Traveling with kids...

We are leaving on a plane tomorrow.

Excited? Umm yes.

Stressed? Umm yes.

Packed? Uh kinda.

I'm the kind of gal that starts making lists weeks before a trip and then wakes up in the middle of the night remembering to add "bibs" or "DVD player" or "zip lock baggies" to it.

I start making piles of neatly folded clothes all over the house and go back to weed out the items I don't think we need every day leading up to departure.

See the Mickey Mouse ears? *wink*

Yet, somehow with all this "planning ahead", I'm still looking at empty suitcases the night before we leave...

There's something about remembering everything we possibly need for a 6 day vacation that forces me to plan early. But, it's actually putting them all in suitcases that freaks me out. Once I hide everything behind those closed zippers I can't see it and simultaneously check it off my list! I know. I'm weird.

We have an afternoon flight tomorrow so I'm not too worried.

And we've been prepping a certain little girl about the sleeping arrangements we will have on our trip.

Some friends loaned us this blow-up toddler bed. We'll see how it goes. She has never slept in anything BUT her crib. Mason will have a pack n' play. Did I mention we will ALL four be in the same room?? Yeah. Pray for us.



Getting aquainted with the "new" bed in the living room while watching some VeggieTales.



Flying with a 2 year old and an 8 month old will be interesting. This will be Kensie's third plane trip and Mason's first. They have both proven to be good travelers...but they only last so long ya know? So, I will leave you with this cute idea I found via FB through a friend through a friend.

I took some leftover Halloween candy and put them in zip lock baggies.

Then you write this cute little rhyme on a card and stuff it in each baggie.

You give them to the strangers you end up sittting next to on the plane.

Because I remember that feeling before I had kids. You know...where you're quietly sitting in your assigned seat on the plane all comfortable with your purse in the open seat next to you....then you look up...and you see a clumsy Dad tripping down the narrow aisle holding a bulky carseat...and a Mom holding a wiggly baby in one arm and dragging a toddler with the other...making their way closer and closer....and the Dad looks up with eagerness that they have "finally" made it to their seats...and kindly pauses, "Excuse me Miss, I think we are right there next to you....

...and I vividly remember thinking in that moment, "Oh crap!"

Here's to vacation!! Whoop whoop!

Saturday projects

I've decided to make my Saturdays more enjoyable by doing something different than my normal routine during the week. While I still take care of the kids and keep their routines the same, I try to switch up my routine. No computer. No TV. All my free time (aka naptime) is devoted to fun projects. It has really helped me look forward to Saturdays (seeing that Greg is gone for most of them). So, over the weekend I got a few projects done that I've been wanting to accomplish for a while.

I'm not the best at tutorials but here is a picture progression of an old window I turned into a fun and versatile chalkboard!



Idea via Pinterest





Now, onto the super easy supplies...



paint



tape





Grungy old window



Clean those nasty windows.

Tape everything but the glass.

Spray 2 coats of paint.

Peel off the tape annnnd....

Voila!

And I couldn't resist setting up my Christmas village I scored for 6 bucks at a garage sale!



***

The next project (which I forgot to take a "before" pic cuz I'm smart like that)...anyway, the next one was supposed to be a chalkboard as well....



I painted the mirror black in hopes of writing "Welcome" and hanging it near our entryway.



 All was going well until,

Oops.

Oh well, guess it will just be an empty frame for a while.



Ahhhh. It feels so good to accomplish things. 

Being thankful and a little about me

I have been seeing a lot of "thankful" posts on FB lately and well...I'm just not feeling it this week. I had planned on doing the whole "30 days of Thankfulness" like so many others starting the first of November.

Well, November 1st came and went. Within two days, my children (as sweet as they are) took every ounce of my energy.  It's like everything happens at once with those kids sometimes. I love them so incredibly much but they take a ton of love, attention, discipline, and work at times. And as you may have read a few days ago the Mr. isn't around a whole lot these days.

So, here I sit reading everyone's posts and thinking to myself, "Wish I had THAT to be thankful for". Why do we do this to ourselves?? Pure punishment I tell ya. I pull out my mental comparison chart and start tallying how much I have to NOT be thankful for. And then I get bitter. And then I get sarcastic. And then my baby has a blow-out on the couch at the most inconvenient time and I start accepting the situation as "Well of course THIS would happen", and the cycle just continues.

When things start to get hard in my life I have an instant urge to respond with sarcasm and an attitude of bitter selfishness. A non-emotional attitude that pretends to let everything "roll of my back" but really just gets under my skin.  An attitude that reduces my world to just me and the small life I lead and all the problems that seem to take over it. I have seen the Lord work in this area of my life and how he can change my attitude when life "strikes" so to speak. But now and then I get caught up in how my flesh wants to react and this is definitely one of those times.

Our small group memorized this verse last week and it's been drifting in and out of my head all week...

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich". ~2 Corinthians 8:9

Now THAT is something to be thankful for Shannon. Right there.

I also just finished reading this 31 day series on "Determined Joy" for the past few weeks. Will you join me? Joy doesn't just happen...it takes work. And I need to be determined in finding it.

A newbie and a repeat {costumes that is}

Halloween.

Not my absolute favorite holiday.

Too many scary movies on TV.

Too many scary costumes.

Too much candy.

Then I had kids. And those little sweethearts certainly make it more fun. Have you ever seen a baby or toddler in a costume that wasn't cute??? Me neither. There's just something about dressing up those teeny little people in adorable outfits that make me want to eat them up!

Here's Kensie last Halloween...

Not only do I love the bright red and green colors in this berry fairy costume but I knew it would fit her for a few years.

I was 4 months preggers with Mason in that pic. Crazy what can happen in one year!

So this Halloween, I give you the newbie "pumpkin" and the repeat "fairy". Twice as cute and twice the size!

At least one of them is able to sit still.

And what's better than trick-or-treating vicariously through your children?

{As long as they get 3 Musketeers and Milky Ways that is}

Oh, come on...you know you do it too.

Happy Halloween!



Not the Halloween post you were hoping for

Nothing too exciting to report around here these days. I finished my last treatment for my legs last Monday--meaning I spent the next 5 days in an ace wrap with my feet up as much as possible, arms reach from pain killers, hardly sleeping at night, explaining to Kensie that mommy has a "boo boo" on her leg {one thousand times} and trying my best to keep the munchkins elbows, knees and feet from kicking my bruised areas as much as possible. Oh, and we never left the house--not once. Which I'm fine with actually. I'm a home-body and don't mind it one bit. It was just difficult to make the time pass quickly. I thought about taking Kensie to the mall purely for the sake of letting her play on the playground but I didn't feel like hobbling around the mall. So we had lots of friends and playmates come over last week which helped a ton! And if you are wondering why I didn't get child care help...I honestly wanted them around to (a) make the time pass (b) give me something to do (c) they make me happy despite the work sometimes.

Add to that, I think I saw my hubby maybe one night last week? Yeah that sounds right. In fact, besides my recent leg issues, this is the time of year when the temptation to become bitter starts to creep in my life. And I have to go to God with my frustrations and ask for peace and grace in our marriage. It happens every fall. And it boils down to one reason. My husband works A LOT. He works for a family business. A trucking business. A business that he is amazingly talented at. One that I am SO proud to see his talents flourish and be appreciated by so many people. But, it's a business that revolves around the holidays. Basically, their business delivers food {mostly refrigerated} all over the Midwest. And the holidays {as we know} revolve around food. So, as late summer turns into fall they get super dooper busy when it comes to trucking. There are loads to deliver left and right as stores and restaurants restock their shelves for the holidays. He is a dispatcher and office manager and has a looooonnnng list of duties. I don't know how he does it all.

And as a result, my husband tries his hardest to keep up with the madness at work. Meanwhile, I try to keep up with the madness at home. We pass each other occasionally as one heads to bed, or the other gets up, or we attend public functions like church and small group and other get-togethers where we are in the "same place" but not really "spending time together". Weekdays are the same as weekends. No break, no routine. Just a Dad working crazy hard for this family and a Mom keeping things running at home, but it's like they live two separate lives. And the cycle basically continues until January. Where the busyness slowly fades and I feel like I have a husband again. And we can talk about things other than work and schedules.

Thankfully we will be taking a week of vacation here soon. As in, 3 weeks away! We are headed back to Cali {the land where I'm from and the land that I love} for a family reunion on my Mom's side, take the kids to Disneyland for the first time, and to celebrate my sweet Grandpa who is turning 90 this year! Such a sweet old guy that I have not seen in forever...

I love that he's wearing Puma's. He's so hip and young!

A trip like this has not happened since before we had kids. "Excited" does not even describe how I feel about it!!

***

And you might see some pics of some adorable kids in Halloween costumes in the next post....you might.

Mason milestone {self-entertainment}

Our sweet boy has been one giggly baby ever since he was just 6 weeks old.

He squeals when he sees Kensie. He laughs the moment anyone plays peek-a-boo up close with him. He melts into giggles at the slightest tickle...especially under his chinny chin chin (just like his daddy!). It's adorable. Kensie didn't laugh out loud until she was at least a year old. She was a very serious and observant baby. It's so funny how different siblings can be.

I know I've already posted a few videos of Mason laughing.

But, this week was different. He hit a new milestone.

Laughing without the help of anyone. Without anyone looking at him, making faces, or tickling him.

Just him. By himself. Self entertaining.

And thankfully I was close enough to the camera to capture it.

Enjoy...

Some FYI's:

{1}The metal thing he is playing with is not sharp at all (it's one of those cheap puzzles you solve--like the kind you put on the coffee table and let guests fiddle with. Greg loves those things! ). He is teething like crazy and I think he loves the way it feels in his mouth. Always given under supervision, don't worry.

{2} He has not laughed independently like this ever since. Maybe it had something to do with being overtired and close to bedtime perhaps? Who knows...but cute nonetheless.

You know you married a good man when...

... he makes the baby's bottle {EVERY morning} before he leaves for work so as soon as I hear that siren baby in the morning I just grab it and go...

... he has to work late {again} but makes the effort to come home just before the kids go to bed so he can (a) see them (b) spend time with me until I go to bed, and then (c) goes back to work to finish up into the wee hours of the morn...

... he gets to church early to help set-up chairs, then rushes home to help me get the kids out the door...

... he drives calmly and quietly even though we are at least 15 minutes late to church {after the above situation}. He despises being late to anything--especially church...

... he sacrifices his Sunday afternoon nap by putting up baseboards in the house for 3 hours...

... he makes an emergency run to buy tampons and never complains or holds it over your head later...

... he always notices when I've cleaned...but never criticizes when it's messy...

***

Yeah. I'd say I married a good one for sure.

THE END

My favorite street

I love our neighborhood, especially during this time of year. I have a "route" I like to run or walk regularly. Sometimes I push the the kids in the stroller. And sometimes {if I'm lucky} I enjoy a nice run alone.

Time to clear my head. Relieve stress. Pray. Think. Not think. Just me, myself and I.

And this is my favorite street...

Sometimes, I'll loop back and run it twice before I head home. The trees are what get me. This picture doesn't do it justice. And I'm pretty sure people think I live on that street. They always wave and smile as I pass by their house. So, I wave back...imagining that I do. Little do they know I live 6 blocks away.

Not a whole lot of running though these days. I just finished my second round of treatment on my legs today. It's going okay...but, I'm ready to stop popping the pain killers, take these ace wraps and stockings off, and get back to feeling somewhat normal again. Two weeks down and four more left!

Our bedroom

I like to call our master bedroom "cozy" aka small. There's only enough space for our king-sized bed (which I wouldn't trade for the world!), two nightstands, and whatever you can hang on the wall.



I snagged this painting from an auction at our public library




this mirror as well as both nightstands were left from the previous owners of the house when we bought it. I'll take free stuff anytime thank you very much!


It's weird but honestly, I don't mind how small it is. In fact, our room is the smallest of the three. We don't really "hang out" in our room except for bedtime. And I like that. It's a simple room that meets two needs: to rest and to connect with my husband. That's it.




Found the sign at Hobby Lobby. I would love to incorporate more quotes and bible verses into our room.






The only thing that would be nice is a larger closet (not even worth taking a picture of, trust me). Maybe another post entirely on that whole issue some other time....we have a unique closet system in our house.

Mason photo shoot {she's done it again!}

These photo's don't need any captions. They speak for themselves.

And that my friends, is why we keep going back to this talented lady. She captures babies and children at their absolute best!

Now, if only I can decide which ones I want to frame...hmmmm.




And just for fun, I looked back at some of Kensie's photo shoots to compare.
Here she is at 8 months...now scroll back up and look at the last one of Mason in the bucket.

Are those two siblings or what?!

After-nap playtime

We have a new routine after naps lately.

If Kensie wakes up, I bring Mason in with me to get her. They both squeal with delight when they see each other and Kensie immediately asks if Mason can come in her crib to play.

Likewise, as soon as Mason starts making noise through the monitor Kensie rushes down the hall to "help" me open the door. She climbs up the side of his crib and begs to get in. Mason (who usually wakes up on his stomach) pushes up on his arms as high as he can lift his head to see Kensie's face. He then shrieks with smiles and laughter. How can you say no??

They end up playing together for up to an hour sometimes. So, I just plop down in the chair and peer into the crib as they giggle and play with each other.

So cute to watch them become buddies more and more everyday. I'm so thankful they love playing together...for now anyway.

Just get them taken care of!

Before I get started I want to mention I now have a way for you (my dear reader) to contact me! Check out the address on the side----->

Okay, now on to the post...

Our society today (in America at least) has this mentality that modern-day medicine can fix anything. There is this idea that no matter what a person is diagnosed with, it can be taken care of. Which can be true. Sometimes. And only if you have lots of money, or full-coverage insurance...which is harder and harder to come by these days.

So when it comes to my "leg" problem people have a tendancy to say, "Just get them taken care of! Doctors can do anything now-a-days. You don't have to live with this the rest of your life."


And here's what goes through my brain when I hear this:

I know, people. I have researched them all. Laser treatments. Vein stripping. Injections. Undergoing surgery. There is A LOT to offer out there for varicose veins. And doctors are getting really good at these procedures. Some are more permanent solutions than others. It's overwhelming to know what to do. Are mine bad enough that insurance will cover it? And to what extent? And if our insurance doesn't cover it, then what? How much is this family willing to sacrafice in cash just for the sake of my dumb legs? It could cost well over $15,000...that's close to what we paid for our van. From a Christian perspective, is that worth it??? I don't really think it is. And worse, what if the procedure doesn't work? What if we paid all that money for treatment just to see my legs back to the way they were (especially after another pregnancy). Then what?....and on and on...

So after talking things over with Greg, I decided to make a deal with myself. I would schedule a visit with my family doctor to {at the very least} get my legs evaluated and ask lots of questions. Then I would make the dreaded call to my insurance. If the insurance call resulted in a "NO, we will not cover that..." then I would not pursue it any further. I would just plan on dealing with my veins the way I already do. Case closed.

This next part is where things start to turn around. So if you are still here....get ready!

My family doctor took one look at my veins and said I would definitely need to see a surgeon. This means that insurance would most likely cover it! After a good hour on the phone with the NICEST lady ever representing our insurance my hope started to build. Insurance would cover the extent of my treatments after we met our deductible.

ME: Oh great, always a catch. What's our deductible?

 REP: Ten thousand dollars.

 ME: So we have to pay up to ten thousand before you guys kick in the rest? Awesome. Wait...we had our son in March. I'm sure those hospital bills met our deductible!

---Silence---

REP: Oh yes...I see that on your account now. Then yes, we can cover it as long as it's within the same year. And it looks like your insurance renews on November 1st. So your appointments would need to be done before that date in order to be covered.

ME: Okay. Thank you very much!

REP: You're welcome. Is there anything else we can assist you with today?

ME: Nope!! You have no idea how much you just made my day!

***

After looking at the calender and realizing the limited amount of time I had to get these appointments in I got crackin'! Thankfully, it worked out perfectly. My last appointment is literally on October 31st. Yeah. Cutting it close huh?! I am having 3 treatments (each appointment has to be 2 weeks apart to allow for recovery). I should also mention these treatments are to take care of the deep bulgy veins in my upper thighs and behind my knees--since those are the ones that cause pain. This treatment will take care of my current varicose veins. However, because I've had them in the past I can still get them in the future. So I have to keep that in mind. But, my doctor reassured me that it's still a good idea to take care of them now even if I want to have more babies because (as I said before) they will only get worse. It's like blowing up a balloon. It's hard to get it started but once you do it's really easy to keep blowing. Same with varicose veins. They will only get larger, bulkier and more painful as the years go by.

So, AFTER ALL THAT.....I had my first EVLT (Endovenous Laser treatment) on Monday! It was a short 30 min in-and-out kind of appointment. I laid on a table while they did an ultrasound to locate the vein. Then the doctor placed a needle with a laser on the end of it inside the vein. Numbed it all up...and then zapped it with the laser! Painless and fast. The most cumbersome part is I have to wear a bulky ace wrap from my hip to my knee for FIVE STRAIGHT DAYS 24 hrs a day (I've already rigged up a plastic sleeve so I can shower). Then I have to wear a full length stocking from my hip down to my foot for SEVEN days after that. This will happen 3 times so that's about 6 weeks of wearing ace wraps/ stockings. Fun. But you won't hear me complaining! It will be SO SO worth it.

FYI: There are other types of treatments for spider veins and other blemishes that are purely superficial (insurance does not cover those). I'm not looking for a total transformation. I just want them to stop hurting on a daily basis and hopefully get rid of the lumps and bumps so I can stop being the circus side show at the beach and just go on with my life.

***

If you are a regular reader...thanks so much for sticking with me! I don't thank my readers very often but you are all so supportive and I appreciate each and every one of you! And if you are a recent follower, boy did you come at an awkward time. My posts do not usually revolve around medical problems I promise! So, hopefully you stick around to see my "fun" side.

Sensitive topic {my legs}

I have diseased veins or better known as varicose veins. There's something about the valves in my veins that don't work like the average person's. You can google it if you want to know more (if you can stomach it--there's some pretty graphic pics--although not far from my everyday reality). But basically, leaky valves that don't work properly combined with a thing called gravity makes for some ugly lookin' veins. The blood starts to pool in the veins as it travels down the leg but then has trouble pumping it back up. As a result, veins start to turn funky colors, bulge in odd places, and even cause pain at times. At worst, they can leave you more susceptible to blood clots and ulcers and cause swelling and pain on a regular basis. At best, these unsightly little guys make you self-conscious about your legs.

You can counter the effects by eating right, exercising regularly, and watching your weight. Ummm check, check and check! So, that leaves one little thing you can't control. Genetics. And these diseased veins run on both sides of my family. Check-mate.

I won't post any of my pics on here (to spare you all!) but I can honestly say they are some of the worst on anyone my age. For real. And I'm sure you are thinking..."yeah right. I'm sure they're not that bad. You're only 28 for goodness sake..."  Let's just say there are bulging veins that snake up and down both legs, combined with red/purple spots that resemble bruises between my knees and ankles, combined with clusters of spider veins around my ankles and feet. You can start cringing now. My closest family and friends know how much these burden me. They have seen me go back and forth on these roller coaster feelings towards my legs.

I have had intense feelings of embarrassment and shame when someone innocently asks, "oh no what happened to your leg?" To which my silent response is, "That's it! No one will ever see my legs again! I'm wearing pants the rest of my life!" And on other days I've thrown my hands up in the air and said, "Screw it! People can stare all they want but I am going to the beach! It's too hot outside to be miserable!" I have silently cursed others with {quote} beautiful legs that are blemish free who complain about not being able to get the perfect tan. And I've lied to people's faces when they point to my ankle and ask, "what's that?" by saying, "it's just a bruise...".

I debated for a long time whether to post on this topic for the following reasons:

{1} I don't like drawing attention to myself.

{2} It's not a life or death situation. There are much harder things in life...way more burdens than I can ever imagine that people are dealing with. Why should I complain. They're just legs after all.

{3} I feel like I'm the only 28 year old I know dealing with this problem to this extent (I know I'm not but it sure feels that way).

{4} I don't want this to be the thing that people recognize me for (that girl with the ugly veins)

{5} People don't know how to talk about it...so they just stare. That being said, I don't want to write about this and then people still don't know how to talk about it...so they still just stare. **crickets** awkward.


As you can imagine, 2 pregnancies have not helped my vein problem. The weight gained during pregnancy coupled with the increased blood supply made for some very painful months. (Good thing babies are worth it!) I was advised by doctors that my problem will only get worse if we decide to have more kids. This is not a roadblock in my mind...just something I know I will have to deal with.


There is a happy ending to this story....I just didn't want to make this post any longer than it already is.

So come back tomorrow to read the rest!

I have a "thing" for numbers....

Alright friends, it's confession time...

I love numbers.

{NERD ALERT}

 

Like, ell ohh vee eeeeee numbers.

My love does not come from taking math or accounting while in college. No no. Not those numbers.

These are just everyday numbers.

Like the fact that my license plate has both my husband's former football number {77} as well as my former volleyball number {8}. Love that.

And if you recall when I was pregnant with Kensie, her due date was 9-9-09. How fun is that?!

Or when I got to the check-out counter at the boutique downtown and I had exactly $14.32 in my wallet. True story. Love that.

And I may or may not count the stairs to the basement every time I walk them. I know how many there are. Twelve. But I may or may not count them anyway.

Numbers give so much order and structure. And they are so predictable {sometimes}.

So, when I decided to add an "alphabet" on the wall in the playroom....

I started counting the panels on the wall to see how I wanted to space them out.

And guess what?

This wall was made for the alphabet.

There are exactly 26 panels on the longest wall in the sunroom.

Perfect fit.

Oh happiness....

Just one more reason I love numbers.

And Kensie sure loves those letters up there now. She knows every single one and can call them out at random. And before you think I'm super-mom...I take zero credit. Pretty sure PBS has proven to be educational. I just quiz her now and then.
:)