first Halloween...

So I guess parenthood is all about dressing your children up in ridiculous costumes and outfits and taking lots of pictures of them. These are my precious little candy corns. Aren't they cute?
-fulty

I'm officially able to blog!!

Ta-da...Lizzy-cat can blog now!
Well, this cat with 2 kittens is doing fairly well. My strength seems back to normal but the rest of my body leaves much to be desired--consisting of flab, stretch marks and expansion in places better left unsaid. Having two hasn't been too bad yet--the hardest things are making sure I'm not still in my robe and pajamas at lunch time and trying to wrangle Kenna in. She is certainly exerting her rights of toddlerhood. Duncan is a sweet little man--still sleeping, nursing and pooping. The other day I had him on the bathroom counter and he whizzed right into the sink--great aim! Having a son is proving to be an interesting experience. Men and boys are interesting creatures...do I hear an AMEN! Kenna will be 'Cookie Monker' on Halloween. I made the outfit myself! Duncan will simply wear Halloween socks.

Byrd, can't believe you're so close to having a mother come stay with you. I loved how you put the updates in your prayer e-mail. Nice touch!
Fulty, bless your heart! I wish I too could be there to help. Did you have your gallbladder completely removed?
Bets, Yeah for Brevin!!! I'm sold out on the all-or-nothing potty training way. Sounds like he's on the right path.
V, thinking of you. Got the pic in the mail of your two dark furry headed children. Where did that hair come from?
Klep, miss you! Hope you're able to post more often.

Love you all and look forward to sharing our lives together--no matter how far apart we may be.
much love
Lizzy

only fulty...

well, I can't talk long. I need to go back to bed and rest. major surgery does that to you, you know. but it's ok, my parents just got here and they'll be here till at least Thursday to take care of the babies.
so friday was our 6th anniversary of getting together. Steve decided to take me and the babies to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate. As soon as we got home, I started having horrible back pain. I thought I was going to pass out, and that it might be a heart attack. i told steve to call aunt debby (Jean Hanze's mom) and have her come watch the babies while I went to the ER. this was the worst pain I've ever been in my entire life. long story short, i just got home from the hospital tonight after having gall bladder surgery. why not? i don't have enough going on in my life right now. i needed some excitement.
thank goodness for morphine and vicodin. can i get an amen?

Exciting Times!

Wow Mandy so excited for you and everything that is happening in your life. That is awesome that you got such a good deal on the van. And I am sure Daniel is happy with a truck- I don't think Swartz will ever be without a truck again. We were up in Ohio for the week of Fall Break. It was fun and relaxing and the best news of all...Brevin is doing so well going on the potty. We started on Saturday- just went straight to the underwear. It was a little rough the first day- he would pee, then cut it off, then go a little more, and cut it off, but after the first day he figured out how to pee all at once. He was standing on a stool the first night and trying to pee and pooped instead- on the floor. So he did really well the rest of the week. Only had a couple accidents by the end. I was kind of nervous about how he would do on the way home and we put a pull-up on him because I didn't think he would tell us when he had to go, but lo and behold, he told us at about 10 he had to go so we made it to the next exit and pulled off to the side and he just peed outside of the truck. Then we were eating and he went there and then just into Knoxville he said he had to go again and so we pulled over on the highway (probably not the safest technique) and he went again. He made it the whole way with no accidents. I was amazed. Of course today he has already pooped in his underwear (that is no fun!). I wasn't paying attention and he snuck one by me! Oh well, we are on our way I think! Hope everyone is doing well! Take care!

So Much To Share...

Well i know it has been awhile but so many things have happened i don't know where to start. So how about i make a list? Okay here goes:

1. My dad got married. It was an awesome week with he and Jill. I have grown super close to Jill-she is really great. It might have been one of the most beautiful weddings i have ever seen.

2. My dad gave Daniel a truck. So we traded in the xterra and the accord and ta da, we have a new van! We got an amazing deal at Duncan Automotive and straight traded the two cars for the van and don't have any payments. It is a 2001 Honda Odyssey, fully loaded with the seats that fold into the floor. It is the best thing ever. Liz, you'll just have to get over it! :) You can't really tell by the pic but it dark green. I feel as if i am deeper in the ranks of motherhood when i drive it. And there is just SO MUCH space!

3. TRH received three referrals, meaning there are three single moms interested in TRH. We interviewed one girl on Monday. She is in labor today and she will likely be our first family. Looks like she will be moving in the first full week of November! Craziness. We feel really good about her though.

4. I am directing the CAK musical and it opens on Thursday night. The show this year is Tom Sawyer and it is consuming my time this week.

5. Sunday, November 4th from 2-4pm is TRH's dedication and open house. I would love for my cats to come! Please try to make it if you can. It is going to be a really special time and i would love for you to be a part of it. We will have volunteers helping with childcare if needed.

Okay, i think that is the highlights. So how is everyone else? Ness, we haven't heard from you in awhile and Liz and Steph i hope you are holding up okay with the new babes! Let us know how you are.Bets, fall break with no MDO is the pits! Klepper, at lease we know you are alive. :) No, it was good to hear from you. Hope you can find the time and place to update us a little more often or at least send out an email!

Love you all! More soon.

Meow
Mandy

Oh how I love doctors!

So I went to the ob doctor yesterday to get the results of my blood work. The only things they could find is that I have some blood disorder in which my body has a hard time breaking down clots- which means I need to eat healthy and exercise! I guess that just gives me a motivating factor. It also can cause you to have recurrent miscarriages. So I have to go see a blood doctor to have him explain stuff to me and maybe do more tests. The only other thing was that my testosterone was a little high (should be 0-0.38 and mine was 0.55) and she said that could cause you not to ovulate. So I guess I go see the blood doctor and meet back with the ob doctor to discuss what he said and if we want to try Clomid. So I was a little disappointed because I really didn't seem to get a clear cut answer like I wanted but oh well.

Klepper- good to finally hear from you! I am glad you are enjoying your job! And no I haven't ever heard of that company.

LIz- hope you are doing well. Can't wait to see some more pics of that cute baby. By the way- love the name!

quick question

quick question: have any of you ever heard of the jewelry company 'lia sophia'? it's one of those home businesses like Premier Jewelry, Pampered Chef, etc. it used to be called Lady Remington - have any of you heard of it? i never had until up here in ohio this week.

why do you hate ME!?!

So here sits innocent little Klepper, just working away at her new job, wishing she could access the Cat Blog but Hamilton County Schools has it blocked...unbeknownst to her, her friends have been bashing her behind her back!!!!!!!!!! :) meow

no, really, it stinks cause i thought i was all hooked up since i now have internet access at school, but that also means that most everything is blocked. so here i am in ohio at my brother's house with my nephews and he has high-speed so i decided to check out the cat blog taht i've been dying to see. it looks great and like a really good way to keep up! i'm glad to see pics of liz and the new baby boy! that picture of kenna kissing him is adorable.

well i'm really enjoying teaching sixth grade reading - the team i teach with is awesome, we have a good group of kids this year, and we just moved into our new wing the week before fall break - which made for some late nights with it being exam week, end of the first quarter week, moving week, and the first week of lockers...oh, my goodness. it's amazing how many things that HAVE to go to their locker for. but i am really content in my job and i can see myself doing this for more than just a few years...but we'll see what happens. Eric is plugging away with school; he didn't start off the semester too well cause he was out of the studying groove and it took him a while to get back into it. he's doing great again, though. he's also part-time helping manage a local band (nothing huge, but he enjoys it, helps him work on his leadership skills, and makes a little extra money). also, he got 10 hours of work study in the teacher ed department at Lee - my husband the little secretary!!!

so i'm chillin' at my parents house for a few days; but daniel (brother) is going to be in atlanta, GA this weekend to jump out of a plane at the air show so we're going to go down to it. i'm loving this fall break - it was much needed; if i'm not careful i can burn myself out real quick putting in so many hours at school.

i love and miss you all!!!!!!!
meow - klep

The Den Adds a New Cub...

Yesterday the den added a new cub. Our dearest Lizzy gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Duncan James. I will let her share the story when she gets a chance but for now here are some pictures. I think this little boy will be loved just a little! Congratulations & we love you Liz, Eli and Kenna!

Oh, and one more thing. Are we sure Liz actually birthed the baby? I mean she looks so good! Geez!

Meow.
Mandy