van...

It must be hard...

to be this cute....

and to have the cutest smile...

and to act goofy whenever you want...

And have a good time doing it!!!

Can you tell which Goodcent sub is Gaby's???

She asked the clerk at the store if she could borrow her marker... just in case there was any doubt, we know which one is Gaby's.

Every blessing You pour out...

I'll turn back to praise... Blessed be the name of the Lord!

While starting off the week on a rough note, I cling to the above lyric from a song. It has just been a crazy 3 days... and it is really only Wednesday!

Praise: Even though Kadyn has been sick for 3 days, I am grateful for medications and the doctors knowledge to help diagnose her and treat her!

Praise: I was able to stay open and run daycare and take care of Kadyn. Looking back we didn't stay on routine very well but we read our books, did calendar, and letter of the week. And the kids were OK with that.

Praise: While we are still praying about coverage for myself and unborn peanut, we are blessed to have all three of our babies on a plan that covers visits to Express care last night.

Praise: Even though the motivation to go work out came from purely just wanting to get out of the house, I was energized and inspired to get back to the routine of working out 4x a week.

Praise: Even though I went through a 12 pack of diet A &W cream soda in 3 days, I am blessed to live so close to Burger King so when I am needing a "real" Dr. Pepper I can run up there and get it. What a way to start my morning. (I am not even going to tell you that I also ordered the large order of biscuits and gravy to go with that pop)

Praise: Even though Phase I is taking a lot longer then we had planned, I know by having Dustin do all the work himself is saving us so much in money! His willingness to repair and build a new shed is beyond anything I could ever imagine.

Praise: Even though my weight continues to go up the last 2 days due to stress eating, I am blessed I am feeling better and am able to eat whatever sounds good because my stomach isn't upset.

Praise: While yesterday was completely a "do-over" day and I couldn't even get into the kitchen to fix lunch because I had a life-less 4 year old on my lap, I am signing praises that Pizza Hut delivers so when I have a meltdown wondering how I am going to get lunch on the table, Pizza Hut came to the rescue!

Praise: On a bigger scale, I am blessed to have crazy days. I am blessed to have sick kids that need "mommy time"on my lap. I am blessed to have 3 wonderful children that make my world crazy and out of control. So, even when I have crazy, hairy, do-over days, every blessing God pours out, I'll turn pack to praise!

Our week...

has gone by super fast. I think every week should have a holiday in there. Anyway! We continued with our all about me, friends and family theme this week.
Our letter of the week was D. I think our favorite book was about a detective dog searching for the missing donuts. Who can read a book about donuts and then NOT eat any. So, we did...

D is for donuts... I was trying to catch miss A before getting the goofy "cheese" grin I get when taking pictures! Mission not accomplished. All of our friends loved eating the snack.

This week we also had fun doing " D moves" like dancing while we played drums, waddling like a duck, and roaring like a dinosaur. We even had some cool fruit snacks in the shape of dinosaurs too!
This was what I was most proud of... these are my preschool guys! Twice a week we sit down and work on letters and writing. I know they can be a little young for this but it is good practice. This time around, we are tracing our letter of the week. Just 4 short weeks ago when we started, I was ready to throw the books away! The kids had no interest, didn't care if we wrote letters, and some didn't even know how to hold a crayon/pencil.
And, here they are today! They are working hard on their letters, asked if they could do another page, and a couple even wrote the letter "D" on their own! I was so excited to see the change in them! I am truly blessed with an awesome group of kids!

And, to work on our letter even more... we Decorated our letter D with Dots... get it??? I am sure ya did, just checking!!!

And lastly, here is our new behavior/reward charts for my preschoolers. I would LOVE to say this was my idea but it isn't. I stole it, I mean, borrowed it from the hard working staff at SHES's preschool. However they use gumballs and we use crayons...whatever, it is still an awesome idea! So, here it is.
Each day the kids have 3 crayons. Any time they are displaying inappropriate behavior, after warnings, they will have to pull a crayon. At the end of the day, the crayons left in the box will represent how many stickers they earn. By Friday, if the have 12 stickers, giving some room for error, they will pick a fun toy or trinket out of the treasure box.
This week was our run through/introducing it to the kids week. Next week will be the real deal. And, they are super cute... me, my laminater machine, and cricut machine had a fun time making these!

Cheers... to not being high risk...

Yesterday I went for my monthly check up at my OB. I must say it is a little weird going in at 17 weeks and 6 days to meet your doctor. As the appointment went on, she was asking me about my previous pregnancies and being "high risk". With all three of my children I have always been at risk due to my weight and then blood pressure. At this point with G, K, and M, I have always been seen every 3 weeks instead of 4 weeks, I have been on medications for blood pressure, and had to get my blood pressure taken weekly to be monitored.

It wasn't until yesterday I was told, "You are not a high risk pregnancy". I can't help but think loosing weight after Mia's birth has made this happen. This time around I am currently not on medications, I am seeing the OB once a month, and I was told my weight gain is great! My morning sickness is almost (knock on wood) gone, I feel more active, and I am not in bed at 8pm like I was with the others. I feel good!

Just to help see the difference, as I am a visual learner, here I am at 4 1/2 months with Mia...

And here I am today (bad picture, but you get the point), 4 1/2 months with Peanut Fluke...

Cheers to not being high risk...

I was so scared to buy maternity clothing the past few weeks because I was scared that I wouldn't feel as good as I did wearing my own things. I actually had fun going out and buying a few things because I was able to shop at Old Navy and not drive to KC for the plus size Motherhood store. I scored 2.oo pairs of carpi pants that were size large vs 3x. What a life changing year this has been. I am blessed!
Even though some days it is hard to look down and see my body changing and the number on the scale go up a pound or two or seven, I know I am more healthier this time around and I am not "high risk".

My phase one...

meant keeping the girls happy and entertained while Dustin worked on the sheds. We did some fun things around the house and we actually got out for a while too.

Saturday we went up to Sonic play land and enjoyed playing, eating, and eating sand! Mia really isn't in the play with sand stage without eating it yet! Anyway, we still had a fun time!

Sunday after I purged through the daycare toys, girls' rooms, and switched our summer wear for fall, we needed to get out! So... we went to Chuck E. Cheese! Gaby, Kadyn, Mia and I packed up and head out at 3:oo ish. It was perfect. We were one of 2 families there and had the place to our self. The staff at CEC even gave the girls extra tickets and coins to spend! What a fun treat!

This was Mia's first time to get to interact with some of the games and musical toys. Here is Big sister Gaby helping the wee one out!

KK would not slow down long enough to get a picture. And when she finally did... this was the pose I got! This girl is all drama!

Mia really loved the ski ball... however when it is was the last ball to roll to complete the game she got a little testy! Here is KK and Mia fighting over the ball. You can tell Mia is not giving up!

And Mia's first big girl ride... the roller coaster! Hum, looking back, I should started her out in something a little less rough! She hated it and ended the ride in tears... lesson learned!

All in all, we had a fun afternoon out playing some games and eating their yummy bread sticks. I don't mind the hard work of phase one if it involves me going to Chuck E. Cheese with the kids!

Phase One!!!

We are totally keeping a secret on what our future plans for our family, house, and daycare are. Even if I have told you some details... well, as of today they have changed again! We have entered phase I of our Fluke adventure. First Clue: It involves the shed(s).

Dustin has wanted to add on to our original shed for some time now. As we finally take the leap to start the project, we found more then we bargained for like... ants, opossums, mice, and termites! Sounds like fun, huh? I am up to my eye balls with nature! Gotta love it!

After Dustin spent 4+ hours and countless amount of money at Lowe's the work had finally started. He gutted the original shed as well has put up polls for the new addition. Here are some some pictures of the weekend!

Day One-Before

During... the process has started, only 2 panels were worth saving on the shed.

Day 3... polls are in concrete and walls and instillation are starting to be put up!
Much more work to be done... not so much the 3 day project we had hoped for!

Oh well! When it is all said and done, we will have 2 almost new sheds built by the hubby himself.

More clues and pictures to come on what is next for our Fluke Adventure!!!

Yesterday was a big fat hairy day of doctor appointments. Yesterday Mia started the day with her 1 year check up... she is my chunky monkey!
She weighs 21 lbs 13 oz = 52%
Her height is 30 inches = 78%

I love this picture due to her scowl... she knew something bad was going to happen...SHOTS!

Taken yesterday afternoon... I really hate getting my picture taken. This picture is so lame!

Here I am outside of the hospital getting ready to go in...

to have our first sonogram done on Peanut #4.
We found out I am 17 weeks along and have a due date of February 11th. Still couldn't see the sex of the baby but everything look healthy and that is all that counts to us!

The sonogram tech was so nice... and she smelled like Starburst so it made the appointment go very well. Peanuts heartbeat at my very first appt was 156 and yesterday it was 144. I even got some fun pictures of the alien like face and a hand givings me the "thumbs up". Like I stated before, having a sonogram on your 1st child or your 4th is still the most breath taking experience! What a like blessing!