Inheriting Some "Vintage"

So here it is. I was raised on a farm. I lived in a double-wide up through High School graduation. We didn't have alot growing up. But we did have memories!! Many of those memories came in the Mountains!! We camped. We fished. We pretty much roughed it, always in a tent. I don't think I even understood the concept of cabins or campers. I even remember the first time I saw a camper, I thought....what luxury!

Alex was also raised on a farm with countless camping memories. This is something we really want to share with our own kids. We've tent camped, and we've also had the opportunity to borrow my Grandpa's "over-the-truck" camper when we venture into the "colder" area of Redfish Lake. Luxury indeed. Now, I'm pretty insistent that we NEED a camper in order to do as much camping as we'd like. Fact: Babies, sleep SOOOOO much better! Fact: Children also sleep great! Fact: Mommy is happy not to have to be up with all the children and babies every night of the camp out due to the cold. Hot weather Fact: (if A/C is supplied), babies get much needed naps INSIDE the camper.

Now....Meet 1968 Chevy One Ton!

Completely Equip with "Vintage" Camper.

Cost: Zero

Source: Inherited from Twin Brother who inherited it from Grandpa Beal.

Oh yes, it is a beast. It is old. It drives no faster than 45mph. It is a GAS HOG!! and NO one else in the family wants it! Surprise, Surprise.

It comes equip with new brakes, some newer tires, and has a mechanic as its new owner.

One little problem, we can't decide weather to keep it or not. I've searched TONS of comps online, and we probably wouldn't get much for it. I'm thinkin...$300 to $800 MAX. Truly, if it weren't for the dumb truck, I'd keep that camper and have no problem fixing it up. Alex's truck could never carry the load, so its kind of a package deal.

The camper is pretty roomy. Roomy enough for now. Since it was "Free", I think we'll hold on to it for now, I'm just afraid we'll put money into something that may not be worth it. And, in order for me to want to sleep in it I will be painting, making new curtains, replacing the OLD mattress, light fixtures, reupholstering the cushions, and doing something with that floor. I'm not sure if it would be smart to keep the existing furnace, its pretty old. And for the HOT weather we have here, it needs an A/C.

What would you do??

We Are Having A.....

Its a Girl!

Before I proceed, I want everyone to know...I really am truly grateful to be carrying a strong and healthy baby. I am grateful for all my kids, for my good health and theirs, and for a loving husband who has the patience to put up with my emotions. This is my blog, therefore the place I choose to express some of my inner thoughts and feelings. If I ever come across negative or ungrateful, its not because that is the way I always feel, but because that is life. And sometimes, I write it down to get it off my chest and then I move on.
OK, with that being said, I kept myself very busy today. I swear I did 10 loads of laundry, and reorganized the kids and my clothing. I started with a yummy breakfast so I would have the energy to keep up with myself. Finally my appointment came. Up till today I've done my best to convince myself it is a girl, just so I wouldn't feel let down. But of course, as much as I did that, I still held on to every drop of hope it would be a boy. So I go into my appointment, Dr. looks, he points out the three little parts that make this baby a girl, and that was that. Here it is pointed out for you all to see.

I stayed pretty composed. There were no tears. Just me thinking, ...."Of course you are having another girl Anna...that's what happens when you want the other so badly!" It happened with the first, it happened with the second, you gave up hope on the third....lucky you....it was a boy. What did you expect?" So we left that appointment and Alex and I drove separate cars home. I just couldn't bring myself to call anyone. I didn't feel excited about it. All I kept thinking about was how Logan would never know what it was like to have a brother. He won't have a brother to toss balls with. No brother to fish, hunt, camp or go shooting with. On top of that, there is the guilt I kinda feel for maybe not trying again. Try for number five???? Its just as much a gamble, and there are no guarantees. I'm not sure my body could take it. OK, it probably could, but really, I feel like being pregnant has taken over who I am. This time its been two years in a row, which is REALLY hard. When I'm pregnant, I have no energy to keep up with the ones I have. Dinner doesn't get made. My husband gets neglected more often that he should. I can't run and play with my kids. The list goes on. To top it off, we really can't afford another one. I know, lame excuse says some, but I refuse to go on "assistance" so that they can be fed. So these are all my "selfish" reasons why I won't be going for number five. So one boy it is. I'm afraid he may get a little spoiled around here. I guess its not too bad for a boy to get smothered by girl attention. There is just something in me that feels bad that I can't give Alex another boy, but logic tells me, it has nothing to do with me. Also, she probably needed to come, because she was not meant to happen in the first place. So I arrived home. I got the kids unloaded then went back out to the car where I couldn't contain myself any longer. I cried pretty hard. I still get choked up when I think about it. Of course, there was no desire to make dinner for my family, so we took our kids out to the local Mexican restaurant in Kuna (WHICH IS AWESOME). I ordered my fave.....Steak Fajitas and Dr. Pepper and dunked my sorrows away with chips, salsa, caffeine, and fajitas! There was an awesome Mexican group of singers there too entertaining the diners! So on to tomorrow. I hope I wake up feeling a bit happier about it. To those of you who know what its like to only get boys, or only get girls, I guess I should just be happy I at least got one huh?

Meet My Lover

Once upon a time, there was a girl who meet a boy. They flirted, they danced, they dated. They meet the families. They Fell In-Love! Soon they married and life took over. Baby number one came and then three more! That girl became a woman. That boy became a man. They were parents. They were something greater than themselves. Life as they knew it had changed, but through it all, they discovered the true meaning of life. Life taught them a different kind of love. Still, they are lovers, friends and partners. And when those four babies are grown and gone, they will look different, but they will still flirt, dance and date. They will still have each other. And nothing beats Eternity with your soul mate!

Kinda In a Bad Mood

So it seems that lately, I have nothing to blog about. Nothing new. Nothing exciting. I'm sure I am like most everyone else. I go day to day. Doing almost the same things. Arguing the same arguments with my kids. Cleaning. Cooking. Laundry. You know, the usual. Being Prego, I have found that I can go from having a great day, to being in a bad mood. All it takes is a whiny child, or a spouse who likes to stir up drama. That's me now. I need a little venting, but I find there really isn't much to vent about. I'm just in a "mood". You'd think a bowl of ice cream and a late night with McDreamy might fix that. Not really.............don't have em'. So here I am, blogging. What a bore huh. I might stay up late, just to get a break....but those mornings come early, so its a toss up. So for now, I will dream of somewhere Tropical. Sun on my skin. Ice cold pineapple something. A massage. Painted toe nails. Ocean view. Skinny body that has energy to play sand volley ball or dance my rear off. Oh lets not forget.....no kids for a week :) Then I can come back to them...in a great mood, and ready to be mommy again. Sound good?

Test from "H", and Other things

This entire weekend has been a little crazy. As Alex ends the final round to his Master's Degree, he is becoming very busy with homework, tests, papers, projects, online discussions, and SO ON. Ok, so this last weekend he had an At Home Test. It consisted of 5 essay-ish questions. The answers were to be about 5 pages each, making it a 30 page project!! Ughh! He went to the library Saturday and pretty much worked on it all day. That night we took the kids out for ice-cream. He resumed his test Sunday morning. There was no way he could go to church, so I packed up the kids and went to my Mom's house for the entire day so that Alex could have a nice quiet house to himself. We got home around 7, I threw the kids in the shower and put them right to bed. Alex wasn't done and in short ended up staying up the WHOLE night finishing it!! He is done with that part and will be on to something else soon. We can't wait until he is done! Can I just say I have married an amazing person! Alex has been in school consistently every semester and summer since we've been married!! All the while, being the bread-winner. That is 7 years folks! What an accomplishment! It will be nice to have a husband around who doesn't have homework to worry about.

Here are some pictures of the kids:

This is how Mycah gets a nap...."I tired Mommy"....."I wanna watch a movie"......she lays down on the couch and ZONKS!

Yesterday at my parents house, Logan got to drive around with Grandpa on the Lawn Tractor. He LOVED it!

Lately...

So, Lately I've been feeling pretty pregnant. When I stand from sitting, I actually feel the weight in my "so-called" abdomen pull me down and forward. I'm slowly progressing to "waddle" status. (Goodbye high heels....ok, so I said goodbye to those when I got pregnant with my first) And what is up with my feet?? They hurt!...bad! This is something either way new, or I never made note of before. Food is a pain. After feeding everyone else in the house, it doesn't matter how hungry I am, I just can't bring myself to make an effort on my own behalf. I know fast food is terrible...but thank you to whoever invented Drive Through...you've saved me from prep work, cooking and cleaning. Oh and the added bonus of getting out of my house without getting "gussied-up"....(sorry drive-through window person who has to see). I can't seem to go a day without craving something yummy in the form of Dr. Pepper, this will pose a problem when baby comes out. Life in our house is pretty simple and not too eventful. We are excited for Spring and Summer...ok who is saying we? ME. Sending the kids outside will be the highlight of my day! Oh and on a random note...Logan is now upgraded to "pillow" status. He loves it!!

Busy Saturday

Yesterday was a busy day, we got alot accomplished. First off, Alex finished the fence. Yay! He also changed the alternator in his car and cleaned it, and I cleaned the entire garage and fertilized our lawn. It took us till around 4:30 to get finished. After that we loaded up all the scrap wood and took it out to my parents house where we had a little bonfire with the kids. We all had a really good time. Here are some pictures of our evening.

Mama's Boy

Oh yes he is. This last week for some reason has been and awaking for me. I've realized that I have one serious Mama's boy. Since he is now crawling, he can officially "hunt me down"....and HE DOES! I wish I could say it is with a happy face, but alas, it is usually with tears running down his little fat cheeks. He will crawl all the way into my bedroom, bathroom, kitchen...or wherever I am, and he comes right up to me whining, then he throws himself into a backward arch, and looks right and me and goes into a full blown cry? I thought his sister Mycah could beat any kid at the loud pitch cry, he has proven that he is every bit as capable as his sister. Now in order for me to be a "good" mom, I try not to encourage this behavior by just picking him up. But, when I don't, he uses his new skill of standing by pulling himself up on my legs and holding on. This makes walking impossible. He is pretty content with Daddy, but.....when I walk in the room....his little lip pokes right out and you know he's gearin' up to cry for mommy. Oh whats a mom to do?

Logan is 10 1/2 months old now, and here are some things about my little guy:

He has two teeth on the bottom. He is crawling, and walking along furniture. He loves real food! He loves playing with his Sisters if they'll let him. Dejah is usually the most loving to him, Mycah tends to be the bully and plays rough. He doesn't really like that. He LOVES back rubs. It is the one thing I'm sure will calm him. He has the fattest little thighs and feet. He definitely got my brown eyes and he is just as bald as his sisters were. He loves it when I play with him. He squawks all the time saying "Da Da Da..Da". He hates sippy cups, but loves it if you give him something from a straw or real cup. He's obsessed with the broom. Whenever the pantry is open, it is the first yucky thing he goes for. He loves to get out. If Logan is having a "meltdown", I can calm him by taking him somewhere. He is still a terrible sleeper, I'm not sure what I'm going to do when baby Four comes. Literally he wakes up squawking or crying every night. Last night he cried for at least a couple hours on three separate occasions. Anyway, I love my boy! I'm so glad to have him.

Can You Believe I Am Half Way There?

That's right! I am 20 Weeks Prego!

The Big 2 - 0

Little Baby....still unknown what you are, is now around 6 inches in length, or about the size of and eggplant. I feel movement most when I am laying back, relaxed on my bed, chowing down on something yummy. Limbs are grown, and from your last ultrasound...you are looking really healthy. Unfortunately, you seem to be a little shy on film, and won't flash us a view. So hopefully in two weeks you will get over it, because I'm dieing to know what to name you.

My body isn't too excited about the "take over".

It never really had time to recover from little "big" brother.

Veins are popping out worse than they ever have! To top it off, they are very sore. My rib cage and hips know exactly what to do......Spread! Causing my butt to flatten, yes, pants won't stay up anymore. A new occurrence...Charley horses in my foot.

You must love sugar, because I have a hard time eating anything else. And whats up with the Dr. Pepper kick? I used to have self control, that is now out the window.

Well baby, if I am 20 weeks along, it really means I'm less because you WILL be evicted as early as safely possible. Until then, here's to hoping still you are a boy, with blue eyes, dark skin, and BLOND hair :)

(I can dream right?)

Painting Easter Eggs

Temper Tantrum = Cold Shower

These pictures of Mycah are a little old...but you get the idea.

If you've ever had a child I'm sure you fully understand what a tantrum is. But my Mycah puts a whole new meaning to Temper Tantrum.

She is now Three and definitely old enough to be disciplined. For some reason, this week, she has been really testing me. She becomes the Queen of "Terrible Twos". No amount of time outs or spankings will fix the problem. I've stuck her in the garage, my room, her room, the living room in one spot. She screams the whole time even kicking walls and doors, then when her time is up, she is right back at me. So here is my remedy, the only thing that works...I pick her up and stick her in the bathtub and crank on the cold water shower, clothes and all. She HATES it, but she submits. After she agrees to calm down and stop throwing her tantrum, we pull off her wet clothes, wrap her in a towel, and we are on to a peaceful day. It is rare that I have to resort to this method. I reserve it for the "big ones", and she has learned. Call me a mean mom all you want. I would never hurt my child. I love her to bits, and I always do my best. So if you are at your wits end with your tantrum thrower, try it, you might be surprised.

Easter Egg Hunt

We woke up this morning to sunny skies and FREEZING cold temps!! Oh well, kids gotta do and Easter Egg Hunt right? So we went to the one here in Kuna. It was fun, despite the weather. We bundled them all up good. Dejah was a bit grumpy at first, but she was just nervous to run out in the field all by herself. She felt better after a girl from the ward found her and ran out there with her. Logan was a trooper, and Mycah was excited!

Spring Break...Building A Fence...Part 3

This spring break has been pretty nuts. First off, the weather is CRAPPY! I really hoped for nice warm weather so that I could be outside helping, but that just wasn't the case. With cold wet weather, my kids need to be INDOORS. This has been mainly an Alex Only job, and its looking good.

Here are some pictures of Alex out in the rain.

We are almost done. I'll post pictures of the final results when I can.