Monday

It is definitely Monday. After a great weekend of spending time together as a family, it is always hard to start the week. This morning was no exception. I had gone to all the work of getting the girls dressed, fed and in the car to go to the library but when I went to start the van, it wouldn't start. It turns out that when Dave got a blanket out of the back of the van, he had not shut the door all the way. The battery is dead! Fortunately that is all that is wrong with it. Dave can't make it home today due to a busy workday, so I guess I am stuck at home. I guess it is a good thing because our house is in desperate need of a good cleaning. Hopefully I can get some motivation to tackle that.
We had a great weekend out on the town. Dave and I have been wanting to get a gym membership for quite a while now and we finally got around to joining. Saturday we went and joined the YMCA. We took a tour of the facility and it is huge! The thing that made us join though was the childcare. It is included in the membership and the room were they watch the kids is amazing. There is an indoor play area sort of like the playgrounds at McDonald's or Chic-fil-a but ten times as big. There is also an outdoor playground. Emily calls it the way big park. We can see the girls through a mirror while we are working out. The YMCA also has 2 pools, one indoor and one outdoor, and they have swimming lessons for kids as young as 6 months. There is racquetball courts, which Dave liked, and there are basketball courts. There is an indoor track and outdoor trail to run on. We are really looking forward to spending time there and getting into shape.
Sunday we went back to Tomball Bible Church. Our church in Round Rock had recommended it to us and we went last week but they were having Missions week so we didn't get a good feel for the church. Yesterday we got to hear the pastor speak and we are not sure if we want to continue going there. Both Dave and I did not care for the music style the 2 times we went and we weren't sure we agreed with everything the pastor was talking about. We may give it another shot but we really want to move on and find a church which we both love.

Love Bugs

They are back! We have missed the last 2 springs here in Texas so I had completely forgotten about the horrible invasion of the love bugs this time of year. If you click on the link, you can read all about them. I first remember seeing love bugs in College Station. They would come in the spring in masses and they died on the fronts of every ones cars. The last few days as I have been driving, I have noticed the large amount of bugs flying right into my windshield. When I stop at a light, they swarm around the car. They can't bite and they don't hurt you, they are just really annoying because they are everywhere!

Another thing that I have had more than enough of seeing to last a life time is vultures. I know that when you see a vulture or group of vultures circling in the sky, it probably means something has died. I know of what they do to the dead animals but I have never had the pleasure of witnessing it, until last week, and today. Last week there was a group of vultures tearing up a dead animal. I could not make out what they were eating but it had to be big because it took them all day. Again today, I saw another group (or maybe they were the same ones, who knows?) ripping apart another dead animal. I guess that since we live on a road were there is a lot of nothing, there is also a lot of wildlife.

It is my favorite time of day right now! 1 pm=nap time! Both of the girls are down and I am free to do whatever I want! If I am lucky, I will have 2 hours to myself. Ally usually doesn't take that long of a nap though but hopefully today I will be lucky!

A few pictures

Ally learning to cook.

She is getting so big!

I think someone has been trying to steal our honey!

Gotcha!

Giving in

I just gave Emily a couch bed because her nail was hurting. Sometime a mom just has to give in ;)
She asked so sincerely. I couldn't resist.

Baby Isaac

I wanted to say congratulations to my good friend Amy on the birth of their second son Isaac Frank Masters! He arrived on April 16th after only 1 push from Amy! I am so happy for you guys and we love you and miss you!

Bad blogger

I have been really bad at blogging lately and I am really sorry about that. I know many of you look forward to updates and pictures. As Ally is getting bigger, she is requiring so much more attention. She has gotten really fast at her army crawl and she is getting into everything! I leave her in one place and the next minute, she is completely gone. She can get from one side of the house to the other in a couple of seconds. It is fun to watch her but it is also scary because she is trying to get into everything. Her favorite trouble spots are next to the computer were the plugs are and the TV cords and plugs. She also likes to crawl into the kitchen and the floor isn't exactly the cleanest. Her clothes usually end up getting really dirty. Ally is also getting really good and moving her walker. She can go forwards and backwards, sideways, and turn around. The new game is to try and not get your toes ran over by Ally when she is in her walker. So far, everyone but Ally is losing.

I was supposed to go and get Ally updated with all of her shots this past Tuesday because she is behind on a couple. I set up the appointment over a week ago and I got up early Tuesday, got the girls ready, fed, and in the car before 8:20 am (which is not an easy task by myself), drove the 25 minutes to the doctor's office, waited 45 minutes and finally decided to talk to the nurse about why we weren't being seen yet. The nurse came out and informed me that they didn't have Ally's medical records and that I needed to call to have them faxed. First of all, couldn't they have figured this out over the phone with me instead of 45 minutes after our appointment time? Second, I had called for Ally's records before her 6 month check-up last month and they said they would mail them because they don't fax. The nurse told me they were trying to squeeze me in to this appointment on Tuesday already and that it would be best if I call and have the records faxed and come back another time. Why am I being squeezed in?? I called a week ago and set up the appointment! I was really upset and everyone in the waiting room was listening to conversation. Ally hadn't had a nap and was getting really cranky and Emily was tired of having to be quiet and sit still. I decided to just leave without arguing anymore with the nurse. I don't think I will be going back to that office. If you remember, they also didn't deal with Ally's and Em's diaper rashes either.

Here are some pictures of our Sunday afternoon. We broke out the pool and the sprinkler and Emily loved them both. She spent more time holding the sprinkler than anything and she even tried getting Dave and I soaked. Good times!

Fun at the park!

This past week I accidentally found an awesome park! It is right off of a beautiful lake in the Woodlands. Saturday we had a family outing to the park and here are a few highlights.

Emily and Dave looking at the lake.

Me and Emily by the lake.

Em "climbing" the rock wall.

Ally and me playing on the field.

Dave and Em playing in the sand.

Announcements!

Emily had her first haircut!!! I have been wanting to cut her hair for a while now, but Dave has not. He loves her curls and it was a big deal to convince him that she needed to have it cut. While I was in San Antonio, I convinced him to let my sister Chrisy cut it. It looks so cute and the best part is that she still has curls!!! Here are some pictures.

Still curly!

Another big announcement is that my oldest sister Jennifer is pregnant! She is 9 weeks along. Dave and I are so excited that Em and Ally will be having another cousin!

My mom left to go back to San Antonio today. We were sad to see her go but it is good to start getting life back to normal. My mom was such a big help over the last week and we are so thankful to have her in our life.

I had my post-op visit today and everything checked out great. The doctor said I could lift Ally. I have been in a lot of pain though since my visit because the doctor had to make sure everything was ok. Hopefully the pain will go away soon and I can get back to normal. I am really glad I had the surgery though. It has made a big difference already.

Home at last

I had my surgery last Wednesday and it went very well. I was actually asleep for the entire process which I wasn't expecting. When I woke up, I was in recovery were I stayed for about half an hour and then I was taken to the room I was released from. I was only in the hospital for about 3 hours total. I was given some pain medication right before I was released and that is where the trouble began. As Dave was taking me home, I was hit with a wave of nausea. The only reason I didn't throw up was because I hadn't eaten anything since midnight the night before. I got home and as soon as I hit the couch, I was out. The doctor told me I couldn't lift anything over 10 pounds for at least 3 weeks. My mom had come into town to watch the girls during my surgery and we decided it would be best I the girls and I went back to San Antonio with her until my post-op appointment. I was not excited about leaving Dave and the comfort of my own home, but I knew the girls and I would be well taken care of. I was completely useless for the 3 days following my surgery. I was given one pain medication that kept making me throw up. I called in for a new prescription and that one made me so sleepy. I could barely keep my eyes open while the medicine was in my system. The 3 hour drive to San Antonio was horrible. I was really sore and not supposed to sit on my bottom. I couldn't get comfortable in the car and we had to make 3 stops on the way to SA. It was a really long day. I spent the next 2 days sleeping on the couch while family members who live in SA came in and out taking care of me and the girls. I am truly blessed to have a family who is willing to help me out. I was not able to lift Em and Ally for the first couple of days and that was really hard for me. I accidentally picked Ally up a couple of times out of habit. Tuesday morning, 6 days after my surgery, I felt comfortable enough to try to pick up Ally. It doesn't hurt and I missed having her in my arms so much. I am not sure what the doctor is going to say, but I have my follow-up appointment tomorrow. My mom drove the girls and I back home yesterday and it feels so good to be back in my own bed and my own home. Dave got to come and visit us in SA over the weekend, but we still spent a couple of night apart, so it was good to be back at home with him. My mom is going to stay until after my appointment tomorrow. She has been such a big help and I am so thankful for her. I am recovering well, as far as I can tell. I went of my prescription pain medicine last Saturday and it feels good not to have that in my system anymore. I am taking Advil for the pain now and that works very well. I am still sore and I know I try to do too much. I am worried the doctor is going to yell at me for not getting more rest but I am not the kind of person who can just lay around when I am feeling well.
So much has happened in the last week so keep posted for more updates! Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me. I greatly appreciate it.

College Station

On Saturday, we drove to College Station for the day. The drive was amazing! There were flowers everywhere. It was breathtaking. We spent the day with Hannah and her husband Josh joined us for lunch. We really wanted to take Emily on a walk around campus. Dave had fun taking pictures of her. I stayed back with Hannah and we had a great time talking and catching up. The time went too fast and there was so much we still wanted to do but Em hadn't taken a nap all day and she was exhausted. Dave and I decided we will just have to make another trip again very soon!

Emily and Sul Ross.

Emily and Fish Pond.

Time to dive in!

Surgery

So I have been debating on if I should post about this and I have decided to go ahead and do it. Please stop reading anytime you feel uncomfortable!
On Wednesday, I will be having surgery. It is nothing major but it is still surgery. I have suffered from hemorrhoids and an anal fissure since I had Emily, and when Ally was born they got worse. I finally decided to go and see a doctor about them last week and he gave me two options. I could go on medication and wait it out or I could have surgery to have them fixed. Medication would require a sitz bath 3 times a day, Metamucal, and a prescription cream ointment. I have tried the first two already and I was also given a prescription a couple of months ago that didn't work so I was not excited about this option. Dave gave me full support to go ahead with the surgery. I am scheduled to go this Wednesday (4/9) at 8:30 am. It is an outpatient surgery so I will only have to be at the hospital for about 5 hours. I had my pre-op visit today and everything is a go. I am really nervous about the surgery because I have no idea what to expect. I am not sure what the recovery process is and how long it will take or how painful it will be. My doctor told me I should be getting back to normal in about a week, if everything goes well. The fissure should be healed in about 2 months and not bother me anymore. Please pray that everything goes well and that I will still be able to take care of the girls. I am nervous that they will tell me I can't lift Ally for a while. I am not sure how to handle that situation. Dave has been an awesome support system for me. He pushed me to go to the doctor and he has taken care of the girls so that I can make my appointments. My mom is driving in tomorrow so that she can watch the girls on Wednesday. She is planning to leave Thursday because she has to get back to work so I am nervous I won't be ready by then. I am really excited that my body is going to get back to normal but it is all happening so fast. I guess that is better than having to wait it out!

Two too many

I have taken on the task of taking care of two more kids. I have been looking for another source of income for Dave and I and for the last several weeks, I have been posting on craigslist for childcare jobs. I have received a lot of hits but nothing has ever gone through until this week. A mom needs me to take care of her two boys, ages 3 years and 5 months. It is only 2-3 days per week for 6 hours a day. Today is my first day and I am feeling completely overwhelmed. I am not sure what I was thinking getting into this situation but right now I feel I am in way over my head. The 5 month old, Reed, took forever to get to sleep this morning and he screamed and cried for what seemed like hours. In all reality, it was only about half an hour but during that time, Emily and Blake (3 years old) were hugging and fell down. Emily banged her head on the garage floor and began to cry. I had my arm full of crying babies and then Blake started to cry. I am not really sure how but I was able to get everyone inside and taken care of. I was finally able to get Reed to sleep and he has been napping ever since but Emily and Blake have hurt each other several times. They are not purposefully hurting one another, but they are both so wild and crazy that it keeps happening. They also keep running around the house yelling, which is great because they are toddlers and that is what toddlers do, but there are sleeping babies in the house. I try to keep them centralized in the living room, farthest from the babies, but they keep running off. I am not sure how Reed has stayed asleep. I keep going in to make sure he is still breathing. By some miracle, all of the kids are sleeping right now. I am trying to decide if this is what I want to do. When things are going smoothly and all of the babies are happy, it is a lot of fun, but that is really rare. On top of all this, I feel the mom is taking advantage of me. She persuaded me bellow my asking price and told me it would only be for 6 hours. This morning, she showed up half an hour late (I can understand this, having kids and all, but give me a call already) and then when I asked her when she would be back (which should have been 2, she said 4:30). I didn't say anything to her at the moment, but I think I will be talking to her when she gets back. The money is definitely not worth what she is asking for. Her kids are cute and fun but it is a lot of work. I also feel bad because at times I feel I have to neglect my own kids to take care of the other two.
Some highlights of the day have been:
Reading to the older kids
Watching the rain
Jumping on the air mattress
Eating Sponge Bob mac&cheese

Here is a picture of Emily and Blake on the air mattress. They are already good friends!

Funny girl!

Yogurt mustache!

Army Crawl!

Ally has started the army crawl just like Emily used to do! Check it out!

Back at home

We are back at home and trying to settle back into our daily routines. It has been difficult trying to get back on track because both of the girls have been sick. They seem to be getting better but the runny noses just won't stop. We don't have any big plans coming up in the near future. Dave's work is having a picnic this weekend but it is in Sealy, Tx and that is an hour and a half away. We are trying to decide if it is worth the drive. We have also considered heading to College Station for the day to catch up with some friends. It is nice to have an open schedule to spend our free time.