I'll Be Back.... (said in the Terminator voice)

I haven't been able to spend alot of time updating my blog lately because my Mom is in town. She came in last Saturday and will be with us until the 12th. Clayton is in Cinncinnati almost that whole time (thus the reason I had her flown in). Anyhoo, just thought I would let you all know why I have temporarily disappeared.

Fun in the Sun

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful outside so the boys took advantage of it. Hayden finally rides his bike without training wheels and Emerson can now maneuver the Jeep really well. I am so proud of them. They had a blast. I just hope that the warm weather is here to stay. Please, no more blizzards!!

"Well" wishes for E

This past Sunday was spent running to the ER. Poor Emerson was blowing bubbles with Hayden in the backyard when he fell head-first into one of our window wells. Hayden saw it happen and then ran frantically into the kitchen to get me. I panicked and yelled for Clayton to go get him. I just couldn't do it. I was so afraid that E was really hurt and I couldn't stand the thought of it. I wouldn't make a good trauma nurse, huh? Anyhoo, Clayton pulled him up out of it and brought him inside. He wasn't bleeding but he did have a large bump on the back of his head. He was lucky to have not broken anything since the well is about 5 foot deep and has rocks all in the bottom of it. We got into the car and rushed to the hospital to get him checked out (I worry so much now about head injuries thanks to Natasha Richardson. It scares me that someone can seem fine after a fall and then suddenly die from a brain bleed). The doctor at the hospital said that Emerson looked fine but to keep a close watch on him for a few days. He slept with us that night and we had to wake him up every 2 hours to make sure that he could still answer simple questions. I didn't get much sleep that night due to worrying about the little guy so much. He woke up feeling okay. He has a few scratches and scrapes but he seems to be doing fine. It really could have been so much worse. He could have had bleeding, broken bones or a concussion. Thank God for watching over him.

***Please note that we do have well covers on our back 2 wells because they are level with the patio. We decided not to cover the 3 side ones because there is nothing near them and the ground is completely covered with rocks. The kids KNOW that they shouldn't be near them. Sigh...well now they know why.

Now on to me. I am a complete klutz and I admit it. Monday was such a pretty day that I decided to pull Emerson in the wagon to pick up Hayden at school. Clayton had it hanging so high in the garage that I couldn't get it down. I pulled a 5 gallon paint bucket over to it and used it to stand. The stupid thing tipped over just as I was about to get the wagon off the bracket. I landed on my butt. I have a big bruise on my right hip and a scratch on my arm. I am really thankful that I didn't hit my head. What is with all these falls lately?

Emerson's New Glasses

E was watching tv when Clayton took this pic. The background was distracting so I changed it over to black and white. In case you are wondering, his frames are blue.

Egg Huntin'

Hayden (6) & Emerson (4) hunting Easter eggs in the back yard

Gee, I can't wait until the weather warms up and we can turn the sprinkler system back on. That brown grass is driving me batty!! I need some green around here.

I am a total slacker, Easter and Emerson's new glasses

Is anyone even still checking in on my blog any more? My lack of updates surely doesn't help, lol. Sorry for that but I am like this after each birth of a baby. My mind doesn't like to focus on much, especially the computer. I am a terrible emailer and blogger right now. For this I am sorry. I just have to take time for myself during the post-partum period. It's my time to rejuvenate and get back to normal. I am doing well at this point both mentally and physically so I should be back to my old self soon.

What did you all do for Easter? We had the Long family over and had a lovely dinner. Johnna made the yummiest ham and I went all out with the sides. For dessert, I got us some toppings and ice cream to make sundaes. The kiddos had a wonderful time playing together. The adults played some Guitar Hero and chatted. It was a relaxing and fun day.

Emerson came home last week with a sheet from a free eye check at school indicating that he may be farsighted and have astigmatism. I immediately made him an appt. with my eye doctor for Saturday. He was a little bit nervous but did all the tests perfectly. I was amazed at how well he took instruction from the doctor. After everything was done, the doctor told us that E is very farsighted in his left eye. Most kids are a bit farsighted at his age but his condition wasn't anywhere near normal. He also has slight astigmatism which wasn't a shock considering almost everyone in my family does. It just means that our eyes aren't perfectly round. Anyhow, we ended up ordering him a pair of glasses and he looks so cute in them! I will be sure to get a pic of him this week for the blog.

MAJOR Grocery Savings, weight loss and other stuff

[I apologize for the lack of photos. I have been experiencing technical difficulties.]

I went to the grocery store last week and bought $344.00 worth of groceries for only $124. That is a savings of over $220 thanks to the Grocery Game!! Everything was name brand and I didn't buy anything that we didn't need. You naysayers have no idea what you could be saving. It is insane to pay full price for food when you don't have to. If you are interested in learning more, do a search on my blog (at the top of the page) for "grocery game" and you will find several posts from me on the topic.

I am about to reveal a very sensitive thing about myself-my weight. I normally would never do this, especially here on my blog, but I am totally amazed. Today marks 1 month since giving birth to my surrobabe and I am at...............124 pounds!!! It is incredible to have my body bounce back so quickly and I am eternally grateful to my genes for that. After having my 1st baby it took me about 8 months to get back to my normal weight, it took about 3 months after the second, 1 month after the third and 3 weeks after the fourth. How can it have gotten easier after each baby? I thought that it would be harder with each child. If I wasn't wired this way then I seriously wouldn't have considered being a surrogate.

Speaking of surrogacy, baby girl is doing fabulously. She is getting big and her parents are so in love. Ahhhh, isn't that sweet? It makes me feel so good to know that I played a part in helping create their family. What an honor that was! I just shipped out another cooler full of milk for her today. I love being able to continue helping them even after she was born.

Spring break is finally over, thank the Lord! My kiddos drove me nutso all week long as they were continually consumed with sheer boredom. It didn't help that we got hit with 2 different snow storms either.

Are you in the mood for a delicious treat? If so, you must try this recipe-Bliss Layer Bars. They are sinfully delicious. We found them to be best straight out of the fridge. If you let them warm up, the chocolate seems to overwhelm the peanut butter goodness on the bottom. I got this recipe from the Sunday Baker. Her yummy blog is listed on my right sidebar.

Here's another personal topic for ya-boob jobs. Have any of you gals ever considered plastic surgery? Right now I love that I am a 36C but I know that will change as soon as I stop lactating. Ugh. Why can't I just keep the ones I have now? They are perfectly shaped and full. To keep that appearance I will have to undergo surgery. Fullness is just something that I don't possess when they aren't full of milk. Have any of you undergone an augmentation or know someone who has? I would love opinions. I already have a surgery scheduled for July 10th but I don't know if I will actually go through with it. I may chicken out, lol.

I will update tonight, I promise!

I have already got a lengthy post in draft form right now. I just don't have time to add photos to it at the moment. I will post everything later tonight. ;-)

***Yes Amber, I am making sure to post since you demanded that I update my blog, lol.***