He's sitting up!

I can't believe how big Atticus is getting. He's sitting up and almost totally on his own. He's so unhappy just being flat on his back these days.

This is not a joke

So, Alexandra has had goopy eyes for the last few days. I really didn't think much of it. Then Sebastian had goopy eyes yesterday. This morning they both woke up with puffy eyes. Alexandra also woke me up in the middle of the night coughing her head off and saying her cheek hurt. I called the Dr. got them in at 9:10 by 9:30 the Dr. determined Alexandra had a double ear infection and eye infection and Sebastian had a single ear infection and was on his way to a eye infection. What the Dr. (and I) was so amazed about is they were both really happy and weren't really fussy. They had both been sick for 10 days to 2 weeks but I hate to take them to the Dr. because unless they are really sick with an infection our Dr. doesn't do anything for them. Oh, the other thing that floored me was the medicine was $188.00 with insurance! AHHHHHHHH! What a day and it's not even 1 PM yet!

Another Freebie Friday

I love it when I can get you more free stuff. The ladies over at 5minutesformom.com are giving away a dyson vacuum! Ever since they came out with these I have wanted one! I know I just won something from them but I just couldn't pass up the chance to try again and maybe you'll win! Then you can bring it over to my house for a test run. Check it out here!

Freebie Friday

Here's more free music downloads from My Free Music Friday! One of my new favorite artists Aaron Shust is featured this week! Check it out!

Relationships are the best and the saddest part of life

I'm a social gal. I like people and It charges me most of the time to be around people. I like to host people over at my house. I tend to invest a lot of time and effort into relationships. That means that when I get hurt in relationships or if a relationship gets broken it tends to break me. I've only had a few serious broken relationships. I guess part of the reason this is so hard for me is that I care and I believe I played some part in the brokenness. I have felt God pull me through these broken relationships if I allow him and I can move on until I run into a person that I have a broken relationship with. That happened this week. I care about this person and wanted to know how things were. It was a short conversation and I was hurt once it stopped. I wasn't hurt because of the way the person acted but was sad that I won't have a relationship with that person again. This makes me thankful for the relationships I have and helps me to push through the hurt of the lost ones that more than likely won't be restored. God made us to need each other and that means hurt comes along with it, like it or not. It's just the way it is.

I know it's not freebie Friday but it's close

I love free stuff and if you are into downloading songs I found a great site for you. Freegotee.com is giving free downloads of songs from their artists. I would highly recommend Aiesha Woods. We play her on WaYfm and I really love her stuff. Gotee records is the record label that TobyMac started and runs so you know the music will be cutting edge. Check it out!

I got a sewing machine!

I've seen some pretty cute stuff on the web lately to make with a sewing machine. Soooo, I got on freecycle and asked if anyone had one they wanted to get rid of and there was a very nice woman in Kalamazoo who had a 35 year old singer and she was willing to give it to me! I picked it up today! I'm very excited. If you are like to sew and have some tips for me like books to read or things to make, please leave me a comment. I will welcome your thoughts!

You've got to love the Poles

This was posted on Foxnews.com! Way to go Poles!


WARSAW, Poland — Thousands of Poles took to Warsaw's streets Wednesday to demand a complete ban on abortion, including in cases of rape or incest.

Two separate marches merged into a demonstration of 4,000 people in front of parliament, where lawmakers were debating amending the constitution to tighten Poland's anti-abortion law, already among the most restrictive in the EU.

"I am for life," said Miroslawa Kledzinska, 64. "God gives life and only he has the right to take life away."

Poland's abortion law allows termination of a pregnancy until the 12th week if the mother's life is in danger, the fetus is irreparably damaged or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.

President Lech Kaczynski has put forward one of three separate proposals to amend the constitution to prohibit abortion completely.

However, none has a chance of being adopted while the main opposition Civic Platform party remains opposed. A two-thirds majority is needed in the 460-member lower house to change the constitution.

This is my kind of day

If you know me you know that I'm not a huge fan of making meals. I know it's what's best for us financially and health wise but It's not really my gift. Today My dad is taking the kids and I out to lunch (which he likes to do once a month), Then my dad and step mom are going to take the kids for the evening (which means free time for me) and then Paul suggested he take me out to dinner tonight! Yahoooooooooo!

It doesn't get much better than that for this mama of three!

A simple trip to the store

It was a gorgeous day here in Michigan yesterday. It was one of those days where you have your windows open. I went and exercised and then went to pick up a few things at the store. Our Store has those cross walks with stop signs. I always go slow but have to admit I don't really come to a complete stop, I come to a complete pause. As I got to the first stop sign I did my usual pause and I hear this very angry voice yell "There's a stop sign there ya know!". I was startled and then shocked. An elderly lady was standing on the side of the road in front of the store. She wasn't in the crosswalk, she wasn't even close to crossing. Now to be yelled at in general is rattling but to be yelled at in Public by a stranger is just jarring. I hate to admit this but it ruined a perfectly good trip to the store without the children. I hate when I allow that to happen.

A pregnant friends cravings

I work out at Curves with a friend named Jayme who is pregnant. She told me tonight that she is craving hummus and cherry pie filling. How funny is that. I had cravings with my three but never anything like that.

A cookie insights happiness

This pic just cracks me up. These two are like peas in a pod. This scene happens quite often.

Today I was leaving to go work out and Sebastian stretched his arms out in front of the back door and cried "no mama, no"! I guess this is separation anxiety. :) Paul had to come and get him so I could get out the door. I was not swayed. Exercise needed to happen this morning.

It amazes me how much the kids can be like us. For the second time, Paul decided to "surprise" Alexandra with a treat tonight. We all loaded up in the van and took off for McDonalds for dessert but Alexandra didn't know where we were going. She started to cry because she wanted to know where we were going. She didn't want to be surprised. See I love surprises. I wish Paul would surprise me more. Paul hates surprises. He would rather just know what's coming. Alexandra was really excited to go and have dessert at McDonalds. Thank goodness the tears dried up quickly!

Remember you're in charge

We had a field trip today and afterward I decided we would go to McDonalds for lunch. The first question out of Alexandra's mouth is are we going in? I told her we would have to see how Atticus was doing and if he needed to go home for a nap. Alexandra says "Mom, it's up to you. Remember you're in charge." I laughed and thanked her for the reminder not that I needed it. :)

We'll just have to wait and see

Last night I was feeding Atticus and as usual Alexandra found it a great time to talk about something. We started talking about going on a field trip to a dance school today with the preschool. I asked her if she would like to be a dance teacher when she gets older. She says we'll just have to wait and see. I told her I thought she'd be a great teacher. She said, "mom, we'll just have to wait and see what God makes me be.". I said you are right. We'll just have to wait and see. I smiled and was glad that she realizes that God has a plan for her and that it's an adventure to know what that will be. Then she says, "I can't wait to see what kind of clothes God gives me.". I laughed out loud. I said what kind of clothes do you think he'll give you? She said very matter of factly "Dance clothes of course"! She's a girl, there's no doubt about that!

I'm a winner

Although some of you might have already known that, I really have won something! The great sisters over at 5minutesformom.com had a contest to win a dance skirt through katchykids.com and I won! I can't wait to see Alexandra in this beautifully made dance skirt. She's be the talk of the dance class I'm sure! Thanks Janice and Katchykids.com!

He's got a voice with attitude

Atticus is getting more and more mobile which means he get a hold of things he shouldn't have in his mouth since everything he gets his little hands on goes in his mouth. Today, I had to take a card away from him and after I pulled it away he squawked and cried at me. Then I gave him a block and he settled down and chewed on that. I also had to pull the computer cord away from him and redirect him and I got the same reaction. He's taking after his sister in the attitude department. I have much training ahead of me with this little cutie!

A cookie erases all offenses when you are 2

When you look at this picture you might think oh what a cute little boy. What I think as his mom is what a cute boy but that hair is way too long! I decided to give Sebastian a bath tonight and then a hair cut. I think I did pretty good, I'll post a pic soon but he cried through the whole process and shook his head quite often as well. I got done and said, ok how about a cookie! Sebastians's reply with tears in his eyes, "yeah cookie, mama"! Everything was right with the world and it only took some flour, eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and chocolate chips! Go figure!

It's a girl's perrogative

I got a bunch of clothes for all three of the kids from a woman on freecycle last week. This sweater came and I thought "oh, how cute"! It's a 3T and I thought what a great sweater and it's from the gap! Alexandra took one look at it and said "I don't like it." I thought figures. Today after coming in from outside, the sweater was on the floor ready to be washed. She grabbed it, put it on and said oh I'm so much warmer now with this nice sweater! Like the title says, it's a girls perrogative!

It looks like Atticus is working on his Smokers cough

A Break and normalcy is good

It was a good weekend. Our friend Ann and her daughter took the kids Friday night and then to the museum on Sat. This gave us yet another date night and a sleep in morning. Oh how wonderful! Paul agreed to a chick flick Friday night and I worked out on Sat. Morning. I met my friend Jen who is getting married in June at Curves and then we went and had breakfast. It was really nice to just hang out and chat with a girlfriend for a while. I also bought a new pair of tennis shoes which was a much needed purchase. It was great to see the kids on Sat. night and to have them at home in their own beds Saturday night. I more and more realize that I'm a huge creature of habit. Even though the break is so great I like to get back to our routine. This week will be much slower and I'm thankful for that. On Sunday we went to the Park down the street and ran into a guy and his daughters that we use to go to church with. It was great to see his daughters and for him to meet Atticus. They are expecting again in may so we rejoiced with them. Their daughters are almost exactly the same age as our kids so they had a lot of fun together. It was pretty funny seeing the kids with their hats and winter coats sliding down the slide. I guess that's early spring in Michigan for ya.

What a Week

I'm finally back at home this morning, some what back to our routine. This week, WaYfm is having their annual sharathon. This is the time when they raise most of their funds. I was asked to work from 6 AM to 11 AM Tuesday and Wednesday. Very Early mornings but very worth it. It is usually very fun and very satisfying. I get to connect with old friends and co-workers and get to be on the air. This year was no different. I got to see my old friends the Millers who we went to Africa with, I got to be on the air with Rick, Mike, and Peter Brooks. I got to be a part of the men vs women hour and the women pulled through. Yeah! I also got to talk to a guy who listened to me on the morning show way back when and when I was on Middays when the planes hit NY and DC on 9/11. When I look back at that day it was the worst day ever and I certainly didn't want to be on the air. I broke the news to our listeners because I was on Middays then. I prayed a lot on the air and tried to keep people up to date but mostly I wanted to run to my car and go home, crawl into bed and cry. I couldn't cope with what was happening so how could I communicate to others and help them cope. Anyway, this guy Glen called and got one of the phone volunteers to get me. He wanted to tell me that I helped him and his wife so much on 9/11. He first heard the news from me and kept to the radio all day long and heard my prayers and my tears. He said he and his wife prayed a lot for me that day as well because they could tell I was having a hard time communicating with people. This was so cool to hear from him since it was such a difficult day for me. He also said that they missed hearing me on the air every day that I had such a great personality and a warm caring heart. What an encouragement to this stay at home mom of three who most days just wishes she could smell more like a woman rather than a dirty diaper or old spit up! If you've been blessed by wayfm and would like to make a pledge you can do that here

I also have to say a big thanks to Karen for taking my kids for the whole two days I was working. On Wednesday morning I thought about what Karen and the kids would be doing right now and I didn't have a concern at all that they were fine and happy. I'm sure Karen was a little tired though. I also thought about this routine being my daily life and it made me thankful that I don't have to have someone else watch my kids everyday. I couldn't imagine doing that.

Paul and I went out to dinner and a bike ride on Tuesday night and had an awesome time. It reminded me of how we were before kids. Don't get me wrong, I missed the kids while they were gone but it was really great to hang with my husband without them too.

The Mercury is still in the shop and our renter is moving out this weekend. If you know of anyone looking for an apartment, please let us know.

It's been a busy good week. I'm glad we get to stay home today and just chill. I think we all need it!

Not again

So last night I'm working on a new design for the church website and I can't seem to clear my throat. I went to bed around 11 PM and Atticus got up at 5:30 AM. I woke up with a terrible headache, aches, pains, sore throat and lots of drainage. What the heck! Atticus has continued to have a cold and cough but hasn't really been sick so I'm not sure what has happened. Also, I had our Mercury last night while Paul had the van with the kids and it broke down on me. Thank goodness a friend was with me and gave me a ride home. Paul was up until 2 AM waiting for a tow truck to have it towed to the garage. What a day! Oh did I also mention that the first three days of this week we didn't have a bath tub. The 50 year old drain sprung a leak and we had to call a plumber to fix it and it go fixed on Wednesday. Thank goodness we just got our tax refund. GRRRRRRRRR!

P.S. Roger, My friend Brenda's brother is having surgery today to get rid of cancer. Please pray for him as this is a very extensive surgery.

Idle rants

I love hot hot showers and my bed!

I love that the sun has shone two days in a row here in Michigan.

I hate that the show Hereos won't be back on until almost the end of April.

I love that there will a new 24 episode every Monday until then.

I love that I've trained my 2 year old boy to take dirty diapers to the trash and dishes that are dirty to the sink.

I love that at least 3 times a week I get to go workout without children at Curves.

I love that My 3 year old daughter is already talking about her new house in Heaven.

I love that I have a library in my town that brings stuff to me right down the street from my house.

I love that my 6 month old will just play in his bed quietly until I come and get him to eat.

I hate that my 2 year old holds food in his mouth so long that he starts to druel and then I have to stick my finger in his mouth and get the food out because he won't swallow it.

I hate that my 6 month old is so unfocused when he eats that most of the time I miss his mouth when trying to feed him baby food.

I love that my hair is long enough to put up in a pony so I don't have to shower everyday if its not in the cards.

I love that all three of my kids are ticklish.

Her New House

Last night Alexandra came out of the bathroom, just sobbing. I asked what was wrong:

A: Will my animals, nite-nite and potty be in our new house?
M: What new house?
A: Our new house in Heaven with God.
M: I am sure that God will give us all that we need in our new house in heaven.
A: Will all my things be there?
M: I'm sure God will have all our favorite things there.
A: How will God get all my stuff, he only has two hands?
M: (chuckle) God has lots of hands, he'll be able to get all the things we need.
A: I've seen a picture of God in my book. (She goes to get the beginners' bible, She finds a pic of Jesus) See he has 2 hands.
M: That is Jesus and he is God but he was also a man so he does have two hands but God also has lots of hands.
A: I've seen a picture of God mom. I know what he looks like. (I give her the look) Mom, would you please be quiet so that I can find a picture in my book of God?
M: (Chuckle) Ok.

We decided to read the beginners bible for a while but only in small sections because Alexandra was sure if we read the whole book she would get really really tired! :)

A way to win fun prizes

If you are a mom and you have a blog, 5 minutes for mom is having a blog party, check it out and get registered.

I love it when the three year old thinks she's right

Tonight at dinner Alexandra asked if I was married. I said yes that Daddy and I are married. She says "Well buddy and I are married too." I said no, you and buddy are brother and sister. She says "no mom, when we hold hands and sing ring around the rosey, we are married.". Where does she come up with this stuff?

Anyone for an arranged marriage?

We were at Church on Saturday night and one of our single girls had Atticus on her lap. Another teenage girl sat down with Annica, a young girl just about a month or so younger than Atticus. He just lit up. The Girl who had Atticus signaled me and told me he was trying to flirt with Annica but she wasn't interested. I laughed. Then I saw things first hand on Sunday. I had Atticus on my lap, standing and Annica and a teen walked by. He jumped, laughed and smiled really big to try and get her attention. She was tired and wanted to go to sleep. She wasn't giving him the time of day. He kept it up though until I turned him around. It was too funny! He's attracted to the ladies already. Maybe I should give this whole arranged marriage thing a though!

The loving sister

Today Sebastian got in trouble for not sharing the sit and spin with Alexandra. He proceeded to cry and scream. She went to him, hugged and kissed him and let him have a turn on the sit and spin. From then on he shared it with her. Got to love that.

oh no, that did not just happen

If you are eating or have a weak stomach, don't read this post! I'm not responsible for your reaction to what you read.....


So It's rest time and Alexandra has to use the potty. Not a surprise. She comes into the living room and says, mommmy I need you to clean up my poopy. I told her no, that if she didn't want to use her potty she could use mine. She said, "but it's stinky in there." I chuckled and said too bad, sometimes poopy is stinky just go potty anyway. So, she goes, and returns to the playroom for rest. I got to the bathroom and realize I was soaking the insert that belongs in the little potty and she poopied all in the bottom of the little potty with out the insert in. Oh and let's just say it wasn't a well formed stool. Ah, gross. There was pee all over the floor because there was nothing to catch it and the poopy was gross. I cleaned it all up, mopped the floor and am washing the rugs in the bathroom. I guess it wasn't a rest time for mommy but I still got to sleep in until 9:24 AM this morning and even a little poopy and pee pee won't get this mommy down!!!!!!!!!

9:24 AM

That's the time that I got out of bed for good this morning. Alexandra got up at 5:50 AM asking for Desitin on her bottom. She flipped on her light and woke up Sebastian. I couldn't believe it. I turned the light off and she proceeded to run into the door. Poor girl. I took her out in the hallway and put desitin on her. I told her not to turn on the light again and then tucked her back in. I got back into my nice warm bed when I heard another little guy stir and cry. I got up and fed him and we both got back to bed at 7:15AM. I didn't wake up again until I heard some noise at 9:24AM. I have to say, that when I get to pretty much be in bed until 9:24 AM,it's going to be a great day, even if it's snowing like crazy outside my window!

What he does when Sissy's not around

Sebastian is playing hide and seek by himself right now. He's keeps putting him head on the wall, he counts to 4 and then he says, I see you. Then he goes back to the wall, counts again and then says I see you. He's not looking at me when he does it either which is really, really funny!

Does having Jesus in your heart hurt?

For some reason on the way home from Dance tonight, Alexandra asked if all of us would die. I told her yes. She then asked where we would go. So I told her if she had Jesus in her heart she would go to heaven. "I have him in my heart, but he hurts". I asked, laughing, why he hurts? "Because now he's in my tummy". I laughed out loud. She then asked where we would live in Heaven. I told her God was preparing a place for us. "Will we have a new house?" Yes I told her probably. "Is it done yet?" I told her It's not ready yet. "why not". I responded by telling her that we're not ready to go there yet. "I miss our new house mommy". "Who will live in our old house". I told her I didn't know. "I think some new friends will move into our old house Mommy". I smiled!

What it got me thinking though is that even though Jesus isn't in our tummy, it does hurt sometimes to have him in our heart since we live in a sinful world with lots of loss and hurt. It also made me think that I need to miss my new house more and long for the time when Jesus returns to take us away from this sinful, hurtful world!

Time with Alexandra

I purchased a Leapfrog desk with letters and word cards off of Craigslist and Alexandra was really excited to play with it. I needed to show her how to do it. So she waited patiently and listened as I told her how to play with it. I showed her a couple of times and then started again and she says "I don't need your help anymore mommy, I can do it by myself". I laughed out loud. It was so funny. She grabbed the pad and took it in the play room to have it for rest time.

Sebastian talk

Sebastian has really started to talk and express himself. Today I put him down for a nap and then a little while later I took Atticus up for a nap. I heard Sebastian say, Nite - Nite. In Sebastian talk that meant that he had dropped his nite-nite. I peeked into the room and he had chucked everything out of the bed. He does this sometimes when Alexandra is in there and she'll get all the stuff for him. I picked up some of the things and put them back in the bed. He looks at me and says "Thanks" very happily. As I continue to put things back, he keeps saying thanks. I told him not to throw stuff out anymore cause I'm not coming in to pick them up again. He grabs his doggie, hugs him and says "Sorry". I believe he was talking to the Dog, not me! :) It's just so cool to hear him talk so much since he hasn't been talking hardly at all.

The Power of Routine

I discovered this week after many times of struggle that we have a pretty solid routine set up and the kids (and I) like it that way. We get up, have breakfast, watch a little PBS. Play or read books, eat lunch, play some more. Then we have rest time, wake up and watch dragon tales and george. Eat dinner, play and/or read books. Daddy gets home, he plays with them, brush teeth, head to bed. This is just the basic routine. On Tuesday and Thursday, Alexandra has preschool. Tues is dance, and bookmobile. Wed, they usually go to Meme's, Thursday is my work and and so on. I've noticed that if we are out of routine for too many days we all start getting cranky. Also, Atticus doesn't really have a solid schedule yet but I long for the day when he'll line up. I'm figuring this is just the kind of person I am. It gives me comfort to know what's coming next. I know a lot of mom's who don't have a routine and love it. I try to leave room for sponteinty but the basic needs to stay the basic for the most part or I get really really cranky and what's the old saying, If mama ain't happy ain't nobody happy!

This must be his raisin phase

I have a confession to make for my son, Sebastian, only because he can't put it into words himself. He's addicted to Raisins. He has to have raisins for every meal and he is now asking for them at snack time. Now you might be saying, there are worse things he could be asking for, and you are right. I have told myself that as well. He is eating a few other things but last night the sitter I go said that he would only eat raisins. It's pretty interesting being the mother of a toddler!

Heroes Quiz

It's Monday and that means Heroes and 24 are on tonight. YIPPPEEEE! My fellow Heroes watcher Rick found this quiz to find out which Hero you are. I'm DL Hawkins! Walking through walls sounds fun! If you are a watcher, and you take the quiz post who you are in the comments section!

I've *Stumbled Upon* something addictive

I found something that has become a huge time waster for me. Not a good thing with a part-time job and three small kids. If you use Mozilla firefox as your way to surf the web, you can get an extension called Stumble upon. What this allows you to do is put in a list of interests. Like some of mine are: Parenting, crafts, web design. Then I click on Stumble on my tool bar and it brings up sites I might like. If I like it I click like it and it saves it for me. If I don't, it doesn't bring up sites like that anymore. Pretty cool eh? Beware, It has become addictive for me. :)

Freebie Friday

If you like Rock this Freebie Friday is for you!

It's swimsuit season

There's been a lot of talk lately at the Erbe house about putting on a swimsuit. Now Alexandra has a history of this, wearing clothes that are totally out of season. I have pics of her in the heat of summer with a stocking cap on. Now she's obsessed about having her swimsuit on. I compromised with her and told her she could put it on if she put it on over her clothes. So that's what she did. Here's proof of it as well! Just an aside, she also did a tap dance in this outfit. Wish I would have had the camera rolling!

There's also just been a water theme in general. Here's the kids in a boat. They had two and daddy recycled this one last night much to their dismay. It was cute they used the small brooms as paddles.

Our Valentine

A nightly prayer from the Erbe's

Daddy: Let's pray

Sebastian: Shoes

Alexandra, mommy, daddy: Yes lord thank you for shoes

Sebastian: Socks

A, M, D: Thanks for Socks

Sebastian: ah, Dora

M and D: Thanks for Dora Lord

Sebastian: ah, Boots

M and D: Yes Lord thank you for Boots

Sebastian: garbly gook, mumble mumble

We all look at each other

Alexandra: we have no idea what he's talking about

Paul and I just cracked up! It was so funny!

Dragon Tales Parents

One of Alexandra's favorite shows is Dragon Tales on PBS. This is a show about two siblings who find a dragon scale in their playroom, wish on it and go a magical land of Dragons. They talk a lot about sharing and caring in this show. What gets me is the kids, Max and Emmy, are gone for most of a day on their adventures. When they get back to their playroom, sometimes you hear their parents which tells me they are in the house but why are they not checking on them? They just leave their kids for hours on end without checking on them. Just the other day, I found out Emmy was 6 and Max is 4, those parents should be checking on them, don't you think. Or do you think I've been locked up in this house too long with three little kids and my mind is wandering way too much! :)

A weekend of much sickness

Before I get to the sickness a few shout outs! Happy Birthday to my Sister-in-law Wendy, Congrats to my long time friend Jen who got engaged this weekend and As a church we moved into a newer larger space.

Atticus, Alexandra, Sebastian and I were all Sick this weekend with the stomach flu. I couldn't believe how many diapers Atticus went through. Alexandra, Atticus and I are all feeling better but Sebastian has been sleeping like 15 hours every 24 for the past two days. Not such a bad thing. Hopefully by the end of this week we'll all be healthy. Also, Praise God, Paul didn't get it!

If you have a weak stomach or are eating, don't read this post

I am in way over my head. I decided to finish up our taxes last night so I was up late after being at work for 2 hours last night. I got to bed about midnight. About 45 minutes later, a little girl wandered to my bed side telling me she's all wet. I'm figuring its that she's wet the bed since she's not wearing pull up's any more. Then I smell something. She starts to explain that she didn't pee pee, she says shes all wet and her bed is too. So I get up and realize, she's thrown up. I assure her that she's ok and that it happens. I strip her bed and her blankets, take them downstairs and get new sheets and put them on the bed. She continues to complain about her stomach and I pray she doesn't vomit on me. I get everything back to normal and get her back to bed and then I hear a cry. It's Atticus. Paul told me that he threw up while I was gone, so I'm not surprised he's awake and acting like he hungry. He takes 6 oz and smells horrible. He's has about 6 dirty diapers a day and is sleeping a lot. I thought maybe it was teething but now that Alexandra is sick I'm not sure. Atticus is not interested in eating which is really weird for him. The funniest part of this whole thing, Alexandra turns on the light last night so we can change her bed, Sebastian didn't stir. He also slept through the whole bed change and all the converstation about sickness. You got to love that!

Oh no she didn't

I'm in the bathroom this morning and Alexandra is at the table with our craft stuff. That includes glue, paper, sparklies and scissors. She comes into the bathroom with a clump of hair in her hand. I thought she pulled it out. I said where did that come from, she says from my head. I said how did you do it. She said I just did it. Then I see that part of the side of her hair is cut. I asked if she used the scissors and she said yes. I couldn't believe it. Of course she's too young to tell me why she did it. The spot is right next to her face. We'll see today when I put her hair up today for Dance if it causes any problems. I was so surprised. Needless to say there was much crying when I took the scissors away from her today and told her she couldn't get them back until tomorrow. I also told her we only use the scissors to cut paper.

A new tradition

It seems that there aren't that many people that we know that like or care anything about football. So, for the last 2 years we've just watched the super bowl at home. Last night I made some special snacks for "dinner" and then made some monkey bread for dessert. Alexandra questioned why we were doing it but Sebastian just enjoyed the treats. While the money bread was cooking, Sebastian said cookies please! Paul had to slow him down from eating his whole plate full of bread! The kids really didn't get into the game and Paul tried to keep them out of my way so that I could enjoy the game and the commercials. I loved the Doritos commerical that was made by an amateur. Funny!

Cuddle Buddies

These two decided to cuddle up on the couch in the playroom to keep warm on this snowy and very cold day in Michigan. Too Cute!

Dinner table antics

We all sat down to dinner tonight. Crescent rolls with hot dogs rolled in, broccoli, and tater tots. Sebastian got raisins just tide him over until all the food was ready. We gave Sebastian and Alexandra ketchup. Sebastian decided to dip his raisins in the ketchup. Paul and I waited to see what his response to it would be. I would try to describe his facial expression but I couldn't do it justice. Paul and I cracked up. Then a loud "YUK" came out of his mouth. It was too funny. Alexandra was focused on getting all her dinner finished so she could have candy. She choose a Candy cane from Christmas. She then proceeded to ask when Christmas would be again. It's so hard to explain in time to a 3 year old. OH, Sebastian got new light up Spider man boots today. They were 50% off. He had a ton of fun stomping around in his new boots. Now he'll stop yelling at me when we are outside that his feet are cold and wet!

Free Music Friday

Here's another Free Music Friday offering!

It has to be a hollow leg.

That's the only explanation for why Atticus is eating all the time. He doesn't really want to sleep during the day and that means he's eating every 3 hours and taking a lot of food either in the bottle or via spoon. He's also wanting to stay up a long time during the day. Today I had him up for almost 2 1/2 hours and he was just starting to get cranky. None of the other two have been like that. He just rolls around on the floor and grabs things, chews on them and grabs something else. He's also into making a lot of noise. At first I thought he was cranky but that's just him talking away. It really is true that each and every baby is different!

My new housekeeper

I'm on the phone during lunch and Alexandra goes to the bathroom to what I think is to wash her hands. She stays in there for a long time. I head in there to find soap all over the bathroom sink. She tells me that she's cleaning the sink. I get her a wash cloth and she finishes up. Then she tells me she wants to clean the bathtub as well. I'm so jumping at that. I put a little bit of water in the tub and rolled up her pant legs. I just let her use baby soap but she did a really great job. She told me she'd do it every day if I asked her to. I wish I had a tape recorder at that moment. I did take these pics though!

Then she took to washing herself. I drew the line when she dumped water over her head!

Tears of change and growth

I kind of thought this day would come but I guess it impacted me more than I expected. Alexandra told me yesterday that she didn't want to go to School. I told her we would see about it on Tuesday. This morning she told me the same thing. We got clothes on and went to school. We got there and she saw her friends and I thought we were ok. Then we got ready to leave and she started crying and asking to go with Buddy and I. I told her I'd come back but the crying only got louder. The teacher tried to distract her but she ended up carrying Alexandra over to a craft table. As we're leaving I hear her still crying. It was hard to hold back my tears but I did until we got to the car. I cried the whole way home. Not because I didn't want to leave her but because of the look on her face when we left. She was so scared. I think Preschool is a good thing for her and for me. It's a good program and I think the activities are good for her. What I'm thinking this morning is that this is just the first of many tears of change and growth. I'm not looking forward to shedding many many tears in the future over my kids and the changes that will come for all of us. You don't think about those things when you have a baby and with no instruction manual there's no warning of things like this on the horizon!

Niles Erbe?

Tonight I come home from Curves and Paul is watching an episode of Fraiser on DVD. We get done with the episode and Alexandra and Sebastian are watching it and Sebastian sees a picture of Niles Crane, Fraiser's brother. He points at the TV and says it's Daddy. He repeats it a couple of times as Alexandra says that's not Daddy. Then Sebastian points at Paul and points at the TV and says Daddy! Paul and I couldn't contain our laughter. You be the judge

another one bites the hand, another one bites the arm

I was watching a couple of our friends kids this week and the two girls were playing and wouldn't let the boy play with them so the boy decided to grab Alexandra's hand, stick it in his mouth and bite down. Two days later, Alexandra and Sebastian were wrestling on the floor and Alexandra comes into the kitchen crying. Sebastian bit her in the arm. I'm making an official rule right now, no more boys biting my daughter under my roof!

I'm just not that kind of mom

I made a huge realization this week. I'm not that kind of mom. One of our very good friends is having her 4th child and she's just been put on bed rest. She has a 6 year old, a 4 year old and a 1 year old. I decided I would take the two older kids for Wednesday and Friday. It seemed like it was just too much for me. Here's the thing, I never really babysat growing up, I even thought for many years that I wouldn't have kids of my own because It was never a great desire I had. Now let me say first that I love my 3 kids. They are awesome. But I don't like managing my kids and other people's kids. This was a hard realization for me. I would want people to take my kids if I was pregnant and on bedrest. God is showing me that I'm just not wired to do everything everyone else does and vice versa. I can speak to thousands of people every week on the radio. I can manage a website. But it's just not my gift to watch other people's kids. Let me say too that these two kids weren't really bad, although there was a biting incident which I'll talk about later, it's just I'm not good at managing other kids along with my own. My friend Linnea is a kids person and she was a great encouragment to me this week as I struggled with this. This also made me think about a woman who had a great influence on me, Mel Hopper. She took care of Charlie and I when My mom was working. She managed her own 6 and many more and did it with great ease. She was also a kid person. I'm just not. So, don't worry about me becoming a teacher anytime soon or opening up a daycare!

Just me and the Boys

Today was the first day Alexandra went to Preschool without us staying. She had a few moments over the last day where she cried a little bit thinking about us leaving her. She was really excited this morning. We all went and dropped her off. Sebastian had a really hard time leaving her. He threw himself on the ground, he cried and he tried numerous times to go back to the classroom. Even on the way home, he whined. We got home and I got him out of the van and he asked for Sissy! I told him she was at school and we'd go get her in a little while. He started to get tears in his eyes. I was so surprised. Once we got in the house he was fine but I'm sure he'll be really happy to see her when we go and pick her up.

My free music friday

If you like Michael W Smith you can get a free download of one of his songs here

It was Pajama day

It was my turn to work at the preschool. My first time and I was in my nightgown. I realized I don't do dress up in a public place very well! Every thing was going good, I was cutting out circles and watching the kids. Then it's table group time and the teacher puts me at the table with peanut butter, bread, teddy graham cookies, honey and two butter knives. Not a good combination! The point of the table was to let the kids make their own sandwich. It was quite a sight to see 3 year olds trying to put peanut butter on bread. I wasn't about to let them do the honey on their own though. I had to draw the line somewhere. Overall the morning went well. Alexandra has made friends with a girl named Charlize. She's just like Alexandra. It's pretty funny. She's outgoing, very independent and very verbal. We'll see how things develop.

I'm a preschool mommy

A new title has been added to my name! Alexandra, Sebastian, Atticu and I all headed off to Parchment United Methodist co-op preschool this morning. We were a little late and really weren't sure where the building was. They usually meet in their church, but it was set on fire last summer by an arsonist. They are now meeting in an out building at the catholic church in Parchment called St. Ambrose. So we get out of the van and head into a building. We couldn't hear anyone so we wandered around and found a room with a light on. It was who I think was the priest in what looked like his pajamas! I asked him where the preschool was and of course he said it was in the other building. As I talking to him, Sebastian hears a TV and wanders into another room. There's an elderly gentleman sleeping in a chair with the TV blarring. I grab Sebastian and we head back out the door. It must have been where the Priest lives. We head across the parking lot and into the other building where the preschool meets. There was two mom's and the teacher Mrs. Keiser. There's about 6 other kids in the class. She did really well. She had a good time. I think this is going to be great for her and for the rest of us!

A conversation before bed

I got home from dropping off the paperwork and money for Alexandra to start preschool tomorrow and Paul was just putting the kids to bed. Paul went to take Atticus downstairs and Alexandra and I were sitting in her bed. She looked really sad. She said to me "I'm not sure what I'm going to do about tomorrow." I asked her why. She said she was scared and that she wanted me to stay with her tomorrow while she's at school. I told her that when she went to school she'd stay there for a couple of hours and then I'd come to pick her up. She started to cry and said again she was scared. I told her that tomorrow if she wanted we could go meet the teacher, meet the other kids and play for a little bit and then we'd all come home. She said through tearful eyes "You promise I can come home". I said yes I promise. She looked at me, wiped her tears away and said "I feel a lot better about this mommy, a lot better". I smiled, hugged and kissed her and told her I loved her. This is a new chapter for her and I'm glad I got to talk to her about her fear. It's scary to be with new people that you've never met. Most adults feel the same way.

My Mom the Blogger

I got an email today from my mom that she started her own blog. I'm really proud of her since so many people are intimidated by the internet and blogging. Give her some love and check out her blog!

24 is coming

We are huge 24 fans in our house. If you are I know you won't be calling me on Sunday or Monday night. If you aren't, first don't call me Sunday or Monday night. Second, here's a chance for you to get in on season 7. If you'd like some info on 24 and it's characters check this out! Oh and if you plan on being funny and calling us on Sunday or Monday night, have fun talking to our answering machine! :)

The Short fuse

After getting my hair cut today I ran to the store, without the children to get a few things for our 24 party tomorrow night! I kept passing by this dad with two kids, one boy who was about 5 and a girl who was probably 2 1/2 or 3. Everytime I saw him he was barking commands at them or sighing with frustration. At first I felt bad for the kids, but then some of the words that came out of his mouth had also come out of mine in the past. A lot of what the kids were doing were just being kids. They weren't moving fast enough for him or were distracted by something or wanted to stop and look at something that caught their eye. I thought, how many times have I barked at the kids out of frustration just because they were being kids. A lot let me tell you. I'm going to choose to deal with them differently and ask God to show me when my expectations are too high for them.

A sunset from God

Yesterday as I was driving around getting a few things and the prescription for Atticus I noticed a beautiful sunset in the sky. It seemed to me that God planned it just for that night. I needed to see something beautiful on a day when it seemed so much had gone wrong. It was pink and red with clouds. It was awesome. And it was a great reminder to me that God is in control!

Atticus Update

Thanks for the prayers and support. Atticus is going much better today. The Dr. was really pleased to see how much better he was breathing. We will still do the treatments for another day or until the cough goes away. It was so nice to see his happy disposition back today. Again thanks for the prayers. I know that they helped to make him better.

Please pray for Atticus

We took Atticus to the Dr. today and even though the test hasn't come back yet, the Dr. is pretty sure he has RSV. What's interesting is that we all could have had RSV because it's just a cold to kids a year and older but for a little guy like Atticus it can be really dangerous. We have to give him breathing treatments every 4 hours and the Dr. wants to see him back in the office tomorrow morning. The oxygen in his blood is at a good level and they will check that again tomorrow. Sebastian had this when he was about Atticus' age. It's very scary for me and since we've all been sick please pray for all our healing and rest.

I'll keep you updated after the appointment tomorrow. Thanks in advance for your prayers.

A trip to the Dr.

Atticus woke up yesterday with a barky cough. He also had a very rough night for him. All of us have been sick but this reminds me of when Sebastian had RSV so we've got an appointment for 1:30 today. I hope this is the end of the sickness for a while. I'm kind of at the end of my rope and the sleep deprivation isn't helping either. Pray for us today. Paul's coming home for lunch so I can take Atticus without the other kids. Pray that Paul will be able to stay on top of things at work even though he'll be home for a few hours today. Thanks.....

Curious Mama

We watch Curious George almost every morning on PBS kids. I watch a lot of the same episodes over and over again. If you are familar with the characters there's a professor that's "Friends" with George and the Man with the Yellow hat. Her name is Professor Weisman. Now on the surface, it seems like the man with the yellow hat and the professor are just friends. BUT...There's one episode where TMWTYH invites Professor Weisman over for dinner for her birthday. He buys her favorite fruit and he remembers her favorite symphony and gives it to her for her birthday. It seems that maybe he would like to date her instead of just being friends. Has anyone else thought of that or do I need to get out more and stop watching so much Curious George?

A sweet time with Sebastian

I'm realizing that especially when Sebastian is sick he really needs his time alone, away from Alexandra. Today as I was cooking dinner, I noticed Sebastian in the play room all by himself. He was playing with the cars we got him for Christmas. Alexandra was in the living room watching PBS. I sat down with him and right away he came and sat on my lap. We played with the cars seeing who would fit in what car and who wouldn't. It made me realize I really don't get that much one on one time with him. It was really nice just to hang with him for even a few minutes.

He's a stool carrying two year old

Sebastian has figured out and has gotten the nerve to climb up on the stool and get things. He can now get up to the sink in the bathroom and wash his hands. He wants to wash and wash and wash. He also just carries the stool around and climbs on it to see what he can see and touch.

Happiness is....

A warm bed with an electic blanket at 8 AM in the morning.

Reality is....

A baby boy going through a growth spurt up at 5 AM. A little girl in my bedroom at 8 Am poking me saying "I see the 8 momma. It's time to get up"!

The baker Erbe's

Even though sickness has abounded at the Erbe house, I felt like I needed to do something last night that we'd all enjoy. So I made blueberry muffins. That sparked Alexandra to make a chocolate potato cake. Daddy said it was his favorite but I said that I'd just take a chocolate cake. What you might not know is that you must wear a bowl on your head to be a baker man or woman. Hence the bowls on their heads.

God reveals when I least expect it

I went out last night to the store to pick up a few things and drove through an apartment complex as a short cut to get home. I remembered that about 4 years ago when I was working full time at WaYfm I worked with a guy that I didn't treat very well. I didn't treat him well because I was so afraid of losing some of my "power" at the station. He wasn't my boss but I had to work closely with him a lot. As I drove through that apartment complex it made me think of him and the fact that he and his family use to live there. We even went to their apartment to watch a survivor finale, when I was still watching survivor. One thing I realized is that I put my position, my power over his value as a person. I was really immature with him and I cringed to think about the way I acted. I also realized that I've changed. I don't think I would do that again. I now value people over an position or job. Even though I regret the way I acted back then I'm thankful that God revealed that to me and that I have changed and hopefully won't do that again.

It's Back!!!!

This truly is the dress that won't die. Meme said that when Alexandra put it on she wouldn't take it off since it made her look like a beautiful Ballerina. Meme said she couldn't resist that. Hopefully I can convince her that it needs to go back to Meme's!

It was 1:30 PM

A rare thing happened today. It was 1:30PM. Alexandra was actually sleeping, Atticus and Sebastian were both sleeping. I layed down on the couch and fell asleep to the sound of nothing and the smell of pot roast in the crock pot. Ah, you got to enjoy the small pockets of silence and the knowledge that dinner will be ready when it's dinner time!

Our Cutie Boy

It's pretty amazing how Atticus is developing. He has such a sweet disposition and smile!

Something Stinks!

Before Christmas I used our Den to wrap and store gifts since the kids really don't go in there. Right around Christmas, something started to smell in there. It smells like wet clothes or a towel. We thought it was our renter. The washer and dryer are right under that room in the basement. Paul went down there to replace some light bulbs and checked the dryer. He said no clothes in the dryer. I started on the mission to find what it was that stunk. I think that it might be something in the basket with our hats and gloves but I'm still not sure. I'm going to wash everything in there because I can't stand the stench any more! I'll update you later.

Sebastian's Birthday

Time really does fly, especially when your pregnant and having another baby. Sebastian turned two on the 30th. He again enjoyed his cake but not as much as the year before, as you can see. It really is amazing that he's two! We had a house full of family and after the first present, he really didn't want to open any more gifts. It was just like Christmas. Alexandra had a hard time, but Grandma Erbe gave her a pretty pair of girly sandals to brighten up the evening.

New Year's resolutions

I know, I know. Every blogger is doing it. I need to put mine in writing for my own benefit.

Eat less, do more!

Quit picking at my cuticles.

See that wasn't so bad.

We're on Vacation

Paul's been on Vacation since before Christmas. The kids have heard him say that's he's on vacation a lot. One day Alexandra came to me with buddy and said "We're on Vacation!"

Fa la la la la la la la Ladder?

We had a very nice and busy christmas. We were at our house for Christmas morning. Alexandra had a blast, Sebastian opened one gift and just wanted to play with that one and Atticus slept through it. We then headed out to Gobles and opened gifts with my dad, stepmom and brothers. Went to the Withers for dinner, oh and it was so yummy and then headed out to Otsego to see the Erbes, with Scott Heather and the twins. We arrived back home about 8:30 and realized that we didn't have keys to the house. Paul is extremely maticulious about making sure each and every window in the house is locked tight(just in case you were thinking of breaking into our house). The only one we could figure would be open is one on the second floor. Paul got out the ladder and tried two of the 5 windows on the second floor. They were to two easiest to get to. He finally decided to try one that was really high up. He got in that way but I'm not going to tell you what window it was just in case you are thinking of trying to break into our house! :) Paul said to me a couple of times, these are the memories for this Christmas. He sure was right about that!!!!!!

Let it begin

Today is the start of a very, very busy time for us. It will also be a very good time as well. My mom arrives today from Florida. I haven't seen her since August when she came to help with Atticus! She's also bringing with her my grandmother and she will stay with us for a few days which I'm looking forward to since she's my only living Grandparent. We'll open presents here at our house on Christmas Morning with the kids and then see My dad and then see the Erbes. Paul's sister comes in from Texas on December 28th. Sebastian's birthday is the 30th and then New years is the 31st. Thank goodness Paul is off starting today all the way through the 3rd. He was going to lose days if he didn't use them so he is using them! Didn't I say in a previous post that it's the most tiring time of the year!

You know your three year old is really tired....

When she cries at the top of her lungs that we lost a sticker we haven't seen in three days.

My Tough Girl

The Boys had Dr. Appointments today and I knew i was going to need reinforcements since I figured both boys needed shots. Thanks to Grandma Erbe for the help. The Dr. recommended that Alexandra and Sebastian get Flu shots. The Dr. went out and told her she'd need to have a shot. So she proceeded to tell Grandma she wouldn't cry. She went first in the room. I had to hold her hands and we sang the A B C song and before we knew it it was over. She had a grin on her face when she came off the table and she never shed a tear. I was so proud of her. Both the boys did really well too. Atticus needed 4 shots but a bottle from Grandma helped calm him down.

It's the most tiring time of the year

I won't write much tonight except to say we had a great holiday party with the Grimes' today and then a great meeting a church with a potluck but it was all very exhausting. Keeping up with the kids is a full time job and then throw in a lot of different people and places and its only more tiring. Our big news is we bought a van and it's really nice. Here's a first look at it and we love it. I'll write more on that later.

Let's hum a tune

Today in the car, a song came on the radio that we have heard many, many times at home. Atticus was quiet and Alexandra, Sebatian and I were all humming the tune along with the song. It was so cool. I pretty amazed at how quickly they pick up the tune to songs.

I need to stay on top of those holidays

Did you know that it was sit on your brother day? Me either, but Alexandra and Sebastian did! Alexandra is jumping around the living room today and she sits right on Atticus. Of course it scares him so he cries. Then Sebastian tries to climb on me while I'm trying to calm Atticus down. I get Atticus settled down and then Sebastian wants to sit on my lap. It's time to put Atticus down for a nap and Sebastian tries to sit on Atticus instead of sitting on my lap.
It's just been one of those mornings. I spilled formula all over the counter this morning trying to get Atticus' bottle ready. Then Alexandra is just really lippy today and Sebastian is really needy! I just keep telling myself, just make it to 1 PM when at least two of them will be down for rest time!

A trip to Cookieland

I decided to try and make christmas cookies with Alexandra this year. She was so excited to make cookies. I tried to include her in as much as possible. She did the decorating the best. The funniest thing is that she decided to have a different kind of cookie after Lunch. So I explained to her that if she had a cookie now she couldn't have another one when we frosted the cookies. We're decorating the cookies and Alexandra says to me "Mommy, I should really be eating one of these cookies". I responded by reminding her that she had a cookie after lunch. She slumped her shoulders forward and sighed. "Maybe after Dinner". It was pretty funny. I'm also not sure either why she's holding her neck in the second pic. The cookies were made from a mix and are pretty good!

Why does it only take him 2 min but me 10?

Tonight we had some friends over for dinner and Sebastian ate before they got here. So while we're enjoying our meal Sebastian gets his hands on our laptop. He always seems to change something when he gets on here. Tonight, he re-sorted my inbox on my Mozilla Thunderbird. See i can say that now, but I had no idea what he had done and how to undo it. I shut down the program in hopes of resetting things but no luck. So I had to search and search to figure it out. So again how does a 2 year old change something in 2 min and it takes me 10 to change it back. We might just have a genius on our hands! :)

Who knew he'd fall in love at such a young age

Sebastian has developed a love for Dora the Explorer and a fondness for Boots. When we have TV time, he always wants Dora. This irritates Alexandra because now she doesn't get to watch anything she wants. Sebastian has started doing the movements, also saying map and backpack. It's pretty cute I have to admit.

You can tell it's Winter

And it's not just the cold and snow! Alexandra has the same problem that I have in the winter, staticy hair! She gets so irritated that she now asks me to put her hair up so It's not in her face! Who knew it would only take winter to get her to ask to have her hair put up!

A ride around town

When I was pregnant with Atticus, one of my friend's had just had her third. We would have them over and she would just be so taken with her new little guy. I even mentioned to her that it was so cool that she thought he was the greatest thing! I thought to myself at that point that I never felt that way about my kids when they were really young. Don't get me wrong, I loved them a bunch and I did everything to take care of them but I wasn't totally taken with them. Tonight while I was out running errands after work, I realized how taken I am with Atticus. I think he is just the sweetes thing. What I realized is that It really isn't about him, it's about me. It's not that Atticus is any sweeter than Alexandra or Sebastian, it's that I'm more comfortable with being a mom. With the first one, I was totally overwhelmed with the fact that God intrusted me with this little person and what if I don't know what to do. With the second it was about keeping up with the Toddler and managing the baby. I don't think I was really sure for quite a while that I would be able to do it. With Atticus I have experience with two and I know there's nothing I can't handle even if its hard. I know it will get better, cause it always did. It's like I'm enjoying this stage more because I know he won't be this small for too long. It's a nice thing to realize that I'm changing for the better through this whole mothering process.

I know this is just the beginning

Tonight I'm finishing up sweeping the dining room and I hear a shreak from the living room. Alexandra comes running in to me crying saying her and buddy bumped heads. Nothing new. Then I see blood running down her hand. It was hard to keep her calm and keep myself calm at the same time. It was her first and mine as a mom. She actually thought it was pretty cool after all was said and done but as I said in the title, I know this is just the beginning!

I had great parents, this story proves it!

I found this story about a mother having her son arrested for opening his christmas gifts early. I loved to snoop around to find where my mom hid the presents and then did a fine acting job on Christmas morning to show my parents how suprised I was at what I got. I even remember one year telling my older brother what he got as well. I found out when I was older that my step mom hid my presents in the trunk of her car knowing that I wouldn't find them there. Here's a shout out to my parents for not having me arrested! Love you guys!

Rollin, Rollin, Rollin....

We now have a rolling baby! He was pretty proud of himself as well.

Oh the woes of Motherhood

What a couple of days it's been. I started to come down with a cold on Saturday. A day that was out with the girls for Lunch, facials and my first pedicure. I can tell you it won't be my last pedicure. What an awesome thing, although I felt pretty bad for the lady scrubbing on my feet! Anyway, we had church on Sunday and a bridal/couples shower at church in the evening. Then Monday morning rolls around and am I sick, with a head cold. It seems to me that whenever I'm sick the kids are on their worst behavior. None of them have totally come down with it but all show signs that they might. So I'm up in the middle of the night, not with one of the kids but with my pounding head and sore throat and I hear giggling coming from the kids bedroom. I figure Sebastian woke Alexandra uip with his banging and now they are giggling together. I ran up there to find Alexandra dead to the world asleep in her bed and Sebastian having a great time all by himself. But there's a familar smell that hits my nose, it's a full diaper and it can only be Sebastian. He giggles the whole time I change him and then he goes back to banging and then back to sleep. I'm tired and sick and it's really cold and snowy outside, plus it's only December. This is one of those days I have to remind myself that it won't be this way forever. And for that hope I praise God!