Ballentine Family

2012-01-29T07:32:00.000-08:00

Isla, the Smartass...

So I was changing Isla's diaper the other night up in her room and here is the conversation that followed:
Isla: I'm sorry I pooped mommy.
Me: Don't be sorry you pooped honey. Everybody poops. Mommy just wants you to poop in the potty.
Isla: Oh. I will some day mommy.
Me: Really? When?? When you're 35?
Isla: No. When I'm 31.

I have the distinct feeling that I have met my match...

2012-01-08T14:48:00.001-08:00

The torture continues!!!!
I really do love Christmas card time. It is a pain to get all the cards printed, addressed, stamped and out. Especially with how many of you seem to move every year and I always get a couple returned to us no matter how hard I try to keep up with cousins' new locations and friends' new adventures. But I giggle to myself as I think of my children in another ten years when they are old enough to realize how many really embarrassing pictures there are of them and the vast number of people who have those pictures framed! Makes my year every time!
This year I ordered matching pjs that you iron the names on the front. Truly awful of me, I know! But come on! Look how cute they are as they stand all together in front of the tree. And honestly, how many more years do I have where they will still do this so willingly without some sort of serious bodily harm being threatened...

And the winner, hands down, is...

I know they will be so embarrassed by these through the teenage years but I think past that they will appreciate the memories and awesome shots of all of them together, year after year. I know I do, as well as the hordes of you that let me know when I have taken too long to get the card out:)
Maybe one of these years I'll make them all super ugly holiday sweaters!

2012-01-08T13:40:00.000-08:00

Getting a NEW Tree

This year we changed it up and got a real Christmas tree. We went to a local place and let the kids go. They walked around discussing, decided they loved this one and we brought it home.

They don't look it but they were actually having a lot of fun running around picking trees and were very excited about taking this one home.

No one seemed to understand it would take a day or two for the tree to warm up and branches to settle. But eventually they did and we got to decorate!

Isla we very excited to get her picture taken... but then she disappeared. The other two stood around smiling and waiting. So good and assuming the position for me!

After a minute or two, she was back. Apparently she needed a costume change and a crown for the photo shoot!

All were excited to put up the stockings.

And a little extra lovin' for our fat Santa!

A couple nights later, there was an open house and Mystic Aquarium. We met the performers from The Nutcracker. Isla REALLY liked her outfit. She kept touching it and telling her she was Soooo Pretty. It was really cute.

We also ran into Frosty, and....

SANTA!!! The older two ran right over and started telling him what they wanted and they were so happy to see him and went on and on. Isla would have nothing to do with him and had a death grip on Mark. Some healthy fear going on...

2011-11-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

Picture Updates...
Lots of visits from loved ones and a couple of fun days has kept us pretty busy.
Trick or Treating!

Grandpa and grandma are in town for a visit and to check out the east coast.
Isla has suckered another grandparent into whatever she wants:)

At the museum for Halloween. Can you find the skeleton?

We didn't wear the wig on Halloween but we got some cute pictures before she decided she didn't want to wear it. She was playing in it when we first put it on though.

Wild turkeys showed up in our front yard one night. Very exciting!

Hit a fair a couple of weekends ago with Yaya when she was in town...

Aidan got to sword fight this poor guy. Aidan thought this was the best thing ever! He had the guy on the run.

just another beautiful sunset!

Yaya and the grandbabies looking adorable at the beach.

Cecelia enjoying the beach

At the Sub Museum

2011-09-06T17:29:00.000-07:00

Cecelia's First Day of 3rd Grade!
(and some other random pictures)
It was raining out so you can't see her cute outfit but she was really excited. I can't believe she's in 3rd grade already.

This was the camp out we did in the living room the night before the hurricane hit us. It was supposed to start getting bad around midnight and there are really big trees in the yard so we all slept downstairs just to be on the safe side in case one of the trees came down on the house. This is in the dining room and the ring of boxes around those two walls is about gone except for the china boxes. I miss my built-in hutch!

Here's the yard after the hurricane. It's hard to see in the picture just how many branches are down but that's about all we got.

The kids in front of a torpedo.

2011-09-06T16:48:00.000-07:00

Dear God,
What have I gotten myself into....

I have a job. I am greatful. Let me just say that first and up front. Now, there are some interesting details about the job. I have been hired into a small school corporation. There is one high school with about 800 students. I have been assigned to the ELL program as the math teacher. This is the English Language Learners program for students that speak some English but are not considered proficient in academic English. So they can trash talk with their friends out in the hallway but don't always understand the vocab in a classroom. I have learned that the school is not loved by the community and the budget often gets rejected. So the school has money problems. I am a new teacher and the program is still being worked out. I do not have my own classroom. While I was spoiled at Elkhart and had one, it isn't unusual for new teachers to have to travel. The down side to this is that ELL students will do better with more manipulatives in the lessons. This means more crap to lug from class to class. They have also expanded the math department so there are not enough keys for everyone right now. Because of the money problems, books are a premium and every teacher only gets a classroom set and can't check them out to the students because they can't afford to replace them and don't have enough for all the students to have their own. Also, because they are trying to properly place the students in the right classes, they have not placed most of the students in my classes. A full load of classes is five classes. I currently have one class. I will have five. They just don't know what they are or where.
Let's recap. Today was my first day at my new job with students in the building. I don't have a classroom, or keys, or classes, or a schedule. Until the third period I couldn't get on the school programs or into my school email. I have a class set of books for the one class I do have but if I end up teaching that class more than once a day I will have to figure out a way to transport those books from one class to another. I have the feeling of being lost and homeless, neglected and unwanted. While the people I work with are sympathetic and nice, no one is moving in a direction to fix anything. People seem to be in the mindset of keep your head down and don't make eye contact. I'm not sure how to function that way. It's not in my nature. Mom tried to point out the silver lining and said to me last night that this is the kind of school that you can make big changes in and they make inspirational movies about. This is true. And the eight kids I had in my one class today were engaged and eager to be in my class by the time our one period together was over. There is a long history of a large gap between ELL students and non-ELL students who pass the state exam. There is the opportunity to make huge differences in a lot of kids' lives. I have faith in my ability to reach my students. I know I can teach them and they will learn. I have faith I can get them to pass a state test. I've done it before. But I question at what cost...

2011-08-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

Sunny Days Again
We went to the beach yesterday evening. The kids had so much fun running up and down the beach and playing in the water. It was really heartwarming to see them smiling and laughing so much.

2011-08-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

Mama has a new favorite game!
It's called 36 Cube. It's sort of like sudoku but without numbers. You have to have one of each color in each column and row and each color has six pieces that are six different sizes. So when you put the pieces in, they all have to be the same height. It's really addicting!
I love it! It gives a scale on the back saying novice, varsity, contender, rock star, and genius. I have gotten 34 pieces right and then the last two are wrong three times now. That makes me a rock star. (True enough.) I get so pissed and then start all over. And if I don't pay attention, the kids come by and move all the pieces on me because they want to play. I think it's because it's so colorful. Go get it and try it! Tell me how far you can get. Good luck!

2011-08-17T18:06:00.001-07:00

I have a job!!!
I got a call from the principal at Windham High School this evening. I have officially been offered a position as a math teacher! The last piece of the puzzle has fallen into place. I have finally exhaled. I didn't realize I was holding my breathe this long but this evening I started breathing again. It feels good! (insert song) I'll give more details when I get them.

2011-08-13T20:37:00.002-07:00

Where to begin…

Maybe at the beginning. Mark had been thinking about going back and getting his PhD for a while. He was nervous about getting in but we figured we would toss our hat in the ring and see what happens. That was last August. Then we went about our lives. I was starting my first year of teaching with all the work and preparation that takes. I also had the research aspect of my master’s degree to finish that was going to take the entire school year. We took in Franzi at the end of October. Awesome to add her to the family but still an additional kid tossed into the crazy. Then all the holidays hit. I made a trip to NYC with Franzi for a long weekend in early February. We started making plans for spring break to go visit Chuck and Virginia in DC. It would be fun to see them but we really wanted to get Franzi to DC. During this time, Mark had been emailing with different professors discussing prospects for grad school. Early March hit and we started hearing a lot more from one particular professor. Pretty quickly we realized this might actually become reality and holy shit. We started looking around the house at all the things that needed to be done to the house to get it ready to sell. We started to look at finances and see where we would be sitting and how much we needed to see the house for to be able to pull off the move. A couple weeks later we heard from the professor that the spot was officially Mark’s if he wanted it. Mark took Richard for a quick (very quick) trip to Connecticut to see the area and meet the professor. He came back in love.

By April, panic was starting to creep in with me. We spent every weekend doing projects to the house, starting with spring break. ( Poor Franzi, she eventually got to go to DC but without us and not until June. Chuck and Virginia were nice enough to take her in and show her around for a couple of days.) We stripped the wallpaper in the downstairs bedroom, painted it, and ripped out the ugly pink carpet. We painted the living room. We redid the upstairs bathroom with a new floor, sink, lighting and medicine cabinet. We got new carpet put in the upstairs hallway and stairs. We did touch-ups to the den. We stripped the wallpaper from the kitchen, painted, put in new countertops, and new lighting. We painted the nursery. I was really sad about that. Not only had it taken me forever to paint all the animals but all of my babies had played, slept, and grown in that room. I spent a lot of nights sitting up breastfeeding and rocking babies in there and was really sad to have to cover it and say goodbye. We painted over the kids’ names in the big bedroom. We painted spots on the outside of the house and the front steps. We even replaced the peal-n-stick floor in the laundry room. Then we did things like get rid of extra furniture, empty out the basement, have 2 garage sales, and donate a TON of stuff. (Really, I must have taken a dozen van loads of stuff to Good-Will.) We rearranged all the bedrooms. Mark and I moved to the downstairs one. Cecelia moved to the clubhouse. Isla moved in with Aidan and Franzi took the middle bedroom that used to be the nursery. Among all the other things going on, I managed to pack about 75% of our stuff into boxes and put them all down in the basement.

While all of this was going on, Mark was researching Groton and everything remotely close to try and figure out options for moving, jobs, schools, life… I was working on my research project, writing the proposal, doing the research, writing the paper, and presentation. We still had four kids to feed, take to practices, parties, friends’ houses, etc. Cecelia had her 8^th birthday and I knew it would be the last one in South Bend so I wanted to make sure it was a good one. I took her and four of her best friends horseback riding for a couple of hours and then they came back to our house for cake and to make jewelry and presents. We got Cecelia an American girl doll she had her eyes on and voila! The perfect birthday party was made. I talked to my job and explained what was happening, got references and started applying to jobs. I finally got my research done and walked for my masters’ degree. It took five years. Five years ago I quit my job and went back to school full time; four years of counting pennies, staying up late to study, figuring out how to afford babysitting long enough to go to class, juggling life and kids and homework and quizzes and tests and finals. The last year of finding a job and making it through all the reading and prep work and research and grant proposal (that’s right! Carrie and I got a grant to cover the cost of our research on top of everything else!) and working full time and not having the house burn down around us or kids starve. Everything was finally done and I walked. I got to put on the goofy robe, have a guy shout out my name and walk across the stage. I didn’t walk when I got my bachelor’s degree. I was nine months prego with Cecelia and it wasn’t worth it at the time. This time it was definitely worth it. Plus I managed to earn myself an ‘extra’ degree. I got a Master of Science degree in Secondary Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics all in the last five years. While the world was flying by me so insanely fast I could hardly keep my balance, on that night, I stopped and took a deep breath. I acknowledged everything I had done to get to that point in my life and smiled. It was a huge accomplishment and I was really proud to not only be on the other side of it but to still be standing.

That was my only still moment. We rushed to the finish line with everything in the house. We got it on the market. We finished out the school year. I had to say goodbye to my students. (It’s always a little harder with your first group of students.) And then we prayed. The house sold in 7 days. (holy shit!) We spent our little remaining time with Franzi and then had to send her back home to Germany. A couple days later we had a little barbeque to say goodbye to some friends. The next day, Mark left for Connecticut. He headed out about a month before we would join him to set up life out here. He was staying in a room of another grad student’s house. I stayed back in South Bend with the kids. I packed the remaining bits of the house. We had goodbye play-dates with life-long friends that were hard to say goodbye to knowing I wouldn’t be able to go have coffee or meet up for gymbucks or trade piles of books with anymore. I tried to stay upbeat with the kids who missed Daddy and Franzi and didn’t like having to say bye to friends and didn’t always understand why we were moving and what the distance meant.

Towards the end of July, the kids and I had quick weekend trip to Buffalo, NY for a family reunion. My parents traveled with us. We drove out on Friday and back on Monday. Saturday was awesome. We went to the park. I hung out with my cousins and aunts and uncles. I watched my kids get reacquainted with extended family and run around playing the same games I used to play with cousins. Chuck and Virginia made it for the reunion too and Isla and Olivia became great friends and partners in crime. Sunday morning I woke up to my cell phone ringing. The phone call was from Erin, the girl who was staying at the house with the dogs. Molly had just passed away. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I started shutting down and closing people out. I stopped answering my phone and only took the world in very small pieces a little at a time. Molly was my best friend. She had been with me in college, when I moved out of state to PA, when I got married, while I was pregnant. She would nap with me or walk with me or snack with me. She became my protector and then guarded my babies like they were her own. She would cuddle with me when I was sad and play when I was happy. She trained Sara. She helped raise the kids. She scared off creeps, freaked out repair guys, and made me feel safe. While everything was happening this the summer, Molly had taken to laying close to me on nights I really missed Mark. She seemed to know when I needed to have a warm body in the bed next to me. She would come sit by me during the day as if to check in with me and make sure I was okay. I had taken her to the vet because of a cough she had picked up. I had been told she had a heart problem but she would be okay and could live for years still. That was two weeks before the reunion. Molly had chosen her time to pass away that was most suited to the family. She went while the kids were out of the house, when I was almost done packing and would be back with Mark in two quick days, right before the move. I tried to pay attention to the silver linings. She got to go in her own house. It didn’t happen during the move or just when we got to a new town where we don’t know anyone or have a vet yet. She didn’t have to spend two days in the car. (She got car sick.) But I wasn’t there with her and I didn’t get to say goodbye. And I was really worried about the kids, especially Cecelia because she had already been exposed to and asked to deal with so much this summer. And I was worried about Sara. She was so dependent on Molly; she didn’t even know how to go to the bathroom without Molly outside with her. Sara didn’t eat very well for about a week and didn’t play or really want to be by anyone. She sort of hid out in corners curled up in a ball. I spent the week bursting into tears and avoiding the world. Aidan would hug me and tell me everything was going to be okay. Slowly, I started returning phone calls and talking to people again but to this day, if you bring up the topic of Molly I can barely hold my shit together. Sometimes I still feel like she’s going to come walking into the room to come sit with me and when I have dreams about the family, she’s still with us and then I wake up and have to remind myself that she’s gone.

The week after Molly passed went like this: Monday we drove back from NY. That night, I pulled mattresses into the living room and the kids and I had one last slumber party in our house. It was the last night the kids spent in the house. Tuesday I spent the day moving everything I could into the front rooms and we slept at mom and dad’s the rest of the week. Wednesday I moved some more stuff and then picked Mark up from the airport. Thursday morning we went and got the truck. We spent the entire day packing the truck, the night too. We didn’t actually finish and pull away from the house for the last time until about 7:30am on Friday. That left us just enough time to head back to mom and dad’s and shower and drive over to the closing. We signed papers and deposited a check in the bank. We ran around doing a bunch of last minute errands in town and I bought new clothes for an interview on Monday for a job in Connecticut. Saturday morning we got up and headed out. We spent the night somewhere on the edge on PA and then Sunday arrived in Groton.

It has been amazing being here. I LOVE the neighborhood we are in. There’s really awesome stuff to do around town. Cecelia and Aidan have already made new friends and are loving their new bedrooms. Sara has returned to eating and also loves all the new kids to throw sticks and pet her. I haven’t heard anything from the interview but they told me they would be interviewing more people this past week so I probably won’t hear until next week. I also found another job to apply for here in Groton. I’m hoping they call me on Monday or Tuesday for an interview. I am slowly getting things unpack and put away. I’ve been working on the kids’ room first so that they feel at home and settled in. When I can’t stand it up there any more I come downstairs and work on the living room and kitchen. I’m starting to see progress. I’m nervous about a job but it’s the nature of the beast. I knew I wouldn’t get a job until right before the school year started. Out here, that’s not until the very end of August.

I’m really excited about moving and a new adventure. I’m excited about exploring new places and showing my kids real mountains. Today we took the kids to a submarine museum and then a huge art fair. They are laughing and playing in a yard where no one is screaming cuss words and I don’t worry about who’s going to go by. They can ride their bikes in the street. The ocean in ten minutes away and it’s only that far because the speed limit is 30 mph. People are nice and friendly. Cecelia and Aidan are set up at a good school with nice teachers. Mark goes to campus everyday really happy and has fun people to work with and amazing views. Everything is falling into place for us out here and it truly feels like this was meant to be and we’ve made a good step in the right direction. The last piece that needs to fall into place is a job for me. I do have high hopes. I had a really awesome job back in Elkhart. I loved my kids and the position I had. I loved my department and all the other goofy math geeks that worked with me. I miss that job and the safe feeling of knowing what is expected and how things are going to happen. I miss the security of a guaranteed pay check. But I’m choosing to believe this too will fall into place and someone will see me and want to hire me.

As for pictures to accompany all of this… I’ve put some up on facebook. I’ll be better at updating the blog. I’ll get back into the habit, if for no other reason that fear. I have gotten some serious reminders lately how long it has been and how no one can see the kids now so I BETTER put pictures on here.

Message received. Delivery confirmed. Actions will follow:)

2011-01-09T06:08:00.000-08:00

Snowy Days
Yesterday we got a little snow. Some of these were taken earlier in the day. Official total by the end of the day was 38.5 inches on the ground!

Look at the left side where Mark didn't clear the stairs. It's even with the fourth stair up.

This little bump is our tiny pine tree in the back yard next to our 4 foot fence.

You can see the street is a sea of snow and there's two cars parked at the end of the block.

Our light post has a hairdo!

You can just make out the path on the sidewalk that Mark cut out with the neighbors.

2010-12-23T11:50:00.000-08:00

DECEMBER (so far)
Here are some of the xmas card rejects. Always a good laugh! Isla refused to hold still which made it very interesting. Franzi was a good sport when we got her matching pjs and told her she had to be in the picture too.

Can you feel the love?

Just some of the cookies made this year.

So many cookies to decorate! We should bring in more hands.

Franzi getting loved by Isla.

All our stockings. I finally got off my duff and made Isla's stocking this year since I needed to make one for Franzi too. Franzi and Isla's look so much better than mine or Cecelia's. I've definitely gotten better over the years.

Isla decided she's done with the crib and only sleeping in a big girl bed. She' s the next to sleep the super cool car bed.

2010-12-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

NOVEMBER
November passed with far too much to do and so not very many pictures. We did get a new addition to the family the last week of October. Franzi is 16 and from Germany. We volunteered to take her in when her original host family didn't work out. She's been a wonderful addition and will be with us until next summer. The kids love her and she's adapted to our crazy house very well. We've exposed her to a traditional turkey day and setting up the Christmas tree.

I love this picture and the outfit but Mark thought the outfit was awful and kept making fun of it. It was so cute on her though! It has the smocking on the top and the big baggy bottoms. Mark kept calling them hammer pants.

2010-12-23T10:35:00.000-08:00

OCTOBER
Because I'm soooo behind on updating the blog and I have so much to cover, I figured the easiest way to catch up is to do mass picture uploads and cover a month at a time. Hang in there, it's taking me a while to upload all the pictures...

Here's trick-or-treating. Isla only made it to about 6 houses and then just walked along with Mark and I. The other two were pretty dedicated this year running from house to house.

Isla looking very cute at a petting farm. We took a train to a new place down by the in-laws. It was pretty fun!

Bonding with a cow...

Bonding with a pig...

Oh, how we love choo-choo trains!

Loving on a tiny puppy...

Still loving the trains.

Here was a strange quiet day at the Ballentine house. I went looking to see what they were all doing because it was too quiet and this is what I found...

All three kids playing math games! I was so in love! Plus it's pretty cute.

Our yearly trip to the pumpkin patch.

Aidan made a fort on the couch for himself and have so much fun he fell asleep on his fort. He was down for the count and did wake up the rest of the evening. I take it as a sign of a good day.

My foot is on the left and Cecelia is on the right. She's only 7.5 years old and look how big her feet are. She's going to be stealing my shoes in just a couple years.

2010-09-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

Long Lost Pictures

Isla was soooo happy with a stolen baby from Cecelia and my stolen shoes.

Cecelia's dancing pose.

First Day of School!

All five of the Ballentine grandkids in one spot and in age order! Amazing!

Proof that all the ladies love grandma.

Terrorizing the dogs... I'm not sure why but all of our kids have done this to the poor dogs. She spent several minutes banging the cage door open and closed.

Chuck, Virginia, and Olivia were in town in August. The little ladies became quick best friends and hung out all day long for a week. It was really cute! They don't really look like it in this first picture but I think their faces are so funny.

We took them to Health Works Museum and they played on a lighted dance floor.

Colored pictures.

Isla's FAVORITE game with Uncle Chuck

She kept bringing the blanket back to have him do it again.

It does look like fun.

Flowers for Yaya! It was her 60th Birthday!

There was a small party.

There was cake for both. We though this was funny. Plus we put little faces on the super heroes. Chuck's awesome idea.

Yaya's new toy! Happy Birthday Yaya!

The day at the beach with Grandma Linda and Grandpa Terry. I already put up some pictures but I found this one and love it.

Just a super cute day at the Ballentine house.

This one is for all the Cosgrove kids. Isla needed a new outfit at Yaya's house and this is what she had, the reunion t-shirt from 1984. Nice!

2010-08-17T17:04:00.000-07:00

Today
Today, I talked.
Today, I listened.
Today, I let more than a hundred students into my life and classroom.
Today, I taught.
...
Today I got to be a teacher!
I'm so in love with my job!

2010-08-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

Mommy's Got a Brand New Game
Today I got my kids to offer to wash floors and clean windows. We also dusted and cleaned walls and sinks. Aidan is currently washing the walls and doors in the hallway. They are pretending to be like Cinderella. I love it! I have no idea how to convince other children of this game but it's awesome! I think I am going to have to pay them something. I offered a dollar and they got very excited. I love cheap labor!

2010-08-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

I HAVE A JOB!!!!!

After many silly schools dismissing my amazing-ness, one has finally seen the light! I am now gainfully employed at Elkhart Central High School!!!!! I could not be more excited!!! I get my own classroom and smart boards have been ordered! I haven't stopped smiling yet! I don't have all the details yet. I haven't seen my classroom and I have a ton of meetings to go to this next week but there it is... I have a job. (I'm going to try not to cry now:)

My license showed up in the mail the other day and I'll admit to getting a little weepy about finally holding it in my hands after working for it for four years.

2010-07-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

Summer Lovin'

Bill and Aunt Grace came for a quick visit and Isla loved him so much she curled up in his lap bringing her baby and brush to share. I was impressed.

A pirate ship Bill and I saw while hanging out on a pier on Lake Michigan.

Another trip to the Indy kids museum. I really do love that place. The kids have the best time every time we go.

Notice she's riding side saddle position 'because that's how ladies ride.'

Barbie is still there.

This was some boy band from Disney that did a concert. Aidan thought it was too loud but Cecelia thought they were super cute. I tried not to gag when she said that.

Isla tried being one with Yoda.

And tried to hug C3PO.

Celia selling herself as a barbie in a box.

Aidan and his hog.

One UGLY Elvis outfit. Seriously, the 70's were not kind.

Aidan drivin' the ladies around.

They have dinosaur skulls and silly putty to cover the skulls. This one is Cecelia's.

This is Aidan's.

Here's mine. That's right! I made eyes and eye lids. I'm cool like that.

My little t-rex's.

Here's the newest Standlee. Quinn was 8 lbs, born on July 6th. He looks just like Joe!

I love that new baby smell! Now I can just go over there to get my baby fix.

Here's Isla walking around with one of daddy's shoes on. She tried for two but couldn't figure out how to manage it.

2010-06-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

American Girl Indeed
Today I took Cecelia up to Chicago to the American Girl Store. She saved her money and really wanted to go pick one of these out. She decided on Elizabeth. She's the one behind her on the right with the pink dress. She's got blue eyes and the same color hair. Look how happy Cecelia is about this!

Mom went with us. I took a picture in front of the store. Mom had a good time too. It was very exciting. For Cecelia because she finally got the doll she wanted. For me because she learned the lesson of sweet reward that comes from working for something. She saved the money for awhile and kept a long-term goal. She refused to spend it on other temptations even.

Here is Elizabeth in her four post bed. It's a rough start to life at our house. She hasn't let go of the doll yet and it's currently sleeping with it.

2010-06-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

I cried today...
laughing, that is. We were finishing up our lunch and Aidan and Cecelia were still sitting at the table talking to each other and eating these little square pretzels with peanut butter in them. Isla had finished hers. She was out of her high chair running around before nap time. Aidan was turned sideways in his chair distracted by Cecelia and Isla ran over and stole a pretzel from Aidan and stuck it in her mouth. Cecelia said something and Isla grabbed two more as Aidan realized what was happening and started after her. Isla grabbed the food, turned to run and immediately started crying wolf. I never thought I'd live to see the day Aidan had food stolen from him. And by his little sister no less. I should have been scolding them all for stealing and not sharing. The awesome parent I am, I could not stop laughing. Throw another dollar in the therapy fund! Totally worth it.

2010-06-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

Disney World!!!
We planned a trip to Disney without telling the kids. We managed to keep it quiet until the morning we left. The kids were pretty funny and kept asking if we were really going to Disney. We drove down and spent two days in the car. The kids were amazing and I would totally agree to do this again. We spent an entire week down there. We stayed at Port Orleans. It was beautiful and amazing. We had a FANTASTIC time! It really is a magical place. The kids were really great the whole time and I can't wait to go back. Mark your calendars for three years!
We took over 200 pictures. Here's the abbreviated look!
Sunday: Here's the kids on our first night there. We ate and then went swimming and walked around some.

Monday: Our first sit down dinner was with all the princesses. I'm pretty sure we could have turned around and gone home after this and Cecelia would have been completely happy.

After that, we went and met Mickey, Minni, Goofy, Donald, and Pluto for some pictures and autographs. Isla LOVES Minni!

Tuesday: We rode the Buzz Light Year ride and then Aidan got in jail with Zurg. Then we walked outside and met Buzz in person! I've never seen Aidan with a grin that big!

Seriously, zoom in on Aidan's face. Hehehe

Again, zoom in on Isla's face. It's the best. They were so happy the whole time there.

Aidan was very excited about the pirate stuff. He ended up getting a Jack Sparrow sword.

Wednesday: We had lunch at the Crystal Palace with Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore. Another big hit with the kids. They were so cute!

Aidan with his pirate gear! He learned a couple of blocks and strikes from someone in the store. Thanks to that lady. We've all been hit now.

Isla being cheeky at the hotel.

This is at epcot after the viking boat ride. There's this troll in the gift shop.

Aidan's handy work. I think it's a pretty good shot of Mark and I.

Thursday: We checked out animal kingdom. Here's a family shot in front of the tree of life. Ours is ok but the pro took one a couple seconds later and Celia and Aidan are actually smiling. I had to order a copy from them. It was such a nice family picture.

We were playing at the little playground at the hotel and Isla came down the big kid slide all by herself. She was so proud.

Friday: We hit the Star Wars Weekend! Aidan was sooooo happy! Mark was pretty happy too actually. This was the hottest day though so we ended up leaving hollywood studios and heading over to animal kingdom for more shade.

This is the entrance. These stormtroopers were hanging out on top and talking over the loud speaker. It was awesome but they had to be hot!

Saturday: Our last day. We had breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. Again, fantastic! Then we hit the road and started heading back home.

Such a good time was had by all. Worth every penny!

2010-06-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

Celia Turns Seven
That's just crazy to say. I can hardly believe it. Cecelia requested a Hawaiian theme.

We took her to get her nails done and grandma and I enjoyed our feet getting done too.

Here's the birthday girl!

Isla just being goofy.

Aidan being goofy also. Shocking, I know.

Isla talked Yaya into playing Aidan's game and sat watching.

Getting some crafts done. Cecelia requested lots of crafts this year.

There were butterflies on some of the cupcakes. The kids really liked them.

Just an add-on. I went to my award ceremony and got my award. It was handed out by my former prof Matt Mooney. He said some very nice stuff about me first and then I tried not to cry. Then Mark and I went out to eat. Felt really nice to be recognized though. Now, if only I could get a job.

2010-06-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

California Lovin'
Okay, one of the reasons this has been slacking again was because I got to go on a field trip with my mom. We went to my cousin's wedding in California. Without children! For a week! I was missing them by day three. I got to hang out with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I got to do some sight-seeing and reading. I loved it. Here's some pics.

The happy couple Brendan and Mikako!

Light house somewhere on Route 1.

Stopped at some beach. No idea where!

Same beach. Some crazy tree.

Just beautiful...

The Lone Cypress. Very cool. Check it out.

Mom and I with the Lone Cypress.

Max, Gab and Haliana

Bill, can't say how much I love the bow tie!

Almost all the siblings.

The ladies.

The boat in the back ground is names Saint Catherine.

Mom took this shot. It looks like Bill is someone important, Uncle Charlie is running security and mom is paparazzi.

Pat looking adorable.

Bill, Grace and just a half shot of Monica.

Mom and Monica.

Off the pier.

2010-05-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

Pictures!!!
This is most of April. Sorry it took me so long to get together. I can't find any pictures from Easter though. I could have sworn some were taken but I can't find them.
This is Easter weekend. We were at Grandma and Papa's. Isla enjoyed having freedom. Everyone loved the sunny day.

Another trip to the Children's Museum. I really love this place. Plus this was the first trip where Isla could really enjoy herself and get involved.

The girls love the Barbie exhibit. Cecelia designed outfits and Isla almost didn't give up this barbie. She ran all over with it.

Even Aidan put up with it and liked the phones.

Much more Aidan's style, digging in the dirt!

Cecelia got pretty high this time. Better every time we try it.

A picture with Yoda.

Isla trying to talk to Yoda.

Bob the Builder exhibit was a big hit.

A visit with Great Grandma. I have no idea what Aidan is doing or how he got such a weird look on him.

Aidan took this action shot.

Aidan took this too. I swear he gets the best pictures of people. Probably because he's so cute. You can't help but smile at him.

All my babies together! It started out with just one and then another joined and then Isla got jealous and needed to be in the middle.

Aidan wearing the babysitter's sunglasses.

Isla found the Tigger classes one night. She was pretty proud of herself for getting them on and off.

Aidan needed his picture taken too. Look how long that hair is. You'll all be happy to know that he FINALLY agreed to let us cut it again and it's now buzzed again. It was getting so long it was starting to look like a mullet from the '80s.

Then Cecelia needed in on the action too. We'll do almost anything to put off getting ready for bed!

I got out the car bed and put it up in Isla's room. We're not transferring her yet. Just letting her play in it and fall completely in love with it so when we do transfer her, she'll go easily. Like her siblings before her, she LOVES it!

Then we put some care bears in there and it got even better!

She climbs in and out all day long. It's really cute!

Spaghetti for dinner one night. Such goofy kids!

Isla got ahold of one of Aidan's swords. She was pretty proud of herself for having it. Right until Aidan realized she had it and took it away.

2010-04-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

Chocolate IS my secret Lover...
I am a stress eater. And a happy eater. I turn to food for just about every emotion I have. Birthdays, holidays, days that end in Y, I eat. The last couple of years I have had a LOT of emotions and a lot of days that end in Y. Chocolate has always been there for me. A hug when I was sad. A high-five when I was glad. Angry, excited, nervous, bored, hormonal, pregnant, not pregnant, wanting to be pregnant, quitting a job, buying a house... Chocolate has been there for me through it all. It is my soul mate and who am I to question this. I'm not questioning it. Not even a whisper. My ass on the other hand will not mind it's own business back there and is screaming. From three counties over. I'm done having babies and there are no more excuses. I'm reclaiming my body including my ass. I've started riding my bike again now that the weather has gotten nice and I've been doing work out videos with Mark. Some P90X thing that's completely INSANE.
Here's my shout out to you. If you see me eating a donut, cookie, candy of any type, slap it out of my hand. If you feel the urge to go for a bike, run, walk, rock climbing, mountain climbing, or any other physical activity, ask me to go and don't let me say no! We could all use the friendly connection and I need the exercise!
That's my call to you tonight. I'm going to bed tonight exhausted from my video and ready to go riding tomorrow. Here's hoping it doesn't rain all day!

2010-03-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

The Many Faces of Isla
Isla really is my mini me, expressions and all. She doesn't hide any of her emotions and holds nothing back. She has become so full of facial expressions. It's amazing to watch her share so much of what she's thinking without saying a word.
Here's Isla with my banana. I got one bit before she showed up and stole it. She's also wearing her super cute backpack.

This is that dress I made last summer. I don't think it's going to fit this summer either...

Isla flirting with the camera.

Her surprised face. It kills me every time! I love it!

Obviously I've done something annoying to her.

The girls were playing up in Celia and Aidan's room. Isla's favorite thing is to head towards Celia's stuff and touch everything.

Especially her doll's bed! This is her favorite place in their room.

This is just a really cute picture of the girls.

2010-03-11T18:10:00.000-08:00

I have not fallen off the face of the Earth...
I have teetered on the edge once or twice. I have been busy grading and writing lesson plans and keeping up this notebook that's a requirement. It's one week until it's all over though and it's paid off. I've gotten awesome evaluations and I've won an award. That's right! I got nominated by one of my professors at IU and won the Excellence in Secondary Graduate Education Award! I'm really hoping that helps me land a job seeing how the government is determined to cut all of the education budget.
Now, onto some more happy news. My children are still alive as well! That's right I haven't forgotten to feed them yet! I've even remembered to pick up the camera a couple of times. Oh and they went to the doctor's for their yearly visit too. I don't think that ever made it onto the blog either. Aidan came in at 41 inches and 39.5 pounds. He's grown 2.5 inches in the last year and 5 pounds. Isla came in at 30.25 inches and 21.5 pounds, so she's grown1.5 inches and 2 pounds in the last three months. Isla is up and walking. She's even tried running a couple of times. It's pretty funny. She's into EVERYTHING too. She shows up with the weirdest stuff that I'm not sure where she's found it. I feel like I'm forgetting a lot of stuff that's happened in the last month and a half since I last blogged but I'll be damned if I remember what. So, here's some pictures!

We got Isla a backpack for her birthday and she loves walking around with it and putting stuff in it and taking it back out. We got one for Olivia too so I can't wait to see if she loves it as much as Isla.

Here she is from the back. I love it!

It's soccer season again! Here's Aidan going in for a goal!

You know how Target has that area by the doors that has all the dollar stuff. I found this headband. Best dollar spent ever! How cute is she!?!

2010-01-24T12:24:00.000-08:00

Birthdays!
Aidan turned 4. I can hardy believe it! He's so big now. Here he is showing me he's four in the morning as we're heading out the door.

This was after dinner. We had cupcakes with spider-man rings on them.

Here's Isla with her very first cupcake. I took the frosting off of it but she never knew she was missing anything.

Grandma Linda sent a gift card and this is what Aidan picked out. He was very excited about getting to pick something out at the store. Isla liked it too.

Aidan kept shooing Isla away from his new toy. She finally got a couple minutes to play with it when Aidan went to go take his bath.

This was yesterday. We had Diego and Gabby over to play and then took them downtown to the cafe to play at the indoor playground. They had so much fun together.

Super cool cupcakes were had by all.

Including Isla. Again with out any frosting.

Maybe Aidan enjoyed his a little too much.

Here's some pictures at the cafe. Isla was taking most of Papa's shake.

This was as close as I got to everyone holding still for a picture. I'm not sure where Gabby disappeared to. She was in it just a second before.

After the cafe, they didn't want to go home yet so we came back and put in a movie. This happened very quickly. Gabby is knocked out. Aidan is about knocked out and Cecelia is out. Isla was napping too. It was awesome!

Isla also is celebrating her very first birthday! We didn't do anything big though. She got a couple of little presents and a cupcake of course. Here she is with her new my little pony baby. She loves it! She keeps hitting the chest and making it sing. I'm currently wondering if she's ever going to fall asleep for her nap or just keep playing that song...

2010-01-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

Mwuhhhhh! (That's supposed to be an evil laugh)
So I definitely need to find a box or big button or something that has an evil laugh. Sort of like that big red easy button that says little sayings only when I push this button an evil laugh comes out. If anyone finds one, get it. I'll pay you back!
Today, one of my classes was being unruly and not responding to threats so my class teacher said we would keep students after class because it's the class right before lunch. My classroom teacher started the list. I added two names. One for language and the other for trying to debate with me for putting his friend's name down. We had a little conversation about respect and I pulled out my mom look. It was a beautiful moment. Then I was explaining something to a couple of girls and I got to watch them have an 'a-ha!' moment. Awesome! Seriously, I love this! I definitely think that people who have children have a leg up becoming a teacher. I have one student that I make nervous just looking at him. He feels guilty even when he hasn't done anything. hehehehehehe

2010-01-04T14:36:00.000-08:00

Alas, the last leg begins...
Today, I was a teacher. Officially.
I started my student teaching today! I spent the whole day in the classroom. I had five classes, all of which had homework assigned. I helped students, answered questions, yelled at a couple of students. I even explained the downfalls of using the f-bomb while I was in the class. It was beautiful! All while covering pre-calc, algebra, and geometry. I didn't even have anyone looking over my shoulder because my classroom teacher had a death in the family so she wasn't there. I had a sub as backup but other than that, it was all me. I loved it! Here's for eleven more weeks of fun!

2010-01-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas
Aidan had a good day at Yaya and Popsi's. He's been pointing out that castle every time he sees it!

Cecelia got a pretty pink bathrobe and slippers. She's been talking about these too. Now she's just like mommy.

Here's my latest quilt project. Although I haven't gotten much done on it, here's the top finished and I chalked out the quilting pattern I'm going to try. I've gotten started but I've got some seam-ripping to do already. Damn-it. Merry Christmas mom and dad. You can have it as soon as I've finished it.

I caught Conner being silly with the camera.

Conner and Isla being super cute together! He kept hugging her.

The ladies all dressed up for Christmas mass.

Here's the three of them together. They're so cute!

Christmas morning, Uncle Chuck is by far the winner! He's hugging a box. Aidan is still sleeping with this thing by his bed and loves it so much.

All the Ballentine kids together and mostly smiling. They set up the chairs and got all in a line by themselves. I just picked up the camera.

Aidan wore himself out one day. This was around 6pm one night. He napped the rest of the evening on the couch and then went to bed.

John getting some snuggle time in.

We hit the children's museum again. Here's the kids hanging out with Yoda!

Cecelia hanging out at Barbie's desk!

And Barbie's chair. She says she wants one of these for her room. Shocking.

I caught Debbie and Shelby coming down the slide.

Cecelia tried out the rock climbing wall. I'm so proud of her!

Aidan wanted to ride on the carousel. Cecelia and Shelby had already rode so John and daddy escorted Aidan. Look at John's face. I think he's more excited than Aidan.

Aidan feeling the love after we got back home.

This was the snow tonight. It was so pretty coming down. Plus there's already a ton on the ground. I love it!

A good boy moment. Aidan and daddy playing Mario Brothers on the tv. It was pretty cute.

2010-01-01T17:43:00.000-08:00

How to fix a window...
Seems simple enough but I hadn't found the time until last week.
Start with Aidan.
Add a toy and let him get too close to a window.

Get all the broken glass out and then use your mad chisel skills to get the old crap out.

Put the new glass in and add some glazing points in and voila! A new window!!

2009-12-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

Rejects for Christmas...
Here's some pictures that didn't make the cut.

I really love this last one. But I don't think Mark would let me use it for the Christmas card.

2009-12-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

Ding Dong, Finals Are DONE!!!!
In my head that's sung to the tune of ding dong, the witch is dead... It's funnier. I can not even begin to tell you about all the crap that has happened in the last month. Let's put it this way, I have not quilted in almost three months and my house has not been properly cleaned in almost two. I haven't gone Really grocery shopping in 3 or 4 weeks and the house has had a permanent 'tornado just came through' look that makes my skin crawl for-EVER. That's how busy this semester has been. But it's over!!! And I'm expecting pretty good grades. I even managed to get a 95% on my history of mathematics final. That's right, I got an A in a history class!!! Where's my damn jr high teacher now!?! That's the only grade that's being reported so far. So here's the highlights that I can remember right now.
*I passed the Praxis 2. This is a content specific exam to get your teaching license. I realize that no one else was concerned about me passing but I was. If I had failed it, I did not have enough time to take it again before student teaching started and you have to have a passing grade to student teach. So, lots of pressure and I was very worried about it but I passed with flying colors and checked that off the list!
*I'm missing pictures. One of my lovely children got ahold of the camera. I'm not sure but I'm guessing Aidan. Somehow, the memory card disappeared out of it with all of Halloween and most of November on it. I'm sure someday we'll find it, somewhere weird, long after memory cards have changed and it's useless.
*I turned 31! And did absolutely nothing!!! Seriously! We celibrated on a Sunday and Mark made me food, I watched a movie, took a nap. It was glorious! And I paid for it the next day when I had to make up the lost time. But it was worth it!
*Isla has 6 teeth now and is too scared to walk. I'm waiting for the day she forgets what she's doing and just let's go. She's growing like a weed and is already into 12-18 month clothing. That's nothing too surprising with our children. I need to measure her though because she just went through a growth spirt where she was sleeping 14 or 15 hours at night and taking 3 hour naps and any time she was awake, she was eating! Her clothes were a little big and now they look just right.
*Cecelia had a little holiday concert at her school. It was cute and funny and AWFUL! I wish I felt bad saying it but we had to sit through all the grades and there was the classic 4th grade boy who didn't realize everyone could see what he was doing who made the best faces. The chair in front of me was empty until a guy showed up late and then didn't take his hat off. So I moved down a couple of seats to video Cecelia singing only to have a woman with hugh hair in front of me start leaning over into the isle and get in the video about half the time blocking Cecelia. Plus, NO ONE was in tune. Only 20 more years of these horrible concerts!
*Aidan has also been growing. I can always tell because he gets really clumbsy. It's hard to judge based on food intake with him because he always eats. But a couple of weeks ago, he started running into stuff and somehow fell in his socks in the bathroom and hit his face on the toilet seat. I was in the living room so I'm not entirely sure how this happened but he did do a reinactment that was pretty entertaining where he tried to show me how both his feet went backward while he was facing the toilet and then he smacked his face right in the middle of the lid. You can see the shiner in the Turkey day pictures. I'm still not sure this could happen like he said but he was in there by himself so I'll have to take his word on it.
*Things I did manage to get done: laundry (sort of, that's a never ending battle), most of my christmas shopping, I got the glass to fix the broken windows. There's two now instead of one. However I haven't found the time to put the glass in the window frames. The frames and the glass are both in the garage. It's a lot colder with just storm windows on so I'm planning on fixing them today or tomorrow. I've managed to make the fudge for the kids' teachers' christmas presents and keep the dogs and children fed. Although maybe not as healthily as I would have liked. Every once in a while I even remembered to hug a kid or two;)
Today, I will be hanging out with Aidan who graciously waited until after my finals to start projectile vomiting last night and make me a liar about the laundry. I will be cleaning my house. Deep, deep cleaning my house. Putting plastic on the bedroom windows, which normally happens in October. And the tonight, I'm going to sit down and quilt. It will be glorious!
That all being said, here are some pictures!
Turkey Day! (with 30+ people)

This is Olivia and I think this is my favorite picture of her! She's so cute!

This is almost everyone sitting down. Notice Chuck in the background standing on a chair. He's mocking me because I had to stand on a chair to get everyone in the shot.

I actually got everyone to look for a second.

Mom, Dad and Aunt Lee

Randy is one of the adoptions. He's been around for several years now. I really like him.

Mark got caught with a sleeping baby. Isn't she sweet!

Chuck and his daughter although I really only see her mom's side in her. I'm not sure his genes even got invited to that party.

John and Aidan as only they can be. Notice the shiner...

Olivia playing on the floor with Isla. She gives me such good smiles! It's because I'm her favorite!

This was just a cute moment where all three where clean and happy and on our way out the door to Turkey dinner.

Look how long Cecelia's legs are getting!!!

This was a couple days later and Allison and the girls came over to play.

Okay, I have to upload all of my December pictures still and please don't think you've been forgotten. I have not gotten the Christmas photo done yet. I actually tried twice already but neither try ended with a single good shot. Third time's the charm, right?

2009-11-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

Costumes and all.
This was about two weeks ago. What you don't see is the fifteen books that were all over the bed. Still what a site to see when heading off to bed. They are so sweet!

Isla at nap. Notice owl's head is barely showing because she was hugging owl under her. So so sweet!

Here's everybody in their costumes. Cecelia was so proud of those teeth and Aidan wasn't letting go of the swords for any reason. Gabby was just happy to be hanging out and getting candy.

Because it was so cold, Isla hung back with Yaya and handed out candy. But she was still looking pretty cute! Plus, she glowed in the dark!

2009-10-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

A little insanity goes a long way...
This weekend, we squeezed in a birthday party, a trip to the pumpkin patch, some crazy time playing at home, carving pumpkins, some Christmas shopping, a movie, a trip to Sam's club, a little homework and a four page paper on magic squares. No one was beaten and there was even some fun along the way. I'd say it was a success. Here's what I managed to catch on film...

Cecelia's first time bowling. She scored a 100. Not bad all Ballentine!

This was Isla's favorite part. Aidan and Daddy went to see Astroboy at the theater so Isla crashed the party and took over the tissue paper. It was pretty funny.

Party favor lolly pops... crazy children... Nice pick Carrie!

The Pumpkin Patch. Not the best picture but I just thought Isla's face here was so funny! Everyone is looking into the sun though.

Isla is so happy in her little car!

That Aidan, he's hysterical!

There was horseback riding. (Actually pony riding but don't tell Aidan)

Funny Pictures.

Jumping. Lots of jumping.

Aidan bonded with a rooster.

And of course there were several pumpkins that made it home with us.

There some more pictures that were pretty cute. I'll see if I can get them on here later. I don't have any pictures of the carved pumpkins yet. That's on the video camera. I'll take some though. Now, I'm off to drink some more coffee because I'm obviously not sleeping while getting all this stuff done! And I just had my teeth cleaned this morning!

2009-10-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

Here comes the update already!!!

I can here the phone warming up and my ear is already beginning to hurt in preparation. I realize it's been too long and I'm about to feel a world of hurt if I don't get some new pictures up. Here they are. I just spent a ridiculous amount of time getting these pictures uploaded. I'm sure I have a couple more I'm forgetting but here you go...

Here's Isla in her super cute turtle sweater. A shout out to Uncle Chuck! If she outgrows it fast enough, I'll give it to Olivia!

Lately, Aidan has been falling asleep in Cecelia's bed. She reads him stories until they fall asleep. It's the cutest thing EVER and one of the biggest reasons I wanted more than one kid.

Aidan making Isla laugh. (with a super annoying whistle)

Isla flying on my feet. I think she liked it.

Too cool! (photo by Aidan)

Cecelia was showing Aidan how to do something on the leapster. It was a really sweat moment before they started screaming again.

Yaya! With her eyes open!

Representing!

Cecelia and Isla hanging out in a tent in the living room while I needed to work on my take home exam.

Scenes from John's Birthday...

John's holding up the kids so they can swing bats at the tree. I don't pretend to understand why this would be fun or how this came about but I was really happy that no one got hit by a bat.

Surprise!

Watching a movie after school. Aidan decided he was too hot in his shirt.

Going for a ride!

Playing outside on the fort.

Cecelia played dress up with Isla

2009-09-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

Why you shouldn't take 4 grad classes at once...

-> One math history essay due 9-30 (just assigned today)
-> One real analysis (math) exam on 10-1
-> One take home exam due 10-3 (just handed out yesterday)

Thanks to the master mind of my fourth class, I do not have anything for that except reading. How am I supposed to finish the SIX quilt tops that I have sitting, waiting to be quilted and the four more sitting in my pile of stuff to try!?! Damn all the homework!

Speaking of damning things... Cecelia, while doing her homework the other night, broke her pencil and quietly proclaimed 'damn it!' under her breath. Thank God I wasn't home and Mark was. He was capable of putting on a stern face and expressing that this was never to happen again and that damn it falls into the curse word group. Two nights later, it still makes me giggle to think about her saying it. I love kids!

2009-09-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday John!!!

It's John's 40th birthday today! So if you see him, call him out. Hugging, squeezing, pinching and spanking are all acceptable forms of love today! We love you John!!!!

2009-09-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

Super Cute Photos!

This was just after bath tonight. She was so very pleased with herself and so cute!

Here's Isla in her pretty little dress! Judith has pretty good taste!
This was last night. We had another fire and had s'mores again with Gabby this time. None of the kids really ate the s'mores. They just ate the marshmallows and burnt stuff. It was great!

Just a funny add-on. Isla loves cooked peas but apparently the fresh ones in the jar suck. Poor baby!

2009-09-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

Busy Little Quilter!

I think I like the crazy stars better this way. Now I just have to find fabric to fit in the triangles and finish out the square...

I moved on to this one, cutting and piecing the top together on Thursday night and Friday. It's actually from a pattern. I haven't adjusted it either, other than changing the size. I'm going to use the dark brown and put a boarder around the whole thing and then I think I'm going to use some cream corduroy for the backing. Still thinking about that one. I've also cut out fabric for another one I'm calling boxes of fun. It'll be cute but I'm not working off a pattern so it's a little interesting getting everything to line up right.

Finally found some dress-up stuff for Aidan. It was definitely a hit!

He promptly told his sister to go get dressed like a princess so he could protect her. It's been an on-going war since then to remind him not to hit anyone/thing with the sword.

We found one of these fire pits on sale this weekend too. We've been wanting one for a couple of years now and finally broke down and got it. We had a fire last night and let the kids have some s'mores. It was fantastic! I loved it and then Mark and John and I got to hang out for a little while by the fire after the kids went to bed. What a perfect night!

2009-09-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

Seeing Stars and Fish
This is what I did on my down time today. I cut out the pieces for this awhile ago and finally got down my list far enough to get to piece it together today! I love how it turned out. I'm not sure I'm sticking with the layout but I really like these crazy stars. I think I might need to separate the squares with some white or something but I'm going to keep messing with the layout first and see what happens. Maybe I'll find enough down time tomorrow to figure it out.

The fishy blanket is done! And I love how it turned out! I left the corners off and quilted wavy lines across in light blue thread.

You can kind of see the wavy lines in this one.

Here's the back. The waves go in the same direction as the front. I really love how this turned out but I've already handed it over for someone in my mom's office. I was a little sad to see it go.

Just a cute picture from the other morning about to head off to school.

The Blueberry Festival! Daddy broke down and bought light sabers for Cecelia and Aidan. Aidan was definitely very excited about it!

The hot air balloon glow. I thought it was really very cool. The kids were over it pretty quick though.

2009-09-03T08:45:00.001-07:00

Aidan's First Day!
Aidan started school at the Montessori this week! He was very excited about this picture but ten minutes later, did not want to get out of the car. All's been well since the first day though. Now he gets out and follows Cecelia and Gabby right into school! It's the cutest thing! Of course we're going to be in serious trouble if Gabby is ever sick. Aidan and Gabby are so attached to each other. I love it but I'm still wondering how the teachers get them to separate into their classrooms...

2009-08-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

Random Thought and Rhetorical Question
Where did all the space go...
This past weekend I garage-saled with Jenn. Selling, not buying. It was fabulous to get rid of stuff and make a little money. For the last week, I've been walking around the house grabbing things that I just don't want any more or we don't use or hasn't be touched in forever. I have the bug. I was thinking that my house was pretty organized. Now, I walk around thinking that everything I see needs to be gone through and sorted out and put into the garage sale pile. It was almost five years ago we moved into this house. I can remember after unloading the truck and seperating boxes into the correct rooms. I worked on the kitchen first. I unpacked boxes and kept thinking about all the space I had. Entire cabinets with nothing in them. Other cabinets only half full. I thought how would I ever need this much space, how could I possibly fill up all these cabinets. Today, we went to Sam's club. We got the same food we usually get and then we came home and I started pilling and craming and fitting things in. And then I remembered those move-in thoughts. That's it! I've had it! I'm going through the kitchen one cabinet at a time and getting rid of stuff we never use and moving to the basement the things I only use during the holidays! An hour later, I have two cabinets down and seven more to go. How did I get all this crap!?! And where did all my 'extra' space go!?! I want it back!!!

2009-08-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

Wait a minute... homework isn't fun!
Yesterday I picked Cecelia up from school and she proudly announced she had homework! Just like mommy does sometimes! We had a great conversation about what homework is and why we have it. I explained it's school work that we don't have time to do at school so we take it home to finish. And isn't learning fun and I'm so proud of her for doing good at school and what ever else I could think of to plug this idea. She talks with Aidan about when she gets home she can't play until she's done with her homework and she's explaining to him that he's too little for homework. Then we get a home and Cecelia sets herself up at the dinning room table and shows me her homework. She has ten three-letter spelling words that she has to write out three times each (Thanks Scott). I explain to write her name at the top of the page and then how to space out the words and set her on her way. She writes one word and then rewrites it for a second time and then starts stalling and thinking about it... and then... she proclaims homework isn't any fun. I about died laughing. I had to walk away so I wasn't crying in front of her because I was laughing so hard. Priceless moments...
Yesterday and today I've been working on this baby quilt. I had started it awhile back but then I was putting it together different and didn't like how it was turning out and stopped and had to leave it alone for awhile. I've come back to it with a different idea and now I have the top all done and I'm loving it! It measures about 34" x 44". I have triangles cut for the corners but I'm kind of thinking that I like the corners cut off the way they are now. Maybe I'll leave them off. Anyway, I'm off to go digging in my stash to see what fun fabric I can find to use for the back! Tell me what you think!

2009-08-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

Toothday!

Even in our house of sickness...
(Aidan's been on the couch all day after coughing all night. This means that Mark and I didn't get any sleep either and are still feeling crappy. Isla is coughing a little and Cecelia is doing much better.)
Isla has sprouted her first tooth. It's one of the front bottom ones. I'm so excited. She did it with out freaking out or crying all the time or drooling all over everything. It's beautiful! Although it does mean we've lost that awesome toothless grin. This really is the only time in her life she'll be able to pull the look off and I'll miss it. None-the-less, I'm so very proud!

2009-08-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

Busy Days
Isla had her first go at feeding herself little bits of bananas. She was very pleased with the idea and got a bath afterward. Isla also got her 6 month check up last week. She's measuring in at 27.5 inches and 18 lbs 6 oz. 90-95% for both. Still growing like a weed!

This was taken the other day. Aidan was watching Cookie Monster eat the letter of the day cookie and Isla watched too because Aidan started to laugh at it. Then they were both laughing at Cookie Monster. What a good moment.

I was taking a picture of Cecelia on her first day as a 1st grader and Aidan decided to join in and be goofy.

Here's my big girl! Too bad she only made it to two days of school this week. She ended up catching something and spent the day today looking rather pathetic and sad on the couch napping on and off all day long. How awful!

2009-08-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

Dawn of a New Era...
I have the couch done! I'm pretty impressed with myself. All it took was $200 in fabric, 25 hours (maybe 30) of blood and sweat, and a very sore thumb (from pulling staples).

look at that detail... I am AWESOME. And NO, I do not want to come to any of your houses and redo your couches (or chairs, or anything else).

Aidan was sharing some cheese with Isla while hanging out and watching mommy demolish the couch.

We went to Carrie's (Clay Carrie for those of you who know the difference) house to play outside the other day and this was Aidan after maybe 20 minutes. In the future, when they ask me if there were signs he was going to be in trouble, I'm going to conveniently forget this picture exists.

Isla was very excited Carrie had a baby pool just her size!

We also hit Indy last weekend for the Children's Museum. For those of you who have never been there, you are seriously missing out. Not the best pictures but they wouldn't let us take any of the Egyptian stuff. Super cool and now we're members! So if anyone gets the bug to go, I'm all in! Plus we can get two extra people in free...

He's not smiling because he was busy making sound effect noises.

Aidan's cheesin' it pretty big in this one. He LOVES that plane and has the same one for his guys.

Other things on the list...
I have a TON of quilting to get in the next three weeks before fall semester starts back up and starts kicking my ass. As for today though, I spent the day organizing. I know what you're thinking... how could there possibly be anything else to organize in my house but that's where you'd be wrong. There's always something else to organize. Today, I went through Cecelia's clothes. I made her try things on. Talked about what she could wear to school and what she couldn't. I pulled out a bunch of my bins in the attic space and put things that had gotten tossed in there in their rightful place. It's beautiful once again! I also labeled three new bins and organized all Cecelia's old shoes that are being saved for Miss Isla. I realize several of you are currently laughing at my illness right now. I'm good with it because tonight when I lay my head down to sleep, my attic will be beautiful and yours will not! Nah-na-nah-na-nah-nah!!!

2009-08-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

Lots to Discuss...
First and foremost, we have lost a cherished member from Mark's side. Grandpa Ballentine, known to the rest of the world as John William Ballentine, died early Saturday July 25th 2009. He was born February 11, 1923. Married Mayme in May of 1946 (wow!) and had four sons with lots of grandbabies running around. I learned he was a staff sargent in the Army in WWII, loved to play with his ham radios, and played a mean guitar. However, this is how I've always seen him.

He was soft spoken and sweet and always had this great smile on his face. By far one of the cutest grandpas ever.
Here are some photos from grandma and grandpa's house after the funeral. And yes some are taken by Aidan, of course.

On to happier news....
John has bought a house!!!
It's very cute inside and just the right size for him. I think he's still in a little shock but what a day!

The latest baby blanket finished. I wanted to try something a little new. I started with the idea of hotair balloons. I cut out three different sizes and then laid them out on white. I changed my mind about which white fabric I used. I ended up using one with little circles that overlapped. It made me think of bubbles and that was better than flowers for the sky.

Then I decided to put batting behind the balloons so they'd be puffy looking. Plus you can see the circles on the background fabric in this shot. I then attached the balloons the the fabric using matching thread for each one and sandwiched the front, back, and batting together for the quilting. I went with a couple random clouds and then quilted a rippling copy of the clouds out across the background but not on the balloons. Lastly, I went back and attached baskets to the balloons and put on the binding. I LOVE how it turned out!!!

Here's the backing fabric. It's such a pretty color and super soft too.

Here's a cloud.

The whole thing. Sorry this picture is turned. Still, I LOVE it!!!

This balloons quilt is for Angela and her sweet baby girl who's due in October. They've settled on the name Lola! Awesome name! I can't think of a more fitting name for Ang's baby or a better baby to get my balloon quilt. I hope Lola loves it as much as me! Here's a picture of Angela's shower. There were five babies there and they just happened to all be girls! How funny!

This is just a strange add-on that I noticed. While finishing the balloon quilt, I was sitting on the floor and noticed that some of the random thread that ends up on the floor spelled out AMY or ANY. I'm not sure which one but it's in cursive and that's a better A than I can make. I thought that was weird enough to make the blog. It was about an inch long.

The next project... I'm redoing the couch... More to come!

2009-07-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Visiting Anderson
what happens when Auntie Reg babysits... forts and boats and castles

being super sweet while the parents weren't looking...

cousins bonding.

Isla enjoying the grass.

I still have a ton of other pictures to go through that Aidan took so I'll be adding more later.

2009-07-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

Thoughts of the day...

kids at home all day… I completely understand why my mom couldn't wait for school to start again in the fall. I now have weekly checks for new carpet stains that I then spend hours getting out. Is it school time yet???

dogs malting…. this means emptying the dyson three times just to vacuum the living room and dining room, twice a week. seriously.

buying new things… I've had the same ugly pencil holder on the side of the fridge for somewhere around twenty years. It was bought in the late '80's. It had kittens on it and said something about friendship. It was cracked from getting knocked off but it still worked and I was too cheap to go get a new one. I was picking up school supplies the other day and I saw a new one. It was on sale for $2 and it's bright orange. You can see where this is going. I say to myself I've gotten my money's worth out of the old one and it is cracked and broken and the pretty orange one is on sale and sure I'll spend the 2 bucks and be happy. I came home and switched out the pencil holders and for three days I looked at the new one as I passed by and was happy. Today, while vacuuming of course, I hear something. Look over. And there on the kitchen floor is my new pencil holder without it's magnet. Three days. The damn thing lasts 3 DAYS... That other ugly thing lasts two DECADES and this piece of S-H-I-T lasts three days. ARGGGG!!!! I'll be gluing it back together.

2009-07-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks...
I accidentally uploaded these backward and am too lazy to spend the time to fix them so bare with me.
Last weekend we were down in Anderson for a wedding and stopped to see Mark's grandparents too. Here's some pictures of Great Grandma with Isla.

Cecelia at the wedding waiting with bubbles.

Gabby and Aidan sitting together during the ceremony. They are soooo cute!!!

hiding... from who, I don't know.

Gabby walking down the isle.

Naked baby sleeping. I love her!

2009-07-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

Aidan's Additions
These are some of my favorite shots. He's really getting pretty good with a camera.

2009-07-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

Trip to DC!

Kendell giving a sleeping Isla a kiss (our night in Pittsburgh)

Popsi 'just resting his eyes'

Olivia amused (as we all are) by Uncle Mark

Aidan (he needs no other intro)

The Andres side at Olivia's baptism

And the Bond side....

babies interacting... I think Isla was recognizing the gown.

Parents, priest, and godparents with Olivia

Olivia in the pretty gown

riding a train at a DC park

thinking about eating a toe...

Olivia, the librarian...

a cheetah posing at the national zoo

Isla sleeping sweetly while holding a little teddy bear

Isla hanging out with Uncle Chuck

four cousins hanging out...

2009-07-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

Cecelia's New Hair!
While in DC, my cousin Michelle offered up her services to cut Cecelia's hair but couldn't bring herself to curl it. She offered some temporary color to appease Cecelia instead. She now has some pink highlights. Michelle is her most favorite person EVER!

2009-07-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

Back-dated...
So I'm a little behind. Here's pictures of our bathroom being fixed. This happened two weekends ago before we went to the DC trip. The floor under the toilet wasn't level with the rest of the floor. Richard came up and supervised Mark while fixing that problem. (Thanks!! ;)) And then I got busy laying a new tile floor. That's right, I laid it myself! And no I've never done it before. Now, I can notice a couple tiny places that I'd love to tweak a little but Mark says I'm crazy and that no one else would ever notice except the other crazies in my family. We are a little detail oriented and competitive with each other. By the way, my dad, who's done everything, has NOT tiled a floor.... hehehe

A FABULOUS side note!!!
Among the first floor bathroom being fixed and living without a toilet on the first floor and then taking a trip to DC which was 12-13 hours in the car, Aidan is potty trained!!!!!!! I really do love that kid. He's such a trooper. We're still working on consistently making it through the night but I have not purchased any pull-ups since we ran out two weeks ago and I'm so proud!

2009-06-16T06:36:00.000-07:00

Pictures!

Cecelia wanted to play make-up one day. Can you believe those eyelashes!!! Good lord, she's beautiful!

Isla looking very pleased with herself last night as she mastered the art of rolling from back to front and back again. She's really starting to cover some ground now!

Aidan sleeping on the couch after one of his 'I don't need a nap' days. Don't you just want to pinch that cute bum of his!

Isla finally got baptized and none too soon. The dress is the same one that Cecelia got baptized in but much younger and it seriously almost did not fit over my chubby bunny!

Looking very interested in what Father Steve was saying...

This is as close to a nice family picture as you get from that day. My mom took this one with my camera. I'm not sure how she did it but when you blow it up, it's fuzzy and she cut off Mark's head. This might have had something to do with the fact that she squints her eyes taking the picture as bad as if she were in the picture. I love her, but seriously... OPEN YOUR EYES MOM! LOL!

We finally broke down and bought Aidan a big boy bike. He's in love! Especially with the spider man helmet and pads. We wear the pads all over the house like it's part of his outfit to fight bad guys. I have to get a picture of him showing them off. It's REALLY funny.

Last week, we ended up with several extra kids at the house. Surprisingly, it was no louder that the average day here. That should mean that the additional kids were very good and quiet (and they were) but really it just means that my kids are super loud by themselves. Anyway, they all got shoved out the back door and the sprinkler was pulled out and turned on. This was an exceptionally cute picture of Cecelia and Maddy. I'm definitely printing and framing this one for her bedroom.

Just the newest weak moment from a fabric sale... Don't judge me! It'll get used!

2009-06-12T07:31:00.000-07:00

Cecelia's Update
Cecelia got her 6 year old check up this morning. 47 inches even (75%) and 46 lbs 4 oz (50%) Last year she measured 43.75 inches and 42 lbs. Still growing like a weed. Eyes good, ears good (regardless of how she acts at home), blood pressure is nice and relaxed like me. Awesome. Now I'm off to go sew some blankets together! Pictures later!

2009-06-11T12:07:00.000-07:00

A Minivan Mom...
It's true. I've become one of 'those' moms. We sucked it up and bought our first brand new vehicle. We now own a Toyota Sienna. It's pretty and shiny and has that new car smell. I still can't believe we did it. And while I'm sad about the car payments we now have every month, I'm so happy about the room and safety features. Mostly about the room. Especially with a trip to DC coming up! Think of the trips to IKEA that can be made or the deal at a garage sale that I would have passed before because of the thought 'how do I get that home?' It's a beautiful world! (Somewhere Mark is crying no because of these ideas)

2009-06-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

Long Over-due Pictures!

candy run after the pinata broke

singing to Cecelia

Cecelia and Molly

so sweet a moment

she loves Aidan so much, he's just the funniest thing!

Cecelia's tiara put to good use

the girls being silly

fun on a slide

Aidan being too cool for the rest of us

Three generations. Thanks for the visit grandma Linda! It was so nice!

2009-06-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

Isla goes to the Doctor!
We went to the doctor today because not only did we need
a 4 month check-up, but Isla's eye has been really watery and then she added a cough. So away we went.
Measuring in at 26.75 inches (97%) and weighing 15 lbs 13oz (85%)!
Cecelia was 25.75 in and 14-4
Aidan was 26.75 in and 16-14
Turns out Isla is a giant! and she has an ear infection.
On other things... Grandma Linda was just in town and we have a TON of new pictures. I'll sort through them and then upload some!

2009-05-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

Cecelia turns 6!!!

We've crossed over into Hanna Montana instead of princesses. How did this happen!?! Anyway, we had a little party for Cecelia this past weekend with girlfriends from school and a couple of other friends. I haven't gone through all the pictures yet (I'll get some birthday pics up soon) but here's a couple random shots I had on the camera.
Yesterday I took Isla and Aidan and walked to get Cecelia from school. It was a good long walk. Long enough that on the way back Aidan, the kid who never wants to ride in the stroller anymore, wanted to ride in the stroller. I put him in next to Isla and about three minutes later, this is what I found. I'm so in love!

Carrie and Johnathon.

Gabby and Uncle playing.

Popsi and Isla (in the sweater that Popsi bought for her)

Isla demonstrating the Andres smirk already.

2009-05-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

Catching Up
I found super cute fabric last week and decided to try my hand at making a summer dress. I still need to go get some ribbon for the straps, (Nice call Carrie!) but Isla and Olivia will be wearing this next summer. I love it!

Isla getting in some tummy time and laughing at Aidan. He's so funny.

Aidan doing yoga with daddy. How adorable!

So we went on a field trip on Saturday with Mark and his high school students. Since it was Cecelia's birthday, she got to ride the charter bus with us and Yaya and Popsi followed with Aidan and Isla in the car. We went up to Chicago and went to Shedd Aquarium. A grand time was had by all but I didn't see Cecelia the whole time because she ditched us to hang out with two other teachers and their three boys. Seriously, she's only turning six and already I'm being ditched for boys. It's so wrong. Anyway, Aidan was stuck with me. The following is ...
Aidan + camera + museum =
air vent

giant frog hanging from ceiling

his feet

ceiling in the middle

stairs to go get food

the chips he wanted

shark swimming away

eel

giant lobster

big fish

yellow fish

giant turtle

duck feet

I think Aidan will be our official photographer at all museums. He took about 100 pictures and most of them you can tell what's going on. Some of them are pretty interesting.
This was yesterday afternoon while I was pinning a quilt together. Just in case there was any doubt how much Cecelia loves her baby sister and how much Isla loves her big sissy.

Cecelia and Aidan all dressed up for church.

Cecelia eating a birthday cupcake on Saturday. We're not getting the fancy ones until next Saturday when she's having a party with her little girlfriends from school. Notice the frosting is already gone before daddy had time to grab the camera. And Cecelia got to pick what we had for dinner. Happy meals from McDonald's. It's good to be the birthday girl!

2009-05-07T07:47:00.000-07:00

Lazy Days
My last final was Monday night and after two days of doing absolutely nothing (or as close to nothing as I can get to in my life) I feel almost normal again!! I've watched several hours of tv on the computer, drank too much coffee, ignored LOTS of laundry and pretended there's a maid showing up any time now. It's been GLORIOUS! I did work on some quilting. I have to take some pictures. I made Isla a little summer dress last night that's SUPER cute but I have to go find some ribbon for the shoulder straps. I've also got about six ideas running around in my head for blankets so I've got to get going on those before I forget what I want to get done. As for now, here's some super cute pictures.

This what happens when Aidan decides he REALLY needs his picture taken. I ended up with about 15 pictures like this. Silly Aidan!

Isla has fallen in love with this caterpillar. I got it for Cecelia when she was a baby and she and Aidan both thought it was funny. So I pulled it out for Isla and I think it's her favorite. SHe hugs it like this with all four limbs and eats it's face. It's pretty funny.

About five minutes later...

Isla discovered the mirror on the piano. Awesome! She flirted with herself for about a half hour!

2009-04-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

NEW FAVORITE PICTURES

Isla checking out an old favorite pulled out of the attic space.

Aidan in his new pj's. This one comes with a cape!

Seriously! I love him!

A sunny day!

Follow the leader...

This is my new favorite of Isla. Look at her beautiful chubby cheeks!

Isla hanging out with me at the computer while I do homework. Just one more reason I sometimes have problems focusing on homework.

2009-04-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

Exhaling...
Lots of things to update.
Finally having a chance to breathe, I've caught up with homework and finished one of my classes completely. My dad-in-law came up for a visit last weekend and with him, I got a whole slew of new fabric! Plus I got a TON of thread on a new favorite website called Connecting Threads. All I have to do is finish out my other two classes and back to quilting I go!
My doctor's visit last Thursday confirmed that cancer isn't in my future. However, I've been diagnosed with severe endometriosis. More proof that Lady Luck loves me. Some of you may be thinking I've lost my mind. But it runs in the family and I've been expecting it since I was about 15. This I can handle!
Symptoms include:
chronic pelvic pain (nope)
horrible cramps (nope)
infertility (nope, although might explain the miscarriage and why it took longer to get pregnant this time)
mood swings (nope and Mark isn't home to comment)
fatigue (normally nope)
vomiting/nausea (never)
NICE!

On another note, a train of thought one morning last week that was entirely too long and complicated to remember, I discovered that my life fits very nicely into the song The 12 Days of Christmas.
12 loads of laundry
11 more math problems
10 minutes to shower
9 second to eat something
8 more days of class left!
7 trips to time out
6 times I said that
5 poopy diapers
4 minutes to get to school
3 dressed kids
2 pig tails
And I just want a cup of coffee!

2009-04-12T16:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!
We had a nice quiet day... Right.
We searched for eggs and then spent the rest of the morning arguing about why they couldn't eat them all. We went to church and then argued some more. We then went to eat Easter dinner with good friends and family. Excellent food, great company. We hit the garage door and immediately heard the candy questions start. I'm starting to hate this bunny... Still, it's funny to look back on now that the children have been threatened and are cleaning up all the toys left out all week long while on spring break and the candy has been put on top of the frig where they can't reach.
Here's a picture of all three mostly dressed after church. They only looked like this for about two hours. Isla is the only one that kept her pretty dress on.

Here's Isla in her Easter bonnet. I'm pretty sure she hates it but I love it! And it's one of those mean mom things I'm entitled to.

This is from the other night. Mark and I thought it was so funny because there was a song on telling how to say hello in different languages and Isla looked so relaxed with one hand behind her head and chewing on the other while learning Japanese.

I trust everyone else had an awesome Easter also! Can't wait to see some pictures!

2009-04-09T19:09:00.001-07:00

Lady Luck Showers Me with Love Again!

Seriously the luckiest S.O.B. ever!

Here I sit a little sore and tired but intact and with NO threat of cancer what-so-ever!

I still have both ovaries and very tiny pain. The cyst turned out to be just a cyst but it was in there for awhile. It turns out it's called a chocolate cyst. Damn my sweet tooth!! So apparently it was bleeding in on itself and the inside turns the consistency of chocolate. It looks like it too. That's right, I got pictures! It's my innards so I thought I had the right to see what it looks like. I really wish I could have seen the thing but I was seriously passed out. Apparently, I'm very entertaining waking up. It made me think of the scene from Madagascar when the lion gets shoot with the tranquilizers. Funny. I walk like a SUPER old person and I'm pretty sure Mark is resisting the urge to make diaper sounds as he trails me to the bathroom every time. I'm very glad that he's back to his colorful self. He even asked if I felt like a cheap date as we got ready to leave the hospital. I had my underwear in my little bag because they sat in the wrong spot on my belly and was sporting some of the hospital's sexy stuff. Awesome! Other than that, I'm just really bloated because they pumped me full of air to have room in there and I'm a little swollen from the days activities. I'm sure tomorrow I'll look like a beaten housewife because I bruise so easily and I'm already showing hints of all sorts of pretty colors.

WARNING!!!
Turn away now if you don't want to see my chocolate ball of perks! I thought this was really cool but for those of you with weak stomachs, leave now.

So top to bottom and left to right...
1) top-center is my uterus, on the right is the normal ovary and on the left is the cyst (white) Check out the size difference.
2) doctor's instrument lifting the cyst up for a better view
3) another view of the cyst
4) way in the back, in darker pink/red is my liver!
5) cutting open the cyst, AWESOME!
6) scar tissue from another cyst. probably the one that burst in Bloomington.

2009-04-09T05:27:00.000-07:00

Today's the Day
I'm off to the hospital in about an hour. The doctor's visit on Tuesday was nothing to write about. It was more of a hand holding meeting. Dr. told us where to be and when. She explained what was going to happen again. She went over all the possible death and dismemberment chances that come with surgery. Poor Mark. He's trying for a brave and steady disposition but it's pretty thin at times. I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing being out in the open today. We should find out everything today. I'm going to blink and be in the recovery room and I'll either have one ovary or two. I wonder if I'll say anything goofy when I come out. Everyone I've seen go under say funny things when they come out. I'll blog again when I get home...
Wish me luck!

2009-04-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

The Zoo Opened!
Our tiny little zoo opened Friday so we went on Saturday. It's still too cold for half the animals to be outside so it was a little boring but still fun to be outside and running around. We hit the park afterwards to make sure the kids were good and tired. It was nice. Plus we met up with some friends! Other than that, we colored eggs. I should have taken pictures of Mark and my dad blowing the yolks out of the dozen eggs for the kids. That was pretty funny. Alas, we only have seven eggs left. Aidan kept breaking them while decorating and blaming it on Cecelia. I think he thought he was going to be in trouble. It was funny to watch him try to convince us he didn't do it.
These are pictures taken with the video camera. Not too many to choose from. Again, lots of video. I'm waiting to catch Aidan doing something good and win America's funniest video contest!

2009-04-02T07:55:00.001-07:00

Years working in daycare....

Decades worth of babysitting...

Three children of my own...

And I just tried to put a diaper on inside-out.

To borrow a phrase... Oh My Damn.
I think I need a nap today!

2009-04-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

Parental Superpowers
As a parent, I've noticed an accumulation of 'super' powers. Most of these are useless in the world outside my house but last night I was appreciating one in particular. As a mom, I am now capable of hearing my children on the other side of the house and know exactly what they are touching. This may sound simple but if you knew how many toys (theirs and mine) there are in the house, it's impressive. At least to me. Last night Mark and I were hanging out in the den after putting the kids to bed. We could hear that they were still awake and that someone was up out of bed and playing. It was then that I realized I not only knew that it was Aidan but which plane he was playing with and where he was in his bedroom. Awesome. While completely useless in the job world, it meant that we didn't have to venture upstairs to see what was happening. I simply had to yell a menacing threat upstairs to send him scurrying back to bed.

Also, I finished the top to the lap quilt and discussed and chose the binding and backing fabric with Jenn this morning. I'll have to get going on it and quilt it. Maybe I'll get some pictures up soon. In the mean time... These were this morning with the light streaming in the windows while we were getting ready for school.

One of Isla's naps! Thanks Aunt Melani and Uncle Dennis for the super cute outfit! We're just about too big for it.

2009-03-31T07:41:00.001-07:00

The Lone Hair...
I found one. It's the first one. Again. It first showed up a couple of months ago and I plucked it out. Well, I found it again yesterday. I plucked it again. I'm entirely too young to have any. Although, it was that beautiful shade of silver white that shines so much it looks like it sparkles and always looks so classy. I'm gonna be HOT as an old grandma!
Other Updates!!!
Grandma bought this sweater a couple years back and it finally fits! Just in time for Easter too. Although Cecelia chose a shirt that's still a little big on her to wear underneath. What am I going to do...

Isla in a 3-6 month outfit. We went to the doctor's this morning. Hers, not mine. For her 2 month check-up she's measuring 24.5 inches (97%) and 12lbs, 7.75oz (85%). She's still measuring longer that Cecelia at the same age. Seriously, miracle grow??? What's funny is the doctor looks at that info and then by force of habit asks me if she's eating okay. I couldn't help smirking and he started laughing at the question before I could even answer. She's measuring the average size of a four month old. I'd say she's eating pretty well. Silly Man. Anyway, we went through all the bells and whistles and passed. I never had a doubt.

This past weekend was a busy one. We finally sucked it up and bought the new camcorder that we've been talking about buying for two years (give or take). It's tiny and pretty and wonderful. It also means that I did not take a single picture with the camera all weekend. We went to a birthday party for Ciara (Diego's little sister) on Saturday. I have video. No still photos. We had the kids dancing at home. Wow, Aidan. That's all I can say. Again, video, no pictures. We took Cecelia and Aidan to Stomp on Sunday afternoon. I don't have video or pictures of that one because you're not allowed to. However, I will tell you that Aidan thought that was the 'best ever!' His words not mine. And was jamming throughout the entire show. Cecelia liked it a lot too but was a little more reserved with her body movement. A REALLY good time was had by all, including Yaya. We twisted her arm to hang out with Isla.
More than just a good name...
Also, last week I found a little time on Friday to finish the squares to a lap quilt I started. Each square measures 14.5 inches and I'm using my Swanky (seriously love that name) jelly roll. I've started trimming the squares to put together but I'm trying to make myself finish up Thursday's homework today before I go back to quilting. Here's a close up of one of the squares and then a lay out of all the squares. I still have some fabric from it so I'll be putting a boarder on it but I'm not sure what kind yet.

Alrighty, that's all I can think of for right now. I'm off to go be productive and get all my work done so I can play tomorrow!

2009-03-25T06:26:00.000-07:00

Another day, another lesson plan.
I've finished another one. I'm so close to having this project done. I'll be super excited when it's all over. Although I'm taking classes this summer so really I'll get about a week and a half of freedom before it's back to classes for me.
Currently, I'm waiting for Isla to finish her morning 'present' for me and I'm trying to focus enough to actually retain my studying. It's not working very well.
Last night we put Isla in the crib to sleep. Most of you know that I breast feed and I'm incredibly lazy at night so I co-sleep too. Last night was the first time in what seems forever that I had my own space. I actually slept by myself. Well, sort of. Mark was there but he's so used to a baby being in the bed and me smacking him in my sleep if he gets too close to her that he stays on his own side of the bed. Poor Mark. Always getting beat up. Anyway, Isla slept for 3.5 hours by herself (would have been 4.5 hours but I didn't go to bed right after feeding her), ate and went back to sleep in the crib for another 3 hours. Then we sort of ate, sort of just complained that we were by ourselves so I kept her with me for the last hour in bed. Not bad for a first go at it though!
Here's Isla this morning. She's so cute. What's funny is when I widen the view a little...

You can see her guard dog. Ever so vigilant, right by her side. I really love our dog.

It's so funny how much Molly has changed with our kids. She's a little less crazy about each baby after Cecelia. She has a learning curve too. But she's there every time Isla cries or makes a squeak or might need a good cleaning. It's the best thing ever. I have a million pictures of all three of the kids as babies with Molly this close. God help the idiot that ever tried to break into our house. Because no one else would dare get between Molly and her pups.

2009-03-24T13:19:00.001-07:00

New Link
I've added a new link to the blog. xbox4nappyrash. Apparently nappy rash is another term for diaper rash. It's about an Irish couple and their trials and tribulations to conceive a baby. It's pretty funny, sort of. The writing is funny, not the topic. Check it out though. I'm not sure if it's because they're Irish or because we took so long getting pregnant with Isla or the writing but I like reading it. As a side note, I'm completely jealous of their health insurance. Let me know what you think.
PS: Thanks again to Stephanie. You always seem to find these bleeding heart stories that I get completely hooked on!

2009-03-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

Pictures as promised
I've polished two lesson plans, finished two math problems, four loads of laundry, and even managed a shower. Alas, I'm sitting back down to watching twenty minutes of a forty-five minute show. I've yet to get any coffee though so on my way to get Cecelia, I'm stopping by the store and getting creamer!

Fabric sale!!! I found an amazing deal online. These showed up last week. I LOVE mail!

Here's the quilt top I finished earlier in the week. The only sewing I did this week. As soon as I get ahead in homework, I'll be hitting my new pile of fabric. I can use it to distract me instead of tv shows.

2009-03-23T06:33:00.001-07:00

No good creamer to boot!
Spring break is officially over. Although a far cry from what it once was for me, still a nice break. I did a little quilting and then spent the rest of the time working on lesson plans and staring a wall. Which may sound weird but was much needed. I spent most of my time trying not to be alone and definitely trying not to think too much. For the most part, I was pretty successful. Now it's back to reality. I've got to finish up my two weeks worth of lesson plans for one class and study for an exam on Thursday. Somewhere in there I'll fit in working on the math due Friday night. I'm so close! There's only six more weeks of school left!
More importantly, only three weeks left until I know for sure what I'm dealing with for perks. I think the not knowing is what's doing me in. I had started up a book club and after picking three books that were very stimulating and entertaining but horribly messed up and depressing, I'm taking a break from the book club. I'm reading something rather vanilla and nice and I know will have a happy ending. I've also found that all my most loved tv shows are out right now. They are all medically based have picked the last couple of weeks to talk about people dying of cancer. Not a good topic right now. I start crying and then can't stop. Seriously, I tried to explain to poor Mark yesterday that this would all be interesting enough without the serge in hormones. So whatever emotion I happen to run in to, it's jacked up on speed. It's all very annoying. And extremely exhausting...
Besides all of this, I wake up this morning and get kids ready and drop Cecelia off at school. Get Aidan set up with something to entertain him and turn on the computer to get in my homework time and see if I can finish up those lesson plans. To make this all perfect, I go into the kitchen and start my coffee. Then it hits me. I've run out of the good creamer. The stuff that makes coffee go from yum to Y..U..M...M...Y..... Damn it Jim!
I think it's going to be one of those days...
(Pictures to follow later when I've actually gotten some work done)

2009-03-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

Sunshine = Smiles!
Yesterday was so nice out! We went out back and worked on the yard and played with the kids and had a fantastic time! I even remembered to bring the camera out with us. Everyday should be this relaxing. Even the dogs were enjoying the sun. This will be a St Patty's day for the books!

2009-03-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

Bit 'O Irish Cheer!

Looking adorable but already onto outfit two.

This was yesterday. We went for a walk along the river and took Sara with us. It's a good thing my dogs are so nice to the kids. As to avoid fights over who gets to walk the dog, we bring two leashes. Sara walks calm enough to get away with this. It's really very cute to see.

I am very blessed. There has been an outrageous amount of support through phone calls and in person. Thank you! I am so grateful. I'm tired of crying though. Seriously, you all know I hate not being in control of my emotions and loosing my shit in public is about the most wicked annoying thing to me. So, I love you all but please stop asking questions or bringing up my medical perks out in public. I'm sure half the city thinks I'm a loony already. Let's redirect. If you'd like to show support or whatever, instead wink at me or something. This allows me to not have to talk about anything if I'm feeling emotional but still allows you to say something with out saying something. Plus, it can be like a secret gang or something. I find it amusing to think about people winking at me at random. Sounds like a lot more fun than walking around wondering who's going to ask me something that's going to make me cry. A lot less stressful. I promise to keep everyone updated in what ever I know and please feel free to still ask any questions, just wait until I'm at home. I don't mean to sound ungrateful at all! I'm just finding it exhausting to talk about all the time.

2009-03-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

MacGyver... Whatever!
Yesterday Mark and I were running around with the kids and having a lazy afternoon. We stopped at the store to get some dinner before heading home and as we're getting in the car, Mark lets me know that Aidan is harboring a particularly fantastic present in his pull-up. He now wants to know where I think he should lay him down to change him. I take over because I do NOT want anything in my car or all over Aidan because he has to ride home in my car and this is just something far easier for me to take care of then try to instruct Mark. He gladly allows me to take over. As any mom, I get things changed without a hitch and we're on our way. The conversation that followed was pretty funny. Mark made some comment about how I was a super mom and cool like MacGyver. Mark and I started to talk about how cool we used to think MacGyver was. Now I just realize that he was probably raised by a single mom and Mark made the comment that the only reason the show made it was because it was a guy doing all this stuff. No one would be impressed with a woman doing it because moms across America do it every day. THANK YOU!
Ladies, take notice! At least one man has noticed how much mothers pull off everyday and that we definitely do not get the recognition we deserve.
On another note, my friends have been pointing out awesome silver linings to all of my 'perks' lately and the coolest one showed up this weekend. Stephanie let me know that general anesthesia gives your metabolism a jolt. AWESOME. That'll give me the leg up on Mark and I's little contest! Nice! You all know I like to win.
I'm off to quilt. Assuming Aidan lets me:)

2009-03-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

Visitors!
Stephanie and Riley were in town this weekend for some MUCH needed TLC. We hit shopping, eating and even caught the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. (For those of you who have not see it, it's awesome!) So good to see old friends. Stephanie got to meet the newest addition to the clan and see in person how perfect Isla is. Not single tear while she was here. Stephanie kept waiting for a fit of some sort but went home as a witness that I really do have the perfect babies. Plus, both Friday night and Saturday night, Isla went 6 hours, that's right I said SIX HOURS, at night without eating!!! She's not even seven weeks old! I think she can just tell that mommy needs a little extra niceness right now.
Riley is almost as tall as me! I still think of her as the little girl at my wedding, the one I used to pack up and take every where with me in Pittsburgh, my first child. Now she's almost nine and too old to be cuddled. How did that happen!?! Stephanie and I had good conversations and a relaxing weekend. Just what I needed. I tried to get her to stay but alas, she's still got Harold, Kendell, and Lucky back home so we had to watch them drive away and Cecelia already start to ask when they can come back and why can't they stay.
Here's their first night here. Riley got a pretty new do.

This was on the way out. The Ballentine kids taking Riley down in a 'hands-on' good-bye.

A picture just for Stephanie. I took this just in time for Isla to explode all over it. Plus I'm not sure we'll get to wear it again since she's growing like a weed.

It's a beautiful day and I'm off to enjoy it. More to come...

2009-03-11T17:49:00.001-07:00

Today sucked.
So I sat around today absorbing everything that I learned yesterday, fighting the urge to be a shut in and ignore the world. Then I had to go to class and behave normal. At the end of class I decided better tell my prof and get it over with because I'm supposed to have an exam on April 8th but we have the info meeting with the doctor on the 7th and I just don't think I'm going to be able to focus on studying or a test between the meeting and the operation. I'm pretty sure it's going to take the majority of my focus to not loose my shit in front of my kids who will be on spring break that week and home with me the whole time. Anyway, I'm going to see if I can take the exam on Monday instead and get it out of the way. My prof still has to know. Plus I think it's a good idea in case some day I freak out. Better to plan for it just in case. I'm pretty confident that I can process all of this in a calm manner but seriously, I did just have a baby too and there's all sorts of hormones with that ball of joy. It was all I could do not to break down while giving the bare essentials to my prof because she's a mom and has that mom look and I know she just wanted to hand me a box of tissues and hug me. I'm half laughing and half crying even as I type. I'm such a mess. I prepared myself for the baby stuff. Sleepless nights, sore body, emotions, etc. but the added psychobabble attached to this new medical perk is a bit much. I'm glad next week is spring break. I plan on doing a lot of quilting and ignoring the phone. (I have my eye on a big bundle of fat quarters on sale 1/2 off as soon as our tax money drops!)
For tonight, I sent Mark to the store after putting the kids to bed to go get me some mini Reese's cups. Chocolate therapy was a must for the evening. Don't judge me! I still have to be able to focus enough to get my homework done for tomorrow's class. Besides, I'll make up for it by spending extra time on our wii fit. At least until Cecelia kicks me off so she can do the yoga.
PS: Thanks for the honesty Dani.

2009-03-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

Doctor's Visit
I went for my six week check up today. Post-baby, I'm doing very well. I also got an ultrasound to see if the cyst I had in August was still there or had gone away. It's still there and has not changed. There's a good side and a bad...
The Good: It's not dangerous. It hasn't burst, gotten bigger, turned into anything else, or crawled out and demanded to be called Frances. (don't ask)
The Bad: It has to be cut out. On April 9th. (awesome. especially since I've managed to avoid this during all three kids) It might be holding precancerous cells.
The Ugly: If it doesn't have any funky cells, then that's the end of the conversation. If it does have funky cells, I loose my left ovary right away, that day, right then and there. And then I have a couple more years if we want more kids before I have to have the right one out. At which point I will be thrust into menopause at the ripe old age of mid or late 30's. Again, awesome.
According to proper 'Reg' protocol, I have had a quick emotional break down freak out. I've now moved on to annoyed. Next will come the pissed off. Which I will hold on to as long as needed, depending on the out come of April 9th.
As all of this has happened I have given Isla LOTS of love today. We would not have found the cyst or been tracking how long it's been in there without her pregnancy. She really is such a perfect baby! I'll keep you posted as we figure everything out...

2009-03-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

Just another day of quilting...
So I spent the weekend doing math and to reward myself, I spent the morning piecing together a quilt. I got a new magazine this weekend and saw a pattern in there that I liked. So I stole the idea and changed it a little. First thing's first though. Here's Isla over the weekend. She fell asleep on me and I transfered her to the couch next to me so I could do homework. Isn't she sweet!

Aidan was entertaining her earlier in the day. She was actually laughing at him. He's such a clown. God help his teachers!

This is Aidan today. He actually picked out his own outfit! Very proud! I was taking pictures of the quilt I'm piecing together so if it gets messed up somewhere along the way I have a way of putting it back together how I wanted. This is a must in my house.

Here's the quilt I'm working on. Well one of the quilts I'm working on. I used 12 fat quarters on it. It was one of the bundles I bought online for a steal. I sat there piecing it together just right because I do not have any extra fabric and of course you can't buy any more because it was clearanced out. It's a little hard to tell in these pictures but the diagonals are either all pinks, greens, or blues. It took a little bit of rearranging but I finally get it all laid out how I like it and I go to put in the last corner...

And this is what I run in to. I have a pink triangle left. That's it. Any other color would have worked but no, I end up with pink. Well, I didn't have it in my heart to undo everything I had just put together and there was NO easy fix so there's a super big pink corner. Other than that, I really like the way it's laid out. It will end up a lap quilt somewhere around 4' by 4.5'. It's a little on the girly side but I don't mind. Plus because of the muted colors, I think it works well without any filler fabric like a white in between which is what the magazine did. We'll see how I feel when I get the top all together and start quilting but so far, I like it.

2009-03-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

Overwhelmed...
Today I got one of those emails from a friend that has a whole list of questions and you write short little answers and then forward it to a ton of people. I rarely respond to these but I love reading them. I think their pretty funny. Or at least I think my friends answers are normally pretty funny anyway.
Today's had a question about your favorite time of day. My immediate thought was now. I have a lull in the mornings where I sit down and read a magazine or update the blog and check other blogs or watch the Today Show or whatever. I have quiet grown-up time with a good cup of coffee and a quiet house. Then I thought about the rest of my normal day and other times I like and found two times of the day that trump even now. They're a fair match and I don't think I could pick between the two so I thought I'd share them with all of you today.
The first is bedtime. I joke and say that I like it because I get to put my monkeys to bed and the house can be picked up and stay clean for about 12 hours but really I love it because Mark and I walk the kids up to bed together. Cecelia and Aidan run to pick out books and then Mark or I read and do funny voices and look at pictures and have a nice moment with the kids. Then we go through our blessings and everyone is reminded of how loved we are and how amazing it is to have such a long list of family and friends in our life. Then it's a couple of songs while Aidan runs to the bathroom and gets two cups of water, one for him and one for Cecelia. He takes the cups to her, they drink their water and then he takes them back to the bathroom for her. He insists on getting the water for her. It's so sweet. Then, while we tuck everyone in, hugs and kisses are passed around and things like 'I love you' and 'sweet dreams mama' are said and your heart warms and grows ten times bigger. Sometimes I don't always feel like going upstairs and strong-arming Aidan into pjs or arguing with Cecelia about why it's okay to wear purple tonight instead of pink but I go up anyway because regardless of what wars were fought that day, bedtime makes you feel all warm and fuzzy again.
The other is early in the morning. This is a revisited favorite because I tend to only be awake for it when there's a new baby in the house. As of lately Isla has been wanting to eat about 5am. The world is not quite awake yet but right on the edge. Aidan and Cecelia are still asleep in their beds dreaming those little kid innocent dreams of warm summer breezes and ice cream trucks and silly games at a park. Mark is peacefully sleeping next to me in bliss to have his eyes closed and completely relaxed and Isla and I stare at each other and revel in the quietness of the house and the beauty of a new day. My mind often wanders off to what I have to get done and who needs to go where and the joy of not having to deal with any of it just yet. Most of the time, Isla falls right back asleep after eating and so do I. This morning however I was still awake when Isla fell asleep in my arms so fast. I watched as she twitched a tiny smile in her sleep and then some really big smiles and then she giggled a couple of times in her sleep loud enough to wake herself up for just a second. Beautiful.
Today I feel overwhelmed with love. For my children. For my family. But mostly just for the life I get to have and how many favorite times of day I get.

2009-03-04T16:46:00.000-08:00

Here's Olivia!!!

Chuck, Virginia, and Olivia! Lookin' good!
All are well. I hope they got some much needed naps today!

2009-03-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

Sweet success!
Cecelia got Isla smiling and I finally caught it on film. I thought this looked a little too familiar so I went back and looked at Aidan's baby pictures from the first couple of months...

This is what I found... WOW... There's some strong similarities there! I couldn't find one of Cecelia that fit. I'll have to go looking in my picture boxes to see if I can find one that looks just like this but she's not quite the clone these two are.

Another happy announcement! Chuck and Virginia had a baby girl this morning! Shorty before 8am, 7lbs 5 oz and 19.5 inches long Olivia Terrill Andres greeted the world! Congrats!
And because my parents are hand delivering their blanket, I can FINALLY put up pictures of it!

The back is entirely that red fabric. You can't tell from the pictures but it has an ever so small gradation of lights and darks.

These are the labels I ordered just after Christmas. I love them! They don't have dates or names but they get the job done.

2009-03-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

Trying to catch a smile...
Isla has been giving actual smiles the last couple of days but they only last a fraction of a second so catching it on film is pretty tricky. Here's a couple of funny photos we ended up with instead of the smile.

A finished top!!! Even though Mark has passed on some lovely illness to me this weekend, I managed to get the top finished to the dino blanket that will some day be Aidan's. I am so proud of how cool this turned out. I'll be leaving this one alone for a little bit though. I haven't decided what to put on the back or what to use for binding. So for now, I'm onto the next one!

Here's a close up of the trim work to show off how well the corners came out.

Last night Isla fell asleep in my arms after filling her belly and was very happy drunk on booby milk. She was flashing the biggest smiles in her sleep. We actually managed to catch one after a couple of tries.