I Want to Cry.

Weaning is hard.  I  haven't nursed Quinn for a week, and I am IN PAIN.  Serious pain.  I was only nursing him once a day ... I didn't think it'd be this bad.  But seriously.  Ow.  I feel like I have 2 boulders stuck to my chest.  I can't even lift my arms.  :(

Darnit.

(on the bright side, I've never had, or will ever have, bigger boobs.  is that a bright side?  I can't really tell right now.  All I can think about is the burning pain.)

ok.  complaining over.

Halloween

This is what came out of our Halloween ... the kids had fun and got candied up ... so they're happy!

poor Kate had tripped in the first group picture, so she was unhappy, and then in this last picture she had just spilled water on herself.  I promise she DID have fun.

This is what we all dressed up as:
Matt - future Matt (himself in 2 weeks)
Honor - black cat
Brielle - 50s girl
Linzi - a Husky dog named Shasta
Tessa - orange fairy
Kate - butterfly (she was supposed to be a fairy, but she kept insisting she was a butterfly)
Quinn - tiger

Quite a feat to dress up a family this big if you ask me!  and to tell you the truth, I'm glad it's over.

Just a Couple Things ....

My profile is up on Mormon.org.  Check it out here. (or you can click on the nifty "I'm a Mormon" button on the right)

I haven't nursed Quinn in 3 days!  (I'm beyond thrilled ... and he's just ok.)

He looks happy enough I think. 

We're slowly but surely getting the kitchen closer to finished.  Tonight we hung the shade in the window after I finished painting the window molding. 

Here is another sneak peak ... this one you can see the cabinets behind Quinn and part of the microwave Matt just installed last week.  Needless to say ... I'm anxious for it to be finished and CLEANED UP.

Sneak Peak

our tile back-splash was put up this past weekend. 

:)  (this is me smiling a big happy smile!)

It's not grouted yet, but we're getting closer!!

I Like This Article

You can go HERE to read it.

I really didn't think this would ever happen.

Kate.  Is.  Potty trained!

*shouts hooray* 

*jumps up and down*

I am beyond thrilled for this milestone.  I only have one child in diapers now!  YAY!!!

A couple weeks ago I didn't feel like buying anymore pull-ups, so I told Kate we had no more and put her in underwear.  She has been in underwear ever since. 

We have had some accidents ... more than the other girls ... but all in all, it's gone relatively smoothly.  Words can not express my feeling of joy over this. 

*phew*  1 less thing to worry about.

Is it Winter Already?

Everyone is sick with some sort of super cold and an awful cough.  First Kate got it, then Quinn, and now Tessa and Brielle ... and even I have a fever now.  (I do not appreciate it either.)

Poor Quinn has gotten it the worst ... probably because he's so little.  He went to the dr. today and has an ear infection in both ears.  Poor baby hasn't been sleeping or eating, and has had a fever for 5 days now.  He's just UNHAPPY. 

It's been a long week. My house looks like we've all been sick ... the laundry is nicely piling up, and no grocery shopping has happened. 

Oh well ... take care of the kids first.

A Little Off the Ends.

I had my hair cut today.  1 inch off of the ends.  Does that count as being cut?  It cost the same as a completely new coif.  It looks about the same ... and I guess that's what I get for growing it out.  (again)  I'm pretty sure last time I grew it out it was the "last time." 

Right. 

I'm really good at saying things that don't come true.  So I won't even begin to say this is the last time.  Because I'd be lying probably.  (how many times did I say it was the "last baby?")

It's nice having freshly cut ends of hair though.  (as opposed to split ended hair)  My last cut was December 2009; I was shamefully overdue, don't you think?  (hey, I can't be blamed for having a busy life with 5 kids, one of whom was a baby this last year)

Now I get to keep letting it grow.  It's slow.

I Dream of Painting

Apparently.  (it's sad.  SO SO sad.)

I dreamt last night that I was painting the kitchen and the paint was getting EVERYWHERE.  I was trying to clean it up and it wouldn't clean up, more just kept sliding down the walls.  (it was really thick slime like paint too)  It was getting on the floor and all over the moldings (where it was NOT supposed to be.)

Maybe this was really more of a nightmare.

Still?

Nope.  They're still not done.  Our kitchen cabinets are going to be forever in transition ... the bases are mostly done, only a few touch up spots.  The doors are another story.  Some of them have one coat of paint, and they need to be lightly sanded and coated again.  Some of them have the primer done and need to be painted.  Some of them have not been painted or primed.  It seems like it's been a while.  Quinn has gotten used to just coming into the kitchen and helping himself to the pots and pans or the kitchen towels, or whatever else he sees.  I'm getting tired of looking into all the cabinets every time I walk into the kitchen.  It's ugly.  I want them done!  (can I pout any more?)

I love my husband.  He's busy and tired, and stressed from work, and so that is why I'm not asking him every night to paint.  But eventually they need to get done.  Don't you think?  (I did tell him he's not allowed to start any other projects until my kitchen cabinet doors are done.)

I guess I'll keep you posted.

Grandparent's Day

It was the Grandparent's Lunch at school.  They didn't give us much notice, and the other grandparent's work, so Grandma Judie was the only one to come.  It worked out well.  I packed them a lunch and she took it and ate with Brielle and Linzi in the gym. I think they had a nice lunch.

Aren't they cute?

Festivities

There weren't really any festivities tonight.  I bought a cheesecake (mmmm!) and the girls insisted on singing and having candles ... so Mom came up and they sang to me :) and I blew out the 3 candles.  It was simple and sweet.  Afterward I figured I ought to have a picture commemorating this glorious 33rd birthday, so we posed for the event.

Missed Matt, but otherwise, good birthday for a 33 year old.

My first "couponing" experience.

I've been hearing lots of talk about couponing.  Getting AMAZING deals on things.  $96 worth of stuff for $.10.  (I don't know if anyone's gotten that deal, but it seems possible)

So the other night I was at Albertsons just getting a few things.  I saw a store special ... $1.69 cans of Del Monte canned veggies for $.59.  That's a GOOD deal right?  I bought 6.  At the checkout, I received a "catalina" (yes, that's what they're called by the couponing world ... it's the thing that prints on that little printer next to your receipt.) for $2.00 off my next Albertson's purchase, because I had bought 6 Del Monte cans of veggies.  I stored it in my wallet and came home.

I recently attended a couponing class for RS, and had heard that you should NEVER leave a store with a good catalina.  Use it.  I realized that if I went back, I could buy 6 more cans of veggies for $.59 and then use my $2.00 off.  And I could do that many times.

So I went.  I bought 36 cans of veggies.  I spend $1.54 on each 6 cans ... and did that 6 times.  That means I spent $9.24 on 36 cans of Del Monte vegetables that originally at full price would have been $60.84.

Can you believe that?  I'm proud of my non-couponing self.  (and this is how I've spent my birthday.)

33

Yep.  That's what it says.  33.  That's how old I have become.  Do you know what's weird?  I can remember being "younger" ... let's say, 20 ... and thinking that 33 sounded so old.  I remember watching tv, and if I heard a person's age was in the 30s, I thought they were REALLY an adult. 

I don't feel old.

I don't feel like I'm REALLY an adult.  (although I realize with 5 kids I am ... but still.  I don't feel like I am.) 

I suppose I just feel like me.  And being "1 year older" doesn't change me.  Not really.  Eventually I'll probably look in the mirror and it will all catch up ... even now I have some wrinkles which I'm not thrilled about.  But I think I'll always feel the same ... just like Honor.

So I've decided to not care about turning 33.  Bring it on!  The older I am the more wise I become.  Isn't that what people say?  For me it's true!  ;)

I am a wise, young at heart 33 year old.  Happy birthday me!

Ten Ten

It's October 2010.  Where did the year go?  Seriously.  Where?

I can not believe that Halloween is this month, and Thanksgiving is next month and CHRISTMAS is the month after that! 

Crazy!!

This is my favorite time of year though, so I'm not too bummed.  I love fall, and the baking and the family holiday time, and just the general good will on earth type of stuff.  (it's a little better in the world around this time, right?)  Plus this weekend is General Conference, which is always a boost and a blessing.  (and then my birthday is in 4 days, which really isn't a big deal, but I'll be 33.  Doesn't that sound ... I don't know, sort of ... young? :)  (I will NOT say "old")

So happy October everyone.  Happy start of the "holiday season" and the fun that all that entails!  I bet you the stores are already putting Christmas stuff out.  (actually I know that to be true ... I saw a whole section of Christmas stuff at JC Penney the other day.)

***click on the links ... I put some fun stuff in there!***