A Birthday Surprise!

Well, I realize this was a week ago now, but I really have not had time to update. Last Thursday, my mom, Jess, and me went to the gym. Sarah and John stayed home and watched the kids. When we got back from the gym, I went in to get the kids and instead got a huge surprise. When I cam around the corner, all the lights were off and I was greeted by my kids, and the rest of the family with a cake. They sang happy birthday and then we enjoyed some lasagna, breadsticks, salad, cake, and ice cream courtesy of Sarah and John. It was a very happy birthday. My hubby also got to be there since he has Thursdays nights off. I have to say that I didn't have a clue. Everyone new, and no one let on. I think since I have been married, this has been my best birthday! I am soooo thankful to Sarah and John for thinking of me and making my 30th birthday special (doesn't feel any different than 29 either). My kids were VERY excited to be able to halp make me a cake as well. The twins still talk about the cake they made and how they sang to me. They also made cards for me. Kelsey and Kaylee wouldn't give them to me, they let me look then kept them for themselves! :) I love my kids! I love that they were so excited about doing something for me! They truly are great!

Last week was the first week that I went to the gym 6 days a week! I plan on doing it all the time now. I do not know if I have lost anything since I have not weighed myself in forever, but I do know that I have ALOT more energy. I feel sooo much better. Now, my schedule revolves around when I can get to the gym, whether it be Monday mornings at 5 am or Tuesday at 4 pm. Either way, I get it in there. So, this is why you haven't seen any comments from me lately. I need to do this for myself so some of the things I used to do, I no longer have time to do. I hope you guys understand. I do read everyone's blogs and I will definitely keep up with mine, just maybe not as often. Now, my free time I used to have at night to do these things, are spent cleaning, and getting things ready for the next day. It's hard to explain, but I really just don't have the time that I used too. I also have to share that just doing the eliptical for 35 min. a day and 6 days a week, I burn 2400 calories! I found this absolutely amazing! I also do the sauna for 20 min. a day, plus my weight training so I definitely burn more than that a week. I still have to work on my eating a little more, but I will get there. I am also going to be joing the gym for a lifetime. Right now I pay $10 a month plus childcare. Of course, even though childcare is only a $1 per child for 1 1/5 hrs., when you have 4 kids, it adds up. So, right now they are having a special where you can buy a lifetime membership for $800. It sounds like alot, but really, it is a GREAT deal. The lifetime membership includes free childcare, free tanning, plus all the classes and discounts on the things they sell. This is for a lifetime, I will never pay another penny again! I will be paying this with our tax refund. I'm not excited about this since it is a big chunk, but it will definitely be worth it and pay for itself within a couple of years. Anyway, that is all for tonight. I have to get to bed, my time for exercising tomorrow is 8 am! :)

Thanks for all the comments to my last post. Venting really does make you feel better. Jordan has gotten alot better it seems, but I am not going to lay off for a minute. I am definitely proud of him. I will leave you with a few pics, Kelsey, Kaylee, and my favorite nephew ~ Grayson:

A Birthday Present to ME & Questions for You!

Well, I know what I'm getting for my birthday! I bet your really excited to know what it is, huh? First, it costs $30! Did you guess? Ok, I'll tell you. It's my license renewal! Exciting isn't it? Beleive me, I was quit ecstatic about it. So, that is my gift. Oh well, atleast I can drive and don't have to be stranded at home with 4 kids all the time! That is great news! Anyway, my birthday isn't for 4 more days now, and I am waiting till the last day to renew it. Is Maine the only state that has your license expire on your birthday?? On to other news!

Last Thursday, a guy in our church was able to get some free tickets for a hockey game. He got a ton of them so there were alot of us from church there that night. It also happened to be Doug's day off, so we went as a family with both of my sisters, John, and Grayson. We all had a great time. The game did not get over till after 9 pm. I wasn't going to stay till the end since the kids had school, but I couldn't leave when they were tied! Anyway, it went into over time, then the Mainiacs lost 3-2. Then I wished I hadn't stayed since they lost, but it was still alot of fun. My cousin was there too, and took all 4 kids down let the guys players hit their hands on their way back into the rink after their break. The twins are still talking about how they touched the players! Grayson also enjoyed the game. Here is a slideshow of the game and a video:

Latoya had her yearly physical today and she only gained 1 1/2 lbs. for the year and grew almost 3 in. She is now at the 90% for weight and 75% for height. She has come a long way. She used to be off the charts for weight, but is now evening out. I am extremely happy for her! They also cheered again on Friday. There were only 4 cheerleaders for this game as the rest of them were benched, but they did a great job. Here is a couple of pics, and a video. Toya is the one on the right side and in the back.









Mondays have now become family game nights too. Doug has Monday nights off and now that my sisters, John, and Grayson are all home, we decided to do a family game night on Mondays. They have all come over here for the past 2 mondays, and we hope to continue this. It really is quit fun. We just play card games, and enjoy the family time.

Lastly, I have a couple of questions from you all. Jordan has been having a bad time with hitting and kicking lately. I'm not sure why, but he thinks these are part of playing. I was told that because he is a boy that he shouldn't be hitting his sisters. My response was, boys or girls, they are still his siblings and he is only 5. Beleive me, it is never ok for him to hit anybody, but I think this is normal behavior. He gets punished no matter what. I think it is harder for Jordan to get the grasp that it isn't ok to hit girls when all he has is girls at home. Some of this has come about because he hit a little girl at school the other day. No, I do not condone(sp) it, but at the same time, I do understand how this would be easier for a boy with only girl siblings to grasp than those without sisters. Am I right? Those of you with boys and girls in the same house, does your boy sometimes hit your girl the way a normal child would hit his siblings? I was also told that is where abusive men come in, so because he hits his sisters he is going to be an abusive husband someday?? I'm just sick of people trying to give me "advice" when they only have one sex or the other. It is not the same at all, especially when you have a few of one sex and one of the other. Anyone else in this same situation have some advice for me? I know it doesn't help that ALL the boys in his class come from homes with ALL boys! Not one boy in his class has a sister, but Jordan, and he has 3! The boys in his class are very rough boys and Jordan has become this way since he started kindegarten. I know they are allowed to wrestle on the playground, but Jordan doesn't know how to wrestle since he doesn't have brothers to teach him to wrestle and he only sees his dad for 1 1/2 days a week. So, essentially, he gets out of hand when the wrestling occurs. I'm not necessarily opposed to the wrestling because Jordan really enjoys interacting with the boys, but they all go home to a house full of brothers that they can wrestle with, and Jordan goes home to a house full of girls and he tries to "wrestle" with them. As I said before, he tends to kick and hit during the wrestling, so the girls get hurt. I'm so sick of all the notes coming home and of everyones comments. Everyone is quick to criticize, but all the ones that criticize have no room to do so. Jordan is compared to other boys (that only have brothers) and I am really just sick of it. I know I am going to make some people mad, but maybe they should try standing in my shoes. I think my kids are pretty good kids, they are in fact still kids though. Anyway, I don't necessarily want to upset anyone, but I am getting VERY upset by everything I have heard and no one seems to care about that. Anyway, enough about that. I needed to vent. Jordan has been better the last few days, so we will see.

*****The above sections were written last night, below is from tonight*****

Tonight, we had a family get together at the gym! :) My mom, me, both of my sisters, and John all went to the gym to workout. All the kids went to daycare. I have to say that even though we didn't stay together the whole time, it was GREAT! I am actually hoping to go again tomorrow, plus Thursday, and possibly Friday. That means I will possible go 5 days this week! I am very excited about that! I am hoping to continue doing this if we can carpool. It's hard since I have 4 kids, but we will see I guess. If you haven't figured it out yet, the reason I don't go 5 days a week now is because we cannot afford the gas to go that many times plus childcare when I go.

That is all for tonight, I hope everyone has a great week!

Christmas & New Years!

I have received several emails from people wondering if we are ok since I have not been blogging. We are in fact fine and just spent the last couple of weeks enjoying our family time. We have just been busy, I know.....surprising isn't it! I hope to keep up with the blogging now. Christmas and New Years are behind us and now here are atleast 2 big things coming up in the near future. The first happens in 10 days, and that is my 30th birthday! Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel. I am kinda sad that I am going to be 30. I don't feel any different, and I have accomplished quit a few things, but I keep thinking in 30 years did I accomplish everything I wanted too? My goal in life was always to be a wife and mother. I would consider those accomplished! My hubby and I will be celebrating 10 years this June, and I of course have 4 wonderful children! Four children in 6 years seems like a over achievement to me! It helps when they come in two though! I guess for the next few years, I hope to accomplish some things for myself. Losing weight is one of them, and just being happy. I am easily stressed and worry constantly (doesn't help with the weight issue I know). I have started at the gym almost 2 months ago now and we are actually quit faithful. I haven't seen a ton of results, but alot of that is eating right. As many with big families know, we cannot afford to eat right. We always have food on the table, but it's normally not the "right" food. I do feel alot better now that i am going to the gym and I can do things now that I never thought I would be able to do. An example, when we first started at the gym, I could only do 2-3 min. on the elliptical machine. Now, I can do 30 min.! This is a huge accomplishment to me! I know exercise alone will not get me to where I want to be, but atleast I am trying. Enough about that :) The second big event is the girls 3rd birthday! My babies will be 3! When I first had the girls, I never thought I would make it through the first year, never mind 3. It was harder than I let most people see. I was so busy that sadly I do not remember the first year at all. That is something I wish I could go back to and ask for help so I could have honestly enjoyed and cherished it more. Two is sooo much harder than one! I hope if there are any others reading this that either have newborn twins/multiples or are pregnant with twins/multiples, please ask for help. I honestly was able to handle it by myself, but like I said, I cannot remember that first year at all. Anyway, enough about that as well. On to our late news from the past 2 weeks!

I can't recall too much excitement from the past two weeks, so this shouldn't be too lengthy :). As you can tell (by my lack of blogging), everyone made it home safely. Sarah and John got most of their belongings into storage and they are all staying at my moms for now. They are making it work in a very minimal amount of space. It amazes me how much things have changed and how much closer our family has become. I think everyone has done alot of growing up. I say that because 2 years ago they never would have been able to live together. I think Grayson brings our family closer together. He is such a sweet baby. He's very happy and always has a smile for everyone. He very seldom cries, but he sure can yell when he needs something or when you forget to feed him (I found that out yesterday). It's so fun watching him grow up (I know it's only been 2 weeks), and even though he is the best baby, I honestly have no desire to go back and do it again. Did I mention that I do not get to hold him very often because Latoya wants to hold him every second that he is around. She never gets sick of holding him and I think she would take him home and keep him if she could. So, on the home front, thing are going well. Sarah and John's house finally closed yesterday. A couple of prayer requests, pray for John to find work and my sister Jessica as well.

On to other news, the weekend before Christmas all of our church buses were vandalized as well as one of the classrooms in the church. The vandals did quit a bit of damage. Of course most of us believe it to be local teens since it was school vacation. I have heard that they have a lead, but we all know that if it is teenagers then the church will get nothing for restitution. Here is a local news story and a picture in the paper on the vandalism http://www.wcsh6.com/video/news/player.aspx?sid=77203&aid=30058 . Most people do not realise that the church does this as a ministry for children and adults alike that have no other way to church. They do not charge the people to ride the bus even though they travel 20-30 min. each way to pick people up. It's just sad to have people disrespect the church like that. For some kids, going to church is the only bright thing in their week. Now we have gone 3 weeks without being able to bring them to church. So, please pray that the buses are up and running soon.


Christmas was very quiet and relaxed this year. Doug had to work, so we went to my moms around 11 so they did not have to stare at their Christmas presents all morning without being able to open them. The children were very blessed this year. We had a local business that donated lots of Christmas gifts to our children. They received more than they needed that's for sure. We spent the day at my parents, the kids opened their gifts there, then we hung out and waited for daddy to get done working. It was so great to be able to watch Grayson on his first Christmas! Had they not moved home, we would have missed that. He really liked the wrapping paper and loved opening his presents. We got him a bumbo seat that he seemed to enjoy. Doug got home at around 4:30 then came to grammy's where we enjoyed a Christmas dinner. After we ate, we finally headed home so the kids could open their presents. Because it was so late (6:30 pm.), we just let them open them one right after the other instead of stopping and actually opening each gift. Auntie Sarah and Uncle John came over after we were done and helped the kids get their things out of the boxes. Here are some pictures and a slide show (very long). You will notice that in most of the pictures that Latoya has a black eye. Before Christmas, she hit her eye on the corner of her bureau. It is just now going away now.

Here is a picture of Jordan's bed tent that he got. It looks just like Thomas the train and slides right over his bed. We couldn't afford to get him a real Thomas bed, and we were able to get this on clearance for $15. He really likes it and I would recommend it to any Thomas fans! It fits right over a standard twin size bed.


This is a picture of Latoya's new bed set. It is silky and has the princesses in the middle of the comforter. She loves it!


Yesterday for New years Eve, we had everyone over here for supper and games. Before supper, Daddy, Sarah, John, Jess, and all our 4 kids went sledding at our church. We have a huge hill that alot of people use to sled down. This was the twins first real sledding experience. I hate the cold, so I did not go, plus someone had to stay and watch Grayson (I hate that I did not get any pictures of their first real sledding experience though). I was more than happy to do so, because it meant that I got my first real alone time with him. Like I said earlier, whenever I am able to see him, I have to fight with Latoya and everyone else to actually hold him and play with him. I think the rest of them were sledding for about an hour. Grayson was very well behaved and loved talking to his auntie. I fed him some food, but am a little out of practice and forgot to feed him his bottle. He kept saying "mama, mama". Thankfully they were already on their way to our house and he was fed as soon as they got here. Poor baby. We then ate supper. We had turkey, potato's, stuffing, and beans. After supper, we played some games. Our new favorite is "spoons". If you've never played it, I highly recommend it. Grammy and Grandpa had to go home early as Grandpa has not been feeling well. The rest of us only stayed up till 10. I have no desire to actually "see" the new year come in. So, that is the end of my post. I will end by asking for one more prayer request. Grandpa has not been feeling well for quit a while. If he eats, he eats very little. We're not sure what is going on, but if you could put him on your prayer lists, that would be great. I think it is going on about 1 1/2 weeks now. He just thinks he is overtired, but that usually doesn't keep you from eating. Anyway, that is it for now. I hope to update more frequently now that the holidays are over. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!