March Comes in Like a Lion & Does the Same Thing Going Out

I have said it before, but western NY does not recognize March 20. I know spring and warm weather will eventually show up here, but as of today, it still looks like winter. We have been having more sunny days, but still cold. Although today it reached 40 degrees! Balmy compared to all last week.

To update everyone on the baby situation, my dr was totally agreeable to inducing me so we could make sure Brian was around. So right now the induction date is set for May 2. That is actually 8 days before my actual due date, but my dr thought we could get around one day. If he changes his mind for some reason, he said he still might induce me on May 2, but later in the day so the baby would actually be born on May 3. So we will see as I get closer, but I am just thrilled that we are getting so close! That is just 4 weeks from this Friday--yeah!!!

March has been filled with basketball and trying to sell our house. We have had 2 Realtors come to show the house, one just this weekend. The first people who looked at the house actually made an offer, but it was WAY low, but still as high as they could go so we just had to decline. I am hoping that things pick up or that the people who looked this weekend want to offer our asking price! :) Wouldn't that be nice!?

Basketball is wrapping up. The practices during the week haven't been too bad, but 3 hours on Saturday is wearing me out. Last year Brian and I would tag team and not have to stay with all the kids for all 3 hours, but I don't have that luxury this time around. Although Bonnie has saved me a few times and taken the other kids to their house while I watch Jake play. I should say it saves them as much as me, they don't love sitting on a bench for 2 hours either. There isn't a lot of room to run around with 2 games going on at the same time. Jake & Ben have really enjoyed playing. I think Sally enjoys going, but still more for social reasons than anything else. She does think she can dribble the ball really well. I wish I had a little video clip at this moment to show you all what a great ball handler she is! Pretty funny! But hey, as long as she is having a good time and thinking she is great--all that matters! I told Brian that Jake really needs to find an individual sport to excel at. After his game yesterday, our neighbor asked how they did. Jake responded by saying, "Great, I made 2 baskets!" Paul asked, "Did your team win?" Jake said, "I don't know." He really could have cared less about how the team did, but the fact that he had scored was big news.

Ben is very excited about baseball. He found out that he will be playing with the Angels. He has the same coach as last year and I am thrilled about that! Her name is Sally and she is one of the greatest people--she is a retired college volleyball coach who is raising her granddaughter. She substitutes a lot at the elementary school and the kids all LOVE her. Her husband is pretty quiet, but is great with the kids too. So I really am so glad that while our lives will be a bit crazy over the next few months, I know Sally will be great with Ben and all that we have going on. Ben actually had to "try out" this year. They have try outs for this younger group so they can more evenly match the teams, no one doesn't make a team. But Ben took the whole thing very seriously and did really well hitting. When they had him field the ball, he missed every one, but the ball did hit his mitt quite a few times! To Ben, baseball is all about hitting, so he thought he did extremely well all around.

I talked Sally out of playing baseball with a new pair of shoes. I am feeling a bit badly about it, but I just could not do 2 kids playing on 2 different teams during the next few months. I figured Sally could wait one more year to play and be fine. She really wants her own bike. She is still riding the big wheel type thing--even Kash has a nicer ride than her. A couple of weeks ago we had a rare day when we hit 50 degrees and kids had their bikes out. Sally's knees kept hitting the handle bars. She keeps reminding me that she really needs a new bike and one with only 2 wheels. I agree, but I think we will wait a until the snow at least melts to get serious about a bike.

Kash will be 3 April 11. He is not potty trained and he still has his "binker", as he calls it. I think because I have always had a 2 1/2 year old and a new baby, I was always more motivated to be rid of diapers and binks, so I am a bit behind. I am really going to try for the potty thing to be done by May 2, but I get as attached to the binks as my kids do. It has got to go, but it might be a couple more months. He is talking like crazy. He locked me out of the house this month and thought it was super funny. He and Anthony (his best little friend) ran back and forth looking at me through the door and laughing. It was pretty funny, but I got nervous when they went back to playing and just forgot about me. I then had to yell though the window that I was going to tell Daddy. Then he let me in. So, "I'm going to tell Daddy" still gets a reaction, even when I am 35!

Brian will be 40 on April 16!!!! He of course says he wants no big fan fare. I am not sure how we would at this point anyway. But we will most definitely have to do something. He seems to do be doing great. Aside from the whole awful commuting thing, his job is going very well. The company has gotten him an apartment, much better than the hotel. He is very happy to not have to eat out so much.

Well, enough is enough. I am thrilled to think the next time I leave my monthly update, I will only have a few more days of pregnancy and then we finally will get to meet our little girl!

Winter is back

March is definitely unpredictable! We woke up this morning to 5 new inches of snow! It made everything look so pretty, but I was still not happy about it! Especially the fact that I am the only adult in the house, therefore I get to shovel the walks. It was very heavy snow, but I took it slow! I hope all the snow is gone by next week!

Spring is springing!

It is exciting to see some signs of spring here in western NY where I start to think it will be winter all year. Along the south side of our house, we have garlic and daffodils coming up--YEAH! There are buds on some of the trees too! So although it may snow again this weekend, there is hope for warmer weather! Jake sang a solo in the assembly at school today--he did a super job! I would have taken a picture, but they never turn out good in their auditorium because of the lighting and being too far away. Anyway, I was very proud of him! Brian & I both like to sing, but that in no way makes us any good, Jake really was great!

Blogging...

So you see the great little slide show on the right, you would think this would be easy. Maybe for some...not me. I have probably spent a good 2 hours today trying to figure out how to make it work. Brian encouraged me to do this blog, but I kept telling him I thought I would spend too much time on it because I tend to have an addictive personality. Then I decided I would just keep it simple and I would be okay. Well, I have done fine until today. I have seen some pretty cool stuff on some other blogs, but I am thinking you will not ever see it on mine! You might find another slide show simply because I figured out how to do that (I think)! There are a lot of things that didn't get done today because I was determined to make that darn slide show work! So someone had better look at it! :)

The New Sally

Sally has been BEGGING me to cut her hair! I was nervous to do it, but today when I went to pick the kids up at a friend's house, Julie convinced me I could do it. How hard could it be, right? Well, don't look too closely, it is far from professionally done, but you can tell by the smile that Sally was thrilled! I think the sides are pretty even, so I am calling it a success! A better job than I did on Wendy days before her first Homecoming dance--sorry again, Wendy!

February is over!

I am thrilled that February is done for many reasons. First, we are one month closer to warm weather, we are one month closer to being with Brian again permanently, and I am a month closer to not being pregnant anymore and getting our little girl here. I am down to 2 week visits so I really feel like the end is in sight. I need to start working on my dr, but I am really hoping that he will induce me around May 2nd. Sally & Kash were both induced because Ben was so huge and we had a few minor complications getting him here. That being the first reason I need to convince him, but the other being Brian. I want to make sure Brian is here, and the only way to do that is to plan an induction. NY has some pretty stiff rules about induction, so we will have to work around that, but I think it can be done.

Our best February item was having Kathi, Jen, Cole, & Emma come for a visit. The kids were so happy to have cousins here to play with and it worked out great that our kids had a week off school while they were here. It was easy to leave for Amarillo knowing our kids could stay home and be with Nana and Jen. Kathi & Jen helped me paint the moulding in our bedroom while they were here and that was such a HUGE help--that task overwhelmed me! Our room finally looks great! Hopefully someone else will think so too and want to buy our house! I loved having them here and super appreciate them coming!

From my last post, it was pretty obvious I wasn't thrilled with Amarillo. I am really trying to have a positive attitude about the whole move and hope that we love it in Texas as much as we have loved Cuba. I will leave it at that or I think I will start sounding negative again. But like I said, it was great to get Brian all to myself for a few days.

Brian had a crazy month. The week before we were to leave for Amarillo, we got a call that his dad has passed away. So instead of coming home, he headed for Utah to help make arrangement and be there for the funeral. In spite of a less than perfect relationship, Brian and his brothers and sister Jen really planned a nice service for Hal. That was an exhausting week for Bri and then he came home for just 2 days instead of 4 and then we left for Amarillo. He went right back to CA from TX. Phew!! He is doing great at his new job and so far is really liking the company.

Jake and Ben had such a great time watching the Superbowl. I was wrong though, Jake was cheering for the Giants. Although the rest of us were cheering the Patriots, I had to be excited for the Giants--what a great football game! Probably the most exciting Superbowl I ever remember watching. Jake and Ben love the PS2 game "NFL Street Football" and have decided to create their own version. They play football in our street with whoever will join them and have such a great time! We live on a pretty quiet street and so far the few cars that do drive by haven't been a problem. I just love that they will go outside in 25 degree weather and run around. Kash wants to go out, but I don't love the idea of him being in the road, so he watches from a window. The boys have come in a little beat up a couple of times, but still head out the next day. Ben even recruited our neighbor who is 22 and recently married. I thought it was cute of him to entertain Ben, but Stephen came out another day too, so maybe he enjoys being out there as well.

Jake, Ben & Sally started basketball a few weeks ago. They are all enjoying it, but once again I am finding things like this are difficult to do on my own. Three practices every week and then 3 hours of games on Saturdays. I am grateful for good neighbors who are so willing to help out! It is difficult to accept help, but man, I need some! Ben really wants to play baseball this spring and I am trying to figure that out logistically.

We are planning to have our house for sale next week. I am so hoping that we can be the exception to the norm and sell our house in less than 4 months. I love this house and hope we can find someone else who does as well. I am not looking forward to having to keep the house clean and smelling great all the time, I guess that is just if people actually want to look at it. I know this is Brian's biggest stress right now with the whole move. Just hope it all works out!

My mom and dad celebrated their 40th anniversary in February. After being married for just 12 short years, I am understanding more and more what it takes to get to 40. There is no such thing as a perfect marriage, it really takes a lot of work, patience, love & devotion (and so much more!). But there is so much joy as well. I love my mom and dad. I admire them both for so many reasons and I appreciate all they still do for us 6 kids.

Karlee & Mandy both had healthy little girls in February--one at the beginning and one at the end--so glad everyone was alright. Our little girl will be the 22nd grandchild for my parents--lots of kids!!!