Life's Little Trials...

This afternoon I find myself feeling beyond frustrated! Between the pregnancy hormones, running a house hold, and the kiddos pushing me to the brink of insanity, I ask what else can I be dealt?! i know waaa-waaa-waaaaaa! Considering nothing major has happened besides daily life in the past 24 hours, I guess you could say that I am having a mommy melt down.

I'm 28 weeks 5 days into my pregnancy and feeling generally good still. Sure I am a little more emotional, my back aches, my legs/feet are the size of an elephants legs, and sleep is interrupted by numerous bathroom trips, but I am still smiling and happy to be pregnant. I just keep imagining in 12 weeks or so I will be looking into the face of my third most precious gift God has to offer. A son (who still has no name). I can take the aches and lack of sleep for such an awesome thing as human life.

Being a stay at home mom (as many of you know) is very rewarding, but once in a while it becomes a bit repetitive. I find myself feeling like I am on auto pilot. Get up, get breakfast, take Hayley to school, come home, get Emma bathed, pick up the living room and kitchen, have a snack and play with Emma, spend a little time on the computer, have lunch, put Emma down for a nap, clean the house, get Hayley from the bus stop, have snack, pick up some more, start dinner, greet John, eat dinner, clean up yet again, watch a little TV, put the girl's to bed, spend an hour or so with John, go to bed. REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT... Once in a while we throw the library and sports or Girl Scouts into the mix, but basically I feel like I spend all my time chasing little ones, cleaning the house, and cooking. Most days I feel like this is a blessing, some days (today especially) I feel like I'm not doing much with my life.

It's been 1 year and 3.5 months since we moved from Salem to Florence and still I don't feel like this is home. I haven't made any friends and I am lonely to say the least. I thought that moving here would be great and that my life would be just like it was in Salem, but I couldn't have been more wrong about that! I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss civilization, I miss the comfort and convience of knowing that there was always some one near by that I could rely on for help or company. I NEED socialization!

Hayley is very trying right now. Most days she pushes me about as far as humanly possible. Don't get me wrong she has so many wonderful qualities that I am so very proud of, but she seems to be struggling as much as I am when it comes to our relationship. I know it's normal for her to push and test to see what she can get away with, but it really makes me feel like I am failing as a mother and that breaks my heart! I just want her to listen, not talk back, and be respectful. She doesn't seem to have a problem with this with anyone besides me...

Emma is a handful. Fiercely independent yet really needs her mommy. It's nice to be needed and I love it when she wraps her arms around my neck, puts her cheek against mine, and says "I lub zyou" which is Emma for I love you. Today however she has been very fussy and hard to please which has added to everything else that is pulling at my spirits.

Oh then there is my wonderful husband, John. He is such a great guy and really tries hard to give three very difficult girls everything they want and need. However he works 12+ hours a day. So we get very little time with him and usually that is what we all need more then anything. He leaves before the girl's and I wake up and doesn't get home until 6:00 or 7:00 at night. We eat dinner and most night he is dozing off on the couch by 8pm. I know he is tired because he works very hard (even though it doesn't sound like it I admire that very much), but that gives us about an hour of his time. I joke that I am his second wife that he sneaks away to see when he can get away from his first wife (his job). Good thing we love each other!!!!!

So lets recap... I am having a pity party and need to vent because I am home sick, seriously lacking in adult socialization, hormonal, and my kiddos while amazing don't understand that mommy needs them to behave for the day. Also I miss my husband even though he hasn't gone any where. Yesterday Hayley broke my camera, today she has been n her room "cleaning" it all day but it looks the same (possibly worse), she also broke her lava lamp, Emma won't get off my leg for five minutes, but she doesn't want me to pick her up, I decided to sew the baby some burp rags and the thread ran out on the bobbin and no I don't know how to solve that problem, I have only cried twice today so it can't be that bad! Sounds like life right?!

All in all I know that God doesn't give me anything I cannot handle and I am thankful for all he gives me, even the bad. I feel better already just venting... I am laughing right now cause I am so upset over nothing, but life. Oh SIGH. one more time SSSIIIIGGGHHH. There I feel better and resolve to not let "life" get the best of me!

Happy Days

Hayley riding her scooter...

Notice the happy smiles on both Hayley and Emma's face... Thank you Mr. Sunshine!

Emma learning to blow bubbles and so surprised when she actually blew a bubble...

What is about the sun being out that just makes all of our worries and stresses melt away? I love it and on the Oregon coast we don't get enough days where the sun is out and it's actually warm. So today was one of those exceptions and I decided to take advantage of it! Hayley had base ball pictures and the pitch, hit, run, this morning and then she went to play at her friends house for the afternoon. We had a rough morning and I was a little cranky, as was Emma. Her and I came home so she could take a nap and I could enjoy a little quiet time. Nice thought, but Emma wasn't about to go there. After she cried for 45 minutes in her crib I said enough, it's we need some sun. Outside we headed, bubbles, chalk, and Pooh Bear train in tow. I was blowing bubbles for Emma and she loved it, so I taught her to do it. I wasn't sure at 18 months if she would be able to grasp the concept of blowing bubbles, but she had it down in about 5 minutes. She was entertained for about an hour blowing bubbles. She was puffing away try so hard to get a bubble or two and every time she manages to get one she would make a surprised face and then giggle. It was so cute! Once Hayley got home the girl's rode their bikes/scooters and then. They had so much fun and we all felt much better. The sun made for a happy day!

My Little Emma

Seeing that I am now 26 weeks into my pregnancy I have been really trying to enjoy my time with just Emma. I kind of thought that she would be my baby and boy was I wrong. I am so excited to be having another baby (3rd and final, but I am a little sad that I didn't get more one on one time with Emma. She is such a joyous handful and brightens our lives even on the darkest day. For being only 18 months she has more personality then several adults I know. She is stubborn, silly, determined, loving, smart, and full of sass! I have started taking her to story time at the public library on Tuesday's and she has so much fun. Today we listened to stories, sang silly songs, and then painted for craft time. Emma loved it! I had tutu orders to fill today so I got to work while Emma was down for her nap and when she woke up she wanted to wear them, so I let her put them on for a couple minutes so I could get some cute pics of them. These pics captured a little glimpse of her personality and I wanted to share them... Enjoy!

Emma cheesing it up during crafts...

Tada, here I am in all my glory!

She thought it was so funny that I was taking her picture she kept laughing...

This is by far my favorite of the bunch... Notice the hand on her hip, there is a little of that sass I mentioned :)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

Hayley had her first base ball game of the 2010 season last night. This year she is playing for the braves and has wonderful coaches! She was very excited and nervous fro her game and really wanted her dad to be there. About half an hour after the game started Hayley was all smiles when she noticed her dad in the stands. She has improved dramatically since last year and is one of the tallest players on her team. She proudly wears number 14 and walks to the plate when it's her turn to bat with confidence I haven't yet seen in her. Over all she has three at bats resulting in one base hit and two doubles. Anyone who has seen Hayley run knows that two doubles is amazing since she runs pretty slow! She played left center, right center, short stop, and pitcher. She made several good plays and was quick to get in front of the ball not letting anything past her. I am so proud of her and the growth I see in her confidence and skills on a daily basis. I love seeing her happy and the sparkle she gets in her eye when she is proud of herself.
We are huge base ball fans and our family has housed minor league base ball player since I was a little girl. Salem-Keizer has a farm team (the Volcanoes) for the SF Giants so we are devoted Giants fans. Last night Hayley said "Oh NO, mom were playing the Giants"... It was very cute. Emma enjoyed picking daisy's and sitting in the grass and we happily cheered, welcoming the start of a new season and new memories. This Meier family is eagerly saying "Take me out to the ball game!"

What a Relief

This morning my mom got a phone call regarding her biopsy. Great news was delivered, they found no cancer. What a relief it was to hear that. I was very worried for my mom and what she (and our family) would have to go through if they did find cancer. You just never know what your going to be dealt. This time my mom had a good hand, but things could have gone very differently. I am so thankful for all of your thoughts and prayers during this anxious time. This situation just reminds me how important it is to have regular check ups. I am so greatful for my families general good health and blessings the lord has given us!

Say a Little Prayer

A few weeks ago my mom went in for her mammogram. She got a phone call a few days later saying they saw something on the mammogram and that she needed some additional testing. She went in Monday morning and they did some scans of her breast and discovered that she does have a mass of some kind and that she needs to have a biopsy done. Thursday she goes in for the biopsy and hopefully she will have the results early next week. Needless to say my mom as well as the rest of us are feeling a little anxious and scared about this. We are hoping that it's just benign, but we all know that not everyone is so lucky. I have been saying lots of prayers for my mom and I have faith that God will not deal her or our family anything we cannot handle. I am asking that you keep my mom in your prayers during this scary time and I will update as soon as the results come back.

Easter

What a wonderful morning. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not very religious. That said I do know this... Their is a God, I have complete faith in him and give thanks every day for the blessing and trials in my life. I do believe that Christ gave his life for us and that he rose so that we shall one day join him. So on this Easter I want everyone to know that I have been truly blessed in my life. Even on the worst day I am not dealt anything I cannot handle. I love my family very much and my heart melted just a little this morning as I watched my girl's happily open their Easter baskets and find their eggs. This year Emma was very excited to find the eggs. She had a look of surprise and joy on her face every time her or Hayley found one. Hayley in turn took joy in helping her find her eggs and relished in the giggles Emma had when she opened her eggs. Today is a good day for Christ has risen and I am blessed with love! I hope each of you has a wonderful Easter!

Parenting...

*SIGH* I am so frustrated, both for myself and my daughter. Being a parent is so difficult! I want my children to be well mannered, listen, do what they are told, and be happy, respectful little people. I don't know if it's just me or if all eight year old girl's are so trying? By the end of each day I am left feeling sad and like I am failing as a parent. I have the most amazing, smart, caring, beautiful daughter, but for what ever reason lately she seems to be pushing me to my limits. She does the opposite of everything she is asked to do and her attitude is awful. I don't know what to do and a little advice would be really appreciated!

Room for Improvement!

Sunday John and I sat down and discussed some things that we would like to improve as a family. We started as parents very young and we all know there is no hand book to guide us along. As we are getting older and our family is growing we realized there is room for improvement. We decided that just because we are in the same room with each other does not mean we are spending time together. We talked about options and ways to change this and the conclusion was that we spend entirely too much time in front of the TV, so we are shutting it off. No more TV until 7:00pm at which point we will watch one hour long show as a family. We usually eat in front of the TV as well, so from now on we will eat our meals at the table. This is day three and so far it is going pretty well. We were met with only minor complaints from Hayley the first night. We are hoping that this will help strengthen all of our relationships, communication, and appreciation for each member of this family as a whole and as individuals. I can honestly say even only three days into this life change, Hayley's attitude is much better and John and I are less irritated. So on that note, I challenge you to step up and not just spend time with your family, but to spend quality time with them. I hope to hear how you are doing this and how it is going. I will update periodically on our progress. GOOD LUCK!

Here Goes Nothing!

So I guess it's time for me to get with it! I am have decided to try my hand at blogging even though I haven't the slightest clue what i am doing. I am one dertemined, crafty wife and mother and aparently I need yet another task on my already over flowing plate. Right now I am a stay at home mom. I have two amazing little girl's, Hayley almost nine and Emma 17 months. 10 years ago today I decided to take a journey though life with my wondeful Husband John. Amazingly we are still going strong and are going to be welcoming a third baby into this crazy world this summer. John works a lot and I am trying to kick off my from home business making tutus. Sassy heart Tutus has become not only a passion, but a bit of an obsession that I hope to share with all of you. I guess thats enough for now... Stay posted cause my little family has plenty of heart and sass to share with you!