What a night!

We had the best evening as a family yesterday. And it was totally impromptu :)

I was having a dinner fog (I couldn't think of anything to make from our "grocery-less" cupboards). We were supposed to go to a friend's house for dinner but they woke up sick. Disappointed we were, but happy we weren't going to be exposed to extra germs :).

So, we decided to use some gift cards Zac had been given. Side note: I don't know if this happens a lot to other people or not, but we have a very generous church and, I guess because Zac is a pastor, we are randomly given some very wonderful gift cards to various places. I guess it's a fun way for people to show their appreciation---and we sure appreciate that!!

So, we headed out to Red Robin because who doesn't love a good burger and unlimited french fries?! The boys were PERFECT. I have to take note of times like these, because it doesn't always turn out that way. They were super cute, very obedient, and even ate all of their food. We held Brody until our food came and then he happily smiled at us from his carseat. Throughout the meal, Joel kept checking in with all of us. "You okay in your seat, Brody?". "How you doing over there, Jesse? (We were at kind of a big table...we now qualify as one of "those" families, I guess, where we have to yell to be heard across the table because any table at a restaurant that doesn't seat 4, usually can seat at least 8, haha).

Next we went to McDonalds, got cookies for Mommy and boys and a milkshake for Daddy. Then back home where it was to bed for Brody and the rest of us ate popcorn (minus me, yeck, popcorn!) and watched Toy Story. Jesse called it the "pokey baby movie" because of the creepy looking baby in the mean boys room. Funny.

Anway, last night gave me a fun glimpse into the future of when mealtimes can be more fun and less stress. Everyone can eat their own food. No one needs a mid-meal bottle or nursing, and I don't have to magically whip out a bib on a moments notice. For now, we will definitely enjoy these moments along with all of the other moments too!

Wow

I think this new template is a bit "intense", if you will. But it will have to do for now until I have more time to fool around with this. Maybe Zac can help me this weekend--he can do it ten times faster than me.

On a happy note, a sweet friend from our church called me last night and wanted me to give her some dates that would work to come over and watch the boys for me. I had a slightly diffiuclt "situation" at her house the previous morning when I was there for a prayer group. Just think lots of tears from two of my boys, a few tantrums, and a set of lost keys (that was my fault) and you'll get the picture.

I asked her how many boys she was up to keeping, and she said, "All of them!". What a saint! So now we have three dates on the calendar for the next month and I am walking with a little spring in my step. Seriously, did I just say that..am I 65?

Whatever. It is really a blessing and I hope that I can do the same for a young family when my kids are older and I have the time and actually miss changing diapers and rocking crying babies (again, did I really just say that? I am working on only a few hours sleep, forgive me...obviously "Operation Sleep" hasn't seen extreme success).

How do you know?

So this is something I've been pondering lately, and someone brought it up at a prayer group the other day and so I thought I'd throw it out there.

How do you know when you are done having kids?

In some circumstances, physical limitations make it obvious--like you have extreme difficulty getting pregnant and maybe it just isn't going to happen again, or you have had physically traumatic deliveries/pregnancies that force you to stop, or you are getting up there in years, or you have an illness, etc.

But when everything seems to go fairly smoothly, how do you know when to stop? Do people just "know" when they are done? I've heard some people say that, but I've also had friends say they agonized about it for years and either just took the plunge and had another, or agonized so long that then it was too late for more kids.

Hmmm...I used to think I wanted 4 kids. That seemed pretty normal (although maybe slightly chaotic). Since I've started having my own, 4 sure seems like a lot :).
But then I have to remind myself that they won't be this young forever, and life won't be so physically exhausting--although I know we will always be just as busy, it will take on different forms.

And what role do finances play? Or house size? Or the desire to travel or allow kids to participate in extracurriculur activities?

All I know is that I feel pretty overwhelmed at times right now and money is tight, but I can't imagine never having another baby. But then again, I say that after each of my children is born. It truly is a miracle. Someday I will just have to learn to appreciate the memory of that miracle for myself, and celebrate it in the present with others :).

Did any of you "know" one way or the other?

"Jesse-isms"

Jesse says some of the funniest things. I want to remember them so I'm writing them here, for now.

Last night while reading Goodnight Moon, he pointed to a blazing fire in the fireplace and said, "Look, there's a pacifier".

Whenever he doesn't want to do something (i.e. clean up toys, put shoes on, etc.) or eat something he dramatically clutches his stomach and says in a very pathetic voice, "I can't, my stomach's mc-hurtin" (I'm not even sure how to spell that, but it sounds like McDonalds, only McHurtin).

He says his full name "Jesse Clope-end Hicks"...it's really Coupland, my mom's maiden name.

Randomness.

That's how I'm feeling right now so that's what's coming out :) (Enjoy the random pictures too...he's getting so big!!)

I think I'm going to update the look of by blog, whenever I get a chance. It's getting kind of old for me so be on the lookout!

I finally got around to actually typing out all of the random recipes that I have collected over the past 7 years. They were all stuffed in a recipe binder on various sizes and types of paper and I had to search through each one every time I was looking for a specific paper. No more! I typed out 80+ recipes and just need to print them out, punch holes, and file them in my binder (thanks Mom Hicks, you gave me this for my wedding and it already has the labeled tabs!). This was one of those "nesting" tasks that I never got around to.

Joel got a big boy bike today (with training wheels). We will practice riding it in the basement this winter and hopefully make an outside debut later this spring. He doesn't totally "get" it yet, but it will come. Oh, looking at him on that bike with his very grown-up looking guitar shirt that my mom got him made me realize what a big boy he is! Sad and happy all at the same time.

Zac got me a big chef's knife for Christmas. The big one that all of the fancy people use on the Food Network to dice their onions and garlic. I'm excited.

And, a random confession. I hope some of you out there support me in this...someone must because it's awfully popular. I LOVE reality TV shows. Not all of them, but a good many of them. My favorites: The Bachelor, The Hills, Amazing Race (just started again tonight but I missed it...going to get the blanket in aforementioned post), Project Runway, American Idol, and more, I have a tired brain right now so I can't think of them. Honestly, find them way more entertaining than canned sitcoms and over-the-top dramas. I don't know, I just thought I'd throw this out there. What are some of your favorites?

Oh, and I ordered a new double stroller that I'm pretty excited about! Do any of you feel like you need a new/different stroller every six months, depending on the ages and stages of your kids? For various reasons, this is our 6th stroller. Don't worry, though, I only keep two at a time and sell the others. How can such little people need so much gear? I thought about that as I moved over the swing to make room for the exersaucer, and then brought out the Bumbo seat so I could move the bouncy seat upstairs to use while I shower. Seriously? All for little Brody...

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

Operation Sleep

Tonight I begin "Operation Sleep". That's what I am calling my new efforts to get Brody to sleep better at night (mind you, I didn't say "to sleep through the night", just "better"). I do realize that he is only 3 1/2 months old and it's a bit amibitious to expect him to sleep through the night already (although everyone else I know who has babies his age enjoy full nights of sleep...whatever). I'm only asking for 3-4 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Here's my plan:

1. I drove (and sweet Zac and the boys came with me) for over an hour to get a "miracle blanket" that I found on craigslist for a mere $10. Don't ask how much it cost in gas to actually get there and back. Think baby straight jacket and you'll have a pretty clear picture of what this is.

2. We have ordered a sound machine for Brody's room. It should arrive toward the end of this week and I'm pretty excited. It's makes noises like waves, rain, babbling brook, etc. Some people swear by it. And it's small enough to travel with because I've never wanted my kids to get addicted to something necessary for sleep if it isn't easy to take with us when they need to sleep somewhere else.

3. Cluster feeding. Lots of feeding sessions in the final hours before bed.

4. Not waking him up to feed him again around 10 pm (before I go to bed)because I wondered if maybe I was disrupting his sleep. I also plan to go to bed earlier (shortly after I get the bigger boys down) to catch a few extra hours there. It's not fun, but necessary right now.

So, that's it. Wish me luck :)

They really do.

Everyone is always telling me how much Joel and Jesse (and now Brody) all look alike. I've never really seen it (except for when I compare the baby pictures of all three).

But last night they wanted to wear their matching pj's so I took a picture. All of a sudden, I could see it! They do look a little bit alike (except for their very different hair and skin coloring) :).

Oh, and Curious George is sitting next to Jesse. He is a constant companion. And Joel is holding his "blankie" who is his constant companion (at home only). He even has created this awful voice that is "blankie's voice" because Joel pretends it's a real person. The voice is really gravelly and creepy sounding and Zac and I cannot help but laugh when blankie is talking.

25 Random Things About Me

I got tagged to do this on Facebook and thought I'd copy it to my blog, just for fun since some people who read my blog don't even know what facebook is :) (Mom!).

1. I used to be a total perfectionist. That started waning a bit in college and went completely by the wayside after I had kids. Now, "close enough" is usually sufficient, except when you are talking about putting on a diaper--"close enough" just doesn't cut it.

2. I have a sensory processing disorder and one of the symptoms is an extremely oversensitive nervous system. I have ridiculously keen senses of smell, taste, and hearing. I also have a really hard time "shutting down" when it's time to sleep. This makes waking up all night long to feed a newborn difficult, and naps are virtually impossible. Bummer. I actually just discovered that's what my problem was after Joel was diagnosed with Autism and we began doing tons of research about that and related disorders.

3. My family traveled a lot while I wasgrowing up and I've been to over 20 different countries...including Hawaii (ha ha--Zac gets so mad because growing up in Hawaii people would say when they were in Hawaii that they were getting ready to go back to "the States"...like Hawaii wasn't a state but it's own country).

4. On the travel note, I accidentally used a men's restroom in Germany and was cursed out (presumably) in German by a man who walked in while out of the stall while I was washing my hands. I was also propsed to at the Eifel Tower by a strange Parisian man.

5. I was stung by a scorpion 5 times in the back while on a mission trip in Honduras. I was okay--just had a high fever so the villagers made me sit in a hammock by a fire (great). Zac was also on the trip and got gastroenteritis so they made him eat an entire lemon, just like an apple. I got the better end of the deal.

6. I've broken my nose 3 times. One of them was Zac's fault and happened on our anniversary (it's a funny story).

7. I threw up daily for 7 months straight when I was pregnant with Joel.

8. I LOVE cereal and could eat it for every meal for a week. I've fostered the same love in my boys :).

9. I am left-handed and think it's pretty cool. I've tried to force the boys to be but so far it hasn't worked. I'm still holding out for Brody.

10. Once when I was flying on an airplane, the cabin rapidly began filling with smoke, the breathing masks came down and we had to make an emergency landing.

11. I do not consider myself a crafty person at all, but I do really enjoy decorating.

12. I am so thankful to have survived cancer thus far, but I have a deep down fear that it will come back and leave my boys without a mommy and their dad without a wife. :(

13. We got a minivan last year before Brody was born and I am only slightly embarrased to say that I LOVE it! A mom of small children must have designed it :).

14. I really don't drink alcohol of any kind. I have some strange allergy to it where immediately my throat starts to get tight and I feel flushed all over. It's genetic because my mom has it too.

15. I consider myself a friendly person, but I wish I was a little more outgoing. I am often pretty quiet around strangers and I think people think I am snobby.

16. I have an extreme sweet tooth that gets even worse when I am toward the end of my pregnancies. I am sure that helps contribute to the 50+ pounds that I gain each time.

17. I've been changing diapers for almost 41/2 years straight. For almost half of that time I've had 2 kids in diapers, averaging around 12-15 a day. Yikes! I feel sorry for the mom who just had octuplets!

18. I really hope to have a girl some day but am not sure if I could survive having 4 boys! :)

19. In college, I played through the remainder of a tennis season with a stress fracture in my leg. That was a bad choice because now I cannot even walk further than a mile without lots of pain for several days.

20. We have a pretty strict household budget and are quite frugal. We don't travel (except for with my very generous parents), we rarely eat out, we don't have cable TV, Zac drives my 15 year old Honda, we only recently purchased life insurance (it seems like a necessity now), we cut our own hair, etc...but when I got pregnant with Brody, my splurge became to have someone clean my house every other week. It is a huge BLESSING! I still do it myself on the alternate weeks but, oh how I love the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month!!!

21. I tried to learn how to knot when I was super pregnant with Joel and it was a disaster. I was going to make Zac and Joel matching hats and was feeling incredibly domestic, but they turned out very worng! I think I made two decent scarves and gave them to my mother-in-law and sister-in-law as gifts :).

22. I am not really a dreamer (as in major goals and plans for life). I am pretty content just doing the daily routine. Zac, however, is the family visionary so I just focus on supporting his dreams and live vicariously through him. Is that okay :)?

23. I only own one pair of high-heeled shoes and I had to buy them for a wedding last summer.

24. I know more dogs than people with the name Abby.

25. I am in the middle of reading the Bible straight through in 90 days. Over 600 people at our church are doing it and it's been really cool. (See Zondervan's website for details on the program).

26. And one for good measure--I am SO SO thankful to be a child of God.

Who's Who? Part 2

Who's Who? Part 1

These are pictures of each of the boys, taken relatively around the same age...can you guess who is who?