Halloween

Here we go... Halloween 2009!
I adore this holiday, it's fun to decorate, fun to cook for, and the kids love it!
Here is my monkey Ryker blowing you some bubbles!

Peyton is a boxer (I'm no make-up artist... he is supposed to have a black eye and bloody lip.)
And I am supposed to be a giant red crayon.

Peyton and cousin Hayley/Minnie

Mini Mummy pizza's (if you can't tell- as some couldn't...) Cupcake spiders (that needed black licorice legs- couldn't find it...) and root beer (semi-homemade...)

Don't give me too much credit.

Hayley, Peyton, Zekie
So very, very excited to go trick or treating!
They completely grasped the concept that people give you candy on this holiday- and were all fired up to start ringing doorbells!

Ryker is almost 11 months old now... He has a record 6 teeth! So, he had his first taste of candy. See the mouth open wide??
GIVE ME MORE MAMA!!!
He also got his first taste of popcorn. Salty, buttery, mmmm heaven!

I hope everyone's Halloween holiday was as amazing as mine!

Fall family Photos

There you have it!

"Faking it"

I do a lot of faking. And not in the way you think... (I never have to fake that...)

In thinking about my average day, I have to put on a show, or, fake it all the time.

Example: As a labor nurse I have to "pretend" to be some girls best friend and biggest supporter all day. -- "I love you _____ !" "You can do this!" "You're so amazing and strong!" (The last one is my favorite! I tell everyone this! Come on! Not everyone is amazing and strong- women everywhere are having babies (there's someone in the next room doing the exact same thing actually...)

Anyway, if you think back to your Labor and Delivery nurse when you had your baby(s) She really had to put on a show for you. Hold your hand while you're getting your epidural. Get your husband soda and cookies. Tell your extended family to "GO AWAY" when you are to scared to do it. Smile and act like the horrible name you picked out for your child is -the cutest name EVER! And soooo original. Pretend to care about your RIDICULOUS birth plan, and help you to breast feed... Tell you everything will be OK- just one more push!! ALL LIES! ALL FAKE!

I really don't care! I'm only here cause they pay me! (not entirely true... I love my job, and I do care about your baby and your medical care. I just don't care that much.) I walk out to the nurses station when it is all over and sigh, and make fun of you and think "why isn't there a daytime EMMY award for nurses?"

Then, at the end of the day, I go home and fake it some more... Oh, all smiles and happiness to be home! It's OK that the house is a mess, it doesn't bother me... (fake- it does bug me.) I'll get dinner on- smile, smile...
Then I change poopy diapers with a smile and a giggle, I tickle little bellies and pretend to be a pirate while the kids are in the bath... I put on a great show of reading stories with fabulously funny voices, and give Mariah Carey a run for her money with my rendition of "Wheels on the bus" and "little bunny fo fo" bedtime songs...

Aaaah, the only time I don't fake it, is with Mark. That last hour of the day when I sit down and relax and I get to complain my head off to my husband, and be all sorts of pessimistic and onry. Aaaah, sweet relief.
But, therein lies the problem. Mark kinda likes happy Kimi. He wants me to keep up the show. He wants the smiles and hugs and happiness. But I can't do it all the time hun! Even an incredible actress such as myself needs a little "down time..."

So this has also got me thinking, that if I am "faking it" all the time; maybe it's not really fake.... Hmmmmm... Maybe the gooey, sappy Kimi is the real Kimi, and the pessimistic crap left over is where I fake it. I mean, if 18 hours out of the day I put on a smile, eventually that has to become the real me right??
So, now I am having an identity crisis. Where have I gone? Who am I?

Hmmmmm again.

But, I do really love my children-- funny voices and all. And I do really love my job-- crazy pregnant people and all. And I do REALLY love my Marky-- Pessimism and all (I fell kinda bad, all he gets are the leftovers.)
And maybe if I was skinnier- I could try out for a spot on "Grey's Anatomy" I really feel I am well prepared for any role. And then, and only then, would I be compensated fairly for my amazing acting skills!!!

:)

Sleep

Day in the life of me...

Go to work- deliver babies, get blood on my shoes. ugh.
Come home- make dinner, feed boys, do dishes, clean up toys, feed boys something else... Ryker inevitably spits up something orange on carpet that wont come out, even with vigorous scrubbing. Bathe boys, pj's, stories, songs... ect. Peyton has night terror, Ryker wakes up.... Pick up more toys, attempt to do laundry... Fall asleep while brushing teeth.

Aaaah, so here's the deal. I am a very tired Kimi. I go to the dentist, they allow me to LAY down- and there are no kids needing me... I, of course, immediately fall asleep. My dentist thinks this is really funny. I am, he says, the only patient who can sleep through a root canal... or even a simple cleaning. (They LAY the chair back?!?! Come on...)

I fall asleep in line at the grocery store, at stoplights, while having conversations with Mark... Anywhere really.

I'm tired.

So, this week I also FINALLY had a day where I was able to SQUEEZE in a massage. Don't get too excited for me yet. This was a gift certificate for my birthday that I am just now using... 2 months late. So lets get real- a quiet dark room, bed, massage... I promptly fall asleep. ARRRRRRGH. Falling asleep is fine at the dentist, but I really WANTED to stay awake for the massage so I could FEEL it. Bummer.
I mean it was like lay down, "how's the pressure?" "OK, good" and then... "OK, Kim, we're all done now." I was like- laugh, laugh, very funny, you just started. Um, nope. I fell asleep.

This just keeps getting better. So I thought I would share my funny story about the craziest place I have ever fallen asleep...

When I first became pregnant with Ryker I was a little nervous. This had been an assisted pregnancy due to some infertility and I was having some bleeding. So, as I work with my OB, he agreed to give me an early ultrasound to make me happy. (*make me stop bugging him...)
Come over to the office at the end of the day, he says, and I will just fit you in real quick. No problem.
I go to the office just before 5 PM. No one is expecting me, but my doctor just tells me to go into the ultrasound room and wait for him. I also need to mention that because this is an EARLY ultrasound, it is the kind I have to get necked for. I change into the drape, and wait. Again, this is a room with a table/bed in it; I'm pregnant (= tired). So after a while I just lay back....

When I come to- I look at the clock and see, much to my surprise, that it is well past 6 PM. Oh dear.
I slowly get up off the table and with the thin paper drape around me, open the room door and peek out into a VERY DARK, VERY EMPTY hall. Ummmmm. "Dr ____ ?" I call. "Anyone??" I tiptoe down the hall to the desk area, yup, everyone is gone. The office is all locked up.
And you know the 1st thing that comes to my mind? I really wanted that ultrasound!!!

So my OB, who I work closely with, nonetheless. Totally forgot me. All the office staff locked up and went home, all while I slept peacefully in a thin paper gown in the ultrasound room.

It's a good thing I don't embarrass easily and know my way around this office, because I have to get dressed and let myself out (and lock up behind me...)

The next morning when I went to work the night shift laughed at me, and said that when Dr ____ came in, in the middle of the night for a c-section, he had this epiphany in the operating room and suddenly remembered that he had left me there!
He was all "OH NO! I think I left Kim in the ultrasound room!"
So the girls were all like- how long did you wait, maybe a 1/2 hour?
Nope, not me! I fell asleep and waited almost 2 hours!

So this-everyone, is the most unusual place I have fallen asleep. And also the running joke at the hospital!

$$$

Oh the internet.... In an effort to be a better wife/ mother, I am attempting to be "frugal"...
We will see how this works out...

Anyway; yada, yada, yada I spent 6 hours today looking up every feasible website invented to make my life easier/ save me money. A lot of them were just crap. A lot of them were too hard to navigate. Most did not actually offer any helpful coupons, and the ones designed to offer money saving tips/ good mommy ideas- were just plain stupid. (I don't need step by step instructions on how to change a diaper/ or navigate a supermarket, thank you!!)
And, after all my valuable time, I did find a few amazing deals and fun stuff.
Now, because I care... I thought I would share the best sites.
ENJOY!!

I went to 41 coupon sites. Most wanted money from you, to help you save money??? hmmmm.... Um, NO!
Some wanted you to sign up for a bunch of crap, some had NO helpful coupons.
BUT...
coupons.com was by far my favorite. I was offered hundreds of printable coupons! It was easy to select the ones I wanted, hit print, and now grocery shopping this week should be cheaper!
smartsource.com was similar.

shoplocal.com allows you to see all the ads for your area (good if you don't get the Sunday paper) However, it's easy to get distracted on this site by uselessness...

thecouponclippers.com one of the nations largest online grocery coupon clipping services, has more than a million national-brand and restaurant coupons at any given time. You can order coupons and for a small fee of a few cents per coupon, have them mailed to you. (a $1 coupon for coca-cola for 20 cents, ect...)
I am mixed about this one, because some of the coupons were REALLY good. like $4 dollars off a pack of Mark's favorite razors, and lots of baby coupons. The site was also very user friendly. But this is one of those that make you pay....

Now for my favorite find of the day...
paperbackswap.com
LOVE IT! Join the club online. Easy and FREE. post the books you want to share, Then find a book you want, just click the "Order this book" button. The books you receive are free and yours to keep. When another member requests one of your books, you accept the request and pay the postage to mail the book; they return the favor when they mail a book to you. Print mailing labels right from the website. (Typically, the postage is $2.23 to send a book) Credits are the unit of exchange. When your book is received you get a credit, which you can then use to order another book for yourself.
This was fun and easy, and there are a ton of books. Website is similar to Amazon with book descriptions and reviews. So much fun to navigate and play on this site. What a great idea!

starfall.com I've talked about this one before. Fun and FREE! For kids. Helps them learn letters and learn to read. We've been using this site for years. Peyton knew his alaphabet at 2, because of this site.

I am not a saver, and I do not spend time thinking of ways to save money. I think of ways to spend it...
But, dang-it-all! Kids are expensive! Diapers, formula, baby food, preschool.... I had to do something!
So, I hope my sharing will help you!

P.S. It was near impossible for me to find formula/ baby food coupons! If anyone knows how to score Enfamil coupons- let me know!
I currently signed up for "Enfamil family beginings" under like- 4 names to get them to mail me some...
Is it just me, or do they send you tons of coupons when your baby is brand new and you are determined to breast feed for a year.... Then they expire, so you throw them away. Then (for me) reality hits, I decide I want my boobs back by around 9 months and go to bottles. BUT, by then the coupon train has run dry...
So, I re-signed up giving Ryker a new B-day.... (I may go to hell, but so are the formula makers for charging me more than a car payment every month to feed my kid!!!)

Happiness!

What is Happiness?? Some days it's a full nights sleep, a clean kitchen, a diet soda, or just finding a good parking spot at the grocery store...
This week it has been 4 straight days off work and perfect weather to play with the loves of my life!
It's no small secret, that I never imagined my life would play out like this... But these days, I wouldn't want to be anyone else. I'm not a sappy, gooey person, but, Hello! Could the boys in my life be more perfect for me?!? A husband who makes me smile daily, Kids that make me laugh daily, friends that I talk to daily, and finally.... loosing 10 pounds this month and fitting back into pre-preggers jeans will make you the happiest girl in the neighborhood!

Happiness is a day at the zoo with your friend Carson and the giant green slide your mother let you play on for almost an hour!

Happiness is being big enough to ride the carousel.
Happiness is time with mom/ time with the kids, seeing your favorite animals, having a picnic lunch, getting ice cream and then naps in the car!!

Happiness is Ryker learning to crawl and finally being able to get to those toys that were "just" out of reach!

Happiness is learning to stand by the couch so you can be tall like your big brother! Happiness is lowering the crib, and watching my boys grow up and being excited at every small milestone!

Happiness is a brother you adore, and having built in friends in your family!

Happiness for Peyton is fall preschool, and getting out of the house for 3 hours, twice a week! Happiness is mom finally getting a hot shower every day now! Happiness is the cute new fall clothes I get to buy for my boys! Happiness is Mark being back on day shift and having family dinners again.

Happiness for Ryker is his 2 new teeth and a biter biscuit. Getting all messy and then having a bath! Happiness for mom is finally having the 2 teeth come in, the 20 mins of quiet bliss the biter biscuit provides and getting all clean!
Happiness is that both of my boys sleep -12 straight uninterrupted hours at night, and they way they look perfect and innocent while sleeping.

Island Park

The yearly tradition continues... This year with 6 of the 7 grand kids-whew! Lots and lots of work, but worth it!
The first collage is Big Springs, and feeding the GIANT fish! Beautiful! Great weather too. Just like every year, we see moose, Peyton was thrilled to pose for a picture with her.

Yellowstone fun! Top left is the kids waiting for Old Faithful, and finally the eruption... Ta Da! Worth the wait kids??? I don't know... but we got ice cream after, so that was good! I should mention that Peyton and Hayley are inseparable, and even after the 5 hour car ride home today, still wanted to play together! When asked what their favorite part of the trip was?? Watching movies in the car on the drive up.... Yup, really! I should also mention, It was my birthday on Yellowstone day- I celebrated by giving Ryker a bath in a bucket in the kitchen sink! Quite redneck, Oh, but he loved it! And he got clean! Then as soon as we fell asleep in our sleeping bag together... he peed on me! Thanks for the Birthday present Ry! Just what I wanted!

This collage is the scenic hike at Yellowstone. 2 miles, with 6 kids under 3. Need I repeat that?? 2 miles-- with 6 kids under 3! Peyton learned to pee in the woods, again very redneck, but oh, he loved it! I learned I'm out of shape, Peyton also fell 3 times, and learned to "watch where you're going!!" Mark learned Ryker is heavy, and again, I learned that- yes- Peyton will pick his nose in what would have been a great photo of us overlooking Yellowstone Lake!

Just outside the cabin is Moose Creek, my favorite childhood spot! Did you know I have 4 brothers, and 2 sons of my own. My oldest brother has 3 sons, and my next brother has the ONLY girl, Hayley (I feel for her, I really do. But she holds her own- don't worry) and 1 (new) son. So we have A LOT of boys! I think that this trip will continue on forever and become everyone's favorite, just like my own.
Lots of trout, and this time of year spawning Salmon. Lots of frogs and fun! And, no one fell in this year- close- but no one fell in!


So that is it. There were a few tears (OK- a lot of tears- 6 kids under 3.) A few "Bachman breaks" taken by Mark :) . Some scraped knees, 1 sliver in a little hand, 1 box of cheese crackers ground into my back seat, 1 (32) ounce diet Dr pepper spilled (by me) on the middle seat. 1 sleeping bag full of pee. 6 headaches, 1 bottle of Motrin, 1 moose, 1 night terror (are you serious!! Now Peyton! It's 1 AM and there is a cabin FULL of people....) 1 plastic cup thrown into the river which Rob Jr. enthusiasticly waded/swam into 30 degree water to retrieve-(Bachman's don't litter people!) 6 little dirty smiling faces, and 6 exhuasted adults!

But, again, no one fell into the creek, no one fell into the fire. We all made it home alive (barely). And now I have 100 loads of dirty laundry!