Santa, a penguin and a reindeer...

Santa, a penguin and a reindeer... What have you accomplished today?? Hey, these were hard...they weren't kidding when it said ages 6+ and with a preschooler that wants to independently complete it. Yeah. That has been the story this week...no help is accepted.
Not during jewelry box making....

Not during birdseed ornament "cooking"....

 

 

 

Placemat coloring....notice Joseph peeking over, comparing art....

 

 

 

 

So, anything I don't want help with must be completed at night. Hell, sometimes I even say the Elf did it so I don't have to catch grief for not allowing her to help take over. haha.

Caramel dip the Elf made. *wink wink* He also made sugar scrub, but still has to add the labels to that one.

Speaking of the Elf, he's still hanging out too....

Oh, and while Madeline is constantly crafting, Joseph is constantly cuddling...he would cuddle all day...with anyone, pretty much.haha. He asked the refrigerator repair man to pick him up today...yep, it's like that.

I am (kind of) getting other things done....slowly, but surely. Big accomplishment today was removing the explosion of clothes from the baby's room. It was pretty crazy...towards the end of our packing, we just threw all of the clothes in together. The sorting was not pretty.

And I'm FINALLY getting our Christmas cards out today...I feel so behind with EVERY thing. Why am I sitting on the computer then?? It's nap time and I HAD to sit...even if only for 5 minutes. But, yes, pretty excited about these cards, as they have a little secret in them.
Oh, and I used a Photo Affections groupon that I'm SUPER impressed with. Their presentation and the quality is phenomenal!! Best groupon yet...nothing like that one where they eff'd up my hair a few years back.haha.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!!! RAH RAH RAH!

Nap time. That moment when you sit down and say, ahhhh. Well, I can faintly hear Madeline playing, but still, they are safely in their rooms taking a "rest". I am sitting and enjoying tea...in the one room that looks a little put together..the dining room. I really feel like I want to nap with them, but if I were to lay down right now I wouldn't get up. I'm pretty sure I've never felt so exhausted. I hope my body will catch up to the series of crazy events soon.

We are loving the house. The space is wonderful. Now if we could only wave a magic wand and all of our things would be out of boxes and in their places. 

I feel like I'm flying through this Christmas season by the seat of my pants. Just because of the current task of unpacking, I can't let the most wonderful time of year pass them by. So, naturally, we threw the tree up the day after we moved in. I've been trying to add in the magic with Elf on a Shelf, the Advent calendar, and we have 25 nights of books...the kids are LOVING all of these things. When they get out of bed, there's a mad rush to see who can spot "Krinkle" first. It's always Madeline, but Joseph is still just as excited when he gets to him. Then, they take turns after breakfast moving the Santa in the Advent calendar and each getting their treat....which Joseph then goes back and asks for another several times a day. Before bed, they take turns opening one book each night. The hardest thing is remembering whose turn it is because they both insist it's their turn. haha. 

Well, off to pick an area and get to work. I have plenty to choose from and just have to remind myself to take one day at a time and I'm only one person. Anthony is awesome at busting out tasks when he gets home from work...and with a little BIG nudge, I can get Joshua to move boxes to spots when he gets back from school. 

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!!! RAH RAH RAH!

In our Elf pjs!

Oh, breakfast surprise!

They were hilarious with these bowls.

KRINKLE!?!

Gingerbread pancakes!

 

Made a Christmas necklace!

Wishing for snow!!

She was a little grossed out by his messy tooth brushing.

25 nights of books!

Damn, it's like that...

It's a beautiful day...unseasonably warm after the completely unexpected artic blast we recently had. So, despite every thing on my to-do list, I had to take the kids outside. They played. I painted. It lead to them both taking a nap, well just a "rest" for Madeline, I can still hear her playing in her bed. And to me having a minute to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea. I'm going to add that to things that people could easily take advantage of....sitting down to enjoy a hot beverage. My morning tea is cold by the time I get to it...as is every meal, usually. I said to Anthony the other day, "I don't care if we have to pay someone to watch the kids, we will take a small trip for our 10th anniversary". Damn, it's like that, planning something 5 years from now. HAHA! I think these past couple months have just been stressful, considering that Anthony leaves before anyone is up and returns home at just about bedtime. Every.single.day. I think it wouldn't affect me as much if I weren't pregnant, but man, these kids wear me the heck out while the one on the inside is sucking away my energy. Anthony tries to give me a break on the weekend, but I can tell he is just as tired as I am. We are in rare form right now. Thank God our normalcy will return soon. The move is on Saturday, and I am counting down the days that Anthony only has a 15 minute ride home and I have my energetic partner back....because I need him...and he needs his time back with us. I think this period in our lives has proven so many things to us and maybe that's why we had to go through it. It has revealed how strong we are and how much we need each other...because we are all we have in this crazy chaos of children.haha. We love every second of our child chaos, it's just been extra hectic lately.

Alright, enough sitting and tea time. If I sit any longer, a nap will sound SO nice. Back to the list.

Oh, 2 more recipes I tried from Pinterest that were good....

Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers - Definitely good and will make again. Even Joshua liked them and that's rare!!! Oh, I left out the onions, of course.

Tuscan Tortellini Soup - Oh my YUM. Amazing. This is how I normally make tortellini soup, except I've never added milk...I think that added a certain depth that made it so much better. Make it. Serve it with a crusty loaf of bread...Mmmm. I actually ate this soup for 5 days straight..warning, it gets spicier each day.haha.

And our little Pinteresty project for the kids new bathroom...

Joseph painted the "WASH" and Madeline painted the "BRUSH". They will be so proud to see them hanging on their bathroom wall. Madeline also painted an M for her room...love her little grin.

And here's some more cute..

I will need to be rolled out of the house soon

*sings* It's beginning to look a lot like cold season...Vicks vaporizers in every room....

Yep, the kids were sick and it smelled like a menthol bomb had been dropped on our house for the past week. It's bound to happen...probably from the damn bouncy place last week, I think I could see the germs floating around us. Pretty sure it has finally moved past us now though. We are just stuck with a lingering runny nose from Joseph.

It's a rainy day, kids are napping, and I'm having an afternoon pick-me-up of tea and cheesecake...it's ok because I had carrot sticks (and spinach dip) for lunch. I've mentioned I have no willpower during this pregnancy, well my husband knows this and is constantly surprising me with these foods that are sure to stick around long after our new little boy is born. Anyway, bottom line is cheesecake has to be one of my favorite things in the world, so it's a lovely treat during nap time.

I've been in a cooking mood and have been trying some new recipes from Pinterest. Translation: I will need to be rolled out of the house soon. I've been pinning to this "Cold Weather Comfort Food" board and I probably drive Anthony crazy talking about all the food I'm going to cook and eat. I've prepared 3 from that board so far. I was only impressed with one, was eh about another, and I'll warn you to steer clear from this other one...I didn't even take a picture, and trust me, it was not from "chef" error. I'm horrible at taking food pictures anyway, it never looks as good in my pictures as it did sitting in front of us. Maybe it's because I use my phone, but who wants to get the good camera out and hold up dinner? Oh, the looks my family would give me.


Creamy Black Bean Chicken Soup. Amazing. But, I knew it would be because it's super simple ingredients, thrown into a crockpot, and makes your house smell of Mexican seasonings all day....possibly turning you into a "hangry" witch by the time your husband gets home for dinner. Did I mention you can eat it by scooping it up with tortilla chips? Mmmm. Anyway, so easy. Chicken, broth, black beans, corn, salsa (I used On the Border because I don't like onions, and there are no chunks, plus it was mild enough for the little guy to enjoy), taco seasoning, crockpot. Boom. Here's the link....Creamy Black Bean Chicken Soup
And my quick picture...

Garlic Chicken Farfalle. Meh. I was attracted to this because I used the crockpot, my husband prefers shredded chicken rather than pieces in pasta, and it had bacon. It was really just the chicken that was in the crockpot with Mesquite and Lime seasoning then shredded. It was alright. I think Joshua and Joseph enjoyed it the most.  Here's the link...Garlic Chicken Farfelle
And picture...

Apple Crisp Stuffed Apples in the crockpot. NO, just no. If you've ever typed in "crockpot" as a Pinterest search, you've seen them, they look great. That picture is before the crockpot has turned them into a disgusting mess after the 6 hours they are instructed to cook. I can't even post the picture. They looked gross.haha. We still tried them with vanilla ice cream on top. Nope, they tasted ALMOST how they looked. I wanted to try the recipe because it seemed so easy...apples, brown sugar, oats, pecans, cinnamon... Not meant for the crockpot. It happens.

Tonight is Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers. Mmmm.

Alright. 12 days until the big move....big things need to happen in our house before then! What will the kids do when they can no longer play in the empty cabinets???

moving again

This pregnancy is taking a toll on me. If God's plan was to see how much I could handle, I'd say I'm pretty close to my maximum handling capacity. haha. At first, it was the sickness...it still hits me from time to time and all I can do is come out of the bathroom laughing that it still happens. Now, my body is letting me know just how unprepared it was for another occupant. Aches and pains, sure...but, Braxton Hicks already? Totally unfair, by the way, my body "preparing" for something that will never happen. The kicks are constant, I don't think he ever stops....but they are the best feeling in the world. Feeling that little life inside of you, jumping around like he can't wait to join the fun on the outside. My emotions have been extremely hard to control lately...I'm kind of emotional about everything. I should really start writing down the ridiculous things I've cried over because it's quite amusing. Relocating while feeling this way is no picnic, but I'm hanging in there. I didn't even have an emotional breakdown when our moving date changed an entire month and our whole house is currently boxed up.
When you are a family of (soon to be) six on one income, you have to make sacrifices, you have to be willing to accept new adventures, you have to go where the best opportunity for your family is. Right now, that will be near York, Pa...because of our families, my husband has a limited range of where he can be relocated or I'm sure we would be in a warm and sunny state at this point. It is rough, picking up your family and moving away from things you know, but it is what has to be done for the best interest of our large, one income family. That's the wonderful thing about my husband...he is always looking for the best opportunity for us, so we do not go without. So, to answer the question I keep hearing over and over...yes, we are moving again. Hopefully we will be in this new area for way more than a few years because I am SO excited about our new residence....like kid at Christmas excited. We will be going from a 1900 sq ft, 3 bedroom home to a 4500 sq ft, 7 bedroom home. I'm pretty damn giddy that we will no longer be stumbling over each other, staring at a room jam packed with toys at the end of a long day. Do you have any idea how many toys we have and how hard it is to relax when they are all piled in front of you? There will be a playroom!!! The HOA funds a neighborhood pool and community center, there is a large park, basketball courts....all at the end of our road that we can walk to in less than a minute, or maybe 5 with all these kids. I may not leave the development during the summer! haha. Don't get me wrong, our neighborhood now is beautiful...everyone has acres of well groomed land (we somewhat struggled in the well groomed area), it is a quiet and peaceful country setting. Wonderful for someone ready to retire from a busy life. We, however, have restarted our lives and are now back in that family with young children category. The new neighborhood will be our opportunity for our children to play outside with the kids next door and have neighbor friends or walk to the park or play in our smaller, but fenced in, backyard. So, even with all of these emotions about moving again, I am beyond excited about this new adventure.

Playroom? I'm down.

Elsa is too!

Will there be caramel apples?

Of course!

anatomy scan

We have our anatomy scan today!! Hard to believe how fast this pregnancy is going by, but we also found out a little later than we have previously and those egg shells we walked on at first considering the IUD removal risk. I have to say, the gender is kind of the last thing on my mind when going for this ultrasound. Anthony is shaking his head reading this because I'm such a worrier. Anything as in depth as this always makes me nervous. I think Madeline's anatomy scan changed my view when they found choroid plexus cysts on her brain and warned us of her soft markers for Downs Syndrome. I was not scared of DS as much as I was the health issues that come along with it. But, it was still so unnerving to walk away from a happy experience hearing of cysts on your baby's brain. Obviously everything was ok in the end, as they assured it would be.
They know and see so many things in this little human you haven't even met yet...it's both amazing and frightening at the same time. So, today, I will be praying to see a very healthy little baby in there....it's all gravy after that.
Now, for the fun stuff. We will not find the gender out.....today. Haha, it was fun being surprised for Joseph, since we knew thought he'd be our last, but I think this baby surprised us enough already. So, since I'm going to this appointment alone, I'm going to get the gender in an envelope and a friend is making us a cake to cut after dinner tomorrow night...just us and the kids. Anthony is working entirely too far away to attend this and taking the littles by myself seemed bananas, so I'm picking Joshua up early to watch them at home. Ah, having a 15 yr. old helper is wonderful...at times. That's the plan. We'll know tomorrow night! We plan on sending our family the video immediately....unless we can figure out a simple way to video chat with all of them at the same time. But, that might get too confusing for the older folks if we have them join ovoo or something.haha.
Madeline's thoughts? She said that "the cake WILL be pink when we cut it open, NOT blue". I was explaining that God determines whether the baby is a girl or boy. So, apparently, "God wants the cake to be pink". This video of miss thang's reaction may go viral.HA!

Anthony likes to play the "would you have known you were pregnant yet?" game every few days. I finally said MOST DEFINITELY because well, it's kind of hard to hide now.

I'm craving a lot of pumpkin still...I normally HATE pumpkin with a passion, but now it seems like the most wonderful thing ever. Oh, and all of you posting your pumpkin beers, eff you. Kidding. Kind of.

It’s ok to have a chocolate cupcake for breakfast

It’s ok to have a chocolate cupcake for breakfast when the main ingredient is pumpkin, right? Well, if it was ok, I guess I would have openly devoured it in front of the kids instead of pretending to take a long time getting their milk out of the kitchen. My sister in law told me of this awesome “healthy” cake hack years ago, just cake mix and pure pumpkin. I just never craved sweets enough to make it….until now. I don’t think I’ve ever craved sweets this much in my life. Not good, not good at all. Why can’t I crave salads and raw veggies and all things healthy? GAH!

I think it's stress too. There is so much going on right now that it's hard to even comprehend. I wish these long deep breaths I find myself taking would turn the chaos into the organized plan that is in my head. One thing at a time. Some days are full of progress, others put us right back to where we were. I use the word relocation when I refer to what is going on because it sounds so much easier than moving. It doesn't make the actual process any easier though.haha.

I've been making sure to have very regular outings to get away from the craziness. Yesterday was a MUCH needed park day...just to run around and be crazy. Madeline makes friends the second she gets there and Joseph thinks he is just as big, tagging along and even going down the slide by himself!

 

I think we may need this again today. Come on out, sun!!!

That pretty much sums up our new family adventure

It's been a while. The last time I posted, I was feeling horrible with all day pregnancy sickness. Well, I'm feeling much better now....tell that to the broken blood vessel in my eye ball from vomiting the other day.haha...but, really, MUCH better than before. Just don't let me go too long for food, or take me on a windy road in the car, or get me near anything that has a strong odor, or well, you get the point. At least it's more predictable now. I can't believe how fast a belly grows the 4th time around, 16 weeks now and I don't even want to compare pictures from our previous babies. Well, the baby is moving like crazy now!!!!...and so are we.

A lot has been going on lately. Vacations, school, baseball, Anthony being relocated, our house being put on the market in 2 weeks...it's enough to throw a pregnant, hormonal woman into a whirlwind of crazy emotions. So, yeah, we're moving. Closer to some, much further away from others. Joshua is a little upset and keeps making little digs about us uprooting his life again. He is a very resilient kid though, so I know he will thrive anywhere. Madeline is not sure how she feels, of course. One minute she is happy and the next she is sobbing after opening a drawer that has been packed up.
But, above all, this is a blessing for our one income family. My husband does everything he can to always put us in the best position possible and, after much discussion between us, that is what concluded our decision. Yes, we have a family and it is very stressful to uproot everything, but we also need to make sure we are not stunting the growth of his career with our limited ability to relocate.
Well, that pretty much sums up our new family adventure. And I'm confident it will be a great one.

Now for some vacation pictures that I never got a chance to upload...just a tad bit busy over here.ha.