Zoo

I ended up joining the family on the zoo outing, with L's blessing : -) It was fun! We met the K family there and cruised in areas that we don't normally visit. I forgot our stroller and we rented one there for the first time. The only stinky thing was that it wasn't set up for a baby so I had to hold Baby J in his Moby the whole time. Fortunately, I wrapped it different somehow and it was super comfortable for the 4+ hours he rode in it. The kids got to ride a camel, which they loved. I don't normally spend the money but Daddy Piper was there and feeling generous. They enjoyed that immensely. We were able to witness some true "wild" loving when the baboons started feeling frisky and got busy right in front of us - YUCK! Fortunately our 2 kids were too wrapped up in their snacks to ask questions but J's daughter, S caught on and the questions started FLYING!!! After that fun experience (not), it was off to see some other animals. We did get to see the wolf today. We had lunch and a carousal ride and it was home to take naps. The kids did wonderful, as usual. I am very blessed with 2 good listeners. And it was fun to have Daddy Piper along for a change.

Saturday Update

Friday evening was so nice. We went over to a friend's house for dinner, the K Family. It was truly enjoyable for everyone. It is nice to have a couple's friend that Daddy Piper and I both get along with. Usually one of us is friends with one of the couple but not both, does that make sense? Anyway it was nice : -) We exchanged our family ornaments and would you believe they bought us the black bear family on a sled that we had just purchased on Monday. What are odds?!? The kids all played very well together. We used to get together pretty frequently but we got busy and let this friendship kinda slide. We agreed last night to not let so much time go by before getting together again!

Baby J didn't sleep well last night. He was up quite a few times. I think it might have to do with my switch from the decaf I was drinking to the French Vanilla fully loaded stuff I slurped for the last week (and by slurped, I mean inhaled!!) I only had a small cup this morning and his sleeping seems back on track.

This morning I called around to find the gift that Santa is bringing the kids (a backyard playset/swingset thing) and finally found one so off Baby J and I went to get it. I called some more places after getting in the van and found it a bit closer to home so we went there instead. They had it waiting for me. So I paid and got the van and the employees loaded it for me. It should really make the kids squeal with delight Christmas morning! I got home and had such a raging headache so after lunch I laid down while Daddy Piper had all 3 kids. He quickly brought me Baby J to nurse but at least my headache was gone by then. I really need to get my pump back so I can start pumping and introduce a bottle to Baby J. I hope it's not too late!

Later this afternoon, we were all outside and our closest neighbors brought over a basket of goodies which included Horton Hears A Who. The kids were stoked with that one! Then the afternoon went downhill. S was throwing sticks up in the air and one came down and hit me square in the eye. I was unprepared and caught off guard. It HURT. I almost vomitted from the pain. It still hurts now, 5 1/2 hours later. I sure hope it's okay. I didn't go get it checked out -probably should have. Daddy Piper had to walk me inside because I couldn't see out of the other side for a bit due to the watering. S felt so bad. It reinforced the whole "don't throw sticks" rule : -)

Park Day

Daddy Piper didn't have work today (ugh) so he joined us as the park this morning (yeah!). It was quite fun! We met our friends, the K family, and had a blast at the park with an orange jeep : -) We were headed to another park but Mama K's battery was dead so we ended up at a closer park, which L wanted anyway!! All the kids played well together and Daddy Piper played with them, such an involved daddy. I ran around taking pictures of all the kids. I sure do love my new camera still. Baby J slept and ate once, what he does best. He is still a super sleepy baby. I am less concerned though because he is cooing and smiling a bit now. I do have an appt with a new pediatrician on Tuesday. I love our old one but I am so tired of the hour or more wait each and every appt. Back to the park. L saw a bigger bike and was really into it. I can't wait for her to see what Santa is bringing her this year!! Another cool thing was this lady had a clear box full of sand toys. This was a such a neat idea. I wish I could find sandtoys this time of year and make this a gift for the kids. Might make a great b-day gift for S in the spring!

This afternoon, after a wonderful nap and a wakeup call from a crying S, I ran to Target to get some stuff for a TS party tomorrow. It is actually an open house that I am doing with a girlfriend of mine. My goal is $200 in sales and 1 party booked. This will give me about $75 in spending cash and give me my minimum for the quarter. I am looking forward to hanging out for a few hours without no kids, except for Baby J who will literally be hanging out with us (in his Moby!).

Baby J is fussy tonight - driving me crazy. I better go tend to him.

Friends

I count my blessings with the friends I have made since moving back here in '04. I never really had close, true friends until I was an adult. I made some wonderful friends in MN that I miss dearly and then lucky me, I made some more truly wonderful friends here.

We went to a local pizza joint with one of those friends today and her girls - the K family. This pizza joint opens up 30 minutes early upon request for make your own pizza day. They let the kids make their own pizzas and while they are cooking, there is a play area for them. It was fun and cheap! $5 for a pizza and a drink. The kids really enjoyed it!

After the pizza fun, we went to a local farmers market type of store and got some fresh fruit and veggies. This was an adventure in and of itself. 4 kids and a baby made for a chaotic (but enjoyable) shopping trip. The kicker - I ran into my English teacher and Student Council Leader from junior high!!!

Park Day

We went to the park today with the K family. All 4 older kids did wonderfully listening. It turned into a great experience for everyone! I borrowed a sling from Mama K and I think I am going to like it better than the Moby. We'll see if I can get Baby J into it by myself tomorrow when I take L to dance class. Back to the park. We brought bread to feed the ducks and fresh fruit to feed the kids and had a mini picnic. All the kids played well together. Mama K helped them do the zipline thing since a) I had Baby J on my chest and b) I am just too plain short to reach the darn thing :- )

S had a hard day. He hit his head while playing on the splash pad thing at the park - twice. Then he got in trouble when he decided to put his new green soap all over the white bath mat in the bathroom during bathtime and then he twisted his knee while goofing around at bedtime with Daddy Piper. Hope tomorrow goes better for him. I know things have been super rough on him since the new baby came along. He feels left out. I truly hope to be a better mommy to him and keep reassuring him that he is just as special and as wanted as before Baby J entered our family. This is so hard - this mothering 3 and making sure they all know they are loved and wanted.... any advice is welcomed!

I hope I get some rest tonight. L snuck out of her bed during naptime and came to lie down with me and just as soon as she was asleep, S woke up. Not kidding - about 8 minutes after I saw her close her eyes, S woke up screaming like a fire alarm, ready to be awake for the afternoon. Joys of motherhood - they really are wonderful even on minimal sleep!

Tired...

I am 31 weeks pregnant as of tomorrow and sooooo tired. UGH - this week has been so long and now Daddy Piper has a full day of yard work ahead of him tomorrow, so much for sleeping in. I just don't remember being this tired at the end of my other 2 pregnancies. I realize I am now chasing 2 little ones instead of just 1 or none but still this bone aching tiredness is crazy!!

We had a nice day. We over and spent the morning with the K family. We have known them for about 2 years now. We became friends when the younger 2 were just weeks old. It has been so much fun to watch them grow together. The older 2 girls are about the same age so it's built in playmates for everyone!!

Now it's off to finish the laundry (I LOVE my new machine!!) and then settle down for the night. I have been trying to get things caught up and stay that way since this little one just might be making his/her appearance early.

Day 3

Another day past - only 2 more full days to get through until Daddy Piper comes home. I can't wait! It has been nice to have this time alone with the kids. We have really bonded on an extra level that I really can't explain. But boy oh boy - when 10:00 Sunday morning rolls around, you'll see me hanging out at the airport, waiting for Daddy Piper to take these kids and give me a break!

The night went well again last night. Both kids slept through the night. I only woke up once to check on them - way better than the night before. 7:00 came around and they were both up. We heard from Daddy Piper pretty early this morning so we got to chat before heading out for swim lessons. I am trying my hardest not to call him while he's gone. I have only called once. I have waited for him to call us the rest of the times. So we went to L's swim lessons - where she did extremely well again. Her original swim instructor left for the Olympics so she has a replacement for this week and next week. She has responded well to the new lady. L seems to be learning some new stuff such as rolling on her back while swimming to get a breath (chicken, star, rocket).

Next up after lessons was another trip to the waterpark. I wanted to take them to lunch and to ToysRUs but they wanted to go to the waterpark, so waterpark it was. Again - fun, fun, fun. They really enjoying being able to splash around while touching the bottom, something they can't do in our pool. But funniest thing - I ran into a girl I went to junior high with almost 20 years ago! She was wearing the same maternity swimsuit I was wearing and she came over to chat about it and I recognized her but couldn't remember where from. After chatting for a minute and her reminding me what her name is, she remembered me and we remembered we went to junior high together!!! She is pregnant with her 4th. It was fun to catch up for a bit. Unfortunately, I left without getting a number. Kinda hurried and left since the kids were tired. Hopefully we run into each other again!

This evening, we went to dinner at our friends', the K family, house. That was so nice! The kids played so well together. Dinner was yummy, as always. At one point the kids were all jumping, running and laughing and playing, making the sounds kids are known for. J and I talked about how wonderful it sounded. I LOVE hearing this ruckus. It is the household I want for my children. The only unfortunate thing is we are having a storm right now and my kids (as well as Mama) are afraid of lightning/thunder. I expect this to be a sleepless night so I better sign off and get some rest while I can!!

I am looking forward to Daddy Piper to come home. It sounds like he is having a nice time and we are too - we just miss the other half to our whole!

• I have a little note to add - something I want to remember specifically. Tonight after getting their jammies on and reading books, both kids were getting a bit freaked by the storm and S crawled in my lap and through his arms around my neck and snuggled into my neck then L did the same and snuggled into the other side of my neck. MMMM- I love moments like that! I wish I could hold them forever like that. Such a feeling of contentment. Who knew being a Mommy would be this wonderful. Thank you God for my children. Thank you for allowing me to care for them, raise them and enjoy them. Such a blessing I am grateful for!!

Park Fun

We went to the park today with our good friends, the K family. We have been hanging out for the last 2 years. We have watched all our babies grow from the younger 2 being like day old infants to now all 4 of them playing together! We went to a local park to hangout for the first time in a few weeks. We have missed this so much! It was windy when we got to the park and even talked of scrapping the park playdate because we were all cold. We hung in there though and it did warm up quite nicely. Everyone played so well together. We brought our lunch and had a picnic. I think the highlight of the park were the kites that Mama K brought with her. The little kites were very easy for the kids to get up by themselves so they had tons of fun with these! We had so much fun playing together. Both my kids napped for 3 hours after all the fun in the sun of the morning.