and baby makes 6!

Our new baby

After months of trying to decide, we finally bought the 5th wheel yesterday!! Whoohoo!

We got a brand new one identical to this, just a different interior color scheme, and ours is a 2005! The dealer is over 1000 miles away, but one of the guys that works there is coming to Texas to go hunting with his son, and he very graciously has offered to bring it with him when they come down in a week or two. There are some very kind people in the world, are there not?

I CAN NOT wait! We got it for an unbelieveable price, and our payments are minimal! (Happy dance, happy dance!!!)

Trying to pick one from among the thousands out there was very stressful, but I know that we picked a winner. Now we can relax and enjoy it once it is here!!

In other news, Mia is potty training. Waxed, hardwood floors and urine do not go well together.

Would you like a spot of tea?

Here is the pantless wonder having a spot of tea. She got the tea set from her Grandma.

This is evidence that I can’t keep a diaper on this kid to save my floors.

A few Christmas photos are up on Flickr….just click on the naked baby and you can view them.

You better watch out……

He know when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!

Charmed

We have the most lovely creature living at our house with us.

She runs around in flowing pink nightgowns. She feeds her babies and covers them nite-nite. She has gorgeous, porcelain skin, and about a thousand different smiles that light up our life. She says “happy” and it sounds like “hoppy”.

And she dances with her Daddy on his feet:

I have always wondered how Bill would be with a daughter. Now I know.

I am charmed.

They were bored..that can be the only explanation

Today, I spent the entire day shopping. It was not fun. Well, only the part where I found an amazingly adorable sequin and lace t-shirt and HAD to buy it in each color….they were 30% off! I had to! What? You want pictures? Tomorrow. I will post them tomorrow. I am too wiped out this evening to do anything but read blogs in bed while listening to my 5yo “read” the 1yo books.

My day was long. I left around 10am, and did not return unil 6pm. I had my 5yo and 1yo with me and left the 11yo and 8yo at home. (GASP!!) Yes, by themselves. Bill works literally right across the street, as in 20 paces, and checks on them constantly. He can see the house from his office window. Small town, blah, blah, blah.

When I arrived home, I was greeted by Cory and Cody who were excited to show me that they had cleaned the house…….like in, REALLY cleaned the house. Swept, mopped, vacuumed, emptied the dish washer, cleaned and rearranged their rooms, AND CLEANED ALL OF THE WINDOWS. (a moment of silence while I allow that to soak in)

After the EMS packed up their defibrillator and left, I walked through the house with a Nitro tablet under my tongue, and found that they really had cleaned the house. My first thought was “Holy Mommy of God, I actually did something right and my children are not going to grow up mentally stunted without a clue on how to fumble through life.”

My sons cleaned the house while I was away Christmas shopping. I want to run from house to house like a crazy woman, knocking on doors saying breathlessly “My sons mopped the floors and ran the vacuum without being asked! Pass it on!”

Oh, and they had taken their baths too. Are they weird of what?

**edited to add a picture this morning of the wicked cool shirts:

Max the dog has a friend

Mia, feeling sorry for the Grinch’s dog, offered one of her scrumptious, wonderful baby kisses:

The Grinch is my hands down favorite of all Christmas shows. I vividly remember watching it as a child. We would all sit in front of the big, stone fireplace in the den, a large fire prepared by my father warming our backs. He would pop a huge bag of popcorn via a hand cranking popper that his father and grandfather used, and we would gorge on it while watching the Grinch and his Grinch feet.

Back then the Grinch had commercials. Now my kids watch it via a tape that I bought and only bring out during Christmas time. Yup, times they change. My dad has been gone for 11 years now, and my brother now prepares popcorn via the old popper for his kids. The setting is certainly different. We don’t have a huge stone fireplace. But we do have a small one……and a cozy den to snuggle together in. We have each other. That is what my memory is about. It is about being together as a family, and enjoying things together.

So, we snuggle together to watch the Grinch. And our hearts grow three sizes as we listen to the story about how a Grinch stole Christmas….or so he thought.

“And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
“It came without packages, boxes or bags!”
And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.
“Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”

Yes, it does.

Merry, merry

Get the kids for this one!

Bill’s Big Bad Truck

We are now the proud owners of another white truck…..this time it is a BiG WhItE TrUcK:

It is so big, it will swallow small children whole:

So we are the proud owners of a Chevy 2500HD Crew cab Duramax Diesel with Allison Transmission. What does this mean? We own a Big, White, Loud, Truck that could tow the entire state of Maine from its bumper.

Or this.

Padre nostro, che sei nei cieli

I am a member

It is official. I have taken the pledge and have joned the “I Hate Buddy” club.

To become a member you must:

1. hate running down the road in barefeet chasing a deranged dog.
2. hate walking through the yard with a shovel and plastic bag picking up 15 lbs of dog poop every day.
3. hate covering holes with bricks and other heavy debris
4. love to walk in your yard without stepping in craps the size of steaming cow turds
5. enjoy your patio table without small chunks gnawed from it
6. prefer your small 20mo old daughter without a coup, counter coup brain injury from said dog slamming into her with enough force to send her through the cement walkway to China.

I have joined the small club, whose members are now totalling 2. My husband joined 2 days after buddy came to live with us.

Now, having said this, I will have every animal activist in America swooping down to point out that I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS BEFORE BRINGING HOME A SMALL ANTELOPE DISGUISED AS A DOG. Yes, we are totally aware of what goes into having a dog for a pet. We just were not prepared for Satan himself leaping into Buddy’s soul and taking over.

Today, I had to jump into the van, drive to where Satan had led the dog formerly known as Buddy, corner him and leap 5 feet through the air to tackle him. The 11 yo neighbor boy had to leap on top of me because the moose was breaking free. We looked like Steve Irwin and company wrestling a croc. I grabbed the #*%$*@ dog by his collar, then triumphantly raised my fist in the air and gave a Croc Hunter “Whooohooo“!

I hate Buddy. And I love him. It is a paradox. I am hoping he calms down with age. But then again, maybe what he needs is some Holy Water and a priest screaming “Be gone Satan!!”.

Beer, it does a body good.

Oh…remind me to tell you about Pussy Willow and her unique way of letting us know this weekend that she had a bladder infection. It was special.

Christmas card hell begins

Today was the church Nativity play, so I thought it would be a good time to get a picture of the kids.

The first problem occured when they got out of their costumes before I could photograph them. Humf! Notice their casual attire.

It was all downhill from there. I felt like I was trying to photograph a hill of ants while trying to get them all to be still at once.

A bump post

In an effort to bump the glaring reminder of another miscarriage off the front page of my blog, I bring you the bump post.

Bump, bump, bumpity, bump, bump. bump. A rump, bump, bump, bump. Rump, bump, bump, bump.

‘Tis the season to be jolly

While standing in the longest line in the history of Christmas, to see Santa at the park, I overheard Bill having a converstion with a man that we know remotely. It went something like this:

Bill: “Wow, the line sure is long”
Man: “Yeah, that’s because all of your kids are in it. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,ha!”.

Ho………ho……….ho.

Saint Nicholas

Good ole St. Nicholas came in the night and left some goodies for the kids. They had hung their stockings up last night, and were so excited they couldn’t sleep. They were not disappointed! St. Nicholas left candy pops, nuts, an orange, Life Saver Storybooks, and a toy for each.

We are not Czech, but we enjoy this tradition and love the meaning behind it. We have been celebrating it since the kids started Catholic school 6 years ago. We will watch a movie about St. Nicholas when the kids get home, and the Polar Express this evening after dinner. For me, the season starts today, with the celebration of the feast of St. Nicholas

Now my house is sticky, given the fact that Mia enjoyed her “P-pop”, as she calls lollipops.

Creatures found

You know, they say that salt water is good for healing wounds, and I have to tell you that I have first hand proof that this is so true.

We hit the beach on Sunday (go see Flickr), and it was soooooo much fun. We found all kinds of wonderful creatures on the beach and in the tidal pools.

It is kind of hard to feel sorry for yourself while watching your 4 beautiful children running barefoot down the beach, in DECEMBER, wearing swim suits, doncha think?

I want to tell you all thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers and support. They mean so much to me! While we are sad about our loss, we are so grateful for the love of our children and friends.

I have to flip back to my stock answer to everything that challenges me………It’s ALL good!

The Terminator strikes again

Whoa, I mean, talk about efficient. My body used to wrap this show up anywhere between 5-8 weeks. 4wks 1 d is a new record.

It is what it is, which means that it isn’t…..going to be that is. Another miscarriage. Oh goody. Started bleeding this morning.

The good news? Ummm…… lets see. There must be a ray of sunshine in here somewhere. Oh yes! It is happening early, so I won’t be going through all of this while the kids are opening their presents Christmas morning!

Ahem.

We are okay. A bit sad….and I am a bit pissed off at my body…. but, well, it is what it is.

Off to get some coffee. Will ponder this more after I have time to process it all.

This is why we might need a different tow vehicle for the travel trailer.

Trucks only seat 6………..

The early time is always so scary for me, and it still very uncertain. My history makes a + pregnancy test sort of a mute point. The next 2-4 weeks will be rough for me, so prayers are sure appreciated.

Now, shhhhhh, don’t tell anyone.