Finally some space!

Imagine with me for a moment. A family of 6 trying to buy groceries for a whole month. Two adults, two carts and four kids. It sounds something like this, "Did you get that? Do we need this? John don't open that! No you can't eat that. Yes, we are going to get lunch. No you can't have a treat (or on some days you can have a treat if you are good). Yes, you can walk. No, you can't walk. Ben's hungry.I'm sorry. Excuse us. Ha. Yes, there are quite a few of us. Don't touch him. Don't look at her." All while trying to gather the things on our list. The purpose of this is to eliminate as many trips to the store as possible. Trying to keep an eye on 4 kids and get my shopping done can be a task so the fewer the trips the better. We have been able to shop at Costco for our meats and bulk items for the last few years and have been lucky enough to have the room to store it all. I had to know that my luck would run out. We have a lovely home here but the refrigerator doesn't seem to match the size of the house or our family. We slimmed down our shopping trip last month and the freezer would barely close. By barely i mean every time you closed the bottom you have to close the top because it popped open. Eric obviously didn't notice that because the door got left open and the ice cream melted a few times. :) So this weekend we took the plunge. We bought a new refrigerator! YAY! All my food fits, the door doesn't open when i walk past and it is pretty! We are using the other one as extra storage (which we still need) in the garage. COSTCO HERE I COME!!!

Ella's best Vanna White pose. I am thinking she would do well on The Price is Right too.

In other news, we have had to go through and rotate the kids clothes. They have all had growth spurts since the beginning of the year. Ella would like me to point out her "5" pajamas in the above picture. She now gets to wear pajama shorts and t-shirts to bed. She thinks she is too cool . Jack got a few new pairs of pajamas also. Ella and Jack both say "thank you shellie for the cool new jammies!" John got new pajamas too. Ella likes to point out "that they aren't really new. They are just new to John but they are old to Jack." :) John isn't old enough to know that so he is happy with his "new" pajamas. Ben is getting on a sleeping pattern. He sleeps from about 9:30 to 4 and then again until 6 or 7ish. He is working on holding his head up and loves to snuggle. I do too so it works out well. I weighed him and he is about 9 pounds give or take. At home weights always differ from the doctors. That means he is packing on about half a pound a week. He is growing in length too. Eric's job is going well. The rain is putting a damper on the work they would like to get done but hopefully they can squeeze it in between rain showers. I will post again soon.

Easy E and Jazzy Jack

So....Eric gives the kids their bath most nights. I often hear them making rhymes but never pay too much attention. Jack, however, is at the age where he takes everything in. It doesn't take to much repetition before something becomes ingrained and repeated often. (Note to self: watch what you say around Jack he will repeat it!) As i went up to check on their bed time progress one evening i hear the lyrics to Easy E and Jazzy Jack's new rap. It was created in order to persuade Jack to brush his crazy hair. It continues to be added to but these are the lyrics for now.

Jack smack, booty crack.
What is wrong with your hair it looks all whack.
It's down in the front,
and up in the back.
It looks like you got attacked
By what? By what?
A duck!
Sounds like you got bad luck!

Jazzy Jack performs

I pray his gnarly rapping abilities pay off. I have high hopes. HA! This is why God made moms. :)

Pictures!

Here are a few of the pictures we have snapped around the house. I say a few because that is all i have remembered to take. As you can see all the kids are thrilled with Baby Ben. I will try and do a better job of taking pictures. When i do i will get them posted.

Note: I did order the birth announcements so they will go out soon. Slow progress but progress none the less. :)

One month ago....

It is hard to believe baby Ben is a month old. I can't help feeling jipped. I mean most months have 5 weeks and he only got 4 weeks in his first month. I think i will just tell everyone he is four weeks and forgo the month label. Now knowing he is 4 weeks old today i figured it was time to post his birth announcement. I will be getting it sent out. Eventually.

I haven't posted in a week (thanks for pointing that out Dad). I am sorry but i have been a little busy. I am sure you are all think " i can imagine" but really you can't. Not even close. We have continued to move things around the house to find the perfect place for things. We spent the weekend trying to get the yard cleaned up. Eric is still working on the garage but it is all coming together. I stay busy but we are getting on our schedule and i was successful at getting dinner made all 5 nights last week and yesterday. Sometimes it is a little late but i still got it done and at this point that is what i am aiming for. :) Ella is getting back into the school routine and really doing well. She amazes me daily. She is really excited about the possibility of going to "big school" next year so i hope it works out for her. I will have to admit that if she leaves it will be like losing my right arm. She is such a big help. She just holds Ben and does little baby talk. She tells him how cute his toes are and will make up a lullaby to sing to him. It is usually about how she is his big sister. She has also decided that taking care of her brothers is a lot of work (no kidding). Jack also enjoys his time with Ben. Jack is only really interested when Ben has his eyes open. John wants to be with Ben about 80% of the time. John climbs on the bed and had to get as close as possible with out being on top of him. He then needs to kiss Ben all over the face followed by blowing air in his face. I think it is an attempt to wake Ben up. John likes when he moves and makes noise. They are all very attentive to the baby. Ben is becoming more alert with every passing day. He loves to eat. Even when he isn't hungry. I usually end up covered in milk after that feeding. :) He is getting so long. He loves to be with people at all times. He is definitely a Mommy's boy right now. It is probably because i have the goods. He spent most of yesterday afternoon in a sling on my chest while we vacuumed and cleaned around the house. It put him right to sleep. He is wonderful. I am slowly figuring out how to get school, meals, laundry, cleaning, play time and time for myself all done in a day. Still thinking i could use a few more hours but whatever i miss is always there when i wake up. I have to say reading it sounds like more than it feels. I take plenty of breaks and take my time. No rush and that is the way i like it. I am really enjoying taking in this precious time. Eric and i were talking about how good Ben is and how we were so blessed because the other three were awesome too. We both feel like Ben is different. He came out and everything seems so natural and relaxed. HA! I know most of you are thinking it should be because he is our fourth but i mean natural in the sense that he fits. He fills a place we didn't know was empty. He is like the finishing piece to our family puzzle. We are finally complete and couldn't be happier. :) I will do my best to update more often.

Eric's Promotion

YEAH!!! It is finally official, Eric is an Assistant Superintendent. We have known since the Fall that he would be getting a promotion after the Raleigh job. All the paper work has gone through and the official e-mail has gone out! His job will not change but it is a nice title. I am very proud of how hard he works. No title will ever change that. He loves what he does and the company he works for so i am thrilled to see him excel. Congratulations Eric!!

Baby Ben's 2 Week Check-Up

I know i am behind on my blogging. For that i apologize. We just got our Internet Saturday and i always like to include pictures which i haven't quite figured out how to do from my phone...yet. So here is my attempt at catching you up on everything that is new with Baby Ben or Benjaroo as we call him. Ben had his 2 week check up last Wednesday. He was 7 lbs and 15 ounces. They weighed him with his diaper on but that is still a significant gain from the 7 lbs 1 ounce that he was one week before. Yes, 14 ounces in a week. He likes the milk. :) He was 20 1/2 inches which means he has grown an inch in his first two weeks. He is a wonderful baby. He loves all the activity. I guess it is a good thing. He doesn't like to be alone. He has a set of lungs but only uses them when he realizes he is alone. That might be bad later on. I am thinking he will get tired of all the kids in his face and will welcome the peace of his own room as he gets bigger. He smiles and chuckles in his sleep. I am not sure what could be so funny at his age, maybe it is his daddy's face. HA! He is usually awake for a bit in the morning and then again at night. Those periods of alertness are getting longer. He just looks around as if he is taking it all in. He is a beautiful baby and i could not have asked for a better one. The Lord has blessed me with four wonderful babies. I am so thankful.

Note: Birth announcements will be arriving sooner or later. By the time i get around to making them i would bet on later. :)

Our new info

These are cards i made to send to everyone so you all could keep up with our latest information without having to erase and re-write our address every time we move or attempting to write it on a sheet of paper (which in my house usually gets lost). Hopefully, this will help all of you keep up with us. Note: i like this card so if you see it again when we move, don't be surprised. :) We are all moved in and there are no more boxes inside the house. We still have to get the garage set up and hang pictures. The weather has been rainy and cold so not conducive to cleaning out the garage. Maybe Eric will be home Saturday and we can get it done then. Now that you have our new address feel free to send housewarming gifts. HA!

Home Sweet Home

The kids and I left Clanton yesterday. We finally got in the car about 7:45 a.m. Ben,of course, was ready to eat. Finally left about 8. Topped of the gas tank and hit the interstate. We all settled in for a long ride, or so I thought. We get to Calera and next thing I know I see dust and a car hitting the guard rail and then coming back across the interstate. The car came to a stop on the side of the road. We stop and I call 911. The lady was awake and responsive but not moving her neck or back. I went back to the car and the kids and I were on our way again. Clear sailing from there. We stopped in Leeds so I could feed Ben. A few movies and John a nap later we were in Anderson, SC. We stop at a rest stop and all go to the bathroom. I wake Ben and change and feed him. Ella had to potty again so we all get back out and go back in. Next exit we stop to fill up with gas and hop across to McDonalds for lunch. We ate in the car and about 3:45 central time we pulled in the driveway of our new house. It is nice to be here. The kids were great. No meltdowns and Ben slept. No phone or Internet yet. Upstairs is unpacked but I am still working on putting everything away. Downstairs is another story. Good news is it isn't going anywhere. :)
The kids are loving their new rooms and the rest of the house. I will get pictures up when we get our Internet service.


-- Post From My iPhone

My first test

I have only been home with Ben for four days and i am already being tested. Ever since we got home things have been wild. Between getting settled, visitors and getting Ben to his check ups every other day, i have had to deal with sick kids. Yes, it started with John Saturday morning. He woke up and got sick in his bed. He seemed to do better through the day (except for throwing up in the restaurant at lunch) but then he was sick again Saturday morning. He wasn't eating or drinking much and was running a fever so we were getting concerned. Trying to deal with a clingy not feeling good , one year old when you have a newborn can be challenging. Sunday, came around and there was no vomit but he was running a fever again and was really grouchy. He and Eric slept until lunch while the rest of us went to church. He got up and drank some fluids but was back asleep until the afternoon. We spent the rest of the evening dealing with diarrhea. I got all the kids in bed sure that a good night sleep would help, i hear the call....MOMMY! I walk in the room to hear Ella say "Jack threw up on me". Great! Here we go again. Jack continued to throw up about every two hours through the night. I am not sure how many towels and sheets we went through. This morning was more of the same. Laundry was a non-stop process today. I finally got his fever down and thought we were looking up, only for him to throw up in Dad's store and then again when he got home. I am hopeful that this will all be passed when he wakes in the morning. We have to be at the Dr. appointment for Ben at 9. I would like to say that i was successful in handling all the sickness and other kids at the same time but i didn't. Thank the Lord that Wes and Mom were here (Dad too, he is really good at holding Ben :)). They were able to do what i couldn't when i was tending to Ben. Of course, they were both gone at 12 today so i did have to wing it until Mom got back home. I was relieved to hear her come through the door! I thought things would be a little easier when i came home. I could have never prepared for this. This is my life as a mommy of four and i am happy with that. :)

Eric's trip to NC

Eric had to be at work this morning in Statesville. He left about 3:30 on Sunday and was prepared to drive the 7 and a half hours there. We were pretty sure he would run into part of the snow storm that had moved through early Sunday morning. No biggy. He made really good time getting to Atlanta. He checked the traffic on the radio...uh oh...power line down across I-85 (the interstate taking him to Charlotte) in Commerce, GA. What to do??? They were talking about closing the interstate so Eric took an alternate route. A little out of the way and definitely taking some extra time but better than being stuck on the interstate. He was on his way. Started snowing but he was making it. Driving 50 and seeing snow plows so it was looking promising. WHAA WHAA WHAAAAA! Spartanburg, SC and it comes to a stop. Not a stop and go but a STOP. I call and he had been sitting for about an hour. I call back a few hours later after a round with Jack and he is still sitting there. That goes on through the night. He took a few naps and waited. He finally started moving again about 6 a.m. our time. Turns out traffic was backed up for about 50 miles due to an accident.  He finally made it into Statesville, got a hotel room and took a shower. He headed to work about 10 our time. Traveling to and from North Carolina hasn't worked out for Eric very well lately. Good thing he is staying put for a while.

Visitors, Visitors, Visitors

Since arriving home Baby Ben has had many visitors. Aunt Dale and Aunt Betty were able to come up Thursday night. They came bearing ice cream so Ella, Jack and John were thrilled. We had a nice visit and then they had to head home. Friday was a quiet day. We were out and about. Saturday brought lots of people to the house. Mr. Mark, Mrs. Connie and Eric's Grandmother, Robbie Dear, came in from Dothan; My Grandma and Papa came over from Columbus, Wes was here and my cousin Shellie came in from Gulfport. It only rained in the morning and everyone got to visit so i would consider it a success. It was nice getting to sit a catch up with everyone. The kids loved having all the company. Ben slept through most of it, as usual. I am enjoying all the sleeping because i know it will soon change. A couple of neighbors brought some delicious food by on Sunday. A great big thank you to everyone who has taken time to come by and visit. It really means a lot to Eric and I to have people that care enough to take time to come see us. Thank you.

A classic

As i think back to my childhood and the time i spent at my Grandparents i remember cow feeders, a creek, a brick hut with a tin roof, a wooden rocking horse, goats and a pony, and most importantly...a tire swing. I don't remember much because the tree was lost in a storm some years ago but i do remember swinging on the tire swing with my cousins in the pasture. That seems like something you only see "The Wonder Years" reruns these days. Everyone goes out and buys swing sets with slides, swings, monkey bars, and a sandbox. Yes, they are fun but nothing can replace a good tire swing. In an attempt to occupy the kids my mom put them to work making a swing. They got the rope over the limb and then realized they had no tire. The kids called Grandpa to see if he had a spare "wheel" (jack's word). He didn't. The next few days Dad looked for a tire for their swing. Finally, Thursday it was finished. Eric got the tire tied up and off they went. I am glad they will have fond memories of a tire swing too.

Welcome Home Baby Ben

We rolled into Clanton about 2 p.m. and made our first visit to Grandpa's store. Mom and the kids were headed home from the park and they met us there too. All the girls got to see. I always enjoy showing my kids off. :) We headed home to get settled in. We were greeted by Mom, the kids, and Uncle Wes. It was nice to be home. The kids started fighting as soon as the truck door opened. They all wanted to see. After many passes back and forth between the kids they moved on to something else and we got unpacked. Ben has been wonderful. Sleeping most of the time. Everyone slept well Thursday night. I think i woke Ben up a couple of times when i got up to go to the bathroom. I forget what an adjustment it is to sleep flat with no baby in my belly. Weird. Friday, we were up early. We all got dressed and went to see Mom at school and then to lunch. I had to get Ben up to Alabaster for his pediatrician appointment at 1:30 so it was rush rush getting through lunch. Time to leave and of course all the bad weather is moving in and Ben is hungry. I wasn't too late. He weighed 6 lbs and 12 ounces. His jaundice was up so we had to take him back Saturday morning for a follow -up. The follow-up was good. I have to take him again Tuesday morning for another check. Sunday, brought snow. Church was delayed and Ben and I were a little late. He likes to eat and poop when we should be leaving. :) He has been such a good baby. He eats about 11 and then isn't back up until 3 and then again about 6:30. I am thrilled with that. He isn't a big crier. He doesn't like to have his diaper changed. He is becoming more alert everyday. He has been a total joy. We are so glad to have him home.

Baby Ben, Day 2 and 3

I am a little behind on the blogging but i will do my best to catch up. Day 2 and 3 were spent at the hospital. Wes brought the kids up on Wednesday morning for a visit. They kids were so happy to see Ben. They pass him back and forth like a doll. They were so proud of their "big sister and big brother t-shirts". Brother Randy, my hometown Pastor, and some other friends from church stopped by to say hello. It was a really nice visit. Scot, a co-worker of Eric's, came by that night and he and Eric went out for dinner. I had some nice quiet time. Thursday we waited. I hate discharge day. They always come by early in the morning and tell you they will get all the paper work done so you can get on home and it is after lunch before you ever get out. I used my time wisely though, i napped. They let us out about 12:30 and then we had to run to Target before we headed home. I couldn't wait to get back to the kids. No doubt they weren't missing me as much. Grandma had a fun day planned for them. The hospital days are never fun. Ben was poked and prodded everyday for his pediatrician evaluation. He always came back with a new band-aid. The food wasn't great and the cable left something to be desired. Nothing to watch, a sleeping baby and a quiet room is really no fun when i am used to having three kids as entertainment! :) Overall, the staff was great but i am glad that it was my last stay in a LDR room. Here are some more photos from the hospital.