The Girl Does It Again...

Found out last night at Emma's art show that she had been chosen to receive this award. The breakfast/ceremony was this morning. Oops. But nonetheless, this girl is awesome! This award is different than the "terrific kid" award. This award only goes to one student in the class who has displayed the key characteristics throughout the year. I tell you what - this girl is setting the bar high! Way to go Emma!!!

Lots of pictures!!!

I have a couple things to update you all about. I apologize it's taken me so long to post these, but the passing of SCC's daughter took a bit of priority. I still cannot imagine what they're all going through, but I'm sure they're trying to regain some sense of normalcy - if that's even possible.

Anyhow, after my post about all of the big things changing with Brian, we started by moving him to the big boy bed. So I'll post a few (ok, a lot) of pictures of that transition.

And I only have a couple pictures of Emma after her ballet recital because they wouldn't allow any flash photography during the performances. I did take video, and as soon as I figure out how to load it on the computer and then onto the blog I'll post it here. She did a fabulous job, and was such a beautiful ballerina. My heart swelled watching her on stage, and at that moment I decided that I would keep her in ballet for as long as she'd allow it. I won't force her to keep doing it if she hates it, but even though it was expensive and time consuming, it was so worth every minute. I am a super-proud momma!

Okay, enough rambling...here's the pics.








Isn't she just so beautiful? (And no, I'm not biased!)


That is Emma's 1st grade class. I was lucky enough (and yes, there is some sarcasm there) to go with her on a field trip to the botanical gardens. I took some really neat pictures while I was there, but can't figure out how to mark them so they're not copied. I'll post them when I figure that out.

I couldn't finish a post without a picture of Jackson! See that scrape on his lip? He took a major tumble a few days prior and was gushing blood everywhere. It looks worlds better here, but we probably should have had it stitched up. We didn't even take him to the dr. I am currently putting Mederma on it because it has left a scar on his face - and let's face it - his face is just too pretty to have a scar on it! Okay, too handsome. Totally worth $18 to make it less noticeable.

So how is everyone else out there?

Happy Anniversry...

to us! Today we celebrated 11 years. It was a great day.

Dave, I love you with all my heart. Thank you for loving me.

Unimaginable Tragedy

Maria Sue Chapman

I read the saddest thing this morning...Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter was killed in an accident yesterday evening. You can read the story at www.stevencurtischapman.com or most news sites.

For those of you that don't know, SCC's music has played a major part in my life. I've been listening to him since the late 80's and have always been able to gain something from his lyrics. This is a horrible tragedy, and while I do not know them personally, it feels very close to home.

Please pray for the family, their son especially, and anyone close to them. This has got to be a parent's worst nightmare. I know their strength is in the Lord and He will see them through, but that doesn't mean it won't hurt for a long time.

Wanna come play?

So, in just a few short weeks, anyone that wants to come play on this...



...just give us a call. We'd love to have you!

Crossroads

Brian is growing up way too fast for me. We're at this major crossroad with him in a few different areas. Three major changes are coming and I don't know which one to do first. He's already moved into his big boy car seat, as you can see in the post below. Now we have to 1)move to the big boy bed, 2)take away the paci, and 3) potty train. Seriously - why are we running into these all at the same time for him? I really don't know which one we should do first. And to be quite honest, I don't really want to do any of them because that's just one step closer to not having a "baby" anymore. Don't get me wrong, I know Brian is far from a baby, but he's our last and I'm just sad to let go of these last glimpses of babyhood. I still struggle from time to time at that thought, but God is slowly giving me peace about it all, thankfully. So now as I look back at what I wrote, I think I should go in that order...bed, paci, potty. What do you think?

And of course I can't post about Brian without leaving you with a super-cute picture of him!

The seat is here!

Emma's new seat came in the mail a couple days ago. She was terribly excited to check it out!

everyone took a turn trying it out...it's crazy that Brian is on the same slots as Emma and Jackson...he's got the longest torso!



Nobody will ever say that they aren't safe! Some think we're crazy to have a 7 year old still in a car seat. It would be different if she was the size of an average 7 year old though. I should send this picture into Britax as an advertisement!

She's super happy with the seat. The fact that it's pink just made her day. I think I win mommy of the year award from her!

Yay!!!!

Double yay! Car seat problem solved! I was talking to my sil and Heather about the issue. Heather wanted to know what it looked like so I went online to remember the name of the pattern. I did a google search and clicked on an online retailer that popped up first. I was so shocked to see they had the color we wanted in stock, on sale, and there is no shipping fee or sales tax! I called Dave and he told me to just get it without much thought at all. Soooo....I did! I got a Britax Regent in Madison for $239! Emma will be one happy camper having a girly seat, and Brian will be super happy to have the big boy black seat. I figured I would get the girly one so Emma would enjoy being in a 5-pt harness even more. Brian will use her old seat until it expires and then I'll just put the black cover on the new shell. It will work out fabulously.

And just so inquiring minds don't have to ask...here's what her new seat looks like...




Isn't it so pretty...any girl would be proud to ride in this seat. I hope she loves it. I'm kind of excited about it too. When we had Emma baby products hadn't gone the route of gender specific yet. So all of her gear was navy blue...nothing girly for her. So it's fun to get to buy one thing girly for her. Even if she is almost 7!

It's been a while...

Not much is going on around here. I'm really happy about that. School is winding down, only 6 weeks to go. I'm really looking forward to the summer. I'm selfish - I like to have my kids with me. Work is going well, other than leaving Dave with the kids all the time. I've recently gained more responsibility at work doing their cash office on the weekends. This is one job I used to just love at Bed Bath & Beyond, so I'm happy to have the opportunity to do it again.

I'm not so happy about it for this coming weekend though. I'll be doing it for the first time by myself, which isn't a big deal really. I just don't want to screw it up. But the real reason I'm not happy about it is this Saturday, May 3rd, is Britax's warehouse sale. It's in the morning, from 8-12, and I have to work! It wouldn't be a big deal except I really need to get a new seat for Brian. It would be great to not pay full price for that crazy seat. I keep racking my brain trying to find a way to get there. Dave would go for me but the kids have soccer in the morning, including team pictures. He could go afterwards, but he wouldn't get there until after 10:30, and what we need will probably be gone by then. They don't do this sale every year, so when they do they usually sell out before it's over. Pooh. I'd even be resigned to it with less angst if I could get my work discount online. The seat we want to get we only sell in one color and it's not the cutest. We have other colors online, but I don't get my discount online. Grrr....

Anyway, didn't want you all to think we fell off the face of the earth...just nothing too interesting to write about.

Hope you are all doing well....drop a line and let me know how you're doing.


Oh, for those of you that care...I've lost 12 pounds! Woot woot!

New hobby?

So I've always been into scrapbooking, however since having kids and the invention of the digital camera, I have been much less productive. I found a great new site called scrapblog.com and it lets you do digital scrapbooking - for free!

Here's my first (and meager attempt) at a layout. At least the pics of Dave are fun to look at! He's so cute!




We had a great time in Asheville. Very relaxing and fun to get to spend some much needed time refocusing on each other. I love you Dave!!!

Our TERRIFIC Kid!

We had the immense joy of seeing our sweet little girl be presented with a school award on Friday. Emma was chosen to be her class's "Terrific Kid" and we got to attend the ceremony held at school. It was so neat to see all the kids so full of pride knowing they were being recognized for their special talents. Emma was beaming from ear to ear. The principal read each teacher's description of what made these children "terrific." I have to say, the things Emma's teacher said about her made me burst with pride. We couldn't ask for a sweeter girl, and she's smart to boot! We just wanted to share our Emma's achievement with all of you!

On the mend

The boys are back to normal - crazy as ever. Miss Emma just got back from the Dr. and now she has an ear infection. I thought those things weren't contagious. I know, they're not. But sheesh!

Emma has her Fun Run at school tomorrow, and the Dr. said it was fine for her to go. So she will still participate. Heaven forbid if she didn't get to go. So much angst from such a young girl! We'd better keep an eye on that. Oh, and for those familiar with Emma's growth issues, today at the dr. she weighed 41 pounds fully dressed (with shoes). Yay! Still significantly small for her age, but at least she's gaining.

Something else fun is happening on Friday for Emma, but it's a surprise for her, so I'll post about it this weekend. Hopefully I'll figure out how to post video and share it with everyone.

The "P" word

I had to take Brian back to the dr. yesterday for a follow-up visit. I had taken him on Thursday because he had the same thing Jackson had, but much worse. Turned out he had a double ear infection, red/raw throat, and he was wheezing. So she put him on Omnicef and prednisone and breathing treatments every three hours. We made it through the weekend and he seemed to be getting better. And he is, however when we went back for his follow-up, she said she still heard a lot of junk in his chest, so she wanted a chest x-ray. Can you see where this is going? We had the x-ray done (and I'm not going to dwell on the trauma that caused both Brian and me) and went back to the dr's office for the report. Miss Wendy came in the room (after a 45 minute wait) and said she didn't like what she saw. Brian has inflammation/fluid/congestion in his right lung. She also noticed how he was holding his breath a lot and told me that was his way of changing the pressure in his lungs to get more O2. Poor little man! I had no idea he was that bad. He's actually been more normal through this illness so it wasn't totally obvious how sick he was. She basically said it was borderline pneumonia and gave him a high dose antibiotic injection. She also told us to continue the omnicef and the nebulizer treatments and come back on Thursday. So we're just hoping that by Thursday she'll hear some improvement in his lungs and we can put this illness behind us. Although Emma did wake up with a cough and runny nose this morning, but I'm not so worried about her just yet.

I'll leave you with a couple pictures. The first one is a drawing done on the magna-doodle (or 'drawing board' as Brian likes to call it). Brian drew this picture all by himself! It's supposed to be of Joe and Blue from Blue's clues. I'm still in awe that he can draw a face like that at his age!

The one of Emma is of her her first "friend from school" phone call. I felt it necessary to document when the "socialite" behavior first started. Dave and I are sooo not ready for this!

Illness has returned

The boys are sick. Jackson started out with a little cough on Thursday last week. I decided to keep him home on Friday just in case it turned into something worse. He started running a very low temp (99.8) mid-day Friday - he usually is around 97.8 normally. So I was glad I kept him home. On saturday he was fever free and just coughing a bit. He sounded much worse through the evening and on Sunday his fever jumped up over 101...I decided at that point to take him to urgent care because I knew a few kids in his preschool class had the flu. We waited almost 2 hours just so the Dr. could tell me they were out of flu tests and he most likely had the flu. Fine. Monday morning before he woke up I went to CVS and filled the scrip for Tamiflu and went home. Got Jackson up, took his temp - it was 98.4! No fever. He was much more alert and happy. So I have to believe he didn't have the flu but just a cold virus. He's still coughing a lot, it's getting productive, so hopefully he'll work it out soon. He's also pretty congested, but it's not running and it's not slowing him down any. I will continue to keep him home from school though. There's no need to expose the class with something else - they've had enough illness this year.

So I always pray hard when a cold bug comes into the house because Brian still trends towards asthmatic with any kind of virus. Jackson used to be this way, but he's grown out of it mostly. Since Jackson started coughing last week, I have been waiting for it to hit someone else - all the while praying it wouldn't be Brian. Emma is still doing well, Dave and I are fine, but Brian started coughing last night. He's definitely got it, but so far no fever and no breathing treatments have been necessary. Keep fingers crossed that he's old enough to fight it...I would love not to have to break out that nebulizer again...

Happy Birthday Michelle!!!!

Hope you enjoy turning OLDer like me!!!!

Happy Birthday Maria!!!!

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Pia
Happy birthday to you

I promise not to mention how old you are...because I'm older than you!

And way to go on the weight loss - that is awesome!!!! (I'm a bit envious!)

Oh, and I know I'm a day early, but I had to do it while I was thinking about it, otherwise I would have been late!

Committed

And I'm not sure how to define that word...either it's committed in the institutional sense (as in I should be) or in the determined and definite sense. Today I made a big step in furthering my weight loss/health goals. Dave and I joined our local gym a few weeks ago, but today I signed up for one full year of personal training. The thought of that is honestly overwhelming, especially as I sit here in slight agony from this morning's workout. But I know me...I need someone else to kick me in the tush, otherwise I'll give up.

I am really motivated now...I even ran on the treadmill this morning instead of just walking quickly. I hate to run, so this was a big step for me. I burned over 600 calories in an hour. It felt great at the time, but I'm a little out of it now. Hopefully I'll regain some energy before I head off to work tonight.

As of today, my weight loss is 4 pounds...only 36 to go!

Emma's first sleep over

I have been meaning to post these for over a week now. Emma spent the night at our neighbor's house down the street. Addison is in kindergarten at the same school and we pick her up a couple days a week. The girls are great friends and it's so exciting to see these relationships forming. They had a great time and I think Dave and I had a harder time with it than she did. She came home the next morning begging us to have another sleep-over the next weekend. We've decided to delve into the world of giggling girls slowly - we'll let her have a friend over in a month or so.

Enjoy the pics!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year from the Turner kids! (Thanks Auntie Heather & Uncle Jeff for the cool threads!)

blogger's block

I am seriously struggling with what to write about. The kids are good, Dave is good, I am good. Dog is three shades of crazy - to the point that I'm considering talking to our vet about drugging her out of it. I know it sounds harsh, but you should really see this dog. She's nuts. And it's a pretty sudden change...it's weird. I hate thinking that we've done something to her to make her act this way. But we've don't exactly have the best track record. We've done everything we know to do to keep the peace, all for nothing. Even the days that she's getting adequate exercise she's still a looney. So, I'm going to call the vet. I'll keep you updated.

So, I guess I did have something to write about...pooh.

future possibilities...

So I've been told many times that I have cute kids. Of course I agree, but I'm also their mom, so I am kind of biased! However, we get a ton of comments about Jackson specifically. Most people who know him will say how gorgeous he is - his eyes are amazing. And how much personality he has (isn't that the truth!) - he's a very outgoing and friendly kid with an enormous imagination. I've even had people tell me that I should get him into modeling or acting. I thought about it, but never considered it seriously. I just didn't want to force anything on him at such a young age. I always thought that if he ever had an interest, we could pursue it, but not until he was old enough to have an opinion on the matter.

Well on the way to school today, Jackson was chatting away in the back of the van as usual. Then he started singing in the most high-pitched voice ever. I asked him "Jack, why are you singing so high like that?" and he responded "Mom, I want to be a movie star."

So there ya go. He's just given me his opinion. I asked him if he really wanted to do that and why. He said he did because he loves to make people laugh and act silly. I still don't think I'll do anything about it right now, but it sure did make me think more about the possibility. Is it possible to raise a young actor to maintain family values and morals? Looking at the current celebrity society - I have my doubts.

But he is one cute little kid. And he does make us laugh. A lot. A lot a lot.

Let's check in ladies!

Okay, so we've been doing the diet/body challenge for a bit now. How are you ladies doing at this point? Any butt kicking needed? I think I might need it! But - I just joined the local gym, and I'm also going back to work part-time, so I think I'll be back on the ball here shortly. I've only lost 2 pounds, but I guess that's better than nothing!

So check in and let me know how you're doing!!!

certain things about the south I cannot grasp

Now, I will be the first to admit that while I may have grown up in the mid-west (or north, as it is referred to here), I've never felt like I belonged until I moved to the south. However, that does not mean I can forgo all the habits and mentalities of northern living. Life for instance, I still don't quite understand the term "fixin' ta" - actually I think I'd spell that "fixin' tuh" but you get my point. And why if the meteorologist predicts any kind of precipitation and a temperature anywhere near 32 degrees, the grocery stores become overwhelmed with alarmist shoppers fearing the end of the world. So, we got to experience this to a whole new level today...these pictures are for my "northern" friends and family...you'll understand.

This "storm" caused school to be delayed 2 hours today. Mind you, the streets and sidewalks were not cleared by anyone.




Frightful, isn't it? Sheesh. Although I shouldn't complain. After we got the school-wide phone call alerting us to the delay (at 6:00 am), we didn't have to get out of bed until after 8:00. And the kids are off Friday and Monday. I like sleeping in.

Wowie! Owie!

Okay, so my first session?  Piece of cake.  Last night's full hour session?  Ouch.  Funny thing about that hour session - it lasted an hour and twenty minutes.  Hmmm.  But my trainer Emily was wonderful and full of encouragement and advice.  She was kind enough to say that I'm not as bad off as I make myself out to be.  And she said that I'm actually pretty strong considering I haven't worked out in 2 years.  Sooo, today I can hardly walk up the stairs - but it's weird.  I'm not sore at all, just weak.  Like my legs know what to do but I can't make them do it.  I'm trying to decide if I go in today and just do some cardio or if I take one day off to recover and then hit it hard again tomorrow.  Alison and her three boys are coming today around lunch time, so that may keep me from heading out this evening.  They're staying for over a week, so I won't be using them as an excuse not to go past today.  We'll see how the afternoon plays out.  

On a totally different topic - holy hannah is it cold here!!!!!!  I'm soooo annoyed at this weather.  It really feels like Chicago right now and I'm just not happy about it.  I know I have no right to complain considering it was 80 degrees just a few weeks ago and it will be close to 70 by next week, but we're not supposed to get this cold!  I'm not mentally prepared for it!  Luckily the kids are all set w/heavy coats, hats, and gloves.  Can I just say thank goodness for mittens?  Jackson tried his best to figure out how to get his fingers into the right holes of his gloves but there was no chance.  He couldn't understand how to keep his fingers apart.  And he kept curling them inside the glove.  Luckily we still had mittens from last year and they still fit him (surprise, surprise).  I just didn't have the patience to sit there and try to teach him how to do it, plus we were late for school.

Okay, I must go clean my house a little bit for our guests.  They deserve some consideration!  Later taters!

Let the games begin!

Soooo, I had my first work-out at bally's last night.  They called me in the morning to schedule a time to come in and tour the gym and whatnot, and then said, "do you want to fit a workout in while you're here?"  I couldn't very well say no... so I let the ever so insanely muscular trainer have a whack at my fat flabby self.  It was actually a wonderful time, not to say that I didn't work.  But he made me laugh during the session and I didn't even realize I had done 100 crunches!  He kept having me do sets of 20 in different positions and before I knew it he said "that's 100."  I laughed because with all my c-sections, I didn't think I could do 10 crunches, let alone 100.  I did a few of their circuit machines after doing about 10 minutes on the elliptical machine.  Tonight I go back for the full 1 hour session.  This time I have a female trainer (I think Dave is much more comfortable with that) and she used to be a body builder.  I'll admit - I'm a little scared of her.  But apparently she's really good at motivating people and gets quick results.  That's exactly what I wanted.

The guys I met last night were of course trying to get me to commit to signing up for membership, and I'm tempted, but I want to try it out for a few weeks before doing that because it's a pretty long drive.  I need to see if the perks are worth the drive, or if our local gym would be sufficient.  We'll see.

So, my team members are Maria and Kristen (and I'm trying to coerce Heather into joining in as well).  Let's get it going ladies!  Did you sign up with Discovery Health yet?  Are you working out?  I've got a long way to go before I'll be happy with putting on a bathing suit, and only 4 months to get the job done.  Git r done.  (sorry, had to say it)

Updates

I promise - an update with lots of pictures is on the way...life is just a little busy.  But I'll get something up in the next day or two.

who's going to join me?

I've never been one for new year's resolutions. But I have to say, if there was ever a time where I needed one, it's now. I've spent a total of half a year in bed when you combine all three pregnancies and bedrest. I was in bed for 16 weeks with Brian. I lost almost all muscle mass and my metabolism went in the toilet. Now I know what you're all thinking...Brian is 2 years old now. But let me be the first to say that while baby weight comes off easily for me, putting muscle back on doesn't. I have been struggling with my weight for the first time the past 18 months and I'm now certain that I'm not going to win unless I do something pretty significant. So, I've decided to participate in the Discovery Health National Body Challenge. You can see my countdown to sign-up on the right side of this page. I need a buddy, or two, or three! I can't do this kind of thing on my own - it's way too hard to stay motivated. So a buddy is a must. And it's also why I'm posting it here - so that there's documented proof of my goals. Please don't let me forget them! And with that said, if you do want to be my buddy, believe me, there will be no quitting! Nope, not me, not you.
If you decide to sign up for the body challenge, a great perk is a free membership to Bally total fitness for 8 weeks! I think that's perfect for me because it's just long enough to get me through the winter months before it starts getting warm enough to get outside to exercise. Unfortunately, the only downside for me is the closest facility is about 25 minutes away, but I already talked to Dave and he said he'll support me in it. At least it's only 8 weeks being that far, and if I get into a good routine, then I'll join the local fitness center since I'll know I'll actually use it.

So who's with me???? PLLLLEEEEAAAASE??????

Famous family

My cousin is famous, once again. Check her out on the follow up story...

http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=106290@wcbs.dayport.com

My oh so pretty puppy!

I realize that I am so far overdue for an update on Greta. But honestly, she's a bit of a crazy puppy and getting a good picture of her isn't so easy. I mean, I've tried, but not a whole lot of success. Lately she's been behaving a bit better. Of course, we took her to the vet last week and had them cut out some organs, so that probably has something to do with it. Or maybe she knows she starts obedience school tomorrow and is trying to play us. I dunno, but I don't care. I'll take a calmer dog any day. Now, don't be mistaken - this girl still has a good case of the crazies, but she's slowly getting better.

Anyhow, onto the more important things. As mentioned before, Greta had her surgery a week ago. Yep, that's right. Our sweet puppy girl is now a sweet puppy it. Gender neutral. Poor thing. But, our vet is a rock star and Greta did fabulous. The fastest recovery I'd ever seen. She's already completely back to normal. Sad thing is Dave and I both worried ourselves crazy over her. She's definitely turned into a member of the family. Before they took her back for surgery they put her on the scale. A girl's worst nightmare, unless you're a Great Dane and size matters! Proudly, Greta hit the scales at 75 pounds! She's only 6 months old! And the vet says she's still just a tad skinny. Hey, we're doing our best! The girl can eat!

Okay, on to the pictures. I did my best to take a few shots that would show how big she is. Emma was happy to be a reference. For the record, Emma weighs 40 lbs and is 41 inches tall. And the last photo is my new favorite.


Here's Emma with her puppy. These two will be best buds once Greta stops knocking her over!


The main reference shot. Look back in the archives and you'll get a good idea of how much she's grown.


Okay - this is hilarious, but it's seriously one of Greta's favorite places to sit. Weird, I know.


Who could resist this sweet little face?!

Look what I did!

This is kind of a two part post. One is to show off my handiwork on the house, and the other is to show off the pics from the camera Dave bought me for my birthday!

I worked all day today, with some aesthetic help from Dave telling me to move something up or down. It was a lot of fun, but took so long. I'm very glad to be out of the midwest and in the south because doing this in 50 degree weather was still pretty cold! I know, I'm a totally weak, spoiled little girl. Yeah, don't care. I don't like the cold!

Okay, so here's two pics...one w/a flash and one without



So the camera Dave got me is a digital SLR - something I've really wanted for a very long time. I love taking pictures and have always wanted to make it a hobby. Dave made that dream come true for me (like so many other dreams in my life!) and now I'm a tourist in my own house. My kids are lucky they like taking pictures - wait, no, that makes me lucky. Anyhow, I'm sure to be posting lots of random pictures from here on out.