Overheard

With the dining room floor under construction the girls have had to eat around a very small table in the kitchen the last couple of nights. There's no room for me so I sit in the next room in the quiet (I'm not complaining) and listen to them. Last night I overheard bits and pieces of what sounded like the beginnings of a food fight. I hopped up to stop the fun before it could even start. Just as I entered the kitchen, Tea said, "uh oh, here comes the boss...." Of course they all acted completely innocent and I pretended to be just getting some water. I thought that was pretty funny though...

Wii Fit

One of my birthday presents was a Wii Fit. I really wanted one so I was excited. The surprising thing is how much the kids like it. They love to run, hula hoop, and of course all of the games. I wish we would've have gotten one to get us through the winter. It is nice to have though. I like being able to exercise any time in my own house. So far I've done it every day. Only 4 days but still. I just might look nice in shorts this summer after all.

Demolition

Are we done yet???

More Cowgirls

6 and Counting

That's how many inches of snow we have right now. It's coming down harder than it has all day at this moment. Accumulations are supposed to be around 10". Crazy weather for the first week of spring....

I had a fabulous birthday just hanging out with the King and the girls. He surprised us last night coming home early. We played Wii and watched movies all day. I can't think of a better way to spend the day. Tomorrow we're going to take the girls to a movie and then spend the rest of the day prying up tile. It's going to be a bear too. The people who put it down originally just glued the tile to the sub floor/cement. I am really hoping the floor will be able to be sanded when it's all up and we won't need a new one. Either way, just like the bathroom, I'm sure it will be well worth the work in the end!

Riding

Obviously the girls had a great time riding the horses. It was amazing how their personalities shone through. There was Boo, laid back and ready for anything. She actually did get to ride with me and seemed like she could really care less. Midge. Full of determination. She was absolutely adamant about riding by HERSELF! We let her and she had no problems.

Tea was by far the most excited. She was focused and fearless. When he brought her back in she said "what? I'm not done yet."

Chiggie was apprehensive and fearfull at first. It got a little better for her but in the end she was just relieved to have her feet back on solid ground.

Back Horse Riding

That's what Tea called it anyway. I have a lot more pictures to share when I have a second or two!

On the Mend

It's a good thing I got Tea in because it turns out she a double ear infection. The right ear drum would have ruptured within a day or so. She took a double dose of antibiotics yesterday, slept great last night, and is 100% today. The other girls finish their antibiotics this weekend and hopefully that will be it for us for awhile.

I'm really glad everyone is feeling better. Tomorrow we are going to the home of the man who remodeled the bathroom for us. He lives on a ranch with horses and invited the girls to come out and ride. They have been up on a horse before but not for long. Chiggie and Tea could barely fall asleep last night they were so excited. I hope to have some good pictures to share.

By Popular Demand

For those that asked, here she is folks:

On a Roll

I go up today very motivated. I'm feeling the whole "spring cleaning' thing and anxious to get things around here in order. I started in the new bathroom, how hard can that be right? I got everything wiped down and all my new decor set up. It looks really pretty and I feel so lucky to have such a nice room in my house. Finishing in there gave me the motivation to attack my room. Trust me it attacked back. Slowly I moved through piles of laundry, old papers, and really just a lot of junk. The closet was a nightmare but it looks so much better now. I ordered pizza for the girls for lunch and when I called them to eat I could see that Tea wasn't feeling well.

She had her hand over her ear and looked like she was grimacing. Ugh, another ear infection. At this point I am nearly positive that my girls are for some reason resistant to Omnicef. I cannot think of another reason why they would both rebound so quickly. So I am now waiting for the office to open back up after lunch. Hopefully she can be seen this afternoon and the weekend will still be enjoyable. Poor kid. Obviously my cleaning streak is on hold temporarily. Hopefully I'll be able to sustain some of my energy and get right back at it.

Is it Possible?

My bulbs are up and some are even blooming. Is it possible that spring is really almost here?

Friday

Today is our Friday. Chiggie had school today and then no more for 10 days. Hooray for spring break. We don't have any major plans at all. A few day things and my birthday of course. I'm hoping there is a good movie at the theatre to take the girls to see. We will all just be glad to sleep in a little and have things a bit less regulated. Once Chiggie returns to school there are only 8 weeks of the school year left. It went so fast. I can't wait to have her home all day all summer long. I know the little girls are excited for that too.

Completion

Before Shots

Okay these aren't the greatest pictures, my battery was dying and I was just trying to get a quick couple of shots. The bottom line is it's done. Two weeks later. Two weeks of working every week day. Everything in the bathroom is new. As soon as the paint dries I can hang the towel bars and such and move in.

Good Moods

The girls were fun tonight. Dancing around the family room and getting along so well. As you can see we do have another Snow White costume, but it's in use.
Nobody could pinch her!

Good Night

Tea and Midge are doing so good at night I almost can't believe it. Before we made the room switch things were pretty chaotic. Both of them were up and down more times than I could even count each night. Now they chat for a bit and then fall asleep. They bicker a lot during the day but I can tell that they take comfort in being together at night. The remodeling saga continues. This is where the medicine cabinet will be hung as one of the final touches tomorrow. It was hung already but there were some technical difficulties and a minor set back. In this picture you can see the back of the brick wall in the kitchen. I think that's pretty cool.

Sunday

The hardest thing about having girls is I do believe they take a bit longer to get ready for the day. Especially if we're going somewhere. Hence my Sunday problem. Our church service is at 9:30 on the other side of town. Now it's a small town but still it's at least a 10-15 minute drive depending on the traffic. This means all six of us have to be up, fed, and out the door by about 9 am. For a family chock full of morning people this may sound like a piece of cake. For us, not so much. It's a miracle we ever make it there dressed. Somehow we do it though and the girls always look great.

Usually I'm so relieved me made it and on time to boot that I don't really even think about it. Today for some reason was different. Sure we made it on time, and the girls looked great. It was me I was worried about. I'd barely even had time to dry my hair and my pants were slightly damp from the dryer. It made it very apparent to me that I've got to find a way to get myself "ready" as well. I'm going to make it my mission this week to have a better plan for Sunday.

First

Okay we're back and I was right it's an ear infection. Not a horrible one, but enough to cause the pain she's having. So for the first time ever Midge will be taking an antibiotic. She couldn't be more excited. She has watched her sisters enviously partake in the bubble gum medicine and is thrilled she now has the chance. I hope it doesn't disappoint.

While I was at the doctors office the shower doors and the vanity top were installed. It looks awesome. I didn't really know what to picture in the beginning but this is definitely exceeding my original expectations. We have a birthday party to go to this afternoon and a messy house to try and put back together so I better get busy.

Sleepless

That's pretty much how our night went again last. I guess Midge was feeling a little left out of this whole going to the doctor/antibiotic thing, so she decided the best approach was to get an ear infection herself. She has an appointment this morning for the official diagnosis as if the screaming, writhing, and pulling at one ear isn't enough. I had to sleep in her bed (twin size on the bottom bunk) just to keep her somewhat comfortable. She won't sleep anywhere else. Luckily the King was home and able to handle everything else.

This morning the sink/vanity top is being set and the shower door installed. Monday will be the final work day. At that the time the new paint will be touched up, the tile grouted, and some other finish work completed. I'm so excited to have the bathroom back. It was the push we needed to get the girls in the upstairs one though. There stuff is now all up there and it'll be nice not to have the one down here so cluttered. I'm off to start baths and head to the doctors office AGAIN!

Good News, Bad News

The good news is Boo's ear infection is clearing up.
The bad news is her cough seems to be getting worse.

The good news is the bathroom is almost done.
The bad news is the bathroom isn't done.

The good news is the girls rooms are done and look adorable.
The bad news is in the process of doing the upstairs the downstairs leaves much to be desired.

The good news is I have over 40 bulbs coming up.
The bad news is the dog is digging in the flower garden. (Any suggestions?)

The good news is tomorrow is pay day.
The bad news is bills, bills, bills.

The good news is it is bed time.
The bad news is the night is never long enough.


Seriously, things are going good. It's just interesting to see the ups and downs pointed out!

Snow White

All of the girls at one time or another have become attached to a particular article of clothing. For Midge it's this dress up outfit. It doesn't matter to her that it's a size 12 months and she's 3. A little wedgie never killed anybody I guess. She also doesn't seem to mind wearing it in freezing temperatures. Ahh well, I'm pretty sure this beats what she'll be trying to sneak past me wearing 10 years from now.

Park Day

As the remodel continues the girls and I are having to be a lot more creative. We can only stay upstairs and out of the way for so many days. This afternoon they'd had just about enough and I decided the best option was the park. It was a little windy out, but it didn't seem to bother them at all.Tea braved the rock wall for the first time. I reminded her to take it one step at a time.She stayed focused and soon enough the summit was in her grasp.

She was very pleased with herself.
Napolean got some much needed exercise. The projects have been hard on him too. He can't just run around like usual because there is stuff EVERYWHERE.

Tea does everything she can to try and give me a heart attack.I think Midge looks like a Who in this picture.The park we went to has a lot of new equipment including these bouncy ride-ons.
Boo loves to swing.

So does Midge.

It was a fun afternoon and it really gave me a break form trying to keep them occupied every second. Hopefully it extends into tonight and they go to sleep right away. I can dream right...

Life

We've gotten a lot accomplished this weekend. The bathroom is painted. A very lovely color that you'll have to wait for the grand finale to see. Chiggie's bedroom is all set up. New bed and all. Tea and Midge's room is cleaned up and they got a new rug. We had a last minute change of heart and bought the medicine cabinet and light bar to match our new vanity. We also picked out the tile and ceramic base board. As much as I am relieved to have these things accomplished there have definitely been some challenges this weekend. You know the new bed? The one with all the brand new bedding on it? The one that sits right next to brand new, fairly expensive rug? Yeah, it got puked on. ALL OVER. Think needed cleaned with a q-tip. The hardest part about this is that Chiggie isn't sick. Not one bit sick. This has been going on for 7 years now with no answers and I hate that.

On top of that Boo is sick again. It's a fever and a headache this time. I know she feels rough because she's content to just lay around. I feel so bad for her because she just got better. At least spring is on the way. Hopefully bringing with it good health. But on that same note I think I am finally starting to go with the flow. It's taken forever but I'm realizing that I can't control everything. Crummy things happen and when put in perspective there really not nearly as bad as they could be. I'm glad the bathroom is coming along. I'm glad we were able to fix up the girls rooms. Sure it's hard, but that's just life.

Bring It

I am so ready for this weekend. Not for the usual reason. Trust me a break isn't coming any time soon. I'm actually excited to get some work done. There's nothing we can do about the bathroom. The concrete is drying and it's not ready to be painted yet. Heck, we don't even have a toilet in there at this point. Oddly that doesn't bother me nearly as much as one might think it would. Bathroom aside, there is plenty of other work to be done around here.

Chiggie's bed came this week and it needs to be put together. That's all we were really waiting for to finish the bedrooms. They will all be in their own rooms now hopefully sleeping through the night. If we get all the finishing touches done I'll post some pictures. It's been such a long process, but I'm finally beginning to see results. Fixing up one room at a time can really drag things out. I hope I have the energy I'm going to need to get this stuff done so we can return to normal, whatever that is....

Goofin' Around

3

Mess

I definitely underestimated the extent to which this remodel was going to effect my life. I thought that because I wasn't actually doing any of the physical work that it wouldn't really be that stressfull. I now present you with exhibit A:

It would help, I'm sure, if this particular bathroom wasn't the hub of the house. The girls and I tried to stay away for most of the day and when we were home we stayed upstairs. I just keep thinking of how nice it will look when it's all done. If I can make it that long...

Relief

Just today I got around to buying the allergy meds. I am trying Zyrtec for the first time and praying it works. If it doesn't I might well go insane. I had to buy some pediatric allergy meds as well for Midge. It seems that poor child is allergic to everything. She was miserable today rubbing her eyes and saying her nose was itchy. I know how she feels!

Patience

I am trying so hard to be patient right now. We are down to 1 bathroom right now. It's not like only using 1 bathroom is difficult it's just the bathroom we're using we didn't previously use at all. Weird I know. It's all the way upstairs in the room that will soon be Chiggies'. The location is really inconvenient for community use. The girls really aren't old enough to use the bathroom frequently without supervision, so we just use the downstairs bathroom for practical reasons. Now it's off limits for I'm not sure how long. The contractor comes back on Wednesday for the demolition. That's the only part I might have had fun doing myself.

In the meantime I just have to be patient. I spent the day today emptying out said bathroom and preparing for its fate. I never knew how much junk was in there until I had to take it all out. It took most of the day. On top of that Chiggies' new bed came today and it came without a part that I was certain was included. Now I have to do some careful searching just to complete the ensemble. I'm not getting too upset about all of the projects and set backs it's just frustrating. I have to make a conscious effort to realize how lucky we are to be doing the projects in the first place.

March

The first signs of spring. My bulbs are coming up. The weather is in the 70's today. The trees are starting to get buds. Wow I didn't even realize how excited I was. Here are some of the little things I am excited for this spring/summer:

• No socks. Seriously I hate socks. It is so much easier to throw sandals or flip flops on.
• Lemonade and Iced tea. I am very seasonal type person and only really enjoy these things when the weather is warm.
• Green grass. Although I think we are going to need to lay sod this year if I want to see any of that in my own yard.
• Flying kites
• Swimming, we all love this.
• Camping. Hopefully we'll be taking our annual trip to Cutty's.
• Blossom Festival
• All the summer birthdays

I could go on and on and today definitely has me dreaming!