Alone

Today Travis and I both have the day off. We have, in the past, taken these days and gone out as a family. Today I requested a different kind of day. First of all, Travis got up with Connor (who is up before the sun every day), and I got to sleep in. I usually get up, so this was a very special treat. I slept and slept and added some sleep to my deficit that was building. Now, they are all gone. Travis took them to his parents for a couple of hours. I can't remember the last time I requested this, but I did. He was very willing to do it. I feel guilty and kinda sad. I absolutely hate being separated from my husband and boys. But, this is out of necessity. Since I homeschool, I don't get those times of the day that most moms get of no kids and an opportunity to clean up around the house. So, my little place is spinning out of control. I just don't get as much done when the kids are around and needing me, or me needing to keep the peace. Plus, our little 3 year old (remember Travis calls him Spawn of Satan), thinks it's the coolest thing in the universe to dump out all containers that I fill. So, with him being gone, I will be able to fill several containers and put them up before he can get to them to dump. (the main reason for this is he likes to be a garbage truck and dump the dumpsters)

As I have been in this very quiet apartment, cleaning up, I have been thinking about my family and how happy I am to have them. Lately I have been reading some very sad blogs of families who have lost their little children and hearing about that Professor who finally succumbed to cancer and left his family behind. I just can't thank Heavenly Father enough for what I have been blessed with. Sometimes I get so lost in the fact that we have no money, or Kohl's hasn't promoted Travis, or my place is such a big mess, I forget what the most important things are in my life. I am married to a man that I love with all my heart. He is everything to me. And to top it all off, I have 3 little boys that bring me so much joy. Children that at one time I was told I would not be able to have. Not to mention a 4th coming to join the brood. How lucky am I? How blessed I have been.

That's all I have to say. I'm grateful for a husband who is willing to be helpful by taking away some of my "burdens". By burdens I mean cute little boys that become a distraction. I am most grateful that they will be coming back in a couple of hours and I will have gotten work accomplished.

Covington Days!

The next town over from us is Covington. That is the town Kohl's is in. We love Covington. It is also where our Wal-Mart and favorite library are. So, we went to Covington Days today. Travis had to work so I took the boys all by myself. We parked at Kohl's because that's where the parade started. We had very good seats. The boys loved the parade, even though it was just people walking and waving. They got some candy and frisbee's thrown at them. They thought it was awesome! Here they are waiting for the parade to start. Can you tell they are excited?
Even Joseph's dogs were having a good time.
This was a ladybug car that was part of the library group. This summer their reading program theme is all about bugs.
The city blocked off a portion of a street by Wal-Mart for Sidewalk Chalk Art. Their goal was to have the entire street covered in art by the end of the day.They do this every year. The boys had a blast 1.drawing all over the road & 2.being able to run around in the middle of the road without getting into trouble!
Here is the sun Connor and I drew.
At the fair portion, we got to visit a lot of booths and get some fun stuff. The fire department was their favorite though.
They got to climb inside the fire truck and talk to real firemen. They got little bags with pictures to color and the firement handed out firemen badge stickers to all those that went on the truck.
The last thing we did was get faces painted. They each wanted balloons. Josephs was the best. He had an adult lady that has done it before.
Spencer had a teenage girl that was kind of freaked out because she had never done it before. She was very cautious and would only give him one balloon. He didn't care.
Connor also had a young teenage girl, but she wasn't quite as shy. He was her first as well.

I think it was a lot of fun. It was very tiring. They boys are exhausted, (so is Mommy), but very worth it to me. They got to not only have fun but be a part of the community. They interacted pretty well with the people and even remembered their manners and said excuse me when they wandered aimlessly in front of people.

Movie Fun

So yesterday we went to the movie theater by the Super Mall. Regal Cinema's do a summer family program that shows free movies all summer. Most of their movie choices this year were not favorable to us. The only ones that looked remotely good for our boys were the VeggieTales and The Bee Movie. We were a bit hesitant about the Bee Movie, but since we own the VeggieTales:Jonah, we figured we would try out the Bee Movie. Most people who know us know that we are very picky with what our boys watch. Nothing more than G rated and then even those are screened. We let them get the original 101 Dalmatians and Connor was calling everyone "idiots" and Spencer was calling all the women drivers on the road, "crazy woman driver!" (I have to admit that female drivers can be kinda scary sometimes-some at least) So, we are picky. Needless to say, Travis had the day off and I didn't have to be to work until 9pm, so off we went to the free movie. We are allowed to bring in candy during these free movies without getting the anal retentive bag check. Each boy brought a candy and a Capri Sun. We thought we would splurge and share a popcorn and pop. $12.50!!!! $12.50 for a single popcorn and pop!!! I made sure we ate every last heart clogging piece of that popcorn! So, here's another truth about us...our boys have never been to a movie theater before. Why? Well, need I remind you of the $12.50 popcorn? We just don't have the money for things like a movie theater. Jeez, the last movie Travis and I went to see at a theater was the first "Pirates of the Caribbean". Yep, that long ago. We just wait for it to come out on dvd and then put it on our Christmas wish list. (o:

Anyway, the boys had a blast. They were so excited and completely fascinated by the gigantic screen. They even did okay with the very loud sound. (no headaches for Joseph or anything) Travis and I even liked the movie. Just enough humor for grown ups in there. Connor started to get a little bored towards the end, but even he was well behaved.

After the movie we went to the church building so that Travis could enter any info into the computers. He likes to go in the middle of the week because there is nobody there to share the computer with. (he's the asst Ward Clerk in charge of membership records-a good calling for someone who has to work every other Sunday) While he did his calling, I took the boys in the gym and let them play. There were a couple of basketballs in there, so I tried to teach them how to dribble. (they know lots about football cause that's my fave, but nothing about basketball cause Travis and I do not like it~sorry all you b ball players) Connor thought it was hilarious that I could dribble and run (not a pretty picture), and Joseph thought I was ultra cool for it. (for about 10 seconds) It was fun to let them run around and we counted that little jaunt as PE for school for the day.

Tomorrow I enter into the 2nd trimester!!! I am only feeling sick sporadically now. My sciatic nerve is already acting up. Was waddling a bit at work last night. Seems like with each pregnancy the waddling comes earlier. But, waddling isn't really a good word, cause I'm not waddling due to poor center of gravity or anything like that. Just the fact that if I walk a certain way I have sharp pains shoot up my back and down my leg. This is definately my last pregnancy. I'm getting too old. (o: Otherwise I feel good. I like the 2nd trimester the best, as probably most women do.

Okay, that's enough for now. Travis enjoyed a 3 day weekend, then worked one day and then had yesterday off, so we had lots of fun. But now he has to work 8 days straight, so it's back to the old grind without Daddy. I work 3 days in the next 8. Hope everyone is having a super fabulous day. Gotta go clean the playroom now. Yesterday we found about a million ants all trying to get a piece of an old pizza bite that got left on the floor.(actually, it was sneaked/snuck~whatever~into the playroom-no food rule-and then forgotten. It fell behind a desk. Very nasty!) I love having boys!!!!(o:

I know, I know...

I know that I haven't blogged for several days. My man had a three day weekend, so we spent it being a happy family and having FUN! I will get those pictures and posts out asap. (o:

I would also like to point out that I am now in the 100's (okay, 198, but still..) for days before we meet the newest Nelson. Only about 50 days before we find out if we need pink or blue. Cool, huh?

Okay, later peeps. I promise!

Pictures and Videos

Here are a few videos and pictures of the past couple of days. The two videos are of Travis finally getting the army parachuter down out of the tree. We got three of these fireworks that shoot out these parachuters. Well, it was very windy, so all three got blown away. This one was at least still in the yard. Travis spent a lot of time throwing things at it on the 4th, trying to knock it out, but it just wouldn't go. Yesterday we were over at his folks and he had this idea of making a very very long stick to get it. He and the boys went out to the woods and got some sticks. Then he used a roll of duct tape and taped them all together. Here is video of the end result. (o:

Yesterday morning Connor wanted me to read to him. I read about 6 books and then I needed to get some things done. He had this Blues Clues book in his hand. I told him to go find Joseph and ask him to read it. I came into the living room to find this. I was so proud!
We went on one of the many many parts of the Soos Creek Trail today to see if we could find any insects as part of our science studies for school. Of course we found about a trillion ants. Here is Joseph and Penny looking at the ants. It was all fun and games until they started climbing on Penny.

Here is Spencer practicing his balancing.
Here is a close up I took of the ants we encountered. Are they fire ants? We didn't know for sure.

I snapped this of a butterfly that followed us for quite a while down the trail. It was so pretty with its wings open. I couldn't get a picture of it though, because, unlike moths, butterflies fold their wings up when they land.

Part of the Soos Creek branched off so there was this tiny little stream running by the trail. I just loved the look of the cold, clear water running over the mossy rocks!

I was trying to get a picture of a bee, but all I got was the flower, but isn't it pretty?

A Little of This and That

A funny little bum story...

Connor fell on his bottom. He begins to cry. The loving mommy that I am hugs him and then says...

"Let me see your bum. Oh no! You broke it! Now it has a crack in it!!!" (yes, I know. Totally immature and too old of a joke for a 3 year old, but I couldn't resist~plus it made his oldest brother laugh)

Connor feels his behind and then really starts to cry. He walked all over the house for an hour crying and telling anyone who would listen...

"My bum got cracked!"

I just asked him if his bum was still cracked. He felt his behind and said, "Yes...no. I think it's all better."

In other news, we have begun to study insects. I think that's a pretty good subject to study during the summer. We have a little bug house that we leave at Grandma Deone's. They love catching roly poly bugs and putting them in the house to watch. So, we began with discussing the basic parts of insects (head, thorax, abdomen, 6 legs). We watched a Magic Schoolbus called "Bugs, Bugs, Bugs" and then did a fun little beehive/bee craft thing. Here are the mobile's. I would like to make a homemade ant farm. I know we can buy them, but I in my science book they tell how to build your own. This would entail going for a hike and looking for an ant hill. Now that the good old "morning" sickness is about 75% gone, I'm thinking that on a day when it's in the 70's we will go a-ant-huntin. The boys have requested the study of ants, bees, butterflies, and moths. Fun, huh? By the way, we are homeschooling year round. There are several families that do this in this area. This way we could take the entire holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Years off (sorta) and then the first couple of weeks of feeling horrible were "vacation" days as well.

Anyway. I think that's all I'm gonna get in for now. Travis is at work tonight and the boys are bugging me to feed them. The nerve! I just saw them snacking on~I kid you not~bread and water 10 minutes ago. (o:

Yes, Another Nelson

So, whenever anyone brings me their ultrasound picture and shows it to me, I think 1.Isn't it kinda weird that you are showing me your insides? and 2.It looks like a black and white blob that I can't make out. I totally would expect people to say the same thing to me and my feelings would not be hurt a bit, since that is how I think too. I'm happy for them, of course, but ultrasound pictures make me kind of nervous. I don't want to say, "Oh, look at that cute little arm and head." and then be told that I was looking at the leg and body. Some moms (who are amped up on a billion times more hormones than normal), might take offense.

BUT~due to some requests, I am going to post my first ultrasound picture of our latest addition. I went to the doctor yesterday. I'm 10 weeks along and feeling fine.(well, actually, I have felt pretty crappy the last 5 weeks, but it's all part of the experience~at least I don't have the Shauna Jones sickness~right Shauna?) The baby is the proper size so far and its heartbeat was right on. The part that got to my heart the most was to see two little arms waving around like the kid was doing the backstroke. How can anyone question that this is a little life? I admit, I got a little gushy seeing that.

Anyway, here is the photo. I'm due February 5th, but I will be having it in January because I refuse to go over and have an 11 pound baby like Travis was. (o: I went ahead and labeled the parts so you can at least pretend to know what you are looking at. My mom-in-law says you can really tell what you are looking at from a distance. Oh, and before you ask, because it's the #1 question that we get all the time~yes, it would be nice if it were a girl, but Travis and I are just hoping for a healthy baby. We get boys and what makes them tick, so another boy would be just fine with us. A girl would be fun too. Our boys are very determined to have a sister named Elizabeth Rose (which is the name we picked out 14 years ago when we first got married). They really really want a girl. We will find this out in September.

The Big Trip to Denny's!

First of all, I must acknowledge that it was Fluffy's birthday on Monday. (we really don't know when he was born, so we made up a date last year when we got him) We baked a chocolate cake for the family to eat complete with a single candle (since Fluffy is only one year old), and we sang Happy Birthday! Joseph wrapped a couple of presents for him(some guinea pig treats) and it was just a lovely little celebration. Here is Fluffy with his birthday present. Please ignore Joseph's filthy shirt. He helped bake and frost the cake. Most of it got on his shirt. (o:

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Okay, on to the big story. The boys have been begging us to take them to a Denny's lately. Since retail doesn't pay so well, the boys entire eat-out dining experience starts and ends at the McDonald's or Wendy's dollar menu. They never complain about this, but lately they have really wanted to go to Denny's. So, I splurged yesterday and took the boys to our local Denny's. I went by myself because Travis was working and I thought the lunch time crowd would be smaller than the dinner crowd. The boys were very very very well behaved! They were so excited to be at "Denny's Diner~Always Open!" Joseph even complimented the waiter on his beautiful Denny's. ~A small inside story as to why this Denny's has the latest and most up to date interior is because a couple of years ago, a guy got mad at another patron and went in and started shooting people. (It's not even in the hood! It's a good little area. We used to live just up the street from there.) But, needless to say, they had to replace everything that had bullet holes, so the place looks great now. (o: ~

Anyway, I printed a kids menu for each boy before we left so they could look at it in the car and decide what they wanted before we got there. When we arrived we got a corner booth. Very thrilling! Each boy got their very own kids menu, complete with a picture of all their food. (this excited Spencer immensely.) They each ordered politely what they wanted and then waited patiently for their food to arrive. Okay, well, kind of patiently. The fact that they "helped" me eat my soup while they waited made it a lot easier on them to wait. I got them the souvenier rocket cups so that they would be able to remember this fabulous trip for years to come. The best part was how much gratitude the boys showed to me and even their dad for taking them on a special lunch. I was really proud of the fact that they showed appreciation without having to be told.

(yes, I get it. We sound a tad pathetic that we don't take our kids out to eat more. Sorry. But if we took them all the time, we wouldn't have these special trips to blog about) (o:

Here we are in our special corner booth. Cool rocket cups, huh?!

All full and happy. Even the stuffed animals had a great time!

Independence Day Bash!

I don't even know where to start with all the pictures and video we took yesterday. I think I'm just going to start putting pictures on in no particular order and I'll put captions under the pictures. We had a lot of fun at Travis's parents house. Spencer got sick and threw up halfway through the night. We are pretty certain that it was all the inhaling of smoke ball smoke right after lunch. He is fine today. It will take me a couple of days to get these all on since there are so many and I have to go to work soon. Joseph watched a show with me Thursday night about pyrotechnics and what it takes to do a fireworks show, so he made this sign and kind of choreographed (bossed us) on how the whole night should go. (o:Group picture. It was a pretty nice day. Only in the low 70's.

Joseph has extreme sound sensitivity (he can even get a migraine from too much noise), so like last year, he wore the headphones. This is his "directors chair".

Before Spencer got sick, he loved the Morning Glories.

Connor loved the bees. He kept taking them to Travis asking him to light them.

We even roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. Yum!

This is pretty funny. This is the dance that Connor did after all the Ground Bloom Flowers.

Thunder Rolls!

All I can think of is Garth Brooks song, "Thunder Rolls" right now. In the past week we have had some really great lightning and thunder storms. It is very unusual here in Seattle for that to happen. I think I have heard more thunder in the past 24 hours than I have heard combined in the Seattle area since I moved here 13 1/2 years ago. I was in heaven this morning. I just lay in my bed and listened to the rain falling and the thunder booming. I loved it! None of the boys were scared, but Joseph was really mad because he really hates the rain.(not my child!) (he prefers sun and heat~again~not my child!)

Anyway, I guess I mostly just wanted to document it so that I can have a reference for the future. I remember being a little girl in Idaho and praying that our house wouldn't get hit by the lightning, but then loving the storm. The best storms were when we lived in St. Louis. I had a window seat in my room and I would snuggle up on the window seat and just watch the rain fall and listen to the thunder. Travis's favorite is when we went to Virginia. It had been sooo hot one day and then this tremendous thunder storm rolls in that night. We sat out on the porch of mom and dad's fancy Civil War house and watched the light show and felt the rain. Good times. It was nice to be reminded of them today. Plus, now the ground will be nice and wet for all the fireworks tomorrow. (o:

So, here's to hoping for a nice 4th of July for us and for everyone else.

Happy 4th of July!!!!!!