The House Search

I love watching HGTV. I especially like the house search shows. However, I think maybe I should stop watching. HGTV makes looking for a house often look oh, so easy. And the people on the show are oh, so picky about the things they want in a house. Looking for a new house should be fun, right? I'm starting to think it isn't so fun.

Right now we live in one side of a duplex that we own. There are only two bedrooms and since kid #4 is coming, there isn't a whole lot of growing space. We need a new place! So, we've already rented out BOTH sides of our duplex starting August 1. This means that we HAVE to find a new place to live before then. Oh, the pressure! But we can't be picky like the people on HGTV. There are some things that we want....things we might even consider "must have's" that we will have to give up. Because a house that has everything we want has one thing we don't want-a price tag that we can't afford. Yeah, I'm not too into the house search right now.

You know that feeling when you walk into a house and you think...this is it! This is the one! It is perfect for our family. I haven't had that feeling. I'm just praying the perfect house-at the perfect price-will come along soon.

On a happy note, Sophia turns 2 today! She is very excited about having cake and ice cream. And she is my first child that is potty trained (well, half way) before turning two! Whoo-hoo!

My famous sister, Marcy

For those of you who don't know, I have a very cool, very talented musician sister, Marcy. (My other sister, Rachel, is also a very cool, very talented musician sister, but hey, this post is about Marcy.) I was just reading Mark Arant's blog (he is one of the pastors at Cornerstone) and he had a tribute to Marcy. Which led me to check out her myspace page for the very first time. I know, what kind of pathetic sister am I? Anyway, it is very cool and you can even buy her newest cd, "The Gravel Road" from her myspace page. Click here to go visit! Enjoy!

I'm Glad I Have a Daughter

I'm really glad I have a daughter. Yes, girls can often be more difficult than boys, but she also does things that the boys never thought of doing. And she mimicks ME instead of Eric. Scary thought, but also very entertaining. :) Sophia "changes" diapers on her babies, LIKES to clear her plate after supper, dusts the living room with a wet wipe, and will mother anyone who lets themselves be mothered. She also LOVES make-up, shoes, purses, and jewelry. Hey, no one will accuse me of not teaching my daughter the value of accessorizing!

Here's Sophia feeding her baby some of her morning oatmeal and milk.

And, since baby #4 is coming, I decided I needed a few months of no diapers, so I'm potty training Sophie. This is week two and she actually is doing pretty well. No accidents for a couple of days, she just holds it FOREVER! It is taking longer than with the boys, but she isn't even two yet, so what can I expect!? I know this summer I'll be glad I took the time to do it. Here she is on her little potty. Notice the two babies on the floor around her. They keep her company when she is sitting.

And finally, a video of Sophia mothering Caleb. The video is kind of dark, but she is laying on the couch with Caleb laying on her shoulder, covered with a blanket. Wait for the end, she gives him an adorable kiss "goodnight". This is the first time I've posted a video, so hopefully it works! Less than a month until I leave for a week's vacation visiting my sister in Florida! Whoo-hoo!

February Highlights

And in the title lies the problem. February doesn't really have any highlights. It's cold outside. Holidays are over. (Valentine's Day doesn't really count, because shouldn't you love your spouse EVERY day?) Spring seems very far away. So every morning, I open the curtains and look out at the dreary sky and anticipate what is coming.....

And we actually have more to anticipate than just spring. Baby #4 is on the way, due end of September/beginning of October. The boys are thrilled. Sophia is confused about why there is a baby in mommy's tummy and she can't see it. Eric is excited and proud. I'm often feeling a little under the weather and so doing less cooking and more sleeping. :) I'm also anxious to find a house for our growing family before we split the seams of our 2 bedroom duplex!

Please, spring, come quickly! We need your warm days and sunshine!

On a side note, the boys new favorite evening activity is to act out a Proverb. Eric chooses a Proverb and then the boys think of a way to act it out. They perform it for me and I try to guess what the Proverb is. They love it! And they're pretty good actors (although I can't imagine where they would get a talent like that). :)

Good Deals

I love good deals. Most of you know this because if I get a good deal, I tell you about it. Why should my blog be any different? Today, we went to Hy-Vee to get some groceries. By "we" I mean me and the kids. We don't usually shop at Hy-Vee because it is generally the most expensive grocery store. But when we do, the kids know all about the two perks that Hy-Vee has to offer. #1-car carts. You know, those HUGE carts with a "car" in the front so your kids can sit and steer/climb on the roof/stick their heads out the windows just as your careening around a corner, etc. #2-free cookies. That's right, any kid shopping at Hy-Vee gets a free cookie. I would like to see them expand this program to include moms. I mean, what mom with three kids at the grocery store doesn't deserve a cookie?! Anyway, my kids love Hy-Vee because of the perks. Unfortunately, the car carts were covered with snow, but we still got the cookies! So we stopped at Hy-Vee to pick up a few items that they had on a really good sale this week. And while we were meandering through the aisles to find our $1.28 butter, I found the best deal I've ever found.....drum roll please........1/2 gallon of chocolate milk at the price of 4 for $1. Yep, $0.25 each. I bought six. My kids are going to be drinking only chocolate milk for a week. And then, in the same section of the store, I spied deal #2......1/2 gallon premium orange juice......4 for $1. I bought 4. Oh, and I asked the managment and nothing was wrong with the items. They haven't expired. They are perfect. I must have mentioned my amazement at what a good deal we got a number of times to my kids, because by the time we were at the checkout counter, they were telling everyone who looked our way that we got "SUCH A GOOD DEAL!" So Hy-Vee, I don't know what kind of magic day it was in your store, but THANKS!

To Mom

This post is a tribute to my mom, Lea. She turned 60 years old on the 17th of January. If I'm half as beautiful (inside and out!) as she is when I'm 60, I'll be a happy woman. I'm so thankful for my mom. She is an inspiration to me and truly is one of my best friends. Love you, Mom!

And...we're back.

Where did the last month go? We spent the end of December and early January celebrating Christmases and dealing with the stomach flu. Yep. Sophia began the sequence by getting sick on December 23rd....on the way to my parents....in the car.....right after she drank a cup of milk and ate fruit snacks and chicken nuggets......some of you have already stopped reading you are so grossed out. Thanks to the very kind older female cashier at the Casey's for her help in covering the bathroom floor with trash bags and providing clean rags to clean up Sophia and our van! Luckily, the boys didn't get sick until after we returned home the following Sunday. We spent the last few days of December eating jello, Saltines (by the way, for all you moms out there, try oyster crackers instead of Saltines for your kids--same great taste, much less mess!) and drinking Sprite. Cheers to the new year!

My new year project was to switch bedrooms with the boys. We only have two bedrooms and up until now, the boys were in one room and we were in the other, with Sophia in our closet (hey, it's a big closet with a window!). But I was determined to have our own room, so we put the boys in with Sophia and, finally, Eric and I have our own room again. Supposedly, this will allow me to get up early and exercise without waking Sophie up. I've done it once so far this week. Best part-we now have a tv in our room, so Eric and I can watch movies in bed! Yes!

A few thanks to give out....to God for the beautiful, sunny, 40 degree day today....to Grandma and Grandpa Bodin for the new Wii game (the boys are playing it RIGHT NOW)......to Walgreens for free makeup and chocolate covered macadamia nuts....to the South Beach Diet website for awesome coupons on their yummy granola bars....and to all of you who have left me comments. I'm so glad we get to stay connected this way!