Let it snow...Let it snow...Let it snow...

What a huge surprise for all of us this morning when we woke up to the clouds dumping huge, beautiful flakes of snow on us! I quickly called for the girls to come down because I knew it wouldn't last. We all stared in amazement and Sydney ran to the computer and went straight to weather.com to see how long it would last. Immediately she said, "Mom, I thought you said it had to be 32* out?, Weather.com says it's 36*." My reply was, "You may want to go watch it for another minute then because it will be stopping soon and it will be raining!" Sure enough, about 10 minutes later, you would never know that it had snowed at all. Most that know me, know I'm not a fan of winter, but this was perfect! A little snow to help bring in the festive time of year, but not enough to make us miserable. I would still like to see an inch or two once or twice this winter. It IS better than all the rain we get. Not to mention, actually living in a place that gets snow is fascinating to my children after having lived in Florida for most of their lives. Unfortunately I hadn't had my morning cup of coffee yet and didn't think to snap a picture of the snowfall, but trust me, it happened! :)
disclaimer-it's late, and I'm tired, so please forgive any spelling errors or poor grammar!

$74!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But, they are worth it!

Holy crap school pictures have gotten expensive! And they have really learned how to manipulate us parents who are suckers for cute pictures of our babies! The newest trick up their sleeve is that you can't get an 8X10 unless you order the biggest package at $37! That is, unless you ONLY want an 8X10, then you can pay $15. The cheapest package is $23. If you add on an 8X10, you are paying a dollar more than the biggest package. So, they've got ya, hook, line, and sinker! I cringed at paying $74 for pictures, but you can see why I HAD to order them!

I get nauseas when I think of the future when I'll be paying $37 (or more with inflation) X 4!

I should start a savings account for school purposes alone with book orders, book fairs, PTA stuff, fundraisers, pictures, and extra curriculars!

Such is life I suppose! ;)

Lucas Cleans

So, as part of our morning routine before school, I told the girls to go brush their teeth. Sydney headed upstairs and came down shortly after. She was holding a bottle of Listerine Smart Rinse (kids mouthwash). There was only one problem. It was EMPTY! I had just bought it 3 days ago! I asked her what happened, and she said, "I think Lucas dumped it down the sink." It seems while I was at work, Lucas decided to "clean". I learned this when I questioned his actions when he woke up this morning. Here's how our conversation went.

Me: Did you dump this down the sink?
Lucas: Yup, the sink had germs.
Me: Lucas, this is mouthwash, not chemicals for cleaning.
Lucas: I smelled it and I didn't like it.
Me: Ok, we'll next time you don't touch it, Ok? And if the sink has germs, tell me and *I* will clean it!
Lucas: Ok.

I'm not sure that any part of that conversation stayed in his little brain. But, I did learn that we are going to have to hide the nearly $4 bottles of mouthwash from him! I thought it was pretty safe, he's never touched it before! Oh how much I learn from a 3 year old boy! LOL!

A year ago (minus a day, but who's counting right?)

My first attempt at a fondant covered cake!

I made it all myself!
She wasn't so sure about the cake and daddy couldn't stand it,

so he rubbed some on her face! LOL!

One year ago at this very moment, I was sitting in a hospital bed, unsure of what the future would hold for me and my unborn daughter. We had been in the hospital a couple of other times, but this time was "it", it was just a matter of time. My water had broken days before, but in an attempt to mature her lungs, I stayed bedridden in the hospital until she decided it was time. The very next morning, she made her decision. I felt yucky. Not horribly ill, just not well enough to eat (especially since the hospital brought me the wrong food for the millionth time and I despise scrambled eggs). I also noticed that the baby hadn't been moving much. I really had to push on her to get a response. Shortly after my discovery, a nurse came in and immediately started moving me, pushing on her, anything to get some sort of response. Her heartrate was stable, but it was not accelerating or decelerating at all. And I mean you could hold a ruler to it on the little paper that the machine spit out. Minutes later the Dr came in and said, "So, you're not feeling well eh?" I told him I wasn't, but I didn't feel horribly ill like I had during my impending deliveries with Lily and Lucas. He took one look at the paper and said, "Call daddy. It's time!". Within an hour, we had a beautiful baby girl! The actual c-section was 2 minutes from the time of the first incision! She had a short stay in the NICU (well, compared to Lily and Luke's). After 10 days, we busted her out! Our family was complete. She was perfect.

Everyday, she fills our home with such joy! She has her moments, just as any other baby, but I wouldn't trade any of them for the world! We definitely have spoiling down to a science! LOL! Even Lucas, the little brute knows how to spoil her! One little peep in an unhappy tone, and he says, "MOMMMM, what's wrong with the baby? GET HER!" Or if I dare leave her in the playpen or highchair, while I do some unthoughtful thing, like go to the bathroom, and she cries, her sisters are right there to the rescue! And if I question their rescue, it's always, "Well she was crying! She's not allowed to cry!" Oooops. I take full blame for that one. I must admit, this baby hasn't been allowed to cry much. I carry her a lot. I nurse her when she feels like it. I rock her to sleep. I take her to bed with me. You can't overlove a baby right? We may pay for it when she's two and she thinks the world revolves around her, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, we'll let her believe it and cherish every single moment of it!

So Aubrey Cakers, I want to wish you the very happiest of birthdays, and let you know that I thank God every single day for blessing us with you! I'm sorry I have to work tomorrow night, but we celebrated your birthday all weekend long, I hope you had as much fun as we did! :)

I love you forever!

Oh, and for the record, she stood, unassisted for the first time yesterday, Nov 8th! We'll have a walking baby soon! YAY!

For the Birds...Work that is.

I started working yesterday. I am working at a portrait studio. I am training this week, so I am working the loooooongest hours ever (10.5 today!). I miss my babies so much, but I am so grateful for them when I return home! It's only day two and my appreciation for home and family has already grown! I am glad that it is doing something that I love. I am excited and can't wait till I am confident and able to do the job on my own. The first few days in any job, with a supervisor looking over your shoulder are tough and nervewracking. It won't be long and I'm sure I'll be in full swing with everyone else. I do feel better that I am not the only newbie! Well, tomorrow is another long day so I must shower and prepare the kids' things for school. I will be blogging more after my training is over and I start a more regular schedule.

p.s. got news from my brother that is in the desert that there is unofficial word that they will be home in 6 weeks! YAY!