squealin' sausage

Well, I just laid the kids down for nap. Duncan is rolling around in his crib like a little squealin' sausage. Hopefully they'll nod off soon--I think I may pack a picnic dinner and head to the pool after they get up.

Within a twenty minute span of time Kenna managed to make Duncan cry hysterically by biting his toes and then attempted to eat a booger right in front of my face just as I was kissing her on the forehead for nap. Constant...

Another update

Well, I heard back from the nurse today and she said my levels were still looking good. The hcg had doubled. I go back next Thursday to have my blood tested again.

baby cardinal

Kitties--I have to share this picture with you. Kenna and I discovered a baby cardinal in the midst of flying lessons today. It was pretty neat.

Plus--does anyone know how to keep a little boy from screaming out like a banshee? I think Duncan is testing his vocal cords and it sends Eli and I into fits of sheer irritation.
Let me know if you have any wisdom.
Liz

Staples, Apple Juice & Hay Trucks

Well since i have been making so many smart ass comments on everyone else's blogging i figure it was my turn to chime in! But first i must say that Liz i shed tears of laughter on the "Mrs. Eubanks" story. Oh my word! You never cease to amaze me! Believe it or not i am trying the green thumb thing as well. Although i have yet to really be able to ENJOY i think i will. We bought a bunch of veggie plants this weekend as well as two sunflowers for the kids. I am not starting anything from seeds though. Hell, i can't even grow a baby, i have start with'em already sproutin at least. :)

Anyhoo, spent the Labor Day weekend at my dad's house, helping out with the 7 acres since he is recovering from MAJOR back surgery. We got there Friday night and stayed through Monday afternoon. The title to this post refers to the major happenings of the weekend. First thing Saturday morning my sister Misty spilled apple juice on Daniel's computer and it died completely (he was supposed to preach a sermon from that computer the following day & all of TRH's stuff from the beginning of time is also on that computer WHICH the back up drive to died the week before). Well in the midst of this tragedy my stepmom, who is a nurse, began taking out my dads 23 staples from his spine. The staples were beginning to grow over and swell so she had to practically dig to get them out. SO picture my sister outside bawling on the porch over the computer, my dad literally yelling in pain and agony from the bathroom, Daniel enraged in the dining room and Atley and Ava whining for breakfast. And where was i? Outside laying hands on the house literally praying and exercising demons!

So the first few hours of our visit, not so good but Dad's staples are out now, Daniel fixed his computer later in the morning, Misty was better and Atley and Ava were fed. From there we proceeded to cut, rake, bale and unload 290 bales of hay. I drove the truck with the fifth wheel trailer on the back most of the time while the kids road with me. Their goal for most of the driving was to balance themselves on the back of the truck seat and see if they could keep from rollin off into the floor when I pulled the truck forward. They played this game for about 2 and 1/2 hours. So aside from a few hay splinters we came out unscathed. My kids enjoyed the weekend mostly b/c they got to be practically naked and pee outside all weekend.

On to other fronts, we are moving our next mom in next weekend. My house is currently covered in what will eventually go in her house. My porch has become a holding tank for ugly yellow couches and other odd pieces of furniture. It is really nice. I have never been more thankful to live off of the main road! Rednecks. The new mom is my age with FOUR girls. Yes, four. The youngest one's name is Patience. I asked her why and she looked at me like i was an idiot and said, "I got four girls."

Well i hope everyone is doing well. It sounds as if you are. It is good to have everyone back in the litter for once. Don't stay gone long.

Love you cats!
Meow.

Mandycat

Update

Glad to hear everyone is doing well. Klep- so glad you could join us. Vanessa- your opportunity in Carmi sounds great. Scott is going to do a great job. And Liz I totally agree with you about the tv, computer, video games, etc. We try to get outside as much as possible. Anyway, I went to the doctor today and they drew blood. My numbers look good they said (hcg was 39 and progesterone was 25). I go back on Thursday to test again and hopefully the hcg will have doubled. I hoping my progesterone will stay high so I can skip the suppositories this time- one less medication would be fine with me. I started giving myself the Lovenox shots- nine months of that is going to be great fun! It isn't too bad, just stings for about 5-10 minutes and then it is over. Enjoy the summer!

Cat Blog Reunion

Cats--I feel like we're having a little Cat Blog Reunion and I wanted to make sure that I made my presence known. A few comments for some Cats:

Yeah! for Bets--I'm so excited for you and will definitely have that little Swartzentruber baby in my prayers.
V--I can't believe you're going back to the ol' Carmi--I'm sure Prin is crazy!. And let the record be straight there were at least 3 of us who were left dangling with your mysterious we-might-be-moving news. It will be neat to have you closer. We'll certainly want to visit.
Klep--the elephant story had me rollin'. Just like a man to want to flaunt it!

Well, I'm posting a picture of our first swimming excursion. It was very overcast and windy but the kids seemed to enjoy it. I'm looking a little too boobilicious. Eli didn't seem to mind.

I've discovered a new hobby for myself--I think I'm growing a little green thumb. I've been landscaping and planting flowers in the back yard and I love it. It helps me feel peaceful and I like that I'm accomplishing something that makes the world a little more ascetically pleasing. I bought a peony the other day and decided to name it "Mrs. Eubanks"--gardening and working with the flowers reminds me of her and our time together. The other day I told Eli that I was going to go outside and "put Mrs. Eubanks in the ground". He thought that was a slightly strange thing to say.

I've been reading a book about how so many children and adults have 'nature deficit disorder' (not a true disorder--just a concept). Our generation and the generations that follow are glued to computers, tv, video games, texting and ipods and we have grown away from nature. Our society suffers from obesity, mental and emotional instability and many other life altering issues. I'm starting to think that nature, among other things, plays such a huge role in our emotional, spiritual and physical wellbeing. It's important to surround ourselves and learn about the things that God has created--it is a way to be closer to Him. So, I've been teaching Kenna about some of the birds that are in our yard and the beautiful flowers. She really seems to enjoy it.

Well, enough of that--don't want to bore you with my nature-lovin'. Plus--Duncan's up.
Love you all
Liz

I'M HAVING A SEX CHANGE!

Obviously, that is a joke...I just felt that I needed to have something huge to say as well after those last two blogs. Holy cow!!!

Yeah for you, Bets!!!! I will be praying for you! How exciting!!

And V - moving??? I had no idea you and Scott were even thinking about anything remotely like that...I guess that goes to show how out of the loop I've been. That's so great, though. I bet your mom is soooooo excited to be by her grandkids. That job sounds like a big one but one that Scott can do so well at - good for him.

So I was making this mental list yesterday of everything I've fallen behind on and the Cat Blog was on the list...I couldn't even remember how to get in. I tried a few random things yesterday and couldn't do it, so I emailed Byrd for the info and here I am! Of course, I did have to read all the way back to February or so to get caught up! I laughed and laughed and smiled and even shed a tear. You guys are amazing...and I'm so glad we are friends. I hope that in the next few years Eric and I might be blessed with some children to share in all the fun stories. All the pictures are adorable - Liz, your blog about praising God with your kids was especially touching because I, too, didn't have that growing up. :)

School's out for me - Friday was the last day. But then we went on a field trip 'Bedtime with the Beasts' at the Knoxville Zoo friday night and saturday morning - it was a reward trip for only the best kids on the team so it was really fun. they split the girls and boys so eric was with the boys the whole time while myself and a few other teachers were with the girls - i haven't laughed so hard in a long time.

So put yourself in this story here - here I am with twenty or so twelve year old girls who are really quite innocent and sweet. We are at the zoo at the elephant cage. He is maybe fifteen feet away from us...splashing in the water - they're "awwww" all over the place and "how cute!" Then he lifts his leg up and starts peeing - they were like, 'Gross!!!' Oh, but the best was yet to come. One of the girls goes, "Is it a boy or a girl?" Right on cue, the definitely male elephant drops it out - TWO AND A HALF FEET LONG AND AT LEAST TEN INCHES WIDE. It looked just like a man's but way larger. I felt kind of irresponsible for a moment...like I was viewing porn with them or something!!! But they just freaked out and laughed and laughed - they were all redfaced. they couldn't stop talking about it - it was hilarious. and that elephant was in no hurry to pull it back in...he just kept walking around and swinging it back and forth. that would be enough to traumatize me into chastity the rest of my life if i were a twelve year old girl.

So this week's volleyball camp at my school and I'm co-leading. Molly's graduating from high school (still can't believe it) this sunday so I'm going up to Ohio for it and will be hanging out for a week or so. Eric's in summer school all summer so he won't be able to go with me. He's working so hard...I'm so proud of him. He's trying with everything he's got to get done as quickly as he can. It's still looking like May 2009 is when he'll graduate.

I in the meantime am having a blast with my Mary Kay business - I love it. I love how it is causing me to grow and change in areas that really needed it. It's really causing me to evaluate where my confidence comes from and what i really means to be a beautiful woman. And what is most encouraging about it is that for the first time since I've left college, I see the light at the end of the tunnel as far as our school debt goes. We're back on Dave Ramsey's plan...and with my business and some self-discipline we have a lot of hope financially - we haven't felt that in a long time.

I have you on my radar to visit some of you this summer. love you, cats!

its klepper

?

Movin'

Bets-that is awesome! I will hold you in my prayers! When do you have to start the shots? I know you are so excited! I mentioned in an earlier blog(which no one responded to) that Scott and I were facing a life-changing decision which involves a move to another state. Well, we are moving to Carmi, IL! I had always thought if we were led back to Carmi, it would be through my job at the church, but not the case this time. Scott and I have been praying for really the past year about God's vision for our lives, even if that ment outside of TN. Carmi has a residential facility for children who have either gotten into major trouble or their parents cannot care for them, somewhat similar to Peninsula Village where he works not but not substance addictions. The facility is called the Baptist Children's Home and it is a ministry for the people who work there. Scott applied for a position, interviewed and a week later was offered the job. The job is huge-- Director of Residential Treatment. He will be over the houseparents, their managers, and all the family therapist, as well as the budget. There is so much more to the story, but I cannot blog it all! We are excited, believe it or not! This is a ministry, a huge lifestyle change, please pray for us! We will move on June 28! Hopefully, we can get together before I move!

Surprise

Okay ladies, this is what I found at 4:30 this morning. Brevin had cried out because his arm was asleep so I had to pee so I thought I would take a test since I was about 3 days past time. Needless to say I was not able to get back to sleep. How ironic that I have been on clomid for 6 months and took the month off until I was to start Femara next month and it happened. I ask that you please pray that things will be okay and that I will not miscarry since I am at a higher rate for that. Thanks so much for your prayers!
Love you all!

Fluffy, Sophie, Blitzen and Schoppenhower

Fluffy, Sophie, Blitzen and Schoppenhower are the names of the four elephants that live inside Oscar the Grouch's trash can. Don't ask how I know this--it's just par for the course when you go nine hours with little to no contact with other adults. It's been one of those "Mommy, what ya doin'?" days--the kind of day where if you're asked another question about what you're doing you're likely to strip naked and streak through the neighborhood waving your arms in the air in utter craziness.

But all silliness aside--I'm attempting a little topical study about prayer this summer and decided that each day I would go through the concordance and read one scripture regarding prayer. Yesterday was my first day and the Lord gave me this beautiful verse to start with--it's so lovely I'm still cherishing it today. Deuteronomy 4:7. Look it up and see if it touches you :)
Lizzy

confession

Cats...I like the sweet and tangy taste of baby food apricots.
Lizzy

Trip to Canton

So the babies and I went to Canton, where my Dad's family all live this past weekend for my grandparents' birthday party. My Gramma turned 88 and my Boompa turned 80. The whole family was there, and my parents and Sara and Seth came up, too. We had a great time, and my mom took roughly 3 trillion pictures of the babies. She is the baby paparazzi. My grandparents just love the babies and they are so cute with them. Until last year when my cousin had a baby, the last baby in our family was my little brother Seth. So now that there are 3 babies, all of the adults are ridiculous. It's fun to watch, though. So my parents had these sweatshirts made for Gramma and Boompa that say Fulton University, and had matching onesies made for the babies. How cute are they?
-Fulty

verklempt

Kitties...sometimes I don't know what comes over me. Let me explain: Our children's minister asked if I would lead the hand motions for our VBS songs this summer. I agreed and she gave me a dvd and song book this morning so I could learn everything beforehand. I got the dvd out this evening after dinner because I knew it would be something that Kenna would enjoy doing. So i queued it up and the kids on the dvd were singing, dancing and doing hand motions. Kenna, being the singing and dancing type that she is, followed suit. And then it happened, as it does every so often with me, I started to cry and get verklempt because the very thought of praising Jesus with my kids in heaven one day makes me a total mush ball! It also happens when we're driving in the car listening to K-LOVE and Kenna and I will be singing to some David Crowder song and I'll get all choked up then too. I know it's dorky but I think it all comes down to the fact that I wasn't raised sharing these sorts of things with my parents and there's a hole missing in my heart. BUT, on the bright side, I do have the chance to share it with my kids--and share it we will!!

Hey kitties,

It is good to hear from you all! Fulty I would expect nothing less from you than to pack some heat with those babies! All is well only two more days of school, I am very happy to say the least. Pray for us, as we may be facing a very huge decision that might involve a move to another state!! The story is too huge to blog about, but God is working in our lives in a way we did not expect. I hope everyone is doing well. Bets, I hope everything gets tuned up and I will hold you in my prayers. Liz you are the woman! I am inspired by you! Mandy, the berry picking is a great idea! We live right next to Maple Lane Farms, I think I will take Gabe.
Love you all,
V

Fulty's new toy...

So here's what I've been up to. I am the proud new owner of a brand new Ruger .380. It's Ruger's newest handgun that just came out last month. It's very small and easy to conceal. It weighs 9.4 oz when unloaded and is just right for me. Steve and I are taking our conceal/carry classes and tests next month, and now we both have handguns officially. (He bought a Glock 9mm from a deacon at my dad's church over Easter.) You knew it was only a matter of time, and now it's happened. Fulty's packin' heat. My kids at church just love having a tatooed, nose-pierced, gun-toting children's minister.
Good to hear what you all are up to. Sounds like everyone is keeping busy. We are doing well, the babies are 8 months old now and they are the most fun I've ever had. I am now officially in my second trimester, and other than showing early, I really don't even feel pregnant this time. I have had some bleeding off and on, so they are monitoring me closely and I have ultrasounds all the time, but everything looks fine so far. My doctor's not really worried about it, so neither am I.
I am going to visit my extended family in Canton this weekend for my grandparents' birthdays, and my folks and siblings are coming up as well. Steve will be in Buffalo, NY for a worship conference.
That's about it for me. I need to get ready to go before Steve gets home, so I'll close it up. Love you all!
Fulty

Berry Pickin'

Yesterday we went berry pickin'! I wanted to give the kids' teachers something that they could participate in giving them so this was a good option. We had a lot of fun. As you can see they ate as many as we picked. I kept telling Ava to stop eating them and wait until we washed them so then she started sneaking and eating them. At one point i turned around to see her with just the stem hanging out of her mouth. She was eating the tops and the stems! Ridiculous. From there we stopped at Shoneys on the way home b/c Atley asked if he could have Pancakes for dinner. Kids eat free on the breakfast bar so we thought we would treat them. Atley ate all his pancakes but the highlight of the meal was when we were leaving. I got up behind him after sitting the tip on the table and turned around to see him layin on the the floor by the salad bar licking a lemon that had fallen on the floor. He wasn't even holding it he was just laying on the ground licking the lemon on the ground. The cowboyish character that saw the whole thing laughed hysterically at him. We always manage to leave an imprint.

Well i hope everyone is doing well. Bets sounds like the pool is coming around. Lizzy, congratulations again on your accomplishments. Ness, only a few more days of school! Fulton, how are you? Jenney, i suppose is living in the world of Mary Kay.

Meow.
Mandycat

The adventurous 29 year old Cat

Dearest Catty-Cats
Just thought I'd fill you in on my past few days. Eli and I competed in our adventure race on Saturday. It was a lot of fun. The race consisted of three segments: canoing, mountain biking and orienteering. We were only able to complete the first two segments before the cut off time--which in my mind isn't that big of a deal because no one else completed all three either. The mountain bike track was so muddy that it slowed everyone down quite a bit. But I felt really good after finishing the our part. A surprising bit of news came when we found out that we placed second in our division--the 2 person co-ed division. There were 8 other teams in this division. Overall the race was hard and really tested my patience and my ability to filter words (one really nasty curse word slipped out at a very trying time I'm ashamed to say). And it was also a great experience for Eli and I to do together. Eli only called me 'bull-headed' once--and I probably deserved it. We had fun together and look forward to more events this summer. In July we hope to do an off-road triathlon. I have my work cut out for me.

Let's see...I'm officially 29. I don't feel any different but I do think that I'll need every single one of the next 365 days to get ready for 30. I got some money so I plan on buying a swim suit--hopefully I can find a cute sassy one and that will help me feel a little younger.

Kenna is currently singing "He is the vine and we are the branches...his banner over me is love". It's very cute and makes me joyful that my children are growing up hearing and singing these songs--unlike my own childhood. I rented David Crowder's newest cd from the library, Remedy, and Kenna loves it. It's kind of techno and groves at times and she loves to sing to it. Eli got me the newest Waterdeep cd for my birthday. It's pretty good too.

BSF finished for the year today and I am so glad that Kenna and I have had the opportunity to be in such a great study of the Bible. We have both learned so much and I look forward to next year when we study Moses. Eli and I are gearing up for our trip to New Orleans. It is probably only about 6 weeks away. Duncan is officially weaned and I think I'll do alright leaving them with my parents. But probably on the way back I'll be desperate to get home as quick as possible. Right now the kids won't even give me a moments peace to type this silly post so needless to say I may be ready for a nice kid-free break.

Well, I better do dinner.
Keep posted yourselves
Liz

Happy Days

Just wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to all you cats out there with kittens and Happy Birthday to Liz. I hope you all have a great day.

In other news, I met with a specialist on Monday and she seems to think I just need some "fine-tuning" she is going to start me on femara next month along with metformin and she seemed pretty hopeful that it would work. If not, she will go in and check my tubes to make sure they are not blocked. So good news overall and hopefully she is right!
-Betsy

We are not the only ones...

Okay, most of you shoudl know my friends Greg and Jessica Adkins. They have a four year old son, Connor who is best buds with Atley and Ava. Today he posted this story on his blog and i just HAVE to share it with you. Enjoy!

1) Yesterday I took him to the Fountain City Duck Pond to feed the ducks. We've been many times and it's always a lot of fun... the ducks swim around and swarm to eat the bread we throw in the nasty pond. Anyway, on this day the ducks weren't hungry and we saw four big geese over in a grassy area. I told Connor we should go try to feed them and Connor took off towards them. I think the geese saw this as a threat because one of them went into full on attack mode. It was one of those "I wish I had my video camera" moments... that goose went absolutely berserk on Connor. It started hissing and squawking and charged straight into Connor knocking him to the ground. The goose then started pecking Connor in the stomach... it happened so fast I didn't know whether to laugh or scream. I swung my big garbage bag full of bread around my head slingshot style and slapped the goose gone wild right in the neck. It knocked him down and I was able to scoop Connor up and we ran back to safety. That probably sounds more heroic than it looked... I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to hit the ducks but I'm also pretty sure they're not supposed to eat your children... as Ben would say on Lost "They changed the rules".

Connor was obviously completely freaked out and was crying pretty hard... he threw his bread in the direction of the ducks and screamed "You ducks are mean! I'm not a snack!" Traumatic, but also completely hilarious.


Let me know how hard you laughed! Love you cats!
Meow
Mandycat

victory in Jesus

Hello Kitties!
Meow! Eliana is a different child since her ear tubes. She sleeps better and is definitely a much happier eater, although she definitely was not lacking in the weight department. Gabe goes tomorrow for his second set of tubes! Scott and I have spent the past two days deathly ill due to contracting a deathly virus from ever so infectious children! Nonetheless, school is out in about 14 days, and all I can say is when the crap is Jesus coming back for me!!!
Liz, you are the coolest mamacat ever! tye-dye shirts!! Bets, I will keep you in my prayers! Mandy, I did receive your phone message and I appreciate your concern! I will be fine, God always digs me up out of the pit all covered in mud and washes me clean again!! Anyway, I love you all and miss you! By the way, Gabe told his pre-school teacher that he loves me because I give him diet coke. Couldn't get more redneck except if I put it in a baby bottle!!

New blog

Ladies,
Just wanted to let you all know that I started a blog of our own- mostly for family that lives far away to keep in touch, but you are welcome to check it out.
http://theswartzfamily3.blogspot.com

Love the t-shirts Liz! Maybe Eli could give you a little tase in the neck to help loosen it up.