Project 365 - Day 6

All I keep thinking here is "Whip it... Into shape.... Shape it up... Get straight..." If you don't know what I'm talking about, look here. lol

Oh and yes, his chin is blue. He got done having a blue raspberry slushy! lol

Project 365 - Day 5

As you can see, daddy has his hands full with all his babies! But he just loves every one of them!

Project 365 - Day 4

My big girls were being silly at lunch time. "I Am the Walrus"?!

*On a side note, why is it one day you are trying to get a cute shot and others you get like 3 and can't decide which to share! lol

Project 365 - Day 3

Poor little Catey bug, tired herself out playing and rolling on the floor. Of course, I added the cover. But how cute is that!!

Project 365 - Day 2

Today was a pretty unexciting day, which is a good thing when momma isn't feeling well. So I decided to catch my 2nd daughter, Emma, in all her ornery form! Don't let the cute smile and curls fool you, she's really quite the deviant!

Project 365

I had heard about this a while back and forgot about it, but I've wanted to do it since I heard of it. A friend of mine just started doing this with her kids. I thought it was a super cute idea, so I'm borrowing it from her. And hopefully I can remember to keep it up!

For those that don't know, Project 365 is where you take and post a new picture everyday. Mine, of course, will be of my family!

To start off this project, my first picture is of my son. He's such a daredevil and always trying to climb up everything. Today was no exception. He figured out how to climb into the baby swing and swing himself. And then ham it up when I brought out the camera. To bad I didn't get a picture after this, because his sisters decided to make him their baby. Now to keep him out of the swing!

Getting A New Camera Is AWESOME!

We finally received our tax check, which seemed like forever to get, thanks to our "wonderful" tax guy. Please note, "wonderful" is meant sarcastically. We won't be going to that tax guy again, but that's a whole different story. Anyway, I've only been wanting a new camera since around Christmas time, maybe sooner. I had it picked out what I wanted, a Canon SD880 IS. We walk into Best Buy, armed with info, ready to get the camera, only to find they got rid of that model. The sales guy said that was last years model. I was disappointed, until he pointed out the Canon SD960 IS. It was similar to my camera I wanted, except better. More upgrades, better technology, and it was on sale for what the other one costs full price. After some shameless begging of my husband, and a slight guilt trip for making me wait so long to get it, I got the better one!

Once I get it home, all charged up and ready to go, I find out that this camera ROCKS!! In every sense of the word. Not only do I get much clearer, better pics, but it has a better flash that reaches more distances, better zoom quality, and awesome features to play with. So this edition is nothing but shameless exploitation of my kids showing off how well my new camera can capture them!

Isn't she cute!!! And look at that pic quality! Very clear!!

Ok, you got me here. This isn't my kid, obviously. But look at how awesome this nature shot is!! Hello Mr. Toad!

Then, of course, you got the typical things like Sepia toning.

We can't forget my favorite new effect, Color Accent. I'm already using and abusing the crap out of it. But I LURVE it!

I know those are small, but the purpose of the 4 in a row is to show you how fast my camera can take the pics. A bouncing 2 year old is the perfect subject to try that out on. I think it's pretty good!!

Last, but not least, for your viewing pleasure, my favorite shooting mode, in collage form. Just because I love it!

P.S. I definitely recommend this camera for purchase!!

The Baby and The E.R.

Yesterday, was one of THOSE days. The kind that you can't wait for the kids to go to bed, just to let the day's events soak in. It's not that they were bad or unruly, but more that the day was long and stressful. And all over the most freak thing in the world!!!

Most parents have seen it, a stray string or hair wrapped around their little one's finger or toe. Without a second thought, the string or hair usually gets easily unwrapped and the parent and child go about their business. In the odd case of yesterday, it's not always that simple! Who would think that a person could possibly lose their appendage to such a simple thing!

The park sounded like a good idea, with how wonderful the weather was. The kids and I were going to meet our friends at the park to play. All was going well, and we were almost done getting ready. I get Catelyn, and start undressing her to put her play clothes on. Normally, I never think to check, but I happened to look at her toes, and noticed they had some fuzz on them. I start removing it and notice that her middle toe was completely wrapped around by a string or hair. I start trying to mess with it and pick it off, but it was on ridiculously tight. She was screaming and kicking and carrying on the more I touched it, so I decided maybe calling in the professionals would be a good idea at this point. Called her pediatrician and they said to come in in an hour. Then about this time a million and one bad thoughts start racing into my head, will my baby lose her toe, will she be ok, will they get it off, I'm a bad mom for not noticing sooner, etc. etc. etc. To help ease my mind a bit, I decide that we'll meet up with everyone at the park still. I just grab the few essentials I thought we'd need.

We get to the park and I tell the ladies what's going on. I'm quickly relieved a little to find that 2 of them have had a similar experience with their children. Though neither had to go as far as take their child to the doctor, they did say they had it bad enough that the string/hair made the baby bleed. I figured this much was going to happen. In that time, I had talked to Nate and he decided to leave work, to help me out with the whole thing (Thank God he did!). After about half hour at the park, Nate shows up. He talks to the kids for a few minutes, then we decide that he can take Catey to the doc, while I stay and let the bigger kids play at the park longer.

Then time starts to c-r-a-w-l. I know I checked my phone every 10-15 mins just to see the time and if Nate had messaged me. Being the jumpy, spazzed out, worried about my baby girl mom I am, I text Nate after 15 mins, then 30, then right about the time I was going to call him at the 45 min mark, I receive a text.

"Just got it off"

Was all it said. At least I knew my baby girl was doing better. Then within 5 mins later, he calls me with the details. Apparently the pediatrician sent him to the Emergency Room. When the pediatrician took one look at her toe, he started freaking out and thought they were going to have to amputate her toe. He gave her a shot to numb it, and tried working on it to no avail (and without the help of a flailing baby), so off to the E.R. they went. Nate said it took 3 nurses, plus him, to hold Catelyn down so the E.R. doctor could get it off her toe. He said she was one of the more severe cases he had seen, but that this happens all the time! Fingers, toes, even on little boys' winkies! He had to cut around her toe to get to the hair, but thankfully, he got it off and saved her little bitty toe! Turns out, it was one of Catelyn's own hairs off her head. The doc said it was too fine to be an adults hair, which I guess is a little easier to remove. Somehow she got the hair worked down in her jammies and kicked enough to get it wrapped around her toe, tight!

Her toe looks a bit gross right now. Looks like a swollen toe with a red ring round it where the hair had cut into her skin. The doctor told Nate that the hair was trying to cut her toe off! Thank God the doctors helped her out and prevented that fate. We have to change her dressing periodically, press her toe to make sure it bounces back with circulation, give her antibiotics and Tylenol for pain and infection. Amazingly, my baby girl is in excellent spirits. Once she was home and settled in last night, she was all smiles, giggling, and just carrying on like the happy baby she is! After all she had been through yesterday, she didn't forget how to smile and be her happy self!

It was quite the experience! I'm sure from this point on, I'll be obsessive about all my kids toes, but especially Catelyn's. I had never heard of such an odd thing happening as this, but it is something that I won't soon forget!

The Benefit of Friends

Many parents end up finding, that though they have their own views in parenting, the saying "It takes a village to raise a child" becomes necessary. Kind of a need in its own right. I've been fortunate enough to live in an area that has a local mom's group. I never thought I'd need a group like this before I had kids, but now I find it's a necessity.

As a stay at home mom, especially of 4 kids, it becomes very difficult to get out and about to socialize. Even babysitters get scarce the number of kids you gain. Family is helpful, but as anyone can agree that friends are amazing!

I stumbled across the local mom's group through my husband's cousin's wife, and one of my good friends. At first I was really shy, not knowing where I fit in in the group. I also wasn't able to go to the meet ups as much because I was busy having babies. Now that our baby making time is very much done, I'm definitely up for getting out of the house and having the kids socialize all I can. Never mind that I get to socialize too! I've been going to a lot more meet ups lately and couldn't find a nicer group of friend's I'd rather hang out with. It makes me excited to go to a play date with a group of people I get along with so well! We have mom's night out, where just the mom's get away, and it feels more like a group of friend's going to hang out, than a group of strangers meeting up for a bit. Even better than that, they all have kids. Luckily the majority of the kids are right in the same age range as my little ones. It's nice knowing that you have friends that have been there, are right there, and get exactly what you are going through. I honestly can't say enough about these people.


Then there are the best friends, the one's you retain over time. I feel like one of the lucky people that has kept my best friend from high school. We are so comfortable with each other from being together since high school and having a sister like relationship evolve from it. I really don't know what I'd do without my best friend and I hate that we can only meet up on occasion because of our distance. The even more ironic and great part is, all her kids are the same age as my kids, well minus one kid. They are in turn getting a great friendship out of it too!

It's tough being a parent. It gets a little harder when your a stay at home parent. The opportunity to go out and make friends gets fewer and fewer. But when you do find an amazing group of friends, you want to let them know what they mean to you and how they brighten your day!

Sick, Sick, Sick.

It's been a while again. I'm not purposely avoiding posting, but I hardly get a moment of quiet to type one of these out. And I had thought of blogs between now and then, but never got a chance to post one. I figure I'll take this opportunity to post a quick one.

The reason I get a moment is my kiddos are sick. Big bummer! But they are a lot more calm and complacent. We were doing really good and haven't been sick since before Catelyn was born. Sunday started our new round and it just keeps getting worse. I had to call poor Abby into school the last 3 days because she has a horrible cough and fever, on top of runny nose. Jake and Emma have the same. So far, Catey just seems a bit stuffy, and that's all. Me, stuffed up, runny nose, sinus pressure, scratchy throat. Fun fun.

I started Spring Cleaning this week and am doing pretty well staying on schedule. Yesterday was the most difficult day because Jacob was super whiny. My goal is to clean this house, top to bottom, then repaint most or all the rooms. With my schedule, I'm doing a room a week. This week is the kitchen's turn. Maybe I'll put up a pic and divulge my secret of how I get it done with 4 kids, when I'm done with the kitchen. This is just trial week.

I promise to try to get more posts up. I feel bad for neglecting this. But when I get a chance to sit, I forget what I planned to type out. Such is life of the mom of 4.