Finding Out

Wow! Thanks so much for all the congrats and well wishes! I have awesome friends! I am finally on here to post about how I discovered I was pregnant. Here we go:

Let me first start by saying that I didn't think more children were in the cards for me. It had been 7 years since my last baby was born and I wasn't getting any younger. I knew the chances were slim that I would ever be pregnant again. My biological clock had started ticking loudly and I was really feeling desperate for a baby for quite a few years and nothing. (That was such an odd feeling too. I was weepy about babies and I already had 4!) We weren't trying, we just couldn't agree on if we wanted a caboose baby. I had finally come to terms with the fact that I wasn't going to have any more children and I was ok with it. I was gonna get skinny and was seriously considering going back to school. It had been almost 6 months since I had asked Jon if we could try. I had lost some weight and that felt awesome! So, I got busy with Christmas plans and was thinking of what to do and accomplish in 2009.... little did I know!

I had been feeling kinda weird I guess you could say. The girls (Bertha* and Martha*) were feeling tingly, like they were trying to tell me something... Plus, I kept getting dizzy (remember the Titan and the Omni theatre?) and that's not like me. So, one evening I made up an excuse to run to Target and grabbed the cheapest 2 pack of pregnancy tests I could find. When I got home I went straight to the bathroom and took one. Positive immediately. I got out of the bathroom and made dinner as if nothing was wrong. After everyone was asleep I took the second one- and it too was positive. All I can think of is that I am the lucky fart who got not one but two faulty tests. I mean Aunt Flow wasn't even due for 6 more days!! So, I immediately Google the brand of tests I bought and they are notorious for false positives. I knew it! I wasn't really with child... or was I? The next morning I ran to CVS and bought 5 more tests. I went home and walked straight to my bathroom and you guessed it- I took them all. My bathroom looked like a science lab. And, one by one they all came up positive. I guess you could say I'm a little dense, seeing as it took 7 tests for me to get the hint. It took me three whole days to tell my husband. I got my first positive on December 28th and held it in til New Year's Eve. He was a little shocked to put it mildly. I went back to Target within 30 minutes of telling him and bought the new edition of What to Expect When You're Expecting and a giant bottle of pre-natal vitamins. That next week my symptoms kicked into high gear. I must say being pregnant at 34 is nothing like being pregnant in your late teens and early twenties... I kept the news to myself as long as I could telling only a few people like my Relief Society prez (since I was suddenly sleeping ALOT and kept missing church) and my hairdresser, who along with my OB assured me it was safe to color my hair. I only recently told my kiddos, who were in total disbelief and asked if they were being Punk'd! I then slowly but surely started breaking the news to the whole world! I really wanted to surprise everyone and hope I was successful! So, there you have it- The Discovery. You know I am gonna get on here and blog some more about it, but I'll shut up for now. And, I promise to blog about something other than pregnancy all the time. Scout's Honor.

*Bertha and Martha= the twins, boobs, breasts, etc etc.

hit me BABY one more time...

Guess who's pregnant? Me! Shocking huh? I am currently 11 weeks 4 days along and the due date is 9/13. We are super excited, nervous, and still in shock! More details to follow...

Here is the official first photo. That little circle above the baby is the yolk sac. Pretty cool huh?

Just another Manic Monday!

I am not sure what set me off today, but I am in a rotten mood. It was a Monday for sure! The cat woke me up 30 minutes before the alarm rang. I went grocery shopping at Wal-Mart, which makes me crazy. My husband is being a butt and is driving me bananas. Hunter has an attitude from you-know-where. I splashed pizza sauce on my brand new white shirt. My 1 week old pedicure is already chipped. I spent alot of $$ today and got hardly nothing for it. Ugghh! Put it this way- I am so glad it's almost time for bed. I am going to take a bubble bath with my brand new magazine and yummy bath products. And, I am gonna use up all the hot water, so there.

All about US!

Since I am so bad at blogging lately I thought I'd give you the rundown on the family. Basically we are all anxiously awaiting Spring Break as we are ready to come out of our Winter cave! But, I'll add to it just a bit.

Me- I have been watching TV, reading, eating, and sleeping more than necessary. Isn't that what one who is hibernating does? I am having a hard time kick starting my diet and an even harder time staying off of Facebook. I am growing my hair out again. I have a new Spring wardrobe and now need sandals and flats to match. I am more accepting of my birthday this year than last... could it be that I am maturing? Although 35 is a scary number!

Jon- He is growing more addicted to BMX by the minute. He is also getting into Facebook too, just not as much as his wife. He still falls asleep on the couch every night and snores more than ever! He is thoroughly enjoying all of his Valentine candy, maybe too much. He will be 39 next week, yikes! I am married to an old fart! But, I love him anyway. I just wish he had more gray hair than me. So not fair!

Chan- What can I say? He is a teenager. He finds hanging with friends much more appealing than family. Although this could be because his friend's moms cook every night... He got a letter jacket for football. The school paid for most of it but we spent a hefty chunk of change on add ons ($165) and he has yet to wear it. He is hot natured, yet HAD TO have that jacket! He gets better at guitar every day and is still not driving. I am putting it off as long as possible... I'm a smart mom like that. He will be 17 in 3 weeks, holy cow!

Hunter- I am not exactly sure what Hunter looks like anymore. His head is always down because he is texting or on his I-Pod touch. He too is getting super fast at BMX. He doesn't have a girlfriend currently and for the first time in 2 years only got Valentines from me. This is because he has "dated" every girl in his school and there is no one left who adores him. Poor Hunter. He has the stinkiest feet of any human being I have ever encountered. He is still working his way through puberty.

Chloe- She too is working her way through puberty, yet she seems to be hitting more roadblocks than Hunter. I am guessing because she is a girl and we are odd little creatures... She changes clothes 5 times a day and sometimes when we run errands together she sneaks on make-up. Her favorite thing to do is take pictures of herself. Some are really good, I just don't understand why we need 100 shots of the same pose. She keeps taking my blow dryer and flat iron. For real. I am not ready for this... She is also fixing to start racing BMX.

Hayden- He is doing great at spelling and reading and writes the funniest little stories that crack me up every day. His most prized possession at the moment is a plastic wallet from a Jack in the Box kid meal. He has $5 and a photo of himself in there. So cute I wanna punch him. He is doing awesome at BMX as well. He is a very sweet, laid back, kind hearted little boy. Definitely helps when his sister is being a turd. He tells me about 50 times a day that I am pretty and he loves me. I am keeping him forever, until he meets a girl who is worthy.

Coco and Daisy- They are super happy to be back home. They went straight for the pool for a drink and a welcome home lap. They have been very well behaved. Makes me think they are grateful... And, I can't help but wonder about their adventure. Coco still won't stop barking and Daisy still walks while she pees and poops. Whatever, I guess dogs have quirks too.

Pedro- He is the oddest cat we have ever owned and we've had over 10 cats in 13 years! He goes outside and immediately runs to the backyard where the dogs cover him in slobber. He claws at them like crazy, even drawing blood. Yet he still stalks into their territory. Weird. Last night he managed to detach the teddy bear from my Valentine flowers. Which he then took to the hallway and molested. Freak. He drives me batty.

And, there you have it. The down low on the fam. I sure hope my creative juices start flowing soon. Have a fantastic weekend!

writer's block...

Sorry! I really need something GREAT or AWESOME or CUTE to post. I am thinking... bear with me and thanks for checking in! Love you guys!

Doggie Drama!

Yesterday morning my dogs decided to get out and go on an adventure! We must have driven for miles and yelled our lungs out looking for those dogs. So, today after not seeing any found ads for Labs on about 5 different websites I decided to head to the Humane Society in downtown Fort Worth and nothing. They told us that there was another shelter in FW that we could check at. It required us to drive around and through a TERRIBLE neighborhood, because yes, we did get lost! If you have ever been near the homeless shelter off of Lancaster you know about the neighborhood of which I speak... enough said! On another note, if Jon had schooled me in how to use my new navigation system I might have gotten us there quicker. We were about to turn around and go home when we decided to say a prayer that we would be able to remain calm and know where we needed to look. I was able to find the street I needed pretty easily after that and we found our destination. We go inside, sign in and start walking through a maze of dog kennels. I was feeling pretty hopeless at that point because I know my dogs and their bark and I didn't hear them. But, as we turned the last corner there they were cuddled together asleep in a little ball! They were soo happy to see us! My white dog Daisy has a pretty big gash on her head and will be going to the vet tomorrow. It cost me $120 bucks to rescue them. Boarding fees, renewal of their county license, and micro-chipping. I actually got a decent discount because they are spayed and up to date on their shots. But still! They are home now, fed, watered, and in their kennel for the night. And, tomorrow Jon and I are gonna be doing some MAJOR fence repair. So much fun! Really, I have said it before and I'll say it again: "Hi, My name is Ashley and I have a black cloud over my head."

Day of LOVE...

Boo! Today was like a normal Saturday. I am not sure when I decided Valentine's Day was not for me... I love to do stuff for my kiddos and hubby, and I might be a little offended if I didn't at least get a card. But, for some reason this year I was not into it. I guess knowing the house was a mess and needed serious attention was part of the reason. And I didn't have a sitter. And I didn't want to fight crowds. And I didn't have anything cute and red to wear. I ended up cleaning out the fridge and the microwave. I did a massive deep clean on the bathrooms and washed a ton of laundry. I cleaned off my desk, swept the front porch and walkway, cleaned out my purse, vacuumed the carpets, and mopped the tile and wood. I did all of this while wearing pajama pants with hearts on them, so I was sorta "in the mood". My husband brought me gifts: a new navigation system, flowers with a little teddy bear, a Mr. Goodbar, some gum, a Christmas candle, and my fave- a card that he and the kids recorded an actual message on! We had some delicious Jack in the Box for dinner. At this moment I am just feeling so romantic I might burst! Now, I am off to daydream about a bubble bath filled with rose petals and a hot guy to paint my toenails Valentine Red. Maybe next year we will have it together... I did spoil my husband and kids with more goodies than they really need, and I enjoyed every minute of it! I hope YOUR Valentine's Day was awesome and full of LOVE!

Coraline!

Tonight I took Chloe and Hayden to see Coraline. It was AWESOME! It was visually STUNNING! Like, seriously 10 stars!! It was such a cute story (I am pretty sure it was adapted from a book of the same name). I never, not once lost interest which so often happens during kid flicks. But, not this one. The whole movie was amazing from start to finish. I am not sure I would take a kid who gets scared easily, and definitely not one under 5. But, for all of us over 5 it was worth every penny. We saw it in 3D, which cost an extra $2... not sure why? Maybe for the glasses? Competely silly because they had recycle bins everywhere asking you to recycle your glasses. That would be my only complaint. Anyway, it was done in the same fashion as The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is another awesome movie. I will more than likely see this again and for sure I will buy it when it comes out. Anyway, that's my review. Go See It, NOW! You won't be disappointed!

Crazy times 8

In between flickering power and weather updates, I was able to catch most of Dateline about the octuplets' mom. It is my opinion that she isn't playing with a full deck... She just struck me as odd, as did the whole situation. She stated that she does get food stamps for her family and government money for her autistic son. But, she doesn't consider it welfare... what is it then? She has zero income and plans on living on student loans until she graduates in a year. I am not sure how she plans on finishing school with 14 children! It was also revealed that the first 6 kids were born in just 5 & 1/2 years. Wow! The same guy supplied the sperm and according to her he's a close "friend". And, just to add to the crazy: she denied having plastic surgery. Now, I saw pictures of her online and they even showed pictures of her when the first kid was born and she looks like a different person. I definitely think she might have some weird obsession with Angelina Jolie. From the nose and lips to the houseful of kids. In video footage of her from 6 years ago she even sounds different. The whole thing has me annoyed and scratching my head. Honestly I don't know why I care. It just seems so weird. I don't deny that she loves her children, I just don't know how she's gonna keep up and I feel terrible for the older kids. The interviewer asked one of the kids if she was excited about the babies and she said "no, because my mom's gonna be stressed out all the time." Anyway- opinions, thoughts, discuss. I am curious...

tummy ache

My tummy is not feeling so hot. I have been up since 3:30 with a terrible stomach ache. After 2 years of near constant stomach aches I have finally started to piece together what kinds of food to avoid. One is salads. A small one is ok, but when I eat a big one like one that would be an entire meal, I am in misery. One of the other culprits: onions. Well, I had a cheese and onion enchilada for dinner... And, this has to be one of the worst ones yet. I am just glad it's dreary today. I fully plan on sleeping this bad boy away. If it was sunny out, I would feel incredibly guilty for being so lazy. And, honestly I think I could handle the pain, if I only knew if I was gonna blow chunks or not. I really feel like sending my tummy a note-

Am I gonna throw up?
Circle
yes or no


P.S. I really wish I still had my appendix. Things were so much simpler then. Read all about it here.

freaking out

Tonight at around 10 o'clock I am sitting at the table working on posters for Relief Society and the dogs are barking SO LOUD that I can't concentrate. I asked Chloe if she would take them each a pig's ear and put them in their dog run to chill a bit. I hear her talking all sweet to them and then nothing... then I hear her crying worse than I ever have before. She is calling "Mommy, mommy, HELP ME!" I immediately jump up from the table as she is walking in the back door and ask her what is wrong. She tells me that Daisy, our white dog bumped her in the back of her legs and that she slipped and conked her head on the steps that lead to our pool. I had her lay her head on the counter so I can put a wet paper towel on it. As I try to separate her hair, I see a TON of blood. So, I start to panic and then she starts to panic. She was so pale and so nervous. Jon runs in and yells at me for making her panic.... turd! While he tends to her, I run grab her shoes and my sweater thinking it's gonna be a long night in the ER. Jon assures me that it's not as bad as it looks and that the bleeding is letting up. I give her some Advil and put her in a lukewarm shower so I can rinse her hair and asses the damage. Turns out the giant clip she had in her hair broke her fall and dug into her scalp. It left a little divot about 1/4 of an inch wide on the back of her head. I ended up putting Neosporin and a gauze pad on her head and made her lay on a bag of ice. Now, she is on the couch watching TV and I think both of us have finally stopped shaking. Whew, close call. I am still gonna worry all night and I don't care how white my sheets are or how bad she kicks- she is so sleeping with us tonight!

Good Stuff

I am feeling this overwhelming urge to blog, but can't really think of squat to blog about. So, I thought I would do a good stuff list. Little things that make me happy. Enjoy!

1. warm chocolate chip cookies and a cold glass of milk, enough said

2. when the perfect outfit just comes together, one that people notice and one that makes you feel great

3. sleeping with the windows open on a cold night but being warm as toast under a thick goose-down comforter

4. crisp new magazines

5. an awesome book that you can't put down, one that makes you think days after finishing it

6. hitting all the green lights, not getting behind slow drivers, and finding a front row parking space

7. getting a basketful of awesome-ness at Target and spending under $100, doesn't happen very often, but when it does- boo-yah!

8. my babies sleeping... mouths hanging open, covers tangled, hair every which way, little snores here and there, dang I am lucky

9. lunch dates with my hubby

10. soft, warm, squishy babies (Kelli and/or Amy, I need a fix...)

11. Friday afternoons, no homework, pizza for dinner, and just knowing that on Saturday you can sleep in and spend the day with your family

12. a blog post that people can laugh at, sympathize with, or be cheered up by

Ok, so I am feeling all warm and tingly now. I hope you are too. Have a Happy Friday!

Take it from me...

Never leave the house without looking in the mirror first. That white shirt with the tan bra might be a tad bit too noticeable. People will stare at your bodacious ta-ta's.

When you are still suffering from a cold, make sure you have kleenex or at the very least one of your kid's socks in the car. If not, you will need it, badly... if you catch my drift. You might discover another use for that see through white shirt.

Take a list to the store, if not you will end up coming home with things like pig ears, M&M's, and the same nail polish you already own.

NEVER eat refried beans and cole slaw on the same day. I'll leave it at that.

It's probably not very smart to drink a 64 ounce ice water less than an hour before bed. In between blowing your nose and peeing every hour, you will get like NO sleep!

Don't leave the bathroom blinds open while you are home alone. Especially if you plan on taking a bath. Otherwise some strange man (the septic dude) might walk by your window on the way to your back yard...

And lastly- when trying to catch a whiff of the lotion you might buy, don't squeeze the bottle too hard. I can almost guarantee you will squirt the same amount of lotion necessary to moisturize one whole leg up your nose.

Yo baby, what's up?

This afternoon I headed to Wal-Mart for groceries. I didn't take a list or a menu plan. I just knew we were thisclose to starving and I needed to get food asap. I got in there and grabbed the stuff I knew we needed like milk, eggs, paper towels, etc. and was drawing a blank on dinner ideas. I had already planned at that point to make sure I had stuff for breakfast, lunch, and snacks for the week and that I would get a weekly menu planned and shop again later. Silly, I know... Anyway, I saw a display of buns and Manwich and voila- we would have sloppy joes. We hadn't had them in at least 5 years, so I figured why not? I grabbed some ground chuck, the buns, and sauce and was headed down the aisle for some dill pickles. I am just about to the pickle section when this short little black guy starts walking towards me with a HUGE grin on his face. He seemed as if he thought he knew me and I could tell by the look on his face that he was gonna talk to me, and boy did he ever.

Little black man- "hey baby, you are gorgeous, what's your name?"

Me- not a peep. I am just flustered, trying to figure out what kind of pickles we want. I slowly start walking away. He is staring straight into my eyes.

Little black man- "hey, what's your name? You sure is pretty."

Me- "gosh, that's really sweet, thanks." I grab my pickles and start walking away. He is next to me.

Little black man- "what is your name? You are fine!"

At this point I am so uncomfortable, my face is burning red and I can't get away fast enough. He asks me my name once more and I say-

Me- "dude, that's sweet of you to say, but I am married with 4 kids."

And then he looked me up and down really slow and said "that's a shame, cause you are gorgeous."

WOW! I was so red and uncomfortable and flustered at that point that I couldn't even think straight. I am wondering if this man was playing with a full deck. He was short and resembled an African American Oompa Loompa. It was just so strange. I mean, was he crazy? I was not looking my best, to say the least... And, he was just so forward. I didn't feel threatened, just puzzled. I am still scratching my head...

P.S. for your viewing pleasure, here is a picture of me and how I looked while shopping today.

Oh no!

Jon has some terrible illness (a cold). Basically he is on his death bed. He skipped work, so it must be really bad.... Pray for me- I mean him, so we can both get through this ASAP! Basically I am going to be doing the work of 2 people. I already do anyway, but you know what I mean. It's like having another child. I am off to run errands and will likely stay gone until the kids get home. I want him to be able to rest comfortably, and the moaning is a little much for my ears. Hope y'all have a pleasant Monday, if that's even possible...

P.S. Nyquil works wonders for snoring. Who knew? I suspect it's the large amount of alcohol.... If I didn't think he would become addicted I would suggest it every night!