Good-Bye 2008

Another year has past. We welcomed Baby J into our family, S has been declared healthy from his kidney problems earlier in the year, L has blossomed into a bright little girl who is reading and loves soccer, Daddy Piper's work has stayed steady, we traveled up north for our nephew's graduation from high school, we had Grandma Piper come visit after Baby J's birth and through out the year, we enjoyed each other and our times together as a family. The year has held it's ups and downs (mostly ups!) but I can honestly look back and say that it's been a wonderful year in many ways for us. I hope 2009 holds just as many wonderful blessings as this year had!!

New Year's Eve

Today has already been a semi-productive day. I went to the fruit and veggie store to get stuff for the next week & hit the library, all the while listening to Baby J HOWL from his spot in the van. I think he was just overtired but I sure hope he's not getting to hate car rides like his brother at this age - that would not be good. The kids are happily enjoying their new playset. We got it finished yesterday and they played on it all afternoon and evening. When they got up from naps, I suggested a game of Hi-Ho Cherry-O and they screamed "NO" and dashed off to their new playset. They have loved having such a fun toy right out their backdoor!

Daddy juggling Baby J while pushing S on the swingI love the expression on S's face in this picture.Please Mommy - no MORE pictures!!!New Playset!!!

Baby J is sleeping; L & S are just laying down for their naps. I have dinner in the crockpot, a broccoli slaw already made in the fridge (who knew that broccoli slaw would be so hard to find!) and the fruit washed & ready to go for dinnertime. I love my new Crockpot!! I have about 1/2 my checklist done for the day. All the laundry that is clean is folded and put away - miracles do happen. Daddy Piper is outside building the dogs a kennel. Our weather has been gorgeous this week. It's great timing with his vacation to have such nice weather. He has been so productive this week. We did have plans to go over to our friends, K Family, for New Year's Eve but we still have this lingering cold thing so we'll stay home to keep from spreading it. Now I think I shall curl up with a good book and rest for a bit.

On the Mend

We are finally over the sickness hurdle and coming to the finish line, for this cold/flu anyway. It was horrible for a few days. I even took Baby J to the dr on Friday to make sure he was okay. The dr confirmed that it was the flu but that he was okay. He weighed 12 pounds 8 ounces - even the icky flu didn't slow down his eating!!! We spent the weekend putting together the kids' new playset they got for Christmas. L & S have been truly helping their dad built this gigantic thing. It has been so heartwarming to watch them on this project. I helped a little today. We are almost done - attach the slide and the rockwall and it's done but we ran out of daylight tonight so we'll finish it up in the morning. It has been nice having Daddy Piper home during this Christmas break (the contractor he's working for shuts down for 2 weeks because they all work out of town so they went home for the holidays - Daddy Piper'll be back to work next Monday). We also spent some time during the last few days watching old video of the kids. One common thread - I always have a pile of laundry on my couch :-( I VOW to get better at this homemaker thing. I found this really cool mom's calendar thing and am trying to stick with it. I have been much better lately since putting together my homemaker's binder but since having Baby J my schedule has been kitty-wompus so hopefully having a daily to-do list on the fridge will help me. We had our Christmas celebration with my mom last night. It went well. We are going to my sister's next Saturday to celebrate with them. We were supposed to go last week but didn't because of our flu bug. So that should be fun this weekend.

Baby J is still a wonderful little baby. He is cooing and smiling like crazy. He is a bit more fussy in the evenings lately, I think maybe this sickness or could be colickly - who knows?!? He has been more particular eating lately though. I almost gave him a formula bottle the other night because he was so fussy and I thought he might be hungry. We worked through it though. He continues to sleep great - thank goodness!!!! We have done more tummy time lately. He has rolled over from his front to back. Instead of rushing him, I'll be happy if he's a late walker like his sister : -)

Okay - now I am off to complete my checklist for the evening!

Stocking Exchange 2008

I participated in a stocking exchange with other bloggers. It was so much fun first buying stuff for someone else and then opening surprise things this morning. Thanks to Lisa for a wonderful addition to our Christmas morning!! She really went all out and was very intuitive to what I would enjoy. I received things like a good book, comfy socks, great smelling lotion, fun pens, chocolate and a ton of other little goodies. It was very fun - can't wait till next year!

Merry Christmas 2008

We are still sick but it didn't slow down the fun for the day! Baby J and I were up all night with this yucky flu bug. We both even had a 103 fever at one point. L was running a fever too but slightly lower. It was a rough night without sleep for all of us. Daddy Piper was wonderful taking care of us. He was everything I wanted him to be earlier in the day - guess waiting until 3 in the morning was worth it : -) Baby J finally slept from 4:00 until 6:30 so that was nice. L & S got up about 7:15 and walked out and were so happy. It was so wonderful to see them excited over their toys from Santa (bike for L and sit-n-spin for S). We proceeded to open stockings (my stocking exchange was awesome - read here for that one). Besides all the fun goodies I got from Lisa, my stocking exchange, I got money to buy a new grill - WOOHOO!!!! The kids got me a larger Crock-Pot, which I wanted. I have a small one that was perfect for 2 people but since our family has grown, I wanted a new one. Daddy Piper got a GC to Summit Racing for parts for his mustang - I think he was pleased with that gift. The kids opened a ton of gifts from far away family and friends. I am happy to report that all the gifts were wonderful and useful - something important. I hate having junk toys that they play with once and never again. One of the hits of the day was a set of Walkie-Talkie's from their Grandma that they have played with over and over all day. We spent most of our rainy Christmas day playing together as a family. We played the kids' UNO game and a round of checkers. I tried to put together a 100 piece puzzle that L got in her stocking but had no help from the peanut gallery, so I ended up doing it alone.

It was a nice day with no nasty exchanges, just a pleasant time for all. It was so pleasant and relaxing that here at 6:40 at night, we are still in our jammies : -)

Merry Christmas 2008!!

Sick for Christmas

That's what Santa brought us early this year - sickness for the holidays :-( L woke up sick throughout the night and I got it too. S seems to be fighting it and unfortunately, Baby J is fighting something too. Daddy Piper is the only one who isn't worse for the wear. Sure made for a not very fun Christmas Eve but we did try to make the best of a cruddy situation. The kids and I have on our matching jammies (Daddy Piper declined to participate again!). Each person got to open one gift. L picked her Air Hogs and S picked his ornament from Peytie. Baby J "opened" his book from our good friends in MN - 5 little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed! Daddy Piper got his Ac/DC jam pants and I got a mother's ring. I got a very cool Mother's Ring - here is the link to the website. I LOVE it and love that is totally unique and without the gemstones like most have. We got the candy set out for Santa (no cookies this year so I was sick today) and an apple for the reindeer. We also read The Night Before Christmas in front of the fireplace with our matching jammies on. No picture since Daddy Piper was trying to console Baby J the whole time.

Daddy Piper just climbed on the roof pretending to be Santa - shaking his bells and jumping around. L wasn't too freaked but oh my gosh, S was nuts. He was so scared. He said "but we already have presents" when I explained that Santa was delivering presents. I hope he sleeps okay. We'll be up and at 'em early I am sure to open gifts. I remember being up at like 3 o'clock to open presents and then going back to sleep afterwards : -)

Off to get some rest while Baby J is sleeping!

L opening the Air Hogs. She immediately offered 1 of 2 to S. Very sharing!!

Daddy and his babies playing with their new Air HogsThe kids sitting by Santa's candies and the apples for the reindeer.

Crafts

Crafts are something we do around here occasionally but I am trying to do them more since the kids seem to enjoy them. As I was laying S down for nap today, he asked to ride the roller coaster when he gets up from nap (the wagon down the hill) and I said sure we'll go outside for awhile and he responded with okay but only after our craft : -) So guess we'll be doing the reindeer craft before riding down the roller coaster this afternoon!!

Fun Day!

We started the day out with no real plans and that quickly changed. We met a the K family at a local learning store and that was an adventure! I am watching the 17 kids and Counting show. I LOVE this show. I would love to have a ton of kids - maybe not 17 but a couple more would be fun! Daddy Piper is happy with our family of 5. I am complete if I can't have anymore but think I can talk him into just 1 more?? The baby was born via a c-section. It brought back a flood of memories of my c-section with Baby J - which was such a scary time in our lives. I am so thankful he is here safe and sound! So back to our day. We looked at some fun things for homeschooling. I bought a book and some tanagrams to work on things with L. It was very chaotic at the store though. Next time all walking kids will stay home with their dads :-) After that fun (NOT!) experience, we were off to Wal-Mart, which I have grown to hate and even more so at Christmas time. It was pure HELL. So many people and rude and not even registers open, just crazy. Daddy Piper needed oil and Wal-Mart is the cheapest place to get it so that's why we went there. Right when we got there, we hit the restroom to avoid the ol' "gotta go potty" routine a mile away from the restrooms. After that stop, we got a snack and proceeded to get our stuff. L & S scored some fun Christmas socks and Baby J got a cute "First Christmas" onesie. We headed over to the oil, where a gallon of oil fell on my leg and covered my jeans and shoes in oil - YUCK! Finished our shopping and headed home. It was a nice morning. After the kids napped (which I spent working on a calendar I won via the stlmommy.com blog - WOOHOO!!), L and I worked on a Christmas craft, a glitter Christmas tree! It was fun to work on something like that together - it always is fun to do projects with L!!

Baby J has been way more awake lately. My pump came back from one of my best friends in MN today so I got to pump some milk tonight (got an ounce and a half in about 5 minutes) and Baby J got his first bottle ever. S never took a bottle so it was nice to see Baby J take one willingly. He wasn't too happy though when that ounce and half ran out and quickly latched onto Mama wanting more. I remember being so upset when L took a bottle, it truly broke my heart to see her get milk from something other than me. I didn't have that feeling tonight - all I thought was "FREEDOM!".Baby J had a cute smile but my camera caught his eyes closed DARN!

Getting that first bottle!

I participated in a stocking swap via this blog and my stuff came in the mail today. It'll be fun to have surprise stuff in my stocking come Christmas Morning!!

Okay I need to get the dishes done and get ready for bed while all 3 are sleeping. We don't have plans tomorrow so I hope to get some stuff prepared for Christmas. Can you believe it is only 2 more nights until Santa comes????

Sunday Evening with the Piper Family

I am getting a snuggly hug from my best girl as I type I this : -) She is supposed to be in bed but her brother knocked a lamp over and I need to go pick it up and turn off their Christmas lights. And she is reading each word as I type : -)

Okay all are tucked in for the night after the nightly backscratching and update of the plans for tomorrow. AWW - the peace and quiet is appreciated!!

I wanted to write about the day but instead I think I should spend some time with Daddy Piper. So now it's off to fold clothes while Daddy Piper watches his UFC DVD. Such quality couple time!

Hammy Hammy

I like to write down the words the kids mispronounce since it seems like it's cute for a bit then they start saying the real thing and I forget the funny way they said it before. S likes Handy Manny and always calls it "Hammy Hammy". He has "Hammy Hammy" undies and today got his first "Hammy Hammy" toy from my aunt for Christmas. He was very delighted :-)

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 : -)

Sugar Cone Christmas Trees

We spent part of the morning making Christmas Trees from sugar cones. Baby J slept through all the fun. Here are some cute pics from that adventure:

Also this morning L and Baby J had some fun bonding time - they really played together for the first time. L was lying on her belly talking to him and everytime she tried to leave, he would fuss so she came back. Then Baby J did the same thing with S. It was too cute. They finally got tired of his game though and took off to play in the playroom, leaving him fussy until his Mama came to his rescue. It was so heartwarming to watch the 3 of them interact. I am very much looking forward to the day when they are all running around playing together!!

Alone Time

I think one of the things about having our third child that I find the hardest is the lack of time with my spouse. We had a nice morning today with some alone time with each other and Baby J, who was in a wonderfully, happy mood then he feel asleep and we had some time to just chat and hang out for a bit. It was very nice!!

And on another note - Baby J was so fussy tonight. He was super fun earlier in the evening, smiling and cooing and even starting to laugh but oh my gosh - so fussy for about an hour. Yikes - go back to sleep Baby J : -)

MOPS Christmas

Today was our MOPS Christmas gathering. I always get so nervous before going to MOPS. I haven't "clicked" with anyone at our table or anyone else for that matter and just feel out of place. It's such a character defect of mine - the out of place thing. It was fun though and very enjoyable. It always is, when I get over that feeling. I even met another lady who has 3 kids the same age as my 3 and that was fun. She's overwhelmed too : -) The kids really enjoy themselves. They have a special program just for them, MOPPETS, and have fun playing with others their own age.

Daddy Piper had a rain day so he was home when we got home. It is nice to have him home - wish we were rich so it could be a regular occurrence without worrying about the financial aspect of it. I got to nap today from 1:30 until 3:15. When I woke up at 3:15 by myself, not awoken by anyone, I woke up thinking how delicious the nap felt :-)

Tonight while dinner was cooking, the kids & I delivered plates of goodies to our neighbors. We have really gotten more friendly with them which is nice. The holidays are wonderful time to connect and remind others that we appreciate them.

Off to wash off the kids and switch over laundry (I HATE laundry!!)