Sick and tired of sick and tired!

If I were to go back one year ago, I would never guess all the changes that one little year could possibly bring. Most obviously, baby Maddox who joined us in April last year. He has completed our hearts with every smile/blow out diaper he delivers daily! Then of course, we moved in October. There was a lot to consider, but in the end we did it. I can't lie, it was not easy!! So much to think about; really the thing we were both concerned with is the kids and their transition. Dalton was oddly emotional before the move, Tatum was NOT. However they both did a 180 once we got here. She was very unsure for a couple months, and D seemed to completely roll with it all. Only in the last few weeks has she seemed to really settle in and it has helped with some new friends! The school here in Bentonville is a 'blue ribbon' school. Althought the school in Ozark, MO was wonderful, this school is farther along in its curriculum for the kids. They move faster, and expect more from the students. For the most part, this is all very good for the Tatum and Dalton.

We also have started them in some other activities. Tatum is taking horse riding lessons and LOVES it, Dalton is doing Tae Kwon Do, and likes it a lot too; more sports in the spring will follow. Our biggest obstacle has been sickness! Literally someone has been ill in this house just about every week since we moved. I had no idea I would be visiting the pediatrician as much as we have!

Dan loves his new job with Walmart; he is a privacy attorney and is daily fascinated with everything that goes into working for the biggest company in the world! I am home right now with baby...contemplating going back to work. It's never an easy choice, but whatever is best will be, I have to just keep telling myself this daily :)

Oh baby

I am almost certain I might be the only person who reads this blog; so I guess I don't have to be completely embarrassed that it has been 10, yes TEN months since I posted anything!!!!! More has happend in the past 10 months than I could have ever, EVER expected. Baby Maddox was born April 2, at appr. 12:22 a.m. Now that was a crazy weekend. Tatum was born a few weeks early, and Dalton was born at 38 weeks, so naturally I just assumed I would have M early too; I would drag myself to work those last few weeks and EVERYONE would say "you are still here??" One of the chapters of my book I will one day write and it will be hysterical will be "ridiculous comments made to pregnant women" And oh my friends, I had MANY people say some really wild things. Moving on, almost every Saturday I was pregnant was morning breakfast date with mommy and the bigs (I refer to Tatum and Dalton as the bigs--you know big kids), mostly they would choose Panera, and they would each have a ridiculously expensive power sandwich and an almost equally expensive pastry. Getting on with the story---I was 39 weeks on Friday, and felt so horrible, Dan and I both didn't go to work; we thought this was the day. I was LITERALLY dilated to a 4 for 4 weeks; yup; how? I have no idea......Saturday came, and I felt pretty good, so what did I do? I took Dalton for a hair cut then drove the kids to branson to shop. I am an idiot; we shopped for about an hour, ate, then I could tell I needed to get home. Saturday night came and went. Sunday the contractions were there, but not totally consistant. We walked the mall, Bass Pro, all over anywhere we could think to go. After dinner, I could not decide what to do. This is my 3rd baby for crying out LOUD! I delivery VERY fast from the past two births, and we lived in Ozark, so the Dr. said 'stay close' what the heck does that mean? (maybe she meant not to drive to Branson---oh ok).

We almost turned to go home and instead Dan said, let's just go see. We got to Cox hospital around 7:30 and Dan's parents met us there to take the bigs back to our house for the night, unless we came home. I got checked around 8:30 p.m. and the nurse asked if my contractions were getting stronger and harder; no they weren't but I had basically been in some kind of labor for 4 weeks, so you know, I was used to it by now. I lied and said THEY ARE COMING HARDER! She checked me and I was already a 6! STAYING!!!!! Called my mom; she was on her way. Called in laws to tell them baby on was his way. I was almost an 8 and it was 10:15 p.m. when I got my heavenly epidural; I almost kissed the anethesiologist!!!! The date was April 1st. I really hoped that this baby would not be an April Fool's baby!!! 11:30 p.m. dilated to 9; the clock struck midnight and at 12:10 my OB came in; 12:22 a.m. Maddox Daniel was born! He weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz and was almots 22 inches long!  We have been in love with him ever since.

I have so much to catch up on here; moving to another city, staying home for the first time in my LIFE, etc. there is much more to come. I am writing that book by the way, Chelsea Handler watch out; I am going to kick you off the chart :)

Rainy March Monday

Sure, no one wants a flood, or to have their basement leak, etc. I know that, I get that. I remember growing up and our basement would flood, and there would be a mess and so NO, flooding would be bad. BUT, I do LOVE rain. I love the way it cleans the air and the way it sounds and how it makes all the plants and grass (in our case weeds) so green and alive, etc!!! The rain really calms me, and on this Monday, 37 weeks pregnant with baby boy, I welcome the change in weather! My status is that I have had many irregular contractions over that past few weeks, but they are fairly strong, some more than others, so I wasn't too surprised at my Dr. appt. this past Friday when she checked me and I was a solid 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. My having babies history is that they were both born a little early (37 weeks for T and 38 weeks at D), so where as many women are 'SO READY TO HAVE THIS KID NOW!' my entire pregnancy has been about making it to the safe finish line, safe for baby that is. According to all medical guidelines, babies are considered full-term at 37 weeks, however, I THINK, that the more time in there, the better off they are, unless there is something else going on, like hypertension, gestational diabetes, etc. So I was a little surprised when Dr. said we could go ahead and strip the membranes Tuesday and have that baby probably fairly quickly. Tuesday as in tomorrow. I am trying to re-schedule my appt. for Thursday or Friday. The downside is my Dr. will only be available through Friday, then she is gone next week, so that means I would just have to take whoever was on call over the weekend or next week. I would really like MY OB to deliver baby Rice, but... I think I am going to ask that we NOT do much right now, and let baby come when he is ready. I highly doubt with this being #3, and with all the contractions I have had, and the fact I am already dilated that I will go another full two weeks. Or one week...who knows. I am just praying for a healthy, baby boy and a healthy ME...! I will post again as soon as I know something :)

Counting Down.....

As I sit here, with a squirmy baby wiggling all over, I am attempting to take a deep breath. This is not easy when you have a 5-6 pound (at least) little renter who continues to take up more room and deplete your lung capacity! And I could not be happier that he is in there. I just hope he stays for at least a few more weeks. Everyone says this, but it really is true that in some ways you feel like you are pregnant FOREVER, and in others, I feel like it was truly just yesterday that the test turned bright blue... :) Every Friday my 'pregnancy' week changes, so like today I am officially 35 weeks pregnant. I look at this as a milestone, because I think it's one week longer that baby Rice has stayed put in his place and is continuing to grow and gain weight, strength and be even more prepared for the world. I am also pretty proud that I am still standing upright! Work has been even more demanding than ever, and since I already put a LOT of pressure on myself, I am happy to say I am still hanging in there. Baby's room is ready to go, I think (I hope) I have what we need for him when he gets here.

I will say that both Tatum and Dalton NEVER moved and wiggled nearly as much as this little one. He is all OVER the place! I think the thing that is most amazing is how he absolutely can hear us talk to him, and how he is already responding to our voices. I am in awe of what our bodies are capable of; growing a baby for almost a year!

Both Tatum and Dalton are excited to meet baby. I am so lucky to have such amazing little people like them. Every day I love them more if that is even possible. They are SO good. I know that this will be an adjustment for all of us, but I am hoping that we can work together and make it as easy as can be expected. I want both of them to know ALWAYS that they are so unique and special, and baby M will just be another wonderful addition to the Rice Family.

Work continues on, for now, I am FOR SURE taking as much time as I can and have accrued to be paid for, which is currently 10.5--almost 11 weeks. I am praying now that God will help me adjust to what is next up....because I KNOW myself well enough to know that I am not a stay at home mother, HOWEVER, I also am sick at my stomach thinking of taking my angel baby to daycare when he is so little. There is really no great solution. So I have tried to prepare in the best way I can and we will just see how it goes. Just take a deep breath...wait, I can't.

I am very lucky that I have THE VERY BEST FRIEND in the world always by my side going through this adventure with me, and for that I am so lucky. No one compares to Dan, and gag yourself right now if you want to, but he helps me with everything, THANK GOD for him.

So the deal is,,,I am going to have a BABY probably this month! And MOST likely unless I win the lottery and decide to adopt, this will be our last baby Rice, so I am enjoying the anticipation of it all. I am praying for a healthy little boy, and a healthy mama too. I also SERIOUSLY hope that epidural does EVERYTHING it's supposed to do. I have been trying to block out that part, but now that the weeks are becoming days, I am starting to ponder the labor, delivery and recovery.

Here is to NEW adventures around the corner with baby and family! And sushi,,,,,,and all those naughty cheeses.......and wine, and skinny-er? jeans, and normal bras, deep breaths, and holding and smelling that sweet baby. I'll keep you posted.

30 weeks!

I am officially into the 3rd trimester of this pregnancy with baby M and things are going well and I feel pretty good. Clearly, I haven't gained the weight I did with Tatum and Dalton and I know that has had much to do with it. Tomorrow I go for my 'glucola' test. This tests the sugar in my blood and is always done around this time of pregnancy. Also, the doctor is going to do another ultrasound to check on the position of the placenta. At our first ultrasound at around 18 weeks, it was pretty low, not a complete previa, but low enough that they want to take another look now. Most of the time, nature has a way of fixing itself. As the uterus grows, the placenta moves up. There is no way around the fact that baby must come first, not the placenta. In mid-December our friend Kristi did another ultrasound for us so we could see little man up close and she noted that the placenta looked like it had moved for sure, so here is hoping that this is an absolute tomorrow. So I drink the nasty glucola, have my ultrasound, a blood draw and then my appt. with the OB. I always get a little nervous--it's in my genetic make-up to worry.

The nurse got on to me for NOT gaining enough weight last time. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. As long as baby and I are healthy, than I think it is all good; and Dr. confirmed that. Monday night we had a 'refresher' baby class here at Cox. A friend did the class and it was good for both of us. Walking down the hall during the tour past the rooms where the babies were actually being born made it very real that labor will be here sooner than later.

Another great thing I learned from this class was to download some relaxation apps on my phone. WOW!!! I played one for the first time last night and Dan said I was out within a few minutes. I am going to continue to pursue the relaxation techniques I have read up on. This type A first born kid is again, by nature a little strung out so this should be a good thing for all! I have a busy day ahead of me now. More later.

Keeping Up with the Rices

I really hate myself for being such a piss poor blogger. I had wonderful intentions the first couple of years with this blog and did a 'fair' job I guess on updating it....the truth is, it's mostly for me, since no one else ever reads it---alas I have fallen short. Since my last post, there have been many developments in our lives. Most newsworth would be that we are expecting a little boy in early spring!!!! We are very blessed with this, and are all very excited. It's not our first rodeo so to speak, so we know what to expect, but even so many changes will be upon our family!

Baby Rice is by FAR the most active of all the rice babies---it's like he hasn't stopped moving, shaking, dancing, whatever it is he is doing--! since I felt him for the first time. If I am hungry, he is VERY active, I think he is getting us prepared for the FOOD NOW days. I am almost 25 weeks along, and up until just this week, haven't had much to report. However, it seems as though I have 'popped' as they say. The belly is very much out there, and simple things like putting socks and shoes on are a little more tricky.....and will be even more in a couple more months.

I gained a LOT of weight with both Tatum and Dalton. What is a lot? Try 86 pounds with her and 65 with him....yup, I gained a 7th and 5th grader respectively. This was NOT good. I have been more determined this time to make sure this isn't repeated. The first trimester had ups and downs; yes, I felt nauseous sometimes, and yes there was some rushing to the bathroom. So far the 2nd trimester has been better with the pukes.

I continue to be AMAZED when this little guy moves all over! It is such a miracle.

Tatum and Dalton are rocking along quite nicely. Doing wonderfully in school, and just all around great kids, we are very lucky (we do, have a part in this luck, since kids don't raise themselves, and let's face it, we all know MANY kids probably who are miserable to be around). They are both excited to see baby Rice in spring. They like to feel him move and talk to him.

Dan is, OF COURSE, wonderful. He is so supportive, and although it probably makes most women want to gag with a spoon, he does SO much all the time, without ever complaining. Yes, I know I am very lucky.

Work is still going strong. I am still at the CoxHealth Foundation. I have had full intentions of returning to work after the baby comes, but I have decided to not make any decisions 100% at this time. I am easily the most OCD control freak I know, and I want to have everything down to a T marked off my list and always be set and ready for every little curve life brings. I think after almost 10 years of running and gunning at an insane pace, without any time off of work EVER hardly, I might need to slow down and bit and smell the roses. With that said, I am not a stay at home mom 100% of the time. Ideally, I would love to work part-time. These are things I need to think about, pray about, and trust that the best for our family will happen in it's own good time. (Easier said then done for this OCD chick).

In the mean time, I am trying to peck away at my 'baby needs' list. Wow, I know everyone says it but you do forget that you need the essentials and I had long ago given away all my baby stuff. Where is that wealthy friend who just had a baby and wants to 'give' me stuff for free!!!!

That is all for now....and I am promising myself to get back to blogging more regularly!

Welcome back Kotter.....

It's been a long time since I have posted. I really don't have much of an excuse...I guess just an extremely busy summer, and frankly I got lazy on blogging. So much is going on. At press time, I really can't talk about the biggest things that are on our horizon, but I will say that it is exciting! One thing that is for sure is that we are staying in Springfield. Yes, this has been the big stressor the past few months. Dan was offered a really great position in KC, and after MUCH, and I mean much going back and forth, we have decided to stay put.

I know that there are many things in life, changes, decisions we make, etc. that are not easy and this was one of them. The idea of a new, fun city with more opportunities for our careers, shopping (eh hem), etc. was a huge draw for us. But like most things, there were some very strong pros and cons, and in the end, with other changes happening in our lives currently, we decided to stay put. The 'business' side of all of this, (that I won't get into), was really intense, so we are glad to have this major decision, well, decided and over. Sadly, Dan still needs to call and 'break up' with an amazing company that really really wanted him in KC!

A busy summer of work for Dan and I, and the kids had a BLAST in the crosstraining program this year for summer school. It is a religious based program through South Haven Baptist Church and both Tatum and Dalton had an amazing summer there. We did get to jet off to Florida just in time to catch 5 glorious days on the beach and not get one rain storm! (August is Florida's wettest month and just to roll the dice, it rained 3 days straight before we got there and then right after we left!) Back home, and ready to start 3rd grade and Kindergarten respectively.....!

Though I do not want to spill the beans quite yet on some of the fun stuff coming up for us, I will say in all good time we will share. In the mean time, enough of this hot hot summer and bring on some fall weather---I want to wear my new Hudson jeans and plant mums!!!!

Happy Anniversary

Nine years ago (yesterday) I married the most amazing person I have ever known. We had a wonderful wedding almost 350 people to be exact, and it was so much fun. We hopped into Dan's parents 1979 red corvette and met up with friends for a night cap. Then we headed off to STL and then to London. I remember being so hungry when we landed in the early morning hours and eating some chicken thing (it was gross). I am convinced if I had to eat what the British eat daily, I would lose all the weight I need!

It helped our travel around London that Dan had lived there a few years before, and pretty much knew his way. We toured the Tower of London, The Globe Theatre, saw Les Mis on the West End and Matt Damon, Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix in a shot play called "This is Our Youth." These were all great, but the huge score was standing in line to get tickets to "The Phantom of the Opera." Okay, so we were just starting out, had a very limited budget and this was going to be one of our 'big spends' of the trip. Dan walks in to buy tickets. I waited outside and just SO happened to be standing by a very rice Russian couple who were West End regulars and had double booked the show that night with "Cats." Interstingly Cats ended around that time for good and ever. They asked if I was wanting tickets...I said yes, they said well we would sell you ours for 20 pounds TOTAL. For both. I looked at the tickets and they were 3rd ROW CENTER. I grabbed them, paid them, thanked them then ran into Her Majesty's Theatre and told Dan GET A REFUND NOW! Graciously they refunded him his 175 pounds (almost $225 American) and I re-told him my story.

I can remember it like yesterday. And sometimes it feels like it was so long ago! The main point of this story is that I am so happy and we have such a good life together with our sweet babies. I am truly a lucky girl.

Hold me close young Tony Danza??

I laugh EVERY time I think of this Friends episode, where Phoebe is talking about her favorite Elton John song...you know, the 'one about that guy from Who's the Boss. You know 'Hold me close young Tony Danza...." of course that episode along with the one where they are moving the couch up the stairs, "PIVOT...PIVOT!!!" Ross yells, or the one where Joey puts on Phoebe's maternity pants for Thanksgiving and calls them his 'turkey eatin' pants....okay, so that just leads me to actually SEEING ELTON in concert this past weekend! And even crazier?? In SPRINGFIELD MO!!!! Our night started out at dinner at Bruno's with friends Lucas and Cindy. Dan had swordfish and I had a light pasta with jumbo shrimp in a vodka red sauce. Cindy had the seafood special and Lucas the clazone. Some cab and we were set for the show!!! What amazing seats. Lucas and Cindy's parents really hooked us up! Elton went on a little after 8 p.m. and played for 2.5 hours straight (ahahaha) okay that was bad, I said Elton and straight in the same sentence. HE WAS AMAZING. I couldn't stop singing and it was just a once in a lifetime thing. I kept thinking in two weeks he will be at the royal wedding in London! We had fun, got home late and let our new favorite babysitter finally go home! Unfortunately by Sunday night the little ones had pretty intense sniffles and both had their vicks humidifiers going at full blast. Along with my new 17 inch screen HP laptop I got this weekend, I have re-done our study downstairs, pics to follow soon. Just picked up the new chair I think will match nicely.

Toof-fairy

It's a rite of passage for all kids, losing their teeth. Some take it better than others for sure. I remember wiggling teeth with my tongue, as I am sure most of us do. I lost teeth late, not any until 2nd grade, I remember vividly being quite distraught because the giant tooth on my first grade classroom's wall was filled with all the names of student's who had lost teeth, and my name wasn't on there. Fast forward 25 years and my little Tatum was dealing with her own tooth issues. First of all, she lost her little bottom teeth several months ago, and in November we could tell her other top tooth was getting loose....but then it just didn't come out. What DID happen was it started to stick out and it looked kinda silly. We took her to the dentist and he gave her 2 weeks to get it AND it's next door neighbor (other front tooth) out....

Monday night she and Dalton were upstairs and I hear wailing. Dalton was standing next to her wide-eyes and she was leaning over the sink. In the midst of 'playing silly' he had popped her in the mouth and out came said tooth. She was moderately traumatized and Dalton just kept saying "I DID IT!!! I DID IT!!!"

Well everyone KNOWS that when you lose a tooth, that the tooth fairy comes to visit you. UNFORTUNATELY, the 'tooth fairy' went to get change out of the bowl and realized that it had been raided and stashed in two piggies banks....so here was a broke tooth fairy that had to steal back some change out of the piggy bank to deliver $2 in dimes to a very excited little girl. What cna I say, I was desperate!

Today is the day we go back to the dentist, and here is hoping that it goes well and the Toof Fairy will be better prepared tonight.

White House/Black Market

I am a bargain shopper. I actually feel like I have really accomplished something when I find a great deal. Like the little designer dress I found at a resale shop for $8, or the brand new Limited Too jeans I picked up for Tatum at Children's Orchard for $7.....these things make me feel thrifty and like I found treasures on the cheap. However, when I walk into White House/Black Market (though not often), my brain flip flops and something crazy happens to me. I LOVE everything about that store. I love the clothes, the materials, the shoes are amazing, the jewelry....oh holy night, it's just too much for my little brain to handle. Yesterday, in fact I went in specifically to look for a clearance only dress for my upcoming event. I dutifully walked straight to the back and tried not to make eye contact with the insanely expensive new items in the front of the store. I picked up a pair of cool light gray jeans, a skirt and a couple dresses. The jeans fit, the skirt was too big and they didn't have a smaller size, and the dresses fit, but weren't appropriate for this event,..... then they started on me. Here try this dress, it matches these shoes and this belt.... oh and these earrings....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I needed a calculater just to add up how much that glorious outfit would cost. I felt bad b/c the little sales girl looked disappointed that I wouldn't try it on...."come on, you might really like it." Yes, I KNOW I will, have you seen how much all this crap costs?????? At least I am a clean dressing room tryer on-er....I hung everything up, grabbed my cute clearance priced jeans, used my WH/BM 5% discount card, AND my $10 birthday coupon they sent me and I left spending very little money.....good job me. I am however, going to try to copy that outfit for cheaper somewhere else!

Dish it out.....

When I was a little girl, my mom and grandma tell stories of how I would 'help' bake cookies and ever so Not slyly steal chocolate chips when I thought no one was looking. I have great memories of baking sugar cookies around the holidays, and no one can forget the blueberry pie making spree I went on in 8th grade after learning how to perfect the best crust in home ec. It really wasn't though, until the past few years that I have begun this love affair with cooking. Yes, I still enjoy baking, but for me it's the unique and gourment ingredients that I really love. Nothing is more fun to me than watching Food Network and Paula Dean or Bobby Flay, or Big Bites with Guy, or barefoot Contessa (even though she is totally snobbish and weird) and THEN trying to remember all the ingredients and making the dish myself....I LOVE IT!

Cooking is like anything else, the more you practice, the better you get. It takes many years to learn 'tricks' and I am NO WHERE near a chef,,,but I hope to get closer to that someday. Tonight is homemade chicken parmesan, pasta, spinach gorgonzola and maybe something lemony for dessert. The other thing that is important to me is healthy cooking. Sure everyone wants cheese on a burger,,,,duh.....but my challenge to myself is preparing tasty, inexpensive (if possible) meals that everyone (including the kids) love. It can get tricky, but it is possible. I was at Target today picking up some needed items and I thought "I will just go over and LOOK at the cooking supplies" I stood there for far too long and one of the employees asked if I was working on a registry...hahahahaha....no but maybe I will register for my 9th anniversary in April! And I also think I am the last person on earth that does NOT have a kitchenaid mixer....hint hint.....!!!

This happened.

The reason I want to post this is that I want to be able to remember all the details of this one day many years from now, because I am quite certain that it wouldn't/couldn't ever happen again. Also, this post isn't exactly 'politically correct' I guess, but it is my blog and I can say whatever I want. It's hard enough for me because I am very funny and I have to turn my filter on a lot so that my humor doesn't come out wrong. But there is nothing quite like what happened a few weeks ago when I was returning back to work after a mid-morning meeting. This is where my politically correctness goes down the drain.

I have always had a fascination with midgets. I KNOW they are people, I am not saying that, but it's just....well, I stare at them. I can't help it. And so you have to know that first off. They also make me nervous, I HAVE no idea why, but it's true. Back to my story.

So there I sit at another very long stop light and I just happen to glance over through my passenger side window and I see the (I am not kidding here)...absolute largest van I think I have ever seen in my life. I thought...WHOA.....what in the world is in that thing? Then it happened. After processing this giant van, I will admit I expected to see a huge big truck driver looking man piloting such a beast on the road.

Nope. I saw the smallest little person I had ever seen. I could see the tops of his wee little shoes sticking up from the seat and then WORST of all, he grabbed a can of coke and then tipped back to drink it. OF COURSE my eyes must have been huge...what can I say? My mind was racing....how could he drive this thing? Is this legal? Safe? Does he wear a seatbelt? How does he look to change lanes!?

I guess I must have stared a bit too long. The light turned green, the guy behind me laid on the horn for me to GO, and the little person in the big van flipped me the tiny bird and sped off.

I have told numerous people this story, I even announced it to some just minutes after I walked back into work completely astonished.

Today I miss my dad

I know that it's been 16 years,,,but today I miss my dad. I want to talk to him. I want to tell him that I need him. That I think about him all the time. I want to ask him questions about life...I don't want to be harshly judged...I just want to talk to him. I so crave and hurt for his opinion and I have had many years to 'heal' but sometimes I just want to be the little girl that still had her dad. This post is NOT about feeling sorry for myself. I know that things happen for reasons that hopefully one day I will know. But I can not say that sometimes I wish to ask my dad about what he thinks. God gives me my dreams with him occasionaly. My heart hurts because I wonder so often what he would think; I want his opinon, I need his advice. This pain never goes away. I trust in God that all things happen for a reason, and I know that my Dad was taken when I was 15, my brother was 13 and my mom was so young...for a reason...but at times I just wish I had him here. Tonight I am sad. My heart hurts. Because I rejoice that my dad is in a good place....but tonight I miss you dad. I wish you were here so that I could share my worries and my happiness with you. I will always have you in my heart.

2010

I know it's clique to say that 'time goes by so fast' but it really really does. It's almost scary sometimes how quickly it seems the year has raced by us. The holidays have again come and gone, and this year had some unique events, but was overall a wonderful time for us.

Quite suddenly, we found out that my sister in law's father passed away in his sleep the day before Christmas Eve....this of course was devasting to their family, and a very hard time of the year to say the least to plan a funeral. I know from losing my dad suddenly how very hard and tragic this is....we did get to have our nephews over to spend the night on Christmas night and all four kids had the best time together! In fact, the dreaded nighttime routine went quite smoothly---of course they were exhausted! My nephew Luke yelled AUNT LINDSAY AUNT LINDSAY at about 2:30 in the morning and when we went in,,all he wanted was a drink! They were very sweet and had a blast.

My step-dad also lost his mother after a long illness, so they were making arrangements for her funeral which was this past Monday. It was a nice service and everyone was pleased.

My Christmas tradition is DECOR IS DOWN ASAP AFTER the 25th! I LOVE Christmas decorations, but I am ready to get it all cleaned up and put away when it's over. This year I finally went through old decor, and tons of other stuff, clothes, toys, sheets, comforters and stock piled 5 massive bags that we took to Goodwill. I am the very opposite of a hoarder, I probably throw too much away (except for the kids art work and stuff).

This weekend we have various parties to attend and I will be doing some more cooking, I truly love cooking now more than just about any other hobby and trying out new recipes hasn't made anyone too upset in our family!

I can't believe it's almost 2011.........

Happy Holidays

It's a fun and hectic time of year for most people. This season, I feel like I have literally shopped and shopped and shopped some more. I think it has to do with (in my case), starting TOO early with shopping. What happened was that I literally started forgetting what I bought. I even forgot what I had purchased for my nephews. Between co-workers, secret santas, nephews, parents, teachers, etc. 'Santa' had to finally drag everything out and take inventory. Good thing I did too, b/c the gifts weren't exactly even....Dalton had more big things, while Tatum had tons more stocking gifts. We are ready now.

Reindeer food---check
Santa cookies (making tomorrow)---check
teacher gifts---check
Santa's massive load of gifts---check!

And this holiday season, as I prepare my grocery list to make yummy treats I AM SOOO EXCITED that my in-laws bought me a FABULOUS new cookware set...top of the line! It just makes baking and cooking that much better! Christmas to me, is really no longer about anything I get. I know growing up I was very blessed to have wonderful Christmases.

These days, I find it more gratifying giving gifts to the people I love and care about more than getting gifts. So that is why my holiday cookware was such a treat!!! ---(Oh and don't get me wrong, I do not go without---Tatum looked at me the other day as we were shopping at Charming Charlie's and said "Mommy, you sure have a LOT of handbags").....I put it down straight away!

The holidays are here and it's time to remember once again how thankful I am to have the blessings in my life that I do. Wishing everyone a fun and happy Christmas and new year!

The innocent child

As the end of the year approaches, I reflect on all of the activities and adventures my family and I have had.....it has been quite a fun year. With that said, I must be a bit sappy...

The moment I saw their faces, heard them breathe, and felt their touch,
I awoke to the most amazing love I had ever known.
Who could have imagined your heart could love, cherish, hurt for and long for another human as much as it now did.
I often say "I love you more than ever today" and they giggle and ask HOW Mommy!!??!!!
The answer is my love grows deeper every day for my innocent children...

Thank you God, for allowing me to have two wonderful children that brighten my life every second of the day.

The poor reindeer

Recently life has been pretty calm en Casa de Rice....sure we've had a few sick times here and there, but overall nothing too remarkable has happened. The weather and having some kids 'under' the weather forced me to make my very own Thanksgiving dinner by myself this year...and I must say, it all turned out quite nicely....except the gravy, must work on the gravy. We also had family pics done, which is so cool, but also very expensive and very hard to choose...I generally hate any and all pictures of myself, so making the process even harder.

In other news, our doggies are practically potty trained! They don't really go to the door yet, when they need to go, so that is next on the training list. Their mommy is so very proud of them!!

Christmas has arrived at our house for sure. I THINK I am about done with buying gifts, but just as I feel about ready, I remember something else and out I go again. I have shopped smart this year, taking advantage of really great deals, and for that I have saved some $$$.....of course when I see FANTASTIC deals when I am out buying for others....sometimes I accidentally come home with something great for me :)

After seeing Santa this weekend, Tatum felt better about the reindeer/eating issue. Let's go back a few weeks. My little veterinarian was quite worried and concerned that the sweet reindeer just simply could not do their job on carrots alone. She was downright upset. So, of course, it being 2010, we 'googled it' as she asked to do. I found a site that basically helped parents out by saying "Oh yes, the reindeer love cookies too." I said, "SEE? They do like cookies, it says so right here."

Her response? "You seriously don't believe everything you read...do you mommy?"

She is smarter than I am.

I'm Floored.

The past two days have been spent stacking piling and pushing funiture aside so that our new wood floors can be installed. Two kids, two dogs, two big people, trying to navigate around construction and still 'live' there has been interesting. I will say my biggest fear with this particular project was how in the world they would match our existing wood floors to the new wood floors....this is where I was really holding my breathe. TWWWWALLLLA! A perfect match! Today when we get home the downstairs should be complete so that we can start the clean up, move stuff back into place project. Tomorrow the team will be laying wood upstairs in the hallway and then Monday new carpets on the stairs and then DONE! It's a messy job, but it will be worth it. Some funny things we have noticed: the carpet muffled sound in our house....it's even louder now! This comes in handy when I am singing at the top of my lungs and the echo sounds so cool, but not so lucky when two kids are talking over each other.... anther thing, the dogs pissing playground has now been tossed, REALLY hope they can pick up on potty training with the smell gone and a re-focused mom and dad training them. Speaking of dogs, everything was in such array last night, at one point we couldn't 'find' Zippy....we looked and looked and looked. I thought maybe he was outside or had been swallowed up by the stuff we had piled high in every corner of the house. Nope----I found him sitting inside the car in the garage with the doors shut....no one remembers him outside and by the way this is the 2nd time in a week I have found him in the car like this.....crazy dog.

I am excited to decorate this year with my new wood floors!

A shot of courage

After looking into the flu shots this year, I decided it would be best if we all skipped the mist and did the shot. First of all the shot is not a live virus, and I just feel like it's a better choice. To each their own! Nevertheless, much 'shot' talk has been taking place in our house. Tatum was pretty mad about not getting that nose misty stuff, so we'll see how she reacts today when it's game time. Dalton had almost talked himself into everything being okay today. We showed up at his preschool and though he was not his usual happy self, he wasn't crying. We got checked in and walked into the room where the nurses were giving the shots. Two kids in there....screaming.....crap. He looks up at me, tears filling his eyes and he says:

"I USUALLY GO WITH THE FLOW.....BUT THIS IS CRAZY!!!!"

Luckily, I am wizard in the department of distraction. I say, "DALTON, tell them about your halloween costume..I bet NO ONE here would believe how SCARY it is!"

D: "Well....sniff sniff....it...sniff is pretty scary...it's actually freaky" (side note...actually is one of his favorite words to date).

Smart assistant nurse brings bag of candy over while shot nurse gets ready to aim.

Aim. Fire. Done.

Me: GREATTT JOB!

Dalton: "I WOULDN'T say that DIDN't hurt mommy."

Alas, Dalton loves him some chocolate and the mini twix seemed to comfort the wounds so to speak.

I am much more worried about my drama diva getting her shot today. I am sure I will have more to write about that later.