Top Ten Blogposts-Day 2

Anyhow, I just wanted to say right off the bat that I realize this isn't really a countdown. It's more of a Top Ten. I wrongfully named it a countdown yesterday and realized my error late last night but didn't care enough to change it. So there...this is now known as the Top Ten Blogposts of the Last 200. A bit wordy but...oh well.

This tasty little morsel is a story that happened in real life-mine. It occurred right before Elliana was born. Some of you may remember it. And even if it's not new to you, you can rest in knowing that it didn't happen to you and you can laugh with me about it. I can laugh about it now. Truly, I can.

You can read the original here or you can read it in its entirety below.

The Walk of Shame

So I'm going to let you all in on a little event that happened to us today. I'm not sure why I feel like laying it all out, but I guess it's just therapeutic to write about it and be able to laugh a little. It also goes to show that we're just not perfect, our kids can have rough days despite our training and it's just the nature of motherhood. So...you can all be encouraged that this wasn't you today because believe me..in the moment, I wanted to walk out of the store and pretend like I didn't know my children.

Errands aren't usually a problem for me. Sometimes I have issues with one of the children and we need to take a visit to the car to deal with an attitude. However, you don't have to do that often for them to know that you're serious and that you really will deal with them if they don't listen, so usually, my children are fairly pleasant. Normally I get a lot of comments, mostly positive, some weird looks but I know we're quite a crew. Not only do I have three small children who are fairly close in age but, I'm very pregnant and I have all boys. So the usual comments of having all boys, being busy, and am I having a girl, come quite often but they don't bother me much. I know this can bother some moms but, really I know I'm sporting a little army with me everywhere I go so I don't blame others for their curiosity or even their disdain at times. It's just the way it is. But in general, my boys usually do just fine on errands and I feel I can take them anywhere with me. In fact, I enjoy taking them with me places.

So, I decided to run a few errands today. Nothing unusual. I needed to head to the fabric store to pick-up a bit more fabric to finish a blanket I'm working on for #4. I thought the craft store would be the hardest stop so we went there first. I mean, what kid doesn't LOVE looking at craft stuff. And what a disaster for me if I don't have a plan. We started off well and I reminded the boys of the rules before we got out of the car. Isaac basically spelled it all out for me..."No running, talk quietly and obey mom." Great! We all understand each other. I spied a cart and decided it would be best for me to put Joshua in it. We went in. We picked out our fabric. Both older boys listened fairly well and we were out of there in no time. Success!!

On to the next stop. I needed to go to Trader Joe's but decided to stop at the mall play area before going there since it's right across the street. Sometimes I like to surprise the kids and just pull-in there first when they're not expecting it. Of course, they were elated. "You just wanted to bless us Mom!" Isaac squealed. Well, yes I did. Plus, I won't be doing too many of those stops after the new baby comes, at least for awhile, so I'm trying to fit in some "blessings" in these last weeks. In they all trekked, happy and ready to play. I again reminded them that when I told them it was time to go that they were to have cheerful hearts and attitudes. They played. They laughed. They all slid down the slide together holding onto each other...all three of them. I wish I had my camera. It was great. And I merely sat and watched for almost an hour. Bliss for me. Once time was up, they happily put on their shoes and headed out. Success!

But something smelled...bad...and I realized it was Joshua's diaper. And then I noticed I didn't have any wipes. Wonderful. I had to do something. I found a diaper in the car and some napkins and did the best I could. I could clean him up better when I got home. We just had one more stop. Meanwhile, the older two started fighting in the car. I knew I smelled a rat. I should've known that trouble could be around the corner. Yet, I got them calmed down, Josh in his seat, and across the street we went.

Trader Joe's is my happy place. I love it there. If I just want to smile while on errands, I go there and we all get a snack from the sample area. Therefore, the sample lady who is often there, knows us well. I'm the big pregnant lady with three little boys. But I'm digressing. The point is that Trader's is just a wonderful place for me. I don't know why. I just love all of the different cheeses, yogurts, gourmet items and I especially love the prices for certain things. It just makes me feel at ease when I'm there. We started out our trip well. I even splurged a little and got the boys some banana chips which are way too expensive but fun for an extra treat. They were gurgling with excitement. And I was feeling good. I knew I was already getting a few stares with my burgeoning belly and mini army but I was all aglow. As I turned to check the price on an item, all of the sudden, I heard a very loud crash.

Within a split second, I had whirled around to see our cart lying on its side, Caleb pinned underneath and Joshua sprawled on the floor. The loud thud I had heard was Joshua's head hitting the concrete. Both boys were screaming at the top of their lungs and people were scampering away from me like mice. I'm trying to pick them both up off the floor amidst screams and I'm not having much success (remember the large belly). The sample lady, who knows me well, came over to help and got the cart off of Caleb. Luckily, she didn't recoil from me like everyone else. I swear, it was like we had the plague. My middle child can scream quite loud and it takes some time to get him to calm down when he's upset. I've got the baby (Joshua) in my arms, Caleb in a puddle on the floor and Isaac is all a buzz checking with everyone to make sure they're all right.

I had to do something-fast. Suddenly, an idea came to me. The bathroom. Just get to the bathroom so you can comfort everyone and calm the little boys down. I began to make my way over there and the herd of people parted like the Red Sea. Every step was labored and I didn't know if we were going to make it to our refuge on the other side of the store. Caleb was getting more upset because I was literally dragging him, while lugging Joshua, still screaming, in one arm. My belly seemed to be scraping the floor while we trudged.

Once I made it past the fruits and veggies aisle, I started to get more than the frightened, scampering looks and people were just staring me down. I'm sure they were all thinking, "Someone tell this lady to stop having children!!" You see, those people didn't know that my children had just taken quite a huge fall and they thought that I was just dealing with tantrums. But I was too determined to care. I continued to trudge my way over to that bathroom as I could see it gleaming at me in the distance. It took for.ev.er to get there. And the thought that kept running through my mind was, "Wow...it's been quite some time since I've had a Walk of Shame. I guess I was due (in more ways than one)."

The Walk of Shame is what Steve and I call it. It doesn't happen often and usually it's due to bad behavior. But you all know what I'm talking about. You've got a screaming child that you can't deal with properly in public, mostly due to the child's hysteria, so you must remove them from the situation to properly address the problem. Nevertheless, you must walk through a sea of people to get there, who are all staring at you like you're a lunatic. That, my friends, is what we call The Walk of Shame. And today, I had another, labored, trudging, outright embarrassing, Walk of Shame.

After what seemed like an hour and many stares/shakes of the head later, we made it to our refuge, shut the door and all huddled on the bathroom floor. Yes, the floor. I know, at this point, I was just shameless. And I'll admit it right now, I didn't even wash their hands before we left. It had taken all of my energy to get to that bathroom. I couldn't do another thing but simply comfort my boys. So, I calmed them all down, pulled myself together and then determined to finish the shopping trip. And that's what we did. We walked out of that bathroom and finished our shopping.

Events like this remind me that no matter how good the plan, or how well everyone may be acting at the time, trouble can always lurk around the corner and you never know what you might be getting yourself into. And it's good to experience these things as tough as they are. I'm not perfect. My kids aren't perfect. I never dreamed Caleb could tip that cart over on accident like he did. The kid doesn't even weigh 40 pounds yet. But God gives us grace in the moment and helps us navigate our Walks of Shame. I was pretty embarrassed but knew it would pass and that I'd be able to go home and laugh about it all later.

Maybe Super Mom would've been able to handle it differently. I don't know because I'm not her. But what I do know is that God gives us humility in many forms. Some are easier to swallow than others. A lot of times mine come from an experience with one of my children. Today was no exception. But as a wife and mom, these things shape me and help me be a better Christian.

And it's not Trader's fault. Still without exception, even with the Walk of Shame today, Trader's is my happy place. But I've learned my lesson: next time, I'll just be sure to remind Caleb not to grab onto the side of the cart and I won't let that cart out of my sight, not for one split second.

200th Post-Another Countdown

First things first, Ally is doing incredibly well. She was released from Stanford yesterday morning and is recovering at home. We're SO thankful that all went so well. She's a special little girl. Such a fighter and such a love. We just love her so much and are thankful she's on the road to recovery. Keep praying for her healing and thank you for praying for her so faithfully!

Now for my 200th post. Ha! I've decided that I like countdowns. It was fun to do one right before Elliana was born and hey, it's been awhile so...in honor of my 200th post, I'm going to take the next ten posts to give you my Top 10 Blog Posts from the last 200. I know I'll be repeating myself. I know it's not new material. But...nevertheless, it'll be fun.

And to kick it off, I thought I'd start with this one, which was originally posted as my 100th post (I'm into being sentimental and celebratory here, can you tell?) I'm going to update it a little but, in essence it's still the same. Here it is: One Hundred.

Well folks, this is my 100th post. It's been about a year since I started this humble little blog and it's become a dear friend where I can get the millions of words floating in my head down somewhere. So thanks for listening...whoever you are out there.

In honor of my 100th post, I'm going to attempt to come up with 100 things about me and our family. Not sure if I'll make it but I'll try.

1. We are Christians and we love the Lord and do our best to follow Him in everything we do.
2. We've been married for almost 9 years.
3. We've known each other for ten.
4. Our fourth, a daughter, was born on our 10 year dating anniversary of 6/25/10.
5. We have three little boys and a little girl.
6. They're all about a year and a half apart.
7. The boys all have Bible names but we didn't plan it that way. We just liked their meanings and so that's how they got their names.
8. We both graduated from the best university in the world...Cal Poly, SLO! Go Mustangs!
9. I graduated with a BA in English.
10. Steve got his BS in Math. I know, I know, we're a perfect match!
11. If my husband is ever gone overnight I simply cannot sleep. I'm so conditioned now to having him next to me, that I'm like a baby who has to fall asleep the same way and I simply can't do it without him!
12. In order to cope with his absence, I've learned to stay up as late as I can making me so sleepy that I'm literally knocked out until the morning without missing him. Good thing he doesn't leave overnight all that often.
13. I love to sing.
14. I love to bake.
15. I love to cook.
16. I love to entertain and have people over.
17. I'm not so great at all of the fun party stuff (I'm not the life of the party) but I can have my house cleaned and food made on time.
18. I don't like cats much at all.
19. But I do love dogs.
20. I love running. It's a huge stress reliever for me. I love running so much that when I'm pregnant, I miss it like I do a close friend. I ran my first Half Marathon in November 2009.
21. Running that Half Marathon was one of the biggest accomplishments I've made since becoming a mom. It was an incredible experience for me.
22. Russian literature is one of my favorite genres.
23. Dostoevsky is by far my favorite Russian writer.
24. Cake and ice cream is probably my favorite combination in a dessert. Or really, anything fresh from the oven with ice cream.
25. I'm a sucker for sweets although I try so hard to have self-control.
26. Speaking of self-control...after I went to college and earned the "freshmen 15" I ended up having to lose 40 lbs total a year after we got married.
27. I did it with Weight Watchers.
28. It worked so well I've used Weight Watchers after every child. So if you count that up, it means that in seven years' time, I've done that program five times. We're old pals.
29. I weighed more at that time in my life than I ever have full-term with any of my four children.
30. As you can see, I stopped running for awhile in college and that's what got me in trouble.
31. I love my friends and am fiercely loyal.
32. I got married when I was 21.
33. I had my first child at 24.
34. I'm pretty stubborn (ask my husband).
35. Yet even though I'm stubborn, God's really worked on me so much that I've learned to willingly submit to my husband. And really, I'm much happier that way. It helps that I respect him tremendously.
36. I don't like shopping because I don't like spending money.
37. Still, whenever we make a big purchase, I make Steve do it and I have a mini heart attack while he's doing so.
38. Did I already mention...I HATE spending money.
39. But I am a sucker for King Arthur Flour and Pampered Chef. I hardly ever buy anything (only accumulate slowly) but I love fun kitchen gadgets.
40. The last thing I ever want to do in a situation is give up. I hate quitting...almost to a fault.
41. I was in numerous plays and musicals in high school.
42. I still love going and hearing a good choir concert.
43. I was a cheerleader for one year in high school and then I was done with that. Too much drama.
44. I was on Homecoming Court as a senior (our school only allowed seniors on court) but didn't win Queen. But my best friend did so I was happy.
45. I didn't have my first real drink until I turned 21. It was a margarita. I wasn't impressed.
46. I'm still not a huge fan of alcohol.
47. I don't really like coffee either unless it's a frappaccino but that doesn't count because you can't even taste the coffee.
48. I like tea a lot and I drink it black. Who wants to waste calories on honey?
49. Good Earth tea is my favorite.
50. I also love a big Diet Coke with some mini York Peppermint patties.
51. Three to be exact.
52. Because you can't just have one.
52. Two is nice.
53. But three makes you feel like you really splurged and got a treat even though they're really little.
54. I love ice cream.
55. Pralines and Cream from Baskin Robbins is my favorite.
56. But I usually eat light ice cream and I measure it into a 1/2 cup and eat it out of the measuring cup with a spoon. Safeway Select Light Moose Tracks is my absolute favorite.
57. I love to fall asleep on the couch. I get this from my mom.
58. I love it when I have fallen asleep on the couch and my husband scoops me up and carries me to bed...even when I'm huge pregnant. I love that.
59. I don't like scary movies or shows.
60. I usually have nightmares after watching shows with a lot of intensity or suspense.
61. My husband has banned me from these shows. Probably because I wake him up in the middle of the night scared with a nightmare.
62. I like microwave popcorn. 94% fat free to be exact.
63. And I like to burn mine just slightly. It tastes oh so good.
64. I like to chew Extra sugar-free gum.
65. Peppermint is my favorite.
66. I picked up that habit in Jr. High as an act of rebellion (we weren't supposed to chew gum in school) and I haven't kicked it yet.
67. All 3 of my boys have gone breech at some point toward the end of my pregnancies.
68. The little girl is the only one who never did. Figures.
69. My husband didn't kiss me until we had been dating for four months. Believe me, he wanted to, but he held out and I'm glad he did. That helped us slow things down enough to make it to our wedding day.
70. I'm Greek and proud of it.
71. I went to Greek School as a kid. I can read at the first grade level (ha ha). I can speak a little.
72. My two favorite Greek dishes to make are Spanakopita (Spinach Pie) and Pastitsio (like a Greek Lasagna, kinda)
73. I've been to Europe three times.
74. I hope to go back with my husband someday. He's never been.
75. Probably won't be until we're empty nesters.
76. Which isn't for a loooooooooonnnnnnnnngggggggg time!
77. I'm the only girl in my family.
78. I have an older brother and little brother.
79. I also have NO girl cousins. So I truly am the only girl.
80. My siblings and I have holiday birthdays. I'm born on St. Patty's Day and my brothers both share the same birthday (8 years apart) and their birthday regularly falls on Thanksgiving.
81. I love football.
82. I seriously enjoy watching football on TV or at a live game.
83. The 49ers are and always have been my team. Good thing I married a 49er fan.
84. We don't have TV so whenever Steve goes to a 49er game (we have season tickets that we share), I listen to the game on the radio or "watch" it on nfl.com so that I know what went on in the game and how to talk with him about it.
85. My older brother taught me everything I know about football.
86. Steve has just reaped the benefits.
87. But all other sports don't interest me much (at least enough to sit and watch them).
88. I once took a Calculus class at Cal Poly as an elective to try and understand my husband's love for math. I was the ONLY English major in that class of engineers.
89. If I didn't have a live-in tutor at the time (Steve and I were married), it probably would've been the only class I ever failed.
90. I got a B-...by the skin of my teeth. And I cried after every exam.
91. I never missed one class in college. Not one.
92. One of my favorite things to do with Steve is to sit outside, on a warm summer evening after the kids have gone down and talk. You know chit chat...you surprised?
93. I hate to iron. If Steve didn't need nice clothes ironed for work I'd never, ever, ever iron.
94. But I don't mind dishes at all.
95. And my kitchen must be spotless with every dish put away or in the dishwasher and the floor swept before I can go to bed. I'm very determined and anal about this.
96. That started when we lived in the country and I discovered that if I wasn't clean, I'd get mice. Yuck!!!! I learned very quickly to love a clean kitchen.
97. I love my husband more than anyone...including my children.
98. I love my children second best but still tons and tons and tons.
99. I love my extended family very, very much.
100. But I love my Savior best of all.

More on Baby Ally

These last two days have been very busy...lots of calls, emails and at times caring for extra pairs of feet. But it's been good work and hearing Ally's mom report on her progress makes everything seem easy and light.

The first day post surgery was pretty tough. Ally's surgery itself went really well. The doctors were able to get in and make adequate room in her skull for her brain to continue to grow. Everything went beautifully. However, with any sort of surgery, especially one of this magnitude, major swelling is a big part of the healing process.

So, pretty soon after the surgery was over, the swelling and pain started to kick in and continued to worsen as the hours ticked by. Yet, despite these things, her mom (who is an amazing and strong mom) found excellent ways to comfort her. And the good news is that as the swelling goes down over the next few days, Ally will be able to open up her eyes again.

Day by day...hour by hour...things are slowly starting to look a little bit better.

And we're thankful.

We're so thankful.

She has incredible care. The surgeon's hands did what needed to be done. The craniosynostosis has been corrected. Her recovery so far is occurring without incident. She is off IV fluids and is drinking a bottle!! Her Mom and Grandma got to hold her today. And we're only two days out.

There is so much to be thankful for.

Our family is thanking God for His grace and mercy today in protecting our little Ally. Or as her brother brother calls her, his "sweet girl". We can't wait for her to be able to come home.

Continue to pray for strength for her parents and continued healing for Ally. And thank you to all who have been lifting Ally up and remembering her in your prayers.

Ally Update

Thank you to all who prayed for our niece Ally. She was out of surgery this evening after a six hour surgery!! Everything went really well. Currently she is sedated and sleeping peacefully. Thankfully, both of her parents are able to stay with her tonight in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit).

God is so good to us.

We're thankful for this very good news.

Pray for Our Sweet Ally

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in our affliction..." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

A few weeks back I introduced you to my niece. If you want the full story, you can find it here and here.

Lift her up in prayer. Today at noon she gets life-changing skull surgery to correct the craniosynostosis she was born with. She's got some of the best doctors in the country working on her but it's still a HUGE deal. Pray for the surgeons' hands to be precise and diligent. Pray for every aspect of the surgery itself to go off without a hitch from the anesthesia to the blood transfusions. Pray that her recovery will be swift and without incident. Pray for her brothers to have a good stay with family over the next week. And pray for the hearts of her parents who will be waiting to see Ally once the surgery is completed.

So we pray and wait but not without hope.

We find comfort in knowing Ally is in His hands.

I'll keep you all updated.

A Little Bit of This...

Means a little bit of that.





What's that?

It's what we call around here a Jammy Ride. Stole the idea from these guys here.

Don't do it often and rarely during the winter BUT super fun to do when celebrating a good report card.

Our kids were none the wiser when we told them it was late and that they were going to bed right after dinner. And then we waited a bit...only to burst in and scream "Jammy Ride!" We then threw them all in the car and announced that we were going to none other than THE Baskin Robbins for some ice cream.

Pure elation.



Fun was had by all.


Even the little darlin'.

He did all the work...but all were blessed.

Not a bad start to the week.

My One Weakness

Every night, after the kids go to bed, I pull this trusty old friend out of my freezer and let it sit out to soften.

Then I drag out my 1/2 cup and pack it as tight as I can--always putting some extra on top. You know, just so there's some portion control (I learned that trick from my Weight Watchers days post college).

Some nights I have one half cup...some nights two. It kinda depends on what kind of day I had.

I do this every single night and I NEVER tire of it. There's just something about Safeway Select, Light Moose Tracks Ice Cream that I simply adore. I don't know what it is. It's comfort food to me. It helps me unwind.

It's my "one weakness."

What's yours?