3/28/09
3/26/09
The little things
Like a sweet bear and flower blankie patiently waiting for someone to rescue them from the bed! 
Jeremy left at 4:30 this morning to go to a meeting and so I was lucky enough to have room in our bed for the kids to snuggle once they got up. I was even luckier that they both went back to sleep and we got an extra hour of sleep this morning. (Much needed because Jeremy is very-noisy getting ready! And he left the closet light shining right in my eye....ARGH! Don't worry he will get an earful from me about getting your junk together the night before so that you don't disrupt the entire household at 4:00 in the morning!)
Jeremy left at 4:30 this morning to go to a meeting and so I was lucky enough to have room in our bed for the kids to snuggle once they got up. I was even luckier that they both went back to sleep and we got an extra hour of sleep this morning. (Much needed because Jeremy is very-noisy getting ready! And he left the closet light shining right in my eye....ARGH! Don't worry he will get an earful from me about getting your junk together the night before so that you don't disrupt the entire household at 4:00 in the morning!)What will I do when bear and flower blankie no longer find their way to my bed.....
3/24/09
Pregnancy Jokes!
Completely how I feel right now!
Traci sent me this joke and I laughed all day just thinking about it!
Traci sent me this joke and I laughed all day just thinking about it!A man was sick and tired of going to work every daywhile his wife stayed at home. He wanted her to see what he went through each day, so he prayed :-"Dear Lord, I go to work every day and put in 8 hours of hard work, while my wife merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through, so please create a trade in our bodies". God, in His infinite wisdom,granted the man's wish. The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman. He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, awakened the kids, set out their school clothes, fed them breakfast, packed their lunches, drove them to school, came home ..... picked up the dry cleaning, took it to the cleaners and stopped at the bank to draw money to pay the electricity and telephone bills. He drove to the electricity company and the phone company and paid the bills, went grocery shopping,came home and put away the groceries. He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog. By then it was already 1:00 pm, so he hurried to make the beds, do the laundry, vacuum, dust, and sweep and mop the kitchen floor.He rushed to the school to pick up the kids and got into an argument with them on the way home which he had to sort out in a gentle 'motherly' fashion. He set out cookies and milk and got the kids organised to do their homework, then set up the ironing board and was able to watch a bit of TV while he did the ironing. By then it was 4:30 pm, so he began peeling potatoes andwashed greens for salads. He prepared the chops and fresh vegetables and got everything ready in time for an early dinner.After supper, he cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, folded laundry, bathed the kids, and put them to bed. At 9:00 pm he was exhausted and although his chores weren't finished for the day, he went to bed where he was expected to make love, which he managed to get through without complaining. The next morning he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said :-"Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my wife's being able to stay home all day. Please, O please, let us trade back!" The Lord,in his infinite wisdom, replied, "My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy to change things back to the way they were. You'll just have to wait 9 months though, because you got pregnant last night!!!"
J's first b-day
I promised Kara a peak at the pictures from Jaris' birthday party, since I am so slow in getting them to her. So here's my fav's from the day!
Cute tableware
The candle on Jaris's cake
The Birthday Boy!
x's 2!
Havin' some cake with Grandma!
I just love Kara's face in this one!
Not so happy to be in the turtle sandbox
I Sooooo wish this would have been J's little foot,
The cupcakes I made!
Cute tableware
The candle on Jaris's cake
The Birthday Boy!
x's 2!
Havin' some cake with Grandma!
I just love Kara's face in this one!
Not so happy to be in the turtle sandbox
I Sooooo wish this would have been J's little foot,because I think this pic is my absolute fav from the day!
3/21/09
It's A...
...B-O-Y!
I realize that the 3 of you who read this already know that, but I had to post for myself! Someday I hope to print all these out and make a cute little binder of my "blog". I'm a realist...I know someday this will end!
Anyways, back to baby news! We had our ultrasound yesterday; took the whole fam; had quite the experience! Once the kids got over their shyness (took all of 5 minutes) they talked non-stop. What led to this talkfest? Our baby boy was very wiggly yesterday and was moving all around...the kids thought this was terrific and soon the conversation veered to our "hyper" dog Jack. Oh yes, we told the sonogram-tech all about the adventures of Jack the dog. I don't know if they were entertained or annoyed! I was powerless to control them because I was on the bed cover in warm jelly with a probe on my belly....Jeremy was powerless to control them because, well because he is powerless where the kids are concerned....they rarely see him as the authority figure.
After all the baby measurements had been taken and it was time to look at more exciting things (who am I kidding) like the placenta...well that's when I had to put my foot down and tell the kids they must exit. The techs were talking their sonogram language about my placenta and were it was at...it wasn't sounding like they really liked the looks of things. To top it off, I was having a contraction, so we had to wait it out. This was the point I realized that I could not be cooped up with these kids in a little room while I tried to relax. After 20 minutes of waiting, it was finally down enough to allow them to see what they needed to. I was brave enough to ask if things were in the right places and she assured me that things were fine. The placenta was a little low, but not covering the cervix, so nothing to worry about for now. Dr. Cannata said as long as I don't have any problems it shouldn't be a concern, but if I do start having problems, then he may have another one done to check the location. Baby "W"'s heartbeat was 157, so a little slower than last time, but still really fast.
It is truly amazing how much detail you can see on the ultrasound. He has the cutest little feet, she even took a picture of one for me! So I have his first footprint at 17 1/2 weeks! Can't wait to make that comparison as he grows. We also got to see him rubbing his little eye...SO CUTE! I am really anxious to meet this little guy now. However, if yesterday was any indication of what's to come, then I am going to have my hands full!
So, now about that name. Yes we have a boys name picked out...have had almost since the beginning. The unfortunate thing for you is that you will have to wait until August to find out. It starts with a W, so from this point forward I will simply refer to him as baby W. And trust me, you will be hard pressed to guess what his name is! Feel free to give your suggestions though....it will be entertaining for me.
Okay, I need to get a lot accomplished today while the kiddos are with grandma and jeremy is busy working. Plus I have a lot of plans to think through for the boys room....that sounds so strange!
I realize that the 3 of you who read this already know that, but I had to post for myself! Someday I hope to print all these out and make a cute little binder of my "blog". I'm a realist...I know someday this will end!
Anyways, back to baby news! We had our ultrasound yesterday; took the whole fam; had quite the experience! Once the kids got over their shyness (took all of 5 minutes) they talked non-stop. What led to this talkfest? Our baby boy was very wiggly yesterday and was moving all around...the kids thought this was terrific and soon the conversation veered to our "hyper" dog Jack. Oh yes, we told the sonogram-tech all about the adventures of Jack the dog. I don't know if they were entertained or annoyed! I was powerless to control them because I was on the bed cover in warm jelly with a probe on my belly....Jeremy was powerless to control them because, well because he is powerless where the kids are concerned....they rarely see him as the authority figure.
After all the baby measurements had been taken and it was time to look at more exciting things (who am I kidding) like the placenta...well that's when I had to put my foot down and tell the kids they must exit. The techs were talking their sonogram language about my placenta and were it was at...it wasn't sounding like they really liked the looks of things. To top it off, I was having a contraction, so we had to wait it out. This was the point I realized that I could not be cooped up with these kids in a little room while I tried to relax. After 20 minutes of waiting, it was finally down enough to allow them to see what they needed to. I was brave enough to ask if things were in the right places and she assured me that things were fine. The placenta was a little low, but not covering the cervix, so nothing to worry about for now. Dr. Cannata said as long as I don't have any problems it shouldn't be a concern, but if I do start having problems, then he may have another one done to check the location. Baby "W"'s heartbeat was 157, so a little slower than last time, but still really fast.
It is truly amazing how much detail you can see on the ultrasound. He has the cutest little feet, she even took a picture of one for me! So I have his first footprint at 17 1/2 weeks! Can't wait to make that comparison as he grows. We also got to see him rubbing his little eye...SO CUTE! I am really anxious to meet this little guy now. However, if yesterday was any indication of what's to come, then I am going to have my hands full!
So, now about that name. Yes we have a boys name picked out...have had almost since the beginning. The unfortunate thing for you is that you will have to wait until August to find out. It starts with a W, so from this point forward I will simply refer to him as baby W. And trust me, you will be hard pressed to guess what his name is! Feel free to give your suggestions though....it will be entertaining for me.
Okay, I need to get a lot accomplished today while the kiddos are with grandma and jeremy is busy working. Plus I have a lot of plans to think through for the boys room....that sounds so strange!
3/18/09
Sewing project
Finished up part of the sewing project from last night...wonder who could be getting these little cuties to use for a new little bundle of joy?!They are far from perfect, but definitely made with LOVE!
Conversations with a gentleman
"I missed you honey."
"I missed you too."
"You are starting to look beautiful again." Said while making a sweet, innocent face.
"You mean that I wasn't looking beautiful?" Said expectantly that the answer would be something along the lines of..."That came out all wrong...".
"Not really."
"Are you trying to make me feel good or what?"
"I was trying to say something nice."
"You might want to work on that." Said before returning to care for the home we share!
"I missed you too."
"You are starting to look beautiful again." Said while making a sweet, innocent face.
"You mean that I wasn't looking beautiful?" Said expectantly that the answer would be something along the lines of..."That came out all wrong...".
"Not really."
"Are you trying to make me feel good or what?"
"I was trying to say something nice."
"You might want to work on that." Said before returning to care for the home we share!
3/17/09
Anxious to know
Only two more days and we will know the sex of our baby! I think I am probably the most excited about this event at our house, but then again, I am the one who will have to do all the planning and getting ready. So, in honor of this event, I would like to take a poll....if you take time to read this blog, would you PLEASEEEE take a minute and post "boy" or "girl" in the comments....whatever you think it is! Just curious to see what the population thinks....
I should include a disclaimer for this next story, while not appropriate for children, it came from the mouth of a babe! This next story does contain talk of the female breasts...read on only if you dare!
This story is too long to include in the "Things my kids say" section, but TOO funny not to mention. The other day Cambree Jane was in the bathroom while I was dressing and she noticed that I had my bra turned around backwards (I was trying to fasten it). She looks at me and smiles that mischevious grin of hers and says,
"That's not the way your bra goes for your boo-boo's Momma."
Okay first of all, its adorable that she calls them boo-boo's, because let's admit it ladies, that's how we all really feel anyways! Then she goes on to tell me,
"I don't have any boo-boos."
"You don't? What do you have?"
Complete seriousness replies,
"I have mermaids."
Too, too cute from my little princess!
In other news, Preston got his kindergarten shots today...first of all I can't believe he is old enough to go to kindergarten, but the really earth shattering news came when I discovered that by the time he goes back for his tetanus booster at 11, I will be going for another set of kindergarten shots for the youngest member of the Stapleton clan. Makes time seem to pass even quicker! He did really well today, didn't tear up until the third shot and the tears did fall on the fourth, but they didn't last long....just one or two crocodile tears and he was done! Hope all the kids do that well with their four shots!
Okay, I am working on this little sewing project that I can't wait to finish up and then post pics of later. Jeremy is gone to a class today and tomorrow and so I don't have to feel guilty about sitting by the sewing machine for hours on end, so I am off to wrap up one project! Here's some bike riding photos to tide you over!
I should include a disclaimer for this next story, while not appropriate for children, it came from the mouth of a babe! This next story does contain talk of the female breasts...read on only if you dare!
This story is too long to include in the "Things my kids say" section, but TOO funny not to mention. The other day Cambree Jane was in the bathroom while I was dressing and she noticed that I had my bra turned around backwards (I was trying to fasten it). She looks at me and smiles that mischevious grin of hers and says,
"That's not the way your bra goes for your boo-boo's Momma."
Okay first of all, its adorable that she calls them boo-boo's, because let's admit it ladies, that's how we all really feel anyways! Then she goes on to tell me,
"I don't have any boo-boos."
"You don't? What do you have?"
Complete seriousness replies,
"I have mermaids."
Too, too cute from my little princess!
In other news, Preston got his kindergarten shots today...first of all I can't believe he is old enough to go to kindergarten, but the really earth shattering news came when I discovered that by the time he goes back for his tetanus booster at 11, I will be going for another set of kindergarten shots for the youngest member of the Stapleton clan. Makes time seem to pass even quicker! He did really well today, didn't tear up until the third shot and the tears did fall on the fourth, but they didn't last long....just one or two crocodile tears and he was done! Hope all the kids do that well with their four shots!
Okay, I am working on this little sewing project that I can't wait to finish up and then post pics of later. Jeremy is gone to a class today and tomorrow and so I don't have to feel guilty about sitting by the sewing machine for hours on end, so I am off to wrap up one project! Here's some bike riding photos to tide you over!
3/11/09
One year ago
Monday night as I was fixing supper I started thinking about how different our life now is compared to One Year Ago! It is amazing that 365 days can bring about SOOOO much change....and that our lives could be so much better! I am having an emotional day, so you will all have to bear with me as I poor out my heart and soul in this post. (Don't feel obligated to read on!)
So how is life different, well let me take you back in time! It was about this time last year (might have been April, don't remember for sure) but the kids and I took a little trip to the Barlow's. Life was good when we left Coldwater and we had a great time with Richard, Melissa and Harper! Returning home proved to be quite dramatic and our world was turned upside down in a matter of days. The evening that I got home Jeremy said he had some news for me and that I should probably sit down....that's never a good start to a conversation! He went on to tell me that while we were gone his boss had decided that he was going to sell all the cattle and essentially Jeremy was going to be unemployed and we were going to lose our house. The even worse part was that we had no idea how long this process would take, so we had to start taking action immediately!
We started combing the papers and internet sites looking for jobs...both of us! For the first time since I had Preston I was faced with the possibility of having to work and put the kids in daycare! This was terrifying to me, because all I have ever wanted to do is be a "Mom" and raise my kids myself. The other scary thing was that we might have to move away from our families in order to find jobs and a place to live. While seeing what else the world might have to offer seemed intriguing, raising our kids without the help of their grandparents was something we knew we Definitely didn't want to do. What on earth are we going to do? I was awake at night worrying about packing up our entire house and having to temporarily live with one of our parents.
Thankfully, Jeremy was able to strike a deal with his boss that allowed us to remain in the house until at least November. This took the pressure off the housing situation, but we still didn't have plans for future employment. To make a long story short, Jeremy got a job at the bank and was able to start in June. Then in early fall I was able to get a job working as our church secretary. During the summer we found a house that we fell in love with (okay, I did and I had to convince Jeremy to see it the way I did!). After it looked like we weren't going to get the house, things took a turn for our benefit and the first weekend in October we moved into our "home." It feels so good to have something that is in our names and that we know no one can take from us!
I think back a year and how many times I know that I griped about things at the old house and today as I work around the house and play with the kids, I can truly say that I LOVE THIS HOUSE! Sure, there are some things that eventually will change, but overall the house is perfect for our family...even though we didn't plan on being a family of 5 when we purchased it! Which brings me to another change in the last 365 days. I thought our family unit was good, we were settling into our new life...jobs, home, routines...I had finally decided that maybe Jeremy was right and that we were just right as a family. (Previous to all of this I had still been convinced that we should have another baby...then I decided we probably shouldn't, so I got rid of all the baby "stuff" before we moved, so we wouldn't have to find a place to store it all!) But I guess all of that "gut" feeling I had about our family not being finished yet was correct, God knew there would be another Stapleton to welcome into this world. And despite our efforts to maintain our current family structure, we found ourselves with an unexpected suprise!
Looking back now I can see how all of that heartache and trial prepared us for where we are now! And we have grown...I have grown personally & our family has grown together. We are able to spend more time together, we are less stressed and we are able to look forward to a new sibling joining our family! All things work for the glory of God, sometimes we have to just step back and let them! Big lesson learned for me this past year.
It is Lent right now and we are supposed to be looking inward and asking God to help us overcome our trouble areas...well I know that this year has taught me that I don't have to be in control of every situation for it to "work out." That I need to put more faith in the Lord and let Him work His plan for my life, because it is WAAAAY better than anything I could have planned for myself! So this year, I need to work on releasing the fears that keep me from trusting Him and start believing that things will work out on His terms and in His time and that they will be FABULOUS!
Okay, I really rambled here today, but it feels so good to look back and have so much to be grateful for now and to realize that those heartaches were not in vain! We overcame and we came out even better than we expected! Praise God for all the things He has planned for us this 365!
So how is life different, well let me take you back in time! It was about this time last year (might have been April, don't remember for sure) but the kids and I took a little trip to the Barlow's. Life was good when we left Coldwater and we had a great time with Richard, Melissa and Harper! Returning home proved to be quite dramatic and our world was turned upside down in a matter of days. The evening that I got home Jeremy said he had some news for me and that I should probably sit down....that's never a good start to a conversation! He went on to tell me that while we were gone his boss had decided that he was going to sell all the cattle and essentially Jeremy was going to be unemployed and we were going to lose our house. The even worse part was that we had no idea how long this process would take, so we had to start taking action immediately!
We started combing the papers and internet sites looking for jobs...both of us! For the first time since I had Preston I was faced with the possibility of having to work and put the kids in daycare! This was terrifying to me, because all I have ever wanted to do is be a "Mom" and raise my kids myself. The other scary thing was that we might have to move away from our families in order to find jobs and a place to live. While seeing what else the world might have to offer seemed intriguing, raising our kids without the help of their grandparents was something we knew we Definitely didn't want to do. What on earth are we going to do? I was awake at night worrying about packing up our entire house and having to temporarily live with one of our parents.
Thankfully, Jeremy was able to strike a deal with his boss that allowed us to remain in the house until at least November. This took the pressure off the housing situation, but we still didn't have plans for future employment. To make a long story short, Jeremy got a job at the bank and was able to start in June. Then in early fall I was able to get a job working as our church secretary. During the summer we found a house that we fell in love with (okay, I did and I had to convince Jeremy to see it the way I did!). After it looked like we weren't going to get the house, things took a turn for our benefit and the first weekend in October we moved into our "home." It feels so good to have something that is in our names and that we know no one can take from us!
I think back a year and how many times I know that I griped about things at the old house and today as I work around the house and play with the kids, I can truly say that I LOVE THIS HOUSE! Sure, there are some things that eventually will change, but overall the house is perfect for our family...even though we didn't plan on being a family of 5 when we purchased it! Which brings me to another change in the last 365 days. I thought our family unit was good, we were settling into our new life...jobs, home, routines...I had finally decided that maybe Jeremy was right and that we were just right as a family. (Previous to all of this I had still been convinced that we should have another baby...then I decided we probably shouldn't, so I got rid of all the baby "stuff" before we moved, so we wouldn't have to find a place to store it all!) But I guess all of that "gut" feeling I had about our family not being finished yet was correct, God knew there would be another Stapleton to welcome into this world. And despite our efforts to maintain our current family structure, we found ourselves with an unexpected suprise!
Looking back now I can see how all of that heartache and trial prepared us for where we are now! And we have grown...I have grown personally & our family has grown together. We are able to spend more time together, we are less stressed and we are able to look forward to a new sibling joining our family! All things work for the glory of God, sometimes we have to just step back and let them! Big lesson learned for me this past year.
It is Lent right now and we are supposed to be looking inward and asking God to help us overcome our trouble areas...well I know that this year has taught me that I don't have to be in control of every situation for it to "work out." That I need to put more faith in the Lord and let Him work His plan for my life, because it is WAAAAY better than anything I could have planned for myself! So this year, I need to work on releasing the fears that keep me from trusting Him and start believing that things will work out on His terms and in His time and that they will be FABULOUS!
Okay, I really rambled here today, but it feels so good to look back and have so much to be grateful for now and to realize that those heartaches were not in vain! We overcame and we came out even better than we expected! Praise God for all the things He has planned for us this 365!
3/5/09
Fun Stuff
I was playing around last night working on creating some fun new stuff to offer my seniors. These are sort of hard to visualize without seeing the 3-d final version, but they are really cool. If you're at the house sometime ask to see a sample! My goal today is to get the pricing worked out on these things!
Front & Back of a 4x5.5 Flat Card. Similar to a postcard, but color printing on both sides. They come in semi-gloss, watercolor, pearl, & linen for paper options...all really cool! These would make great invitations to a graduation party or thank you cards for gifts!
Front & Back of a Rep card. Much like a biz card, but again color on both sides. These can include contact information as well, I just didn't want to put personal info on my samples. Multiple paper options as well for these!
These are really neat...bookmarks! They are 2x7 and can be flat or creased. Again, hard to visualize without seeing the finished product. These could be used for so many things...birth announcements, invitations, the creased ones would be awesome business cards, Save the Date cards (that's a great idea I just came up with!)...anything you can imagine! These too are printed on both sides.
Of course, these things aren't limited to just seniors, anyone can order them, I am just looking to expand my senior market with some interesting new products. Melissa, you might remember all the samples I had of stuff at your house....these are my version!
Front & Back of a 4x5.5 Flat Card. Similar to a postcard, but color printing on both sides. They come in semi-gloss, watercolor, pearl, & linen for paper options...all really cool! These would make great invitations to a graduation party or thank you cards for gifts!
Front & Back of a Rep card. Much like a biz card, but again color on both sides. These can include contact information as well, I just didn't want to put personal info on my samples. Multiple paper options as well for these!
These are really neat...bookmarks! They are 2x7 and can be flat or creased. Again, hard to visualize without seeing the finished product. These could be used for so many things...birth announcements, invitations, the creased ones would be awesome business cards, Save the Date cards (that's a great idea I just came up with!)...anything you can imagine! These too are printed on both sides.
Of course, these things aren't limited to just seniors, anyone can order them, I am just looking to expand my senior market with some interesting new products. Melissa, you might remember all the samples I had of stuff at your house....these are my version!Give me your feedback and let me know what you think! Can't wait to play with some things for my own kids too!
3/3/09
Cupcake carriers
After all the fuss at the birthday party over the cupcake carrier I had, I have been on an intense search to find one for all of you! I am happy to report that I have found some....although not the cute green one like mine!
Amazon.com has these. Organize.com has those and these and these.
Happy browsing!
Amazon.com has these. Organize.com has those and these and these.
Happy browsing!
3/2/09
Happy Birthday Princess!!
Our little Princess turned 3 on Friday and we celebrated in royal style on Saturday! A new dress and a princess crown for the occassion!
A castle cake for our royal court to admire!
Make a wish fitting a princess!
Family tradition to let the kids cut their own piece of cake!
You can see, she cut a big piece for herself!
A 'puter....that she immediately knew how to operate (don't think she learned that from her momma, do you?!)
New boots....finally can get back to work with dad!
A Princess bike and helmet to match! Later that night she told me, "I sure love the princess bike that Santa brought me!" Well she is sorta right I guess, but we won't tell her just yet!
Making a trial cupcake with her new cupcake baker! Wearing her Princess apron, which was a good thing since she had chocolate frosting flying all over the kitchen!
Cambree had a FABULOUS party and we are so happy that our friends and family were here to celebrate with us! I am sure that I will remember this celebration far longer than she will, but it will be special none the less!
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