Our Crazy Busy Wonderful Life

Our Meal Plan - Jan 16, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:42:00 +0000

Here is our menu plan for this week!

Breakfasts:

Cereal
Eggs
Oatmeal

Lunches:

Leftovers
Sandwiches

Dinners:

Monday: Tacos

Tuesday: Chicken Noodle Soup

Wednesday: Lasagna (might try a roasted veggie lasagna this time!)

Thursday: Stirfry

Friday: Potato Soup

Saturday: Beef Stew

My Husband is really feeling the cold weather!! He is wanting soups and stews a lot right now!

What's on your menu this week?

For more meal planning inspiration, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Booking It - January 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:46:00 +0000

This year, I plan on Booking It with Life as Mom!

This week, we read One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler.

I loved this book, loved it! Some of the things I know I need to do seems simple with this book. So, I plan on doing some of the projects this year. I will try to update here occasionally. I plan on starting with:

#3 - Establish a morning routine - this is a necessity right now. With Ethan attending preschool on a daily basis now, I need to be up and out of the door by 8:20. So far this week, I have been late almost every day!

#4 - Establish an evening routine - Umm, yeah. Same reason as the last one!

Some of the projects I already do, like:

Start Menu Planning
Eat Whole Foods
Schedule regular Date Nights

All together, it was a wonderful book and I highly recommend it!

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:44:00 +0000

I hope that everyone has had a wonderful New Year so far!

My New Year has been wonderful so far. We spent New Years Eve together as a family. My husband was even with us, which sometimes can be unheard of! So, it was a good day!

With the New Year, many people make New Years resolutions, and I am no different. I think it is most people's "tradition". This year, I really hope to get a few things together.

1. This Blog.
The end of 2011 was pretty much a bust. Everything that I wanted to do on this blog pretty much didn't happen. And for the most part, the reason is because most days I am home, alone with the children. Life can get pretty hectic and I am sure this year will be no different. However, I am hoping to post here at least a few times a week. I need to use this as my outlet and make the time to do it.

2. The House.
Because I am so busy, the house often gets neglected. I plan this year to get on a schedule that includes regular housework. A little bit goes a long way and I know from experience that Flylady works for me. So I need to get back on a routine similar to what she recommends.

3. Myself.
As a busy mom of 5, I rarely take time out for myself. I really need to this year. I plan to start walking at least 3 times a week. I plan to start reading more, at least a couple chapters a day. I also plan to get regular Bible reading in my schedule. And lastly, I plan to go get regular pedicures and highlights.

What traditions do you have for the New Year? Do you often make "resolutions" in the New Year?

Caleb's Birth Story

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:43:00 +0000

Sorry this post is late, but this weekend was crazy....and busy...surprising, right? Especially in our house. But here it is Caleb's birth story. This will put my giveaway schedule off track, but I will gehttp://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4495885187999646775#allpostst them all in, I promise.

Caleb's pregnancy was a normal, happy, healthy pregnancy except for the end when my blood pressure went up...just a little bit. I was already "gun shy" because of my recent pregnancy loss, and then my OB decided that because of my blood pressure, we should induce. Now...11 years, 5 kids and a nursing degree later, I think he just wanted his Thanksgiving off, but we will never know. Two days after I went to that appointment, I entered the hospital to deliver my baby.

I went to the hospital at 6:00 am. My IV was started and I was hooked up to pitocin. The evil drug that doctors use to induce labor. With that drug, my labors start and they start hard. I typically have very long and very close contractions. Its not fun. And with Caleb's labor, I also had back labor, which didn't help any. At about 8:00 am, the doctor came in to break my water. From there, it was a pretty normal labor/delivery. I did get an epidural at about 11:00 am because of the back labor and pitocin contractions. Finally at 1:00 pm, I was fully dilated and ready to push. Pushing is usually quick and he was born at about 1:20 pm.

His labor was exciting for a couple of reasons. He is my husband's first child. I had a child from a previous relationship and had been through some of this before. But watching him with his first baby was amazing. I will never forget how he got on the phone with his mom and cried when he told her he had a son.

Caleb has been an amazing son and it is so exciting to watch him grow into a man!

Now for the Giveaway!!

The winner of our Bumgenius Flip diaper was.......Kelly!

Congrats Kelly! I will be emailing you shortly!

Stay tuned for our next giveaway!

Our Meal Plan - November 7, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:43:00 +0000

This week, our meal plan pretty much is a repeat of last week. :( I had some major impromptu meals last week as well as eating out a couple of times.

Breakfast:

Cereal
Eggs/Toast
Muffins
Pancakes

Lunch:

leftovers
sandwiches

Dinners:

Monday - Baked Goulash

Tuesday - Chicken Alfredo and Biscuits

Wednesday - leftovers or Sandwiches

Thursday - Stew

Friday - Stroganoff

Saturday - Caleb's Birthday!!! Lasagna, mixed veggies, cake and ice cream!

This post is linked up to: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Birthday Wishes!! (A Giveaway!)

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 06:01:00 +0000

In one week.....my son will be 11! Amazing! Its so hard to believe that he is already that old!!

I was 22 when he was born...my husband and I had been trying for 2 years to have a baby, when we had our miscarriage. The miscarriage hit hard. For me, my dream of having another baby, for the moment, was gone.

And then, just 3 months after the miscarriage, I found that I was pregnant again. Like any mama that found herself pregnant after a miscarriage, I was so scared. To put it mildly. I was so afraid of another miscarriage. I think a miscarriage takes the innocence out of getting pregnant. Before, I thought...wow, I'm pregnant. I will have a baby in 9 months. Now, it's...Wow, I'm pregnant, I might have a baby in 9 months! With time, the pain of the miscarriage has gone away and the joy of having Caleb has been just amazing. He is my loving, adorable, sometimes goofy child. He loves his mom, his dad and all his siblings (eventhough he doesn't always admit it!)

We are so blessed to have had Caleb!! Happy Birthday Buddy!!

The Giveaway

With Caleb, "the season of birthdays" is beginning! During the next 4 months, all 5 of my kids will celebrate their birthdays! To celebrate these special occasions, I want to have a series of giveaways! It will start today with Caleb. Below is the giveaway and how to enter. The giveaway will end on his birthday with the announcement of the winner and his birth story!

Each of the other giveaways will be the same. I will start the giveaway by telling a little of "their story" and will end with their birth stories. I haven't decided yet what I plan on giving away each time, so the details of the other giveaways will to be decided at a later time.

For the first giveaway, I am giving away one of my favorite cloth diapers. The Flip! This diaper has been the best at containing leaks! For Makayla, I fold a flat into the diaper. I haven't had a leak yet! This diaper is also the trimmest option that I currently have in my diaper stash. The winner will have their choice of color and insert (microfiber or organic cotton). The diaper will be shipped directly to the winner from me.

Good Luck!!

Note: This giveaway is fully funded by me. Bumgenius, the makers of the Flip, is in no way affiliated with this giveaway. I'm just offering this product for a giveaway because I like the product.

My thoughts on MORE children

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 21:07:00 +0000

It's truly amazing what you think about in the shower. I was just contemplating what to write about and the topic of MORE children came to mind. Its a question I get asked anytime I am in a social situation.

"You have 5 kids?!? Are you going to have any more?!?

Lately, I have been answering this question with....I really don't know. Now, you might be thinking, how could you not know?!? Isn't 5 kids enough?!? Well, maybe...for some...and quite possibly even for me, but I just don't know for sure yet. I have always kind of thought that when I was done, I would KNOW I was done and I haven't quite reached that yet.

Honestly, I don't know if we will have any more, or even if we will every try to conceive again. Part of me wants to, and part of me doesn't. Ethan has been a handful and Makayla *really* loves her mama! (Meaning I have to hold her ALL the time!) So it has been tough, but looking at their faces, its easy to remember that this is a short period of time. Someday, we will look back and our kids will be grown.

Another thing to remember is that no matter what we as humans do, if God wants me to have more children, ultimately, I will! So, I can't say that I will try to conceive any time soon, but for now, I will use a non-hormonal, natural version of birth control and pray that God's will ultimately be done.

If that means more kids. Then we will welcome them with open arms!

Our Meal Plan - October 24, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 05:43:00 +0000

Breakfasts:

Cereal (3x a week)
Eggs/Toast
Muffins

Lunches:

Leftovers
Sandwiches

Dinners:

Monday - Mini Pizzas

Tuesday - Potato Soup

Wednesday - Tuna Noodle Casserole

Thursday - Lasagna

Friday - Cheesy Baked Goulash

Saturday - leftovers

What's on YOUR menu this week?

I'm linking up with: Menu Plan Monday @ I'm an Organizing Junkie

Our Meal Plan - 10/9/11

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:19:00 +0000

Here is our meal plan for the week.

Breakfasts:

Cereal (3x a week)
Eggs and Toast
Muffins

Lunches:

leftovers
sandwiches
salads

Dinners:

Sunday - Eat out (we are busy today with church and Awanas)
Monday - Vegetable Soup and Salad
Tuesday - Bean and Cheese Burritos (making extra for the freezer)
Wednesday - Baked Potato Bar and Salad
Thursday - Shepherd's Pie and Salad or Mixed Veggies
Friday - Three Cheese Garlic Chicken Pasta and Mixed Veggies
Saturday - Leftovers

I plan on starting a little freezer cooking, but instead of doing it all in one day, I plan on doing a little bit here and there. So here are my freezer cooking goals for the week:

1. Bean and Cheese Burritos
2. Granola
3. Baking Mixes - Pancake, Muffin and Biscuits

What are you having this week?

For more meal planning inspiration, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Judge Not....

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 04:17:00 +0000

I haven't been posting regularly this week, it has been a rough week. I had an incident happen last Sunday, unfortunately, that had me second guessing myself as a mom....and even as a person. I'm sure I shouldn't have let it affect me that much, but it did.

I have posted a little bit about my son and his "issues" with apraxia, but what I am not sure I have posted about is his sensory processing disorder as well. Ethan has sensory processing disorder...and because of that, he moves ALL. THE. TIME. For quite some time, he has been climbing the fence. We knew this, his OT knows this, and his caseworker knows this and I had talked to my neighbors in the past about the climbing and thought everything was ok. Ethan is rarely in the backyard completely by himself....if it's not me out there with him, it's his older brothers. So if he climbs the fence, he is in the neighbors yard alone for about as long as it takes for one of the boys to cross the yard.

About a couple of minutes.

It does take a little while sometimes to get him back over, but eventually we do, and he's never alone during that time. Well apparently the mother of the neighbor (who doesn't even live there) decided that he shouldn't be climbing...at all....and that because he was even climbing, I was not watching him. To rectify the situation, when he climbed over, she verbally attacked me and said that I need to "Get off my fat {bleep} and watch my kids" she also told me that if he ever goes back into their yard, she would call child protective services. She had me scared and my kids scared and crying. With the mention of that word and the fact that I was already overwhelmed with my son's issues and the fact that my husband was out of town for 2 weeks unexpectedly, I freaked out and started yelling back.

Not my finest hour, I'm afraid.

I tried, very unsuccessfully, to explain to her about his issues, his need to move and to climb...the fact that he could scale the fence in about 30 seconds (my husband timed it)....and the fact that as a busy mom of 5, I couldn't be outside every second that he wanted to be out there. I would never get anything done. I told her I do, indeed, watch my kids. She told me, "yeah, you watch him climb the fence." She wasn't hearing it...in her mind, I was wrong and I was a bad mom. I spent the rest of that day, alternating between crying and being angry. And then wondering, am I really a good mom?? I try so hard, but maybe I'm not. Maybe I'm too lazy to be a good mom. And if I'm not a good mom (which I always thought that was the ONE thing I was good at) then WHO am I really...and WHY am I even here?!?

Over the next day, as the shock wore off, God spoke to me in several ways. First off, he calmed my heart and made me feel at peace about the situation. Secondly, this verse kept going through my head.

"So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." -John 8:7

As humans, its hard to not judge. You see the kids running in the store, screaming, yelling, whatever....and think, "Man, if only his parents would take care of him", or "Man, that child is spoiled." Whatever the situation, everyone does it even if you don't mean to.

We don't always know the child's situation or the parents' situation, but maybe there's a reason. Unless the child is in danger, try not to judge that parent and instead offer assistance. Ideas. Anything to help that parent. Sometimes, even just a listening ear will help. Parenting is too difficult to judge each other and everyone's parenting style is too different. You don't know what that parent and child has gone through. What they go through on a daily basis....or what might have just happened to them. Take the time to listen!

Perhaps, this weekend was just a lesson for me from the Heavenly Father on judging....one for me to learn and to pass on.

Next week will hopefully be back to my regularly scheduled posts.

My Weightloss Journey - Week 3

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:19:00 +0000

I think I did a lot better this week...

1. Continue to only drink soda 3x a week.

Failed here. I was stressed and tired and had soda one extra time this last week. So I had it 4 times.

2. Exercise 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes.

For this one, I did exercise 3 times a week...but only for 20 minutes. I walked a mile each time in our neighborhood.

3. Increase fruit and veggie intake.

Ugh! Fail. Maybe I didn't do better this week.

4. Continue to work on my daily routines.

I did do better with this goal. Routines are imperative for my family and especially for Ethan. We thrive when we follow a routine. If we don't, life is pretty chaotic. I do still need to work on it though, so I will leave this goal for next week as well.

Despite my lack of meeting my goals, I did manage a loss.

Weekly Results:

Weight:

9/17/11: 219.2 lbs.
9/24/11: 218.2 lbs.
10/1/11: 216.4 lbs.

For a total of 2.8 lbs!

Not too bad....slow and steady, right. That's the key!!

Next weeks goal:

1. Continue to drink soda only 3x a week.
2. Increase fruit and veggie intake.
3. Remember to take multivitamin daily.
4. Exercise 4 times a week for 20 - 30 minutes.
5. Continue to work on daily routines.

What are your goals this week?

Wordless Wednesday - My Angel

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Makayla - 7 months

Going with the Flow

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 05:49:00 +0000

Last week school did not go as planned. At all! I'm sure we all have had those days, weeks and even months! But last week, we spent the week preserving for the winter which I feel is an education in itself.

It started with this (well actually 9 of these, plus 3 boxes of peaches):

And ended up with this:

Altogether, it was a very busy and educational week, just not what I had planned.

Menu Plan - September 26, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:57:00 +0000

Here's whats on our menu this week:

Breakfasts:

Cereal
Eggs/Toast
Smoothies

Lunch:

Leftovers
Burritos
Mac n cheese

Dinners:

Sunday - Burritos

Monday - White Chicken Chili

Tuesday - Chicken Salads

Wednesday - Italian Sausage Minestrone

Thursday - Stuffed Shells, mixed veggies, bread

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Sicilian Nachos

Whats on your menu this week??

For more menu planning inspiration, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

My Weightloss Journey - Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 07:20:00 +0000

So, week 1 didn't really go as planned....not suprised really. Here's a recap of last week's goals:

"My goals for week 1:

1. Drop my soda intake to 3 times a week, only.

I have been drinking soda almost everyday. Instead of dropping cold turkey, I plan on only drinking soda 3 times a week.

2. Exercise 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes.

3. Continue to eat healthy.

4. Try to spend less time on the computer and more time moving around/following my daily routines."

Goal #1: I met this goal. I only drank soda 3 times a week!! Yay! A major improvement on my part.

Goal #2: I did not exercise....at all. In my defense, we were busy all week canning. We managed to can 3 bushel of tomatoes for the winter and a box of peaches.

Goal #3: I have eaten realitively healthy. We eat little to no processed foods and lots of fruits and veggies.

Goal #4: I did spend less time on the computer because we were busy all week long.

Weekly Results:

Weight:

9/17/11: 219.2 lbs.
9/24/11: 218.2 lbs.

I did manage to loose 1 lb, despite the week not going as planned. I am happy about that.

My goals for next week are pretty much the same as last week.

1. Continue to only drink soda 3x a week.
2. Exercise 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes.
3. Increase fruit and veggie intake.
4. Continue to work on my daily routines.

I'm hoping this week will be much better than last week.

Menu Plan - September 19, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 06:16:00 +0000

For me, menu planning is a love/hate relationship. I LOVE the fact that when I menu plan, I have my week's meals at my fingertips. I don't have to sit and wonder "hmmmm what's for dinner tonight?!?" But, the truth of the matter is, sometimes I HATE coming up with that menu. That's why, at times, I have gone on a menu planning hiatus. So, what did I learn during my hiatus?

1. My evenings are more chaotic.

2. I make several small trips to the store during the week and spend $30-$60 per trip. {YUCK!}

3. My family doesn't eat as healthy (we eat out TONS more!).

4. I am usually missing just one item for a meal.

For my somewhat large family, menu planning is a very valuable tool. Menu planning allows me to take control of my evenings, my budget and my family's health.

On our menu this week:

Breakfasts:

Cereal { 3 times a week only...my family LOVES cereal and would eat it daily, so we compromise}
Eggs/ toast
Muffins
French Toast

Lunch:

Sandwiches
Leftovers, etc.

Dinners:

Sunday - leftovers

Monday - Hubby's birthday!! Hubby's choice.

Tuesday - Goulash

Wednesday - Cheesy chicken enchiladas

Thursday to Saturday - Camping? maybe?

What's on your menu this week?

For more meal planning inspiration, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie

My Weightloss Journey - Week 1

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 02:54:00 +0000

So, after having 5 kids, I have definitely let my body go. Unfortunately. It is now time for me to regain my body and my life. I am still breastfeeding my baby girl, so my plan is to not necessarily diet, but eat healthy....and exercise. The exercise part is what is going to get me. My days seem to go by so fast and before I know it, its dark and I haven't done my exercise for the day. Anyway, I will update each week on Saturday with my weigh in and my perspective on how the week went.

My goals for week 1:

1. Drop my soda intake to 3 times a week, only.

I have been drinking soda almost everyday. Instead of dropping cold turkey, I plan on only drinking soda 3 times a week.

2. Exercise 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes.

3. Continue to eat healthy.

We have been eating little to no processed foods. I need to increase my fruit/veggie intake which I plan on doing by juicing, eating more salads and other raw veggies.

4. Try to spend less time on the computer and more time moving around/following my daily routines.

Starting weight: 219.2 lbs. {Yikes!}

What are your goals for the week? Anyone else trying to get healthier?

Homeschool Mother's Journal - First Week of School!!

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:54:00 +0000

In my life this week…

This was our first week of school! And boy was it chaotic! You should see my house right now, its very messy. Oh the life of a homeschool mom!! Hopefully next week will be better and we can get into our routines more.

In our homeschool this week…

This was our first week, mainly we started with the basic subjects.....Math, English, Reading, etc. I have more subjects to introduce next week and a wonderful unit on Volcanoes coming up! I know the kids have been looking forward to that. First, though, we need to get our routines down.

I’m reading…

I need to start reading more for downtime for myself that isn't computer related! My goal this week will be to start reading a book for pleasure. I think I will start with Karen Kingsbury's book "Take One". I love Karen Kingsbury's books and this is one that I have been wanting to read.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Hopefully next week I will have some photos or even videos to share!!

If you homeschool and would like to join in documenting your homeschool journey...click the banner above for details!

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:32:00 +0000

Menu Plan Monday - Sept 12, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 05:29:00 +0000

I am hoping to finally be back in the swing of things with menu planning! It definitely is better on the budget if I do menu plan. Anyway, here is what we are having this week.

Breakfasts:

Cereal (only Mon, Wed and Fri)
Eggs and Toast
French toast and eggs
Muffins

Lunches:

Sandwiches
leftovers

Dinners:

Monday - Potato Soup

Tuesday - Beef Stroganoff and Peas

Wednesday - Beef and Black Bean Nachos

Thursday - Alfredo Chicken and Biscuits, salad, and Brownies

Friday - Ribs, Sweet corn and Salad

Saturday - Homemade Sub sandwiches, salad and fruit

Sunday - Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas and salad

What are you having this week?

For more menu planning inspiration, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie

Family Update - September 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 07:41:00 +0000

August at our house was very chaotic. As a matter of fact, for most of August...we weren't at home. Makayla is now 6 months old, almost 7 months! Wow! Where has the last 7 months gone? She is getting so big already. She has started army crawling all over the place. Not really taking her belly off the ground yet, but soon I am sure! She also has two teeth that are starting to come in.

Ethan is 2.5 now. He has recently started OT for his sensory issues (that I am still learning about!). So far it is going well and he is already making progress. He is slowing starting to add more words to his vocabulary. The most recent, and most clear is "Mom!" It is so nice to hear my name coming from him.

The 3 older kids will be starting school this next week. With a new school year, I hope to be a little bit better with posting about how school is going. I actually also came up with a new blog schedule, so hopefully more posts {and pictures} will be starting to show up here.

I have been doing well. After out trips to Kansas last month, it seems as though our life is starting to normalize again. I need to start exercising again. I am hoping that i will have a little more energy when I do.

That is about all for our little update.

New Chapter

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 07:52:00 +0000

August was a rough month. Probably the worst in a very long time. Early on in the month, we had gotten word that my grandma had fallen and broken her hip. After she made it through surgery. We drove the long 12+ hours to my old hometown to visit her while she was recovering. It was a nice trip, we were all glad to see grandma again, eventhough she wasn't feeling the best. We stayed a week and visited her daily. She looked bad and then looked better...more perky. I hoped that was a good sign. On the last day there, she didn't look the greatest, but one of her pills was making her sick. I told her goodbye and that I loved her....and we started the long 12+ hours home.

Halfway home, we stopped for the night and stayed at a hotel. With 5 kids, and me making the drive by myself, I just didn't think I could make the drive home in one shot. The next day, before we left, we visited family...ate a nice lunch and started to finish the drive home. First, though, I called my mother to check on my grandmother. I found that she was headed to the hospital with a low heartrate and low oxygen saturations. I knew at that point that it wasn't good.

Sure enough...shortly into my long drive, I found out that my grandma passed away. I was 3-4 hours from home still and I will tell you that last 3 hours was the longest of my life. I wasn't sure how I was going to make it home. My grandma and I had been close....growing up, she was like a second mother to me. My mother was a single mother, so I would go visit her pretty often. In the summers, I would stay with her all summer long. When I found out that she had passed, I was so filled with grief that the trip home just seemed too daunting of a task. With some effort, I made it home.

For the second time in August, my family and I made the long trek back to my hometown to bury my grandma. Her services were beautiful and I will always miss her. But I will be forever grateful that we got to spend that final week with her.

With her death, a new chapter in my life begins. The one without her. Lots of things are going to change. For one, my mom will be moving closer to us. For another, I won't be able to just go visit her anymore. She has been around my entire life....and now she's not anymore. That is a very strange feeling.

One of the things that Grandma left behind is a very special gift that has definitely helped me cope with her death. Her life story. I realized when I was reading through it how much it means to me. So, I am going to try to make more of an effort to leave the same kind of blessing for my children. I hope someday that they can look at my writings and know they were loved....and find peace.

Two Words

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 05:07:00 +0000

It really is amazing how sweet two words can be. Ethan signed AND said "Thank You!!" It was so sweet and it made me laugh. I wanted to catch it on video camera, but it didn't happen. Maybe next time.

My Crazy Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:23:00 +0000

This last weekend was absolutely crazy!! I am so glad that it is over now.

It all started with my daughter wanting to go to a Christian concert. Which in theory sounded like a winner idea. She would be there with friends from church and it would be a long day listening to Christian music and speakers. Then, we tried to figure out the logistics of it all. With 5 kids, I didn't really want to go and spend the entire weekend down there, outside with the kids. We thought we had it all planned out, and my husband offered to drive her since he was going that way anyway.

When he got down to where the concert is, the people who were going to meet her wasn't there...and upon further investigation, they weren't going to be there until 5pm. Ugh. Crystal ended up going down with her dad to where he was going to be working.

The next day, it was decided that I would drive down and when Troy was done for the day he would meet me half way so I could pick up Crystal and take her to the concert for the 2nd day. On the way there...there was some GORGEOUS scenery!

Unfortunately...it ended up as a HUGE fail when I drove ALL the way down there and by the time I picked up Crystal it was too late for Crystal to make the concert.

We tried to make the best of the trip and go to see the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park.

When we got there, we hiked down to one of the cliff dwellings.

I was holding Ethan's hand and Crystal was pushing the stroller. The kids had a good time. It was fun to see. They got to climb down on a ladder and see a little room with beds.

When we started to hike back up, a combination of things happened. Ethan was tired...and Ethan wanted to go off the trail onto a smaller trail and I wouldn't let him. So he had a HUGE meltdown!! I ended up carrying my 32 lb toddler back up the hill with him crying the entire way. I tried to explain to him why he could not go into the area that I wouldn't let him go in, but he wasn't having it. We got 3/4 of the way back up the hill, and I found a bench to sit on and take a break. Crystal decided to take a picture of the cliff dwellings from that point of view. She parked the stroller, set the brake and walked away. I looked over and saw the stroller moving!! It was rolling down the hill! I about had a heart attack and screamed for someone to catch the stroller...I was able to catch it myself, while holding Ethan. By that time, I was just ready to get out of there. So we finished hiking back to the top of the hill and when we were safely to the top, Crystal went back down for her picture.

At the end of the day, we had a good time...and actually made the best of the trip, but I don't think I will EVER go somewhere like that by myself with my crew...at least not until they are a little older!

And if you were at Mesa Verde National Park this weekend.....yes, I'm the crazy woman who thought her baby was going to fall off the cliff.

So glad that the weekend is over!

**Photo Credits: Pictures were taken by my daughter, Crystal, except for the first one**

Update on Ethan

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 18:33:00 +0000

In my last blog, I told you about the multitude of emotions that I was having since Ethan's evaluation. Things are much better now. Ethan has had a few speech therapy sessions and they are going really well! He has actually started saying a few words, like "pizza", "thank you" and "here". It is so refreshing to see him actually trying! He wasn't really trying before. I feel a lot better about things and I am trying not to blame myself. It's difficult of course, but I try.